go vote for acoustic awards

There's a new awards show in town and it's called San Diego H.A.T. awards. It stands for Honoring Acoustic Talent. Cast your vote at the San Diego H.A.T. awards website.

lifepoint in the san diego reader

The San Diego Reader has a weekly column called "Sheeps and Goats." LifePoint was featured back in the spring of 2005, before we held our first public worship service. The reporter came to our service yesterday and we will be featured again this Thursday.

Here's the link to our first column.

wifi cafes

FYI ... I think coffee shops that offer free WiFi should post a small sign showing their internet service provider. For those of us who use Outlook for email, it would help tremendously.

maybe it was just a bit too pricey

Nearly every day I drive past SDSU's big electronic sign that greets travellers on Interstate 8. For some time now I have noticed advertisements for the upcoming speakers series. Speakers included James Carville, Ann Coulter, and Rudy Gulliani. But it seems that the series has been cancelled due to low ticket sales. Only 120 tickets had been sold for three different nights of speakers ... and that is in an auditorium that will hold thousands.

That's why I chuckled when I saw the price tag: $193-313 per ticket per night. For SDSU students, ticket prices were originally $300, then $160, then $25. Even $25 is a bit pricey for college students.

Here's the full article from the San Diego State Aztec describing the cancellation:

Series called off
Poor ticket sales force cancellation
Stephanie Nehmens, Assistant city editor

Posted: 9/18/06

The price tag was too high, even for an event such as this.Promoters for the San Diego Speaker Series had no choice but to cancel all planned events on Friday because of poor ticket sales.The event was scheduled for three separate nights during the fall semester to host five of America's prominent political figures, starting with former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani on Sept. 26.Other figures expected to speak included Ann Coulter, James Carville, Bob Dole and Wesley Clark.

Ticket prices for general-public seating in Cox Arena for all three nights ranged from $193.50 to $313.50.For San Diego State students, ticket prices were originally almost $300, but dropped to about $160 and finally went down to a special price of $25 per night.

There were more than 6,400 seats available for each event night in Cox Arena, and as of last week, there had only been 120 tickets sold for all three events, Cox Arena Director John Kolek said."Not only were the ticket sales bad, but it would have been embarrassing for the speakers to see as well," Kolek said.

The San Diego Speaker Series is co-operated by Guy Levy, an SDSU alumnus who said that after attending speaker series' elsewhere, he wanted to bring a similar kind of series to educate the San Diego population.But following the cancellation, SDSU students won't have that opportunity this year.

"I was so disappointed - I thought it was going to be a really good series," Associated Students President Matt Keipper said. "I had tickets to all three."I think it would've been a great educational experience to see both sides of the political spectrum. I really wanted to see Giuliani."

Kolek said that there is no talk of rescheduling the event, and if speakers do come to Cox Arena, the structure of the event will be different. Series ticket holders will be getting most of their deposit money back, except for a non-refundable fee that SDSU charges, Kolek said.

He said he is currently trying to fill the available nights in Cox Arena, but does not have any events scheduled yet.Those who bought tickets to the series can receive a refund at the respective ticket offices where they had been purchased.

i know this guy

No, it's not a police bust. This is Georgia State Senator John Douglas -- getting shot by a taser gun. From the look on his face, I've already decided to avoid getting tasered any time soon.

Here's the story:

State Senator Tasered in Show of Support for Law Enforcement
By Crystal
Tatum, Staff Reportermailto:Reportercrystal.tatum@newtoncitizen.com

COVINGTON — State Sen. John Douglas had a shocking Friday morning.
Douglas found himself on the business end of a Taser gun fired by a captain with
the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

But there’s no need to scour the paper for the legislator’s mug shot: It
was a voluntary act — Douglas’ way of showing local law enforcement officers
that he supports their work.

Sheriff Joe Nichols said authorities who carry Tasers are first required to
be Tasered themselves so they know what the experience is like.

“I’ve made it a point in my public career to be a champion of public
safety. ... I feel like you have to lead from out front, you can’t lead from
behind,” Douglas said.

So, before a throng of law enforcement personnel during a Friday morning
training session, Douglas got zapped. Rather than penetrating his skin with the
taser prongs, Capt. Mark Thomas used a training device that was clipped to
Douglas’ shirt to fire a low-voltage shot.

