Cowboys.
Cowboys.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. You don't receive presents. You don't give presents. All you do is eat turkey and watch Dallas Cowboy football. And then there's pie. Oh, how I love pie.
So here are my top "Thankfuls" for both my life and my ministry.
MINISTRY
1. Harvester Christian Church: It's no secret that our church is in a transition as we look for a senior minister. During the process I have been very impressed with the leadership's devotion to prayer, God's guidance, and the willingness to keep moving forward with God's commission during this transition.
2. David & Matt: The best part about working at HCC is getting to work along side of other youth ministers. We all share a passion for leading teens to Christ. It has been a blast spending time with these guys throughout the week.
3. Jr. High Leaders: I honestly believe I have the greatest volunteer leaders in the entire world. They devote a lot of energy to these students. They are making a tremendous impact; bigger than I ever could make!
4. Jr. High Students: I never thought I'd enjoy doing Jr. High ministry as much as I have. These students are an amazing group who truly want to make a difference in their schools and in the world. I look forward to seeing the impact they make for Jesus throughout their lives.
5. Soda Fountain Machine: Two words: Dr. Pepper
LIFE
1. Rachel: Every morning I wake up and check the pillow next to me to make sure that the previous day wasn't a dream. Usually there is no one there. But that's because Rachel gets up before I do. So after a moment of panick, I feel a great sense of joy...and relief.
2. Ashlynn and Ara: Wow! Who would have thought I was capable of loving so strongly! There's not a thing I wouldn't give up for these girls...other than Rachel.
3. iPhone: ok...kind of shallow, I know. But it really has benefited me a lot. You can't imagine how much time I spend on that thing. I have been able to read more than I ever have in my entire life with it.
4. Summer: I'm so thankful that there is a time of the year when coats are never mentioned, when you can't see your breath, when you can wear sandals without persecution.
5. Jesus: And finally, I'm thankful for Jesus. I honestly don't know what life would be like without my faith in him. I would probably be a communist or something.
So here are my top "Thankfuls" for both my life and my ministry.
MINISTRY
1. Harvester Christian Church: It's no secret that our church is in a transition as we look for a senior minister. During the process I have been very impressed with the leadership's devotion to prayer, God's guidance, and the willingness to keep moving forward with God's commission during this transition.
2. David & Matt: The best part about working at HCC is getting to work along side of other youth ministers. We all share a passion for leading teens to Christ. It has been a blast spending time with these guys throughout the week.
3. Jr. High Leaders: I honestly believe I have the greatest volunteer leaders in the entire world. They devote a lot of energy to these students. They are making a tremendous impact; bigger than I ever could make!
4. Jr. High Students: I never thought I'd enjoy doing Jr. High ministry as much as I have. These students are an amazing group who truly want to make a difference in their schools and in the world. I look forward to seeing the impact they make for Jesus throughout their lives.
5. Soda Fountain Machine: Two words: Dr. Pepper
LIFE
1. Rachel: Every morning I wake up and check the pillow next to me to make sure that the previous day wasn't a dream. Usually there is no one there. But that's because Rachel gets up before I do. So after a moment of panick, I feel a great sense of joy...and relief.
2. Ashlynn and Ara: Wow! Who would have thought I was capable of loving so strongly! There's not a thing I wouldn't give up for these girls...other than Rachel.
3. iPhone: ok...kind of shallow, I know. But it really has benefited me a lot. You can't imagine how much time I spend on that thing. I have been able to read more than I ever have in my entire life with it.
4. Summer: I'm so thankful that there is a time of the year when coats are never mentioned, when you can't see your breath, when you can wear sandals without persecution.
5. Jesus: And finally, I'm thankful for Jesus. I honestly don't know what life would be like without my faith in him. I would probably be a communist or something.
