Put Your Phone Away

February 29, 2012 by 6 Comments

The scene I am about to describe is all too common. You are out to eat with a friend. You sit down and they pull out their phone and place it on the table. All through the conversation and the meal, what do they do? They constantly look at their phone and react to every ding, bell and song that indicates someone has sent them a life changing message that can alter the course of humanity therefore I must ignore the people around me to check in with the person on the phone because they are … [Read more...]

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Limitations are My Friend

February 28, 2012 by 1 Comment

You would think that the dream scenario for an artist is to be told you have an unlimited budget, all the time you need and you have freedom to create whatever you want. That sounds like fun but the reality is, too much freedom is actually limiting. Orson Welles said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” So how in the world can limitations help me? We are actually built to operate with boundaries. The boundaries are not necessarily barriers; in fact, they focus our energies and … [Read more...]

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I wish I were creative

February 27, 2012 by 1 Comment

I read a story recently of an artist who worked for Hallmark Cards. He traveled to many schools as a guest speaker to talk about his work. He would introduce himself as an artist and then ask the students, “How many of you are artists?” In Kindergarten and first grade almost every hand went up immediately. In the second grade classroom, about three-quarters of the class would typically raise their hands. When he asked the third grade only a few would respond. By the time he asked the … [Read more...]

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“Working For The Weekend”

February 24, 2012 by 2 Comments

The weekend is here. Of course, we still have PLENTY of time before services start so we don’t have that “panic” feeling just yet. It’s always amazing to me that no matter how much I think about an object lesson, a PG way of telling the story of David and Bathsheba, look for a cool song to sing that connects with the service theme or whatever it is,  my best ideas come to me 3 min before the service starts. I think I know one reason why is because we do so many different things that nothing … [Read more...]

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Why I Love Saddleback’s Student Ministries

February 23, 2012 by 4 Comments

I could talk about the extreme games, relevant services, great worship, etc., but those aren’t the reasons I love our student ministries at Saddleback Church. The reason I love those guys is they understand the concept of “Big Picture” ministry. Here’s what I mean. Some people might view success as an entity at the top of a ladder and anyone in the way is a mere step to tread on as they pursue the top. Nope, not these guys. They want Saddleback Kids to succeed for the sake and the development … [Read more...]

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The Things We Do For Kids

February 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

If you work with kids on a regular basis, more than likely you have been stripped of all pride. Like an axe cutting down a tree one swing at a time, kids will cut your pride down to the ground…remember kids camp…enough said! We love kids so much and we so want them to understand the truth of God’s Word that we will do anything to help connect and communicate with the kids in our church and community. Now consider the above picture. Yes, the picture is scary and with the right sound effects … [Read more...]

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Was your church fun today?

February 21, 2012 by 7 Comments

It's interesting to me how a child can say the most simple thing, yet, it has such a profound impact. Between services at church last week, I passed by a little 3 or 4-year girl holding hands with her grandpa. As I walked by, the little girl looked up at her grandpa and said “Grandpa, did you have fun in your church today?”  What a scene. An adorable little girl, talking so sweetly to her grandpa and visibly excited about her time at church. But the thing that stood out to me was this….that … [Read more...]

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