For Those About To Rock

Taking Forgiveness to a HNL...

2011-08-16T14:20:00.002-05:00

Setting Goals for 2011...part 1

2010-12-16T12:26:00.015-06:00

So I've been thinking through some goals for 2011...for my family, for my team, and for me personally.

For me personally, I have to get back in the routine of exercising. It's been WAY TOO LONG since I've been on track to being even sort of in shape...and my body is screaming this to me!

I'm thinking about starting the year with this plan...

The Couch to 5k Training Plan

Week	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
1	5 min walk 2 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 2 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 3 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
2	5 min walk 3 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 4 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 5 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
3	5 min walk 6 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	4 min jog 5 min walk 4 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 7 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
4	5 min walk 7 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 8 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 9 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
5	5 min walk 9 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	6 min jog 5 min walk 6 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 10 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	5 min walk 11 min jog 5 min walk
6	5 min walk 11 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	13 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	15 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
7	15 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	8 min jog 5 min walk 8 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	16 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	17 min jog 5 min walk
8	17 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	18 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	20 min jog 5 min walk	Relax!	Relax!
9	20 min jog	Relax!	12 min jog 5 min walk 12 min jog	Relax!	24 min jog	Relax!	25 min jog
10	25 min jog	Relax!	27 min jog	Relax!	30 min jog	Relax!	Race Day!

Then following it up with this training schedule...OKC Half Marathon.

I think all in all this is a training schedule of 22 weeks which may be a little tight considering that the race is on May 1, but hey it's a lofty goal and hopefully my body will make it there! Now all I have to do is get off my butt and do something about it!

Great Post: Advice to Worship Leaders

2010-12-11T17:16:00.002-06:00

This is something I've thought and often said over the years...I'm glad someone finally put it to words!

SNL - Political Satire with Jimmie McMillian

2010-10-24T21:15:00.003-05:00

I love it when SNL does political satire...but this one makes me gut laugh!

Especially when this is the real Jimmie McMillian...

Environmental Projection Project @ LifeChurch.tv

2010-10-24T09:58:00.002-05:00

This week our tech team partnered with Fowler Inc. to transform the 4 walls of the OKC auditorium into a huge video canvas. Here is a glimpse of the outcome...

Gear Used: 7 Panasonic projectors, Matrox Triple Head to Go, Vista Spyder X20-0808, and Pro Presenter!

I love the scalability of this project! Obviously it would be a pretty penny to incorporate a Spyder into our main video system at OKC, but with the option of Triple Head to Go we could easily do this at some of our other campuses that have smaller auditoriums.

A Day I'll Never Forget

2009-11-20T21:17:00.001-06:00

April 10th, 1979 Tornado

Disconnect...

2009-09-03T14:31:00.002-05:00

The last 2 weeks and next 2 weeks are and have been crazy busy at the church. It's been an incredible time of investment into the next generation of leaders as we've hosted The Mix and Surge in the main worship center. So, needless to say, I have had some relatively late nights in preparation and rehearsals.

This morning I was at a "meeting," well to be completely honest we were talking ministry while we fished for black bass, when I got a text from my wife that said "Gavin just said to Kamryn, 'I saw daddy last night...He came home last night. Isn't that funny Kamryn?'" This follows up a conversation that my wife and I had a couple of nights ago during which she brought to my attention that the only time I truly "disconnect" is when I'm in on vacation in the mountains of New Mexico. She said I was connected 24/7.

There is so much truth to that in that I am constantly connected and almost feed off that connection. My iphone is always at my side. I don't like to miss an email or txt as that may mean I'm "out of the loop." And too often, I sit on the couch at home with my laptop and iphone...distracted and disconnected from what I need to be connected to...my family. I wonder how many moments I've missed because of my disconnection?

When I'm at home, it's time to disconnect, and reconnect...know what I mean?

Hillsong United Concert

2009-08-25T23:22:00.004-05:00

So, tonight my wife and I, along with my sister and her friend went to the Hillsong United concert at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco. The last time I saw United was when we hosted them at Fellowship Church back in 2007. Needless to say, Joel, Jad, JD, Brooke, and crew brought it again tonight! What an incredible night of worship! They played for 2.5 hours and left it all on the stage! They truly poured their hearts out in transparent worship to God above! Thank you Hillsong United crew for your ministry...!

And We're Baaaaaaack...

