Have a Blessed Day!

Yesterday was Kim's last day at work as the Senior Switchboard Operator for ACU. For the past 21 months, Kim has been the most amazing example of Paul's admonition to the church in Collosse, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lor, not for men."

Throughout her time at ACU, Kim has received plenty of praise for a job well done including these kind words from Mike Cope:

"I'm going to do you a favor here. Need a lift? Think of someone you need to speak to at ACU, but don't dial them direct. Instead call 674-2000. You'll likely get Kim Quile who says in the kindest voice you'll hear all day, "I hope you have a blessed day."It's amazing that one kind voice saying something so simple as "have a blessed day" can make life more enjoyable. But it's true.(Now -- only do this once -- so I don't add to her workload!)" - Wednesday, February 04, 2004


The past couple of days people have emailed their appreciation, stopped by her office to say thanks, and even called her and said something like this, "I don't need a number Kim. I just wanted to tell you how much you mean to the university and to hear you say, 'Have a blessed day' one last time."

And yesterday a co-worker, Chris Campbell, (from a completely different department) wrote these amazing words:

"A Sad Farewell
Today, Abilene Christian University says "good-bye" to its most prized employee. No, I'm not talking about President Royce Money. I'm not talking about our VP of Development, John Tyson, or any other member of the President's cabinet.I'm not talking about any member of the faculty...though each of them are extremely valuable in their own right. I'm not talking about anyone from Campus Life or the other organizations that so ably guide and mentor the young people on this campus.I'm talking about our campus operator...Kim Quile.Those of you who don't work at ACU might think this is a failed attempt at satire on my part. But for those of us who work at ACU, it's quite easy to defend this claim. After all, Kim, to many folks, is the voice of ACU.Before I came to ACU I worked for seven years at EDS in Plano. The majority of my customers were small credit unions in the Midwest -- simple and friendly. So I shuddered every time they would call in through the EDS toll-free number...as they were always greeted by the familiar hurried, impolite, brash, I-just-got-off-my-8th-15 minute-smoke-break voice of the EDS operator. What a way to start a phone call!I don't have any statistics to support how many phone calls Kim Quile fields in a day...but I would dare say it's well into the hundreds. And each of those folks are greeted with the same cheery, Spirit-filled, joyful voice of Kim Quile.It's quite likely that each person Kim Quile spoke to was not happy. But I am confident that by the time Kim had rerouted their call they couldn't help but be in a better mood...as she always signs offs with familiar, "...and I hope you have a blessed day."I don't think we'll have to work in Heaven (PRAISE GOD!!!)...but if we do, I hope the Lord employs Kim Quile as Heaven's official receptionist." Tuesday, August 16, 2005

When we first arrived back in Abilene, Kim was known to many on the ACU campus as, "Joel's wife." It wasn't long after she started working for ACU that I became known as, "Kim's husband." Words cannot express how proud I am to be Kim's husband!

Thank you babe for setting an example for all of us!

One of the blessings of my new job is that Kim will not have to work outside the home. Today she will take both girls to school (Emily's starts at 7:50 and Laura's at 9:00) and then head up here to the church for her first Wee School (Pre-School) meeting.

I know that whatever she does, she will work with all her heart to bring a blessing to others!

Have a blessed day babe!

I Stretched. The Lord Drove.

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on the left."

Those of you who read my previous post know that something happened to me and my family last week that was cause for great joy. I have accepted an invitation to serve the Lake Cities Church of Christ as Senior Minister.

Due to the fact that I actually began work yesterday (yes, that is right, Monday, Aug 15th) and am in the middle of a tornado of transition I will not have time to share the story of the past weeks and months. To call it crazy is an understatement. It would be kinda like the Israelites watching God release them from Pharaoh’s captivity, send a bunch of bizarre plagues, lead them with fire and cloud and then at the last minute part the sea and then trying to describe that journey in a blog (while walking across the sea at that!).

God has blessed our family with the desires of our heart. The family of believers at Lake Cities is a perfect fit for our family. I am so blessed! It is always an honor and privilege to tell the Story and share the Good News in any church in any city. However, I feel a deeper level of amazement in my situation. I literally feel like the Israelites must have felt as they walked down that dry path that was normally occupied by the sea itself while looking up to their left and right at walls of water!

I really hope to share more soon. I am also dedicated to starting my ministry here right so that means less talk and more rock! If you would be so gracious as to keep lifting up our family in your prayers. You can pray specifically for our girls (they started school last Thursday) and for our home situation (we need our house to sell in Abilene before we can buy in Trophy Club) and for all the other details that go with transition.

I love you all. Even the "comedians" who felt compelled by God to act the fool on my previous blog. God is good! Stretch out and let Him drive!

Yeah, Like That Kind!

Do you remember the kind of smile you had on your face when you were like four and your mom or dad would tickle you?

Do you remember the kind of smile you had when you were eight and got that bike for Christmas?

Do you remember the smile your face dawned when you were twelve and you hit the winning home run in the bottom of the 7th with two outs?

Or the smile after that first kiss from "that girl" at age 16?

Do you remember back in college - that grin you wore after getting that A on the final of your hardest class? (I don't - I thought I'd ask you)

If you can remember all the times that you smiled a huge smile because you were so happy that you could hardly contain yourself...

You remember that smile?

Well, I have a smile on my face today.

Yeah, like that kind.

Good Times at Medieval Times

Last night our family was treated to an evening at Medieval Times by a wonderful couple from Lake Cities. It was a blast! Another really cool family went with us and we just laughed and laughed and really enjoyed ourselves.

God is so good! We experienced another really comfortable week at Lake Cities and it is just exciting!

I will write more tomorrow!!!

1 Billion Dollars. (and a Roll of Duct Tape)

Am I the only one who finds it a bit odd that after spending 1 Billion dollars (yes, Billion with a "B") NASA had to resort to using DUCT TAPE to further fix the shuttle? Duct Tape might be fine for a leaky pipe or to repair a box or something, but the shuttle?

Can you imagine that conversation?

"Houston, we have a problem."

"Just slap some duct tape on it!"

These guys are going to be entering the earth's atmosphere at like a gajillion miles an hour and they are counting on duct tape to keep them from becoming human briquettes. I'm not making this up either. I've attached the article below for you to see for yourself.

In all seriousness, I really feel that we should be praying for the entire Crew and even those in the re-entry path on the ground. I really hope that we don't have another tragedy! If the Shuttle makes it safely (which NASA expects) I can honestly say that my already high appreciation of Duct Tape will get even higher.


Employing the kind of NASA ingenuity seen during Apollo 13, an astronaut prepped for an emergency repair job Wednesday on Discovery's exterior with forceps, scissors and a hacksaw fashioned out of a blade and a little duct tape.Stephen Robinson's mission was to remove two short pieces of filler material that were sticking out of the shuttle's belly. NASA feared the material could lead to a repeat of the 2003 Columbia tragedy during Discovery's re-entry next week.He could simply pull the stiff fabric out with gloved hands. If a gentle tug did not work, he was to pull a little harder with forceps. And if that didn't work, he was supposed to use a hacksaw put together in orbit with a deliberately bent blade, plastic ties, Velcro and the handyman's favorite all-purpose fix-it: duct tape. (photo credit: NASA TV)

Blow Open The Doors!

I preached on Acts 20:7-12 last week at Lake Cities. Towards the end of the sermon I shared a poem that God put on my heart a while back. I thought I would share it with you and have also included a short excerpt from my message. I plan on putting the entire text on my website soon so check it out.

Here it is:

Remember the little rhyme you learned as a kid?

Here is the church.
Here is the steeple.
Open the doors
And see all the people.

Last night as I was lying in bed the following little poem came to my heart.

There are the people.
And there is God.
But the church is over here
Now isn’t that odd?

What if the church moved?
From over here to over there
Joined God in His mission
of redemption and care?

We could sell the old steeple
And blow open the doors
And run to embrace
Those who’ve fallen three floors

Our actions our sermon
His justice our voice
Now that would change lives
And be cause to rejoice!


Paul was concerned about the lost. Jesus is concerned about the lost. God is concerned about the lost. Concerned to the point of action. Concerned to the point of change. God is calling us to do the same. I believe this text is calling the church to be a community where people will do whatever it takes to save some. He is calling us "Christians" to "wake up" and rise up and descend into greatness and engage and embrace those in our world who lay broken and left for dead. He is calling us to go to them and to love them back to life and share with them not only the gospel but our lives as well. Only then will we earn the right to break bread with them and live with them in community. And only the revolution of changed lives is enough to cause the church to greatly rejoice. The reality of changed lives is what really brings God glory.
Changed lives. It is the story of the Bible. It is the story of Acts. And it is the story of Eutychus. It should be our story too.

Good Question, Rick. Here Is My Yearbook Answer.

"So what will you say about your visit to Lake Cities in your blog?"

The question was a good one. Good enough to quiet a usually gregarious guy like me.

But not for long...

