The week in review

had some pretty cool things happen this week…

1. really excited about getting “north point unplugged” up and running!

2. this is going to be a huge benefit to the NP family.

3. can’t wait to tell some of our new people more of the NP story and draw them deeper in family life here.

4. i got to meet up with old friends this past week.

5. gayla congdon and her son, jordan were guests at dallas christian college this past tuesday.   gayla is the co-founder and president of amor ministries,  the group we go with to mexico each year.

6. it was great to hear her speak again.   she is,  without a doubt one of the most inspiring and convicting preachers i have ever heard.

7. it is always amazing to hear her speak and watch the faces of young women light up when they connect with her story and begin to believe there is nothing they cannot do!

8. gayla started amor ministries (along with her husband) when she was just a college student back in the 70’s.   it is now one of the largest and most unique christian ministries in the world.   crazy.

9. her son just completed his senior year at the university of southern california,  where he was the placekicker on the trojans football team.   he and corey were best friends growing up when we lived in california and worked for amor ministries.

10. jordan and i drove around and i got to give him a glimpse of high school football,  texas style.   it was an eye-opener for him.

11. jordan still holds some california state records in place kicking,  so he’s no stranger to high school football…be he’d never seen anything like some of our high school football stadiums!

12. man…i’ve turned into quite the texas tour guide this year.

13. this past week,  i made a list of 68 people that i needed to meet with.   68 people…what am i thinking?

14. this is one of the joys…and difficulties…of shepherding.

15. never enough time to do the most important things.

16. i’m in a bowling slump.

17. but i love bowling every week.   definitely a highlight.

18. this week,  the slump is busted.   i’m feeling it.

19. met with angela this week to talk about children’s ministry.

20. np children’s stuff is going better than it ever has…more kids than ever…more opportunities to reach families… more possibilites…more demands.   she’s got her hands full.

21. it is almost to a crisis point…we need more children’s workers.

22. honestly,  i can’t understand why we don’t have more people pounding at the door to help work with kids.   i mean,  what is more gratifying and powerful than using your life to influence a child for christ?   i don’t get it.

23. gotta figure out the answer to that last question.

24. had dinner with my whole family…all of them…along with gayla and jordan on wednesday night at fuddruckers.   it was great to relive old times and realize we have all walked a pretty cool path the past fifteen years.

25. fuddruckers is always a good choice.   i’m never disappointed.

26. on thursday,   i went back to dallas christian college to participate in their honors chapel.   they were presenting the very first ed schorstein scholarship…

27. ed was our friend and co-worker at north point for many years before he and his wife,  kara,  moved to estes park, colorado about back in 2001.   ed died of a heart attack a couple of years ago.   he will be missed for a long,  long  time.

28. north point was able to contribute a pretty sizable amount to the scholarship fund,  so it was our honor to be present for the first award presentation.   the kids who received them should be honored to be connected with such an amazing man.

29. i got to spend time with kara.   moving on after the death of a spouse must be about the hardest thing anyone ever has to do.   she is strong.   her faith is huge.   but it is still hard.

30. it’s really weird.   there are a lot of people at dallas christian that know me…or of me…and north point.

31. there are also people at the school who have opinions of me that are not true.

32. it should probably bother me more than it does.

33. i would like to teach youth ministry again.   i taught it for 14 years at pacific christian college in california.   i also taught it at dallas christian for seven or eight years before i stepped back to spend more time watching my boys play ball.

34. i’m ready again.   i hope there’s a place someday.

35. still trying to get my riding lawn mower to work.   i really am a tightwad when it comes to paying people to fix things that i think i can do myself.

36. the problem is i really don’t know how to fix this one.   but i will keep trying.

37. i’m really hacked off that we canceled the north point funday because of the threat of bad weather.

38. really…with all the new, sophisticated predictive weather technology,  we can’t do a better job than what happened this past weekend?

39. congratulations to the colony high school baseball team (where corey coaches) for making it to the playoffs for the first time in the school’s history!

40. this passage that i preached on this past week was tough!   it’s definitely one of those sections that is volatile and when inappropriately applied  (like we often do),  it is a lightening rod for alienating people from christ and the church.

41. i hope i did it justice.

42. it was cool to have brian play the banjo.   it was a perfect was to complete “he will rejoice”.   i already loved that song.   i love it more now.

43. erin is really coming into her own as a singer these days.   “revelation song” will continue to grow in influence in our family.   i’m glad we do it.

44. the jemima story was good… but fell way short of the ear wax story.

45. okay…i’m going to need some help on this.   this is the second week in a row that i felt like we were lacking something in our services.   they have just felt flat to me.

46. now understand…it’s not about trying to hype things and have some kind of crazy rock concert environment.   but there is something to be said about energy and the spirit of a group of people that are just excited to be with each other in the presence of god.

47. we went to chili’s for lunch yesterday.   a little out of our wheelhouse.   real plates.   real waiters.   not my thing.   but it was really good and we had a killer waiter.   he was awesome with a big group!

48. i am sitting out in front of lewisville city hall this morning.   it was 4:45 when i started writing.   today is day you can rent out the lewisville city pools for private parties and we really need to have june 20 for bon voyage, our summer children’s program.

49. i’m second in line,  but we will get our date.

50. i wonder if this was the kind of sacrifice that the apostle paul was talking about when he spoke of laying aside the old self and putting on the new?

51. probably not.

have an awesome week!   serve boldly.   walk in righteousness.