Starbucks... or OK Corral?

Things are HOT here in College Park, baby! And I think maybe the heat is taking it's toll in other ways too... here's a story about something that happened to me today:

So, I'm walking into Starbucks (what else is new?), and I take a seat while I'm finishing up a phone call... and this guy says to me, "Excuse me, can you take that call outside??" (Excuse me?) "I said, 'Can you take that call outside??" (Umm... I could, but I'll be finished in just a sec, thank you [with a very irritated smile])

So, then this guy looks me in my face, and starts to talk loudly about nothing in particular, trying to push my buttons... and talking much more loudly than I had been talking, mind you... so, I get off the phone, and I'm like, "DUDE, what IS your problem??"

"You're my problem! It's rude to come in here, talking on the phone when people are trying to work!" (Work? Are you kidding me?? With these loud students and even louder Starbucks music???)

So, I point out to him (from the Bible... sike) that 1) there's a HUGE difference between Starbucks and the public library, and 2) there was a way that he could've handled that situation a lot better... though at that point, I don't think I was being the best example, because I went on to let him know that some people would definitely handle themselves with him much differently than I did! I really wanted to punch him in the throat!!

Yeah... way to go, PASTOR Darren!

Question: Why is it so difficult to let some things go? Now, I definitely had a right to talk on my phone and ignore this guy who (in all honesty) was being just a bit anal. But sometimes it's not about rights, it's about wisdom. That doesn't mean I can't get clarification on the matter and understand just what the problem is... but it does mean that, no matter what, I must remember that I represent Christ... at all times.

So, I'm sitting there (after a few words have been exchanged... nothing terrible, don't worry), trying to think of five reasons why I shouldn't punch Anal Man in the throat... and the Holy Spirit (doesn't He knock at the wildest times?) says to me, "So, how's this going to end, PASTOR D?" So, I apologized to dude and let him know I was sorry if I was too loud on the phone... which started a discussion about whether or not I should have even been on the phone in the first place (we agreed to disagree there, but I was definitely eyeing that throat). And, eventually, he apologized for responding the way he did... and all was well in Starbucks again.

"By the way... my name is Darren."

"And my name is Ryan... good to meet you."

And that's how it ended. ;-)

(By the way... a young lady who was sitting close to us later commended me on how I handled the situation. She thought he was "rather rude and crazy")

Sunday Night Ramblings...

* I should be tired, but I'm not...

* Led worship this morning at Montrose Baptist... they have a new pastor, Dr. Ken Fentress, and are in transition with their music ministry... so I'll be helping out a few times this summer, since we hold our services in the evenings. I felt a little rusty, but it went pretty well... it took alot out of me, seeing that I had to preach this evening at Mosaic.

* I love being the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Community Church!!

* This was the first Sunday in 6-7 weeks that we didn't have a newcomer! That sucks, man... but we'll just have to start a new streak next Sunday... :-)

* Spoke tonight from this passage, and entitled the message The Great Gamble... taking the "big risk" of investing what God has given us, in order to influence people toward a love relationship with Jesus. Next week is communion, and we finish up our Irresistible Influence series!

*Darren, Jr. keeps telling me that he's going to "whup" me tomorrow in Madden football (PS2)... ha! That'll never happen... ;-)

* Seth, my youngest, keeps telling me he's going to "bust me up"... he probably got that from his brother!!!

* We have our first Movie Night this Wednesday, as we prepare for our God on Film message series that begins on July 29. This week's movie is Transformers... should be a good one! If you're in the area and want to roll with us, hit me before Wednesday morning at mosaic.cp@gmail.com.

Forgot Something...

I meant to put this in the last post... so read that one first.

Don't want to leave my oldest, DJ (10), out the "funny loop"... he was trying to "explain" to Shawn about the transformation of Michael Jackson's looks:

Shawn just couldn't understand why Michael looks the way he does (his words, not mine)... so DJ said to him, "Shawn, Michael Jackson used to be African-American... now, he's Caucasian. That's why he looks different."

