semper reformanda ragamuffin

I once could see but now I'm blind...

2008-11-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

So today was my birthday! Party on! For my birthday, my amazing wife, the Lovely Linda, planned out the evening's festivities. We started off with our maiden voyage to P.F. Chang's for dinner. Uh, yeah! P.F. Chang's lived up to the billing. Yes, we had the Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps for an appetizer. Then we rocked the Crispy Honey Shrimp and Salt and Pepper Prawns. Magic.

Then we drove to Atlantic Station in the ATL to experience Dialogue In the Dark. You can read more about the experience HERE, but in a nut shell you enter the experience with approx 10 other people and are in a completely dark environment and are lead to different scenarios to experience what it would be like to have no sight. I don't want to sound cliche, but it was definitely an eye opening experience! It was fascinating how quickly your other senses ramped up to compensate for no sight.

I was made acutely aware of how much I take for granted the simple things in life, the ability to see being one of them. It made me stop and think about the time Jesus cured the blind man. To say this story has new meaning would be an understatement. The dude COULD NOT SEE! And Jesus said, "Receive your sight!" Close your eyes for just 5 minutes and then rethink what took place. Once blind, now seeing!

"And all who saw it praised God, too."

We serve an amazing and powerful God. Don't ever forget that.

Keep it real.

srr

sinbad

What if...

2008-11-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

we just followed God's plan?

Love God....
Love others....
Make disciples....

Seems pretty simple. Wonder why we make it so complicated? What if we ran EVERYTHING we did through these three filters? What might we do more of? What might we quit doing all together? How might your city/state/country look different?

Just sayin'

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Not much left in the tank!

2008-11-16T18:24:00.000-08:00

Today has been one long day. Alarm went off at 5:45. It's all worth it, though, when I think about all of the life change that took place today at Revolution Church and this evening at Uprising student worship experience.

So tonight I just want to share some verses from the message I shared with students tonight. Hopefully you will find some hope and encouragement in them....

Jeremiah 29:11
11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Isaiah 30.21
Your teacher will be right there, local and on the job, urging you on whenever you wander left or right: "This is the right road. Walk down this road."

Jeremiah 33.3
2-3"This is God's Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: 'Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.'

Proverbs 3.5-7
5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!

Read these through a time or two and remind yourself that God is crazy about you!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Whom do you obey?

2008-11-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

NOTE: I realized today that I forgot to post the Friday Flush. I was traveling and overlooked it. Maybe I'll FLUSH on Monday this week! :) Now on to today's blog...

Ran across this simple yet powerful verse today.

Acts 5.29

29Peter and the apostles replied:

We don't obey people. We obey God.

I love this passage. Peter and some other apostles are getting their chops busted because the Sanhedrin, (kinda like a supreme court), had told them to shut their traps and stop all the God-talk! I love their response! WE DON'T OBEY PEOPLE. WE OBEY GOD.

WOW! I wonder how different the "American" church would look and what kind of impact in our communities would be made if churches and those who served at them said the same thing Peter said. I cannot help but think things would be radically different.

I think more churches would be hitting the 1000 mark than the 100 mark.
I think more of the least, last, and lost would be coming to Christ.
I think more people who are NOT convinced Christ is who he says he is, would become convinced.
I think more churches that had influence in their communities would be the norm not the exception.

Call me crazy, but that's what I think.

Question: What would people say about YOU?
Do you obey people or do you obey God?

Just sayin'!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Who else?

2008-11-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

Thought about one of my favorite verses today. It's from John 6....

66-67After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to leave?"

68-69Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We've already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God."

Back up a few verses and check out what happened, then come back here.

Check it out.

Jesus says some stuff they don't quite understand. That never happens! :)

The people began to argue with each other. That never happens! :)

The disciples were grumbling. That never happens! :)

They said that what Jesus was asking them to do was difficult. That never happens! :)

Then Jesus turned to the disciples. The CLOSE ones. And pops the big question.

"You gonna split, too?"

Here's what I love. The disciples didn't always get it right. They didn't always do it right. They were knuckleheads some of the time. But Peter got this one right.

"Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We've already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God."

Good one, Peter!

To whom else shall I go? NO ONE!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Who's wrong?

2008-11-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

Whenever and wherever there is a controversy between God and a man, God is always right and the man always wrong.
A. W. Tozer

I saw this quote today from A. W. Tozer and it was a great reminder of this verse....

'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8

There is a constant struggle, at least in my life (maybe not yours) to do MY stuff, MY way, in MY time. The problem is the fact that it is ALWAYS a wiser option to do GOD'S stuff, GOD'S way, in GOD'S time. God's stuff done God's way in God's time always yields GOD-sized results.

God help me (us) do it your way not ours!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Better late than never....

2008-11-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder FREEDOM AIN'T FREE!

A great price has been paid and continues to be paid for the freedom you and I enjoy here in America.

A greater price was paid by for another kind of freedom.

Just something to think about.

Keep it real.

srr

sinbad

A Sad Day...

2008-11-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

So, my only remaining grandmother passed away today. It stings...a pretty good bit, actually...

I will post more about her amazing life in the next day or so, but in the mean time I am reminded of a verse Gary used on Sunday....

There will be no more...
...tears.
...death.
...mourning.
...crying.
...pain.

Or as the Message states...
"He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone."

Your prayers are appreciated.

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Amazing View!

2008-11-09T19:24:00.000-08:00

So tonight Revolution Church hosted a night of worship for our incredible volunteer team. Not only was there some great worship and some fun activities, but the night included communion as well. One of my roles today was making the preparations for the communion portion of the night's festivities. To make a long story short, at the time of the communion, I stationed myself off to the side with extra bread and juice just to make sure we didn't run out. From my vantage point, I could see each person making their way to take part in communion. To say it was powerful would be an understatement. It was powerful to see the people, whether it was individuals or couples or families and to know many of their stories and to know how God has radically transformed them to where they are serving with abandon to reach those who are far from God and now they are taking communion was incredible. It was one of those awesome opportunities to see God's power in a very tangible way. God definitely showed up and showed out tonight and was on full display. It was definitely an AMAZING VIEW!

Also, if you are a part of the volunteer team at Revolution Church, once again THANKS!!! for all you do to enlarge the Kingdom of God!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Have you....

2008-11-08T17:43:00.001-08:00

come to your senses?

Spent some time in Luke 15 today, specifically HERE. It's the Jesus-story (parable) of the lost son. In a nut shell....

Father has two sons.
One gets stupid and greedy.
Wants inheritance.
Dad gives it.
Son parties like a rock star.
Son goes broke.
Son wakes up.
Son goes home.
Dad takes him back. GLADLY!
Dad throws party of the year!
Other brother? He's pissed!
Dad says, "Party was not optional."
Dad says, "Your bro was dead! Now he's alive!"
"Lost now found!"

Here's what I like about this story. When the stupid brother gets wise and heads home, the father doesn't wait til he is home, has his stuff unpacked, cleans his room, does his chores, repays the massive debt, and writes letters of apology to everybody and his brother. NOPE! God's word says, "while he was still a long way off." The father hit the road runnin', ready to take the son back.

Hmmmm..... It's interesting if you look back just a few verses, the father's willingness to take his son back is reminiscent of someone else. Did I read that right? Yep! Jesus welcomes sinners. Even has grub with them. It's kinda what he came to do. If you haven't already, come to your senses. Jesus will be there waiting.

Jesus is cool like that.

Keep it real,

srr,

sinbad

FRIDAY FLUSH!

2008-11-07T18:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight is one of those just-for-the-fun-of-it post. I present to you five of my favorite rock ballads! This list is obviously not all inclusive, as there are way to many awesome rock ballads out there. These are just some that were when they came on, the car stereo just couldn't get it done! So, with no more delay, today's FRIDAY FLUSH is 5 GREAT ROCK BALLADS in no particular order! If you have one you wanna add to the list, comment away!

I Remember You by Skid Rowe
Fly To the Angels by Slaughter
I'll Be There For You by Bon Jovi
Don't Know What You Got by Cinderella
November Rain by Guns N' Roses

BONUS TRACK
The Ballad of Jayne by L.A. Guns

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

Crazy?!? Thank God!

2008-11-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

I ran across this video several years ago and was reminded of how God created each of us. I often think about how much time, energy, resources, money, talent, etc. humans spend trying to be somebody other than who God created them to be. The latest movie star. The hottest new singer. The current fashion model. Our next door neighbor. A spouse.

What if, however, instead of spending all that energy trying to be someone we weren't created or intended to be, we spent just a fraction of that same energy in trying to discover and live out who GOD created us to be? After all, isn't he the One who matters most? Matters PERIOD?!?

Here are a few of my favorite "crazies":
Rich Mullins
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
St. Francis of Assisi
Keith Green

Just to name a few...

I love the video because I think about how each person has so much potential to make a difference in this crazy world. Never underestimate what God can do in and through you.

THINK DIFFERENT. THINK CRAZY.

The people who are CRAZY enough to think they an change the world....are the ones who do!

Keep it real.

srr

sinbad

Short and sweet...

2008-11-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

Not much left in the tank tonight. Saw this quote and reminded me of my complete and utter helplessness without God living in and through me.

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.
Mother Teresa

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

HEY! What if we tried this?!?!

2008-11-04T18:57:00.000-08:00

If when the dust settles the dude you voted for didn't win let me make a suggestion...

2 Chronicles 7.14

14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Just sayin'!

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? The Conclusion...

2008-11-03T12:10:00.000-08:00

Last night I posted this....
This has been a crazy day to say the least! I will blog more about it tomorrow, but it involves alcohol, the cops, a deer, and a broken hip!

Well here's the rest of the story.

Alcohol...
Gary's message was about alcohol. Specifically, what does the bible say about Christians and drinking alcohol. You can check it out here. The band played this song and Gary carried this on stage. You really outta listen to the message. Anyway....

The Cops...
So the afternoon went pretty smoothly. Chilled out getting ready for Uprising, the Revolution Students worship celebration. Arrived at Holly Springs around 4 for band rehearsal and the band was killin' it! Swift was rockin' some songs and Thad was rockin' some songs. And then the cops showed up! What?!? Yep. Said it was too loud. You can read more about it on Gary's blog, but the end result was no music and we sent the band home. WTC! Anyway, to say Uprising didn't go as planned would be an understatement. But it was what it was. Ended the night with pizza and cokes which students NEVER tire of! Plus got to connect with some students I might not have on a regular night over a slice of pizza!

