Archive for May, 2008

Locke? Are you kidding me? What is Locke doing in the casket? The island moved? Do what? The season finale of Lost was once again a huge hit. This show keeps me confused, guessing, talking, and wanting more. It is definitely the most intriguing show I have ever watched. I just question at some point if they will get so many story lines going and connected that the audience will simply be left at the end of 2 more seasons scratching their heads saying, “All of that for that?” Oh well. Until next season…

I turned 37 this week and still feel young in many ways. In other ways, I feel like an old dude.  I have been playing basketball on Thursday nights with a group of guys from GP.  Every Friday I wake up stiff and sore.  I have played basketball my entire life and for the first time I question whether it is worth it (it is by the way).  I guess getting older does take its toil on the body.  Do you think we will be able to play sports in heaven with no soreness the next day? That would be awesome. And just maybe I will be able to dunk again in heaven?

Here is the picture of my Starbucks cake at my b-day party.  Thanks Danielle.

Home for Memorial Day!

Thots from weekend…

- Rained on Friday in Vegas! When it rains in Vegas, the smell is awesome.

- Scoped out our new location on Friday for a couple of hours. Lots of work ahead. Huge potential.

- Played golf on Friday afternoon after the rain. Awesome.

- Stayed lazy most of the day on Saturday.

- My wife put together a birthday gathering for me on Saturday evening. Fun time with friends and family. Sand volleyball rocks.

- One of the girls who came made an “Ace of Cakes” style Starbucks coffee cup cake. It was cool. I will try and post a pic later.

- God has given us some fun friends.

- Turning 37 this week! Feel 27!

- Finished our Q & A series this weekend. Another good Sunday with some interesting topics. Our people really loved Q & A.

- Memorial Day did not affect us too bad. Good attendance day overall for a holiday weekend.

- Had lunch with Anthony Gratto and his wife Carrie on after church. Anthony is the Executive Pastor of Oak Leaf Church in Cartersville, Ga. Always enjoy talking church shop. Oak Leaf is about the same age and size as GP so we had a lot of commonalities.

- Five20 was down on Sunday night with the holiday weekend. Band still rocked.

- Our Dish is down! It will be 3-5 days before we get a new receiver. Kids still find a way to get their media fix. Hope it is here before the Lost finale on Thursday!

- Hope to catch Indiana Jones later today.

- Taking off a Monday puts me behind for the week.

- My family is coming today for a cookout. Always good to see the family.

- Lots of exciting things happening this summer at GP – including the big move.

- Trying to plan a family vacation. I have to be tied and dragged to be pulled away for a weekend …. I know its good for me – relax.

Out for now. Going to try and enjoy my day off while my mind races in what needs to be done. Is there any way to shut off the madness???

Here are a few pictures from our baptism celebration on Sunday…

Anyone catch this SNL parody of the NBA commercials? Very funny

- Literally laid on the couch Friday night and watched NBA playoffs. Unusual for me.

- Zac returned to his slump on Saturday – 0 for 4. Just 1 more game.

- Took the kids to see Prince Caspian on Saturday. Great movie.

- Played sand volleyball Saturday night with a group of friends. Fun time.

- Sunday was an exciting day at GP.

- Continued Q&A series by answering questions on Mormonism, cremation & organ donation, inconsistent Christian living, eternal security, and what to do when you have a spouse who does not come to church.

- A LOT of positive feedback on this series.

- Baptism Celebration after service – 28 people baptized – mainly adults! Always exciting.

- We announced yesterday that we will be moving to a high school in July! A 450-seat performing arts theater awaits!

- Dangerous Hours, a Dave Matthews tribute band led by our worship leader Wojo, played last night at Five20. Good stuff.

- Started playing hoops again last week and plan to play weekly as much as possible. Even bought some new bball shoes this weekend.

- It is supposed to be 107 in Vegas today and back to 87 by the end of the week. Crazy.

- My family is coming in this week.

- My older brother Dale, who has been children’s pastor at Central Christian in Vegas, has taken a position at this church in Florida – where John Maxwell is a teaching pastor. Great transition for him even though we will miss him in the city.

- Summers in Vegas are TOUGH!

Out for now

I am a fast-driver. I like to get where I am going quick. My pet peeve is slow drivers in the fast lane.  Yet in spite of my constant state of hurry, I get relatively few speeding tickets.  As a matter of fact, I have not received an actual ticket in years (have had a warning or two).  I can’t even remember the last ticket I received.  All of that changed yesterday. I got 100% busted yesterday driving 52 in a 35 WORK ZONE! Ouch!  I will not tell you the dollar amount for my ticket but let’s just say I could buy a couple of iPhones for the same cash.

Yet in spite of the fact I was 100% caught in the act, do you know what my tendency was? To blame the cop. It was a speed trap. They were hiding. They are trying to catch people. Yada yada yada.  I automatically shifted the blame.  Isn’t that our tendency? To play the blame game.

It all started back in the original motherland – Eden.  Satan tempts Eve who gives in and chomps the apple. Eve tempts Adam who gives in and submits to his wife.  God confronts them both. And as they stand there naked and ashamed, the blame game begins.  “It’s her fault.” “It’s the serpent’s fault.”  “The cop was hiding behind a bush.”  Why do we shift the blame?  Maybe because it is just easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility for your own actions. I do it. You do it. We all do it.

At the end of the day, it’s not the cop’s fault I was speeding. He was technically doing his job. I was technically breaking the law. End of story.  Guilty – caught – consequences.  Whose to blame? No one but me …. or maybe I need to get that gas pedal checked out!

Lesson learned – the hard way.

Highlights of a good weekend…

- Hung out with Kenny G and his wife Jodi on Friday night. Awesome couple who are such a vital part of GP. Loved hearing more of their story.

- Did anyone else see Bear Grylls take a bite out of a puff adder which he had just decapitated a few seconds earlier and which he did not skin or cook? The dude is nuts.

- Zac finally came out of his hitting slump on Saturday with 2 hits. He won the game ball. He was so proud and could not wipe the smile off his face. He was shocked at his first hit and almost forgot to run. I was proud of him.

- Took Zac to see Speed Racer on Saturday for a daddy-son outing. He loved the action-packed racing. Lots of cool CGs in the movie.

- Kids are already swimming a lot as summer approaches and the temps climb.

- Sunday was a good day at GP ~ Mother’s Day, Parent-child dedication, and continued Q & A.

- We had a lot of young couples/families participate in the parent-child dedication. I love seeing that many families dedicating themselves and kids to God.

- Q & A is turning out to be a good series. Lots of good questions. The people seem to be enjoying the series. Yesterday we talked about why there are more books in a Catholic Bible, the role of the OT in the life of the Christian, whether getting frustrated is a sin, why Christians can’t get along, if repentance is necessary in light of the magnitude of what Jesus did on the cross, and why GP does not baptize babies. I love covering such a variety of issues.

- Had a few born & raised Catholics tell me after the service they had no idea the Catholic Bible contained extra books!

- Baptism Celebration next Sunday!

- Five20 hosted a Sublime tribute band last night. Great band. The lead singer plays in our worship band. It definitely brought in a different crowd for us. We are going to be hosting several different types of bands in the next several months. Great draw in Vegas.

- Survivor finale last night – Parvati – are you kidding me?

- Another scandal involving a major college basketball player / university and paying players … will it ever stop?

In honor of Mother’s Day, check out this hilarious video on the difference in how men and women deal with sickness…