Ramblings On. . .

This is part of our new 20/20 series Creekside. Mike, Jeremy and Crew all did a great job on this PSA.

So my new years resolution was to read 75 book in 2009.  I don’t think that’s going to happen, I’ve fallen way off track.  And I also had resolved to read only one book at a time, and that’s definitely not going to be a possibility.  I’ve been swamped for time to read, and I’m currently in paper writing season so my reading is all over the place.

I still think I can get 50 book in this year fairly easy, but 75 might be a bit far reaching.  If you care, you can see the books that I’m reading at my readings tab.

I know this post isn’t really life changing to anyone, but it helps me to get this goal off my brain, and do so in a kind of public way.

What a great night! It has been about a year since we last had a youth gathering that didn’t meet in a house. It was great to finally be in our new campus even if we weren’t in our Youth Room. And it was cool to see folks who weren’t usually there.

Loved it. Looking forward to next Sunday Night.

I was a senior at Lake Washington High School.  Life was simple, everything was fun for me.  Even the pre-college writing class that I was heading into.  But as I walked into that class room, something very unusal was happening.  The TV was on and everyone was watching as Columbine High School was experiencing the worst thing that could ever happen, two gunmen assaulted the school and were holding students and faculty hostage.

As we watched this event unfold we saw helicopter footage of students escaping through windows, swat teams surrounding the building, students in the parking lot crying because they saw their friends get shot.  We were all glued to the screens and asking the same thing.  How could this possibly happen?

This was not the first school shooting that I had heard about on the news.  Columbine was different though.  The magnitude of the violence, the methodical planning of Harris and Klebold, and the fact that all of this was playing out on live TV seared this memory into my mind.

The stories that would come out of this tragedy were heartbreaking.   The accounts of students standing up for their faith were inspiring.  And the personal torment of Harris and Klebold were devestating; so much hurt and rage in such young guys.

Having kids now, I’m cautious of who is around my kids.  I’m even more aware of the fact that my kids need to know how much I love them, and I need to be sure that our house is a house of healing and safety.  I can’t control what happens outside of the house, but I can ensure that my house is a safe place for my kids.

Columbine taught me a lot.  And I’m sure that there will be many voices talking about this event today, but the most important lesson I learned is that I need to keep my eyes, ears and heart open to hurting people.  I need to speak life and not death to those in pain, and while I can’t fix everyone’s problems, I can be a voice of love in a world consumed with hate. These anniversaries are good reminders of that.

should have listened to this guy:

thanks mynorthwest.com/tbtl

Tim Schmoyer is posting some great stuff over at his blog.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me . . .

and

Problems With Youth Ministry Today and In The Future.

both of these are great posts and if you are in youth ministry, you must read them.

i liked this

Our first Sunday morning gathering at our church’s new campus is behind us.  The exictement of the new campus, Easter Sunday, and neighborhood buzz led to a pretty exciting morning.  I am so blessed to work with the great volunteers that I do.  Every week I am amazed by these teams, and I’m truly humbled to get to work with them.

And today reminds us why we get up early on Sunday, to help park cars, or make coffee, or hand out programs.  We do all of these things, becuase Jesus is alive.  Jesus’ resurrection changes all of history.  It’s the reason we get out of bed in the morning, and the reason that we spent the past four years moving to Mountlake Terrace, to tell more people about Jesus, who has conquered death and has provided a way for us to be freed from sin.  It’s all for Jesus.

What a great day.  We can b e happy for the accomplishment four our church, but ultimately Jesus is the Hero of the Day, of our lives, and of all of history.

HE DID IT!

So yeah, I know I’m a total slacker with this blog lately.  Sorry.  We are launching Creekside in Mountlake Terrace this Sunday, and I’m in the middle of paper wrtiting season, so I have no energy for the blog.

See ya later.

Perry Noble is doing a list of church leaders that he’d like to meet and today he mentioned Matt Chandler.  Here’s Perry’s reasoning. Chandler is the man, I really dig his preaching style and his passion for the word is contagious.  If you are not listening to the Village Church podcast . . . do it.

I think it would be fun to meet Perry and Matt, maybe I should organize a conference just so I can do that.  hmmmm