It's Ours Now

We just got our van back from Sweet Signs Designs. The van looks great! Now it doesn't look like all of the others on the road. Just in time for our mission trip to Richwood, WV.

I will be posting to this blog while we are in Richwood (assuming that I have access to a computer.) I will also update some with twitter, which you can follow to the right. If I do not have mobile phone service (haven't in the past), then no twitter.

We look forward to a great trip and are excited about what God is going to do through us and in us.

Christmas Shoes

My new Toms Shoes arrived today! I had asked for a pair of Toms Shoes for Christmas and received a pair from my wife and kids. As usual, they got me the right size, but they didn't fit. So, we had to get a larger size, so . . . now I've got them on!

Why Toms Shoes? Glad you asked. For every pair of Toms Shoes purchased, a pair of shoes is given to a child in a Third World country that doesn't have a pair of shoes. That's awesome!

Think about this - the Christmas shoes that I received, turned out to be a Christmas present for someone else - that really needed it! Can't beat that!

Last Night!

We had a great meeting with our consultant last night. We are in the beginning stages of building a new facility for our church, so last night was the initial meeting with our Capital Stewardship Team. I'm excited about what God is doing now and the plans that He has for us in the future.

I'm also excited about the team that we have assembled. You'll hear more from them in the future. Be in prayer as we are follow the Wild Goose (the Holy Spirit) and go places that we've never been before. I'm pumped!

Lonely, Scared & Bitter

Found this on Seth Godin's blog. Found it quite interesting and revealing.

New (to us) Church Van

Yesterday two guys from the church went to Wallace, NC and got this 2007 Ford Van. We'd been looking for a while, so we're excited. It comes just in time for our Mission Trip to Richwood, WV. I'll have to take it for a spin in a bit.

Random Wednesday Thoughts

Some thoughts:

• It is kinda tough when the weather forecasters (weather channel and local) predict between 4-6 inches and you get zip. Talk about a letdown.
• Battery died in the van this morning. Glad it happened at home. However, it took me a few minutes to regroup at 5 this morning.
• Tried out a new coffee shop in Elizabeth City this morning - Nine Bars. Awesome! The owners also own Muddy's. It's in the Flowers Printing building near IHOP.
• The owner of Flowers Printing was in Nine Bars and took me on a tour of the whole facility. Pretty cool. Later today - a pastor friend of mine dropped by my office to introduce me to a builder - who happened to build the Flowers Printing Building. Kinda cool since we're planning to build.
• The boys were able to change out the battery in the van with no problem. Even changed out the windshield wipers. They must have been paying attention in the past . . .
• Had a planning meeting last night for our Feb. 1 mission trip to Richwood, WV. Getting excited! Can't wait to see what God is going to do!
• Enjoyed watching the inauguration yesterday. I love that kind of stuff. I can't imagine being in that crowd though. Unless I was one of those seated near the president, I would just assume watch on TV.
• It was neat to see some of the places in Washington on TV that we had been to before. The kids really picked up on it.
• I think our Angel Food ministry is about to really take off. It seems that most places I go in our area, I'm asked about it. We've had more traffic in the office this week (and this is the first week of ordering for February. Check out Angel Food here.

Legend of Poe Lives On . . .

One of my favorite people of all-time was my grandfather - Poe. I called him Pa Pa (pronounced paw paw). I grew up about 1.5 hours away from my grandparents, so I didn't see them weekly. But when I saw them, I usually spent time with them. Usually in the summers I would spend at at least a week with them, if not two or three. I was his shadow.

He would rise early, get coffee, read his Bible, the paper, eat breakfast and then get started on some project. The project could consume the morning, the day or even several days. But inevitably, whatever we would be working on - there would be a point where we would have to fix something that we working with (hence, another project).

For example, if we were mowing the yard - half day project - the mower would break down, so we would spend about half of the day fixing the mower and half of the day mowing. Most projects turned out like that.

I've noticed that little trend in my own life, and I know that I learned from grandfather. My sons have witnessed it. Today I have confirmation that I have successfully passed it down to my youngest son.

My sons were helping others install a projector in our fellowship hall at church. They were almost done when Kaleb was asked bring a cord to one of the guys in the attic. In the process, Kaleb pulled a Clark Griswold, he stepped through the ceiling. He wasn't hurt, but greatly surprised. Needless to say, that turned into another project.

