Josh Surratt

A lot has changed

2007-06-28T00:15:00.000-04:00

Wow! It has been over a year since my last post here...and it may be another year before the next one. Probably not. But maybe.

Life has changed significantly since that last post. You can keep up with our most significant change here if you would like. We'll try to keep everyone up to date with pics and stories about our new son when he gets here.

Maybe I'll post about some of the other highlights that I've experienced in the past year. Then again, I might not. I reserve the right to take as much time as needed :)

Thanks to those of you who have kept checking in periodically to see if the blog has come to life. Take care.

How do you measure Spiritual Health?

2006-02-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

We're rolling this out this weekend at Seacoast but you can tell your friends and family that you saw it here first. For the past year a team of very talented and dedicated Seacoasters have been working on a massive online project to help people grow spiritually. This weekend we're unveiling a piece of that project called the Spiritual Health Assessment. They have developed a 56 question diagnosis tool to help you see where you are in your growth based on the five values Seacoast is built on: worship, connect, serve, share and grow. After you take the assessment you are give a customized list of resources to help you grow in each area. The list of resources will be continually updated, so this is a living tool that will just continue to improve over time.

If you'd like to take it for a test drive you can click here/

Forever I am Changed by Your Love

2006-01-04T23:18:00.000-05:00

"Majesty, majesty, forever I am changed by Your Love"

This chorus is stuck in my head after one of the most powerful 1st Wednesday services I have ever been a part of. I have been forever changed by God's love. I was thinking about the power of God's love while I was serving communion tonight.

I had the privilege of serving communion to a guy who I first met about a year and a half ago. I had heard about a police officer who was involved in an accident on his motorcycle. Lisa was in school at MUSC, and we decided to go by and visit him. He was heavily sedated, in a full body cast, and his wife didn't want anything to do with us. He was barely even awake enough to know that we were there. It was a little bit uncomfortable, but we just let them know that we were there and available to help in any way possible. Then we stepped out of the room and prayed outside of his door with his parents.

A few months later I saw him at church, and gradually he has gotten connected and committed his life to Christ. I talked to him tonight and asked him a little bit about his journey. I told him that I was excited to see him getting involved at Seacoast, and his reply was pretty cool. "After my wreck, you guys showed up...so when I got better, I decided to check out Seacoast. I knew where the church was because I had directed traffic for you guys a few times. God used that lowest point in my life as a wake up call, and my life has been drastically changed since then."

We didn't say anything profound. We didn't even bring anything with us. It was a bit awkward, and I honestly wondered if it was even the right thing to do. All we did was show up and show that we cared. That's it.

I spend a lot of time doing a lot of things - some of them important - but I was reminded tonight, as I served him communion, that nothing is more important than showing God's love to people who have need. That guys life has "forever been changed by His love"

A couple of questions

2005-12-27T19:01:00.000-05:00

I know that there aren't a ton of you who read this, but I'll take a chance anyways. I am doing a talk this weekend and I have a couple of questions for you.

What is your general feeling about the New Year?

What kinds of things are you hoping to change in your life next year?

What was the most memorable thing about 2005 for you?

THX!

Josh

Good News

2005-12-25T23:35:00.000-05:00

Some good friends of ours have some good news! If you haven't heard of Mosaic Church, you will soon. These guys are pregnant in more ways than one! They are getting ready to give birth to a church in January that is going to change eternity for lots of people in Charlotte. Congratulations Naeem, Ashley, and Asher.

A Donkey, A Trash Can, and A Baby Jesus

2005-12-25T00:43:00.000-05:00

Wow! What an incredible day! We just finished up with our Christmas Eve Services and it was quite an adventure. I haven't heard from any of the other campuses yet, but at Longpoint we did 5 services and had roughly 6,000 people celebrate the birth of Jesus.

