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One day as I was making rounds at the child care center I worked at, I witnessed my 4 year old son on the pre-school playground with one pretty (older pre-k) girl on one hand and another pretty (older pre-k girl) on the other, playing tug of war and shouting adamantly, “no, he’s my husband!”

“No, he’s miiiiinnnnne.”

“Cameron, who do you love more?”

He just giggled, grinned and stumbled along drunkly, willingly allowing himself to be drug about like a favorite rag doll.

I knew that day, given the fact that he is a boy (duh)… and given the fact he is a very handsome boy (I know - but it’s true) - that I had better start figuring out how to set him on the right path to prepare for his future relationships. He’s 7 now and has shared with me often how he looks forward to a wife and kids. Man, that starts early! I feel behind… already. I so want him to have a better time navigating the relationship waters than I did.

I saw the other day Craig Groeschel wrote a book titled, “Going all the Way - Preparing for a Marriage That Goes the Distance“. I immediately wanted to read it. First, because I loved the title (that’s sooooo important), and second because Craig Groeschel is pretty much just awesome. I saw him speak at the C3 conference earlier this year. His topic - - “You’re an Idiot”. (did I mention that titles were imporatant?) Here are some sound bites from my notes…

“Don’t ever become good - good is the enemy of what is great.”

“God uses insecure, risk taking, pain enduring idiots.”

“If our goal is comfort, convenience and safety we are serving a false god.”

“The difference between where you are and where you want to be is the painful decision you are unwilling to make.”

“You have to learn to play hurt.”

“Your ministry will never grow beyond your threshold for pain.”

That’s good stuff. You can order the book here. I can’t wait to read mine. Might as well subscribe to his blog while you’re at it… it’s good reading.

Only a few more days left for the early bird rate of $45. What a bargain!!!!!!!!!! You can register here.

We spend a lot of time and resources during the course of our lives training ourselves for what we do. Think about it… 12 years of primary school, college, training seminars, reading, networking… that’s a lot of energy! But how much of our time and resources do we pore into who we are - who God created us to be? I know it’s during the week…I know you’ll have to use vacation time… But, come anyway. I guarantee you will come away with a renewed excitement about that other part of your life. You know…the one that happens when you are not at work. And, you will have a blast! Because there’s a whole lot of really cool people going!

Need a little more inspiration? Perry Noble is the pastor of Newspring Church who is hosting the conference. I love reading his blog. Check out this post - What Would You Be Willing To Attempt For God If You Knew You Could Not Fail?

Coni Andress left a comment on Pastor B’s blog today about Sunday’s service.  I read it and just couldn’t let it sit in the comments section  where it could so be so easily overlooked.  This is what she wrote…

“What a great message Sunday. Worship was awesome and Ed and I left the Rock, encouraged and enthusiastic about what God is doing in our city. I put our light sticks in my purse after church. When we got to the restaurant I put them on the table. The waitress never mentioned them but she did ask if we were coming from church.She practically invited herself to church. God was all over that. Ed left her a 50% tip and today, I dropped her off a card with our map. I hope we see her next Sunday.”

I have goose pimples.  That is sooooooo awesome!!!

(the photo was taken by Pastor Matthew and was borrowed from Pastor B’s blog - he has more posted… go check em out.) 

See, now this is the type of weirdness you are required to blog about. It’s a law. So, here we go…  top 10 reasons why this guy is… well, i don’t know what he’s doing.  ANYWAY…

1. he had beer, beans AND cabbage for lunch
2. this is a parent’s sick idea of “alternative correction”
3. his wife won’t allow taxidermy in the house
4. the driver is trying to one up his buddy’s gun rack
5. he’s testing his new superman flight simulator
6. the doors don’t work and he got stuck getting in
7. he was way too chicken to sky dive
8. he’s in charge of making sure the toolbox doesn’t fall out
9. he’s on the way to the doctor to get a tetanus shot (ouch!)
10. he’s trying to get someone to blog about him

Have some more??? Give em to me in my comments!!!  Come on - - it’s fun!!!!!

(Photograph taken by Abbye Printy with her blackjack while driving Angela Wilhite and me to lunch last week while I was frantically rallying from the back seat - Take a picture! Quick - Take a piiictuuuuure!!!)

Ok - this may seem a little anti-climactic to some of you.  But not all of you were at The ROCK today and for the past week I have been dying to tell someone that…    I ordered 350 glow sticks on Monday.  And, this is the kicker - I wasn’t just goofing off!!!  It was my job to order 350 glow sticks!!!  I got paid to do it!!!!  I think that makes it officially official.  I have the coolest job on the planet.  Rachel Ray has got it pretty good too… but yeah - I think I have her just beat.

Ok.  For those of you who dont do not have a clue what I am talking about… We are in our “Retro” sermon series talking about the foundational principles of our faith.  Todays message was titled, “Lite Brite”.  Pastor B preached an awesome message about letting our light shine.  Then we turned all the lights out in the sanctuary, popped the glow sticks and sang Mighty to Save.  If you dont know that song, the words are…

Everyone needs compassion
A love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

So take me as You find
my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

My Savior, He can move the mountians
Our God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave!

