Happy Anniversary My Bride!

Happy Anniversary Kristen!

You are the most special person in my life. I would not be me without you.

Thanks for the past twelve and the promise of as many more as we have on this earth.

I love you!
Me

He Said, She Said

Today is Kristen and my anniversary! Twelve years ago today she was crazy enough to say she would spend her life with me - through thick and thin (apparently that referred to hair) and in sickness and health. She's done it too - stuck by me no matter what.

We decided to write 20 things we love about it each other and post them on the blog. Scary but we agreed to have a separate list not to share :)

He Said
I love...

1. that she is my best friend.
2. she's my bride - no matter how long we've been married, I will always think of her as my bride.
3. that she is my biggest fan - she is my greatest encourager.
4. that she prays for me.
5. that she is a Christ-follower too.
6. that she loves to cook and bake (and is darn good at it too).
7. that she likes to try new things.
8. that she likes to have fun - we play more card games and board games than any couple I know.
9. that she likes a clean house.
10. that she loves being a mom to our four kids.
11. that she gets this sparkle in her eye and actually gets giddy when she finds a good deal on something.
12. that she does the same when she has a surprise for someone (she can hardly contain herself).
13. that she is creative even though she thinks she isn't.
14. that she is more beautiful today than the day I met her - man is she hot! I've got to be the most blessed man alive!
15. that we can talk for hours about anything (watch movies together or tv shows or just spend time together - it's the highlight of my day).
16. that she puts God before me, but that I'm next in priority before our kids - it's important for our relationship and important for our kids to see (they are close after on the priority scale).
17. how she interacts with each of our kids - naturally pulling on each ones different love language, abilities and interests.
18. that she laughs at my jokes even when they aren't funny (remember when you were in labor with our first baby Kristen? ;)
19. that she is herself - special, unique, beautiful.
20. that she chose me out of all the other guys in the world - what an honor and privilege!

She Said
I love...

1. The way you sleep with your one arm over your head.
2. The way you look at me like you can’t believe that I am your wife.
3. The way you laugh at stupid movies with me over and over and over again.
4. The way perfect strangers will come up to you and tell you their life stories.
5. That when you whisper in my ear you sound exactly like Nicolas Cage.
6. The way you take everything you do totally to heart and do it with all your heart.
7. That you support me in everything I do.
8. That you pray with the kids every night about what you want for them in their lives, and how special they are.
9. That you will eat anything that I make. Good, bad, or horrible.
10. That you try and get me to let you do the dishes after dinner.
11. That you introduced me to my savior and continue to show me His love every day.
12. That you inspire people around you to give excellence to what they are doing.
13. That you aren’t afraid to try something new even if you might fail.
14. That you are doing what God designed you to do.
15. That you will cry at a sad movie.
16. That you will cry with me when I am sad or scared.
17. That you email me during the day just to tell me that I am beautiful and that you love me.
18. The way you could play video games all day with your kids.
19. The way you will eat chocolate frosting no matter how old it is.
20. Lying next to you, and how you are always warm.
    

I think her list is better than mine, but that goes without saying.

Peace.

Seems Like Yesterday...

It's the day before my anniversary. Hard to believe that 12 years ago today I was preparing for my wedding! The time has just flown by.

We were a little on edge with each other the day before our wedding (who doesn't get a bit nervous the day before they get married)!

I actually don't remember a whole lot about our wedding ceremony... a few things here and there. What I remember clear as day is the moment I saw my bride in her wedding gown, walking down the isle toward me. I couldn't believe that a woman so beautiful was willing to marry me! Yet there she was, walking toward me, as beautiful and radiant as ever. I have to say I felt like a million bucks at that moment!

The cool thing is that she is even more beautiful today than she was on our wedding day.

My wife and I have an awesome relationship. I have had the pleasure of watching her grow in her relationship with Christ and it has been inspiring. I look forward to all that God has in store for us together as a team.

Sweet girl, I love you! Thank you for choosing me.

(I know I still have one more day but I can't help thinking about her... it happens when you're in love :)

Peace.

What's More Fun Than Spiders on Drugs?

I saw this on Kem Meyer's blog and thought it was cool. The one on caffeine is especially intriguing, especially since I drink a LOT of coffee.

NETS MADE BY SPIDERS FED
ON DRUG-DOSED FLIES

web of a spider on LSD


web of a spider on mescaline

web of a spider on hashish

web of a spider on caffeine


Just Say No: web of a drug-naïve spider.

