Come Back, Shane!

Memorial Drive Kids Praise Chorus

2011-09-28T11:50:00.003-05:00

Introducing "Let's Sing", a new CD from the Memorial Drive Kids Praise Chorus (KPC's). "Let's Sing" includes 16 contemporary praise & worship songs with a goal of helping your kids learn some of the songs we sing in "big church".

"Let's Sing" can be purchased in person at the Memorial Drive Church of Christ, or on the web at www.taylorpublications.com.

Songs included are:

Awesome One
Beautiful One
I Am a Sheep
In Need
You Never Let Go
Mighty to Save
No Other Gods
Beautiful Lamb
Sweet Adoration
Shine, Jesus, Shine
Shout Hallelujah
Sing, Sing, Sing
That's Why We Praise Him
We Want to See Jesus Lifted High
Lord Reign in Me
If You Miss Me

Thanks to our KPC's for their hard work on this project, and to Taylor Publications for producing this cd!

Things I miss this October since there was no ZOE Conference in Nashville...

2010-10-14T15:29:00.003-05:00

No road trip with my praise team family
No new nicknames for said praise team members
No seeing my friends from all over the country
No inspiring keynotes from Cope/Harris/Walling/Graves/Ross, etc.
No new ZOE cd for the year
No Fat Mo's burger
No Corky's BBQ

Getting to the heart...

2010-07-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" 1 John 3:17

Why did they leave?

2010-07-17T09:41:00.002-05:00

I appreciated these thoughts from Tim Spivey on the issue of churches losing members:

Generally, unhealthy people leave healthy churches and healthy people leave unhealthy churches. The question is, "Who are we losing?" No matter how great a church is, people will leave that church—through moving, attrition, or other causes. The question isn't, "Will we lose people," it's, "Who are we losing?" If you are losing people who are heretics, critical, gossipers, divisive, or unwilling to behave Christianly…that's a sign of health. If you are consistently losing people who are truly salt of the earth, or entire age groups…you should really pay attention.

Balance Beam

2010-07-14T18:08:00.004-05:00

My thanks to Al Maxey for sharing this. I've been guilty. How about you?

Owasso Baseball

2010-05-18T10:46:00.002-05:00

Our hometown Owasso Rams baseball team fell just short of a 4th straight state title last night. It was an incredible game full of as much tension and excitement as I've seen in a while. I enjoyed getting to watch the game with Tim Rush. Congrats to Union High School on a hard-fought victory.

This was also my first visit to the new Tulsa baseball stadium. Loved it! Such an improvement over Driller Stadium.

We didn't sit here, but this was a great view:

Martha and Me

2010-05-13T08:36:00.004-05:00

From Luke's gospel (chapter 10):

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

This story is troubling to me.

My "C" personality means that I am a detail-oriented, task-driven type of person. I don't have a high need for being social...in fact, I'm perfectly content to have days where I talk to very few people at all. I value hard work and high quality in myself and others. I want things to be "just right". I don't like being embarrassed by being unprepared, incorrect, incomplete, or late.

I identify much more with Martha in this story than Mary. The meal needed to be prepared...the table needed to be set. Company was there, and a good host would take care of such things. I feel Martha's pain. I can relate.

That's why Jesus' response troubles me.

In my worst moments, I am left feeling as if there is no place in the kingdom for my "C" personality. If I want to be a better disciple, I have to leave behind all of those parts of my personality that I value and find comfort in. I must learn to be less structured, less concerned about punctuality, more care-free and impulsive. I'm told (or at least it's implied) that my desire to keep to a schedule makes me a "bad person".

Of course, then my "C" mind kicks it up a gear and reminds me that I have over-reacted and over-analyzed the whole thing. There is a need for balance, and a right time for both organization and punctuality as well as a right time for flexibility and spontaneity.

Do any of my fellow "C's" share in this wrestling of the mind?

Dump Day - TODAY

2010-05-05T12:30:00.002-05:00

Don't forget to stop by www.treymorgan.net to make your pledge toward feeding the children at the dump today.

This is one of those moments where you can do something concrete to help someone in need, and you can be confident that your money will not be tied up in a bunch of administrative costs.

A little from you who live in the land of plenty will go a long way for those who live in a land of need.

What will you do?

Dump Day - May 5

2010-04-12T11:48:00.004-05:00

I am reposting this from my friend Trey Morgan's blog. I'm in. Are you?

(You'll have to go to his blog to give, but you can read about it here)

Can you imagine being so poor and so hungry that you'd take up residence at your local dump and dig through the disgusting trash to find yourself something to eat? Can you imagine feeding your children scraps of molded rotting garbage, just so they can live? Can you imagine your children picking the little bites of chicken off a chicken bone they found in the garbage? All these are regular occurrences at the dump in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The Tegucigalpa dump is a dark and horrible place to live, yet many people do. Last year, on May 5th, you began to help make a difference in these forgotten people's lives, with the first ever Dump Day.

Twice this past year I had the privilege of being in Honduras and feeding hungry dump people with food you helped provide. This year I plan to go back to Honduras a couple of times and help feed the people at the dump. I'm praying this ministry is able to continue. Here are a few questions you may have that I hope I can help answer...

1. What is "Dump Day?"
Dump Day started last May 5th when we all raised over $12,500 for the Dump Fund. Everyone came together and pledged money and hungry people were fed. Here's the post if you want to look back. Now that a year has passed we want to have another "Dump Day" fundraiser to make sure we're able to continue to feed the hungry people of the Tegucigalpa, Honduras dump.

2. How did Dump Day start?
In November of 2008 I got a newsletter from a group of kids who were doing some mission work down in Honduras. They mentioned in their newsletter about going out to the dump and feeding people who lived there. When I first read it I thought to myself, "No way is there really people who live at a dump and eat out of the trash." I emailed them and found out more about their work. They were making and taking sandwiches to them when the funds to do so were available. About six months later we decided to have a fund raiser for them on this blog. My dream was to raise about $2500 for this work. I dreamed much too small.

3. Why May 5th?
May 5th is my cancer anniversary. This year I will have been cancer free for 7 years. What better way to celebrate surviving cancer and being cancer free than doing something like this. :)

4. How can you help?
By doing two things: 1) help pass the word about what we're doing here on May 5th. You can use your blog, your church bulletin, your email, send letters or any other way of getting the word out. The more people that know, the more people that can help. And 2) make a donation. Stop by on May 5th and leave a comment with what you're pledging to give. That helps us keep up with where we are on the fund-raiser.

5. How do I give/pledge?
Once you leave a pledge ("I'll give $50, etc."), you make out a check, money order or use the Paypal button on the side-bar of this blog. We're trying to make it as easy as possible to give. On May 5th I'll include the address where you can mail your money, if you pay by check or money order.

6. Where will my money go?
This is simple ... your money will go to help feed the people at the dump. Period.

7. How do I participate in this year's Dump Day fast?
This year I'm challenging you to a Dump Day fast. A 30 hour fast that will coincide with the Dump Day marathon. It will be a reminder to us that there are hungry people in this world, and they can't be overlooked. I'm not sure there's ever been a day in the Tegucigalpa dump when the people have actually had more to eat than me ... but on May 5th they will. I will be fasting and on that day (Dump Day, May 5th), and my friend Marc Tindall will be feeding rice, beans, tortillas, bananas and water to the people at the dump.

I challenge you to fast from Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday evening. Then you can take the money you'd have spent on meals and give that money to hungry people. What better way to spend the money you saved on meals? :)

I also challenge you to some accountability on this by signing up. Simply leave a comment that says, "I'm in on the fast." You in?

2010 Tulsa Workshop

2010-03-28T19:03:00.003-05:00

Someone today called it a "holy exhaustion." I couldn't agree more. It was a great 3 1/2 days at The Tulsa Workshop. Thanks to all who joined us! The exhibit hall was packed, the classes were outstanding, and the people were inspired.

Here are a few pics from the first couple of nights.

Keith Lancaster leading worship on Wednesday evening:

Don McLaughlin's Wednesday evening keynote:

The Memorial Drive Praise Team leading on Thursday evening:

What are some of your favorite moments from the week?

New Praise Team CD!

2010-03-12T11:10:00.005-06:00

The newest Memorial Drive Praise Team cd "Brand New - Songs to Start Life Over" is scheduled for release on March 21.

You can listen to clips of all 13 songs at http://www.memorialdrive.org/

Mighty to Save
East to West
Jesus Messiah
My Savior My God
Heal Me
On My Knees
You are God Alone
How Can I Keep From Singing
Think About His Love
Finally Free
Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)
You Raise Me Up
A New Hallelujah

Cost is $12.00 + $1.50 shipping. Save on shipping and pick up your copy at The Tulsa Workshop March 24-27.

All proceeds from the sale of this cd will go towards our Community Ministry, which assists in helping people start life over.

Our desire is that these cd's find their way into the hands of people who need to hear a message of forgiveness, hope and love.

To order, send your check (and contact information) to:
Memorial Drive Church of Christ
747 South Memorial Dr.
Tulsa, OK 74112

We'll be able to take credit cards at the Fairgrounds, but we're not set up to take them here at the office. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for ordering.