It didn't come without some adventure though. We thought that having a live nativity scene out front would be the primary source of excitement for the night, but we had a little bit more. During the 4:00 service I heard a loud bang come from the back of the auditorium so I went to check it out. Although I didn't see anything at the time, I found out later that a teenage girl passed out and hit her head on one of the trash cans. Then at the 6:00 service, during the message, a ten year-old who had obviously had too many cookies and hot chocolate, threw up all over himself and the floor. I was very impressed with our facilities team as they hopped right in and got it cleaned up without making too much of a stir. All in all, it was a great Christmas Eve.

I just got done wrapping my last presents. Better get to bed soon, I think I hear Santa coming! Merry Christmas

Writer's Block

2005-12-23T09:13:00.000-05:00

As evidenced on my blog over the past several months, I have had some trouble with writing here lately. I've come up with some excuses though.

Not enough time...although I have spent many hours reading others' blogs and occasionally commenting.
Lack of inspiration...I don't really think that is true either
I've been too busy shopping for Christmas presents...if you know me you know that's not true
When I was in school, I always wrote my term papers on the night before they were due...and some things just don't change.
I'm afraid I might write something offensive because I am still bitter about Randal's behavior on the Apprentice finale.

I am hoping to turn over a new leaf though. Someone gave me Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, which is a guide to writing more effectively. I guess you will know whether it helps much or not as we head into the new year.

Merry Christmas!

How to Handle the Critics

2005-12-13T08:22:00.000-05:00

With all of the talk of the "controversy" of churches not having services on Christmas Day, I have found a great post over at Monday Morning Insight about handling critics. For the most part I think this is an excellent guide.

Let's stop fighting and continue on with the mission that God has given us!

It's a tough job sometimes

2005-11-27T01:42:00.000-05:00

You have to check out this video of a pastor getting punched during an altar call. If you have a couple of minutes, you can watch the actual sermon online when it happened. I was impressed with the reaction of the pastor. So, what would you do if you got punched during an altar call?

Link via The Leadership Blog

Computer Geek?

2005-11-25T11:02:00.000-05:00

I responded to Shawn's challenge and, quite frankly, I am shocked that I scored so high.

Kyle Lake

2005-11-05T14:49:00.000-05:00

Many of you know that Kyle Lake, pastor of University Baptist Church, was electrocuted during his weekend services last weekend. For some reason, this hit home pretty hard. Here is an exerpt from his last message...pretty inspiring stuff!

An excerpt from Kyle Lake's last sermon read at his funeral. I hope I can live my life more like this:

"Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not
be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day,
roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of
the sun.
If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a
cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get
knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.
If you bike, pedal
HARD… and if you crash, then crash well.
Feel the SATISFACTION
of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play
well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be
disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his
own.
If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And
Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and
laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you
eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill,
coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce
of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life.
Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift."
Via Dan Kimball

It doesn't get any better...

2005-10-16T00:11:00.000-04:00

It's the fall in Charleston, which means weather in the 60's and 70's, the best time of the year for sports(college and pro football, plus baseball playoffs), and of course weddings galore. I did my second wedding in two weekends tonight...and was thinking about it a bit. You know what my favorite part of a wedding is? It's when that door opens and the bride starts walking down the aisle. Except I am not watching the bride...I love to watch the groom watching the bride...lips quivering, sometimes tears flowing, anxiously awaiting the most beautiful girl in the world to him...it doesn't get any better than that.

I am

2005-09-25T21:25:00.000-04:00

I am not great at counseling

I am not the best at leading meetings

Sometimes I am late

I am not sure exactly what I want to be doing in 10 years

I am slowly getting out of shape

I am a bit of a procrastinator

I cannot stand to sit in my office for more than ten minutes

But....

"I am not defined by what I am not." Rob Bell Velvet Elvis

Thank God for that!

