Backwards

I've been thinking about a few things as of late.  In my opinion there are a few things that started off with good intentions but now have become backwards. It's as if somethings started off well, but now are going in the wrong direction. For example...

• Getting old. Nobody likes to get old, but we've become obsessed with staying young.  Age should be a blessing. Getting older should respresent wisdom, accomplishments and passing on a legacy.  I think that one reason why Americans hate getting older is because we fail to accomplish anything significant when we are young. Now I'm not a fan of getting so old I poo my pants and drool, but my goal is to get old with no regrets.
• Freedom.  I love that we have freedom in America. But freedom doesn't mean there aren't rules and that we aren't responsible. I recently heard about a girl who is suing her school because they asked her to take out her nose ring. After she refused they suspended her. She's suing on the basis of freedom of religion. That's right religion. She's a part of the Church of Body Modification. A church that finds god through piercing. I'm ok with them having the freedom to have that silly religion, but that doesn't mean that other rules don't apply. If I made a religion of fat naked guys I'd have the freedom to worship God in that way, but I still couldn't go out in public. Just because I have the freedom doesn't mean other rules don't apply. We are free but there are lots of rules we still have to follow.
• Woman's rights. I'm all for women having equal rights with men. Let me say it again...I'm all for women having equal rights with men, but I feel like we are so pro women that we have sacrificed the role of men. Men in our society are depicted as sex addicted, beer loving, idiots.  I think we need both women and men to live responsible and help each other out. We are not equal in the gifts that we bring to the table, and our society needs both women and men.
• Privacy. I'm all for privacy, but I feel like we have put up so many fences and barriers that we have lost having community.  People these days don't even wave to their neighbors. I feel more comfortable calling a friend 15 minutes away to borrow eggs then I do most my neighbors.
• Not caring what people think. I hear this often, "I'm going to be me and I don't care if people like me or not." First off that's not completely true, everyone cares about what someone thinks about them. Second, there are some opinions that we should care about. I'm all about trying to not be a people pleaser, but at the same time not caring about any one's opinion is unhealthy. I've learned to grow as a person. I've been challenged. I've had blind spots pointed out because of other people's opinions. Not every one's opinion matters, and I don't think we should live for others opinions, but we should allow some wise people to influence us. We should allow some people to help make us better.

Mind Dump

My brain feels constipated with thoughts. The following is a massive mind dump of all the random stuff going on in my head...

• Wearing a Superman shirt must give people the freedom to talk to you. I own a superman shirt and no matter where I were it someone will say something to me.  I mostly wear it to the gym and people who don't notice me one day will walk up to me and make a Superman comment when I'm wearing that shirt.  I even got called out in a workout class. The instructor told everyone to look at Superman for this next set. It even happened in Mexico.  Multiple, random, Mexicans would walk up to me and say "Superman." 
• This week is the Catalyst Conference! I love this conference. It's my tenth year going. I love it because I get to see a lot of friends that I don't see that often.  I get to see my best friend from middle/high school, seminary, and my youth pastor. Plus it's a sick nasty conference that is unlike any other in the world.
• My friend Chad Johnson (no not the football player) is the Catalyst Concierge. He asked me to host two luncheons at Catalyst. The first is with Seth Godin, and the second is with Perry Noble.  It's my goal to not say anything stupid. That's not always easy for me.
• I'm still jogging. If you are new to the blog...I hate jogging.  I've actually started to not hate it as much as of late. I still miss watching TV while I work out, but it's getting a little easier. I did however get a lil joggers nipples after jogging 3 miles.
• Speaking of joggers nipples multiple people have suggested things like a bra or a bro to me. Not only am I never going to wear that I'm also NEVER GOING TO WEAR THAT!!!! I'd rather bleed.
• Yesterday at Waters Edge was AMAZING! We baptized 50 people, Lead Pastor Stu Hodges killed the talk, and I got to do a little diddy with Phil Poteat and the Waters Edge Band. I hope to post the video of it sometime on my blog.
• Mike Dominice is a guitar ninja and he volunteers his services to Waters Edge Church.  Not only is he talented but he rocks really hard. So hard that after jumping in the air he fell to his back, rolled to his knees, and kept rock'n the whole time. It was awesome. He asked me at one point if I'd been doing my rock squats. I laughed. He said he was serious. I should have listened. My knee is swollen and throbbing and I think it's because of rock'n with the band.
• Football is back. Even more exciting than that the NBA is back. I now enjoy watching SportsCenter again. I watch daily whether I need to or not, but now that the NBA is back I really love it.
• I hate switching deodorant. They didn't have my brand so I am currently using a different kind. I don't mind the smell, but it's like my armpits can't handle the change. They itch. I don't want itchy armpits. I'm tempted to go deodorant-less, but I think that would be a lose lose.
• This Wednesday we are at week 11 with our pregnancy. Week 12 is the BIG milestone that we are hoping to get to. The Dr. said that after week 12 miscarriages are less likely.  We appreciate all the prayer support people have been giving us and we would love the continued prayers.
• I love the Fall. It's my favorite season. I love wearing long sleeve shirts with shorts. I love that I don't sweat to death outside. Love it.
• I feel bad for September. It's still technically summer, but nobody likes this month because it represents going back to school. It doesn't feel like summer, but it also doesn't feel like the fall.  There are also no major holidays that make you love September. I know it has Labor Day, but A. That's not a major holiday and B. It's called Labor Day. It's hard to love a day with the word labor in it.
• I think I may have to grow a mustache. Or at least I may have to grow a soul patch. Unless God answers my prayers it's only a matter of time before I shave my head and go with the bald look. I don't know very many guys who shave their heads and don't have facial hair. I don't know if it is a compensation type thing or if it's a club rule.  I'll find out soon enough. The problem is I've never grown facial hair, not to mention I'm not sure I can. Oh and my wife hates the thought of me shaving my head. She also hates facial hair. I'm not sure how that's going to work out.

Whew...I feel better now.

Today Is A Live By Faith Type Of Day

I can’t feel You movin’ inside
I don’t hear Your voice whisperin’ in the night
And I’ve never seen You with these eyes
Am I a fool, am I just a fool?

