Waters Edge First Service

Today Waters Edge opens it's doors for our first services in the new building. For day one we are starting with four services - 8:30, 9:45, 11:10 and 6:00PM. Here are a few picks from earlier this week. It's come a long way since then. I'll post more tomorrow.

The Standout

My friend, Blake, sent me this link to a blog called AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com It's ha-larious. The whole site it dedicated to awkward pictures. Click on the link to visit the site.

For some the leotard is merely canvas.

Some kids will tell you exactly what they think about you.

How'd You Find robshep.com

Thanks for taking the time to read robshep.com. Some of you read because you are friends of mine. Others read because you go to Waters Edge Church. Some of you have blogs of your own and we have met via the world wide web. There is one last group of people who read robshep.com. It's the people who stumble across my site via a google or web search. Some pretty funny searches have led people to robshep.com. Here are some of the recent searches that led people here (with my comments in parenthesis). They get weirder as the list goes on.

• Carlyn and Jamey (good friends who just got married)
• What to say after a sermon (I did a series of posts on this a few weeks ago)
• Should I drop my maiden name (This post generated the second most comments I've ever had.
• Funny Photo Face Game (I'm glad to see it's sweeping the nation)
• How do I know I'm uncool (I don't know but you could play the game cool or uncool at robshep.com)
• Racquetball naked (why would you look for this online?)
• Punched him in the mouth teeth (I'm not a violent person)
• You skin that smoke wagon and we'll see what happens (This is just crazy. I don't have a fat clue what this means but some how it led them to robshep.com)

Your Husband Is Not An Idiot Part 2

I'm not great with details. In fact I've made so many little mistakes it would be easy for my wife to say I'm an idiot. One year for Valentines Day I tried my best to make the day special for my wife. I bought five surprises for our five years together. Throughout the day I surprised my wife. I had flowers delivered to her classroom, I put a mix CD that I made her in her car, I brought her Starbucks, I had balloons at the house, and I made her breakfast. Now all of that was great except for the fact that it was our fourth year together and not our fifth. I felt like an idiot.

Now my wife could have focused on the mistake I made or she could focus on the effort that I made to make her day special. My wife understands that I'm not perfect. I'm going to make mistakes, but that doesn't make me an idiot. My wife understands my weakness and loves me in spite of them. She respects me.

I'm sure your husband or wife makes some dumb mistakes, but instead of bashing on them focus on the good things that they do. If you can't find any good then maybe you did marry an idiot. If that is the case then blame yourself because no one forced you to marry them.

Your Husband Is Not An Idiot Part 1

A friend of mine recently posted on his blog about a conversation he overheard. It was two woman who were bashing on men. I've heard this same conversation many times throughout the years. Men are idiots.

Here is some food for thought. If your husband is really an idiot then you are a bigger idiot because you married him. Nobody forced you to marry him. You fell in love with him or with the idea to change him. If he is really an idiot then don't bash him bash yourself for not making better choices.

Most likely though your husband isn't an idiot. We've all heard it before but men and woman are different. Just because someone is different or can't do what you do doesn't mean they are an idiot. I can't play basketball like Kobe Bryant, I'm not not handy, and I don't do well with details. Those are not my gifts and I'm fine with that. I need other people in my life to complete me. Your husband isn't supposed to do everything as well as you do. He needs you.

I Scared the Poo Out of a Snake

So a black snake is living near the front door of my house. I know black snakes are not poisonous, but what you have to understand is my wife, Monica, is deathly afraid of all snakes. Two times in the past week we have walked out of our house to find the snake. On Saturday we walked out and my wife started squealing while running for her life. I froze. I didn't know what to do so I just stopped moving. My wife finally gets out that there is a snake and when I turn to my right I see a black snake about 2 feet away. I go into the house to find a weapon of mass destruction. I come out with a shovel to protect my wife and kill the snake.

In the safety of our car my wife calls animal control. As soon as I turn the corner the snake slithers into a bush. All of the sudden I see a gooey substance dropping from the bush. I couldn't figure out what it was so I took a few steps to get a better view. When I did the snake practically leaps out of the bush onto our window seal. Monica yelled from the car "I think you made the snake poo himself." Sure enough the substance came from the snake and I think it was poo.

