On My Mind.......

Christmas Eve Service

2011-12-20T15:40:00.000-08:00

Here's a preview of our Christmas Eve candlelight service. Preparations are underway!

Join us at 5:00pm on Christmas Eve at Kaufman Church of Christ in Kaufman, TX.

Does your prayer sound like this?

2011-11-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

In the Civil War movie, Shenandoah, Jimmy Stewart plays a widower of a large family. He is a cranky man with high confidence in his own ability. Because of a promise made to his wife before her death, Stewart prays at the beginning of each meal. The prayer goes like this: “Lord, we cleared this land, we plowed it, we planted it, we harvested the crops, and we fixed the food. We worked till we were dog-boned-tired. None of this would be here if weren’t for us, but thank you anyway. Amen.”

If you are like me there are times where this perspective is my primary mode of operation. I know that my life and all I have is from God, but in my heart I often carry a sense of entitlement. I harbor a sense that it is really through my own effort and hard work that what I experience in life has been accomplished. But in reality all I might accomplish can be gone in an instant.

In the movie, it doesn’t take long for Stewart to begin to see things in a much different way. By the end, he has lost a daughter during childbirth and a son to the war. In addition, he is finally re-united with another son after he was held as a prisoner during the war. As he and this youngest son are embracing, the scene closes as they stand in church and sing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”

This holiday season comes with a variety of emotions for each person. Some are reflective about the past year and celebrating all that has taken place, while others are grieving over those who will not be present at this year’s Thanksgiving table. For some it may be difficult to proclaim praise to God from whom all blessings flow. It may be hard to see God’s gifts to you. Just like in the movie, sometimes it takes a long period of time to see God’s plan.

Wherever your story finds you at this point in life may you know that our God is a God who “will never leave you or forsake you”, and that in both the good times and the bad he is a God that is worthy of all of our praise.

The God We Would Rather Have

2011-10-03T07:00:00.001-07:00

This is a prayer from Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth by Walter Brueggemann that is speaking to my heart this morning.

We are your people and mostly we don't mind,

except that you don't fit any of our categories.

We keep pushing

and pulling

and twisting

and turning,

trying to make you fit the God we would rather have,

and every time we distort you that way

we end up with an idol more congenial to us.

In our more honest moments of grief and pain

we are very glad that you are who you are,

and that you are toward us in all your freedom

what you have been toward us.

So be your faithful self

and by your very engagement in the suffering of the world,

transform the world even as you are being changed.

We pray in the name of Jesus,

who is the sign of your suffering love. Amen.

Back to School Special Video

2011-08-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Our ministry in Kaufman County and with the Kaufman Church of Christ began two Sundays ago, on August 21st. It was a great day of committing our school year to the Lord and surrendering our "in the beginning" moments to God.

This is the video that Troy Martin and I put together for the day. It was our editorial debut so the product can only get better from here! Regardless of the quality, it was encouraging to here the dreams that others have for the future here. God is creating new things!

Untitled from Doug Page on Vimeo.

Performing under Pressure

2011-08-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Pressure is an interesting thing. Some people always seem to thrive in pressure situations. Others wilt.

I was thinking the other day about Tiger Woods. That guys has had a rough year. Used to be the greatest golfer in the world. And then everything in his life became public and his golf game has suffered ever since. There is a lot of speculation about what all the factors are exactly as to why his golf game has suffered so much. My speculation is that it has something to do with the unbelievable pressure that he feels to redeem himself-his image-his game-his family- all while playing a perfect weekend of golf.

The pressure is to perform at a high level every single week and never appear to be flawed or human or weak. Who can stand up under that?

All of THIS...has been on my mind as I work to find my rhythm with preparing to preach on a weekly basis. After serving in other ministry roles for 10 years I know the preaching role is unique and comes with a different level of pressure. As I work to find the rhythm of preparation, I'm realizing the overwhelming pressure to "perform" like a "pro" each and every week.

Once I read on Mike Cope's blog and think he's been known to say for years that (and I paraphrase) the goal in preaching is to get base hits. If you hit base hits, you'll eventually score runs. As I begin, I'm committed to base hits. The trouble is that there is a such a strong draw to swing for the fences every time you're up to bat. Maybe every preacher/pastor doesn't struggle with this but I do. What do I need to say? How can I leave THAT important point out?

Andy Stanley & Lane Jones book Communicating for a Change has been helpful to me in this regard. The big idea in their book is that sermons just need one point and they talk about a method to make that happen.

I for one like pressure and the challenge of standing up under it. But what I like more is knowing that my job is to remain in Christ and let him do the work! There is great freedom in knowing that we bear fruit because we remain on the vine. (Jn 15:4) And it is the vine that gives life to the branches to be carriers of fruit to the world.

What if instead of relying on our own power, we rested in the power of the Spirit and wait in expectation for God to reveal all that He is capable of doing?

Decision Making and The Will of God

2011-08-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

One of the most helpful pieces in discerning our decision to begin a new ministry in Kaufman was Wade Hodges' book, Before You Go. I'm grateful to Wade and his influence on my life over the last several years. I've told him before that even though we haven't spent a lot of time together I appreciate him. His book is a thoughtful reflection on making good transitions and I appreciate his transparency about his own failures and wisdom he learned through the journey.

As I read the book, I realized that I was praying that God would make the decision about whether or not we should leave Huntsville. I was praying that God would provide a "burning bush" or a "light from heaven" that would have made the decision very clear. This type of praying is often utilized in decision making situations. However, I wonder if it is actually how we should be praying?

Think about this way: If there are multiple doors for a person to walk through, praying for a "sign" seems to suggest that we need a sign in order to pick the right door. But what if the sign never comes? Or what if I misinterpret the sign?

What if, instead, we saw the "doors" as possibilities that are available to us and instead of worrying about choosing the wrong door, God just wants us to have faith to walk through one of them?

(Of course praying for wisdom and asking others to join you in praying for wisdom and listening to the Spirit's leading and going to Scripture are all necessary parts of the process. I'm assuming that is already happening. Uninformed, blind, decision making has never been a great option.)

But somewhere in the process I realized that I was praying for God to make the decision so that I would not have to make the decision. And this is very different and seems to require much less faith.

And then I read the line in Before You Go that nailed me: "You can’t take the chance out of life."

I wanted God to make the decision so that there would be less risk involved on my end. If God made the decision then I have no skin in the game, no investment. Doesn't it seem that we need some investment in the risky business of following God? Eliminating risk in a move (or in any decision) so that everything would be smooth and easy doesn't seem to be an honest approach to decision making.

What about you? What have your experiences been in praying about decisions?