They ask how I follow what I can’t see
Why I trust in a love that my arms won’t reach

I don’t need You, don’t need You, to prove it to me
I’ll be a fool, yes I’ll be a fool

‘Cause blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe
And blessed are the hands that keep givin’ but never receive
Blessed is the heart that gets broken but keeps holdin’ on
Holdin’ on for another day
‘Cause that’s what it means to live by faith

So I cry for Your help while the world looks on
And they laugh at my hope when all hope is gone
But I’ll just keep prayin’ when answers won’t come
Am I the fool, am I just a fool

For standing alone while they mock Your name
"Well if your God is so good, tell us why all the pain?"
I’m not sure, not so sure that God is to blame
So don’t be a fool, please don’t be a fool

‘Cause blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe
And blessed are the hands that keep givin’ but never receive
Blessed is the heart that gets broken but keeps holdin’ on
Holdin’ on for another day

‘Cause that’s what it means to live by faith

In a world where our questions are haunted
‘Cause life’s not as fair as we all wanted
Where the innocent die, we ask why

And still we await the reply...

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe
And blessed are the hands that keep givin’ but never receive
Blessed is the heart that gets broken but keeps holdin’ on
Holdin’ on for another day

‘Cause that’s what it means...it means holdin’ on for another day
‘Cause that’s what it means to live by faith
Yes that’s what it means to live by faith
That’s what it means to live by faith, to live by faith

*Live By Faith is a song by Chris Rice
**Hat Tip to Casey Greene for this blog idea.

5 Favorites: TV Edition

I've been told that I'm passionate about the things I love. The following is a list of 5 Favorites of mine.

5 Favorite TV Shows

1. The Office
2. Modern Family
3. Chuck
4. The Amazing Race
5. PTI

I've given you 5 of my favorites now give me one of yours. What is your favorite current TV show?

Prepping For The Storm

Before moving to Virginia my family lived in Kansas.  People in Kansas took tornadoes seriously.  We had tornado drills at school. These were embarrassing and hard to do for the none flexible. You had to sit on your knees and put your head towards the floor. I'm sure the teachers saw not only London and France, but a whole lot of little kid's underpants (if you've never heard it there is a little jingle that says I see London, I see France, I see so and so's underpants).  Living in Kansas I took the drills seriously because we actually had tornadoes touch down in our neighborhood.

In Virginia they take hurricanes seriously.  If there is even a rumor of a hurricane stores instantly become sold out of bread, eggs, spam, and milk.  Ok the spam still sits on the shelf, but I thought it would be funny to include in that list.  In high school the threat of a hurricane canceled school for the day.  I went outside and played tennis all day.  For the most part the hurricane threats in Virginia have never led to anything substantial.  I'm not complaining, but it does affect the way that I react to storms. 

No matter where you live you will face some type of storm.  Whether it's financial, personal, or medical storms come.  A lot of people do nothing to prep for the storms of life.  They wait to come to God or to lean on others after the storm hits.  By that point it's often too late.  If you look at Jesus life He often withdrew to solitary places and spent time praying and seeking God.  I think all of that investment prepared Him for the greatest storm of His life...being crucified on a cross.   Jesus said in this world you will have trouble, the question is are you prepared?

Follow My Example

I'm still nervous about the thought of having twins. I can't wait and I'm excited...but I'm nervous. Yesterday we went for another ultrasound and it was amazing to see how much they've grown.  One of the twins even looked like he was waving to us. The fact that my kid is not even born and he can already wave makes me think he'll be gifted.  I kid I kid. 



Pictured Above: These are the first pictures where the twins actually look like babies.



I've heard that with parenting or leadership that habits are often caught just as much as they are taught.  In other words it's important to teach right from wrong, but it's equally important to model it.  I've got some bad habits that I hope my kids don't pick up on. I often eat late at night, I tend to be about 5 minutes late to most things, and I text other people when I hang out with my friends.

One thing that I hope my kids will say about me is that I love Jesus. I hope that they will be able to see it by the way that I live my life.  I'm challenged by a verse in the Bible that I recently read. "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." - I Corinthians 11:1.  The author is challenging his readers to follow his example. Sure he's not perfect. Sure he has faults. Sure he had some bad days, but he was so consistent in following Jesus that he could confidently ask his readers to follow his example.  That's what I want. I want my twins, the students in my youth group, my friends, and the people at Waters Edge Church to follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. 

I'm nervous to make mistakes with my kids, but I'm confident that they can follow my example and it will lead them to a relationship with Jesus. 

Needle Butt Pick???

You've got to love Google.  Or if you don't...You've got to love Yahoo.  Or if you don't...You've got to love Bing.  The point is that search engines, no matter what the name, are a great thing.  It makes finding things on the Internet oh so easy. Thanks to the various search engines some people have stumbled upon my little blog.  The following are some of the searches that led people to robshep.com with some comments by me in parenthesis...

• Stu Hodges Waters Edge Education (What?)
• Awesomely Bad Movies
• Swine Flu After Effects
• List of Things I Love About My Wife
• Is Chili Soup (I posted on this a couple of years ago and it is still one of the top searches that leads people to robshep.com)
• Movies For Men Wednesday September 22 (that is a pretty specific search)
• I Shot My Wife Pics (I'm concerned that someone is searching for this...and for the record when I shot my wife it was with a needle and I was told to do it by our Dr.)
• Pastor Cussing During Sermon (to my knowledge I've never cussed during a sermon and I don't remember posting about this)
• Giving It To My Wife Is Her A$% (I'm not even sure what this means, but there are some sick people out there...sick)
• Top 50 Reasons To Not Have A Dog (I'm pretty proud of this post and it still leads a lot of people to my little blog.)
• Worst Things That Could Happen On A Camping Trip
• Should I Make My Maiden Name My Middle Name (this was one of the most heated debates on my blog.)

Thanks to Statcounter.com I'm able to track things like what searches led other people to robshep.com. 

I Love You Warts And All

Growing up I heard multiple old people say "I love you, warts and all."  I understood what that meant but I couldn't really relate to it because I've never had a wart.  That is until this year. I'm actually not sure how long my wart has been a part of my body.  I discovered it in August, but it could have been there much longer. It's on the bottom of my foot...a place that I don't often look.  I wasn't too concerned about the wart until the guys in my Student Community Group told me about this guy...