2009-08-12T17:30:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful week in the mountains of New Mexico! We had many wildlife experiences...bears, deer, chipmunks, ducks, hummingbirds, and of course TROUT! It was very relaxing, which was good because now it's back to the grind and time to prepare for the fall at FC! I am so excited about the wave (tsunami!) this next year will bring! I truly believe this is going to be a season that will change the CHURCH (Big "C") forever!

So, in the words of Jimmy Fallon's character on SNL..."and we're baaaaack!"

Let Vacation Begin

2009-07-31T08:21:00.000-05:00

T-minus 31 hours to departure to Red River and there is so much to do! Get the oil changed, gather up all the kids' toys, charge the iPods, oh, and I still have to mow, and pack my own stuff! It looks like these next 31 hours will be at break neck speed so that we can spend a week in the calm cool mountains of New Mexico...worth it? I think so! Let vacation begin!

-- Mobile Post

Daddy Daughter Date

2008-05-05T22:40:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since my daughter, Kamryn, and I had an extended amount of time just to go hang out. This is something that I vowed to do, and used to do, but have let it slip since she started kindergarten last fall and in lieu of bike rides and shared time with little bro, Gavin.

Well, Richelle and Gavin had to go to Mississippi for a couple of days to attend a funeral and Kamryn and I were left here to take care of our responsibilities...school and work. So, we've had a lot of time together, and it has been incredible.

It started off yesterday at church when Kamryn hung out backstage with me during our Fusion service. Now if you know my little girl, you know that she does not shy away from the lights and cameras on the stage. She's only 5, but I think she'd give Miley Cyrus a run for her $$$$. I regress...during the worship Kamryn leans over to me and says, "Daddy, when I'm worshipping I feel like I need to raise my hands." I had to hold it together, but that is killer in my book. Without any thought, she responds to God with her whole-hearted praise. I pray that she keeps that tenderness to the Spirit as she grows older, and keeps that hard shell up to the world that would have her respond differently.

After church, we went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I chose this because I LOVE their rolls and cinnamon butter. Horrible for my gut, but great after a long weekend! So, we're sitting at dinner and Kamryn says, "Daddy, this is a very special day for me. We get to go to dinner all by ourselves!" Note to self...must do this more often.

This morning, Kamryn woke up at 6:30am on the nose. This never happens. Most of the time I'm having to blow her out of the bed with dynamite, but she was looking forward to today, because she already had an agenda of what was going to happen. Today was "Field Day" at school, so that meant no morning classes...win! Then, she informed me of the agenda she had planned for us to do after school.

Here is what she had planned from 3:00pm-9:00pm...

3:30pm Homework...priority.

3:45pm Bike ride...rained out.

4:30pm Petland to play with the animals...held snakes, birds, dogs, and lizards.

5:15pm Shoe shopping for some new tennis shoes...pink Nike's.

6:00pm Dinner at Olive Garden...she's been praying for this for a month.

7:15pm Starbucks...this is what we used to do every Friday morning before she started school.

8:00pm Wii...fishing, bowling, tennis, and baseball. She killed me and rubbed it in my face! Showoff!

9:00pm Bed

Well, we got it all in except the bike ride due to rain. Now, she's crashed out in bed...no wonder!!! All in all, it has been an incredible 2 days. I miss Richelle and Gavin, but I'm so glad that I got to spend this incredible time with my "Silly Goose Princess."

Be Back Soon....

2008-04-28T20:41:00.001-05:00

I'm gettting the urge to blog again so...

Stay tuned...

The Princess and the Reindeer

2005-11-30T23:49:00.000-06:00

Last Friday we ventured out into the abyss of mad shoppers known as Black Friday. My dad, brother and I made our way to Academy while my wife, sister and mom took off to Pier One to check out their sales. Somehow, the guys ended up with the kids. With kids in tow, we headed over to my favorite side of the store...the hunting and fishing side. I have had this itch for a new shotgun...either over/under or semi-auto, I can't decide...so we went to look at what they had in stock. My brother and I are standing there looking at guns when all of the sudden, Kamryn, my 3 year old daughter, says "Daddy, look there's one that's my size." It was a .22 Rifle, and it was her size. She continues, "When I get a little bit bigger I can use that to shoot reindeer!" At this point, everyone standing within 30 feet of us is either staring at us or rolling in laughter. So I asked her, "Sweety, how big do you have to be to shoot reindeer?" She quickly replied, "4!"

