Page 59 of 96

Feel The Burn!

06/24/2005 / Blake

Have you even been somewhere (lake, beach, waterpark, working outside) and knew by midday that you were frying your body in the heat of the sun. But then you had a choice whether to put a shirt on, get in the shade and stay out of the fun OR you could keep having fun, but know that you’d be partially miserable later because of a sunburn?

Let’s just say that I’m partially miserable right now. It’s 5a.m. and I’m up because I had to go to the bathroom and replenish some H2O not long ago and now can’t get back to sleep because of some sunburned shoulders/face. Good fun!

But Geyser Falls with Russian kids is a time to remember. And on the ride there you can find what songs bridge the international communication barrier. It seems that the “Woo Hoo” song (you know it, Woo hoo, woo hoo hoo) and the theme from Mission Impossible were there faves. My good old Zen Micro was rocking the van all the way there. But we rode back in a suburban w/ a faulty tape deck, so the adapter didn’t work.

Here’s to hoping I go to sleep soon so I can get up and buy a house in a matter of hours!

The weekend that was

06/20/2005 / Blake

We were supposed to leave in the middle of VBS Friday to head north to Tupelo. We’d been gone on Addison’s birthday to the beach and Bev’s parents wanted to have something for her. I’m not sure why it mattered that we were at the beach because otherwise we’d have been at home instead of up in Tupelo. But oh well. I think part of it had to do with the fact that we didn’t stay in Tupelo any the last time we visited up there. We stayed at my grandmother’s instead…for good reason. More on that later.

Anyhow, Friday was the last day of VBS and Addison had been having the best time, so we didn’t want her to miss the last day. I took her up there and Bev was supposed to come up later and we’d leave together. Around 10 or so I’m up in my office and hear Bev and Jenny running in the gym calling for my name, kinda frantic. I poke my head out and look down in the gym. Bev yells up that Addie fell and hurt her head, and then I see her teacher carrying her and she’s crying loud. I can tell there’s blood, but nothing much else.

I run down there and then see her entire left side of her face awash in blood. Looks like it could be nasty. I wonder if it’s a cut, where is it, did she smash in her eye bone (orbital?) or what? But then they pull back a towel and I see it’s a gash above her left eye. With some blotting and wiping I see it’s not that big but will probably need some stitches or butterfly. Turns out she’d been running to snack time, tripped over something and headbutted the concrete sidewalk. Hard!

I pick her up and we walk to a clinic that’s just across the street. Despite the half full waiting room they take us on back because she’s covered in blood. She’s stopped crying on the walk over and now was being a tough girl. I was quite impressed. She can be a whiner sometimes, but this really wasn’t one of them. Her main concern was that she had gotten blood on her new VBS shirt. After waiting a while for the cut to deaden the pain, the doc came in and poked it a few times w/ the syringe and then sewed it up. Two stiches. And a bright band-aid for good measure.

Then on to Tupelo. We get there and then family finally starts arriving. Loads and loads. I try to stay out of the way. After the dust settles and the smoke from too many cigarettes disperce we start to wind down. The baby finally goes to sleep, then after looking at my wife’s aunt’s new home, we go to bed. But it’s not good sleep. The baby doesn’t sleep well, we don’t sleep well. And there an invisible haze of her dad’s cigarettee smoke in the house, even though he only smokes in his office which is connected to the laundry room. I think our bedding sat in there for a few weeks before it got on our bed. Horrible.

After what seemed like forever, we leave the next afternoon and make it back home to the final week in our rental house. Some youth came over to play some cards, then it was time to hit the sack after they left.

Louie: Goodbye, 7|22

06/17/2005 / Blake

Louie Giglio has been my favorite communicator of God’s truth for quite a while. You could go listen to him at http://www.722.net for the past few years. Nearly a message a week during the school year. But I saw an announcement on the site the other day. Kinda unexpected, but not really surprising. Here’s the deal.

