Crazy week

I apologize for not posting anything for the last week or so, but I have a good excuse. On my way to church last week (3/26) I was in a head-on collision with a hotel passenger van. Yes, you read that right. It totaled my 4Runner, but thankfully there were no injuries.

The one thing that really concerns me is that my airbags did NOT deploy. Needless to say, I am quite disappointed with Toyota. One would think that if a van hits you head on at 50 mph, that your airbags would go off. It didn't happen.

So, in light of that, my insurance did come through for me, and I purchased a new Honda Accord EX fully loaded over the weekend. The car is even equipped with Bluetooth. Sweet! I figured with gas prices on the rise these days, a gas guzzling SUV is the last thing I need.

I've attached a pic from the accident.

Yes, Switchfoot Rocked last night!!

It was the first time for me to see them live. We had great seats and they played for over 2 hours. Well worth it.

Switchfoot

Look what arrived in my mailbox yesterday!! Yes, that's right folks...I am going to the Switchfoot concert next week with my good friend (and guitar genius!) Chris Mciuan.

I guess the coolest thing about it is that they are playing in a smaller venue at The Ridglea Theater near downtown Ft Worth. Really up close and personal. I think the place might hold a couple hundred people tops.

The downside to this, is that we'll all be packed in there like a can of sardines!

Free Starbucks coffee yesterday

Well folks, it's true. Starbucks gave away free cups of coffee yesterday between 10am - 12pm at ALL of their US stores.

That's right, every Starbucks gave away a "tall", 12 oz. cup of regular coffee to anyone who drops by and mentions the name "Keith Hollaway."

Ok, that last part isn't true...

So did you go? Did you get caffeinated?? For FREE??

I didn't, since I've been off caffeine for close to a year now, but anywho...

PS - Check out Starbuck's new site where you can follow the journey of the Starbucks coffee bean from farmer to customer and beyond.

Raising Kids

This past weekend at CCC we had a parent/child dedication. My good friend Brian's youngest Joseph (or as I like call him Joe Ben...his mother hates that) was dedicated.

What makes this such a significant and important time is the public commitment that is made by the parents that says, "We believe that God's way is the best way to raise our children."

This also signifies a recognition that it is the PARENT'S responsibility to spiritually raise their children. This is not something that can be delegated to the schools, government or even church. (I'll stop there because I think I might start preachin...)

And so as a church community, the best thing we can do is help equip the parents to raise their kids and make the primary spiritual investment in their lives. Because what happens in the HOME is more important than what happens at church.

I heard someone once say, "Relationships with parents will happen more often, last longer and go deeper." So true...

Stop! Hammer Time!

I must admit that among my music collection I possess a cassette copy of the classic 1990 album "Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'em" by MC Hammer. And I could still probably remember the words and rap along to "U Can't Touch This" if I wanted to.

Well I was interested to discover today that the man is still kickin, and even has his own blog : Look Look Look - MC Hammer Blog. Unlike other "celebrity blogs" this one appears to be legit (in fact you might even say it's too legit to quit! LOL!!) - it's well written and reasonably interesting, detailing Hammer's musings on music, baseball, and fatherhood, including a reflection on the fatherhood of God.

Now if only I had my iPod with me here at the office, I could crank up some Hammer style hip-hop, dust off the baggy pants, and break it down.

Apple

I went to my local Apple store here in Dallas today, I almost got ran over as I saw this.
It turns out to be some clever new marketing for Apple's new ISight Macbook.

Sign of the Apocalypse?

Kevin Covais in the top 12? Are you kidding me? Are my eyes (And ears) deceiving me? How could America have voted for Kevin and not Gedeon? This is an outrage! Did I think Gedeon was going to win? No! My guess was that he would come in 3rd. Taylor would come in 2nd and Mandissa would win! At least that's the way it's supposed to be.

This must be a sign of the Apocalypse. Friends, Kevin can't sing! Can you see that kid on the cover of a CD? No, you can't. Why? Because he can't sing and he doesn't have a marketable look. Am I taking this too seriously? Do I watch too much TV? Probably. I think Gideon was robbed! He has a great voice and good stage presence. But Kevin, come on. The mic stand has more stage presence than him!

All I know is that if Kevin wins, I'm going to run for the hills because this will prove that America has gone completely insane! Any thoughts here? Am I being too harsh? Don't bother answering that question. The answer is yes! But did you agree with the other people who got voted off?

Here's my last thought on the show: Next week people have to sing a Stevie Wonder song? This doesn't play well for Chris (or Bucky for that matter). I think they need to have the genres be a bit more broad, like a 70's song - this way someone can sing something by the Village People and another person can sing something by Kiss. (How awesome would it be for Chris to come out with Gene Simmons make-up and breathe fire? - In fact, I think I'd rather see Kevin do it!)

Random American Idol Thoughts

After watching American Idol this week, I've come to the following conclusions:

#1 - Simon is always right! - People don't like what he has to say, but he's always right! Paula is too nice. Randy is trying to be cool, but Simon tells it like it is!

#2 - I think Paula was drunk on Thursday night! - She was acting way weirder than normal.

#3 - For a musical competition, why is the theme song so lame? - Don't you think that could do a lot better?

#4 - Have you seen Randy's watch? - Major bling!

#5 - Kevin should have gone home - He's a nice kid, but way out of his league.

#6 - Is anyone sad that Brenna is gone? - I don't know if I've ever been happier...

Following A Schizophrenic God

I was up at 5am this morning to get an early start on my day and decided to stop by a cafe for a quick breakfast and to do a little journaling and reading. These past couple of days I've been thumbing through a book entitled, A Glimpse of Jesus, written by Brennan Manning.

