Best of 2007 - Ministry Moments...

Here's my "Top Ministry Moments of 2007." It represents the highlights of another year spent doing my best to try to love God and love others.



10. Disciple Now - Back in February we had the first D-Now here that the church had held in several years. Only one student in our entire ministry had ever been to a Disciple Now weekend before, so it was really tough to get students to buy in to it. But God did some awesome things that weekend. We had a great team of leaders, Lindsey Kane leading worship, and Zak White sharing the Word and it was a great weekend for our students.

9. The Best Sex Ever & The MySpace Series - We tackled two HUGE subjects within the lives of our students this year at our midweek gatherings: Sex & Dating Relationships and Living In An Online World. It was awesome to see students' eyes open up to the relevance of the Word of God to their everyday lives.

8. Seeing Growth in Students - Johanna and I have been here almost two years now. It was good to be able to see how our students are growing and maturing in following Christ and reaching others over the last almost two years.

7. The Attic - The Attic is an old, upstairs building just off of the downtown square that we use for our midweek gathering place for our student ministry. We moved in in April and it's opened a ton of doors for us to reach students who would never come near a traditional church building or setting.

6. Junior High Camp @ Hi-Line Lake Resort - Combine some incredible junior high students with an absolutely amazing, God-created, get-away on beautiful Lake Buchanan and you have one heck of a week! Our high school camp at South Padre was rocking too and we loved Hi-Line Lake Resort so much that we headed back for two fall retreats there! Good times...

5. Preaching/Teaching The Transformers Series & at Commonground Community Church - In August, our pastor gave me the entire month to teach a series on Sunday mornings. I taught a series that I wrote based off of the Transformers movies, entitled "Transformers: Transforming Our Lives To Transform Our World." I loved the chance to do that. Then at the end of August and again in December a friend whose on staff at a church plant, Commonground, in Bridge City asked me to come and speak at their church. I loved being in that setting, seeing unchurched people beginning to get excited about what Christ can do in their lives...Great stuff!

4. Mission Arlington - I absolutely love this place. And I mean that with every ounce of the word love. I took students to MA to serve on Spring Break and during the summer. I've been to Mission Arlington on Mission trips almost 20 times now. The great thing about this year is that I have another group of students addicted to serving their - and to the model of taking church to the people that MA uses. We started our own Mission LTX (for Lockhart, TX) and it has been a great method for us to minister to people these past two years.

3. Pojo Rehab Missions Camp - During June I spent a week in Springtown, TX speaking at a Missions Camp where students worked on rehabbing local homes during the day and attended worship services in the evenings. It was a great week and we got to see God do some incredible things. Definitely one of the highlights of the year in my ministry.

2. Baptizing Students - This year our ministry had the opportunity to see several students take the step of committing their lives to following Christ. That is AWESOME in every sense of the word! We baptized several students and are now getting to walk them through the first baby steps of being a Christ follower. That's what its all about.

1. Serving alongside Johanna - I did ministry for a long time as a single Student Minister. There were some great times in that part of my life and God did some absolutely amazing things during that time of my ministry. But I LOVE sharing ministry with my wife. I love that she feels called to serve alongside me and has the same passion to see real life-change in people as I do. It is simply incredible to serve alongside her and I love every minute of the craziness we live!

Best of 2007 - TV Shows...

This list was TOUGH. I don't watch an extremely large amount of television, but I like a lot of different shows. Johanna & I are not at home a lot in the evenings, so we don't get to see everything we like, but at the same time we have lots of shows we try to keep up with...Online viewing has helped that and I desperately want to get a DVR...It's just not in the budget right now. But after much deliberation, here are my "Top Ten (and a few more) TV Shows":

10. TIE - Law & Order, and True Life and Made - Like I said, this list was tough...I like all the Law and Orders (SVU is my favorite) and it seems that even in their 17th season this year, they just keep getting better. I was not a fan before Jo and I got married and now she's made me an addict. My other two tied for this spot are True Life and Made. I watch a lot of MTV to stay up on Youth Culuture and I really like both these shows. They can teach a lot about culture, students, young adults, and their issues in life.

9. VH1's The White Rapper Show - Absolutely one of the best new shows on TV. Unfortunately, rumor has it that they are changing the show for this next season to make it something with only female rappers. This is one show that I watched every single episode of. MC Serch is "da bomb,yo!" And thank God that Shamrock beat out that poser John Brown in the finals!

8. The Unit - Luckily I've been able to stay up with this show by downloading the episodes. Great TV. Plain and simple.

7. My Name is Earl - I am really more of a reality TV guy, but this is by far my favorite comedy. One word: HILARIOUS! I laugh out loud numerous times in every episode...


6. Project Runway and Top Chef - I put them together because they are both Bravo shows. I guess I got hooked on Project Runway when Jo started watching it and I've been a Top Chef fan from the beginning. I guess it's the reality TV addict in me.

5. Flip This House - In my next life, I will be a house flipper. Ok, maybe that's not what I really believe, but every time I watch this show I want to go into the business of flipping houses, even with a terrible real estate market. A couple other shows just like this one that could easily go here are Flip That House (creative name change, huh?) and The Real Estate Pros.

4. Man vs. Wild - Bear Grylls is a beast. If I ever get lost in the desert, I now know that I can drink my own urine or pee on my t-shirt and wrap it around my head to survive...Awesome!


3. Rob & Big - My favorite MTV show. I love watching these guys and the show cracks me up. Plus, probably the greatest theme song of any current show...Sing it with me, "People let me tell ya' bout my best friend..."


2. Cops - Cops has been one of my favorite TV shows since I was in Junior High or early High School. It started it's 20th season in September of 2007 and is still going strong.

1. The Simpsons and King of The Hill - Animated TV at its best. I own eight seasons of the Simpsons and a couple of King of the Hill, so I could be a little biased by placing them #1 for the year of 2007...But these two, along with Family Guy, had some hilarious, very entertaiing stuff this past year...And I am always up for a show that can make me have a good laugh...Life's too short not to laugh more often!

Shows I Am Looking Forward To But Haven't Got Around To This Year:

The Office - I got seasons one and two for Christmas and can't wait to sit down and watch them...I think I'll love this style of comedy.

KidNation - I only saw one episode and there is some kind of freakish draw to a show like this...I think the parents have got to be insane and I can't imagine how a network came up with this idea, but for some strange reason, I want to see more...

Best of 2007 - Quotes...

Here's another "Best of 2007" List...My opinion on the Top Ten quotes of the year, some funny, some sad, some tought provoking, including a few honorable mentions:

10. I need to get a greater vocabulary than what I have and when I get mad and my brain searches for a word. I have to find different words and to do that you need to have more of an education.
- Duane Dog Chapman, on Hannity & Colmes, publicly apologizing for making a racial slur

9. This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period.
— San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, after breaking Hank Aaron's Major League Baseball all-time home-run record with his 756th career homer amid rumors that he has used steroids. Yeah, Barry, we believe you. Oh, and we've got one word for you: Indictment.

8. I really am not the kind of guy that sits here and says, 'Oh gosh, I'm worried about my legacy.
— President GEORGE W. BUSH, when asked about his falling approval numbers and criticism of how he has handled the war in Iraq.

7. There is just a feeling out there that isn't that positive and it makes me very sad because the American people are very generous, open people and very caring when they are presented with a real issue and they understand what needs to be done.
- Angelina Jolie

6. This is it. This is where it all ends. End of the road. What a life it was. Some life.
— Virginia Tech gunman CHO SEUNG-HUI, in a video he sent to NBC News before killing 32 people and committing suicide in the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history.

5. As always, I rely on the jury system.
- O.J. Simpson, after a judge refused to drop his latest charges of kidnapping and robbery.


4. In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country.
- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at Columbia University

3. That's some nappy-headed hos there.
- Eadio host Don Imus, who lost his job for this remark about the Rutgers women's basketball team.

2. I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, uh, people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future, for our children.
- Miss Teen USA contestant Lauren Upton of South Carolina gave this tortured, confused answer to the question "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the US on a map. Why do you think this is?" This one was so bad and so hilarious that you have to watch it to appreciate it. Check it out here:



1. Don't tase me bro!
University of Florida student Andrew Meyer's plea went unanswered. Meyer put into words what hundreds have thought after realizing that the police have just pulled out their taser and are aiming it at them...Maybe next time he should use some manners, like "Please don't tase me Mr. Officer." Maybe that would help...and maybe not.

