Don't Miss the Concert

Joshua Bell found a place at the DC Metro Station where he could set up shop for the day as a violin player. Clad in blue jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a baseball cap, he took his instrument from his case, left the case open, dropped a couple of dollars in it as seed money, and he began to play.

Subway passengers heard Mozart and other classics as they hurried to their destinations. Most paid Joshua no attention as they rushed through the station to catch a train. By the end of the afternoon, Joshua had collected $32 for entertaining thousands of DC citizens.

It was part of a project by The Washington Post that the editors called "an experiment in context, perception, and priorities, as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?"

What I didn't tell you is that Joshua Bell is a world-renown violinist. His violin was a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. Three days prior to his impromptu concert in the DC Metro Station, Bell played to a sold out crowd at Boston's Symphony Hall. Seats for his concert were $100 each.

Do you stop and pay attention to what God might be doing around you or are you too busy? Can God speak to you through ordinary people or do you have to hear it from pastors of large churches with a Doctor in front of their name or an international TV ministry? Do you hear God speaking to you through everyday events or do you wait for him to speak to you on Sunday mornings? Does God speak to you through a blue collar guy just scraping by or do you have to hear from God through a best-selling author?

How many times have you missed the music because you were too busy trying to get to your next destination? Just a thought...

Bracketology & Mascotology

March Madness is here and that means basketball fans around the country are filling out their NCAA Tournament brackets. There is a science to it. ESPN calls it Bracketology. It's a not-so-simple process of trying to predict the winners among the 64 college basketball teams in the season-ending finale.

At the TNC offices, we have a friendly little competition going among the staff. No wagering - just doing it for pure entertainment and possibly a reason to gloat if you're the winner. I filled mine out tonight. My final four include: North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, & UCLA. I'm picking UCLA & UNC in the championship game with UCLA taking it all. Who really knows? It'll be fun finding out.

I was bored doing the brackets the normal way so I created two other ways to fill out my brackets. I filled another one out according to school mascot. I'll call it Mascotology. I looked at each school mascot and determined who the winner should be based on the strength of the mascot. For example, in a first round upset, I'm picking the Boise State Broncos over the Louisville Cardinals since everyone knows a bronco is bigger and stronger than a cardinal. I'm also picking the Austin Peay Governors to defeat the Texas Longhorns. Governors have much more power than longhorns.

My final four in Mascotology are: George Mason Patriots, Kent State Golden Flashes (lightning bolts are powerful!), Miami Hurricanes, and Duke Blue Devils. The champs in this scenario are the Duke Blue Devils. Interestingly, the Duke Blue Devils had to play the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils in the fourth round. Duke won that game since they were a higher ranking devil.

Since Ephesians 2:2 says that the devil is "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" you have to assume that the devils will dominate the tournament in Mascotology. Unfortunately, the Siena Saints will be defeated in the first round by the Vanderbilt Commodores. A high-ranking naval officer can whup a saint.

In Mascotology, people who are armed always beat animals. For example, the Xavier Musketeers will beat the Baylor Bears in the second round. The Tennessee Volunteers will defeat the South Alabama Jaguars in the second round also. Everybody knows that a Tennessee hillbilly is going to have a gun with him to shoot any jaguars that might show up.

My third bracket is an Alpha Bracket. I chose the winner for each game based on which one was first in the alphabet. The final four in this bracket are: Arkansas, Arizona, Austin Peay, and Cal. State Fullerton. Arizona will win a squeaker in the championship game over Arkansas.

I predict that my Mascots and Alpha picks will be about as accurate as my "normal" picks. It will be fun to see how the brackets turn out.

New Digs, New Book, New Phone

I've been hanging out at the Metro coffeehouse in downtown Augusta a lot lately. Been doing some writing while sucking down their bottomless cups of coffee and taking advantage of free wi-fi. It's a comfortable place to hangout...a little smoky but not too bad during the mid-morning hours. They play good music here too. It allows me to get away from the distractions of home and office to concentrate on my writing. It's weird how you can shut the world out in a public place. Not sure why that is. So you might find me there on my day off (Friday). I really enjoy some of the hangouts on Broad Street. I hope it continues to build up and revitalize.

Speaking of writing, I've been concentrating lately on a new novel. Since I completed The God Robbers last year, I began crafting another story titled Slow. I'm only about 30 pages into it. Ask me about it sometime. I'm pretty excited about it. As for The God Robbers, it is currently being presenting to various publishers. Hopefully, someone will be interested in publishing it. Publishing a book is a dreadfully slow process. It requires a lot of patience. Still have a few other book projects that I'm working on but, for now, Slow is getting most of my attention.

