What to say?

Have you ever been lost for words. Well, that is the place I'm at today. Words are so numerous and come in even different versions and ways to say something. We can express it in emotions, or even in different hand gestures. But today I sit and stare out my office window and have nothing to say. I pondered is it good not to have anything to say or am I so confuse to even have something to mutter. Being transparent is difficult as a pastor or even just as a Christian. As a Christian...ok some people do not like to be labeled this way so for this blog I will refer to them as Christ followers. I haven't grasp the reason behind the change of terms in my book we are the same. I belong to Christ and live for Him so I am proud to be a Christian. Unless I am not live totally for Him and obeying His Word so I would be ok with a Christ follower it the same as I prefer Coke over Pepsi so I'm a Cokian if that is even a word. In my walk with Christ I have encounter some many different people that claim that are a follower of Christ. But their lives do not model what they are claiming. Unfortunately we have a label that is pinned to our shirt called "hypocrites" that 72% of people have labeled us. Why is that? Is it because we are not true to what we claim has Christ followers. We do something or act some way before the community that we live in but when we are away we do the opposite. Or is that we say one thing and do another. I'm confuse to see men and women that are claiming to be Christ followers who are not modeling the one they say they are following. The Word of God say "they will know them by their fruits" and what so troubling with that there are some who are producing sour grapes. If we are preforming one way before our community and different way elsewhere are we missing the missional meaning. We say we do not do something because we do not want to a be stumbling block for those around us but we do it elsewhere where we feel we are alone in the world but we are not. We are on mission: Jerusalem (our community), Judea ((maybe the next community, city, and State), Samaria ( our Nation), and uttermost parts of the Earth. We are the model of Christ. Christ is with us everywhere. If you can do it before God and it ok to you and the Holy Spirit does not convict you that it wrong, then why hide it in your community and do it elsewhere. It not the people you are following it is Christ. It not their approval it His. I see language, drinking,and other worldly actions in people that say they are Christ follower. I do not drink or swear because a pastor or a convention says it is wrong. I do not because I can not stand before my God with a drink in hand or swearing and feel it's ok. Simple thinking it is that I take Christ everywhere I go. I'm never without my God. Look I just want us to take a look at our actions because it speaks LOUDER than our Words. Who are we representing and who we are we living for: Christ, ourselves, or the world. Wow I did have something to say.

Picking brains not your nose.

If someone ask me what advice I could give to a young church planter like me. My advice is this: Humble yourself and ask veterans for help. Often we come across others that think they are the best thing since slice bread. But there are diamonds in the ruff. There are those who are willing to help even if it means that you success greater than them. That is being humble and missional. See never store up knowledge that can help others. Also be on mission and give it away. Jesus model that so well He always wants to give life. He came to seek and to save. Being on mission is taken to the world and never keeping it only for you. See in the world you may be a success but in the eyes of God you may have successed, but you miss one important factor and that is the missional attitude of giving yourself away for Him. I have met these gems in the beginning journey I'm on as a Church planter and to these I say thank you for being on mission. You know who you our and I say from a young church planter to others thank you for understanding this and giving away the passion Christ had first. I am so grateful and I will pass it on.

Jumping off the high dive?

This week has been an exciting week watching the Olympics and the quest of eight gold medals by Michael Phelps. Some of those races were close and he would win by fractions of seconds. American would hold their collective breath and even shout at him to swim faster. I enjoy watching this event during the games. But the high dive has always interested me as they would do all those spins and turns and enter the water with just a small splash. I jumped from this height as a child and when I looked down the water was so far away. I leap and when I hit the water it did not look like a little splash.

Today I pondered on this event and related to my life. Maybe you can relate as I share a moment of my life. The diving event has different boards and heights that these athletes would use. My Faith life reflexes that at times. When I’m trying to be in control we chose the lower board to jump into the pool of life. See when you jump from that height there is no fear and you are in control. But when you jump from the tallest then there is skill and you have to rely on your training so you will not splat in the water. Today I jumped from the High dive into the graces of God. I resign from a controlled environment and enter into God will. My faith is stretched when jumping from the platform of God Will into His graces. All I know today is when I jumped today I landed with a little splash because I use all the training and trusted this time in my God. God is so good. The jump was constructed by the Master and when we follow the instructions we are a golden because it was Him not your power. Today I dove into becoming a church planter and wow it felt great to be in the Will of God.

On a beach with a lizard on a sunny day

Thanks to my friend Rob who said starting a church in Cape Coral, Fl is brave because of the man eating lizard. I laughed and as I was going home from a meeting with him started to wonder was it true. Am I brave? So I look up this lizard called the Nile monitor. OMH (for those who are not from the country that means Oh My Hog) this lizard is huge at seven feet. But never fear the Bible tells me the God is for me who can be against me and believe when I see this creature is what I will say to him to let him know. Then I will leave him to ponder that scripture.

