Taking a break

So I will not be blogging for the next week as I am on Vacation in DISNEY!! And some big stuff is going to happen in Disney and I will blog about it when I get back.

Weekend Madness on Wednesday

Sorry for not doing my regular weekend madness on Sunday night but everything has been crazy until now so here goes.

• Friday I worked late at the Funeral Home so there was not not much going that night.
• Saturday I got up early for another day at the Funeral Home. (I am trying to work as much as I can because I am leaving for Disney on the 26th and nee the money for when I get back)
• Sunday was church this was my 2nd week with the new 9:30 and 11:00 service and I love it. I really think this is one of the best moves we have made as a staff and board. They say you are only 1 great move away from doubling the size of your church.... This might be it)
• Sunday afternoon Laura and I went and meet her mom at Southpoint for lunch and little shopping. I dislike going to the mall during the Christmas season cause it is CRAZY. But it was nice to hang out with her mom
• Sunday night was the big Panther - Giants game. My team did not win. But man it was a good game.
• Monday was another work day at the Funeral Home. BUSY
• Monday night I headed to the the Durham Rescue Mission to help cook some turkeys and ham for Christmas dinner. I got started doing this when my friend Chuck asked me to 3 years ago. We cook 4 times a year and every year we see more and more people coming to help. Which shows that good people with huge hearts are still out there.
• Tuesday I was back up early to head to the Mission to make sure everything was taken care of.
• Tuesday I also headed to the Funeral Home to do some work since I am off on Wednesday and will not be back until Jan the 5th
• Wednesday I headed to Hope Creek to get ready for Christmas Eve service tonight at 6:00. I promise this is a service you are not going to want to miss.
• Final thoughts (ah la Jerry Springer). Our Savior, our lord, our comforter, our friend, our king, our HEALER is on the way. Make way for the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords. For this is the day the lord hath made. Are you Ready for the Healing to begin today

Journey to Bethlehem

Don’t miss the chance to walk through the first Christmas this Friday night 12/19/08.
The Journey will open at 6:00pm and run until 8:30pm.
It takes around 20 minutes to walk through the interactive stations.

Refreshments will be served, so stop by on your way home from work or bring your whole family.
The kids will really enjoy this interactive “Christmas Story” and it will give you a chance
as a parent to experience Christmas in a whole new way with your children.
Hope to see you all this Friday night at Hope Creek!!!

Weekend Madness

• So this week I have been getting over a battle with a cold. It was kicking my rear end but in the end I won and am feeling much better.
• Saturday Laura and I hosted a party at the house for the Christmas season. Had lots of fun, had lots of food and drinks and even played little Guitar Hero.
• Sunday was church. This was the first Sunday I had with our new service time. And it was good. And there were lots and I do mean lots of folks there on Sunday. Sunday was the largest number of folks on a single weekend at Hope Creek in a long time.
• Chris and the band were just ripping it up. They had a 3 piece brass band that was just kicking. Scott did a banging job with week 2 of our series "Come home for Christmas"
• Kidz Cove was awesome as we talked about the Christmas story from the view of the Shepherds
• Sunday night was also 201 which meant that I got to hang out with some folks that want to go through the partner process at The Creek. And that is always AWESOME!!!

SICK

Right now I have some major sickness going on so I hope to be back up and running by the end of the week.

Monday Video's

This is one on the nastiest dudes I have ever heard on the harmonica and I know this cat. His name is Todd Parrott and he is from right here in Durham, NC. He is pretty real deal as far his skills go and has played on way to many CD's to name. So hope you enjoy

I love Turkey

So Thanksgiving is Thursday and I for one love this holiday. When else can you eat so much that all you want to do is lay down a go to sleep. And the leftovers oh my. Man I love Thanksgiving. But more on Thanksgiving tomorrow. For now enjoy this song about my favorite day.

Weekend Madness

• Thursday night I went to a powder-puff football game. It was cold outside but there was heat coming from the field. Those girls were playing some ball. And the guys we cracking me up doing their cheers.
• Friday I had a lazy day since I had Friday off. Even though it was cold outside I still played 9 holes of golf. Yeah I know I am crazy. I also got my hair cut on Friday. And if I can say so my self I fixed a banging dinner Friday night.
• Saturday I had to work at the Funeral Home and then headed to the church for our last Saturday night service ever. Starting on December 7 we will be having 2 services on Sunday at 9:30 and 11:00.
• Sunday was a huge day for us at the Creek. Lots of new faces and lots of energy. Worship was banging with our opening song "Mighty King of Love".
• Sunday we also did some interviews from the stage. We talked to a family that adopted 2 children from Ethiopia, a young guy who serves in the nursery and introduced our new youth pastor Kate Nelson.
• Back in Kidz Cove we were kid crazy cause they were every where. By far the most kids we have had since I have been there and let me tell you it felt great. We wrapped up our talk on Gratitude and next week we talk about Baptism.
• No Big Rock tonight since we're taking the holidays off so it was a lazy day of football, basketball, and movies.
• Now if I could only decide what to have for dinner!

Purple Cows

Just a thought to chew on. If you've seen a brown cow you've seen them all but a purple one we would stop and take notice. So here is the thought "If you aren't remarkable you're invisible." What do you think?
For more info on this check out this great post from Mark Batterson
http://evotional.com/2008/11/purple-cows.html

Weekend Madness

• Friday I got to spend some time with Laura and her brother Michael we had Chinese for dinner and then went bowling.
• Saturday was a lazy day which meant no work at the funeral home. So I did some yard work around the house and just chilled.
• Saturday night was church at The Creek. Kim did a great job teaching this week. Saturday night we had Cove Leaders meeting and everyone really stepped up with some good ideas for how to improve things for the kids. So there will be some new stuff coming your way starting next week.
• Sunday was another awesome day for Hope Creek. New folks all around and that is GREAT. Chris and the band did an sweet job with the opening song John Melloncamps "Empty Hands". Scott also rocked out on " Less is More".
• Big Rock was kicking cause it was a party. We are taking some time off so our teens can spend this busy time of the year with their families. So no Big Rock until 2009
• This weekend also brought a huge change for us as a church. Starting in December we will not be doing a Saturday service anymore. But we will be adding a service at 9:30 on Sunday morning.
• Monday is mine and Laura's 2 year anniversary and I love her more now than I could have ever dreamed. Every day I fall more and more in love with her. I am truly blessed to have her in my life.

WOW

So is it just me or do they not make things like they use to. I really believe that workmanship is gone. Wood is not all wood anymore, tile is not all tile anymore and drywall well drywall is just paper thin now a days.

Here is an example: Man who would have ever thought that you can throw and teenager through a wall.

