Clapton on silence, Chikezie and more

Eric Clapton, one of the world's most talented and celebrated musicians had this to say when asked what he had learned over the years:

One of the most beneficial things I have ever learned is how to keep my mouth shut.

In other news, Chikezie survived the cuts made on American Idol last night. America has at least one more week to use the word Chikezie in their conversations without people thinking they are nuts. I am considering using the word Chikezie as part of my day to day communication. It could be a great exclamation. For example, Chipper Jones hits a three run homer in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Mets and you respond by yelling "Chikezie!", or your boss calls you in and says you will be receiving a 7% raise for your hard work, you can pump your fist like Tiger Woods and quietly say "Chikezie" through clenched teeth. Just a suggestion.

I have been enjoying reading through Matthew 20-28 this week as we get ready for Easter. One thing you can never say about Jesus is that He tried to make everyone happy. He spent much of the teaching time He had in the days before His death calling the religious leaders, "hypocrites", "snakes", "tombs", and "evil". That is a great reminder to me that as I stand to teach each week my focus should be on God's truth, not what others might think about that truth.

Last night I was able to spend some alone time with Grace. We went to Pizza Inn, ate too much pizza, then came home and played. When I think about the the meaning of joy, Grace comes to mind. I don't know if she knows how to have a bad day. Spending time with her reminds me that there is much more to be excited about in my life than there is to be worried about.

See you on Sunday! Invite a friend to join you this week, you'll be glad you did.

Dangerous journey

I was reading today in the study our Life Group is doing about Ernest Shackleton. He was a British explorer led the first expedition across Antarctica. Shackleton and his 27 man crew departed for Antarctica in December of 1914. The recruitment ad that many of the crew responded to read as follows:

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."

Why would anyone respond favorably to that plea for help? Do you think people in those days were that desperate for "honour and recognition"? I'd love to talk to the 27 men who signed up for the life threatening trip to find out. I suspect that the men who went were looking for something more than the average life. They knew the trip would be dangerous, but it wouldn't be dull. Maybe they were tired of the same routine day after day, and the thought of "bitter cold" and "small wages" was not enough to scare them away from the possibility of adventure.

The life God has called us to live for him is an adventure with times of danger, excitement, and challenge. The problem is that too often we settle for the mundane and boring. We are willing to follow God's path as long as we understand it and can figure out how to do it. God is looking for people who will follow Him when it doesn't make sense and there seems to be no way for things to work out. I don't know what God is tugging at your heart to do, but whatever it is, don't delay in doing it! There's a ship leaving for Antarctica today, don't miss your chance to be on the crew.

More important than being a whiz at Trivial Pursuit

If you've spent anytime at all listening to the messages at Freedom, you should know that I think reading the Bible is important. One of the things I find myself saying over and over is, "the Bible is the best tool we have for understanding who God is and what He wants us to become." I began reading a new book yesterday called, "The Organic God". The author is Margaret Feinberg, and I found out about it from the folks at Catalyst.

In the first chapter I read this sentence about the nature of scripture: "...the book God gives us is like no other. God seems far more concerned with transformation than mere information."

Those words really resonated with me. I was just talking this morning with the guys I had breakfast with about how I need to be careful when I read the Bible that I am not merely trying to find verses for the next series of messages that I will be delivering at Freedom. Instead, I should just go to God's word as a follower of Him and allow His Spirit to transform me as I read.

I am a natural information gatherer. Whether it's sports statistics, music trivia, or funny jokes, I like to hear as much as possible so I can have a knowledge of lots of different things. I need to be sure and not allow the scripture to just become a subject that I could win a trivia contest with. Transformation, not just information. I'll try to remember that.

- By the way, the spell check is working again. I will no longer be held responsible for misspellings.

Wisdom from Evel Knievel, Chikezie update, etc.

