daniel scott

Hayward

2011-02-14T11:32:00.003-06:00

Well, it has almost been a year since posting on this. I have missed it some, it seems relaxing to post on here...just to get some thoughts out of my head. Also, it is good for me to go back and read some of my old postings. Just to see what was going on in my life and how things have changed. Like right now, I use punctuation and capitalization...like a grown up or something. The changes are much more profound than that, probably...but that is the easiest to notice right away.

Well, if I am posting on here, something significant must have happened. And it did. My close friend and guru of all things emergent church has passed away. Hayward Barnett was almost 85 years old, and he went home to be with the Lord last Sunday evening. Here is his obituary, which he wrote himself. And if you knew him, you can definitely tell that he wrote that himself! It's less of a recount of his life, to me anyway, and more like a, "hey, remember me this way...a gentleman". But I will remember Hayward differently, I will remember him as someone that developed a friendship with me b/c we had so much in common. I mean, he had no family, he was 84 years old and lived by himself in a small apartment, he lived his life out as modestly as possible, no children, never married, took care of his mother his whole life, was a staunch supporter of the southern baptist convention, hated to eat meals outside of his apartment, the list goes on and on with similarities between Hayward and I. lol What we had in common was a passion and a love for seeing things the way they could be...and according to Christ, the way they should be. Hayward kept me accountable to my rhetoric, he was always quick to remind me about the things that I had said I wanted to do. Especially, when he could tell that I was not doing them! Hayward loved the thought of the local church of Jesus Christ changing the world. He thought the Church ought to be more than being about business as usual. He thought the idea of salvation meant something more than just now you do the "right thing" and and go to church all the time and you won't go to hell when you die.

Hayward was progressive in his thoughts, he had a young heart! I loved that about him! He was not cranky and bitter about the cards he had been dealt, he decided, later in life that he was going to pursue Christ, even it meant being uncomfortable and trying something new! At 80-81 years of age, Hayward started listening to contemporary Christian music and attending non-traditional baptist churches. He participated in blogs and forum discussions online, he read modern day theologians and emergent church leaders books, he read everything he could get his hands on! A ton of it, HE DID NOT AGREE WITH, but he didn't dismiss it just because he didn't agree with it! He would consider that their point and agree to disagree and go on to the next topic on which they might agree on.

I will miss him! I will miss our long conversations about such topics. I will miss coffee in the afternoon with Hayward when many times we just sat quietly and watched traffic go by on hwy 65. I will miss his way, his modesty, his gentleman like attitude towards life, his sense of humor and the way he got cracked up about things that I would not have thought twice about. Most of all I will miss him, how close we had become over the past 3 or 4 years and who will fill that void in my life. (selfish, i know...but i don't care) He prayed for me and my family...all the time. He held my feet to the fire when he thought I might have been out of line. He helped to keep my vision in check when I thought it was too easy to just see dollar signs. He was my friend...and I will miss him. Thank you Hayward, for being such a part of my life over the past couple of years!

two in one day....

2010-03-09T20:33:00.003-06:00

if you are churched. attend church, raised in church, understand the christianese language that most of you know. watch this and it kind of explains some of the stuff that i have been contemplating.

Alan Hirsch at Q

it is 18 minutes or so...

well, it has been a while...

2010-03-09T15:50:00.005-06:00

it has been a while... this post is going to be in segments. catching up, what's new, spiritual stuff...

catching up

there are a multitude of reasons why i haven't posted in a long time. 1) i am busy! 2) i am pretty focused and this has lost some interest to me. 3) i feel like i have not had anything new to say.

our company is busy! like crazy blessing for our business. i can not explain it, although i am more focused...i still can not explain random people calling US in order to buy chemicals. typically, we call and we call and we call on potential customers before we hear anything! these days, it seems like once a week, there is someone calling needing something from us.

what's new

the family is great! for eric, baseball is starting this weekend. for kinley, soccer starts this weekend. i can't wait to see my little girl's first shot at organized athletics!! we are still at james river and feel like it is where we are supposed to be for now. we are leading a life group (not through jra, but a combo of people) and it is going really well. it grew some what stale for a while, i took some time off from leading and now it is kind of a shared responsibility. it seems to be going better now. the potter's house ministry is going really well. i am coming up on an anniversary as a board member there. i enjoy being on the backside of ministry there. for me, i have always been a hands on, lead the front line type of guy. with potters, it is teaching me the back side of things. how to lead from behind the scenes. honestly, it doesn't feel natural at all, it is challenging for me. it almost feels ineffective at times, mostly because it is harder to measure the effectiveness. it takes more effort to see the effects...it takes connectedness, which takes time and effort...

spiritual stuff

i don't know where to start. i'm learning and being challenged. words like gospel and kingdom are challenging me. hayward (happy birthday by the way!) has introduced me to these topics and the lens he, and some others, are looking into. what are they? what do they mean? not confined by traditions...but defined by what the word of God says. it is challenging a lot that i though i knew.

i feel like God is growing in my life. He is trying to get my attention on some things. one of the things is, i don't know as much as i thought i did. hum, that is funny to look at...but it is true. all i know is skewed by where and how i learned it. it isn't until i strip all of that away and learn from the Truth, that i know anything??? make sense? either way, i'm looking forward to what He has in store.

that is about it for now. see ya in another couple of months. :-)

update and possible year end post...

2009-12-23T06:11:00.002-06:00

well, 2009 has not been a good blogging year for me. i am not too concerned about that, but just stating the obvious. 2009 has been a good business year for us. 2009 has been a good year all in all, the kids are doing great, kim and i just got back from a great get-away to Cancun, i went snow skiing for the first time AND LOVED it!, i led a small group of business leaders/entrepreneurs through a challenging video study based on the Q conference i attended in April. i am finding my way into the role of board-member at the Potter's house in springfield and really enjoying it!, I could go on and on...

one thing real quick that has been bothering me, b/c i said i would respond a long time ago. the post about heaven and if Jesus were not there. without getting theological about it, i think that is the way i think some times. i think heaven could be boring, or i think heaven will be good because of the people i miss here. i take my eyes off of Jesus.

i think it is a great exercise question to re-focus me every once in a while. make sure my priorities are where they should be. and i need those...

ok, back to year end thoughts. i am not sure i will make a resolution to blog more in 2010. i do not know what resolutions i will make..but holy crap it looks funny typing 2-0-1-0. That is just a few days away! That sounds so, Buck Rogers ... if you don't know who that is, you should not be reading this. Google him, one of the best tv show's ever...or at least from a 10 year old's perspective growing up in the 80's.

anyway, 2010 has the potential to be a great year! not just for me, but for all of us. it holds that potential, i love the time of new years...i always read Ecclesiastes this time of year. It is good to put things into perspective. It is also helpful in establishing some goals. If you know what it is important, really important to you...it is easier to make the right goals or at least make goals that are focused in the right direction.

merry Christmas and happy new year to you!

quick post...

2009-11-30T18:44:00.002-06:00

...a quick post.

-first, i know i have not posted my thoughts on the last post. i will, sooner or later...i will!

now, we decorated our Christmas tree yesterday. not to sound like a scrooge or anything...but, in the process of decorating. i realized and remembered, at the same time, i can't stand doing that! i get grumpy and short...not for sure why. i just do.

i love Christmas. i'm just not a detail guy. and when it comes to details, i get meticulous. i can not stop until i think it is just right...or at least what i think is just right. that leads to more problems...lol (husbands and wives know what i mean. :-) )

it's done, less than perfect. but it is ok...it is what it is. i love the holiday season, can't wait to get on with the rest of the year!

tough...

2009-11-17T22:36:00.004-06:00

WOULD YOU BE HAPPY IN HEAVEN IF CHRIST WERE NOT THERE?

The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—

is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the

friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and

all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beau-

ties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no

human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with

heaven, if Christ were not there?

God is the Gospel by John Piper

i am reading/listening to a book and this quote is from another book ... make sense?

i will try and un-pack some of my thoughts on this later, but i would love to hear yours.

mid-day friday post

2009-10-30T12:42:00.003-05:00

i don't think that i have posted many mid-day posts, or at least it has been a long time.
this is my mid-day rant...i hate the preperation work. i hate sitting in the office trying to make sure that every thing is ready for the actual work that has to be done. i hate getting everything lined up, straightened out, double checked...i hate it all. your like...'dude, that's a lot of hate!' ...'yes it is!' , because that is how much i dis-like what i classify as "busy work".

i have a new account that is going on-line tomorrow. so, things have to be right and ready!

although i hate the prep work, it is absolutely necessary that it is done and done right. otherwise, when the "real work" happens...we have the potential to look like idiots. so, i procrastinate and i complain while i am doing the prep work.

i think this is my life most times. i am a big picture guy. get me at the front of the deal, center of the program and i am happy, comfortable and successful. or let me throw out 50 ideas of how things ought to be and cast a compelling vision. just don't ask me to dabble in the minutia of details. unfortunately or fortunately...depending on how you look at it, i am learning that true success happens because of the details. not in spite of them.

back to work! have a great halloween weekend!

legacy

2009-10-15T15:33:00.005-05:00

what will be my legacy? i dont know if i have asked my self that lately, but i have been thinking about legacy. i have been thinking about my actions among others that i have influence over. about, what matters in forming a legacy. is it self perception or being able to step outside of your self. or if you think about legacy, does it mean that you probably won't have much of one...?

i dont know. somehow i think that our disciplines will determine our legacy. mark batterson had a quote on fb the other day, 'your ultimate destiny will be determined by your daily disciplines'. i liked that a lot! and it kicked me in the junk a lot at the same time.

i have no idea what my legacy will be, i really don't know that i am concerned with it too much. about the here and the now of legacy, when we are gone...make sense? but i am concerned with my ultimate destiny and making my life count for what counts! and it comes down, so many times, to the simple things. the daily things.

i posted several weeks ago that i was thinking about legacy. this past sunday, a student who i had ministered to about 3 or 4 years ago, ran into me as i was coming out of church...he was walking in. when i first met him he did not have a bible and i really had no idea of his spiritual background. but sunday he held up a tattered bible and said to me, 'look what i still have!' it was a bible that i had given to him at an outreach event the very first time i met him...it felt so good to see him holding that bible! it was something i needed to see...it reminded me of what God had done through me. the Story that He has included me in. the fact that He isnt done with me.

i am thinking legacy has to do with obedience. suffering instead of status. selflessness instead of selfishness. maturity. following more than leading. remembering and looking forward at the same time.

thanks for allowing random thoughts to flow from me... 2 posts in one week! you gotta be kidding me! have a good weekend. see ya in a week or so...

baseball

2009-10-12T17:59:00.003-05:00

if you know me very well, if you don't let me enlighten you, i did not grow up a baseball fan. in fact, after the 94-95 MLB strike, i said i would never watch it again. i did not play baseball growing up, ever! no little league, no jr. high, no wiffle ball, no soft ball, no nothing. i didn't like it, why would i play it?

well, it is funny how your kids can change you... eric played baseball all summer and i help coach. we went to springfield cardinal games, we went to st. louis cardinals games, we practiced two days a week and sometimes had two games a week. we started practicing in may and played games until the very end of august.

eric improved so much through out the year and i had a blast. i was like a kid learning how to play. (i didnt let the parents know about my baseball knowledge or skill level...lol) i helped to coach with a buddy of mine from HS and a friend from down the street. it was a blast!

but now, i am a fan. a cards fan. not much cheering after their weekend elimination from the ALDS. and i have to ask my self, how do life long fans handle the disappointment? like cubs fans, year after year... you lose. how do you get geared up for the next season? now, let me say, i love wrigley field. eric and i got to go there last summer with a HS friend of mine and his son...and it is awesome! so much history and tradition and such raving fans....how do they do it?

anyway, just some random thoughts... i have a goal of getting back to more regular blogging. no promises, we'll see how that goes.

hmm...