Guess you never know what will happen at Big Rock so be there Sunday nights at 5:37PM

Weekend Madness

• Friday was just a chill and hang out around the house night. Homemade dinner and some t.v. Sometimes I just love to sit around and do nothing and recharge the body.
• Saturday I had to work all day at the funeral home. We got super super busy and I worked more on Saturday than I wanted to.
• Saturday night was a great night at the Creek. I did not have to teach this weekend so I got to sit back and watch as my leaders did there thing. And they were AWESOME. I am so proud to service the Kidz Cove team and look forward to this wild ride.
• Sunday we had lots of new faces and the Creek. Worship was just jammin and Scott hit a homerun with the wrap up of "Fanatic". There is a real buzz around church right now and I know God is not done with us yet.
• Had a great lunch with some friends. Man Red Robin is the junk.
• Sunday night was Big Rock and we were off the charts. New faces again this week which is always a great thing. We finished our talk on Worship about how to worship.
• Had a little problem at youth....... who know that a person could really bust through a wall. (pictures to come later)
• It is Sunday night late and you know what that means "House" is on so I am on the couch watching away the night.
• Busy week ahead working at the funeral home and church. And it does not look like I will get a day off.
• Thanks for reading

Today is the Day

JUST DO IT

Weekend Madness

• Friday was Halloween and I passed out candy to about 60 kids. This was my first Halloween at the house and I loved handing out all that candy.
• Friday I also got to go Dougie's house for a little of hang out time with some ol friends.
• Saturday I got up and meet Laura early and we headed to my parents church for there annual bazaar. We had some good home made biscuits and I got some Christmas stuff.
• Saturday I spent most of the day working on the new value for back in Kidz Cove.
• Saturday we headed off to church at The Creek. Lots of folks new and old there.
• We prepared to say goodbye to our church drummer Josh as he leaves Monday for the Marines.
• Sunday was a great day at The Creek. Lots of energy. We are on a roll right now.
• Scott started our new series "Fanatic: What do you worship" and just ripped it up.
• Chris and da band had a really great worship set.
• Back in Kidz Cove we had a ton of kids over 30 for the 2nd week in a row.
• Big Rock just rocked my face off. Small numbers but huge message. We talked about the war for our worship and how to not let it sneak up past God
• Very tired right now so I am off to bed.

I know I am BUT.........

So I know I am no Tiger Woods when it comes to golf but I think I have found someone worse then me. Take a look and enjoy

Do you listen?

As leaders we are told from the start that you have to listen to your people. That you can't lose touch of what the people want. And while that is true, what group of people are you listening to. Most of us tend to want to listen to people that give us comment after comment of praise. But what about the people that give us negative comments. Do we toss them aside and acted as if it did not happen? NO! I believe to be better leaders you have to listen to the negative comments cause those are where the problems lye. It means that there is a possible problem with our program. Don't let only the praise drive your program. Listen to the negative ones and see if they have merit. But don't forget to celebrate the praises. I think positive comments help you get on the right path. Negative comments help light the way. Listen and learn from BOTH

Weekend Madness

• Friday was a lazy night. Got work for Trunk R Treat done. And then headed off to church for service
• Saturday night after church some guys got together to watch the free UFC event on TV. Not a very good one so glad it was free
• Sunday was church all over again. Scott was in week 3 of "It Came From Within" and he talked about jealousy. Something that ALL of us deal with in some way.
• Chris and da band did a bang up job on the worship. We started out with a Gin Blossom tune "Jealousy"
• Back in Kidz Cove we are still talking Determination and this week we talked about the plagues God sent. Gina (Kim Ferrer) did a great job telling the story this week.
• Big Rock was just awesome we talked about jealousy and got the teens ready for Boo Bash next week.
• Lots of work this week getting ready for Trunk R Treat on Saturday at 7:30 and then Boo Bash Sunday at 5:37
• Laura has been gone since Thursday with her mom to visit family, she gets back Tuesday and I can't wait I miss her alot.

The Fair

You can smell it in the air, it is mixture of corn, cakes, ham biscuits, cheese sticks, cotton candy, turkey legs and much much more. That's right the NC STATE FAIR IS HERE. The fair starts tomorrow and I for one am ready to partake in the goodness of fair food. I don't really ride any rides. I play some of the games, I even look at some of the side show stuff. But I mainly go for the food! So I thought since this is basketball country I would share who is in my Sweet 16 and let you vote and tell me who is in your "Sweet 16"

Weekend Madness

• Friday I worked at the funeral home all day and then headed to the Creek to get some work done for the weekend.
• Saturday was another long day at the funeral home working on some demo. We are remodeling the room we show all the caskets in.
• Saturday was also the biggest day for UNC football in a while. We were 22nd in the nation coming into the game against Notre Dame on Saturday and we should me up in the ranks after the 29-24 VICTORY
• Saturday night was a great night for us here at The Creek. Lots of folks at Saturday service this week.
• Sunday was also a great day at the Creek. Saw new faces again this week. It is a great sign when you see new faces each week. It means we are doing something right.
• Scott was in week 2 of our series "It Came From Within". Today we talked about GUILT.
• Chris and the band were rocking with the set and brought it on home with "Heart of the Matter"
• Back in Kidz Cove it was all about Determination as we talked about Noah's Ark.
• Big Rock was smokein lots of teens, lots of energy, lots of fun. We also talked about guilt and how we tuck it away in the bottom of our hearts. And about how behind guilt you will find anger. And the only way to get ride of them is to confess not to God but to the person that the guilt come from.
• Very tired off to bed another long week

More Than A Feeling

So last night we had Group Link at Hope Creek and it was AWESOME. More than 40 folks have signed up to be in a life groups. Laura and I are hosting a mixed group. Singles, married and dating folks. I like to call us overflowers. These are the folks that did not fit into the other groups. But trust me I believe they fit with us. We were having so much fun last night people told us to keep it down. So our new group will be meeting on Tuesday nights at 7:00pm. And I believe more than a feeling that this group is going to be the bee's knee's. I can't wait for dinner on Tuesday so we can learn more about each other. Man GOD is doing some great stuff at Hope Creek right now and I am blessed to be a part of it. See y'all at The Creek this weekend

Weekend Madness

• Let me start off by saying man THIS WAS A GREAT WEEKEND
• Saturday was a lazy day. No work at the funeral (first time in a month). Watched alot of College Football. Which I think is right up there in the number 2 spot of best things in the world behind Jesus and in front of BBQ.
• Had dinner with 2 of the best folks I know James and Melissa Brown. I really don't believe God made two finer people. They never judge, never have an unkind word to say about anything, and they are on fire for God right now. Dinner and playing the Wii was awesome Thanks Y'all
• Headed to the creek early on Saturday to get some work done. Since it is the beginning of the month that means it is a new value so I had to change all the signage
• Saturday night service at the Creek was slamming.
• Sunday service followed suit of Saturday...was AWESOME. Scott started off our new series "It came from Within" and it was strong real strong.
• Chris and da Band did their thing. It was wicked.
• In Kidz Cove we had so many kids I had to go and get extra help. Now that is a great problem to have. We talked about Determination and even when stuff gets hard you gotta finish it.
• We played a cool new game called "Sock Wrestling". You have to stay on your knees and the person that gets the other persons socks off wins.
• Did not make it to Big Rock but heard through the grape vine it was da bomb.
• Had to go back to work at the Funeral home again tonight.
• Now it is off to bed heading to Jacksonville tomorrow for a graveside service. Leaving at 6:30 AM (BOOOOOO on that)

WOW

I am not a huge hockey fan but this is awesome.

