Tuesday, August 21, 2007

It's no yoke!


Typically when we read the passage in 2 Corinthians 6:14, "Do not be yoked with together with unbelievers" we think of marriage. As we learned on Sunday (you can read my sermon notes here) that was not primarily what Paul was talking about. It certainly does apply to those we marry, but really the broader sense is to be careful who our close associates are.
I'd like to hear your perspective on this issue. I know some of you have close non-Christian friends or maybe even a spouse. How do you balance your faith and commitment to God yet stay in close relationship with someone who does not share your deep commitment to God? Does this mean that single people should not even date non-Christians? Do we only have Christian business associates? As with all scripture, there is a balance to be struck. Let's dialog about the balance of being "salt and light" in this world, yet not being swayed or pulled way from our faith by an unbeliever.
Finally, I want you all to know that I'll be on vacation until August 30th, so I won't be posting much, if anything to my blog site. Thanks so much to all of you who take the time to read over this site. I do love staying connected to you all and love hearing from you when you can respond.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Birthday fun


Today was my birthday and what fun I had. We started out the day by having a low-key garage sale and made just enough money to give the boys a few bucks and get some ice cream!
I spend the bulk of the day at the beach with my four boys (plus Thomas, our neighbor who could easily pass as a Lauer boy). What a great day at the beach. Sunny and warm, 74 degree water, oh...it was nice! After dinner we packed up the crew and headed over to B & R where we took this photo. Nothing like a double sundae with fudge and nuts to cool off from a hot day.
I am incredibly blessed to be 46, happily married to my beautiful Kelley and double blessed to have these 5 great kids. I can't think of a better way to spend a birthday than with the family God has so richly blessed me with. I've got no problem turning 46 when I am surrounded by so much love!

Thursday, August 16, 2007

How 'bout some humor?

This discussion on women pastors is certainly a heavy one, yet important. I hope you are enjoying the posts and learning.

Here is a little humor to lighten things up a bit from a quirky writer in the Reader. His name is Ollie and he writes scathing commentary on the silliness that is TV.

Tuesday, August 21 America's Got Talent NBC 8:00 p.m.
The true intention of this program is to show the rest of the world that we are not just slop-fed war hogs. That we spend our evenings dancing, singing, learning sleight of hand, and training parrots to book travel arrangements and crap like that. We're telling other countries to love us, despite our SUVs and Wal-Mart. But it came out all wrong and twisted and it involves David Hasselhoff. Like everything bad.

The Bourne Identity USA 8:00 p.m.
Matt Damon and I are almost twins. If he were chubby and balding with a depressed chin and a smell of sour milk. If I had better teeth and I wasn't missing part of my right ear. Come to think of it...never mind. We're both just short.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

God's line of authority

What's wrong with this picture? (Which after close inspection seems to have been taken right here in PB at Kate Sessions park...cool.)
Are the colors off? Should they all be standing? Are they too old, too young? Not of the right race?

Actually none of the above. However, according to my sermon on Sunday (which I believe was Biblically accurate) none of them should be ministers, or pastors or clergy. At least not in the role as the head or senior, teaching pastor in the local church.
Smells of controversy, yes? Am I suggesting that only men can be the teaching pastor in the church? Well, yes, I actually am suggesting that. After careful study and research this last week, that is the conclusion I came to. I would be interested in hearing what you all have to say on this issue. You can read my sermon notes here.



Friday, August 10, 2007

Big Wednesday

On Wednesday of this week I got to go up to San Onofre for the annual "Big Wednesday, skip work and surf" day. This is an event that our Bus club (sv2s.com) hosts on the second Wednesday of every August. In this photo to the left, my bus is in front of the white canopy on the far right.

We all had a great day hanging out, talking about Buses and surfing. It was a classic summer day at San O, good fun longboarding waves. The water was nice and warm which made trunking it easy. I ended up surfing with Skip Frye for an hour or so (who goes to our church) so I can sort of count it as a work day, right?








Here is the great thing about these photos. This last one is from I book I have. It was taken in 1963 and not much has changed. Notice the VW Bus on the left side of the photo.
San Onofre is truly a timeless classic surf spot. I've been surfing it for about 25 years myself, so I feel like I'm a small part of the rich history that is San O.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The sin struggle


"What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
(The Apostle Paul in Romans 6:1-3, 11)
The Christian life is not an easy life. We know that God has called us to a higher standard. Try as we might to live up to that standard, we fall short. Sin creeps into our lives, infiltrates our thoughts and affects our actions. People question our faith or end up giving us that dreaded label, "hypocrite."
What is the balance? Why can't we live a sin-free life in Christ? How do we sin less and honor God more? I'd love to hear your thoughts as you've struggled with this in your Christian life.

