Sunday, January 20, 2008

Many thoughts

When I skip blogging for a week I sometimes do these blogs that are just short paragraphs reflecting what's on my mind.  

I don't get into football too much until the NFL playoffs.  Today I had football on while I did some reading, hanging out with a friend, etc.  Anne slept all day since she worked all night.  The Patriots game was pretty standard, not a bad game at all.  What was a freakin' blast to watch, what I really got into, was Giants/Packers!  I don't really have a favorite team, but I do have respect for both of the Manning's.  I sensed heart in all the guys on the Giants' team.  They're on the road, in subzero temps (I've been there and know how bitter it is), against a good Packers team, and they did it.   I appreciated how they gave Lawrence Tynes that 3rd chance to prove himself in OT--I must admit I was annoyed with him the first two times.  Glendale, AZ should be interesting.  Just have to find someone with an HDTV...

Is anybody else annoyed by Terry Bradshaw?  

Switching topics, call me irresponsible, lazy, etc., but I was doing some mandatory reading for tomorrow morning's small group while watching football.  I realized halfway through the first chapter that I was totally shortchanging myself if I moved on this week without seriously reading this chapter again, perhaps more than once.  It's the first chapter of Brennan Manning's (no relation to Eli or Peyton) Abba's Child.  The words that I read there are the exact, I mean EXACT, thing that I have been wrestling with for most of my life, and from what he says, I'm far from alone.  Here's a sample: "God's sorrow lies in our refusal to approach Him when we have sinned and failed."  

Anne and I don't have much money saved up, we're actually just finishing paying off a little bit of credit card debt.  Even so, we're seriously looking for a house.  In Orlando, $200,000 buys a modest 3/2 in a less-than-spectacular neighborhood.  If I wanted to live by my parents in Amarillo, it would probably buy 10+ acres and a 3000 sq ft house (just guessing).  Nevertheless, this week has been about trusting in God, putting faith in Him and seeing him work.  So as we continue to look, and consider the complexity of the situation, all the issues involved, etc., we ask you to pray with us that we'll find the right house.  Pray also that the money we need to put down will be there when we need it to be.  Ideally, we would have $20,000 to put down.  Right now we have about $2000.  

Two AWESOME events coming for Grace on Sundays in the next few weeks (there are many other awesome things and non-sunday events currently taking place at Grace).   First, the 5 year anniversary of the church will be an awesome worship experience, where we'll make some big modifications to our worship environment for that morning.  If you love unhindered, radical, spirit-filled, honest, Godward worship music, you won't want to miss that day.  It's gonna be awesome.    

The other event is EASTER SUNDAY, March 23.  I believe, pray, trust and hope that Grace is going to a whole new level that day.  It is going to be an event by far unprecedented at Grace, and will impact the core of Orlando.  I'm not letting the cat out of the bag, but Friday was a great day for me as we sort of sealed the deal on our plan being a go. As a certain redneck Georgia pastor once said, "It's gonna rock your FACE OFF!" 

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