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My Food? His Will

Image source: https://biblia.com/bible/esv/John%204.34

“Baby’s full”

When I was in college, there was a dining hall next to my dormitory that was buffet style (i.e., all you can eat). I remember going there every night of freshman year with the same group of friends. One of our favorite nights was chicken tenders night. How can you resist? Unlimited piles and piles of fresh chicken tenders. It was the first time I was introduced to the amazing concoction of ranch dressing and Tobasco sauce. To this day, whenever I have chicken tenders, I must have ranch and Tobasco handy. You could say it’s one of my weaknesses.

After one of these nights, one of my friends, a petite little Asian girl, rubs her belly and says, “Baby’s full.” I reeled. I knew she had a steady boyfriend, but I did not know she was pregnant. She laughed and assured me that it was just her way of saying she had eaten way too much.

You know what? Today, “baby” was full for me. Continue reading “My Food? His Will”

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Me, Too?

I don’t consider myself an emotional individual, but I was really rocked by what happened in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. #HopeForVegas

I have also been troubled as I read Facebook posts after Facebook posts that all begin with #MeToo.

I was hoping that someone in the Christian space would speak into this topic, but I haven’t really found a voice that has really said what’s needed to be said. To be fair, can anything be said that really encompasses all there is to be said about this topic? Continue reading “Me, Too?”

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I’m a Little Tired

I’m a little tired.

Friday

4:30 Woke up

5:15 Drove to Newport

10:00 Drove to Irvine

2:00 Drove to Newport

Saturday

4:30 Woke up

8:00 Drove to Irvine

10:00 Drove to Newport

12:00 Drove to Irvine

7:00 Drove to Newport

9:00 Drove to Irvine

Sunday

5:30 Woke up

2:00 Drove to Newport

6:00 Drove to Irvine

8:00 Drove to Newport

Monday

5:30 Woke up

8:00 Drove to Irvine

3:00 Drove to Newport

5:00 Drove to Irvine

8:00 Drove to Newport

Tuesday

4:30 Woke up

9:00 Drove to Irvine

10:00 Drove to Newport

11:00 Drove to Irvine

3:00 Drove to Newport

5:00 Drove to Irvine

I’m a little tired.

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Praying As a Family

Here’s a little snippet I wrote for the October newsletter of Saddleback Kids Irvine South. It was fun to write, so I thought I’d share with the rest of you. Here it is . . . uncut.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

After a long, exhausting day, I look forward to flopping onto my bed. No, really. I flop onto my bed. I think I get a good amount of airtime as I get my body horizontal and flop onto my bed. It’s my daily end-of-the-day habit. You know what my wife’s daily end-of-the-day habit is? Telling me to get back out of bed to go pray for my kids. We do this every night. Continue reading “Praying As a Family”

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Everybody Was Kung-Fu Being Somebody Else

NOTE: On Thursdays, I will try to provide a preview of what I will be teaching on Sunday. Usually, I will post what I am going to teach in TGSC KiDS, but about once a month, I’ll also preach to the TGSC EM adults.

kung-fu-panda-3

I had an opportunity to watch the third Kung Fu Panda movie this week and I must say that I was thoroughly inspired spiritually. Despite the movie obviously being heavily influenced by Eastern spirituality (i.e., Buddhism), it has much to say from a Christian perspective as well. Don’t get me wrong. I am definitely not a universalist. I do not believe all paths lead up to the top of the mountain. I do believe, though, that you can find redemptive truth in almost every story. As I begin a series on Spiritual Formation (also a controversial topic), I look forward to sharing what Po’s “enlightenment” can teach us about our own spirituality. Join us at TGSC this Sunday as I share three things I learned from the movie that can help us move past ourselves and grow in our faith.