Verse:
John 3:16; Jn 3:16; John 3
Keyword:
Salvation, Jesus, Gospel
With Operators:
AND, OR, NOT, “ ”
CrossEyedFeed
I love watching Mythbusters. Tackling urban legends and misconceptions, putting them to the test with high speed cameras, hands on testing and real science… it’s an Addis family favorite.
Can you save yourself by jumping upward in a crashing elevator? Is it possible to fly using a lawn chair and helium filled balloons? Can ninjas really catch arrows shot at their head?
Now that’s some high quality entertainment!
ere’s the process…
1. God plants a dream in you
2. Hope is you believing in what is yet unseen, and you go public with the dream
3. Faith gets you through the hard times as you trust the arm of the Lord is not too short
4. Reality comes when the dream arrives
Don’t bailout in any part of this process! Its too important to give up.
Numbers 11:23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
Isaiah 59:1 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
Isaiah 50:2 When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you?
Thanks to everyone who attended our Christmas Eve Celebration. This year we tied the whole service together with some poorly written poetry that told a version of the Christmas/salvation story, and I can say poorly written… because I wrote it.
I’ve been a asked a couple of times where to get it, so, I thought I’d make it available here at the CrossEyedLife.
It comes in five sections as a progressive story and many thanks to Sam Wilk who narrated for us… great job!
THE NEED
Dark and barren, a formless void
Our universe an empty nothing
No light, no warmth, no life to be enjoyed…
For you regular here at the CrossEyedLife, you know I’m a reader. I don’t just believe in it, I enjoy it (that is, once I got out of school. No one likes reading when they are forced to).
The picture that accompanies this blog is the right hand corner of my desk that several of my ‘loving’ brothers and sisters have offered to file/clean for me. But, I share with each of them that the corner stack, mound, pile, library (proper usage check) is actually not static, but in frequent turnover.
These are the ‘next read’ books and when one is finished another is added. I love reading, learning and growing, and several times I have quoted, or even taught from significant reads. Never, though, have I reviewed a book here at CEL, so, today we make history.
As always, my first recommendation to you is to read, re-read and re-read again the Bible, but I also want to make this recommendation: Primal by Mark Batterson should be a primary read for you in 2010.
Had a great opportunity this week. I was invited to sit down at a small roundtable discussion with Ed Young Jr. He’s the Pastor of the uber huge Fellowship Church based out of the Metroplex of North Dallas.
Kathy and I attended there often while we went to school and pastored in Fort Worth. And, I have taken our current staff to their C3 conference every year since I have been here.
We have stolen… er borrowed… several ideas from Ed and his staff over the years. But, we shouldn’t feel bad about it. In Ed’s own words, “God gave you eyes, plagiarize! Copy it and make it better!”
It was one of the most awesome days in recent history for me personally and professionally because of what I learned, the other pastors I got to fellowship with and… I hugged Ed.
Yes, yes, yes… for those of you who know, invading my bubble means it must have been a special moment. It was actually caught on tape and I am Giddy to share it with you.
You’ll notice that in classic Ed style he kept asking me questions even though he was the far more interesting guy in the room. I’d love to get the opportunity to turn the tables and throw the questions his way!
This is an open letter to my wife on our 15th wedding anniversay. She means more to me than words can say…
Dear Kathy,
On our 15th wedding anniversary, I find that today is an example like so many days in the last 15 years that show an inexplicable love and devotion that I neither deserve nor understand. But, nonetheless, it’s this relationship with you that I treasure more than almost anything in my world.
For the last 15 years I have been a youth pastor and/or camp speaker with a July wedding anniversary. So, only once or twice in our years together have we actually spent these precious camp dates together. When we did, they were days shared with others, like today.
Today, for our 15th wedding anniversary you drove yourself and our boys all the way to central Texas to spend 3 days with me and about 700 third through sixth graders. Then on this big day you celebrated by:
• getting up early
• packing for two boys, a husband and yourself
• doing most of the heavy lifting because my head was hurting again
• listening to me preach for the 1 billionth time
• working the product table and making change out of campers wet lake water money
• driving a second car 8.5 hours home
• making your anniversary dinner a burger, fries and peanut buster parfait from Dairy Queen at a truck stop in nowhere Oklahoma
• finally, making the late night unload at the church of all the tech equipment and junk we’d been hauling
Most impressive of all Mrs. Addis was the fact that everytime I saw you today you smiled and hugged and looked for a kiss. Even though many others would whine and complain about their lot in life, you showed joy and love.
It was a day you could rightfully claim as your own, even if you had given up so many others. Surely, the 15th should be special. But, you put your God, your husband and the cause before yourself.
You’ve never looked more beautiful to me.
Everyone has one, and here is one of mine… the “weird God story.” They are usually hard to beleive (thus, the weird God story part), but they mean something to the storyteller. In this case, I hope it means something to you, too. Hope you enjoy and find it encouraging. (And, I hope you don’t think I’m a wierdo)
Wow… first of all I can’t beleive I even made this video. My wife is right… sometimes I am 11.
Second, I can’t beleive I am posting it.
It’s just for fun.
After a week of speaking in the Grand Caymans I got stuck overnight at Chicago O’Hare Airport waiting for a flight the next morning (why yes, I am too cheap to get a hotel for the night). Giddy tired and bored out of my mind, here is what I did when I have no friends or family members to keep me under control. This video has no redeeming value, but it did keep me from losing my mind. . . completely.