2009-09-27T20:10:00.003-05:00

let's see if i remember how to do this...

thoughts on safety-

i am thinking that safety is an unattainable illusion. don't get me wrong, i want safety...for my family, for my life. i want it, i plan for it, i pray and hope for it. but at the end of the day, it is unattainable.

as americans, one of the most dangerous things that we most of us do IS.... drive a car! really?we pray and pray for safety. we plan for it, we hope for it...and then we get in the car and do not even consider that this is the most dangerous thing we are going to do in our whole little life is drive a car. not to mention when i text, email and look at facebook while i'm driving. (don't frown...i know some of you do too.)

the funny thing i have been thinking lately is that when i read the scriptures, i don't often read about people who were worried about their safety. think about it, especially after Jesus had ascended.

i have no conclusions...just thoughts. i spend a lot of time thinking about what it takes to get things done in our business. i don't like to rock the boat, it typically isn't good for business. i want things to be safe, little risk. i like my life like that too. problem is, it doesn't line up with scripture very well.

what have you risked lately? i dont want to simply be a "boring" car driver...i want to live a risky life.

thats all i got for now...see ya next sunday night, maybe sooner.

hello

2009-09-23T22:19:00.002-05:00

been thinking about blogging a little lately. i have some ideas that are floating around in my head, stuff that i am wrestling with.

i am either too tired or too lazy to do it, blog that is.... maybe later this week.

topics to discuss (in no order of importance)

-safety

-baseball

-legacy

-balance

-maturity

hope to see you soon!

discipline, envy and honesty

2009-07-20T19:39:00.002-05:00

ok, this thought has been going through my head lately..BUT, this is not a thought out post...make sense?

i am very envious of people who are highly disciplined. that is the honesty part of it...people who work out, run...people who are organized, people who are task and goal orientated....people who are have strong spiritual disciplines. i am envious of those people. not the people who can for a season be disciplined...but the one's who set out for a life of disciplined action.

i am not one of those people, yet. and, to be honest again, it pisses me off ! i know what is good for me...we all do. if not spiritually then at least health wise, why is it so hard to be disciplined. spending money, managing time, setting priorities, spending time on the important things, spending time with the Lord.

anyway...i am envious. i am thinking through this stuff right now. how do i become more disciplined? i am guessing it isn't just as easy as it sounds. if it were people would just react, i would just set a plan of actions and follow them. the problem isn't the set of actions it is the motive behind the action. i am guessing it goes deeper into another level. or i might just be over thinking it...

What in the world is going on!

2009-06-29T15:15:00.002-05:00

well, some have you been asking....what is going on with you Daniel!? so, i thought i would give a short update...

i have not been blogging lately, because... i have tried to stop opening my laptop when i am at home and the kids are awake. i have trying to be present...not just sit down in front of the tv and open the laptop and check out. i have been working more lately, which is good, but it does take time away from home. so, the last thing that i need is something to rob more time from my family.

another reason, i havent felt like i have had much to say. somewhat dry times spiritually. i know the reasons why, i know how to fix it, and that is part of the problem. i know the answers in my head, they just havent made it to my heart yet.

my laptop died! big reason for nothing coming outta here. so i got a new mac...transfering everything over from an old, dead mac is frustrating. trying to get info off of your old iphone onto your new computer when you were not able to transfer your itunes acct from your old computer, that's frustrating! so, when i did have my computer open...i didnt feel like spewing curse words on a blog that hopefully is somewhat inspiring at times. :-)

busy, busy, busy...not much of an excuse...but it is true. priorities shift when your schedule becomes fuller. eric has been playing ball, i am helping coach that...so proud of them boys!, lots of summer birthdays, parties, etc....

do i need to put more on here?

i will try to do better, but do not expect too much for the next couple of months or so. and if you get more...just think, that's like getting something for free! wait....all this is free...and unsolicited...so scratch that. just enjoy if you get something more than very little!

good bye for now, see ya soon.

where i have been

2009-04-28T22:07:00.002-05:00

i have been in Austin, TX for the last few days. i love this city. i have never been here, but it is a challenging city for me. it is very ... organic, in more than one sense of the word. very local. it has it's own personality...it isn't cookie cutter at all. that is cool to me.

i am here for Q. you can read about it at the web site. i can't write about it just yet. my mind is reeling, but i will say this. Q is the best conference i have ever been to. there is such an authentic desire to further the gospel, to engage culture, to be authentic. Gabe Lyons, founder of Q, said on the first day. "There is not much difference between presenter and participant." That seemed like just words to me, until I experienced intimate conversations with several of the presenters. These are very real people, not super star pastors or super star business leaders...although some of them are. they aren't.

i'll try and post more later as some of this stuff later, as i hash it out in my head/heart.

forgetting

2009-04-27T07:42:00.002-05:00

i forget lots of things! eric cooper was walking out of the house the other day and had forgotten something that he needed to have. in a moment of haste, i said,"buddy...why is it that you can remember so many little things about stuff that happened 4 years ago, but you cant remember to grab your back pack!?" he said something like, "i don't know dad. i guess i don't have a good memory." he felt very dejected. i felt like a jerk.

i had to stop in that moment and remember that i do the EXACT same thing! so, i told him. "You know who else does that very same thing? ME" and we went on to have a great conversation and i am sure there were even doves flying around or something...maybe not the doves, but it could've happened.

anyway, i read a passage of scripture this morning that reminded me of my good, selective memory. 2 Peter 1:5-9 It is a pretty recognizable passage of scripture. add faith to goodness, knowledge to self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. we are supposed to make every effort to have these qualities. because if you have these, they will keep you from being unproductive and ineffective. BUT if you don't have them, i love what scripture says, "he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."

i have a selective memory AND i can be very nearsighted. i am focused on things that happen today or even down to an exact moment. i forget sometimes how i am. sometimes it seems like i forget who i am.

then, i had to do an inventory of those qualities. i had to remember that i am not who i was. i had to remember i have been CLEANSED.

maybe you need to remember that today as well...or maybe just me.

love/hate with flying

2009-04-26T20:56:00.001-05:00

i am not a huge fan of flying. it isnt probably a hate relationship...but i do get a little nervous at every take off. landing and any turbulence. BUT i LOVE flying by myself and the reading time i have to my self. it is like i have to shut down...no internet, no phone, i hate dragging my lap top out unless i have to...so i read.

i get more reading done on a 2 hour flight than 2 weeks at home. right now i am reading 5 dysfunction's of a team by Patrick Lencioni. GREAT BOOK for anyone having to lead up forming a team, working with a team or leading a team! and it isn't your typical 'leadership' book, it is a fable. so it reads like a novel. very cool! i am about 2/3 of the way through it.

so, hope you have had a good week! talk to ya later!

playing

2009-04-25T09:25:00.003-05:00

uncle daniel...get outta my face.

2009-04-22T21:22:00.002-05:00

uncle daniel...get outta my face.

i'm sitting on my meme with my peepers.

i got out of icu today...

thanks for all the prayers. everything that could have gone right, did. thank you LORD.

prayer update...

2009-04-21T14:52:00.004-05:00

well, he made it through the surgery great! thank you LORD. And he is now in recovery and very heavily medicated to keep him from feeling the pain. so, now we need to pray for a speedy recovery! he is so young and been through so much! it really is a reminder how fragile life is....

another post maybe.... keep praying for now!

AND thanks to all of you who have been praying!!! God bless you all!!!!

pray

2009-04-20T21:44:00.003-05:00

this is lincoln. he is 2. he is a stud. he is my nephew. he is having open heart surgery in the morning to remove a growth on his heart. the doctors say it isn't a big deal. they don't know how much he means to us. so, if you would...please, remember him in your prayers.

i believe this passage in scripture, so i am asking in Jesus name. keep this little boy safe. give his parents a peace when they hand him off to the nurses. let him recover quickly. praise God for every moment he gives us.

the Church, the Bride...what does it look like?

2009-04-08T16:08:00.005-05:00

as we have talked about on here, our small group is SLOWLY going through The Shack. It has been well documented that it is fiction and a good story and fiction...we discussed this on here a while back in this post.

a great thought is in chapter 13 when Mack had been to see the judge behind the waterfall, he comes out and is talking with Jesus. He says;

"Was i seeing heaven when i was seeing missy? it looked a lot like here."

"Well, Mack, our final destiny is not the picture of heaven you have stuck in your head--you know, the image of pearly gates and streets of gold. Instead, it's a new cleansing of this universe, so it will indeed look a lot like here."

"Then what's with the pearly gates and gold stuff?"

"That stuff my brother," Jesus began lying back on the dock and closing his eyes against the warmth and brightness of the day, "is a picture of me and the woman I'm in love with."

...

"It is a picture of my bride, the church: individuals who together form a spiritual city with a living river flowing through the middle, and on both shores trees growing with fruit that will heal the hurts and sorrows of the nations. And this city is always open, and each gate into it is made of a single pearl..." He opened one eye and looked at Mack. "That would be me!" He saw Mack's question and explained, "Pearls, Mack. The only precious stone made by pain, suffering, and - finally - death."

what a beautiful description of the C-hurch. i made the comment, i would love to find a church like that! one member said something like, well if you do, there wouldn't be any people in it. just jokingly. but it got me to thinking... is it possible to find something like this now? a church like this now? not perfect, but similar. if these verses in 2 Peter are true, wouldn't it be true that we ought to be looking more and more like the church that is being described in Revelation 21-22? I'm not saying it will look exactly like that, but shouldn't the C-hurch be looking more and more like that?

Maybe it is? I don't know. I'm just asking is it possible for a local new testament body to look more and more like this description?

am i a terrible person?

2009-04-01T06:33:00.003-05:00

i have a small confession to make. i would rather listen to secular radio stations over christian radio stations. most days...i don't think christian radio stations are that good. the dj's seem like they are either WAY out of touch with anybody who MIGHT not be a christian and actually listen for more than 20 seconds. OR they just try way too hard to be some shock jock christian radio person or something...

the music is ok from time to time and i do listen to worship style, contemporary christian music from time to time. a lot of the time actually...but it is usually from a cd or on my ipod.

i am in my car a lot. i travel in my car for a living, so i listen to stations all over this area. not just the greater springfield area...and almost inevitably, when channel surfing in a new area...i can tell if it is a christian radio station before they identify themselves as one. the way they talk, the music, the commercials, them always asking for money...listener supported in their tag line. so, by me saying i can identify them as a christian station, to me isn't really a positive...

anyway, dont know if i was feeling convicted or what...just thought i would confess my sins to the world wide web...lol

is anyone with me or am i a terrible person all by myself?

thanks eric cooper

2009-04-01T06:23:00.004-05:00

my boy is a little like his dad sometimes. he is a bit obsessive from time to time. every since he was little, i am talking like 3 or 4, he has worn his socks inside out. not only are they inside out, all of his socks are one particular kind. why? because the others hurt his feet...

i have always poked fun at him because of this...well, today, i would like to say i am sorry. i am realizing how brilliant he really is. i never can find matches to my socks, b/c they are all different kinds. so, i need to eliminate all but my favorite kind and i won't have that problem.

i told you he always wears them inside out. why? b/c of the line at the foot of you sock where they sow it together...it bothers him. so, when you turn it inside out....your toes have the same smoothness the rest of your foot enjoys! this morning, i found the pair of socks that i believe to be one of my favorite brands. put them on, went to the gym to run. the socks feel really good, except for the toes...hmm...turned them bad boys inside out and voila! perfect socks!

it is taking me a while, but i am coming around to his way of thinking...

random thoughts

2009-03-30T06:34:00.003-05:00

here is some randomness that is going through my head right now.

- excited about small group meeting tonight!

- i have some great new friendships in my life, i am loving that.

- ready to get back to work today!

- i am tired from the gym this morning...i ate a little too much on vacation...oh well!

- really praying to be a good parent and family leader

- looking forward to hanging out with some old friends this afternoon! one of them is this guy.

- thankful for a good spring break vacation with some great friends.

- did i mention that i am ready to get back to work!

- got to see a really good friends new baby last night!

- i am trusting in God to show me some things in my life.

- i am hoping i listen...

just a few things going through my head right now... back to work, or whatever you were doing...

see ya soon!

vacation

2009-03-26T14:45:00.000-05:00

vacation first morning in the condo from Daniel Scott on Vimeo.

vacation

2009-03-26T13:25:00.001-05:00

tug o war from Daniel Scott on Vimeo.

vacation

2009-03-26T13:14:00.002-05:00

i know i said i would post some, but that just has not been first priority on vacation. so here is some, a little late but...oh, well.

my little rock star from Daniel Scott on Vimeo.

video blogging!