Labels

2005-09-22T02:04:00.000-04:00

Greg, our senior pastor, just put out an excellent post about Seacoast and it's identity. I'm not just saying that because he's my dad either. I have been thinking about this very thing for quite some time...especially since the whole emergent vs. evangelical debate has been escalating. It bugs me because I don't even know what category we would fall in if we wanted to fall in to one.

The question I deal with is why??? Why do we love labels so much?

My theory is that we label ourselves when we want to disassociate from another group. If we don't like what the "insert label here" are up to, maybe we should come up with another label so nobody thinks we're like them.

Thinking Out Loud

2005-09-16T13:12:00.000-04:00

A few Random Thoughts...

Some of my blogging heroes are currently dealing with some doubt...either out loud or by their uncanny silence. It's alright guys...we all go through dry times.
I love Thursday nights! Survivor Guatemala had it's season premier last night. I had promised myself that I wouldn't get hooked this semester...uh oh...this is my last season...really
We start 40 Days of Community at Seacoast next week. This is going to be one of the most exciting seasons we have had at Seacoast. You can read about our kickoff party here.
I will be at Saddleback next week for some meetings about Rick Warren's PEACE plan. We don't have anything going on Friday night. For those that have been to LA...do you know of any great places to eat? I'm always looking for some good food!

That's all for now.

guess what I got...

2005-09-11T14:46:00.000-04:00

yep...this is my first official post from my nifty treo 650. families and birthdays are great. right now i'm riding down the highway and posting at the same time. scary... thanks mom and dad

Phrases That Stick

2005-09-10T20:31:00.000-04:00

It happens to me all the time. I'll be in a conversation with somebody and they will say something that will stick in my brain. Usually I'll start thinking about it and zone out for the rest of the conversation. This is bad, especially when I'm doing marriage counseling or something like that. I think I am going to start posting about some of those phrases.

The one that I've been thinking about lately happened when I was talking to a young guy about some of his frustrations with the way he was being managed at work. He said, "I don't mind being told the 'what' but please don't tell me the 'how'" In other words, if you hired me to do a specific job please let me figure out the best way to do it. The reason that it has stuck with me is that I'm trying to figure out if it is a principle that works or not. When applied to ministry I think it does...if we are hiring somebody to make it happen in singles ministry, should we be telling them how to do it or should we let them use their skill and leadership to figure it out? It sounds like a no brainer to me. The "what" is a certain % of singles attending, serving, connecting, growing in their faith, etc. When we start telling them how to do it, we risk stifling their creativity and leadership and we essentially create robots - really frustrated robots.

Have we created environments that encourage people to use their brain or are we just looking for people who will do what we tell them to do? Something I am wrestling with. I am thankful that I work in an environment that encourages me to be creative and make it happen.

Leadership Line Drive #3 - Cynicism

2005-09-06T23:02:00.000-04:00

At first glance this doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but I think that cynicism has the potential to destroy a great leader. I am a pretty optimistic leader, but cynicism tends to creep up on me in two areas:

With the people I lead - I have the greatest privilege in the world. I get to see life-change happen on a daily basis. Seacoast is an awesome church where God is constantly changing people's hearts. But there are also many times when you invest so much time and energy in people, and they still screw up their lives. I often find myself tempted to become cynical when dealing with people who are messing up their lives. The problem with that is that God has placed us hear to give people hope. Hope that there is a future that is better than the present. If I don't actually believe that than I am going to have a hard time communicating that.
With the staff- I'm not talking about the people as much as the day to day organizational structure of the church. Sometimes the drive to do better can cause me to focus too much on the negative aspects about our church. This crept up on me this summer when I had a chance to get away for a week with my dad (our senior pastor) and my brother (director of campus development). We spent the first couple of days in evaluation mode - what's working, what needs to change, how can we do things better. After a while I found myself getting depressed about a few minor glitches in the organization. While the over-riding motive is to be more effective in reaching people for Christ, it is very easy for me to become so focused on the negative things that it drags me down.

I don't know many cynics who are innovative, fun leaders who are making a significant impact on the Kingdom of Heaven.