To all on the 7|22 journey:

Ten years ago 7|22 was just a dream, a fledgling idea resonating in the hearts of a few of us who longed to see the fresh wind of worship pulse through the streets of Atlanta. Somehow, in the providence of God, I was privileged to be standing in that moment, one of the early initiators of 7|22 who were willing to follow the gentle whisper of God’s voice and step into the unknown with Him. Before we had a name, we had a vision. And before we ever met for the first time we believed we were on to something special. As it turns out, God had a whole lot more in store than even we imagined.

Thus, most Tuesdays since 1995 have found me leaning into the 7|22 vision with an amazing team of fellow servants, longing to bring through the door a message that would make God happy and spur us on to lives that reflect His glory.

As you might know, 7|22 began with a six-week trial that spring, tumultuous days which brought my father’s passing and, later that summer, significant staff turmoil at the church where we began. The resulting staff changes left 7|22 homeless before it really had an official beginning, but soon doors opened for us to meet at another church and 7|22 officially began. And what a ride it has been!

The 7|22 story is a God-story, one bigger than any one person and one that defies simple explanation. Having a front row seat for all that He has done has been a priceless treasure, something for which I will always be filled with thanks and joy.

For a while now I’ve been sensing that still, small voice, gently calling and preparing me for a turn in the road. Of course it didn’t make sense to me that God would ask me to step away from something as successful as 7|22, a place where I could not only serve the city, but connect with the lives of people in places all around the globe. I mean, how many people can drive 13 minutes from their house every week and speak into the lives of people on every continent? Ten thousand communicators would give anything for the chance to do that. Me included!

But, best I can tell, that gentle whisper I’ve been hearing is the voice of the Shepherd. He’s the same Son of God who has in times past led me down interesting and somewhat risky paths. (Though there is no risk when God is in the equation, sometimes you have to take that step before you know for sure that He is!) Yet Jesus has never disappointed me when I have chosen to follow Him. Rather, He has always surprised me with much more than I could have ever dreamed. So, in light of Who He is, and how He has led me in the past, I am saying yes to Him and embracing the fact that my season at 7|22 is coming to a close.

During the ten years that preceded 7|22 I taught every Monday night as a part of a campus ministry Shelley and I launched in 1985. If my math’s right, that’s twenty years of speaking every week throughout the school year, something I have thrived on, poured my heart into and cherished. But, after two decades, taking a break from the routine of teaching on a weekly basis actually feels like a healthy step, one that I trust will allow me to continue to serve well in the next seasons of life.

Many of you have asked what’s next for me. Interestingly, the answer is, “What I am already doing is next.” My primary calling for the past 10 years has been (and continues to be) Passion Conferences and its offshoot, sixstepsrecords. It’s this Passion team I go to work with everyday and the Passion mission I am so humbled to lead. Because of my visibility with 7|22, most people assume that I am on staff at NPCC, and in some ways I have been sort of “quasi-staff” for a while now. But while NPCC is our church home, and a place I am honored to serve, my work address is Passion Conferences.

Like 7|22’s, Passion’s future is bright and emerging—a full time, year around endeavor. So in the days to come I’ll continue to do what I have been doing every day, seeking to lead well a movement of college students living for His fame. Passion’s office house is here, so I will still be living and working in Alpharetta. And I’ll still be around NPCC—worshipping, serving and speaking for Andy when the opportunity arises.

It would be impossible to fully express my thanks to those I have been privileged to walk beside on the 7|22 team, especially 7|22 founder Bill Willits, and in these recent years 7|22 Directors Billy Phenix and Joel Thomas. And I will miss the joy of sharing leadership with my friends in the 7|22 band, guys I love and respect so much.

And to each of you who have been a part of 7|22, thank you for allowing me to share a part of your journey during the past ten years. For that opportunity, I consider myself one of the most fortunate people in the world.

I will miss seeing your faces every week, but will not stop praying for you and cheering on the cause of 7|22!

