Blessed by Association, That's G!

I spent the first part of last week with my wife and girls at the Great Wolf Lodge. Our church's kid's camp was held there and it was our duty to attend.

Our main job was to connect with kids, attend services, and enjoy our time with our girls. Wow, how fun is that!?

As a family we felt loved and we were honored to get to hang with the Kid's Life team.

After a few days there I drove out to speak at a friend's summer camp at Fort Flagler on the Washington State peninsula. Tyler Sollie is the lead youth pastor at Eastridge Church and he and his team were incredibly hospitable.

While I was there I was pampered and well taken care of. About 30 different times I was asked if I needed anything...

"Another water?"

"More food?"

"Let us know if we can help," was the constant refrain.

I felt like a minor C-list celebrity. Did I deserve this kind of treatment? No, I was simply coming up to bring the message they were paying me to deliver.

These recent examples show how me and my family are blessed by association. We received both invitations, not because we deserved them, but because of our connection to who was hosting the camps.

The Kid's Life team from our church wanted us to come and hang with their students. The pressure was off. We went to connect with the students, particularly those that are transitioning up to youth. My girls got to enjoy three fun vacation days at a great waterpark because they're connected to me. They too were blessed by association.

The opportunity to speak at Tyler's camp was because of a friendship that formed in part because of my senior pastor, Brian Dolleman. Tyler and him have been friends for years and as a result I am blessed to call Tyler a friend as well.

Again, I find myself blessed by association or to put it another way, blessed through my connections.

Do you see a trend here?

Me too.

The Bible is full of examples of being blessed by association.

Joseph's family was spared and prospered even after they treated him poorly. That's a great example of God's grace and blessing at work.

The Israelites were blessed and rescued through their connection to Moses.

Esther saved her people from the threat of complete genocide.

I could continue...

Check out this passage from Romans 8:15-17

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.

Because of our connection / association with Jesus we are blessed! Walk in that truth today. You can't earn it, you can't force God's hand, and you can't make it happen in your own strength. You're blessed because of your association with Christ.

You're HIS kid! You are blessed because of that. That's G!

Let me wrap up this post by asking you these two questions:

1. Who are the people your're blessed to be in association with? Your parents? Peers? Pastor?

2. Who is blessed because they're in association with you?

Adherence to Appearance

"It is finished!" is what Jesus cried as He hung on the cross. He wasn't referring to his life when he made that statement. He was actually informing all humanity (Jews & Gentiles) that the Law was completed, fulfilled and satisfied; he was letting us know that the Law was no longer a barrier between us and God.

For some strange reason though humanity seems to want to bring the law back and attempt to achieve relationship with God by jumping through religious rituals and performance hoops. The bottom line on man's most recent attempts to earn relationship with God through work and strain is that they still don't work.

Strict adherence to the law at it's absolute best can only produce a nice appearance. Grace works from the inside out. The law only works on the exterior of man. Grace initiates change from the inside.

All attempts to earn Godliness or righteousness through our own hard work will only make us appear Godly.

I used to play baseball with a guy named "Tom" (name changed to protect his feelings). Tom had all the latest gear when he showed up to the playing field. The most expensive batting gloves, the coolest cleats, and a glove that was made from a very important cow apparently.

The problem was Tom couldn't hit, or catch, or throw very well. He was a poser. He looked the part of a baseball player but the person behind all the expensive equipment couldn't really play ball.

As human beings we can only judge things from the outside. God judges by looking beyond all the decorations, vanity, and cool gear. He looks at the heart.

Grace changes us from the inside out. Grace brings real transformation.

Grace changes the person first. Over time the exterior things change, but Grace and God deal with heart issues.

In one encounter with Jesus a woman with an internal problem (she had a bleeding issue) was healed simply by touching Jesus. Grace changes us from the inside out.

Don't be a poser. Allow Jesus to change your heart.

Adherence = the right Appearance

Grace = real-life Transformation

Grace Changes Everything.

"You Must" vs. "I Will"

Throughout the book of Deuteronomy we find lists of things God requires of His people so that they stay in right standing before Him. You can look it up for yourself, but to show you what I mean here's an excerpt:

Deuteronomy 6:13-18 (NLT)

YOU MUST fear the Lord your God and serve him. When you take an oath,

YOU MUST use only his name.

YOU MUST not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, for the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God.

His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth.