Pictured Above: Tree Man - a guy whose warts have morphed into what looks like tree bark.

After hearing about Tree Man I not only was grossed out, but I was a little freaked out. I immediately called my doctor and set up an appointment to have my wart killed.

I'm not going to lie it's hard to love some one's warts. Whether a wart represents a small rounded protuberance on the skin or a less than desirable personality trait, it's gag nasty and hard to love. It's easy to love someone who doesn't have warts or who hides their warts well. It's hard to love someone when their warts are exposed. I think this is why it's so hard to be married or to have deep friendships. When you get close to someone you are going to see their warts. True love is loving someone with their warts and all.

"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.' I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. "In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." - Jesus.

I Would Change the World But I'm Too Apathetic

My mom recently sent me an interesting article about the Tytler Cycle.  According to this societies go through a cycle before they fall apart.  After doing a little research there is some discrepancy on whether or not Alexander Tytler did in fact write the following...but none the less I found it interesting. 

The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:

• From bondage to spiritual faith;
• From spiritual faith to great courage;
• From courage to liberty;
• From liberty to abundance;
• From abundance to complacency;
• From complacency to apathy;
• From apathy to dependence;
• From dependence back into bondage.

According to this where would you say America is today? I spend a lot of time with teenagers. I would say that the overall description of teens today would be apathetic.  I think though there could easily be an argument made for the saying that the next generation will be dependent. 

I think most people would agree with Aerosmith when they sang, "There's somethin' wrong with the world today. I don't know what it is."

If you have a teenager, work with teenagers, or even know a teenager I think you'll be inspired by the following quote. "How radically different would modern American youth culture be if we stopped raising our kids to survive their world and started empowering them with a vision to change it?" - Steven Furtick (Sun Stand Still).

It doesn't do any good to complain about the world. Instead I think we should try to change it.

Prayer

I believe in prayer. I believe that prayer is more than just asking God for things. It's communicating with the creator of the universe. The Bible says some interesting things about prayer...

• Jesus said that whatever you pray for believe and you will receive it.
• If you make a show out of prayer you'll be punished.
• If you try to impress people with your prayers you have already received your reward. 
• We are supposed to pray for our enemies.  
• God will reward us if we pray secretly.
• God wants us to get to the point when we pray and not babble.
• We should pray to God the Father. 
• Jesus will guard your heart and mind from anxiety when you pray.
• Prayers aren't answered when we don't forgive other people.
• Prayer is how we protect ourselves from spiritual attacks.

For me prayer is more than just hoping that God will give me the stuff I want. I can't function without God. My life would be in disarray without Him and prayer is the way that we communicate.  Lately I've been praying for some specific things. Here are some examples of things I'm talking to God about. 

• Monica and I have a couple of really good friends who are single. I pray weekly that God would bring a godly spouse into their life and that they wouldn't settle.
• I pray for the Students in my Community Group. I pray weekly that God will speak to their heart. The last few weeks I've been praying that God would rock a couple of the students who have been making some foolish choices.
• I pray every day as I wash my hair that God would work a miracle and regrow it. I pray that God would make the dead hair cells alive and that I would not go bald. You may laugh but I pray it every day.
• I pray for my pastor every week. I pray that God would speak to him. I pray that God would give him boldness. I pray for his family and that he'll continue to make wise choices. 
• I pray for my wife. I pray that God would allow me to love her like He loves me...unconditionally and sacrificially.
• I pray that God would draw my heart to Him. I hate it that I'm so prone to wonder.
• I pray that I'd have self control. I suck at watching what I eat and I'm praying that God would give me self control so that all my working out will actually make a difference.
• I pray and thank God for the amazing blessings he's given me.
• I pray for our twins. We are nine weeks pregnant today.  I pray that God would give them life.  We saw and heard their heartbeats and the second I heard them I started praying that God would form in them a heart for Him.  I believe that they are fearfully and wonderfully made. I believe that they are an answer to 6 years of prayer. I believe that God is going to use their birth to show people that He is faithful and He still does miracles. I'm believing and begging God for a healthy pregnancy. 

So that's what I'm praying for. What are you praying for?

A Letter To Donald Sterling

Dear Mr. Sterling,

I know you will probably never read this blog post, but with the world wide web anything is possible.  I live in Virginia, and I've had the privilege of flying out to Los Angeles to see your Clippers play basketball on two different occasions.  The truth is I flew out to see the Lakers play and luckily for me I was able to see them play four times because two of the games were against your Clippers.  Apparently at the games I went to see the majority of the people that were there were also there to see the Lakers. 

You own a team that plays in the same stadium as one of the biggest sports franchises in the world.  At one of the games I went to the home team was booed when they were introduced. The problem is the home team was your team the Clippers.  At one point in the game the stadium DJ pleaded with the fans to not boo the Clippers on their own court.  The franchise has had two winning seasons since coming to LA, some would say they are cursed, and you will always be in the Lakers shadow.

Just with the small chance that you would read my little blog I wanted to offer a suggestion.  You should move the Clippers to Norfolk, VA.  The 757 is prime to have a pro sports team and you would be the first.  You wouldn't have to compete with another NBA team, or a single pro franchise for that matter. You wouldn't even have to compete with a major college team. I know Virginia isn't as glamorous as LA, but your team would shine here.  The 757 is the largest area in America without a pro sports franchise.  I would even cheer for the Clippers at every home game...except when they play the Lakers.  Thankfully for you, moving out to the East Coast would move you out of the Lakers division.  I know this is the last of your worries but I'd even be the team chaplain if you move here.

Something to think about,

Rob Shepherd

Mind Dump

My brain feels constipated with thoughts. The following is a massive mind dump of all the random stuff going on in my head...

