Broncos Tailgate!

Several people have wanted to see my dad's rig that he bought and painted to use for tailgating before every Broncos game! Here it is! You gotta love the Broncos!!!!

The next time I will see this is when the Broncos play the Eagles. Tim and I can't wait for that game! We are pumped to see McNabb and T.O.!

The Fray - How to Save a Life

I have been listening to this disc this week and absolutely love it!

This band hails from right down the road in Denver! They have a distinct sound and really know how to use the piano in non-traditional ways!

Switchfoot recommended this dudes so I picked up the ablum! "Over My Head (Cable Car)" is their best song and on MTVU!

Top 50 Most Influential Churches

This is a very interesting read! - Top 50 Most Influential Churches - Can you guess which two churches are in the top 2?

Only one Colorado church made the list!

They surveyed church leaders to get this list! I wondered how different this list would look if people in the community who didn't love God were surveyed!

It's interesting to note that you can't even be considered to be influential unless your church is over 2,000!

Boundaries For Kids

I cranked out this book on the way to Minnesota last week. My wife's class is working through the principles in this book. Since I am one of those dudes who doesn't attend Sunday School with his wife, I thought I would invest some time into what my wife is reading!

Continuing on this line of thinking...I have been deeply convicted about how many books I have been reading to develop my own spirituality or wrestling with how to do church. Rarely, if at all, have I taken the time to read a book on how to be a better husband, or how to be a better dad.

This book reminded me I have a long way to go before I claim "Father of the Year"! I am looking forward to the many conversations in the next week with my wife as we consider where we need to set boundaries for our two little rug-rats!

Week 3 - Broncos

What a game! This picture is taken from our seats! What a game! I have been going to games for over 20 years! This game ranks up there as one of the loudest games I have ever been to! We had a great time with my sister and her husband. Not to mention, my step-sister, her husband and their two friends flew in from Phoenix for the game! We had a great time!

What's more we got to see one of our friend's, David! He's in the middle of the picture below! He is in the Stampede drum line. This is a picture of them playing right in front of our tailgate! What a game! 30-10!

Youth Pastor's MISTAKE!

You have got to check out what this youth pastor said as he was teaching his students! It turns out his name is Blake and he serves in a local church in Parker, Colorado! Beware: this is unbelievably funny! There is a video and audio link below!

Blake's Big Mistake!

Fritz & Prayer

This past weekend in Minnesota I experienced something that will mark me for the rest of my life! One of my mentor's, Fritz, took a new role in our denomination as the director of national ministries! As he was being introduced, his predecessor asked if Frank and myself would come up to the front and pray for Fritz as he takes on his new role of leading the national ministries.

What a privilege it was to stand before all of the national leaders of our denomination and pray for their leader!

You are the man Fritz!

I got spammed!!!!!!!!!

I got spammed on a couple of my recent blogs! You will have to verify a word before you post a comment! I don't like spam...email, blog or meat!

The Changing American Family

The American Family is changing, according to Cris Beam, a writer from New York, who published this article in Baby Magazine in May of 2005.

The Leave it to Beaver family of the 50's and 60's is nowhere on the radar screen in mainstream America! It's divorce, single parent homes, gay marriage, two parents working...you name it!

I couldn't help but think about how the church is doing reaching families that look like the ones in this article! Is the church changing to reach the changing family? How much should we change? What are our distinctives? What will the family look like when my kids are 40? What will the church look like when my kids are 40?

I don't know how accurate all the stats are in this article, but we can't deny that the world is changing. and we must be thinking about how we can reach families with the transforming message of love that Jesus embodied and died for!

The whole time I read this article I was reminded of a quote from Erwin McManus in his book Unstoppable Force on pg. 74, "My goal is not to keep up with the changing world, but to be standing there waiting for it when it arrives. People are going to need someone to show them they way." I want to be standing there in three months, five years, 10 years...

Minnesota...Here I Come!

Today I head out to this great state to take part in the National Summit of the leaders for the EFCA denomination. I have the privilege to sit on the National Board for Student Ministries. I will post how things are going and what we are processing as we meet the next couple of days! As I spend the morning hanging with the family here are some random thoughts on Minnesota that connect me with the state!

1. Home of John Piper - one of my mentors!
2. Home of a friend from high school. I can't wait to see him tonight at his work, Don Pablo's!
3. Home of one of our grads who is attending Bethel and playing hockey!
4. The place where I get to see Fritz, one of my mentors.
5. Home of the Vikings! The Vikes need to step it up this week!
6. My friend Brian married a gal from Minnesota.
7. Home of Deacon's Lodge Golf Club where I shot an insane 79 last summer in the wind!
8. The state where I had my first Culver's experience. It is unbelievable!
9. BBQ meat at Famous Dave's!
10. Home of the EFCA!

