What I'll Miss Tonight

As the date suggests, it is New Year's Eve. I guess you could say I'm one of those losers that is sitting at home with his wife while my kids sleep in their beds. I suppose I'm really missing out on what the world has to offer.

I could be out drinking until I'm so drunk that I risk lives while driving home.

I could be waking up in the morning with someone that I don't even remember meeting.

I could be putting my marriage and family at risk.

I could be spending tomorrow morning with a splitting headache and my head in the toilet.

Or, I could just continue my course. I will enjoy knowing that my children are both safely asleep in in their rooms. I will look over at my wife knowing that there will be nothing done tonight to embarrass either one of us. I will happily wake up in the morning still getting over my cold yes, but headache free and sober.

Personally, I will gladly wear the title loser.

Happy New Year

Trust His Leading

I'm suppose to be in Kenya right now. That's where almost my entire team is right now. A year later and I still call them my team. Okay, maybe I should change my first statement. I really wanted to be in Kenya right now, yet looking at the trip months ago it just wasn't feasible. Even when my friend informed me that they had a plane ticket that I could possibly use I still knew it wasn't for me this year.

It's only a few days since they left and it's hard on me. I've seen the pictures they're posting online and I feel that longing in my heart to be there. Out of their kindness, my team even video called me the other day so I could look at each one of them as they told me that they had seen lions, something we never saw last year. I even got a Facebook message from one of the pastors at the church in Eldoret saying that he missed me being there.

It rips at my soul and brings questions. Why didn't I go? Why didn't I feel that okay from my Father to journey halfway around the world again? I've wrestled with this in my mind.

Without being able to explain in depth, I think I discovered the reason why. If you're looking for profundity you might as well stop reading here because the answer I've discovered is painfully simple. I feel that God prevented from going to Kenya because I was needed here. There's been a couple of seemingly small things that have happened over the past few days that would have never have happened if I was out of the country. Things that only happened because I was here. Small things, yet as I view them I realize that they might have consequences that stretch into eternity.

Does God love the youth of Kenya that I had an opportunity to minister too? Absolutely and without a doubt. At the same time, God also cares about the hurting teens right here at home. God had others geared up to cross the world and minister there, but he already had me right where I needed to be to minister here.

The issue boils down to one of trust. Do I trust God enough to allow Him to be in control? Do I trust Him enough that when he says "no" to an amazing opportunity that I can rest assured that He has good reasons for it? Do I trust that God actually knows better? Finally, when all is said and done, am I willing to allow my plans and desires to be prevented by God on behalf of His greater plan?

May we all continue to learn to trust His leading for it always leads us exactly where we need to be.

The Letter

In my continuing effort to write short stories, I present "The Letter." As with most of my stories it was written to illustrate a point and spark a discussion in my youth ministry. I think that it stands well on it's own so I decided to go ahead and post it.

Bill woke to the lovely strains of profanities being hurled at him. He lifted his head slightly off the pavement. Apparently he was to live yet another day. The trash collectors continued cursing at him to get out of the way. Bill scratched himself and climbed slowly out of his box. He smiled a dopey grin. Sometimes the grin calmed people down. Today the insults and profanity simply increased. Eh, what did it matter. Better to be cursed than run over.

Reaching back into his box, he grabbed an old army surplus bag that contained all his belongings. A few bottles worth a couple pennies, a perfectly good shoe that someone and left beside the road, a few shirts he had found in a dumpster that he was holding to for winter, and the letter. Far and above the letter was his most prized possession. It was stained and wrinkled, yet he valued it far above everything he had. He reached quickly into the bag and assured himself that it was there and with the horn of a garbage truck blaring in his ears, he left the alley headed for the bathroom.

The Power of Parable

"It was an out of place blue door among the ruins of a forgotten world. Proudly it had been built. With cheers it had been painted. In reverence it had been passed. By shouts it had been defended. In screams it had been lost. With cries it was remembered until it was remembered no more. Behind its timbers hid both the foundation of a kingdom and of that kingdom's demise, and if time would allow, the rise of that kingdom once again."

A blue door, an ancient story, and a mystery. With a few words we find ourselves being pulled into a story.

After a crazy week of many messages, I found myself at a lost for my Tuesday night youth service. We've been working straight through the book of Ephesians and the next couple of verses stumped me on how to present them. I understood them, but I just wasn't sure how I could get it across to my students.

Diagramming

I did something crazy and probably extremely boring in my youth service this past Tuesday. I took a large chunk of my teaching time and showed my students how to make a rough diagram of a sentence. Now I know that there is an actual method for diagramming a sentence which is fairly in depth, but I ran more with the idea of breaking the sentence into basic portions of thought that you write on following lines of the paper. A thought that clarifies or answers a question from the previous thought is placed underneath that thought.

Things I'll Miss

In a little over a month my team is heading back to Kenya. I know it sounds a little presumptuous to call them my team when I'm not going with them, but I worked side by side with these people last year and somewhere in my soul I still consider myself a part. I've had the opportunity to speak with a few of them in the past couple of weeks and it really stirs me up. I fully understand and accept that this isn't a time for me to go, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it. In honor of that, I feel compelled to compile a short list of things that I'll miss by not going to Kenya. Some are poignant and others pointless and I'll leave you to distinguish between the two.

I'm going to miss going to dinner late at night in Eldoret, Kenya. Not just dinner at any old place though. I'm going to miss going to an Indian restaurant while staying in Kenya. And not just any Indian restaurant, but one that served up Italian style pizza done the American way. And if that wasn't enough, I'm going to miss being able to choose Chinese chicken as our pizza topping. To put it all into perspective and in one long sentence. I'm going to miss going to Kenya and having dinner in an Indian restaurant that served Italian pizza done the American way with Chinese chicken on top. I love the craziness of it all.

If the opportunity arises my team, eat a slice for me.

The Daisy Chain 2

If this appears in Facebook and it's not just in my notes section, then technology is really crazy,

The Daisy Chain

This is a post to see if this crazy daisy chain I've set up will work. Currently I have my blog at www.focusedjourney.com. I have it set to automatically sync with a Blogger account of the same name. I'm a sucker for backups. Now, I have my Tumblr page pulling in the info from the Blogger RSS feed. I think it's possible to set up Tumblr to automatically update Twitter. Then, I have Twitter update Facebook. It's more of a test of whether or not it can be done and not something I'm sure I intend to keep.

How Did You Get Here

I was out of town the past couple of days and I had to miss my youth service. As I've done in the past, I asked one of my youth that is considering heading to Bible college to take a shot at filling in for me. He spoke on 2 Timothy 4:7 which reads, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” He ended his message by telling this story.

Imagine you are at the marriage supper of the Lamb with all the saints of God. Across from you is a girl that appears about five years old. People are talking and laughing and just enjoying themselves. As the dinner progresses, you and the girl begin talking. You ask her how she came to be here. She opens up and begins her story.

Resist the Doughnut

I have decided to coin a phrase of which I'm sure will be used to teach, edify, and encourage long after my time on earth is through. It basically states this.

Resisting the doughnut is harder when you're standing in the doughnut shop.

I make no claims of originality as this thought surely as been echoed somewhere in my life, but it's still a good thought for us to ponder. As Christians, we are called to resist temptation. We are even told in the Bible that every temptation can be overcome. No temptation is all powerful. Yet, sometimes popular opinion leads us to believe that some temptations are irresistible. That we are in fact powerless to resist them.

In many instances, I think the problem lies in the fact that we start resisting the temptation far too late. Jump back to doughnut shop as an illustration. If we're trying to be healthy and avoid foods like doughnuts, it's foolish to place ourselves in a doughnut shop. We can deceive ourselves all we want with thoughts of "I'm just looking" or "I simply like the smell", but you know as well as I do that we're going to wind up walking out with doughnuts. The resisting must begin before you are ever near that shop.

Personally, as I am on a diet, a doughnut may sound good, but when I keep myself far away from doughnut shops I find it a lot easier to resist them. I make the conscience decision not only to resist the doughnut, but I also keep myself away from places where it would be so easy to buy one.