• This week the Waters Edge staff is on a off-site.  We used to call them retreats, but that gave people the impression that we were relaxing.  There will be some fun, but it's hours and hours of planing, dreaming, and brainstorming. 
• My wife, Monica, has 3 1/2 weeks left of getting a massive shot in her butt. I blogged about here if you missed it.  It's for the health of our twins and I still get the giggles giving the shot to her. 
• Last night the shot didn't go so well. The needle broke off in her butt, and the medicine went everywhere.
• Since Monica has gotten pregnant her sense of smell has mutated. She now smells everything and most of it turns her stomach.
• With me being gone our good friend Courtney is going to have to give her the shot. That's a good friend.
• I won not one but two contests on Terrace Crawford's blog.  If you are a ministry leader, especially with students, then you need to check his site out. 
• The stuff I won from his site was from Catalyst. Catalyst is by far my favorite conference to attend each year. This will be my 10th year and I can't wait! It's October 7-8, with pre conference labs on the 6th. 
• My best friend from middle/high school is the Catalyst Concierge. Chad's the kind of friend that could punch you in the face and you'd want to thank him afterward. He's just that awesome.  I can't wait to see him at Catalyst.
• If you are a single girl I'd recommend that you go to Catalyst. 12,000 young church leaders and 99% of them are men. I'm telling you church conferences are one of the few places where the line to the men's bathroom is twice as long as the ladies. 
• If you have $20 I'd love for you to  help a great cause. I'm partnering with 30 bloggers to raise $30,000 in 30 days for charity: water. 20 bucks will provide clean water for one person for 20 years. It's a great organization.  Click here if you'd like more information.
• I'm currently reading "Sun Stand Still" by Steven Furtick. My pastor was kind enough to give me an advance copy of the book. So far I like it a lot. I tend to settle for the mundane and forget to ask God to do the miraculous.  Furtick's book is like a kidney shot to my faith. It's rock'n me.
• Where did Bruno Mars come from? Before this year I hadn't heard of him, but he's currently blowin up the music scene. I first heard him sing on B.O.B.'s song "Nothing On You." Then he was featured on the Travie McCoy song that stapled it's way into my brain and wouldn't leave, "Billionaire." Finally the best song as of yet is his solo effort, "Just The Way You Are."  I'm sure he's been around for a while, but it seems like he appeared over night.
• I LOVE the app "Tower Madness." If you have an iPhone, or iPod touch you should check it out. It's addicting. My wife makes fun of me because the goal of the game is to protect your flock of sheep from space aliens. I say it's the closest I've ever felt to being a true Shepherd.
• I've been jogging lately. I just don't understand why it's so hard. I work out on a elliptical for 3 times as long and I don't get as tired as I do when I jog. I posted why I hate jogging last week and asked for readers to try to convince me to jog. They did and I still hate it. 
• Luckily for me all this jogging hasn't affected my nipples. I know you were wondering.
• Joggers nipples are for real. I saw it on the documentary called "The Office." The staff of Dunder Mifflin did a 5K run to raise money for a cure for rabies.  Andy Bernard had such a bad case of joggers nipples that they bled through his shirt.  The show is a documentary so it's real. 
• Monica has been on bed rest since Thursday.  She has been spotting, which scares the mess out of me. So far the doctors don't seem too concerned but they do keep writing her notes to miss work.  The problem is that she's trying to save her sick days for when we have the babies. 
• We've been watching a lot of movies since she's been on bed rest. We've watched "The Killers," "How to Save A Life," "Letters to God," "Cable Guy," "The Back-Up Plan," "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid," "Meet The Parents," and a whole lot of the TV show "The Office."  Some of the movies we watched were hard to get through. 
• I'm very thankful that the fall TV season is back. I'm really excited to watch "Chuck," "The Office," and "The Amazing Race."
• I've recently been on a dc Talk listening kick. They are my all time favorite band, but I haven't listened to them much as of late. That is until last week. There songs have been playing non stop in my car. If you haven't heard of them before you should check out the songs "Jesus Freak," "In The Light," "My Will," "Supernatural," "The Hardway"...shoot just get their greatest hits.

Whew...I feel much better now.

The WEC'd Epidemic

If you have driven on the Peninsula side of the 757 then you might have scene a WEC magnet on a car or two.  We've given out two different versions over the last seven years.  I tend to see them everywhere. If a car is in front of me with a WEC magnet I'll often speed up to to see who it is.   Most of the time I don't have a fat clue who is driving the vehicle with the magnet attached.

There is a small group of people...we'll call them students...who have started an epidemic. They call it WEC'd and they rummage through parking lots and driveways turning magnets upside down.

Now the problem with this is that often people don't realize their magnet has been turned upside down and they drive around looking like a fool.  The other problem is it's messing with someone else's private property.

Some would say that writing a blog about it will only highlight these magnet delinquents, but I say the good people of the 757 should help put an end to it.  Bond together fellow citizens and slap the mess out of the wrist of anyone who would dare to flip a WEC magnet upside down.  Who is with me?

You dropped your audacious dream

When I was in high school one of my classmates used to walk up to people, point to the ground, and then say, "you dropped your elbow."  For some reason people almost always looked to the ground.  I thought this was very funny. For a brief time in my life I was inspired by this classmate.  I'd walk up to people and say the most outlandish things to see if I could get them to look at the ground. I'd say things like, "you dropped your kidney" or "you dropped your pelvis."  For some reason saying body parts that you don't talk about often made it funnier to me. 

I feel like most people (when I say most I'm including myself) wait around doing the mundane things of life and waiting for someone else to do something different.  Very few people are courageous enough to dream and then willing to work hard enough to make that dream a reality.  Everyone else waits to jump on the bandwagon of their hard work.  For example...it took James Cameron 10 years to make Avatar. It was filmed in a new technology that he created.  It was a HUGE hit at the box office.  Since Avatar, there have been a million copy cats attempting to bank in on the 3-D craze.  Movies are even throwing on awful 3-D graphics at the last minute in order to capitalize on James Cameron's empire (look at the Last Airbender for an example). 

I'm currently reading an advanced copy of "Sun Stand Still" by Steven Furtick.  So far this book has been inspiring and challenging.  He's daring readers to have an audacious faith in God.  He asks the question, "what happens when you dare to ask God for the impossible?" I feel like Steven Furtick is the James Cameron of pastors. He's dreaming bigger than everyone else and he's working hard to accomplish those dreams. 

