Peace

We are doing a series on Advent this Christmas Season.  Last Sunday we talked about Hope, this Sunday we will talk about Peace.  I was hoping you could help me out a little by answering some questions.  (Feel free to answer them in the comments section, reply to them on FaceBook, or email me directly at Graham@springsranchchurch.com ) Ready, Set, GO!

How would you define peace? (personal – not in terms of a lack of warfare)

How do you find peace in the midst of high velocity lives?

How would you describe a peaceful person? (what traits do they have & exhibit?)

How do you know you are peaceful?

I think peace is …   (finish the sentence)

The most peaceful person I know is…

When I am at my greatest peace, I am ….

The thing that really kills peace is …

If I could tell you something about peace it would be …

Thanks so much for your help!  Have a peaceful day!

Dog Hair

we are a dog loving family.  In fact, against my will, there is a puppy search on right now among some of the women folk in our house.  We already have two dogs, Moses, a Rat Terrier in the picture above, and Samson, a Shih-Tzu.  We have had Moses for 9 years and he is a great dog.  He is friendly, protective, and loves to play ball.  He is really smart, and loves attention.  But he sheds.  His hair is fine and a little wiry so it gets all over and if you are wearing dark colors, it sticks to you and stands out on your clothes.  You can tell how close you have been to him by how much hair has accumulated on your clothes.  Sometimes I am covered in it, sometimes I push him away so I don’t have to de-lint before I leave the house…

This morning I set down the black sweater I was going to put wear on the bed.  That was a mistake because when I went to put it on it was covered in Moses’ white wiry hair.  As I was picking off the hair one at a time it got me thinking…  People can tell I have a dog by the hair on my sweater,   but can they tell that I have been with God by my attitudes and actions?  If my proximity to my dog leaves a tell tale sign, shouldn’t the same be true based on my proximity to God?  If God shed, would I be covered in his hair today?  Would people know I love spending time with Him?  Would they be able to tell I am a “God-lover” like I am a “dog-lover”?  Or do I push Him away like I do my dog?Do I try to use a lint roller to get all of the indications of being with God off before I go out, like I try to do with the dog hair all over me?

My thought today; can people tell I have been with God?

What Does It Mean To Be “Generous” Today?

generous |ˈjenərəs|adjective

(of a person) showing a readiness to give more of something, as money or time, than is strictly necessary or expected : she was generous with her money.

• showing kindness toward others : it was generous of them to ask her along.

• (of a thing) larger or more plentiful than is usual or necessary : a generous sprinkle of pepper.

Generosity comes in all shapes and forms, and most of us love a generous person…  As our culture changes, what does it mean to you to be generous in this day and age?  Financial generosity is one of they ways we show our generosity, but we can also be generous with our time by giving it to help others.  And we cannot overlook begin generous with our abilities, experiences, and expertise either…

Have the pressures of the economic downturn impacted your ability or willingness to give to those in need, to charities, or to the church?

Have the pressures of the velocity of your life impacted your ability or willingness to give your time, skills, or abilities to those in need, charities, or the church?

Have you ever considered the benefits of giving time, money, or your expertise to other’s?

Have you ever considered that giving time, money, or your expertise benefits you?

I would love to hear from you about this… post your comments here or on the Facebook thread!

This Is Crazy

I watched an incredibly inspirational video this morning on Good Morning America about a family that sold their big house, bought an RV and go around the country trying to help people.  (Click Here to watch the video, there is a commercial at the beginning).  On the outside of the RV the words “Crazy Love” are painted.  Crazy Love is a book written by a great pastor from California, Francis Chan.  Visit his website by clicking HERE and poke around a little bit… he has really cool videos too.  I loved his book.  It challenges the way we live life these days, always seeking more and more and never truly finding satisfaction.  He asks the question,

Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical solutions?

I believe the family Good Morning America’s report was about is truly answering that question with a resounding “YES!”  You can visit their website by clicking HERE.

What would you find yourself doing if you could let go of everything holding you back and step out in tangible and even radical solutions to the problems of life you are passionate about?  What would you desire to do so that people around you would say, “this is crazy!”

Dream big and share your answers!

Colorado Weather

So, this morning the TV stations are going crazy reporting on our latest snow event. It is forecasted for our area that we can expect 1-4 inches of snow! Fun, fun. I actually enjoy it when it snows, but I find it very annoying that we live in a state that expects snow in winter and when it does snow it seems to be such a big deal. I know places further North of us are supposed to get more snow that we will here, so when local school districts cancel for the day for snow that hasn’t even fallen yet I find it humorous! When I came into work this morning – late I might add – there was no snow on the ground, no snow falling from the sky, and the prediction of 3 inches by the end of the day. Not sure that means we should shut all the school districts down and act like it is some huge deal. If you live in Colorado and can’t handle a few inches of snow, doesn’t that make you a Texan?