2010 Tulsa Workshop

2010-01-24T22:08:00.004-06:00

The speaker schedule for the 2010 Tulsa Workshop is now posted at http://www.tulsaworkshop.org/

Check out all the great classes and make plans to join us March 24-27!

Will I see you there?

Learning from our Mistakes

2010-01-14T16:24:00.002-06:00

Loved this quote from “Success on the Far Side of Failure—Learning from Failures” by Stephen R. Covey. Thanks to one of our Memorial Drive shepherds, David Buchanan, for passing it along.

Successful people often share similar characteristics. But I have come to believe that the single thing they have most in common is that they find success on the far side of failure.

What do I mean by that? I find that almost all successful people have experienced significant failures in life or in their work, but they have learned from their failures.

On the other hand, people who don’t recognize their failures or don’t seek learning from them, are often the ones failing again and again. Why? Because they haven’t learned the lessons from the failure—they haven’t gained self-awareness or understanding; they haven’t understood others or their marketplace; they haven’t developed the maturity for humility and integrity—and they find themselves repeating their mistakes again and again.

Cotton Bowl

2010-01-10T20:50:00.005-06:00

Even though the game was a dud, Alice & I had a great trip to Dallas (well, actually Arlington) for the Cotton Bowl a week ago. I finally got around to uploading some pics.

Amazingly, we didn't have to park that far away.

The sea of orange. We definitely had more fans than Ole Miss.

Yes, the screen is big.

Our view of the game. Not too bad.

What, OSU throws a pass???

The orange people.

Through the pain...

2010-01-08T13:22:00.004-06:00

Love these words from Charlie Hall, worship leader and song writer:

"We can't let a situation repel us from God because it doesn't stop or go away. We have to figure out how to walk with God when it doesn't have the redemptive ending. I don't wait on my wishes, I'm waiting on promises, and it's God who chooses when those get fulfilled."

New Clip

2009-12-17T17:02:00.005-06:00

Here's another rough clip from the upcoming Memorial Drive Praise Team CD.

Jesus Messiah

(OK, link isn't working right now for some reason...but you can go to www.memorialdrive.org, click on Resources, Praise Team cd, and listen there)

Slowly but surely, folks. ; )

Hunger and Thirst

2009-12-04T10:39:00.002-06:00

(I posted this on my church website blog today, but thought I'd share it here, too)

Our Wednesday evening meditation class opened this week by feasting on this truth:

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

What is it that you hunger and thirst for? What is it that truly satisfies you? Satan fools us into thinking a lot of different things will fill that void in our hearts. I've found that once the newness of a new "toy" wears off, I'm always left wanting more. So it is with anything this world offers. Food doesn't provide true comfort. Relationships will eventually let us down. Stuff wears out and breaks, or just loses its shine.

It sounds quaint, but time and time again Jesus has proven to me that he is bread and water for my soul unlike anything else. When I feast on Him, I am content and calm. When I neglect that relationship, I am dissatisfied and uptight.

Here are some thoughts from the songs we'll sing together this Sunday:

He has filled my life with sunshine...He has made me what I am

You alone I long to worship

Come into my heart, Lord Jesus

Father, I adore You and I lay my life before You

Lord, reign in me, for I am not my own

This is my daily bread: Your very Word spoken to me

As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after You

I need You more...more than the air I breathe, more than the next heartbeat

Nothing I desire compares with You

When we seek the Father's heart, we will find such blessed assurance

Bread of life from heaven, lover of my soul

O come thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here

Idiosyncrasies

2009-12-02T23:57:00.002-06:00

Each of us is peculiar. Those of us who are willing to admit it have more fun.

Here are a few of my idiosyncrasies:

My closet and drawers are perfectly organized. Everything has its place. Sorting is done by sleeve length, color, style, etc. All hangers must be white plastic and facing the same direction.

Towels must hang straight on the bar, and must be folded evenly.

The paper cutter at the office must be secured. I worry it will spontaneously cut off a finger.

The dishwasher must be loaded a certain way. Joe's cups have their spot, plate location depends on size, etc.

I sleep predominately on my right side because I once heard that was better for your heart (although I've since heard that is a myth...).

If I mess up in my writing at the beginning of a page, I must throw it away and start over.

Symmetry is a necessity!

Like my cat, I thrive on routine.

I'm sure I'll think of more as soon as I post this...

What are some of your idiosyncrasies, you weirdos? ; )

Some Musical Fun

2009-11-09T13:33:00.003-06:00

Random Wednesday

2009-11-04T15:16:00.002-06:00

In no particular order...

I brought some chocolate for an afternoon snack today. Unfortunately, I left it in the car, and it's 72 degrees today (read: 80+ in the car). Guess I'll eat it with a spoon...

I went to Fast Signs at lunch to pick up signs for our new Wednesday night classes that begin tonight. The only problem was that they misspelled a word, so I had to come back again later to pick up the revised sign. The lady apologized over and over. I told her that it really was ok, in fact, if people didn't make mistakes, I wouldn't have a job. : )

Matt Dabbs posted his Top Church of Christ Blogs - November 2009 Edition today. I'm cracking up because we all know Terry's Blog should be ranked higher than mine, but I just might have to have a little fun with those rankings here in the office...

I've been working on the Workshop quite a bit lately. That means I haven't been working on the cd project. This led me last week to the unfortunate realization that the cd project will not be ready for this Christmas season. Boo! But, I learned long ago that we all have a fixed amount of time to work on things, and the wise ones learn how to prioritize.

Regarding the new classes I mentioned earlier, I begin facilitating a class on meditation tonight. We'll be doing a modified form of Lectio Divina. The month of November was chosen specifically for this class because things begin getting so hectic this time of year, and we felt like people need a chance to rest in God's presence. I'm looking forward to it!

A Groovy Fall Festival

2009-10-25T21:57:00.003-05:00

Tonight was the annual Fall Festival at Memorial Drive. A groovy time was had by all!

Training a new Cowboy!

2009-10-25T21:51:00.006-05:00

I enjoyed taking Lukas to his first OSU game a week ago. Other than being a little chilly, it was a great night! He got to see OSU beat Missouri and begin learning the Cowboy traditions.

As we left, he told me, "When I go to college, I'm going to OSU!"
His Momma will be proud, won't she, Brenda? : )

What are we teaching here? Part 2

2009-10-14T21:39:00.004-05:00

3 years ago, this post caused quite the stir with one. He thought I was just an angry Cowboy. I insisted (and still do) that it had far less to do with the team involved but was instead about the poor example being set.

Tonight I'm taking my own team to task in the same way.

Most of you have probably heard in the news that OSU's star receiver, Dez Bryant, is currently suspended - waiting on a ruling from the NCAA regarding his eligibility. His sin was lying about a visit with Deion Sanders. It was a bad move by Dez, and certainly worthy of some punishment, although the jury is still out on how much.

My complaint is not with Dez, although he was wrong.
Nor the NCAA, although they are often hypocritical.
My complaint is with OSU.

The school reported that Dez was held out of the September 26 OSU-Grambling St. game due to a hamstring injury.

The only problem is that today's reports are that OSU admits Dez was really held out because of the eligibility question.

Does anyone else see the sad irony?

Dez is out for lying, yet OSU lied about why he was out.

I'm really disappointed in my school today. I expect better.

Boo, OSU. : (

*************************
Update 10/15, 9:30 a.m.

I e-mailed OSU Athletic Director Mike Holder last night about my disappointment, asking for his response. Both he and another staff member have already contacted me this morning with an explanation. I am impressed that they would respond so quickly.

I was assured that at no time did anyone with knowledge about the NCAA investigation ever state that Dez was missing the Grambling St. game due to injury. That includes Coach Gundy...I am told if you listen to his press conferences both before and after the Grambling St. game (which are archived on-line at http://www.okstate.com/), you will find that he never made reference to an injury. Yes, assumptions were made as to the reason for Dez being sidelined, but those were neither confirmed nor denied by the few who knew the real reason.

While I still believe it would have been most honorable to set the record straight about the facts rather than let false information spread, I can also understand that sometimes the appropriate answer is "No Comment" and that privacy must be maintained while the process works itself out behind the scenes. I think I would want that respect if I were in the same situation.

So, I'll cut them some slack. Instead of "really" disapponted, I'll modify to "slightly" disappointed.

*************************

Break Time

2009-09-30T22:26:00.004-05:00

Time for a break. The ZOE Conference is my renewal time every year. I look forward to seeing friends from all over the country, traveling with some great people, and worshipping from the depths of my soul.

On to Nashville - see you next week!

Authority - 6

2009-09-29T10:25:00.009-05:00

So we find ourselves in an awkward spot. No longer can we dogmatically declare that if God commands it, we do it. Nor can we claim that we specifically follow all of the examples given in scripture. Instead, we realize that each of us requires some way to determine the relevance and application today for each command and example.

Let me say up front, I am not binding my way of interpreting scripture on you. I am sharing with you what makes sense to me, and how I arrived at that conclusion. If it is helpful to you, that’s wonderful. If you choose not to give it a fair look, that’s your call. If you give it consideration and in the end can’t agree, that’s ok, too. To our own Master each of us will stand or fall.

What if we let Jesus teach us about interpretation?