Every once in a while I dream of doing something great for God. Somewhere along the way I lose my passion and let it fall into the pile of forgotten dreams.  Whether it's telling people that they've dropped a body part, jumping on the 3-D bandwagon, or copying the newest trend in churches it's easy to sit around and wait for someone else to do something different. It's easy to live in the mundane and never reach for anything audacious.

Would You Rather...

Would you rather...

Have to walk around naked. I'm talking to the gym, grocery store, work, the mall and anywhere else you might go. 

Or

Have all of your thoughts exposed. I'm talking every little thought you think about your boss, your spouse, your friends, and your co-workers. 

No matter what you pick you are going to expose yourself. On the one hand you are exposing parts of your body that very few people should or even want to see.  On the other hand people might not like you if they hear every thought that goes through your head.

It's funny to me how hard we try to hide our real selves. We cover our bodily imperfections with clothes. We cover our thoughts with fake smiles and nods.  Rick Warren, Pastor and author of the Purpose Driven Life, recently tweeted - "Authenticity is being what you seem & saying what you mean." One thing I pray often is that God would help me be authentic. It's easy to hide. It's easy to hide behind well thought out Facebook posts, fake smiles, and the facades that we create.  The problem is the fake me isn't as good as I think it is and the real me isn't going to change unless I let others in. It feels weird to write, but I try hard to be authentic. I try to let down my guard, say what I really think, and even allow myself to look foolish if I've made a mistake. 

There is a lot of freedom in being authentic. It's hard work trying to convince others that you are better than you really are. 

Why I HATE Jogging Outside

Last week I went jogging...once. That was all it took to bring back to my memory all the reasons why I hate jogging outside.  I can't remember why I didn't go to the gym that day, but it was the worst mistake of my week.  I hate jogging outside because...

• The weather. It's so unpredictable. I don't need much of a reason to not run outside, but the rain, snow, heat, cold, or even a mild gust of wind are enough to make me stay inside. 
• At the gym I find entertainment in some of the fellow worker outers.  I know that's not proper English but I didn't know what else to call them.  I get a kick out of seeing the old guy who wears khakis, and an Oxford shirt to run on the elliptical.  There is also the guy who looks like a fisher man...including wearing a slicker, the Asian guy who does Tae Bo to stretch before he runs on the treadmill, and the guy with the ponytail.  
• When I jog outside I am the entertainment for those who see me. It's like a scene from Baywatch but for all the wrong reasons. Slow motion and jiggly may have made a star out of Pam Anderson, but it doesn't work for me.  
• It hurts. I ran on the elliptical for an hour today. I ran almost 3 miles. On that fateful day that I jogged outside I ran 1.1 miles and had 3.5 heart attacks.  My legs hurt, my body hurt, and it took me 5 days to recover from the soreness. 
• Speaking of hurting...joggers nipples.  The fact that jogging outside is so painful it affects your nipples is enough reason for me to stay away.  Seriously what else in this life affects your nipples?
• Just in case you didn't catch it jogging outside can make your nipples bleed. It's called joggers nipples and it's a real thing. Google it.
• The gym comes with a tv for me to watch. The time goes by so fast when I watch SportsCenter while I run. I don't get SportsCenter when I jog outside.
• The elliptical comes with a fan that has two settings.  When I start to get tired I turn the fan on low. When I feel like I can't go any further I turn the fan on high.  There is no fan when I jog outside. Sure I get a little grossed out because the fan is basically recycled sweaty air from the gym, but it's worth it to help me keep going. 
• It's expensive. I hear people talk about things like iPods that work with their Nike's, emails that automatically track your progress, and shoes that make you feel like you are jogging on air. I'd rather spend that money on going to gym. At least my money comes with cable, air conditioning, and the chance to people watch.
• There is no great place for me to jog.  I don't like jogging on major streets. It's not safe and too many people get to experience my Baywatch motions.  If I'm going to drive someplace to jog I'd rather drive to thy gym where they have cable, air conditioning, and the chance to people watch. 

So those are some of my reasons. What are some of yours? Or if you like to jog outside feel free to try to convince me why I should give it another shot.

A Rumor Sparks A War

Last June I had the opportunity to visit Boston, Massachusetts.  While there I ended up picking up a book about the Boston Massacre.  The book pointed out that even though 5 people were killed the event was exaggerated by the colonists and was a key factor in starting the Revolutionary War.  Now I wasn't at this famous event in American history when it happened, so all I can do is base what I know on the history books. According to the book the Boston Massacre wasn't really a massacre.

I think it's interesting how easily people are ready to start a war.  It seems like most people are on edge and waiting to hear something that will rile them up. It doesn't matter if it's true as long as their is a partial truth to it. 

Rumors are powerful when people aren't interested in waiting for the truth.  This past weekend one of my students was in a field hockey accident. She was hit in the face with a field hockey stick.  If you've never seen field hockey this is something that you don't want to happen to you.  She was taken in an ambulance to the hospital.  While talking with her boyfriend, Dillon Tulip, he told me about all the stories that people were telling him about her. Apparently she broke her nose, was in a coma, and practically died.  The truth is she had a concussion.  That's serious, but it wasn't as big of a massacre as people made it out to be. 

Before you start a war do some research to find out what the whole story is. When someone tells you something take a deep breath, remember that every story has two sides, and then go to the source. Unless you just like fighting wars over rumors.

Week of Pictures: Twins

So to end my week of pictures on robshep.com I thought I'd show the pictures we received yesterday of our twins.  I'm not really sure what I'm looking at but the dr. told me it's two babies.  I'll take her word for it.  To me it almost looks like the mask from Scream. I hope they turn out cuter than that.

We were both excited and in awe of God after yesterday's appointment. We still have a long way to go, but are thanking God for every positive report we get.


Enjoy...

Pictured Above: Baby B and Baby A as the ultrasound calls em. For now I'm calling them Chuck and Norris (Hat tip to Dan Peters for texting me those names).

Week of Pictures: Blast from the Past

I like pictures and since my wife documents every second of our life with her camera I thought I'd dedicate a week to them...

At my house we literally have a closet that is full of photo albums. I've spent some time in there looking through pictures for this weeks posts. I thought it'd be fun to post some of the older pictures that I found.  Enjoy...

