Anson's Brain

2008-07-13T12:51:00.001-07:00

This video was posted as a Myspace Video by a high school student who went to Superwow the week I preached there this summer. You rock, bro!!!

SuperWow 2008 Anson McMahon

Speak of the devil.....

2008-07-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I started to preach a brand new sermon series at The Point (12Stone's High School Ministry). To listen to the talks from the point just visit the link at the bottonm of this post!

The title of the series we just began is MAN VS. WILD. Obviously it's taken from the Bear Grylls TV series of the same name which can be seen on the Discovery Channel each week. The metaphor I am springing off of as a launching pad for this series is as follows: Just as Bear Grylls is trying to overcome and conquer the wild as he is dropped into places like Siberia and Iceland, those of us who are Christ-followers are also in a battle to overcome our own adversary. Namely the devil (or Satan) & his army of demon-cohorts. Spiritual warfare isn't just something that really freaky "charis-maniacs" with colorful prayer banners and green point of contact handkerchiefs sticking out of the pockets of their leisure suits believe. It is real and the church, in my opinion, desperately needs to learn more about it. This by implication means that those of us who are pastors need to begin to step to the plate and teach more about it.

In week one we focused on the idea that Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He is constantly lying and attempting to deceive us with lies like "If it feels good do it..", "This world is all there is..." and "You are the only one that matters..." If we are not alert and constantly on guard against these lies we will soon be led astray by them and destroy ourselves. John 10:10 tells us bluntly that Satan comes "only" to steal, kill, and destroy. He never ever comes at us will beneficial things in mind for us. His objective is always to lure us away from Christ until we openly rebel just as he and the demons have already done!

Could it be, however, that GOD has communicated to us through His Word, the Holy Bible, some vital survival skills we can and should implement in order to overcome our adversary the devil? This is the question we are seeking the answers to in our series MAN VS. WILD. I hope you'll comment me with some thoughts of your own!

Visit the link below to listen to messages from THE POINT High School Ministry.

http://apps.facebook.com/filefactory//folder/1201615135/83def2634a31d1d1f9f3b257cf78dbe4/

2008-07-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

SuperWow 2008

2008-06-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

During the week of June 16-20 Heather, Annabelle, and I travelled south down less-than-interesting Interstate 16 to toasty Jekyll Island, Georgia. I was to speak that week for a summer camp that's pretty near to my heart. SuperWow. Besides having the coolest name on earth, there are many other reasons I love this camp so much. This is the same camp I use to travel to as a High School student years ago with my youth group. It's the place I first saw Dave Busby preach. It's the place I first felt GOD's leading to surrender my life to full-time vocational ministry. The place where I first sensed a clear call to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus loudly and passionately until I either die or go mute (whichever comes first).

During the evenings I preached on a variety of different topics; Noah the righteous man, Jonathan the warrior, the parable of the warrior king, and the parable of the sower. During the morning sessions, however, I felt a leading to teach on the topic of Heaven. I first taught on this topic about 6 months ago when we were still in California. The thought was to set up the topic of Heaven in the first session and then answer a ton of frequently asked questions in the last two sessions including, "Who goes to heaven?", "Do we become angels in heaven?", "Are there animals in heaven?", "Will we know each other in heaven?", "Is there sexual intercourse in heaven?" and the all so popular "Will we use the bathroom in heaven?". Now- before you get upset at my crassness you must understand that these are the questions teenagers are asking today! One of the problems with student ministries today (in my opinion) is that we're answering a bunch of questions that nobody is asking! That may actually be the problem with a lot of churches too for that matter. So on-and-on we go each week as more and more people stare glassy-eyed at the preacher and wonder how much longer it will last. By-the-way, is it just me or does it seem like for a place we as Christ-followers will spend all eternity, Heaven is a topic that seems to be conspicuously missing from our teaching series calendars?!!!

Anyway, it was incredible to hear the responses of people throughout the week as we spent time on this topic. The Lord did it again! He alone knows what people most need to hear! It's amazing to watch what the Holy Spirit does in the hearts of spiritually lost people when you discuss the place called Heaven and spend time teaching the scripture texts in GOD's Word that speak of it. Many students came to Jesus. Not because of the preacher. Not because of the music. Not because of the illusions. But because of the promise to be in the presence of Christ forever......... in the place called Heaven.

Lessons from Denver

2008-06-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

I spent this past week in the Denver area at Group Publishing's headquarters with my buddy Brett, the Middle School Pastor at 12Stone and my boss Shannon. We were hanging at a small conference only a few churches had been invited to. The conference (or should I say round-table discussion) ws moderated by Rick Lawrence, editor of Group Magazine and the Student Pastors from Saddleback Church, Doug Fields and Kurt Johnson.

I had never been to Colorado before. The following items are the Top 15 things I learned this past week.

1. Brett Moore makes me laugh so hard I think I actually busted a blood vessel in my eye. "I love...."

2. Doug Fields and Kurt Johnson are way more down to earth than I expected. I'm not sure why that surprised me.

3. Pastors have the same heart issues for the most part! Longing for more intimacy with Christ. Longing for Christ-centered accountability with other dudes. Longing to spend our lives for the Gospel in healthy ways.

4. Being trapped in conversations where others are talking about nothing more than ministry, numbers, and strategy makes me wanna jump off a building. I fantasize about being a Wal-Mart greeter in those moments.

5. Coors Field in Denver is nowhere near as sharply and technologically pimped out as Turner Field in Atlanta is!!

6. Downtown Denver is the bomb at night. VIVA LA ESPN THE ZONE!!!!!

7. The student ministry dudes from Lancaster County Bible Church in Pennsylvania are some of the coolest dudes I've ever hung out with!! I'm looking you guys up when I'm in Philly next year!!!

8. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park looks nothing like it did in the movie The Shining!! "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

9. Frontier Airlines needs to get their act together!! 40 minutes on the tarmac with no explanation?! DUDE?!!

10. The words shared with me on the last morning of the conference by a few fellow Student Pastors are words I will never forget. Thanks to my brothers from So-Cal, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

11. The indoor pool at the La Quinta in Loveland, CO is strangely warm. Almost too warm. EEeeeeewwwwww.

12. It's never easy to sleep at night when you have salsa music thumping right outside your window all night and a roomate who is ready to kill the guilty parties.

13. The students who work in the bookstore at the University of Colorado in Boulder are the rudest people I have ever met. I will pray for you.

14. Ernest from Seacoast Church in Charleston, SC is a cool dude. Keep walking with Jesus, my friend.

15. There's no place like home.

"I am Iron Man!!"

2008-05-27T10:11:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday after THE POINT was over, me and a few of our High School Ministry volunteers bolted and went to the IMAX Theater at Mall of Georgia to see the much talked about Iron Man. It's been years since I caught a late show and I was pretty concerned that all the nights of going to bed early over the past 2 years because I'm getting old (and that's what you do when you have kids!) was going to ruin me. I was sure that I probably wouldn't last through the first couple of previews.......especially after preaching and sweating profusely for 2 hours!!

The cool thing was that we were the only dudes in the Theater!! Except for the 2 couples in the back who kept giggling and speaking spanish. Seriously. Anyway, there we were.....all 5 of us men. Of course we each had the obligatory "I am not on a date with this man....I'm married to a woman!" empty seat between each of us.

Just so you know, I thought the movie was absolutely bomb-a-licious!! Iron Man is the quintiscential American Superhero. I will say, however, that I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cringe at his arrogance. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance and most of us end up crossing it if we're not careful.

My favorite scene in the movie was when Iron Man saves Lois Lane from falling off of the Eiffel Tower and then traps the Joker in that web he shoots from his wrist right before turning into a really muscular green monster. This movie rocks!!!!

UNDER THE SEA!

2008-05-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

Last week I loaded up the family in the trusty Honda Pilot and we headed out on an adventure. The mission: To explore the ocean without getting wet or having to put on really uncomfortable scuba gear while avoiding the sad experience of becoming an appetizer for some famished Tiger Shark. The Destination: The Georgia Aquarium.

Living in California for over the past 5 years, and having only heard about the aquarium, Heather and I honestly weren't sure what to expect! For all we knew it was a large pool in downtown Atlanta surrounded by a rusty barbed-wire fence with 50 pound catfish and a couple Alligators, wrestled away from their home in the Okefenokee Swamp, only to be dropped into midtown! We would buy our tickets from a man in a straw hat named Cleetus who would then point and say "It's down yunder yawwwll." Man, were we in for a huge surprise!!!

During our time in California we were blessed to be able to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few times and I really do think that this one could give that one a run for its money! Or maybe this experience to an aquarium was just a trillion times more fun because of the little girl I had on my shoulders who about every 6 seconds would scream out, "DADA FIIIISSSHHHHH!!"

They had just about every underwater creature you could possibly imagine with the exception of live mermaids and the loch ness monster (though I'm pretty sure they have probably sent some south Georgia big-game hunters to Scotland to bag that one!!). There were tropical fish, fish from rivers, and fish from deep down in the darkness of the ocean. There were penguins, beavers, sea lions and my personal favorites: Four Tiger Sharks!! I think the Tiger Sharks are my favorite because if I were a fish that's probably what I would be. Tiger Sharks remind me a lot of myself in-other-words. They are strong, intimidating, sleek, extremely cool, it's known for eating a wide variety of items, and, according to Wikipedia, "It has sometimes been found with man-made waste such as license plates or pieces of old tires in itsdigestive tract."

Don't ask!!

Finally, there were the Beluga Whales. Spectacular, massive, creatures that almost look like they have a human face on them. It kind of reminded me of Randy Jackson. Seriously!! Find a picture of one and tell me that dude doesn't look just like a Beluga Whale!! I mean no disrespect...just tryin' to speak the truth!!

Anyway, as I walked through the Georgia Aquarium that day with my wife and my daughter surrounded by water and a vast array of ocean life I was struck with a realization. Only a fool would say, "There is no god!" YAHWEH has revealed Himself in what we call General Revelation in spectacular ways!! Whether it's through the smile on the face of a Beluga Whale, the stripes on a tropical fish, the tail on a stingray, the waddle of an emperor penguin, the laugh of my own daughter as she watches the emperor penguin or the way my wife winks at me because I remind her of a Tiger Shark. All of these incredible miracles reveal that there must be a Creator behind all of this creative-creation!!

I am consistently amazed by the fact that there is a huge segment of our American populace that goes home at night after a day surrounded by the miracle of creation while living on a planet that hangs unsupported in space, miraculously and yet consistently revolving around a gigantic star that helps sustain life on this planet, while they eat and drink and laugh with their families and yet they still believe that GOD is not. We ask for GOD to show us miracles and then we'll really believe. Maybe He's already answered that prayer. Look! FIIIIISSSSHHHHH!!

30

2008-05-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday (May 17th) I experienced my 30th birthday. Yes, that’s right………30. It was an amazing day. My beautiful wife Heather made the day extra awesome by giving me some great gifts and taking me to the Braves game with some friends. Even though they ended up losing 5-4 to the Oakland A’s, I didn’t let it get me down. I mean it was my 30th birthday for crying out loud!!! Now some people freak out about milestones like this. I on the other hand don’t really get too obsessed with it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I work with teenagers. They really do keep you young when you spend a lot of time with them. Then, when your kids become teenagers I hear it all catches up with you and you age three to four times faster than normal!!

What’s the point of letting a 30th birthday bother you?! It’s inevitable!! It’s called the space-time continuum and none of us have any control over it whatsoever. With every tick of the second-hand on a clock we age until it all compounds and finally we’re 73 years old sitting in a padded rocking chair, rubbing the few hairs still clinging to the back of our head, asking “Pardon me?” after every question we are asked, while our spouse wipes the prune juice from our chin.

Actually I’m kind of glad I’m 30. I was reading a blog the other day where the author pointed out that the Talmud (Pirkei Avot 5:26) declares: "At age 30, one receives strength." The author of the blog went on to say:

“The Code of Jewish Law (O.C. 581:1) instructs congregations to seek certain qualities when choosing a cantor to lead the services on the High Holidays. One of these qualities is that he should be at least 30 years old. Why? The Mishna Brura explains that it is because a 30-year-old is humble and broken hearted, and can thus sincerely "pray from the heart."

It would seem that the Torah understands age 30 as a "moment of truth" when certain realities of life firmly take hold, and it is only through the acquisition of these realities that one can be a leader -- whether in public life or in prayer.”

I’ve always thought it was interesting how according to Genesis 41:46, “Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” And Jesus, of course, was 30 when he began his public ministry. So maybe 30 isn’t that bad. Why should I be depressed about it when apparently it’s quite a significant milestone in Jewish culture?

