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

Every Christian Needs a Passport

I spoke at TNC a couple of weeks ago and one of my points was that every Christian should have a passport. We had 60 passport applications at the Missions table in the lobby. They were all gone after the second service. Here's an essay I wrote about this topic last summer. You may not agree with me. That's okay.

Every Christian Needs a Passport

Since the early days of my journey with God I’ve been aware of the Great Commission. For a Baptist, Matthew 28:18-20 is like the Holy Grail of Scripture. It’s one of the first passages of the Bible that is memorized after John 3:16. It is talked about repeatedly and we are challenged to believe it and live it on a regular basis. Next to the Great Commission is Acts 1:8 when Jesus commissioned his disciples to go to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth with the power of the Holy Spirit and the message of the gospel.

And we absolutely adore people who are fleshing out the Great Commission. We call them missionaries.

The King James Version Bible that my wife used in her childhood has autographs from missionaries who came to speak at her church. After these Christian celebrities spoke to a congregation, children lined up to get the holy people to write a personal note, cite a verse of Scripture, and sign their autograph on the inside cover of their Bibles.

The missionary men who spoke always wore a tropical looking untucked, button up shirt – like something a retiree in South Florida might wear. Ordinarily, no man could ever get away with speaking behind the pulpit without a coat or tie and wearing an untucked shirt but the missionaries broke convention when they came to town. It was like the standard issue uniform for male missionaries. The missionary women were always more colorful and creative. They wore the native dress from the country where they served and adorned themselves with the jewelry of the culture. They usually had some odd head covering – a piece of cloth looped around their head or a weird hat. They opened their talks with some unintelligible sentences and said, “That is how you say, ‘Greetings! God bless you and keep you’ in Gibberish, the language of our country.”

Our mouths fell open. In my small South Carolina town, the only people who could speak two languages were the Spanish teacher and French teacher at the high school. The missionaries then proceeded to tell stories of life change and adventure on another part of the globe. Some missionaries did a better job of story-telling than others. Unfortunately, most of the time, before they were halfway through their talk, they had lost their audience’s interest, and it was laborious listening until the end.

I was named after a missionary doctor. My mom loved missions and missionaries. Even in the dark ages, when my family was not involved in the church, I heard my mom talk about missionaries in Africa. She referred to the Pitmans, my namesake who served in Nigeria, often. They were my heroes even though I never knew them. My mom wanted to be a missionary when she was young but life didn’t unfold that way for her. She supported, helped, and prayed for a lot of them over the years. She typed missionary newsletters and stuffed envelopes with exciting stories of what God was doing throughout the world. We hosted an African pastor in our home one week and, finally, she served as a short-term missionary for four months in Tanzania with my dad in 1979. It was one of the greatest experiences of her life.

Missions. Missions. Missions. Christians love and believe in missions and missionaries. Then why doesn’t every Christian have a passport?

If you believe and teach the Great Commission shouldn’t you have a passport? If you say you believe in missions but don’t own a passport, are you a hypocrite? If you say all believers should support missions with their prayers, participation, and pocketbooks, but you don’t have a passport, aren’t you lying? If you are a loyal member of the WMU (that’s the Women’s Missionary Union – kind of like the Ladies’ Auxiliary for missions for a Southern Baptist), but aren’t prepared to leave the country, are you all talk and no action?

Maybe if we really believed in missions we would require new members of our churches to fill out passport applications along with their new member information – and the church would pay all of the expenses for the passport. If we really believe what Matthew 28, Acts 1, and other similar passages in the Bible say, we should expect to go on mission during our journey with Christ. More than once. It should be a lifestyle.

Did Jesus say that we had to have a special calling in order to go into all the world? Does the Bible indicate that we must become “full-time missionaries” in order to do our part in fulfilling the Great Commission? Where does it say that we have to obtain a Bible college or seminary degree to travel overseas and share the love of Jesus? Why have so many restricted foreign missions to so few?

Go read Matthew 28:19 again. It says, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This verse was spoken as an imperative statement. It is a command, not a suggestion. Read Acts 1:8 again. It says, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It does not say, “You might. You can. Or you may be.” You will.

Jesus gives no qualifications. No prerequisites. No special calling. No degree. No experience necessary. No ordination service required. He said, “Go” and “You will.” His audience had no questions and no rebuttals. They did what they were told and they turned the world upside down. But we have reservations.

“I’m not called.”
“I can’t afford it.”
“I’m not educated enough.”
“I need to go deeper in the Word first.”
“I can’t take time off work to go on mission.”
“What about my family?”
“I can’t leave my kids that long.”
“I don’t have any talents, gifts, or abilities to offer.”
“I’m afraid to fly.”
“My parents are aging and I need to stay close to home.”
“I have to get my kids through school.”
“I’ve got too many responsibilities here.”

Here’s the problem. We say we believe in the Great Commission but we haven’t really digested all that it says. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…and surely I am with you always.” “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”

We focus on self instead of Christ. We think about all of the reasons why we should not go but Christ says simply to “Go.” We are afraid that we will be left out in the jungle all by ourselves. Christ says that he will be with us. We are afraid that we will not know what to say or what to do. Jesus says he will give you the power to do whatever the situation requires.

Here’s the bottom line: We are scared and we are selfish. We are scared to venture out into the unknown and we are too comfortable living our own self-centered lives.

So here’s my challenge to you. Go to the post office today and get a passport application. After you complete the application process, call the person at your church who is in charge of missions and tell them that you want to sign up for the next mission trip.

What? You say your church doesn’t have such a person? Give this to your pastor and tell him to read it.

And while you’re at it…ask your pastor if he has a passport.

