Luke Dooley

Where The Light Is

2008-07-01T21:30:00.000-07:00

It's 12:30 am, so there's no chance I can put words together to do this post justice. I just downloaded John Mayer's new live album: "Where the Light Is".... after 4 songs, it is simply amazing. I'd love to write a lengthy, emotive review, but I'll just keep it short and sweet. We'll roll with a numbered format for this one. My quick thoughts:

1.) John Mayer is the Eric Clapton of my generation... I'll be listening to him when I'm 50.
2.) If you don't like John Mayer's music, you are either a.) Deaf or b.) Ignorant to what "good" music is.
3.) This CD is a journey through John's three distinct styles of concert. The Full Band, The Trio, The Accoustic set. I don't have a favorite.... they all make me giddy inside.
4.) The cover of Tom Petty's 'Free Fallin' might be better than the original (blasphemy... I know)
5.) "In Your Atmosphere" is probably instantly my favorite new JM song.
6.) There's a live DVD that you can get along with the CD. It would make for an excellent birthday gift for the author of this blog (July 6th... that's next Sunday in case you don't have a calendar handy). I'll let you come to my house and enjoy it in surround sound if you hook me up!

I know what you are thinking.... and yes, I have a full blown man crush. I've chronicled it here before.

Finally, the picture at the top was taken by me at the John Mayer concert in Cincinnati last year.

"Keep me where the light is....."

Two Worlds

2008-06-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Came across this website today. What a simple thought, yet profound mission. Love the paragraph on their front page:

There are two worlds.
One where people are poor. The other where people have money to buy things.
Color us innocent, but we think there should be one world.
So we set up this site so people in America can buy things from people in the eveloping world.
We get beautiful and useful things. They earn a living.
That sounds like a fair trade to us.

I'm headed to Guatemala with a crew from Journey Church this summer. Wonder if I can find some local gear before I even arrive?

Browse it... bookmark it... buy from it.

Many Making Much of Little....

2008-06-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Does that blog title make sense? The past couple of days I've seen some things that put this simple principle into action. The idea is this: Small things done alone don't accomplish much. Small things done in great numbers can accomplish a ton!

Some examples.

You picking up a piece of trash from the side of the road won't do a whole lot of good on the large scale. However, thousands of people picking up a piece of trash from the same roadside would result in a much cleaner road.

You buying a box of girl scout cookies doesn't fund much of their organization. All of america buying Millions of boxes of cookies raises a boatload of money for their organization.

You get the idea.

With that in mind, here are two great causes that put this principle into action. I encourage you to follow these links and be a part of the process of giving hope to these causes.

1.) Katie Reider 500kIn365 - http://www.500kin365.org/main.htm

2.) Fifty Thousand Shirts - http://www.fiftythousandshirts.com/

Great music... cool clothes.... wonderful causes.

Jump In.... Be a small part of something big!

The Winds of Change

2008-06-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

I saw this video on cnn.com today. Click here to watch video. Wow... what an amazing piece of video footage. It is absolutely stunning to think about how quickly things can change when a storm hits. That bank was perfect... 30 seconds later, it was trashed.

Earlier today, I had a friend who was outside working... the rain came so fast, he was soaked before he could hop back in his truck.

What are some real life storms that we experience that bring about such swift change? Divorce... Death... Financial Ruin... What else? What other events bring about such swift and sudden change to our lives?

Perhaps the more important question is: What is God's role in these moments? If he is the author of our story, why has he chosen to craft such cruel chapters in our story? It's easy to see why people don't believe in God...

The sad thing is, those who don't know God are only seeing or experiencing part of the story, and they perceive it as whole truth. The reality is this: Those things that happen in our lives... those terrible storms that change things so rapidly for the worse. They aren't things that God has authored... they are a byproduct of sin... a result of The Fall.

Everything changes when you see things from this perspective. Suddenly God has not caused the misery in my life. Instead, He is the one who stands firm in the storm. He doesn't run away, he doesn't abandon us, he doesn't condemn us. He is the one reaching out through his perfect Grace to pull us through to the other side. God is no longer the cause of our storms, he is the hope for relief from our storms.

Without the storms, we don't know grace. Without grace, the storms are senseless acts of destruction. Without God, there is no hope of redemption on the other side of the storm.

Therein lies the responsibility of The Church (big C... God's church). It is the call of all Christ Followers to be extensions of this Godly grace in our daily lives. If we are doers of Grace to those around us in our daily lives, we are planting a seed for them experience God's grace through a storm in their life.

In short I say this. It is the job of the Church to show the world that God is a God of love, grace, and mercy. In order to do this we must be people of love, grace, and mercy.

Effective

2008-06-01T20:20:00.001-07:00

I'm sure lots of people came to know Jesus as a result of this crafty piece of signage.

Side Note: Sports Fans? Really? What?

(via Ragamuffin Soul )

Debut to Remember... For Father & Son

2008-05-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to witness something pretty cool last night.... it was a moment I won't likely forget anytime soon. As you likely know, I am a sports nut, and that includes being crazy about my hometown Cincinnati Reds baseball team. I've followed them for as long as I can remember. As a kid I would sit with my grandpa and listen to the games on the radio late at night when I spent the night at their house. I can remember my dad taking me down to a few games each year to experience the action in person.

Last night I made the trip to the ballpark. Not because the Pirates were in town, and they are a legendary franchise, not because the pitchers were Cy Young caliber, not because the Reds are in first place, and creating buzz around the city. In fact, none of that could be further from the truth. I made the trek to Great American Ballpark because the Reds star prospect, Jay Bruce, was making his major league debut, and I wanted to be able to say: "I was there". This is no ordinary prospect... this is the: "Best thing since sliced bread" prospect. Jay Bruce will be looked to as the savior of the Reds franchise... he'll roam the outfield at GABP for the next 15 years... hopefully bringing titles home to Cincinnati a few of those years. I was so excited I even made a homemade jersey to wear to the game. Although the little boogers with the real deal jerseys made the jumbo-tron and SportsCenter highlights (can you sense my bitterness?)

It turned out to be a magical night. Bruce reached base all 5 times he stepped up to the plate. He knocked 3 base-hits (2 singles & a double), and walked twice. As cool as it was for me to be there, I can't imagine how the 21 year old Bruce was feeling as he played the outfield next to his boyhood idol (Ken Griffey Jr.), and rounded the bases as his new teammate and superstar slugger Adam Dunn hit a 3 run bomb to give the Reds the lead.

The coolest part of the evening for me though had nothing to do with the game itself. I was able to witness one of the real treasures in life on full display: The Father - Son bond.

I rode down to the game with my good friend and fellow Journey Churchgoer, Gary Renner and his son Jacob. First of all, you have to know that I've never met a kid quite like Jacob. This kid is a baseball nut. He is seven years old, and uses baseball language that most adults don't understand. He was talking about the starting pitchers, the bullpen, and the leadoff hitter. He remembers everything about the game. He always knows how many outs there are, how many guys were on base for this play, or that play, and who hit which ball where. It's really quite impressive.

So here we were out late on a school night. That didn't seem to matter though... what mattered was the memories that Gary & Jacob were making. For years they'll talk about Jay Bruce's first hit, and how the crowd cheered: "BRUUUUUUUUUUUUCE" each time he stepped to the plate, and subsequently reached base. They'll talk about the peanuts, the popcorn, the rain, and how we managed to sneak our way into lower-level seats just behind the Reds dugout.

I watched with a sense of hope that one day I too will be able to share a similar moment with my son or daughter (please God, give me a son). I look forward to those days, and I thank guys like my Grandpa, my dad, and Gary who have set examples along the way about making memories with your children.

The lesson from last night:

2 Tickets to GABP - $40
2 Waters, 2 slices of Pizza, Peanuts & Popcorn - $35
Gas on the way down - $4.00 per gallon
Parking - $10
Staying out late on a school night to make an unforgettable memory with you kid: Priceless

Easing In....

2008-05-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Since my friend Tom is making grandiose announcements about the return of his blog, and he has a link to my blog on his blog. I figure some people might stumble over here to see what I have to say. It would just be embarrassing for my last post to be from a couple of months ago. SO... I am going to ease back into the process. No promises, no expectations, just an effort on my end.

So what am I up to?

Looking forward to the holiday weekend. We have some travel plans on the schedule. Heading to Amish Country (Sugarcreek, Ohio) to celebrate Jenessa's youngest sister graduate from high school. I can't believe when Jenna is 18 and graduating high school. When I first started dating Jenessa, Jenna was an awkward 13 year old. Now she's a beautiful young woman, with a bright future out in front of her!

I'm looking forward to touching hundreds of people with God's love at the West Chester Memorial Day parade on Monday. Journey Church will be handing out hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands (I really don't know) free bottles of water and pop-cicles. Hopefully it is a HOT memorial day, and the water will be a HOT item! A couple years ago we were rained on... people were taking the water out of sympathy for us.

More later.... Come back for more!

Parent Link Article

2008-03-27T14:03:00.000-07:00

I recently wrote an article in "The Parent Link" newsletter that we send out monthly to all the parents of BIG Student Ministries.

Towards the end of the article I referenced a more in depth article that I would be linking to on my blog.

CLICK HERE to view and read "Social Networking Parents Guide".

This is an excellent place to continue the conversation about creating a healthy internet environment for your teenager!

Dude, Where's my Skateboard?

2008-02-13T21:14:00.000-08:00

This police officer is utterly insane. There is clearly some sort of compensation going on for the fact that he has to drive around in that little bubble vehicle and yet still act as though he is a real officer of the law.

I love the end when he asks if the video camera is on. He starts to say: "If I find myself on YouTu....." and the video ends. Classic!

Lost is Back!!!

2008-01-31T21:44:00.000-08:00

I ~~love~~ this show.

I ~~hate~~ this show.

I ~~love~~ this show.

I ~~hate~~ this show.....

NO, REALLY... I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!

Lost came back tonight, and it was awesome. It was everything you'd expect from the most mysterious show on television. No one has any clue what is going on, and that is mind-numbing. It's tough to not be in control... most people can't handle a 2 hour movie full of suspense... let alone several seasons of a TV show that keeps you on the edge. There are now more questions than there have ever been. You might be asking:

Who are the Oceanic 6?

