Update

You've missed me. I know. Here's the thing though. I am working like crazy! There are some really exciting things getting ready to take off at the church I'm serving. Our staff is bustin' to get it all ready for September launch. Here's a mini-preview to wet your whistle.

MID-WEEK CONNECTION
God desires authentic community with us and he also desires us to experience authentic community with others. We need small group fellowship. That is all that can be said. If you aren't regularly meeting with other folks of faith, you are missing something vital to your spiritual health! Here are just a few of the offerings for the Wednesday night small group launch we're beginning in September:

• Alpha-If you've got questions, doubts or just need to build a strong foundation to your faith, this is for you. Check out the promo that we'll be showing at church this Sunday. Brits call promos or advertisements "adverts". That information is free. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGI3z9YXW9A
• Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace-Manage your money by kingdom principles
• Disciple I and Disciple V- I have not personally taken either, but I am using the Disciple I book to prepare some devotional material and it is fantastic. It does a better job at laying out what is happening in the scriptures than any other one resource I've seen. Are you willing to dig deep into God's word for 9 weeks? That's all it takes and it will change you!
• There are many other options as well!

Another cool thing that is getting ready to launch is our GPS series. GPS is essentially a 34 week look at the scriptures. It's a whirlwind overview that just looks to give us some "navigational help" as we go through the Bible. I am writing devotions for this series and I have really enjoyed it so far. 8 weeks down so far!

The GPS series, along with all of our fall programming (I hate that word for church), is kicking off with THE GPS KICKOFF EVENT!!!! It is September 7 and if you have any level of coolness in your DNA you will be there and you will bring a friend. There will be a City Wide Cornhole Tournament with the winners receiving GPS systems! There will be free food! There will be a GPS Treasure Hunt and there may even me a television broadcast of the BROWNS-COWBOYS game on a big screen! I am really hopeful that this will generate some excitement for all the great things we have going on this fall.

What on this list of exciting endeavors tickles your pickle the most? Let me know!

I'm baaack

10 Valuable Lessons from the NYC

1. 15 hour work days are lame no matter which state you're in.

2. Pastor Jerry and Snoop Dawg are an interesting combination .

3. Showering via a rubber hose in a church parking lot in front of all of the passersbys of NYC really forces you to get past your self-conscious feelings of tubbiness in a bathing suit.

4. Toys R Us sits on a throne of lies. It really isn't a place where a kid can be a kid.

5. Phantom of the Opera is not a comedy.

6. It is amazing what happens when you treat a person as if they have dignity and they really matter (something lost in the NYC culture).

7. If you sit outside on the street at 11 p.m. people will come up and ask you for drugs.

8. Stupid Ninja is a great game no matter which state you're in.

9. "Undignified" may have to be shelved for a couple months before I will mind hearing/singing it again.

10. God honors those who go. He drew the group together in some impactful ways and maybe for the first time, Shaina and I feel like we've "broken in" to the community of W.U.M.C.

More to come later!

1 week hiatus

tomorrow we leave for the "Big Apple" for a week long mission trip. I will be signing off as of now, but stay tuned for some cool developments in a possible mission trip next summer!?

The End of Genesis and the Beginning of a New Challenge...oh and a sweet game called whirly ball!

OK, So we wrapped up Genesis last night. For 8 weeks we studied how God created and it was "very good" but one thing was "not good" (man was alone...Authentic Community?) We looked at how after sin entered the picture, it really entered the picture. Unredeemable Violence, murder, rape, genocide, deceit, robbery, manipulation, etc. Even in the midst of that, we found God bringing hope and grace. When Adam and Eve should have died, they lived. When the whole world was to be wiped away by flood, Noah and his family lived. When the people rebelled and tried to reach the heavens on their own, God began a covenant promise with Abram (Abraham). This is relevant today. Even in the midst of our "stuff", God continues to meet us with hope and grace.

However, Genesis does not end well. You'd think the story would have some resolve, but it doesn't. The two leaders of the developing people, Jacob (Israel) and Joseph die in the last two chapters of Genesis, leaving the rest of the people to fend for themselves in Egypt, a foreign and unsafe land. 400 years later Exodus picks up the story with Moses...but can you imagine the people in between that span? Where is God? Is God good? Is God trustworthy? Does God love? Heavy questions...

So the ending is a bummer, you have to buy the sequel to find out how the story ends...or continues.

But we came back to Genesis 12:1-3 which I claimed and still do claim is the single most important passage of Scripture in the Old Testament. God promises to bless Abraham...SO THAT he can be a blessing and consequently bless all the nations of the world. This promise is inherited by Christ followers 3000 years later. We exist to be a blessing...especially as American Christians who have access to more resources than anyone else in the world...so, here's the NEW CHALLENGE.

OPERATION BAAAAAH. (Read Matthew 25:31-46)

The Edge is going to attempt to accomplish the six fold initiative outlined for the Jesus Sheep in this passage. This might be the most excited I have been for anything in a while. Here's the initial brainstorming.

Phase One: "Clothe the naked"

We all have a buttload of clothing...(a buttload is not a precise measurement). Alot of what we own sits in our closet or in "wishful thinking bins" or in my case, Shaina apparently shrunk them and they are more snug than should be worn in public. The solution, everyone bring 15 clothing items to the church on Saturday to donate to Marian's Closet. These items are 1) not to be so used that they are stanky. 2)Not to be the most hideous bridesmaid dresses you've ever seen and 3) not to give you an excuse to go buy a ton of clothes to re-stock your closet. The purpose is to be a blessing. Its a really small effort, but it's a start, and a sacrificial start at that!

The other five phases are titled below. I'd love to hear your feedback on how to solve these important issues either on a local or global scale!

"Feed The Hungry"

"Give the Thirsty a Drink"

"Welcome the Stranger"

"Care for the Sick"

"Visit the Imprisoned"

Aww buddy! Lord, I can't wait to see how you work in our lives as we live out your calling!

*Please note that the image of the sheep does not suggest that we will in any way violently harm the hungry, thirsty, foreigner, sick or imprisoned. I am a peace lover and an advocate of non-violent activism, but the picture was funny. It's a vicious cycle.

ahh the joy of molecular biology

Penny brought this video to our church staff this week. Check it out and stop to consider that you are "fearfully and wonderfully made!" http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=152b5103d741aca61093

Love the Creator?

Take care of the creation. Check out the story of stuff online (20 minute clip). www.storyofstuff.com