I read this quote today and thought I would share it for you to consider.
“The continuous and widespread fragmentation of the Church has been the scandal of the ages. It has been Satan’s master strategy. The sin of disunity probably has caused more souls to be lost than all other sins combined.”
-Paul Billheimer
Pretty thought provoking if you ask me.
Well, today I braved the lines and took the test to make myself an official licensed operator of a motorcycle in the state of Kentucky. It felt so funny taking my test in a small room with about ten 16 year olds hoping to score their learners permit, but it will be worth it the first time I ride down the road with the wind in my hair (but not really in my hair since I will be wearing my required helmet). I will be practicing my biker salute to use when I finally hit the open road. Throw up your bike fist!
On Monday in London the IAAF disqualified double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius from the 400 after he ran the race in 47.65 because they say that the prosthetic legs Pistorius uses provide less air resistance than normal legs.
Ok, I want everyone to take a second, clear your head and read the above paragraph again.
Now that we’re all together may I say, “WHAT!” THE GUYS DOESN’T EVEN HAVE LEGS! I think it’s amazing that a guy who doesn’t have legs ever took up the sport of running and that he is actually doing quite well. I also think it’s nitpicking to say that it provides him with an unfair advantage. Maybe his prosthesis’ are more aerodynamic, but I would say that not having legs is more of a disadvantage. At least us people with non-aerodynamic legs can feel the ends of them; Oscar Pistorius can’t!
Furthermore, the IAAF introduced a rule in March banning any runner that benefits from artificial help from competing.
All I can say is, “Give me a break!” We should be celebrating the people who are brave enough to take on challenges like this, not looking for ways to keep it “fair” (however you may define fair).
OK, rant over.
Today my wife and I had the opportunity to have lunch with her dad, little brother, aunt, and uncle as they pasted through Louisville on their way back toward Ohio after spending the last 3 weeks traveling the Western part of the United States. As you can imagine they had some very memorable and exciting experiences from their trip to share with us, and most of them were told after we had finished eating. However, for Jenna’s 10 year old brother hold off on the story telling was just too much to handle.
He was trying to eat his country fried steak while telling all of his exciting stories to the both of us, but as many of us already know eating and talking often don’t mix. We all had to constantly remind him to slow down and eat so that once he finished he could tell us his stories. But, even after many warnings he persisted to excitedly relay every detail of his once in a lifetime trip with a mouth full of mashed potatoes.
He just seemed incapable of containing his excitement for another minute, and it was easy to see the excitement in his face as he told every detail of the events. It was even more memorable to see the expression on his face when he was trying to scarf down bites of food between tales. He could hardly wait to continue the saga.
Now think about this: What would our world be like if we all left church on Sunday mornings with this same kind of uncontainable enthusiasm? What if we raced to the nearest mall after services to tell as many people what we had just learned? While this sort of behavior probably doesn’t fit in with our normal demeanor or sound very practical, I can assure you that the story that God has given us to tell is more exciting and life-changing than the one my wife’s brother had to tell. It is because of this that we are urged to remove ourselves from our comfort zone and tell the world of God’s love for them. If we as Christians lived our lives like we realize the importance and impact God’s grace can have on the world, I think we would see a change in society TOMORROW.
Life for me has been a whirlwind in the last couple of years. I have moved more times than I would have liked, endured painful changes, and been thrust into certain adulthood through many significant events. Many things have changed for me, but probably none more than my change in focus. For the last two years I have been solely focused on my ministry, and have left room for barely anything else but my family . Sure I had hobbies, but I didn’t have a real passion outside of my ministry work.
As many people know, songwriting has been a passion of mine for nearly 10 years now, and has been something that I have fallen away from in the last couple of years. At one time that was my intended profession so I used to do it all the time, but I have written close nothing on the last 18 months. So, in the last couple months I have made a huge effort to take a weekly time to simply write music, and you wouldn’t believe the change it has made in my attitude and outlook. I am seeing joy in things that I haven’t in quite a while, and am thankful to have this part of my life back in just a small way.
Today I would encourage you to look back at your life to see what brought you joy in the past, and if you’ve quit doing it (and it’s not anything destructive) pick it back up. It’s amazing how a renewed interest in an old hobby can kick start the summer duldrums.
BTW: I look forward to releasing some new material on the site soon, and possibly some new versions of old tunes I played with “The Juice”. So, keep an eye out.
Last night my family went to the local fireworks show at Wendell Park in Buckner. It was a great night for fireworks, with the exception of the impending lighting. Both my wife and son got a real kick out of them. Of course my son Reed is still trapped in his mamma’s belly for the next couple of months so he couldn’t see the show, but despite not being able to see the fireworks he still enjoyed them. From the first BOOM he was kicking and punching with excitement. I think it was the first thing that we have really experienced together as a family. It was a great moment. I can’t wait for “Lil’ Scooter”, as his grandpa lovingly nicknamed him, to get here so we can experience more together as a family.
The video is just a part of the show that I shot with my cell phone.
Joel is the Lead Pastor at
