NFL DRAFT: Cowboys' First Round Picks...

I've been following the Cowboys' draft selections, as I'm finishing up the message for tomorrow... seems they got two pretty good first-round picks: with their 22nd pick, they took Felix Jones (RB), out of Arkansas... and with the 25th pick, they selected Mike Jenkins (CB), out of South Florida.

Two really good selections... and both should help make somewhat of an immediate impact. Now, they need to focus on a wide receiver (or two).

Back with more, later tonight...

Monday's Musings

* Awesome gathering last night! Some first-time guests, and some more returners! Feels like we're definitely hitting a stride! :-)

* I used last night to set the stage for our upcomin series called Crazy... I preached from James 1:2-4 on Transformed By Trouble. I believe wholeheartedly (and Scripture affirms it) that before God does the crazy, miraculous, jaw-dropping things through His people corporately, He prepares His people individually. And, sometimes, in order to grow us... He allows us to face difficult situations in which we have no choice but to trust him. But those situations build our endurance... and stretch our faith. I'm looking forward to seeing how God stretches our faith at Mosaic over the ensuing months!

* I continue to be amazed at the racial mix... I really can't say it enough! (my friend, Pastor Jumaine Jones, visited us a couple of weeks ago and commented on the mix here) I think we haven't had an African-American guest in like 2 months!

* Not only are guests coming out, they're returning!

* One of our guitarists, Brandon (a student at UMCP), ended up breaking his guitar in a freak accident before church! That bad boy was snapped like a toothpick! So, when he got home last night, he started started a Facebook group called Help Buy Brandon a New Guitar! :-) If you're on Facebook, go join Brandon's group and help him get him some new strings... he's a good bruh, and we need him! ;-)

* I missed the Pro Bowl last night... ugh. I heard T.O. had a great game, though! 13 Cowboys in Hawaii... one of 'em was bound to turn on the heat!

* Looks like God has answered one of our prayers at Mosaic, and has brought us a webmaster! One of our most recent "additions" has agreed to take over this responsibility... YAY, GOD!!

* For Easter, we're going to try to pull off a morning worship gathering... that should be HUGE, because we'll reach more people during a morning time slot. Unfortunately, we'll have to turn right back around and go to evenings, but it will have been a nice reprieve... even if for only one week.

* One of our partners at Mosaic pulled me up after the service and said, "Pastor D, I wanna show you something...," and she proceeded to show me her "version" of the notes from my message. She was a science major (I think) and wants to go to med school, so she had reproduced my message with scientific formulas as illustations! Wild... but neat!

* Speaking of neat, it's awesome to see the balance of the types of people we have at Mosaic... in terms of spiritual maturity. I heard Ed Young speak at a conference a couple of years ago, and he said our ministries should be one of "thirds": ideally, a third should be mature Christ-followers, a third should be new believers, and a third should be seekers. Whether or not you agree with that, it's definitely an interesting thought. We're not quite in "thirds" at Mosaic, but the balance is sweet... strong Christ-followers, new believers, and some who are seeking, as well.

* Two Sundays from now, I'll be preaching twice in Prattville, AL... for an On Mission Celebration through the North American Mission Board (NAMB). WHERE THE HECK IS PRATTVILLE???

Almost Perfect...

18-1... almost perfect.

But...

...it don't mean a thing, if you ain't got that ring!

True, the Patriots put together a MONSTER SEASON... for most of the season, they manhandled teams... and, even if they didn't walk over the team and it was a close game, they still found a way to win.

Until today.

Today, they faced a giant-sized team with giant-sized hearts who were up for the giant-sized task of knocking off the previously-unbeaten Patriots... and knock them off, they did.

I was hoping the Giants would win... I thought they had the defense to be able to pull it off, and frankly, the Patriots were getting just a bit cocky to me.

What's that? They were just confident, you say?
Hmmm... well... I think I can confidently say that they're sitting at home, wishing they'd been a tad bit more humble. :-)

Having said all that...