Coming this October

Is there something you just can't shake. Something that seems to follow you around no matter where you go or try to hide. Something that lives deep within the bottom of your soul that is just too ugly to bear. Something that, at times, seems to take over your life. Find out what it is, how to get rind of it and how "It Came From Within" the next 4 weekends with us here at Hope Creek www.hopecreek.org. See you at The Creek

Weekend Madness

• Wow another busy week. Maybe this week will be a little bit slower.
• Thursday night we installed new stage lighting back in Kidz Cove. I really think it is going to help out big time.
• Friday night I had a meeting with one of my KEY volunteers Cathi Loftin. Man she really has the heart of a saint. She is so on fire to reach children it makes me want to do more. And her husband Johnny is a class act. He is a KEY volunteer in Big Rock. Just a great family.
• Friday Laura and I also got to play Rock Band over at Cathi and Johnny's house. One word AWESOME
• Saturday had a service a the Emily Krzyzewski Family Life Center here in Durham. I don't really like Coach K as a Coach (Only cause he coach's the Devils). But as a person he seems really nice. And he has built a first class building in honor of his mother.
• Saturday night we had a great service at the Creek
• Dinner on Saturday was the bomb can you say Kanki
• Sunday Scott wrapped up our series eXposed with exposing the truth about Eternity. And man he hit it out of the park. Great Job Scott
• Chris and his team really did a great job on the worship set this week. Sorry for the life of me I can't remember the opening song
• Back in Kidz Cove things are going gang busters. Kids are doing everything they can to earn Cove Cash. And more important kids are having fun in church while learning values and life lessons
• Big Rock hosted Real Life Live tonight. Real Life Live is a parent/teen night where we teach both about respecting one another and how to show that respect.
• Great dinner tonight cause it was Home Cookin' made by yours truly
• Can't wait for Wednesday cause I am playing in a golf tournament to raise money for Child Abuse Prevention

If Only

I really do believe that if Hope Creek had an organ like this you MIGHT see it on the weekend. It is a little rough at the start but I promise it gets better after about 20 seconds or so
Enjoy

weekends in October

I thought I would share our new series for October at Hope Creek with you. We are going to be trying something new this month by doing the same series in youth as we do in the main service. Just with stuff that apply to them as teens. And who knows we might add some stuff back in Kidz Cove as well. I promise this is going to be a don't miss series at the Creek. You can check it out every weekend at 6:00 on Saturday night and 11:00 Sunday morning. And make sure you bring a friend!!!!!

Weekend Madness

• Crazy busy busy week at the funeral home this week. Not alot of church work since that took up most of the week
• Friday was a crazy day as my dad was rushed to the ER with what they thought was a heart attack. Good news is that it is not a heart attack but they are not sure what it was. He has a Doctors appointment on Monday in the A.M.
• Saturday was another long day at the Funeral Home to the point that I did not even make it to church until the last 15 minutes.
• Saturday night Doss and I did a concert at the Scared Grounds Coffee House and man in my humble opinion we rocked the place out.
• This weekend Doss and his crew on the Arts team stepped it up big time and just rocked with some great worship. Doss rocked it with our opening song Chris Brown's "Dreamer"
• Scott did an awesome job with week 3 of our series eXposed revealing the truth about church
• Back in Kidz Cove we were into week 3 of Knowledge. Handed out alot of Cove Cash this week and I loved it. Gordo was back this week but watch out Coach is coming to the Cove next week
• Big Rock rocked my face off. I really love hanging out with those teens. We switched stuff around and met in the large group room back in Kidz Cove and did a stripped down acoustic set for worship. Man it was AWESOME (insert huge guitar rif here)

Cove Cash

I thought I would share with you a new thing that we have started at Hope Creek back in Kidz Cove. And that is the start of Cove Cash. You might be asking yourself what is Cove Cash? Good question. Cove Cash is a reward system for kids that do the things each week in Kidz Cove that we ask them to do. In the Treasure Chest (Our parenting resource center) is a huge treasure chest full of all kids of goodies that kids can choose from when they earn $25 bucks in Cove Cash. Each piece of Cove Cash is worth 5 bucks so to get the 25 bucks the kids must do 5 things. And here are the things we would like for them to do each week

1. Bring their bible to Kidz Cove
2. Bring a friend to Kidz Cove
3. Bring a tithe to give back to the church
4. Remember the definition for the month's value
5. Do their God Time Card's and have their parents sign off on it

I thought I would add a photo of Cove Cash as well. Each character back in Kidz Cove will appear in the photo of Cove Cash (not just Gordo)

Weekend Madness

• So not to stressful of week this week. The Kidz Cove remodel is done so I had no projects this past week.
• Friday night Laura and I meet some friends of ours for dinner. We went to a Ham and Egg Supper. And boy was it good. I really do think I could eat my weight in Country Ham.
• Saturday was a chill day for me as I got up late, ate a late breakfast early lunch and hen just laid around on the couch most of the rest of the day. I had huge plans so going an getting everything I need to re-seed my yard, take the dog to get groomed, all kinds of stuff. But NOPE just sat there and watched CSI on Spiked network all day.
• Saturday we had church and this was our first Saturday back in full swing with leaders and lessons the whole shebang. Great night for us at the Creek.
• Sunday got up and did it all over again. Scott was not feeling so hot but he was still able to rock our face off with a great 2nd week of our series eXposed. This week he talked about God and Suffering (if god loves us why does bad stuff keep happening).
• Chris and the rest of the band did and bang up job on some Worship. Great job guys
• Back in Kidz Cove they got to meet Gordo for the first time. He talked about Temptation, sang some Temptations songs, and how to make the Wise Choice if you were temped.
• Big Rock just was awesome again this week. I really feel these teens want to learn some and are hungry for God's word right now.
• Numbers were a little off but more important Energy was through the roof, Sprites are high, Hearts are willing to service, Faces have smiles on them, and new folks are still coming each week. I have not been at Hope Creek long but there is a buzz going on that I have never felt there before. And it feels good
• Back to work this week writing playbooks and doing all the paper work side of ministry in Kidz Cove

The new wave of praise and worship

Is this what the new wave of Praise and Worship is going to look like? I don't know but I HOPE NOT !!!!!

