Partnerships

I just got off the phone with Steve Saccone who is the director/leader of Mosaic Alliance. Great conversation. I've been searching for some like-minded folks that I can partner with. I personally believe that the right partnerships can catapult a church (or any organization) and the wrong partnership can slow-down or even cause death in a church. (or any organization) Partnerships helps create the ethos of the organization. Good ethos = good organization, bad ethos = bad organization. I must partner with the right people who will help me achieve my God-given dreams.

So, I'm hoping to connect with partners that will stretch me and help me grow as a leader. But the partnership must understand the mission and help me stay on track. One of my biggest frustrations in life has been my lack of focus. I'm determined to stay on mission, and stay focused on the dreams that God has birthed in my heart.

Anyhow, I say all that to say this:

I've been invited to attend ethos in New York City (At Columbia). Mosaic Alliance is going to help off-set some of the cost. But I still need to cover my plane ticket and day-to-day expenses. So, if anyone out there would be willing to help...Please let me know. Also, please pray for me, this would be a huge opportunity.

Copeland

The new Copeland CD rocks. If you don't have it get it, you'll be happy!

I'm A BAD BAD BAD LAKER FAN

So last night, after the kids & candy thing, we put the little ones to bed. Necole was blitzed also so she went to sleep early.

So that left me with a chance to catch the Laker game. But I was a bit tired and all, but there is no freaking way I'm missing opening night. Of course I found out that Kobe was not playing (BITTER) and neither was Mihm and Kwame.

Therefore the chances of the Lakers winning were not all that high. But hey, I'm a believer so I watched the first quarter. Of course we played BAD and the Suns played GOOD so we were down by 19. I thought for sure we were done. So I turned out the lights and went to bed.

Then morning arrived. I kissed my wife, hugged my kids and opened the iBook to see the score. Holy cow, what-I could not believe the score. I screamed like a little girl who just found her lost doll...So sweet.

I miss winning championship and all, but I love this team, because they are a TEAM. They like each other and they want each other to succeed. Of course Phil Jackson is a stud and for those who thought he only won 9 rings because of Scotty, MJ, Kobe and Shaq, well I think they will no longer be criticizing PJ. (after last years success)

The season has started, 81 games left-I LOVE IT!

How Sad & Frustrating

I saw this somewhere in the blog world, but lost connection, therefore I cannot give credit

From Relevant Magazine:

Nov/Dec. 2006, page 30 (Sobering Fact #23)


If Christians had given the traditional 10 percent tithe of their income to their churches in 2004, instead of the 2.56 percent that they actually gave, there would have been an additional $164 billion available, according to a report released in October called "The State of Church Giving through 2004." If the churches chose to funnel just $70-80 billion of that additional income to missions and humanitarian works, the basic needs of every person on the globe would be provided.

All I can say is WOW. Of course, I do have to ask myself some very important questions, assuming most of this money is being given to the local church:

1. Would the church "funnel" these funds to humanitarian projects, missionaries, and other various organizations to help eradicate the most basic needs of the world? Or would they build larger buildings, spend more money on various programming, pay the "staff" larger salaries, put more into retirement accounts, etc.

Also, if the above statement is true, the very fact that the world suffers is because Christian simply lack the obedience to give back to God what he requires. How tragic!

Bailey's Dance-Enjoy!

The Art Of Reading

So I'm trying to learn the art of reading. What I mean by this is simple; how can I be a more effective reader? My schizophrenic type A personality tells me I need to read more. You know, if I read 2 books a week then I 'm a better leader; I will gleam more information, etc.

But I'm beginning to think that quality is more important than quantity. Now the important factor here starts with the book: it must be good, or else it's getting shelved rather quickly.

But if the book is good, I want the book to become a part of who I am, at least for a short season. For instance, as I read "In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day," I want to allow the text to infiltrate my Spirit, to challenge my thinking and I also want to find space for praxis. How can I apply this to my life now and in the future?

Of course all books are a bit different. For instance, I'm reading Systematic Theology by Grudem. Good book, but I do not agree with many parts of it. So the challenge I face is three-fold.

1. Why do I disagree? How can I challenge the text, and find my own way and understanding?
2. Maybe I have to unlearn what I thought I already knew. Life is a process of learning and unlearning right? So maybe the things I disagree with, means I'm wrong, and God is expanding my thinking, and maybe causing me to come to a new conclusion, or should I say revelation.
3. The things I agree with, how can they benefit me, my family, my life, my city, etc? How can I let the principles sink deep within my Spirit so long-term change can take place?
Sometimes I get tired of all the information that I can access. It seems crazy how many "experts" and "pundits" there are out there trying to teach us more stuff. I love information, I love to learn, but I have to use caution. Too much information is bad, it can cause a lack of action or to much change to quickly.

