Favorite Iphone Apps

I've had my iPhone now for close to three months, and I love it just as much as when I first got it. The 1 billionth application should be downloaded sometime today (winner gets a $10,000 iTunes gift card), so I thought I would share some of my favorite apps.

• Google app - I probably use this most of all because I'm now using Google Reader for my rss feeds
• reQall - replaced Jott when Jott ceased to be free; not quite as good but it's very useful
• Amazon Kindle - I haven't bought a Kindle book yet, but I've sampled the first chapter of many
• Evernote - I use this primarily on my laptop, but it's nice to have an app for the iPhone
• Files lite - free version; allows me to take documents on the iPhone; I can read them, but no editing
  
• Pandora
• Simplify - allows me to listen to my entire iTunes collection on my desktop at home; not the best quality, but still a great feature
• Yelp - pinpoints my location, shows restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, etc. nearby, and even gives reviews; I used them a lot while we were on vacation
• Maps - right up there with Google as to most used; I drive around and look at houses a lot; this helps out quite a bit
  

American Idol

I think the talent in this year's American Idol competition is the strongest ever. I love Matt's soul, Danny's power, and Adam's charisma, but of all of them, the one I would spend money to hear is Kris Allen. His performance a few weeks ago of "Ain't No Sunshine" was amazing.

Books I'm Reading

I just updated my Shelfari page, so I thought I would give an update on some of the good books I've been reading. On Easter we finished up our series on the Cross, so for the last couple of months I've been reading a lot on that subject. Two of the key books I read were Death by Love, by Mark Driscoll, and The Atonement, by Leon Morris. I grew and learned a lot during this series.

Next Sunday I am preaching on parenting, so I've been reading a few books on this topic, namely, Grace Based Parenting, by Tim Kimmel, Revolutionary Parenting, by George Barna, and Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture, by Mary DeMuth. I haven't read much of Barna's yet, but I highly recommend the other two.

I've also just started reading Total Church, by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. This is one of those books where it seems like I'm underlining every other sentence. The chapter on community is amazing, as is the one on evangelism. Speaking of that chapter, you can read it on Tim Chester's blog.

Finally, our men's discussion group has one more week on Piper's Don't Waste Your Life. It's been encouraging yet very challenging. I guess that's typical Piper, though.

Cal Who?

Great article on Memphis' new head basketball coach!

The Importance of the Resurrection

I am getting ready to preach my first Easter sermon, and I feel a little overwhelmed. For the past few weeks we've been seeking to answer the question, "Why did Jesus have to die?" We've looked at the following bad news/good news facets of the cross:

Week 1
Bad news: We are in bondage to sin and cannot escape on our own
Good news: Jesus died to redeem us from the bondage of sin

Week 2
Bad news: God's response to sin is wrath and judgement
Good news: Jesus died as a once-for-all atonement for our sin, appeasing God's wrath, forgiving all of our sins (past, present and future), and cleansing us from all unrighteousness

Week 3
Bad news: We have sinned, and the penalty for sin is death
Good news: Jesus died in our place for our sin. Therefore we do not have to pay the penalty.


As I have been working my way through this, a new question has emerged that I'm going to try to address this Sunday. The Cross has humbled me. It is truly beautiful and amazing. In some ways it would be enough to say that Jesus is my Savior, that He did all of these things for me. My life would be changed. I would no longer be the same.

So what's the purpose of Easter?

My text will be 1 Corinthians 15, and the key words for me have been "of first importance." Paul shows us why the resurrection of Jesus is vital to Christianity. In verses 12-20 he gives shows what things would be like if Christ hadn't been raised from the dead. He shows that this can't just stop with the Cross.

The Resurrection also sets up the New Creation (which harkens back to the Creation Mandate found in Genesis 1). With the Resurrection, Jesus is not only Savior of the world but also King of the World. And He has called us to be ministers of reconciliation in His Kingdom!

Vacation

We are in Orange Beach, AL this week with Paw Howard, Boogala (not sure how to spell that, but it's Adam's grandmother), and Megan. The boys did great on the long drive yesterday, and our first night was good. Micah slept in the bathroom last night, but we moved him into the closet this morning (is that wrong?). Adam is most excited about making smores and watching Star Wars: Episode I. I'm looking forward to eating a lot of seafood, enjoying the serenity of the waves crashing outside our door, and enjoying my family!

Does Satan Exist?

Last week ABC News Nightline featured a four-person "Face-Off" debate on the topic of Satan. The guests were Bishop Carlton Pearson, Deepak Chopra, Annie Lobert, and Mark Driscoll. You can watch it in its entirety here. I was very impressed with Driscoll's responses. I also think Pearson hit the nail on the head when he began talking about Scripture. It all boils down to what you believe about Scripture. If you don't believe that Scripture is authoritative, then nothing that Driscoll and Lobert makes sense.

Coach Cal Leaving?

Apparently Coach Calipari is announcing this afternoon whether or not he is leaving Memphis for Kentucky. It is going to be troubling for so many in Memphis if he leaves. Not only will we be losing a great coach (and a great Memphian), but we also stand to lose several prized recruits. It's also troubling for another reason, though: How concerned should we be that something like this puts us in such a state of depression? In the grand scheme of things, how big a deal is this?

Weekly Links

• Innovation3 was one of those conferences that I would have loved to have gone to. The next best thing is having free resources from it.
  
  
• Great nugget of parenting truth from Mark Batterson
  
  
• Ben Witherington reminds us of God's promises during our woeful economic times
  
  
• Tim Keller's Q & A Sessions free for download at Redeemer's store
  
  
• Ed Stetzer's 5-Part Interview on Communication with Andy Stanley

Financial Advice for 20 & 30-Somethings

I just discovered Ramit Sethi's new book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich on Lifehacker. I don't like the title that much (he chose it because it gets people's attention), but I really like his practical advice and his focus on systems and using technology. Check out his blog for more info.

Memphis Desperate for Money

Shelby County tax appraisals have started coming in, and residents are not happy. In a climate of decreasing values, it would seem logical that tax appraisals would also follow downward. However, that's not the case with most parts of the county. Here are a couple of articles (link, link) from The Commercial Appeal. Midtown & Downtown residents will find out at the end of this month, but I'm sure the bad news will continue.

