brian

Hope and Nana

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:36:59 -0800

Siblings meet

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:26:19 -0800

Older Siblings

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:05:21 -0800

Cole, age 7, is a really proud big brother. He walked beside Hope's little cart when we pushed her here from the nursery (kinda like a bodyguard would). He loved holding her. Levi was very excited in a very cute way. He asked, "Can I touch her?" when he was sitting next to Beth. Later he asked, "Can I kiss her?" Shurabe was only curious at first, but later when she got to sit by Beth & hold her, she decided that she liked her sister. She didn't want to share her sister with anyone else. Hope had a good night. The nurse called her a Drama Queen because she can turn on the crying in a hurry. But all is good.

Reflections on Hope's Birthday

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:16:32 -0800

Hope Elizabeth Jennings was born at 9:57 this morning. She weighed-in at 8 lbs and 6 oz. Labor was fast and very intense for Beth, but she did awesome. Her doctor had to take a time-out from another surgery to come running in there. For a minute, I thought the nurse was gonna have to do the delivery. Everyone is doing well right now. We had a great afternoon with our kids up here & then some quiet once they left. Here are a few random thoughts that I've had: 1. My wife is a stud. I'm so proud of her. 2. Hope was created by God. Charles, Beth & I were talking about how seeing her just reminds us that she is more than just chemicals and more than just chance. 3. Doctors & nurses with good bedside manners make things so much nicer. Ours were great. Not only were they skilled, but we want to be their friends. 4. I understand why so many women have died during childbirth (especially in places and times where there wasn't great medical understanding and care). 5. I'm overwhelmed with our loving and supportive family. I was so glad Beth's mom was with us. She always knew what to say & do. So glad my folks are taking care of our other three. 6. Waking up at 4:00am just isn't right. 7. Prayers and kind words are much appreciated.

Making Up for Lost Time

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:26:58 -0800

I picked-up Shurabe, as she was pouting & crying, and she fell asleep within minutes. I stayed on the back porch for about 45 minutes with her and then came inside for another 1.5 hours. I finally worked pretty hard to wake her up at 7:00 pm so she'd be able to sleep later. I could have put her down, but I haven't gotten to hold her much while she was sleeping. I just kept thinking that I was making up for lost time.

What if...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:50:16 -0800

What if we chose, over this holiday season, to spend less & give more, talk less & listen more, watch less & play more, eat less & exercise more, surf less & pray more, gripe less & encourage more, stress less & be peaceful more...

Dog Names

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:44:59 -0800

In the first century, the Roman Empire ruled hundreds of millions of people. But a few thousand claimed Jesus as Lord. It looked like one side would be overmatched. Yet two thousand years later, we give children names like Mary, Peter and John. And we give our dogs names like Caesar & Nero. Hmmm. I'm pumped about our December Christmas series called "Revolution." A revolution began in a manger. It opposed the kingdoms of this world. These kingdoms are still warring for our hearts today.

72 Hours: What a Strange Job I Have

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:29:40 -0800

In the past 72 hours, I have studied, preached, prayed & counseled (the normal stuff). I have also used a circular saw on soundproofing material, moved cabinets from Lowe's to a home, edited a video, witnessed a fight, done detective work (related to the fight), attended three meetings, prepped for & led two of those meetings, googled "Gotham Christmas," mentored a 4th grader, lined up volunteers and met with a small group. Whew! It's only Wednesday. Maybe a baby girl will be the only thing on my agenda for the rest of the week. Here's hoping.

Discipline

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:18:34 -0800

Proverbs has a lot to say about discipline. Yesterday we did a little compare & contrast study of how the wise and foolish react to discipline. It wasn't the most fun sermon to prepare for but people really seemed to be engaged. I guess we can all relate to discipline. I'm going to share a few verses this week that most spoke to me regarding this. "He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise." (Proverbs 15:31). This isn't talking about hateful rebukes. We all get those sometimes. So how do we know that a rebuke is life-giving? My guess is that we usually don't know immediately. The problem is that we usually react immediately. We need to pause before making that call. What do you consider a rebuke to be? Life-draining? Annoying? Something that causes you to send a rebuke back their way? Or do you view it as something that can give you life?

Tomorrow

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:42:54 -0800

My friend, Jack, is going to share a really cool thing that has happened in his life during my sermon tomorrow. I hope it impacts you as much as it has me.

Project Elf

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:15:37 -0800

I put together a video about 1 1/2 years ago to tell the story of Project Elf. The online version got messed up, and they asked me to get it back up, so I did last night. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look. Terri, who you'll see on the video, is part of our church. Watch video.

Shark, Ladybug, Ninja, Pirate, Pregnant Lady

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:20:11 -0800

at Trunk or Treat at HPCC.