Sometimes, kids really do say the darndest things. :-)

FRILLA!!!

Monday morning... a little groggy, b/c I woke up around 4:30 and couldn't back to sleep for awhile... had a headache last night, and took 2 Excedrin Migraines before going to bed... yup, I think that's what did it. Do you know how much caffeine is in one of those little jokers?? Jimineez! Shoulda got Motrin instead... yeah, I know, Keda, you told me so... :-)

Anyway, since I was up, I laid in bed and prayed for a bunch of you this morning... :-)

This is funny: my two youngest sons, Shawn (8) and Seth (3), recently got turned onto Michael Jackson's Thriller cd... now, they listen to it several times a day! And you know what? No one had to tell them "which songs" to listen to... they naturally gravitated to all the classics: Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'... amazing, how an album (no cd's back then) can have the same effect on people 25 years later!

Wish you could hear little Sethie as I'm typing this: he's in the background singing, "Cuz this is frilla... frilla night!"

TOO funny! :-)

Driving Me Batty Again...

Told you...

I knew there were bats here!!! Our neighbors (directly under us) had a bat in their apartment tonight... which had me more than a little nervous. I don't like those flying rat things at ALL!! I heard some of the neigbors in the hallway talking about it, so I went out there and they gave me the scoop: theyhad heard a noise in their apartment, and then the daughter (14 yrs old) screamed when she saw it was a bat! So, they all ran out the apartment and was hanging out in the hallway while they waited for Animal Control to come.

So after talking to them for a few minutes, and went back inside... then, after awhile, Keda and I heard a scream and then someone banging furiously on a door (apparently trying to get away from the bat). When we looked out the peephole... there it was: A BAT WAS FLYING AROUND IN OUR HALLWAY!! Somehow, it had gotten out of the apartment. Now, I'm from Takoma Park, Md... and I don't know all there is to know... but I DO KNOW that I wasn't opening that door!!! So, Keda and I just stood there looking out the peephole, laughing at one of our neighbors who was in the hallway... ducking to get away from the bat! Ha!

As long as it wasn't me, it was funny... :-)

Animal Control eventually came, and they let the bat outside. Hopefully, it flew far, far away... to some batcave across town!

I'm Going Batty!!!!

Okay... this is no fun! I hear bats flying outside of our living room window, for the second night in a row! The only good thing about them is that they devour bugs, which I don't like. But I'm not gonna lie... those jokers scare me, man! They're too fast, they can't see... which, to me, isn't a good combination. It's like putting Stevie Wonder behind a steering wheel... there's nothing good that can come from that scenario!!!!

No late-night summer walks for this kid, no sirree Bob! Have I ever told you the story of my run-in with bats in Atlanta?

Well, just make sure you get the real story from me... not Keda! :-)

Funny Poem

Just wanted to share this poem that I read tonight at our launch service (can't for the life of me remember where I found it). Let me first set up the context: I was getting ready to talk about what real discipleship is, and how it involves a relentless and passionate pursuit of Jesus... and I shared this poem to illustrate what "following" looks like in some of our lives. Enjoy!!!!!

Butt Prints in the Sand

(writer unknown)

One night, I had a wondrous dream;

One set of footprints there was seen.

The footprints of my precious Lord,

But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,

And I asked the Lord, “What have we here?”

“Those prints are large and round and neat,

But, Lord, they are too big for feet.”

“My child,” He said in somber tones.

“For miles I carried you alone.

I challenged you to walk in faith,

But you refused and made me wait.

You disobeyed, you would not grow,

The walk of faith you would not know.

So I got tired and fed up,

And there I dropped you on your butt,

Because in life, there comes a time,

When one must fight and one must climb,

When one must rise and take a stand,

Or leave some butt prints in the sand.”

Chillin...

