DOING DIFFERENT
January 17, 2013
“If you want something you've never had,
you must be willing to do something you've never done.”
-Thomas Jefferson
Why is that people who were nothing like Jesus, liked Jesus?
Why did Jesus like people who were nothing like Him?
I think that the answer to those two questions is found in Luke 15. Figure out that passage of Scripture and you figure out the heart of God and the mind of Christ on the subject of the company Jesus preferred.
The short answer is, Jesus liked irreligious people more than he did religion types.
Historically, the most familiar part of Lu ... read more
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CHANGE IS GOOD
December 17, 2012
Churches are funny places.
People want everything to stay exactly the same week after week, but they don’t want it to be boring.
Try changing much of anything around a church and people get really riled up. They want the same music, the same decor, the same service times, the same rituals and the same calendar of events year after year.....after year....after year. Oh, and they want to sit in the same seat every time too.
Mess with church tradition and you will feel a congregation’s fury in full force. Ask any of your Baptist, Methodist, Presb ... read more
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DOUBLE VISION
June 13, 2012
I recently watched a recording of a plenary session delivered by a prominent American pastor at a large national conference for church leaders. Strictly speaking, he had far too many points in his presentation than is advisable. Eighteen points to be exact! However, one or two of them really grabbed my attention.
The one point I have been thinking about quite a bit lately was “Develop Double Vision.” He was explaining that in order for a church to thrive in the midst of growth, it has to act like a church twice its size. If your church has two-hundred people, you ha ... read more
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GOD STILL SPEAKS
April 24, 2012
Yesterday I told a large group of men something deeply personal that very few people know about my life. It was pretty scary territory for me on a number of levels. What they would think about me if they knew the truth was the most frightening.
I’ve been teaching a four-part Bible study entitled Man vs. World to a group of about ninety men at our church the last couple of Monday evenings. I have become increasingly concerned about the challenges men are facing in a world that is utterly opposed to most everything about faith in Jesus Christ. It’s tough these days to be ... read more
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A Cibolo Creek Cocktail Party
March 01, 2012
Cocktail Party?! At our church?
Yep. It happens every Sunday at Cibolo Creek. It is held before and after both the first and second services. Yes siree, each and every Sunday we host a cocktail party at Cibolo Creek.
Lots of people show up for it. However, It’s a pretty exclusive bunch who get invited. Mostly it's those who have been around here for a while and who are well-connected. It’s a sort of “who you know” kind of affair.
You’ll find it taking place in the lobby, down the hallways to Adventureland, out on the sidewalks at ti ... read more
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FAN FEVER
January 30, 2012
Okay, I enjoy sports as much as the next guy. I prefer college sports more than professional sports, but I am not without my interest and enthusiasm for whatever sport happens to be in season at the time. I have a few favorite teams, although, I am the kind that typically gets most interested during key match-ups and the playoffs. I watch Sports Center for updates and highlights.
Yes, I will be watching this week’s Super Bowl. I am not particularly interested in either team, so I only wish for a “good game.” You know, “good” as in lots of great p ... read more
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The Pursuit of Excellence
November 22, 2011
I have been reading the biography of Steve Jobs that came out following his recent death. While it is painfully obvious that Steve was a harsh and, at times, a cruel taskmaster, he was also a passionate and rabid fan of excellence. (To say the least.) Some might even say, a perfectionist. He just wouldn’t settle for anything less that the very best of both his products and the people who created them.
Steve Jobs believed that quality was a non-negotiable. Even in the details that nobody would even see, he insisted that Apple computer products were beautiful beyond skin deep ... read more
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Going Out on a Limb about The Tree (Cross)
April 23, 2011
Goin' out on a limb here, but I don't
think the greatest pain endured by Christ had anything to do with the
scourging, the crown of thorns or the nails. Not to take anything away from
what He endured physically, I don't believe it is what ought to compel us.
Yet we are fascinated by what Christ
suffered physically. We want to make documentaries/movies about the practice of
beatings in the first century, the design of whips used by the Romans, the size
of thorns that grow in Judea and the exact position of the spikes driven into
His body. We consult medical experts to detail the physi ... read more
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Japan
March 17, 2011
Like you, I too have been following what is unfolding in
Japan with great concern. Like
you, I’ve been reading the newspaper, watching the evening news, following
internet news services and viewing some of the videos popping up on
YouTube that show raw footage of the ravishing devastation occurring in this
island nation of the Pacific Rim.
Disturbing.
Overwhelming.
Unbelievable.
Catastrophic.
Apocalyptic.
These are just a few of the words that seem to come to mind
when you see what has taken place in Japan this past week.
I have a very pragmatic imagination. I often find ... read more
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I Saw Jesus Today
February 15, 2011
I think I saw Jesus today.
He didn’t look like I expected, but I am absolutely positive
it was Him.