Let’s consider His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and 6. I’ll not copy the entire text, but if your Bible isn’t handy, click here.

In verse 17, Jesus begins with a qualifying statement: He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them. That is key.

You see, the first accusation typically lobbed when one proposes a different way of interpreting scripture is along the lines of questioning their commitment to the Word or to God – as if they are trying to weasel out of something. Be assured, no one here is trying to abolish God’s commands or examples. Rather, our desire is to fulfill and accomplish their purpose in our lives.

Beginning in verse 21, Jesus begins to deconstruct their view of what it means to keep a command. “Do not murder” speaks to more than just the physical act of murder…it addresses the heart full of anger towards his brother. “Do not commit adultery” speaks to more than just the physical act of adultery…it addresses the lusts of the impure heart.

One by one, Jesus gets to the heart of the matter regarding various commands and examples that they were familiar with from the Old Law and from Israel’s past.

In doing so, I believe He is providing guidelines regarding how to interpret Biblical commands and examples today.

I believe Jesus is teaching us to determine the principle behind the command or example, and commit to follow that principle to the best of our ability in our lives, rather than merely their expression through those specific commands and examples.

I’ve heard a mistaken view of these words of Jesus taught many times. It goes along the lines of suggesting that Jesus was raising the bar – making the Old Law commands more stringent for the New Covenant He was implementing.

I disagree.

Was it not always sinful to be consumed with anger? Was it not always sinful to be full of lust?

Jesus isn’t raising the bar, He’s explaining to a people who thought they were keeping the law by following the precise letter of the command that they have missed the heart – the principle – of the command.

I think we need to hear that today. Too many seem to believe that if they can just replicate every tiny detail of a command or example from the New Testament as close as possible to how they might have done it in the first century, then they have fulfilled the law’s requirements.

I think it’s possible Jesus might say to them, “Your hearts are far from Me.” Because it’s not about keeping the details to a “T”, it’s about the heart of the individual.

We can find numerous examples in the Bible where God overlooked commands and details that weren't followed precisely when the heart of the individual was right. However Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 15 that it doesn't work the other way. Keeping the details doesn't cover for an impure heart.

Man looks at the outward appearance:
Have they killed anyone? Have they committed adultery?

The Lord looks at the heart:
Is their heart full of anger? Is their heart full of lust?

That’s not quite as easy as following a checklist of outer appearances.

It also opens the door for some disagreement on what exactly the principle is and how it is expressed and fulfilled in our lives. But that’s nothing new…it’s not like we haven’t already had disagreement using other methods to interpret scripture. If we're going to disagree, let's disagree while using Jesus' method, shall we?

So, how does this look in real life?

More clips...finally

2009-09-28T17:41:00.002-05:00

I've hit the cd editing wall over the past, oh, 4 weeks. : (

But, here are a couple of new ones for you to enjoy:

You Raise Me Up
(Jason Thornton on the solo)

Get this widget

Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Think About His Love
(I'm actually not quite finished with this one yet, but close)

Get this widget

Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Authority - 5

2009-09-27T22:02:00.005-05:00

More regarding love from other New Testament writers:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. – Galatians 5:6

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." – Galatians 5:13-14

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet, "and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. – Romans 13:8-10

Are we on the same page regarding the importance of love yet?

In reminding ourselves over and over that sin is sin, and there is no such thing as big sins and little sins, I think we’ve fooled ourselves into thinking the same thing about commands.

Commands are not all equal. Some are more important than others. How else could Jesus declare two to be “the greatest commands”? The greater create the principles for the lesser. (We'll get back to that thought in a future post)

In fact, sometimes in keeping the greater you might break one of the lesser.

And God has been known to approve of that!

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath." He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." – Matthew 12:1-8

Did you catch that? David and his men did something unlawful, yet according to Jesus they were innocent. The priests work all day on the Sabbath, yet according to Jesus they are innocent.

When we say loving God and loving others is at the top, we mean it. It takes precedence over everything else. Over our positions on instrumental music, communion, wine, church assemblies, EVERYTHING.

That’s why the way we conduct ourselves in a blog comment space such as this is so important. You may practice singing, communion, and bunch of other things exactly the way God intended, but if you are rude, arrogant, and full of pride in your comments here and elsewhere, you have broken the greater command.

-----------------------------

Here's your homework. Read 1 Corinthians 13 and consider how "religious" discussions might look if all parties were committed to following the greatest commands.

Authority - 4

2009-09-25T14:45:00.003-05:00

(I apologize up front for the length of this post. Actually, if you take out the scriptures quoted, it would be brief, but I didn’t want you to have to hunt them down on your own.)

Let’s spend some time working on this concept of love. First, a few teachings of Jesus:

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. – from Matthew 10:37-39

All other loves and relationships are secondary to love for God.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” – from John 15:12-17

The highest expression of love is to surrender one’s self for others.

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. The evening meal was being served…so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. – from John 13:1-5

The full extent of Jesus’ love was shown by serving others. Even the one He knew would betray Him.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.” – from John 21:15-18

One way to express love for God is to take care of His people.

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. – from Luke 6:27-36

The true test of whether we love others is in how we treat those who do not love us.

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life…I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. – from John 5:39-42

Love for God goes beyond mere knowledge of scripture.

If you love me, you will obey what I command….Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. – from John 14:15-24

Love includes obedience. Calling disobedience “love” does not make it so.

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them…Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." – from Luke 7:36-50

Those who fail to see the full nature of their sinfulness believe they have been forgiven little, thus their expressions of love are small. They may have trouble grasping why people would feel called to express their love in a greater way than mere law-keeping.

This woman expressed her love in a way that was never specifically authorized in scripture, yet Jesus says she loved much, not that she was disobedient and offering unauthorized worship.

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'" "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. – from Mark 10:17-22

Jesus said this man lacked something that was never commanded specifically by scripture. No where had God specifically commanded His people to sell everything and give it to the poor. The tithe was the command.

By this, Jesus was getting to the heart of the matter. The man loved his possessions and money more than he loved God. Until that was corrected, the rest of his command-keeping was in vain.

"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. Luke 11:42

The Pharisees were known for meticulously keeping the details of the law, yet they missed the boat on the big things.

Yes, the call is to keep them all…not just the little outward details. However, if we keep “lesser” commands in an unloving and arrogant way, are we not exactly like the Pharisees Jesus was speaking to here?

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." – from John 13:34-35

We are to be known as followers of Jesus because of our love for one another. I’ve found us much more often to be known for other things. That tells me we ought to work on our loving skills. It’s a matter of priority…if the greatest commands are to love and that’s not what we’re known for, then it seems we’re not living out the greatest commands very well, are we?

------------------------------

Sorry for the length here. The goal of my life is to be concise! ; )

But loving God and loving others is one of the most important topics we could ever write or speak about. It’s worth our time.

So, if you’ll keep coming back, we’ll continue to work on this concept of love and what it looks like.

Authority - 3

2009-09-24T01:05:00.002-05:00

OK, we’ve deconstructed a couple of false statements. Now let’s move on to some positive content.

I’ll submit two commands that I believe are 100%, positively, for all time binding, without regard to culture or any other qualifying condition.

Matthew 22:36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Love God. Love others.

Can I get an amen? Possibly even unanimous agreement? I mean, Jesus Himself said it all hangs on these two.

Do you realize how much authority is granted to us in those two commands?
Do you see any implications in regards to the so-called “Law of Silence”?

If an action is an expression of love towards God and love towards others, we have our authority, regardless of whether the action is ever expressly commanded elsewhere in scripture or not. No further proof-text is required. Why? Because we are 100% authorized to love God and love our neighbor.

(Paul even commends love as being greater than faith! - 1 Corinthians 13:13)

Now, we still have some work to do in fleshing out what love means, so hang with me a little longer…and remember the ground rules for our discussion…that we all agree the Bible is the standard, we will assume good motives, we will not distract with crazy hypotheticals, and we will be civil in our discussion. If you can't live with that, please lurk or leave.

Authority - 2

2009-09-22T21:28:00.003-05:00

Thanks for raising the level of discussion, friends. Let's keep the bar high.

I’m going to proceed assuming that we have all reached the realization that, at least as judged by our own actions, we believe that not all commands are necessarily binding on us today.

But before we discuss ways to discern which ones are binding, which ones might not be, and which ones are certainly not, we need to revisit our approach concerning Biblical examples in a similar manner.

Would you say that when the Bible gives an example, that example would then be binding on us today?

Surely you wouldn’t answer “Yes”, would you? Did you learn nothing from the previous post? ; )

One way to illustrate this concept is to consider the Lord’s Supper.

Someone once asked the following:

“Which of these nine examples of details concerning the Lord’s Supper are binding? It was eaten (1) at night, (2) upstairs, (3) in midweek, (4) during another meal, (5) with no women present, and there was (6) one loaf (7) of unleavened bread, and (8) one cup (9) of Passover wine which could not have been fresh grape juice at that season. Which exemplified details are binding?” (Free in Christ, Cecil Hook, Chapter 2)

Actually, you could add a good number of additional details to that list, but the point is clear enough.

Examples are great. Examples show us one way of doing something. Following examples is “safe” (until you remember that Jesus had some not-so-good things to say about playing it “safe” in a parable once, so on second thought maybe “safe” isn’t quite the goal…).