Change is a double-edged sword and if your not careful, it can kill you. Too much change, too quickly can cause an unstable culture. Not enough change, over a long period of time, can cause death or a create a backwards momentum.

Plus, how many times do we seek a "pundit" over the ultimate Rabbi? Sure I want to learn from leaders, peers, and the so called pundits. But at the same time, I do not want to replace my ability to learn from God with my ability to learn from another human.

So read, read well, read diverse, but read smart.

BTW-I really have no clue why I posted this. Hope is makes sense.

Peace & Love from Austin

Fantasy Football

Well, yesterday did not go well for me. I got beat by Ashdown's team, by like 20 freaking points. The bad thing is this-Ashdown's has a scrub team. His best player is injured. So that speaks volumes of my team, ya not looking good. Plus I'm on a three game loosing streak.

So I may some trades...I hope they work, if not I may have to fire the gm, which is me.

YES!

Praise Jesus!

Barack Obama

Barack Obama was in Austin tonight. I could have heard him speak for free...The only problem is I had no clue he was in town till AFTER he spoke, dang it!

I Love Austin

So, I'm sitting in Seattle's Best Coffee in our apt complex. Biker dude rolls up in a fat Harley. I used to hate Harley's, now I love them. (why do I hate Harley's you ask, because my dad was a biker, my dad was a rough dude, feared by most in our city. I never liked that very much, or his gangster friends)

OK, back to the story-So dude walks in, looking biker tough and all. He takes off his cowboy hat, unpacks his bag and orders a cup of joe.

In his bag was a fat powerbook, blue tooth mouse, iPod, and an iSight. Of course he also had a razr phone.

He them rolls up to the counter an asks for a Americano and a pastry. Who knew? Simply nuts.

Of course it gets better...Dude gets a phone call on his slick razr. Must be the wife or daughter. He looked confused, then he ask "is the cat going to be OK?" The dude was really concerned and all.

I was trying not to stare (Nobody EVER stared at my dad, if they did it was not a good thing, since he always carried his 357 with him.)

But I guess the reality is this- you can't judge a book by it's cover, man I love Austin!

Barack Obama

Time magazine has a nice article on Barack Obama, who seems to be all the rage these days in politics. I hope the pundits are right, man this country really needs a fresh voice.

I'm so sick of politics, it seems impossible to really get anything done. I just hope we can get a fresh voice, a leader who cares more about America (and the rest of the world) then themselves, their agenda or their political affiliation. I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. I do want a strong leader who desires positive change. My biggest issue right now is Foreign Policy, we have to have dialog with our so called enemies and find some sort of understanding and hope. War does not get us far, As Amos Lee says, "Freedom is rarely found, by beating someone else down."

I like Obama, and I like John McCain. They seem to real and authentic. And our country really needs that now, IMHO! But I need to study these dudes. Is it just me, or does it seem hard to really find out what these cats believe?

At this point my simple take on Obama is this: He is humble, charismatic, and he seems to be a bridge builder. I think he could bring a lot of healing to our country. But, maybe he lacks the strength to make the hard decisions and lead our country. He seems a bit unclear on many of his "stances." If he "clears" up his philosophy and shows he can lead, I'll probably be punching his name of the ballot in 2008. And if Hillary is running, I will definitely be pulling for this guy.

Also, how cool would it be for America to have a black President? To me, this would bring so much healing to our country and the rest of the world. I'm a white dude, but man I get so tired of seeing so many white folks in power. Diversity is good!

But hey, I really have not taken the time to study this dude and try to understand his policy and dreams for our country. All I know is 2008 can't come soon enough. Not because I'm a Bush hater, I just think we need a change, a fresh perspective and some creative ways to move our world forward.

Anyhow, below are some interesting quotes from the article. Enjoy, as always, peace & love from Austin

Obama is doing something pretty rare in latter-day American politics: he is respecting their intelligence.

the other side is not evil

In The Audacity of Hope, I counted 28 impolitic or self-deprecating admissions. Immediately, on page 3, he admits to political "restlessness," which is another way of saying he's ambitious. He flays himself for enjoying private jets, which eliminate the cramped frustrations of commercial flying but--on the other hand!--isolate him from the problems of average folks. He admits that his 2004 Senate opponent, Alan Keyes, got under his skin. He blames himself for "tensions" in his marriage; he doubts his "capacities" as a husband and father. He admits a nonpopulist affinity for Dijon mustard; he cops to being "grumpy" in the morning. He even offers his media consultant David Axelrod's opinions about the best negative TV ads that could have been used against him in the 2004 Senate campaign. (He once--accidentally, he says--voted against a bill to "protect our children from sex offenders."