Book Review: Safe at Home

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:01:39 -0800

Bob Muzikowski often jogged past the kids of Cabrini Green - kids who were usually neglected, abused or ignored by the outside world. But one day he had an idea. Or maybe he just heard God's idea. "What if he transformed a field, that had become an urban wasteland, into a baseball diamond for kids?" That idea led to a string of events that would drastically change the lives of kids in need of care, professionals in need of service, entire communities, and his own family. "Safe at Home" tells Muzikowski's lifelong journey. The first half of the book tells of his remarkable childhood (he had more experiences, both good and bad, than most of us have in a lifetime). By looking at the front cover of the book, and knowing a bit about it, I knew things in his life were going to get better, but it seemed impossible as I was reading it. He was far from being a Godly young man. His turn-around is very inspiring, and he gives credit to the right source. If you have interest in Godly life transformation, finding purpose in life, leading volunteers, baseball, addiction recovery, stewardship issues, or urban, racial & socio-economic issues, I highly recommend this read. It's really fun to read, it's very well written, and it will challenge you to the core. Two additional notes: 1. As an added note, our friends at By the Hand Club for Kids know Bob and he is the real deal. 2. Keanau Reeves and a number of people behind the movie "Hardball" punked Bob, the coaches & the community in the making of that film. They were horrendous. I might think about boycotting his movies, but he's never had one worth watching, so it's not an issue. ha ha.

Turtle Racing

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:54:24 -0800

I tried to pick a hobby to pick on my sermon for an illustration that people wouldn't identify with. So I chose Turtle Racing. So I was quite surprised when three college students found me afterwards and told me that I'd hit too close to home for one of them. Apparently, he and his brother "trained" turtles for their town's annual turtle race each year. I asked him how they trained the turtles & he said, "I don't know. We really weren't cause if we did anything, they'd just go into their shell, but we thought we were doing something." Anyway, it was pretty funny. I guess no illustration is safe.

Wisdom

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:25:16 -0800

Tomorrow we'll be looking at Proverbs and asking, "How can we be wise?" While studying, I was reminded of a fun film project we once did with students. We blindfolded & dropped them off in the middle of 400 acres of dense woods. Each team had a cameraman and one adult whom could be asked one question (regarding directions) every 10 minutes. We explored what happens when we don't ask the best questions. It was lots of fun. Watch videos here.

Wisdom

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:24:56 -0800

Caesar and Me: Would You Enjoy What I Just Did?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:32:07 -0800

I just spent 90 minutes reading a book about Caesar, in preparation for an upcoming sermon. I can't imagine spending my life scheming and fighting to stay alive and rule the world. Crazy. My sermon isn't until December 6 but we have a baby coming between now and then. So my question is, would you like or dislike what I just did. Personally, I liked it. I like to read - especially when it relates to Scripture. And this reading does. Luke wrote, "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree..." Learning about Caesars sheds a ton of light on the Christmas story. Can't wait.

Book Review: The Future of Management

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:05:55 -0700

I recently finished reading Gary Hamel's book The Future of Management. He suggests that we have pretty much perfected the management model that Henry Ford and others founded – a top-down management structure. Hamel questions whether that management model is the best model for us now. It served its purpose for a while, but its weakness is that it usually doesn't unleash passion, ownership and creativity from the workforce. It also assumes that the collective wisdom of a few "really smart people" is greater than the collective wisdom of ten, a hundred or ten thousand “normal people.” Hamel shows that this thinking is flawed, by citing research and case studies. He holds up Gore (makers of Gore-Tex), Whole Foods, Google, GM, Toyota, and others as management innovators who have bucked the traditional model - and have done exceedingly well. These companies have flattened the leadership structure. Anyone in their company could have the next big idea. You don’t have to have a big title to be heard. Teams hold each other accountable from within (and no team can afford a weak link). Fringe thought is encouraged. And employees are rewarded for breakthrough performances and contributions to the organization. While Ford said, “The problem is that every set of hands comes with a brain,” Toyota received 500,000 ideas from their employees last year. Ford has floundered for years. Toyota has remained on top. Hamel tells the stories of several innovative companies, and I thought this was the strongest part of the whole book. Those chapters are full of thought-provoking questions that I’ll ask our team, and practical advice that helps me understand how it all plays out. If you look around, you’ll notice that in spite of this model’s success, most companies have not adapted new management models. This isn’t surprising. Those with positions of authority risk losing their place of prominence with this model, it feels risky and it costs some resources upfront. Fortunately, Hamel offers some advice on how to impact your organization (whether you are currently on the top or bottom of the food chain). If you think that those only wanting to survive will ultimately not survive, or that the management model of your organization might be based on false assumptions, or that the people in your organization need to be released to contribute more than they ever thought possible, this book is for you. I highly recommend it.

Day of Serving video

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:57:33 -0700

We were able to get our Day of Serving video online. We couldn't use the great music we used when we showed it on Sunday because of copyright issues. I started to work hard at finding some great music that we could use (that isn't copyrighted) but then realized that I had a hundred other more pressing things to do, so I put some cheesy, free music on there. Now it has more of a TV sitcom feel to it all. Kinda funny.

U2

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:23:34 -0700

I got to see the U2 concert last night. I've never been to a huge concert like that, and I'd been waiting for it for 5 or 6 months. They did not disappoint. Their stage set-up actually made OU's football field look small. The stage probably went from one 25 yard line to the other. It was set-up so that they could get close to more fans. The highlight of the show for me was when Bono sang Amazing Grace, followed by Where the Streets Have (a song they wrote in Ethiopia about a road that mothers walked to bury their children). The low point of the show was when the drunk guy in front of us raised & swayed both hands (with beer in each hand slopping everywhere).