Random Fact Of The Day

In Hollywood, plastic surgeons outnumber pediatricians 2 to 1.

Completely Different Yet The Same

While out of town this past weekend, I visited 2 completely different churches. And 2 completely different services. The first was a newer church with a brand new building. It was modern. No steeple. Huge kids area with lots of creative stuff everywhere. A popular speaker. Expensive audio visual stuff. Rockin' band. And no mention of Memorial Day. They continued on in their series...and no mention of Memorial Day. Zero. But a very powerful message. Engaging. A clear Gospel presentation.

The 2nd church was a more "traditional" church. (I hesitate to use that term...but for the purposes of this post, it fits best.) Steeple. Dress a little more traditional. More 60+ yr olds. One of the hand held microphones had a blue fuzzy cover. Orchestra. Choir. Pews. And the whole service..as in WHOLE service...was dedicated to honoring those who have sacrificed for their country. EVERYTHING was about recognizing those who have served. The service included armed services flag presentation, bagpipes, and a military guest speaker. It was moving. Dana and I sat near a couple who has a son serving in Iraq. They cried through the whole service. We cried with them.

It would be very easy to critique and judge either service. Obviously us Christians are good at that. Over coffee and in seminary classes and in living rooms we talk about our preferences. Some say church A was wrong for not saying anything about Memorial Day. Some say church B is wrong for glorifying America.

Sure I have my own preferences and lean certain ways on certain issues. But on Sunday, I just enjoyed the VAST differences between the two. Because in the end, they were serving the same God. The messages being spoken were ministering to those present...and ultimately glorifying God.

Smoke

Recently around Atlanta we've had smoke...lots of it. About 250 miles south of here is where the South GA fires have been going on. Yesterday was interesting. I'm out of town visiting family, on the lake, and it was interesting to listen to comments made by people on the lake and at church yesterday. "Ah man, whoa, this smoke is awful!" ; "Bummer, kind of puts a damper on Memorial Day weekend." ; "This is really getting to my allergies." ; "Wish it would hurry up and go away."

And at first, I was chiming in as well. It was weird. It was annoying. Looked like something out of the movies. Fog that wouldn't go away. Bothersome.

But as I was driving back from church, I had a thought. I couldn't shake the thought of WHERE this smoke was coming from. Over 250 miles away, this smoke was part of 52 fires that consumed 345,000 acres. People lost a lot. Land. Homes? Property. Crops. Trees. A sense of hopelessness. Nothing you can really do to stop it.

And for a moment, I felt weird (ashamed) for complaining about smoke that was "interfering" with my Memorial Day weekend. Meanwhile, others are piecing things back together.

I think in Christianity we do something similar sometimes. I think this is a picture of what it looks like when we are bothered by the stinch of other people's sin. We complain that it's interfering with our goodness. It's bothersome. Instead of reaching out, we sit in our comfortable chairs in our comfortable homes and shut all the doors and windows...so as to not let the smoke get in. In doing so, we are unknowingly throwing gas on their fires.

I know it's a stretch, but this illustration is the type of thing God uses from time to time to remind me of His compassion and His mercy and His unselfishness...and how we should be the same. Funny how an inconvenience can be a great reminder/lesson. As the GA Governor said in a recent article, "We're just getting a small scent of what they've lived with."

Happy B'day Babe

My outstanding, terrific, beautiful wife is getting old now. Ok, not really...in fact, she was only able to rent a vehicle 2 yrs ago. So congrats babe on reaching 27 today! You are a hard working Mom who cares for 4 kids - plus a hubby who acts like one...making that 5 kids you care for.

Happy Birthday!

That's Just Cool

LINK

Remove and Add

I bet you're thinking the title of this post has something to do with dieting...removing things like this banana split and adding more healthy, low fat stuff. Well, you're wrong. I just wanted to let everyone know the trick in getting the best DQ banana split. Remove the pineapple, add caramel. You will be in "I shouldn't be eating this" heaven.

Today's sweet tooth tip has been brought to you by Jonathan Sutton - someone who must have a dessert after every meal...and someone who seriously needs to stop eating so much stuff like pictured above. Hey wait, it's got bananas! So it's "healthy", right?!?

Hard Work

This phrase has been on my brain today...working hard, pushing forward, trying to achieve a ton. Been thinking about the demand of hard work, the temptation to stop striving, and the reward of hard work. Here's two good quotes for ya:

"Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best."
Theodore I. Rubin

"Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense."
Thomas A. Bennett

And then, of course, you have Proverbs 14:23
"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty."

Food for thought. Good stuff. Work hard today. (And don't waste time blogging like I'm doing right now! ha.)