But examples aren’t necessarily binding.

Authority - 1

2009-09-21T19:38:00.037-05:00

On the heels of some sharp discussion regarding misquoting God...at the request of Jeremy...and, perhaps, against my better judgment...let's explore the concept of authority.

------------------------

Before we begin, we need to get some things clear.

This discussion is based on the Bible as our standard. I assume you agree that the Bible is true and inspired. If you don't, this discussion really isn't for you. Check back later - I'll still post about other topics on occasion.

All commenters will assume the best motives of the other writers. Just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't mean they aren't trying to follow God, Jesus, and the Bible to the best of their understanding.

No one is required to answer outlandish hypothetical questions. Let's stick to the heart of the matter, not the peripherals.

No one will be condemned to the hot place or called a swine. Period. That's rude and will no longer be tolerated here. God alone is judge and jury. If you disagree, state why you disagree as positively as possible. If you don't understand what someone is saying, ask questions. If you can't stay on topic and discuss like an adult, please go argue somewhere else. No labels, no name-calling. I can and will delete comments, although I don't expect to have to do that, because I assume your motives are good and you just need this one not-so-subtle reminder.

Those are high standards, but I believe you can do it.

------------------------

OK, let's start with an easy one.

All commands found in the Bible are binding on all believers? Yes or no?

I mean, surely we can agree that if the Bible commands it, we should comply without question, right?

Many would immediately agree. Yes, indeed, all of the Bible's direct commands are required to be followed if one wishes to enter into heaven.

Hmmm. The Bible commands animal sacrifices, abstaining from eating pork, and observing the Sabbath each week. How are you doing at keeping those?

Hold it right there, you say. We are under the New Covenant, not the Old. If the command is part of the Old Covenant, we are no longer obligated to keep that command, for Jesus nailed the Old to the cross and it no longer applies.

Fair enough. Let's say we can agree on that.

So, now we have modified our opening statement to say that if the command is part of the New Covenant, that is, in the New Testament, we must obey it if we wish to enter into heaven.

Having addressed those concerns, many would once again be willing to agree with our statement.
I still say they're wrong.

You heard me, they are incorrect. That statement is false.

Now, before you label me a heretic (which you can't anyway, because it's against the commenting rules...but I know you're thinking it...), consider that every Christ-follower I've ever met agrees with me, too, even if they've never thought about it, realized it, or admitted it.

Here's why:
Romans 16:16 "Greet one another with a holy kiss."
1 Corinthians 16:20 "Greet one another with a holy kiss."
2 Corinthians 13:12 "Greet one another with a holy kiss."
1 Thessalonians 5:26 "Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss."

That's four direct commands in the New Testament. Hard to overlook. Pretty clearly stated.

Question: How many kisses of greeting did you share in yesterday when your church gathered? None? One or two? A hundred?

Interesting.

So, why don't we follow this one? The prevailing answer is that the greeting kiss was cultural. In American culture, the kiss has been replaced with the handshake, or occasionally with the hug. The argument has been for whatever greeting we use to be "holy".

We set aside the direct command to greet ALL the brothers with a holy kiss and instead substitute a different type of greeting.

This isn't splitting hairs. This is a huge point. We must get past this false notion that we follow every single command of the New Testament, for the truth is none of us do. The sooner we can admit that, the sooner we can begin a real, honest discussion about Biblical authority.

Therefore, the correct answer to whether a command is binding today is: "It depends."

It depends on the context of the command.
It depends on the cultural setting of the command.
It depends on the audience of the command.
It depends.

And that's where the discussion begins.

What now?

2009-09-19T13:54:00.002-05:00

Hmmm...how to continue to generate the interest here.

I know...let's talk about Obama's health care proposal!

Or perhaps not... : )

Misquoting God

2009-09-15T10:12:00.009-05:00

(Disclaimer: If you do not share my Church of Christ heritage, the specific illustrations given here may not apply to you. You'll have to brainstorm your own.)

God:
"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

The Serpent:
"Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

Eve:
"We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

I can't count how many Bible classes I've been in that chastised Eve for her misquote of God. Oh, we expected Satan to get it wrong, after all he is the father of lies. But Eve added the phrase, "and you must not touch it," and we like to look down on her for that mistake.

Here's the problem:

I've seen some of us do the same thing.

The Bible says not to get drunk.
Some have added that you can't drink a sip of alcohol.

The Bible says to sing.
Some have added that the singing must be unaccompanied.

The Bible says they met together one Sunday to break bread.
Some have added that if you take communion on any day other than Sunday it is sinful.

The Bible says not to give up on meeting together.
Some have added that it is sinful to miss any gathering.

I imagine there are more.

Like Eve, I'm sure there were good intentions as these doctrines took shape. After all, if you don't touch, you can never eat and die.

But, instead at times, they have simply opened the door for Satan to confuse, manipulate, cause division, and alienate us from each other and from God.

OSU 24 Georgia 10

2009-09-05T23:19:00.004-05:00

Great day in Stillwater today! Big win for the Cowboys. Here's a little of what we saw:

The Cowboys taking the field

The Defense making a big play

The Boone Bowl full of orange

The Zac Attack

The Victory Formation

The Happy Coffmans

Resonating

2009-08-30T18:21:00.004-05:00

These are the thoughts and lyrics resonating with me after our time together as a church family this weekend:

As a minister, I want to help people hang in there long enough to taste the lemonade God is making out of the lemons in their life. (Thanks, Craig, for this illustration!)

I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on...

How often do I live as if I am "spiritually disabled"...waiting on and expecting others to do everything for me? I can, and I can do. (Thanks again, Craig)

In need of grace...in need of love...in need of mercy raining down from high above

Did we really just have 568 guests from the community yesterday at the Back-to-School Blast? That's more than we have gather together on Sunday mornings. Wow!

Blessed be Your name in a land that is plentiful,
where Your streams of abundance flow

What a great time getting to know Tim & Kim Rush a little better at lunch today.

This is my daily bread...Your very Word spoken to me

How awesome of an event organizer is Jennifer Curtis? She made it look so easy...and always with a smile on her face!

You are the Everlasting God
You will not faint, You won't grow weary

So proud of my wife for sharing in class about her Jesus.calm experience in the midst of the storm of losing her Dad almost 20 years ago

What heights of love, what depths of peace
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease

What's resonating in your mind today after your worship experiences this week?

And Another...

2009-08-29T22:05:00.001-05:00

Amazing Grace / My Chains are Gone

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eSnips Social DNA

Definitely one of my favorites!

I've reached the 1/3 point. Yeah!

Another CD clip

2009-08-21T21:55:00.000-05:00

Finally Free

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4 down...11 to go...

Nice Shot

2009-08-20T08:43:00.003-05:00

Wicked

2009-08-13T10:20:00.003-05:00

We saw the musical "Wicked" last Saturday evening with a group of friends. It was an absolutely great production. Marcie Dodd was spectacular as Elphaba, and understudy Libby Servais did an amazing job playing the role of Glinda (I can't imagine the headliner doing any better).

This night on the town is becoming an annual tradition. Longhorn Steakhouse was the opening act this year...Mmmmmm.

We took some time to pose for pictures in front of the banner. Thanks, Krista, for sharing!

On Unity...

2009-08-08T10:22:00.003-05:00

I think one of the biggest obstacles to unity in the body of Christ is the mistaken belief that anyone who disagrees with you is insincere and "not trying".

Run, Kitty, Run

2009-08-06T10:45:00.002-05:00

I wish I could figure out a way to post this video here...but for now, you'll have to follow the link and enjoy the chase.

"Brand New" CD clips

2009-08-05T09:23:00.003-05:00

I'm still hard at work editing our new praise team cd in my spare time. 3 done, 12 to go...this may take a while...

Here are some clips for your enjoyment. These still have another round of editing as well as mastering to go, so they're not quite final, but close enough for you to get an idea of what they'll sound like.

On My Knees

My Savior My God

Mighty to Save

Oh, the irony...

2009-07-21T23:25:00.004-05:00

Working on cd editing tonight. Verse 2 of Mighty to Save reads:

"So take me as you find me, all my fears and failures..."

For some strange reason, pretty much everyone is needing editing right there. Go figure.

Never-ending

2009-07-21T12:36:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking my stick of deodorant (Right Guard gel) was going to run out for the past 3 weeks, yet every day it continued to provide. It was starting to remind me of Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings 17:

"For this is what the LORD , the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "

But, alas, it finally ran dry today.

Fear not. The replacement was ready.

Quote

2009-07-21T12:27:00.003-05:00

"The world has no reason to believe our message that God wants to reconcile it to Himself if we can't even be reconciled to ourselves."
- Marva Dawn

Owasso Community Choir

2009-07-19T19:24:00.006-05:00

We had our Community Choir concert a week ago. It was an hour and a half of snippets from Broadway shows. Thanks to Brenda for taking this video of my solo, Run Freedom Run, which is a song from the musical Urinetown (and yes, the musical is about what you think it is about).

The high Ab's that I hit in this solo are most assuredly the highest notes I have ever sung in full voice since my voice changed in Jr. High...

Alice had a short solo, too, but if I want to stay married another year I'll not post it here.