Here are a few simple things I try to do daily to avoid cynicism:

Start every day\meeting with some good news
Spend time every day praising God for the great things in your life
Speak positive words into your co-workers, friends and family

Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-03T02:32:00.000-04:00

As I watch the coverage of the situation in the Gulf Coast I am left speechless. I have seen the best and worst of human nature in action. My thoughts and prayers are with the people in New Orleans. Seacoast is taking action in several ways. For more info on that check out the relief site that has been set up.

Also, here is a video from New Orleans that Pastor Dino Rizzo from Healing Place Church did yesterday. We are working closely with Healing Place Church in the relief project.

He's Alive!

2005-08-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to check in and let you know that I am still alive. It has been a crazy week or so since I have been back from Nicaragua. The trip was simply amazing! I hope to post some stories and pictures when things settle down a bit.

Why have things been so crazy since we got home? Well, we came home to a freshly painted living room, a manicured yard and some awesome new accessesories to our home. We have great friends and family! All of this overwhelmed us quite a bit, but it also inspired us to go ahead and put in some hardwood floors, which we've been talking about doing for a long time. We figured that it couldn't be too hard so we decided to do it ourselves. Did I mention that I scored a big fat 0 in the craftmanship theme on my spiritual gifts test? A week and a half later (and 10 nights in a row of 2 a.m. bedtimes) we almost have our house back together. Hopefully when we do I can get back to blogging those deep insights that you have come to expect! Ha!

Thanks for your patience!!

To Be Continued....

2005-08-09T23:31:00.000-04:00

when I get back from a ten day trip to Nicaragua. Pray that God would use us in ways that we never would have dreamed of. I'll update you on how things went when I get back.

God is Cool!!

2005-08-09T19:14:00.000-04:00

Two things happened to day that made me stop and think..."God is so cool"

I had a meeting at 8:30 this morning with a core team that is leading 30 churches in Charleston through 40 Days of Community. I was feeling pretty insecure about leading this meeting for several reasons...(I'm a 25 year old kid - they are mostly senior leaders at their churches). I stopped by the office to pick up some materials that I was going to give out and I bumped into one of the administrative assistants at Seacoast. Out of the blue she said something like, "Josh, I just want to tell you that you do an incredible job during our meetings. It seems like you always pick up on the great ideas that are presented and you bring great insights to the table." There is no explanation for why she would say that to me. I have never received a compliment before about how I do meetings, and I know that God knew that I needed the encouragement. (The meeting went great...productive)
Lisa starts her rotations for PA school August 29th. (By the way, she's the smartest person I know) Her first 5 week rotation was supposed to be in Florence - 2 hours away. We have been stressing about her being away for 5 weeks. She got a call today telling her that the rotation was switched to East Cooper Hospital - 5 minutes away from our house! Wow! No explanation for that one either.

I was reminded today that God is interested in the details of our lives! Feel free to share any thing that has made you stop and say "God is Cool!"

Things I'm Into

2005-08-08T08:12:00.000-04:00

I thought that I would let you in on a few cool things that I like:

Marriage - I don't know what I would do without Lisa. She stretches me in so many ways. Yesterday she talked me into shaving my head.
Jaguar Urban Golf - This has taken way too much of my time lately. Proceed to this link with caution. It also brings up an interesting conversation about marketing to the video game generation.
Better Together by Rick Warren. This book has been challenging me in every way over the last couple of months. I can't wait for 40 Days of Community at Seacoast.
The Boat House Restaraunt - Filet and Crabcakes with Collard Greens and Mashed Potatoes!
Seacoast Church League Softball - I played this year for the first time in about 5 years - it's the most fun I've had in sports in a long time.
Fantasy sports - I'm playing in a blogger's fantasy football league this year...which leads me to # 7
Blogging - I was a skeptic at first but this is fun.