A Deer....
So I leave Uprising and have some messages on my phone and one's from my mom. So I call and she proceeds to tell me two stories. One story is that my sister-in-law had taken my brother's car to run an errand and hit a freakin' deer. The deer came out of nowhere, and went up over the hood and smashed the windshield. Glass everywhere. My sister-in-law was okay. The accident didn't kill the deer, so the cop/sheriff/whatever suggests she call my brother to come kill the deer! Are you kidding me?!?! Finally, after everybody and their brother showed up, someone shot the deer like 20 ft. from my sis-in-law. Crazy.

A Broke Hip...
(My mom actually told me this story first. G-ma took precedence over the deer :) ) My mom tells me that 89 year old grandmother in Tampa fell earlier in the day and screwed her hip up. Found out today that it was not as bad as originally thought, but still required surgery and pins. (In surgery as of 6:00 tonight) Prayers for my g-ma would be greatly appreciated.

So, that is the story(s) of my crazy Sunday.

I leave you with THIS reminder...PEACE!

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

2008-11-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

This has been a crazy day to say the least! I will blog more about it tomorrow, but it involves alcohol, the cops, a deer, and a broken hip! (Curious? Tune in tomorrow!) In the mean time, no matter what you got goin' on, no matter what obstacle you might be facing, no matter how bleak tomorrow may look, remember this....

Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

MADE NEW!

2008-11-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

Just sitting here thinking about tomorrow. Have you? Thought about tomorrow? About what will take place? People all over the world will get in their cars and suv's and drive to a predetermined place to meet others who do the same thing. It's called church. There will be hundreds that come to the church I go to. Some churches will have thousands. Some will have tens. Either way, ALL KINDS will make the trip in the morning. All kinds....

The hurting.
The hungry.
The scared.
The confident.
The shattered.
The wounded.
The upper crust.
The beat down.
Those who "appear" to have it all together.
Those who obviously don't have it all together.
The thirsty.
The young.
The old.
The seeking and searching.
The least.
The last.
The lost.

And what does God want with ALL of them.

To make them a NEW CREATION!

Check it out HERE!

This ain't no joke..

BELIEVE!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

FRIDAY FLUSH!

2008-10-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today's FRIDAY FLUSH is just some extremely random stuff in no particular order....

Been making some connections with some local schools. So far so good. Will be speaking at several FCA's in the month of November. Was reminded today of how crazy (in a good kinda way!) middle schoolers are. Gotta love 'em.
Discipline (def. #4) is a concept God is rocking my world with. In a lot of areas.
I'm sharing with Revolution Students Sunday night @ Uprising about how our direction not our intentions determine our destination. It's a good reminder for me as well.
Lately I've been reminded of how much I love me some Third Day. They were one of the first "Christian" cd's I ever owned. Still ROCK!
This is the first year I have not carved a pumpkin for Halloween in a long time. Usually it involves drills and an assortment of knives.
I have a bruise from a MTB wreck on Monday that my tennis shoe cannot completely cover up. It looks gnarly. Yeah I said gnarly.
America's Funniest Videos never gets old.
Saw THIS Halloween costume this morning on Regis (don't judge) and nearly peed my pants. It doesn't do the costume justice, but you get the point.
Isaiah 40.31 has been a BIG verse in my life for over 10 years....and it still is today.
If you want your Christmas to be just like every other Christmas you've ever had, DON'T watch THIS or click HERE. You've been warned!
Good night!

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

What if....

2008-10-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Just wonderin'....

What if....

the last thing you said to a loved one was the last thing you said to a loved one?
you could only buy 1 person a Christmas gift this year?
you couldn't watch TV for 1 week?
you won $1,000,000 but had to give away $900,00 of it?
you really tried to understand Jesus? Like for real.
the guy you vote for doesn't win?
we all followed the Golden Rule? I mean really followed it!

Just some random stuff to think about.

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

Strange!

2008-10-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

So, this is day two of my little experiment of blogging for 30 days in a row.

Today I have been pondering a specific line from an Aaron Shust song, My Savior My God and the lyrics that I've been thinking about are:

"You count it strange, so once did I"

Why have I been thinking 'bout this verse? Glad you asked!

Here's the deal. I was practically born into the church scene. My parents were Jesus followers, my grandparents were Jesus followers, and so on. Except for what I sometimes refer to as "the stupid years", I have always been in church. I accepted the offer of God's love and grace when I was twelve (got saved for you church people :) ). So for me the Christian world is no longer strange.

But....

There is a whole world out there for whom JESUS IS STRANGE! And unfortunately, many Christians have contributed to Jesus' "strangeness", speaking a coded language and acting more like members of an exclusive club than the house of God. A goal of mine is to "de-strange" it for those who don't know about Jesus and his unconditional and relentless and tenacious love and his radical grace. And it ain't always easy. But how else will those who don't know ever know? God help me.

What about you? Are you making Jesus strange or strange-less?

Thoughts?

Interestingly enough, this "contemporary" worship song ain't so contemporary. I actually like the original title better.

Just sayin'!

NOT SKILLED

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

30 Days in a Row!

2008-10-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

OK. For all 5 people who read my blog, which I haven't updated in 2 months, I am going to try an experiment. I am going to try and commit to writing something on this blog for the next 30 days in a row and see what happens! What happens for me personally. What happens for anyone who might read this blog. What happens for anyone who might accidentally stumble across this blog. The "something" can be anything! Kinda like Forrest Gump and his chocolates....you never know what you're gonna get!

So, here is entry numero uno!

I have been spending some God-time in the book of Luke and got reminded of two easy things to lose sight of in the craziness of life.

First, Luke 12.25 was a great reminder of God's thoughts about worrying! "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" I don't consider myself a big worrier, but there are times when I can focus on one or two things and worry the crap out of them. It's never been very productive. In fact, worrying has usually proven to be counterproductive. In the words of Robert "Bobby" McFerrin Jr., "Don't worry. Be happy!"

Second, Luke 12.31 reminded me to "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need." WOW! I often times find myself worrying and being distracted by everything BUT the Kingdom. I pray God gets my attention when I put other junk in front of Him, whether it be ministry or personal.

Anyway, just some random thoughts to kickoff my 30 day experiment.

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

FRIDAY FLUSH!

2008-08-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

WOW! As I said in several previous post here and here it is gettin' CRAZIER by the second at Revolution Church! Soooo, here are some random items that are going on as Revolution Church prepares to be 1 Church with 2 Locations!!!

Flying banners for the road arrived today and look AWESOME!
A new promo for the upcoming series is incredible and will hit your mailboxes very soon! The series should be even more so!
The countdown to the "Uprising....a student worship celebration!" has begun!
Tons of sound and light system equipment are going up in the NEW Holly Springs location. It is gonna be EXPLOSIVE to say the least!
I've not shaved in like three days. Starting to itch!
My hair and Preston's hair have gone to a whole-nutha-level! Could we be related?
Banners are ordered to make sure everyone knows where to go when they get to the new location. Don't want anyone getting lost.
Energy drinks are being consumed at near lethal levels!
God is supplying our needs in some amazing ways.
I repeat, God is supplying our needs in some amazing ways!
The first official Revolution Students E:news email went out yesterday. If you didn't get one, send an e-mail to michael@therevolution.tv with "E:news" in the subject line.

There is a ton more stuff going on in preparation for the Revolution Church launch in Holly Springs! If you are interested in serving, shoot Tim May an email at tim@therevolution.tv and for even more information, keep an eye on Gary's BLOG!

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

Who is this?

2008-08-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

24 hours of rain got me thinking about these verses.

Luke 8.24-25
24 They woke Jesus: "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" Getting to his feet, he told the wind, "Silence!" and the waves, "Quiet down!" They did it. The lake became smooth as glass. 25 Then he said to his disciples, "Why can't you trust me?" They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering, "Who is this, anyway? He calls out to the winds and sea, and they do what he tells them!"

Just for kicks and giggles, step outside and ask the storm to stop! I'll wait.....

Did anything happen?

That's what I thought. But when Jesus did it, the wind and waves responded! Tonight, while it's raining, think about that "storm" you're up against in your life. Then, think about THE ONE who spoke to the storm and it responded. Hmmm.....

I love what Jesus' storm-control did to the disciples.... They were in absolute awe, staggered and stammering!

When we encounter Jesus, the real Jesus, we will stand in AWE! We won't have any other choice!

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

FRIDAY FLUSH (Crazy: Part Deux!)

2008-08-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

So, Lovely Linda and I have been moving for 3 solid days! Why, you may ask, did it take so dang long? Well, since you asked, I'll tell ya! The biggest reason is that we went through about 95% of EVERYTHING we own! Yeah, EVERYTHING! Almost no box-o'-junk was left unsorted. It has been a nightmare, but a nightmare I won't soon be reliving. We have been married for 13+ phenomenal years and we have collected some junk. Not only that, but we moved approx. 16 months ago from a 3 bedroom house to GVBR and didn't cull much of anything. So as painful as it was, we were diligent in striving to sort everything out. In the process, we donated over three suv's full of stuff to Goodwill Canton and took three Ford Ranger truck beds full to the dumpster! It has been amazing, disturbing, humbling, and frustrating thinking about stuff that at one time or another I thought I needed to hang on to, but at this point in my life I easily junked or gave away. So, today's Friday Flush is dedicated to some of the CRAZY CRAP discovered while moving!

The rechargeable battery for my cordless drill. Been missing that for about 3 years. KEPT
A pill bottle full of "rubies" I had "mined" from one of those "Pan-for-Gold" sites in North Georgia when I was a kid! Chunked!
A key ring with 25+ keys on it that go to I don't know what! Chunked!
Copies of the Atlanta Journal special sections from almost every day of the 1996 Olympics. Chunked!
Random ticket stubs from ZZ Top, Heart, and 38 Special concerts in the summer of '86! Status: UNDETERMINED?!?
A pink hardhat. Chunked!
7 different watches. Kept! I'm a watch junkie.
An Eric Clapton concert T-shirt from the early 90's. Status: UNDETERMINED?!? I think it got re-packed, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, getting rid of so much stuff has been liberating. And Lovely Linda and I have set a goal to have everything we moved unpacked in 30 days or less. And we might get rid of more crap in the process!

