My Movie Favorites of 2006

In no particular order, here are my favorite movies of 2006, with a few that I'm looking forward to seeing over the holidays.

1.) Happy Feet
2.) March of Penguins
3.) Cars
4.) Invincible
5.) Curious George
6.) Nativity Story
7.) RV (I thought is was very funny!)


Worst Movie: A Prairie Home Companion
One I want to see but it didn't come to Salt Lake: Facing the Giants

Looking forward to seeing:

Last King of Scotland
Pursuit of Happiness
Eargon
We Are Marshall
Charlotte's Web
Facing the Giants

Best Movie I saw on DVD: Broken Trail.

Biggest Disappointment: DiVinci Code

Any one's I've missed?

Books I'm looking forward to reading in 2007

Cody asked about books that I'm looking forward to reading in 2007. Here is that list! Please share your list! (I always seem to have more books than I have time!)

1.) Uprising by McManus
2.) Simple Christians by NT Wright
3.) 360 Degree Leader by John Maxwell
4.) Unlearning Church by Michael Slaughter
5.) Prayer by Philip Yancey
6.) It Came From Within by Andy Stanley
7.) The Emotionally Healthy Church by Peter Scazzero
8.) Life on the Vine by Philip Kenneson

Tomorrow: My favorite movies of 2006 and ones that I'm looking forward to seeing!

Best Books in 2006

Here is a list of the best books I've read in 2006:

1.) "Put Your Heart Into It" by Howard Schultz
2.) "7 Practices of Effective Ministry" Ministry by Andy Stanley
3.) "Praying God's Word" by Beth Moore
4.) "Getting Things Done" by David Allen
5.) "Communicating For A Change" by Andy Stanley
6.) "The Present Future" by Reggie McNeil
7.) "The Alchemist" by Paul Coelho
8.) "Like A Shepherd Lead Us" by M. Love, Charles S., David Fleer

Tried to come up with a "top ten" but these were the books that made an impact on me during the year. What are your favorite books of 2006?

building a resume or legacy?

I like the discussion that Mark Sanborn has in his book "You Don't Need A Title To Be A Leader". The comparison is as follows:

Resume - What you've accomplished - Legacy -- What you've contributed
Resume - Results; Legacy -Relationships
Resume - Money you've made Legacy: The difference you've made
Resume - The impression you leave Legacy: The impact you have
Resume - Your career Legacy -- your organization, family, and community
Resume self-improvement Legacy: helping others improve

let's add some of our own;

Resume - building a big church Legacy: making disciples
Resume - developing a name for self Legacy: glorifying God
Resume - relying of self relying Legacy: relying on Holy Spirit
Resume - pleases men Legacy: pleases God


He asks the question: are you building a strong resume or preparing to leave a lasting legacy?

My Space; Oh, My!

My space has become the gathering place for millions of people; especially teens. They post pictures of themselves - along with descriptions of themsevles. Each person then has people labeled as "friends" who can have access to their information.

We keep a close watch over our daughter's activity on my space. Not every parents does - you outta see the pictures that are posted! Oh, my!

So, here's my question - my daugther recently showed me a picture of a teen that we used to know (has moved from Salt Lake a few years ago) - I was pretty shocked by what I saw. I young lady in her underware stiking a pose with the words "riske business". Do I call her parents and tell them?

I recently had a phone call from a concerned parent about the content of "Christian" teens on my space. She hasn't called me back; I don't know if they have the issues resolved.

A lot of sexual preditors use my space as a hunting ground. Question: what should parents do? What is the church's role?

McFadden for Heisman!

It was just announced that Darren McFadden, running back for the University of Arkansas, has been invited to New York City as a finialist for the Heisman Trophy. Troy Smith, the quarterback from Ohio State, should walk away with the trophy, but this is the first time that a Razorback has finished in the top three. Next year, he should go into the season as the Heisman favorite! WPS!

Just started reading "The Collectors" by David Baldacci. I love a good novel and Baldacci always delivers. I'm also reading "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John Maxwell.
I've read bits and pieces of this great book but now I'll read it all the way through. I love a good book on leadership. Have a favorite book on leadership?

At the beginning of next year, Southside will begin a search for an associate minister. If you know of a good guy that is interested in ministry outside the Bible belt, please have them contact me early next year. After all, you get to work with me!

Thanksgiving, Managers Vs. Leaders

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We, along with the Osborn's, always host people who are far away from their families. And in Utah, that can be a long list! We've had as many as 44, although this year we only had 21.

The Hogs vs. LSU was a great game! For some reason LSU just has our number. Two bright spots: Darren McFadden & Felix Jones both had monster games (should make McFadden #2 in the Heisman voting) and we are still in the SEC Championship game with Florida. Arkansas has yet to win an SEC championship, so this could be the first!

Been reading "You Don't Need a Title To Be A Leader" by Mark Sandborn. I love his discussion of leaders versus managers:

Managers have employees. Leaders win followers
Managers react to change. Leaders create change
Mangagers have good ideas. Leaders implement them
Managers communicate. Leaders persuade.
Managers direct groups. Leaders create teams.
Managers take credit. Leaders take responsibility.

Another list is the difference between "others" and leaders:

Others tell. Leaders sell
Others impress. Leaders influence.
Others try to be heard. Leaders strive to be understood.
Others explain. Leaders energize.
Others inform. Leaders inspire.
Others relay only facts. Leaders tell stories.

Seems to me that, in the church anyway, we have more "managers" than leaders. The church today needs leadership!!! The church needs bold faithfilled leaders who are sold out to bringing in the reality of the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Does your church have honest to goodness leaders? Are YOU a leader or a manager?

A Heisman? Headed to Atlanta?

Its good to see Darren McFadden, running back for the Arkansas Razorbacks, climbing the Heisman list. A Razorback has never won the Heisman. Right now, I believe that McFadden is third in the straw voting.

The Razorbacks look like a strong canditate for a BCS bowl, possibly in the Sugar Bowl. Gotta take care of business in Starkville, then face a tough game with LSU in the Rock (Little Rock). As they say, there is a lot of football left. We should beat Miss State and be the West Division Champs of the SEC! That would mean a date with Florida in Atlanta. I think Florida is beatable. LSU may be the toughest game of the three.

Is it possible that we could be in the national championship game? I don't think its impossible.

It is a great time to be a Razorback!

WPS! (Wooooooooo Pig Soooie!)

The Nativity Story

Just saw a screening of the upcoming movie "The Nativity Story". I went to the movie very skeptical; had my guard up. This is the first "Christian" movie to be produced and marketed by a major studio. Would they follow the text? While not completly faithful to the text. For example, they have the Magi coming to see the Messiah before his is born when Matthew clearly states, 'After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem . . ." However, having said that, you will enjoy the movie very much. Much of the story is faithful to the text.

It is very well done. The acting is excellent. Keisha Castle-Hughes does a beautiful job of portraying a strong, believable Mary. The scenery is breath taking.I had goose bumps in the birth scene.

An absolutely stunning and faith moving film. Invite a neighbor or co-worker to see it with you. Discuss the differences in the movie and the Bible.

Five stars!

God Hears Sermons!

More on Ted Haggard . . . . I gathered today with my monthly pastor's group. Greg Johnson played the CD of the Haggard's last sermon at New Life Church. Since they preach through the Bible verse by verse, Haggard , as fate would have it, was preaching on Saul being dethroned because of his sin. Haggard says, "God will dethrone you... he still loves you as a person, but he will take away your position."

God does listen to our sermons!! Now we can add a verse to our VBS song. "Be careful little preacher, what you preach. Be careful little preacher what you preach. There's a Father up above, and He' s looking down in love, so be careful little preacher what you preach."

We had a powerful time of prayer lifting up Ted Haggard, his family, the New Life Church, and all those who are now discouraged from pursuing a life with Christ.

Remember, Jesus reinstated Peter after a huge blunder. He could do it again. Are you okay with that?

Be Careful Little Mouth

Remember the old song (we sang at VBS) that went something like, "Be careful little mouth what you say, Be careful little mouth what you say. There's a Father up above; looking down in love, so be careful little mouth what you say." Good song.

There is another saying - be careful what you pray for; you just might get it.

The Sunday before the story of Ted Haggard's story broke, before his sermon, Haggard prayed this prayer from his pulpit at New Life Chruch, "Lord, we are a week before the election. Would you expose all the lies and deception." (The sermon has been pulled from their web site). When I read that, a chill went down my spine. Haggard had also written a book for his daughters a few years ago in which he wrote a chapter about living a life free of secrets. Again - we would all be better off if we lived out the advice we give others!

I also read his letter of repentance. Someone asked the question if he was sincere. Who are we to judge that? Some have said that it's a mega church thing. Don't think so - I know of ministers in small churches who have the same kind of struggles. So, that's not it.

Haggard said that he was not accountable to anyone for the last few years. There's the problem! I don't know about you - but I can rationalize anything left to myself. That is why I've been in a pastor's accountability group the last six or seven years. We all need to be accountable to someone.

Who are you accountable to? I mean, getting below the waterline accountability? After all, aren't we called to confess our sins one to another? When was the last time to had a heart to heart with someone about your "stuff"?

Well, it's a great question. Who are you accountable to?

Be careful little hands what you do . . . . .

Subscriptions

Right now I only subscribe to two periodicals - Leadership and Discipleship Journal. Ever now and then I pick up a copy of "Pray!" when I in the local Christian book store. Well, I guess I could also count "Christian Chronicle" as one I receive.

Here's my question: What magazines do you recommend? Have any that help you, encourage you, feed you, challenge you? Now is the time to renew or cancel. Maybe its time to add a new magazine to my list? BTW - I can read Christianity Today at the library, so I don't "pay" to read it.