YOU MUST not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah.

YOU MUST diligently obey the commands of the Lord your God—all the laws and decrees he has given you.

Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so all will go well with you.

The Law requires perfection. It exists to point out our flaws and where we fall short. If God's people obeyed The Law they were blessed. When they disobeyed God's wrath followed. The Law is good and right, but it lacks the power to save us.

Contrast this with the new covenant of Grace that God establishes with the sending of His Son Jesus. In Hebrews chapter eight God repeatedly uses the phrase, "I will" as opposed to, "You Must."

Hebrews 8:7-13

If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said:

“The day is coming, says the Lord, when I WILL make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.

This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord.

But this is the new covenant I WILL make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord:

I WILL put my laws in their minds,

and I WILL write them on their hearts.

I WILL be their God, and they will be my people.

And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord. For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.

And I WILL forgive their wickedness,

and I WILL never again remember their sins.”

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

It seems to me that God has taken the pressure off of us a bit here. The old agreement was dependent on me doing and living up to my end of the deal. Under the terms of the new agreement I can depend on Jesus' finished work at the cross for me.

God's Grace is clearly seen when you begin to understand the difference between the "You Must" language of The Law and the "I Will" language of Grace!

Grace Changes Everything... That's G!

Grace changes everything. It's a simple yet profoundly important statement. We know from scripture that Jesus is Grace personified which means that literally Jesus changes everything. Grace has already fulfilled the law. Grace gives me right standing with God. Grace / Jesus changes everything in my life.

As a church we have been in a series entitled Grace Changes Everything since mid May and it has been fun to see people's lives being changed by God's free gift of Grace.

We've also launched a website www.gracechangeseverything.org ; we've been inviting our people to visit the site and share what God's Grace is doing in their lives. If you get a chance you should check it out too!

Our youth ministry has also jumped on board with the series that is transforming our church. We are in a series called That's G!: God's Grace in Everyday Life. We too have seen incredible results.

A group of young people who've been particularly inspired have started a group called the G-Team. Their self-described purpose is to spread God's Grace through the community through acts of social justice, kindness, and fun challenges. They have a list of challenges and things they're striving to accomplish before this summer is over. If you haven't checked them out you've got to take a moment and watch this video:

Summer seems to be zooming right along. God is doing great things and lives are being changed. If you're not involved what's stopping you? God's Grace is available, all you need to do is respond to His goodness.

Stuck in Committee

A couple weeks ago my pastor, Brian Dolleman, preached a message called, "Grace Changes the Church." In it he talked about three stories Jesus tells in Luke chapter 15 in which a lost item is found.

Do you remember the stories?

They're about a lost sheep, lost coin, and perhaps the most famous, the lost (prodigal) son. Each of the stories are told to help us understand why Jesus was hanging around with sinners and to give us an idea of what our Heavenly Father is like.

Brian mentioned an important truth that is discovered when reading these stories. In each story the lost item requires an all out search or "search team" and once the item/person is found it's time to celebrate!

After PB summed up the stories he reminded us that Grace must to be the church's central issue. Anything else that we place at the center will take us off course. He talked about how it was time for "found" people to be part of the "search team," ready to help lead people to Jesus. He encouraged us to be on the "party planning committee," the kind of people that can't wait to celebrate with those who have been found.

When he mentioned it's time for us to be part of the "party planning committee" my mind immediately wandered to scenes from one of my favorite tv shows, The Office.

If you've ever watched the show you know there is a character on the show who is the office's party planning committee chairperson. Her name is Angela and she is emotion-less and severe. She is definitely a person who could use a little Grace in her life. When she plans parties for the office she rarely takes others input into consideration and generally plans parties that she would enjoy.

Unfortunately this makes me think of the church. Often times we plan our parties (services) and forget who we're throwing the party for (those who have yet to make the decision to follow Jesus). We must remember that the party we throw weekly is not for us. It's being thrown for those who haven't already been found.

The party may include party music that you don't enjoy. It may include simple stories that you've already heard. The party attire is likely to help the people for whom the party is being thrown feel relaxed and at home. But again, since the party is not for us, this shouldn't be an issue right?

All to often we get weird about these parties. The longer we've been throwing parties we forget what it's like to be the guests of honor. We start asking why our preferences aren't being catered to. We say things like, "How come we don't play my favorite party music any more?"

