sunday night rewind

It’s pretty sad that I just realized I forgot to post last week’s sunday night rewind – my bad!  That’s what I get for blogging once a week, but I’m repenting…

This morning we continued the Bodacious 80s series with an awesome service.  The band launched with the instrumental from a song that will remain nameless (let’s just say there was a reason it was just the instrumental – the lyrics weren’t so hot…actually, the lyrics were really hot, that’s why we couldn’t sing it, anyway…)  We broke out a little “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler for the focus track – Angie and Josh did an great job covering it.  Then Byron brought one of the best messages I’ve ever heard on the subject of repentance.  Here are my notes:

- Repentance is not “the dudley in the Christian T-shirt standing on the street corner shouting “YOU ARE GOING TO HELL.”

- The word or idea of repentance appears 959 times in the Bible, and was the primary subject of most public messages by Jesus and his disciples.

- Repentance is “a change (on the inside) that brings about a change (on the outside).”

- The death and resurrection of Christ can’t be applied to your life unless you repent – Luke 13:3

- There are no rules about when or where to repent – U-turns are always allowed.

Though we’ve had a lot fun with this series - it’s allowed us to broach some important and difficult subjects that have reached deep into many lives.  We still have 2 weeks left – don’t miss it!

sunday night rewind

Since it’s been awhile, I’m going to rewind through the entire week, not just today.  I blame the Olympics – I’m totally addicted.

• This might have been one of the best Sundays yet at C3.  From the Guitar Hero intro of Sweet Child of Mine, the throwback Ataris set up in the lobby, to the incredible message on prayer.  It was pretty…bodacious.  Be sure to check Amanda’s blog for a rundown of the service. 
• Between Tiger Woods and Michael Phelps, we might be witnessing two of the most amazing athletes ever.  Yes, I said ever.
• Who was the genius that invented synchronized diving?  Just a question.
• How in the world did that Chinese gymnast just get the bronze after landing on her knees?  Here’s to sports with objective scoring!
• My triathlon is next week – I’m ready for the pain.
• Should I be worried about Fay?
• Emma asked me this week when I was going to get a real job, like a fireman or policeman.  I stopped trying to convince her that I actually had a real job after 30 minutes – she wasn’t going for it.
• School starts this week – back to the crazy schedule.  But that also means college football season is right around the corner.

Later (that’s a little throwback closing for you.)

triathlon tuesday

I’ve never been one to pay too much attention to my diet, but training for this triathlon has forced me to learn some important lessons about fueling your body.  Now that I’m just a few weeks out from my tri, most of my cardio workouts are lasting about an hour.  While this isn’t that long compared to some, I still can burn between 500 – 800 calories a day.  I’ve discovered that unless my body has the proper fuel, this will not be a good thing.  So here’s a few things I’ve learned:

1.  Get your calories EARLY – I NEVER used to eat breakfast, now I attempt to get at least 400-600 calories by 10am.  This gets your metabolism working early and provides the necessary energy you need for the longer workouts.

2.  Combination matters – There are some diets that say carbs are bad, but not if you’re training for an endurance event.  You definitely need those carbs for energy, but try and eat them with a protein.  The protein will help break down any excess carbs not burned by your workouts.

3.  Eat often – I’ve never been much of a snacker, but I’ve learned the value of eating 200-300 calories in between meals.

Here are a few things I’ve added to the diet:

-Special K cereal (with fruit)

-Whole wheat english muffins or bagels

-Protein shakes (whey protein powder, milk, peanut butter, banana) – these taste AWESOME

-meal replacement bars (believe it or not, I like the Target brand best)

-sunflower seeds

-chocolate milk (one of the better recovery drinks after a workout)

All this to say, I’m not hardcore when it comes to my eating.  I’ve tried to make some improvements, but I still get my cheeseburgers every now and then!

sunday night rewind

Have I said recently that I love Sunday mornings?  Well, if not, I do.  Today was no exception.  We closed out the Hey Jude series and the band did an awesome job covering the Beatles.  Who would have thought the lyrics “na na na nananana…Hey Jude” could be so inspiring?  We also went a little old school with “Heart of Worship” to close out the worship set – all in all a great intro to a great message.

Byron closed the book of Jude by focusing on the last few verses, honing in on our responsibility to be merciful and snatch others from the flames.  There was so much to takeaway, but all I could think about this morning was the weight of that command, and how in the past, the church has had a tendency to forget the “be merciful” part.  Be sure to invest and invite this week, and don’t forget to check out the Hey Jude blog.

triathlon tuesday

I’m about 4 weeks out from my triathlon and I’m still seeing improvements in my times and training, but it’s obviously coming a little slower now.  From the onset of my training (about 12 weeks ago) I decided to chart my times.  Being a little discouraged by the slowing improvement, I decided to look back at my earlier times – and now I’m encouraged.  Here were my initial training times compared to my most recent:

400m swim – 9:43         now – 8:03    

10mile bike – 16.4mph    now – 19.3mph

3.1mile run – 30:54       now – 25:33

I still have a long way to go to reach my long term goals (please note my only short-term goal is to cross the finish line) but was pleased to see how far I’d come.