As you can tell by reading this blog, most of my reading is now outside the "brotherhood" of churches of Christ. Any "c of C" books that anyone can recommend? Best non "c of C" book you've read lately? (Right now I'm reading "Doing Church as a Team" by Wayne Corderio).

I've found the best books are recommended by a friends. Pass on yours!

Clergy Appreciation Month

October was clergy appreciation month. I must be getting old - I find these kind of things artifical. People feel like that "have to" appreciate the pastor because its "cleargy appreciation month". Do we really need that? I have heard somewhere that most ministers resign and go somewhere else just to feel appreciated by the congregation they are leaving. I know pastors are, for the most part, overworked and underappreciated. Like coaches - we don't get too credit for when it goes well; and too much of the blame for when it goes bad.

Just seems to be that if we are living out kingdom values that we don't need specific days to be told to appreciate someone. We'll do it day by day without having to buy a card or a present. A kind word. A handwritten note of appreciation. A thank you. Take them out for lunch just to say that you appreciate them. Have them over to your house for a night of fellowship. Spend a week praying for them by name, then send them a note to let them know that you were praying for them. Goodness, I think of a thousand ways - but the most important thing is to build others up according to their needs!

Okay, enough of that. I'm sounding like a grouchy old man. The Hogs keep on rolling. We've got a tough road game at South Carolina on Saturday. It's a national telecast by ESPN at 5:30 p.m. mountian time.

Had a meeting with our contractor on Friday night. Our simple building will cost 2.5 million dollars. We have roughly 1.2 as a downpayment. Our 6 acres of land is paid for. Question: at point are we putting too much into buildings? Is there a magic percentage that you should spend or not spend? Should we do as Barna suggests and just meet in homes?

Redeeming Love

Seems like I've been recommending a lot of books lately. My latest is that you read "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. It is a retelling of Hosea and Gomer in a western setting. Very well written. Most men don't like to read "romance" novels; however, this one is different. If may just end up having a deeper appreciation for the Biblical narrative while being entertained at the same time. If you have an older teenage daughter it would make a great Christmas gift.

Most of the books that I read come recommended by someone else, so if you have read a great book lately - pass it on!

Go Cardinals! However, we were reminded last night the last time St. Louis was leading 3-1 in the World Series, they lost 4-3. We can't declare victory just yet.

My Hogs play LA Monroe in the "Rock" on Saturday. Should be a scrimmage for the Razorbacks. After this game the schedule gets tougher - South Carolina in Columbia, then Tennessee (at Fayetteville), followed by what should be a breather (Miss. State) - then wrap up the regular season in "the Rock" with LSU. Can the Hogs win out? Or will there be one or two losses in there? I haven't been this excited about Razorback football in a long time.

Hope your tribe has a great day with the Lord on Sunday. Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour! Love that extra hour of sermon prep - oh, I mean sleep.

Communicating For a Change

Just in the past few weeks I've had a lot of comments like "Your preaching some seems really focused of late . ." or "man, I don't know what it is but your last few sermons have been awesome." Well, I'm going to give you the secret -

I've changed the way I preach. I was trained do to expository preaching. Three points and all that stuff. (Not that I have thrown that out; we still need to have balance!).

Just read the fantastic book "Communicating for a Change" by Andy Stanley. He teaches that we should have one point. One point! He outlines a sermon with: Me-We-God-You-Me. Then, ask five questions: What do they need to know? (Information) Why do they need to know it? (Movitvation) What do they need to do? (Application) Why do they need to do it? Inspiration How can I help them remember? (Reiteration).

Since I've been using this model for my sermons, the reaction has been amazing. AND, it made creating the sermon more challenging, yet rewarding when I've seen the results!

Now, I won't use it exclusively, but it will be a major tool in the tool box. I still believe that we need balance in our preaching and teaching.

Check this book out! It will help you see preaching in a whole new way by a man that I believe has a real gift in communicating to the present culture.

Get Service a huge hit!

Just started reading "Our Iceberg is Melting" - with the sub title "Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions" by John Kotter. Looks interesting. Also, a friend of mine, Tamera Alexander, has had her second novel published by Bethany House. Go and pick up a copy of "Revealed".

Facing the Giants still hasn't come to Salt Lake. In just 100 theaters, it has made a little over 3 million dollars! We may have to wait until the DVD.

The Hogs rolled again against Ole Miss. We should go into Columbia, South Calorina 7-1 and beat the Gamecocks - then, host Tennessee at Fayetteville a strong 8-1. I love the wrinkles new offensive coordinator Guz Mulzhan has installed. GHG!

The clip I used Sunday from sermonspice, "Get Service" was a huge hit!! I used it to illustrate how Jesus viewed Zaccheaus (is that spelled right?).

I preach this Sunday for our church plant in Murray,Utah. Looking forward to that.

Dave, thanks for the website idea! Looks great.

TGIF

Way to go Cards! Although the Mets put up a good fight, my red birds flew away to the World's Series. I must confess, I love the idea of the Tigers being there as well. Should be a great series. Hope it goes down to a seventh game.

Hope you had a chance to check out sermonspice website. Great stuff. Just started reading "Just Walk Across the Room" by Bill Hybels. I just love anything by Hybels. If you want to get challanged, go the the Willow Creek web site and order the DVD entitled "Leadership Test". He did the talk at one of their Leadership Summits a few years ago. He'll ask you some pretty tough questions that every leader needs to hear.

The Hogs are playing Ole Miss Saturday. Love the nickname they've given the Razorbacks backfield of Jones and McFadden, "Thunder and Lightening". GHG! (Go Hogs, Go!).

Hope your tribe has a great day Sunday! Let me know what God is doing in your midst.
BTW, anyone who wants my sermon notes and slides from our Starbucks Sunday, just give me your email address and I'll send it to you. Just go to www.southsidechurchutah.org , send me and email and I'll get it to you. Have your own Starbucks Sunday!

With God's Best, Randy

GREAT ministry resource

I've got a great worship resource for you! Since I was just put in charge of our new worship planning team (which, to be honest, I really asked for the job!). I am on the lookout for resources to help make our worship fresh. Contemporary. You know - up to date.

Well, found a tremendous resource yesterday. It's called Sermonspice. (just go to
www. sermonspice.com) Watch the video called "suppertime". We're going to use that very soon at Southside!

It seems that God gives me just want I need for a sermon at just the right time every week. Know what I mean? This week I was really struggling with how to make Zacchaeus fresh - a new slant; a new insight. Then, I found this web site through another pastor here in town, and there it was - a great little four minute video on how we see people. Man, I just love it when God does that!

Enjoy the resource. I hope it's helpful. If you know of some resources, please pass them on! It's nice to share.

Monday Morning rambling

Did anyone see the movie "One Night With The King" over the weekend? I'm thinking of going to see it - I would love to have a review. "Facing the Giants" hasn't come to Salt Lake yet. Can't wait to see it.

The Hogs are now ranked 13th! If we don't over look Ole Miss the Saturday, we'll be 7-1 heading into a game with Tennessee. Can anyone, and I don't care who, please beat USC?

Been reading "You Don't Have To Have A Title To Be A Leader" by Mark Sandborn. Great little book. Also reading "The Creative Leader" by Ed Young. (So far a disappointment but maybe it will get better). On my list to read: Uprising; Shaping of Things To Come; Just Walk Across the Room; Doing Church in Teams. What's on your list?

John Grisham's new book is out. Can't wait till I get my copy from the Salt Lake County Library. We have the best library system in the world. Love any Grisham novel.


Our worship planning team is meeting this Sunday to plan a "creative calendar" for the next six months. Looking forward to having our assemblies planned out a year in advance but we'll start with six months and see how that goes.

Questions: Can the Cards pull it out? Are the Raiders the worst team in the NFL? Can anyone beat USC? Will Peterson return for his senior season with OU? Can the Hogs win the SEC West? Does anyone care about professional soccer? Why is Friday Night Lights on Tuesday night? (The best new show on TV!)

A Third Place

If you like to read books on leadership, you've got to read "Pour Your Heart Into It" by Howard Schultz. It is the story of Starbucks as told by CEO of Starbucks. You will be inspired by Schultz's vision. A few weeks ago we had a "Starbucks Sunday" - I preached on "What the Church Can Learn From Starbucks" while serving 10 gall0ns of Starbucks in the foyer. We had the most visitors we've ever had for a invite your neighbor day! (Starbucks was wonderful to work with).

Schultz calls Starbucks is a "third place" - he says that we have work and home; we need a third place to be community (Schultz's own words). His definition of a third place: "a place where titles and status are checked at the door. A place where we just 'are'." Shouldn't the church be that third place? That was the theme of my sermon that day. Anyway, read the book. You will be inspired and fired up by Schultz's vision and boldness.

I'm in dire need of a good novel to read. Any suggestions?

N-N-Notes From Randy

Had a GREAT weekend!! Went to a Beth Moore Conference with my wife. That woman can preach, my goodness. Good to see 5,000 women (well, 4995 women and five men) gather in the E Center in Salt Lake for a Christian event. We took a group of 70 from Southside.

Then, went home to watch the Hogs destroy Auburn, 27-10. Great game. Probably saved Houston Nutt's job. Our freshman quarterback, Mitch Mustain, did an outstanding job of handing off to America's best backfield - Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Now we are ranked for the first time since 2003. GHG! (Go hogs, Go!).