Interview with Rob Bell

Thought you'd be interested:

http://www.wittenburgdoor.com/interview/rob-bell

Young Engineers

For a few seconds, I really thought that I might die laughing the first time I saw this:

http://veryfunnyads.com/ads/25417.html

Quotes from today's reading

Couple of quotes I came across while reading through some online articles today:

My favorite t-shirt says, "No One Cares About Your Blog." (Ben Arment in Catalyst Monthly)

In a Wittenburg Door interview with Rolf Potts, travel writer:
DOOR:I notice you talk about evangelicals at arm’s length, like you don’t consider yourself one.
POTTS: For me, evangelical Christianity is like an ex-girlfriend who you once loved very much—but now when you’re around her, every little tic, cliché and hollow pleasantry drives you nuts.

Sharpen Your Vocabulary & Donate Rice

Found this site tonight - www.freerice.com. Pretty cool. I donated 200 grains of rice. I think I'll place this one in my favorites list.

Dove Onslaught

Kudos to Dove for standing up to the "beauty" industry in this ad. Viewer Discretion advised!!

Check out the Otter video

My friend, Andy, the country parson, recently posted a great youtube video called Otters in Love. Check it out!

If I Had My Life to Live Over

Not too long ago, I celebrated my 46th birthday. (I know, I know, I look 29. Thanks.) Birthdays don't bother me much. I don't mind getting older. In fact, I kind of like it because it motivates me to do stuff - like help start churches, buy a motorcycle, write books, and take flying lessons (see post on 7/18/07). My age also gives people like Walt and Matt and other young TNC'ers an excuse to make fun of me.

When you realize you're not getting any younger, it gives you boldness to do stuff you've always wanted to do. To be honest, it's not birthdays that have motivated me to do things in the past, but funerals. As a pastor, I've performed many funerals. When I examine the brevity of life, I'm motivated to make the most of mine. I'm haunted by the thought that my dash will be insignificant. You know, the dash that will be on my headstone in a cemetery one day between 1961 (my birth year) and 20-- (my death year).

That said, here's something I found years ago in Chicken Soup for the Soul that stuck with me.

If I Had My Life to Live Over
(Interviews with the elderly and terminally ill)

“I’d dare to make more mistakes.”

“I’d relax. I would limber up.”

“I would take more chances.”

“I would take more trips.”

“I would eat more ice cream and less beans.”

“If I had it to do again, I would travel lighter next time.”

“If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.”

“I would go to more dances.”

“I would ride more merry-go-rounds.”

“I would pick more daisies.”

(Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Soul)

“Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

Just Call Me Nostra-Gene-ius

On my post titled "Late Night Brain Dump" on October 2, I predicted that the NA Yellow Jackets would be in the playoffs. With a 23-20 win over 9th ranked Irmo tonight in their final regular season game, NA will be playing an extra week. Guess we'll find out in the next day or two who and where NA will play next Friday night.

A Place for Singles to Have Some Fun-damentals

Saw this on the Wittenburg Door blog. I didn't believe this until I actually visited the site. (No, I didn't register.)

http://www.fundamentalbaptistsingles.com/

Vacation Scoreboard

At the beginning of my vacation, Mike Fiedler sent me a link to Tim Stevens blog that gave statistics on his book writing retreat and suggested that I do the same. Tim Stevens logged the number of hours he worked on his book, number of pages written, etc.

While I didn’t go to the extremes that Stevens did, here’s an idea of what I did do while on my brief reading/writing sabbatical.

Books read or currently reading:

Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Book Proposals That Sell by Terry Whalin
Changes That Heal by Henry Cloud
Jeremiah by Jeremiah via Holy Spirit (PS – Chapter 9:23-24 is the passage of the week. Look it up.)
If you haven’t got time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over? by Jeffrey Mayer
The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey, Jr.
Beyond the Box: Innovative Churches that Work by Bill Easum and Dave Travis

Books that got a good, honest skim: (Note: A good, honest skim was a skill learned in seminary. I guess some would call it speed reading. I go through every page and skim each page, stopping at points of interest along the way. By doing that, I get the gist of the book but I don’t comprehend it entirely like a true speed reader.)

God’s Gravity: The Upside-Down Life of Selfless Faith by Craig Borlase
The Backward Life: In Pursuit of an Uncommon Faith by Jarrod Jones

Articles read: A Dimension of Being by Rick McKinley & stuff in 2007 Catalyst book

DVD watched: Just Stop and Think (15 minute film by Francis Chan given away at Catalyst)

CD's listened to: A series of messages on missions by Todd Ahrend (ask me for copies - they're incredible)

Writing projects worked on:

Wrote personal stuff in my journal.
Developed a book proposal for my novel “The God Robbers”
Created an outline (13 plot points) for new novel titled “Slow”
Revised/edited non-fiction book “Your Greatest Challenge” also brainstormed for other titles.

Motorcycle rides = 0

Thanks to a wonderful family (who will remain anonymous here since I’m not sure if they want me to publicize this) who allowed me to stay at their condo at the beach from Thursday to Saturday! It was great to get away and have some “me-time” though I missed being home with my honey and kids.

Reading, Writing, and Riding

I'm taking some vacation days this week. I plan on doing nothing more than reading some books that I have not had a chance to finish or even start. I am going to work on a book that I am writing and, if the weather is good, I might hit the road on the Honda one day. So far, the weather report looks wet this week. Looks like I'll get a lot more reading and writing done.

I'll give a book report here when I'm done.

If the weather is good, maybe I'll learn how to do some tricks on my bike this week too.

A New Board Game

I thought this was a joke when I first saw it. It's not...it's at Family Christian Stores for $34.99.

http://www.familychristian.com/shop/product_image.asp?ProdID=16542

Lifehouse's Everything Skit

My favorite part of this is when the crowd roars. Watch and see...

Reverb from Catalyst/Being or Doing?

30 of us from TNC attended the Catalyst Conference last week. It was a good conference with super music and challenging speakers. Instead of reviewing every speaker, I'll direct you to Mark Waltz's blog at http://www.becausepeoplematter.com/. Mark did a great job of reviewing each speaker.

