Archive for February, 2009
We are taking a new approach to evangelism at Grace Point. We gave everyone one of these signs and set up times to take turns standing on the Strip and screaming at people through a megaphone.
JUST KIDDING!!!
I taught this past week on the “End Times” and used these placards to illustrate some of the images people conjure up when they hear the phrase “End Times”.
- Took Zac to Blue Man Group on Friday night. AWESOME.
- Too much anticipation can do crazy stuff to the stomach of a 7-year-old
- The Church can never compete with unlimited creativity and an unlimited budget
- A lot can be communicated without ever saying a word
- Had our first meeting with potential elders – I am excited about this group of guys
- UNC unnecessarily loses a close one toward the end of the season – sounds like we are back to the Dean Smith era
- My sense of humor and my sarcasm cross lines at times — sorry
- Always enjoy hanging with friends and playing some board games
- Sunday was a good day
- Good music
- Good attendance
- Good response
- Good message (from my perspective)
- Just a good overall day
- We recognized our volunteers before service on Sunday morning with an appreciation breakfast … way to go GP volunteers! You are awesome.
- Glad golf season is back
- Opted for an ACC battle over the Oscars on Sunday night
- Don’t really care about movies I have not seen
- The Oscars are more hype than content
- Does it really make you an expert on social issues just b/c you get paid a lot of money to act like someone else on camera?
- Holy hangover day in full swing
Zac and I had a BLAST at Blue Man Group on Friday night. Here are some of the pics…
Zac in the foyer of the Venetian where Blue Man Theater is located.
We had to grab burgers and shakes before the big show!
Here is a somewhat nervous but excited 7-year-old outside the theater.
We had awesome 3rd row – center section – poncho wearing – seats. But we did not really get splattered with anything.
We got to meet one of the blue men after the show. Zac got some fresh blue paint on his face.
Final pic outside the theater
Zac got to try his hand at some of the drumming
We ended the night with some Hagaan Daz…
I really enjoyed my night with Zac. Special time with my buddy.
One of the advantages of living in Vegas are the endless amount of shows you can see. Tonight I will take my 7-year-old son Zac to see one of my favorites – The Blue Man Group. We have “wear a poncho” seats so it should be a blast. He has asked me about it every night for 2 weeks! I will try and post some pics next week.
We are finishing a series this weekend called The Story. It is a series on the redemptive storyline found in the pages of the Bible. Here are some of our set design pictures. We took a more static approach to this set. There are also some teaching pictures that demonstrate the type of screens we use when we have the big center screen.
Bass Guitarist Ed Richards shows his mad skills. Ed plays with some of the top gigs in the City.
Worship band gets a little “undignified”
This picture demonstrates what a little sheet metal, paint, the right colored lights, and some good graphic design people can produce.
I love this screen shot talking about one of my favorite passages of Scripture in Romans 3.21-26.
Here is our Community Service Director Ashley Criswell conducting an interview with David and Stephanie Root about serving in GP Kids.
This picture illustrates what the right lights can do with the same set. A few lights that can change and you have an entirely different look.
I still believe we are one of the best portable churches in America when it comes to creating engaging environments. Our set design team, led by Heidi Duncan, is incredible. I have relatively little involvement now (outside of a little input while we are thinking through the set within the series). They pull off what we do on a shoe string budget. Our last two sets have cost us basically no money and have been off the chain.
Way to go GPers!
News article yesterday declaring Las Vegas the fastest emptying city in the U.S. That’s crazy considering led the nation in growth rate for about 15 straight years. Here is the article.
Yesterday I taught on the cross and how the death/resurrection of Jesus stands at the center of human history. The entire OT must be understood in light of the cross. The future must be understood in light of what has been accomplished on the cross. It is only in the gospel that the rest of the story makes sense.
One of my favorite illustrations related to this subject is the movie The Sixth Sense. If you are familiar with the movie, you know that at the end of the movie you discover that Malcom Crowe (played by Bruce Willis) is actually dead – he is one of the ghosts. Once you recognize this truth, you can never watch the movie the same way again! Once you learn that he is a ghost – your entire perspective changes. You watch the movie through a different lens.
The same thing is true of the OT in relation to the cross of Jesus. The gospel changes everything. I wrote my ThM thesis on “Paul’s Christological Perspective of the Old Testament.” The basic premise of my work was that the entire perspective of Paul, a well-trained Jewish scholar, changed once he encountered the risen Jesus. His entire process of understanding and interpreting the Old Testament changed in a moment’s time. His perspective of the Old Testament became “christological” (centered on Christ).
I am thankful that we live on this side of the cross. It allows us to read and interpret the OT through a Christ-centered lens. The OT begins to make sense in light of the reality that God was writing a redemptive story that would culminate in the ultimate act of redemption: God would send His own Son to provide what we cannot provide. He would provide the ultimate act of redemption on our behalf.
The cross stands as the fulcrum point of human history. The Story now makes sense.
Good thoughts from Seth Godin on authenticity:
“If it acts like a duck (all the time), it’s a duck. Doesn’t matter if the duck thinks it’s a dog, it’s still a duck as far as the rest of us are concerned.
Authenticity, for me, is doing what you promise, not “being who you are”.
That’s because ‘being’ is too amorphous and we are notoriously bad at judging that. Internal vision is always blurry. Doing, on the other hand, is an act that can be seen by all.
As the Internet and a connected culture places a higher premium on authenticity (because if you’re inconsistent, you’re going to get caught) it’s easy to confuse authentic behavior with an existential crisis. Are you really good enough, kind enough, generous enough and brave enough to be authentically a hero or leader?
Mother Theresa was an atheist, filled with self doubt. But she was an authentic saint, because she always acted like one.
You could spend your time wondering if what you say you are is really you. Or you could just act like that all the time. That’s good enough, thanks. Save the angst for later.”
- Went to lunch/movie with Starla on Friday for Valentine’s. We saw the movie Taken – good movie.
- Take away from the movie Taken: if your daughter gets sold onto the sex trafficking market in Europe and you do not have the skills of Rambo, you are jacked.
- A waiter tried to rip me off at lunch. Ticked me off.
- Quality customer service has to rank up there as one of the most important things.
- Valentine’s Day Saturday = Chuck E Cheese, Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble
- My question after Chuck E Cheese – is the economy really suffering that bad?
- Barnes & Noble is kind of like a library with new books. Sit – read – return to shelf
- Board Games with friends on Saturday night. I am still way too competitive.
- Holiday Weekend hurt us some at GP on Sunday.
- I taught on the climax of God’s story of redemption – the cross.
- Love teaching on the cross.
- We celebrated Communion together – always a special time.
- This series has been a challenge for me but I have enjoyed teaching it.
- Our band continues to light it up.
- Getting closer to having our first elders at GP!
- Anything more refreshing than a Sunday afternoon nap?
- Watched The Amazing Race last night and recognized one of the participants!
- Taking my kids to play in the snow today at Mt. Charleston (30 minutes from Vegas).
- Facebook, Twitter, Blog – any other way to peer into my life? Diaries gone public!
Later
Anyone else see Joaquin on Letterman? Looks like hip-hop music is not the only thing Phoenix is now into…