Random pics from DCGO retreat

What do a bunch of guys do at 7 in the morning at Prairie Camp?

Disappointed

I miss Henschen's that used to be at the corner of S.R.19 and C.R.50. It was so convenient to have a good gas station near by. They sold to store to some other people, and they didn't keep it running. For the past two or three months, the have been closed. However, they still had the price of $3.03 on the sign. It had been regular entertainment for me to watch people pull up, attempt to pump gas, head to the door to go inside and say something is wrong with the pump, only to realize that no one is there and they are closed. Of course, I go to take a picture today and realize they took the price down.

Mountain Dew Challenge

I suppose its time for me to weigh in on this go-round. Day 44 of no pop is coming to an end. My arch-nemesis of the challenge wussed out ages ago. I have no real reason to keep going on. At this point, I would consider it an honor to lose to the other two contestants, but alas, I will press on.
Here's to another 31 days...

The Team

Here is the DCGO Team ... New Life and NMC combined:
I'm excited about this trip for several reasons:

• The personal testimonies of these kids are amazing. We've heard stories of growing up in the religion of church, stories of hurt in relationships, lost loved ones, doing a good job of "going through the motions", and battles with depression. It is so clear to see the Christ has showed up and even wrecked these kids for the Kingdom.
• There has been a difficult time securing some of the other leaders for this trip. I think God has a purpose and a plan behind it and it is going to be awesome to see it play out.
• These kids have no clue what there are signed up for... I can't wait to see God show up in mighty ways this next week.
• This is my fifth trip like this, and I have no clue what I signed up for (I do, but I don't)... each trip is different and I can't wait to see what God wants to show me on this trip about my life, my relationship with him, and my calling in life.

Ways to pray for this trip...

1. First of all, pray for Pastor Jason. Pray that he would take this time to continue to heal physically, as he won't be going with us. With that pray that he would not be discouraged as a result of not going, and that God would just take this time to speak to him in a new way.
2. Pray for Pastors Chris and Brad. Ask that God with give the them wisdom and clarity to lead this group of students. Along with them, Pray for Kelsey Bullock, Katelynn Miller, Peggy Bearss, Leslie Yoder, Craig Helfrich, Dustin Gill, and myself. Pray that we too would have the wisdom to ask the right questions to our students and to be patient with them.
3. Pray that the students will understand that success is obedience to God... nothing more, nothing less.
4. Pray that comfort zones will be stepped out of. Pray that we are put into situations where God has to show up, or we look like a bunch of failures.
   
5. Pray for clarity for all of us to realize the divine appointments that are set before us.
   

All is well

I feel as if Nappanee is complete again.


Now if we can get one of these, it would be next to Heaven on Earth.

Umm...

Wow.

Where has Jeff been in the last week?

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:11

Part one...check.

Part two...check.

Part three...Boo-Yah!

The List

Ok. Time for a list.
I've been contemplating this for a while, but there are some things I want to do this sumer and year. So, with out further ado, here are some things I want to do this year.
1. Go fishing with my boat at least six times: One of those with my dad.
2. Go golfing at least three times. If I go, its usually only twice.
3. Make it to a cubs game at Wrigley Field: never been there.
4. Head up to Chicago again to go see Wicked, Stomp, Blue Man Group, or something of the like.
5. Sell my car. I'm tired of it sitting in my drive way. As soon as I put an alternator in it, its go time.
6. Learn to play guitar.
7. Take more time to spend more time alone with God time. This one will happen. I'm tired of being shallow in my relationship with Christ. Along with that, I want to work on my journaling. I suck at it, so really there is either only room for improvement, or no change at all. I want the former over the latter.
8. Speak less. I want to be able to learn from those around me and not just say thing to say things.
9. Go wake boarding at least once.
10. Ride jet skis at least twice.

So long, Showplace

Last night I was hanging out with a couple of gentlemen, both of drinking age. We were going to go see Prince Caspian, a rated PG movie. Apparently after 9pm on Friday and Saturday, anyone looking under the age of 25 has to show i.d. I suppose we'd be ok if everyone had their i.d.'s with them, but they didn't. Still, a stupid rule.

I won't be going back anytime soon.

