Men and Snow

There have been at least traces of snow in the forecast for over a week now. The ten day forecast promises more of the same. Sunday afternoon while I was in LA, one of our church friends came out to the house to hang out with Belinda and the kids and got her 2WD Explorer stuck in our driveway, eventually sliding into the yard. As the snow has accumulated and the days have passed, her ride was still in the yard as of last night.

When we got home from our small group, Belinda and I put the kids to bed and headed outside in the 15 degree weather and tried to get the Explorer out. I bought a tow rope in town and tried to tow her ride out with my Grand Cherokee. Well my neighbors saw us and three guys from the neighborhood came out and helped us. After 15 minutes of pulling, pushing, and creative engineering, we got the Explorer out, and got it down to the end of our road. Then we proceeded to get another car (rear wheel in the air) out of the ditch above my house.

We had a GREAT TIME! Lots of male testosterone being exercised. After we rescued the vehicles, my neighbor Jeremiah gave me a tour of his house which he has been working on. Then we sledded and snowboarded in his front yard and Belinda had everyone over for coffee, hot chocolate, and cherry turnovers.

Jeremiah is a fellow believer and a lover of Jesus. We are looking forward to working together and sharing the love of Christ with our neighbors, being salt and light. Tonight was a great start.

This month at StoneBridge

Back From LA

I got back in from LA last night around 8:00 PM. The Organic Church Movements conference put on by CMA Resources far surpassed my expectations. The conference caused me to pause and think about what we do as church planters and why we do them. There are many serious implications to consider. I will blog about some of the highlights and principles learned in upcoming posts.

One of the craziest aspects of the trip was being stuffed in a Ford Expedition with 7 other guys along with our luggage. Not good. Another highlight was getting to attend Mosaic and hear Erwin McManus speak on Sunday night. Will blog more about this later. Thanks again to Mike Prince and Reach America for sending me to this conference.

Retro Me

Continuing the high school reminiscing, here's a pic of yours truly circa 1991. Minus a few pounds.

Top Ten Campsites in WV (continued)

OK, I'm tired of this top ten. Let's skip to #1...I might come back later and fill in 2-5.

#1 - Canaan Loop Road, Canaan Mountain, WV

The Canaan Loop Road is the mecca for car camping in West Virginia. It is only a 90 minute drive from Morgantown. The Loop Road is recommended for 4WD vehicles only with reasonable clearance (another plus). The road runs along the rim of Blackwater Canyon and creates a horseshoe pattern for 18 miles of off-roading bliss. If you want solitude, head to the Canaan Loop Road. CLR is part of the National Forest, so there are several trail systems to enjoy for vigorous hiking. There are several streams on the mountain, which also require fording in your vehicle (another plus).

Our family camps here several times a year and have brought several friends from StoneBridge at various times. There is plenty to do on the mountain, including several beautiful overlooks into the canyon, hiking, fly fishing, visiting Blackwater Falls at the source of the canyon, and just hanging out having a good time.

Organic Church Movements

Friday morning I'm catching a red eye flight to LA for an Organic Church Movements conference. I'm attending this conference thanks to the generosity of Mike Prince and Reach America, who are funding this trip by sending me and several other pastor/planters from around the country.

To be honest, I'm really not sure what to expect at this conference. Now I am really pumped about hearing Neil Cole (author/inventor of Life Transformation Groups) speak, but other than him, I am not familiar with any of the other speakers. The one thing I can guarantee is that I WILL BE STRETCHED, which is a good thing. Here are some of the presenters and their topics.

• Neil Cole - "Why I didn't take the blue pill: The dark side of Organic Church"
• Reggie McNeal - "Qualities of a Missional Leader"
• Alan Hirsch - "Jesus made me do it -- acting our way into new ways of thinking"
• Ori Brafman - "Starfish Organizations - the unstoppable power of decentralized movements"
• Felicity Dale - "Mobilizing the other half of the army -- women in leadership roles"
• Wolfgang Simson - "Thinking prophetically and acting apostolically"

Here are the breakouts I plan on attending:

• Richard Flemming - "Marketplace movements"
• Panel Discussion - "Transitioning conventional churches to organic churches"
• Jaeson Ma - "Campus organic church movements"
• Brad Fieldhouse and Eric Swanson - "Transforming Cities from the grass roots"

I'll blog more on this from California and when I get back.