This past weekend our entire family made the quick trip to Trophy Club (DFW Metroplex) to interview for the Senior Minister position at Lake Cities Church of Christ. To say that we enjoyed it would be a gross understatement. This church loved us and blessed us to a degree that we had not previously experienced on our journey. I will attempt to express my feelings in a manner similar to how we use to write our senior memories in our yearbooks back in the day. This might not make any sense to anyone else besides me but this is my blog and hey, the question was asked to me in the first place. So here I go. Lake Cities Yearbook Style:

Decent drive - nice hotel - Chili's was good (grilled Salmon) but the company was great (didn't get grilled)! Karen, Steve, Alan, Donna, Brenda and (I forget the other guy's name...) - kidding! & Rick were great people. In fact, they still are great. Karen & Steve, thanks for the tour...what a beautiful building! Cruising Trophy Club with Liz Maddox - fun and exciting. Macaroni Grill was delicious (all 5 of us got dessert - yummy!) All 5 of us praying on Saturday night in the hotel will be a memory I will never forget. Sunday morning was so beautiful. So were Brian & Bailey for that matter. Got one answer right on the way. Church Sunday am...what can I say? Kevin the Tech Master - amazing and seamless. Bob Beustring...coming in and hugging me and praying for me...you know how much that meant? A total blessing! Class went well (a chatty group - I love it!) and the message, well, aside from my calling Stephen "hot" and referring to myself as "ruddy" ... went well too. We met so many wonderful people and to try and list all their names would for sure leave some great people out. Lunch - let's just say I was the first to get seconds - grubbin! The inquisition, I mean interrogation, I mean interview, went fantastic. Kathy, Jaime, Stephen, Rich, Alan, Ron, Rick, & Cindy all were a delight. The questions? Tough. The answers? Just me being me and Kim being Kim. Who else could we be? Favorite moment was when Coach brought me to tears with describing his love for the church. After three hours of questions ranging from my dreams for the church to fantasy football we left feeling really, really good. The word "fit" really fits how we felt. Sunday night at the Morgan's was amazing. Fiesta Salad baby! Scott had us rolling. I loved that dude. "I'm no Prentice or Acthley apparently!" :) Loved listening to their hearts. The Quad Z's (Morgan kids) are cool! Again, left feeling so good. The word "right" seems right on to describe how we feel the connection is. Monday morning - golf w/Bailey and Matt (thanks for the use of the car for the kids) and John. While Bailey was drumming us three, the 8 chicks (and Connor the Great!) were chilling at Red Robin. Hated to leave. Tough drive home. So many feelings...so much emotion. Pure anticipation.

Last night Kim and I went for a walk. I told her I felt like Moses standing on the edge of the Red Sea just waiting for a "Raise your staff and stretch out your hand" moments.

I'm trying my best to hear it. The roar of chariots and the waves is loud. God is moving and speaking. I believe He is saying "move on" (Ex 14:15). We'll have to wait before we sea!

Big G. A Little Odd.

They say we use about 10% of our brain. A few thoughts come to mine: (get it? mine? my brain? okay...)

*Who is "they" anyway?

*10% is biblical - isn't it? Kinda like "brain tithing" or something...

*I hit for an average of .327 in baseball and thought that was decent. I don't know what to think about hitting .100 in brain-usage.

*I'm really hoping that I'm a double digit guy in the big picture. I've been to Walmart past 11:00pm and seen the guy wearing the overalls and no shirt. That can skew an average quick.

and finally...

*What if we did use the other 90%? What would that be like?

All this brain-percentage-talk caused me to consider the following question:

How much of God do I use? Maybe another way to ask that is how much do I believe God? Or better still - how big is my God? Do I believe in a 100% God or a 10% God?

I know...tough question. The answer is equally as brutal.

I think my God is too small. I know I don't live for gods. You know, like "little g" gods...

I believe that my life has been surrendered to the one and true God. You know, like "Big G" God...

But just how much of that "Big G" God do I believe? How big is my "Big G" God really?

I find it odd when my God is anything but Big. I'm going to pray that my God is really big in my life today!

It is bad enough to only use 10% of your brain. Believing, loving, and following anything less than 100% of God is more than a little odd. It is completely sad!

I leave you with the words from a contemporary psalmist from Waco, David Crowder:

I'm so bored of little gods
While standing on the edge of
something large
While standing here, so close to You
We could be consumed
What a glorious day
I give up, I lay down
Rest my face upon this ground
Lift my eyes to Your sky
Rid my heart of all I hide
So sweet this surrender

CHORUS:
How great Your love for us
How great our love for You
That grace could cover us
How great Your love

How marvelous, how brilliantly
Luminous, You shine on me
And who can fail to give You awe
To fear You, God, so sovereign and strong

What a glorious day
What a wonderful day, today
What a glorious day
What a wonderful day, today
Glorious day

-the song is "How Great" and is by David Crowder

What about you? Are you bored of little gods?

Take a Peak

Greetings from Quaker Ridge Camp just outside of Woodland Park, Colorado (1/2 west of Colorado Springs)! How amazing! I don't have time to write much. We've made a quick trip into town to Starbucks (praise God for T-Mobile!) and I wanted to share a couple of pics that I snapped during my quiet time this morning. I confess I struggle with a consistent time with God but oddly enough, it has not been real hard this week. I look forward and see Pike's Peak, behind me a calm little pond, and no more than four feet from my feet is a little rabbit eating breakfast.












































The week is going great. Jeff and the band are so incredible to serve with and I praise God for their hearts. I hope to post some pics and thoughts later. This church (First Baptist Boerne - Boerne, TX) is absolutely beautiful. The youth pastors, Jason and Angie Brown and Danny Phillips are the real deal and love teens out of an overflow of a love for Jesus. I am so blessed. Spoiled blessed! I miss my bride and my kids so much and wish that they were here with me. God is so faithful and his love endures forever. My heart has found "home" in Him.

Longing For a Homeland

I don't travel much. Much, I must admit is a very relative term but suffice it to say that I'm no Jeff Berry or even Mike Cope. By that I mean that I don't travel near as much as they do. And besides, I can't sing like a witch (plus I don't shave my legs and arms!) nor can I preach my pants off (plus I don't speak Spanish) so anyway....

But I was in Houston last Friday through late (as in 2:00am on Monday morning late!) Sunday night. I was in Nashville on Wednesday and spent all of Thursday trying to get to California. I made to California Thursday night and left Sunday night after seeing good friends, performing a wedding, and preaching on Sunday. I arrived in Dallas at 1:00am on Monday morning to the most amazing sight for sore and tired eyes, my beautiful bride Kim. I drove us home to Abilene and fell asleep shortly after 4:00 am. Yesterday was a blur and today has been spent trying to prepare for this next week. I'll be leaving Abilene tomorrow morning for Colorado Springs from Wednesday through the following Monday. I will spend Monday in the Metroplex and then come back to Abilene on Tuesday. The next weekend (30th-31st) I'm preaching back in the Metroplex at Lake Cities Church of Christ and then the weekend after that I'm back preaching in California. Bottom-line is that I've become a mini "Road Warrior" this summer and I'm not entirely sure of what to make of it.

A few miscellaneous ramblings, travel stories and hopefully some encouragement for your journey:

This past weekend with the Cinco Ranch Church of Christ was incredible. I know I'm guilty of calling a hot dog at a ball game incredible but I mean it when I say that it went way beyond my expectations. This church is one of the most missionly minded faith communities I've crossed paths with to date. They have a vision for the future which flows from their heart for the lost. They treated me like royalty and our entire family loved everything about the church. Brandon gave my name to them and a true gentleman named David was my contact. This guy was the real deal. Just as nice as the day is long. I felt like I was being loved by God in his company. The elders are amazing and have evangelism in their DNA. One of the hightlights of the weekend was meeting Raymond and Luree Key. So godly and so good. They gave Emily butterflies (see Kim's blog) and have been married almost 60 years. Incredible folks. It will be exciting to see where we end up at the end of the road of change.

Our house went on the market last Wednesday morning and while we don't know where God is going to lead us next we know that we want a bigger house but not necessarily a newer house or nicer house. One of the proverbial fleeces that we have thrown out is that Kim won't have to work and that we could have a house big enough for our kids to have a room and be able to have guests often. Kim has the spiritual gift of hospitality and yet I don't have a strong gift of financial earning. We both have trust that wherever God leads us He will provide the house that we need.

Nashville was incredible! I had never been there before and totally loved it. Of course I'd love being in Nowhere Nebraska (probably a real city...) with Brandon and his beautiful family. Hanging out with Brandon was a blessing and while there I got to watch a film called Most. Our friend Matt Duncan is doing some amazing things to bless the conversation between the church and the art community at large and this movie was a great step. Hopefully, I will be writing more about that film. Brandon and I bawled like babies for most of the movie. I'm talking audible crying! It was sad enough and then when Sheryl brought baby Sam to Brandon it made it all the more pathetic. It was terrible and beautiful, horrible and holy at the same time.

I don't have time now to write in detail about Redwood City but the wedding was great and Rachel and Freddie were totally awesome. Preaching was a blessing and I spoke on the Sabbath. Of course I always speak on the Sabbath! (bad joke). I love the Redwood Church and as much as I hate to admit it, this was a sad trip of sorts. I can't (or shouldn't) explain it on this blog, but I felt really sad for the church. I did get to spend time with Seth and David and the Stevens' and that is always a blessing!

Travel is cool for about a day. And while I'm so pumped about going to camp tomorrow and the other opportunities that await, I am looking forward to settling down, getting a new home and spending time with my family.