I have a tendency to do the same thing in my spiritual life.  We all go through times when we get a little frustrated with our progress, and yes, we want to always be moving forward, but sometimes we need to take a few minutes to remember how far God’s grace has brought us.

“you’ve got mail” to “you’ve got problems”

By the title, you’ve probably already guessed the company.  You remember 8-10 years ago when your mailbox was bombarded with CD ROMS with the little blue triangle, usually offering 3 months of free internet access if you sign up now.  With that strategy, AOL became the leading ISP almost overnight.  Compuserve was doing everything they could to keep pace utlizing a similar strategy.

Then times changed.  Download speeds were increasing exponentially with high-speed access.  No longer was it necessary to deliver the software via CD, and AOL missed it.  They became so focused on a strategy that offered incredible success in the past, but failed to see a defining shift in the industry.  As a result, AOL has gone from 27 million subscribers to 10 million.  Revenue has dropped from $9.1billion to $5.7billion, and they’ve laid off over 60% of their workforce.  And Compuserve – you probably hadn’t even heard that company mentioned in 5 years.

Do you see any similarities to the evangelical church?  If we’re not careful, we can get so focused on a strategy that, granted, has offered success in the past, but totally miss the shifts that are taking place in our culture where those same strategies will be outdated and lead to failure. 

Strategy is critical to the success of any organization, including the church – but strategy must be constantly evaluated and massaged to effectively impact a culture.  What CD-ROMS do you have in your church?

For kicks – anyone still with AOL?

sunday night rewind

After the July 6th benefit concert and vacation last week, it was great walking through the theater doors again – I’m telling you, there’s something about the smell of popcorn that has become spiritual for me – kinda crazy.

Byron continued the Hey Jude… series this morning focusing on verses 3-4and we dug into some pretty heavy stuff.  Apostasy is not something you talk about regularly, but Jude had some pretty strong words for the churches in receipt of his letter.  The bottom line is as Christ followers, we all have moments we’re not proud of, moments that we don’t represent Christ as we should, but to be a true follower, we can’t take for granted the incredible grace that’s been offered to us.

I loved Byron’s opening illustration about a football in the hands of Tom Brady is worth way more than a football in my hands.  But what about a Bible in YOUR hands, how much is that worth?  I must remember the promise from 2 Peter 1:3 – we’ve been given everything we need.  Every Christ-follower has what they need to be a Tom Brady with the bible in their hands.

We’ll close up the series next week – don’t forget to check out the Hey Jude blog where the staff are posting their thoughts from the book – join in the conversation!

it’s friday, i’m in love…

with innovative businesses.  When it comes to the word innovation, we tend to immediately think in terms of technology, but innovation is more about thinking outside the box.

If you’re not familiar with TOMS Shoes, below is an interview with its founder, Blake Mycoskie.  For every pair of shoes they sell, they give a pair to a child in need.  Simple, but a concept that I think will transform the way many approach their for-profit businesses.  Next time you need a pair shoes, check out TOMS.

Interview with TOMS founder

triathlon tuesday

When I decided to start training for a triathlon, I emailed one of my buddies who has completed a few ironman races.  I asked him what’s the one thing that has helped him improve, to take it to the next level.  I’ll never forget his response – “I had to learn to manage the pain.”  WHAT?  My life philosophy has always been to avoid pain – I figured that was the best way to manage it.

A few weeks later I saw an interview with one of the top female triathletes in the world, and she made a similar statement.  Her exact words were, “There are a number of times during a race and during my training that I have to tell my body to “shut up.”  I like that – and it has become my new battle cry.

There are so many times when I feel like giving up, my body is begging me to quit.  I’m learning to tell my body to “shut-up.”  This little life lesson can be transferred to every area of life.  One of the greatest lessons we can learn is to grind it out when circumstances aren’t the most favorable – that’s when the true growth takes place.

So happy training, and next time you feel like quitting a little early – tell your body to shut-up.

highlights of the vaca

Our vacation officially ended on Sunday.  It was probably the best family vacation we’ve experienced (not that we have a really long history.)  Here were a few of the highlights from New Smyrna in no particular order:

1.  The mattress in the master bedroom was THE most comfortable EVER!  Upon leaving we wrote down the brand and model – it will be our next mattress.

2.  My mondo chimichanga from Clancy’s.

3.  Bodyboarding with Emma.

4.  Jumping over waves with Ansley.

5.  Watching Jackson walk right into waves and not even care.

6.  The 46,000 jellyfish we saw on day 1 – unfortunately one of them found Amanda’s leg.  (Don’t worry, the lifeguard had vinegar – I didn’t have to, you know, relieve the sting in more natural ways.)

7.  The nights on the patio hanging out with my wife.

8.  Crab legs from JB’s Fish Camp.

9.  The pastries at Mon Delice (on 3rd Ave.)

10.  Not having to think about anything other than what time we were going to the beach!

I’m looking forward to getting back in the swing of things - so many people had great things to say about the launch of the Hey Jude series!  Can’t wait to see everyone this Sunday–