HONORABLE MENTION QUOTES:

I make Jessica Simpson look like a rocket scientist. – Tara Reid

(I have) a wide stance. --Sen. Larry Craig, explaining to his arresting officer why he was playing footsie in a Minneapolis airport mens' room.

My idea of getting lucky in the men's room is when the motion sensor works on the faucet. - David Letterman

How many 83-year-old men get up every morning knowing that they're going to have a standing ovation sometime during the day? —Bob Barker on what he'll miss about The Price Is Right

He is the one who has saved us. He is the one who forgave us. He is the one who has come and is coming again. He’s the remedy - David Crowder in the song Remedy

Best of 2007 - Sports Moments...

Being inspired by ysmarko.com, I've decided to do a little "2007 Year In Review" series on my blog...As I look back on 2007 a lot has happened...A lot of life has come and gone...Over the next few posts, I'm gonna give my picks for some of the top moments in various categories of 2007...Since I've spent all day watching bowl games, the natural place to start is Best of 2007 Sports Moments...Here are my Top Ten Sports Moments of '07:

10. TIE - Tim Tebow becomes first Sophomore to win Heisman trophy & Adrian Peterson breaks NFL single game rushing record. - Both of these accomplishments were huge within their perspective leagues. Tebow combined for a total of 51 TD's to become the first underclassmen to win the Heisman in the history of the award. AP has run ragged over opponents as an NFL rookie, suprising even his biggest fans.

9. Barry Bond's Home Run Record - Love him or hate him, Bonds now owns the Major League Baseball record for most home runs in a carreer. The only question is whether or not their will forever be an asterik by this in the record books.

8. Colorado Rockies' Run - Quickly on to a brighter note in baseball...The Rockies finished the regular season on a 14-1 run to make the playoffs as a Wild Card and went into the World Series on an incredbile 21-1 run. Their late regular season run of 14-1 in the last 15 games tied them with the '83 Phillies and the '65 Dodgers as the only teams to accomplish this feat in National League history. They became the first team in 50 years to have a 20-1 streak and the first team in the National League to do so since the 1936 NY Giants.

7. Notre Dame's Downfall - Even the biggest fans of the Irish (including me), never saw this coming. A down year - definitely. Below .500 - maybe. But 3-9? No way. But that is exactly how the Irish finished, including losses to both Navy and Air Force. They ended the season with 2 wins, over Duke and Stanford, to reach 3-9.

6. College Football - All I can say is WOW! This season of college football has been anything but normal and predictable. Every week anyone could win - literally. Just ask Michigan. In fact, as I sit here and type this, the same unranked Michigan team that lost to a division AA team (more on that later) is beating #12 Florida in the 4th quarter of the Capital One Bowl. The National Championship game lineup itself has caused more debate about college football than it's seen over entire seasons in a long time. Either the gap is closing between the great teams and everyone else, or all of college football is becoming mediocre. While their may not be that one top tier team that stands out above the rest this year, I'll still go with the former.

5. The Mike Vick Dogfighting Scandal - How stupid can a person be? You have all the money in the world, all the fame you could ever want, and are, in every aspect of the word, a Superstar...And you are running a gambling ring for dog fighting, putting it all on the line? Stupidity like that deserves as much time in the slammer as it gets...

4. Division I-AA Appalachian State defeats #5 Michigan - This goes back to the whole crazy season of college football. AA Appalachian State shocked the Wolverines and the College Football World knocking out the #5 ranked Michigan team 34-32 with a late blocked field goal early in the season. It was the first time in NCAA history that a Division I-AA team beat a Division I team that was ranked in the AP poll.

3. Florida owning Ohio State - Can you say "Who's your daddy, Buckeyes?" Florida absolutely owned Ohio State in both the NCAA Football and Basketball championship games. A huge underdog in the BCS Championship game in the first sports action of 2007, Florida gave the Buckeyes an old school beat down, completely destroying them in the National Championship game. Then, just three months later, the Gators basketball team gave the OSU basketball team some more of the same medicine in the Final Four NCAA Championship to win back to back NCAA Basketball titles.

2. The Patriot's Record Breaking Season - Speaking of "being owned," the Patriots have done just that to the entire NFL. They become only the second team in NFL history to go 16-0 and have an undefeated regular season in the NFL. In fact, with only two exceptions, the undefeated season was never even in question. Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and the rest of the Patriots have put up numbers like the NFL has never seen and are quickly on their way to a 19-0 Super Bowl Champion Season.

1. The Mitchell Report - As I watched the Mitchell Report being announced live on ESPN just a few weeks ago, my first thoughts (as a Yankee fan) were "Say it ain't so Roger! Say it ain't so Andy! Say it ain't so!" Well, Andy Pettite is one of several players who have said it is so, and Roger is still holding on to the claim that it isn't so...There has been speculation by the media that the report is flawed and skewed because of George Mitchell's connection to the Red Sox. (I will say that I find it a little suspicous that no Red Sox player was named unless they were now with another team, but hey, I'll also admit that I HATE the Red Sox, so my opinion is a bit biased.) The Mitchell report named big names, but also really didn't give a lot of new info. But this is did do, in my eyes and in the eyes of many sports fans: It showed that this era of baseball is full of cheaters. Don't tell me you didn't know it was the juice. Don't give me the excuse that you had to heal quicker or keep up with everyone else who was using. And don't anyone tell me that it's only about the players. The Mitchell report confirms what all of us knew but didn't want to admit or acknowledge. The owners and gm's knew players were using steroids and HGH, but they didn't care. Why? Becuase it was bringing in the big bucks. The players knew it was wrong and did it any way. Why? Because the better they performed, the longer they played, and the faster they healed, the more money they made. And we, the fans, deep in our hearts knew it was going on...And we paid the outrageous ticket prices and bought $30 caps and $120 jerseys anyway. And an entire era of young kids have to deal with looking up to baseball heroes that are nothing more than cheaters...Shame on all of us. Hopefully, the Mitchell report will move us into a new age of baseball, where kids who play tee ball all summer can have heroes who play the game with their 100% all and nothing more.

So there you have it. My Top Sports Moments of 2007. Feel free to add you own contributions or thoughts as comments and let me know what you think. I know that Justin and Dbrown will chime in for sure...

The Weekend Update...

It's been a crazy weekend so far...Saturday morning Jo and I got up early and made the 3 1/2 hour trek from my parents house to Lockhart. We left earlier because some friends invited us to go with them to the Alamo Bowl Saturday night and we had to be back in the LOC in time to leave by lunch. We had a great time last night at the game. Even though I am a Longhorn fan, I enjoyed it and had a blast with the friends we went with...Today, church came a little earlier than usual it seemed like...Maybe it was just because we didn't get back from the bowl game until 1 AM, but I don't know. Our pastor talked about what it means to understand forgiveness and let go of guilt...Good stuff. This evening we have been hanging out with some of our college students and friends. It's been a night full of eating (thank you for 50 pack chicken nuggets!) and hanging out...And the guys have been tearing it up on my 360. We've done everything from Call of Duty 4 to NCAA Football 08...I'm taking a break in the middle of our NCAA tournament, but I gotta go 'cause I'm up next...Here are a few pics from the bowl game...

Outside Before the Game


My Ticket


The View from our seats - In black & white


Me & Johanna during the game


Texas A&M about to score

Christmas Come and Gone...

The past few days have been full of Christmas memories and family time...We drove from Houston on Sunday after church and got to Stephenville late that evening...Jo and I then spent Christmas eve and Christmas with my family - my mom and dad, grandparents, and my brother and sister-in-law. We had Christmas lunch with my mom's family on Christmas eve...She has a really big family so we all just met at Cotton Patch and ate together. Then we spent Christmas eve with my dad's parents...It's been a restful, peaceful, good several days...Today Johanna, myself, and my mom headed to DFW to spend some of our Christmas gift cards...Bought some new books (of course!)...I bought a book by Erwin McManus called Soul Cravings that I am excited about getting into...

Since this past weekend I have had a song stuck in my head (and in my heart)...I really don't think I've ever been fond of the song until lately...I am not a "hymn" guy so this has really been weird to have these lyrics stuck in my head...But I think that the lyrics sum up for me what the Christmas season is all about...Especially the first few lines...I've hummed and sung them over and over the past several days...My prayer is that I will live them out and model them for others over and over for the days to come...Here are the lyrics...The song was written in the 1700s by a guy named Charles Wesley and is titled "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus." I hope it challenges you in the same way it's challenging me...

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Christmas Reading...