The book has got me thinking about my spiritual environment growing up and just how much influence that held in my perception and relationship (or lack therof) with Christ. And it's amazing how contrasting that is to the relationship I have with God now. It's really the difference between following a schizophrenic (sometimes happy/sometimes angry/sometimes ready to strike me dead because I cussed) God and following a God who loves me unconditionally to the very core of my being.

Growing up, my relationship with God was anything BUT secure - partly because I was never certain of where I stood in that relationship. In Manning's book, he quotes from a letter he received from a young person that really echoes my past to a large degree. Here's the quote:

"I got involved with a youth group at my church that made me fear my salvation and be afraid of God. It was a terrorist spirituality, and I decided that there was no point in going to church anymore."

Manning goes on to write this:
"The church, in all its structures and facets, should contribute to the resolution of self-hatred rather than write another chapter for the script."

I'm reminded this morning why I have such a passion within me to introduce people to a relationship with their Creator who loves them unconditionally, who accepts them just as they are and who desires to lead them in a journey that never ends and only gets richer over time.
If my children (whenever I have them) can grow up secure and confident in the love that their Father has for them, I will be thankful. If the people whom God has entrusted me to lead can join in on the journey of following a God who sees them not as they are - but who they have become because of Jesus - I will be thankful.

AirlineMeals.net

These are the kind of blogs I end up finding late on Sunday nights when I'm sitting in front of my computer wondering why in the heck I'm not in bed.

Airline Meals.net - a blog dedicated to photos of airline meals from all over the world.

A DJ with skill (at last!)

Just had to pass this on. View the video here.

Meebo

Not sure how long this has been around, but I've just found it and it seems like a great tool. It's called Meebo and it's a web based instant message platform that merges MSN, Google Talk, AIM and Yahoo all on one screen. It's kind of like Trillian - but web-based. You can also create an account so all you have to do is login with one user name and be automatically connected to all of your IM accounts.

Four Things Memo

Just got tagged by a friend of mine. I guess there is a blog virus going around called "Four Things Memo." Far be it from me to stop spreading a virus! Cough... Cough...

Four Jobs I've Had

-Camp counselor/Lifeguard (a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!).
-Marine Biologist (yes...I'm serious on this one. I do have a degree in it).
-Account Manager/Telemarketer (you've probably hung up on me!).
-National Gasoline Mgr (I am the one responsible for your high gas prices!).

Four Places I Have Lived

-Denton, TX (hometown sweet hometown)
-Galveston, TX (mosquito paradise)
-Plano, TX (hated every second of it)
-Grapevine, TX (notice all of these are in Texas?)

Four Movies I Can Watch Over & Over

-Field of Dreams (possibly the greatest movie ever)
-So I Married an Axe Murderer (Mike Myers best..."HEAD...MOVE!!!!")
-The Fifth Element (Chris Tucker at his funniest)
-Matrix: Reloaded (it sounds great on my Bose system at home!)

Four Shows I Like To Watch

-Seinfeld
-Cheers
-Boston Legal
-Amazing Race (I love to travel!)

Four Foods That I Like

-Anything from Mi Cozuelas in East Dallas (you'd better speak Spanish)
-Po' Melvins (the best home cooking...besides Mom...in DFW)
-Babe's Chicken (the BEST all-you-can-eat chicken fried steak!)
-BD's Burgers (a small joint in Utah that I found a couple weeks ago...awesome!! Must return).

** all of these are small-hole-in-the-wall places...in my opinon the best!

Can you smell it??

The Superbowl means 1 thing to me (Especially when the Cowboys aren't in it): it means that pitchers and catchers report for spring training in 8 days! Yes, sports fans, it means that in Arizona & Florida there will be Spring Training Baseball in less than 2 weeks! Add the World Baseball Classic into the mix and you've got life as it should be! Life isn't the same during the baseball off-season.

There's only so many times I can watch my 2 DVD's of the 2004 Baseball season (Well, that's not really true). But the point is, I can't wait until this season! The Rangers have put together a good team and have finally focused on pitching and defense. The Yankees, on the other hand have a very potent line-up, but their weakness looks like their pitching!

I don't think the Red Sox will score as many runs as they have over the last 3 years (Who by the way, led the AL in runs scored for each of those years). But they will also allow less runs.

Back from Utah

I finally made it back home last night about 9:30pm from the ski trip. Thankfully, the flight was early, and I got to watch the Superbowl on the plane, 2 bonuses!

Deer Valley, UT, was without a doubt the absolute best skiing conditions I have EVER experienced. All in all, it was the best ski trip I've had in recent memory.

Major kudos and props to my brother Drue for planning the trip and for giving us a place to sleep. It was indeed an immense blessing to spend the week with he, Trey, Scott, Cash, Cannon, and last, but certainly not least...my bestest friend in the world, Charles (who is still there BTW...you dog!).

As promised, here a few pics.

T-minus 6 hours until departure

Flying out this evening to Deer Valley Utah (via a stop in Denver, then Salt Lake City).

The forecast is for snow every day. Looks like it's gonna be a cold trip. I've attached a pic from the resorts webcam. It looks freezing cold!

Amazingly, I got all packed last night and was able to get everything into 2 carry-ons! I absolutely hate waiting at baggage claim.

One other cool thing is being able to check-in for the flight online. Got the boarding passes printed out from my computer, so I can just proceed through the security.

Fast paced

The pace is really beginning to pick up around here. I have to swing by my eye Dr's on the way home to pick up some contacts, then I have to pack everything for the Utah trip tomorrow.

The Stars game was awesome. We sat in the "VIP" section, and got to park underground underneath the arena. We even had our own private elevator that had an operator asking us where we wanted to go. We were stylin'!!!!

The Stars won in OT, 3-2. A little to close, especially since the Sharks are in last place, but hey, a win is a win...

Stars

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know by now that my 2 most favorite sports in the world are baseball and hockey.

My buddy Jeff scored some platinum level seats for the Dallas Stars game tonight, and he invited me to go along....can you say "SAHHHWEEEET!!!!???!!!???"

