Sick Sick & Sick of Being Sick

I'm sick, which sucks. Hate being sick. Thank God for Golf, vodcast, podcast and books.

Gordon Conwell Rocks!

If you are looking for an in-depth theological study look no further. The good folks at Gordon Conwell have created this.

I must say that I'm highly impressed. They even offer you a certificate of completion. What is the charge? NOTHING, that is right it's free.

I love how the church is becoming more open-source. Free graphics, messages, bible studies etc. That is a good thing for the Kingdom of God.

HT: emergesque.

Hostage in school standoff dies

This story is to sad.. Freaking unbelievable.

I can vividly recall an erie phone from my buddy Rawd when I was a youth pastor in Dallas. He told me I needed to head to the office quick, one of our youths cousin was killed in the columbine incident. So sad, later that night, this couple was all over the national news. Crazy!

An innocent young girl is dead because some reckless dude. Sad, Sad, Sad!

Halo The Movie-Looks Good

Kids Rule Parents Drool

Spent the weekend in Dallas, doing our monthly work that we do up there. Fun, I guess. Good to see the family and play some poker.

I was reflecting on parenthood these past few days. Now that Bailey is in first grade, we have more restrictions on our schedule. Necole and I are free spirits, so it's been an adjustment. Bailey has close to an hour of homework per night.

Of course, school is never enough, parents have to try and keep up with other parents, so their little one "don't fall behind." How lame is that? Of course we are looking at outside school activities; like cheer-leading, soccer(gag), tennis, and gymnastics. Plus, every freaking Saturday is another b-day party to attend. So far we have gotten 4 invites in six weeks, enough already! It kinda sucks, I want my kids to be involved, I know that their is value in these activities. But sometimes I wonder how healthy it is for the whole family structure? Maybe mom's and dad's should spend more time together, that way they can still be married when their kids grow up, go to college, get married and have their own little ones.

Kids rule the roost, I love it, and I hate it. Parents can easily lose their soul to work and kids activities. As for me, I refuse to be one of those parents who live their life for their kids. If you know me, you know I love my girls more then anything, I would literally kill someone if I had to in order to protect them. I'm pretty much a pacifist...But, you got draw the line somewhere.

In the meantime, if you don't have kids, go make a baby :)

Notre Dame Is Killing Me

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Notre Dame is killing me. Hanging in Dallas for work this weekend, and I just got home and fired up the tv in hopes that ND would be spanking Mich St butt.

Well, I guess not...They are spanking our butt. Last week I thought Michigan was THAT good. This week, I'm starting to think that ND (defense) is THAT bad.


Man we need a freaking miracle. C'mon touchdown Jesus!

BTW-If I lose in fantasy football tomorrow, I'm going to quit.

Alcohol use and the believer

There has been an on-going debate within the Southern Baptist circles in regards to alcohol consumption by it's clergy.

I personally call this extra biblical teachings. Don't dance, don't smoke, don't drink etc. Of course, very few times do you hear these denoms talk about over-eating, or what the bible would describe at gluttony.

I think it's sad that we pick & choose which issues are more important. I mean, at the end of the day, I think it's wrong for any believer to be addicted to anything. Like money, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, FOOD, etc.

If we will not allow planters to pioneer a church if they drink, maybe we should not allow them to plant if they lack the discipline to eat a proper diet. Of course I would be in trouble. But for real, how many times have you seen a fat pastor tell his congregation that drinking and smoking is wrong, yet the buttons from his shirt is about to pop out. I call this hypocrisy!

Also, it seems to me that Jesus did not mind drinking some wine. And for those who say it was non-alcoholic wine, well they should study history. Although to be fare, the alcohol content was not quite what it is today.

The Pathway: Home: Alcohol use and the believer: Theology on-tap

HT: Steve McCoy

Tim Keller

DJ Chuang posted some great (dangerous) thoughts on his blog:

Why I like Keller more than Piper.