A second example centers around my neighborhood. Over the last week or so we've had a code enforcement officer going around ticketing residents for very minor infractions (for example, having mardi gras beads on the porch). Now the first problem with this is that I'm on the safety committee of the CYCA, and it's going to appear to some that this is our doing. However, the primary problem is the motivation. Is it all about Memphis' need for money?

Everyone is struggling, and this includes the government, but the government shouldn't make their problems go away by adding to the problems of their residents. That's my 2 cents.

Another Great Resource

Leadership Learnings from Bloggers

This is a 250-plus page e-book features the best of the best leadership lessons from 20 different bloggers. I printed it out and have been reading it over the last few days. A lot of great reminders!

Facebook Bible Study

Just finished week 1 of an online Bible study on the Sermon on the Mount. My friend Joe is leading this interactive study of Matthew 5-7. He's an excellent teacher, and I look forward to learning with he and the other participants during these next few weeks.

A Good Day

Today was a really good day. It was a family day. It was truly Sabbath. This morning I decided to take Mandy and the boys to Victorian Village. I had driven all around this historic part of Memphis but had never driven down Adams Ave. We're going to go again sometime soon and go on a tour.




When we got back I used an emusic coupon to get some new music - 50 new songs to be exact. I love music. Some of my finds: Bon Iver's Blood Bank, Great Big Sea's newest album, some Over the Rhine, a few songs by Adele, some Sufjan Stevens, and some Andy McKee.

After that Dad, Evan and Kelsey came over. Dad and I watched the Tigers beat UTEP. Great game. And it was great to see UNC lose to Maryland in overtime. We also enjoyed a little BBQ from Paynes after the game.

Finally, as if the day couldn't get any better, I introduced Adam to Star Wars tonight. We watched the first hour of Episode IV: A New Hope. Before you get too worried, I fast forwarded several scenes. Right before putting him to bed, I asked him if he liked it. His response: "I love Star Wars." That's my boy! My mom wants me to come by sometime soon and go through my toys, comics and baseball cards in their house. I'm looking forward to showing off my collection of Star Wars toys to Adam.

Oh, one last thing...in addition to being able to say Momma and Dada, Micah can now say Night night.

A Great Church Resource

Mars Hill in Seattle has released a free resource in conjunction with their 28-week series on 1 & 2 Peter. It seems that there are a couple of reasons behind this document. The first is that they want to saturate the message of 1 & 2 Peter into everything their church does. They have outlined the two letters, giving the big ideas for each message. They've also written a study guide to be used in their weekly community groups. This also includes a daily devotional guide for families to use. I love this because it's centered around the dinner table and is to be used with the kids. Brilliant!

Their second reason for doing this is to help pastors like myself plan and "brand" sermons. I need all the help I can get, and I'm very appreciative to Mars Hill for this.

You can download this 207-page document from the Resurgence site.

Most Miserable Cities

God loves Memphis. Too bad others don't. Forbes just named Memphis the #2 Most Miserable City to live in. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Sandwiched between Stockton and Chicago is Memphis, Tenn. The home of FedEx has an incredibly high rate of violent crimes, with only Detroit faring worse. The 1,218 violent crimes per 100,000 residents is more than twice the rate in the New York City metro area. The city's sales tax and rate of government employees committing crimes also fall within the 10 highest in the U.S. Pro sports has been a mess in Memphis in recent years as well. The city's lone major franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies, has lost 74% of its games during the past three years, the worst in the NBA.

Weekly Links

Man, it's been awhile since I posted my "Weekly Links." Definitely more than a week. I've been very busy, but I've missed doing this. I actually post these for myself. I learn so much from reading different websites and blogs, and I always run across ideas that I want to internalize. I use my blog to do this. So hopefully, this will once again become a regular occurrence.

 

Scott Thomas interviews Steve Timmis on the Acts 29 site – This is one of those books that has unfortunately had to be moved towards the back of my bookshelf. I've had it for a couple of months and look forward to reading it. The interview is very good.

Bob Hyatt at Out of Ur says that our need for productivity often stems from pride. Here's a great quote (and when I say "great", I mean that it punched me in the stomach): "Conceived of this way, busyness isn't an issue of time management and productivity, it's an issue of desire. When is enough, enough? When am I doing enough good things through which that God-given desire to feel productive and useful in this world can be fulfilled? When do I cross the line between finding satisfaction in the good day's work I put in and trying to find my identity through an ever-increasing load of ego-enhancing commitments?"

Mark Batterson on God Ideas – I totally agree, but he says it in a much better way than I can!

Slumdog Millionaire – Mandy and I went to see this on Saturday night. It's one of the best movies I've ever seen. Very uplifting story, and one that I can recommend to everyone.

Ed Stetzer on The Dangerous Church of the Future (from Innovation 3)

Next Wave Ezine on the History of the Emerging Church

Jonathan Dodson posted the following quote by Tim Keller: "young preachers won't find their voice until they have preached 200 sermons, so don't be so hard on yourself!" I think I feel better after reading that.

 

 

The Empty Chair

On Sunday night I told a story that I had read the night before in Abba's Child, by Brennan Manning. Here is the story:

Brennan Manning tells the following story of an old man who was dying of cancer. The man's daughter had asked the local priest to come and pray with her father. When the priest arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The priest assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.

Priest- "I guess you were expecting me, " I see the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up."
Man- "Oh yeah, the chair ... Would you mind closing the door?"

Puzzled, the priest shut the door.

Man - "I've never told anyone this, not even my daughter .... But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At the Sunday Mass I used to hear the priest talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.. I abandoned any attempt at prayer, until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here's what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always.' Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now." "So, Father, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.

The priest was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and left him in God's care. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the priest that her daddy had died that afternoon.

Priest - "Did he seem to die in peace?"

Daughter- "Yes, when I left the house around two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me, and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The priest wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that"

God Loves Memphis

I believe that God loves my city, and I believe that the gospel is the only true and lasting hope for the problems of my city. Saying that, I also believe that if I am going to be a Christian in my city, then I must understand my city. The needs of the city must become my needs. It's because of this that I, along with many of my friends, seek to be involved in the city in many ways.

