More conspiracy thoughts...

I would like to say that I have one person on my side...(well, I hope so!!!!) my daughter...Chloe is on my team. She is so curious and trying hard to help me figure out who is involved with this conspiracy...she wants to know the truth...she came RUNNING down the stairs earlier when she heard me searching for my wife's keys...IT WAS SOOOOOOO FUNNY!

COME ON PEOPLE...give me some information!! Show some honesty here!!

Big Game on Thursday...

OK...so I'm still thinking about my last post...thinking about who else is involved in the Paper Shredder Conspiracy...BUT, I should mention that our soccer team gets to play the one team in the conference that beat us this Thursday. This is probably the most competetive our conference has ever been...all 4 teams can win it, so my question to my guys is "WHY NOT US?!?!?!"

Everyone is a suspect...

Yep...got out of soccer practice tonight and my car was filled from floor to ceiling with shredded paper...I mean FLOOR TO CEILING!!! I had to drive to the dumpster IN REVERSE because I couldn't move the gear shift to drive! NO JOKE! It was backed tight!! Took 45 minutes to clean it and the parking lot...This happened at LaSalle Academy where I used to coach. The maintenance guys thought that I was just getting rid of shredded paper from my office!!!! MAN! GREAT PRACTICAL JOKE AND ONCE AGAIN IT IS ON!!

So here is the deal...EVERYONE is a suspect. I locked my car, so someone had a key...where they got the key...I HAVE AN IDEA...may even be someone that I LOVE more than ANYONE ELSE in the world. May be the previous owner of the car who was in town today! May be another coach that I coach with who has a key to the locker where my keys are...I have done a little P.I. work and found a missing key in our house though...The woman that I love is claiming innocence and that someone stole her key. THEN WHY HIDE YOUR KEYS MY LOVE?!?!?!

So, who knows something about this? Who has a picture of it...I couldn't get to my camera, BECAUSE IT WAS BURIED IN THE PAPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on...just click on comments and speak...share your theories...share you information...or better yet, clear your guilty consciouses...come on...I am forgiving...really I am...no really...I almost promise to never really pay you back...REMEMBER PASTOR JIM'S MESSAGE...It is time to come out of the shadows...time to step out. (Is that stretching his message a little bit?!?!)

By the way...when leaving shredded paper...make sure the name of the place that you work is not able to be seen...

Pop Warner Breakfast Blitz

We had an fun time serving breakfast at Pop Warner Football on Saturday...we had a bunch of people from our church and my class from Grace College come and help. We served a couple of hundred people...why?! Just to give back to our community in a simple way...to share Jesus' love with people in a practicle way...It was fun...pancake batter everywhere...grease from the sausage...NICE! Two families visited us for the first time on Sunday after coming to the blitz...both of those had come to our soccer camp as well...Our main goal at these Blitzes is to serve people...and to let people know that we are a church that wants to be IN our community not isolated from it...Fun day!

Sunday Night Thoughts...(on Monday Morning)

What a day yesterday was...our service was OUTSTANDING...Jerimae, Kyle and Jamie led us in praising God...WHAT PASSION! Great worship! Jim's message on when will we come out of the shadows was hard hitting...passionate...RIGHT ON...too many times we sit back and don't talk with people about Jesus...don't try to build those bridges. Great message...many people came up to the front and wrote down names of people they will invite to church this week. Jim's most earth shaking quote... "We use prayer as an excuse for inactivity." WHOA! We tell people that we will pray for them, but do we ever DO anything to help them. Do we stand up and share Jesus with them or just pray that someone else does? Convicting!

I've been finishing our rabbit hutch...I DO NOT LIKE WORKING WITH CHICKEN WIRE!!!! I'll confess that I hope there weren't too many people around me watching my frustration level! Had to apologize to my kids...wife and God for my reactions yesterday! Grrrrrrr...

Good small group last night...our assignment over the next few weeks is to find where we see God working...in us...in others...through others...and then have MANY stories to tell next week! Looking forward to those stories!

Thoughts...

The leadership class that I was involved with on Monday and Tuesday was outstanding...left me really challenged me...The biggest thing for me was a rekindling of my passion and heart for the city. I LOVE SOUTH BEND...I really can't explain that to you except that God has called me here...at this time and this place...At the conference they had all of us share (all 45 of us!) what we love aboout South Bend...hearing people's stories...people new to the area...people who moved away and then came back...one man whose grandpa was the mayor of SB...What rich history...great passion. I LOVE MY CITY! So glad that God has called me here!

A win in a SHOOTOUT BABY!!!!