Tim Keller is by far one of spirtual hero's. I love this dude, he is wise, smart, and urban. He loves church planting and he walks with incredible humility. Which is something I need to learn :)

Go enjoy DJ's thoughts. As for me, I'm going back to study systematic theology and it's not even for a degree. It's because a friend unknowingly spoke wise words that left me convicted. So I'm spending an hour a day studying theology. NT Wright trilogy is next:)

Look & See

My favorite brown truck came to visit me today :)

Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Become a Missionary in Your Community: Books: Ed Stetzer,David Putman

The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture: Books: N.T. Wright

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology: Books: Eugene H. Peterson

Reflections on Gospel

This morning I'm hanging at Genuine Joe Coffeehouse in N. Austin. At one time this cofeeshop was literally a house. It has a 70's retro vibe; yah-know, couches, beads, and the old round kitchen tables with the square-ish brown leather chairs. I love their tagline.

" A place for boots, suits, hippies and techies."

Wow, so creative, they understand their mission and what they are called to do.

On my left are two hippie chicks, on my right is a Jewish Rabbi, a Muslim just walked out, and a few dudes in suites are having a meeting and talking loud. Outside, some guys are playing the guitar, laughing and enjoying the moment.

It's cool cause I get to see a reflection of Austin and the greater American culture. So many people, backgrounds and faiths all mixed into small geographical area. And somehow the gospel is relevant to all of them, somehow the story of Jesus is greater than their backgrounds, faiths, identities or mistakes.

The challenge is this, how do I communicate the gospel to this culture? My calling as a Christ-follower is to love and serve the city that I live in. It's not really optional, and it has nothing to do with official ministry or church planting.

I'm called by God to reach my neighbor, my community and my city. For me it starts with conversations, it starts by building community and allowing trust to be established.

I think for the most part we have a timid Christian culture in America, we worry about fitting in, we want to be "liked" by those in our community. We spend much of our time at church or Bible studies or playdates with other Christian parents. My prayer this morning is for a broken heart and crushed spirit. I want to be wounded for my city, I want the pains of sin and godlessness to overwhelm me. There comes a time when the story must be told with boldness, clarity and faith. Yes we have to be incarnational, but I wonder how many times we refuse to share the gospel because we make up lame excuses, or we are scared of rejection of being the outcast. I know I do. Somehow, I want to change that.

Mark Driscoll

For some reason Mark Driscoll has captivated the evangelical landscape. Why, well I guess because he is a controversial figure. He is outside the box for sure. Plus he's doing some great stuff for God in a city that is spiritually complicated and hard to reach.

So, I was a bit surprised to read this post from Driscoll's blog. Very authentic and human.

In 1999, I moved to Seattle to attend school. My buddy Ken in Sac-town kept telling me I needed to go to Mars Hill Church. I was pretty distraught with church at the time. I just resigned a position at a mega church in Dallas. I was tired of the corporate church structure, I did not understand my role in the church. I was bored. I did not become a pastor to get a paycheck, I became a pastor to help make the world become a better place, to lead people to the story of Jesus and to help equip them to find their role within that narrative. This is why I will plant another church even though my first one failed.

Now back to the story:

So I went to Mars Hill. It was the first time I had communion with real wine. I loved the make up of the crowd, young and old, hip and nerdy, rich and poor. I loved the vintage feel, no purpose driven concert shows that tried to impress people as if the gospel story cannot stand on it's own two feet.

All I can say is this, I never felt the presence of God like I did on that night. It was rich, deep, reflective and real.

I don't always agree with Driscoll, and every mega church has it's issues. (or should I say every church) But I did appreciate his the honesty that was laid forth.

I'm A Wimp

So tonight I feel like a wimp, why you ask? Because I watched LOST tonight on DVD instead of Monday Night Football. Not good, the addiction is getting stronger.

Lets Try Again

Jasen & Amanda have posted some great Austin pics on their blog from this weekend.

Weekend Roundup Day 2

So Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast and did the 360 trip again. Austin locals, Chris Larson and Rachel Ray kept telling me I need to get some grub at the famous Salt Lick BBQ. Which is like 40 minutes in the boonies. Man, I got to tell you, it was really good.