Now, I realize that I forgot to explain why I've titled the blog "n-n-notes from Randy". I have a slight stutter. (okay, that might be generous). Back when I was a youth minister in El Paso, that's what I called my space in the church bulletin. I thought it was kinda clever. Good story -- there was a church in New Mexico that copied all our artwork from our bulletin in their bulletin. Every week. When I started calling my column "n-n-notes" -- sure 'nough. In their bulletin the next week, in their church announcements, was "n-n-notes" (they had cutt off the "Randy"). Bet they had some 'splaining to do!

And oh, the Cardinals laid the Padres to rest to go to the NLCS. Go Red Birds!

Thanks Greg for sending the preview to "Facing the Giants" movie. Can't wait until it comes to Salt Lake.

A New Look!

As you can tell, it's been a while since I've written a post! Went on a two week trip to Alaska in August. Wow! Alaska was amazing! The best vacation I've ever been on. Then, two weeks became a month, a month became two . . . and before you know it - it's October 5!

I thought I would give the blog a new look. Hope you like it.

So, where do I start? There is so much to catch up on, my goodness. The Razorbacks are 3-1. But we play Auburn on Saturday, so that will be the end of that. Won't win many games in the SEC with a freshman quarterback. BUT - when Mustain gets some experience, watch out! He will be a Heisman candidate before it's all over. We will just have to take some lumkps in the meantime.

A lot of new shows I like! Friday Night Lights and Standoff my be my two favorite new shows. Still like Prison Break, Amazing Race, Survivor, Home Makeover. You have any new favorites?

Haven't been to a theater in about a month. I really want to see Facing the Giants. Isn't showing in Salt Lake yet. Anyone seen it?

I did rent "Broken Trail" a few weeks ago. Loved it. In fact, watching that encouraged me to down my DVD of Lonesome Dove. I had forgotten how good that show was. Love Robert Devull in western!

Well, it's good to be back in the swing of blogging.

Great Meeting at the Ward

The meeting at the ward went extremely well! The room was packed. Chuck Mix did a great job of presenting our plans and answering their questions. The neighborhood seems excited that we're coming - we'll, I think they're excited that we're not a 7-11 or something akin to that, but we'll take the warm reception!

Today was my last day of radiation treatments! I'm glad to have that beyond me. It takes a month to see of the skin cancer is gone. I am very grateful to all the people who work at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. They go above and beyond the call of duty. I will keep them in my prayers.

Instead of asking God to bless you today, ask Him how you can be a blessing to Him today!

Death by Meeting?

Tonight is our "town meeting" at the ward (what the Mormon's call their church buildings) next to our new property. We will explain our plans for the building and for the campus. We will also explain all the easements the city is asking for, which total around $400,000. We are hoping to get some of these issues resloved - we can't afford the extra expense. This meeting is a big step forward in getting us to the point of breaking ground.

Reading "Death by Meeting" by Patrick Lencioni. Great book for all who dread "meetings". I offer this quote:
"Imagine hearing a surgeon saying to a nurse before surgery: 'If I didn't have to operate on people, I might actually like this job.' Or a symphony conductor preparing for a performance: 'If it weren't for these concerts, I would enjoy my work more.' Or even a professional baseball player: 'I'd love my job if I didn't have to play in these games.'
Ridiculous, right? But that's exaclty what we're doing when we lament our meetings.
think about it this way. For those of us who lead and manage organizations, meetings are pretty much what we do.
And yet most of us hate them. We complain about, try to avoid, and long for the end of meetings, even when we're running the darn things!
And so my question is this: If we hate meetings, can we be making good decisions and successfully leading our organizations? I don't think so. There is simply no substitute for a good meeting - a dynamic, passionate, and focused engagement - when it comes to extracting the collective wisdom of a team. The hard truth is, bad meeting almost always lead to bad decisions, which is the best recipe for mediocrity.
But there is hope. By taking a contrarian, nontraditional view of meetings, and following a few specific guidelines, we can transform what now is painful and tedious into something productive, compelling, and even energizing."
One thing I really love about our leaders here at Southside - we know how to have a great meeting. Great meetings are important! How are the meetings at your church or business?

Cell Phone vs. Bible

Our Carnival in the Park went great! Lots of people working together to make it happen! My wife sent this to me today and I thought I would pass it on to you:


Cell Phone vs. Bible
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phones?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it as we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?
What if we upgraded it to get the latest version?
This is something to make you go, "Hmmm... where is my Bible?"
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't ever have to worry about our Bible being disconnected, because Jesus already paid the bill!

Well, only one night of VBS to go! About 150 people packed out little building last night learning about Jesus! Here, the pit crew is getting the kids registered for the Amazing Race! In the other picture, the auditorium becomes filled with children singing those VBS songs! During snack time you can have a "pit stop" for a great snow cone. Tomorrow is the Carnival in the Park. Should be a lot of fun!

My recommendation for the week: Call the Richland Hills Church of Christ in Ft.Worth,TX and order the DVD of Rick Atchley's "United Kingdom #3: Learning Division". It is one of THE best teachings on unity that I have ever heard. It will challenge you. It will insire you. And, it just might make you think. In fact, I bet if you ordered the whole series you couldn't go wrong!

Just started a new book on leadership entitled, "It's Your Ship". The book tells the story of Capt. D. Micheal Abrashoff and how he turned the USS Benfold into a model of naval efficiency. Came highly recommended by Bill Hybels. I'll let you know if its worth reading.

Well, gotta go. Time to get the gospel chariot rolling.

Had a fun day at church yesterday! For the sermon I got all the kids to come down and sit down on the floor with me and we talked to them about the importance of loving others from the movies "Cars". Oh, boy - you never know what children will say! (Old enought to remember "House Party" with Art Linkletter? Yeah). They enjoyed; the congregation enjoyed it; I enjoyed - and I think the Lord smiled as well. It was a good reminder that church is for the children, too! You should have seen their eyes light up with I put a picture of Lightning McQueen on the screen! That was priceless.
This week is Vacation Bible School. Our theme is "The Amazing Race". We don't use those pre-canned VBS kits. Oh, no! We write everything ourselves - which is half the value of doing it! A lot of good bonding time. Gets a lot of people involved.
We'll wrap up the week on Thursday night with Carnival in the Park. We went blow ups; grill hot dogs and hamburgers, have game booths, rock climbing, etc. (This year we hope to have a race care on display!). Usually about 400 folks show up! This year we're having it right next to where our new building will be located - so we're inviting the surrounding communities to come and join us. No telling how many we'll have this year! I'm hoping for 600!
Hopefully, I'll get some pictures tonight and post them on this blog to show you VBS Southside style!

Met A Hero of Mine!

Friday night I attended the Rocky Mountian Review. The RMR is a summer league sponsored by the NBA for teams to let their rookies get a taste of the transistion to pro ball and for some free agents to make a good impression and land a spot on a team.
Anyway, I went mainly to see Ronnie Brewer who was drafted in the first round by the Jazz. Brewer played his college ball at Arkansas. He is the son of Ron Brewer, one of the famed "triplets", who led Arkansas' rise to basketball power in 1974-1978. He is one of my sports heroes.
Well, at halftime of the game I walked into the hallway. (I was wearing a Razorback hat and shirt). I heard a voice say, "I like that shirt". I looked up - it was Ron Brewer! Holy Cow!
I said, "Hey, Ron. You d' man!" Then I said, "You remember that poster of you, Moncrief and Delph with the caption "chairman of the Board" on it? Got that down in my basement."
He smiled and said, "Me, too!"
"Should I be worried 'bout my Hogs next year?"
"Nope. Don't be worried. They'll be alright! Stan Heath is a great recruiter. They'll be just fine."
"It was great to talk with you. It's great to have you and Ronnie in Utah."
"Glad to be here." he said. Then I went back to my seat.
Boy, that was a great night. Oh, and Ronnie had a great game, too! The Jazz won by 20 points. For a old Hog fan, it was a night to remember.
Have you ever met one of your heroes?

A quote from Leonard Sweet's book "Out of the Question and Into the Mystery" I'd like to share with you:

"We know how to save the world. We just realize that we know what we know. The way to save the world is not through more rules to live by, but through right relationships to live for.
To save the world we need something more biblical than higher standards. We need higher relationships. We need less to be "true to our principles" and much more to be true to our relationships. To save the world we don't need the courage of our convictions. We need the courage of our relationships . . . especially the courage of a right relationship with the Creator, the creation, and our fellow creatures. Our problem with reaching the world is that we've made rules more important than relationship.
Western Christianity is largely belief based and church focused. The Jesus trimtab, in contrast, is relationship based and world focused. It is less invested in maintaining and growing an institution and more invested in Jesus' passion for saving the world.
We have yanked ourselves from the soil of relationship with God so we can do the work of tidying things up. We are now sanitized and correct, factual and precise, but tragically bereft of relationship. We are disconnected from our source so that we have become sterile. We may be doctrinally correct, but we have become spiritual cadavers."
Challenging words to be sure. Let us be about loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Half Way Through!

Well, I'm halfway through the radiation treatments. So, tomorrow I'm bringing the staff some Krispy Kreme's. They are a wonderful team of people who are dedicated to what they do. (They gave me a 7:30 a.m. appointment, which is thirty minutes before they open, just so I could go to Boise yesterday to take the preteens to camp! That's what I call going above and beyond the call of duty!)

Went to Boise, Idaho and back yesterday. Help take the pre-teens to camp. It makes for a long day (a 14 hour round trip). Ed Farr always makes the trip with me. We tap the day off with supper at Maddox! (It's the best resturant in the whole state, in my humble but accurate opinion). This year our wives drove up (about an hour and fifteen minute drive from Salt Lake) and joined us! It was a great way to wrap the trip!

VBS prep is in full swing! Lots going on this week. It always seems to come together some how.