I have entered into a new season of my life. I want to be a faithful, passionate man of God for the next 30 years of my life and beyond. Thirty years from today I hope to be talking with my wife, Heather, about all the amazing things we saw the Lord do in and through us. And hopefully the vast majority of them occurred after I had turned 30. But until then I will thank my Lord for the 30 years he has given to me so far. And maybe….just maybe……I’ll go buy some dark socks, wear them with my flip-flops and purchase a really huge fanny-pack to put my chapstick collection in.

Leaders

2008-05-13T04:59:00.000-07:00

I had lunch with my friend Keith Sargent yesterday (aka "The Sarge"). Keith is a high school teacher/ driving instructor extraordinaire and he serves faithfully in the High School Ministry. I first met him when we went on our Philadelphia mission trip almost 2 months ago. Keith was in my van (or should I say I was in his) and he drove us all the way from the ATL to "The City of Brotherly Love" without ever taking a break. I offered to drive but Keith said he was OK. I still don't know if this is because he just really loves to drive or if he was still trying to figure out if I was over twelve years old. I knew, however, that this guy was an ironman if he could drive a van filled with cackling/ laughing/ singing teenagers over 13 hours straight without ever stopping to bang his head against a guard rail.

Yesterday as we ate at Chic-fil-A {thank you sweet Jesus!} and talked about things like high school ministry and Greek Orthodoxy {you don't wanna know} I was reminded how blessed this ministry is to have people like this serving in it. Keith stands tall like a linebacker but he has an incredible heart that beats for Christ. And he can grow facial hair which, as always, causes me to envy greatly.

The Trail

2008-05-13T03:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when I left the office I went for a run. Little Mulberry Park is really close to our house so I changed, muscled down a sandwich, gulped a water, and jumped in the car. I needed a little time to re-boot and clear my thoughts.

I haven't had much time for recreation since we moved back to Georgia and joined 12Stone. With the move, learning my new job, and all the small tasks in between, putting my body through a grueling regimen has not been high on the list. I felt the need to renew this discipline yesterday though.

Little Mulberry Park is a magnificent place with miles of running trails with views of incredible forests and lakes. It is definitely a place where you can clear your mind and think deep thoughts. My deep thoughts however consisted of plugging the i-pod into my ears and blasting Drivin' & Cryin' while focusing on dominating the trail that lie before me!

I once heard a leadership guru who visited my former church in California talk about the importance of making time for play and how it is especially vital in the life of a pastor. He spoke of how sad it is that many guys in full-time ministry never make time for recreation and even sometimes feel guilty for doing so. I agree with him.

As I ran I got tired which made me breathe faster which caused my heart to beat faster which caused the oxygen to be pumped throughout my body at a much greater rate of speed which caused my brain to receive more oxygen than usual which caused me to think clearly and even sort of relax mentally and emotionally which made me want to run more. Very cool. Not to mention the song Fly Me Courageous was causing me to want to break something with my bare hands while I sped forward.

Last night after my friends Jason and Brett left, as I watched the NBA playoff game I had a thought. Running a trail like the one at Little Mulberry Park is a lot like living life. There are tons of different variations to the path you find yourself on. Some parts are curvy, some are straight. Some parts of the trail are a downhill cruise while others seem to go straight up a 70 degree incline. There are places in the trail where the scenery overlooks a majestic array of green trees, reflecting lakes, and even a large swan leading her baby chicks like a scene right out of a Mother Goose book while other portions are dark and over-layed with gloomy trees straight out of an Edgar Allen Poe story. Sometimes while looking at the scary scenery you even fall and scrape your knees.

You pass a lot of different people while on the trail. Old and young, skinny and not-so-skinny, young yuppie professionals and blue collar workers, nice looking couples and even the occasional scary looking man with dark eyes who looks exactly like that crazy dude from No Country for Old Men who made me have bad dreams for like a week and the whole time you're passing him on the trail you are totally freaked out just praying under your breath that he doesn't pull out one of those creepy bolt-gun things from that movie and start to...... wait....... sorry.

My point is that the trail we're running on is always changing. The hope that we have is that the ONE who runs with us never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same GOD who is running with me and leading me on this trail of my life is the same GOD who led and ran with the Apostle Paul on his trail of life. I find amazing peace in this truth.

Right now in the ministry I lead there are 2 separate sets of parents involved in serving in the ministry who are dealing with pretty big health issues with their children. They are incredible parents with an inspiring faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. I have learned a lot from them as I've talked to them over the past couple weeks. Right now they find themselves on an uncomfortable piece of the trail. Sometimes it's probably even scary. But nevertheless their eyes are staring ahead. And with the promises of GOD blaring out of their invisible i-pods into their spiritual ears they press on. They are heroes and they inspire me to do the same.

And the cool thing is that one day, when this trail comes to an end, those of us who have trusted in Christ will begin to run on a brand new trail. A trail where there are no more gloomy places, no more dark corners, and no more creepy villains with dark eyes, a bolt gun, and a really bad bowl haircut. That trail will never end. And we will never ever fall and scrape our knees again.

Preach

2008-05-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

This morning I spoke at Mill Creek High School about 2 miles from where I live. The most recent studies show Mill Creek to be the largest school in Georgia with over 4,000 students (Thank you Wikipedia!). A club called "Morning Manna" (See Moses and the book of Exodus) meets every Tuesday morning at 6:45. Tomorrow night I will preach at The Point @ 12Stone Church. No matter where it is I absolutely love to preach. It's the reason I'm in ministry. Along with having relationships with the people I'm ministering to, preaching is what fires me up about ministry.

In the 80's Oscar

winning movie Chariots of Fire, the main character Eric, an Olympic sprinter makes the famous statement "When I run I feel God's pleasure." Well, when I preach I feel God's pleasure. Don't get me wrong.... it's not easy. Not ever. The Word messes with you in preparation, the Spirit convicts, and the Truth many times hurts. To this day I feel a mixture of queasiness, excitement, and extreme adrenaline rush before I step before a group of people to unfold and teach the scriptures. But it never ever gets boring!

When I was a kid in school (even in high school) I hated the thought of standing before a crowd and talking. In fact, I'd have much rather been strapped to a chair and had metal clips holding my eyelids open while being forced to watch a 10 hour long Justin Timberlake concert than speak in front of a crowd. A lot can change when the LORD grips your heart and (thankfully) refuses to let go.

Preaching teaches you a lot. It forces you to pray more because there's no way you can share anything eternally significant relying on your own carnal strength and wisdom. It forces you to study because you need to preach as one who has authority. It forces you to repent because not to do so would be hypocrisy. It forces you to listen because the preacher who is worth his salt needs to know what the LORD wants to say and what the people desperately need to hear.

I'm reading a classic book on preaching right now called Preaching & Preachers by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. It is both challenging me and blowing my mind. The following excerpts are a few that I've loved.

"Emotion is regarded as something almost indecent [in preaching] . My reply to all that, once more, is simply to say that if you contemplate these glorious truths that are committed to our charge as preachers without being moved by them there is something defective in your spiritual eyesight."

"But, if there is no power it is not preaching. True preaching, after all, is God acting. It is not just a man uttering words; it is God using him. He is being used of God."

"What is preaching? Logic on fire! Eloquent reason! Are these contradictions? Of course they are not. Reason concerning this truth ought to be mightily eloquent, as you see it in the case of the Apostle Paul and others. It is theology on fire. And theology which does not take fire, I maintain, is a defective theology; or at least the man's understanding of it is defective. Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire.......I say again that a man who can speak about these things dispassionately has no right whatsoever to be in a pulpit;and should never be allowed to enter one."

"Preaching is the most amazing, and the most thrilling activity that one can ever be engaged in, because of all that it holds out for all of us in the present, and because of the glorious endless possibilities in an eternal future."

So tomorrow I will take the platform again. After feeling a mixture of exuberance and intense nausea, I will ask the Holy Spirit to empower me and speak through me with words that only he can give. I will sweat like a horse in Haiti and spit like a sprinkler in a corn field. I have to. It's truly like a fire shut up in my bones. I pray that the LORD will show up in a huge way and that many lives will be changed by the Gospel. And maybe......just maybe.....we might even have fun!

ENGAGE Retreat and Hebrews 11

2008-05-04T18:00:00.001-07:00

So I just got back from taking about 30 student leaders in our high school ministry on an overnight retreat. I'm just now getting to know these students so it was a blessing hanging out with them on a retreat like this. There's nothing quite like driving a van full of teenagers singing "Grin Again Gang" for 30 minutes straight and telling stories of a barber named Bill, his doll-faced wife, and and the dinosaur he tried to shave {don't ask}! I'm learning that transitioning into a new ministry is a lot like being a space shuttle making a re-entry into the stratosphere. It's a bit bumpy and awkward at times but the payoff for persevering is well worth it.

During the retreat I shared a devotion with these students. The Lord had put the topic of "real faith" on my heart. We read from the incredible faith chapter, Hebrews 11. What amazes me about this scripture is that you see what it means to really have faith. In the case of everyone mentioned in this chapter (From Noah to Rahab to everyone else in between!) there is a specific "faith progression". First, God made a promise. Then the person with faith risked it all by believing God. Then God showed up in a HUGE way. But none of the people were shown exactly how everything would turn out before they lived by faith and believed God.

The scripture that burned a hole in my heart was the last part of verse 27. When talking about Moses, the writer of Hebrews says, "he persevered because he saw him who is invisible." What?! Does anyone else see something weird here?! How in the flip do you see something OR some-one that's invisible?! Then it hit me. The more often I risk it all to live by faith the more often I will likely see God. If I never live by ridiculous faith I probably won't see the invisible God. Moses saw him who is invisible because he believed God and obeyed Him. The result: God showed up! Moses saw God show up! Moses saw God!!

This idea seems to carry even into the New Testament when we look at the ministry of Jesus. The end of Matthew chapter 13 tells us about Jesus going to his hometown of Nazareth. He had grown up there which made it difficult for the people there (parents of the kids he played with, teachers at the local school, etc.) to believe he was actually Messiah. They did not have faith. The result is what seems to me to be a haunting scripture.

"And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." (Matthew 13:58)

There seems to be a connection between believing God and seeing God move. Rather than doing more miracles in a place where unbelief reigned in order to prove who he is, Jesus instead does few miracles. All because these people lacked faith.

The bottom line for me is this: I don't want to miss God. I don't want to not see the invisible God. May my life be one of ridiculous faith that I may see God move in powerful ways. And if He chooses not to move in the ways I long for Him to I will still believe that He must have a better plan than I ever did!

I believe that God has brought me to this place. I believe that God has brought me to this ministry for such a time as this. I believe that God has brought me to these students. I believe that God has brought me to these adult volunteers. I believe that God has led me to this city. For such a time as this I find myself here. I believe that God is getting ready to unleash a whirlwind of power. I want to risk it all for the sake of my King. And if I perish I perish. But either way..... I will see God

2

2008-04-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got together with a few friends to celebrate Annabelle's second birthday. Elmo and Abby Cadabby (of Sesame Street fame) were plastered all over our house as toddlers blew bubbles, bounced balloons into the air, and scurried up and down the stairs like ants marching in a parade.

I was reminded on that day that one of the most amazing sounds in the galaxy is a child's laughter. There may be no other sound so filled with hope and optimism.

It's hard to believe that this little girl is already two. As I write this blog my little munchkin is flopping around on the floor like a captured fish singing a song that has only one lyric: "da be doo-doo-doo.....da be doo-doo-doo". Her little pink bow (strategically matching her shoes) hangs sideways like a tattered war-torn flag......a casualty of her new game. The more I watch my daughter play her made up games, blow out Elmo-candles, and eat cake with her hands, the more I continue to understand why Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me."

What Friendship Means

2008-04-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today I spent some time with one of my best friends, Joel. We talked about life and ministry as we ate hot wings and way too many curly fries. We laughed about old memories and dreamed about what the future may hold for each of our families. As we sat there in Beef O'Brady's Restaurant surrounded by sports memorabilia and about 16 flat screen tv's, I felt blessed. Striking up these old friendships has been a gift from GOD over the past month-and-a-half. In addition to being at a church where I have learned a year's worth of lessons already, I have been able to hang out with friends I feel a real kindredness to. Joel is one of those friends I can imagine myself sitting on a patio with when I'm 70 complaining about the rising prices of prunes and milk of magnesia.

Another good friend of mine is Jason. We have been friends for about 10 years now (Dude, i'm getting old!). I love talking to Jason (whenever we have a serious conversation) because even though we have vastly different backgrounds we think extremely similarly about ministry. His office is about 7 doors down from mine at the church. We actually live officially 3 doors down from Jason and his family. I consider it a joy getting a knock on my front door at 11pm from him asking if he can borrow one of my Nintendo Wii games.