The snake and I were having a staring contest. It was like a wild west showdown. My wife said I should go get some help from our neighbor since I don't have a lot of experience killing snakes. As soon as I walked away he slithered quickly into the woods. The snake got away but not before I scared the poo out of him.

It's ok! I'm a limo driver!

Last night I had the privilege of driving 16 seniors to prom. Not only did they want me to drive but they also asked for me and my wife to go to dinner with them. It was a lot of fun. This group of seniors are very special to me. Most of the guys are a part of my Community Group at church and most of the girls are very plugged into Waters Edge Students. Love these guys.

Above: The boyz of my Community Group

Above: The Party Bus

Complain Up

I once heard Dave Ramsey (money guru and a great communicator) talk about complaining up. The idea was that at your job there are going to be times when you feel like complaining. Instead of complaining to someone who can't do anything about it complain to someone who can. For example it doesn't solve your problem to complain to the secretary or a fellow employee. Instead complain up to your boss or someone who can do something about the problem.

The problem with complaining to the wrong people is that it leaves us feeling better but we've dumped our problem on someone else. It ends up spreading the negativity because no action is being taken to make the situation better. Instead of being selfish and dumping your complaint down on someone else complain to the right person in order to try to solve the problem.

Jamey and Carlyn are getting hitched

My good friends Jamey and Carlyn are getting married today. I'm honored to be in their wedding. Congrats guys! If you like Jamey and Carlyn or if you would like to get to know them click on the links attached to their names.

Hug it out Biff

Are you a hugger? I like hugs from people I know. Last week I met someone for the very first time and they hugged me. It wasn't real awkward or anything but I did think "huh...I don't know you and we are embracing with a full frontal hug." So how bout it...do you hug everyone or reserve your hugs for those you love?

Cool or Uncool, a game at robshep.com where you decide what is cool or uncool.

Here's how you play.

Step 1: Read the question below.

Step 2: Decide whether you think it is cool or uncool.

Step 3: Post your decision by leaving a comment.

Cool or Uncool? Wearing socks with sandals.

Don't Forget to Say Thanks

During my first year of marriage I worked at a church as the Assistant Minister to Students. I loved my time there. There was however one not so positive thing about my experience there. I didn't know if what I was doing was making a difference.

I worked my tail off that first year. I worked hard to build relationships and make a difference in the students lives. After a year of being on staff I felt like God was leading me to pursue a Masters in Seminary. As soon as it was announced that I was leaving people came out of the woodwork to show their appreciation. Mom's who I had never met would stop me in the hallway and tell me how hot I was...that is so not true. I just wanted to make sure you were still reading. The truth is that parents who I had never met would stop me to tell me that I had made a difference in their child's life.

I remember talking with my wife during that experience. I didn't work hard to be appreciated but it would have been nice to know I was making a difference before we left. Why do we wait until someone leaves or dies before we tell them how much they mean to us? Maybe you think they will get a big head if you tell them. Maybe you haven't been appreciated enough and so you are just treating people the way you have been treated. Maybe we are just so self absorbed that we don't make time to think about others. Whatever the reason if you have someone in your life who you love you should tell them. If you know someone who has helped make you a better person you should encourage them by letting them know.

If someone has made a difference in your life don't be afraid to tell them. Write a note, send them a card, give them a random gift, take them to lunch, call them on the phone. It doesn't matter what you do just do something today. Who knows tomorrow you may not have the chance.

PS: I'm blessed to work at Waters Edge. One of the things I love about it is that I know where I stand with the people who attend. I feel appreciated.

Would You Do Your Job For Free?

Would you work at your job if you weren't getting paid?

A few months ago my pastor made a comment in one of his talks that I don't think he thought anyone would take him up on. He was talking on volunteering and he said if you have time to volunteer during the week we have plenty of work for you to do. The next day at 8:30 in the morning a guy from our church showed up to work. He worked all day and then came back the next day, and the next, and the next. In fact he hasn't left since. Everyday this guy comes to work at the same time the staff does and most days he leaves when we leave. By the way he also volunteers during all four services on Sundays. He works his butt off and he does it as a volunteer.

Today I was working with him and I had this thought. Would you do your job if you weren't getting paid? I think a huge sign of having passion for your job is if you would do it without getting paid. Now I know you need money to live, but if money wasn't an option would you still work at your job? If you wouldn't work at your job for free then your probably not passionate about it. Maybe it's not the right job for you. I think we were created to do specific things in life. We were gifted with certain passions and desires. If your job doesn't bring out those in you then you should change jobs. If you don't think you can then change your attitude.