I packed a few books away in my laptop bag for some Christmas reading as we travel and spend time with our families the next several days...The books vary from some that have been sitting on my shelf haunting me because I bought them a year or so ago and still haven't read them to a book a friend gave me just this past week...I got some good reading time in today and started with a very small book called "Jesus with Dirty Feet" by Don Everts...So far it has been a great book...It's an easy read, only 120+ small pages written in a form called "sense lines." It's form is much like the style of something you might read in Psalms...So it's a short book...But it packs a powerful punch. So far it's been filled with solid insight and some very challenging words for what it means to be a Christ-follower...It would also be a great book to give to someone who is curious or skeptical about Christianity...Here are a couple of my favorite quotes so far...

Most folks think Christianity is an outdated religion. But it turns out it is neither outdated nor a religion.

What we would call "Christianity" was nothing more and nothing less than some simple people responding to Jesus' call by attaching themselves to him. They believed, followed, listened to, questioned, obeyed, talked with, learned from, and ultimately gave thir lvies to this character Jesus.

Most folks think of Jesus as the man who started that Christianity religion. But it turns out he wasn't just a man, and he wasn't interested in religion.

He (Jesus) never asked anyone to become a Christian, never built a steepled building, never drew up a theological treatise, never took an offering, never wore religious garments, never incorporated for tax purposes...He simply called people to follow him. That's it. That, despite it's simplicity, is it.

Now it's off to try and finish this short read before the night's done...Tomorrow we are going to church with Jo's family to watch our nephew, Luke, be baptized and then it's off to Stephenville for more Christmas and family time...Hopefully, I will have a chance to post between now and then, but if not, Merry Christmas! May God grant you the peace and hope this week that He gave to the world so many years ago...And may we all be able to comprehend a little more fully what it means that God came down in the flesh and made His dwelling among us...May we see the love that brought him from heaven into our neighborhood...Merry Christmas!

Go Jesus, It's Your Birthday...

Found this over at ysmarko.com...It's a virgin mobile commercial and all I can say is "Wow..."

Big Things Ahead...

I got to have lunch with a couple great guys today. It was good to share fellowship with some like minded people and to pick their brains about what the church could and should be...Fantastic time...Johanna and I have felt for a while that God is up to big things with us...I'm excited about the future and what that holds...All that today held was a refreshment of that excitement...And I am stoked about some of the possibilities that lie ahead...My biggest goal in life is to live 100% spent for the kingdom...When all is said and done in this life for me, I want my life to have counted. I want heaven to look different because I lived on earth...I want it to be more crowded because of what God used me to do in this place...And as I continue to follow Him and as Jo and I continue to live our lives to the best of His glory, I sense big things on the horizon...And today, God BLEW ME AWAY again with how big He is and how incredible His plan can be...Yep, God's pretty much amazing...And then again, that word doesn't even begin to touch who He is...

Christmas Quotes...

As I spent some time this morning searching for Christmas quotes, I came across a huge variety of perspective and insight...Here are some I thought I'd share...Some funny, some insightful, some painfully honest, but all worth reading and pondering...


Once again we find ourselves enmeshed in the Holiday Season, that very special time of year when we join with our loved ones in sharing centuries-old traditions such as trying to find a parking space at the mall. We traditionally do this in my family by driving around the parking lot until we see a shopper emerge from the mall, then we follow her, in very much the same spirit as the Three Wise Men, who 2,000 years ago followed a star, week after week, until it led them to a parking space.
- Dave Barry

Christmas is the day that holds all time together. - Alexander Smith

Christmas is the one time of year when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ. - Bart Simpson

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.
Hamilton Wright Mabie

From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it.
Katharine Whitehorn

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree." - Roy L. Smith

The Christmas season has come to mean the period when the public plays Santa Claus to the merchants. -John Andrew Holmes

Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny (expletive) Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white butt down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of buttholes this side of the nuthouse. - Clark Griswold, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

The Church does not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected. -Samuel Johnson

"The great majority of people will go on observing forms that cannot be explained; they will keep Christmas Day with Christmas gifts and Christmas benedictions; they will continue to do it; and some day suddenly wake up and discover why." - G.K Chesterton

Devastated...

Today may become known as the darkest day in Major League Baseball history. Don't get me wrong...There have been dark days before. There have been days when things could be a lot better...There have been days marred with scandal such as the days of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the White Sox. There have been days marked with greed, such as the strikes. But today quite possibly is the darkest of them all. The Mitchell report came out today and confirmed what almost all of us who are baseball fans already knew, but deep down never wanted to know...Major League Baseball is filled with cheaters. Today we realized, or maybe just couldn't hide from any longer, the fact that the last 10+ years in professional baseball are marked forever in history with an asterick. It's not just Bonds...It's far bigger than Canseco, McGwire, and Palmeiro. It's big and it encompasses all of baseball. Sure they only named around 80 players specifically, but now we all know that this is a widespread problem. They named 80 players, with a tie to EVERY SINGLE MAJOR LEAGUE TEAM. They named General Managers and Trainers and Owners who swept things under the rug simply to keep the cash flow coming...The biggest devastation for me as a Yankee fan is the involvement of Clemens and Pettite, two of my all-time favorites. I cannot believe these guys were implicated...I guess deep down I knew they were recovering from injuries faster than one could realistically do without some help. But I didn't want to believe it...And two of my favorites, two of the truly good guys in the game were caught cheating...And it is so much bigger than those two guys...Today we, the baseball fans in America, lost what little innocence we had left. Steroids has not affected a few players in the game. It has not even began to infiltrate the game. Steroids and the use of illegal performance enhancers have not tainted the game. They have ruined it. Today we found out that steriods are the bedmate of baseball - Not just players, but management and owners and trainers. All so that the money keeps rolling in...And little kids all over America got a message that you do whatever it takes to get the big contract...even cheating. There have been some hard days for professional baseball, but this cloud may very well be the darkest one yet...

Breaking The Code...And Jumping Ship...

I just started reading "Breaking The Missional Code: Your Church Can Become A Missionary in Your Community" by Ed Stetzer and David Putman. I have seen some other stuff that Stetzer has done in reference to church planting and reaching the unchurched and thought this would be a good read. The book is basically about how we as Christ-followers and churches in America need to see ourselves as missionaries and use those principles to reach our communities. We can no longer sit idly by and just open the doors and expect people to come in...Here is a quote or two that stuck out from the first chapter:

"For many, evangelicals have become a voting block rather than a spiritual force."

"Many are convinced if you just "preach the gospel" and perhaps "love people" then your church will reach people. They are wrong and their ideas hurt the mission of the church. Communities across North America are filled with churches led by loving gospel preachers - most of whom, if statistics are true, are not reaching people...Loving people means understanding and communicating with them. Preaching the gospel means to proclaim a gospel about the Word becoming flesh - and proclaiming that the body of Christ needs to become incarnate in every cultural expression."

This first chapter has hit a vein with me and my great disdain for the way that the vast majority of churches just expect people to come to them. We expect to open our doors on Sunday morning and for the unchurched to just magically appear. So many church people and leaders live by a mindset of "well, they know where we're at so they can come to us" whether they would admit it or not. That's why most evangelical churches spend more money on fellowships and flowers than they do on outreach and local missions...Shame on us. Even on those of us who don't agree with that mindset but continue to allow it to be the dominant way of thinking in the church and continue, by our presence and involvement in said churhes, to go along with this incredibly un-biblical way of thinking and living...As for me, I am ready to jump ship! I am tired of seeing churches that are dying and are on life support because they continue to fail to reach people...It's time to take the gospel to the people. After all, that's what Jesus did. He never said "come to me" but rather always went to them...And that is even the message of this time of year. That God stepped out of heaven and put on flesh and lived among us to show us love and truth. The Message Bible says that "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into our neighborhood." It's time for those of us who claim to follow Christ to take action and to model the love and life of our Master...It's time to shut the doors of the church and hang a sign on them that says, "If you're looking for us, we're out sharing the love of Christ in our community in real practical ways. We'll be back when that's done, so it might be a while. I wouldn't wait around. I'd just join us there." Until next time...

The Weekend Update...

I'm watching football highlights from today's games and thought I'd share a short weekend update...Saturday I headed to the Alamodome in San Antonio with some good friends to spend the day watching Texas High School football playoffs...I got to hang out and watch some good football while Johanna stayed back at the house and studied for her finals coming up this week...Today was a full day...We had church this morning, lunch with a couple families and some friends from the church, and then a birthday party this afternoon for the little girl that Jo baby sits...Tonight we went to church and watched our church choir perform their Christmas musical...It was really, really good stuff...After that we headed to Austin to eat with Jaron, Jenna, and Foster and hit up some Starbucks...Overall, a relaxing weekend spent with a variety of great friends...Can't ask for more than that...

