massive update

Ok. Last post was  1 1/2 months ago. Sad...  very. But I'm not going to harp on it.

 I'll just say that my life is going to be much more organized thanks to Moleskine!!!   Yes, Moles!!!!  

The cute little creatures that terrorize the worms in your back yard and tease your dogs can now organize your life!

Ok... not the real moles...   although that would be awesome!

Moleskine is just the brand name of this pocket journal I bought.

My thought is that it's small enough to fit in my pocket, so I will always carry it around and have on hand to write to do's, ideas, etc. And since it's $300 cheaper than my original plan (iPhone), it's a win win!  Especially with my horrible record of randomly 

losing my cell.   :)

Ok, back to the update...

On a sad note, I am no longer with the church plant here in Bluffton. It's a very, very long story, but to sum it up...  the vision for the church plant was vastly different than I had expected. I greatly disagree with leaving a church based on trivial reasons, but these were just too foundational for me (and several others) to ignore. The pastor and I are still friends, he understands my decision and supports it. And I know that this transition will work out better for him and for me, thanks to the wise plans of God. Also, thanks to the advice of Señor Scott Beebe, we did not follow the call of that pastor to Bluffton. We asked God to call us to the area if He wanted us, not to the opportunity for a particular church plant.

On a much lighter note. I think Jordan and I finally found our ONE tv series. And no it's not Lost or Heros!

It's House M.D. baby! I don't need to explain it, I just need to say that it's TIGHT! If you like mystery movies (and NOT the scifi type!) then you'll love this series. 

I also think it's awesome that 1 out of every 10 words is some crazy medical term I've never heard before and have no idea the meaning.

Sometimes I feel like I might as well be watching a Spanish soap opera.

Anyway, since we've just become dedicated this during season 5, we've been renting the seasons at the library. We're addicted man! It's sad...   right now we watch about 1 episode every night before we go to bed. Then we watch the new ones Tues nights at 8pm.

We went on a cruise with Jordan's fam! It was nice and we had a lot of fun, but I think it's the last cruise we will go on.

I mean...  when you think about it, it's 3000+ people crammed onto one ship. I can't believe more people don't get sick. The cleaning crews must work incredibly hard. Honestly, I think the best part is the waiter you have each night. They rock too!

Ok... so a really fun fact that I wanted to share is this reading venture

 I've decided to partake in. And I'll talk about this quickly because I need to go to bed. I've been reading the One Year Bible for a while now. And that's been working really well for me. When I can stick to it.                                                                                                                           

So I'm always trying to find a good  book to read along with the Bible. I've decided to read Homer's Iliad, the works of Plato, and the works of Aristotle. I'm thinking it might take me a year to get through them all. And since they're such great classics I figured I couldn't go wrong. Although I will definitely need my dictionary to get through some it.   :)

on worship

Five days again! On a roll!  :)

Well, once again, it's just a little before bed time. Just enough to write a short blog...

As many of you know I've been a worship leader for several years. TN, TX, and now in the big SC! Actually, now that I think about it...   the title "worship leader" is actually a bad one. I'll explain...

Today Jordan and I visited a church plant with our friends the Beebes (our church didn't meet this morning). The message was about living your life as worship to God. Romans 12:1 might pop in your head...   that's a main passage we looked at.

Our life, as christians, is to be lived as a continual worship to our Savior. At home, at work, school...  you get the point. So by me calling myself a worship leader, what all does that imply?

1) Worship is simply the "musical" part of a church gathering

2)Without me, there's no worship (playing off the "leader" side of the title)

3)Worshiping God needs a leader

4)Worship is always done in crowds

5)Worship needs to be rehearsed and organized

6)Worship only involves music

7)Worship is on Sunday mornings with a praise band/team...

I could go on for a while, but like I said, I try to keep my blogs somewhat short...

The sad part is that this view of worship is deeply embedded in the christian church. I definitely need to put more thought and "blogging time" into this...    but for now, I'll stop calling myself a "worship leader". Luckily, I work full-time at starbucks (coffee!!!), so if someone ask me where I work I say sbux. But if someone ask me what I do in our church, I guess I'll have to substitute for a longer answer...       "I help lead people to worship God through music during church gatherings."    ...I guess that will have to do for now.   I might think of something better later.   :)  

on tracts

Yes! Only five days later! I'm progressing! Of course I just probably jinxed myself and the next time I blog will be like 2 weeks.  :)   ...  hopefully not.

