Germany 2009

Once again, I have been granted to amazing opportunity to serve with the Willow Creek Association and Willow Creek Deutschland.

On Sunday, 27 April, I will depart for a week-long experience and join a production team from scattered parts around the US to put up, put on and tear down a children’s ministry conference, complete with lighting, audio, video, live music, acting and teaching. Well actually, this year two conferences are being put on, with a live concert from Delirious? smack in the middle. A NextGen conference will be taking place as well, which is bigger than the one I am working.

This a particularly intense experience for a number of reasons.

#1 – the time table – it’s tight. real tight. spandex tight.

#2 – synergy – mounting a conference is a big task. doing with a team that is meeting each other at load-in makes it a bigger task. throw in some germans, and now you’re just trying to make it hard on yourself.

#3 – eternity is at stake – this event literally has the ability to touch thousands if not tens of thousands or more people and change their lives! huge. go here for a in depth explanation of what is happening in the church in europe.

So, I’d like to ask you all for a favor. Will you consider praying for the next week concerning this experience?

Here is a little guide to help focus prayer efforts, provided by Marty O’Connor – one of my personal heroes:

Here are a few thing we can ask our friends and family to pray for… plus your own needs and concerns

• For the land of Germany: for justice, for peace, for understanding. Psalm 122:6-9
• For health and strength for all of us. 1 Sam 25:6, Neh 8:10
• For travel safety to and from Germany. Psalm 43:3
• For team unity. John17:21
• For the leaders of the teams, for good choices, good communication, sensitivity and patience. Gal 5:25
• For all of us to grow in our in our love of Jesus and each other as we serve Him. Psalm 119:34-36, Deut 6:5
• For us to be faithful witnesses during this trip wherever we go. 2 Tim 4:2
• For God to be glorified in all that we do… for Him. Psalm 34:3

You can follow along on facebook here . I will also be posting on this blog, and twittering @gotnoblue as time allows.

If  you are able to join in the prayer effort, and just want to follow along, please leave a comment so I can report to the troops who and how many are experiencing the trip vicariously.

Peace.

best video ever

i peed myself a little.

Easter Brainstorm Idea

Think I can use this for Easter Morning?

Everything’s amazing…nobody’s happy

Amen.  Thanks to Kem Meyer

more about “Everything’s amazing…nobody’s happy“, posted with vodpod

Edited to include links to source

I Feel (Link) Loved

I am a bad blogger. I should have done this a long time ago.

A while back, I commented on a blog.  It had to do with Saturday morning cartoons, a subject very near to my heart. Seriously, I spent all day yesterday sidetracked because of this about Skeletor’s head. Seriously.

Anyway, the author/blogger of the first post, Pete Wilson took the time to write back, thanking me for the comment. And he took the time to visit my blog. (And he liked it. He really liked it!) And he linked to me in his blog roll.

I think this is amazing. Here’s why: Pete is a pastor in Nashville.  As a church staff member, I have only a vague idea of how much is asked of a pastor – and it’s insane. They get pulled in a billion different directions and everybody wants a piece of them.  He has his own peeps to care for, yet he took the time to  write to a single blog commentor that mentioned Voltron and He-Man.  I think this speaks volumes for how he must lead his church and care for his family (coolest names for boys ever, by the way).

So, go check out Pete Wilson’s blog, Without Wax. It was recently retooled with a new design, which is awesome because I totally snarfed his old theme – but Pete’s is still cooler.

Thanks for the link love – I hope to make it down to Nashville and C ross Point sometime.

While Not at Work

I’m taking some time off for paternity leave. While everyone is napping, I had the chance to catch up on some blog reading. Here are some highlights from Geekologie – Gadgets, Gizmos and Awesome:

For Josh, who has a bit of a zombie fetish: Road Sign Hack

For John, audio wizard: Sub-Woofer Fun

For Dan, Nick, the other Dan, Conan – the chiro not the barbarian, and Walter (none of whom actually read this blog): Guitar

And some not so subtle hints for my birthday coming up, I’ll take one these, these, these and one of these.

Thanks Geekologie! You make my day a little brighter, most of the time.

Woo Hoo!!!

Welcome to the fam, Ariana Raene!!!

so big!

sisters

That’s right. Two daughters. Guess its time to practice cleaning the gun.

*more pics to come

Obligatory Blog Post

So, from the blogs that I read – apparently there is a rule that you have to either write a post about your goals/resolutions, or a rant against making resolutions and how they cramp the living of life in the moment.  The lazy in me wants to do the latter; but since that may violate one of my resolutions, I’ll go with the former.

So here they are, in no particular order:

1. Get More Resolution – I have been pretty lazy by my own estimation.  I really haven’t followed through on ideas or some basic tasks, like cleaning out the basement. So, I am going to work on my follow-thru (especially in my jump shot) and finally get that junk stacked in the garage instead.

2. Bring Sexy Back – Basically, I need to drop a few pounds, tone-up and get some stamina back. I’ll be joining Pete, but I haven’t told him yet. And also increase my hand/eye/foot coordination. I’m gonna bring hackey-sack back as well.

3. Become a Blogstar – This isn’t as egotistical as it sounds.  It actually has more to do with number 1 than anything. And by number 1, I mean me.  Not really. It has to do with follow-through and a few more items on this list. And it is the first step on my path to world domination.

4. Master the German Language – I’m heading back to Germany in April and I’d like to be able to communicate better. Mastery may be a bit lofty, but I at least want to know enough to not accidently order that beer/cola drink I got last time.

5. Learn a New Skill – I’m thinking CSS. Or maybe lock-picking.

6. Be a Better Dad – With another kid coming, I need to step it up.

7. Be a Better Husband – Same as above.

8. Decide Whether Head Shaving Is Worth It – Some of my fave bloggers are bald. Los, Seth and Timmy (don’t tell him I called him Timmy. I don’t know him and may have just insulted him) all sport the smooth dome. I believe that I would get hundreds if not thousands of readers (to start my world domination thing) if I went back to shaving my head. On the flip side, I think I could maybe use my time better doing something else. Like reading my bible or doing crunches.

9. Incorporate “Pejorative” into My Vocabulary – ‘Nuff said.

10. Live More Like This

Updated

11. Develop font-worthy handwriting – time to revamp my scribble into something legible/awesome.

So there you go. It just a working list – items may be added as my megolamania grows, or I can’t find my hackey-sack.

How about you? Goals for ‘09?  Share ‘em below.

when techology fails you

i’m hoping this is fake, but: (caution language editted out, but not if you hit the links)

Oops!: Girl Loses Virginity, Texts Her Dad

Elizabeth Frisinger, 18, lost her virginity on the beach during a senior class trip. Then she accidentally texted her dad, telling him about it. Woops! Gotta be careful with the iPhone texting app, Lizzy, it’s easy to text the wrong person. Seriously though, sweetheart, this could have been much worse. Just kidding — you’re totally f****d! It could have only been worse if, instead of texting your dad, he was there. HIYO!

Meet Elizabeth Frisinger: She lost her virginity and accidentally texted her dad

as a father of a daughter, i’d be headed out ready to impail both the boy and the teacher that let this happen. and then hang my head in shame that my daughter wasn’t tech savvy enough to NOT text her dad such things.

all i can say is that i am not ready to have to deal with this part of fatherhood. thankfully, my girl’s only 1.5  years old and will always think boys are icky, but not in that lesbian way.

and bwaahaaahaaahaaa – what an idiot!

yet another video i’ve stolen

once again, thanks, Geeklogie!

enjoy.