Advice For Better Living

This morning I have a leadership seminar to attend that will take most of the day.

Sooo, I thought i'd share some quick advice this morning that will enrich your life.

Watch the show Wipeout!

If you've not heard of wipeout then either you have no TV, or no real taste in quality television programming. So, this morning I want to selflessly serve you by sharing with you my great wisdom & thus add to the quality of your life ---- your welcome!

I'm not kidding, my son & I have never laughed so hard together, even my two, little, 3 year old, girls were laughing.

If you don't like the show then I'll refund your money, but suggest you use it for counseling though because there might be something seriously wrong with you.

I love that our God gave us laughter! I pray your day is filled with the presence & laughter of God & I pray I'll stay awake during this all day seminar.

Crazy Week

This week is so full that my head just may pop like in one of those gushers commercials!

Actually, it's full with a lot of stuff I'm excited about. Let's see, there are...

• Staff meetings
  
• Meetings with couples I am marrying
  
• A wedding
  
• A rehearsal
  
• A seminar on leadership & personality
  
• A sermon to write
• A bank robbery to thwart. OK that one is just fantasy, but it would be cool, & yes, I used the word, "thwart", your welcome!
  
• A ... well, you get the idea....

It's going to be a busy week & so I know that one thing I can't neglect this week (not that I ever really can) is daily connecting with God. On weeks like this I get run down pretty quick & run down Craig usually equates to cranky & angry Craig.

Weeks like this remind me really quick that apart from Jesus in me, there is very little good that comes from me.

The Apostle Paul says it this way in Romans 7:18 & 25,

"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (so) Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Whatever kind of week you're having I hope you remember that what you need most to get through it, is Jesus. Remember too that what people around you need most form you this week is Jesus radiating through you.

Neither of which will happen unless you're connecting with Him each day.

May He fill you & pour through you all this week.

Need A Little Love

Well I have just the solution then.

His name is Bill LOVE & there is a lot of him to go around...

In addition to the coolness of his last name, Bill also has an amazing ability to eat multiple Double Stuf Oreos at one time!!

That should really be a face on the front of a box of Wheaties.

Oh yeah, AND he has a background in children's ministry, and if you didn't hear on Sunday, is our newest addition to the Paradox staff.

Bill is married to Holly and they have two kids.
You'll be meeting Bill more over the weeks to come, but he is already hard at work, investing in the leaders & in the kids that make up our kid's ministry, the Journey.

So, make sure to welcome Bill & Holly when you see them on Sunday, although he may be difficult to recognize without a mouth full of cookie.

I Hate Waiting

And I suspect so do you.

And I mean REAL waiting, not like waiting for the line at the gas pump to move out of your way, or the drive thru line at DQ to move faster, or for the new version of Call Of Duty to come out, or waiting for your son to get off the crapper - who's taking forever - because he's reading the comics (wonder where he gets that from) but real waiting.

Waiting for the right person to come along, waiting for the pregnancy test to read positive, waiting for your child to finely turn away form the things and habits that are killing them. Waiting for the doctor to say, "I don't know how it happened but it's gone", or waiting for the interview that ends with, "welcome to the company", or waiting for the friend or family member to stop running FROM Jesus and begin to run TO Him.

I'm sure the list could go on but you get the idea.

In the Old Testament book of Daniel, in chapter 10 there is an account of a time an angel came and talked to Daniel about some waiting he would be doing. Daniel was actually given a vision of something that was to come but it was made clear to him in verse 1 that, "the message was true but the appointed time was long".

Did I mention to you yet just how much I hate waiting!!

But this isn't the first time in the Bible where we see that God just operates on a different time table than we seem to.

I wonder what things you've "seen", things that you just strongly feel or felt at one point that God was going to do but now, you're not so sure anymore. Maybe you need to be reminded like I needed to this morning, that sometimes, God's slowness in response can not be mistaken for a lack of response. May we all stand firm in patience, and rest with comfort in His arms as we wait.