I'm sitting in the atrium of the Carousel Hotel in Ocean City, getting ready to go over my message for Sunday... Keda and the boys are swimming in the hotel pool. DJ tried his hand at ice skating, but gave up after about 15 minutes of falling! Ha! It was sooo funny... he was using the "beginner's walker", which is a blue, metal thingamajig that is supposed to keep you steady. Well, as soon as I walked away from him to go hook up my laptop, I heard a "clank-a-lank!!!!" I turned around and he was lying on his back, holding the walker up in the air!!! Aw, man... my side hurts just thinking about it. So, after about 3 or 4 "clank-a-lanks", he'd had enough... and went to join his mom and brothers in the pool. :-)

We've had a nice, relaxing day here in OC... spent some time out on the beach (not in the water, cuz it's COLD!!!), grabbed some eats, and then DJ did the clank-a-lank... a little bit more study time for me, then it's off to bed, and up early in the morning to head home...

Doorhangers tomorrow... I am SERIOUSLY amped about this weekend! Not just the kickoff on Sunday, but just knowing that from here on out, we're rockin' and rollin'!!

This is gonna be one hyped summer... :-)

In Heaven...

Well, not quite... but it is beautiful up here, in the mountains of North Carolina... 10 minutes from where Billy Graham lives! The accomodations are nice here at the Ridgecrest Ministry Retreat Center, too... I'm really enjoying my restful stay.

The only downside of this excursion was when I was checking in... a yellow piece of paper caught my attention... and it wasn't because of the color, it was what the paper said:

WARNING... BEAR ALERT!!!!!
Bears have been spotted near these facilities.

Now, I'm from Takoma Park, MD, and I don't know all there is to know... but I DO know that bears are not one of my core values! Other than at the zoo, I'm not partial to ever seeing them. I won't be upset... won't fuss... won't lose any sleep from never having seen a bear in person.

And the instructions on the yellow paper seemed to go beyond logic:

Stay calm.
Don't run.
Continue facing the bear.
Make lots of noise (ya think????), and...
Back up slowly.

WHAT?!?!?!?!? I WILL make lots of noise, as I scream at the top of my lungs, and do my best interpretation of Carl Lewis!!!!! Don't run. Give me a break...

Actually, they say bears can outrun humans, so those directions are probably for the best. I had planned on going higher up on the mountain to the prayer garden that's here... but I figured that God doesn't hear me any better when I'm in the woods... close to bears. :-)

On a different note, tomorrow is Elevation Church day! Their Executive Pastor, Chunks Corbett, is meeting me so he can show me around before the service. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post soon!

And, hopefully, I can leave this mountain without seeing any bears!

My Family Board Room

Seth is just too funny... :-)

This morning, we were playing (all of a sudden he thinks he's on WWF), and he said something like, "I ain't going to..." whatever it was he was talking about... maybe that he wasn't going to hit me anymore.

So, I corrected him: "Seth, it's not 'I ain't,' it's 'I'm not.'"

He pointed at me and said, "You're fired."

Ya just gotta love it! :-)

A Strange Sight...

As I was driving home this evening, I saw something that totally baffled me... it was a bumper sticker that read:

If you want a taste of religion, bite a minister!!!

Man, what's that all about????? Somebody please help me on that one...

On another note... and a more pleasing one... I love the ritual that my boys and I have at bedtime: I sang and pray with all three individually. My 3-yr old, Seth, always prefers anything by Mercy Me... although he knows the lyrics much better than I do. After I'm finished, he always says, "Pray with me." I'm telling you... it's the cutest thing!

I keep waiting for Darren Jr. (who's 10) to say, "Dad, I'm too old for that stuff..." but it hasn't happened yet. He loves his Dad's rendition of Fred Hammond songs...

But it's my 8-yr old, Shawn, who's the funny one... and the most persistent. HE'S the one who has consistently pressed me to keep up this tradition... so he asks every night, "Dad, are you going to sing to us... and pray with us?

Every night.
Without fail.

And his favorite song for Dad to sing... every day, 12 months a year?

The Little Drummer Boy. :-)

This Week...