Catching up: Loved "Pirates"! Someone complained that it didn't have an ending. HELLO! It's the midde of a trilogy for cryin' out loud! Still, I thought it was very funny with lots of action. Looking forward to part 3 next summer.

Several movies in the trailers looked pretty good. "Grid Iron" and "Invincible" caught my eye. Any other movie(s) that you are looking forward to seeing?

Really enjoying reading "The Five Disfunctions of a Team". Reads kinda like a novel. (Lencioni refers to it as fable).

Our Guest Services Ministry is really getting cranked up. Yesterday we revealed our "chair Bibles" - new Bibles placed in the backs of our chairs. Now when I preach on a text, I'll just say the page number so anyone who is not familiar with the Bible (which a lot of our first time guests are not) can simply turn to it and follow along. We also revealed our "Ask Me!" badges. Several people, who will be trained, will wear the badge on Sundays. They will answer questions which our guests may have. We always have greeters at the doors when people come in for assembly. Now, we will also have "exit" greeters for people leaving our assembly! I really like that.

The best thing that I'm exicted about is the fact that each of our guests will be followed up in some way 48 hours following our assemblies!

I need a good novel to read. Anyone have a summer read to recommend?

Weekend is Here!

Went to see the funniest movie that I've seen in a long time a few days ago! Go see "RV" with Robin Williams. In Salt Lake it is on at the dollar theater. Very, very funny movie with a great point to make about family! I haven't laughed that hard and that often in a movie for I can't remember when.

Looking forward to seeing "Dead Man's Chest" (Pirates, part 2) tonight. Got the tickets yesterday and the Clay Clan is all fired up.

Just saw the DVD of Jeff Walling's presentation at the North America Christian Convention. You gotta see it! Many are calling it an historical occasion in the relationship between churches of Christ and the indpendent Christian churches. Boy, I hope so! The DVD is very moving. Jerry Lewis (love that name!), from The Point Christian Church, brought it by for me to see. A few years ago he and I swapped churches for a day when he was at Southeast Christian here in Salt Lake. That was a lot of fun. Hope we do it again soon!

Well, I'm almost half way through my radiation treatments. May be the most expensive "tan" I'll ever get! So far, so good.

Hope you have a great weekend. Take a Sabbath day! Unplug. Unwind. It'll do you good.

Sweet!

Just starting a new book. If Leonard Sweet is as good as writer as he is speaker, I'm in for a real treat. The book is entitled, "Out Of The Question and Into The Mystery". On the jacket he writes:
Christianity isn't founded on a proposition. God sent Jesus to deliver a proposal: "Will you love me? Will you let me love you?"
In fact, Jesus not only got down on his knees to deliver this proposal. He was nailed to a cross to deliver it. Because of Jesus, we can reach for God himself, not simply for more precise statements about God.
Propositions inform us, but God's proposal of love in Jesus transforms us. God doesn't answer every question; God invites us into a mystery.

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I'll keep you informed.

The Clay Clip Joint

Was giving my dog Saturn, a Jack Russell terrier, a haircut yesterday. I hate to pay someone forty bucks to clip him, so I bought some clippers at Costco thirteen years ago so I could do it myself. Up until now I figured that I have saved a lot of money. Yesterday I was trimming his face with the scissors when he suddenly turned his head - the scissors cut right into my left hand thumb (which I was using to hold him still). After bleeding for a few hours, I went to an instant care and got four stitches! Ouch! Not a grat way to start the fourth. Although yesterday was a pretty expensive clip, I figure that I'm still way ahead.

Got a question. Gas grill or the old fashion charcoal kind? Can you tell a difference in the taste? My wife says "no, you can't tell the difference," to which I say, "Bull butter! You can tell the difference!" I'm just too lazy to light the coals, wait for them to turn white hot and grill. (Not to mention the clean up.) I must confess, I prefer charcoal. Any comments?

Have a great fourth of July. And thank God for the freedoms we enjoy!

Superman Returns

Just saw "Superman Returns". Wow! I was blown away by the spiritual messages all throughout the movie. Rebirth, redemption, the world needing a savior, sacrifice, resurrection, - are just the ones that I can think of right now. Again, Hollywood has given us a great parable of the Christian message.
I would highly recommend this movie! Take a friend. Go out for coffee and discuss some of the themes. If you are preacher - go see the movie; jot down the themes; go to Google images and type in "superman returns"; find the pictures that fit the themes you are preaching on - and see the young people get excited about the revelance of the gospel!
Two thumbs up!

Earl Is Coming

I've heard the rumors for weeks and now it is official - Earl Scruggs is coming to Salt Lake City, Thursday night, July 27! Oh, baby! Here's the best part - it's free!! He is a part of the twighlight concert series at the Galavin Center in downtown Salt Lake. Show stars at 7 p.m., I'll be there at 7 a.m. to stake out my place.
Scruggs developed the three finger style of playing the five string banjo. In fact, today it is refered to as "Scruggs style" picking. He is best known for the "Beverly Hillibillies" theme and "Foggy Mountian Breakdown" (theme of "Bonnie & Clyde" movie). For years he was part of one of the most famous teams in bluegrass history - Flatt & Scruggs.
He is now about 82 years old and can still pick the fire out of that thing. He is the best banjo player that has ever lived. He is the "master". He is the standard by which every banjo player judges themselves.
If you live anywhere near Salt Lake, be there on July 27th. It will be a night to remember. If you hear a wild man down on the front row, it'll be me.

Jazzed about the NBA draft!

I was really surprised that Ronnie Brewer, a shooting guard from the University of Arkansas, was still available as the 14th pick in last night's NBA draft. He was said to be going as high as 7th. Being a Razorback fan, I'm really Jazzed about getting Brewer. He will really add some much needed athleticism for the Jazz.

Still enjoying "Pour Your Heart Into It" by Howard Schultz. The book is the story of Starbucks. I'm not a coffee drinker but this is a great story.

One of my favorite movies just came out on DVD. "End of the Spear" is a powerful and moving true story of the first missionaries making contact with the natives of Ecuador in the 1950's. You will be inspried when, at the end of the movie, they show the real people depicted in the movie. Rent this movie!!! True stories are still more powerful than anything Hollywood can think up.

Just watched "Mormons and Mobsters". While stll doing a little preaching, the movie is pretty funny. If you are not acquainted with LDS culture, youwill not get a lot of the humor. If you are, you should enjoy the DVD.

We're gearing up for our Vacation Bible School. Our theme is "The Amazing Race" -based on the movie "Cars". We never do the pre-canned VBS kits. We go for writing our own stuff.

Pour Your Heart Into It

Got"mapped" for my radiation treatmens this past week. Had to wear this mesh mask for about 40 minutes as they did a CT scan of the cancerous skin. With my ear taped forward, the mask got tighter and tighter. I'd rather have all my teeth pulled. Oh, well. I start the treatments next Tuesday. I'll go every day for 4 weeks.
Tommorow the sermon is "A Sheep Looks at the 23rd Psalm". This was my "tryout" sermon at Southside in the fall of '92. Several who have not heart it asked me preach it again. So, the pressure is on!
Been reading an awesome book on business called "Pour Your Heart Into It" by Howard Schultz. I try to read a book on leadership/"business"/a growing church's story - about once a month or so. One of my all time favorites is "The E-Myth". Best book on "church" I've every read. (Just subsitute the word church for business and the concepts translate really well).
The book covers the story of how Starbucks got started. Here are some major points from the Prologue: "Care more than others think wise; Risk more than others think safe; Dream more than others think practical; Expect more than others think possible."
I'll tell you more about it later. I've been captivated by the vision of Schultz. Wow! Do yourself a big favor. Get the book and start reading.

A new post!

Can't believe I haven't blogged in a looooooong time. Let me catch you up - Saw "Cars" and thought it was awesome! Love "Mater". Actually, he reminds me of some of my kin folk back in Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama. Great anamation.
Went to see "Lake House" with my oldest daughter yesterday. It's okay. For the same kind of plot (writing to someone in a different time period), check out "Love Letters" on DVD. Much better movie! Love Letters is my all time favorite Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. (A GREAT date movie, even if you're staying in!)
Right now, I'm reading "The Postcard" by Beverly Lewis. Good book. My wife has read all the Beverly Lewis books on the Amish, so I'm reading them as well. I'm also reading "The Rule of Four". I was told it was the thinking man's DaVinci Code. Not yet. The pace is slow. If it doesn't pick up soon, I'm not picking it up again!
Got a sermon for you to check out! Last year at the Tulsa Workshop 2005, Leonard Sweet did a session "Seeing with 20/20 Vision". Fantastic! Just call the Garnett Church of Christ in Tulsa, OK and ask them to send you the sermon. Only $5.00. You'll be glad you did!
Hope you had a great Father's Day yesterday. The Salt Lake Trib ran my article on "Daddy, I Love you" in Saturday's Faith Section. A copy of the article will be on our church's web site (www.southsidechurchutah.org) this afternoon.
Has anyone seen "Praire Home Companion" movie? I'm waiting for a review before I go see it!

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Reading a good book right now - "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane" by Kate DiCamillo (who also wrote "Winn Dixie"). I really enjoy reading children's books. I love the simplicity. I love the imgination of the writers - I guess children are more open to wonderful and fanciful tales. I love the themes - friendship, love, dreams, etc. I love Charlotte's Web, Harry Potter series, Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo, Eragon, Where the Red Fern Grows, - to name just a few.Anyway, do you have a favorite children's book?

latest skin cancer news

Whenever a child comes up to me at church and says, "give me some skin" (gimme five) - I tell them I don't have any to spare!