Thinking of going through your junk? I encourage you to DO IT!!! You might be surprised at what you will find! Need some pointers? Check Peter Walsh out. You won't regret purging the physical crap in your life. I'll probably post later about purging the spiritual crap! Another blog another day.

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

On the eve of change!

2008-08-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! 5 weeks ago I officially joined the Revolution Church Staff! Since then, Lovely Linda and I have also been finishing our time working and living at the Goshen Valley Boys Ranch. Tomorrow, we officially move into the Canton Mill Lofts in Canton. In the last 5 days we have given away or thrown away approximately 3 truckloads of crap!!! Last week we had to put one of our dogs to sleep. We still have stuff to pack! And, oh yeah! In the mean time, Revolution Church is preparing to launch the Holly Springs campus and Revolution Students is gearing up to re-launch "Uprising...student worship experience" on September 21!!! Needless to say, the last few weeks have been absolutely CRAZY!

And guess what?!? They're about to get crazier!!!! But that's cool! This is what God has to say on the matter:

Romans 8:31-39 (The Message)

31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

AND THIS!!!

Hebrews 13:5-6 & 8 (The Message)

5-6Don't be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote,

God is there, ready to help;
I'm fearless no matter what.
Who or what can get to me?

8 For Jesus doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself.

My philosophy is this! It’s earth shattering! It may revolutionize your life!

Trust GOD & hang on!!!

It’s gonna be ONE WILD RIDE!!!!

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

A Lesson in Grief (I'd rather not had) and Friday Flush

2008-08-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

So a couple things have happened this week that have got me doing a TON of reflecting!

First, Gary kicked off a message series called ALIVE at Revolution Church this week and challenged us to think about how our lives might be different if we knew we only had 30 days to live. He challenged us to examine how we invest our time. Uh, yeah! I have tons of room for improvement. Kinda scary thinking this was just the first of four weeks!

Then, Monday, Linda and I had to make the decision to have one of our two dogs put to sleep. The same dog that was an anniversary present for Linda on our 1 year anniversary. We've been married 13 years! Yeah, she was 12 and has been a part of us almost as long as we've been married. Needless to say, IT SUCKED!!! Even though Linda and I had been preparing for such a day as this, it still sucked. A ton of memories can compile over 12+ years. She was a GREAT dog. When we first got her as a puppy she looked like Wishbone and we would take her to the softball fields where I played and the kids would go nuts! It was that early socialization that lead her to be great around people. Anyway, she definitely impacted mine and Linda's lives and she will be greatly missed!

Ginger Snap Creighton you rocked...

And now for your FRIDAY FLUSH!!!

In honor of Ginger, today's flush is all about her and her desire to eat anything.

As I mentioned in my Olympics Friday Flush she once ate some of my Olympic tickets!
One Christmas she ate an ornament that was an angel made out of pasta and painted white right off the tree.
Because I used to snore, (now I sleep like this!), Linda has always slept with earplugs. Ginger loved them and would eat them any chance she got. We would often go out in the front yard and find speckled poo where they had gone through her system.
On the very first Thanksgiving that we had Ginger, we had gone to my mother's house for Thanksgiving dinner and following dinner we had gone to another room to kick back and relax when we heard some noise coming from the dining room. It was Ginger in the very middle of the table eating the leftover turkey. Awesome!
The only time you had a chance of getting your face gnawed off was when she was eating a dog chew, such as a favorite of hers - pig ears, and you tried to take it away from her. Not good!
The general rule of thumb was the grosser and more disgusting the item was, the more she liked it. Use your imagination and you'd probably guess one or two of her favorites.

And there you have it. Your FRIDAY FLUSH in honor of Ginger!

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

FRIDAY FLUSH!

2008-08-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Olympics, today's FRIDAY FLUSH is about the 96 ATL Olympics!

When the Olympics came to Atlanta in 1996, I went Pin Trading crazy! That's where you collect and trade Olympic pins with whoever will trade with you. Don't judge me! Anyway, I loved it and would trade with anyone. My favorite is this Gold Turtle from the Cayman Islands. It was selling for $100+ during the Olympics, however my mother brought mine back to me from a trip to the Cayman Islands after the Olympics for $7!
I only had tix to events during the second week. On the 1st day I was to go, I got up at around 5:30 AM to beat the traffic and realized something was terribly wrong! My dog had chewed up my tickets! I WAS PISSED! Anyway, I put all the leftover pieces in a Ziploc, headed downtown to the ticket window and proceeded to convince the ticket lady to print me some new tickets! Yeah come on!
I LOVE CROWDS and would just go downtown to people watch! Saw a lady with a 7' boa (snake not feather!) around her neck. Another lady had her hair formed into Olympic rings. I saw someone blow chunks from the Slingshot ride! Awesome! I love people watching and you don't get any crazier than when the world shows up at your back door!
The Lovely Linda and I also got caught up in the Swatch craze and bought this. Yeah! That's right! I could easily turn a $15 profit right now on E-bay, but I am holding out.
I was able to see volleyball, baseball, handball, and track-and-field and it didn't cost me a penny. The very best tickets! Free ones!
The Lovely Linda used to work for the company that designed the giant "torch" thingy just north of the Varsity. Nothing extra in the paycheck for that one!
Linda and I also own a Commemorative Brick in Centennial Olympic Park, but neither of us can remember what it says. Looks like an excuse to go to OK Cafe!

Anyway, I can't wait to watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics. If tonight's Twitter activity is any indication, Beijing's gonna bring it!

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

Why Chik-fil-a Rox my face off!

2008-08-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

I observe restaurants and places of business and how they are run when I go to them. I CAN'T HELP IT! It's what I do. Anyway, one of my favorite restaurants to observe is Chick-fil-a (check out their story here). I love walking in a restaurant and checking out how everything and everyone works and works together and then asking myself, "Why'd they do it like that?" and "What can I learn from them?" Here is some of the stuff I love about Chick-fil-a...

The Mint Guy and The Drive Thru Chick! I love when I eat in the restaurant and am finishing my meal and the guy comes around with a basket with some rockin' mints in it. And then there's the girl (I know! Sometimes it's a dude!) that comes to your car in the drive thru when it's busy and takes your order before you're even at the order board! It's called "Extra Mile" folks! Most places don't do it!
Free Extra Sauces! Nothing ticks me off worse than going somewhere and asking for an extra sauce or salad dressing and then being told there is a charge. DUDE! I just drove to YOUR location and chose YOU over somebody else. Don't "thank" me by charging me 30 cents for a tiny-tub of blue cheese!
"You-know-what-you're-getting" consistent quality! They do chicken! And they do it AWESOME! When I order a Chick-fil-a sandwich, I know what it's gonna be like every single time! Bun, chicken, pickles. Unless I order it differently, and then that's the way I get it! NO SURPRISES! Even when they introduce a new food item, I know the quality is going to be off the charts!
They take risks; they're just EXTREMELY well thought out! The other day Chick-fil-a did a "keep your receipt" day where whatever you bought on that day, if you kept your receipt and brought it back in the month of August you got the same items that were on the receipt free. Most people would probably call that a risk and a big one at that. But by the numbers of people I saw when I went that day and the buzz I heard, it must have paid off. And what kind of service did I get that day? The same quality service I get every other time.
They're closed on Sundays! And they have been since the beginning! And they still had earnings of over 2.2 billion dollars in 2006! NO! Before you ask! I'm not saying everybody should be closed on Sunday! But what I am saying is that they have a conviction and they are committed to it! Yep, I have been out on a Sunday afternoon and been craving some C-fila and not been able to get it. But I still go back on Monday.

I could go on for a while, but in a nut shell, the reason I observe restaurants and businesses is to see how I can take winning principles and apply them to the church and student ministry or even my personal life. So to that end, here are a couple questions for ya:

Am I going that extra mile for my "customer", whoever that may be? What would they say?
Am I sticking it to a loyal "customer" by "charging for extra sauce"?
Is excellence a priority? Really? Does it show?
Am I trying to do to much? Is the quality of EVERYTHING compromised as a result?
Am I willing to take risks? Not stupid or foolish ones, but well thought out and evaluated risks. Yeah, some may fail, but some are going to yield insane results! What RISK are you taking?
What's your "Closed Sunday" conviction? Do you compromise it? Why?

Anyway, just some thoughts to chew on.

Keep it real!

srr

sinbad

FRIDAY FLUSH!

2008-08-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Friday Flush is totally random stuff, some informative and some just useless junk to give you more of a glimpse into to the mind of a maniac! Have fun and enter at your own risk!

In 1oth grade I took driver's ed class with Julia Roberts. She was just Julie then. It has not netted me one more penny on a paycheck in my life!
I once did a funeral for a relative where the hearse got lost in the cemetery. I did another funeral where they released what looked like white doves but were actually homing pigeons dyed white! Who knew?
This is my alma mater (11-12 grades). We affectionately referred to it as Rabun Gap NO-SMOOCHIE. Interestingly enough, alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother."
I own a Yanni World Tour t-shirt. And NO, I didn't attend the concert.
My wife and I have been married 13.5 years. We met when she was the maid of honor and I was the best man at my brother's wedding.

Thanks for playing!

srr

sinbad

Sweet Little Thing! (or It's my blog and I'll post what I want!)

2008-07-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

OK! I know I'll catch some heat at the Revolution Church offices, but who cares! I was listening to "Bad To the Bone by Thorogood" on Pandora, when this song came on by Stevie Ray Vaughn. And it reminded me of what an AMAZING wife I have.

Here are the lyrics to Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughn....