I'll just say that Craig Groeschel probably spoke to me the most followed by Rick Warren. I've heard Rick many, many times in the last 20 years and that is the boldest message that I've ever heard from him.

Yesterday in our weekly staff meeting, we debriefed a little about the conference. Catalyst is designed for Christian leaders but over the last couple of years it seems to be more about trumpeting each speaker's causes and books. I wonder if Zondervan or Tyndale or other book publishers are subsidizing the expenses for Catalyst because almost every speaker is selling his latest book. In addition to that, many of them expose us to their pet cause so that by the end of the two day conference attenders aren't sure if they should give to a water project in Africa, an urban ministry in Philadelphia, a Christian art movement in LA, or buy a specific brand of shoe that promises to give shoes to the needy in return for your purchase.

It can get a little fuzzy.

Back to our staff meeting...I mentioned that the Catalyst workers shirts said, "What will you do?" The post-modern Christian movement is more about doing than being, it seems. The twenty-something generation, we are told, wants to do more hands on ministry than the baby boomer generation. It's all about action, they say. Rick Warren had the most memorable quote in my opinion when he said, "The body of Christ has amputated its arms and legs and all it is now is a big mouth."

Ow!

He's right. We have to do more than talk the talk, we have to walk the walk. But I cautioned our crew yesterday that there has to be a balance between "doing" and "being." Just go to http://www.wikipedia.org/ and type in Social Gospel or Walter Rauschenbusch (pictured above) and you'll see that those in this movement who are all about "doing" sometimes leave the Gospel behind. They forget that the reason for the ministry is done ultimately to lead people to Christ. The opposite is true also. A fundamentalist Christian is so separate from the world (i.e. "being" holy) yet overly aggressive with the gospel that he many times harms the reputation of Christ. So what's a Christ-follower to do?

Balance. We need to learn to be like Christ. When we learn who Christ is and what his expectations of us are, then we will "do" things in a way that honors him. If we "do" without "being," our efforts are no different than the local Rotary or garden club. If we "be" without "doing," we make no impact at all.

It's a quandry. And one that I won't settle in this early morning post. But that's just some stuff I've been thinking about since yesterday afternoon.

Steve talked about Thinkers, Feelers, Doers, and Talkers last Sunday. I lean toward being a thinker so I "think" that everyone should practice their faith like me! But I know that is not the case and that different personalities grow in different ways. It's all part of the journey...

Mom's Overture

I'm not a mom but I have one and I'm married to one. This is really good. I guess I should have saved until Mother's Day but couldn't. Thanks Moms for all you do!

Late Night Brain Dump

- I'll be attending the Catalyst Conference Thursday and Friday in Atlanta. A large group from TNC will be in attendance. I'll be able to connect with some old friends too.

- I've been reading Purple Cow by Seth Godin. Talking about the power of TV in its early days, he tells the story of the creation of Cap'n Crunch cereal. If you had a commercial on TV, you were guaranteed to sell your product. In 1962, Quaker Oats hired Jay Ward, the creator of Bullwinkle & Rocky, to create an animated commercial for a kids cereal. Ward invented Cap'n Crunch cereal and made the commercial. After the commercial was created then Quaker Oats began to produce it!

- We're over halfway through our SHAPE series on Sundays at TNC. It's a great study if you've never done it before. I know it was incredibly helpful for me when I was able to put the 5 elements of SHAPE together years ago.

- For the record (in case you were in TNC's 2nd service last Sunday) I turned 46 on my birthday Sunday - not 52.

- The Gamecocks are doing pretty good. Kentucky will bring a good test to Columbia Thursday night. Clemson looked awful against GA Tech! Awful! (Walt, Laura, et. al., you should be ashamed.) I hope the Tigers bring that with them to Williams-Brice in November.

- Speaking of football, the NA Yellow Jackets are having a good year. Yes, they are only 3-3 but considering their record over the last couple of years 3-3 is a major improvement. The guys are playing with a lot more confidence this year. We get into our conference schedule against Lexington this Friday. I think we will do well in region play. Expect NA to make it to the playoffs this year. That's right. I'm calling it.

- We are reading The Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley as a staff. Pretty good stuff.

- Good news about one of my writing projects. Found out yesterday that an editor with a major publisher liked my book proposal. She was supposed to give it to the editorial committee today. They will read it over the next month and make a decision in their November meeting. That's pretty exciting whether they publish it or not.

Part 2 - Woody Allen Interviews Billy Graham

1969 - Woody Allen Interviews Billy Graham

For many of you who read this blog (Walt, Brent, et. al.), you may not realize just how influential Billy Graham was with the media in his prime. Go ahead and laugh at the 1969 fashions in this video. But note how culturally relevant Graham was during a very tumultuous time in the US. There was no debate or argument - just friendly discussion about God and the Bible. Billy did good.

Tony Snow's Unexpected Blessings from Cancer

This was sent to me from a TNC leader. It's worth the read - especially since we are all touched by cancer.

Cancer's Unexpected Blessings

When you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change.
by Tony Snow

Commentator and broadcaster Tony Snow announced that he had colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush administration in April 2006 as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23 Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced that the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen—leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 30, but resigned August 31. Christianity Today magazine asked Snow what spiritual lessons he has been learning through the ordeal.

Blessings arrive in unexpected packages—in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases—and there are millions in America today—find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence What It All Means, Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.

The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the why questions: Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.

I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is—a plain and indisputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.

But despite this—because of it—God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.

Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your head swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere.

To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life—and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many nonbelieving hearts—an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live—fully, richly, exuberantly—no matter how their days may be numbered.

Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease—smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see—but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance and comprehension—and yet don't. By his love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap and stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not experience otherwise.'You Have Been Called'
Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet; a loved one holds your hand at the side. "It's cancer," the healer announces.
The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. "Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler." But another voice whispers: "You have been called." Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter—and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our "normal time."
There's another kind of response, although usually short-lived—an inexplicable shudder of excitement, as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tinny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.

The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing though the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.

