Why Going To Rehab Won't Fix It

Mike Wilkerson:

"The sin we tolerate always pollutes, always corrupts, disintegrates what God created good, and-if not stopped-always ends in death."

"Those of us whose sin has not yet consumed us should not be too quick to judge Amy."

Read the rest.

Promise For The Day

Romans 12:19

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

Touchdown Celebrations and Humble Athletes

Tony Dungy is one of my favorite guys in sports. A true man of integrity.

Check out his latest post dealing with being humble.

Promise For The Day

1 John 2:1

My dear children, I write this to tell you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Engaging Your Neighbor

Jonathan Dobson:

"I have found that it is often helpful to have practical ideas to start engaging the people around me in order to be a better neighbor."

Check out his list of 25 ways to engage your neighbor here.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Who Knew?

Apparently there are 14 types of noses. Which one is yours?

Find out and here.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

How To Honor Your Wife

Mark Driscoll:

"Every man who reads this, even the best man among us, has areas of repentance and growth that are required."

Read the rest.

Ouch! It Looks Likes That Might Hurt

It does not look like that is going to feel good. However, it is a cool pic.

(HT: Abraham Piper)

Amazing Violinist

This violin solo was performed by Sirena Huang in 2006. It is amazing.

Not too shabby for an eleven year old.

Enjoy.

Rethinking the Words of Worship

Are we thinking about what we say to God during worship?

Adam Wood has some great thoughts on the topic here.

Leaving the Manufactured Church

Rachel Daniels:

"Church" has become synonymous with words like "corporation" and "organization". But instead of manufacturing toilet paper or toothpaste, our products are decisions, discipleship programs and even the Holy Spirit. Rather than equipping the saints to do ministry, our pastors are CEOs, Chief Evangelism Officers, who manage the industry by creating consumers of Christianity.

Read the rest of the article here. It is thought provoking and well worth the read.

Why You Can Have Hope & Strength in Suffering

Stuart Dean:

When the truth of God is abandoned, so is the hope and strength to face suffering.

Read the rest.

How To Fail As A Worship Leader

David Santistevan:

As a worship leader myself, I've found that failure has a lot more to do with how we handle

the small stuff behind the scenes, than it does with what happens on stage.

Read the rest.

Abide With Me

This week in worship we are singing the great song titled "Abide With Me". The lyrics were written by Henry Lyte in the 1800's. We are doing the version put out by Indelible Grace Music.

I just wanted to share the lyrics with you today. They are so strong. So strong!

I hope they can be an encouragement to you today.

ABIDE WITH ME; FALLS THE EVENTIDE;

THE DARKNESS DEEPENS; LORD WITH ME ABIDE.

WHEN OTHER HELPERS, FAIL AND COMFORTS FLEE,

HELP OF THE HELPLESS, ABIDE WITH ME.

THOU ON MY HEAD, IN EARLY YOUTH DIDST SMILE;

AND, THOUGH REBELLIOUS, AND PERVERSE MEANWHILE,

THOU HAST NOT LEFT ME, OFT AS I LEFT THEE,

ON TO THE CLOSE LORD, ABIDE WITH ME.

I NEED THY PRESENCE, EVERY PASSING HOUR.

WHAT BUY THY GRACE, CAN FOIL THE TEMPTER'S POWER?

WHO, LIKE THYSELF, MY GUIDE AND STAY CAN ME?

THROUGH CLOUD AND SUNSHINE, ABIDE WITH ME.

I FEAR NO FOE, WITH THEE AT HAND TO BLESS

ILLS HAVE NO WEIGHT, TEARS LOSE THEIR BITTERNESS

WHERE IS THY STING DEATH? WHERE GRAVE THY VICTORY?

I TRIUMPH STILL, ABIDE WITH ME.

HOLD THOU THY CROSS, BEFORE MY CLOSING EYES;

SHINE THROUGH THE GLOOM, AND POINT ME TO THE SKIES.