Towards the end of the story of the lost son in Luke 15:28-32 the older brother is getting frustrated with the big party and his father's actions:

The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Pastor Brian was exactly right a couple Sundays ago when he reminded us to be part of both the "search team" and "party planning committee."

I would simply add, let's be careful we don't get bogged down in committee! It's not about us, it's about those who aren't even here yet. Let's throw parties that are relavent and attractive to outsiders. Let's throw parties that make sense and help outsiders experience God's incredible Grace.

The Journey of 42,000 Steps

I read recently that a marathon is comprised of roughly 42,000 steps. This weekend I embarked on that 26.2 mile, 42,000 step journey. On Saturday I completed my first ever marathon and it took me 4 hours and 24 minutes to reach the finish. Coming into this race I wasn't sure what to expect; many people told me that the toughest miles to run were 17-20. I must admit I found the toughest miles to be miles 23-26. The finish line was on Alki Beach right across the street from Spud's Fish n' Chips. As I saw it in the distance it never seemed to get closer. My cramping legs and body was saying stop, but I forced myself to keep moving.

Running those 42,000 steps leaves me with a nice feeling of accomplishment, however I didn't run a marathon just for the heck of it. The reason I ran was to bring focus and attention to our annual summer camp. Many of our students and leaders ran the marathon with me with the express purpose of raising funds for others. I love that, no one was running simply for themselves. Our students ran with purpose in every step. Their purpose was to help students experience summer camp this August.

I am so thankful to each person who ran, raised/gave money, and all who supported us along the way. I know that this cause is bigger than any one of us individually. I can't wait for Lift 2010, it's going to be an amazing week together at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. All I can say is thank you.

I want to end this post with a question...

Are you making plans to join August 16-20 at Lift 2010?

Let's Go for a Run

In the seven years I’ve been leading our youth ministry summer camp has proven to be the single most life-changing event we offer to students. In those seven years Live Youth Church has ministered to hundreds of young people and seen tremendous results. Amazing things happen in student’s lives when they commit to spending the week with God at summer camp. Lift 2010 promises to have the same effect this coming August.

Every year a week or so before we leave for camp my inbox and voicemail are full of requests for scholarships. I’ve made it our youth ministry’s policy to make sure that no student is turned away from camp based on lack of funds and year after year people have stepped up to sponsor, support, and send our students to camp. I am so impressed by the generosity of people and it’s caused me to ask myself this question. “What am I doing to help send students to camp?”

Sure Stacey and I write a donation check, organize car washes, and find yard work that needs completion, but again the question beckons, “What am I doing?”

In light of all this I’ve decided that there is something I can do. While I’m not in a financial place to bankroll every student to camp and I don’t have a get rich quick scheme that will magically raise enough money for our entire camp; it finally dawned on me… I can run. No, I don’t mean run away from the problem. I mean I can run to raise funds for students to attend summer camp. I am running in the Green River Marathon, 26.2 miles, in hopes of raising enough money to scholarship students that would otherwise miss out on camp.

My goal is to raise enough money for 52 students (one for every week of the year) to attend camp on full scholarship. Every half-mile I run during the marathon will send another student to camp and will inspire me to keep running. This is where you enter the picture... I need your help to make this dream of mine a reality.

Camp is $250 per camper and every dollar you give will go directly to help send a student to camp. In total, I’m hoping to raise $13,000 towards camp, which seems like a lot given the current economic climate, however I know we can reach our goal if everyone is willing to contribute something. Please give careful thought as you decide what you’d like to give. Any gift from $5 to $5,000 helps and we’re extremely thankful for it. Please make checks out to “Fairwood Church”. You can also give online at www.fwchurch.com/serve_give.

My 26.2 mile journey begins at Russell Road Park in Kent at 8:30 and will end at Spud’s Fish n’ Chips at Alki around 12:30. If you’d like to be at the finish line to celebrate with me I’d love to see you there. Thanks for your financial support, it means a great deal to me and even more to the students that will benefit as a result of your generosity.

If you'd like to help out please contact me, donate online or send checks to:

Fairwood Church

13120 SE 192 PL

Renton, WA 98058

Just a Thought...

Just a thought...

Often when I'm around people that are praying I hear things like:

"Lord we just pray that you would...."

"We're just asking that you..."

"Lord, just show up tonight..."

