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?

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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?

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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.

Merry Christmas

It was a long day today. Up at 4:30 and then hours spent at the hospital. I'm glad to say everything worked out, but it made for a long day. Christmas Eve service went well, but I think the best part of the day was sitting down this evening when I got home. Now, I think it's about time for bed. Since I'm not planning on writing tomorrow, I just want to take this opportunity to wish everyone that reads this a very Merry Christmas.

Book Review - Primal

Again I find myself in the position of having a book to review that I haven't finished. This time though, I think I have a pretty good excuse. I was in Kenya. When the original offer came out and I accepted it, the book was scheduled to arrive before I left on my trip. I thought the timing was going to be perfect. I would have ample time to read during the flights (I didn't know then that I would be sick). Also, for some odd reason I really wanted to read a book called Primal while I was sitting in Africa. Anyway, due to a slight publishing delay the book arrived two days after I left. My return home threw me right into the middle of my youth group's dinner theatre and the overall business of the Christmas season. Mark Batterson is my favorite author and he deserves a better blog entry, but what can I do. My only consolation is that I have some time off in the upcoming days and I'm looking forward to enjoying the book. So below you will find the publisher's info and then a brief word from me based on the little I've been able to read.

Publisher's Info
Be astonished again. We have a tendency to complicate Christianity. Jesus simplified it: Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If we are to live out the essence of Christianity, we must commit to being great at this Great Commandment.

In Primal, Mark Batterson explores the four elements of Great Commandment Christianity: compassion, wonder, curiosity, and power. Along the way, he calls you to be a part of God’s reformation, starting in your own life.

As Mark writes, “Is there a place in your past where you met God and God met you? A place where your heart broke for the things that break the heart of God? Maybe it was a sermon that became more than a sermon. Maybe it was a mission trip or retreat. Maybe it was a vow you made at an altar. In that moment, God birthed something supernatural in your spirit. You knew you’d never be the same again. My prayer is that this book would take you back to that burning bush—and reignite a primal faith.”

Primal will help you live in light of what matters most and discover what it means to love God. It will help you become great at the Great Commandment.

Author Bio
The author of Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. One church with nine services in five locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations and meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the D.C. area. Mark has two Masters degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. He and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill with their three children.

My Thoughts
I personally enjoy Mark's writing style and within the first few pages he has already challenged my thinking. Quoting former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Mark discusses the idea of there being simplicity on the near side of complexity and simplicity on the far side of complexity. Near side simplicity is is only mind deep and has never been tested in fires of adversity, doubt, trial, and pain. That's where the complexity comes in. Most of us have asked the question "why" a thousand times. Why do so many things happen to us as we follow Christ. Yet, there is that simplicity on the far side of complexity. It's a place where we have been tried and maybe don't even understand completely, but we know God is the truth and we continue to follow. We find ourselves at a place of simple faith. Not immature faith, but faith that focuses on the main things that God has called to do.

Already this idea has been challenging my thinking and to be fair, I must point out this comes from page 5. Five pages in and I'm already challenged. I'm looking forward to the rest of the book. I know that Mark and his publishers are promoting the book as the first book you read in 2010. It would be a good idea, but I encourage you to pick it up and end 2009 with 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.

And for the government I need to let you know that this was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah

Thank You Hackers

I woke up yesterday expecting to spend most of the day preparing for my youth group's dinner theater. Before I left the house, a friend called me to let me know that he had been talking with someone claiming to be me on my Facebook. They were asking for money because they claimed that I had gotten stuck in London. It sounded realistic since people knew I was flying back from Kenya a couple days ago. I jumped on to find out and sure enough I had no access to Facebook. That was bad enough, but I soon realized that they had jumped from Facebook and now had control of both my major Gmail accounts. That wasn't good. With that they would have had potential access to password resets from various financial institutions.

Let's just say I was a little nervous. It suddenly became a race to protect my family. I give Google credit. I was able to fill out a form online that required a lot of identifying information about various Google services that the certain Gmail account was connected with, but once I did I had a link that allowed me to regain access within about ten minutes. I jumped on and changed the password on both and went on to change other web site passwords to be safe. I came back and tried to access Gmail again and discovered that my password had been changed. Not only was my account hacked still, but they were actually working against me at the exact same time I was trying to fix things. Not a good feeling.

Thanks again to Google, I was able to regain access. I searched through all the account settings and found the problem. They had set my email to automatically forward to them. Plus, they were getting a text message if anything was changed. I went through and removed everything that they had set up. Then I changed the password again. Then, my wife noticed that Google listed at the bottom of the screen that I was not only logged in from my location, but I was also logged in at a second location. There was an option to terminate the other location. I did and then proceeded to recheck all the settings and change the password again. I did this for both accounts and then waited. I was fairly confident that I got it secured, but I had to wait.