And to make this Jesus sighting even more wonderful, today
is Valentine’s Day.
Seeing Jesus on Valentine’s Day. How cool is that?
Here’s how it happened.
About three weeks ago a gentleman in our church lost his
beloved wife of fifty-three years. They had met when he was a young sailor in
the Navy. He was a poor South Dakota farmboy. (Born under a blanket in the back of a buckboard wagon in a driving blizzard on the way from the farm to the doctor’s house in town.) She
was a p ... read more
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How He Loves
February 09, 2011
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had this habit of
getting a song stuck in my head and singing it over and over and over again. It
borders on obsessive. For the life of me, I can’t stop singing it.
Thankfully, I generally keep my singing to myself or
otherwise I’d drive the people around me crazy. (More crazy?)
This morning my youngest son caught me singing a line from
my current favorite song and said, “Are you obsessed with that song?” There was
an edge to his voice bordering on annoyance.
The kid is ten! Is it that obvious?
I might need help.
Is there a recovery group f ... read more
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A Chair in the Woods
January 24, 2011
Behind the small subdivision where I live is a large plot of undeveloped
land. I am guessing it is about ten acres or so. “The woods" - as my
children and their friends call it - is covered with native trees and grasses
thick enough to create a rather picturesque forest-oasis right behind our
house. There's even a small stream that runs through it.
I would imagine that some day somebody will buy the property and turn it
into lots for homes. I just hope it isn't anytime soon. My dog will be
really put out when they do.
I often take our dog, Copper, on a walk back in ... read more
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As Bad As I Thought
December 20, 2010
Okay, it was a bad as I thought.
In my previous blog, I was wondering if anybody was actually
reading what I was writing. It was really okay with me if they weren’t, but I
needed to decide if I was going to continue the exercise if nobody was
benefitting from the effort.
Evidently about seven people read that blog and five of them
actually took the time to complete the short survey I had created to try and
discern how I might best serve “my readers.” (Five out of seven – that’s over 70%
- is a pretty strong statistic
when it comes to responses to surveys. I may only have a few ... read more
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To Be Completely Honest
November 29, 2010
I Need to Hear From
You
Okay…I have been doing this blogging thing for about six
months now. I know that isn’t
really all that long, but it’s long enough to start wondering if it's worth the
time and effort.
Quite frankly, I am trying to figure out if “my blog” is of
any real value to anybody out there.
To be perfectly honest, from where I sit my blog feels a lot
like a glorified announcement for what’s going on around our church. Not that
that’s a bad thing, it just might not be the best use of my time. It was an attempt to stay on top of the
communication issue that ... read more
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So Much to be Thankful For
November 22, 2010
‘Tis the Season to
be…Thankful
This week we gather with family and friends to celebrate
Thanksgiving. I hope each of you
has an absolutely wonderful holiday. Let’s trust God together for safe
travels, good health and refreshment to our soul and spirit as we take a day or
two to rest and relax.
I saw a cartoon the other day that was really thought
provoking. It was a picture of a
large family sitting around the Thanksgiving table with all the trimmings. They
are holding hands as they prepare to pray together before eating. A young girl at the table remarks, “We
ha ... read more
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Happy Anniversary Cibolo Creek
November 03, 2010
Home Again
I’m sitting here in my office after nearly two weeks of
being away. To be honest, I am experiencing a strange mixture of serenity and
stress. I am glad to be home again
with my family and to be back at work with our staff, but at the same time I am
feeling a bit anxious about all that needs to be done to catch up after being
gone so long.
I spent the past two weeks with some great friends for an
annual trip out west fly-fishing in some of the most picturesque places in the
United States. We spent two days
last week fishing just outside of Yellowstone National ... read more
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Here's What's Happening
October 18, 2010
The Next Two Sundays
Let me give you a heads up about what the next few weeks
hold at Cibolo Creek Community Church.
The next two Sundays, October 24 & 31, Cibolo Creek will
host two guest teachers I am excited for everyone to hear.
On Sunday, October 24, Les Cole will be with us as our
Sunday morning teacher. Les is the Senior Pastor of LifePointe Fellowship in
Victoria, Texas. LifePoint is a church very similar to Cibolo Creek. Our Worship Pastor, Jeremy Boeselt,
served together with Les a few years ago. Both he and I are excited to have Les
with us here at Cibol ... read more
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Values Clarification
October 14, 2010
Sometimes the best lessons in life are learned more by
feeling them than by hearing them.
This week I had the opportunity to feel a very important
lesson. It didn’t feel very good a first, but after all was said and done, I
was able to see the wisdom of the whole ordeal and “count it all as joy” as the
Apostle James writes in the epistle bearing his name.
Consider it pure joy,
my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds.
James
1:2
But to be honest, it took me a few hours to find the joy!
For the past six months or so, I have been training for a
one-hundred and fifty mile bike ... read more
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It's All Good!