Just a thought I had today as I worked along side the hardest working non paid staff member I know.

Star Wars vs. Star Trek

Saw this video and loved it. Very creative.

Bangerang Kool-Aid

I lead a small group of high school guys every Wednesday night for Community Group. We have some house rules.

1. Don't ring the doorbell. Just walk in when you come to group.
2. Help yourself. If you want a drink help yourself. (Amendment: the first amendment to the rules was I had to add a two drink limit because one of the students was drinking 3 to 4 cans of soda in an hour and half time period.)
3. When you pee in the bathroom out of respect for my wife put the toilet seat back down. Even if you don't know my wife respect her. There is a picture of me and my wife above the toilet. The students tell me it weirds them out but it's there to remind them to close the lid. Just joking.
4. When you drink the Kool-Aid you have to say bangerang.

Do you remember the phrase bangerang from the movie Hook? In a desperate attempt to cut back on the sodas we were buying my wife bought black cherry Kool-Aid. On the first night we had it I was trying to get the students to drink it and I told them it was bangerang Kool-Aid. Whenever they would ask why I would simply say because when you drink it you will say the words bangerang...it's just that good.

For some reason that stuck. Whenever we have Kool-Aid the students call it bangerang. If a new student comes to group other students will tell them to drink the bangerang Kool-Aid. I always feel a little weird at this point because drinking the Kool-Aid at church has some negative feelings attached to it. Anyway...sure enough when a student drinks the Kool-Aid they will say the phrase bangerang after they drink it.

I recommend trying black cherry Kool-Aid...who knows maybe you too will have to say bangerang after you drink it.

The Right Words at the Right Time

Last spring I went to LA and I went to a Los Angeles Clippers home game vs. the Lakers at the Staples Center. They share a home court. Ever since then I get weekly updates on tickets for upcoming events at the Staples Center...in LA!

They send great email messages. Floor seats for $20 (unheard of) for Clipper games, pre-sale for HUGE concerts and events, and a chance to by cheap season tickets. At least once a week I look at one of their emails and think...what the crap, I wish I lived in LA. Because I live in VA their emails don't do me any good. They don't do them any good either because I'm never going to take them up on one of their offers...yet they keep sending the emails. Those are the wrong words at the wrong time.

It's hard for me to do this, but I want to say the right words at the right time. Whenever I hang out with someone I want to bless them with the right words. I once heard a youth pastor tell a student, who didn't go to church, he shouldn't wear a particular shirt because the band wasn't Christ like. Wrong words at the wrong time for that student.

Sometimes I get so caught up in my life that I forget to even ask how someone else is doing. Sometimes I make a joke when that is the last thing a person needs to hear. Sometimes I force advice when all they need for me to do is shut up and listen. Sometimes I don't talk about God because I don't want people to think I'm forcing Him on them. It's hard to know what the right words to say are but I want to say them. Otherwise I might as well be telling people who live in VA about great tickets in LA. It wouldn't do anyone any good.

Peeing in the Shower...Seriously?

A friend of mine read a recent magazine article that talked about saving water by peeing in the shower. Seriously? That is gross. They said that instead of flushing the toilet just tinkle while you shower. Now I know many a friend who does this but it's just gross to me. I've never done it. I also don't pee in pools or in the ocean. Call me weird but I think there is only one place for tinkle and that's the toilet.

What's the real problem?

Two weeks ago we turned on the air conditioner for the first time. When we turned it on it worked for a nano second but then shut down. To fix it I changed the filters, turned off the power (I thought maybe it just needed to be rebooted), and banged on the thermostat. Everything worked temporary but nothing fixed the problem. I called an AC repair man but canceled the appointment the day he came because the air started working fine.

A few days go by and I'm in my shed getting out my lawn mower. This is a blog all to itself. It takes me 3o minutes to mow my grass and 22 of the those minutes are me wrestling the mower out of this shed that is really just a small closet. Anyway...I noticed that water was leaking from a pipe. I ran to find my wife, Monica, and she helped me discover what was happening. Come to find out our AC unit was freezing over. There were huge chunks of ice surrounding the unit. I quickly called for another appointment. We were low on freon and it caused the freezing.