While I waited, I went over to Facebook and reported that my account had been hacked. Within a few minutes my account had been disabled. Better disabled than letting them have access. I'm working to regain control but in the past Facebook has been very slow in my opinion.

So, now I'm checking my accounts constantly to make sure they're remain secure. I've changed a lot of passwords. I'm making them insanely long which is only possible thanks to 1Password. If you're on a Mac, I recommend that you use it. It allows you to create long passwords for websites. It remembers them for you and then fills them in when you visit that web site. Check it out at Agile Web Solutions.

Well that's about it. If you received a strange email from me ignore it. As of now I have control and I hope to maintain it.

Back in the Office

I've made it back from Kenya with minimal physical damage. Jet lag hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. I've been crashing into bed a little after 10 PM and waking up at 6 AM. So it would appear that jet lag is making me go to sleep and wake up at a good time. I'm planning on posting a few more thoughts about Kenya in the days ahead, but for now I have to force myself to get caught up in the office.

Warfare

Last night the focus of our service was the Holy Spirit. Cornell was preaching on how to live Spirit filled. That's what this generation of Kenyan and every nationality of believers need. The service was going fine until we got to the message. Within moments of Cornell starting to preach we had an incredible thunderstorm arrive. The rain was pounding harder than you could imagine. As an added bonus, the building we were in has a tin roof. The roar was deafening. Cornell kept preaching though.

At some point Rusty turned to me and asked if I had a flashlight. I dug one out of my bag and we set it on the table. Then I felt it. Rusty and I sit together in the middle of the room at the sound board and computer and I remember turning to him and saying, "I think I'm getting wet." It felt like the splatter of rain in the ground. Within a few moments we had our answer. We were sitting under the pinnacle of the roof and I guess it wasn't as sealed as it should be. Water started dripping on us. We grabbed a cloth tarp that we had been covering the sound table at night to cover our gear. It rained harder. It became clear that cloth wasn't going to protect us. Some of our Kenyan brothers ran over with some plastic and we covered it with that.

The noise was so loud that Cornell called everyone to pray against it. That's all we could do. Then, the power went off. We prayed harder as flashlights were whipped out. We had a generator and after 15 minutes or so of work they were able to get it running to at least get the sound system going again. The rain wasn't letting up and we prayed harder still. Eventually Cornell decided to keep going all the while rain was dripping down the entire middle aisle.

During this Emmanuel thought it best to move the entire sound table. We ripped up some tape that was anchoring cords and moved it to a drier spot. Remember, this is all happening with flashlights and some candles that one of the ladies had. I asked Rusty if he could get me power back to the projector. My thinking was twofold. If Cornell's presentation was onscreen the students could follow his message easier, especially the verses, because they could be reading while trying to listen. Second, projectors are extremely bright. It would go a long way to lighting up the front area.

Rusty and Jimmy were able to run an extension to get power back to the projector and it worked as I hoped it would. Cornell was able to finish preaching and the altar called ensued. As of this moment we know that someone accepted Christ and that at least one was baptized in the Holy Spirit. We will try to find out more today.

After service the students had their tea. It's a good thing that our camp cooks have done all of their work over fire in the kitchen. We showed some videos and then eventually began sending them off to bed. It was still raining this entire time. Not as hard, but still rain.

I asked Pastor Sam if rain like this was common and he told me that it wasn't. The word he used was that it was abnormal, especially since we are entering the dry season.

The power did come back on before we went to sleep so we have it for today. Our final service is this morning before we break camp. Praying that God does something powerful and that the enemy is defeated.

It's Funny What We Crave

I have been loving my time in Kenya, especially since I got over being sick from traveling. The people are wonderful and I'm learning to appreciate the food. It's similar to a lot of things that I normally eat while at the same time being different in a lot of ways. As we sit at the two week mark for being out of the States, I've realized that I'm craving a Chick-fil-a chicken sandwich. I've looked around but I have spotted any Chick-fil-a. The only American fast food restaurant that the missionary knows of in Kenya is a KFC in Nairobi. There's a part of me that would really love to go to it just to see how different it is.

Languages and Presentation

Besides the couple times I've spoken, my major role during this week at camp was to run the multimedia. This includes projecting the worship lyrics. In normal circumstances this can be challenging as the worship team may randomly jump back to parts of a song and you have to be able to keep up. However, this week has added a new challenge. While our team from the States leads worship in the evening, some of our Kenyan brothers and sisters lead worship in the morning. While some of the songs they do are in English, others are in Swahili. It is rather difficult to keep the lyrics correct when they are in another language.

Kumbaya

I asked someone if they knew kumbaya. They did and started singing it. I asked them what it meant. They gave the the exact same answer that people always give in the States. However, they made it clear that it wasn't a Swahili word. The search for the origins of Kumbaya continue.