So it's off to the American Airlines Center tonight to watch the puck drop at 7:30.

I have a very busy next 2 days preparing to jet to Deer Valley, Utah for some ski fun on Wednesday, so my blogging may be light until then.

GO STARS!!!

All Good Cafe

Tonight I am headed to the All Good Cafe in downtown Dallas with my good friend Drue for some awesome food (so I've heard...never been there before) fellowship, and to hear a local Christian musician crank out a few tunes.

I'm always up for trying new restaraunts, so this should be a fun adventure. I'll update later with a report on how the food was.

Flying insects

I am reading through Deuteronomy in my devotions. Here is a verse that really challenged me today. Deuteronomy 14:19 says, "All flying insects are ceremonially unclean for you and may not be eaten."

I wrong "Dang" in the margin of my Bible next to that verse.

Seriously, I'm feeling so spiritual today. I finally found a commandment I'm not even tempted to break. I'm on top of the world :-)

I've never broken this command. On occasion, a flying insect has gotten inside my mouth. But I cough religiously. I've never swallowed.

Some commandments are just easier to keep than others :-)

If you've never eaten flying insects reach around and give yourself a pat on the back today!

Deep thoughts.

New camera

Almost 2 years ago I purchased my first digital camera, a Sony DSC P72 that was 3.2 megapixels, and lasted about 2 weeks before it was stolen at the lake. I had to replace it quickly with a Nikon Coolpix 3200 that was 3.2 megapixels.

Back then both cameras retailed for $250. Fast forward to today, and I was able to pick up a Sony Cybershot DSC W7, that has a whopping 7.2 megapixels for the EXACT SAME PRICE. It's amazing how quickly technology continues to get cheaper and cheaper so stinking fast.

We'll see how well this bad boy performs when I head to Utah next week.

Gonna hit the slopes!!

Yesterday I mentioned briefly that I am planning to go skiing next week. A very good friend of mine has graciously invited me and a few (ok...9) other friends out to his vacation home on the slopes of Deer Valley, Utah.

There's a few of reasons why I am so stoked about this trip.

#1- It's gonna be cheap...that's always a good thing.

#2- I've never skied Utah before, and Deer Valley is the #1 rated ski resort in the US (that is according to the readers of Ski Magazine).

#3- It's in Park City, and with the Sundance Film Festival just ending, maybe we'll spot some celebrities!

I'll be flying out next Wednesday and will hook up with my good friend Cash at the airport in Denver, then my best buddy Charles will meet us in Salt Lake City on Friday.

I'll try to post some pics while I'm there!

Taking your prayer life to the next level

I'm digging my new prayer journal.

I haven't kept one in a long time, but I feel like it is taking my prayer life to another level. Here is the realization I had today. Writing down my prayers doesn't allow me to pray generic prayers. It forces me to pray specific prayers.

A few years ago I read something Yonggi Cho wrote: "Don't pray vague prayers." That challenged me beyond words. Vague prayers are a cop out. You don't require any faith. And you never know if God answers them because they're so vague.

Here's my challenge: don't pray generic prayers.

Get specific. I'm praying for for specific things for specific people. It's often a single word that I'll write next to their name. For example, I'm praying for different fruits of the spirit for different people.

Oswald Chambers said, "Let God be as original with others as he was with you." I live by that motto. God works in different ways at different times in different people. That's why I tend to be descriptive instead of prescriptive in my blogging. But if you want to take your prayer life to the next level I have a prescription: a prayer journal.

Starbucks in Sheffield, England

Thought this was cool... It's a walking tour to Starbucks in Sheffield (UK) courtesy of someone named Rachel.

I love the character and history seen in these pictures! I especially love the character of this Starbucks! Depresses me when I think of the Starbucks across from my home in a #!&*! strip mall.

Don't get me started...

Here's the link to the Starbucks tour.

Demotivators

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. I have been swamped with work, and I'm preparing for my ski trip next week. More on that to come...

Anywho...

Anyone find themselves irritated by those motivational posters you sometimes see in corporate offices and other places, praising the virtues of teamwork, persistence, creativity etc? If so, then I may have found the site for you. A friend send me an email with a bunch of "de-motivator" posters, which look the same, but have a quite different sort of message...

These posters can be found here.
Seems as if this is a company devoted to lowering people's expectations.

Top 10 Sayings of 2005

Anywho

Wonder Twin Powers Activate!

We put a man on the moon!

Heeeeyyyyy (hold the high-pitched "ey") A great way to set that up is to ask what horses like to eat :)

Lucky--Napoleon style

Don't listen to what people say--you're a winner! This is my standard line before we share "wins" during staff meeting at work. It makes the staff feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Praise the Lord and pass the popcorn! You can say that again.

Praise the Lord and pass the popcorn!!!

Let's make like a church and split. You can substitute "banana" for "church" :)

Stop!! Hammer time...

It's for the kids--say this right before throwing your spare change on the ground

Top 10 Lessons I learned in 2005

1) Who you know is more important than what you know

2) Dream God-sizzed dreams

3) Normality is overrated

4) Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God

5) I'd rather have 1 God idea than 1,000 good ideas

6) So Far So God

7) The Holy Spirit will complicate your life in ways it should be complicated

8) Sometimes it takes a shipwreck to get you where God wants you to go

9) God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go

10) Enjoy the Journey

Going Retro

Just thought I'd share one of my "holy experiments" in 2006.

I'm going to keep a prayer journal in 2006.

Here's why: I need to do a better job of keeping track of the things I'm believing God for, the things I'm grateful for, and the God ideas I get while praying and reading Scripture. I think it'll help me track my relationship with God.

One key to spiritual vitality is mixing it up. It's been years since I've kept a written prayer journal. I have a personal journal that I keep, but no prayer journal for a while now.