Peace.

Ford Resigns

Just heard on the news tonight that President Gerald Ford died today. The 38th US President, he was a leader of transition. He pardoned the previous leader and moved a nation to the next stage in our history.

Funny that he was so criticized for his forgiveness of President Nixon yet later applauded for it. I guess we don't like to grant forgiveness when wounds are still fresh! Though his pardon of the previous administrations actions helped promote healing while eventually costing him his re-election.

Anyway, a piece of history.

Peace.

Christmas Eve Rocked!

I've had a great couple of days just chillin' with the family. I've tried to stay away from my computer as much as possible. BUT... I was sent a couple of pics from our Christmas Eve services at The Orchard on Sunday and couldn't resist posting one.

If you weren't there, you missed a spectacular time! A big thanks to the KB Productions team (for all the lights and fog), and Bob McQuade and his team (for blacking out our auditorium windows). You never realize how much of an impact great lighting can play in creating a mood or conveying a message. It was excellent!

The music, the sound production, the videos, the multimedia elements, the message, the candles, the decorations, the welcome teams, and the families - God brought all of these pieces together to make three phenomenal services.

And if you missed it, there's always next year :)

Peace.

It Has Arrived!

We've been planning for months. We've been rehearsing for weeks. Hours have been spent in decorating, installing lighting, and making things just right. A lot of time has been spent in prayer about this day alone.

It's Christmas Eve!

We have three services planned at The Orchard today - 3pm, 5pm and 7pm. We have several musicians, vocalists, and production people preparing to make these services great. We have a fantastic lineup of music and multimedia prepared. It is going to be awesome!

None of this could have happened without a team. Nothing of this magnitude and this quality could have been done without a unified group of people. I praise God for all that he has accomplished in the time leading up to this event.

We have made a lot of efforts to make this a time where people will have fun and experience God in a way they may never have before.

Every weekend should be planned to this extent.

Got to head out to the building to start ramping things up for this afternoon. If you're coming out to check it out today, get ready to have your face rocked off!

Peace.

Coffee House Gig

I am so proud of my girls! While I'm always proud of them I got to see them at their first gig tonight at a little local coffee house. The place was packed and they did a great duet together. Bravo, as our friends said tonight... bravo!

Takes me back to the old days. This may be just the beginning girls!

Peace.

If at first you don't succeed... don't try?

Have you ever tried to do something
that you knew you wouldn't succeed at?

or do you only attempt things that you know
you will find success in?

... games you are sure to win,
projects that you are sure to complete,
hobbies you are confident to excel in?

Have you ever tried something that seemed impossible, just for the challenge... just to see if it might be possible?

Have you ever attempted something,
knowing you were incapable of success with your current skill set?

What about trying to complete a task or project where you were uncertain
of your success or failure - just because you were uncertain of the outcome?

We all want to be successful, but don't be afraid to try and fail.
Failure is a part of growth.

It is on our failures that we base a new and different and better success. - Havelock Ellis

Peace.

Geese Galor

I was driving up Orchard road on my way in to the church building this week when I see this black cloud coming my direction. As I kept driving I finally realized that this cloud was actually hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of geese flying together.

It reminded me from the scene in the movie The Wizard of OZ where the flying monkeys go after Dorothy, Toto and her gang!

Two thoughts crossed my mind:

1. What the heck is happening that would cause all these geese to be flying in such a huge group?
2. Maybe they ate some bad Taco Bell and are setting up an air raid!

BTW, those monkeys in OZ actually freaked me out a bit when I was a kid.

Peace.

It's Almost Here!

It's been a busy week! Probably for you too... getting ready for the holidays. We've been getting ready for our weekend at The Orchard and also preparing for our Christmas Eve services next weekend. It's going to be awesome! We've been planning and working on a great service with plenty of live music. Some of these tunes are going to knock your socks off!

More later...
Peace.

WOW!

Just wanted to give a shout out to some friends of mine. This last week, a family who wanted to remain anonymous blessed my socks off with this very cool guitar. It just showed up on my doorstep and totally made my day!

For those who may not know this is a Steinberger guitar and has a pretty unique look and sound. Its the solid wood version (actually made by Gibson) of the graphite models that Steinberger makes. This axe has really great neck action even right out of the box. It has awesome sustain and feels really balanced, even without a head! The tremolo system on here is sweet.

