Good Sermon Advice...

I was thinking about this quote as I'm working on my sermon for Sunday...

You have no idea how thankful I am to NOT be preaching on the Trinity this week.  =)  lol

Remembering Joe Paterno...

I came across this article on Joe Paterno, written by Rick Reilly.  It's a shame that Joe Pa's coaching career ended the way it did... I'm not condoning or condemning at this point. (I doubt we have the whole story of what happened at Penn State.)  Regardless, I wanted to share this article written about the coach with you all.  It is inspiring in it's own way.  




Maybe you will never be convinced Joe Paterno was a good man who made one catastrophic mistake, but do you have time for just one story?

Taliaferro and Paterno

In 2000, Penn State freshman defensive back Adam Taliaferro had his spine crushed when tackling an Ohio State player. He lay on that September field paralyzed and panicked.

The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Paterno, who died Sunday at 85.

"He could see I was losing it, but his eyes stayed totally calm," Taliaferro remembers. "And I remember that familiar, high-pitched voice, going, 'You're gonna get through this, Kid. You're gonna be OK.' And I just trusted him. I believed it."

Taliaferro wound up in a hospital bed in Philadelphia, everything frozen solid below the neck. Doctors said he had about a 3 percent chance of walking again. And every other week, Paterno would fly to Philly to see him.

"He'd bring our trainer and a couple of my teammates," Taliaferro says. "Nobody in the hospital knew he was there." Paterno would tell him all the dumb things his teammates and coaches had done lately. Pretty soon, Taliaferro would be laughing his IVs out.

"I can't tell you what that meant to me," says Taliaferro, now 30. "I'm stuck in that hospital, and here's Coach Paterno bringing a piece of the team to me, in the middle of the season. How many coaches would do that?"

One midnight, Taliaferro moved a toe and the first person his dad called was Paterno. His dad held the phone to Adam's ear and Paterno said, "You're gonna prove 'em all wrong, Kid!"

From then on, every visit, Paterno wanted to see Taliaferro move something new. "I got to where I wanted to be ready. A finger, a hand, whatever. I wanted to perform for Coach Paterno."

One day, five months into it, Paterno walked in and said, "What's new, Kid?" Taliaferro swung his legs over the bed, stood and extended his hand to shake.

"I'll never forget his eyes," he says. "They were already huge behind those Coke-bottle glasses, but they got even bigger." Paterno gave him a 10-second hug and then said, "Kid, ya make me proud."

A man is more than his failings.

I learned a lot about Paterno when I wrote a story about him in 1986 for Sports Illustrated. I've learned a lot about him since. He was a humble, funny and giving man who was unlike any other coach I ever met in college football. He rolled up his pants to save on dry cleaning bills. He lived in the same simple ranch house for the last 45 years. Same glasses, same wife, same job, for most of his adult life.

He was a man who had two national championships, five undefeated seasons, and yet for years he drove a white Ford Tempo. In 46 years as a head coach, he never had a single major NCAA violation.

He was the only coach I've ever known who went to the board of trustees to demand theyincrease entrance requirements, who went to faculty club meetings to hear the lectures, who listened to opera while drawing up game plans.

He was a Depression kid who wouldn't allow stars on helmets or names on jerseys. And he hated expensive tennis shoes.

He'd see a player wearing Air Jordans and say, "It's not the sneakers, Kid, it's the person in them."

One day Taliaferro wore an entirely different pair into his office, a pair of "Air Paternos" he'd made himself. "He freaked out," Taliaferro remembers. "He was about to call Nike. He thought they were real!"

If a player was struggling with a subject, Paterno would make him come to his house for wife Sue's homemade pasta and her tutoring. One time, he told a high school blue chipper named Bob White he wouldn't recruit him unless he agreed to read 12 novels and turn in two-page book reports to Sue. They were the first books he ever finished. White wound up with two degrees and a job at the university.

Paterno was other things, too, like controlling and immovable. He lingered as head coach when he promised time and again he wouldn't. And when he needed to follow up on what he'd been told about Jerry Sandusky and a child in the shower in 2002, he failed miserably.

But he followed up for thousands of others.

Even though Taliaferro would never play football again, Paterno stayed on him to keep moving. "I came to Penn State to become a lawyer," he told him. "But I never made it. You could, Kid. You're smart."

He got the fully recovered Taliaferro a summer internship with the NFLPA in New York and, before you knew it, Taliaferro was a corporate lawyer in Cherry Hill, N.J. He successfully ran for local office there and is now running for the Penn State board of trustees, where he wants to help his school heal from a scandal Paterno made worse with his neglect.