So I'm going retro.

For what it's worth, one of my "top 15 scriptures" of 2005 was II Corinthians 10:5. It says, "Take captive every thought." We tend to think of this verse in negative terms--arrest tempting thoughts. And that is half the battle. But the other half is capturing God ideas. Journaling and blogging are the keys to idea stewardship.

By the way....I had several Top 10, whatever lists, of 2005 that I'll be posting later today.

The Sock Monkeys

This is what you happens when you find yourself really, really bored while driving through the middle of Texas with no T-Mobile service.

It's the Sock Monkey.

Don't tell anyone, but there are really 2 monkeys. Because of their age, they both have to take turns for the photo shoots. State law prohibits them from working too many hours in a row (kind of like those little Olson twins back in the day...)

Let Your Yes Be Yes

A friend of mine said something yesterday that I thought was so quotable. He said, "I don't want to say yes just because it's hard to say no."

What a great rule of thumb.

Don't say yes to something because it's hard to say no :)

That's a great reminder for a "people pleaser" like me!

Jesus said, "Let your yes be yes."

I like the NLT translation: "Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't'."

What have you been saying "yes" to because it's hard to say "no" to?

Google Fight

Wanna fight? This is fun. That is, until you realize that you aren't nearly as popular as you thought. :) It's called Google Fight. You type in two search queries and GF will tell you which query is most popular. Here are a few that I tried:






Keith Hollaway VS. Juan Valdez = WINNER: Juan Valdez (but barely...)

Keith Hollaway VS. Howard Schultz (CEO, Starbucks) = WINNER: Keith Hollaway (can you say FREE COFFEE?!)

Keith HollawayVS. Bill Hybels = WINNER: Keith Hollaway (by a LONG shot mind you.)

Keith Hollaway VS. Rob Bell = WINNER: Rob Bell (ooooh....look at me! I know Hebrew!)

Keith HollawayVS. Tammy Faye Bakker = WINNER: Keith Hollaway (should this make me feel good?)

Here's the link:

http://www.googlefight.com/

Go ahead...try it...tell me how you did.

Had to pass this along

One of THOSE days...

This is the scene on my desk as of 9:59am.

Those are 3 empty caramel apple ciders.

Not good...

Circadian Rhythm

I don't know if anyone really cares about when I get up and go to sleep :-) But I thought I'd post about it anyway.

I've always been fascinated by circadian ryhthym. We all have an internal clock that determines how we tick throughout the day. For what it's worth, I believe in siesta legislation :-) I think the world would be a better place if everybody took a nap mat to work with them and took a ten minute cat nap each day :-) And eat some nilla wafers while we're at it :-)

Anywho...

Last January I started getting up at 6:00 AM. My most productive hours are before 9 AM. That's when I do my best thinking, writing, and praying.

I have a father who gets up before the roosters :-) And I see the way it helps him keep his spiritual edge. So I wanted to emulate that. I also see references to Jesus getting up while it was still dark. I think it was a pattern in his life.

Having said that let me say this. I think there are larks and owls. There are "morning people" and "nocturnal types." I think we've all got to find a ryhthym that works for us.

I've also discovered that I need to mix it up every once in a while. That's what I'm doing right now. I've felt really exhausted at the end of the day lately. And I have almost no creative energy in the afternoons :-) So I've switched things up from Thanksgiving till the New Year. It's hard to get up super early when the days are shorter and the weather is colder. So I'm sleeping in a little later these days. I'll go back to 6:00 AM in January, but my work day doesn't get started until 7 or 8 AM these days.

So why post about sleep patterns?

Because rythym is huge! One of the ten commandments is about resting on the seventh day. We've got to find a ryhthym between work and play. We've got to make sure we're re-creating. In fact, re-creation is the key to creation. I don't know that I've ever thought about sleep stewardship :-) But we've got to live somewhere in between sleep deprivation and laziness :-) We've got to push ourselves and take care of ourselves.

I'm not sure whether you're a lark or an owl, but here's a thought. If you're pursuing your God-given passions you'll have down days like everybody else. But most days that God-given passion will get you up early and keep you up late :-)

Nothing is as de-energizing as sin--living outside the will of God. And nothing is as energizing as pursuing a God-given passion--living inside the will of God.

Isn't that what Jesus said in John 4? His "food" was doing the will of the Father. Pursuing a God-given passion has caloric value!

Snow!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Ok, it's officially winter. Now lets plan the ski trip!

Truck Ads

I did a post on sidewalk art a few months ago. These 3D truck ads are a-mazing! I love creative adversiting!

I'm always thinking and praying about new ways to communicate the gospel. Luke 14:23 tells us to "compel" them to come in. It means to demand attention. If we're really "about the Father's business" we've got to be compelling. I know there is a fine line where a sacred message can be turned into a gimmick that does more harm than good. But the greatest message deserves the most compelling marketing!

Narnia on it's way

I am fascinated by the etymology of ideas.

I'm getting fired up about The Chronicles of Narnia movie coming out and I'm prepping myself to see it, so I'm doing some research and reading. Just thought I'd share some Narnia etymology.

C.S. Lewis traced the idea for Narnia back to a picture he saw when he was sixteen years old. He once wrote an essay titled "It All Began with a Picture." He explained "the lion all began with a picture of a Faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood. This picture has been in my mind since I was about sixteen. Then one day, when I was about forty, I said to myself: 'Let's try to make a story about it'."

It started with a paragraph on a scrap of paper in September of 1939. It wasn't till almost a decade later that the first book: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, was written.

All the ideas and characters in the book have an etymology. Lewis said he made Aslan a lion because Jesus was called the Lion of Judah. And he had been dreaming about lions when he started writing the story.