Now I obviously don't think doughnuts are sinful, but I know you can make the cognitive leap to apply what I'm writing about. I think the mature action of believers is not only to resist temptation, but to also be smart enough to avoid places and situations where the threshold for giving into temptation is greatly lowered. Everyone is tempted by different things, and with that in mind, everyone needs to figure out what boundaries can be set up to assist in them in their fight.

There will always be unexpected situations of temptation that we will have to fight, but many could be much more easily overcome just by prayerfully examining and planning ahead.

The Good Samaritan

Sadly, there are days when my actions fall in line with the Levite and Priest. I'm more concerned with my tasks and duties to bother myself to stop and assist another.

Thankfully, there are days when my actions fall in line with the Samaritan. I stop, I care, I act, I sacrifice, and I give.

Then, there are days where I feel more like the man that has been robbed, beaten up, and left for dead.

I'm trying to live out the second one, but sometimes it sure feels more like the third.

The Power of Scent

Lately, every time I take a shower I find my mind wandering back to my time in Kenya. It happened enough times that I consciously took note of it. I wondered why for awhile, and then it slowly dawned on me that the body wash I was using was the one that I took with me on that trip. In an effort to clean out a cupboard, I've been using up old shower gels. Normally I just use a bar of soap, but bottles are handy for traveling. At least they're handy until they get too low to last for an entire trip.

It really amazes me how a scent can bring back vivid memories. The second I open the bottle my mind is flooded with scenes from Eldoret and Nairobi. Suddenly I can taste the food again and see the incredible night skies. I remember how driving down the road is one long game of chicken and being served a cup of tea after I finished preaching. For a brief moment I relive sleeping tangled up in mosquito nets, walking through the crowds at the street bash, and even being interviewed on radio.

All this from a simple scent. The only hard part about this is that I don't like the scent of the body wash. It was a bottle that I got free and since it was full I took it on the trip. So my mornings are a mix up between a smell I don't particularly like and the amazing memories it invokes.

Coffee and Humanity

After a very long summer of running everywhere, I finally have been able to have coffee Thursday. Coffee Thursday is when I take the morning to work in a coffee shop. It's a weekly tradition that summer schedule greatly hindered.

When I pastored a very small church several years ago, my office was block walled with two windows that were frosted so you couldn't see in (or out). It was like being in prison every day. I began calling it my sensory deprivation chamber. Once you walked in all contact with reality ceased to exist and creativity began to asphyxiate. It was a depressing place. In my time there, I probably only wrote a few messages in that office. Most were written at home with a window (clear) that gave me a view of the world outside. Prayer and planing were better accomplished by driving and finding a quiet spot by the lake.

That's why I love working in the coffee shop. There's people walking in and out. You see the gamut of emotions from happiness to sadness. You hear snippets of conversation that make you laugh and others that make you shake your head. I know everyone is different, but for me it sparks my creativity. Plus, having a nice dark roast of coffee doesn't hurt either.

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A C.S. Lewis Quote

Preparing a lesson this morning and came across this thought by C.S. Lewis in his work Mere Christianity. It's worth pondering for a few minutes.

When you come to knowing God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not show Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him. And, in fact, He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others-not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition. Just as sunlight, though it has no favourites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as a clean one.

The Phone

Back in March the phones at the church got wiped out from lightning. For a variety of factors out of our control, it took about four months to get the phones working again. Just last week they were finally up and working again. Within the first few hours of them being repaired I realized how much I enjoyed them being out. Already the telemarketer calls have started. Various companies calling and telling me how they can save me so much time in ministry preparation by purchasing and using their products.

I would just like to state that I normally have enough time for ministry preparation, provided I don't have to waste too much time trying to extract myself from telemarketer calls.

I sort of miss the phones being knocked out.


(For full disclosure, I have nothing against Christian businesses producing materials for church use. I just prefer to go looking for them when I actually need them)

I Love Mommy

My little two year old boy loves his mommy. He unashamedly loves her. As for me, the love is conditional. If he's in a good mood I might get an "I love you." But let that mood turn bad through tiredness or a host of other factors and he quickly becomes a lover of mommy only. This past Sunday he was riding with me to get our weekly Taco Bell lunch. He loves the ride as he gets to point out where all the fast food restaurants are located. That's scary in and of itself but thats not the focus of this post. As we were riding, I thought I'd test him.

"Hey little guy, do you love daddy?"

With that sweet smile he replied, "yeah, I love mommy."

"No, I asked if you love daddy?"

"Yeah, I love mommy."

This went on for several moments until I realized that I wasn't going to get a response concerning his love for me. Later that afternoon as I lay on the couch, I thought I'd try again.

"Do you love daddy?"

"I love mommy."

Again after several attempts I quit my pointless endeavor. However, before he walked away I had him look me in the eye for one moment and I told him something very simple. I told him I would love him even if he never loved me. Now granted, I comprehend that my little two year old doesn't have a full understanding of love. I even know that he does love me even though he swears undying allegiance to his mommy. Yet, I wanted him to know that my love would always be there whether his love was or not. Perhaps I said it more for myself as I look toward the future.

As I lay there watching him play I was quickly reminded of another father that chose to love even though his children refused to love him back. I was reminded that the Father loved us enough to allow his son to die in our place, even while we were living in open rebellion and hatred against Him. He loves for God is love. I can only speak for myself, but I'm grateful that the Father chose to continue to love me even through the times of my life where I didn't have love for Him. Only by His love was I brought back to a place of loving Him and experiencing His incredible love.

Health Update July 10, 2010

Back from vacation and I was thrown right into preaching last Sunday (I did volunteer before I left), running a youth group overnighter, and then finalizing the preparation for a wedding ceremony that I'm conducting in a few hours. Shoulder is still bothering me and I've just been swamped. Now that I have all the excuses firmly in place, it's time to reveal my fabulous weight gain. I'm up 4.6 pounds which officially puts me back at 244.4. Not proud of that but it is what it is. I have this wedding reception to make it through then my schedule is fairly clear so I should be able to buckle down and get working on this healthy change again.

Shoulder Failure

In my quest to get healthy, I've started to do something once unthinkable. At least in my mind. I was getting up early and heading out to ride my bike. I got two days in then had to take a couple days off because my wife was away. No problem. I was planning on getting back on my bike starting this morning. Now the however.

However, on Saturday I took my youth group tubing at the lake. It was a great day, until my last run. Our driver tried to kill me. I love him but I promise it's true. The final turn had us whipping across the water, and then the tube flipped. Found myself skipping across the water. No big deal, but by Sunday morning I struggled to lift my left arm. Spent all day Sunday in considerable pain. Today has been painful, but thankfully I'm regaining mobility.

So anyway, my great plans to continue my bike quest has been temporarily placed on hold until my arm is healed enough to get back out there.

Health Update June 19, 2010

Just a quick update as I run out the door. I lost two pounds this past week. Broke back under 240.

It's both a sad and a happy day. Sad that I allowed myself to climb all the way back up to where I am. Happy that I'm at least headd back in the right direction again. Well, that's about it for right now.

Health Update June 12, 2010

Okay, I've promised myself that I would once again take up the weekly accountability of posting my weight on my blog. Just so we're all clear, I started using sparkpeople.com about three weeks ago. My starting weight on this journey was 247 pounds.

The scale graphic to the right shows my current weight. Additionally, it also shows whether that is a loss or a gain from the previous week. Green means I lost and red means I gained. So without further ado, this past week I lost 2.2 pounds and now I'm officially at 241.8 pounds. That was as of Friday morning. Kelly and I went away overnight and I wasn't great. I have six days to work like crazy to negate that bad two days.

The Future

What does the future hold? I have absolutely no clue. I don't know what the next minute will hold let alone what tomorrow may hold. That is the amazing thing about following Christ. Tomorrow is a mystery to me, but not to my savior. There's amazing peace in that. I will plan for the future the best that I can, but ultimately I place all my plans into His hands.

