New iPhone Release

Well, it’s Christmas in July for you iPhone iFreaks.

Can’t wait to see/hear any stories about how sales went for the day. 

Honestly, the craze surrounding this product simply amazes me.  Maybe one day I’ll think about getting one.  The problem is that I don’t fully utilize my Palm Treo enough to upgrade just quite yet.

Anyone want to share their experience?  (i.e. How long in line, wet your pants with excitement, get in a scuffle with a line jumper, etc.)

The New Living Room

As I promised, here is a sample of what my wife and I did over the weekend.  This is the toughest painting project I have tackled yet.  We still have some wall decorations to gather as well as getting the correct components for our sectional couch (long story).

I am so thankful for a wife with a creative mind and great work ethic.

The 2008 All Star Cubbies

On July 15th, the National League team of this years MLB All Star Game will be packed full of Chicago Cubs.  That’s right, THE CUBS!  Three starters, seven players all together.

Check out the pregame hype here.  You can even vote on the final player to join each roster.

The “Black Sheep Award” goes to Tampa Bay this year.  They are tops in the entire MLB, yet no one from their team is represented in this years game.  Yikes!

My Week In Review

I know my blog post frequency has been low this past week so here is a short summary of what’s been whirling around in my world…

• Great staff meeting on Monday.  Shared with the staff that God is calling me to sacrifice more and more…lots of fun discussing that one.
• Road kill incident on Tuesday morning of last week.  Baby turtle.  That’s all I have to say about that.
• Wednesday morning breakfast with my good friend Jeremy.  Always a great time.
• Looking at Honda Civic’s for further improved gas mileage and continuing to scale back our budget.
• Friday didn’t come soon enough.   A very long and extremely busy week at work.
• Note to all:  cell phones make for a pretty good makeshift flashlight.
• Habitat for Humanity on Saturday.  Fun and incredibly gratifying.
• Saturday night setup for the last time in a while.
• My Sunday morning mood - honored, humbled, and grateful to be serving God and the people of UpRising Church.
• One Prayer series continues as Perry Noble delivered our message.  Uhhh….WOW!!!
• UpRising 411 gathering last night was great.  I already see great potential in these and other people in our church right now. 
• This morning I’m still obsessed with gas mileage.  Also noticed that I spent almost zero time alone with my family this weekend.  That can’t happen again.
• Looking forward to a ”stay-cation” vacation soon.

That’s it for now.  Later peeps!

Zaxby’s Mission Statement

I had lunch at Zaxby’s a few minutes ago.  Love that place.  They print their mission statement on the receipt from your order.  It’s says the following:

Consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time!!

This is simply from a fast food restaurant, but it begs the question,”are we striving for the same success in our churches?”  Are we trying create environments and experiences that allow God to directly influence lives?  Reading this today helps me to focus a little more on my job at the UC.  It makes me ask myself, ”what can we be doing to allow God to further enrich the lives of his people?” 

Keep your eyes open.  There’s a thought, idea, or lesson to be learned around every corner.

Gas-o-leaner

As a commuter family, Julie and I consume a lot of gas.  A LOT!!!  Her SUV does very well as my truck does not.  So as an update to this post from a while back, I have decided to quit driving to work on the interstate and take a shorter, slower route.

The result has been almost 17% increase in fuel mileage!  Yeah, baby!

Can you tell that I’m pumped about this?  What are you doing to conserve?

New Favorite Store

My new favorite store.  It recently opened at Nashville West and shopped there for the first time last Friday.  A very cool place to get a wide variety of stuff.

Beware:  Not a good place to let your wife shop alone.

Do You Care?

This morning I’m dealing with negative symptoms in my workplace.  A lazy coworker.  He doesn’t report directly to me, but his work supports my department.  He’s a Christian.  He’s not ashamed of his faith which is good, but his actions don’t necessarily point to God when it comes to work ethic.

My personal assessment of the whole situation is that he just doesn’t care about his job and how he impacts our business.  I could slap him across the head with the verse of Collosians 3:23 but I won’t.

This situation makes me ponder the spiritual parallel.  Don’t you think God feels the same way about us sometimes?  If all Christ followers “cared”, can you imagine the impact?  Do you care?  Is it evident?

Cub-update

Can you say…ON FIRE!!!

Eight days, eight wins.  Yeah baby!  Not to mention currently more wins than anyone else in MLB.

Seven starters are batting right around three hundred or better for the year so offense is still strong.  The pitching staff is collectively averaging an era of 3.65.

October is looking better and better every day! 

Is this the best shot at post season glory since 2003?  Yep, I think they’re much better…more solid.  If they pick up one more ace pitcher between now and then, it’s over for everyone.

RECIPROCATE

Watched the Spelling Bee (on ESPN of all places) the other evening and was inspired to post a personally meaningful word.  So without delay, the word for the day is…

RECIPROCATE

No, not the type of saw or the inverted fraction from fifth grade, but the intransitive verb.

re·cip·ro·cate -  to make a return for something

When you love God, you reciprocate.  For all of the love He gives us, we give some back.  We return to Him some of the everlasting, eternal love that He has gifted us with.

…I have loved you with an everlasting love… - Jeremiah 31:3

By reciprocating, you’re essentially acknowledging that you’re not the source of love.  We are not capable of being the source of love.  If you or I were a source, then it wouldn’t be reciprocation, rather a donation.

…There is no one righteous, not even one… - Romans 3:10

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. - 1 John 4:16 

Further more, as the source of love, only the Lord can increase our love.  We can’t multiply it on our own.

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. - 1 Thessalonians 3:12

So as in both the New and Old Testament command us, reciprocate that love.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deuteronomy 6:5

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. - Mark 12:30

Now that you have officially increased your comprehension of reciprocation, may it experience proliferation.  (Sorry couldn’t resist).

So come on people, you’re not the source so reciprocate!