check out my mad minivan-stuffing skills

Thanks for taking the picture, Isaiah. Now hold still. Yes, you.

Last Friday, we had a student/young adult activity scheduled.

My plan was to take a few of our teens out for some go-karting and Mexican food. Then I got a call from Joshua - "Pastor Mike, there are 15 or so kids waiting outside our house to go with us."

So I told him to tell them all they had to have permission slips. They all got them.

So I stuffed ten teen guys into my minivan, and Maria, Joshua's mom, was gracious to drive another vehicle with seven others. We went, and had a great time (though I'm having trouble admitting that my mad go-karting skills got me nowhere. Kris smoked me on the slick oval.)

Afterward, some of us went out to El Jaripeo for some great Mexican food, and had a great time getting to know each other.

It was a wonderful surprise of an evening.

time to help my friend accomplish God's mission

My friend Bob Senz has answered God's call to plant a church in northwest Pennsylvania. He has been trying to raise support so that he can focus on building the work, but it's been hard.

Bob has an opportunity to purchase a home that would be a perfect place for he and his family to settle among the people God has called them to. He needs $7,000 to purchase the property outright, which is amazing. As in, amazingly cheap, at least compared to where I live.

Bob has some of the funds, but not all of them, and he needs our help. My brother in Christ has an opportunity to fill in a big piece of the picture that is his mission, and I want to see what my readers can do to be part of it. Our church is going to send a donation, and now I'm asking you to consider doing the same.

Come on, people, it's seven grand. If each of my friends who loves Jesus would send over just a little bit, it will lift the spirits of a man and a family who are dying to get to where God has called them.

For more information on where to send donations, go to www.senzfamily.com. You can read more there about Bob, his story, and his vision for God's mission there in northwest PA.

And don't put it off - the opportunity is now.

Thanks...

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
- The Bible, Proverbs 3:27

my first homeowners association meeting: observation 1

I went to my first Winding Ridge Homeowners Association meeting Wednesday evening.

I got to meet several of my neighbors (shoutouts to Terrence and Wilbur), as well as our mayor, chief of police, councilman, and the director of the association.

And I must say: if you have any interest in knowing how people work, if you have any stake in the life of your neighborhood (and if you're a follower of Jesus, you do), you have got to go to things like this.

The whole experience fascinated me, and I thought I'd take a few posts to share my observations of the experience.

Observation: you need to be prepared for more.

When I showed up, I thought myself and 30-40 others were going to schmooze and shake hands with the mayor.

I was wrong.

There were 300 people there, at least. I stood in line ten minutes just to get in the gym door.

And I think the ones putting on the meeting were thinking like me, because it was pretty obvious chairs were just thrown onto the ends of rows. This led to four really long rows of chairs, which separated the people on the ends from ever hearing each other.

This led to a lot of confusion, repeated questions, and general frustration.

It reminded me as a pastor that it is my responsibility to prepare the best environment possible for communication, for more people than I'm expecting. These days, you just can't be caught off guard.

The message being communicated is too important.

fun with the kids

Tonight we gave Mama some time to do her Tuesday Tackling Task by going to Walmart for her. We had to have two carts, as per Trey's wishes, and no one wanted to ride in the carts, so it was one big unwieldy smiley caravan traipsing up and down the aisles.

70 minutes and 3 bathroom breaks later, we had the seven items we needed.

(The kids love to go to the store with Daddy because he actually entertains the idea of two and three year old kids walking in the store, unlike Mama. They'll swing their little legs back and forth down the aisle as fast as they can for ten feet or so, then look back at me to make sure I'm there, then giggle and take off again. It's the absolute best.)

When we got done, I asked the greeter lady to take a picture.



What you can't see in this picture is the twenty people waiting for the lady to take the picture so they can get out of the store.

proof that i think about other things

I picked up on a few interesting tidbits in regard to our nation's economy:

- Today's Fresh Air program features an interview with law professor Michael Greenberger, in which he lays out the underlying reasons for the subprime mortgage crisis. It's helpful, in a really I-can't-believe-this-kind-of-stuff-happens kind of way. If nothing else, it certainly shows what can happen when greed overtakes any shred of human empathy.

- For those looking forward to your tax rebate check, take a look at this story. You won't believe it.