#3 on the third with my numero uno…

Why I love Lane Dixon Moore, a poem of sorts….

I love to sit and look at your smile

Being married to you for quite a while

Can be humbling, exciting, and so much more

You truly are the one I adore

I love to sit and talk for hours

The way you love, makes me think you have superpowers

More years with Lane, like 102

Would still come up way short,  much too few

My life, my love, every sappy lyric

makes perfect sense every time I hear it

The one and only bestest friend

Lane D. Moore has a cute rear end

On a serious note, let’s get real in this life

There’s no one else, ever, not in a million years, even in my wildest dreams

That I would want to be my wife.

Thankful for the three (3) years, can’t wait for the next 70.

B.

What I want to say…

totally love this post from over at thelongbrake.com and thought you might like it too…

What I want to say is that you have today. Maybe there will be a tomorrow, or a year from now, but you simply do not know. You do know that you have right now.

What I want to say is that we absolutely have to laugh at ourselves. There is no other way to survive life.

What I want to say is don’t hide forever. Hide now if you must, protect yourself at all costs if you have no other choice, but when choice resurfaces once again, resurface with it.

What I want to say is read Calvin & Hobbes every day.

What I want to say is say what you don’t want to say.

What I want to say is take notes. Scribble down everything you can. Buy little notebooks, the sorts that are sensible and not $12.99 apiece, and write it all down. Quotes. Thoughts. Feelings. Lists. If you’ve experienced it, it’s important and worth noting.

What I want to say is “The flowers are still standing!”

What I want to say is fight for yourself, even when, especially when, it means fighting with another.

What I want to say is that which you fear the most might be what you want to do the most, or possibly what you were made to do.

What I want to say is listen to Patty Griffin often, but not too often.

What I want to say is buy good coffee, or good tea,  and savor.

What I want to say is don’t be afraid of your own anger. Be afraid of cynicism, but not anger. There is no movement in cynicism, but there is movement in anger. Anger alludes to a longing for something more.

What I want to say is that I have no idea what healthy means. But I do know about healing.

What I want to say is print your photographs and put them on your walls. Surround yourself with images of people and places that you love.

What I want to say is celebrate often and grieve well.

What I want to say is read Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies. I will likely never stop recommending this book to everyone I know.

What I want to say is that I love watching television, and I’m finally at a place where I can admit that. 

What I want to say eat really, really good food. There are times to eat beans and rice, but there must be a time to spend all you can afford on Alaskan King Crab legs or a filet or lamb.

What I want to say is let silence surround you like a blanket when words simply will not soothe.

What I want to say is: relax.

What I want to say is love and be loved. If nothing else, love deeply.

new blog to check out…

you may or may not know this but I am one of the pastors on staff at 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, GA.  Great church.  Even better leadership. Dream job.  Ok, you get that part.

the student ministry at 12Stone is going to camp this summer and there is a blog if you want more information.

just click right here if you want to check it out.

you’ll be glad you did.  Want to go to camp?, then visit www.12Stone.com for more details.

pr!me end of school year party is tonight.  no plans at 7:00?  see you there.

the third stall…

OK, it’s time to get a little bit personal here today.  not sure why I want to share this and after reading you might think to yourself, “Brett, why do you feel the need to let me in on the gross personal details of your life?”  But, after reading, I think you might understand.  I have had this thought and idea for sometime and I think it is time for me to get my thoughts down and out of my head.

I like to use the third stall.  When I go to the bathroom.  To do #2.  That’s right, the stall furthest from the door.  The one that is up against the wall.  And I’m not sure why.

I think it might have something to do with the fact that there seems to be a little bit more privacy.  Maybe it’s that there is not a person on both sides of me evaluating what I am doing while I’m taking care of business.  Maybe I think that the stall furthest from the door is the one least likely to be used.  For whatever the reason, the privacy, the sanctum, the cleanliness, I choose the third stall, and if I’m right, you do too.

I think the main reason that I choose the third stall is because it seems to be the safest bet in an altogether unsafe place.  Reaserchers have found that public bathrooms have more germs per square inch than a biohazard container in an E.R.  (Makes you rethink wearing flip flops into the bathroom huh?)  My thinking is that the stall furthest from the door requires the most effort to get to and therefore becomes the least used stall in the bathroom.  If it is used less, then it must be cleaner, and if it is just .001% cleaner, then that’s enough motivation for me to take the extra 4 steps to get there.

