Sunday Night Unwind

I'm sitting here in my almost empty living room looking around at some boxes and packing material. We are almost completely ready for the truck tomorrow. It has been a long day and a long week. It will be a huge relief to get into our house in Columbus and start settling in.

This morning was our first at Capital City. One word - awesome! God is so good!

The spirit of God was very real and very evident in the service this morning. When we allow Him to do what He wants the results are always great. To end with a spontaneous testimony of what God is doing in one family that fits right in with what I spoke about is something only God can orchestrate. It was obvious that the Spirit was speaking and touching lives throughout the day.

We didn't get a chance to speak to everyone this morning, but look forward to getting to know each one of you better. The hospitality we have been shown thus far has been incredible and there isn't much more we can say besides, "Thank You!"

2009 is going to be a year to remember as we see God work the fullness of His plan in and through Capital City Church. It starts with the individual. It is fueled by prayer. We will start the year off with a week of prayer starting Monday, January 5. Each day through Friday we will be at the church from 6 - 8 am and 6 - 8 pm giving people the opportunity to come and join us in prayer and seeking God's presence and Spirit for 2009. You are welcome to come and be a part of this meaningful time each day. If you can be there for a few minutes or for much longer, we will have prayer guides available and look forward to seeing you there.

We are going to go all out in spreading the love and good news of Christ in Columbus this year. We will take advantage of every opportunity that we can to know Christ and to make Him known.

Thanks

Just a quick post today. It is the morning after Christmas. Our family had a great time yesterday. The girls were surprised and they have showed real gratitude, which is something we work hard to instill.
In spite of all the packing yet to be done, we didn't yesterday. We simply hung out and enjoyed the day and relaxed.
Last night we went to see Marley & Me. While, in typical Hollywod fashion, there were some elements in the movie that could have been left out and were a bit uncomfortable for a parent to have their 7 & 9 year olds sitting next to them asking questions, it is a good movie. The movie is very family oriented in it's themes. It portrays sacrifice, love, faithfulness, endurance, and forgiveness.
It is refreshing to see a family on the big screen that works things out even in the difficult times. It is gratifying to watch a family in which the adults are loving and caring and actually in control and doing what is best for their family. So much of the time the parents are presented as moronic at best and uncaring at worst. This is not the case in this movie.
The other thing that I found great about the movie is the way it brought it down to gratitude. In the end, you see a family, a man on screen who is truly grateful for what he has. A man thankful for his family and his life, as imperfect as it may be. He sees the blessings of his wife and his children and the lessons he learned from the world's worst dog. Lessons of loyalty and love and enthusiasm for life.
We could all use a reminder to live more grateful and realize the blessings that are in our lives.
Thank you and may God reveal His richest blessings on you.

(Quick warning on the movie, it is heavy and not a light-hearted comedy all the way through.)

A moment of random

Maybe it's too late at night for me to blog, but here are some random thoughts from inside the mind of Shane:

• I can't believe it is week 16 of the NFL. The season has gone quick.
• Arizona looked horrible. Maybe clinching things as early as they did was a bad thing. That, or the NFC west doesn't belong with the rest of the NFL. Of course, the Jets and Brett Favre can't beat the NFC west... Whatever, the Cards looked pathetic against the Patriots.
• Miami wins the coldest game they have ever played in? Oh yeah, it was against the Chiefs. Does that really count as a game? Almost like playing the Lions.
• 15 degrees BELOW zero windchill this morning! Forecast for Wednesday - FIFTY degrees. What?!? If you don't like the weather in Ohio, wait a few minutes, it will change.
• We downsize every time we move. This time we have gone through things pretty aggressively. We still have way too much stuff.
• Making another trip to Columbus tomorrow to drop off some stuff. By the time Monday comes we will have only furniture to move. That would be cool.
• The move has thrown off our normal Christmas flow in our family. Doesn't really feel like Christmas around here.
• I am looking forward to Thursday though. Since having children, Christmas morning has a whole different meaning. I love seeing their faces and experiencing their excitement.
• Also, I can't wait to see Elena's expression when she opens what I got her. I think I did well this year.
• Get to spend Friday evening with some very good friends. This is a tradition for us with these friends. I am very much looking forward to it. Always a great great time.
• Mark Batterson gives a great post on a simple, yet profound strategy to parenting. Here
• I'm letting my girls pick what we read in our family devotions and my youngest picked Thessalonians. We will be going through these two letters for a while and then back to Psalms. Parents, if you don't take time to read the Bible with your children, I highly recommend you start. Let them read aloud. There is not much that compares to hearing your children red God's Word. Our girls ask if we can do devotions if they are worried that it is getting late and I haven't started them yet. Awesome!
• That's enough for now. Until.........
  