The Journey Begins

2011-08-16T07:50:00.001-07:00

We "officially" began our journey yesterday with the Kaufman Church of Christ. I say officially because we moved on August 1st but have spent the last two weeks unpacking boxes and enjoying some vacation time with Lana's family. Kyle and Larissa came in from Peru and we had a great week.

It has been quite a process as we wrestled with the decision to leave Huntsville, came to the decision to leave and now are settling in here in Kaufman. I've wanted to get back into the blogging world and figured now is a good time to start trying to re-establish the discipline of writing. I imagine it will still be sporadic for a while as I learn routines here in Kaufman and establish some rhythms with my schedule.

Moving has been a new experience for Lana and I. As we came to the decision to leave one ministry and begin a new one it occurred to us that moving was something that we had not done much in our lives. We basically both grew up in the same homes our entire lives and moved only at those moments when I person has to move. We moved after high school graduation and after graduating from ACU and other than a short time in Ft. Worth have lived in Huntsville ever since.

Even with everything being new, we are extremely excited about God bringing us here and believe that great things are in store for the future. Over the next couple of posts I'd like to try and share some of the process that led us to the decision and the ways we saw God working throughout.

In the meantime I'll share a song that has spoken to our hearts quite a bit recently. It's a new song by Nichole Nordeman and Amy Grant and is a part of a larger project that is released to come out later this year. We experience God through other people. When everything is new in life, the waters are uncharted, or things are good or bad, others are often the carrier of God's presence to us. That has certainly been the case for Lana and I as we begin this new adventure. We're excited but grateful we're journeying together. I'm With You:

Personality Test

2008-02-27T09:13:00.001-08:00

ESFP - The "Entertainer"

ESFPs are cooperative, "here and now" people-persons that enjoy excitement and love new adventures. Because of their highly social nature, they are especially lively when they are the center of attention and hate being alone. ESFPs have a practical side that allows them to finish work efficiently and are often good problem solvers.

I never like taking these tests but stumbled upon this one and thought I'd give it a shot. The best benefit in my mind is that it has forced me to ask some questions about myself. Assuming that some of the above is true is makes me wonder how good/bad that it is to "hate being alone" or be especially lively when I'm the center of attention.

My Wife and Kids

2007-12-31T09:27:00.000-08:00

Well.....Aaron Daniel Page arrived into the world on Friday, December 21st at 1:31pm. He was 7lbs 14oz and even had a little fat on him.

Lana and Aaron are doing well. Drew and Allie are adjusting and love their new baby brother. Drew and Allie and I made an arrangement that Drew changes the poopy diapers and Allie changes the wet ones. They agreed to it, however, to date I have been unable to hold them to their word.

Enjoy the pics!

This was a cool moment. Drew and Allie were squeezing and kissing him. They loved him instantly! It was a highlight of the day!!

Our BIG Boy and our Little Boy!

I'm A BIG Sister!

God is good. We are richly blessed!
Doug's Parents (Pop and Nana) Aaron Daniel got half his name from me and half from my Dad.
Eat,Sleep,Poop......Life is Good!

COMING HOME!!!

What Is So Difficult About Reflection?

2007-12-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

"Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like."
James 1:23-24

I often feel guilty about not keeping this blog up to date. The whole reason I entered the blogging world was to be more diligent in my attempt to be reflective about my life, my pursuit of Jesus and the things going on around me. I love reading the thoughts on other blogs but taking time to process your own is a more difficult task.

It makes me appreciate people who can come up with fresh thoughts 5-6 times per week for a blog. Some preachers have difficulty coming up with one fresh thought every week. Others seem to be a fountain of never-ending wisdom. These people display an ability that I wish a had in greater measure. The ability to reflect. I feel confident that it is a learned ability and therefore I am hopeful about developing this ability in my own life.

I think many of us do have passing thoughts but those thoughts never cause us to pause long enough for them to be anything more than just.....passing thoughts.
We have these thoughts about life, love, kids, jobs, church, ministry, sports, hobbies, our "to-do" lists but never stop long enough to allow ourselves to process them in an intentional way.

For me there is a great difference between these passing thoughts and reflection. The primary difference being that reflection causes a person to take whatever it is they are thinking about and question it, poke at it, analiyze it, and determine whether or not a change needs to take place.

Here are a few questions to consider:
What makes it hard to reflect?
What role does reflection play in shaping us?
What steps can we take to practice reflection?

Coming Soon......My End of the Year Reflection!

Baby Boy

2007-12-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

Please be in prayer for Lana (and me) as Aaron Daniel Page arrives this week. Unless he decides to come early he'll be here on Friday morning.

Pray also for Drew and Allie. They are excited as much as they understand whats going on, but I know they don't comprehend how much life is going to change for them. Being twins and with teenagers always around our family it as created lots of attention over the last 3 years. So...this may be a big shock...having to share that with someone else.

Allie is always kissing Lana's tummy and talking to Aaron but Drew knows that Aaron is a boy and I sense that he is taking it a little differently than Allie.

I'll try to update here and through email once he arrives!

Life is Good

2007-11-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

I have got to be one of the world's worst at forgetting to take pictures. I am always missing an opportunity to catch something eventful on the video camera or forgetting the camera altogether. Recently, however, I have made a renewed effort to improve in this area of my life. I think it was the fact that I would like to have at least a few pictures of my children when I'm older. Or maybe it was that I would like to be able to send my parents an occasional email with a picture of two of the grandchildren. Either way, I love looking at my kids. It really is amazing that so much love can exist for two people. The first few are from our trip to Sea World/Visit our friends Caleb and Carie and their son Colten. Drew and Allie loved being with Colten almost as much as Shamu.

The next few are from Halloween. Baseball Player and Yellow Flower. Too fun!

What Will We Do?

2007-10-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

What are your dreams? We spent some time with friends a few months ago and a great conversation started about our life dreams. We began sharing things that we would love to do during our time on earth. Some big, some little, some fun, some more serious, some significant and world changing, some pointless.

It made me curious what other people's dreams are. What are yours?

Here are a few of mine just to get you thinking.

1. learn to play an instrument.
2. live for a period of time outside the US.
3. go skydiving.
4. run a half marathon. (plan to accomplish this one November 17th)
5. create or invent something.

I started thinking about this again after Lana and I went to a conference in Atlanta with some friends recently. The things I listed above are pretty selfish in nature. Not much on that list that impacts other people for the Kingdom. But shouldn't are dreams, goals and desires add value to the world? I think so....

Anyway, at this conference they make a point of highlighting men and women from around the world who have dreamed big dreams for the Lord and are doing things to bless others because of it. People who are ordinary in many ways

Here are a few people they highlighted.....
Tom's Shoes
Prison Entrepreneurship Program
Rwanda Clean Water

Pretty neat stuff and it all got me thinking ....What will we do? Let's start dreaming...

