Adventure Park: tonight was the night we went to Adventure Park which is our new Putt-putt, arcade, laser tag, go-karts, bumper boats and more. It was a bunch of fun. I didn't do so well on the laser tag but I won the go-kart race and I won enough tickets to get the inflatable hammer I had my eye on. A good night overall!

Morph: I was referred to this book by one of my college profs-Doug White. It's sat on the shelf for a few months just waiting for the right time to be read. I started reading this morning and after the first chapter am ready to give an assessment on what this book will be about. The subtitle is a texture of leadership for tomorrow's church, this sums things up pretty well. Ron Martoia states that the idea of transforming or "morphing" is necessary in leadership. The idea of morphing means that all the substance stays the same but is reorganized to form something completely different. Of course his motivation is to make leaders and thus the church a greater organism growing the kingdom of God. Out of every leader is formed a ethos and out of every leader leaks their ethos thus surrounding the leader and the church with people with a like ethos. Meaning that leadership is the crucial first step in morphing into who God wants us to be.

Through Painted Deserts: The kind of book that makes you miss old friends, appreciate relationships and help you realize the deeper importance of life. There's so much more to say but none of it would be quite what I mean to say. One the best stories I've read, ever.

Direction: I have no directions. I needed to go to the new Adventure Park today to make a reservation for tomorrow night and I figured I had seen it off of the interstate (I-70) so I wouldn't take directions. MISTAKE. I was talking on the phone so I completely missed my exit and seeing adventure park. The good news is I made it halfway to Baltimore. I guess that's not so good news. I wasn't in any hurry so it didn't stress me out, I just thought it comical that I was driving up and down I-70...because I have no directions.

Meanderings: The good news about my meanderings is that I was able to listen to three sermons today. Not all on my trip to Baltimore and back but in all my driving today I listened to three sermons. I decided that I'd like to start listening to other people preach to make myself a better preacher. I'm not sure if it will work but I figured it won't hurt anything either. Don Miller; (June 26, 2005) Our Father in Heaven, Rob Bell, Josh Bishop and Letha; (July 31, 2005) Bringing the Cheese and Jeff Manion; Elijah's Meltdown (the link to this one disappeared since yesterday, sorry it was a great sermon) are the three I listened to today.

Van: The book I'm reading right now tells a 2 young men's adventure from Texas to Oregon. They are making this adventure in a Volkswagen Van from the 70's. Like a bunch of hippies they sleep in the van and live a minimalist life. Today I was taking my boy to the babysitters and I saw a green hippie van parked on the side of the road. I looked for the driver and sure enough he was a long haired fellow and not to stereotype but a hippie. Then this afternoon driving out to Adventure Park on I-70 at least 15 miles from where I last spotted him was the same guy in the same hippie van. No spiritual lesson, no stirring revelation, just a green hippie van with a long haired hippie driver, twice.

Mornings: I'm getting better about not sleeping all day but there are those days, the days off in particular that I like to sleep till about 9 or so. With Nathan waking up about 7 to eat that can get difficult. So what we do is after we feed him we put Nathan in our bed on days Heather doesn't work he lies inbetween us, normally he manhandles my face or in this case babyhandles my face. He does that for a few minutes or 45 minutes depending on how he's feeling and then falls asleep. When he wakes up he will resume grabbing my face and will smile at me till I smile back. It's the things like these that are so incredible.





Nathan: Nathan will be six months on Saturday. He has three teeth, specializes in rolling over and chewing things. Nathan enjoys long walks in his stroller and looking at people make funny faces. Looking for girlies to share these interests with.

Through Painted Deserts: My wife says I'm a nerd when I post the picture of the book I'm reading, I tell her that's not nice to say to someone but she does it anyway. Well...nerd or not currently I'm reading Donald Miller's first book, which was just rereleased this month. I wanted a break from the po-mo stuff I'd been reading and get into something a little more narrative in nature. Don Miller is definately one of my favorite authors mainly because he's not afraid to be honest and open. He describes a journey in his life not only covering thousands of miles but covering questions and ideas about his origins and the origins of his faith. In a time in his life when he questioned those things often deemed unquestionable or too dangerous to question he dares to ask them. I know from reading Blue Like Jazz (Don's second book) that he comes out on the other side a better man, capable of deeper thought and frankly a more devout follower of Christ. Go figure. The past year or so God has reminded me of the ok-ness of asking questions of him others frown upon. I'm reminded of Abraham, Gideon, Thomas, Peter and the list goes on.