The Name Game

In the past months, I've been introduced to The Office on NBC. I am no Steve Carell fan, but I do like the show. If you don't know me, I'm kind of a sci-fi nerd. It just so happens that I share a lot of of the same entertainment interests of the one and only Dwight Schrute. Dwight is known to like movies and shows like Star Wars, LOTR, 24, Heroes, Lost, and Battlestar Galactica.

I stumbled across the NBC video rewind, and saw that you can watch the first season of The "A" Team online. In high school, I went on a mission trip to Florida. While we were down there, we got on to the subject of that t.v. show, and so we started giving each other nickname from that show, and others. I was dubbed Murdock, because he was the crazy one, and apparently everyone thought it fit me.

The character of Murdock is played by Dwight schultz.

Jeff's nickname is Murdock, Murdock is played by Dwight Schultz, Dwight Schultz -> Dwight Schrute?

I've officialy spent to much sitting in the coffee house.

Frustrating.

I love Christian music. When I first entered into a relationship with Christ at the age of 16, I dived into the Christian music hardcore. I listened only to Christian music, (except for Country, when I had to ride the bus to and from school) went to as many concerts as I could, and had a wardrobe composed heavily of band t-shirts. A.D.D. moment: My shirts have been moving on to their final resting place, one by one over the years. Its been a sad transition.

As of late, it has been difficult to make it to the concerts as time progresses. I'm older, I don't listen only to Christian music- so i don't hear the announcements, (rock, talk radio, etc.) and all around I'm always busy when the concerts happen.

Several months ago I heard about two of my favorite bands are going to be in the area:David Crowder Band is going to be @ the Elco on June 19. I will be on the DCGO trip.

Delirious?, with lead singer Martin Smith (second on right) Have written songs including "I could sing of your love forever", "Shout to the North", "My Glorious", "Did you Feel the Mountains Tremble?", "Majesty"and "Rain down" They will be playing in Ft. Wayne on July 12. This is during Sr. High Summer Camp.

Observations from a coffee house

I like hanging out at coffee houses. I have done it in Kansas City, St. Charles, and Nappanee. Ok, so I don't do it much, but there is something about it that allows me to slow down, collect my thoughts, and post stuff on this blog. My main observation that is spurring this post is this: Do you ever get slightly annoyed by something, which is not a big deal? So what happens when you start to think about the small annoyance? Well, if you're anything like me, it get really annoyed by it, or them.

This instance is brought to you by the ladies who are taking time to connect and talk and talk and talk... nonstop. To be honest, its not a bad thing, it has reminded me of something... do I talk the time to actually listen, or am I just wanting for my turn to jump into a conversation?

Harty Boys

You might find this amusing:

The problem of Red Bull

I don't know if it the cause or the effect... maybe its just the typical run of the mill miscreants of Nappanee, but I just watched as a adolescent disposed of his spent can of Red Bull outside the Coffee Shop door. Let the discussing the spiritual meanings of this begin...

A tale of text messaging.

So, two Sundays ago, I was minding my own business as I was heading to service in The Connection. During service, I received multiple text messages.

Text message number one was from, a Jr. High pastor wanting me to get the attention of the person next to me.

Text message number two was from a youth who not thrilled about the lyrics on the side screens during worship...

 I just got off the phone with jesus and he said to put the words on the middle
screen. Or you shall be shunned!

I had ran Shout during the On Fire Rallies, but that was the last time. Why this is my responsibility, I don't know

Text message number three was a pic from another person in the youth:
With the artistic help of the one and only Carter Ammerman, I replied with this:

I then got a response of ... Touche.

Maybe I should turn my phone off more often.

Remember me?

Hello Blogging world, Its been a while. I'm Hanging out at Main Street Coffee House and its time to return to blogspot...

Really cool stuff

Ok, I'm still up for some reason I don't know. I stumbled across something on the internet, and its awesome. This guy has discovered some really cool things you can do with a wii remote:

Here is where I got the video.
Here is his website.

The five dollar bill

So yesterday as I was meandering around the summit city, I noticed something. The new 5 dollar bill got a make over:What is with adding purple to the dollar? Is purple the only solution in the war against counterfeit money?

Greetings from a land far, far away... or several counties anyways.

What a glorious day today. There is just something about getting away that breathes life back into one's soul. Kinda sad that I have to get away from church to do so. Anyways, the whole plan is do take it easy these next days. I'm just making stuff up as I go.
Between last night and this morning, I realized something through observing my nieces. There is no filter on their minds. They aren't afraid to ask many questions and they will speak their mind. Maybe it is the innocence in their inquiries of life, but something about them reminded me of a passage of scripture in Matthew 18.