2009-03-21T17:47:00.002-05:00

i got this new toy... decided to introduce it this way. enjoy...see ya soon!

Intro to Video Blogging from Daniel Scott on Vimeo.

WWJD?

2009-03-21T07:36:00.005-05:00

ok, since there is a lot of conversation on this topic on a previous post. i thought i would make a post about this and clarify a little what i read. a little background info...

i made the comment to fran that i was re-reading The Shack and in it, a comment was made by Jesus. He said something like his life wasn't meant to be an example to follow. I said that we had a great conversation about this in our small group, i thought it meant that we don't have to try to be perfect.

so, a few clarification points and a few discussion points about this.

i know The Shack is fiction. fiction, by definition is; the class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration. (according to dictionary.com) so, would i base my theology, the study of my understanding of God, off of this book? no, not really. nor would i get worked up and say that the book is blasphemous! (a friend of ours said this about the book)

i do think the book can be helpful in trying to portray God in a way that is different than most people think about Him. for us, it is a great conversation starter! it is a great way to open the scriptures and see if they really say that is how God is.

here is the quote i mentioned to fran.

"You mean," Mack quipped, "that i can't just ask, 'What would Jesus do?'"Jesus chuckled, "Good intentions, bad idea. Let me know how it works for you, if that's the way you choose to go." He paused and grew sober. "Seriously, my life was not meant to be an example to copy. Being my follower is not trying to 'be like Jesus', it means your independence is killed. I came to give you life, real life, my life. We will come and live our life inside you, so that you begin to see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and touch with our hands, and think like we do. But we will never force that union on you. If you want to do your thing, have at it. Time is on our side."

From The Shack, chapter 10

Tara, I too have been taught that we ought to be holy just as Christ was holy and i thought that meant doing or NOT doing a bunch of stuff. it is 1 peter 1:15-16, it says... but just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "be holy, because i am holy." my question would be, what makes you holy? i have tried to be holy, and i fail really bad when i try to be holy. i usually end up more holier than thou, than i do holy. i think the conversation between mack and jesus portrays a clear direction with how to be holy.

check out these verses...

Colossians 3:12 ... Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. we are holy and dearly loved because he chose us! then we are able to do the list that follows. the list doesn't make us holy...

2 Timothy 1:9 .. who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Hebrews 10

you will have to read all of that, there is goodness in that chapter!

now, if we were to try and live our life perfect...following the mantra, WWJD. we might end up feeling defeated when we fail. but, IF we understand that we can not be made any more holy than we already are... then the list becomes easier to accomplish. we dont have to accomplish it by ourselves. we realize that Jesus is inside of us, allowing us to see as they see, hear as they hear, act as they would act.

i first heard it from louie giglio, "the key to christianity isn't trying, the key to christianity is dying..."

does this change any of your thoughts? what do you think? are you a try-er or a die-er?

away

2009-03-19T14:09:00.003-05:00

i have been away for a couple of days. out of town with business, but the discussion is going on quite well below on this post. join in on the ongoing debate... i wish i could have gotten some time on here a little earlier. thanks to all who have put their .02 woth in. see ya soon!

really...

2009-03-15T21:02:00.006-05:00

so, fran and i (and you guys following along at home), have been discussing the method, message and motives for the past week or so.

i must say, i have been thinking about this a lot. it is bothering me!! then, saturday, i had some friends in town. and i sent out a terrible message! i was pretty hateful, and i just am not going into detail about the whole weekend. what made it even more terrible, was that i can not stop thinking about this topic of message/motive. everything i read, it pops up! when i am watching something, the topic is brought to my mind. when i am playing with the kids or NOT playing with the kids, the message pops into my head.

then i read this from the catalyst website. here is an excerpt from the article...

As Christians in America, we often complain about how antagonistic people are toward Christ. Personally, I'm not sure that Americans are really rejecting Christ. Maybe they just haven't seen Him.

Try to be COMPLETELY honest with yourself right now. Is the following true of you?

You passionately love Jesus, but you don't really want to be like Him. You admire His humility, but you don't want to be THAT humble. You think it's beautiful that He washed the feet of the disciples, but that's not exactly the direction your life is headed. You're thankful He was spit upon and abused, but you would never let that happen to you. You praise Him for loving you enough to suffer during His whole time on earth, but you're going to do everything within your power to make sure you enjoy your time down here.

In short: You think He's a great Savior, but not a great role model.

Francis Chan wrote that. you should read the whole article to get the full jist of what he is talking about. but this hit me. i'm not sure what to do with this or how to respond to it. this is going to take some evaluation and processing...

motives

2009-03-14T07:42:00.006-05:00

Fran posted a comment on the post before this one, methods vs. message, that has bothered me for a couple of days. you do have to go back and read the post and maybe even watch the video on the site it is linked to before reading on... you dont want to? i know...i never do either, but seriously...it will make more sense!

ok, the conversation about is it ok for methods to change, but the message must never change...and fran asks the question, what about the motive? does it change the message and the method? in a word, YES...sounds easy at first. think about this though, God's message is him desiring to be known among all the people of the world. His fame, His glory, His renown....that is why God does what He does. God is into God! (as Louie Giglio says). I believe that...His method of letting the world know that He is God is, you... and me.... us, one could say, The Church. collectively, we show people who God is! individually, we show people who God is! you ought to re-read those last two sentences...if they didn't scare the hell out of you, you should re-read them several times...

if our motive is anything other than showing people who God is, it changes everything! if we want to have the coolest, hippest church in town, b/c we like to show off how innovative and cool we are...that is how we show God to the world. God is a show-off. if we want to have the most traditional church in town...that is how we show God to the world. God is boring. if we choose to do nothing and be complacent about everything that goes on in the world today...that is how we show God to the world. God is out of touch and is way too big to care about anything we do.

motive is HUGE! i could not say it any better than this...

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love--so you might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about--not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us--perfect love! 1 John 4:7-12 The Message (emphasis mine)

this piggy backs on what Fran says here.

God is love, and it is our job to show people who He is. now i know that seems simple to say and there are a lot of doctrinal belief statements, and figuring out how to put flesh on that seems next to impossible with all of the stuff that goes along with modern day western culture church... maybe we should just try to go one step at a time though, first, realize that we are beloved! that is huge! second, love each other. third, allow God to dwell deeply within us and let his love become complete in us...perfect love!

the motive would be pure, the message would be truth and the method would be complete! i pray that this would become reality in my life as well as everyone who has the love of Christ inside of them!

peace!

methods vs message...

2009-03-10T21:45:00.004-05:00

i came across this post from Brad Lomenick, the leader of Catalyst on tuesday morning. it is a short 5 minute video of an interview rob bell did with a guy named shane hipps.

have you ever heard someone say, the methods change but the message must never change? i have. i have heard sermons preached about this topic, at conventions and conferences where large groups of pastors were gathered. and i agreed with the statement and the message.

then, i thought about what shane hipps had to say in the interview. the method must never change, b/c the method is the median and the median is... you...

this prompted me to consider what is our message? pastors, churches, staff, buildings, children's ministries, life groups, etc... in all of this, what is our message? i mean, i know what it is supposed to be. but what is it saying? what does God think of all of this?

i love asking questions and being stretched beyond my normal thought process...

no answers...only questions....! thus far...

Happy Birthday Hayward!

2009-03-10T20:57:00.002-05:00

Hayward is a friend of mine that I try to have coffee with 3 or 4 times a month. He has a tremendous amount of insight and wisdom! Yesterday he turned 83 years old!!! That, in and of it self, is a huge mile stone! But, it is minimal, when you consider his heart for young church leaders and the body of Christ!

He reads this blog and is probably chuckling to himself right now as he is blushing...lol He reads, I am guessing, but probably some where around 10-15 church leadership blogs. He has read a ton of books on the emerging church movement and modern theologians. He listens to contemporary worship music, so that he can be acquainted with the music and the message. He has been a BSU director and still has an amazing heart for collegiate ministry and college students. He is very insightful to the future of the church! And God has used him in my life to challenge me and my thought processes about God. He inspires me to keep on pressing on toward the goal of pursuing after Christ and his plan for my life. And he inspires me that it isn't ever too late to make a huge contribution to so many in life!

Hayward, Happy Birthday!! and Thank you for all you have been in my life and so many more that I know you have influenced over your long life span. You are a great man of God!

See ya soon for some coffee...

ps...(hayward is a former teacher, so I thought i had better get my caps on... :-) )

no plans....

2009-03-10T05:35:00.002-05:00

well, you know how when you ake plans and then everything changes! it happened... i had plans to write a different blog today, BUT i have to run to OK now b/c my schedule changed.

so, hope to see you tomorrow.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

2009-03-09T06:23:00.002-05:00

it seems like i have been on vacation from blogging...it only seems that way to me. why? because although it has been a while since i have blogged, it hasn't been a vacation. i have been gone working, kim has been gone working and then shopping. (there you go leslie...my payment for my lack of compassion...lol) two broken arms, scaled up water heaters, broken water lines, tenants leaving, starting new accounts, upwards b-ball, machine gun (cover "hair" band)...that one was fun! umm, the list could go on and on.

so, all of these are excuses...don't you feel sorry for me? or at least you could empathize with me. the fact of the matter is, i have been undisciplined in the past several weeks. i mean, there have been outside influences that have added to the complexity of trying to be disciplined. but, i have used that as an excuse to slack in some of my disciplines.

isn't that life...? no point in feeling guilty or beating yourself up. just time to become a little more disciplined. until the next major thing happens in life...then there will be a blip on the radar screen. a time where discipline goes out the window for a few weeks...

until then...

see ya tomorrow...hopefully :-)

seriously?!

2009-02-26T19:48:00.003-06:00

while in VA today, i got a call from my wife, who is in IL, she left a message saying that eric's teacher had emailed her and could not get a hold of my mom (who was watching eric) b/c eric had fallen at PE and someone had fallen on him....AND they thought he had broken HIS arm!

seriously?! sure enough, my mom picked him up and took him to urgent care...broken! 2 in 1 week... first Kim and now Eric.

...speechless....

hectic

2009-02-24T06:19:00.003-06:00

as if things were not crazy enough around the scott household... I, me... I decided that we should go roller skating on sunday afternoon. why not, it was kind of cold and very windy outside and we have never taken the kids roller skating. so, skateport here we come!! it was exactly like i remembered it!! seriously, i don't know of anything that had really changed. ahh, the rink surface was different. it is now a wooden floor, where as it used to be this powder blue colored some type of hard surface coating thing...

anyway, i had told eric all about the suicides we used to get from the snack shop, you know...where they give you a fountain drink with every kind of soda in it! it used to sound really good to me for some reason??? and this was where i was introduced to ring pops! anyone remember those? oh my goodness, i was so excited to bring back a piece of history and pass it along to my kids! lol

it took me a few minutes to regain my roller skating prowess...but it came back rather quickly. it must have been the exact same roller skates they had from 25 years ago. kinley had NO FEAR! unbelievable...she was a mad woman, bound to get hurt if someone didnt hold onto her. she calmed down a little after falling down several times. eric did awesome! he picked it up really quick. i told him that if he could make it a full circle around the rink, i'll buy you the infamous suicide! he thought that was pretty cool...so he did it! we met up with the girls in the snack shop and they young girl working the concession stand didn't seem to get the significance of a suicide??? and apparently they are not quite as popular as they were back in the day....but she obliged and eric loved it!

a little later, kim decided she was going to venture out onto the rink with eric. and for a while, i think it came right back to her as well. but only for a while... she was making her way around the rink and i was watching kinley up on the carpeted area, i looked over to see how they were doing and only saw eric on the rink. then i saw kim headed back our way on the carpet...i thought, she must have fallen and she is done! she did and she was!

we finished up there about an hour later, headed over to mcsalty's for a little pizza and kim said her arm was really hurting if she tried to use it. i was like, ahh...it's probably sprained or something. so, we finish up there and go the grocery store. same deal...she says, i cant lift anything with my left hand. ok, we'll get home and put some ice on it, i lovingly said. so, we head home, and when we got here, she started talking about it again. finally i suggested she go get an x-ray. this way we will know it is sprained and it will relieve some "worry stress" from her.

so, she DROVE herself up to the urgent care! sent me a text about 45 minutes after she got there...it said, "it's broken". i felt like crap!! still do! i hate it for her, she had never broken a bone!

so, the scott household, which was slammed busy...just picked up a little more! pray for us if you would. we are both traveling for work this week! kinley is flying with meme for some girl beach time. eric is going to mama's and papa's while we are out of town. and please pray for kim as she is going to be at a sales meeting, with a broken radius and ulna in her left arm...

that was our weekend. how was yours?

sour milk...

