snapshots from disneyland

We took the girls and went to Disneyland over the weekend. We spent Saturday at Disneyland and Saturday at California Great Adventure. Everyone had a good time and no one got lost or otherwise injured.

where are you going?

I'm going to Disneyland. Each year -- around the time of Hope's birthday -- we take the girls to Disneyland. Since this is a three day weekend, we're sneaking off to the house of mouse. This will be the first Sunday since we started LifePoint that I won't be physically present!

after God's own heart

Logo for March teaching series at LifePoint.

sdsu softball

One of the young ladies on the SDSU Lady Aztec softball team is Tamani Wells. We've known Tamani and her family since our days in the Bay Area. She also attends LifePoint with us. We took the girls on Saturday and watched a doubleheader. First game ... good result. Second game ... don't ask!

first softball game

Action photos from the girls' first softball games.

it's a crazy world

Crazy. That’s about the best way to describe the news lately.

First, there is the story about the astronaut who drove 900 miles from Houston to Florida to confront another lady over a lover. Never mind the fact that she’s married and has three kids. Or that she drove the 900 miles wearing a diaper so she wouldn’t have to stop for potty breaks.

Then Anna Nicole Smith dies in a hotel room in Florida. She’s the former Playboy model, former wife of an elderly billionaire, and a former reality show celebrity. In the weeks leading up to her death, two men were embroiled in a paternity suit over her five-month-old daughter. Now a third man, the husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, says he might be the baby’s father.

Prince Frederick von Anhalt, Gabor’s eighth husband, has been married to Gabor for 20 years but claims to have had a 10 year-long affair with Anna Nicole Smith.

Crazy!

And where has God planted you and I — right in the middle of this crazy world! It’s no mistake that we are Christ-followers living in 2007 instead of 1507. You are not here by an accident.

And what does God expect us to do in the midst of such a mixed-up world? He expects the same thing that he has always expected from those who follow Jesus — that we will live as authentic extensions of Jesus himself.

a dancing mom

As I'm sitting here at Starbucks, waiting for an appointment, there's a mom with two small boys dancing in the line at the counter. And then I notice the back of her jacket -- Irish Dance Team.

morning scriptures

Listed below are a few of the Bible verses that I was reading this morning during my early morning Bible reading. In light of the current challenges and opportunities facing LifePoint, they seem almost providential :-)

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them" (Isaiah 42:16).

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze" (Isaiah 43:2).

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth - everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf" (Isaiah 43:5-8)

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" (Isaiah 43:18-19).

halftime report

Here's my perspective on the Super Bowl ads ... at halftime. Most creative: the Dorritos ads that were created by amateurs. Among the worst: the Garmin GPS ad with the map monster -- what was that! Among the most confusing: the CareerBuilder.com commercial that featured the office in the jungle.

softball opening day

Both girls are in softball again this year -- Hope is in the Mini's division and Hannah is playing in the 10 and under league. Here are a few snapshots from today's opening day ceremony ...

great adventure of faith

Following Jesus is an adventure of faith. There are times when God prods or pushes us into areas where we might be fully prepared. His timetable for action doesn’t always match our own; in fact, I’m not sure he consults our timetable at all.

This adventure of faith is filled with twists and turns. Those looking for a straight line from accepting Jesus to spiritual maturity will be frustrated to know ... There’s not one! A Christ-follower must be content to know that God is in charge and is at work in her life.

But it’s also the twists and turns that add excitement to this great adventure of faith. For when we least expect it, God shows up and in ways we may not have predicted.

What a great God we serve!

camp theme

Here are two graphics I just designed for Opportunity Camp's theme. Full picture:

---

Text only:

new website released

I just finished redesigning the website for Opportunity Camp, a camp I've worked with for the last ten years. Opportunity Camp provides a week of free camping for kids from Contra Costa County Social Services and is staffed entirely by Christian volunteers. A fair number of these kids are in foster homes or group homes; others are in the social service network for various reasons. Opportunity Camp really is unique among Christian camps.

My "official" role is Director of Spiritual Development ... a fancy way of saying that I create the teaching material and speak at the morning and evening assemblies. Most of our campers have little or no church background and have a hard time sitting still -- a great combination for a pastor!