Who was the guy that came to see Hurley, and who did he want confirmation about whether or not they were alive?

Who is alive and who is dead? (and who is left on the island?)

Who was the guy who dropped in on the parachute at the end?

So many questions.... do you think you know any of the answers?

*Bonus* Check out the reflection in the poster!

Hillsong Doing Work on Me!

2008-01-29T21:46:00.000-08:00

So I'm obviously up way too late, but let's ignore that for now. I'm sitting in my basement tearing up a Pages document for a deadline I have tomorrow, when I realize that I'm no longer writing... I'm worshiping!

This Hillsong tune shuffled through the iTunes that I love. This caused me to escape the randomness of shuffle, and listen to a few of my favorite Hillsong tracks.

DANG! I'm worshiping for real now... at 12:30 am... and now I'm blogging about it at 12:50 am. I'm not sure exactly why, but a couple of these songs took me back to a time when I was in college. Every Wednesday night we used to attend this college event called Crossroads at the big Baptist church in town. I vividly remember worshiping in a big way in this really cool environment (very cool "Mini Taft Theater" type room) with a bunch of my peers.

Anyway, I'm actually not a big fan of Hillsong's entire catalog, but I feel confident in saying that if you don't have the following songs in your playlist, you are missing out!

Came to the Rescue
Mighty to Save
From the Inside Out
Salvation is Here

Pig Hatin

2008-01-29T19:24:00.000-08:00

Sitting here watching American Idol with my beautiful wife Jenessa. She loves the show... I watch it for the first few weeks to see the car crashes (terrible auditions), and then become ambivalent.

Tonight though something awesome happened, and I'm not sure anyone noticed.

It happened just before one of the auditions, while the hosts were asking the performer some questions about their lives. This time usually goes by rather innocently, but not this time....

Mid contestant answer, Paula Abudl lets out a giant sneeze and Simon without missing a beat calls her a "Disgusting Little Pig".

Basically he went Alec Baldwin on her on national TV and it was hilarious... I laughed... I hope you did too!

Celebrities are Real People?

2008-01-24T11:42:00.000-08:00

I think we forget sometimes the celebrities are real people, who deal with crap, just like you and me.

Then something like what happened this week with Heath Ledger happens and we remember that their lives are just as big of a mess (or bigger) than ours.

I have some thoughts about Heath Ledger's death... just some ponderings.

It's really sad. I don't understand how anyone can get to the place of suicide (assuming that's what's happened, although it's not yet official)... let alone someone like Mr. Ledger. Someone who seemingly has the world at their fingertips: Young, Beautiful, Talented, Wealthy, Successful, Respected, etc... Plus the fact that apparently he was a loving father to his daughter Matilda.

This is a guy who was an Academy Award nominee, someone who was beginning to break out of playing the typical teen heartthrob role (10 Things I Hate About You, A Knights Tale), and was beginning to play more mature and eclectic roles (i.e... Brokeback Mountain, Monsters Ball, The Dark Knight).

It's really just very sad. He was already receiving outstanding reviews for his upcoming role as The Joker in the 2nd installment of the Christian Bale as Batman remakes.

You have to wonder if somehow he became so immersed in the role of The Joker that it somehow affected who he was at the core. There's no doubt that The Joker is an intense character which requires the actor to fully devote himself to being this self described "freak". This may be a long shot, but you have to wonder if it played a role in his sad fate.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing him portray The Joker in what for me is the most anticipated movie of 2008. It will be interesting to see how/if his death impacts the marketing, and box office success of the film. Check the trailer out here:

Hit Me On My iPhone!!!

2008-01-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

Nothing in the entire world could better sum up everything that you need to know about me. Just watch... this is truly a piece of art! (YouTube video embedded for all you RSS readers).

Late Night Thoughts...

2008-01-18T21:09:00.001-08:00

Here goes utter randomness...

1.) I re-watched the episode with John Mayer for the 5th time or so tonight. I love High Definition DVR! Seriouhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifsly... 11:00 at night, I turn my surround sound up to 52 (loud), throw my feet up, and stare at the screen while John Mayer does what he does. There should be more shows like ACLimits... it's a great show. I have the encore of Coldplay's 2005 performance set to record tomorrow night. Can't wait to enjoy that in a similar fashion!

2.) Watched a terrible movie with Jenessa tonight. We went to the $1 video machine at Kroger. I love this machine... it's enabled me to watch more movies than ever before. Well, as occasionally happens, tonight there were none of the films that we had on our list to view. So, already being there, we compromised and rented some movie called "Eastern Promises" with Viggo Mortenson. Not a good flick... not recommended.

3.) John Mayer stuck up for Ashlee Simpson's sister... read his blog here.

4.) I really want to go see Cloverfield tomorrow night. I've read multiple reviews along the lines of: "A movie that actually lived up to the hype... go see it in a crowded theater". .

5.) Pitchers and Catchers Report on February 16th. Ahh... the fresh optimism that spring training brings.

A story full of stories...

2008-01-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

Two years ago today a group of people stood in the lobby of a high school unsure of what would happen next. All the prep work was done, all the gear was set up, all the signs were out, the band had sound checked, and all systems were "GO"! So we waited...

Waited to see who would show up. Waited to see how many would show up. Waited to see if anyone would show up!

I'll never forget that feeling as the clocked slid towards 10:30. The first few began to trickle in the lobby, everyone had their best smiling face and firm handshake ready for action. If I recall correctly the clock got somewhere near 10:15 when I began walking towards the front doors to check out the scene... It was awesome! Cars were pouring in the parking lot, people walking up the sidewalk, and piling into the doors of the high school.

The crowd was bigger than anyone could have expected (after all, we'd read all the books, heard & lived all the horror stories...). It was a great day, everything went off without a hitch (except for the part about the entire band being muted as they began the first song). But still... what would happen after that? After all, it was the first day.

Well, 730 days later, it's pretty obvious what happened. God happened... Faith happened... People happened... Church happened!

And it's still happening today... all of it!

Countless stories to tell!

Stories of redemption, connection, grace, community, sacrifice, servanthood and teamwork.

Stories of lives restored. Stories of hope discovered. Stories of marriages healed. Stories of families made whole.

Stories of salvation. Stories of baptism.

Countless stories. Stories of a church that was born. A church that is making an impact in West Chester & Liberty Township. A church that is bringing God's redemptive story right where it's needed: HERE... where the lost and broken are.

These are just the first two years of the story. I'm happy to say that I'll be here doing my part to make sure the story continues. I'm not naive, I know it's bigger than me... but I have my part in the story, and I plan on playing my part for a long time. How about you?

Man Crush(es)

2008-01-14T21:20:00.001-08:00

Wow... I'm really not sure what to say. I'm not sure that you will either.

As if posting a picture of me and my "Malti-Poo", Sadie, on this blog wasn't enough, I'm about to go a step further.

It's a term often tossed around... and I am not afraid to use it: Man Crush.

Urban-Dictionary.com (not officially endorsed by LukeDooley.com) defines a "Man Crush" as follows:

A man having extreme admiration for another man, as though he wants to be him.

All of that to say that I have two, and I am not ashamed to admit it: Justin and John.

Thanks to the internet, and the ingenuity of the later, I can enjoy the tones of both in one beautiful 2 minute 25 second video clip. Enjoy, and thanks to Los for the initial link. BTW... I've watched (listened) to this like 10 times in the past 30 minutes. It would be really cool if my friend Mike would just rip the audio off for me so I could enjoy sans YouTube.

I can just see John listening to the JT album one day in what is sure to be his super trendy loft in NYC, or his Malibu home. When he thinks: "I know! I'll stand in front of the iMac and record myself doing super-human guitar things to the song I love".

How do I know he loves this portion of the song... because I read his blog.

Lovestoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude) - Justin Timberlake - Not so much for the "Lovestoned" part, but for the 45 seconds of ultimate sonic bliss that is "I Think She Knows. It's JT's breakthrough moment as an artist; a novel mix of Coldplay guitar lines, hip hop beats and a vocal approach somewhere in between. When that track comes on I spend the first 3:30 preparing for the awesomeness to come. Then I yell at the speakers, "Make this 4 minutes long and put it on the next disc!"

Failure? I think not

2008-01-14T10:49:00.001-08:00

Some may say that setting a goal to blog for 7 straight days and then missing 3 straight days after only blogging for 2 straight days would qualify as "failure". I say that it would only be failure if I gave up, and didn't jump back on the horse.

Truth is, the weekends are always crazy. This weekend was especially crazy. Family gatherings, parents left for Florida for 3 months, all day planning meeting on Saturday, church on Sunday, etc... etc...

Today is my day off. I've been completely lazy. This picture with me un-showered, on my couch, watching football with my dog pretty much sums up my activities.

I do have some random thoughts and confessions to share.

- The Golden Globe ceremony last night was extremely lame. Jen and I watched a few minutes of it. It was painful.

- I think Rob & Big is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Maybe it's because they are so juvenile. I simply think those guys are hilarious together. Last night we watched an episode about a mysterious "pooper" leaving a present in their swimming pool. I laughed a lot.

- I'm glad that Eli and the Giants beat the Cowboys. Eli takes a lot of heat for not being as good as Peyton. Yesterday went a long way towards hushing a lot of that talk. That drive by the Giants at the end of the 1st half was sweet.

- How did the Colts lose that game? That was lame on their part. How do you throw the ball deep on 2nd and 3rd down when you only need 7 yards?

- Macworld begins tomorrow. It almost feels like a holiday. My lunch break will be spent in front of my computer screen watching people who are even geekier than I am blogging every move, word, gesture, and announcement that Steve makes. I might wear jeans and a black mock turtleneck tomorrow just for fun.

New number... so traumatic

2008-01-10T13:32:00.000-08:00

In an effort to continue the 7 straight days of blogging (something... anything... just blog)... I'm back with Day 2.

Have you ever switched cell phone numbers? It's quite stressful isn't it? I recently made the switch to the world's greatest mobile device ... at first it wasn't a big deal because I was carrying both phones, so people could reach me on either number. It was actually kind of nice because certain people didn't have the new number... I could hide from them (I know shocking... pastors hide from people... you should see what I can do with the new invisible feature of iChat).