The other day I came into work at Starbucks and saw a tract laying beside the register. Of course...  I knew what this was. I was actually very fond of them back in high school, but not anymore, and I think you'll see why...

One of my good friends was working the drive thru. 

I picked up the tract, 

"Where did this come from?" 

I said. She replied,  "Someone gave it to me at the drive-thru." I stood there for a few seconds with the tract in my hand thinking about all the people 

I had given tracts to when I was younger, and wondered later how it made them feel. And then I thought...  Wow! I actually have the chance to honestly ask someone what it made them feel like. So I turned to her... "How does it make you feel when you get one of these?" She didn't hesitate...  like she had been thinking about it...  "Do I give off some kind of weird orb that makes people feel like I need one of these?" She said smiling (she's a very optimistic and bubbly person). "Do I seem like a bad person?" " 

I get one almost every time I work the drive-thru." 

Oddly, that was the exact response I expected. And I got a little upset. But why should I...   this is what the majority of Christians very as being a witness. Not living like Jesus and handing people a tract through the drive-thru to make themselves feel like they're doing something good.

Well, this isn't a paper, it's a blog, so I got to keep it short. I'm not saying that "pop-corn" witnessing is wrong (i.e. tracts and randomly witnessing to a person). This is just one example, but I'll put it this way...      this girl gets a christian tract when she works and it make her feel like crap...    I've been working with her for 7 months, lived like a christian and haven't brought up one "religious" conversation, and I have the pleasure of marrying her and her fiance and counseling them...     you can draw you own conclusions.

I threw the tract into the trash...   "I think you're a good person!" "You are me and Jordan's favorite person at Starbucks!" A bashful, yet humble "thanks!" was returned.

"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. You are my friends if you do what I command." 

(Jesus speaking to His disciples. John 15:12-14)

moving

Alright...    so I'm still not very good at blogging everyday!  :)    But I PROMISE I will someday!!!!   :)

Anyway, we've been very busy moving this past few days! And if you're wondering why you haven't heard about it, it's because we just moved down the street!  :)

"Why?" you ask...    well, the main reason is that our former landlord wanted to sell. But it worked out for the best because Jordan really needed some more room for the office. This year has been the first year that we've been pretty busy with Landon Jacob Productions, and it's thanks to Jordan! She's running the whole thing by herself! I just throw in some annoying advice sometimes...    ok...   I through in annoying advice a lot!   :)      But that's what a business partner and husband is for!  :)  Just kidding!

Well, off to bed, but we finally have everything into the new house (yea!!!). And tomorrow we hope to be painting. And enjoy the mild storm as hurricane hanna goes north. Good for us! But sorry NC! We'll be praying! 

dedication!

For those of you who have been watching the '08 Olympics, you might have seen the finals of the men's 400m. 

If you did see that race, then you were probably shocked when LaShawn Merritt (USA) beat the favored Jeremy Wariner (USA) by a good margin.

You might have been even been more surprised that USA took 1, 2, AND 3 in that same event!

But what shocked me more than anything is when David Neville leaped towards the finish line and face planted on the hard track floor for bronze!

When I saw that I didn't even care who won gold or silver. I just couldn't believe that Neville risked seriously injuring himself (and did) for a bronze olympic metal. 

There are a few things I find fascinating about this...  One, Neville was in an outside lane and could clearly see that Merritt was way in front followed by Wariner. So he knew he wasn't diving for gold.

Which leads into my next point...   Neville had a great attitude not to feel inferior since he wasn't in first or second and risk looking stupid diving for a chance at bronze.

Third, not only was Neville flying through the air for himself, he was also doing it so that USA could go 1, 2, 3 in the 400m and completely dominate!

This probably seems insignificant to most of you. I can tell it does to the rest of the world because it took my forever to even find ONE pic of Neville diving for third. -Which I was determined to do!   :)

I guess it just means a lot to me that one man changed history by being willing to risk it all to be in last place (as far as medals are concerned). 