Sights and Sounds...

Unless you live somewhere besides planet earth, or specifically, the United States of America, you probably already know it's Christmas time. There are some things about Christmas that I cannot stand: the gross materialism, the greed, the mass consumerism that leads to so much debt, the pain, hurt, and loneliness that so many people feel during the holidays...But there is a lot about Christmas that I LOVE: the fact that it commemorates that Jesus was Immanuel - God With Us - that we serve a God who stepped into our world to show us life and love, the fact that it opens the door for weeks for those of us who are Christ followers to share the story and love of Jesus, the opportunity to give to others, and the time spent with family and friends...

The past couple days have held some Christmas fun...Last night Johanna and I went to Sights and Sounds in San Marcos...It is basically a mini-carnival type Christmas celebration...The banks of the San Marcos River are decorated with lights and Christmas decor, with a small replica of the town of Bethlehem, carnival rides, craft booths, and food vendors galore! We walked the river banks, toured Bethlehem (and Joseph just happened to be a worship leader I met a few weeks ago!), looked for some Christmas gifts among the craft booths, and tasted some good eats...We had sausage on a stick, snow cones, deep fried cookie dough, curly fries, chalupas, and got some kettle korn and cotton candy to take home...Maybe that's why I didn't sleep so well last night...But that's another subject...We had a blast! I love getting to spend time at those kinds of things with my incredible wife...Then this morning, I finished putting up all our Christmas lights...We've got icicle lights around the house, with our flower bed lined with lighted candy canes, and a sprial lighted tree in the middle of our yard...I planned to poast some pics with this, but I still need another extension cord to get it all lit up, so the pics will have to wait...

I hope that in the midst of all the craziness, and the sights and sounds of Christmas, that you have a chance to reflect on Immanuel...My prayer for you is that you might really understand what it means that God stepped out of heaven and moved into our neighborhood...And that those of us who know that love and that truth might take the opportunity of this holiday season to share that love and message of hope with others...

Politics...

Most of the time, I am pretty interested in politics...I am by no means a politcal expert or fanatic, but I keep up with what's going on for the most part...This presidential race has been intriguing to me because I think that without a clear front-runner and with so many candidates who are not your "typical presidential candidate" that maybe some real issues will get addressed...If I were to vote today, my support would probably swing to Guiliani's campaign...But there is a lot of "politicizing" left to do...With that being said, I got this video in an email today and I really like it...Anytime a candidate really stands for what they believe in, I think you have to respect them, regardless of whether you agree or not...In a day and time of wishy-washy, spineless politics it is refreshing to see someone be open and honest about their beliefs in a political race...Plus, I like what Huckabee has to say...It's funny that the moderator in the debate doesn't really like his response (and wasn't prepared for it, I don't think...), but the crowd seems to approve...Check it out:

The Missing Man...

The following is a clip from an article titled "Missing Man" by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports. The article is about how the Redskins took the field yesterday against the Buffalo Bills after losing one of their teammates in a tragic murder.

So here were Taylor's old teammates trying their best to honor him. They quietly decided the defense would line up on the first play against the Buffalo Bills with just 10 defenders. Doughty would stay on the sidelines; if Taylor couldn't take the field, then no one would.

"It wasn't one less man, it was playing with 10 and Sean," Doughty said. "We had all 11 out there. That is what we designed. I was sitting out the first play because Sean was going to be in there."

They were willing to concede what inevitably happened, the Bills' Fred Jackson running 22 yards against a defensive alignment with a hole in it. Then Doughty jogged onto the field to make the defense complete. The Bills threw to Josh Reed and Doughty flew to him, wrapping him up after just a two-yard gain, playing safety in a manner of which Sean Taylor would have approved.

It was perfect, the perfect football tribute at the end of a horrible week. The ideal on-field compliment to the moment of silence and the video tribute and the No. 21 towels waving in the stands.

As I read that article this morning, and as I deal with loss myself today, I wonder what the implications of this type of mentality are for the church...Our church lost an MVP last night. My friend, Roger Taylor, left this earth and went home. Please pray for his family in this time of hurt and loss. He will be sorely, sorely missed. I use the term friend because that is exactly what Roger was to me. As a minister, you can only develop most relationships to a certain level...Either people put you on a pedastal or they are looking for fault in you to bring you down...Not Roger. Roger just loved me for me, untucked shirt, goatie, and all...When I found out that Roger only had weeks left on this earth I journaled a tribute about how much his friendship affected me that I will post later this week. But today, I just want to say that I lost a friend. One of my biggest encouragers, supporters, and teammates is gone...And as a church, we will definitely be "fielding a team" one man short...You cannot replace a Roger Taylor. A man who, on his death bed, brings in his employees to share his faith with them one last time. A man who made it a priority every Monday night to go share his faith and share about our church with people in the community. A man who would grow a goatie just so that you're not the only one and make you feel more comfortable about it. We will be taking the field one man down, but heaven just added an All-Pro to their squad. Roger, I will miss you my brother...I will miss my friend...

Concert Tonight...

I've been busy getting ready for the Lindsey Kane concert that we'll be having in our student building, The Attic, tonight...We are hoping and praying for a big turnout of students because Lindsey always does an incredible job of speaking into the hearts of our students with her music and worship...It's been a busy day and the rest of the week doesn't slow down any...I've got to finish up my sermon and powerpoint/media for this weekend...We're leaving on Saturday to head to Bridge City, TX (about 4-5 hours away) where I'll be speaking on Sunday morning at Commonground Community Church...A good friend from college is on staff there and this is the second time I've spoke there this year...I am totally looking forward to it and praying God moves...Until next time...

Christmas Giving Revolutionized...

I used to hate Christmas...The songs, the gifts, the carollers, all of it...But I have mellowed into a guy who really likes - make that loves - that Christmas season...A big part of that is being able to spend the holiday season and share those experiences with my incredible wife...But one thing I still don't like about Christmas: THE GROSS CONSUMERISM that we have corrupted the holiday with here in America...Don't get me wrong. I love a great gift as much as the next guy. But I think we've let it get way, way out of control...I was in Wal-Mart last Friday morning as I watched people tear into packaging and knock each other over just to save a few bucks on the newest gadgets and gifts...Something is wrong there. And this is not a problem of the world. Christians are not exempt from this...Look at all the church fundraisers, parties, and events that have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with celebrating Christ and everything to do with celebrating us. I hope that this holiday season, you'll get a chance to look beyond that consumerism to unwrap the real truths that lay hidden in the Christmas season...Truths found not only in the crib, but also in the cross.

That being said, I want to share with you another great combination of generosity, creativity, and the media outlet of the internet...I give you www.igive.com....This website is dedicated to allow you to shop online while giving a significant amount of your purchase to charity. Here's how it works...Go to igive.com and choose from 680+ online stores, including the top brands and stores like Best Buy, Gap, Home Depot, Starbucks, and A&E...Each store has set a certain percentage of their profits, ranging all the way up to 26%, to give to a charity of your choice...You shop, pick out your favorite gifts, and select the charity that you'd like to benefit from your purchase...If you don't see your favorite charity on the site, you can even add it in. And, according to the website, you won't pay any more than in the store. Sometimes you'll even pay less with special deals and coupons for iGive shoppers...So if you must shop and spend this holiday season, find a way like igive.com to do it creatively...

I've got some more gift ideas for those who have it all and don't need anything that I'll be sharing later...If that person is on your list, then hold off for a while...Until next time...

This Week @ The Attic...

Thanksgiving Recap...

