I think that shows how easy it is to return from an event and let life steal what was poured in to you. However, my lack of posting does not mean I did not apply much of what I got there.

Steven asked for my three best take aways from Catalyst. Wow, only three?

1 - Experience Matters - I heard for years that Catalyst was not just another conference, it was an experience. I admit that I was always intrigued but secretly thought I could get all the same information via books, podcast, CDs or by listening to others’ stories. WRONG!

The experience of Catalyst was unlike anything I have ever witnessed.And I believe church should be the same way. We worshiped in an electric atmosphere. I heard challenging messages that messed me up. I listened to people share personal stories of what they were doing to change the world and challenged us to join them. Technology was leveraged to remove unnecessary roadblocks to engagement.

The whole experience was so amazing and awe-inspiring that I thought many times of people I wanted to bring back with me next time. I want our weekend experiences to be so electric, engaging, relevant and provoking that people can’t wait to bring everyone they know back with them next week.

2 - Next generation ideas come from the next generation. This came from the last session with Andy Stanley. It wasn’t a new idea for me. But, it was very encouraging to hear him say it. It is not for the older generation to innovate. It is their responsibility to recognize the new ideas and help them succeed. I realize that I am quickly becoming a part of the last generation. Our kids are the next generation and if I don’t recognize that, the end is near.

I love to go and hang out with our teenagers. Our youth ministry absolutely must be the innovators at ROCK Church. They cannot and must not do youth ministry the same way I did 10 years ago. That has already made it’s way into our weekend services. Wanna know what’s going to happen next? Get around young people.

3 - Memories have the potential to be the enemy of dreams. I never want to forget our past. But, I refuse to let the past be remembers as our glory days. God’s vision is too great. Andy summed it up with this quote:

“When memories exceed dreams, the end is near.” - Michael Hammer quoted in The World is Flat

- - - - -

Yeah, that was hard. We came away with a lot more than just those three. But, I would say those are still messing with me the most. Tomorrow, I’ll work on the three hardest things about our leadership transition.

Sorry, Rebekah. I know you asked first. But, your question warrants a whole week to answer in multiple posts. I’m working on that as a series for next week.

I am sure this monstrous sinus infection that I’ve had for several months doesn’t help me focus. I’m currently on round 5 of antibiotics and am still recovering from the near death Mucinex incident. I know. I know. That’s just another lame excuse. But, I’m sticking with it.

So, here is what we are going to do this week. You ask, I’ll answer. This can be dangerous and I like it. Fire away.

Boundaries? Let’s figure it out as we go along. Family, church, leadership transition, kids, hobbies, faith, relationships, health, quantum physics, philosophy… It’s a free-for-all… You ask and I’ll do my best to answer. (although those last couple topics might not get a very thorough or accurate answer)

I’ll answer as many as I can this week.

And AWAY WE GOOOOO!

I think I speak for all of the other men out there when I say, “PASTOR DINO IS THE MAN!” If Healing Place church used this as the promo video for the 2009 Live The Dream Women’s Conference, every man would send his wife and pay any cost.

I guarantee it!

I am so grateful to my father for charting the course over 20 years ago for ROCK Church to be a multi-racial church. It has not been easy. But, we do do it all over again. Here’s to another 20+ years of tearing down walls of segregation and prejudice because we still have a long way to go.

Check out the newspaper article HERE.

Let’s hear it! Does race play a role in where you choose to worship? How?

Yesterday was a historic, transformational day in the history of our nation. Whether you like it or not, President-elect Barack Obama will step into the role as the next President of the United States of America. Even though I differ quite a bit politically from our new leader, I still have a lot to be excited about.

Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed of a day very similar to yesterday. It was a huge dream and we have not fully arrived yet. But, yesterday was a milestone for our great nation. The race barrier for the highest office in our government was removed and that is significant.

This Sunday, we will pray for our new President. We will bless him. We will pray for protection for him and his family. We will pray for Godly wisdom to guide him. We will pray for unity in our nation. There is plenty of Biblical foundation for all of these prayers.

Our hope is not in our President. Our faith is not in the political system. I trust that God holds the hearts of kings in His hand. Yesterday did not catch God off guard.

I will not speak against our new leader. Instead, I will bless him. He is our President and is due our respect.

To those who would prophesy doom and destruction, I caution you to use wisdom. If you desire to speak prophetically, why not pray that God would speak directly to President Obama? Let’s prophesy radical change to come to our churches and ourselves so that our hearts would be broken for the lost and hurting in our nation. Instead of prophesying destruction, speak words of blessing, peace, wisdom, truth, righteousness and compassion.

I leave you with Phillipians 4:4-9

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

God bless President Obama and God bless America.

