Prince Caspian

I went to an advance screening of Prince Caspian last night. I told my kids that I had to go and check it out to make sure the film was suitable for them. Truth is, I wanted to go. I am a huge fan of The Chronicles of Narnia and as I was watching last night it occurred to me that watching these movies from a kids perspective is the way to go. I let myself get lost in the magical world of Narnia for those 140 minutes and it was a great ride. The thought and creativity behind the story is enchanting and the cinematography and CG work is just spectacular.

Sure, as an adult - there are some serious flaws in the movie. But as a kid, it was amazing! The story is loaded with symbolism and Biblical messaging. I don't want to ruin the plot for any of you who never read the books, so I won't go into any specifics. But there is a scene near the end that speaks to our reluctance as followers of Christ to put our faith in action even when we know we clearly heard God's voice. And in those times, we often listen to all of the other voices of "conventional wisdom" even though we just heard the voice of Almighty God. My prayer is that we would become a generation that is willing to follow God no matter what he asks. Please pray for me that God would develop in me an Abraham type of faith!

Rachel Joy Scott

I just got back from Rachel's Rally where nearly 8,000 people from Rockwall gathered to honor the life of Rachel Scott and accept her challenge to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion. Rockwall ISD was the first school district in the nation to accept Rachel's challenge and Robin and the girls have been working on it all year. Kids from all of the Rockwall schools have been documenting acts of kindness and compassion by creating chain links made out of construction paper with the names of the people who exhibited kindness.

At our high school football stadium tonight, the sixth graders from each elementary school carried the 123,000+ chains of kindness and compassion. You read that correctly - over 123,000 documented acts of kindness and compassion - wow! I am very proud of Robin, Macy & Mallory for the part they played in Rachel's Challenge and Rachel's Rally.

Rachel Scott has been a hero of mine since April 20, 1999 - which in my opinion was one of the worst days in our nations history. That's when two students murdered 12 of their class mates at Columbine High School. Columbine wasn't the deadliest school shooting in our history, but for some reason it seemed to hit our nation the hardest. Perhaps it was because of the media coverage that let us inside a portion of the tragedy? Or maybe it was because of the specificity in which the killers chose their targets. It could have been the culmination of several school shootings in a row and this was just the boiling point. I don't have all the answers, but I do know that it profoundly impacted a generation that was fed up with senseless violence.

Rachel Scott was the first one to die that day. The killers had already shot her once when they asked her to renounce the name of Jesus. Rachel wouldn't do so. She proclaimed Christ and was subsequently shot in the head.

As stories came out about the shooters, it became evident that they felt like outcasts and misfits. The irony was that Rachel Scott had been one of the few people to actually reach out to them, but they killed her anyway.

The amazing thing is that Rachel's life has impacted far more people than her death. Even though, April 20, 1999 will remain a dark day in our history - the life of Rachel Scott is still shinning bright. The love of Christ compelled Rachel to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.

I accept Rachel's Challenge!

Thief Stopped Again

It turns out the basketball goal was stolen by a 7 year old! Okay - let's call it borrowed, not stolen. One of the neighborhood kids thought it would be a good idea to have a basketball goal at his house, so he got his friends to help him drag our goal down the street. I was driving by his house yesterday and his Dad waved me down. Evidently his son told him we had thrown the basketball goal away and that he could have it. Hah!

Thief Stopped!

No... not the thief that stole my basketball goal, the one that comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).

My precious daughter Mallory asked Jesus in her heart tonight! It doesn't get any better than this! We were at soccer practice and we took a few minutes to share about Jesus. Two other girls asked Christ in their heart as well. I have coached these girls for three years now, so it was a pretty awesome night!

Stop Thief

I got my basketball goal stolen from my house tonight. That stinks!

My Lucky Number 238

My Mom turned 65 on Saturday! She is an absolutely amazing woman of God, an incredible Mother, and THE glue that has kept our family seeking Jesus! She has a blog called String A Pearl. Last week she was reflecting on her life thus far and I thought you would be blessed by her writing. Enjoy…

My Lucky Number 238

I’m coming up on my 65th birthday this week. Funny, when I started dreaming of life I never actually dreamed of this moment in time. Thanks to Medicare and all the mailings that arrive for this mile stone moment in life I’ve been thinking of this for months. Feeling a slight disconnect to my youth as our grandchildren gaze upon family photos from the 70's & 80's and recognize everyone but grandma and the dog. The dog died people but that’s me and I’m still here. I gathered photos of myself at all ages. Laying them side by side it’s rather startling. I wound up selecting a few from my childhood then adding one from each decade. Suddenly life was pretty short. If, in a perfect world, one had 10 decades to live I’ve already used 6½ of them. It’s too late for a do over and frankly I don’t have the energy. It just might be prudent to enjoy what God has given me and stop fighting so hard to improve it. How did those 900 year old people in Biblical days deal with the crinkled, brown speckled, parched skin look? Oh, pardon me, I digress.

