The Blogs I Almost Wrote

I almost wrote about how I can’t stand “Christian” bubbles. You know, those pockets of so-called Christianity where everything is designed to keep “evil” out and good church folks in? Yeah, I almost wrote about how much I hate those bubbles and the bad name they give the Kingdom.

I almost wrote about how my heart breaks for Christ-followers who will argue the Republican Party platform until they are red in the face…but they have NEVER shared Christ with the same level of love and passion. In fact, they’ve never done ANYTHING significant with the same level of love and passion.

I almost wrote about how I am so thrilled to see a new generation of Christ-followers who are more committed than ever to BE and not just appear to be. I believe the days of consumer “Christianity” are numbered.

I almost wrote about that stuff, but then I decided that there is enough ranting in the world. So I wrote this post instead ; )

Where He Has You is Where HE Has You

Nothing makes me crazier than hearing people complain about their current situation…while doing nothing to make it better. If you are deployed, embrace the suck, and make the most of your time downrange. If you are in a “slow” season in your life, take advantage of all of the free time you have. If you are in a “busy” season, how about you stop complaining about your schedule and instead thank God that you have work and/or people in you life who actually want to be around you. The grass is not greener on the other side. Okay, maybe it is, but lest we forget, the greenest grass is probably fertilized by the most crap. Again, most complainers aren’t willing to get dirty to change their situation. My point is this: if you believe in God, if you BELIEVE GOD, trust that where He has you is where HE has you. Make the most of it.

Sunday Thoughts

1. Today was another Sunday of R&R for me and my family.

2. I got to spend the weekend with some dear friends in Mt Juliet and the man I truly consider my pastor, Andrew Wharton.

3. Life Assembly are one of my favorite groups of people! I love that church!

4. I am so thankful and proud of Kevin, Ted, Lyndsey, and the rest of the team at Xtreme for serving with excellence and allowing me to take some much needed time away. Our team wins! I heard great reports about how awesome today was. Thanks Laurel Grider for leading with excellence!

5. I am so excited about next weekend. I get to spend time with one of my spiritual sons and I’ll be back at Xtreme where I belong.

6. The weather has been the pits, but it has been great spending loads of time hanging out with my family.

7. I hope all of the mother’s out there enjoyed their special day!

 

Real Quick

1. Tomorrow at Xtreme is guaranteed to be POWERFUL. New songs. Laurel Grider bringing a “right on time” word. And a special gift for all of the ladies. Bring someone with you!

2. I wrote an article for Mother’s Day in our local newspaper. Check it out here.

3. My thoughts will be with my family at Xtreme, but I am excited to worship with my friends at Life Assembly tomorrow!

President Obama, Marriage, and the Main Thing

Since everyone else is talking about this I figured I’d get some thoughts out as well. Here are my unfiltered thoughts about the recent developments:

1. I do not think the President “evolved”, changed his views, etc. regarding gay marriage. I know that is a judgmental statement, but at least I’m honest enough to own it. I think he has always supported same-sex marriage.

2. I do not think the government has any right to be in the marriage business (hetero or homo).

3. I am very concerned about the church staying on mission in view of all of the political turmoil that is headed our way over the next 6 months. I’m afraid that all across America, people will not hear the Gospel being preached because leaders will be sermonizing on one side or the other politically. That breaks my heart.

4. I am determined more than ever to live in the healthy tension between Biblical truth and grace-filled love.

If you are struggling with_________

If you are struggling with fear….check out this great post on “4 Reasons Why We Fear”.

If you are struggling with your weight and health…check out this great resource.

If you you are struggling in your marriage…check out this great post “Marriage is No Picnic…”

If you are struggling with posting passive aggressive rants on FB…please understand that most of your friends want to do this to you if you don’t stop : )

If you are struggling with your wardrobe… let these guys help you ; )

What I Learned While Watching The Avengers

Last Friday my family and I participated with most of the free world by watching The Avengers. I’m not too big on going to the movies, mainly because I like money and I hate spending it (unless it is on food or Apple products). Nevertheless, we have a tradition of seeing a couple of movies during the Summer and we could not have picked a better one to watch first. Here are 3 things I learned while watching the avengers:

1. Words matter. The storytelling was amazing. The humor was perfectly timed. The filmakers did a great job blending big action and great dialogue. Anyone can get the cheap “wow” with big FX (Transformers anyone?). If the words suck, the movie will probably suck too (Star Wars Episode II anyone?). There are probably some churches who need to chew on that for a little while…

2. Movies bring out the dumb in people. I have no idea why someone would bring a screaming baby into a loud movie and think that the baby will magically stop screaming once the explosions start. I’m a parent and I understand that kids will be kids…THAT’S WHY WE LEFT THOSE JOKERS WITH A SITTER OR DID NOT GO TO MOVIES WHEN THEY WERE BABIES!

3. For the price of 1 order of nachos, 1 bucket of popcorn, 1 candy, and 4 drinks you can sponsor a child…and still have money left over for some candy. Okay, maybe I didn’t learn that while watching The Avengers, but I still feel like a jerk for spending that much $$$ on junk food.

Have you seen the movie? What did you learn while watching it?

Get Off Of Your Butt

I have a friend who is a serious hustler. Not a hustler in the “gangsta” sense of the word, but a hustler in the “always on the grind” sense of the word. He writes books, runs a successful business, and is pretty much awesome. His marriage is strong too. How does he do it? I have another friend who is in great shape, leads a growing church, and runs his own business. He has a great family life. How does he do it? I’m 4 classes away from finishing up a psychology degree, I host a weekly radio show, lead a growing church, and work out 5 days a week.My family is stronger than ever. How do I do it?

My friends and I have a secret that I’d like to share with you all: Everyday we choose to GET OFF OF OUR BUTTS and LIVE. That’s it. God’s grace is available. His power is available. However, far too many people are just too flippin’ lazy to get up and get after it day in and day out. Stop blaming “the will of God” for your inactivity. It is time to stop talking about what you want to do. Get off of your butt and do it.

“A lazy person is as bad as someone who destroys things”. – Proverbs 18:9 (NLT)

Sunday Thoughts

1. The last 48 hours have been all about relaxing and staying off of the radar.

2. It felt weird not being with Xtreme this morning. However, it felt great to take the day off and relax with my family.

3. I’m so thankful that we have an awesome and dependable team of leaders at Xtreme!

4. I’m sure you have already heard this, but I’ll say it anyway: Go see The Avengers. Seriously. Change your plans righty now and go see it. GREAT movie!

5. Last night at the hotel we were staying at it seemed like a hundred unsupervised kids took over the pool. This morning they came back. I found out that half of them don’t know how to swim. What are parents thinking?

6. Tomorrow on The Spirit of Clarksville, Tim Catchim and I kick off a new series on Discipleship. Should be amazing!

7. Busy week ahead. Time to enjoy the last few hours of relaxation.

Fight Church Movie

I have already written about how I feel regarding the term “fight church”. You can read about it here. While I am not a fan of using fighting as a gimmick to bait and switch folks into hearing about Jesus, I am all about supporting and welcoming warriors. I live in a warrior community and am blessed to rub shoulders with men and women who bring the pain to the enemy so that pacifists can enjoy their freedom to protest and occupy and what not. I love soldiers and I love fighters. More than that, I think that both soldiers and fighters can do their jobs with excellence AND serve God with all that is within them. Check out the trailer for what I believe will be a great movie that adresses some of these issues.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1607935891/fight-church-documentary-about-christianity-and-mm/widget/video.html