a sample of the jumbled mess in my head

Why is it that the back is so critical to everything else in your body? My back has given me problems on and off for a few years now, but over the past few weeks it has been worse than normal. This past weekend was bad enough that I could barely get around. It’s time to call the Dr and see what is wrong.

Over the past year, I have been trying more to fill my mind with more spiritual things.  One way I have done this is through listening to great preachers from around the country.  As things have progressed through the past year, with starting a church, and having to take the mantle of leadership, I have relied more and more on these good teachers to encourage and build me up.  I thought I would share with you those who I have found to be the best, IMHO.

At the top of the list for me is a local pastor, Matt Chandler, with The Village Church in Highland Village, TX.  I have had several chances to hear him preach and teach this past year.  He never fails to step on my toes and challenge me.  He is one of the most insightful teachers of the word I have ever heard.

Next on the list is Andy Stanley with North Point Church in Atlanta, GA.  He is the son of legendary pastor Charles Stanley.  Andy has been very influential on me in how to preach and teach so that those who listen can better understand.  He is marvelous at making things very understandable.

One of my favorites to listen to because he tells it as it is with no limits is Perry Noble with New Spring Church in Anderson, NC.  Perry is one of the most frank pastors I have ever listened to, and I love that he is able to speak the word with no reservations or fear of what people think.  He is only worried about what God thinks.  His blog is one of my favorite reads on the web each day.

The final one of my regulars is probably one of the most brilliant biblical minds of my generation.  He is Mark Driscoll with Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  He pastors in one of the most unchurched parts of the US, and has a large following in the coffee capital.  He has a way of explaining the scriptures so that they are deep yet understandable.

If you want to listen to any of these pastors, you can catch them on iTunes podcast or at each of their churches web sites.

There is something about first learning a sport it is both cool and frustrating for the teacher.  We are starting both Noah and Luke in the local youth basketball leagues this fall, and I am helping out with coaching Luke’s 5 year old team.

It is so cool to see the enthusiasm of the 5 kids we have.  They are having so much fun, even though we are just doing drills (shooting, passing, dribbling) right now.  Some are doing ok, some need lots of practice, and some (like Luke), are just getting started for the first time.

One of things I’m trying to keep in mind as we are working with these kids is that they need to be encouraged constantly as we go along.  I’m trying to find ways to do that for each of them.  Some of the kids have problems due to their size or strength just getting the ball a few feet over their head, much less all the way to the 7′ basket.  But each shot, I try to find some way to encourage them:  “That was much higher than last time”, “That one was right on line”.   I try to do the encouraging before I then coach and show them the right way to do it.  My hope is that this will help them not to be discouraged as they develop the skills needed to play.

Of course, for me I mainly want the kids to have fun while they are learning, so I am trying to make it fun for them as we go along.  Luke told me afterwards that he really enjoyed practice.  I’m glad, as this is his first foray into organized sports.  I hope that I can continue to help them both get better at the game, and still have loads of fun as they go.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I recently read the book by Stephen Mansfield, “The Faith of Barack Obama”.  I came across this book as part of joining Thomas Nelson Publishers new expanded book review process, by which they are recruiting bloggers to review the books they publish.  With the election cycle drawing to a close, I thought it would be good to read about where our possible (and soon, as it turns out) president began his faith journey.

The book is very insightful as to how Mr. Obama has formed his faith, beginning with his interesting upbringing with a family of little faith, on to his upbringing with a Muslim step-father.  His journey, while one I don’t relate to, having grown up in the evangelical culture of the south, is one that seems to be shared by many in our society today.  He spent much of his young adulthood searching for meaning, until finding his faith at a church in Chicago.  Much controversy has swirled around Rev. Wright, the pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ, during the election, but beyond the racial and political controversies, there is within the church something that all believers hold dear, that of working to make a difference in the lives of those around us.  It is something that has driven Mr. Obama during his political career.

The book is a great read, and very insightful into the events that shaped our new President’s faith and character.  It gives me hope that, in spite of my differences in some of the beliefs that Mr. Obama holds politically, that his faith will keep him from moving our country farther from God.  I am very glad that we are seeing more talk of faith and God from the political left, and that the assumptions that the only persons of faith were Republicans were wrong.

I am often amazed by how emotionally caught up in the presidential races we Americans get. We sometimes act as if our very future (eternal) hinges on who is in the White House.

This is sad in so many respects. First, as a Christian, putting so much faith in a man in an office, and acting like who is there will affect you eternal salvation is, as pastor Perry Noble so aptly stated, a slap in the face of our sovereign God. (Read that post. I couldn’t agree more)

Second, I’m tired of the attitude of many believers in my area thinking that one party has an exclusive lock on God. God isn’t a Republican, just as he isn’t a Democrat either. There are great believers on both sides of the isle, and even though the Democratic Party has in recent history distanced themselves from “religion”, there are indications that this is changing, and with the openness of Obama about his faith, we may be seeing the emergence of the “Religious Left” into the public eye.  (Be watching, as I just finished reading ‘The Faith of Barack Obama’, and will be posting a review in the next few days.)

Finally,  I find it so ironic that so much emphasis is placed in the Presidential Position, when most of the political decisions that affect us day to day are made at much lower levels, i.e. State, County, & City.  You are probably more affected by poor roads that your county commissioner is responsible for, or the school and city taxes you pay, than by decisions the man in the Oval Office makes.  I’m not saying that there is not impact, but it is less than the attention given would indicate.

I’m not saying I’m a huge fan of Mr. Obama (or that I was a fan of John McCain either), and there are many political opinions of his that I don’t agree with.  But I am proud to live in a country where we can have these large scale changes of power in an orderly fashion.  The people have spoken, the democratic process has worked, and it is time to move forward (at least until the next presidential campaign starts, in about 5 minutes).  Let’s be in prayer for all of our leaders, and especially President-Elect Obama.  May faith play a big part in the decisions he makes.

I had some issues with my old blog, so I have set up the software again. Clean start if you will. I’m going to try to be more consistent this time and write about many different subjects. Perhaps some reviews of books and technology, things I use, religion, etc. Hope you like what you read.