the boys went to a movie

Wow! What a great victory for the Hogs last night defeating #4 Oklahoma in hoops! Good to see Bud Walton packed with 19,000 Razorback fans creating an hostile enviorment. Haven't see that in a while. They should be ranked in the top 25 next week. WPS!

Gathered up a group of men and we went to see Valkyrie. In spite of Tom Cruise, it was a great movie! A lot of us are WWII buffs of sorts and we enjoyed the movie. All of us gave it two thumbs up! The movie "Defiance" looks good, too!

It's time to make new goals for 2009. This year I'll make 52 goals - one goal for each year I've lived! A challenge for sure, but a healthy exercise that I highly recommend. Did it last year and it really kept me focused (and challenged!).

No big plans for tonight. Just gonna hang out with the fam and play some games. Happy New Year!

great quote

Been reading "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Great read!

Here is a great quote from the book. D.H. Burnham - one of the driving forces of the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. He said, ""Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will not themselves be realized."

As you think of your plans for 2009, keep that in mind! Boy, I love that quote!

In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day

Stared a new book today. The title of the book is "In A Pit With A Lion on a Snowy Day" by Mark Batterson. It is based on a verse out of 2 Samuel 23:20,21. (The story of Benaiah). The subtitle reads, "How To Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars"). So far -- very good! Would make a great companion to "Your God is Too Safe".

Right now I have four books going. Do you do that? The advantage is that some days I'm not in the mood to read a certain kind of book. When you get a few going, you're always in the mood for one of them! (this practice drives my wife nuts!)

Going to see a movie with my daughter tomorrow. We're going to see "The Curious Life of Benjamin Button". I also want to see "Marley and Me", "Doubt" and "Valkyrie". Time!

Looking forward to some good bowl games beginning on Thursday and going through next Thursday! Really looking forward to the Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl and the national championship game. (Hope Ole Miss gets the snot kicked out of them, hope Utah keeps it close! and I'm still undecided about Florida or OU). What about you?

Just saw where Gus Mulzhan was named the OC at Auburn. The SEC just got tougher! It's all good. Gives him some great SEC experience so he can be the Hog's next head coach when Bobby Petrino leaves (and he will sooner or later).

Snow!!!

Shoveled about a foot of snow in the last 24 hours! As I sat down to blog, the snow is falling again! There's nothing like a white Christmas in Utah to lift your spirits. The only bad thing is that I had to take my daughter to work this morning at 6:45 a.m., which meant I had to get up at six and get half the driveway shoveled.

I'll take some pictures with my new digital camera and get some posted for you to see what a beautiful Utah Christmas really looks like!

Hope to go see a movie today. Tomorrow the whole family will go see Marley and Me.

I finally got my profile on Facebook! Next week I hope to learn how to Twitter. If any of you are old pros at this Twittering thing, let me know. I think it has a lot of ministry applications.

Christmas Eve/Christmas Day

Our Candlelight Celebration was one of the best we've ever done. We had a 12 member praise team - they did a wonderful job! We had right at 200! What I liked the most - more than half the people there were guests! A lot of people from the community came and celebrated the birth with us.

Woke to snow! It snowed all morning until about 1:30 in the afternoon. We have about 4 inches of snow on my drive way. I'm hoping for 3 or 4 more inches when the big front moves in later today. The Perfect Christmas day!

Got a new digital camera to take on my trip to the Holy Land this summer! My sister-in law and her husband are sending me to a 10 day tour of Holy Land next summer!! Wow! They are going with me, along with my father-in-law. Should be the trip of a lifetime! Can't wait.

Got some cool Razorback stuff too! A nice hoody, a truttle neck mock and a trivia book on my beloved Hogs made for a great Christmas haul.

The kids are all playing their games, watching movies, - taking naps. Still - the best thing about Christmas is watching them open their gifts! Doesn't get any better than that!

Hope you had a great Christmas!

Hymn Stories

This Sunday, instead of a "sermon", I'm going to tell some stories of how the songs came to be written.

Jerry Rushford of Pepperdine University is really good at telling these kinds of stories.

The songs mean more when you know the story behind them.

Amazing Grace, Jesus Loves Me, Just As I Am - have very interesting stories. Many times, the story is even better than the hymn!

Do you have a favorite hymn story?

Renewed Prayer Commitment

We had a first prayer event before the event (in the case our Candlelight Celebration) Sunday night. We prayed for two hours. We wil begin praying before all our major outreach events during the year.

I applaud Dean Shriver and Intermountian Baptist Church for their 50 Hours of Prayer this last week! They centered around praying for lost people. Each member filled out a "7 For Heaven" card - seven people they want to see in heaven. When people came to pray they simply pulled out one of the cards and started praying for them! Love that.

We now have two people who have committed to coordinating our prayer efforts here at Southside! I'm excited to see our renewed commitment to prayer.

Hope all your shopping is done!

My your family know the real joy of the baby in the manger.

