Think and let think...

On the Road Again...

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13 NIV

This afternoon I will be "on the road again" going to the CTCYM Junior High Mission Trip. 

I am really excited about this mission trip for several reasons, but the main one would be that I have been blessed with the opportunity to be the Program Director for the Living Center that is in Burnet, TX.

CTCYM is a mission trip that I have done more years that I can count, and God has used CTCYM as a tool to show me who I am. This years scripture theme for the week is Romans 12:9-13. One of my all-time favorite passages in the bible. It's what I like to call a statement passage. Because in this passage Paul is definitely making a huge statement about our humanity and who God created us to be. 

Love must be sincere. 

Hate what is evil. 

Cling to what is good. 

Paul is definitely getting my attention. These are statements that should be acted out daily. Not just on a day of mission trip. 

On Sunday Night at 6:00 p.m. there will be many Junior High Youth and Adults going to Blanco, Burnet, Edna, Junction, Mason, Menard, Mason, San Angelo and San Marcos. I only ask that you pray for these youth and adults. It is truly amazing to me to see hundreds of youth and adults commit to doing volunteer labor in blistering heat. Getting nothing really in return. 

These youth are my heroes cause on mission trip they do some amazing things! In a way they become co-creators of this world with God by helping HIm create a better world. One person at a time. 

Resurrection

Resurrection: Rob Bell from The Work of Rob Bell on Vimeo.

What must the Church get right?

Catalyst West 2010: Dallas Willard Part 1 from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Rangers acquire Lee from Mariners

via texas.rangers.mlb.com

Rangers acquire Lee from Mariners | texasrangers.com: News

I can't wait till CTCYM Junior High...

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Generous God vs. cheap church - UMC.org

via www.umc.org

 

At a stewardship seminar I recently attended, Nelson Searcy of the Journey Church in New York City said that a theology of abundance underlies everything his church does in terms of stewardship. If we expect people to be generous in their giving to the church, he said, then the church needs to model that generosity and sense of abundance.

via www.umc.org

Any thoughts?

LRA Disarmament Bill PASSED!!!!

God is Relentless

So Jesus told them this story: "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' - Luke 15:3-6

God won't give up on you. He just wont. God will pursue you. God's determination is untiring. God's pursuit of you is unflagging. The poet Francis Thompson called God "The Hound of Heaven" - He's a God whose love will track you down and turn you around. Running from God, hiding from God, ignoring God....It just won't work. God will stop at nothing - not even a brutal death on the cross - to pursue a restored, meaningful, and vibrant relationship with you. 

Being Socially Media Cautious

Often in my business classes at Texas Wesleyan the professors caution us on social media. The importance of social media websites is growing by the second. Everyday it seems there is a new way to connect with others via social networking, i.e. Facebook, Myspace, & Twitter are the major ones but there is many sites out there to connect.

 

It is a growing trend in American Business that when you apply for a job they research your background which now includes your use on Facebook, Twitter, or even Myspace. So now that stupid Facebook post you put up about your boss being a jerk, or how trouble the entire male gender is, or even how much your girlfriend/wife nags the crap out of you is a part of your job application.

 

Well now that’s a scary thought. Here is a good example of what I’m talking about. Seth Godin is an author and blogger and this what he said on what happens when a “stranger reads your blog.”

 

“I had a surreal experience the other day. I was sitting in a coffee shop and watched someone (at the recommendation of a friend who didn't realize I was within earshot) open up my blog and start reading it. Right there, out of the corner of my eye, someone was experiencing me (well, digital me) for the first time.”

Really makes you think how many people have read just my blog and my facbook posts and my tweets and just on that information have formed an opinion of me that is not me.

 

Always be cautious what it is you put on the internet. Cause once its there, its there forever. Anybody anywhere can access it anytime.

Air is Real.

So I found this poem really awesome! Hope you enjoy! 

 

Air is Real

I can't touch it, but I can feel it

I'm enveloped by it every day but never feel smothered

It fills my lungs and gives me life but I ususally don't ever give it a second thought

It's real so I will live

The sun is real 

I'm enveloped by its warmth every day but never feel smothered 

It covers my body and gives me life but i rarely feel thankful enough

I see because of it, but forget to look 

It is real so I will live

God is real

I can't touch him, but I can feel Him

I'm enveloped by His love but never feel smothered 

He fills my body and gives me life but I don't thank Him enough

I hear Him but sometimes I don't listen

He is real and so I live

Posted via web from Think and let think...

