Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Fun Link Friday
With the rest of life so full I have been finding it hard to actually write out, intelligent, well-thought, profound, or even pratical blog posts.
So my plan for a while is to take Fridays and post links to some of the stuff I have found throughout the week. I hope you enjoy.
One of my favorite blogs is Stuff Christians Like; the idea has been blatantly stolen from the Stuff White People Like blog. This link is the first time though that I have ever thought man I needed to hear that, instead of boy that was funny. Check out his post "Thinking You're Naked".
My wife claims that I have a man crush on Mark Driscoll, planting pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. While I wouldn't call it that, I do appreciate his willingness to boldly declare the Word, love people, and care desperately about the church. A couple of weeks ago, he preached a sermon on what a Godly man looks like. I think every guy and gal in the land should listen, especially those girls looking for a "man." Be sure you know what the right guy looks like. And single guys be certain that you are being a "man" and not something else. Here is a link to the video hosted on the Mars Hill website, Marriage and Men.
I recently came across this great site that regularly posts great quotes from wise men. As a guy who loves a great quote this site gives me good things to think on regularly. You can even follow them on twitter if you want, @firstimportance. For me any site that regularly posts Keller and Spurgeon is going to get a visit. www.firstimportance.org
A good friend of mine has his own marketing/branding company. He even did some work for us at the Journey; a bonus is that we are one of his website examples, very cool!
I hope you all have had a great weekend, find someplace to worship Jesus this weekend, and make plans now to join the Journey on Easter as we have our Grand Opening Launch.
j
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Journey workday at Big Walnut Middle School
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The 25 Random Things Revolution
As a proud member of the "watch me go" generation, I blog, facebook, email, text message, cell phone, twitter, maintain a website and carry a smartphone (so I can do all of the above from wherever I find myself). One of the accusations/realities of living in these times is that we can replace "real" relationships with virtual ones.
All of this leads me to the 25 Random Things Revolution. On Facebook there is a wave of folks posting their 25 Random Things list. I have included the instructions and my list below.
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app), then click publish.
1. My name is Jerry - I don't like my name, seriously if you walked around as Jerry Lee, you wouldn't like you name either, though my guess is Jerry Lee Lewis liked his name just fine, he just kind of screwed it up for the rest of us.
2. My wife is Megan - I like her and am only doing this list because she ask me to.
3. We have four children - Sam, Sophie, Henry and Asher - or as they are called around here - the Turkey, the Princess, the Squirrel and the Monkey.
4. My savior is Jesus - He is the only option that actually works, I am occasionally pragmatic.
5. I had two parents - nobody said these had to be original - they were/are good parents, not perfect but good.
6. My dad died in 2002 - I miss him, I have often needed his advice these last couple of years.
7. Meg and I have been married for 12.5 years - I feel sorry for her, she didn't know what she was getting when she signed up for this - I however, think the Lord felt sorry for me and give me the girl I needed and wanted - if there was such a thing as luck, you could call me lucky.
8. I am a pastor - I love my job.
9. I have pastored at 6 churches - somehow this has translated into moving 10 times - and in the 10 moves since I've been married, I think I've packed 2 boxes - I told you, my wife is a saint.
10. I don't believe in luck, karma, reincarnation, or coincidence, just the sovereign majesty of Holy God.
11. I hate shoes - they make my feet nervous and sweaty - I don't like sweaty feet, they make stinky socks and shoes - really Meg has enough to deal with from me, the last thing she needs is more laundry and stink around here.
12. I really like sandals - birkenstock is my preferred brand - yes it makes me a little bit of an elitest but my feet have issues, only the best for them.
13. My first pairs of birks came from my mom, she got a shipment, through a surplus company of something like 120 pairs of sandals, because I have large feet I got all the big ones that were left over, something like 20 pairs, for a while in college if I wanted you to be my friend and you happened to have big feet I would give you a free pair of sandals.
14. My family is part of a group that is planting a new church in Sunbury, OH. We love our new church -that is all of the people and think that if you are close enough you should come and check it out and bring 7 friends, yes I'm talking to you - you know who you are.
15. I have the best wife in the world - I know that it seems like a pretty bold statement to make, but I'm a pretty bold guy.
16. Ukraine is my favorite non-US country. I have been twice, it was life changing both times.
17. I have three siblings, an older brother and two younger sisters.
18. I was arrested in the 1st grade for shoplifting - they put us in the cop car and everything.
19. I like books, my wife would say that I was obsessed with books, maybe because in the 10 moves I've only packed 2 boxes, which means she has packed my hundreds of books multiple times and I haven't. This does not stop me from buying more.