2009-02-21T09:13:00.003-06:00

this is how this morning conversation went...

eric... daddy, can i make me some chocolate milk for breakfast?

me... sure buddy.

eric... daddy, this milk is out of date. but only by three days. mommy said it would be fine yesterday when i got some. is it ok today?

me... when is the expiration date?

eric... like, the 18th??

me... i dont think so, buddy.

eric... (with a serious, grown up look on his face) daddy, it smells fine. really...it doesn't smell bad at all!

me... (after laughing at his rationalizing) sure buddy. go for it!

hopefully the expiration date is only a suggested expiration date...lol

looking back

2009-02-19T06:39:00.003-06:00

i have a cd in my car, it is a talk that i did at CFC several years ago. it wasn't a great talk or what i thought was my best, it is just some random cd that i keep in the disc changer. i listen to it occasionally so that i can remind myself about some of the things that i love. i made some mistakes in the talk, i can pick my thoughts apart and think of ways that could have been better to say this or that. but i cant deny that i love being used by God in that forum.

it's good to look back from time to time. it helps to insure your path for moving on... sometimes when you get away from what you love, you lose focus on where your going. you have to look back from time to time...

just some things im learning...

missions

2009-02-16T12:58:00.005-06:00

i was reading the a chapter of don't waste your life by john piper the other day. also, reading holy discontent by bill hybels. a dangerous combination, for sure...

holy discontent had a line that is sticking with me... he says,

Friends, in what other life are you going to go all out? We all have one shot and one shot only to leave a lasting legacy--a definitive mark on this world... A legacy that says, "I have been trusted to carry God's message of hope to an aching, fractured world in need, and I refuse to rest until my role in that is fulfilled." page 136 (holy discontent).

what a great line! what other life? we live that way, don't we? as if our time here doesn't always matter. or, we live as if what we are building is going to last forever...either way, it is not reality. the opposite is true. what we build here isn't making it into heaven and every minute here counts! i ought to live that way...

Piper states this from the Bethlehem Institute Affirmation of Faith

When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and the goal of missions. (p162 don't waste your life)

wow! what a great thought! missions is a temporary necessity, but worship abides forever! worship, like singing? not exactly, yes, but that isn't all of it. worship like a life style. worship, like giving. worship, like loving. worship, like thanksgiving! that kind of worship, your life. my life. the fuel for missions is that God's name isn't being worshipped! God alone is worthy of honor and glory and those things are going out to far less things than God.

somehow in my life, right now, these two thoughts are being connected. they are birthing something in my heart. but i didn't get the ultrasound...so, no idea what it is yet... but, it is very cool. i always thought God would pop something into my head and poof! there my idea would be and attached to it would me a road map. i am finding, right now, He is slowly unfolding something in my heart. it is a lot less like a poof and a lot more like a process. i think it always has been, i was just looking for the wrong thing.

back to normal...kind of

2009-02-16T06:00:00.002-06:00

monday morning, 5 AM, work out...not much of one though, it kicked my butt! at least i am on the path back to working out and starting my day off right!

wow! we had a good weekend! friday afternoon i picked the kids up, actually about noon, we surprised mommy at work with some flowers. then the kids and i went to the discovery center...always a blast! we met kim downtown at nona's for an early dinner...just a great day/night. saturday, kim got up early (thats a big deal!) and got me some starbucks coffee and breakfast in bed! thanks mommy! eric had a ball game later that day, my friend Hayward got to go to that with us...always a plus to hang out with Hayward! then we came home to prepare our fancy night at home, valentines dinner! we had steak and lobster tail! all of us got dressed up in our fancy clothes and ate in the formal dining room. it was a lot of fun! i hope to have some pics sometime in the future, i'll post them here when i get them.

then sunday...early service at JRA, and i knew from the moment we walked in that it was going to be impacting. i saw missions banners up along the stair well in the foyer, and just had a feeling that it was good to be going to church with my family! it has been several weeks since we have been together. we come in and they are doing this drum beat tribal thing with dancers and fire and video...it was pretty awesome. then John shared a little about cuba and they showed a video about cuba...very cool what God is doing in cuba. then, dan betzer, from first assembly fort meyers, fl spoke on missions and faith giving. let me interject here...i am not a big, capital fund-raising giving guy. i have never been a part of any pledge deal or anything like that. it all sounds too churchy to me and i'm out on it. but this day was different, kim and i are trusting in God to provide an amount of money that we can not. and when He does, we are giving it to missions around the world! we will get to partner in making a difference all around the world. simply, b/c we are trusting in God to do what we can not.

i am not doing the service justice with my brief babbling about it...but it was awesome!

in short, too late for that, we had a great weekend and it is really good to be home! hope your weekend was good too! later

tired and longing

2009-02-12T05:15:00.002-06:00

it is 5 am. i cant sleep. i am in my third hotel room in five days. i am ready to get home later today. i have been away from home 10 out of the last 15 days. i really really miss my family.

yet i am extremely blessed and thankful for this time in my life.

just saying....

the brain,

2009-02-08T19:44:00.004-06:00

the brain is a crazy organ! is it classified as an organ? i dont even know...and im too tired to look it up.

i have a thousand things on my mind. i am in a strange city a long way from home, starting a new customer up tomorrow morning...at 3:30 AM EST! , i miss my family, i havent really been around for a few days in the office, so i feel like i am losing my grasp on leading our company a little bit, AND most of all.. i am praying like crazy for some very dear friends of mine,

the brain is crazy how it organizes things...things that seem important sometimes get shuffled to the back. when things that seemingly dont affect me, well, they get ushered to the front. i dont get it. it must be how God workis things out, i guess.

but, i am trusting, a tremendous amount, in God tonight. i listened to a lot of songs on my trip out here, all about the glory of God. be glorified, in me....be glorified....in me. that one keeps sticking out in my head. it is my prayer. if you are inclined to do such things....pray with me! for my friends....God knows the rest...

thanks!

slacker!

2009-02-05T09:12:00.005-06:00

wow, i have been a slacker! listen to my excuse though...it's a good one..... i have been busy, crazy busy! AND i have been on vacation! that is kind of an oxymoron, huh?

either way, it is the truth. slammed busy, which i am so thankful to God for. there is no other explanation other than God's favor is with our company. and i decided a while back that when i went on vacation, 9 guys in Breckenridge, CO, i decided...no computer!, no mobile blogging!, no technology at all. just hanging out and learning to ski. i'm 34 and have never snow skied.

i picked it up pretty quick. thanks to david potter for sticking with me and teaching me! here are a few pics, they do not do justice to how amazing God's creation is! if you could look at these mountains and have the image of the sun setting into the ocean. you have to just stand in awe at how creative our God is. unbelievable!! even more unbelievable is the fact that he calls each one of us to a purpose. he has a plan for each of us and he considers us... in fact, he asks us to be partakers of the promise.

i love holding onto memories... they inspire me when i am not feeling too inspired.

upwards basketball...

2009-01-20T20:23:00.002-06:00

i help coach eric's upward basketball team. each practice, half way through the practice we have a devotional time. this is how tonight's went down.

we were talking about why Jesus came. what it is like to be found versus being lost, Luke 15...etc... so, i asked the question. do you guys know what sin is? eric raised his hand and started to answer... this is what he said,

sin is what Jesus came and died on the cross for. and it is what gets in our heart and keeps our heart from beating and....

i looked at the other coach, and we both started laughing out loud. not at him, but just his answer... the other coach said, that is exactly right buddy!

and i guess, if you think about it... theologically, it is exactly correct. sin keeps your spiritual heart from beating and bringing life to the rest of your life. thanks for the insight eric cooper !!! :-)

sunday/monday morning

2009-01-19T06:46:00.002-06:00

we decided to visit CFC yesterday. it was good to go back and visit with people we had not seen in a long time. it was also very good to worship with my buddy leading...we have visited a lot of churches, big and small, the group at CFC has got to be one of the most authentic group of lead worshippers i have seen. it is just good! chris jones brought the word...it was good. challenging, thought provoking...very good!

so, this morning i went to work out. i decided to push myself a little bit...i normally run/walk for about 25 minutes or 2 to 2.25 miles. this morning i decided to set some new goals for myself...35 minutes, which ended up being a little over 2.75 miles. not very far for the time...but i am building up to it. i love getting the day started like that. itunes going with a good mix of nickelback, charlie hall, DCB, daughtery, a little U2 and a few others...

i think it makes me think more clearly throughout the day. sounds good, anyway! lol gotta run...later

daddy

2009-01-14T21:30:00.005-06:00

i had a moment this afternoon when God spoke to me. not like, HEY DANIEL, or anything like that. but like this, i told my little girl..."i love you baby!" she kept playing at her table. the rest went like this:

me - kiki...do you love your daddy?

kinley - yeah

me - why?

kinley - just because

me - is it because i love you?

kinley - uh-huh

the Holy Spirit - that is why you love me, right daniel? that is why you love me. that's how it works with you and me. and i love you way more than you could ever love that little girl.

it is from this verse

murphy's law

2009-01-13T20:50:00.002-06:00

everytime you get in a routine, it could get interrupted. post a desired schedule of what routine you are trying to get into on the internet...it will definitely get interrupted! had to be in OK at 8 this morning...

be back tomorrow...

i'm back...

2009-01-12T08:12:00.003-06:00

well i'm back. not that i ever took an announced "leave" from blogging. i just gave it a rest for a week or so. i started this morning posting some thoughts as i read through the book of colossians over on the other site....
i am about 5 days into a fitness routine. 5 AM is early! but i have to say...what a great way to start the day. i am only doing 25-30 minutes on the treadmill and then some free weights. i try to get done by 6-6:15. that way i can get home and spend some time praying, reading and posting on just9moreminutes ,before i need to leave the house.
i am happy that our small group gets back to meeting tonight! we have had about a month break...so it will be good to be back in somewhat of a flow.

well. i need to get some work done. hope you have a great day!

update from africa

2009-01-08T18:03:00.004-06:00

a few of my friends are in africa at the moment. they have been there for a little over a week. i have been getting prayer updates on the team this week. i received this one this evening...