Weekend Madness

• wow talk about a crazy coupe of days. All week long it was a big push trying to finish up all the remodeling projects by Saturday.
• Friday a friend if mine come by and binged out the space with some sweet air brushing to the walls.
• Saturday was an early day as Scott, Doss and myself prepared for a prayer service to help get everyone on board with us and pumped about Sunday's Re-Opening
• Also because of all the rain on Saturday we had tons of folks that were in the church cleaning every inch of the place.
• Saturday we also cooked 20 pork shoulders to service on Sunday for of BBQ lunch
• Sunday was a long long day. Lots of new folks, lots of energy, lots of fun
• Chris and the worship team rocked mine and everyone else's face off with an awesome worship set. The opening song was Cold Plays Viva la Vida complete with strings and all
• Scott just plan brought it kicking off our (in house) series eXposed. This week he eXposed the truth about faith
• Back in Kidz Cove we were rocking and rolling with our kick off for the new year and our new space. Lots and lots of kids and lots of fun.
• After church we had some award winning BBQ and that is always a plus
• Little nap before Big Rock
• Big Rock was rocking hard. Lots of new teens and Scott did a awesome job with our new series Contraband
• All in all a great great weekend at Hope Creek. Each and every person that calls Hope Creek home should be proud. Can't want to do it again this week

The Power of Questions

Recently I saw a list of questions that I thought I would share. This is a list of questions to ask your team to make sure you are on the right track.

General Questions:

• What are we doing that we should stop doing?
• What are we not doing that we should start doing?
• Who is doing something we need to learn from?
• What are we doing that has gotten stale?
• What area of ministry is under-resourced?
• Where have we experienced inappropriate spending drift? Who is going to help cut expenses and when will it be done?
• Are we avoiding any problem issues?
• What are our blind spots?
• What ministries are struggling? What changes are we making to them in the next 30 days?
• What do we have to celebrate?

Only in Durham

I am sure many of you have heard about this, but it is so funny I had to share. Saturday was the kick off for college football here in the triangle. And in attempt to kick it off in style a major mix up happened. The man flying in to the stadium jumped into the wrong place. He should have been 8 miles down the road in Chapel Hill at UNC not in Durham at Duke. Way to go guy I am sure you are going to make Sports Center. But hey nice landing

Weekend Madness

• ANOTHER long week of projects at the church back in Kidz Cove. But we got alot done this week. Stage is done, value signs are done, deck is done. Now it is touch up's and CLEAN UP
• Great weekend for us at the Creek. Lots of new faces even on this Labor Day Weekend.
• Scott wrapped up a great series on Jonah. Awesome job Scott.
• Chris and the rest of the band rocked my face off again with another great worship set. You're Gone was our feature sing this week.
• Back in Kidz Cove we were slammed and it was great. 5th Sunday means Party
• If you read this blog September 7th @ 11:00am at Hope Creek is going to kick some major booty. I promise you, you don't want to miss it
• Laura was home this weekend from her first week back at school. I missed her so much so it was great to see her all weekend.
• One more week of projects and I can call this remodel DONE!!!!!!!

What is Church

I got this idea from another blog Craig Groeschel (you should check it out. It is on my side bar of blogs to read). He was asked if he had a definition of what is " Church " And that got me thinking. I mean really what is CHURCH? If you were posed with this question from someone who was un-churched what would your answer be. I believe as followers of Christ we need to know what church is. And as leaders of the church we should come back to this question from time to time to make sure we are doing it. I will share what I think church is in another blog soon.

Weekend Madness

• Crazy long week of remodeling projects at the church this week. We built a tech booth, a stage and cut a window out and put in a new door. And we did this with no professorial help
• All the painting is pretty much done. There is some touch up here and there and some shading to do on the coral. But it all has at least some paint on it.
• Saturday was week 3 of our series Jonah and Scott brought the thunder. If you missed it or any of the weeks you can go to the web site www.hopecreek.org and down load the pod-cast.
• Chris and the band rocked it out with one of the strongest worship sets we have been in a while
• Back in Kidz Cove we had tons of kids. I think vacation is over so for now so everyone is coming back to church.
• Lots of new faces with is a good sign for us as we gear up for our Grand Re-Opening on September 7th
• In Big Rock I talked to the them about the mission of Hope Creek and ask for them to step up because they are the hope of the world.
• Huge project this week with the building of the new deck for our Check in room. Once this happens all the big projects will be done and only clean up and so small stuff will be left to do.
• Funeral home is crazy busy right now and I can see no relief in sight. Guess that means another long week again this week.

Battle of the Bands

This is one of the funniest video's I have seen in a while. And a good lessen to all those that are auditioning for bands this fall.

Weekend Madness

• Chris and the rest of the Arts Team did an awesome job. Can you say some Johnny Lang in the Worship set.
• Scott rocked out another great talk on Jonah.
• Great Leadership meeting Saturday night with all the team and church leaders at Hope Creek. Scott helped us renew our focus and know our wins
• Lots of kids back in Kidz Cove this weekend. We have been taking a break for the summer from teaching but I am ready to get back to normal.
• Laura and I went to visit a friend of ours that has cancer. Chuck is doing great and will come home Monday. God's grace has been around him and his family big during this hard time.
• Getting ready for a big week of projects back in Kidz Cove. New door and deck will be in the new check-in room by this weekend ( I hope)
• If you call The Creek home. September 6 we are having a special service just for you and it is going to be all that and a big ol bag of chips. Worship, prayer, and service for all those that will grace our doors for the re-opening on September 7th
• Sad that the summer is almost gone and that means Laura will be going back to school. I love the summer when I get to see her everyday. I don't say it enough but I love her so much!!!
• Getting ready to rock your face off with our Grand Re-Opening on September 7. I promise it is going to be something you don't want to miss

Some kinda of wonderful

It does not matter how many times I see this it never gets boring. As you can tell from the photo's we went to the arch yesterday. The cool thing is not only did we get to go up inside of the arch but we took a helicopter ride to see it from different views. Here are so cool shots I thought I would share

It's so hard to say goodbye

Actor, Comedian, Father, Friend, Brother, Uncle, Child of God. The actor known as Bernie Mac died Saturday morning of complications from pneumonia in a Chicago-area hospital, his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.
"The world just got a little less funny," said "Oceans" co-star George Clooney.

Bernie Mac blended style, authority and a touch of self-aware bluster to make audiences laugh as well as connect with him. For Mac, who died Saturday at age 50, it was a winning mix, delivering him from a poor childhood to stardom as a standup comedian, in films including the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and his acclaimed sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show."
Though his comedy drew on tough experiences as a black man, he had mainstream appeal — befitting inspiration he found in a wide range of humorists: Harpo Marx as well as Moms Mabley; squeaky-clean Red Skelton, but also the raw Redd Foxx.

