MOVING DAY!

It's official.
I've moved.
My new blog address is tomcottar.org

I'll leave this blog up as an archive for now...but come by for a visit and check out my new neighborhood!

Leonard IS Sweet...

I received personal email last week from one of my all-time fav thinkers/authors, Leonard Sweet. (shameless name-dropping...sorry.) If you've been living under a rock the past decade and don't know who Len is, visit the link and be amazed.

Long story short: Len has a new online resource you MUST visit, wikiletics.com. Wikiletics seemingly takes it's name in typical Len Sweet fashion...the synthesis of two existing, yet dissimilar concepts: Wikipedia and homiletics. After his latest book, The Gospel According to Starbucks, hits the shelves, Len will be contributing 20-30 pages each day to the wikiletics site. Keep your eyes fixed...

Winds of Change...

With help from a friend, I'll soon be moving this blog over to tomcottar.org via WordPress 2.0. I'll be sure and post here when things are up and ready...

Woo-hoo!!

Say 'Cheese'!

Darien lost his first tooth last night.

I love you, buddy. You crack me up.

Utah Vote could decide immigration plan's future...

I found this article in today's Houston Chronicle interesting. It seems that a vote in a district that has fewer than 50,000 illegal immigrants and is 12 hours by car from the Mexico border could decide whether Bush's ailing immigration policy limps forward or is declared dead.

This whole immigration hoopla is interesting, but I *really* like the final quote of the article:
"If the truth be known, we should all leave the country and give it back to the Native Americans."

Sometimes, arguing politics is like winning the race at the Special Olympics...geesh.

Veritas et Lux

I have a hard time with sanitized, homogenized 'Christian' music, I'll admit. In fact, the nauseating majority of bubble gum lyrics and predictible pop that the CCM industry churns out is, well...nauseating.

I'll also admit that I am a child of the 80's--punk, new wave, and hair bands. (Admitting it is the first step, eh?)

Nonetheless, one of my all time favorite bands, Disciple, has a new project out that has blown my mind. You should seriously check them out. With tracks like 'Rise Up' (think 'David and Goliath' on steriods) and The Wait Is Over (which you can download free and legally here), these guys will definitely change the way you think about rock music.

I'm officially making a resolution at the SBC next year that we emerging types adopt 'Worth It All' as our theme.

Fanning the Flame

Last week was an amazing week with our high schoolers on the beach.

This week is a furiously paced VBS week at our church. I'm also catching up with the administrative duties of being out of the office for 6 days.

In 19 years of ministry, I've learned a few things to help me recharge during times like these. After all, according to the latest Barna report, Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.) One of the things I do is journal (blogging doesn't count). Another is reviewing journals from years past.Tonite I found a journal entry from several years ago with these words:

"Never forget that you can learn something from leadership.
Growth is not optional.
Be willing to learn from unlearned men.
Haughtiness is not Holiness.
Schedule 'love time' with your kids. Not quality time, but *quantity* time.
Be prayer partners with members of your family.
Build your family into your schedule.
Rest and relaxation are NOT second-class use of your time.
It is NOT glamorous to burn out.
Do not sacrifice your family on the altar of ministry."

Good, albiet random, thoughts. If you haven't seen it, Mark Driscoll, Pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, has a great post called Death By Ministry. Some of the suggestions he offers are great. I especially like #2, #3, and #9. You should read them for yourself.

Tonite, the boys and rented a slew of animated Spiderman DVD's and laid in front of the TV pretending we had Spidey Sense.

The realization came to me that the only man in the room with super-human strength was the guy in red and blue tights.

God give us strength. Slow us to the rhythms of Kingdom living. Be our Sabbath rest and remind us that Your yoke is truly easy.

God Annoys Me...

Can I be honest? I was thinking along those lines earlier while working on stuff for our middle school camp next month. He seldom does things the way I'd do them. He always knows it all. And there are times when I don't think he's even listening to me...but it turns out He actually was listening, He was just waiting for me to shut my trap and listen to him...

This afternoon, one of our seniors walked in to the youth center with a book entitled 99 Annoying Attributes of God.

Something to think about as we're preparing for our 'Jesus in the Park' gig for our student ministry tonite. ...it's been raining off and on for days. Again, not the way I'd have scheduled the rain if I was God.

God is annoying because He isn't impressed with what I try to do for Him.

God is annoying because His sense of mercy often gets in the way of my sense of justice.

God is annoying because He often thinks 'no' is a sufficient answer.

God is annoying because He knows all about my personal life and doesn't hesitate to bring it up.

God is annoying because He isn't worried about either of our reputations.

God is annoying because He expects me to keep secret the things I'd rather openly take credit for.

God is annoying because He allows the wicked to prosper.

The conclusion of the book says:
"So when all is said and done, is it okay to find God annoying? One old, battle-scarred warrior of the faith put it this way:

Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and murmur, and He will hear my voice. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle. (Ps. 55:17-18)

Nice to know that while God takes everything personally, he doesn't hold grudges. He does, however, hold hearts--wounded, troubled, and annoyed hearts. "

I'm grateful he holds mine. And slightly less annoyed when I remember...

I Have A Dream

After an amazing week at Padre last week, I've been busy catching up on all the blog activity I've missed (see the blog links I dig on the right). Playing catch-up is exhausting and exhilirating. Nevertheless, three people sent me the following from Dan Kimball over the past three days.

It seems at his church, Vintage Faith (what a great name, huh?), Dan recently taught on what it means for his congregation to be 'The Church'. Bottom line: it's not about going to church, but about being the church. He says,
"As part of the series, we had little blank white post cards in every bulletin and asked the question of everyone "What do you dream this church could be?" and then had them fill in the black on the card, "I Dream Of A Church....." and then whatever they might dream of. We are really trying to create a culture where the church is not about just the pastors dreams and hopes but the people of the church, who are the church, are the dreamers of what God could do in us and through us as a church."

Dan posted the entire collection of cards along the walls of the building for everyone to see, but he posted a few of the entries Next Wave (bottom of post) as he recounted some of the ones that brought tears to his eyes. Some of my favs:

I DREAM OF A CHURCH...

- that reaches the broken world to bring a healing that can only come from Jesus Christ

- that is more about helping others than about us

- is honest and open-minded rather than self-righteous and dogmatic OR has donuts. I will be OK with either.

- who is loving and unafraid

- accepts people where they are in life and not just when they have achieved a level of "spiritualness"

- that knows me and loves me anyway

- that gets lost in worshiping Jesus and lingers in His presence

- that Jesus would be proud of

Pretty great stuff. Sounds like something we need to do often enough to keep us focused on being the body.

The entire article is here at Next-Wave.