Shine your light and let the whole world see
were singin for the glory of the Risen King.

It was way cool.  And what an awesome illustration.  In order for a glow stick to glow it has to be broken and shaken.  I suddenly feel the uncontrollable urge to invite someone to church.  Lord, break us and shake us so that our lights will shine to all those who need you!!!

(my computer has suddenly started denying the use of an apostrophe.  Not quite sure what thats that is all about - but its it is really hard to type without them.)

Retro:  Lite Brite
This Sunday at The ROCK

Seriously - you really want to be there.  Clear your schedule, and for Pete’s sake bring a friend!!!  (who is Pete, anyway???)

Oh, yes - - I almost forgot.  You can find this online obsession here.  (in case you don’t have enough already)

I love it when companies understand the value of great customer service.

1. Our Shure UHF reciever went bad for our wireless mics - (Wouldn’t power on Sunday before last)
2. It was well out of warranty (by at least 3 years)
3. Went to Shure.com where they had the repair price posted for my out of warranty problem (That was Monday and it was $100)
4. Downloaded a handy pdf that I could type my information into (love those), printed it out and sent it UPS Ground with my receiver (Monday)
5. Received a BRAND NEW receiver (Today - 8 business days later)
6. I panicked that my unit might not have been repairable and that I might have paid an arm and a leg for it
7. Called Shure to see how much I was charged
8. It was $100 (with free shipping)

This unit retails for $850.

Shure ROCKS!

i have to get the 100, ooo emoticons off my home page.  they keep crashing my browser.

hmmmm….  i’m sure there’s a object lesson in there somewhere.

I forgot to post this last Friday…. here are a couple of good reads…

1. Katya Andresen gets some outstanding marketing pointers from her 4 year old little girl in her post: My four year old knows bad marketing.
2. Last night was talking to Pastor B’s new assistant, Lori, and suggested she should start a blog. She announced decidedly, “I’m going to do that tonight!” I thought (to myself)… Wow, really? It’s 9:30 at night and we’re still at church you know. So, I smiled and said (out loud this time), “Yay!” This morning at 7:30 I had an email from her announcing her new blog! WOW!!! She’s already gettin’ things done PB!

I walked into Pastor B’s office Sunday Morning and said, “So, I just want to confirm that you really do want me to sing the lyrics, are you going to be more that hot for me?, in church.”

He laughed at me and said without flinching, “Absolutely. It’s perfect.”

Even now I feel the need to explain the Biblical correlation (God wants us to be hot or cold…).  There I feel better.  I’m just glad I resisted the urge to stop in the middle of the song to explain it.  Ok, anyway…

So, off I went to prepare. It went something like this….

1. acid washed jeans, folded and tucked into two pairs of black and white layered slouchy socks
2. two tank tops (one black and one white for the 80’s layered look)
3. men’s white dress shirt - size XL, bound in the middle with an extra wide black belt
4. a pony tail pulled up on top of my head with not one but two scrunchies
5. LOTS of hairspray
6. more hairspray
7. huge loopy earrings, long black beads and bangles around my wrists.
8. more hairspray
9. lip gloss
10. hairspray
11. lip gloss
12. Chuck Taylors (thanks, Jen!)
13. more hairspray and lip gloss

He, he! It was amazing how everything just came back to me so naturally. I think my hair was actually excited to do it again. (it was famous back in the 80’s ) So, out I went to give Paula Abdul’s, Straight Up, my best shot. The only other tidbit you need to round out your mental visual experience is Tim McCoy (New Hanover Band Director, sound guy, drummer, keyboarder extraordinare) playing air keytar behind me.

OK - so, why?, you may ask, was I doing all this? We are in the middle of our Retro series at The ROCK talking about the foundational principals of our faith. Sunday’s topic was, commitment. That’s the short answer. The real answer comes in the form of a phone call that Pastor B received from one of our church members.

Her daughter was at work and heard Paula Abdul singing Straight Up on the radio. Now, she’s young and probably had heard that song for the first time at church on Sunday. So, she was trying to think where she had heard it before (man, that makes me feel old). By the time she remembered her boss was nearby enough to hear her say that she had heard it at church last Sunday. To which he said, You heard that song in church?*.  (he, he) She went on to explain to him the reason why and found him impressed. That’s so cool, he said, I have been looking for a church like that!*

So, yeah.   We took a risk… we did it - - and God used it.  It was not for shock value - it was so people who wouldn’t ordinarily get it - - could.  And, that’s what it is all about.  God is so awesome.  And, I’m thankful there are no pictures or recordings that can be held against me in the future.  I still fully expect to receive my first piece of, how dare you, mail over this whole experience.  That will be a great day!

If you are still thinking God can’t do that.  Go read this post from Jeff Kapusta around the corner at LifePoint Church.

*quote disclaimer:  this story is now 4th generation - so these quotes are not verbatim…. but the spirit of the story is intact.