I Got Another Blogging Gig

This blog has been extremely quit. Too quiet. The reason is simple. I've started blogging somewhere else. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I've recently joined sparkpeople.com. It's an online community to help people get healthy. I track my calories, exercise, and several other things on the site. It's free so that's a plus. Anyway, they encourage you to blog there. These past two weeks I've been trying to get my mind back into the mental game of wanting to get healthy so I've been focusing my time there. Plus, while I don't mind posting updates here on my success or lack of it, I didn't want this blog to become a place were I vent about my lack of willpower and the amazing power of a doughnut to tempt me. That's what my other blog is for. So if you've been worried where I've gone, I'm going to do my best to be back here more frequently. The scarier part is that I don't think people have probably been all that worried.

As I use to do in the past, I going to publicly be posting my weight and hopefully loss of weight on Fridays. Come by to chuckle or encourage me.

Humbling

As humbling as it is for me, I have started dieting (yes, healthy lifestyle change) again. I'm still doing calories, but I'm using the site Spark People. It adds a a social component that I probably need. It really helps to know that some people are checking what you eat and encouraging you. Anyway, that's were life has me. I'm shooting for that 180 mark again and will reevaluate from there. That's 67 pounds to reevaluation so I have some time. First weigh in is Friday. Not looking forward to it.

Book Review - The Last Christian

Today's book review is for "The Last Christian" by David Gregory .

My Thoughts
I enjoy a good science fiction book. And while I enjoy glimpses into the far future, I think my favorite type of science fiction is "next step" stories. This is my phrase to describe stories that are set in the near future. Stories where Google has branched out into building fully automated cars or where Facebook has acquired more information on each one of us then the NSA. Stories, from a technology view, that are completely plausible. David Gregory not only does this, but throws in the thought provoking idea of Christianity completely dying out in America and one missionaries calling to revive it.

This book impressed me. As a technology nut I found his vision of the near future completely believable. Especially the leap to complete virtual reality through implanted hardware within the body. To me, what makes these things believable are his bringing into the story the in-between hardware pieces that made these steps possible. Abigail, coming out of the jungle, does not have the implants. During the course of the story, we have descriptors of the helmet and devices she wore to enter into that virtual reality that others so free entered without. Technology builds on top of technology and that was present. Okay, enough geeking out.

Beyond the technology, the story was enjoyable. There was a nice blend of mystery, danger, and the thoughts of "wow this really could happen in America."

I guess to make a simple summary, let me just say I liked it. It was fast paced, held my interest, and gave me some things to ponder when it was all done. Definitely worth reading if you get a chance.

Publisher's Info
In the future, it’s possible to live forever—but at what cost?

A.D. 2088.

Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.

But a larger threat looms. The world's leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether—but at what expense?

As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father's unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.

In this fast-paced thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking religious themes to create a spell-binding "what-if?" novel.

Author Bio
David Gregory is the coauthor of two nonfiction books and a frequent conference speaker. After a ten-year business career, he returned to school to study religion and communications, earning two master's degrees. David lives in Texas, where he works for a nonprofit organization.

My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can click here to go directly to the Multnomah web site where you will be able to download the first chapter for preview, read an author interview, or even watch a promo video.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

One of Their Own Won't Make It

This is an incredible time for television shows. As we charge forward to a host of season and series finales, there seems to be one main theme. A main character is going to die. I know that some shows have actors leaving, but there are other ways to write them out of the series without blowing them away. If this was the first time a show had done it maybe I could accept it. But show after show is advertising the sad demise of a character. I'm tired of it. It's no wonder television ratings are so terrible. Get a new idea people.

Book Review - Indivisible

Today's book review is for "Indivisible" by Kristen Heitzmann.

My Thoughts
I jumped into this book really not knowing what to expect. From the description I knew it was some sort of thriller, but you never know if that is going to hold true or not. Thankfully, I was impressed by the story. I wouldn't describe it as a story building up to a major twist, but a story that has a lot of secrets that come out more and more as you read. While I had one of the mysteries pegged from the beginning, although I confess there were a lot of clues, there were many others that left me questioning to end. Take that and throw in a couple of mutilated raccoons that have been sewn together and you have the makings for something interesting.

I guess the best testament that I can give to the book is that I wanted the story to continue. The story had a a definite ending, but I wanted to see what happened next in the life of the characters. Even if it wasn't a thriller, I would read the "next chapter" if it was ever presented to me. Whenever you finish a book and you wish there was more is always a good sign.

As we head into summer I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for an enjoyable psychological read.

Publisher's Info
Battling his own personal demons, Police Chief Jonah Westfall knows the dark side of life and has committed himself to eradicating it. When a pair of raccoons are found mutilated in Redford, Colorado, Jonah investigates the gruesome act, knowing the strange event could escalate and destroy the tranquility of his small mountain town. With a rising drug threat and never-ending conflict with Tia Manning, a formidable childhood friend with whom he has more than a passing history, Jonah fights for answers—and his fragile sobriety.

But he can’t penetrate every wound or secret—especially one fueled by a love and guilt teetering on madness.

Author Bio
While home schooling her four kids, Kristen Heitzmann wrote her first novel. It became one of a five book historical series. Since then, she has written three more historical novels and eight contemporary romantic and psychological suspense novels including The Still of Night, nominated for the Colorado Book Award, The Tender Vine, a Christy Award finalist and Christy Award winning Secrets. She lives in Colorado with her husband Jim, sundry family members, and pets.

My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can click here to go directly to the Multnomah web site were you will be able to download the first chapter for preview.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Whose Kingdom?

We've been looking at the Lord's prayer in my youth ministry and tonight we talked about "your kingdom come." It's a wonderful thing to say that we want the kingdom to come, but it gets more complicated if we really stop and examine our own lives. There's the dynamic of the kingdom both being already present yet still to come. With that in mind, which kingdom our we living a part of today? If a group of impartial outsiders were to examine us, would they come to the conclusion that we were living for God's kingdom, or would the evidence of our lives testify of another kingdom that has reign and authority over us? Sadly we see examples of other believers that allowed another kingdom to rule in their lives. While they may have said they wanted God's kingdom, their life spoke otherwise. When I pray for the kingdom to come, I am definitely looking torward eternity, but I also want to live completely and unashamedly as a part of that kingdom now.

Book Review - Radical

Today's book review is for "Radical" by David Platt.

My Thoughts
When I was offered the opportunity to review this book, I almost didn't take it. The full title is "Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream." I don't have much respect for authors that blame America for all the evil in the world of which there are quite a few. Yet, the description piqued my interest enough to go ahead and read it. I'm glad I did. After reading it, I walk away not feeling that the book is a critique of America at all. Instead, I walk away feeling that many Christians in America live as Americans first and Christians second. The book is a challenge to all believers, although specifically American believers, to refuse to allow our culture to blind us to the way Christ has called us to live.

In a nutshell, Christ has called us to reach the world for him, not to live comfortable lives. We have been called to be dangerous, not to live danger free. The book challenges our oft misguided belief that some are called to reach a lost and dying world while some get a free pass to relax.

I barely know what to write about this book. It was challenging and convicting. More than anything, it's making me want to pray about it. No one likes a punch in the gut, but if it's God trying to get our attention we need to stop and examine it.

I'll leave it as this. You need to read this book. Then, you need to get in your Bible and pray about it.

Publisher's Info
It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily...

BUT WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO LIVES LIKE THAT? DO YOU?

In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment --a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

Author Bio
David Platt is the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, a four-thousand member congregation in Birmingham, Alabama. Widely regarded as an exceptional expositor, David has traveled and taught around the world. He holds two undergraduate and three advanced degrees, including a doctorate from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. David and his wife, Heather, live in Birmingham with their family.

My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can click here to go directly to the Multnomah web site were you will be able to download the first chapter for preview.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Athlete

I was sitting in a park watching one of my youth girls play softball yesterday and I was reminded that I once had an unassisted triple play when I was younger. It was a hotly contested kickball game during recess when I was in the fifth grade. I doubt anyone else that was there even remembers it, but let me tell you that it was amazing.