Coffee: So I now have a justification for my 2 cup habit a day. This article on Fox News says that coffee is the number 1 antioxidant for Americans.

ipod: so I love my ipod and I've never been a headphone guy so I normally use my fm transmitter or rca cable not using the headphones. Good thing. Seems like one the earphones which provide excellent sound, by the way, that enter the ear canal make the noise quite loud which can result in hearing loss. The ipod is also especially dangerous because of the length of play. Now I've never listened to my ipod for 15 hours in a row but I could if I wanted!

Hurricane: National Geographic had an issue a few back about hurricanes and that there seems to be an odd number of hurricanes lately and even more projected in the next couple of decades. This number can be attributed to either global warming or just a natural trend that we haven't seen in a hundred years or so. So while the idea is not to panic we have to understand the population boom that is occuring in Florida and in the south in general. So not only does this mean more people are in danger for their lives but their property is at risk also.

With all that said it looks like New Orleans is going to get it pretty rough..

Names: Which needs me to my next thought...why in the heck to we name these things? We talk about them like they have personalities not forces of nature. I have an answer. People can be controlled, tamed, handled; forces of nature can hope to be endured and then when it's over you access the damage. The latter is far more scary.

Entertainer: Heather, Nathan and I went to a fair today down in Virginia. It was a ton of fun, lots of nice people, good free samples and a few entertainers. I noticed that the first entertainer we saw was funny, and overall enjoyable, he juggled and rode a unicycle. The second entertainer had a little monkey perched on his shoulder. He wasn't a friendly guy at all and he kept trying to be funny and tell people to pay attention but in reality he wasn't funny or entertainint.

Lecturer: I have been reading a lecture by N.T. Wright, an excellent lecture, you can find the like below if you are interested in reading it.

So since I study public speakers and/or entertainers I was reminded that preachers are neither lecturers or entertainers but they need to both be engaging and informative but most of all impacting people to align themselves with the will of God.

Story: That, in fact, is (I believe) one of the reasons why God has given us so much story, so much narrative in scripture. Story authority, as Jesus knew only too well, is the authority that really works. Throw a rule book at people's heads, or offer them a list of doctrine, and they can duck or avoid it, or simply disagree and go away. Tell them a story, though, and you invite them to come into a different world; you invite them to share a world-view, or better still, a "God-view". That, actually is what the parables are all about. They offer, as all genuine Christian story-telling does, a world-view which, as someone comes into it and finds how compelling it is, quietly shatters teh world-view that they were in already. Stories determine how people see themselves and how they see the world. Stories determine how they experience God and teh world and themselves and others.
-N.T. Wright (How can the bible be authoritative?)

bleh...: For the past 2 days I have opened this page with full intent on leaving a post but either the post would evade me or I just didn't feel like...articulating.

First Week: The first week back to school is always crazy for Heather and I and I thought this year would be all the more consider we now have a new one to take care of and I'm preaching this sunday which generally takes up more time and makes me more stressed. But this week has been great, I know because of our prayers and other's prayers. I was also careful to plan out my week and then guarded it, in regards to my time. So now it's friday, we are 2 hours away from getting through the week and it has been a GREAT week. Praise Him.

Enertaining: Anyone that knows me or has spoken to me for more than 10 seconds knows that I'm not much of an entertainer. Now I think I'm a pretty friendly guy and there are really few things that I enjoy more than good conversation, having fun with someone and dialoguing about the Scriptures (an odd combination I know but it will make sense in a minute). I'm friendly but I don't entertain, I think because entertaining is one way, not two way. Being entertained is self centered. Like I said I am preaching this sunday and I really enjoy preaching. It is an excellent discipline to submit yourself to, preparing and listening. But for some reason I lack the passion that I normally do. I think today I was able to get a grasp on why. The reason is that I feel like I'm entertaining the people in the church till my sr. pastor gets back from vacation. I get a feeling that we have conditioned our people to listen or pretend to listen. The idea keeps nagging at me -the scriptures lead to action. Always. The scriptures lead to action. So hopefully I won't entertain anyone on sunday, I pray that I'll lead them to action by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes the things we want most in life are the things that will kills us: Anyone that knows me knows that Donald Miller is one of my favorite authors. He tells a little story in his book Blue Like Jazz about "Don Rabbitt" and tells how Don Rabbit wants to eat a carrot and he chases this beautiful carrot all over Oregon and then all over the U.S. and then he finally catches the carot and it's his and HE DIES.

I've really grown fond of that quote.