So, today we made the decision to end the contract we had with our old provider and go exclusively with AT&T. I'm very excited I no longer have to carry two phones... that was annoying.

Anyway, it's just stressful to change numbers. I hate it... I've had my old cell phone number since my freshman year of college at the CHOG's finest institution of higher learning . So many people had that number... people from Florida, Ohio, Camps, Church, School, Family, Friends, Colleagues, World Leaders... the list goes on.

Now I must face the realization that at this very moment someone may be dialing 513.594.0667 and hearing a computerized person on the other end telling them that I have officially changed my number without giving them adequate notice. I could be offending someone right now. I can't handle that pressure. Hopefully my e-mails, facebook announcements and text messages to my contacts are adequate means of spreading the message of my new cell phone number.

If only I (we) was so adamant about spreading the Gospel of Jesus as I was my new cell phone number. Now that would be something....

Musical Confessions of Music Junky

2008-01-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

I like music. Really, I love music. I'm shocked that God didn't bless me with some sort of ability... I think that was clearly a joke he played on me: "This will be great... this guy is going to love music, but embarrass himself when he tries to sing in public, or play the drums on Rockband".

All of that said, I have some musical confessions I'd like to make. You see, I pride myself on being a fan of "Good Music" (I know... novel idea). So, admitting that I am a fan of anything that is too "poppy" is kind of pain-staking for me.

However, I have come across a couple of songs/artists that I am really enjoying, and they definitely fall into the "pop" category.

1.) Dreaming Out Loud: OneRepublic - These guys came out of nowhere with their mega-hit "Apologize". Don't be fooled, this would not have happened if they did not have the one and only Timbaland on board with the remix of that track. I've liked that song since the day I heard it on the radio... to say it is not infectious is to speak a lie. However, today I was doing a little musical recon and decided to pull down their entire album. I listened all the way through, and while there are couple boredom tracks that are over produced, I really enjoyed it for the most part. The song titled: "Mercy" is awesome... we'll be doing that at Journey Church in the near future I'm sure.

2.) As I Am: Alicia Keys - Now this is borderline pop. You see, she is actually an incredibly talented artist who writes, plays and sings her own music. I have a hard time calling her pop... although she would typically be defined as such. With her, it's not so much the whole album as it is the song: "No One". I'm addicted to it! I turn it up loud, and pump my fist... it's an anthem! There are some other solid songs on the album too, including: "The Thing About Love", "Wreckless Love", and "Lessons Learned" (featuring John Mayer). If you don't believe me, just read what John Mayer had to say about her (and the album) on a recent blog post:

I've been busy in the studio, both with my own music and working with Alicia. We wrote a song called "Lesson Learned" and it was one of the best creative experiences I've ever had. Oh, and her lead-off single "No One" is the track of the year. That's all there is to it. It'll blow you away when you hear it. She's evolved so much as an artist, it's crazy. She's made one beautiful and BRAVE album. Okay! Okay. That's enough slobbering over Alicia. She really is that good tho-OKAY

Blog O' Rama

2008-01-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

I must begin blogging on a regular basis. I refuse to call it a New Year's Resolution... those never end well for me.

So, in an effort to create some rhythm, I am planning to blog for the next 7 days... every day. I know, why start on a Wednesday... honestly, because I just had the idea. Leave me alone and enjoy the randomness of the next 7 days. These blogs will have no rhyme or reason, they will simply be my thoughts. As will be evidenced by what I post in a few moments.

Luke

The Tipping Point...

2007-12-12T21:18:00.000-08:00

Do people really read stories such as this and think: "Wow... that is intelligent. I can totally see how that is true."

Maybe they do... maybe I'm just a weird church kid who thinks it sounds insane to talk about how "Evolution tinkered" with the design of a woman's back so she doesn't "Tip Over" while pregnant.

Yea... Evolution.... that's it.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316599,00.html

Sad Day

2007-11-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Is it stupid that this brings tears to my eyes?

What a cool/good guy.

Click Here for complete coverage.

The Internet is dead

2007-10-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

This might be the funniest video on the internet.

Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash

Confessions of a Pastor

2007-09-26T20:55:00.001-07:00

I have a confession to make...

It's 11:55 pm, and I just spent about 15 minutes playing with a website. Not just any website though. This is perhaps the coolest website ever created.

Follow these Directions:

1.) Click here

2.) Customize your ride

3.) Invite some friends

4.) Waste as much time as you can possibly afford to

5.) Follow some of the links to check out one of the coolest churches in America, and/or purchase me a registration to the Drive 08 conference :)

6.) Rinse / Repeat!

Mute Math.... Just watch (twice)

2007-09-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm going to try to explain this. The first video I am going to show you is of an amazing band named Mute Math performing a song on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. The only catch is that they didn't play the song live, they played a track, and all they did was "act out" their motions, instruments, and vocals. In itself, that sounds a lot like lip-synching... except when you realize they did it all backwards... IN ONE TAKE!

So, that is the first video... it is essentially "live", in the sense that it's what the audience, and people at the Jimmy Kimmel Show witnessed.

The second video is what aired on TV. Everything is perfect, the guitar riffs, the drum beats, the vocals, everything looks as though they are playing it forward. They are not...

This band is amazing, and I think I just officially decided that I will be going to see them October 14th at Bogart's. You should probably go too....

AirTap!

2007-08-25T07:51:00.001-07:00

This guy played at the WillowCreek Leadership Summit. It's pretty ridiculous, so I thought I would share it with you. Enjoy! (YouTube video embedded for you RSS readers).

Leading at the Highest Level

2007-08-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

They just played a taped interview of Colin Powell at the Summit. He is a fascinating person, and a great leader. I'm going to refer you to Dave Ferguson's Blog for this one. He had a sneak peek at the video and has written up a great review!

Click Here to read all about it!

Marcus Buckingham (Handsome Englishman)

2007-08-10T07:34:00.000-07:00

For me the highlight of Day 1 from the Leadership Summit was the final presentation which was given by a "chap" named Marcus Buckingham. This guy is sharp! He was funny, he was quick, he was intelligent, he was a great communicator.... basically, he was Hugh Grant with a great knowledge of strengths based teachings. All that said... here are some highlights from his talk entitled: Put Your Strengths To Work!

Some Quotes:

"The opposite of bad is not good... it’s simply not bad."

“You can only learn about excellence from studying excellence as opposed to studying failure to learn about excellence. Likewise we should study our strengths to become better people, not our weaknesses.”

“Your strengths are not the things you are strong at.... Your strengths are the things that make you feel strong!”

Some Teaching Points:

Three Myths & Three Truths

Myth #1: As you grow your personality changes
Truth #1 : As you grow you become more of who you already are

Myth #2 : You grow the most in your areas of greatest weakness.
Truth #2 : You grow the most in your areas of greatest strength.

Myth #3 : A great team member puts his strengths aside and does whatever it takes to help the team.
Truth #3 : A great team member volunteers his strengths to the team most of the time.

Leadership Summit 1

2007-08-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Tom and I will be hanging out down at Vineyard Community Church for the next couple of days for the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. Technology is an amazing thing.... In Chicago there are thousands of people gathered with some of the foremost experts on Leadership. Thanks to people much smarter than me, there are also 65,000 people gathered in churches all around the country experiencing the same worship, and teaching. Very cool!

Bill Hybels just shared in the first session... lots of things that I could share, I'm just going to give you a few of my top quotes from his session entitled: Vision To Die For!

“When you are faced with adversity in the midst of carrying out your vision, it requires a gut check on how important your vision is for your organization.”

“Great leaders spend more time trying to figure out how to create a deeper level of ownership of the vision than how to better write and communicate the vision.”

“The single most determining factor as to whether or not your followers will own the vision is the extent to which they sense YOU own the vision”

Music Notes

2007-06-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

So, apparently the music theme of this blog will continue. A few notes for you loyal readers below... Enjoy!

1.) I wanted to be able to share the rest of the photos from the John/Ben concert (see below), so I ventured a little further into "Web 2.0" and created a Flickr account. I can't believe I never had an account before... very cool service, and super easy to upload and create albums. Anyway, you can "Click Here" to view all of the pics from the concert.

2.) The national love continues for Jon McLaughlin. Jon was featured on the Today show this morning as a part of their summer concert series. You can go to the shows website to find video of Jon playing his hit song "Beautiful Disaster". Click here to go the page and then click on the picture/link to the left.

3.) I also recently found out that Mr. McLaughlin will be dropping by Cincinnati for a show this summer. Jon will be playing July 22nd at the 20th Century Theatre for the price of only $10. Click here for more info. I'll be there... will you?

4.) More to come on this guy later, but I wanted to give you a little teaser for my boy Chris Carpenter. Follow these links for more on this friend and rockstar (whom I happened to run into at the John Mayer concert by the way).
http://www.chriscarpentermusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/chriscarpenter

Concert... Awesome

2007-06-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

I love going to concerts. I spent the better part of my college years (and savings account) going to concerts. I have yet to outgrow the itch to watch a great band live. It's really hard to top John Mayer when it comes to a modern day concert. Tonight I had the opportunity to see John Mayer for the 5th time... I can say without reservation that he gets better every time I see him. He has matured as an artist, a performer, and a guitar player. It's amazing to watch him play... it appears so effortless and fluid... he's really amazing at his craft. It was also an extra bonus tonight that Ben Folds happened to be the opening act for John on this leg of his tour. Ben requires a sense of humor and sometimes a thick skin to appreciate... I apparently have both :)

Thought I'd share some pictures with you all. Jen and I had great seats (5th row, Floor)... I wish we had a better camera, we could have captured some great photos... I did what I could with our little Canon Powershot. Oh, and the guitar pick is real... I didn't catch it, but I watched John throw it and apparently was the only one paying attention. No one picked it up, so I grabbed the spoils as soon as the show was over. Enjoy the pics....

Day 1 at CAMP!

2007-06-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not this post is coming straight from my bunk in the "Lebanon" cabin at Camp Lebanon Retreat Center (picture intended as proof). I'm amazed that a little Linksys router can send me a signal across the lake... but it's happening.... we live in a strange world!