Hat's off to the Patriots. They made NO EXCUSES for losing... they gave the Giants all the credit, and tipped their hats to them for being the better team.

18-1... any other year, that record belongs to a Super Bowl winner.

This year, it belongs to the 2nd best team in the world. :-)

Sunday Nite Speak!

* Awesome service tonight... FIRST BAPTISM!!! Great stuff... it was an incredible environment, very celebrative... and very encouraging for the 2 people who were baptized! Mosaic College Park rocks... I'm honored beyond words to pastor this community!

* The 2 wonderful people who got "dunked" tonight were Amelia and Chris: Amelia showed up one day last summer, after having received one of our impact cards at the metro station. She had come to know Christ not too long before she found out about Mosaic, and was looking for a "good church"... well, she found one... and the rest is history! :-) Her boyfriend, Chris, flew in from Nebraska just so he could celebrate with her... but over the last couple of weeks, they've been talking about baptism and its importance. And since Chris had gotten baptized when he was young - without really being committed to Christ - he felt the Lord calling him to be re-baptized, along with his girlfriend... sweet! Chris is a great guy, who I've had the privilege of getting to know over this last week... and the decision he made definitely echoes his passionate desire to walk with Christ!

* The message tonight was What's the BIG DEAL about Baptism? REAL COOL... we're creating an environment where baptism is of great importance. It's not just some "tack-on" to our faith after we come to Christ... it's a mark of a life committed to Gog! And I think the folk at Mosaic are getting it. ;-)

* Brian, you guys did awesome again! Great flow... transitions were pretty seamless... and I'm glad you pulled out "Honestly"! :-) Malcolm, thanks for your seemingly untiring commitment to giving us the best sound possible! Lucy, you've been running media only a little while... and your passion really shines through... keep it up! Linda and Keda... thanks SO MUCH for handling our guests week in, week out! I really think you two are a big part of the reason guests return! :-) Bernard, thanks for getting in the water with me... and for taking the lead in getting everything set up... you're a workhouse and I'm glad to have you by my side! Jeremiah, thanks for holding up the baptismal trap door... haha! No, really! That thing is heavy, and would've banged my head! You know, the "little" things sometime go unnoticed! ;-)

* We need to get a hand-held, BATTERY-OPERATED mic! I was TOO nervous about having any mics even NEAR the baptismal, after this incident a couple of years ago! So, we had no amplification during the baptism... but that was okay, since - because of the way the pool is situated - we had people crowd the stage. Worked well, and had a real, intimate feel!

* We had a guest tonight who heard about the church through receiving a breakfast bar last month... YAY, GOD!!!!

* The Skins put up a little fight yesterday... but it wasn't good enough! SO glad I won't be hearing their fans all week... sheesh! :p

* The Steelers... well, I won't even go there...

* My COWBOYS will be ready for the Giants next week! I'm pretty pissed that I'll miss that game, since our worship gathering is at 5:30! I won't even be able to catch the end, since I have to leave church early to catch a flight to Cali... augh!

* We start a new series next week called CONNECTIONS... REALLY looking forward to that! I'm amped about people learning how to live out the mission of "connecting people to God and to one another!" Don't miss this series! It will also be a great "lead-in" for when we start our Connection Groups next month!!

What Were They Thinking?!

Okay... I'm pretty upset with the Steelers right now. They played their tails off, fighting back to take the lead with 6 minutes left... stopped the Jags, and then got the ball back. But why did they go so conservative at that point? There was still way too much time on the clock to call three straight running plays, while still being inside their 30-yard line!! Getting a first down was of extreme importance, in order to to continue running down the clock...

But they didn't... and had to punt the ball... and gave the Jags the ball at almost the 50, with over 2 minutes to play. PEOPLE!!!! YOU WERE ONLY UP BY 1 POINT... give up a field goal, and YOU LOSE!!!

Well, give up a field goal, they did... And lose they did, too.

Shame.

Sunday Nite Speak!

* I LOVE MY CHURCH!!!!!