Pictured Above: My mom and me in one of my first photo shoots. Based on the face I'm making I'm pretty sure I was dropping a deuce.

Pictured Above: Rob with blond hair and in kindergarten.

Pictured Above: Jon (my brother), Rob, and Sarah (my sister). I don't know where this is, why it was taken, and or why I still have it.

Pictured Above: Jamey (my friend), Stu (my current boss), and Rob (with highlights in his hair). This was taken while I was in college.

Pictured Above: Rob, Blake (best friend from college), Chad (worship leader who we used for many student retreats), Stu (my current boss). 

Pictured Above: Jamey, Rob, and Stu rock'n vests. Yes this was the 90's, but we didn't choose to wear those fine looking vests. They were for a drama that we did while on a mission trip in Brazil.

Pictured Above: Ben, Kathi, Mollie (front row), Tommy, Rob, and Monica.  In college I worked at a church on the weekends and this was the family that I stayed with. I love this family!

Pictured Above: Rob and Monica on their first Christmas as a married couple. Also pictured is the first and only live tree we've ever bought together. It ended up leaking and ruining our apartment's hardwood floors.

Pictured Above: Jon (my brother) and Nicole (my future sister in law), Rob and Monica, Scott (my bro in law) and Sarah (my sister).

Pictured Above: Stu, Alicia, Lauren (front row), Phil, Rob, and Jamey (back row). This was the WEC staff when I first joined it. 

Pictured Above: This was the first time I took Waters Edge Students to camp. There were 24 of us that year. This past summer I took 107 to camp. 

Pictured Above: Matt, Alainna, Rob, Brie, Dillon, Eric, Kristen, and D Reeves. This was the beginning of the dynasty known as the Ferocious Chinchillas. We won 3 consecutive volleyball championships at Student Camp.

 

Pictured Above: Stu and Rob. This was the first holiday service where I was apart of the service. This was a segment and I was trying to break an egg with nothing more than the noise of the crowd.

Week of Pictures: One - A Student Experience

I like pictures and since my wife documents every second of our life with her camera I thought I'd dedicate a week to them...

Last night Waters Edge hosted an event called One: A Student Experience. It was for 6th - 12th grade students and it a great night to kick off off the school year.
160 students laughed, sang, and learned about how to be a Jesus Freak. Here's a snapshot of what the talk was about.

freak (frēk)
noun
• a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
• freak out: lose one's nerve; "When he saw the accident, he freaked out"
• addict: someone who is so ardently devoted to something that it resembles an addiction; "a golf addict"; "a car nut"; "a bodybuilding freak"; "a news junkie"

"Nobody wants to be a freak when it comes to the first two definitions of the word, but the third definition says, "ardently devoted to something." We are all freaks about something. Whether it's sports, a hobby, or Justin Bieber everyone is ardently devoted, but if you believe in God then how do you become a freak for Him?"

From there I shared the story of Peter from the Bible. He wasn't perfect, and yet he followed Jesus. He made a lot of mistakes including denying that he knew Jesus 3 times. The key is that he didn't stop following Jesus, and by the end of his life he was such a freak that he preached about Jesus no matter if it meant he would get arrested or even killed. I love what Acts 4:13 says, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." I challenged the students that even though they may be unschooled and ordinary when they live for Jesus people will be astonished!

The night ended with well over 100 students boldly standing on the stage declaring that this school year they were going to be a freak for Jesus. It was a very powerful moment! Here are some pics of the night...

Pictured Above: The night started with Phil Poteat and the Waters Edge Band melting our faces off with the song Jesus Freak

Pictured Above: Lead Pastor Stu Hodges leading a game from Minute to Win It

Pictured Above: Mike (rock'n so hard he's blurry) Larry (on keys) and Rob B (on rhythm guitar)

Pictured Above: Waters Edge Students

Pictured Above: Rob speaking to the students

Pictured Above: Students singing "I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the one who paid it all. I'll stand my soul Lord to you surrender, all I am is yours."

Pictured Above: Stu twitpic'd this from backstage.

Week of Pictures: I Invited My Favorite Band To My Wedding

I like pictures and since my wife documents every second of our life with her camera I thought I'd dedicate a week to them...

Pictured Above: dc Talk. We didn't know it when we bought the tickets but we showed up and had front row seats. The seats started at something like LL. I knew we had good seats but I didn't know they were this good.

The summer of fifth grade I went with my church youth group to a music festival.  It was like Woodstock, but without drugs, hippies, and all the bands sang about Jesus.  Ok maybe it's nothing like Woodstock but it was a big outdoor festival.  It was at this festival that I was first introduced to dc Talk.  They instantly became my favorite band. 

Now when I like something I tend to get passionate about it.  Here's the scene: It's the summer of my wedding.  dc Talk is doing a concert at the theme park Kings Dominion. Monica and I drive 9 hours from taking our students to summer camp and drove straight to the concert.  Now I believe this is the first time Monica experienced my stalking ability to find my favorite bands.  I had met the guys of dc Talk multiple times, but this time was different.  This time I was on a mission to invite them to my wedding. 

At a theme park the key to finding a band is to walk around.  The artists love to ride rides so there is a great chance you can find them in the park.  From a distance I spotted TobyMac, one of the members of dc Talk.  Monica was embarrassed as I quickly walked up to him and invited him to my wedding. Now I didn't think he would come. To my surprise on the day of my wedding the guys of dc Talk showed up.  No that's not true. The truth is they probably threw it away. I didn't expect them to do anything with it.  For some reason I just wanted to say that I invited my all time favorite band to my wedding.  Like I wrote I tend to get passionate about things I like.  Here are some pictures of the concert that night...

Pictured Above: Kevin, Toby, and Michael singing with some fans

Pictured Above: TobyMac came through the crowd to start the set.

Pictured Above: TobyMac climbing on the trussing.

Pictured Above: Tobymac making a pyramid with his guitarists.

On a side note dc Talk has been on a ten year intermission.  Recently one of the members announced, via Twitter, that he was trying to get the band back together for a 2011 tour. I pooped my pants when I read that on Twitter.

Week of Pictures: I Shot My Wife In the Butt

I like pictures and since my wife documents every second of our life with her camera I thought I'd dedicate a week to them...