After an exhausting few weeks of work, I was able to take off the entire week of Thanksgiving. I just relaxed and rested on Monday and Tuesday...When you're wife says, "I wish you would take some time to rest so we can enjoy spending time with you over the weekend," then you know you've become completely drained. So I began the week with some much needed rest...On Tuesday evening, after Johanna got done with class, we headed to Gorman to see my parents...We actually made a pitstop in Goldthwaite to see some friends and got to Gorman really late Tuesday night...Wednesday we spent visiting with my grandparents and then headed to Brownwood to eat at one of the best places on the planet: Underwood's...It is one of the many, many things I miss about the Central Texas area...Johanna and I decided that should be a new annual pre-Thanksgiving dinner tradition...It was great. Thursday was spent eating Turkey and dressing (way too much!) and spending time with family...Then Friday was devoted to football...Jo and I began the day at Wal-Mart @ 4:45 AM...I am still not sure what we went after, but $120 and a crazy amount of chaos later, we headed back to catch some early morning naps...Then we spent the rest of the day traveling to football games and watching High School playoffs...First we watched my hometown Gorman Panthers lose to Windthorst...Gorman was 11-0 going into the game and was ranked #4 in the state while Windthorst barely made the playoffs...Needless to say the Panthers played terrible and were very dissappointing, losing 14 to 0...That night featured the Goldthwaite Eagles vs. the Albany Lions...A lot of my former students from Goldthwaite are on this team so it was great to go back and watch and rekindle old friendships in the stands during the game...I always love going back to Goldthwaite games and seeing old friends...Goldthwaite was picked to lose by two scores but I'd never count a Goldthwaite team coached by Gary Proffitt out until the scoreboard read 0:00 in the fourth quarter...Goldthwaite came out, highly motivated by being the underdog, and dominated Albany, winning 28 to 15, in a game that was never as close as the final score...Saturday we headed back to Lockhart with another pitstop along the way to see some great friends, Greg and Heather Proffitt...After a few hours visiting at their house, we headed back to Lockhart to get ready for church on Sunday....Yesterday consisted of church and cleaning around the house...We're trying to get the house cleaned up so we can get all our Christmas decorations out and set up...I love the Christmas holidays...I'll be posting some thoughts on Christmas later this week and throughout this month...Stay tuned for something I ran across on the web that can revolutionize your Christmas shopping...Shop and give back to your favorite charity at the same time! Details coming in the next post!...Until then...Hope your Thanksgiving was as full of giving thanks as it was of turkey...

Creativity + Generosity + Media Savvy + Education + Game = ...

I have seen this website floating around on a few blogs that I read...It is www.freerice.com. Basically, you go on the website and test your vocabulary and in doing so, your correct words end up as donations of rice through the United Nations...It is a rare, unique combination of creativity, the giving spirit, education, and a media outlet like the net...All you do is go to the website and basically test your vocabulary...For each word you get right, the website funders donate a certain amount of rice to the poor and hungry...You can keep going as long as you want...I am actually sitting in one of Austin's Public Libraries, killing time and waiting for Johanna to get out of class so we can head home for Thanksgiving and have been able to donate some rice just by killing time...So go check it out and spread the word...www.freerice.com...

Spent...

There are times in youth ministry where you just get completely, 100% spent...I am at one of those times...The last over one and a half years has been non-stop ministry building...There seems to be a never ending list of things that have to get done, relationships that need to be developed, new students that need to be connected, and basic foundation work that needs to be laid...Usually, the summer is the most exhausting part of student ministry, but I feel like I am coming off of four or five consecutive summers...The past two weekends topped it off with back to back Fall Retreats for our Jr. High and High School students...And I am spent...It'a all from good stuff, kingdom stuff, but I'm still spent, none the less...So I took today off and have the rest of the week off...I am trying to rest for the first couple of days so that I can actually enjoy my time with my wife, family, and friends over the Thanksgiving weekend...

I hope that you'll take some time this weekend to really look into your life and see all that you have to be thankful for...We had a really cool meeting last night in our guys small group talking about what we're thankful for and looking at giving thanks in a new way...I hope that this will be more than just another holiday for you, and that you will see and reflect on all the goodness that God has done for you...

My YS Memories...

Johanna and I got to spend our time at the YS National Youth Worker's Convention with somem great friends, James & Sherri and Jason & Heather...One of the recurring jokes on the trip were how we would all quote clips from the National Lampoon's Vacation movie that Johanna had never seen...Every time we drove near the St. Louis Arch or the Mississippi River we heard this scene...word for word. This is just for you fellas...

Mind-Blowing...

This video is a little long, but incredible...Found it over at ysmarko.com...Thanks MarkO...

Say Thank You...

Yesterday I made one of the most important phone calls I ever make on a yearly basis. Every year on Veteran's Day (which was yesterday and is being "observed" today) I call my Papa to say two simple, yet very much needed to be said words: Thank You. My grandfather was a "lifetime" military man serving 20 years in the United States Army. He served his country faithfully and with pride and integrity in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He didn't serve for medals or for recognition, but for the love of his country. He and my grandmother made sacrifices so that He could serve, including living literally all over the world and raising their son (my dad) in an environment where moving across the globe was a literal reality. And I am so thankful for men and women like my grandfather. It was his sacrifice and bravery that paved the way for the freedom's I enjoy...A few years ago I was in Philadelphia with a couple of my students and we walked by one of the city's War Memorails that pays tribute to those who've served our country...The memorial had these words: "To those who've fought to defend it freedom has a taste that the protected will never know." I believe that is true. And I am thankful for men like my grandfather, and my friend Rodney Thomas, my cousin Thomas, my brothers-in-law, Jason and Jerry, and fraternity brother Gibby who all have served or are currently serving...Thank you just doesn't seem like enough...But it is the very least we can do...If you know a veteran or someone currently serving our great nation, take the time today to say thank you...

Holding The Hand That Holds The World...

So one of the things that I love about Youth Specialties and the NYWC is that they "cast a wide net." There is always a wide variety of speakers and bands and performers to choose from, so you get several perspectives and you also get to hear/see groups that are new to you...For me, one of those groups this past week was the band Starfield...They led worship on Sunday and Monday and I really liked their sound...But more than that, I think that the lyrics to their worship songs were incredible...Here are the lyrics to my favorite one they led this past weekend...It's called "Hold The Hand That Holds The World"...

No greater joy
Is there than this
To know for what
We're meant to live
To hold Your hand
To touch Your face
To find ourselvesIn loves embrace

I want to stand before the King
Join in the song that heaven sings
I want to hold the hand that holds the world

I want to know the mystery
Reach out and touch the majesty
I want to hold the hand tht holds the world

No greater love
Could be bestowed
That You would name us
as your own

Your daughters sing
Your sons rejoice
They gather here
before Your throne

You are, You are
The author of creation
We are, the chrildren of your heart

You are, You are,
The light of all the heaven
We rise, to worship all You are

Top 10 Reasons Texas is Better...

As promised, here it is:

"My Top 10 Reasons That Texas is Better Than St. Louis"

10. You never leave a restaurant with bleeding eardrums due to how stinkin' loud the music is. (It's Hard Rock, not Loud Rock.)

9. There are actually restaurants and gas stations right off the Interstate, where people who have never been there before can actually see them and get to them...wow, what a neat concept!

8. Our streets don't close down for a stinkin' hockey game.

7. Parking at a restuarant doesn't cost you twice as much as your meal.

6. Two Words: MEXICAN FOOD!

5. Fast food isn't considered between 30 to 45 minutes. (Steak and Shake - There are 44 in the city of St. Louis and I am betting that ALL 44 are slow!)

4. People involved in customer service professions actually acknowledge that the customer exists. (I have never been in a city where the waitstaff and customer service people were more rude or apathetic.)

3. Two more words: Diet Dr. Pepper. (Actually, I guess that's two words and a prefix.)

2. No one honks at you when you make a minor driving error...they just give you the finger. (I know some might prefer the honk, but at least the finger is a bit less obvious for the rest of the drivers near you and for your SUV full of people.)

1. People actually smile at you.

With that being said, we did have an oustanding time at Youth Specialites' NYWC...But St. Louis, not so much...So I will leave you with this from the band Bowling For Soup and hope that Mark Oestreicher or Tic Long sees the following and take it as an official invitation for the NYWC:

Come back to Texas
Its just not the same since you went away
Before you lose your accent
And forget all about the Lonestar State
There's a seat for you at the rodeo
And I've got every slow dance saved
Besides the Mexican food sucks north of here anyway

Human Tetris...

This video was featured on Yahoo's homepage today...Hilarious!

NYWC Revisited...

