Leckies Unplugged & Looking Ahead

One of the first stops on our mini-vacation was the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. It is definitely one of the weirdest sights that we always stop for when we're going this way. 10 cadillacs buried halfway in the ground at the angle of the great pyramids - What more can I say?

They don't look quite as lovely, today. But then again, neither do I.

Man, how did my kids get so big? The last time we were here they were all at least a foot shorter. Or maybe it just seems that way to me. Time rocks on.

Look for this image to show up in the banner on the top of this page before long.


The destination was Red River, New Mexico, and camping at the "June Bug" Campground. Here I am, as usual, defying death at every turn.

...Actually, the water was only ankle deep. I wonder if that's more of a real description of my life than I care to admit. Hmm....






This last picture pretty much says it all. The attitude, the spirit, the sense of adventure...

And it also reflects the journey my family has been on for the past two years. We have a few scratches and a loss or two, but my, how we've grown! There's a lot of trail behind us, but the path ahead is where the real action is.

And that brings me to this:

North Point Fellowship is also at a turn in the path, and we are changing our name to Compass Church for the next stage of the journey. You heard it here first. (Well, most of you, anyway)

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

A compass provides direction without details. And on an adventure you can get lost without one when the path fades into wilderness all around. I need a compass. How about you? More about this will be coming soon.

The attitude, the spirit, the sense of adventure...a wonderful family and an exciting young church with an incredible future...

God has blessed me more than I can say.

Sermons That Are Too Long

Quick definition:
"Sermon That is Too Long" - One that is not working.

Sermons that are meeting needs, biblically accurate, passionate, engaging and well delivered are never too long.* But even really short sermons that don't do those things are always too long.

This is my summary definition from a variety of conversations I've had over the past few months, and my own observation of preachers and sermons. Especially me and mine. It's from the perspective of the people listening, or not listening, as the case may be.

Don't get all righteous on me. You know it's true... Leave Jeremiah out of this. :)

By the way, Tony Morgan has an interesting take on sermons here.

* This is a general observation not to be taken to the extreme. Yes, even a good sermon can be too long - but then again, it isn't really meeting needs if people are thinking about the fact that they've been sitting for too long, or they need to go to the bathroom. If you're preaching for over an hour in the United States in the 21st century, it had better be pretty flippin' incredible stuff, Napoleon!

Live from where the buffalo roam...

Out of Town For A Few Days...

Forgot to mention that I'm heading out of town for most of this week with my family for a mini-vacation. We'll be camping for a couple of days - no laptop - no wi-fi. If I'm at a hotel that has a computer and internet connection, I may post something. Otherwise, I may just do an audio post or two along the way.

This morning we're in Ardmore, Oklahoma of all places, and stayed at the La Quinta Inn. Quick quote from this morning at breakfast:

"No, no, no...There'll be no coffee today...no, no, no. The machine is broken; he's coming to fix it..."

Surely there's a Starbucks around here, somewhere...

Active Ingredients

Medicine is everywhere. Prescriptions and OTC's (OTC = Over the counter. Why aren't they called OTS's? Off The Shelf?) from a variety of sources and for a variety of problems. Brand names and generics.

When you have a need for medicine, you often have a number of choices. But it's a glance at the label that is most important. The reason that generics generally work as well as brand name medicines is because of the active ingredient. Even with OTC's, the differences between products is not so much differences with the active ingredient as it is with the inactive ingredients. One goes down smoother, has a delicious flavor, or is a pill rather than a syrup, and the other one isn't. But the active ingredient is what really matters.

It's the active ingredient that gets to the root of the problem. It's the active ingredient that brings healing. It's the active ingredient that is really accomplishing anything. Without the active ingredient, some medicines would just be lame candy.

I think sometimes in our churches we get distracted by the inactive ingredients. Lots of activity, programs, events (or even services), and the active ingredient becomes just another ingredient. Ironically, some of our activities can become inactivities. As a result, our efforts become just lame candy.

Yesterday, we had a baptism celebration at North Point. It reminded me of why we've hung in there through many obstacles. It reminded me that our active ingredient is all about changed lives through new life in Jesus Christ. It reminded me that some of the things we have tried along the way do not support the active ingredient.