Here at 12Stone I feel like I've already made some pretty cool friendships with the guys on staff with me too. Brett (Middle School Pastor) is a stinking trip! It was a touching experience spitting lugies off of the bridge at the church and racing the 12Stone golf carts in the parking lot in our own makeshift Daytona 500. Berry (One of the Children's Pastors) is the master of one liners. The dude literally makes me laugh every time he opens his mouth! Miles (the College Pastor) is an inspiration to me. The way he blasts his music next door so loud that it makes my bookcases rattle inspires me to buy ear plugs. But it also makes me laugh. The favorite part of my week is when we find ourselves huddled around someone's computer watching the latest hilarious youtube video that one of us has victoriously tracked down.

I've learned some lessons about friendship over the past few weeks. Friendship is a gift. To have compadres in this life is crucial. Especially when you're in ministry. Having dudes with you who can relate on a close level to the life GOD has called you to is vital. Having guys I can laugh with and who can remind me that "we should take Jesus seriously, but not ourselves" is a blessing I am thankful for.

I miss the friends I had over on the west coast. Especially the few fellow soldiers who know me deeper than anyone. I miss them greatly. But I am very grateful that the LORD has provided more here at 12Stone. What does friendship mean to me? It means always having a reason to smile.............. and laugh my butt off at a youtube video.

SIMON was at Church!!!

2008-04-21T03:16:00.000-07:00

Remember the 1980's smash hit electronic game SIMON? Any true child of the 80's does! Well, yesterday morning at 12Stone church we played it. No, they didn't pass out thousands of little electronic games during each worship service. Instead during the middle of the sermon they passed out thousands of different colored glow sticks. Each section of the auditorium received a different color. I had yellow (the coolest color by far). Then instructions were given, the lights went out, a diagram to lead us came on the big screens, and 2 guys in glow-in-the-dark suits started playing some funky electronic music on the keyboard! It was the trippiest thing I've ever experienced in a church service. And it fit right in with the truth being communicated in the sermon!! The truth is that GOD is like "Simon" in the sense that He gives instructions and we must be attentive because He expects us to follow.

I know my descriptions of what happened yesterday don't do it justice. That's OK. Just trust me when I say it was stinking amazing!!

From MySpace to Facebook: A coming of age.

2008-04-19T11:23:00.001-07:00

In the past 24 hours I have officially begun my Facebook experience. It feels like the first day of Junior High to me. I have officially graduated the 6th grade of Myspace where everyone laughs at really immature jokes, lies about their boring lives, and mass mails absurd chain letters that say If I really love GOD I will forward the chain letter to 10 of my friends (I guess I missed the chapter in my Bible where Jesus talks about that! Oh darn!!).

I am now roaming the hallways of Facebook. Unsure of what to do, where to go, or how to be cool but pretending to know exactly what I'm doing.

I must say that it seems like everyone is in the Facebook world except for me. In less than a day I already have almost 60 friends!!! I feel so popular!! This has been a very solid day for my self esteem. Like I'm the cool kid in Junior High who just got a brand new pair of Air Jordans and that really sweet Chicago Bulls Starter Jacket. I'm walking down the hall with my walkman in my ears blasting Vanilla Ice while everyone smiles and says, "Hey look! There's Anson! Check out his cool new Donnie Wahlberg haircut!!" Oh yes..... Facebook is great! I just hope the teachers here are nicer.

TO VISIT MY NEW FACEBOOK PAGE SEE THE LINKS ON THE SIDE OF THE PAGE!!

Being a Daddy...

2008-04-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Growing up without my biological father around I was always sort of freaked out about becoming a dad. I literally compiled numerous books on "being a daddy" and devoured them. It was a bit like preparing to be a professional sailor without ever having seen an ocean. (OK...I'm not quite sure if that illustration makes sense to you but it does to me.) Don't get me wrong....I always wanted kids! I just didn't feel like I had what it took to be a great (even good) dad.

Then my daughter was born. One day soon after her birth as I watched her coo and poop it suddenly occurred to me that whether I liked it or not she was counting on me. Whether I felt ready or not she was ready and expecting me to be her daddy. Not perfect. Just competent.

A few years ago John Mayer wrote a really intense song called "Daughters". If you haven't listened to it for a while I'd encourage you to pick it up on i-tunes after you read this. It's actually one of my favorite songs of all time. Probably because of my own experience of being estranged from my dad. Every time I hear the following line from that song I do a double take:

Oh you see that skin?

It's the same she's been standing in

Since the day she saw him walking away

Now she's left

Cleaning up the mess he made

So fathers be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do

Girls become lovers who turn into mothers

So mothers, be good to your daughters too

I'm not sure why I started thinking about this today. Maybe it's because me and Heather took our little one to the park today. As she played in the sand and obsessively picked the pine straw out of her bucket, placing it in it's own orderly pile, I started to see a lot of me in her. I couldn't help but stare. And wonder at the miracle of life. And pray in a whisper that when she's 29 like I am today...... she won't be cleaning up the messes I have made.

I am a dad.

Leadership & Ministry

2008-04-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

The church I work at (12Stone Church in the Atlanta area....woot woot!) is getting ready to host the Maximum Impact Simulcast tomorrow. Leaders like Andy Stanley, Dick Vitale, and John Maxwell will be speaking. Our staff was treated to a surprise today when John Maxwell came in early to spend some time with us. In short- I just had a boatload of leadership wisdom unleashed upon me. The wisdom of this man was quite inspiring. In addition to a signed copy of his new book Leadership Gold, I got to ask him a question. "John, when you were 30 what books shaped you the most?" Want to know what he said? Ask me in person some time and I'll tell you.

Dear Cheesesteak!

2008-04-13T19:54:00.001-07:00

Dear Cheesesteak,

I needed to write to you because no matter how hard I try I just cannot stop thinking about you. I can't shake the memories I have of you. When I saw you in Philly I wasn't sure quite what to think about you. I must admit I couldn't take my eyes off of you. The whole time I watched you, I quietly prayed you would choose me. Little did I know you were hoping I would choose you too! When you ended up on my plate I breathed a sigh of relief like a jaywalker who had just escaped the overzealous cops.

Oh, my cheesesteak. So warm. So greasy. So cheesy. So steaky. So good.

I chewed you to my heart's content. I whispered sweet nothings to you. I promised you the world. I would lasso the moon for you, Cheesesteak.

I shall never forget the 4 minutes we shared in Philly.

For such a brief moment in history you made me so very happy.

And then you were gone.

Until we one day meet again,

Anson

My Trip to Philly

2008-04-13T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last week I went on my very first trip with the high school students of 12Stone. With the help of some incredible adult volunteers from the ministry I led a trip into the inner city of Philadelphia, PA. We spent the week doing ministry on Kensington Avenue. It's one of the most broken and dark places I have ever been. The streets are laced with prostitutes (male and female), drug dealers, and crowds of homeless people. The graffitti-clad buildings cast shadows over the people while the air is constantly filled with the sound of booming-bass from cars thumping the likes of Chris Brown and Nelly. And all the while time seems to stand still under the elevated train that covers Kensington.

Throughout the week we worked with some incredible people in an organization called AIM. These people have such a heart for the people on Kensington Avenue and all those living in Philly's inner-city. They actually live there year-round. They minister full-time to the broken people who fill those streets.

We walked the streets of Philly having providential conversations with the homeless, grilling them hot dogs, serving them steaming coffee, and praying for them as they expressed needs. Much can be learned in a week like this. The LORD taught me some staggering truths during my time in Philly (The Birthplace of America). I'd like to share a few of them now.

-I've been incredibly judgemental toward the homeless and their plight. I've acted like a jerk toward them my whole life. I need to grow up. I repent.
-I see why Jesus chose to spend so much time hanging out with the "riff-raff". There's not an ounce of pre-tense in them. They're just happy you're there.
- Processed hot dogs smothered with sauerkraut and canned chili can actually taste good when you're eating them with hurting homeless people in Philly who really appreciate them.
- People living on the streets care about the same thing I do like the presidential election, the war in Iraq, and whether or not the Braves will beat the Phillies in the NL East.
- There's so much more to Christianity than just Bible studies & church attendance. Start to serve and give yourself away to those in need and you'll realize this.
- The only real difference between those of us living in the suburbs and those who sleep in the dark alleys of Kensington Avenue in Philly is where we sleep and live. Our struggles are the same. Lust, selfishness, addictions, anger, greed, and pride to name a few.
- The absence of fathers who care for and lead their families seems to be the root of all this brokenness.
- People in Philly really hate the Dallas Cowboys. I mean with a vitriolic hate.
- Flyers fans are psycho!
- One day even the darkness, sin, and despair so visible in a place like Kensington Avenue will be defeated by Jesus Christ. Every knee on Kensington will one day bow to the King.

Here's to you, Philly! Thank you for the lessons.

What I'm Reading Right Now: A LIST OF BOOKS PROBABLY NO ONE ELSE CARES ABOUT.

2008-04-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

So anyone who knows me is aware of my obsession with books. Part of it is just about leadership. A mentor of mine in college once remarked to me "A leader is a reader". I'm pretty sure he stole this quote from John Maxwell or Oswald Sanders or someone like that but the truth of that statement remains. I have never forgotten this!

Another reason for my obsession, however, is just therapeutic. Books are so full of wisdom and insight. Way more than any TV show or web site. So, in my spare time, I try and discipline myself to study and read. My most influential mentors are dead guys who wrote great books.

So, with all that said, here's what I'm reading right now:

The Deliberate Church by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander

This book was actually given to me by an older gentleman at my previous church in Cali right before we left a few weeks ago. It's subtitle is "Building Your Ministry On The Gospel". This should give you a clue into what this book focuses on. It's a great look at how to lead a church that is truly about the Gospel. A church where a "win" is defined by how well we're carrying out the Great Commission and not just whether or not a worship service was, in our own relative definitions, "cool".

Preaching & Preachers by D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Ummm..........wow! Gone to be with Jesus in 1981, this incredible pastor of Westminster Chapel in London is fast becoming one of my dead mentors!! This book is so before it's time. In it he addresses the idea that preaching the Word has become stale and is no longer effective. He asserts that not only is preaching still effective it is indeed the most effective task we could carry out in a church. Sometimes as I'm reading this book I actually feel as if I'm reading a contemporary book addressing the emergent church. I love it and hate it when I read things like "If people are not attending places of worship I hold the pulpit to be primarily responsible." OUCH! I totally recommend this as essential reading for anyone who preaches GOD's Word on a regular basis!

John Wesley: A Theological Journey by Kenneth J. Collins

I don't read as many biographies as I should. This one has been a challenging one but it has definitely been beneficial. I have never known a whole lot about Wesley so reading this book has made him human to me. Reading about his struggles and even depressing seasons has encouraged my soul. Reading about how he and George Whitefield disagreed so strongly on theological topics such as predestination and yet how they remained good friends respecting one another's ministry has challenged me in my own life. This is a man who persevered and his work for Christ lives on hundreds of years later. Lord, help me to be a man like this for your glory!

So that's a bit about what I'm reading. So, what are you reading?

Ribs anyone?

2008-03-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

Looking for some BBQ pork ribs that'll make you drop to your knees, raise both your hands, and thank the Lord for creating pigs?! Visit the Blues City Cafe in the heart of downtown Memphis, Tennessee!!! I'm still licking my fingers!!! I just can't figure out why every time I try to cook ribs they end up tasting like dry tar on a hollow bone. Anyways, these guys at Blues City Cafe in Memphis have indeed perfected the art!! They are the Mozart of rib cooking! The Picasso of BBQ! The Michael Jordan of the grill! The Michael Vick of the ..... oh....... oops.

HUNKA-HUNKA BURNIN' LOVE!

2008-03-28T18:31:00.001-07:00

I may never recover from this one. Yes..... I went to Graceland........ willingly. I'm not sure what it was. I mean we had to pass through Memphis! I guess I figured since we were so close we just needed to go ahead and take the plunge! I mean, what could it hurt, right?

Well, let me just say, if Branson, Missouri is known as the Redneck Riviera then Graceland must be Hillbilly Hotel. Don't get me wrong..... I love Elvis! I really do! This sin't about Elvis Presley. It's just very interesting to me the demographic of people who compose the vast majority of what I lovingly refer to as Graceland-grazers! They can be described by the following bulletpoints:

Over 50.
White.
Brightly colored shirt made of at least 75% polyester.
Dark socks with sandals.
Oversized Camera hanging from strap around neck.
Oversized Fanny-pack hanging from waist.
Oversized fanny hanging from body.
A hat that appears to be way to big for the cranium it houses.
Breathing through the mouth in amazement as they stare at the jungle room.
A look of awe whenever they see any of Elvis' white ceramic monkeys.