You can download a copy of the teaching material if you're really bored and need something to do.

tommy edwards and his mandolin

I'm blogging via email from the open mic at Cosmos. Up on stage is one of the freshest voices I've heard in a long time: Tommy Edwards. He's singing and playing a mandolin. He's got funky glasses and a stocking cap. And he rocks.

me we God you we

Those of you familiar with Andy Stanley's approach to preaching may recognize the "me we God you we" way of organizing a message. It's fleshed out in much greater detail in his book on preaching called "Communicating for Change." In fact, he uses the term "communicator" instead of preacher. Not a slight change in and of itself.

Me = starting with a personal revelation or disclosure.

We = finding common ground with your audience.

God = bringing God's truth to your one point.

You = applying your one point to the listener's life

We = inspiring a vision of what life would be like if everybody got it, too.

Becoming handy to have around

Over the past two days I've changed a headlight on my Honda, replaced two light switches, and fixed a broken track on a bathroom drawer. Fixing the light switches required me to make several trips outside to turn off the right breakers -- which I undoubtedly thought would be the wisest course of action. In the matter of 48 hours I've gone from techno-geek to all around handy man.

in between the now and the not yet

Many times we find ourselves in the space between now and the not yet. It is the place in life where we may feel like we're in a holding pattern -- circling around, waiting for directions for directions to land or to be given the green light to takeoff.

We often feel like the formative moments in life require action ... we must do something, tackle something, gain something, or give up something.

Perhaps there is just as great formation in the still moments, when no action is required or expected. When taking action may be the least prudent of all decisions.

Often God uses this space between the now and the not yet to shape and mold us in ways that endless action would never allow for. It may be that he is forming us in the interim for greater challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

the tipping point

I'm within a few pages of finishing The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. It's a book I vaguely remember hearing about a while back but not pursuing until I saw it referenced in a book by Phil Vischer. I finally picked up a copy this past Saturday at Borders and haven't been able to put it down. It's about how social epidemics spread -- and it's fascinating.

He talks about the three types of people who help create and spread social epidemics -- connectors, mavens, and salespeople. A connector is someone who is well-connected. The maven is an information gatherer and disseminator. The salespeople is a persuader. These three are what he calls the Law of the Few ... that it only takes a few people to create a wave of change.

He also discusses principles of stickiness -- what enables one message or product or trend to stick while others don't? In addition to this, there is the influence of context or environment on the probability of an idea taking root and spreading.

I almost hesistated to put Gladwell's picture up since it might prejudice you one way or the other -- but I kind of like it. His hair is actually a bit funkier on the dust cover of The Tipping Point.

high definition living

As I was driving along in my car this past week, I heard an interesting statistic: between now and Super Bowl Sunday (February 4) an estimated 2.5 million people will buy an HDTV just for the game. That’s up from 1.7 million who did so last year during the same time frame (link).

While I enjoy football, that statistic just cracks me up. I can almost hear the conversations as a couple drives past Best Buy ... “Honey, I was thinking that we needed a new 72-inch high definition TV so that you would enjoy the Gilmore Girls that much more.”

I must admit that the new HDTV’s are a fine sight to behold ...larger, clearer, more realistic. But there’s one thing they are not able to do — they can’t put you in the game. While it definitely improves your experience, it’s not the same as being there.

We are a people who hunger for a richer, fuller life and yet we often settle for buying bigger televisions. Instead of creating our own high definition experiences, we watch someone else’s from our living room. Maybe the living room should be outside the house, where life really happens.

While there’s nothing wrong with HDTV’s (and if you feel led to buy me one ...), there is something wrong with a Christ follower who chooses to watch from the couch rather than follow Jesus into the game.

May this week find us partnering with God to create our high definition memories.

ken hensley 2.0

Instead of coming up with a string of New Year's resolution, I've decided to dub 2007 as Ken Hensley 2.0 ... new and improved. I've been trying to eat healthier and exercise more -- and have been moderately successful on both ends. In terms of eating, I've added more color to my diet and try to eat a mix of fruits and vegetables every day. I've even started drinking a variety of natural juices -- pomegranate, cranberry, and a few of the Naked Juice blends (Blue Machine is my favorite). Just the other day I added V-8 to my rotation since I noticed that "one glass is equal to two servings of vegetables." I figured it couldn't get much easier than that! After drinking my first glass of V-8 I did feel better and more alert and even felt like pursuing a career as a trombone player.


The other thing I've done is try to limit my intake of foods that have high fructose corn syrup or similar sugars. Never a bad idea. I've also started eating more fish and have found a nicely seasoned wild salmon filet from Costco that I would recommend to anyone.