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Now, I'm not saying I want to be the greatest in heaven, but verse 3 is what struck me. How often do I try to have everything figured out, and act like I have arrived at the destination of being a "Christian". I need to continuing pursuing a child-like faith, and keep from having the mindset of having figured this whole thing out.

Okay, now for a random story. Until this morning, I have never been served breakfast in bed. Ellie, the 8 yr old in the middle of the pic is the reason for the end of this "I never...". Coupled with that, I do believe this is the first time I ate cereal with milk in it. Call me crazy, but I've never been keen on that concept. What am I going to do, not eat it? My niece took the time to prepare it for me.

Two wonderful situations

When it comes to work, there are always two situations that haunt me.

Situ #1. You remember that you forgot something important, and its way too late to take care of.
Situ #2. You remember that you forgot something important, and its not too late to take care of, but its either too late at night, or right before a vacation, or both. You still feel obliged to take care of it.

I just fell victim to #2.



He he he... don't take that out of context.

So long, Moses, Judah Ben-hur

84 years old.

And...

I can see a light
that is coming
for a heart that holds on...

Cat Herding

Don't mess with a sleeping bear...um, I mean Jeff

I love sleep. There are times when the world around me wants to communicate with me, while I'm sleeping, and I try to communicate back.

The results aren't pretty.

I don't always know what I say, and sometimes I slip back into the world of slumber, only to realize that I probably wasn't coherent.

On this occasion, I think I remember something about an alumni reunion. I think I also hung up on the poor guy.

Oops.

Wanna fight?

Ah, yet something else I can thank my multiple years as a volunteer youth worker for:

27

Gut Check

I had a conversation with someone tonight that is messing with me. A question was posed to me that I can't get out of my head. How would I come up with that much money in a short time? Is it logistically possible to be ready that quick? Why would someone like me go?

Now, I'm not even sure that is was a serious question, but it has rocked me. Made me fearful, even.

In my life it seems like it would be a complete God thing.

Ultimately I guess I need to stand back and look at my life and evaluate why haven't I looked at the God sized opportunities in my life, and seized them.

Work and Church = Worch?

Ugh. It is officially that time of the year. Upwards game days are over, the video upgrade is complete, and the On Fire rallies are taking place. My superior is heading on vacation in a few days for a week and a half. That means I will be continually stressed out over everything, including Upwards Awards Night and changing all the clocks in the church for the upcoming time change.(Thanks, Mitch.)

There is a certain word that is running through my head right now... it starts with a vay and ends with a kayshun. It is a funny occurrence that I discovered on last years excursion away from worch. I felt alive again.

Is that bad to say? I don't think so. But, I suppose that shouldn't be an excuse to check out. I still can do different things. I've been working on some scripture memorization. I still need to stick with it. I'm slowly finally reading through Red Moon Rising, and it is resonating in my soul. Here is something I read last night:

"Here's the question: 'Will we allow the things that breaks God's heart to break our hearts too?' It'll mean more tears, more listening. It may even be the reason why so many of us struggle with our own personal burdens and heartaches-- God is allowing us to feel pain, to be weak and broken so that our prayers have power."

I suppose the other thing I need to do is continue to connect with other human beings. Yes, I just typed that. There are several of the people out there that I enjoy playin Settlers of Catan with and partaking of the M. F. Grape.

Question of the night

Is four hours of sleep still considered a nap?

Hmm...

Global Warming?

Ah, winters in Northern Indiana

This morning as I was digging a path to Heidi, I saw something that made me smile. I saw an Amish gentleman standing on a sled with a little one sitting on a straw bale, being pulled by a horse down the road. Tied to his sled, was a another child on a sled, which had another child on a sled tied to it, which had another child on a sled tied to it.

If only I had my camera.

Death of a falcon

This evening, Mr. Gill received a call from the one and only Jason Mishler. Apparently for some reason, a falcon ended up crashing through his kitchen window. Here are a couple of pics:

Overnighter

I got this off of Simply Josh's blog. It made me laugh, besides being something I can relate to.

Trailer Time!!!

