Connexion

Crestview Community Playground Dedication and Carnival

This Saturday, June 26th, we are dedicating our new "community" playground... There will be games, booths, inflatables, etc - fun for all ages - but geared for the kids!

Come have fun with us ! 10am - 2pm at Crestview Baptist Church (7600 Woodrow Ave, Austin TX - 78757)

Ryan's first Triathlon

Ryan is one of my soccer team dads. He's a runner that has decided he wants to do triathlons. His wife does Marathons and qualified for Boston. He's super fit but like anyone, trying a new sport can be a bit intimidating. I've been helping him get ready to ride by shepherding him around to some bicycle shops and loaning him one of my bikes. On our first ride he had no problem cranking out 30 miles at whatever pace I wanted to go... The guy is super fit!

He did really well in his first "sprint" triathlon. He placed well up in his age group and averaged 19 mph on the bike.

On the race ride, he passed some guy riding a nice tri-bike and the guy said, "Is that a $$$#&%# mountain bike?" Indeed it was... He borrowed my mountain bike with slicks for the race - lol

After the ride he was doing some reflecting with the neighbors. He commented that his bike helmet really needs to be upgraded. They bought it before he got serious and it may be the largest model on the market. When he looked at the pics of the event though, he also realized that he rode the whole race with it on backwards - lol I guess my cycling lessons need a bit of refinement when it comes to the basics :)

Finally! Tiger and I have something in common...

I know its hard to imagine - to look at our golf swings, you'd think we were brothers from a different mother - but Tiger Woods and I are actually quite a bit different.

...but not anymore... His injury is exactly the same one I suffered almost two years ago! ACL tear and broken tibia. Maybe he was playing Sunday pick-up basketball after church too, huh?

The good news is he'll be back - I certainly am - and maybe some other guys will get to win a major or two in the meantime :)

South Beach Diet ...again

I stepped on the scale this morning at 194. That's about 20 pounds heavier than I was last summer. I'm feeling it all over - especially when I ride my bike in this Texas heatwave.

About 5 years ago I lost abut 30 pounds using the South Beach Diet - so yesterday, I went to a bookstore and picked up a copy of the new edition: South Beach Diet Super Charged. Basically, its been updated with more foods/food plans along with exercise routines.

South Beach has worked for me in the past... Hopefully, the second time is a charm as well :)

What do you do when things are slow?

Summer is officially here in Austin, Texas. Everything seems to have crawled to a stop. I pastor two churches and when both of them are slow it feels like the ship is sinking... For my regular readers, I apologize for not blogging in a while. I've been hesitant to blog actually. When there's no wind in the sails its hard to keep a positive attitude. Momma always told me that if I can't say something nice, then keep my trap shut!

So what do you do when it gets slow? ...when the momentum stops and you hit "the wall?"

Vacation time? Just keep plugging away? Catch up on old projects? Re-focus somewhere else? Wait it out?

I'd love to hear your thoughts...

New series starts Sunday!! Lion Chasers!!

Buttprints in the sand (thanks Tom)

My friend and fellow pastor, Tom - posted this today. I couldn't resist reposting it... We are all (all too) familiar with the poem "Footprints." It hangs in most every church - somewhere - and in a surprising number of homes and finer bathrooms. I'd never heard this version though...

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some strange prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you along.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their butt prints in the sand."

A profile of the Lukewarm

I'm reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I started it and thought I would read it fairly quickly. It's a pretty short book, with generous print and a lot of white... But wow - I just hit a chapter that made me stop cold. He takes a whole chapter and allows scripture to point out our faults. He doesn't over exaggerate, he doesn't pontificate - he just basically says if you are lukewarm it's because of this - and he quotes scripture...

I dare you to read it...