HEAVEN'S MORNING BREAKS, AND EARTH'S VAIN SHADOWS FLEE;

IN LIFE, IN DEATH, LORD, ABIDE WITH ME.

Maya Beiser(s) and her cello(s)

Maya Beiser plays an eight-part modern etude with seven copies of herself.

Very creative and beautiful.

The Decline of the Nuclear Family

Nick Bogardus:

"Perhaps the things that really need redeeming are the church's lack of a voice in what it

means to be a man or woman."

Read the rest here.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Love Divine

Bob Kauflin:

If you know anything about Wesley, you know he was prolific, writing between 6000 and 8500 hymns, depending on your source. As you might guess, every one wasn’t a classic. But more than a few were. And John Hartley and Chris Eaton have done a masterful job introducing some of them to a new generation through new melodies, some new choruses, fresh arrangements and tasteful production.

My Take:

This is a great album. You need to go get it immediately.

Worship leaders should find these songs easy to teach and incorporate into worship.

Very excited to see my friend Mark Roach was included on this album.

A Neat Way To Think About Setting & Achieving Goals

Is there something that you have always wanted to do and just haven't? Matt Cutts suggests trying it for 30 days.

Our Newest Son: Kingston Alexander

This is our newest son. His name is Kingston Alexander. He was born June 17th. He weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 inches long. He is such a blessing and a great addition to our family.

We received the pictures from the photographer today, so I wanted to share them with you all. The rest of the pictures will be posted on my facebook page.

Thank you for all of your prayers.

Is Church Membership Biblical?

Came across this good post form Matt Chandler today. Read it here.

This Is Beatjazz

Onyx Ashanti demonstrates "beatjazz"-his music created by two handheld controllers, an iPhone and a mouthpiece, and played with the entire body.

After locking his beats and loops he plays a 3 minute song that shares his vision for the future of music.

Hackers Expose Flaw

Hackers have disclosed a bug in software from Apple Inc that security experts said could be exploited by criminals looking to gain remote control over iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.

See article here.

The Way To God

Started reading through the D.L. Moody Collection with a friend of mine today. Today we read and talked about Moody's message titled "The Way To God: The Gateway into the Kingdom".

Moody talked about "the new birth" and how he considers it to be the most important doctrine. Moody says, "My experience has been this-that if a man is unsound on this doctrine, he will be unsound on almost every other fundamental doctrine in the Bible".

Lots of great thoughts in this 24 page chapter.

Here are a few questions from the study.

1. Are you certain that you are born again of the Spirit of God, and can you give a scriptural reason why you are going to heaven?

2. Do you look to Jesus on a regular basis for forgiveness and righteousness in your life?

3. What evidence in the events and blessings of your own life prove Christ to be your Shepherd?

Jury Finds Casey Anthony Not Guilty Of Murder

I would have never guessed this verdict a few months ago. I am very disturbed by this.

What are your thoughts?

Obituary for the American Church

Thought provoking article by Mike Breen titled "Obituary for the American Church".

Check it out here.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

The Fourth of July & Freedom

Happy Fourth. Here is a great quote for the day from Abraham Lincoln.

Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere.
--September 11, 1858 Speech at Edwardsville, Illinois

Competition For Ochocinco

It appears Chad Ochocinco may have some competition. Check out this celebration after a goal at the World Cup.

A Little Michael Jackson For Ya

Very cool video. Everything about it is done well.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Scarlet Tanager

Check out this new video from my friend's band. Very creative. Their new album is out on iTunes. Go and get it. You will really enjoy it.

Meditate Rightly On The Suffering

"Take this to heart and doubt not that you are the one who killed Christ. Your sins certainly did, and when you see the nails driven through his hands, be sure that you are pounding, and when the thorns pierce his brow, know that they are your evil thoughts. Consider that if one thorn pierced Christ you deserve one hundred thousand.