As many of you know, I have an addiction. It's Dr. Pepper. Ever since high school, I have had a love affair with the bubbly, 23 flavored goodness. Now, because of Guns N' Roses, everyone gets to experience euphoria for free!Mtv explains how this came about:
Back in March, the beverage company said that it would give every man, woman, and a child in the U.S. a free can of Dr. Pepper should Guns N’ Roses release Chinese Democracy before the close of 2008. And now, the event no one — certainly not the folks at Dr Pepper — thought would happen is rapidly approaching.
“We never thought this day would come,” Tony Jacobs, vice president of marketing for Dr Pepper, said in a statement issued Wednesday. “But now that it’s here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper’s on us.”
Important Note:
Today is the last day you can get your free bottle of bubbly beauty! Here's how you get it: DrPepper.com
One of my life long goals was to meet Ozzie Smith. As a little kid, I wanted to be Ozzie Smith. I even wanted to paint my skin so I could look like him. A few years ago he came to Flora, Illinois (long story). I got to meet him at Wal-Mart, shake his hand and get a baseball autographed. It's just too bad there were hundreds of other people there. I could have shown him a thing or two about baseball. But with so many people in the crowd, I'm sure he would have been embarrassed.
He's the only Hall of Famer I'd ever met. Last night I had the opportunity to meet Lou Brock. He will be speaking at a men's event that our church is having in a few months, so he came out to shoot a few commercials for it. With a little finagling, I got to man the camera.
Turns out, nobody else knew he was coming. There were just three of us from church, Lou Brock and his friend. After the video shoot, we just stood around chit-chatting. My wife called in the middle of our conversation three times...I ignored the call. For Pete's sake! It's LOU BROCK! Emergencies can wait!
He's the only Hall of Famer I'd ever met. Last night I had the opportunity to meet Lou Brock. He will be speaking at a men's event that our church is having in a few months, so he came out to shoot a few commercials for it. With a little finagling, I got to man the camera. Turns out, nobody else knew he was coming. There were just three of us from church, Lou Brock and his friend. After the video shoot, we just stood around chit-chatting. My wife called in the middle of our conversation three times...I ignored the call. For Pete's sake! It's LOU BROCK! Emergencies can wait!
This is a logo I designed for CURE. It's an organization that brings religious higher education into Urban areas. The logo is a city sprawling out through the pages of the Bible.
Here's a graphic I made for a series we're doing at .deW called "Elements". I don't really like it. It looks better in my head.
Here's a poster for our upcoming New Years Eve party at Church. We're going to Dave and Busters. I changed their logo a little to match the poster (orange speaker).
Here's a graphic I made for a series we're doing at .deW called "Elements". I don't really like it. It looks better in my head.
Here's a poster for our upcoming New Years Eve party at Church. We're going to Dave and Busters. I changed their logo a little to match the poster (orange speaker).
I think I have the greatest job in the world. This past week I put in 70 some hours of work. But it was all enjoyable! I can't imagine working at different job, putting in that many hours and enjoying it (unless it was at a Dr. Pepper factory).
The University of Chicago recently did a study on the most satisfying jobs that make people happy. Ministers were ranked #1. I would agree with that.
Here's a little sample from their article:
People looking for jobs that bring satisfaction and happiness should concentrate on professions that focus primarily on serving other people, according to a new report from the University of Chicago, which found clergy to be the happiest and most satisfied of American workers.
“The most satisfying jobs are mostly professions, especially those involving caring for, teaching, and protecting others and creative pursuits,” said Tom W. Smith, Director of the General Social Survey (GSS) at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. The survey is the most comprehensive of its kind to explore satisfaction and happiness among American workers. The GSS asks a large variety of questions of a representative sample of Americans in face-to-face interviews. In the 1988 to 2006 GSS surveys, interviewers asked people how satisfied they were with their jobs. The interviewers also asked them about their general level of happiness and Smith correlated those general happiness findings with the jobs people held. People’s feelings about their work usually have a significant impact on their happiness, he said.