Today I'll be visiting Tom & Jenna in the hospital, working on stuff for Sunday, & meeting with a few of our key leaders at Paradox. I'd love to have you pray for me as I work on how to kick this series off this weekend, I have now scraped and restarted several times, which is not normal for me. This study we'll be doing through Philippians is a message we all need, but one I am personally wrestling with; having true joy in ALL situations because our joy is all in and only in, Jesus.

Anna Begins...

...is not just a Counting Crows song anymore, now it's also the entry cry into this world, for little Anna Gibson. Born yesterday evening & both mom & baby are doing great!

Congratulations Tom & Jenna!

Breakfast In Bed

This morning my 7 year old son woke up early, snuck downstairs and made me breakfast.

He poured a bowl of fruity pebbles, filled a glass of fruit juice and carried it all up on an emptied out tray that usually holds my daughter's building blocks.

He said he wanted to do it on fathers day but since I leave for church so early he said, "I wasn't going to get up that early". What a great son I have; somebody must be doing an amazing job parenting that kid ;)

Speaking of parenting; no news on the Gibsons yet. They are scheduled to have the induction today after a LONG day in the hospital all day yesterday. But, that does mean that as of now, Tom is off work for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully we can keep this ship afloat without him.

Actually, Tom has a great team that is already running with all the details of the next few weeks of the series we are beginning on Sunday called, "Regardless". The series will be a study through the book of Philippians that will last the whole Summer. It will be a new way of doing a series for us at Paradox (going through a whole book of the bible from beginning to end) and I'm really excited about it. Today I'll spend most of my day finishing my message to kick of the series this weekend.

Well, stay tuned, there should be a baby to introduce you to later today.

Baby On The Way...

...not for Nicole & I though!

Got a call from Tom earlier today that Jenna is being induced this afternoon.

Oh yeah, baby Gibby is on the way. I'm excited for Tom & Jeanna so keep em all in your prayers & I'll keep you updated when I know more.

Or you can check out Tom's facebook page where I'm sure he'll keep people in the know.
http://www.facebook.com/tagibson

Summer Summer Summer Time

Wow, ok, so the day is basically gone and I'm just now logging in here.

It was a good day hanging with the family, going the picnic for all the journey workers, finishing up some last minute details for service tomorrow & now to enjoy the rest of the evening sitting with my wife.

Hope you're joining us for service tomorrow, I have never seen this much stuff shoved into a manata (think pinata only for grown dudes not kids).

Hope you enjoyed the day too, see you in the morning.

Door Knockers

This morning as I was getting ready to leave the house, I saw em headed my way, and a shiver went up my spine. Each of the four of them with big bibles in hand, & each with a stack of tracks, I quickly knew what was happening; invasion!

Now, I don't know what church they're from, or what their names are, or what they would have told me if I hadn't snuck out of my two story window, in the back of my house, by tying bed sheets together.

Just kidding, I used a fire ladder.

Either way, my first thought was, "what the heck, do they really think anyone is going to listen to them. People think this stuff is annoying and it's what gives Christians such a weird and even bad, name. Don't they know, that I haven't even gotten to really know my neighbors yet."

But, then somewhere in the middle of my criticism I heard a voice in my head, "would you do it?"

To which I responded, "Oh crap I'm hearing voices now!!" Actually that's not what I said to the voice, what I said was, "NO!!".

The more I thought about it as I enjoyed my bowl of Cocoa Pebbles (oh yes, they are amazing), the more I realized that the question wasn't really about whether of not I would go knock on a door and try to cold turkey, evangelize a stranger, but about how committed I am to share the joy and certainty of my faith with everyone I can.

Am I willing to embarrass myself, put myself out, risk rejection, risk being laughed at behind my back? Am I willing to reorder my day around it, my week, my weekend?

Ya know, it's easy to laugh at someone trying to share their faith but is doing it in a weird way. I guess I'd rather be weird though than to be unwilling or uncommitted to share the faith that I have; a faith that could change someones life if they embraced Jesus.