Big Storm Comin'

Looking forward to our "John Adams Marathon" on Monday. Some men from our church are meeting to spend the whole day watching the entire mini-series "John Adams". Last year we took two days to have a "B.O.B Day" -- which means we watched "Band of Brothers". Always some good fellowship. Everyone brings a snack to share. We take a break for lunch.

I still can't decide who will win - Oklahoma or Florida. Right now I'm leaning toward Florida. Texas Tech should romp Ole Miss, the Tide will Roll Utah.

A big storm is coming! Some say up to a foot in the snow down in the valley. I doubt if we get that much. The low on Saturday is projected to be six degrees! Oh,my! There will be a touch of fall in the air for sure!

I really like the new Casting Crowns Christmas CD.

Do you go to worship on Christmas Eve, or do you prefer a night at home?

Old Christmas Shows

Just celebrated my 24th wedding anniversary with my bride. Nothing fancy. We went to our favorite resturant then went and got some delicious cheesecake to go from the Cheesecake Factory and went home to shared it with our children.

As a part of that evening we took a detour to Home Depot to pick out tile for my wife's Christmas present. She wanted the washroom off the kitchen tiled. And so we are.

My daughter comes home tonight from college! Just having the family back together is present enough for me. My dad used to say that, too. I didn't believe him back then. I do now.

What is about those old Christmas shows that they still work their magic on children? Frosty. Rudolph. A Charlie Brown Christmas. The animation is outdated. The film is grainy. But children still love 'em! Do you have a favorite old Christmas show? And why is it that the new ones don't seem to have that old magic?

I've got my idea for the Christmas sermon - finally. I knew you were worried about it.

What I Love About Utah

I love living in Utah! There are four inches of snow on my yard, with snow in the forecast for the next four days! The mountians are to get 2 - 3 feet, yes feet, of new snow! The snow really gets one in the Christmas mood, that's for sure!

Tomorrow we go to the Golden Living Center right after worship to bring presents to the residents and do a little singing of their favorite Christmas songs. They let me sing if I stand way in the back and don't sing too loudly.

Our Candlelight Service is on Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m. We usually pack the place with mostly non Southside members! I love that.

We have six godly shepherds leading our congregation. And I love the fact that the first hour of or meetings we pray for our congregation.

I love the fact that I'm doing ministry in a state that is only 1.2% "christian". I love being on the front lines of the battle.

Expelled

Saw the DVD of "Expelled" this afternoon. Thought it was very well done. The slant that he took of academic freedom is a valid one. I would highly recommend that you rent it.

Started a good book on Andrew Jackson entitled "American Lion". He was one interesting man. Looking forward to learning more about this mythical giant in our history.

The good thing about there not being many good movies out -- it gives one time to read good books! And now they're saying that the actors are going to strike, so all the TV shows may shut down again. I was really looking forward to "24" and "LOST". Oh, well. More time for good books!

If you're in the market for a new Christmas CD, get the new one by Casting Crowns. Love the song about Bethleham sleeping through the birth (the application to America is very sobering).

Still, my favorite Christmas CD is "An Amy Grant Christmas". We decorate our tree every year listening to it. Do you have a favorite Christmas CD?

More from "Eat This Book"

Have you ever read a book that puts into words what you could not? When you pick up the book you think - has the author been reading my mind? A good book is one that after reading it you think to yourself -- I could have written that. But you didn't (and you couldn't).

Here is another great thought from "Eat This Book" by Eugene Peterson:

There is an enormous interest these days in the soul. In the church this interest in the soul is evidenced in a revival of attention in matters of spiritual theology, spiritual leadership, spiritual direction, and spiritual formation. But there is no a corresponding revival of interest in our Holy Scriptures. Spiritual theology, spiritual leadership, spiritual direction, and spiritual formation require that we tend to the work of the Holy Spirit in our individual and corporate, public and political lives. But those who are enthusiastic about this work are frequently, even typically, disinterested in the Holy Scriptures, the book that is given to us by the Holy Spirt. It is a matter of urgency in our souls be matched by an interest in our Scriptures - and for the same reason; they, Scripture and souls, are primary fields of operation for the Holy Spirit. An interest in souls divorced from an interest in Scripture leaves us without a text that shapes these souls. In the same way, an interest in Scripture divorced from an interest in souls leaves us without any material for the text to work on.

Wow!

Eat This Book

I love this passage from Eugene Peterson's book "Eat This Book":

Christians feed on Scripture. Holy Scripture nurtures the holy community as food nurtures the human body. Christians don't simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it; take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism, and justice in Jesus' name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in the company of the Son.

Good stuff! Read that several times. The truth of that paragraph will transform how we see (and treat) the Bible.

Books and football.

Picked up "John Adams" again. This time, I vow to finish it! I loved the mini series. I'm also finishing an audio book on Ben Franklin. Great book. After listening to 1776 on CD, and watching John Adams, I find myself interested in learning about the leaders of the revolution. I'm also reading "George Washington on Leadership". I'm looking for a good book on Thomas Jefferson. Any recommends?

Just started "Eat This Book" by Eugene Peterson. It came highly recommended.

