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On the Links

A few blog posts in recent days have been rockin' my world.  Check them out!

Craig Groeschel really challenged me in being a generous person and to be a pastor who leads people to generosity in their lives as well.

As usual Steven Furtick hit me where I live. As someone who has struggled with anxiety/panic attacks over the years, his post really gave me some serious spiritual perspective.

There are two grammatical errors in the following; it appears on the Google homepage (May 16): "Over 28,000 children drew doodles for our homepage. Vote for the one that will appear here." If you enjoy grammar, its usage, and how concerned we should be about it, check out Penelope Trunk's post. You'll enjoy it. (And among other things, she'll tell you what the two errors are and how to correct them.)

Al Allnoch has a killer post about Nascar and prayer. Yes, you read that correctly.

Our friend, Tierney Short, is working in India with the International Justice Mission. She wrote a beautiful post about taking a Sunday drive In India. She really captures the feelings, sights, sounds, and smells.

And finally, a very interesting post explaining a facet of our Christian history. When did the cross supplant the ichthus (fish) as a symbol of the Christian faith?

Some Great Posts I've Been Reading Lately

I regularly read about 15 blogs during any given week.  It keeps me in touch with things going on around the world through people that I know - and others that I one day hope to meet.  I've run across some great posts in recent days and wanted to share a few with you.  Glance through and then read a good joke at the end which made me laugh.

• Mark Labberton has an incredibly informative post on praying for President Obama.
• Perry Noble offers us a reminder on the love of God here.
• Tony Morgan interviews Ann Jackson on her new book, Mad Church Disease.
• Steven Furtick shares an encouraging post on retaining encouragement.
• Tally Wilgis is planting a church in Baltimore. He shares the importance of coaching others who are coming along behind us. 
• Todd Cullen puts us on to on-line Bible reading and journaling guides.
• Shane Duffey knocks it out of the park on being broken.
• Dr. Geoff Pound posted an essay from my favorite author, F. W. Boreham called, Waiting for the Tide.  It is definitely worth a few minutes of your uninterrupted time.

Now, if you're still with me, here's the joke  - and it's a blond joke! - from the book Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar (seriously, that's the book title!):
        A blonde is sitting next to a lawyer on an airplane.  The lawyer keeps bugging her to play a game with him by which they will see who has more general knowledge.  Finally, he says he will offer her ten-to-one odds.  Every time she doesn't know the answer to one of his questions, she has to pay him five dollars.  Every time he doesn't know the answer to one of her questions, he will pay her fifty dollars.
        She agrees to play, and he asks her, "What is the distance from the earth to the nearest star?"
        She says nothing, just hands him a five dollar bill.
        She asks him, "What goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?  He thinks for a long time but in the end has to concede that he has no idea.  He hands her fifty dollars. 
        The blonde puts the money in her purse without comment.  The lawyer says, "Wait a minute!  What's the answer to your question?"
        Without a word she hands him five dollars.
        
       

Technical difficulty...in a fun way

We know that some of you have not been receiving my e-mail alerts and we are working toward solving that problem...if you have a minute, would you send me a quick comment and let me know you are receiving this update? In fact, let's make a technical difficulty fun...share one resolution that you have made for the new year.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I read a number of blogs every day.  Many are written by pastors, some by Christian leaders, and others have to do with sports, business and news.  Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C. is one of my favorite bloggers.  Every time I read him I learn something; his thoughts add value to my life. On his post today he shared the following and it challenged me.  Maybe it will challenge you as well.  Let's walk our gratitude out this year!  Steven writes,

"Last year I challenged our people to express gratitude to someone who had made a worthy investment in their lives. In honor of Thanksgiving week, I’m issuing the challenge again this year. 1.    Pick someone in your life (the first person who comes to mind is probably the correct choice) who has blessed you-whether they know it or not. 2.    Send a letter, email, or post a blog telling them thanks. 3.    Be specific in what you thank them for.  Specificity is more meaningful than profundity.  You don’t have to write outstanding prose.  But if you chronicle in detail some ways they’ve blessed your life, they’ll savor every word. 4.    If possible, do it before the sun goes down tonight. Gratitude is one of my core values.  It goes hand in hand with generosity. Your words of gratitude may turn someone’s entire week-month-year around. You’d be surprised. There’s got to be more to Thanksgiving than putting on 3 ½ pounds. Go be grateful today."

Welcome to My Blog!

Thanks for checkin' in.  C.S. Lewis said he came into the kingdom of God as one of the most unwilling converts, kicking and screaming.  I have entered the blog world in much the same fashion.

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