When we saw this Monica said a profound statement. She said we tried everything to fix this problem but we never actually looked at the source. Until this moment this was the first time we had actually looked at our AC unit. Silly us.

In life we often forget to look at the real problem. Monica talks about this often. Many times as a teacher she sees kids acting up. Often they are acting up because of something going on in their life. It doesn't excuse their behavior but punishing them doesn't deal with the real problem. The real problem is that their parents are getting a divorce, or are fighting, or worse. Maybe you've dealt with some problem people. Maybe they are a jerk, or maybe there is something else going on. There are times when we need to look past the behavior and look to the source of the problem. Maybe something else is going on that needs to be fixed. It's not justifying the behavior but it's changing the way you deal with a difficult person. Maybe they are being difficult because of another problem. It's only after you fix the real problem that your issues will be resolved.

G.I. Joe

G.I. Joe has been a big part of my life. When I was in elementary school I would rush home to watch the cartoon. I used to get a $3 a week allowance and the highlight of my week was going to the store and picking out a G.I. Joe action figure. I even used to buy the comic books. In other words I loved G.I. Joe.

Recently my brother and I were talking about the new movie coming out in August. During our conversation he mentioned a G.I. Joe named Zap. I thought he was joking. I laughed really hard at that name. I thought I knew my G.I. Joe history so I told my brother he was crazy. He stuck by his story and made me look up Zap online. Sure enough Zap was a G.I. Joe.

Who knew? Zap came with a bazooka and a wicked mustache. Now it's got me thinking...there were a ton of G.I. Joes and maybe I missed some others. For all the G.I. Joe fans out there...who is the most obscure G.I. Joe that you remember?

I'm really patient unless you make me wait

Last night in Community Group we were talking about areas of our life where we need God to work. I shared something that surprised my group. I stink at being patient.

A few weeks ago I asked God to show me what I needed to work on. This is always one of those prayers that God answers quickly for me. For the last week it's as if incredibly slow people have been placed in my path to reveal how impatient I am.

I was trying to park at the grocery store the other day and a woman, who had one foot in the grave, was moving at a snail like pace across the street. At first I didn't mind waiting for her, but after a minute of watching her cross the street I wanted to get out of my car, pick her up and put her in a shopping cart to wheel her into the store.

Later in the week there was a woman who was on an elliptical at the gym. All the machines I normally use were taken so I decided to hop on a machine that I don't really like. I watched this woman on the elliptical move so slow the machine would ask if she was still there in between strides. I'm not joking. It was so slow I thought she was moving in slow motion. The whole time I was getting really frustrated because she was on the machine that I use.

For about a week now whenever someone moves at a slug like pace and they are in my way I start singing a song that I used to listen to as a kid. The song lyrics were something like...

Have patience

have patience

don't be in such a hurry

when you get impatient you only start to worry

Remember

Remember

that God is patient too

and think about all the times that others have been patient for you.

It's funny but singing this song is the only thing that helps calm my impatience down. If you would like to hear a snail sing this song click here. Maybe it will help you if you are like me and struggle with being patient.

My Own Personal Horror Movie

There is a quaint town near me called Poquoson. It's a small town surrounded by water. It's the perfect place for a horror movie.

I recently visited this little town to go to a varsity boy's soccer game. As soon as we opened our car doors we were attacked. At first it was a slow attack but slowly but surely the attack became a torturous massacre.

Poquoson has flesh eating gnats. These gnats are impervious to bug spray, they don't die they multiply, and they suck. During the game I sprayed bug spray on and you would have thought I covered my arms in icing. These gnats love hair gel so they were burrowing in my head. Luckily my wife brought a towel to the game to sit on and she was nice enough to give it to me so I could cover my head.

If murdering gnats was a crime I would be a mass murderer. These horrors of nature deserved to die. They made it incredibly hard to enjoy the game. So if you ever want to experience your own personal horror movie visit a quaint little town in Virginia called Poquoson.

Movie Review - Star Trek

It's weird for me to say this, but I'm now a fan of Star Trek. Star Trek in my opinion has always been the ugly step child of Star Wars. In my circles it was cool to like Star Wars, but one would think twice about admitting to being a Trekkie. The worst was when someone would get the two franchises confused. When that happened I would passionately defend Star Wars. So much so that the debate usually ended with me forcing the person to watch the original Star Wars trilogy.