I guess I had fun. It definitely wasn't boring. No more boring than it would be walking around Saturn as you watched hundreds of native Saturnites tour the planet with you. I'm not making fun of people like this. I just feel really out of place when I'm around hundreds of them! Besides.... I wonder what Elvis would think if he knew thousands of fanny-pack armed fans were shuffling through the hallways of his Memphis home each day taking pictures of his parent's bed. WOW! We humans can be a weird sort.

GOD Bless Oklahoma City

2008-03-28T18:13:00.001-07:00

During the McMahon trek to Georgia Heather and I visited The Oklahoma City Memorial in downtown Oklahoma City. I wasn't expecting to be as moved by this experience as I was!

I can still remember watching the events of that day take place on the news when I was in the 11th grade. A federal building in Oklahoma City had been destroyed by a massive homemade bomb of fertilizer and explosives hidden away in a Ryder truck. 168 people had been killed in the worst act of domestic terrorism to date. Many were children who had been in the day care on the 2nd floor. The Ryder truck had been parked right in front of the day care just before it exploded. It would later be discovered that Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were the mastermind of this evil plot.

What would cause someone to plan something so wicked and sinister? Even if he was acting in retaliation against the government why would he plan to kill innocent people?

As I toured the museum and walked the memorial yard with my wife I felt as if this memorial stood not simply to honor those killed but also to remind all of us that there is real evil in this world. Satan and the demons are real. Their plots and hierarchy are cunning and insidious. The destruction they cause is dark.

Light does overcome darkness, however. One day Satan will finally be destroyed. Jesus Christ has defeated the devil through His magnificent work on the cross. And, as Revelation tells us, every tear shall one day be wiped away..... forever.

My New Favorite Song!!

2008-03-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have decided that my new favorite song until further notice is "Society" by Eddie Vedder. It was on the Into The Wild soundtrack. I actually posted a blog a long time ago on this page about what I thought about the book Into The Wild and how it impacted me. This song by Eddie Vedder expresses the heart of this book and Chris McCandless amazingly. I highly suggest you download the song from i-tunes right now and then listen to it while reading the lyrics. You can google them. Then comment this blog and let me know how it spoke to you!!!!!

Red Rocks of Sedona

2008-03-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Along our journey headed east we stopped in Sedona, Arizona. Honestly, I had never heard of this place before but when we got there I wondered why! Sedona is famous for the blazing red sandstone formations most famously known as the Red Rocks of Sedona. As I toured Sedona I felt like I was a gun-slinging character right out of 3:10 to Yuma.

We took a trolly ride tour through Sedona and for about 3/4 of the tour we were the only people on it! As we sat in the trolly on wheels with the jackalope head hanging from the rear-view window speeding through Sedona I felt happy. It's moments like these you don't get too often.

I'm trying to learn to slow down and enjoy the simple moments in life. A bumpy ride in a Sedona trolly. A moment standing in front of a giant red rock towering high above the ground like an indian warrior. A moment talking with our New Age tour guide about how long she's lived there and why she believes that Sedona's mighty red rocks have magical vortex power. I've been reflecting recently on how the passing moments of life are gifts that we will never get back. Once they are gone they are gone forever. So as the famous line from The Shawshank Redemption goes, "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

I don't believe that the mighty red rocks of Sedona have magical vortex power. But I do believe the One who made those rocks is mighty indeed.

The Grand Canyon

2008-03-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

On the way from California to Georgia, Heather and I were able to stop at the Grand Canyon. Actually it was about 70 miles out of the way but how do you pass up the Grand Canyon?!

As we pulled up to the south rim we couldn't help to drop our jaws and say "sheeesh". I think we stopped on the perfect day! The sky was clear, the air was crisp, the sun was bright, and the colors of the canyon catapulted from the cliffs like a fire! We must have stood there for ages as we took in the beauty. After the obligatory picture in front of the majestic canyon we walked across the street to the gift shop to buy our daughter something. While we were in there I saw a book for sale on the shelf called DEATH IN THE CANYON. It was a book about hundreds of people who have died in the canyon. It was the actual stories of what happened! From suicides to drownings in the river to hiking accidents to everything else!! I decided not to buy this for my daughter and instead opted for the Grand Canyon building blocks.

I wonder what it must have been like for the first men who discovered that gigantic hole in the earth. I wonder how long it took them to grasp the beauty of what they were beholding. I wonder if any of them found it possible to be an atheist after seeing it? But most of all I couldn't shake this nagging thought............ I wonder how many people have accidentally dropped their expensive digital cameras in it?

Journeying On

2008-03-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

What a ride it's been over the past few months. The LORD has been up to some serious stuff in the life of the McMahon fam! After much prayer, struggling and wrestling HE confirmed to us that the next season of our life was to be spent ministering to students in the Hotlanta area at 12Stone Church. WHAT?! SERIOUSLY?! Honestly we never saw this coming. Once we finally got up the nerve to be obedient and put the house on Novi Drive on the market the LORD showed us how serious HE was about this. 36 hours later a lady wanted to buy our house for cash in a market that's as dead as a Kansas City Royals Baseball game in the middle of September.

After a transition that turned out to be pretty emotional for a plethora of reasons, we pulled out of California with the G.P.S. system programmed for the big GA. As we crossed over the California/Arizona border somewhere near Needles at dusk we wondered if we'd ever return to this sunny state we knew as home for a little over 5 years. I guess the Father only knows. Now as we begin a new journey we feel like kids going on their first roller coaster ride at a theme park. A little scared. A lot of excitement. And an incredible desire to enjoy every moment of it, one day sitting with good friends and Bible heroes of old being able to tell them, "Dude....check out what we did!!"

Eat more Theology

2007-09-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

Years ago the singer, aunt of Witney Houston, and former psychic groupie Dionne Warwick sang a song that went like this- "What the world needs now- is love sweet love- it's the only thing that there's just too little of." It's my belief that a statement like this is pretty far from being accurate but I guess Dionne put a pretty melody to it so I'll cut her some slack.

I'd like to steal that pretty melody and put my own lyrics to it. My song would go something like this- "What the church needs now- is theology sweet theology- it's one of many things that there's just too little of." Catchy huh?!

As I write this blog I am currently in the middle of teaching a series on Sundays to our High School students in ACCESS through the book of Colossians. In case it's been a while since you journeyed through this incredibly rich epistle, allow me to refresh your memory as to why it's so amazingly relevant.

Colossians is a letter that was written to the church in the Greek city of Colossae by the Apostle Paul around 62 A.D.. The reason Colossians was written is because a bunch of heretics (men & women who teach lies about things like Jesus, salvation, justification, etc.) were saturating the city of Colossae and threatening to destroy the faith of the Christians by throwing them into utter confusion. So a man named Epaphras who had shared the gospel with Colossae in the first place asked Paul to write a letter to the Christians of that city (who Paul had never met) in order to encourage them and hopefully end the confusion. What results is one of the most Christological books of the New Testament.

What do I learn from this? In a pluralistic society where there is so much confusion about who Jesus is and if He's really even GOD, what the people of GOD need more than anything else is sound theology. I know this will sound contoversial and maybe even heretical to some of my friends but what people in that situation need more than anything else is not "feel good" sermons, or good music, or even social projects to get behind and champion. Instead, the greatest need for Christians living in a pluralistic society like the one we live in today is to be grounded in sound theology. Why? Because quite simply the most important thing about a person is what he or she believes about Jesus Christ.

We live in a Christian culture where theology isn't very inticing or shall we say "sexy". I mean let's be honest, books entitled 40 Days of Luther or Velvet John Wesley, if they existed in the first place, probably wouldn't make the top seller shelf at your local Christian bookstore! We are living during a time when so many followers of Christ who fill our nation's churches, student ministries & young adult ministries today probably wouldn't know how to articulate things like the atonement of Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, the importance of baptism or even heaven or hell simply because they don't know what they believe about those thing in the first place. For crying out loud, there are some in the evangelical church today who don't even believe hell is literal! Pardon me for a sec.......YIKES!!!

Here are just a few problems I believe the church has right now as it relates to a lack of theological emphasis in it's discipleship process:

1. Church Light: It's kinda like real church but with about half the calories. The teaching is less about GOD and more about us. The teaching is less about what we are called to do for GOD and more about what He should do for us. Maybe the teachers or leaders would never articulate it this way but it's the reason why the sermons are all entitled things like "How to be a good husband", "How to live a great life", "4 ways to reach your full potential", etc, etc! As if Jesus Christ's message to a lost world deserving the full wrath of a holy & righteous GOD was all about us.

2. Majoring on the minors: I believe it was Jim Cymbala who said the "ABC's" of church ministry is unfortunately "Attendance, Buildings, and Cash". Churches are getting so distracted by the minors that the mandate by Jesus, the one who has all authority on heaven and earth, for us to make "disciples" many times gets completely ignored.

To top it all off we get so distracted by how the room we're meeting in looks or who is leading the music that we spend little to no time developing, praying through, and studying for the delivery of GOD's magnificent Word. The irony to all this of course is that Jesus prays in John 17 that the Father would sanctify us by His "truth" and then says "Your Word is truth". He didn't say "Sanctify them by the worship leader" or "the room they meet in" or even "their mission project". Again, these aren't bad things they're just not what sanctifies (makes us more like Christ) us first and foremost.

3. Social Action minus the truth: It doesn't matter how many social projects we involve ourselves in as the church if we aren't grounded in the word of GOD. Don't misunderstand, we are called to let our light shine and to love the "outcasts" and to seek justice for the oppressed but we are called to do so not because "we" are the answer but we go as ambassadors of Jesus Christ because "HE" is the answer! He alone is true justice for the oppressed.

So....because all these things have been swirling around inside of my noggin I am teaching theology to teenagers on Sunday mornings. I was again reminded of the importance of this a few weeks ago when I first started teaching this series. On that morning I talked about the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ which is basically a fancy way of saying that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us on the cross to forgive us all of our sins, save us from Satan's clutches, satisfy GOD's wrath, keep our pitiful fannys from enduring eternal punishment in hell and give us peace with GOD. At the end of the talk a high school girl came up to me and with wide eyes and a straight face said "I've never heard this before." To make it even more sad she goes to a Christian high school in our town. What the church needs now is.....well......you know the rest.

UGA BLOG: Random thoughts on the Oklahoma State game

2007-09-03T11:45:00.001-07:00

So the college football season has officially begun. Everybody break out your grill set, pull out your jerseys and dust off your flags before you proudly hang them on the front patio. As you should well know I am a rabid Georgia Bulldog fan (still after living in sunny-Cali for almost 5 years now) and I have waited about 8 long months for this season because last season was, *cringe* well.....let's just say....it sucked flying over 2,ooo miles to Athens just to see us get beat at our own homecoming by Vanderbilt. So on this past Saturday, excited about a sophomore quarterback who has hopefully been officially broken in, I sat in front of my tele to watch some Bulldog football.
Imagine my surprise (actually disdain) as I turned the t.v. to ESPN2 just to find that the Illinois/Missouri game was going long. In Georgia and Oklahoma the station had already transitioned to the Georgia game but one of the penalties I pay for living in the state of California is that I get to watch the long painful closing minutes of two J.V. teams (who have NO chance of winning their respective conference titles for at least the next millenium) "battle" it out until the very last miserable second. Let's just say that this experience tested my sanctification a bit and I'll just leave it there!
Finally when the game started for those of us who wanted to watch out here in California the score was all tied up at 7. All-in-all I enjoyed watching this game and here are some observations I made:
1. Matt Stafford looked good! He seems to have really grown into a confident leader over the off season. Hopefully Coach Richt and Mike Bobo are really pouring into this guy! He'll definitely need the poise and focus he was exhibiting as he begins to face SEC defenses with their spectacular man coverages and quick blitzes by Defensive ends who eat children and shards of glass for breakfast.
2. That new freshman runningback Moreno looked spectacular! He spins faster than a tornado in a north Texas trailer park! Hopefully he stays healthy, fast & smart!
3. Thomas Brown, that son of a preacher-man we all love, looked amazing! Give that guy the ball at least 25 times against South Carolina this week!!
4. Brannan Southerland is the best fullback in the country because he's cash money every time we're within 5 yards of the end zone!
5. Our young offensive line gives me the jitters but they did a great job against Oklahoma State. I just hope they can hold up against the South Carolina's, Auburn's, Alabama's and Florida's of the world!
6. Coach Martinez did a stinking amazing job prepping the boys on our Defense for Oklahoma State's offense!
So with a score of 35 to 14 I don't have a lot to complain about! Now we have Steve Spurrier to look forward to this week (who I like about as much as the weird reddish nodule on the bottom of my right big toe). GO DAWGS! Sic' Em!!