There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue—for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do.

Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the holy city. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.

We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us—that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us partway there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave afflictions often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two people's worries and fears.

Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of love.

I sat by my best friend's bedside a few years ago as a wasting cancer took him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was a humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He retained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. "I'm going to try to beat [this cancer]," he told me several months before he died. "But if I don't, I'll see you on the other side."

His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn't promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity—filled with life and love we cannot comprehend—and that one can in the throes of sickness point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms.

Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do?

When our faith flags, he throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it.

It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up—to speak of us!
This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.

What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don't know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and every one of us, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place—in the hollow of God's hand.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today.

150 years ago

This is about one of my favorite stories from church history. It is amazing what God will do with one faithful person.

Gamecocks 16 Bulldogs 12

By Paul Newberry - The Associated Press

ATHENS, Ga. -- Steve Spurrier did it to Georgia again.

The ol' ball coach, who beat the Bulldogs regularly while at Florida, guided South Carolina to a 16-12 upset of No. 11 Georgia on Saturday night, signaling the Gamecocks as a possible title contender in the Southeastern Conference. Just like it was for Spurrier in his days with the Gators. Ryan Succop kicked three field goals, Cory Boyd ran for the game's only touchdown and South Carolina's defense kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone.

That was hardly the formula Spurrier used to beat Georgia 11 out of 12 years, during his dominating run at Florida, which captured six SEC championships and one national title with the coach's Fun 'n' Gun offense.

Spurrier knows he doesn't have that kind of high-scoring talent at South Carolina (2-0, 1-0 SEC), forcing him to rely on a stout defense and Succop's accurate right leg to hold off the Bulldogs (1-1, 0-1).

Georgia, coming off an impressive 35-14 victory over Oklahoma State, was held without a touchdown for the first time since a 14-9 loss to South Carolina in 2001, when Lou Holtz was the coach and Spurrier was in his final season with the Gators. Succop connected from 41, 35 and 34 yards, the last of those giving the Gamecocks at 16-6 lead with 9:25 remaining. The Bulldogs drove into South Carolina territory on their next two possessions, but settled for Brandon Coutu's third and fourth field goals. The kicker accounted for all of Georgia's points.

Evangelism Linebacker

In a New York Minute...

In a New York minute,

Everything can change.

In a New York minute,

Things can get pretty strange.

(Don Henley)

www.thinkchristian.net posted a link to the World Clock yesterday. Check it out and see just how fast the world is changing. Of particular note, I can't look at the Abortions statistic long. It makes me a little ill. Pretty interesting info, though. It won't be long before the world population hits 7 billion. Didn't we just hit 6 billion a couple of years ago?

When my dad was born in 1930, the world population was 2 billion. He will be 77 soon and the world population has more than tripled in his lifetime!

For Christ-followers, this means the mission field continues to expand exponentially. Get up Christians! We've got work to do. The fields are white....

My Memoirs

What would the book jacket of your memoir say if you wrote one? Go to the memoirizer, answer a few questions, and see.

Here's mine:

Who I Was, Who I Am, and Who I Want to Be
A Memoir
by Gene Jennings

In Who I Was, Who I Am, and Who I Want to Be, Gene Jennings tells the almost too- remarkable-to-be-true story of his rise from villain to hero, including his struggle to overcome his sexual voraciousness, his troubled relationship with his wife and children, and his addiction to drugs, all of which lead him to a life of crime and to rehab, where he found redemption and the strength and wisdom to write this cautionary memoir about the power and resiliency of the human condition.


You didn't know all that about me, did you?

Action Photo

An incredible dive for a touchdown by Thurmond's Aramis Hillary. Hey, who's that on the chain crew in the background? (Photo by Mike Adams. Check out his blog at www.final-vision.blogspot.com)

Dale Jr. tats, Holy Huddles, et. al.

Here are a few things that have been on my mind lately...in no particular order:

1. I'm glad I didn't get a Dale Earnhardt Jr #8 tattooed on my body since it was recently announced that Dale Jr. would be changing numbers next year. You know there are some Dale Jr. fans out there with a #8 tat on them. They're probably wondering what to do now.

2. At TNC, we've been putting new Journey Teams together in preparation for the Fall. Journey Teams (or J Teams) are small groups that meet weekly for prayer, fellowship, Bible study, and ministry. One common concern is that we don't want our groups to become "holy huddles." But I've been thinking about that and wonder if maybe our J Teams ought to be holy huddles. Just like a football team huddles up before they go into action, J Teams should huddle up weekly to prepare for action in the world. Small groups become ineffective and stagnant when they never break out of their huddle. As long as J Team members are making an impact on their world and influencing others for Christ, huddle up!

3. If you attended TNC today, you saw the SHAPE promo video. Our own Matt McMeans created that claymation video. It was pretty impressive!

4. Are the North Augusta Yellow Jackets back? I've been anxious for football season to get started and couldn't wait for the first game of the year between our alma mater and hometown team versus rival Strom Thurmond High. (That's right, for my friends who are not from here, we have a local high school named after our beloved Senator.) Anyhow, STHS was a 17 point favorite and scored that many in the first half. But NA scored 27 unanswered points in a sloppy, wet, but fun and exciting game. We need a good season for a change. Maybe we'll get one this year. So far, so good.

5. I announced here in late May that I completed a novel. I am currently revising it and will soon get a few copies made at Kinko's for friends to read. I'd like to get some feedback before I pursue a publisher. If you are a fiction reader and would like to take a look at it and you can BE HONEST with me, I'd love for you to give me your critique. Let me know.

6. My dog, Deacon, is whining. He wants to play ball. Later....

Happy Birthday TNC!

Yesterday TrueNorth celebrated its 3rd birthday. We had a wonderful day as a near record crowd arrived to praise God for what he has done - complete with over 2000 balloons dropped from the ceiling, T-shirt launchers, confetti, glitter, and the TNC Band's version of The Beatles' song, Birthday. 1444 were in attendance.

