thelokey

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/20/afghanistan.violence/index.html?eref=rss_topstories Here's an excerpt of the story... The Taliban claimed responsibility for the death, saying on its Web site that it killed the "foreign woman" for preaching Christianity in the country and adding that it had been following the woman for some time. - Source: CNN.com Two things: First, my prayers go out to this young women's friends and family for their tragic loss. Gayle Williams is a modern day martyr and will receive her heavenly reward. She is a testimony to the rest of the Christian faith of what it means to follow Christ at all costs. Secondly, I'm also proud that CNN ran the story and even put the "Christian" details in it. I'm not naive enough to think that Gayle Williams was the only person killed for her faith in Christ this week or even today. But I applaud them for reporting this in a tasteful fashion. For more information on SERVE Afghanistan...

Here's the last 24 hours of my life... 10:30PM - Got home from helping Crissy's sister move a washer and dryer into her apartment and took a Tylenol PM so I could get to sleep because I had to be up early to start MY FIRST DAY at a new church . 11:30PM - Noticed a small, but sharp pain underneath my left shoulder blade. I thought, "That's weird, I took a pain killer earlier when I wasn't even in pain." Went to sleep. 4:30AM - Woke up with EXCRUCIATING pain in my left shoulder. It hurt so bad I was trying not to scream and I couldn't take a deep breath. Not being able to breathe made me panic, making it harder for me to breathe (you get the routine). Took 2 Aleve to see if the pain would go away. Didn't even take the edge off! 5:15AM - 7:00AM - Show up to Kennestone ER to find out what's going on. After getting some IV fluids, they decide to take a chest X-Ray to rule out any lung problems due to the shortness of breath. After the chest X-Ra...

So in the last 7 days I have officially resigned from my position at Lost Mountain Baptist Church to start as the Student Pastor at Crossview Community Church in Rockmart, GA. Needless to say it is a very exciting, stressful time for me and my wife. Even as I'm typing this entry I am at my office at Lost Mountain working on what will most likely be my last video for this church. There's a whole long list of things I have to train other people how to do before I leave so there won't be "holes" left when I'm not here. It sounds a little arrogant to say, but I'm amazed at all the things I've been doing both in and out of the realm of the student ministry. I guess it just goes to show my inability to say "no". The church we're moving to is a great place! It's unlike anything I've ever been a part of before. It's the kind of place I hear about other people being involved in and think to myself, "Man! I wish I could do s...

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...