I'm not trying to be hyper-critical or anything; I just feel like it's time we drop the just when we pray. It's as if we're asking God to do something in our lives as long as it's not too much of an inconvenience for Him.

In all of these cases the word just comes off... well... just so passive. It's like what we're really saying is, "Hey it'd be nice if you could lend a hand down here God, that is of course if you're not tied up."

Or:

"Hey God, I know you have a lot to do so if you could just get this one tiny favor taken care of I'd really appreciate it."

When I read scripture I read things like:

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face... I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

"You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it... Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!" (John 14:13-14)

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20)

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16)

"If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1:5-6)

I propose that we eliminate the "just-prayers" from our repertoire. They seem so wimpy. Let's boldly ask, believe, and expect God to act on our behalf. We serve a risen savior who is for us; in fact, He says we're going to do even greater things than He did:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works..." (John 14:12)

To borrow a phrase from a friend of mine, "Let's pray dangerous prayers," and let's not be so shocked when He answers!

Just sayin'...

Dear Students...

Dear Students,

As I write to you today I am on my way to Mexico for a week of fun & relaxation with Stacey. I wanted to take this opportunity to write you and let you know how proud I am of each and every one of you. Over the last five weeks we have seen some incredible momentum at Live Youth Church. Our St. Patty’s Day Bash tied an all-time attendance high for us and we have grown through two very successful Live After Parties. Your friends, the ones you have been boldly inviting to church, have been making decisions to follow Christ week after week. As a ministry, we are all truly living the adventure together.

Stacey and I have been your youth pastors for seven years (with more to come) and it seems like we’ve been praying, hoping, and believing for ministry like this since we started. I want you to know that this great momentum we’re riding is merely the beginning of what God wants to do in and through us. When Jesus told Peter what his purpose would be in the God’s Kingdom he said that upon him he would BUILD his church and the gates of Hell would not overcome it. That word build sticks out to me. God has been building His church right in our midst and this is only the beginning. I want you to join in on the fun; being on His construction crew is the best job imaginable.

In Luke 15 Jesus tells three stories that help illustrate what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. The stories are about a lost sheep, lost coin, and perhaps the most famous, the lost (prodigal) son. Each of these stories helps us understand the truth about our Dad in Heaven.

In all three stories something is lost. Wow, amazing observation huh? Keep reading. In each of the stories Jesus tells the lost item is incredibly valuable. So valuable in fact that even though the shepherd who already has 99 “found” sheep he leaves them to go after the ONE.

God feels the same way about US! Let me put it to you this way, Even if 99% of our population was born-again and in right standing with God, He would still want us to go after the 1%. Let’s all have that mindset when we walk our campuses and put in our time at work. Lost people are incredibly important to God. “He is not willing that any would perish…”

You’ll also notice that in the stories Jesus tells the lost item requires an all out search by the one who's responsible for the item. The shepherd searches for the sheep; the woman calls friends to help her find the coin, and we can only imagine, the father of the lost son had contacts giving him updates on his son’s whereabouts.

Finally, I want you to see that when what was lost becomes found it’s time to party! I certainly hope you feel that same sense of amazement and accomplishment I feel when we reach your friends and win them to Jesus. The Bible tells us that all Heaven stops and rejoices when one person chooses Jesus. This past month Heaven has been stopping to party a lot thanks to each one of you who have been inviting and bringing students to Live.

In light of all that has been happening I want to say this one thing, "Let’s keep going." Let’s not quit, give up, or get tired. We are just scratching the surface of what God will do through us. Let’s help Him build. However you can with whatever you’ve got! I love you and maybe even more importantly I believe in YOU! God has placed you where you are for a reason. Leverage your relationships. Let’s connect people in our community, schools, and places of work to the God of grace. Don't ever get tired of serving, loving, caring for, and reaching people for Christ. By the way, the kind of work we're involved in has a benefit package that is out of this world!

Grace,

Andy

2010 Breakfast Cereal Champion

Congratulations to Lucky Charms for winning the 2010 Breakfast Cereal Challenge. I'm sure this will boost sales nation wide for this General Mills juggernaut.

It was a lot of fun doing this challenge, next year I think we'll do a tournament with the best candy bars. In the meantime keep checking in on this blog as I write about other fun stuff, my family and my faith.