10 RANDOM THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BEING A STUDENT PASTOR

2007-08-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

10. Summers hanging out by Hume Lake and playing the game we officially invented called "Run on the Lake".

9. Laughing at stupid Youtube videos in my office with a group of guys following our Wednesday morning Bible study right before we charge the gates of hell in prayer on our faces.

8. High School Football games in the fall.

7. Being on a mission with the most incredible adult volunteers in the country to expand the Kingdom of GOD and making it really hard for someone to go to hell from Modesto.

6. Spending every Easter in Mexico with hundreds of high school students worshipping Jesus until our throats are bloody and our voices are gone!

5. Monday night strolls around BVG watching small groups of teenagers talk about how to follow Christ and live for him more on their campuses.

4. Leading a Bible Study on Wednesday mornings before the sun is even up with a bunch of teenage guys who are making Christ a priority in life, refusing to wait for someone else to lead. HU-AH!!

3. Preaching the Word every Sunday morning to High School students at ACCESS.

2. Watching a student smile as his eyes widen and a lightbulb appears over his head on a Sunday morning as I'm preaching the Word at ACCESS.

1. The fact that I'm never alone while I do it. HE is right here with me.

BOOK REVIEW: The Gladiator

2007-08-05T21:44:00.001-07:00

So, I just finished this book and I must say it was not all I expected it to be. There were sections where it seemed as if the author (Alan Baker) was all over the place with his thoughts. The thing I did enjoy, however, is that it helped me to get a sense for how savage Ancient Rome actually was before Christianity began to take root under the Emperor Constantine. I've been indulging my Rome kick with this book for the past couple weeks. This book was really descriptive and went into pretty lurid detail as it described the life of a typical gladiator and the intense showdowns that took place in that majestic Flavian Amphitheater. I do recommend this book but only for those who are seriously interested in Roman culture. I can't imagine what it must have been like for those who were forced to kill or be killed while 50,000 screaming Romans watched and pointed. I enjoyed how the book ended with a fictional but probably pretty accurate recreation of what a typical day in the Colisseum was probably like.

BOOK REVIEW: A Wrinkle in Time

2007-07-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's a shame that our creativity is often stifled and our imagination often left to grow stale as a result of not reading books like this one. This 1963 Classic by Madeleine L'Engle is one of the best fiction books I have ever read!

I picked this book up a week ago while on a trip to the county library with my wife and daughter. This book has it all; good vs. evil, a terrific plot, intriguing characters and even a surprisingly Christian overtone.

It seems as if more and more the Lord has me running to books not only to learn and increase the sum of my knowledge but also as a form of retreat and an opportunity to get my creative juices boiling over. A Wrinkle in Time has accomplished that in a huge way! I mean what other book has children who travel to different dimensions, witches that quote scripture and love God, and an evil villian who is an enormous brain?!

The message of this book, the idea that love inevitably conquers the most evil forces in the universe is one that is first-of-all communicated by God Almighty himself in the scriptures. While "realists" (I don't mean that in a good way) might be turned off by the book's plot, I definitely recommend this book as a nice airplane read or one to work through while kicked up on a beach in Maui! Aloha!

...and the two shall become one flesh.

2007-07-20T12:41:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been listening to Pastor John Piper's pod casts a lot. (Technology continues to floor me as nowadays I can put my daughter in her stroller and take her for a walk all the while listening to someone proclaim God's Word on my i-pod. CRAZY!) Some people aren't real fond of John Piper because of his tendency to emphasize the providence & sovereignty of GOD Almighty (a theological hot-topic for heady college students who seem to have tons to say while having little to no life experiences and an incredible affinity to avoid at all costs any experience that may cause them to "pay their dues" and not be in the spotlight.) A-HEM!!! Excuse me! Anyways......I like John Piper. The biggest reason is because of his undeniable love for Jesus Christ and the gospel and the intensity he displays in the pulpit while proclaiming the gospel.

I've enjoyed the series on Marriage John Piper has recently been teaching because, quite franky, I've never heard anyone (Preacher or Oprah) talk about marriage like this before! The basic premise of John Piper's series on marriage is this: What if marriage isn't about the warm fuzzies and Hollywood's idea of "being in love"? What if, instead, the main point of marriage is that it is a parable of Christ's covenant relationship with his church?

So....in layman's terms, the point of marriage is NOT me or my wife but instead the point is that all who see us & know us might seeclearly how Christ & the church relate to one another.

The Lord has really been stretching me as I have been mulling over this holy stuff. If this is true then it means that every time I choose to be the spiritual leader of my home, and a man who leads devotions, or prays with my family, or reads scripture to my baby girl before she goes to sleep, or cuddles and sings "Jesus loves you" to her at night, or spends time loving my wife and doing special things for her, I am displaying Chirst's covenant love for his church.

Maybe marriage isn't about feeling warm fuzzies every day. Perhaps instead it's about loving and choosing Christlike faithfulness to my bride in good times and bad times, during prosperity and need, during trials and celebration, on the mountain and in the valley of the shadow of death and choosing selfless love over selfish ambition every day of our marriage. Because that is exactly how Jesus Christ displays his love for His church.

To listen to this series search for "Desiring God" on i-tunes or go to www.desiringgod.org

BOOK REVIEW: Into the Wild

2007-07-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

So....you better read this book soon because the movie is coming out this fall! John Krakauer is an incredible author and he's actually more like an investigative reporter.

In this book, he chronicles the journey of a young man named Chris McCandless who after graduating college at Emory in Atlanta, gives away or destroys all of his posessions except for his car and decides to leave everything so that he might truly "live".

This true story stirred my heart to the extreme. The interviews in this book with people who encountered Chris over that span of time all hold one consistent theme about McCandless. "He was different".

Though this book isn't a Christian book (at least by our own definition) and Chris' journey was inspired more by philosophy than scripture, I couldn't help but see the Christlike overtones of what Chris did. He left everything and everyone in order to truly embrace life and live it to what he believed was the fullest. Therefore, he was an inigma wrapped up in a riddle.

As you read about the tragic end to McCandless' journey, I hope you are as inspired as I was to live life to the fullest! And it is my sincere conviction that a life lived to the fullest is a life lived in consistent passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ (no matter what the world, other Christians, or other pastors may do or say about it.).

To view the previews for the movie Into the Wild click on the link below:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2LAuzT_x8Ek

BOOK REVIEW: Confessions of a Reformission Rev.

2007-07-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

Mark Driscoll- nuff said.

God has anointed this man in a cool way and I loved this book!

The stuff this man shares about planting his new church right in the middle of Seattle (Where they have "more dogs than Christians" as Driscoll always says) is absolutely incredible and caused me to marvel at how amazing God truly is!

I can honestly say that I just read a book and agreed with every statement the guy made.Whether it was his insights on the emergent church movement, cultural relevance, age/stage ministry, manhood, the way preaching/ proclamation should happen, etc, etc, etc!

Not everyone will agree with the things Driscoll says but his willingness to say them (STRONGLY AND WITH CONVICTION) almost caused me to say "Amen!" out loud at Starbucks as I read this.

I have 3 Pastors in this nation that I look to as "Paul" type figures. They are my mentors (though distantly) in ministry. One of them is Mark Driscoll.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves Jesus Christ, Scripture, Sound doctrine, and people (enough to share Jesus-Scripture-and sound doctrine with them!!)

Read it!!!

BOOK REVIEW: Samson and the Pirate Monks

2007-07-20T09:55:00.001-07:00

So about a month ago I get a call on my cell from one of my best friends Jason Britt. He is a student pastor in Atlanta at a stinkin' amazing church and one of my most trusted compadres in all the world. A true partner in ministry, I am constantly sharing wth Jason books I have read. Well this time Jason leaves a message on my phone simply stating: "Bro....YOU GOTTA GET THIS BOOK..."!

Honestly, the title threw me a bit. I loved it but I was kinda unprepared for what the pages held.

Here are a few reasons why this book was amazing and why every man on earth needs to read it:

1. Because of the lack of authentic men in today's culture.

2. Because of the lack of men who desire to have true intimacy with Jesus Christ at all costs.

3. Because of the truth it shares regarding how broken we men are and how desperately we need other men in the foxhole with us.

4. Because metro-sexuals are taking over the world.

5. Because until the men are men the church won't be all Jesus wants it to be.

Basically, I would recommend this book to any man who loves Jesus but needs to know how to have victory over sin and the enemy Satan. I've already started giving this book out to the grooms of the weddings I perform and as Birthday presents to buddies. Calling all men: BUY THIS BOOK!!!

BOOK REVIEW: Ambrose Bierce

2007-07-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Recently I picked up this book and I am really enjoying this writer. A civil war era writer who wrote most of his stuff here in Northern California, Ambrose Bierce had an incredible affinity for short-stories.

Most of his stories are either "horror" stories or "war" stories and each one I have read has been significantly entertaining!

It's so nice to read short stories every now and then because they are easy and most of Bierce's turn out to be incredibly intense! I would recommend Bierce to anyone who enjoys reading twisted, haunting-fiction from time to time. My favorite story so far has been one entitled "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge". It has a sort of Sixth Sense twist to it that I loved. It's one of those that I'll probably read over and over again!!!

WARNING: Don't buy this book if you're more of a modern dude or chik who doesn't like "dated" stories. If you're a fan of good fiction, though, what are you waiting for?!

BOOK REVIEW: Ancient Rome

2007-07-20T09:38:00.001-07:00

So I've been on this weird Rome fascination for a few months and I just finished this book. Honestly, I feel like I deserve some type of trophy for making it all the way through! It was a really long read and it can get somewhat slow at times. All in all, though, it ws really rewarding to make it through and I found myself intrigued by this horribly barbaric and yet innovative culture.

It helped me as I constantly read with the perspective that "This is what a culture absolutely devoid of Jesus Christ or God's Word is destined to become."! Often times I think of a culture without Christ to look like small barbaric tribes in the Congo while the reality is that a people can be innovative, creative, well-fed and even commercially prosperous and yet morally bankrupt, blood-thirsty and power-hungry.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this book was reading about Rome's persecution of the first Christians and how it backfired on them. Christianity actually gained momentum as Christians were slaughtered in the Colisseum because the people in the stands found their faith and commitment even unto death so fascinating and awe-inspiring.

I definetely recommend this for any history-buffs but buyer beware: it takes a time commitment to make it through!!

BOOK REVIEW: The Third Policeman

2007-07-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I enjoy escaping to a far away nook and curling up with a book that really has little or nothing to do with theology, ministry or even culture for that matter. Recently while in a bookstore in Sacramento I picked up this gem.

While this book is not for everyone or maybe even most people it was the perfect read for me. Weird, unorthodoxed, challenging, entertaining and even funny at times. This is a piece of Irish fiction that was written around 1950 and is somewhat of an underground cult-classic for those who enjoy "Twilight Zone" type books. This book challenges the space-time continuum and has some intense philisophical overtones.

The end of the book left me scratching my head and thinking about it's concept. I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys the TV show Lost and enjoys thinking deep thoughts while reading! If you end up reading it let me know what you thought about it!!

Finding Jesus in the Craziness of Life

2007-03-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I have felt as if I'm a man on a unicycle, jumping ramps while juggling knives and trying to eat a granny smith apple while blindfolded. Yes, life has been just that crazy for me. Now, I've learned over the years that life in full-time vocational ministry is always pretty insane, but the past few weeks have been a bit unorthodox even for me. As you can probably tell I haven't even been able to shave out a few minutes to do some blogging! Just a few of the tasks I have been in are as follows:

Interviewing, answering questions for, and hiring 7 new summer interns for the Student & Young Adult Ministries of Big Valley Grace.

Seeking the Lord's will as to who our new Junior High Pastor will be.

Setting up who the speaker & worship band will be for this October's EVENT sponsored by www.hisecho.com.

Writing 8 sermons in the span of 2 weeks to preach when we take our High School Students down to Mexico on our Mission Trip.

Writing the regular weekly sermons and attempting to continue my normal weekly routine of church meetings, emails (many which have gone unanswered b/c I absolutely hate email with a jihad-like passion), phone calls, and counselling meetings with parents.

Oh....and to top it all off I am one of the primary planners for our Mission Trip which we begin in just a few days, taking over 215 people from our High School Ministry (175 of which are high school students).