Though the pain lasted only seconds, Douglas said the shock’s effects took
a while to get over.

"The actual feeling was like waves of electricity going through your body.
It only lasts a few seconds and it doesn’t leave any pain, but it did leave me
kind of washed out and lethargic. If you had to give that two or three times to
somebody trying to get away from police, I can’t imagine. I can only attribute
that to being hard-headed, because it got my attention the first time out,” he
said.

A Taser is a weapon that delivers an electric shock and is used by law
enforcment to disable a suspect without resorting to lethal force.

Douglas said he thinks Tasers are good tools for law enforcement, adding
that the devices have saved lives of officers and suspects. “Not letting
them use Tasers is like tying one hand behind their back and telling them to do
their job anyway,” he said.

coming up

We have several special things planned at LifePoint for the rest of September. I'm excited that we will be working alongside the San Diego Park and Rec Department to help clean-up parts of Fiesta Island. We have a team of volunteers who have agreed to help!

Also ... next Sunday (September 24) will be a busy but blessed day. Look at this!

You can learn more about Christiane at her myspace page.

Tom can be found online at www.tombrosseau.com.

Will's internet resting spot is www.willedwards.net. FYI: Will was our featured artist, playing two songs at our grand opening. He also kicked-off the first LifePoint Cafe!

new logo for october series

life from the national to the local

Yesterday was September 11, 2006. All the networks and cable channels had 9/11 specials. The President gave an address during primetime to commemorate the occasion. Even Monday Night Football included a special piece about remembering what happened five years ago.

Our youngest daughter, Hope, also had soccer practice yesterday. That’s a typical day – from the national to the local. As I approached the park where she was practicing, traffic was stopped and being redirected. The fellow in front of me rolls down his window and says, “Just turn around. You can’t get through because a girl has been hit by a car.”

What was a nuisance for him was a cause of concern for me. Both of my daughters were already at the park, having arrived with Tonya a few minutes before me.

I quickly parked and scurried to where a crowd was gathered. As I looked into the circle, I felt a rush of relief that it wasn’t Hannah or Hope and then suddenly realized … it’s not my daughter, but she is somebody’s daughter.

As I counted my blessings I offered a prayer to God on behalf of this little girl. She was bruised and scraped but was conscious and alert.

That’s often how life unfolds. We are bombarded by highs and lows. Hurts and hopes often reside side-by-side. May life never get so busy that another person’s pain becomes a nuisance to us.

Lord, let our hearts beat in sync with your heart.

five years later

Five years ago today (9/11), we had only recently relocated to Covington, Georgia, to begin work with Covington Christian Church. When I say "recently," we had been in town for less than a week.

On that morning, I was scheduled to have coffee with our worship pastor and start planning our upcoming worship services. We met at a little soda fountain on the square. When he arrived, he mentioned that there had been a plane that had flown into a building in New York and we both thought it must have been an accident. Only a few minutes later did we learn that a second plane had flown into the World Trade Center and these were no accidents.

We immediately packed up and went back to his house. For the next several hours we sat speechless and just watched the images on the television. We both watched each of the towers fall. Even today I can't fully explain or describe what I felt.

Needless to say, I scrapped my planned topic for that weekend and spoke about healing.

Five years later, the images of 9/11 still bring tears to my eyes. This morning one of the cable networks was replaying their broadcast from that day. Even as I type, I still get shivers.

Politics and prognosticating aside, 9/11 reminds me that we live in a fallen world that desperately needs hope. It desperately needs Jesus. It did then ... and it does now.

lifepoint is one-year old

Wow! That's about the best way I can describe LifePoint's one-year anniversary as a new church community. In all respects, today was an outstanding Sunday. Our music was good, the atmosphere was good, and even the pastor didn't fumble around too much. One person did wonder why I was wearing a shirt with pink stripes -- but she's six years-old and lives down the hall from me.

As I reflect on God's faithfulness to us, we have much to be thankful. As I look forward into the future, we still have much more to do. In some respects we are just now "getting our legs." We definitely have challenges, just as any new baby / organization / business would at one-year-old. Just trying to live and function in San Diego is a financial challenge. New churches are certainly not exempt from challenges ... in fact, they seem to attract them :-)

We also have tremendous opportunities that lie ahead. We started LifePoint because we wanted to see more and more people experience the life Jesus has in store for them. We have only seen the beginning of that! Many of those stories are yet to be written.