Mac worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side. He began doing standup as a child, telling jokes for spare change on subways, and his film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans comedy "Mo' Money" in 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama "Get on the Bus."
He was one of "The Original Kings of Comedy" in the 2000 documentary of that title that brought a new generation of black standup comedy stars to a wider audience.
"The majority of his core fan base will remember that when they paid their money to see Bernie Mac ... he gave them their money's worth," Steve Harvey, one of his co-stars in "Original Kings," told CNN on Saturday.
Mac went on to star in the hugely popular "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney, playing a gaming-table dealer who was in on the heist. Carl Reiner, who also appeared in the "Ocean's" films, said Saturday he was "in utter shock" because he thought Mac's health was improving.
"He was just so alive," Reiner said. "I can't believe he's gone."
Mac and Ashton Kutcher topped the box office in 2005's "Guess Who," a comedy remake of the classic Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn drama "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" Mac played the dad who's shocked that his daughter is marrying a white man.
Mac also had starring roles in "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."
But his career and comic identity were forged in television.

You will forever be missed

M.I.A

So I have been away for the past couple of days at Willow Creek's Leadership Summit. And man it was an awesome event. 2 whole days of speakers who's only job was to build you up and make you better leaders. Thought I would share some insights from the event

• When you make a good decision Thank Everyone -When you make a bad one blame no one but yourself.
• A miracle is not our job but God's
• Follow your compass not your clock
• What are you going to do to impact the world
• Our job as leaders is not to fix or grow or change people only God can do that
• Multi-racial churches are a seek peak into heaven
• Sin is like a big sneeze... Sure it feels good but there is going to be snot everywhere
• Sunday at 11:00am is the most segregated time in America
• One person can't bring IT but one person can kill IT
• 57% of people believe there are multi different ways to get into heaven
• If you were God for a day would you pick you
• When Christ comes back it will be the ultimate justice until then it is just us

So what are you going to do to step up your leadership

Weekend Madness

• Instead of weekend madness it has been more like week madness. 27 days until the re-model is done and boy I am ready. One cause I am tired but two cause that means that the grand re-opening is right around the corner.
• Thursday and Friday were prep days for our Huge Yard Sale we had on Saturday. We got rid of so much stuff and made alot of money in the process.
• Had another great couple of days painting coral and trim. I think we still have a couple of more paint days but should be done with all of that in a week or 2.
• Speaking of painting man the folks that are working on the murals are really kicking some tail. They look better than I could have even thought. I am very lucky to have such talented hard working folks that service along side of me.
• Saturday was the big yard sale and it brought in 600 bucks and maybe more important helped get rid of a bunch of stuff.
• Sunday was a rocking day at The Creek. Worship was awesome. Scott reminded us to live in the now not the past. We had baptisms today and 2 folks took the plunge. Great energy and feel around Hope Creek right now and I am just happy to be a part.
• Back in Kidz Cove we had kids color fish for our new check in room. And we talked about one of the most famous stories in the bible that deals with fish Jonah. We got to feel what it might have felt like in the whales belly(jelly) and also what it might have smelled like (sardines).
• About to hit the hay another long week. We start building the new check-in desk Tuesday Painting is cool and all but this what I have been looking forward to all along BUILDING STUFF.

Do you know what your gifts are?

Here is a test you can take on-line that will tell you what your spiritual gifts are. The test is 108 questions long, so hang in there I promise it will be worth your time to find out how God wired you.
http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgi-cg/gifts.cgi?intro=1

And let me know what your results are

Funny Video

If you know me you know I love sports. So at this years ESPY'S Justin Timberlake hosted and did an awesome job. So I thought I would share a funny video or 2 from that show.

Question of the...

I love food if you can't tell that by my photos. But something has always bugged me about food. So here is my question of the day (thought out loud). When you go and eat Chinese food there are always Mexicans in there eating. But when you go and eat Mexican you NEVER see Chinese people eating. WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

Weekend Madness

• Thursday I found out a great friend of mine has cancer. He goes on Tuesday to see what the next step is and I will be right there with him. Chuck I am praying for you and your family and will be there to do whatever you need
• Friday I worked but that night I took off and did not do anything. It was my only chill night for the whole week.
• Saturday it was yard work, yard work and more yard work. And then headed to church to do some work to help clean up for church that night.
• Great weekend at The Creek had a guest speaker Marc Barnes who shared what the church is doing world wide to help reach lost souls.
• Saturday night Laura also got home from being away for a week. I missed her alot so I am glad she is home
• Saturday night was fight night. And boy did the UFC have a great fight card. Anderson Silva is the best fighter I have even seen
• Sunday was more church. Chris and the band did some awesome worship. And in the back we had lots of kids. I think things are starting to turn for us and it is only a matter of time before we can dearly hold on.
• Sunday night was our first Hope Creek 201 were we talked about prayer, reading the bible, service, tithe, and the beliefs of the church. Great night and Great job Scott

Why do bad things.......

I have never calmed to know everything (even though some of you may think other wise). So I still to this day struggle with "why bad things happen to good people". I have heard all kinds of stories from folks about "bad things". Some are happy stories about fathers that worked so much and they never spent time with his kids, then he loses his job and he finds a new outlet as a father and it builds back up his relationship with them. While yes that happens everyday and it is a great story, that is not what I am talking about. The stories that get me are the bad ones that go like this. Man/Women loves the lord with all their heart. They honor God like they should. They honor him like a Father. Then cancer, or a car wreck, or murder hits. Why? I don't know. I don't understand.
A great family who are dear friends of mine are going through this very thing. They are church going, Christ believing, God heart people. Yet he has been told he has the big-C Cancer. Why, God why these people, Why now. I understand that God has a plan, I understand that he will not put anything in front of us that we can't deal with. But I still have the WHY'S. And before you say it I know I know I am a Pastor and I should not question God's will, but I am also a human and I am hurting right now. So if there is any one that reads this blog and can help me. PLEASE DO!!!!

How to stay sharp

I get a great newsletter every Monday called Monday Morning Insights. This was the insight for this week. In his book, Practicing Greatness, Reggie McNeal discusses how great leaders need to stay very sharp mentally. Reggie gives us several ways that we can keep our brain chemistry healthy. Some are simple. Others take a little more effort:

• Adequate sleep (a sleep-hungry brain is subject to fuzzy thinking and poor judgment)
• Proper Diet (especially a good amount of protein)
• Moderate your use of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine (don’t use these to ‘medicate your anxiety’
• Adequate exercise (helps physically, but also mentally)
• Daily doses of positive human contact (leaders who are connected are keeping their brains ‘wired’)
• Mental recreation (It helps from making your thoughts dull and tired)
• Muse time (time to ponder, noodle, reflect)

Great advice. How are you doing? Are you giving your brain an opportunity to stay on top of its game?