Now, you need to understand that I'm not complaining about any of this. I mean seriously, when you compare it to the kinds of storms say the 1st Century Christ-followers endured this is like a Kindergarten field trip! I do, however, confess that throughout all of this my heart has been yearning just to sit in quiet and hear from Jesus. What's interesting is that even though all of the previously forementioned tasks I have been involved in are good things they in no way bring my soul true satisfaction or rest. I mean, they all have to do with things I love; casting & implementing a vision, dreaming MUCHO GRANDE dreams, investing in young leaders and preaching the Word. But at the end of each day something in my heart still longs for more of Jesus. And so I go to bed each night and realize once again that the scriptures are for real. It's during times like these when I remember the words from that Asaph Psalm:

"You're all I want in heaven! You're all I want on earth!" (PSALM 73:25)

10 Things I Learned with my Family at the ZOO.

2007-03-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

This week I took my family to the zoo. It was our daughter's first time having an experience like this. Here are 10 things I made a mental note of that beautiful day.

1. Spider Monkeys look extremely depressed while locked in small cages. Prozac anyone?

2. Bald Eagles were meant to fly.....not be trapped in a cage staring at Spider Monkeys.

3. Bats are probably the most freakish animals on the planet....they give me the heebie-jeebies!

4. I have a totally irrational fear of California Mountain Lions behind chain-link fences. I distinctly remember hearing once that cats can climb fences.

5. My daughter thinks Sea Lions are the most intriguing animals at the zoo! Especially when the Zookeeper feeds them!!

6. When little kids scream the baboons scream back.

7. Chinese Crocodiles need braces for their teeth.....YIKES!

8. If I was an animal I would definitely not want to be a Turkey Vulture. UG-LY!

9. A Lemur would make a good pet. Especially if I could train it to make me some coffee.

10. Pink is absolutely my daughter's best color.

I'm Back in Cali!

2007-03-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture from the Event I spoke at this past weekend in Georgia. This is one of the groups from one of the churches. A very cool group of girls! It's a blessing to be able to go where the LORD leads me and proclaim the power of GOD's love and the victory He gives us through the cross & resurrection of Jesus! If any of you from this past weekend's event are reading this, "YOU ROCK!"

(1 John 4:10)

Saved!

2007-03-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Many students came to know Jesus Christ tonight at the event I was speaking at in Atlanta. Before I spoke a college student who was leading a host home this weekend came to me in the back of the auditorium and shared how her junior high girls couldn't stop talking about all the LORD was saying to them this weekend. It is so nice to be encouraged that our labor for the LORD is not in vain! Thank you Jesus! It still gives me goosebumps when I watch students stand unashamedly in a roomfull of hundreds of other students proclaiming their love and newfound devotion to Jesus. My prayer is that the churches involved this weekend would baptize immediately, and faithfully disciple these new believers! I am thankful for this opportunity the Lord has given me to preach Jesus Christ, crucified & resurrected! This weekend I have been reminded about how the LORD is alive and pursuing the hearts of people everywhere. From California to Georgia.

Your Way!

2007-03-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

As I sat in the Sacramento Airport yesterday waiting on a flight to leave, I got a tad-bit hungry. Not starving or famished hungry, mind you. Just enough to wet my appetite and get me to craving some sort of sustenance. Realizing I was about to be locked into a flying metal-tube along with 200 sickly, coughing, sneezing, and snotting other people with only a small sack of peanuts and some stale Diet Pepsi to satisfy me, I decided to get a bite to eat from the airport's food court.

Seeing the Burger King I figured that this was as good a choice as any. After ignoring my existence for at least 45 seconds while they carried on a conversation about a man named Scooter the two ladies at the counter finally inquired about what I would like to order. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hey there"

Her: "mmhmm"

Me: "Could I get a double-cheeseburger combo, please?"

Her: "No"

Me: "Really?"

Her: "All we have is double-bacon-cheeseburger combos, not double-cheeseburger combos."

Me: "Ser.....iously?"

Her: "mmhmm"

Me: "I can't get it without the bacon?"

Her: "It comes with the bacon."

Me: "You can't give it to me without the bacon on it?"

Her: "It comes with bacon."

Me: "..............................................."

Her: "........."

Me: "I guess I'll have the star-shaped chicken nuggets combo then."

Confused about Burger King's current marketing strategy I just checked their web site (www.burgerking.com) and there it was again just as I had suspected: "Get it your way at Burger King!"

I don't know what baffled me the most about this experience. The fact that "holding the bacon" seemed to this lady a task equal to that of splitting the atom or the fact that I went to a restaurant that prides itself on the idea that I can have the burger any way I want it and then they blatantly refused to give it to me the way I wanted it. As usual I'm not sure whether or not I should laugh or cry at the world I find myself in.

10 Top Things I Hate About Traveling

2007-03-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I still travel to speak at various events. This week I am on one such excursion. I have been reminded once again about what I despise about traveling. The top ten reasons I hate traveling are as follows:

1. The "You're such an idiot" look I get from the airline representative when I ask for help while checking in at the self-help kiosk. I guess checking people in is now too much to ask from a real person.

2. The strip search and de-lousing I get at the security checkpoint from a 260 pound 11th grader with pimples.

3. The guy in front of me on the airplane who is constantly readjusting the tilt of his seatback. Somebody should tell him that if he wanted comfort in travel he SHOULD HAVE GONE ON A STINKIN' CRUISE!!!

4. The kid behind me who won't quit humming the Blue's Clues theme song. Man, I hate that dog!!

5. The sight-seeing pilot who feels as if it's necessary to point out every landmark we pass over as if it's an option to exit the plane and take a stroll around Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and then just casually and unassumingly hop back on the Atlanta-bound jumbo-jet when I have had my fill of its immense beauty & grandeur.

6. The stewardess who wakes me up from a dead-digger just to offer me stale crutons and 3 cubes of ice with a drop of Ginger Ale in a cup half the size of a thimble.

7. The fact that I just remembered that I left my cell phone on but it's in my briefcase in the overhead compartment. YIKES....I hope nobody calls me!!!!

8. The 1x1 bathrooms that make it virtually impossible to do your business without feeling as if you need to push the stewardess call button to request a cleanup crew.

9. The turbulence that just popped up out of nowhere right after the flight attendant gives me a scorching cup of coffee......are you sure that sight-seeing pilot isn't just screwing with us?!

10. Being away from my beautiful family.

Wonder Back

2007-03-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today about something random. As I watched my daughter play with her toys I thought about how cool kids are. I think one of the things I'm most impressed with is a child's incredible ability to be excited and overjoyed as she discovers the simplest things. I mean, I look at a rattle and it's no big deal. Just a plastic gadget that makes annoying noises when you shake it or throw it. My daughter, on the other hand, is in awe of the rattle! She reaches for it as I would reach for a 100 dollar bill floating in the wind, her eyes widen as mine would if I saw Elvis Presley standing on my front porch in a polar bear suit, her mouth opens in a huge smile like mine would if the Georgia Bulldogs actually won the National Championship this year, and she coos and grunts as I would.....well.....if the Georgia Bulldogs actually won the National Championship this year. It's amazing!! She's like this with just about everything. And yet the things that excite her and bring her imagination to life are the same things I take for granted. Our dog Molly, a blue sky, her sippy cup, a cheerio, a stroller ride around a noisy park filled with screaming 7 year olds, a cruise across town in the car, and even the waiter at our favorite Mexican Restaurant all cause a joy and wonder to light up her face.

I wonder when I lost this. I was a child once too. All of us were children once. And yet at some point in our lives the wonder we once experienced from the simplest things was replaced with an attitude of "been there-done that". It's sad really. It makes me look at my child and wonder who really has the wisdom. I want the wonder back.

There is a story that Jesus' disciple Matthew told about an experience he had with Jesus one time. See, some of the disciples asked Jesus who the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven was. It's not surprising really. We as adults are always concerned with adult things like status and importance. Jesus responded as only God would have the wisdom to respond. He called a small child over to him and had the child stand in front of the disciples. As these guys watched probably wondering "Um....bro, did you hear what we asked?" Jesus makes this statement; "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:2-4)

I think today as I watched my daughter joyfully discover the simplest things I finally began to understand what Jesus meant. He wants us to be like children. To stand in wonder and in awe of the simplest things because they are all created by God. And ultimately He wants us to stand in wonder of the mystical things we so often grow numb to and take for granted. The love of God, the patience of God, and the cross that Jesus bled and died on. Jesus wants me to stand in wonder of Him and all that He is and all that He's done and all that He's said and all that He can and will do. I become like a child when I humble myself and stand in awe of his love. When I reach for Him with wide eyes and a huge smile. Like a baby reaches for a new rattle.

Where have all the Gladiators gone?

2007-03-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

As I sat at home alone last night I decided to pour myself a glass of iced tea and watch (what was in my opinion one of the greatest movies of all time ever produced in this solar system) the movie Gladiator. I guess reading this new book on Ancient Roman history had me craving it. As I watched this movie I couldn't shake a nagging question in my mind. "Where have all the gladiators gone?" I mean, seriously! How come men don't live like this anymore?

Now before you get the wrong idea I'm not writing a blog about how men should slaughter others with swords more often, hold more simulated wars inside sports arenas, and be on a mission to kill Caesar and avenge his mentor's death.

What I am saying is it seems like young men don't live noble lives anymore. They don't stand for anything anymore. They don't passionately believe in anything anymore. Most men today wouldn't die for anything. Most men don't look at one another in the eyes and say in unison, "Strength and Honor!".

Strength and Honor. What if my life could be summed up in those two words? Instead of falling into this hollow worlds pit of lies and beinf a foolish man with only women, sex and money on my mind, what if I lived a life characterized by strength and honor?

There is a scene in Gladiator when Maximus has been marched out into the middle of the Roman Colisseum along with at least a dozen other slave-gladiators. It is announced that these men will fight whatever comes out of the gates. They will fight to the bloody death. Maximus stares ahead with passion as he asks the men who stand behind him, "Anyone here been in the army?". "Aye, sir", most respond back. Then in a moment of intense and firey leadership Maximus says, "You can help me. Whatever comes out of these gates..... we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together we survive."

After the chillbumps left my arms I couldn't help but to ask myself why most men don't act like this anymore. How come men don't unite in battles against the evils of this world? Most men are living and working for the weekend instead of something much larger than themselves. Most men today are defined by heros like Borat and the fellas from Jackass instead of being defined by something that is worthy of honor and yes, even worthy of dying for. Most men would rather sit around and tap on their MySpace pages and Youtube instead of learning about the great men of history and what it was that made them great. Most men would rather be the empty-headed people in the stands of the Colisseum screaming for blood and entertainment instead of actually being Maximus and his small army, staring ahead and waiting patiently for the enemy to burst forth from its iron gate.

So what are we going to live for? For Maximus it was Rome. For us it's Jesus Christ. Where have all the gladiators gone? The world treats us like fools and expects us to be hypnotized and have our senses and passions numbed by the media it vomits out each day. GOD calls us to be the men he designed us to be. Gladiators ready and willing to fight and die for that which is true, noble, and eternal. Who stands up and fights for GOD anymore? It's time to be a Gladiator, boys. And one more thing:

"We've got a better chance of survival if we work together."

Lindbergh

2007-03-09T07:47:00.000-08:00

This week I have finished 3 books I've been reading this month. One of those books was the autobiography of Charles A. Lindbergh, the famous aviator and icon of the 20th century who became the first man to fly an airplane from New York to Paris. (We call that a Transatlantic flight. *Anson smiles intelligently*) To think that Lindbergh did this during an era when most people didn't even see aviation as having the potential for an incredible feat like this is astounding to me!

There are 3 reasons I wanted to read this book. One, I became fascinated with Lindbergh while our history class studied him in the 7th grade and I had to do a report on him. Two, Heather and I visited his grave on our first trip to Maui a couple years ago. We actually stumbled upon it by accident at a small church on the road to Hana. Three, there has always been something in me that kind of wished I was alive during the roaring twenties, depression-strained thirties, and patriotic fourties. It's weird.

There were many fascinating things about this book, Autobiography of Values. It struck me how this guy was such a fascinating man involved in everything from aviation, cartography, medicine, WWII bombers, politics, the environment, rocket science, and even mysticism! I probably wouldn't recommend it unless you really enjoy history like I do.

One thing I didn't know about Lindbergh prior to reading this book was that before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor he was quite the anti-war activist. Dead-set against America becoming involved in the turmoil going on between Germany, Russia and England he constantly gave speeches and met with politicians regarding his stance. I close this blog with an excerpt from one of his speeches that I found to be quite relevant for the debates echoing throughout homes, classrooms & offices today. I want to encourage you to comment this blog with your opinions regarding this statement:

"Democracy is not a quality that can be imposed by war. The attempt to do so has always met with failure. Democracy can spring only from within a nation itself, only from the hearts and minds of the people. It can be spread abroad by example, but never by force. The strength of a democracy lies in the satisfaction of its own people. Its influence lies in making others wish to copy it. If we cannot make other nations wish to copy our American system of government, we cannot force them to copy it by going to war..." (Autobiography of Values, p.194)

Mozart hurts my neck!