It reminded me that all of the "brand name" elements should intentionally enhance, make more accessable and remove barriers to the real medicine, not replace it. Certain brand name medicines are popular for a reason. It's because they do those things well, not because they have forgotten about the active ingredient in favor of the flavor.

Does this make sense? If it doesn't, take two aspirin and call me in the morning...

New Banner & Subtitle

Took a fun break this afternoon, and played around with a little html. Too bad I really don't know what I'm doing....I might could come up with something really cool.

I'm planning to rotate images on the right of the banner. But what about this one? Not enough color? Maybe the name should change to "the next cup?"

What do you think?

Phone Follies

Phone Follies

Yesterday morning I was called by a telemarketer. I was pretty sure it was a telemarketer by the way it was listed on the caller ID, and so I didn't answer it the first 4 times they called. Finally, I just gave in and answered.

As the lady on the line began her canned presentation, I was courteous and patient through the first bit. Part of the presentation informed me that the conversation may be recorded for quality control. At the first pause in the sales pitch I told her that I really wasn't interested, "but thanks anyway," and began to hang up. But she just kept talking. I interrupted, but she just kept talking. Finally I said something like, "Ma'am, please, if you would just listen to what I'm saying - I mean especially if this is being recorded..." So finally she got the message and was mildly courteous as she wrapped up the call.

Kind of annoying, but no big deal. Typical Telemarketing call.

About an hour later, they called again. I didn't answer this time.

Fast forward to this morning. I had to take my son, Matthew to a strength and conditioning camp by 7:00 a.m. [D'oh! - As I'm typing this, they just called again!] As I was groggily making my way to the door at about 6:40 a.m., the phone started ringing.

"Man!" I thought. "These guys have no shame! A telemarketing call at 6:40 a.m.?" When I got to the phone I glanced at the caller ID and realized that the number that was calling our home was my cell phone.

"Oh, no," I thought, "I must have left my phone somewhere, and someone's calling to let me know." That's when I noticed that my cell phone was in my pocket and the "keyguard" was not on.

So it wasn't a telemarketer calling me at an annoying time of the morning.

It was my pants.

I'm guessing they were calling to encourage me not to run by the seat of them today like I did yesterday...

This Weekend :: 6.26.05

This Weekend, 6/26 @ the Roanoke Outdoor Pavillion and Community Center

Bumbling Along...

Well, I've certainly gotten a bit of feedback about "The Church That Bumbled." In the process I realized that I bumbled in the telling. Even though I didn't name names, it's still a pretty public place to talk about another church. I guess it's called, "The World Wide Web" for a reason.

So first, let me offer a quick apology. I really should have spoken to the Pastor of the "Church That Bumbled" before blogging about it. I'm sorry I didn't do that, because if I had made that step first, it might have changed how the post came across. I'm afraid I may have left the impression with some of the readers of my blog that I'm angry or bitter about the situation, which really isn't the case, at all. In fact, before that particular weekend, I had not been thinking about it much at all. ...Really!

I have spoken with the pastor of that church since, and he was very quick to want to deal with the situation. There was no "conspiracy," and after re-reading the post, I see that it looks like that was what I was saying. Good grief.

I know I would want to know if our members were going down that path, and I really should have extended that courtesy to him before now. I also know that there have been times when people have done things "in my name" that I had never commissioned or would never have approved.

I love this church planter and the church they are planting. I want them to do well.

I hope this post helps, and no, you still can't know who it is. Let's dust off, now and get back on the trail. No bumbles.

Armed Robber Gets Extreme Makeover in Shreveport...

Don't Mess With Shreveport Beauty Shop Ladies...

I'm from Shreveport, and this story just cracked me up. Read it here.
("H-E-double hockey sticks" word alert)

Kim's Blog

Kim Wells has been with us since the earliest days of our church plant, and is an incredibly gifted worship leader. Incidently, her husband, Ricky, has also become an excellent lead guitarist. I am very grateful and honored to have them both on the team!

I thought it would be great to introduce you to Kim by directing you to her new blog.