On the exercise end ... it's not progressed quite as well. I have taken out my bike for a few rides and walked a bit more but not to the extent I need to. I may have to come up with a beta version (2.0.1) sometime in the spring.

book update

A few weeks ago I posted about reading "Letters to a Young Evangelical" by Tony Campolo. That one has been finished and passed on to a friend. I'm currently working on two books concurrently. The first is The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion by Leonard Sweet. It's an interesting read about how Starbucks creates an environment and how God calls us to live lives of passion.

The second book is called Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About God, Dreams, and Talking Vegetables. It is the autobiography of Phil Vischer, the guy who created VeggieTales. I'm only about half-way through but it's a good read. Of course, it helps if you are a parent of a child who grew up on Bob and Larry.

A Few Phrases You Probably Will Never Hear at LifePoint ...

• “Way to go, Patriots.”
  
  
• “God prefers you to drink decaf coffee.”
  
  
• “Did you hear Pastor Ken got a tattoo?”
  
  
• “The Old Testament is way too long.”
  
  
• “I think we’ll go for a punk emo sound.”
  
  
• “Tuck your shirt in.”
  
  
• “God helps those who help themselves.”
  
  
• “Bingo!”

tim flannery in concert

Tim Flannery and friends will be in concert at the Christian Church of Lemon Grove on Sunday evening, January 28th at 6:00 PM. As you undoutedly know, Tim has a great Christian witness in addition to his baseball and music talents. There is a group discount rate for 5 or more tickets - call the LGCC office for additional info (619-465-1888).

to stand or sit

This is from John Leo, of U.S. News and World Report fame. Filed under "strange but true."

"Now sit, Ingvar, sit."

Young women in Sweden, Germany, and Australia have a new cause: They want men to sit down while urinating. This demand comes partly from concerns about hygiene–avoiding the splash factor–but, as Jasper Gerard reports in the English Spectator, 'more crucially because a man standing up to urinate is deemed to be triumphing in his masculinity, and by extension, degrading women.' One argument is that if women can't do it, then men shouldn't either. Another is that standing upright while relieving oneself is 'a nasty macho gesture,' suggestive of male violence. A feminist group at Stockholm University is campaigning to ban all urinals from campus, and one Swedish elementary school has already removed them. In Australia, an Internet survey shows that 17 percent of those polled think men ought to sit, while 70 percent believe they should be allowed to stand. Some Swedish women are pressuring their men to take a stand, so to speak. Yola, a 25-year-old Swedish trainee psychiatrist, says she dumps boyfriends who insist on standing. 'What else can I do?' said her new boyfriend, Ingvar, who sits. "

and this didn't happen in california

Typically, when strange but true news stories surface, there's a good chance it happened in California. I'm not sure of the exact odds, but they're pretty high. That's what makes this story so fascinating -- it actually happened in Memphis and not in San Francisco.

A 60-year-old man is charged with paying a mother to have sex with her 8-year-old daughter. That alone is bizarre enough. But the man was scheduled to be arraigned in a Shelby County court ... and the presiding judge is his fiance! That conflict of interest was quickly resolved when all of the General Sessions judges in Shelby County recused themselves because of the relationship.

The accused guy is an employee of the Shelby County's Sheriff's Department and used his fiance/judge as a reference when he applied for the job. Newspapers have reported that he was not only engaged to the judge, but they were living together at the time the purported rape occured. Wow!

And in a final twist, the new judge promptly reduced his bond from $150,000 to $75,000 and the fiance/judge told attorneys that he will continue to live with her if he is able to make bond.

nature or nurture

This entry is being posted from an "undisclosed" Starbucks location. I'll only say that it's somewhere in East County. I'm not sure if it's location, time of day, or just luck of the draw ... but I'm surrounded by some of the strangest collections of people ever gathered in one Starbucks. Even typing that doesn't seem very pastoral, but it's true. And if they knew I was a pastor ... they'd think I was the strangest one of all.

a life of adventure

Sometimes the Christian life is portrayed as a dry and dull routine of staying within the boundaries of what is acceptable to God. It’s seen as a lifestyle that limits rather than expands opportunities. To those on the outside (and a few on the inside), the life of a Christ-follower is viewed to bland and boring.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

The life of a Christ-follower is an invitation to follow him into the risky parts of life ... to serve those who are disenfranchised, to battle injustice, to dream up creative ways of communicating truth.