For those of you who are not guitar enthusiasts, you might not get this post. But I say all of this to say THANK YOU friend for the great gift! It will be played with joy!

Peace.

It's Called a Crowder

If you didn't see this previous post then you need to know this is a crowder... my personal crowder.

If you want to know more about crowders or are slightly curious as to what the heck I'm talking about, check out the crowder king himself.

Hey if you grow your own crowder, let me know (not advisable for you ladies :)

Peace.

Simply Creative

Creative spark: Write down what you are trying to achieve in a sentence.

From Nigel Collins book, Think Bits: Things to Get You Thinking Creatively.

We often have great ideas that are hard to articulate and so the very act of thinking about how to say it all in a sentence makes you really concentrate and clarify your thoughts into being simple and easy to understand.

Film makers and script writers are good at this. To pitch their ideas they need to condense a 90 minute film into a sentence, especially when they're seeking finance from time-poor executives.

By making yourself write down your ideas or concepts in a sentence you are forcing yourself to clarify your thinking.

Now this isn't easy and may take time, but stick with it and it will pay enormous dividends.

Once you can state your purpose in a sentence you'll find it easier to come up with creative ideas relating to that purpose. You'll have a clear directive to give your brain.

By the way, to work well it's best to write a short sentence, not a long one.

Peace.

Excuse Me...

Excuse the quotes:
He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. - Benjamin Franklin

Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. - George Washington Carver

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you, never excuse yourself. - Henry Ward Beecher

Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts. - Edward R. Murrow

There's never an excuse for having to make an excuse. - Anonymous

Peace.

Leadership Lessons I'm Learning 1

Everyone has the potential to become a leader.
Every leader has limitations; a ceiling to their abilities.
Some ceilings can be raised by the leader themselves.
Some limitations have to be overcome by the help of other leaders.

Are you a leader? Your effectiveness as a leader, whether you're the leader of a family or an organization, is dependent on your leadership ability. Your leadership ability has limits, but some of these limits or ceilings can be raised, increasing your ability to lead effectively.

Leaders, if you want to be more effective at leading others, you need to start by asking yourself these questions:

• Do you know what your limitations are as a leader?
• Have you identified what leadership skills and qualities you are limited in?
• Is your leadership ceiling related to your circumstances or external things?
• Which of those ceilings can you raise up yourself and which do you need help in raising?
• Of those you lead, can you identify someone who you can pass on this leadership technique to?

Peace.
**Based on leadership principles taught by John Maxwell.

Great Article About Music in Church

A friend of mine sent me this great article by Tim Stevens at Granger Community Church regarding secular music in church. I think we try to compartmentalize things too much to make it sanitized and safe. I know personally that God has used a variety of music to reach me or teach me and many of those tunes weren't "Christian" songs. Anyway, maybe more about this later, but check out the article and see what you think.

Peace.

Hair It Goes

This is just to confirm to some of you doubters that I did once have way more hair on my head than on my chin! This picture was about halfway through my long-hair growth process.

It sucks that my hair gets buzzed now, though I'm learning to live with it. I die a little inside with every hair that leaves my scalp :)

Peace out.

Noteworthy: Why?

Do you know why you do what you do? Whatever you do, do you know why you do it? Maybe you work a 9-5 job or you work part time... or maybe you're in ministry somewhere. Maybe you work at home or own your own business. Maybe you're a volunteer.

Why do you do what you do?
When you've figured it out, share why you do what you do.

Peace.

Snow Patrol

Here's my wonderful crew... geared up and ready to snow!

They had fun outside but I think they enjoy coming inside to their moms' hot chocolate or hot tea!
Snow it begins... ok I'm done with the puns.

Peace.

Oh, Yeah... It Snowed!

We didn't get as much as some of you up north but we got about 6" of snow and frozen rain where we live. Of course I had to dig out my driveway the old fashioned way (my family helped).

Then the snow plow happened... you forget about the snow plow adding to the end of your driveway! That's what I get growing up in Arizona!

Enjoy it while it's here (at least I know I will).

Peace.

Here We Snow

Ah... the first big snow of the season! They say we should be getting about 12" of snow through this round but we'll know for sure tomorrow morning.

I love snow but my sweet wife is a desert girl... she prefers the heat to the cold.

Hope all you locals stay safe!

Peace.