October 04, 2010
Road Trip!
This past Friday evening, our Student Impact Ministry hosted
a Road Rally. Teams of students in vehicles driven by adult volunteers made
their way around the Boerne area following clues in pursuit of a prize for the
crew with the quickest mind and best strategy for completing the event.
The whole plan was really quite ingenious. Rather than make it a race and risk drivers being tempted to
break the speed limit (thereby setting a really bad example for the teenage
occupants), the event was not timed.
It was more about smarts than speed. The team arriving at th ... read more
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Good News, Bad News
September 28, 2010
The Cibolo Story
This past Sunday at Cibolo Creek was an exciting day. We had a full house as our
Adventureland children joined us for our morning service. We were also host to
a quite a number of guests, primarily relatives and friends who were on hand to
share in the events of our Fall Baptism Celebration.
It never ceases to move me when I am a part of baptizing
individuals who are publicly declaring their decision to place their trust in
Jesus Christ and to follow Him as one of His disciples. It really is an extraordinary
experience when you grasp all that baptism port ... read more
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So Much Going On
September 20, 2010
A Great Big Thanks
A great big thanks to all the participants and the
volunteers who made our very first Cibolo Creek Summer’s Done Fun Run a
tremendous success. We had over a hundred runners of all levels of ability,
from serious runners to runners in some serious need of rest. Young, old, fast, slow, runners,
walkers, singles, families, Creekers and guests - we hosted a wonderful field
of participants on a perfect day for a road race.
I sure appreciate all the volunteers who stepped up to serve
in support of our race participants.
Everybody had a great attitude and a ... read more
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Who Cheers for Your Team When You Play Football for a Prison?
September 15, 2010
Unfortunately, when you’re a convicted criminal, your cheering section is usually pretty small. You’ll remember more the deafening silence when scoring a touchdown than the cheers of adoring fans.
What if on just one night, it could all be different? What if on one night, you were surprised to see as many fans on your side of the field as your opponents? What if people waved banners with your name on them and shouted your number when you caught a pass or made a tackle?
If you played high school football for a prison, you’d remember that one night for the rest of your life ... read more
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Great News
September 14, 2010
Great News
Let me begin this week’s blog with some great news.
We just received word this morning that Cibolo Creek members
Leonard and Renee Leachman’s two adopted daughters from Nigeria have been
granted their visas to come to the United States. The adoption process is now officially complete on both sides of the
ocean.
For the very first time, the Leachman family is all in one
place. Right now, they are together
in Nigeria for two weeks before returning to the US. Please continue to pray for them as they have many miles to
travel and even more ... read more
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It's All Pretty Exciting
September 08, 2010
A Lot to Be Excited
About
I’m sitting here writing this blog at my desk looking out my
office window and watching it rain in buckets. Here in Texas, we are at that
point in the summer where we welcome rain with open arms. As we are fond of
saying, “We sure need the rain.” Its all pretty exciting for
drought-wary Texans.
Speaking of excitement…(how’s that for an opportunistic
transition?)
I was looking through this week’s program as we prepare to
go to print and noted there was a lot going on around Cibolo Creek Community
Church these days. I encourage you to be a part of as much o ... read more
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Full House
August 30, 2010
Full House
It was exciting to see a near capacity crowd in both of our
services yesterday. With the start of a new school year, families are back from summer
vacations and new residents have settled into the area. As is the case at the close of each
summer, Cibolo Creek regulars are making their way back to Sunday morning
services and we are hosting quite of number of first-time visitors these days.
I guess a little like your mother when the whole family is
home for the holidays, I just love it when the entire Cibolo Creek crew is back
together again after a long summer. It’s n ... read more
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Another Great Day at Cibolo Creek
August 25, 2010
Sunday was a great day at Cibolo Creek.
For starters, our Worship Team was on fire! Wow! Between Rachel and Faith, the vocals were powerful. It is
easy to get into worship led by that kind of talent. The Loggins’ Boys were in rare form, with both dad and son
having guitar solos while Chad Henson on bass and Johnny Jones on drums kept
the beat. At the center of it all was Jeremy, quietly making a way for the
talent that seems to be coming out of the woodwork around here lately.
Both our Worship and Production teams are so enjoyable to
serve alongside. Their sens ... read more
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Brave New World: My Very Own Blog
August 18, 2010
By my own admission, I am not particularly adept at state-of-the-art
technology. I am one of those
people who are utilizing less then a third of all that his computer and cell
phone are capable of doing. I make
calls, send texts, get my email, keep a calendar and surf the web. I have a few
apps on my phone that help with things I do. Outside of that, I am really not that proficient.
I am certainly no poster child for the modern pastor utilizing
the whole spectrum of state-of-the-art technology for more effectively
advancing the reach of his ministry to a growing aud ... read more
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