Pro Lessons

So I'm sitting here watching Sunday night baseball on ESPN and the announcers are discussing the unconventional delivery of the pitcher. It's interesting how every pitcher has different delivery methods, different philosophies, different leg kicks and arm angles and quickness. But yet, they are all in the majors. While some things hold true - like being able to throw a 90+ fastball or a slider or offspeed pitch - each of these guys are very very unique. I like the lesson there. I like how that illustrates life and ministry.

Also, I like other lessons baseball teaches us. Like how .250 is a good batting average. Think about that for a second. If you strike out or fly out or ground out 75% of the time, you're doing good. Seems odd doesn't it? But I like how that illustrates life. And just like how we are supposed to get right back up and keep trying, so do these pros. When they are 0-3 on the night and up for the fourth time, they put all that behind them because they have a chance to win it with a hit in the ninth.

Having said all that...I still say pro ball is tainted by the use of steroids and major league tickets are way overpriced. Plus, the game on right now is the Yankees and Mets. Who care about the Yankees?!

Finishing Strong

So the 1st year of t-ball was challenging...but tons of fun for the kiddos. They think they won every game. Truth is, they were winless going into the final two games...but we pulled out W's in both. That's cool. Not only did they finish strong winning the last two games, but they showed vast improvement from the beginning of the season. One kid that I never thought would hit it from the coach pitching...rather just off the tee...nailed a pitch yesterday delivered from the coach. Good stuff. Fun stuff.

aeiou...not eieio!

So it all makes sense now! A few weeks ago, as I was hanging out with my oldest Braden, about to put him to bed, he started singing Old McDonald. When he got to the "eieio" part, he sang it as "aeiou". I remember correcting him but he stood firm with his aeiou. We went back and forth over it until I finally gave up, seeing how he was convinced it was aeiou. Well, at his pre-K graduation ceremony last night, it all came together. They sang Old McDonald on stage last night and used aeiou. Ahhhhh, ok, it was to help them remember their vowels. Duh.

(My wife says it's embarrassing that I would even post this...that I didn't realize this earlier...but I reminded her that I'm 30 now and can't quite process information like I used to.)

Downhill

It was nice knowing all of you. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for the friendship. Today is the day. It is all downhill from here.

Back in 77, on this day, I emerged from my mother's womb (only to be dropped on my head seconds later...just a joke, I think...may have happened...that would explain a lot...). So today should be a day of celebration, but OH NO my friend, not even close. It's a day of mourning.

Ok, enough with this. The pic above was taken Monday night at the surprise bday party my wife put together. Total shock. I was clueless. Thanks Dana! You are a great wife and great friend!

Once again, take care.

(Perhaps I'm taking this so hard b/c I realize that one of the implications of turning 30 is I cannot blame immaturity on dumb things that I do now. Prior to today, whenever I did something stupid, I could just simply blame it on only being in my 20's and not knowing any better. But that changes now, right? Somehow this 30 category seems to carry a much heavier responsibility...a burden if you will. Geez...great...now I'm responsible for my actions. What's next? Am I supposed to act grown up now? Oh boy, fun.)

Backseat Turn Around

As we were driving to Logan's end of the year pre-school program at Tabernacle this morning, Kinley was doing something cute to make Camden laugh. So I turned around for a quick glance to see what was going on. I did this a few times, all the while trying to drive, when it hit me. Life is much like this quick glance, this quick turn around. We are trying to catch every moment of our kid's lives. We are trying to savor those cute Kodak moments (which is much better than the normal reason of turning around: "Boys, stop fighting" or "Boys, stop taking off your sister's shoes and throwing them out the window.")

And while we are attempting to capture these family moments, we have to keep looking forward, don't we? We have to keep our eyes on the road. Leading. Teaching. Between the Lines. No crashing. We must go back to our jobs, our other responsibilities. But yet we just want to stay in that moment...cause they come and go so quickly.

So savor each moment. Be sure to even pull over sometimes, just to thank God for your kids and show them how much you care.

Scary Bat

So I just checked my voicemail on my cell phone...seeing that I missed a phone call from my wife. Here was the message: "Uh yeah, honey...uh yeah, I think I hit a bat driving home last night and I think it might be stuck to the front of the car...and well, I think I'll just let you look at it when you get home...cause you know, they are scary and all, and well, I'm afraid he might come back to life."

Oh fun. Dead bat on the front of our car. I think I'll get my two oldest boys to assist me. Very educational :-)

All Shook Up

I recently finished listening to a book on audio, Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. I'll be posting some stuff about it over the next month. EXTREMELY good book. Worth the read (or listen).

Poor Bammer

Haven't picked on Bama in awhile, so there ya go.

Stossel-Rama

John Stossel is quickly becoming my hero. (Ok, that's an exaggeration.) But the dude is quite awesome. He picks apart myths and media lies. If you've never seen him before, he's mostly on 20/20 doing his "Give Me A Break" series. For a brief bio on the guy check out his Wikipedia page.

