Exponential

Dave and Jon Ferguson have written an excellent book entitled "Exponential." Dave and Jon give excellent reproducing and leadership principles as they tell the story of Community Christian Church and the NewThing network.

The book is written from Dave's perspective with pop ups that showcase Jon's humor and wit. They believe that "God has birthed within you a dream." Not only do they believe you have a dream, but that you can accomplish that dream. Acts 1:8 states YOU will receive power and YOU will be witnesses. After reading this book, you will feel challenged to accomplish the dream.

This book is written for those who have a dream to lead or plant a church. The guiding principles in this book will help you accomplish the task. I found myself not being able to put this book down and discussing it with my friends.

You can purchase the book here.

Is this the end of the Big 12?

Well, reports have been all over the net for the last few days that the Big 12 is in trouble.

The short....

1. Nebraska and Mizzou are contemplating bolting for the Big 10....if invited. Reports are now that Nebraska got invited, but Mizzou didn't.

2. The Big 12 South minus Baylor and plus Colorado could be headed to the Pac 10 if Nebraska leaves.

3. This would leave Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Mizzou and Baylor in the Big 12.

My opinion...

(NOTE: I think it's important to note that I'm a fan of Baylor and Texas. I grew up a 'horns fan until we moved to Waco. My parents had season tickets to Bears games. So, I naturally became a Baylor fan. Only time I root against Texas is when they play the Bears.)

As a fan of Baylor, I am devastated at Baylor possibly being left out of a major conference. I know they stink in Football. In other sports, they have been good. They have won the 3rd most Big 12 championships in the last 7 years behind Texas and A&M. Their Men's basketball team made it to the elite eight this year.

As a fan of Texas, I think this is dumb. Am I really going to have to watch games on Pacific time.... Could someone with common sense, please look at the Rangers playing in the American League West and see the ratings for the 9:05 p.m. central time games. I'm sorry, but this is terrible for the fans.

I also hate that rivalries will be set aside. Nebraska/OU has been a great game. Baylor against the Texas schools (A&M, Tech, UT).

My solution. Keep the Big 12 intact.

Let Mizzou and Nebraska go.

Put OU/OSU in the Big 12 north.

Bring TCU and Houston into the Big 12 South.

We'll see how this plays out, but I'm not feeling confident right now. :)

Sunrise

This week, I was driving to Men's Bible Study when I noticed the beauty of the sunrise. As I began to think about the earth and the fact that we are a tiny planet in a gigantic universe, I was amazed at God.

Mark Batterson in his book, Primal, breaks out the point that we should never lose sight of our wonder of God. He is the God of wonders. Think about the complexity of the human body, there is no way that anyone in their right mind can say that this complex being just evolved over time. It was the divine work of God. We are the divine work of God. We are created in his image.

Next time, you take a breath....feel the cool breeze of the wind...smell the flowers or take in a sunrise, worship God. He is the one who created it.

That's pretty awesome. :)

Another year.....

I'm sitting in my favorite second office, Starbucks, in Texarkana. I just wrapped up preparations for tonight's message. Some of you are aware today is my Birthday. I am reflecting on another year of life.

It is easy to forget what God has done in the last year. If you want to read on, great. If not, really this blog is more for me to look at later and remember what God did this past year (you know I am getting older....so, I might forget). LOL!

In the last 12 months.....in no particular order.

1. I would not be where I am at today without the love and support of my wife, Sasha. The last 12 months have been a whirlwind in some ways. Sasha flat out amazes me. She keeps our family going. She excels in her profession. She is going through grad school (1/2 way through now)! She helps at the church! She is an amazing mom and wife! I love her! Yeah, I know....I married out of my league....don't tell her though. :)

2. I love my girls. Mady and Kenzie are awesome. A couple of nights ago, they met me at a restaurant. Both girls fought over who was going to sit by me. I ended up with one on each side.....it was a little tight. Sasha looks at me and said "It's tough to be popular." My girls make me feel special. They are both unique. Mady is very smart. She blesses me with how well she is picking up Junior Bible Quiz. She loves God's word. In the last few weeks, she is becoming more spiritually aware. I thank God for that. Kenzie is our comic relif. My prayer is that she never loses that joy. I am thankful that I can be a dad.