Across all occupations, on average, 47 percent of people said they were very satisfied with their jobs and 33 percent said they were very happy. The top three jobs for satisfaction were clergy (87 percent reporting being very satisfied), firefighters (80 percent) and physical therapists (78 percent).
(ht to Matt Erxleben)
This is the current wallpaper for my computer. It's 1440x900.
I was gone for a week, so Ashlynn sent a video message to me. Half way through her message she starts to pray to me...and then gets incredibly embarassed when she realizes it.
I just voted. I always feel so patriotic afterwards...like I should be running for President or something. It's weird to know that starting tomorrow (hopefully) we will have a new leader (even though we have to wait two months before he starts). As much as things may or may not change, there is a bigger change coming. This change will affect so many more people than a new president, and it's not getting quite the air-time that it should! Here's a video of what I'm talking about:
I personally have already switched over. And the difference is amazing. I can actually see the baseball during the Cardinals games, and I can see how much time is left during football games. My life will never be the same. Thank you digital tv.
I had the two cutest girls in the world for Halloween this year. Ashlynn dressed up as Cleopatra and Ara dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood. Here's a picture of Ashlynn. For some reason I don't have a picture of Ara in her outfit. I'll bum one from the grandparents and share it later:
P.S.
I did her make up. I'm proud of myself!
P.S.
I did her make up. I'm proud of myself!
I am pro-life. I am not ashamed to make that statement about myself. I believe that abortion is one of societies biggest moral failures. In the past few years though, I've come to redefine what being "Pro-Life" means to me. These are some questions that I've asked myself in defining my stance:
* Should Pro-Life be exclusively a womb issue?
I think we should definitely fight for the unborn life. But I also think that God cares equally about the life of felons, foreign soldiers and those dieing on our streets. This issue includes and extends beyond Pro-Fetus for me.
* Why do millions of people ask one man to make a difference?
There are 159 million Christians in America. There are 1.3 million abortions performed every year. That means there are 12,000% more Christians than abortions!! Imagine what could happen if Christians decided to get involved in the girls life instead of just electing a politician to change a law! Too many people only vote, and never do.
* What if the law is changed, and all abortions become illegal?
There will probably still be thousands of abortions, albeit illegally. Will Christians rise up then? Or will their service be done since a law is passed? Again, I think interaction, conversation, and the promise of adoption could be more effective than changing laws.
I can't tell you how excited I am about tomorrow. I'm excited because I love election nights, but I'm also excited that it's over! Finally...after two years! Hopefully Christianity can get back to changing the world through the gospel message, instead of relying on a politician. Sure, you should definitely vote. But don't just rely on your vote. Candidates can promise change as much as they want, but only God can provide true, life altering changes! As Christians we have the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the grave. Why not use that power to change people's lives instead of simply electing politicians?
* Should Pro-Life be exclusively a womb issue?
I think we should definitely fight for the unborn life. But I also think that God cares equally about the life of felons, foreign soldiers and those dieing on our streets. This issue includes and extends beyond Pro-Fetus for me.
* Why do millions of people ask one man to make a difference?
There are 159 million Christians in America. There are 1.3 million abortions performed every year. That means there are 12,000% more Christians than abortions!! Imagine what could happen if Christians decided to get involved in the girls life instead of just electing a politician to change a law! Too many people only vote, and never do.
* What if the law is changed, and all abortions become illegal?
There will probably still be thousands of abortions, albeit illegally. Will Christians rise up then? Or will their service be done since a law is passed? Again, I think interaction, conversation, and the promise of adoption could be more effective than changing laws.
I can't tell you how excited I am about tomorrow. I'm excited because I love election nights, but I'm also excited that it's over! Finally...after two years! Hopefully Christianity can get back to changing the world through the gospel message, instead of relying on a politician. Sure, you should definitely vote. But don't just rely on your vote. Candidates can promise change as much as they want, but only God can provide true, life altering changes! As Christians we have the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the grave. Why not use that power to change people's lives instead of simply electing politicians?
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