The life of a Christ-follower is to be marked by a sense of adventure. Where will God take me today? Who will I have the opportunity to influence for eternity? What does God have in store for the next chapter of my life? What dream is God forming in my heart that he has the resources to accomplish?

When seen through this perspective, the Christian life is anything but boring and predictable. God forgive us when we lose our sense of wonder.

My prayer for you is that you capture the spirit of this great adventure and live it to the fullest! Don’t settle for less and expect God to do even more than you ask or imagine.

busy season starts in earnest

The busy season is here. We have school, church, piano, and now softball has started. Take today, for example: 9 AM softball practice, an 11:00 bowling party, and a 4 PM concert at the Sports Arena. And it's Saturday ...

a near rumble at starbucks

Last Thursday, I was working out of the Starbucks on Navajo and Fletcher Parkway. This Starbucks -- like many Starbucks -- doesn't have enough electrical outlets for people to plug into. I find this to be highly annoying, especially since Starbucks is trying to court the laptop crowd. It is either a design flaw in their store roll-out plan or a deliberate attempt to limit the time people will spend in the store.

At any rate, I digress. Just had to get that off my chest.

I was sitting at a table, plugged into the closest electrical outlet -- which left one open. Two guys sit down at opposite ends of the table and begin to unpack. One guy hands me his power cord and asks if I'll plug him in. So, I take his cord and start to plug it in. At this point, the other fellow speaks up and says to this guy that he was about to plug in there. Then an argument breaks out over who was there first.

Now, these are not 15 or 16-year old kids; one guy looks to be in his 30s and the other fellow was at least 50. Neither guy would back down. The older guy then begins cussing out the younger guy. This is all unfolding right in front of me ... right in the middle of Starbucks. I really thought the old guy might start throwing blows.

I only had about 30 minutes of work left and knew that I had a fully-charged battery. I offered to unplug and let both of them plug in but the older guy wouldn't let me. Instead, he sat there and stewed while the other guy plugged in. When I finally left, he said "thanks" and proceeded to call the guy another name while he finally plugged in. The best part was ... they had to sit directly across from each other in order for both to be plugged in.

For a few seconds, I thought about grabbing another cup of coffee and just settling in to a comfy chair to watch.

If a fight had broken out, there may have been the workings of a class-action lawsuit against Starbucks for not having enough electrical outlets.

opportunites, challenges, and consequences

Opportunities, challenges, and consequences. These are the very things that faced Adam and Eve as they were given a place in the Garden of Eden.

Just imagine being given the opportunity to name all the animals. Or being handed the chance to establish traditions that would impact the history of humankind. One of the statements that often grinds a vision to a halt is “But we’ve never done it that way before.” For Adam and Eve, that was especially true.

Inherent with these same opportunities were great challenges. We often benefit from the experiences of others through mentoring relationships or by reading books. For Adam and Eve, there was no one else to set a precedent or provide an example.

With opportunities and challenges come consequences. Not all the consequences were negative. They had moments of intimacy with God unlike any that others have experienced. Some of the consequences were earth-shattering. One poor decision changed the course of human history and each of us are impacted by it.

Ironically, these are the same three things which each of us must face every day. How we handle opportunities and challenges forms the measure of our life. The consequences which flow out of those moments of decision may indeed be earth-shattering ... for good or bad.

first sunday of 2007

Just thought I'd post a short note on this first Sunday of 2007. I hope your next twelve months are even better than the previous ones. I'd also like to encourage you to think, dream, and act on deeper things -- the weightier matters of life. Don't be afraid to believe that you can make a difference ... or repair a relationship ... or start a new project ... or leave behind unhealthy baggage.

The bottom line: don't be afraid to live life to the fullest, the way God intended it to be.

Feel free to shoot me a line, give me a call, or buy me a cup of coffee if you'd like to talk more.

Ken Hensleyken@lifepointcommunity.com

new year of teaching at lifepoint

Our teaching series this month at LifePoint will focus on great stories from the Old Testament (also known as the Hebrew Scriptures). As I was looking over teaching ideas, I felt drawn to many of the great characters and plots that are found in the first half of our Bibles.

In January we’ll cover the implications of creation, the consequences of Adam and Eve’s decision-making, the faith of Abraham, and God’s great rescue of the Israelites which became known as the Passover. The first three stories are found in the first book of the Bible.