Well you've heard about love givin' sight to the blind
My baby's lovin' cause the sun to shine
She's my sweet little thang....she's my pride and joy
She's my sweet little baby....I'm her little lover boy

Yeah I love my baby....heart and soul
Love like ours wont never grow old
She's my sweet little thang....she's my pride and joy
She's my sweet little baby....I'm her little lover boy

Yeah I love my lady....shes long and lean
You mess with her....you'll see a man get mean
She's my sweet little thang....she's my pride and joy
She's my sweet little baby....I'm her little lover boy

Well I love my baby....like the finest wine
Stick with her until the end of time
She's my sweet little thang....she's my pride and joy
She's my sweet little baby....I'm her little lover boy

Yeah I love my baby....heart and soul
Love like ours wont never grow old
She's my sweet little thang....she's my pride and joy
She's my sweet little baby....I'm her little lover boy
Anyway, Lovely Linda you ROCK!

Peace...

srr

sinbad

WHAT THE CRAP?!?!?!?!?!

2008-07-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's staff off-site brainstorm session was one for the record books. Instead of trying to re-write the same story, I am going to let Gary and Preston tell it in their own words! Start with the third post down on Gary's to get the whole story!

Yes, that just happened!

Peace!

srr

sinbad

CHURCH SIGNS!

2008-07-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever stopped to consider most church signs in America?

One of the lenses that I try to look at EVERYTHING church related through is what would an unchurched person think?

One of the main areas that cause me to scratch my head is church signs. I mean think about it! Who are most church signs for? Most of the ones I see are simply for the people already going to the church who’s freakin' sign it is. I saw one the other day that said "WELCOME BACK so & so!" I don't remember the names, but apparently they had been gone and now they were back. Think about. Only people that were either currently going to or had previously been to that church and knew "so & so" would even give a rip about whether or not they were back.

I saw one the other night that read "REVIVAL" on the top line, then "4 SAVED" on the second line. Now as a guy raised in church, that means something to me, but what if I'd never set foot in a church. I might be wonderin' what got "revived" and who got "saved" and what did they get saved for or from?

Here's your challenge....

The next time you drive by a church sign, read it, then put yourself in the shoes of someone who has either never been to church or at least not been in a long time. Now, what do you think about what you just read? Did it change your life? Did it cause you to want to change your plans next Sunday morning and check that church out? Did it stir in you a desire to check out this whole God thing? Yeah, that's what I thought!

Hmmmmmm.......

srr

sinbad

FRIDAY FLUSH!

2008-07-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

The Friday Flush is just totally random crap....and this time, it's personal!

I am a fan of the neti pot! I don't do all the crap this lady is doing, but I try and neti at least every other day. If you’ve never tried it, you should!
On a birthday about three years ago, I ate every meal at Chik-fil-a. Not the same location, but every meal was from Chik-fil-a.
When I was 15 years old, I owned and road a Honda PA50 yellow moped. That's right! Don't judge me!
There are very few foods on my personal black list, but liver is one of them. If you deep-fried liver in chocolate, I still wouldn’t eat it!
Through a weird series of events, my wife and I were in attendance at game 6 of the Worlds Series in 1996 when the Braves won the World Series. And best of all, we didn’t pay for the tickets.
One of my favorite movies of all time is Raising Arizona. I can start from any point and watch it to the end.

Distractions and Nehemiah

2008-07-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

So this morning I was reading some from Nehemiah and ran across this passage that fires me up!

Nehemiah 6 "I'm Doing a Great Work; I Can't Come Down"

1-2 When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and that there were no more breaks in it—even though I hadn't yet installed the gates— Sanballat and Geshem sent this message: "Come and meet with us at Kephirim in the valley of Ono."

2-3 I knew they were scheming to hurt me so I sent messengers back with this: "I'm doing a great work; I can't come down. Why should the work come to a standstill just so I can come down to see you?"

It is definitely a reminder to me of the current ministry phase I am in right now. I am crazy excited about what God is doing and is going to do in the Student Ministry here at Revolution Church and I am stoked to be a part of it.

But.....

I'm wise enough to know that POTENTIAL DISTRACTORS AND DISTRACTIONS ARE COMING!!!

Nehemiah was doing something that could only be blamed on God. He lead a group of people in the rebuilding of the wall around the city of Jerusalem and completed it in only 52 DAYS! And all through the process, he had distractors and distractions. Check it out here. And every time he stood firm in what God was leading and equipping him to do.

My desire for the Student Ministries here at Revolution Church is that what happens can only be blamed on God! Just like Nehemiah had distractors and distractions, I know I will as well. The distractions can come in many shapes and sizes, and some of them will be disguised as "good stuff".

My prayer (and one you can pray for me) is that God will keep me focused on Him and the goal ahead....Reaching students who are far from God!

And that when those things (distractors and distractions) come, that I will echo what Nehemiah said...

"I'm Doing a Great Work; I Can't Come Down" Nehemiah 6.3

Don't get distracted!

srr

sinbad

Week 1 Thoughts!

2008-07-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

So, I officially started on staff at Revolution Church on Monday. Needless to say, if you know ANYTHING about Revolution Church, you know this was a week to remember. Here are some random, and in no order of importance, thoughts and observations from week #1 in the Revolution offices.....

I saw a snake kill, but NOT eat, a rat. Must not have been hungry after all.
I've been to the Holly Springs location three times and it is AMAZING the progress and transformation taking place over there.
Lunch, and the decision of where to eat, is not something to be trifled with.
Taylor is truly a freakin' SAINT!
MAC Life is un-freakin-believable! I am blown away at the ease and integration of EVERYTHING.
There appears to be a method to the madness.
There is a lot of talent on this team, no matter how insane it may appear.

Here's the bottom line...God is doing God stuff in and through the staff at Revolution and I am blown away to be a part of it! This is gonna be 1 WILD RIDE! Hang on!

Out.

srr

sinbad

Changed back...

2008-07-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

My new layout was driving me nuts, so I went back to my old layout and added some new stuff.

DAWN OF A NEW DAY!

2008-07-14T11:02:00.001-07:00

So, it is my first "official" day in the Revolution Church offices! Also, my first day on my new MAC! I've been PC forever, but, uh, yeah!, I can get used to this. Went with Gary over to the new facility this morning! God's definitely gonna rock it in Holly Springs!

Spent TH-SAT of last week speaking at the church I was the former Student Pastor for and it was an unbelievable experience. My speaking over the last 14 months or so had been rather limited so it definitely felt good to get at it again. I love sharing God's truths with students! It was a great jumping off point for this new journey of life that Linda and I are embarking on here at Revolution!

srr

sinbad

It's About To Be On!

2008-07-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

Even though I start officially at Revolution Church next Monday, I went to the ALL STAFF meeting this morning! Linda and I are getting freakin' fired up about what God can do through the Student Ministries at Revolution Church and we are stoked to be a part of it!

Got a little conviction the other day from this message! Scroll down to Trading Pop Beads For Pearls. Mark Beeson posed the question if God were to say "I am going to answer whatever you prayed for today," would your (my) prayers have been big enough? Or would I have thought "I should have prayed for so much more!"

For me, I MUST PRAY BIGGER!

What about you?

srr

sinbad

Twittering....

2008-07-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here.

srr

sinbad

Friday Flush!

2008-07-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

Ran a 5k today in Woodstock. I hate running but am doing it to enter a sprint triathlon in the fall. Until they come up with a third activity to replace running, I have to run.
We are doing fireworks on the Ranch tonight! I am part of the ignition team. Pray hard!
Going through Nehemiah in my personal time. Can you say "Leader!!!"? That dude ROCKED!
My father e-mailed me this! Gary? Next all staff meeting? Maybe in Dubai?
Spent an hour on the phone with Austin Porter yesterday. Love partnering with others who are walking similar paths.
Spent another hour on the phone with Davey Blackburn. Love linkin' and thinkin' with others. Sharp guy! Tons of great thoughts about the coming Greenville Newspring location Students!
Ate sardines again today! It is definitely an acquired taste, but I love 'em. Linda was taking a nap and the smell woke her up!
Hey Students! Don't forget the Uprising Pool Party, WIPEOUT!, has been rescheduled for July 13!!! Details are here!
Saw the other day on a blog that I am a user of the ellipses. I love em... You know...
Pigs-n-a-blanket ROCK!!!! Don't know who thought of them, but they ought to get a medal! Linda just brought me one straight out of the oven! DANG!!!

Out!

srr

sinbad

Gotta say somethin'!

2008-07-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I was over at Gary's blog and realized he linked to my blog so I said I better put somethin' up for my millions of new visitors!!! What the heck!

I'm still in the "Tell me again why I started blogging?!?" phase of my blogging career, so you never can tell what you are going to get here! In the mean time, here are some totally random thoughts and junk for your consideration.....

This song by Waylon Jennings makes me think about the church in America! I always like to substitute "JESUS" for "HANK" when thinking about traditional-minded churches.

These are the bikes (mountain - & road - the one on the left) I currently ride. Totally old school. Love cycling! Those aren't my real bikes but whatever.

My wife is a ROCK STAR!

Two guys whose lives have influenced me are Rich Mullins and Keith Green. There are more, but these two stand out.

I was born here, but I don't surf.

I believe this is the PROMISED LAND!

I like sardines and mango's.

I'm currently diggin' this @ Starbuck's and am currently listening to this on MP3. It is like reading without all the work!

Those weird drinks in the gas station cooler (1, 2, 3, and 4)?!? I'm the guy who drinks them!

Anyway, that's enough random stuff about me! Seriously, I am super excited about joining the Revolution Team and can't wait to see what God has in store!

Do you have a blog? Leave me a comment, and I'll check you out.

srr

sinbad

Blankets and Blood!!!

2008-06-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a mountain bike ride with the lovely Linda at Blankets Creek in Woodstock. Our first time there and it was AWESOME! We road Mosquito and Dwelling loops. Near the end of Dwelling loop I bit it and now have a nice bloody chin/side of leg. Not to bad though although it was a little weird walking through Publix with blood running down my leg as we went grocery shopping. Linda and I have been looking at getting her a new road bike (which would still be cool!), but I think she liked the mountain biking better and now wants a new MTB! If anybody's got one they want to sell or get rid of let me know.

srr

sinbad

Can you say "Pee your pants?"

2008-06-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Office! Why hasn't anybody told me about this show sooner?!?!?!?! CRAP!

I love this verse...

2008-06-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

Luke 7.16!

God.....has come.....to help.....His people.

srr

sinbad

A few of my fav things! , back at The Rev, and more Journey news!

