If I had a dollar for every time I have heard a pastor use the example of a family fighting on the way to church only to walk in the doors and act as if everything was sun shining, birds chirping, angels singing perfect, I would have a whole bunch of money!  It’s always the perfect example.  Most of you speakers out there are taking your shoes and socks off right now because your fingers weren’t enough to count the times you have.  It’s ok.  We still love you.  Now I’m gonna use it.

Recently I was watching a bonus feature on a DVD of one of my favorite shows.  It was a reading of the script for an episode with all the cast, crew and writers in one small room.  The clip was about 45 minutes long.  No fanciness.  No quality transitions.  No music.  No sound effects.  Just a bunch of people all reading the same stack of papers and speaking like their characters.  It wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world and I even realized toward the beginning that I had seen the episode so it wasn’t even keeping my interest because it was new.  But despite all the scaled back-ness I was drawn in.  As a matter of fact the longer I watched the more I liked it.  I started liking the writers, the characters, the narrators, and everyone there.  If possible, this behind the scenes view was causing me to like the show even more.

Now back to the fun and totally not overused example of the arguing family going to church.  What if there was a camera around filming your behind the scenes?  If the average person that you are selling your appearance, attitude, lifestyle, beliefs, etc. saw the behind the scenes bonus feature of your life would they still buy?  What about your job?  Would people still want to use your company if they saw what it was like when the customer isn’t around?  What about your perfect-at-church family?  Your marriage?  What about your church?

Most of us have learned the ability to hide the behind the scenes.  We have deleted it as an option from the DVD of our lives.  But what we don’t realize is that many times the behind the scenes view is actually there.  Maybe not in a feature but it’s there.  We show little signs of what it is like behind the scenes without intending to or even knowing it.  Fortunately as the words to a Shaun Groves song called Welcome Home so accurately describe, our loving God wants to be a part of all of our lives and not just the face of it all.  He is there to help repair, clean and provide that TLC that many of our behind the scenes features need.

How’s your behind the scenes?  Does it draw people in or make them run for cover?

Community is a big thing.  It’s sexy.  Churches love to push community.  Small group community.  Serving community.  2nd graders community.  And it is important to have.  Living your life or calling with a group of people is great.  But there is another community that is also important and often overlooked.

Many times we neglect the community of people in the same position as us.  They do the same thing we do so they are the competition and therefore the enemy and heaven forbid we share information that might help them!  Sometimes we have the illusion of this community.  We know about the others.  We go to a conference.  We learn from other big namers.  But we don’t actually build or foster the community of those around us.

But great things can happen when we put time and effort into these relationships.  Doctors learn about medicines, procedures, sicknesses.  Mothers learn parenting strategies and tips.  Pastors get ideas, inspiration, review.  When we learn to learn from those around us that have already been there or are going through it, we grow stronger.

Over the last week or so I have had the opportunity to connect with several different people that I would consider in this community for me.  Some are through Twitter and blogs.  Others face to face.  Others I have never even physically met!  But getting to hear their thoughts, ideas, experiences has been huge!  When we join together through common ground and positions we have a chance to learn from each other.

Do you have this community already built?  Do you need to forget the competition side of things and put some effort into yours?  What does this community look like for you?

(Pretty catchy title huh?)

Yesterday was the final day of the 30 Day Shred.  For those of you that don’t know, it was created by Jillian Michaels who is one of the main fitness trainers on The Biggest Loser (a show I don’t watch).  The workout consists of 3 segments of strength, cardio and abs in a constant pace for 20 minutes.  I believe it also comes with a diet plan too, but since we just borrowed the DVD and didn’t buy it, we didn’t get all the information.

The box boasts that you could lose up to 20 pounds in 30 days through this program.  While I did not, I can’t say that it won’t do that for you since we didn’t use the diet program as well.  But while I didn’t lose much weight at all, I can say that I did gain a bunch of muscle and my abs when from a keg to a five pack (not quite a six pack).  I got lots of questions about the workout as we were doing it, but I wasn’t really sure what to tell people.  But now that it’s over here are my thoughts.

Girls: This is a great workout and it is designed for you.  It’s very aerobic-y and works the areas you want it to.  The arms, abs and thighs.  My wife, who blogged about her 30 Day Shred experience here, just had a baby and did this and looks great!  There is also a modified version of most of the exercises as well so you can easy your way into them.  But either way it’s exhausting.

