Sorry this video is so shaking. I’m just too excited!
Free Phones for all…well, those who are eligible
So, I’ve known for several months that I was due for my Verizon upgrade on Sept. 21. In preparation, I had visited several stores to get pricing on the phone I wanted, the Blackberry Storm. I had heard the horror stories of glitches and a poorly functioning touch screen, but the 3 people that I know who have one like theirs. Also, I had been messing with the one at the mall and could tell a huge difference since the software upgrade. Knowing that, I had made up my mind to go for it and to keep my current phone as a backup plan. I visited 5 different stores and got different answers every time. I received quotes ranging from $19-$270, but all of them involved paying full price and sending in a mail in rebate. I am not a big fan of the mail in rebate. Thanks to my friend Matt Rhodes for filling me in on the Verizon Wireless website. He informed me that’s where the best deals are. Long story short: I got my Blackberry Storm along with a new txting phone for my wife for FREE! It also included FREE overnight shipping. So, Thursday we were enjoying our new FREE phones. Do the guys at the store know about this? All you have to do is set up an account online and it counts down to when you are upgrade eligible. So, if you’re a Verizon customer and you dread waiting at the store then check out www.verizonwireless.com. You can thank me later for the savings.
Update: Haven’t had a soda for over two weeks and have been to the gym consistently with Karen. I’ve been taking Sundays off from working out, but still trying to tweak my workouts for maximum effectiveness. Any tips are welcome! So many of my teens and friends have been so supportive in this effort and I could not do it without the prayers and support!
The Jerry MacGuire post
The past week and a half has been a whirlwind. Situations, planned and unplanned, have been a source of stress for me and my family. There have been a lot of “rubber meets the road” ministry opportunities. Nothing was covered in any class, seminar, or training that have ever been to. It has made me painfully aware of the grip that sin has on our small town. I have mentioned before the sense of oppression here. That things are never going to get better. That things are the way they are and that’s the way it is. I have seen and heard things recently that literally blow my mind as to how Satan is attacking out town, our children, and our families. Stuff you hear on the news is hitting right here at home. Too often, there is a “no worries” attitude about it all. I think I want to call it “Bible Belt-itis.” We live in an area where everyone “goes” to church or knows someone who “goes” to church or used to “go” to church. This is American Christianity in a nutshell. It’s like getting your oil changed. Get it done every once and a while at the cheapest and fastest place you can find and everything will be alright. The Bible talks very plainly about people who don’t tithe, aren’t active as the body of Christ, sin freely, spend foolishly, engage in sexual immorality, neglect their families, and speak with untamed tongues. It says those people are lost, foolish, heathen, will not inherit the kingdom of God(Galatians 5:19-21), and are to be chased after like a lost sheep, coin, and son(Luke 15). I am taking a hard look in the mirror today. Am I doing enough to shed the love and light of Christ in this town? What price am I willing to pay to see all 2,000 residents won to the Kingdom of Christ? You cannot actively rebel against the will of God and be a Christian. You can’t be living in sin and expect to see the gates of Heaven, pearly or not. I am too tired and too old to be beating around the bush in regards to the sin that has overcome so many people I know and love. I want to be a little more like Peter and little less like a pansy. So, to everyone in Denton, if you’re looking for a youth pastor who’s cool with your kid never having their Bible with them…I’m not your guy. If you’re fine with your sons looking at porn on the family computer with no accountability…can’t help you. If it’s okay with you that your daughter dresses like she just walked off of the set of MTV’s Spring Break-Out…sorry. If you’re looking for someone to cry with you when your child, whom you’ve never modeled the Christian life for or tried to seriously engage with Jesus through an active church youth group, turns up pregnant, drugged up, dropped out, alcoholic, porn addict with an STD you can’t pronounce then I will be happy to hold your hand, answer the “how” question bluntly, and do everything within the power God gives me to see you and your child redeemed by the blood of Christ. This afternoon, I will be making phone calls. I will be laying it on the line with lots of kids. God, forgive me for not doing and being this sooner. What’s that smell? Smells like a Revolution to me. Who’s with me?
Fitness Anytime?