The whole value of the meditation of the suffering of Christ lies in this, that man should come to the knowledge of himself and sink and tremble. If you are so hardened that you do not tremble, then you have reason to tremble. Pray to God that he may soften your heart and make fruitful your meditation upon the suffering of Christ, for we of ourselves are incapable of proper reflection unless God instills it.

But if one does meditate rightly on the suffering of Christ for a day, an hour, or even a quarter of an hour, this we may confidently say is better than a whole year of fasting, days of psalm singing, yes, than even one hundred masses, because this reflection changes the whole man and makes him new, as once he was in baptism."

-Martin Luther

(HT: Zach)

Postmodern Architecture

From an address by Ravi Zacharias:

I remember lecturing at Ohio State University, one of the largest universities in this country. I was minutes away from beginning my lecture, and my host was driving me past a new building called the Wexner Center for the Performing Arts.

He said, “This is America’s first postmodern building.”

I was startled for a moment and I said, “What is a postmodern building?”

He said, “Well, the architect said that he designed this building with no design in mind. When the architect was asked, ‘Why?’ he said, ‘If life itself is capricious, why should our buildings have any design and any meaning?’ So he has pillars that have no purpose. He has stairways that go nowhere. He has a senseless building built and somebody has paid for it.”

I said, “So his argument was that if life has no purpose and design, why should the building have any design?”

He said, “That is correct.”

I said, “Did he do the same with the foundation?”

All of a sudden there was silence.

You see, you and I can fool with the infrastructure as much as we would like, but we dare not fool with the foundation because it will call our bluff in a hurry.

(HT: JT)

Love Story (Taylor Swift) meets Viva La Vida (Coldplay)

This for all you Coldplay fans.

My wife showed this to me the other day and I wanted to pass it along. It is very cool.

Enjoy.

The Happiest States

Here is a list of the Happiest U.S. States.

Where does your state fall?

Losin' With Loggy

Our staff just recently had our Christmas White Elephant Gift Exchange. It was a great time. There were some funny gifts given. I will have to post the one I received. It was hilarious.

However, our Director of Multimedia (Michael Logsdon) went above and beyond. I would say his gift was the gift of the year.

Check it out here.

Losin' With Loggy from Michael Logsdon on Vimeo.

I Am Sorry, But I Had To Post It

My buddy Pete posted this on Facebook. I remember seeing this clip a couple years ago, but it is still as funny. I am sorry if some of you think this is gross. It is funny to me. I am thankful for things that make me smile and laugh.

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy.

Overcome

I pray that you are blessed by this.

Christianese

Here is something pretty funny.

(HT: Mustoe)

Charlie You Bit Me (Auto-Tuned)

Back in October I posted a clip of two adorable kids. In the clip, a little boy has his finger bitten by his little brother Charlie. He goes on to tell Charlie that it really hurt. Very cute clip. I would go back to my October archive and check it out.

However, my friend Zach posted up a new clip of the two adorable kids. This time someone had spent the time to use an auto-tune tool on it. Here is how it turned out. Too good.

The Gentlemen's League: Max vs Jerry

This goes out to all of my fellow fantasy football junkies.

Enjoy!!!

Happy Birthday Brittany

Today is my wife's 30th birthday. Today I celebrate her. She inspires me daily. Her belief in me means more to me than I could ever put into words. God has truly blessed me with a great wife in Brittany. She is an amazing mother. Her faith in the Lord is awesome. She has made me a better man.

Brittany I love you, and I look forward to many more years with you.

I Love You.

Take a walk with me
And let's go back in time
Do you remember
The heat of December
and the way we walked
through pouring rain and endless talk
and the way we laughed out loud

chorus:
there was something in your eyes
and now I see it was your love for me
there was something in your eyes
and what I saw still holds me in awe
in your eyes

Spend your life with me
until the end of time
We will make more memories
and we will share the stories
of the way we walked
through the pouring rain and endless talk
and the way we laughed out loud

Chorus

And I saw a million angels
I saw an endless sunrise
I saw an open heaven
In your eyes
I saw an ageless moment
I saw an endless love
I still see more than that through your eyes

Do you remember the way we danced
And the way we laughed out loud

Chorus

(Song by David Martin)

Veterans Day

A heart felt thank you goes out to all the men and women who have served this great country of ours.

