Jesus Is In Leviticus

I've got to be honest, most of Leviticus is not fun to read. But if you keep with it, you'll come to this passage near the last couple of pages:

"24 With every sale of land there must be a stipulation that the land can be redeemed at any time. 25 If any of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and are forced to sell some inherited land, then a close relative, a kinsman redeemer, may buy it back for them. 26 If there is no one to redeem the land but the person who sold it manages to get enough money to buy it back, 27 then that person has the right to redeem it from the one who bought it." (Lev. 25:24-27, NLT)

That's a pretty cool law for dealing with property, but if you read it in light of the New Testament you get a glimpse of so much more than land.

With our sin, we sold ourselves over to Satan; we left God and turned everything over to The Deceiver. And there was no way we could ever buy back our way to God; the price was too high. But then a close relative, our "kinsman redeemer", showed up while we were bankrupt & without anywhere to go and he bought us back with his own body and blood!

Even in Leviticus you can experience the grace and mercy of God. I guess Leviticus isn't so bad.

The Natural

Almost every weekend, after the band has packed up and the auditorium is empty, I let Caden play the drum kit. It's one of his favorite things because every time he sets foot on our church's patio he starts moving his arms and making beat-box noises.

Here he is back in January/February (by the way, his technique is right on and I think his inner clock is like a metronome already). Careful, it might be loud:


Drum Career Begins at 1.5 Years Old from Brian Goodban on Vimeo.

I've Never Seen This Before...

I guess you know you're in the "south" (the real south) when you see this:

















Vacation in South Carolina was fun. Visiting the "Jockey Lot" was fun, but this was just plain creepy. Dear South Carolina, you should probably do something about that!

I've never seen that before in my life, and I probably won't ever again.

Unleashed in South Carolina

Last week I was on vacation and I strategically picked this vacation time to be when the NewSpring Unleash conference happened so I could go. I went. It was very amazing. I was unleashed to say the least! I took extensive notes during the first main session and would love to share them, but I know shorter is better, so...
Here are 3 quotes from my notes that rocked my world:

1. If you're uncomfortable with change, you're always gonna have a hard time hearing & following the Word of God in your life.
2. how many of you [grandparents] would be willing to die for your grandchildren's salvation? [hands went up all over the room!] Now, how many of you would be willing to give up your musical style for your grandchildren's salvation?
3. Stop seeking permission and start placing yourself in submission to what God is doing

Honestly, I love Pastor Perry Noble's passion, his lack of politically-correctness, and his love for Jesus.

Visit Newspring.cc/unleash to watch the whole thing (including 2007's & 2008's)

Why You'll Regret Not Blogging

As much as we all hate those old childhood home videos because they showcase that funky '80s hair style or that goofy life stage you were in, the older you get the more your hate turns into a love. It's actually pretty cool watching stuff that actually happened. It's like re-living the moment again! See, I think looking at your past is healthy. When we look at our past we see just how good God is and we can learn what mistakes to never do again. (so long knee-high-socks-with-the-colored-stripe-at-the-top!)

Blogging, or journaling, helps me remember, reflect, and rejoice. I think those are worthy things to put some effort towards. Yes, it takes discipline, but it also takes a change of mind first. So...

Here's my list (in no particular order) of reasons why you'll regret not blogging:

1. You'll have missed out on the opportunity to journal with a built-in archiving system.
2. You'll have missed out on the opportunity to capture a specific experience because now you can't remember the details a week later.
3. Your good friend across the country couldn't get a glimpse into your life even though they would have loved to on a consistent basis.
4. You ended up with 6 blank fancy journals that ended up on a bookshelf.
5. You can add real video (can't do that on paper!)
6. You'll end up forgetting that great thought you just had to share with everyone
7. It could have helped you work through a particular thought
8. It would have helped your writing/communicating skills
9. Your thought/prayer/idea could have connected with and encouraged someone
10. The entire rest of your life is digital now (music, movies, mail, etc.) and you just now figured out that's why a journal never stuck.

I'm sure I could go on, but I won't. I hope I've changed your mind.
And now 10 months later when I start to doubt the benefits of this whole thing, I can come back to this post and remember!

Make Diciples Like Rick Warren Does

If you don't know who Rick Warren is please come back to planet Earth.
If you're sick of hearing about Rick Warren please leave planet Earth.
I've learned to take very seriously anything Rick says; he oozes out wisdom in the simplest of terms. He is on my "have dinner with before dying" list. Check this out.
Your church, your ministry, your family, can boost it's disciple-making impact Rick Warren style. Everything he, and his church, does tries to answer these next questions:

*1. Are people learning the content and meaning of the Bible?
*2. Are people seeing themselves, life, and other people more clearly from God's perspective?
*3. Are people's values becoming more aligned with God's values?
*4. Are people becoming more skilled in serving God?
*5. Are people becoming more like Christ?

That's it. Now you, and your team/family, can make disciples like Rick, and Jesus.
It's that simple. Not that easy, but that simple.

*from "Help People Develop Spiritual Growth Habits" by Pastor Rick Warren)

Becoming Obsessed

Regardless of your ability to define it, we are all obsessed with something or someone. It's my belief that a large majority of people are unable to articulate what they are obsessed with; and the other majority are afraid to discover what their life obsession is. An obsession drives everything; it's what pushes you, keeps you going, and it might even be the kind of obsession that runs your life.

As a Christian, the only obsession I'm to have is an obsession for following Jesus. Period. I need to become obsessed with following Jesus so closely that I become covered with the dust from his sandals if he were to be walking in front of me. I need to learn to love the things he loves, say the things he said, be in the places he would go, look at the things he would look at, invest in the things he invested in, and do the things he tells me to do.

Honestly, sometimes I'm obsessed with Jesus and sometimes I'm not.
Here's a short test that I use to see what is currently my obsession:

1. What do I think about as I lay in bed about to go to sleep?
2. What do I think about when I wake up?
3. Where are large of amounts of money going?
4. Where are large amounts of my time going?
5. Who am I currently trying to make happy?

Those five simple questions make me refocus and help me to identify my obsession.