This is about my lucky number 238. Odd I know but it happens to be my address from when I was a kid. I use to think of the bad things that happened to me when I was a kid and feel sorry for myself. Poor little thing I would think. A couple of decades ago a pastor friend encouraged me to see my pain through God’s eyes. I began to realize all the trials and any suffering was in fact my strength. Endurance and perseverance built into me by God. Only God can see a whole life and only God can build a ship that will survive the stormy seas of life. God built me after he created me in my mother’s womb. So now I look back at my start in life and see the goodness of the Lord. I see the numbers on my house and it reads 238 – pretty lucky huh? I have a Scripture verse that reveals the truth of my lucky number and a fun little story to showcase that truth.

An elderly woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled,”STOP! Acts 2:38!"

The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the
police and explained what she had done. As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar, "Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell Scripture at you." "Scripture?" replied the burglar. "She said she had an Ax and Two 38's!"

A pearl to string: Remember knowing Scripture can save your life in more ways than one!!! Repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. - Acts 2:38 Turn your love away from the wiles of this world and……

Turn your heart toward Jesus,
He’s got a gift for you.
Lyndi

Take a Risk

Brian Mosley and I recently went to an IMAX Theatre to see the grand opening of U2 3D. It’s released nation wide this week and if you are a U2 fan – it’s a must see. I have to admit that it was pretty amazing to see Bono so close and feel the thunder of the crowd bouncing up and down with hands raised to the sky. The sound was crystal clear and the images were completely life like. The whole deal was fascinating. It was so cool that Brian and I wondered if this was the future of concerts. We only had to drive 9 miles and pay $10 to see U2 in Argentina… wow! While I don’t think that we could replace actually being at the concert with a movie – I do think we live in a culture that won’t mind settling for the cheaper, more convenient version.

We recently sat down with Erwin McManus and asked him a ton of questions about God, our culture and our generation. I can’t get something that he said out of my head,

“We’ve become accustomed to watching life happen, rather than living it.”

Brian and I watched the concert, we didn’t live it. We didn’t feel the heat of the Argentinean Summer night. Our ears weren’t ringing from standing so close to a speaker. No sore throats from overly loud singing. Our calves weren’t sore from jumping up and down for 90 minutes. We just sat and watched. In this clip, Erwin helps us understand the danger of living as Christians with this type of voyeuristic mentality. He directs us to have a faith that is alive and even risky.

I can’t wait for you to hear Erwin live at LeadNow and Fusion. In the mean time watch this video clip of Erwin and ask yourself what kind of faith you want to have.

I hope to see you in Orlando, Seattle, or Dallas.

Marc McCartney

Is This the Generation of Change?

I was watching this clip from LeadNow speaker Marcus "Goodie" Goodloe on Nehemiah. God used Nehemiah’s generation to change the world. The RightNow Campaign has a passion for our generation. When people think about the word generation, Tom Brokaw and his book, The Greatest Generation quickly comes to mind. The book is a magnificent picture of a generation’s tenacity to endure such hardships as the Great Depression and World War 2 in route to building America. I like that. I like honoring great men and women for their efforts. I’m proud that my Grandfather fought in World War 2. But I don’t want to be the Greatest Generation…

…The RightNow Campaign is a movement of 20 & 30 somethings trading in the pursuit of the American Dream for a world that desperately needs Christ! We don’t need to become the Greatest Generation; we need to become the Generation of change! Erwin McManus, while speaking at one of our past Fusion events said this:

“What I like about RightNow is that it’s not centered on believers. It really is centered on calling the church out to care about the world. And that’s not only needed… It is what will change this time in history.”

Erwin and Goodie are telling us that we can be the Generation of change, but in order to do it we must do away with the myopic view of life that has permeated our culture and realize that when the Church becomes activated then change will happen. We can be that Generation!
Erwin, Goodie and many others will be at LeadNow08 in Orlando, April 24-26 and Dallas, November 13-15. I hope to see you there!

Chants

I love Super Bowl Sunday. We always seem to find our way into someone else’s home to watch the Super Bowl. It’s genius really. Think about it. I get free food. I watch the game on a bigger, more expensive TV than I have. My kids destroy someone else’s home. I get credit for being social just for showing up. And I get to watch football while doing all of this! What a great day!

Super Bowl Sunday reminds me of all of the days I spent at practices growing up. Since my Dad was a football coach, I practically lived around the practice field. I understand the blood, sweat, and tears that these two teams have put into getting to the big game. I know about the hours in the weight room, the film sessions, the emotional investment, and the physical beating. But I also know the camaraderie, the brotherhood, and the sweet feeling of giving everything you have and it being worth it. One of my favorite things about football were the chants that coaches and players would say to either motivate or unify.

In Junior High we thought we were pretty tough when we would chant, “Let’s Get Psyched Up.” Sure, it sounds corny when reading it, but do realize that after rhythmically chanting these words we would follow up by slapping our thigh pads twice and then clapping twice. It was so cool. Then in High School our Defensive line coach would conclude every drill with, “good, better, best – never let it rest – till your good is your better and your better is your best.” I love these chants so much that I created one for my daughter’s soccer team, “We’re rough. We’re tough. We are the Fusion!” Chanting is really big with eight year old girls.