So, as promised, here is a brief recap of the NYWC in St. Louis that Johanna and I just returned from. Overall, the experience was incredible! As I posted previously, we come back every year refreshed and renewed with a new sense of hope for this calling that God has given us...We both attended several breakout seminars and got the chance to learn a lot. Johanna went to a couple Tony Campolo seminars on how sociology can shape youth ministry and what evangelism in a post-evangelical world looks like...I attended a conference led by Marcus Goodloe...One of the things he talked about is how we all have preferences and principles...Our preferences can be "violated" and we can get over it, but we have to be men of integrity when it comes to people violating our principles, in ministry and in life...I also attended a session led by MarkO (ysmarko.com) titled, "The Expectations that Killed the Youth Worker." It was great stuff and it was the kind of stuff that makes you examine where your own life/ministry is heading and if you want it to head that way....Another seminar I hit up was the one on Innovative Youth Ministry led by the guys at lifechurch.tv. It was a great seminar and challenged me on the level of innovation I am bringing to ministry...The "big" general sessions were great too...David Crowder band and Shane & Shane rocked! The Skit Guys were hilarious...We were led in worship by some bands that were new to us and that was cool too...Ralph Winter, the producer of the X-Men movies, spoke at one of the sessions and talked about storytelling...Overall, the general sessions were really good.

We also had a little down time...We got to go check out the Arch and went to this cool little park called Forest Park...And we got to hang out with some of our closest friends in ministry...That is always great and always leads to some interesting and fun times...

As I said in a previous post, it is so good to be around family...For a few days in the middle of the country we got to worship and learn and live and share life with 3,500 people who get us...They may not be in the same denomination and may not live anywhere near our state, but we are all family...They know what it's like to get a phone call at 2 AM from a kid who just needs to talk...They know what it is like to deal with unrealistic expectations from some people...They know what it is like to feel misunderstood and unappreciated...They know what it is like to deal with all the "junk" that comes along with ministering to students...But they also know what it is like to see a teenager's life changed by the incredible love of Jesus Christ...And knowing all those things is what makes us family...We have walked in one anothers shoes...We share one another's burdens and struggles and pains...And we share in the joy that is student ministry...And we're family...So I got to spend a few days at the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers' Convention, or in my opinion, at my family reunion.

Stay tuned for my Top 10 Reasons Why Texas is Better Than St. Louis...Hopefully, it's coming later today...

Home from NYWC...

Johanna and I just got home from Youth Specialties' National Youth Worker's Convention in St. Louis...I am exhausted but it is such a good exhaustion...I have attended NYWC the past four years and Johanna has been with me the last three...And everytime we come back, we have been challenged, engaged, encouraged, renewed, revived, refreshed, poured into, and having met with Jesus...I love the people at YS for what they do for Youth Pastors! I have a lot to debrief ya' on but I'm about to hit the sack...However, some weekend highlights from the convention are sure to come tomorrow as well as my "Top 10 Reasons Texas is SO MUCH BETTER than St. Louis." Until then...

NYWC St.Louis so far....

It's been a great couple of days already here at the National Youth Workers Convention in St. Louis...It's been great to begin to be refreshed and refueled...God has already laid some serious challenges in front of us and I am excited about what is in store for the future as Johanna and I continue to walk with Him in this thing called ministry...I've attended some great sessions and the "big" general sessions have been incredible. David Crowder rocked yesterday and as I type this, Shane and Shane are on stage leading worship...These guys are the real deal. I've been at camps where we've interacted with them and they are so genuine...It's gonna be a great day...The only bad thing is how fast this has already flown by...But I have been reaffirmed already this weekend in many loves...I love my wife and could never imagine doing ministry without her by my side ever again...I have some INCREDIBLE friends in ministry whom I have a deep love for...These times of fellowship and sharing life only remind me more and more of that...My love for my calling to serve others in ministry has also been reaffirmed...I cannot imagine doing anything else with the life God has given me...What an incredible privilege to serve others in ministry...And most of all, and most importantly, God's love for me, regardless of my work for Him, has been reaffirmed...David Crowder led us in a song last night that summed that up best:

when clouds veil sun
and disaster comes
o my soul
o my soul

when waters rise
and hope takes flight
o my soul

ever faithful
ever true
you are known
you never let go

you never let go
you never let go
you never let go

when clouds brought rain
and disaster came
o my soul
o my soul

when waters rose
and hope had flown
o my soul
o my soul

ever faithful
ever true
you are known
you never let go

you never let go
you never let go
you never let go

o my soul
overflows
o what love
o what love

o my soul
fill with hope
perfect love
that never lets go

you never let go

Shane and Shane are playing It is Well With My Soul and it's time for me to go get some more refueling...I'll be blogging again later...It's great to be among 3,500 family members...It feels an awful lot like home...

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

Johanna and I fly out early Wednesday morning to St. Louis, MO to spend a few days at the National Youth Workers Convention...It's that time of year again when the incredible people at Youth Specialties spend a few weekends pouring into the lives of Youth Workers across the nation. I am PUMPED, for a couple of reasons. I LOVE the NYWC and I don't throw that "love" word around...It is an incredible time of renewal and refreshment. I also am pumped because I know I'll come away with some great, challenging stuff from the sessions and the learning opportunities...But most of all, I am super excited to be around FAMILY. Johanna and I are meeting two of my closest friends and their wives, who are also Youth Ministers, at the convention...And that will be great because we always have so much fun together...But it is more than just that family that I am excited to be around...We get to be around Youth Worker Family...Those people who know, and understand, and get it...And I cannot wait...I need this and it is coming at just the right time...Not sure what the hotel internet situation will be like, but I am planning on blogging so check back for updates from now until next Monday...I hope the rest of your week is as absolutely incredible as mine will be...

Worlds Series Highlight (Thus Far...)

I am sitting here watching Game 2 of the World Series and as the game heads into the ninth inning, I am hoping that the Rockies' bats come to life and that they turn the tide and take down the crappy Red Sox, whom I hate...But in risk of losing my "man card" I am going to have to say that my highlight thus far in the Series just occurred a couple innings ago...My highlight thus far has been listening to Boys To Men sing God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch...They are one of my All-Time favorite groups, so that was definitely the highlight thus far, especially since the Sox have been doing so well...

I'm Lovin' Me Some Marc Driscoll....

Copied this video off of a friends facebook...I really like what Driscoll has to say in it...I think it is a challenging look at the prosperity gospel that is so prevalent among today's churches...Those of you who read this blog regularly know I am a Driscoll fan and that his Radical Reformission book is one of my all time favorites...Take a look at this and let it get ya' to thinking...

Short Term (and long term) Memory Loss...

As I sit and reflect back on the past several months of ministry I have begun to realize that the Church is struggling with memory loss...In so many congregations around the country we see a people hindered by fear. No. We see a people strangled to death by fear...We fear change. So we don't do anything different and yet expect in some miraculous way our churches that are dying will come back to life...Even those of us who seek to be agents of change fear it somewhat. We fear inadequacy...What if we seek to follow Christ into the unknown and we fail. What if in the end we just aren't capable of pulling it off, of getting the job done, of covering the cost, or of sticking to the commitment...We fear the unknown...So many times we stick with what is known, even though we know it is a terribly inefficient choice for the times we face. But it is known, and it is comfortable...So in our fear we stay with what we know, even when we know it is failing...We fear what people think. I feel that so many decisions in churches are based not on what God thinks but on what other people think. We fear that following God might make the "wrong people" angry, so they might quit coming or giving. So we base our decisions on what we perceive to be the response of others, rather than on the call of God...And we fear leading. I believe that the church in America is in a desperate stage in her life. And we need godly, brazen, courageous, fearless leaders know more than ever. But when I look at the Church, I see so many people who ought to be leading in a better, more visionary way, simply step back and watch because they are afraid. They fear for their paychecks, their jobs, the security in which those things provide for their family...They fear failing and being told "I told you so." They fear others in power who resist change because it might mean a change in power. And instead of the church being lead by brazen, courageous, godly leaders who fear only God and follow only God, it becomes lead by a group of cowards afraid to follow God because of what men might think or say...

And in the midst of all this fear, I say that we have a short term memory loss. In fact, we have a long term memory loss too...We have forgotten the power and the ability of the God we choose to serve...We have forgotten that God qualifies and empowers those He chooses to use...We have forgotten that the same God who calls us to step out on faith and follow Him into the unknown is the God who parted the Red Sea, who delivered powerful enemies into the hands of the Israelites, and gave the promise land to His people. We have forgotten that this God is the same God who saved His people from the Egyptians, who turned water into wine, who healed the sick, made the blind see, and brought the dead back to life...And in our forgetfulness we have become controlled and ruled by our fears. We have a memory problem.