Guys: While this isn’t created for you, it is still a good workout.  If you can get passed Jillian calling everyone “ladies” then you will probably be ok.  Beware that there are muscles that you have that girls use and want to work out that you don’t use.  These will not be fun.  Be prepared to get laughed at if you are not flexible.  Some of the stretches made me and my manly flexibility look pretty silly.  But after you get through all that the workout is pretty good, if you actually do everything as directed you will work up a very good sweat, and the results will be good.  It’s pretty exhausting.

Final Thoughts: If you are like us and don’t have a ton of time or money to workout at a gym, this is a good workout for you.  At $11 on Amazon isn’t very expensive either.  Start with level 1 and see how it goes.  We shot for 10 days on each level and now looking back I wish I had pushed to level 3 a little sooner (although to be completely honest at when we were moving up a level I was pretty sure I wasn’t ready).  I suspect that if you follow a strict diet and apply yourself for the entire workout for 30 days the weight and toning will be significant with such a short workout and time period.  My only real negative was that my knees hurt and made weird noises throughout the month (and it had nothing to do with me being old).  We are planning to continue using the workout in a 3 times a week plan, but I will definitely be replacing some of the exercises that put negative stress on the knees.

I would recommend this workout to anyone that wants to lose weight and build/tone muscle, can be disciplined enough to do it every day, and wants to save time and money by not using the gym.  Just make sure you don’t do it too late at night if you live in a complex because your neighbors won’t be a fan of all the running and jumping!  (And yes, I know I just completed a girly aerobics program and I’m ok with that.)

Anyone else done the 30 Day Shred?  How did it work for you?

Hmmm…

As I was reading through the book of Acts I came across a verse that stood out to me. Paul was going through some rough times but he wasn’t about to give up. Then in a dream God spoke to him and encouraged him.

One night the Master spoke to Paul in a dream: “Keep it up, and don’t let anyone intimidate or silence you. No matter what happens, I’m with you and no one is going to be able to hurt you. You have no idea how many people I have on my side in this city.” That was all he needed to stick it out.

~ Acts 18:9-11

I wonder how many people need to hear that verse today. Take heart in that. God is with you. He will give your strength. There is more going for you than you know.

Thank Him for that today and keep it up! Don’t give up on your city/friends/family/work!

Sometimes I sit back and realize how insanely “lucky” I am.  Our family is.  My wife is.  My daughter is.  Last night was one of those nights.  Everything just kinda seems so heavy and I can’t help but be grateful for this life.

I have the most gorgeous wife.  She loves us and takes care of us.  My daughter seriously couldn’t be cuter.  She is smart and growing and healthy.  She loves me and thinks I’m funny.  You can’t beat that!  We live in a gorgeous town that we have been blessed to call home.  We get to see palm trees and ocean.

We have amazing families on both sides and love us and are there for us.  We have free internet and  cable.  We have vehicles that work properly and get us from point A to point B.  We get to support a young girl in Africa.  We live off of more than $1 a day.  We have clean water.  We have a God that loves and forgives us.

That’s just a glimpse of how I’m a “lucky” guy.  What about you?  How are you “lucky”?

Last night the wife and I were out on a date and walking through a park around a lake when all of a sudden I was assaulted by a woman question.  All the guys know what I mean.  It’s the hypothetical question that tend to have a major impact on the rest of your life.  That kind of woman question.

So as we were walking through the park and enjoying the sunset with a happy child squealing away, my wife hit me with the question.  So if you could choose, would you want a boy or a girl next?  Would you want a boy then a girl?  A girl then a boy?  A boy then a girl then a boy?  Granted, since we are married and already have one this question isn’t quite as difficult or out of left field as it would have been 3 or 4 years ago.  It’s also not as bad as many others, but still.

Am I just not normal or am I just a guy?  I don’t plan these things out.  Sure I’ll take a boy next, but I don’t really get much of a choice.  And the sequence?  Beats me!  Guys don’t really sit around and talk about these things.  I don’t remember the last time I was sitting at the poker table with several other guys and one of them asked me how many kids I wanna have and what order they would be in.  Might as well ask what I’m gonna name them, where they will go to school and what they will do when they grow up!  Guys just don’t work that way I guess.  Who knows.  Maybe it’s just me.

