Trunk or Treat

Come join us this Friday for Trunk or Treat from 6 pm - 8 pm at Trinity Church!

Are You Kidding Me Post #1

I am going to start a new series on here simply called...Are you kidding me? I often find weird things online and ask myself that question. I thought I would share some of those things with you...enjoy.

Pops 66

I am currently in Oklahoma right now for my Brother in law's homecoming party...he just served for 10 months in Iraq and I am proud of him but really glad he made it home.

I collect rootbeer bottle (currently have over 35 bottles) and we are going to Pops today to eat lunch.  They have over 500 bottles of soda, 45 of those are rootbeer!  Can't wait to add to my collection.  

Do you collect anything?

Book Review #20: Jim and Casper go to Church

I first have to say that I am excited to have finished my 20th book this year.  I had set a goal in January to read 20 books and it feels great to accomplish my goal.  I am also glad to have read this book as my 20th.  The idea behind this book was to help those who are in the church realize how those who come to our church view what we do in our services.  Jim grew up in the church and was a pastor for many years and Casper is an atheist.  They attended over 10 churches(Rick Warren's Saddleback, Bill Hybels Willowcreek, Joel Osteen's Church, TD Jakes church and others) over several weeks and gave insight from everything to the way they were greeted, to the music, to the taking of the tithes and offerings and the message given.  Casper offers great insight and challenged me a lot.  

Several small things I began to look at:

1. Why do we ask people in the service to greet those around them...shouldn't that happen already.

2. When we sing songs that have words like...Jesus' blood or atonement or body of christ, how do those who have no idea about God think we are talking about.

3. Those who come into our service want someone speaking to them who are real and authentic...already knew that but felt affirmed after reading this book.

This is a great book for everybody to read.  Another thing the book said was to have Church leadership send people to other Churches to see what they are doing and to have the feeling of being an "outsider" and to then learn from their experience.  

Have you been in the church so long you have forgotten what it feels like to not know what you are supposed to do in a church service, or what certain words may mean or how it feels to not know anybody?  I would challenge you to be aware of these things and to be sensitive to those who do not have a relationship with Christ. 

This is in my top 5 books I have read this year. 

Be at the Gathering...

Tomorrow night try to be at the Gathering by 7 pm.  We will be going into the neighborhoods around us to pass out flyers for the trunk or treat on October 31st.  Come and be a part of it.

Book Review #19: In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

FROM THE BOOK: “Our best days often start out as our worst days. And our greatest opportunities are often disguised as our biggest problems. You can land in a pit with a lion on a snowy day, and it will seem like the end of the road. But God is in the recycling business. He recycles past experiences and uses them to prepare us for future opportunities. That is the story of my life. And that is the story of your life. Look in the rearview mirror long enough and you’ll see that God has purposely positioned you everywhere you’ve been—even when it seemed you’d taken a wrong turn.” —Mark Batterson

In a pit was a pretty good book that challenged me to look at my life, specifically my problems or challenges and ask God what he is trying to do in me and through me in those situations. We often want to blame God or question him in our difficult circumstances instead of asking him what the purpose may be. If you are in the middle of it, I would challenge you to run at the problem, allowing God to do something great in your situation.

I am usually pretty positive about the books I read, but this one could have been only a few chapters long. I felt he kept saying the same thing over and over. Good book to read if you feel like you are "In a pit."

Creative Things #1

New Creation from FC Post on Vimeo.

This Sunday!

Make sure and be at breakfast this Sunday at 9 to meet Scott Marshall.  He will be having breakfast with us and answering any questions you may.  Please try and be there.

Book Review: "Jesus wants to save Christians"

From the Back Cover:

There is a church not too far from us that recently added a $25 million addition to their building.
Our local newspaper ran a front-page story not too long ago about a study revealing that one in five people in our city lives in poverty.
This is a book about those two numbers. 

“It's a book about faith and fear,

wealth and war,

poverty, power, safety, terror,

Bibles, bombs, and homeland insecurity,

It's about empty empires and the truth that everybody's a priest, it's about oppression, occupation, and what happens when Christians support, animate and participate in the very things Jesus came to set people free from.

It's about what it means to be a part of the church of Jesus in a world where some people fly planes into buildings while others pick up groceries in Hummers.” 

My thoughts: Like most of Rob Bell's books, this one truly made me think.  I believe it is hard for us sometimes to really understand the scriptures because of where we live and how we live.  He challenge me in this book to understand what happened in the exodus and how I believe God is still trying to "save us" from going back to how our life was or could be.  This is a must read if you don't mind being stretched and made uncomfortable.

Tough Questions

We all have tough questions?  Like why Starbucks charges $4 for a drink, or why do they put braille on the drive through atm machines?  I actually have bigger questions:  how is it that so many people eat so much food it makes them sick and at the same moment there are people who are sick from a lack of food; how is it that the US government can spend $750,000,000,000 to bail out the financial crisis but they can't spend $25 billion to help end world hunger?  I have tough questions and I even have tough questions when it comes to God. Do you?  This Wednesday we will begin a two week series simply called tough questions.  I will be answering some tough questions that the students have submitted.  If you have a tough question feel free to post it on here.  And by the way...I am ok not having all my questions answered.

Escape 08

Escape 08 was a great time of getting away and not having to do much!  Any chance I have to get away with our students is great...I have been here 2 1/2 years now and I am realizing how much I love them!

Off to the Atl

I am heading to Atlanta, GA tomorrow for the Catalyst Conference. It is always hard leaving my family...KJ told me tonight as I was laying in bed with her that she didn't want me to leave, hard to not do what she wants me to! However, I need this. Here is how they describe this conference:

"The Catalyst Conference is the largest gathering of young leaders in the country, but it pains us to call it just a conference. Catalyst is more than just a three-day event - it’s a movement, a convergence, an experience where you find yourself fully immersed in learning, worship, and creativity. Catalyst brings people together - the influencers, the do-ers, the cultural architects, and the change agents who will reclaim our communities and culture for good."

I want to be a change agent! I want to help bring change to the people in my community who are hurting, hungry, and feeling hopeless. I pray that God messes me up this week and challenges me to be who He has called me to be...please pray for me.