Dear Prayer Team,

I have an amazing report from the team in Africa! Tonight, they went to the village called Maurena to show the Jesus Film. There were over 700 people there to watch the video and after it was over, 58 people came forward to receive Christ! Praise God for what He is doing in Mali!

how stinking cool is that!!! according to luke 15, 58 parties in heaven! 58 people's lives changed for eternity...half way around the world...

no more words...

it's time

2009-01-08T06:28:00.003-06:00

i started working out this morning. one of my resolutions...to take better care of this body that God gave me. my mom got me a membership to a local fitness place, so...thanks mom! as i was working out, run/walking and later doing a few reps of free weights, i had a memory. you know how things totally un-related pop into your head at the weirdest times?

i went to a national youth workers convention in ... i think, 2003. maybe late '02, doesn't matter. anyway, i was relatively new christian, someone bought me a ticket to this thing and it helped to impart a vision that God had for my life. it changed the trajectory of my life. i hadn't thought about it for a long time. the theme was RENOVATUS, the latin word that we get our word, renovate. That is what working out is to me, tearing you down and kicking your ___! in order to make you better. I often forget the latter part of that statement, mostly because i don't think about it when i am in the process. i think about how hard it is to get up at 5 AM and run, or to get up in the morning and pray. huh? i thought you were talking about your physical body, working out...what happened??? FOR ME, it is the same with my spiritual work out as well. in order to restore something, you must first tear it down to the core of what it is. you must strip away all of the imperfections, all the rust, dirt, grime, old paint, old ugly shag carpet...whatever it is, you have to tear it down in order to restore it to it's once beautiful condition.

i think that could be my theme for 2009. renovatus. be honest with yourself and others and rip away every bit of imperfection in me, so that He can restore me...

if you got serious about restoration, you might find you would be like one of these people with a cardboard testimony.

back and forth

2009-01-04T22:30:00.000-06:00

one of the coolest things about leading anything is when you have someone you led, lead you. i am not the greatest leader by any stretch of the imagination. i am not in any category of great leaders, but i was a leader when a kid named aaron hill was in a youth group at hopedale baptist church. i cant really claim any of his accomplishments or anything...but it was a cool night, to say the least.

tonight he preached his first sermon...he did awesome! i didnt think he was nervous or fidgety, he didnt stutter or say, umm, 50 times. and he taught the word of God. he encouraged me and challenged me. he taught from romans 12....and the one thing that stuck with me was when he commented on the fitting together of the body of Christ. paul writes this in verses 4-6 (the MSG)

In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.

aaron and i had lunch on wed. i told him about where i was with church and ministry and all that stuff. kind of in a place of seeking/learning/resting...but what aaron had to offer on this passage encouraged me to maybe move along a little. i would hate to be a toe and not be functioning as a toe. to just be cut off, not being a toe...that would suck! and it wouldn't only suck for me...according to aaron and..well, paul...it wouldn't be good for the body to not have a toe, either.

thanks aaron...very cool to see leadership go back and forth!

year end

2008-12-30T08:38:00.002-06:00

it's here...the end of the year 2008. wow! that does not seem possible, does it? where did the time go? what did i accomplish with my time in the year 2008? 8,760 hours...how many of them counted? all of them count, but how many counted? the hope of new resolutions, a clean slate! a new, God willing, 8,760 hours to live out.

this post right here is a good thought for the year end ...err, the new year beginning! I have not done that yet, but I am going to. And one of my resolutions will probably be to procrastinate less...lol

i am sitting here trying to think of regrets that i might have had over the past year, i am sure there are some, but i cant think of any. i have a ton of hopes/goals for next year, spiritual, personal, business...you name it, i have some ideas of goals in mind. i'm not ready to write them down on the world wide web as of yet...maybe in the next few days or so!

i'm off to paint my office! hope you all have a happy, safe, and FUN new year!

i love christmas presents

2008-12-25T09:24:00.001-06:00

one quick thought before Christmas morn...

2008-12-24T22:26:00.002-06:00

we went to mckinley's Christmas concert at hopdale last sunday night. it is always good to see all of those kids up there singing and performing. it is also good to go back and see what kim and i would still call home...i started serving in youth ministry there...so, it is and prob will always will be home.

anyway, as is normally the case, most of the kids were up there standing mostly still and singing. then there was this one little girl that kept dancing and spinning and moving and talking and...you know, acting up. the teacher sitting on the front row with her was about to lose it, i was laughing at the whole thing. there is always one...

then i got to thinking, isnt that the joy of Christmas. just singing and dancing and spinning and moving and talking... we try to get our kids to sit still, behave, be polite... maybe we miss the point and that little girl gets it!

i hope our Christmas and yours is filled with JOY! uncontrollable, spinning, singing, laughing, talking, crazy JOY!

the biggest gap

2008-12-24T06:09:00.005-06:00

well, this could be the biggest gap ever between two related posts. i have been out of town with the family last weekend, just taking a break...which didnt end up too relaxing, but that is another post. and i was in oklahoma working sunday night thru yesterday afternoon. so, lots of thoughts between this post ,about my new friend mike, and today's post.

here are a few...

i kind of set you up. you could have read the last post and went, wow...that daniel sure does have a "heart for the lost", he was willing to be in somewhere they serve beer just to witness to someone... ok, you probably didnt think that exactly...but you get my point.

OR you could have thought, wow! that daniel sure is an idiot...you cant go around buying beer for sinners and expect them to be saved! daniel sure is "back sliding", he is the one who might need to be saved...again... he has been going to that assemblies of God church... lol

well, i've thought versions of both scenario's. here is the reality of it. i almost didn't say anything to mike. i almost just clammed up...you know why? sins of commission. some how in my talking with someone about Jesus, i automatically focus on what i am doing, and if i can be a "good enough witness". how in the world does one man's lack of a connection to the Creator of everything get turned into something about me and my depravity? i don't know, that is my answer... i don't know. but here are two things i think it could be;

a conviction of the Holy Spirit. the Holy Spirit could be convicting me of my actions and saying, "hey...what are you doing?" "you don't need to be here"
an enemy saying, "you are not good enough to say anything about this Jesus you believe in" "you are a loser and everyone in here is going to look at you like you are a loser if you start talking about Jesus" "you freak" "religious whacko" ... you get the point

i am not for sure which it was that night, maybe some of both. i don't know!

i think, i have been conditioned to respond to sins of commission, the sins i commit. i feel guilty, i repent, then i do it all over again. i tend not to feel that way about sins of omission, the sin of apathy and doing nothing. i have walked away from dozens of opportunities to talk about Jesus and after a day or so...i stop feeling bad about missing the opportunity.

i once heard a guy speaking about sharing the Gospel, he shared with an atheist. the atheist told him that if that were true... if the only way to have life was to follow Jesus, if God came to earth and died on a cross to take away the penalty of mine and your sins. then this atheist said he would crawl over broken glass to tell the world about this Gospel.

right after i originally posted about this experience with mike last week, i saw this post on SCL. it is about what a christian should be vs. what a christian is. and then, on the same site i saw this video from penn of penn and teller.

in a season where everyone is blogging, merry christmas, ask your self... what does it mean to me, Christ came, what does that mean to me? and, how am i going to tell everyone i meet about the Saviour who came?

Merry Christmas!

a guy i met...

2008-12-19T06:39:00.002-06:00

i met a guy while i was in tulsa wed. night. i was out with one of my customers and got to visiting with this other guy... it seems almost surreal, looking back, it was totally random. anyway, we got to talking. sharing about family and past jobs, etc... and he tells me that he has three girls and five grand kids (he is probably 50). then he says, one of his grand kids is no longer with us. he died when he was 4 1/2 years old. a household accident and the little boy lost his life. i was caught off guard, to say the conversation switched gears is an understatement. i told my new friend that i had lost my brother 6 years ago and i shared with him the story of how. he had a similar reaction to mine just seconds before this. ok...time out now.

let me fill you in on some details. we are in a casino bar. my new friend is a poker dealer and i had sat at his table earlier in the night and we got acquainted that way. when he walked up, i asked if i could buy him a beer...b/c i thought he was a nice guy. he had helped me out on a few plays and he was good at his job. so we aren't exactly in a spiritual setting...it is pretty busy in this place... but it really is like it was he and i...i said to him, i dont know what you will think about this, and i am not a whacko...but if it hadnt been for Jesus, i wouldnt have made it. and more than that i wouldnt be who i am today. and i went on to tell him a little more about me... he just kind of stepped back and said, "i'm not there yet". and we dropped it and went back to small talk and getting to know one another.

so, if you are inclined to do such things... i would ask that you pray for my friend "mike". i will try and keep you updated on our relationship as time goes on. i will try and fill you in on more details of this story as i have time. have a great day!

new blog

2008-12-16T08:30:00.004-06:00

this one time when my wife and i were on vacation with some friends. the girls went shopping and the guys went to play golf. when we all got back together, my wife says, "i bought you this green shirt, i wasn't for sure if you would like it or not....so, i bought you two of them." i was like, huh? it wasn't "exactly" like that, but very similar and that is the short version.
anyway, that was kind of my idea with starting another blog. i am not really that good at writing on one...so what the heck, i'll start another one! you are like, huh??
i started this blog this morning. you can read about it there, but basically i started it to have a place to keep me accountable, share some insights, and to focus this one a little on to something else.

so... enjoy!! have a good day! and check it out at www.just9moreminutes.blogspot.com .

honestly??

2008-12-12T05:52:00.006-06:00

i went to jra on wed. night, curt preached a message that has stuck with me this week. it is something the Lord has been teaching me for a while now. the idea is, do we only expect God to show up in the sensational environments...and if we do, do we miss Him in the ordinary. in the day to day things of life, do we miss Him.

it got me to thinking...is my blog an accurate depiction of who i am, or is it a highlight reel? this guy, whom i do not personally know but his is my favorite blog to read, is challenging me on the topic of, honesty and transparency. so, i went back and looked through some of my post. and THEN i looked at the gaps between some of the posts, and i thought about that time. where was i? what was i doing?

here is the bottom line, i am not a super smart spiritual person. i yell at my kids when i am in a hurry and they all of a sudden decide to be the slowest human beings on the face of the planet, i cuss enough to make a sailor blush on certain days, i look out for number one most of the time, there are way more days that i dont read my bible and dont have profound thoughts than days that i do, i love stuff!...cars, tv's, phones, toys...etc...

i guess that really isnt the bottom line, this is... i know that without the grace of Jesus, i am nothing. and i know that you gotta love a God who says, you ARE jacked up...but i can work with that if you would just come on...follow me.

so i guess my point is this (and it is mostly directed at me...lol) , quit focussing on how jacked up you are and quit portraying something your not! start focusing on the One who tells you that He can work through you, despite how jacked up you are or i am! one story in the bible makes me think of this, peter. peter disowns Jesus 3 times, but later in Acts or the rest of the new testament...you read about peter leading a super natural life. pretty amazing...

just wanted to be a little open n honest today...have a great weekend!

jacked up.... pt deux

2008-12-11T06:30:00.001-06:00

here are some examples of what i am talking about... (this is going to be long...fyi)

Jesus says...

"and why do you worry about clothes? see how the lilies of the field grow. they do not labor or spin. yet i tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, ... will he not much more clothe you, o you of little faith? So do not worry, ... , and your heavenly Father knows you need them. but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of its own.(emphasis mine) matthew 6:28-34

how much time do you spend worrying? i do it all the time...why? no faith!

Jesus says...

"do not judge, or you too will be judged. for in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (matthew 7:1-2)

do you judge people? i do it all the time...why? i don't know.

Jesus says...

"ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. for everyone who ask receives; he who seeks find; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (matthew 7:7-8)

do you ask and expect to receive? i don't always...why? little faith

Jesus says...

so in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prohets. (matthew 7:12)

do you always treat others the way you would want to be treated? i dont always...why? i am selfish.

one note on this last verse...Jesus takes the extremely difficult concept of living life and interacting with people and trying to figure out how to live the "christian life"....and he boils it down to this one simple statement...everything that has ever been told, all the people who were foretelling the coming of God, what they all meant to say is this...treat people the way you want to be treated! kind of to say, if you can do that. the world, it will be ok, if you just treat people the way you want to be treated.

pretty simple, huh? i gotta run...go treat someone the way you want to be treated today.

jacked up...

2008-12-08T06:37:00.002-06:00

i am reading through the gospels...matthew 5 and 6 right now and they have me jacked up. i think that i know what Jesus was about. i think i know what living a Christian life is about and then i go back and read Matthew 5 and 6 , then i realize after not reading this very often...that i have it messed up. i remember that my sin is a big deal to God, and Jesus isn't going to wink at me at the end of the day and say..."it's ok daniel, i died for that, so it is ok ; )" (i dont know if Jesus gets emoticons or not...i just thought i would put one there in case he does)

it is still early and i havent completed my thought process yet, so maybe i will post more on this later today...but you should go and read this. see how you measure up to what Jesus is teaching... i dont measure up real well. (i think this is one way the Holy Spirit works.)

Bible reading thoughts

2008-12-05T12:03:00.005-06:00

it has been a while since i posted one of these...i had a minute, so, here is what i am thinking about today...

in Matthew 4 i read about the calling of the first disciples, and i had to ask...what is it about these guys that they instinctively dropped everything to follow Jesus? you can read about it here. how "holy" and "spritual" were these guys that they gave up everything they knew to follow the One they didnt really know...i mean, surely they had heard of Jesus...surely they must have had some foreknowledge and had seen something amazing in Him to be able to drop everything and just follow...right?