Here's a pic of my new phone that I got for $7!

That's right - $7. It's a $200 phone. AT&T gave me $100 credit for some reason - promotional thing, I guess. Then the phone itself came with a $100 rebate. So I just had to pay the tax of $7. It's a PDA/cell phone combined. It's great for me since I was formerly relying on an old Visor Edge PDA and a cell phone. Now it's all in one. It's pretty amazing. I'm still learning how to use it.

In my last post, I mentioned the passing of our friend due to a car accident. We attended her funeral last Tuesday at Stevens Creek Church. It was well done and a blessing for all who were there. It was a celebration of a job well done by one of God's quiet, faithful servants. Although too brief, Cindy impacted thousands of people with her joy, wit, humility, talent, and steadfast faith in Christ. I wish that you could have known her. You don't appreciate the blessing some people are in your life until they're gone.

And I have to say - please be careful out there. We are so accustomed to strapping ourselves in our little metal rolling missiles everyday and flying around the country at 70 mph not realizing that we are one wrong move away from heaven. I'm ready to go to heaven and I'm not afraid to die but I' m enjoying the earthly blessings that God has given me. I want to be a blessing and enjoy his blessings more before I go! Be careful!

Late Night notes:

We lost a dear friend last week in a car accident. It's a reminder of the brevity of life. James reminds us, Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:13-15)

Our neighbor passed away a couple of days ago. He was well-known and thought of in NA. The family has had tons of visitors at their house ever since. Cars have been lined up and down the road. I told Beth last night as we maneuvered through the car-filled street that I hoped there are a lot of cars in front of my house when I die.

My nephew has been in the hospital in critical condition this week. He has flirted with death a couple of times due to his poor health. We're not completely sure about his condition right now. He continues to need our prayers.

So, guess what's been on my mind lately? Death. We've been talking about heaven on Sundays at TrueNorth. I think we are all going to be surprised at how wonderful and awesome heaven will be. The loss of friends is a reminder to me that we don't live in the land of the living on our way to the land of the dying. Instead, we live in the land of the dying and we are going to the land of the living. Our stop here on earth is brief. Remember, we are aliens here but we are citizens of heaven.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself - (Philippians 3:20-21).

Amazing Grace - Wintley Phipps

I know...I know...I don't like long youtube videos either. This one is almost 9 minutes. But I'm telling you, buckle your seatbelt. I don't mind admitting that I wept through the end of this one. It's powerful - especially coupled with the fact that we watched the movie Amazing Grace a couple of months ago. Pull it up, let it load, and praise God.

2 BILLION

I spent Thursday and Friday at a Missions Conference in Atlanta. I was reminded of two things in particular. One was the power and necessity of prayer. Missionaries often times find themselves very alone and helpless and their refuge is prayer and the prayers of their supporters.

Let's face it. We have it pretty easy in the States. We don't often find ourselves in desperate need and therefore, we don't pray because we don't have great needs. But prayer is where the power is. Prayer plows the hard soil and prepares the hearts of unbelievers when the seed of the gospel is planted. Prayer should be more than just a wish list of wants and needs. Prayer is communing with God. It is not reaching for things in the hand of God. It is reaching for the hand of God.

The missionaries that I encountered over the last two days believe in prayer and they served to remind me of its importance. I confess that I do not pray like I should. My prayer life is up and down like a roller coaster. It ought not be that way. I want to give more time to it in the days ahead.

The second thing that God spoke to me about at the conference was the need for our churches to focus on missions. Unfortunately, we have departmentalized missions. We see it as just another ministry of the church. The truth is that missions should be the central focus of the church. It is our commission to go into all the world to baptize and make disciples. We get so caught up trying to meet our own needs and make everyone feel good and happy that we forget about the 2 BILLION people in the world who have little or no access to the Gospel. 2 BILLION. That's 1/3 of the world, folks.

We are guilty of being too busy making sure our pews are polished, our stained glass shiny, and our sermons sweet while 2 billion people go to bed each night without any hope for the Savior.

God help us.

