this is why i love atlanta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4TIitZpqv4&feature=related

new creation

i know that i've shared this video with a lot of you already, but i literally just woke up with this expression in my mind and my heart. so, i want to share it with the rest of you guys who haven't seen it...

this is one of the most creative/beautiful artistic expressions i've ever seen within the church:

http://vimeo.com/1797430?pg=embed&sec=1797430

*it is from fellowship church in texas.

i'm not in GA anymore

last night at the church, we had a big "trunk or treat" deal for halloween. excuse me, "fall festival." hahaha. anyways, it was in the 30s and the wind was blowing in excess of 20mph, a lot of the activities were outside, and people still showed up. if this was to happen in GA, there would have been 3 people there, and they would have complained about the weather the entire time.

however, it is now quite obvious to me that either these people are A.) gluttons for punishment (or bad weather as it were), or B.) they just really like candy. whatever the case may be, i am certain that i am not in GA anymore...

crescendo

one of the coolest things that God has been teaching me over the past week or so has been through the verse Habakuk 1:5, which says, "look at the nations and watch, for I [God] am going to do something in your day that you would not believe even if you were told." that takes my breath away. gets me really excited. and scares me to death.

our axis leadership team has committed to focusing on this verse everyday, and it's really messing me up (in a really beautiful way). this verse has just thrown me into thinking about the message of Christ throughout history. there have been some pretty incredible advances. from a group of just a few disciples to literally millions. wow.

so, here's where this gets tough: i was leading worship a couple of weeks ago for our high schoolers and we were doing the song "God of this city." there's a part of this song that says, "greater things have yet to come. greater things are still to be done in this city." as i was leading, these words just almost brought me to tears, because i wasn't sure if i really believed it. and that scared me...

today, as i was driving to work and praying through habakuk 1:5, God linked these to concepts in my mind. i was trying to understand where i fit in all of this. i had so many questions. does this verse really apply to me as an individual? does God really have greater things planned for me? these are things that i believe in my head, but sometimes i lack the understanding in my heart. but God spoke so clearly to me in that moment.

i was listening to a song on my ipod and as it came to the end, the band ended with a huge crescendo, and right there in my car on randall road, God said, "live a crescendo. push into me more and more, and you really will see greater things. you will see things that you wouldn't believe even if I told you." i couldn't speak. it was one of the most significant moments i've ever had in my entire life...

let's live a crescendo. does this resonate with anyone else?

vaca

i just finished reading hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy. amazing. it was a far cry from my typical, contemporary christian readings, but i must say, it was a welcomed break. it was really like a vacation for my mind. yes...

i get so caught up in church work and ministry a lot of times that i forget that i love to read, and write, and make art in general. this book definitely took me back to a time in college when i was forced (by various creative writing instructors *to whom i am eternally grateful) to read things that i would never have chosen for myself to read. they stretched me so much. artistically and intellectually. however, since graduation, which is now about 10 months ago (weird), i have not read one thing of that nature.

well, that stops now. i think jesus doesn't like it when we neglect the gifting that he has given us. balance, i'm learning more and more, is the key to my walk...

small victory

today, i went to borders bookstore. i love it there. however, i do have a tendency to fall into the trap of buying the newest book by one of my favorite christian authors almost every time i go. however, i've been learning so much lately about slowing down my performance driven understanding of what it means to be a christian and just allowing God to renovate me from the inside out. easier said than done to be sure.

so, today when i was at borders, i ran across rob bell's new book, Jesus wants to save christians. i couldn't have agreed more with the title. but i resisted the temptation to just buy another book to buy another book, and i put it down. i will read this book at some point, but that does not mean i have to rush through it right now.

this is pretty much the first time that i have resisted such an urge. it's a really small step. but it is a step. a step towards killing my performance based spirituality. a step towards life. maybe even a step towards Jesus saving this christian.

what is the one thing in your life that, although it isn't inherently bad, you wish Jesus would save you from? i understand if you don't want to comment. but it could be cool if you did...

hilarity in the bathroom

so, i really wanted to blog about this yesterday, but i ended up not having time. *the fact that i didn't have time to blog is kind of misleading. i actually had the day off, but i ended up throwing myself into a new book! i digress.

yesterday afternoon, i went to barnes and noble to do a little reading and to just enjoy the atmosphere. for some reason, i absolutely love the atmosphere of pretty much any coffee shop or book retailer...after reading for a bit, i started looking around the books (which turned out to be a two hour affair). i think i have a problem. ha. anyways, after about two hours of browsing, my bladder was ready to burst. so, i ventured towards the restroom. the plot thickens.

upon my arrival at the urinal, i observed that both stalls were occupied. i was notified of this by the subtle grunts of the inhabitants. anyways, as i was washing my hands after fulfilling my duties at the half-stall, a chubby 10 year old walks in with a look of determination and fear. i knew that look. so, i decided to wash my hands quite thoroughly in order to observe the events that were about to transpire!

the kid checked both stall doors with a little shake of the handle and received devastating results. locked. locked.

at this point, the look on the kid's face goes from fear to sheer terror. i knew what was coming... after backing away from the stalls and a brief moment of silence, the kid let out a cry for help, "excuse me sir, no offense but do you know how long you're going to be in there? because i really, really have to go!" -silence. awkward. (at this point i'm caught between wanting to run out before the kid exploded and wanting to see the titillating end to this frightening saga). again, "sir?!" finally a response, "i'll be just one second!"

i started to giggle as i heard rushed attempts to wrap up the festivities in the handicapped stall. incredible. i, then, had to rush out of the bathroom so i didn't just die laughing! i'll never be sure what happened next, but i'm positive that that had to be one of the most awkward moments ever experienced in that restroom!

some say it's skill. some chalk it up to luck. i'll just say i was in the right place at the right time...