I was referred to the Assemblies of God main website a few days ago to see an interesting interview between Dr. George Wood and Mark Batterson. You can check out the interview here, www.ag.org.

What I wanted to write about was a little snippet that I heard from Dr. Woods about Jacob. He mentioned that after the death of Rachel, “Jacob journeyed on”.

A few things popped into my thought stream….

The concept that Jacob continued on with his life is powerful and impacting. What about the reverse angle on this? What in life makes you stop the journey…even if it’s for a short time period? What grabs your attention in life and literally slows time down?

Off the top of my head…

+ Beginnings: When something or someone is birthed into this world, we are forever changed or impacted. Children shape and change our life continually. Programs, business, churches, etc. become our “babies” to and thus cause an impact in our lives as well.

+ Failures: Without out a doubt failures are hard lived lessons. They are what give us our “experience” factor in life. Failures can be stumbling blocks or they can be opportunistic advances. Either way, we don’t forget them.

+ Death: When someone dies, a piece of us dies too. We feel it deep in our heart. A connection is gone, broken, or torn. Something is just flat out missing. Time almost stops. Fear grips our heart when love ones die, because we found self worth in them. We found love in them. We found courage in them. When someone dear leaves this earth we are changed forever.

+ God: Anyone can make a great argument that all of the above are directly related to this category. I won’t stop you either…but in an effort to categorize this I feel it is appropriate to explain. God moments start at conception in your life. They are the miracles in your life…salvation, supernatural moments, etc.

(Obviously these are not in order.)

All of this equals one thing…”your story”.

What is your story? I’m still learning to develop mine. I know how it begins, I know the first thirty years, and I definitely know what I dream it to be…but whatever it ends up being is still unknown to me. That being said, I hope that my dreams and God’s plan for me collide somewhere. This is what makes me journey on…and I think it’s why Jacob journeyed on too.

Wow. What a tough weekend.

Around last Thursday I lost my voice. Not my complete voice, mostly the top end range of it. So I basically couldn’t really lead vocally like I needed to. Talk about tough. It’s hard to lead worship if you can’t sing!

I tried everything I could to get it back…all met with no luck.

Things still went rather well. I had to lean on a few others to help me in leading a few songs…and it was great. God is so good in these moments…and I honestly believe this was a God-ordained weekend. You know why, because I walked away with humility…Humility is a gift from God.

It reminded me that I need Him. It reminded me that I need others too.

Scary news of job losses are redefining how things are done in America. CNN reported on Monday, the 26th, that there were over 70,000 job cuts pushing the total to over 200,000 job cuts…get this…this year!You can see the article here.

Bloody Monday: CNN

The generation of today and tomorrow are being forced to change their spending habits. The church is not exempt to the cuts either as I happen to follow Tim Stevens blog, www.leadingsmart.com. He posted a blog, here, on how they are experiencing “triple down economics”.

It's a grim picture…no matter how you paint it…never fear God is still on the throne. He is still in control. Isn’t that what we are supposed to say? It seems like the appropriate answer, doesn’t it?

Allow me to pose a few “what if” questions….

What if the money market continues to slowly get worse? What will happen to churches that rely on technology to make their services work? What if they can’t afford to broadcast in HD to their satellite locations? What would happen to those locations if they didn't have a video pastor? Technology has become a prominent part of our witness here, so how would we return to an “analog” gospel…when we are so used to letting “digital” be our solution. As money disappears in the household, so goes certain luxuries…internet, cell phones, cable, etc…with all of our solutions dependent on the “i-life” how can the church tackle a new poor, hungry, and jobless Christian or unchristian?

I don’t know what the solution is…these are just questions I am asking myself. In searching random thoughts on this I can’t help but desire the church to go into action rather than trying to just cut programs, technology, employees, etc. I think cutting certain things are inevitable, however, I also think it’s time we go on the offensive. Maybe this is a good time we kill of our “i-programs” and focus back on Mathew 25…

Mathew 25: 34-36

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

With job losses becoming the everyday phenomenon, maybe it’s time we started a Mathew 25 initiative in our churches. Maybe our focus should be helping those in need. Maybe it’s time to be extremely outreach focused and pour back into those who have faithfully tithed into us, instead of doing the same church with less people. Maybe it’s time to give someone an actual physical hug, some food, take care of a bill or two, etc., rather than just go about normal business. Tomorrow is gone and so goes how we used to think, grow, and build. Today is prime for a new way to do church...it's all about who is going to be brave enough now to "blaze a new trail".