I'm constantly amazed at what God has done in three short years. Can't wait to see what he'll do in the future.

Thinking Outside the Box

Course architect Alistair Mackenzie changed the golf world for eternity when he designed the Augusta National Golf Club. His outside the box thinking almost changed golf more than most people realize. When Mackenzie drafted his original plan for the Augusta course, he planned for not eighteen holes but nineteen. The nineteenth hole, a par three designed to play uphill between the ninth and eighteenth greens, was on the drawing board in case any members wanted to settle their bets by playing a tie-breaker or double or nothing. But Bobby Jones was too much of a traditionalist and vetoed Mackenzie’s unique idea.

Imagine the stories surrounding the Masters Tournament if the nineteenth hole had won Bobby Jones’ approval. What dramatic finishes would there have been? What would we have missed? Larry Mize would have never chipped in from 140 feet on the 11th in the dramatic 1987 sudden death playoff. Len Mattiace may have defeated Mike Weir on the 19th hole in 2003. Billy Casper would not have won the last 18 hole playoff in 1970. There would have been no 18 hole playoffs!

Do you ever think outside the box? We tend to conform easily to standards and traditions without giving innovative thoughts much consideration. We don’t like to color outside the lines. Thankfully, God doesn’t think like us. God saw that the world needed a Savior. He knew that mortal man could not fill that need so he did something incredibly radical. He became like us. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, became fully God and fully man so that we could be saved from our sin. Jesus’ life exemplified what it means to live a pure, godly life. His death paid the penalty for our sin as he became the ultimate sacrificial lamb. His resurrection guarantees that he lives today among us through his Holy Spirit and that we have the promise of eternal life. Aren’t you glad God is a radical thinker?

Mike Yaconelli video

Mike Yaconelli was an influential author, speaker, and minister, especially to youth ministers through Youth Specialties. He died suddenly four years ago and it was a huge loss to the Church but a tremendous gain for heaven. This video is almost 9 minutes long. Take the time to watch it. You'll get a good idea of how radical and out of the box Yak was. I would highly recommend any talks or books you can get from him.

Squirrel Rescue

A week ago Saturday, I was walking across our backyard when I saw this tiny creature laying in the grass. I wasn't sure what it was at first. I figured that it was either a squirrel or a possum. I looked up over head and there was a squirrel's nest. Apparently, Junior here, fell out of the nest for some reason. He had no fur. His eyes were still shut and his umbilical cord was still attached. He may have only been hours old.

What do you do with a baby squirrel? We didn't know either. We wrapped him up in a shoe box and tried to keep him warm and comfortable. Beth tried to give him some milk and water through a syringe. We figured that he was going to die. We just tried to help the little guy get comfortable.

Bailey found a website about squirrel rescue and rehab. We received info on how to call local people who can rescue critters such as this one so I called a lady named Lisa.

It was kind of like calling 911.

"What kind of animal do you have?"

"A baby squirrel. No fur. Fresh from the oven."

"Were there any other babies nearby?"

"No, this is the only one I saw."

"Have you tried to give it water?"

"No, but we gave it some milk?"

"OH NO! Cow's milk? You shouldn't give them cow's milk....well, you didn't know. You were just trying to help."

I felt really bad at that point.

"How about water? Have you given it any water?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, he took some water."

"How soon can you meet me?"

We arranged a meeting place and met Lisa less than an hour later. We expected her to come with all of her lights on and sirens blaring but her Toyota wasn't equipped for it. When she arrived, she had all of her paramedic paraphernalia with her and began immediate life support for the babe. We didn't stay long as there was no time to talk and socialize in Lisa's mind. Her attention was fastened on the squirrel.

Bailey and I thanked her and left her in the restaurant parking lot where we met her with the hopes that maybe the little guy would survive. It wouldn't be because Lisa didn't make a valiant effort to save him.

Travis Pastrana 1st Double Backflip in Competition XGAMES

Those of you who know me know that I like riding my motorcycle. I don't think I'll ever pull a stunt like this off though...on purpose.

What too many churches are like...

Are believers guilty of being like the fleas in this video?

More Trivia from the Old Files

Found another tidbit of info that was interesting to me. Not sure why I did this (I was obviously bored several years ago) - but I found a list of churches that I have preached in since entering the ministry. I think it's missing a few churches but all totaled up it includes at least 47 churches in 7 states and 5 countries. Not bad for a small town boy, I guess.

I am amazed at the number of places God has given me opportunities to speak. I guess it just goes to show you what can happen when you let him have your life.

Things I've Learned (from digging through old files)

On most Saturday mornings, I get up and start working through my "honey-do" list but it was raining this morning so I did something I've been needing to do for a long, long time. I went through some of my old files in my desk. I threw away a bunch of stuff that I no longer needed and discovered some things from the past that I had forgotten about. One of those things was a letter from H. Jackson Brown that he wrote in response to some quotes I sent him for an upcoming book. Brown wrote "Life's Little Instruction Book," "P.S. I Love You," "Live and Learn and Pass It On," and other little gift books. If those titles don't ring a bell, trust me, you've seen them in the bookstores over the years.

Anyhoo....I don't know if he ever used my quotes. I signed an agreement with him giving him permission to use them back in 1992. They were supposed to start with "I've learned that..." (That's how his "Live and Learn and Pass It On" quote books started). I thought I'd share them here since they've just been sitting in my files for years. (Unless Brown published them.)

I've Learned that...

I could survive on peanut butter.
evenings are more pleasant when the TV is off.
nothing beats a good book and a soft chair.
nothing melts a daddy's heart like a smile from his little girl.
nothing is more relaxing than walking barefoot on the beach.
compared to most homes in the world, my home (modest by American standards) is a mansion.
selfishness is the foundation for most wrongdoing.
distance doesn't separate good friends.
you can never read enough. But there never seems to be enough time to read.
the "conveniences" of life have made people busier.
everyone has funny looking toes.
it's good to watch cartoons every once in a while.
a good used bookstore is full of gems.
air conditioning has turned neighbors into strangers.