Gold and Platinum

There is a bit of celebration in order.  Yesterday morning MercyMe met with their lable at a local Hard Rock and were presented with a gold record for their CD All That Is Within Me. If you don’t know, because I didn’t, that represents 500,000 sales.  If that isn’t enough they have also become the first Christian artist to sell over 1,000,000 digital downloads.  The song: I Can Only Imagine.

via therockandworshiproadshow.com

Joy

 

 

Credit goes to Eva Cranford, LSU student who if she isn't already should definitely major in photography. Awesome work Eva!

 

 

City On Our Knees

  

 

Toby Mac, one of my favorite musical artists released an amazing album, "Tonight." It's an amazing tribute to what we are capable of when we embrace the amazing creativity that God himself has and has given us. Toby's music is so eclectic and original and every time it has a message that hits me straight to the core. 

On "Tonight" there is a song called "City on our Knees," and it has really hit me this week. 

Here is a lyric snippet from "City On Our Knees." 

"Tonight's the night
For the sinners and the saints
Two worlds collide
In a glorious display
Cuz its all love tonight
When we step across the line
We can sail across the sea
To a city with one king
 A city on our knees" 

Can you imagine a place such as this? Sinners and Saints coming together to bow at the feet of Jesus. Our one true and only king. 

Awesome. 

Worthy of Affection....Love this!

Passion 2011 - IN FORT WORTH, TX!!!!

via 268generation.com

The Greatest Love

Jesus once said: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

Today is Good Friday. It is a Good day, because thousands of years Jesus showed us the meaning of that verse in John, chapter 15. On Sunday one of students asked me a very perceptive question that I'm sure we have all asked. 

"Brad, Why is it called Good Friday? I mean Jesus dies a terrible death, How can it be a Good day?" 

Good Friday is good because of the good work that Jesus does, it is good because Jesus becomes a human being and takes all the sins of the world upon himself and willingly dies on a cross for all of humanity. We have done nothing to deserve this good work, but all the same Jesus loves us so much that the sins that we commit do not define who we are. 

I often think of what my life would be like without the sacrifice that Jesus willingly put himself through, for me and you and for all of humanity. 

Thank you God for saying I'm worthy of your love. 

What will iPad magazine covers look like?

Jesse Rosten, a director in Northern California, asked himself what a magazine cover on the iPad should look like. He came up with the incredibly sweet Sunset Magazine mock up above. Jesse notes that until now, books and magazines have been traditionally portrait in orientation and film and TV has been landscape in orientation. He says with the iPad there's no longer a strict landscape limitation for video. "Maybe you want your vid to appear full screen in portrait mode? Maybe you need a long, tall video banner-ad on the side of a digital magazine page? I think we're going to start seeing a lot more vertically shot video soon," Jesse wrote on his website. Click on over to his site to see some more incredible vertical footage and to read about the setup he used to capture his images.

via www.tuaw.com

Random Video from LSU (Thanks Nicole!)

iPad to Offer 30,000 Free e-Books at Launch

If you were concerned that you’d only be able to read things on your iPad if you ponied up some cash for the privilege, even if that amount turns out to be less than expected, worry no more. The NDA-busting source that’s been showing off all things iBooks to AppAdvice.com has revealed another tantalizing detail.

via theappleblog.com

Leaving a Legacy

In today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram there was a great article that really moved me. Titled "In Memory, Captain still Guides Hawks." 

HEre is a little snippet: 

"When Birdville faces Aledo tonight in the Class 4A sectional round, Baggett will guide the Hawks - even though he died of lymphoblastic leukemia on Oct 10, 2009." 

Jonathan Baggett, a young 17 year old soccer player as many of you is the Baggett that still guides the Birdville Hawks soccer team. 

"Baggett is a big part of our team," senior forward Clarke Renfro said. "Even though he's passed, he's still our spiritual leader. We play for Baggett's family. So he'll always be a part of this team. He'll always be our captain." 

Now, that's what you call making a make, or leaving a legacy. One thing that Baggett taught many, me included is that you have no idea what kind of influence you have on the people in your life. Who you follow and what you treasure is broadcast to those around you. 

Even to this day the Hawks still break each huddle with, "1-2-3, Baggett" 

Thank you Lord for what you are teaching us about influence on others. Help us to love like you love father. Amen.