Camp X Kenyan Style

I am right in the midst of the camp that we are putting on. It has been an interesting experience. For those that know what Big Prairie was, let me just say that we had no right to complain. We spent the hours before camp started cleaning our meeting room. We had to do this because a lot of birds consider our building a nice respite from the sun. While we meet they fly in and out and over our heads. When I made an inspection tour of the restroom and shower facilities, I was greeted by two very large rats. I originally thought they were more of the birds until the sauntered away and I saw their long tales. I know God created everything but why the rat?

I freely admit that things are different than what I'm use to, but in the long run it doesn't matter because God is here. We had good services last night and the sessions this morning went extremely well. I of course spoke during one of them. In spite of me things are going good. We have a few more days of camp and then we pack up for the trip home. Rusty and I both calculated that if all goes right it will take us approximately 30 hours from the time we leave Eldoret until we make it back to our homes. I'm looking forward to seeing my family, but not looking forward to the trip. Plus, I'm heading back to cold weather. Everyday here is probably in the low 80's with cool breezes. Nights are cool enough for a jacket. Anyway, my Kenya journey will end soon and regular life will begin again.

Shout outs from some of the people with me. Cornell says "What's up!" Jenna says hello. They must have thought that I was on Facebook.

Preaching in Kenya

Had the opportunity to preach in a Kenyan congregation this morning. Kept it slow so my accent wouldn't be too hard to understand. I think it went well. I was told it did. The coolest part that has nothing to do with preaching was after the service was over. I was talking to someone and a lady came up to me with a tray that contained a cup of chai tea and some sugar. I guess they brew big batches of it for after church. I walked around and talked with people while sipping on some pretty good tea. The whole trip has been an experience. Tomorrow we are completely focused on prepping for the camp and Tuesday it starts. It's going to be a long and tiring week, but hopefully a good one. I teach a session on Tuesday and I'm praying that goes well.

My New Calling in Radio

Thankfully I'm doing a lot better. The trip over really took it out of me but I think I'm about back to full speed. Now, for my interesting missions experience of the day.

Carrie, Cornell, and myself went to the local radio station and were on The Fish FM. It was local show for teens called T.I.T.O & Pizzah. They were playing Christian American rap and also Christian rap from here and even Uganda. Then, they were talking with us about the upcoming camp. It was over an hour of promoting the camp. During the time we were also giving away some free registrations to the camp. It was an experience. As we were leaving, we found out they wanted us to do promo spots for the radio station. Each one of us did multiple promos. So basically, if you visit Kenya in the upcoming years, you may hear one of us proudly declaring, "you're listening to 97.1 Fish FM."

Here in Kenya

I am writing this from a Kenyan wildlife refuge. This is part of the fun of our trip. Got to watch some rhinos. Pretty interesting.

Still fighting some sickness from the the travels. So far the trip has been unpleasant with small sparkles of enjoyment because of it. I hope that reverses before the end.

The most interesting thing I've noticed so far, besides the rhino squaring up to charge the other half of our team's vehicle, has been the guards. Everywhere you go you see guards. At the Nakumaat (basically a Walmart), guarding where we stayed last night, outside of restaurant's. I understand fully well that they are there to keep you safe, but the question that of course surfaces in your mind is why do we need guards everywhere?

In my life in America, there have only been a few times where I found myself in a place that I considered not safe. For the most part I completely take safety for granted.

That 's it for the moment. Please pray for me if you can so I can get over this sickness. I'll try to write more if I get access to Internet.

Book Review - A Christmas Collection

A Collection of book reviews from Kelly

Publisher's Info about "Treasured"
In Treasured, Leigh McLeroy considers tangible reminders of God’s active presence and guides readers in discovering evidence in their own lives of his attentive love.

“The idea for the book came from a cigar box filled with odds and ends of my grandfather’s life that arrived a few months after his death. Sifting through the objects in the box, I experienced him in a fresh new way. This made me wonder what treasures might be tucked away in Scripture that could frame God for me in an equally intimate, tangible way. This process also helped me uncover my own “treasures” of my walk with the Lord: objects that remind me of my history with him and his faithfulness to me,” says McLeroy.

Drawn from the pages of Scripture, the author considers twelve such treasures and personalizes their meaning for readers, such as a green olive branch that offers proof of God’s “new every morning” mercy and a scarlet cord that demonstrates his willingness to adopt “strays” of every sort.

Weaving these treasures together with scenes from her personal history, Leigh McLeroy invites readers to discover God’s heart for them and embrace their unique role in his redemptive story. Treasured offers readers a guided experience of God’s love and character and invites them to consider their own treasures that point to their part in God’s ongoing story.

Kelly's Review
I did not get a chance to read this book.

Publisher's Info About "God Gave Us Love"
In God Gave Us Love, Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, and the young polar bear begins to ask questions like why must we love others . . . even the seemingly unlovable? Why is it easier to love those we like? Where does love come from? And why does God love her so much?