I am reminded of some powerful words from Lynn Anderson in his great book, Longing for a Homeland:

"Moses, did you once feel that Egypt was really your home? What's that? Never completely so? Deep down inside, Moses, under all the regal trappings, did your child-heart sense that you didn't really belong to that place? Somehow you knew that you were not a true son of Egyptian soil. Did that slumbering awareness burst wide-awake that day you fled as a fugitive from your forty-year childhood homeplace? That first night beside the desert refugee trail when you pillowed your head on the sand - what dark, sad, homeless soliloquy flooded your mind?"

When we all get to heaven...

I'm reminded that the majority of my travels are for the purpose of increasing the number of the "all" above.

And that makes it better.

Good Night Church

I had a headache yesterday. In fact I had a backache too. I was tired. At times during the day, I was short with people, especially my family. I was more reactionary and unintentional in my moment to moment interactions with others than I care to be. I didn't experience much abundance. I was alive and yet there was a "deadness" that encircled me like a bunch of vulchers.

Then I went to sleep.

I rested.

I gave up control.

The next 7 hours were filled with dreams.

I woke up this morning and I feel great!

What if "the church" got some sleep? What if we traded activity for abiding? Swapped the rat race for some rest? What would we look like if we spent a little less time doing and a little more time dreaming?

Good night church.

What If?

What if a group of people taught one another how to be serious disciples (apprentices) of Jesus, as they represented Him to those around us (2 Corinthians 5:20).

What if making "disciples" (as Jesus called it in Matthew 28:19) was the primary ultimate goal of this group of people in all they did?

What if a group of people taught one another how to be serious students of the Scriptures, not content knowing the Bible only at a surface or shallow level, but to desire a deep understanding of the entire Bible?

What if a group of people had a leadership that was committed to seeing that Scripture is taught deeply and a goal of seeing the group of people were becoming "self-feeders" of the Scriptures (Hebrews 5:11-14)?

What if those who are part of this group of people committed to serve each other so that they experienced true community (Acts 2:42-47; John 13:34-35)?

What if this group of people was passionate about helping other people discover how God desires each to have a very valuable part of being in the "body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27)?

What if this group of people truly believed that the "family" should be highly valued, taught about and supported with the various ministries developed (marriage, family, children etc.), as the family is critical in the shaping of our society and culture (Matthew 19:4-6, Deuteronomy 6:4-9)?

What if those in this group of people learned to have their hearts break for those who have not yet experienced the love and grace of God and joy of knowing and following Jesus (2 Peter 3:9)?

What if this group of people attempted to learn to see people and love people as Jesus did (Matthew 9:35-38)?

What if those in the group had a heart for being involved in their local city or town and in activities that express the love of God outside of the group's own internal activities and events. What if this group truly believed that they must be a local community-a very focused and involved group that engaged their neighbors?

What if this group decided that they will not measure success by group attendance, their degree of professionalism or production related factors, but instead will measure what they do by how they constantly seek to increase the degree of our love for God and for people (Matthew 22:37-39)?

That group would be the church.

Not the "church" as in something you go to, but something you are.

And I would want to be a part.

Dead Meat: Second Chances, Third Stories & the Gospel According to Harold

I am preaching tomorrow night at Highland and coming out of a text that I have never preached and never heard a sermon on in my life. That is often a bit risky and yet always rewarding. The story I am leading us through is found in Acts 20:7-12 and is the account of young Eutychus falling asleep during Paul's message.

I am planning on using the following illustration in order to communicate that Paul knew the secret that we must never forget: We must love others so much that we don't just share with them the gospel but our lives as well. His lesson was important but his love was life changing. The church in Troas had just seen a miracle. They had just witnessed a physical transformation as young Eutychus had been loved back to life. That was enough to rejuvenate them for the rest of the night.

A lot of us in Abilene have been to Harold's right? A business contradiction of sorts: Bad location. Crowded. Long lines. And his BBQ sauce isn't the only thing in that restaurant that is hot! I'm serious. I can sweat off more calories than I can take in at that place. It's like a big BBQ sauna. But yet Harold's is always packed. Why? The food. The product. The meat! Not the fancy building - the meat. Not the convenient location or speedy service it's the meat! The prices are not the draw - the product is. Advertisement is non existant. But the word of mouth - can't stop it!

The church would do well to learn a lesson from Harold. Our focus cannot be on our buildings, budgets, and bureaucracies. Our product is Jesus. His redemptive love must always be our missional meat. Jesus came down and loved us on Calvary. He knew we were sick and so he threw his arms around us and healed us. He knew we were lost and so he ran from Heaven to the hill of Golgotha to find us. Paul left a house, stopped a sermon and descended three flights of steps to awaken the dead. Jesus left heaven, stepped into the constraints of time and descended into hell for three days to awaken the dead.

God is calling us to do the same. For the church to be a community where people will do whatever it takes to save some. He is calling us "Christians" to "wake up" and rise up and descend into greatness and engage and embrace those in our world who lay broken and left for dead. He is calling us to go to them and to love them back to life and share with them not only the gospel but our lives as well. Only then will we earn the right to break bread with them and live with them in community. And only the revolution of changed lives will cause the church to greatly rejoice.

Our "meat" must be our willingness to "meet" others where they are at and love them back to where they belong - with God.

4th and 249 from the 2005

Happy Fourth of July!

A few thoughts on America's 249th Birthday...

I agree with Brandon's post from Saturday -- you don't have to hate other countries to love America. In fact, you don't have to think that God loves America more than everyone else to love America. I would go so far to state that I can love America less than I love God, my wife and kids, and anything else I want.

I find it odd though that we (read: "conservative Christians" -- broad stereotype...) look down our noses at those who have a problem with our government (read: Bush) and its policies (read: Iraq) and do something about it such as protest or just plain voice their concern and yet, today, we are celebrating a legal holiday commemorating the REVOLUTION that resulted in independence from a government that good people FOUGHT against because it found it oppressive and ungodly. Am I the only one that sees the irony in that deal? I doubt it.

I ran across two other good posts this morning (different perspectives but good nonetheless) that I would recommend that you check out. Bart's blog and Larry's blog both offer thought provoking material to consider on this day.

And finally, when the greatest risk I will face today is accidentally blowing off my own hand due to the deadly combination of too little common sense and too many fireworks, I came across some of the realities and risks that our forefathers faced by signing the Declaration of Independence. You might want to check it out.

Regardless of your level of patriotism, I would urge you to remember that while we eat hamburgers, corn on the cob and homemade ice cream, while we enjoy sleeping in and a day off of work, while we watch parades, play with sparklers and oooohhhh and aahhhh over tonight's fireworks that much blood was given over the past 249 years to protect our freedom. Our freedom as citizens of American was bought with many lives. Yes our ultimate freedom comes from Christ's sacrifice. No disputing that fantastic fact. But living in America is also a great gift. I don't think it is a sin to be thankful for this truth.

A Piece on P.E.A.C.E.

Get ready.

Don't say I didn't tell you.

It's coming.

P.E.A.C.E. -- Saddleback's next big thing.

In an era when there are a few churches that truly threaten the gates of hell, Saddleback has declared war by accomplishing P.E.A.C.E.

Check it out: http://www.saddlebackfamily.com/peace/

And to think that there is a church somewhere arguing about a guitar, grape juice, and guest parking...

Pretty sure hell isn't shaking over those issues.

But planting churches, equipping leaders, assisting the poor, caring for the sick and educating the next generation?

The gates don't stand a chance!

Don't Think and Drive

Today I woke up at 6:58am.

I prayed at 7:13am.

I worked on a sermon for next week at 8:25am.

I worked on my Pastoral Skills Final project from 9:30 - 10:45am.

I went and saw War of the Worlds with my son at 11:15am.

I took my daughter Laura to the doctors at 2:15pm.

I got a haircut at 3:23pm.

I visited with my wife at work at 4:12pm.

I went to Sam's Club for one of those Y2K-don't let Dad ever buy groceries alone-mega shopping sprees at 4:49pm.

I never heard God once. Not one time.

As I drove home from Sam's, I felt Holy Spirit urging me to turn off my radio. My radio was blaring "Christian" music (well music with Christian lyrics!) and good stuff too - I'm talking Casting Crowns. But I felt Him saying turn it off.

So I turned off the music.

And then it got really quiet. Uncomfortably quiet. Like "hear my heartbeat" quiet.

And then I heard God.

As I passed our local golf n games fun park and noticed that it was for sale, I heard God say, "you put too high a price tag on fun and games."

As I merged onto the loop, I heard God say, "You try and fit in way too much."

As I passed a pretty bad wreck and the emergency crews, I heard God say, "Life's short. Love hard."

As I passed ACU's Allen Farm, I heard God say, "You know nothing about the farm and it's principles of sowing and reaping. You should learn."

As I passed a team of 6 man football players practicing in 100 degree weather, I heard God say, "I made men to be warriors and this wasn't what I was talking about either."

As I saw the vastness of the West Texas skyline, I heard God say, "Earth is so small. You, Joel, are even smaller. I am Huge!"

As I passed a new home being built, I heard God say, "This world is not your home."

As I passed the fire station, I heard God say, "your job as a minister should be a lot more like a fireman than the president of a company."

As I passed a young couple jogging, I heard God say, "the way you take care of your body hurts both of us."