But, here’s my point.  Everyone likes the third stall.  Think about it.  Yes, you do too.  We all would choose it if it were available every time.  If given the choice between privacy and interference we would inevitably choose privacy.  Given the choice between sanctum and chaos, we choose sanctum.  And, hopefully, given the choice  between cleanliness and filth, we would take the cleaner option.  But, what if what we see as cleaner, more private, and less chaotic is just the opposite?  If we are all choosing the third stall, can it be that much cleaner?  Can it be that much safer?  And isn’t privacy in a public bathroom an oxymoron to begin with?

Our choice that begins as a search for safety brings us into contact with that which is more dangerous.  Stay with me here.  What we see as safe, isn’t.  And I wonder where else this happens in my life…

In what forms of personal leadership do I take the “safe,” way out only to find myself frought with more problems and chaos than I had to begin with?  Where do I seek privacy only to find more scrutiny?  And in what areas does the search for cleanliness only bring up more dirt?

We know not what we are choosing when we are choosing only for ourselves.  We must take into consideration that there is a world that we live in and others who are effected by the choices that we make.  And, more often than not, the safe way out, most of the time, isn’t.

5,000 let’s hope not…

if a certain video gets 5,000 hits on youtube by wednesday may 20 me and anson have to shave our heads.  so here’s what i’m saying – don’t watch this video, don’t pass the link on to your friends, and by all means, don’t let this video get enough hits.  why? because i have a freakin’ weird lookin head!

why not?

Each week I get to spend time in the Word of God to find out what to say on His behalf to a generation of middle school students that is far from Him.  This should make me excited.  Does it you?  Why not?

Each week I get to stand up and proclaim, perhaps for the last time, that heaven is real, hell is real, the gospel matters, and you have a choice in it.  This should make me excited.  Does it you?  Why not?

Each week I get to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.  I get to say, “Yes, the Bible does have something to say about that!”  This should make me excited.  Does it you?  Why not?

I am more fired up, a little mad, and in general ticked off in a Divine and Holy way about what I get to do.  To rebuke sin.  To refute false teaching.  To expose false doctrine.  To raise up a banner that says, “the gospel is real, Jesus is real, He wants you, and you had better want Him.”  This makes me excited.  Does it you?

Kinda Picky aren’t you?

There is a danger to being someone who does ministry professionally for a living.  Actually, there are many.

What I am talking about is a danger to getting to a point professionally where you only read, listen to, and talk with those who share the same beliefs, value the same positive ministry traits, and do the same sort of ministry that you do.  Where is the opportunity for growth?  How does that expand you?  How can you learn how great something ELSE is without trying to discover what that ELSE is that you lack?

It is with that thought in mind that I recommend each and every minister, staff person, and pastor to do the following; We must broaden the scope of influence that we are allowing into our lives.  We must learn to be less picky about what authors we read, what podcasts we listen to, what blogs we subscribe to, etc.  Does this sound dangerous?  Why?  Are you so insecure in what you believe that you feel like you will be “brainwashed,” by another’s viewpoint?  Or, are you so close minded to think that the way that you do ministry is the pentultimate to all existence?

YOU REALLY CAN LEARN SOMETHING FROM EVERYBODY. Books, speakers, conferences, sermon downloads, blogs.  We live in an era with more information at our fingertips (literally) than at any other time EVER.

Now, I am not saying that it is important to implement everything that you hear.  But rather let is serve as an inspiriation.  Inspiration not implementation will allow you to think both inside and out of the box.

A friend of mine puts it like this: Eat the fish, leave the bones.

Here are some links for you to try out, then go branch out and read a book by somebody you never heard of, or better yet, go listen to someone who you KNOW you disagree with theologically.  Who knows?  You might just surprise us all and learn something.

www.tonyrobbins.com

the vatican

joel osteen

move on

feeling bitter?