Leadership Line Drives #2 - Sexual Sin

2005-08-06T09:49:00.000-04:00

All I have to do is mention the names Jimmy Swaggert and Jim Baker to remind you what the consequences of sexual sin in leadership can be. Although these are probably the most notorious names that we associate with sex scandal in ministry, they hardly scratch the surface. In a recent survey, 54% of pastors admitted to viewing porn on their computers within the last year. Todd Rhoades had a great post about this a couple of weeks ago. So how do we avoid sexual sin in leadership? Here's some safeguards and what they look like in my life:

Accountability

I have two guys that I talk to about this at least once a month. I also have a program on my computer called x3 watch that sends a report to my accountability partners and my wife every month with any questionable websites that my computer has registered. You get that level of accountability in your life and it's going to be hard to "stumble"

Practice what you preach

I met with two couples just this week that have allowed sexual sin to tear them apart. I am constantly counseling men on the danger that lust and sexual sin will bring. No doubt every relevant Christian leader must address this issue regularly. Practice what you preach.

Consider the consequences

Haven't considered the consequences? Write these down on a notecard and carry them around with you:

Your relationship with God
Your Wife and Kids if you have them
Your ministry
Your credibility
Your reputation
Your Blog (I had to throw that in there for any blog addicts)
Your Future

That is just the beginning of what's at stake if you mess around with this stuff

Develop Healthy Habits

I won't spend time alone with anyone of the opposite sex other than my wife, mom, and sisters. That sounds extreme, maybe even a bit old school, but my marriage and integrity are worth it. If you are married, spend time with your spouse...have a regular date night. Spend time on your appearance for your spouse. Don't stop doing the things that you did to attempt to win him\her over.

Spend time on your relationship with God

I believe that the first step towards sexual sin or any other sin for that matter is to neglect your relationship with God.

I would like to think that my love for God is enough to keep me from falling into sexual sin, but I would be stupid not to put up some safeguards in my life to hold my feet to the fire.

If you were Satan, would you spend most of your time hounding the sheep or would you try to strike the shepherds?

Proximity or Intimacy

2005-07-31T21:57:00.000-04:00

Today marks the beginning of a new month. As i plan my august i can already tell that it is going to be crazy busy. I am excited to take on the challenges that lie ahead, but I can't get this lingering question out of my head:

This month will I be seeking proximity with God or intimacy with God?

I think that a lot of times, sadly, I want to be in the same area with God. I want to be close to Him because...let's face it, there are perks involved with being close to God. With proximity we have a false sense of being close to God, but there are no risks involved. Spending time around God and learning about God and staying busy doing things for God are not the same as being intimate with God. People who choose to live in proximity with God without intimacy tend to be really into religion, but get really uncomfortable when you start asking questions like: How's your relationship with Jesus been lately?

I talk to married couples all of the time who live in proximity with each other for many years, but never really become intimate with each other. How sad is that? Yet, sometimes we chose the same thing with our relationship with Christ.

God wants to have a voice in our lives...he wants to be involved in the mess that we sometimes make. When we choose to become intimate with him, that means we have to let him past the outer shell that we so often keep up for everyone else. So I have re-alligned my goals this month from what I want to accomplish for God to how intimate I want to be with God.

Will you choose proximity or intimacy this month?

Away

2005-07-31T01:52:00.000-04:00

One of the coolest parts about my job is that I get to travel to our off-site locations and assist with training the small group leaders at each campus. Today Mac and I are in Greenville, SC and trained some of the sharpest small group leaders around. It constantly amazes me at the talent and leadership at Seacoast Church. Props to Chris Surratt for doing such a great job of leading the Greenville Campus. For those who were wondering, Chris is my uncle.

The only drawback to doing what I do is that occasionally I have to spend nights away from my Lisa...which means it can be tough to sleep...which is why I am posting at this hour.

Sometimes a picture will have to do.