2007-03-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

This has been a physically painful week for me. Unfortunately, the reason for my physical ailment was about as "anti-machismo" as a man could possibly get. One morning early this week I had decided to go into work later and spend more time around the house with Heather and Annabelle.

I was playing with my daughter and decided that we would play a game that has become a favorite for her. Here's the way our game works:

I begin to play Mozart on my i-pod (which is hooked up to a set of speakers so we can all enjoy it)

I then pretend that I, Anson McMahon, am the great Maestro, Mozart. I do this by wildly leading my imaginary orchestra in a classic number.

To say that I am a bit eccentric while "channeling" Mr. Mozart would be an understatement.

I'm like a frothing-at-the-mouth Musical Savage as my arms zip and flail, sharp and fast through the air, the whole while my head banging as if I'm listening to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

Each time I do this sweet Annabelle is staring wide-eyed with mouth open, giggling, cooing, and she is even learning to move her own arms with the music like a lil' miss Mozart.

There was a mishap this week, however, as we played this game.

In the middle of my composition of "Le nozze di Figaro" my arms came up, my head jolted back, my shoulders tensed, and I guess it was the convergence of a Perfect Storm. The sound could be heard across the room!

"SNAP!!"

I wish I could explain the pain I began to feel in my neck at this moment but there are no words to do it justice. It was as if I had just been interrogated by Jack Bauer! I have no idea what my face must have looked like at this moment but it was probably similar to the look a gnat gets on his face the moment he smashes into a windshield on the freeway. A faint squeak escaped my mouth as the pain stabbed my vertabrae with what felt like a jagged machette. My pupils dialated. My body collapsed into the leather chair behind me. My wife rolled her eyes. My daughter laughed.

After marinating my aching-neck in Icee-Hot and positioning the heating pad in just the right spot I began to think about my battle wound. It may sound a bit overdramatic (OK....a lot overdramatic) to call it a battle wound, but that's what it is to me. I had been wounded in the war of quality time.

As a Student Pastor I am convinced that there is a war going on in the lives of American families today. The enemy is "Other Responsibilities" and it attacks in the camouflage-fatigues of career, hobbies, and "things that just can't wait". The casualties are children, wives and even husbands. The only way to overcome this enemy is to be willing to die on the hill your family is on. I meet kids all the time who have dads who care more about beer and football than they do their own families. I hang out with all kinds of students who have moms who drop everything to spend 5 extra hours at work each week but haven't "had time" to go to one of their kid's softball games in years.

As embarassing as it was to tell people this story, I also sort of told it with a sense of healthy pride. See, I'm proud I didn't pull my neck out at work, or helping someone move, or para-sailing, or playing wiffle-ball with friends. Instead, I was injured in the line of duty while my wife and daughter laughed their heads off. And that's like being awarded the Purple Heart to me.

Memoirs from a Bookstore

2007-03-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

My family and I had a crazy night on the town this past Friday! After a long day of playing & hanging out at the McMahon house we decided to swing by Jamba Juice for a nice fruity beverage and take a stroll around the Borders Bookstore here in town. There was this book about Ancient Roman History I’ve been longing to get (I know what you’re thinking….who wants a stupid book about Ancient Roman history?! Well, I do! I may be a total book-geek but I’m stinking proud of it!! The older I get the more I come to discover what pure treasure knowledge of the past & present truly is and how it relates to the quality of our future as a society and world. The more I study the history and current events of this planet that GOD has spoken into existence, the more I appreciate GOD’s Word and long for His Kingdom to be manifest. Actually I believe that if more people read good books instead of letting Oprah, Senators in the incubator called Washington D.C., and Jerry Springer tell them what to think and when to think it, we might actually be better off as a people and culture! Besides, this particular book focuses on Rome’s political and military history which when you think about it is actually so re- ...Ooops…there I go again…..what do you care? Anyway,). There are a few things I noticed while with my family in the bookstore during this excursion. I decided to share them with you kind young chaps who actually frequent my blog.

1. The children’s book section at Borders is A-MAZING! Annabelle was in awe of the colors and imagination that filled that place! Books and stuffed-frogs stacked to the rafters. Stories of talking elephants, flying kangaroos, princesses, bear families and more were everywhere as if they were screaming out for Annabelle’s attention. She was much more interested in this than in the Roman History section. Go figure!

2. It’s really difficult to flip through books while holding a giant cup of Caribbean Passion smoothie from Jamba Juice. I hope they don’t find that stain I accidentally left on a copy of Homer’s Odyssey.

3. My wife is so cool! The fact that I’m married to a woman who can have fun with me just strolling our daughter through a giant bookstore is AWESOME! It’s such a cool thing knowing we can have a great time just hanging out doing the simplest things! She truly is a Proverbs 31 woman!

4. Whoever woke up from a long night of sleep and suddenly came up with the idea of a giant bookstore with a giant café in it along with a giant magazine section right next to the giant DVD/CD section is right up there with Sir Isaac Newton & Alexander Graham Bell in my opinion! BRILLIANT!!

5. Barack Obama actually has 2 books on the National Bestseller list. Pretty impressive! He won’t be my choice for President in November of 2008, but you have to admit it’s pretty amazing that he’s had time to be a senator in Washington D.C., making crucial votes about U.S. policy and national security, traveling the speaking circuit, listening to and meeting with his constituents in Illinois, being with his family, learning what it takes to be President of a world superpower, and writing two Bestsellers all in the past couple of years!! {Anson winks while his tongue is in his cheek}

6. There are a lot of “Book-Grazers” in the world. You know…. people that somehow confuse bookstores for libraries. Get a card people!! Dang!

7. There is a book on the Bestseller list entitled The God Delusion. Man….that’s harsh! Sounds like that brother got burned by somebody or something real bad!!

8. Books are my weakness. My vice, if you will. For some it’s alcohol, for some it’s crack-cocaine, for some nicotine, for many it’s food or laziness. I have discovered that books are a weakness for Anson McMahon. The moment I walk into a bookstore my knees turn to jelly, I hear voices in my head luring me to the non-fiction and current events sections and I begin to see things “I must have or I will just die!!” Even more of a weakness to me than Best Buy is, and that’s saying a lot!!

Those are some things I learned last Friday night. But above all else I learned this: I love being with my family. Whether we’re at an Almond festival or a bookstore on a Friday night, we always learn something new. And to top it all of, I found my book on Ancient Rome! {Anson the book-geek smiles in eager anticipation}

Ministry, Jesus & the joy of Pod-casting

2007-03-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen (or really cared enough to look at) any statistics regarding how many students, young adults, or even older adults actually listen to podcasts. (For those of you who have no clue what a pod cast is, take this opportunity to look it up on www.wikipedia.com) What I do know is that it has become an amazing ministry tool to use for ministry. Tapes and even CD's for that matter have gone the way of Vanilla Ice and now media is literally a click of the mouse away.

I am so jazzed about what the LORD is doing in the ministries of www.hisecho.com. The DEVOCAST and the ACCESS pod cast have become incredible tools for God's kingdom in the lives of the students at BVG, not to mention the pod casts of Xrds and Newgen!

So...if you aren't doing anything important in the next half hour, pour yourself a scorching hot mug of joe (vanilla-nut creamer suggested) and enjoy a discussion centered around the Word of GOD. You can find all of our pod casts at www.hisecho.com or by typing "BIG VALLEY GRACE" in the i-tunes search window.

A Journey through ACTS

2007-02-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

For well over a year now I have been hitting the alarm clock at 4:45 on Wednesday mornings so that I can hit the ground running (actually more like crawling that early) with my Wednesday routine. A quick shower, a quick mostly unnecessary shave, a quiet tip-toe down the hall in a futile attempt to not wake my wife or daughter, a drive through Starbucks for my steaming dark black venti drip (cup of heaven), and a journey to the YAC to meet a group of High School & College-Age guys for a study through the New Testament book of Acts which I lead. I don't know what's most surprising to me; the fact that an average of 20 guys still faithfully come each Wednesday or the fact that we are still in that book almost a year-and-a-half later!!

This time has been like a soul-refresher to me for many reasons. The guys gather around a coffee tin the size of a nuclear bomb while fighting over vanilla nut creamer and sugar packets. After this we head into the YAC, usually giving somebody a hard time for showing up to a Bible study without a Bible! After the athletes in the group finish their discussion about the games they won or lost the night before we begin. It's all about relationships! It's been awesome taking a few verses at a time to slice & dice. It has been so incredible getting these guys' perspective on these Holy Spirit-filled 1st Century followers of Jesus. Over the months we have put ourselves in the samdals of guys like Peter, John, Stephen, Philip, an Etiopian eunuch (ouch), Barnabas, James, Paul, Seven sons of Sceva (ouch), a jailer, a couple of Roman centurions and even some Pharisees & Sadducees. The scriptures have come to life as we've asked ourselves tough questions like "Would we be willing to die for Christ?" and "Why would a guy wana become a eunuch or marry his sister?"

Each time we close our time in prayer I am reminded of a couple things. One, I love High School students. Contrary to popular belief they are far from hopeless. And, two, ministry isn't ever as rewarding when it's about the "BIG-SHOW". You can have all the theater lights, fog machines, jumbotrons and prayer segways. Let us not forget....a guy named Jesus just needed twelve to turn the world upside down forever......and He didn't even have a microphone.

What are the results of beginning this Bible study? Well, where do I start? A bunch of high school guys are growing into the disciples Jesus wants them to be, my wife Heather just started one at the same time (6:15am) on Thursday morning for the girls of ACCESS & they already average more than we do, one of our graduated college student visiting from his school in Chicago recently said to me, "That Wednesday morning ACTS study is what I miss most about Modesto." along with a ton of other things, both measurable and immeasurable.

May ACCESS never be a ministry that's a mile wide but an inch deep. As long as I keep hitting that alarm each Wednesday morning before the angels are even up it hopefully won't be.

Two into One

2007-02-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

It blows my mind every time I look at my daughter and realize the LORD'S Great Creativity in merging two people's traits, looks, and personalities into one. I am reminded of that really cool part of Psalm 139 when it says,

"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

Over the past 10 months I have observed how Annabelle is a lot like Heather and yet a lot like me! I was thinking about this as I watched her play today. Some examples of this are:

HOW SHE IS LIKE HEATHER:

1. She really loves sleeping & she could probably sleep through nuclear fallout on the nights she's really tired! Exactly like her mommy!!

2. She has an incredibly sweet disposition around everyone! Just like her mommy! I wish I was more like them.

3. She's into everything! Like Heather she always has to be involved in some sort of activity or project!! She's constantly crawling to see what lies beyond the next corner!!

HOW SHE IS LIKE ME:

1. She hates shoes! Just like daddy she needs to have her feet free from the constraint that shoes bring! The minute they're on she tries to take them off! If only they made baby flip-flops!

2. She loves books!! NO REALLY!! MORE THAN USUAL!!! Heather literally has to read her about 10 books first thing in the morning because the second one is finished she is reaching for another! She already knows how to turn the pages!! I think she'd rather read than eat!!

3. She is a total movie buff!! Although we only let her watch one about two or three times a week she gets totally dialed in when it's on!!(Baby Einstein)

HOW SHE IS DIFFERENT THAN BOTH OF US:

1. She actually has rythym! She's always rocking or patting her hands and feet to the music. Nothing like me or Heather (even though we like to pretend sometimes!).

2. She doesn't really seem to like cheese a whole lot yet.... me & Heather are addicted to it.

3. She has two different colored eyes! It's the coolest thing I've ever seen! Incredibly rare!!

It's amazing to see how the Lord can bring two people together and create a beautiful & unique life from it. Though she is similar to us she is still different than us in so many ways. But she will forever be our daughter. I think of exactly 12 year ago today when Heather and I first started dating & I think of all that has happened in our lives since that day. And that makes me happy.

Nice Try Guys.

2007-02-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

"I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign which God hath given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."
-Professor Thomas Arnold, Chair of modern history at Oxford and author of History of Rome

There is a story floating around out there about a guy named Simcha Jacobovici. Apparently this guy has found the casket of Jesus Christ and his family (including the son of Jesus & Mary Magdalene named Judah.). Actually....in all seriousness the casket was allegedly "discovered" in 1980 when workers at a Jerusalem construction site accidentally busted through into a really old tomb. They found an inscription of Jesus' name on a box, did some DNA tests & what do you know.......IT WAS JESUS!! Apparently this guy along with James Cameron, the director of the blockbuster movie Titanic, will hold a press conference on Monday to "clear up things" for everyone. Especially the poor pathetic people who follow Jesus Christ.

