Jesus and the Health Care Bill | Out of Ur

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Great quote from this article…

I am glad [the health care bill passed] not because I am a Democrat or a Republican but because I think that Jesus, who seemed to take great interest in health issues, is glad. Looking back on his life among people like us, he often acted as a healer. He seemed to delight in curing diseases, restoring disabled people to wholeness, and rewiring damaged minds. You cannot divorce these encounters from the rest of his public ministry. Health-care was in his frame of reference.

Check it out.

What do you think?

Jesus and the Health Care Bill | Out of Ur | Conversations for Ministry Leaders.

Edmonds feels pull of his family – STLtoday.com

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For some reason or another, I have not always been a huge Edmonds fan.? Maybe it is those times when the game was on the line and he swung on ball four? There were probably more times when he made amazing, game-winning plays, but I would always go back to those that weren’t game winners.? Isn’t it funny how we always seem to gravitate to the negative in all situations?

Came across this article the other day about the fact that Edmonds may not even take a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers if it is offered to him because he wants to be around his family.? He didn’t play last summer and was around his family the entire time, which hasn’t happened ever in his lifetime.

“You just get comfortable in a certain life and it’s like just how you get comfortable playing baseball for so long,” Edmonds said. “You think that’s all you have and then you get home and realize there’s more to life. The family, having kids and how much they actually enjoy you being home.

“I got to take the kids to school and be there for my daughter’s 16th birthday. It’s just a different thing.

“Now I wake up some mornings and doubt myself for making this decision.”

Alright, maybe I am beginning to be a huge Edmonds fan.

What do you think?? Why do we often take for granted the great things in our lives?

Edmonds feels pull of his family – STLtoday.com.

Seth’s Blog: I’m mad at everyone

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Great, simple post from Seth Godin. ?I had to include it in it’s entirety it is so good!…

I’m mad at everyone

No, not you. Not anyone in particular, actually.

I’m angry at the idea of ‘everyone’ and what they want and what they say.

Everyone says you should do your site and your online presence a certain way.

Everyone is upset at what you did.

Everyone is frustrated at the slow pace government is getting this done.

Everyone knows you should listen to your customers and do what they say.

Everyone knows that our school is wasting money.

Everyone says you need to go to a ‘good’ college.

You get the idea.?That everyone.

The one that’s almost always wrong.

Seth’s Blog: I’m mad at everyone.

It?s not babysitting. It?s shaping stories.

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Saw this video this morning…goes along really well with what we talked about on Sunday at church. ?We need to reach out to those in the community and what better way than helping shape a child’s life. ?Pray about contacting our Children’s Ministry Team and volunteering in KidCity this Spring!

Waumba Land Stories from buckheadchurch on Vimeo.

It?s not babysitting. It?s shaping stories. ? The Official Buckhead Church Blog.

Making Disciples by Ed Stetzer

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You need to check out these clips from sermons by Ed Stetzer. ?He is a missiologist that works for Lifeway. ?Came through on my RSS reader yesterday and I thought I would share. ?Make sure you watch both segments…they are both great! ?Painful though. ?Good preaching often does that, doesn’t it…sometimes the truth of God hurts!

He starts off with an amazing rant about people with a lack of the idea that they need to be on mission for Jesus…

If we [church leaders] disciple people through knowledge without action we’re training people to be puffed up gnostics.. . .Listen, I’m worn out–I am sick of?knowledgeable,?religious people not living on mission and then criticizing those who are. . . . I just think that what we need to have happen is that this knowledge-based needs to lead to an action life and they need to get off their “Blessed Assurance” and do something for Jesus!

and ends the first segment with this gem…

“The greatest sin in most churches is that we [pastors] have made it o.k. to sit there week after week and do nothing and call yourself a follower of Jesus.”

He does a little Ross Perot imitation and says this afterward in the second segment…good stuff…

The reality is, I don’t care if you have 5 purposes, if you rename yourself ‘missional,’ if you move into a house, or you ’emerge’ into something else! I care that you have a Biblically driven church that is challenging people to be changed by the Gospel and then in doing so, they follow Jesus on His mission in the world! ?I care less about the label and more about the lifestyle. Maybe we need to fight a little less about that and focus more on the calling that we have.

The?irreducible minimum…

Disciples see what Jesus in doing and they join Him in doing it. ?Is your church leading your people to join Jesus in His mission?…[Pastors] Go home and say “what am I going to say differently about my message so they’ll join Jesus on His mission.”

This message sure does go along with the message that I am preaching tomorrow @FPCarthage in our Outflow series. ?We are going to be talking about the idea that Christ wants us to reach out to those people in our community.

This Day in Sports: Texas Westerns Starting Five Makes a Whole Lot of History

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In honor of March Madness with some really cool history thrown in for good measure…

This Day in Sports: Texas Westerns Starting Five Makes a Whole Lot of History – SportsCenter.com.

Van Halen & M&Ms

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Just got the new book, Switch from the Heath Brothers. It is really good so far. Interesting article in Fast Company about making sure we catch problems early before they become even bigger problems. ?Also a good lesson in making sure we read ALL of the fine print…

Van Halen buried a special clause in the middle of the contract. It was called Article 126. It read, “There will be no brown M&Ms in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation.” So when Roth would arrive at a new venue, he’d walk backstage and glance at the M&M bowl. If he saw a brown M&M, he’d demand a line check of the entire production. “Guaranteed you’re going to arrive at a technical error,” he wrote. “They didn’t read the contract…. Sometimes it would threaten to just destroy the whole show.”

