I knew from the first day that the girls would beat the boys in our offering challenge. So here is a picture of me with my mohawk.

Click here for full image

I organized my Safari Bookmarks Bar today to better place the blogs that I read. Safari has a built in RSS reader that is great. All I have to do is open up Safari and it tells me how many new blog post I have today. I posted on my site the top blogs that I read, but I am opening my horizons to other good bloggers. I counted that I read 26 different blogs in categories from leadership, youth ministers, senior ministers, emerging church and technology.

Click here for a bigger picture

While I have a quite moment during VBS I thought I would share that because of the Girls to Boys ratio like 5:1 at our VBS this year (and every year) I will probably be sporting a mohawk. A MOHAWK! I think I will like it at least for a few days then I’ll have to get it shaved off. I’ll post a picture on Saturday for you guys. The really cool thing is that I get to wear it on Sunday for church.

and are on working to get better at!

Jesus Comes First. There is no way that we can get around this idea. Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek First My Kingdom and My Righteousness.� I know things come up. Things in our lives, our children’s lives, our family, our friends, work. But where is our focus? Are we involved in too much? Could we better use our time focusing on building a stronger church filled with people who have never meet Jesus?

Injustice. I don’t know how many times I have thought in head about my Constitutional Rights and freedoms as an American and a Christian. God has given us no indication that we are to have such a freedom. One thing that I don’t think enough about is the amount of injustice going on in the world. I make about 30 times what the average Haitian makes in a year. I drive a car that about 1000 Haitians can afford. My house has wood floors and A/C, a real roof and windows and doors. All over the world people are in need, not of a big house, or a nice car but of food and clean water, medicine and doctors and teachers. Am I doing enough? Am I doing what God would have me to do with the resources He has given me? The solutions are easy, even on a personal level.

Evangelism. We all have been commanded to “Go into all the world.� I do my part in the church, but do I do enough outside the church walls? Churches grow because the people invite their neighbors and co-workers. But we come in more contact with other people, like the same lady who checks you out at the grocery store or gas station, the same waitress. If we were less focused on our self and our own comforts would the world be a better place?

Realizing What God Has Given Me. Sometimes I forget about the talents and passions that God has given me. I get so caught up in other things that they don’t even come to mind. I was reading something the other day and a guy said that he was created to be a minister and I thought hey, I was created to be a minister and I don’t know how long it had been since the last time I thought that. Do you ever think about where God has gifted you? About the passions that He has plagued you with? Lets all take some time to recapture the person that God created us to be, to find ourselves again.

I know sometimes we only want to learn from people who have it all together and I know soul searching is not easy because we often find things we don’t like. Let today be different learn from someone who know he doesn’t have all the answers but is looking for right there with you. Psalms 13: 2 & 3 says. “He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay. He set my feet upon a rock making my foot steps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.� Lets allow God to brings us out of the pit of self-focus and plant our feet on the solid rock of being the people that He wants us to be.

I am. I switched over to Apple about 2 and half years ago and haven’t looked back. I dread when I have to work with Microsoft Computers or on them. I was reading Fox News this morning and found this article that just proves my point as to why Microsoft is so bad. Microsoft Maps erase Apple

PS- Another great reason to switch to Apple is that the computers keep getting better and cheaper to buy. Check it out new iBook for $999 and Mac Mini for $499

I have decided to do a weekly post on groups, news, and other things that are helping to prevent poverty in some form or fashion.

I found this link on Data’s website of Laura Bush’s visit to Africa. You can read the news store by clicking here. This a great story of a person who is going to encourage, par take in, learn from and helping to spread the word about HIV/Aids

Last night we started VBS and I have to hand it to our volunteers, they were probably the most flexable than they have ever been. And I was quick to praise it. We are doing Group’s VBS, Jerusalem Marketplace and I don’t think it is as well put together as some of their others. Its a great program but a lot is left up to the individual volunteer and when they have questions I can’t always give them what they want.

But it brings up an important point. We must be flexable. Being ridged does not work with leaders dealing with programs and volunteers or volunteers dealing with programs and leaders. Things come up, problems may arise but how we deal with them will decide whether they stay small managble problems or big out of control problems.

On a side note, when we see something we like in our staff or volunteers we must be quick to praise it and let all of them know that this particular behavior is what we are looking for in them.

Like my Statefarm knock-off. Anyways things have been busy for sometime now leading up to VBS. We always hold VBS at the end of July as we have figured out that in our area not only is it the best time but also no competition. Anyways, we are doing Jerusalem Marketplace and Serengetti Trek together. Its rough don’t try it. JM doesn’t have a Pre-School part so we are doing ST for them. More little stuff than ever. Little details, more suppiles needed, more volunteers (not a bad thing), more space and did I say little details. I really like VBS once it starts, its all the stuff leading up to it.

I’m continuing to learn about myself and my need to work harder to delegate to people who can get the job done. I am also learning about myself that I need to work harder on the part that comes after dreaming and deciding to do something. My short comings tend to work out in the end, but I know that I need to learn my rough spots and make them better.

As I have been reading through Psalms lately I can across a verse in Ps. 33: 10 the end of it says, “He frustrates the plans of the peoples.”

I know for myself that God has frustrated my plans because I forgot to include Him on the planning. Have you ever been there? As I reflected on it last night I realized that we as church leaders may want to move in a certain direction or be like a particular church or be the fresh and cutting edge church but if that isn’t what God wants for our church then those plans will be frustrated.

In our student ministry here at Islands we waited and waited for God to bring us people who could lead our group in a time of worship. I’ve been here since Feb. 2003 and this summer He finally brought us two great guys who lead us in an acoustic worship that is very good. Not only did he bring us the people to do it these two guys have been a part of great ministries in Boston and College Station, TX where Breakaway Ministries is located. This ministry has produced some great worship teams like Shane and Shane and taught my friend who to lead and engage people in worship. Its great and I could have pushed and got a band together and been totally frustrated because that is not what God had in store for us.

I’m not sure who he is but when it said free my ears shot up. The Leadership Blog guy posted his top five free mp3 great communicators. Not only do I like free stuff I love free messages.