Haircut

 

Mini Van…Mega Fun!!

 

Ok So This might be graphic

Consider that your warning…

I got an email from someone asking about what I thought about love and sex…this is my response (unedited)

Well I think this is a difficult question considering I do not understand the context from which it was formed.
Love is foundational to all relationships.  But there is more than one understanding of love.  You wouldn’t tell a husband that you “love” him the same way you would tell your mother you “love” her or the same way you would tell someone you “love” pizza.

Here is how love really breaks down. (outta memory sorry if details are off, the main ideas are accurate)  1) philos- a deep friendship kind of love, companionship…like in Philadelphia (city of brotherly love).  2) storge- a bond of love that exists in a family 3) eros- a sexual love shared between lovers (erotic) 4) agape- love that has NO conditions (it is a love that chooses to love regardless of if love is returned) this is the love-word that God uses to describe his love for his people.  It is an ultimate embodiment of all the loves.

We tend to equate love and sex in our society.  We think that we cannot love without sex, but it is a cheapened version of love.  Sex is a wonderful thing and a powerful thing.  It is so wonderful that it captures out thoughts and demands our attention.  It is so powerful that can create life and also has the power to tear our souls apart when it is abused.

Anytime our flesh has sex (of any kind: self/mutual masturbation/oral/ etc) it causes our souls to weld itself to another.  This is the reason that rape and sexual abuse is so devastating because it takes what should only be given.  When our souls weld together and are torn apart it leaves incredible damage.  It causes hurts and doubts and confusion and leaves nothing behind.  Now that is when sex is unhealthy and at the wrong time. So what is the RIGHT time?

Well because of the damage it causes to our souls when the welding is ripped apart…it makes sense that the one you would share that experience with would be a lover whom with you had a mutual lifelong commitment. A marriage commitment.

If I had multiple sexual partners and wanted to share the rest of my life with someone I would be opening up my soul to them and they would see all the damage and insecurities left behind by previous lovers.  This would be incredibly difficult to work through as a couple.  Love is deeper and entirely more important than sex. Sex is wonderful and great, in the right context where it can create WANTED life and is a reflection of two souls becoming one.  But LOVE is the foundation of all.  When a person shuts down love they become cold and driven and never allow anyone in.  When a person seeks love in their flesh and not in their soul (only God can reveal this to you) they then open up themselves to any lover who simply says words that easy to say but tough to live out. This kind of love has NO commitment because they would find it difficult to be faithful in marriage due to their never-ending desire to hear (feel) “i love you” where ever they could get it.

To say “I love you” is easy…anyone could say it.  But how does one show it?  If you ever saw A KNIGHT’S TALE: Jocelyn tells Will that anyone can say I will win for you…but the test of real love is will he LOSE for her.  The word “passion” mean “how much pain will you endure for what you desire” (The Passion of the Christ) The real test of love is the denial of our fleshly wants to make sure our souls are protected.

I know it is long, but I hope it stirs up some thoughts for you.

 

The Sportscenter Treatment

I love to watch Sportscenter.  Especially after my Falcons or Bulldogs or Hawks have a good game.  I love to see the highlights of each game.  I love the funny commentary and the insightful stories.  I know that it makes me a nerd and I don’t care.

So here are my highlights of the last week.

1. Work is getting more complicated, but I really feel like I am beginning to connect with some of my co-workers.
2. Spent some time hanging out with Chris Conrad (church planting guys) and he was fun and I got free dinner!  Whoo Hoo!
3. Thursday was crazy: I got a call from my sister telling me Devan was home alone and knocked his dad’s motorcycle on to his leg, breaking and dislocating it.  I spent much of the evening at T.C. Thompson Childrens Hopsital trying to keep the mood light.  I got to pray with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew as he was awakening from his sedated nap.  My nephew is a rock star and I think he is the toughest kid ever.  He lifted the 500lb bike off his leg and crawled inside to call his mom and sat calmly on the couch watching Sponge Bob when the paramedics arrived.  The only point he cried is when he got scared that his accident would cause his parents to have to pay for him to be fixed.  It was so incredibly touching…Great Kid from Great Parents.
4. This weekend was really restful.  I got to hang with my family and talk through some great ideas with our church leaders.  I feel like Northbridge took some important steps forward this week.
5. UGA ugly win at Kentucky; Falcons dominate their rival Saints! Matt Ryan rookie of the year and Matt Stafford No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
6. And just for fun. if you have time

 

Neglect

So i haven’t blogged in quite a while.  I have neglected my posting.  So here is a rundown of whats been going on.