My 2 Favorite Guys

Yesterday I had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's with my 20 year-old son. Today I took my 77 year-old dad to lunch at New China Buffet. It occurred to me while talking at the table with my dad today that I had lunch with my 2 favorite guys in the past two days. One is just beginning his venture into adulthood and the other is nearing the end. One is looking for a life mate and the other constantly remembers his mate of 52 years. One is looking forward and the other looks backward. One needs a lot of wisdom and the other has tons. I find myself in the middle watching one grow up and the other one grow old.

They are my 2 favorite men in the whole world.

They both love Christ and God has blessed them both immensely. I certainly am blessed to have them in my life.

It's Netflix for Books!

I haven't tried this yet but it looks pretty cool if you're a book lover. Let me know what you think if you try it.

http://www.booksfree.com/

Ever thought about this?

I've been meditating on Zephaniah 3:17 a lot lately. It's an inspiring passage from an obscure Old Testament book. Have you ever even heard of Zephaniah? Come on, be honest. Here it is:

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

The whole verse is great. But the part that gets most of my attention is the last line. "He will rejoice over you with singing." We sing to God in corporate worship at church and in private worship in our cars, in the shower, or even at work. It is a completely natural and normal thing for us to rejoice over the Lord with singing. In fact, worshiping God is one of our purposes in life.

But Zephaniah says that God rejoices over us with singing. Have you ever considered that God sings to you? Can you picture God rejoicing over you in song? I wonder what that song would sound like? I wonder what the lyrics would be? God loves you so much and takes great delight in you. He sings a song of praise over you.

I would suggest that you take a longer look at Zephaniah 3:17 and when your day gets challenging or frustrating or even if your day is going well - remember that God is rejoicing over you with singing.

Proud Daddy

Laura (lcfoblog.blogspot.com) recorded this on her handy cam at TrueNorth last Sunday. My son, Cliff, and daughter, Bailey, sang together for the first time at TNC. Wish you could have been there to hear it live. The handy cam audio just isn't the same.

Christians: Lose Your Swagger

Last Friday, I started reading the book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity. I'm only about 80 pages into it but I've already underlined lots of interesting thoughts. The book was written by David Kinnaman of the Barna Group. The Barna Group is like the Gallop Poll for the Church. George Barna and friends have done an exceptional job over the past 25 years or so keeping the pulse of the Church and the world. In this particular book, they reveal the results of a survey performed with the next generation (Mosaics - born between 1984 & 2002 and Baby Busters - born between 1965 & 1983).

Here's the most interesting thing found in the book so far: We need to lose our "swagger." Here's the quote from the book, "The primary reason outsiders feel hostile toward Christians, and especially conservative Christians, is not because of any particular theological perspective. What they react negatively to is our 'swagger,' how we go about things and the sense of self-importance we project." Those outside of the Church say that the "Church is infatuated with itself."

A couple of paragraphs later, Kinnaman writes, "We have become famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for."

The title of the book is unChristian because outsiders think Christians no longer represent what Jesus had in mind. It is a stinging rebuke on the Church - and much needed.

Powerful Christians

Thought this article was worth the link:

http://www.wittenburgblog.com/2008/01/awkward-subject-evangelical-power.html

36 Ways to Reduce Stress

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say no to projects that won't fit into your time schedule or that will
compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out
what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't
do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget.
13. Have backups - an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key
buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.,
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an
enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the kid in you everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read in spare time.
17. Get enough exercise.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a CD while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write thoughts and inspirations down.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in
the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you, Jesus!"
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but yourself not at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that
you've never been grateful for before. (Contributed by Timely Words reader Ann Diamond)

107 Hours per week

Just something that I've been pondering for awhile:

I often find myself wondering (and hoping) if our churches are "equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry" as Paul said in Ephesians 4:11-13. At TNC, we encourage people to soak and serve, i.e., soak up the worship, teaching, and fellowship in one of our two services on Sundays and serve in some capacity during the other service. In addition, we encourage everyone to be a part of a small group (Journey teams) where we develop further in our walk with Christ.

If you soak and serve on Sunday mornings that encompasses about 3 hours. If you participate with a J Team that takes about another 1.5 - 2 hours each week. So let's do the math: There are 168 hours in a week. Let's assume that you sleep 8 hours each night for a total of 56 hours. If you take part in the weekly routine at TNC, that's another 5 hours. That leaves you with a total of 107 hours each week when you are not a part of a structured program at church.