Thanks for participating,

Andy

Time to Crown a Champion

Well here we are. After the dust has settled only two cereals remain, Lucky Charms and Golden Grahams. Today the voting for the finals in the Breakfast Cereal Challenge has begun. You can vote through Sunday as many times as your heart desires. Make sure to tell others to support your cause.

Polls will close Sunday at midnight; let's try to get over 100 votes for this VERY important match.

Good luck and may the best cereal win.

Ready for Showing?

My wife and I have had our house on the market for a few weeks now and nothing gets us more excited than when an agent calls us and asks us that magical question.

Ever tried to sell a home? (no that's not it, keep reading below)

The question that thrills us is when they ask, "I have some clients that would like to see your home, are you ready for a showing between three and four today?"

For the past several weeks our home has been kept at a constant level of cleanliness and order. Everything is arranged to show off our home's unique features and even cover up some of its inadequacies.

Every morning when we leave for work my wife and I stage our house in such a way that if we get a call while we're out we can tell the agent to show it, it's ready to go.

As Easter Sunday approaches many churches are getting ready to do something very similar. As you're reading this post pastors, leaders, and volunteers are prepping messages, planning activities, and preparing church grounds for the biggest weekend of the year.

It's a lot of fun knowing you're going to have a showing at your house especially when you're hoping the buyer will fall in love with it and buy your property.

It's even more thrilling getting prepared for a big weekend at church knowing that people will be stopping by because they were invited by a friend, family member, or co-worker. It's so much fun having confidence that they will experience Jesus. Nothing compares with hoping and believing for them to start a lasting relationship with Him.

We should place a high level of importance on everyday that God gives us on earth. Truth be told, every single day is a day we must be ready for a showing.

Let's make sure we're ready to show his grace, care, concern, help, forgiveness, faith, and love everyday, not just on Easter.

Are you ready for a showing?

Regional Finals - Two Days of Voting

It's time for the regional finals. One cereal from each of our regions will emerge as champion and move on to the Final Four next weekend.

From the General Mills Region:

1. Lucky Charms vs.

2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch

From the Post Region:

1. Honey Bunches of Oats vs.

3. Golden Crisp

From the Kelloggs Region:

1. Frosted Flakes vs.

2. Frosted Mini-Wheats

From the Wildcard Region:

1. Golden Grahams vs.

2. Cap'n Crunch Berries

*The polls will stay open through Sunday, so vote early, often, and tell friends to join in on the fun. Good luck to all cereals and may the best four win!

Sweet 16 Results & Match-Ups

The General Mills & Post Region have their regional final matches set. In the General Mills Region it will be quite possibly the two strongest cereals this tournament has seen. 1. Lucky Charms will be facing off Saturday against 2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Both cereals convincingly defeated their foes yesterday at a clip of around three votes to one.

The Post Regional Final will feature 1. Honey Bunches of Oats against 3. Golden Crisp. Both cereals have pushed through some close matches to be here. 3. Golden Crisp has a "Golden" opportunity to knock off a top seed and make it to the Final Four.

As always, it's up to you the voters, so have fun with it. Yesterday we nearly had 60 votes counted towards the matches. Let's keep that trend growing as we bring this tournament to a close.

Good luck, happy voting, and may the best cereal win!

Updated Breakfast Cereal Challenge Bracket

First Round Results - Wildcard Region

The final first round match-ups have been completed and the results are listed below. The Breakfast Cereal Challenge started with 32 of your favorite cereals and has been narrowed down to 16 morning delights (four from each region). Here's a look at yesterday's results:

1. Golden Grahams over 8. Blueberry Morning

2. Cap'n Crunch Berries breezed past 7. Special K

3. Cracklin' Oat Bran edged out 6. Life

4. Reese's Puffs dominated 5. Peanut Butter Crunch

The second round match-ups will start along with the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. You can click on the full bracket above to track your picks. Thanks for participating with us and make sure to check back here later this week.

First Round Results - Kelloggs Region

Well the results are in and in this group all the tops seeds have advanced. Thats right, no upsets, no surprises, just the top ranked cereals moving on.

1. Frosted Flakes over 8. Corn Pops

2. Frosted Mini-Wheats defeated 7. Corn Flakes

3. Apple Jacks knocked off 6. Rice Krispies

4. Fruit Loops moved past 5. Crispix

Today the marks the final day for first round match-ups. After the votes are tabulated we'll take a little break and we'll back in action when the tournament continues next week. Happy voting and may the best cereal win.