Looking forward to some college football this weekend. Florida should take down 'Bama; Oklahoma will destroy Mizzou. To be honest, I'm getting a little turned off with college football after what happend to Tommy Tuberville at Auburn. He has a 75% winning percentage, yet is fired for one bad season? Are you kidding me? He walks away with a 5.1 million dollar buyout? I'm not an Auburn fan - I'm just not a fan of firing a guy because of one bad season. Good grief.

Florida vs. Oklahoma for the national championship! That would be a great game. (See. My attitude is improving already!)

Texas vs. Utah in Fesita Bowl. Hummmm. That would be an interesting matchup.

Catching up

I know, I know. I haven't posted in a long time. One day became one week. One week became . . . you know how it goes.

I'll try and catch you up on a few things.

Just finished a great Christmas read, "Grace" by Richard Paul Evans. I love all his books. He is best known for "The Christmas Box". Right now I'm reading "Simply Christian" by N.T. Wright; "Rubber Band Leadership' by Nancy Ortberg; "Praying" by J.I. Packer & Carolyn Nystrom; and last, but not least, "Divine Justice" by David Baldacci.

My brother in-law called me a few days ago to tell me that he is taking me to the Holy Land next summer for a ten day tour! Now, that's a good brother in-law! I've always wanted to go. Can't wait! If' you've been and have some tips to share, please pass them on!

Where have all the good movies gone? Haven't been to the theater in almost 2 months. (Well, I did take my kids to see High School Musical 3 - I'm not counting that!). Did see the trailer for "Star Trek" coming out in May '09. Yes, I'm an old Trekkie.

I would ask your prayers for my mother. She is undergoing chemo therapy treatments for ovarian cancer. Her attitude is good. She goes once every three weeks for 18 weeks.

Memorizing Scripture

When I was in college I did a lot of scripture memorization. I remember a final for Jerry Jones was 50 of 100 verses he had us memorize. Since then, I haven't done much of this discipline.

However, the Bible tells us to "have the word of Christ dwell in us richly". I have just begun to spend some time everyday memorize scripture. I have begun to use scripture as prayer. (Psalms are great for prayer!)

My next goal is to memorize all the prayers of Paul. Right now, I'm working on a huge goal that will take several more months to finish. (tell you when I'm done. Several other ministers know of my challenge - I am being accountable to them).

Just do a verse or two a day. Take just 10 minutes to memorize it. Simply put the verse on a notecard and take it with you. Review it on your break. Take a look at it during lunch. When you go to bed.

You'll be amazed at the difference in your attitude. It will affect what you think about. You can join the Psalmist when he says, "I am consumed with longing for your laws at all times."''

Sunday Night Reflections

The highlight today was the baptism of single mother who has been coming ever since the new building was opened last September. This was a great reminder to us of why we're here.

One of our young men read scripture for the first time. Everyone gave him a rousing round of applause. I hope he remembers that moment for the rest of his life.

We had a family come for the first time today because they were told they would be more comfortable at Southside. How sad. Wasn't Jesus comfortable with the outcast? The ones different from the norm?

Preached on giving today. Not everyone's favorite subject. Jesus did talk it about a lot more than we do! We should talk about it more often.

Just another normal Sunday - someone gets reborn; a young man makes a memory; a new family comes; a sermon on giving.

Doubled Small Groups in One Sunday!

We have targeted a few areas that we want those who call Southside home to grow in: Worship, Small Groups and Using their spiritual gifts in one ministry.

This Sunday we had our new small groups launch. I say new because we've tweaked how we do our groups. We now have lessons on DVD. All you need to be a new small group leader is a DVD player. All the "leader" does is press play until the person says "pause and discuss this". (We are in the process of making our own DVD's, but until we do we are using ones by Zondervan).

The response has been incredible! We have doubled the number of groups in one day! Amazing! We have more groups that are ready to birth off when the groups grow to a size that is now longer fits the critera that we've set for our groups. (We had one group that was having between 40-50!)

We are also reducing the size of the groups - putting small back into the equation! 6-12 is the ideal. 20 is the max number that we would like to see in any one group. When it reaches that point - it's time to begin a new group!

Now, we have all kinds of small groups. We have a group of parents that meet McDonald's for lunch. The kids play while the adults visit. (this has been great for new members!) Prayer groups. Study groups. Fellowship groups. Praise team practice is considered a small group. We have women's groups, men's groups, young adults, empty nesters, etc.

We have a good percentage of our members engaged in a small group. Our new members have joined in! Even some second time guests are being drawn into a group!

This is huge for us! We've struggled for years in our small group ministry. Finally, we are seeing excitment for our small groups. Praise God!

recommendations

Seems like good books are like good movies - they all come out at once. Why is that?

Here are great books that I'm currently reading:

"It" by Greg Groeschel. Groeschel's book "Confessions of a Pastor" is on my all time best reading list. This book may join that list.

"Looking For God: An Unexpected Journey through tattoos, tofu & pronouns" by Nancy Ortberg. Nancy is a great story teller. One of my favorite chapters was on pronouns. (Nancy is the wife of John Ortberg, who wrote another favorite of mine "If You Want To Walk On Water You've Got To Get Out of the Boat").