I want to apply this kind of mindset in my life...      Be willing to go all out so that God will get the credit and not me.

 The world will not remember that Neville got bronze, but it will remember that USA went 1, 2, AND 3 in the '08 Beijing Olympics!

15 days later

Wow! That's kina funny...   my last post I was a little upset because I hadn't blogged in a while. And It's been 15 days since my last one! I suppose I still need to work on my discipline for my blogging. Anyway...

So fifteen days is WAY to much to recap in a blog, so I'll just hit the two biggest areas. 

ONE, August 11-13 Jordan and I went to Jacksonville, FL to tryout for American Idol (we have pics, but they're on Jordan's mac right now). No, we did not make it through. Thanks to some friends of ours who've been to the tryouts before, we new what to expect. It's much different then you see on the actual show. And just our luck...  the one time we go to tryout, A.I. hits a show record in attendance for one location...  11,000!

There's lots of stories and details, but I'll just quickly say that you DON'T tryout for the famous three until you go through two separate tryouts of producers. So the 100 or so who made it through in Jacksonville will have to come to a separate tryout a month later. Still, in front of producers, not Randy, Paula, and Simon. THEN if you make it through the second tryout, you 

will come back for the third and final tryout with Randy, Paula, and Simon. So the three judges will only see around 160 people from ALL the city tryouts. The producers pick those 160 out of the thousands of people who came to the city tryouts.

The sad part is the really bad people that tryout in front of Randy, Paula, and Simon made it through TWO other massive auditions. 

Anyway, we still had a great time, even though we didn't make it. But with a crowd that large, we new our chances were slim.

TWO, the '08 Olympics are underway! Go USA! As I type this blog in bed, Jordan and I just finished watching Walsh and May squash the chinese in women's beach volley ball to win the gold! I just found out that they were undefeated in the last olympics AND this one. They are now the world's ONLY team to do that. Wow!

What's been amazing to me is the young age of the olympic competitors. I think we often underestimate our young people and what they can accomplish. It also makes me feel a little worthless when I see someone seven years younger than me win gold in the OLYMPICS!!! Wow, I can't imagine being 16 years old and wearing an olympic gold medal around your neck. What more do you need to accomplish!?! Anyway, I'm astonished by all our USA olympic athletes. Yes, even badminton. 

Anyway, both the American Idol tryouts and watching the '08 Olympics can make you feel a little insignificant. 

But what makes me feel like I'm on top of the world is that I have a relationship with the God who created the universe! Now that deserves a "WOW!" Thank you Lord!     I know the race I'm in has greater rewards!   ...not that I wouldn't enjoy a gold medal.  :)

busy

Alright...    so I'm a little disappointed I haven't blogged in a while. I guess a little is due to the fact that I always put a lot into the pictures. I think it makes the reading more interesting. But most of it is to the fact that I am so busy!

Right now...  I am working full-time at starbucks and part-time with our business Landon Jacob Productions (Jordan does it full-time). I am also heavily involved in a new church plant here in Bluffton. I will blog more about that later. So on top of being married for a little over a year, having two dogs, one car, no family near by, trying to make new friends while keeping old ones, and most importantly...   working on my relationship with God...    you can say things can a little hectic!   :)    But really...    who's life isn't hectic?   ...  It's just the way this part of the world runs.

As I write this "busy" blog, I think about the couple of days I stayed out in the bush in Nigeria with the Fulani. If you want a simple life...   that's it! It was so incredible peaceful. But what's amazing is that even though there's no running water, bland meals, no media screaming at you, and sleeping on the ground...    you still have this sense of peace that is incredible hard to find in America. 

But I guess the question is would I give up this busy life for a peaceful one with the Fulani? Probably not. Because I've been wired and trained to coupe with this busy life. I guess a good point is that I can love life here, and love life with the Fulani. But I think a Fulani would love his life, and hate the busy one I live.

Anyway, that was a quick bunny trail, but it's getting late here and I must be off to bed with my wife and two dogs! And no, they DO NOT sleep on the bed. Even the little one!    :)