I've lost something

I guess being in ministry we are whipped into submission to be in the now. We try to get kids to come this week. We try and plan activities this week. Sometimes we plan ahead...plan for events, trips etc. You come into ministry thinking amazing things. Or I believe at least you should. Then, it all seems to get knocked out of you. You get criticized for this...a little knocked out. You get told that you aren't doing enough....more knocked out. You see the same people not respond to anything you feel that God is telling you...and even more gets knocked out. I want to dream big. I want to be a part of something that could only happen if God were a part of it. Something that no man could take credit for, only God. I want to dream big but more importantly, I just need to start dreaming again. I need to be more creative. Think outside of the "now" box. Think outside of my circumstances. I have become a now man...and I've let being more and dreaming for something like Paul was talking about in Eph. 3:20 slip my mind. That is what kind of follower of Christ I want to become. I want to affect change rather than be effected by the apathy of those around me. I believe that God can do anything that He wants whenever, wherever He wants. Still, those people must allow Him to do so. I have let people effect me rather than God.

May God help us to dream big. Dream things that touch God's heart. To want things that God wants. To be chasing after one thing: to know Christ and to bring others into that same knowledge. May you find that surrender is freedom in Christ. May we not be caged by the insecurities of generations past. Let us not hold onto or be tied down by their apparent love affair with the now and the comfortable. May God open our eyes to be able to dream things that only He could accomplish instead of planning things that we know we can.

Eph. 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

Vacation!!!!

Hey...after some searching, Sarah and I will be going on vacation November 7-14 to celebrate our "birthdays and anniversary". We will going to the Orange Lake Resort in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It is a much needed vacation before the holidays and the start of a new year. We can't wait. It is about an hour and half north of Chicago and we are about an hour and a half from Chicago so it will be a good distance to just be able to get away. Thanks Uncle Harold! You don't know how much we need this.

Monday morning reflections...

Hey...I was supposed to have a meeting today but it got cancelled and good thing. We had our kickoff last night and then I had to take some of the kids home because we were running really late. So...

1. I took a vacation day today! I am doing as little as possible.

2. Last night the kick-off went well. There were some really good parts and other things that just make me want to spit nails.

3. I am sad today because one of my best friends is moving out of the district to take another job in Michigan. Ben and Amanda Capshaw are moving in October to Faith Church in Lansing, Michigan to be the Children's Pastor. I am happy for them because its a great opportunity, but insanely sad at the fact that we will not be seeing each other very frequently.

4. I got my smelly cast off! It was NASTY! Dead skin, sour smell...but boy am I glad.

5. We are trying to find somewhere to go on vacation to. My Uncle Harold is letting us buy a week off of him. What a relief it has been this week just to know that we are going to get this time away.

6. It is getting cold and you know what that means?! Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate!

7. Did you know that Ray Boltz came out of the closet?! Thanks to Stevansheets.com I read this and couldn't believe it! What a blow to many of the fans of this man.

8. The Colts won yesterday after being down 15-0...man I was getting mad. Then everything in the universe was all good.

9. I started playing my guitar again after the cast. I sang Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus yesterday for the special and then after church a younger lady comes up to me and tells me that I should put out a CD! LOL...that made me chuckle.

10. Finally, during a devotional time last week I came across Psalm 127. For some of you it might mean very little. But I thought it might help others...

Psalm 127
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.

2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.

5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

How to fit in at almost any church

Top 10: places I'd like to go

If $$$ weren't a factor, which it always is, here is my top ten places i'd love to go to or return to:

10. San Francisco- I love the look of it. Cable cars, sloped streets, Golden Gate Bridge...and I want to see the Pacific Ocean.

9. Boston- This is due in large part to watching Good Will Hunting years ago. It just always seems cool and I'd love to see Fenway Park.

8. Alaska- I love the cold, Alaska is cold. I would love to see all the ice and stuff up there.

7. Beijing- With the Great Wall and all the other stuff to see, this would be quite the vacation.

6. Venice- I've always wanted to go to Venice. It might make me sea sick though!

5. Bahamas- need I say more? This makes me think of relaxation even while sitting here.

4. Ireland- I use Irish Spring soap so if the country smells like that who wouldn't want to go?

3. Grand Canyon- I wouldn't want to ride a donkey down to the bottom though.

2. Paris- With the Eiffel Tower, all the art museums this place would be amazing to visit.

1. New York City- I've been there twice and would live there! I love it...from Times Square to the hole in the wall type places I would love to live near it at least.

what about you? where would you go?

WoW... what a guy!

weekly update

1. I love that the weather has turned and football has started...even though the Colts lost...ugh.

2. Losing 9 seniors last year and with the possibility of some good friends moving out of the district i am feeling a great sense of abandonment.