Really excited to be here at camp this week. It's tough being away from Jenessa, home, office, life, etc.... but it's also really nice to be out here in a place that I love spending time with 110 high school students. I love these kids... I see them once a year and it's like I'm their best friend... nothing like the first day of camp and all the hugs and hand pounds ("daps" for all you hip readers) that are given out. I look forward to this every year, and it never gets old!

I am definitely getting my share of quality (really high quality) worship between Young Adult Camp and this Senior High Camp. Mike Gaines and his band absolutely rocked out last weekend at YAC... Mike is so gifted, I am excited to have him on my ministry team! This week we have the pleasure of having 2 of the brightest young worship leaders in Southwest Ohio co-leading the worship band. Aaron Barnes and Travis Flynn flat out brought it tonight at the kickoff service. They played 8 or 9 songs total... it was invigorating to watch the students worship God. Can't wait to see how God moves in the next 4 days! I'll do my best to keep you all posted.

HOT ROD!

2007-06-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but this blog has taken on quite the music & movies theme the past couple of weeks. I assure this is not, nor will ever be an entertainment blog.

That said, it's safe to say that I'll be looking forward to this movie all summer.

Go here for a much longer trailer... this movie will be a classic.

Sneak Peek Post

2007-06-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the opportunity to check out the new movie Evan Almighty down at the AMC on the Levee. The movie doesn't open until June 22nd, but Journey Church's media guru hooked us up with some sneak peek passes.

To tell you the truth I was little worried about the movie going in. You see, all of the church people have been hyping this movie. Study guides, small group materials, and web-sites rallying the cause of this family friendly Bible promoting movie. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for family friendly, appropriate humor, and I'm definitely for anything that puts God's story into mainstream culture. It's just that typically when a bunch of Christians rally behind something, there's a good chance it's really cheesy, and will only serve to further alienate disconnected people from the local church.

With all of that said. I was pleasantly surprised. The movie was hilarious! (Can Steve Carell be in anything that's not funny?) Wanda Sykes nearly stole the show... she is so funny. It was not cheesy, or corny, in fact it was quite revealing, and carried much truth in the midst of all the humor. In fact, there was one scene where God is talking to Evan's wife (Joan... Joan of Ark) about prayer, and how God answers prayers. He said:

"If you pray for courage, do you think I'm going to give you courage, or the opportunity to be courageous... If you pray for your family to become closer, do you think I'm going to give you warm fuzzy feelings about one another, or give you the opportunity to grow closer as a family".

Quite a different perspective on prayer. What are some of the things that you are praying for that you are waiting for God to simply bestow upon you, when in reality he is giving you the opportunity to act, do, or be what you are praying for. Maybe we should start seeing opportunities as answers to prayers.

All in all, it was a good movie. I highly recommend it to you. Great for the family, great for kids, great for adults. Go see it. Oh, and just for the record, I would probably give it 4 SchruteBucks!

The Jetsons era has arrived

2007-06-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

"In the future packages will be sent to distant lands through beams of light." (If you know where that quote comes from, I'll give you a prize).

I simply cannot believe the world we live in. Everyday I am amazed, and I take for granted the wonder of the technology around me. It is absolutely stunning to think about how it has changed our lives.

When I see things like this... I am amazed. My jaw drops, and I think: "Oh my gosh, what all am I going to see in my lifetime." And then I think: "Wow, Apple is going to take this and make it like 20 times cooler and easier to use".

Go here, watch the three videos (less than 1 minute each), and be amazed.

Finale Time Part 2

2007-05-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

I promised some reviews of the other shows I watch, so here goes:

LOST - This was an awesome season. I got a little nervous half way through the season that it was going down the drain, but they did an awesome job of ramping up the intensity in the last 10-12 episodes. The finale could not have been more dramatic. I loved it... it had twists, turns, drama, and it furthered the storyline (somewhat). I can't wait to see what they do with the show next year. I think they get rescued, but some elect to stay on the island... the show will then continue in 2 parts, showing those still on the island, and those not on the island, and their pursuits to either return or move on with their lives. Rating: 5 SchruteBucks
The Bachelor - This is a GREAT story!! Jenessa watched the entire season of this show. I watched most of the episodes with her. You know the show... it all boils down to the 2 hour finale where the guy picks between two girls (both of whom he apparently "loved"), and then asks one to marry him. Well, we DVR'd the show as usual, and were watching something else in the mean time. I kid you not... the minute the show we were watching ended, and we hit "Delete show", it kicked back to our other tuner (the one recording Bachelor), just in time for us to see and hear: "Tessa, will you marry me". Jenessa gave me a look that could kill... we deleted the show, and moved on with our lives. I effectively added 2 hours on to my life, and I could not be happier. Rating: 25 SchruteBucks (it was that good.) American Idol - Didn't watch the finale. Two hours for a simple announcement is ridiculous. Add Ryan Seacrest to the mix and I almost poked my eyes out. Fast forwarded through most of it... did stop to watch Blake perform with Dougie Fresh. That was awesome... Blake is a performer, he will be a star, and I will buy his album. All that said... the girl won. I'm not even sure of her name... Jordan something? Whatever, she'll be mediocre at best... Can't wait till the next time they start making fun of people again next season! Long Live Simon! Rating: 1 SchruteBuck

Boston Legal - Still have 4 episodes on my DVR... this is not good. I love the show, it just hasn't been a priority in my life recently. Sorry.

Finale Time...

2007-05-22T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year... All of the spring shows are wrapping up with their season finale specials. This means 2 things: 1.) The Dooley DVR will get a much needed rest for the next few months. 2.) I have some strong opinions about some of these shows... I will share them here:

1.) Heroes - The first season of this show was incredible. I'm a sucker for anything superhero, so I was hooked all season. The plot was very solid all year, it was constantly interweaving the different characters, and was definitely building a serious climax for the finale.... or so we thought. It became very clear at the final commercial break with only 10 minutes of show time left that this was going to be a disappointment. The whole"Save the World" part of the show turned out to be quite lame, and extremely predictable. It appeared as if the writers spent a lot of time on every episode except for what I would consider the most important episode. Rating - 2 SchruteBucks

2.) The Office - Funniest show on TV: without question! If you are not watching The Office, you simply are not in the loop with about 80% of my comedy... this could explain why some of you think I'm not funny. The finale was great... Michael Scott made me uncomfortable the whole time... you know it's a good episode when you are talking out loud to the screen saying things like: "Don't say it..." "Don't do it...." "Not in front of her boss....". SO FUNNY! Jim is back in Scranton. I think that Karen will stay in NY, and leave Dunder-Mifflin. Ryan (the temp) got a corporate job with the company.... he will have a recurring role, and it will be hilarious to see him bossing his former bosses around! Can't wait till next season! Rating - 4 SchruteBucks

3.) Desperate Housewives (or is it Households?) - I love this show. It's so real... sure there are some really over the top situations, but for the most part these 4-5 families are dealing with the same things that we, along with everyone else around us, are dealing with. The finale was sweet... It was cool to see Bree and Orson back in the mix.... they are so shifty! Gabby made a mistake marrying the politician/mobster. Is Edy really dead, or will Carlos slide in to save her? Susan and Mike are in love... blah blah... it is good to have Ian off the show however! Lynette and Tom are such a team.... If you can't find something to like about them, and relate to them in your marriage/parenting, then you aren't being honest with yourself. They are the biggest reason I watch the show, as their storyline is typically the most believable. Very cool show... Looking forward to next season. Some really cool church should probably rip this show off and do a teaching series based around it. Rating: 4.5 SchruteBucks

This post is really long... I'm going to have to split it into two separate pieces. Look for more reviews from these shows later this week:

LOST (Who lives... who dies... can't wait till Wednesday night)
American Idol (Go Blake!)
Boston Legal (4 unwatched episodes on the DVR right now... yikes)
The Bachelor (The funniest thing happened. This is more for my wife than me... honest...)

Disciple....Apostle.... Huh?

2007-05-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about the new teaching we are starting this weekend at Journey Church and BIG Student Ministries.

In the "Disciples" series we will be looking at three things that Disciples of Jesus do. We'll be looking at three examples from the Gospels of people who made a conscious decision in their life to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Can't wait to teach on these three stories!

I'm currently sitting in a teaching session at the State office of the CHOG. The speaker got on a little bit of a rant earlier talking about disciples and made the following statement:

"Too often in the church we disciple people for 60 years and never apostle them."

The idea behind the statement is that we can often teach, train, equip, foster gifts, and strengthen people, and then miss out on the part where we send them out to do the work. He was speaking in reference to Jesus sending out his disciples as apostles in Matthew 10. He equipped them in verse 1 (and of course throughout their journey together), and then He sent them out in the later verses. He didn't simply disciple them... he "apostled" them.

It is the vision of Journey Church to be a community that disciples and apostles people. This is laid out clearly in our Vision: "To shape the moral and spiritual climate of West Chester and beyond by gathering a community of Christ followers who emulate Christ, embrace one another, engage the culture, and empty themselves into others."

Sign me up for that! I love working at a church that has a clear vision to shape people in the mold of Jesus who will in turn shape people in the mold of Jesus.

Little Switzerland and Snowmen on a Golf Course in May

2007-05-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

What an unbelievable title to this post. That should win some sort of web award!

Jenessa and I spent this past weekend visiting her family in the northeastern part of Ohio. The occasion was her youngest sisters Junior Prom. Jenna is such a beautiful girl (see picture as evidence). She is the little sister I never had, and I treat her as such. Trent (her boyfriend) and I had a nice little chat while I was there. I hope he's not a liar, that would not make me a happy big brother. :)

Jenessa grew up in a little town called Sugarcreek. You may know it as Little Switzerland. Or you may simply know it as "Amish Country". I used to constantly tell new people that we met that Jenessa used to be Amish. She is not amused by the joke.

I must say... I used to loathe going to that part of the state (NOT due to the in-laws, please don't read into that...), simply because of the lack of anything modern, and the overabundance of horse manure on the streets. However, I have recently changed my tune about the Great Northeast {Ohio}. It's nice to get up there once in a while. No wireless internet , almost no cell phone service, not a lot to do, simply time with family.

