• The Honey Badger (I would love to have courage like this)
• Kirk Cousins Speech (A great speech about integrity and privilege counter cultural against the modern grain of entitlement)
• SNL Skit – Hilarious skit honoring one of my favorite singers, Adele!

The Honey badger

Kirk Cousins on Privilege vs. Entitlement 

*Start Video @ 4:47

Snl – someone like you skit!

Tebowing – To get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different.

This is ironic, because Tebow was Tebowing on the inside as all the critics and analyst verbally flogged him. Tebow was Tebowing while throwing bad pass after bad pass and while all the football gurus said he couldn’t win, Tebow did something completely different and rattled off 7 wins.

Unless you have been living under a rock or go far, far out of your way to avoid sports chatter you have heard of Tim Tebow; Heisman trophy winner, the best college football player ever, and uber devout Christian, Tim Tebow rose from third in the depth chart to the Denver Broncos starting QB, and so far Tebow has not disappointed (unless you count the routinely 3 bad quarters of football capped off by the most heart pounding, nail biting, mind blowing finishes time and time again). Tebow has 7 wins out of 8 games and all [the wins] of them fourth quarter nail biters, taking the Broncos from last place to first. Now with most of the harsh criticism fading many of the analyst and even his own coaches have converted to Tebow believers! The most polarizing football player ever has been a great story to watch, his faith has been front and center – (google ‘Tebowing’), his skill has been questionable, but the results convincing! Many football analyst have gone from the this ‘Tebow’ thing is a sideshow, to he could redefine what it means to be a QB.

I posed this question during the preseason (my last Tebow segment) and will pose it again. What do you think of Tim Tebow.

Enter the flamboyant personality of Chad ‘Ocho Cinco’ Johnson a great football player in his own right now traded to the Patriots. Ocho Cinco has played off his ‘greatness’ in every way possible; unorthodox touchdown celebrations (resulting in fines), reality shows, and even changing his last name to his jersey number 85 or ‘ocho cinco.’

This year Chad left his dysfunctional Cincinatti Bengal family behind for New England’s Patriot Way.  However learning the new fuctions and culture of the Patriots has been challenging.

Freedom of Expression

Chad Ocho Cinco has been known to express himself through twitter,.. in fact many players and people in today’s modern era express themselves through twitter – tattoos, hair styles, clothes, and cars. Is it wrong? I think it can be. The irony in Bruschi’s dust storm is that all the attention he is bringing to his former team is definitively against the ‘Patriot Way,’ he endearingly touts.

The Takeaway

• Your History Follows You – Yes, this is a fresh start for Chad, but Chad has put himself in this position, in part because his popularity and antics precede him.
• Know Your Team’s Culture – This point could easily be applied to work/family/etc, but knowing the culture around you helps greatly with communication. i.e. when I was dating my wife, I accidentally called her father by his first name instead of ‘Dr.’ That assumption took time to undue, but it can be undone.
• You Will Always Have Critics – I think the tweet was harmless, but who cares what  think… Ocho Cinco has always been expressive unfortunately he has also been a distraction too.  In fact the  current NFL celebration rules were created in part because of his celebrations. We all have critics, knowing which ones to listen to is key to our success.

Bottom Line

Every place you go has a culture. How you help increase the culture will determine your viability and strength to the team. I think deep inside we all would love to be House, bucking the system and running wild. The reality is this makes you and me expendable. Ironically even House has a strict culture within his team. Great persons enhance the cultures around them, creating better teams and legacies.  In conclusion, think about your actions, make them purposeful and do not listen to the wrong critics.

- Steve Jobs

Lately I have been struggling about what it means to be creative in my faith. This came to a head as I watched U.S. soccer a few weeks ago. I really enjoy soccer, the strategy and athleticism wrapped into one is hard to beat,.. unless your American. I threw on the game in the background as I did some chores around the house (I can be a good husband at times). Something caught my ear as they were talking about the new coach, Jurgen Klinsmann. The coach wanted the U.S. team to have more creativity and imagination. If you know anything about U.S. soccer this is a daunting task – U.S. soccer is solid, talented yet often times predictable soccer. We have really lacked the confidence, creativity, and ingenuity of our latin counterparts. At the bottom of the page, a cool video of latin soccer.

