California Dreaming and The Dead Sea Scrolls

The following are a list of thoughts from a Georgia boy who just spent four days in Northern California.

1. I visited the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at Bayside Church (www.baysideonline.com). Along with seeing my wife in her wedding dress and the birth of my daughter, it is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. The indisputable proof that it provides to the confirmation of the Bible and the promises of God is breathtaking.
2. Tony Morgan's (www.tonymorganlive.com) book Killing Cockroaches is now the greatest leadership book I've ever read. I cannot recommend it enough. Could not put it down.
3. Every church is different and has a unique DNA. Your church is different that the church down the street...or across the country.
4. However, most churches I visit the are well lead have many similarities in the areas of vision, leadership, missional initiatives, discipleship, volunteer development and implementation, and service to the under-resourced. It is their effectiveness that can vary.
5. Lincoln Brewster (www.lincolnbrewster.com) is as amazing a Worship Leader as I've ever seen. To get a picture of how God uses him, go to the video page on this blog.
6. I topped 1,000 twitter followers on Thursday.
7. Churches east of the Mississippi build large gathering spaces in the lobbies and fellowship halls of their churches. Because the weather is so nice, West Coast churches create some of the most amazing outdoor landscaping and environments for people to connect. I really enjoyed suffering for Jesus by reading Killing Cockroaches by a waterfall in 70 degree weather.
8. I had four people make fun of my southern accent on this trip. This happens often but always in good fun and I have fun with it. However, three of the four had some venom to it this time. I'm not making any statements. It's just an observation.
9. I walked into Outback Steakhouse holding my blackberry. As I walked passed a person, I overheard them say "Look, he's still got a blackberry." I always knew I was behind the technology curve, but it is now official!
10. I was listening to a Sacramento sportstalk when the discussion came up regarding Tyreke Evans winning the NBA's Rookie of the Year. They were saying 'That was a good pick last year. That was a wise choice last year. He played well last year.' implying this was not a foundational building block but rather something to complain about.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of similarities with sportstalk channels across the country as well.

20 Things I'm Thinking On Christmas Eve About Church and Sports

Today is a really fun post to write. This is a wonderful Christmas season for our family and we are preparing for a great couple of days. I am doing some reflective thinking today about the past year and decade and am just going to put down some random thoughts.

1. I have a lot of gifts under the tree, a happy and healthy family, good friends, and been at my job for 7.5 years. I am truly beyond blessed, a lot more than most. Every good and perfect gift comes from above and I have many.
2. I have the best wife and daughter in the world.
3. There are many great things going on in American churches right now. More people are being served and attendance is higher than ever.
4. However, I think we may be at an all-time low on biblical literacy.
5. It's going to take Hybels or Warren to say it before everyone gets on board. However when they do, we all know that small groups are largely ineffective. Each church may have 2-3 that are prevailing but because of child care, teaching and leadership giftedness, and the ability to control discipleship, small groups are in a train wreck status currently.
6. Generosity is a big buzz word in churches. But when only 7-8% of Christians tithe, we are not addressing the real issue. We feel better about ourselves talking about generosity but the problem is not going away. The problem is to identify the problem. The solution then becomes obvious.
7. Drew Brees will be one of the three NFC QBs in the Pro Bowl. Good luck though picking the other two from Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Kurt Warner, Eli Manning, and Aaron Rodgers. Great QBing in the NFC right now.
8. Speaking of Favre, he is just my favorite player because of the entertainment and drama that he provides. His last second win of the 49ers earlier this year is the NFL image of the year.
9. Vince Young is the greatest human interest story this NFL season. Great story of personal growth, perseverance, and redemption.
10. Peyton Manning is by far the best leader in sports.
11. The best images in the NFL are watching Chris Johnson in open space and DeSean Jackson with the ball in his hands.
12. I think the 5 best sports movies this decade were Remember The Titans, The Blind Side, Rocky Balboa, The Rookie, and For The Love Of The Game. I think Rocky Balboa is the most underrated movie of the decade.
13. I love my Pastor, Crawford Loritts. What great insight and moral authority!
14. When is the last time you heard a speaker talk about the need for purity and personal holiness on a national scale? It is the greatest need for Christians right now. Thank you Kay Arthur for carrying that torch.
15. As much as I am loving the NFL this season, I am equally disappointed with college football. We did not get big years from Tim Tebow, Dez Bryant, Sam Bradford, Jahvid Best, Jermaine Greshem, USC, LSU, Georgia, FSU, Michigan, Arrelious Benn, and Terrell Pryor. When the Goliaths don't play well, it makes for a sub-par season.
16. Wasn't baseball better with the New York Yankees returning to power.
17. The Philadelphia Phillies are young and going to be very good for a long time.
18. My heart goes out to the Cincinnati Bengals this year. I hope they go deep into the play-offs.
19. The San Diego Chargers will beat the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.
20. I'll take Kobe Bryant over LeBron James.

Finally, I am never amazed that a person's talent takes them where their character cannot sustain them. However, I am constantly amazed at how little character some talented people have.

