Rough Draft

A rough draft of a video for the LFC Family Factor. A sixty minute class in five minutes. Let me know what you think.

Disneyland.

Just got back from a two day vacation at Disneyland for Airen's Birthday! Was a lot of fun and I am going to make a quick YouTube video (I hope!) to share the event with everyone.

But... for your enjoyment, here is a quick picture. I'm planning on sharing a daily bible reading with everyone later today so keep your eyes open :)

Airen's Birthday

This weekend is the official celebration of my wife's birthday! Airen is a happy 25 years old and to celebrate we will be going to Disneyland on Tuesday! (Her actual birthday is tomorrow).

I love birthdays, and any holiday that makes us take the focus off of ourselves. It reminds us that we are NOT a big deal and that the Bible tells us to "think of others as better than ourselves."

As a husband, I should think of Airen as better than me all the time! (and she is!)

As a follower of the Way I should not look at what others (and the Church) can do for me as much as I look for what I can do for them.

Happy Saturday!

Don't Argue

"Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again."

Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us."

But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job." From Acts chapter 9 (The Message)

Daily Bible Reading time!

It is interesting to me that we argue with God. Most of us know in our brains that God has the best in mind and that His plans are always best.

This, however, never seems to make it into our hearts, so we try to talk God out of his plans just like Ananias.

If Ananias had not listened to God, Saul probably still would have been healed and become Paul. God's will is always done in the end. But, Ananias would have missed out on being a part of God's plan.

Every church Paul planted and every soul that was saved was a result of Ananias' obedience. He was just as important as Paul was in God's plan.

So each one of us (myself included) has to look at the choices we make. Am I making choices that will make me miss out on what God really wants for me? If you argue with God, you will lose. The question is how much do you want to lose before you give up and listen to Him?

Schooling.

I love being at school again for the most part! Being better equipped for ministry is graduate education is a huge blessing from God!

I think that the best part of school is hearing the stories of others who have gone before me.

I get to learn from their mistakes so I don't have too.

The worst thing we can allow the next generation to do is repeat our mistakes. It sets back the kingdom.

And seeing His kingdom come is part of the job.

Oh, and I love the comic book filter on my cam!

Looking in all the wrong places.

They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, "Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?" Then they remembered Jesus' words.

This is from my daily Bible reading for today, and I wanted to share a few thoughts.

I, more often that I would like, encounter times in my life that are un-fun. In fact sometimes I have to deal with periods of time that flat out suck. And normally when that happens I do what any good believer in Jesus would do.

I whine. I complain. I indulge in self-pity.

Oh woe is me! Jesus has forgotten me in my suffering, oh God where are you!

It almost makes me feel holy, like I'm writing a Psalm.

The problem is that I'm looking for Jesus in the graveyard, I'm looking for him at the tomb, when I should be looking for Him alive and active in my life. God is always doing something good around me and in my life and it's my job to find it.

He's alive and He's good. God save us from our own bad perspective on the world.

LA Traffic

To school and back is the longest 7 miles of my life.

To add insult to injury there was traffic the whole way on the freeway... and then when I exited there was traffic on the city streets!

Ugh!

I'm taking "The Servant as Leader" right now (it's a three day intensive). My fave quote so far from the class is:

"What God is doing in you is more important than what God is doing through you."

Another good one:

"Finishing Well is wanting to do it all over again when you are done."

It will happen to you.

Daily Bible Reading time!

"One day he [Jesus the Messiah] was teaching the people in the Temple, proclaiming the Message. The high priests, religion scholars, and leaders confronted him and demanded, "Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?" (Luke 20:1-2 MSG)

You take a stand that is unpopular, you buck the traditions of others, and you will get the aristocrats of the people up in your face.

You should read the response of Jesus and remember, you don't always have to answer your critics.

Just keep right on doing what God tells you to do.

Lovin Sunday, 7:00am.

When I find cool stuff to link I don't have to write.

And this is some cool stuff. I hear a lot of resistance to ministering the Word to a church through video... and this explains my point of view better than I can. (And probably much nicer then I would)

Click here to watch!