Today is a day devoted to not simply learning about the needs and problems of my city, but also discussing viable solutions. This morning I attended a city-wide town hall meeting on the topic of safety. I serve on the safety committee in my neighborhood, and as a result of this meeting, I have helpful information to pass along to my community.

This afternoon we're having our first CYPN Education Discussion. CYPN stands for Cooper-Young Parent's Network. It's an organization that Mandy created six months ago. Everyone attending has young children, and all of us are having to make decisions about the type of education that we want for our children. It seems that for many of us, there are multiple bottom lines. For example, although academics is very important, it's not the only issue that we're considering. Other factors include diversity, location, cost, etc.

Mandy and I feel that God has called us to this neighborhood, and we desire to live as holistic a lifestyle as possible. Our hope is to send our kids to the local public school and to be involved in making that school an even better school. I may be overly optimistic, perhaps even naive at times, but I believe that if enough people do this, that we could see major change come to our city.

Depending on God Pt. 2

I mentioned in my last post that I've been up reading tonight. The book I've been reading (actually, re-reading), is Brennan Manning's, Ruthless Trust. Below are some quotes from the book.

Childlike surrender in trust is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship (4).

Against insurmountable obstacles and without a clue as to the outcome, the trusting heart says, "Abba, I surrender my will and my life to you without any reservation and with boundless confidence, for you are my loving Father (7).

The decisive (or what I call the second) conversion from mistrust to trust – a conversion that must be renewed daily – is the moment of sovereign deliverance from the warehouse of worry (7).

The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future (12).

The reality of naked trust is the life of a pilgrim who leaves what is nailed down, obvious, and secure, and walks into the unknown without any rational explanation to justify the decision or guarantee the future. Why? Because God has signaled the movement and offered it his presence and his promise (12-13).

Depending on God Pt. 1

I haven't been able to sleep tonight. This is a rarity for me, and I'm not sure why I'm so wide awake. I finally got out of bed around 12:30 and have been reading and writing ever since. This Sunday is our first Sunday in our new location, and more important, it's our first Sunday without Jason and Barb. I realize that I haven't done much blogging lately, and this is the chief reason. It was in some ways the elephant in the room, and I just haven't had the words to write about it.

Right before Thanksgiving Jason told me that he had been feeling for awhile that his time at Neighborhood Church was nearing an end. Though he wasn't sure what the next steps were, he felt that God was calling them away. My initial reaction was surprise, but over the next few days it became more and more clear that this was right. I then had to deal with the sudden realization that I was about to become a pastor. Now I realize that I have been a pastor for awhile, but since moving to Memphis to start NC, I've been referring to myself as a "co-pastor." There were several reasons why I did this, all of which I won't get into, but the unhealthy on is this: as much as I value "Team", it has been a crutch for me for awhile. Wow, I actually said it.

God has been doing a major work in me over the past couple of months, and it has started with a renewed sense of dependence. I do not feel adequate for this task. I know what my limitations are. But I also know how big God is. I know that He is strong and that He loves me (Psalm 62:11-12). God is calling our church to trust Him, and through that He will not only reveal His love for us, grant peace to our troubled hearts, and give us abundant life, but He will begin to do what only He can do in our city.

A Real Smartphone

I started using my first PDA ten years ago. It was the Palm III. After that I moved on to the Zire 71. My first smartphone was the Palm Treo 600, and I followed that with the Treo 650. Each was a step up from the previous. Earlier this year I moved to Windows Mobile and purchased the Sprint Mogul. Compared to the Palm platform this thing moved. But it still didn't do everything I thought it should do.

Last night all my dreams that I didn't even know I had came true when I bought the iPhone 3G. This is the most impressive gadget I've ever had. It is truly "smart." I know I've said it before, but it makes me wonder if I need to go Mac all the way. I love the fact that I only have to carry one thing. It's a phone, a PDA, and an ipod. Actually, today that wasn't necessarily a good thing. I was listening to it in the car, and I put it under the seat before leaving the car to go into the grocery store (this has been my habit with my ipod). I got in the store and realized I needed to call Mandy. Oops.

The best thing so far is the Apps Store. Since last night I've downloaded 26 apps. All but two were free. Here are some of my favorites thus far.

Mint
Facebook
Pandora
Simplify – For $4, this allows me to access my entire iTunes library via wi-fi or 3g
Sportstap

One of the other nice features is that I'm able to sync my Outlook data from my laptop and all of my media from my desktop. I hadn't thought about that until last night after I started playing with it. I haven't messed with the GPS feature, but I've heard it's impressive as well.

More to come soon…

Bon Iver

A few days after compiling my top 10 music list, I purchased Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago during Amazon.com's $5 sale on their top albums of the year. Had it been a few days earlier it would have been at the top of the list. This album is SO good. If you listen to it, I encourage shutting yourself in a room, turning off all the lights, and using a good pair of headphones. Oh yeah!

If you're not familiar with Bon Iver, check this out.

Crazy Times at the Memphis Library

I apparently have an evil twin.

This afternoon Adam and I were at the library looking for a book for Mandy. Out of nowhere a guy ran up to me, grabbed me by the collar, and start yelling at me for assaulting his girlfriend. Two security guards were right there and grabbed him, but not before books were off the shelf and Adam was crying.

The security guards started escorting him to the escalator, and once I made sure that Adam was ok, we followed them. I went to the guards and they asked if I wanted to press charges. I said, "heck yeah I want to press charges." He said to wait a minute, so I told him that I was going to check out my books.

As soon as I got to the desk, I felt the Holy Spirit say that I needed to go and talk to the guy. If nothing else, I didn't want Adam to be afraid. So we walked into a small office. In the office were the guy, his girlfriend, the two security guards, and a police officer. I told them that I didn't want to press charges, but I wanted to talk to him. The girlfriend came out and studied me. She said, "Were you not on the bus this morning?" I said, "No." The guy explained that someone who resembled me had assaulted her. I told him that I was sorry that had happened to her, but doing what he did in front of my son was not cool. With a tear in his eye, he apologized and said that he had overreacted. I told him that I forgave him.

After we walked out of the library I knelt down and talked to Adam. I got to talk to him about God's love and forgiveness for us. I wanted to bring some redemption into a scary moment for Adam.