Just sayin…

Maybe it will snow and snow and pile up like crazy and prove me wrong, insensitive, and foolish, but come on, we live in a snow state, put on a coat, buy some good tires, drive slower, brake sooner, and suck it up!

The Gap (Brought To You By Ed Stetzer)

As I have had some time to process the experiences we had at the Colorado Baptist Convention last week, I thought I would share a couple things that have been weighing on my mind.

The first day, Ed Stetzer, a nationally knows expert on church planting, revitalization and writer spoke to the pastors at the convention.  I loved what he was saying about the need for us to take notice that the things that used to work in the church world, no longer do in the ways we understand them to, and we have to refocus to revitalize.

he suggests we ask these questions: “What is the best expression of a New testament Church in our context?” and, “what do we need to do to best reach out to the community?”

He did a really good job encouraging all of us to think differently about how to lead churches in this day and age.  The funny part to me was the rest of the time we were there… It is like Ed packed up, headed out to his next thing and took all his ideas and thoughts with him.  We were left right back in the same place with people asking for the same things; more time, more people, more money, to do things the same way…  and we know what that way leads to, decline…

One of the best phrases Ed used that I heard before is, “People don’t change until the pain of change outweighs the pain of staying the same.”  So the motivation for all of us that lead churches needs to be, “how can I leverage the pain of staying the same to hurt more than the pain of changing?” That means we have to take a good, long, realistic look at what will happen if we do nothing, put it in words, and be sure we constantly refer to it during the hard times – not ignore it like it really doesn’t exist and by doing so widen the gap between decline and revitalization.

If we want to be a church that is reaching people who haven’t been reached – we better make sure we keep a healthy eye on getting comfortable and doing what we have always done.  Let’s stretch the limits, watch God show up, and see what putting ourselves in a little pain might lead to, my bet is it will be worth it.

Her Story (A Must Read)

My niece – Trish’s sister’s daughter (so maybe my niece in law,) – has a place where she is writing about her battle against cancer.  She is a beautiful writer and give us a ton to think about.  I love the way she writes and think you will too.  I only wish I had half the courage she does!

Join me in reading her journey by clicking HERE

Study & Prep Day

I have a busy day of studying and preparing for the weekend today.  This week’s message is going to be harder to prepare than last – sometimes that happens!  But I am excited to see how it will all work out.

This week at the college age group meeting we have called 20Somethings, they were all anxious about mid-term tests and projects… Last night one of my kids was complaining about studying all the time…  I had to laugh because that is what most of us do all the time as adults!  We have projects, presentations, research, reports due all the time!  It seems like it is something we all get to be involved in – so here was my advice compassionate as it is, “get used to it!”

What kinds of projects, presentations, research, reports do you do now as part of your weekly schedule?

What is your favorite way to prepare for those things?

Week In Brief

So it has been a few days since my last post, I apologize… I am determined to write several times a week, so when I go for nearly a week between posts it frustrates me…

Here is what has been going on.

Last week two kids were sick pretty much all week.

Friday we all got to go to the mall with Trish’s niece and support her while she had her long hair cut short.  (the doctors assure her that it will fall out with the chemo, but it is easier to watch short hair fall out then long hair)

Saturday we had a Flu Shot Clinic at the church, but the roads were really icy so we had a really low turn out – thanks to Maxim Healthcare for providing the clinic anyway.

Sunday was our Enter class, for people interested in joining our church, and we had 7 people there (my kids were there too, so that is 11, they had never been through the class!)

The other exciting part was that the Twin’s Grandpa found them cars.  He buys the first car for all of his grandkids, (like 13 of them!  so he has 6 to go!)  They will be 16 in a few months, so they were not expecting it at all.  It was quite a surprise – we all waited in the garage and opened the overhead door to see them parked on the driveway.

Thank God for Grandpa’s!

Monday and Tuesday were typical work days, and I cannot believe it is Wednesday already!

I have a ton of stuff to do, so I am going to go, but here are some pics you might enjoy…

(I forgot to mention that the younger grandkids (16 and under) were taped for an ad that their Grandpa’s stores are running to celebrate their 20th anniversary.  I included the picture of the taping too…

Hobby

I need a hobby.  Something that I can get absorbed in for a few hours a week to keep my stress level down and stop thinking so much about the church and other things going on around me.  I like to play golf, but it can get expensive and the only way to get better at is it to spend a lot of time playing…  Plus I would like the hobby to be something Trish and I can do together.  She doesn’t like golf.  We go to movies together a couple times a month, but that isn’t really a hobby.  Bowling is lame in my opinion, so that is out.  I wish I was handy like my Dad, he has a wood shop and I would love to be good at making wood things – but my projects always wind up looking like something a kid makes at a Home Depot Son & Dad workshop.  I am not good at thinking of hobbies, so I need your help.

What kinds of things do you do as a hobby, what do you do as a couple that has been fun?  Have you heard of something you would like to start as a hobby?

I am sure you will come up with creative and fun ideas, so share away!