Friday night was off the hook! Let me take a little time today and share my enthusiasm and excitement for a little card game called POUNCE. Some of you may know a game called NERTZ that is very similar to Pounce, but there is no substitution for the real thing. Here's how it works:

Each team has their own deck. You usually play with 4 or 5 teams at each table (2 people on a team). And then you deal your team mate thirteen cards, this is the Pounce deck, and then you deal 4 cards in front of you and this is played like solitaire. All teams can play their cards out in the middle starting with Aces, that is when the madness happens. As soon as the Pounce deck has been played and no cards remain, the winning team yells "POUNCE!" and they get twenty-one points.

Every time I play Pounce the same things always happen...
1. My heart begins to race. I get so excited and ready to engage that I almost can't sit still.
2. I give my best. I don't always win, but I always try to. You see, this card game has been in my family since I can remember. I mean, I remember sitting down at the table and starting my relationship with Pounce at the age of 6. I remember when things got serious for me and I went from the "kid table" to the "adult table". As a matter of fact, my Uncle D and I have been partners for the last few years and are undefeated at The Land Family Reunion. I want desperately to represent the Game in its truest form. I want the Game to shine it's true splendor to everyone who sees it; without me suckin it up and tarnishing such an awesome reputation.
3. I tell everyone I know about this game. I can't help it. This game is so fun, it is such awesome fellowship, that I love to tell people. No, the world isn't perfect when I play Pounce. And no, I don't always have a perfect score, but it pumps me up. Come to think of it, I don't even have to win all the time. I love the fellowship and the community of it all. And because I have been affected by this game and I know FOR A FACT, that this game rocks... I have got to tell someone.

When something excites you, don't sit on it, tell someone. A guy came by my place on Sunday afternoon to install cable (He was supposed to do it on Saturday but he didn't bring the right tools). At first we were talking about Victor Wooten and freakishly awesome musicians and before I knew it we had started talking about church and Jesus. The guy wasn't even a Christian, but before he left, he told me that he would definitely be coming to church because, and I quote, "It sounds exciting." I read something Rob Bell wrote once that changed my world, he said, "It is when the church (me) gives itself away in radical acts of service and compassion, expecting nothing in return, that the way of Jesus is most vividly put on display." This is my prayer, that when I am excited about something that I share it.