Cats Are EVIL!

During a message recently I remarked about the evilness of cats. Of course the cat owners come out of the woodwork to defend their beloved pets. The truth is that I do not hate cats but there is a powerful lesson we can learn from them.

Cats are probably more like people than we give them credit for. Think about it for a moment. They do not like to be told what to do. They do not want to come when they are called unless there is something in it for them. In fact if a cat could talk they would let us in on a dirty little secret: they are the master and we are their servants.

This is precisely how we act as humans toward our creator. We want to live our way all the time unless of course we need something. When a family member has cancer, we need to pass a test, or we are looking for a new job then we begin to talk to God as if we have been best friends the whole time.

On the other hand dogs will stay by their master no matter what. A dog trusts his master even when his master mistreats him. A dog models unconditional love and trust. We can learn a lot about who we can be with Christ's help from a dog. The only difference is that although a dog trusts even the untrustworthy master, God can always be trusted.

Let God remove your inner cat so you can embrace your inner dog!

Are You Swimming in Your Own Filth?

Donatello

I have to change my turtle's filter about once a week. It is constantly being clogged with his waste and scrap food. The filter needs to be clean to do its job.

If I ever became tired of changing the filter I could decide to take it out completely. Of course this decision would lead to my turtle's death. Good old Donatello could never survive swimming in his own filth without me.

The same is true in life. Living in our own filth leads to death. Romans 6:23 tells us that we deserve death because of sin, but can live because of Christ. 

As we abide in Christ and in His word we are constantly being cleansed of sin. The Bible points out areas we need to turn over to God and jesus forgives us. 

Aren't you glad He does not grow tired of cleansing us? What if He simply turned off the filter and walked away? Isn't it great that He loves us more than I love my turtle?

Whitney Houston Dies at the Age of 48

Tomorrow the Grammy awards will be held, celebrating the best musicians of today. There was perhaps none better and more influential than Whitney Houston who has died at the age of 48. Stars like Mariah Carey and Christiana Aguilera owe much of their career to the influence of the late pop icon.

Her career was far from over. She was getting ready for the release of her upcoming onscreen musical, Sparkle and it was rumored that she would possibly join Simon Cowell on the X Factor. I remember Simon giving extremely bad feedback to any artist on American Idol who dared to try to sing a Whitney Houston song.

I always admired how she kept her music and image cleaner than most pop singer in the sexual realm. Even when she married Bobby Brown, got involved in drugs and behaved erratically she still maintained the respect of singers and fans everywhere.

Her God given gifts were remarkable. It is very fitting that her last public performance this passed Thursday was to sing Jesus Loves Me. A gift like she had seems rarely bestowed and is not to be taken lightly. But, then again neither are the gifts God has given you. When your life is over will we be able to say why you were here? Will we know without a doubt what your purpose was? Get out there and use your gifts, because there was only one Whitney and there is only one you.

Also Read:
Should the Flag be Lowered for Whitney Houston?
Other Memorials:
Patrick Swayze Dies
Saying Goodbye to Brittany Murphy
James Arness Dies: What Can We Learn from Old Westerns?
Osama Bin Laden is Dead!

Judgment Free Zone? Really?

You've probably seen the commercials. Planet Fitness is a "Judgement Free Zone". How refreshing that a company would seek to stamp out judgmental attitudes. 

We've all seen the muscle bound jock who grunts like a constipated gorilla to lift a weight so big that you would rent a fork lift to move. It always ends with a resounding thud, as he sends the weights careening to the ground. We all look up in awe, and wish we could be that strong!

Then there is the girl who turns every head, making it a very dangerous environment to be lifting heavy weights. Her hair is never out of place, her makeup doesn't smear when she sweats, she wears only a sports bra and her pants might as well be painted on. There is usually some sort of word across the backside, but it might as well say unattainable. As much as you work out nothing seems to help. 

Unless we are not meant to be them. And we are not. Planet Fitness recognizes this and has rules in place to avoid judgment. There is a dress code to makes sure that "the girl" mentioned above purchases clothing. There is also a "lunk" alarm that goes off if weights are dropped. 

The other day I was on the treadmill when some weights hit the floor and the alarm blared. We all glanced over simultaneously with a look that said "loser". At that moment it hit me. We can work really hard to keep the overachievers from judging us (or more accurately cause us to judge ourselves), only to be the ones judging them.

I think the same is true in the church. A church can work so hard to not major on the minors that we will marginalize other Christians who have any strong convictions that we deem legalistic. Is legalism a bad thing? Yes. Did Jesus confront legalists? Yes. Did Jesus love and die for legalists? Absolutely. 

In our effort to not be judgmental lets beware of thinking we are better than those who think they are better than us.

