Heading to The Summit!

If you were ever looking for a premier leadership training event, this is it. And I'm heading there tomorrow! Peace Out!

The Day of Release Draws Near

Halo 3: Finish the Fight. Oh ya, it's ON!

I Need One!

Okay, I'm outta here. I'm takin' a week off, with no particular place to go or nothing crucial to do. Just me and the family chillin'. See you in a few days!

Peace Out.

How Rich Are You?

If you're like me, you grumble every now and then about how much money (or lack thereof) that you have. Follow this link, and maybe you'll realize that we're all richer than we think!

How rich are you? >> I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 55,340,583 richest person on earth!

If I Die Today

If you've read much on this blog, you know a couple of things about me. One is that I love my kids deepely. And two is that I have had bouts of chest pain over the last 9 months or so that have really caused me to examine my life. Yes, the doctors tell me that my heart is fine, and to chill. And at the risk of whining, I will tell you (again) that living with chest pain is hard. There is a persistent fear that kind of eats at you. But over the last couple of months, I really think I'm learning to "get on with it." One thing that has helped me is trying to capture some things that I would want to make sure that Jacob and Michaela learned from my life - I started a file on my computer called "If I Die Today" and told Rachelle it was there. As I think of something else to pass on, or God reveals a bit more to me of what it means to "live," I just add to the list. And this week it's dawned on me: Why wait until I'm gone to share with them these things? Heck, I'm hoping it's a looooooooooong time before I meet Jesus face to face! :) These things need to be shared with my kids NOW so that they learn from my life while there is time to do something about theirs, hopefully together!

So without further ado, here is my running list of things I want to share with my kids.

If I die today . . .

• I would want to tell Jacob and Michaela to risk more for Jesus than I did. Don’t settle for comfortable and predictable. Trust Jesus, and follow Him. He made you each uniquely, and in doing so, has plans for you that only you can fulfill. Live those out! Be bold, be silly (according to the world) – don’t let someone steal your dreams – be passionate! Live!!!
• See the world. I regret not taking you guys more often to places that so wonderfully display God’s beauty (I’m thinking of mountains, lakes, etc. like Canada and/or the Western US) – Go and see for yourself what color the sunset is that hangs over the Grand Canyon – God made up the color, and He displays it for you. Live those experiences!
• Learn to connect to Jesus, and experience Him in the everyday. For me, it is hard to separate prayer from Bible study – one usually leads to the other. I capture that whole deal in a journal. I would encourage you both to write, lots! Some things I think God gives us just for us, but other things are meant to share. Both can be “owned” in a journal. Your life is an adventure (see point 1!), and is more so as you see “with eyes to see” and hear “with ears to hear.” Learn to see God in the everyday, and make His Kingdom come to life in YOUR everyday.
• You are a part of a story – it’s ongoing even today. I played a part, and you’re still playing yours. Seek out the role that God has for you, and live it. Make someone else’s story end better because you were in theirs. Soak in the story – see it as beauty and truth. Live out its grace, mercy and compassion. But above all, share the story. It’s a great one!

(original file began on October 16, 2006)

This is The Truth

Legacy

In Nehemiah 8, the people in Jerusalem have gathered to hear Ezra read the Torah; Nehemiah has led them to complete the rebuilding of the wall. Ezra reads God's word, and everyone is weeping as they realize the weight of those words.

And then Nehemiah says, "This day is holy to God . . . Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink, and share it with those who don't have anything . . . the joy of God is your strength."

Nehemiah 8:12 then concludes, "Now they got it; they understood the reading that had been given to them."

I've been thinking of my children lately, and what I've really taught them of the Lord, and this hit me in the face: How can I expect them to understand social justice, compassion, simplicity . . . The Gospel! . . . if I'm not seeking to really, honestly live those things out in my life?

Are my kids thinking that Jesus came just for eternal life to be given to them? Am I tying his message together in how I live, and how I am teaching them to live?

Lord Jesus - speak to my soul. What kind of legacy am I leaving Jacob and Michaela? What kind of example am I leaving them to follow? Who/What am I pointing them to as the Center of life?

O Lord, hear my prayer. AMEN.

Coincidence?

When I jumped onto the Web this morning, this was one of the four Top Links on "My Yahoo" homepage. Kinda makes me go back to my thoughts yesterday, just a bit.

http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobseeker/tools/ept/careerArticlesPost.html?post=126

Starbucks and The Message of Jesus

Once again, I want to run a little Starbucks thinking at you, and see if we can open a dialogue. I'm tellin' ya, I ought to be on the payroll of those folks, as much as I toot their horn!

A recent cup of Sumatra (Michaela would tell you that it tastes "earthy") displayed "The Way I See It #233" which said,

I used to think that going to the jungle made my life an adventure. However, after years of unusual work in exotic places, I realize that it is not how far off I go or how deep into the forest I walk that gives my life meaning. I see that living life fully is what makes life - anyone's life, no matter where they do or do not go - an adventure.

~ Maria Fadiman
Geographer, ethnobotanist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer

Okay. My spider-sense goes off anytime I read things like "living life fully." I think phrases like that resonate within us because that is how we were "fearfully and wonderfully made" - to live a full, robust life. The problem with that is many (most?) of us can't even begin to tell you what a full life looks like, let alone claim to live one.

Why is this important? Jesus, in John 10:10 simply says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." In saying this, Jesus paints a picture of what the Christian life should look like - it should be that which Maria Fadiman speaks of - an adventure, surpassing even exotic destinations or deep jungle exploration.

And yet - and here I pause - how many of our lives are like this? Are we dishonoring Christ by how we live in fear and apprehension? Are we far too content to just slide from one day into the next, letting moments of full life slip right through our hands? Are our dreams too small, if we even dream at all? Why don't we chase them? Why are there 42 year old people who can't begin to tell you what it is that they were made for?

So, what kind of life DID Jesus come to bring us? And better yet, how do we go about living that? Share a comment, 'cause I find myself with far more questions that answers these days, and I could use your help.

Continuing Sunday's Sermon

If you enjoyed Rich Shanks' teaching on Sunday at TSCC - "The Geometry of Intimacy" - then you'll likely enjoy this video as well. Give it a look!