Line Drives

2005-07-28T20:52:00.000-04:00

I know what you're thinking...this is the first picture I have ever posted on this site, why did I choose a baseball player lying in a vulnerable position?
This is a picture of Matt Clement. He is a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox who was hit in the head with a line drive off the bat of a player that he was pitching against. Can you imagine...you're about 50 feet away from a guy when he smacks a 95 mph pitch back at your head going well over 100 mph. For about a half-second you think about reacting but there's no time. This is one of the reasons that I have no desire to be a major league pitcher. They are right on the front lines!

For some strange reason the image of him getting beaned has stuck in my mind. I started thinking about how in ministry we talk about how we are on the "front lines" in a spiritual battle. If so, what are the "line drives" that we have to react to? I have been reading Spiritual Leadership by Henry Blackaby and he talks about some pitfalls that we face as leaders so I thought I would start a series of posts where I will talk about some of them. I am going to call them line drives since I am a crazy sports fan.

So #1 - Pride - An excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit

It tempts us to take credit from others and God
It closes our mind and makes us unteachable
It makes us think that we can do it on our own
It causes us to lose compassion for others
It will eventually lead to the loss of our relationships, credibility and ultimately our position as a leader

How can we dodge the line drive of pride as leaders?

Building Muscle

2005-07-24T16:03:00.000-04:00

I mentioned before that I was going to read Now, Discover Your Strengths and find out what my strengths are. It is a great read. Here's my results and a brief description of what they mean:

A D A P T A B I L I T Y - Prefer to "go with the flow". They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover their future one day at a time.
R E L A T O R - Enjoys close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
B E L I E F - Have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
D E V E L O P E R - Recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from those improvements.
C O M P E T I T I O N - Measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.

The best that I can figure out is that I desperately need to see a psychiatrist. The developer in me likes to see others succeed, but the competition in me doesn't want them to do as well as me. Scary.

I am meeting with Mac Lake on Tuesday to talk about how these results may impact what I do. It's great to work in an organization that wants to use the strengths of it's employees so that they can contribute to their maximum potential.

Are you the best in the world?

2005-07-14T18:02:00.000-04:00

I just got back from a great trip to Colorado with my brother and my dad. I got the opportunity to spend some time with three guys who have seen a lot of success in three completely different areas.

King Herrington - This is my 84 year old grandfather. His talent is very unique and somewhat weird. He is a member of the "Barbwire Hall of Fame". I know that doesn't sound like much, but when grandpa was 50 years old he decided to learn about barbwire. I won't tell the full story now, but to sum it up, he fell in love with the history of fences in Colorado. He is now recognized, albeit by not more than a few hundred other barbwire lovers, as one of the top barbwire collectors in the world. It was fascinating to hear his stories.
Daryl O'Dell - A friend of ours who is the retired police chief of Ft. Collins. After 27 years in the police department, Ft. Collins had one of the top police forces in the country. After retiring, he and his son partnered in buying a golf course, which we enjoyed thoroughly. I'll post about that later.
Brent Rowen - We spent some time in Steamboat Springs with a legendary guitar player named Brent Rowan. The albums that Brent has played on have sold more than 100 million copies - artists including Alabama, Chris Ledoux, Hank Williams Jr., Reba McIntyre, Tim McGraw and the Beach Boys, to name a few. Most of the music isn't my style, but he has risen to the top of his field.

On the flight home, I was thinking about what I could learn from these guys. The overriding thought is this: Find out what you're good at and become the best in the world at it. God has created each of us to excel at something. For my grandpa it was a hobby, for Daryl it was his career, and for Brent it was both.

My next step is to read Now, Discover Your Strengths and see where I land. I'll keep you posted. What are you great at?

The Osbournes...errr....Surratts

2005-07-03T19:47:00.000-04:00

I think our family may be falling apart. We are on vacation - 9 of us total and we just attempted to play a card game. I am humbly submitting a request for your prayers! We still have two days left on this trip.

More to come later.