As I pulled onto my street, I turned the radio back on.

I didn't hear God anymore.


I dare you right now (right now!) to get up from your computer/desk and walk outside and find a good place to stand for a minute and just get still and don't say a word.

You will hear Him. Don't think you won't.

Who Is This Man?

Today, for a reason I can't explain, I pulled off of my "beaten path" and dined in one of Abilene's finer eating establishments, "The Branding Iron" I had never seen this place before, let alone eaten there. But I pulled over.

I entered the small, dark, greasy cafe and was immediately overcome by two things:

1. smoke
2. Sadness

The smoke was terrible. I mean it. Cope would have died before reaching the booth. There are casinos in Vegas with less smoke. The inside of Harold's pit on Sing Song weekend was less smoky. By the time my eggs made it to the table (they were raw enough to walk themselves there) my eyes had shriveled up and fallen out and I almost ate them, mistaking them for some type of sausage product) But despite the smoke what affected me most was the man that sat, slumped not more than several yards away.

The man was old and tired looking. He was doing his best to contribute to the Forrest fire air quality of the restaurant and must have polished off several packs while I was there. The look on his worn face stated that life had beat him up pretty bad and he was no longer interested in fighting back. It wasn't a look of disdain or depression but rather defeat.

Not being afraid of much, I went ahead and secretly shot a picture of my fellow patron with my phone. (see below -- bad quality -- I mean the room was smoky!) I really don't know why I even took the picture because I knew then that this man's face would never vacate my memory.

The question kept calling to me from within my soul, "who is this man?"

Other questions came: "Did he have a family?" "What did he want to be when he was seven?" "Did he ever know love?" "Could a face so full of hurt ever feel the hope of heaven?" "Had anyone ever told him the good news that there was one who valued him so much that he went to a hill outside of Jerusalem and did some eternal banking on behalf of his soul?

Then the questions became deeper:

"Was I supposed to come here to eat to see him?" "Should I get up and talk with him?" "Is he an angel?"

Other than to take a drag on his cigarette, the man never moved. Neither did I. I never spoke to him. I barely made eye contact.

The sad truth is that if he had just made his way into my smokeless church when I was sitting comfortably on the third row, I might have given him a hug.

If he had made his way into my Bible class on Sunday, I would have told him that good news.

If he would have found my website and paid me to come preach to him I would have done that too. But he didn't. He just sat there.

I finished my eggs and paid my bill. I returned home to take the second shower of my short day and rid my body of the curse of smelling like an ashtray. The smoke came off. The smell left.

The vision of this man still hasn't.

I hope it never does.

BRANDON SCOTT IS A TOTAL STUD!!!

Brandon Scott: Legend and Hero!

The following is my blogtribute to good friend and worship leading guru, Brandon Scott Thomas. Earlier this month I said some kind words about Mike Cope and Brandon has begged me every single day by phone, fax, email, and text messages to give him some blog love. Basically, I'm sick of him bugging me!

I'm just kidding!!! (Not about the good friend and worship leading guru part)

I did want to share with every cyber connected resident of this beautiful globe how much I admire and appreciate Brandon's ministry at Otter Creek and around the nation, his love for his wife and kids, and his personal commitment to living like Jesus every day.


Like a man with a way too full cup of java, you cannot bump into Brandon without getting some joy spilled on you. His passion for God is contagious and while he is best known for his worship leading of public praise, it is his private worship that I admire most. Like a little kid who is belting out "I'm in the Lord's Army" at the top of his lungs, Brandon offers his entire self as a living sacrifice.

Brandon is een weinig Nederlands, een kinsman, zanger en danser. Hij heeft een enorme zin van stijl. Hij heeft een cruise schip gewerkt aan. En nog is hij een hetrosexual. Is te verbazen het niet? Hij is ook iemand is dat ik hou van.

Yes, make no mistake about it - I love you Brandon!

Even if you do secretly love Sallie Strothers!

Trust Me On This One

I'm going to do you a favor here. I have posted some material from my good friend Mark Weathers on my website. Mark is brilliant. I'm not using that word lightly. He is to Christian writing what Lebron James is to the NBA. What Anurag Kashyap is to spelling, Mark is to spirituality. Trust me on this one. Surf over and read the first article in the news section (home page) and follow the instructions. I just read his Bleeding Woman Sermon again tonight and my arms and neck became a field of chills although I heard him preach just two days ago. Creative, bold and eloquent, Mark is a surgeon and words are his scalpel and the Spirit his hands. To find out more about Mark or view some of his material click here.

If you would like to know more about Mark or his ministry just drop me a comment to this blog and I will make sure he gets it.

Easier Said Than Done

I've made a good living and hopefully brought God a little glory by encouraging, reminding, and inspiring others to do such things like:

- Confront people who engage in gossiping.
- Share your faith.
- Don't let circumstances dictate your attitude.
- Forgive people quickly and completely.
- Serve sacrificially.
- Consider others better than yourselves.
- Don't worry. Trust.
- Be grateful and don't covet. Learn contentment.
- Don't complain and do compliment.
- Read the Word. Live the Word.
- Pray dangerous prayers.
- Love hard.

Today, I've felt terrible physically. Probably a virus. I've done battle with the enemy all day. Circumstances have determined my disposition. I've been worried and full of doubt. I never opened the Word and wouldn't you know, struggled to live it. My prayers have been selfish and safe and my love weak.

I love speaking for God. It is an uncontrollable fire that burns within my soul.

I really love living for God. Today, that fire needs some serious stoking!

Tengo a un gran predicador

The following post will be in Spanish in honor of the person that it honors.

¡Tengo a un gran predicador! En este momento él es hacia abajo en Costa Rica, no en vacaciones, no haciendo el trabajo de la misión (aunque estando seguro que él es es ligero), sino aprendiendo español. Mike quiere aprender español, no para su gloria, pero para la gloria de Dios. La mayoría de los predicadores adoran a Dios (una cosa buena adorar en ese campo) pero Mike es también un amante de personas y especialmente de vida. Su pasión por cada día es contagioso y él es un gran ejemplo. Mike es un revelador de personas y vierte su tiempo y el talento en predicadores más jóvenes. El atributo de Mike quizás sea su ejemplo de adorar a su esposa y niños. Veo el amor de Dios para la humanidad en el amor de Mike para su familia.
En un tiempo de la incertidumbre verdadera para nuestra familia, uno de las posibilidades más espantosas que encaramos, no obtiene para escuchar y el reloj (el sermón más poderoso) Mike cada semana. El es un gran y gran predicador. ¡El es una persona aún más asombrosa!

Mister Rogers with a Beard

I'm re-reading the first part of Wild at Heart again in hopes of actually finishing it this time. Not that I got really far the first time. And I'm loving it!

Eldredge (the author) is talking about our (society, the church, my own) proclivity for taming Jesus and thus reducing our own willingness to take risks and find ourselves in an adventure bigger than ourselves.

Two quotes at the start of the second chapter jumped off of the page and into my soul:

"How would telling people to be nice to one another get a man crucified? What government would execute Mister Rogers or Captain Kangaroo?" - Philip Yancey

"Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good." - C.S. Lewis

I had to agree with the author, sometimes I'm guilty of picturing Jesus as a cute little Mister Rogers (with a beard of course) and sadly, my brand of discipleship is a good imitation - so safe it makes me sick. Too little real life adventure and risk and too much time in the churchy and academic neighborhood of "Make-Believe"

Instead of King Friday I'm often Henrietta Pussycat.


KingFriday&Henrietta

Good Decision Mike...

I read the following headline today and couldn't believe my eyes:

Lawyer: Jackson Won't Share a Bed with Kids

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson's lawyer said Tuesday that the pop star is going to be more careful from now on and not let children into his bed anymore because "it makes him vulnerable to false charges."

A few thoughts on this brainiac decision:

1. Referring to "not letting children into his bed" as "careful" is like referring to "wearing a parachute when jumping out of a plane" as "cautious."

2. If you are a grown man and the children are not your own, letting children into your bed doesn't make you "vulnerable to false charges" it makes you vulnerable to being a sick, sick freak.

3. Carnival's in Southern California can once again operate at full steam now that the "jury of Michael's peers" is finished with their civic duty and can return to work.

In all of this chaos, Michael has inspired me. I'm happy to share with you, my blogging brethren, that I have decided to no longer coat myself in honey and walk into a den of grizzly bears because the honey makes me vulnerable to acne.

Who's Bad?

Good Questions

I've only been awake for about 3 hours and yet I have been asked (or asked myself) some really good questions.

7:01am "Are you going to lie in bed all day?" (by my wife Kim who had just finished 48 loads of laundry, painting the house, curing the common cold, and praying for 84,356 people by name prior to my waking.)

7:59am "What are you doing?" (again, by my lovely wife, who was inquiring why I was sitting comatose in front of my laptop and still hadn't showered.)

8:24am "Does the car have gas in it?" (by Kim who was about to leave for a week with L'nae Jensen to take 6 Treadaway Kids (lower income kids of single parents) to a camp in Austin and somehow felt that my contribution to the cause was filling up the car.)

8:43am "Then why isn't He telling us?" (by far the best question of the day from our 8 year old, Emily. We were discussing our future ministry plans and Emily was wondering if she would get to have a certain teacher next year. Here is a portion of that conversation:

Emily: "Will I have Mrs. Francis?"