I think there is some divine connection when we unplug from the digital world. I think we become more in tune with what God has to say to us when all of the distractions are minimized. For instance... I watched a sermon on my computer in it's entirety for the first time in a while. No i-Chat to disturb me, no e-mails bouncing in, no blog updates to read... simply my headphones and a beautiful sermon about God's grace for humanity. I cried at the crescendo of the sermon... the speaker used an unbelievable illustration that I will never forget seeing. I don't think I would have cried during a sermon in my everyday context. God used Amish country to shake me up.

Since I mentioned it in the title, I better refer to it in the post. I saw several snowmen on a golf course yesterday. It was unbelievable... I can understand there being one, but 4 in the course of 18 holes... that's unreal!

Wondering where and how this is possible? I challenge you to go golf the only Top 100 public course in the tri-state and see if you don't find some snowmen as well!

Free Stuff... Seriously

2007-05-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know there are some of you out there who will think this is bogus... that's fine, you are allowed to feel this way. I however would like to win some free stuff.

I read this on Josh Clark's blog. Who is Josh Clark and why should you trust him? He is a really cool Christian Author / Student / Web-Designer from Lexington, Ky. You should trust him because he advised me on how to receive a free Apple Macbook Pro, and it actually worked. In fact, I'm just going to steal Josh's entry from his blog.... why re-invent the wheel. Click the link at the bottom of this post, be my friend... lets win prizes together.

Blingo: A search engine powered by Google, but with a twist. Use their site to search and you still get the same Google search results, but each search is a chance to instantly win any of these prizes:

• Brand New Ford Escape or $20,000 cash
• $5,000 Cash
• Home Theatre Package or $2,500 cash
• $2,500 Cash
• $1,000 Cash Every Thursday
• $25 Amazon.com Gift Certificate
• Fandango Movie Ticket

Simple as that. Just search like you normally do, but each time you have a chance at winning (up to 25 chances per day, though you can do more searches than that).

Blingo Friends

You can also refer people to Blingo, and when they sign up under you they become one of your “Blingo Friends.” Then, if any one of them wins a prize, you get the same prize, even if it’s a new car.
People who sign up under you can still refer other people as their own Blingo Friends.

So sign up as one of my friends and start using Blingo! Then if you win something, I win something!

Here’s the link:

http://www.blingo.com/friends?ref=xfHH3zIq9jaVrfDjQkHengOzhBI

Passion: Hope for the Hokies

2007-05-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of good movements out there doing things to advance the Kingdom, and spread God's love to the nations. One of my favorite organizations out there is the Passion Movement, lead by Louie Giglio. My generation is blessed to have Passion paving the way with their outstanding conferences, awesome worship leaders, and tremendous love for college students.

This website is a simple example of the kind of people who supply the vision for Passion. Pass this link along to friends who might be in need, or download the tracks for yourself if you feel the need to.

www.hopeforthehokies.com

Jon McLaughlin

2007-05-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

Seriously... two posts in 2 days about 1 guys album.

I wanted to give a quick update. Jon's album "Indiana" is currently 5th on i-tunes top albums list. Keep the love coming... it would be really cool to see him climb to the top of the list (remember, it's only $7.99). Also, I ran in Target for a minute with my lovely wife today and saw Jon's album on the new release rack for only $9.99.

Go here, here, or here to check him out.

For listening pleasure, I recommend the tracks: Industry, Human, and the single Beautiful Disaster.

Sweet Sounds and Shameless Plugs

2007-05-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

You may not know this about me, but I love music. I'm quite eclectic in my tastes, so don't be surprised when you hear me recommend albums that are quite different... although that is not reflected in this current entry.

A couple times per month I'll throw some albums / artists out there that are currently on my "Hot List".... okay, I don't really have a "Hot List", but it sounded right so I just let it flow.

1.) Jon McLaughlin - Indiana : This guy is actually a quasi family member by marriage. We've hung out together, we were in the same fraternity (at different schools), etc... Bottom Line: if you don't go buy this album, I will be personally offended! You can pick up Jon's brand new album "Indiana" on i-tunes right now for only $7.99. That is a steal for a beautiful, full, 13 track album! GO BUY IT!

2.) Dashboard Confessional - Dusk & Sumer: I listened to Dashboard a lot in high school in college. While Dashboard is the the king of the emo genre, their latest album proves to be much happier and does a great job attracting new audiences. I think you'll enjoy their tunes... check out the tracks "Stolen" and "So Long, So Long". *Note* I refer to them as Dashboard because that is the band name, but in reality it is one guy named Chris Carrabba.

3.) Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American : Classic. Tough to beat Jimmy Eat World. They always get me pumped when they shuffle through while I'm on a jog. If you've never heard them, check out the tracks "Bleed American" and "Sweetness".

That's all for now... more to come later.

Great Feeling

2007-04-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

It's a great feeling when I finish a book. I start a lot of books... very seldom do I finish a book, and if I do it's likely months later.

This past Thursday on the flight home from Orlando I finished the final 2 chapters in an unbelievable book by Rob Bell entitled: Sex God: {Exploring the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality}. I've already decided that this book will be a "mandatory" element of my pre-marital counseling sessions. I already have my first two guinea pigs lined up (thanks Billy and Po).

Rob is a great communicator and a top-notch author... I highly recommend either this book or his other book: Velvet Elvis. If reading isn't your thing, check out his series of short films: Nooma.

Here are a few gems from "Sex God". Soak them up, then go by the book to get the full story.

"The author of Genesis makes it clear that there is something different about humans... something of God has been placed in them. We reflect what God is like and who God is. A divine spark resides in every single human being. Everybody, everywhere. Bearers of the divine image" (pg 19).

"How you treat the creation reflects how you feel about the creator. When a human being is mistreated, objectified, or neglected, when they are treated as less than human, these actions are actions against God. Because how you treat the creation reflects how you feel about the creator" (pg 28).

"It's possible to be married to somebody and sharing the same bed and be very disconnected. It's possible to be married to somebody and sharing the same bed and even having sex regularly and still be profoundly disconnected" (pg. 45)

"As human beings, we take part through our actions in the ongoing creation of the world. The question is: What kind of world are we going to make" (pg. 63).

"God constantly commands his people to remember who they are, where they've been, what they've seen, adn what's been done for them. If we stop remembering, we may forget. And that's when the trouble comes" (pg 74).

"Sleeping with lots of women gives a man the feeling of being a man without actually having to be one" (pg 126).

"The failure to understand the infinite depth of the human soul is often why people who are married have affairs. They stop exploring the person they married. They find somebody who appears more interesting" (pg 159).

"Sex... in its greatest moment is free from power and coercion and manipulation and agendas and fears, when it is simply two people giving all of themselves to each other, holding nothing back" (Pg 166).

The Back of Class

2007-04-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

The cool kids always sat in the back of class didn't they? I showed up a few minutes late to the main session today with Dave Ferguson, so I decided to sit in the back.

Here's a snapshot of the "cool kids" I discovered upon sitting down..

If you are unaware, the back row warriors pictured here are Ben Arment and Mark Batterson (Left to Right). It's been really cool to be able to put some faces and handshakes with bloggers this week. Looking forward to the final day tomorrow. Bill Hybels will close the conference out for us. Not bad as far as closers go....

Conference Notes

2007-04-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

Still having a great time here in sunny Orlando. Did I mention yet that my rental car is a convertible (no, I didn't ask for it... they just handed me the keys), and it's 85 degrees here?

Today was a full day. I'm worn out, and about to lay down in this extremely comfortable hotel bed, watch SportsCenter on the plasma screen and take a nap. But first....

Breakout Session this morning with Darrin Patrick at The Journey in St. Louis was excellent. He's a great communicator, and a high level leader. Too much to post all my notes, so here are the highlights from his session on "Team DNA":

"There is nothing greater than working with a great team. However, working with a bad team can kill you."

Adam had a team.
Moses had a team.
Throughout the Bible we see God calling people to build a team before they accomplish a task.

Team is overrated! (If YOU are not qualified ... See qualifications in I Timothy 3)

YOU (Lead Guy) are the greatest resource in your ministry.

Character of the leader = Character of the team

When you are the leader, people imitate you. They photocopy how you do your marriage, raise your kids, and treat others.

*Big Takeaway* "People will come to your church because of your gifts, but they will stay because of your character."
_____________________________________________________________

Team is underrated! - Choosing a good team

See Mark 3

When picking a good team, there is no replacement for spending time with God.
When you spend time alone with God, he is developing your gut, increasing your discernment.
Chemistry is important - Hire people you like, and can have fun with
Do Stuff - They can't just be fun, they have to have a skill, passion, place to serve, etc...
Every church should have an internship program.

It helps the church distinguish what kind of people they want to hire without making long term commitments / mistakes.
It helps develop the young leader.

Be open with you staff - "Believe the best about one another, and wade through the worst!"
Hire slowly / Fire Quickly
Ministry is not about getting stuff done. Ministry is about getting people done.
Your job as a leader is to create an environment where people can survive and thrive. To create a community where other leaders can excel.

Mark Batterson

2007-04-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

I am currently sitting in on a session by one of my favorite bloggers / authors: Mark Batterson. This is actually the 2nd breakout session of his that I've attended. Here's a picture of the one yesterday. Fellow blogger Ben Arment actually snapped the photo: look forward 4 rows and you'll actually see me (and my computer bag).

I'll post some notes from the current session later, but in the mean time, here are some highlights from Mark's talk yesterday on: Maximizing Environments

"Below the level of consciousness the human mind is always processing environments."

Leaders know how to send subliminal and intangible messages.
Leaders create culture.
Leaders are environmental engineers!

7 Keys to creating the right church culture

1.) Be Yourself - Culture starts with knowing who you are and who you aren't.

A lot of our church cultures are unhealthy because we are unhealthy.
Life is too short and leadership is too challenging to be two people: The person you are, and the person people want you to be.
"You can please all of the people some of the time, some of the people all the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time" - Abraham Lincoln
You have to choose what kind of people you are going to offend. *Hint* - Jesus offended the religious people.

