Burn For You

At Catalyst last weekend I had the opportunity to hear some great worship music led by Steve Fee. One of the songs on his latest CD is called "Burn For You." This song puts into words something that I have been feeling and experiencing in my own life. Check out the words:

There's a stirring in my heart, unexplainable
There's a calling on my days, undeniable
There's a fire in my bones, uncontainable
And it's causing me to burn, causing me to burn
It's causing me to burn for you!

I'll go anywhere
I'll do anything
At any cost for You my king

There's a passion in my heart for the world to see
Revival fires burning, great awakening
And there's a raging fire inside this soul of mine
And it's causing me to burn, causing me to burn
It's causing me to burn for you!

I pray that God, if He hasn't already, will put a passion in your heart to see the world come to know and love Him. That's what it's all about. I hope the fire never dies in my own heart.

Effective Parenting

In our small group last night we continued our journey through a study on parenting called "Effecting Parenting in a Defective World."
The main point was to focus on the importance of the relationships we have (or don't have) with our children. No matter what we do, or make sure our kids do, as a part of growing up, if we don't develop a relationship that bonds, our children are much more likely to make poor choices when they grow up.

Here are 8 keys for building relationships that bond. Which ones are you good at? Which ones need work?

1. Unconditional Love - Have you committed to love your kids no matter what?
   
2. Scheduled Time - Is time with your family as important as scheduled meetings at work?
   
3. Focused Attention - Do you listen with you full focused attention when you kids talk to you?
4. Eye Contact - Do you look at your kids when they are talking to you.
5. Ongoing Communication - Do you have dinner as a family? Do you put your kids in bed? Do you share experiences together?
6. Meaningful Touching - Do you hug (or wrestle with) your kids regularly?
7. Have Fun Together - Lighten up - no need to be so serious all the time.
8. Pray Together Often - Do you make it a point to pray for and with you kids...often?

So? How are you doing? I hope you will pick one area and work on it this week.

Catalyst 2007

I just got back from Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, GA. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite quotes from some of the difference speakers.

Shane Claiborne

• Community is surrounding ourselves with people who are like what we want to become.

• I'm giving up Christianity to go and follow Jesus.

Francis Chan

• Every time I get up to speak the Holy Spirit is supernaturally speaking through me, through God's Word.

• Say whatever God has told you to say, don't hold back, don't be afraid of the people.

• If Jesus or Paul had a church, mine would be bigger, because it would be cooler. People would leave their churches to come to mine. Because they would call their people to a higher level of commitment. (let that sink in...)

Craig Groeschel

• A Practical Atheist believes that God exists but lives as if He doesn't.

• We become practical atheists when we believe that our efforts are greater than God's power.

• We become practical atheists when we believe that our private life doesn't effect our public ministry.

• We become practical atheists when we believe that we must please people more than we please God.