Sunrise

I was surfin' the web and ran across this video. The video was taken with a time-lapse technique of San Francisco. This video just goes to show you how beautiful God's creation truely is. Enjoy.

Set It Straight

I have a list of blogs I read on a regular basis. One of them is from a lady in L.A. named Susan Isaac. She is an amazing writer and the stuff she posts on Grey Matter is great. She has a book coming out in March of next year. I should be getting a signed copy from Burnside Writers Collective. Anyway, I took a visit of Susan's site this evening and she had posted a YouTube video that I thought was right on. (It will be posted at the end)

Have you ever sat back and thought about how far the world has come with technology? It is remarkable. To add to that, have you noticed how everything is expected to be not just fast but instant. We want instant access on our cell phones, on the web, in the store, at the local Starbucks, and even in our daily commute to work. Think about it for a second. We as a nation and as a world, can't stand it when we have to wait for something.

This talk of instant everything reminded me about a DVD that Donald Miller released a while back. It's called Free Market Jesus. (You can watch a short clip in this link) The DVD talks about how commercialism tells us everyday, buy this and everything will be perfect. With that in mind, how do we try to introduce the Gospel to someone who lives in the commercialism world that doesn't know the Bible or Jesus. Not that we as Christians are selling the Bible, but in all respects, commercialism makes it hard to sell. Anyway, this is a great DVD and I recommend anyone to talk a look at it, enjoy.

A Look Back

I was reading through some of the old posts and noticed in I Forgot, I had mentioned I was asked to teach again at church. Well, I did take the offer. I had fun with this one too. I used some snippets from Rob Bell DVD, Everything is Spiritual, as the backbone. It seemed to go over really well.


I started working with the high school group on Wednesday nights. I lead the junior boys small group. The experience is amazing, most of these kids have phenomenal relationships with God, and are passionate about Jesus. These kids teach me something new every week. The strength they have is crazy.

A Great Rob Bell Quote

This is something Rob Bell said in his Everything is Spiritual DVD that has stuck with me for quit a while now... enjoy.

“I have learned that what you look for, you will find. If you want to be a cynic, there is plenty to be cynical about. If you want to be a skeptic, there is plenty to be skeptical about. If you want to be a pessimist, there is plenty to be a pessimist about. What you look for, you will find, …”

I Forgot

I am not sure if I posted an outcome as to how the teaching I did for the youth group went.  I spoke on the 23rd last month, I didn't think it went too bad.  I was able to get through it without going over or coming up too short.  Something else everyone said after I was done is that I had the Junior High kids attention for the entire 45 minutes.  I guess that is saying something.

I did my teaching from a DVD that Donald Miller released a while back called Free Market Jesus.  If you haven't yet seen the DVD, I highly recommend it to everyone.  You can watch a trailer of the DVD if you click on the free market link. 

Anyway, the reason for this post was for that as well as to say I was asked to teach again on the 21st this month.  I haven't said yes yet.  I think I will do it, I have a meeting with Jason, the youth pastor, tomorrow.  So, we will see.

 

Ministry Forum

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to drive up to Fresno Pacific University and spend the day listing to a lecture from Donald Miller.  The lecture was amazing.  He talked about all sorts of ways to let your life become a story that will inspire others to follow Christ.  If you have not yet read any of his books, I encourage you to do so.  

He has written four books so far, Blue Like Jazz, Searching For God Knows What, Through Painted Deserts, and To Own A Dragon.  In addition, he will have a new book being released in September of 2009.  For a first read, I recommend Through Painted Deserts.  The story has a lot of good humor as well as a great dialogue between Don and his spirituality.  Another reason this is a good first read is because it is a story that takes place in his early twenties.  You are introduced to his spiritual growth as he is discovering it himself.

Another great thing about the trip to FPU was that I bought a new copy of Blue Like Jazz and was able to get Don to sign it.  In doing so, I passed on the tradition of introducing the book to someone else by giving my old copy to a good friend.  (Thank you Katy, love you and miss you)   

Busy Weeks

Well, a lot has happened these past few weeks.  The most has been at church.  I had a meeting with the Youth Pastor to go over the details of a trip to Central Cal Extreme at the end of last month.  I was one of the soccer coaches for the teams we had going.  (One of our teams places second in the tournament.)  During the meeting Jason asked me if I would be interested in stepping in as a sub for him when he can't speak on Wednesday night.  To be honest, it came to me as a bit of a shock.  Then a state of fear came over me, "what in the world am I going to do?"  Then when I had the time to think about it, I am really exited.  I had a chance to hang out with a lot of the Junior High kids during Cen Cal Ex.  These kids are a hoot.  I did discover one thing for sure, I haven't grown up as much as I thought I had.  

Paul's Shipwreck

I finished this book last night.  A truly amazing story.  The author Robert Cornuke is the founder of the BASE Institute.  He is been on many expeditions in search of Bible based archeology.  He prides himself on fallowing the Bible during his searches.

There is a chapter he put in the book that talked about his trip home from his first visit to Malta.  He came home on a plan during a major ordeal known as September 11th 2001.  He was over the Atlantic during the attacks.