But those were politicians who had big ideas or were willing to take big risks, and so far, Barack Obama hasn't done much of either

The audience of students and activists sensed the Senator's timidity and became palpably less enthusiastic as Obama went on

Look, it's just not my style to go out of my way to offend people or be controversial just for the sake of being controversial. That's offensive and counterproductive. It makes people feel defensive and more resistant to changes.

Parenthood Woes

The past few days we've had kids from "the hood" over at our place. It gets so loud I have to put headphones on and seek God for refuge. This is definitely a bitter-sweet transformation.

NBA

The NBA season is upon us. Can't wait. With the the Red Sox's sucking worse then the bad news Bears, and the Raiders are no longer even considered a legit NFL team (Chandler stop smiling) I get the chance to to root for a team that has some sort of talent, flare and excitement.

Last season we almost upset the Suns to advance to round two. This year, I think it's going to be hard to improve. Because the WEST is so good. Maybe we can finish 6th.

Although, the Lakers seem to be having early health issues. Which for a team that is not deep, that can be tough.

Anyhow, the addiction will begin soon, I will stay up late, refreshing my browser, stressing about the all numbers like playoff seeding, games back, games left at home etc. Nuts, and I've been this way since 1983. OH MY GOSH!

Ashdown, can you get tickets to the Rockets and Lakers?

Firefox 2.0

Firefox 2.0 is now available. So if your itching to check out all the new stuff, here's your chance. As for me, I will wait a few weeks and let them work out any bugs.

A Quote To Live By

So I'm hanging out at Mozart's reading Mark Batterson's book: In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. So far the book is good and challenging. I personally believe that at this time in my life I needed to read this book. When we planted Sacred, NCC was a church that we watched and tried to learn from. I love how the levels of life have been flattened, how bloggers build great churches and write cool books and in some funny weird sorta of way, complete strangers have a sense of community and relationship.

I remember Mark blogging how he struck a deal with a book publisher. I can also remember Mark blogging on how he writes first thing in the morning. So it does seem a bit strange to actually be reading a book in which you understand (or have a better understanding) the background of the author and his points of view and all.

Anyhow, let me share this one quote with you:

Mark asks this questions:

"Are you living your life in a way that is worth telling stories about?"

Mark's first church failed, like mine. But he did not give up or call it quits. Now he pastors a church that is reaching twenty-somethings on Capital Hill. So his story gives me the courage not to give up and quit, but to move forward and fulfill my calling, so I can have a life that's worth telling stories about.

Peace & Love from Austin

Fantasy Football

So this is my first season playing fantasy football. I lost my first two games. Then I went on a three game win streak. But that did not last, and I've lost the last two games. But this week is mother of all matchup's. Why you ask...? Because this week I know I'm going to win, I can feel my opponent getting scared. This week I will not lose. I know it! Of course this week I play Ashdown's team. And J has a hurt Shawn Alexander, so that helps.

Ashdown, was shall we bet?

Blogger Beta

I switched to blogger beta, took five minutes and so far it works. Thank God!

Weekend Roundup

We made it back from Dallas last night, after two long days of work. Although, we were able to eat at la Madeleine French Bakery and Restaurant & Cafe Brazil, two of my favorite places to grub. But hey, rent is paid :)

Necole and I are TIRED of driving. So we are looking forward to hanging out in Austin this weekend, attending church and maybe we can make our way to some cool hiking spots or something.

Notre Dame is causing me some undue stress. But they pulled out another victory. Texas also pulled through and won on the road.

I rooted against the Raiders yesterday. I was hoping they would go winless. Oh well.

Hope you had a great weekend...Peace & Love from Austin.

BTW-Amos Lee is coming to Austin Dec 20th, SO FREAKING RAD!

Oh Dallas, Why Oh Why, Oh Dallas

We are off to Dallas for the weekend. This should be our last month working in Dallas. It sucks, because we can't really hang with friends while we are there. It's a constant non-stop work and all.

Anyhow, I think I landed a pretty big deal yesterday. I should be getting close to 2200 inspections per month. Plus, I will get some real estate listings from the bank. Our first month is Nov. So, we shall see if we get it, and how well it goes. Thanks for praying.

Peace & Love from Austin!

Yes, You Will Get Mad

Moronland.com - The Worlds Most Addicting Game