I'm Taking a Break Today

I'm taking some time to rest today. I'm intentionally pulling aside during the start of the crazy, hectic holiday season to remind myself of a few things: 1. The world will go on without me 2. I'm not as important as I like to think I am 3. Time spent resting and reflecting is critical to my soul 4. Time spent on rest and reflection isn't "wasted" time at all 5. Developing a spiritual rhythm that includes time for rest and reflection is one of the most productive things I can do In a culture where I feel as though people are always pushing me for more, more, more, intentionally pulling aside and taking time to think is one of the most important things I can do. So I'm going to grab my pen and my journal, a few really important books and I'm simply going to do NOTHING. I'm going to listen. I'm going to rest. I'm going to remind myself of what's really important and how thankful I am for those things...

Holidays, Family, Religion and Politics

I was home for Thanksgiving and everything was going quite well despite the fact that we had 24 people stuffed into a normal sized home in the burbs and most of them were under 2 feet tall. People were everywhere. Every bedroom was full. People were sleeping on air mattresses in the basement workroom. The kitchen was busy 24/7. You get the picture. But even with all that going on, things were going quite well until someone decided to bring up politics. Now the election has been decided for a few weeks already, but it seems there are still some bitter feelings bubbling under the surface out there. Well, they were under the surface that is, until someone in my family decided to bring it all up again! Anyway, long story short: It all culminated with my own mother asking me who I voted for in front of the entire family. I said, "Do you really want to know mom?" She said, "Of course, why do you think I asked?" So I told her and the next thing I knew, my mom was shaking her finger at me telling me there's no way I could possibly be a "Christian" and have voted that way...Oh boy. Here we go. The first shot heard 'round the world. Ding! The fight is on! The rest of the family joined in and away we went...Well, away they went. Fortunately for me, I've seen all of this before and decided it was time to gather up my part of the family (including the dog) and head off to the in-laws house. I've never been so happy to see my in-laws!

I hate politics. It just always seems to divide people - even family members. It leaves some people disappointed, others disillusioned and still others just wanting to escape it all and head to the in-laws!

I was planning to head home for Christmas...not any more. I think I'll just spend a night or two with the family aorund New Year's and call it a year...

Great People

I'm in Nashville, TN with my family for the National Youth Worker's Convention hosted by Youth Specialties and I just finished having dinner with some of the volunteer youth workers who are here from my church. What an amazing group of people! They love Jesus and they love teenagers. They don't have all the answers. They aren't the "coolest" group of people on the face of the earth, but they have something special...they are called by God to work with kids! They are making an incredible difference in this world and I'm grateful for them. They give up their time to spend time with kids. They are selfless. They can laugh at themselves. They can be real. And I believe lots of kids see Jesus in each of them. I'm grateful to be a part of this incredible team!

JustLife.tv Heads to Nashville!

Youth Specialties (the company I speak for part-time) is holding their annual National Youth Worker Convention in Nashville, TN this weekend and JustLife.tv got invited to participate in the Exhibit Hall. We get a chance to show 5000 youth leaders from around the nation what God's doing through this ministry and help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ! Milo Curtis is in charge of the booth and I am there to help him. We can't wait to see what God's going to do, what conversations we're going to have, what potential partners we may run into. This project has been a blast to work on! We can't wait to see where it takes us next. So many people from BridgeWay shared their stories with us on video and those stories are impacting people all around the world. This is another exciting step to get the word out there and let some more people know what's going on!

When It Rains It Pours

This is unbelievable! Have you ever had an experience like this: You're working on renovating an old home and one of the contractors you invite in to do some work ends up coming back later to steal all the tools you've been using to renovate the house? The next day, someone else who's being chased by the police ends up ramming into your car causing thousands of dollars in damage to your car as you sit at a stoplight. Then the following day, you discover that your wallet is missing! Your identity, your credit cards, drivers license, everything is gone! Believe it or not, all of this just happened to a buddy of mine within a 48 hour time period. Ouch.

When it rains, it pours!