My wife and I visited the gym together today. We are scheduled to meet with a trainer on Friday. It’s called Anytime Fitness in Thomasville and I’m digging it so far(after 1 day). The trainer was a cool dude, a Christian, and really seems to know his stuff. And may I say in the most heterosexual way that the dude is buff. He’s about my height and I’m thinking,”That’s me in 6 months.” So, this is something Karen and I are going to do together. I’m off Mountain Dew. If 2 of my teens catch me with one I have to fork over $5 to each of them. In it’s place, I’m drinking coffee and water. The trainer said,”Pour some Mountian Dew on your car and see what happens.” Can’t believe I’ve been lining my guy with that stuff for 30 years. Better quit talking about because there’s a Pepsi machine stocked with it just down the hall. All the more reason to move my office to the nearest coffee shop with WiFi. Thanks for your prayers as I strive to get healthy and undo some of the damage that a youth pastor’s schedule and diet have done to me over the past 12 years.
Hey, if you have a pet and you live near Easley, may I suggest my uncle who’s a vet. Here’s an article I just found on him.
Have a blessed day.
Patrick Swayze, Kanye West, Joe Wilson and more
1. Most people remember Patrick Swayze dancing vs. Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live. That’s one of my favorite episodes of all time. From start to finish each sketch was great. When he and Dana Carvey did the dueling Latin singers’ infomercial. Please tell me that’s on youtube. He wasn’t in a lot of movies, but several stand out over time. I’ve never seen the Outsiders, but now that’s on my to see list. I still think of Red Dawn when a strange plane flies overhead.
2. Excuse me Mr. West, but do you know how to tell if an apology is sincere? If you don’t pull a stunt like that again. This is not the first time he’s brought an awards show to a stop. It’s may be hard to spell Kanye, but not D-I-V-A.
3. What Joe Wilson did was wrong? Dude, you cannot shout down the President of the United States in the Capital. Are you serious? Whether you agree with his sentiment or not, the behavior can’t be excused. The good thing that has come out of the 2 previously mentioned events is this mashup video. I’ve heard many on the right come to Wilson’s defense because of the way George W. Bush was treated many times. 2 wrongs don’t make a right. However, anyone who uses Wilson’s outburst and this weekend’s Tax Reform March on Washington as examples that American civility has reached an all-time low don’t know a lot about American history. Ever heard of the Burr-Hamilton duel?
4. The fact is that, at it’s very core, politics is devisive. Too many times, legislative victory is impossible without compromise and there are some values that must always be uncompromising. Politics forces you to pick sides. Independent? Then you’re on a side. Politics puts people in categories and voting blocks which somehow seems to go against the concept of all men being created equal. There will always be a need for policy, but not for the manuvering and back room deals that too often accompany it. As long as there are politicians and talking heads seeking to divide us into these groups then this will always be a divided country.
5. Sadly, churches have tended to pick sides in these political battles. While there a values and principles that we must not waver on we have been to quick to attach our status and stature with one party or the other. Instead, the church should be about showing people what we have in common. Mainly, that we’re all lost without a Savior. Whether you’re rich or poor, black or white, English or Spanish speaking, Yankee or Southerner, prep or redneck, employed or unemployed there is a God sized hole in the soul that can only be filled and satisfied by knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Both men have apologized and seem to be sincere. Hopefully, Kanye will learn to walk how “Jesus Walks” instead of storming onto and off a stage and Joe Wilson will learn to speak the truth in love instead of shouting, “You Lie!” at the president.
When the Answer is not the answer
Lets say you’re trying to build a team. You have some young people on the team who are getting some much needed experience. While your team is not enjoying much success you feel that this experience will pay off in the long run. In an effort to be succesful now you bring in two industry veterans who have a track record of not making any teams better and whose presence will stunt the growth of the young people you’ve invested time and money in. This is how the Memphis Grizzlies do business and why they will never be a good(let alone, great) team under the current leadership. Here they have a great young nucleus, but instead of letting them develop over time they decide to bring on Allen Iverson and Zach Randolph, two notorious ball hogs and chemistry killers. I find myself scratching my head over these decisions, but then I remind myself,”This is the Grizzlies.” What’s this got to do with anything useful I might have to say? Too many times, I’ve seen churches, organizations, and universities scrap long range plans by trying to hit a home run with a big name. Again, too many times, no consideration is given to how the new person will fit into the organization. Let’s say you bring in someone to your organization whose been very successful in their area of expertise, but have no idea how to work or deal with the people on your team. That spells disaster faster than you can say “Bad PR.” Even if you’re bringing them in to overhaul a certain area(which may be desperate for it) you’ve got to give consideration to how it affects the entire team, church, organization, etc. Knowing when and how to do all of this is a mark of good(or poor) leadership. End up on the wrong side of these kind of decisions too many times and you could find yourself shopping yourself out to anyone who will take you. Unless, those in authority over you are clueless themselves and have no qualms with you running their organization into the ground. In that case, you’ll enjoy a long run with the Memphis Grizzlies or …um, other organizations I know.