If you clicked the above link, you didnt read this verse. this verse got me to thinking today...a little detail i have looked over. the verse says, he saw two brothers..., maybe they had not been seen before, maybe they just did their job every day just like you and me and had never really been seen or noticed. and maybe no one had ever called on them to follow, to believe that they could actually do what Jesus was going to lead them to do... maybe it wasn't that they saw something so great in Jesus, maybe it was that Jesus saw something so great in them! maybe he even sees it in you and i...

maybe i am reading too much into it, but, for me...this is huge! to know that Jesus sees me is inspiring, to know that he believes in me to do what he is calling me to...that, to put it mildly, is helpful information!

and, in reference to fran and my comments on my last post, this fact seems huge to me. they were doing their job, they were fishermen...and Jesus simply says, come follow me, i will make you fishers of men. i will take what you know, and make it more important, more lasting...i will take your normal job and make it spiritual! no smoke, no big experience, just come and follow me...that's it. that's all you have to do...i will do the rest.... and i believe that you can do it, b/c i see you...i know what you're doing...i see you working and i believe i can take your normal job and if you follow me, i will turn it into something tremendous for my name!

this is where i am at today....you too? (inside joke...lol)

great post

2008-12-02T21:15:00.003-06:00

just thought i would share this post from mark batterson . it is about the civil forum on global health sponsored by saddle back church, with their pastor rick warren. just go and read the post...

Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T23:05:00.003-06:00

i hope you had a great thanksgiving. it is one of my favorite holidays...just a great time of reflection and thanks for who i am and all that i have been given. this particular thanksgiving, i got to catch up on some reading...in between gorging myself at meals! i read Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. great book if you are interested in learning more about following the Holy Spirit in your day to day life.

i relaxed a lot this past week! hung out with family, ate a ton and read. how bout you? what is your favorite holiday?

facebook...

2008-12-01T23:01:00.002-06:00

i turned my facebook back on. it has been off for a while, i turned it back on a while back and have kicked around using it lately. i just wasted time on it and myspace when i had them. myspace was my networking channel of preference, i do not get facebook. i dont know how to use it very well, we'll see how long it lasts this time.... if you have one, let me know, add me as a friend.

challenging...

2008-11-24T22:35:00.008-06:00

john lindell has been teaching through the book of luke for a while now, i dont know how long...but a long, long time! the last few months or so has been really good to dig into luke 19 through 23 or so. something keeps bothering me, it keeps challenging me, so...i decided to do a little digging on my own. let me just tell you the part that has been bothering me...Jesus rides in to jerusalem, on a donkey, to the praises of almost everyone in the city. they sing praise to Him, they shout Hosanna to the highest! then, not a week goes by, NOT A WEEK! and the jewish leaders have Jesus arrested, pull a sham of a trial, take him to pilate, who takes him to herod, who sends him back to pilate...both find no guilt in anything he has done, BUT the jewish leaders still demand to crucify him. so, where are all the people that were shouting Hosanna in the highest? there are crowds yelling to crucify him, but where are all the people who were praising him not even a week earlier? had the religious leaders convinced all of them that Jesus was not who he claimed to be and needed to be crucified?

here is what i am finding. i dont know exactly. i dont find all the specific answers. to be honest with you, it hacks me off, i get very angry when i think about where in the world could these people have been? i mean seriously, Jesus had just healed some people, he was teaching in the temple and the people were amazed...so where in the h-e double hockey sticks were they? why didnt they come to at least stand up for Jesus? i dont know.

here is what i do know. my anger towards them, it can be directed towards myself a large part of the time. this is what i am learning... Jesus healed me, i have stood in awe of Jesus...and when there are people who are living lives for so much less than Jesus, it is very rarely, if ever, that i speak up and tell them why my life matters now, why my life has purpose, who it was that saved my soul and gave me purpose! so my challenge is to take some of that anger and some of the frustration towards people that i dont know, nor do i have much of an idea of what the circumstances were, the people, who i don't know where they were when the mobs were yelling to crucify. i am going to take some of that frustration and anger to fuel my fire. to love people who are not so lovable, and to say something! our faith has to have action ... otherwise, how much can we say that we really believe what we believe? that is my challenge to myself...to not be like the people that didnt speak up...

would you join me? in not being like the crowds...not in some judgmental, hypocritical way...but with love. would you join me?

another busy week...great weekend

2008-11-22T20:18:00.005-06:00

i had a great, busy, long week! a lot of traveling, i was in oklahoma on tuesday, home that evening. local on wed., oklahoma again on thursday, local on friday. thurs was a long day, i left here at 5:45 or so, was back home around 4:30, upwards b-ball training @ 6:30, spoke at icthus at MSU @ 9, potter's afterwards, home around 1:00 am.

icthus was really cool, short notice deal. i was at potter's house on tuesday night and a girl, i found out later named carrie, said... "hey daniel, what are you doing thursday night?" kinda weird...i did not know who she was or what she wanted. she, carrie, is on the leadership at icthus..they needed someone to speak at their weekly gathering. i had plenty of excuses...but she convinced me to come and hang out with them. i have gotten the opportunity to hang out with them the last 3 years...GREAT group of young people.

this weekend has been fun. we got to hang out with our cousin lane, barb, schawo and claire (a friend from kim's work) . we went downtown to eat at nona's, great place, then we went to big momma's for an improv comedy show...it was ok, then we went to a couple of clubs. the girls wanted to go dancing. so...after much debate...we did, or... they danced we watched. what a great time to go and people watch! i was reminded that i dont miss that life. that used to be my life...and i dont miss it at all. but man, my heart goes out to the people who live their life in that way. the promise of a lesser life, the part in a smaller story, an empty promise.

one really funny story...well, if you know schawo, you should ask him about it...

thanksgiving day is tomorrow! at meme and grumps (kim's mom and dad) thanksgiving day meal! i love it!!! happy thanksgiving day! i am thankful for the life i have now!

more pics and thoughts...

2008-11-17T13:06:00.002-06:00

a great picture from one of "the crazy" guys from the FBC youth group. you know the ones...the "funny ones". this group of guys are different though, they have a real sense of what it is to live spiritually and have fun. they love Jesus and they love to goof off... it really is very cool.

well, i had to laugh when i drove up on these guys...this is the adopt-a-stream group. that is fort st behind jim, fort and sunset...they apparently found this shopping cart along the stream clean up, along with the stick in jim's hand. he proceeded to go underneath the waterway and emerged victoriously on this side...all the while staying upright. i didnt want to see him get hurt, but i secretly did want to see him fall and get soaked! it was only 30 degrees outside!!

i was beat last night! it has been a while since i have tried to hang with HS and JHS students...i still can, it just takes longer to re-cooperate! as i sat vegging out last night, watching seinfeld, it was the episode where the restaurant goes in across from jerry's apt. he wants him to succeed, but no one has ever stayed in that particular location for more than a couple of months. you know that place right? anyway, jerry decides to go and help the guy out. babu, the owner, is so thankful for jerry's input that he decides to take his advice and close down for renovation and re-open serving only pakistani food. jerry has this conversation in his head, praising himself for how much he cares for the un-cared for. he pats himself on the back for taking the "effort" to go and reach out to this poor foreigner and give him some unsolicited advice/help. if you have seen this episode you know how it ends...the restaurant goes out of business!

i think i am like that sometimes, and this weekend reminded me why we help out and why we serve. it really has very little to do with us. oh, we get the benefit of feeling good about accomplishing something. but thanks be to God, that we don't do it for that...but to shine the light back on the One who has given us everything we could ever dream of and more!

one last pic from the weekend...the fools who urged jim on! these are your fearless volunteer leaders! some of the greatest hearts...future church/mission/ministry leaders!! pretty cool...

d-now weekend

2008-11-16T20:46:00.005-06:00

what a weekend! i had the privilege of teaching at a disciple now this weekend at first baptist church in springfield. i have done a couple of different things over the past couple of years with this group. i love hanging out with this group of students...they're some great kids in this group!

the pic is of one of the service projects they did on saturday. this particular group went to the campbell-gray homestead at nathaniel green park. another group was cleaning up an adopted section of south creek. i will show a pretty funny pic from that later... and yet another group was helping to put a community garden, that they started, to bed for the winter. pulling weeds, preparing the soil, putting down weed barrier, etc...

consumerism part two...one isnt enough. lol

2008-11-12T22:16:00.002-06:00

not long after i posted my last thoughts on consumerism, i saw this video on the Q blog. check it out here. it is an 18 minute talk from chris seay, a pastor from the houston area. i hadnt ever heard him talk before...it is good and worth the time.

you can find more info to the advent conspiracy that he mentions at the end of his talk here .

consumerism

2008-11-10T08:37:00.006-06:00

whith christmas right around the corner...the question of consumerism has been rattling around my head. i dont know if you remember the video i posted a while back, but it was on the story of stuff pretty powerful video...so if you havent watched, go now and then come back and finish this.

here is why it has me thinking...we (kim, the kids and i) have been searching for a church. (i use the word searching pretty lightly) we have been looking for a church and really enjoy jra. i have come to grips with the fact that it is a mega-church. you know the thing about it though, is the pastor TEACHES the word of God. he isnt a preacher, he is a teacher...that is huge for us. we love the kids programs, the music is really good...but if i am not careful, i will (and sometimes do) become a consumer of God. the great services have effect on me, but then i look for another to lift me back up. i enjoy this guy, but not the other guy. i like when someone leads worship more than someone else and i become a shopper to the things of God.

instead of being consumed by God, i become a consumer... HUGE difference in the economy of God. God is not looking for consumers, He is looking for those who are willing to be consumed by Him for His glory! the greatest part for you and me? we get God and we get to play a supporting role in His-story! that to me, seems much more invigorating, much more vital, much more appealing than just sitting idly by and shopping the things of God and consuming what we want...

just a little monday morning rant for you! lol i have to get it all out here before this weekend. i am speaking at a d-now in springfield this weekend. so, lots of thoughts and ideas going through my little brain.

be consumed!

election post...funny

2008-11-04T20:42:00.006-06:00

this is a pretty funny story! eric has been asking quite a few questions lately about the election. who you voting for daddy? what does it mean when someone says he is too liberal? stuff like that...

well, he stayed at meme's last night and went to the polling center with her to vote today. meme's neighbor has an obama sign...eric thought he ought to make his own sign. ON HIS OWN...he came up with the idea to make this sign! he took it to the polling place with him, after they finished up, they decided to go have a picnic. eric wanted to take his sign with him...that's fine...but they had to park in front of the taney county democratic headquarters! they noticed eric's sign and had to come out and visit with him. i am not sure how that conversation went...but i would have liked to been able to listen in.

so, we had no idea of any of this until late this afternoon...we had arranged to pick eric up at the hwy EE and hwy 65 intersection at 5 PM. we had heard of the sign...but were not prepared to see what we saw as we exited off of the highway! this picture was taken at 5:00 PM on the side of the hwy EE.... kim and i died laughing!!

eric's grumps (grandfather) had asked him...who are your parent's voting for? eric answered... i don't know. he made his own decision. he based it on an ad he saw on tv...something barack obama had said that eric thought sounded ugly. another funny thing about the sign was where it found it's home. papa (my dad) is an obama supporter... so, he got the sign in his yard!!!!

i hope you voted. i can not believe how great of a nation we live in that we are allowed to pick who will lead our nation. i can not fathom the sacrifices of those who have went before me and my son, those who gave their life for our right to cast a ballot. i hope you teach your kids not to trash anyone because of what they believe, but you teach them to stand up for what they believe. i hope you can agree to disagree and pray for all of our leaders.

what is up with this?!

2008-11-02T06:51:00.003-06:00

i had to mow the yard yesterday! november 1st and i was mowing the stinking yard! i thought there was some kind of deal with God that we are cursed and have to mow, BUT he was going to give us, who live in the midwest, some grace and not make us mow after the middle of september.

i think eric barb got me to thinking about this in this post about hair...

what other kind of unwritten deals do we have?

did you see this?