Grampa Bear patiently addresses each one of Little Cub’s curiosities by explaining the different kinds of love we can share: the love between friends, the love between families, the love between moms and dads, and the love for God.

He also assured Little Cub that because of the love God has given her through his Son, there’s nothing she can do to make God love her any more or any less. Through Grampa Bear’s encouraging Little Cub to love others with a “God-sized love,” children will be inspired to love others and to be patient, gentle and kind, so that in every way, they too can demonstrate God’s love.

Kelly's Review
I have read some of the God Gave Us books before and this one was a great book too. It talks about the different kinds of love in a way that kids can relate to. It also told about the difference between liking and loving. The most important love of all is the love that God has for us. Through his love he shows us how to love others. I enjoyed reading it and my kids liked it too. I know it will be read over and over again.

Publisher's Info About "God Gave Us Christmas"
In God Gave Us Christmas, as Little Cub and her family prepare to celebrate the most special day of the year, the curious young polar bear has something on her mind: “Who invented Christmas?” she asks. “Is God more important than Santa?”

Her questions reflect the confusion of so many children during the holiday season. And this heartwarming story takes them on a wonderful journey of discovery—right to the heart of Christmas.
Through Mama’s gentle guidance, Little Cub learns that God loves her and everyone— polar bear, moose, or human—so much that he gave us Jesus, the very best gift of all.

Kelly's Review
This book was another great one. It tells how God gave Christmas to us and it is not just about Santa Claus. Christmas is a special gift from God for all of us. He sent his son to earth because he loves us so much. The story shows that God is all powerful and everything about Christmas points us to God’s gift of his son for us. I enjoyed reading this book too. I recommend it to anyone wanting to get the focus off of the cultural things of Christmas and back on Jesus.

As always, you can find out more about the books at Random House or Amazon.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Keyna

Well, the day has finally arrived. I'm making the last few preparations to head out to Kenya. I'm looking forward to the adventure and praying that God does something good. I'm not looking forward to the long fights.
The absolute worst part about the trip though is leaving my family. I'm a homebody and I love just being with my family. It's hard to imagine even missing a moment of their lives.
Yet, I feel God is leading in this. I pray that he watches over the trip and those that I leave behind.
Except for a book review posted for Kelly (written today but dated for next week), this blog is going silent for awhile. Of course, it's been pretty silent as of late as I've been preparing for the trip. I'll talk to everyone later.

From My Phone

I know it's something we take for granted anymore, buy I find it amazing that I can be writing this post from my phone. When I click publish, it will post this to my blog on Google which in turn will sync it to my official blog page. As a tech person, I am constantly amazed at the multitude of technologies that are being created. It also saddens me. Knowledge is increasing, but wisdom seems to be on the decline. While knowledge is great, the wise application of it is much greater. Don't really have any reason for that random correlation other than it was on my mind.

Book Review - White Picket Fences

Here's a quick book review by Kelly.

Publisher's Info
Amanda Janvier’s idyllic home seems the perfect place for her niece Tally to stay while her vagabond brother is in Europe, but the white picket fence life Amanda wants to provide is a mere illusion. Amanda’s husband Neil refuses to admit their teenage son Chase, is haunted by the horrific fire he survived when he was four, and their marriage is crumbling while each looks the other way.

Tally and Chase bond as they interview two Holocaust survivors for a sociology project, and become startlingly aware that the whole family is grappling with hidden secrets, with the echoes of the past, and with the realization that ignoring tragic situations won’t make them go away.

Readers of emotional dramas that are willing to explore the lies that families tell each other for protection and comfort will love White Picket Fences. The novel is ideal for those who appreciate exploring questions like: what type of honesty do children need from their parents, or how can one move beyond a past that isn’t acknowledged or understood? Is there hope and forgiveness for the tragedies of our past and a way to abundant grace?

Author Bio
Susan Meissner cannot remember a time when she wasn’t driven to put her thoughts down on paper. Her novel The Shape of Mercy was a Publishers Weekly pick for best religious fiction of 2008 and a Christian Book Award finalist. Susan and her husband live in Southern California, where he is a pastor and a chaplain in the Air Force Reserves. They are the parents of four grown children.

Kelly's Thoughts
I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were realistic and fun. The use of historical events to tell the story was good too. It was interesting to learn about some of the things that happened during the holocaust. The underlying theme of having hidden secrets was good. It reminds you that no matter what you try to hide it is always best to have it come into the light. Having honesty within a family is crucial for its survival. Keeping secrets will keep a family from being healthy and loving each other fully. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction.