Confession

I have a confession to make. My wife and I were out and about this evening when we happened across a KFC. I'm a sucker for testing and trying new food products and KFC has one. Perhaps you've heard about it in the news. It's called the Double Down. It consists of two pieces of boneless chicken. Not chicken tender size but full breast size. These pieces of fried chicken act as the bun. In between the two pieces of deep fried goodness resides bacon, cheese, and a sauce of some sort. There is no bun. It's a chicken sandwich in the purest sense.  Most questions concerning it revolve around its nutritional value. Having now  recently partaken of one of these concoctions, I lend my voice to the crowds that decry it's total lack of nutrition. The only problem I have was that it was amazing. We split one just for fun, but we were both surprised that it was so good. The chicken was moist and juicy and there was quite a bit of it. Both the cheese and sauce were tasty. And the bacon? Well, it's hard to ever go wrong with bacon. The end result was surprising but extremely satisfying. 

I would love to try another, but it will be a tough argument between my taste buds and my brain that knows something like that will shorten my life expectancy. 

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Growing Up

As I write this, my son is sleeping in his own room. I know that doesn't sound special, but it's his first night there. He's more than ready to transition into a bed and our apartment just doesn't accommodate both he and his sister each having a bed in the same room. Just not enough space.  So the crib and various other pieces of furniture have exchanged places to allow this. Later this week we'll be bringing the bed. I sit here and realize my children are growing up so fast.  Before I blink this moment will be gone. That is why I played hide and seek with my children tonight. I assure you that hide and seek with only four small rooms to hide in isn't much of a challenge, but it was worth it.  Too fast this moment will be gone forever.    

Check Out My Diploma

I have a confession to make. I had a couple of speeding tickets about two years ago. One I absolutely deserved. There were extenuating circumstances with the second and I think it was undeserved. Anyway, you pay your fine and move on with life. That is, you move on with life until it comes back to bite you.

In updating some church insurance information, my name was submitted as a primary driver of the church van. The insurance company ran a check on me and declared me ineligible to drive the van. Seems they don't like those speeding tickets acquired back in my youth (ahh...to be thirty again).

This presented a problem and problems need solutions. I called our insurance provider and they offered me probation on one condition, I had to take their online defensive driver course. I really had no choice so I accepted their offer. As of this morning, and after a grueling online course and test, I am now a diploma carrying defensive driver.

Now I have to live with the shame of being on probation. I wonder if they'll assign me some sort of parole officer?

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The Meeting is Done

I know it sounds odd, but we just had our 2009 annual church business meeting today. Actually, I like the way we work it. The winter months are rather unpredictable here in Ohio and instead of promoting a meeting that might have to be canceled, we simply wait until March for our meeting. Considering this is April, you can tell that the winter storms affected us and we had to push it back a little more. I doubt anyone looks forward to business meetings, but they are necessary to keep a church running. Sounds like a lot of things we have to do in life. No deeper thoughts than that.

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Book Review - Forget Me Not

Today's book review is for "Forget Me Not" by Vicki Hinze.

My Thoughts
This book has been a tough one for me to review. It's not a bad book, but it's not great either. The story moves along at a decent pace, but sometimes I felt like the plot was being forced along and not allowed to develop naturally. And maybe I'm just extremely perceptive, probably not but I'll run with it, but I felt is was obvious from early on why Benjamin's wife and son were murdered. The other major twist, which I'll politely not even mention in case you read the book, again seemed obvious early on. In addition to those, I'm just not much for love stories that rapidly develop within matter of days. Once again, it seemed forced. Finally, I felt that scant little information was provided concerning this shadowy organization that the characters are suppose to fear. These little details hinder what overall wasn't a bad storyline.

There are some decent twists and turns that keep you intrigued. I won't deny that I was reading more chapters in a sitting than I intended to simply because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. That fact alone bodes well for any story. That's why this review is mixed. I enjoyed the story, but I think it could have been better. If you like a mystery with a little romance thrown in you'd probably appreciate the book. The call is yours.

Publisher's Info
Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man—in his faith, his work, and his family. Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away. His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith. Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too. Why had he survived? He’d failed to protect his family.

Now, a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help—a victim who eerily resembles Ben’s deceased wife, Susan. A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith—and Susan’s necklace.

The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill. Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman’s situation from dangerous to deadly. Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will that be enough to save their lives and heal their tattered hearts?

Author Bio
Vicki Hinze is an award-winning author of twenty-three novels, three nonfiction books, and hundreds of articles. Selected for Who’s Who in America in 2004 as a writer and educator, Hinze is active in Romance Writers of America and serves as a Vice President on the International Thriller Writers Board of Directors. Vicki lives in Florida with her artist husband, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel. Visit www.vickihinze.com to learn more about Vicki’s books, blogs, and writing programs.


My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can find out more about it from the Random House web site.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

When Something Is Missing Part 2

Yesterday's story was the opening to my message on Sunday from the 13th Psalm. I tried to bring out the idea that the Psalm lacks what I would consider a climax (as introductory story). We have David lamenting the fact that it feels like God has abandoned him and that his enemies are going to triumph. The tension builds as David cries out to God for an answer. Without an answer he surely will die and all his enemies will celebrate his demise. All this brings us to the point in the psalm where we want a climax. We want the answer to come, a solution to arise, and the enemy to be defeated. In short, we want God to step into the story and do something.

Yet, God never steps into the story. We're expecting a climatic moment for God's power to be displayed, and what we get is something very anti-climatic. We get nothing. After all the build up, David ends the psalm by declaring that he will continue to trust, rejoice, and sing for God has been good. He goes from complaining that God has forgotten him to singing because God is God, and nothing in the story has changed.

My point I felt was simple to understand, but harder to accept. God can and does still answer prayer. There are climatic points in our lives were we need God to step in and he does just that. However, and I can't explain why, there are other times when God chooses not to step in. Moments where we desperately need God, and he remains silent. The climax of our story doesn't come. When that happens, we're left with a choice. Is faith in God dependent upon him doing things for us, or is it based on belief? Belief that he is God both when he steps into our story and when he chooses not.

Maybe it just resonated with me, but I thought it was a good word.

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When Something Is Missing

The year was 1987. A seventeen year old girl raced down a maze of New York alleys. The area around a wicked slash in her jeans was quickly becoming stained red. The pounding of footsteps and shouts of men pushed her on. She was lost and tired, but if she stopped she was dead. Two wrongs turns and a backtrack brought her into the view of her pursuers. Trying to duck into another alley, she lost her footing on some loose gravel and went tumbling down. She lay on the pavement dazed. Then, without warning, they were there. Rough hands grabbed her and pinned her to the ground. A foot was placed solidly on her neck and pressure slowly began to be applied. She coughed as it became harder to breathe. They had found her and now she was going to die. Through the pain she looked up past the buildings into the night sky and saw the most amazing thing.

An Amazing Feeling

Yesterday I was able to do something amazing. At least it was amazing in my opinion. I went to my bank’s web site and I clicked the option to pay bills. On the following screen, I choose to make a payment on my student loan. Then, I wrote in an extremely large number, verified it, and clicked pay. With that mouse click I officially paid off my student loan. It was an incredible feeling. One step closer to being completely debt free. I guess that means the car is about to break down. Anyway, rejoice with me for the day at least.

Book Review - This Little Prayer of Mine

Today's book review is by my wife Kelly and is for "This Little Prayer of Mine" by Anthony DeStefano. Illustrations are by Mark Elliot.

My Thoughts
This is a cute children's book. It is written as a prayer to show kids how and what to pray. It shows two children in different aspects of life and how they can pray during those times. I liked that it included asking God to help in making good choices and showed asking for forgiveness when wrong. The pictures are nice and show great detail. I read it to my four year old and she enjoyed it too.

Publisher's Info
Author Anthony DeStefano’s adult books, The Prayers God Always Says Yes To and A Travel Guide to Heaven, have sold a quarter-million copies. Illustrator Mark Elliott’s cherished artwork has appeared in popular picture books and novels for young readers, including Gail Carson Levine’s ever-popular Princess Tales series.