This Weekend...pt 2

2005-11-05T21:06:00.000-06:00

Well I made the trip to Wichita Falls to see the folks yesterday. I left yesterday afternoon about 1, first to drop off something at the church, then to head out to the Falls. I made it to Roanoke with a feeling in my gut that I needed to bypass Hwy 114 (by Texas Motor Speedway) and go up 377 to 407 and across to 287, the road home. I should have trusted my gut, but I didn't and ended up sitting still in TMS traffic. It took me 45 minutes to travel less than 3 miles. So the trip didn't start off as planned.

I get to the Falls just in time to go watch the biggest high school football rivalry in the Wichita Falls area. My alma mater, Rider, versus Wichita Falls High (Old High). Rider came into the game already having won district and this was Old High's last game of the season. To be concise, Old High killed Rider 41-7. It was UGLY! Frankly, I don't care too much about what happens there since I graduated a long time ago, but I get HUGE kicks out of the animosity that exists between fans on both sides. It's like everyone thinks that the other has this cosmotic connection that with every intention sabotage the other team. It's crazy, but quite comical!

Today, I woke up and went to breakfast with the padres. Everything in this local restaurant is a heart attack on a plate. When a standard breakfast is Pork Chops, scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and hash browns...sounds to me like someone's arteries are shutting down for the day! So that's what my dad ate! My mom and I went more traditional with pancakes.

All we did this weekend was eat, and no I didn't get to go to my favorite dive, Sevi's. My dad didn't think it was safe to drive into that neighborhood to eat. So we ate at this new place called The Jalapeno Tree. WHOA! It was great.

After eating, I picked up my replacement vehicle...a silver 2004 Sebring. I made it back to DFW on less than a 1/4 tank of gas. Walking in the door, my cell phone rings and it's someone I don't know who has my wife's phone and purse. Evidently, Richelle left it at TJ Maxx while trying to keep up with the kiddos! So, I'm frantically trying to get hold of my sister in law to tell them how to get it back...all is well, the nice people are going to drop it off by their house. SCARY!

Finally, how 'bout those RED RAIDERS!!! Talk about putting a whooping...no pun intended...on the aggies.

The Fam is out of town...What Will I Do?

2005-11-03T23:42:00.000-06:00

I hate it when my wife and kids leave town without me. I don't sleep well. I spend countless hours on the internet reading blogs. I get caught up on all my TiVo'd shows. But, when the chaos is still at my house it just doesn't seem right. I like the noise and craziness of my 3 year old little girl who wakes up talking and talks herself to sleep at night. I can't sleep because I'm used to having a knee in my ribs or fist in my nose from either my wife or daughter. It's weird having a king size bed all to yourself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but I DO MISS MY FAMILY!!!

So what am I going to do this weekend...go to a high school football game with my dad, pick up the replacement car for the retired Camry, eat at my favorite burrito place in Texas...no not Chipotle...nope, not Freebirds...yep you guessed it...SEVI's (in Wichita Falls). I'll let you know how my Chicken Combo with cheese and sour cream tastes!!! Oh yeah, I almost forgot...Tech plays A&M this weekend...I'll definitely be watching that one! And of course, frequent trips to Starbucks for my Venti Americano. Sounds like a full weekend to me, how will I ever fit all of that in?

WHOA! It's been a long time since I last posted!

2005-11-03T23:28:00.000-06:00

What can I say, but I've been SERIOUSLY busy these last 2 weeks. My wife and kids can attest to that gross understatement. Let's see what's been going on...

-C3 Children's Conference in The Apex...an additional 60 hours to an already INSANE week
-Uptown Office move and renovation...the new place is SWEET!!! I'll post pics soon!
-My 1990 Camry with 68000 miles finally had to be retired
-Bloom Mother/Daughter Conference in The Apex
-Went to the Invisible Children Benefit Concert to watch my boys "Foreign Oren"
-Halloween!!! Kamryn (3) was a Pink Dinosaur, and Gavin (7 mos) was Batman.
-FYI County Fair...yeah we didn't stick around long enough to enjoy these "festivities". We were a bit younger than the average attendee...like 30-40 years younger!!!
-(2) Great weekends of Uptown services

I will elaborate on a few of these events in future posts...so stay tuned!

Fix you?

2005-10-16T19:23:00.000-05:00

My little Kamryn has quite the personality. She is extremely bright, communicative, and imaginative. However, she has one trait that comes with a lot of girls...a VERY sassy mouth! Tonight, she sassed me one too many times and was sent to her room to sit in time out. After about 5 minutes of sitting in her room, quiet and alone, I went back to talk to her about her punishment.

I knelt down beside her on her bed and asked her, "Kamryn, do you know why you had to sit in time out?"