Check the book out at Random House.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Ministry

I have the honor of meeting every other week with three students from
my youth ministry that feel God may be calling them into full time
ministry. Before each time, we all listen to a podcast and then come
together to discuss it. It's a great resource and I'll give the
website a plug at the end. Even though we've only met a couple times
so far, I'm really enjoying it. Talking about the call of God and the
ministry is stirring something in me. It's taking me back to the days
when I felt God calling me. It's fanning into a flame again a passion
to love and serve others. The whole point of these meetings is to
really help them understand what the ministry entails and to help them
prayerfully make their calling sure. Yet, as we talk, I find myself
realizing that I really enjoy what I do. Beyond the struggles,
problems, and heartaches I face in the ministry, there is something
incredible about serving God in this calling.

www.explorethecall.com

Up Early

This is just a little post to let everyone know that I am sitting in the coffee shop at 6 in the morning. I've been up since 4:45. I thought with age came a love for mornings. Let me just unequivocally express that I do not like mornings. Mornings are for sleeping. I'm sure if I were to research the etymology of the word morning I would find a clear association with the word mourning. They are homonyms and it just makes sense. When you wake up early, you mourn the loss of sleep that you are experiencing. Hence, you are mourning. Over a few centuries the word changes to describe that time early before the sun rises.

To make it even better, there is a pastor I know meeting with a group of men here this morning. They are having a men's Bible study or accountability meeting. Now in addition to being tired, I have a beautiful sense of guilt that they are being very spiritual while I'm griping.

We Press On

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.” (2 Corinthians 4:7–12 NIV)

This just felt like a good passage to post and reflect on. No commentary from me whatsoever.

A Sloppy Wet Kiss

I was sitting here preparing worship for youth service tonight and one of the songs that I chose to use was "How He Loves" by The Glorious Unseen. Since we don't have live music, I will often choose a song that we don't display the words for at the end for everyone just to worship. I like this song, but I've heard it put down in the past because of one phrase. The line is, "Then Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss." I admit that I've often scratched my head at this line. It's doesn't seem to be poetic or even beautiful imagery of the Savior's love for us.

Yet, my children have taught me what I believe is the meaning. I love it when my children kiss me. They are completely and unashamed in their love. So much so that they don't realize that it's polite to close their mouths. They don't realize that I shouldn't have to go dry my face off after their kisses. They just love, and for them that love takes the form of a sloppy wet kiss. It's about the purest form of love we experience outside of our relationship with God. Often we don't realize how much God loves us. He's not ashamed of us. He's passionate about us. He wants to grab us in His arms and smother us in kisses and his love.

As we grow older, we seem to leave unashamed pure love behind. We don't like it when grandma's smoother us with kisses. We struggle to release ourselves from the bear hugs of aunts and uncles. We move toward a proper love. A refined love. However, when I look at what Christ did on the cross, I don't see "proper" or "refined" love. I see the raw passionate love of a Creator for his creation. I see love that was willing to pay the ultimate price.

Maybe what I'm writing today is only resonating in my heart and if that's true that's fine. But reflect on the thought that God is unashamedly and passionately in love with you.

Welcome Home

This past summer, my church was broken into and one thing was stolen. A metal box that the thieves assumed contained money. Thankfully, we don't keep money at the church because, how should I put this, thieves can break in and steal it? So our intrepid criminals absconded with a metal box that contained nothing more than some old ledgers filled with numbers. Quite a heist I know. Anyway, I had pretty much decided that the case was forever resolved to the dustbin of history. Then today, I got a call from a deputy that our box had been recovered. Some people out for a walk came across it on a road just outside of town. It would appear that most everything is still in it. Damp, but still there. Unfortunately, finding the box didn't mean finding the ones that dumped it there months ago. So we have our wonderful box back and just to reiterate once again, we don't keep money at the church. We keep it at the bank. You never know, the thieves may spend their idle time reading my blog and I just want them to know that.

A New Method

Sometimes it's good to shake up the normal way we do things. A little change can bring a fresh perspective. For the past few weeks I have been undertaking a new method for my sermon preparation. I want to thank Gene Roncone for sharing his teaching notes on the method that I am currently using. The crazy thing about change is that while it can be a good thing, the process is not always enjoyable. The steps I'm undertaking now in my weekly preparation are not natural for me. Sometimes I feel like giving up because it is difficult for me. Yet, with this change I find myself having to go deeper in the text I'm
planning to use. I find myself thinking deeper about what God is saying and wants to say through it. The time I'm spending to prepare has increased dramatically as I expected with learning a new way. That added to an already full schedule makes life hectic at times, but it's worth it. The eventual dividends outweigh the current struggle.

With that said, I need to get back to my preparation.

Destroyed By Choice

One of the hardest things about being in the ministry is that you get to watch people choose destruction. People that no matter how much you care about them, no matter how much to teach them, and no matter how much you you fight for them, still choose to live a life apart from Christ. There are many I've seen where I know the end result of their choices, yet they choose to ignore it. It's not that they don't know. They know full well, but they choose not to believe. A choice not to follow Christ is a choice for destruction.

