The Horse Pumpkin

Just for fun... Aly and I carved the smallest pumpkin that we could find tonight. She wanted a picture of a horse on it... so we carved a "horse pumpkin". We tried to put a candle inside... but it was so tall that the flame shot up about 3 inches over the top. Ooops... I guess we'll just leave this one dark.






















Here is a photo of Abby's pumpkin next to ours. We figured out a way to get a tiny candle in there. All is right with the world... the "horse pumpkin" is glowing... and Aly is a happy camper. (It actually looks like Abby's pumpkin is watching ours.)

Are You A Rebel?

My all-time favorite movie is Braveheart. In that movie William Wallace makes a speech to his men before they go into their final battle... and I think that it is one of the most inspiring of all time!

William Wallace: "I AM William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my country men, here, in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?

Soldier: "Against that? No, we will run, and we will live.

William Wallace: "Aye, fight and you may die... run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!

Do you ever feel like you have to fight for your right to create? Do you ever feel like... a rebel?

Creativity is looking at something in a way that it has never been looked at before. Creativity is the fresh and the new. Creativity is CHANGE. Ooooh... that's a bad word! Most people just can't handle change... so that makes you...

... a rebel.

But stand proud! The world needs you! You fight for a noble cause. You see... every creative thing that you do is an attack on the "status quo" of the world! Most people are comfortable with "status quo". It is safe... and familiar. They find great comfort in the "rut" that they are stuck in. But then you come along to mess all of that up. You and your crazy ideas. You and your "vision" to improve something... to solve a problem... or maybe just change things up a little... to add some color. Don't back down! Stand strong!

"Aye, create and you may get your ideas shot down... accept the status quo, and you'll live... at least a while. And bored out of your minds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our nay sayers that they may "poo poo" our ideas, but they'll never take... OUR CREATIVITY!"

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Side note: I actually had the privilege of meeting Randall Wallace (the writer of Braveheart) at a conference a few years ago. (He's the tall one). Pretty cool... eh?

Crowder Tune Signed

I was checking out some David Crowder stuff on YouTube the other day... and came across this video. As I watched it... I found myself getting so caught up in the spirit of it all. You will see what I mean. "Open Skies" is already a great song... but to watch this kid sign it and dance to it... is unbelievable. I don't know if he is actually deaf... or if maybe he just has a family member who is... but this is definitely coming from his heart. WOW! Check it out and see for yourself.

Married Life LIVE

What an awesome graphic: Married Life LIVE... SOLD OUT! That means that there are over 550 people and 80+ volunteers coming out for a great time tomorrow night! It also means that folks around NewPointe Community Church are pretty serious about making their marriages work. This is our third MLL... and I just believe that it is going to be the best one yet! Here are a few things that you can look forward to tomorrow night:

• Lots of fun games

• Really cool prizes (Seriously... theses are great prizes!)
  

• Great connection & conversation with other couples

• Exciting music: (hint - you'll probably hear songs by K.C & The Sunshine Band and The Emotions for starters)

• All kinds of opportunities for uncontrollable laughter
  

• Awesome food (I can't wait for dessert! I've been smelling it in the halls all week!)
  

• A powerful talk from our very own Dave D'Angelo (You know... Nico's dad)

• A FREE gift to every person in Attendance (pictured below)
  

So with all of that to look forward to... who would want to miss a single MLL! If you didn't get tickets for tomorrow night... make plans now to be at the next Married Life LIVE (It will be in February '08).

I've heard... that it is going to be the best one yet!

dot-dwellers

Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from His perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life - even though invisible to spectators - is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too - the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. Colossians 3:2-4 (The Message)

That is the scripture that I am to memorize this week. WOW! Is that powerful... or what?!?!

A Pastor that I once worked with used a simple illustration that I will never forget. He held up a sheet of paper with a small dot in the middle. He said that if people focus on that small dot (The negative thoughts that consume them) for long enough... eventually they will no longer be able to see the "big picture".

I know that I just used this optical illusion in my last post... but it supports my point... so here it is again.

Stare at the dot in the middle long enough... and the gray circle around it will just disappear. Go ahead ... try it. Stay with it... it might take a minute to see it... but eventually all you will see is the black dot. Pretty cool... huh?

Imagine that the gray circle represents the great stuff that is happening in our church... the stories of life change... people growing spiritually with their small groups... people serving joyfully... new folks checking out our services every week (some have never been in a church... and many are giving church a second chance)... that kind of stuff.

The little black dot represents the things that we could choose to focus on. "It's too cold in here", "The music's too loud", "The messages aren't deep enough", "This doesn't look like a church to me"... that kind of stuff.

If you dwell on that stuff long enough... when it is all you see... eventually you will miss out on all of the incredible things that are happening around you.

And you know what else... most people don't want to hang out with "dot-dwellers" (I know that I don't. They absolutely "drain" me.)

I don't know about you... but I want to be a "big picture" thinker. I want to see all that God has for me. I want to be where the action is! I want to see things from God's perspective! I know that I am not there yet... but that just means I have to keep my eyes on Him at all times. I need to actually live and think like I am "In Christ".

So that is my prayer this week: "God, help me look up!"

RandomStuf (Catchin' up... again)

Once again... life has gotten pretty crazy and blogging has taken a back seat. Well... just to catch up... here are a few random thoughts from the past week:


RandomStuf #1: This has been an absolutely beautiful week in Ohio! The trees are changing colors and it is a beautiful sight. The bright yellows and oranges are like neon lights on the hillsides.









This is a photo that I took off of our back porch yesterday afternoon (Click on it to enlarge it). The photo really didn't catch all of the bright colors. My camera is not all that great. (These were two photos that I put together to make a panoramic shot). I love this time of the year... especially when the skies are blue and the temps are in the mid 70s. WOW!