Louie Giglio
Passion Conferences
PO Box 5
Roswell, GA 30077
www.268generation.com

Friday's Feast #52

06/17/2005 / Blake

Appetizer
What’s one word or phrase that you use a lot?
Indeed.
Soup
Name something you always seem to put off until the last minute.
Um, you name it! I’m that kind of guy.
Salad
What was the last great bumper sticker you saw?
Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?
Main Course
If you could be invisible for one day, how would you spend your time?
Being blind. I’d not have a retina for the light to shine on, therefore I’d be sightless.
Dessert
Describe your hair.
In need of a cut, by my standards. Used to be fine, beginning to get course. A few stray white ones. You gotta look.

For some reason….

06/17/2005 / Blake

My daughter (baby) thinks it’s important to cry for a period of time starting between 1am and 1:30am every morning. So I either lay there wishing I was already asleep. Or I wake up and wish that I was asleep. Tonight is one of those “hadn’t been to sleep yet” times. And she’s now quietened down and I’m still wide open.

I was going to read. But knew it would disturb my wife. I don’t want to read elsewhere because I know I’ll fall asleep there and spend most of the night there…be it on the couch or the guest bedroom.

But I have discovered I wish I could blog by telepethy from my bed at night. That’s where most of my thinking happens. Either there, in the shower, or while I’m driving. How awesome would that be to have the ability to “post by thought”? I bet I could make some extra cash for some high speed internet with that invention.

I need to work out. Yes, my physical body…because I’ll be going to Costa Rica in a month for some mission trip labor. But more so my spiritual muscles. I find myself telling the youth what they need to do, to learn, to study, to practice. But I only tell instead of model. How crappy has that been?

Going “home” this weekend. Addison’s birthday was held at the beach while we were on a youth trip. So the fam wants to be able to celebrate it with her. So of couse we have to make the trip up there. Back and forth in about 27 hours. How fun. Guess who gets to do all the driving? Guess who’ll be sleeping. That’s right…the same person who’s sleeping right now!

VBS is over tomorrow. It’s been really fun. Look forward to it each day, actually. And it’s been like Christmas all week for Addie. She’s loved the people, the music, the fun, the games, the snacks, the movies, the crafts…everything. It’s been more than good getting to work with all the various teenagers who’ve been helping out as well.

Lose, Rebels, lose!

06/16/2005 / Blake

I am not writing this to gloat. But the Mississippi Rebels lost last Monday to Texas to finally end their run in baseball. I’m glad of it. But I guess I’m a bit jealous too because MSU had been out of it for a week already.

I make no appologies for being a Bulldog fan and always hoping UM loses. But I got a funny voice message on my phone. One of my greatest friends who is a Bulldog is married to a Rebel. He asked me if I was pulling for Texas as much as he was. He said he and his wife were sitting on the couch watching the game and she was yelling for Mississippi and he was yelling for Texas. He thought it was too funny. I laughed just as much myself.

Batman Begins

06/16/2005 / Blake

Tonight was the night. Batman Begins opened and I went with a handful of friends from church. Actually it was a group of college students, three high school grads, and two high school students….and me. I’m probably 10 years older than the oldest person there. But oh well.

It was a good movie. I could tell from the trailers that it was much less “cartoony” than the previous ones. I saw only a few of them until the plastic nature of the movies really turned me off. But even with more realism, it still threw a few silly punches with corney punch lines that were more than predictable. But it still captures the attention of the audience and keeps you interested. The bad guys are bad enough. And we watch Bruce Wayne wrestle with the demons of his past. Katie Holmes plays the eye candy, I mean love interest, but there’s no depth of character there. Christian Bale does a pretty successful job at giving us a peek into Bruce Wayne’s personal turmoil…much better than Val Kilmer or George Clooney.

Go see it. It’s worth it. And the big screen will do it much more justice than your living room television. Oh, and the good guys win!

Life as I know it

06/15/2005 / Blake

To be honest, I have nothing to write.

I want to write, but I just stare at the screen. So I guess I’ll write about my life. No one really reads this. Only two people right now other than me. So I’ll take a dive and then maybe clean it up later.