The Broadway program was quite a stretch for us, but it ended up being great fun. Now I'm wondering what it will take to purge these songs from my mind. They seem to be on eternal repeat.

Fun in Nashville 2

2009-07-19T19:17:00.004-05:00

A few more pics from the Nashville trip, courtesy of Brenda's camera...

We found Wayne's long-lost twin

Rehearsing on the front porch of our dorm

Singing in Allen Arena on Thursday evening

The crew (thanks to Jonathan Paden for helping us out since we were bass-deprived)

Fun in Nashville

2009-07-06T21:48:00.002-05:00

Here's a taste of our fun this past week...
The AVB Reunion concert was the bomb

Alice met Scott Hamilton

And the Lipscomb fireworks show was nice

More to come...

On the Road Again

2009-06-29T23:22:00.002-05:00

It's once again time to head to Nashville. It all starts with the next Praise & Harmony cd recording Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by Lipscomb's Summer Celebration and ACAFEST Wednesday night through Friday.

We'll be singing on Thursday evening at 6:00 in Allen Arena as well as helping Jerome lead for the keynote session at 7:00. I'll be joining Murray Sanderson, Allen French, and Kevin Schaffer for a Worship Leader's roundtable as well. It's an honor to be invited, and a joy to participate.

Let the fun begin!

Royal Blue

2009-06-21T22:00:00.003-05:00

Our vacation included the chance to watch a Royals game last Tuesday night. We sat in the upper deck for the first time and loved the view!

The picture on the screen totally looks photoshopped, but it's legit.

Gil Meche pitched a 4 hit complete game shut-out.

Mark Teahen gets a hit.

Alice's camera takes cool panoramics. The K is a great place to watch a game.

This was my 7th Royals game to attend...and the first time to see them win. Yippee!

College World Series

2009-06-18T12:54:00.002-05:00

Alice and I have been on vacation. A part of that included the chance to catch a couple of College World Series games in Omaha. These pics are from last Sunday evening's Texas-Southern Miss game.

I love the atmosphere at the CWS. Relaxed, yet spirited. Lots of fun, and not as heavily commercialized as some events.

Houseguest

2009-06-04T09:34:00.003-05:00

You may have seen on my Twitter that we had a rather large turtle visit our property a couple of days ago. My guess is that his shell was close to a foot in diameter. Here are a couple of pics.

He looked even bigger when his legs were out and he was walking, but of course he went right into his shell as soon as we came anywhere near.

It's fun to live in a place far enough outside of town that you get to enjoy some different animals. Except for the snakes.

Oops

2009-06-04T09:31:00.003-05:00

What I ordered:

What I received:

Housekeeping

2009-05-18T21:10:00.003-05:00

I added some new links to the right. Check out the pages of Doug Young, Jay Guin, Patrick Mead, Robin Brannon, and Amanda Sanders.

And soon, I will be deleting a few links if some of you guys don't post something new...not to name names... ; )

Projects

2009-05-13T12:15:00.006-05:00

Yes, I know, I've been sparse around here lately...

My extra time has been going towards a few different projects...mostly the redesign of our church website: http://www.memorialdrive.org/ Check it out! There's plenty more work to be done there, but it's a good start.

My thanks to Melvin Fox for all of his hard work in figuring out how the web design program worked (and in turn training me) and in setting up the basic structure for the site. If it weren't for Melvin, that project would still be in a holding pattern.

As a part of the new site, each of our ministers has a blog, so I'll now have two blogs to keep up with. I'm planning to post there every Friday with thoughts that will prepare us for our Sunday time together.

A couple of weeks ago was spent concentrating on creating a vocal arrangement of the Casting Crowns song "Voice of Truth" for our praise team to sing on Senior Sunday to encourage and challenge our high school graduates. I've been wanting to do that song for years.

I really need to get it into gear and finish pre-production work for our upcoming praise team cd, "Brand New - Songs to Start Life Over" which is scheduled to be recorded in late June. I'm excited about the potential of this cd finding it's way into the hands (and cd players) of those who need to hear a message of hope. Lord willing, it should be released this fall.

Jason Thornton and I are pouring ourselves into the direction of next year's Tulsa Workshop. This is such a big event...so many details to be attended to for the benefit of our thousands of guests. It is an incredible pleasure to work on, but it doesn't come together overnight. We meet weekly, and leave our meeting with more tasks to be accomplished. I admire Terry and Marvin more and more for their years of directing this event.

The office decorating project is nearing completion. I am still awaiting my full size OSU football helmet, need to frame and hang a couple of pictures, and finally sort through and organize my back wall. When complete, I'll post some pictures so you can laugh at my OSU fetish.

May God bless the projects you are working on this week. Care to share what they are, so we can be excited with you?

Feeding the "Dump People"

2009-05-05T11:17:00.002-05:00

Help Trey Morgan raise money to feed the "Dump People" today. Go here and make a pledge.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

Maturing rather than just getting older

2009-04-26T23:50:00.002-05:00

These words (and others similar) seem to keep popping up in conversations, classes, and articles recently:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall. 2 Peter 1:5-10

We've cut back on announcing birthdays in our assemblies at Memorial Drive, but we are still happy to announce anniversaries.

Why the difference, you ask?

It is much more encouraging to hear of and celebrate with a couple who is an example of faithfulness and committment than to merely applaud someone for managing to stay alive one more year on this earth.

After all, if we don't die, in 365 days we're all going to get a year older. You can't stop time.

The question is, will we be more mature in Christ in 365 days than we are now?

Will we be more loving? More kind? More godly? More able to endure? Will we be more disciplined in our words and our actions? Will we have learned more about God? Will our faith be stronger?

Those things are indeed worth celebrating.

Self Made?

2009-04-22T17:27:00.002-05:00

I was passed today by a white Cadillac with a license plate that said "SLFMADE".

Hmm...does he mean that he built that car all by himself?

No, surely not that...

You don't suppose he's suggesting that the success he has achieved in life has been done 100% on his own, do you?

What about those who invested in his life by teaching and training? Those who gave him employment and opportunities to try? What about those along the way who offered encouragement or support? Did they not have some part in his success?

What about his Creator? Can he save himself from his sin by his own human effort?

Are any of us truly "self made"?

Music for the Soul

2009-04-16T11:04:00.002-05:00

Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul, he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. 1 Samuel 16:23

Being a worship minister, there are plenty of opportunities throughout the year to participate in funerals and memorial services. On Tuesday, as the team and I were preparing to serve the Shackelford family, I reminded them of the story of David playing the harp for Saul.

God works through the power of music to soothe the soul and to calm our emotions.

How many of us, when we are depressed or distressed, turn to a familiar, encouraging song for comfort? Or, how many of us, when we are happy, do as James suggests and find ourselves singing, whistling or humming songs of praise?

What songs have ministered to your spirit?

Our Celebration of LIFE

2009-04-12T16:31:00.003-05:00

Loved our Easter celebration at Memorial Drive this morning. Glad it was indoors and not at sunrise, too ; )

Here's a sampling of what we remembered, proclaimed, and celebrated this morning:

Jesus Christ is the Lord of all, Lord of all the earth!

We praise Thee, O God, for Jesus who died and is now gone above!

Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife!

We're singin' for the glory of the risen King Jesus!

You rose and conquered the grave!

Risen and exalted One, Jesus!

The rescue for sinners, the ransom from heaven,
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all!

Jesus, Savior, Risen, Mighty!

You give the healing and grace our hearts always hunger for!

To His glory I'll devote the remnant of my days!

I will rejoice for He has made me glad!

Who can satisfy my soul like You?

You have turned my mourning into dancing!

He lives forever, with His saints to reign!

The Lord liveth!

All that stole my joy, I left it at the cross!

I will give thanks each day and sing!

What did you remember, proclaim, and celebrate today?

Check This Out

2009-04-10T12:42:00.002-05:00

For my 2 cents, one of the best blogs going is from right here in Owasso.

No, not mine.

But I encourage you to check out Hands and Feet 2.0 by my friend Darin Hamm at New Heights Church in Owasso. Excellent, thought provoking stuff on a regular basis. Add it to your favorites.

Some Action

2009-04-08T19:59:00.002-05:00

Since this blog needs some action...here you go.

I haven't posted much lately because I just haven't felt like I've had anything worth saying. But, here's some random stuff:

The yearly visit with the tax preparer is tomorrow.

Zorro has been waking me up crazy early the past couple of days.

We went to Stillwater last Friday night to watch the Pokes baseball team.

A trip to see the College World Series and the Kansas City Royals is in the planning stages.

The guttering on our house is finally repaired from the December 2007 ice storm.

I won our NCAA basketball tournament pool. It didn't involve any money, though. Just the satisfaction of winning.

So, what's random in your life?

Whew!

2009-03-31T12:34:00.003-05:00

We're still in the "Post-Workshop Recovery Mode" over here in Tulsa. See Craig's blog...he's described the feeling well. I was rested enough today to operate a motor vehicle safely again...that's progress!