Well, for you that know me know that I am a skin cancer making machine. So far, I've had four skin grafts (one is nine square inches!). Went yesterday to have a small spot taken off. Dr. Glen Bowen, a micro mose surgeon at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, found two more spots. One is quite a large spot - running down the back of my ear, on my ear, and goes around the orginal graft and into my hair line. Because the patch is so large, he didn't want to cut it out until I see a radiologists and see if we can treat it with radiation. (Those treatments would be every day for five weeks!) I would just as soon cut the stuff out and get on with it. I'll keep you posted.

Lifeboat 14

Didn't do the "Da Vinci Code" sermon on Sunday. Just didn't "feel it." Instead, preached a sermon on symbols - talked about common things that remind us of uncommon relationship we have with God. (Everyday things that remind us of eternal things).
We talked about the cross, the "fish", then - moved in lesser known symbols like a fishhook (for being 'fishers of men"), lighthouse (we can be a lighthouse or a clubhouse), a link in a chain (we could be someones only link to God!), a towel (to symbolize what Jesus did in John 13; we should all be servants!). These were all symbols that I had preached on the past several years.
Yesterday, we added one - lifeboat 14! You see, out of all the lifeboats launched from the sinking Titanic, only one came back to look for survivors in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean! We, as the disciples of Christ, should be the ones to come back and look for spiritual survivors in a cold world of sin and darkness.
I showed a clip of the movie Titanic where lifeboat 14, captained by Harold Lowe, came back to rescue those still alive.
We added a powerful symbol of what I desire our church to be - lifeboat 14 to the people of Salt Lake City!
My wife just finished designing a new website for our church! Go and check it out at www.southsidechurchutah.org My wife will design a site for you church, too! She wants to help smaller churches who can't affort a great looking website. Just email me at randy.clay@gmail.com for more information.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend. Should be a great time to get out and enjoy great weather. For us who live in Utah - maybe not. Saturday's high? 52 with snow in the upper elavations! (Above 8,000 feet). As you enjoy your day of boating or whatknot, think about us freezing!
Hope you have a safe holiday weekend.
For us preachers, we stay in the saddle and hold down the fort. I knew that going into preaching, but sometimes I just get the urge to take my family out for a four day weekend to get away. I hope we can sneak in some movies - "RV", "Over the Hedge" "Akeela and the Bee" and "MI 3" are all strong possibilities. We'll see how the weekend pans out.
On the good side of things, we have several offers on our building! One is a cash offer! Hopefully, we can get a deal done in June and get on with our new building. An exciting time to be sure!
Almost finished with "Ender's Game". Good book. I need someone to recommend a great book to read! It's been a while since I read a book that I couldn't put down.
By the way, Monday marks my 13th anniversary being at Southside! Feels great to be begining our 14 year with this spiritual family. Wonder what God has in store?
Have a great weekend!

Season Finales

WOW! Last night was a great night of fantasitc finishes. I wasn't disappointed with the ending of American Idol with Taylor "Soul Patrol" Hicks winning. 63 million votes! And what an ending to the Maverics & Suns game in the western conference finals! Holy moly! The best part of the evening - the season finale of LOST. HOLY COW! It was a great ending to my favorite show. Typical of LOST - a major question was answered (why the plane crashed) with many more questions being raised - will Michael come back? What has happened to Mr Echo and Locke? Will Sayid resuce Jack, Kate, and Sawyer? Will Desmond's girlfriend now find the island? Oh, now we've got to wait a whole summer. And to me - that's what a sesonal finale should do - make you anticipate next season.
Reminds me of one of the greatest season finales of all time - "Dallas" in the summer of 1980. Remember when "Who Shot J.R.?" was the talk of the nation? One of the best season finales of all time.
Any thoughts on LOST?

American Idol, LOST,

Tonight American Idol comes down to two people - Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee. Who is your favorite? Who do you think will win? I'm pulling for Hicks myself. I would go see him in concert. He is a great entertainer! I like McPhee, too. I'm looking forward to a great show tonight.
Looking forward to the LOST seanson finale. One of the best written shows on TV. The detail they put into it every week is just amazing for a weekly TV show. Any theories on Lost?
What do you think will happen?
Can't believe that 7th Heaven has been renewed! It was the shortest cancelation is TV history! My daughter keeps hoping that "Reba" gets renewed for it's sixth season. We keep seeing were is has been picked up - then we see other sites that say it's been canceled. Anyone know what is going on with "Reba"?
What is your favorite TV show? What is the best season finale of all time?

Honoring Seniors, Da Vinci Code, Prayer Summit

Yesterday was our day to honor our graduating seniors from high school. This year we have 7 who have reached this important milestone in their lives. Shane Helm read from Dr. Suess' book, (a good source of some great theology!) "Oh, The Places You'll Go". Cody, our youth minister, gave a heartful plea for them to love God and to love their neighbors. Our elders then prayed over the seniors for a "shepherd's blessing". Then, on Sunday evening, we had a banquet to honor them. Each parent gave a blessing to their guaduate. A lot of laughter and tears filled the room last night.
Saw the "Da Vinci Code" last night at 10:30 pm! I thought it was very well done - a good movie. Not great, but good. Thought they followed the book fairly well. It was cool to see all the places mentioned in the book. I was disappointed with Tom Hank's performance. Thought he was sleeping walking through the whole movie. I give it one thumb up! I would encourage anyone to go see it so you can join in the conversation at work or school. Buy a copy of the book and just carry it around. You'll get in some great conversations about Jesus! People will ask YOU what you think! What a great way to witness!!
This coming Sunday I'm doing my "Da Vinci" sermon entitled, "Is Da Vinci Da Vine?" The movie does raise a lot of questions concerning Jesus and the formulation of the Bible. Sunday we will answer a lot of those questions!
Oh, by the way, the prayer summit I was so looking forward to? Can't go. One of our young men, raised here at Southside, is getting married on Wednesday night. Since joining the Marines a few months ago, he hasn't had the opportunity to be involved in any pre-martial counseling. We are doing that Monday and Tuesday mornings. I strongly believe in planning the marriage MORE than planning the wedding! Such is the life of a pastor.

Prayer Summit

Remember Simon and Garfunkel singing about the "Sounds of Silence"? Well, this week I decided to practice that a little - didn't listen to music or sports talk radio while in the car. Just silence. It was great! Really enjoyed the quiet. I'm going to do this more often.
Next week I'm going to our second annual pastor's prayer summit in Park City, Utah. Three days of prayer! We're sleeping in a church up there to keep us "simple" and focused. (Personally, I'm bringing an air matress!).
Most of the men in our prayer accountability group will be there along with some other pastors from around the state of Utah (with perhaps some straglers from Wyoming and Idaho allowed in).
I'm really looking forward to it.
Let me know what you think if you happen to see "The Da Vinci Code" this weekend. I'm anxious to hear reviews!

Just read the most dangerous book I've read in a long time. It's called "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. The sub title is : "The Art of Stress-Free Productivity". Man, two things I want to be: stress free and productive! So, I checked the book out at the library and read it. Enjoyed the first half. Lots of great ideas. It's the second half that got me. He said, "now, we've read the concepts, it's time to put them to work. Block out two whole days back to back." I thought - holy cow! Well, I did it! Took everything out of every drawer and cabnet and refiled everything with Allen's system. For the first time, I can tell you where everything is in less than one minute! I've never been this organized. Kinda scary. I really like his three "D's" - Do it -- if an action will take less than two minutes, it should be done at the moment it is defined; Delegate it - if the action will take longer than two minutes; Defer it -- if the action will take longer than two mintues and you are the right person to do it, you defer it acting on it later and track it on one or more "Next Actions" lists.No "to do" list anymore! You have "next action" lists - calls, "at computer"; at computer - on line; errands, office actions (things that can only be done at home), agendas, reading, etc. No more A,B, C, etc -- you do things when you are in the correct enviorment. Oh, well - read the book!

The Clay motto came in handy today!

The Clay family motto - when my girls start a project and are having a hard time, I always remind them "Clay's never give up!" - they roll their eyes, "yeah, yeah" - and then they finish! Went back up the roof today and got-her-done!! YES! The swamp swampeth, drip free!
It felt great to call the repair man and said, "I don't need you after all. I got it going." And, yes, I told my kids - "See, Clay's never give up - but this was really close!"
What is your family motto?

Getting the Swamp to Swamp

Been spending a lot of time on my roof the last few days. Trying to cet the swamp cooler to swamping. Can't get the fittings on the copper tubing to stop leaking. Now, keep in mind - plumbing (nor is climbing latters) is not my spiritual gift. Each year this is a test - to see who will win - me or the swamping gods.
You would think that some brother or sister would by now know of my lack of "do-it-yourself" skills and come to my rescue. No such luck. Its as if God is saying - this is your Mt.Carmel, Clay - suck it up and get it going. (Actually, the job is to get the swamp to suck the water, but so far . . .)
And so, today I was told to try to use plumbers tape on the compression nuts (yes, this job is driving me nuts!) and that will seal the joint on the tube. Hey, I'll try anything at this point.
Pray for me. While my family is roasting, I am getting hot under the collar for my lack of success this year. Usually, after a dozen trips to Lowe's (to get high on my roof!) I luck into getting the thing working. I'm over due this year.
Kinda funny though, I'm in a drought hooking up a water cooler. God does have a sense of humor.
I'll let you know when the water flows on the altar.
-- Un fix it man.

Is Da Vinci Da Vine?