My soccer team won tonight in a shootout! We were up 1-0 with about 9 minutes to go...the other team scored and then we lasted through a sudden death overtime...THEN we had a shootout and won! My boys rose up to the pressure and came through! NICE! We finished the regular season in conference at 6-1-1 and over all 6-2-1...these boys have really come together as a team...I'm very proud of them!

Cool Opportunity...

For the next 2 days, I get to hang out with a bunch of business leaders in our community. I am involved with Leadership South Bend/Mishawaka which is run through the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerse. For the next 2 days we will be learning about what this next year will be all about...This is all about building up our community...I'm all about that!

Here are the stated missiona and values of this organization:

Mission: To develop the capacity and commitment of people to recognize, understand, and respond to their community's trusteeship through civic education, skill building and service. (in other words that wants us to take some ownership of our community and give us the skills to do it!)

Vision: Leadership South Bend/Mishawaka will build a community of leaders with the skills, awareness and motivation to help create opportunities and prosperity for others.

I look forward to learning more of how this will happen tomorrow and Tuesday!

Sunday Night Thoughts...

WHAT A GREAT MORNING! Ever have one of those Sunday's when everything looks like it might go wrong, but plan B ends up being perfect? THAT WAS TODAY! Things were not working with our DVD...(if you don't know about our church, we are a video campus...we watch the message about 3x's a month on video...1x per month I preach live.) So, the DVD we received from Goshen was not good...to me, I see that as an opportunity not a negative...I see it as God moving us in a different direction. OH WAS IT A GOOD DIRECTION!

So, Jerimae and I went to another theater and planned a service...it was amazing...great music...just a chance to share things that have been burning on my heart about who we are in Jesus. IMAGINE...if we are followers of Jesus then we are seated RIGHT NEXT TO GOD in the heavenly realm...It's true...check out Ephesians 2: 6...That means that God doesn't talk down to us...he is RIGHT NEXT TO US!! Jerimae had amazing music picked out...I always say...let's plan like crazy, but if the Spirit moves in a different direction, throw your plan in the trash. So, today we did...

HERE IS THE KICKER: This morning when our auditorium set up crew came, I prayed for God to do something this morning that would be something we had never experienced before...something that would blow our minds. I HAD NO IDEA what God was up to this morning! Cool how God just brought this week together...GUESS WHAT: This morning was a reminder that GOD IS IN CHARGE OF HIS CHURCH not me! Thanks God...

Which one are you?

So which of these Proverbs applies to you?

"Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down." (Prov. 26: 20)

or

"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." (Prov. 26: 22)

Let's be the first one! Let's put fires out and not be part of burning negative thoughts in people's hearts.

Time to reflect...

We have ministerium today...a big word that means pastors from our church's district get together and encourage each other. So, after my class at Grace College last night I stayed in Winona Lake instead of going home. Class got out at 9:20 so it just made sense to stay down here. CE National has a house called the Philemon Center...a nice place to get away and focus on God...It is walking distance from where I teach at Grace College...MAN...what a night! Spent an hour in the hot tub, in the dark, just relaxing and praying...seeking the heart of God. I needed that...need to get my wife down here...she needs that time too.

Jay Bell came and spoke to my class last night...what passion and heart. He spoke on spiritual warfare. I'm so glad that I am involved with a church that talks about spiritual warfare...we know it is there and talk about it often. I will amp up my prayer life after listening to Jay yesterday...here are some highlights....

-We are at war! It's a spiritual war.
-Our battle is not against our parents, spouse, kids, boss, technology...it is a spiritual battle.
-Paul in Eph. 6 tells us what we are "against, against, against, against"
-How does God want us to respond to what we are against? He wants us to "stand, stand, stand, stand" (Eph. 6: 11, 13, 14)
-Then we need to "pray, pray, pray, pray" (Eph. 6: 18-20)
-When should we pray..."all occasions" (6:18) with "all kinds" of prayers (18) and Always keep on praying for "all" the saints.
-Must be important words if Paul keeps repeating himself!
-Listen and stop jabbering
-We need to arm each other...we need to intentionally pray for each other...for boldness, for victory, for how we see ourselves
-WE ARE SEATED RIGHT NEXT TO JESUS!!!!

After Jay spoke, Redford and Josiah came up. They are both leading ministries in South Bend. Red works with college students and Josiah has a vision for impacting our community by buying homes and placing people IN the community to make a difference...