Christmas Sunday

Got to spend this morning at a church pastored by a friend of mine. It is highly unusual for a pastor to experience Christmas Sunday at another church. With the timing of our transition it worked out.

I love getting new perspectives and seeing how others do things. I learn from it. Experiences like today also give me the chance to see what it is like going to church as a visitor.

We enjoyed the service and the worship. It was relaxed and pointed and comfortable.

We were home by noon and my wife made a comment about being home so early. I think she was implying that normally the preacher at our church goes too long or something, I'm not sure.

Two thoughts from this morning that will stay with me:

• First, transitions in the service are very important and do not happen by accident
• Second, less is more when it comes to the elements in the service. Making the most of the time and not allowing anything to come in that is filler or fluff are vital.
• Third (I know I said two, but I'm a preacher and you knew there had to be at least three), we need to make sure that things are adequately explained so that guests understand what is happening and what is expected.

Well, I'm going to relax for a while longer before getting back to packing and cleaning.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Living Rich For Less

Time for another book review. This one is a bit different in that it is not specifically a Christian life book. However, it is very much Biblical.

Author, Ellie Kay, strongly advocates a tithing principle of giving away at least 10% of your income to worthy causes. She specifically states the local church as one of the best options. She even goes so far as to encourage participation in a local church beyond simple attendance. Her well-rounded approach to giving includes time and talent and not just finances.

One of the things that most impressed me about this book is she wrote it from their own personal experience of achieving financial stability and success on one average middle class income. This isn't written by someone who got out of debt through a series of unusual business dealings or windfalls. We aren't presented with the opinions of someone who never experienced the stress of too much consumer debt and more month than money.

The Kay family's story is one that most any average American can relate too. They even had to deal with child support payments. They had a larger than average consumer debt level. Through all of of this they were able to change their habits and their thinking and find a good balance of spending, giving, and saving.

This book is practical and it is doable. It is not out of reach or out of touch as some financial books can be. It is not a get rich quick scheme or even a become the next millionaire book. No, this is a book that will motivate you to make the most of your resources and find that you can do more with what you have than you ever dreamed possible. It is easy to follow and gives real answers and real ideas without presenting a plan that most cannot live with.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to infuse a better balance to their finances. If you are drowning in debt and can't seem to catch a break, this book will help you. If you are living paycheck to paycheck, this book will help you. For those who are making it fine, but just know they are not doing all they could, pick up a copy of this book. If you look at your finances and wonder why you don't have more at the end of this month or just aren't sure where your money is going, read this book.

I have two copies of this book I would like to give away. Here is how that is going to work: one will go to the first person to email me (shane@capitalcitychurch.org) with your name and address where you would like the book sent. The second one will go to the first email I receive from a high school junior or senior that will promise me to read the book. The principles in this book should be taught and given to young people to help them avoid the traps that grip so many adults. Again, send your emails to shane@capitalcitychurch.org and don't forget to include your mailing address.

Book summary from the Publisher:

You really can be rich in every way, every day.

So you want to own the home you love, make memories on wonderful vacations with family or friends, finance college educations, and help others too?

You can—starting here and now.

With lively humor, proven know-how, and practical principles for financial health, Living Rich for Less helps you stretch your dollars to realize the lifestyle of your dreams. Ellie Kay’s entertaining and enlightening examples show you simple steps to save, spend, and give smart, and her three main principles are undergirded by dozens of effective rules and hundreds of Cha-Ching Factor™ tips that keep or put money in your pocket.

Ellie knows what it’s like to be financially-strapped or struggling, wanting to be the Joneses but feeling as poor in spirit as in pocketbook. She went, within two and a half years, from being a new wife and mom with $40,000 in consumer debt and seven children (and college educations) to support, to being completely debt-free and within fifteen years able to pay cash for eleven different cars, give away three of those cars, buy two five-bedroom houses (moving from one to the other) and nicely furnish each, take wonderful vacations, dress her family in fine fashion; and support more than thirty non-profit organizations in more than a dozen different countries, giving away more than $100,000.

Isn’t that the kind of transformation to a rich life that you want?

Living Rich for Less helps anyone get there in our taxed-out, maxed-out times. Because financial security doesn’t mean just genuine prosperity, but being able to live luxuriously, give generously, and care for yourself as well as the others around you.

Why keep up with the Joneses when you can be them?

Purchase this book at Amazon.com