• The ‘Noog is an amazing place to live.
• Some close friends of mine experienced an incredible loss…I am praying for you guys.
• I believe I have a dream for Northbridge Church.  I don’t know what it looks like but I am excited about God revealing what He wants for Chattanooga, TN.
• We are in fund raising mode right now.  I wish we were in LAUNCH mode, but we have to focus on one thing at a time.  I am being patient.
• I have to say that I am excited about the heart my Atlanta Falcons are showing this season.  I am also increasingly concerned about the injury ravaged Georgia Bulldogs…keep fighting Dawgs!
• I am reading some good books by some good pastors.
• God is still good and is still real…and is still up to something big here in the ‘Noog

 

Saturday Afternoon

It is so quiet in the apartment.  And in an unusual twist…I am up and awake before anyone else.  So here is a list of things that are going through my head/heart on this Saturday afternoon.

I am loving the fact that College Gameday is showing UGA some love.  And I am glad I don’t have to go to B-Dubs to see it!  Hooray for Comcast!!!

I am leading worship for the first time for The Northshore Project.  ROAD TRIP!

Looked at a great place to meet…it would be amazing…need to ask for God to do something huge!

God rocked me last night as I read Mark 2 (the story of the 4 friends and paralyzed man) Will I be the kind of person that will do what no one else is doing to bring someone to the feet of Jesus?  Or am I content with standing in line waiting to see Jesus do something?

After reading this post by PN…Who will I choose to be?

What will I be passionate about? Will there be something in our story here…that tears at my soul? I hope so!

 

First Real Interview

So today I had my first real interview for a job with http://www.chattem.com/

I desperately need to find a steady, full time job.  Something with regular hours and maybe even a benefit or two…who knows…reach for the stars and you will land on a cloud right…this cloud maybe a storm cloud right now!

So I woke up in time to leave an hour early for a 20 min drive…and thanks to my inexperience driving in Chattanooga it took 55mins.  I was cutting it close.  After frantic phone calls to my sister for directions, I arrived at the office complex completely out of my element…I wore a tie as well.  I know it shocked me too.  I sat in a room full of Gold Bond and Kaopectate boxes.  It was hard not to snicker and make immature comments.

The interview process went well I think.  The only question they really had was, “What on earth are you doing here?”  They couldn’t understad how I would leave a church to try to work in customer service.  I said, “Me neither!”

The interesting part of the conversation was when I had to explain how I had customer service experience.  I had to convince them that working with irate, upset, and sometimes aggressive church people was just like listening to angry customers with Icy Hot burns in awkward places.  Very similar I thought!

Well the last few days I have been driving around the city and getting familiar with it. More accurately, getting lost in it!  Everyone has told us that this city is on the verge of something huge.  I think God has brought us to a place about to explode with opportunities to lead the city to Jesus.  Pray for us.  It seems like such a cool place and I can’t wait to get rolling with www.thenorthshoreproject.com.

 

First Week in the ‘Noog!!

    So I officially moved to the ‘Noog (Chattanooga, TN) August 26th.  My roommate Mike and the lead pastor Josh and team member Derek moved all of our stuff from our 16’ truck in the pouring rain, hot stinkin’ rain.  We got soaked and a serious workout from all of our stuff.  So far I have nearly lost a foot due to Mike putting the truck in reverse instead of park.  We have gotten all of our stuff wet because of a leak in the truck.  We were given a hotel room to stay in after we got all packed up (Thanks TJ and Christy!)  