"The last three months, I've just wanted to go up on a rooftop and shout, 'I wish you knew him like I do!'" Taliaferro says. "I know, in my heart, if he'd understood how serious this situation was, he'd have done more."

I believe that, too. But if you don't, I respect that. I only ask this:

If we're so able to vividly remember the worst a man did, can't we also remember the best?

- Rick Reilly

MONDAY MUSINGS...

Happy Monday everyone!!!

- Crazy storm last night.  I hope everyone is ok.

- We had a great weekend at Restoration Christian Church!  While a few families were out due to sickness, we still had a good group of people for our Sunday morning service.  Zach Price did a good job leading worship for us.  We are still trying to figure a few things out with the flow of our service, but yesterday I felt like we had finally smoothed things out.  I also heard good news about our children's and student ministries yesterday.  I'm very thankful for how things are progressing with our church plant!!


- I had a great time with my wife this weekend.  We were able to go to Buca di Beppo's for the first time... and it was uh-mazing!!!   I'm so thankful for the blessing I have with Amanda.  God really is in the restoration business.

I really enjoyed Buca's!!!  lol

- I was glad the Giants won yesterday!  At least one Manning will play at the Indy Super Bowl.

- I felt bad for the Ravens kicker.  


- I am convinced that we are in a spiritual battle.  Over the past couple months, I have never seen so many people hit with struggles or face sorrow like the people in our little church have.  As I looked around the room yesterday, I was overwhelmed by how many of them were facing situations that I couldn't even imagine.  I know we are being attacked as we launch this church.  I'm just thankful that "greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world."


- I love seeing how God is using our church to make a difference in people's lives!! 


- Congratulations to my friends Bane & Crystal Angles!  They welcomed their daughter, Charis, into the world last week.  Thankful that she and Crystal are doing great.  Bane is like a brother to me and he will be such a great dad.  I hope it works out to see them soon!

I'm looking forward to this week!  Have a great day!!

A Typical Saturday???

Today I am going to a funeral home visitation... and then, within an hour of that visitation, I will be performing a wedding ceremony.

It's not a joke.  A funeral and a wedding within an hour of each other.  And yes, they are two separate events.

It's just another "typical" day in ministry.

This day reminds me to not base my happiness or contentment on circumstances.  Circumstances can change very quickly.  In fact, the only thing you can depend on circumstances to do is CHANGE.

My happiness and contentment must come from my relationship with the Lord.  HE is the only One who never changes.  HE is the only One who can truly provide.

"In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."  - Philippians 4:12-13 ESV

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife Amanda!!
I'm so thankful for her in my life.

Yes... I'm a lucky man.   =)

MONDAY MUSINGS...

Happy Monday everyone!!!


I'm very proud of my brother Chad.  He is now the Senior Minister at the South Haven Christian Church near Valparaiso, IN.  Since moving there in October, things have been going very well for the church.  I got a text from my dad yesterday saying they had a great service, with 2 baptisms and a great sermon from Chad!!

My wife makes amazing chocolate chip cookies.  =)  

A mixed sports weekend for me... I was glad the Saints were beaten, as well as the Packers.  I want at least one Manning to play in the Super Bowl at Indy!  But my Hoosiers are struggling.  Live by the 3... die by the 3.  I was also sad that the Broncos didn't do better against the Patriots.  Here's to hoping Tebow is given some help in the offseason by drafting and bringing some more players in to help him out.

Great Sunday at Restoration!  We had a great crowd with several first time visitors.  Micah Stephen did a good job leading worship, and Jeff & Jessica Hale are getting our children's ministry going in a good direction.  I couldn't help but feel blessed as I left the church service yesterday. I was heading to lunch to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in awhile.  The church was excited and seeking to be the church God calls us to be.  All I can say is...  God is so good!!

A question that has been bugging me... How come my dog smells like Fritos now?  Guess it's time to take him to the groomers!  =)

Have a great day!

GO HOOSIERS!!!

Last night I attended my first Indiana Hoosiers basketball game thanks to my wife, Amanda.

She had called my uncle Harold, trying to get tickets for a later game on the schedule, and he happened to know a guy in Bloomington that pointed us to a couple tickets for the game last night.  So, yesterday afternoon, Amanda comes into my office and asks me if I wanted to go to the IU vs. Michigan game.

YES!!!!  

I had been to Assembly Hall before, but I had never been to a Hoosier game there.

Thankfully, I got to see an Indiana win over Michigan!!  It was a little too close for comfort, but they were able to hold them off.

Chipmunk Christianity...

I enjoyed reading this post from my friend, Mike Edmisten.  I wanted to share it with you all today.  Enjoy!!  