"Axiom" by Bill Hybels. Short, well-written leadership axioms by one of my favorite leaders! I try to limit myself to one a chapter a day, but like Lays Potato Chips, sometimes you can eat just one - you go for more!

"Countdown To Sunday: A Daily Guide For Those Who Dare To Preach" by Chris Erdman. A fresh look at sermon prep from a healthy perspective. Wish I had read these insights when I was first started preaching.

I would also highly recommend the movie "Fireproof". Wow. Made by the same church which produced "Facing The Giants", this movie is a great statement about marriage. If you know a first responder, take them as your guest.

Programs you can't live without?

Just downloaded the sountrack to "John Adams" on the iPod. Excellent! Great study music. I'm one of those who has to have something on all the time. You?

After a lot of my friends have been updating their Plaxo, I decided to use it myself. Anyone else use Plaxo for their calander, contacts, etc.? Do you like it? Dislike it?

What's the programs can you not live without on your computer? For me, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, NIV Bible Study, Palm Desktop, Google Images, iTunes would be on my must list.

College football season is here! Finally! Can't wait to see what Bobby Petrino does with the Hogs this season. With 26 freshman getting significant playing time, could be a rough year for the Razorbacks given their schedule. The upside will be in a year or two! Oh, baby. Just hope we can keep Petrino that long!

Hope you have a great Labor Day weekend. I have nothing planned, and I hope it stays that way. Time to watch some football!

Tithing Our Time

Dan Kight was at Southside this past weekend encouraging us in ways to make our small groups guest services more effective. He and his wife Vicki minister at the Overland Park Church in Kansas City.

He introduced a great way for us to tithe. Most churches emphasize that we should give 10% of our income (hence the word "tithe" -- "ten percent). He challanged us to tithe our most precious resource -- our time. He said that we should aim to give 10% of our time every week in doing "kingdom things".

He asks two questions: What impact would that have on our schedules? What effect would that have on the kingdom - if we all did that?

Try it this week. Add up the number of hours in the day. Mulitply by seven. You'll find that it's about the equivalent of one day. Hummmm. Now, that sounds familiar.

Tithe your time this week! See what happens! Report back.

catching up!

Haven't blogged in a while, so let's catch up with each other! Had a good summer. Our big trip was to Oklahoma City for a wedding back in June. Spent a few days with my mother in Garland, Texas doing fix it jobs around her house. Just took my oldest daughter back to Oklahoma Christian for her senior year.

Been listening to "The First American" by H.W. Brands on the iPod. Part one is 19 hours! A very enlightening look at one of the most interesting people in our country's history. Right now, I'm reading several good books. "Countdown to Sunday" by Chris Erdman. The subtitle "A daily guide for those who dare to preach" caught my attention.

Really enjoying "If You Lived Here I Would Know Your Name" by Heather Lende. It's a book about small town life in Alaska. The woman writes the obits for the paper. The book is full of their stories. Good stuff.

I'm in the second book of the "redemption" series by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley.
Just finished "Child 44" about a murder mystery in Russa. I found it interesting to learn about Russa culture during the cold war.

The Dark Knight and Get Smart were my favorite movies of the summer.

Your favorite books/movies of the summer?

tuning out Christian radio?

Do yourself a huge favor by reading this blog post by Chad Hall:

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2008/06/tuning_out_chri.html

He has some challenging thoughts concerning Christian radio! I agree with much of what he has to say.

Your reaction?

A Great Trip

I've been on a ten day trip to Oklahoma and Texas. Dropped my daughter at Camp Zeneth at Oklahoma Christian, then dropped down to see my mother for a few days in Dallas. Did some fix it things around her house and ate some great Tex-Mex. Man, did I eat some great Tex-Mex! We don't have great Mexican food in Salt Lake, much less good Tex-Mex. I do miss it!

We went to the wedding of Savanna Osborn, the daugther of one of our elders here at Southside. The wedding was in Edmond, Oklahoma. She is one of our adopted daugthers- so we had to be there!

It is good to be home! Where are you going on vacation this summer?

Jericho

On a recommendation from a good friend, Scott Warren, I've been watching season 1 of "Jericho". I gotta admit, it's a very good show. My daughter is now watching it with me after she gets home from work. Hey, you gotta grab time when you can.

Rent the series "John Adams" now that it is out on DVD. Very good. Plus, you'll learn some history. Would make a good father's day gift.

Did something that I've wanted to do for a long time but just couldn't muster the guts to do it. I finally did! I went to an ole fashioned barber shop (haircut $10) and got a flat top. I think it looks pretty good. Feels good, too! I'll keep it over the summer, then start growing my winter coat to keep me warm on those cold snowy days.

Second thoughts on my list

I've already added some books to the list. This Present Darkness & Piercing The Darkness are by far my favorite Christian fiction books of all time - yes, including Narnia series. Perhaps a list of my favorite Chrsitian fiction books?

A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm by Philip Kellor has to be on the list! So, add that one. Great, great insights into the Psalm 23. (He also wrote the Good Shepherd - a great book as well!)