Dad: "I don't know Honey."

Emily: "That's right, we don't know where we will be next year." (kinda bummed)

Dad: "But God knows." (also kinda bummed but able to hide it better than kids)

Emily: "Then why isn't He telling us?"

Classic!

8:55am "Why are you laughing at that?" (thought to myself when I was with Kim at the church helping load up the car for the trip to camp and overheard one 4th grade girl called her 5th grade brother a 'peckerwood'.)

9:29am "Do they know what year it is?" (thought to myself after being told by the donut lady at Jack & Jill's that they don't take credit cards.)

9:45am "Why isn't the milk up here?" (thought to myself after walking through the front center isle at United that is filled with alcohol of all types on my way to the far back corner of the store to get some milk for above mentioned donuts.)

9:56am "Why didn't you just go somewhere else?" (by my daughter Laura, 15, when she found out that the donut shop was out of sprinkles.)

10:02am "Where will I be serving the Lord three months from now?" (thought to myself after I typed the above question.)

Talking Tag Lines

I was just checking out some blogs and was impressed by the diversity and creativity of some of the tag lines (the descriptions, sub-titles, etc) and thought I'd share them with you. I'm betting that 90% of readers of my blog read these ones as well. If your feeling up to it, go ahead and rank the tag lines from 1 -5 with 1 being your five and 5 being, well - just ok. I'm interested in these kind of trivial pursuits.

Mike Cope: Sniffing out the work of God in this world.

Grant Boone: ...it's boring, but it's part of my life.

Sam Middlebrook: It's my brain. On your screen.

Bart Phillips: I have a "Giant Cavernous Aneurysm" behind my left eye. I went to Dallas for treatment May 6th. It was uninvasive and unsuccessful. I will have open brain surgery 6/15. I trust the Lord holds my head in His hands. God has been putting words on my heart that I feel I must put on paper. The following thoughts are those I feel that the Lord is speaking to me lately. Enjoy.

Greg Kendallball: rants, ravings, reflections, randomness.

I've only given 5 but if others know of some really good ones, feel free to add them in the comments.

Prayer Request

Please pray for a friend of our family from our days in Redwood City, Marissa Douglas. Marissa was in a serious motorcycle accident and is unconscious but stable in ICU at Stanford Hospital. Her parents are asking for prayers and specifically called me to ask me to get the word out. Please forward this plea to as many as possible.

I suggest that you pray three things:

1. That Marissa would be completely healed physically.
2. That this accident would serve as her "carob pod" experience and she would come to her senses and head back to her Father.
3. That God would get the glory for both healings!

Thanks friends.

Advice Would Be Nice

Okay, without going into a lot detail here, I am asking for some input regarding some choices that are currently facing Kim and I. Hopefully the counsel I receive will come from ministers/pastors who have actually been through this dilemma/desert, but I am opening up the discussion to anyone who cares enough to offer their opinion. So let's hear it!

I have several irons in the fire for future ministry at no less than 5 churches. Kim and I are soaking this situation in prayer and are confident that God is leading and we are learning so much in the process. Here is my question: Out of the five criteria below, which do you feel is the most important factor and which is the least? Please rank the following from 1 - 5 with 1 being the most important consideration and 5 being the least. Feel free (read: please do it) to explain why you feel what you feel about each criteria.

Thanks so much!

Please rank the following considerations from 1 - 5 for someone deciding whether or not to go work in ministry at a church:


Feeling :: The Spirit factor. Your gut feeling. The intangible, mysterious. The whisper.

Fit :: Theological match up between minister and church. Pragmatic match (i.e. Saddleback or house church) salary, dreams, etc...

Function :: Right job at the right church? What is your role? Will I be serving within my giftings and in line with my passions?

Fruits, Faults, Freedoms :: Church health. Their stability. Their past. Splits? What can I do or not do?

Future :: Where is this church headed? What is their vision? Who do they want to be?


Alright, there you have it. I know that all five are important (maybe equally important) but if you had to rank them, what would they be? Why?

The Three Cs

I picked up a great book yesterday written by a great man, Carley Dodd, entitled, Managing Business and Professional Communication. I've been communicating publicly for almost 20 years. I've taken Dr. Dodd for communication. I identify myself on my website as a communicator. And yet, I needed to read this book. There on page 272 tucked away in the second paragraph are the foundations of speaking that are referred to as the "three Cs" - Credibility, Confidence, and Consultation of audience analysis. Due to the limited space of this blog and the fact that I'm writing this during a Maymester class on Pastoral Counseling and really should be paying attention. (Of course we are only talking about simple issues like dealing with conflict, homosexuality, marital affairs, and treatment of the dying which ministers don't ever have to face in reality.)
But I do have a question for us to consider, kick around, and get our arms around:

Of the three foundations which is the most important?

Credibility? Confidence? Consultation of audience analysis?

Do you want your preacher to live his subject, know his topic, or know his audience? Why?

Of course we all want to say "all three!" or make a new one like "Christ" but don't. Pick only one of the three and make an argument for it.

I look forward to your views.

Without A Thought

Two days ago my family and I were traveling West on I-20 in Arlington on our way to meet a friend. It was pouring rain and traffic was bad. Kim had no sooner said, "be careful" when the brake lights came on in front of us in unison. I was in the slow lane and immediately pulled over on the emergency lane when I noticed a car ahead of me do the same. The driver from the vehicle opened the door and and began running towards our car and I looked to my right and saw a Nissan Armada that had rolled over only seconds before and was laying upside down, tires still spinning, 20 feet off the highway down an embankment.

I yelled to the kids, "don't look!"
I opened the door and ran down the hill toward the car just steps behind the other guy. He ran to the front passenger door and then stopped. He turned and looked at me and yelled, "call 911!"
I ignored his reasonable request and tried to open the front passenger door. It was stuck. Again this guy yelled out, "call 911" and mumbled something about the door not being able to be opened. And again, I tuned him out like a guy watching the Super Bowl. I then proceeded to open the rear passenger door.
The door opened up and there on the floor (which was the roof) was a young teenage girl crying uncontrollably and up in the front of the vehicle was her mom. I asked the girl if she was OK and she replied yes and I proceed to climb into the car and pull her out. I handed her off to that 911 yelling guy and went back into the car to get the mom out. I asked the mom if she was OK as she was crying even harder than the daughter. Through her tears she told me that she was seven months pregnant with twins. My heart stopped. I asked her if she hurt anywhere and she said no. I told her to grab onto my neck and I began to pull her out. Once outside of the vehicle she was still holding onto my neck and I held her as she shook and continued crying. Again I asked her if she hurt anywhere and she said that her stomach hurt just a little but she thought it was just upset due because she was so worried about the health of the twins inside her womb.
I asked her if I could pray for and she said, "yes! please! please!" I placed my hand on her stomach and began to beg God for the safety of those babies. Kim stayed in the car with Emily but had Laura run down and give us blankets and my golf umbrella. Laura began to gently cover up the young girl and I continued to hold both of these scared sisters. It wasn't long (maybe 3 minutes) before the firetrucks and the ambulance arrived. Once the ambulance arrived they were put inside (neither of them had a single scratch on them) and I headed back up toward the car, soaked, muddy, and very quite.
I got inside the car and sat there for a moment very still. I relayed the story to Kim and the girls and then I pulled the car back onto the highway. A few miles down the road it hit me that I had not once thought about anything I just had just did. The entire experience took less than 5 minutes and cost us being a little late to our meeting, three blankets, and my shoes remaining clean and yet I will never forget it.

If you had asked me a minute before that vehicle flipped if I would want to get muddy and soaked I would have said, "no way!" If you had asked if I would want to be late to my meeting or give up three blankets I would have said, "no, not particularly." If I had thought for a second about what I might have (could have) been the scene when I opened that door I honestly don't know if I would have done it.

I do plenty of selfish and stupid things without thinking.

I wish I did more for others...without a thought.

The Living Reminder

This week I should have been pre-reading for a Maymester I'm in next week. Instead I read Blue Like Jazz. Today I should be finishing my PowerPoint for my sermon this weekend. Instead I started reading The Living Reminder by Nouwen (1977).

Check out the first paragraph!

"What are the spiritual resources of ministers? What prevents them from becoming dull, sullen, lukewarm bureaucrats, people who have many projects, plans, and appointments but who have lost their heart somewhere in the midst of their activities? What keeps ministers vital, alive, energetic and full of zeal? What allows them to preach and teach, counsel and celebrate with a continuing sense of wonder, joy, and gratitude, and praise?"

Miller then Nouwen. It's been a good week for reading!

Its Official: The Human Race Is Doomed!

Okay, first things first regarding this post:

I know some of you are thinking Don't Be Cruel but you are On Your Own. Every Little Step of this blog will be an attempt to Get Away from the Good Enough mentality that plagues The Girl Next Door, your Girlfriend, and even Roni. As humans we all have Something In Common. I hope and pray that I don't have anything in common with anyone who reads the following and is actually excited about it. You can read the entire article here which actually is equally as tragic (both the stabbing and the open mic part) or you can just read this:

Brown, 36, is the subject of a new eight-episode reality TV show, "Being Bobby Brown," that will debut June 30 on cable television channel Bravo.

