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."

Football is in the air

For the most part, I've lived in cities that are not wild about college sports. Northern Cali and Dallas are not college cities. Now Dallas does have a nice Texas Vs. Texas AM thing going on. But, for the most part, pro sports rule.

Then I moved to Raleigh. Now Raleigh is a great city, I really miss the place. It was the first city I lived in where college sports dominated the culture. Although, this year I'm sure hockey was HUGE.

But I loved it, I love Sept to Mid-March. And I learned something, college sports is so much cooler then pro sports. Now, I've always loved college sports, huge Georgetown fan, (b-ball) and Notre Dame fan in football. But it was always second fiddle to pro sports.

All that to say this, I'm so stoked college football season begins today. Raleigh taught me a lot about college sports, the passion, dedication and commitment that fans and alum have is truly amazing.

So let's get it started, I just hope Notre Dame and Texas do not play each other in the championship game,

Films Shot In Austin

UPDATE:

Looks like I made someone mad with my love for Austin. (not sure why, of course I'm not sure if people know, but bloggers can read all incoming links and who they are and all that) Of course, this person was a wimp and posted anonymously, ya no guts at all. So, I had to turn comment moderation back on, which is lame. BTW-This is my blog, so if you do not like my comments about the city I live in then delete me from your blogroll-just a thought, you DO NOT HAVE TO READ MY BLOG!

Sorry for the interruption...Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

______


Films Shot In Austin To Be In Theaters Soon.

Austin is becoming a little Hollywood. I think close to 10 films are being shot in here as we speak. Below are a few that will make it to the theatre's soon.

-Idiocracy
-Infamous-Sandra Bullock
-Texas Chain Saw Massacre:The Beginning
-Fast Food Nation
-The Return
-Grind House-Quentin Tarantino


It will be fun to see these flicks.

My Blog World Is getting Bigger

I'm always keeping up with the blog world. I've met so many new friends and I get to keep in touch with all my friends, it's a win-win for sure. Now these cats below are some real cool people doing great stuff for the Kingdom.

Eugene is the lead pastor at Quest Church in Seattle. I really dig Quest, and if we plant here in Austin, they will be a model for us along with a few other churches.

I've just found Earl Creps blog. Earl leads the D.Min program Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. At one time I was on track to attend AGTS. Anyhow, Earl is a much needed Pentecostal voice to the emerging or should I say missional conversation. Earl also has a new book coming out: Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders

I hope you enjoy these folks.

Peace & Love from Austin

New Friends & Ventures

I hung out with Brian today at Seattle Best Coffee. Brian is on staff at Vox Veniae. (formerly Liquid)

Vox Veniae's first gathering is Sept 10. So please pray for them. I had a good conversation with Brian. Austin pastors seem very committed to unity and the overall kingdom. So that is refreshing.

In other news...I have been asked to join Blink Consulting. I'm giving it a trail run for the next month. My buddy Kevin has some mad skills. So my job is to drive business. We have lots of idea's. So please pray that God will give us wisdom & of course deals. Looking forward to jumping in.

Peace & Love

Austin Stats

Interesting:


Austin is:
1. The 2nd best place to live. 800,000+ unchurched
2. Home to the largest university in the country. 50,000+ unchurched
3. The #1 city for singles
4. One of the fastest growing cities in the US"

Via Vox Veniae.

Busy Weekend

We finally made it back home from Dallas. Two long days. But fun and worth it. A few interesting things that happened:

Saturday morning we were driving on the freeway in Dallas and we noticed cars quickly stopping in the middle of the freeway...I looked ahead and I saw the 4 lane freeway empty, no movement, no lights or sirens. Then, two other cop cars quickly swooped in and forced traffic off the freeway. All of sudden, I noticed a fire truck on the overpass. Some dude climbed over the overpass fence and was trying to jump and commit suicide. Man that was so sad. How could someone get so desperate that they would climb a fence and jump off a bridge on the freeway?

We hung out with family Saturday night at Blue Goose. Good to see them, and the food was great.

We are no longer Ikea virgins. That's right, for the first time in our lives, we went to Ikea. That place is nuts, I thought we would never get out. We did not spend much cash. (Thank you Jesus) It was a bit surreal walking out of the store, like 30 mini- vans had pulled up to the front so they could load up their stuff.

Although, I was a bit disappointed when I unwrapped our dishes and found out they they were made in Chine. Hmm...Not cool!

We came home tonight with only three family members...Kenzie stayed in Dallas to hang with grandma. So sad. I miss her already.

Time to go...Hope you had a great weekend.

Peace & Love

Some Stuff

I hung out with Jim Mueller, who is planting Austin City Church. They have their first gathering Sept 10th. I dig their sanctuary, they made it into an art gallery and they have some really cool paintings available to view. I think this church is going to do real well. Plus Jim studied in Cambridge, so jealous.

Jim also took me to Flipnotics, which is a great cafe with a huge outdoor patio. So cool. Thanks Jim for hanging.

Also, my buddy Jeff Foust called me Tuesday, he was going to be in town and wanted to hang out and grab some drinks. I was like negative on the drinks (they cost money) and then he informed that the drinks are on the firm (he is a lawyer) so I was like sure, I have the whole night free :)

So last night I headed downtown for my first Austin night life experience. Let me just say this, WOW! Downtown was filled with energy, so many people it was crazy. We headed to Flemings, which is a steak house & wine bar. These lawyer boys & girls are crazy, dropping $100 bottles of wine like it's tap water. I sat next to a judge, how fun. Someone asked the judge how he got his job. He relied back, "well I started to tithe, and God blessed me and opened up the door." Let's just say that changed the tone of the room quite a bit :) Of course my buddy boss owns a share in a private jet, has a house in Colorado and the Carribean. He found out I was clergy, we started chatting, he goes to church every Sunday, of course latter that night he headed to the strip clubs. He asked me about being a Christian, I told him I do my best to follow Christ, he relied...Well, I go to church every Sunday, I never miss. I told him a lot people go to church and Sunday, but they do not follow Christ. He asked me what I meant, I told him a true Christ follower follows Christ outside the walls of the church. He was silent, but he still paid for my drinks and food. AMEN!

We are now off to Dallas for the weekend to work and hang with the family, should be fun.