I admit it. I am becoming a Facebook junky. I love it.

I am digging the social network these days. Facebook has put me in touch with so many individuals from the past that had become almost distant shadows. It’s neat to see what old friends and relatives are up to.

Getting ready to launch “Gathering Point” soon… Just finished some of the artwork on the logo we’ve narrowed down on. I will unfold more details on this program later…

Here is the logo…

This week was a tough week thanks to the “go.google hooligans”. That virus, spyware, whatever…is a pickle. It’s definitely one of the tougher ones that I have had to deal with in a while. I’ve seen lots of different viruses, Trojans, worms, etc…but this one definitely gave me a run for my money. In the case of a recent family member, you might not even know that you have it...in that case, let me make you familiar.

What it is…

It’s called the go.google, go.msn, go.yahoo, etc. virus. When you first pull up your desired search engine everything looks normal. Your search will eventually land you to your list of possible links… However, you might notice some physical appearance differences. I did…while most people won’t. When you click on any given link, you will be immediately redirected to other sites. The virus also has done its homework on what it will allow you to reach direct…for example it will not allow you to visit antivirus and anti-spyware websites. Nor will you be allowed to download anything. It’s even smart enough to stop or slow down you from running any executables from your very own desktop as well.

What you will need…

What I had to do was visit another computer that wasn’t infected. From there I downloaded antivirus software, AVG 8.0 + definition updates, and a new software that I was only a little familiar with called Malwarebytes. Also here is one more tool I like to have around for just such occasions… “HiJackThis” – This software is invaluable. I can’t tell you how many times I have used this gem. It basically allows you to see what is running at startup. This should be in every “IT” persons arsenal.

How to fix it…

This part is tricky…here is what I suggest…First thing I would do is run HiJackThis. If you don’t know what you are looking at…then you have no business trying to fix your system. Sorry if that sounds rude, but it’s true. It took me a long time to learn what files were necessary for my system to run smooth. Once you have run the software…locate anything that seems out of the norm and remove it…then reboot.Immediately on rebooting, hit the “F8” key and boot up in the safe mode. In safe mode install AVG 8.0. Manually install the added update definitions that you grabbed earlier. You can do that by utilizing the menu at top left of the window. Look for “Tools”, then “manual update”. It will allow you to search for where you have the updates at. It will update itself from there. Allow AVG to run a complete full system scan. It takes about 30 minutes or so. After the scan is done, reboot the system.After system has rebooted, install Malwarebytes. Allow it to do a quick scan. It should find anything left over. After that, reboot your system is clean.

Other hacks… (Should things not go accordingly)

Sometimes the virus is smart and recognizes the executables that you are trying to run and won’t allow it. Should that be the case, try changing the names of the .exe files. I had to do this on the Malwarebytes program. You can name the mbam-setup.exe file to whatever.exe and it will work.

If you still can’t get it to work…consult someone.

Reading over my daily “YouVersion” bible text for the day…it led me straight to Genesis 24. I have to admit that this chapter has caused me to reflect on my leadership and influence as a Christian, husband, and friend. The story line in this chapter is simple. It’s eloquent. It’s understandable. However, like with most scripture, it’s what is underlying that really gets me.

Let me set the scene and explain…Abraham is seeking out a wife for his son Isaac. It can’t be just anyone. No. Abraham is looking for someone of the same bloodline, someone special. This is an important task. He would do it himself, if it were not for his age. So he sends his chief servant, his number one, his right hand man. Abraham gives him specific instructions in what to look for, because the task is so important. The servant leaves, taking what he needs to accomplish the task. Will you take note of the actions of this servant as he approached the place where he might find the wife for Isaac…

Genesis 24 Vs 12

“Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”

From this point, the servant goes on to pray a very detailed prayer, planning the actual thing he is going to say and do to find this woman. The events unfold exactly as the servant prayed. As the journey is met with success, the servant is found once again on his knees…

Genesis 24 Vs 26-27

“Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, saying, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master.”

