a liter of cola.. fun, fun stuff.

So we have already come back from the C3 conference in Texas, and it was pretty sweet.. but I still wanted to talk a little about it and post some pictures.. While we were in Texas, we ate a lot of food. But one place we went to was a Memphis, TN style BBQ.. and the had a whole bunch of stuff on the walls and whatnot all having to do with music... It totally reminded me of that movie super troopers for more than one reason.. first the stuff on the walls, and second.. they had served us up liters of cola, well the one Dan has is iced tea, but still.. So all in all good food for the trip.


The conference was really good, and the church, just like everything in Texas was really big... I will post more on what I learned and took away from the conference in my next blog, but for now.. here is a couple of pictures of this crazy big church.. [the vertical lights you see are leds and they changed color alot, the lights and the scaffolding were all rented from Christmas until the conference that year.]

Traveling.

So yesterday me, Dan, Nate, and Nate's dad [Dale] all headed out to Texas for a conference called the Creative Church Conference or C3.. It is this really amazing display of what God's creativity looks like in the church setting.. The bummer is that it seemed like it took forever to get here, and Nate was really sick the whole time.. Dan talks a little more about this in his blog.


Last year this conference got Nate and I really excited for what we could bring to the Stirring, and this year I am looking forward to seeing how it will affect us. The speaker line up is pretty good and besides Ed Young, the two speakers that I am looking forward to the most are.. Bishop T.D. Jakes, and Brian Huston [the pastor at Hillsong church]. So it should be really good. I will let you all know how it goes over the next couple of days.

Noisey child.

o today was a laid back day.. I should have been working, but I decided that it was more important to do the exact opposite today. Me and the family went and visited a few friends [Akshay Lazarus, and Wendy & Andy Williams].. Then we headed over to Bestbuy and checked out the new MacBook Air.. If you haven't touched, or even seen this thing yet... you should head over to Bestbuy sometime and pick it up.. The name says it all.. It is really, really light.. I would probably never buy one [not really built for what I would want to use it for], but they are pretty sweet..


After we left bestbuy we continued down the strip heading in and out of several stores with the stroller.. Almost the whole time we were going around these stores Josiah was sleeping... Until we got into Pier 1.. That is when he started doing this..

I love my son.. He is amazing, and now really loud. The whole rest of the time we were out and about he was making these noises and smiling the whole time.. I love being a dad.. If you aren't then I would definitely recommend it, that and marriage..

Ohio and back.

So i just went on a trip to visit family and friends and now I am back. I realized that almost every time I go to Ohio, I am sick the entire time and a few days when I get back.. This totally is not fun.. but now I am back and I am busy. I thought that this trip would be really easy and that I could get some work done while I was gone, but I was wrong.. and now I have some catching up to do. So if you think about it pray for me.

We had a good time overall and, I just want to publicly thank my family for buying us tickets and flying out to visit. I love you guys. Thanks again,

Check out Skybus.. cheep tickets.

Poll: Where fun and exciting places are you flying to this year.?

Church, more than six letters.

So it had been a while since I had posted anything, so I am going to post three in a row, maybe four.. This last post is a thought that I had on Sunday night in response to Nathan's [my pastor friend at the Stirring] message.. I am also going to be occasionally posting stuff on the new Stirring blog as well.. This time I want to post it on both..

Church

Church is more than a six letter word..
Community, Love, Generosity, Selflessness, Humility, Life Giving, Family, Exciting, a Movement..

It's something worth giving your life to.!

When did church become about.. guilt, shame, loneliness, obligation, comfort, selfishness, criticism..?

It's more than a building. It's more than a membership. It's even more than a community..
It's a lifestyle.!

God calls us to live out what we learn. Share what we know. Care for those who can't. Live with the least. Love as though we care.!

Dreams.

I wrote a poem about dreams Sunday night..

I hope that it makes you think like it did me...

Dreams

Momentary or eternal.
Fiction or fact.
History of future.
Pointless or important.
Ledgend or legacy.
Sleeping or awake.
Laying down or taking a stand.
Thinking or doing.
Comfortable or Uncomfortable.
Imaginary or Impossible.

When God dreams..
He is not asleep..!

Poems.

These are a few poems that I have not yet had a chance to post..

Hope

What is hope?
Just an idea, a thought, a feeling..
A revolution, a desire, a dream..

Do we believe in hope?
Enough to care.
Enough to know.
Enough to see.

Do we understand hope?

Then why are we afraid.?

These next two poems go together..

Alone

Starving in darkness
Dealing with shame
Feeling exhausted and lonely
Crying in pain
Reeking of guilt
Aching with desire
Dying to be discovered

This is where is sit quietly..
in the back of the church.

Singing loudly
Shouting joyfully
Praying in excitement
Crying out freely
Running Happy
Jumping playfully
Feeling close
Starving for more

This is where i stand..
worshiping in a field in Africa.

These are just a few thoughts that I jot down on Sunday nights.. Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment anytime.. More to come.