I'm Still Here

I hate blog posts that mention how they've not blogged in a while. And yet, here I am, doing the very thing I hate.

Not much to report on. Family is great, church is great, life is great. Doesn't make for compelling blog posts, but I'm enjoying my life. It seems like God has brought a number of things into focus for me, narrowing and expanding my horizons at the same time.

We're probably going to start meeting pretty soon as a church. On our own. Not too sure when, but I think sooner than later is starting to be the right timing. Still working things out on that end, but I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time.

I'm off to Mt. Pleasant this weekend to visit the family, show off the new baby, and play a little Halo with my brother.

Live Action Halo

I thought this was cool.

Again with the Speaking

I have been asked to speak at the Fellowship of Forest Creek this weekend. A couple of weeks ago it was a possibility, but now it's a reality (found out today!). They are in the middle of a sermon series, so I'll be speaking in line with that. I'm sure I'll figure out how to add a little geek flair to the message though, so don't worry.

The largest crowd I have ever spoken to was about 600 for a family member's funeral a couple of years ago. The Fellowship is close to 2,000 from what I hear. Gotta say, I'm a little nervous. I'll be spending time tonight getting the sermon polished.

No turning back though.

Solitarity

I'm sure you've heard about the "Don't Tase Me, Bro" video that's been making its way around the interwebs lately. But I liked Stephen Colbert's analysis (tongue in cheek, but good analysis). Why didn't anyone stand up?

As I have thought about it, I think John Mayer's song got it right: We're just waiting on the world to change. And I have to say that that's a pretty crappy excuse. "It's not that we don't care, we just know that the fight ain't fair." What?!? Since when has making a stand against wrongdoing been a bad idea?

We find within community the ability to stand. We have others to hold us up, to fight the long fight. Disconnection breeds a callousness that says, "It's not my problem." But connection can often be a very vulnerable, dangerous place. And at the end of the day, there's no place I'd rather be.

Speaking of fighting together, Halo 3 will feature 4-player co-op! Next week, I'll finish the fight.

Kylie's First Blog Post

zxcvbnm

A Little Road Trip

Kylie's been gone this past week visiting Erika's dad in Chicago. We've both missed her, and due to her flying standby, it was looking that we wouldn't get to see her for even longer. Austin City Limits is this weekend, so there were no flights in.

So, she flew to San Antonio, and Erika, Kat, and I made a hasty roadtrip. While we were down there, we decided to go to the Riverwalk and have dinner. It worked out great, because we got to hang out with Kylie without having to worry about coming home, unpacking bags, and all of that mess that happens. We just spent time with her, shared some ice cream and visited the Alamo.

We got in late, slept in late (not Kylie, but that's OK), and are trying to make the most of the weekend.

So Yummy, So Yummy

Try to watch this and not sing it the rest of the day. Kylie is addicted to this like crack. And in a way, I think someone was addicted to crack when they thought this up.

Seven Verses Worth Dying For

My good friend Patrick has tagged me to come up with "Seven Verses Worth Dying For." The guidelines should answer

…what is the minimal set of essential truths central to my understanding of who God is; things so foundational to my thinking that I literally can’t imagine life without them. Or, more bluntly, what are the issues I (in my presumption) think we ought to be spending our time studying.

Here's my list, in no particular order.

Mark 10:45 - "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Colossians 1:27 - "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Micah 6:8 - "He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."

Isaiah 53:6 - "We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all."

Romans 5:8 - "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Philippians 3:12 - "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."

I have to tag others too. So, let's hear from Kale, Amanda, Brent, Chris, and Cindy. Leave a comment here to let me know you've posted, I'm interested in reading yours. And don't forget to tag someone new!

The Warrior's Heart

For decades now, many Christians have seen fit to couch their language in militant terms, using words like battle, war, victory, crusade, etc. Part of this language makes me uncomfortable, because it fails to convey our love for those on the other side of the struggle in this world, those who have yet to find faith in Christ, yet are still loved by him nonetheless.

On the other hand, much of Scripture speaks of the warfare we encounter, the dark forces that we fight. Why this language? I think, rather than placing the focus on the battle or the enemy, we should instead focus on what it means to be a warrior.

I watched 300 this weekend. While the battle scenes are cool, I think what resonates most is the heart of the warrior - the valor, courage, honor that is shown. My favorite movies are where people find themselves heroic (intentional or not). Peter Parker, Rocky Balboa, Neo, Eliot Ness, Maximus, Leonidas, John McClane, the list goes on. Warriors give their lives away for others.

I thought it would be fun to make a collection of good warrior quotes from film. Leave them in the comments. Here's a few to get started:

"Come and take them." - Leonidas, when commanded to lay down their weapons by the Persians

"Let's take the fight to him." - Eliot Ness

"It ain't how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward." - Rocky Balboa

Not Alone

I had breakfast this morning with my supervisor (most church planters have supervisors of some sort). In an alternate reality, I'm sure it was one of those dreaded meetings where you have to answer for your crimes and walk away feeling dejected and broke down. But today was refreshing and encouraging.

I think I've written about him before, but Jerry Burnaman is a guy that I would take a bullet for. We spent some of the time talking about how things are going, but most of it was just telling stories and catching up. He kept asking, "What can we do for you?" The only thing I could think was, "What more is there? You do EVERYTHING!"

It's good to know that I'm not alone out here, trying to make a difference. We have a great team, but there's another group of individuals that are making it possible. And I'm thankful for that.

Living Beyond the Moment

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to speak at Lifepointe Fellowship here in town. It felt good. I had a new way of outlining my thoughts, and, while I usually stand to speak, I was seated this time. I was more relaxed than usual, and I really enjoyed myself.

If you would like to have a listen, you can download the audio here.

In the Studio

Yesterday, we got Kathryn's newborn pictures done at Carol Church Photography. We had a great time, and Kat was very well behaved. Kylie got to take some pictures too, and I think we may have a little model on our hands! She took beautiful pictures, but was highly demanding and stopped on her terms.

Now we just have to decide which ones to get.

It's Not Even Late

It's not late, but I'm exhausted. We've had family in all weekend to see the baby. Plus, we had a block party last night at Hutto Square (fantastic time, and had a great turnout), and I preached this morning.

It's been over a year since I got to speak in a forum like that, and it was just as draining as I remember it. And it's been ages since I've done two services back to back, so I'm spent. But, it was great getting the opportunity. I think I was able to communicate my thoughts clearly, and I really connected with the crowd.

I'll have the audio up as soon as I get it. Other than that, I'm taking it easy this week, enjoying the holiday and getting back in the groove once the family leaves.