* Great night tonight...message was on "A Life That Thrives!" It's so important to remember that God has called us to more than just an existence; he's called us to LIFE... and He wants us to THRIVE as the person He's called us to be! "THRIVE"... that's our buzzword for 2008 at Mosaic! ;-)

* As Christ-followers... and as CHURCH PLANTERS,AS WELL... too many of us focus on either survival or success... not enough of us strive for significance!

* OMG(osh)!!!! I just saw the hardest hit of the season in the Colts-Titans game... Chris Henry got toasted!!!!!

* Well, 2007 is OVA!! At least, as far as Sundays are concerned... Can't wait to get the ball rolling for '08... should be a great year! Expecting great things from a great God!!

* Bernard and Chris, you guys did GREAT with your TESTIMONIES tonight!! I think we're gonna do that more often! ;-)

* Ok... for all you Redskins fans: PLEASE understand that the Cowboys HAD NOTHING TO LOSE OR GAIN TONIGHT! I'm glad you guys made the playoffs... and I'll leave it there for now! ;-)

* Just recently found out that Ted Dekker has simultaneously released 2 sequels, Chosen and Infidel, to his CIRCLE TRILOGY. I'm a huge Dekker fan, and these should be off the chain... can't wait!

* Next week's Gathering will mark our very first BAPTISM at Mosaic Community Church!! We may have only 1-2 people to baptize, but I'm TOTALLY AMPED!!!!!

* Signing off... in the words of Alicia Keys, I think "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" in '08!! :-)

Sunday Nite Speak!

* Good service tonight! A few technical glitches, but we had some new personnel... additions to equipment... and other things. All in all, the team did a good job... definitely some areas we can improve on, but nothing to get too excited about... for now. :-)

* Brian... you and Brandon did a good job... really! ;-)

* Media team... we'll get those bugs worked out... thanks for your hard work!

* Brandon... keep bringing out the students, baby! Awesome!!

* We finished the third message in our Open Before Christmas series, with The Gift of Mission... a rather challenging message - we always have to remember that God calls every Christ-follower to be "on mission" for Jesus... it's not optional, it's not for "special ops" believers... it's for ALL of us. We can all pray, we can all give, and we can all go... even if it's across the street... to spread the Good News of Jesus!

* Next week's message is God's Gift to You... and we'll be giving a VERY CLEAR PRESENTATION OF THE GOSPEL... so pray that God will tug on hearts to make their way out! I know there will be people away because of travel, but I'm praying that God sill packs the house!

* Leading is hard, man... very hard. But I'm grateful God has called me... I love what I'm doing!

* I have to get more rest this week... gotta bounce a few things around on the schedule, and be intentional with having a definite completion point for my days... that is very hard for me, as I'm always thinking about ministry, people, and strategy!

* I got on the keys tonight and sung "WORD OF GOD SPEAK" right before the message... man, that felt good! :-) It was the first time I've done that at Mosaic, but just felt the Lord was leading me to minister in that way. Didn't sound nearly as rusty as I thought I would, either! :p
* Had a handful of 1st-time guests from last week show back up tonight... sweet!

* Wow... the Redskins are simply rammin' the ball down the Giants' throats! With the Cowboys losing today, Monday is shaping up to be a potentially long day...

* Perry Noble has a killer post on obedience... check it out HERE.

* I absolutely love the crowds in the malls at Christmas! Can't wait to head up there tomorrow... and I SHOULD get most of my shopping done!

* I wasn't gonna blog on this... and I started to tell the story tonight, and then backed off... but I think it's great, so here goes: I don't know how you grew up and what kind of jokes you told... but some of my favorites were the "There was a White man, a Chinese man, and a Black man..." jokes! Now, they weren't at all (at least, the ones I knew) racially demeaning, but they were funny (for me as a kid). But here's the thing... I was thinking about that on Friday while at the metro station... I was there with a white guy, and a Chinese guy! Look at how Jesus redeemed that thing! Now, for His glory, we can say: "There was a white guy, a Chinese guy, and a black guy... handing out breakfast bars at the metro station...!"