2008-06-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

So I was in Kroger in Jasper and they had their wild caught salmon on sale! $3.99 a pound! Cha-ching! 7 pounds later and I'm headin' home! A couple years back my AWESOME wife bought me a Big Green Egg for my birthday! She won't eat Bar-b-que out at a restaurant anymore. Boston Butt is from the Lord for sure! Anyway, after firin' up the grill and preppin the fish, on the Egg they went. Daaannnnggg!!!! I do so love me some smoked salmon!

Linda and I were at Revolution for the first time in three weeks. Missed it! DUH! Greg's ONE PRAYER message was one of those between-the-eyes messages! Good stuff! As usual, the band ROCKED!

Linda and I have mountain bikes that we usually run Tom Slicks street tires on, but while we were in Kiawah Island I switched back to our MTB tires for ridin' on the beach. So, yesterday we took off for the woods. My wife is a BEAST on a bike. She followed me through the woods where you couldn't even see the trail cuz it was so grown up! If anybody knows any good single track near Canton/Waleska let me know.

Currently listening to CHANGE OR DIE from AUDIBLE.com (books for those with ADD). Awesome book on what it takes to change and affect change from a psychology standpoint! From the web site... All leadership comes down to this: changing people's behavior. Why is that so damn hard? Science offers some surprising new answers -- and ways to do better. Think some people can't change? Check this out.... Delancey Street!!! Not sure where/if God plays into the equation, but it is a good listen anyway!

And finally, GOT JOURNEY TIX SATURDAY!!!!! Not only is it Journey, who ROCK, but one of the bands opening up for them is none other than CHEAP TRICK! I've probably seen Cheap Trick more in concert than any other band! Can't freakin' wait!

Out!

srr

sinbad

JOURNEY ROX MY FACE OFF!!!!

2008-06-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

So yesterday my awesome wife turned 40! If I hadn't told ya, you wouldn't believe it! Anyway, one of the gifts I got her was the new Journey CD Revelation. After the horrible release from the Eagle's about a year ago, I was a little skeptical about older bands releasing new stuff. WRONG!!!! Journey freakin' ROCKS!!!! And Arnel Pineda is UNBELIEVABLE! Steve Perry (whom I loved) is now dead to me. If you ever thought you were a Journey fan, YOU GOTTA GET THIS CD!!!!

srr

sinbad

Capt. Harry, the shark, and CRABS!

2008-06-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Day 2, my brother and two nephews and I went out with Capt. Harry on his Carolina skiff to do some fishin' and crabbin'! Capt. Harry runs a charter out of Sea Brook Island, SC on Bohickets Creek and beyond. The highlight of the morning was reeling in a 3 foot shark! I'll post the photos later. Also caught some stingray's and a few whiting. Then we tried our hand at crabbin'! Pulled in 8-10. Finally, as we approached the boat dock, Capt. Harry let us pull up a crab pot he had set out and keep the dozen or so crabs in it for dinner. Next we went to the fishing spot from the day before and pulled up our own two pots. Only six keepers were there. Left and went and picked up 6 #'s of local shrimp that had just come off the boat and headed home. All excited, we prepared for the night's feast. Then the reality set in....catching the crabs ain't so bad! SHELLING BLUE CRABS SUX!!!!!!!!!!!! My finger tips are shredded!!! I will by crab from now on! Anyway, it was all good.

Spent some time cycling on the beach and it was rockin'! Also, had fun riding the bike paths last night in the total darkness! Even more thrilling knowing gators and bobcats live on the island and we passed the remains of a 6 foot snake on the path the day before.

How people stand at the edge of the ocean and not believe in God is beyond me!

Will update on Wednesday. Bro's takin' the computer with him.

Peace....

srr

sinbad

Day 1 of the Kiawah Island Tour '08

2008-06-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

So Linda and I went to the Celebration of Excellence last night at Georgia Tech to honor graduating seniors in the state foster system. Following the program, we drove back to Canton where our vacation car, conveniently called a Rendezvous, was loaded for Kiawah, we made the switch, said goodbye to the guys, and hit the highway!!! After driving all night and a few truck stops, (can I just say as a self-proclaimed "people watcher" I freakin' love truck stops at 3:00 AM in the mornin'!!!"), we pulled into Kiawah at around 4:30 AM! Slept 'til 9:30, got up and went fishing here! My nephew caught a small shark and I caught one as well. Set two crab traps and will go back tomorrow to check them. Went out to eat, came back to the condo, then went on a bike ride winding up riding down the beach! A-MAZING!!!! Will keep all 3 of my blog readers posted tomorrow!

Gary-Kiss it!

srr

sinbad

Dentist visit UPDATE!

2008-06-11T09:31:00.001-07:00

What the crap?!?!? Just got back from the dentist. Linda and I both broke a tooth while in Myrtle Beach. We like doing stuff together! Anyway... we went to the dentist yesterday and found out we both needed crowns. Being the gentleman I am, I let her get her temporary yesterday and I went back for mine today. The permanents will be in in about 2 weeks. So....the really good news? Approximately $1200 freakin' dollars!!!!! AFTER INSURANCE! Fortunately we have a comp plan at the ranch, but that will still leave around $600 out-o-pocket! What could possibly cost that much?!? Needless to say, I can think of a million things I'd rather spend $600 on than teeth, but ya gotta have 'em! Can you say "WHATEVER?"

Leave tonight to head to Kiawah Island, SC until next Wednesday! PARTY!

Peace out!

srr

sinbad

I must blog....and go to the dentist!

2008-06-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Apparently this blog thing ain't gonna go away, so I better embrace it!

Just got back from Garden City Chapel (10 minutes south of Myrtle Beach). Can you say HOT AS CRAP!!! It was pretty good though. The entire ranch where Linda and I work went. I was at first under the impression that there would be no air conditioning in the guys room (24 or so guys in one room!). Needless to say, i was not looking forward to either the heat or the smell. Thank God my informant was WRONG! There was AIR!!!! Not bad.

Went to the Carolina Opry and saw the Carolina Opry show. Not bad. Also went to a WILD WATER AND WHEELS water park for the day. Pretty cool. Linda and I had a blast. They have a slide that is completely enclosed and blacked out so you don't see anything once you start until you come out the end! Sick! Also, spent a day chillin' at the beach.

Back in town for three days then we head to Kiawah Island, SC for some more fun in the sun! Part of the time will be with my brother and his family and the rest of the time will be just Linda and me! Needless to say I am pretty fired up about it!!!

Linda and i get to go to the dentist tomorrow!!! AWESOME!!! While we were in Myrtle Beach, she had a piece of a cavity come loose and I had a tooth that had a root canal that I have been grinding on in my sleep. Well.....it finally cracked! NICE! Fortunately there is no pain, but I'm not sure what the dentist is gonna have to do. Whatever?!?!?

srr

Another book review....sorta!

2008-01-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

I ran across some pretty cool stuff in my current bathroom reader that I thought was worthy of sharing. The book is Called Everyone Wants To Go To Heaven, But... Wit, Faith, and a Light Lunch by C. McNair Wilson. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but I did find one on Ebay. Anyway, it is a collection of random thoughts on different topics that go by the letters of the alphabet (A is Adam, anger, ark, atheist, and authorized version) about the bible and religion that are hilarious, thought provoking, and really hard to explain. So I won't try to. However, I highly recommend it, especially to keep by the can for quick reads! Sorry McNair. By the way, the author, C. McNair Wilson was on staff with Disney in their Imagineering Department. His mind is crazy cool like that! Anyway, here are the two that jumped out at me the other day.

(H) HOPE
Hope is not when you close your eyes and blow out all the candles on your birthday cake and hope for a pony (when you're a child) or a Mustang, later.
Hope is not crossing your fingers while taking a test in school hoping you'll magically remember stuff you never studied.
Hope is when you come to the end of your abilities and you don't know where to turn. You feel tested beyond your limits. You feel like you are standing on the edge of a dark abyss, afraid to jump. If you put your trust in God, one of two things will happen when you jump: there will be someone there to catch you, or you will be taught how to fly!

(I) IMPOSSIBLE
The only assignments that God will handle personally. With all others, he asks us, "What are you going to do about that?"

Anyway, if you are looking for a GREAT easy read, get this book!

srr

sinbad

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2008-01-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

So for all of you (2) who have been wondering whether I was still alive or not.....

Anyway, just finished a pretty good book (The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary). Nothing from a spiritual sense, but a good one on leadership and the best coffee seller in the world.....Starbucks. OK, maybe not the best but def the biggest. Either way, its a pretty cool place to get some caffeine. Anyway, there is a lot the western church can learn from how Starbucks does business. Here are some brief thoughts on the Starbucks principles as stated in the book and what the church can learn:

Principle #1: Make it your own

WOW!!! There are a ton of churches, especially "contemporary" one's, that spend a ton of energy and resources trying to be the "latest and greatest" church down the street or across town or on the other side of the country. All churches are not supposed to look like North Point in Alpharetta and that's OK! Although I think NPCC ROCKS! It would be better and more lives would be transformed if churches spent more time actually doing and being the church GOD called them to be.

Principle #2: Everything matters

Everything matters when it comes to reaching those far from God. The sad truth is that many churches and Christians only focus on a few things, like the length of a guy's hair or the color of the carpet or buyin' a freakin' organ or telling everybody else how bad they've screwed up over and over and over..... What if the church spent more time finding out the needs of those far from God and then invested some time and energy in meeting those needs. Come to think of it, that's what that other guy did most of the time. You know.... Jesus.

Principle #3: Surprise and delight

One of the many things I like about the church I get to hang out at (Revolution Church) is that it is "like a box of chocolates"........sorry Forrest! You REALLY never know what you're gonna get! Stagnant churches tick me off! CAUTION: Don't do something in church just shock people or because that other church did it (see Principle #1). Do it to change lives! Oh, yeah.....and because God said so. :) Isn't God the author and giver of creativity? GET CREATIVE!!!!