After lunch we headed downtown to the infamous 6th St. WOW, so cool. Lot's of stuff going on...I even found a local cigar shop that rolls their own cigars, right in the shop. NICE!

Then we headed to the tattoo shop for some body piercing for my sister-in-law. After that, we headed home for one last game of poker. Fun, Fun, Fun, and yes I also won again :)

Now, I'm blogging, watching a freaking amazing lightening storm outside. This was a great weekend. God is good, and life is good. (Except for ND losing to Michigan, of course Ken blogged it, that dude does not even like football, or at least I thought he didn't like football. Hey Ken, Michigan wins a lot, why blog about them beating ND? Ya, go ahead rub it in, now I just hope they beat Ohio St. and lose to Mich St.)

Ok, I'm signing off, I hope your weekend was as good as mine!

Weekend Roundup Day 1

So Friday night, Jason and Amanda drove over from Houston. They were attending the Sufjan Stevens show. We met them downtown to grab a quick dinner at Wahoo's, which was/is a favorite of theirs from So. Cal.

After the show we met at my place. It was great to catch up and chat, it's been awhile, or should I say-too long.

The next morning, we ate some breakfast and headed downtown via the 360, which is a freeway that cuts through the Hill Country. It's a beautiful drive, and most folks are amazed at the rolling hills and beautiful scenery, usually the response is; "I can't believe this in Texas."

After the drive, we headed to the Soco district to grab some Ruta Maya coffee and lunch at Shady Grove. The burgers were great. Shady Grove is funky fun rugged place. After filling our stomachs we made our way over to BookPeople. Of course, if you hang out with the Ashdown's or Nussbaum's, you know you gotta find the local record store, and we did, next to Bookpeople is Waterloo Records, and next to Waterloo is Amy's Ice Cream. So we hit all three, yummy, yummy!

After the downtown tour of sorts, we headed back home. The Ashdown's had to leave and head back to H-Town. We had a blast with the J & Amanda, hope to see them soon!

Then

Our family from Dallas came in later that evening. We headed back to downtown for dinner, and then we walked to the congress bridge to see the "Bats." It was a beautiful night. We saw over 1.5 million bats head out into the night to eat mosquitos (go bats) and do whatever bats do at night as we mere mortals sleep.

Man, I love the vibe of downtown Austin. So much energy. Everyone is hanging out on the patios, drinking beer, and having fun. Right up my alley!

We finally made it back home to play a little family poker. Good times for sure. But the fun is just beginning. And yes of course I won the poker game :)

Dog The Bounty Hunter

I love the dog, I think he is an authentic follower of Christ. It's ironic that he was aressted & freed on bail. Hope it works our for him.

Also, Notre Dame got rocked, so pissed. Last week Texas, this week ND, lame.

Austin City Limits Music Festival Live Feed

Austin City Limits Music Festival started today, over 200,000 people will swarm Austin over the next 3 days, nuts!

If you are a chump like me, and you have no tickets; you can still catch the show live. The feed is here.

Enjoy, and hopefully next year I will be able to attend?

We are now off to brave the crowd downtown to hang with J & Amanda and eat some fish tacos at wahoo's Wahoo's.

HMM

Lovely day in Austin, it feels like late spring. (I think fall comes in late Oct)

Cool and crisp in the morning, hot and sunny in the afternoon and just amazing at night. The skies are mesmorizing; So blue, so great. And every morning we get to watch the sun break through the darkness, it's really sweet. I get to sit on the balcony, sip my shade grown organic ruta maya coffee. (which is the best drip coffee I've ever had; but if someone from the Nussbaum's clan, Tre, or the Hudson's want to send me some vivace, zoka, ladro, or zita beans, I have a feeling I would be really happy about that; c-mas is soon and my b-day is March 1st).

Why do I say all this, because life goes fast and I'm always thinking about the future. But this week God is speaking to my spirit, I need to learn to stay in the now, yes the present. Enjoy life. So I'm trying.

