Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Not so Live Update from Miami...

We are just a few days away from the greatest Superbowl since 1999- the year God's favorite team, the Titans made it to the Superbowl. Yes Peyton Manning and the Colts are in Miami. Since I wish I worked for ESPN and could have been at media day bringing you insight from Peyton himself I am reporting from Norfolk, yes...45 degrees today, sunny, but not quite Miami. I just want to give my first Superbowl update of the week and bless you with an inside quote from the Colt coaching staff...
"we feel Peyton is going to have the game of his life and throw for 301 yards and 3 touchdowns" - an un-named Colts Coach.
Yes you heard it right here on Michael Bayne's Blog first. I am glad we could bring you this info and I hope it helps you make the correct Superbowl pick. Please join me in pulling for a Tennessee Vol. Go Colts.

I am back to work this week. I have had a total of 5 meetings and one hospital day so far this week. Let me say it has not been very productive this week for MB. Meetings and hospital visits are guaranteed to suck the life out of Michael's soul. My favorite meeting was the lets talk about a new personnel manual meeting. INSPIRING for sure. Praying for no more meetings for the rest of the week. I know I am not the only person in the world who desires to keep meetings to a minimum. Much work can be done apart from meetings, this is why and up at night getting sermon prep done for this week since at work all I can do is meet. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh I feel better. I am speaking 2 times on Wed. (once and Norfolk Christian chapel and once at our weekly student gathering) Praying God will give strength tomorrow, I so need it...

There is something sweet about training others. I know some people do not care about leading training things but man it fires me up. I got to partner with the John Leland Theological Center to train some youth leaders in Smithfield, VA on dealing with some parent issues in student ministry. The cool thing was just being able to spend time with volunteer youth leaders looking to make their ministry more effective. There is something energizing about being with that kind of group to remind you what we are about in youth ministry. We pastor and lead these ministries so that teens might encounter Jesus Christ. No other reason...Jesus is why we do what we do. One of the leaders mailed me a huge can of Va Peanuts today and told me thanks for the time. The peanuts are great but the time we got to talk about doing hands n ministry last Saturday was better.

Later...

Thursday, January 25, 2007

new life is amazing...

Thursday night here and all is well..kids in bed and winter x games on. Tonight we got to live life with a family we love. The Henderson family added a baby boy to their all GIRL family. There is no name for the little guy bit still it is all exciting. Chelsea and I ate dinner with their other 3 girls after we saw the baby and it so reminded me how sweet it is to have friends at church when you serve on staff at that church. So many time friendship remains so formal and pastoral with the people you are surrounded by. hanging out with the Henderson family has always been about connecting and letting our guard down. It is great to have friends like that, it is great to have people in your life that you just like living life with. 2 of the 4 kids they have now are in our student ministry and it has been so incredible to see them grow spiritually. Chelsea Henderson was one of the first babysitters we used here. I have watched Marrissa strike people out playing softball. Alaina is all about playing dress up with Kozbi. Now they get a little boy to join the family. I blog just to say how sweet it is to live life with people that expect nothing but friendship and everyone needs that in life...well I am done being sentimental...later

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Well - I have not been this excited about a Superbowl since the Titans went to the big game. I can not say how stoked I am about seeing Peyton Manning make it, to see the Colts make it, to see Tony Dungy make it as a coach and to see 2 African American coaches go head to head. The best D verses the best Offense is going to be wild. Peyton is a Tennessee Vol, so of course you know I am pulling for the guy to win it for the Big Orange Nation. I am calling the score right now. Colts win Superbowl - 31 - 17!

I missed 1/2 of the game tonight because we had a city wide event called Rock the City. We saw 3000 teens come together and 250 kids make decisions. It was cool for me to get to counsel with one of our students who got the gospel for the first time and prayed to accept Christ as Savior! Our God is amazing!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Well, I made it to the fray and mute math show and man was it great. We were about 7 rows back from the front and both bands delivered in a major way. I have to say Mute Math was the top - they opened up but man they just hit a home run. I have never seen a band with such creativity on stage, energy was rolling, they interacted with the crowd so well and they are coming back here March 17 and the date is already blocked out on my calendar. I have to see their whole show. Great night. The Fray started slow but once they got rolling it was incredible. They really built up and then took off hard from there. Great to see them live. My only issue with the fray was their interaction with the crowd and the sound guy was addicted to the bass to the point it just was not coming to us smooth. The bass was just muddled. Oh well - if you get a chance to check both bands out, you will not be disappointed. Brandon reed, Beth C and Lauren Cheniea all went. Good times good times...

Last night was the first time for me to speak in 2007 and I have to say that it was great to be back rolling again. It was hard not to speak last week with our first week back to Going Public but man Brandon hit a home run and I made it through this time. Great group of kids there last night and God really moved. It is always sweet to walk away and knowing that the presence of the Lord was there in our midst. Praise God...

Looking forward to the weekend, gonna take a few days off and just chill. Sunday will be great as I am connecting with kids out at our Chesapeake Campus. I am so pulling for the Colts and the Saints...my new Superbowl favorites. If one of them does not make it I might just not watch the big game in protest. GO COLTS!

I am out...

Monday, January 15, 2007

24 - season 6 is gonna be good...

Talk about important stuff. Season 6 of 24 is going to be wild. I was amazed to see what they did in the first 4 hours! Curtis, the bomb, the new president. Great show! If you are reading this and you watched the Golden Globes instead then only God can forgive you. Come on, watch the best show on TV. I am stoked about what is going to happen and Chelsea and I will be watching ever so close. Mondays are nights the kids got to go to bed...early!

