NO AIR

My air conditioning is messed up on my car...we live in Florida and things are heating up! Yesterday my wife and daughter and I went to Sebring, FL to preach, about 2 hours southeast of our home. Going there wasn't bad, windows down, fan blowing, coming back my left leg was frying, the temperature was around 94 degrees...can you say hot? Makes one want to live right! Last week I had it charged and there's something else wrong with it, the cost to fix it is around 750.00, I'm getting a second opinion today...Pray it's something minor and cheaper...especially the cheaper part! The good thing about it is I am assured again today that I don't want to go to hell!

Need I Say More?

Freedom Writers

We have just finished watching the most incredible movie, "Freedom Writers", the story of a young first year teacher in a multi-ethnic Long Beach classroom, filled with gang members and troubled youth. She took this group and made them a family, taught them self respect and imparted life into them. Talk about inspiring and encouraging! Great movie, has some strong language here and there, but overall it is a classic in my eyes!

Stuffed Head

My head feels like it's stuffed full of stuff...Does that make sense? I'm not sick, it's not sinus or a cold...it's just stuff. I want to be light hearted but also want to be heavy. I want to write funny and thoughtless stuff, you know, the kind of fluffy feel good stuff that doesn't say much, just puts words on my blog...I also want to talk about deep things. A part of me wants to talk about politics, world events, spiritual matters, children, marriage, you know, all the important stuff...Another part of me wants to tell people about my new flip flops I bought back in March at Go Fish in St. Augustine, a store that gives a portion of their proceeds to mission works in Bali. There is a part of me that is a reformer, wants to be a world changer, while another part of me says leave people alone, they don't want to change. I want to write things that make you laugh, and I want to write things that make you think, and I want to write things that make tears drip off my chin as I write and off your chin as you read...I desire to touch your heart. I want to preach and prophesy, to speak of the things of the Lord in a impacting way, but I don't want to be religious. I want to be missional in my thinking and actions, but I am charismatic in my worship and the manner in which I minister. I hate being labeled and don't want to label others, but I want to be identified as a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, one that believes and operates in the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit. I want to tell you about my wife and kids and to be a good husband and father. I want to be loyal and faithful to my pastor, church, family and friends, and for them to know how much I love and appreciate them, how much it means to be connected to them...My head is full...can you tell?

So Long Sanjaya

I am an American Idol addict, there is no other way to say it! When the season ends I'm always looking forward to the new season and cannot wait to get back into the Idol swing of things. This season has been boring in my opinion, very little punch, and when it has come to this Sanjaya guy, I've been completely amazed...how in the world did he stay in it so long? When they announced his departure I almost shouted! Don't mean to be mean, I'm sure he's a good person with much desire and a great heart...he just can't sing! So I say, So Long Sanjaya!

Are We As Sheltered As We Think?

I've been watching the tragedy at Virginia Tech and continue to be amazed. Like millions of others, I wonder how this could happen, why it happened, and what the reprecussions will be. This morning on the Today Show, Stone Phillips interviewed a father that after three days has yet to be notified by the school of his daughters death, he heard about the shooting, called his daughter's cell, dorm, and friends, and then traveled down to the campus where an ambulance personal informed him and a police officer confirmed. Obviously the officials of the school are overloaded and overwhelmed, this will not be easily overcome, though I am quite confident that time will bring healing. As the chancellor of a christian school with nearly 200 students I am wondering what I would do if this happened at our school? What if some parent came strolling through on a normal day and suddenly went nuts? How would we respond? What actions would we take? Certainly we are never prepared for such violence, how do you get through these things? The question arises in my mind, in a world that we have endeavored to make safe, a president that has based his entire presidency on ridding the world of terrorist and making our nation a safe haven, are we as safe as we think? We can all say what should have been done, talk about break downs and learn from this crisis, but the truth is that as long as there is evil in the world evil things will take place. I certainly pray this never comes to our town or schools, I pray that our schools and colleges learn and take extra precautions, but what I really pray is that we realize that America's only refuge is the Lord. Notice I didn't say it was going to church, going to church isn't the answer to everything, it's the place christians gather to celebrate and to be instructed, being a christian is about being christ like every day, every where, and allowing the love of Christ to shine through us. This is an opportune time for the church to arise and minister, not to cast out demons and rebuke the devil, no, this is the time to heal and cry, to hold and comfort, to admit that we don't understand or have the answers, but we are here and willing to be a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and an arm to reach out and hold the falling. We are safe in Christ, even in a evil and hurting world!

The Process of Progression

My wife bought me an Ipod Shuffle for Christmas. It is a delightful matchbook size gadget that will hold over two hundred songs. I love it, take on trips with me, walk with it, and because of its size it's most convenient. Last month I traveled to Illinois and stuffed it in my suitcase, when I was preparing to leave for Kenya two weeks ago I couldn't find it. Called the hotel I stayed in, searched through my bags and just knew that some maid was listening to my Ipod...so I did the thing that most men do when something is missing, I replaced it! I didn't just replace it, I upgraded to an Ipod Nano, same color as my shuffle only bigger and better! I've loaded songs and podcasts and it is wonderful. This morning my wife was putting my suitcase away, going through it one more time before it headed off to the garage to await my next flight, when suddenly she entered the family room with a smile on her face and my Shuffle in her hand...It was in my suitcase stuffed in a pocket all the time, went all the way to Kenya and back without being damaged or stolen. Our fifteen year old daughter is now the proud owner of an Ipod Shuffle and I am still the happy owner of a new and enlarged Ipod Nano! O the process of progress and how it works for me!

Kenya

We returned from Kenya last night and I am working on getting my American legs back. What a wonderful trip we had, left here March 31st, arrived the 30th, got my luggage on April 4th, wore the same jeans for six days, bought some shirts and drawers, shaving stuff and got by until my luggage arrived. We preached in the villages of Mbanni and Masee on Sunday, then began a pastors school on Monday. For three days we poured ourselves into 18 ministers, they sat for hours as we life and simple, practical truths into their spirits, it was phenomenal. On Thursday we traveled north to Eldoret where we participated in a Impact Conference at Praise Celebration Centre with Bishop George Gichana. My Saturday message was aired on the Christian television station there with a potential audience of 3 million people, the local news also featured a clip on the evening news, I am awestruck by that fact, though I did not see any of that. Easter Sunday we preached to around seven thousand, three of us preach one after another beginning at 9:00 AM. I am glad to be home, but already anticipate my November return. Peter Franz, a german evangelist from Kenya has invited me to travel into the Sudan with him to conduct crusades and pastor's conferences, as well invititations to travel into Tanzania for crusades...Africa is calling!