I do believe there is a middle ground, I do believe there are better methods. But most followers of Jesus are doing NOTHING to share about the one person that has changed their life and their eternity, with the people around them.

I guess I'm saying that it's better to be a fool than a coward.

When was the last time you were willing to look like a fool for Jesus? Why not more often? You ever thought about what a fool He looked like for us? Stripped to his whitey tighties in front of a huge crowd, name called, laughed at, beaten, spit on, lied about & eventually killed in a method as painful as humiliating. It was all because He loves you, PERIOD!

So, I guess the more we love not only Jesus, but the people He has put in our lives, the more we get serious about doing whatever it takes so they may know...

May God increase our love & decrease our inhibitions.

I hope you have a great weekend and a great father's day. And I hope Jeanna doesn't have her baby until Monday since Tom & I are supposed to team teach this weekend. I know, that's horribly selfish of me, sorry Jeanna; shame on me. Get your dads to Paradox this Sunday, you won't regret it.

Oh The Ipad

So, I started off saying there was no way I was going to want one, I have enough tech toys, this is one more "thing" I don't need, and on my list went.

But it happened, I was recently bit by the apple, marketing, machine, so, I went into the apple store at Partridge Creek yesterday and played with one; I knew I shouldn't have touched it.

Now, I WANT one!! I Hate you Steve Jobs.

"I wonder what I can sell around the house to get one", has been my thinking since last night.

Then today, it hit me that I have been thinking about that almost more than anything else. Actually know when it hit me...?

While Tom & I were meeting this morning for several hours to discuss how we will be team teaching this Sunday on the subject of .............what we worship.

So, easy isn't it? Easy to have the focus of our attention and affection and even worship, be drawn to something less that the only thing worthy of our worship; The Lord Jesus Christ.

My email box is full, my voice mail box overrun, my schedule packed today, and my weekend already too busy but, somehow in all of it, my attention has been captivated by a small glowing box of wifi ability and skateboard apps.

Sometimes I feel hopeless. I'm praying today that Jesus would keep capturing my attention more than anything and everything else that so much lesser, and in comparison, just plain crap.

Wonder what's capturing your attention & affections right now. What is distracting you from the only one worth being distracted with.

Yup, It Was A Zoo

Soooooo, yesterday was great but it definitely was a zoo experience. Let's see, to begin with, we had an "accident in the pants" episode, a near escape of another accident in the pants, & another one that had to pee so bad that they peed in the parking lot of a KFC just down the street form me.

Oh yes, that was all before we even got to the end of my block. And I even made sure to have everyone go to the bathroom just before we left. Anyone ever notice how kids are a little like dogs when they pee? It's like they only release a little, store the rest, release a little the next time and store the rest, and on...

We all had a great time though, I would do that every Monday if I could. I was thinking yesterday that if would be fun to get a group to go with me next time, but seeing how I have a strange day off it might turn into me and a bunch of stay at home moms, which could be a little weird.

It did all make me think though, that while it felt a little like a zoo for me, it didn't for the kids.

Why? Because I had everything under control. All they had to do was enjoy the trip.

I wonder how often our lives feel like a zoo because we forget who is really in control and we're then striped of the ability to just enjoy the trip. I wish living this way was as easy as typing it.

Well, got a staff meeting this morning in a few minutes then a day filled with returning calls, responding to emails, & finalizing my message for Sunday. Trying this morning to keep my focus on the love that God has for me & trying to live out of that today. May you also know today, just how precious you are to Jesus, and how close He is to you today.

This Place Is A Zoo

Mondays are like a normal person's Sunday for me. By normal, I mean a person that doesn't work for a church. So, Mondays are my day off and today I'm going to the zoo with my two girls and my nephew.

I've not taken three kids to the zoo alone before, let alone when the forecast is RAIN! So, the experience may end up being as much a zoo as the destination, but it's going to be fun!

Yesterday was a really good day at Paradox, great service (Tom has done an awesome job these last two weeks - listen on line of you haven't been there), lots of good meetings and good energy. Our website went down thought and our web guy, Paul Dykstra, worked tirelessly to dissect and solve the problem so that it's up and running again today.