Probably because I seem to be continually dealing with people that want things. Nothing really want with wanting things, but the problem is they want things that will kill them. No not like eating rat poison will kill you but things that will kill you over time or spiritually. Truth be told I know very few people who don't chase after things that won't kill them eventually. Some people choose better things to chase after them, things like not-pornography, not-gambling, not-hookers, not-drugs, and not-other-obvious things, but in reality the death might be slower but it's still death.

Sometimes the things you want most in life are the things that will kill you.

Trust Me: It seems I lost my Sam's card. Which is really only annoying since I hate loosing things. So I go up to the desk to tell the lady I lost it and that I need a new one. I also told her that my card was/is connected to the business credit for the church so if I needed to report that I was doing so then. The lady then informed me that my card was NOT part of the business credit for the church. Well darn, I've been filling out expense reports for nothing! Then rather than wonder who's been paying for the goods every time I said "charge that to the business credit please" I told the lady that I was pretty sure it was.

I didn't get too aggravated but I couldn't help but wonder why she felt the need to not believe me. Why would I make that up? Of the two people standing there at that very moment, me and her, who would be the one better equipped to determine if indeed I was part of the business credit?

After she took the time to check to see if I was able to make credit purchases she said is a surprised tone of voice "oh you are on the business credit"

What I wanted to say: "next time when me and you disagree on something...believe me"
What I really said: "Thanks, have a good day"


The perk of my new Sam's card is that I got a new picture.









Good-Bye: Tonight one of my best friends and my only youth sponsor announces his leaving. He is a good friend that is leaving for all the right reasons. But that doesn't change the fact that I'll miss him as a friend on those youth retreats. I'll miss him as that other guy adult that I can vent to when needed and can lean on when I'm running late or need an errand. He is an excellent sponsor, I hate to let him go but I'm doing what's right.

Preaching: When I preach I take the opportunity very seriously. There are several reasons. The first being that I don't get to preach to often, maybe 3 times a year, so when I do preach I want to gain experience in preparation and delivery for when I am doing it every week. The next reason is that I know that for many people in my church it is the only time they are hearing from the word during the week. And because of this reason comes my final reason, when I preach I want the word of God to come alive for that person I want them to engage the scriptures and of course I want them to be stirred to action.

Because of these reasons I am always paying attention when I hear others preach. I pay as much attention to the crowd as I do to the preacher. I am hoping to learn what is engaging people. What is making them take notice? What is boring them? What parts of the text are they interacting with? and if I have the ability I ask them weeks down the road what the particular sermon was about and to see what they remember and if they actions changed because of it.

I was sitting outside with my son this morning and I came to that point once again, like I do for every sermon that I have to lay the message at the food of Christ. I have to surrender the sermon and be reminded that I preach not for the approval or benefit of man but I preach out of obedience to Christ. I think that when I study people and how they learn and how they are impacted I am being obedient but because of this study I sometimes wonder how I can best impact the person rather than ask how I can best be obedient to Christ. The paradox is that when I am obedient to Christ and what he wants me to say he uses my gift of creativity to impact people. Which is what I love to do.

Wise: I was just about to comment about people's general lack of being able to make wise decisions when I get an email from my best friend JB. JB asked me to pray for him for a particular struggle, I know he wasn't just asking me to pray for him but he really wants to be interceded for through my prayers. JB is a wise man because he knows he can't handle all things on his own.

Fools: I am continually amazed by people's inability to make good decisions. Not only their inability initially but their continuing to make poor decisions. You'd think they'd learn after a few poor decisions they'd figure out they need help but they continue to try to do it on their own and continue to make poor decisions. Simply Amazing.

Enforcer: For a few years now I have dubbed myself "The Enforcer". It's a fun nickname used especially when I'm beating down on my youth in a video game or strategy game. It's also fun to use when youth are acting like they need to get roughed up a little. I'm know to make threats about how the Enforcer is about to take them down, they get scared and behavior improved. The name stuck and when kids start acting up one of the other students will mention how the Enforcer is going to get brought into action, etc.

Well today the Enforcer got his first piece of mail. It is an advertisement for ESPN fantasy football cheat sheets. I'm sure this is a sign of things to come such as fan mail, gift packages and money.

From Pope Benedict:
"Freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about living by the measure of truth and goodness so that we ourselves can become true and good," he said.

He said there is a "strange forgetfulness of God," while at same time the sense of frustration and dissatisfaction has led to a "new explosion of religion."

"I have no wish to discredit all the manifestations of this phenomenon. There may be sincere joy in the discovery," he said. "Yet, if it is pushed too far, religion becomes almost a consumer product. People choose what they like, and some are even able to make a profit from it."

