Yesterday I read Matthew 27. It’s the account of Jesus’ arrest and subsequent beating, mocking, and crucifixion. Heart wrenching stuff. Stuff that I can’t figure out. Pilate’s role is incredible. He wants so bad to do the right thing, but he doesn’t. Even then, God had a plan. In the end, Pilate ends up agreeing to put guards at the stone at the front of the tomb. This, coming at the request of the Chief Priests, is foreshadowing for what is to come. The story goes on to speak of the reasoning for the chief priests request. They were concerned that the “disciples” would come steal his body and make a claim that he had risen “just as he said”.

Amazing to me that the chief priests knew so well the claims that this “Messiah” had made. Yet even after seeing the miracles, the heart of the man, the love he showed, they still couldn’t believe.

And then Sunday comes.

An angel comes and rolls back the stone. The guards were terrified. Not just scared. They were literally shaking in their boots. So they run away. They run and tell the chief priests EXACTLY what happened. They didn’t say someone stole him. They told then that an angel showed up. Why are the chief priests so determined not to listen? The have just heard first hand that Christ is no longer in the tomb and an angel, not some human, has rolled back the stone. Isn’t it obvious that they should believe? But they didn’t. In fact, they did quite the opposite. They paid the guards to tell a lie. That’s nuts! They fabricated a story, a story that will now affect all eternity, just because they had too much pride to admit they could be wrong.

The text goes on to say that “this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this day”.

Sadly, to many still believe this story. A story that was fabricated because of the pride of men. And then we read, “you shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free”.

I believe the Truth. I do not want to ever be a “chief priest”. I want to live my life in a way that it is clear that I believe in a Risen Savior. A Savior that loves me more than I can imagine. A Savior that died for me. A Savior that gained victory over death, and created a pathway for me to join Him. I want to live my life for Him.

Happy Easter.

As my last post mentioned, I am quite the Andy Andrews fan. It is quite possible that I enjoy reading his work more than any other author. There is just something about the peaceful feeling I receive when reading his stuff. So, I picked up The Heart Mender and began reading.

We were on a college trip headed to New Mexico. I had actually received two of this book so I gave one to a young woman on the trip and suggested she read it. She couldn’t put it down and neither could I. We were traveling 7-8 hours one way and were all in a van and we were being completely anti-social. I felt bad, but I couldn’t put the book down and neither could she. We both finished the book before the weekend was over.

The Heart Mender is a story of a Nazi submariner during WWII ending up on US soil and the challenges he goes through in his time here. As always, Andy Andrews tell the story beautifully. You become a part of the story and are pulled in so you feel attached to the characters.

The Heart Mender is another Andy Andrews book that I believe is a must read. A great story that has so much life application not to mention entertainment value. Can you tell I liked it?

I have two girls, aged 6 and 2.5. I have myself, aged too old to count. I love Andy Andrews’ writing. The match was perfect. Andy Andrews + Childrens book = Love at first sight. Obviously, this was one that I must read.

Well, I was partially right. The Boy Who Changed the World was definitely a book I should read, but I quickly realized that Andy Andrews is not a childrens book author.

The story was well told. The story of a young boy, who impacted one person’s life, who in turn impacted another, and so forth until you see the life of a prominent man in history whose life was ultimately affected by that young boy. A great story, as should be expected coming from Andy Andrews, however not necessarily a childrens book as one would expect. The illustrations were great, and again, the story was great, but I am having difficulty figuring out what age this book was intended for.

Overall, I would recommend this book. It is great to see how a small act can snowball into something so incredible. Definitely something that needs to be shared AND discussed. Buy the book and read it with your children talking through it as you go so that the dots can easily be connected.

Around 5pm this afternoon I will take one last stroll through the halls of Milsoft. I will walk into the break room one last time, take one last handful of peanut M&M’s and one last bottle of water. I may take one last piece of beef jerky, throw one last football at someone walking by, and take one last verbal jab at friends in the office.

But even though I am participating in all of those “lasts”, I will have the memories that join each of them. From having my car saran wrapped to having to find the OneNote disc in “John’s” office. I will remember the golf tournaments, the softball games, the 4 hour long management meetings, and certainly the memories of office conversations gone wrong.

My time at Milsoft will be remembered with fondness and gratefulness. I am so thankful that God placed me at Milsoft when He did, and thankful also for the opportunity He has presented for the future.

For those of you who haven’t heard already, I quit my nice paying, well benefitted, very secure job at Milsoft.

I’ve heard it all, from “Are you crazy?” to “You don’t realize how big of a mistake you are making” and then there are those that put away their personal feelings and say, “I’m happy for you and I wish you the best”.

Two years ago today, I was challenged to read a book by a very good friend and I haven’t been the same since. I realized that God had given me talents in ministry and relationship, but in my reading it became clear to me that working for a church was not his plan. God also blessed me with jobs that allowed me to learn about business and to use the analytical skills he had given me to help companies grow.