Only at Mosaic. :-)

Sunday Night Speak

* Great time tonight! Had a couple of Univ. of MD students out, who are friends of my boy Josh Chevalier. Josh is out in LA, doing an internship with Erwin McManus, Eric Bryant, and the crew... and we're hoping that God opens the door for Josh to come back home after he's done and help bust things out here in College Park! No pressure, of course, Josh... ;-)

* Kicked off our new series, Open Before Christmas... spoke on giving the gift of forgiveness to our family. Our family members know us better than anyone, and those relationships are usually the ones that frustrate us most. But God specializes in transformation... and forgiveness can transform ANY relationship!

* This will be the last month where I do "morning moonlighting," leading worship a few Sunday mornings a month and then do Mosaic in the evening. Actually, it's not moonlighting, at all... just helping out a couple of friends of mine, who are in a quandry with their worship situation. I count it a privilege to be able to help out... but it can be really tiring. Add to that a 2pm wedding (like today), and it's enough to totally drain you! So, after December, I'm turning over a new leaf! :-)

* Marquita's best friend got married today... 2:00 on a Sunday afternoon! Isn't that the craziest bunch of craziness you've ever heard?? (Just kidding, Juvonia!!) Congrats are in order, though... Juvonia and Paul make a great couple!

* What happened to the Skins today?! I was in the hors d'eouvres line at the wedding reception, and I was told the Skins were leading, 16-8. When I left about 40 minutes later to head out to church, they had lost... 17-16! Wow... that's all I can say. Actually, no it's not: HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS?????????

* Our new Christmas message series impact cards (wow, that was a lotta words) are almost gone... we've just about passed them all out! No one came today from receiving one... but they're coming... I can FEEL IT! :-)

* Looking forward to HAVING SOME COMPANY AT THE METRO STATION this Wed and/or Fri!!!

* My man Jim Henry is somewhere smiling right now because his Seahawks won... I can FEEL IT!! :-)

* Well, tomorrow's my reading day... always enjoy book-filled days!! Later!

A Tragic Loss

I am not a Washington Redskins fan. But I've always respected their players... of which the now-late Sean Taylor was one. My prayers go out to his family, his girlfriend, his daughter... this is definitely a tragic loss. Sean was a very gifted and talented football player, who came into the NFL a couple of years ago, and immediately changed the standard for what a "prototype" safety would look like... and hit like. He was a fierce competitor... and an even more feared hitter.

I am deeply saddened by the death of Sean Taylor... his was definitely a life that ended much too soon. At a time like this, one can only trust in God's sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness... for He alone is what is steady and consistent in this topsy-turvy world.

Reflections From Sunday...

* Had a great worship service last night... didn't preach, as I'm still recovering from pneumonia and don't have all my voice/strength back yet. So, we went with a Praise & Prayer service, led by Brian (worship arts director), and he did a fantastic job!

* It felt "mildly strange" to not take part in most of the service yesterday... but it's great to know that things don't fall apart just b/c I've fallen apart! ;-

* It was good to hear the testimonies last night of how God is blessing people through Mosaic!

* We used 2 guitarists and electric drums for our worship set... definitely worked! The balance was off the chain... Jonathan and Bernard, you guys blended so well it made me not miss having a keyboardist!! :-) Tony, thanks for helping out with the drums, man... always reminds me of old times whenever you're in the house!

* Since I didn't preach last night, next week will cap off our VERTICAL message series with "When God is Silent..." What do we do when it seems like the bottom has fallen out of our lives and God is nowhere to be found... I'm praying, but where's God? What's taking Him so long??? That's what we'll be talking about this Sunday evening!

* My 'Boys almost blew it yesterday! What a game, though... those 'Skins definitely came ready to play. Not our best-looking game (although T.O. was incredible), but a win's a win! 9-1 and still going strong!

* Poor Ravens... that's all I can say about that.

* My friend, Shawn, ordered me some extra-hot hot wings on yesterday... he said it would "kick" the rest of this pneumonia right out of me... I think he was right!! Feeling the best I've felt in about a week! NEED MORE WINGS!!!!!!

