It has been brought to my attention by several folks that I have not had any Connar pictures in a while. So for those of you who like seeing baby pictures, click here for some Fall Festival and Halloween pics.

The last few Fridays, some men and I have been meeting at 7 am to go through Living The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Meheney. The book has been absolutely fantastic, and I totally recommend it. All of us have been Christians for more than 5 years, and yet are getting so much out of going over the gospel. How simple, and yet how complex. If you ever get tired of, or think you’ve somehow outgrown this message, you’ve more than likely misunderstood it to begin with.

Anyhow, before we discuss the book we have some time of prayer requests, accountability, dialog, and confession of weakness and struggle areas. That’s probably been my favorite part. Men coming together to talk about deep stuff. Men coming together to admit we are in fact weak. And this is the kicker-not being scared to talk about our need for accountability and prayer. How beautiful is that? And yet how deeply masculine. Instead of running from and ignoring our weaknesses and struggles (fear), we’re embracing and confidently confessing them (faith). Sound a little more “manly” now?

Was Samson a picture of manhood? He kicked people’s butts and slept with lots of chics. So up on the big screen, and in the eyes of our world, yeah, he was a man’s man. But in reality, it wasn’t until he called out to God in His weakness that he really displayed what it means to be a man. Unfortunately he died shortly afterward.

We’re hoping to get a “head start” now in confessing our weaknesses to each other. And it’s been very freeing, not to mention less lonely, to be around other needy people like myself.

Well, the Rays’ season is over now after a magical ride. They will probably go down in history as the team that did more with less than any other team. I have to admit that I doubted Joe Maddon’s laid back style for a few years, but it seems to have worked. No one got more out of less (low payroll, young players, few “household” names) than him.

That’s the way that God works with us. He gets more out of less. Jesus didn’t establish some sort of “dream team” of talented, beautiful, highly educated people. He chose fisherman. That’s why there’s hope for us, even if you don’t fish. It isn’t any different with the church today. He doesn’t accomplish anything through us because of how talented we are.

He uses jars of clay (II cor 4), not pots of steel. He chooses the foolish things to shame the wise (I Cor 1). He does more with less so that He gets the glory and we get to join him in His work.
Provided we use our gifts to serve the church and participate in mission, we’ll see God do more with less quite often. So in some way, the lives of His children (who are using their gifts) parallel the Rays magical season. Except our season doesn’t end in October.

As I was reading Randy’s blog today, I noticed some great political debate. I didn’t agree with some of the ideologies and thoughts presented, but it was great to see some civil political debate. Like war, debate usually isn’t very civil. Which is probably why someone coined the phrase that many people like to quote- “There are two things I don’t discuss: politics and religion.”

I can remember one of the few times someone threw that line my way. I was working in the meat department of a Food Lion in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina the summer after my sophomore year of college. Milton, a big (literally he was huge) redneck (not used in a derogatory sense-this guy told me that gold fish are good bass bait, but “just don’t let the game warden catch you…”) used this line on me in between cutting and wrapping meat. He was a butcher, and I was the wrapper.

I said, OK, fine. I mean what could be more private than politics and religion? What could be more public is a better question! But I’m sure he’d experienced plenty of uncivil debate in his time on both issues. I honestly can’t remember the rest of the content of our conversations because I was a sophomore (literally a “wise fool”) in college.

I came back to Myrtle Beach the next summer after my mission trip to Mexico City. Wouldn’t you know it, some friends of mine who had worked with Milton that summer invited me to celebrate his birthday at Ryan’s Steakhouse (obviously someone’s getting a little loose with the language). He had become a Christian. Looking back, I guess it wasn’t a fruitless summer after all. I was just laying the foundation.

It often takes the witness of several people to lead someone to faith in Christ. Obviously, as Milton formed relationships with more than one Christian he could trust, “religion” got taken off the “the things I don’t talk about” list. If people trust you, and you give them time, and involve other Christians they can trust in their lives, religion will drop from this list faster than you would think.

Of course you have to be willing to lay the foundation, realizing that it may be someone else down the road who sees the fruit. If you’re lucky (providentially blessed), you may enjoy a “steak” dinner with them some time down the road like I did.

Tonight as I was preparing dinner, we heard a knock on the door. Much to our surprise it was one of Amy’s former students (and his family of course-I don’t know too many first graders who can drive). After tutoring today, Amy invited some of last year’s kindergarteners to come again to our Xmas Outreach party this year, this December. One of the kids thought since the invitation was issued today, that the party was today. So his Mom called Amy’s cell three times. No luck. The only way to prove to the little tyke the Xmas party was not in fact today, was to stop by the house.

So little Justin, his younger sister, his mother, Connar, Amy and I hung out for 15 minutes or so. Connar just so happened to be wearing the very outfit they gave us. Crazy. It was a great reminder to us how God used/continues to use Amy as a teacher to do more than simply teach (though that still would have been a good thing) but to touch lives. Justin, and we pray many others as well, are planning on coming back to our house for the Xmas party. Even though these kids are no longer in Mrs. Henderson’s class, they’ll always be Mrs. Henderson’s kids.