Yesterdays post was titled "Now I Have A Machine Gun Ho-Ho-Ho." Two interesting things about that post...

1. It's just an observation, but it must have been a guy type post because the females stayed away from leaving comments.
2. It would be understandable for one to come to the conclusion that the title of this post, "I Shot My Wife In the Butt," is related to yesterdays post. It's not.

This past Friday my wife and I had a little scare with our pregnancy.  After Monica woke up we called the Dr. and she said that we should come in for an emergency ultrasound.  She is 7 weeks pregnant and it was around this same point that we lost our first baby three years ago.  We both were silent as we drove to the hospital. I'm normally optimistic, but we both prepared ourselves for the worst. 

During the ultrasound the Dr. quickly told us that everything looked great with both our babies.  In response to the Dr. my exact quote was, "can you repeat that please." She then went on to say that everything looked really good with both babies. She even said that she could see a flicker which is an early sign of a heartbeat.  Monica and I both cried after hearing her words. We were prepared for the worst and received an early surprise. Praise God! This Friday we go in for the official ultra sound to hear the heartbeats. We would appreciate the prayers.

Because it's twins the Dr. put Monica on a a new medication. It's a stronger version of what she was on. The medication is a thick oil and it has to be given through a shot every night for the next five weeks.  Monica has had plenty of experience giving herself a shot, but neither of us were prepared for what the Dr. said next.  She told us that I have to give Monica the shot and that it's in her butt.  DO WHAT? The needle for this shot is gigantor. I'm not going to lie I was a little scared to give her the first shot. I'm also not going to lie for her, she was really scared for me to give her the first shot.  We both survived and lived to take a picture of the first needle.

Pictured Above: The medication, a very large needle, and a cotton swab. At this point Monica was really nervous.

Pictured Above: Rob right before giving Monica a shot in the butt. At this point I was really nervous.

Week of Pictures: Now I Have A Machine Gun Ho-Ho-Ho

I like pictures and since my wife documents every second of our lives with her camera I thought I'd have a week of pictures...

A couple of my friends have recently got into guns. Now when I say got into guns, I'm saying they talk about guns, buy guns, buy ammo for those guns, and then go to the shooting range to shoot their guns. To my knowledge they aren't starting an army, but I did hear one of them talk about turning their home into a compound if war broke out in America. I digress...

Recently two of my friends invited me to the shooting range to fire off some rounds. I don't know if I feel manly, tough, white trash, gangsta, or cool writing that last sentence. I have conflicting emotions going through my mind.  None the less I went and I had a great time hanging out.  I even hit the bulls-eye a couple of times.

Pictured Above: Rob shooting a gun. This may look like a machine gun but I was told it's a hand gun that looks like a machine gun.

Pictured Above: Notice the hard core facial expression, along with the safety goggles, and ear protection.

*The title of this blog  is a quote from the greatest action movie of all time Die Hard.
*This picture was actually taken by Dan Peters. I forgot Monica's camera at home.

I'm Not A Black Man

I'm not a black man. I'm not a black man, but if I was one the following is something that would bother me...
When a white person says that a black person is acting white because they don't like rap music, don't sag their pants, have a good job, or speak with proper English. 

I hear that often and I know that the people who say it don't mean anything by it, but it's wrong. You can't act black. It's a color not a personality type.

Think of it this way...there are lots of white trash people and they don't represent all white people.  If a white person doesn't have an education, drinks moonshine, and chews tobacco while they watch Nascar they are still just as white as the ivy league business man who drinks martinis while watching golf.  No offense to any white people who can relate to any of the things I grouped with being "white trash."

This is just a thought coming from a white guy who likes rap music, loves the NBA, and often craves chicken.  Oh and sometimes my pants sag. Not because I'm not trying to be white, but because I've lost weight and they no longer fit.  Now that I've had time to vent it's your turn. What stereotypes bother you?

Date Night

So I'm going on a date. It's with my wife and it's going to happen tonight. I love going on dates but they are easy to forget about. In premarital counseling one of the things I teach is that couples should establish a date night and keep it holy. Dates are important because it give a couple a chance to look into each others eyes, show a little romance, and actually talk with one another.  Lately I've been epically failing in this department.

I recently watched the movie Date Night on DVD. It's a very funny movie.  I'm not a big fan of the last scene because of the place they go to, but overall the movie is very enjoyable. What stood out to me even more than the actors chemistry or the hilarity the ensues is the theme of the movie.  "We have become really good roommates" is a phrase that a couple uses to explain why they are getting a divorce. It's what spurs on the adventure in the movie. It's what make Steve Carrell's character step up his game. It's what scares and convicts me.

I love my wife with all my heart. Our life is so busy it's easy for me to forget to romance her. It's easy to use the excuse we don't have money to go on a date. It's easy to use the excuse that we are both tired and we need to stay home.  It's easy for me to be a really good roommate.

Monica, I don't know when you'll read this but I'm coming to pick you up at 6:00 PM for a date night. You are pregnant (with potentially 4 babies) so we are not going dancing, but we will have a date with just the two of us. You are way more than a roommate to me. I love you.

A Post You Don't Want To Read

If you want an opportunity to impact some one's life for the next 20 years keep reading. If not then this is a post that you don't want to read.

A few weeks ago one of my favorite bloggers sent me an email. He started by thanking me for giving him a shout out in that days blog. I mentioned that I really liked his blog in a "Mind Dump" post.  After reading his email I paused, pooped my pants, and then said to my wife "I think Tyler Stanton might read my blog."

His email went on to say that he was wanting to partner with 30 bloggers to raise money for Charity: Water. It's is a non-profit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

His idea is to get get 30 bloggers to raise $30,000.  $30,000 provides clean water to 1,500 people (300 families, 6 entire communities). Now $30,000 sounds like a lot to me, but $20 doesn't. For $20 bucks I can provide clean water for one person for 20 years. I'm not great with math but I think that equals $1 a year for the next 20 years. That's 20 years just in case you missed it.

I know that you are busy. I also know that money is probably tight, but what if 200 people gave $20? If 200 out of the 6,911 people who read robshep.com last month gave $20 we'd raise $4,000.  Hello!