Her reply was simple, "Yes, because I have a sassy mouth and it gets me in trouble."

I then said to her, "What is it going to take to fix your sassy mouth?"

Her reply again was simple...

"God."

How true is that?

Again, from the mouth of a 3 year old comes the most obvious and simple of truths...God can fix our unlikeable traits, but we must surrender them to Him.

Transitions...

2005-10-16T19:19:00.000-05:00

At what point in your life do you stop calling your parents "mommy" and "daddy"? You start off with ma-ma & da-da, then move to mommy and daddy, then to...MOM and DAD. My 3 year old has passed me into the "DAD" stage. Tonight we were sitting at the dinner table and she said, "Dad, will you cut the cob off my corn?" Nevermind the fact that she gets the corn and cob inverted, I am now "dad" to her. She is 3 going on 16...I've got some fun but long years in store for me!

The Bare Necessities

2005-10-16T17:10:00.000-05:00

That's Kamryn in the 90* Texas heat in October...T-shirt, panties, toboggan, and gloves. I guess anything goes if the Jeep's top is down and you're rollin' down the highway or through the backyard!

Upcoming rock shows I'm dying to see...

2005-10-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

10/29 U2 @ American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
10/30 Foreign Oren, Radiant, Envoy, & others @ The Gypsy Ball Room (Dallas, TX)
11/8 Depeche Mode @ American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
11/8 Switchfoot @ The Gypsy Tea Room (Dallas, TX)
11/9 Mutemath @ The Gypsy Ball Room (Dallas, TX)
2/4 INXS @ The Chicago Theatre (Chicago, IL)

If you've got any hook ups, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

Yes, Tech is for REAL!!!

2005-10-15T20:41:00.000-05:00

Another record setting day for the boys of Texas Tech, and another W in the win column! I've got to admit I was a little scared in the first half as Tech looked incredibly flat and without a spark. Well, that spark turned into a forest fire in the second half as Tech put up 42 points and won 59-20. Next week takes Tech to Austin to take on UT...that hasn't proven to be very good in the past, so let's hope that next week brings with it the same spark that came alive in today's game!

I'm a little torn here because I would like to have a Big 12 team in the National Championship and Texas has the best chance of that right now...but, I guess I'll let it go this year! Tech could really make a move in the polls when the knock off UT next weekend! Yes Brian, Tech is for real and they should definitely be ranked!!! I guess the eyes of Texas will be weeping tears of sadness next Saturday!

Get Your Guns Up!!!

2005-10-08T20:45:00.000-05:00

How about those Red Raiders from Texas Tech? Did anyone happen to catch this amazing game? I had hopes that the UT vs. OU game would be better than it was...frankly I was BORED! But, at 3PM the game of the day kicked off. This game left me hitting the steering wheel in anger and jumping with joy all in the same play! I watched the game up until the 4th quarter when I had to get up out of the recliner and go to Grapevine to see my grandmother who was on her way home from DFW airport. So, the 4th quarter left me with the radio broadcast and my trusty punching bag, the steering wheel! However, in the end, the very end, with 12 seconds left, Tech's Cody Hodges hit his receiver Joel Filani in the end zone for the game winning TD, and Tech won 34-31 over Nebraska. Will they stay at the #13 spot in the coaches poll? Or, will they move on up closer to that Top 10? We'll see on Monday!

Ours or God's?

2005-10-05T10:24:00.000-05:00

I am reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. As I approach the end of this great book, something Rob wrote really popped out at me:

Heaven is full of forgiven people.

Hell is full of forgiven people.

Heaven is full of people God loves, whom Jesus died for.

Hell is full of forgiven people God loves, whom Jesus died for.

The difference is how we choose to live, which story we choose to live in, which version
we really trust.

Ours or God's.

Who are you living for today? Whose story are you living in today? Ouch!

From Tejano to Mississippi hounds

2005-09-30T22:40:00.000-05:00

Anyone own a silencer?...for the 3 dogs in my neighbor's yard who bark incessantly at nothing. Anything will work, including my neighbor getting off her couch and opening the door to let them in. Oh wait, there's a doggy door in her back door. So how are they not totally obnoxious to her? It's so bad that my Golden Retriever plastered himself against our backdoor begging to get in out of the noise. I am a dog lover...but these have to go.

Netflix Queue Update...

2005-09-30T22:33:00.000-05:00

My Netflix queue is running a little low. Anybody seen any good flix lately that you would recommend for my queue?