For what it's worth, Lewis sent a draft of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe to Owen Barfield and his wife Maud read it. She was concerned that kids would read the book, walk into the closet, and accidentally lock themselves in. Lewis added five warnings in the book about not closing and locking a wardrobe door. One little boy in Oxford did take a hatchet and chop a hole in the back of the family wardrobe hoping to find Narnia :)

One more idea etymology. Lewis got the name Aslan from The Thousand and One Nights. Aslan is turkish for lion. He saw the word in a footnote of Edward William Lane's classic 1840 translation.

It took Lewis more than four decades to turn an idea from a picture into a series of books that have sold 85 million copies!

The etymology of ideas is an amazing thing!

Nice crib for sale

If you're interested in buying a home, a great place in Downtown Boston has just come on the market. Just blocks away from Fenway Park, Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox leftfielder and 2004 World Series MVP has decided to sell his crib. It's a 4,500 SF penthouse pad atop of the Boston Ritz-Carlton hotel. Asking price: $6,900,000. You can see the place here http://re.boston.com/+Comshare/VUListing.asp?Lid=1750-1 and get a virtual tour. So this is what $20 million a year buys you.

Too much Chinese

Is it a good thing or a bad thing when you ring up the local Chinese restaurant and the guy knows your name as soon as he hears your voice? As soon as I started giving my order last night the young guy on the phone said "Is that Keith?" and when I said yes he replied "Thought so." Wonder if his memory is that good for all his customers, or perhaps it's just that we eat far too much Chinese take-away.

Criticize by Creating

Permission to speak frankly?

One of the things that drives me crazy is people who criticize by criticizing :) Don't point out a problem unless you're willing to be part of the solution! You know what I'm saying? The Pharisees criticized by criticizing! There was nothing redemptive or constructive about it. Jesus was a truth-teller and grace-giver.

I'm just not into boycotting--a form of criticizing by criticizing. Paul could have boycotted the aeropagus because they were worshipping false gods. But he decided to compete for the truth. I'm not saying there isn't a time and place to boycott things, but I think the church is called to present better alternatives across the board.

I can't believe I've never read this before as much as I read, but I just came across a Michelangelo quote. But it's more than a quote. It was Michelangelo's modus operandi. He said, "Criticize by creating." I love that. Alot.

That gets so close to the heart of what I believe. I think God wants to redeem and sanctify our competitive streak just like he wants to redeem and sanctify every other part of us. We're called to compete for the truth! The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet.

Let's not just curse the darkness. Let's light a candle.

Let's not just criticize. Let's create.

The Roof is on Fire!

Being the good brother that I am, I took my brother to lunch this week because that's what good brothers should do....

After stopping by Colters BBQ and finding out that they were out of the BBQ spare ribs, I decided to take him by probably the best Szechuan restaurant in the DFW metroplex are called Lao Sze Chuan where I ordered my favorite Szechuan dish called Chef's Special Dry Chili Chicken.

Take a look at this dish ( but BEWARE - you'll feel the heat just looking at it!):

Isn't that just absolutely evil? Oh man. I ate leftovers for lunch yesterday and my mouth was ON FIRE.

Dry Chili Chicken is made of small bits of chicken lightly dusted with flour and other spices, fresh garlic and ginger slices and then stir fried with a LOT (and I mean A LOT) of red chili peppers. This one will definately make you slap your grandma! WOW.

Gotta go...need a drink!

Empty Inbox

Is there any better feeling on a Friday than an empty inbox?

It's literally been weeks since my email inbox has gotten down to zero! But it just happened. Well, almost...I'm down to 1 (thanks for the email Melissa!) Man, it feels good. It feels like the occasion should be celebrated.

You know how there are dog people and cat people? I think there are phone people and email people. I'm definitely an email person. I love it. But sometimes there is this internal angst because there is almost always an email in my inbox.

So I'm enjoying the moment until my inbox informs me "You've got mail."

No Tengo Dinero

Had a funny experience yesterday afternoon :)

A few months ago I bought a shirt that said No Tengo Dinero. For all the non-Spanish speakers out there that means "I have no money." I bought the shirt because my brother Lance and I have this longstanding joke about how poor my Spanish is. But I claim to be his "Spanish mentor." So I bought the shirt to flaunt my Spanish skilzs.

Anywho...

I went over to the bank yesterday, and I was wearing that shirt. It was totally unplanned. I've only worn the shirt twice. But it dawned on me as I was walking in to the door: I'm going into the bank wearing a shirt that says "I have no money."

It cracked me up!

Fortunately, I don't think any of the bankers spoke Spanish!

Hasta Luego!

Mercy to worship

Romans 12:1 says, "In view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices."

It doesn't say "In view of your righteousness." It doesn't say, "In view of your brilliant mind or witty sense of humor." It doesn't say, "In view of your impressive spiritual resume."

It says, "In view of God's mercy."

The prerequisite to worship is mercy. And the prerequisite to mercy is doing something wrong. So if you've done something wrong you qualify for mercy. And if you qualify for mercy you qualify for worship.

Here's my point: don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God.

Here's the challenge. I came across some research last week that suggests that we talk to ourselves 50,000 times a day. And studies have found that, on average, 80% of self-talk is negative. "I'm not good enough. I'm not smart enough. And, doggone it, people don't like me."

One of the enemy's tactics is to get you to focus on what's wrong with you. Why? Because you'll get so fixated on your problems that you'll totally forget how good and how great God is. We need to stop focusing on what's wrong with us constantly and start focusing on what's right with God. I honestly think that is the key to worship!

I like the way The Message says it, "Embracing what God has done for you is the best thing you can do for Him."

Here's the difference between religion and Christianity. Religion is focused on what we can do for God. Christianity is focused on what God has done for us.

It's for the kids

Every once in a while I'm impulsively goofy. Alright, pretty frequently :)

When I paid for breakfast yesterday I got three pennies in change and I threw them on the floor of Chick-fila. One of my co-workers looked a little bewildered like "Why did you do that?" I impulsively responded, "It's for the kids."