Awake the Sleeping Giant

2007-10-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

After I ridiculously long hiatus from the blogging world I join once again with the mighty chorus of voices posting their thoughts for all the world to read with this video. It speaks to me in several ways.........

On My Mind............

2007-05-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some things that are on my mind......

97.5 FM ESPN RADIO
Houston just got an FM ESPN radio station. I love my daily dose of The Dan Patrick Show. Even if I get only a few minutes it is always great. In my mind there is not a better overall personality in sports. Great Interviewer and very funny.

Pregnancy Care Center
We've had several meetings now (see previous post if you don't know what I'm talking about) and are in the process of looking at mission and vision statements for the center and developing goals.

The beauty of this entire strategic planning team is the group of extremely qualified individuals that run the center are allowing everything (even things that aren't broken or needing to be fixed) to be critiqued and examined.

Just a thought....what if all of us and the organizations, churches, companies that we pour our lives into allowed this to happen?

I once had a mentor tell me there is nothing to fear about evaluation. In fact, we should embrace them as a way to allow other voices to be spoken into our lives and situations. This mentor loved to evaluate everything to a fault. He rubbed off on me, because I am constantly evaluating LIFE.

Shouldn't we always do this, in order to effectively use the time we have on earth? Can you do it too much?

Summer Is Here
Summer is always an amazing time. Our interns are starting this weekend and I am excited about their partnership with our youth ministry this summer. We have all the standard things planned: mission trip, camps, service projects, some fun stuff. I am currentlt trying to think about what youth ministry would be without all the busyness of summer.

Somewhere we got the idea that being gone to many different camps and mission trips somehow equaled changed lives. There is no denying that lives have definitely been changed over the years. But, have teens become so dependent on summer that they flounder during the year? Where did we get the idea that we had to have something going on 6 weeks out of the summer? Wouldn't two or three quality things be sufficient? I have no answers....just asking questions.

Prayer
Our home has been filled with great conversation the last couple of days. A question I am asking is, "Why do we pray?" Not a new question. Just one I'm thinking about.

For the few readers out there. Sorry for the massive drought. I would love to say it will get better in the summer. We'll see.

dp

Pregnancy Care Center

2007-04-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

One of the many great ministries going on in our community is the Pregnancy Care Center. I have such respect and appreciation for the work they are doing to influence the cause of Christ in our city.

The statistics are staggering about the number of people who make uninformed decisions before they abort a pregnancy. Many people have come to know about Jesus through the ministry of love.

I am thankful and prayerful today because I have been asked to be a part of a Strategic Planning Committee. The PCC has determined that it is time to intentionally think about how to impact young women and men who are making decisions that surround an unplanned pregnancy. I look forward to reporting here on the progress of that team and ask for your prayers as we seek direction and guidance. Our first meeting is tomorrow at 11:00.

I have been blessed in so many ways over the last 5 years to have known those who are working so tirelessly in this effort. May God grant a vision that is so great only he can accommplish it.

You can check out the website for the Pregnancy Care Center here.

dp

What is in a Name?

2007-04-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of - for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again. The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.
Socrates
Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC - 399 BC)

"What's in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other word would smell as sweet."
Juliet -from the Play Romeo and Juliet

"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."
Proverbs 22:1 NIV
-----------------------------

There is so much in a name. Names tell us a lot about people. What family they are a part of, what there family heritage is, what part of the country/world they were born in and more.

I've always been fascinated with names. Two things that I love are when a couple marries and the women adopts her husbands' name and I love nicknames. I love the name change that happens at marriage because of all that it communicates. I think this only further communicates the picture of "two becoming one" that Scripture speaks of. I have grown to love nicknames partially because they help me remember people names, which is something I try hard to do, but also because nicknames often will communicate a closeness in two people's relationship. These nicknames are often developed through time that we spend with that friend. You would not call a total stranger by a nickname that had never heard before. He would likely address them with more caution until you knew that person better. (of course this rule doesn't apply if the person is famous or only goes by one name - e.g. -Shaq, Tmac, Madonna, Prince, etc. All of these people go by first name or nickname and the whole world knows them this way.)

Scripture is also full of situations where a baby is given a name that has great meaning (Moses, Jesus, Jacob and Esau, etc.) Or like Paul and Peter there names are changed after they begin to follow Jesus. Names are full of life, meaning, and significance.

A name that is good is the most valuable treasure a person can have. More valuable than any wealth or money that can be attained in life. When we were choosing names for our children it was a big ordeal because we wanted to pick a name we thought fit perfectly.

Thinking about names leads me to also think about God's name. Throughout Scripture God is referred to in a number of different ways. Savior, Rock, Redeemer, Ancient of Days, Creator, Maker, Defender, Horn of our Salvation, Refuge, Fotress, Strong Tower, Lord, and Holy One just to name a few.

Just like names we have for one another or people who are famous much can also be learned about God when we look at His names. Various things can be known and understood about God's character and nature based on how one might refer to Him. When we encounter different situations in life sometimes we need something more than the name God. Maybe something else is more appropriate. Ultimately, I think that knowing God means knowing His names. Do you know Him well enough to call him by name?

Praise be to God our Father-whose name is full of height and depth and love and significance. Whose name never changes. Praise be to Your Name.
---------
Questions:
What name of God do you best identify with?

Do you have a hard time referring to Him in certain ways?

Do you think it helps us understand more about Him by knowing a particular name?

The Phillips Twins

2007-03-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

When you think about please lift up a prayer for some of our friends, Kory and Jaymie Phillips. They have twins, Jayde and Kanyon, who were born at about 25 weeks. You can visit a site that was set up to keep people updated by clicking on the link below.

One Phantastic Phamily

This family is very dear to us and we would appreciate any prayers that you can lift up for these two precious lives. The next few days are especially important because of how early they were born.

--------
Update - Jayde went to be with the Lord. Times like this are so difficult but I have been encouraged to see how many people are praying for this family. Please continue to pray for Kanyon and Jaymie and Kory during this time. Blessed be HIS name-even on the days when its hard.

Flight 763

2007-03-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

To any student reading this-just think.....your only moments away from $2!! I look forward to your thoughts and to a great conversation about how we can follow Jesus unashamed of the gospel we believe in! All my love - Doug

THE STORY

I got buckled into my seat on the airplane and was listening to music on my ipod. Lana was sitting next to me and we were talking/reading/listening as we waited for the plane to take off. (Which is a totally different story b/c we had to wait for 1 hour or more on the tarmac before takeoff.) Anyway, as we are sitting there a girl our age or a little younger comes and sits in front of us. You can tell pretty quickly that she is a social butterfly and full of energy. You can also tell that she isn't all that happy with her seating assignment that landed her right in between two other people who were minding there own business and not interested in engaging her in conversation. By her definition-boring.

