Ok, this is mostly for family who could not be at the party... but all my friends can watch also!!
Hey, I am studying today for the message out of our current series, "Chase The Lion". I am working on 'Facing Fears' and I came across some great quotes on courage and fear...
Paul "Bear" Bryant: There's no substitute for guts.
Elbert Hubbard: To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
Dale Carnegie: You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind.
Les Brown: Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.
Ralph Waldo Emerson: Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
Edmund Burke: No passion so effectually robs the mind of its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.
Vincent Van Gogh: What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
Norman Vincent Peale: When you are afraid, do the thing you are afraid of and soon you will lose your fear of it.
William Shakespeare: Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.
So, what are you afraid of? How long will you be controlled by your fears? What will you do differently this year that you have not done in recent years because of your fears?
Have courage and Chase the Lion!
I hate seeing that Diet Pepsi commercial about the Cowboys and Giants... it looked like the actual game that ended the Boy's season! Definitely need to re-think that for next year, Jerry!
The Giants are in the Super Bowl without their (arguably) two best players from the past two years, Tiki Barber (retired) and Jeremy Shockey (injury). Hmm, sometimes talent alone is not the most important ingredient of a winning team.
Momentum is huge, especially in big games... who has more right now... the Giants and their streak of winning on the road (1o games in a row) or the Patriots and their PERFECT season thus far (18-0)?
Tom Brady is a stud player, Randy Moss was picked up for a 4th round pick (Go Raiders!), Wes Welker was a Dolphin (who now are being referred to as the Miami Cowboys)... this list could go on and on... seriously, if the Patriots have a weakness, where is it? And who get's the most credit for this team... the coach? The owner? In this age of free agency, what they have done over the past few years is simply amazing...
More later....
Wow, just when you think you can take a breather after Christmas, you realize that Easter is coming (by the way, CVS already has Easter candy...are you kidding me???). Now, this is significant because,of course, this is the foundation of the gospel (Jesus dying and returning to life-- One died so that all might live). But also exciting for church leaders, is that fact that many people who do not attend church on a regular basis will actually consider and be more open to attending a church on Easter Sunday... so on any given year, I already look forward to this day.
But this year, it is even larger than life, as this is the target date for the official, public launch of Oasis Church North Miami! We have big plans in store and lots to do to get our "house" ready for guests and to truly live up to our name in northern Dade county. It is exciting and scary at the same time...
Did I mention that we are starting a new series this week called, "Chase the Lion"? This series is perfect for us as we know the lions in our path heading toward Easter and know that we must move forward and fight every single of them. I am looking forward to this series as I believe it will change the futures (both near and far) of many of us... ROAR!
Pray for March 23 and Oasis North Miami (and ask God to show how you can personally get involved!)!
Jeanine had to work late, so me and fellas went to CB Smith to get out of the house...
- No, I am not holding Ryan up with one hand... 16 pounds gets to sit on a picnic table!
- Yes, he is having fun...he just thought it was the "tuff" no smile photo
- Zachary is awesome...he is blast to interact with and literally, everyday is a new adventure
- First time out with the boys on my own...we avoided the rain drops, went for a walk, and returned with the same number of people that we had at the beginning of the night... success!
- All of us were glad to see Jeanine (MOMMY!) walk in the door...woohoo!
One of the meetings that I love to be a part of are the ones where we gather the leaders of our church. This past weekend was amazing as over 90 leaders from our three campuses came together for a few hours to be informed and inspired about different aspects about our church. It was great to have a group of leaders from NoMi for the first time ever!
I think the reason these meetings get me pumped up is that every single person there gets and understands "IT". They are not on the sidelines of ministry, they are in the game. They are not using other people's time and money, they personally have a stake and have made sacrifices for Oasis Church. These people love what God is doing and more importantly, love God (this pic is of our worship together..."as one we sing!"). These are the people you can count on, who will take the lead, who will pull off the majority of what our church decides to do in following God, who will celebrate together as well as help pick up the pieces...they get it! This is truly the 80/ 20 rule...Can you tell what excites and inspires me??
