Last night our good friends Dave and Becki Morton came over for dinner ( taco night) a little Wii gaming time, and lots of cheesecake. The best part, when we hang out with them, we get to hang out with their daughter Eden!

This was their first Wii experience so we got some cool pics. Eden is a great bowler by the way.

We got to test out two of Becki’s cheesecakes: blueberry/lemon and red velvet. They were stinkin amazing too! They have a cheesecake and photography business on the side that you all need to take advantage of. It’s called “Every Season Photography/Cheesecakes.”

Becki has a limitless supply of cheesecake recipes and has experience doing them for weddings and special events, so they are as good to look at as they are to eat!

Dave is the best photographer I know and is the guy responsible for the awesome pictures of me and Jenn I put up earlier. Plus, he’s really affordable, especially for the quality.

So if you’re looking to get some family pictures made or maybe some engagement photos, or you’re interested in some cheesecakes for an upcoming occasion, let me know and I’ll get you in touch with them.

This is the actual title of an actual book I saw in a class while tutoring today. Funny huh? Oh the sermon illustrations, allegories and metaphors I could make right about now, but I’ll just let the book speak for itself.

I have to put this on my reading list.

Back when I cooked at Christo’s Italian Restaurant in Albemarle, I was the only white guy in the kitchen.  I was affectionately referred to as “Felipe the Cracker” by the other guys.  There were two Greeks, one Frenchman and one guy from Mexico (who later bought my electric guitar).  Good times.

The previous story is irrelevant, except for the fact that I titled this post Felipe the Target which is one word different from Felipe the Cracker, and I felt you needed a little background.

I felt like a target after getting home from the beach a week ago.  Umpteen letters from Lawyers in the area we had the accident beat us home, offering legal services and genuine help and concern.  It is a no brainer that they don’t give a rip about me, they just see an opportunity to make money.  They see fresh meet.  I felt like vultures scooping in on me after tripping up in the desert.

Sometimes Christians come off this very same way: disingenuous, impersonal, unconcerned about the person, and convert-driven.  Believe it or not, people outside of Christianity (“non-believers,” “outsiders,” etc-whatever title you want to give) do not have a very good opinion of Christians.  In fact, based on the research from “unChristian,” a book from the Barna Research Group I’ve been reading, 49% of young outsiders ages 16-29 have a bad impression of Evangelicals.  48% have a neutral opinion and only 3% have a good opinion.

The book goes on to dissect the 6 major reasons they think this about us, one of which is a convert-driven mentality.  They feel Christians don’t really care about them, don’t view them as people, and are only concerned about whether or not they become a Christian.  The research shows only 1/3 of the people in this age range believe Christians really care about them.  Does that trouble anybody else like it does me?

The solution?  We have to make a change in the way we relate to other people.  Christians have to stop bypassing people who aren’t Christians, and start loving on them as Christ did.  We have to start building genuine relationships with people.  Through these relationships people will see the love of Christ in us and might actually want a part of it because we genuinely care for them and they see that!  Why should anyone trust the Jesus you believe in if they don’t know anything about Him or you!?

Let’s just take it all the way down to the Golden Rule:  Treat other people like you want them to be treated.  Do you want outsiders to the faith to treat you like a real person?  Would you like to feel like a target when they are around, feeling like they have some great big agenda for knowing you?  Would you like them to dissociate with you when they find out they can’t “convert” you away from Jesus?

It works the same both ways.  We have the prime example in Jesus.  He just loved people, regardless of their history, their present situation, the baggage, their views, their whatever.  He never swooped down for a convert-kill.  He transformed lives by being genuine and through His love.  I think it is safe for me to speak on His behalf and say “Go and do the same.”

(first things first-if you didn’t read the first part, you MUST click HERE and read it!!!)

Hopefully nobody will read the prior post and think I’m trying to puff us up for giving money. That is not the case at all. I don’t seek after people’s approval via good works, and I don’t think giving to a family in Africa makes me better than you (that’s something religious people think). Believe me, I wish it DID make me a better person like liberals buying carbon offsets to make themselves feel better for flying around in private jets instead of going with Delta (again, another topic altogether…).

I wanted to share this with you to show what a profound impact a little money can have on other people. I know this is getting long, but stick with me. Most people think they can’t do anything to solve poverty in the world (some people think it can be solved with Socialism, but that’s another story…).