I've experienced some similar stuff in my own life. Bad things happen to me and I start twitching...wondering what's going to happen next or where it's going to come from. I end up "looking over my shoulder" all the time in fear of what might happen next. I hate that! I don't want to live my life in fear, but this world is a tough place to be at times. There are plenty of times in my life, I just need someone to come along and speak words of hope...someone who will encourage me or even just listen to me offload some of the junk in my life. Someone who will just be a friend.

What about you? Do you have someone like that in your life? Are YOU that kind of person in anyone else's life? I hope so, because everyone needs that kind of friend. We all have rainy days. But it's important to be reminded that the sun will shine again soon...Good friends are able to do that for me.

One of the projects I've been working on lately is dedicated to sharing some of these "encouraging stories" with people. We're hoping when you experience a "rainy day" of your own, this website will be an encouragement to you. Take a few minutes to check it out and let me know what you think...www.justlife.tv

An Annual Pilgrimage

I just returned from one of my favorite places in the entire world – The Gethsemani Abbey in Trappist, Kentucky. I’ve been making my annual pilgrimage for several years now and I grow more and more in love with the place each year! Gethsemani is a completely silent monastery and has been that way since 1848. Catholic theologian and author Thomas Merton lived here as a monk. In fact, he’s buried there. The reason I go to Gethsemani each year is simply to rest and re-charge my spiritual batteries. I think it’s important to intentionally pull away for awhile and listen to God. I live in a busy, noisy world. There’s something about pulling away from all of that for a few days just to listen for God’s voice, just to be quiet. I hear things in a completely different way. I teach myself how to listen more than I talk. I remind myself that I’m really not all that important. The world goes on without me. In fact, over the past few days while I was away, our country elected a brand new President. I didn’t even find out what happened until I came home. It wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought it was. The monks kept on chanting. I kept on praying. God kept on reaching out to me through the silence. There’s no pressure on me here to change peoples’ lives. There’s no pressure on me to keep a conversation going. I can sit down for dinner across the table from someone without worrying about what I should or shouldn’t say. When I first got here I decided to take a walk through the woods. As I walked, I stumbled across a small shelter where some people pray and journal their thoughts. I stopped and went inside. What I saw was exactly what I needed. On my 3 hour drive down here, I prayed that God would speak to me and show me what I needed to hear. He didn’t waste any time. I was here all of 30 minutes and God showed me something in the middle of the woods. Here it is straight from Psalm 46:10:

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.

This is what I needed to hear most: God simply wants me to BE! He wants me to learn what it really means to exist as His Beloved Son…to know that I’m one of His children…that I’m loved just for who I am…and that’s enough. I don’t have to produce. I don’t have to measure up. I don’t have to change the world. I simply need to learn how to BE…and I can figure out how best to do that right here at Gethsemani. Lord, help me take this truth home with me and begin living in the “Gethsemani Way” back home.

I've Been Converted!

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. I am a Cleveland Indians, Browns and Cavs fan through and through. At least I was...until last Monday night. A good friend paid for me to attend a game at historic Fenway Park in Boston and my life has not been the same since! What an unbelievable experience! From the minute I walked through the gates, it was a spiritual experience for me. People talked to me. People sang the national anthem. I caught an autographed baseball commemorating the 456th straight sell out at Fenway. There were lots of laughs, great food, homeruns and an unbeatable atmosphere. I gotta tell ya: I normally hate it when people switch their allegiance and start following the "winning" team, but this was not so much about the team for me as it was about the people of Boston, the city, the great Fenway park. I loved all of it. These people are my kindred spirits. I have never experienced anything like this before. I am forever changed. I have been converted. I'm thinking of moving there. Can you imagine me becoming part of Red Sox Nation? I know it seems unbelievable, but I think I've been converted!

It's JustLife Baby!