Austin City Limits start tomorrow. The weather is suppose to get toasty and humid this weekend, which is not good if you are hanging in a park in the hot sun for 3 days. I wish I could be there, but, I have another treat, the Ashdown's are coming from H-town this weekend. I'm looking forward to hangin out, catching up and enjoying some of the finer things in life.

Now it's off to the balcony, to enjoy the remainder of the day.

Peace & Love from Austin

One Month

We've been is Austin for a month now. It's been what I would call a beautiful struggle. So far the hardest part has been rhythm. We have not been able to afford pre-school for Kenzie. So Necole and I kinda tag team the babysitting thing. We are sad, because Kenzie really needs to be in school. Hopefully, sooner rather then later, we will get her in school?

We love Austin, it's a great city, yet at the same time, I spend most of my time at home. Which is not good, because I hate being at home. So much to explore and do. In the meantime I try to be patient and work the plan that we have.

It takes time to get re-established, to find rhythm and community. To re-acquire all the basic stuff we need, like couches, tables, dishes and of course the XBOX.

At the same time, I've really learned what it means to rely on God, to learn how to pray and seek God, and read the Bible, to hope and trust. Spiritually speaking, the past 5 months have been a breath of fresh air. Healing has taken place, vision has been restored, and passion is alive and well.

If someone asked me to describe the past 5 months, I would say sovereignty. God has been sovereign. And for that I'm grateful, I find hope and I know my story, is precious to God and important to humanity.

So the struggle continues...But it's a good struggle.

RAIDERS SUCK!!!

UPDATE: Not that you needed proof, but just in case:

Stats of the Week: The Oakland Raiders had as many sacks (9) and punts (9) as first downs (9).(ESPN)

Also, just to let Devries know, I will not become a Texans fan. I mean how lame can you get, they passed on R. Bush, crazy. I don't think AL Davis would have done that. Of course, Al Davis did give up on chucky, and chucky took Al and Raiders down in the Superbowl. (Thanks for reminding me-Ashy!)

So this year, in honor of my formal cities in which I lived in and still love. I shall cheer on the Seahawks and the Panthers. So there you have it, I'm no longer a Raider fan.


I grew up in the Bay Area. (kinda) I remember watching the Raiders play the Eagles in the Superbowl in 1980. I also remember the Raiders taking down the Redskins in the Superbowl in 1983. I attended the championship game in 2000 (?) when the Raiders lost to Ray Lewis and the Ravens. Another words, I'm a huge Raider fan.

But the last few years I've been trying to "let go" and move forward. You can only be faithful for so long, and Al Davis is a complete idiot.

As for last night, I could hardly watch. The game was so bad, the Raiders were so bad. Man, these are not good times for Raider nation. Although, I think the HATED Broncos and Chiefs both lost, so that helps, at least for a week.

The Let Down

I headed to the mailbox today, pretty normal right. I got out my key, placed it in the lock, turned right and swung open the door. Cool, got a couple new mags, paycheck and wait, no wait...Where is it? No Lost, what...OH MY GOSH!!!! How am I gonna tell Necole? Who cares about the mags and paycheck...WE NEED OUR FINAL DVD OF LOST! You know, now we have to wait another day to find out about the hatch, and the raft and the kidnapping of the kid. URGH!!!!!!!!

Blockbuster, how could you...This is why I was so hesitant to switch from Netflix. Yes, I love the four movies passes I get per month, but...Not more then my LOST DVD!

Ya see, here is how it works. I send the movie back which is day 1. (It takes one day to get to the warehouse.) So, the next biz day, blockbuster received my movie and they ship another one out to me, which is day 2. And on day 3, the movie shows up in my mailbox.

But not this time, I hope this is not going to happen on a regular basis. If so, Netflix here I come.

9/11

I have a lot of thoughts in regards to 9/11. But I think I will remain silent for the most part. The one thing that still makes me sad is the fact that the killing that started that dreadful day, has not stopped yet. Sometimes I wonder when It will end, or will it ever end?