Happy Veterans Day!

Sesame Street Is 40

One of my favorite shows as a young child was Sesame Street. The show is turning 40.

Read about it here.

Who were your favorite Sesame Street characters?

Who were your favorite Sesame Street guests?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

My Iowa Hawkeyes fell to Northwestern today.

I had a feeling they would overlook Northwestern. The good news is that if they win out they can still win the Big 10.

Beautiful Love

Here is my boy Z throwing it down on the keys. The title of the song is Beautiful Love.

Check him out.

Beautiful Love - Solo from Zach Nielsen on Vimeo.

Marks of Male Maturity

Marks of mature manhood by Al Mohler (read the whole thing):

1. Spiritual maturity sufficient to lead a wife and children.

2. Personal maturity sufficient to be a responsible husband and father.

3. Economic maturity sufficient to hold an adult job and handle money.

4. Physical maturity sufficient to work and protect a family.

5. Sexual maturity sufficient to marry and fulfill God’s purposes.

6. Moral maturity sufficient to lead as example of righteousness.

7. Ethical maturity sufficient to make responsible decisions.

8. Worldview maturity sufficient to understand what is really important.

9. Relational maturity sufficient to understand and respect others.

10. Social maturity sufficient to make a contribution to society.

11. Verbal maturity sufficient to communicate and articulate as a man.

12. Character maturity sufficient to demonstrate courage under fire.

13. Biblical maturity sufficient to lead at some level in the church.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Halloween 2009

Here are some pictures of my babies all dressed up for Halloween. They had a blast and scored some serious candy. London went as Minnie Mouse, Drake went as a monkey, and Tavery went as a football. They looked adorable. I love them so much.

My Son Is 2

My son (Drake Thomas) turned 2 today. We had a great day celebrating with family. His favorite present by far was the little acoustic guitar that his Grandma Mellott got him. He honestly carried it everywhere all day, and wanted to take it to bed.

Drake is a great boy. He is filled with joy and wonderment that I love to watch. His eyes sparkle, his laugh makes me smile, and his kisses and hugs melt me. I am proud to call him my son, and I look forward to watching him become the man God has designed him to be.

Thank you Lord, for my son Drake. I love him so much. Thank you for entrusting him to me.

Adrian Peterson Is A Dude

Adrian Peterson is by far the best running back in the NFL. The guy can just flat out play football. Not only is he strong and fast, but the way he finishes a run is amazing. He looks to punish the people trying to tackle him. For instance, check out this run he made today against the Steelers.

Notice he didn't just run over the guy. He then stepped on him as he took off down field. Adrian is very fun to watch. This guy is an awesome football player.

Final Play

The Iowa Hawkeyes beat Michigan State on the last play of the game to remain undefeated.

This is how it went down.

Serious Range

Check out this guy's incredible vocal range. Wait, maybe this isn't called range. You let me know. Be sure to focus in on Shane's face as he hits some of the notes. Classic. I have got to give props to my boy Zach for turning me on to this clip.

Now check out Shane's range with a little help from autotune. Too funny!!!

Youth Ministarz

My boy Adam Mustoe who is the Director of Youth Ministries at Living Word Church showed this to me a couple days ago. Too funny! Where my youth ministarz? Holla!!!

Jay Cutler and Justin Taylor

Are Jay Cutler and Justin Taylor long lost brothers? You tell me.

Hawkesys Win To Go 7-0

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recap?gid=200910170036&prov=ap

Charlie, You Bit Me

Here is an adorable little clip that my sister-in-law showed me today. The little boy's accent is so darn cute.