    The moving in went surprisingly well considering the conditions.  We bought some necessary book shelves for our gobs of books.  Mike put them together while I ran errands and got us all settled in.  We had a leak when we ran our washing machine the first time.  Then friday night, I heard a shower running.  I went to check only to find a shower coming from my vent to my toilet!  It was an downpour…so i had to call emergency maintanence and they shut the water off, let it leak out, and told me not to use my vent…hah ah

    On a serious note…Mike and I had a difficult time moving in this week.  We are both scared and excited to see what is going to happen in our new venture.  The tension of moving and settling and getting started with the church plant began to really weigh on each of us.  I have had an especially difficult time getting settled and finding a job…money is extremely tight and I have had to make some serious decisions concerning, internet access, tv, cell phone, and insurance.  So every decision felt like crucial one.  I don’t know about you but sometimes I get so frustrated when I feel like I am unsure whether or not I am makeing the right decisions.  I felt like I have been on a roll of bad choices.  I was snapping at Mike and myself.

    But then Mike and I had a great talk.  We hugged it out and gave some grace on both our parts.  Then we just enjoyed the fact that my vent was filling up a 45 gallon garbage can sitting on my toilet!  It turned into the first night we both felt at home.  

     Saturday was a day of learning the ‘Noog and beginning to engage our community.  We have a long way to go, but God is already at work in my heart for this place.  I am trusting him to be my provider and trusting him to use me no matter what “mood” I may be in at the time.

    Sunday we go to church for the first time to just enjoy and not lead…no responsibilities…just letting God love on us…and do a little bit of research as well.  Pray for us…we need it!

 

10 Worst Actors of All-Time

First off i need you all to understand this is a completely biased, unfounded, and subjective look at these actors…this is all in good fun and I would never assume I could do a better job than them…but there are plenty of animals out there that are doing a better job than them…and would make for a much more interesting flick…Kung Fu Panda anyone!?

Rules:

Comedians (Chris Rock and Dane Cooke) not included because they are only invited to roles due to their stand-up routines. Yes they are terrible actors, but the real criminals are the producers here.

Athletes (Shaq and Arnold and the dreadful Steve Austin) are exempt because they are only there for their athletic fame and prowess. They aren’t actors.

Musicians- this seems to apply more to rappers than rockers (Ice T and 50 Cent) but occasionally pop stars (Madonna and Prince) seem to get it right more so than the others…but still are exempt from this list regardless of their pitiful performances.

And Awaaaaay Weeee Goooo!

#10 Ben Affleck:

Where to begin…With Ben Affleck riding his creative coattails, Matt Damon seemed to be immune to BA’s anti-genius. Even though starring in blockbusters like Paycheck and Gigli with legitimate actors/actresses he didn’t pick up anything of value. The fact he keeps getting jobs is as astounding as his lip-less face.

#9  Keanu Reeves:

After breaking out is some surfing flick, Keanu has left the beach. Although his career should be washed up like loose seaweed, he still lands jobs as emotionless non-humans (and those are just the romantic comedies) One day he will star in a movie as an alien and the world will be astounded at his performance, due to the fact he is an alien…then the mothership sent to pick him up will crash onto a beach somewhere to a subtle “Whoa!” from Keanu…and when he goes home…the movie world will rejoice.

#8  Vin Diesel:

I don’t know where this guy came from, but he needs to return. I am happy to report there hasn’t been a Vin sighting in a few years. Hopefully the Chronicles of Riddick-ulous was his final attempt at fooling the world into thinking he is a real actor.

#7 John Wayne:

Many will bemoan this pick, including my mother. Taking an honest look at his movies I can’t help but laugh. I now understand that he never once knew he was in a movie. The Duke must have thought that every western and war movie was really happening around him. Its sad to watch a man in his acting prime battle with senility.

#6 Sylvester Stallone:

Rocky hit a home run and his reprisal in Rocky Balboa…but he pushed his luck over the cliff onto an exploding car full of Laotians with Rambo. Not to mention his impressive string of mega flops Stop of My Mom Will Shoot and Cliffhanger.  Sorry Sly…the world is just no longer in need of a muscle bound actors with limited communication abilities…We need them to be governors!

#5 Burt/Ryan Reynolds:

these two would top the list for the worst acting families just above the lowly acting Douglass’s (Kirk and Michael) Burt has passed on his uncanny ability to choose the worst roles and play them as terribly as they are written. Ryan could occasionally cause a smile or two with his sarcasm…but causes many more tears than smiles.  Every role for Ryan is like watching the Amittyville Horror actually happen!