Wiggle Room

ABC News reported this week that the Wiggles, an energetic quartet of four Australian song-and-dance men who focus their act on toddlers, have in a single year become the richest performers in Australia. ABC reports their income at $45 Million this last year, surpassing entertainers such as Nicole Kidman, Russel Crowe and even AC/DC!

Unless you have kids this won't make any sense to you. Actually, I have kids and it still doesn't make sense to me.

Peace.

The Living Camera

Wow!! This will blow your mind!!! Who needs Google Earth!!

This is about an autistic man with a photographic memory and a gift for drawing. He flies over Rome and recreates the aerial view almost perfectly. Be amazed!

Peace.

What's Up Chuck?!

A shout out to my brother who turns 33 years-old today!

Happy Birthday Charlie!

Peace.

Attitude of Gratitude

Haven't blogged in a while... took a break to spend a little more time with my family this week. They are pretty amazing people! We spent a great day together this last Thursday. We shared a meal that my wife and kids all worked hard to prepare. It was fabulous! We then went to see a movie and since it was Thanksgiving day, we got the theater to ourselves... it was very cool. We topped the day off by having dessert with some good friends of ours. What a great day of thanks we shared together!

I guess posting about this kind of late just reminds me that giving thanks is not something that happens only at the holidays. An attitude of gratitude can be expressed 24x7. Thank you, God, for my family and for the blessings you have poured out on us!

Peace.

Neat-oh

neat  [neet] adjective, -er, -est
–adjective
1. in a pleasingly orderly and clean condition.
2. habitually orderly and clean in appearance or habits.
3. of a simple, pleasing appearance, style, design, etc.
4. cleverly effective in character or execution.
5. Slang. great; wonderful; fine.
6. clever, dexterous, or apt.
7. a nice way to say, "it's ok" or that something is lame.

Sarcasm is great! Not sure what I'm talking about? Get the rest of the picture here :)

Peace.

Song of the Week: Why Georgia

This weeks song of the week is coming a bit late. I've been contemplating cutting this part of my blog - what do you think?

This last weekend at The Orchard Ted talked about life with a purpose. He talked about the 'research' that Solomon did back in Old Testament times. Solomon found that life apart from God was meaningless, like chasing after the wind. If you didn't get to hear Ted's message, check out the podcast.

The music team and I performed the song Why Georgia by John Mayer. Here are a few of the lyrics:

I rent a room and I fill the spaces with
Wood in places to make it feel like home
But all I feel's alone
It might be a quarter life crisis
Or just the stirring in my soul

Either way I wonder sometimes
About the outcome
Of a still verdictless life

Am I living it right?
Am I living it right?
Am I living it right?
Why Georgia, why?

So what, so I've got a smile on
But it's hiding the quiet superstitions in my head
Don't believe me
When I say I've got it down

Everybody is just a stranger but
That's the danger in going my own way
I guess it's the price I have to pay
Still "everything happens for a reason"
Is no reason not to ask myself

If I am living it right
Am I living it right?

Part of the journey is understanding understanding you were made on purpose. Why were you made? Are you living the way you were designed to?

Peace.

Back in Mac!

A couple weeks ago, I officially became a Mac dude! I use to work for a company many years ago that used Macs almost exclusively, so it's been a while. The interface is pretty cool (better than it used to be) and this puppy flies! I've got the latest and greatest MacBook Pro with the Intel Core 2 Duo — which packs the power of two processor cores. Awesome!

Still picking up the tips and tricks to doing things the fast way and trying to migrate my usable data from my previous machine. I'll keep you posted on sme of the things I've learned along the way. But so far, I would recommend this bad boy to anyone!

Peace.

Intersection

As I was riding my motorcycle this morning on this beautiful Spring, I mean Fall day here in Chicagoland, I was thinking about intersections.

One path crossing another.
Lives crossing each other, possibly never to cross again.

What about other intersections?

You know, the person walking their dog that passes you on the street.
The person who takes your order at the restaurant you go to.
The voice on the speaker-box when you order your Starbucks to go.

So many places. So many people. So many intersections.

Ever wonder how one of these intersections might change one of those peoples lives just by how you interact with them?
How might it affect your life by how you interact with someone in an intersection?

Intersections can be dangerous and risky.
Sometimes we are afraid to spend too much time in an intersection for fear of getting hurt.
Sometimes we're too afraid to risk.

There are even times when our family lives become intersections that we don't spend enough time in.

Take a risk and spend some time in an intersection today. You never know how a life might be changed by an intersection today.

Peace.