I went and saw Jumper Tuesday at Showplace. Went with no expectations... and was entertained. Before the movie I got really excited, because they show a trailer for the new Shyamalan movie. You may now get excited...

Kenya Night

Well, here are my pics from Kenya Night. I know, I know... There are a lot of the same type of pics, but that's just how I roll.

I also snapped few pics of the lunar eclipse.




To view them outside the slide show go here.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

There are two things tat I enjoy that I was reminded of tonight. One of them is doing the little things for people. My sister claims that one of my love languages is gifts, and maybe she is right. But every once in a while, when I'm on my best behavior I like to do the little things for people. I can't explain it, because I feel like I'm tooting my own horn right now, so I'll stop.

Second, I enjoy spending time in conversation with people. I was blessed to hang out at the arches with several ministry workers, who I talk to daily, but don't really get to talk to. It wasn't anything earth-shattering, but I guess it was the quality time that I enjoyed.

Polar Bear in the desert....

Hmm... I love this show.

Two legged dog

Check this dog out

A different perspective

I said this before but I love podcasts. As I was working late Saturday night, I was spending a little quality time with Francis Chan & Co. One particular message stood out. It is from a couple of years ago, and its the events that lead up to and followed Christ's death on the cross.
One of the first things that jumped out at me was I was reminded that the God of the Universe, who created us, loves us, and sacrificed his own son so that we could have fellowship with him. He did all of that, and sometimes all we do is walk into church and lack any joy on our faces.
Another thing was the reaction of the Roman Centurion. Take a look at it in Luke 23: 44 -47.

44It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

47The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."

Who was this centurion? Was he one of the soldiers just a few verses earlier gambling over his clothes and mocking him? It doesn't matter. What matters was his response when he realized that God's son had just died on the cross and he was a part of it. He praised God.

He praised God?

How could he, of all people, do that?

I really don't know. It really only matters that somewhere, somehow, he got it.

Sunday morning, I had a rough time even wanting to go to church. I forced myself to go to Connection. I was sitting there was the first song was playing, my mind revisited parts of the message I listened to as I worked.

Wow.

Who am I to call myself a Christian and not want to go to church?(Granted, a vacation sounds good right now) Why do I so flippantly take for granted Christ's sacrifice?

I don't know, but I'm glad I went to church. I needed to hear that message from Cornerstone, and I needed to hear the message from Dave, Christy, and Derry.

Pop quiz hotshot...

What is the next best thing to Peyton Manning beating the Patriots? How about little Bro...Sweet Victory

Aaargh!!

There are few things that make me want to throw something at the t.v. "Response" to the State of the Union falls in that category.

Cloverbucks

Went and watched Cloverfield after church. It was different. It made people in the theatre angry. I thought it was genius.

Stopped by Starbucks to get a drink. I handed the girl my card and said I thought it had 80 cents left on it. She told me there was 81, and left one cent on there. I stood there dumbfounded for a while. Now I'm going to look like a jerk for trying to redeem my card with a balance of one cent.

Fire

So, I decided to head downtown to take some pics of the fire. Its funny what happens to you when you hold a big camera. As I was talking to the one of Nappanee's finest, a guy gave the officer and myself a coffee. One of the firefighters asked me if I was with a paper and asked about the pics I was taking. Other people asked me s well if I worked for a paper. I must have been professional-looking today.

Welcome to the Blogging world

I would like to take the time to get the word out on a new arrival to the blogging world. This gentleman is a Senior @ The Crossing, and works for me as a part of the NMC facilities team. May I present to you, Dustin Eby.You can find him here.

A Tuesday of Firsts

So, this past Tuesday was an interesting day. As you probably know, it is my day off of work. There were three things that transpired on this day that were firsts for me. In chronologically reverse order, they are:

1. McDonald's Sweet Tea
Everybody is raving about it, as well as this guy. Yes, I'm even slower to realize it that he was, but I finally tried it. It is definitely sweet. The last time I had some good sweet tea was down in Florida at this place. Even though it was only several times, I miss going there.

2. Purchasing my first pair of snow pants
Yes, I have had snow pants before, but I'm pretty sure my parents bought them for me back when I was younger, and when winter-time consisted of digging caves in snow drifts, being towed with my cousins on a sled behind my uncle's truck through the fields, and walking down to the nearby gravel pit to go sledding there. Hopefully I will get to try them out on the slopes somewhere up North this winter.