Thankfully, there are others that I see that have so much promise. They are striving to live and do what God has asked. They struggle, but they don't quit. May they keep wrestling with God because when we wrestle with Him, He wins. And when God wins out in our life, we win too.

Pizza Hut Is Out To Get Me

Anyone that has read this blog knows that I'm fighting the diet battle. After slacking off, I'm trying to hit it hard again. Thankfully I'm still below my all time high. Everytime I get serious I go through the first several days where I'm just hungry. Okay, I'm hungry every day but I digress. Without fail, when I get serious we get an ad from Pizza Hut in the mail. In the ad there is always the same picture. It's one of their sandwiches with what looks like boneless BBQ wings on it. It looks amazing. The funny thing is I've yet to try one. When I break my diet I go other places. Yet without fail the ad shows up when I start trying to be good again. I'm beginning to believe that Pizza Hut has singled me out for diet destruction. I'll show them, I think I'll call Papa John's.

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

Adios Old Comments and Other Changes

I have officially made my behind the scenes changes to the web site. I know some of you don't care and if that's you, go ahead and stop reading now. The biggest thing that I changed was that my bog now syncs with my blog that I have on Google's blogspot. Before acquiring my own domain and deciding to use Rapidweaver, I tested and used both Wordpress and Blogger. They were okay, but I liked the greater control I had using Rapidweaver. I never got rid of the accounts though. Anyway, I came across a way to sync my blogspot and Rapidweaver. I set it up and it does work. The benefit is that I have a backup blog. This is nice in case I decide down the road not to renew my domain. That's a couple years away, but it I thought it wise to have it already have it in place.

The added bonus is that I can now blog from my phone when I'm traveling. There is a free iPhone app that allows you to post to your blogspot blog. I can write a blog, it syncs to blogspot, and then appears on my blog. Then, when I publish down the road with Rapidweaver, the blog entry is imported into Rapidweaver. I've been impressed on how well it works. Some bugs to be sure will pop up, but nothing too bad.

That does lead us to the couple problems I faced. I had to choose between my old comment system or switching over to the comments from blogspot. Using the blogspot would allow comments to be present on both sites. I chose to go that route. Unfortunately that meant losing my old comments. Tough decision but I made it.

Also, Google's spam fighting features prevent me from importing my entire blog at once. When I tried I would get locked out and could only post from blogspot using Captcha to verify that I was a human. So, I will be slowly rebuilding old post a few a day. I'm not in a big hurry. I don't believe that people are clamoring for my blog archives.

That's where the blog stands now for those that were willing to read all the way through.

For the insanely curious, you can check out the mirror image of my blog at www.focusedjourney.blogspot.com.

Kenya's Coming Fast

I am about one month away from heading to Kenya. It's amazing to think that I will be heading to another continent for a time of ministry and then returning before Christmas. The missionaries of the past have my deepest appreciation. Many headed out never expecting to return home. For many it was months of travel just to reach their field. I'm humbled that I am able to fly half way around the world, preach and teach, and then fly back in such a short amount of time. Praying that the Lord will use me and the team for something great.

McDonald's Commercial

McDonald's has a new commercial that bothers me. A man walks around holding one dollar in his hand asking what he can get for it and is told at a variety of places that he can't get anything. Then he goes to McDonald's where he is informed of all the wonderful choices on the Dollar Menu. The man happily hands over his one dollar. Make a note. It was one dollar. We see pictures of food and then the commercial ends with the man at a table eating. He's eating a McDouble, but on his table is also a drink and a yogurt parfait. He handed the worker one dollar, but he has three dollars worth of food. I don't know why this bothers me but if does. It's like when a car commercial shows you a car loaded with features and gives you the price only to tell you in the fine print that all those features shown are not included in the price.

The man either had more money, which sort of negates the entire commercial being about one dollar, or he stole the extra food. Neither one seems like great marketing to me.

Meatballs and Sausage

A few of my youth and I ran a fundraiser tonight at our church. It was a bluegrass gospel concert and we prepared and sold food during the intermission. A lot of work, but we did fairly well. I arrived to the church at 3:45 this afternoon and left some time after 9. Over five hours, and the most exciting time was that 30 minutes where everyone descended en masse. There is an adrenaline rush when everything is happening at once and you have to move everything to high speed. Anyway, it was good to work with some of my youth and raise a little money for our retreat

Ironing Out Some Problems

Sorry if the blog is messing up over the next few days. I'm making some behind the scenes changes.

Book Review - The Sound of Sleigh Bells

A book review by Kelly.

Publisher's Info
Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak?

Author Bio
Cindy Woodsmall is the author of When the Heart Cries, When the Morning Comes, and The New York Times Best-Seller When the Soul Mends. Her ability to authentically capture the heart of her characters comes from her real-life connections with Amish Mennonite and Old Order Amish families. A mother of three sons and two daughters-in-law, Cindy lives in Georgia with her husband of thirty-one years.