I know that throwing change on the ground seems like poor stewardship, but finding pennies on the ground can make a kid's day. I loved finding change as a kid! That totally made my day!

So all day long I decided to throw my change on the ground and say "It's for the kids." Try it out.

It's for the kids!

Diddley-Squat

Ephesians 2:8 says, "God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so that none of us can boast about it."

A few weeks ago I had a thought: without God we're Jack Squat. I had a similar thought this week: we don't deserve diddly-squat. That's my spiritual starting point.

A sense of entitlement is the beginning of the end spiritually. Repentance is coming to a point where we recognize that we don't deserve diddly-squat. When you start there then you recognize the reality of James 1:17--"whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above."

Here's the bottom line: It's not about what you can do for God. It's about what God has done for you.

Every time we kneel at the foot of the cross we are reaffirming that truth. We go back to where it all began. We go back to the place where our sin met its match-the grace of God. And we discovered that "where sin abounds, grace does much more abound."

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of His grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. Every day should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone.

Human Billboard

I know this is "old news" but I just read about Andrew Fischer in the November issue of Entrepreneur magazine.

He is the founder of humanadspace.com . He got a great idea for a business venture earlier this year. He decided to rent his forehead as advertising space. He went on ebay and auctioned it off. A pharmaceutical company won with a bid of $37,375. That's one expensive noggin!

For what it's worth, I'll rent out my forehead to any blog readers for half-off! $18,687.50 and my forehead is yours for a month!!

Shipwreck

Call me crazy, but some of the most enlightening and inspiring parts of the Bible are in the appendix. Turn to the back of your Bible and look at a map of Paul's missionary journeys. Malta is in the southwest corner. It was a detour. Malta wasn't on Paul's itinerary. It took a shipwreck to get Paul to Malta. But sometimes it takes a shipwreck to keep you on course. Sometimes it takes a shipwreck and a snakebite to get you where God wants you to go!

I'm not suggesting we sabotage ourselves. Don't put a hole in the bottom of your boat. Don't play with poisonous snakes. But God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. It often seems like the wrong place at the wrong time! But give it some time. See what happens. God may use this delay or this detour in ways you never imagined. That is really the story of Scripture.

The prison sure seemed like a detour to Joseph. But God used it to position Joseph as prime minister of Egypt. The lion's den sure seemed like a detour to Daniel. But God used it to position Daniel as Prime Minister of Babylon.

For that matter, the cross seemed like a detour. The Via Dolorosa seemed like a wrong turn for three days. But God turned that detour into the road to salvation.

Gotta try this!

One reason I love this time of year. I've had at least 6 of these in the last week and a half.

If a grande caramel apple cider from Starbucks is wrong...I don't wanna be right!! Amazing!

Stars tonight

I'm going to see the Dallas Stars play the Chicago Blackhawks tonight here at the American Airlines Center in Dallas with my brother and some friends from church. I got my Stars jersey on as I type this (the green one, and not that nasty looking 3rd jersey they have now with bull on the front...what does that have to do with stars???).

I was watching ESPN last night to catch some of the NHL highlights, and couldn't believe how high the goal scoring has been. I know it's all due to the recent rule changes, but who would believe you'd see a score of 8-7 in an NHL regular season game....KA-RAZY!

Journaling

I've been thinking a lot about Kyle Lake and his family this morning. My heart goes out to his family and church right now. In a way, we can all relate (to some degree) to what UBC is going through right now.

So all of this got me thinking about journaling - which is a discipline that I've recently begun with greater consistency. That is part of the reason I've decided to focus in more on journaling.

Don't get me wrong, I don't write anything profound or earth shattering - just what I feel like God is saying to me right now in my life, events going on and then of course, things that I can't necessarily blog about.

Probably more than anything, it's a great way for me to look back and realize that God is indeed at work in my life. In fact, just recently, I pulled out a journal from a few years ago and I was amazed at how many of the "concepts" and ideas have become a reality in my life since then. Things that were blurry and not too clear back then are now a part of my life. It blows my mind. I'm thankful.

So.......here is a picture of the journal I now use. It's a Moleskine journal which interestingly enough was recently written up in Fast Company magazine as being the "new" PDA. Anyway, it's a great journal and one that I would recommend. It's slim and not to big - so I can carry it with me in my backpack or laptop bag.

One of the things that I stay very intentional about is not pressuring myself to journal everyday or when I DO journal, I constantly remind myself that I don't have to write a novel. There are days that I write down a quick prayer or just a couple of thoughts.

Do you journal? What have you learned by doing it?

Make Today COUNT!!!

Make Today COUNT!!!

I was full of energy and excitement as I sat down at my computer a few minutes ago. I have this routine that I go through nearly every morning...I get a bagel and a glass of milk, drive to work (usually listening to FOX news), check my e-mail and then start to work.

But this morning my plans changed...I am stunned...I am numb...I can't believe what I have read.

Maybe you have heard about the story--maybe not--but Kyle Lake, the pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, TX (the one where the David Crowder Band leads worship) died yesterday during a worship service. He was only 33, and left behind a wife and 3 small children. Apparently he was preparing to baptize someone and, while standing in the water, grabbed the microphone--something that he had apparently done many times. However, yesterday something apparently went MAJORLY wrong.

My heart goes out to this church--to this mans family--to the people he had the privilege of teaching and leading. I can't believe it! In fact, when I first read the story I thought, "This is a sick joke--a REALLY sick joke." However, the story is true...and my heart is broken.

Let me make you a promise--Kyle did not get up yesterday morning planning to step into eternity, but apparently it was his time...I believe that--I believe that God reigns, He is Sovereign, and that He has a reason for everything that happens.

In Scripture we are promised a lot of things--but we are never promised a tomorrow. My question to you is this, if you knew you had six months to live--what changes would you make? How would you treat your wife? Your children? Your friends? How would that affect your relationship with Christ?

