Happy Birthday Mom!...

Today is my mom's birthday. From what I've heard, she's been showered with flowers, gifts, balloons, candy, and the whole works...And she deserves it. God has blessed me with an incredible family. My parents have always believed in me, pushed me to be the best I can be, and provided all the support in the world for me to accomplish anything I set out to do. I always say I won the parent lottery and on days like this, I am reminded of that even more. So Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!

Wow Wednesday (One Day Late!)...

Several months ago, I had a weekly post entitled Wow Wednesday. Every Wednesday I would post a video that would leave you saying only one thing: "Wow." That could mean, "Wow, that is incredible!" or (most likely) "Wow! Are they serious?!?!" It's been a while since Wow Wednesday has taken place here on the blog, but I saw this video yesterday and while I was showing it to some peeps today, someone said I should post it as a Wow Wednesday. So here you are: For your viewing pleasure, I present The Breakfast Song.

We Don't Freestyle Texas Fight...

My good friend (and unfortunately, Sooner fan) Steve Etheridge shared this over on his blog page at The River 102.3 Radio Station and I just had to pass it along...

The Weekend Update...

Here's a recap of Labor Day weekend in the Burleson household:

• Friday we spent most of the day in Round Rock & North Austin. Johanna had been wanting to take me on my first IKEA experience so we spent a few hours roaming that monstrosity. The bonus of the day: There is a Razzoo's right next to IKEA, which just happens to have one of the finest meals on the planet: The Jaws Platter!
• Saturday was dedicated to the greatness that is college football. I watched a lot of games this weekend and the highlight was watching the Longhorn game with Micah & Bryan. Hook 'em!
• Sunday was a great day at TCC. Zak White, our former executive pastor and now the pastor and founder of Revolution Church shared his vision about reaching people with us on Sunday morning. Good stuff!
• Monday was a Dadda Day for us. Johanna is a little under the weather so I took Hayden out and we spent the morning and most of the afternoon hanging out. I love spending time with Hayden! We came home mid-afternoon to hang out with Momma and spent the rest of the day lounging around the house and resting.

The ABCs of Why I Need A Connection Group...

I’ve been up to my elbows in Connection Group work this week! With Zak moving to plant a church in Schertz, our group’s ministry is a new area I’m leading. We had our fall training camp for group leaders last weekend. I’ve worked on other group stuff all week. Yesterday, Cole & I spent the afternoon recording leadership training sessions for our group leaders…Like I said, I’ve been up to my elbows in groups.

This Sunday, immediately following our morning celebration service at The Connection Church we’re hosting our Connection Group Expo. This is an opportunity for people within our church and community to find out information on our Connection Groups, as well as find a group that best fits them. If you’re a part of TCC and you aren’t connected to a group yet, let me encourage you to be there this weekend and find out how you can begin connecting with God and with others through our incredible Connection Groups. You may be asking yourself why you should even take the time to get plugged into a group. Well I’m glad you asked.

1. We all want to be ACCEPTED. – Let’s face it: We’re all looking for a lot of the same things in life…and one of those things is acceptance. We want to know that people will accept us and welcome us right where we are in life. We want people to accept us for who we are, without any masks or pretension. It is our desire that our Connection Groups reflect the love and acceptance of our God, who accepts us just as we are and loves us right where we’re at in life.

2. We all want a place to BELONG. – Being a part of a group gives you a place to belong. The theme song from the old TV show Cheers said it best: “You want to go where you can see your troubles are all the same. You want to go where everybody knows your name.” Our Connection Groups give you a place to belong – where you can share the ups and downs of life’s journey, where you can find friendships with people who care about you, and where you can find a group of people who are eager to share life with you.

3. We all want people to CARE. – If we’re all being honest, we want people to care about us. When life gets tough, it helps to know we’ve got a group of people who are there to fall back on, who are praying for us, who are eager to help, and who have our back in life’s tough times. Our Connection Groups allow us to build community with people who care – about us, about our lives, and about our future.

There you have it! The ABC’s of why you and I need to be in a Connection Group. If you’re not already connected, I hope this Sunday will be the day you step into a life-changing Connection Group!