Amazing View!

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

WHAT JUST HAPPENED? The Conclusion...

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

FRIDAY FLUSH!

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....

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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

FRIDAY FLUSH!

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

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

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

FRIDAY FLUSH!

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.

Gotta say somethin'!

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

Can you say "Pee your pants?"

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