Tagged….

Well, Chris over at C L tagged me with one of those answer these questions then pass it on. Normally, I would lift my snobbish nose at this as I am above such stuff.

But it’s about books. And I love books. Almost as much as I love movies…which are really books on DVD if you think about it.

Here are the questions…

How many books do I own?
You’re kidding, right? I have no idea. I got four bookshelfs at home full and two deep. I’ve got four at the office full. Plus the nightstand and at my parents house. Seminary will do this to you.

What was the last book you bought?
The entire Harry Potter series in a boxed set minus book 6 AND Biggest Brother, the biography of Richard Winters.

What was the last book you read?
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, Harry Potter and the Prisoner from Azkaban by J K Rowling (Finishing Radical Reformission and Out of Bounds Church this week.)

What are FIVE books that have meant alot to you?
Mere Christianity, CS Lewis
Messy Spirituality, Mike Yaconelli
Past Event and Present Salvation, Paul Fiddes
Band of Brothers, Steve Ambrose
Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller

Tag 4 more people… (only 4??? Now the fun part…)
Wayne Galli
Harry Anderson
Tom Seely – only because maybe he’ll start blogging again.

and

hmmmmmmm…

Ian MacDonald, aka Youthblog – my only English friend!!

Come back and link your replies!

The Wall

I’ve hit it. I’m preaching again this weekend. And it’s not that I don’t have anything to say…it’s that I’ve got too much to say.

I’m preaching Ephesians 5.1-20. The minor subjects that covers?

Sexual immorality
Greed
Coarse Joking/Language
Idolaters not inheriting the Kingdom of God
Walk as wise, not unwise
Know what the will of God is
Not drunk on wine but on the Spirit

They all have to do with identity and a divided heart…in other words, if you struggle with sexual sins it’s more of a heart issue, not a discipline issue.

“Ohhhh, but it is a discipline area and we have to do right things!”

I think my sound, theological answer to that is ….bullcrap. Think it’s a coincidence that ‘self-discipline’ is listed as a fruit of the Spirit? I don’t. It’s all about the first and last verses in the section…I think…

Live as a loved kid of God and be filled with nothing but His Spirit.

Is that it? Is that the sermon?

New Fantasy Football League

I am breaking a promise this year. I joined two fantasy football leagues.

I’m staying in my old league with my Kansas Crew. Mainly because after all these years and second place finishes (and a couple of last place ones as well), I’d really like a win. I came so close last year…one game behind but had the most points in the league.

But my new league will be fun…East Coast Football League. It’s mainly with people I have never face-to-face met. Orangejack Rob is the commish. Tom, my bro-in-law is also in the league. You will be pleased to know that I am representing Arkansas well – my team name is the Arkansas Hairballs.

Now why in the world am I telling you this in July? Because the draft order was released today and I got the number 2 pick. Which is tricky…because that means my next pick is 21 picks later. That means I have 1 shot at the top 23 players.

That is a LONG time in a fantasy draft and it means that my first pick better be a home run hitter, in the lineup every week and putting up monster numbers. Oh, and he can’t get injured either…

So who would you pick at No. 2?

The Goat Bar

This is an open air bar on Beale Street that has two goats in it. I’m not sure what it is with goats and our youth group. We have about a jillion stories that involves a goat in some way or another. One of the benefits of doing ministry in Arkansas, I guess.

Wrestling

I hated wrestling in middle school. It was part of that medieval torture they call PE class – every boy in the school was taught wrestling.

I hated it.

“It’s a sport about strategy and technique, gentlemen!” the coach would boom. He was full of crap. It’s about power. The stronger you are, the better you are. And I didn’t have much power in middle school. I was tall, lanky, could run most of the time without tripping.

Now, I’m older, more mature and wiser and……

I still hate wrestling. And it’s still not about stragety and technique. And it’s still about power and who has it. So as I’m wrestling with God, it’s a foregone conclusion who is going to win this.

Oh, I might win a point or two (or at least think I’ve won) by escaping His hold. I’ll numb the wrestling with noise or friends or stuff. And I’ll honestly believe that I’m ‘winning.’ But I’m not. And thankfully He loves me too much to leave me there for too long.

But the wrestling is exhausting. And I’m learning that the stuff I’m wrestling God over isn’t worth it. He’s probably dumbfounded that I am wrestling as hard as I am over something that I really don’t need. I’ll leave this match with a limp that somehow God will even use that wound for His purposes and glory.

Sometimes there is great honor in surrendering, isn’t there?

What are you wrestling over?

I’m NOT Ready To Worship

I can not even begin to communicate how completely torqued I am right now.

Friday – come home, kids and I are playing. Amy turns around and sees Cayden STANDING on my laptop. No big deal, we thought. Gave her a little pop on the leg, a hug, back to normal in 3 minutes.

Then this morning. I turn it on. Not good.

Believe or not, Dell was helpful. They helped me get the screen back to normal but I the PCI card slot is smashed. No wireless technology for the Grantser anymore.

