David the Angel (Video)
http://youtu.be/2PttPeT-X-Q
When Your Counselor Calls You Intense
The Session I've seen a counselor on and off for years and every once in a while something really hits home. My last session was one of those times. My counselor asked, “Have you ever thought about how you come across as intense?” I nervously laughed for a minute, but inside my head it was like the world stopped and my life flashed before my eyes. I was thinking, “OH NO! My counselor thinks I’m intense!” What does it mean when the dude people pay to listen to their intense thoughts for a living, thinks you're intense?! And what does it ...
How Leading a Team is a Lot Like Cross-Country
I was never very good at cross-country in high school. Any time my picture was taken during a race, I looked like I was passing a kidney stone or had been kicked in the face repeatedly. I may never have won a race, but did learn a thing or two about running one. In any race, you have to pace yourself. You can’t sprint the entire time and must know when to push a little harder and when to rest. It’s the same with leading a great group or team. There’s a time to plant and push and a time to ...
5 Music Videos Every Christian Needs to See
Remember what it was like to feel far from God? I was talking with a friend recently who described feeling like "something" was missing from his life. For some people it's a distant memory while for others it's a daily reality. The truth is, the further we get from the time we felt far from God, the easier it is to forget what it was like. Every once in a while a song comes out that immediately makes me remember. If you're a Christian, I hope the messages in these 5 songs will help you remember that everyday people are searching for.....something. ...
Friedrich Nietzsche Helped Me Believe in Jesus
I remember walking out of a Philosophy class one day during college and feeling like my head was going to explode. Our class had spent the previous hour arguing against the existence of God and the ability to truly know anything at all. It's always an interesting adventure for a Christian to have to argue against the existence of God which I had to do that day and gave the exercise everything I had. After class I walked into the school cafeteria, sat down with some friends and said, "Please tell me that God exists." That happened numerous times that semester ...
The Best Part of Leading a Group
I remember this past fall, peering around the room at my new small group. I wondered how well this group was going to go. Yes, I’d been through this many times before, but sometimes you wonder if this is the group that just won’t click. Connection was slow the first few weeks, but people consistently came. Everything was fine but not necessarily great. That is, until the night we began to talk about family. As I asked a question about how our family has influenced who we are today, one of my group members took a deep breath and said ...
Is It Possible to Do Good?
I’m not sure I’ve ever done a truly selfless thing in my life. I’ve served in Haiti, helped the homeless, visited the sick, taken out the trash without being asked, and yes, even helped a little old lady cross the street. (I’m not 100% I’ve done that last one- but you get the idea.) I find that every time I attempt to make some significant stride for God, I’m conflicted. There’s a part of me wanting to serve because I want to see great things done for God. But, there’s another part wanting to serve because it’ll make me feel ...
free thank you ecards- to thank your volunteers
In order to help thank your volunteers, I found 3 sites you can use to send them thank you ecards. All you have to do is tell them the person's name and e-mail address where you'd like to send the card and they'll do the rest. A little thanks goes a long way. Here's the best site I found: http://www.kisseo.com/ecard/thank-you This one has more animation: http://ecards.hallmarkcards.com.au/ecards/thank-you This one has a lot of options, including animation: http://www.123greetings.com/thank_you/everyday/
Thank You Volunteers
I had a meeting with some leaders at Velocity the other night. It was so amazing to hear leaders and volunteers brainstorm how to make Velocity amazing! It makes me think about all the incredible people who make Velocity a special place to be each Sunday. So, here's to you amazing volunteers, both at Velocity, and everywhere. Thank you for the time you take to create something special. Thank you for investing in something that matters! What I'm Trying to Say Is... http://i.giphy.com/FihMsmKxNdStq.gif http://i.giphy.com/6tHy8UAbv3zgs.gif http://i.giphy.com/nU704Y2jeFOHm.gif http://youtu.be/oomCIXGzsR0 This Is For You http://i.giphy.com/c6rJJ6NXpLLyg.gif http://i.giphy.com/wTzPSxZBqSove.gif http://i.giphy.com/y8Mz1yj13s3kI.gif What You Do Is Kind of Like This... http://i.giphy.com/mtBL79qUZiYo0.gif Keep ...
The Marriage Challenge
Maybe you always thought the first marriage was a match made in heaven. You thought Adam and Eve were a picture of perfection in paradise. For a time that may have been true. But then, as they disobeyed God, and sin began to infect everyone and everything- something happened. Adam and Eve had marriage problems. Adam blamed Eve for eating the forbidden fruit. But, when Eve was faced with great temptation, Adam was nowhere to be found. They were selfish, only worrying about themselves in front of God. And as both Adam and Eve listened to voices other than God, their relationship ...