Two years ago Jeff Kivett and I started dreaming about a video-driven website that could help people through some of life's biggest challenges. We started to pray and dream and sketch things out on paper. That eventually led to writing material and recording LOTS AND LOTS of video, and in just about a week or so www.justlife.tv will officially "launch"! We belive this site will reach people who don't know Jesus in a very unique way. We believe the site will help followers of Christ have deeper conversations with their friends and neighbors about spiritual issues. We believe this site will help change our community and maybe even the world! Jeff and I have already been changed just by being involved in the process. We have a team of 12 people on our Board and are already pursuing our own non-profit status as well as several grants (because we definitely need some type of revenue stream to keep the idea going). You can help us by continuing to pray for the project as well as inviting all your friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives to check it out! We appreciate any help you can offer us. And please check it out for yourself too ok? We'd love to hear your comments and ideas for making the site everything God wants it to be!

Summer Lawn Care

Its been really hot lately where I live and I'm practically watering my lawn daily to keep it healthy and green. While I was out there watering this morning, I was thinking about how my lawn is a lot like my spiritual life. Sometimes it's really dry and starts to brown out and get really ugly-looking. Other times it's green and lush and looking great...but it takes a lot of work to keep it that way. There are bugs that try and attack my lawn at times, so I have to use fertilizer and pesticides to keep them away. I feel like there are many distractions in my spiritual life at times too! Different things try to side-track me, discourage me or knock me off course. But with the help of a few good friends I'm in community with, I manage to stay on track most of the time. Now I just wish I could get my lawn a little greener...

Summer Blogging

Why does it seem like summer is such a more difficult time for me to blog? After all, the days are longer and I should have more time on my hands right? Right! But I have grass to mow and kids who are home from school to chase around and things to fix...So maybe I shoudl just wait for school to start up again and then start blogging. Or maybe I shoudl wait for the snow to start falling...then I'll have more time on my hands right? All cuddled up inside my house with nothing else to do except sip hot cocoa and blog right? So what do I do right now in the middle of the summer? Is anyone home reading this stuff anyway? Maybe it's all just a waste of time...or is it? What am I trying to accomplish by sharing my life with people like this anyway?

Silence is Golden

Every year I try to take a few days just to get away and be quiet. I think it's important for me to learn the discipline of silence. I work with people every day. I talk to a lot of people. I love people. But becasue I use my mouth so much, I also need to learn how not to use it. Silence is tough work. Learning to be quiet with God and do nothing is a challenge. But silence also brings my soul back to life again. It lets me "breathe" spiritually. On Nov. 3-6, 2008 I will be taking my annual trip to Gethsemane Monastery in Trappist, KY for a few days of absolute silence. Gethsemane has been a silent monastery since 1848 and they set aside separate weeks for men and women to come down and enjoy the silence with God. If you'd like to join me, just let me know. There may be some openings still available...

The Body of the Resurrection

Jesus was the first to be raised from the dead to eternal life. His resurrected body was very different from the body He was born with. He was still recognizable by his disciples, but He had the ability to walk through walls. He still bore the wounds of His crucifixion, but He could still share a meal with his disciples on the beach. His new body was very unusual. He didn't seem to have the same limitations as He did before. And to think that one day, we will receive a new body in the resurrection as well! Jesus was the first to receive this new body that will never die again, but He certainly won't be the last. We who choose to follow Christ with our lives will receive this new body as well. I can't wait for that day!

What's All the Buzz About "The Shack"?

Have you heard anything about this book The Shack? It seems like everywhere I turn people are talking about it. Some love it, and are deeply moved by the story. Others are bothered by the potential theological ramifications that may come out of the book. A few weeks ago I read an article about the book in the USA Today and heard many different peoples' opinions about the book, so I decided to pick up a copy for myself and read it. (I have a pet peeve over people who critique things they've never read themselves...) And I've got to tell you, the book was hard for me to put down! The story gripped me form the very first page and brought me to tears on a few different occassions. It caused me to ask myself questions like: What is God really like anyway? How does the Trinity interact? Does God really care about my hurt and my pain? I would encourage you to pick up a copy and read it for yourself. And then...let's talk about it together! I know it will stimulate some good discussion!

