the big double three

I'm trying to talk myself into believing that since I turned 33 today, it will mark the beginning of a great year of basketball. Larry Bird wore #33. 33 was also my high school number. Surely that will inspire me enough to elevate my game enough to get that look from …

"Juno" review

It's really hard to even describe the movie, but here is my best effort:

The character development, dialogue & acting in the movie were amazing. As good as I've ever seen. It felt like every line was an adventure.

The content was vulgar at times, yet one could …

Cathy's Story (updated)

Sunday was an all-around great moring. Lane & Kelli were introduced to everyone & that was great. God gave Cathy some great ministry opportunities following her video testimony, and she has really been able to be a help to others since then. She's pretty pumped about …

"Cathy's Story" video

Cathy is a good friend of ours & she has a compelling story. God has done some great stuff in her life, and she's had to overcome a lot. On Monday I got to do one of my favorite things - video production. I filmed & edited her testimony.

I met Cathy at the Pedestrian …

A Good Weekend

Our backyard was a mess ever since the The Great Ice Storm of '07. We had 1 1/2 trees to clean-up. We are able to use a lot for firewood, but the rest we trimmed & drug to the curb. FEMA is paying for trucks to come clean up stuff if it's on the curb. 110 or so trucks …

Lane is hired

Lane Moss was hired to work alongside me in Youth Ministry. He starts next weekend! He will only be here on weekends because he has a semester of school to finish up. Once he graduates, he and his wife Kelli will move to Tulsa. Somewhere in there he will go from Intern …

Back to Reality

Yesterday was New Years Day, which means one thing... It's time to get back to reality. I had a really nice Christmas break. I preached on the 23rd, and then did not have to do one work-related thing for a whole week. It was a thing of beauty. I went in on the 31st, …

Participation

I've noticed a common theme in lots of different contexts over the past several months that I think is worth taking taking note of. Allowing people to be part of the process is becoming increasingly important. In the book A New Kind of Thinking, Daniel Pink defines the …

Electricity back on

The ice storm knocked out our power from Monday morning until Thursday morning. We spent our nights in the living room, with a fire going. On Wednesday, our friend Ruth invited us to our house, so we stayed there. It's been a challenging, interesting & sometimes fun few …

2nd Chance to be a Good Samaritan

The boys spent the weekend with my parents. Bad weather moved in today, so I met my Dad halfway to get them. On the way back to Tulsa, with the boys having lots of fun being silly, I saw a truck that was turned sideways ahead. I started flashing my brake lights so …

Did that really just happen?

Last night was the best of times. They boys and I were playing one of their favorite games - "The Friendly Lion." I don't have time to explain the intricacies of it, but I've never heard them laugh so hard.
But at 2:30 in the morning, things changed.

Cole woke up …

A Happy Thanksgiving

Our good friends Karrie & Uma, and their daughter Anju, moved to Dallas several years ago. We haven't gotten to see them very many times, so it was great to spend some time with them. Thanksgiving lunch with them was some of Uma's amazing Indian food. She's an amazing …

Sinead

I would have never thought that I'd be hooked on a Sinead O'Conner cd, but here I am.

I read an article about her three weeks ago that spiked my interest. She talked about her difficult upbringing, her infamous SNL moment (ripping a picture of the Pope) that took …

A Wedding

Maggie was always the quiet, sweet & organized girl in the youth group. It's been so much fun to see her mature into a Godly woman, getting ready to marry a Godly man. I'm pumped about getting to be part of it. The families are both great & easy to get along with. I …

Treasures & Trash

Ezekiel 7:19-24 really stood out to me. God tells the Israelites that the gold and silver that were at one time so prized will be worth nothing. It made me think about how what we sometimes most desire and end up leading to our demise. What we once valued so highly, now …

Can Donuts Be Spiritual

Cole, Levi & I left the house at 7:15 this morning in search of the perfectly sprinkled donut. I think Levi found it. I kept hoping he'd get full so that I could finish it.

They boys were really excited about the whole event. I'd taken Cole before once, but this was …

Embracing the Process

I understand that teens are in a transition stage of life. I understand that the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of their lives don't always match-up. But I still get discouraged when a student seems to be regressing. And I hope I always will feel bad …

Happiness is...

I pulled in from a really long day of work & happiness awaited.

Happiness is walking into a house with Beth & the boys ready for dinner & Nora Jones music playing.

Happiness is talking to a friend on the phone about life, God & dreams.

Happiness is …

Great Concert

Last night was a lot of fun at Cain's Ballroom in downtown Tulsa. Beth & I went with a group of friends to hear one of our favorite bands.

I've been a fan of the David Crowder Band for years, and unlike some bands, I think their music just keeps getting better. Beth …

Tanzania & Joplin

Surrounded by villains, we had to think quick. There was only one option to get us out of our current predicament - The Rocket!
So Cole, Levi & I raced to the Rocket. Cole fired-up the engines & we blasted off. We (the good transformers) had escaped great peril. "But …