3. I get my cast off (for good hopefully) this Friday!

4. I liked Gov. Palin's speech but I'm not sure she will be enough to push McCain over the top. Obama's hype is HUGE!

5. I have been reminded today that worrying and being anxious is the opposite of faith and they both get you nowhere.

6. I found out through a required (by my wife) Dr. visit, that I am as healthy as an ox! No problems...

7. Sarah, on the other hand, has a jacked up thyroid. It is seriously messing things up. She goes Oct. 1st to a specialist.

8. Sarah is interviewing to become a charge nurse on her floor. Movin' on up!

9. People are generally in a cranky mood these days. Keith Drury thinks it is because of all the negative political stuff. Who knows

10. I am wondering who reads this stuff? Is it you? and if it is you, who are you?

websites i go to daily...

1. Pandora.com- this is an absolutely free website that plays music that you pick and screen. I love it and play it everyday in the office.

2. espn.com- I love sports and this is sports heaven.

3. my.yahoo.com- I get my daily fix of stevansheets.com, brianandjayeholland.blogspot.com among others.

4. hotmail.com- it is just a necessity

5. myspace.com- two-fold reason- one...to stay up with my teens and two...mobsters

6. yahoo.com- I play fantasy football and baseball so i check out my teams.

7. peegs.com- to stay current with my Hoosiers

8. andyjellison.blogspot.com- to see if anyones paying a bit of attention to my ramblings.

9. youtube.com- to find something inspiring, funny or useful

10. google.com- man google is my phonebook/faq/go-to guy for all things internet

Top 10: TV Shows

I thought I'd start a top 10 theme for some fun. Feel free to add your lists in the comment section!


Here are my top 10 tv shows:

Honorable mention: Deadliest Catch, Bones, America's Got Talent, Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen and Life.

10. House- I love sarcasm. House is full of it and I love watching how they come to solve some weird medical mysteries.

9. Psych- This show is on USA network in the summers and many people are missing a ton of laughs. This show is about a guy who pretends to be a psychic and helps the cops. I really enjoy this off the wall humor. Sarah looks at me and just shakes her head when we watch this show.

8. Amazing Race- Traveling the globe, fighting with your partner, interesting interactions between the competitors and the different locals make for a great show.

7. Eli Stone- this new show blew me away. This man has a brain tumor that gives "visions" of down and out people he needs to help. A modern day prophet for the cold hearted.

6. Heroes- This show has so many different things going on that it couldn't ever get boring or predictable. I want a super-human ability!

5. Lost- With a new twist every episode, you are always wondering whats next. Great concept and cast make this super unmissable!

4. Prison Break- Only with this show could you hear someone say, "not everyone who breaks out of prison is bad"! Sarah said that just last night. This show gives you ulcers and anxiety if you aren't careful. They love making enemies necessary allies. Run...

3. Big Brother- I love the mind games and the social aspect of this summer hit. I would love to get on this show. With three shows a week, it brings some excitement to the otherwise boring summer tv schedule.

2. American Idol- I like to watch the horrible people and cheer on my favorites. My favorites have been Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, Bo Bice, Blake Lewis and David Cook. I seem to pick winners (blake and bo should have won, even though they aren't doing well now) every other year. This will be the off year.

1. Survivor- Outwit, outplay, outlast...I love it...plain and simple.

don't go thinking all i do is watch tv...I tivo everything on this list...

How about you...what do you watch?

Blueberry oh eight!

What a great weekend! We had family, fun and some flippin' awesome fireworks. Since I like to read bullet points rather than a paragraph, thats what I'll do:

1. Friday I went back to the hand Dr. and got my cast off...for about 20 minutes...then promptly got a new one. He said another two weeks so that it could heal more. BOOOO...

2. Saturday we went to Markle to the "Old Place: for an anniversary party for Sarahs Aunt. Good times...

3. We have a new favorite thing at the Blueberry Festival...the Blueberry Donuts! Wow is all I can say.

4. I had some amazing food and most of it wasn't deep-fried...hurray for Andy :)

5. There were like 17 vendors arrested or asked to leave the festival...some were selling fake stuff and some were swiping bank cards and getting peoples info! dude...

6. The fireworks were just amazing. The BEST I've ever seen...the wait to get out though (all 60+ minutes) was not that fun...

It was a great weekend and great to see both moms and spend time with them

Being held back

Have you ever had the notion to just jump into a car and take off? Take off to nowhere? Somewhere? You know, just get in the car and drive! Go in a different direction than you've ever gone?

I think our lives are a pretty good reflection of M. Night Shyamalan's movie, "The Village". In the movie there is a "settlement" of people that have their own culture and own things holding them back. There is the fear of certain colors and a boundary line that no one can cross. The younger people fall in line and do as they're told, they don't know any different. However, you come to find out that this village is tucked away in some national park where a few families were trying to create a utopia. It reminds me a lot of our world. There are fears of certain things that are ingrained into you from childhood. Some rational, others are just boundaries set up by those who either fear something or are trying to have control over a situation.