Here’s to a vibrant ministry!

Selecting a good leader

Another Insight

Selecting the right people to serve around you is one of the most important things you’ll do in ministry. The right people can help you reach many more for Christ. The wrong people can hold you back like a thousand-pound anchor.
This week, let’s discuss how to pick the right people.
Today I’ll list ten of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on selecting great people:

1. Character is more important than giftedness.
   


2. God often uses those others overlook.
   


3. My wife is almost always a better judge about people than I am.
   


4. Past success is a good indicator of future success.
   


5. There is often a reason someone is looking for a job.
   


6. Teach-ability is non-negotiable.
   


7. When I’m trying to talk myself into liking someone, it’s best to move on.
   


8. People from within the organization typically have a huge advantage over those who are from without.
   


9. One of the best ways to attract better leaders is to become a better leader.
   


10. We’re all better off when we pray, listen, and obey.

What would you add or take off the list?

Weekend Madness

• Friday went out with some great friends for dinner at Texas Road House. Great steak just really loud.
• Friday I also tried to play my Wii that is only 5 weeks old and it would not work. No power or nothing. So I packed it up and took it back to Wal-Mart. Where or course they did not have another one. So I got my Money back and I am looking for another one.
• Saturday during the day was a lazy day. I got to sleep late and only did as little as possible. I don't get many days like that so it was nice.
• Saturday night head to The Creek for some great worship and a great talk given by a women that grew up Jewish and converted to Christianity.
• Sunday was the same thing. Great feel with awesome worship. Back in the Great Adventure we are talking about Endurance and we tied it in with the movie Cars and character Lighting McQueen
• Big Rick Sunday night went great we talk about "Purity of the mind". How purity was much more than just sex. So we hit on 3 impurities Anger, Rebellion, Lust. And the check points to help clean your mind out.
• Got meetings planned this week with all the kids workers so I can share our new vision with them.
• Plus we start putting fish on the walls so it is going to be a long week
• Laura is gone all week with her mom and I miss her already

Wake me Up

Remember how I told you I used to be famous. Well here is another photo of me in case you doubted me before

Worship

Worship comes in many forms. Most of the time we think of worship when we sing on the weekends to God. Worship is meant for God. But sadly sometimes instead of worshipping God we worship stuff. Cars, money, houses, woman/men, jobs, you get the idea. But last night I experienced the ultimate in worship. 11 people showed up on rainy night July 10, 2008 at 6:00 to help paint the kids area. These people had worked all day and I am sure where tired and had better things to do. But they gave up there night to help improve God kingdom. They did it with out any negativity or resentment. In fact they were up beat and happy the entire time. Laughter, joy and singing filled the space. It was worship. And it was great. So to those that came out last night and helped from the bottom of my heart I say THANK YOU. If you want to be a part of worship like this come on down. We have many more days planned and all you need to do is show up. So shoot me a e-mail, comment, or see me this weekend. And lets worship together and build upon God's great work at The Creek.

Weekend Madness

• Crazy couple of days repainting the kids wing. We finished step one of the blue paint now it is time to paint some fish.
• July 4th was spent working in the yard and cleaning house. Laura's mom and papa came over for pork chops and steaks.
• Saturday was kinda of a lazy day finishing the yard work up. And I had to head to the church for a bit to clean up and a prep for Sunday. Then we headed to some friends house for some taco's and UFC
• Sunday was week 2 of our series "The Star, The Cross, and The Crescent". We looked into the world of Muslims. Scott really did a great job on this. It is a tough thing to speak on and he did awesome.
• Chris had some rockin good worship going on today. Great songs, great musicians, great set
• We only had 1 service this week with the 4th and the energy is always off the hook when we are all together. If this is what is in store for us I am looking forward to it.
• In the Great Adventure today was Wacky Olympics day. It was fun getting back to my kid days and playing with them
• And to top it all off. I got to take a nap today which does not matter that how.
• It was a hard week for my 30 day challenge. I missed 2 days but my plan is to make them up at the end

What a feeling

OK for those people that know me know that I am not really good at sharing how I feel. But I just had to take a moment to explain what I am feeling right now. For a long time I thought God hated me because nothing in my life seemed to be going right. I was not happy in fact I do alot of stuff to sprees what I was feeling. But I think the old saying is true "Behind every cloud is a sliver lining". Well let me tell you what is happening in my life that is my sliver lining.

• I have a great family. My mom and dad have always been remodels of how to live a Christ centered life. And love me no matter how much I screw up.
• I have a great girlfriend. Who I love with all my heart and I know I will spend forever with.


• I have a great group of friends. That know just when I need to laugh and when I need a shoulder to cry on. They are a blessing and I am lucky to call them friends


• I have a great work family at Hall-Wynne that make every day a good day at work. It is a tough job but they make it better.


• I have a great work family at Hope Creek. Scott and Chris help me everyday grow as a leader and pastor. They are always ears to listen to me speak my mind and hands to pull me up when I am down.


• I have a great group of folks that work weekend and week out at Hope Creek to help people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. It is an honor to service beside them each week. I only hope that I can lead them by example.


• I have a great a chance to do some great big God sized stuff at the Creek. And I can promise you this. I will my best in everything I do. I will give 100% to help build the church and help spread the word of Jesus Christ here at Hope Creek.

So to everyone and everything on this list

Thank You for changing my life

Weekend Madness

• Great weekend at The Creek. We kicked off our new series "The Star, The Cross and The Crecent " talking about how the world's top 3 religions all lead back to one person Abraham. If you missed this week check out our podcast to catch up. Scott really nailed it.
• Had a good friend Carlton Miles come to the Creek this weekend to check us out and he loved it. Thought it was a very welcoming place. I would love to have Carlton on board with us cause he is awesome musican and person in general.
• Finished up our talk this month in the Great Adventure on self-control with a cool game day. Next month we are looking a teamwork as our value.
• Spoke tonight at Big Rock talking about why and how to have queit time with God. Shared with them how it takes time for our minds to catch up with what our hearts are doing. And that we must renew our minds to know God's will. Challenged them to spend 12 mintues a day in God's word and prayer for 30 days.
• Starting the re-model project in the kids area Monday night. Can't wait to get some paint on the walls and see the whole project take off. Get ready Creek cause this is only the beginning of what is about to come for us.
• Going to be starting my 30 day challenge tonight. So hope you will to.
• God is rocking my socks right now and pushing me in ways that I could never imagine. I just hope that I will not get in the way of HIS plans for my life.

