Go Vols! Go SEC!

Well - this weekend is just glorious. I played Golf on Thursday...Tennessee won today, my dad made it here to VA. Great weekend and Saturday is not even here yet! Go Vols!

My dad is here to help put in some new counter tops and do some fixing of things around my house. It is always fun to hang out with dad and get stuff done. I always learn jank and that is cool. Today ON MY OWN I fixed a ceiling fan switch that had gone bad. I am so proud of myself.

Kid report - Kelyn is so better, she is back to her old self. Praise God!

my girls and a wild week...

Thursday Kelyn had a fever and we decided to hit the doctor, we hate going to the doctor but we give every once in a while. we found out that our family was facing its first ear infection for one of our kids. We made it through almost 4 years of Kozbi's life without an ear infection! It was our time but man it has been a hard run. Kelyn has been waking up in the middle of the night and staying up for 2 hours, she has not been napping good, and all the other stuff that comes with a sick little girl. She is a trooper and did well. Her fever broker Sunday and she has had such a good day. Today I had 2 moments with my girls that I will cherish. Kelyn slept in her crib this afternoon for about an hour and then woke up! She was still tired so I sat in the chair and rocked her to sleep and then fell asleep with her there in the rocking chair. I was out with her for about another hour. YEA for us...then after a long afternoon of playing outside Koz crawled up in my lap tonight and watched the Nascar race fro Vegas. I know this is a little redneck but it was sweet to hear her ask about all the cars and why they were going so fast. We even got to see the McDonald's car crash! Overall the afternoon was priceless.

Oh yea - Tennessee 5 seed and Vandy 6 seed - YEA! I have UT going to the sweet 16!

Mississippii College Game tonight...Go Choctaws!

Well, I got invited to go and see MC play in the sweet 16 of division 3 college basketball and well let me put this nice, MC got their hat handed to them. The played hard but could not hit the broad side of a barn, it was touch to see. MC is a great school where a ton of our students go to college and we have a few alums on staff with us. Go MC BUT the game was played at Virginia Wesleyan College here in Hampton Roads and of course it is a Methodist college. As the game went along the student section revealed a little bit of the character pushed at VWC as they yelled "bull BEEP" (insert expletive) after many calls made by the refs. I am no puritan and I never get frustrated when those things are shouted at the University of Tennessee or UK or any university out there that does not sell itself as a "Christian" institution, BUT I do struggle when schools use Christ to get parents to send kids to them and then show no difference in leadership or character than any other school. There should be something different about how students who follow Christ or claim Christ or go to a Christian College act, live, party, hang out, study, work, or just go to a ball game. I am all about going crazy at games, saying crazy stuff, yelling at refs, but man - come on. it would have been sweet if the leadership of the school had of stopped the game and handled the situation but they did not, they just watched a good game and went on. I guess I am just tired of universities using Christ to sell their school and then having nothing distinctive about they way their school operates. My suggestion to all of you out there looking for a "Christian" undergrad experience - do what Christ would do, find a campus that needs the message of Salvation lived out and shared and then go there and become a missionary for 4 years! Lets quit huddling up and go live our faith out and yes I went to the Middle Tennessee State University, GO BLUE RAIDERS!

If you are gonna go to a "Christian" school go to one that actually is making a difference for Christ...Union, Sanford, Ouachita, Mississippi College, or Liberty just to name a few. No school is perfect but find a school who actually hires profs that believe the Bible is God's Word then you might be OK. Find a school that is actively leading their students to share Christ in the community and you might be on the right track. Find a school who would stop a game and address the student body for shouting BS in a game.

this week...March madness is here!

Well, it is March and I am excited about Tennessee making it into the Big Dance and playing this weekend in the SEC tournament. I am hoping that we make a good show in both tournaments. Bruce Pearl has done such a great job leading a team that is not as talented as last years team. Bruce has energy but he treats his players with respect and always stays in control. he sweats a ton but hey, sweating is good for ya, I guess. I would love to see UT make it to the sweet 16. I am going to see Mississippi College play b-ball here in VA this weekend. They are in the Division 2 sweet 16 and we have a bunch of kids that go there so here is goes...GO MC! That is all about basketball...

My dad is coming in next weekend and I am counting the days. I have not seen dad since Christmas and I miss him for sure. We are gonna fix some stuff around the house and hang out. I am stoked about installing new counter tops...yea it is gonna be fun. It is always to do stuff like this with dad, last year we built a swing set, that was cool. I feel manly when I build jank - go figure.