Jack Johnson

We had the privilege of having one of our former students lead us the other night in worship! Al did a great job of leading us in worship, but he also did a great a job of playing all kinds of music before we set our hearts toward heaven! He played a couple of Jack Johnson songs and told us if we didn't have this album, In Between Dreams, we were missing out. Thanks for the recommendation Al, I love it! I like your version of "Banana Pancakes" better!

Week 2 - The Broncos

Broncos 20 San Diego 17 - Nice! The defense showed up in the second half in a HUGE way! Julie and her mom went to the game and had a great time! 1-1...We'll take it!

Big game this Monday against the Chiefs. Julie and I are going to the game along with my sister and her husband. Not to mention my step-sister, Susie, her husband and their two friends are flying in from Phoenix for the game! It's going to be awesome! There is nothing like a Monday night game during the month of September in Colorado! The tailgate starts at 3 p.m.!

Night of Joy @ Walt Disney World

Last weekend Walt Disney World in Florida hosted Night of Joy. It is a night designed for youth groups to come and celebrate in a concert atmosphere and have exclusive use of the park. Sounds like a great idea, right? Maybe for the youth ministries, but not for anyone else!

Check out what columnist Jeff Lange had to say about what it's like watching Christian teenagers run amuck on the WDW property! "Hellish behavior mars an evening of heavenly music at the Magic Kingdom" by Jeff Lange.

You must read this! Out of a ton of things he said, this quote is the saddest, "So no one -- not their chaperones, Disney Security, not even God himself -- was going to tell them what they could & could not do." - Jeff Lange

I could rant on this all day. It's no wonder there are so many in our day who see a disconnect between our message of love and our lifestyle of self-absorption which results in a complete disregard of anyone or anything else. I want to disciple a generation that knows, believes and lives out Paul's prayer for the Colossians, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity" (4:5)!

Making the most of every opportunity...hmm, now that's radical!

Go Diego Go!

Nick Jr.'s new character to hit the television screen this month is Dora the Explorer's cousin, Diego! My boys (2 & 4) watched this program this morning and I am amazed at how it kept their attention the entire time. They are jumping, talking to the T.V., talking to each other, laughing, learning Spanish, mimicking the actions Diego does...you name it!

This show reminds me of a GREAT book I read over a year ago, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. In the book he uses Blue's Clues and Sesame Street as a case study for the tipping point. His point was there was something about Blue's Clues that caused it to be more popular (the tipping point) than Sesame Street. The shows about Dora and Diego are similar to Blue's Clues.

One of things he pointed out is that Blue's Clues is stickier than Sesame Street. The stickiness factor is what I saw today with my boys. The program gave them multiple ways to learn. The show is sticky! They are increasing their vocabulary, learning motions, talking to the T.V., finding things on the map, invited to join Diego on a journey...you name it! - Aside - another blog for another time - the concept of children learing that cartoons are a journey to be invited on and not a program to watch!

And it's true. My boys can only hang in when Elmo comes on! They lose interest because it doesn't have as many sticking points as Blue's Clues, Dora or Diego!

The stickiness factor! Just this simple concept can improve your small group, large group teaching, your marketing presentation, a conversation you are having with an employer, or the way you parent. I think we need to be continually be thinking about the stickiness factor in all that we are doing! Especially when we are leading a small group or teaching. We can't just assume that a great introduction is going to give someone a reason to listen for 30 minutes. We need to be sticky all throughout our message or small group time. And what I love about this concept is that it is little changes that make the biggest difference. It's not making huge changes for a huge impact.

If we don't care about the stickiness factor now, you can bet we will when the class of 2020 and 2022 (the potential graduating years of my boys) become adults because they are growing up in a sticky world! I am looking forward to making it a point to be continually evaluating how sticky I am in all the areas of my life!

lowercase people

Switchfoot has just started up this great webiste - lowercase people! Give it a look! It's an on-line quarterly magazine devoted to the arts, music and social justice. Thanks Jen for the heads up on this site!

Robbie Seay Band

One of my good friends from the area (thanks Mike) turned me on to the Robbie Seay Band a couple of years ago! I am really enjoying their newest release Better Days.

They are touring with David Crowder Band and Shane & Shane this fall!

