Mark Feb. 22 on your Calendar!

Because of all the date changing, I told you that I was not going to say a word about our commissioning service until we had actually mailed the letters. Well, yesterday we mailed those letters and the service will be on Feb 22 at 2:00pm at The Pointe Church in Canton which meets at Hasty Elementary School off of Exit 19. Above is a picture of our Denver Team and I am excited that God is finally letting us do something! It will be great to share with everyone the direction and vision God is planting in my heart. Hope everyone will make plans to be there.

Great Weekend!

• Went to TN to see Pattie's mother and my parents. Very good to be with them all again in such a short time. It's always fun and relaxing.
• Went to the aquarium on Monday. It was awesome! It was a great time with the family. The picture above was taken on the way in and then they try to sell it to you for over 20 dollars on the way out. As the lady was showing it to us, Joe took a picture of it. That was a lot cheaper.
  
• Ate lunch in Little Five Points. Always heard about this area but never had been down there. It's funny some of the things you don't experience in the city where you have lived for over 20 years.
  
• Potential buyer fell through because they could not qualify.
• Apartment Life opening is still possible.
• Watched the Inauguration. It was crazy but good. Lots of people hanging their hopes on this guy. We should pray for our new president.
• Lost starts tonight. It aught to be good right out of the gate. Joe and his friends will be with us. Our first Lost Party of 2009!
  

We're still here!

Sorry for being gone so long. We switched internet providers and canceled the one before getting the other connected. Made the switch from phone line to cable line. Hre are some quick hits:

• Went to Courageous Church in Atlanta this past Sunday for their very first service. Thought it would be good to see a new start. They followed a similar strategy that we will be using in Denver. It was awesome! Love the pastor. Looking forward to hooking up with him again.
• Tuesday, I had a root canal. Can you believe that I actually fell asleep during the procedure? The dentist had to keep waking me up to keep my mouth open.
• Had someone look at the house yesterday. They seem interested. Please pray that our house sells this month.
• We didn't make it to the aquarium. Pattie got sick so we rescheduled for this coming Monday.
• Brian Jones. the pastor of The Pointe Church, has asked me to preach on Feb 15. I am excited!
• Jack Bauer and 24 are back on TV. I've missed him. Its been good so far.
• American Idol is also back. I am a little tired of the tryout shows.
• Lost starts next wed. Can't wait! Best show on TV.
• I am all in with the Arizona Cardinals which doesn't bode well for them. Everyone I have cheered for has lost.
• NCAA Football is a joke. Its the only championship you don't actually win. You are voted champ by sports writers and coaches. They need a playoff system and get rid of all these meaningless bowl games.
• That's all for now.
  

Quick Sunday Hits

• Bob led worship at The Pointe Church today. He did great. We are fortunate and blessed that he and Monica are going to Denver with us. We had a great time eating lunch at Stevi B's after church.
• The last two times at Stevi B's, I have run into my friend and fellow bus driver, Karaoke Dave and his family. I am going to show up for one of his karaoke nights soon.
• Took down all the inside Christmas decor today. Big job and I'm glad its done. Still have to get the outside lights.
• Going to the Aquarium tomorrow with Pattie, Joe, and Rayanne. Should be awesome.
• You would think that having 3 dogs in the NFL Championship hunt would assure you of at least one victory but, alas, all my dogs are dead. Now who do I cheer for? Definitely not New York or Pittsburgh or Baltimore. I like the underdogs. Maybe I'll get behind the Cardinals. Tennessee Titans wouldn't be a bad choice either.
  

Back on the Court!

We drove over to Rome, GA to see Emmanuel College and Ben take on Shorter College in basketball. First time in almost 2 years to see Ben play. It was awesome! Ben played great but the team came up 1 point short of a victory. I had forgotten how bad refereeing could be. We could have, should have won even with the refs making it difficult.

Things to do, see, and be in 2009! Part 2

Let me clarify that these are not resolutions. Resolutions can go unresolved and be a source of great disappointment and a reminder of our own lack of discipline or ability to make things happen. These are more like dreams, desires, wishes that produce fulfillment rather than achievement and are prizes to strive for instead of a binding contract that creates pressure and stress. It is also not a check list to see if 2009 is a success or not. It is what it is: simply a list of things I want to do, see or be and if I can do, see or be them in 2009 then more power to me. These are 5 (11-15) more personal dreams for 2009:

11. Plant Element Church in Denver, CO. We have chosen the name Element for our new church plant for reasons I will write about later. The name is moot at this point but the planting is the focus. It is one of the great joys of my life to have planted Axios Church in Holly Springs and pastor it for the last 6 years. Success or failure doesn't matter. I would not trade the experience for anything and I hope I can take that experience into this next plant and be the better for it.

