$14.98 for shoes

This past weekend Joanna and I visited the new Steve and Barry’s at the mall. I had heard about the Starbury shoes from Jon and Mario and thought I would give them a try. Sure enough I found the shoe section and Joanna and I both bought a pair of shoes for $14.98 each. I think I paid more for my last pair of flip flops! Tonight they are going to get the first workout in our weekly game of basketball.

I bet you will never guess which one I bought and which one Joanna bought.

Check out the selection of shoes here.

Here it is…

Earlier this month I was kicking around an idea of giving something up.

Over the past week I have read and watched numerous reports about this and I know for sure that it needs to be cut during December and I will evaluate how I feel and what I think at the end of the month.

The something is going to be…fast food.

One report I heard last week (I am pulling the numbers from memory) said that 64% of Americans are overweight and 73% of pastors are overweight. Wow…there is a lot to be said about that…

As I mentioned for some of you, this is no big deal. But for others of you, you feel my pain. I live a life on the run and find myself often sitting over a fast food meal for a business meeting or a moment to catch up. It is quick and easy to run through the drive through.

So my first step is admitting that I eat way too much fast food. I love McDonald’s french fries, Taco Bell tacos, and Wendy’s burgers…

I tell you now that starting December 1st I will be cutting fast food out of my diet.

No Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Arby’s, Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, Hardee’s, Pizza Hut, Little Casears or other places that are similar.

As for the other places I will be looking to eat in a healthier manner.

So…anyone interested in joining me? I will be giving updates throughout the month. I would love to hear from you if you would like to journey with me.

Thanksgiving Weekend

I hope and pray that you all have a great Thanksgiving weekend with those you love and care about…even that person.

I’m looking forward to spending time with family over a huge meal and over a football game that has the chances of being very ugly…but GO LIONS.

I will also be celebrating my 29th birthday this weekend. I am finding it funny that birthdays fade into the background as I get older and older…how sad it that?

Finally this weekend I will be diving head first into my final paper for “Biblical Foundations of Mission” at Fuller. I have it outlined and the intro written. Now I just need some meat for the paper. I am hoping and praying that this paper will not only be for a grade but a project that will have some very deep implications for ministry here at FBC. Maybe I will share some excerpts from the paper later this year.

Enjoy! See you all next week!

Something May Be Missing Soon…

So I have had this crazy idea recently…I am thinking about making an adjustment in my life. I have been mulling this over in my mind for a few weeks and I think that I am going to do it.

Some people will think that it is no big deal but others will feel my pain and completely understand.

What is it? For all of you that immediately jump to the worst possible thing…come on…it is really good for me and everyone around me.

The thing is that I am not going to tell you what it is because I am not sure I am going to do it. It would start with just the month of December and maybe go beyond.

Maybe I will reveal it in a few days…maybe some of you would like to join me?

First Birth Class

Joanna is about 31 weeks along with the baby.  Last night we had our first birth class with about 12 other couples.  I will be the first to admit that I really have no idea about this whole birthing deal.

Well, last night was the beginning of an education.  We only had to watch three births…I must say that it is a bit disturbing.    My mom keeps telling us that people keep having babies so something right and good comes out of it.

Just a few weeks to go…

High School Reading Level?

This past week I came across this website that ranks your blogs reading level…well not the level your blog reads at but rather…nevermind.

Do you have a blog, myspace, or facebook?  Try it out, click the image.

Youth Pastor Search

We are looking for a new youth pastor (junior and senior high) at our church.  It is a full time position with benefits.

If you know of anyone that might be interested please encourage them to go to the job posting at www.youthspecialties.com (job bank) or at this address: http://www.youthspecialties.com/jobs/openings/show.php?id=10254

Thanks for your help.  Please pray for our search in this time of transition.

Rethinking Evangelism

Through my high school and college years I have had one mode of thought when it comes to evangelism…we are right, you are wrong and so I need to help prove you wrong and show you the right way.

My approach began to change as I spent time in Nashville the summer before my senior year in college. I recall walking downtown Nashville with my roommate Chris. We approached a group of students preaching on the street. Chris and I played off of each other and acted like we did not know the gospel or anything about Jesus. These students began to tell us about how bad we were and how we were going to hell. They eventually got to Jesus but I found myself deeply turned off by them and even the Jesus they presented. We eventually told them that we followed Jesus and were missionaries in the city serving for the summer…they still said we were going to hell and needed to repent.

Like these students, maybe we do not pay attention.

Evangelism (which maybe this word needs to change due to the heavy load it carries) is about our story. When Jesus ministered in scriptures I do not see him using fear, condeming them, or using the best apologetics to get them to accept his message. Even in Acts and the letters of Paul this is missing. So why do we do this?

Maybe we are missing the point. Maybe we need to rethink evangelism.

For years now I have told students to just share your story. People will see what Jesus has done in your life and is doing. This is where change happens. You need to earn the right to speak into someone’s life. You need to let the person know that you really care about them before you can really shape or speak into them.

So what do you think? Are we missing the point with our current methods of evangelism? What needs to change?

Acts 11

The journey continues…

-Peter is challenged about who he spends time with, instead of going into a great arguement about why he is right, he tells them about an experience he had.  Their response is found in verse 18.

-The term Christian was first used at Antioch where some men of Cyprus and Cyrene felt led to go even though others were only speaking to the Jews.

-The Lord worked powerfully through their faithfulness even though it was not the norm or what was expected.

The Emerging Church

One thing that I am finding out about myself is that I cannot stand false information or partial truth. The obvious is when it comes to people but I will leave that for another discussion (prayer requests as gossip). It is so important for not only leaders in the church but the body be purveyors of the truth.

So my latest frustration is the conversation about the Emerging Church within the church. The emerging church has been described as being about half truths, watering down the gospel, accepting and loving everyone (oh wait that is a characteristic and value, kind of reminds me of someone else…oh yeah…Jesus).

I have recently noticed fear being a tool used to keep the traditional evangelical church in a corner…just as fear has been used with movies such as the Last Temptation of Christ, The Da Vinci Code, and what will most likely be used when The Golden Compass is released. Granted we are talking about an ideology and mode of faith versus a movie but fear is an unhealthy tool that is used to motivate believers to action way too often instead of the tool that Jesus used to motivate, love (once again this is for future post).

By no means am I an expert on the emerging church but I will be writing more and more about it as the months pass. For today I want to begin this discussion here with a few thoughts.

“Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures. This definition encompasses nine practices. Emerging churches (1) identify with the life of Jesus, (2) transform the secular realm, and (3) live highly communal lives. Because of these three activities, they (4) welcome the stranger, (5) serve with generosity, (6) participate as producers, (7) create as created beings, (8) lead as a body, and (9) take part in spiritual activities.”                                                             -Ryan Bolger

A few other random thoughts…
* It has nothing to do with size, location, worship style…may look very different in different places
* Holds Jesus and Bible in high esteem and complete truth
* Encourages questions and conversation but returns to Biblical truth
* Deep desire to see transformation in the lives of people through Jesus and the world around them
* These churches have realized that we live in a postmodern culture and a modern approach to “church” will not connect with upcoming generations. It is important that we do not ignore or forget generations who are from a modern culture (traditional/historic). I have found that our church has been doing a great job with this balance.

Francis Schaffer (1912-1984) who was one of the great evangelical minds once said something that could connect to the issue of the emerging church, “Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought-forms of that setting.”