Kim is one of the few people in the world who can follow up a quote from Oswald Chambers with, "Dude!" and then go on to really share some great insight! I've enjoyed reading her blog. I think you will too.

North Point This Weekend : 6.19.05

This Weekend (6/19/05) @ North Point

The Church That Fumbled (Part Two)

I'm sure you've been curious about part two of "the church that fumbled." What was the other fumble? Well, before I reveal that, let me once again say that all churches fumble at one time or another. We've definitely fumbled. Sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control that cause us to stumble and sometimes there are things that could have been completely avoided with a little planning, communication and/or forthought. I still love the church that fumbled. I'm still for them.

Ok, disclaimers aside, what was the fumble?

Here's how it unfolded. If you read part one of this post, you know that we entered the church at the "wrong" entrance. As we came into the building we were greeted with cheery "good mornings" but no one seemed to realize that we had never been there before. We had to tell them, and they seemed surprised. (That's kind of weird, isn't it?)

We had our 3 kids with us, and our friends had their 4 year old daughter with them. It was about time for the service to begin, so our friends wanted to take their daughter with them.

This church has a basic policy that encourages parents to not bring children under the age of 5 into the service with them. They have a great kids' ministry and they would like to make the service "interruption free" for the adults that are there. The worship guide strongly encourages children under 5 to be in the children's area, (after all, they'd be much happier there) but says that if parents still feel the need to bring their children with them, that a friendly usher will assist them with seating.

So far so good. I basically agree with this policy. Maybe have times when the family all worships together, but generally help make the experience better for everyone on most weekends. Alright. Now here's where it got strange.

• First "encouragement" to take the kiddo to the kid's area - When we talked with the greeter.
• Second "encouragement" to take the kiddo to the kid's area - As we entered the auditorium.
• Usher wasn't as "friendly" as the worship guide led us to believe...
• Our friends were "ushered" behind a roped off area.
• While they were sitting there, they could hear the ushers talking about how to get them out of there.
• Another usher then approached them and asked them again about sending their kiddo to the kid's area.
• Our friends were really starting to feel conspicous, alienated and a bit embarrassed at this point.
• They finally gave in and followed the usher to the kid's area. (Ok, ok, we get it already...)
  
• When they got to the kid's area, their kiddo began crying and really didn't want to go in.
• Our friends asked if they could accompany her in and help her get adjusted to the environment, and were told that they could not enter the children's area. (disclaimer number two - I fully understand the policy of this. I also know that it is much easier most of the time for parents with crying children to just leave them with the workers. The kids usually adjust quickly and are fine)
• The kid's worker then made this comment, "If you want my opinon, I would..."
• No explanation was given to my friends about why they couldn't enter the kid's area. They reluctantly decided to leave their kiddo crying and then they headed back to the auditorium.
• On the way there, several people noticed the mom upset, and said things to them like, "Oh, she'll be fine. Don't worry. She'll adjust quickly." This, of course, singled them out even more and made them feel like the center of attention again.
• They then had to re-enter the auditorium late, and missed part of the service. The mom had a difficult time focusing on the sermon because of the hassle with the kid's area nazis.
• Following the service, they picked up their kiddo (who was fine), and were told, "See, we told you she'd be fine..."
• Then they were followed and stopped by one of the original usher dudes, with more of the "see, that wasn't so bad, wasn't it? She did fine, didn't she?" comments.
• At this point, my friends just wanted to grab their kid and get the fat out of there.
• The final comment to my friends was, "I hope you'll be back." (My thought: Oh yeah, we forgot. It's all about you.)
• The pastor's message was about how the church should be attractive and inviting to everyone.
• Insert joke here.

So there it is. We didn't really have a problem with the policy. Even my friends, who are fellow church planters, didn't really have a problem with the policy. It was all in the implentation of the policy and the missing of the heart of the policy.

A little explanation would have helped the way my friends felt. Letting them have a glimpse of the kid's area accompanied by a children's leader, explaining the importance of them leaving quickly would have been nice. Even without letting them in, they could have explained a little more so that we wouldn't think that cult rituals were taking place behind the wall or something. Ok, we didn't think that, but we do have other friends that would have thought that.