2008-10-30T23:05:00.004-05:00

some good reading

2008-10-30T20:56:00.003-05:00

so, i told you why i dont blog sometimes...so, i thought i would just show you some really good stuff that I am reading on the web...

Gary Lamb is talking about "change" this week. This post was pretty much a kick in the junk about being selfish.
Jon Acuff over at SCL had a great post today! I love his sense of humor and the truth he conveys.
Carlos Whitaker showed his heart in this post about his wife and her looking at porn!
Seth Godin posted an article written by another guy that is absolutely inspiring and phenomenal!

those are just a few of the things that are stretching me. enjoy!

btw...did you notice my punctuation in the above list? nice, huh...i am growing up i guess...lol

why i dont blog

2008-10-29T08:57:00.004-05:00

i come to this page here sometimes, and i get distracted. i read what others are saying before i say anything. then my thoughts get all jumbled up and my time was spent on reading intsead of saying. (which i am pretty sure i learn more that way...lol) OR what i want to say is said much more eloquently some where else...so i just move on to the next project.

not sure if this matters to anyone, just wanted to give you my excuse for today as to why i dont blog much! haha...

i am being stretched as a leader and i am growing/being stretched in my spiritual walk. i just dont know how much of it i want to talk about on here. so, if you are into praying and stuff....i would appreciate prayer.

have a good week!

a little serious...and a lot funny

2008-10-24T21:28:00.002-05:00

we went to dinner tonight at angeli's. i asked if eric would like to pray for us at dinner. he said, "sure!" he started praying and about 1/3 of the way through, kinley yelled, "AMEN!". eric replied, "NO!". then resumed praying like nothing had happened, saying..."sorry about that Lord...."

kim and i have had quite the laugh over that all night tonight!

who i am...

2008-10-24T14:21:00.004-05:00

who i am...i am reminded today, and quite a bit here lately, about who i am. fran had left this comment mentioning that she had been digging into a particular verse in lamentations. It sparked an interest with me...i read lamentations 3 and then i had to do some digging of my own. who wrote this book, what was the context, who was he writing to... i kept coming back to chp. 3 though, and i couldnt help but notice the change that occurs in the believed author Jeremiah. he is mad at God at first, or at least he is willing to be honest about how he feels, which is revealed in v. 1-20 . then something happens, he says this in v. 21, "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope." this isnt a bible lecture, so i wont un-pack the rest of the text...but the verses that follow describe that hope. it describes an understanding of sorts, a peace.

Oct. 24, 1972. Scotty was born. my brother...he has been gone nearly 6 and a half years now. he would have been 36 today. man, i miss him. and although i was angry and i don't understand why, i now have hope and i know that it is ok. and who i am today, is largely due to what God has done in my life, through scotty's death. that is why i have hope. that is how i know that Jesus Christ lives. that is who i am...

(the pic is of scotty and our nephew, julian...several years back!)

watch this!

2008-10-19T22:28:00.004-05:00

you have to watch this video! i would love to know what questions this raises in your mind.

first saw this here

the picture...

2008-10-18T08:11:00.004-05:00

i have told several of you the story behind the picture as the header of my blog. for the others that i havent...here it is.

we went on a family vacation 2 years ago to california. we visited my sister and her family up around sacramento. while we were with them we traveled to san francisco for a weekend. we got to visit alcatraz, ride the cable cars, tour the city, go across the golden gate bridge...as i think about it, we accomplished a ton in a short amount of time! anyway, the picture came from one of the piers at san francisco, i cant remember which one. we were walking around by pier 39 and we just decided to walk up a ways and there was this thing(the pic). i am not even sure what it is called. there are signs in the pic...but of course, i didnt read those! the sun was setting and that ship was out in the bay and everything just kind of fell into place for what turned out to be a great picture. (i took about 20 to get that one...gotta love digital!)

if you are ever out that way, check out the pier. there is a ton to see there, including the sea lions. that could have been one of our best vacations.

have a great weekend!

a touch of conviction...

2008-10-16T14:51:00.007-05:00

i might...just maybe...have been a little negative in the posts below. and i am feeling a little bit of conviction now that i have went back and read it. you know what excuses are like, but anyway...here are mine: i am tired of hearing all the talk and no answers for current political and economic situations, i was tired last night and i was watching the debate...JUST ANSWER THE QUESTIONS! (nuff said bout that), i do get a little tired of the wacko christians who come out in uncertain time and try to scare the hell out of people. it is such a pathetic ploy...and it is not sustainable. what happens when the economy turns around and the world doesnt end? party-on i guess...that is another rant and i can feel my blood pressure rising...lol

so, conviction. it is a good thing, it is a frustrating thing, it is almost like a nagging in your soul...the one that you hate to admit to that you were wrong...but you were...so you have to. so, i admit i could have been a little negative and i'm sorry.

but now! i read psalm 24:1-2 today. that made me feel a little better about everything going on.

The Earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

i find so much comfort in that. EVERYTHING! that would be money, stock markets, republicans, democrats, oil, gas, people, houses, cars, ...you get the point! He founded it....He founded it....that settles my soul a little, no... A LOT! I think this verse has been used in my life to almost be a justification for things i wanted to do. today i view it as justification for the Lord to do whatever He wants to. it is His and He is in control, there are no surprises coming for Him.

this was good for me, dont know where you are....but hope this helps!

economy, sub-prime loans, presidential campaign...blah, blah

2008-10-15T21:16:00.003-05:00

i know all this stuff is really, really, really important. but honestly, i feel like everyone is just saying the same $h*t over and over! ( can i almost say that on here?) is this the end times, are we in for an economic meltdown, is the next president really going to change anything, or is it just the times that change....these are all rhetorical, kind of...

i dont really have any thoughts on this stuff, any that matter anyway. i just wonder who is telling the truth. on any of it! i am tired of hearing it all.

sorry...just had to get that off my chest.

i love our country though! it may be broken down or messed up...but there is a tenacity to us that you cant keep us down.

redneck...

2008-10-12T22:57:00.002-05:00

i am not nearly as big of a redneck, not that there is anything wrong with that, as it seems in the post below! lol

(i am a huge seinfeld fan!)

lazy ... funny

2008-10-12T16:13:00.009-05:00

so i have been pretty lazy this week, in respect to blogging. i had several ideas throughout the week, but the thought of picking up the computer and hashing it out went by the way side. i know what excuses are like, but i did have a busy week...so cut me a little slack.

something that was funny, last night, we were out on the deck most of the evening. had the tiki torches burning, had the big green egg bbq'ing a little papa murphy's pizza. (you would think there were sponsors for this post...lol) kim's brother and his family were over, the kids were playing outside...we just had a great evening!

well, after chance and his family left, it was get ready for bed and unwind time for us. so, i think i fed the cat and the kids were "be-laxing" in their room. kim went out on the deck to snuff out the tiki torches, and all of a sudden i hear her yelling. "daniel!! come here, hurry!!!" i ran in to the living room to hear this, " i think there is a skunk out there. it is eating the cat's food, i almost stepped on it!" sure enough, there it was. (we will call the skunk pepe from here on out.) as if it were not bothered by anything, just chowing away on poor little sadie's food.

so, i had to devise a plan, quickly. i went to get my gun, which one to grab? well, i was just telling my brother-in-law, i need to buy a good shot gun. so, no shot gun. in that same conversation, i said, "i wish i had my .22 rifle back." so, no .22 rifle. the most logical choice was the .22 pistol. (i didnt think i need the stopping power of the 40 or a deer rifle...lol) so .22 pistol it was. kim was right behind me, saying, "you cant shoot that thing on the deck!" well, i was concentrating on how to get out there, WITHOUT GETTING SPRAYED, all while maximizing my opportunity to get rid of this thing. the best i could come up with was, wait until it gets done eating and gets off the deck and try to sneek out there and ... well...you know, eradicate this varmint.

pepe got done eating, waddled all around the deck and finally made it's way down the steps. i, quietly as i could, sneaked out onto the deck. and the skunk takes off! those little suckers can move pretty fast...and it was dark. (those are my excuses!) i ran after it and squeezed off 5 or 6 shots...pepe was bobbing and weaving as she ran and dodged the lead i was slinging at her...she got away....lucky little critter!

so, kim walks outside, laughing at me, and this is how the conversation went...

kim " honey, what happened! you didnt hit it!?"

me "no honey, i didnt hit it! did you see that thing's moves?"

kim "well, the good news is you didnt get sprayed!"

me "well, the bad news is there are probably some holes in the dora play house!"

we both had a good laugh. the great white hunter lives to strike another day. little pepe knows i mean business now also!!

great weekend...busy week

2008-10-06T15:41:00.007-05:00

so, me and eric had a great weekend!! we went camping at my in-laws cabin down at bull shoals lake. just the guys!!! that is b/c the girls were having a girls only weekend and kicked us out of the house!!! but that is another post...lol

there really is nothing like spending time with your son when there are NO distractions. i value that so much and it means so much to me when i see him enjoying himself and having a great time. it was one of the weekends that i will carry with me for a long, long time.

i wonder if it is like that with our heavenly Father? i wonder if He thinks, "that time I got to spend with you this morning...man, that was awesome. I will never forget that as long as I live!!" (hello...that is a long time) i wonder if he cherishes moments with his kids as much as I do. a smile comes across my face as i think about that. the moments when i have completely let go and forgotten about all the stuff going on and just had great time with Lord. i carry them with me...i have a feeling they are special to him as well. just like this weekend was special to eric...

alas, now it is on with the busy week ahead. meetings, long days, trial runs, leading, etc... but throughout this busy week. this weekend will hold a special place in my heart, as it will in the place of the Father's. i believe He was with us every step of the way this weekend. you see, sometimes time with Him is not always "quiet time". sometimes it is a special weekend with your son, that somehow becomes...holy. it was as if it were sacred. and i kept telling eric this weekend, "there is no other place i would rather be on the face of this earth, than right here with you!" somehow, it felt as if the Lord were saying that to me as well...

covenants, learning, goodness

2008-10-01T22:04:00.013-05:00

i told my wife that i probably need to go to church tonight. later today i told a buddy of mine i was going to james river's wed. night prayer service. we commented on the fact that we both thought that it is the best service they have there.

i made a covenant with God back in august while we were in san antonio. as i look back on it and re-read it, my focus was on making much out of God with my life. but somehow, in the day to day life of things....so much of my focus hasnt been on glorifying God or really even on loving God. more of my focus has been on trying not to sin. honestly, just trying not to sin with the 'BIG" ones. i have been frustrated, un-focused, not being bad...just not actively, seeking ways or even acting on opportunities to glorify God.

let me stop here for a second, i might sound like a broken record...or at least in my mind i do....but can i be honest. i have a hard time living two lives. you know, my work life and my spiritual life. my career and my calling. its as if Jesus died for my spiritual life and i have to do it myself in my work life. and since it is me doing it in my work life...i have to rely on me to T.C.B. (take care of business!). so, if i write with this theme often...it is just me having issues killing the work life and the spiritual life and forging ahead for one WHOLLY life!

john lindell started out tonight by saying something so profound and yet so simple. Be strong in the Lord. As believers it is our job to be strong in the Lord. and i dont know if he said this exactly or i just wrote it down this way but i will give him credit for it.... "to be strong IN the Lord, you must be strengthened BY the Lord." man that hit me. probably because of my lack of consistency in the Word lately...but a commandment is a commandment when it comes from the word of God. and for us to be strong in the Lord is a commandment.

he went on to talk about the promises of God is where we can draw our strength from. He taught out of Genesis 15 where God makes a covenant with Abram. it was awesome and for me to try and recount it here would be a terrible dis-service. but tonight definitely strengthened me in the Lord.

i wanna try... (anything i say from here on is what i got from JRA tonight, unless otherwise noted)

Gen 15:9-11 this is one of those passages that intrigue me. they actually make me scratch my head and say what the heck? in those days if people were making an agreement the lesser party or lesser king would make an agreement to submit to the more powerful party or kings way of doing things. the lesser party would say, i am going to make a covenant (to cut) with you. i am going to cut these animals and separate them and walk in between the halfs...getting all the blood and all the nasty all over me. if i, as the lesser party, break this covenant...i am agreeing that you(the greater party) can do to me what is done to these animals. does that make sense?
Gen 15:17-18 this is where God answers Abram from v.8 . God took the part of the lesser party. saying if this covenant is broken, i agree that you can do to me what is done to these animals. you have got to be kidding me? think about that! of course the covenant was broken...by the isrealites. so what now?
Read this.
through Jesus, God fulfills his end of the covenant he made with Abram. our freedom isnt free at all. it came at the highest of prices.

we took communion after this, and i cried as i thought of the symbolic covenant i held in my hands. (and i am not a cry-er) the price of the covenant that i do not remember so often, i held on tight to it tonight...and it strengthen me in the Lord. When I try to not sin, even on just the BIG ones, i fail miserably. I must choose to die to let Christ live...my focus then brings everything into perspective. why is it that the most basic principles are the ones i constantly need to be reminded of?