3. I fought the Law... and the Law won.
Well, I gone and done it. After driving for more than 11 years, I finally gone and done it. After driving the same stretch of road, one learns the places to pass slow vehicles, semis, etc. What happens when Jeff tries to pass a not-so-slow semi and don't return to a reasonable speed? My first ever speeding ticket. Well, here's to another 11 years of good driving.

One positive note about the Writer's Strike

We don't have to put up with any new crappy episodes of SNL.

The downside is that they continually play the episodes with Jake Gyllenhaal and Peyton Manning over and over and over and over and over again.

What I'm Reading/Watching/Listening to

Derry Prenkert has this segment on his blog every now and then, and its always pretty interesting on the selections. Well, here it goes.

What I'm Reading:
An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems by Glenn Beck
I must be getting older because I'm listening to more talk radio. And i like it. Glenn Beck has a radio show and also has a t.v. show on CNN Headline News. Sure he talks about politics, but he also talks but everything else. And he's funny.
Anyways he wrote this book explaining how we solve everything from "Global Warming" to Online Dating. And there's more... I just haven't got to it yet.





What I'm Watching:
Let the humiliation begin...
Sweet Home Alabama
That's right, I own this movie.
And I like it.













What I'm listening to:
Everlasting God by Brenton Brown

Sometimes scrubbing the Aux Gym floor makes me fall asleep. Honestly, I think I've sleepwalked several times. To stay awake(and reduce the chances of someone scaring me) its always good to play some music. It's been awhile since I've listened to this, and its still good stuff.

An old favorite revisited.

Come with me to a simpler time. A time of staying up late on a Saturday night, not caring about getting enough sleep because I didn't care all too much about church. A time when SNL was actually good. Also on was Hercules:The Legendary Series, and Xena: The Warrior Princess were on. Also was this little show:


And now its back on t.v.


Ah, I love it.

Its a bird!... Its a plane!...

... What was it? Not even 20 minutes ago I walked out to my Jeep, and in the Southern Sky was quite a spectacle.

For about seven seconds there was a an object streaking across the sky. It broke up as it traveled East. Was it an obsolete satellite? Or was it just a meteoroid/meteor/meteorite?

An embarrassing moment with Heidi

I love my jeep. Since I purchased it in July, I've been looking for the opportunities to fully enjoy the feature that Jeeps are known for... four wheel drive. The recent snowstorms have finally given me the chances to have some real fun.

Lets just say I have a nice open area close by. With the two recent major snows we got, I have been tickled to to death with going where I would've been stuck with my previous vehicles.

Unlike most people out there, I realize that having a 4x4 is not the end all of the problems of winter driving. It helps with traction, but where there is ice, you can still slide just like anyone else.

You see where this is going by now, right?

I was driving down up 7 after lunch yesterday, which the snow had partially choked up. A car was coming from the opposite way, so i decided to be courteous and give up some clear driving space. A little bit in some of the higher snow decided to pull me off the road... right into a ditch.

Like the title, it was embarrassing. It seem like every truck in Nappanee drove by. Eventlually a couple of good hearted gentlemen pulled me out, with the help of my own tow strap.

Why am I still wearing my nametag?

Ah, three dee why see. Maybe I'll post something more on it, but for now... What happens when Jeff goes jousting? Find out here:

Improvise

It has been said that necessity is the mother of all invention. So, may I present to you this: What do you do when you have to wrap presents and cut paper, only to have forgotten you broke off one of the handles of the scissors? Simple. Just take said instrument, an old "together" carabiner from 3DYC, and some duct tape, and wha-la...

A yearly event turned competition

On to bigger and better things...

Over a year ago, I had the privilege of meeting Dan the Graphics man, through the Derry Prenkert. This guy loves to go fishing, so that alone makes him cool. This fall, we participated in a Fantasy Football league, in which he crushed everyone. Apparently, he's slightly competitive when it comes to certain things.

For the last three years or so, I would take time off from drinking caffeinated pop, lasting about three months. The other day, Dan and I got onto the subject of refraining from this vice. Next thing you know, it has turned into a contest of who can go the longest without drinking any pop whatsoever. The winner gets the pure joy and satisfaction of victory over his foe.

So starting January 2nd, 2008, it is on. Anyone else dare to partake in this contest?

No Guitar Hero here.

