Real Love Video

I came across this video on YouTube as I was doing some research for the Real Love sermon series. Had to post it. Enjoy.

Politics and the Church

I found this great article from Christianity Today. It's an interview with Mark Batterson, Pastor of National Community Church. I thought it was worth passing on. It's always great to find someone who shares one of my views.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/003/15.44.html

Tough Quote

I read a quote today in my One Month to Live reading that really stopped me dead in my tracks. It immediately brought to mind conversations I've had with my children in the past. Times when because of stress or whatever, I was not at my best. I almost feel like I should put a "warning, not for the weak hearted" on it before I post it.

They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." - Carl W. Buechner

Sunday's Game

Sunday's game between the Redskins and the Cowboys was a great one to watch. I was watching it while doing some work on the outside of my house. I kept hearing yells and chants from my neighbors - all Redskins fans. I kept quiet since I was pulling for the Cowboys.

Here's a pic of a banner our church puts up every year before the big game. It has really caught the attention of people in the DC Metro area. It's been mentioned on a call-in radio show as well as on Facebooks Redskins Fan Club.

Make It Count Momets

I'm really loving the book "One Month to Live." The questions from today's chapters are questions that I think everyone should ask themselves everyday. So I thought I would share them.

• If you only had a month to live, whom would you want to spend the time with?
• Whom would you need to apologize to?
• Who needs to be assured today that you love them?
• What keeps you from spending the time and saying these words now?
  

Things To Come

Really excited about some of the things that are coming up at FCBC and on the home front. Here's a few that really get me going:

-Our small group is cranking back up after the summer slump. I love small group.

-We're launching two new small groups. Can't wait to see what happens there.

-Two months away from Operation Christmas Child. OCC is one of my favorite things our church does all year.

-Andrew and I are dong the Marine Corp Marathon One-Miler in Oct. He's already started training. He's never done a running event in his life. Should be great learning for both of us.

-We're starting to work on a church campaign that we will do in the New Year. It's based on the book "Dangerous Surrender" by Kay Warren. One of our small groups will be test running it in Dec. I think it's going to be an amazing time in our church.

-Our youth team met last night at my house. They are an amazing group of people and it's exciting to see some of the things they are working on. Some of the things they are working on seem pretty risky and God-sized to me. Can't wait to see how our youth lead our church this coming year.

Staff Meeting

I always look forward to Wednesday's staff meeting. It's just a great time to bring everyone around the table and plan and pray together.

Today's staff meeting seemed like it was going to be difficult. I've been fighting a cold since Sunday and just didn't feel well. Some of the other staff were either not feeling well or had already had some rough spots in their day.

Things changed when Brian, our Youth Pastor, arrived and began to lead us in a debriefing of Sunday's Back to School Bonanza. Before we knew it we were talking about the positives, sharing stories from the event and passing on the great feedback that each of us got from of our guests. Our guest, by the way, were blown away by our church's generosity.

I'm thankful for a church that has an "inner awareness and an outward focus." I'm thankful for a staff, that even on tough days can figure out a way to celebrate what God is doing. And I'm thankful that God knows all of our needs and will meet them.