And if you print that a "friendy" usher will help you with seating, be sure that your usher is really friendly and sympathetic to the concerns of parents with small kids. Make sure they know that it is one thing to "encourage and help understand" and another thing to "make sure the policy is enforced." It would also help if the ushers didn't talk about their "guests" within earshot and that the children's ministry volunteers didn't come across in a condescending way.

I know how hard it is to keep from fumbling in our churches, so I hate to be too critical. (That's why I haven't told you the name of the church). But here's the stand out comment from my friends:

"If we weren't already Christians, we would not have even stayed for the service."

Fumble number two. The ball is now going in the opposite direction...

This Weekend (06.12.05)

This Weekend @ North Point

(Part two of "the church that fumbled" is coming...)

The Church That Fumbled (Part One)

Because of our church's summer schedule, we had the opportunity to visit another church yesterday. This is a church that is fairly large, is very creative, and generally does a great job with just about everything they do. But on this Sunday, they fumbled. Twice.

The first fumble happened before we ever entered the building. As we were driving up on the main road there was a big and clear sign with the name of the church and an arrow pointing the way. "Big and Clear," I thought. Then I noticed another sign with the name of a different church with an arrow at the same turnoff. This church meets just on the other side of the parking lot. "Hmm, not too clear," I thought.

Then we came to the parking attendant. He was smiling and friendly, and directed us to turn right. "What if I was going to the other church?" I thought. Anyway, as we followed the parking attendant's direction, we encountered another parking attendant, also smiling, who directed us to a parking space. When we got out of our cars, (we were two families), the smiling parking attendant proceeded to tell us that this was the parking lot for families with small children and that next time we should park on the other side of the building. His smile didn't keep me from thinking, "Then why did you direct us to park here? It's not like we were given a choice...."

Maybe the sign on the main road should have said, "Parking for Families With Small Children." Then I would have thought, "That's a pretty good idea," instead of "Dude, you need to get your act together."

Not the end of the world, but a fumble, nonetheless.

I'll tell you about the second fumble in part two...

Church Fumbles and Bumbles

How's that for a title?

Sometimes well meaning churches still goof up. They fumble; they drop the ball. The general heart of their organization loses a link or two somewhere in the chain of volunteers, someone misses the point, and the ball gets dropped. Other churches seemingly bumble along doing things that are way off track, and it almost seems as if they are intentionally doing things that are off course. I guess it's more of a "dumble" than a "bumble," but it's definitely a "stumble." Please don't grumble at my ryhming rumble....

Ok, speaking of getting off course...

Interestingly enough, I had the opportunity to see examples of both this weekend. One church fumbled and the other bumbled. I'll not mention names, because no church is perfect (I certainly know that we've missed the mark a few times) and I don't want to slam anyone, here. If you send me an email to ask what churches I'm talking about, I most likely won't tell you. What good would that do, really? These just serve as a reminder to me about things that our church plant needs to not falter on. So watch this space. I'll talk about each one in two separate posts...

One Mad Christmas Blog

I've added a new blog about our Christmas Musical, "One Mad Christmas." If your church is looking for something different this year for your dinner theatre or dramatic Christmas musical production, feel free to check it out.

Movie Night Box Scores

Ok, I just want to post this, then head to bed.

Preshow: Kim singing with her guitar for the crowd*

*(Update (6/6/05) - LOL - Nothing like an awkwardly worded sentence when you're tired - That must have been some duet!)

Movie: The Incredibles (fully licensed for public viewing)
Number of Glow Necklaces given away: 225 (one per kid)
Amount of Popcorn made and given away: 2 boxes worth (whatever that is-the popcorn started popping at 8:10 p.m. and popped nonstop till things shut down at about 11:00 p.m.)
Number of water bottles given away: Not sure, but they were all gone by the end of the night
Number of people present: really safe guess at 350
Number of posters given away: 2
Number of my extended family members present: 5 (Mother & Father In Law, 3 Nieces)
Excellent & Extraordinary Team Members Serving Tonight: 5
Extraordinarily exhausted Church Planting Pastors: 1

Amount of evaluating, follow up, thinking and praying to do: Far too much to record here...