That class was special. ESPN sport’s anchor Stuart Scott has even compared called that class the “2008 Rays” of Kindergarten classes. We’ve had more than 75% of the kids over to our house to hear short gospel messages around Xmas and Easter. And now we have the chance to do it even after they “graduated” kindergarten. Who knows what the gospel (and a Spanish bible) could do in their lives?

My dear friend Ande Johnson had the privilege of going to the Rays-Phillies World Series game a few nights ago. They were fortunate enough to witness what could be the Rays only win. Anyhow they were interviewed by someone from a Philadelphia paper. While Ande told me that the Rays fans were less than cordial, this article made them look a bit too nice. Nevertheless, even overly laid back fans can still get in on the “action.” Look at what my buddy did to a friend according to the paper:

Also prevalent last night were lone Phillies fans among groups of their Tampa Bay friends, like Tim Stahl, 28, of Naples, Fla., who was the only red ship in his sea of blue friends. “I came in a car with four other guys in those shirts,” he said, pointing to his friend, Ande Johnson, who claimed to have given Stahl a “figurative wedgie” on the car ride to the stadium.

I don’t know what a “figurative wedgie” is, but it sounds quite painful. Far worse than a literal wedgie, with longer lasting scars I would assume.

Someone named David posted a comment on my previous post which included a link to Abraham Piper’s brief testimony (thanks again for that!). After his brief testimony, he instructs parents how they can best seek after a wayward child. Since he was one for so many years, he speaks from firsthand experience. It looks like it would be helpful for parents, but really, most of the principles could apply to anyone who has a wandering friend. Click here for that article.

One of the blogs I usually check out a few times per week is Justin Taylor’s Between Two Worlds. He’s a bit more politically minded than I am (though that’s not too tough regrettably) so he’s making me a little less ignorant. Anyhow, his posts are very often just cut and pasted from other books, articles, or blogs. One such post referenced Abraham Piper.

Abraham Piper is the son (I think the youngest son) of John Piper, my favorite Baptist pastor. Apparently he has joined his father in ministry.

About 8 years ago I went to a conference, which John Piper was the keynote speaker. Other than him bashing football (I’ve obviously since forgiven him), one of the main things that has stayed with me was his concern for his son Abraham. He continually pleaded with all of us college folk to pray for his son. He wasn’t a believer. Very talented musician, but not a believer.

He pleaded with us several times to pray for his son. You could feel the passion in his request, as he earnestly desired for his son to come to faith in Christ. I knew his son had since come to faith, but I don’t think I actually saw his name in print anywhere. When I saw it, I thought, “Wow, another prayer answered.” Abraham had a lot people praying for him. That joker never had a chance! Just another reminder to continue praying for unbelieving family and extended family members.

I called someone up last night to invite him to our neighborhood cookout. Apparently he lost his job, couldn’t pay rent, and they were forced to move in with friends last month. In light of our crazy economy, though I guess “crazy” isn’t a good word-since it only seems to be going down-the church is probably going to have to get “creative” in order to take care of folks: particularly, but not only, its members.

In a church planting meeting a few days ago, a pastor suggested that we might need to start thinking like Joseph in the Old Testament. Pharaoh had a crazy dream-and this time “crazy” is a good word for it-about fat cows and lean cows (Gen 41). Ultimately Joseph correctly interpreted the dream which explained the need to store as much as possible in the upcoming bountiful harvest years. For soon a famine would hit, and they would experience 7 “lean” years.

The dream applied to a national level of gathering for the purpose of distributing when the great famine hit. In fact, the very purpose of the bountiful harvest was so that people (specifically Israel, but obviously Egyptians as well) would be blessed. That was the purpose of every blessing bestowed on God’s people (Gen 12:1-3).

But this pastor wondered if this shouldn’t apply to us today at the personal level. Some of us may need to “store up grain” and save now so that we can help out our brothers and sisters in the faith if /when the economy gets even worse. It may be that God raises up certain folks for the specific purpose of taking care of those outside their literal families. And it may be that we will need to save now, (but not for flat screens or college) so that we can dig into our savings to help those in our church family with rent, electricity, food, clothing, etc…

I certainly don’t want to dig into my savings to help someone pay rent, but it’s because my heart is greedy, selfish, and forgetful. And them I’m convicted by this verse: “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? (I John 3:17).” Ouch.

I just came across a mercy ministry opportunity sponsored by Franklin Graham called Operation Christmas Child. It’s quite easy to do and will bless a number of folks. Another church recommended it to me, and so now I’m going to try to get our Community Groups participating in it. But it looks like it would be something easy for individuals and families to do as well.

One just stuffs a shoe box full of goodies (they have some recommended stuff on their site), you pay 7 bucks for it to be shipped, and drop it off at a designated church near you. Easy, but it could be quite a blessing.