The Power of the Gospel

The power of the gospel lies not in the offer of a new spirituality or religious experience, not in the threat of hellfire (certainly not in the threat of being "left behind"), which can be removed if only the hearer checks this box, says this prayer, raises a hand, or whatever, but in the powerful announcement that God is God, that Jesus is Lord, that the powers of evil have been defeated, that God's new world has begun." N.T. Wright - Surprised by Hope, p. 227

Evangelism?

I've been forming a friendship with a guy over the past year in order to show him the love of Jesus in a practical way. He knows I'm a follower of Christ. Today he shared with me that one of his clients came in yesterday and basically asked him: "If you were to die tonight, how could you be sure you'd be going to heaven with God?" He didn't have an immediate answer and this person went on to point out how he was sinful and probably on his way to hell unless he repents. This person kept at it pretty hard until my friend had to walk away. I asked him how he felt about the experience and he said he's never felt more attacked in his life. He asked me if this was how all Christians behaved. I apologized and said I hoped not.

Where does someone come up with that kind of stuff? Why do they feel like they're the Judge in another person's life? What gives them that rite? Isn't just really a form of Idolatry for someone to set themselves up in a position of judgment in another person's life? And why do so many "Christians" feel compelled to "save the entire world" before they die? Isn't that God's job? Isn't our job to love people with the love of Jesus Christ and serve them and offer them hope?

I feel like the time I've invested with my friend was severely damaged by this person and I'm pretty frustrated about it...

Wow!

That's the only word I have to describe my last 3 weeks and the first 3 weeks of summer. After school let out, my family and I immediately took off to Nicaragua on a mission trip with 18 others form our church. It was amazing and God did some incredible things in and through us. But on our way back to the states, we received a call informing us that my wife's best friend from Ohio had just lost her 20 year old son in a tragic accident. So we left immediately. We were stunned by what we experienced: We waited 2.5 hours in line for the visitation...over 1200 people attended his funeral. Let's just say that God was amzingly present and at work. While we were in Ohio, we took some time to visit my wife's father who just got out of the hospital and was in a nursing home, and then we left right from there for a weeks vacation in Florida. Some friends were generous enough to let us use their condo in Bradenton Beach, so the 16 hour drive was definitely worth it. We had a blast as a family...just catching our breath and relaxing together. Then yesterday, we made the 16 hour drive back to Indiana and are finally settling in for the rest of the summer. Our Lead Pastor just left for his first ever sabbatical, so I'm holding down the fort while he's away for the next 8 weeks. I'm just happy to be in one place for awhile! Wow...

Nicaragua...What an Experience!

Wow! I just returned from a week in Central America...and what can I say? How can I ever possibly convey what I experienced there in a short Blog post? It's impossible to paint an accurate picture of the overwhelming poverty. But it's also equally impossible for me to describe the unbelievable love I felt from the people there. As we drove through the dump in Managua where over 1 million people call home, our bus was inundated with flies. The filth was everywhere and I wanted to get out of there as fast as I could...and then I realized that people live there every single day. Kids wake up there and go to sleep there at night...every single day. My heart broke. And then we traveled for about an hour to Masatepe where the poverty was just as bad, but hundreds of children greeted us with smiles and hugs. They were so happy that we were there to love them and serve them with the love of Jesus Christ. What a privilege! As I've reflected on my trip, I imagine it's exactly where Jesus would be if He were here living with us on the earth today. And it's exactly where I want to be too...serving whoever Jesus brings across my path with His love and grace. Thank-you for the opportunity Lord. Thank-you for stretching my soul and making me more like you...

Nicaragua Here I Come!

Well, the packing has begun and the trip is just a day or so away. I'm excited and nervous and happy and tired all at the same time. It should be interesting, because half of the team has come up sick in the past few days and the enemy is doing all he can to distract us. God must have something HUGE in store for us down there. It seems like whenevr these types of trips come up in my life, something inside of me doesn't want to go at the last minute, but then I decide to ignore my feelings and go anyway...and God always blesses me. I know this will be the same type of trip!