In fact the first half of this year will be spent in the Old Testament. As those who follow Jesus, it benefits us to understand the teachings that influenced Jesus himself. The stories of the men and women of the Old Testament are there to inspire, challenge, and inform us about how to live godly lives.

Some of these stories will be familiar; others may be somewhat obscure or lesser known. That’s the great blessing of delving into the Bible — finding those gems!

As we go through these different lessons, I would encourage you to embark on some sort of intentional reading plan. Maybe it’s to read the Bible in one year or to read through the Gospels. Perhaps you want to read from the Psalms.

The key is to allow time for you to interact with God’s Word. The results will be life-changing.

not the way you want to start the new year

You'll notice this post is about a week after the last post ... no big trip to NYC or vacation. As we entered the new year, Tonya and I both agreed we needed to lose a few extra pounds and I found a way to drop a quick 8 ... get sick! Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent laid up in bed -- and with the realization that 24 hour cable news only consists of about 28 minutes of news played over and over and over. Our television in the bedroom is one of the older models that doesn't go past channel 99 without a cable box ... so that cut out the Science channel, Discovery-Times, and Noggin (just kidding about Noggin).

But as you may surmise ... I'm back. A little thinner, smaller appetite, and just glad to be upright.

hope gets her ears pierced

Today I took Hope downtown to see the Holiday Bowl parade and then we walked to Horton Plaza for lunch. While walking around Horton Plaza, Hope declares that she wants to get her ears pierced. At first I thought it was a passing thing but she kept coming back to it. And continued to do so at home. So ... we went to Parkway Plaza tonight with Tonya and Hope got her ears pierced. These pictures prove it!

a few christmas pics

We had a great Christmas here in San Diego. Just to let the rest of you know how hard it is to live in San Diego, I've included a picture taken of the thermometer in our backyard.

the radical jesus

I had breakfast this past Thursday with an old friend (Scott) and a friend of his from college. It was exciting to hear how God had been working in Scott’s friend’s life.

Raised in a non-religious Jewish household, he has only recently begun exploring matters of Christian spirituality. He told us how he had known very little about Jesus and was really hungering to know more. Prior to beginning his exploration, what he had known about Jesus revolved around cultural displays — the commercial symbols and bits and pieces of Jesus’ story.

I stopped him at one point and asked him this question: “What do you think about Jesus now?” I loved his answer: “He’s a radical.”

He went on to talk about when Jesus spoke with the Samaritan lady at the well — the lady who had had multiple husbands and was now living with a man she wasn’t married to. He said, “The other people were blown away that Jesus would talk to a lady like that. That’s radical.”

Indeed, Jesus was a radical and he brought a radical message to earth. He called us to love our enemies and to bless those who curse us. His radical definition of leadership was to be a servant. He included in his list of friends those that others excluded.

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, may we rediscover the true Jesus — the radical Jesus.

newest book

I purchased Tony Campolo's "Letters to a Young Evangelical" yesterday and am half-way through it. So far it's been pretty engaging and fun to read -- if you've read any of Campolo's stuff you know what I mean. In his chapter on why the church is important, quotes from Augustine: "The church is a whore, but she's still my mother." A good reminder that although far from perfect the church is still very important. I'll post more as I progress further through the book.

new videos on kenhensley.com

I've created a new multimedia page on kenhensley.com where I'll upload occasional video clips. Right now it has two: a snippet from the Barenaked Ladies concert we went to and one of Hope learning to ride her bike (sorry, no crash clips).

sixteen years of marital bliss

It was sixteen years ago today that Tonya and I were married in Memphis, Tennessee. The weather did not cooperate and a raging thunderstorm swept through West Tennessee. The wedding itself was very elegant and included many family and friends. If I felt so compelled, I might have scanned a few wedding pictures and uploaded them with this blog -- but then I would have been bombarded with all these comments about how skinny I was back then and why I don't wear the really big glasses anymore! And once a picture is on the Internet, who knows how it might come back to haunt me if I ever decide to run for President.

Following our wedding, we finished out one semester of college and then headed for the West Coast -- San Diego, to be specific. Our first real home and ministry job was with the now defunct Allied Gardens Church of Christ. They were small enough and brave enough to hire a 21 year-old preacher and we were crazy enough to move across the country. It was a match made in heaven.

From there we moved to Walnut Creek, CA (near San Francisco) where our two daughters were born at the local Kaiser hospital. We also bought our first house during this time, a 3 bedroom beauty in the town of Concord. I can remember laying in the middle of the living room as we were moving in and thinking, "Wow, there's so much space." Tonya became a stay-at-home mom and a very good one at that.