J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, MI 3, Cloverfield) has rebooted the Star Trek franchise. The new movie is great. There is humor, action, and a great story. The movie gives the back story of how Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones, and the rest of the Enterprise crew met. But Abrams take includes an interesting twist. I won't ruin it for you, but Abrams does a great job of paying homage to the past while at the same time creating a brand new future for the franchise. If you're like me and never loved Star Trek then I recommend you go see this new movie with an open mind. I give it two thumbs up.

NeedToBreathe

One of my favorite bands is NeedToBreathe. I heard them about four years ago. I went to a concert to see another band and they opened for that band. They hadn't released a CD yet but as soon as I heard them I said I was going to buy their CD the day it came out. Two CD's later they are one of my favorite bands. This summer they are releasing a brand new album. I can't wait! If you haven't heard them check out a couple of their videos below.



Above: This video was comprised of over 3,000 photos and a 3-day shoot. Pretty creative if you ask me.

Warm and Fuzzy Memories with Rob

Once upon a time I was an intern at a large church. Each Wednesday night we had to set up our youth room. It was really a gym for the high school students and a small fellowship hall for the middle school students. We didn't have our own equipment so we borrowed it from big church. There was a keyboard that we used each week and it was stored on the second story of a different building from where we met.

One day Stu (my pastor) and I went to collect everything that we needed to set up. We had to make multiple trips from one building to the other. On this day I grabbed the large key board and carried it down from the second floor. On our way out the door we had to walk down a small set of steps and then go across the street to the gym/fellowship hall.

On my way down the steps I fell. I missed the first step because the keyboard I was holding was so large it impeded my vision of the steps. On the way down panic seized my thoughts. I knew if I busted this keyboard I was in BIG trouble. On the way down I twisted to the side to protect the keyboard. I hit the ground hard. As soon as I fell Stu ask if I was ok. He had a panicked tone to his voice. I responded with "is the keyboard ok." As soon as Stu heard that he started laughing. Once he knew I was ok he couldn't contain his laughter. He is a sucker for a good fall.

That day I ripped a hole in my GAP jeans, I scrapped up my knee, I bruised my ego, but I saved the keyboard. And that my friends is another Warm and Fuzzy Memory with Rob.

Easter in May?

Around Easter time Waters Edge produced this little video. I happened to be on vacation that Sunday so I didn't get to see it until now. It made me chuckle so I thought I would share it with you. Bonus: It stars my dad!

What's that smell?

Earlier this week my wife said that our bedroom smelled. It wasn't a musty or stanky smell. In fact she couldn't tell what it was, but she said she it was strong. I didn't smell it. She lit a candle.

The next day she said it again and started searching for the smell. She said it was from my side of the room. No surprise there.

I went over to my closet and started sniffing like a hound dog. Alas I finally smelled what she was talking about. It wasn't stinky shoes. It wasn't crusty underwear left out for days (not that mine is crusty or left out). It smelled like dirt. It smelled like my lawn mower after I mow the grass.

The funny thing is it is only by my window. I searched and searched and I couldn't find out what the smell was. Monica thinks that it might actually be our lawn mower. We have a shed near my window. I don't think that is it. I don't even know who to call to figure out where this smell is coming from. Is it a leak that we don't see? The smell gets worse after the rain. If anyone knows who to call to fix this please let me know. If you don't know who to call take a guess at what you think the smell is.

Maiden Name Debate

Last night at dinner I was talking with some friends who said that most women replace their middle name with their maiden name when they get married. I knew some women did this but I didn't think it was the norm. I was quickly crucified by my comments. The four people I was with said that every girl does it and it's definitely the norm.

I didn't argue because I was out numbered. When I got home that night I asked my wife and she said she didn't think it was the norm. She didn't do it and most of her friends didn't do it either. Later that night my friend DP stopped by and I asked him. He said it definitely wasn't the norm.

Let the fun begin. What do you think? Which one is the norm?

Brain Dump

My brain is so full of stuff it feels constipated. The following is a brain dump of all the random stuff going on in my head.