Song of the Week: Dirty Laundry

This week at the Orchard we played the song Give A Little Bit originally by Supertramp but redone by the Goo Goo Dolls. Great tune and perfect for our talk about BiG! Impact. We talked about where this church has been, and how it is growing. We talked about how people could get involved right now. Give a little bit of your love, give a little bit of your time, give a little bit of your life...

I felt I had to break away from my normal this week with the song of the week. I couldn't help but think of the song Dirty Laundry by Don Henley of the Eagles. With the events this past week, this song matched up with the media antics that have taken place. Here are some of the lyrics;

I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry

Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em all around

Can we film the operation?
Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a
Running bet
Get the widow on the set!
We need dirty laundry

Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers in everybodys pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry

Anyway, I know that Pastors have lots of eyes on them, but when others fall it isn't publicized. Do you ever wonder why?

Peace.

Song of the Week: Where The Streets Have No Name

This week, the Worship team and I sang the song Where The Streets Have No Name by U2. I was just thinking that it talks about having freedom - freedom to tear down walls that have been keeping me from being all God wants me to be, freedom to run, freedom to reach out and do something daring knowing that there is a possibility of being burned or hurt (and being ok with that).

I think the song has lots of different meanings and I know they wrote it probably about this place in Ireland where the streets are only numbers and you can tell someone's religion/monetary status by which side of the street they live on. But this song talks to me about being free to dare and take a chance... to go where people are hurting and lost. I may not know where yet or who, but I know there are lots of places and lots of people that are in need (faceless people and places that don't yet have names to me).

They're still building and burning down love - their hopes have been crushed and they need that hope rebuilt. When I go there I go there with you - we have to do this together. One person CAN make a difference but many people together can make a huge impact. It's all I can do - all I can do is to do something... to go.

On the Live in Boston DVD, Bono introduces the song from the more spiritual perspective, intoning to the audience, "What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me? I'll lift high the cup of salvation - a toast to God!", referencing Psalm 116:12-14 in The Message (Bible) translation.

Peace.

Trick or Treat!

Just a few pics of my wonderful kids and their homemade costumes this year. I love hanging out with this crew. It's times like this, just spending moments together having fun, that reality slaps you in the face... time is running away fast and they will never be this age again.

God thank you for the time we get to spend together and just enjoy life together! I am a blessed dad!

Peace.

Fall Fun Fest 2006 - Part 2

We had a great time at the Fall Fun Fest at the Orchard on Sunday night! There was a crazy amount of people there - we estimate more than 600 kids and parents! Kathryn Egly and her crew did a fantastic job at putting this all together.

As the Creative Arts Director, I felt I would be doing a dis-service to my church family by not participating in the dress up activities. So, my wife and I dressed up as Incredi-Jones' and had fun!

I include the following picture only to help alleviate humiliation to be possibly dished out by others. I do have to wonder how superhero parents handle their keys, cell phones, wallets and cameras! :))

I do have to say though, my wife looked pretty HOT in a cape and boots ;)

Peace.

Fall Fun Fest 2006 - Part 1

All I have to say Scott is that you know you've reached some level of influence when people start dressing like you for Halloween :)

Great creative costume Bekah! Who would have guessed that Scott's "Beauty Salon" photo would make the costume racks this year!

Peace and fun.

Song of the Week: If Everyone Cared

Another great weekend at The Orchard! We've been in this series called BiG! and man has it been powerful! The stories and comments have been awesome. We've been talking about how big our God is and how a daring faith is not a domesticated faith - we've got to take some risks and get out of our comfort zone.

This week we used the song If Everyone Cared by Nickelback to emphasize BiG! Mission. Realizing that it's not about missions (where someone else does this in another country), it's about mission. And that acknowledging the mission is not the same as engaging in the mission.

We've been talking over the last couple weeks at The Orchard about how we can make an impact in this world, so this song seemed appropriate:

As we lie beneath the stars,
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me,
Imagine what this world could be

Singin' Amen, I, I'm alive
Singin' A-Amen I, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
We'd see the day when nobody died

There is so much that we can do even as individuals to bring hope to others in this world. All it takes is imagining what this world could be like and stepping out to do whatever we can. It all starts in our own backyard. Now is the time for action. Now is the time to engage in the mission.

Peace.

Two Realms

Two realms. Heaven and hell. One - a place, a realm where things are as God desires. The other - a place, a realm absent of how God desires things to be.