#4 Nicolas Cage:

This is a risky pick. He is a noteworthy actor in Hollywood and has played some interesting characters that he butchered into seemingly non-existence. Ghost Rider should be exorcised and gone in 60 seconds was a cruel joke that lasted more than 60 seconds. The cinematic blunder that is Nick Cage (which is a much cooler moniker)is continuing his not-hot streak with not-promising sequels.  He just couldn’t leave an ok movie alone…he had to recreate it…next he will recreate Con Air…that is how the world will end!

#3 Jean-Claude Van Damme-

the next to worst martial arts actor of all time. I applaud his curious attempt at the English language, but what I cannot applaud is his endless barrage of straight-to-VHS bombs.  Come on, there isn’t much to say…this one is easy!

#2 Steven Segal:

This guy’s acting is absolutely horrible.  the reason he makes this list and the beloved Chuck Norris doesn’t is that CN actually appeared in a Bruce Lee flick. I have seen better acting from non-English speaking martial artists (Jet Li/Jackie Chan/Heck…even Chris Tucker who was a consideration for this list)

And the #1 Worst Actor of All-Time…drumroll…

Ben Stiller:

He tops the list…I understand this is completely subjective and biased…but he is a terrible actor. My heart and stomach switch places every time I see him ruin a funny movie. He is completely spastic and about as believable as a 3 year old with chocolate on his mouth claiming the cookies were stolen! I don’t think I could explain it well enough, but he never should have Met the Parents…in the heartbreak kid…he did exactly that. He even ruined a great moment in an awesome movie by playing a stupid Hispanic anchorman!! He haunts my movie dreams!!

 

Fearless Camp 2008

This has been a crazy summer. I am not sure if I have experienced a crazier summer since I traveled with The Difference. I have now experienced youth camp from every possible angle.

• Student- I was 16-17 yrs old. I was too dumb to know that I should have been turned off to the gospel because our camp was full of legalism and rules and incredibly bad facilities. God rescued me anyway. I remember flag football in windbreaker pants and nose-bleeds at night due to heat.
  
• Counselor- I was a volunteer youth pastor and experienced camp anew with my students. I remember praying for them and crying over them and I remember them being too dumb to know how bad the camp was. God is so good.
  
• Ministry Team- I traveled on The Difference and finally saw what other camps were like. I loved them! I remember playing Sing Like the Saved and breaking arms at SC camp. I remember meeting Justin Bernard in FL. I remember trying anything to get students excited. I remember spending almost 2 weeks taking sulfur-water showers in GA.
  
• Full Time YP- Taking my students to Master’s Inn in VA really opened my eyes to how camp can work. I remember staying in the Village and it reminded me of the lack of air conditioning I was used to in TN. I loved how easy it was and how fun it was. After 3 years there…I realized how lazy I was and how numb I had become to youth camps in general.
  
• Camp Director- This has been the most difficult, yet rewarding, angle I have experienced. I had to make really tough decisions and deal with spoiled youth pastors (like myself!!) all week.
  

This week at FEARLESS 08 CAMP:

We had a great speaker who let his personality disarm students while the truth scored direct hits to their souls.

We had a great group of worship leaders, led by Cody Thomas, who really set the atmosphere.

We had as many hiccups as we could handle every day. Nearly severed toes, dehydration, students breaking rules, youth pastors thinking this was still Master’s Inn, but God knew what we could handle and helped us immensely.

We had phenomenal ministry teams! They could not have been better in my mind. I wish I could say more but these guys are awesome. Their energy was contagious and I look forward to seeing Jr Highers catch it!

The Youth Pastors really came through. They did everything I asked and some did what needed to be done without being asked. Everything from AV to MC to Rec to Clean up! What an incredible group!

Most Importantly: I saw students live the gospel. These students were the most awesome group ever. During the amazing race I fought back tears as they cheered on other teams and those who needed encouragement. I saw teens hold water jugs up for those who needed water. I broke into tears as the students showcased their talents. There were some students who felt like a star even for just a little while…they shined!

I don’t know what God has in store for Jr High camp, but I for one cannot wait!

NC West Youth Camp 08