It is time for those of us who are leading in the Church here in America to Remember. Our churches and our communities do not need those who will sit idly by and watch as fear overtakes the people of God and the Church of God...Our communities and our neighbors need leaders who will remember. They need leaders who will look back at what God has done and remember his power, his stregnth, his ability, and his faithfulness. We need leaders who will stand and say, "I may not know the future, the outcome, or how it will all work out, but I know and follow the One who does." What the Church needs most is leaders who remember. And whose memory causes them to follow...

Great Article on Rockies' Faith In Clubhouse...

I was already rooting for the Colorado Rockies in the world series for a couple of reasons. First of all, I absolutely HATE the Red Sox...It's in my blood as a Yankee's fan...Second of all, I've been to a game at Coors Field, home of the Rockies, and really enjoyed the experience...But this is a great article that seals the deal for me....Click on the blog title to read the article...

Too True To Be Funny?...

Found this on MarkO's site over at ysmarko.com...The small caption bellow the pic reads "Ostrich Church"...

Wow...This shocked me...

Click on the title "Wow...This shocked me..." for a link to this story....

It's about the Shreveport Baptist Association in Louisiana, comprised of 125 churches, accepting it's first predominantly black church into the association...in 2007. Wow...I am shocked at this, but I guess it goes to show the old saying true: "The most segregated hour in all of America is 11:00 AM on Sunday morning." Shame on us...

The Weekend Update...

I am exhausted. I literally am having to force myself to stay awake at my computer today...This past weekend was incredbily tiring. My grandfather had surgery to remove an area in his leg where they recently removed a cancerous tumor. He had a spot on his knee and after removing the tumor, the doctor decided to do a thigh and knee replacement to remove any bone area that the tumor might have infected with the cancer...So I left the LOC after our mid-week youth service on Wednesday night and made the 4 hour trek to the DFW area...Lucky for me, my brother drove about 120 miles out of his way from Houston to pick me up so I could ride with him...We got to DFW about 1:30 AM on Thursday morning, slept for a few hours, and then were up at 6 AM for the surgery...The next few days I spent staying the nights in the hotel with my grandfather...I had the late night shift, staying at the hospital from 7:00 PM to 4:00 AM...The doctor wanted someone from the family to stay with him becuase he would get more attention that way...So Johanna and I would drive to the hotel at 4 AM when my parents relieved us each morning and sleep for a few hours...Then we'd get up, grab some lunch, and go back to the hospital...Needless to say, I know why I am so tired...We got in around 4 am this morning and I was at the office at 8:30...Not sure if I'll make the whole day...

That about sums up the weekend, but on another note, I love my wife. She is incredible...Not only does she put up with my messiness and constant teasing and jokes, and not only does she serve alongside me in a position, as a minister's wive, that has little reward and lots of gripes, but she is a champ in situations like this weekend...She headed up to DFW on Thursday as soon as she finished up her classes and spent each night with me in the hospital so I didn't have to stay up there alone...What a trooper! I love you babe, and am so thankful that God blessed me with you...

Now, if I can just stay awake for a little longer...

Joe Says No...

When it comes to baseball I am a HUGE Yankees fan. I love the yankees and I bleed pinstripes and Yankee blue. I have been a Yankees fan since I was a little league baseball player, when I began playing baseball and played first base. My baseball hero since I was in elementery was Don Mattingly...It's only natural that a 7 year old kid who loved the Yankees and played 1st base would be a Mattingly fan...I have SI issues that cover Mattingly's carreer and almost every baseball card with his face on it...

That being said, I am in mourning today. I love Joe Torre. I had a conversation with a stranger I met at a hospital this morning about what an incredible man and manager Torre is (the guy saw me wearing my Yankee hat in the waiting room and struck up the conversation...he's a fan too). I think that, while Torre did have the biggest payroll in baseball, he still did the absolute best job of managing a team of anyone in the MLB. So today Steinbrennner's ego reigns again. Once again Steinbrenner's insane power trips and rants hurt the team...And for a few hours I will swear off the Yankees in my mourning and in my frustration...And, just maybe, in a few weeks I will be over the frustration and pain caused by US losing OUR manager...There may be some guys in the league as good and as solid as Torre, but there are none better...Some may be close to his caliber, but there aren't any above it...In the columns of wins and losees, my Yankees lost today...and it was a BIG loss...

Life is for Living, Not Getting Old...

Check out this article:

'The Senior,' 59-year-old Mike Flynt, plays football after 37-year layoff

Click the title of this post to go to the article website...

Ragamuffins...

So I have been silent from blogdom for almost a week...My apologies to my readers (mom), but I do have a good reason...I left Sunday night to head to the annual Youth Ministry Conclave in Arlington, TX. It's an event put on by the BGCT that is aimed at helping, encouraging, and supporting Youth Pastors and Youth Workers across the state of Texas. Anyway, we stayed at the Sheraton, which is a four star hotel and is the "conference" hotel of the Arlington Convention Center and the internet was $13 per night! How can a hotel like that get away with not providing free wi-fi in this day and age?!?! I can't believe it, but nevertheless, thus sums up my lack of blogging...

On to the important part of this post...I got to spend the first part of this week with my absolute favorite people in the world...And it was so refreshing. I got to hang out with some of my closest friends, who just happen to be some of the best youth pastors that God has placed on this planet...I got to rekindle old relationships and meet up with guys who have taught me so much about life, ministry, and what it means to follow Christ. I got to meet some new friends who are beginning this crazy journey of what we call student ministry...And after all that, I can honestly say that I am convinced we are a group of ragamuffins. We are a group of outcasts. We are an insane, irrational, hard-headed, slow learning, scary, dangerous, rambuncious, rebellious, unpredictable group of folks...And I believe that Christ loves it! Who else would believe that the world can be changed through hormore infested 14 year olds?!?! Who else would be crazy enough to think that the ones in the church with no money, no power, no clout, and not even their own transportation could be the ones who would lead us to a great movement of God that might end in unreached peoples hearing for the first time the love and grace of Jesus? Who else would be bold enough to actually SPEAK OUT what everyone else knows and say that the church must change or die? Who else, but this crazy group of ragamuffins, would look at all the world has to offer, and choose to invest their lives, hearts, carreers, and souls in teenagers, knowing that the hours are ungodly (literally), the pay is poor, the strain on your own family is enormous, the encouragement and praise are few and far between, and the lot you've chosen is so many times seen as nothing more than babysitting?

But I am so glad I am among their numbers. I am so glad to be one of the few chosen to lay it on the line to connect the God I love and am passionate about with the students I love and am passionate about! Of all the talent and all the power and all the ability in the world, God chose this crazy group to be his arm of love to a generation of teenagers who so often have no clue what love is. And I can honestly say that I was honored to be in the midst of these ragamuffins for the past three days...I was among family...And it felt like home...

Busy Week...

Got a busy week this week and a day is already gone! I'm preaching Sunday so not only do I have to prep my Wednesday night message, but I also have to get a sermon for Sunday done...Don't get me wrong. I'm pumped for the opportunity to share the Word with our entire congregation, but it just makes for a busy week...Plus throw in the fact that I'm out most of Thursday with a Drs. appointment in Temple and that I am also getting things ready to be out for three days at a conference next week...It just makes for a busy week...So what am I doing? I am blogging about how busy it is instead of getting after it...Oh well, I guess it's back to work...

The Weekend Update...

It's been a while since I've blogged so I thought that I'd share a few highlights of the weekend...

I spent Friday night with some good friends on a thing we call the Texas Tour. A couple years ago a good friend of mine, and fellow student minister, started this weekly ritual for Fall Friday nights called the Texas Tour. A few guys get together each week for a road trip to find some good football. The goal: Simple. To watch some of the best players, teams, and games in the state of Texas. We spent Friday night watching Liberty Hill and Wimberly...It was an ok game, but a great time of fellowship, sharing old frienships and investing in new ones.

Sunday night was definitely the highlight of the weekend. My wife and I, along with some good friends and a couple of our students, headed to Stubbs in Austin, TX to hear Lindsey Kane in concert at her CD Release party for the new CD. What an awesome night! First of all, Lindsey is an incredibly talented artist and a fantastic worship leader. My ministry has been blessed by her willingness to serve and be used by God in such incredible ways...Then there's Stubbs. What a great Austin-ny kind of place...I know that's not a real word, but it best describes Stubbs...It's a great live music venue with a charisma and personality all its own. Lindsey Kane and her band rocked it out too...The music was great and Lindsey always has a great, hilarious, funny, authentic, real feel on stage. But the highlight of the evening for me came in the middle of the set...In the middle of Austin, TX, in a place like Stubbs, built for honky-tonkin' and having a good time, God showed up. In the midst of a CD Release party where everyone was having a great time, worship occurred. And Stubb's was turned into a sanctuary. Right in the middle of the set, Lindsey led us all in How Great Thou Art and what happened in that place was nothing short of worship...It was incredible. Linsdey is one of those artist's whose raw authenticity, incredible talent, and availability to God allows for those types of God-moments to take place when she's on stage...It was definitely the highlight of the weekend, and I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

Finally...