2.) Stay Positive

Sharing wins creates an energy and momentum that reduces the size of the looming problems / issues we are facing.
Church should be the most enjoyable hour of the week (people should feel better when they leave)
Ministry should be fun (Who you do ministry with determines how fun your ministry will be)
Pray & Play retreat with staff & leaders (create a fun team culture).

3.) Establish Boundaries

Family must come first... at the end of the day, a church can find another pastor, but your kids can not get another father.
Mark gives NCC one evening per week. Evenings are for family.... he'll make an exception once per week.

4.) Little things are Big things

When Rudy Guliani was elected mayor of NYC, he went after the petty crimes: jaywalking, graffiti, fare jumpers, etc.... The result was that serious felonious crime was decreased drastically.
Broken windows create subliminal messages (Broken windows are little things that reflect on big things about your church culture)

⁃ Misspelled words on worship slides
⁃ Unevenly folded bulletins
⁃ Typos, dirty floors, messy stage, etc...

1% of what you do makes 99% of the difference

5.) Think like a guest

Unintentional blindness: When we become so absorbed in our culture, we develop blind-spots. These blind-spots cause us to miss out on things that we are doing poorly.
Do reconnaissance missions: Get out of your culture a few times a year... go to other churches and absorb their culture to expose your blind spots.
**Book Recommendation** - The Art of Shopping by Paco Underhill
Paul said that he would become all things to all people, in order that he might reach some.

6.) Exceed Expectations

Good is not "Good Enough"
When NCC started Ebeneezer's, they knew that needed to be to pass the "Starbucks Litmus Test". The #1 goal was for people to say "WOW" when they walked through the doors.

7.) Cast Vision Like Crazy

Most church problems are not Sin problem. Most church problems are Vision problems.
If the mission and vision are big and important enough, you will not have the time or energy to dip down to the level that will bring you down.
If you aren't careful you can begin doing ministry from memory... because you are good at it. We stop doing ministry from creativity, and start doing it from memory. We stop creating the future, and start repeating the past.

Best Practices:

⁃ Invest in your leaders
⁃ Take your leaders on a vision casting retreat once per year
⁃ Church planter in Residence
⁃ At NCC they always have a church planter on staff doing a utility role... they have them do a little bit of everything for 18 months - 2 years... Then they send them out and support them for 1-2 years.
⁃ This ensures that a culture of church planting is always around NCC!

Arrival and Session 1

2007-04-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

Having a great time in Florida so far. Fun day yesterday.... my flight came in Monday morning, and the conference didn't start until Tuesday around Noon, so I had the opportunity to head down to my Alma Mater to see some old friends and former professors. Got to eat at 2 of my favorite college dives: Fat Boys Bar-B-Q and All Star Grill! Love it.

Day one of the conference was very solid. Had the opportunity to hear from Wayne Cordeiro, the Lead Pastor at a really cool church in Hawaii in the opening session. He shared some great principles in regards to listening and learning from the Holy Spirit, especially in regards to sermon crafting. My big take aways were:

"You can teach what you know, but you ultimately reproduce what you are!"
If we want tomorrows church to be men & women of deep devotion, then we (pastors) must be people of deep devotion (same with marriages, parenting, hearts for others, etc....)

How do you gain wisdom?

Through personal consequence or experience (walking into a wall)
Through other people's personal experiences (let others walk into the wall & learn from them)

You can gain wisdom and skill in the art of playing guitar by sitting in a class about guitar, or you can have a one on one session with a great guitar teacher... a master.
You can gain wisdom & skill by sitting in a conference (or a church service) about Jesus, or you can sit with the Master and learn directly from him, about him.
Luke 10:38-42 - Mary & Martha had the opportunity to sit before the Master and learn from him... only one took advantage of the opportunity.

5 Things to bring with you everyday when you sit down with the Master to learn from him.

1. Bring a Bible
2. Bring a pen
3. Bring a reading program to assist you in journeying through the Bible
4. Bring a journal (and a plan to Journal)
5. Bring a daily planner (to eliminate distractions when they come in your mind... just write them down, and forget it)

Back With A Bang!

2007-04-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Rumor has it that there are some people checking this blog for updates. Thanks to those encouragements, I have decided to jump back on the horse. I'm going to dial down the expectations this time... I won't blog daily, or twice daily, or even 5 times a week. My goal will be to post 3 new posts each week; no less, and anything beyond that will be *bonus*

So, to kick things off, I'll be doing some live blogging from the Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida. Sitting in a beautiful auditorium for the first Main Session right now. I'm really looking forward to soaking in the wisdom that will be shared by some of the top leaders in the church planting world. I would encourage you to follow some of the links on the right side of this page for some updates from some other attendees and presenters (Arment, Batterson, Ferguson).

Stay Tuned....

The Chaos of our Lives

2007-02-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

I am currently about halfway through a great book called "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day" by one of my favorite bloggers. There have been several things thus far that are blog worthy, but I want to wait to share most of them. I plan to compile all of my personal highlights together when I am finished, and do a quick book summary/review.

This however, could not wait. When I read this, it stopped me in my tracks... not because it was so deep or theological, but because it was so simple and so true. Mark is talking about how God is a 4-dimensional God. He is everywhere, all at once. God knows no space or time. He goes on to quote Genesis:

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Mark then responds:

In the beginning, the Spirit of God was hovering over the chaos. And nothing has changed. God is still hovering over the chaos. The creation story is a microcosm of what God wants to do in your life. He hovers over the chaotic situations ready to create order and beauty. He wants to fill the void.

Do you feel like there is chaos in your life? Surely you do... don't we all sometimes feel like things are spiraling out of control? It's a beautiful thing that we can find peace in the fact that our 4-dimensional God is hovering over the chaos of our lives, just waiting for us to give him permission to restore order, and create something that is whole.

What's in an event?

2007-01-31T12:12:00.000-08:00

In youth ministry it is easy to get sidetracked with events. Whether big or small, events can consume our time, energy and creativity. Sometimes we do events and we aren't even sure why we are doing them... maybe it's a tradition, maybe it's something you were pressured to do, maybe it just sounds fun.

At BIG Student Ministries, we want to be intentional about the events we do. We try not to do an event unless it accomplishes a specific purpose. I like to see special events as equipping tools for our students. We have two events coming up soon that could be powerful tools for the students involved in our ministry to bring their friends.

1.) Super Bowl Party - This Sunday night we will be opening up our house from 5-10 PM for Junior and Senior High students. I told our students last week at our Sunday night service that I did not want to open up my house for them. I wanted to open up my house for their friends.... What better opportunity to introduce a teenager to our Student Ministry. We are having food all night, playing video games like crazy, playing ping-pong, giving away door prizes, and of course watching the BIG GAME in HD! We equipped our students with these tickets to pass out to their friends.... we set a goal of 50 students for the Super Bowl party! I hope we get there... I'm all about opening up my house for 50 teenagers!

2.) Ski-Trip - On February 9th-10th, we are going to Mad River Mountain for an overnight ski event. We will be leaving from Lakota East Friday at 5:00, and returning Saturday at Noon. This trip is going to be a blast... on Friday night when we arrive we will be hooking up with several other student ministries for a worship gathering. After that we are headed to the mountain for a midnight ski/tube session. When we are finished at 3:00 a.m. we will be going to a families house in Middletown to spend the night and have breakfast the next day. E-mail me if you have any questions, or want to confirm your attendance! luke@cincyjourney.org

iThoughts....

2007-01-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

Two things.

1.) I was leaving a local business today when I saw an elderly woman coming in the next set of doors (just down from the ones I was coming in). I did what I thought was the normal thing and walked over to open the door for her. She looked at me with a face of pure shock and joy and said with a tone of disbelief: "Well, I guess chivalry is not dead".

2.) Tonight the Journey Church men's soccer team played its inaugural game at Wall2Wall indoor soccer complex. At the beginning of the 2nd half we were killing the other team like 10-1. I was sitting out to start the half watching the guys move the ball around like it was a pre-game drill when the referee walked by our bench and said: "You guys must really like each other, you sure know how to share the ball." To which I replied: That's what happens when you get a couple of years outside of high school... you begin to realize that it can be a lot more fun to pass the ball around as opposed to trying to take the whole team on by yourself". Now, this might sound funny coming from the guy who scored four goals.... but like I said, it was a particularly easy night for the Journey Fellas!

Now some thoughts...

Is it really so rare for a guy to hold a door open for an elderly woman? Forget that... is it really so rare for a person to hold a door for another person? Are we so consumed with ourselves and the agendas for our day that we can't take 3-4 seconds out of our rush to stop and think about someone else? As I look around at the culture we live in, I'm not sure that I want to know the answer to that question....

Driving home from the game I began to think about the interchange between the referee and myself. Was it really so rare for a sports team to actually pass the ball around in order to maximize your chances of scoring a goal, or winning the game? As I sit on my couch watching SportsCenter and see the box-scores roll through, I believe the answer to my question is a grim one.

Is it really so rare for me to not be the focus of my own life? I wish there was a pill that we could take to eliminate the selfish gene in our systems. There was no mistake when Apple Inc. decided to change the world of consumer electronics with a simple marketing campaign. iPod, iWeb, iLife, iWork. They took something that was active within each of us and encouraged us to indulge in it. "Your life is already about you, why not make your electronics about you as well?" It all makes perfect sense....

My goal everyday is to live my life in such a way that whether I am walking out of a store, or playing a game on a field, people take notice of my actions. Not because they are noble, outrageous, or bizarre. Rather, I hope they take notice because it is something that runs against the current of their life... I hope it creates a "glitch in their Matrix" that causes them to re-asses the way they run their life.

If Jesus word's in Matthew 20 are true (which I have no doubt that they are), then count me as one who wants to "be great".

The Power of One... or Two Coaches

2007-01-22T08:47:00.000-08:00

While I was admittedly rooting for a Saints-Colts Super Bowl, simply because I thought that would be more fun to watch, I am as equally pleased with the Tony Dungy / Lovie Smith Super Bowl Matchup.

I think it's a great thing that an issue we hear so much about in life, and especially sports has taken another step in the right direction. If you haven't heard, this is the first time that an African-American coach will be coaching in the Super Bowl... in fact, there are two. I appreciated Tony Dungie's answer when asked if it was a big deal or not. He said, "Yea, of course it's a big deal. I'm proud to be able to say that I joined Lovie in this achievement, but in my mind it will be a big deal when we stop talking about it, and it's just something normal."