What if the millions and millions of people in this world who claim to follow Christ would sponsor a child and/or send a little cash to a needy family abroad or in our own communities? We give $35 dollars a month to Helena. That’s it! $35 covers her basic needs and gives us a chance to communicate with her how much we love her, how much God loves her, and how special she really is!

How many people could scrape together 35 dollars? Here are a few things that cost about 35 bucks:

• 1 family dinner at a restaurant (and that’s eating pretty light…)
• 5 or 6 combo meals (super-sized)
• a pair of jeans
• a shirt and tie (you know you already have enough of these)
• about 7 lattes
• a haircut for some ladies
• the phone bill
• a couple of hard-back books
• 2 cd’s (3 and a half if you use iTunes)

Let’s face it, if we all stood back and looked at our spending, we would see just how much money we waste. We would see just how easy it is to serve someone living in poverty on the other side of the globe by sacrificing a few luxuries.

Here’s my challenge: look at your money situation and consider sponsoring a child. That’s it. Your call. Here’s where to go to do it: Worldvision. I completely trust and believe in these guys. They do a lot of great things (they are also the 40 hour famine people that a lot of churches are familiar with). You can even pick your child’s gender and geographical location if you’d like. You’ll get reports and letters from the child. You;ll get the opportunity to send him/her birthday, Easter, Christmas cards, etc.

I think Jesus said something about whatever we do to those in need we do for Him…something like that…right? If you decide to sponsor a child, I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a comment!

You know I love growing things, and here is my 2nd favorite flower I grow. This is my first pink lemonade lily of the Summer. It’s too awesome of a flower not to share it with you. There would be even more already but some moron keeps running through my flower bed at the top of the drive-way.

Would it be unChristian of me to put a board full of nails just under the mulch? Talk amongst yourselves…

I bought them in a multi-pack of bulbs at Lowe’s last year for a few bucks, just in case anyone’s interested.

No not Gordon, Dave.  I have added Dave Ramsey’s blog to my blogroll.  If you aren’t familiar with Dave, he is a financial guru and author of “Total Money Makeover,” one of the most important books Jennifer and I have ever read!  Check out my review section about the book.

Regardless of your age or financial situation you need to read this book and learn from Dave.  He has revolutionized the way we look at money, spending, and debt.  It is no coincidince that I finally read the book my buddy Ryan Owens gave me just before going on staff with That Youth Thing.  God was preparing us for financial belt tightening!

Do yourself and favor and go buy his book!  You may thank me by sending gifts to the house, which you pay for with cash after getting out of stinky debt.

To update you on 30 Days of Black, things are still going great! I’m still dropping a little weight and am very close to being at my 8th grade weight of 198 (pathetic I know).

I am also loving drinking black coffee and don’t regret it at all, especially now that I have gotten some REAL coffee. One of the sponsors on the Sean Hannity talk radio show is Boca Java. Hearing them advertised all of the time was enticing, so I decided to give it a shot.

I got a great deal being my first purchase with them and I must say it is the best coffee I have ever had. Besides using quality beans, the thing that makes their coffee so good is that they roast it to order. All of my coffee was roasted on April 10th and at my door 3 days later!

I don’t want 4 month old turkey in my sandwich; I don’t want 4 month old milk in my cereal; and I CERTAINLY don’t ant 4 month old coffee in my cup! You would not believe the difference drinking freshly roasted coffee makes. Who knows how long the junk you buy at the grocery store has been sitting there.

So if you consider yourself a coffee lover, I would recommend giving them a shot. The promotional offer I got came with a reduced price bag of 100% Kona coffee. Not a cheap 5% Kona blend from Folgers. Now THAT is one good cup! The “Palm Beach Passion” blend is also amazing.

(If you decide to give it a try, and it asks if you were referred here, please give me a little credit. I think I get a discount on my next order for giving them business)

Oh, and do yourself a favor and order whole bean. In fact, only buy whole bean for the rest of your life. Go buy THIS and make your coffee experience one that is joyous and not merely routine!

If you need a little break and something good to read, head over to Paul’s blog for 30 days of fiction.  It is the inspiration for 30 days of black, which by the way is still going well.  I just had a mighty fine cup of java.