Paradox really is the people & yesterday Paul was an awesome example of much of the, "behind the scenes" work of Paradox that is often taken for granted.

Cat Courage

I was driving my car this morning on my way to drop my girls off at my mother-in-laws house. I was driving down a dirt road, so I was driving a bit slow when I noticed a black cat off to the right side of the road, about 20 yards in front of me.

Now, if you know me then you know I can't stand cats, but I did fight off the strong desire to jerk the wheel into the little, black, plague of fur.

Although, as I got closer, the dumb thing actually walked to the side of the road, staring at me. Then while I drove past it pushed it's back up & hissed like the devil at me.

Now there are several theories I have created as to what was happening.

1. The cat saw my black van as a larger cat and wanted to UFC me.
2. The cat saw my black van as a bigger, sweet looking chick cat & wanted to something else me.
3. Cats are actually possessed by the devil and it saw mt Paradox bumper sticker & got mad. (I don't actually have a Paradox bumper sticker because my wife is a horrible driver - j/k ;)
4. I spent too much time developing theories and should have just run the thing over. Oh, wait, that's not a theory, that's my regret!

Oh well, either way that had to be the bravest cat I have ever seen & just may be the bravest thing I see all day today.

Maybe I should turn this into a super, spiritual, post now about how we need to have the courage of that cat; courage to stare into the face of what frightens us, no matter the odds. Or maybe I should just conclude that I've always been right that cats, while seeming intelligent with their arrogant stares, are in fact incredibly, unintelligent animals.

Any way, I thought I'd share.

Big news brewing for Paradox right now; another God moment that I'm excited to share soon.
In an area and in an economic time that offers more fear than courage, and more uncertainty than hope, it would be easy to just give up the dream of building an unstoppable force, reaching our city for Jesus. But, I see God doing some unexpected things, some exciting things & so I'm staring & hissing at the fear. This is OUR city, not depression's, not fear's. This city does not belong to Hopelessness & it does NOT belong to the enemy of God. Greater things are yet to come!

This Sunday

This weekend we will be finishing our series "On Earth As It Is In Heaven" but, then next week Tom & I will team teach for father's day.

Now, I realize that father's day isn't quite the, "excited to go to church as a family day" as mother's day is.

BUT...

Tom & I are not only going to team teach that day but may even full out wrestle on stage for who gets to go first. Oh, and there will be a manata! You know what a pinata is right? well, same idea only filled with dude stuff. Then there are rumors of others things like lazy boy seating, popcorn and, well, just come and see.

We're also trying to come to some decisions by this weekend on selecting a director of our kid's ministry called the Journey. If you think about it please keep those involved in this decision in prayer that they would have the necessary wisdom & courage to make the right decision.

I look forward to telling you all soon what get's decided.

Getting Your Preach On

I did something today I don't usually do; I listened to a pastor give a sermon and just let him preach to me without thinking of ideas of how I might use something he said in a message too.

It was weird in a way because I'm usually the one preaching. So, it's not usual that I am on the other side of the table simply & solely wanting to be the listener & not a pastor or a preacher myself in that moment.

One thing he said that has been ringing in my ears all day was about self pity. He said, when we feel sorry for ourselves about something we tend to take matters into our own hands & strength then. He went on to say that at that moment we are inversely deciding not to live by faith and not to live in the strength of God.

Self pity or feeling sorry for yourself is a denial of God's promises and God's power.

Do you ever hear something that you know you are supposed to hear & you know there is deep meaning in it for you but you feel just on the outskirts of getting exactly what you're supposed to get form it?

That's kind of how I feel today.

In the work of my day I am praying for God to make clear what I think He may be trying to say to me today through the voice of another pastor.

Praying

Today my day has been packed with several meetings. I spent the morning with three of our key leaders from Paradox discussing everything form Summer events, organizing our life groups better, this last Sunday, the coming Sunday, the funny smell in Tom's car, a leaf raking project we are planning for the fall, baptisms at Metro Beach on July 25 (which if you wanna get dunked then email me at craig@paradoxchurch.com), and Dan Cipponeri's shiny bald spot!