My challenge is to answer those questions--and then begin to implement the changes. WE DO NOT KNOW how much time we have on this big ball of dirt called earth--we need to make our lives count.

Please pray for Kyle's family and his church as they go through this time. And as far as you and I--we are still here--God still has a purpose--let's live life to the fullest.

Caffeinated Caption

At 13 months old, my friends daughter Julia is already consuming three venti Starbuck coffees a day.


Ok, maybe not. But I had to capture the moment and share it.



Anyone got a creative caption for this one?

World Series Predictions

It's down to 2 teams: The Astros and the White Sox.
So here's my question: Who is going to win it all this year? Post your prediction...The winner and in how many games.
My prediction: The White Sox win in 6 games...(Sorry Astros fans. But they aren't going to score any runs against the White sox starting pitching)

Sometimes you have to laugh

Whether you like it or not--you will offend someone. No matter who you are or what you do...for some reason there is a person or group of people who will get mad. You don't even have to try to be offensive...trust me, I learned this on Monday morning upon arriving at work.

Let me set this up--I drive a new 4Runner that has one of those remote thingys that you can lock your door with. (I remember the first car I had with one of these...I would stand and lock and unlock the door just because I could!). When you lock the car it makes a "beep." (I know, some go "beep beep;" however, mine is just one "beep" to lock & "beep beep" to unlock).

So I get out of my car, lock it while I am on the way in with my remote...and I see this older guy walking in...and he's giving me a really dirty look. So I smiled at him (not the wise thing to do--I found this out later) and said, "Good morning--how are you?" (Once again--not the wise thing to do).

This dude nearly melted down! He went off on me by saying, "I'm not good at all...these stupid people with these new cars...they are too gosh darn lazy (his exact words) to lock their stupid car...all they have to do is run their finger over a button--but NO, they have to blow their stupid horn and scare people half to death--there's just no sense in that".

Keep in mind that this was Monday morning...I had just spent all morning leading worship at church the day before, and most of that evening at The Afters concert, and was still sort of out of it...so I didn't realize at first that he was talking about me--so I kept smiling at him and said, "Man--that's awful".

Then he gave me a look that told me I should go to somewhere I can't go because I am a Christian and walked in the door ahead of me.

Then it hit me, "He's talking about me!" I realized that I must have scared this dude when I locked my door and that he was going off not on some random person--but me!!!

I stopped in my tracks...and then I just started laughing...I could not help it, I tried not to--I guess if I had been godlier I would have felt sorry for this guy--but I could not get the picture of what it must have looked like when I locked my car out of my mind.

Trust me--I didn't mean to offend this dude. I didn't sit in my car and scope him out and then blow the horn...I had no idea that this would even remotely affect anyone in a negative way. But nonetheless...he was ticked.

So what should my response have been? Maybe I should have apologized. Maybe I should not use my remote thingy anymore. Maybe I should just not lock my car! I am not sure what the Biblical thing to do was--but I could not help but laugh.

Like I said--sometimes you will offend people without even trying...and if you take the time to run around and apologize for every misconception or misunderstanding that you are involved in then...well...let's just say you are going to live a miserable life.

I had a friend tell me once, "words don't have meanings...people have meanings". And that is so true--people hear what they want to hear and believe what they want to believe. Our job as followers of Jesus is to live a life that is above reproach...realizing that sometimes people will get offended without our knowledge...and we have to live with that. I suppose from time to time an apology might be necessary--but I didn't feel that doing the "beep beep" thing with my remote was a clear violation of Scripture.

So how has this altered my life? Well...not really at all. I will continue to use my remote...I do not feel that repentance is in order here--but I will try to make sure when I use it that this dude isn't even in the parking lot (unless I am feeling mischievious!).

Have an awesome day--and remember that our job is the relentless pursuit of who Christ called us to be--anything else is sin.

Playoff controversy

The absurdity of the call will renew cries for instant replay in Major League Baseball, but the entire incident never would have occurred if the umpires had simply ruled that Angels catcher Josh Paul had caught the ball. If plate umpire Doug Eddings didn't see that, then one of the base umpires should have stepped in to ensure that the ruling was correct. Sure, replay could help fix such mistakes, but it also would create other issues, lengthening games that many fans already believe are too long. The vast majority of the time, the umpires get it right. This time, they did not.

Late Night Tuesday

Great movie on TV last night...Godfather Part 2 on AMC.

Flipping channels I overheard on Laguna Beach in less than 8 seconds:

"So I was like......like...it was like..."

"I know! Like no way! ............like."

"Like...........awesome...like for sure......"

People watch this show?

I did something

I went out this past Saturday to go casually looking at new cars, and I ended up coming home with one!

It was time, really. My car was a 1997 Toyota Camry with 163,000 miles on it. I traded it in on a beautiful Toyota 4Runner. Believe me, this was a total God thing. The deal I got was amazing (turns out the finance manager recognized me from church and is a believer...cool!).

I know what some of you may be thinking...the gas prices will kill you. Well, for those who know me, you know that won't be the case for me. But I can't tell you why on this blog.

I'll post some pics later.

Be Still

Confession time...I have to do this--I have heard that it is good.

Somewhere in the Bible, ok, in Psalm 46:10, is that familiar verse that leader types like me can quote all day long BUT have a really hard time following, you know, "Be still and know that I am God..."

What? Is God joking? Be still? In today's society? I am sure that might have worked back in the days that this was written...but these people didn't have to face what we face did they? Seriously, we have schedules to keep, soccer practice for the kids, meetings during work, meetings after work, meetings about having too many meetings. Those people didn't have that type of lifestyle did they?

Uh, yep, I am afraid they did. God's word shatters all boundaries. Including the one of time--and if what was written was true a few thousand years ago...then it works today.