* Reading through this book, too... really challenging!

* I really appreciate this guy... I really think some bloggers/church planters have started to believe their own press, and you try to make a connection with them but they're too standoffish (not quite sure that's even a word)... but not him. We met in April... and anytime since then if I ever needed anything, I'll I've had to do was call him or email him. He's never made me feel like he's too important or too busy. In fact, he often will check in with me to see how things are going at Mosaic... or he'll email and let me know about where to get something at a really good deal... or just to get on me and ask, "DUDE, WHEN ARE YOU GONNA START PODCASTING?!" :-) In short, he's become a friend... and I appreciate it.

Monday Mind Dump

* Last night's service was a little rough... I think it was a combination of things: lowest attendance in awhile (not sure why)... I think some of the lights were out, too, because Brian was literally "in the dark" on stage (must find out what was up with that). We had a few first-time guests... hopefully, they weren't scared off! :-)

* Also, I was definitely not "on point" with my preaching, either. Not sure why, but I found it extremely difficult to focus last week in my preparation. I found some solace in that a couple of the church planters whose blogs I read also confessed that their messages weren't hitting it yesterday either. But that was during their first service... they got another shot at it at the next one. Ummm... some of us only get one shot. :-) But we'll be ready next week... Breakthrough Prayer... don't miss it!

* The Cowboys clipped the Eagles wings last night, 38-17! I wish, though, they wouldn't have gotten so conservative with the play-calling in the 4th quarter... we could've scored 52 points like the Patriots did against the Redskins!! :-) Speaking of the Skins, they just barely got past the Jets... but I guess a win is a win.

* I've got the crib all to myself today... hopefully, I will finish up reading unChristian!

* Bob Franquiz beat me to reviewing The Divine Mentor... check out his review; it's good. I shouldn't be surprised he got to it before I did, though... he reads 60 books a year!

* Feeling well-rested for the first time in well over a week... or two... sweet! Keda gets on me about not getting proper rest... what would i do without her? ;-)

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE!!!!!

What a FUN, FUN game!!! :-) The Eagles tried to hang in there early... but my 'Boys were too much for 'em... and we pretty much coasted in the 4th quarter. The score most definitely could've been worse... but we'll take 38-17, any day! ;-)

Fly like an Eagle... NOT!!!!!

You Just Can't Quit!!

Sometimes things happen...
The ball doesn't bounce your way.
You're off you're "A-game."
You stumble...
and stumble...
and stumble again...
and stumble some more...
and - believe it or not - you STUMBLE AGAIN!
And then you FUMBLE!! :-)

What do you do?

You do what TONY ROMO did... you hang in there! You keep fighting... and fighting...and never give up! No matter what happens... YOU JUST CAN'T QUIT!

Because maybe... just maybe... you will find yourself in a position to win. It might only be with TWO SECONDS ON THE CLOCK... but when that ball sails through the uprights, you will say to yourself, "We did it...the long, hard struggle was worth it!" You just can't quit.

That's football.
That's leadership.
That's life.

Somebody reading this is about to throw in the towel...
But remember: It's not over!
The final gun hasn't sounded...
The last chapter has NOT been written...
there's still time to win...

YOU JUST CAN'T QUIT!

Durn Eagles, Pt. 2

Durn Eagles couldn't pull it out. What's up with McNabb???

Redskins 20, Eagles 12

Durn Eagles...

Man, these Eagles are gonna mess around and let the Redskins win tonight. :-/ Score is 13-9, Redskins... start of 4th quarter... and Skins are driving... dag.

Can't Touch This!

Dad................ 50

DJ.................. 28

He was in trouble from the start... I jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead, but he came back to tie the score before too long. But my 4-6 defense proved too formidable for him... I picked him off 3 times, and sacked him once... Never, never tell me you're gonna "whup" me. ;-)

p.s. Umm... when you stop to think that DJ is only 10 years old, I really haven't accomplished much of anything, have I? HA!!