RandomStuf #2: This past week I received an e-mail from Christian recording artist, Kim Hill. She is doing a couple of Christmas events in Chicago and asked me to go and play keyboards for her. I had the privilege of playing for Kim last year... and I am really looking forward to working with her again. Kim has a new CD out... and she rocks!






RandomStuf #3: April and I sang for a Marriage Enrichment Retreat this past weekend in Wooster, Ohio. We had a great time with the folks up there. Beka went with us to sing and Brandon played drums. The facilitators for the weekend were Dan and Katie Croy from SanDiego, California. We have worked with them before and they are awesome! They have an incredible way of helping couples strengthen their communication skills and their marriages in general. It was also pretty cool to get to spend time with some of our great friends, the Frizzells while we were there.

Next weekend... Married Life LIVE. It doesn't get any better than that!


RandomStuf #4: This is my new favorite YouTube video. It reminds me a lot of this morning's announcements with John and Dave (You had to be there).



RandomStuf #5: We had a guest singer this morning at Newpointe. His name is Jamey Broaddus and he plays in a band called Faces Made For Radio (Great name for a band... huh?). It is very rare to hear a country song at NewPointe... but we wanted to kick off our new series on money (called "Confused?") with the Marty Stuart song, "Too Much Month At The End of the Money". We had a blast playing for Jamey! He was a joy to work with. What a pro!










RandomStuf #6: I love meeting with the guys in my small group. They encourage me and really challenge my thinking every week. The discussion at our meetings during this last series ("The Secret Revealed") series was especially great. Dwight challenged us to uncover the lies that we believe that keep us from living a life of freedom. This week we are memorizing the scriptures that we are going to use to counteract those lies with God's truth. You know... a small group really is the best place to deal with this stuff. I am so thankful for the guys that I meet with every week.


RandomStuf #7: I thought these were interesting. I have always been fascinated with optical illusions. (Click on them... to enlarge them and get the full effect).

Try to count the black dots at the intersections.

















Watch this one move.
















Stare at the dot and watch the grey circle just... disappear.
















This one is pretty cool.















Last one.
















More RandomStuf later...

Cool Stuf!

Check this out! It is an 8 foot wide Multi-Touch Display Wall. Like something straight out of "Minority Report". Unbelievable! Imagine what could be done with this technology in a creative brainstorming session. Think about it. WOW! Pretty cool stuf!

Check out video here!

Slacker

Have you heard about SLACKER yet? It is an awesome new way to listen to your favorite music... FREE! You can select from their very cool radio stations... or you can set up your own playlist. If you do listen to one of their stations... it will analyze what your preferences are and create a station that just plays the styles that you enjoy. Is that cool... or what? Check it out:

www.slacker.com

A Creative Tip from Jerry Seinfeld

I was reading an article from The Accidental Creative today about a system that Jerry Seinfeld uses to write. It was very interesting... and pretty simple. I think it is something that can help all of us creative folks with any tasks that we set out to do. Here is what he said:

"The way to be a better comic is to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes is to write every day."

Duh... right?

Well... Seinfeld has a simple system that he uses to motivate himself to write everyday... even when he doesn't feel like it. He uses a calendar system to pressure himself to write. Here's how it works:

You find a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one page and you hang it on a prominent wall in your workspace. The next step is to get a big red magic marker.

He said: "For each day that you do your task of writing, you get to put a big red X over that day. After a few days you'll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You'll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job next is to not break the chain."

"Don't break the chain," he said again for emphasis.

Daily action builds habits.

This Weekend at NewPointe

You will hear songs by RED, Steve Fee, Tim Hughes, The Desperation Band and Casting Crowns!!! WOW! You will not want to miss it!

See you there!

A Song... Just When You Need It The Most

I have really been dreading the two tests that were done on me today. Everything went just fine with the testing at the hospital this morning. If you can imagine having a tube (about as big around as a pencil) shoved through your nose and down your esophagus... and then being told not to swallow for 30 seconds at a time... for over an hour... and your WIDE AWAKE for the whole thing! Auuugh! THAT was what my morning was like. I never want to go through that ever again! Well the first test is over... and now for the second... I have a tube (about as big around as a coffee stir stick) running through my nose and down my esophagus for the next 24 hours. It is connected to a monitor that I have to wear on my hip. So you can see why I was dreading all of this excitement (and to top it all off... I had to miss the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta today!)

You know... it is amazing to me how God always provides a song when I need it the most. I downloaded TREE63's (one of my all-time favorite bands) new project (Sunday!) on iTUNES yesterday... and there is a song on there called "Walking Home With You". WOW! Has it ever spoken to me as I have prepared for these tests. Check out the lyrics and you'll see why:



Here is the sun to light your day
Here is an answer when you pray
Here is the dry road through the sea
What more could you ever want from me?

Written directions to my home
A promise you’ll never be alone
Here is a lamp unto your feet
What more could you ever want from me?

And when you fall, I’ll wait
I am always awake
All of your days I’m walking home with you

My body bruised and broken down
Precious blood spilled on the ground
I paid for your life up on that tree
What more could you ever want from me?

And when you fall, I’ll wait
I am always awake
All of your days I’m walking home with you
And until that day you stand
Here in my arms, here’s my hand
All of your life I’m walking home with you

What a great song. You've really got to hear it too (so go download it right now... no wait... read the rest of my post first.). I just needed to be reminded that I wasn't going to go through today's tests alone. And God gave me an old promise... through a new song. We are going to go through tests and trials... but the important thing to remember is that our God never sleeps. He will never leave us alone. And no matter how difficult the circumstances get... He will be there.

What more could we ever want from Him?