Today I used the old-school video game Galaga as a a metaphor for temptation. There’s no way to escape temptation…”knock one down” and another takes it place…knock them all down and the “mother ship” comes to get ya. I used the “cheerful” little scripture where Jesus taught about temptation in Matthew 16…nothing like talking about “chopping off hands” and “gouging out eyes” on Sunday morning.

Highlights:

• Clean Slate on stage…I am a fan, but I think this was their best week ever. (Set: Seether “Rise above this”, “Broken” “Calm Before the storm” Daughtry “Crashed”) The drummers wife (Chris) is about to have their first baby ANY DAY now…we were not sure if we would be “acoustic” today. When they play in June it will be around the guitarist’s wifes “due date”… lots of summer births coming up for the wives of the “bands of actionchurch”…
• Speaking of Clean Slate they dedicated their new song “Calm before the storm” to a Soldier in the crowd just back from Iraq…It drew the loudest cheering I have ever heard at actionchurch…I love our crowd. We appreciate our soldiers!!!
• I was really nervous about what I preached about today…no matter how you package it… how many jokes and stories you use to illustrate it…Some of Jesus teachings were “offensive” then-and they still are today. The truth is the truth though, no matter how tough it might be…
• Great crowd today… I love the fact that every week we have new people…but we are growing because people are choosing to stay…
• I am getting really pumped about Relay…our “actionista’s” (still searching for what to call actionchurch “folks”) are blowing me away with their desire to serve our community. I am so proud or our people…Thank you all!
• Every week I realize how much less I have to do to “make church happen” on Sunday mornings…I barely even got a chance to go upstairs to actionkidz…and it went off without a hitch. Our Sunday morning crew rocks… set up, tear down, actionkidz…way to go.
• I filled in for Josiah on video set up…It’s amazing that less than two months ago I “taught” him about our system. Last week he had to teach me how to set it up…It is so improved and he is just getting started. I had 10 screens running today…it doesn’t get much more fun than playing galaga on all the screens…even though I really stink.
• Used the phrase “making out with Jesus” today when I described how “worship” songs that talk about Jesus being “beautiful” and wanting to “be held in his arms” make me a little queasy…not a phrase you say everyday…thank God!
• Had another local racer that’s been attending on Sunday mornings ask for an actionchurch logo for his car! Make sure to cheer for the Lance Danmeyer #87 next time you are out at SSP Who would have thought we would have two cars (different classes) running around the track with our logo on them. Unbelievable.
• I am going to miss this series- Next week is the last installment of the “The Game of Life”…
• …love what actionchurch is becoming…but this is JUST the beginning…as I told someone today this is still the “garage band” phase… Thanks to all the people that make this “adventure” so much fun!