Yup, there it is again. I know what you're thinking, and yes, it's getting old but he called me "princess" this last week. So, once again I'm am forced to point out his pretty shiny head!

Now I'm getting ready to go to the city attorney's office to sign our lease amendment.

Then, I'll be headed to the hospital to see a friend who just had a brain tumor removed this morning. Marty Peters is his name and he had a seizure last week while driving and that was how they found the cancer. Pretty nuts to go from one day all is normal to the next being told you have brain cancer, taken to surgery, & then all the uncertainty that lay ahead.

You may not know him but I'm asking you to pray with me for Marty. His sister, Kara, comes to Paradox and she & the rest of Marty's family could use your prayers too. It all kind of makes everything else I'm doing today seem a but less important. But in another way it makes other things seem more important when you realize just how quick your whole life can change.

Muddy Butt

I usually take Mondays off since my weekends are weird with being as Pastor, and since my wife works on Mondays it means I get to spend the day with my little girls.

Today we were talking a walk in the woods and it was like a swamp land after all the rain yesterday. We even found a huge fish trapped in a small pond that was the runoff of the nearby river. While we were walking we gave extra care to avoid all the puddles and pools of mud and we were almost successful too.

Right up to the end of the walk only feet away from being done my one daughter slipped and slid down a small hill right into a pool of mud!

At first, she jumped up and was clearly upset, and she was about to loose it because her pretty skirt was trashed, but then her sister looked at her and laughed & said, "you have a muddy butt". At that point we all started laughing and didn't stop until after getting home, taking a bath & putting them down for a nap.

I love my little girls and I think times like these are not just a gift from God but are sacred moments. My job makes my Mondays my day off but my daughters make my Mondays sacred.

I wonder where else I may be missing the sacred gifts of God in my life because they are moments that at first glance just seem too ordinary.

Kurt Nilsen?

Who?

Exactly! Until yesterday I had never heard of this guy & I had no idea he had won a contest called World Idol. Ok, don't tune me out now because I said idol.

I watched this video with him in it & at first he is pretty unassuming, even a bit funny with a giant gap in his teeth, and then he sings - wow!

I wonder how often I do this with people right in front of me, ya know, judge them at first glance and in my mind label them as someone less amazing than they are.

Now I'm sure you never do this but, I know I do it without even thinking at times.

My goal today & this week is to realize that everyone I meet, talk to, see, & encounter is an amazing person, made with amazing potential because they are formed by an amazing God, and then treat them as such.

Maybe we all need to start be first realizing that WE are amazingly made by an amazing God.

Here's a video with Kurt singing, he is the last person to sing. Enjoy your Saturday & see you tomorrow as together we worship our Amazing Jesus.

Watch Kurt's Video Here

Meeting Mr. Anderson...

Remember that guy form the movie The Matrix; Neo or as his arch nemesis called him, "Mr. Anderson"? Well I didn't meet him today but I did have breakfast with a guy named Sam Anderson and he's almost as cool as Neo.

He's a husband, a dad & is currently a youth pastor in Georgia. So, what is he doing here in Detroit. Well, he is really bad with directions & got lost on his way to a local Starbucks. By the way why does Starbucks coffee seem to get more expensive every time I go in there, but that's another post I guess.

Sam & his family are here in Detroit because in 4 weeks they will be moving here to start a church in the outskirts of Detroit, right on (or near) the "Shady made famous", 8 mile road. So, who is backing him, how much money has he raised, how many people are committed to be a part of it, where will they meet & how will they do it. The answers are....
No one, zero, zero, don't know, not sure.