I guess it could be a problem if I do have an evil twin who goes around assaulting ladies on the bus. But no matter what, I love my city. And here's what I know: God wants to reveal His love to every person that was in that situation. I pray He does that.

Do you backup?

I've been using Syncback for awhile. It's free, and it's very easy. Lifehacker has a great tutorial on how to set up daily, weekly and monthly automatic backups. Check it out.

2008 Top Ten Lists: Podcasts

1. Catalyst
2. Fermi Project
3. Rick McKinley
4. Rob Bell
5. Mark Driscoll
6. Paste Culture Club
   
7. Dave Ramsey
8. Acts 29
9. Vineyard Cincinnati
10. The Resurgence
    

2008 Top Ten Lists: Blogs

These are the blogs that I read weekly. Once again, in no particular order.

1. Scot McKnight - He recently moved over to Belief.net. I always enjoy his content.
   
2. Ben Witherington - NT scholar who also writes some really good movie reviews
   
3. Mark Batterson - whenever I read his blog I'm inspired to be creative and work with excellence
   
4. Jonathan Dodson - I've been reading his blog for a few months. He's a church planter in Austin.
   
5. Ed Stetzer - missiologist, researcher, author
   
6. John Carroll - fellow missionary here in Memphis; I always enjoy reading his blog.
   
7. Joe Boyd - Joe is on staff at Vineyard Cincinnatti. A great storyteller, he is currently working on his first book.
   
8. Seth Godin - everyone knows Seth Godin, right?
   
9. Steve McCoy - I'm always anxious to read his blog just for his music recommendations and links to other sites.
   
10. Dan Kimball - I appreciate his balanced approach to so many controversial issues facing the church today
    

2008 Top Ten Lists: Music

1. Dave Barnes, Me + You + the World
   
2. Fellowship Church, Closer to the Start
   
3. Anthony Skinner, Crush
   
4. Sondre Lerche, Dan in Real Life soundtrack
   
5. Coldplay, Viva La Vida
   
6. Jon Foreman, Fall & Winter
   
7. Daniel Doss Band, Greater than Us All
   
8. Hillsong United, All of the Above
   

2008 Top Ten Lists: Websites

1. Facebook - I think everyone knows what Facebook is
   
2. Craigslist - I advertise my rentals here
   
3. Pandora - enter an artist and it plays music by that artist and other similar artists
   
4. ESPN - again, everyone knows ESPN
   
5. Hoopsworld - I like basketball
   
6. Out of Ur - put out by Christianity Today
   
7. The Resurgence - articles, podcast, resources
   
8. Techbargains - I like gadgets, and I like cheap
9. Bloglines - this is my homepage on my laptop. It's where I subscribe to rss feeds
   
10. Hulu/Netflix - free/cheap places to watch movies
    

2008 Top Ten Lists: TV/Movies

1. Dan in Real Life - we'll get things started with a great date movie, which also happens to have a killer soundtrack
2. The Dark Knight - this was one of the few movies I saw in the theater. I had very high expectations going in, but was not as blown away as I had hoped to be. Still, Heath Ledger's performance warrants a spot in the top 10.
3. Bella - if you haven't seen this you definitely need to
4. Juno - another great date movie.
5. Gone Baby Gone - not a date movie, but a great story
6. 21 - I like poker, I like Kevin Spacey, and I like Ben Mezrich (the author of the book)
7. The Visitor - I just saw this one a few weeks ago and really loved it
8. Reign Over Me - it's difficult to picture Adam Sandler in a serious role, but he was awesome in this one
9. Arrested Development - Not sure why it took us this long to discover Arrested Development, but I'm glad that we finally did
10. Dexter - I watched season one in about a week on Netflix. Season two took me a little longer, but I was just as committed. Dexter is a very interesting character. Like Gone Baby Gone, it raises lots of questions of good and evil, as well as our struggle to hide our sin. It should be noted that this Showtime series is definitely R-rated.
    

2008 Top Ten Lists: Moments

This past Sunday night we had a Night of Remembering and Giving Thanks. I decided that I wanted to "remember" the great things that God has done this year, so I'm including a top 10 list of moments/events.

1. Micah - Micah is such a wonderful baby. He is full of joy and always has a smile to share. The fact that he doesn't cry that much and sleeps through the night is definitely a plus. I am so blessed to be the daddy to two wonderful boys.
2. Dad - Dad's surgery was definitely a little scary, but I am very thankful that everything went as smooth as it did. I know that God was involved in a major way. Adam and I went to see him yesterday and he was continuing to recover well.
   
3. Pergola - Dad and I shared several weekends together building our pergola. I'm not much of a handyman, so this was quite the accomplishment. Getting to hang out with Dad made it all the better - plus, the outcome would have not been the same without him :)
4. Vacation to St. George Island - We got to spend a week on the beach with Mandy's family. We wondered how it would be with a three week old, but Micah did great. It was a beautiful place, and a much needed rest.
5. Kaboom and CYPN - When we moved to Cooper-Young to start a church, we wanted to be about the neighborhood. We wanted the neighborhood's needs and desires to become our needs and desires. The Kaboom Playground build at Peabody Elementary School and the formation of the Cooper-Young Parent's Network were two tangible steps towards this.
6. Changing jobs yet again - This year I went from the mortgage business to the property management business. I went from zero properties in June to fourteen as of today. I really enjoy it, and it serves as a great support system for church planting.
7. MCAP - I met Hugh Halter and Matt Smay at the Exponential Conference in Orlando last April. In May I was given the money to go through their seven month online coaching program. It just finished, and I gained so much through it.
8. Neighborhood Church - this year I felt that we moved from being a church plant to becoming a church. It seemed to have happened sometime this summer, but it definitely feels that way now.
9. Third annual toddler Halloween party - our party in 2006 was one of the first parties we had. It feels good to say that we've done something three years in a row. In February we'll have our third annual Super Bowl party.
10. Advent Conspiracy - we just finished up our second year of participating in the Advent Conspiracy. I think this is one of the best things our church did this year. The highlight was the "Think Globally, Party Locally" Party hosted by Josh and Ginger Spickler.
    

2008 Top Ten Lists: Books

I decided to compile year end top 10 lists again this year. First up is a list of my favorite books for the year (in no particular order).

