The Chaos of our Lives

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?

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....

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

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?

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...

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...

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

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....

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...

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...

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....

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....

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!

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

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.

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!

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....

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...

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!!

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... :)