Principle #4: Embrace resistance

From the book: "Don't mind criticism. If it is untrue, disregard it; if it is unfair, keep from irritation; if it is ignorant, smile; if it is justified, it is not criticism- learn from it." Author Unknown. Also from the book: "To work with resistance effectively, you must distinguish between people who want their concerns to be resolved and those who simply like to complain." Needless to say, churches, no matter what they look like or how they act meet resistance CONSTANTLY! The key is how do they respond to that resistance. Resistance, when recognized and handled appropriately, can prove to be a valuable tool for growth. Try this: The next time you face resistance, ask yourself, "What is the real issue and what is the truth to be learned?

Principle #5: Leave your mark

This whole chapter was about Starbucks and their involvement and investment in the communities that are in their sphere of influence. What can the church learn?
Simply, serve someone other than yourself! While some churches do an amazing job at looking OUTSIDE of the walls, many have never seen outside of their walls. How sad!

I also just finished the book BLIND COURAGE by Bill Irwin. AMAZING!!!! He is the only person to have hiked the entire Appalachian Trail blind! He did it with his dog guide, Orient! Incredible story and I recommend it. They need to do a movie based on the book!

I'm trying to read more. Here are the books in my book que (not necessarily in the order I hope to read them):

The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus
Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy (Christmas gift)
CASH...the Autobiography by Johnny Cash (Christmas gift)
First In, Last Out by John Salka
The Heart of the Antarctic by Sir Ernest Shackleton (Christmas gift)

I'll post some thoughts as I complete books.

Peace!

SRR

sinbad

CRAP!!!

2007-11-13T19:39:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I knew it had been a while.....anyway....

Prison ROCKED! I love going to prison to do ministry. Had a pretty unique experience this time. The weekend revolves around being a part of a table community and hearing talks about the Christian life then discussing the impact the talk had on each person's life. Well, the table community I was a part of this time was Hispanic. The interesting part is that I while I am bi-lingual, my second language is NOT espanol! It's southern! But God worked it all out and the two residents (our term for the inmates) that sat on either side of me were bi-lingual. It is incredible to see God work in the lives on murderers, rapist, former and current gang members and leaders. I'll write more specifics later, but in the mean time, check out the ministry, KAIROS.

SRR

sinbad

Off to prison...

2007-10-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

I am leaving today for Hays State Prison in Trion, GA., for a KAIROS weekend. Please keep my family, the inmates at the prison and the Kairos team in your prayers. I will update most likely on Monday.

Go God!

SRR

sinbad

Stitches...first, cool....then suck!

2007-10-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

(NOT MY ACTUAL STITCHES...I WISH!) So I got me some stitches (only 5) 15 days ago for a gash on my lower left leg. 15 freakin' days ago!!! They are kinda cool when you first get them cause they freak people out a little when you show them off! Anyway, I go in to the emergency room (that's where they put them in so that is where they said to come to get them out) and they take them out this morning. No problem, right? WRONG! So I am sitting at home after returning form the ER and I look down and there is oosage. Niiiccceee. So I go back to have them look at it and after nearly 3 1/2 hours they tell me to take 7 days of antibiotics, keep it clean, and keep and eye on it! WHAT THE CRAP?!? 3 1/2 HOURS to tell me that!!! They said it would heal from the inside out. Whatever?!?

But it did kinda get me thinking about a song I am diggin' right now.... FROM THE INSIDE OUT by Hillsong United. Here's the chorus...

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Just like my cut will heal from the inside out, God desires to heal each of us from the inside out. Odd, though, how many times we often worry TONS about the outside first, while the inside is screwed up! Hmmmm...just a thought!

SRR

sinbad

A COW?!?

2007-10-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

So REVOLUTION CHURCH pretty much rocks! We're in the middle of a series on how we can better manage money so that when we realize God's vision for our lives, the chains of financial burden won't hold us back from goin' for it. Joseph Sangl is gonna be there on Sunday, November 4 in the morning bringin' it about money and breaking out of the debt chains that come with it. Anyway, the reason I am telling you this is that I heard somethin' in church I never thought I would!!!! Our pastor, Gary Lamb, was talking about radical ways to save money and things we can cut out of our life to be better stewards. That's when I heard it! He said that he and his wife had bought a FREAKIN' COW!!!! Yep, a cow!!!! Sorry Chik-Fil-A! Why, you ask!!! He went on to say that their beef came out to around $2 a pound! Not super good for ground beef, but amazing for steaks and roast and all that jazz!

Save money....buy he WHOLE DANG COW!!!! I LOVE IT!

SRR

sinbad

Some Football, A Wedding and More Football

2007-10-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

So today started with some football.....at 9:00 AM! Yeah, some guys from Revolution Church play flag football most Saturday mornings. Check with Preston Porter if you're interested. I did not play. I learned a valuable lesson in life.... KNOW YOUR LIMITS! :) However, watching can be very entertaining!

Anyway, then it was off to a wedding of a guy that was in the first student ministry my wife and I volunteered in. He also was my worship leader for a while at the last student ministry I was a part of. It was good to see a lot of old friends I hadn't seen in a while and it was a great reminder of my most prized earthly gift....my God-sent wife!!! 12 years of marriage.....and I love her more today than the day we married...love still growin'....would do it all again in a split second... It always makes me crazy when dudes say, "I need a break from my wife." Are you FREAKIN' kiddin' me?!?! I may need a break from a lot of things, but my wife ain't one of 'em! Sheeesh!!!

So back to football... Most of you know that I am a GEORGIA TECH fan. My dad graduated from TECH and my brother graduated from UGA. So we have a lot of fun in our family. Anyway, TECH beat ARMY today, but in the process may have lost the ACC leading rusher, Tashard Choice. WHAT THE CRAP?!?! We'll have to wait and see tomorrow or the next day if Choice will be out and for how long.

Gotta go....fourth quarter of the LSU-AUBURN game. Gooooo.....Tigers!

SRR

sinbad

MAKOS and AXE

2007-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Saw THIS today and thought I would share it with ya. It's about two dudes fishing for grouper and catching an 844 lb. 11' mako shark. Can you say "poopy pants"!!! Talk about not getting what you expected.

Through a series of God-moves, Linda and I have found ourselves at a church that has a lot of 11' mako's!!! By that I mean take all of your preconceived notions about church and how screwed up, judgmental, and dysfunctional many of them our and throw it out the window! Here's just one tiny example....how many churches supply the dudes of the church with AXE Body Spray! I never use the stuff, but I freakin' love walking in the bathrooms each Sunday and seeing the AXE bottle in a basket by the sink.

Will AXE save souls? Probably not, but it is all about creating an environment that all of those people the church has been toastin' for so long with all their religiosity CRAP can come into JUST THE WAY THEY ARE and hear about the transforming power of Jesus in their lives.

So, I say all that to say this, if you've been toasted by the "church" in the past, check out Revolution Church in Canton. Can I guarantee it will be the church for you. Don't be stupid! But I can guarantee it won't be like any church you've been to before.

Dare ya!

semper reformanda ragamuffin

sinbad

Dog Bites and Blood

2007-10-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

That got your attention, didn't it. So, I am a wanna-be-blogger. I have tons of thoughts, I've just not made it a priority to put them down in this blog. So, at the urging of a crazy man (that'd be you Mr. Lamb!) I shall try and light a fire under my own butt!

So, here we go again.....

Last Sunday night, my wife and I decided to take a stroll through a neighboring field that is near where we live. So, we got the dogs (our two, one of which is blind, and the two who call the ranch we live on home) and headed to the field. As we were walking through it Linda made the remark, "You don't think anyone would put any traps out here do you? To which I replied, "Don't be silly! Of course not." So we continued on our stroll through this rolling pasture and were almost near the end of our journey when the action starts! One of our dogs who had been venturing ahead begins yelping with that crazy yelp like a dog does when it has been hit by a car. I run over full expecting to see a snake retreating into the woods, but I notice that my dog, Tabor, is not moving from the spot even though he is trying too desperately. And I very quickly realized why....HIS FREAKIN' LEG IS CAUGHT IN...you guessed it......A TRAP!!! What the CRAP?!?!?

So I rush over to free him and get the second shock of the night. As I am trying to free him, his response is to start gnawing at my hand! In very short order, I have him freed and that's when I start noticing the blood. My blood! Yeah, where he gnawed on me as I was freeing him from the trap he was in! Come to find out, Tabor didn't have one single scratch on him! No broken bone! No broken skin! NOTHING!!!! So all of the blood that was on my hands and forearms, shorts, shirt, Tabor's nose and his leg, was from me.

After getting home and cleaning up everything, I had about 7 or 8 good bite wounds. No biggie, but God showed and reminded me of some interesting stuff through the experience, especially when it comes to striving to follow the example Christ set for me and us as Christ-followers.

First, sometimes when we try to help someone, even though they desperately need our help, they might not react the way we expect them too. Help them anyway.

Second, when we were screwed in our own lives and trapped, Jesus came to get us out. And guess who got bloodied then? Yep, it wasn't us. But Jesus did it anyway.

Third, when Linda and I turned around to make our way home, she noticed something different about Tabor. Instead of running ahead of us and doing his own thing, he stayed close.....real close...and behind me....like 4 feet behind me. He knew. He knew I'd saved him from what ever it was. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he couldn't get out of it on his own and with his own power. And he knew that even though he wasn't sure how, he was sure of who! And he wanted to stay close to that who. In the same way, I may not be sure of what all Jesus has saved me from, but I know there was no way I could have done it on my own. And now, I strive to walk as close to Him as possible.

Anyway, enough about that....I want to leave you with two cool thoughts off of two cool websites.....

First, http://www.uncensoredgrace.com/
(from the site) Uncensored grace is what you get from a loving God when all the religious types have gone home, and every last hope for your own effort has blown up in your face.

That's just sweet!!!

Second, http://www.revolutionatlanta.com/
(from the site) As Christians, we are sorry for being self-righteous, judgmental bastards.

OUCH! That stung a little!

This is from Revolution Church in the ATL. It was started by my boy Jay Bakker (who got me fired from my first church! :) ) They are rockin' and transforming the least, the last, and the lost of Atlanta.

Finally, I leave you with this website. It is the site of mine and Linda's new frickin' suh-weet church.... www.therevolution.tv !!! If you live in Canton and don't have a church you call home, I dare you to check it out. NOTE: If you do have a church you call home and are plugged into, do us all a favor and stay there! But if you don't....come on, baby!!!