Need an Insult?

2005-06-30T01:36:00.000-04:00

This site is great for the next time you need a witty comeback.

Here's a great example:

You're friend says, "Did you see the way that girl was looking at me? I think she likes what she sees."

You say, "Listen, O ye love-child of Methuselah, for you will be pursued into the mountains by sex-mad baboons!"

Straight from the Old Testament!

There's a snake in the way.

2005-06-30T00:23:00.000-04:00

It's always interesting at the offices of Seacoast, but today we had an extra surprise. After lunch, I was talking to Kathy Ford about some travel arrangements for a trip that I am taking next week when I heard some screams outside. Sure enough a 4 ft. snake decided to greet some guests at the front door. We called our facilities team to the scene and a battle of epic proportions ensued. The serpant hid, coiled, and struck several times (Kathy and I watched from BEHIND the glass window) After a tough fight, Kent from facilities emerged victorious and carried the snake by the back of it's head and released him in the woods behind the church. WHEW...we were all spared from the viscious fangs of the black racer. (I'd post pics but I still haven't figured that out yet.

I immediately started to think about the parallels between this incident and our role as a church. The snake was clearly a roadblock keeping any guests from entering our doors. We obviously wanted to get rid of the barrier as quickly as possible no matter the risk. Are there any other "snakes" that are making it more difficult for guests to enter our doors? What about are "member's only" Christianese language? Are we relevant to the people we are trying to reach?

It's worth thinking about.

We're Better Together

2005-06-21T22:46:00.000-04:00

I have had the opportunity to interact with a countless # of people in my spiritual journey. I hope to post occasionally about people that have influenced me in a positive way. The first person that I want to introduce you to is my wife, Lisa. Lisa is an amazing woman. She is incredibly smart, beautiful, and she loves God with all of her heart. She somehow manages to balance her strenuous schedule at MUSC, leading a Small Group of about 20 of her classmates, keeping our house clean, and supporting me and the ministry that God has called us to. She knows exactly when I need encouragement and she knows exactly when I need a kick in the butt...and she gives me both.

One of my good friends summed it up nicely for me several years ago when he said, "Brother, I don't mean any disrespect, but when it comes to marriage you definitely outpunted your coverage!" I couldn't agree more! I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

Eatin good in the Neighborhood

2005-06-14T07:26:00.000-04:00

I just want to give some props to Applebees Restaraunts. The last time I ate there was as a nervous 20 year old asking my future father-in-law for his daughter's hand in marriage. (that worked out by the way) But my reason for this post is to say that I will be back soon.

I mentioned earlier that I am a part of a medical mission team that is going to Nicaragua in August...well, we have been putting together some fundraisers to help us pay for the trip. Not only did Applebees let us use their parking lot and water supply, but they offered a 10% discount to anybody who let us wash their car! What a great deal! Then to top it off at the end of the day, the manager fed everyone on the team a free lunch.

Thanks Scott and the rest of the Mt. Pleasant Applebees team! Not only are you a smart businessman, but you have now joined this team in making a difference in the lives of the Nicaraguan families.

For the rest of you, next time your stomach starts growling, consider dropping by Applebees and supporting this great restaraunt.

Tell me a little bit about you

2005-06-12T01:28:00.000-04:00

Be Careful - you could spend a lot of time here.

Oracle of Starbucks

My results:
Personality type: High Maintenance
You pride yourself on being assertive and direct; everyone else thinks you're bossy and arrogant. You're constantly running your mouth about topics that only you would find interesting. Your capacity for wasting other people's time is limitless. Your friends find you intolerable, that's why they're plotting to kill you.

Also drinks: Water. Bottled, chilled, with four ice cubes, a twist of lemon, in a crystal glass.Can also be found at: Trendy martini bars

Tell me how you did!