As you call tell by the name of the post that I have decided to preach a sermon on the DaVinci Code - "Is Da Vinci Da Vine?" (pretty catchy title, aye?) It will be on May 28th. We will also show a DVD "Cracking the DiVinci Code" that night at 5. Maybe even have a discussion in a one time small group (like a book club).
Really enjoyed the Todd Agnew concert Monday night. He writes a lot of his music, is a fantastic guitar player, has an amazing voice - plus - the guy can really preach! Why do some people seem to have all the talent?
Have another busy weekend on tap. On Friday night is our second annual banquet to honor mothers hosted by our women's ministry (WINGS - Women In God's Service); a work day at the building on Saturday to spruce up the campus for summer, preach two services on Sunday morning, then celebrate Mother's Day in the afternoon!
BTW, I hit a home run this year for Mother's Day! Bought the wife some software she can use to design websites (retail - $1,000! because she works at a school, she gets an educator's discount - only costs $250! I told her to order it yesterday). Sure beats the diet books I bought her last year. (just kidding!)
What's the worst gift you've given your wife for Mother's Day? The best?

Da Vinci Code Sermon?

Had a crazy week last week. Came back from a long drive from Oklahoma on Monday - with a funeral to plan for Wednesday. As with any funeral, it took most of Tuesday and all of Wednesday (including Wednesday evening). Had several other appointments to come up. On Friday attend the Maxiumum Impact seminar (vie simucast from Atlanta,GA) with John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Archie & Peyton Manning, Mark Sandborn, etc - it was really good! (I was offered a free ticket! Preachers can't turn down a free invite!). I was called about 12:45 to do the graveside service (on Friday - during the seminar) from the funeral on Wednesday. (The family had forgotten to invite me). Luckily, they wanted everyone to wear jeans which worked out well because I was wearing jeans!
THEN, on Friday night and all day Saturday we fulfilled my daughter's dream of painting her room a bright lime green! She really loves the room! It was a lot of work!
So, on Saturday night I had to sit down and put together a sermon! On Sunday, had two packed services - a quick lunch and a VBS meeting at 2!
Whew! Makes me tired just thinking about it.
Been thinking about this question - should we preach a sermon or two on the Da Vinci Code? I know several preacher friends who are. Or, should we show one of those "cracking the Da Vinci Code" DVD's on Sunday night and have a discussion afterward? Should we host a dicussion (like a book club would) on the book itself? Is this going to be a big deal?
Any ideas?

Could have been in Malibu!

Had plans to be in sunny Malibu,California this week. Instead, I flew to Oklahoma City to ride back with my daughter who just finished her freshman year at Oklahoma Christian University. Got to tour Oklahoma, Kansas, eastern Colorado, southern Wyoming. After that 23 hour tour of said lovely scenery, I was asked to host and conduct a funeral for a father of one of our members. So, the last two days was spent getting our building ready, talking with the family, getting food prepared for forty people. Needless to say, Southside rallied the troops and got er done.
As a minister, one of the only things I hate about my job is funerals (with hospital visits a close second). I like blessing babies. I like Christmas Eve candlelight service. Love Easter. VBS is always a hoot. Enjoy preaching (and sermon prep -- love to read and learn new things!). But funerals - no. Love to pastor people, though. And face it - people are really open to spiritual things during such a time.
But it doesn't mean I have to like it.
Tomorrow, a prayer breakfast with the Gov. at Little America. My daugther Rebecca gets an award for outstanding student in MESA Thursday evening. Sorry, had a brag a little.
Got an invitation for a free ticket at Maxium Impact - a seminar on satelite with John Maxwell and an all star line up of "leaders" on Friday! Really looking forward to that.
Almost as good as being at Malibu? No, but close enough.

Haven't been blogging of late

I guess you noticed that I haven't blogged in quite a while. Let's catch up - finished Eragon. Great book! Just started "The World is Flat" which deals with the idea of globalization. My daughter was baptized last Sunday! She is quite a remarkable young lady, if I do say so myslelf. Getting ready to fly to Oklahoma to pick up my oldest daugther who just completed her freshman year at OC (Oklahoma Christian Umiveristy). It'll be great to have her home for a the summer. I have a four hour layover in Phoenix - so a good friend of mine that lives there is coming to pick me up and take me to In-N-Out Burger. Oh, man I can't wait! My favorite hamburger place? What is your favorite burger joint?
Just got my summer haircut. Holy cow, it's short! Feels good, though.
The summer movie guide just came out. What are the movies that you can't wait to see? Looks like some good ones coming !
Going to be beautiful weekend. Time to wash the car; mow the lawn; maybe start working on the garden?

Who Killed Jesus?

Greg Johnson shared this poem at our pastor's meeting today. In light Good Friday, I thought this would be some food for the soul. Randy

"Who Killed Jesus? I Would Like To Know."

Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.
Who is guilty of a crime so low?
Why did He have to die?
What is the reason why?

Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.
Was it Roman Soldiers, with their tools of war?
Pounding nails through hands that did no wrong.
Mocking and abusing, crowning Him with thorns,

All the evidence is very clear.
Was it Pontius Pilate, he was Governor,
Trying to decide the case that day?
Finding that the Savior had no fault His own,
Was he guilty when he turned away?

Was it Hebrew children, proud of who they were?
Shouting "Crucify Him" to their King.
Rejecting their Messiah for a common thief
Turning down the Kingdom He could bring.

When I think of Jesus, and the way He died,
How upon Him all my sin was lain.
All the other people, fade away from view,
It's for me the Sacrifice was made.

I no longer wonder anymore,
I have found what I've been searching for;
My sin demanded Hell, on Him the Judgment fell,
I am guilty, now it's plain to see,
that it was really me!

Great Elder's Meeting Tonight

Had a great shepherd's meeting tonight. We spent some time interceeding for the people in our congregation. Then, each man shared how the other shepherds could pray for him. In other words, what were the spiritual issues in our lives right now? There were confessions, tears and genuine heart issues shared. You see, we are trying to shepherd the flock while we shepherd each other. Then, we spent some time praying for each other.
We also discussed the third chapter of the book "Like A Shepherd Lead Us". (Great book, BTW!) The chapter's theme was to, as leaders, move from the boardroom to the living room. The book reminded us to pray with our people. Some great ideas flowed. A few are: to invite whole families to pray with us on Tuesday nights. We want to keep inviting people at the end our worship assemblies to come and pray with a shepherd. We will divide the congregation into shepherding groups - each shepherd will contact those in his "group" and ask what the needs are.
Went home feeling really blessed to be a part of the this leadership team.

Got the Gout!

Went to the doctor today and he told me what I already suspected - I have another case of gout in my right foot. Very painful! This is my fourth time to have this wonderful stuff - so now I will be put on gout medicine. Ah, man. I guess I'm gettin' old. Bummer.

I'm enjoying reading Eragon so far. Don't usually read fantasy novels - so this gets me out of my reading rut.

I'm having a hard time deciding what is my favorite T.V. show right now - LOST is in high gear; Prison Break is cranking back up; like American Idol; enjoying Amazing Race (although not the best season) - I would love to watch 24 - but just haven't had time to start watching. Your favorite show? Oh, sad to see 7th Heaven wind down - but it was time.

A Busy Weekend!

Had a very busy weekend! On Saturday night I went to "A Night With The NFL" at the University of Utah. Tony Dungee, head coach of Indianapolis Colts, Jeff Harding (starting center for the Steelers) and Luther Ellis (a former Utah Ute and Detroit Lion) all spoke about their faith in Christ. A very powerful evening!

Had a very unusal and busy Sunday yesterday. Since our youth minister was preaching, I went to our first service, then, as I like to do when I'm not preaching - I visited two other churches! I do this for several reasons: First, I like to get new ideas! Second, I like to encourage the minister (I know most of the minister's from various "pastor's" groups I'm invovled with). Third, it reminds me that there are many ways of doing "church" - and each glorifies God in a unique way.
So, yesterday I went to South Mountian Community Church for their first service. SM is probably the second largest evangelical church in Salt Lake (Calvary Chapel is the largest). Then, I went to the Adventure Four Square for their second service. Their minister, Eric Van Rahee wanted to pray for me during the service, which I thought was neat, but an hour into the service he still wasn't preaching, and I had to go because we were having our 40 Days of Purpose Task Force Potluck Pizza celebration and evaluation at Southside at 1:00 p.m.! I got some great ideas!
Sometimes, I have to fight the urge to be envious of other people's "success". Both of these churches started about 7 years ago - one of about 1,200; the other about 600! Southside has been here since 1976 - we almost got to 400 before our church plant three years ago. It's hard not be to jealous of their numbers and wonder why my church isn't that "big". The thought kinda nags at me - "if you were a better ________, your church would be as big as theirs!" But in reality, I know that is not true!
And yes, sometimes I visit small churches and encourage them, too. These two churches just happen to be about a half mile from each other!
To top the afternoon off - we had a team leaders meeting at 3. Needless to say, I went home about 6 in the evening, tired but blessed. It was a great weekend of ministry and idea gathering, celebrating and planning, being encouraged and inspired. Not a bad way to spend a weekend!
The new week has started! Let's glorify God in all we do! Easter is coming! Jesus is resurrected! (and so must my sermon for Sunday! It's still in the tomb!)
With God's Best, Randy

A Reading Retreat

Since I'm not preaching on Sunday, for the next two days I'm having a 'reading retreat'. I'm not going anywhere - just catching up on my books stacked up waiting to be read. Today I read "Rekindled" - a Christian fiction book written by a friend of mine Tamera Alexander. It is her first book to be pubished - she has signed with Bethany House for a series called "The Fountian Creek Chronicles". This was the first book in the series. Much in the tradition of Janette Oke and Beverly Lewis - Alexander holds her own! Way to go Tamera!
Tonight I'm starting "Eragon" and tomorrow I'm finishing "7 Practices of Effective Ministry" and will hopefully put a dent in "Seeking Lasting City".
It snowed all day today, so it was a great day not to have to put a sermon in the oven - and just enjoy some reading. Haven't done that in a LONG time and it was good for the soul. Even cancelled plans to go out to lunch with my preacher buds and called the wife and took her out to lunch.
I need more reading retreats - maybe a day devoted to reading once month? More lunches with my wife - yes!