20. Based on #19, libraries tend to like me, a) I like to show up and I treat books nicely b) I like to borrow books c) I'm horrible at returning them, once I've read a book I feel like it should be mine and it makes me nervous to not have it beside my others d) consequently I tend to owe libraries lots of money e) this is not an exaggeration the Columbus Public Library is currently not letting me check out books because I owe them $39 f) I owe them $39 because when I returned my last batch I only had a $20 g) Meg would say that this means you shouldn't let me borrow your library card h) I would say that it means I like supporting my local libraries i) Meg is always right
21. I broke the bone under my left eye in high school, this happened at a wrestling scrimmage in Norwalk, OH. The facts of the story did not stop me from telling people that it was the result of a bar fight later in life.
22. My favorite Bible verses are 2 Timothy 4:7 - "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" and Jeremiah 29:11 -"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a hope and a future."
23. We own a home in Illinois still, though some really nice people are renting it at the moment. And we are renting a really nice home in Sunbury, thanks Dave and Pegi, you are the best.
24. In addition to really liking books, I really like music. In fact, I like music so much I used to buy Meg CD's when we were dating and then open them up and listen to them before I gave them to her. OK, maybe that makes me a jerk and not a music lover - I'm not kidding she is a SAINT!
25. It seems like #25 should be the best or the worst - the simple truth is I love Jesus, I love my wife and kids and I am trying desperately hard to love everyone the way Jesus did. This means that I am trying to give my life away in the hope that they will find a real relationship with The God of the Universe!
26. I do not like to conform to an arbitrary standard.
It may seem a little dramatic but I do believe that what we are witnessing is a revolution, ok that is a little too dramatic, we are witnessing at least a reaction. Individuals with lists of hundreds, maybe even more than a thousand friends still have that innate desire to be known and to know. It is not enough to see a six word status update, no matter how regularly we post them. It is difficult to "know" someone in short bursts. We long for more, we long for intimacy.
Put simply Jesus has created us as relational beings. From the beginning, way back in Genesis, we see Adam, Eve and God Himself walking in the garden, living in community. As relational beings we need people and we need to offer ourselves to those around us. Much like Adam and Eve hid themselves after the fall, many of us continue to hide. We long to be known but are afraid of how someone will react if they really got to know us.
So today, put down the smartphone, turn off the laptop (when you are done reading my blog post of course), and make a real connection. Play a game with your wife, ask your child about their day, call a friend on the phone, schedule a coffee and maybe even spend some time praying.
Win Free Stuff
Bible Study Magazine and Mars Hill are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the cool tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Lunch with my boys.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Happy New Year (just a little late)
Merry Christmas
and Happy New Year!
Greetings Friends,
Let me take this opportunity to wish each of you a Happy 2009!
The new year holiday is the one time each year that we typically sit
back and reflect on what has happened over the last 12 months and then
often make plans, resolutions or commitments for the coming months
(even if history shows us that those resolutions last about 2 weeks
before we have forgotten or quit them). As new year's approached I
spent some time sitting, reading, contemplating the year that was
2008, as well as dreaming, planning, hoping and praying for the year
that will be 2009.
The one thing that stands out in 2008 is thankfulness. It has been a
long, windy, and bumpy road. I have said often and loudly, that I
believe life is a journey and if I am correct than this year has been
one of those challenging mountain pass legs. But throughout this leg
of the journey, seemingly fraught with danger and momentous decisions
at each turn, I have had so much for which to be thankful. There is
not a day that goes by in which I do not stop and praise Jesus for my
beautiful wife and great children. They are truly the blessings of my
life, I can not imagine having walked these last 12 months without any
of them.
There is also not a day that has passed that I have not stopped and
praised the Lord for our new church. Whatever your level of
involvement, your faithfulness and support have been overwhelming.
The multiple kindnesses shown to my family, have demonstrated hearts
transformed by the mighty power of God. The generosity of our
Christmas gift left Meg and I stunned and humbled. And those who
support us from afar both financially and through prayer are very much
appreciated.
I would be remiss if I did not also stop to remind us that the thing
we have for which to be most thankful is the Gospel. This road has
accomplished, if nothing else, a healthy and hearty personal reminder
of the joy that is the Gospel of Jesus. Many of us have seen first
hand, our own and others sinfulness and the correct response is not
judgment, anger or bitterness. Instead, may we turn our faces to the
glorious hope for all, Jesus.
As we look forward to 2009, I hope that you are as excited as I am to
see all the Lord is going to do. The Gospel of Jesus is alive and
well. We are a people called to be transformed by its’ truth. And we
have been placed on a mission to encounter and engage those around
us. The Lord is going to build His church, I invite you to be part of
that this year. My prayer is that together we will see the Funston’s,
The Journey Fellowship, Sunbury, Central Ohio and the World
transformed by the power of the Gospel.
With much thanks,
Pastor Jerry, Meg and the kids
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