Besides their race there is another attribute that links these two guys together. It's hard to read or listen to anything about either coach without the topic of their Christianity or faith coming up. (Click here for an example.)
It's good to see two guys who aren't backwards about the fact that they are followers of Christ. They are both open to not only discussing, but proclaiming their values and faith. Wouldn't it be cool if one day this was the norm and we no longer discussed the fact that this guy, or that guy was a "Christian"?

You have to wonder about the degree of influence these guys have on their players, and on other coaches in the league. They have a great platform to share from. It would be easy to say that our position in life doesn't allow for such influence.... It would be easy to say: "But I've only got..."

It's way to easy to say things like: "But I've only got...", or "I'm Just...".

The truth is, if you call yourself a "Christian", then you have something to share. You have something powerful to share... You have a story... You have a message... You have the hope of a Savior. Each of us has a lifeboat.... are you rowing away from the shipwreck alone, or do you have a boat full of friends, neighbor's, teammates, and co-workers that you are doing your best to drag to safety?

This is a challenge that I have received the past couple of weeks at Journey Church as we discussed the power of one: One Church, One Year, One Life... I plan to implement some changes in my life in order to put myself in situations where I can leverage my influence for the Kingdom.

Click Here to download some great content from our One Series

All of that said... GO COLTS!

What If?

2007-01-18T21:04:00.000-08:00

Q: What if three leaders of a new church in West Chester all begin to blog again?
A: Go here (where you are now), here, and here
to find out.

Q: What if a former athlete gets some sweet new gear that inspires him to run 40+ miles in less than a month?
A: Well, if you mean Luke got the Nike+ kit and some sweet new shoes (See my toys on the right), then you've got some serious runners addiction on your hands!

Q: What if a great team of adults spend a year with a group of great students building relationships and having fun, and then launch a rockin' weekly worship gathering?
A: Show up at Adrenaline S&F any Sunday night at 6:00 pm, to see what it's all about. Worship, Relevant Teaching, Fun & Games, Give-Aways.... It's pretty sweet!

Q: What if every post on my blog was like this?
A: Well, I imagine that it would get old real fast, so we won't make a habit of this...

Looking forward to blogging here more often. Read and Enjoy!

We Have A House...

2006-10-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

I am living the “American Dream”.... at least that’s what everyone keeps telling me. Jenessa and I purchased a home about two weeks ago and we could not be more excited about our situation.

We live in Liberty Twp. at 8027 Serenity Lake Dr.... I know, I know... it’s an awesome street name huh? The picture above is our house, minus the two white vehicles and all of the landscaping (long story that I don’t actually know).

I have determined that moving is not fun. I don’t enjoy lifting boxes, carrying couches, or doing work on new houses. Nonetheless, it is all done (mostly), and we are able to enjoy our home to the fullest extent.

If you are a friend and live in the area, I would encourage you to stop by anytime. It’s always been a conviction of ours that when we had our own home, we would have an “Open Door Policy”. Come on over....

This is awesome...

2006-06-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a really long time. I am going to begin to fix that, and make this a more regular habit.... However, I have something far more important to share with you!

The David Crowder Band was in town last on Saturday. Jenessa and I took a few of the Journey Students up to the concert. We met up with a bunch of other folks, and ended up with quite the Journey contingent.

What I am about to share with you is something that is very rare... it is not often that two people so identical and yet so different are gathered in the same area. Nonetheless, I give you Will + Crowder:

Nice Day

2006-04-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

I had a really nice day today. For starters, the Bengals weren't picking in the top 15-20 of the NFL draft for the first time in a decade or so... that was nice. The Reds have the best record in Baseball... that's nice!

Moving on to something of substance... This evening Journey had its first ever Marriage Dinner/Seminar. Jenessa and I attended, and had a really great time. It was wonderful to hear some teaching about marriage and intimacy. We talked a lot about how we might better notice and fulfill certain needs in each others lives!

One of the more "non-marriage" related points that caught my attention was the statement that "Strong churches don't make strong families... rather, straing families make strong churches." What a true statement... As I look around Journey Church, there is no doubt that we are a strong young church because we have strong, solid families who lead the charge!

After the dinner, Jenessa and I headed over to Kidd Coffee, where we ran into what turned out to be a Journey Young Adult party. We had the pleasure of introducing them all to a wonderful game called "snaps". It was great to see the range of emotions on their faces: confusion, frustration, displeasure, hope, more confusion, understanding, success!! What a fun game... good times were had!

Back on the horse....

2006-04-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

What a strange expression that is... We don't ride horses, why are we getting back on them?

Life has been a whirlwind the past couple of weeks (seee below posts).... It feels good to be on the otherside of everything though. I have spent the past couple of days just getting back in the groove of things around home and office. I have some critical tasks that I need to get in order for BIG Student Ministries.... that is currently priority 1!

The funeral was Saturday... it went as well as can be expected. I am so glad that my brother and I did it... I hope that we paid a fitting tribue to my Grandpa. Grandma is doing okay... she has her moments, despite her constantly being around people, I can see the loneliness in her eyes... that makes me sad.

I am utterly excited that the weather has turned the corner here in Ohio. That week in Florida nearly made me want to move back! But alas, Ohio has come through with beautiful sunshine and warm days. What does this mean... well, several things: Golf, Softball, Cookouts (1 already), SWOA Camps.... just to name a few!

Looking forward to all of these things, and much much more...

Plans...

2006-04-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

We spent the better part of this morning taking care of the final arrangments for grandpa.

Here are the details:

The visitation will be on Saturday, April 8th from 10:30-1:00.

The funeral will immediately follow the visitation. Both events will be held at . Breitenbach McCoy & Leffler Funeral Home

My brother and I will be officiating the services. Please pray for us that we will be able to deliver the message that both grandpa would have for us, and that God has set in our hearts. A lot of people have asked why we are doing it, and if we can handle it. I am confident that we can... God will give us strength and courage! As to why: Grandpa wouldn't have it any other way.... he constantly told us how proud he was, and how he never could have imagined having "two grandsons that grew up to be ministers".... I hope that we continue to make him proud!

Lost for words...

2006-04-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I am even about to type this. It doesn't seem real yet... how can it be?

My Grandpa, Jack Bowling, passed away this morning at 9:20 a.m. His heart grew weaker throughout the evening following his surgery, and he went to sleep in peace. I have no doubt that my grandpa has transitioned from this temporal life to one of wholeness with his Maker... for that, I am thankful.

There is not a fiber in my body that is not one of the following: sad, angry, confused, bitter, exhausted, or in denial. It just doesn't seem fair... I am unable to imagine: Life without grandpa, Mary without Jack, family functions without our patriarch.

I can not believe that this picture was just taken last Friday. We were all in Daytona Beach eating at one of our favorite little fish places right next to the ocean. We spent the whole day out on the town.... gift shops, the mall, dinner, etc... I will be eternall grateful that Jen and I were able to go to Florida last week.

I beg each of you to focus your prayers on my grandma, and the rest of the family. They have known each other since they were 16 years old.... I can't imagine knowing someone that long, let alone losing someone you've known so intimately for that long. Our family is very close... I have no doubt that the love and nurture will be there for my grandma, but it will not make the pain go away. We spent the whole evening with the family... it was so hard, everyone is devestated. Please pray for us.

Deep Breath....Exhale....

2006-04-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the blog of Luke Dooley... we hope that regularly scheduled postings will continue soon...

Remember that time in church a few weeks ago when I asked everyone to take a deep breath? I need that deep breath right now! It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. Allow me to expand that thought....

I am currently working on a Masters degree from Anderson University (although at a snail's pace). It is an online degree and requires an on-campus component for each class. In the Spring this on-campus component happens to be held at my Alma-Mater. The class was only 2 days, so I didn't see the value in going all the way to Florida for such a short period. Therefore, Jenessa took a week off work, and we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it. We ended up being in Florida for about 5 days....

We had a great time... it was wonderful to spend time together. We are together a lot, but we don't spend a lot of time together (does that make sense). We are both just so busy, it is hard to disconnect, and give each other quality time... so it was definitely nice to do that. We also had the opportunity to see some friends from college. It was really cool to tell stories, and catch up on the lives of our friends. Adam, Maggie, Jacob, Tina, Evan, Bobby, Trisha... you are all sorely missed!

After our time in Lake Wales, we headed over to New Smyrna Beach where my grandparents reside for the winter months. We had a great time with them; ate way too much, laid out in the sun for way too long, and perhaps spent a little too much money. Somehow though, when you add all of those up, it equals a great time. Until the drive home... A 14 hour drive turned into 16.5 hours as a result of crazy traffic (and maybe an ineffective "shortcut")...

We arrived safe at home in West Chester around 7:00 Saturday evening. We unpacked, prepped for church in the morning, set our clocks forward an hour, and got some good rest. Church came, it was solid... I must say though, I will not miss meeting in that gym! Following church we spent 2 hours at Don Pablo's... perhaps the last 2 hours I will spend in there for quite sometime. It was not the most pleasurable dining experience. The next few hours where a whirlwind that went something like this: I dropped off the lights (which I had previously broken) in Middletown, we cancelled softball practice, uncancelled softball practice, I began to prep for small group, I got a phone call, I left for Southern Tennessee.

That brings me to now... My afformentioned grandparents were making the commute home from Florida with my Father, who rode down with us earlier in the week. While at a rest area stretching their legs, my 84 year old grandfather fell and broke his hip. The ambulance took him to a "hospital" to receive care. Turns out they couldn't really do anything, so they transported him to a hospital in Knoxville, Tn. so that he could have his hip operated on. So here I sit: In a hotel in Knoxville, without my wife, typing this post on my brother's Dell laptop (which reminds me of the fact that my i-book has passed away... truly a sad occasion)...

All that to say that I need to take a breath. My whole family is gathered here... each one of us is at the end of our rope due to the following: lack of sleep, extreme stress, fear of death, loss of employment, or ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Do I even have to ask you to say a quick prayer, or have you picked up on that? Thanks already!