Heres my point: I am wondering what is holding me back. What fears do I have that are legitimate fears and what things are just someone trying to control me or my emotions? Why is it that, if you looked at a map of our daily lives, there are worn out paths leading and going to the same things rather than veering off onto some new adventure? What holds you back? What keeps you from dreaming? What have you been taught that you really don't understand?

May God allow us to get in the seat next to Him and venture on new roads. May we not be found on the same, worn-out muddy trails when He has a bigger "more abundant life" for us to lead! Jump the fence, start the car, take a step..."push the pedal down, watch the world fly by us..."

Weekly reflections

10. I love the Olympics. I have thoroughly enjoyed them. That Phelps kid is amazing.

9. God is very fond of me and wants the best for me.

8. I hate wearing a cast. I hate it mostly for the attention and all the tape I've had to yank off my arm! Casts smell funny too...

7. Worrying gets you absolutely nowhere.

6. Family is so important and as a pastor, I don't have the luxury of spending time or being close to my family and that makes me sad.

5. When I become a father, I want to "be there" in as many moments and times when my kids need me.

4. Find good friends and appreciate them...no matter what.

3. I think marriage, at least for me, is getting better every year. The first couple of years are difficult, trying to find a groove. But once you find it, man the joy and love that exists. I love my wife.

2. Do you ever think about living in another area of the country and wonder what it would just feel like?

1. Things change. They never stay the same. They never stay the way you left them. So...enjoy the good things you have now...they'll soon change. Learn to live with the not-so-good things....they'll soon change.

Pulse Fest 08

what a day! It was fun and great to be able to spend time with the Speds. I miss these guys...

Casting Crowns were amazing...a lot of great words were spoken into my heart this day.

Who's on first?

classic!

Brad Paisley - She's Everything

Sarah,

I absolutely adore you! I'm so glad that we are. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you, baby

Against the Flow 08

Tenth Avenue North - Love Is Here

great message...great song

Green grass

I have this bad habit. I only do it so often but when I do, it drags me down for a few hours. No one else is usually around so I have to deal with it by myself. What is it you say? It is BLOG READING!!!

You see, other peoples lives seem so much cooler, more fulfilling, more _________ you fill in the blank and I have probably passed that blogmotion once or twice.

Thats life sometimes. There are times when things are great and good things are happening to you. The thing is, most of the time we miss those things. I start wishing or looking down the road and fail to live fully in the now. When I was younger I wanted to go to college, I did. But when I was there I just wanted to get a job and on and on it goes. I think the grass will always seem a little bit greener somewhere else for a few reasons:

1. We haven't got there yet to walk on it and make it brown!

2. Often times we never look at the "grass" that we're on to see how green it is. We are always looking off into the fields next to ours to even notice where we are.

3. Your eyes see things differently than any other person in the world. Maybe you see green differently than the guy next to you. Just as long as we have God's Spirit helping us to view things through His eyes and stay in Him, He will "make us lie down in GREEN pastures!"

4. Finally, sometimes the grass just is greener. Plain and simple. Maybe it's time to go graze in a new patch. But leaving just to leave is like a Raccoon. We went and picked corn last week and the 'Coons got into the corn. The thing is that they would only take a bite or two from each ear and then move on. Seriously though, leaving just to go somewhere new or just to leave is rarely the answer.

May you come to appreciate the grass you are in right now. May God lead you to get some nice grass stains wherever it is that you are! He is very fond of you!

Fantasy Football

Hey...I just wanted to invite anyone likes to play fantasy football to a league on Yahoo.com. Sign up soon so we can get the draft done and over with. Here's the info:

fantasy football time...

yahoo
league id #: 337697
password: football
the draft is tues. the 19th
@ 7pm

Update from Jellyland 8.8.08

hey all...

here are some updates:

• I fell and broke my hand at family camp! I'm in a cast and typing has become a hunt and peck event.
• Sarah found out (finally!) that there is something wrong with her...thyroid.
  
• I picked corn yesterday for the first time ever!
• I have some peppers growing for the first time ever!
• I have been reading a book called "The Shack" and it has deeply affected my view of God and how he views me and loves me. It is amazing. If you've ever struggled with doubts or felt like God was distant, read this book. It's by William P. Young. Amazing!!!
• The Olympics start tonight. I'm really excited.
• I'm excited to spend some time with friends next weekend at Pulse Fest. It's a free concert with Toby Mac, Casting Crowns, Skillet and Mandisa.
  
• I'm also excited about being able to preach at my dad's church next sunday morning. It feels like one of them full circle kind of things.
• I found out that corn on the cob cooked in its husk is amazing on th grill!

Know today that God is especially fond of you and loves you deeply!