I also enjoyed the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Great allegory.

Other books that overlooked?

Top 20 Favorite Books

Here is my list of Top 20 favorite books. Feel free to add to or take away! (I did cheat a little -some have multiple books counted as "one"book. For example, the Ken Gire "Moments" series.) -- Randy

1.) Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz
2.) Your God is Too Safe by Mark Buchanan
3.) Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli
4.) Confession of a Pastor by Greg Greschel
5.) Visioneering by Andy Stanley
6.) Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
7.) Unnstoppable Force by Erwin McManus
8.) Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
9.) I Just Want To Be A Christian by Rubel Shelly
10) Disappointment With God by Philip Yancey
11) Working the Angles by Eugene Peterson
12) 7 Practices of Effective Ministry by Andy Stanley
13) No Wonder They Call Him Savior by Max Lucado
14) Moments With Savior series by Ken Gire
15) Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
16) If You Want To Walk On Water, You've got to Get Out of The Boat by John Ortberg
17) Wild Men, Wild Alaska by Rocky McElveen
18) To Dream Again by Robert Dale
19) God Came Near/On the Anvil by Lucado
20) Houdini Solution by Ernie Schenck

Others: The Imitation Of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis, My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers,

Sunday Night Reflections

Wow. What a weekend! Planting 600 plants, bushes, flowers, etc. over three days. People working together. Sweating together. Talking. Sharing stories. Working on a common goal. I just love it when we are a living, breathing community!

To see all the volunteers it took to put on a yard sale together of that magnitude just brought a smile to my face. We raised over $3,000! The money will go toward buying tables and chairs for the family life center. Again, the working together - building community - is priceless!

We honored our graduating high school seniors today. Our associate minister, Kevin Hooper, did and outstanding job of planning the assembly. Our teens wrote and performed a touching drama. I saw a few tears on the faces as the left the worship center.

This, I think, was a good day. Didn't have anything to do with attendance. Didn't have anything to do with something extra ordinary. It was just a great time for the family of God to work together and honor some of our own who have reached a milestone in their lives. Isn't that what a community is supposed to be and do?

It's almost Monday morning. I'm heading to bed.

A busy day at Southside

Had a great day today! Our church held a yard sale. The proceeds will go toward purchasing 25 round tables and 250 chairs for potlucks, banquets,etc. to be held in the multi purpose center in our new building. Most of the items were sold! The goal was $6,000.

Our men held a prayer breakfast at 8 a.m. Around 9:30 other people came up and along with the men began planting 600 shrubs, plants, rose bushes and flowers on our 6 acre campus. It looks beautiful. We probably had about 40 people helping with the landscaping. Had another 10 or so working on the yard sale. Good to see us working in community with each other! A good day!

Tomorrow we honor our high school seniors. Always a special day.

Anyone seen Prince Caspian yet? Any reviews?

Questions!!!!

It was good to see "The Office" in it's season finale getting back to its old self. Hasn't been the same since the writer's strike. Will Jim ever propose to Pam? Arrgggghhhhh!

Season 4 of "LOST" has been just awesome. Looking forward to that season finale in 2 weeks.


Prince Caspian starts today. Looking forward to seeing that. Won't be this weekend, though. We have a work day at the new building Friday and Saturday (planting 600 flowers, bushes and srubs). At least this should complete the landscaping. We also have a big yard sale on Saturday to raise money to buy round tables for Southside. On top of that, my in-laws are here for the week. SO - the Prince will have to wait.

We have just purchased a M Audio Microtrack II digital recorder. Should make podcasting our sermons a lot easier. The quality of our recording will improve dramatically. Any tips on podcasting? Are there some do's and don'ts?

Can the Jazz force a game 7 with the Lakers? Can the Spurs overcome the sting of the Hornets?

Should be an interesting weekend.

Psalms in the Psummer

A friend of mine suggested that we spell the summer series like this - "Psalms in the Psummer". I like it. It's good to have creative friends.

Really enjoying the book "Made to Stick". Here's an excercise to do: Take 15 seconds. Name all the things that are white in the world. Now, take another 15 seconds - name all the white things in your fridge. Most people come up with the same number of items in both lists. (not the same things, but the same number of things.) Most say that the fridge list is easier to come up with as well. It's all bout focus. It's easier to focus on our fridge than it is the whole world. I find that interesting. The book is great for all communicators - teachers, professors, preachers, etc.

Here's the question of the day: Had a call last night to come and pray with a family from Idaho whose daugther is here for surgery. They asked that I come from across town to pray with them before the surgery. (Being in Salt Lake, I get these kind of calls all the time). This particular hospital has one of the best chaplain programs in the country. Why not ask a chaplain to come down the hall to pray with them? Why do we feel better when "one of our own" prays for us? What does that say about "us"?

$100 Gift Card

If you had a $100 gift card for Amazon.com/Barnes & Noble -- what books would you purchase?

Made To Stick.

Saw "Iron Man" with my daughter - I must admit, liked it more than I thought I would. Good popcorn movie. Could have used more action though.