I was in a all-day meeting on leadership which is part of my peer-group of the FL Baptist Convention. When I told them of this lizard as we talk about me planting a church next year in Cape Coral. Mitch my friend suggest that I write a book and call it, "On a beach with a lizard on a sunny day." which a spin off because just got through reading and discussing Mark Batterson book, with the title, "In pit with a lion on a snowy day." So with that said my new hero is Benaiah, who chase and killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day.

So I pondered on the way back to my house if I do cross this lizard what am I going to do? HMMMMMMMMMMM stay tune I will answer this question when I cross these creature.

Trying to get rich quick

Look I may not agree with Joel on a lot of stuff. But this is wrong when you think that you have the right to get "10% of someones net earnings" because you allege that they hurt you. I fell off my chair when I found out that she "Brown" claimed to get hemmoriods from the incident. I thought this is worth sharing to see have crafty people are to get rich quick.

Flight attendant claims Victoria Osteen threw her against a door and eyed the cockpit
By JUAN A. LOZANO | Associated Press Writer
5:37 AM CDT, August 13, 2008

HOUSTON (AP) _ A flight attendant suing Victoria Osteen said the wife of megachurch evangelist Joel Osteen was eyeing the cockpit after throwing her against a bathroom door before a 2005 flight.

"I looked in her eyes and realized she was looking at the cockpit. I positioned myself in front of the cockpit," Continental Airlines flight attendant Sharon Brown told jurors on Tuesday.

"I still was trying to understand what was going on because it happened so quick. My main concern was I wasn't going to let this lady in the cockpit," she said.

Brown's comments came as she spent most of Tuesday being questioned by Victoria Osteen's attorney. She was scheduled to resume testifying on Wednesday in her civil lawsuit against Victoria Osteen.
Brown told jurors she remained calm and courteous as she tried to assure Victoria Osteen that a spill on the armrest of her first-class seat would be cleaned up before the start of the flight from Houston to Vail, Colo.

But Victoria Osteen, co-pastor of Houston's popular Lakewood Church, began yelling at the flight attendant and then threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her in the left breast, Brown testified.

Victoria Osteen has previously testified she was "dumbfounded" and "shook up" after Brown accused her of assaulting her. On Tuesday, her attorney aggressively questioned Brown, trying to trying to cast doubt that an assault ever took place.

"Can you look into my eyes and tell me where I am going to go?" Rusty Hardin said, referencing Brown's earlier statement about looking into Victoria Osteen's eyes. People in the courtroom laughed.

Hardin's questioning got intense enough that state District Judge Patricia Hancock several times warned both not to speak over each other.

Hardin also tried to cast doubt that Brown suffered any physical or mental injuries from the alleged attack, as she has claimed this incident cause hemorrhoids in her lawsuit. Brown admitted that doctors found no physical injuries on her.

Brown also claimed that after the attack, she could not work for five days.

"How is it you were totally incapacitated for those five days?" Hardin said.

"I was stressed, had a lot of anxiety," she responded.

Both Victoria Osteen and Joel Osteen, who was on the same flight, testified last week that no attack took place.

The couple are co-pastors of Houston's Lakewood Church, which draws about 42,000 people each week for services. Joel Osteen's weekly television address is broadcast in the U.S. and internationally and his books are sold around the globe.

Brown wants an apology and punitive damages amounting to 10 percent of Victoria Osteen's net worth as part of her lawsuit.

The Osteens testified the only reason they paid a $3,000 fine the Federal Aviation Administration levied against Victoria Osteen for interfering with a crew member was to put the incident behind them.

During Brown's testimony, Hardin questioned how Brown and another flight attendant who testified earlier in the trial were the only ones who were aware of the alleged attack.

"Can you explain how passengers or the captain were not aware of that?" Hardin asked.

"No sir I cannot," Brown said.

In a videotaped 2007 deposition shown to jurors, Brown admitted to calling Joel Osteen the devil and Lakewood Church a cult. Under questioning Tuesday, she said she didn't know about the church and hadn't been to it, but that she had seen Joel Osteen on television.

Stay tuned !!!

Wow!!! how about that opening ceremony of the Olympic. I'm posting a blog because I got in trouble by my wife becasue she went to read my blog and I have not post for while. Everyone in blogger land I'm sorry for not posting. I did not know anyone even reading my blog. As most of you know my family and I will be starting a new church. So I have been busy planning, studying, and meeting with the master jedi's of Church planting picking their brains to see if I can learn somethings from them. So if you are reading this blog thank you and stay tune for more updates I we get closer to the final countdown more blogs while follow. Pleasebe patience as I transition in a exciting and a passion of mine Church Planting.