Now, these acclaimed inspirational experts have come together to create This Little Prayer of Mine, a beautiful and alluring book designed to guide children into a very simple, real and expressive relationship with God.

Through engaging rhymes and alluring illustrations, This Little Prayer of Mine shows children—and their parents and grandparents—that complete dependence on God is what brings peace and fulfillment. It invites children to know and believe that God is always just a simple prayer away and that He longs to respond to them with a resounding, “Yes!”
This Little Prayer of Mine appeals to readers from all different faiths. Easy-reader format allows children to read alone, or with someone older, and encourages them to openly express their fears, thanks, and needs directly to God.

Author Bio
Anthony DeStefano is the author of The Prayers God Always Says Yes To and A Travel Guide to Heaven. He has received prestigious awards from religious organizations worldwide for his efforts to advance Christian beliefs in modern culture.

Mark Elliott’s brilliant illustrations have appeared in popular picture books and novels for young readers, including Gail Carson Levine’s Princess Tales series. His acclaimed artwork delivers inspiration, wonder, and timeless beauty on every page.


My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can find out more about it from the Random House web site.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Book Review - An Absence So Great

Today's book review is by my wife Kelly and is for "An Absence So Great" by Jane Kirkpatrick.

My Thoughts
This book is the sequel to A Flickering Light, which I read before and blogged about. When I read the first book, I was not too thrilled about the story line as some of the elements of the plot I did not agree with. After reading this one I found out that it is based on the life of the author's grandmother. The story is very good. She takes the truth of her grandmother's life and makes it an enjoyable story. I recommend both books to get the full story. It was a good book.

Publisher's Info
Inspired by the engaging stories told through her grandmother’s photographs taken at the turn of the century, award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick provides a portrait of the tension between darkness and light in the soul of a young woman pursuing her professional dreams.

Despite growing in confidence as a photographer, eighteen-year-old Jessie Ann Gaebele’s personal life is still at a crossroads. Hoping she’s put an unfortunate romantic longing behind her as “water under the bridge,” she exiles herself to Milwaukee to operate photographic studios for those ill with mercury poisoning.

Jessie gains footing on her dream to one day own her own studio and soon finds herself in other Midwest towns, pursuing her profession. But even a job she loves can’t keep those painful memories from seeping into her heart, and the shadows of a forbidden love threaten to darken the portrait of her life.

Author Bio
Jane Kirkpatrick is an award-winning author of sixteen historical novels, including A Flickering Light, the first part of Jessie Gaebale’s story, and three nonfiction titles. Known for her unique insights into the exploration of community, family and faith of actual historical women, the Wisconsin native and her husband have called their ranch in Oregon home for the past 25 years.


My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can find out more about it from the Random House web site.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

The Way

Last night in youth I taught from John 14:1-6. We’re in a series that I’m calling “Who Is Jesus?” The answers we are looking for are found in specific instances were Jesus stated. “I am the ...” Last week we looked at “I Am the Vine” and last night was “I Am the Way.”

I know that it’s not considered sensitive to other religions, but Jesus in this passage leaves no wiggle room. He states unequivocally, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV). If you believe what Jesus taught (which I do), then he makes it clear that there is only one way to be with God, and that’s him.

To clarify, we don’t make it to heaven by just following Jesus’ teachings, we don’t make it by being a overall good person, we don’t even make it by selling everything we have and working for the oppressed. We make it by having a relationship with “the way.”

As I was in my Bible this morning, my reading brought me to Proverbs 10:29. “The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil” (NIV). I thought it was fitting. There is no doubt that Christ is a refuge for his people, and sadly for many, he will be the ruin of all that reject him.

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Book Review - Steering Through Chaos

This book review gets a nice introductory story to go with it. At the beginning of this year I seemed on a roll in winning free things. I won a free iPhone app, an ebook of my choice from O'Reily Media, a book by Scott Wilson, and then a book by Margaret Feinberg. For the Scott Wilson book, my name was mentioned in a live interview as having won a copy and I replied to confirm it, but my name was never listed on the Web site as being a winner. I assumed that there had been some mistake. A few days later I had an opportunity to get a free copy of the book by agreeing to blog about it, something I already do with books from Multnomah. Since it appeared that I wasn't getting the free copy I thought I had won, I signed up for a copy to review. The very day I signed up to review it my free copy arrived. I tried to email and cancel the other book, but a few days later it arrived. So, I will do something that I haven't done for awhile. I will give away the second copy free. Just post a comment on this and I will randomly select a winner next Thursday.

My Thoughts
Great book. That was easy. I know this type of book isn't for everyone as it is primarily written for pastors and those in church leadership, but it is definitely worth reading. The book deals with the various things that we are going to face as we attempt to lead a church through change. It discusses ways of getting people on board, dealing with the struggles that arise, keeping yourself from burning out, and how to communicate. Not only that, but it goes into depth on why we need to prepare for change in advance of actually needing the change. It's a challenging read and you come away from it both thinking "I hope I never have to go through that" and "I need to prepare for this." Some books I read and then I don't mind getting rid of them. This is one of those books though that will become one of my reference books, something that I can refer to from time to time.

For full disclosure, I met Scott at a minister's conference that he taught at. He spoke on the topic that he covers in this book. So my review comes out of both reading the book, hearing him teach on it, and having the opportunity to talk to him. That, and he gave me a free copy of his previous book because I jokingly questioned his ability to teach us. Yes, making fun of the speaker before he teaches sometimes scores you free stuff.

You can read the first chapter of the book for free at www.scribd.com.

I've also embedded a YouTube vide below where Scott discusses the book. It's worth watching. I don't know if Facebook notes will pull in the video or not. If you don't see it, you can either see it on my blog or on YouTube itself.

And don't forget a comment could win you a free book. Show a little comment love if you can.



On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Good Morning!

Continuing a thought from yesterday, I really believe that God wants to change things in our lives. In this, sometimes He points out the problem or the change He desires, and then we have to begin working on it. For me it’s my mornings. God wants them. The struggle resides in the fact that I’m a night owl. The hours after 10 PM are my wide awake time of the day. Yet, I’ve sensed for quite some time the need to be awake and spending time with Him early in the morning. I think it’s something that needs changed.

So I’ve prayed and asked the Lord to help me, resolved within myself to actually get up and do it, and finally I got someone to check on me. I’m a big believer in community. We were not created to be lone rangers of faith. We are to help and receive help from other believers. To that end, I decided to do something crazy. I asked for a student volunteer in my youth ministry to check on me, and one of my awesome young ladies said she would do it. For two mornings in a row now, she has called my cell phone as she gets ready for to school to make sure that I am awake. I know that she reads this and I want to say a big “thank you.” I was wondering if she would chicken out but she didn’t. I’m sure calling her youth pastor early in the morning isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but she’s doing it.

I’m no where near perfect, but I try to model authentic faith to my students. In this situation, I’m hoping that they will see two things. First, that there are always things that God wants to work on in our lives. Second, that we will always need other believers to help us and, in the same breath, we need to be willing to do the same in return.

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Permission to Prune

Last night in our youth service I taught from John 15:1-8. In it Jesus describes himself as a vine, us as the branches, and God the Father as the gardner. The passage has some serious implications if you ponder the truth that God completely cuts away branches that don’t bear any fruit. Serious implications as these branches are described as then being thrown into the fire.

While I dealt with that, the main emphasis was the second part. We are told that those that bear fruit can expect God to prune their lives so that they can bear even more fruit. I headed to Wikipedia* to learn a little more about pruning. Here’s the relevant portion I found.

“[Pruning] usually entails removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, or otherwise unwanted tissue from a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots.”

Pruning is getting rid of the all the junk in a plant that hinders it from reaching it’s full potential. I like the two aspects presented. Some of the material removed can be diseased which in turn could destroy the the entire plant. Other items removed may not necessarily be harmful, but definitely not productive.