Kelly's Thoughts
I have really begun to enjoy reading Cindy Woodsmall's books about the Amish. The Sound of Sleigh Bells did not disappoint. It was another great book. I enjoyed the story line and felt connected to the characters. In the story you see two characters that have faced hardship with different attitudes. The one who turns to God for healing is able to reach out to those around him. He helps the others to see that opening up and allowing God to heal you from the inside is better than living in bitterness. It is a good read for Christmas or anytime of the year. The story is fun to read and is captivating from the very beginning. It is a great book and I highly recommend it.

You can find the book at Waterbrook Multnomah or my favorite Amazon.

On Facebook? The original post resides at www.focusedjourney.com.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

A Connection

We asked our daughter what she learned tonight and she as a matter of fact told us about Daniel getting eaten by a lion. When asked to clarify, she said that Daniel was eaten by a lion but he prayed inside, just like Jonah in the whale. Her version of Daniel made me laugh, but it was cool that she made a connection (even though incorrectly) to another story in the Bible. Something is is sinking in.

Bumper Stickers

I'm not a big fan of bumper stickers. If you're one that loves them I'm sorry. In my opinion, people often reveal their ignorance in what they choose to slap on their car. As in an example, let me bring forth a sticker that I saw the other day. It stated, "If you ain't a Steelers fan, you ain't *crap*." Now for anyone that finds that word crap offensive, I wish to point out that the word that was originally used was much stronger and I chose to lesson it.

The bumper sticker was supporting the Steelers. It was in their team colors. I think there might have even been a tiny Steelers logo on the car. Yet, when you read it properly it is a slap against the team.

Ain't (it is in the dictionary that I checked) is basically an informal way of saying "is not" or "are not." So, reading the words of wisdom again, you wind up with, "If you are not a Steelers fan, you are not crap."

Read it again slowly. "If you are not a Steelers fan, you are not crap." Basically, if you cheer for anyone other than the Steelers, you are not crap. Or, as I was taught in school, let's use the fact that having two negatives in the same sentence cancel each other out. We're left with, "If you are a Steelers fan, you are crap." Somehow I don't think that is what they were intending when they put it on their car.

Whether you take the literal meaning of the real last word in the phrase, or use the idea that it means "a person that is worthless," it still doesn't make sense.

Before you slap something on your car for the world to read, think it through first.

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

Book Review - If God Is Good

Tonight I have the pleasure of promoting a book that I really want to read. This is suppose to be a review, but I seem to have been inundated with other tasks and only read three chapters of a fairly length work. The book is "If God is God" by Randy Alcorn. It looks at the age old problem of how God can be good when so many bad things happen. It considers the difficutly of where is God in the midst of pain and suffering.

To honor my agreement with the publisher, I'm putting all the information about the book here. Hopefully in a week or so I will be able to post a proper opinion about it.

Publisher's Info
Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.

In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God--Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?

These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.

In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.

Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.

As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

Author Bio
Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.

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

The Hat Message

Tonight I preached my final sermon in the "Everything a Message" series. Next week my wife will take a stab at it to finish the series. I wish I could take credit for the idea, but my mom came up with the basic premise that I ran with.

I talked about how it is a fun and crazy hat. It's bright orange and fuzzy. Yet, if you turn the brim of the hat up, you see a leopard pattern. Leopards are hunters. They hunt and kill other animals. So beneath the fun and frivolity, you find the pattern of a killer.

Our enemy is no different. He masquerades as an angel of light while he is really a killer. He works his best to package evil as something lighthearted and fun, but beneath it is eternal death.

I kept the message short and to the point. I closed with the point that if we want to escape eternal punishment, we have to allow God to be God in our lives. That means we must give him the right to point out things in our lives that displease Him and then when He does, we must change. Too often we accept and enjoy what God doesn't want us to partake of (the fun side of the hat). We may think it's harmless, but only God knows the end result in our lives of so called harmless fun (the killer side of the hat).

I ended with a call for every student to prayerfully ask God to examine them. After a few moments, I asked for students to raise their hand of they honestly felt God was pointing out something that He wanted them to stop doing or give up. I'd say at least half if not a little more raised their hands. I prayed over them, but then I left it in their hands. If God has pointed out something, they must make the decision to obey.

It felt like a powerful ending, but I hope it remains with them.

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

The Hat

My final contribution to the "Everything a Message" series must be based upon this crazy hat to the right. The liner inside is a beautiful leopard print while that outside radiates a happiness that can only come from a stunning Day-Glo orange fuzz. Yeah, that was a stretch.