Okay, we are talking about Bobby Brown here! Do we really need a reality show about Bobby Brown? Tell me that is a typo, or a joke, or that I'm going nuts...

Let me repeat this to you one more time: Beginning in June there will be a reality show on the televisions of America about Bobby Brown!

Lord come quickly!

I am ashamed of being part of the human race!

If you don't like this post, too bad. It's My Prerogative.

Good Like Grace

From the amazing book, Blue Like Jazz:

"In exchange for our humility and willingness to accept the charity of God, we are given a kingdom. And a beggar's kingdom is better than a proud man's delusion."

Grace is good!

Ten Things I Learned Yesterday (some for the gajillionth time!)

10. Eating at an “All You Can Eat” Chinese buffet is not as fun when you are trying to lose weight.

9. Taking a class from 8am – 5pm (with exactly 2 ten minute breaks & an hour for lunch) with two teachers who are bona-fide brilliant (I’m talking geneisis. I’m talking doctorates from Harvard and Columbia) can be A LOT more enjoyable than you might imagine.

8. Baby ducks are really, really cute. (We bought three yesterday @ $2.95 a piece) Whether or not three full grown ducks will be as cute is an entirely different matter.

7. I regret not getting to know Kyle Douthit better when I was in college. He is like a Tootsie Pop. Once you get past the hard outer part there is something very soft and very sweet on the inside. The dude is Godly and he and Julie are both genuine and generous.

6. Getting a voice message from (one of your good friends) a crazy blind man trying to sound like Chewbacca and knowing your best friend set him up to it is one of life’s most underrated pleasures.

5. Teenage girls (i.e. freshman in High School) can be a little emotional. (By little I mean 98% of the time, or little like roughly the size of the state of Texas, or little like the egos of NBA players)

4. Martin Luther King’s, “I Have a Dream” message is one of the most frappin’ amazing speeches ever to be spoken on the planet. (I’ve put it on my site: www.firstverb.com – resources – downloads)

3. Holding hands with Kim while walking through the store is a romantic experience and one I will never, never, stop loving. She is holy and hot and I’m so proud she is my bride!

2. Eating chips and salsa and drinking large quantities of Diet Coke w/ Lime from 11:12pm to 11:45pm and then climbing into bed at 11:46pm is not exactly the “ideal” bed time routine.

1. God is so good. He is always faithful. He loves us.

Faint Transformation

Anyone else ever feel like this?



Copyrighted by ChristianityToday.com

Early this morning I received the following comment to a previous post:

I was just wondering if you could post every thing that you're doing to lose weight. I stumbled on your site, and I read it every once in a while, and I have a weight problem, not that those things relate to one another. Actually, I have made food a God. And I don't want to any more. I just don't know where to start, though. Thanks!

Here is my reply to that inquiry.

Anonymous,

You are 99% there! You've identified the problem. You've reached a point of discontent. I have to disagree with you...you knew exactly where to start! Here is my short story...

I grew up very undisciplined and have always struggled in some areas with personal leadership (remember that phrase - personal leadership) for as long as I can remember. Some things I have been highly disciplined - temper, alcohol - never been drunk or tried hard liquor, lust & pornography, letting bitterness set in, etc. But in the areas of spending money, time management, and diet and exercise I have always struggled. As both a kid and a young adult I always had the ability to make more money than I could spend. I was able to save when I was younger but have become progressively worse in that area. My lack of time management skills wrecked havoc on the majority of my academic career. As a kid I played four sports and even when a little more than a decade ago weighed 200lbs, had a 33" waste line and could still dunk.

Three years ago I was constantly late, constantly losing thing, and totally disorganized. I was $80,000+ in debt and was a terrible tither. I weighed 285lbs.

Here is what I did. I identified the problem. I knew it was a spiritual problem. I knew it was a sin problem. It was also a matter of poor habits, lack of skills, and overall ignorance.

I confessed to my elders, wife, and family. I cried out to God and got help.
I began seeing a specialist in the field of adult ADD at Stanford University.
I started working with a professional organizer.
I worked with an executive coach.
I started attending Debtors Anonymous.
I got myself accountability partners.
I fasted often to declare my hunger for discipline.
I prayed and begged God to remove my thorn.
I adopted a life mission and carried it (still do) in my pocket daily and read it often. (My life mission is right under my picture on this blog.

And it wasn't easy.

My wife, kids, and church played such an important role. I leaned on my faith community! One couple, Bill & Virda Stevens, played a vital role.

Within six months I had become organizationally transformed and was rare that was late or lost things. Within a year I had become debt free (except a house payment). Within 18 months I had lost 25 - 30 pounds (depending on the day and scale!)

And then I made the fatal mistake of trying to maintain.

I began to let my workspace become cluttered. I prayed less. I stopped fasting. I stopped working with my specialist, organizer, & coach. I stopped losing weight. I started to incur debt again.

And then, on March 14th of this year, I found myself in the emergency room with chest pains. It turned out to be nothing. It also turned out to be a blessing!

Kim picked me up from the hospital and I dropped her off at the house and went to a mentor of mine, Steve's house and picked up a copy of the South Beach Diet. That book has been very instrumental in helping me lose the weight. I went over three weeks without eating anything that had sugar of any kind. I lost 15lbs in the first 3 weeks. I followed the diet with a God given discipline and with the encouragement of my family and community of faith.

There was another book that played a crucial role in some of the changes I have made of late and that is The Blessed Life by Robert Morris. Not in coincidently, I have also made giant steps in the transformation of our personal finances and especially in the area tithing. Kim and I have always tithed but never like we have in the past few months. I could write so much more on that subject alone! Totally amazing!

I don’t know if this kind of self disclosure was what you are looking for or not. I do know that all change is difficult. I do know that I have plenty of more spiritual transformations still to take place in my life.

I will be praying for you (Anonymous) and am excited to hear about the changes God will be making in your life!

Big News!

What is the chance that the following took place today?

I woke up and did my morning weigh in prior to getting into the shower. The scale said 230lbs. That might sound like a lot but two months ago it said 260 and a year ago it said 285. The fact is that I'm getting smaller. I felt "lighter" all day. But throughout the day I gained the knowledge of some truly heavy news.

In the morning I read this article.

After lunch I read this article.

This evening I read this article.

And right before bed I read this article.

All were found in either yahoo news or in simple searches for other things. Crazy huh?

Talk about "Fat Chance!"


(Disclaimer: Please do not read anything into to this post that is not there. I am pointing out the simple fact that on the day that I finally lose my 30th pound I also came across four articles that deal with large people. I used to phrases "Big News" and "Fat Chance" only as a play on words. I do not dislike people who weigh more than average. I am one. I'm not trying to start a war between the skinny and the plump. Now that I'm writing this, I don't even know why I'm weighing in on this subject.)

Burning Up The "Pick Up Lines"

Today Mike Cope posted a great entry about his marriage with Diane. He "invited" me (and a few select others) to drop a few possible pickup lines to use at an Evangelism Conference. I have done just that in my blog today (didn't want to fill up Mike's entire comment section) and have added just a few other pick up lines that I've come across (or used?) over the years. Enjoy!

Alright Mike, you asked for them:

Joel's Top Ten Pick Up Lines At An Evangelism Conference:

10. Are you lost?

9. You know Jesus? Really? Me too!

8. Do you know the difference between making out and witnessing? (she replies: "no") Do you want to go witness with me?

7. Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?

6. Is it a sin that you stole my heart?

5. My name is Will. God's Will.

4. I don't want to covet. I'm going to make you mine!

3. I picked David over Goliath!

2. Wanna go knock some doors?

1. You put the "cute" in persecution!


Other Pick Up Lines

Christian Ones

10. "I just don't feel called to celibacy."

9. "Did I tell you that my great-uncle was a personal friend of Billy Graham?"

8. "I don't see it myself, but people tell me I look like Michael W. Smith."

7. "What do you think Paul meant when he said, 'Greet everyone with a holy kiss'?"

6. "You have the body of Amy Grant and the soul of Mother Teresa." (DO NOT get this confused!)

5. "You know, I'm really into relationship evangelism."

4. "I'm pretty flexible--I don't think a woman should be submissive on the first date." 3. "Before tonight, I never believed in predestination..."

2. "Just looking at you makes me feel all ecumenical."

1. "I hear there's going to be a love offering tonight."


Pick Up Lines Used By Adam (to Eve)

10. "You know you're the only one for me!"

9. "Do you come here often?"

8. "Trust me, this was meant to be!"

7. "Look around, baby. All the other guys around here are animals!"

6. "I already feel like you're a part of me!"

5. "Honey, you were made for me!"

4. "Why don't you come over to my place and we can name some animals?"

3. "You're the girl of my dreams!" (Gen. 2:21)

2. "I like a girl who doesn't mind being ribbed!"

And the number one pick up line from Adam is:

1. "You're the apple of my eye!"


I recently came across an interesting statistic:

Men who were successful when they used the pickup line "Hi": 71%
Women who were successful when they used the pickup line "Hi": 100%


Other Pick Up Lines

"Was it love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"


"I lost my phone number. Can I have yours?"


"I'm new in town — could I get directions… to your place?"


"Can I check your tag?" (Checks tag on back of shirt) "I was right, Made in Heaven."


"You must be tired — you've been running through my mind all day."


