Curious George

I absolutely love Alabama football!  Here’s the pregame video that they show in the stadium.  It gives me chills.  Roll Tide!!  [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGHi9D8_wgs]

The Church Leaders Intelligence Report posted the following information recently:

Youth groups and teen ministries will benefit from a study by Girlguiding revealing three leading potential “triggers” for serious mental health problems in girls: premature sexualization, commercialization and alcohol misuse. The report reveals a loss of childhood innocence and says girls today experience high levels of “stress, anxiety and unhappiness”. Premature sexualization and pressure to grow up too quickly are two key influences in the anxiety felt by girls. The study, funded by the Girl Guides and the Mental Health Foundation, found 66% of the girls surveyed feel “anger and sadness” at least some of the time, and 50% find those feelings difficult to manage. 25% are “often worried,” while 50% find their anxiety hard to handle. Many have friends or family members who have suffered mental health problems. 40% know someone who has self-harmed, 33% had a friend who suffered from an eating disorder and 40% know someone who has experienced panic attacks. 25% know someone who has taken illegal drugs, while 40% have experienced someone drinking too much alcohol. They see supportive families and friendship groups as the “most important factor” in dealing with these problems. Girls are especially under pressure to look like the celebrities they see in magazines and on TV. 66% admit they felt worse about themselves when they saw pictures of models in magazines and on TV.
LifeSite News 7/14/08

I have two precious girls myself.  We must aggressively fight to protect our girls from the pressure of society to become women too fast.  It’s a challenge, but we have the responsibility to teach our girls to be strong and courageous in the face of sexuality.  Where has modesty gone?

April and I took an early anniversary trip to Chattanooga, TN this weekend.  Our anniversary is actually August 17th, but we couldn’t get away any other time.  I’m sad to say that we haven’t been away just as a couple in about seven years!  I’m so gratefull that my parents were willing to keep the kids.  I think Chattanooga has gotten a bad rap of the years, but they have really done a great job of renovating the riverfront area.  We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn downtown and couldn’t have asked for a better place.  It was within walking distance of just about everything you could think to do.   Here are a few links to some of the things we did:

• Residence Inn – got a great deal on Priceline.com
• Chattanooga Ducks – a fun ride and interesting WWII history rolled in one
• Tennessee Vally Railroad Missionary Ridge Local – a must do experience if your a rail fan like me
• Horse Drawn Carriage Ride Downtown – would have been more romantic if the driver didn’t talk so much
• Bluff View Art District – the highlight of our trip: great food, romantic walks, awesome views of downtown and the river, interesting art
• Coolidge Park – beautiful park on the north shore.  Take an incredible walk across the Walnut Street Bridge and enjoy the view of the river as you cross to the north shore.
• Chattanooga Choo Choo – I was so disappointed by this attraction.  I rode the train from Birmingham to Chattanooga as a kid and was looking forward to seeing the place.  It was very run down and didn’t feel safe.  Skip this one.
• AT&T Field - home of the Chattanooga Lookouts.  We didn’t see a game, but were treated to a fireworks show out our hotel window on Saturday night.  Tickets were $4.  Seemed like a great family activity.
• Sticky Fingers – awesome barbeque
• The Blue Plate – quirky organic menu and atmosphere on the riverfront.  We loved the chicken salad and turkey sandwich.
• Tony’s – the best Italian we’ve ever eaten plus a romantic atmosphere.  Our favorite meals were at Tony’s (we ate supper and lunch)
• Big River Grille – my Cajun pasta was delicious but April’s steak was tough as leather…

We had a great time and felt that we discovered a little gem of a city.  Although Chattanooga still has it’s rough edges, the overall experience was wonderful.  People were friendly.  The riverfront was beautiful.  There was plenty to do for a couple or a family.  We can’t wait to take the kids up there to experience some of the attractions we skipped this time.

It’s been an awful long time since I’ve written anything on the blog.  I admire those who are disciplined to write every day.  We started Mountain Valley Church over a year and a half ago and it’s been an incredible journey.  I have experienced God at work in my life like never before.  It has been amazing to see Him plant the same vision in the hearts of those who formed our core group.  It has been an honor to serve with such dedicated men and women.  We have been through good and bad times together.

I wonder how transparent I should be about my feelings as a church planter.  I suppose what I’m experiencing right now could be called the Doldrums.  The Doldrums is an area of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans where periods of calm wind occur.  It became notorious with sailors who might become trapped for days or weeks while waiting for a breeze to power their ship.  I have felt like the church has been stuck for the last couple of months.

I must admit that there has been plenty to be excited about.  We have witnessed two more people cross the line of faith to follow Christ!  Our AngelFood Ministry has grown by leaps and bounds.  We took nearly 300 orders this month alone!  I’ve seen our member grow by leaps and bounds spiritually.  In spite of all the wonderful things that are happening I seem to keep getting stuck on numbers.

I guess it’s human nature to desire the incredible growth that marks a “successful” church.  I believe that we inadvertently promote this concept by holding up churches that experience rapid growth as a model for others to follow.  I certainly don’t believe that rapid growth is a bad thing.  I guess I’m beginning to realize that it is the exception rather than the rule.

I do believe that numerical growth is a byproduct of God’s work through our church and I pray that He will bring the increase.  I think that what God is teaching me right now is that it will come in His timing and in His way.  My responsibility is to seek God through prayer and study of His Word.  I must then pour my life into the lives of others.  God will work through our faithfulness to reproduce our faith in others.

Who am I to tell God what to do with His church?  I do know that He is at work there.  I have been amazed by the lives that are being transformed by the Holy Spirit.  I have seen mighty prayer warriors fast and pray with incredible results.  I have experienced the miracle of someone being healed from a fatal stroke.  I have seen families grow stronger in their relationships with each other.  I have witnessed God opening doors of opportunity that were thought to be closed.  I’ve been amazed by God’s amazing delivery of resources at just the right time.  And best of all, I have seen men, women, boys, and girls place their lives in the hands of Jesus!

I hope you’ll continue to pray for our church as we share the Gospel with our community.  I believe that the days ahead will be incredible.  So much for those old doldrums….   I feel a strong wind coming!!

I’d like the pigskin or A1 steakhouse scents

Mandles