Movie Night is On!

No Rain! Sunshine! Wind to dry everything up!

Movie Night is On!

Cool.

Lost Creek Movie Night Rain Updates...

Well, it looks like it may very well rain on us, tonight. Our movie night is scheduled to begin at Sundown in Lost Spurs Park, so it's still a little early to make a call on a reschedule.

Beginning around 5:00 p.m., I will make audio post updates to this blog with the lastest information. Is it still on? Is it cancelled? I'll try to update about every 30 minutes or so.

North Point and weather... boy, there's a post for another time...

Are You Being Fed?

Many Church planters and churches that are striving to reach their community get asked the question about whether their sermons are "deep" enough, or they hear someone with a lot of history in church mention something about their need of being "fed" spiritually.

About their participation in a church plant, one friend had someone say to them something like, "I just want to make sure you're being fed."

Feel free to use my answer to that:

"I just want to make sure you're eating the right kind of food and getting enough exercise...Oh, and by the way, how's your digestion? And are you burning enough fat???"

Ok, so maybe you don't want to be that sarcastic, but I hope you get the point. Sometimes to get healthy, you need to eat less and do more...

Getting a Church Plant off the ground...

Ken Miller in Buford, Georgia has a great post and a great reminder about something I've been talking about a lot at North Point, lately. Getting a Church Plant off the ground can be a tricky thing, but it doesn't have to be rocket science...

Check it out here.

Store Wars...

Ok, we haven't had a chance to go see the latest Star Wars movie. We will probably go next week some time. Until then, this video definitely has tided me over...

Check out "Store Wars" here.

I don't know enough about it to say anything about organic foods, but this video absolutely cracked me up...


Store Wars....

One Mad Christmas

I had a church recently ask about a dramatic musical that Leona and I wrote a few years ago called, "One Mad Christmas." I forgot that seasonal musicals have a long shelf life! Especially ones that are set in a certain time period, like this one is.

"One Mad Christmas"

Just for fun, here's how it begins:

SCENE ONE: A DOWNTOWN STREET SCENE IN FRONT OF “J.J.’S CAFÉ AND NIGHTCLUB IN MADDING, NEVADA, 5:30 P.M., DECEMBER 24,1960.

(Lights come up on a blind man who is holding out a hat on a street corner. A few people on the street pass by him.)

(“The Money” Underscore 1 begins)

(VOICE OF) COOPER: It all started with a bad cup of coffee. My wife Erin and I were on our way to visit her parents for Christmas when we started arguing. First it was the coffee -she still makes it too weak – then it was money. Since we were married last year, money seems to be the thing we argue about the most. It’s maddening! My name’s Cooper. Cooper Weston. I soon discovered that this was going to be one Christmas I would never forget; and it happened in a town called Madding. That’s right, Madding. Madding, Nevada, on Christmas Eve, 1960.

_________________

What a blast from the past. Leona and I wrote the musical after being unable to find any good dramatic musicals for our church Worship Arts Ministry one Christmas. We had presented several "Broadway" style musicals in previous years, but there just weren't any new ones coming out that year. After viewing a couple of original plays that some other churches had created, we lost our minds and just decided to write one of our own.

"Surely we can do better than that!" we told ourselves.

Oh yeah. Real easy...Original script that makes sense, original songs and musical score with lyrics that don't sound ridiculous or cliche', a functioning set design, staging and scene changes...we could probably knock this out in a weekend, right? About a year and a half later, we started rehearsals.

Creativity must be driven by Discipline; Innovation strengthened by Order. These things take time and hard work.

It's hard to describe what it's like to have something you've initiated from scratch become a reality. To hear lines that Leona and I came up with around a campfire in Colorado being quoted and performed on stage is a pretty surreal experience. But we didn't put it all together on one weekend around a campfire. It took hours and hours of working through story twists, plot development, character development, writing of dialog, composing music and more. Sometimes it was incredibly fun. Sometimes it was just work. But the payoff in the end was huge.