"Do you come with a map? I keep getting lost in your eyes."


"If I told you that you had a nice body, would you hold it against me?"


"Can I buy you a drink so I look better?"


"Are you from Mars? 'Cause your moves are out of this world!"


"Are you a parking ticket? Because you have FINE written all over you."

"Who beamed you down from Planet Gorgeous?"

"Do you have a library card? Good, 'cause I want to check you out! "

"Are you from Greece? I thought all Goddesses were Greek."

"Your daddy must be a thief, 'cause he stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes."

"Miss December, right?"

"If I followed you home… would you keep me?"

"If this bar is a meat market, then you must be the prime rib!"


Top Ten From Romantic Movie Classics

1) Casablanca
“Was that cannon fire, or is it my heart pounding?” Ilsa in “Casablanca” with Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. Warner Bros. 1942, directed by Michael Curtiz.

2) The Public Enemy
“You’re a swell dish. I think I’m gonna go for you,” Tom in “Public Enemy” with James Cagney and Mae Clarke. Warner Bros. 1931, directed by William Wellman.

3) A Guy Named Joe
“Everything wrong with you I like,” Captain Randall in “A Guy Named Joe” with Van Johnson and Irene Dunne. MGM 1944, directed by Victor Fleming.

4) China Seas
“If you aren’t decent, boyfriend, you’ll do until something decent comes along.” Dolly in “China Seas” with Jean Harlow and Clark Gable. MGM 1935, directed by Tay Garnett.

5) The Man Who Came to Dinner
“I guess you are sort of attractive, in a corn-fed sort of way. You can’t find yourself a poor girl falling for you if – well, if you threw in a set of dishes,” Maggie in “The Man Who Came To Dinner” with Bette Davis and Richard Travis. Warner Bros. 1942, directed by William Keighley.

6) Across the Pacific
“We’re going to know each other eventually, why not now?” Rick in “Across the Pacific” with Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. Warner Bros. 1942, directed by John Huston and Vincent Sherman.

7) Casablanca
“Here’s looking at you kid,” Rick in “Casablanca” with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Warner Bros. 1942, directed by Michael Curtiz.

8) Red Dust
“Mind if I get drunk with you?” Vantine in “Red Dust” with Jean Harlow and Clark Gable. MGM 1932, directed by Victor Fleming.

9) Johnny Eager
“Oh, now don’t turn ordinary on me, I get tired of ordinary dames. And I don’t want to get tired of you,” Johnny in “Johnny Eager” with Robert Taylor and Lana Turner. MGM. 1943, directed by Mervyn Leroy

10) The Public Enemy
“I'm not accustomed to riding with strangers,” Gwen. "We're not gonna be strangers," Tom in “Public Enemy” with Jean Harlow and James Cagney. Warner Bros. 1931, directed by William Wellman.


Well, there you have it! More than you asked. Some good. Some not so good. I've never been much of a pick up line guy. I just usually went, "Hey, I'm Joel. I don't think we know each other." And they either gave me their name and we'd start talking or they'd say, "let's keep it that way." and walk away.

Mother's Day

I have put a lot of material on Mother's Day on my website including the DVD I played in class yesterday at Highland.

Go to www.firstverb.com
click on resources
click on downloads
click on Mother's Day '05

To watch the video click on Mother's Day '05 Video.
then right click on the video and either save it (watch it later) or open it (watch it then)

Enjoy!

Effective Ineffectiveness

I know nobody that reads my blog could ever be accused of the following:

Wasting Time
Being Distracted
Procrastination

However, there may be some of your friends that could be and I am here to help! Think back a few posts ago as I shared my Blogging circuit with the planet. Well I have short circuited my circuit and it was a long time coming! A friend of mine, Greg Kendall Ball (missionary, Mac user, husband of the Ruler of the GST @ ACU, and overall cool guy) showed me how to use Bloglines and my life has never been the same since. Let me explain.

Bloglines (there are other services you can use) is a service that lets you take all the blogs that you read (daily, often, rarely) and put them into one place. Then it sends you a message from your task manager (or via email) every time someone on your list posts a new entry. It is simple, quick, and best of all it is FREE!

No more checking 5 to 10 blogs and finding only 1 or 2 new posts. No way! Now the posts come to you and you have saved valuable time that could have been spent in other unproductive ways such as Fantasy Baseball, signing up your friends for The Hair Club for Men, or watching

The Kingdom of Heaven

I saw the epic movie The Kingdom of Heaven last night with my son John and Max, Bryson, & Drew. I wish I could tell you how amazing this movie is. It easily moved into the Top 5 movies I have ever seen. It is truly an epic adventure about a common man who finds himself thrust into a decades-long war. A stranger in a strange land, he serves a doomed king, falls in love with an exotic and forbidden queen, and rises to knighthood. Ultimately, he must protect the people of Jerusalem from overwhelming forces while striving to keep a fragile peace.

Ebert wrote a great review of the movie that you may want to read by clicking here.

It is a violent movie. It is a disturbing and thought provoking movie. I expected a really graphic love scene in the movie but it was one of the most tasteful displays of sex I have ever seen. In fact, it was a non-scene. Implied, but not shown. Overall, I would highly recommend the movie to those who can stomach a lot of violence and I would not recommend it to anyone under 16. Of course last night the theater had the "token-idiot-parents" who felt it reasonable to bring their two elementary aged daughters to this movie. Be prepared to be impacted for life. There are some scenes that were shot so well that the visual picture will never leave my mind. (and that is a good thing) Two in particular were the view from the city of the two armies approaching each other in the desert and the aerial shot of the armies doing battle at the broken wall of Jerusalem. If you have seen the movie then you know what scenes I'm referring to.

The best line of the movie for me came at the end of the movie where Saladin responds to Balian's question to him, "what does Jerusalem mean?" with the deeply profound reply of,
"It means nothing. It means everything."

For some the Kingdom is Heaven means nothing.

For some it means everything.



Kingdom of Heaven

The Blogging Circut

Most every morning I follow the same routine once I arrive at work. It goes something like this:

Open laptop
Turn on desk lamp
Light candle
Look at Foxnews.com
Look at Espn.com

Then I begin my "blogging circut":

Kim's blog
Mike's blog
Grants blog
The Mighty Men's blog
The "blog of gut instinct" for the day (Greg's, BST's, Wade's, Larry's, Sam's, Scott's, Val's, Matt's)

I read several other blogs on a less regular basis.

Here is my "Top Ten" posts from the past two weeks:

10. Matt's Cool Factor part 1 (powerful, convicting)
9. Wade's Tombstone Exercise (you're killing me Wade - pun intended)
8. Mike's Angry Christians (I was angry at myself)
7. BST's Monday, May 2 (What a beautiful family!)
6. Val's Tuesday, April 26 post (amazing picture!)
5. Larry James' Oscar Romero (thoughts on sin gave me goosebumps)
4. Grant's Mass Hysteria (Props for "Popemobile"
3. Mike's Article on Megan from Christian Standard (tear jerker)
2. Kim's Tuesday, May 3rd post (simple, profound)
1. Greg's Baseball 2005 v. 1 (Your Best Blog Now)

I didn't take the time to make these links so you're on your own.

What is your "blogging circut"? What is your "Top Ten"?

When It Rains It Pours

When you take a long trip, where do you get food to eat? Yeah, of course: Fast Food. Or if you are one of those "Cleaver/Huxtable/Brady type families you might pack your lunch in a picnic and take it along. You know if you think about it, the Israelites were on a really long trip. Where were they going to get food? They couldn't carry enough to last them. They didn't stay any place long enough to grow any. There were no stores to stop at. No McDonald's, Bell, or KFC. And they numbered a million or more people. That's a lot to feed. Probably wouldn't want to work the drive through on that day.

It wasn't too long before the people began to complain, "We wish the Lord had killed us in Egypt, where we had plenty to eat. You brought us out to the wilderness to die of hunger." The Israelites tended to concentrate on their current troubles rather than look to the past for encouragement. Instead of remembering the great things God had done to free them from slavery, they spent time complaining about their hunger. The obvious question: "Hello, Israelites, do you think God went to all that trouble, just to watch you die for lack of food?"

God told Moses he would "rain bread from heaven" for them. He provided Manna, a new food that appeared with the dew each morning as small, white, round pieces. The Israelites were to gather each day the amount of food they needed for that day. No more, no less. Each day God would give them that day's food. They were to trust him each day for the very food they ate. On the sixth day, he would provide two day's food, so no one would work to gather it on the Sabbath. If one of them was mistrustful, and tried to stock up, the food would melt or rot away. The Israelites baked, boiled and prepared the manna several ways. It tasted sweet, like wafers made with honey.

I don't know about you, but I can relate to those Israelites! Kim and I are in a season of total dependence on the Lord. Since August of '03 we have been on a "long trip" and while our numbers are a million (five to be exact) and we weren't previously in a slavery situation the similarities are significant. I find myself desperately wanting to "stockpile bread" so that I won't have to be so dependent on the Lord. I can't. That, like the manna that the Israelites tried to keep, stinks! Many days my attitude is rotten and my complaining outweighs my remembering.