• The Lakers play tonight. They lost the home opener to Houston. This game is crucial.
• I've got so much on my brain your getting not one, not two, but three blog posts today.
• I've got my Student Community Group tonight. I missed last week because of Thr3e. I'm amped to be back with them tonight.
• Star Trek comes out this Friday. I'm waiting until Saturday to see a matinee. Look for the review by Saturday afternoon.
• Waters Edge is only three weeks away from moving into our building. That is crazy to me. I can't wait.
• I think the judges of American Idol have an agenda. They want Adam Lambert in the finals. Was it just me or did they seem harsh on everyone else last night? He was in the bottom two last week and I think they wanted to make sure he made it this week.
• Monica (my lovely wife) bought me some new clothes. She has great taste so I always like when she picks stuff out for me.
• I only have one pair of black shoes. They hurt my feet so I rarely wear them. I need to wear them with one of my new shirts. I think I'm going to get gel inserts...is that what you call them? Has anyone tried them? It's going to be hard for me not to say I'm gellin every five seconds.
• I heard on the radio that someone on the TV show 24 got arrested. They said that story was coming up but 15 minutes later they still hadn't talk about it. Does anyone know who they were talking about?
• I'm hoping my last series of posts didn't make anyone self conscious to talk to me after a talk at church. It's not something that I dwell on, but so many people say funny things to me I decided to post about it.
• My pastor is now on Twitter. If you aren't following him then you should. He writes good tweets.

Whew I feel relieved to get all of that out.

What to say to a pastor after a sermon...Part 3

I don't want anyone to think they need to walk on egg shells when they see a pastor after they preach. The point of this series of posts is to choose your words carefully.

I once worked at a church where the pastor would stand at the door and shake hands with everyone as they left. I spoke on a Sunday once and the pastor asked me to come with him to the doors. I've never received so many forced compliments in my life. If you didn't like the talk or if God didn't speak to you don't feel pressure to say anything after the talk.

If you did enjoy the talk let the pastor know but avoid words like actually or normally. For example "Normally I sleep through your sermons but this one kept my attention."

The best compliment you can give a pastor is if God spoke to you. At the end of the day there are only a couple of people's opinions that I really look to after I speak. I care about what my wife says and what my pastor says. The comments that really get me amped are the ones where people say God spoke to them. If someone makes a change in their life because of something God said to them through my talk then I get excited.

Concluded.

What to say to a pastor after a sermon...Part 2

Because of all of the work that goes into a message often times a pastor is sensitive to what people say. Again it's not that they preach for man's approval but you give so much of yourself when someone criticizes it stings. The first five to ten minutes after a message is delivered the pastor is the most sensitive to what people say. It's kind of like giving birth. It was a long painful process but after the talk is delivered a pastor is proud of what God has done. Unless they bombed it. If that happens then no one knows it more than the pastor. Anyway, if you ever have the chance to talk to a pastor after a sermon choose your words carefully. After all you wouldn't tell a parent their baby was ugly.

Here are some things that have been said to me after I have preached. Most of these were said by well meaning people and most of these made me laugh.

• You were actually funny today.
• I don't normally like it when you preach, but today I liked it.
• Today was actually a good talk.
• Today you were funny, insightful, and passionate. You were at a whole other level then where you normally are.
• Was that story true?
• Today wasn't one of your best. It was OK, but it just wasn't one of my favorites.

What to say to a pastor after a sermon...Part 1

If you ever go to church and you have the chance to talk to the pastor after the service you should choose your words carefully. A good pastor doesn't preach for compliments. What I mean is that at the end of the day they are preaching to please God and not people. At the same time pastors are humans and the words that are said to them after the service can weigh on them.

It's like this...for at least a week the pastor studies, prays, writes, and prays some more for this one talk. For me I write out my entire talk word for word. I often write at least one rough draft that gets completely rewritten before Sunday. An average talk for me is six to eight pages that I memorize. For at least a week the pastor has lived with this message inside of them. When the message is finally delivered it's birthed in front of an audience. What took hours to prepare can be torn down in 30 seconds.

To be continued...

Brain Dump

This past week I went to Thr3e in Charlotte, NC. Thr3e was a one day event put on by Pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Church. It was good. It was really good. I went with my pastor, Stu Hodges, and he said that it was the best conference he's ever been to. Thr3e was three sessions in one day. No music, and no gimmicks. When we got done my brain was full. It felt constipated with knowledge. I've been sitting on these thoughts since last week and it is now time to let them out. The following is a brain dump. Even if you are not a pastor there are some great quotes from Thr3e.