So it’s Sun AM, an hour before worship and I just want to punt my two-year old. But I can’t – for obvious reasons plus the fact that she wouldn’t have a clue why she was in trouble in the first place……..

So I am going to find her. Hug and kiss her. Then hand her back to her mom…at least until lunch…then I’ll be fine.

Terrell Owens is an Arrogant Barnyard Animal

Let’s get this out of the way at the outset. Terrell Owens is the best receiver in the NFL. Period. There isn’t one receiver that is better than him between the hash marks.

Randy Moss? Please…he’s fast and tall but can’t run routes and completely disappears when he is doubled teamed. He’s flaky and in trouble with the law every couple of years.

Marvin Harrison? Close. He is my number 2. And personality wise – maybe the most like receiver in the bunch.

But there is no way on the planet, if I am a GM I ever, EVER sign T.O. EVER.

If you haven’t read the latest from TO, consider yourself lucky. He wants traded or released because his 7 year, 49 million dollar contract that he sign LAST YEAR isn’t enough for ‘him and his family.’

What’s he considering a family? The entire nation of Somalia?

If I’m the Eagles – I trade him (who would take him?) back to San Francisco. The worst team in the NFL.

Or to a Canadian Football Team.

Flight Deck

Today I eat lunch with a guy at the Flight Deck. I’ve never eaten there and supposedly it’s the best place at town. It’s on the airport. I mean literally.

Will keep you posted…because I know you care.

What’s with the CapItAlIzAtIoN cRaZe?

I’m noticing a phenomenon that bugs the junk out of me. Capitalizing random letters in words. Or every other letter.

Teenage girls are doing this all the time on their blogs and emails.

I don’t understand this. I think it is a sign of demon-possession.

Please help them.

And if you can’t find help at Charter, find help somewhere else.

What God is Doing Here and There

I challenged my LIFE Group to journal at least 8 of the next 14 days (shoot for 60% success in arenas of spiritual formation is my goal) these two questions.

What is God doing here (pointing to my heart)?

What is God doing there (pointing around me)?

The rub of the matter is this – I’m not exactly peachy king comfortable answering either one of these questions on my blog but I feel the need to do some of it on the blog so that my blog doesn’t resort (if it hasn’t already) to just one more mask I have on.

What is God doing here?
With me preaching alot more now than ever, I have to admit something…I like it. It’s not just that I like it, but I think that God is gifting me with some insight and application of the Scriptures that I’ve never had before. That’s the sorta good news…

The sorta bad news is this – I am more aware of short-temperedness and swagger than ever before. In student ministry, it helps (at least I thought/think/re-thinking) to have a little edge/arrogance/swagger/bravado. It feeds the counter-culture angst that most students have and the parents are okay with it because at least the role model who has the edge loves Jesus and doesn’t do drugs.

The problem is this – is the bravado (for lack of a better word) leading students closer to Jesus?

Part of it is my wiring/DNA and I’m not quite ready to apologize for that. The part that pushes parents to release their teens for the Kingdom, the part that challenges teens to place their reps and money and in some cases (mission trips) their lives in the unsafe hands of Jesus, the part that refuses to believe that youth ministry is supposed to be safe, glorified babysitting while parents do the ‘real work’, the part that is resistant to labeling reality into sacred and secular categories – those parts I’m hoping/believing are God-honoring.

But the other part – is that on the chopping block of spiritual transformation?

The Eagle Has Landed

Google is doing this. This is a map of the lunar landings.

I’m a huge fan of this… and if you are too, I would also reccommend the mini-series called From The Earth To The Moon. I have it and watch it every year…in fact…I might crack an episode open tonight.

Okay, resume your lives people.

Measuring Success

I just threw this post up on Youth Ministry Forum.

The basic jist?

How do you measure success in ministry?

Is about how many butts you have in the seats? (Which I hope not because we don’t have seats.) Can success really even be measured?

Or how about this comment: If it’s healthy, it will grow.

Letter From Cooper

Dear Dad,

I wish you didn’t have to work in the summer. And could home school so I could be with Mom and Camber and Cay (line beak)den the same amount of times you are with them.

I’m still sad that I can’t see Star Wars III.

Signed,

Cooper

Touching.

It would have moved me to tears if he and his sister hadn’t had a knock down drag out last night over what movie to watch.

I also hope this letter proves that I do work.

Willy’s OK

Saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today. I liked. In fact, I laughed out loud a couple of times – so the whole thing was a total surprise to me because…

1. I normally don’t dig Tim Burton flicks…
2. The original Charlie (circa 1971 with Gene Wilder) was really freaky – from a kid’s perspective, at least…and
3. Minus Captain Jack Sparrow and Chocolate (Johhny Depp’s intial romp in chocolate), I normally don’t dig Johnny Depp’s movies.

But I liked this one.

As a random addendum to the rant, some of you might be wondering – how in the world I’m affording to see all these flicks.