Hank Aaron and the Mission of the Church

Yogi Berra, legendary catcher for the New York Yankees, tells the story of the first time Hank Aaron stepped up to the plate in the 1957 World Series. Yogi noticed that Hank was holding the bat wrong. He said, “Hank, you’ve got the trademark on your bat wrong. Turn it towards you so you can read it.” Hank replied, “Yogi, I didn’t come up here to read. I came to hit.”

Hank Aaron wasn’t concerned with the conventional way to hold a bat. He made a name for himself in the Negro Leagues in the early 1950’s batting cross-handed. He was only concerned with hitting the ball. Considering the he broke Babe Ruth’s all-time homerun record in 1974, I’d say he got the job done. Hank knew his purpose and mission.

I’m afraid that in our churches we sometimes are more concerned with the conventional, traditional ways of doing things that we forget our mission. What is the mission of the Church? Jesus made it pretty clear. At the end of the gospel of Matthew, he gave us what is known as the Great Commission. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

I get frustrated when I see churches compromise the Great Commission for the sake of tradition. When churches refuse to change their music style to something more relevant to the culture for the sake of tradition, they’ve lost their focus. When is the last time you heard someone listening to choir music on the radio? When is the last time a robed four-part choir concert sold out an arena? What are these churches thinking? Here’s a thought: Sell the choir robes and the organ on eBay and buy some guitars and a set of drums.

While on a trip to the Holy Land in 1997, I met a pastor who told me about his conversion experience as a young adult. He was sitting on his couch one Saturday morning watching TV when the doorbell rang. It was two neatly dressed men from one of the local Baptist churches. He allowed them to come in and the two men did their part in fulfilling the Great Commission by sharing the good news of Jesus with him. My pastor friend knew this was a divine appointment because he had been struggling spiritually of late and he knew that he needed to get right with God. So he did. The two men prayed with him and he asked Jesus to be Lord of his life. Mission accomplished.

But then one of the two visitors strayed from the mission. Immediately after they said, “Amen,” the leader of the dynamic witnessing duo reached over and began buttoning the top two buttons of the new convert’s shirt. He told his new brother in Christ, “Now, if you’re going to be a Christian, you have to make yourself look presentable at all times.”

What the …..? How the …? Where did that come from?!

The first rule of being a Christian is to button up your shirt?? Holy cow! I guess they sent him to get a haircut that day too. Will someone please tell me about the Church and dress codes? Will someone please let me know why so many churches create a barricade at their front door by making a coat, tie, and polished shoes required for entry? Hank Aaron’s take on this might be, “I didn’t come here for a fashion show. I came here to worship.”

The Church’s refusal to be relevant to its surrounding culture is one key reason why 80% of American churches are dying or stagnant. No wonder 70% of the population is sitting at home on Sunday mornings instead of in our worship services. Over the last 20 years, we’ve made some headway down this path. Thanks to the Baby Boomers, the culturally relevant church has made an obvious impression on the American church. But the Baby Boomers parents are still holding on to convention and they’ve convinced many of their children that their peers have gone overboard. “It’s those hippies from the 60’s,” they say. “They just cut their hair and took a shower but they snuck guitars and drums into the church, took out the King James Bible, and made it into a combination theme park and rock concert. Did you ever see a picture of that California hippie pastor, Rick Warren, when he was young? His hair came down to his collar. And that Bill Hybels in Chicago took a bunch of hippies to start that megachurch of his. They’re all just a bunch of Woodstock alumni claiming to do church the right way.”

The Baby Boomers began to turn the ship away from convention and now the generation that followed them (Gen X) is knocking the ball out of the park like Barry Bonds on steroids. (Of course, um, if Barry Bonds was on steroids. But I digress…). It seems like I hear about a new church every week with a bright, young, creative pastor at the plate hitting homeruns. Thank God. Who cares how you hold the bat when you are tagging all four bases with one swing?

I say we need more Hank Aaron’s at the plate. Let’s get the job done with a “whatever it takes” attitude. Let the Bible be our guide, not convention or tradition, and let’s keep swinging for the fence.

Into the Wild Blue Yonder

Yesterday afternoon I cashed in my Father's Day present. Beth bought an introductory flight lesson for me. Pretty cool gift, huh? I have a great wife!

I went to Daniel Field yesterday kind of excited and kind of wondering if this was really something that I'd want to do. I've toyed with this idea over the years but have never been serious enough to really make the call. So Beth made it for me. I love to fly and I've flown on private and commercial planes many, many times. But I think I'm one of those that just enjoys being up in the air and seeing the sites more than I am interested in the actual mechanics of flying. But, I have to say, it is tempting.

When I turned 40 I decided it was time to answer the call of my mid-life crisis and buy a motorcycle. I've told Beth that when I turn 50 my next mid-life crisis would probably be flying. So she's given me a 5 year head start. It requires a lot of time and money. If I got a pilot's license, I don't know where I'd go. I couldn't go too far. I couldn't afford it...and there are only so many times you can fly around Clarks Hill.

The instructor put me in the pilot's seat of a Cessna 172 and explained all of the gauges and instruments to me. We did a thorough overview of the entire plane. That probably took an hour. Then we took the plane up. He let me taxi the plane out to the runway. Once we got up, he let me fly it. We circled around the lake, flew over Edgefield and Aiken counties and then took it back to the airport. It was fun and I can see how it can become addicting. I'm not sure if I'll go back for my second lesson or not. I may put it off for awhile. But don't be surprised if one day you read a blog post about me getting my pilot's license. It may happen - when I get in my 50's.

Baby Panda Sneeze

Witness a Drive-by...

Book Review: A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God

I recently completed Larry Osborne's book, A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God. I first heard about Osborne about a year ago. He pastors North Coast Church in Southern California. I like the way he thinks and I would highly recommend this new book.

