Mile High

Last weekend I had the privilege of speaking to the NY Jets football team in Denver. I did their chapel service Saturday night before they took on the Broncos the following Sunday. Apparently, my message wasn't that inspiring because the Jets went down in defeat! I had a great time in Denver, however. My sister, Rebekah, lives there and works in an upscale restaurant. Needless to say we ate constantly! After spending the weekend in Colorado, my family and I made our way to Missouri to spend some time with grandparents for Thanksgiving. My Paw Paw is 93 and my Mi Mi is 87. They've been married for 67 years and are still in love!! Now that's inspiring! It was a great week to just relax and enjoy life (not to mention all the different ways turkey can be served: turkey sandwiches, turkey gumbo, turkey pie, pickled turkey, turkey on a stick...you get the idea!) But it is good to be back in the BR. The temperature here is only a few degrees off from the temperature in Colorado (yeah right). I hope you all had a great Holiday, and I can't wait to see you all!

Now that's Passion!

Have you ever noticed a strange phenomenon that occurs in South Louisiana for about 4 months every fall? It affects thousands of people every Saturday night and manifests itself in different ways. Some paint their faces purple and gold, others tailgate, and some fly flags and place magnets on their cars. It’s a craze we have come to know and love here in Baton Rouge…it’s called TIGER MANIA!! We actually acquired this rare video footage recently released by state and local government officials…check it out.

To say that people take their LSU Tiger football seriously here in Baton Rouge is an understatement! The energy and enthusiasm released at Tiger Stadium on game day is absolutely electrifying! It’s amazing to see an entire community channel their passion in the same direction.

I believe passion is an essential ingredient for the body of Christ today. We cannot afford to serve God without it! I’m not talking about hype, emotion, or something external. Passion is internal--it’s fueled from within. It’s a fire in your belly that steers your focus and energy.

When we live our lives in a passionate, purposeful way, it will engage the interest of others. Like a magnet, we will attract people because we are fully alive on the inside. The life of Christ in us ought to speak volumes to the emptiness in the world around us. Don’t ever settle down! Where is that in the Bible? As you grow in Christ your passion for eternal things should grow as well.

C.S. Lewis said it best: “I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy—the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

I was just thinking about the last week of Late Nite for 05, and I am excited! Someone once said, “It’s not how you start the race but how you finish it.” That’s so true as we look to close 2005 off strong. We have had a great year: topics ranging from relationships to pain and suffering, 2 Late Nite at LSUs, 7 people were baptized, and 57 people accepted Christ for the first time this year. Let’s not take this last week of Late Nite lightly, but let’s press on full throttle towards the finish line. As we shift gears, let’s do some personal inventory. We want to make sure we are doing everything possible to communicate the Love of Christ to this generation. There are so many wonderful ideas that God is birthing in our hearts as it nears 2006, and I am pumped to see how God will use Late Nite in these crucial times. I urge you to come expecting Wednesday because God wants to do some incredible things to seal off this year. We are going to have a Christmas party and a Christmas Mission Trip/ Retreat during the break that you won’t want to miss. Let’s live life to the MAX!

Topics
We have covered a lot of ground this year and brought healing to so many people through Christ. As we set our sights for 2006, some of you may have ideas for future topics that we can explore in Late Nite. It could be something that you are wrestling with, something you don’t understand, or something you would like to explore deeper. Please let us know by posting a comment to this Blog.

Just a little Perspective

Wednesday night we shared the powerful story of the sweetheart of Late Nite, Regan Collier. Though Regan was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at 8 years old, she has lived life to the max. Regan laughed in the face of limitations and jumped out of a plane at 3,000 feet! I love people who are not afraid to take risks! The great tragedy in life is not the things we suffer but the things we miss. I'm not saying that I'm ready to jump out of a plane, but I don't want to miss my moment and the opportunities God sets before me.

Everyday, Regan looks through the lens of Heaven and trusts in Christ’s promise of abundant life. What a challenge for us to do the same. Don't look at life through the eyes of your struggles but through the eyes of your Savior. We will never change our life until we change our perspective. Failure is succeeding at something that doesn’t matter, so give your attention to the things that matter most--faith in Christ, significant relationships, and making a difference in your world. Check out Regan's story here.

DNA

I’m writing this entry from a hotel in beautiful, downtown Charleston, South Carolina. With its historic homes, quaint shops, significant landmarks, and horse-and-carriage rides, this place speaks volumes of a simpler life…when life moved at a much slower pace. How refreshing! One way to beat those high gas prices—horse and buggy!!

Our purpose for being here is to attend a conference with ARC (Association of Related Churches). It’s amazing to see how God is moving, not just in our own back yard, but all over the country. There are so many life-giving churches that have the same passion we do: to love God radically and love people irrationally. What’s cool is that no two churches are exactly alike. Each of us has our own unique expression, “thumb print” of how this looks.

I think diversity should be something we value in the body of Christ. If everybody in the world looked just like me, or only liked the things I like, how incredibly boring it would be! I like to work out; Little Ricky likes to shop; Pastor Dino loves to eat. Together we have a blast! Aren’t you glad God doesn’t Xerox people from some assembly lines? Instead, He chooses to hand-craft each one of us individually.

Stay true to your DNA. You were born an original…don’t die a copy!!!

Steve the rare Ware

It’s been a great week here at HPC. We are currently in the middle of a teaching series at Late Nite called “Living to the Max.” I introduced the topic last week and explored the idea of having and enjoying a life of abundance with Christ. One of the things I love about our church is the great leadership God has given us. It was exciting to hear from Steve Ware Wednesday night. He stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam!!

All of us have pockets of insecurity that keep us from living a “maxed-out” life. Everyday we’re confronted with dozens of thoughts and feelings that have the potential to neutralize our effectiveness and melt away our confidence.

Steve addressed these issues head-on and was “GUT-level” honest with some of the insecurities he wrestled with as a kid. Don’t you love people who are not afraid to risk being honest? He’s a big guy—he was born wearing 2X--with an even bigger heart. Keep doing cannonballs, Steve, because nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission!!

Fall Fest

I love the fall season in south Louisiana. We finally get a break from the sweltering heat and humidity, and we say goodbye to mosquitoes the size of Volkswagens!! This recent cool snap has pulled people out of the comforts of their air-conditioned homes and into the life and activity of neighborhood streets. As we neared Oct. 31st, Rachel and I talked about how to approach the topic of Halloween with our girls (ages 7 & 3)--this can be such a divisive and explosive topic in Christian circles.

We brought them Sunday night to the fall festival at our church, and they had a blast!! Mikaela wore me out by going down the inflatable slide for an hour straight. I'm learning the strategy of our children's department at HPC: after 2 hours of pure adrenalin, inject our kids with sugar (cotton candy) and send them home with toys that make plenty of noise!!

The next night was actually Halloween, and our neighborhood was brimming with activity. I felt like this would be a wonderful chance to connect with people we might not normally see or talk to. Why surrender this day to the devil? October 31st does not belong to the enemy!! The Bible tells us, "This is the day the LORD has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!!" I wasn't going to let someone else's theology cause me to miss an opportunity. If we as believers are suppose to be the salt of the earth, then in order to effect change, we must come out of our "holy shakers." How are we supposed to change culture if we never engage it? I refuse to hide in my house with all the lights off and spy behind my curtains in judgment of others.

The girls got all "dolled" up and laughed all the way around the neighborhood as they collected enough candy to rot their teeth out...as I distributed candy, I ate chicken chowder with my neighbors and talked Monday Night Football!!