Here is one of his posts that you should go read. And pay particular attention to the middle three paragraphs that start with “In the realm of faith formation,…”

In other news I’m going to be doing some training the rest of this week. Here is what I’m doing:

For almost a year, Global Connection Partnership Network has been developing training that is church-based and deliverable online.  The training consists of forty two lessons under the broad categories of Foundations, Character, Community, Competency, Church, Connection, and Covenant.  These lessons cover such topics as cross-cultural living, approaching people of other faiths, partnerships, and conflict resolution.  The launch of this new form of training will take place on August 14-15, 2008 in Arlington, TX.  Once a person is trained and certified to faciliate a learning group, he or she will be able to access the lessons and begin training people in the context of their local church.  To learn more about how to be part of this initial workshop, go to http://www.gcpn.org/missional_formation.html .

Iit all started a long long time ago in a far off distant land called “Waco.” In this land the local youth were oppressed with excruciating amounts of work in a forced labor environment called “Baylor.” With no hope of ever coming out from under the excessive amounts of tuition, the future looked bleak for most non “trust fund daddy” individuals.

Then one day the unthinkable happened! A phone call with unimaginable news. No, not the one about The Great Watercress Shortage of 1999. This phone call would bring wonderful delights and hopes of a future that needed no epoxy on a car mirror for the third time, or a 500 sq ft. home to live in. This phone call said “you too can be a trust fund baby.” Goodbye 1994 Pontiac Grandprix, Hello 2008 Honda Accord Hybrid!!

Well, it sounds good and it’s probably going to be the story I tell my grandchildren one day, but it’s not entirely true. The truth is back in 1998/9 there was a small trust fund set up by my aunt in a startup company. There were 9 of us in the trust and it was invested for $100,000. You can do the math to how much each person is worth in it. This was the second company my aunt and her husband had started. The first one “went platinum” so to speak and now they just do whatever they want to. So I had VERY hi hopes for this one. If it did half as well as the first one I would retire when I was 30. Or at least that is what I told Trish.

Well, I turn 30 in a month and a half. Earlier this year the trust was…sadly…closed. In the end after 10 years of nothing but loosing money and whatever taxes had to be paid, I got a check for just under $400.

So in the end, my hopes and dreams of being rich, funding mission activities all over the world, not having to worry about bills and work, just doing whatever God led me to and being able to finance it myself, and buying Trish a car (promise I made 10 years ago)…I wound up with three hundred bucks and some change.

So now I’m forced to decide what to do with my “hopes and dreams.” What would you do with $300+ that was once your dream of sticking it to the man? What do I spend it on? Do I just put it in the bank and have it assimilated with the bills, living, etc.? Do I put it toward some type of loan (student, house, car)? Do I stash it as part of a fund to buy a nice camera? Do I buy and Xbox 360 (or PS3)? Do I give it to Wife at Christmas for a shopping spree?  Or maybe I give it to wife because, as she said with her silent look, “you always have to figure out how to spend large sums of money, when do I get some large sums of money?” Or do I do something else with it? What do you think? I’m giving you input on what to do with what was previously part of my life’s hopes and dreams. So vote in the poll and leave me some comments.

Five trips from Church to pick up Burmese - 91 miles
Ten times through the toll both on the way with no toll tag - $15.00
Learning that a 7 passenger Chevy Suburban can actually fit up to 19 Burmese people and 1 driver -PRICELESS!

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I helped pick up people for the Burmese church that meets in the afternoon here at my church. There are a bunch of Burmese (Myanmar) refugee’s that are coming to Houston. A lot of them (that go to this church) don’t have cars. That means we have a slight problem of finding a way to get 120+ people here by 3pm on Sunday.

Today there was a bit of a hitch in the system. It seems someone took both of the vans and didn’t tell us. So we ended up with a different van and a suburban. I got the suburban and was given an address to an apartment complex. I was expecting to go to this place once at 2pm, maybe twice because I didn’t have a 15 passenger van, and then go to the second address I was given by 2:30. Instead I drove up and there were 40-50 people waiting outside to come to church. I had a 7 passenger suburban…not including myself. There was the passenger seat, 3 person middle seat, and the 3 person back seat. Plus there was the storage area behind that.

Now you might not know this, but if you try real hard you can fit more than 7 people in that suburban. You can fit 20 (including the driver)…at least…if you use the storage part in the back and have kids sit on top of everyone else. If you are naturally smaller that helps as well. No one spoke English, so as I was telling them “That is enough I will come back.” and “ok no more people I will come back to get you.” they all just kept pilling in the suburban. No one could understand me, I was running short on time, so I just went. When I got to the church I started counting 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-….how many people… 12-13-14…can fit inside a …15-16-17…suburban…holy monkey there are more people in there - 18-19 (and 20 including myself).