A part of my excursion this morning was to finally turn some things in to be framed for my office walls. I know, I know...I've been here for almost 3 years and still haven't really decorated my office. But now that I've figured out I might be staying for a while, I guess it's time to make myself at home. ; )

Thanks to all who joined us this year. Your presence is a blessing to us here at Memorial, and the Workshop couldn't happen without you. Yes, our numbers are down from the hey-day of the 80's and 90's, but those who are here are happy and learning and worshipping, and we couldn't ask for anything more. We'll continue to do our best to provide a great program, and you do your part in inviting your friends to come next year.

Workshop Saturday

2009-03-28T07:23:00.004-05:00

The Workshop has been on a roll! The booths are hoppin', classes are full, and smiles are abundant.

It's been great seeing a few fellow bloggers and Facebookers in flesh and blood for the first time this week. Our connection comes not only from the blog world, but from our sibling-ship in Jesus Christ.

If you catch this in time, try to make ti out to Central Park 2 at 11:00 a.m. this morning for "Worship in the Difficult Times". Unless your life is all chocolate and roses...

Twas the Night Before Workshop

2009-03-24T23:02:00.005-05:00

Twas the night before Workshop
and all through the Fairgrounds
the workers were preparing
for the sights and the sounds

The speakers were hung
from the ceiling with care
for the sounds of God's praise
would soon fill the air

For tomorrow, what to our
wondering eyes will appear
but thousands of people
from afar and from near

Buying cd's, buying books
buying jewelry and subscriptions
Studying Matthew, studying Mark
studying Romans and Philippians

So, from Terry and the Boys
we wish for you tonight
great encouragement and fellowship
and a Workshop that's out of sight!

See you at the Fairgrounds! ; )

Zorro's toy

2009-03-23T22:02:00.003-05:00

When the cat still hadn't come to bed at 12:30 a.m., we had to see what it was keeping him up last night.

Can't say that I expected it to be a snake...in my bedroom...

Workshop Info

2009-03-13T10:49:00.003-05:00

For all of you Workshop attendees, click on over to Terry's blog and read about what's new for 2009!

They have really done a lot of great work to the facilities at the Fairgrounds in the past few years, and now we get to enjoy the benefits!

The Day of March

2009-03-07T10:11:00.005-06:00

Last week, Terry called it "The Day of March" rather than "The Month of March". How fitting! Yesterday my brother-in-law made mention that in just 3 weeks he would be in Tulsa at the Workshop, and I had to check my calendar to see if that could really be true. Just 3 weeks? Yikes! I better get back to work. And I'm even losing an hour tonight.

Seriously, though, to all who will be joining us in (less than) 3 weeks, we have been hard at work to make sure your time here is inspiring and challenging, refreshing and relaxing.

I'm excited for our times of worship together this year. The Memorial Drive team has been meticulously preparing for Wednesday and Thursday evenings. On Friday evening, we welcome back Allen French, who led at the Workshop for many years as my predecessor at Memorial. He and the Overland Park team will lead us in joyous celebration. And on Saturday we have something special for you: Workshop favorite Keith Lancaster will be back to lead joined by his son Anthony, who currently sings with Acappella, and a team of singers from several Tulsa-area congregations. It will be neat to have worshippers from all over Tulsa serving together, and to have two generations of Lancasters leading us. I'm not sure the Pavilion will be able to contain all of that enthusiasm!

New this year, we have added some smaller, more intimate times of worship at 11:00 each day in one of the upstairs classrooms at Central Park. Get there early...we can only squeeze about 100 people in there! These sessions will be "unplugged" (well, other than a projector...). On Thursday, my mentor, Gary Bruce, will lead us in considering how we can worship in the routine times of our lives. On Friday, Brishan Hatcher and Kyle Strickland will be sharing about worship in the glorious times of life. And on Saturday, Craig Hicks, John Dobbs and myself will consider how we can worship in the difficult times of life.

There is so much to experience, from Workshop Wednesday and the "Feeding of the 5,000" at Memorial, to the AIM flag presentation on Friday night, to the Acappella concert and bloggers luncheon on Saturday.

We're hard at work to make this a wonderful experience for you. Now, you just have to do your part by showing up and soaking it all in!

Oh, and we took a time out last month to take our new Memorial Drive Praise Team pics. What do you think? I work with a crazy group of folks!

(Thanks to our master-photographers Tammy Bowers and Jack Maynard)

Laaaaaa

2009-02-25T06:01:00.004-06:00

I'm headed to Nashville to help out with Keith's Worship Leader Institute this week.

This should be fun!

Some Things I Believe...Part 1

2009-02-18T11:52:00.002-06:00

I believe this world and universe has a Creator. You and I and this computer did not randomly happen.

I believe that Creator is so perfect that His very nature cannot be around imperfection. Sort of like OCD, but in a good way.

I believe that Creator loves His creation so much that when imperfection crept into it, the Creator needed a way to make it perfect again. Because of His perfection, He just couldn’t bring Himself to simply give up.

I believe that Creator chose to become one of us, willingly took on all our imperfections, and covered them with His perfection. I don’t understand why it had to be accomplished that specific way, but I trust He was smart enough to know His options and choose the best route.

I believe that Creator invites us to participate in relationship with Him with the understanding that He is the One who makes us perfect again, we cannot do it ourselves. Try as we might to get it right, the truth is that we’ll eventually mess it up again.

I believe that was a very unselfish and loving act by the Creator. He could have just wiped us out and started over.

I choose to agree to those terms of relationship and live in gratitude to Him. It’s not a life of tedious rule-keeping in fear of an angry God who is looking for a reason to zap me.

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-02-17T10:24:00.004-06:00

The Priests and the Coffmans made it to Stillwater for a basketball game last Saturday thanks to the generousity of some friends.

These were the best seats we have had for a game since I was a student and we got to sit on the floor right by the court.

Alice's new camera has a panoramic feature. I'd say it works well - it turned out a pretty cool looking picture, don't you think?

It is in giving that we receive...

2009-02-16T11:13:00.003-06:00

We did some singing yesterday afternoon for a former member who is now is hospice care. Our intention was to bless her, but of course it is in giving that we receive, so we left equally blessed to have been in her presence. There's something about hearing words of wisdom from one who lies on their death-bed that makes you listen and apply a little more carefully.

On Saturday we went to Stillwater for the basketball game and made a point to include lunch with Uncle Don. Saturday just happened to be 2 years to the day after Aunt Ada's funeral and 25 years to the day after my grandfather/Don's father's funeral. He had some neat stories to share about storm chasing and cars that we had never heard. We shared some good laughs and left blessed to have been there.

My sister cut her hair on Saturday and donated it to Locks of Love in honor of Ada.

Alice has been noticing the safety patrol officer at a school along the way to work. That's an awfully cold job a lot of mornings, isn't it? So, Alice bought her a gas station gift card so she can go across the street and get a warm drink when her work is done.

We've also noticed on our drives to the church building that our adopt-a-school partner listed their employee and teacher of the year on their marquee, so we decided to bless them with a gift card and let them know how much we appreciated their service to the children of our community. After all, Jesus was known as "Teacher" and also encouraged us to be servants...and these two are living that out. That's worthy of recognition.

Have you ever considered that last Saturday's holiday can sometimes come across as a slap in the face to those who don't have (or who have lost) a significant other? We decided this year to send Valentine boxes to a few of our single friends...some who have lost their spouse and others who have never had one.

I don't say any of this to brag or point out our good. In fact, please do not pat us on the back or leave comments about how nice it was that we did something.

Instead, respond by taking action to encourage those God has placed in your life. How can you creatively do that? Even if it's one you don't know by name, yet you see them regularly...you are in a position to make a difference and brighten their day. Often times it doesn't even take much effort, it simply takes awareness and willingness. And in that simple action, God will be praised and our hearts will be warmed.

And let us know what you've done...again, not to be praised, but to help others think creatively. Let's spur each other on to more and more love and good works!

If you don't know what to say

2009-02-01T15:43:00.001-06:00

Read this.

It's bold, but it's true. And I love it. Good stuff, Josh.

For His Name Alone is High

2009-01-31T20:43:00.002-06:00

Let them praises give Jehovah
For His name alone is high

I've sung that chorus for years.

And I've always interpreted that phrase to mean that Jehovah is the only true God, and His name is to be highly praised and exalted.

But, I gained a deeper perspective this week.

We all know His pinkie finger (if He had one...) is stronger than all of mankind's strength put together. As well, His foolishness (if He had any...) is wiser than all of mankind's wisdom put together.

In the same way, His name alone...merely His name...something as seemingly inconsequential as the word we use to refer to Him...is high. It is to be revered, respected, and repeated in praise.

Something as simple as His name.

His name.

Jehovah.

Imagine how exalted and holy and perfect the rest of Him must be.

Through a Cat's Eyes

2009-01-29T23:41:00.002-06:00

I caught myself wondering tonight when I got home...what are we humans like from a cat's perspective?

We get out of bed, run around the house for a bit, then leave. We return hours later, eat, go from room to room moving a bunch of stuff around for no apparent reason, then go back to bed.

How weird we must appear to them.

More Simple Pleasures

2009-01-27T16:47:00.003-06:00

I'm not a big fan of snow and ice, however, they do provide me with yet another simple pleasure of life...

I love kicking the ice build-up from the wheel well of the car. Especially when it comes off in one big chunk. Such fun!