1. The Tangible Kingdom, by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay - actually this is in order. This was my favorite read of the year. It's also the book I've recommended the most to others.
2. Walking with God, by John Eldredge - our church spent the summer talking about abiding with Christ. For me, this book played a major role in those discussions.
   
3. Humility, by C.J. Mahaney - I just read this and gave copies to our leadership team. It's heavy hitting at times, but extremely practical.
   
4. The Myth of a Christian Nation, by Gregory Boyd - I participated in a six week discussion on this book in the spring. It's a needed book for many in our culture, and I think it really resonated with those in the discussion group.
   
5. The ESV Study Bible - I've already written on how much I am loving my new study Bible. You can read that here.
   
6. Culture Making, by Andy Crouch - I try to read anything that Andy Crouch writes. He has a great grasp on what it means to share the gospel in our culture.
   
7. Transfer of Power, by Vince Flynn - if you like Jack Bauer, you'll like Mitch Rapp even more. There are nine books in this series so far, and I read (or listened to) seven of them this year.
8. Holy Discontent, by Bill Hybels - I finally read this when I was preparing to teach about how the Gospel impacts society. It's a quick read, and very inspiring.
9. Authentic Parenting in a Post-Modern Culture, by Mary DeMuth - Mandy came across this book and read it, then recommended it to me. I read most of it sitting on a beach in Florida last summer. Mary and her husband are missionaries in France, so they understand what it means to raise children (and teach them a Christian worldview) in a post-modern/post-Christian culture.
   
10. The Blue Parakeet, by Scot McKnight - I actually am not very far into this one, but I've read enough that it counts for 2008 (my rules).
    

NC Year in Review Video

Mandy put this together and we showed it at our worship gathering last Sunday night. She shared the story of how this church got started, beginning with our time in California with the Elder's. So I guess it would be more accurate to say that this is a review of the last three years. Enjoy!

Check that out!

I waited until I was on empty before using my $.10/gallon discount from Kroger. A few months ago it would have cost me close to $50. Today it was $17!

Merry Christmas, from Adam & Micah

Our Christmas 2008 Video

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Update on Dad

The surgery is over and everything went well. We just spoke to the surgeon, and will get to see Dad in an hour or so. It's been a long day, but we're all grateful that everything went well. He ended up having a triple bypass, but the doctor said that his heart is very healthy.

Update

Surgery is now scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. We were hoping for this morning, but he is ok waiting. The good news is that the top heart surgeon in Memphis is performing the heart surgery. He's very happy about this.

My dad

On Saturday my dad (Max) called to tell me that he was going to have to go to the hospital this morning to have a heart catherization and a stent inserted into an artery. He seemed to be ok, so I was ok. This morning I decided to go to the hospital to wait with my step-mom (Jerri). When I got there he was already out and told me that when they went in, they discovered that one artery was 100% clogged and another artery was 50% clogged. Because of this, they were going to have to do bypass surgery. I was glad that I could be there. He and Jerri are doing well, but it's a scary time. As of now the surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Covenant Sunday at Neighborhood Church

Last night I walked our church through our new membership covenant. I've been working on this for about six months, and it was really great to finally be at this point in the life of our church. I shared three phases that people move through, and I wanted to put it here as well. I stole some of this language from my friend Hugh Halter, who co-wrote the excellent book The Tangible Kingdom.

If you'd like to hear the message, you can download it from our website or subscribe via Itunes.

Observation
This is the Inclusive Community. Anyone is welcome, no matter what you believe, how you live, what you look like, where you come from, etc. This is the “Come and See” message of Jesus (John 1). And it’s not just “come on Sunday night and see.” It’s “Observe how we live, how we care for one another, and how we love our neighbor as ourselves. Just come and be with us.

Participation
We recognize that many of us have lots of baggage and wounds when it comes to church. Our hope is that over time, people will like what they “come and see.” If they’ve had stereotypes of what a church is, many of these will have been broken through. If they’ve had baggage and wounds, many of these will have been healed through our time together. This phase occurs when people begin to participate relationally, or to serve, or to give.

Partnership
No matter what phase you are in, we will continue to issue the call to follow Jesus. We will call you to give your life for His mission and for the instrument that He has chosen to carry out His mission: the local church. Those of you who answer that call move to the third phase, which is partnership, or ownership. This is where you decide that this mission isn’t just about Robert and Jason. You recognize that God has called you here.

Whereas the message of Observation was "Come and see," the message of Partnership is “Come and die” (Mark 8:34-35). Those of us who are called into partnership together for a covenant community.

Weekly Links

• The newest audio from Acts 29 Network features Mark Driscoll speaking about the Mission and Values of the network. Go here to read the notes as well as to download the audio.
  

  
   

• I have been loving my ESV Study Bible. Here's a good review of it. I think the best part is the online version. When you purchase the Bible you get a code that gives you access to all of the many online features.
  

  
   

• A few months ago I helped to start a church planting network here in Memphis. I've been watching and learning from Jonathan Dodson and the others that he is partnering with in Austin, TX. Here is their church planting network website (under construction). I also just ran across Summit Church's Church Planting Center in Durham, NC.
  

  
   

• Hugh Halter on Money and Membership. We're in the midst of formalizing a membership process at Neighborhood Church, so this was very helpful to me.

Quote of the Day

I found this one on Ben Witherington's blog. Make sure you also check out the Redneck Powerball Winner.

Private Schools and the Economy

Yesterday the front page of the Commercial Appeal featured a story on the effects of the economic crisis on Memphis' private schools. It seems that more and more people are going to begin sending their children back to public schools because of this. I feel for the private schools, but I also am once again very hopeful that this will be a good thing for Memphis in the long run.

Here's the link to the article.

Quote of the Day

This quote of the day comes from this morning's Fox local news.

It's been close to 70 years since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor...big mistake on their part.

Quote of the Day

This morning my three year old, Adam, as he was about to leave for school, came up to me and said the following: "Did you know that sometimes tumbleweeds and vines are obstacles?"

My response: "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind today."

Apparently he learned this from watching Backyardigans.

A few measly hours

Yesterday I missed out on a great real estate deal by a few hours. The sad thing is that this is the second time this has happened. I guess this comes with the territory, but it's still a little frustrating.

If you've been thinking about refinancing...

Now's the time. Rates are dropping like crazy, and here's why.