Silent Library

I posted this back in 2007, and I must admit I still laugh just as hard as I did the first time I watched this. This is a Japanese game show, and in my opinion one of the funniest things I have ever watched. Watching the guys trying not to lose it, and laughing at their friends anguish is just too much. I hope you enjoy.

My Life

Great new video from Passion.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Adoption

Here is my great friend Zach Nielsen preaching on the topic of adoption. It is well worth your time.

Adoption Sermon - Zach Nielsen from Zach Nielsen on Vimeo.

Throwback Jerseys

My Denver Broncos played in their 1960's throwback jerseys today. They are by far some of the ugliest jerseys I have ever seen.

The results were not ugly. They beat the Patriots 20-17. Denver's record is now an impressive 5-0.

I am very happy.

Obama and T-Pain

Here is a great clip of T-Pain using auto-tune to have a little fun with President Obama.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

Something I Read Today

"An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of his children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others."

-A.W. Tozer

Sacred Parenting

Doug Wolter:

If you’ve been a parent for a few years or more, I highly recommend Gary Thomas’ book, Sacred Parenting. I remember reading part of it as a new parent and then setting it back on the shelf to find something more hands-on and practical. Now, with three children, and a little more experience behind me, I’ve picked up this book again and it has spoken to me in a fresh way.

Sacred Parenting differs from most parenting books as it spends more time on the “why” of parenting then it does the “how-to.” And this is crucial since the “why” will inevitably affect the “how to.” Thomas’ words are helpful here:

What if one of God’s primary intentions for you as a parent isn’t about successfully raising perfect children, but about your becoming more holy? The truth is, we are living in the midst of holy teachers. Sometimes they spit up on themselves or us. Sometimes they throw tantrums. Sometimes they cuddle and kiss and love us. In the good and the bad they mold our hearts, shape our souls, and invite us to experience God in newer and deeper ways.

I encourage you to pick up this book and let God parent you and shape you through your children. Gary Thomas also wrote the following books I highly recommend as resources for couples.

• Sacred Marriage … one of our favorite books on marriage!
• Devotions for Sacred Parenting
• Devotions for Sacred Marriage
• Sacred Influence: How God Uses Wives to Shape the Souls of Their Husbands

Don't Look Now

I know it is still early in the season, but my Denver Broncos are now 4-0.

They had a great win against the Dallas Cowboys today. This Denver team has really improved their defense.

Check out how they won today.

This Is Our Time

Check out this adorable little guy do his version of the Pre-Game speech that Coach Herb Brooks gave the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team.

We may have a future coach on our hands.

Read about the story behind this clip here.

Crazy WIn For A Vermont Football Team

Check out the end to this crazy game. Some coach needs to polish up on the rules.

Check it out here.

Pomplamoose-Single Ladies

Here is a very cool version and very interesting video of the song "Single Ladies". I like this girl's voice a lot.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

I Introduce To You, My Son Tavery Joseph

Brittany and I have once again been blessed. Our newest addition was born to us at 9:45 am. His name is Tavery Joseph. Tavery weighed 7 lbs 12 oz which was a pound more than our other two. He was measured to be 20.5" long. Brittany and the baby are doing great.

We want to say thank you to everyone who has kept us in your thoughts and prayers. The Lord is so good. This morning before we left for the hospital God led me to this part of scripture for my quiet time. This comes from Psalm 77.

I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

God is so faithful, and those words are so true. Here are pictures of our newest miracle.

I introduce to you, Tavery Joseph.

For All You Parents

Tylenol has recalled some of their children's medications.

Read about it here.

The Greatest Poverty In The World

Here is a great quote from a book I am reading right now. Mother Teresa in the book "The Joy In Loving" says...

"The greatest poverty in the world is not the want of food but the want of love. You have the poverty of people who are dissatisfied with what they have, who do not know how to suffer, who give in to despair. The poverty of the heart is often more difficult to relieve and to defeat."