As Lana and I exchanged pleasantries with the guy next to us (you know the routine: where are you from, what is your reason for travel, small talk, etc.) she keeps looking back at me through the seat. At some point it got kind of awkward as she kept looking at me. I couldn't figure out why until the guy we were sitting next to mentioned that he was catching a connecting flight in Dallas to his home in California. (He mentioned this because of his growing concern that he may not make that flight) At this word she whipped her head around and said, "Your from California? I am too! What part?" At this she began to talk to him with her neck twisted around about all things California. At this moment she had what she had been looking for: someone like her. Someone who she could identify with and connected with because of similar interests they discovered that they shared.

As they began to talk it was quickly apparent that Lana and I were not being invited into the conversation so we continued on trying to do our own thing. The problem was that the conversation was so loud that it was humanly impossible to mind your own business. So much so that one lady across the aisle eventually asked the girl to turn around and be quiet. She got in trouble! Pretty funny, actually. This only frustrated the girl in front of more and she began to continue the conversation with the guy in our seat at a much lower volume.

Eventually, there was some seat exchanging and the two flew the rest of the way next to one another. The drank, laughed, shared stories and got to know one another in their own loud way. (on a side note, the girl ended up drinking so much she passed out.) As the flight landed phone numbers were swapped and promises were made to connect when they got to California.

THE QUESTIONS and THE CONFESSION
I share this story in hope that you will have a great picture of what went on 5 and 1/2 hours of my life one Monday. I want to ask some questions and offer a personal confession.

First the questions:
1. What can we offer to the people in this situation? At times like situations like these seem hopeless and the world seems lost. I hurt for these two and I couldn't help but wonder, "would Jesus EVER be attractive to them?" I

2. How can we spend more time where lost people are? As I rode on this plane I felt as though I had very little to offer because I didn't know the environment where these to lived. I didn't hand out in bars and didn't get smashed every night during St. Patrick's Day weekend. (Which both mentioned doing) I am not saying that we should all go do this so that we can more fully relate. I am only asking questions.

3. Where did we mess up how beautiful the gospel is? Or has its beauty always remained and something else is responsible for the change? How could it have lost so much value to people like these? What verse would you pull out of your memory to help in this situation? My point is this: it seemed as though these two were living "Life to the full" in the here and now. While I believe life to the full involved Jesus Christ I have to wonder how he would fit into this crowd. Would he have joined the party? Rebuked their behavior and sinful lives? Spoken a parable to them?

The thing about Jesus that I love is that he was always so good in situations like these. He knew what to say and how to say it. He was the best at loving people. I am tipping my hand a bit but I think that we have messed up what he intended to be inviting and attractive. Not easy, but still beautiful. The Gospel is Good News!

And the confession:
Which brings me to my confession. If the gospel is good news why do I (maybe we?) not like situations like this? I confess and repent that I am ashamed of the fact that I am a believer in situations like this. I don't want people to find out I am a minister. I don't want them to know about what I believe. I want to keep my eyes on my book or magazine or my ears plugged with music.
I guess I am just ashamed at some level. It sounds terrible, I know, that's why I had to confess it. The question really is why am I ashamed? Why do I feel the way I do? Don't I believe that Jesus has come so that we might have life and have it to the full? Yes. Don't I believe that we have hope not only for this life but also for the one to come? Yes. So why the feeling of being ashamed?
Truthfully, I don't know. I don't think in my head I am really ashamed of following Christ. However, when I think about my life I know that I pass up opportunities to share my hope everyday. Why is that? Doesn't sound much like someone who has a song in his heart and a message on his lips, does it? When will I stop making excuses and start living out the calling that I have received? When will I stop asking forgiveness for my sins and start surrendering them to God so that I can be free to live as He intends?

Flight 763 has been bothering me since I got off the plane and arrived home. Following Jesus is still the most rewarding life I know. I just want to be more like the Jesus that I am following and not the person that I am. Let's make that transformation together.

dp

The Jesus Fascination

2007-02-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

If you get a chance record this program on Sunday night. (I may want to borrow it!)

I saw this segment on the Today Show this past week as many of you did. I'm interested in watching and I am also curious about any additional thoughts about this.
In case you missed it there is an archeologist who claims to have found a box that contains that bones of Jesus and of Mary Magdalene. There is a documentary Sunday night, March 4th on the Discovery Channel.

A few thoughts that I'll offer are:
-Why is it that there is a fascination to prove that a) Jesus wasn't real, b)he never really died, and c) he didn't rise from the dead?
-What should our response be when stories like this come out?

Lost Tomb of Jesus

Happy Watching!

HURT

2007-02-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading HURT: inside the world of today's teenager by Chap Clark. I want to recommend to anyone who has teens, anyone who loves teens, people interested in students or student ministry, individuals wanting to reach younger generations, and those who are interested in influencing people for Christ. That should pretty much cover all of us, huh? You can buy it here.

I love this book and I can't stand this book for several reasons. I love it because of how he approaches youth culture and youth ministry. The book is basically his reflections, research and observations of the American teenager from the perspective of their world. He took an entire semester and with the permission of a high school in California worked as a subsitute teacher for an entire semester. The school allowed him to interview and visit with teachers and students to gather the necessary information for this book. According to Clark this type of research has never been done because usually the "experts" to some type of lengthy questionnaire to get feedback from student about the world they live in.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who reads this book (and again I want to encourage everyone to read it) but know ahead of time that it may bother you. As I am reading I have been (and plan to continue to) ask students if what I am reading exists in Huntsville. The response so far has been a mixture of "yes" "pretty much" to "yeah, that is happening in our schools, too."

But these aren' the reasons it is bothering me. It is bothering me because it makes me have to think really hard about the youth ministry system that we have created in our churches. Are we making a difference? Are things we do really changing lives? Are students lives different when they graduate? Are they mission minded and getting involved in ministry outside of planned youth ministry events? Are we transforming people?

I think the answer is yes and no. I am not ready to throw it all in and give up because I think a difference is being made. Slowly. But when I read the world that Chap Clark describes it makes more sense why it seems like walking uphill. Students face a much different and much more difficult than ever before. While we all know this inherently, we too often are guilty of thinking that "not much has really since we were in high school. This just isn't true. It has changed dramatically and students face a more difficult struggle in pursuing faith than even before. They are HURT.

Please make plans to read this book. If you already have I would love to hear your thoughts. If you are a student, get ready because I am planning to visit with you about your thoughts as well.

Love you all.

DP

New York New York

2007-02-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

After much deliberation Lana and I have decided to go to New York City for our 5 year anniversary in March.

For my 3 friends that read this please give me any and every piece of information you have about NYC. What should we do? There is so much to do how do we know where to spend our time? Places to stay? Restaurants?