But I belive I’ve been called to a life of purpose. I guess I believe we all have, but I’m confident that I have been. But the word purpose has become so cliche lately. I read most of Purpose Driven Church, then Purpose Driven Youth Ministry. Both were good books that had lots of meat in them. But then Purpose Driven Life came out, and while still a great book, it made “purpose driven” a phrase that is now cliche.

But I think I have a problem in that I’m not that driven. Again, I believe fully that God has a plan and purpose for me. I also believe that He wants to use me to accomplish things. His things. Things for His Kingdom. Now this is not because I’m Mr. Big Stuf or anything, but just that He wants to work through me for HIS purposes: purposes that are scattered among family, relationships, ministry/work, intercessory prayer, being a witness, etc.

But lots of times I think I get in the way of Him. Not that little me can thwart Big God. But that I don’t live up to my calling. I let my laziness, my apathy, my low self esteem, my poor time management screw things up. I seem to aim at getting by too much.

Getting by is not what I’ve been called to. The dude that burried his “talent” in the dirt until the Master got back was just hoping to “get by”. And the Master called him wicked! That’s harsh. And the Master took away that money and gave it to the guy who was sticking his neck out and trying to increase the gifts given by the Master.

Why am I scared? Why won’t I admit I’m scared unless it’s late at night? What have I to fear if the Lord is with me? Nothing. If He’s called me to do something, then won’t He be with me in the thick of things? Even if I mess up or falter, will He not uphold me with His right hand? Of course He will! Sheesh!

So if you get to read this before I get scared of being transparent and delete this…pray for me. Pray that I have some personal revival. I need to spend a lot of time, one on one, with the Master. I need to let Him share His wisdom with me. But I need to make sure I make the time to do that. I want to crawl up into His lap and just let Him hold me. That’s so much more important that the things I busy my life with.

Sunday Brunch

06/12/2005 / Blake

1) What is your favorite board game?
Probably RISK or PENTE
2) What type of games are your favorite? (ie, board, card, participatory, dice, word games)
RISK and PENTE are both some strategy games that take some thinking. But BALDERDASH and CRANIUM on the other hand are great games to play with a group of friends.
3) How many games do you own, and if possible, list them.
Probably only a dozen or so now. Monopoly, M-State-opoly, Pictionary, Balderdash, TriBond, Boggle, Sorry, Risk, Life, plus some others.
4) Do you enjoy computer or video games? Which one is your favorite?
Yes. There’s not ONE favorite. Most of them can steal my attention and time away. College football and Halo on the XBox. Then games like Sim City or Civ III or Age of Empires or Tropico or role playing games.
5) Describe a great childhood memory of an outside game.
Capture the flag is always a treat if you have other people who take it seriously as well.

Being a dad

06/12/2005 / Blake

Being a dad isn’t really all that easy. So many times it’s fun though. But it sure can be frustrating too. You watch other kids act up and other parents do their thing. You take your cues and hints from them: do it like this, but not like that sort of thing. But when you try to put your own game plan into place, it never seems to work out just perfectly.

Sometimes it goes surprisingly well. Othertimes it seems that nothing works at all.

But I do think my four year old (freshly four) is better acting than most kids, but still can be a little unruley sometimes. Or whiney. Why does a whine bother me so much? Probably because I used to be so great at whining too. And now I guess she is. I’m not a “fan” of corporal punishment”, but will use it. Some frown at that, but oh well. She understands a good pop from a paint stirring stick.

The other weekend we had some friends to stay with us from out of town. Nineteen month old boy. Was a good boy, but would fuss sometimes to no end. Didn’t want to eat that?, “whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Didn’t want to come away from the sliding door?, “Whaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Something in the universe didn’t go he way?, “Whhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!” And not a long, punctuated WHA!, but a 5 minute one. I mean, c’mon, pop that kid!

I guess I see it as giving them some vitamins now so they don’t have to take their medicine later, if you know what I mean. Some people would say we’re too strict. Some would say we’re too loose. I guess it’s all relative. But I do want to be the best dad possible to my two kids.