If we examine our lives, we will find that God is wanting to do the same thing in us. Often times we’ve allowed things into our lives that are harmful. Sometimes it’s things we even enjoy. Yet, if we are to follow Christ we must allow God to prune these things away. In the same vein, sometimes there are things that come into our lives that are not necessarily wrong, but they can begin to consume us. Sometimes God will choose to prune these things out of our lives as well. And, to let you in on a little secret, I don’t think most people enjoy being pruned. It’s hard to hear the Lord’s whisper telling us to change something. It’s hard to have the Lord direct us away from things we enjoy. It’s hard to hear him say “No.”

I guess what it comes down to is an issue of trust. Do we really believe that God knows what’s best? If we really do, we can honestly say, “Even though it hurts Lord, please prune away at the junk in my life.” Not always easy, but so necessary.


*For the intellectual purists I’d like to mention that I know Wikipedia can be hit or miss on the accuracy of their information. While I wouldn’t trust it when writing a thesis, I do trust it enough to gain some insights on a subject as simple as pruning.

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Book Review - Start Here

The book review for today is "Start Here" by Alex & Brett Harris.

My Thoughts
"Start Here" is a companion book to the Harris brothers book "Do Hard Things", so it is probably best read after reading the first book. Full disclosure, I haven't read "Do Hard Things". I have worked with some curriculum based off of it and from my understanding, the book is a challenge to teenagers to use their teen years doing hard things for God. It's calling youth to rise above mediocrity and culture's low expectations of them. I think "Do Hard Things" answers the question of why teens should be choosing to live this way. "Start Here" then answers the question of how do I get started. Put another way, it doesn't ignite the desire to do hard things, but helps those that have already had that desire ignited get started on their journey. While this book can be read on its own, I think it makes a lot more sense to read it after having read "Do Hard Things".

As for the book itself, I think it offers a lot of practical advice for teens that want to do a little something more in this world than simply hang out at the mall and play video games. The book covers such topics as finding God's will, getting help from others, and what to do when you get overwhelmed. I particularly liked the section that dealt with how to handle yourself when people start complimenting you. Pride is such an easy thing to fall into and I'm glad that it was addressed. Another important area that is covered is the possibility that a teen might try something hard for God and it might not work out.

One nice feature is that peppered throughout the book are true stories from teens that have already taken up the challenge. Hearing the tales of youth that have accepted the challenge and then accomplished something is surely an encouragement for anyone else considering doing similar.

So my final conclusion is that it is a worthwhile book for your teenager to read, but it really only makes sense to read it after you've read "Do Hard Things".

Publisher's Info
At the age of eighteen, Alex and Brett Harris wrote Do Hard Things—and launched a movement that would change a generation. Young people around the world were ready to be inspired, ready to move beyond complacency, ready to rebel against society’s low expectations.

Now the highly anticipated companion book, Start Here, answers the questions Alex and Brett have received from thousands of teens on their worldwide conference tour and popular online community: How do I get started? What hard things does God want me to do? How do I keep from getting discouraged or burned out? What is the best way to inspire others?

Filled with stories and insights from Alex, Brett, and other real-life rebelutionaries, Start Here is a powerful and practical guide for young people who are ready to take the next step and blast past apathy. Let the rebelution continue.

Authors Bio
Alex and Brett Harris are the coauthors of the best-selling book Do Hard Things, which they wrote at age eighteen. Today the twins speak regularly to audiences of thousands on The Rebelution Tour, maintain a hugely popular online presence through their blog, TheRebelution.com, and have been featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and in the New York Times. Raised in Portland, Oregon, the brothers currently attend Patrick Henry College in Virginia.


My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can find out more about it from the Random House web site.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

The Truth Hurts

Tomorrow night will be the last night of our youth ministry's Dating & Sex series. Without a doubt this is the one series that seems to turn youth against me. Youth that laughed and loved me suddenly have a chill in their attitude. Not outright hatred, but a cooling of the relationship. I look back over my years in youth ministry and this has always been the topic that does it. My best guess is that what I preach hits far too close to home and they don't like it. I believe everything that I teach is Biblical concerning the subject. Popular? No. The truth? Yes. What bothers me is not the fact that I get the cold shoulder, but that they're rejecting the truth.

Let me share a word with any of my students that might stumble across this. I love you more than you even realize. I love you enough that I promise to always share the truth with you, even if it hurts sometimes. How could I call myself your friend and do anything less? My only alternative is to lie to you, but then I wouldn't really be your friend.

A Thought On Serving

I subscribe to the weekly “Matt Chat” newsletter put out by Matt Anderson. I’m pretty ruthless on what I allow into my inbox, but “Matt Chat” has earned the right to keep coming. Yesterdays thought really connected with me so I acquired permission to reprint it here. Hope you enjoy it.


Matt Chat
“24: Part 1 - February 22, 2010”

There's nothing like a server to bring about an air of superiority in others.

As a youth pastor, my leadership team and I frequented a restaurant after youth services. It was a great opportunity to kick back, laugh, and evaluate the evening's activities. Part of that dining experience was having the same waitress each week. Jen was someone we had grown to appreciate and care about. Occasionally we even had good spiritual conversations with her. She made our group a priority, and we made a point of treating her well and tipping generously.
Unfortunately, one particular evening, another group had a differing opinion. Midway through our meal, I noticed a nearby table having a heated discussion with Jen and her manager. Minutes later, Jen came to our table to check on us but looked visibly shaken. I asked her if everything was OK. She replied that the neighboring table was upset that their iced tea pitcher had a ring around it. Jen reported that the pitcher was clean and that it was common for pitchers to develop rings like that and remain after washing. An angry customer retorted, "Really? If that pitcher is clean then that's your natural hair color." After offering our sympathies for such outright cruelty, Jen added a sentence that shook me to my core. "That's OK; it's just another church group."

Not much has changed in 2000 years. Servers, though certainly paid for their efforts, are still regarded rather lowly in the social order of the day. It's amazing how small people will use a server to project a false air of superiority. I've seen it happen too many times. So how amazing that Jesus, only hours before the climax of human history, would show his superiority. But it wouldn't be with a miracle, a healing, or even prophetic teaching. He did it with an apron. "So he [Jesus] got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. (John 13:4-5, MSG)"

To the untrained eye, the one who receives is greater than the one who gives, but in the Kingdom of Light, the reverse is true. Jesus was performing an object lesson. He humbled Himself to do the lowliest of jobs: cleaning the feet of others...and probably with his hands. What a statement! It's not what I would have wanted to see Him doing. Rose petals should have been laid before Him. Trumpet fanfares should have announced His arrivals. Doves should have been released when He entered a room. But that wasn't the Lord. He knew that by serving these men, it would set the table for what He would do later that same day when He would undergo injustices even more humiliating than this.

We are most like Jesus when we do what others wouldn't. May I just say something to anyone with a title? The moment we become too important to fold chairs, carry tables, or spruce up a bathroom is the very moment we've become useless to God. If you're being served, find opportunities to do the same. Don't fall for the ridiculous notion that you deserve it and "paid your dues" at some point. It's nice when honor is given to whom honor is due, but we're not the only ones deserving honor. Let's love people more than ourselves to do what others believe to be beneath them. In short, Jesus wasn't chauffeured to Calvary.

Likewise, those serving must not do so with clenched teeth and a subtle growl. We must do it "as unto the Lord," even when jerks (or worse, Christian jerks) are ungrateful for the service. Christ is much easier to please and never misses an opportunity to tip.

The world envies the one being carried on shoulders, but the Lord exalts the one who carries. Trays mean more to Him than scepters; aprons are preferred to vestments; and towels are esteemed greater than crowns. Remember that the most significant thing you do this week will only be seen by the Lord. Have an amazing week.


Matt sends this type of “chat” out once a week If you’re interested in signing up, go to mattchat.fanbridge.com and fill out the form.

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Book Review - Hear No Evil

My Thoughts
There is no doubt that music plays an enormous part in many people's lives. Matthew Turner discusses this reality in his own life, but from a perspective of a childhood rooted in an extremely strict version of Christianity. From what I gather, anything except hymns was basically considered evil. The humor and pain I felt as he discussed his family sneaking out to a Sandy Patti concert resonated with me. Not that I was ever a Sandy fan myself, but more of a closet Petra fan.