Anyway, this one is a stumper. I know with a hat people automatically think helmet of salvation, but this hat really doesn't conjure up images of strength and warfare. I know I could make one of my youth extremely happy if I preached on Samson while wearing the hat, only to take it off when I get to the part of Delilah cutting off his hair. Yet, wearing the hat definitely would be a distraction. The object is meant to help us learn something, not just be an amusing prop.

So, I need to figure something out. As always, I would love some ideas from people that read this. Either leave a comment on my blog or leave a comment to the post in Facebook.

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

The Cottage Cheese Container

Tonight's "Everything a Message" had to deal with a cottage cheese container. My main emphasis was the three types of Christians represented by the container.

1. The Empty Container

A cottage cheese container is really only a cottage cheese container if there is cottage cheese in the container. That was as much fun to write as it is to say. The thought is that there are a lot of people that call themselves Christian, but inside their lives you don't find Christ. If Christ isn't living and working in you, then it doesn't matter what you say, you really aren't a Christian.

2. The Full Container

Cottage cheese in a container is meant to be consumed. For the Christian, we are to pour out what God pours into out lives. We pour out love to others because Christ freely pours love into us. The amazing thing is that we can never outpour God. The more we pour out the more He pours. Our lives should constantly be refilled by the Lord, and it happens as we share what He has done with others.

3. The Moldy Container

If you wait long enough, a container of cottage cheese will go bad if it isn't used. Sadly, some Christian have allowed God to pour into their lives, but they have refused to pour it out for others. Christ gives them love but they don't show love in to others. The work that God has done in them begins to sour and bitterness sets in. It falls in line with the example of the Dead Sea. All it does is take water in. There is no outlet for the water. With no outlet, the Dead Sea is...well...dead. Too many believers take and never give, then wonder why they seem so far away from God.

Well, that is what I came up with. Originally I had one more point that I wrote up but I scrapped it because it didn't seem to fit.

Timetables and Decisions

I'm currently reading the book "The Dark Foundations." It's the second part of a three part series. I guess the best way to define it would be Christian Science Fiction. It has a nice blend of both technological advancement and theological issues. Even though the author and I have differing eschatologies (he shares his opinions on his web site), there was something that he wrote for one of his characters that struck me.

"Where we are in the great timetable has no real bearing on matters of right and wrong. Every day we're given choices and every day we have to make the right decisions. If I knew the King was returning tomorrow or in ten thousand years' time, it wouldn't alter my choice...we just battle evil until the whistle blows--whenever that is."

I personally believe in a Pre-Tribulation rapture of the church. I would fall into the Christ could return at any moment crowd. Often, we do speak in terms of we should live like Christ is returning tomorrow. However, what if we knew absolutely that Christ wasn't returning for a thousands of years? Would that change how we live? Does right and wrong only exist in a timetable where Christ is coming back soon?

We have been called to live holy lives in Christ. We have been called to do what's right no matter how long Christ chooses to tarry. No matter the number of days that remain for this world, I must make decisions that reflect my Lord.

Revisiting the Gnome

I realized that I never got back on here and shared what my message on the garden gnome was all about. I did some light research on gnomes and then narrowed it down to garden gnomes specifically. I stress the word "light" in my research. I gleaned four points about garden gnomes from this.

1. They are helpers.
2. They work behind the scenes.
3. They work to help things grow (in the garden).
4. Some people absolutely hate them.

With those four thoughts in mind, I preached about the Holy Spirit.

1. He is a helper the Lord has given us.
2. He works behind the scenes deep in our life.
3. He helps us to mature and grow.
4. There is an amazing amount of hatred for the Spirit today.

I thought the points were pretty good and it fit well. Now honesty. I got into the prep so much that I wan't thinking about length. I went longer than what I think is the max for youth that are listening. That was my fault. I should have worked more to streamline the message. Another proof of my lack of perfection.

Anyway, I enjoyed it and if you're following this blog, you know that we are on to our second item now. The cottage cheese carton.

Cottage Cheese

Part 2 in the "Everything a Message." This past Tuesday there weren't many items brought. Quite a lot of head smacking and I forgot. However, a few items were placed out with some items scrounged from the church. This weeks top vote getter was a carton of large curd cottage cheese. Just to refresh, by next week I have to come up with a message that is in some way related to that carton. I think I might already have an idea. Would love for readers to post some of their ideas in the comments below.

It Was Worth It

I went to the department of health today to get the shots I needed for my missions trip to Kenya. Both arms are now covered in multiple band-aids from the experience. The thought I had as I was sitting there concerned the missionaries of the past.

They headed out into the world to spread the news of Jesus Christ without the benefit of vaccinations.

They headed out knowing that there was a high probability that they would never return.

They headed out willing to suffer if needed.

They headed out to lands where they often had to bury a child, a spouse, or both.

They headed out because the truth was burning so strongly in them that they couldn’t help but share it.

They headed out because that’s what we are called to do.

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