Had a great coffee with Dewayne Davis this morning.  Once again reminded of how thankful I am for the older Godly men that I have in my life.  Also- my dad’s name is Dwayne so that makes it even cooler.  That combined with a conversation that I had on the phone last night reminded me of a lesson that I have learned about being thankful.. and how that spirit is the ONLY  cure for bitterness.  Enjoy:

3 Things a Spirit of Thankfulness does:

-          aside – it takes as much effort to be thankful as it does to be bitter!

A spirit of thankfulness KILLS SELFISHNESS

-          our #1  enemy is selfishness (what we want, what we deserve, what we are entitled to) – this enemy begins by making us angry, when we become angry we lose confidence, when this is played out we then lose hope.

-          We need our memories refreshed, a history lesson of what God has done for us in the past.  We must remember His history of past faithfulness in order to predict His future performance.

-          Colossians 1:12-14 (giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the hinheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins)

1. a.)     placed in right standing before God (qualified)
2. b.)    rescued us from the rule of evil (delivered)
3. c.)     God receives us gladly (God doesn’t see us through our sin)
4. d.)    Removed punishment of sin (redemption)
5. e.)     Revived our spirit (forgiveness)

• in order to remind us of where we are and what He has done all He has to do is tap one area of our lives to show us how out of control we are
• 2.)KEEPS us SURRENDERED

1. a.)     in our surrender to God there is a peaceful dependence on Him that alleviates stress on our parts
2. b.)    when we are right inwardly we are right outwardly

1. 3.)     KICK STARTS our SERVICE

-          we begin saying thank you more and to more people

-          In the book of Leviticus there is mention of a type of offering that was made to God that was called the “friendship offering.”  This offering literally translates into – now “I’m friends with God.” What took a death in Leviticus was taken care of by Jesus.  He is our friendship offering.

5 blogs to read: RIGHT NOW

5 blog posts you should take time to read today:

1.) Gospel Amputation – great post by Pastor Steven Furtick on who you deliver your message to and how you give it.

2.) I believe – Pastor Perry Noble share a manifesto of sorts on what God is up to in His church.

3.) Anything  here – My wife over at her blog always has great info and content for anyone to check out.  If you haven’t already been there today, come on!  If you have, go back!

4.) 6 Year Med – Ever wonder what goes on inside the head of doctors who are not grossly manicured or poofed up like those on Grey’s Anatomy?  Check out this blog and learn something with me!

5.) Stuff Christians Like – As a group, we Christians are kinda weird, funny to watch, and altogether awkward sometimes.  Check out the Seinfeldesque (just made that word up!) humor at this blog!

Hope you enjoy.  Have a great Thursday.  Of course you will, new episode of The Office tonight!

I am called to be a psychic….

Had a great conversation with Jason Berry, pastor of our Flowery Branch campus here at 12Stone.  Here’s what we decided…we need to develop our psychic powers.

* Sometimes I feel like one of the most appropriate worldly examples of what a Godly leader is supposed to be like is a psychic.  Not like Miss Cleo who comes on a three in the morning to tell you your future spouse’s favorite color, or tell you what you had for lunch that day, but to see things before they are actual.  

More than psychic powers, it is premonition. Defined: premonition is a future knowledge about that which has yet to pass.  As leaders shouldn’t we possess this power?  Don’t we really know what we want to see in people?  Marriages restored? Commitments honored? Bibles read? Sermons preached?

In fact I believe the Bible has something very specific to say about this subject.  I found it while doing my personal study through the book of 2 Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 3:4 – We have confidence in the Lord that you are doing, and will continue to do the things we command.

a couple of main ideas jump out at me from this passage:

1.) confidence: huge struggle of mine both in the past and ongoing.  this type of confidence is from God and is based on His prior performance and not man’s.

2.) you are doing: there’s something to be done in ministry, work to do, people to reach, Bibles to be studied, and sermons to be preached at ALL TIMES.  You don’t take breaks, you take more new ground.

3.) continue to do: what are you dreaming about?  what are you working toward?  what are your goals?  are you living completely in the moment?  why or why not?  what big, huge, and audacious goals are you setting and what are you as a leader/pastor speaking prophetically into existence?

:: This is the concept of vision – that you as the leader would see it before it is so, speak it before it is true, and be sold out to it before it exists.