Random Thoughts...

Today, I'm wrapping up my message for this Sunday... really looking forward to seeing awesome things happen this weekend for our 3rd preview service! I also will be meeting with my Worship Leader, Brian, this afternoon... we always have really productive and thought-provoking meetings... so, I should leave pretty amped from that...

Check out my friend Nathan's blog... he interviewed me about blogging... hope you enjoy it! Also, check out some of his posts, as well... great guy! And, nooooo... not just because he highlighted me on his blog... ha!

Next week, our two oldest sons, Darren and Shawn, are out for Spring Break... really looking forward to doing some fun stuff with them! Hopefully, I'll still have energy left afterwards to preach next weekend at my friend's church! Shawn could go at it 24-7, if you let him... in fact, if you look up the word "active" in your dictionary, you'll see Shawn's picture next to it! :-) I should also have some time to whip up on DJ on his Madden football game... his skills are improving, but he's still no match for Dad... ;-)

Looking forward to seeing My Name is Earl tonight... that show really cracks me up, man...

Right now, I'm sitting in Starbucks, and they're playing the old school jam, "I'll Be Good to You" by The Brothers Johnson... brings back memories of a fun childhood. :-)

"Rocky WHO?!

I was in Starbucks again yesterday, and I was sitting at the same table where I sat two days ago (remember the 4 rocket scientists I met??). This time, there was a young lady across from me... she watched my laptop/stuff for me when I went to feed the parking meter, and when I came back I decided to start a conversation with her and invite her out to Mosaic. Here's how the conversation went:

"Hey, thanks for watching my stuff... I'm Darren - what's your name?"

"I'm Talia... what'd you say your name was again?"

"Darren... so, it's Talia... like Talia Shire?"

Eeeeeerrrttt!!!! (loud tires-screeching sound...) Okay, hold it a sec... just in case you don't know who Talia Shire is - and you should - she played the role of "Adrian" in the Rocky movies. Okay, you can start driving again.

"Talia who?" (uh-oh...)

"Talia Shire... she played "Adrian" in the Rocky movies."

"The what movies?"

"The ROCKY movies... you know, as in Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, Roc... wait a minute, you've never heard of them??" (I should've done the theme song for her!!)

"Ummm... no... how old are they?"

"Well, Rocky VI just came out, like, last fall! You're pulling my leg, though, right? You're trying to make me feel really old?? Sylvester Stallone... ROCKY?!?! Hey, do you know some guys named Stanley, Vince, Justin, and Chris??"

She didn't.

I wanted to tell her she should get out more.

I didn't.

But she should.

SO... I left the Rocky convo, told her I'm a pastor starting a new church in the area, and gave her a Mosaic impact card.

"What's Mosaic? Is it a kind of church or something?"

"Ummm... yes, that's what it says right there... Mosaic... Community... Church."

"Oh... I'm Jewish... but I'll give this to my roommate!"

And so went the conversation... but it's all good! Maybe I'll run into Talia again... maybe she will have watched Rocky I... and maybe - just maybe - she'll log onto our website and have her interest peaked about a group of people that worship a Jewish carpenter who died so that we might live!

You never know... stranger things have happened.

Like meeting someone who's never heard of Rocky... :-)

Wouldn't Have Thunked It!

Oh, snap... those 4 guys are in high school!!!! Amazing! I thought they looked young, but when it's been 20+ years since you graduated from high school, everybody looks young, ya know? High school seniors... wow. It's cool, though... Stanley wants to be an Anesthesiologist (don't EVEN know if I spelled that right); Vince wants to be a Pharmacist; Justin wants to be an Endo-something or other (he said it has to do with hormones...????); and Chris wants to be an Architect.

Nice kids, though... invited them out to Mosaic... who knows? Maybe we'll see them around! And maybe... just maybe... one day those guys will be sent out from Mosaic as medical missionaries!

And JUST MAYBE... Chris can build them a Missionary Medical Facility!!! :-)

You never know! 20 years ago, my teachers would have laughed at you if you told them I'd be a pastor! ;-)

Man, those guys are sharp...

Going Deep...

I'm sitting here in Starbucks at a table where, across from me, are four guys: two Asians, one Middle Eastern, and the other is Black (how neat is that???). They're studying some kind of math... I don't know, maybe Calculus or some kind of Engineering class or something... all I know is that I'm hearing stuff like, "Take the derivative... multiply the reciprocal... plug in the interval of 0-1... and the answer is -x cubed!" What the heck?!?

I have NO IDEA what they're talking about (one of them just asked, "Is that the area?") They definitely are deep!

But I'm about to go deeper!!!!! Their world is about to get introduced to the One who spoke the worlds into existence without equations and derivatives!!!! "It appeared at His command!" (Ps. 33:9). The same God can speak to their hearts right now... in Jesus' name!

(Oh, Lord... one of them just mentioned something about anti-derivatives... maybe I should wait! Just kidding...)