It's late, I must sleep....

semper reformanda ragamuffin

sinbad

Gonna try again.....

2007-10-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

One person said they had checked out my blog and it sucked cuz it hadn't been updated in forever. Another person said that I should blog whether anyone reads it or not. So, I will try again.

2007-05-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

I ran across this song the other day on RELEVANT TV. Yet another powerful song by Johnny. I think Elvis did it originally, but I like Cash's best. I hope you like it.

HELP ME performed by Johnny Cash

Oh, lord, help me walk
Another mile, just one more mile;
I'm tired of walkin' all alone.

And lord, help me to smile
Another smile, just one more smile;
Don't think I can do things on my own.

I never thought I needed help before;
Thought that I could get by - by myself.
But now I know I just can't take it any more.
And with a humble heart, on bended knee,
I'm beggin' You please for help

Oh come down from Your golden throne to me, to lowly me;
I need to feel the touch of Your tender hand.
Release these chains of darkness
Let me see, Lord let me see;
Just where I fit into your master plan.

I never thought I needed help before;
Thought that I could get by- by myself.
Now I know I just can't take it any more.
And with a humble heart, on bended knee,
I'm beggin' You please for help
With a humble heart, on bended knee,
I'm beggin' You please for help

THINK!

2007-05-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

I was thinking the other day about thinking.

We don't think enough as a society... about anything. We don't think about our actions. About who it will effect. About how it will effect. We do think about ourselves though. A lot. We don't take time to think about others. About their lives. About their hurts. About their fears. About how God may be wanting to use us to help them with their lives, hurts, and fears. We don't think about the least, the last, and the lost near enough. Interesting how much Jesus thought about them. We usually only think about them when they are causing us some kind of uncomfortableness. You know, when they ask for a $20 for gas. We don't think about our lives and where they're headed and where they've been and where they could be.

We do spend a lot of time thinking about others and what they might think about us and our new car that we really can't afford and our new designer jeans and over-priced purse and that our kid got his name in the paper again...for the fourth time...in 3 months. And what the neighbors think about our new landscaping and the birthday party we just had for our 4 year old. We look so well off, don't we?

Why is the scale of time tipped so drastically to the time spent thinking about others and what they think about us side and not to the time spent thinking about God side?

Strange what we think about....and don't think about.

STOP. THINK. NOW. GOD.

semper reformanda ragamuffin

sinbad

AMEN

UPDATING TO BEGIN SOON!

2007-05-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I promise I will begin updating soon! Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment if you wish!

srr

Michael "sinbad" Creighton

Me too, Aaron!

2007-03-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

I have been listening to a certain song that has a line in it that has been resonating quite a bit for me and in a variety of different situations as of late. It is called "My Savior, My God" and was arranged by Aaron Shust. This is what Aaron has to say about it on his site and in his own words:

I was reading my "One Year Book of Hymns" and stumbled across a hymn entitled "I Am Not Skilled To Understand" whose words blew me away. I didn't bother searching for the melody: its obscurity indicated antiquity. So I started from scratch and sang it without the chorus for over a year at our church, which seemed to embrace it as it was. But I wanted to take it over he top. Sitting at a red light one night, a melody of excitement and a lyric that seemed to pull together the concept of Christ, my Advocate, always pleading my case, was born. And the song finally exploded on the chorus like I always knew it should. i do not understand everything, but I know that Jesus Christ loves me and is alive defending me. That calls for a big chorus.

Here are the lyrics..... (take a listen here)

My Savior My God
I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at his right hand
Stands one who is my savior

I take him at his word and deed
Christ died to save me this I read
And in my heart I find a need
For him to be my savior

That he would leave his place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my savior

My savior loves, my savior lives
My savior's always there for me
My God he was, my God he is
My God he's always gonna be

Yes, living, dying, let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring
That he who lives to be my king
Once died to be my savior

That he would leave his place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my savior

My savior loves, my savior lives
My savior's always there for me
My God he was, My God he is
My God he's always gonna be

So, "What's the line in the song?", you ask?
"You count it strange, so once did I"

When I stop and think about Jesus and the radical revolutionary He was, it still seems strange. Mainly because I have been born into a culture that is at it's core, in direct opposition to what the man they called The Christ was all about. I wonder if it would have originally seemed more strange to me or less strange to me if I had been born in a different culutre. Either way, I cannot deny those times in my life that I have felt the undeniable presence of God deep within me.

BOTTOMLINE...

This "jar of clay" was somehow found "worth it" by homeless man!!!

Me too, Aaron.....I still count it strange sometimes.

semper reformanda ragamuffin

sinbad

Amen

STORY LINES...

2007-01-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

The following is from the IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE transcript...

EXTERIOR HOUSE –– NIGHT
MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT –– George stands a moment, stunned. Then he turns and runs out to the sidewalk, until his face fills the screen. His features are distorted by the emotional chaos within him. We see Clarence leaning on the mail box at the curb, holding his volume of "Tom Sawyer" in his hand.

CLARENCE
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives, and when he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?

For those who don't know, I am a Youth Pastor at Hope Church in Dallas, GA. Our student worship celebration is currently in the middle of a series titled STORY LINES. The focus is about STORY LINES- God's, ours, and others. As I was preparing for the message this week where we will be looking at our own stories and how they might influence others, I thought about this line form the movie.

Interesting.....

We never cold possibly realize all the lives we impact as we go about our daily business. The question then becomes what impact are we making on all of the lives we are touching with our own? How will we be remembered? I love the song by Nicole Nordeman called LEGACY. Here are the lyrics....

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

Probably my most favorite line in the song is "Did I point to You enough..."

One of the two people that have been influential in my thinking about God and Jesus and that all that jazz, is Rich Mullins. He authored a book called AN ARROW POINTING TO HEAVEN. His wanted his life to be just that~~~ an arrow pointing others to heaven. (more about Rich and the other guy later)

God, I need your help if I am going to influence even just one person for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God have mercy on me.

semper reformanda ragamuffin,

sinbad

Amen.

NOW I WANT A BROKEN HEART

2007-01-14T07:17:00.000-08:00

Chapter 2....Irresistible Revolution....

Something happened to me this morning at church (the walled one).....

I choose not to divulge it here, but will outside of this medium if you ask me too.....

The result.... a broken and hurting heart.... mine.

I was reminded of a quote by the founder of World Vision.....Bob Pierce.....

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart."

I've prayed this prayer before..... only not wholeheartedly.

I'm also reminded of another revolutionist and his lyrics..... Derek Webb...I WANT A BROKEN HEART.

i've got faith in the bank and money in my heart
i've got a calloused place where your ring used to be, my love
i've traded naked and unashamed

for a better place to hide
for a righteous mask, a suit of fig leaves and lies

i thought the cattle on a thousand hills
was not enough to pay my bills
and i fell in love with those who proved me wrong
and now i want a broken heart

now there's a great pad lock
on the place where i was free
and i'm feeling bad from swallowing that key
now i work real hard but i mostly call in sick
of a broken back from the ground fighting back at me
i cannot look you in the eye
so i check the knots on my disguise
'cause i fell in love with fashion in the dark
and now i want a broken heart

i've got alibis for every crime
a substitute to do my time
'cause Your heart breaks enough on both our parts

so now i want a broken heart
now i want a broken heart
now i want a broken heart

I find it interesting to think how many times I've had a broken heart from girls or life or situations that didn't go the way I wanted them too. But the times my heart has been truly broken with the things that break God's heart has been far less. Not saying they haven't been there and been incredibly real, there's just fewer of them.

Hmmmmm....may I not be afraid to WHOLEHEARTEDLY ask God to break my heart with those things that break His. Amen and amen.....

May my broken heart allow more of YOU to shine through.

Reformanda....

M"s"C

EVERYTHING....?....!....

2007-01-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

Scribed this morning. Been a while. Anyway......

I'm scribing in Luke. Currently in chapter 5. These were some of the verses I was journaling on today....
Luke 5.27-28
27-28 After this he went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, "Come along with me." And he did—walked away from everything and went with him.

Hmmmmm......here's what I think......

(from my scribing journal)
No doubt a tax collector in those days was not only not liked, but rather despised by society. BUT, he certainly would have had a lot of "everything" to walk away from, especially in a material sense. Certainly people must have thought he had lost his mind. What is my "everything" and am I willing to leave it all for The Way? God, help me to loosen my grip on my "everything" and turn it loose so that in it's place I can better grasp YOU and YOUR everything! Amen....

I'm reminded of the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer when he said.....
"When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die."

I'm also reminded of the words of LIFEHOUSE in the song EVERYTHING.

Complete "EVERYTHING" by Lifehouse Lyrics

Find Me Here
Speak To Me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
You are the light
That's leading me
To the place where I find peace again.

You are the strength, that keeps me walking.
You are the hope, that keeps me trusting.
You are the light to my soul.
You are my purpose...you're everything.

How can I stand here with you and not be moved by you?
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?

I especially like the line "Your are my purpose.....You're everything."

May I never lose sight of the fact that all else is "rubbish" compared to HIM.

Striving to let go of my everything,

semper reformanda,

M"s"C

Just in time for Halloween.......

2006-10-31T06:21:00.000-08:00

I share with you today a story so horrific, so scary, so bizarre, that you may not want to continue reading......... I call it...
"The Sick and Twisted Tail Of the Toe-doctor Chair Possession"
As most of you know who have been following this incredibly life-changing blog, or who know me in person, almost 3 weeks ago I had to have toe surgery in which they put a pin in one toe and whittled on three other toe knuckles. Well, yesterday was my third followup visit and the doctor was set to remove the stitches. As usual they ushered Linda and me into an examination room and instructed me to wait in the chair. Before long, one of the medical assistants came in and removed my bandages and began cleaning my foot. Now, that in and of itself was scary enough given the fact that my foot had not had a proper bathing in nearly 3 weeks! But I digress. Once the cleaning was complete, the assistant left the room and the wait began. As Linda and I waited and talked about the bad art (in my opinion) in the room, my shoe began to slip off of my foot. So instinctively I moved it towards what I thought was the floor to push it back on. Well.....I hit the control pedals for the chair instead thus initiating the "possession" sequence. First the chair lunged skyward. Then, in panic, I hit the pedal again, this time beginning the tilt-forward sequence. By this time Linda has moved to the pedal and begun a frantic stomping to try and stop the possession. We are both now laughing hysterically. I've gone from about 2 feet high in a relaxed reclining position to nearly 5 feet high in a forward slant. Of course this is when the Dr. decides to make his entrance! The Dr. recognizes the situation for what it is..... a chair possession! He quickly directs a few commands in Latin in the chair's direction and after some violent shaking, the chair returns to it's original position. Relieved, we thank the doctor and get on with the business at hand.....stitch removal. Anyway....that is "The Sick and Twisted Tail Of the Toe-doctor Chair Possession!" told for your enjoyment.