A Man of Hope

2005-06-12T01:01:00.000-04:00

I posted recently about some movies that I have seen recently. I don't plan on making a habit of that...I hope to have some more substance than the latest movie that I've seen. With that said, I'm going to have to do it again. Lisa and I saw Cinderella Man tonight.

I am not a great writer, yet...that is one of the reasons I started this blog - to get some practice and get better. However, I don't want to do this movie any injustice by trying to tell you how great it is. Let's just say I will own it...and I only own about 5 movies.

So to both of you that will read this post, take your spouse and go see it.

Thoughts from an Alien

2005-06-09T22:46:00.000-04:00

I picked up Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller the other day. I don't read a whole lot of these types of books, mainly because I am pretty well-rooted in my faith, but I really connected with his style of writing. In one chapter he imagined that an alien came to earth and observed for a few days and then reported back to the other aliens his findings. Here's what he found:

"Humans, as a species, are constantly, and in every way, comparing
themselves to one another, which, given the brief nature of their existence,
seems an oddity and, for that matter, a waste. Nevertheless, this is the
driving influence behind every human's social development, their emotional
health and sense of joy, and, sadly, their greatest tragedies. It is
as though something that helped them function and live well has gone
missing, and they are pining for that missing thing in all sorts of odd methods,
none of which are working. The greater tragedy is that very few people
understand they have the disease. This seems strange as well because it is
obvious. To be sure, it is killing them, and yet sustaining their social
and economic systems. They are an entirely beautiful people with a
terrible problem."

Upon reflection on these words, I am embarassed about how much of what I do is influenced by this disease of comparison. Do you agree with Miller's assessment of how an alien would see the world? Why do we compare ourselves to others so much?

An Interview With God

2005-06-06T22:09:00.000-04:00

I am going on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua in August and we had a team meeting tonight. We were talking about the importance of preparing your heart for missions through prayer and journaling.

I have always seen the value in journaling, but I have never been very consistent. I love looking back at some of the thoughts and prayers that I have jotted down and remember what God was teaching me and how I have grown since then. One of the women in our group had a great approach to journaling - do an interview with God. She carved an hour out of her schedule and interviewed God. What a cool idea. If you were to interview God, what would you ask Him?

Some of my thoughts:

What are some of the most exciting things that you've been up to lately?

Are you happy with me?

Am I doing everything that you want me to be doing right now?

Why did you make mosquitos?

These are just a few of mine. What about you? What have you learned about journaling?

Football and Marriage

2005-06-04T10:53:00.000-04:00

I saw 3 movies this week - 2 in the theater and 1 rental - which is very unusual for me. Here's my take.

1. The Longest Yard

My favorite of the 3. I am a sucker for Adam Sandler movies and you throw in football and I am in movie heaven. Great movie!

2. Ray

This one surprised me. I went to Hollywood Video and nothing jumped out at me so I picked up this one. Great feel-good story of a music legend.

3. Monster In Law

I'm embarrassed to say that I watched this movie. With J-Lo and Hanoi Jane starring, I should have known better, but hey, it was a rainy afternoon and I thought it may gain some points with Lisa. Stay away from this one.

Why do we hate Jeff Gordon?

2005-05-25T21:36:00.000-04:00

Let me start by saying that I am not a NASCAR fan. Jeff Gordon sang the seventh inning stretch last night during my beloved Cubs game and he was quickly overtaken with boos. Granted, he was terrible and he referred to Wrigley Field as Wrigley "stadium", a definite no.

Despite that, the boos were more because he was Jeff Gordon than because he botched the song.(remember the cheers that Ozzy got when he mumbled through it) Why do we love to hate Jeff Gordon? He seems to be a pretty stand-up guy...so what is the problem? Any insights?

New to the blogosphere

2005-05-23T19:43:00.000-04:00

Excited...hopeful...scared...these are just a few of the emotions that I feel as I enter into this world they call the blogosphere. I hope to learn as I go - discussing anything from leadership, church, reality TV, sports, and life.

Here we go.