Meow?

2009-01-24T13:00:00.002-06:00

Alice thinks that a cat's "Meow" might be the equivalent of us saying, "Dude."

I think she's on to something. What do you think?

Join us in Tulsa March 26 - 28!

2009-01-19T21:39:00.000-06:00

Another year of happiness

2009-01-18T21:33:00.003-06:00

Today was our 12th anniversary. Look here for one of my bestest posts ever.

Alice went to a Ladies Brunch yesterday where they had a wedding theme. Everyone brought their wedding pictures and dresses. They lined up 3 of the high school girls to model the dresses...but my Alice didn't need a high schooler. She modeled her own. : ) Way to go, Alice! She's my beauty.

The Stages of a Sinus Infection

2009-01-11T17:04:00.003-06:00

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Medically, what I am about to say is of no importance. Your symptoms may vary.

Stage 1: Sometimes a little scratch on the throat, similar to having been in a very smoky room for a while. Other times it is simply a small feeling deep between my ears and eyes that screams "SOMETHING ISN'T QUITE RIGHT HERE!"

Stage 2: The ears begin to ring. The notes vary...perhaps some day I will be able to read how major this infection will be based on the note it plays in my head. However, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather someone else do that research.

Stage 3: Swallowing my own saliva feels like I'm swallowing gravel, or, if the origination is in the head, exposure to light makes my retinas feel as if they are on a slow burn. Drainage begins to collect in the back of the throat, waiting until I am driving down the highway at 65 mph without a spittoon before deciding that it's time to leave the body.

Stage 4: The faucet is stuck open. I do not know where the controls to this faucet are, but the infection does. It begins with a nagging, constant sniffle, and progresses until it is difficult to perform any tasks lasting longer than 10 or 15 seconds without stopping to sop up. If a ready supply of absorbent material (Kleenex with lotion being such preferred material) is not kept handy, then add cleaning up the drips from the table, desk, book, or carpet. This stage typically lasts for one complete box of Kleenex with lotion.

Stage 5: The booger factory is open for business. That which did not choose to run out of the nose or fall down the throat collects into super-sized, fluorescent green blobs or crustations, waiting to peek out of the nostril until shortly after you've looked in the mirror. But they're really cool, and you feel a lot of relief when they're gone.

Stage 6: A peeling party. Two or three layers of skin around the nose decide that it is a gross place to live, so they begin to molt. If you exhale deeply they will fly across your desk, or look like dandruff on your shirt. If you try to hurry the process along they will bleed and sting, thus getting the last word regardless of your efforts. Lotion is of minimal aid as the skin has already made up its mind it is moving out to return to dust and be reincarnated in a less-infected body.

Stage 7: Taste and smell are restored. Eyes no longer squint. Ear ringing returns to pianissimo level. Life is good.

Until next time.

The Million Dollar Question

2009-01-04T20:15:00.003-06:00

During my nap today, I dreamed that our long lost relatives had significant money that had been unclaimed, and now was ours. Suddenly, Alice and I found ourselves with a million dollars.

How would I spend my million?

How would I handle the greed of those who come out of nowhere asking for my money?

How would I handle my own greed?

Would I be able to be as disciplined in reality as I was in my daydreaming?

They say you can tell a lot about a person by looking at how they spend their money.

What would YOU do with a million?

Happy 2009

2009-01-01T21:34:00.004-06:00

I wish to all of my friends a happy, healthy, and inspiring 2009.

My New Year's Resolution?

When the year is over, I want to be more like Jesus.
And weigh no more than I do today...

I'm looking forward to the year. Lord willing, it will include my 12th anniversary, another Tulsa Workshop, my 35th birthday, a trip to Omaha for the College World Series, a new Memorial Drive Praise Team cd, another successful football season for OSU (which would not include a bowl game until 2010...), and who knows what else. I look forward to sharing it with you.

Peanuts Praise Team

2008-12-21T19:26:00.002-06:00

As one of our Christmas cards we sent out this year, I chose the Peanuts crew singing Christmas carols.

Which led me to consider...from among our team, who's who in this picture?

Hmmmm...

Here's my take (and this may get me in some trouble):

Lucy - Has to be Brenda ; )
Linus - I think that's me
Peppermint Patti - Vicki...or Tammy...or Amy.
Schroeder - Wes
Charlie Brown - Wayne
Snoopy - Chris
Marci - Lindsay
Sally - Cori or Hannah
Woodstock - John

So, fellow teamers, what do you think? Have fun, and Merry Christmas!

P.S. If you don't have your card yet, don't worry. We still have a pile to mail tomorrow : )

The Music...of Beaker

2008-12-20T11:53:00.003-06:00

I love the Muppets. Beaker and the 2 old guys are some of my most favorite. So, when I saw this on Franklin's blog, I naturally had to rip it off and post it on my own (sorry, dude...it was too good to pass up!). Enjoy.

Kitty Christmas

2008-12-17T20:02:00.003-06:00

We had a Christmas photo shoot for Zorro the other night.

Checking out the prop...

Reluctantly agreeing to wear it for a moment...

And finally, giving up all dignity.

Let the Christmas Season Begin

2008-12-01T14:31:00.002-06:00

We enjoyed our evening at the Casting Crowns Christmas concert at the new BOK Center last night. It would really be described better as Casting Crowns and friends, as joining them were Avalon, Natalie Grant, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, Michael English, and PureNRG.

My favorite of the night? Casting Crowns, hands down. Best songs? I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, While You Were Sleeping, Lifesong, East to West, and the absolutely perfect finale, Christmas Offering.

Rivalry Weekend

2008-11-28T11:57:00.002-06:00

Considering this is a big weekend for rivalry games in college football…I toss out this question for your consideration:

Should the fact that one is a follower of Christ influence how one participates in sports-related banter?

Is trash talk fair game or out of bounds? How about put-downs? Taunting? Is it all just good-natured fun? Is this an area of our lives that we would just as soon have Jesus stay out of?

What do you think?

Play nice…

Giving Thanks

2008-11-27T11:52:00.007-06:00

Since we're actually celebrating the eating part of the holiday tomorrow...that gives me more time and a clearer mind to celebrate the thankfulness part of the holiday today.

I'm thankful to have the perfect wife for me. She is beautiful to my eyes. Although she is shy, once you get to know her you'll find that she is quite funny. Our idea of a perfect night is one spent at home together. I love that we do not argue and fight like so many couples I know. I love that there is no drama with Alice...she keeps things in perspective and rolls with whatever comes her way. I love her cooking and her experimenting. She has been my best friend for 18 years now.

I'm thankful to be allowed to serve with such an amazing group of believers. (Yes, one of these days we'll get our new website going...) Their happiness and authentic joy is contagious. I can't imagine working for a better group of shepherds and co-ministers. The singers and technicians that are a part of our worship ministry are second-to-none. For the size of our church family, we have a disproportionate amount of talent! But far greater than the amount of their ability is the size of their hearts. I love them dearly.

I'm still thankful for the opportunity to go to Oklahoma State for college. I needed that season of my life more than you will ever know. I'm thankful to the Peter Kiewit Foundation for giving me a scholarship, without which I never would have been able to afford to go. I'm thankful for the Church of Christ University Center in Stillwater and the countless friends there who made sure my faith grew rather than whithered during my college years. I'm thankful for both the architecture school where I began and the construction management program where I finished and received my degree. I received instruction and training from excellent professors, and was well prepared to enter the work force.

Which leads me to my next area of thanks... I am thankful for all of my previous employers.

I began by teaching tennis during my first summer of work, and am thankful to Mr. Benzel for keeping it fun even during the dog days, and for taking me out for Icees when we were done for the day.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to have worked layaway at Shopko. I made some great friends and we had a lot of fun playing sand volleyball together.

I'm thankful to have been a draftsman at Design Basics, a home plan service based in Omaha. It was my first experience in the real business world, and they were a great company who even invited me back on my breaks during college.

I am thankful for Marvin Barth and Barth Construction, a home builder in Stillwater. He took a chance on a college freshman to help him with drafting and design. I continued working for Marvin until I graduated. He was an excellent boss.

Of course, I am highly thankful for my 2 summers as youth intern at the Bellevue Church of Christ, especially for the chance to work with my future mother-in-law the second summer. We had a blast! Those teens were an amazing group, and I'll never forget that last youth rally when we have 12 baptisms during the course of the weekend.

I'm thankful to the good folks at the Deer Creek Church of Christ up by Blackwell, Oklahoma. They graciously paid me to come teach class and preach twice a month. On a good day, there were only 12 of us, and they've since closed their doors, but they were a special group of people to me. I'm thankful for the home cooking every Sunday, the opportunity to speak what was on my heart, and the excuse to study and read, and then read and study some more.

My 2 jobs since graduating college have been such a blessing. I'm thankful for Sam Smith and James Pickel taking me on as a new graduate and teaching me the ways of commercial construction. I'm thankful for supervisors like Bill Boyd and Stan Lingo who were patient and challenging. I'm thankful for the financial blessings it provided us, and the advancement opportunities. I "retired" from construction in 2006 as vice president of a company that did about $40 million of volume a year, and did it well. It was a rewarding company to work for.