WOW. 20 people in one suburban. Do you think that goes against any insurance policy or diving laws? I rehearsed what I would say to the cop that pulled me over: “Listen if you can get them to get out I would appreciate it. I just pulled up to a apartment and they all got in as I was saying to stop and no one understands English and I am a minister and I have to be back at the church so I just came anyway.”

So how many people can you fit into a suburban? I challenge you to fit more and take a picture and post it!!

P.S.
Steve - you can save your comments like “I spell stupid L-U-S-K” to yourself.

So I think I have decided to go back to crazy. After reading much of the past couple months of the MercyMe blog (or SLOG as they call it), watching the cover band vids, the rangers vids, etc., I was reminded of a funner Cliff time. Bart reminds me somewhat of my friend Matt Sprink. Sprink can do the worm, but that is neither here nor there. Thinking about Matt I remember when I used to be much more crazy. I would do things like wear steel toe boots and go in and out of the metal dectector at the airport while a friend videoed me being wanded over and over. Or being a lot more funny that I tend to be now.

For a few years I have tried to “tone it down” because I thought I wanted to be more “toned” and all I really need to do is work out!! Ha ha ha ha. Ok that was cheesy, but you get my point. Really what I wanted to address was my need to be liked, the center of attention, the life of the party, etc. And I think I’ve done a decent job at getting better over the past say…9 years. That being said, I’m to boring now.

I tell you all of this so you can prepare yourself. Some of my new friends (being the ones here in Houston) don’t know I’m crazy. While they think I’m a bit silly and I talk to much at homegroup, I’ve never really been the outgoing, funny, somewhat crazy person I used to be. So prepare youself, and pray for Wife. She needs it!

I hate stupid church signs. In fact, I used one as an illustration one time preaching. I was reminded of my utter disdain for how stupid they can be after reading a post by Bart (as in from MercyMe). I hate stupid church signs. Why do churches do the things they do???

I mean - “You think it’s hot and smokey here….!!!” or “Gas to expensive? Come in here for a fill up” just make me upset. Just ask Wife.There used to be a sign in Waco on New Road, near Sanger Ave. that always made me angry. One time they made fun of the pastor’s sermon and then the next week had a message explaining the previous message that said “The Pastor approved last weeks message.” Why be that stupid to begin with?

All stupid signs like that do is turn people off. That and make me upset and give me something to blog about. So churches…please stop saying stupid things. Equating your church service to a gas tank fill up is not only a bad example of church, but theologically incorrect. If your church is really like that then I don’t want to go there. And writing things like ‘GOD WROTE THE KING JAMES VERSION. BUSINE$$ MEN WROTE THE OTHER VERSIONS’ just shows that you are very closed/narrow minded, do not study and understand the bible or what a “translation” is (which includes KJV), and all you do is turn many people away.

Buy it on or visit the website DaveandJessRay.com

My favorite songs are, in no particular order:

Be Glorious
One
Undone
Face of God
Shout it Out
These Precious Minutes
Thunder Roll
One in a Million
Light of the World
Empty
Restore Me

Here is the video that accompanies the song Face of God.

At SimplyNoise you can use a slider to find a comfort zone and enjoy the auditory zen. The site claims you can use it for aid sleep, to block distractions, mask Tinnitus, configure audio equipment, and sooth migrains.

10 Of The World’s Most Amazing 3D Street Artists
These 3D street artists give graffiti a whole new meaning

Ann P. Smith spends her days making little robotic-like figurines from broken electronics and machine parts. The sculptures are sold in stores and galleries throughout the US and have been published as illustrations in magazines and brochures.

The Sarniematic Cheddar-o-meter, produced by West Country Farmhouse Cheesemakers, will utilise a newly discovered formula to ascertain the Sarnie Strata Ratio for your perfect cheese sandwich based on your choices of filling and calculate the optimum thickness of the slice of West Country Farmhouse Cheddar you should use.

Loss of Natural Teeth by U.S. State
Adults aged 65+ in the USA who have had all their natural teeth extracted. Congrat’s West Virginia on your victory!

101 Things To Do When You’re Bored
Strike up a conversation with a total stranger, start a blog, learn to peel a banana with your feet, lie on the grass and look at cloud shapes, Google everyone you knew in high school.
101 things to do when you’re bored.

And most importantly…

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A great advertisement!

I have a friend who endorses or doesn’t endorse various products and brands. So much so that she used to have a list on her blog. I thought I could tell you some of the things I endorse too.

Things I endorse;

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