My Thoughts on Winter ...

This may sound a little strange – but I really enjoy winter. It’s not just the winter… I love all four seasons. I especially enjoy them in Southern Ohio. Don’t get me wrong… winter, to me, is forth on a short list of four seasons – but it’s still amazing. I believe God reveals a little of himself to us through every season, and winter is no different, just a little colder. The night skies are so clear in the winter that it seems you can just reach up and touch the stars – and snow covered pine trees display a beauty that can only be born out of God's awesome creativity.

Spring and fall are my favorites by far – but summer and winter are amazing.

There are a few details that when present make the winter much more pleasant. One detail would be snow – lots of it and often. Along with the snow comes sleigh riding, snowman (snow people) building with Kristin and Kendall, and snow ball fights… you can’t go wrong there. A second detail would be warm enough temperatures on occasion – 40 to 45 degrees – to play just enough golf to keep what game I have from getting too rusty.

The only problem I can see with winter is that after the National Championship Game and the Super Bowl – the college and pro football seasons are over and baseball season is still a few months away. Sport fans are left with little more on ESPN than basketball and hockey. College basketball is pretty cool, but still leaves us a little sports starved during the coldest months of the year. I’m thankful that Golf starts in February, at least we can watch Tiger, Ernie, Phil, Rich, and the others between hockey fights and missed traveling calls in pro basketball.

By the way… I went to a fight one time – and three hockey games broke out! (Sorry)

Which season is your favorite – winter, spring, summer, or fall?

My Music...

Here is a small list of the music CDs I’ve been enjoying lately – and would highly recommend to you as well.

Toby Mac: Portable Sounds
Newsboys: Go
Jars of Clay: Good Monsters
Relient K: 5 Score and Seven Years Ago
David Crowder Band: Remedy

All of these CDs contain songs that are very powerful and relevant. The groups share great lyrics with great music – focused on God… what more could you want in the music you listen to.

Here are the lyrics to one of the songs on the Go CD by Newsboys…

Secret Kingdom/Newsboys

This here comes breakin' in
Like brick to glass

Like grace to sin
Gonna kick down walls like West Berlin
Shout an amen

Hug it out, then
This here's gonna light a fire
Gonna pink slip preaching to the choir
Gonna send us hobbits outta the shire
Here's the theme song
Get your ring on
That there's still propagating, waiting on a rooftop
Our journey's just begun...

COME HERE, A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
I WANNA TAKE YOU TO A SECRET KINGDOM
IT'S HERE SPINNING OUR WORLD AROUND
TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN
THIS HERE IS BIGGER THAN SHOW BIZ
IT'S GONNA SHOW US WHAT THE GOOD NEWS REALLY IS
THIS HERE IS SPINNING OUR WORLD AROUND
'TIL WE'VE GOT NO FEAR

This here won't be contained
By culture, wars and trendy names
Been there, done that, wore out the t-shirts
Don't need free perks
Don't need knee jerks
This here still wakes the dead
Still gets God's people Spirit-led
Gonna put in action all we've read
Not all enraged, just all engaged
'Cause that there's still fabricating kingdoms out of boxes
We're gonna leave that slum

This here wants faithfulness, not easy fixes
This here won't shrink to fit no politics, yeah
This here knows whistles make for better mixes

COME HERE, A LITTLE BIT CLOSER
I WANNA TAKE YOU TO A SECRET KINGDOM
IT'S HERE SPINNING OUR WORLD AROUND
TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN
THIS HERE IS BIGGER THAN SHOW BIZ
IT'S GONNA SHOW US WHAT THE GOOD NEWS REALLY IS
THIS HERE IS SPINNING OUR WORLD AROUND'TIL WE'VE GOT NO FEAR

The lyrics to this song are great – but it’s even better when put to music.

So… who is your favorite group – and what are you listening to on your ipod – CD player -- or radio right now?

Shooting in Portsmouth

A few hours ago a man entered Notre Dame Elementary School where he shot and stabbed one of the teachers who authorities believe to be his wife. The town is pretty much in shock… everywhere I’ve been today in Portsmouth the people want to talk about it hoping somehow to make sense of the whole thing. Obviously the most concerned are the parents of children in the Portsmouth area schools.

It’s a bizarre and sad day in Portsmouth… as you may know Innermission Campus Ministry is about 4 blocks from Notre Dame Elementary – and approximately 8 blocks from where the Portsmouth Police – Scioto Co. Sheriff’s Department – and the Ohio State Patrol have a block of Argonne Road shut down as the gunman is holdup in a house there.

The students here at Innermisson are anxious and hopeful for how all of this will turn out. We are all concerned for the victim of the shooting – the children at the Notre Dame Elementary School who knew the teacher well…and saw all of this happen – and for the man who is responsible for the shooting.

There are helicopters flying all around Portsmouth, and one is pretty much hovering right over Shawnee State University, and Innermission. As I said before… there is a lot of anxiety in this town today. Please pray for everyone who this tragedy has and will touch.

You and Me - Unity

I think amazing is the word I’m looking for…I think.

As I read the story of The “Tower of Babel” it seems to me that our God finds unity amazing. I want to say impressive – but I don’t think God finds us all that impressive. I know he loves us with a love we can’t comprehend – and that he’s relentless in his loving pursuit of us – but I don’t think he’s really all that impressed with us. So at least for now I’ll use the word amazing – I think it fits. If you follow the link to Genesis 11:1-9 you can read the story of the “Tower of Babel” and decide for yourself.

Genesis 11:1-9

When I read this story I think it’s clear that their unity is more than just interesting to God. And I believe they did more than “get his attention.” The result of their unity – both in what they we able to accomplish and the steps God took to bring it to a halt, point to something amazing – and unity is amazing.

For a more insight into unity follow this link…

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

There are so many directions we could go from here, but just let me say this…

If they could accomplish so much by working together on their own… can you imagine what we could accomplish if we allowed God to unite us – to make us one in him? There would be no end to the amazing things he could accomplish through us.

But the most amazing thing our unity in him would accomplish can be found by clicking on the scripture link below…

John 17:20-23

If you have any thoughts on unity – please feel free to share…