I was listening to talk radio today(like I do most days), and heard this story. Merry Christmas, son!

I have forsaken my first love.

Contrary to what the title suggests, this is not a post about spiritual things... or is it? We shall see.

I must confess, I have been unfaithful. I don't exactly remember when I first fell in love, I think it was way back when life was simpler. Way back when Sunday nights held the routine of popcorn and ice cream while watching MacGyver. I think my father is responsible for introducing me, but it was so long ago. We shared many great memories... numerous vacations, went to ballgames, and spent everyday life together. There were times where we were separated, but it made the the times together all the more sweeter. Life was great, until about three weeks ago.

Two people, that I shall not name, led me astray with an unspeakable mistress. On a dare, I spent a few minutes with her, and I haven't been the same. There is something alluring about this new attraction, yet so very wrong at the same time. In the end, I think it was meant to be. My parents warned me that this would happen, and they themselves are examples to this dark occurrence.

I suppose it would be impolite to not say goodbye.It was a good run.

But now, here we go...

Time to embrace the season

Its that time of year again. I've been accused of being a Grinch on more than one occasion, so here you go...

My Grinch name is:

Grouchygrinch Jerkypants

Discover your Grinch name here...

The Family

Through Hell and back...

I hate shopping.

I loathe shopping.

Especially around this time of year. But for some reason, the the thought of a Christmas gift for one of the parental units was enough for my siblings and myself to bestow upon me the cup of completing the task of gift acquisition.

As I stood in line for much longer than I cared and was annoyed by cell phones, the two high schoolers who were buying a 360, (they were so lazy one procured a shopping cart to set it in, and promptly abandoned it after checkout in the Electronics section, only to leave me and the cashier shaking our heads at them) and everyone else, I noticed several things.

A) I still hate shopping, especially around people.
B) I'm stupid for going out in the crowds.
C) I saw many people from church, and guess how many were male... that's right, zero.

Oh well, at least I did not wake up early for it. And now, with such a feeling of accomplishment, I don't feel like I need to do one more productive thing today.

Frustrating... yet relieved.

I had this theory about a storyline in a t.v. show.
I forgot to share it with others.
I found out I'm right.

Here's to the magical picture box that so easily entertains me.

Serenity...Now.

Wow. Its been a crazy past two weeks. First the F3 tornado and all the running around as a result, then the Fall Shabang and all the running around for that. A little over a month ago, I had planned a little getaway for this weekend. Little did I know then that it was impeccable timing.
I am currently sitting in a coffeehouse on historic Main Street in a city, two states away.
Its been a good trip, once again, I've been able to hang out with a friend who has moved on from Northern Indiana. Other than that, I haven't done a whole lot.

So where exactly am I? Well I'm in a pretty historical city. It's neighboring city currently has this going on. This is the place where This city was the original capital of the Show Me State.

Anyways, it is good to get away. But have no fear, all will return to normal Monday morning.

As for now, I want pay may respects in a picture tribute to a fine establishment currently missing from Naptown.

Here's to you, Kentaco Bell.

Phrase of the week

"Serenity Now!!!"

A.D.D., or just lack of desire?

As I try to fall asleep, my mind races as to what all I have to do tomorrow. There is all the tearing down, setting up and everything else that involves getting the church ready for Wednesday night. But, there is also Wed. Night Youth, which leads me to think of what to attempt to do in Small Groups.
One thing I've noticed as of late, whether it be in Sunday School, Church Service, or Wed. Night, is the fact that these kids don't bring their Bibles to church.

Why is that?

Is it because "they just forgot", they were in a hurry, or is it something more?

Now, I'm not saying that bringing your Bible to church is the end-all of being complete in Christ, but isn't it a small indicator of something deeper taking place in one's life?

Here is my thought process on this one: Little Billy has accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour. Little Billy understands that God is pursuing a relationship with him, and desires for him to do the same. Little Billy wants to do what ever it takes to draw close to his personal Saviour. Little Billy reads his Bible at home and hungers to learn more about him. Little Billy takes his Bible to church to follow along in Sunday School and in service. As a result, Little Billy participates and asks questions, and even takes notes on things that stand out to him.

Is this too far-fetched? You tell me. I think the problem is that somewhere along the line, something is failing in this storyline. I think its because it is not taking place at home. I think, as a result of not diving into a personal relationship with Christ, they don't show up to church wanting to learn or pay attention. I think there are too many distractions in their lives.