Keeping up with American Idol, All I have to say is go Chris Sly...that cat sang a Mute Math song and it was sweet. I am also stoked about 24 - man it is a great season. I want my tivo - I need a DVR.

Me and God - well that is always a journey. God has really been teaching me to just seek him and rest in Him all at the same time. He is enough. I am reading some great books right now. Rick McKinley's book Beautiful Mess has been so good. Rick is revealing what life looks like when we live aware of being a part of the Kingdom of God. It is so amazing to look to Jesus as King Jesus, as the ruler he is. reading the books of Acts right now in the morning and man is it fun to see what God did through the birthing of a movement. The message of Jesus could not be stopped by the religious leaders religious controllers in the days of Christ and it will not be held back by any force today. God is amazing.

thoughts from Willow Creek this week...

Let me say that the Shift Student Ministry Conference here at Willow Creek has been an amazing time of thought, fun, prayer, worship, and learning. Brandon and I have been here since Monday and we have been challenged by some new thoughts from scripture for God himself and some new ideas for how we connect students to Jesus Christ in 2007. We are not be in every moment of the session people, we have dragged in late for 2 mornings just in time to hear the speaker because we were braking down ideas of IHOP. God has really been working through all of the sessions and revealing some central ideas for ministry today. I am gonna list of a few ideas we are struggling with ad thinking through...

1. Students need the permission to own our ministry and create the experience they are immersed in through our ministry. Our goal is to help them create as the worship...teach, mentor think, discuss...
2. The story of Jesus Christ is the greatest story in all of humanity but people all across America do not see the greatness of that story. We have been telling a poor version of the story of Jesus to our communities. We must begin to tell the story in a way that reveals the great adventure of living in, for, and through Christ.
3. Teens are drowning in technology that sometimes does not make their life easier but more complex. With that said technology, is a part of the daily lives of our teens and they are creating community online. We can and must use this gift to enter and create good in a the middle of darkness...we must take the light of Christ to the darkness, not complain about it.
4. The North Point Model of student ministry is one I am very intrigued by. They are creating intense and relevant worship enviroments connected with the idea that every kids needs a mentoring relationship in a small group. Group life is elevated, connection is elevated, thought and discussion are elevated. We were able to sit in a meeting with Kevin Ragsdale to hear about the process and it was a great time to think.
5. Living life with a few kids is a must for me as a youth pastor - I must model mentoring, I must follow the path of Christ and take a few aside to model and life life with them. This is not my strength but man I need to find a way.

Last night Brandon and I went to Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Chicago then got to see Wicked! Hard Rock gave me the best fajitas I have had in a while not to mention I got to see a sweet Death Cab for Cutie video and get a hard Rock T for way to much money. WOW, Wicked just took a jump over Fiddler on the Roof as my favorite Broadway production. it was simply amazing. I always walk away from those kind of experience wondering why the church is not that creative, why we have pushed creative minds so far away that we can not dream that kind of experience. MAN - if you have never seen Wicked you need to, it is packed with social commentary and thought about life. Simply amazing...

well - have to go, Our God is Great!

Willow Creek this week...good start

well, Brandon and I made it to Chicago this morning. We are spending the rest of the week at Willow Creek Community Church and the Shift Student Ministry Conference. I have not been to Willow Creek in about 4 years and this is Brandon's first time here. This morning we heard Daren Whitehead speak and he really hit a home run. I am about to hear Donal Miller talk about evangelism in our culture today. I am stoked. I hope to update some thoughts about the conference later in the week.

ON another note everyone reading this little blog thing needs to buy Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer, GREAT BOOK. Thanks to my incredible pastor for getting our staff the book, it says so much of where my heart for ministry is right now.

GO God - MB

new life...simple faith and Baptism

Well - it is Sunday and I am between services and about to go and baptize three people in the 11 Am service. I got here to church at 7:30 to baptize to people, turns out I had the thrill of baptizing a 8 year old and 7 year old bother and sister. The parents where there and the entire family was so excited. We went and got everyone ready and then went through all the training stuff we do so people know what is going to happen. When i was in the water with those kids I could not help but smile to see their joy and simple love of God as they took this step. I became a Christ follower when I was 7 so I remember what they were going through. The entire moment was a reminder of why we do children's and student ministry today. We plant seeds of faith when we teach and model Jesus Christ for kids. We reveal to them a loving God who gave His Son for them. When teens and kids follow Christ at an early age they have an entire lif ahead of them to serve the Savior. They have a future that is different from all of their classmates. They become missionaries of God's grace to their school campus. I pray my daughters see Jesus for who He is at an early age spend their lives living for the Glory of God. I pray their lives count for God's Kingdom in a mighty way.

