The Wal-Mart Blessing...

On Friday, I experienced a true blessing from Wal-Mart...I truly got more than I paid for. I was finishing painting our addition and I needed a couple more items to complete the project. I purchased some edging pads which come with two in each package. I was quite surprised when I got home and saw three edging pads in the package! Score!

Abbie's newest thing this weekend is telling us she needs to go potty and then walking to the bathroom! Andrea let her sit on the potty today to see if she would go. She didn't, but it's the first step in potty training! And she's initiating it!

Tonight, Andrea and I are heading to Outback for a date night. It's been a busy past three months. We figured out that today was my first Saturday at home with no meetings, school, praise team since the beginning of December. Far too long.

Below is a picture of Abbie from a recent Spaghetti night.

Separate Section For Huggy/Touchy Couples in Church

Ok, so this is from Larknews.com, so it's satire, but can't we try something like this...

Church Creates Section for Huggy, Touchy Couples


There is nothing more annoying in worship when the couple in front of you is stroking and caressing each other's necks. Even worse is when they're nibbling on each other's ear or givingn kissing during worship. I witnessed this recently in the church that I serve at and wanted to throw my Bible at the couple, with the love of Jesus of course! There are various levels of offenders.

1. The Teenage Lovers- These are the teens who bring their boyfriend/girlfriend to worship because it's the only way their parents will let them hang out together. They will playfully hit each other, and hold hands during prayer. Cute puppy love. On an annoyance scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the most annoying) they rate a 3.

2. The Blinded By Love- These are the couples in your church that are so infatuated with each other than they are unaware of anyone around them. The guy usually has his arm around the girl and the whisper sweet-nothings throughout the sermon. They walk hand-in-hand to and from the sanctuary and people begin to think as the two of them as one (creating names like Bennifer, Brangelina, Isiqua, etc.) On an annoyance scale, they rate a 7.

3. The Get-A-Room Couple- This couple just doesn't get it. They don't sit close...they practically sit on each others lap. It takes minor surgery to get them to separate and move. This couple tries to do some sort of twisted "church grinding" during the praise and worship time. Parent's cover their young children's eyes when this couple kicks it in high gear. On an annoyance scale of 1-10, this couple rates an bold 10.

It's your turn...share you story about the worse church couple you've witnessed.

Thoughts on John 12:20-33

I will be preaching this Sunday at our 9:30 and 11:07 worship gatherings. Since it's the season of Lent, I often follow the lectionary for the scripture. This Sunday, the selected reading is John 12:20-33. It is a passage where Jesus begins to point to his coming death on the cross. In the midst of the passage, Jesus tells a brief parable.

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground
and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many
[fruit]. Those who love their life will lose it, while those who hate their
life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves
me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be.
My Father will honor the one who serves me."

What strikes me the most is the implied cost of discipleship. Following Christ requires that we give up our lives. It requires sacrifice. It requires thinking of others ahead of our own agendas and desires. Discipleship is not something that we attend a small group for...it must become a lifestyle that is lived out.

I wonder what our Sunday morning worship gatherings would be like if we really preached (and lived) the cost of following Jesus. First, I think we'd have less people because they would be turned off by the discussion of giving up our lives. But on the other hand, if people caught a vision for what discipleship looked like (true discipleship, not a course or a small group), then our churches and communities might be turned upside down.

As we journey closer to Good Friday and the Cross of Christ, may we consider the cost of folllowing Jesus. May we live each day, offering our lives over to the only One who can save it. In losing our lives, may we find eternal life in God through Jesus Christ.

This Marraige Might Not Be "Fireproof"

Check out this headline...

"Florida Man Wearing "I Heart My Marraige" Shirt Aressted for Allegedly Chokng Wife."

The T-Shirt is from the movie "Fireproof" that stars Kirk Cameron. With the movie came a book called "The Love Dare" which is a 40-day exercise of reignited love and passion in a marraige. Could day 41 have been "Choke Your Spouse?" Somehow, I don't think so. Thanks to Shelley for the link!

Monday Morning Update, March 10, 2009

The Week That Was: Mom and Dad were in from Pennsylvania this past weekend. The visit went well. Abbie was exicted to see them. It was great because it was 75 degrees as well. It's been a stressful week with school and a few other things.

Church Review: We had our 11:07 service join our 11:00 Traditional service. It went pretty well overall. There were some awkward moments, but overall I think the worship time was meaningful.

Where I Am At the Moment: School. Waiting to go home.

On My To-Do List This Week: I need to get cracking on some Holy Week/Easter stuff. It's going to be here soon. I also need to do some work for DCOM this week. I would love to go golfing on Friday if it is nice enough.

What Abbie is Up To This Week: Abbie had a full 5 minute phone conversation last night, which was awesome. She is loving her music class as well. I got to go this week and square danced with her. Great fun.

Books I am in the Midst Of: Seminary Stuff.

Music That Caught My Attention This Week: I listened to several new CD's this week. The first is Demon Hunter's Live from Nashville CD. The second was the new Fiction Family CD. Finally, I got The Fray's new one. While I haven't listened too indepth, I liked what I heard.

Global Generosity

One of the books I am reading in seminary right now is Ron Sider's Rich Christian in an Age of Hunger. If you have never read the book, I would highly recommend it. But a warning, it is a difficult read in that it makes the reader confront our affluence when compared to the rest of the world and confront what is taught throughout the Bible regarding hunger, poverty, and economics. (Full disclosure: Andrea was impacted by this book as she read it while in India/Nepal, and Ron Sider is one of my professors)

Where would you rank the United States according to how much Foriegn Aid we supply? Top 10 nations? Top 5 nations? Top 1 or 2? According to Sider, who quotes an Orgaization for Co-operation and Developmentstudy Based on the Gross National Product (GNP), the United States ranks dead last among Western donors who provided foreign aid to countries in need. We are the second richest nation in the world (based on GNP) and we give away .14% of our money. Is that shocking to you? It was to me.

There is a scene at the end of Charlie Wilson's War where Charlie is trying to secure money from Congress to build schools in Afghanistan. I think it was something like ten million dollars. The proposal got voted down. Now, I can't tell you if that part of the movie is fact or not (the movie was based on a true story), but judging from how little aid we provide, this scene gets play out over and over again.

How should we, as Christians, respond? We can certainly look at a global scale as well as a local. Poverty knows no boundaries. What would our communties and our world look like if we were more generous as a church and as a nation?

In this season of Lent, it is a time for self-examination. I wonder for myself (and invite you to wonder as well), am I living as simply as I can? Or does my lifestyle filled with material stuff? Are there ways that I can help with this issue of poverty? Do I really need the cable package with HBO? Could I reduce my package and support a child through World Vision? Could I stop going to Starbucks and use that money to fund micro-loans to help African business people become self-sustaining? Can I drive my car until the wheels fall off so that I can use the money I would normally be paying a car payment with to help dig wells so people can have clean drinking water?

We are a part of a global community. Our neighbors are not only the people in close proximity with us...our neighbors are made up of people around the world. We have an opportunity, even a responsibility as Christians to pray for, build up, and encourage.

With that said...

• What does your church do to combat poverty in your community? The world?
• What are some ways that you can personally get involved?