Since I wasn't involved in the project, I have confirmation the Kaleb has inherited "it". Poe would be proud. In fact, Kaleb even looks a little like Poe.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Just some randomness this evening:

• Just over a week ago everyone was talking about how UNC couldn't be beat. Now they are very beatable - 0-2 in the ACC and now there is talk of them going 0-3? What's up with that? Hopefully it will prepare us for down the road. (I hope I didn't jinx them by going to see State play.)
• I really like Tony Dungy (Colts coach). I wish him the best in his retirement. From what I know - he seems to be the real deal. He is highly respected and most see him to be a class act. That's the way Christians ought to be. Thanks Tony!
• Just finish reading Tribes by Seth Godin. Seth is a business writer and has the most read blog in the US. Saw him at Catalyst. Tribes are those groups to which you want to belong. It might be a team, work group, readers of a blog, or anything that you want to be a part of. Here are some interesting thoughts that apply especially in the christian community -People want to: matter, create meaning, make a difference, be noticed, matter, and be missed (if they don't come back).
• Made reservations for an oceanfront hotel for March 2o in Virginia Beach. Planning on running the Shamrock 8K with a couple of guys from church.
• It is so wet where we are that we thought that the church office had a water leak near the water meter. A guy from church spent several hours today digging around the water meter to find no leak but a very high water table. Oops!
• Excited about our church consultant coming tomorrow to talk about some new facility planning!
• Started doing some twittering. So far I can tweet from my cell phone, but can't receive on my cell phone. Any help? BTW, you can keep up with my tweets by following on the right side of this blog, or follow by clicking the link.
• Watching The Biggest Loser. Most reality shows stink because people try to manipulate each other, put each other down and promote themselves. From what I have seen with TBL, everyone is better off by having participated in the show. However, it still irks me that it takes one hour to show about twenty minutes of content. Glad for the TiVo.
• Enough for now. Peace!

No Wonder . . .

One of my commitments for the New Year is to read a variety of books. I have a list of books to read (and it continues to grow) and have intentionally included books on different subjects that would be out of my norm to read.

I just finished The 5000 Year Leap: The Miracle that Changed the World. It is a book that chronicles the writing of the US Constitution, the basis the Founding Fathers were using, and the intent behind what they wrote.

The bulk of the book is on the Founders Basic Principles - 28 Principles that changed the world. These Principles are what makes our Constitution and our Country different and more special than any other country in history.

However, while reading about our Founders and their ideas, it seems that we (as a country) have moved away from what they intended. In fact, some of the stuff that we are going through now as a country, seems to be as a result of drifting away from the principles of the Founders.

It was interesting to read quotes from Jefferson, Washington, Adams, Franklin, Locke and the like - that basically predicted some of the bad stuff that we see now as a result of veering from the Founder intent in the Constitution.

Really fascinating. I was really surprised to how much the book applied to today since most of it focused on the Founders and that the majority of the book was written prior to 1981.

New Crop . . .

As a pastor, I have the privilege of serving on the committee for our district that is responsible for training, interviewing and ordination of new pastors. The people in this process vary in age, stage of life, and practically every other category that you can think of.

Yesterday we had ordination interviews with five people that are nearing the completion of the process. It was a long day for me - I left way before light and got home way after dark. The long day was worth it. It was great to hear each person's story of God's call on their life - what God has done in their life - where God has taken them - and where they see God leading them. It was incredible.

I love God stories.

Lights Out!

Last night we had a full slate of events happening at the church. We had five different things happening in our three different buildings (sanctuary, fellowship hall, office). We had to do a little bit of juggling and re-arranging to make them all happen in a timely manner.

Three of the five events were just in full swing when I was walking between buildings. I noticed that the parking lot lights flickered. Then they went off -then on - then off. As I looked around, I immediately realized that all lights were off - everywhere - on our end of the road. The power was out!

Everyone sat around for a little bit, it was pitch black. Cell phones turned into mini flashlights. Finally, everyone made their way to their car.

Just a little note to myself - I'm not in as much control as I think I am. How about you?

Here is the view in the sanctuary after the lights went out!

City on a Hill

I met with Matt LeRoy and Justin Simmons yesterday on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. These two guys have hearts full of passion for the folks that call Franklin Street and Chapel Hill home. It was a thrill to hear their heartbeat for people and the desire for an authentic Christian community right on Franklin Street.

Last night it was hard to sleep with all of the possibilities and ideas that we talked about. I can't wait to see what God is doing. Check out the City on a Hill Project.

Church Planters

I'm headed to Chapel Hill in the morning to spend the day with a couple of guys who are planting a church in Chapel Hill. We are actually meeting on Franklin Street, downtown Chapel Hill, where the action is. I love being on Franklin Street and being with church planters.

Tomorrow should be an awesome day! I'm already stoked!

The Race

I received a "coffee table book" for Christmas this year. I get those from time to time. This book is actually a short story or poem. This story describes a race in which a boy falls and gets up, falls and gets up, falls and gets up. It describes the honor and determination of getting up each time you fall. That's what winning is all about.

I know that I will get knocked down a few times this year, slip some, and maybe even lay down sometimes. I resolve to get up each time. How about you?

The book comes with a DVD that you can see the movie here.