Without ever coming out and saying it, Turner questions the validity of both Christians openly judging the motives of musicians that happen to be Christian, and the musician themselves who seek fame as a so called humble servant of Christ. This hit home because I have both heard criticism of Christian musicians for their weaknesses (uh...they are human), while also seeing musicians that claimed God had called them to their ministry (and corresponding popularity), but seemingly forgetting at the same time to give them any talent.

This seems like deep and painful things to consider, but I give Turner credit for writing from his own life experiences and doing so with humor. I can't honestly say that I agree with everything, but the book gets the mental juices flowing in a simple read. With that said, I think the book is worth picking up and reading.

Publisher's Info
If you’ve ever had the opening bars of a song transport you back in time or remind you of a pivotal spiritual moment, Matthew Paul Turner’s honest—and frequently hilarious—musings will strike a chord. Straightforward and amusing, Hear No Evil is Turner’s “life soundtrack,” a compilation of engaging personal stories about how music—and music’s ability to transform—has played a key role in his spiritual life.

Groove along on his journey as young evangelical Turner attends forbidden contemporary Christian concerts, moves to “Music City” Nashville, and dreams of becoming the Michael Jackson of Christian music.

Cosmic and compelling, keen and funny, every page is a new encounter with the people, places, and experiences that have taught the music-editor-turned-author some new things about God, forced him out of his comfort zone, and introduced him to a fresh view of grace along the way.

Author Bio
Matthew Paul Turner is a blogger, speaker, and author of Churched: One Kid’s Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess, The Christian Culture Survival Guide, and several other popular books. After a childhood in rural Maryland, Turner attended Nashville’s Belmont University, where he received a BBA in music business, and was the editor of CCM magazine before leaving to pursue writing as a career. Turner has written for Relevant, HomeLife, Christian Single, and other magazines. He and his wife, Jessica, have one son, and live in Nashville, Tennessee.


My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can find out more about it from the Random House web site.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Love and Approval

God loves us. A simple phrase that most Christians would readily agree with. I’m not denying it’s true. God does love people. The Bible tells us that he loved us enough to send his son for us. The problem arises when we begin to confuse love and approval. Just because God loves us does not mean he approves of what we do. I see this more and more reflected in my life with my children. I love them. Their hugs and kisses are worth more than gold to me. I love them even when they mess up and do wrong things. My love for them doesn’t change. However, just because I love them does not mean I approve of everything they choose to do. When my daughter lies to me, it cuts deep. I still love her, but I don’t approve.

I think we sometimes need to examine ourselves very closely. We get so comfortable in God’s love that we fail to realize that there are things that we’ve allowed into our lives that don’t please him. He still loves, but he isn’t pleased. Are we willing to be open enough with God that he can begin to point these things out to us? I hope so, because more than anything I want us all to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

It Must Be Genetic

Today after church we went to have lunch with my parents and my sister and her family. We had a nice lunch followed by cupcakes. The kids all ate theirs and ran off to play some more. I was sitting there minding my own business when my wife pointed out that my sister and I were both eating our cupcakes with a spoon. A quick glance around the table zeroed in on my dad, spoon in hand, eating his cupcake. I don't need to go into the anguish we felt as our secret use of a spoon came to light. Honestly, I don't know why we were singled out as being abnormal. Of the six adults around the table, we were evenly split between spoon users and non spoon users.

So if you are reading this I need your comment. When you eat cupcakes, do you use a spoon or not?

On Facebook? The orignal post resides at www.focusedjourney.com

Sam's Club

I have some questions for Sam’s Club. Why do we have to show our membership card to come in and shop? What is the benefit of having a worker stand there glancing at our cards? This is just my opinion, but wouldn’t some very clear signs stating that Sam’s Club requires purchasers to have membership be just as effective? It’s not as if someone can sneak in without membership and secretly buy products. As I was just there this afternoon, the only way to purchase is to have the cashier swipe your membership card. I understand that you don’t want people to unknowingly walk in, shop, and then discover that they aren’t allowed to buy. The problem is that your workers really don’t check people that walk in. All you have to do to enter is walk close behind someone else that shows their card. As long as you are close the worker doesn’t even give you a second glance. And let’s not forget today. Today as I walked in, I mistakenly grabbed my Discover card out of my wallet and showed it to the worker. There was no, “sorry sir but that isn’t a membership card.” There was no, “Hey! Members only punk!” There was a smile and I walked right on in. So again I must ask the question, why do I have to show my membership card?

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

A Little History

Thanks to the snow, we had to cancel youth tonight. Once the kids were in bed, I continued work on a personal project. An addition to blogging, I also keep a journal. There are some things I'm thinking and praying about that need to remain private. My journal is comprised of both these private entries and blog entries. Originally, these were separate. I've been working to move all my blog entries into the journal.

As I was working on this, I came across so many tiny pieces of my history. I read my thoughts after I injured my back. I found humorous little stories that I had written about my children. I even read my triumph of making it under 220 pounds.

I came away with a couple thoughts. I need to write more. Memories are so fleeting, but they become more permanent when recorded. Second, I've really blown the progress I was making with my weight. It reminded me that it's time to step up with some self-control. Maybe it's time for that weekly weight posting again. Anything to get me moving.

Sometimes taking a moment to look back and review can help you prepare to move forward again.

Super Bowl

Well, the Super Bowl is over and congratulations go the New Orleans Saints for winning. The last few years have featured some decent games that haven’t been over by the second quarter and tonight’s actually held my interest.

The commercials were extremely lackluster. Where’s the creativity? Where’s the laugh out loud moment? The best commercial of the night appeared before the Super Bowl evan began. The McDonald’s remake of the Larry Bird and Michael Jordan shootout featuring Lebron James and Dwight Howard was the only one that even is worth mentioning. Other than that, not much.

The Tebow ad that had feminists up in arms was short, simple, and completely unoffensive. It shouldn’t surprise me, but it does that they would gripe about a commercial that they hadn’t even seen simply because it supports life, yet at the same time they ignore the way GoDaddy treats women as nothing more than objects in their commercials. Crazy.

Anyway, the conclusion is a fair game and overall poor advertising.

Buried In Snow

The snow came and it came with a vengeance. Last night was one of the heaviest snowfalls that I’ve seen in this part of Ohio for a long time. Easily up towards a foot and a half if not more. With the drifting it was incredible. Snow is amazing. Something so beautiful, yet it brought this little part of the country to a standstill. The added bonus is that snow makes you feel absolutely justified in staying inside and doing nothing. So, after shoveling for a couple hours and straining my back a little, I found it quite nice to flop on the couch and catch up on some sleep that I’ve been missing. Loved it.

iPad Reflections

I'm fully aware that there are tech pundits waxing eloquently for and against Apple's newest creation now known as the iPad. I've read quite a few opinions and now feel it is my duty to tap these keys and place my own thoughts out into the wild.

For those that don't know (and I assume some of the people that read this don't), last week Apple unveiled a new computer product called the iPad. It's a slim and lightweight tablet style computer. It sports a touch screen a little under 10 inches and runs on the iPhone OS so out of the box it can run almost all of the applications found in the Apple App Store. The comparison I've run across the most is that it looks like a big iPod Touch. That also seems to be the greatest complaint; that it is nothing more than a large Touch.

When it was revealed last week, I was at work but I had my browser open to various blogs that were doing live updates. After seeing the features, tech specs, and some photos, I realized that there was never a moment where I thought to myself, "I have to get that". After all the rumors and hype building up before the event it was almost impossible not to be let down. The device looks amazing and from a design point of view it is beautiful, but what would it be really good for? That summed up my attitude.

Now that I've had a few days, my thoughts have slowly began to change. It started when I downloaded the podcast of the event and watched it. Just seeing the iPad being held makes a major impact. Photos, even the one I included, don't give you a size perspective. Once you see a picture of someone holding it you appreciate the size. It's like holding a thin book. This is where I think the iPad shines.

