iChat

It was great chatting with Steve and Ro tonight. Thankfully Glenda paused her Webkinz game to join the chat. I love ichat.

Pride goes before

A punch in the face...

Hide and Seek

Everything has become digital. Even the games I remember playing as kid in the schoolyard; they're all becoming digital. There's a new digital version of an old game, hide and seek. I have to admit that I've played this form of hide and seek, just not as tech savvy. With the multitudes of social networks available like twitter, facebook and myspace; add to the game that these networks are mobile this equals users mapping their every move. For some that use these networks to their fullest it can become like a game of marco ... polo or almost like a digital game of hide and seek. Read Newsweek's story here.

Destroying Happiness

Seth had an interesting post about the condition of our happiness today.

Most people have a better standard of living today than Louis XIV did in his day. So why are so many people unhappy?

What you have doesn't make you unhappy. What you want does.

What do you think?

What have I done?

I am not sure what I have gotten myself into...

Football. I love the game: playing, watching, coaching. This week adds a new one, Fantasy Football. What have I done? So, here's my problem... I've never been the "stats" guy. You know that guy that somehow has the steel trap memory to remember every player's stats since 1983. That's not me. I can't talk the trades or debate the draft. And now I am playing a game where it's pretty important to track stats and trades. Either way I am looking forward to it, because if it's football then I'm sure I will like it.

Here is where you come in, I need some help! First, I need to pick a team name. Secondly, if you are a FFL'er and know what you are doing, please hook me up with some tips.

This is going to be a very interesting football season. Are you ready for some football?

box truck

Seeing that we have had more than enough boxes, my kids wanted to have some fun with a couple...

















ok, so I may have helped a little.

Expensive coffee

This is the most expensive coffee I have ever had. I am certainly not the coffee expert, but I have had coffee in a few different countries and even the Starbucks Pike's place original roast. This would qualify as the most expensive coffee I've tasted.

The coffee is an organic... free trade... Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend. Most of the time, I prefer more of a bold, "punch-you-in-the-mouth" feel to my coffee. This coffee was more of a lighter... fruity... organic feel, but I guess it's good to try something new.

Either way it was a great cup of coffee.

Service Opener

This is a video that is shown on our weekend services. John Rolf our creative guru made it. I liked it, so I thought I'd share it here. Enjoy...



Service Opener #3 from John Rolf on Vimeo.

Are you really leading?

A question has been floating around a few blogs. I first read it at a great blog, here. Gary Haugen, president of the International Justice Mission, recently made this statement at the Willow Leadership Summit.

“Just because I’m leading and people are following doesn’t mean that I’m leading them in things that matter to God.”

The question if you are really leading is one that seems like a quick and easy answer, "sure". But then Gary's statement complicates the question a bit. People will always follow, but are they being led in the things that matter to God? This is definitely a question worth asking yourself. The difficulty with the question is that no one can answer it for you or for me. All outsider input is subjective; based one's view of the leader and how that leader has or is "performing".

I am a leader. It's always been there in me. Leading isn't the most warmly welcomed event with people. It's not the most popular thing to be a leader. Being a leader is not something that people want to hear you say you are. In the land of "out wit, out play, out last", Survivor, you get voted out for being a strong leader. This has always been the goofiest part of Survivor to me, "hey let's vote off the leader so we can sit around and wonder what to do." Life too often becomes a popularity contest rather than doing the right thing or the most God honoring thing. Sadly, the church too often mirrors culture in this.

I know that I can lead. In the above statement, I think that the most important part of it is asking if we are leading in the things that matter to God. It is up to the leader to choose to lead people in the things that matter to God. I am glad that this IS the case for my life and leadership. What a heavy weight to bear when a leader knows they are not leading in the things of God. I can't imagine!

How will you choose to lead today? Will it be a personal agenda? Will your leadership honor God? What will you choose? The bible clearly shows that it is never to late for a leader to choose to make the Godly decision and lead in the things that matter to God.

Are you really leading?

40 days of Thor Life

Fourty days and counting... it's seems like such a LONG time since my last post. The last two months have been quite a flurry of activity. Here's a snapshot...

• My first "southern" camp. It was fun ya'll. Hot. Southern. REAL pulled pork sandwiches.
• Steve and Ro's wedding. Great ceremony. Awesome couple. Looking forward to see how God leads their future. My kids did great!
• Surviving a one-car house. Stressful. Tiring. We are all ready for a second vehicle.
• Summer ministry break. This is the first time in 15 years that my summer's haven't daily go go go. It's really nice.
• Wrona's visit. Swimming. Movies. Laughter. More Swimming. Real BBQ. Rooftop pizza. Stampedes. Fun and more fun.
• Movies. I've seen a lot of movies in the last 2 months. Lots of culture.
• Verizon FiOS. Fiber Optic to your door. More on this later but... try Digital TV and a sizzling 20/5 mbps download/upload speeds!
• Summer Olympics. Loving it!
• Student ministry starts this week. Looking forward to rockin it again. It's gonna be a great fall.

I am doubtful that this list is comprehensive, but it will do.