Today was Marting Luther King day of course. I was amazed at watching how much the secular world celebrates this man but how little most of our churches celebrate how God used this man. MLK was used to awaken our nation to the fact that men are created equal. That no man should be pushed away from living life to the fullest because of the color of his or her skin. MLK was used by God to shape the days we live in now. I thank God for what he did through MLK, I praise God that I went to school with students of all races and never thought anything about it. I thank God that I live in a neighborhood that is diverse, that my little girls play with kids of all races. We are all God's creation and heaven will be incredible. If you have something against people of other races then you are not in touch with the very heartbeat of God to bring all people to Himself. Heaven is going to be incredible! I pray the walls of racial separation would fall in the American church and we would serve alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today my daughters and wife went to the zoo. Kozbi got to see a Rhino and told the elephants that her Dad said hello! That is so funny, she did what I asked her to! Elephants are so cool...I just wanted them to know I was thinking of them. Both girls had a great time. Kelyn loves to watch the people and the animals.

I am going to see The Fray and Mute Math on Thursday - I am so stoked. The concert is at the Norva and it is a great venue. Brandon and I are going together and meeting some High Schoolers there. The show will be wild for sure. I love supporting artists out there creating great music who also follow Christ. Man I love music...

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Sunday is coming...24 oh yea...

Oh man, I am so stoked for 24 to begin on Sunday. Chelsea and I got hooked this year and it is all Brandon Reed's fault. That guy got us hooked and we can not stop watching. we even watched them out of order and got hooked. It will be fun to see how jack saves the world this season. I love the fact that it is so unpredictable and no one is spared surprises. The way season one ended set it all up. Amazing!

We are back on track with ministry here at Transformed. We launched out mid week gathering called back in full swing Wednesday and it was an incredible time. It is so amazing to see students look forward to connecting with God and with other teens on Wed. nights. We chose to shut down for three weeks this Christmas to give our team a break and the kids came right back in groove. They were ready to roll and God did move. it just goes to prove that you can take breaks...this generation understands that fact. If the leadership is fresh then the environment can stay fresh. it is great to be back. Brandon spoke this week and I am up next week. Soon we will have our podcast back rolling...maybe...HA!

Well - 24 is coming...it is late and I am going to read. I am reading a new Brennan Manning book right now. it is new to me, he always has some great insight to gain from. Also, Rob Bell's new book is on pre-order on Amazon and it will be on my desk soon. GOING TO READ...

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

just one Tuesday night in January

Just sitting here about to blog a little about nothing and my daughter shows up downstairs (she is supposed to be in the bed) and says...dad...I peed in the bed???? I thought you were supposed to do that when you were sleeping. My kid does that when she is wide awake and playing and too busy to go to the bathroom. Well - maybe it works well for a busy life. I may start going for it when I am busy with sermon prep. It might be a good thing....you never know!

I also used my first wall stuf finder tonight, should have read the firsections because I drilled holes in the wrong place. I am such a good carpenter. I really need to be on HGTV, I think I would be a great carpenter. Putting up baby gates is harder than it looks.

Chelsea and I have been trying to figure out how to build relationships with the people around us. How is it that we share the gospel with those we know in our neighborhood. This past week Chelsea did something so cool. Her and Koz baked cookies and put them in bags and put a note that said "God bless you have a great New Year from the Bayne family" and left them for our neighbors. From that she has gotten to know the new people across the street and spand time with others also. It takes time to get to know people who do not know Christ. As Christians we are so busy that most of do not have time for the lost. I am the first to blame on that one! We might miss Sunday "night" church (praise the Lord we do not have that at First Norfolk) or a class at church in order to cook a meal for a family who does not know Christ. I have been convicted about praying for those around me. Just a simple time of prayer for our freinds around us when I am out checking the mail or taking out the trash. What the poeple around us need is Jesus Christ. I ampraying we can all find ways to get to know people so we can talk with them about Jesus. When people know we care about them, they will listen to the message.

Just so you know I care, 24 come back on Sunday night. GO Jack Bauer. We all live in peace because of Jack. Chelsea and I watched all the other seasons this past year. We are ready to see what is in store next.

Also - I am hoping we get to see my Philidelphia Eagles and the Colts in the Superbowl! Go Eagles!

Friday, January 5, 2007

my journey at Passion07...

TSM was were blessed to take 11 seniors down to Passion07 and Brandon and I went along for the journey. Beyond all of the lights and the big session stuff what amazed me this year was the heart of students to make a difference in the world NOW. As a conference, High School students, College Students, leaders and ministries pledged and gave over 700,000 dollars to do ministry around the world in the name of Jesus. Simply amazing...Transformed Student Ministry pledged to take on a project with One Verse in translating the Bible for a people group in Indonesia and dig a well in Africa through the Blood:water team...we are not sure how we are gonna get the cash but God does and our kids will pray and give. it will be amazing to see how God does uses this for His glory! Every senior that went experienced God in a powerful way - they moved beyond worshipping the event and focused on Jesus.God was faithful. With that said - I am thrilled to be home with my girls. Let me see if I can recap some thoughts from the week...

1. Jesus - Jesus was the main deal, Jesus was lifted up, Jesus was honored! it was so good to see our savior pushed to the front through the book of Colossians and the community group study.
2. Steve Fee - saw Steve in his late night, bought his new CD - let me simply say amazing. We were blown away!
3. John Piper of dealing with sexual failure (it comes to all of us) was amazing. Go buy it from Passion asap! His breakout on risk was also so powerful - Risking it all for God, amazing.
4. This generation will help the church in America move back to being salt and light in the darkness. There is hope, amazing God size hope!
5. Praying for the Global effort in 2008! Can not wait to see what God does around the world. I would love to go overseas and volunteer at one of them. We will see what God does with that!

Spending the last 4 days with our college students and seniors was incredible but being in the middle of 24,000 God followers and getting a glimpse of His Greatness was better.

Go GOD! you are the Glorious One!