Highlights:
-It's as simple as 4 words: "Love God-Love People"
-Bring life and hope into someones life
-God gives answers to things that seem hopeless
-Working with people across denominational lines is needed
-Leave a legacy with you life
-We are the BODY of CHRIST!
-Send me, I'll go
-Go to the people...don't pull the people out
-"local church is the hope of the world"

After getting all stirred up by these guys, I got to go hang out in that hot tub...NICE!

Ooooo, that's true!

"An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips."
(Proverbs 24: 26)

Oh man...is that true. Sitting here at Ugly Mugs Cafe reading my Bible and I come across this verse. My mind QUICKLY turns to thoughts of kissing Kelsey and Oooooooooooooooo BABY...that gives me chills...that is refreshing...freeing...YEAH BABY!! I think I'll stop now! But think about it...honesty is that freeing...you know that when you have been honest there is a lightness to your step...a freshness in your relationships...you aren't holding anything back...

I'll say that I liked reflecting on that verse!

(See you tonight Kels!! :-)

Sunday Night Thoughts...

Great morning today...our lead pastor Jim is really stirred up right now. He always has a lot of passion, but there is something different about this one...something happened to him when he went to Asia and met the orphans that our church supports...something is different about him...God is really stirring something up in his heart. Not sure what all of that means, but God is really working.

Nuggets from the message this morning:

-God wants us to give out of our sacrifice, not out of our abundance.

-We can buy praise for God. (By giving our time, our resources, our ability, our $...people praise God because we helped them...they don't praise us, so we buy praise for God.)

-We can't out give God

-You reap what you sow...so a lot...get a lot

-God blesses what we give?

-So, where do I spend my time? What would my wife and kids say that I spend my time on?

-Pour into people's lives

-Give your best to your family!

FUN....FUN...FUN...the rain has just been pouring down the past couple of days. After lunch, Chloe, Jaden Luke and I all went outside and played in the down-pour. OH MAN WAS IT A BLAST! I felt like I was 10 years old again!!!! Oh Baby, was that fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Small group tonight was good too...good to hang out and talk life with people...we finished "In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day." Great book...a must read...Great people in our group...great hearts.

Rained Out...

Up early this morning...I was all packed and ready for the Breakfast Blitz this morning and got a call that the games were canceled...BUMMER! Then, got an email and a call that my kids soccer games were canceled...MAN...Double BUMMER! Free Saturday morning and A LOT of breakfast food ready for a blitz...looking for a make-up day.

Update from yesterday...the trailer is back on the van and all is well! What a crazy but fun day...lots of wild things happened, but everything came together. GREAT TIME with the kids last night!

One of those days, baby!

OK, so today was all planned out...1. get the van & trailer from the Schmidt's house 2. Buy the food for our Breakfast Blitz in the a.m. (we are serving breakfast at peewee football) 3. drop off the food at home 4. Go to the office and finish stuff for Sunday 5. Pick up the kids from school and hang with them ALL NIGHT (Gave my soccer team a break today, so I could hang with my family!)

Here is how today is going!

1. Went to pick up the van only to find that the back tire is still low on air
2. Went to Discount Tire and got the tire fixed
3. Went to get the food for the Blitz
4. Went to pick up the trailer from the Schmidt's house (didn't get it the first time because of the flat tire remember!?)
5. Went home to drop off the food
6. When I released the trailer I didn't take off the chains, so the trailer went off the block
7. Got the trailer back on the block (I'd like to say that I just picked it up...not quite strong enough!)
8. While raising the trailer the handle broke, so I couldn't raise it up any more (Still don't have the fixed...come on Mike and Mark!!!!)
9. Saw that I had yet another missed call...The Xerox guy was waiting for me at the office to fix our copier!!!! (HE WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL FIRST, not show up and then call!!)
10. Drove (at safe speeds of course!) to the office...
11. Met the Xerox Man...GREAT GUY...2 grandkids...I digress...
12. Work on the Sunday stuff
13. Copier just got fixed (1:25 p.m.), so I can run the bulletins!
Time Out....(I have to go press print on the bulletins!

So, now what?!?!?! I still have a broken trailer that I need by 6:30 a.m. Still need several things for the Blitz...AND still plan to spend the whole evening hanging with my family...Looking forward to the rest of the story!!!!

Passion is contagious

Just met with my good friend Travis...MAN I love his heart! He has a heart to love people...a heart to use the abilities that God has given him to impact people. He shared with tears in his eyes about how he longs to be used by God. He inspired me, convicted me...it is just good to have people around you who can challenge and inspire you! His passion was contagious today...

