thelokey

Here's some stuff that's running through my brain... -Me and Crissy are looking into buying a house. Our thinking is we would like to own a house and right now they're REALLY cheap and we don't have to worry about selling a house. -I'm glad the Olympics are OVER. Yes, Michael Phelps is an amazing athlete, but that's just a huge distraction from the fact that China is a Communist country that gets away with huge human rights violations including killing plenty of Christians. All the while America watched in awe as they lit a torch and ignored the obvious. We shouldn't have been there, we shouldn't do business with them, and it will come back to bite us in the collective butt. -I've been watching the "old" sit-com " Two Guys and a Girl ". So underrated and under-appreciated. Thanks " Friends ". -I expressed my desire to start the ordination process at Lost Mountain to my pastor today, let the fun begin!

Right now I'm getting into my 10th hour of work. Yes, it's a Saturday, and yes, it's been a long day. My sprint began when we got home last Saturday after 10 days in Peru on a mission trip (that'll be a different blog post). Upon returning, there were plenty of things to do. Such as finishing our church's web overhaul, next Sunday's bulletin, promo materials for our upcoming fall retreat, etc. This is not even getting into the things that needed to be done around the house. This post is not going to be me complaining about how busy I am, everyone's busy. This is more about the nature of the American life. What I've really been busy doing is getting caught up on work that didn't get done while fulfilling the Great Commission. And here's the real kicker, I'm frantically trying to get all my work done for next week so I can relax while we go on vacation! How dumb is that?!?

I'm all for finding creative and catchy ways to connect spiritual truth with current culture, but THIS is RIDICULOUS! As a Christian AND a fan of the movie (went tonight) I'm dumbfounded that we insist on finding ways to relate our faith to popular culture. Just leave it at, "This was a funny movie, but there was some off color situations and lines that may be offensive to some. Overall, the comedy is truly 'smart' and the chemistry between Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway is undeniably cute. I was also pleasantly surprised by the extent of action sequences that gave the movie a good pacing." Now how hard was that?

Anyone that knows anything about me knows that I'm a pretty heavy consumer of all things media. Here's a list of my consumption lately: Movies: Prince Caspian - Great movie! The director really progressed the three children's character and matured them well. The overall tone was a bit darker and more intense. I'm a HUGE fan of C.S. Lewis and have read the "Narnia" series many times, and Walden & Disney have done an excellent job of translating these stories to film Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls - I don't know what all the critics and fans are complaining about! The I.J. series is about one thing, having a fun experience at the movies. That is exactly what Spielberg & the gang accomplished. It's supposed to be corny, unrealistic, and outlandish. If it were real, it would be...well, like watching PBS. Music: Hawk Nelson is My Friend - I went to see these guys in concert about a month ago and to be honest, what l...

I'm done with college, but I will NEVER be done learning. I love Youth Ministry. If you're reading this and have any kind of ministry position (at all), please take this advice...FIND PEOPLE DOING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO AND LEARN HOW THEY DO IT. For example, I'm a regular reader of SimplyYouthMinistry.com. They have great articles about nearly every aspect of ministry. Here's a sample. developing a strong volunteer team We often measure the size and impact of our youth programs by counting the number of students that come each week. But have you ever thought ... My point is very clear, learn something. Even if you're not in ministry it's a good life strategy.

I must confess I never really liked VBS once I got into church ministry, but I can honestly say that the church I'm at right now really does a GREAT job with VBS and it's become a highlight of my year. With that in mind.... "What are the top 3 WORST themes for VBS?" These can be anything (real or made up). Enjoy.

Many years ago when AOL instant messenger was THE only way to communicate on the web, a friend of mine would post a "Question of the Day" on his away message. People would answer in the funniest way they could come up with, and at the end of the day he would take the funniest answers and post those for all to see. Well, I'm stealing his idea and using it on this blog. Only the questions won't be asked daily, and some may be serious. So today's question is a bit of an ethical question I've been pondering... Just because "all people are created equal", does that mean that all people REMAIN equal? Discuss.