Well - I have to go and get ready for the next service. Our God Reigns!

Wild week...

Well - it has been a week since I have been able to get on and get some thoughts out on this blog thing. God has been so faithful this week. I was able to connect with Bethany Baptist and speak at a retreat they had Monday- Wednesday in Atlanta then fly back and speak last night at our worship service. Lots of speaking but God pured out His spirit and all was good. I was able to connect with Daniel Doss and Joe Donahue, 2 great friends and serve teens so it was all good. It is always tough to be away from my girls at home but when you sense God is with you in the time away it is all worth it. I missed 24 so I am gonna watch it right now...Chelsea just got home so I have to run. She has been at a women's gathering tonight, it gave me some sweet time with Koz and Kelyn. Got to go...

everything costs something...

8 Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.
9 This is true, and everyone should accept it.
10 We work hard and suffer much in order that people will believe the truth, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and particularly of those who believe.
1 Tim 4:8-10 (NLT)

I have been thinking about these verses a ton lately. I learned a long time ago that anything worth having is going to take hard work. When I was in high school we had to work hard during summer to prepare for the season in the fall. Lifting the weights and running was worth winning games during football season. I spent time in college working at Food Lion. It was not much fun but I learned that if worked hard I would get a raise and I could buy more Mountain Dew or whatever. So God leads me into the ministry and guess what, once again the same principles apply. Work hard, plan hard, pray hard always help to bring God more Fame. God is into this work thing since he did create it!

For me I have been focusing on spiritual exercise with my daily time with God in prayer for many years. it has proved to be the constant refuge in the midst of hard times and change. God always has time for me, always cares to hear from me, and always has something to show me about life and living for and in Jesus Christ. The funny thing about spending time with God is that is takes work, it can be hard. There are days I do not want to spend time praying, looking at scripture, reading, meditating on God's word and His ways. I choose to spend time with God even when I do not feel like it. it is what is best for my life, it is what my heavenly father desires. I have made it a priority.

About a month ago God impressed on me that it was time to treat my physical life the same way. Five weeks later I have been working our three days a week and eating different. My diet has been nothing drastic, just eating less and eating better things, not eating dessert, not eating french fries, not getting the SUPER SIZE. It has just been common sense stuff and it has worked. I have dropped 10 pounds, feel good but I have about 10 more to go for sure. It will be another 5 weeks of staying on track and then a lifetime of choosing not to run to food when i am tired just to get a sugar fix (I will blog when down! Ha) It has been a good ride but the best thing is that I am doing it for the right reason. My goal is to honor God with how I look, with how I exercise, with how I eat. My goal is not to impress others but to see health in my physical life like I seek it in my spiritual life. They do go hand in hand. God is not in to laziness, god is not into overeating, God is not into food worship, and I now know God is for sure not into McDonald's (that stuff will kill you)

Just trying to honor God in all of life...serving others, living in community, seeking spiritual health, living in physical health. Balance I think is the word but balance comes with a price. Balance means we say no to things that will knock us out of balance and connection with the father. I have kept this thing about my eating quiet because it is not a diet I sense this is a way of life. Here is to eating lots of veggies, drinking diet Mountain Dew, and lots of chicken!

To end this and speaking of balance, I am taking Chelsea out on a date tonight. I know it will be great. It was fun spoiling my girls with Valentines gifts this week, they loved it. It is great having little girls. I did buy myself a Valentines gift, yes I did...Pearl Jam Greatest Hits 1991-2003, I highly reccomend it!

it is too late...

It has been a great week here in VA. God is doing so many wild things in my families life that it is hard to keep up with it all. We launched into our first Leadership Rocks experience tonight and man God was with us and did some wild things. Matt Papa Band really led the way and Dave Edwards was on target speaking and God did the work. Hope to write more about this thing but for now it is late and I have to get up early.

Tonight Koz picked her valentines cards out...she picked Madagascar cards! WOW - that movie is funny, she has good taste!

Later - MB