This story is like many in the Bible. Ordinary people confronted with extraordinary tasks. It’s familiar. It’s overlooked…but deep in this chapter lies something at the heart of all ministry. If you look closely you’ll find…leadership & influence.The servant prayed to God for guidance, favor, direction, and hope. He prayed in detail. After meeting the task with success he gives glory and praise to God for answering. In doing this, he gives us a great prayerful example as to how to handle everyday life. However, his constant acknowledgement of God, before and after his circumstances, is a direct representation of the leadership he has served under. Can you imagine serving under Abraham? Maybe the question is…are you an “Abraham”? If not, maybe you should be…

Our life is one great example. Our life should have purpose and be influential. I don’t know if Abraham’s leadership was intentional…but my guess is…that it was very intentional. If you were going to be around Abraham, you were going to know his God. You were going to understand prayer. You were going to understand praise. You were going to understand relationship. His leadership challenged you to make changes in your life…

Who do you challenge...influence...and lead?

I'm struggling getting things going this morning. I am in a crunch to get a few things cleaned up and squared away before our realtor shows up @ 1pm. It's busy around here and thus my lack of journaling is taking it's toll on me.

So...

I'm going to sit down this afternoon and set up some writing goals. The Lord has been on me to complete a few things in the writing realm. This is a perfect time to pray about what the purpose of this blog needs to be for 2009. I've got a lot of ideas...but more than anything...I want this thing to have purpose. I want it to play into God's will. I want it to provide solutions and not just provoke questions.

As I pray over the next few days and outline the future of this blog...I hope you are outlining your future as well...setting goals...and driving toward your purpose...

I got up this morning, excited and looking forward to attending Church Tech Camp, #ctcdallas. I loaded up my “pc” laptop…pen and journal…threw it all in a backpack and headed to Irving Bible Church. I love technology and I love the possibility that it allows us in accelerating the gospel to people. With that being said…forgive me, my geek friends and digital gurus for what I am about to say.

Reflection: #ctcdallas

The Good…

I love the hearts of those putting this thing together. It was free…easily accessible…and digitally broadcasted. I love it. I love that they had set up chat rooms and other forms of media by which to interact with the conference. Also this conference had an awesome collaboration of minds as well. There was literally a room full of guys I follow on the web. The topical questions were applicable as well as interesting.

The Bad…

While I dug the whole concept of an “unconference”, I was thoroughly disappointed in the fact that it really was just another way of saying there are no answers…because no one offered any if they had them. It was more or less just conversation based off of frustrations. The whole thing, IMO, seemed more therapeutic for some of the people that attended. Many seemed to take the opportunity to air their opinions, share their frustrations as an educator, advocate their agenda, and the list goes on. I flat out didn’t like it. I enjoy leadership. I enjoy answers. I enjoy people. I heard good questions asked that were relevant but were ignored…for what? To ask more questions…ridiculous.

Last but not least…I am all for twittering, facebook, blogging, etc…but at what point do you actually pay attention and participate in the conference or unconference at hand. It seemed as if half the class didn’t participate mainly because they were twittering back and forth in the room about other things…or like the guy in front of me who downloaded Pro Presenter and did a mock worship run thru. That isn’t a joke...that is how much this thing had his attention.

All that being said…here are a few things I wrote in my journal…

“How are you going to use technology to accelerate the gospel?” [Great question…don’t know if anyone could answer this one…mainly because demographics and geographic can dictate this.]

“All technology is fallen…just like people.” [Love this quote. It’s a great reminder of truth. There are always going to be issues and problems in anything we create…because we are flawed.]

“Technology is not the ultimate solution to our answers…Jesus is!” [This was a great reminder to everyone in there that if they think technology is going to change people they are out of there minds…Jesus changes people…not technology.]

“I get and understand Twitter, Facebook, and blogging…how do I convert that into a hug? [This to me was the best question asked. I was so sad that the conversation was so introverted that they just moved on to more self centered questions…I was sad and embarrassed for my brothers.]

Again…I loved the idea…I did. I just think that without any real focus and guidelines…it is just too open to misdirection…

I can't think of anything that resonates a new year like a new mission...a new direction...and a new location. I can almost hear Mark Batterson in the back of my head saying, "new pace + new place = new perspective." I've got a lot of questions for God this year as I partake an adventure of a lifetime. My dream finally arrived...it finally happened. Now is where the work begins.

So...

I am house hunting today so I can hurry up and get my family moved down here. It's a big task making the transition and it hasn't been easy so far...but chasing dreams is not for the faint of heart.

Spent a good deal in prayer this morning...Felt encouraged by God to finish a few things I started this past year...such as the childrens book that I had started. If I want to leave a legacy to my kids...I've got to start now in creating one.

What legacy will you leave when your time is up? How will others remember you?