So, as a leader, what do I do? Should I throw my hands up in the air, like I just don't care? No. I should remember that for me to speak into the lives of students, or anyone, I need to live by example, and not give up.

Irony

This evening, I was talking to a gentleman at church. We talked about the tornado and swapped some stories. He pointed something out to me:

"Most tornadoes go after the mobile homes. This one decided to go after the factory that makes the mobile homes."

Here are some pics I took of the aftermath.

The Storm.

• Heard about a tornado, decided to check on my parents... power was shut off as I left from Naptown
  
• Took a different way back to church... took over an hour to get home
• Church opened as a shelter, helped run power from generators
• Told to go get rest at around 3 am
• Power restored about an hour ago
  

1. I was reminded of the awesome power of God and his authority
2. I was worried about a lot of friends and people from church
3. I was overwhelmed with compassion for those who have lost so much
   

Big Baby, tiny baby

I happen to frequent the Drudge Report on a regular basis to keep up on current events and whatnot. Every once in a while, there will be stories posted that are odd, or even amazing. Wednesday evening, I noticed a story about a Big Baby. You can find it here.
Just a short while ago, I noticed a story about a Tiny Baby. You can find it here.

In my heart there rings a melody...

Have you ever had one of those songs stuck in your head? Not one of the obnoxious ones, but a good one, say a worship song. Last Wednesday, I heard that Hillsong came out with another album. I got it and listened to it at work. One song in particular has been stuck in my head and my heart. Here's the words to Saviour King.

Verse 1
And now the weak say I have strength
By the spirit of power that raised Christ from the dead
And now the poor stand and confess
That my portion is ? and I'm more blessed

Pre-chorus
Let now our hearts burn with a flame
A fire consuming all for your Son's holy name
And with the heavens we declare
You are our king

Chorus
We love you Lord, we worship you
You are our God, you alone are good

You asked your Son to carry this
The heavy cross our weight of sin

I love you Lord, I worship you
Hope which was lost, now stands renewed
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king

Verse 2
Let now your church shine as the bride
That you soar in your heart as you offered up your life
Let now the lost be welcomed home
By the saved and redeemed those adopted as your own

Ending
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the savior king

Going to Work

There are times when going to work isn't fun. I'm sure there are those of you out there that know this feeling: It seems that you can do everything right without recognition or reward, but as soon as you make a mistake(yes I make mistakes ,too), people let you know about it.

I really hate this. Not so much for me being told what i did wrong, but the fact that I get upset and frustrated and come down on myself much harder than most others do.

How do you deal with this, those three of you that might be reading? Here's the best that i can think of.

Slow down...

Take deep breaths...

Remember God is still on the throne...

Deal with the outcome.

Hmm. Remember God is still on the throne. Its kinda funny as even as I type this, that thought puts everything back into perspective. Thanks for listening, I think I'm gonna be okay now.

Going to church

Going to church is a hard thing to do when you work there all week. I have to be honest, I'm a poor attendee of NMC. There are two reasons for this:
A. Its my own fault. I wake up late, miss my alarm clock, and so forth.
B. Its because of work. Its hard to catch a complete service while wearing the pager. There are also more and more instances of people calling me or asking me to take care of something, because the secret is getting out that I work at the church.

In the last month, I've had the opportunity to go to The Connection twice. That makes the Grande total of Connection services I've been to three times (not including the two times I ran Media Shout).

Lately, my boss and i have been trying to get a good schedule so all of us facility people that work on Sundays can have a shot at an uninterrupted service.

In the past three weeks, my hours at the church have been getting little loopy. When can you do when your help decides to go to college? Bit it in a sense has been a blessing as a result. As I have to do more of the grunt work again, I have found myself attending church in Georgia, and California.

Podcasting is a gift from the Almighty. In recent days I've been confronted, convicted, challenged, and encouraged in my life. Now I know its not a replacement for attending a service at NMC, but it has been helping me put church into work during the week, w when at times on Sundays the work takes away from church.

If you are a little sluggish on knowing what podcasts are out there, check out my favorite four...
North Point Community Church - Andy Stanley
Mars Hill Bible Church - Rob Bell
Mosaic - Erwin McManus
Cornerstone Church - Francis Chan

This one's for you, Cam

Umbrella