Right now, I'm reading "Made to Stick". Great book! If you present any material - at church or at work - this would be a great resource. The question the book pursures is this - what makes ideas stick and others disappear? As a minister, I want my ideas to "stick"!

The six traits of a "sticky" idea are: (1) Simplicity, (2) Unexpectedness, (3) Concreteness, (4) Credibility, (5) Emotions, (6)Stories. (SUCCESs). I'll give you a full review when I finish the book.

Also, I've quit reading "Pillars of the Earth". I was trying to avoid the scenes in the book where Follet goes into great detail in the sex scenes, but I felt that I couldn't read it and keep my purity. Plus, the scenes were getting more frequent. Maybe by me reading it I am encouraging others to read it.

Looking forward to the new Baldacci book "The Whole Truth". Should be a good summer read. Always enjoy his books. I've got it on hold at the library.

50 Goals!

I have made 50 new goals - one for every year I have lived. I would highly recommend that you do the same. It's a good excerise. Some are big; some are small. I review them twice a week to keep me on task.

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In a few weeks the summer movies will start rolling out. A few that I am looking forward to are: Prince Caspin, Indiana Jones, Get Smart. All in all, looks to be a disappointing summer season of flicks. Thoughts?

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Is it harder to loose weight or keep it off?

I'm back!

Spent the last week in Dallas doing some odd jobs around my mother's house. It was great to spend a few days with her and eat some good "tex-mex". Some things are just worth the calories! I forgot how much I miss a good cheese enchilada smothered in queso.

Then, I went to Oklahoma City to pick up my daughter at Oklahoma Christian. We cleaned up her apartment (so she could get her deposit back), then hit the road for 20 hours.

Boy, it's good to be home! Seeing those snow covered mountians were a sight for sore eyes.

Working on my sermon series for this summer. We're doing a CBS - combined Bible study - our sermons, adult classes and small groups will evolve around the theme "Psalms in the Summer". Should be a great way to spend our summer!

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Six Razorbacks were taken in the NFL draft. Felix Jones went to the Cowboys! I'm not excited to see Darren McFadden in the Raiders uniform. Oh, well. I'll be a McFadden fan but will continue to hate the Raiders.

Sunday Night Relfections

Finished "The Purity Principle" sermon series this morning with "Getting Radical About Purity". I was really nervous about this series. I studied. I prayed. I read upteen books. I prayed some more. I believe the church needs to talk more about these kinds of issues facing our society.

All of the sermons, along with powerpoint slides (we're working on getting the slides posted) are posted on Southside's website.

We also concluded our shepherd selection process with two new men being affirmed as spiritual shepherds of our congregation. We will now be blessed with 6 men to shepherd, bishop and as elders of the band of believers. I am really blessed to be working with such godly leaders.

Sermons now posted

Some of my most disappointing movies - "Praire Home Companion" is right up there, along with "Eragon" "The Firm" (why make a movie of a book if you change the story?). Have a movie that you were looking forward to yet were disappointed in?

We now have the first two sermons of the Purity Principle now posted on our church's website (www.southsidechurchutah.org).

The NBA playoffs begin this weekend. Have a favorite? The Jazz and Lakers both seem to be hitting their strides. Should be interesting. The champion should come from the west.

Purity Principle

Can't believe it's been almost a month since my last blog. My laptop crashed again -- the fourth hard drive that Best Buy has installed. Thanks to Utah's lemon law -- it happens again and I get a new laptop!

Been preaching on "Purity Principle: God's View of Sex" for the last several weeks. The response has been incredible! They have been recorded. We hope to have them posted on the Southside website very soon.

I've read some great resources for this series. "The Purity Principle," "Passion and Purity" "Sex is not the Problem; Lust Is!" "Techinque to Intimacy" "Interviewing Your Daughter's Dates" are a few of the books I researched for the lessons.

Went to see "Leatherheads" the other night. Pretty disappointing. Can you think of some movies that you had high hopes for but it just didn't deliver for you? What are some of your all time movie disappointments?

It's good to be back.

The Shutdown of Starbucks

Great article by Gordon McDonald (who has written one of my favorite books, Ordering Your Private World). You can read the article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2008/cln80317.html then, come back and answer some instrospective questions:

What could your church learn from a "shut down"? How do you think your church could be more relevant to the community you are a part of?

No church banging, please -- that is too easy. Offer positive criticism - concrete ways in which your church could improve.

10 Church Leaders I Would Love to Have Lunch With

Now, here are ten church leaders I would love to have lunch with.


10. Dee Duke. Dee Duke preaches for a church in a small town of 1,000 in the northwest, with an attendance of over 1,800! Prayer, he says, is the key! I would love to learn about prayer from this great prayer warrior! We would just skip lunch and pray!

9. Beth Moore. Love her passion. Love her story. She has touched the hearts of women everywhere. I would love the opportunity to meet the person behind the persona.

8. Rick Warren. Like him or hate him, the man has made a huge impact on the world!

7. John Maxwell. The father of the Christian leadership movement. Who better than to talk about Christian leadership with than John Maxwell?