Of course, all those thing will likely have better answers in the days & weeks to come but at this present moment all Sam has is a deep belief that God is telling him to pack it up, mover here & walk by faith. This shouldn't be abnormal or surprising, I mean look through the bible & time after time these were the details of many who followed the mysterious & seemingly reckless movements of God. Yet, somehow we get all hung up on the details & the need for certainty and success. But, here's this young 25 year old guy with a wife, & a 7 month old baby, & currently a really good job but, he feels the pull of God to step out into what is scary, exciting, uncertain & risky. So, he's putting one foot in front of the other & stepping one step at a time.

I wonder where God is asking me to live this way right now, I wonder where he is asking you too, I wonder where He is asking Paradox to live more this way right now. I wonder what things (comfort, fear, risk, uncertainty, criticism...) will threaten to have us ignore the next time God pulls on us.

One of my friends tries to live by the anthem, "Heroes wanted for a quest to save the universe, safe return doubtful". I think this is exactly what Sam is doing & how he is living, and ya know what, He will experience the power of the living God in ways that will be amazing! May God grant us all the courage to live more like Mr. Anderson.

You'll all meet Sam soon. When he moves here I want to bring him to Paradox to pray for him. I see all kinds of cool opportunities for our two churches to partner together to save the universe :)

Spreads like peanut butter

Are you thinking what I'm thinking Pinky?

Do you remember that show? I used to love that cartoon when I was a kid, ok so I still do.

Well, I've been thinking lately too & not about taking over the universe, or, well, actually, I guess I have been thinking about taking over the universe; in a way.

I have recently been through one of those moments of life that is as painful as it is educating & growing. I'll spare you all the details but suffice to say it involved people hurting people. In the process I watched a lot of things happen but the thing that I found most interesting is the rapid pace at which fear & frustration spread.

I mean think about it, can you remember a time when you saw someone you knew get frustrated about something? How long did it take before everyone around them knew they were frustrated, as well as many of the details of why? Now, if your alive then you will have things & relationships that frustrate you, that's just part of being human. But, the speed at which we spread our frustrations often travels at the speed & with the same damaging effect of the crusades; almost religious like.

Hmmmm

Why is it that frustrations & fear spread like wild fire but the one thing that Jesus told us to spread (His Gospel) seems to spread more like peanut butter; slow, sticky & in patches??

Are you thinking what I'm thinking Pinky? Yes, Brain, but if we spread our faith like we do our frustrations the whole world could change overnight. Exactly Pinky, exactly!!!!

So, when was the last time you told someone about the amazing God who loves you whose name is Jesus? And, I don't mean you told someone you go to church or used His name after stubbing your toe. I mean when was the last time you told a person who does not know God that there is one & that they have been made to know Him & be loved by Him, when was the last time you invited them to your church? When was the last time you spread the Gospel; the good news that there is a God to whom we all matter and that He has made a way for us to know Him.

Likewise, when was the last time you told someone about a frustration you had and something or someone that you were upset about / with? Just between you, God & the invisible man in your room, ask yourself and answer it out loud, is there an imbalance?

We all want a better world to live in, work in & raise our families in, so, what will create it?

What does your life spread more of on this planet; the Gospel or your frustrations. Let me ask it this way, does your life spread more of Jesus on this planet or more or you?

May God heal where we hurt, empower where we are weak & comfort where we are afraid and may He fill our hearts with passion to spread the knowledge of the loving, gracious & forgiving Jesus like wild fire & everything else like peanut butter.

As It Is On Earth...

This Sunday we will start a new series called, "On earth as it is in heaven" and our very own, Tom Gibson will be speaking these next two weeks. This is not a picture of Tom but it is from Tom's Facebook & frankly it's far more interesting than any picture I could find of Tom.

Tom is not only a great speaker but he is one of the best things about Paradox; if you haven't met him yet then your life may possibly be horrible until you do.

Tom & his wife Jenna are amazing people that I am honored to know & I am excited to serve alongside.

What makes him so amazing you ask? Oh, no, I'm not making it that easy on you, go talk to him, get to know him & find out for yourself. Paradox Church is the people & Tom & Jenna are Paradox.

Join us these next few weeks for our new series as Tom lays out how it's possible to experience a bit of heaven here on earth.