I enjoy books, but I appreciate having digital copies of my reading material. Digital copies are searchable, always with you, and compact (obviously computer code doesn't take up much physical space). I already see this with my iPhone. Most of my devotional time in the Bible is done on my iPhone. I have the complete Bible on my phone compliments of LifeChurch.tv. I have a vast number of modern translations to choose from and even the convenience of my reading plan being right there. Added bonus, my Bible is always with me. However, the screen is small. I'm comfortable with it, but it is small. While the iPad isn't going to slide into my pocket, it presents to me a nice option. I could hold a device that is more book like, while still giving the power of having the multiple translations and so on. While they haven't officially said yes, I would love for the Bible software I use (Accordance) to make an app for the iPad. I could read a passage, pop open a commentary, maybe even do a little Greek or Hebrew background, and then write some notes on the passage all in the application. I think this will happen.

Further, I would love to see the magazines that I subscribe to come to me in a digital format on the iPad. I know there are digital options out there already, but they don't look right on the widescreen of a laptop. I think the iPad could show the page more as it was intended to be. While this hasn't happened yet, I think we are moving that route. I love the idea of having old issues of my magazines saved for reference without taking up tons of space on my bookshelves.

The more I've thought about it, the more I've even come to believe that this is the device for my mom. My mom is dabbling in email and does some basic web surfing. She does it on my dad's old HP laptop which sometimes presents more problems than it solves. A simple portable device like this would be perfect in my opinion. If I had a thousand dollars to blow I'd get her one. That amount obviously takes into account my need to have one at the same time. Mainly so I can familiarize myself with the device so I can help her if she has any questions. Yeah, that's the reason I'd need one too. The things my mom needs from the Internet and a computer in general could all be taken care of in this one simple device.

One final thought. The lack of a camera doesn't bother me. I doubt I'd be taking a lot of photos with an outward facing camera. Second, I already don't enjoy talking on the phone. Why would I want to turn that phone call into a video call with an inward facing camera?

I don't have the resources just to buy one when they hit the market and there are a few apps I'd like to wait and see if they arrive, but I could see myself enjoying this some day. That day is probably years away, but I can see it.

That's my thoughts. If you have any feel free to leave them in the comments.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.

Book Review - Dug Down Deep

Tonight I am reviewing the book "Dug Down Deep" by Joshua Harris. First a little information about the book and then my thoughts follow.

Publisher's Info
What will you build your life on?

With startling transparency, Joshua Harris shares how we can rediscover the relevance and power of Christian truth. This is book shows a young man who rose quickly to success in the Christian evangelical world before he realized his spirituality lacked a foundation—it rested more on tradition and morality than on an informed knowledge of God.

For the indifferent or spiritually numb, Harris's humorous and engaging reflections on Christian beliefs show that orthodoxy isn't just for scholars—it is for anyone who longs to know the living Jesus Christ. As Harris writes, "I've come to learn that theology matters. It matters not because we want to impress people, but because what we know about God shapes the way we think and live. Theology matters because if we get it wrong then our whole life will be wrong."

Whether you are just exploring Christianity or you are a veteran believer finding yourself overly familiar and cold-hearted, Dug Down Deep will help you rediscover the timeless truths of Scripture. As Harris challenges you to root your faith and feelings about God in the person, work, and words of Jesus, he answers questions such as:

What is God like and how does he speak to me?What difference does it make that Jesus was both human and divine?How does Jesus's death on the cross pay for my sins?Who is the Holy Spirit and how does he work in my life?

With grace and wisdom, Harris will inspire you to revel in the truth that has captured his own mind and heart. He will ask you to dig deep into a faith so solid you can build your life on it. He will point you to something to believe in again.

Author Bio
Joshua Harris is senior pastor of Covenant Life in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which belongs to the Sovereign Grace network of local churches. A passionate speaker with a gift for making theological truth easy to understand, Joshua is perhaps best known for his runaway bestseller, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which he wrote at the age of twenty-one. His later books include Boy Meets Girl, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), and Stop Dating the Church. The founder of the NEXT conferences for young adults, Joshua is committed to seeing the gospel transferred to a new generation of Christians. He and his wife, Shannon, have three children.

My Thoughts
I've read some of Joshua Harris' books in the past and have enjoyed them. When I had the opportunity to read this book, I jumped at the offer. I did this because the book was promoted as digging down to orthodoxy. I phrase it as theology for the rest of us. I remember being in college and working through a heavy volume of systematic theology. It wasn't something I enjoyed. So I was curious to see how the author would approach it. My opinion is that he does a good job. The book isn't written to be an exhaustive scholarly work, but the thoughts of of a regular person wanting to ground their faith. He works to make some of the foundational truths of the Christian faith more accessible. Having come across a lot of Christians that only scratch the surface of what it means to follow Christ, I feel it is very timely to encourage others to go a little deeper. Especially in the hour that we're living.

The book is easy to read, but as you do you find yourself having gut checks every so often. It comes down to confronting what you believe and asking yourself if it is Biblical. I walk away from the book tempted to pull out my Systematic Theology text that sits abandoned on a shelf and starting to dig into it with my Bible right beside it. I'd encourage you to pick up a copy and read it.

My favorite place to buy books is Amazon and you can find the book there. Or of you are inclined, you can find out more about it from the Waterbrook Multnomah web site.

This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Welcome to Reality

Last night my wife and I had the pleasure of spending all night with our youth. It was our youth ministry's annual all nighter. We've been doing them for several years now and believe we know what to expect. This year we experienced something different. All the teens that were there seemed more subdued than most years. We still had a lot of fun, but overall there wasn't as much hyperactive craziness. As we discussed this, my wife made an interesting observation. Normally we have the all nighter right near New Years Eve. This year we had to wait later into January. This means that our students came after having woke up early in the morning and having spent an entire day at school. This is in stark contrast to them normally having been on Christmas vacation for a week and itching just to get out and do something. A day of school completely affected how they acted during the night. Perhaps they got a little taste of what the leaders go through to be there. From a leader standpoint, I think we should do it this way every year.

An Ounce of Prevention

Perhaps a better title for this post would be "$200 of Prevention." I'm not a big fan of buying extended warranties. They are for the most part worthless. However, there is one extended warranty that I'm a big believer in, namely, Apple Care. New Macs come with a year of warranty coverage, but you can extend it to three years by purchasing Apple Care. For my laptop, the price was somewhere over $200. It's expensive and if you never use it you feel stupid for buying it, but when you need it it's priceless.

After youth service this past Tuesday, my laptop was shut. A few minutes later I tried to open it up. Nothing. I figured it was incorrectly thinking that it was still attached to the projector that we had used. I forced it to power down and tried restarting it. It tried to start, and then nothing. Over the next few hours I restarted it multiple times, took the battery out and then restarted it, and even zapped the pram. Nothing worked. It wasn't a good feeling. Thankfully, there's an Apple store in Cleveland and after calling and talking with Apple Care, I made an appointment.

I drove there this morning as the snows approached. They took my computer, examined it, and declared it to be a bad logic board. Logic boards are expensive. I priced a repair online and it came in at $800. For that amount you might as well buy a new computer. I would have been in dire straights, but Apple Care jumped in to my rescue. I was informed that it would take about a week for them to get a logic board in and installed. The cost to me? Absolutely zero. That zero is a really beautiful word. Thanks to Apple Care, an expensive repair that I wouldn't have been able to cover is going to be taken care of.

So, my advice to anyone that is considering buying an Apple computer is simple. Buy Apple Care. It may seem pointless at the time, but amazingly wonderful if you need it.

And yes, I've drank the Kool-Aid and it was delicious.

The Bible in 2010

It's hard to believe that 2010 is already here.  One of my goals, as it is every year, is to be in the Word of God.  For the last several years I have been using the 5 lane reading plan.  I like it, but I think it's time to try a different one.  Even good things can hinder us when they become simple pattern.  I'm hoping a different reading plan will refresh my time in the Word.  I'm using a plan from Youversion.com.  Not only can I view it online but it also syncs with my phone.  Youversion is a great site and if it's not already in my links it will be soon.

It's almost two in the morning and I need some sleep.  Here's to a great new year serving the Lord.