I wasn’t real sure of my answer.  So what about you?  If you haven’t had any kids, do you consider these things?  If you already had your kids, did you plan it out?  Did it work out that way?

SPOILER ALERT: I’m not going to ruin the movie for you.  I’m not going to tell you what it’s about or how it ends.  If you wanna know that you can find out for yourself.  But I am going to briefly talk about the book.  So if you don’t wanna know, stop reading now and come back when you have seen the movie.

The Book Of Eli is the story of a man, Eli, who is in possession of the last Bible in the post-apocalyptic world.  He is in search of a place that the Bible will be safe and shared with everyone.  As in all movies, the hero encounters obstacles and bad guys along the journey.  But this post isn’t about the movie.  It’s about learning from it.  It’s about realizing something that we often ignore.

As the hero in the movie, Eli knows the power of the book he carries.  He reads it every day and night.  He protects it with his life.  He is determined to share it with the needy world.  But the thing that hit me was that he understood the importance of the Scriptures.  He refused to let anything happen to it and did not take it for granted.  In a world of death and darkness, he held on to the light for all it was worth.

Think about the world we live in.  It is quite different than the world portrayed in the movie.  Even in times of need there is abundance.  We have more than we deserve.  We have a tendency to take the important things for granted because we don’t realize how precious they really are.  We have Bibles all over the place.  Maybe you are like us and have several in the cabinet, a link to an online Bible on your computer and an app on your phone.  We even stock them in hotel rooms (thanks to the Gideons)!  We are more interested in the newest Harry Potter book that we are the Bible.

What if we actually lived our lives knowing that the words that we have are sacred?  What if we knew the Scriptures like Eli?  What if the Bible wasn’t just a commodity?  What if we lived as though spreading the words to those that needed to hear them was the main goal?

I bet our world would be quite different then.

Ever have one of those days when it seems that every idea you have just seems bad.  You know, the days that there is more paper for recycling than left in the notepad to write on.  When your ideas become an ongoing game of hoops with the trashcan.  When you want so desperately to pour out idea after idea…or even just one good idea, but the only thing overflowing is the growing pile of papers around the makeshift hoop.

Yesterday was one of those days.  I tried writing several different blog posts.  I tried several different topics.  Nothing.  Well, nothing good at least.  I think that’s almost more frustrating that just not having ideas at all.  Nothing will make you wanna quit more than bad idea after bad idea.

But as I was sitting there tossing more and more imaginary paper balls in for bank shot after bank shot it hit me how amazing it is that God isn’t like that.  He isn’t just sitting around trying to brainstorm ideas for our lives.  We are not just a crumpled up wad of paper that He tried and failed with.  You were created out of love.  Perfectly made how He wanted to make you.  He poured Himself into you as a masterpiece of art.  If only we could always see ourselves through His eyes.

Maybe you are having one of those days like me that every idea is filed under “T” for Trash.  Maybe you feel like you only have those days.  No matter how much you fail today His love for you doesn’t change.  He still loves the amazing creation that He put together in you.

Every night as I check on my almost 4 month old daughter I take some time and pray for her. I pray for health. I pray for safety. I pray for sleep! I pray for strength and guidance as her daddy to raise her right. I thank God for her. It’s easy. She’s my baby girl! It comes natural. I don’t struggle at all to pray for her.

But as I was praying for her last night I realized that I have not been following Jesus’ words. In Matthew 5 Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those that hurt you. I’m not doing that. There is a boy (maybe even not born yet) out there that right now is my enemy. As terrible as that is to say, I am NOT ok with the fact that my baby girl is gonna have boyfriends and one day get married. She is my little baby that has mommy and daddy as her whole world! Any boy that wants to mess that up is not a friend of mine…right now. I mean that’s down right persecution if you ask me! Dang boys.

So I realized as painful as it may be, I should be praying for all of her future and that includes boys. I am told to love my future son-in-law and pray for all those boyfriends that are gonna hurt my heart (and possibly earn a plot of land in our backyard). It’s not easy. I don’t wanna go there. I don’t wanna be ok with that. But I have to. Jesus told me to.

It’s time to man up.

What about you? Who are you supposed to be praying for that you are struggling to bring up with God?