I admit it. I’m OCD about time management. It’s not that I’m that productive, but I do stress out if I don’t know where my time is going. I do it all week and then try to relax and let the weekend go as it may, but I just can’t. I’m all about the lists and the schedule. I hate the details, but they swarm around in my mind if they’re not on paper (or preferably on my computer). Somebody help me. I’m a slave to my iCal.
I’m asking everyone who reads to take a second and pray for Sunday’s preview service for Arrowhead. It’s a big day for us. Ask God to keep the time (4:30) and a reminder in front of all the people we’ve invited and all those who have heard about it. The purpose of the night is both for us to get a glimpse of all the things we still need to do before the launch in January and to give people a glimpse of what our worship services will look like. Pray for God to advance this vision in people’s hearts as they’re there. It’s not a night where the message will focus on the vision, but instead that we would “be the vision.” We want Sunday night to be a time where we can gather and informally talk about what God wants to do and then see the worship part of that right before our eyes. Ask Him to do big things!
Okay, I know it’s cheesy, but I love awards shows. All of ‘em - Grammys, Emmys, Oscars - all but the Tonys (not a big fan of watching people celebrate actors I’ve never heard of from plays I’ve never seen). But tonight is the biggest and best in my opinion: the CMAs, baby. For those uncultured of you, that’s the Country Music Association awards.
It’s the best because the whole thing is a big concert and celebration of all the well-known acts and songs. Not 1 hour of entertainment and 2 hours of best screenplay from a left-handed writer in a romantic comedy stuff. Just a bunch of rednecks like me rockin’ it out. I can’t rock it out but I am a redneck at heart. After all I do think Brad Paisley is one of the most talented musicians in the world.
I’ve never really vocalized it, but now that my thoughts are validated by a church expert in a great book, I will say that I think award shows are a very helpful ministry tool. They help us get a glimpse into a year of culture in a night of TV. That’s a useful night for those of us trying to not ignore culture but speak to it.
Gotta go. Alan Jackson’s about to take the stage. And for the record…you heard it here first. Mike Leach (potentially Tennessee’s next coach) looks like a slobby Vince Gill.
Quick opinionated post:
I think it’s time all sides in the political debate stopped with the constant slamming of our current president and our president-elect. Romans 13 makes it clear that God establishes authority. Railing against that authority is railing against the One who instituted it.
Saturdays in the fall in the south mean only one thing: football. Nobody logs more hours on the couch than me watching college kids play a game that adults believe is life and death.
Saturday usually means excitement about multiple games, but this year it seems like I don’t get as fired up. It obviously has to do with UT’s horrendous year. The anchor to my Saturday has always been watching the Vols assume victory over everybody besides Florida and Georgia. It’s fun to watch a win, and it’s fun to watch a close big game. Watching us lose to everybody besides the pay-per-view patsies is a major downer. As a result, I haven’t followed the national landscape as much. I can’t get excited just about watching Penn State or Texas Tech (unless Mike Leach really is going to become our coach), and I hate Alabama.
Excited and positive people rub off on me too. I approach life with a lot more enthusiasm when I’m around people who believe every day is a gift from the Lord. I don’t mean to sound like a TV preacher, but our attitude really shapes a lot of our outlook. God is good and Jesus is alive, so I think we ought to attack each day with excitement.
A chapter in a book that was formative for me as I really began to grow in Christ is titled with this principle. The author’s idea is that if you don’t take time to set apart each day for the Lord first thing in the morning, you typically won’t do it at all. There is certainly some legalism to holding to any statement like that too closely, but I have found it to be true for me. When do you spend time with the Lord?
Watching election results I feel all dirty inside because I didn’t get to vote. I tried, though. I registered to vote in 1996 and have voted in all presidential elections since then and many others as well. I have never moved my registration from Morristown so I thought I’d be good to go today. Not so much. Every 10 years your registration is checked to make sure the registered address matches your current address. Mine doesn’t. So, I was purged in ‘06.
I’m printing bumper stickers that say “Don’t Blame Me I Tried To Vote For ____.” (I’m sure you can guess)
Where do you start when you’ve got nothing but open road ahead of you? There’s a big difference between starting off a week with a major task ahead of you and dicing it up into little pieces to accomplish it VERSUS staring at your calendar knowing there’s a lot to be done but you can create your own destination. That’s freeing, but it’s scary. Pastors: how do you approach the sermon that’s ahead of you? Business people: how do you decide which product needs developing or marketing? Moms: how do you look at your children and determine what value God’s calling you to build into them today? Some of us are more proactive and some more reactionary. There’s nothing wrong with either. How do you process the open road ahead?
I can’t believe this day is already here! Arrowhead is hosting its first ever service November 16 at 4:30 pm at Rose Center. It’s just a simple glimpse into what our Sunday services will look like after we launch in January and a chance for us to hang out together. If you’re in the Lakeway area or know someone who is, we invite you to join us. Free childcare will be provided and we’ll have some free food as well.
I was reminded tonight how incredible it is that God is orchestrating our lives to bring about His purposes even when we have no idea. He was at work in the lives of all of us in our core group to bring us together. It didn’t make any sense at the time, and there was even a lot of frustration at lots of different circumstances. But, now we see clearly. It’s times like these that are some of the greatest proof of His existence.