3. I had a great experience of working with a great group of people. It has been since I was in college, that I worked outside "the church." This experience was amazing. It gave me a fresh perspective of what people deal with in their day to day lives. It also gave me a new sense of purpose. The experience boosted my confidence. God gave me incredible favor in the few months I was with the company. I loved the experience.

4. Again, God took care of our needs incredibly. During the season that I worked outside the church, I took a huge cut in pay. During that time, through miracles and God's provision, I maintained the same standard of living we had grown accustomed to....our bills were paid, our needs were met....God was faithful.

5. September 1, I began a new journey as Student Ministires Director at Northside Church. It has been awesome. I get to work with great people....starting with Pastor Jimmy and Renata. He has been a great friend and mentor to me over the past couple of years. I have learned so much. I also get to work with a great team of people in the church. The Youth Staff, Kid's Leaders and Workers, the rest of the Student Ministries Team and now the Worship Band and Team have all been amazing. I feel I've grown as a person and a leader. I am so excited that I get to be a part of this great team. It is so surreal being back at Northside after all these years.

6. Part of my responsibilities include leading the youth ministry....I love these students! They are a lot of fun to be around. We have seen some great things happend and I cannot wait to see where we are a year from now. Thank you 180 for your encouragement and for allowing us to be a part of your lives!

Thank you God for taking care of me and my family! I can't wait to see what you are going to do this year!

Michael Irvin on Dez Bryant wearing his number

"When I first got here, there were co-habitating mixed emotions. I was excited and honored that they would honor me with Drew Pearson’s number. But also worried and anxious that I would uphold what Drew had started with No. 88. It’s not my number. It really is Drew’s. It was passed on to me and for me I took it as a place of honor, and hopefully [Bryant] understands that. It’s Drew Pearson’s number. Drew gave it to me and said, ‘Michael, go do better things with it.’ And I tell Bryant, ‘Go do better things with it.’ And God bless him."

I absolutely love the potential of Dez Bryant. I really hope he can be a great wide receiver and not have the struggles off the field that Irvin had early in his career.

Maybe Irvin should invite Dez to the Potter's House with him.

Family Update

1. I have spent the last couple of days with the North Texas Youth Ministries Team on the Accelerate Tour. I had the honor of talking about Speed The Light.

2. Mady particpated in Kid's Fine Arts. Sasha helped her with her cooking task and I helped her with her pine car. She got great reviews from the evaluators on both. She also was in the Kid's Choir from our church. We were so proud of her.

3. Mady and I went to Jubilee Zoo in Shreveport last week for her school field trip. I then took her to the Boardwalk. We had a blast.

4. At Northside, we started a new Kid's Discipleship program. Kenzie is enjoying Rainbows. Mady started Junior Bible Quiz and is very excited about it.

My Texas Stadium Memories

#3 - Attending my first game in Texas Stadium...in December 1999. I got to see the 'boys square off against the New York Jets coached by the Tuna, Bill Parcells. The Cowboys lost on a field goal under two minutes. However, I don't remember much of the second half. I had a stomach virus that hit and I spent most of the second half in the bathroom puking my guts out. I left the stadium after the game was over and felt the urge to puke again. The port a potties had huge lines. So, I tried to go back into the stadium. The worker wouldn't let me back in. I just went past her. They called security. I told the security officer that he could either let me go to the bathroom or I was going to puke right there. He decided I was not a threat to anyone and let me vomit in peace.

#2 - In August of 2006, I got to go to a preseason game at Texas Stadium with Steven Love. We drove from OKC to see the game. It was a blast. It was the first time T.O. played as a Cowboy. The game ended in a 10-10 tie. I was able to sit through the whole game and not get sick.

#1 - My personal favorite memory is attending Carman's Concert at Texas Stadium. Really, I'm not a Carman fan. I went because the show was at Texas Stadium and I had never been to the Stadium. Plus, it was a free show. I remember sitting in the endzone area. The keyboard player came out by himself at one point to warm up the crowd. He began to sing the chorus of "O Come All Ye Faithful" that says "Oh come let us adore Him." As 70+ thousand people were worshipping God with that chorus, I was overwhelmed by the presence of God. I thought to myself that this has to be a taste of what heaven would be like. By far, it is my favorite Texas Stadium memory.

R.I.P. - Texas Stadium