Sunday Night Thoughts...(on Monday Morning)

Took a refresher Sunday yesterday...Grace gives us 1 Sunday a quarter to get refreshed...to go visit other churches for a Sunday, grab ideas, just soak in the atmosphere. Last year I didn't use any of these Sundays, so I figured it was about time!

So the family and I headed to our Goshen Campus...they opened "the Link" a new video venue in their campus. They now have 2 auditoriums in 1 location. Oh, I just LOVE the atmosphere...the lighting...the music...love the feel of the place. Pastor Jeremy (yeah we now have Jeremiah, Jerimae and Jeremy as the worship pastors at Grace!) just did a fantastic job. What heart and passion...Kidcity is just sooooooo cool. Love the new area for the elementary aged kids. I even had to ask for help to know how to get out of that area!! It was great. It was fun to see people that I haven't seen in a long time. Love what our Goshen Campus is doing!

Sunday afternoon we had a staff lake party. A family from our Goshen Campus opened up their lake house, provided lunch and "water beatings!" If you remember back to a previous post, you'll know that I have a fear of water...I have never been tubing...never been water skiing...never been off a diving board...never been on a jet sky. Well, I took care of a couple of those fears yesterday...I found myself at one point about 8-10 feet up in the air FLYING off a tubing and diving into the water. WHAT A BLAST!!!! There was a day I would have wimped out and used some lame excuses as to why I wouldn't do it...BUT facing fear is great! So, I have to say that the sore muscles just feel great this morning! Seeing my kids on the boat cheering me on...PRICELESS! Then, getting to watch Chloe and Jaden going on the water on a tube...COOL! Then I went out on a jet sky too...YES! YES! YES!

Jaden was so worn out that he feel asleep on the way home and slept until school this morning...

FACE YOUR FEARS...you'll be glad that you did!

What does he see?

Proverbs 20: 27 "The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being." When God searches your heart, what does he find?

Handling Defeat

I HATE to lose...hate it...I know you can learn from it. I know that sometimes the greatest victories come after a defeat, but I still don't like it. Last night my soccer team got beat...7-4...yes I said soccer and not baseball!! They jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first 5 minutes, then we battled back to 2-2...then 3-3...then 4-4...then they exploded for 3 more goals in 5 minutes time! Need to bounce back fast because we have a game tonight!

So, the question I have whether it is in sports or in another area of my life, is why did we lose? Was it a lack of effort? Was it a need for more training? Was it a bad strategy (ok...was it bad coaching)? Was it that the other team was just that much better than us? Well, I'll tell you this...we didn't lose because of a lack of effort. These boys left everything on the field...they played their GUTS out...we lost due to a lack of training...3 of my 4 defenders have never played the positions they are in before this season, so they are learning...growing...AND I bet they listen to their coach a little closer after that loss!! Now they probably believe me when I say "the tough games are coming..." Hey...I'm just glad it wasn't a conference game!!

Philemon 6

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." What power in that verse...Paul wants to see Philemon sharing his faith. BUT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE THERE...Why does he want him sharing his faith? So, that he can have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. So, it is very right to say that if we want to know Christ fully, then we need to be sharing our faith. I had the opportunity to do that today...and it felt GREAT! Praying that both people give their lives to Jesus...so my question for you is... What are you waiting for? Go share your faith!

Visualize a win!

Got the time I wanted today. Not as fast as my last 2 5k's, but with the knee injury disrupting training...I'll take it. 23.27 was the time...BUT it's bitter sweet. My running partner Mark CRUSHED me in the race...beat me by 12 seconds...he ran a great race and I thought I would be able to catch him at the end...BUT he just kept it up. WELL DONE MARK! (my insides are saying "grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" Not that I'm running to win, of course! (BIG JOKE for those that don't know me well!!)

Mark said something before the race that hasn't gotten out of my head. He asked me what I visualize when I run...what is it that motivates me to do better. Do I see myself reaching my full potential and beyond. I had to say no...I don't...don't think of much while I run except "Lord, help me finish!" But it really got me thinking about what messages we allow ourselves to think about. When I played more basketball, I ALWAYS visualized the game...different situations...making the winning shot...battling for rebounds...SO why not do this with every area of our lives...WHAT IF...I visualize myself sharing Jesus with people all the time...what if I allow my mind to race so much on God that He CONSUMES my thoughts...what if I always think about how to solve a problem instead of how tough the problem is...what if...I say that the sky is the limit...This takes discipline, but I want to commit to turning my thoughts to I CAN DO THIS or I WILL FIND A WAY...imagine what our world would be like if we all decide to think that way...WATCH OUT!