Do you wanna

So I have been prepping for the talk that I am going giving to the Big Rock youth on Sunday night. I am speaking on " Quiet time with God" why we need and how to do it. And it hit me. I am not really good at this. I mean I try to be good. I try and read everyday even if it is just a few verses. I try to pray everyday, even praying little prayers through out the day. I have tried to write in a journal but I am not a good writer. So I just upset and quit. But in preparing for this talk it got me thinking how can I tell them what they should do if I can't even do it. So I came up with this. THE 30 DAY CHALLENGE. I am extending this out to myself and the youth. I also want to extended it out to my the readers of this blog (all 2 of you). Lets try having at least 10-15 minutes of quiet time (no phones, TV, music, kids, nothing around). In that time dive into God's word with reading at the least a few verses a day. And then spend some time talking to God and listening as well. And if after 30 days you and honestly it has not helped you. Don't do it. I am going to start Sunday 6/29/08. Will you join me?

Weekend Madness

Wow what a crazy couple of days.

• Friday 6/20 was Laura's 21st Birthday so we had dinner with her family.
• Then Saturday I worked all day then did a concert at Scared Grounds Coffee House.
• Sunday we had church which went really really good (I really think we are starting to turn the corner)
• Sunday afternoon Laura's family and I set sail to Atlanta, GA to go to the world's largest aquarium (it takes a good 6 hours to see everything) got back late Monday night
• Tuesday 6/24 was my 28th Birthday I got a huge steak for dinner and then head out to hear my good friend Damon Brown (check him out on my side bar) at his CD release party
• Now I am off to study for small group tomorrow night then going to bed

It has been a long couple of days am I am very tired

there back

North Carolina is now the overwhelming favorite to win the 2009 NCAA men's basketball tournament. Carolina men's basketball players Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson have decided to withdraw from the 2008 NBA Draft and return to Chapel Hill for the 2008-09 season, Coach Roy Williams announced on Monday.The trio had entered their names into the NBA Draft pool in April but did not hire agents, leaving open the possibility of returning to school. The deadline to withdraw from the draft was 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday."After a long and exhaustive process of gathering information and sharing it with these youngsters, I stepped back and asked them to make their own decisions," Williams said on Monday afternoon. "I'm very pleased with their decisions because I get to coach them for another year. I'm also pleased that they went through the process and gained valuable information. It was reassuring that the feedback they got from the NBA teams is the same type of feedback our coaching staff has been giving them.

Weekend Madness

This is a understatement for what has went on this weekend.

• Started off the week putting in new hardwood floors in Laura's mom house. Man that is not easy work
• Friday Laura and I got to spend some time with our good friends James and Melissa Browne over dinner.
• Then Saturday Laura left for Washington DC so I sent all day at the church working on Pappapalooza stuff. Lots of folks showed up to help set up for Sunday. Sunday hit and it was all out busy.
• Scott did a great job talking about when and when not to fight as a guy.
• Chris and the rest of the band were off the hook with their set this week.
• After service we started our first annual Father's Day event Poppapalooza. It was a carnival style day with games for dad's and kids to play together. Dunking booth, chipping and casting contest, bounce house, and a ladder firetruck.

It really was a great day in the history of the Creek

Did you know I was famous

I guess your past never really does die. This a part of my life I wish I had back

Poppapalooza

This weekend we will have one service only as we celebrate Father’s Day Hope Creek Style with our first ever Poppapalooza! You won’t want to miss the burgers, brats and classic rock. Plus carnival games, moon bounce, face painting, and a fire truck for the kids, a chipping and casting contest for the guys AND the now infamous dunking booth with special appearances by your staff!!!

Don’t miss it! Invite your friends, tell your friends to invite their friends, this will be one that if you don’t make, you’ll hear about and wish you had!!! Can’t wait to see you this weekend ONE SERVICE ONLY Sunday at 11AM with the carnival opening immediately after service.

20 movies that make men cry

Some blogger at the "Sporting News" website . . . (www.SportingNews.com) . . . has come up with a list of the Top 20 Movies that Make Men Cry. I am not sure I agree with all of them but. Here they are . . .


#1.) "Field of Dreams", 1989



#2.) "Old Yeller", 1957 #
#3.) "Brian's Song", 1971
#4.) "Braveheart", 1995
#5.) "Rudy", 1993
#6.) "Pride of the Yankees", 1942
#7.) "Saving Private Ryan", 1998
#8.) "The Green Mile", 1999
#9.) "E.T.", 1982
#10.) "The Passion of the Christ", 2004
#11.) "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", 2003
#12.) "Seabiscuit", 2003
#13.) "Big Fish", 2003
#14.) "The Shawshank Redemption", 1994
#15.) "The Natural", 1984
#16.) "Forrest Gump", 1994
#17.) "Dead Poets Society", 1989
#18.) "Frequency", 2000
#19.) "Schindler's List", 1993
#20.) "It's A Wonderful Life", 1946

Other's First

Have you ever thought about the value of others first? I mean it seems simple, put others first. There are tons of ways you can do this: complements, holding doors open, and helping little old ladies across the street but this value is so much more than that. If we could be honest we all do things out of our own selfishness. We do these things because we are all selfish. SELFISHNESS is a sin and we all carry it. It makes us feel good, in fact it makes us feel great when we get what we want. It could be a new TV, car, house, job, whatever. But those great feelings are short lived, so we have be selfish again and again and again. But if we follow Christ example of humility then we begin to put others first, ahead of our own desires. This feeling will not only last longer for us but will also impact the person we put first. This value dives into the very bottom of our souls. It challenges us to "look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. "
Philippians 2: 4

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO PUT OTHERS FIRST

Weekend Madness

So here it is a another close to another long weekend and boy am I tired. But I wanted to share some highlights from the weekend

• We had a great weekend in the Great Adventure. Did some singing, dancing, finished up our talk on Patience, played some cool games and had the kids help design what they wanted there large room to look like.
• week 3 of "Sabotage" went great. Scott talked about something that is kinda taboo in the church LUST. Which we capped off with a great song by Sugarland called "Stay".
• Chris and the rest of the worship band are rocking it out each and every week.
• For a smaller church we are doing BIG things. You can now download our podcast each and every week from itunes. Type in Hope Creek Church or Scott Decker both will bring up the pod cast. What's next........ maybe Hope Creek services on You Tube.
• Big Rock kicked butt. We are in week 2 of our talk on "Ours First" We talked about how instinct and society tell us to be self centered but as Christan's we need to imitate Christ's example of humility. We read from Philippians 2 1-4
• We played an awesome game called ninja, cowboy and lampshade at Big Rock. It is a spin off of rock, paper, scissors. Battle of the sexes is how we played it (girls VS boys). And the BOYS won taking the best 2 out of 3.
• God is doing some great great BIG stuff in my life right now. I just hope I can shut up and not get in the way of his plan.