The only problems I see with this guy's claims are as follows:

1. 10 out of the 11 disciples were murdered because they refused to deny the resurrection of Jesus Christ took place. The 11th, John died in exile on the island Patmos because he refused to deny the truth of the resurrection.

2. The resurection was not something kept hidden for centuries. Three days after Jesus' crucifixion people in Jerusalem knew about the resurrection and were going crazy about it!

3. The reasons outlined in this paper: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:YvsSLOAce48J:www.greatcom.org/resources/areadydefense/ch20/default.htm+quote+about+resurrection+from+Josephus&hl=en&amp;amp;ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us

4. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus (the Apostle Paul) who went from being one of the most militant persecutors of the followers of Jesus into the most outspoken evangelist for Christianity in a Jewish & Greek Culture of 1st Century Asia Minor (who would just assume kill you as to look at you if you preached about Jesus.)

5. The tomb of Jesus was never worshipped by Jewish Christians. The tombs of religeous icons were always worshipped. Why not Jesus'? He wasn't and isn't in it!

It will be interesting to hear the talk in the next few weeks about this new movie coming out. Throughout all of it, though, I hold fast to historic evidence from both Christians & non-Christians alike. He is risen! Or as Paul wrote to the church at Corinth:

"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born." (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

Cup of Heaven

2007-02-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

How come Starbucks coffee tastes so much better than any other coffee at 5:30 in the morning. It's not just in my head either! There is something seemingly sacred about the rich aroma filling my office. I take a taste & the steaming hot black taste of roasted whole beans from Ethiopia brings my senses to life. I think the only coffee better than Starbucks is whatever they serve in Heaven. Starbucks is soooo good.....mmmmmmm.

I feel as if I'm going on a journey with every sip. I'm on an excursion with Juan Valdez battling the evil dragon DECAF. We travel over hills and through valleys with a mission to spread coffee love to all nations! We cross a great river called Espresso in order to reach the nation Barrista. Once in Barrista we are attacked by the froo-froos. The froo-froos are a dangerous people who have been hypnotized by coffee imposters called FRAPPUCCINOS. We are forced to destroy them immediately before they infect other innocents with their deception. I am exploring villages filled with people who desperately need to be freed from their lack of true coffee-enjoyment.....they have been slaves all their lives to an evil master named Maxwell House and his depraved wife Folger. We shall set them free, however! Nothing can defeat the power of Starbucks wielded by Anson & Juan Valdez!! WE SHALL OVERCOME! We shall battle them with our plethora of flavors! Our arsenal is quite diverse!!! YUKON!! ETHIOPIA SIDAMO!! COLUMBIAN!! SUMATRA!! GUATEMALA!! VERONA!! AND DON'T YOU DARE MAKE ME HAVE TO USE THE FRENCH ROAST!!! AND IF THOSE DON'T WORK I SHALL CALL ON MY STRONG KOMODO DRAGON!! WE SHALL..........

Um.....

Sorry.

What I meant was.....Starbucks is really good.

Now back to my cup of heaven.

Almond Festival

2007-02-24T16:13:00.000-08:00

Heather, Annabelle & myself attended the city of Ripon's annual Almond (pronounced a'-mon-d not all-mon-d! according to Riponites!) Festival today. I learned some valuable life-lessons there that I would like to randomly blog about now. They may help you in the future. The life-lessons are as follows:

- NEVER mispronounce "almond" to an almond farmer!! They take it personally! "It's an a'mond NOT an all-mond!!!" Unfortunately these same people can never explain why the commercial calls the candy bar "ALMOND JOY"!

- There is no such thing as a healthy low-carb corndog, funnelcake, churro or peppersteak sandwich!!

-It's ALWAYS a rip-off to pay 25 cents in order to get a penny with an almond imprinted on it!

- You should never talk bad about a school in Ripon while standing behind a financial supproter of that school in the Teriyake Chicken Bowl line.

- 6 bucks is way too much to pay for a lemonade no matter how "cool" the 16oz. cup looks.

- People dressed up in almond costumes are always frightening to small children!!

- The sidewalks in Ripon are way too small for 4 strollers side-by-side. Why do we always try to make it work anyway?!

- There are 4,899 ways to prepare an almond.

- Young 17 year old gangsta-wannabe's should never hang out trying to be cool and scope out girls at an almond festival....it simply doesn't work, fellas.

- Don't eat the yellow snowcones.

- Giant blow-up bouncers may be fun for the children but they are always a bad idea when they are made to look like a horrific national tragedy.....for instance let's say THE SINKING TITANIC!!!!! SHEESH PEOPLE!!

REMEMBER: THOSE WHO DON'T LEARN FROM THE PAST ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.

HOME DEPOT CHURCH

2007-02-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

I went to Home Depot this morning to buy a wheelbarrow. Have you ever noticed that you can't ever seem to find an employee at Home Depot when you really need one? I had to walk up and down aisles stocked with millions of abstract items I know nothing about simply to find one 17 year old with an orange apron tied around his waist over his velcroed back-brace.

My conversation went like this:

"Where are your wheelbarrows?"

"Uh....Over there." (17 year old pointing back the exact way I had come from)

"K.....Thanks" (me feeling stupid)

Finally I found them......unassembled!! DOH!!

A sign posted at the top of the 40 foot scaffolding declared in large Sharpie-font "BUY ASSEMBLED! ASK AN EMPLOYEE!!

DOH!!! Not again!!

After an excursion to the carpet section I found a lady with the orange apron identifier.

"Excuse me.....where are the assembled wheelbarrows?" (I ask frustrated at 8:30 in the morning)

"Out front. Go get one and bring it inside to pay for it." (she says clearly frustrated that I'm speaking to her at 8:30 in the morning)

"K.....thanks." (I say wishing I was at LOWE'S)

After kicking an assembled wheelbarrow out front because it was locked to 23 other wheelbarrows and a large stone pillar I set out to find a third Home Depot Disciple. This time one was standing near the front of the store. A 19 year old girl with fresh highlights chewing gum.

"Can I please get a wheelbarrow?" (I ask sheepishly resigned to their soveriegn will)

"Sure" (she said in a way where I could tell she meant "DUH!")

"They're locked up" (I say in a way meaning "DUH!!!!!")

"Oh"

Rolling her eyes she calls for help on a really loud red phone.

A frustrated manager stomps to the front, walks speedily past me, looking back once to make sure I was following her the way a small starving pup would, unlocks them and waits for me to let her get back to doing whatever it is she wants to do.

FINALLY! I HAVE IT!! NOW ALL I HAVE TO DO IS PAY!!

Inside.....the checkout person isn't a person at all. It's a machine. A robot checked me out at Home Depot. I must admit though.......it was more helpful.

Sometimes when I have experiences like this I can't help but to think about how often I must treat people this way. I know there have been many times when I have treated people as a burden. Many times when I have been less-than-helpful to others who just need a bit of leadership and care. I make excuses for myself during these moments as to why I treat them this way. Excuses help to seperate me from the people who treat me this way. Excuses help me feel better.

I wonder how many people have visited a church body on a Sunday just to leave perplexed and confused and undervalued.

May we always be people who give Christ a good name in the way we treat others. Whether we're the church or a manager at Home Depot.

What I'm Reading now....

2007-02-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

I'm the type of guy who has to be reading a few books at one time. It's weird & probably one of the signs that your an ADHD-bookworm-psycho! I'm really psyched with what I'm reading these days, though! It is as follows:

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF VALUES by Charles Lindbergh
(Currently on page # 297. I've always been fascinated by this man. In case you didn't know he was the first guy to fly non-stop from the U.S. to Europe in the late 20's. He became a cultural icon for that generation, experienced horrible personal tragedy, and was a tremendously flawed man. Not a Christ-follower from what I can tell. This is his story in his own words. I visited his grave in Maui on the road to Hana & ever since then I've been fascinated.)

THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm Gladwell
(Currently on page # 122.A bestseller that takes a look at the power of epidemics and how word of mouth advertising & other elements helps to get movements started. Didn't know I'd enjoy it as much as I am right now!)

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD by A.W. Tozer
(Currently on page # 157. How could you not love Tozer? I've been immersed in thoughts of what GOD is really like because of the current teaching series I'm leading at ACCESS high school ministry. An amazing reminder of who my GOD is at His core. Tozer is the type of guy who knew firsthand!)

THE ADVENTURE OF WORSHIP by Gerrit Gustafson
(Currently on page # 40. Pretty interesting book my worship leader buddy Joel Goddard gave to me recently. It's kind of a look at the Biblical history of worship and how it translates into our lives today.)

I love books! They're like extremely low-maintenance friends who are really wise and interesting!

Hit me Baby, One More Time

2007-02-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

Two days ago I turned on my television in order to get some sort of update regarding the war our nation is in on two fronts- Iraq and Afghanistan. The news has been inundated of late with stories from the battlefield as well as the vain repititions of the U.S. Congress, unjust massacre in places like the Sudan and nuclear threats from both Iran and North Korea.

One can imagine my surprise, therefore, when the top story on all the news shows (seriously.....ALL the news shows) was a bald picture of Britney Spears. Yes...Britney Spears...the "Hit me Baby, One More Time, Ooops I did it Again, Lucky"-Pop Diva! It's bad enough when the news breaks away from real news in order to cover a low speed car chase through the hills of Ventura......but Britney Spears HAIR?!

The weird thing is that I have thought about that experience over the past couple of days. I thought about the hollow promises of fame, fortune & big homes. I thought about her two children who will now grow up without mommy & daddy together. I wonder whatever happened to the Mickey Mouse Club Britney. Whatever happened to the girl from Louisiana who broke onto the scene not only singing & dancing, but also unashamedly talking about her faith in Jesus & her commitment to stay sexually pure until she was married? What has happened in her life to take her from that "commitment" to kissing Madonna in front of the whole world, to text messaging her hubby a divorce message to checking in & out of rehab in less than a day to completely shaving her once stylish head of hair? And in the midst of all this, when does she have time to be a mother?

When I think about Britney Spears it saddens me. I obviously don't know her but it does sadden me. Maybe it's because I see how far she has fallen from her "commitment" to Christ & chastity. Maybe it's because I'm reminded that a little bit of compromise each day really multiplies and builds up over the months & years until one day you wake up and wonder where the real you went. Maybe it's because I work with High School Students all the time and I'm broken by the thought that girls like this are the heroes that teenage & 20something girls of today esteem & hold in high regard. Maybe it's because words like "character" and "integrity" are being replaced by words like "style", "popular", "sheek", "sexy" and "fashion". Maybe it's because I wonder what will happen next.

As I watch Britney I am reminded of a story that Jesus told one time about a young man who basically told his father "screw you" and took his inheritance with him to a land far away. Jesus tells us that the young man squandered his wealth on cheap sex and "wild living". He was having fun. Sin is always fun for the moment. Then one day the young man woke up & wondered who he had become. He found himself literally living in the mud with the pigs. A jewish boy in a pig pen. Jesus' point was well made.....this boy couldn't have gotten any lower if he tried!! Jesus tells us that one day the young man "came to his senses". He was unworthy and knew he needed to return to the father he disowned but how would his father ever take him back. As always, though, Jesus makes a scandalous point about what GOD is like!! The story ends with an embrace & a party. The father sees his son returning, runs to him, throws his arms around him and kisses him!! The father restored his rebel-son to the family. All the son had to do was return....the father did the rest!

Britney is just one example of many who have run. None of us are immune to becoming runners-from-God ourselves. The truth, however, is that the FATHER loves His children. He will always be right there for His children. If we will just come to our senses and realize that there is no peace, hope, fulfillment or real life apart from the Father we can be restored!

My hope is that Britney will realize that Jesus is still there....waiting for her return....he loves every single one of his children. Bald or not.

Playing with my daughter

2007-02-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

These are the moments that matter most. Even though she is only 10 months old she is establishing a bond with us that will last a lifetime.

As I watch my wife play with our baby girl I am struck by how GOD created moms to be such nurturers. I am overwhelmed by how the LORD has blessed us so that Heather is able to stay home to love, teach, correct and feed our little girl each day. Many people aren't able to do that & I don't want to take it forgranted.

I have to go now.....my baby just said "dadadadadada-DAAA!" again & my heart is melting!

PS- Wish they had toys this cool when I was a baby!!!!

I started a blog?!

2007-02-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

I'm not even sure what I'm doing.......See, I wouldn't consider myself to be the most technically-literate guy alive. (I may actually be the only Student Pastor in America who still prefers voicemail over email!) I don't even know if I'll post anything else after tonight. I guess we'll see how long this thing remains a priority.
I guess I figured I better have a blog just in case it's actually a prerequisite to getting into Heaven. KIDDING.