But the inescapable fact is that this is exactly where God has lead us and he has us right where he wants us. God has always been faithful and met all our needs (and a lot of our wants) and I know I can trust Him. A word that God has pressed upon my heart lately is Proverbs 3:5 which reminds me: "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not upon YOUR own understanding!" Often I find myself trying to trust in myself with all of my heart and leaning everything I have on my own understanding. That approach leaves me hungry.

I am glad that God has me and my family on this trip. I know the promise land awaits!

Rain on God. Pour your manna from heaven. How sweet it truly is!

Your JQ IQ

Okay, it's the Friday before finals across the campuses of universities everywhere so I thought I would be nice and give everyone a little quiz to get your ready for the big week of tests next week. It is only Ten Questions and the subject matter is fairly simple. Simple as in "ME"

So if you are feeling up to it check it out by clicking here:

Good luck!

Have a great weekend!

Do Not Read This Post

Do not read this post unless you meet the following criteria:

1. You count yourself a very dear friend of mine and enjoy reading most anything I write about.
2. You count yourself a good friend of mine and would feel some guilt should you not read it.
3. You count yourself an acquaintance of mine and you are curious by nature.
4. You don't know me but are a defiant person and the title has set you off.
5. You have way too much free time on your hands.

Everyone else...please hit the "back" arrow now.

Still reading? Okay, don't say I didn't warn you!

The following is what a vocabulary-challenged and tact taxed person (that would be me) would call a "Blog Barf" ... a veritable vomiting of ideas and throw up of thought. It will be my longest post to date and contain (like any good upchuck) a mix of content, all at various stages of cerebral digestive states. So grab yourself a 7up and some saltines and watch me toss my e-cookies:

This Past Weekend:
I had a great weekend preaching at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Kemp Texas. Kemp is a fine city roughly between Dallas and the end of the earth with a booming population of 1134. I was blessed to get to speak at their D-now (Disciple Now) on Saturday night and then preach on Sunday morning. Great people. Good church. Amazing youth pastors in Don and Rima Griffin. My mother in law (Cathy) also came in town for Grandparent’s Day at Emily’s school which was fun. But the highlight of the weekend for our family was (I know what you are thinking…”how could spending the weekend in Kemp, TX AND having your mother in law come stay with you not be the highlight?”) … the highlight was Laura making Eaglettes! (Eaglettes are the dance/drill team at Abilene High). Congrats Laura!

Jeff Berry’s Heart Problem:
I returned home Sunday evening and it wasn’t long after dinner that I received a call from Jeff who proceeded to tell me he was in the hospital due to chest pains. Let’s just say the past few days (Sunday – Wednesday) have been chaotic to say the least. Bottom-line is that Jeff did not have a heart attack but did have a viral infection in his heart and did sustain some heart damage. He was released from the hospital yesterday and has been ordered to rest by the doctors for the next few weeks. You can read more about this on Jeff’s site by clicking here.

Monday Night Walker’s Appreciation Dinner:
On Monday night Kim and I got the blessing of helping with a dinner at the home of Jerry and Patsy Strader in honor and appreciation of the college students at Highland who walk the neighborhood every Sunday night with the simple (and completely Christ like) goal of loving people. It was a great evening and we were so encouraged by their faithfulness and love for God and His kids. Steve Hare, Bob Strader and Jordan Swim have done such an amazing work with equipping and empowering these students to serve so strong. They wouldn’t ask for it or even want it but they are worthy of our honor!

Tuesday’s Trip to Dallas:
I flew to Dallas on Tuesday to see my friend Jeff and help him with a few ministry related items. Plane was delayed on the way out. Supposed to have left at 5:45 and left at 6:45 which is not a big deal. The trip was great and it was such a blessing to see Jeff and Anna. I got to see Jeff’s mom and meet his aunt and grandma too which was fun. Okay, now the not fun part. The flight home was frappin horrific! Seriously, it was the worst approach to a runway I have ever experienced. In fact it wasn’t an approach. Our plane fell from the sky like a broken rocket. Totally thought I was going to take the big dirt nap! It was like “bring your kid to work day” in the cockpit or something because that was the worst “decent” into Abilene or anywhere else I have ever been through. My son was working the ramp at the airport that day (you know the guy with the cool orange glow sticks waving the plane in?) and his partner who was waiting to unload the bags both saw the plane dropping out of the sky. Put it this way, John’s partner said to him, “there is no way that pilot is going to land that plane!” That is exactly what all of us who were clinging to our seats with white knuckles thought too.

Laura Gets Her Driving Permit:
I just thought I was scared on Tuesday afternoon’s landing. I immediately got off the plane (kissed the ground and prayed) and then hopped in the car and picked up Laura and drove to the DPS office where Laura proceeded to pass here driving test (the book part) which meant that she was able (well let’s just say legal) to drive home with me in the front seat. The good news is that her first behind the wheel on city streets experience happened at 5:10 pm right at the busiest intersection of Abilene (Starbucks) which I know isn’t saying a lot because after all, it’s still Abilene. The bad news is that … no wait, that was the bad news. In all seriousness, she did great (better than that altitude/speed/quantum physics challenged pilot!) and is a great driver.

Last ONE of the Semester:
The emotional roller coaster that was my Tuesday just kept going as we gathered together for our last ONE that night. It was a powerful time of commissioning and commitment. Steven and his band, Branch, did an amazing job of leading worship and Luke preached one the best sermons I’ve heard in the past five years! To get to be a part of ONE is such a blessing and these college students are so incredible! They want God! They are so hungry. Hopefully I can post more about ONE in the days to come. One (pardon the pun) other amazing bit of ONE news was that we received a donation for $3000 on Tuesday night! Praise God. We are trying to raise about $10,000 more for sound equipment so keep that in your prayers.

My Dad is Back Home in the States:
I don’t want to write too much about this yet but I did find out that he is home and sober again and is doing better. I hope to report some incredible news some time next week about my dad. We talked on the phone for a long time during my drive home from Kemp. It was wonderful! I am so grateful for all of you that prayed for him and our family.

The Mighty Men:
As many of you know I meet with 8-10 of the coolest college guys every Wednesday night in my house and it is often one of the highlights of my week! These guys are really trying to pursue Jesus and are tired of simply being good kids who go to church. They want more and have taken some radical steps to make space in their life for God. With only about a week remaining in the semester we decided that we wanted to stay in touch with one another over the summer. One of the ways that we are going to do this is through a blog. So last night we launched www.mightymen.blogspot.com as a way for all of us to keep connected over the summer. I don’t know what will happen with the blog but I did think it was cool that they cared about staying in community with each other.

My Future:
I haven’t shared this with too many and definitely not on this blog but I am in the middle of a season of change with regards to my employment. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing what I do now. I will write more on this topic in the next week or so but I did want to ask for your prayers in this area of my life. I have a couple of options and for those who know me well know which one I hope God allows! Bottom-line is that I miss ministry and while I’m grateful for the part time positions I hold now and for the opportunity to go to grad school, I am really missing ministry. I hope God will open a door for me to get back into full time ministry in the next month or two. Please pray. Kim and I are confident that God has a great plan for us and our family.

and finally…

Firstverb.com:
My non profit ministry, Firstverb Ministries, has a totally redesigned website thanks to Scott Ballard and Twelve Nine Design. If you are still reading this blog then you might as well go check that out too. (btw – why are you still reading this?) The site is not near complete but I will be working hard to finish it over the next couple of weeks. I’d love some feedback on the site. I am hoping that God opens some doors for me to at least do some preaching or consulting in May and June while other opportunities materialize. Prayers toward that end would be appreciated too.

Well, you made it! You’ve just experienced a “Blog Barf” and lived to tell about it. I’ll close with a quote from M.P. Horban:

“The work of God is held back not by bad men and women, but by good ones who have stopped growing.”

In the words of the most amazing woman on the planet who happens to be my wife, “Have a blessed day!”

Fine Junk

Most mornings I pass right on by what has to be the pride of Abilene's chamber of commerce, Hazel's House of Fine Junk. In fact, I've probably driven by this diva's decor dynasty no less than 200 times. But today as my car proceeded past Hazel's a thought parked in my head:

Isn't that exactly what all of us are trying so desperately to acquire so often in life? Fine Junk? I mean we would never couch it in those terms ... but in reality ... yeah, it's all junk. It doesn't matter what we are chasing after really: clothes, cars, careers, homes, status, or fame. Bottom-line is that if it is not Jesus or rightly related to revealing His kingdom, it is junk.

The apostle Paul isn't so tactful. In Philippians 3 Paul lays out a impressive portfolio of position, production, and power but concludes that it is rubbish. Now unless you're British your use of the word "rubbish" is rare. In fact, Paul didn't use that word either. Paul used the literal word for dung. As in excrement! Apparently, some translators found that word a bit offensive and toned it down a bit. Helen might call it fine junk but Paul calls it poo.

Possessions, popularity, power, prestige, pleasure ... to Paul: POO!

I don't know about you but when I see a pile of dog waste ("rubbish") on the sidewalk, I don't stop and admire it saying, "Oh, Kim, look at that! Isn't it lovely." No, you say, "Hey, hey, don't step in that!" You avoid crap, not clamor after it, compliment it, crave it!

Fine Junk. Hilarious ... yet ... sad.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said of this realization: "The call of Jesus teaches us that our relation to the world has been built on an illusion."

Compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, it's all Fine Junk.