I’ve been really excited about the possibilities that I feel God has planted in my heart. It’s a been a real season of risk, faith, hope and awesomecrediblephenomness. Yes, thats what you do when you don’t have a word for it.
In this season I have recognized a pattern in me that I have also seen in others and in many Scriptural stories. I’d like to share it with you.
2. Hope is you believing in what is yet unseen, and you go public with the dream
3. Faith gets you through the hard times as you trust the arm of the Lord is not too short
4. Reality comes when the dream arrives
Don’t bailout in any part of this process! Its too important to give up.
Numbers 11:23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
Isaiah 50:2 When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?
Many think that because I am a public speaker and a leader that that I am a bold individual. They assume the stage persona that delivers the weekly message is the same guy wandering around my house.
Well, I hope I am the same kind of man with the same kind of character both in and out of the spotlight. But, truthfully, my persona on stage is not the same as it is when “the switch is off.”
That’s why it always cracks me up to have people say to my wife, “Wow, it must be a real blessing to be married to him. You’re probably laughing all the time!”
Her response is usually a very dry, “Yeah… he’s a real riot.”
In fact, one of the secrets to my message/sermon preparation is that 90% of the lessons I teach, I am delivering to myself. I feel them because I need them.
So, what about this confession I need to make? Read more…
Posted by Addis Andy on Jan 26, 2010 in Bible Stuff
My wife and I are never closer to divorce than when she is right.
Just kidding. We’ve already ruled out divorce as an option, but homicide… well.
Once again, just kidding.
Seriously, it really peeves me when my wife and I are engaged in passionate discourse (aka fighting) and in the midst of the battle it becomes abundantly clear that she is right.
The one time that happened was really rough on me.
You know that feeling that you have been missing the obvious? That the answer has been right there all along and you’ve just been too blind, busy or bored to pick up on it.
Posted by Addis Andy on Jan 7, 2010 in Uncategorized
I can’t believe how 80s I am.
Every time I think, or hear, the phrase “You’ve got to pray,” I envision MC Hammerpants. That can’t be healthy.
But, here we go… You’ve got to pray (just to make it today… wow, it is an illness).
Communication is essential to any relationship, and without it the relationship will wither and die. Or, at least go into a period of hibernation until the spring thaw. Read more…
It’s that time of year again. Every channel on TV has one of those greatest/worst 100 of the year shows. You can’t turn on the radio without audibly stumbling over a top 40 countdown of every style and genre out there.
It’s just natural at the end of the year to look back and remember before we press on into the new.
I hate this time of year.
Not just because it contrasts with the Christmas Season (the absolute best time of the year), or even because I don’t like looking back. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
I hate this kind of looking back, because it doesn’t do anything for our future. It’s a waste of time and energy.
I love looking back, but as a ruthless evaluator. I believe there is such a thing as constructive criticism, especially when invited.
This is probably why my circle of intimate friends is so small… hmmm, I’ll have to evaluate that later.
Appreciating and seeking criticism is an art. Unwanted critique, from people who don’t know anything and consider their own opinion too valuable to be kept to themselves need to embrace every human’s capacity to, shut it. Read more…
Thanks to everyone who attended our Christmas Eve Celebration. This year we tied the whole service together with some poorly written poetry that told a version of the Christmas/salvation story, and I can say poorly written… because I wrote it.
I’ve been a asked a couple of times where to get it, so, I thought I’d make it available here at the CrossEyedLife.
It comes in five sections as a progressive story and many thanks to Sam Wilk who narrated for us… great job!
THE NEED
Dark and barren, a formless void
Our universe an empty nothing
No light, no warmth, no life to be enjoyed Read more…
For you regular here at the CrossEyedLife, you know I’m a reader. I don’t just believe in it, I enjoy it (that is, once I got out of school. No one likes reading when they are forced to).
The picture that accompanies this blog is the right hand corner of my desk that several of my ‘loving’ brothers and sisters have offered to file/clean for me. But, I share with each of them that the corner stack, mound, pile, library (proper usage check) is actually not static, but in frequent turnover.
These are the ‘next read’ books and when one is finished another is added. I love reading, learning and growing, and several times I have quoted, or even taught from significant reads. Never, though, have I reviewed a book here at CEL, so, today we make history.
As always, my first recommendation to you is to read, re-read and re-read again the Bible, but I also want to make this recommendation: Primal by Mark Batterson should be a primary read for you in 2010. Read more…
What’s better than getting up at 4 am on Black Friday to fight the crowds and strategically rifle through a well-thought out plan of attack documented only by a string of newspaper ads marked in Sharpie and ordered by store opening times?
Almost anything.
Anything is better than that.
Still, that was today for my bride and I as the kiddos slept in at Grandmas. We spent a small fortune (as opposed to the large fortune it could have been) and got about 90% of what we hunted.
We dominated Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target Mart and Home Depot Mart and even squeezed in a romantic breakfast for two at IHOP Mart.
While we were wolfing down some pancakes (actually, I was wolfing… Kathy never wolfs… she delicately cuts, slowly eats and cutely chews… she never wolfs) we were discussing how crazy some people were. Read more…
As a pastor of a decade and a half now, I have sat through some pretty rough family counseling sessions.
You’d be amazed at the harsh things people can say to each other… or, maybe you wouldn’t be. I guess that’s even sadder.
Some of the barbs that get thrown include:
If you cared about me at all…
I don’t think I can love you anymore…
You’re an idiot…
I just wish I was as important to you as your sister is…
It’s me or the XBOX (seriously, I’ve heard this one)…
I can’t stand to be around you anymore…
Ouch! After a few of those, it’s a little awkward trying to schedule the next meeting. I never know if they are planning on being together in a week, or if I’ll have to visit one of them in the county clink where they now reside for stabbing their mate. Read more…