Week 1 - The Broncos

It's been a long week in on the homefront! Our beloved Broncos couldn't handle the 120 degree heat in Miami and got drilled on Sunday! After I got done watching that game all I could think about is what if we did that 15 more times? Hey, we would have the first pick in the draft!

Anyway, there are 15 weeks left and I am not sweating. Talk to me after the Chiefs game and I might start getting a little worried! We have tickets to the Chargers, Chiefs, Jets and Eagles games this year! NICE!

One of the highlights from this weekend is that I finally got Josiah to say, "Go Broncos!" You gotta love being a dad!

Happy Birthday Julie!

My bride is 30 today! I love ya babe! Thanks for allowing me to be a part every birthday you had in your twenties! I can't wait for the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's! On second thought, I can! Let's enjoy our thirties as we get to watch our kids get ready for their teenage years! I thank God for the blessing He gave me in you!

Paint Sprayers!

This morning my neighbor and I sprayed the exterior of my house with one of these bad boys! We went with the Tobacco Road color! So yes, my house looks like a cigarette! Hardly. The body is done, but the trim will take me at least two weeks! Thanks for your help Mark!

Broncos...I LOVE FOOTBALL!!!!!!!

What a week! The NFL starts this weekend and I am fired up! I absolutely love NFL football! One of my friends reminded me that we have missionaries from our church serving in the town where the Broncos filmed a commerical. You can view it here: Broncos & The Running of the Bulls. What a joy it must have been to have the Broncos show up in Spain!

I knew I loved those missionaries!

Yearn for the vast and endless sea....

I have to read this book as part of my commitment to my denomination as the district rep for the rocky mountain region for student ministries. We are meeting in Minnesota later this month and are going to discuss what we find in this book.

Here's what I found...in just the introduction. The author quotes Antoine de Saint-Exupery in the introduction to make a point. I believe this quote makes a HUGE point, or should I say "POINTS!"

Here it is, "If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." Here is a link to some other quotes - Exupery

Whoa! What does this mean personally? For my family? For my ministry? For the church? Oh to be a man who in his life and ministry who longs for the vast and endless love of God and points others to it! I want to build a boat that takes me, my family and my community there! Imagine how big the boat would have to be if I first started taking to people about joining me in the sea and then getting on the boat!

Way more to ponder with this quote!

Logan...I love being your uncle!

My sis just sent me a picture of my cute little niece! Your uncle Dan loves you!

Velvet Elvis

I finished reading this book over Labor Day weekend in Vail, Co. Our family had a great time in what has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world!

This book is soooo intriguing. Just one thing for now. I love this idea of repainting the Christian faith. I love how he invites us into the story of God. I love how he encourages people, including all the followers of Jesus, to contribute to the discussion of what it means to follow the way of Jesus. I love that he doesn't throw out the history, but embraces it and then looks for opportunities to ask what is God saying through this text to us in our present day.

I want to invite the people in my life to join the discussion so they own their faith. I want to invite people to open the Bible and pray that God would open the eyes of their heart to see Him revealed on the pages of the greatest book ever written.

More to come from this book as I reflect!

When I consider your heavens...

the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

David penned these words in verses 3-4 of Psalm 8. This psalm immediately came to my mind today when I checked out this website!

May you declare with David this Labor Day weekend, "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

Be Foolish...Think Like Jesus!

Brennan Manning is one of my favorite writers! I just finished reading his latest book and it does not disappoint! Manning has a way of saying things that cause me to literally put the book down, grab my mug of coffee, sit back and think about how I can make what he says more a part of my love affair with Jesus!

So this book took me like two weeks to read because about every minute or two I am sitting back thinking about what I just read.

Here are two quotes off page 123 that caused me to sit back!

"Jesus's self-awareness and unflagging zeal in his ministry must be seen in direct and unceasing relation to his interior life of growing intimacy with the Father. We must not lose sight of this logical link; the primacy of mission and his consuming zeal for proclaiming the kingdom of God derive not from theological reflection, the desire to edify others, trendy spirituality, or a loose sense of goodwill toward the world. Its wellspring is God's holiness and Jesus's self-awareness of his relation to God."

This quote stopped me to consider where I get my zeal for doing ministry. Often it is from the unceasing relation to my exterior life. My desire for recognition, obesession with my self and the belief that my ministry needs me to lead it are the very things that make my zeal empty and not affecting eternity. May my zeal this fall come from the development of the interior life of growing intimacy with my Father in Heaven! I love how Manning finishes this thought,

"The heart of God is Jesus's hiding place, a strong protective space where God is near, where connection is renewed, where trust, love, and self-awareness never die but are continually rekindled."