• Their volunteers were amazing! When we got there they gave us Krispy Kreme Donuts and we were assigned a volunteer host. He gave us his card with his cell number on it in case we needed anything.
• First session was about 3 Elements Elevation wants to be known for. Culture of Audacity, Uniqueness, and Honor...somehow I ended up with a fourth one which was generosity. .
• Audacity is a spirit not a set of actions.
• God doesn't step up until you step out.
• Don't insult God with small requests.
• As a leader look for ways to remind your followers where you have been.
• Steven's take on honor was eye opening. I wish every senior pastor and every member of every church could have heard it.
• Steven said that as pastors, "If people don't see you as a man of God they can't hear from God."
• Session Two - Systems and Strategy
• We're Ruth Chris not Golden Coral. In other words do what you do well and say no to everything else.
• "Dress for the wedding not for the gas station." - structure your church for where you want to go not for where you are. If you are dressed for a wedding and go to a gas station you will look silly. But when you get to the wedding you will look great.
• Think Inside the Box - this was my favorite part of this session. Instead of focusing on what you are not think inside the box that you are in. The question is "how do I change what I do have."
• When you think outside the box you get frustration but when you think inside the box you are in you get innovation.
• Third Session - The Cost of Your Calling
• The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the pain you are willing to endure.
• The space between hope and change is pain.
• "You wouldn't worry about how much people think about you if you knew how seldom they did."

Whew. I feel better now that I could dump all of that out of my brain. The truth is there is a lot more. I took a lot of notes. Now I just pray I'll put into action what I heard.

Movie Review - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

The Summer Movie Season started this past Friday with the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. If you haven't been following the X-Men movie franchise then you may not know that this is a prequel to the first three X-Men films. The movie focuses on the origin of the X-Men's most popular character Wolverine.

X-Men origins is good but not great. In my opinion it's better then the third X-Men movie, but it doesn't compare to the second. The story is interesting, the action is intense, and the characters are cool. My only two constructive criticisms are the CGI at times looked really fake and the movie didn't offer me any surprises. I'm a hard movie critic. I see a lot of movies. If a movie is going to really wow me it has to give me something new or surprise me. If I can't tell where a movie is going or if they do something unpredictable my value of the movie goes way up. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a good way to start the Summer Movie Season, but it falls way short compared to last summers movie heroes in spandex...or iron. I give it one thumb up.

Rob's Rating System: Two Thumbs up = I loved it, worth paying full price, and I will own it on DVD.

One Thumb up = An OK movie, worth a matinee showing, and I may buy it on DVD if I see it in the $5 bin.

Thumb to the side = Wait and rent it. I wouldn't be mad if someone gave me this DVD, but I wouldn't buy it.

Thumbs down = I hated it, wish I wouldn't have wasted money on it, wouldn't own it on DVD.

What Job Would I Have If I Didn't Work at A Church

This past week I went to a conference with my pastor, Stu Hodges (speaking of Stu, you can now follow Stu's every move on Twitter). One night at dinner Stu asked me what I would do if I was not in ministry.

This was really hard for me to answer. I think my first response to him was "I'd be screwed." After a few minutes of brain racking (this is hard to do some times but it is a lot less painful then the other kind of racking I have experienced) I came up with a short list. Here are the other jobs I would try to do if I weren't in ministry...

Jobs For Rob If Rob Wasn't In Ministry

1. ESPN personality/broadcaster - before I felt led to do ministry this is what I'd tell people I wanted to become
2. College Professor
3. Author
4. I think I would attempt to work at Catalyst. They have a lot of fun and put on one of my favorite conferences every year
5. Counselor
6. Secret Shopper
7. Entertainer
8. Church consultant

So that's my list. What would you do if you weren't doing your job?

I Love It The Least

What do you do that you actually love to do but out of the things that you love to do you love to do it the least? Make sense?

For example I love going to the class Powercut at my gym to workout, but out of all the things I love to do in life that is near the bottom. I also love to draw. I rarely do it but once I start to draw I love doing it. Because I never make myself draw it must mean that it's near the bottom of my list of things that I love to do. A while back I did a post entitled I Hate Reading. Now that I think about it I actually don't hate it. I just love it the least amount out of the things that I do. I can't really hate reading because I subscribe to a magazine, I read blogs daily, and I slowly make it through books. I love it less than watching a movie, but I still love it. Make sense.

Now it's your turn. What do you love to do but you love it the least?