We left Walnut Creek and moved to Covington, GA ... as we also left the church denomination we grew up in for a new one. It was our first time living outside of California since we had been married. Our oldest daughter began school in Covington, played on her first softball team, and so much more. We loved our church family at Covington Christian Church and I think it's safe to say, they liked us, too. We also bought our second house in Covington and acquired a wonderful set of neighbors in the process.

In the summer of 2004, we accepted an invitation to explore the option of starting a new church back in California. We underwent assessment with Stadia: New Church Strategies and was subsequently offered a job as church planters. After much prayer and consideration, we accepted the offer.

That started us on the journey that eventually returned us to San Diego -- our first home as a married couple! In fact, we live and worship less than five minutes from where we did the first time around. LifePoint is the new church we are privileged to serve.

Through these sixteen years of journeys and adventures, Tonya has been a constant source of encouragement. We covered a lot of miles, experienced highs and lows, and entered in to parenthood ... and we've not only survived but have thrived ... though parenthood has nearly killed me a time or two.

Proverbs 31 says this ... " A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." I have found that to be true more times than I can remember.

pizza with the pastor

At LifePoint, we do something called "Pizza with the Pastor." It's a chance for newcomers to hear our story and interact with me. One of the best parts is the Q&A time. We had a diverse group of people at this one ... some who had been with us since day one and as recent as a few weeks ago. The best question would have to go to Cody:

"If you could do one of the following things, which one would it be? A) Have a teleporter. B) Be able to breathe under water. C) Be able to remember everything you've read."

Which one did I pick?

kids christmas program

Here are a few pictures from the kids' Christmas program at Southwestern Christian School.

the kooks

This morning I was watching the Discovery-Times channel (one of the blessings of 300+ channels) and it had a show about the New York subway system. While I've never been to NYC, much less been on the subway, I'm fascinated by these types of shows. It's the same reason I watch How Things Work, Modern Marvels, etc.

I digress. One of the segments was about subway preachers -- a calling many of you didn't know existed. It featured this one older couple who spend their days riding the subway and preaching to the lost. It mainly focused on the lady who would quote from the minor prophets passages of damnation.

Their name: The Kooks. I can't remember their first names but that was their last name. My first thought was, "That's impossible." But then again ...

commercials

Just a few random thoughts about commercials I've seen over and over and over. First of all, you would think that guy on FreeCreditReport.com would have raised his credit score by now. What's wrong with this guy?

Why does that lady keep losing her car after all these months? Didn't she get one of those personal voice recorders months ago?

Who doesn't feel pity for the Geico caveman? I have to give it to Geico for consistently producing some of the funniest commercials on tv. I've even found myself singing the song that plays as the caveman goes through the airport ("everywhere I go, there's always something to remind me"). Plus, the mock news interview with the split screen is a classic.

monday morning on a sunday night

Among pastors, Monday mornings can be tough. It's on Monday mornings that we recover from Sunday mornings. It's on Monday mornings when we analyze and reflect on what went well and what didn't on Sunday mornings. You can usually gauge how a pastor perceived the previous Sunday by a Monday morning.

We had a great time of worship this morning at LifePoint. Quite simply, our band rocks! We did a mix of jazzed-up Christmas carols, a contemporary worship song, and a song written by our worship leader's dad (in 1975). We had new faces and many more familiar faces. We had people stick around for a long after worship had ended.

And we also had a few lows ... like attendance and offerings. As a young church, we're still trying to gain traction and reach critical mass. We're not quite there yet and the clock is ticking. But God is faithful and has a way of doing what we least expect when we least expect it.

Here's to your Monday morning!

the best. again

I've seen this commercial for Florsheim shoes lately that has caught my eye. The tag line at the end says, "The Best. Again." This made me wonder ... did they experience a period of time when they weren't best and have just now recovered? Are they admitting to putting out sub-par shoes that were less than the best? Did I miss their "Yay, we're not as crappy as those other shoe manufacturers" campaign?

Now to be far, I have never purchased a new pair of Florsheims though I did wear a pair of my dad's Florsheim wingtips when I was in high school. I may not be the best judge of whether or not they are the best but I do chuckle at their tag line.

For auto manufacturers ... "It Runs. Again."
For restaurants ... "A Clean Bill of Health. Again."