Sunday Musings

Got up this morning and headed to church. Tony was quite depressed over the Texas loss, but he pulled through and spoke a good message. The folks were quite nice, they served hot dogs, snow cones and did some face painting for the kids. (post service of course) Bailey and Kenzie were pumped and they were hoping that church is tomorrow so we could go back. Anyhow, good times for sure.

Then we headed home to chill, I caught some boring NFL football. After Bailey finished her homework we decided to head out to Suzi's Chinese Grill, which is kinda like PF Changs. Of course the locals think it's better then Changs. I'll reserve judgment for later. Suzi (the owner) was there, saying hi, and serving her customers. It always feels good to spend the hard earned dollar on a local business.

Now it's time to get the little ones in bed, fire up the DVD player and finish watching Lost. We have two more discs and we will be done with season one. We need to catch up, so we have to watch the whole 2nd season by next week, which is the season premier.

Peace & Love from Austin

Bummer

Well it looks like the better team won tonight. The game was good, but not epic. Texas QB was not quite ready to play a team like Ohio St. However, I do not think the season is over for Texas, they will be much better at the end of the year than they were today!

Notre Dame

Notre Dame took care of business today against Penn State. Although, it does not get any easier next week as Michigan come to play ND. Should be fun!

Now, If only Texas can take Ohio St, that would make today, a great sports day.

I can say this, Austin is packed with folks, the hype is huge. If only I had tickets :(

Blog Buzz

Some good conversation taking place at the bob.blog. Basically Bob responded to a post by Driscoll on Multi-Site/Video Venues.

Darrin Patrick, who is an ACTS 29 board member (I think) and Elder @ THE JOURNEY Church left a comment. Which set off some more comments. FUN FUN FUN!

Honestly, lot's of good conversation and insight If you love church planting, culture and leadership then make your way over and chime in. This is a good chance to get into the head of some cool leaders who are doing their best to bring heaven to earth and move the church forward.

Peace & Love

New Contact

I was surfing PlanterPlanet the other day and I happen to click on one of the blogs...Lo and behold this particular blogger was in N. Austin/Cedar Park, which is were I live. How cool is that.

So I emailed Tony to see if we could touch base, which we did today over some yummy Rudy's BBQ.

We had a good time chatting, dreaming and discussing all things in regards to theology, church planting, culture etc.

Tony's church-Legacy Fellowship, is gearing up for their fall launch. So please keep them in prayer.

Anyhow, It's great to get out and meet people, good times for sure!

Peace & Love from Austin.

NFL-WHY!

I just realized something horrific-Being in Austin, I now have to watch the Cowboys & the Houston Texans on Sundays. Another words, I'm going to miss all the great NFL games because I live in a city that is close to both Houston & Dallas. SUCK!

NFL

NFL starts tonight, sweet! Fall is in the air, it's only 92 in Austin :)

Pellet, you should come down Saturday and watch the Texas game?

BTW, I've been messing around with wordpress, it seems real cool. Although, I still need some help from the tech God's.

Peace & Love

WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE?

Taken word from word from JR Woodward blog, this is such a touching story, I wonder what I would have done? Or, maybe I already know.

"I love this story that Max Lucado shares. If you are familar with the book of James, you will understand the message even more. Here is how he recounts what happened in his church in San Antonio, Texas.

“Some years ago, David Robinson, who plays basketball in San Antonio, visited our church. He's not a member of our church, but he shows up occasionally. You can imagine the stir that occurred when that seven-foot striking fellow walked into the auditorium. We have two worship services, and he came to the first one. At the end of it, people mobbed him. Kids all wanted his autograph. Dads lined up, allegedly to get things signed for their kids, but we all knew the truth. The brouhaha finally settled down and David went his way, and we began the second service.