Our passion for the arts is beginning to build us a reputation among artists as an "artist friendly environment." My dream is for LifePoint to be a springboard for redemptive creativity among artists. In other words, a place where artists can be inspired to create art that makes a difference. I'm especially pleased that we have a willingness to bring in artists who not from within our church community. On one level, this is a bit risky. But it's also a sign of trust and validation that more than offsets the risks involved.

Challenges and opportunities are a normal part of life -- in and out of church. Wouldn't have it any other way.

births

I’ve survived a few births during my life, not the least being my own. Certainly the highlights include watching my two daughters being born. Living through nine months of the first pregnancy even led me to write a book about it. Fortunately, no one has seen fit to publish it.

(It was entitled "You're What! A Man's Guide to Pregnancy." I let my neighbor in Atlanta read it while his wife was pregnant and he enjoyed it. She enjoyed the parts he shared with her.)

I’ve been a part of two companies during their own prenatal days. In the dot-com days, companies were being birthed from scribbles on a napkin. In medical terms, the first of those companies has expired and the other is beginning to walk after a few setbacks.

Aside from the births of Hannah and Hope, nothing else could compare to the joys and challenges of launching a new church.

The vision for LifePoint began when God changed the direction of my life back in 2001. After a few years of preparation, God opened the door for us to return to San Diego. LifePoint began with 7 adults and 2 children who met in our home for Bible study and planning.

From that very humble beginning, God has formed us into a growing church community. What we celebrate this weekend is not so much the past twelve months but the future that lies before us.

Let’s get going!

cafepress

For all you aspiring artists and t-shirts designers, a great online resource for creating and selling merchandise is cafepress.com. I first became aware of Cafepress about four or five years ago. You upload your designs and they handle the rest. They stock the merchandise, print the t-shirts, and ship them to your customers. They have a base price and you are allowed to charge anything above that. When your item sells, you keep the difference.

LifePoint has a cafepress store ... www.cafepress.com/lifepoint.

So does CrossThreads (a little side business) ... www.cafepress.com/crossthreads.

Click on the following picture if you want to learn how to set up your own free store.

myspacers

Have you noticed how over the past 12 months MySpace has crept into the public consciousness? It's on a radio jingle for another company. Every aspiring musician has a "MySpace" page. We've had people visit LifePoint who first found us via MySpace.

Well, today I went to pay our rent for September. Our landlord is a local realtor and I usually hand deliver the check. Not that I have to ... I just do. As we were talking, I noticed that the receptionist behind the counter was checking her MySpace page -- at work!

Have you got a MySpace page? Want to be a MySpace friend? :-)

enjoying life, family, and church

Sometimes we get so busy that we fail to slow down and recognize the many good things that God has poured into our life. There will be pessimists quick to point out the rough spots -- but I'll leave that up to them.

I'm continually amazed that God saw fit to bless me with a wonderful wife and companion. It's a joy to watch her interact with our daughters and to see them adopting many of her wonderful qualities. She's also a very dedicated teacher who loves her job and the people she works with.

Our daughters, Hannah and Hope, are a constant source of laughter and emotions (FYI: I'm sure there will come a time when the emotions will not be so cherished). Hannah just got braces and it's fun just to look at her. Hope's sense of humor is maturing and pretty quick. I'm just happy to be around for the ride.

Things at LifePoint continue to move forward. We have had a steady stream of new faces, some from our postcards and others from Craigslist. It's become quite a challenge to remember all the names -- a challenge I would welcome any day.

Each week I am surrounded by the same people who helped launch this crazy endeavor. Many of them serve quietly in the background and without much fanfare. It's such a pleasure to work alongside some of the same people who helped us get started in ministry back in 1991.

I feel very blessed to have a worship band comprised of people who just enjoy leading worship. Each of them are talented musicians but more importantly, they have the servant-heart of a Christ-follower. Since Justin Gramm stepped in to lead our worship, the worship has taken on a very positive tone. Our morale is good and the music continues to move in the right direction.