For years, I've often wondered how Christians grew spiritually without access to a Bible, study course, Sunday School class, or small group. We place so much emphasis on reading. In fact, to the Christian in the Western hemisphere, spiritual growth is not possible without books. But the Gutenberg press wasn't invented until the 1500's. Only in the past couple of centuries have Bibles and Christian books been available. How did Christ-followers grow in their faith without their own personal copy of the Bible? How did they survive without Christian publishers?

Osborne talks about this briefly to make the case that the Church has designed conventional paths to spiritual growth for certain types of people, i.e., people who like to read and study. Now, you have to understand that this is descriptive of me. I love books. I have three stacks of books that I'm wading through now! So this is not an indictment on readers. Instead, it is a concern that we have made the path to spiritual growth too narrow.

Like new cars on the showroom floor, we've developed two types of Christians: the basic model including only the necessities and the super-deluxe package with all the extras. The basic model Christian attends Sunday services and might sit in on a Bible study once a week but he doesn't read all of the latest books on the Christian best seller list or study the Bible with a highlighter in his hand. In addition, the basic model Christian doesn't show up for Sunday or weeknight classes or services, serve on any important committees, or otherwise take full advantage of all of the "features" that the Church offers. The super-deluxe Christian, of course, does all of these things.

Is this right? Does the basic model Christian suffer from a lack of commitment or have we created a faulty paradigm of what makes for a "committed" Christian? We too often debate over sound doctrine and nitpick over what a Christian should or should not do (legalism). But Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven belonging to those who are like little children (Matthew 18). Jesus is pleased by a simple childlike faith. Why isn't that good enough for the rest of us?

A contrarian is a person who asks, "Is this really true?" Larry Osborne is brave enough to ask questions about many things that we assume are true, Biblical, and right. But you'll find that we (the Church) have made up some things that aren't necessarily accurate according to the Bible. It's an interesting and eye-opening book. In case you're skeptical of this contrarian, Osborne is a solid Bible teacher who uses the Bible as the foundation to question some of our methods and models that the Church has created.

Some quotes from the book:

"God doesn't just put up with our differences, he savors them - and adapts to them."

"No two relationships with God will ever be exactly alike."

"Lets be real. We may know in our head that each Christian has a unique assignment from God. But when the assignments produce radically different lifestyles and approaches to spirituality, we have a difficult time validating both."

"The most important thing in pleasing God is not a particular approach to spirituality or style of ministry; it's the fruit that matters, the end results produced by our life and ministry."

"God often liked to hang with and bless the very people I'd been told he'd want nothing to do with."

"Gold package Christianity doesn't draw people to God; it scares them away."

"The only sure and reliable sign that I'm on good terms with God is my obedience to his commands and laws. This alone proves that I know him and love him."

The wrong question to ask yourself, "How are things going?" The right question, "Am I doing the right things?"

"The formula for maximized potential is strangely similar to the recipe for a nervous breakdown or a broken home."

"Jesus didn't say, 'If you love me, you'll fulfill your potential.' He said, 'If you love me, you will obey what I command.'"

"While potential seeks greatness in being all I can be, serving others seeks greatness in helping others be all they can be."

Blessed in Guatemala

Haven't posted anything lately because I've been busy either getting ready for, serving in, or recovering from a mission trip to Guatemala. After a good night's sleep Monday night, I feel like the jetlag is gone and I'm getting back in the swing of things.

A team of 10 from TNC left on June 16 and returned June 23. We participated with two of our partner churches - El Camino San Cristobal and their mission church, El Camino Escuintla. We stayed in San Cristobal, a suburb of Guatemala City, the first night and attended church there Sunday morning. On Sunday afternoon, we made the hour drive to Escuintla. The church families of El Camino Escuintla welcomed us with open arms. We spent the remainder of the week there making improvements on the church property.

Pictured above is the family that I stayed with (along with my roomie for the week, Joe). Left to right they are Flori, Jose, CeCe, and Mordecai. They were great hosts and with no TV to interrupt our fellowship we spent each night singing and reading Scripture together - as well as just talking about life and having fun with our language barrier. Flori and her kids speak English pretty well so we were able to enjoy their company even more.

Life in Central America is simpler and less complicated. The people there must work harder than we do and for fewer things. Our host home was very simple. No hot water. No air conditioner. No TV. Few electronic gadgets. But, in the words of Flori, she is so happy because she has all that she needs and she has the love of Jesus.

I've said it hundreds of times and I'll say it again, everyone needs to get outside of the U.S. to see how God is working in other people's lives and also to see how blessed we are in the States. Or maybe it's how blessed others are because of their simple lives. One could argue, I suppose, that because of all our conveniences and riches - (Yes, if you live in the USA you are rich! If you don't believe it, go to www.globalrichlist.com) - maybe we aren't blessed, we are cursed. Maybe our quest for more toys and material things makes us miserable. It's debatable.

I can tell you this, a friend of ours, Joy, just surrendered to be a full-time missionary to Costa Rica. She sold everything she had minus two or three suitcases of clothes and personal items. It was very liberating for her to be free of all of her stuff!! So there is something to be said for the simple life that is lived by others in the world.

I'm also posting about the trip at www.tncblog.com soon if you want to go over there and read more.

Divine Intention and Divine Spirituality

I have a lot of books stacked on my desk in my home office waiting to be read. I recently received an advanced copy of Divine Intention: How God's Work in the Early Church Empowers Us Today. My cyberfriend, Larry Shallenberger, is the author of this new book published by Victor Books. I met Larry via the message boards at www.theooze.com a place that I frequent occassionally for entertainment and conversation among believers and seekers from all over the nation - even the world.