Good Friends and Thoughts on the 80's

Had a pleasant surprise in my inbox this morning... I received an email from an old high school friend from the Grand Prairie High Class of '91. Stacy had googled my name and found our StoneBridge site, then emailed me through our contact page. It was great hear from her, now happily married and the mother of two boys living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, after spending time in Mississippi and New Orleans. The great thing about Stacy is that she was such a true, genuine friend to me during our time walking the halls of GPHS. In a time in my life where there were so many distractions and temptations as I tried to follow Christ, she was a spiritual rock, a true example of what a Jesus follower should be. I am thankful that God placed people like Stacy in my life during that crucial season in my life. She truly lived out the principle of Proverbs 27:17 in my life. Thanks, Stacy for being a great friend.

The other day while I had the flu, I was laying on the couch watching "Yearbook" on the Discovery Times channel. They were reviewing the year 1988, and it caused be to look back and reminisce on everything that was going on in my life at the time. Sometimes I miss the '80's. Air Jordans. Members Only Jackets (5th grade). Big Hair. Paula Abdul (pre-American Idol). Larry vs Magic. GPHS Homecoming Traditions (collecting real estate signs, VW beetles, and Kip's Big Boy and depositing them on the front lawn of the high school). GPHS's last football playoff win (1989). Really large computers.

Would love to know your favorite memories from the 80's. And your favorite high school memories. Or how your high school friends impacted your life in a positive/negative way.

Out with the Tuna, In with the Jimmy

So, old ball coach Bill Parcells decided to retire yesterday. Thanks a lot, Bill, for waiting two weeks to make up your mind, while all of the assistant coaches made their exodus. It's time to bing back the greatness of Jimmy -- he's got to be tired of doing his analyst bit at FOX, and tired of cruising on his yacht in South Florida. Please come back Jimmy -- bring an end to the wandering years of the Cowboys.

Belinda and the Governor

Thought I'd share a picture of Belinda hanging out with Governor Manchin at the groundbreaking on the 12th. She's gonna kill me when she sees this on my blog. Busted!

God Ordained Opportunities

Last night, Jason and I were asked to speak at a candlelight memorial at Woodburn Circle on the campus of WVU to remember the life of Justin Simmons. Justin was a 21 year old student who was killed last Sunday after slipping and falling 70 feet to his death while camping at Blue Hole. He was active in several campus organizations, including the WVU Caving Club, and volunteered as a fireman in our community. Rich Finley, a StoneBridger and president of the Caving Club, had asked us to come and speak during the memorial earlier this week..

Last night we were able to remind the 35-40 in attendance that we can find ultimate healing and comfort by turning to God, and that true satisfaction in life comes from pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ. My prayers continue to go out to the Simmons family and all of his friends and loved ones.

Eat More Chik'in

Mark Batterson shared some disturbing news about cows on a recent blog posting. You can read about it here. Someone call and alert Al Gore...

Groundbreaking

Thank you to everyone who took time to pray for me this week as I prepared to give the invocation at the Augusta on the Square's groundbreaking this week. God gave me exactly what I needed for the occasion. I had a great time, and it was a honor to be included in the proceedings. Governor Manchin gave a great speech talking about how Morgantown is now the gold standard which other cities should look up to in the areas of vision, economic development, and citywide cooperative effort. David and I got a chance to meet and visit with the Governor for a few moments, which was really cool. I also got to speak with Mayor Ron Justice and share with him what is going on with our church in the downtown area.

You can read more about the groundbreaking and see the news feed here.

We are Marshall

I finally got to see this Movie this week and all I can say is, WOW! This movie had me in tears. It's such a moving story and is a must see, especially with people with ties to West Virginia. It almost made me want to be a Marshall fan. Almost. The scene when the Marshall coaching staff goes to Morgantown to visit WVU coach Bobby Bowden is great. Get out and go see WE ARE MARSHALL.

Sledding Pictures

Took the kids out to sled this morning in the back yard. The highlight was propelling Ryan and Janna down the hill on the sled together and watching the powder spray everywhere while they sped down. Janna wasn't too pleased about the powder spray and you can see in one of the pics.

Snow Update

Looks like we received 4-5 inches of dry powder last night. Schools are closed and we are experiencing our first taste of winter. Sledding pictures will follow later in the day.