We love to travel and are looking forward to doing something a little bit bigger for our 5 year. We seriously have talked about so many places I think both of us are happy to have decided.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

On My Mind.........

2007-02-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

First of all let me apologize. It has been a while since my last post and below you'll see some of the reasons why. These things are random and may not even be thought provoking or deep but nevertheless they are on my mind. Enjoy.

------------------
Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry is challenging. It seems like everytime I begin to think I have a handle on it I am blown away by something else. Of course this is also the irony because part of the reason I love it is because it is challenging.
------------------
Travel and Busyness
The Christmas holiday/first few weeks of January have been exhausting. From December 22nd through January 13th I spent one night in my own home. I vow to NEVER do this again.
The time away involved the ski trip (see the last two post), NCYM in Colorado Springs a Grad School class in Abilene.

NYCM is such a refreshing time of connection with friends in ministry. This year Lana got to go and it was a blast to spend time with her in the snowy mountains of Colorado! We stayed in a resort that was top notch. That didn't hurt our level of satisfaction either!

This has brought me face to face with the reality of how consumed with busyness I am. It has become a god for me that I am currently wrestling with.
-------------------
The Pacifer and Family
The latest news from home is that we are getting rid of the pacifer. Drew has always been our thumb sucker and Allie Joy has used the pacifer. Whoever said this would only take three days didn't have twins. She has been doing great considering we took away her primary source of comfort for over two years. For about two weeks we reverted back to our sleeping patterns from the first 6 months. She is a tough little girl though and we have had a couple of really good nights recently. I know she is close to figuring it out!

Lana is such a good mom. I am so thankful for the opportunity to partner with her in life and discipling our children. What a blessing!

Drew and Allie Joy turned 2 on January 11 and are talking like crazy. Everyday is new and challenging and refreshing. They are learning to pray and sing and dance. They play great together but are having more moments of getting frustrated with each other. They give the best hugs and kisses. Their laugh cures anything. It is always an adventure and such a blessing!
-------------------
iPod
One of my favorite gifts from Christmas is my ipod. I think it may the most amazing piece of technology in a long time. My favorite element is are podcasts. Don't get me wrong, the music is great. But the podcasts are FREE in most cases. You can listen radio brodcasts, sermons, are contemplative prayer. It is a fun toy but also practical! What a great combo!
-------------------
One Year Bible
The leadership at our church decided this year that as a body we were going to commit to reading through the Bible. At first, I had my doubts about this but have become overwhelmed by how refreshing my reading has been thus far. I am trying to be committed to just reading. I want to hear what scripture has to say in a new way. I am trying to read it as if I was reading it for the first time. (And in some cases this is true!)

This week I have been overcome with amazement at how much Christians I know are still exactly like the Israelites. Complaining, griping, forgetting how good things were three days ago when we go through something difficult today and even wishing we were back in Egypt at times! God help us!
-------------------
Things I Love
Here are a list of my new favorite things:

1. Sneezing - I made a decision recently to stop holding in sneezes. It was beginning to hurt. They were not meant to be held in. Let them go, they need and want to get out. It feels so much better to have a huge sneeze than make an annoying noise with your nose because you try to hold it in.

2. Crocs - I got a pair of these from my mom and dad. Dude they are comfortable. A must have! Check out their website here.

3. LOST - I know everyone else has been watching for a while. Lana and I are still catching up. We're on Season 2 but I'm hooked! Well written, decent acting, very intense.

4. White Chocolate Mocha-I recently discovered this as well and it is hands down the best drink at Starbucks.

Colorado - Part II

2007-01-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Two things stand out to me about the two days we were stuck in Colorado.

The first is that we had lots of down time. Some of us took naps, some read, some played games or watched football. We visited, shopped, ate and played in the snow.

At one point my good friend Glenn Green said, "We usually can't wait until we have a day when there is nothing to do and when we finally get that day all we can think about is how we should be doing something productive."

This is an interesting thought. I am convinced that some of us (myself included) actually like being busy. Somehow we buy into this unspoken idea that if you are busier than I am that somehow you are also more significant. Somehow we think it makes us better to be busier. I understand that this is not a new idea. People have been struggling with this for years. It is just amazing to me.

We want to have a full inbox, or multiple voice messages on our cell phones. Somehow we get fooled into thinking that if we are so busy that we are running around town doing errands, working late, or staying up late working on something at home that somehow it makes us more significant. How ludacris is this idea? We think somehow we our better than others if our schedules our the busiest. No one would ever say this of course but that doesn't mean it isn't true.

I think some of us actually like being busy because when we are forced to slow down it means we may have to deal with our junk. We can drown out the noise pretty easily staying busy.

And as I sat in Salida, CO I was reminded again that there is such beauty in silence and slowness. This God, is the first thing I am thankful for during my days of being snowed in. Help me to remove noise in my life. I want to be validated by you alone.

The second thing that really stands out to me was our worship on Sunday morning. There were about 23 of us that chose to stay put and wait out the weather. Sunday morning came and we decided to gather for worship.

The time we spent was probably the highlight of the week for me. The worship simple, basic and raw. It felt like something that some of Jesus's earliest followers would have done. We didn't have an order of worship. We didn't have a song leader or preacher. Instead we all contributed. Young and old. Male and Female. We read scripture, prayed and shared the body and the blood of Jesus. We shared laughter, tears and challenged one another. We were honest and real with one another. Some shared blessings from 2006 and discussed things that they are anticipating God doing in 2007.

After we were done one thing that was particularly interesting to me was how few songs we actually sang. We spend much of time discussing a cappella or instrumental and yet I wonder if we were really involving ourselves in one another's lives how much we would even care. Singing or Preaching wasn't even the central focus of our time, as it usually is. Instead we allowed God's Spirit to lead us. It wasn't chaotic or confusing. It was simple. It was beautiful. People who never get a chance to share had that chance. (ie:teens and adults who some may consider more reserved) These types of individuals are never asked what they think. But this past Sunday there was no age or gender dividers. We experienced what Paul said to the Galatians that we are all children of God through our faith in Jesus.

Personally, I can think of no better way to bring in the New Year and no better way to end an awesome week playing in God's playground of Colorado.

Thank you Father for community. Thank you of preserving Your Bride through the generations. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of your Kingdom. It is truly not of this world.

Colorado - Part I

2007-01-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

The last week of my life was spent in God's playground in the incredible mountains of Colorado. A group of about 40 from church spent the week skiing at Monarch Mountain.

In all my years of skiing I can confidently say that the first two days (last Thursday and Friday) were the worst conditions I have ever skiied in. It was a total white out at the top of the mountain. Snow was coming down hard all day and the winds had to be blowing at 40 mph in some places on the mountain. Of course, this didn't stop us from attempting to brave the conditions. The sun finally came out last Saturday and it was a phenomanal day. The powder was deep and our group had a blast skiing together.