Mortgage rates plunged after the Federal Reserve announced that it would buy up to $500 billion of securitized home loans.

Read more.

Weekly Links

Jonathan Merritt writes about the shift in political thinking for young evangelicals

Excellent talk from Chris Seay at Q 2007 on consumerism. Check out some of the other talks while you're there.

One of my favorite all-time quotes, and one I need to be reminded of from time to time

Joe Boyd on what it means to be a pilgrim

Seth Godin's Tribes Q&A ebook is available for free download. I haven't read the book yet, but this makes me want to.

The Resurgence has the audio and video from their Shepherding a Child's Heart Conference available for download.

Final resource, I promise…Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost's new book, ReJesus, is out. You can download the intro and chapter 1 here.

What Does Santa Have to Do with Christmas?

No, this isn't a bashing of Santa Claus. I'm actually a big fan. In fact, we saw him at the mall the other night. He remembered Adam, which definitely was impressive to Adam. When asked what he wanted for Christmas, Adam responded, "the big orange gun and the scary creatures." Santa nodded as if he understood. The back story is that Adam had just decided that afternoon that the big orange gun and scary creatures he saw on the back of a toy catalog were the things he most wanted for Christmas (of course this has changed every other day).

I loved watching Adam's eyes light up as he ran to Santa, and I plan on taking him to see Santa at least five more times. We didn't do pictures this time, since it's been a few months since Adam had a haircut and he's getting the grunge look.

Anyway, that's not what I first intended to write. I wanted to write on the question I posed at the top: "What does Santa have to do with Christmas?" But since I've already written a bit, I'll just share a link with you. I'm a big fan of Ben Witherington's blog, and the following post was written last June. Here's an excerpt:

It is sometimes said that this celebration, and its mythology is not based in the Bible or anything historical or particularly Christian. Some go even further in arguing that Christmas is just an adaptation of the pagan Saturnalia, the reversal festival of the Romans which climaxed on and just after the winter solstice on Dec. 21. This latter claim is false, since Christmas has always been celebrated after the Saturnalia was already over, and in the case of the Orthodox church, long after the Saturnalia was over. But my concern in this post is with the man himself-- jolly ole St. Nick.

Whether you call him St. Nick (short for Nickolas) or Santa Claus ( a barbarization and abbreviation of Saint Nik Claus) we are indeed talking about a real Christian person, Nicholas of Myra.

Xavier Henry chooses the Tigers

This morning Xavier Henry declared to the world that he will play for Coach Cal next year. He is currently the top rated prospect according to ESPN. What's even better is that they have a shot at John Wall, who many believe will be the number one pick in the 2010 NBA draft. As you check out that link, notice who the number 4 pick is (we came really close to getting him last Spring).

Go Tigers!

Weekly Links

Mark Batterson writes about Purple Cows

Jonathan Dodson has posted the material for Austin City Life's Partners Class

Matt Chandler on activities that stir up his affections for Christ and activities that rob his affections for Christ

The latest Catalyst Podcast features Dave Ramsey speaking about the economy. This is his talk from October's Catalyst conference. Here's a quote: Our current economic reality is "an artificial low driven by emotion."

From The Resurgence: Matt Chandler writes on the responsibility of being a dad. He says, "I find the fact that my sin directly affects my children to be mortifying."

Mark Driscoll's reflections on the election: "People are longing for Jesus, and tragically left voting for mere presidential candidates."

 

Foreclosures in Shelby County

This is also from The Memphis Flyer:

Number of Foreclosures in Shelby County
2005: 3800
2006 5250
2007: 5850
2008: 7100 so far

Property Tax Hike?

If you're a homeowner in Shelby County, you should read this article from The Memphis Flyer. Here's an excerpt:

Property owners will get their new appraisals in early 2009. Appraisals determine how much taxes homeowners and businesses pay. The difference between a house in Memphis appraised at $100,000 and one appraised at $200,000 is $1,822 a year in taxes.

The total value of assessed property in Shelby County, currently $16 billion, is called the tax base. If it shrinks, governments have two choices: cut spending or raise taxes.

Johnson, who took office in August, isn't saying whether the tax base will grow or shrink.

"I'm not ready to call it," Johnson said last week, after saying in an earlier interview that the tax base would probably be stable. The first people to get the news in January, she says, will be mayors Willie Herenton and A C Wharton.

New CD from Fellowship Church

Closer to the Start - New Creation from Fellowship Church on Vimeo.


I've been listening to this CD for the past couple of days. It's definitely in my top 5 of the year. Check out this video.

You can order the CD here. You can also download a free song!

Why I Am Hopeful

A few days ago I shared some of my thoughts about the economic crisis. This morning I read an article by Andy Crouch that does a much better job at expressing my feelings that I could ever do. I recently read his book Culture Making, which I highly recommend. Here is an excerpt from the article:

So, to wrap up this way-too-long-for-Web-attention-spans essay, here is the good news in our very real and sobering predicament: Easy is not going to be easy any longer. Our culture's addiction to ease is unsustainable. A core Christian conviction—one that informed much of the best of Western civilization—is that the good life is not easy. It requires discipline. It invites us into pain. It makes of us ascetics—not people who shun all earthly joys, but people who choose to limit our appetite for ease so that we might actually know true joy.

Yesterday I started reading Deep Economy, by Bill McKibben. This too is helping to shape my thoughts. I don't believe that this economic crisis is new. It's just a new reality for some of us. It's been a reality for many in our country and throughout our world for a long time. Now that it's filtering up to the middle and upper class, though, it's considered a crisis. We've all heard the stat that half the world's population (over 2 billion people) live on less than $2/day. That is a crisis. The staggering infant mortality rate in my city is a crisis. The fact that in 2007, the poverty rate in this country was lower than it was in 1959, is a crisis. The list could go on and on.

Now that the crisis is affecting much more of our population, I believe that we will be forced to make changes that will not only make our lives better in the long run, but will also help to make the lives of others better.

This gives me hope!

This would be so good!

The Tigers could soon be playing both UNC and Duke in basketball. Here's the story.