World's Longest Basketball Shot

I don't know if this is actually the longest shot in the world, but it is a

long shot either way.

You tell me if you think it is real or fake. I actually think this may be a legit shot.

Check it out from two different angles.

Read about the shot and the guys behind the shot here.

Rain City Hymnal

I strongly recommend this album. It an album of 12 great hymns done by 5 different bands. Each song is a raw, crisp, and contemporary take on a classic hymn. I think you will enjoy it.

Check out this site and you can get a few of the songs as free downloads.

Former Heisman Trophy Winner To Start Career In MMA

Herschel Walker, the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner is going to start a career in Mixed Martial Arts. I don't know if this is such a good idea. Now don't get me wrong, Herschel Walker was a great athlete. I am sure he still is a great athlete. This is a guy who was one of the best college football running backs of all time. Walker was an NFL running back. We also should not forget the man was part of the two man bobsled team that competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics in which he finished seventh. There are other great credentials to his name as well.

Walker has always been a man of great strength. His training has always been a thing of intrigue. Herschel was an athlete that became successful without the use of free weights. Walker used bodyweight exercise and conditioning to mold his body. That is the way a lot of these MMA fighters train. He also is not a stranger to the martial arts world. Walker holds a sixth degree black belt in tae kwon do. I just have a feeling his age may play tricks with him.

Maybe the guy needs the money. Maybe the guy just can't let go of the desire to compete. I just hate to see a guy like Herschel Walker get hurt, or tarnish his athletic reputation. I don't want my last memory of Herschel Walker to be of him laying on the canvas after getting knocked out by a guy who was a bar fighter for a living.

Check out the article of Herschel's return to sports here and here.

Upset Clemson Fan Overreacting

Here is a great clip of a Clemson Tiger fan overreacting to their loss last week to Georgia Tech.

These two kids are just torn up over the loss, but check out the kid on the right. He just can't take the pain.

I had a tear run down my cheek I was laughing so hard.
Enjoy!

Jesus Plays Football

I stumbled upon this as I was looking for a picture for my last post and I had to post it.

Is that little kid trying to tackle Jesus? Do you think Jesus lets him take him down or does he pull a Bo Jackson on him and just run him over? Is Jesus handing the ball off or is he running the option?

Amazing statue! Too funny.

Check out some more Jesus Inspirational Sports Statues here.

For All You Fantasy Football Buffs

NFL.com reports on key injuries that happen in week 2.
Read it here.

Why NFL Players Go Bankrupt

Interesting article discussing the issue of why so many NFL players go bankrupt.

It does blow my mind how many players this happens to.

Consistency In The Home

Zach Nielsen posted something from his time at the Act29 Houston Boot Camp. I found it to be powerful and wanted to pass it along.

Here is how it read.

Matt Carter at the Acts29 Houston Boot Camp:

It does not matter what you accomplish in ministry if your children and your wife cannot look at you at the end of your life and say, “This man lived out in our lives what he preached”.

ACORN: You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

ACORN strikes again. This time we are treated to an ACORN worker in California. This is unreal. I honestly can't believe it. When the lady started talking about how she shot her husband and how Heidi Fleiss was her hero I just lost it. You can't make this stuff up.

Read about it here. However, make sure you click on the video link within the article and watch the four parts of the video. You have to see and hear it with your own eyes.

Kanye Says He Is Sorry On Leno

Last night on the Leno show Kanye West apologized for what he did to Taylor Swift on the VMA's. At one point he even starts crying a bit. BOO-HOO Kanye! It would be one thing if this was the first time you showed up at an award show and acted goofy, but this isn't. He should be ashamed.

It is too bad that Kanye acts this way because his music is great. I hope that this kind of behavior stops soon.

Check out his public apology below.

NFL News

Reports are that Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher is out for the season.

Read about it here.

This is very bad news for the Chicago Bears.