Video Friday!
Posted on July 4th, 2008I may be going to hell for posting this video, but at least I’ll be laughing along the way…
Mind Job!
Posted on July 3rd, 2008I’m not a big fan of posting song lyrics or large passages of scripture, but this just blew me away yesterday when I read it:
Psalm 32
A psalm of David.
1 Oh, what joy for those
whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
2 Yes, what joy for those
whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,*
whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude
6 Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
7 For you are my hiding place;
you protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude
8 The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,
but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.
11 So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him!
Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
I pray that the miracle of salvation, the greatest miracle of them all, would never become dull or routine to us. Thank you, God, for your mercies are new every day!
Where do your loyalties lie?
Posted on July 2nd, 2008One of the hardest, if not THE hardest adjustment for my wife in our move across town is adjusting to a new grocery store. There’s an Albertson’s that’s probably closer, but the thought never crossed her mind. She’s a Publix gal, through and through.
She moaned and complained about having to learn a new layout for a different Publix (OK, I might be indulging just a bit. But only a bit!). I again suggested trying a new store, but the dirty look and muttering under her breath told me I should probably not bring the subject up again. She’s a Publix gal, through and through.
It got me thinking…where do our loyalties lie?
Would we leave a church because of a preaching style? What about worship style? If someone started rapping on Sunday morning, would that punch our exit ticket, even if it was theologically awesome?
But loyalties aren’t all bad. Sure, the wrong loyalties can lead to selfishness and individualism, causing needless division and strife. On the other hand, the right loyalties will help us persevere and endure during unsettling change and trying times. The battle we must engage in is to constantly evaluate our loyalties and make sure they bring life and not division.
Where do your loyalites lie?
A blog post from Kelly Bell! Finally!
Posted on June 30th, 2008Greatest. Guest blogger. Ever.
I thought Clayton would have blogged about or Anniversary Date Adventure by now, but as he said earlier he hasn’t had much time lately. So I am stepping in to pick up the slack and tell you about our fun and eventful evening!
We decided to go to Cypress, a fancy restaurant in town, because it’s something we don’t normally do. It’s pretty pricey, and we both have a hard time justifying spending a lot of money on dinner when we’d be happy eating at Chick-fil-a together. We are not hard to please. But we’d heard great things and knew the chef through a good friend, so we gave it a shot.
We sat down, looked at the menu, then look at each other and start laughing because everything is so gourmet and that’s just not us. (Clayton did end up ordering grilled meatloaf with these amazing potatoes though…we loved it [Clayton's note: yes, WE]).
So we’re finishing our salads and Clayton picks up his water glass, which is completely full. It somehow slips out of his hand and lands on his plate, which smashes into pieces! He was completely drenched and we became the main attraction in this quiet restaurant. We start dying laughing because this stuff always happens to us (and by us, I mean Clayton 
). He went off to find a dryer in the bathroom, and while he was gone I discovered I cut my hand pretty badly on the broken plate and got blood on the white tablecloth and napkin!
After all that, we ended up having a great night and ate some of the best desserts we’ve ever had! We decided from now on we’ll just go to Chili’s so we’ll know how to pronounce everything on the menu, and I could get the best chips and salsa around!
Contemplating my online future…
Posted on June 29th, 2008It’s been a very odd few weeks in my new job. I’ve almost disappeared from blogging, I rarely Twitter (well, it rarely works anyways!), and barely get to comment on other’s blogs!
With the combination of three new jobs (I have one title but the reality is I have three jobs: Children’s Church, Youth, and adult church), a new baby, a new place, selling an old place…let’s just say that blogging hasn’t been the highest priority. In fact, I contemplated if I should even continue to blog…
But I decided to keep going. Sorry. You can’t delete me just yet!
However, my blogging is going to be a little different for the next few months. With the learning curve I’m expereinceing right now, there’s no way I can keep up my 1.2 post-per-day average. My goal will be to get out Video Friday, The Hot Links, and two original posts per week. Those posts will be a mix of leadership, spiritual insights, and updates about projects taking place in our church.
I hope you’ll stick around as this blog evolves, and I thank you so much for being a part of this exciting journey…
The Hot Links!- 06.28.08
Posted on June 28th, 2008
2008 web design trends. A pretty cool list…
Got jewelery from an ex and don’t know what to do with it? Problem solved…
I like how it looks like he’s running across…
The 100 best TV shows since 1983. I think the US version of The Office is WAY too low…
Anything with 48 comments about tampons deserves a Hot Link…
Pete Wilson’s a little sick of the need for God to bless America. I agree!
How sweaty of a town is Tallahassee? VERY…
And finally…I would link to a particular post on the Swerve blog, but the last two weeks have been UNREAL. Just go read the whole thing, and then smack yourself in the face if you’re not already subscribed. What is WRONG with you!?!?
Video Friday!
Posted on June 27th, 2008I just can’t fathom how you imagine this, let alone execute it…
MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
Prayer urgently needed!
Posted on June 26th, 2008From Kelly, my wife:
I wanted to ask you to pray for my Mom. She had a scan done of her abdomen the other day to check a pain she had. It turned out that there was nothing there but the scan did pick up the bottom part of her lung and they saw a spot. The doctor told her not to worry because it could just be a shadow since the scan was not focused on her lungs. She is getting another scan tomorrow at 8:30am to get a better look. She also had a cyst on her ovary (but that isn’t as big of a concern right now).
Please pray that it was just a shadow and nothing more! Please also pray against fear and anxiety for my Mom. My uncle (her brother) died of lung cancer a few years ago so she is always concerned. Please also pray against any curse of cancer on my family, as it has afflicted so many people in my family.
Thank you so much for your prayers! I love seeing how God works and answers prayers through all of you!
How’s your PCR?
Posted on June 23rd, 2008In a conversation with Jen last week I was reminded of a little term I coined because of my communication struggles with various people: PCR, or personal communication reputation.
In today’s age of instant communication, people expect you to answer them in a timely manner. Your quick response, or lack thereof, communicates more to the people you’re interacting with than the actual content of your communication. It shows them the value you place on them and their ideas. It shows what you think of THEM, not what you think of their email/text/IM.
Text messages that aren’t responded to in a few hours become pointless. Emails that sit for days on end become a huge frustration, especially for those that need a quick response! And any voicemail that isn’t returned within 24 hours is basically worthless.
What are you communicating through your communication? Do you have a good PCR? How about a GREAT one? How’s mine?
Ask a friend and let us know how you’re doing!
The mathmatics of love
Posted on June 22nd, 2008
Since June 22, 2002 we’ve had…
6 years
5 jobs
3 miscarriages
2 houses
2 apartments
1 premature birth
9 weeks living in the hospital
1 beautiful little girl
And I couldn’t imagine anyone better to live with and love everyday. Love you, Kelly.