Larry's book has made it to the top of my stack so I'm looking forward to diving into it soon. Currently, I am reading another Larry's book. Larry Osborne's book titled A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God: Spirituality for the Rest of Us. I like how Osborne thinks. He asks legitimate questions about how "normal" people grow spiritually. For example, how do Christ-followers learn doctrine? Usually, we don't learn the doctrine of the Trinity, for example, in a classroom but in the laboratory of life. We learn on a need to know basis. When you discover that the guy in the cubicle next to you is a lifelong Latter Day Saint who does not embrace the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, that's when you begin to learn about it.

Osborne (Senior Pastor of North Coast Church in Vista, CA) questions the Church's linear approach to discipleship and spiritual growth. Spiritual growth doesn't always happen through a course of study at church on Sunday nights. Spiritual growth happens as we live life with our eyes wide open to what God wants to show us each day and with anticipation for the divine appointments that he brings to us.

I'll probably post some thoughts and quotes from these two when I complete them. Stay tuned.

Are You Stomping Ants or Making Hippos Fly?

I recently ran across this article from www.pastors.com by Gregory Smith. I don't claim to be a time management expert but I do read about it when I can and try to create ways to make the best use of my time. In 1986, God used Ephesians 5:15-16 to persuade me that I should make the most of every day. "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." I've tried to keep this passage in mind ever since then.

Last Sunday, I had the privilege to speak at TNC. I mentioned how much of a time-robber TV is for many of us. The average American spends 4.5 hours per day watching TV. When you consider that you only have about 6 hours of free time (8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep, a couple of hours getting ready, commuting, eating, etc. You have even less if you're the parent of young children.) - we really do spend too much time watching meaningless stuff. I mean, really, I'm getting along just fine not watching American Idol, Lost, and Heroes. I confess, however, that I'm addicted to 24. I watch my share of TV too so I'm not advocating an all out fast on TV, but it's just one example of how we can easily fritter away several hours and at the end of the day have nothing much to show for it.

Click the link to Smith's article and maybe you can find a few more minutes in your day that will help you "make the most of every opportunity."

My Feet On My Hearth

I rolled into good ole NA this afternoon after spending the week at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. It was full of information and inspiration. I was privileged to sit under the teaching of award winning novelist James Scott Bell. He is an incredible teacher and a humble down to earth guy. Have you ever sat in a class and felt disappointment when you realized it was time for the class to be over? That's how it was every day in his class. By the way, regarding my previous post...I have a lot of editing and rewriting to do!

I gained interest from a few editors who liked one of my book proposals. I also met with my agent about an upcoming project that we hope to present to publishers soon. The conference is beneficial enough if you just attend the classes and workshops but the best part for me is meeting people in the writing industry from around the country. If you're interested in improving your writing skills and/or getting published in any area of writing, I highly recommend this conference.

In addition to Jim Bell, I also enjoyed learning from Ron Benrey and Alton Gansky. General session speakers also included McNair Wilson and Jim Watkins. McNair Wilson is hard for me to accurately describe: witty, motivational, encouraging, hilarious, fresh, creative, spontaneous...a wonderful speaker and fun to spend time with.

It was a good and profitable week but I'm glad to be typing this from my favorite chair in the den with our hearth serving as my ottoman. The Blue Ridge mountains are beautiful but, like Dorothy said, "There's no place like home."

Done! (for now)

I finished my novel this morning. I started it about ten years ago working diligently for months on it. About a third of the way complete, I moved, changed jobs, churches, etc. In other words, life happened. The novel stayed hidden in my computer for years. Occasionally, I would pull it up, brush it off, and visit it. Only in the past year or so have I made serious strides in getting that story told. So, today, at about 7:42 AM, I wrote the last sentence.

Now, it's time to rewrite, edit, rewrite some more, edit some more, etc.

I'll be attending the Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference next week in Ridgecrest, NC. Hopefully, I can learn some more about the craft of writing fiction and talk to a few editors about the book. I attended this conference last year and it was awesome! Can't wait to reconnect with some of the people I met last year, learn more, and be inspired more. Last year, God spoke to me in a unique way on the last day. I blogged about it here. I'm looking forward to hearing what he has to say to me this year!

For you TNC'ers out there, this coming Sunday is going to be HUGE! I can't wait to witness what God is going to do here. Pray for Steve as he prepares what will be one of the boldest visionary messages he has ever presented. Then we can cap off the day with FACEDOWN. God doesn't stop blessing his people when they are obediently and anxiously following him. Let's keep seeking him and we will continue to marvel at what he is doing!

Batterson Highlight Reel

Last night I finished reading Mark Batterson's book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. It is full of quotable stuff and I thought I'd share some of them with you. The book is based on the brief story of Benaiah found in 2 Samuel 23:20-21.

• Sometimes God won't intervene until something is humanly impossible.


• Our problems seem really big because our God seems really small.


• God is great not just because nothing is too big for him. God is great because nothing is too small for him.


• Don't accumulate possessions. Accumulate experiences!


• Opportunities often look like insurmountable obstacles.


• Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God.


• Sometimes you have to run away from security and chase uncertainty.


• If life is infinitely uncertain and God is infinitely complex, then all we can do is accept our finitude and embrace uncertainty. Faith doesn't reduce uncertainty. Faith embraces uncertainty.


• Maybe faith has less to do with gaining knowledge and more to do with causing wonder.


• We want a 3 act play but Jesus takes us to the Improv instead. If the script was already written up front for us, it would undermine our dependence on the Holy Spirit.


• 20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. (Mark Twain)


• Maybe righteousness has less to do with not doing anything wrong and more to do with doing things right.


• When everything is said and done, I think our greatest regrets will be the God-ordained risks we didn't take.


• Some of us approach our relationship with Christ like we're called to play a "prevent defense" when we ought to be in a "2 minute drill."


• Why is it that the Church is known more for what we're against than what we're for?


• The Aramaic word for prayer means to set a trap. Prayer helps us catch opportunities God throws our way.


• Faith is the willingness to look foolish.


• We serve an unlimited God with unlimited resources. A God who looked at a few loaves and fish and saw a banquet for 5000 people.