The Next Big Thing

A few years ago:  Twinkie creator Jimmy Dewar said: “Twinkies was the best darn-tootin’ idea I ever had.” 
Now:  Hostess is filing for bankruptcy. 


A few years ago:  Small video stores were closing because they could not compete with the large chains during the VHS to DVD conversion. 
Now:  Blockbuster videos have "For Lease" instead of "New Release" in their window.


A few years ago:  Mom and pop book stores were folding up when book mega stores like Barnes and Noble and Borders came to town. 
Now:  A tablet reading device like Kindle or Nook can hold thousands of books and the large stores are disappearing. 


A few years ago:  Families looked through the Sears or J.C. Penny catalogues so they could shop from home. 
Now:  We can use Ebay, Craigslist, or Half.com to find items from anyone, anywhere, at anytime.


A few years ago:  The answering machine made it possible to find out who called when someone was not AT their house.
Now:  The number of cell phones in the United States exceeds the number of people.


What has changed:  Methods
What is the same:  We are still; eating snacks, watching movies, reading, buying, and communicating


A few years from now:  We will be doing the same things using new and improved methods. How will we get there? Well, that depends on some innovative people out there or maybe it depends on you.








What other changes can you think of in the past few years? 

Are You Mentoring Unaware?

I was thinking about my mentors this morning. I have several people who speak into my life on a regular basis (whether I want them to are not). There are those who call, check on me, and ask me engaging questions. Then there are those that I have asked to hold me accountable. I value there input greatly.

As I look back over my life I realize that I have had mentors who did not even realize they were mentoring me. I was learning, gleaning from, and endeavoring to be like them. Today, I have mentors who do not even know I exist. People like Michael Hyatt (blogger) & Craig Groeschel (LifeChurch.TV) who mentor me through their; books, blogs, videos and tweets. I learn from their passion, have similar vision, but most of all respect who they are as men.

Who are you purposefully mentoring? Who is watching you? Is your life worth following? Can you say follow me as I follow Christ?

How Serving Has Impacted My Life

I asked Laura Milner, the blog author of Strengthening the Chain to guest post on serving. You see, I have been on staff in the church world for 11 years and I needed fresh eyes on the subject. Laura is also a volunteer youth worker in California and an avid Twitter user. Thanks for reading and feel free to join the conversation.

_________________________________________________________________________________

I started volunteering in my high school youth group when I was 16 years old. I felt God's call on my life to serve and jumped in, I started leading games and being a part of the planning of our weekly meetings. It was one of the most life changing choices I ever made in my life and would set the tone for who I would become as an adult. And now 12 years, a marriage, 2 kids and 3 ministries later I can say that being a volunteer is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. 

Now I could write a whole blog post on how volunteering can be hard and how I've been broken by God, how I've spent many sleepless nights thinking and praying for the teens I minister to, I could go on and on about how many times I've almost walked away from serving. But if you've been serving for any period of time you already know the struggles, I want to tell you is that serving made me who I am today and I wouldn't change that for anything. 

Making the choice to serve as a life style has filled my life with adventure, friends, mentors and opportunities that I would have never had, had I not been a volunteer. Choosing at a young age to be a part of a ministry helped me survive my teens. If I wasn't plugged in and discipled by some amazing leaders I would have walked down the wrong path and could have completely walked away from my faith. Serving is also how I have made life long friends and most importantly where I met and fell in love with my husband. My children have been raised in service, helping wrap gifts for underprivileged kids, to helping me fold youth event fliers to sitting in awe as they watch dear friends preach their hearts out on stage. I wouldn't be me if I wasn't a volunteer. 

If I didn't volunteer in church my life would look completely different. I know I wouldn't have married my husband, and I know I would have made choices that I may not have been able to recover from. Volunteering is a life style for me, not a weekly commitment. I take the call on my life seriously. I have a deeper intimacy with my Savior because I serve, I am constantly growing in my walk with Christ, I am encouraged and challenged by the people I serve with and most of all I get to watch Gods church grow. 

I know too many Christians who are simply content with attending church on Sunday morning and living their life without giving back. And to be honest it makes me really sad. Not only are they robbing others of their God given talent, not only are they robbing themselves of friends and growth, they are robbing God. Yes, I said that! Choosing not to serve when God has called you to, is robbing God. You are robbing Him of using you, robbing Him of stretching you and making you grow. And most of all you are robbing God of the opportunity to work miracles in the lives of others through you. We are ALL called by God to seek and save the lost, we are ALL called to give unconditional love as Christ did! It is shameful how many Christians forget or don't care to give as God gave.

