Moonlighting

Steve (my boss and pastor) and I have been moonlighting lately down in the seedy part of town. Someone caught it on tape. I figured I would expose myself now before the media got a hold of it.

http://www.dancesisterdance.com/myvid/index.php?v=0a493a77f4052

Unanswered Calls at VA Tech

From a recent update from my friends in Virginia:

The families are just beginning to experience their loss. One friend wrote me of a detail that deeply affected her police friend at the Crime Scene. Please allow me to share this "scene" so we can get another picture of the terrible horror these loved ones have experienced starting early Monday when they heard of the shootings...

"My hometown in VA is only 45 minutes from Blacksburg. A high school friend of mine is on the VA State Police. He was involved in photographing one of the classroom crime scenes after the massacre. He said it was horrible seeing those students, but the worst part was that the entire time he was in that room, all of their cell phones were ringing non-stop. It broke his heart to know that there were calls from loved ones desperate for them to answer. "

Those "unanswered calls" is where the horror began for these who lost loved ones. Please, let's keep these dear people in our hearts and prayers this month and weeks to come.

Pray for the victims at VA Tech

Some friends of mine are in campus ministry at the University of Virginia. Thought you'd be interested in a email I just received from them:

Friends,

I know you're aware of the tragedy at VA Tech. We in the college community of VA are completely numb. Tech is UVA's arch-rival. We love to "hate" them on the field or on the court... but that's in jest. Now... our "family" has been attacked by hate and the ugliness of fallen, human nature...and we are grieving deeply!

Over the past three summers I have led a Bible group for students in town. We have some Tech students regularly attend these studies. We know some of the students there. They are in great confusion today. Many are still waiting to hear from friends to know they're safe. Lots of chaos...

Prayer gatherings are popping up today (and this week) all around this Commonwealth. Our local community of faith plans to travel to Blacksburg later this week just to "be" with our family and grieve on-site with them. Blacksburg is about two hours away, in a sleepy little community... close to the back hills of southwest VA. Not where one would expect this sort of thing to happen.

What a picture of our desperate need for God. Our need may be "tucked" away and out of the mainstream of life. Our need often goes undetected until this sort of thing. Now we're forced into a head-on collision with our brokenness. We ALL are broken and have fallen short of the glory of God. Yes, you and me... all the families of this massacre... the gunman... the by-stander on the street.

We are the victims AND we are the one who pulled the trigger. We stand in solidarity with the family at V Tech. We grieve deeply with them. We moan and writhe in pain with them. Oh, who can deliver us from this ugliness...

... Yet our hope is in You, Lord. Our hope IS YOU! Meet us here. Meet our Loved Ones here... heal us and comfort us. Come, Prince of Peace. Come, Kingdom of God!

Thank you for your solidarity with us,
Lainie, Daniel and the entire college community of VA

My New Favorite Movie

We finally caught up with most of the moviegoers of America and saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" last night. I knew that I wanted to see it the first time I saw a preview for it months ago. But we don't make it to Movie Gallery often, much less theaters. Will Smith always does a good job so I knew this movie would be special. If you haven't seen it, go get it. It's based on the true story of Chris Gardner. If you want to know more about his story, here's a link to his website:

http://www.chrisgardnermedia.com/index.htm

It is an amazing story. I had a hard time going to sleep last night because I couldn't help wondering how many people were sleeping in subway bathrooms last night while I was in my warm, cozy bed.

For you TNC'ers, we're starting a new series of messages this Sunday called "The Pursuit of Happyness." It's based on Jesus' beatitudes found in Matthew 4. Invite your fish!

Put This On Your Fridge

I saw this on Mark Batterson's blog, www.evotional.com. I think I'll print it out and put it on the fridge for the whole family to see.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion.

Final Four Thoughts

Thoughts on the Final Four after Florida's dominant win tonight:

1. Why does it seem that Billy Packer is always pulling against the teams from the South? He and Jim Nantz were pulling for Ohio State the whole time. I was getting sick to my stomach listening to them talk about how great the Buckeyes were while they were being hammered all night. And then, how Florida was making poor decisions during the game. Please! I've never been a Billy Packer fan. (And don't get me started on baseball commentator Tim McCarver...)

2. I was 3 for 4 in my final four pick. I thought UNC would beat Florida in the final game. I had UCLA and OSU in there too.

3. Joakim Noah's mom is a former Miss Sweden and his dad was a tennis star. You know they have some money. I wonder why they never considered braces for little Joakim?

4. Did you notice the story about Corey Brewer's dad who just had his legs amputated? His dad's nickname is Pee Wee. (I'm just reporting the facts here.)

5. You'll never guess what Cliff and I did during halftime of the game.

6. 24 was a little lame tonight. I watched it while keeping my eye on the game. President Palmer had a little too much adrenalin if you know what I mean.

7. Did you guess what we did at halftime? We painted a possum pink and took him down to the park. Ask me for details...

8. Now that March Madness is over, it's time for the Masters. Who do you think is going to win it?

My Faceless Car

Here's my car during lobotomy surgery.

I'm happy to report that the surgery was a success and I am now driving a complete car once again. Thanks to my father-in-law, shade tree mechanic extraordinaire, for the help!