Now, on a personal level, if I could just shed about 10 pounds ...

the podcast returns

Since I know all of seven people have been anxiously awaiting the return of our LifePoint podcast ... I'm pleased to say we're back online! I would like to say that the hiatus was due to an extended summer vacation or that the FCC took us offline. Or even that my newest blog fan hacked the podcast. But ... all that matters is that we're back up and running.

You can subscribe to our weekly podcast here. Or look for us on iTunes. Seriously.

survival instincts

As the youngest of five boys, I learned certain survival instincts early in life. It didn’t take long to figure out that not only was I eight years younger but I weighed about 100 pounds less than my next oldest brother. From there, the ratios only widened and were not to my advantage.

For a while, one of my survival tactics included being able to run places the others couldn’t fit. Places like behind couches and under beds. Unfortunately (for me), I eventually outgrew that one myself.

As a result, I have said “uncle” more than one person ought to have to.

Not only do we develop survival tactics to survive older brothers, we develop survival tactics to survive in relationships. Not all survival tactics are bad. If you anticipate getting shipwrecked, it’s wise to pack a few supplies.

But sometimes our survival tactics actually work against having a healthy relationship. Perhaps you trusted a confidant only to have that trust violated. As a survival tactic in future relationships, you decide it’s better to clam up than to share your feelings. That’s not always healthy.

God cares about our relationships because he designed us to need each other. We were made for friendship. The Bible has much to say about how to develop healthy relationships.

I’ll share more as the month goes on. Just don’t make me say “uncle” and we’ll be alright.

upcoming one year anniversary

LifePoint is turning one-year-old on September 10 and we’re going to celebrate! It won’t exactly be a wild party, but there will be free food and desserts.

LifePoint Christian Community began with seven adults and two children who met in a home. Following six months of preparation, we held our first public worship gathering on September 11, 2005.

We want to celebrate how God has blessed the birth and growth of our church community. LifePoint is a testimony to God’s faithfulness. And we want you to be a part of the celebration!

upcoming service opportunity

On September 23, LifePoint will be joining Volunteer San Diego and the San Diego Park and Recreation Department to help preserve the nesting sites of the endangered California Least Tern. We’ll meet at North Fiesta Island in Mission Bay Park! There will also be opportunities for children ages 5-13.

why i love local music

We had another great LifePoint Cafe last night with two local artists -- Michael Tiernan and Nathan Welden. One of the key values at LifePoint is that we want to actively support the local arts scene. We believe God is a creative God and that the church should look for ways of encouraging the arts.

For too long, there has been an antagonistic relationship between the "church" and the arts. There was a sense that art was too emotional or expressive or even human. Rather than embracing the arts as a way of communicating truth, the church resisted the arts. In some cases, churches even eliminated the arts altogether. At LifePoint, we want to build a bridge between our community of faith and the arts community.

Now ... on to local music. One of my favorite things to do is hit the open mic circuit. Why? Because it's a garden-style variety of music and musicians. You have people playing out for the first time alongside old guys with no thought of "making it big." You also have musicians who ought to make it big.

The level of talent is strong in San Diego. There are phenomenal guitar players, great writers, talented vocalists. Many of them have strong spiritual underpinnings though their music wouldn't be classified as "Christian" by them or anyone else. And that's OK. I would much rather have good music with a strong positive theme than shabby music about cutting off your sister's big toe (I admit that's a bit drastic and was totally made up -- but there probably is a song out there about cutting off your sister's big toe).*

If I started to list all the artists I've heard and been impressed with, I would definitely overlook some who deserved to be mentioned.

Why should we support the local music scene? For one, it's good. For another, it's often free! I also feel like it's similar to supporting an up-and-coming athlete and providing valuable encouragement. The level of contact and friendship you have with a local musician is unlike anything that's possible when they do make it big.

And you can look back and tell your children ... I knew that guy when he was playing at Twiggs for free!

* Note: There is a Steve Poltz about cutting off big toes but the toe cutter is a Hitchhiker Joe and he cuts off your big toe, not your sister's big toe.

which king do you follow

This is a new design I came up with late Saturday night. I thought about incorporating several Elvis impersonators and perhaps Don King ... but this is what I settled on. I used a font called "Hammer Keys" to produce the double effect. "Elvis" was filtered in Adobe Photoshop after a bit of cropping and erasing work.

You can actually buy this design on a t-shirt. Click here to find out how.