This is a great book.  I recommend it to anyone.  Enjoy. 

Something To Pass The Time

Well, it all started last months during the Winter X Games.  I wrote a bit about it in this link here.  Anyway, after enjoying a lot of great competition, I notice something about a lot of the athletes.  They were thanking God before any of their sponsors.  I decided to do a bit of research to find out about the questions I had.  Here is an article that I found.

So, that day, January 26th or 27th, I decided to start a ministry geared toward helping to spread the Good News of Jesus.  There is one or two groups that do the same thing.  One is a group on Colorado, Snowboard For Christ Ministries.

The mission of Shred 4 Christ is for Christians with a specific specialized calling of taking the Message of Christ to the extreme sports community.  The reason I am trying to create this ministry is to provide the teens and young adult an alternative to the local bar scene and party scene.  

I guess we'll see how things turn out.  I still have a lot to do.  I have the start of a logo as you can see up top there.  The little endeavor of mine will be keeping me busy while I am on the mend.  

New from Rob Bell

If you have been reading my blog as I go along, you may have read my past posts on Rob Bell.  He is Pastor/Founder of Mars Hill in Grand Rapids Michigan.  He is also the author of two amazing books, Velvet Elvis, and Sex God.  No, Sex God is not what you think it is about.

Anyway, back to the reason for the post.  Bell has something new.  He just released a DVD from his Everything is Spiritual tour.  The DVD is obviously entitled Everything is Spiritual.  As far as the premise of the DVD, there is a small blurb on the back that goes like this:

In the Hebrew Scripture there is no word for "spiritual."

And Jesus never used the phrase "spiritual life."

Because for Jesus and his tradition, all of life is spiritual.

So what does that mean?

This DVD is truly a remarkable lesson in searching your ability to understand that every single task you preform, you should do it in the name of our Lord Jesus.  Not only should explore the possibility in doing so, but to enjoy it.  I recommend this DVD to anyone.  If you want to know more, click on the link and watch a short video from the DVD to see for yourself.  Enjoy.

Christians And Extreme Sports ?

It’s now February, and that can only mean one thing. The Winter X Games have come and gone. I watched all the pros ridn’ their sticks and sleds, goin’ big and throwin’ it down. Sorry, sure is surprising how watching three straight days of extreme sports can change your lingo just a bit. Anyway, there was a lot of great competition, a few upsets, some up and coming no names, and some of the old names dominating their events.

I noticed a few things this year that I didn’t pay to much attention to the few years I watch the games. There is an overwhelming amount of camaraderie and sportsmanship between the competitors. No matter what happened or how it happened, you always saw the competitors giving their respect to big tricks and big scores. You don’t see that in many of the professional sports now days.


Something else I noticed this year, not seeing in past years, was the amount of competitors thanking God and or Jesus after their run. In most cases, they would thank one or the other, or both, even before their sponsors. I think that is amazing. I give those competitors more respect now than I ever did before.

Those were just a few things I noticed this year while my eyes were glued to the tube.

A Quote

I read a blog from a Pastor in Portland. His name is Rick Mckinley. I really enjoy his insight on religion and he posts great book reviews. He is the pastor at Imago Dei church. Rick posted a great write-up about his Thoughts on the Emerging Church. I found a paragraph he had written interesting.

"There is much for us to learn from the dead men who are still speaking while we seek to find the theological truths that will be good news to our culture and their questions."

This is a great statement. I just wanted to post this for everyone to read. What do you think about this statement?

Pieces

I have been trying to find some other songs to post the lyrics to. RED has one album out at the moment. I'm telling you, if good Christian rock music is what you like, buy this CD. If you buy this album, you will not be disappointed, I guarantee it. Anyway, there are some really good songs on the CD, one that stands out for me is number six, Pieces. Here are the lyrics.

I’m here again

A thousand miles away from you

A broken mess

Just scattered pieces of who I am

I tried so hard

Thought I could do this on my own

I’ve lost so much along the way

Then I see your face

I know I’m finally yours

I find everythingI thought I lost before

You call my name

I come to you in pieces

So you can make me whole

I’ve come undone

But you make sense of who I am

Like puzzle pieces in your hand

When I see your face

I know I’m finally yours

I find everything

I thought I lost before

You call my name

I come to you in pieces

So you can make me whole

I tried so hard

So hard

I tried so hard

Here It Is

I had a hard time finding the elusive DV Cable needed to transfer video from my camera to my computer. I looked everywhere for this little jewel. I finally found it at Radio Shack. Let me tell you. If you are looking for any accessory for anything at all. You will find it at Radio Shack.

So now, without further delay, I give you my first video. I chose this video because I told our friend Katy that we had wished she could have been there. But, she lives is Texas of all places and missed the event. So, I told her that we would record Bradley's dedication so she could see it. Well here it is. Enjoy everyone.

Bradley

This last Sunday, Christy and I, had the honor of dedicating Bradley to our Lord Jesus Christ, in front of our family and congregation. I could not have asked for it to go any better. We had our friend and Worship Pastor Mark Kounter do the dedication. I think some of our family took pictures, and I had my Brother-In-Law shoot some video. I will post all of that when I get the chance. I need to get a DV Cable for my camcorder so that I can transfer the video to my computer. I just want to thank our friends and family that prayed for everything to go well, the amazing Mark Kounter for doing everything he has done not only for me, but for my family as well, and our Lord Jesus for taking Bradley into his heart as he does so well.