In the second service that day, I was standing to do the announcements when something happened that has never happened since. A homeless person walked in the back of the auditorium, came down the center aisle with his backpack, ratty jeans, torn T-shirt, unshaven face, and distinct odor. He walked down to the front, and he sat down.
The contrast struck me. When David Robinson entered, he was immediately swarmed. People wanted to touch him and be close to him, be next to him. However, I'm sad to say that nobody jumped up to run and sit next to the homeless man. After two or three awkward minutes during which I was trying to act like nothing was happening, one of our elders got up from his seat and sat by the man and touched him. I was struck. Wouldn't you have been as well?

The message that I received in my heart that morning was: Which of these men do you think touched Jesus? If you want to touch Jesus, whom do you touch? Jesus said, 'Whatever you've done for the least of these, my brethren, you've done also to me.'""

HT: JR Woodward

Trying To Connect

Brand Guerilla which is a subsidiary of Blink is attending Austin Game Conference for the next three days.

K-Dub is down there now passing out t-shirts and I hope to make it soon.

We hope to connect with the creatives who roam around Austin, these folks have huge dreams and we hope to partner with them and help brand their companies and dreams.

Free Book

Billy Graham evangelistic Association is offering a FREE book by John Piper called 'Don't Waste Your Life." Go here to fill out the form and order your copy.

HT: Goodmanson

Coach facing felony charges in football brawl

I keep seeing the replays on espn and the national news, some dad runs on the football field and crushes a 13 year old kid because of a late hit. I thought that was sad, crazy and very immature.

Then I realize that this happened in the city in which I was raised. Yes, good ole Stockton, CA aka "the ghetto." I played against the team that was attacked by this crazy dad/coach. People always ask me why I left Cali, this is a big reason. Story below.

Coach facing felony charges in football brawl

Prayer Request

My friend and church planter Jeff Ramsey had surgery this morning. You can read his story on his blog. Please pray that he has a speedy recovery and that he gets a clean bill of health.

The Life After Ours

I was watching some of Steve Irwin's past episodes last night. Needless to say, it's always sad to see tragedy, knowing that a wife, daughter, son, dad, mom and friends are hurting.

On the episode I was watching Steve was talking about how short life is, and he made this statement, "when we cross over from this life to the next, whatever that is."

I could not help but wonder the spiritual fate of Steve Irwin. Now don't get me wrong, I have no clue as to his spiritual upbringing or beliefs. But my heart was broken. Did he know Jesus? Was he ever told the story of God in a legitimate way? I wonder, I wonder?

Somehow I hope moments like these will always grip my heart. I wonder if I really care about people, do I really understand the responsibility that I have as a Christ-follower to share Christ's love to this world. It's not like Jesus told us, if we have time then "go" and tell folks about me.

Part of the story of God is realizing that we have a role to play. That we get to partner with God (because of His grace) and help redeem and restore the world and the people living in this world to their rightful place.

As I stare in this cafe, I look into the eyes of the people. Do they know? Do they know what I know? Have they been given a chance to see and know Jesus?

I have a passion to remove the layers of religion that have been placed on the person of Jesus because I have a conviction that if the world sees Jesus through a pure lens (if they see the Jesus that I see, one that frees us up to live life to full, to experience deep forgiveness and to understand grace and mercy) then they will follow this Jesus; not out of fear, but they will follow Jesus because they will realize that Jesus came to teach the world how to "live the best possible life." (thanks Rob Bell for that thought)

Another words, if Jesus is lifted up... Man, that is our goal...How do we lift up Jesus in our culture? I pray my heart is always crushed for those who do not know Christ. I was almost 17 years old when I first heard the strory of Jesus; that's right, 17, and I lived in America. God have mercy!

"I can change the world, with my own two hands, I can make peace on earth, with my own two hands, I can make it a kinder place with my own two hands, I can clean up the earth with my own two hands, I can reach out to you, with own two hands. I'm going to make it a brighter place, I'm going to help the human race, with my own two hands."

Jack Johnson & Ben Harper (Harper wrote the song)

Fantasy Football

I just participated in my first ff draft. The bad news, I drafted last. But I think I did ok. Below is my team, wish me luck. Ashdown, what are we going to bet?