This is my last political post for the season… maybe.

Whatever you do, don’t stay home from the polls. Be an American. Don’t let lack of information stop you. Get informed and then GO VOTE! To not do so is to thumb your nose at all those who paid a huge price for your freedom.

Have you voted yet? Did you vote today? How long did you wait in line to vote? Did you get your free Starbucks, Chick-fil-a and Krispy Kreme? Who did you vote for?

DO IT! DO IT NOW! Then come back and tell us about your experience. We want to know!

Yesterday, however, was an adventure. My sinuses were killing me, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. On the way home from the office, I stopped by the drug store and picked up some Mucinex Full Force Nasal Spray. I gave it a good two full shots on each side and then the fireworks began!

First, I started sneezing violently. As soon as that subsided a little we sat down to eat (grilled cheese & bacon if you’re wondering). Then, my face started swelling and I could barely open my eyes. Next thing you know, my throat started closing and my chest tightened. My lungs were on fire.

Jen sent Gabe upstairs to get some Benadryl. 50mg later, I was feeling a little better but still had trouble breathing. Inhaler to the rescue… or at least a little relief. Then it was off to MEDAC Urgent Care. By this point, everything was a little blurry. But, ultimately I left with steroids and a story to tell. I guess my Olympic career is ruined now. And I was pretty bummed that I missed the Praying Backwards prayer meeting over at RagamuffinSoul.com. But, if anyone needs a barely used bottle of Mucinex, let me know.

On a side note, the grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches Jen made were awesome.

How was your night?

On Thursday, our oldest son, Gabriel, became a teenager! Please pray for us. Actually, Gabriel is a fine young man who honors his parents, loves God and serves others (most of the time). We are so proud of him.

On Saturday, we had a Mystery Party with about 4,000,000 of his friends. OK, maybe it was only about 20 or so. Jennifer and I dressed up as the maid and butler. It was a blast. Check out more of the party pics below.

[Show as slideshow]

What’s your favorite teenage party idea?

Today I wrap up this series by telling you why your vote matters. There are millions (maybe billions) of people who wish they had a say in their government. The privilege to vote came at a high price as thousands of men and women gave their lives for this freedom. To cop out and just not vote is to dishonor that sacrifice.

Don’t just go and throw your vote away because you do not know what is going on. Educate yourself. Pray hard. Find out where the candidates stand on the issues that affect you. If you call yourself a Christ follower, you must set the Bible at the center of your decision. Then go stand in a very long line and vote.

Stop whining and complaining about the election. If we allow the horrible campaign tactics of the candidates to jade us, we all lose. Whatever you do, don’t stay home from the polls. Take your faith in God and His Word with you as you vote. Act like a true believer when standing in line. Hold your head up. Put that sticker on your shirt and proudly let people know that you exercised your right to vote.

Don’t belittle others who do not vote the same as you. An open dialogue is healthy. Tearing each other down makes us no better than the candidates. Not talking about our views isolates us.

I encourage leaders to lead by example. How will the people who follow you know where you are going unless you tell them.God put you in a place of leadership for times like this.

Once you have voted, why not come back here and tell us all who you voted for and why.

This week, we are taking a Biblical look at the political decision process. Allow me to touch on a few points that have guided me in this process.

There are many, many issues facing our country today and all of them are valid. I want to have more money, smaller government, better healthcare, stronger military and on and on. But, there are a few issues that I believe are non-negotiable when it comes to a Biblically based answer.

Today, I will only address one issue. Why? Because I cannot let the other issues outweigh this one. I wish I could be a multiple issue voter. But, this one is too big to ignore.

ABORTION

I believe this is an issue that is so huge that we can not let it pass. Every day, thousands of babies are murdered in the United States. It feels better to say pro-choice or a woman’s right to choose. But, something is wrong when a teenage girl can have the government finance the murdering of the baby in her womb without her parents knowing and you can go to prison and pay a stiff fine for disturbing sea turtle eggs. What does it matter if the eggs aren’t real anyway? Isn’t it a double homicide if you kill a mother and her unborn child?

Now, I know that even with a Republican, pro-life President in office for the last eight years has not overturn Roe v. Wade. I am not convinced that electing a pro-life President this term will even change it. But, I must try. If I give up and risk the lives of another 5,000,000+ babies that will die*. I cannot vote for a President who opposes righteous legislation to save the lives of the unborn.

Psalms 106 talks about the Israelites sacrificing their children to idols. You may be saying that this is different. But, I would argue that the majority of abortions are a result of sin and the need for convenience. I encourage you to read this article from John Piper.

Before you vote, take a look at the two resources below, read your Bible, pray really hard and then GO VOTE!