Now, don't get me wrong... I know not everyone gets "it". If you are brand new to our church or to following Christ (or still checking it out and wondering if it is true), it will take time to grow (this is echoed in the Bible). If you are under the age of 10, it's a little harder to get "it" when it comes to leading (but it still can be done!). But, if you are not in these two categories, what is your excuse? Why don't you get "it"? I mean, Christ is alive, you have been saved (to serve), and people are watching you (so do something worth imitating)...I hope you get "it" soon!
For more pics from my presentation about North Miami, please visit our website later on this week...
I put my wedding ring on for the first time in front of Jeanine, our families, God, and a whole bunch of friends and people from college and our church!
We had a great day today, looking back and remembering many of the times we have shared together (she had no idea what she was in for when she said "I do"!). I surprised Jeanine at work with roses and was able to take her to lunch and then again, to dinner (thanks Grandma and Papa for watching the boys!).
We have had our few moments of distress and many more happy moments over the years and, by the grace of God, we will have many years to come. I am amazed by Jeanine, I am still the luckiest guy in the world, and I love the fact I get to enjoy life with my wife...
We know what we will be doing! Or at least we talked about it this past Monday and Tuesday in NoMi at our sermon planning meetings for 2008!
Fueled by Krispy Kreme donuts, Starbucks coffee, and Captain Jim's (not too mention Mountain Dew and day old Chessy Puffs!), Guy, Pat, Chris, and I spent over 13 hours talking (and laughing at different things - seriously, our staff has a lot of fun together) through the series and services for this year. Crazy to think about the whole year but it is encouraging and exciting to look ahead and prepare messages we pray are from God and will communicate to the people He draws to each service (Christ Followers and not-yet-followers!).
I believe our church is in for some exciting times and will be challenged to live this year at a higher level of faith and trust than ever before... are you ready??
Irony...a day after the COWBOYS lose, my Romo jersey (B-day gift from Jeanine...thanks sweetie!) comes in the mail...AAHHHHH!
That's ok, I am still a fan of the Star... even though some people like to hate my Boys, that does not deter me in loyalty for my team. Hopefully, what went wrong (penalties, defense, and special teams... to name a few!) will be addressed and we can look forward to next year...
By the way, according to ESPN, today is the anniversary of the final win of the forever talked about perfect season by the (once mighty) Miami Dolphins... memory lane is so much fun!!
GO PATRIOTS! Now, we can have an asterik next to the Dolphins season - 1972* Only 17 games played... Guy, did they have facemasks for that season or did they wear the leather helmets then? Man, that was so long ago (before I was born) that no one even cares anymore!
Well, I have been out of the blog-o-sphere for a few days, taking a needed break from the internet while on vacation. But we are back home in South Florida now and, that's right...It's my birthday!
It began last night in Jax when my sisters had me blow out a cupcake candle... and Don let me whip him at Madden '07 on PS2... thanks guys!
Then, this morning before we hit the road...Panera Bread breakfast sandwhich and Hot Krispy Kreme Donuts! Lunch at the Cracker Barrel at exit 215 off of I-95. And dinner here at home, wondering why my parents haven't called their first-born (ok, maybe I was pouting a little...but it's my birthday!) when...knock, knock...
SURPRISE! My parents and brother drop in and Jeanine pulls out a birthday cake made by Shelly Walkenhorst that was picked up by my mom-in-law while I took the rental van back...yummy! (Go Cowboys!)
One of my most unusual birthdays, but one I totally enjoyed... thanks for the surprise, thanks for Ohio State losing (yes, I am still bitter from they robbed the Canes), thanks for my family (I have been blessed big time!!), and thanks for another year...who knows what God will do in the next 366 (yep, leap year!)???
Oh, and thanks for the shout outs on Facebook and Myspace! I can't forget you guys!!
the fire is real! Last week, on Christmas Day, I wrote about our fake fire. Well, I am happy to report that so far, we have had two real fires...I love the smell and the snap, crackle, and pop! Tonight in North Georgia, it is supposed to be around 17 degrees... although I heard it will be cold in South Floria as well...bbbrrrr! But, I love it!
