Random quotes by my pregnant wife (part 1)

Tonight, my wife made some statements that I found funny. Part of the humor here is that there is really no context...they just kind of "happened"...mostly in the car ride home from dinner.
I may have more in the future...I don't know. But for now, enjoy:

"I'm gonna need you to just love me while I'm wild and weird."

"We're gonna be parents like, forever."

"I'm gonna lean back and give the kid some room."

"I'm a lazy walker."

Just Asking...

I am an a coaching network led by Tim Stevens at GCC that meets monthly until May (we began last fall). Today, we were talking about vision, and Mark Beeson was leading one of the discussions. He was talking about the excitement and thrill of answering the question" "What would it look like if God answered the prayers for the direction of our church?" We then discussed the notion of open sourced vision casting, per Mark's passionate descriptions.

I thought about that quite a bit since I heard it. I have digested it, and wonder, what WOULD it look like for God to answer not only the prayers for our church, but our community as well? What if we (the church) open sourced vision as the church to answer the prayers of the community around us? What if we listened to what they had to say? What if we leaned in past where we're comfortable? What if the Kingdom of God was more audible? What if we put our ear down to the ground and intentionally discovered a new rumble? What if we really organized our church in a way that brought the Kingdom of God and answered prayer?

One thing I am proud of regarding this whole discussion: our church is very involved in answering some prayers. I'm not indicating we do everything right, but we are definitely making a dent. We're housing the homeless this first week of February. If you go to ALC, you have an opportunity to make a dent. Volunteer...go here and let us know you're available. Just put your info along with "I want to help with Winter Relief" in the message box. We'll get in touch with you quickly.

What if? Open sourced visioning. Think about it!

Haiti

Images show the crushed dreams and lives of a nation swallowed by devastation. Our prayers are with the Haitian people and so should our sacrificial support. Will you consider giving what you spend on one meal? That adds up to $18 Chinese take out for me and Shauna tonight. Pray about it, you may even give a week's worth of meals. It isn't more money being paid, it's more sacrifice.

You can give here at our ALC website. All contributions go directly to Convoy of Hope, who has an already strong presence on the ground (you can also give directly at their website). I have personally worked with Convoy events in the past, and have full confidence in their partnership. Make sure you indicate Haiti Relief in the giving information section. Of course, you can also visit organizations like World Relief and Red Cross. Anything you give to these orgs will be awesome.

I don't smoke marijuana and I don't want to...

This is seriously one of the funniest clips I have seen in a while.
I love the final 3-4 secs.

Boundaries and Gratitude

Happy new year. This is my first blog of 2010, and I have some high hopes. I feel like I am on the edge of something very cool...in every way.

I have never been very good at setting boundaries for myself, but I have done well with boundaries. Confused? Here's what I mean: I don't really disengage very well. My job and my home life seem to overlap a lot. And I am okay with that. I really can't segregate my life into different sections (husband, pastor, bill payer, sexy beast, etc.). I have to be the same person all the time. In the same way, though, I have become very good at (I believe) managing my time and setting boundaries regarding time with my wife and friends. I really think I have a great balance for me that makes no sense for anyone else. I really am happy with how it is all managed.

Now, let's throw a kid into the mix! In June, we'll welcome our little one into this world, and my boundaries are sure to be tested again. To set myself up for that, I am beginning a new habit regarding my time (thanks to some teaching by Craig G.): meetings that can't be scheduled during the work day are scheduled PRIOR to the work day...early mornings. I am two weeks into this new discipline, and (right now, anyway) I am really digging it. I am determined to make sure my son (or daughter) has a father in the evenings, and only I can hold that sacred. I am going to do my best!

Today, I had a great early morning meeting with DJ. DJ is our new director of arts at ALC. She is taking on the leadership of four major teams in Creative Arts. I am excited. DJ is solid, and I believe she will bring a fresh direction for us while affirming everyone around her...she is a natural nurturer.
So, I am grateful...this early morning thing has some good omens so far : )

And, again...Happy New Year twelve days late.

After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.
2 Corinthians 12:14

BTW, I hope Conan goes to FOX and makes millions.