First Round Results - Post Region

Yesterday proves that you've got to get involved in the voting process! In the battle between the Pebbles (Fruity & Cocoa) ONE SINGLE VOTE decided the match!

Vote as often as you'd like. Tell you're friends about the contest and get them voting as well. Thanks for making the Breakfast Cereal Challenge a success.

Post Results:

1. Honey Bunches of Oats breezed past 8. Waffle Crisp

2. Honey-Comb defeated 7. Grape Nuts

3. Golden Crisp trounced 6. Alpha-Bits

5. Cocoa Pebbles upset 4. Fruity Pebbles

Make sure to get your votes in for the Kelloggs Region, polls close at Midnight.

First Round Results - General Mills Region

1. Lucky Charms over 8. Cookie Crisp

2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch defeat 7. Cocoa Puffs

3. Trix move past 6. Kix

5. Honey Nut Cheerios upsets 4. Cheerios

Friday's match-ups are posted above. Make sure to get your votes in and do us a favor and tell a friend about our Breakfast Cereal Challenge. The more participation we have the more fun this will get.

Breakfast Cereal Challenge Bracket

Print & fill out your personal bracket now!

Better Late than Never...

Last year on March 23rd I posted this...

"I love the NCAA Basketball tournament as much as the next guy, but lately I've realized something... It's just not for everyone. Sure, everyone has their reasons for not filling out brackets: they don't know the teams, don't care about basketball/sports, or they actually have real lives to live. Here's the deal though; I think that everyone has some competitiveness in them somewhere. So, I have decided that for the next couple weeks I'm going to try and find it!"

"I am proposing that we (me and anyone who happens across this blog) conduct a "Breakfast Cereal Challenge." It will work just like the NCAA Tournament, we will pit YOUR favorite breakfast cereals against one another to determine the best of the best! My family actually did this at our Christmas party a few years ago and it was a lot of fun."

It's taken over a year, but I'm finally ready for the tournament to begin. The cereals will be vying for the coveted "Golden Spoon" award. I have placed them (Kyle, one of our interns has) into four categories based on their company of origin. The four brackets are General Mills, Kelloggs, Post, and our Wildcard bracket with cereals from each maker.

...So without any further ado I present to you the 32 breakfast cereals that will be competing in this year's challenge:

GENERAL MILLS

Trix, Kix, Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, & Honey Nut Cheerios

POST

Honey-Comb, Golden Crisp, Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles, Honey Bunches of Oats, Alpha-Bits, Waffle Crisp & Grape Nuts

KELLOGGS

Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks, Fruit Loops, Frosted Mini-Wheats, Crispix, & Corn Flakes

WILDCARD

Blueberry Morning, Life, Special K, Reese's Puffs, Golden Grahams, Captain Crunch Berries, Cracklin' Oat Bran, & Peanut Butter Crunch

The cereals will compete in head to head match-ups until we determine the best from each bracket (The Final Four). We will then vote for the best cereal in all the land, the "Golden Spoon" champion. Each of you will determine the outcome by voting by leaving comments on Facebook and my blog so please don't be shy!!! We will follow the schedule of the NCAA Tournament, so by the end of this weekend we will be down to the "Sweet 16." As the NCAA Tournament progresses so will we until we have our champ.

The cereals are listed without a seeding next to them on purpose. Please leave a comment on my blog or on Facebook and pick your "Final Four" cereals (one from each bracket) and the cereal you think should be this year's "Golden Spoon" award winner.

This should be lots of fun, but I'll need lots of participation to make it happen. Check back often and good luck to all those who compete... May the best cereal win!

Loners for Lunch

When I was a sophomore in high school I remember going on an adventure with God that changed me. One night at our youth service we were challenged to include people who didn't hang with the crowd we normally did. We were challenged to "become friends with the friendless."

The next day at school a friend and I decided to start up a "loner for lunch" program. Only we called it that for obvious reasons. We walked through the halls at lunch and gathered up all the students who sat by their lockers and ate lunch by themselves. Students were reluctant at first thinking that it was some kind of trap, but soon we had filled four tables with "loners." Everyday we ate lunch and formed a sort of community.

This continued for a few months until we noticed something strange. The once so-called "loners" didn't need us anymore. They came and sat with their newfound friends on their own. We no longer had to remind them everyday to join us. We had indeed become friends with the friendless. It was a tangible demonstration of what God has called us to do.