Monday, August 6, 2007

The power of Baptism





What a great day for Grant Gallo, his family and friends and our church! Grant was baptized at our beach service yesterday. It was also his birthday. Now he can take with him for the rest of his life a remembrance of his spiritual birthday on the same day as his physical birthday.
Baptisms at the beach are truly a highlight of our entire church year and yesterday was no exception. After dunking Grant in the ocean, we formed a large prayer circle right at the waters edge and asked for God's blessing on Grant's life.
It has been my privilege and honor to be involved in the Gallo's lives for about 10 years now. I've been able to baptize Fran, Gianna and now Grant. After the beach service and baptism the Gallo's once again exhibited their incredible generosity and held a party at their house catered by everyone's favorite Hawaiian food, Da Kines. What a great day! We serve a great a mighty God and yesterday at the beach was very tangible evidence of that.
Thanks to Neil for taking these great photos as well as this great video of Grant being baptized. If you have not yet been baptized, please let us know as we have one more beach service this year.

A sports hero?

In light of all the recent sports scandals, etc. this is a very refreshing article about Michael Irvin's sobering and powerful words at his induction into the pro football hall of fame. Way to go Michael in realizing what is most important before it's too late. Sounds like he's finally listening to the voice of God in his life.

The article speaks for itself.



Cowboys' flawed star Irvin shines at last
By Jim Trotter
UNION-TRIBUNE
August 5, 2007
The final five minutes of Michael Irvin's speech yesterday during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio, should be required viewing for every player at the annual Rookie Symposium.
Irvin's words were raw, emotional and powerful, causing tears to well in the eyes of people watching in person and on television. His message ultimately was about perseverance, but it also was a sobering reminder that what you do today can have major consequences tomorrow.


Wearing the customary yellow blazer of an inductee and a tie with the Windsor knot for which he's become known, Irvin talked about how he attended the ceremony last year and kept thinking to himself that he wasn't worthy. Not just as a player, but as a father, a husband and maybe even a man.
“I sat right here where you are last year and I watched the class of 2006 – Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Harry Carson, Rayfield Wright, John Madden, and the late, great Reggie White, represented by his wife, Sara White – and I said, 'Wow. That's what a Hall of Famer is. Certainly I am not that.' ”
Irvin clearly was that on the field, where he was a dominant wide receiver who helped the Cowboys win three Super Bowls in four years in the 1990s. But off the field he had multiple run-ins with the law, most involving drugs.
As he watched the 2006 ceremony, he thought about the things he had done wrong and the pain he had put his family through. Then he thought about his two sons – Michael, now 10, and Elijah, 9 – and how, in his eyes, he had failed to lead them as effectively as he had his teammates.
“When I am on that threshing floor . . . I say, 'God, I have my struggles and I made some bad decisions, but whatever you do, whatever you do, don't let me mess this up,' ” he said in reference to his boys. “I said, 'Please, help me. Help me raise them for some young lady, so that they can be a better husband than I. Help me raise them for their kids, so that they can be a better father than I.' ”
Then, speaking to his sons, Irvin said: “And I tell you guys to always do the right thing so that you can be a better role model than Dad.”
Irvin, using a white handkerchief to wipe away tears that rolled down both cheeks, continued baring his soul as a silent crowd listened. He told the audience that when he left the ceremony in 2006, he doubted he would ever have a chance to gain admittance to the Hall, and that he immediately sought out his sons when he returned home the next day.
“I spoke with Michael and Elijah and I said, 'That's how you do it. You do it like they did,' ” he said of the 2006 inductees. “Michael asked, he said, 'Dad, do you ever think we will be there (to be inducted)?' And I didn't know how to answer that. It returned me to that threshing floor. This time I was voiceless, but my heart cried out: 'God, why must I go through so many peaks and valleys?' I wanted to stand in front of my boys and say, 'Do it like your dad,' like any proud father would want to (but) . . .
“And at that moment a voice came over me, and it said: 'Look up, get up and don't ever give up. And you tell everyone or anyone that has ever doubted, thought they did not measure up or wanted to quit, you tell them to look up, get up and don't ever give up.' ”
Irvin looked up, got up and refused to give up. Yesterday he was rewarded with a place among the immortals, and once again “the Playmaker,” as Irvin was known, delivered. Only this time it had nothing to do with football and everything to do with accountability.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

On a lighter note...


I got a good laugh with this comic from yesterday's paper. Having had 5 babies myself and seen numerous new babies at our church I can appreciate this comic.
I've said more than once that when you look at a picture of a newborn (I'm talking less than a week old) they all pretty much look the same. The same that is, according to race. I know my kids are cute when they are born, but so is everybody else's. Give 'em about 6 months or more before they start looking different. Meanwhile, we'll all keep saying the obligatory, "Oh he/she is so cute!" Well, they are cute, on a relative scale!