I'm off to work

Memorial Day

This is a little long but I think it is worth it

Since it is Memorial Day I thought I would take a moment and explain what this day truly is for. Many of us probably think it is for traveling to see folks we have not seen in a while, or maybe it is a day we take off to grill and go to the lake for some water fun. But that is not it, it is much more than that. It boils down to a day to say Thank You. Thank You to all the men and women that have serviced or are servicing in the military. They fight day and night for us to have the freedom to do the things we do, say the things we say, praise the God we praise. This is the straight from Wikipedia.

"Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who perished while in military service to their country. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, it was expanded after World War I to include casualties of any war or military action"

Traditional observance
Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. US Eastern time. Another tradition is to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers usually place an American flag upon each grave site located in a National Cemetery.
In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also used as a time for picnics, barbecues, family gatherings, and sporting events. One of the longest standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911. Some Americans also view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season. The national "Click It or Ticket" campaign ramps up beginning Memorial Day weekend, noting the beginning of the most dangerous season for auto accidents and other safety related incidents. The U.S. Air Force's "101 Critical Days of Summer" begin on this day as well. Many Americans use Memorial Day to also honor other family members who have died.

Flags flying at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006.
Memorial Day formerly occurred on May 30, and some, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), advocate returning to this fixed date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address, "Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public's nonchalant observance of Memorial Day."[1] Hawaii's Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional day since 1987.

Community observance
In addition to national observances, many individual communities hold memorial observance for fallen soldiers who were from that town by having a ceremony in a church or town memorial park. It is common for fire and police departments to remember and honor members lost in the line of duty. Towns often hold a Memorial Day parade to remember those people. Participation in such a parade is by community organizations such as members of the local emergency services and their vehicles, Rotary Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and bands from the local high school or church groups. Communities may hold a town-wide picnic barbecue at a local park in which the whole town is invited to attend.

History
Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the places creating an early memorial day include Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia; Carbondale, Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances eventually coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Union dead, and the several Confederate Memorial Days.
According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who had died while captive. The freed slaves reinterred the dead Union soldiers from the mass grave to individual graves, fenced in the graveyard & built an entry arch declaring it a Union graveyard; a very daring thing to do in the South shortly after North's victory. On May 30 1868 the freed slaves returned to the graveyard with flowers they'd picked from the countryside & decorated the individual gravesites, thereby creating the 1st Decoration Day. A parade with thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers was followed by patriotic singing and a picnic.
The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. The village was credited with being the birthplace because it observed the day on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter, and because it is likely that the friendship of General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General John A. Logan, who led the call for the day to be observed each year and helped spread the event nationwide, was a key factor in its growth.
General Logan had been impressed by the way the South honored their dead with a special day and decided the Union needed a similar day. Reportedly, Logan said that it was most fitting; that the ancients, especially the Greeks, had honored their dead, particularly their heroes, by chaplets of laurel and flowers, and that he intended to issue an order designating a day for decorating the grave of every soldier in the land, and if he could he would have made it a holiday.
Logan had been the principal speaker in a citywide memorial observation on April 29, 1866, at a cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois, an event that likely gave him the idea to make it a national holiday. On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans' organization, Logan issued a proclamation that "Decoration Day" be observed nationwide. It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle. The tombs of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in remembrance of this day.
Many of the states of the U.S. South refused to celebrate Decoration Day, due to lingering hostility towards the Union Army and also because there were very few veterans of the Union Army who lived in the South. A notable exception was Columbus, Mississippi, which on April 25, 1866 at its Decoration Day commemorated both the Union and Confederate casualties buried in its cemetery.[1]

Troops at the Washington, D.C. Memorial Day parade, 1942.
The alternative name of "Memorial Day" was first used in 1882, but did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967 . On June 28, 1968, the United States Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend and for the first time recognized Columbus Day as a federal holiday. The holidays included Washington's Birthday (which evolved into Presidents' Day), Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971 . After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply at the state level, all fifty states adopted the measure within a few years, although Veterans Day was eventually changed back to its traditional date. Ironically, most corporate businesses no longer close on Columbus Day or Veterans Day, and an increasing number are staying open on President's Day as well. Memorial Day, however, has endured as one holiday during which most businesses stay closed because it marks the beginning of the "summer vacation season." This role is filled in neighboring Canada by Victoria Day, which occurs either on May 24 or the last Monday before that date, placing it exactly one week before Memorial Day.

King of the one liners

I got this idea from Bob Robbins at www.bob.blogs.com to talk about Rick Warren. Rick is one of the for most sought after speakers in the US right now. His church Saddleback grow from small number of people meeting in his living room to one of the largest church's in America How did he do it. He keep things simple. He loved God and loved people. But enough of that. Rick is the king of church stuff one liners. He has a unique way of saying so much with a few words. So I thought I would share a few.

"You cannot have control and growth."
"Be a proponent of the new not an opponent of the old."
"Define yourself or others will."
"Hurt people hurt people."

Weekend Madness

: Great weekend at The Creek lots of folks there and some great worship.
: Chris did a bangin job on a "Rob Thomas" tune
: Scott brought it kicking off our new series Sabotage
: There is something in the air over at The Creek and it feels good
: Had lots of kids in Great Adventure on Sunday talking about Patience
: I work with a great group of folks in Scott and Chris but also all the folks who service at The Creek
: Had a chance to speak to the Big Rock youth last night on others first. They are awesome. I have never been a part of a group that is so open and honest when we talk to them.
: Had a great dinner with Laura and my good friend Carlton
: Looking forward to June 15 (fathers day) we have got some good stuff for you dad's

I am tired so I am off to bed

Kidz Cove Update

This past Sunday was "A Day of Hope" at the Creek. We celebrated the past and also looked ahead to the future. I was introduced as the new Family Pastor. I also unveiled the photos (by the wonderful Kim Ferrer) of what the new Kids area (Kidz Cove) will look like. I am very excited so I wanted to share them with you. Let me know what you think.

Questions that I don't have answers to

These are questions that I have always wondered what the answers were. Maybe you can help. Leave me a comment if you have an answer

Can a cross-eyed teacher control his pupils?
Why is it called the People's Republic Of China when China's not a republic?
How come the Bible is the most stolen book, and one of the ten commandments is "thou shall not steal"?
You know the saying "throw ya hands in the air like ya don't care"? why bother doing that if you don't care?
Can bald people get a hair line fracture?
Who was in the kitchen with Dina?
Can fat people go skinny-dipping?I
f Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
How fast do hotcakes sell?
Why is the name of the phobia for the fear of long words Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?
How do you handcuff a one-armed man?
Do Siamese twins pay for one ticket or two tickets when they go to movies and concerts?

So Here It Is

After what to do with the whole Blog thing. I have made my final choice and it is Blog Spot.
www.blog.com was OK but not very user friendly, www.typepad.com was nice but had a price. So I have now settled here one a user friendly FREE Blogger. More to come later