I’m not. My good friend, former student Noel Kurtz (who doesn’t blog but should) works at Rave Motion Pictures. And since I’m his favorite youth pastor that lives in Arkansas and likes to go to movies with him…he takes me for free.

I like Noel.

Not just for the movies. Every youth ministry needs a Noel. He’s a steady, everybody likes him kinda leader. He’s big, intimidating but a teddy bear. He’ll give a ride home to anybody. He’s funny but can crack some heads when he needs to and won’t let anyone be a bully.

And he gets me into movies for free.

Every youth worker needs a Noel.

Camber is in deep theological thought on the importance of chocolate sprinkled doughnuts. You should have seen the floor when both sets of kids got done in there.

No vacation would be a vacation without multiple trips to Krispy Kreme. They had buy one smoothie, get one free coupons on the doughnut boxes…so we had that going for us.

Big Tom – aka Amy’s dad – with Cayden. They were quite the couple.

This is Cooper – post fell in pool as entire family was posing for the family picture. It was hilarious. He went completely under – quite a site.

Some belated pics from our vacation in Destin. And no youthworker worth his salt ever goes on vacation without his X-box. The cousins are diggin’ Dance, Dance, Revolution….

Teen Blogs in Little Rock

This just in – adults are fishing around on teen blogs for easy victims.

First of all, there are over 3,000 Xanga/Blogs in the Little Rock metro area ages 14-16. Let that number sink in.

Secondly, seems that teens are putting WAY to much personal contact info on the web.

Thirdly, seems that they shut off their FREAKIN’ BRAINS when setting up dates with people they have never seen OVER the INTERNET!!

FBI is now involved since they’ve lost one teen in a kidnapping incident. Wanna another number to freak you out?

FBI estimates that 1 in 5 children are contacted via the web by a predator.

The Movie Blog

I love this site. It’s called…The Movie Blog, Official Home of Correct Movie Opinions.

I’ve been reading it for about a month now and you know what?

They’re right.

The language can get a little ‘spicy’ at times – like when a movie is a pure eye-candy, no plot developing, piece of @$%! – like War of the Worlds. Or the antics of Tom Cruise….but I digress.

So, subscribe to it, read it. It’s a lot of fun and it doesn’t cause cancer.

How Not To Lead by the NHL Owners and Players

Okay – I’m not a hockey fan. I went to a few DU hockey games in high school and loved it. Amy and I caught a couple of Dallas Stars games because one of her player’s dad could get us free tickets.

But this story is just absolutely fascinating to me in terms of leadership. (This article by Ray Ratto should be required reading.)

If you read this stuff from a leadership perspective, there is a lot to learn. And God help us all (especially those of us in ministry) if we EVER lead like these boneheads did. The sad part is – alot of us do.

Lessons Learned from the NHL:

1. Don’t gamble with something you can’t afford to lose.

Both sides messed this up and they both lost something that no other sports franchise has ever done – an entire season. Hey owners and players – the whole point of your existence is to stage the games. You blew this. At a very expensive cost – fans. You weren’t that popular to start with and now you both have shattered the fan’s trust and loyalty. Both of which are measured by you in dollar signs.

Ministry Application:
Don’t lose sight of my purpose for the sake of getting it done my way. The purpose is to ruin teens with Jesus…not to make sure that it happens exactly the way I want it to. So I can’t lose sight of the long range goal for the sake of short-term justification.

2. Look around you and know when you need to yield.

Players – salary cap. Every league in the world has one. Every player in every one of those leagues are still very rich. That’s the context you are in – deal with it. The deal you got is worse than the one you could have had at the beginning of this.

Owners – revenue sharing. Read the above paragraph. Ya’ll are still screwing this up. Think about it, boys. Everyone does better when we share. Your greed could very well still kill the NHL.

Ministry Application:
I’m in the South, in a very religious context, racism and economic segregation is huge, the ‘church game’ is still being played, and most evaluations are made on appearances.

I would love to be able to go to church and preach in my jean shorts and a Hard Rock T. I think it’s biblical, more relational and I’d be more comfortable.

But it’s not about me. It’s about having enough relational currency with the context I am ministering in to drag them to a place where we think Christ wants to take us. So I’ll settle for jeans and a nice shirt…for now.

3. Don’t be a DONKEY.

Especially when you are going to have to have a long term relationship with each other. Gary Bettman (owners) and Bob Goodenow (players) were absolutely terrible to each other. Bettman did a better job of getting what his clients wanted which is probably going to cost Goodenow his job. Goodenow did a better job of trying to save the season which is costing Bettman popularity points – but probably won’t effect his job.

Makes you wonder how much of this was a personality conflict, doesn’t it?

Ministry Application:
I’m always going to have to deal with people that I am less than enthused about. Always. Guess what? They are equally less enthused about me too. Doesn’t justify acting like a barnyard animal to them, belittling them and intimidating them.

Christ’s call to me is to love them and lifewalk with them through the junk. Not treat them as expendable resources. Of which I have been extremely guilty.

What lessons do you see?