In the book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell, he talks about this way of living that to me hits the nail on the head. We get caught up many times trying to see heaven and hell as an end result. Places where we will spend eternity in one or the other. We then try to get people into heaven.

Jesus talked very little about the life beyond this one because he understood that eternity starts now. The question for Jesus was not, "how do I get into heaven?" but how do I bring heaven here to earth.

I think this is what makes the greatest impact in the world... seeing eternity as beginning now and not someday in the future. Are we bringing heaven to this earth or hell to this earth? Are we choosing to do something about the hell here and now? Poverty, injustice, suffering... they are all hells on earth. Maybe you've experienced some this yourself. As a follower of Christ, am I doing what I can to resist hell coming to this earth?

The reality of the Christian life is not about escaping this world but about making it a better place, here and now. The goal is to get heaven here. To make this a place that God can come to and touch lives. Change lives. Big impact happens when Jesus followers can live this reality out in their world. Realizing this is part of the journey. The other part is realizing we can't do it alone, but that we need our God and a church community to walk alongside us.

I choose to bring heaven to earth. How about you?

Peace.

The Amazing Race... Selfless?

It's now the 10th season of the CBS show The Amazing Race. I've only ever watched a show here or there until this season. I don't really make time to watch too many TV shows but my wife and I watch a few together... it's a good time for us to talk and relax together. This season of The Amazing Race has been inspiring.

The show is a reality game show where teams race from location to location completing tasks and finding clues. It's a competition. It's a race. Teams who come in last during each episode may be eliminated. Tonight there were 7 teams at the start of the episode. The couple who came in last the week before did not get eliminated but were told they had to come in first place during the next leg of the race in order to (basically) stay in the competition. Again it's a competition. It's a game.

Two brothers, Erwin and Godwin Cho, not only booked the flight for the couple in last place but sacrificed losing the race altogether by giving them the advantage during this episode. When the video crew asked them about it, they responded, "they have become friends of ours and they need it more than we do. We don't want them to be eliminated today." No big deal to many but to me it was something rare to see - kindness, integrity and selflessness - in a game show competition. Kudos to the Cho brothers... they are my new favorites in the race!

Peace.

Ant Bully Birthday

I want to give a shout out to my 6 year-old, Seth! We had a great day eating cake with bugs on it (the gummy kind of course), hanging with some of Seth's friends and watching the movie Ant Bully. Seth was given the honorary title of Junior Projection Technician and got to start the movie for us all to see (pretty cool actually).

Hard to believe this guy is six years old now. Seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital for the first time. My first son... I thought life was crazy having a couple of daughters, and then this guy comes along! He has been a blessing in my life and the life of our family. He's a really fun guy to hang out with. Him and I play video games together (Star Wars Legos is his favorite), wrestle and just hang together. I call him my homey.

I can already see that God has gifted him with a generous heart. He loves to give things away to friends or his siblings. He laughs a lot and thinks he is pretty funny trying to pop out from behind things to scare other family members... He's got his Mom a few times (his sisters and brother aren't fond of this little trait of his either).

I can also say that this little dude will be-friend anyone and within minutes. Everywhere we go he ends up 'claiming' a new friend. It's a pretty neat thing to see in person and I hope it's something that he hangs on to as he grows older.

So Seth, Happy Birthday! I hope and pray you have an awesome year and many more! I can't wait to see all the great things God is going to do through your life to impact this world. I'm proud of you!

Peace.

Song of the Week: Dare You To Move

What an awesome weekend at The Orchard... a BIG weekend! We kicked off our series BiG! by talking about our BiG! God.

Most people wouldn't argue how big God is. The thing we can't seem to recognize is that our big God wants to do big things through us and in us. One of our youth wrote a great post summarizing Scott's talk centered around the statement, "A daring faith is not a domesticated faith. "

The song of the week is Dare You To Move by Switchfoot. Check out the second verse and chorus (the music team actually performed this song this weekeend):

Welcome to the fallout, welcome to resistance
The tension is here, the tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be, yeah

I dare you to move, I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move, I dare you to move
Like today never happened,
Today never happened before

God, dare me!

Peace.

Mmmm... Sin-namon Rolls!

Next to chocolate, there are very few things that are as tempting to me (from a food standpoint) as my wife's home-made cinnamon rolls! There are probably several things about these delicious treats that are horribly wrong for me, but they taste so right!