These are fictional writings that the all-talented Paul has written over the years.  So go check it out.  I would start with part one way at the bottom.  I’m pretty sure the comment in the cute pink box about a cruel person is about me, but I’ll overlook it because I’m the bigger person (but not for long with all of this black coffee).

By the way, I typically like my fiction to include swords, guys on horses sprinting into battle, bad guys being slain and British accents, but Paul’s work is good nonetheless.  Maybe there is hope for me after all.

• A borrowed copy of I Am Legend: 0 Dollars
• 1 foot long sub to split: 7 Dollars
• original and kettle cooked popcorn: 3 Dollars
• Date night for 10 Bucks: Priceless

For some people Red Lobster and theatres are a regular thing, but for everyone else, there are personal finance budgets.

Well, date night came with no money left, so we had a casual slash lazy date night (I think its funny to type out slash rather then use the “/” key…not sure why…). We got comfy on the couch and watched I Am Legend. I must admit, it has been a long time since I saw a really good movie; one of those movies that leaves you thinking; one of those movies you could immediately watch again.

This was definitely one of those movies. Ironically enough, probably the last great movie I saw also starred Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness. Will Smith is one of my favorite actors because he is so versatile and convincing. He knocked this one way out!

In addition to great acting, great action, a great plot and a great ending, the movie really had an awesome Christian theme. Now while they may have thought about the similarity, I very seriously doubt the producers, directors and writers actually meant for this to happen. It was also rather ironic that the dvd was released on Easter weekend.

Since you are reading this ONLY because you have actually watched the movie, I don’t have to go into detail. What a profound picture of Christ his character, Robert Nevell was. The entire human race is on the verge of extinction and basically the walking dead. He sacrifices his life for the cure that will restore mankind.

Well the entire human race WAS walking around dead in sin. Jesus had the only cure, His blood, and He gave it all up so humankind could be redeemed. There was no other way. This human race, like Nevell, was also out to kill Jesus. He sacrificed Himself anyway out of love. I hope I never get to the point that I’m not blown away by Jesus’ sacrifice. He gave it ALL up, just for us.

Well if you read this and ruined the ending to the movie, go watch it anyway. It will still be awesome! Here’s the movie trailer just to recap or in case you cheated and read first…

I picked up Steve Fee’s album We Shine at the bookstore this morning.
This CD is incredible! It knocked one of my molars right out of my head.
If you’ve never heard any Fee, go check them out!

…listening to this month:

• Mat Kearney, “Nothing Left to Lose”
• David Crowder* Band, “Remedy”
• Erwin McManus, a 4 part sermon titled “Romance Unwrapped” (free in the iTunes store)

…studying this month:

• the Book of Acts
• the early Christian Church

…reading this month:

• Bill Hybels, “Holy Discontent”
• Rick McKinley, “Jesus in the Margins”
• Lee Strobel, “The Case for a Creator”

I picked up David Crowder* Band’s new album the other day call “Remedy.” Once again, they blew it out of the water! This CD is amazing and I highly recommend it. It has a great mix of everything that we have come to love about Crowder. Plus, “Glory of it All” is possibly my favorite song of all time. If you have a pulse, this album is for you!

Here is a must read, and by read I don’t mean browse, give a glimpse or skim.  Check this out and give it a little thought.  Leave your comments (whether or not you agree) on his site.  Who are we willing to care more about:  ourselves or the people who need our Jesus?  The people who need our love, concern, and genuine friendship?  Are we willing to do what it takes to show them something transforming and life-changing?  Christ was willing to take on that whole “whatever it takes” thing.   If we are following Him we need to start acting like Him.  Me first.

Who I’m Becoming : Part III

I found this incredible website today, thanks to Gary Lamb. The website is pandora.com, and is basically a free internet radio station, only YOU dictate what it plays.

You’ll have to check it out if you are a music person, but you basically type in an artist (ex: David Crowder Band) and the site will play you one of their’s and then songs from other bands who are similar in sound and style.

It doesn’t always throw up Christian artists, so you have to weed through some songs. It is very self-explanitory, so if you like music, I suggest checking it out!

It is a good way of finding new music and artists you aren’t familiar with.

“I begin (prayer) with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where I stand before a perfect God, it restores the true state of the universe. Confession simply establishes the proper ground rules of creatures relating to a Creator.”

~Philip Yancey, Prayer