Rearview Mirror

Very memorable weekend. Here are some of my thoughts:

• Another great day at Fellowship Bible Church. Crawford Loritts delivered another life-changing message from Acts 15 on how God uses conflict. I learned a lot! Go to www.fbconline.org later this week to hear the message.
• Brett Favre returned to Green Bay with 4 touchdown passes and a Vikings win. Regardless of his age or how often he struggles with retirement decisions, he is healthy and can perfectly run Minnesota's offense. I love his passion for life and the game. Also, Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson are freaks who you can't contain the entire game. They allow Favre not to do too much and stay in the confines of the offense. I hope he never retires.
• The Philadelphia Eagles have more top-tier talent skill players than any team I have seen since the 1981-84 San Diego Chargers. DeSean Jackson is the most electrifying player in the NFL currently.
• Ted Ginn Jr is the new Desmond Howard. A top 10 NFL Draft wideout who never panned out as a receiver but found a niche as a dominant return man.
• Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy have re-entered the Heisman race with big weekends. I have them #2-3 behind Jimmy Clausen. However, I know most people would have Clausen or Mark Ingram #3.
• Unless you can hold the Florida Gators to 17 points, no one is going to beat them because that defense is not going to give up more than that. Your best chance is to force turnovers and make Tebow fumble or throw interceptions.
• The Oregon Ducks were dominant against USC. Head Coach Chip Kelly has a team that is fast, loaded with athletes, and can flat out score. They are a compelling story and Kelly is the National Coach of the Year.
• Also, they have a great QB in the West Coast-Tebow, Jeremiah Masoli. Only a junior, I would draft Masoli ahead of Tebow. He's not as big but he's a significantly better passer and a more dangerous runner.
• Who knew the Boise State-Oregon game back in Week 1 would wind up being so important? It's not going to happen without a playoff, but I would love to see a Florida-Oregon game. The BCS is heading towards Armageddon this year.
• I would also like to see Texas-Alabama or Texas-TCU.
• I don't want to see Iowa play anyone. Come on Ohio State and Terrell Pryor in two weeks, relieve our national suffering.
• Georgia Tech is a team no one wants to play in January. Georgia Tech-Cincinnati would be a great game.
• I'm old enough to remember when Ole Miss was a good team...back in the first two weeks of September.
• I'm old enough to remember when the Tennessee Volunteers were a bad team...back in the first two weeks of September.
• I think Carmelo Anthony will enter full-fledged superstar status this year and lead the NBA in scoring. He has always been able to score but he has now arrived mentally and emotionally and Chauncey Billups is a great veteran steadying influence.

Getting ready for a charity golf event tomorrow for Bethel Haven in Athens, GA to raise support to help at-risk kids. I can't wait. Hanging out with some great guys.

Rearview Mirror

It's been a great weekend and the following are some thoughts from it:

• Fantastic day at Fellowship Bible Church with Senior Pastor Crawford Loritts. Spoke on Acts 13:1-3 and how God uses diversity to spread the Gospel. I am so excited about how our church is serving and impacting the Roswell, GA community.
• As you arrived for the service, we had hand sanitizers stationed outside the auditorium doors to protect against the H1N1 flu virus. If this gives visitors a sense of security and allows them to relax and focus on the message and not a potential physical issue, this is a good thing.
• C.J. Spiller has entered the Heisman race. I appreciate that Tim Tebow is going to be in here because of Florida's ranking and his pedigree. However, it we judged it on this year alone, here is my list as of this date - 1) Jimmy Clausen 2) Mark Ingram and 3) C.J. Spiller.
• Though the Miami Hurricanes and Tennessee Volunteers both barely lost, both are going to be serious national contenders in the upcoming years. Miami is loaded with young talent and a Jacory Harris will be a leading candidate for the 2010 Heisman. Tennessee is learning how to win and currently has the #6 ranking in this year's recruiting class.
• Everyone talks about the defenses of Florida and Alabama and rightfully so. However, don't overlook the defense of the Texas Longhorns. The could have 3 first round picks in next year's draft in Sergio Kindle, Roderick Muckelroy, and Lamarr Houston. Also, safety Earl Thomas will be a 2nd team All-American.
• Speaking of the NFL Draft, Jonathan Dwyer and Spiller have passed Jahvid Best as 1st round running backs. Look for Charles Scott of LSU to pass Best as well, but all will be in the 1st round.
• Matt Barkley had the USC offense hitting on all cylinders. They have 6 NFL players starting at the skill positions. Once again, they will be the team you don't want to play in January.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers defense scored more points than the Minnesota Viking offense 14-10. It is going to be an unbelievable AFC playoff series with the Steelers, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts.
• In an league driven by parity, I have never seen the NFL have so many bad teams. When you look at the Browns, Titans, Raiders, Chiefs, Redskins, Lions, Buccaneers, and Rams, you have 8 teams that have little to no chance ever week.
• Did you notice that hot air ballooning got more coverage this week than the NHL?

Rearview Mirror

Some thoughts and experiences I had this past weekend:

• Great day at Fellowship Bible Church. Shane Freeman shared about the wrath of God and we had baptism and communion. Unbelievable message and experience. Shared a quote and a few passages on my twitter account.
• Had breakfast Saturday morning with a pastor whose church is closing and helping him transition to the next phase of his life. Very productive and he is going to be quite productive in his next assignment.
• Matt Barkley is 5-0 with road wins at Ohio State, California, and Notre Dame...as a freshman! We are seeing the embryonic stages of potentially an all-time great.
• Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham of OU have reminded me that when opportunity presents itself, it's too late to prepare. In their case, no need to keep preparing. Both definite '09 first round picks should have went pro.
• Two years ago, Brett Favre was the NFL Player of the Year as the Green Bay Packers went to the NFC Championship. In 2008, the New York Jets were 8-3 before he got hurt. This year, he is having another magical season for the 6-0 Minnesota Vikings. Great quote - "At 40 years old, I know what to do." I hope he never retires. He's got talent around him and let's just enjoy this.
• The 80-83 San Diego Chargers. 1990 and 1995 San Francisco 49ers. 2000-02 St Louis Rams. 2007 New England Patriots. It's time to add the 2009 New Orleans Saints to the list of the greatest offenses of the modern generation.
• Tennessee Titans are 0-6. Since 1978, of the 47 teams that went 13-3 or better, 12 (26%) had a losing record the next year. I will explore why in a future blog.