Political Commercials: How about a little creativity, folks?

If ever there was an example of people lacking any sort of ability to think outside of the box - it's political commercials. Just about all political commercial insult my intelligence. They assume that I'll be swayed by oversimplifications, mood lighting or background …

Feeding Football Guys

I read a summary of a guy who shared a testimony at a conference this week. It was just too good to not pass on. Nothing inspires me more than seeing someone "being Jesus" to others (sometimes in creative ways.)

-Speaker: Chris Conlee, High Point Church, Memphis, …

Dad for a Day

I loved reading that Vince Young took 2 boys who recently lost their father, Steve McNair, to their schools "Breakfast with Dad's." Think about the emotions that are felt on days like this, for those who don't have an active dad in their life - heartache, anger, …

Levi & Betsy

On Sunday, I will get to interview two of my favorite people. Having lived in a very challenging environment last year, and preparing to go back, they will bring a unique and insightful perspective that I think will be very helpful to us. I got to hang out with them in …

Ephesians 1 & The Grand Storyline

Yesterday we walked through Ephesians 1. It's so cool that one can draft a storyline (a timeline) of the largest events of past, present & future from this chapter. It's helpful to know The Story, so we can better understand & live-out our stories.
To hear the sermon …

Thanks

Last night I had the opportunity to say "Thanks" to a group of my brothers & sisters who volunteer their hearts, souls, minds and hands in order to minister to others. It was so much fun to go the extra mile to appreciate them. Do you need to say "Thank you," to someone …

One Guy Who Gets It

I was always a big fan of David Robinson, who was elected into the Hall of Fame today. Before he won a title, some said he was too nice too win. Those predictions don't look so good now. Apparently, you can be nice and win. In fact, the way he treated others is why the …

The Dunk is King

I've had the joy of investing in guy's lives while playing basketball with area guys for the last eleven years here in Tulsa. At times I've been the worst player on the court. At other times I've been the best player. We've had some scrubs play. And we've had lots of …

Book Review: Surprised by Hope

Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing to write this review , because I started reading this book a really long time ago. I think I averaged 6 words a day.
But I'm actually glad that it took me a long time. I think that helps it soak in.
NT Wright's book tries to …

"Confession" vs "Ah Shucks"

A feeble attempt at confession sounds like this, "And I probably said a few things that I shouldn't have..." or "I might have messed-up a bit..." But are these types of statements what God had in mind when he told us to confess or are they simply said to soothe our …

2 People; 1 Story

Have you ever heard a preacher say, "If you were able to help one person follow Christ... and then that person helped one person follow Christ... and then that person helped one person follow Christ... just think about the impact you would have." Well, today there was a …

When We Are the Church

I've seen the church at it's best this week. In the wake of a horrible accident that has greatly impacted many of my brothers & sisters in Christ, the church has been in the middle of it. Here's are a few things that I've seen (most in an ICU waiting room): Meals …

When Ethiopians learn English do they sound Italian

Shurabe started saying a phrase this weekend when my parents were here, and it's so funny to hear. If you see her in the morning, you might hear her sound quite Italian as she says, "Good-duh morning."

Beth, Ray Ray & India Arie

Beth & I took Ray Ray to a concert last night. It was an early birthday present (about 3 months early). The highlight of the concert was listening to India Arie. Her music was amazing, easy & had a lot of depth to it. We definitely became big fans.
We had a great time …

Atheists for Jesus

I've spent the afternoon studying for Sunday's sermon and read about a website that I had to check-out (and that I had to share with you): Atheists for Jesus. Yes, it's for real. They embrace Jesus' message of love & kindness but reject that He was God or that the …

Scriptures

I'm amazed at how relevant things written thousand of years ago can still be to our lives today. I mentioned a few Scriptures yesterday that I was asked to pass along, so I will do that below. We'll have the audio online this afternoon. You can listen to it

Three Letters

This morning we talked about a subject that has three letters. We wanted to show this video, but had some technical difficulty. As it turns out, we didn't really have time for it anyway, but it's one we showed to the teens a while back - just to have some fun with them.

Words

I was eating some cereal and reading Proverbs when Levi sat down next to me with his pancakes. He asked me what one of the highlighted verses meant, so I told him it was one that I really liked to remember. It was "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir …

Why Suffering?

Our Sunday morning began with my talented friend, Kevin, singing REM's song "Everybody Hurts." Not only did he do a great job & capture people's attention, he set the stage for our whole morning. Lane did a great job preaching. He asked two questions: #1. Why does God …

Suffering & Worship

I am so thankful to worship a God (and The God) who understands suffering better than any of us. That thought leads me to worship.