I say all of this not to talk really about soccer, but to bring to the forefront our lack of imagination and creativity often times found in the Church. There are pockets of Christianity that are amazingly creative;  my old church, Fellowship Holden has always been courageous in their creativity, Prolifik Films* has some good stuff, and Nooma had a moment in the sun, but the truth is as Christians we often times lack creativity. I love it when Pastors say that the church at one time spurred on creativity, that because of Jesus, the creator of the universe burning inside of us we were some of the most creative persons in society. I do not really see this now, not as a culture of Christianity. When did we become the followers catching up to society, trying to stay relevant, instead of the pioneers creating more and more ways to bring God glory?

Why is creativity often times at conflict with our faith? Is it because we have seen the errors of some of those creative artsy types? I think that is part of it, another part is it is difficult we are comfortable with what we know and creativity is messy, (a lot like relationships) and churches often create sterile safe environments.

We find something different when we jump into Scripture.  We find a relational, holy, loving, and creative God that is anything but safe. We see God inspiring a variety of writers to uniquely communicate His word. Follow that creativity up with creation itself (pretty self explanatory),  miracles – almost every miracle done differently, even telling us to have a child like faith which has this implicit undertone of imagination behind it. A child believes his father can do anything!  I am not talking about reinventing our faith, I am talking about an imaginative faith that matches our God’s power, a faith without limits. Honestly, I do not fully know what this means and do not want convoluted services that are not focused on God or take away from the simple and organic, but we have to reflect all of God’s attributes and creativity is one of His chief attributes.

*Click here to go to GCC media page and view top film, a sample of ‘Freefall’ by Prolifik. Click on picture to visit website.

View This PollDoes Tim Tebow have it?

If you do not know who Tim Tebow is, you should. He is refreshingly Christian, a Quarterback (QB) for the Denver Broncos and currently one of the most polarizing and controversial figures in sports – and for all the right reasons.

Tebow spearheaded the juggernaut known as the Florida Gators, he was the best player on one of the greatest college football teams ever,  all this however does not make him interesting – there is a different question that agitates the waters of controversy. Two things people ask about Tebow.

1. Can character overcome talent, for a player that is already pretty talented. Can pure leadership close the gaps Tebow has of a slow throwing motion and a lack of accuracy (compared to other NFL QBs…) Can David slay Goliath again, or is this something of the past when God moved, and would God move like that today in football?
2. Can a Christian swim in the ravenous waters of today’s culture?

There is something spiritually polarizing about Tim Tebow,.. the goody two shoes, author, anti-abortionist, adoption building football player. Who seems to have the uncanny ability to convert even the most hardened critics and skeptics, save Merrill Hoge. In a culture where no one turns an eye to athletes taking hard stands for liberal causes Tebow draws a hard and loving line for many others.

I am a Tim Tebow convert – after rooting against the juggernaut that was the Florida Gators I saw a man whose passion for God eclipsed anything he would ever do on the field. I see someone whose legacy will rise far above the grid iron – who spent his spring breaks on mission trips to the Philipines amidst a busy football schedule, who never failed to give God the glory after his triumphs. I hope and think this will translate into athletic success, despite the critics. Even if it doesn’t (which it will), he will stand in my heart as one of the greatest football players of all time.

** Below is a quick poll, youtube videos of the Controversial Pro Life Commercial, and info on the ‘twitter war’ surrounding Tebow.

1. Fundraising is difficult.

It is hard and humbling to fundraise, to depend on God and others for support.

2. Entitlement is dangerous.

It is dangerous to think that we deserve anything, that people or God somehow owe us. It is this thinking that helped lead to the fall in the garden.

Great video about Entitlement… *I wouldn’t really watch anything else from this comedian.

If you are new to this blog, post about music or ‘Recovering Story‘ are a bit more reflective of the usual tone of this blog. Without further ado,..

All this fundraising (begging) has led me to think about what I truly deserve,.. which is nothing. It has also pushed me to ask the question ‘Am I entitled?,’ or ‘what do I feel entitled too?’ Entitlement is that feeling that I deserve something, or God owes me something because _____ – feel in the blank – [circumstance, sacrifice, good works, etc]. I understand that we have this intrinsic worth just because we are created in God, but entitlement is the older brother (in the Prodigal Son) talking about his pedigree and his rights.  It threatens to stain and corrupt our relationship with God. It puts us as the center of God’s blessings and not God; His grace or His love.

As a Church Planter fundraising is a season (hopefully), a really humbling season. We are learning and it has led to some family goals and vision;

1. We want to trust God,
2. We want to provide [comfortably] for our family – (God willing).
3. Our family will give, love, and risk generously!

The Takeaway: 1. God provides. 2. We need to live generous lives. 3. There is a thin line between being faithful, expectant children or feeling that God owes us something. 4. When we do receive or give – realize that all of that giving, loving, receiving are all gifts from God.