My Verse for the Day

10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."

11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."

Exodus 4:10-11

Snow

The snow is finally here and we are temporarily stuck on the mountain this morning. Cars are backed up and I think there was a massive pileup on the Pike.

WVU Takes Their Show on the Road

Tonight WVU rides an eight game winning streak into Notre Dame. The game will be televised on ESPN2 at 7:00 pm. This is a big test since WVU's undefeated Big East record has all come at home. I am predicting an 8 point win tonight for the Mountaineers!

Facing My Giant

Today, I was asked to deliver the welcome and invocation at the groundbreaking ceremony for The Augusta on the Square apartments, a new project adjacent to the downtown campus of WVU in Morgantown, this coming Friday morning. My wife Belinda is the executive coordinator for the project and is the source for my connection. Dignitaries will be present for the occasion, including Mayor Ron Justice and Governor Manchin. The event will most likely get solid newspaper and TV coverage, because The Augusta is the first phase of the largest urban redevelopment project in the history of West Virginia.

Now for the confessional...I'm scared to death of any form of public speaking at this level. I am not kidding. Now I love preaching and communicating and I'm comfortable with that, but I've never done anything like this before. I know it shouldn't be any different, and I am only praying publicly, but I found myself instantly shaking in my boots, cottonmouthed, and a possessor of cold hands when asked to do this. My flesh wanted to run like a cat on fire, but I agreed to do it anyway. I can't help but thinking that this is a God assignment, and this is no accident.

God has really been stretching me and putting me in new situations that are way out of my comfort zone over the past few months, and this is definately no exception. Looks like I'm in for a growth ride this week! My prayer is that God would be made famous and given glory through this brief portion of the groundbreaking this coming Friday.

FBC Student Retreat

I just returned from Terra Alta, WV this evening from FBC Inwood's student retreat. FBC is our sending church, and I had a good time hanging out with their people last night and today. Aaron and I were on schedule to speak during the weekend. Aaron spoke last night and I spoke this afternoon. This morning, the group headed out to Wisp ski resort in McHenry, Maryland for a two hour tubing session. Fortunately, there was just enough snow to tube on, although the majority of the ski runs are closed. We are in the midst of our warmest winter in 130 years in this area.

This afternoon I spoke concerning avoiding temptation looking at the life of Joseph and his encounter with Potiphar's wife. I encouraged the students to: 1) make predecisions before encountering temptation 2) maintain distance from tempting situations 3) think consequentially and 4) when all else fails, put on their running shoes. I thoroughly enjoyed my time this weekend.

The Odd Couple

As a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan, I found it intriguing and amusing to see the greatness of Jimmy and Barry Switzer paired together as college football analysts on Fox's pregame broadcast of the Oklahoma/Boise State game. Seeing those two coaches who won Super Bowls coaching the greatest dynasty of all time brought a tear to my eye. I'll be glad when the wandering years of the Cowboys are over.

College Football Thoughts

State Senator Vic Sprouse has a great article posted revisiting the 1987 Fiesta Bowl featuring the #1 ranked Miami Hurricanes coached by the greatness of Jimmy versus the #2 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions coached by JoePa. I vividly remember watching this game in my parent's living room. This is a fascinating article and has great insight to the tradition and culture of the two schools, and traces the beginnings of corporate sponsorships, prime-time bowl slots, and post New Year's bowl games to this monumental affair in 1987. It is a long article, but if you are a hard core college football fan, you can read more about it here.

Trip Snapshots

Texas Trip Travel Log

Friday morning at 2:40 am our family returned from our roadtrip to Texas for Christmas. We logged around 2,600 miles roundtrip, including our zigzags around East and Central Texas. This year's journey was a last minute decision, and we surprised Belinda's family, my grandmother, and extended family with our arrival.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time even though it was short. Highlights included visiting our families, Christmas Eve at my grandmother's house, and exotic foods that can't be had in WV (Ta Molly's, El Chico in Mount Pleasant, and fried catfish at a convenience store in Brinkley, Arkansas.)

This trip was made possible due to several cash gifts from my grandmother, family, and three churches: First Baptist Inwood, WV, Harmony Baptist Church in Prattsville, Arkansas, and Beth Haven Baptist Church in Morgantown. God is so good and blesses our family far beyond what we could ever deserve. Thank you Lord for too much.