This, however, is where the week took an interesting turn. While weather was beautiful for our last day of skiing the storm that had pounded us during our first two days had made its way to Eastern Colorado and down into New Mexico. Roads were being shut down, people were already stranded on highways and roads across Colorado and New Mexico, grocery stores were running out of food, and people were being housed in emergency shelters.

After considering our options some of our group decided it was best to brave the conditions and head to Pueblo. They ended up being stopped there because all roads leading out of Colorado were shut down. The rest of us stayed put and spent Saturday night and Sunday in Colorado.........

Reading The Bible - Part 1

2006-12-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

I love reading good books. My current favorite is the gospel of John. I have been reading through it over the last month, just taking it at face value. I am trying to discern what it says about my life and seek to read it as if I was reading it for the first time.

It just so happens that during this reading of John I also began reading The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne. Shane, is a part of a group of people who are trying,as they say, "to love God. Love People. Follow Jesus." They call their community of faith The Simple Way.

At one point in the book he quotes the words of Danish Philospher Soren Kierkegaard. Speaking about reading the Bible will do to a person he says:

"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly.My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Scholarship is the Church's invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."

I don't agree exactly with the statements about the place of Christian Scholarship, because I think it has more of a role than stated above. However, I really resonate with what he says about reading the Bible. I wonder what would happen if we were to start reading the Bible like it was the latest New York Times Best-Seller if we might read something we had never read before? I wonder if it would speak to us with a fresh perspective about how we should live as we pursue Jesus?

For me, there are several texts that concern me. Several times John makes a comment about disciples turning away and not following Jesus because is teaching was hard. And this causes me to wonder......is it hard for us?

Personally, following Jesus has never been that difficult for me. Raised in a great home, attended a Christian University, I've had positive friendships, have a spouse who is passionately trying to follow Jesus with me. I've never been persecuted or condemned because of what I believe.

It seems so true to me that too often we make Scripture say what we want it to say. For example, Jesus didn't REALLY mean that the Rich Young Ruler had to go and sell all his stuff did he? But he loved God!! This is just one example.

My life is officially ruined because of Jesus. I embrace this you understand, I just don't know what to do with it yet. I think Jesus calls those who follow him to be different from the world. This means that God's authority speaks more loudly than any other. "Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament." Dreadfully beautiful, that is.
May reading the Bible cause us to reorient our lives around God's words to us.

The Greatest Blessing

2006-12-12T13:15:00.000-08:00

Last Night I received the greatest blessing possible from the senior class in our youth group. Each LifeGroup (our small groups) was asked to do a service project during the Fall semester. Nothing is to be taken from the other LifeGroups because they all did an outstanding job as well. However, the senior class chose to surprise Lana and I with dinner at The Junction, a cool restaurant here in Huntsville. Check out there website and menu here.
The building is an old Plantation home and the floor creaks when you walk through it. For those not in Huntsville-you need to check it out if you ever come through town.
A lot of planning went into the surprise. It turns out that I ask a lot of questions and was making it quite difficult for the whole thing to be pulled off. Phone calls were made, Lana got involved and as difficult as I was I walked into the room and had NO idea! We sat down, enjoyed a great meal and conversation. Several students told stories and they all contributed to a book they gave as a gift. It contained letters from each senior and was creatively decorated by Kinsey Logan.

As I reflect on this senior class it doesn't seem possible that they will graduate in May. When we came to Huntsville they were finishing their 7th grade year. They have been a blessing to my life. Above all, I am excited to see the ways that they are growing deeper into relationship with Jesus as they pursue him.
The greatest part, in my mind of the entire evening was that a group of students took their own time and money and did something for Lana and I. For them to stop and acknowledge me in this way was the greatest blessing they could have given. The letters were sincere and heartfelt and I will cherish them as the years go on. I often wonder if any difference is being made in the lives of students I minister to. Last night gave me a glimpse of lives being influenced, with God's power, and taught me much about the value of relationships. I value student ministry and am thankful to have the greatest job in the world. I may not think this tomorrow, but today I will bask in it.

words seem insufficient as I type this. Please receive it as my way of saying, "THANKS."
Every May, we have a special day to bless the seniors. This year it turns out that they turned the tables and gave the blessing. Thank You.

Coca-Cola Gives Advice on Life

2006-12-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

I am becoming a YouTube junkie. I think a person could spend hours of their day, years of their life on looking at videos on their website. In fact I saw the other day that YouTube won "Invention of the Year" from Time magazine. Second place was a vaccine for a cancer causing std. Go figure. The story is here

Anyway, many of you have seen this commercial on TV. While the video itself is an interesting way to sell Coke and the events that unfold are interesting I am particularly interested in the song that is in the background. "You give a little love and it all comes back to you." Sounds a little bit like "love your neighbor as yourself." It seems like if we pay attention that truth can be found all over the place. "....All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future-all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God." - 1 Corinthians 3:22-23 Maybe this is what this verse is talking about. If not, the commercial is still good.

A King and a Kingdom

2006-12-01T07:11:00.000-08:00

Who's your brother, who's your sister.
You just walked past her I think you missed her.
As we're all migrating to a place where our Father lives
Because we married into a family of immigrants

So my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country or a man
My first allegiance is not democracy or blood

It's to a King and a Kingdom

There are two great lies that I have heard.
The day you eat the fruit of that tree, "you will not surely die"
And that Jesus Christ was a white middle-class Republican,
And if you want to be saved you have to learn to be like him.

So my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country or a man
My first allegiance is not democracy or blood

It's to a King and a Kingdom

My Brother Kyle introduced me to this song. (Check out the link to Kyle's blog on the right side of this page) It's by Derek Webb. I can't get it out of my head. I think it raises a good point. Where is the line that we draw in being a committed American and being a committed follower of Jesus? For me, I think that the former has to give way to the later. Unfortunately, our country doesn't teach us this anymore. I have responsibility because I live in the USA but after that what is my responsiblity? This is not a popular thing to talk about. Popularity always was over-rated.

p.s. Kyle is actually my brother "in-law" but it would seem that if we rethink our relationship to the Kingdom of America then even how we speak about relationships determined by law would change. Guess that means I always had brothers growing up and the whole time I thought I just had three sisters. That's beautiful.

The Secret Way of Jesus and Two Great Videos!

2006-11-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

I have been continuing my "marathon" reading of the Gospel of John and read something that I have been thinking a lot about over the last day or so. In John 7:4 Jesus' brothers say to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world!"