Full Frontal Lobe Lobotomy

For my car, that is...

Maybe I can post a picture this weekend. My son had a little fender bender in my Isuzu Rodeo a couple of weeks ago. Over $2500 in damage! I was able to get used parts to try to replace the damaged bumper, grill, headlamps (both of them), left turn lamp, condensor, and condensor fan assembly. (Thanks Paul!) The front of my car is completely missing right now. My father-in-law and I (mostly my father-in-law) took everything off today. Tomorrow we put all the new/used stuff back on. My car doesn't have a face right now. It looks really sad.

I wonder if this is going to change it's personality?

Walt T is bringing the message at TNC Sunday. Can't wait to hear from him! See you there if you're still in town.

In Sync With God

I read this in Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest yesterday. I've often thought and believed that one can be so in tune with God that many of our decisions and questions can be easily answered. I believe, like Chambers, that as you grow more spiritually mature, the easier it is to follow his will. However, I don't recall hearing it taught much. So it was interesting to me to see this:

To be so much in contact with God that you never need to ask Him to show you His will, is to be nearing the final stage of your discipline in the life of faith. When you are rightly related to God, it is a life of freedom and liberty and delight, you are God's will, and all your common-sense decisions are His will for you unless He checks. You decide things in perfect delightful friendship with God, knowing that if your decisions are wrong He will always check; when He checks, stop at once.

For the full article, go to www.myutmost.org. Go to the March 20 devotional.

March Madness

My final four pick: Florida, Ohio State, North Carolina, & UCLA. I'm picking the Tarheels to beat the Gators in the championship game. Total score: 133 points. UNC looked a little shaky for a while last night. We'll see if they pull it off.

Who Do You Influence?

Lately I've been re-reading a classic book by J. Oswald Sanders titled "Spiritual Leadership." I would encourage anyone in a ministry position to get a copy. He tells the story of Dr. John Geddie who went to the South Pacific island of Aneityum as a missionary. He worked there for 24 years. On the tablet erected to his memory these words are inscribed:

When he landed, in 1848, there were no Christians.

When he left, in 1872, there were no heathen.

At TNC, Steve has been talking about leadership from the book of Nehemiah. Leadership is essentially the power of one man to influence another. No man can fathom the difference one life can make. Check out my friend Andy Hunter's blog and read about our mutual friend, Ranny Moorhead, the potato chip salesman, if you need an example.

Before all is said and done here, we need to ask ourselves some questions: Who do I influence? Am I leading people to a closer relationship with Christ? Am I lifting Jesus up so that men will be drawn to him? At the end of my life, I want people to celebrate what God did through me similar to what he did through Dr. John Geddie or Mr. Ranny, the potato chip salesman. How about you?

Pass the Salt, Please

Jesus told his followers that we are to be the salt of the earth. Why would he tell us to be salty? Maybe it's because salt makes one thirsty. If you're living your life as a passionate follower of Christ, you'll make people thirsty to know God.

How do you live a salty life? Make sure others know that Jesus is real and relevant to everyday life. Author and missionary E. Stanley Jones was once asked to name the number one problem in the Church. His answer was irrelevance. Not that the Church is irrelevant, but that Christians were failing to show in concrete ways how Jesus is relevant to daily life. Another great 20th century Christian leader, Elton Trueblood, said, "It is hard to exaggerate the degree to which the modern church seems irrelevant to modern man."

Be salty. Pass the salt to your family, friends, and coworkers. Let them see that Jesus is a real part of your life and that his teaching is relevant to everyday circumstances. Don't preach. Don't be arrogant. Don't swagger your salvation around. Don't act holier than thou. Be the person God created you to be. Use your personality, your gifts, and your abilities to make others thirsty to know Christ.

How to Save a Life

The Fray has a great song called "How to Save a Life." The song was written by Isaac Slade who worked as a mentor at a camp for troubled teens. He felt the frustration of how to communicate hope and life to distraught young people.

For thousands of years, the Church has been in the life-saving business and for thousands of years the Church has struggled with the best way to do it. Unfortunately, the Church has become such a complicated organization with all of its doctrines, rituals, traditions, and dogma that it has forgotten the basics of how to share the life changing message of the Gospel. In fact, I ranted about this a little last Sunday at TNC.

When it comes to the Church, I believe that we have complicated what should be a pretty simple organization. I didn't say it should be easy, but simple. In his book, The Connecting Church, Randy Frazee states that, "The key for the 21st century church will not be in buildings, programs, or great sermons or worship services, and not even in small groups as we have known them." Frazee goes on to say that, "The church's relevance and growth will largely depend on her ability to authentically connect people to the experience of doing life deeply together."

The message of Christ is transmitted best through genuine relationships, not meetings, programs, or events. Instead of focusing our ministry on doing church and learning all the ins and outs and do's and don'ts, we need to focus on how to do life with Christ. Instead of spending all of our time at various meetings, classes, and functions of the Church, we need to focus on spending time with those who need to hear the message. When Jesus is your focus, people will see the difference. At the right time, they will wonder how to get what you have and when you answer they will discover the greatest treasure known to man. That's how to save a life.