Happy Halloween!

semper reformanda,

Michael "sinbad" Creighton

GIANTS, Dottie, Monkey and TOES.....

2006-10-30T08:28:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Linda and I went to see FACING THE GIANTS. I highly recommend it. IT is one of the rare "Christian" movies that doesn't seem all cheesy. Unfortunately, many movies produced that desire to display a "Christian" theme portray Christians as geeky robots who can't think for themselves. I didn't get that feeling from this one. Plus, the story behind how the movie came to be is nothing short of amazing. You can read about it here. You can find a good reminder of that concept in God's words in Philippians 4.13.

So anyway, something totally cool happened to Linda and me after the movie. We were leaving the theater when Linda noticed a woman who appeared to be in her late 50's on the pay phone crying. We had actually walked outside when Linda brought it to my attention. So we decided to go back in and assess the situation. After a few minutes we approached her and asked if everything was alright. She said "No" and that she could not get her car door to open. I asked if she would mind if I took a look at it and she said sure so we walked out to her car. She told us her name was Dottie and asked what I did for a living and I told her I was a Youth Pastor. Once at the car, I tried the door and it was definitely locked. I then took the key she had given me, stuck it in the door, and it immediately and effortlessly unlocked and was opened. She was amazed and asked how I had done it. I pretty much blamed it on God. Then it hit me. One of the scenes in the movie referenced Revelations 3.7-8 about God opening and closing doors. She went on to ask for prayer for herself stating that her husband had just died in February and that her dog "Monkey" had diabetes and Chron's disease (Huh?). We then prayed for her and went our separate ways.

What a powerful reminder that God can truly open doors others can't and and what He closes, others can't open. Maybe you have a door that you've been trying on your own strength and ability to open or shut, but haven't REALLY sought God about it. What are you waiting for?

On a personal note, I had a pin put in one of my toes and today I had the stitches removed! YIPPEE!!! I can wash my foot!!!!

semper reformanda,

Michael "sinbad" Creighton

The Toe and The Pin

2006-10-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

I recently went "under the knife" (sounds dramatic, doesn't it?) to have surgery on two of my toes on my right foot. Bascically, the doctor said that I had probably injured the #2 toe on my foot sometime earlier in life and as a result it had begun to do weird things. It looked like a hammer toe (and was affectionately knick named HAMMY by my friends) and was trying a hostile takeover of the big toe (over-the-top). Not only that, but it was bringing #'s 3, 4, and 5 with it in the process. Sooooo.... the Dr. went in and scraped a little here, ground a little there, and then screwed a pin (the pin is about as long and twice as thick as this line ___________) into the middle joint of Hammy. As a result I have gotten to wear an AIRCAST boot for the past 2 weeks and will probably get to wear it for another 1-1.5 weeks. The point of the story is........

I find it interesting how much of an impact such a little thing as a pin this big ___________ in your little toe can have on everyday life. No, it has not been unbearable pain (there's been almost no pain to be honest) and I haven't been a helpless bum, but it has made a difference in how things do or don' get done. It makes me think about our spiritual lives.....

How often do we let the introduction of something small influence how we live for God's glory. For instance, unforgiveness or bitterness towards someone else. Many times when we feel we've been "wronged" or someone has trampled on our "perceived rights" we let it affect many other areas of our lives. How we treat those we work with. How we treat those we live with. Etc, etc, etc. Maybe it's that one area of your life that the "small voice" has been telling you for a long time to hand over to God. The pin I now have in my toe will remain forever. However those "pins" we have in our lives don't have to. Don't let those small things in our lives keep us from being who we were created to be.

In other words.......

DON'T GET PINNED!

semper reformanda ragamuffin

sinbad

Succumbing to fan pressure.....

2006-10-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Due to increased pressure from fans, I will once again resume posting on the SRR blog.....

Coming soon!

2006-10-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

SRR will be returning with ruminations soon. Stay tuned!

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME!!!

2006-03-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about a song by one of the early members of the "contemporary Christian" music industry, PETRA. I must warn you before you rush out and buy their latest CD, you might want to spend some time checking them out on their website. Anyway....
The song I was remembering has the line in it that posed the question "When will the world see that we need Jesus?"
As I was checking out the DRUDGE REPORT I ran across this story about a couple who made their 3 year old girl beat up a 5 year old boy. This has to go in the "Just when you thought you'd seen it all!" category. Hmmmm....maybe PETRA was onto something when they penned those lines quite a few years ago.
When I read something like this story, it is just another reminder of the absolute hopelessness of this world without Jesus. I also think back over my life and how misguided my decisions and actions were for so long. I often think of and use the awesome line by the great doctor, Dr. Phil, "How's that working for you?" I pose that question to the life being lived without Jesus in it. Hmmm....
Anyway, I will leave you with this, a prayer from Brennan Manning.....

May all of your expectations be frustrated.
May all of your plans be thwarted.
May all of your desires be withered into nothingness that you may experience the poverty and helplessness of a child and can sing and dance in the joy of God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
AMEN

semper reformanda ragamuffin
sinbad

ONE!

2006-03-23T06:47:00.000-08:00

Attended ONE last night. ONE is a multi-church worship celebration in the Cobb/Paulding area. The concept behind ONE is to bring together churches in the area for a combined time of worship/celebration/prayer for students, their schools, and their communities. Steve Fee did an awesome job of leading us in worship and connecting our hearts with the heart of God.

Some verses that were highlighted last night were John 17.20-23

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (NIV)

20I'm praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in me because of them and their witness about me. 21The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind-- just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, so they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me. 22The same glory you gave me, I gave them, so they'll be as unified and together as we are-- 23I in them and you in me. Then they'll be mature in this oneness, and give the godless world evidence that you've sent me and loved them in the same way you've loved me. (The Message)

Hmmmmm....the concept of ONEness.

When you begin to talk about the concept of ONEness in so called Christian "circles", people tend to get a little uneasy. The "whatabouts" begin to start popping up in our conversations.

WHATABOUT this and WHATABOUT that?

Hmmmm, I wonder why that is?

A few words come to mind.....pride....arrogance.....fear.....trepidation.....apprehension...

Sounds like some of the same emotions Jesus invoked in those He came into contact with. Interesting...

I googled "christian denominations" and the first result led me to the "Christian denominations and sects" portion of the Yahoo directory. Guess how many it listed? Approximately 140.

How do you think the "Christian" world is doing in the area of ONEness? Yeah, me too.

I wonder what God thinks of the lack of ONEness. Yeah, me too.

What if.....
We focused more on those things that UNITE us than DIVIDE us?
We saw others through Christ's eyes?
We began to, as Ghandi would say, "Be the change we want to see in the world"?

What if we kept this in mind each morning as we started our day?

Hmmmm....what if?

semper reformanda ragamuffin
Michael

THAT'S IT!!! I QUIT!!!

2006-03-20T19:34:00.000-08:00

24 that is....
In case you have been living under a rock somewhere and aren't sure what 24 is, well let me tell you. It is the most intense, suspenseful, high energy, nonstop action, edge of you seat adrenaline rush of a TV show on prime time right now!
Tonight, I have decided I will no longer be watching any more episodes. My heart simply cannot take it. Not really. But, if you are a 24 fan you know what I'm talking about. See if this rings a bell...
You're in the middle of the show...tension building....Jack's being Jack.....and then a commercial hits and everyone in the room takes in one big gulp of oxygen!
Anyway, if you've not checked it out, do yourself a favor and don't get started. You...........just................can't................stop............

Later.

SPLENDOR SPEAKS...

2006-03-19T05:36:00.000-08:00

8:32 AM.....3.19.06.....11 years and a day.......anniversary weekend.....coffee is brewing......Delirious' Live and In the Can is playing through my MP3 player over a 10 year old boom box......sun's rising.

Linda and I came up to my parent's new (still being completed) mt. cabin on Thursday evening to celebrate our 11th anniversary. I've been coming here all my life. I've seen these mountains many times. Yet.....still......it is a powerful display of the splendor of God. Splendor. Now that's not a word used everyday, unless you're Chris Tomlin or David Crowder. Yet it is the perfect word for these mountains in western North Carolina on the southwest side of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The view from the front windows of the house is one of a mountain ridge in the distance. As the sun rises each morning, it is like God is rolling out the day, saying, "Here it is! Another day created for my people....the whole world....to see and experience MY GLORY! Join Me!"

Yesterday,Linda, me and our two dogs, Ginger and Tabor, hiked to The Pinnacle. It is a 3000' summit directly behind the cabin which is about 2175' in elevation. Once on The Pinnacle, you can see in every direction for quite a ways. My question is this....how can you see and experience a sunrise over a mountain or mountain ranges from 3000' (which is really not that high compared to most) and not be moved by Him? For me, it reminds me of my great smallness and His great HUGEness. Yet He loves still.

Check these out...
Psamls 36.6
Psamls 65.6
Psamls 90.2

AWED,
M"s"C
Semper Reformanda Ragamuffin

NOTE: The name for this blog was chosen for it's simplicity yet depth.
Semper Reformanda is latin for "always being reformed". You can read more here about 1/2 way down the page.
Ragamuffin is from Brennan Manning's 1990 book The Ragamuffin Gospel, which defines ragamuffins as "the burdened, the wobbly and weak-kneed, the inconsistent, unsteady disciples... the smart people who know they are stupid... the honest disciples who admit they are scalawags".
For your enjoyment, you can read into it whatever you wish!
I, however, like it.