6. Erwin McManus. The Mosiac Church in LA. Love his vision of doing church in a unique way. The Unstoppable Force is one of my favorite books on church. A real visionary.

5. Landon Saunders, Heartbeat radio ministry. Those not familiar with Landon, he has always been a prophetic voice among us who are in the “churches of Christ”. He is one of the deepest, wisest men I know.

4. Greg Groeschel. Livechurch tv. What an inivator! Love his use of media in worship. Love his book “Confessions of a Pastor”. What a lunch it would be discussing the proper use of media, plus getting tips!

3. Max Lucado. Love his storytelling. Would love to ask him how he came to his current views on baptism, salvation, etc.

2. Andy Stanley. Love his vision; his leadership. His book “Visioneering” is one of my all time favorite books. Love his book on preaching. This would be long lunch!

1. Bill Hybels. Love everything thing he says about leadership and vision.

More Snow!

It snowed a foot at my house on Wednesday night. Between my driveway and the church's sidewalks - I spent a good part of my Thursday shoveling the white stuff.

Have two books to recommend. First, "Between Sundays" by Karen Kingsbury. Using the NFL as the backdrop, Kingsbury reminds us it is what we do between "games" (i.e., assemblies) that matters. Second, "The Shack" is a book I'm currenlty reading. Great read. Both men and women would like both of these novels. Both will be read by our Southside book club.

I've been reading books on Powerpoint lately. One of my goals is the mark of excellence in everything I do - including powerpoint! It has increased the congregations attention to the sermon. Whether we like it or not, we live in a media driven world. You may have noticed the media focus even on this blog with the music in the background. I may be 50, but I'm trying!

I just heard that 50 is the new 40. Amen!

I hope and pray that you and your congregation are lights set on hills!

Top 10 Non Church LeadersTo Have Lunch With

10. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, -- one of these people will be our new president. Would love a chance to meet the real person and get to know what makes them tick – make a judgment about them for myself rather than getting in through the media.

9. John Wooden. I would love to discuss his views of leadership. Love his triangle of success. A legend of coaching, he would be a phenomenal person to have lunch with!

8. Earl Scruggs. Banjo legend. The stories he could share! Perhaps he could even work in a banjo lesson.

7. Eddie Sutton, Frank Broyles, Rick Schaffer, Houston Nutt, all Razorback heroes. Just think of the stories they could tell! You knew there had to be a Razorback somewhere on this list!

6. Truett Kathy, Founder, Chic-Fil-La. Talk about a guy who takes an idea, keeps it simple, values excellence; values the Lord’s Day – and is still successful! We’d have lunch at his place. Maybe his treat?

5. John Grisham, author. I love his stories. Would love to ask him questions about story telling.

4. Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple. Talk about a creative genius! His work with Pixar and Apple make him one of the most creative leaders on the planet.

3. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great. Good to Great is one of the best books I’ve ever read on creating vision. I just love the whole concept of not being satisfied with being “good”. Churches need that lesson!

2. Dick Winters. Winters is the central leader in “Band of Brothers”. Man, you talk about a man who understands leadership! What a lunch it would be hearing his stories.

1. Howard Schultz. (CEO, Starbucks). This guy knows how to dream! I love his view of the “third place”. I would love to discuss leadership and vision with this man.

Who would be on your list, and why?

sprucing up the ole blog

My thanks to Kevin (through his wife Elise) for helping me spruce up this old blog. He showed me how to play music for you to enjoy while visiting my humble space. Have any suggestions? The tunes will change from time to time.

I've also added a list of books I am currently reading and blogs I visit on a regular basis.

I also hope to add what I'm currently listening to and that kind of stuff.

Received my new Treo phone in the mail today. My old one was ran over about a year ago. And so, I've been saving. Got it with my birthday money. Found a good deal on eBay. I guess getting old does have its upside.

a 2nd mile attitude

I've been a part of a prayer accountability group for a few years now. A part of the covenant is that we pray for an hour a day. Recently, one of our guys has raised the bar. Here's what he is doing - and he challenged the rest of us to do the same. He has an hour of private prayer and day and is aiming for an hour of corporate prayer a day. (He is defining corporate prayer as praying with at least one person).

Beginning this week, I am taking on the challenge myself. It will be a challenge. I have a prayer time with my shepherds on Monday night. Wednesday mornings I pray with some men. Beginning last week, a few of us now pray on Thursdays. SO - I've got to find some people who will pray with me for at least one hour on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The early church met everyday -- why can't we?

I also go from walking a 1.5 miles to 2 miles a day!

What are you doing to "step up" your game this week?

When Can a Person Leave a Church?

I believe that there are valid reasons for a person leaving a church. Here are some valid reasons that I can think of. This is not an exhaustive list by any means. Feel free to add to the list.

The first reason should be obvious. If a church is teaching heresy. Jesus didn't raise from the dead. The Bible is not the inspired Word of God. Jesus really didn't do miracles. There are other teachers on par with Christ. That kind of thing.

Second, when you move to another town. Again, an obvious reason, but just wanted to get it out there.