World's Fastest Indian

My daughter has taught me how to blog using pictures. So, I thought I would start with Andy Griffith. Why is it that our kids have to show us how to do this stuff?
Saw a great movie tonight, "The World's Fastest Indian". Awesome. The best feel good movie I've seen in a LONG time! Plus, it's a true story. Should be out on video soon. If it's still showing in your area, treat yourself to a good movie.

New Building hurdles to overcome!

Can't believe that I haven't blogged since Monday! Where did this week go? It's been one of those weeks that just flew by.
Looking forward to the final four this week. I am pulling for George Mason. Their sling shot may not have any rocks left in it, but I hope so. My head says LSU vs. Flordia; my heart is for GM.
Trying to get the permits to build our new building. The city is asking for 5 easements that would total about 2 acres of our 5.6! Plus, they are not paying us any money for the land that want to use! Where we want to put in a ball field and coverd pivilion for cookouts (like a city park) - the city wants a turn around for the neighrhood next to us. Plus, we would have to pay for the sidewalk and curbing!
Well, please put that on your prayer list! We are meeting and talking with city officials almost on a daily basis to figure out how we can proceed without the culde-sack (spelling?). All of these easements adds thousands and thousands of dollars on the project. We're just trying to be good stewards of the Lord's money.
We hope for the "park" - because of the ways it could be used - so we can use it to outreach to the neighborhood by letting them use it; the school (that meets in our building) would certainly use it, not to mention all the church activities we could do on it.
Been really enjoying "The 7 Practices of Effective Ministry" by Andy Stanley. Great book for seeing ministry in a new light. Also enjoying "Manhunt" - the 12 day chase for finding Lincoln's killer. Really interesting.
Hope you have a great end of the week.

Catching up

Had some great friends to visit us last week from El Paso. Had a great time but I didn't write a single post - so it's time to catch up!

Had a great time watching college basketball. Who would have thought that George Mason would be in the final four? Mike & Mike on ESPN said that out of the 5 million brackets filled out on their web site only 10 had George Mason in the final four. That is amazing! Go George Mason!! BTW - did you notice that two out of the final four are from the SEC? Congrats to Mike Anderson, former assitant coach to Nolan Richardson at Arkansas, on being hired at Missouri. He will do a great job.

Had a busy but good weekend. We had our annual dinner/auction to fund raise the youth group mission trip. (We raised $3000!) On Sunday we wrapped up our 40 Days of Purpose with a Celebration Sunday at Oquirrh Elementary. It was great to be in one assembly! Instead of a sermon - we had a mission fair! (For those that think we are in a rut in worship planning - we got out of the box yesterday!) For 20 minutes our folks went from booth to booth signing up for ministry! Love it! We finished up with a good ole fashion pot luck. It was the best attended pot luck in our history many said. Love the fellowship! It was a great weekend!

Gained five pounds last week! (didn't walk for a solid week!) So, now I'm back on "diet" mode for a while. I've got to get back to my daily 2 mile walk. I promised that I wouldn't get over 160 since loosing the weight last year. I went 9 months without gaining any weight!

Okay - I think that's it. Looking forward to the Final Four this weekend. Any predictions? The first Final Four without a number one seed since 1980. Should be exciting! I'm going with an all SEC final - LSU vs. Florida, with LSU winning it all. But I'll be rooting for George Mason!

Memorizing Scripture

Last week finished journaling through Colossians. I love that letter! Paul encourages us "let the word of God dwell in you richly as you teach one another . . ." The word stored in my heart should be of "Walton proportion" - it should be rich! Sadly to confess, it looks more like a "pauper's portion" - I haven't done much memorizing in the last couple of years, so - last week I picked several passages (some paragraphs) from Colossians that I wanted to re-memorize. Its a discipline that I've put on the shelf.

I would encourage you to do the same. Memorize scripture! Get the word of God in your heart! Why memorize if you will just forget a lot of it? A student asked Jimmy Allen, long time Bible professor at Harding University, the same question. I never have forgotten Allen's response. You see, if you took Allen for any class - Romans, Hebrews, - he made you memorize whole chapters! You were tested on it - you simply wrote out the chapter on a piece of paper in whatever version you used. Every comma, word missed or added - was one point off.

So this student asked the question - why are we doing this if we'll just forget most of it? Allen didn't flinch - he said, "Let's say you have a dirty basket. You take it down to the river and fill it with water. Will it hold the water long? No. It will leak. However, will the basket be cleaner for having gone through the process? Yes! You have a dirty heart. I have I dirty heart. Full of sin. When you memorize scripture, you are filling it with God's holy word. Most of it will leak out, but your heart will be purer for the process."

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Make a depoist today! Memorize a verse. God's banking on it!

Clarify The Win

I've been listening to a series by Andy Stanley called "The 7 Keys to Effective Ministry" (- which you can download for free - just go to www.northpoint.org click on church leaders, then click on pratically speaking). The first session is "Claifying the Win". Excellent!
What Stanley says is this - most churches have a mission statement; however, what gets "put on the wall doesn't always take place down the hall." How true! In other words, our mission statements haven't changed how most churches operate.
So, according to Stanley, we must clarify the win. For example, most times we simply let attendance be our watermark. Wow, we had a packed house today! Instead, Northpoint has clairified the win - if they have a first time visitor, is blown away by what they experience and they come back next Sunday - THAT is the win for them.
Many ministry leaders, Stanley says, are frustrated because the "win" is not clearly defined, so after a few years they resign from the ministry (sound familiar?) and go do something else.
So, what is the "win" for your ministry? congregation? family? for yourself?
At the end of the week, how do you know you have "won"? In a recent conversation with another minister, who himself told me about the series by Stanley, said that now for him the "win" watermark is that he calls 100 people and invites them to Sunday assembly (his own members included!). If he fails to do that, the week was not a 'win' for him.
What is your "win"?
BTW - these downloads are in MP3 format, so you can download them to your iPod or any MP3 player.

WHAT CHURCH IS SUPPOSED TO BE

I wasn't going to post again until Monday, but saw this moving description of the church on the blog "real live preacher" (www.reallivepreacher.com) and wanted to share it with you.

Let me tell you what church is supposed to be. It is supposed to be a community of friends who have walked together through the good times and the hard times of life so that their shared history is more powerful than their differences. It is a gathering of spiritual seekers who do not demand exact conformity in every doctrine, but acknowledge a shared commitment to Christ and fidelity in living. There is real trust and love. Mistakes are made and people are forgiven. And you feel safe. Safe enough to laugh or cry. Safe enough even to sneak up to the front of the church and have a little fun with the ashes.

A few thoughts going into the weekend

It's Friday. The Hogs are playing Flordia tonight - they've won their last seven, but tonight is going to be a huge challenge. Florida is rested; the Hogs played late last night. They are 7-0 wearing throw back uniforms from 1978. The ghost of the "triplets" have brought some much needed mo-jo. It's rumored the Razorbacks are coming to Salt Lake for the first round of NCAA's. Calling the Hogs in the Huntsman! Oh, yeah, I'll be there!

Hope to see the movie "The World's Fastest Indian" sometime this weekend. I've heard a lot of positive things about it. Anyone seen it and have a review to offer?

Finally, I've started reading "Camel Club" by David Baldacci. He is one of my favorite writers. The sermon is already done - power point and all (just hope there's some power in the points!) - so I'm hoping to get some time to turn some pages.

March Madness is here! Cancel the appointments. Get the chips. Settle in for some good hoops! Here's hoping that your team appears in the brackets on Sunday afternoon.

I hope you have some great family time this weekend. Hope you have a great time of worship. See you Monday.

Mike Cope on B-I-B-L-E#2

Wanted to share Mike Cope's post today on his blog. Especially note the last paragraph! --Randy

The B-I-B-L-E #2
Another shocking discovery of my early life was this: people wrote the Bible.Real, live people. People who did not have perfect lives or perfect insight into the mind of God.
People who wrote in their language, using their own vocabulary and style. Luke's writing is polished; John's is more like someone who was trying to connect with the middle schoolers (simpler syntax and vocab).
Now, again, doesn't this fall into the category of no-brainer? In one sense, yes.But somehow I'd always thought (based on a misinterpretation of a couple passages and perhaps also on my wild imagination) that the Bible was dropped from heaven. Maybe delivered by the Holy Spirit dressed like a dove.
Several OT writers quoted bits of information they had looked up. Luke said he did his homework before sitting down at the computer. And, almost certainly, Matthew and Luke peeked at Mark's gospel while writing their own. Jude peeked at 2 Peter. Or vice versa. Or maybe they shared a common source.Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he had baptized only Crispus and Gaius. Then he remembered that he'd also baptized the household of Stephanas, so he added that as kind of a footnote.
He also told them that on one matter he had no instruction from the Lord, but he gave his own judgment (7:25).Frankly, not everything in the Bible is quite as smooth as I used to imagine. There are jars and clashes. Was Jesus' Nazareth sermon early in his ministry (Luke) or much later (Matthew, Mark)? Was Jairus's daughter dead (Matthew) or nearly dead (Mark -- maybe this falls into the Princess Bride's category of "mostly dead") when Jairus found Jesus? Did the cursing of the fig tree happen before (Mark) or after (Matthew) Jesus' entry into Jerusalem? Was it one demon-possessed man (Mark, Luke) or two (Matthew)? And was it at Gerasenes, Gergesenes, or Gadarenes -- or are those the same place?
For a while I tried forcing explanations so that there were no problems, but I eventually had to admit (with some encouragement from my professors) that this was disingenuous.And this is just the beginning. Clashes and jars. When we labor under our Western assumptions of HOW THE BIBLE OUGHT TO BE, that's extremely problematic.
But what if scripture isn't bound by our assumptions of what it ought to be? So, were the writers of the Bible guided by God? That's what I believe by faith. Instructed in some sense by the Holy Spirit? That's my conviction. Producing authoritative documents that are able to guide the church in teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16)? Yup.
Do I still have confidence in scripture? I'll let my years of preaching, teaching, and writing stand as an answer to that question. I have more appreciation for scripture than I used to. More desire to live under its guidance rather than to attempt to conquer it with perfect comprehension. More eagerness to catch what it intends to do: point us to Jesus.
The ultimate goal isn't to defend the Bible, memorize the Bible, or understand the Bible. The goal is to let scripture point us to Jesus, committing ourselves to him and jumping into the journey of discipleship.

