The Extremes of the City

I have not blogged much because I’ve been busy in NYC. I’ve been sending up some mobile photos on facebook for those of you who follow me there. Certainly, there has been too much happening to talk about in this brief post, but last night’s extreme experiences are worth noting.

Gaetan (my brother-in-law) and I went out for dinner and a movie. We met up at Megu in Midtown. Simply sensational! The food, service, and atmosphere were outstanding. This truly was an extraordinary dining experience that included a tasting menu of 7 courses: salad, hot appetizers, sashimi, almond custard, Kobe steak, sushi, and dessert. Seriously… some of the best food I’ve ever put in my mouth. Let’s just say picking up a sushi to-go box dinner at Publix is going to be a stretch now.

Then came the movie. Here we got a taste of another aspect of NYC, undoubtedly to an extreme. During the previews a group of about 20 teenagers entered the theater arguing as they moved up the aisles. Once the movie started, things died down and we settled in to enjoy The Incredible Hulk. Unfortunately, about a third of the way into the movie, the arguments not only resurfaced but quickly escalated into a full blown fight. Somehow, about 9 of the juvenile aggressors ended up fighting all the way down front… directly in front of the movie screen. Again, simply sensational, but in an extremely different way!

This evening served as a quick reminder of how quickly things can change in the city! I went from dining next to Japanese business men to catching a very small glimpse of the violence in today’s urban youth. Welcome to New York! I LOVE IT!

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The Final Pilgrimage

It’s that time again. We’re packing up the kids and heading to NYC! We love going back to Evie’s home and seeing family and friends.

Almost as important though, we’ll be heading to the Bronx to see ‘the house that Ruth built’ one last time. In many ways Yankee Stadium is sacred for Evie. We had our first real date there! We went to the deciding game of the ’96 World Series and saw Wade Boggs act like a Little Leaguer! We saw the first regular season game between the Yankees and the other NYC baseball team (that’s the Mets in case you’re wondering). And yes, we were engaged there! On the BIG SCREEN and all! (Oh the things we do for our wives.)

Recently, Evie decided to surprise me for ‘my birthday’. 🙂 We saw the Yankees and Red Sox play. What a treat for me! 😉

So, this is our final trip to Evie’s Mecca. And this time, for the first time, Blake will join us. I certainly hope they win. If not, the rest of our trip is shot!!

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Hallelujah – Phil Wickham

A couple of my buddies (Lance & Kyle) already posted this, but oh well, I still fell like sharing it. They’re just a lot cooler for sharing it first! 🙂 Doesn’t change the fact that this is an amazing cover of Jeff Buckley’s signature song! Phil Wickham… you’re brilliant!

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GCTV One Prayer Blog

As I mentioned before, our church has joined up with more than 1,000 other churches in the One Prayer movement. For you GCTVers out there, go check out our daily blog. We developed this blog to enhance our corporate experience during this powerful journey of faith together.

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Crazy Love

This morning I finished the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. As most of you know, I’m a Chan Fan. 🙂 I’ve been challenged by his messages and his pursuit of God. He personally had a lot of great things to say in his book, but one of my favorite lines was a quote from someone else.

Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter. – Tim Kizziar

Too often we look for people’s stamp of approval and let them define success for our lives and ministry. Admittedly, I’m certain I’ve spent incalculable amounts time trying to achieve success as defined by others. The problems is, I don’t want to get to the end of my ‘successful’ life and ministry and realize I wasted it on seeking the approval of man.

In my quiet time this morning I read from Romans 12:2 and prayed for a new mindset when it comes to life and ministry. Not to say that I’ve lost something, or that I’ve been ‘off-track’, but I needed to confess my dependence on God and ask that my mind be continually renewed in order to discover what matters most!

For some of you, this may sound a bit weak and immature, but I’m feeling as strong in my faith and as deep in my relationship with God as I ever have. I’m searching for success as defined by His good, pleasing, and perfect will. May sound a little crazy, but I’m lovin’ it!

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One Prayer

In the coming weeks our church will be participating with hundreds of other churches as we focus on the importance of prayer. We also have a blog that will serve as a place to share prayers and requests as we go through this journey together. During this same time, GenesisKIDS will be joining with thousands of kids across the nation as we focus on learning the practice of prayer. For those of you that know me, you know I get geeked about this kind of stuff. An interdenominational, cross-generational effort of fellow Christians joining together for a worthy cause. Sign me up!

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