This is the week before the last week leading up to our Grand Opening service... I'm hoping to have my message ready by this Thursday (pray for me... it's not very difficult for me to get sidetracked). We don't have a whole lot to nail down before next weekend, so we shouldn't be swamped at the last minute...

On Friday, I'm heading to NORTH CAROLINA... for some much-needed R&R and just to get alone with God. I'm looking forward to it, and so is Keda... she's always very concerned about me getting my rest. :-) So, she's happy that I can get away... and I'm sure she'll be just as happy when I return! Pray that the boys don't turn her totally gray in that short period of time. :-)

My family and I got a chance to hang out yesterday late afternoon/evening with our worship leader, Brian, his wife, Connie... and their two beautiful girls, Jordan and Camryn. They're awesome, and we've been friends for years! B's alot of fun, too... he thinks he's getting me to go hiking with him, but he's got another thing coming! :-) He's an adventurous chap, that's for sure. Keda and I saw a documentary of some couple hiking in the mountains of Greece, and I couldn't help but think of B... I'm definitely not going up the "rough side of the mountain" with him! :-)

I give Brian credit, though... he smashed me in duckpin bowling on Saturday night! I hurt my arm during the second game (for real... I am not joking), so I was handicapped for the next game or so... I was in so much pain, I had to bowl with my left hand! But Brian, being the gentleman and scholar that he is, joined me in this humorous display of left-handed "bowlmanship"...

And he still beat me. :-)

Sayonara Sanjaya!

Okay... I wasn't gonna do it... I hadn't planned to post anything about Sanjaya's exit...

But I saw this picture... and I couldn't resist.

Actually, I want to give a hats off to him... BIG UPS to the guy... because he made it further than ANYONE would've ever expected! Now, it would've gotten a little crazy had he made it past Wednesday, because that means people like Melinda, Blake, Jordin, and LaKisha might have gotten the boot!

And then... D-Plum would've had to reevaluate his ties to Idol.

So... all's well that ends well!

I tell you what would've been the bomb, though... Sanjaya should have sung that song from "Evita" for his exit! Now, THAT would've been sharp!

"Don't cry for me, Argentina..." ;-)

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. :-)

He Did It Again...

He made it...

Sanjaya made it again.

I'm tellin' you... the kid is like a cat with nine lives! He's "vote-off" invincible!!! He's got so many people calling in for him that he doesn't even land in the bottom three anymore!!

This is crazy. Maybe it's because he's got the El DeBarge thing going on...

I don't know... only "Time Will Reveal"! ;-)

BTW... my apologies to any of my blog subscribers who missed the "Sanjaya video" post from yesterday. I forgot that uploaded videos don't come through in the subscription format... my bad... you were probably lost in the sauce! I know you were like, "Who the heck is he talking about??" Well, now you know. ;-)

But is it wild or what?

Ok... no more American Idol posts for a while.

A Rat-a-tat-Tat!

Ok...

I forgot today was April Fool's Day...

And my 8 year old, Shawn, got me... and got me good!

We were at a mall this afternoon... and stopped in a pet store (our kids are allowed to be pet owners vicariously this way... long story). So... "what had happened was"... we were in the section with the rats and mice, when I heard my wife Marquita say, "Oh, my gosh!" Then, I felt something scampering across my back! Now, I consider myself to be a manly man, so I didn't scream... but I did get pretty excited... "Ahh... ahhhhh... ahhhhhh!!!!!" and did a little dance right there in the store! Man, I just KNEW that one of those little critters had somehow escaped, and was on my back!!!!

Fortunately, for me, it was only Shawnie's little fingers on Dad's back. Whew!! That would've been pretty freaky, had it been a rat! I can tolerate gerbils... maybe a hamster... but there's just something about rats and mice that creep me out.

And I really think this phobia might all be due to Gary Lamb and his freakin' mice dreams...

WINDY CITY!!!!

Ok... so it's, like, REALLY windy here today! So much so, there's a WIND ADVISORY in effect until 11pm tonight!