QB: Trent Green
QB: Matt Hassleback
RB: R. Brown
RB: Cadilac Williams
RB: DeShaun Foster
WR: Chris Chambers
WR: Joey Galloway
WR: Joe Horn
WR: Keyshawn Johnson
WR: Jerry Porter
TE: Jeremy Stevens
TE: Dallas Clark
K: Jason Elam
Def: Pittsburgh
Def: New England

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin, the self-proclaimed croc hunter died last night. Tre and I used to talk about when one of these wild animal tv personalities were going to die. Of course I think it sucks that it came true.

One thing I can say about this guy, he seemed to really love what he did for a living. I think it's so important to love what you do, and not just do what you do to earn a paycheck, pay the mortgage and take a week's vacation a year. Life is to short to not do what you are called to do.

WHEW!

Close game, I was getting a little stressed. But hey, whenever you can win on the road against a good team, you gotta take it.

Next Sunday will be insane here in Austin. Ohio St Vs. Texas, enough said.

Peace & Love

Fantasy Football

I decided to give fantasy football a try. This will be my first year. Any tips? I have to beat Ashdown and his H-town crew. Of course, these cats have the experience. Man, I do not want to lose!

Theology And A 6 Year Old

I can't tell you how many times Bailey has come home from school or Sunday School and she tells me what a friend or teacher said. Man, people and their wacked theology!

So Bailey comes home today, and she tells me her friend from school told her that the Devil is real and that he throws people into hot lava forever. So Bailey asked me if the Devil is real and is the Devil out to get her.

So I tried to tell Bailey about God, the Devil and the cross. I also tried to tell her that the Devil is not out to get her...That she is safe.

Her response was-Why did God make the Devil? When the Devil was a baby did God not know that the Devil had evil powers? Why did God kick the Devil out of heaven? Where is the Devil now (I told her that God had the Devil on a leash like a dog, she then asked if the leash was a laser lease, oh boy)

So we tried to tell her about God, Jesus, Devil, Fall, Cross and Resurrecting etc. And that God gives us a choice to do good or bad.

She then wanted to know why an angel turned mean. So we taught her a little bit about pride and living selfish lives.

Of course she then wanted to know who is God's mom and dad. And what time God goes to bed, Oh boy!

First of all, I wonder what these folks are teaching their kids? I mean, I do not want my 6 year old to assume the Devil is out to get her. But, I did not want to tell her the Devil does not exist either...Let's just say, I walked a thin fine line trying to explain the Biblical narrative, evil and good and how to make good choices. I tried to explain to her that Jesus teaches us the best way to live, and we try to be like him.

I hope I did a good job...I just know that her little mind is spinning, as she progresses into a little girl, who feels, thinks and wonders what life is about.

Man, It's really important to understand theology, I do not want to "steer" my girls in the wrong direction.

Parenting can be tough stuff.

Some Bono Thoughts

Below are some thoughts from Bono at the recent Willow Creek Leadership Seminar. Convicting for sure. HT: Dave Ferguson:

# 'The most rewarding part of this past year? Selfishly, it is to wake up with a melody in my head and heart. But beyond my music it is the work we are doing with the ONE campaign.'
# 'I never had a problem with Christ...it was Christians that gave me problems...they seemed completely disinterested culturally and politically...they seemed very strange to me.'
# 'The world works on the principle of Karma; what you put out comes back to you...but then enters the story of grace in the person of Christ and it turned the world on it's head.'
# 'Duality is the mark of really great art and it's what is missing in Christian art. It's missing the tension that is missing...the attempt to wrestle truth to the ground is often absent.'
# 'Much of gospel music seems fake to me...pretending that everything is o.k...I relate more to the blues...that sounds like the song of David to me.'
# 'Jesus was either a Charles Manson - a nut case or he was who he said he was. I'm fascinated by a child born into straw poverty. The Christmas story is a remarkable story that never ceases to amaze me.'
# 'How in a world of plenty can people be left to starve? We think, 'it's just the way of the world'. And if it is the 'way of the world' we must overthrow the 'way of the world."