Memorial day Weekend in Indy

I've lived in Indianapolis for over 4 years now and I'm learning that the Indy 500 pretty much takes over this town on Memorial Day Weekend. It's a lot of fun to watch all the festivities, but I think there's something even more important to remember: All the men and women through the years who have fought for our country and defended us so we can experience the freedom we have today. So I just wanted to say THANKS! I am one American who very much appreciates all you've done for me and my family and I'm doing whatever I can do to give back and make our country a better place for future generations!

From Rules to Relationship

On Sunday, May 11 I'm preaching at my church from the Scripture text of Colossians 2:16-23. We're going to be talking about what effect rules and regulations have on us when it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ. You can listen to the podcast at http://www.bridgewaycc.com/ starting on Monday, May 12. I'd love to interact with you on this message! What effect do rules and regulations have on us when it comes to our relationship with Jesus? What do you think the Apostle Paul is really trying to say in these verses from Colossians 2? What's his BIG IDEA???

I've also been thinking about Hebrews 10:1 and how that verse fits into all of this. I'd love to interact with you...

justlife.tv picks up momentum!

My friend Jeff and I have been working on a video-based website project called www.justlife.tv for the past year and a half. We are currently doing a weekly pod cast in hopes of helping people understand what the site's all about and we've been geeting lots of great feedback. Well just this past Tuesday the Alban INstitute invited us to Washington, DC to present the idea to a group of relaly important people and they seemed to love it! We're hoping God uses this idea to impact people spiritually and help them along in their spiritual journey. Would you take a minute to check the site out if you haven't already? It officially goes LIVE in September, but we're relaly interested in hearing what you think about it! I haven't been this excited about something in a long time!

My Son's Blog

Wow...this whole blogging thing is pretty cool. I know I don't do it often enough, but I'm really enjoying it! Especially when my oldest son comes in and says, "Dad, you gotta check out my blog!" So I go and check it out and of course it's much better than my own. No surprise there! He's writing poetry and expressing himself as a "normal teenager" and he's deeply spiritual, which makes my heart leap for joy! You need to check it out for yourself at josh-ambrose.blogspot.com and let me know what you think. I think he's a pretty cool kid...

The New Christians

Ok, you really need to buy this book and read it of you want to know anything about the emerging church! Tony Jones does a marvelous job describing what the movement is all about and responding to the critics. I loved it and highly recommend it!

I love having conversations with people about theology and that's precisely what the emerging chruch is all about...a conversation! So why don't you join us today?

Torn

Wow! I'm sitting in the main lobby at the Jacksonville International Airport waiting for my flight home and I can't believe what I'm seeing...

A young boy about 7 years old saying goodbye to his dad who appears to be in the military. Tears filling his eyes as he hugs his father and wants to hold onto him to keep him from leaving. I'm not sure life should be this way. Lots of pain. Lots of tears saying goodbye to someone you love. I wonder if his dad would have to leave if our world was at peace? I wonder how this will affect the little guy?

Then there are people hugging other people just returning from a trip - tears of joy rolling down their faces. They are so happy to see one another! It must've been difficult to wait for their return. It's hard for me to wait for anything. I wish I was better at it...

All of these completely opposite responses in the airport lobby. People who don't know each other, yet have so much in common.

And here I sit. Waiting to head home to see my own family whom I love so dearly. There's a storm moving in. I hope I'm able to go or I may be crying too!

On The Road Again

I'm in Jacksonville, FL tonight getting ready to present the CORE tomorrow at Faith Christian Center. It was a great flight down and after navigating through the crazy, curvy highways of Jacksonville, I finally found my hotel and checked in. I was starving, so I went to one of my favorite restaurants: Ted's Montana Grill where I kicked back, enjoyed a great meal and read a new book I'm relaly enjoying..."The New Christians" by Tony Jones. It's really speaking to where I'm at on my spiritual journey, and becasue I have a relationship with Tony, I can really relate and have found myself laughing out loud on a few different occasions. The book is reminding me of how I'm proud to be a part of the Emergent Church. I like that we can ask questions and have our doubts about the Christian faith. None of this bothers God. He's big enough for our questions and doubts. I especially love Tony's take on the importance of theology and how it drives everything we do in life. Tony really makes me think and I love that!