I love animal documentaries on TV. I realize that doesn't make me cool, but I'm getting old enough that I just don't care anymore.

One of my current favorites is the Wild Russia series that's been on recently. Thecinematography is awesome, and it features some of the rarest animals on the planet. But one of the interesting tidbits that I saw recently wasn't about a rare, endangered animal.It was about a common, everyday chipmunk.

Chipmunks bury food constantly. If you see a chipmunk, it is either searching for food or burying food. All day, everyday.

But here's the interesting part…their memory is only three days long. I don't know how we figured out the length of a chipmunk's memory, but apparently we have conclusively determined that a chipmunk can't remember anything longer than three days. That means that they often forget where their food stashes are located.

Chipmunks are all about gathering and storing food…but most of it never gets used.

As I was watching this show, it occurred to me that most believers in Christ are chipmunks. They are all about gathering food. They always want to stock up on food and store it away.

Food, in this case, is Biblical knowledge.

So many Christians always want to attend another class. They want to do another study. They want to accumulate more and more food…but they never use it.

In James 1, God tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22)

That is one of the least complicated, easy-to-understand verses in all of Scripture.

Don't just store it up. Don't simply acquire more and more knowledge. Use it.

John Maxwell said, "Most Christians are educated far beyond their level of obedience."

Most believers gather more and more food. They stock up. They store it away. But they never use it.

They learn, but they don't love.

They gather, but they don't give.

They store, but they don't serve.

Apparently chipmunks are forgetful and wasteful animals. They hoard food that is never used.

It's time to put a stop to chipmunk Christianity.

MORE SALT, LESS JERK...

I tried to help someone today.  

It backfired on me.

I was shopping with Amanda in Walmart.  It was a normal day.  She and I were just doing our part to stimulate the economy.  Amanda wanted to make chili for supper. Being a strong Christian, I thought that sounded like a good idea.  But we needed to pick up some chili powder so Amanda could fix supper.  

As we were looking at the shelves filled with various spices, it took us awhile to locate our chili powder. A fellow shopper was standing beside us.  He was also having some trouble finding what he was looking for.

Finally, Amanda found our chili powder.  She then turned and asked the guy what he was looking for.  He needed some celery seeds.  I have no idea why.  Perhaps he was beginning a celery garden.

Regardless, Amanda found them rather quickly for him.  As she gave them to me, my mind came to the realization that all of the spices were in alphabetical order.  So I observed out loud, "They're all in alphabetical order."

The only problem was... it came out sounding like I was calling that guy next to us an idiot because he couldn't find what he was looking for.

I was only trying to help.  I had just then realized the alphabetical order myself.

And yet... my words came out wrong.

Ugh.  I felt so bad.

At least the guy laughed about it... "That's some useful information," he said.  But I think he laughed trying to play off the fact that he hadn't found what he was looking for.

Why do I say things in a way that can be misunderstood?

I guess it's just being human.  But as a preacher, you'd think I'd be better at speaking to others.

The Apostle Paul says, "⁵ Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ⁶ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."  (Colossians 4:5-6)

My desire is to make the best use of my time.  My desire is to be able to give the best conversation possible so that people will be drawn to God.

More salt.  Less jerk please.

2012 RESOLUTIONS...

Last year I was ambitious and made an exhaustive list of New Year's resolutions.  It was exhaustive because I would get tired thinking about them.  Long story short... I did a horrible job of keeping my 2011 resolutions.

That is why I have written a new set of goals for 2012.  It might be a mistake to announce them to you on my blog, but throwing caution to the wind, I want to share with you today my 12 resolutions for 2012.

1.  I resolve to kiss my wife every day.

2.  I resolve to eat at least 2 meals a day.

3.  I resolve to give "knucks" and "noggins" to my nephews when I see them.  (Fist bump and head bump)

4.  I resolve to feel small when I stand beside the ocean.  Also, if given the choice to sit it out or dance... I will dance.

5.  I resolve to pray for my church family every day.

6.  I resolve to loyally root for the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team.  GO HOOSIERS!!!

7.  I resolve to live each day as if it could be my last.  (And if the Mayans are right, it very well could be.)

8.  I resolve to shuffle every day... so I can say "Every day I'm shuffling" all the time and truly mean it.  (I really like those hamsters on the Kia commercial.)

9.  I resolve to know when to hold 'em.  I will also know when to fold 'em.  Perhaps I'll get to the point of knowing when to walk away and when to run.

10.  I resolve to stay away from the gym the next few weeks.  I know how much the regulars hate the overcrowding at the beginning of the year.

11.  I resolve to preach the best sermons I can possibly preach.

12.  I resolve to make a list of resolutions for next year.