Weekend Plans

We're looking forward to a fun weekend. Our friends Ward and Tonja Rose are up this way for a singing gig. We're going to spend some time with them on Saturday. Some other friends, John & Renee Mitchell are in the Rose's new hometown -- Nashville, for the Country Music Marathon.

After the race, the Mitchells are coming up here for a couple of days. Renee is active duty Air Force and is home for a couple of weeks from her year-long assignment in Turkey.
Old friends from Northampton, we always have a good time with the Roses and Mitchells.


Have a great weekend everybody!

Believe Conference

The Believe conference was awesome. I'm one of those strange people who loves junior high kids (probably because I am STILL that age on the inside). CIY knows how to do things right. Believe rocked!

Junior High Fun

This weekend I will be attending a CIY Believe conference with some Junior High students from Cedar Creek (including my son). Tracy and I used to enjoy going to the Virginia Christian Teen Convention, but it has been several years since I have been to an event like this. I'm looking forward to it.

Spring!

I had the day off today. It was a gorgeous day. I mowed the grass for the first time this spring. It probably could have waited a few more days. But firing up my John Deere lawn tractor and donning a flannel shirt, I was in full redneck mode, and loving it!

Godly Shepherds

We had our monthly elders meeting last night. My favorite part each month is the time we spend in prayer. We share in a meal together and one of the brothers leads a devotion. Then we spend about 40 minutes in prayer. I know that lots of meetings begin with a perfunctory "word of prayer", but the tone of our meeting has changed since we began spending significant time pouring out our hearts before the Lord -- seeking his guidance, praying for the flock, asking for wisdom. I wish the church family could know how much they are really loved by their shepherds. Seeing men of God shed tears over the hurts of the flock and passionately seek the face of God, desperately wanting to make the right decisions for the body -- it warms my heart and encourages my soul. Pray for your elders today. Theirs is a noble task.

I Want You to Want Me

Preaching about Joseph and Potiphar's wife this weekend. I think this might be what she said to him...

American Idol Sings "Shout to the Lord"

My family watches "American Idol" regularly. We were pleasantly surprised to see the contestants on last night's "Idol Gives Back" show singing one of my favorite songs, Shout to the Lord. Yes, they edited it a bit, changing "my Jesus" to "my shepherd", and some of the bloggers are upset about that. And I could have done without Ben Stiller's bleep-filled rant that ended the show (someone's idea of humor, I guess). But still, I'm going to rejoice that the #1 show in America aired a song of praise to the King. Someone made that decision. The song will be downloaded from iTunes all over the world. How awesome is that? View clip here.

UPDATE: They did it again tonight and sang the name of Jesus.

Red Robin Rocks!

Yesterday I traveled to Lansing, Michigan to speak to the preaching class at Great Lakes Christian College. It was a lot of fun. I can really get passionate talking about preaching. Afterwards, my friend Mark Christian and I went to supper at Red Robin. I think I ate the most deliciously awesome burger I have ever consumed. The Bleu Ribbon Burger was incredibly good.

Jury Duty

Yesterday I had to report for Jury Duty. I actually made it into the Jury Box this time. Both lawyers sort of interviewed the potential jurists. Then they eliminated five of us, including yours truly. I‘m pretty sure that defense attorneys want to eliminate anyone who has any common sense. The trial was for a drug charge – a guy was arresting for dealing cocaine. Our conversation went something like this:

Lawyer: Do you know that cocaine is highly addictive?

Me: Yes, I’ve heard that.

Lawyer: Do you know that about 80% of the people in prison are there on drug charges? Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh?

Me: My understanding is that this jury has the responsibility to make a decision based on the merits of this case. A discussion of the severity of drug laws and penalties is something you’ll have to take up with the Legislature.

Lawyer: But don’t you think it’s unfair for the police to take advantage of people who are addicted?

Me: I reject the premise of the question. Enforcing the law is not taking advantage of someone. When I was pulled over for speeding, the officer wasn’t taking advantage of me, he was doing his job. (I wish I had said, “I was unaware that people who are addicted are subject to a different set of laws than non-addicts.”)

Lawyer: Thank you juror #11.

Not long after that I was dismissed. Go figure.

Happy April Fools' Day