Hogs & Beth Moore, Third Day in Salt Lake?

Just saw on ESPN.com that the Hogs are slated to come to Salt Lake City for round one of the NCAA tourney. If that holds true, I will be in the Huntsman calling the Hogs. I'll even wear my Hog Hat. Ah, how much fun would that be? ESPN has them playing Wisconsin in the first round, and probably Gongaza in the second round. I think we can play with both of those teams. Here's hoping that ESPN knows what's what. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
Beth Moore is coming to Salt Lake in October. Southside is a host church - we have purchased 75 tickets for the event! The tickets are going fast! Should be a great event!
Third Day is coming in concert this Saturday night along with the David Crowder Band. Man, how good is that going to be?
People I would have on my wish list to come to Salt Lake: Casting Crowns; Chris Tomlin; Point of Grace; Avalon; Philips, Craig & Dean; FFH, - anyone else on your list?
Any events happening in your town?

Monday stuff

The sermon went very well Sunday. It was interactive; I asked the congregation what qualities draws them to Jesus, then asked them what quality they would intentionally work on for this week. Very powerful.
I've changed the wording for our 40 Days of Purpose to all verbs: Bowing (worship); Being (the body; fellowship); Becoming (like Jesus - Discipleship); Sending (missions/evangelism); Serving (service).
Just finished a great book - Armchair Mystic. A good book to give you some unique perspectives on prayer. I was very much drawn into Philip Yancey's book "The Jesus I Never Knew."
The Razorbacks on a roll!! Bout time. Maybe they will win a few games in the SEC tourney and shake things up. Looking forward to March Madness. With the Hogs hopefully in this year, it will even more fun. Next week I'll post my picks!
Have a powerful week!

Tomorrows sermon

Been having trouble with this weeks sermon. The theme is "Becoming Like Christ". We're doing the 40 Days of Purpose, so I'm supposed to be following Rick Warren's sermon outlines. Did a fairly good job of following his outlines on worship and fellowship. Can't follow it for tomorrow - he approaches the sermon with things like "Trouble causes us to trust". Well, that may be true; but does it help me to be like Christ? So, my sermon will be on who Jesus was so we can know what to imitate.
Two books have helped shape my thoughts for tomorrow - The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey - that he makes the point that sinners were comfortable in the presence of Jesus; and he was comfortable in their presence as well. Today, the church is not comfortable being in the presence of sinners - and the sinners aren't comfortable in the church either. Yancey asks the question - what has gone wrong? Great question isn't it?
The other is a chapter called "Jesus" in Donald Miller's book "Searching For God Knows What". Great stuff.
Well, I'd better get back to it. The sermon has been a burden to me all week. Usually that means that I'll get little sleep - get up early - and God will give me a message sometime before 8:15. He always has; he always will.

Things I wish I could do

Things I Wish I Could Do:
dunk a basketball
write like Max Lucado
preach like Jerry Jones
grow a church like Rick Warren
motivate people like Marvin Phillips
sing like Jerome Williams
play the banjo like Earl Scruggs
draw like Anne Kullberg
lead people like John Maxwell
have the compassion of Mother Teresa

leave any out?

. . . since I can't; I'll just be the best Randy Clay I can be. That's all God expects of me. Whew, I fell better.

Lent Begins

Ah, the first day of lent. Do you observe lent? Some do; some don't. I have given up my beloved Diet Coke. My daughter has gove over 90 days without sipping a soda - she challenged me to give it up for a while. A friend of mine gives up eating food for lent. Now, there's a guy I admire. Me, I'm just putting my toes in the water of lent, while others, like my friend, dive in.

From sorrow to joy in Mayberry. Don Knotts passed away a few days ago. Today is Ron Howard's birthday. Even in Mayberry, life is full of ebb and flow. Happy Birthday, Opie.

My daughter is bringing back memories - she called to say that she is going on a mission trip for spring break at Oklahoma Christian. Those are some of the best memories I had while in college. I hope the same for her.

The Amazing Race started last night. My wife loves that show. In fact, we tend to watch a lot of reality tv - big Survivor fans; love American Idol; Apprentice sometimes. Deal or no deal is a big deal too.

The Razorbacks are coming on, baby! RPI of 48. Maybe time to buy some dancing shoes? Its been five years since we've gone dancing. I think we've forgotten how. First things first, we've got to beat Ole Miss tonight. Its at home, where we're 15-1. Put down a "W" for the Hogs tonight.

Observe Lent?

Just finished a great book, "Mudhouse Sabbath" by Laurie Winner. She discusses the Jewish rituals in a Christian context. Winner has a unique perspective - she was raised in Judiasm before becoming a Christian. Read "Sacred Sorrow" by Michael Card on the plane. Card writes like the poet he is while having great insights into lament worship.

Just started "The Camel Club" by David Baldacci. Baldacci is better than Grisham, in my opinion. Read any good fiction lately? I need ideas! (If you haven't read the "Kite Runner" - go to your local library of Barnes and Noble and enjoy this great read).

Still reflecting on the ACU lectures. Mark Love is doing a great job of retooling the annual event on the ACU campus. I would recommend putting it on your calendar for September when it makes the switch from Feburary (thank you!!!!!) when the weather should be great.

Trying to decide on whether to observe Lent or not. Do you observe Lent? Why or why not?

Okay - it's Monday. Gotta get it in gear.

Goodbye to Don Knotts

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of The Andy Griffith Show. Greatest comedy EVER to be on TV, in my humble but accurate opinion. Today, the great Don Knotts passed away. The first five seasons of TAGS are the best - largely due to the presense of Barney Fife. He and Griffith made a great team. The other years of TAGS are "good" but the first five years - are the greatest of all time.
For all of us who are honorary citizens of Mayberry, today is a sad day.
Do you have a favorite Barney eposide?

ACU Lectures

Haven't been to the Abilene Christian University lectures in over 13 years. The reason? Partly because of the distance - a 22 hour drive (or a $275 flight), but mostly because of content. While living there (1989-1993) the lectures seemed out of date - old topics; same teachers every year.
This year I returned - Mark Love is the new director and he is doing a great job of bringing new energy and vision to the ACU lectures. My highlights - the "U2 and the Psalms" on Sunday night, David Fleer's keynote on Monday night on John 4, and Randy Harris' 3 day class on spiritual direction. I missed Mike Cope's keynote. Heard it was excellent - so I bought the tape and will listen to it very soon.
They even let me teach a class! My topic was "Sacred Sorrow" - the 2 words that will change our worship from Hab. 3:17 (lament worship). I am scheduled to teach the same class at Pepperdine in May.
Okay, okay - the "other" highlight was getting great Tex-Mex, excellent BBQ, mouth watering chicken fried steak, feasting on catfish, breakast tacos at Towne Crier . ending the week with a feast on Joe T. Garcia's in Ft. Worth. Ah, the food!!! The food!!!!
The best part of the week was seeing friends that I had not seen in a long time. It was great to renew "the tie that binds" and catch up on their lives. Am I really that old?
As you can tell - I will be returning to ACU.

Turning 48!

Turned 48 yesterday. My wife made me a german chocolate cake from scratch - the best in the world! Went out to eat some good mexican food with the Farr's - nothing like sharing a special day with people you are close to. Friends called in to wish my a happy brithday. My five year old was concerned that I didn't blow out my candles on the cake! (We brought the cake to the resturant because Arlene Farr loves german chocolate cake, so I shared!) Overall, it was a great day. I am a very blessed man.

We had our 40 Days of Purpose Kick-Off on Sunday, which coincided with the Super Bowl. Our women's ministry did a fantastic job of decorating the school (we met at Oquirrh Elementary) gym and cafeteria. Many thought that it was one of our best assemblies we've ever had.

Now, how to spend the birthday money?

Tipping Point

Just read a great book "The Tipping Point". The Tipping Point explains how fads and epidemics get started. Althought not a "church" book, I believe that every minister would gain insights in leading their churches by reading this book!
Right now I'm reading "Gilead" - a novel about an old preacher writing to his young son. Great read. Also have the "Progress Paradox" - a book about how things are getting better while people think things are getting worse waiting on deck to be read.
I have a lot of books "waiting on deck" to be read. I've come to realize that I have a serious addiction - buying books. One of my new's years resolutions - to read books as I buy them/read the books I already own before buying others.
What book are you currently reading? Have a title to recommend?