In other words, Roth was no diva. He was an operations expert. He couldn’t spend hours every night checking the amperage of each socket. He needed a way to assess quickly whether the stagehands at each venue were paying attention — whether they had read every word of the contract and taken it seriously. In Roth’s world, a brown M&M was the canary in the coal mine.

Where are your brown M&Ms in your organization?

Business Advice From Van Halen | Fast Company.

Awakening

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awakeningcover

For most of you all that know me very well, I have a huge heart and affection for the Passion folks. ?When I was a student pastor, I would follow Louie and Tomlin around the country for Student Life Camp each summer. ?It was (and still is) a pretty bad “crush.” ?Actually, I think I like the movement so much because it really speaks to my heart like not a whole lot of other things. ?I think that it is because it is all about making Jesus famous…taking His Fame and Glory to the nations. ?I think the other thing is that worship has always been a huge part of my connection with the Savior. ?There have been times of worship, both corporate and private, that have been very instrumental in my journey. ?Many of those times have been around songs and sermons at Passion conferences. I love that they are still influencing the future generation to preach the Gospel to the Nations.

I first met Chris Tomilin over a very cheap meal for youth pastors in Fort Worth, TX while I was in seminary and he was a student at Texas A&M. ?He was working for Dawson McAllister Conferences and we had a very enjoyable conversation over a “conference information lunch” about ministry, college life, and Taylor Guitars! ?My, what God has done through him and used him to influence millions of people through his music! ?What I loved about him was his “guy next door” demeanor. ?He didn’t care to “work the room” like so many others in that room, but was very humble and personal. ?It is amazing how God places experiences in our lives to teach us on this journey. ?Pretty cool.

Kevin said I needed to check out the new Passion CD…it is amazing…as usual!

The title song is great and really speaks to my heart right now. ?What would happen if we all truly had an “awakening” and Christ became the center of all of our lives! ?What could happen if we “woke up” to the fact that the Gospel of Jesus Christ needs to go to the nations? What would happen if we were awakened to the fact that the Gospel needs take root in our own lives and our neighbors’ lives? Amazing things would be done for the name of Jesus!

Here are the words…

In our hearts Lord, in this nation
Awakening
Holy Spirit, we desire
Awakening

For You and You alone
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing
For the world You love
Your will be done
Let Your will be done in me

In Your presence, in Your power
Awakening
For this moment, for this hour
Awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
From the darkness comes a light
I?hear Your voice
And this is my awakening

Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing
From the darkness comes a light
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing
Like the rising sun that shines
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing
Only You can raise a life
Awake my soul
Awake my soul and sing

In our hearts Lord, in the nations
Awakening

I
n our hearts Lord, in this nation
A
wakening
H
oly Spirit, we desire
A
wakening
F
or You and You alone
A
wake my soul
A
wake my soul and sing
F
or the world You love
Y
our will be done
Let Your will be done in me
I
n Your presence, in Your power
A
wakening
F
or this moment, for this hour
A
wakening
Like the rising sun that shines
F
rom the darkness comes a light
I
hear Your voice
A
nd this is my awakening
Like the rising sun that shines
A
wake my soul
A
wake my soul and sing
F
rom the darkness comes a light
A
wake my soul
A
wake my soul and sing
Like the rising sun that shines
A
wake my soul
A
wake my soul and sing
O
nly You can raise a life
A
wake my soul
A
wake my soul and sing
I
n our hearts Lord, in the nations
A
wakening

Written by Chris Tomlin and Reuben Morgan / ? 2010 sixsteps Music / worshiptogether.com Songs / Vamos Publishing (Admin. by EMI CMG Publishing) / Hillsong Publishing (admin. in U.S. & Canada by Integrity?s Hosanna! Music) (ASCAP)

Chris Tomlin ? Vocals, Acoustic Guitar ? Matt Redman ? Vocals, Acoustic Guitar ? Kristian Stanfill ? Vocals, Acoustic Guitar ? Christy Nockels ? Vocals ? Nathan Nockels ? Vocals, Keys ? Brett Younker ? Vocals, Acoustic Guitar ? Jesse Reeves ? Bass ? Daniel Carson ? Electric Guitar ? Travis Nunn ? Drums ? Matt Gilder ? Keys

awakening

Me and the Monks (Part 2)

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I just got back from another Solitude Retreat at Assumption Abbey near Ava, MO. ?It is a Trappist?monastery?with a Retreat Center tied to it. ?I went with a group of pastors from SW MO. ?It was really good to get away and focus on the Lord and what He is speaking to me. ?I got a lot of reading done and had a couple of good hikes, etc. ?Really thankful for what God is doing in my life right now.

Here is my post from way back in 2007 when I went the first time. ?It gives a bit of history of the monks and links to more info. ?We are praying for them as they are in a bit of a “holding pattern” right now at that particular abbey. ?Many of the monks living there are getting up in years and there have not been many new candidates come on board. ?It is a really amazing place and these men are truly dedicated to the Lord in their particular “station” in life.

On the way home yesterday, went to Rockbridge for lunch. ?It is an old mill that is now a trout park. ?Then we headed into Ava for an ice cream cone for only 10 cents at the Ava Drug Store and soda fountain. ?Here are some pics of the Abbey as well as my traveling companions.