If you are interested here's what you can do...

• Share about it on Facebook and Twitter.
• If you have your own blog feel free to blog about it. Just because it started with 30 bloggers doesn't mean we can't have more participating.
• If you'd like to give click here.

Our money will go towards building water projects in Central African Republic. If you give, charity: water will keep you up-to-date with the status of your project, provide you with GPS coordinates of exactly where the well you contributed to is being built, and take pictures and video along the way.

Mind Dump

My brain is constipated with thoughts. The following is a massive mind dump of all the random stuff going on in my head...

• Today is Bright Beginnings. Each year the YMCA pays for kids in need to go shopping at Wal-Mart. Each kid gets $120 for back to school clothes. This is the WEC staff's third year participating. 
• This year my dad made a movie. He has started a local production company with two other guys called Shoestring Productions. Their first movie is called "Push Came to Shove." Their movie made it's premiere at the Kimball Theater in Williamsburg.
• I'm hoping that my dad gets a big part in a movie or commercial soon.  He's been acting for years.  You can spot him in "Evan Almighty," "Clear and Present Danger," Flags of Our Fathers," and "Major Payne" to name a few. Or maybe you saw his Hardees commercial. His big line was "When my tummy's happy I'm happy."
• I hurt my finger on Easter Sunday. I was racing a friend up a gigantor set of stairs and I jammed my finger against a block connected to the railing.  I skinned it bad, and it hurt like a MOTHER! I probably should have gone to the doc but I didn't. Today it feels fine except for when I move it in certain directions. Then the pain screams at me.
• Are you still pregnant? My wife, Monica, has been asked that question by multiple people. The answer is yes, as far as we know.  The date for Monica's ultra sound has been pushed up to September 9th or 10th. It was scheduled for the 15th because our doc was on vacation. Monica called and asked if we could see someone else, so we didn't have to wait as long. We are trying hard not to live scared, but we really would love the reassurance of an ultra sound. When we first were pregnant 3 years ago it was at the ultra sound appointment that we found out that we lost the baby. I think we will both feel better once this appointment happens.
• I'm in a dc Talk phase right now. I've been listening to their albums "Jesus Freak," and "Supernatural." I also pulled out their live concert VHS tape called "Welcome to the Freak Show." It's bringing back some old memories. dc Talk was my favorite band from 5th grade through college. They took a break to pursue solo careers and well...that was 10 years ago. I'd love for them to get back together.
• Putting contacts in your eyes is an unnatural thing to do.  I was recently reminded of this when my friend, Dan Peters, bought contacts for the first time.  It's taking him a while to get used to putting his finger in his eye. When I first got contacts it was about a 20 minute process to get them in my eyes. I also had the help of two other people, my wife and grandma. I'm not really sure what they did or how they helped but they were in there coaching me.  Stick with it Dan it will become natural before too long.
• I love Chipotle.
• This Wednesday I'm hosting a 6th Grade Meet and Greet. It's for upcoming 6th grade students and their parents at Waters Edge. I'm excited to meet the new sixth graders.
• If you like pizza vote on the new poll at robshep.com.
• My wife and I went to a local Mexican restaurant last night. It's called Plaza Azteca and it's a staple eatery in the 757. My wife made me laugh when after our waiter took our order she said, "you know I think their English is getting better at Plaza." 
• We finished watching the Emmy's last night. I like having DVR. I thought the Emmy's were good. I really like Jimmy Fallon as a host.
• This past Sunday at Waters Edge 256 new people became volunteers. Wow!
• I wish Chick-fil-A ran all businesses. I recently was reminded about how bad customer service is at other places. I'll just say that the employees at Movie Stop have never heard of customer service. Boo on them I say...boo.

Whew...I feel better now.

Cool or Uncool?

Cool or Uncool? Let's have a friendly debate. Here's what you do...

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? Men having pony tails.

Pictured Above: Steven Seagal looking like he'll kill you with his ponytail

Pictured Above: David Beckem

Pictured Above: A guy in a suit rockin' a ponytail

Sorry Oprah - I Text While I Drive

I don't text and drive. A lot of times I'll text at a stoplight, but I don't text while driving on major roads. I NEVER text on the interstate because that would be crazy.

The other day my wife and I were going to dinner and I started texting while I was driving. I had good intentions. We were almost at the restaurant and I wanted to give her my full attention at dinner.  The next day we were leaving from a doctors appointment and I started texting in the parking lot.  She gently reminded me that I was driving precious cargo and that Oprah would be very upset with me (Oprah has a NO Phone Zone pledge that asks people to not text or talk on the cell while driving). 

In my mind I tell myself that I don't text and drive. I try not to do it often, but my actions with my wife show that I'm a triver (I made that word up. It's a texting driver) addict. 

Is it AA that says the first step is to admit you have a problem? Denial is convincing. It's easy to view myself as one thing, but really be something else.

A lot of times when someone makes a HUGE public mistake they will say something like, "I know I lied, but I'm not a liar," or "I am not a bad person," or "I know I got caught but this isn't who I am."

The question is how many times do you have to do something before you admit that it is who you are? We like to hide behind denial but it's a thin shield that everyone can see through. Whether it's an addiction, a bad behavior, or an ugly sin what we do is who we are.

I can no longer say that I don't text and drive. I'll try to do better, but my actions prove that it's in my blood. It's who I am. I can deny it or I can try to work on it.

I Challenged My Pastor To A Game of Mercy

Last Sunday at Waters Edge we concluded our series called Surrender. The last week was one of my all time favorite services at Waters Edge. Each week we try to have a little bit of fun in the service. As a part of the service I interrupted Stu Hodges, Lead Pastor, and said the following...

"Stu often says that he wants to live out what he's teaching.  After the last few weeks of being slapped around by his awesome talks I wanted to make sure that he was feeling what it meant to surrender.  I can't think of a better way than to challenge him to a game of Mercy. You know the game from middle school where you force someone to surrender by saying the word mercy? I personally love the results of our match. We just happened to catch the battle royal on film. Check it out." Here is the video from this Sunday and yes I wore that outfit to church...



*Phil Poteat filmed, directed, and edited the video. He's gifted.