Wow...

A little while ago, I opened up the passenger door of our minivan, and about TWENTY MOSAIC IMPACT CARDS flew out the door!!! I was like, "WHOOOOAAAA!!! Come back here!" I tried to catch them, but those little jokers were moving pretty fast, carried by that wind!...I stopped chasing them once I realized how foolish I probably looked... and sounded! Everytime I got close to one of the cards and went to grab it, the wind would just whoosh by and carry it away again! I had my Homer Simpson voice going ("DOH!") at that point. SO.... pray that whomever received an "impact card from heaven" would be moved by the Spirit to check Mosaic out! ;-)

Because... I figure... it had to happen for a reason...

Romans 8:28

*EDITED 7:42PM*

Having a Ball in Albuquerque!!

Man, we are having a great time here in New Meh-hee-co!! The NAMB sessions here have been good... and I'll tell you something: the North American Mission Board peeps know how to plan an event! They've done a marvelous job with all the coordinating and thinking through all the details to make this event was it has been... and they are servants, big-time! I must say that I'm proud to be a NAMB Church Planter!

We've made some awesome connections, too! Meet The BBR Crew: Jody & Emily, Jonathan, and Jonathan & Christie (hope I spelled that right!) These are Keda's and my new peeps! We had a great time hanging out this afternoon/evening... we had each other laughing so hard, we had to use the bathroom! ;-) Seriously, though, they're awesome... we're going to have to plan an Annual BBR Reunion! Each year, a different city... yeah, baby!! I'll bring the jokes, and plenty of Depends! Ha!

Okay... pray for these guys, as they're doing some great things in their ministry fields: Jonathan & Christie Jones are serving as missionaries at a church plant and overseeing a food pantry in Salt Lake City, Utah (really pray for this guy, because he kept trying to hold my hand...????...ha!) Jonathan Stockstill is serving as a Church Planting Strategist in LA (this dude is hilariously funny... for an old guy); and Jody & Emily Jennings are planting a church in Bismarck, North Dakota... don't ask me why, but that's where they are... pray specifically that the Jennings will stop acting like Jonah... running from the Lord... and heed the Spirit's call to College Park. :-) No, really... I love all these guys, and they all tremendously made an impact on Keda and I this weekend. And big ups to Baby BBR Lukey the Dukey, too!!

Here's a really neat thing: remember my posts about Steven Furtick and Elevation Church? (If not, read the posts for Feb. 6 and Feb. 16) Well, wouldn't ya know... JODY AND EMILY ARE RELATED TO THE DUDE!!!!! Steven married Emily's sister (connection in and of itself), AND JODY IS THE BRO THAT LED STEVEN TO CHRIST... ji-mi-NEEZ!!! TOTALLY blew Keda's and my mind! And Jody... I just wanna say, bro, that our supercalifragilisticexpealidociously-long conversation on Friday night really blessed my socks off... for real. I've never talked to one person for four hours straight in my life... okay, I've talked to Keda for that long, but that doesn't count. We touched on everything from Calvin to Cortney :-), from SBC to BBR (wait... that was tonight), from missions to mazungus... totally awesome, my friend... totally awesome. You'd make an awesome ministry partner, man... you know I'm not afraid of the BIG ASK!!! ;-) You wouldn't be able to raise buffaloes anymore, but we'd find you some kind of pet...

Oh... before I forget... check out Emily's blog, Macaroni and Cheese! Yeah, Emily, I'm giving you props, even though you busted on me in Walgreens... :-) Also, Christie, you get big mad props, too, just for keeping up with Keda in the laugh department!! :-) I might call you guys every month, just to tell jokes...

Well, it's getting late here in the big SW... got some friends, old and new, to pray for... and Keda Beda dun fell asleep on a bruh. ;-) She's probably really tired, though, since she laughed enough for all of us tonight. You know what, though? She is really beautiful, even when she's sleeping...

Ok... good night... and thanks for partnering with us! ;-)

Signing off,
The BBR Chief