My New Shoes.

My dear in-laws gave me a Vans card for my birthday. This week I cashed it in for these new shoes. They a comfy and stylish all at the same time. Thanks family!

Ten on Tuesday (Monday Edition)

  1. I decided to post this today because I won’t likely have the time or energy tomorrow. This weekend is Global Outreach weekend and so things are pretty busy around the ol’ office. The bar for the weekend is pretty high… to help people understand that the best way to live is through serving others. We also raise a lot of money to fund our work, and sign a lot of people up for trips… but the homerun for our team is when people walk out of the service knowing that they need to love people (at home and around the world) just as much as Jesus does.
  2. There are lots of things that go into a weekend like this. In some ways it is like a Capital Campaign which usually lasts for weeks or months, being compressed into one weekend. We set goals, strategize ways people can be involved, recruit volunteers, raise money and awareness, create print and web collateral and have follow up events. All of this activity is coordinated to have maximum impact. Pretty big feat really!
  3. Michael Jo is am amazing graphic designer. When Matt Curtis left Mariners last year it was bittersweet. The team felt his loss greatly, and I felt it even more! Our search was pretty extensive and we went through a lot of good candidates to find the great candidate. Michael has been around for a pretty short amount of time, but he fits in great… has a great eye for design, and is absorbing the culture quickly. Best of all, because of Michael, I am not a crazy person this week trying to manage all of the pieces for GO Weekend and use outsource designers for the work. It is great to be able to have some back and forth creativity in the office.
  4. I am trying to read too many good books all at once. I need to update my reading list on the right column to reflect the current reads… needless to say I am looking forward to next week when I might have the brain power to finish a few books.
  5. NAB is this week, and during a different season of my life that would have meant a week in Vegas with good friends, having a great time… and lots of great conversations. I hope everyone hanging out with the Gurus Gathering is doing the same this year.
  6. I almost forgot… another big goal for GO Weekend is sponsoring 300 children in the Ugandan village of Soroti. When our last team was there, they committed our church to taking all of the children in this orphanage on. The box of pictures arrived from Uganda last week, and I am pretty sure that half of the kids have already been grabbed by the staff! Everyone looks through the box and can’t resist their adorable faces. The best part… the kids are all part of the church we parter with in Soroti and so anyone who travels to Uganda has the opportunity to meet and interact with their kid. Powerful stuff.
  7. Can you tell I am excited about this weekend? I am. One of the best things about my job and my team is that we get the opportunity to do things that are tangible kingdom building things… sponsor kids, build churches, gather and distribute clothes, feed people, show compassion & love, teach people to read. We also get to develop people in our church to be more loving and more like Jesus… we give them the tools to be fully devoted followers of Christ, through serving those who are poor and in need. We are on the front lines of growth and discovery! While many churches measure growth in the number of people that attend or how much money they have in their budget, we measure health of our church by the number of people who are involved in meaningful and sacrificial service. It is amazing to me that God has given me the honor to serve Him in this capacity.
  8. If you have not heard the latest CD by Tim Timmons, then you suck. Let me just say that the song Uprising is AMAZING! I chatted with Tim the other day at staff meeting and thanked him for writing the song. There are days when I wish I could play the piano and write songs… not many, but a few. When I listen to someone like Tim sing and play, I wish I could. His gift is so amazing. His songs are so passionate and real. He lives and breathes worship. The guy you see on stage leading is the same guy you chat with in the hallways… he is very cool. BUY HIS CD!!!
  9. Random quote of the past week. Sally says in the car on the way to church, “I would like a muffin.” “Ummm okay… a muffin?” I said. She said, “Yeah, a muffin.” Where does she come up with this… I could not even tell you the last time she had a muffin. When we got there, we took her to the Global Cafe and got her a muffin. She enjoyed it all. Yes, Uncle Kurt, she eats the WHOLE muffin.
  10. Please say a prayer for Global Outreach Weekend. Pray that lives will be changed, hearts will be opened and lot of people will take the step out on faith to get involved and serve others.

I love helpful signs

For as long as I can remember I have been a fan of helpful signs. Whenever I see a new one, I try to record it for posterity. I saw one the other day on the side of a truck unloading at Mariners.

The implication of the sign… eating out is the way to really enjoy life. I hope that is not true. If it is then how do I enjoy the 4th Meal and a great life at the same time?

So everyone… hop in your car and head to your favorite eatery and start enjoying life.

//blair

P.S. The first photo (while very realistic) is in fact a clevery forgery of an actual church sign. Click here to create your own and fool you friends and family.

It’s a match!

Take the Quiz

I was inspired by my wife to take this little quiz. I guess I can live with the outcome. I have been a fan since the ER days… Oceans 11 & 13 were great, and good night and good luck is genius. I guess I just need to learn how to brood a little bit.

So there you go.

Friends,
How many of you have labored to try and explain what your church is all about to guests on Easter? Well, at Mariners Church we came up with an innovative solution. We shot a video with some highlights of the campus. We also had it set to music. Please, won’t you take a moment and enjoy. One more quick thing… we do not take ourselves very seriously.