12. Start a new community group ministry. I believe that God is opening a different ministry to us that will focus on apartment living. Denver has one of the largest apartment communities and is ripe for such a ministry. Statistics say that less than 90% of apartment dwellers attend church. Its time to take the church to them.

13. Become more socially active and justice oriented. To my shame, I have never been involved with the poor or less fortunate. Maybe because I am a lifetime suburbanite and have always been trying to reach other suburbanites but I want that to change. I feel called to Denver and therefore want to be involved in urban affairs. Maybe we can partner with this ministry or here or here or even here.

14. Give more, live on less. I have a new lifetime goal to give more than I keep. I don't know if I can do that unless I write a best seller like Rick Warren did. Nonetheless, Rick Warren's generosity inspires me. I know it starts by giving a little more here and there and consciously choosing a different lifestyle.

15. Lose 20 pounds and this time keep it off. This will make me feel better, my wife happier, and will allow me to fit in to the more fit Denver scene. Remember, its the leanest state in the Union. That's less than 2 pounds a month. I can do that, right?

How I spent the New Year!

• I spent the last 2 days of 2008 cleaning out Axios' storage unit. All the children's stuff, Christmas decor, and sound came to our house, the chairs went to Jim and Donna's and the Baptistery went to my pastor friend, Jeremy, and the Marietta Vineyard Church. It was a big job but we got it done thanks to help from my son Joe, Jim and Donna's nephew, Nick, and Rayanne's friend, Nathanael.
• We ushered in the New Year watching the movie Chocolat. None of the kids were home and we were baby sitting Camille who went to bed early. We had fun with Camille and ate at Zaxby's that evening. This is a good movie which shows the failure of religion to change a person and the danger of tradition replacing true relationships. I recommend it.
• Used a couple of our gift cards on New Year's Day and took Pattie to Chili's for a late lunch/early supper and then to the movies to see Seven Pounds. I love Will Smith but this movie left me a little empty. Save it for a rental.
• Didn't watch any football. None of the college games are very compelling to me. I will watch the Championship only with the hopes of Florida losing. (Sorry Dwayne.) The NFL is a whole nutha story. Go Falcons! Go Dolphins! Go Colts! I made this post in September in which I had already dismissed the Falcons and Dolphins seasons and was hitching my wagon to the Broncos who ended up not making the playoffs. I don't care how wrong I was, i'm just glad that I have 3 dogs in the hunt.
  

Things I want to see, do, or be in 2009!

Here are some things that I would like to accomplish or see or attempt in 2009. These are in no particular order and I might have to do this in 2 posts but here goes:

1. Sell our home.
2. Move to Denver. I said that these were in no particular order but these things must happen or I am going to be a disappointed camper. I am confident that this is where God is leading us and that this is going to happen soon.
3. Go to the circus. I love the circus and say every year that I am going but I haven't been since the late 80's. Who wouldn't want to see this? It comes every year in Feb but I never seem to make it. Maybe this year will be different. Who wants to go with me?
4. Swim in the Pacific Ocean. I have several things on my list that have to do with the West Coast and this year I have a good reason to go there. So maybe I can knock several of these off in one trip.
   
5. See the Grand Canyon. Nuff said.
6. Meet Erwin McManus. Or at least go to his church, Mosaic, while I'm on the West Coast. He is one of my favorite authors and has influenced and shaped my life.
7. Go to Disneyland. Walt Disney is probably one of the most visionary people that has ever lived and I would like to see where it all started.
8. Read one biographical or historical book each month. I read a lot but sometimes read very similar books. I want to expand my thinking and learn from events and people that have come before me. Any suggestions?
9. Make my daughter, Rayanne, say "Dad, you're weird." at least 10 more times than she did in 2008. I often find myself doing things or saying things that I could never imagine my father saying or doing and I wonder if I'm damaging my kids or helping them break out of their shells. It's a risk i'm going to have to take. BTW, she has already said it twice this year!
10. Experience more joy! Joy is hard to define. It's not the same as happy or blissful. It is much deeper. I already have a reasonable amount of joy in my life that is born out of the relationships around me. My relationship with Jesus Christ naturally produces joy. My wife, children and grandkids, even friends, are also a source of joy. They don't always make me happy (happiness is very circumstantial and fickled) but they are a source of true joy that can never be diminshed by circumstances. I guess what I really want is to be lighter when burdens become heavy. To be able to float when the weight of the world (or at least the household) is on your shoulders. To be free when things try to bind you. I want to feel at ease when things are hard. And I want others to see it. I don't always pull this off but I want more of it.