This clip is on espn.com today and you can check out a less blurry clip of it there...But it is of Mike Gundy, head football coach of Oklahoma State University, defending his players from what he feels is unfair criticism by the media...I'm not sure about the article or about the player referred to, but it is nice to see a coach stand up for his "good kids"...In a day and age where we have so glorified sport that it doesn't matter about the character of a person as long as they can perform, its nice to see a coach that sees things differently...In a society that places far more value on atheltic talent than character and integrity, it's nice to see a coach who's values seem to be in order...Enjoy...

Pray by Kendall Payne...

I will pray for you now for you have been my faithful friends
While the road we walk is difficult indeed
I couldn't not ask for more than what you've already been
Only that you would say these prayers for me

May your heart break enough that compassion enters in
May your strength all be spent upon the weak
All the castles and crowns you build and place upon your head
May they all fall come crashing down around your feet

May you find every step to be harder than the last
So your character grows greater each stride
May your company be of humble insignificance
May your weakness be your only source of pride

What you do unto others may it all be done to you
May you meet the one who made us
And see him smile when life is through

May your blessings be many but not what you hoped they'd be
And when you look upon the broken
May mercy show you what you could not see

May you never be sure of any plans you desire
But you'd learn to trust the plan he has for you
May your passions be tried and tested in the holy fire
May you fight with all your life for what is true

I have prayed for you now all of my dear and faithful friends
But what I wish is more than I could ever speak
As the way wanders on I'll long to see you once again
Until then, would you pray these prayers for me?
Oh that you would pray for me.

Tom Brokaw's Speech...

I found this on a blog I read regularly written by the president of Youth Specialties, Mark Oestreicher. He has some great stuff on not just student ministry, but also on culture, the church, and the challenge of following Christ in today's world...Check it out at www.ysmarko.com...Great stuff. Anyway, here is a brief part of Tom Brokaw's Commencement Address at Emory University...

You have been hearing all of your life that this occasion is a big step into what is called the real world. What, you may ask, is that real world all about? What is this new life? Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 2005 at Emory, real life is not college; real life is not high school. Here is a secret that no one has told you: Real life is junior high.

The world that you’re about to enter is filled with junior high adolescent pettiness, pubescent rivalries, the insecurities of 13-year-olds, and the false bravado of 14-year-olds. 40 years from now, I guarantee it: You will still make a silly mistake every day. You will have temper tantrums and you’re feelings will be hurt for some trivial sleight. You’ll say something dumb at the wrong time. And you will wonder at least once a week, “Will I ever grow up?” You can change that. In your pursuit of your passions, always be young. In your relationship with others, always be grown-up. Set a standard, and stay faithful to it.

A Great Day...No Matter What...

Today, September 19th, is a great day. For the last six years, each time this date has rolled by on the calendar, it has been a great day...It has been a day to celebrate God's goodness and great favor toward me and my family. It has been a day to offer thankfulness. It has been a day to reflect back on the great blessings that God has bestowed upon me and my family...

Six years ago on this day, Sept. 19, 2001, I had surgery to remove a putuitary tumor from the front of my brain. Literally thousands of people were praying for me that day. People were asking God to guide surgeons hands, to give doctors wisdom, and to bless me with healing...AND HIS ANSWER WAS YES!

So this day for me is a day of celebration! There has never been a bad September 19th from that year on in my life...Today I celebrate and I thank God for what He has done for me...

Mourning...

Unfortunately, I've got mourning and grieving on my mind the last couple days...Our community lost a great young man in a terrible car accident this past weekend. The young man had been in our youth group and was now in college...He was one of those kids that everybody loves...Always smiling, always laughing, and always having a hug and an encouraging word for others...Some of our other students also lost a close family member this weekend...The young man's funeral was today and the grandmother's funeral is tomorrow morning...So it's easy to see why I've been thinking about how people grieve and mourn, and more specifically how we, as Christ followers, mourn...

God brought a verse to my memory on Sunday out of 1 Thessalonians...1 Thessalonians 4:13 says that "we do not grieve as those without hope..." Basically, that we should grieve and mourn differently than others, especially when a fellow Christ follower passes away, because we have something the world doesn't: HOPE. We don't grieve like those without hope because our hope is found in Christ. For those in Christ, death is not the end...The grave does not have the final say for the Christ follower. We cannot be beaten by death and the grave because we are not those without hope, but rather those with true hope, a hope in Christ Jesus.

So as I mourn and grieve and watch those around me mourn and grieve, I pray that those of us who are Christ followers might mourn differently...Not that we still don't shed tears and feel pain and need to grieve properly...But that we mourn as peoople who have hope and that others who do not know that hope might see the difference in the way we approach the grave and death...Mourn, but don't mourn like those without hope, because we have hope in the person of Jesus...

Quote of The Day...

I'm on a couple email lists that send me different kinds of quotes each day...Got a great one today, so I thought I'd share it...

Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do
not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal
to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no
miracle, but you yourself shall be a miracle. Every day you
shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has
come to you by the grace of God. - Phillips Brooks (1835-1893)

Funny?...

These might be funny if they weren't such a true reflection of things...Sad thing is, I can put names and faces on these cartoon figures...

You Know You're In A Redneck Church...

I usually don't like email forwards. I get tons of them every day and sometimes I don't even have a chance to read them all...But I got one today that I opened and thought was pretty funny...I grew up in a small town (less than 1500) and went to a church out in the country off an old dirt road where 40 people was a big crowd...After that, my first full-time ministry position was in a church that was a good sized congregation, but was still in a smaller town of less than 2,000 people which was the small, rural county seat...So I appreciated this email titled "You Know You're In A Redneck Church..." Thought I would share a couple of my favorites...

"You know you're in a redneck church when people hear the story about Jesus feeding the 5,000 and they want to know if the fish were bass or catfish."

"You know you're in a redneck church when the opening day of deer season is recognized as an official church holiday."

"You know you're in a redneck church when a member asks to be buried in his 4-wheel drive truck, becuase 'it ain't never been in a hole it couldn't get out of.'"

And one of my favorites...

"You know you're in a redneck church when in a congregation of 500 people there are only 7 last names in the church directory."

We Remember...

Six years ago on this day our world was forever changed. Most of the people living during this time, and especially in my generation, define the terrorist attacks of 9/11 as the most defining historical moment in their lifetimes. As I sit here and type this I am watching the Memorial Service at Ground Zero. I am listening to names being read by various people...Each name represents a story, a family, a life that was ended. With each name, comes family left behind, lives changed, a story of a life left unfinished because of this tragedy...It is so easy for us to view something like this as a national tragedy, to see it as a world-wide event...But it was not just a national or a worldwide tragedy...These were family tragedies, tragedies that involved the loss of husbands, wives, children, parents, family, friends...And as these names are being read, every now and then, the speakers will read a name in this way: "And my _______ (friend, brother, cousin), (insert name here)." This event that we remember today is truly a national tragedy. It is truly a worldwide tragedy. But it is also much deeper than that...It involves thousands of personal tragedies...And so today we pause as a nation to remember those gone and those left behind...And we remember...May we never forget that those affected by this great tragedy are people, just like us, with stories, just like ours...

Mythbusters...

Tonight at The Attic we started a new series called Mythbusters: Busting Myths about God and What it Means to Follow Him. I am excited about this teaching series and what God is going to do in the lives of our students through it...We talked tonight about how God doesn't love us anymore when we are good. Basically, there is this myth, especially among church people, that the more good we do, the better we are, the more God loves us. Sounds nice, but it's not biblical at all...The Bible teaches us that God's love for us is not based on how good we are. It teaches that we cannot be good enough for God to love us more and we cannot be bad enough for God to love us less. God loves us. Period. End of sentence. End of story. God loves us and it is based on nothing we've done and on everything Christ did on the cross...What a freeing thought! So long guilt and frustration that come from trying to be good enough to please God. So long to feeling bad after we've failed because we haven't performed well enough for God. God's love for me isn't based on my performance or my behavior. He loves me regardless...That's the message of the cross...