Third reason would be that you can't follow the leaders of that church. They are not living what they teach, or there is an obvious sin issue that isn't being addressed. They lord it over the flock, etc. That would be a serious issue for me.

That should get the ball rolling. In other reasons that you feel are valid for someone leaving a body of local believers?

When Is It Okay to Leave a Church?

When is it okay to leave one fellowship of believers to go an join another one? Might be good to step back and ask a more fundemental question. Is it okay? It is right? Is it what God intended when he created the church?

When I was the youth minister at the University Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, people changed church membership as often as they changed their underwear. Or so it seemed. Someone hired a new preacher - off they would go to hear the new voice. A new youth minister? Oh, boy! My kids really like him - "he's awesome!" they would say. A new building? Wow! See ya later. That gym is something else.

We're leaving, but don't take it personal, say they. No hard feelings, we hope.

What I liked about the church here in Salt Lake was the fact that there wasn't a whole lot of Christian churches around. You had to work through your differences. You had to plow through the dry patches.

And now, 15 years later, there have been many church plants to sprout up. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for church planting. We do need more churches! The down side is this - it is now very easy to leave your current church for the newer "more exciting" model across town.

Church shopping has crept into the vocabulary of the church in Salt Lake. Maybe we're just catching up from all those years when we had few choices of where to fellowship. We've become spiritual consumers. What do you offer? Here's what we're looking for - do you have that?


So today, I raise a question: When is it okay to leave a church? IS it okay to leave a church?

I have some thoughts on the subject. I would love to hear yours.

This and That

With the Packers out (can't believe it!) I'll have to root for the Giants. Or, do you pull for New England to pull off the undeafeated season?

Loved the season finale of The Amazing Race. My favorite team, TK and Racheal won the million! Now, we turn our attention to Amercian Idol, LOST, watching "24" Season 6 on DVD.

I'm reading several good books right now. "What On Earth Have I Done" by Robert Fulghum is a good book to read a chapter before going to bed. Also, "Solving the PowerPoint Predicament" is a very informative book that explains the ins and outs of Powerpoint.

Had 9 inches of snow in West Jordan this morning. Spent most of the day shoveling the white stuff here at the house and at the church's building.

A busy weekend

Took the fam to see "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" (the new Veggie Tales movie). The kids loved it! As always with any Veggie Tales movie, it had a great moral.

My daugther's high school band had the honor of playing with the Dallas Brass in a concert on the campus of Univeristy of Utah Friday night. It was an amazing concert! A guy did the most incredible Tuba solo that I've ever heard. Yeah, the Tuba! If you can make the Tuba cool, you've pulled off a miracle.

The Amazing Race is almost over! Can't wait till the finale next week. We're pulling for TK and Rachel.

During the holidays my daugthers had me watch all three seasons of "The Office". I just started season six of "24". So good so far. Question: during the writers strike are there any other shows I can watch on DVD? I've heard that Jericho, and Journeyman are good shows. Any other recommends?

I'm looking forward to see some new "LOST" eposides. The question is - how many will we seet? Just wish that "24" would make it for a new season. Doesn't look good.

Started a two part series today "Confessions of a Minister". Got the idea from the book by Greg Groeschel "Confessions of a Pastor". It was an overwhelming response. It's amazing what happens when we really talk about the things that matter.

My Cowboys are out of the playoffs. The Colts are gone. Guess I'll become a Packers fan. Who are root against Brett Farve?

Left Out Some Great Books!

To Elise: You can hijack this blog any time!! I can't believe that I left out the Home to Harmony series of books by Philip Gurley. Love every book! Great story telling. A lot like the Mitford series, which I love, too! Must be gettin' old. "The Postcard" is a wonderful book as well. (I like book about Amish people and their culture.)

My wife's favorite is "The Blue Bottle Club". She doesn't do a lot of reading, but she loves that one! Everyone she has recommended it to has brought back a favorable response.

I've been listening to the book of Ezekiel from the "Bible Experience". Pretty cool. The Bible Experience was recorded by African American actors, which bothers me a little bit -but I've really enjoyed what little I've heard so far. I put it on my iPod which makes the Bible easier to listen to while I work or walk. You can get each book by itslef off iTunes without buying the whole Bible. Each book is $3.95. Check it out!

Hope your new year is off to a good start.

Christian Fiction

I love to read. In the last few years there have been some really good fictional books written that have a Christian bent to them. Like any other genre, some are good; some are bad!

As I promised on December 11 (my last post!?) Here is a list of some of my favorite Christian Fiction books:

This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti
Piercing The Darkness by F. Peretti
The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
Redeeming Love by F. Rivers
And The Shofar Blew by Rivers
You Are Special by Max Lucado
Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hunnard
Love Comes Softly Series (Rivers)

Have heard that Karen Kingsbury is a good writer. Anyone have a book of hers to recommend?

I love a good political thriller - like Grisham, Baldacci. Question: is there a "Christian" writer that writes a compelling thriller?

I didn't care for the Left Behind Series. I read the first five then lost interest.

Seems that most Christian fiction is meant for women. Why is that?

What is your favorite Christian fiction book?