snow

i wonder if the rain will freeze as it falls today…

how creative.

take a second to talk to God about it.

land of opportunity

I wonder sometimes, imagine actually, what its like. You know to be….like them. To open my eyes each day to expectations of the entire nation. Those that to us have no name but, ones we know everything about. We could tell you their story; life history. Give you insight to what they are thinking as they wonder, roam endlessly from one flat, warm space to another. Or maybe its the type that has entirely to much to do in their day as it is, and expecting them to work would just be absurd….thats why we have Government Assistance. It is America after all, the land of opportunity.

Our conversations concerning these…wanderers and well fare recipients often entail fierce opinions, demands that they stop their way of living! There is no excuse for their situation…right. Anyone that really wants to help themselves can……after all, this the land of opportunity. So the conversations will rage on, never ending. They fill our dinner tables, living rooms, and yes….even churches. Jesus would be a republican. He understands the value of teaching a man to fish so that he eats for a life time…and so should we!

well, kinda.

I am guilty of these ideas listed above. But now have to wrestle with truth.

compassion, unconditional compassion. with no questions asked. the only expectations would be placed on myself. To think as Christ thought…still thinks.

the poor.

So i was right! This is the land of opportunity; opportunity for me, and others with the same indwelling Holy Spirit, to think as Christ still thinks and act on it.

Surgery!

I cant explain it. It really is a supernatural thing….There is no attempt by him to take credit for it, he totally realizes its not him. You would think such a thing would be a massive set back…but its not….it really isn’t. At least not to him…but again I truly believe it’s because it is supernatural. So the date is set….December 7th…. the day that Clint White is having surgery to fix his knee. For those of you who do not know, Clint is a really good friend of mine as well as the drummer for my band True Story. He tore his ACL, MCL, PCL, and damaged his meniscus about 3 months ago. The bad thing was, it was the leg he uses for the kick drum….obviously he couldn’t play the drums anymore with that leg….so he decided….no big deal….ill just play with the other leg…and so he has. He hasn’t missed a beat! (HA!! that was a good play on words…get it….hes a drummer…hasn’t missed a beat…) Anyway….the 7th. Pretty big deal. The band is massively busy at this point in time, but so far we haven’t had to say no to anyone or cancel one event. Its supernatural. Clint has had an amazing attitude during the whole thing…grouchy at times…but overall really great. Again, because its supernatural. He went from Mr. athletic…fastest white guy i’ve ever known, could leap over buildings in a single bound, and pick up your broken-down car and carry it to the service station on his back……to so slow that I could roll faster than he could run….thats a big change. but hes the man. because its supernatural. He never gives us anything we can’t handle….even when our entire world as we know it changes…..its ok…..honestly…..rely on the supernatural. Clint White does…he will tell you. It has made all the difference.

The Studio

So we met with our recording engineer this past Monday night to talk about what our studio time would look like and we have finally set a date. November 12! It has been Just over 2 years since we went in the studio for our first album. You should have been there…it was quit comical. Four guys walking into a professional recording studio, never have recorder before just hoping not  to get riped off….lets just say the power of positive thinking didn’t help us this time. After dropping $8000 for a product we were all together not vary proud of was a tough lesson to learn. We laugh about it quit often. This constant reminder to ourselves about how foolish we were is great for this next season of things we are entering into.  I’m not sure what the studio has in store for us this time, but i do know what we have in store for you. I promise something more than worthwhile. We have committed to being happy with with what we leave with, that will be the difference. I hear it already in my head…to bad we cant just pull it out and sell it…that would be to easy and take away all the fun.

We hope to be done around the first of the year. Well see if that is possible…

time is something necessary to be spent this go round…not $8000.

If you want to hear the band as it is today…go to > www.myspace.com/atruestoryband 

and by the way….our new shirts will be in tomorrow!

GCYC

The band traveled to the middle school Georgia Christian Youth Convention this past weekend. It was amazing! The kids were so excited about the music! Middle school students definitely know how to dance like no one is watching. It was a great weekend. the kids made it a great weekend. they rock.

Focus

The center. 100% of our attention. All of our effort. Concentrate!

Where is it?

Your focus.

Is there an emergency? An urgency?

Is our focus on ______?

What should be in the blank?

Lets be real; we know what should be in the blank……but what IS in the blank?  or do you even know….or are you spread so thin that it is impossible to focus on anything?

that’s all i have. just questions for thought.

We all need a Mr. Miagi (i think that’s how you spell his name)

time

time……A decently valuable commodity, there is so much of it., in fact it will never run out, it’s endless. Interesting…..so where does it go? Constantly I find myself searching for it, never seeming to find enough, the problem with this mindset is that i already know where it is. It’s not a real search for something, i already have all the time a person could have…..its not like I’m finding minutes that are longer than your minutes or that i am trying to barter some deal with God that causes time to move slower for me…..i just seem to need more. I do not get the impression from the rest of the world that i am the only one that struggles with this……my problem just seems so immediate because it is happening right now…..its always happening.

Here is where the problem lies……God didn’t make me this way! He made me with talents and gifts that are perfectly suited to accomplish everything he wants in the time he has given me. When i say I’m out of time its because i have wasted His time or because i want to do things that are not on His list of priorities. When i have no time i am selfish, there is no excuse for my behavior. this needs to change.

nachos!

Thats right…..tonight we had nachos! All of the Journey Groups got together tonight at Dave and Carrol’s house for a massive get together and we had unlimited nachos……Bob Capes, one of our tech guys at the church, made this amazing nacho dip that was AMAZING! Needless to say, I ate a ton. It is always a good feeling to know that there is no limit to the amount of food that you can consume!

But wait…..it gets even better!

I know you’re thinking that it can’t possibly get any better than unlimited nachos….but you would be mistaken. The conversation with some of the new families that have been checking out our community was even better.

I am very excited about the new faces and the possibilities that come with numerical growth. It seems to always keep people on their toes….something I believe to be very healthy. The time that new faces stop coming to the community is the time we need to cancel services and reevaluate what we are doing. The focus must always be on what Jesus was constantly focusing on……to seek and save the lost.

I think I’m going to write Marriam-Webster and petition them to make lost people a synonym for new people.

New.

I have never blogged before. In other words: this will be a new experience for me. That precisely is what is very attractive about this concept of blogging. Everything is always new…..I wonder is there is a point in everyones life where from that point there will be nothing else new. Not that it isn’t possible for there to be a new experience but that the person has decided not have them. For some I think that it is merely moments before their passing…..but for others I get the feeling that they have decided that what is in their past is more than enough to get them through the rest of their future. I now work for a church that has broken through that idea. Every week is new. Every worship experience is new…..and no one has a problem with that. Everything seems to be new at the moment. New blog…….new way of thinking in the church……new……..someone is the author of new……..he excites me…..the original author…….the original blogger.

this could be interesting.