Category: Faith & Culture
What does faith look like?
Last spring, I had the opportunity to attend the Catalyst One Day event with several members of our staff. One of the speakers at the luncheon I attended who was also a part of an afternoon panel was Matt Chandler, pastor of Village Church, a church with three campuses in the DFW area. A few weeks ago, Matt suffered a seizure and a large tumor was found in his brain. On December 4th, Matt underwent surgery to remove the mass. At the time of this writing, they have not yet figured out whether the tumor is malignant or not.
Before entering surgery, Matt, a young pastor in his 30′s, recorded a video to share with the entire Village Church family. I want to encourage to take a few minutes today to listen to Matt’s heart as he seeks to encourage his congregation and at the same time, witness to the deep faith he has in God.
Click here to watch the video.
I hope after watching you will pause to pray for Matt, his family, and the entire Village Church family as well.
Category: Faith & Culture, Prayers
Shocking news today from Orlando
The Florida Highway Patrol has wrapped up its investigation into the events surrounding the one car crash at the home of Tiger Woods this past Friday morning.
The result?
Tiger has been issued a citation that carries a fine of up to $164.
How do I know this?
Because the Florida Highway Patrol called a press conference to announce to the world that they had issued a traffic ticket that carries a fine of up to $164.
A quick glance at a few news sites confirms the story. ESPN, CNN, FOXNEWS.
They have now all shared that important news for me.
A man in Florida was issued a ticket with a fine of up to $164 for backing over a fire hydrant and hitting a tree.
My guess is that this citation was not the only one issued today in Orlando where Tiger resides or in the state of Florida for that matter. But this is the only one given to Tiger Woods, and therefore the only one worthy of a press conference.
Perhaps I should have stated my bias up front.
I’m a Tiger fan.
I love watching him play the game of golf. His U.S. Open win at Torrey Pines was certainly one of my favorite sporting events of all time. Watching Tiger break down on the 18th green after winning the British Open allowing himself to grief for his recently deceased father was a tear jerker for me.
I love watching the guy play golf.
But I’m trying to figure out why his proficiency at hitting a little white ball into a cup leads to me hearing from almost every major news network that he received a traffic ticket. I can’t quite connect the dots there.
I don’t know what happened early Friday morning. The truth is, it’s none of my business what happened on Friday morning at Tiger’s house. My gut tells me me that the details of what actually happened that night are not quite in line with the minimal story that the Woods family has shared with the media. Busting out the back window with a golf club in order to remove Tiger from a crash that happened at under 35 miles an hour doesn’t make much sense.
But it’s not my job to make sense of that. It’s not my job to try to figure that out.
It’s none of my business.
I’ve visited with lots of individuals and families about issues they are facing in their life. The story they tell is often not quite in lines with the true details of what are going on in their lives. I’ve learned as a pastor that there is always more going on behind the scenes. Sometimes, even the person who is expressing their story does not fully appreciate, “the story behind the story.”
Here’s what I will say. I hope, whatever happened that night at Tiger’s house, that Tiger is taking care of his family and living up to the commitment he has made to his wife and his children.
Not because he’s an amazing golfer…
But because beyond any of his accomplishments and more important than his vast trophy collection…. Tiger is a husband and a father.
Category: Faith & Culture
Black Friday
In honor of all those who will be hitting the stores today for “Black Friday” sales, I hope you enjoy this video. I will be staying at home.
Category: Faith & Culture
Angel Flight
A friend of mine in our church flies C-130′s for the Air Force. He sent me the following video to share one of the responsibilities he has a pilot of that particular aircraft. In that email, he said, “Flying “fallen soldiers” encompasses the best and worst of being in the C-130 world!”
Category: Faith & Culture
9/12
I don’t know Curt Harding, but he has an excellent post on his blog about our need to remember 9/12/01, the day after the largest domestic terrorist attack on American soil.
He shares the following.
I pray that we never again see another 9/11, but I wish we would see more 9/12’s. Remember that day? We woke up feeling different about the world and our place in it. It was eerily quiet with no air traffic flying overhead, but the American flag was proudly displayed on our cars, houses, and businesses. We looked people in the eye with a reassuring glance, an unspoken whisper that seemed to say “we’re all in this together and we’re going to be okay.”
I’d encourage you to read Curt’s full post which you can find here.
Category: Faith & Culture
Tony Dungy Retires
On Monday, Tony Dungy retired from coaching professional football, and from what everyone is saying, it looks like the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl is gone for good. Unlike some of his coaching colleagues, Dungy does not appear to be seeking to sit out for a year and return with a different team. Tony Dungy has different plans.
A TV gig? No.
A General Manager position? No.
A long, quiet retirement at the age of 53? No.
No, what has pulled Dungy away from his 31 year football coaching career is another passion: local community outreach especially to young kids. Dungy said it this way in his press conference.
“I think I’ve got a responsibility to be home a little bit more, be available to my family a little bit more and do some things to help make our country better,” Dungy said. “I don’t know what that is right now, but we’ll see.”
While reading about Dungy’s decision, I came across the article that Pat Yasinskas posted on the ESPN NFC South blog yesterday. I think it’s a fitting tribute to the type of coach that Dungy was and even more importantly, the man of faith that he will continue to be.
To read the story, click here.
Category: Faith & Culture
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