You guys already know what I think of Memorial Drive...

The Wise Green Man says...

2008-11-23T21:22:00.002-06:00

Fear leads to anger
Anger leads to hate
Hate leads to the dark side

- Yoda

"Signature Phrases"

2008-11-20T15:08:00.002-06:00

We all have those phrases (or even just words) that we find ourselves saying over and over again.

A couple of mine are:

"You can't plan creativity."
"No doubt."

So...what are "your" phrases or words?

And, for those of you who know me, what are some others of mine?

He's on the injured list

2008-11-18T12:17:00.002-06:00

I had an injury leading choir rehearsal last night.

It appears I snapped my fingers so hard and so long that I separated the skin on my right thumb from the nail. Yikes!

I know, I know. Poor Shane ; )

Don't worry, I'll be back in the game in no time!

A Couple of Questions

2008-11-17T21:42:00.003-06:00

Why did David take 5 stones to battle with Goliath? Wasn't one enough?

How does my cat still have any hair left on his body, given how much I find on my clothes, my furniture, and my carpet?

Any questions weighing on your mind today?

Take it from one who's been there

2008-11-11T21:41:00.003-06:00

I am becoming more and more convinced that what we're really looking for, perhaps the one thing that really helps us when we are grieving, hurting or struggling, is to know that someone has been there, experienced that, and has come out on the other side in one piece.

Words of comfort always seem to feel hollow when they come from someone who, by our estimation, we don't believe truly feels our pain. Yet somehow they can soothe the soul when they come from the one who has been there.

If I lose my wife, I'm seeking out those who have lost their spouse for comfort and support. If one loses a child, they seek out others who have lost children. If someone has relationship issues, they look for help to those who have experienced similar.

Nothing replaces experience.

Perhaps that's why it couldn't be done any other way. The Son simply had to become The Human.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Cor. 1:3-4)

A Little Dab Will Do Ya

2008-11-11T09:59:00.002-06:00

Why is it that I seem to never remember, the morning after a haircut, to squirt LESS gel into my hands for styling?

And, an even bigger "why", why is it that I find that to be a blog-worthy event?

The Thunder Rolls

2008-11-10T10:07:00.003-06:00

(I know, bad, bad pun...and they didn't really even win, so it doesn't quite fit...)

We took in our first Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game last night. They ended up losing to the Hawks, but it was a good, close game.

I grew fond of the Hornets when they were in OKC. Chris Paul and David West were great players and fun to watch, and then there was the human-interest side of their displacement from New Orleans due to the hurricane. I don't feel that same connection to the Thunder, but it's early. Kevin Durant is certainly talented, and they had a couple of other players who stood out, but I'm not ready to buy a t-shirt just yet...

Voting Day

2008-11-04T12:40:00.002-06:00

I'm going to vote after work today. I would go earlier, but I figure I might as well go with Alice so we both have someone to talk to while we wait in line.

I don't know about you, but I'll enjoy watching all of the election coverage on TV tonight.

This election does not scare me. God is King. I can't believe this is already my 5th presidential election to vote in. My candidate has lost before, and not only am I still doing fine, the country is also still alive and kicking (not without it's problems, but things will never be perfect this side of heaven...). So, regardless of who wins today, I won't be going to bed in fear or frustration tonight.

So, how long did YOU wait in line to vote today?

Life as I know it this week

2008-10-28T10:02:00.004-05:00

Fall Festival was a blast (as always) Sunday night. Alice went as herself (from Alice in Wonderland), and I went as myself (from the movie Shane).

I went to an all day seminar yesterday titled "Managing Emotions Under Pressure." I am extremely hopeful not to have to test out these new skills any time soon...

The biggest things I took from the seminar:
- Keep things in perspective. Only one thing will kill you. Everything else is of lesser value.
- Q Tip = Quit Taking Things Personally
- Talk to yourself as you would talk to your best friend.

My body was very unhappy with me for sitting at this seminar all day, so I treated it to a visit with the chiropractor on the way home. That made it much happier.

I'm planning the Tulsa Churches of Christ Area-Wide Service for Sunday night, November 2. We're hopful to have 15 different congregations represented! That means a lot of phone calls for Shane this week.

Having Craig Hicks on staff this past week has been an absolute blessing. He brings enthusiasm, wisdom, humor, energy, and an eagerness to learn. If you weren't at Memorial Drive this past Sunday morning, you really need to listen to Craig and Terry's message of reconciliation. It will blow you away, whether you already know some of the story or not.

As for now, it's time to go renew my car tags, have lunch with a friend and then head to staff meeting.

Deserving

2008-10-25T17:52:00.002-05:00

I believe OSU proved they were deserving of that #6 national ranking today.

Going to Austin and taking the #1 team in the country to the last play of the game is proof.

Nice job, Cowboys. I'm not happy we lost, but I'm happy with how far we've come in the past 3 years.

Say NO to footholds! (oh, and Donny Osmond...)

2008-10-21T10:07:00.004-05:00

(OK, OK, I know I'm overdue for another post when the comments turn to Donny Osmond...)

The concepts of conflict resolution, annoyance resolution and gossip have really been weighing on my mind lately.

Let's get some scriptural background first:

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Matt. 5:23-24)

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. (Matt. 18:15-17)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:14-18)

Let me ask you, when you are upset with someone, do you first:
A ) Talk to your friends about it
B ) Keep it inside, but hope you can avoid that person in the future
C ) Go talk to the person and let them know what upset you

How about when you know someone is upset with you, do you:
A ) Talk to your friends about it
B ) Figure it's their own problem and they can just get over it
C ) Go talk to the person and see if you can make things right

Does every grievance need to be aired? No. There are some things that annoy each of us that we just need to get over. We as humans can be far too touchy at times. Not everyone is out to get us, and we all do small things which offend each other from time to time. Let's be more skilled in the area of giving grace, for we all need it ourselves on occasion.

But, if something is bothering you enough that you feel the need to say something about it to someone, your responsibility as a disciple of Christ is to handle it in the way he commanded you to - the "someone" you talk to about it should be the one with whom there is the disagreement or annoyance.

Friends, if you are doing anything other than C in the questions above, YOU are the one with the problem. I don't care what the other person did to you, you are still equally in the wrong.

(Let me make clear that I have nothing against those who feel the need to seek wise, godly counsel regarding how to address the situation with the person. There is a world of difference between that and gossip / slander. It is the difference between those who want and intend to do the right thing and those who simply want to make themselves feel better by tearing down the other person, with no intentions of ever confronting the person directly in humility.)

I know this strikes fear into the hearts of people. It seems so much easier to just gripe about the person to our friends, who will most likely agree with us and then we can make jokes about that person together and feel good about ourselves again. Other times, it seems so much easier to just ignore the issue and try to avoid that person so you don't have to deal with your own anger and hatefulness, and so you aren't bothered with that whole issue of forgiveness.

For a lot of us, our default setting is "conflict avoidance".

The truth, however, is that the easiest thing to do is to simply go directly to the person you have the issue with. Most often, you will be able to correct some misunderstandings, work out some differences, or, at worst, be able to agree to disagree, and viola, you have "won your brother"! You no longer have to avoid him, you no longer feel the need to cut him down in your conversations. You are free! The load is lifted, you can sleep at night, and your blood pressure can go back to the normal range. The sooner you can do that, the better. I seem to remember something about not letting the sun go down on your anger, and not giving the devil a foothold, don't you?

Now, I don't want to ignore reality. Some situations and relationships may not be able to be repaired that easily. That's why Paul says, "As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." You may make every effort at reconciliation yet , for whatever reason, it is not received. Perhaps that person refuses to forgive. Perhaps that person refuses to change their behavior to stop hurting you and others. That is out of your control. That does not "depend on you". At some point, you may need to shake the dust of your sandles (so to speak) and leave that relationship. However, that should be the exception, not the rule. If you find yourself constantly cutting ties with people over issues that cannot be resolved, it is time to take a deep look inside yourself, for most likely YOU are the problem.

Why am I ranting about this?

Because I have seen Jesus' way work time and time again, and it is so freeing in a person's life.

I am tired of seeing people choose to live tortured by anger, resentment, and bitterness rather than making an attempt to work things out with someone else.

I am tired of bunco nights where the topic of conversation is gossip about those who are not in attendance.

I am tired of simple misunderstandings causing so much strife in the lives of people I love.

And, most of all, I am tired of anonymous letters filled with hateful comments written by cowards who claim to be disciples but do not follow the way the Master laid out to address your issues with someone.

Let's stop giving the devil a foothold. Who do you need to talk to...today?

Musical Movies

2008-10-13T21:31:00.003-05:00

I've never really been a fan of musicals turned into movies. Until now, I haven't been able to put my finger on exactly why (well, other then the obvious fact that none of us goes around singing everything we say...), but I think perhaps I have finally figured it out.

We watched The Phantom of the Opera movie last night, and it really bothered me that the singing was obviously recorded in the studio and then lip-synched by the actors. I'm not saying it wasn't the actor's real voices - I have no idea. But, it was obviously lip-synched. That was very annoying.

Oh, and the guy that played the Phantom live here in Tulsa this summer was WAY better than the guy in the movie.

I'm looking forward to seeing Wicked next summer!