I’m in the midst of rethinking the purpose of this blog. Here are questions I’m asking myself:

• What’s the point of this blog?
• Who is my audience?
• What does the title of my blog really mean?
• Should I be more open about my life?
• Should I stop writing posts that are pointless dribble?
• What makes my blog different than others?
• Should it be more collaborative?
• How often should it be updated?
• What are my most popular posts?
• What’s not?
• What does God want?

As I seek answers to these questions, one thing is for sure.  I love the connections I’ve made as a result of the blog and I definitely want to continue writing. If you have an opinion, let me know.  I’d love to hear it.

Filed under: Blogs | 2 Comments

Here are 20 songs on my playlist right now.

1. Strange Education- The Cinematics
2. Oh My God- Jars of Clay
3. All these Things that I’ve Done- The Killers
4. The Heart of Life- John Mayer
5. (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding- Elvis Costello & the Attractions
6. Hallelujah- Jeff Buckley
7. All Because of Jesus- Steve Fee
8. Fine Line- Hootie & The Blowfish
9. Dashboard- Modest Mouse
10. Hey There Delilah- Plain White T’s
11. Ruby- Kaiser Chiefs
12. Break Free- Hillsong United
13. Awakening- Switchfoot
14. Bend & Break- Keane
15. Ants Marching- Dave Matthews Band
16. I Wanna Marry You All Over Again- Derek Webb
17. Home- Daughtry
18. Chaos- Mute Math
19. Jesus is for Losers- Steve Taylor
20. My Savior My God- Aaron Shust

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Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

I have discovered that one of the hangups between Jesus and people who don’t know him is this- the idea that following Jesus is like being bound by a heavy chain around their neck. Where do they get such an idea? (It couldn’t be us Christians could it?)

Myth: Following Christ means getting your crap together first to make yourself acceptable to Jesus.

Truth: Coming to Jesus is so easy a caveman can do it. (I’m living proof).

Jesus brings freedom- not chains. We don’t have to get our lives together before we come to Jesus. The truth is, the only way to really get our lives straight is by coming to Jesus…first. That’s right- come to Jesus first. Then- we’ll discover freedom. We’ll find life. We can’t screw up our lives by following Jesus. We can screw it up by following Christians. We can screw it up by going it alone. But not by following Jesus. He is the way, and the truth, and the life. No one gets to the father except through him. (John 14:6).

God’s got great plans for your life. Don’t just take my word for it:

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

What are you waiting for?

Life is just a prayer away.

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Some good thinking in progress from Perry Noble.

“Deep” is what you do! A person can’t say they are “deep” if they have memorized books of the Bible but are not living out their faith…that kind of attitude is not more Christ like–it’s more like satan, who KNOWS all of Scripture but applies none of it.

Word!

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In the wake of the death of Jerry Falwell, the NY Times had an article about the evolution of Christianity in America from political activism to social responsibility. Interesting read.

Check it out for yourself.

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I dig sports. There’s nothing sweeter than seeing a team play to their full potential. And behind every great team is an excellent coach. I’ve seen great teams and teams that…well…suck. What separates effective teams from pathetic ones? How could a leader motivate their team to be engaged in their work while maximizing their abilities? Here are a few tips that we could learn from the world of sports:

Play to Your Teams’ Strengths

If you’re a leader, answer this question: are you spending more time trying to fix the weaknesses of your team or building on their strengths? It’s easy to pick on the weaknesses, but what about strengths. Aren’t those the God-given abilities that make us unique? Shouldn’t we try to build on it? Like Marcus Buckingham said in his book, “Now, Discover Your Strengths”- “People don’t change that much, so don’t waste your time trying to rewire them or trying to put in what was left out. Instead, spend your time trying to draw out what was left in. That’s hard enough.” Sadly, we spend more time trying to “fix” weaknesses rather than building strengths and what do we end up with? Mediocrity. Who wants that?

Without Talent, Your Game Plan Means Nothing

Think about your organization. Usually, the last few months of the year are spent planning for the next year. Lots of “strategery.” All of those plans and ideas may be outstanding, but how far are you going to get without talented people executing it? Are you spending as much time developing your talent as you are planning? With the speed of change today, your best game plan will need an audible many times. Invest in your great players. They’re the key.

Be Worth Playing For

If you’ve ever played sports, then you can probably recall your best coach. Think about that coach. What made him or her great? Often times it was that personal connection- that extra time spent with you- or just straight up leadership. Something about that coach made you want to give it your all. That coach inspired you, motivated you, cared for you, taught you, understood you, and had that something extra.

Be worth playing for! Check out this clip from the film, “Coach Carter.”

Does your team see that in you? It doesn’t matter if you’re a business owner, a parent, a pastor, or a shift manager at DQ- a leader can lead. In fact, there’s really one litmus test to determine if you are a leader. A leader has followers. AND you’ve got to be worth following. Yes, some leaders are better than others.

Sidenote: I believe that we have it in us to lead. You may say, “I’m not a leader” but if you’re a parent, consider this- aren’t all parents’ leaders?

To sum it up- Talented people capitalizing on their strengths being led by a strong leader = (You fill in the blank). What would that mean for your team? Your organization?

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I ran across this story online. It appears Hong Kong wants an “indecent” label placed on the Bible for its sexual and violent content. How long until we do the same in America? Just wondering…

From Foxnews.com

The Good Book isn’t clean enough for Hong Kong.

Residents of the city are calling for an “indecent” label for the Bible, saying the text contains passages that are too gory for young eyes, Reuters reports.

At least 838 complaints had been registered Wednesday with the city’s Television and Entertainment Licensing authority after an anonymous Web site, truthbible.net, said the Bible “made one tremble” with its sexual and violent content, including rape and incest, the news agency reports.