He’s called us to go on the adventure of sharing the good news of Christ with EVERYONE. Whether we think they will respond or not.

"Mac" Donald's

I recently enjoyed a few days of vacation in Phoenix, Arizona with my dad, brother, and uncles. We stayed with my wife’s grandfather, who lives just a few miles from the Mariners Spring Training facility. He lost his wife a few months back (they were married 61 years) and he seemed to enjoy the company. We had a great time there together watching baseball, playing board games, going out to eat, and staying up late.

I love time away, however I think my girls may enjoy a trip like this as well. We may have to consider bringing the whole family down next time. Not to mention they may be an asset when it comes to getting some autographs.

My grandfather-in-law, Bill is 85 years old. He’s in pretty good shape and enjoys giving himself chores to do around the house. He also sticks to a routine. Every morning he wakes up at five and reads the newspaper; at seven he heads to “Mac” Donald’s (as he affectionately calls it) just down the street from his home for coffee. When coffee is complete it’s time to accomplish his daily task. Tasks range from planting tomatoes, to going on “treasure hunts” at local yard sales in the area. He is always eager to tell you about his latest gem.

Afternoons are reserved for naps, a homemade lunch, and a quick scan of the History Channel. Then it’s back out to complete what he’s started. During our visit I was shocked to see him on a ladder cleaning out gunk from his gutter as he whistled away like a blue bird. As the sun sets Bill makes dinner for one and relaxes in his easy chair. He told me that he can’t remember the last time he wasn’t in bed by eight and that was true for the five nights we spent with him as well. In the morning he repeats his routine from the previous day.

Paper, “Mac” Donald’s, daily self-imposed task, lunch, task, dinner, easy chair, and bed.

Tomorrow, repeat.

One morning I joined Bill for his morning coffee at “Mac” Donald’s. It was fun to sit with him and experience life the way he lives it. As we walked through the doors of my daughters favorite restaurant he was greeted by two employees, “Good morning Bill.”

He ordered his usual; a senior-priced coffee and Sausage McMuffin with Egg. He bought my coffee and we sat down across from a man named Mike who was the first one from the coffee crowd to arrive. Mike was seated in his senior scooter and was slowly sipping from his super-sized cup. Mike was a master of one-liners and shared briefly his story and background with me as we talked about current events.

Next to wander in was Carlene. She was the youngest of the group. She wasn’t even retired yet; she just enjoyed visiting with the group before work. She was fun and brought a youthful energy to the quieter laid-back group.

Benny was next through the door. He appeared to be in his 70’s and came in wearing his trucking hat and Velcro shoes. He talked about the previous days NASCAR race and joined Mike by trading one-liners with the group.

The final member to join the group was what seemed to be the matriarch. As she entered she gently hugged each member of the group in what looked like a daily greeting technique. Without knowing who I was or why I was there I too received a sincere hug and good morning from the white haired woman. Bonnie was clearly the most up to date when it came to fashion and technology as she shared about emails and text messages she was trading with her granddaughters.

The “Mac” Donald’s community coffee group was assembled with people who without the benefit of inexpensive coffee and the human need to belong would otherwise rarely cross paths. What do a retired produce manager (Bill), war veteran (Mike), 40-ish year old (Carlene), NASCAR fan (Benny), and the white-haired fashionista (Bonnie) have in common?

Nothing really. Except for the need to connect. That’s where McDonald’s enters the picture. Like their food or not, McDonald’s provides a vehicle for this mish-mash group to experience community.

The local church is similar when you think about it. We gather weekly for services in which rich and poor, black and white, blue collar and white collar, old and young celebrate the grace, forgiveness, love, and purpose that is theirs because of what Jesus has done. Jesus is the ultimate uniter. He brings people together that otherwise would rarely cross paths. We don’t just sit around shooting the breeze either. When we come together we are encouraged to live the life God has called us to. A life that includes others and shares the good news that God desires relationship with them.

It’s time to leverage our relationships with others. Not exploit. We are called to be reconcilers, in fact the apostle Paul calls that our ministry. The ministry of reconciliation is for everyone, not just the super spiritual or extroverts. We all fit together in the body of Christ and play vital parts in furthering His kingdom. One area in which we are all called is to be an inviter, includer, and bringer.

I’m up for the adventure. Who will you invite, include, and bring?