(Sorry Dad Curley... I know you love them too :)

What a great way to spend a Monday! Hangin' with my family and noshin' on some hot, frosted rolls!!

Peace.

Song of the Week: Big Time

We're starting a new series this week called BiG! It's the first series I have had the opportunity to be involved with starting from the creative process (at least with The Orchard). One of our cretive team guys came up with the song "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel. It went pretty well with our series teaser we ran this last weekend. It's BiG time!

If you are at all familiar with Peter Gabriel, you know he has some great songs and is extremely creative. His videos are on the eccentric side but what creative artist isn't a bit out there? Instead of the lyrics this week, I invite you to check out the video for this song here.

Peace... big time!

It's Official!

Well it was 'officially' announced Sunday morning. I have been offered and have accepted the position of Creative Arts Director at Orchard Valley Community Church in Aurora, IL. My family and I are very excited about the opportunity to be a part of such an awesome church family! God is doing some great things in this place! It is both an honor and a privilege to be working alongside the staff and volunteers at The Orchard.

If you have not had the opportunity yet to check this church out, I encourage you to show up on Sunday morning. Engage in the environment - the great music and life-changing message of Jesus... you will not regret it. And the people... man! Some great stories and just cool people to be around. The excitement there is contagious! I look forward to all that God is going to do in and through the community that meets there.

God is great!

Peace... and see you at The Orchard.

Stay Tuned...

... a BIG announcement coming soon! My family and I are very excited and can't wait to share the news. Soon... very, very soon.

Peace.

What A Great Day!

My daughter, Faith, has a friend who hangs out with her nearly everyday. They get along well and she seems like a wonderful little girl. A couple weeks ago, she asked us about our church and if she could come along one Sunday. We told her it was cool with us and that we should probably talk to her parents first. Little did we know that she wasn't just saying this but had actually got herself ready and had come down to our house last weekend to go to church with us! The sad part is that we hadn't talked to her parents yet and hadn't known to be waiting for her, so we missed her! Man did we feel horrible!

The cool thing is that she still wants to go and we have got the ok from her family to take her with us this weekend. My daughter is excited and so are we! Anyway, some things just make my day and this young lady's desire to take this step made a great day even better.

Woohoo!

Peace.

What's The Dill?

My wife claims that I have become obsessed with dill. I can't really explain it! I actually blame her for it :) A few months ago, she put some in her already delicious potato salad. Man, it was awesome! It seems to go well in almost everything - except chocolate and coffee.

What do you think?

Peace.

Smiling Addiction

While I was at the Innovative Church Conference a couple of weeks ago, Granger Community Church put on their first annual film festival. They asked churches across the country to submit creative video clips that fit into three categories. I have to say, I was impressed by the ideas and cinematography of these films.

Three were mentioned as winners (though I can't say I know what they won). The best of show was the video "Smiling Addiction" submitted by Crossroads Community Church in GA. Check it out if you get a chance - way powerful. If I understood correctly, it uses original lyrics and music as well. Very cool! I also liked the concept video called "Sin", which I just realized is also by the same guys. Wow!

Let me know what you think.

Peace.

Song of the Week: Don't Stop

Wow! What a busy and exciting week (more details on the way soon). Some great things have been happening in our journey as a family. I was thinking about the right song for this week, and decided to reach back a few years again to the late 70's...

I remember my parents listening to Fleetwood Mac when I was a kid. My wife and I actually have this best of CD and there are several geat tunes on it. One of the best tracks is "Don't Stop", which I never realized had some pretty great lyrics. Here's how the first part of the song goes:

If you wake up and dont want to smile,
If it takes just a little while,
Open your eyes and look at the day,
You'll see things in a different way.

Dont stop, thinking about tomorrow,
Dont stop, it'll soon be here,
It'll be, better than before,
Yesterdays gone, yesterdays gone.

Why not think about times to come,
And not about the things that youve done,
If your life was bad to you,
Just think what tomorrow will do.

Cool lyrics in relation to my week! How about yours? You can check out a clip of "Don't Stop" at Amazon.

Peace.

Lincoln, a Beaver, and a Guy Who Can't Sleep

Have you seen these commercials for the latest, and greatest sleep aide? They are pretty creative... their billboard, magazine and TV ads have created quite a buzz on the net. You can check out the TV commercial here. Still not quite sure I get the whole Abe Lincoln, beaver and even the astronaut thing, I mean what's the deal with these characters?

What do you think?

Peace.