Over the past year I have grown more and more sure of the fact that God wants to use me, but it also became more evident that if I stayed with Milsoft I would not be able to serve God in the way he wanted. I would not be able to have a schedule flexible enough to meet with those hurting on their schedule, instead of mine. God was directing me and had put me in positions in organizations to further HIS purpose, not mine. He knew what he was doing all along.

In September of this year, he opened a door, and I walked through.

Since that time, God has revealed Himself in ways I could have never imagined. He has blessed me and my fledgling business in ways that only He could. That said, I have no doubts that this road will be difficult. For this reason I have set a goal that I rely solely on God for guidance, for provision, and for wisdom to make the right decisions for myself, for my family, for my business partner, and for my clients.

I do not believe for a second that I am the only one God is calling. He is calling you. Are you listening? Where is God calling you in life for HIS purpose and not yours? I pray that you will listen to Him, and walk through the door when he opens it.

A few days ago, I got a text from a friend, Jeremy Voss that said I was a failure. He didn’t come right out and say it, but knowing Jeremy I knew what he meant.

Did you really only blog ONCE in 2010?

Thinking back over the past year, I realized this was probably true so I offered him an apology. I also offered a resolution to his concern by stating I would blog “at least twice as much this year”. Surprisingly, he was not satisfied by this response. So I decided I would set a few goals as another buddy Lantz Howard suggested I do last year. I’ve decided to post them on my blog so I can remember them and you all can hold me accountable (all 5 of you).

• Blog at least twice this year - This one is for you Jeremy
• Quit using two spaces after a period - for all you grammar punks out there
• Become a stronger spiritual leader in my home
• Read the Bible daily with my girls - I know this goes with above, but I wanted to spell it out
• Read more books
• Trust in God to support my family instead of relying on myself - I’ll explain this later in my second blog post
• Give more - of myself, of “my” money, of my heart

All of these are areas I have grown tremendously in over the past 2 years, but I don’t want to ever be satisfied. I challenge each of you not only to set goals, but also to challenge yourself to never be satisfied with who you are today.

I also request that you check me regularly to make sure I’m on target. I’m ADD, I need it

I have spent the last several weeks thinking a whole lot about Community. Three weeks ago, Jeremy Voss asked me the question…”If you were going to put together an event, where families would come together for some common reason, what would it look like?

I began thinking of some non-church “family events” and what they looked like. Problem was I couldn’t really think of many. The few I could think of we birthday parties, which don’t really gather complete families, Super Bowl Parties, and… Well, to be honest that was about all I could think of. I am sure there are others, but I just can’t think of many.

Over the next several weeks, I hope to begin a discussion of what “Community” is. I have some thoughts on this, but I know I lack complete understanding and in fact I am sure I have barely begun to scrape the surface of the thoughts that others have on community.

I didn’t want to jump right in to it in the first blog because I would like to get a variety of thoughts and opinions, the more the merrier. So, if you have friends, or family, or church people, or non-church people, or anyone really that might care about this discussion, please invite them to interact and discuss. I plan on posting at least once per week and this discussion will go on for as long as it needs to.

I will begin by asking two questions:

What is your definition of “Community”?

Can you think of any “non-church” examples of true community?

Hole in Our Gospel is an amazing book that not only points to a massive hole in the Gospel being taught in our churches, but it also gives examples of today’s sick, and thirsty, and naked, and imprisoned.

Richard Stearns, CEO - World Vision, mixes his personal story in with the story of those whose lives he is now touching in the poorest parts of the world. The statistics represented are staggering. In fact they are so staggering that some may feel as though there is no reason to help, but Rich Stearns does a great job of making the struggles of those around the world personal.

I highly recommend this book. I will however say that Rich Stearns challenges the reader to not sit idly by and do nothing. He calls the reader to action. So, if you are looking for a feel good book that you can put away and move onto the next book, find another book. But if you are looking for a book that will challenge you to be the Christian Christ calls us to be, then read this book, and get off your tail, and do something.

“A story is a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.”

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is another Don Miller book that can not only make laugh, but will make you think and cry as well. I am continually amazed at how Don Miller has a never ending supply of stories that are actually interesting. I am amazed at how he can tell a story about himself and yet he never seems arrogant or prideful.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years explains that a persons life is a story. The choices you make and the challenges you face determine how interesting ones story is. Boring choices makes for a boring movie and challenging choices make for a great movie. What is your story saying? Are you living a life that requires stories to be made up in order for people to watch it?

Once again Don Miller has delivered an excellent, well thought out, challenging book that should be read. In fact, it is my opinion that this is by far the best book that Don Miller has ever written, and should not only be read but purchased for two or three friends to read.