When I was a kid, nobody was cooler than the man pictured to the right. I'll always remember the Christmas that I received the Evel Knievel action figure from Santa. It had the motorcycle that you could wind up and let race across the room, knocking over things and putting holes in the sheetrock. Here's a very practical quote from the man who claimed to have broken every bone in his body, (all for our entertainment of course):

"Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it"

In other news, Chikezie survived the first round of cuts on American Idol last night. It looked for a moment like he might be going home, but he's still alive to sing for another week. He overcame a sub-par performance, a poor choice in wardrobe, and Simon mispronouncing his name. The only way I can explain how he made it is that America must have Chikezie-mania!

I had a great time speaking this morning for FCA at Riverside High School. It was very cool to see such large group of teenagers willing to arrive at school at 7 a.m. to worship together. Pray today for the teenagers in your life. The temptations and struggles they face today are great, and I believe God wants to do some amazing things in their generation.

I mentioned last week about a possible opportunity concerning land and a building for Freedom. An initial meeting yesterday went well. Please pray for the following guys who will be looking over this information as we try to determine what God's next step is for us: Tracy Burkhalter, John Bostic, Lance Owens, and Brian Thomas. Pray daily for these men by name. We know the only plan that will work is God's plan, and we want to do nothing but that!

Gimme some Chikezie

Maybe you didn't watch it last night. Perhaps now that American Idol is in it's 7th season you can't commit the 5 hours a week it takes to follow the competition. I completely understand if that's where you are. I didn't watch all of it last night, but the part that I did watch included a performance by a guy named, Chikezie. No last name, just Chikezie.

I didn't think he was all that good, but you've gotta be pulling for a guy with that kind of name. The name Chikezie is made even cooler by the fact that he doesn't use his last name. That puts him in the same class as Bono, Cher, Madonna, Ichiro, Prince, and Sting. I guess a first name like Chikezie would lose it's effectiveness if it was followed by a last name like Smith or Jones. I'm hoping he lasts several weeks into the competition so I can continue to say, "Chikezie".

Excellence

I listened to a great podcast recently from the folks at Catalyst, where some of the staff at Buckhead Church in Atlanta were interviewed. Here's what they had to say about the value of excellence:

"Don't confuse success with excellence. Success is comparing yourself with someone else, excellence is comparing yourself with your potential."

"We should wake up each morning and ask, 'Did I take a step yesterday toward reaching my God-given potential?' "

Those are good things for me to remember.

Monday morning quarterback

Yesterday at Freedom was another great Sunday. The skit about Life Group myths was hilarious! Shelley Kauffman was sitting behind me, and I'm pretty sure she laughed until she cried. Dan and his crew did a great job, and it was obvious they were prepared. Also, thanks to Tracy Burkhalter for being willing to share about the difference accountability has made in his spiritual journey. I had several good conversations with folks following yesterday's service. One that I loved was when a friend of mine who is part of AA said, "I'm glad to hear you talk about confessing our sins to each other. I've been doing that for years!" I think it is interesting how being open and honest about our faults is easier when we hit bottom. I guess it's then we realize that we have nothing to lose.
Other randomness from this past weekend:

- We got some new carpet installed in our office on Friday. I was here working when the guys were putting it in, and that glue they use gave me a nasty headache. The guys who were installing the carpet weren't wearing masks. I don't know how they do it.

- We had plenty of help moving furniture back in the office yesterday afternoon. Thanks to everyone who pitched in! I asked for about 7 guys, and we ended up with over a dozen. We were finished in 20 minutes, plenty of time for everyone to get home in time for the green flag at Daytona.

- I coached both of my girl's basketball teams on Saturday. Charles (Emily's coach) had the flu so I filled in for him. I have realized that I hate to lose a lot more when I coach a game than when I played. I can't imagine what it must be like for college and professional coaches who know their jobs are on the line. Maybe I should be a little less critical of their decision making, but I probably won't.

- There's lots to be done this week. Please pray that I will use my time correctly, and that God will give me wisdom in decision making. I am excited about what God wants to do at Freedom, and I hope you are as well!