Lion Chasers Manifesto

My favorite book this year by far is by Mark Batterson, “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day.” He has just recently posted the Lion Chasers Manifesto. Stop by his blog I promise it won’t disappoint. If you haven’t read the book yet let me challenge you to let it be the next book you read. It has truely impacted my life.  http://www.evotional.com

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.Chase the lion.

Final Four Time

Okay so my brackets have been a little off this year but my horse (Gator) is still running strong. For those of you who don’t know I am a die hard Gator fan. I can remember me and my Dad pulling for the Gators since I was five years old.  Let me recap for you the year of the Gator:

• NCAA National Basketball Champions
• David Eckstein- College World Series MVP (Former Gator)
• Emmitt Smith-Dancing With the Stars Champion (Greatest Gator Ever)
• NCAA National Football Champions
• Come Monday Night Back to Back National Basketball Champions

Did Jack Bauer Jump the Shark?

Last night I became very concerned that 24 just made a passing loop around the ski ramp to jump the shark. Jumping the shark is a metaphor that was originally used to denote the tipping point at which a TV series is deemed to have passed its peak, or has introduced plot twists that are illogical in terms of everything that has preceded them. Once a show has “jumped the shark”, fans sense a noticeable decline in quality or feel the show has undergone too many changes to retain its original charm. So the shark moment for me last night was when Milo and Nadia had this long make-out session right on the main floor of CTU. Please don’t get me wrong I am still a die hard Jack fan and I still wish I had my Fonzie lunch box but I am concerned. In fact after I posted this I actually saw another blog writer (Gary Lamb) that used the same phrase to describe 24 last night. By the way check out his blog he is very creative and challenging.

Free Umbrella’s

Several of us on staff took a road trip down to Anderson,SC to attend the Unleashed Conference at http://www.newspring.cc/. To be honest I am still trying to process all that I learned and what would be effective for our church. I’ll post those thoughts in the days to come. Someone asked me what was one of my main takeaways from the conference and my response is umbrellas.This may sound small to some but Newspring actually gives away umbrellas to their people if it begins to rain unexpectedly. No not the so called umbrella to borrow and then never bring back….free umbrellas. How many churches in America actually take the time to think about the small details.

Everything is Bigger in Texas

Just like I thought Ed Young was not at FC today but you would have never have known it because the video image of him was so good. The vision that the FC church has for worship is huge. The entire service was seamless. Once again I realize that their is no comparison to the video venue that we offer at Carmel compared to what took place today at FC. The difference is like watching a movie at the best theatre in town compared to watching it on a Wal-mart security video. When they talk about excellence they follow up their words with action. I hope we can begin to catch that vision for excellence in worship at Carmel. I believe we are making some steps in the right direction but have a long way to go.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

I love waking up int he big state of Texas. Ian one of my student staff guys and I are here to check out some of the amazing student buildings in Texas. Okay the real reason is we wanted some great Tex-Mex. We are about to head out the door to checkout Ed Young at Fellowship Church. A little worried because it looks like they are in between series and we may not get to hear Ed. I’m excited to be back at one of the most creative churches in the country.

With Arms Wide Open

Tonight I am watching the new show “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader” hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. As I was watching the show it reminded me of something that my almost 5 year old son said the other day. We were walking out of the church offices and for no apparent reason Cooper looked up to the sky with his arms spread open and just screamed “God I Trust You With Everything!” If I were to create a show for the Christian Population it would be titled “Are You Applying More than a Fifth Grader.” Okay, I know its not as catchy as the other title but it is more convicting. I just came across a stat that said the average Christian knows five years worth more scripture than they are actually applying. Maybe it’s time for the church to stop yelling deeper/deeper and start the mantra deeper is actually application of what you hear. God please make me quick to apply what I learn as I stand beside my son with my arms wide open and say “I Trust You With Everything!”