'Star Wars' Kid named most-seen clip on Net

The video clip of a Canadian known around the world as the "Star Wars Kid" has become the most-shared footage on the Internet, a British net-tracking firm has determined.

The once-private tape of Ghyslain Raza faking a light-sabre fight, using a golf-ball retriever in place of the traditional Jedi weapon, has been seen online by about 900 million people.

Unedited version

I am thinking that this might just be what we need...

This is the perfect blend of football and faith.

A great day of family, food and naps. My dad and I took a walk with my daughter and son this morning. On the way home, I had my daughter on my shoulders and my dad had my son on his shoulders. We were about 10 minutes from home when my son fell asleep on my dad's shoulders. He was out! It was so funny to see him sleeping on my dad's shoulders. We came in ready for lunch and the nap shortly followed the turkey.

As I sat with my daughter before her bedtime, she said, "daddy, my heart is happy." That made the whole day.

I hope that your day has been one full of thankfulness. A day full of wonderful family moments, great food, and plenty of naps between football games.

Happy Thanksgiving! More to come later as we eat and eat and eat. We just arrived at my grandparents. Wow its late, or early either way I should be sleeping.

Funny story...

A big-game hunter went on safari with his wife and mother-in-law. One evening, while still deep in the jungle, the Mrs awoke to find her mother gone. Rushing to her husband, she insisted on them both trying to find her mother.

The hunter picked up his rifle, took a swig of whiskey, and started to look for her. In a clearing not far from the camp, they came upon a chilling sight: the mother-in-law was backed up against a thick, impenetrable bush, and a large male lion stood facing her.

The wife cried, "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing," said the hunter husband. "The lion got himself into this mess, let him get himself out of it."

Great quote...

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all." Sam Ewing

...that pretty much says it

Not only do I like the North Face gear, but I love the tag line "never stop exploring". I would love to do a North Face trip, that is a lifetime dream of mine. There are so many good principles that apply to always exploring. Exploring makes me think of life as a kid where I would spend days exploring and getting dirty. I wonder what ways that we can continue to explore as adults? Hopefully we never loose the wonder and excitement to find something new, to experience something unknown; that we never stop exploring.

Teachable

Lately, this concept of being teachable has become more real and more important. Being teachable seems to correlate so closely with humility. When there is an understanding and a realization that who I am, where I am in life, everything about me is because of God in me. It takes so much patience and love to deal with someone that is proud or unteachable. I don't know if it has to do with the massive amount of information that is available at an instant. I am sure that doctors deal with this a lot; having someone come in that has already diagnosed themselves. What is it in us that makes us unwilling to be open to constructive criticism? And what is so hard about being able to give actual constructive criticism, not just criticism. In so many ways the church mirrors our culture. I am afraid that the culture is more teachable than the church. For some reason we get the idea that Christ in me gives me the authority to tell everyone else what to do? Like somehow I now know something. All we have is the knowledge of who we can go to and who we can rely on. I know that this really takes things to the most basic, simplistic level. I am afraid that we underestimate the damage of an unteachable spirit or a proud spirit. After being in full-time ministry now for ten years, I feel that I have more to learn now than the first day. I love being with my children and seeing the how teachable they are. Just this morning my daughter is asking me about how a car turns. "Daddy, does the car go where you turn the steering wheel?" Are we willing to risk it and ask questions? Do we believe that we can learn from anyone, young or old? Or is it only the older that teaches the younger? It would be a contradiction if I thought I could answer these questions... actually at this point in life I feel I have more questions than answers.

Wow, ministry hurts. I am sure I am not the only one, but man this stuff hurts.

Warning: there are snakes in the grass...

Time to Rock!

Air guitar will be taken to a whole new level now that, "scientists announced Monday that they have developed a high-tech T-shirt that turns the strumming of an air guitar into music."

Read the story.

Maybe someone will use the shirt on American Idol.

Blackhawks 1 - Blue Jackets 0

Visited the United Center for a Chicago Blackhawks game. We had GREAT seats... 6 rows up from the ice, in a perfect spot to catch all of the action. There was a lot of checking. A puck went over the glass and hit a guy in the head, he had to get taken care of by the paramedics. A couple of fights tried to get started but one referee was all into breaking up the fights tonight. Chicago scored in the second period. Their goalie had a great game... 28 shots on goal. Not a bad way to experience my first blackhawks game, Blackhawks win.

The new Simply Youth Ministry website is up and running. Its pretty sweet. Check out Josh's site for more.

Will Farrell was on Letterman last night. My wife and I were watching him. I cant believe that it is up so quickly on YouTube.

Purpose + Passion =

This afternoon I was enjoying some time in one of our fine local coffee establishments. At a table next to me was a man and a woman obviously discussing the finer points of this business. The man was the regional manager of sorts and the woman was the new hiree. My ears perked up when I heard the man say our mission is to... he proceeded to read in a monotone voice the mission of this company. I perked up again when I heard him say our passion is to... again he read nothing more than the words printed on a corporate manual. And then it hit me. He didn't BELIEVE it. This mission was not a part of his DNA. This passion did not drive his decisions.

Recently I heard Bill Hybels on a podcast say, "vision is a picture of the future that produces passion in people". "If the picture doesn't produce passion or excite people there is a problem". If you cut yourself you bleed your values.

I am sure there are some skeptics that want to defend the regional manager, but he didn't even have the mission of the company memorized. I mean really how much of a corporate mission is it if you don't even know it? The girl across from him had more interest sparked by the incentives offered. I would not be very convinced by someone that hardly even knows the mission that supposedly drives this company.

Maybe it is too much to ask of this guy? Maybe not? Is it too much to ask to have the mission memorized? Should it consume him more? If not maybe it shouldn't be called a mission statement?

There is no doubt that the words "mission", "values", "purpose", and "passion" are overused and therefore now cheapened.

Does the mission of the Church, not just your church consume you? Does the vision of the future produce passion in you? Does the vision of the future of your church produce passion in you? Do you bleed the values of the DNA of your church?

Just one more good thing about spending time at a coffee shop.

Which are you? This is great...