I want to leave a clip by some comedian that talks about our Entitled Generation (Note: I went to other stuff by this comedian and found it inappropriate, this clip however gives a great awareness about Entitlement)

I wanted to give an update of where we are in the Church Planting process; the triumphs, the frustrations, the roller coaster, and then more of the frustrations.  One of my goals is this blog is to be the kind of Pastor to pull back the curtain of this process and say ‘hey, would you like some pie? No, okay…’ Anyway, here is an overview of what’s going on.

Wins: Connecting to people, we love our new apartment, feel called, have jobs.

Cons: Fundraising, missing friends, weather – it is hot and humid outside.

Quick Overview: We have found many people to connect with, the Pastors in the area have been really supportive,  we are still in process of putting up everything in the apartment, and by we I mean Pris (everything I put up seems to come right back down). Some of the other happenings and goings can be found in the July Newsletter, if you would like to be a part of the newsletter send me a facebook message.

The Biggest Hurdle – Fundraising; it has given me a lot to think about – it is frustrating, honestly I hate it!

[Pulling back the curtain more] Here is a ‘journal entry’ I wrote this in pure frustration about fundraising…

There is this ever encompassing feeling that I am not man enough, American enough, to… I would love to dress up the word in terms like scholarships and grants – ‘partnering.’ At the end of the day fundraising is asking people to give (to a good cause) their hard earned money so you can work for God. The good news is people buy and invest in things that are a lot less eternal every day, the bad news is it feels like begging. There is something incredibly humbling to it.

With all that said many godly friends have rallied around us. I am shocked  at  how many good friends and godly people have prayed and supported us, thank you! I am also shaken to the core at how much God really has provided, how comfortable we are for the most part; house, car, t.v. internet, etc,..

I want to talk and laugh about entitlement and the danger of it in the next post. In the meantime Pris and I are humbled that God would use us and provide for us, and fundraising is ok, it is going to have to be. I suppose it is better than sitting under a brook and waiting for ravens to bring us food, right? (1 Kings17:2 – 6)  We have also been challenged by all this to live generously and to have Goose Creek Church be a church that gives generously (and wisely)!

Jeremy Messersmith – A Girl, a Ghost, and a Graveyard

lupe Fiasco – Fighters

The Freelance Whalers – The Generator 1st Floor

The City harmonic

Click on picture to go to Song of the Week(s)

On the Nature of Daylight – Max Richter

Somber and melodic this song makes for a great song to study to,..

In science we have been reading only the notes to a poem; in Christianity we find the poem itself.

-C.S. Lewis 

I love this quote by ‘Jack’ (aka C.S. Lewis),  in science we have been reading only notes… pieces of the puzzle. As much clarity science brings it is not the entire picture –  it cannot explain love, hate, and other intangible things like faith and hope. Christianity does the best job of explaining what is behind the physical, underneath bones and tissue – Christianity ‘done right‘ explains God and the soul. I want to tweak C.S. Lewis’s thought, apply it to story; misunderstanding the Christian narrative (story) leads us only to understand the notes and pieces of our faith, missing the poem itself.

Missing the Big Picture

Despite all of the resources today the majority of Church knows the Bible only in notes and ‘pieces;’ something about Noah, or about David and Goliath, and hopefully about Jesus. The vision of Goose Creek Church is to invite people to live out the story of God in community – which means connecting those pieces of the puzzle to show the big picture. We do this first by understanding all of the biblical story; creation, sin, the covenant stories, the gospels, the early Church (and how this connects to the epistles, etc).  All of this should shape and form our lives. Recapturing the biblical story is of utmost importance for our fledgling Church. Pray for us as we grow in our vision and as “His story combines with our stories for His glory!”

Our Vision

Goose Creek Church wants to connect the dots, we want to uncover that old sense of story to put flesh and bone on the biblical narrative – all those things that come with knowing someone. We want to know God, and understand Scripture – His love and humor, the nuances, hyperbole, the context, and His justice. We want all of this to inspire and transform our lives.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross… (Heb 12:12.) This passage has meant a lot to me. The author: meaning the creator and guide and perfect transforming influence – Jesus Christ. He is the god-man who sacrifices and sees past the pain and the cross tasting death so that we do not have to. Our response, we adjust our eyes (and run the race) for the God that paid it all.  The goal of Goose Creek Church be a community that runs the race and connects the dots, and fixes our eyes on Jesus the author.