It goes on to say that Jesus went to Judea also however "not publicly, but in secret". I guess I am hearing Jesus say his way was never meant to be something that was we made public spectacle of. But isn't that what we have done? Aren't we very guilty of this? Flaunting Jesus and toss his name around every chance we get? He isn't some freak show that does neat tricks so that we can all watch. His way is different. I'm not even sure I know what all is involved in following it. I just know for me it is the way, the truth and the life. Forgive us Jesus when we make a public spectacle of you. You deserve more than just to be put on a piece of jewelry or stamped on a dollar bill.

On a totally unrelated(and much lighter)note, here are some great videos! Enjoy!
Mike Cope Sings the Classics
Song Leader Revolution

A Beautiful Collision II and T-Giving

2006-11-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

EXPLANATION

After I posted the last blog I realized that I didn't even mention the title. It is important that you know that line from David Crowder's Song, "A Beautiful Collision."

There is a line that goes something like this, "There seems no end to where you begin and where I end. There I am now you and I, collide."

This to me is a picture of what life should look like. There is no obvious difference in the place where I and God are. This is my desire for my life, Lord.

MY FIRST 5K RUN

Ran my first 5K this morning. The Tyler Turkey Trot. As I told people about it I said it was, "my official kickoff race as I begin training for a half-marathon in 2007." Guess there's no turning back now!

My goal was to run the 3.1 miles in 30 minutes or less. On this day of Thanksgiving I am THANKFUL to say that it happened. 26 minutes and 3 seconds. I was dying afterwards but it was a blast. Lana and her dad David walked with the twins (it was also there first 5k), and Niki Swearingen also ran it with us. It was a great way to start this day!

THANKSGIVING
On this day I feel that I also need to day Happy Thanksgiving. I am most thankful to day for Family and for God's transforming work in my life. Not many people are reading this but Happy T-Giving to anyone that is!

A Beautiful Collision

2006-11-20T14:14:00.000-08:00

Over the last several days I have been thinking a lot about the busy lives that we live. These lives are not bad lives. Many good things are being done -some even in the name of Jesus-but are good lives, that are busy, always the best lives to live? I want to put some questions out there to think about. On most days I have more questions about church and youth ministry than I do answers. I seek only answers as to how we might pursue Jesus more fully.

After all-He is the only Life there is to live!

Below are some things I have been thinking about along these lines.

For any students that may visit this blog I am wondering if I am on the right track or way off base?
I am wondering what role you dream "church" playing in your life?
I am wondering if you want to be discipled? I am curious if you are wanting more out of "church"? If so, what is it?
Do you feel that you being a "Christian" and going to "church" are just two more things that you do every day?

I would appreciate any honest insight you could give. No good church answers. It's time to be real. Email any of your friends that you think would be real and honest (even if they don't go to church with us at HCOC) this link.

Somehow we have begun to think of church as just "one more thing" that we have to do on Wednesday night or Sunday. Our lives are busy and it seems that we are involved in so much. School, friends, sports, band, family, God, updating our MySpace or Facebook, cleaning our new car, hanging out on the weekend, and on and on. The problem that I see with this list is that God is just another thing on it. It seems that maybe he should BE the list and everything else flow out of our need and longing to be with him.

I am in the process, as I regularly am, of evalauting what we are doing in youth ministry. In short, (I would love to elaborate later) it seems that Churches of Christ for many years have followed the model of youth ministry that "busy ministry means better ministry" I have come to believe that busy youth ministry only means you are busier.
Many churches from across the country have followed the model of "doing less with greater excellence"

I feel myself (and many CofC youth ministers I know) being drawn to this model of youth ministry rather than the one that we have always followed. When I really look at youth ministry in Huntsville I am not always sure we are not developing more disciples of Jesus because we go 90 to nothing all the time. Students still have there problems, parents are still getting divorced, church is still "boring" (as several studentshave put it to me recently), satan is still active and doing anything he can to pull students and adults away.

I am a product in jr. high and high school of a youth ministry that followed the busy is better model. So, we know it CAN work out okay but my question is why would we want to do this to people. We have to create a youth ministry that teaches students that youth ministry is a place where they are discipled, mentored, nurtured and loved and not where there calendar gets filled up with all kinds of events.

The hardest part of discipleship is that you have to take up your cross. Jesus even says in one place that to follow him some may have to sell ALL they have. That is not comfortable. That is not easy. The reality is that some students will not be attracted to Jesus in this way. Can we make them come? Maybe. Should we? Maybe for a time. But ultimately they are at the age of deciding, "Is this the life I want to pursue?" If the answer to that is YES then I don't think that you will be able to stop them from wanting to be wherever other Christ followers are going to be. They will be hungry for adults to care for and love them. Isn't this what Jesus' disciples were like? They wanted to be with him. They would have died for his cause and The Way. The truth is that there may be more value than we realize in small numbers. That is another trap that the "busy ministry means better ministry" model teaches. I have fallen victim too many times to count. But I would be willing to bet 9 out of 10 times better discipleship/mentoring/teaching is going to happen on when there are less people there. Coincidence? Maybe. I tend to think, however, that is not.

MARATHON MAN

2006-11-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

Approximately one year from now I plan to have run a half marathon somewhere in the state of Texas. I have wanted to do it for a long time, but last weekend I decided for sure.

We had our annual Youth Retreat(which was great, by the way) and my good friend Ricky Pruitt came to speak to our students. He is a marathon runner and through some conversations that had and some stories he shared it pushed me over the edge. I like the thought of being able to say that I did something that my head and heart question whether or not I can actually do.

I plan to start slow and be realistic and therefore am only going to commit to finish a half-marathon before the end of 2007. I expect it to be hard, I expect it to be a challenge, I expect the impossible to become possible. I look forward to having to rely on God's strength above my own. (I also think that runners have really cool lingo and use cool words so I hope to pick up some of those along the way too!)
I will occasionally try to post updates about my training because I plan to run some smaller events between now and then. My first is going to be the Turkey Trot in Tyler, TX on Thanksgiving Day. It is a 5k and I am counting it as my first "official" run to kick of the pursuit of the half-marathon.

On a related note, I also started a marathon reading of the Gospel of John. There are about 16 students in our youth ministry that have committed to do this with me! I am planning to also post thoughts and comments about the things I read here as well. I look forward to hearing what some of you have to add to this conversation as well. May the the Greatest marathoner of all bless us as we pursue pushing our hearts, minds, and bodies to a new level!!

dp

LORD or SAVIOR?

2006-10-30T06:40:00.000-08:00

What good is having someone who can walk on water if you don't follow in his footsteps? *Author Unknown

The men who followed Him were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same. *Billy Graham

Lord - refers to God as master.

Savior - A name for Jesus that means he saves people from sin.