What a Weekend!

The following recounts my experience last weekend while I was out traveling and speaking with Youth Specialties. I think some people believe this is a glamorous deal...this may affect your opinion....This is by far my longest entry, but I know you'll enjoy...

3/7/08 Wow! What a trip. I’m out on the YS tour and flew out of Indy into Memphis on North West Airlines and then into Columbia, SC. I had a great (small: only 30 people) turn-out for the seminar in Columbia & then got to the airport 3 hours early for my flight back to Memphis and on to Kansas City for a Saturday seminar of 300 people or so. The flight from Memphis was delayed because of a blizzard in Memphis, and they kept telling us it would be late – right up until the moment they cancelled the flight altogether. Only problem -- now it was too late to catch any other flights out and I still needed to be in Kansas City the next morning. I spoke with the emergency travel agency for YS & Zondervan, and after being on hold for 20 minutes, there was noting they could do for me either. So I called Carrie and we decided to cancel the city. I would fly home. But in the meantime, I decided to rent a car and drive home. I got my rental from Hertz, got direction and started out of the airport parking lot. That’s when Tic & Marko called from YS and said even if I arrived late, I should still go to Kansas City. They would contact folks to let them know. They found a flight on AirTran that would fly out of Atlanta and arrive the next morning at 9:15 a.m. They made arrangements for me to get picked up at the airport. I went back in to change my rental agreement and then started on the 3-hour drive from Columbia to Atlanta in a driving rainstorm. The entire drive was spent on the phone canceling hotels and rearranging other rentals. Oh – and I was also supposed to meet a candidate for our Executive Pastor Position at BridgeWay and have dinner with him and his wife in Kansas City. That fell through, too.

I eventually arrived in Atlanta around midnight, went to my hotel, and fell asleep. The alarms went of at 5:30 a.m. (I set 3 of them.) I got ready, hopped in my rental, drove to Hertz to drop it off and shuttled to the airport. Because I was purchased my ticket so late, I had to stand in line for my ticket and boarding pass, get extra screening trough security (Can you say “body cavity search”?) I arrived to my gate in Atlanta by 6:35 a.m. for my 8:05 a.m. flight. No sooner did I sit down and AirTran announced an hour-and-a-half delay on my fight due to a late inbound flight from Dayton, OH due to a blizzard up there. I panicked because I knew this wouldn’t put me into Kansas City until at least 10:30 a.m. for a seminar that was supposed to start at 9 a.m. that we had already moved o 10:00 a.m.

So I hustled over to the monitors to check on any other flights to Kansas City and found one on Delta at 7:48 a.m. I ran down to the Delta ticket counter and tried to buy a ticket for the flight that was in the same concourse as my AirTran flight, but they told me it was al booked up. So I called the YS Emergency Travel number and got a hold of an incredible woman who tried to help me through this and get me on that Delta flight. She purchased a ticket for me on a flight later in the day and I ran to Gate C-32 to get on the standby list for the 7:48 a.m. Delta flight. "Barry" was the Delta Gate Agent, and let’s just say that he was less than helpful. I was patient and polite and told him my situation. While he boarded the plane he told me to wait, so I did. Then he started calling standby passengers. I asked him to please put me on the list. He told me to wait. Finally, afer waiting some more, he quickly asked me for my ticket number – now keep in mind that I’ve been on the phone with YS Emergency travel this entire time, and this lady is literally purchasing my ticket for later in the day while I speak to the Delta Gate Agent. After I give him the number and think I’m getting on the 7:48 a.m. flight, he hands me a boarding pass for the 1:45 p.m. flight and says that’s the best he can do. I ask him if he still has seats on this flight, and he says yes, but because I can’t or didn’t pay a change fee, he won’t let me on the flight. Unreal!

