Big Top vs Relationship

After hearing a recent ESPN radio segment I was reminded of how important relationships are in ministry. It can be hard for people to see a connection between a story on the NFL and ministry. As the coaching carousel continues to spin many NFL teams are beginning to seek young guys as the new head coach as opposed to a big name, high dollar coach. Some analyst and others would say this is because a 30 something coach can better relate to the players. Steelers recently hired Mike Tomlin as their new coach after longtime coach Bill Cowher retired. Is it more important to have a coach with experience and wisdom or the ability to build relationships with the players? Looking at it from their perspective, NFL teams, it is important to the tune of multimillion dollar deals. Looking at this from the perspective of ministry, relationships are very important. This should be what all people are doing as a Christian. Invest in the lives of people so they can then build a strong relationship with Jesus and other people. Every team wants to win the Superbowl but some teams feel it is important to have a coach that relates to the players of their team. The superbowls of ministry will take place but it is more important for a youth minister to build relationships with the students he is around everyday. The Steelers will look to improve and win next year but hopefully Mike Tomlin will have made a larger impact in the lives of guys that are part of the team.

More Signs

Since travel around the country has been minimal the last few months I found another avenue to have a few laughs. Matt found these signs as he searched for videos for work. Sermonspice has a great video Church Signs Countdown that you may have seen in the past or may be completely new. I do hope that you enjoy them and may they bring you to tears because of laughter or pure pain.

Open

Registration is open for Know Sweat Service Projects. I am excited about our new locations in Dallas, Omaha and Beckley, WV. Omaha will be a transfer of location from Norfolk, NE. Dallas will be great and the city will provide many opportunities to serve people. Beckley will give us another great location in the east. The Know Sweat staff is working hard to put all the elements together so that students will be able to learn about and experience service. As we provide an opportunity for students to serve, we desire to make a difference in the lives of people and honor God. I am praying that our staff will be able to locate the right people at the right time that need assistance. It will be awesome to see transformation take place in 2007.

Outcome

This is an overview of the many things that happened over the Christmas holiday.
1. The CIY staff Christmas Party that included a unique viewing of the Fountain of Angels at Precious Moments in Carthage, MO and Christmas songs with Duke Mason.
2. Family Christmas with Amanda's parents at our house. I received some long awaited Eagle Creek Pack It Cubes from them along with some other great presents. We also had ham, potatoes and green bean casserole for our meal. It was all very good.
3. A bad experience at Johnny Carino's in Joplin, MO. Not becasue of who we were with but because of the server. He was just bad.
4. This Christmas also included a trip to Iowa to visit my family. This involved high school basketball games, Christmas Eve service with most of the family and a ton of holiday goodies. Amanda and I also debated what to watch on TV as I like to watch sports and she leans toward movies and anything but sports and the Weather Channel.
5. Amanda and I shared in a movie on Christmas. We watched the Pursuit of Happyness. A great story about a man's dedication and commitment to making the most out of his life. Although the focus is on financial success the sacrifice made is a great lesson. How much sacrifice will you make for your kids, wife and family?
6. Urbana. More to come later.
7. One of the most incredible college football games I have seen took place just a few days ago. As I prepared to go to bed I debated on going to sleep. I said to Amanda that Oklahoma vs Boise State will probably be one of the best games ever or just ho hum as they played the last quarter and a half. Amazing.

I hope to elaborate a little more as I look back to the many things I was part of this Christmas. This is the outcome of what happened the last few weeks.