Road Trip
This past weekend, we took our junior high guys on a road trip. It was a blast!!! We hit Birmingham, Atlanta, and Chattanooga in three consecutive days. As with any road trip, we encountered some set-backs along the way. Some made me downright mad. Evidently, the people of Atlanta take a weather prediction of partly cloudy and a high of 38 to intense to have church!!! I was greatly looking forward to attending Buckhead Church…and the World of Coke museum. Regardless, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between our short weekend excursion, and the biggest road trip of all – life. Sometimes things happen, you have a plan, it gets shattered by absurd circumstances, by decisions made by mysterious figures that you will never know. Other times things are going along great, you get to hang out with your friends and enjoy a weekend of almost complete relaxation. I guess what I am trying to say is that we need to just learn to be content, and being content doesn’t mean not wishing we could have visited the Coca Cola museum, but being satisfied with what we do have, to be in the company of some great brothers, and build relationships that will last a lot longer than a weekend. Oh yeah, i also learned that thirteen year old boys don’t really care about washing their feet…or smelling good in general.
Simple Conversations
Here’s the new promo for our upcoming series. I am really excited about it. It’s called Simple Conversations, and it is just what it sounds like – a laid-back look at some of the foundational beliefs of our faith. No flashing lights, no craziness, just the basics. Our church leaders wisely understood that this type of series is not only beneficial for “seekers”, but also a refreshing breath for those of us who spend way too much time complicating this whole Christ-following thing. So if you’re in Franklin, TN, be sure to stop by.
Missing Christmas
Well, I obviously haven’t blogged in quite a long time. The last 5 weeks went by in a blur. It feels like just yesterday I was thinking, “December first! Only 14 more days until Christmas!” I’m not quite sure what happened next. Each week I went to church and listened to our pastor preach a wonderful series called Missing Christmas. He pleaded with us to not get too caught up in the busyness of the season, to relax, take some time to breathe. Did I agree? Absolutely. Each Sunday, I got super fired up to attack this season with a new simplistic viewpoint. Did I succeed? Nope. Failed. I missed Christmas. I’m not saying I didn’t think about the wonderful gift of Jesus, or marvel at the fact God sent His only Son for me, but I let life get in the way. I darted here and there, seeking the elusive GPS I desired to give my family. I stayed up too late, and slept too late. I got stressed over the smallest things, and got to the point where I just wished I didn’t have to shop or celebrate. I just wanted to relax. I learned my lesson though. As I start this new year, I am determined to make time for the really important things, not hope it magically appears, cause that never happens. Make time. Purposely.
Postgame Wrap-Up
Tomorrow is a big Sunday for Ridgeview. We are ending our Halftime series with a huge party. We have a guest speaker (who just so happens to be my good friend Paul Kevetter), a guest worship leader, and everyone will be sitting at round tables, not in rows of chairs. After the service, we will all share a meal together. Tomorrow is important in another way as well – we have 5 people getting baptized! These 5 people are different in so many ways, yet they have all chosen to start out on the same journey, and publicly declare their faith. I get so excited when I see people get baptized. I feel like I am watching my favorite team win the World Series, times two!
