cup a joe

Looking to be a crazy day today.  My sermon is done but I haven't started my Grow Questions yet.  One of these days I'm going to figure out how do to these quicker!  We still need to get the bulletin done and it looks like I may be leading worship tomorrow - Cindy's voice has not healed fully yet and James is out of town tomorrow (have mercy one me!) so I need to put a set together.  After that, Cindy needs to get prepared for a wedding that she is doing tomorrow (printing out her book, preparing the certificate).  We also want to get hair-cuts sometime today, run up to Rockford for the wedding rehearsal (I may need to be her backup if her voice fails), drop off the sound equipment with someone for setup tonight, stop by Cody's graduation party and, oh yeah, we have a Fire game tonight.  Just another nice quiet Saturday!

For all you Cubs fans out there, here is an interesting article from John Armstrong regarding Wrigley Field.  I know that you will read this and just say it's another Cubbie Hater (and then you will say I am one too for posting the article) but I can't really disagree with him.  I know that there is some kind of nostalgia about the place, but it let's be real - the parking stinks, the sight lines stink (especially if you are behind a post), the bathrooms still stink, and the place feels cramped.  Oh, and as a neutral (and I really do believe that I am a neutral), I have never gone to a game at Wrigley and have had a good conversation with someone there about baseball.  I've done this at other parks across the nation (Milwaukee, Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit and US. Cellular - plus numerous other Minor League parks) but never in Wrigley (I've been there more times then I can count).  Instead it always seems hostile if you are not a Cubs fan (even to neutrals).  I just don't get it.

My wife and oldest son are Cub's fans, so I go for them (and I keep my mouth shut for them).  I actually ignore the cross town classic to keep peace in the house.  But if you were to ask me where I would love to see a baseball game - it would not be Wrigley (to be honest, out of all the ball parks I have been to, I really liked Turner Field).

Now back to our previously scheduled Saturday already in progress......

Spent last night messing around with my LinkedIn account.  I think I was an early adapter for this .   I opened my account in January of 2007 and quickly forgot about it (I tend to sign up for a bunch of new stuff and then forget about them. I had a twitter account for years before I actually used it).  Back then there were only a handful of people who I knew that used it (I think I was turned on to it by Jordon Cooper).  Recently, I have been getting a lot of connection requests (which I were simply ignoring).   Last night I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Amazingly, I now have a bunch of friends on LinkedIn - I was shocked.  I actually think I'm beginning to like it - although I'm still trying to figure it out.  If your reading this and are on LinkedIn, look me up.

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I've been studding Acts 3 for this Sunday's sermon and some interesting thoughts keep coming up.  This is the story of the blind beggar at the temple gate and it's interesting how this story progresses.  Peter and John are going to the temple like they usually do - there was nothing special on this day.  This is what they always did (this is what many in their society did as well.)  Day in, day out - same ole same ole.  Yet God seems to have different plans and takes them on a wild ride.  First the beggar gets healed, then Peter preaches, then they get arrested and another 2000 come to the church. 

Here is the interesting part for me: this is completely unplanned by Peter and John.  I wonder what their plans were for the day.  Perhaps temple, then some dinner.  Just a quiet evening....but God seemed to have other plans.  This really got me thinking.  Would we be willing to do something like this?  Would we be willing to allow God to disturb our quiet evening?  

I think we find a comfort in planning (I know I do).  There is safety there.  We like to make sure that all of our t's are crossed and out i's are dotted.  And while there is nothing wrong in planning, do we unintentionally plan God out of the equation? 

Thoughts?

Labels: Sermon Prep

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...to re-engage.
...to re-activate.
...to do.
...to stop procrastinating.
...to wake up.
...to turn this thing back on.

I think it's time to start writing again.