Wonder if I could grow a stache like that?

Update

Thanks to all who were praying for me and Dana as we met with KiDs Beach Club. We have decided to accept the position of Area Director! (I say "we" because Dana will be mainly be doing it but I will assist as her handsome and charming sidekick...I think she's just using me for my looks and sales skills :-)) Ok, seriously though, WE ARE PUMPED! This ministry has seen hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of kids accept Christ! And they are a fairly new ministry. Over the next few weeks/months we will be speaking with churches and schools, getting geared up for the Fall. We are excited to bring this to the ATL area. If you are interested in your church or school getting involved in this ministry, visit the website and then contact me at jonsutton6@yahoo.com.

Rock on.

Lake Time

Going up to Lake Lanier to spend time with fam this weekend. Thank God summertime is here!

Baby Hatch? Weird.

LINK

Connecting The Unconnected

Our pastor at Oak Leaf, Michael, recently put up the results to a survey we took at church. Here's two quick highlights:

33% of people didn't go to church at all before coming to OLC. Another 10% went to another church only 1-2 times a month.

54% said a personal invitation was the crucial factor in them visiting for the first time. 25% said it was a postcard. And 12% saw a road sign.

That just gets me pumped! Doing what it takes to connect the unconnected! It's awesome to know that people are coming to church for the first time or consistently for the first time in a long time. Hearing about God's Grace. Experiencing God through worship. Meeting other folks. Connecting. Also, it's no surprise that most people come due to being personally invited. Keep up the good work OLC!

No Cost Or Obligation

I recently saw an advertisement on TV for a Jesus video. Unfortunately, it looked really really cheesy (what a surprise). What was interesting is the phrase I caught in the middle of the ad: "...no cost or obligation...". Obviously they just wanted people to know they could get the video for free and without having to sign up for anything.

But it reminded me of what we are called to. The devotion that we must recommit ourselves to daily. The seriousness of what is at stake. While God's grace and forgiveness are free...and while anyone and any point in their life with baggage galore can find salvation and freedom in Christ...our following The Way, our Savior, is not without cost or obligation. Hearing that phrase, especially in that context, reminded me of Luke 9:57-62:

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Random Tuesday Pic

Yes, I Can Feel It!

Poor video quality but these guys have some skills. Just a heads up: You'll find yourself singing this song all day.
ENJOY

Spidey

Dana and I will see if Spiderman 3 lives up to all the hype. We are going to see it tonight. Props to our local Carmike Cinemas that opened up last summer. They are the first theater in GA to have digital film in all theatres. Makes a difference. Especially in movies like this one.

Stay-At-Home Value

"Stay-at-home mother's work worth $138,095 a year!"
LINK

Be The Active Ingredient

I don't frequent Smoothie King too often. Just have never been real big on spending $5 for flavored crushed ice. But as I stood in line at the mall last week waiting on my strawberry/banana/protein/superduperhealthy concoction, I caught their slogan on the wall: "Be The Active Ingredient." I thought to myself - what a great line.

Here's how I translate that statement: YOU be the difference maker. Yes, we will provide important stuff - protein, vitamins, flavor, nasty junk to ruin your otherwise sweet sugary milkshake - but YOU must implement it, YOU must apply it. Be the ACTIVE ingredient.

(Yes, I overthink things.)

But think about it. What a cool line. Applied to your job it means: Yes, surround yourself with wise business people, good systems, financially sound decisions, etc. But YOU must be the active ingredient. YOU must passionately pursue your God given role. (Hope this does not sound "self-helpish"...I don't intend it to be.)

Applied to the church and ministry: Volunteer, Follower of Christ, listen up: BE THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT! Don't just sit back and expect the leaders of your church to babysit you and hold your hand through routine church programs. Be the active ingredient! Pursue your lost neighbor and hurting friend with reckless abandonment! Yes, the church is there to provide you nourishment and discipleship and tools. But YOU must step out in faith and personally take responsibility for what God has called you to. God has given you everything necessary to live out your faith - now DO IT.

Without being an Active Ingredient, you just simply have lots of good stuff sitting and becoming sour.

Plane Pics

Two cool pics of our view on the plane this past weekend, heading out to Dallas. Flying to Dallas: Way much better than driving.

Month of May

May is a big month. 3 birthdays to celebrate. Mine, my wife's, and my father-in-law's. (May is an expensive month!) This May is a bit different though. A bit weird. A bit tragic if you will. For you see, this May 17th of the year 2007, I turn 30. Yep, 30. For me, life as I know it is over. Yeah, I hear some of you..."You're still a baby...30!??! Old?!?!!! Ha! That's nothing!" But I beg to differ. It's a wrap for me. Done. Finished. Life is over.

Ok, I'm kidding...sorta.