It seems to me that many of us can fully accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. We have come to understand and believe that we are sinful and in need of someone to rescue us from that sin. That person is Jesus.
On the other hand it seems that there should be a sharp contrast in what our lives look like when we accept Jesus as our Lord. When we accept his Lordship over lives. When we live life viewed through the lense of Jesus Christ. When he is our Master we are willing to surrender ourselves to him because of the trust that we have that his plan is better than our plan. "His ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts."

When I think about the 2nd quote above I think this is exactly what the disciples did. They decided that they believed in Jesus Christ enough that it shaped how they lived, breathed, walked and talked. Jesus reigned supreme in their lives. Their lives were patterned after what they had heard and seen in Jesus in the years they spent with him before his death.

All of this, to me, gives perspective to the 1st quote above. The answer is that it does no good at all. We proclaim that Jesus is the Savior of our sins, but it doesn't stop there. People don't just need a Savior, they also need a Lord to reign over their lives. They need a King who is Master and Commander of all they are. I know this is the case for me. It seems to me that the power in Jesus walking on water is that we have access to the same power in our lives today.

If Jesus is Lord it changes everything. Many of us have received the blessing that comes from being saved. But to commit our lives to Jesus as Lord means that we, like disciples before us, pattern all that we do after "The Way, The Truth, and The Life." In a sense it seems that accepting Jesus as Lord is a proclamation that we have accepted him as Savior. In other words, when we live out our belief that he is Lord and this is reflected in us it is as though we are professing our belief that our sins are forgiven. Jesus is more than just Savior, and we need to live this belief by stepping out of the boat and following his footsteps onto the water.

May God grant us the ability to embrace surrender and fully accept his Lordship in our lives.

dp

Christ Formed In Me

2006-10-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

"You wouldn't have written this five years ago," was my wife's statement to me after she read my final draft of what would become my first Grad School paper.

The truth is now that I think about it, she is right. When I finished my undergraduate work five years ago I knew that the last thing I wanted at the time was to keep pursuing more education. I was ready to "get my feet wet" and experience ministry seriously and not just think about it like I had done for the 4 and 1/2 years at ACU. And "get my feet wet" I have done.

In the Spring it will be five years in full-time ministry and what a ride it has been. I was thinking about my time here in Huntsville the other day and how God has stripped and refined me in ways that I never thought possible. To put into words how much I have grown is a difficult task. I understand more fully why so many people jump into ministry and then quickly decide the water is not for them. I have thought this so many times I can't even count them and yet by God's grace I am able to continue on in the ministry that he has called me to here in Huntsville.

I wouldn't have written that paper five years ago because I had no clue what I was doing (and still don't some days.) Christ has been formed in my life in unexpected and exciting ways over the last several years. I talk differently, think differently, and Lord willing that translates into living differently. On most days I fall terribly short but am encouraged by the fact that God uses weak and broken people.

The thing about ministry is that you set out to touch other people's lives with the love of Christ and if you don't stop every once in a while and look around you don't realize that the life being touched the most is your own. I have been blessed with great friendships with adults and students and co-laborers who I know will be lifelong partners in ministry. I have two men who I consider my mentors and two of my biggest encouragers. I have seen students graduate and go to college and come home different people because of what they are experiencing away from home. I have seen my wife, L, move to new heights in her own personal ministry with people. I have the huge honor of being called DAD by two kids who, I am afraid, minister to me more days than I do for them.

And so what started out as a paper on ministry and scholarship turned into a paper about the journey that God has taken me on for the last five years. I long for good scholarship now more than ever before. I see the need to keep reading and learning and pursuing the most mysterious, powerful, awesome being in all of creation. And yet somehow ministry is what has led me to see this more clearly. This is such a revelation because five years ago I would have never been able to tell what the purpose of "continuing education" was.

But it seems to me that the more I pursue God the less I know and understand about him. Not that studying or reading makes you able to understand God more, but rather the more you pursue God the more you realize the distance that you still have to travel. "School" really becomes a place of growth, reflection, and learning. It is more about spiritual formation, God breaking into my life, than it is about a degree or having more books on my shelf.

As I wrote in my paper, "Beginning to understand the necessity of spiritual formation and its role with scholarship is beneficial for me because it has caused me to realize that I am in need of more than just learning but am also in great need of being formed into the image of Christ. I need to orient my entire life around the person of Jesus, and it seems that pursuing this task through scholarship makes sense. I realize that ultimately I am only going to be able to give people what is being poured into me through God’s Spirit. I know that in my life spiritual formation, apart from Graduate School, has not happened to the capacity that I desire either because of laziness or busyness, or both."

Some people think that continuing to learn is a waste of time. "Churches need people who are down to earth and relevant." I guess when a statement like this is made it is assumed that people who continue to learn can't be relevant. This, in my mind is why ministry is so important alongside scholarly learning.

"Scholarship needs ministry and ministry needs scholarship. It is not that ministry is less significant without scholarship or vice versa. It is that ministry is in need of people who will be dedicated to the task of serious theological work. However, serious theologians need people who are living out “real life” ministry experiences everyday in order for there to be appropriate balance. Ministry and scholarship must be constantly intersecting and launching me into a pursuit of God and a pursuit of his mission in the world. "

And so as I pursue God I will, by his grace, learn a few things along the way. I look ahead with anticipation to drinking deeply from God's well and to the ways that spiritual formation will happen in my own life. I am committed to pursuing God, no matter how difficult the task until, as Paul says to the Galatian church, "Christ is formed in me."

dp

And So It Begins......

2006-10-18T08:54:00.000-07:00

Well.... After attempting to put this off for almost a year now I am finally diving into the world of blogging. I am doing this not because I assume that people want to know what I think but mainly as a place for me to put my thoughts. A place to discuss things that are on my mind with people who may be thinking similar things.

I have also grown increasingly convinced of the value and necessity for me to express things that may be rolling around in my head that never get the chance to come out. I know everyone processes in different ways and I think that the truth is none of us probably process enough.

Think about this: how often do we actually sit and think about the day's events at the end of the day. For me the answer is rarely. I stay busy with my "To Do" list and going from this conversation to the next that often do not slow down enough to think about how things that happen throughout the day affect me.

I need a place where my thoughts and my heart can intersect even if it is just for a few minutes. I place where my thoughts on God, faith, Jesus, My Family, ministry, hobbies, etc, can be expressed. I am hoping that this can be that place. I look forward to the journey that this online journal will take me on and welcome anyone who may want to walk with me as I enter this new pursuit. Ultimately, I want this to be a tool that helps me pursue the life that Jesus calls alll believers to. This life is found in him and him alone and is a life that he promises if we seek we will find. This is a small part of my attempt at learning what it means to "have life, and have it to the full." Welcome to my journey.