"Starting something from scratch" is a pattern that has always been a part of my life. When I was a kid, I wrote a book (short story actually, and no, you can't read it) and developed a ventriliquist act with my brother, Kenny, and performed it for my elementary school. When I was a teenager, I started a Christian Club at our High School, help start a band, and on and on it goes.

It's amazing to see how God has used that throughout the years, and especially now that we are doing something similar with North Point Fellowship. A church that didn't exist before we got here. Very cool. And no, it hasn't been easy, either, but these things take time and hard work...and the payoff in the end will be huge.

I believe that God has put a creative spark in all of us. Think about it for a minute. What have you ever created from scratch? How has God used it for His glory? On the other hand, what great, creative idea have you come up with that was never really fleshed out because it was missing the discipline needed to see it through to reality?

Affair Proofing Your Marriage ...Again.

There has been some interest in this message I did several months ago, so I've made it available on our website. It's a good reminder of really important stuff. Enjoy!

Read The original post here.

Listen to the message here.

Narnia Movie Trailer is Up!

Moviefone.com has the world premiere of the "Teaser Trailer" for "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe."
Click here for more!


Lucy, Susan & Peter bow before Aslan
Author: Walden Media | Source: moviefone.com

It looks like they have done a good job bringing the book to life. Yay to that. The trailer made me happy. ..I'm going to bed, now.

Tape Sneakers

Tape Sneakers

Ok, my oldest son, Matthew is incredibly creative. Actually, all of my kids are creative. I wonder where they get that? Anyway, he started out making "duct tape" wallets and selling them to friends. Then he stretched himself a bit and made these shoes. The soles are from a pair of "flip flops," the shoestrings and eyeholes are real, but the rest is really made from "duct tape."

Wow, you really can do anything with duct tape. He'll make you a pair for $20....really.

I couldn't be more proud. :)

Harvest Ridge Retro Family Picnic

View the gallery here.


From the "Harvest Ridge Retro Family Picnic"
Photo by Cassandra Robison

This event was a blast. Meeting neighbors, eating hotdogs, drinking lemonade and playing "Retro Relays" like the "3 legged race"...man. We need to do this more often.

Actually, we will be doing this more often. There are about 3 more of these planned for various neighborhoods around the Alliance, Texas area as the summer progresses.

This event was a good example of something that I will be covering in a book that will maybe one day actually get published. And that something is a chapter called, "Why The Church Must Get Outside of its Building" (or something like that). Of course, in many ways, that describes North Point for the summer, but more on that later.

I think that this event tapped into something that people are really longing for. Something basic. Something at the core. In a way, it's a throw back to a simpler world and feelings of nostalgia. But it's more than that. I think it reflects a longing for real community. And although most haven't achieved it the way God intended, real community is part of God's design for what Church is supposed to be about. We're not there, either, but that's the beauty of being a part of a new church. We haven't arrived by any means, but we're working hard at building the right foundation.

Incidently, I was really "unwired" at this event, but in a good way. And the homemade megaphone that I used actually worked better than most of my techno tools at the moment...

North Point Summer 

PSPcasting - and now for the bleeding edge...

Ok, so now "podcasting" is so last week...And I haven't even created my first podcast, yet!

With the real danger of losing the "non-tech saavy" in my audience, here, check a look into the possible near future:

Meet PSPCasting (Podcasts? So Last Week)

Ok, now I'll get back to posting about North Point Fellowship, the latest Leckie family news and info, and thoughts from a church planter...but I'll be doing it with one eye on the horizon!

Godcasting: The Podcast's Killer App?

"I love technology...always and forever...."

Sing that like Kip from "Napoleon Dynamite," and you get the idea...

This could be very cool. Check it out:

Godcasting: The Podcast's Killer App?

Podcasting...

always and forever....

always and forever....

Cup o' Joe With Bob...

Live from the Retro Family Picnic

A covenant that touches my heart's desire...

Ok, I know that the title of this post sounds a little grandiose, but I think it really is true. Saddleback Church in California recently celebrated 25 years of ministry. They celebrated at Angels' stadium with over 30,000 members. Following the Celebration, they made this covenant.

Because I don't want to take it lightly, I'm really thinking it through, but I think it truly describes my heart's desire...