But my all time favorite chant was one that my Dad’s football team at Colorado used to do. Now this chant was not your ordinary chant. The team didn’t do it at practice and they didn’t do it after every game. In fact, if they were lucky they would do it only 12 times a year –because they only did this chant after a victory. The word victory reminds me of another Junior High chant, “V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, that’s our Trojan Battle Cry.” Back to Colorado…

It may sound trivial to know that the chant was only two words long, but being a part of it was magical. The chant transcended the actual words that were said and cut deep into the emotion behind the words. I remember being in the locker room after we beat Michigan in 1994 on a 64 yards pass from Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook to win the game. It’s still one of the greatest finishes in the history of sport and what I will never forget about that game is the two word chant that began right when we entered into the locker room. The chant lasted four minutes! Now that’s a long time for a two word chant, but it just kept going. “Offense, Defense”… that’s it. The offensive players would begin chanting the word “Defense” in unison and the defensive players would return with “Offense.” The chant was loud. The guys screamed it with everything they had. The echoes of “Offense, Defense” would ring off the locker room walls creating a thunderous feeling. The floors would shake. Think about it. These guys had given everything they had and the ultimate prize each week was a victory. But the amazing thing about football is that you can have the greatest offense of all time, but if your defense stinks – you will still lose. What I’m trying to tell you is that football offers an amazing look into the virtue of dependency. The offensive team is so motivated to scream out the word “Defense” because they know the work the defense put into the game. They know that they couldn’t do it with out them. So they give it up for each other.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Jesus Christ / John 15.6

Dependency is a key aspect of my faith in Jesus. I have learned that there is nothing worthwhile that I can do with out Christ. Since I know myself better than you know me, you are going to have to take my word for it, but I have serious issues. OK – so maybe that isn’t so difficult to believe… The truth is that I am in desperate need of Christ and His guidance in every single area of my life. As a husband. As a Father. As a brother. As a friend. As an employee. As a leader. I seriously can’t think of an area of my life that doesn’t need Jesus. So the challenge for me is to remain in Him. My favorite definition of the word remain is: to be left after the removal. I love that because when I become a branch that is a part of the vine, I remove the selfish aspirations that permeate my life and what is left is total dependency on the vine.

Jesus concludes this teaching about the vine and the branches in John 15.16 by saying: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.”

Sounds like there is a chant in there somewhere…

Bears Win in 5 OT's!

#25 Baylor 116
#16 Texas A&M 110

Just Do Something!

In the early 90’s Nike came up with their slogan of “Just Do it!” That resonated with our culture because people don’t like excuses. We like action. We like results. Of course we don’t always like the effort or hardships that we have to endure with the Just Do it mentality, but we sure do like the way it sounds. And we love our athletes to have this mindset. Just Do it has helped professional and amateur athletes alike to focus on the task at hand and disregard the pain that it may take to succeed.

I thought about this slogan after watching the San Diego Chargers lose to the New England Patriots on Sunday. Phillip Rivers is the quarterback of the Chargers and two weeks ago he was most notably known for trash talking and jawing with opposing crowds. But after his gutsy performance on Sunday his status has elevated to a Just Do it guy… even though he lost! Why? Because he played after having knee surgery earlier in the week - and on top of that – he is going to need further surgery because he decided to play. Just Do it! It’s moments like this that define people and set the trajectory of their careers. This may be that moment for Phillip Rivers?

Just like Nike’s Just Do it, Erwin McManus made a very similar statement that gave me a great deal of clarity in my Christian walk. While speaking at our Fusion Experience in Dallas he ended an inspirational message by chanting the mantra: Just Do Something! He was talking about the way that we go about discerning Gods will for our lives and how we want God to give us a Google Maps turn by turn directions of everything we should do in our lives. But God doesn’t work like that does He? Instead he gives us spiritual gifts. He wires us with passions to pursue. He burdens us with a desire to stamp out injustice. He places us in relationships that help us see where He is at work. God gives us everything we need, just not in the way that we may want it. Erwin was telling us that we need to stop waiting for the “voice from heaven” because He has already spoken! God has given us our charge and we need to Just Do Something! Watch this clip where Erwin is delivering that same message and let me know what you think…

The RightNow Campaign is a movement of 20 & 30 something’s trading in the pursuit of the American Dream for a world that desperately needs Christ! We are calling for a revolution of other 20 & 30 something’s who will Just Do Something and put our faith in action!

Erwin will be with us once again at our Leadnow and Fusion events this year. Please make plans to join us at one of these events!

Bears Crack Top 25

The Baylor men's basketball team is ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 1969! I could not miss the chance to blog about this historic achievement. Scott Drew is in his fifth season at BU and many experts have said that it would be impossible for him to rebuild this program after the disaster of Dave Bliss. Way to go Coach Drew!