You gotta love this picture

God loves me...and here's proof

Two years ago Mandy, Adam and I took a trip to New England. Our last stop was Boston, where we spent two nights with Kerry and Kevin. Kerry was Mandy's best friend in high school. One of the highlights of the trip (and there were many) was discovering the Tassimo. Kerry and Kevin had recently gotten one, and they shared their delightful coffee with me. I was immediately taken with this wonderful little machine, and felt that I too needed a Tassimo.

After a few days the need wore off. After all, I already had a coffee maker and an espresso maker. I really didn't need anything else. And that was the end of that. Actually one year later, I incorporated this story into the first sermon that I preached at our church. It was a sermon on the Advent Conspiracy, and I was illustrating the need to fight consumerism. As silly as it might sound, I felt pretty good about myself. I often succumb to consumerism, especially when it comes to tasty gadgets such as this one.

You've probably already figured out that the story didn't end there. A few weeks ago Mandy and the boys went to Paducah to see the grandparents. One day Mandy and Micah went to St. Louis, where Kerry and Kevin now live. At some point Mandy told Kerry about me preaching about the Tassimo. She thought that was really funny, then said, "You know, that thing is packed away in a box. Do you think Robert would like to have it?" Mandy's response: "Oh yeah!"

That night Mandy called me to say that she had a surprise for me, and the next day when they came home, she carried with her the Tassimo. I was definitely surprised, but thrilled. I promptly ordered some coffee pods off Ebay, and it's been bliss ever since.

So...I know that God shows his love for me in ways much more meaningful than this one, but I have to say that this is pretty good lovin.

Weekly Links

• Jordan Cooper writes about the coming changes to the church based on our economic woes. This post led me to the next few posts/articles.
  
• Jason Evans, Chris Marshal, et al write about the same thing.
  
• James Howard Kunstler's Forecast for 2008. Again, I found this through Jordan's post. He seems to be quite angry, which means that I don't agree with everything he says. And he's definitely a lot smarter than me, which means that I don't understand much of what he says. However, you can't argue that it's a little eerie at just how much of this came to pass.
  
• NY Times: Consumers believe that the worse is yet to come
  
• Ron Paul on the Bailout Plan
  
• Good insights on the credit crisis from Allelon
  
• The audio from the Total Church Conference is now online
  
• My buddy Joe's new movie has just premiered. Here's the info and the trailer

Missing Jack Dog

Jack is our five year old dog, and no, he's not dead. He's just gone to live with Aunt Megan. Two weeks ago Mandy called me and asked what I though about giving him away to Megan. It caught me a little off guard, but my first response was that I thought it was a good idea. She was thinking about getting a dog, and if we were going to at some point give him away, we couldn't find a better home than with Megan.

Those of you knew us when we first got Jack know that he was the first baby. After Adam was born things went downhill a bit for Jack. And now with Micah a part of our household, Jack was only getting leftovers when it came to our love and attention. Megan came to pick him up last week, and since then, there have been a few moments when I have really missed him. I wasn't sure if that would be the case. I'm really glad, though, that he's with family. We'll get to see him from time to time, and he'll probably spend an occasional weekend with us.

So here are a few pictures of Jack Dog (by the way, "Jack Dog" is the name that was given to him by Adam).

ESV Study Bible

I received my first study Bible as a high school graduation gift from my grandparents. That was fifteen years ago (wow, that's a long time ago!). It was a NIV Life Application Bible. I remember that when I first received that Bible I had such a hunger for God's Word. It had a great concordance, lots of charts and maps, and notes at the bottom of each page. It's quite marked up now, but I still use it, and it serves as a reminder of how precious Scripture is, and how grateful I am to have been taught Scripture.

It's now fifteen years later, and our church uses the English Standard Version (ESV). A few weeks ago I ordered the new ESV Study Bible, and yesterday I received it in the mail. I have been excited to get it, but I have to say that it has already exceeded my expectatations. It definitely becomes my answer to the question, "If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have one book, what would it be?" To top it off, I just realized that by purchasing this Bible, I get free access to the online edition. It's excellent. You can check it out for free by going to the website. I'm recommending this to everyone in our church.

Scary Times Ahead?

I don't feel good today. I have that darn cold that has been going around. I'm lying in bed, but I don't want to sleep, and I have a lot of work to do. So I'm catching up on some reading online. I've focused my reading on the economic crisis that is affecting not only our country, but the whole world. I don't believe that this is the end of the world, but I do believe that it is a very big deal. I've felt for awhile that the decisions that are being made throughout our country may not affect me, but they will definitely affect my children and grandchildren, primarily in negative ways. However, in light of the events of the last month or so, I am beginning to believe that our way of life here in America may soon be severely challenged.

I don't think anyone needs to be reminded of the challenges we face: foreclosures, job losses, shrinking retirement accounts, rising healthcare costs, overextended living and record debt, shrinking oil production and rising costs, rising food costs, etc. What does it mean for us as followers of Jesus? Or, as Francis Schaeffer put it, "How then should we live?"

As scary as this time is, I'm also encouraged. There is hope. It doesn't take one long in their study of church history to learn that the church has thrived most when she could depend on God alone. What happens when our resources begin to vanish? Perhaps it's an opportunity for us to think creatively, to imagine new ways of living, and to redefine what it means to have the good life. Perhaps it's an opportunity for the church to speak prophetically during this time of change.

Lost Season 5 Promo

The Fancy Pergola

3 weekends...
30 hours of work...
15 trips to Home Depot and Lowes...

The result...

Check Out That Boxscore

I've been hopeful since trading Mike Miller and Kevin Love that OJ Mayo was going to turn into a superstar. The Grizzlies could use one of those, right? Now I know that it's still preseason, but check out these numbers from last night's game:

26 points on 10-17 shooting. 6-8 on 3's. 5 steals. Not too shabby, huh?

During his first few preseason games he shot a lot...and missed a lot. But if you look at his shot you have to be impressed (his fade away, in-your-face jumper reminds me a little of Kobe).

My fantasy draft is Thursday night. Will I take a shot on OJ if he's still available in, say, the ninth round???

Two VERY Funny Videos

CYPN Pics

I just realized that Mandy took a few pictures at the Cooper-Young Parent's Network kickoff party.

Computers: Can't Live with Them...