"But religion constructed on a 'do-it-youself' basis cannot ultimately help us. Help people to discover the true star which points out the way to us: Jesus Christ."

He urged the youth to take the time to regularly attend Sunday Mass.

"If you make the effort, you will realize that this is what gives a proper focus to your free time," he said.

I just wrapped up Velvet Elvis and I have to be honest that I'm still trying to get a grasp on all the implications of this book. Needless to say I enjoyed this book and found it challenging, inspiring and invigorating. I started a seperate blog, it's not a review like The Present Future blog but rather a compilation of quotes and ideas from the book that I enjoyed. Look on the right in my links section.

Metaphor Part II: The whole point of me writing all that out in my last post was to mention metaphors. While I used many metaphors I never discussed metaphors themselves. Specifically I wanted to mention my struggle with metaphors.

I love the Bible. I love that it is the word of God, the real words of real men, inspired by God. The Bible is living, organic and applicable to our lives today. When I preach I preach heavy application. I love to study the bible and what it means. But I also strongly believe that the bible applies to us today and when I read it and teach it I generally focus more on personal and communal application rather than other aspects.

So yesterday as I was preparing my message for next sunday I was torn. There they were, those metaphors about the ship just staring at me. Just asking me if they could be used in my sermon. They were ripe for the picking.

I had to ask myself. Is that I'm doing ok. Is this what Luke had in my when he wrote them? Was Luke just giving a history of the Early Church? Was I digging out of the word things that were meant to be there?

I decided to go with the metaphors.

We live life in the metaphors of the Bible. The Bible is applicable not as an owners manual, not as a rule book or a text book, it is the living word of God applicable to our lives.

Metaphors: I'm preaching on the 28th of this month and to get a jump on some things and because I have a busy week next week I got started. I already had my text I just needed to get some study and some writing done on my sermon. I was directed to Acts 27 the time where Paul is finally send to Rome for his trial. He and Luke and some other prisoners together with the soldiers and the sailors head off to Rome too late in the season to be sailing. So instead of heading for Rome they decide to winter in Phoenix just 45 miles up the coast of Crete from where they were, Fair Haven.

Well those that have read Acts know the story about how their Cargo ship carrying wheat was caught by a strong wind and was supposed to be a 4 hour 45 miles trip turned into a 600 mile 14 day struggle for survial.

When the bad weather hit the sailors go with the wind and let it carry them.

The waves then get so strong they have to drop ropes under the ship to hold the ship together due to the rough weather.

Then they fear running aground so they drop the sea anchor to slow down their demise.

Finally riding too low in the water to survive they start to dump their precious cargo, destroying the very wheat that they were making a run so late in the season for.

The metaphors in this passage are so easy to grasp and so obvious. The bottom line is that we are not equipped to handle the rough seas of life. We don't have the tools. But still we venture out where it is dangerous, we do deperate measure to hold our ships together.

We try to hold our life together.
We try to slow our life down.
We try to get rid of our baggage.

But while were doing all this were still heading in the wrong direction with nothing as our guide. So even if we succeed in all of these things we have still missed the target destination.

Again if you have read Acts 27 you know that Paul comes up on the deck and says..."an Angel of the Lord, whose I am and whom I serve, has told me not to worry that no one will be harmed." Paul then instructs the sailors to run the ship aground on the upcoming island and they will all be saved.

If you're not paying attention you miss it, you miss the phrase "Whose I am and whom I serve" in the NLT is says "to whom I belong and to whom I serve".

That's the answer, that's the answer to it all, do we belong. I think we're afraid of the idea of belonging to someone. It sounds like slavery. But when I read this verse and I believe that when Paul said it he said it with adoration, with love, with rest.

I belong to a family, I belong to my wife, I belong to my son. Belonging is wonderful. Belonging is love, adoration, trust, comfort, rest, unconditional love.

It is good to belong.

"Whose I am and whom I serve"

Amen



there's a free sermon for you...just add some illustrations and research the text a little bit more and you're set...

Velvet Elvis: I'm about 100 pages into this book by Rob Bell. I'm always amazed at Rob's teaching on the Nooma Videos and he is just a stellar communicator. I like how he's passionate but not overly burdensome. He speaks in comman man's language and give direct life application. Well his book is no different and I really enjoy his vast knowledge of Jewish customs and the history of the Rabbis and their teaching practices.

I generally underline phrases or thoughts in a book I will want to remember but some about this book says "don't write in me" so I haven't.

"We live in the metaphors"

"The intent then of a rabbi having a yoke wasn't just to interpret the words correctly; it was to live them out. In the Jewish context, action was always the goal. It still is."