So back I go down to the other end of the terminal to wait on my delayed AirTran flight and call Carrie to see what she wants me to do – Ouch! It’s 5 a.m. her time in California, but I had to do it. She tells me to call my YS host in Kansas City and let him know what’s going on. So I try, but his phone is off and the call goes right to voicemail. I try the number of the other guy who was supposed to pick me up at the airport in Kansas City, and it turns out to be a fax number….nice.

Anyway, I leave the host (Jamie) a few messages and go to get a new seat on the AirTran flight so I’m closer to the front and can get off as quickly as possible. it costs me $40, but I’m in 1st Class, Seat 1C. First off the plane! So I sit and wait for the AirTran flight. Finally our plane arrives, they board…and we’re running a few minutes late, (but at least we’re on the way). The pilot then comes one the speaker and announces that we’re going to be delayed 15 minutes to go through the de-icing procedure because, believe it or not, it’s snowing in Atlanta!

So eventually we go wheels up in Atlanta and now I’m flying into Kansas City with an estimated arrival time of 10:40 a.m., Kansas City time. Just before I boarded, the Kansas City host (Jamie) called to tell me he would keep people busy until I arrived, but that he was having trouble finding someone to pick me up at the airport! So here I sit – wondering who will pick me up, wondering why that Delta Gate Agent wouldn’t accommodate me, wondering why all this is happening, and wondering how in the world I’m going to do a 6 hour seminar in 4 hours – because my flight home tonight on NWA leaves Kansas City at 5 p.m. and transfers through Memphis, arriving in Indy at 9:30 p.m. where I’m supposed to meet Rolando Mendoza from CA at the airport because he’s flying into Indy at the same time for BridgeWay’s huge vision-casting service tomorrow and our Nicaragua mission trip meeting Sunday afternoon. “Lord, I have no idea why all this is happening or how you’re going to pull it all off, but I know it’s out of my control and that I totally need to depend on You.” That’s a good lesson for me to keep learning anyway…

As soon as I arrived in Kansas City, someone from YouthFront (where I was speaking) called to tell me that a taxi would be picking me up and driving me 35 minutes to the facility where I’d be speaking. The taxi driver called me, and when I walked out the door, he was there waiting. He was a muslim, and his name was Ibrahim Mohammad and we had a great conversation about life, faith, spirituality, and how politics, greed and power messed it all up.

Anyway, as soon as I arrived, I set up and started teaching. It was about 11:15 a.m. Jamie Roach (the host) did a great job with the people. He was doing a Lectio with the passage of Zaccheaus we were going to speak on, and I guess folds were really into it.

I flew through a good part of the day, shortened the breaks, did a working lunch, and even managed to sell a few books in the process. We were finished by 2:30 p.m. I met Mike King (KS YFL) and Christ Folmsbee (Sonlife—now YouthFront), took a few photos, packed up and met my same taxi drive to go back to the airport for my 5 p.m. NWA flight through Memphis and back home. (By the way, the round-trip cab ride cost $150 with the tip!)

When I got to the Kansas City airport, guess what? My flight was delayed 20 minutes! Ugh-not again! They reassured me it was not a problem. About an hour later, I got up and checked the monitors (must’ve been the Lord), only to see that my flight was now delayed more than an hour-and-a-half, and I would miss my flight connection in Memphis. So I went to the NWA counter, and they quickly rushed me down to American Airlines where I could fly to Dallas, connect to Indy, and be home by 11 p.m. Of course, the American flight to Dallas was running 45 minutes late, but I got on it anyway, and was on my way to Dallas. I thought about just driving home to Indy from Kansas City, but it’s an 8-hour drive. I was really exhausted at this point.

I also got a call from Rolando who said that his flights were 2 hours late! So who knows…this may all work out just fine and we may meet tonight in Indy anyway. I guess only God really knows.

I’m just so glad the people at my seminar were so gracious and stuck with me through it all. Jamie and his team really understand humility and servant-hood and for that, I’m very grateful.

www.justlife.tv

I've been working on a project with a friend of mine that I'm really excited about! It's not up and running quite yet, but we've got a weekly podcast going and we're anxiously waiting for September when the www.justlife.tv site will go live.