Read it here.

Lightening Loads...

This Church's Newspaper Ad has got me thinking....

Church Beyond The Walls

North Point Summer Schedule Is Now Updated!
Check it out here.

North Point Update

First Audio Blog - Easter Update

North Point Easter 2005 Pics

View the gallery here.

North Point Easter 2005 Band (photo by Cassandra Robison) 

Instead of the Community coming to our Service this Easter, we're bringing our Service to the Community! 

Columnist moved to read "The Purpose Driven Life"

Check out this article about a columnist who was moved by the Ashley Smith hostage situation to read the book, "The Purpose Driven Life."

Check it out here.

Ashley Smith 

Ashley Smith, God's Grace & The Purpose Driven Life

As this story has been unfolding, I have been amazed by all aspects of it. The truth is, I heard the news about the Atlanta courtroom killings before I knew anything about Ashley Smith. Then I noticed all the news reports talking about the book by Rick Warren, "The Purpose Driven Life." "Hmm," I thought, "Maybe these two events are connected."

Real Rocket science, I know, but now I'm getting up to speed on the story. One of the things that impresses me about it all is that Ashley is no real saint. She has a rough past, present struggles and had just returned from going to a convienience store to get some cigarettes...

She wasn't and isn't perfect, but she was open to God using her in even the most frightening of situations. I don't know what the effects of her actions ultimately will accomplish, or even if she will stay true to her convictions as the book and movie deals roll in. But I do know that God has and will use her trust in Him through this incident to bring glory to Himself, and draw more people into His Kingdom. The book, "The Purpose Driven Life," which is already a huge best seller, is now flying off the shelves again since Ashley mentioned it in her interviews.

That Ashley was able to draw from the mistakes and tragedies in her own life while a hostage reminds me of a quote from the book:

"God never wastes anything. He would not give you abilities, interests, talents, gifts, personality, and life experiences unless he intended to use them for his glory. By identifying and understanding these factors you can discover
God's will for your life."

Thousands of new people are reading about the fact that this life is not about us, but all about God and His purposes. Many will become Christ Followers as a result of reading the book. That's something good coming from something tragic. Beauty from ashes.

I've condensed the coverage of the story and imporant info about it here:

• Newsweek: "In Georgia, A Matter of Faith"
• Download the chapter from "The Purpose Driven Life" that Ashley read to her captor Here. (pdf file)
• The story from the screen capture on this blog: Here.
• Read the Purpose Driven News article here.

Sign Down The Street...

Apparently, someone had a little fun with the sign down the street. Now, who would do a thing like that?

Narnia Movie

"He'll often drop in. Only you mustn't press him. He's wild, you know. Not like a tame lion."

I haven't looked forward to a movie this much since "The Return of the King."
Coming Christmas 2005: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe."

The Chronicles of Narnia Concept Art
Keep up to date on the movie, here: http://www.narniaweb.com/

My brother, Bill

My older brother, Bill's preaching just gets better as the years go by.

"What you cover, God will expose;
what you openly expose before God, He covers." - My brother, Bill, in a message called "Dealing With Setbacks."

Check it out at their website: http://www.cedarpointechurch.com or go straight to the message and listen here.

I spent about an hour on the phone with him today, and I've pretty much decided that I'm glad he's my brother...

Bill & Deb Leckie

Some great lines...

A few quotable quotes...

'When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra

Zechariah 4:10a
10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…- NLT

"His scars are bigger than these doubts of mine" - Switchfoot

"The boring slot is already taken!" - Not sure who said this
(Update: 11/1105 - I now know who said this! Although it was Roger Blackmore that I heard it from first, the quote itself is actually from Seth Godin's excellent marketing book, "Purple Cow." Mystery sol-ved, Inspector!"

"God’s purpose is not limited by your past." - Rick Warren'

All good quotes for North Point's next step...

Oh yeah...Happy Groundhog Day!

One who has been rescued really understands

I came across this about the rescue of train victims in Los Angeles and it made me think of a quote.

"Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell. I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell." - C.T. Studd.

Check it out:
New Link: Truck driver rushed to aid train victims