OK I caved...

But not on my fast! Nice try! Nope I caved on something I said I would not do but apparently already had done at the time that I said I wouldn't do it! Am I confusing you? Yeah me to a little. Read this post "Fighting the System". Well it turns out that I have had a facebook for some time now and forgot all about it. Someone found me and I got the email. I did click the link to accept them because I didn't know I even had a facebook. So now a bunch of you are requesting to be my friends on there. When I am done with my fast, I will accept you and look around on it BUT I REFUSE to like it. I need another social network like I need a virtual hole in my head!

So yeah whatever, I will see ya'll facebookers in a few weeks or so.

Never more proud!!!

In light of my post about "the church", To day I have never felt better about where I serve and worship. Our new worship pastor recently moved into a house and lately it has been pushing him around a bit. It seems like so many thinks are going wrong all at the same time. Well his ice-maker turned into a water sprinkler and soaked the whole living room. There was a poor attempt at a pergo floor install that warped from the water. Well here comes the cool: Some money was given from our PARTners to put in a new floor for them. Today a bunch of people from the church went over there a busted out a fresh (dry) new floor for them and all before Ella's one year birthday.

This whole event really reminded me of the way churches were in Acts. Were people gave to anyone in need. This was awesome to be a part of and to all of those who came out and helped: Thank You! And I am sure that Randy Thanks you!!!

This is, after all, what it is all about. Putting off of yourself for the sake of others. Thats what Christ did and today, thats what Discovery Church did!!!

We had too many people in the house so some us us hit the yard work while we were there. Look Ma we can walk under the trees now!!!

www.18 days.com (still not a link so don't go there!)

I am on day 18 of my net fast. Thanks to our wonderful town I was thinking of doing a water fast along with it (check here and here).

I am still going strong and haven't been told or felt I should stop fasting. It's weird/great but I don't know if I want to stop! Of course I want to look at web sites (thanks to all my friends emailing me links!!!) but a part of me is willing to lose it forever if thats what it takes to get on track. I have spent more time reading the Bible, praying, thinking about God and even thinking about our friends in Christ and people within our ministry reach than ever before. And I enjoy it! I don't want to sleep in, I want to get up and read! Yesterday I spent most of the day with a heavy burden because of a few friends I have that are in struggles. I was in constant prayer for them.

Confession time: I was in New Bern on Wednesday to see my mom and S.R. 43 was way messed up with construction. I used my moms computer to Google map a better way home!!!! Does it count if it ain't fun? I sure felt like I was letting myself and you all down. It was 2 minutes that seemed like forever. I was very eager to click that little red "x" in the top corner. I know it wasn't for fun or recreation but it wasn't for work or blogging! The walk into the computer room was heavy, finding her internet icon was convicting and typing in a google search (first time in weeks) felt terrible. I know I wasn't sinning but it felt like it because I have said I wouldn't do it! I broke my word and it felt bad. I pray that every area of sin in my life has the same feelings as this let down. That is a conviction that I want.

So on I go with my net-out. Pray for me, that I will continue the desire and effort to get closer to God through prayer, reading and fasting.


To some this may seen dumb or just plain crazy but I ask you this: Is the bad stuff that you or your kids have seen on the internet worth the good stuff you have seen? The internet has made stealing seem justified, it tells lies and passes them on as truth, it hates God more than it loves him, It has made lust easy, it has degraded lives and it has distracted us from a savior who died to be near us. So right now, for a short time I am willing to cut off this hand and gouge out this eye in order to follow God a little closer.

As I stated, I don't know how long I am going to go with this fast but I have decided that when it is over that I will start back slowly and ONLY go to sites that I have bookmarked as good and decent ahead of time. I will not set my home page on a search engine and I will not sit down to browse just to find something cool and fun.

What next?... TV baby!!!! (but that one will be easy for me)
Thank you GOD for not asking me to fast FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How's Church?

If we were to take care of our church building/property the same way we handle the spiritual side of church, I wonder what our churches would look like.

I was out last week doing some quite time/reading and praying and I came across this old church:

I felt God telling me to stop. So I did. My heart was saddened as I looked at this "beautiful" building. Thoughts started pouring into my mind and I could actually picture what it was like long ago:

I saw a group of people praying on a cleaned off piece of property. They were praying for the building project, for the people to come, for souls to be saved. Then I pictured the opening: Everyone dressed in their Sunday Best. Most of them had covered dishes because there was lunch on the grounds after service. I saw Easter Sunday where kids were running around finding eggs and grown ups played horse shoes and talked to each other sitting on blankets.

I imagined their hymns and all of the voices being lifted up to God.
I saw a true reverence for a Savior who died for us.

What I could not see, could not picture or imagine was how this church turned out like this. Why people left. What happened? Did the Pastor mess up beyond forgiveness? Did they out grow this building? If they did, wasn't there any other churches in need of a nice chapel? Did they as a group fall away from the truth? Was the message of the Cross forgotten?

Then I felt God telling me that THIS is what a lot of churches look like to Him. But those churches have paint, pews and lots of people in them each week. They actually have Prayer (but it's not sincere), they have people coming to the alter (But never discipled to maturity), They dress nice on the outside (But their thoughts are ragged), They have lunch on the grounds (but are spiritually starving), Their kids get candy at church (But Bible learning is scarce), They still talk and fellowship (but it's mostly gossip), Their Songs are still sung (but mostly to each other), They have reverence (for stature and status only).

So how is your Church maintenance program? Is the "Church" today a little run down? Is it even usable? I loved "Work Days"! They were a time when Members came to clean, fix, remodel and landscape around the grounds. It was a great time. A time serving and fellowship. But I never (to this day) recall a spiritual work day. A full day set aside to check on and perform spiritual maintenance.

So do I have an answer? Sure I do... Jesus, Him and a lot more of Him! If and when Jesus is the true focus, we as a church will start to be in a lot better shape. Jesus was never inward but always outward... Let's start there.

So on the next "work day", don't bring your rake... TAKE YOUR RAKE! (do you get it?)

What's the best thing in your town for teens to do?

We are in the Greenville N.C. area and we have... the movies and... well that's about it.
And unless you are rich, you are not doing THAT too much!
So I need Ideas. I am asking my 3 blog readers to throw out some "teen to do's" that can keep them busy and give them some clean fun.

So my nephew Lee is in town with me for about a week. I figured after a day or so he would be bored so I suggested taking him to a movie. Just the two of us. That day a teen (not to mention any names that start with S and ends in N) text me saying she was bored. So I told her to round up a few of the youth group to go with Lee and I. Next thing I know we had about 15 people. Then the cool happened. Someone wanted to see The Love Guru and I asked a few of them what they though. One of them said she didn't think it would be a very "clean" movie and said she would look it up. She Googled it and told me that we were NOT going to see THAT movie. This was awesome! If you are reading this, Thank you and you made me very proud. It turns out that NONE of the movies that were not a cartoon was appropriate. This same teen suggested that they come over to MY house and watch a movie that we already had. So thats what happened. A bunch of kids, a small room, a movie and a few body functions set the scene. We had a blast.

About 10 minutes after they all left, I started getting text about how fun it was and that we should do it again. So I am working up the nerve to ask Sheila (my wonderful, lovely, hospitable wife {who reads my blog}) if she would be up for a weekly movie night through summer. I was thinking of watching all of the star wars movies in order.

So that was my Tuesday evening!