"Be still and know that I am God."

Easy to memorize--hard to apply. I think that is the reason that many of us walk around wondering why can't we see the Lord, why can't we hear the voice of Jesus. Simple--many of us are in too big of a hurry. Take the following test to see if this is you. (By the way--I FAILED this test with flying colors!!!)

When you come to a stoplight...and there are two cars in front of you, one in either lane...do you attempt to get in the lane behind the car that you think will go faster? You rationalize it this way, "I can get behind this car and then when we pass the other car I can get in the other lane and pass the car directly in front of me now." How did we do here?

"Be still and know that I am God..."

Or how about this--you are at the grocery store...two lines are open and they look to be equal in length. Do you begin to size up the cashiers to see how fast they are getting the customers through? Do you begin to count the items in the cart of the people in front of you before making your decision? Do you, after choosing a line, watch the other line to see if you had chosen that line if you would have made it out faster. Uh, yeah--I didn't do so well here.

"Be still and know that I am God..."

How about when you get in the car and are either heading to work or are on the way home. Do you begin to scan through your cell phone to see who you can call? Do you call people just to talk, not having any reason to call them...and if you would have had the option of calling that person or doing something else then that person would have lost hands down?

We are all guilty--we attempt to go at the speed of light--and we burn out.

"Be still and know that I God..."

My problem is that I hate being still! It's not fun--there is no rush--no one has ever been awarded for being the most "still" person...our society does not recognize people being still--but God does. Why? I think it's because it's during those times that He can communicate to us on the deepest level...and I want that.

So the rest is up to me. I must be intentional about making time to be still--not to be in such a hurry. I will continue to push hard, to do my job to the best of my abilities--but on the way to work tomorrow...I think I am cutting my cell phone off and not turning the radio on--that's a HUGE step for me. What about you? Are you in a hurry...or are you practicing the art of being still.

"Be still and know that I am God..."

Ice Ice Baby

My brother and I were driving home from dinner last night. (we had the top down and the windows open since it was a cool evening). Anyway, on the radio station we were listening to, they had an "all request" night...and someone requested, "Ice Ice Baby."

I was so excited! I know this is going to ruin the view that some of you have of me--but I love that song. And if you are anywhere around my age--there was a time that you loved it too. In fact, you still know the words, "Rollin' in my five point O with my rag top down so my hair can blow..." Go ahead, finish it--you know you want to!

So here we are, jammin' to this song--and we pull up to a stoplight. Do you know what my first reaction was? You guessed it--I reached and turned the radio down...I didn't want anyone to actually see me enjoying that song. But then I sat there and thought, "Wait a minute--I like this song--I don't even know the people in the cars around me...and I am letting what they might think about me control my behavior--NO WAY!"

So I cranked it back up, "I grabbed my nine all I heard were shells--fallin' on the concrete real fast, jumped in the car, slammed on the gas..." (I know you hate me right now--that song is stuck in your head--it's going to be there all day long--there's nothing you can do about it!)

So what in the world does that have to do with my faith, the Bible, Jesus, God, church--anything remotely close to some type of religious experience? I am glad you asked...

For a moment I was consumed with what others thought about me--and it was to the point where I let people that I didn't even know--and a fear of what they might think about me--actually alter my behavior. I see this as being a MAJOR problem among people who claim they are Christians.

For example--we gather at church, or go to home group, or youth group--whatever, and we sing songs to Jesus, listen to stories about Jesus, talk to Jesus--in that context it isn't hard to be a follower of Jesus--when everyone around you is doing it then it is easy to simply fall in line.

But what about at work? At school? At the game? Have you ever let your fear of what people may think about you cause you to slip into covert Christianity and back away from doing or saying something that will totally honor Jesus? I have--I think we all have--it's natural to want to back away--but it's just not right.

MAJOR DISCLAIMER--please understand, I am NOT saying that you need to be weird...and this is NOT permission to be stupid--let me explain.

I am NOT saying to go and get your Bible, walk into work, stand on top of your desk, and announce to everyone that they are going to hell. That's not taking a stand for Christ--that's causing people to think you are quite possibly a loon!

So how do we take a stand? How do we become "salt and light" like Jesus challenged us to become? Simple--it's in the little things.

For example--when you go out to lunch with some co-workers and your meal comes--PRAY. And don't do one of those things where you act like you are wiping your nose--seriously, bow and thank God for your food. Or better yet--ask the group if they minded if you prayed & thanked God for the food. I know what some are thinking, "But I might offend..." That is the problem--you are letting the possibility of someone not approving of your actions dictate how you act.

Or how about this--take a shot at inviting someone to church, and then offer to have them over to your home for a meal afterwards. Trust me--people are CRAVING community...and many will jump at the chance.

Or when you notice that someone is going through a tough time...tell them you are praying for them (and then actually do it)--trust me, that comment will mean more than you know.

Christ asked us to be loud--and not to turn down the volume when we get around people who might not like His music. So let's crank it up and live the life He's called us to live, and reach the people He's called us to reach!

"Yo, word to ya mother..."

Baseball Post-Season Begins!

Well, I made my predictions a few months ago about which teams would be in the post season. So I thought I'd share who made it compared to who picked:

AL East: (I picked) Boston (Actually won it) NY Yankees

AL Central: (I picked) Chicago (Actually won it) Chicago

AL West: (I picked) Los Angeles (Actually won it) Los Angeles

AL Wild Card: (I picked) NY Yankees (Actually won it) Boston

NL East: (I picked) Florida (Actually won it) Atlanta

NL Central: (I picked) St. Louis (Actually won it) St. Louis

NL West: (I picked) LA Dodgers (Actually won it) San Diego

NL Wild Card: (I picked) Philadelphia (Actually won it) Houston

What does all of this mean? It means I don't follow the National League that much. I love this time of year! Go Sox!