The website is a video driven website meant to help you take your spiritual conversations with friends to the next level. We'll be talking about addictions, ange, fear, jacked-up families, stress, suicide, self-esteem and more. We'll be talking from our heart - this won't be a slick, spiritual website. This will be about a bunch of ordinary people sharing their faith stories and how God has helped them through it all.

I hope you get a chance to check it out and use this tool to help you as you talk with yoru friends about the spiritual journey...

Down South

I flew out of Indianapolis this afternoon and arrived in Columbia, South Carolina early this evening. I'm here to present the CORE tomorrow. The CORE is a youth leader/parent/student leader training seminar. As soon as I got off the plane it felt good to be in the south! It was about 70 degrees with a soft breeze blowing. I stopped to eat a local Italian place called Stephanos - it was awesome. My body needed a rest like this. Sure it was a long day of travel, but it was great to get here and relax for awhile too. I'm anxious to see what God's going to do with this seminar I'm leading tomorrow. I'm just trying to follow His leading and obey what He wants me to do and it contineus to lead me into some very exciting opportunities. I never know what's around the next corner. That's an exciting way to live! Why not give it a try?

What's Up With This Blogging Thing Anyway?

Seriously, I've had tons of people pushing me to BLOG more regularly, but I just can't seem to make it a priority. Maybe it's becasue I'm finally 40 years old, maybe I just dont' get it. Why would anyone want to read my ramblings about life anyway? And don't I already have enough to do without trying to write about it all in my blog? I mean seriously, why is this always one o fthe last things on my "to do" list? I mean it's been 3 week or so since my last post and it's not like I haven't had anythingt to write about. There's a ton going on in my life! But I'm more prone to pick up my old school journal where I actually write stuff donw with a pen in a book. Wow am I old! Last week I even opened a Face Book account becasue I want to try and stay as young and hip as possible for as long as possible, but now I've got all these people trying to get in touch with me and be my "friends". I don't mean to sound crass, but I don't need more friends. I need less friends. I can't keep in touch with the friends I already have, let alone adding some new ones! I have no idea how I'm going to survive all of this. I remember laughing at my parents becasue they couldn't figure out how to program their VCR and it kept flashing 0:00 and now I'm turning into my parents! AAAAaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! What am I going to do about this blogging thing? How long amd I going to seriously keep this up? Is anyone relaly reading this anyway?

God's Power

I had the opportunity to witness the power of God at work this week. I watched Him work in a friends life...my friend came to a stark reliazation about himself that he's been wrestling with for years. It was awesome to see God working in his heart as he surrendered his will to God's. It's going to be even more fun to see what God does to change my friend into the person He originally created him to be! I can't wait to see how it all goes down! What a privilege to walk alongside someone in whom God is working! It's definitely not easy work. It's not pain free. But it's incredibly miraculous to watch Jesus do what only Jesus can do in someone's life. God, thanks for the reminder of just how powerful you are! Help me to remain open to your power as well!

Chew On This!

Well my first book is finally out and available. I would love some honest feedback on this blog. I think it's a great book for Jr. and Sr. High students, so pick one up and let me know what your kids think about it!

The Core

For the past 10 years I've had the privilege of training and encouraging youth workers all over the world through an interactive training seminar from Youth Specialties called The CORE. This spring I'll be traveling again and would love to see you! Please come up and introduce yourself...tell me you read my blog and I'd love to talk some more! Here are the cities and dates of my 2008 SPeaking Tour:

2/23 - San Diego
2/29 - Tri Cities
3/1 - Nashville
3/7 - Columbia, SC
3/8 - Kansas City, KS
3/29 - St. Louis, MO
4/5 - Jacksonville, FL
4/12 - Hartford, CT
4/26 - Virginia Beach, VA
5/3 - Toronto, CA

I'm excited about what God's going to do through this year's tour! We're talking about CHANGE in students and youth workers and it would be great to have you involved in the conversation. You can register at www.youthspecialties.com