You might think, the church really doesn't need another person. But that's a lie. God only created one YOU, and He wants to use YOU. Being a volunteer will change your life, it will stretch you further then you have ever been stretched. Being a volunteer allows God to move in you and through you. Don't rob the world of Gods gift, YOU!

Camouflage Christianity

A teen in my youth group has a camouflage Bible cover and I like to tease him about not seeing a Bible.

Camouflage looks good on hats, jackets, and even Bibles. But the one place it does not look good is on a Believer's life.

What about you? Do you stand out or are you camouflaged?

The Top Ten Christmas Movies Ever Made!

It has been two years since my Top Ten Christmas Movies of All Time blog. Some of my opinions have changed. Several movies received high marks for being classics, but I no longer go out of my way to see them. Others were newer and are starting to be time tested favorites. So here is the new list:

10. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Yes, this was only a television special. It was not on my previous list for that very reason. However, this just seems wrong. It is time tested and great. You can even buy inflatables and Charlie Brown Christmas trees years after its release. What other Christmas movie had a song that is so readily played on Christmas radio stations? It is classic and is here to stay.

9. A Christmas Carol (2009)

The best of the Christmas Carols by far. I had not seen this when I made my first list. Although, if we could make a perfect version it would have Kermit as Bob Cratchit, George C Scott as Scrooge, Goofy as Jacob Marley, and be done in the style of the Jim Carrey version. 

8. Die Hard (1988)

Yes, it is a Christmas movie. And I will be watching it again this year!

7. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Great! and unlike other Christmas movies, it is surprisingly original in its storytelling.

6. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

It is worth watching simply for the back story of the Grinch's descent into obscurity. A back story that seems to have been copied in part by MegaMind. 

5. Miracle on 34^th Street (1947)

Definitely the Superior of the two "Miracle" movies.

4. The Santa Clause (1994)

Tim Allen's best work by far. It is too bad that they kept making these, because one was perfect. It would serve better as a stand alone movie than in an sub-par trilogy.

3. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

I LOVE this movie! Last time I had it as number one, but it is a little long. It also seems to be slipping in popularity. It must be the modern attention span. I still think it is Jimmy Stewart's best role.


2. Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone was the best Christmas movie that came out when I was a kid. Perhaps that is why it has stuck with me all of this time. The hijinks of Stern and Pesci as the inept wet bandits never gets old.

1. Elf (2003)

Elf is HUGELY funny and highly quotable.

"Smiling is my favorite"

"You sit on a thrown of lies!"

Need I say more? Elf has become my favorite Christmas movie, simply because it is one that constantly makes me laugh. It is an added plus that my wife and kids love it as well.

Didn't see your favorite? Comment below.

Christmas Already?!

Christmas is upon us!!! Or at least the department stores would have us think so. With only a week before Thanksgiving one would never know that it wasn't the middle of December.

A few weeks ago I was at a store that had Halloween decorations on one aisle and Christmas decorations on the next. Really? I mean come on. Why not throw some fireworks and chocolate bunnies into the mix?

I even came home the other day and my wife had Christmas carols blaring as she cleaned. What in the world?

As Christmas really gets closer it will probably monopolize a good chunk of my posts as well. What can I say? I actually love Christmas, just not so early.

How to Get a FREE Texting Service for your Ministry

Have you ever wanted to text your entire student or children's ministry all at once. If you are anything like me you have looked into it. I found out that the price was more than my church could afford to budget.

Only 50% of emails are actually read, but 96% of texts are opened and read. This means that not only are texting services the best way to communicate with large groups, but they are also a necessity.

How did I get a text service for absolutely free? I let Twitter pick up the tab. I recently learned how to do this at a breakout session of the Orange Conference. Now I want to share this with you.

Here are the simple steps to make this work.

1. Start a Twitter account for your group. Example: @kwazykids

2. Plan to tweet no more than 3 times a week so as not to annoy the receiver enough to where they drop out.

3. Communicate the new communication method (you do not even need to mention Twitter)

4. Have everyone in your group text to 40404 the following: follow kwazykids

It is imperative that there is a space between follow and your Twitter name.
You do not need to include the @ sign.

5. Tweet to Text to your group

Good luck with your New FREE texting service. May God bless your ministry

Halloween and Spirit World

It's Halloween! The time when the ancient Druids incorrectly believed that the veil between the physical and spiritual world was the thinnest. Costumes and the use of pumpkins both date back to their times.

There was however a time when there was a veil between the spiritual and physical. It was a time when people needed to go through a priest to ask God for forgiveness of sins.

Jesus came to remove that veil. He was God in the form of man. This closeness is what He wants for all of us by indwelling us with His Spirit. It was not possible before Jesus because of our sins.

When Jesus died on the cross God tore the veil in the temple in two. Now anyone may come to Him and experience His unconditional love.