All Around Me

Here is another song I really like. This one is from Flyleaf's self titled album. All Around Me is a great song that illustrates the feeling you get when you accomplish a personal relationship with god. Here are the lyrics:

My hands are searching for you

My arms are outstretched towards you

I feel you on my fingertips

My tongue dances behind my lips for you

This fire rising through my being

Burning I'm not used to seeing you

I'm alive, I'm alive

I can feel you all around me

Thickening the air I'm breathing

Holding on to what I'm feeling

Savoring this heart that's healing

My hands float up above me

And you whisper you love me

And I begin to fade

Into our secret place

The music makes me sway

The angels singing say we are alone with you

I am alone and they are too with you

And so I cry

The light is white

And I see you

Take my hand

I give it to you

Now you owe me

All I am

You said you would never leave me

I believe you

I believe

Putting Church Into Perspective

One of the blogs that I read is called brokenstainedglass.com. On August 20th, Briggs posted a blog that helps us understand just how much we may take our church life for granted. He posted a quote from a pastor in India talking about dedication:

"Because of the extreme cold we often get sick. When the weather is bad and we don't have warm clothing, it is difficult for us to go outdoors for ministry. We wrap ourselves with thick blankets, which we also use for sleeping. We don't have frequent bus transportation, so we have to walk 11 miles a day for outreach. Even the believers walk 7 miles to attend the worship service..."

Briggs goes on to ask one simple question, "If you had to walk seven miles to church every Sunday would you do it?"

Now, before you answer, read the quote again. Now, what would you do?

PK 07

What a great weekend. I don't think I could have asked for anything better. Going up to Fresno is not what I would call a lot of fun. However, if you can go up there with a great think in mind. Fresno isn't really that bad. So, after only about hour and half in the car with some guys, we were parking in the Save Mart Center parking lot. The Friday night part of the show went from about 7:30 until 11:30. They had two speakers during that four hour block along with the host of the conference and the Worship band. One of the speakers was a guy named Bob Cornuke. This guy is the original "Indiana Jones". He found the four anchors from the Shipwreck of Paul. I bought a couple of his books and had him sign them. The other speaker was a comedian. His name was Brad Stine. All I can say about this man is phenomenal. He has a very in your face type of comedy. Not something you see normally in a Christian comedian.

Friday night the conference, instead of staying in a hotel, all of the guys from the church brought sleeping bags and we slept in one of the churches there in Fresno. I have to say, the older you get, the harder it is to sleep on the floor. I think I should have taken my dads advise and brought a pad to sleep on.

We got up Saturday morning, had some breakfast, and made our way to the second half of the conference. This half was more of the same. Speakers, and lots of Worship. Brad Stine did another set too. We all left about one o'clock. Everyone seemed to be on cloud nine. All in all the entire weekend was amazing. I when with some great guys and had a blast. I just want to say thank you to Mark and Richard for a great trip. I hope you had as much fun as I did.

Velvet Elvis

I just finished this one. Velvet Elvis is the first book Rob Bell wrote. It is a book about Repainting The Christian Faith. I would recommend it to anyone. If you are trying to find your faith, already have your faith, or just want to read something about faith. This is the book for you.

Rob uses an old painting of Elvis he has in his basement as the inspiration for this book. Here is snippet from the introduction.

I am learning that what seems brand new is often the discovery of something that's been there all along- it just got lost somewhere and it needs to be picked up, dusted off, and reclaimed. I am learning that I come from a tradition that has wrestled with the deepest questions of human existence for thousands of years. I am learning that my tradition includes the rabbis and reformers and revolutionaries and monks and nuns and pastors and writers and philosophers and artists and every person everywhere who has asked big questions of a big God. Welcome to my Velvet Elvis.

The whole book was great. It was a quick read, and that is saying something coming from me. I think a snail could slid its way through a marathon before I could... well, I think you get the point.

Sex God

Okay, stop! No that is not what this book is about. Now, pick your mind up out of the gutter.

I just finished this book, written by Rob Bell. Exploring the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality is the concept of the book. I must say, this is a great book. I would recommend this book to anyone. With chapters like; God Wears Lipstick; Leather, Whips, and Fruit; and Whoopee Forever, you can see why your mind might run in the direction of the gutter.

And no, it is not that type of book. Here is a definition of the book from the introduction by the author:

"Because this is really about that. It's always about something else. Something deeper. Something behind it all. You can't talk about sexuality without talking about how we were made. And that will inevitably lead you to who made us. At some point you have to talk about God. Sex. God. They're connected. And they can't be separated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the 'this' and spirituality is the 'that'. To make sense of the one, we have to explore the other. And that is what this book is about."

All in all, this is a remarkable book and suggest everyone read it. It has a great deal of scripture that he breaks down rather well. Also, Rob teaches a good deal of Greek work definitions that are used in the bible.