The Chinese city has been debating the merits of indecency since a recent sex column published in the Chinese University’s “Student Press” magazine asked readers about their violent sexual fantasies

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“To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ: ” - Jude 1:1 (NIV)

“I am called. I am loved by God. I am kept by Jesus.”

Those words are beautiful aren’t they? The sandwich of called and kept is filled with love. You’d think it would be sweet just to be called and kept. You’d think it would be sweet to only be called and loved. You’d think it would be sweet to simply be loved and kept. But we are called, loved, and kept.

These words remind me of my relationship with my son whom I love dearly. My son was chosen. Many people are surprised to learn that I adopted him. It’s such a joy to look into his eyes and say, “I want nothing more than to be your dad and I want nothing more than for you to be my son.” Those who have experienced the beauty of adoption know how precious and wonderful it is. This is what its like to be called. For some reason God called and chose me. I don’t say that out of the pride of a man but with the humility of an ant. God is so good and he calls who he calls. If you love Jesus then you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t…what are you waiting for? Maybe God’s calling you now?

I love my son. I chose him but it didn’t stop there. I absolutely love and adore him. As his dad, I lay down my life for his now and I would sacrifice my life to save his in a heartbeat. I love him enough to teach him right from wrong. I love him enough to protect and provide for him. I love him enough to have fun, talk, and hang out with him. I love him enough to give him room to grow while always holding him in my care. But nothing compares to the love God has for me. He did what I can not do. He loved me (and you) enough to sacifice his Son for us. God is love. God loved us first. God loves us more. God’s love is without limit. God’s love is as real as it gets. If you’ve ever caught a glimpse of the love of God then you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t…what are you waiting for? Maybe God’s love is what you need?

There is absolutely nothing my son could do to cause him to not be my son anymore. When I became his dad it wasn’t with conditions. It was with a period, no, an exclaimation point! He is kept and will forever be my son. I will stand before the Lord and have to give an account for how I “daddied” my son. My decision to adopt him came with eternal consequences that I joyfully embrace. My son and I don’t share the same blood but we are covered by the same blood. You see, we both love Jesus and we are sealed and kept by him. If God calls, God keeps. Why? Because he loves us! If you’ve ever experienced the grace of God then you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t…what are you waiting for? Maybe you need to be kept by God’s grace?

I don’t know where you are in life. Maybe you a Christ Follower who needed to be reminded that you are Called, Loved, and Kept. Celebrate that. Rest in that. Be driven by that.

Perhaps you aren’t but you are being called? Congratulations- God chose you! Will you choose Him? Make the best decision of your life. If you know a solid Christ Follower- talk with them. If not, contact me. Whatever ever you do- answer the call. I promise the call is not from a political party, wacko televangelist, or a Christian bumper sticker salesperson. No, it’s simply God calling and if God calls he doesn’t hang up until you answer because He loves you.

“Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. ” (Jude 1:2)

Filed under: Bible, Christianity, Life | 4 Comments

Don’t you think God the internet is part of God’s design? Oh sure, Al Gore claimed to invent the web. And yes, there’s lots of abuses of the internet ranging from porn to weird religious sites, but I believe God, in his mercy, is behind the internet.

God desires to be known. The internet allows us to connect with people from anywhere in the world, discover and learn new things, and it continues to advance. Through it all, God has used it for his purposes. If you search for God on Google there are at least 347,000,000 results. Jesus returns 146,000,000. Porn pulls in 96,900,000 results.

People research information about theology online that they’re afraid to ask other Christians. Things like, “Why does God allow evil?” to “Did Adam have a belly button?” to “Why does TBN have to suck?” God knows people are seeking answers to life’s toughest questions online and God has moved many Christ Followers to write blogs or create websites dealing with God, Jesus, and the stuff of life.

No doubt about it. When God created the world he knew all about the advancements that would come including the internet. It’s great to see pastors blogging. It’s great to see churches podcasting. It’s great to see good theology available to everyone. God is using some great people to reveal himself to the world. Here’s are some of the many great blogs that I dig. I believe they’re part of God’s online design.

Scott Hodge- His blog is the first good Christian blog I thought was worth reading. He has a good mix of light stuff mixed with poingnent posts. He’s terrific!

Travis Johnson- Have you ever been on a hot streak when playing basketball? When every shot would go in. Travis is on a hot streak the last several months with his blog. Travis is a smart guy with a great personality and it shows in his blog. I’m not just saying that because he gave me a Life Pointe Church coffee mug either.

Chris Elrod- If you like honest, tell-it-like-it is stuff, then you’d dig Chris’ blog. The thing about Chris is that while he’s not afraid to speak his mind -he is really a nice guy with a good heart.

Perry Noble- I love Perry Noble- he’s the man! He’s a straight-shooter and consistently challenges the “big C” Church to get its act straight and love those who Jesus loved.

Mark Moore- I like Mark’s theology and his posts usually give me something good to chew on despite the fact that he’s a Dallas Cowboys fan.

Gary Lamb- The dude is mad about church planting and is as passionate as they come. There’s something about guys who partied hard and now pastor harder. Good stuff.

Carlos Whittaker (Ragamuffin Soul)- His blog is like watching a reality show. He’s sits at the cool kids table and is witty and funny while keeping it real.

Relevant Christian- A good mix of Christians who connect with culture rather than fight it and are not ashamed of the gospel.

Joe Thorn- I really like the way he thinks. Good balance between theology and culture. The blog has a lot of substance without the wasteful fillers.

Steven Furtick- Pedal to the metal, balls to the wall, souled out leader who’s modeling what today’s church plant should be.

Steve McCoy (Reformissionary)- His blog puts mine to shame. He has solid theology and his posts are often thought-provoking. Plus, he’s an excellent photographer.

There are many other great blogs. It’s great to see God at work- online.

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