Honey, I Shrunk the Car!

I only remember going trick or treating once as a small child. The rest of my childhood was spent hiding in the dark on Halloween with sheets over the windows so that children would not know we were home. We would take our stand against the evils of Halloween in the silence of the family room.

Several years later we begin going to a kids carnival put on by our church. Unbeknownst to my family, I was slowly developing a deep appreciation for Halloween. It wasn't necessarily the candy or scariness as much as fun of dressing up.

I grew up reading comics and the thought of becoming a different character still excites me. If it were socially acceptable I would where a cape every day.

Now that I have kids Halloween has become one of my favorite times of year. Yes, I know the origins, but I do not care. If it was once meant for evil, I definitely mean it for good.

The annual Trunk or Treat for our church is coming up and I am preparing a shrink ray for "Honey I Shrunk the Car". We will be scientists (except my wife who will decked out in curlers as my wife) There is something about getting into character as someone else that is awesome fun for my whole family.

I am not done with the ray yet, but here is a pic of it so far:

It's Never too Late

        When John D. Rockefeller died his accountant was asked how much Mr. Rockefeller had left behind. The accountant responded by saying, "He left it all". My basketball coach in high school used to tell us to leave it all on the court. After all what good would a little extra energy do for us after the game was in the record books. We should live life this way. After all, you will leave it all, so why not make it count? 

        My great Aunt Ethel passed away on Saturday at 81 years old. She not only left it all behind, but she left it all on the court. Ethel volunteered in a youth ministry and gave of her own time to visit teens in a children's home every week until she was well into her 70s. Years after her peers were speaking in "used to" phraseology she was still going strong. Why? Because our time here is short and she loved teenagers. In the end only the ravishes of cancer could pull her from her calling. Instead of quitting though she began to focus her attention toward mentoring my mother, which she continued until the end.

        Many people fear, that what they have to say will not be relevant. Teens do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. You will also find that your knowledge and relevancy increase in any area that you love. My aunt was reading the newest, most cutting edge ministry books before I was even aware they were out.

        Aunt Ethel leaves behind a lasting legacy. Because of her faith and others in my family, most of those she leaves behind are firm believers. In fact myself and two brothers have also gone into youth ministry as well. 

        One day you will die. You WILL leave it all. Will you leave it ALL on the court or waste the God-given potential inside of you? You can decide to stand out and make a lasting difference. It's never too late to start. 

A Prayer Lesson from the Crazy Irishman in Braveheart

        I watched Braveheart again a couple of weeks ago for the first time in a while (It was definitely not the first time ever). It is one of my favorite movies of all-time. I love it for the leadership and sense of justice that is present in the character of William Wallace.

        I realize that it is not historically accurate at times and I really don't care. So any comments to this effect will be read but slightly overlooked. What struck me upon watching it again for the umpteenth time was Stephen the Irishman. He is portrayed as being a little crazy but extremely loyal. He talked to God directly for everything and in front of anyone.

        I must admit that seeing his interaction with God really made me reevaluate my ongoing God conversation. What about you? Has your walk with God become stale or formulaic? Are your talks with Him relegated to Sundays, meals, or even devotional time. When was the last time you had a real conversation with Him as if He were physically in the room with you?

        I've had some conversations like this in the past couple of weeks, and oddly enough I do not feel crazy. However, I do feel that I would be crazy to go back to the way things were.

Read this post as well:
Braveheart: A Lesson in Politics

Do You Soar Like an Eagle or Fall Like a Brick?

      
        I went to a park the other day with my son's kindergarten class. The park has a small wildlife section that includes two bald eagles.

        After seeing a couple of moms enjoying nachos, with a huge pile of cheese and jalapenos, I decided it was time for a snack. I left the kids with my wife and the other moms and headed for the concession building and the cheesy goodness that awaited me.

        The eagle cage was on the way to the concessions. I was admiring the eagles when a nearby worker started using a drill. The eagle left its perch and began to soar right towards me. That is until it went about five feet. He tumbled awkwardly to the ground hitting a log on the way down.

        The eagle is a prisoner. The enclosure is too small for him to fly. In his moment of panic he forgot the limitations placed on him by his captors.

        If you have not submitted your life to Jesus then you are in captivity to sin. Only Christ can give you freedom from your sin. This is a sad place that everyone finds themselves in. However, what is truly sad is when a believer who has been freed from sin chooses to live in captivity. Unbelievers continually crash due to their lack of freedom and some believers chooses to sit and watch, not realizing that they could actually soar above it all.

        Isaiah 40:31 says, "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Are you soaring in freedom, living in captivity, or choosing to voluntarily go back into the cage?