I am just about ready to throw my laptop out the window. In the last five weeks I've had to reformat my hard drive four times. I finally determined yesterday that something is wrong with the hard drive, so today I'm going to order a new one. It's times like these that remind me just how dependent I am on computers (kinda like foreign oil). I don't know what I would do without a computer, which scares me a little. A friend yesterday suggested the reason I'm having these problems is because I don't have a Mac. I don't like him anymore. A few more of these issues, though, and I may start thinking about making the switch.

Adam's Arm

On Sunday night Adam was playing after church and hurt his arm. That night he wouldn't let either of us touch it. I ended up sleeping in his bed with him that night. He woke up on Monday morning and wanted to go to school. We decided to let him go, but told his teachers that he wasn't feeling well. A couple of hours later his teacher called to say that he definitely wasn't himself. Mandy called the doctor and headed to pick up Adam.

I ended up meeting them all at the doctor's office in Bartlett. Adam was very scared, but he did great. The doctor was able to fix his elbow pretty easily, but then was concerned about his wrist. He wanted us to go to another doctor's office, this one in Collierville. So off we went. This doctor did an x-ray to make sure that Adam's wrist wasn't broken.

We were thankful that the x-ray came back negative. The doctor gave Adam a splint to wear for a week or so. He's been doing great wearing it. Another positive that's coming out of it is that Adam hasn't sucked him thumb in several days now because of the splint.

Weekly Links

• Bailout bill fails to pass - I didn't see that coming, but I'm glad it didn't. I know the government needs to do something, but $700,000,000,000 scares me (doesn't that look a lot scarier than just writing "700 billion?"). There's got to be a Plan B, right?
  
  
• For what it's worth, here's Dave Ramsey's thoughts on how to fix this problem
  
  
• Mark Batterson's 10 Steps for Setting Life Goals - you'll have to give your name and email address, but I think it's well worth it.
  
  
• James Howell on why Christians should be defined by more than just Liberal or Conservative (from Ben Witherington's blog). I especially like the John Yoder quote.
  
  
• Wendi Thomas' article on Ron Sider - I got to hear him speak last Wednesday at 2nd Presbyterian Church, and am currently reading one of his books in preparation for a talk I'll give at church in a couple of weeks.
  
  
• Ben Witherington's Evangelical Voter's Guide
  
  
• New Advent Conspiracy website is up. I'm looking forward to taking part in this again this year.
  

Chasing Cars

I love the world wide web. It provides answers for so many of my questions. For examples, today I heard a song on the radio that I really liked. It seemed very familiar, and I thought I might have heard it while watching Grey's Anatomy (Mandy has gotten into this show recently, and I've watched a few episodes with her). The song was soon over, and it was time to get out of the truck and go to Adam's first soccer practice (I'll post some pictures if my buddy Josh will send them to me).

Five hours later I remembered that I need to find that song, but of course I couldn't remember any lyrics or even what it sounded like. So I went to FM 100's website, and discovered a handy dandy song finder. I scrolled over to 5:30pm and found a song called "Chasing Cars" by the band Snow Patrol. Sure enough that was it. I googled it and saw that I had indeed heard it last week on Grey's Anatomy.

So the thought for the day is that the world wide web brings me great joy and satisfaction.

For more great joy and satisfaction, watch this video.

Cooper-Young Parent's Network

For those of you who don't know, Mandy is taking a one year's leave of absence from teaching so that she can be home with Adam and Micah. Not teaching has also given her more time to create. One of her latest creations has been the Cooper-Young Parent's Network. She and some friends began talking about this a little over a month ago. I helped her set up a Yahoo Groups and off we went.

On Friday, September 12 we kicked the network off by having a party at Josh and Ginger's house. The party also coincided with the 4-Miler Race, which kicks off the Cooper-Young Festival. We had no idea who was coming. By the end of the evening we figured that we had sixty people show up. Of those sixty, I'm pretty sure that half the kids were three years of age and under.

Here are some pictures that Ginger took.

If you're here in Midtown and would like to join, email cooperyoungparents-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Ever heard of this guy?

Bon Iver - "For Emma" from MySpace Transmissions

The Role of an Apostle Pt. 2

More from Paul. Who wants to sign up for this!

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger, by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:2-10

Mark Driscoll's Definition of the Church

Jason sent me a sermon by Mark Driscoll called "Putting Preachers in their Place." During the hour and fifteen minute sermon (yes, you read me right), he gives a definition of the church that he and Gary Brashears came up with. It's difficult to write definition that are all-encompassing, but I think this one comes pretty close.

The local church is a community of confessing believers in Jesus Christ who obey Scripture by organizing under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, and scatter to evangelize and care for people everywhere. They observe the Biblical sacraments of baptism and communion, and are unified by the Spirit for mission in the world, and are disciplined to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission to the glory of God.

Jesus will zap you anyway he can

I found this on the Catalyst blog. Very interesting.

The Role of an Apostle Pt. 1

This week I'm reading 2 Corinthians for my LTG. Today I was reading chapter 4. Paul gives the Corinthian readers a description of his life. I can't say that this excites me. Following Jesus is hard. Giving your life so that others will follow Him is even harder.


2 Corinthians 4:7 - 12 (ESV) ⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹²So death is at work in us, but life in you.

The Ordinary Radicals

Politics

I have a confession to make: I am not sure who I'm going to vote for in November. I know that most of my family and many of my friends probably won't understand my dilemma. Most of my family votes Republican every year, while most of my friends and neighbors vote Democrat. And here I am caught somewhere in the middle.

I watched most of the Democratic National Convention in Denver last week, and I'm planning on getting caught up on the Republicans this weekend. As I listen to what both sides say, I find myself agreeing with much of what is said. I like one party's candidate for these reasons, and I like the other party's candidate for completely different reasons. Yet all of those reasons are important to me. It's hard for me to relate to those who see this as such absolute black and white.

I'm encouraged by people like Jim Wallis, who say that we should vote on the issues rather than the person or party, but that seems impossible at a time like this, when everything is becoming more and more polarized. Here's what I do know. Neither of these men is a savior. Neither of them will lead America to destruction, nor will either save us from all of the problems in our society. Both will lead the way their parties have always led, focusing on some things at the expense of others. That's not meant to be pessimistic, just realistic.

For now, I'll just continue to read, think and pray, and then two months from today I'll make use of the liberties I've been given and I'll cast my vote.