So, here's my question. During most of your week (107 hours), it's just you and God. Now granted, you spend some time with other believers during the week but hopefully you get my drift. How are you doing when it's just you and God? Are you spending time with him? Are you learning from him daily? Are you communicating with him on a constant basis? Are you sharing his love with others? Are you worshiping him as you have opportunities? Are you growing and stretching others in their spiritual journey? Are you doing the work of the ministry?

How are you spending your 107 hours each week?

A Timely Word for 2008

This was emailed to me and I thought it was worth posting.

Tell God: Whatever It Takes, Anytime, Anywhere, Anyway
by Jon Walker

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13b-14 NIV)

… In this new year, we can “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus.” We can, once again, affirm our commitment to the work of the Great Commission. My prayer is that we will view this declaration as a covenant with God, promising him that from now we will do whatever it takes: anytime, anywhere, anyway….

A Call to Radical Commitment

Today I am stepping across the line. I'm tired of waffling, and I'm finished with wavering. I've made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable. I'm going God's way. There's no turning back now!

I will live the rest of my life serving God's purposes with God's people on God's planet for God's glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying.

Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, “we” over “me,” character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most, and I'll give it all I've got. I'll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won't be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I'll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me.

When times get tough, and I get tired, I won't back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I'll just keep moving forward by God's grace. I'm Spirit-led, purpose-driven and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I'm a trophy of God's amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for everyday, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I'm ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway.

Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes!

I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I'll hear you say, "Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!"

I'm Just Saying...

I wanted to post this before the big Pats/Giants game tonight but didn't get to it in time. I don't know if the Giants will beat the undefeated Patriots tonight are not, but I want to go on record to say that I believe that the Patriots will NOT be in the Super Bowl this year. Someone will take them down.

There. I said it.

Costa Rica Christmas - Chapter 2

For the second year in a row, our family had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica to help our missionary friends at Missions Impossible International give Christmas gifts to children in poverty. In addition to the Jennings family, we were joined by 7 others from TrueNorth Church.

From left to right: Stephen Tillman, Carolyn (Cat) Tillman, Beth Jennings, Kameron Waters, Kathryn McCormick, Gene Jennings, Bailey Jennings, Eydie Tillman, Cliff Jennings, Chloe Sylvester, and Karin Soderstrom.

We had a great team! Everyone worked hard and made Christmas happen for hundreds of kids. We worked with Joy Sheraden, a native of Augusta, along with Phil and Jill Jones, founders and directors of Missions Impossible. They minister in the Los Triangulos precario in San Jose, Costa Rica. The precario is a 3 acre tract of land with about 2000 people (mostly Nicaraguan refugees) living there.

I'm not sure what the final tally was but I think we gave over 1000 gifts away! We also cooked hotdogs for everyone in the precario, hosted a Christmas party for Joy’s Ladies Bible Study group, and went into the city one night to serve coffee and cookies to prostitutes and the homeless.

Here’s a pic of Joy with one of her many friends and more shots below:

Amazing Grace the movie

I finally watched the movie Amazing Grace last night. It is the biographical story of William Wilberforce who led the abolition movement in Great Britain in the late 18th century.

It is a great story of faith, perseverance, and fulfilling God's calling for your life. I would encourage you to check it out. Since the movie came out earlier this year, Wilberforce's book is on the shelves again. Real Christianity is a revised and updated version of his original 1797 work titled A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes in This Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity. They didn't believe in short, catchy titles in those days.

One of the characters in the movie is John Newton, a former slave ship captain who later, after his conversion, wrote the song Amazing Grace. The movie has many powerful lines in it. Very quotable. As I watched it, I found myself thinking that I should watch it again just to write down some quotes. Here are a few that I found online:

John Newton (when he was old and blind): Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly. I'm a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.

Newton asked Wilberforce if he had found religion. Wilberforce replied that he had seen no bolts of lightning. Newton said, "God sometimes does his work with gentle drizzle, not storms."

Pitt the Younger: Why is it you only feel the thorns when you stop running?

William Wilberforce: Is that some sort of heavy metaphorical advice?

Richard the Butler (quoting Sir Francis Bacon): Great changes are easier than small ones.

One other tidbit about this movie. Patricia Heaton (Debra of Everybody Loves Raymond and currently starring in Back To You) was one of the producers of Amazing Grace.

Compassion International Testimony

Beth and I have sponsored children through Compassion International since 1987. We are on our third child. She is a teenager in Rwanda. This video is a testimony of the great work that Compassion does. Check them out at www.compassion.com.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

As seen on Seth Godin's blog, www.sethgodin.typepad.com