Say a prayer for my Grandfather (he is 84, in relatively good health, but a broken hip and a tired heart can be a bad combination...) Pray for my Grandmother... She loves him dearly, and has done so for 58 years! Pray for my family who is gathered here... my Mom who will now become a primary care giver, my Aunt who will do the same, my Uncle who must deal with all of this from hundreds of miles away. Pray for my Father who is being a support to my Mother Pray for my brother and I who must be strong for all parties involved.

Surgery should be in the morning, I'll do my best to keep you updated... even if it means typing away on this Microsoft Monster...

I Love March....

2006-03-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

I won't make it a habit of commenting on sporting events on this blog. However, since it is March, and that is the absolute best time of the year for College Basketball, I must comment....

I just watched two of the most exciting finishes to games that I have seen in a while.

1.) Texas beat WVU in a wild 10 second frenzy at the end of the game.

2.) Gonzaga totally choked at the end of the game, and handed UCLA the game in the waning moments of the game.

In other "March Madness" news...

Journey Church is over halfway through our own version of March Madness. I have heard great reports from all of the groups regarding their giveaways. It is fun to hear all of the stories from the different activities throughout the week. I am confident that the remaining events will go just as smooth! I'm looking forward to it all....

Love Big!

2006-03-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. james 1:27

Most of you know the story of Chad Canipe. In his passing, Chad leaves behind a wife and two wonderful boys. Please notice the link on the sidebar of my blog... by going there you will be able to donate money to help the Canipe family memorial fund. I encourage you to give... whether you knew them or not. There are several options for giving, find one that works....

http://www.canipememorial.com/

Luke

2006-03-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

My heart hurts this morning. My friend, pastor, and mentor Tom lost a great friend this morning.

Although I was not a close personal friend with Chad, I know that he changed those around him. He was a difference maker and a world changer.

I ask that you would pray for Chad's wife Renee and their two young sons.

2006-03-06T20:19:00.000-08:00

Testing 1,2,3....

So, this is me testing the new blogger widget that Mike U. tipped me off to. Supposing that this works, I am going to be utterly excited. Life just keeps getting easier with the Mac :)

Maybe I'll make a real life post with some substance tomorrow!

-Luke-

Good-Bye Chicago!

2006-03-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

I have returned to the Buckeye state, and while the current Ohio weather is by no means "warm", it is definitely warmer here than it was in Chicago. I about froze my ohio/florida tail off as we walked 10+ blocks trying to find an authentic Chicago pizza restaurant. For the record... GENO'S is not the best option (we found out the hard way)...

Now for an explanation as to why I was in Chicago. After an amazing church service Sunday and a wonderful experience at Chipotle, I headed to the Student Ministries Leadership Conference at Willow Creek Community Church. I was joined by my good friend from college, Austin Abney. Austin is a great guy and a dynamic leader who is currently serving as student pastor at a church in Kentucky. We met up with some fellow student pastors, and left with a few new friends from Indiana and Oklahoma.

We had a great time at the conference. There was some tremendous content during the main sessions, and the breakouts were extremely relevant! If there is one idea that I felt most impacted me, it has to be the fact that Student Ministry is all about building relationships! Relationships with students....relationships with adult leaders... relationships with parents, etc.... I have always known this, but I now realize how critical this really is.

Overall, it was a great couple of days, and I left feeling very inspired and full of new ideas and energy. I can't wait to share these ideas with my team, and other ministry leaders here at Journey. I look forward to answering any questions that you might have, or sharing some insight.

Do you hear that? It's coming....

2006-02-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

March Madness is almost here. As most of you know, I am a big-time University of Kentucky
basketball fan. Although it has been a tough season, I believe that they are starting to straighten things out here towards the end. I suppose that the remaining schedule (LSU, Tennessee, Florida), will tell us a lot about where we will stand in March.

U.K. basketball is not the inspiration behind this post though…. Nor is the fact that I am attending the UC game versus Villanova tonight. This year March Madness is about SO much more than basketball…

Check back here and over at Tom’s Blog for more information as it comes in…

YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!!!

Amazed...

2006-02-14T12:56:00.000-08:00

I am continually amazed at how good God is! Here are a few things that I currently think are amazing...

1.) I am celebrating Valentine's Day with a beautiful wife who loves me more than anything in this world... How Amazing!

2.) Saturday night we had our second BIG Student Ministry house party and had 19 students in attendance... It was amazing!

3.) I'm looking at my address book on my computer... My student ministry database has gone from 0-50 Students in 5 weeks.... That is amazing!

4.) BIG Student Ministries is going skiing Friday, February 24th... I am not an amzing skier! :)

5.) I am extremely blessed to be a part of a community that is so Amazing!!

6.) I hope to be the proud owner of one of these Amazing Products very soon!

What are you currently amazed about? I would love to hear... please respond and let me know!

PARTY!!

2006-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hey, I want to throw a reminder out there about the BIG Student Ministries House Party that we have coming up this Saturday (February 11th), from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at Bruce and Amy Burns' house.

We will be hanging out, playing games, eating inappropriate amounts of ice-cream and brownies, and having a great time of fellowship. If you would like more information, send me an e-mail or give me a call.

That is all for now, hope to see all of you on Sunday at Journey Church for the conclusion of our Desperate Households series. We will be exploring what God has to say about our Desperate Lives.... we are all desperate. We are all desperately in need of something.... someone.... a Savior!

I get excited just typing about it... :)

Middle of the Week

2006-02-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of post in response to the house party. Tom eluded to it on his blog, but I still should have put in a blurb....

IT WAS AWESOME! We had such a good time at the Burns' house last Saturday night. The house was full of about 20 students and 5 adult leaders. We ate, we played games, we got to know each other.... and I made a fool out of myself playing DDR !!

I want to thank the Burns family for opening up their house to all of us. They all went above and beyond anything I expected with the food (amazing taco bar), and their hospitality (we stayed much longer than the alloted 1.5 hours). I hope that everyone who came had a good time, and met someone new. Hope to see all of you back at the next house party: February 11th @ 7:00 at the Burns' house! We'll have pretty much the same agenda, except this time we'll plan to hang out a little longer (maybe till 9:00-9:30).

ONE LAST THING.... Journey will be hosting 6 Super Bowl XL parties around the West Chester area. Jenessa and I will be hosting a party at our place. If you haven't got any plans for the big game, I encourage you to swing by and hang out with us for a while.

Sophomore Sunday

2006-01-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

What can I say? Words simply cannot describe how cool it was to be at Journey Church yesterday. None of us were really too sure what to expect on week 2. (For those of you who don't know, we had our Grand Opening last week (15th), and celebrated with 347 people). We were all on such a high all week from the after effects of our Launch Sunday. We told stories all week, we talked about how wonderful it was, we did follow up, the buzz never died down! Then yesterday around 10:00 the first cars began pulling into the parking lot at Lakota East High School. It was like Deja Vu'. People started pouring in; they were greeted with a smile and a handshake, they got their coffee, they started new conversations, and continued old ones from last week. It was simply incredible to watch happen!

Following a wonderful time of worship, and a hilarious cover of Frank Sinatra's "Love & Marriage" by the Journey House Band, Tom shared some amazing thoughts on "Desperate Marriages". To summarize what was said, I'll give you the essential point of the message: "You can't shape the right person, you've got to be the right person". Referring to the fact that in our relationships/marriages, most of the problems we have are what Tom called "I" problems. I want it to be about me, my needs, my wants, my feelings, my satisfaction... therein lies the problem. Powerful words that I, along with dozens of others needed to hear.

In addition to all of this, I had the opportunity to meet some really cool students before and after service, including the likes of: Jonathan, Sarah, Lindsay, Michelle and Alyssa. It was great meeting new students, as well as seeing some return from last week! Hopefully most of you will be able to attend the House Party this Saturday.... If you don't know what that is, or need more information, shoot me out an e-mail!

Friends and Thoughts....

2006-01-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Today I had a couple of appointments with a couple of great guys and great ministry leaders.

1.) Mikey Conrad and I hooked up at Beef'O'Bradys to talk about some Student Ministry stuff. It's always good to hook up with anyone from the ministry team and share stories, swap ideas, and eat curly fries (Beef's specialty). We were able to lay some additional tracks down for the upcoming Big Student Ministries House Party on January 28th. We are pumped about the first ever student ministry activity for Journey Church .

2.) Upon leaving Beef's, I headed straight to Panera (office #2), to meet up with Justin Lett. Justin is the NextGen pastor at Liberty Heights Church. Justin and I bumped into each other for the first time a couple of weeks ago at Panera and got to talking, and decided that we would hook up sometime after launch Sunday and share stories. We ended up talking fairly in depth about the challenges and pitfalls of doing student ministry in the 2000's. Justin asked me what I thought the two biggest challenges of doing student ministry today were. I shared the following:

a.) Busy-ness.... We live in an extremely active day in age. Students' calendars are packed! Whether it is with school activities, extra curricular activities, family time, or just trying to have a few minutes for free time. It is often difficult to get students and/or their families to dedicate another evening of their week to anything. The challenge then is to use your time wisely, to have a purpose for any event or gathering that you do. This is something that I will always strive to do in Student Ministry: DON'T WASTE TIME!

b.) Tolerance... This could be a heavy issue, and could make this post extremely long. I'll make sure that neither happens here. By tolerance I simply mean that we can not allow what we see on TV, or in culture around us to shape who we are, or what we believe in. We must have a higher calling in our lives than to look/act/dress just like the Laguna Beach kids!

What about you? What are the biggest challenges that face you in your life and/or ministry?

New Beginnings

2006-01-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

I have had a lot of new beginnings in my life over the past 12 months.... consider this blog one of them. My blog has evolved into a new creature. It formerly existed to journal my life and happenings as a college student. It will now exist to document the stories and adventures as Student Pastor at Journey Church . In case you are new to this place, or haven't been around in a while, allow me to close by listing a few of my recent life changes. Hope to see some visitors around here soon!

1.) Graduated College May 5th, 2005

2.) Began work at Journey Church June 1st, 2005

3.) Married my life's love on November 26th, 2005

4.) Planted a Church on Janary 15th, 2006