A Psalm of Wandering

I'm not into poetry, but I saw this in a recent issue of Discipleship Journal. I'm familiar with some of Joseph Bayly's writing and this caught my attention when I saw that he had written it.

A Psalm of Wandering by Joseph Bayly

Lord you know

I'm such a stupid sheep.

I worry

about all sorts of things

whether I'll find grazing land

still cool water

a fold at night

in which I can feel safe.

I don't.

I only find troubles

want

loss.

I turn aside from you

to plan my rebel way.

I go astray.

I follow other shepherds

even other stupid sheep.

Then when I end up

on some dark mountain

cliffs before

wild animals behind

I start to bleat

Shepherd Shepherd

find me save me

or I die.

And you do.

You Can't Take It With You

One of my favorite movies of all time is the Christmas classic, "It's A Wonderful Life" directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart. Several years ago, my friend and fellow blogger Andy (andyfbcdenmark.blogspot.com) told me about Capra and Stewart's first movie together called "You Can't Take It With You." I looked for it in our local video store to no avail. I thought about buying it online but it was pretty expensive so I never saw it. Until Saturday. It is currently running for free on Comcast On Demand.

If you have never seen it, you're missing a treat. Though it is nearly 70 years old (It came out in 1938) it still has an eternal message. Life is not about money, power, and possessions. Life is about relationships. It is a very entertaining and funny movie. I recommend that you skip watching CSI, CSI:Miami, CSI:NYC, CSI:Las Vegas, CSI:Peoria and American Idol one night and watch a classic. You won't regret it.

That Poor Old Man!

Back in the day - the 70's and early 80's - I went to a lot of concerts. Van Halen (many times), KISS, Foghat, Molly Hatchet, 38 Special, The Commodores, Earth, Wind, & Fire...can't recall them all. (BTW, though I was never a huge KISS fan, I have to say that it was the greatest, most entertaining concert of all time.) As a teen, I remembered seeing teenage girls coming into the concert with their dads. I would look at the father and think, "That poor old man! His daughter dragged him out to a rock concert."

Well, it dawned on me last night that I was that poor old man. I escorted my daughter, Bailey, and her friend, Sarah, to see John Mayer last night in Columbia. It was a good concert. Nothing fancy - just John Mayer and his band. It was a pure music show. No elevated stages, blood, or pyrotechnics like the greatest concert of all time. I think John Mayer's style fits a smaller venue better. But when you can pack in 12-15,000 in the Colonial Center at $30(?) a head, that's not a bad night's work.

I had the poor old man revelation during the warm-up act. Enjoyed them too, BTW. When John and his band came out. I was glad to see that one of John's accompanying guitarists was quite old himself. I would guess he was at least in his late 50's. So I wasn't the only poor old man at the concert last night.

It really was a diverse audience. I was surprised at the number of "old people" there. But, then, Mayer's music reaches a wide age range. Here's a sample from last night...

What Would You Do If You Only Had One Day to Live?

What would you do if you only had one day to live? This is the question being asked by four Canadian guys who are traveling around the country in an RV. They have an interesting website (click the link above) and several videos. Looks like they are making a movie about their adventures. They have a list of 100 things to do before you die. I've done 14 of them. I think they have done about 27 so far. Some of the things they listed wouldn't be on my list but it's fun to read and think about. What would be on your list?

Rejection

I'm writing this because I know a lot of you bloggers are writers or wannabe writers. One of the first things you have to learn about writing is how to handle rejection.

Got an email from my agent in NYC today. One of my books that we're trying to sell has been rejected by five publishers so far including Zondervan and Broadman and Holman. One publisher expressed interest but my agent didn't like their offer.

But that's okay! I'm just happy that they are looking at it. Rejection is part of the writing business. Ask any writer and they will tell you that their rejection file is full of impersonal, form letters from editors saying, "Thanks, but no thanks." There are tons of stories out there about writers who were rejected over and over and over but then finally got their work published. It only takes one to say yes. There are still about 20 more publishers that we have yet to hear from or that will be receiving a package from my agent soon. Companies like Penguin Putnam, Harper San Francisco, NavPress, and Thomas Nelson. So, if you don't mind, say a little prayer that there is an editor out there that likes it and wants to print it. I'll definitely let you know when that happens.

In the meantime, if you're thinking about getting published, get ready for rejection. But consider it progress, not failure. More "no's" just get you closer to "yes."

Sloganize yourself

Click the link above and have fun!

See What I Mean?

See my previous post and then click the link above for an article from World magazine. Here's the first two paragraphs...

Of every dollar given to a Protestant church, the average amount that goes to overseas missions is two cents. In contrast, of every dollar Antioch Presbyterian Church in Chonju, Korea, takes in, 70 cents goes to missions.

For 15 years, the mission research and advocacy organization Empty Tomb, of Champaign, Ill., has analyzed the contributions and spending patterns of American churches. The latest report, "The State of Church Giving through 2003" (available at emptytomb.org), crunches the numbers for 41 Protestant denominations and surveys giving trends going back almost a century. In doing so, the study gives a not-too-flattering snapshot of the priorities of American Christians today.