THAT is why the wed night prayer service at JRA is my favorite service i think i have ever been to around here! so, if you dont have a church home, or your church doesnt have a wed. night service....you ought to check it out.

profile pic...who is it?

2008-09-29T21:43:00.004-05:00

which one is which? one is me, the other is eric.

the similarities are pretty scary!!

boys and girls...are they different?

2008-09-29T21:00:00.004-05:00

sounds like a stupid question, huh? it is a stupid question. of course they are different! they are more different than any one man could ever imagine!

so, let me narrow my question. as a father, do you parent them differently? do you treat them differently with punishment? do they have the same rules?

honestly, i dont notice treating them any differently...most of the time. my kids are 4 years apart so they are at different stages. and they dont understand what one does the other one may not be able to. i dont know how to accurately explain to them that they are in different stages and while it might not seem fair, it really is fair. anyway, the following story will shed some light on my situation.

well...tonight, i got my answer as to if i am treating them differently. long story short, at dinner we told them both in order to get dessert they needed to try something new. they didnt have to eat it all, they just had to try it. eric did pretty good. well, he stepped up and said he would try cooked carrots. it took him 10 minutes to chew up the tiniest piece, but he did try something new.

kinley on the other hand wasnt having any of it. this child does not eat but a hand full of things. seriously, at day care they circle what she ate...most days NONE is circled on all most all things except bread and milk. anyway, she would not try anything. she cried and cried. i put her dessert right in front of her face to try and bargain with her...still no dice. ONE BITE, i pleaded. tears is all i got.

i admire my kids stubbornness. i know where they got it, their mom! ha so, i gave in and if she went outside to play with her mom and brother after dinner, then she couldnt have a dunkin donut like her brother, but she could have a piece of freshly made banana bread.

well, eric caught wind of this travesty and he had some words for his mom. he asked kim, "how come sister doesnt have to always do what she is supposed to. but she still gets her way when she cries. IT IS LIKE SHE HYPNOTIZES YOU GUYS WHEN SHE CRIES!" all we could do is laugh and say guilty.

let me know if you have any stories...or advice!

united...

2008-09-24T06:52:00.002-05:00

reading in 1 corinthians 1 this morning. i love paul's heart for the unity of the church. although he begs everyone to agree, he doesn't beg everyone to conform. he begs everyone to be together in mind and thought. he begs everyone to agree on who to follow. and it isn't some kind of whiny, pansy..."come one guys, lets just all get along". it is manly! it is implying that there is something at stake!

he asks a few questions, and they are great questions. they are rhetorical, but they are great! v.13 he says, "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? " i love sarcasm in the bible!

just one interesting thought here for me. to Paul, unity is less about getting along with others and more about who we are following.

dont try and get along with someone today. try to follow Jesus.

2008-09-21T09:11:00.005-05:00

my wife loves dunkin' donuts. even though they dont know how to spell...she has found that she loves them! this new found love was discovered when we were on vacation in florida this summer. always before it was krispy kreme...i guess they cant spell either, lol...BUT KK's have the best "HOT NOW" doughnuts, that is with out a doubt TRUE, no room for debate.

i do however agree with kim that DD are all around better donuts.

what does this have to do with anything? fella's listen up! when your wife is just not feeling it...when nothing is wrong, she just needs a little extra lovin...kk doughnuts wont do it! get up early and drive to branson (no DD in springfield or ozark) and get her some of her favorite donuts. she will thank you and you will be glad you did! :-)

btw...check out my friend eric's new blog. it is very encouraging! you can find it in the blog roll on your right. grace is everything and everything is grace...

Story of Stuff

2008-08-31T16:35:00.002-05:00

you have to go to this site and watch this video. below is a link to an excerpt of the video to give you a little teaser for it. the video on the website is 20 minutes or so, so block off some time for it and be prepared to feel a little uncomfortable.

The Story of Stuff - extraction

enjoy....or something...

what is following like?

2008-08-26T14:49:00.005-05:00

i love reading leadership blogs, books, anything related to growing me as a leader...i am into. so much so, that some times i forget what it is like to follow. more importantly, following Christ. you know some times it is just easier to do it on my own. i mean, for crying out loud...it is hard to follow an invisible God that seemingly is always throwing curve balls at you. or is he?

i read this great story in the old testament today, out of 1 samuel 15 , it is about samuel following God, hoping saul follows him and saul almost got it right. and he does what i do, he pretends that he tried to do the right thing. but instead, he disobeys the Lord. and the Lord says something that scares the hell out of me. he says he was sorry that he appointed saul as king of israel.

sometimes i have likened following Christ to working out. saying, it seems, from an out of shape guy, that before you go to the gym and look like an idiot...you ought to get in shape a little bit and figure out what it is your doing before you go in there with all those muscle bound, lean, mean, perfect people. but i aslo think it is like this aspect of working out...i want to be in shape. i want to look good and live a healthy life style...but at the end of most days, i have eaten way more calories than i have burned...and i just settle for the lifestyle and figure that i already have.
i dont know about you, but i never want to hear that the Lord is sorry he chose me for the plan that he has for my life. NEVER!

so, i took some steps to help me in this journey.

i wrote out a covenant with the Lord. i was honest with where i am and i made a vow to move forward.
i enlisted the help of an accountability partner with this covenant. putting flesh on a deal with God gives you someone to make it known.
i am praying...constantly. in my thoughts, words, actions, etc...
i am also saying that my physical life needs to be in-line with my spiritual life. somehow the two are connected i think. i started working out, while on vacation!, that is saying something. (kim helps with this, she has been working out for a while now)

not that this is a fix all for everyone, but it is right for me. how bout you? where have you been? have you ever forgotten how to follow? what did you do to help correct it?

san antonio

2008-08-26T13:00:00.003-05:00

kim and i are in san antonio and have been for a few days. she has a conference for her work every year down here and this year, i tagged along with her. i have seriously done nothing this week. i have not answered my phone, or emails (except from a few friends), i have slept in, i have played golf once, and ate A LOT of mexican!! mmm..hmmm, there is some good mexican food down here. you would think we would get tired of it, but like my buddy shane w. says, mexicans eat mexican every day and they dont get tired of it. so, i might have me a little mexican in me.

i am trying to post some pictures but the internet connection is not working out too well for me. maybe later today??? this has been such a great trip for kim and i. i cant tell you how important it is for us to re-connect from time to time. it really isnt a great time for me to be gone, and she has a lot going on while down here...but it is important so, we made time!

ok, later has come and now you see a picture taken by yours truly. this is from 750 feet above san antonio in the tower of the americas. the tower was built in 1968, i think, for the worlds fair that was hosted by the city. this city does have a ton of history and it is pretty cool....

i am really a lucky guy. i have a great, fun, beautiful wife...and i do not know what i would do without her. i love you honey!

patience...what a beating!!

2008-08-13T20:04:00.003-05:00

i learned pretty early on after becoming a Christ follower...NEVER pray for patience!! so i havent...ever that i remember. now, i am not a patient person. i want things now and i want them my way. it is the way i am....i am pretty competitive, i hate to lose...i consider myself to be somewhat driven, not always by the greatest things...that is pretty much who i am.

so, i am on the way to a potential customer this morning. this is a piece of business i have spent a lot of time and money on. i was going out there with no appointment, only an email that was announcing my visit.(this is typically ok at this place) but i had not gotten an answer from them. now, we are down to "nut cutting" today, this is the day. (there are several things leading up to this that are both unimportant and non-essential to the story...but i know this is the day!)

about half way there, i decide to call to double check....no answer. left a message. kept going. about 30 miles past that point...i get an email. 3 words..."not this week" i am like, WTH!! i said a few choice words and looked for a place to turn around. the guy could not answer his call, nor call me back, nor could he explain anything about any circumstances.....just "not this week". now, at this point i am sure....no new business for daniel. all this work down the drain!! not a happy camper, to say the least!

then it hits me, earlier on the trip. i said to the Lord, what ever you want is fine...if you want me to get this account, i will glorify you financially. i am for you...BUT if not, it is your will. i am fine with that.

now, that sounds good...but i will be honest. i had to get over being mad first...then, i just started talking. talking to God, what is it that you want me to do? i thought this was the deal, what is the deal?!!? i am pouring myself into this at this point, people think i am nuts as they are driving by. no blue tooth here baby, i am flat out crazy! talking to this invisible God, trying to AND expecting to get answers. no answers....just a reminder that he is more than enough.

i start talking with schawo, and he keeps saying....maybe the Lord is teaching you patience. right after that, the potential customer calls....??? he apologizes and says things look great for me, come in next week. come on! seriously, coincidence????

here is the funny part, or stupid part, depends on how you look at it. i left still not sure what the Lord was saying to me. still not convinced. i will spare the details, b/c this post is already longer than i like, but it took the whole afternoon, 3 trips to the hardware store, (to get the same part) while trying to install a dishwasher. it took all of that to realize...patience. for every situation in your life daniel, that is what i want from you!

you see, He did answer. in His time!! from reading this verse about discipline, i wonder how long He has been teaching me this? a while i think. i want to get where i hear Him the first time...

what is He teaching you? what is He disciplining you for? mine is a lack of patience.

(get an account and post a response...i know some of you are reading and not joining in)

one more...a little funnier.

2008-08-09T22:41:00.003-05:00

one more...this could be too funny!!!! man i am out of shape!

2008-08-08T23:56:00.003-05:00

messing around in the back yard and field next to our house. we got the brush hog out and eric laid out his first race track...then i mowed it out and voila! the next travis pastrana???

wrigley field

2008-08-08T08:31:00.002-05:00

got this in the mail yesterday!

your faith...

2008-08-08T06:37:00.005-05:00

i was reading in mark 10 this morning. the story is about a blind man named bartimaeus. short story of when Jesus is leaving a town, just walking down the road. this blind guy, bart, hears Jesus is going to be passing by. he starts yelling..."son of david, Jesus! mercy, have mercy on me!" everyone tries to get this nut job to shut up and sit back down, then he gets louder...."SON OF DAVID! JESUS, MERCY, HAVE MERCY ON ME!" (pause for one second) didnt he know about the polite way to handle things? didnt he know, he ought to listen to all the people who werent blind, but the know the polite, nice, comfortable ways to handle things?

(ok, continue) and i love this. reading from the message , Jesus stopped in his tracks. apparently Jesus did not know the rules either. Jesus ask him, what can i do for you? Rabbi, I want to see, says the blind man. "on your way" said Jesus. "your faith has saved you and healed you." In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.

for me, it is really hard not to listen to what the crowd of people are saying i should do. but my favorite part of this story is how Jesus stops right in his tracks to see what this guy is all about! this is the kind of faith that moves Jesus to compassion. also, i love how bart says mercy, have mercy on me. i dont realize how much mercy means to me sometimes. the fact that i am NOT going to get what i really deserve! my hope is to have enough faith that i could care less what other people think of me... then my faith will have saved me and i can follow Jesus down the road.

how is your faith? is it big and in dire need of Jesus? or is small and listens to what others think?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2008-08-06T09:42:00.002-05:00

i am one lucky guy! seriously, i have an awesome wife who turns...well, turns one year older today! lol what i did to deserve someone as good as her, i do not know. i love you and i hope you have a great birthday today honey!