Writer's Block

It's been a long time since I seriously considered myself a writer. But, lately I've been wanting to write something. However, I can't think of anything I feel is worth writing. Is this writer's block?

7 Random 7s

I've been wanting to write something, but haven't been able to come up with anything blog-worthy lately. Well, this morning I found a challenge from Kristy Mikel, so here's something that will hopefully kick start my creativity this morning and get me blogging soon!

7 Songs I've been listening to a lot these days:

• Intoxicating by David Crowder Band
• Mess of Me by Switchfoot
• Rodeo Clowns by Jack Johnson
• Stars by Switchfoot
• Triple Trouble by Beastie Boys
• Instead of a Show by Jon Foreman
• What Love Really Means by JJ Heller

7 Places in the world I've always wanted to visit:

• Australia - I want to go on a walkabout in the outback!
• Ireland - This is the only country in Europe that has much appeal to me.
• New Orleans - Mostly because I love Cajun food.
• Seattle - Seems like an interesting place for a visit.
• Africa - The people, the landscape.
• China - Not sure why, I just think it would be cool to see in person.
• Canada - Again, not sure why, but parts of it seem really fascinating.

7 Things I've dreamed of doing someday:

• Being my own boss.
• Writing a book.
• Being a college professor.
• Building my own house.
• Hitting a hole-in-one.
• Going on a cruise with my wife.
• Driving to California and back with my family and stopping at as many points of interest as we can along the way.
  

7 Favorite games of all time:

• Jungle Speed
• Scum
• Ping Pong
• HORSE
• Apples to Apples
• Trivial Pursuit
• Catch Phrase
  

7 Favorite Verses:

• 2 timothy 1:6-7
• Proverbs 3:5-6
• Matthew 5:3
• James 1:27
• Galatians 5:12 (Dan Erickson showed me this verse in college. It made me laugh then, it makes me laugh now.)
  

7 Books I love to read over and over:

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx (haven't actually read this one more than once, but I want to!)

Sorry, can't get to 7 on this one!


7 Books that have deeply challenged me (some repeats):

Season of Life by Jeffrey Marx
Who is My Neighbor? by Wayne Gordon
Radical by David Platt
Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy
Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Let's Boogie!

Last month, I wrote about how excited I am for the IMPACT team Katie and I were asked to be part of. Since that time, we have had the chance to spend some time with the team and our fellow leaders.

This is not the first trip we have been involved with as part of NMC Student Ministries, but it is the first trip that we will be counted on to bring such a high level of leadership. The leadership team consists of Kory & Ali Lantz, Ben & Joslynn Nehls and us.

The night before our first team meeting we had the other leaders over to our house for dinner and games. It turns out this group REALLY loves to play games. It was that night that we were introduced to a game called Jungle Speed. It's a fast-paced, every-player-for-himself game that requires quick, accurate responses. It's also a physical game so you have to be ready to fight if you want to win.

We took the game along with us as we led the whole team on a weekend retreat to a training conference and everyone who played it seemed to love it. Then, last weekend the leaders got together again and played some more. Only this time, we added a twist to the game to make it even more physically challenging.

Here's sort of what it looked like:




There wasn't nearly as much grappling, unless it was a husband and wife fighting for the totem, but nearly everyone left that night with some carpet burns or minor aches and pains.

In the end, it's just a game and it doesn't really hold any intrinsic value. It's what games can do for relationships that make them so valuable.

When you get a group together and start competing against each other, people's personalities show through in a new way. Thankfully, this group of leaders has meshed really well, thanks in part to playing this game together.

We are even more excited about our IMPACT experience now that we've had the chance to bond with our fellow leaders. And Jungle Speed (which we have renamed Jungle Boogie) had a lot to do with that.

So, if you don't already have this game, I suggest you get it and start playing it whenever you get the chance!

Super Bowl XLV

I can't decide which is my favorite picture from the Super Bowl. Both of them involve a title belt:

Super Bowl Matchups

Here are just a few of the matchups I'm really excited to see:





I know the two players I showed in each picture won't actually be on the field at the same time, but seeing how each of these guys fares compared to their counterparts will be very interesting!

Super Bowl XLV

This is only my second full season of being a Green Bay Packers fan, so I am thrilled that they beat the Chicago Bears to earn a spot in this year's Super Bowl.

I am also excited that they're playing against the Steelers. First of all, I predicted this matchup a few weeks ago. Beyond that, though, it's just a classic matchup. The Steelers and Packers are two of the most well-known, storied franchises in all of sports.

On the field, these two teams are very similar. The Steelers have the No. 1 overall defense in the NFL and the Packers are No. 3. The Packers are the No. 3 overall offense in the NFL and the Steelers are No. 9. Each team has a big, strong quarterback who can run with the ball and stretch defenses with their arms. Each team has dynamic players at the receiver positions. Both teams have dynamic players in the defensive backfield and incredible strength at the linebacker position.

One more reason I love this matchup is because my inlaws are huge Steelers fans. They wanted to have a party to watch the game, but we decided it would be smarter to watch pregame together, then go our separate ways during the game!

I will be very disappointed if the Packers lose this game, but I can't think of a better team to lose to than the Steelers.

Poor in Spirit

Since the beginning of the month, I've been following a one-year Bible reading plan. I've done it before and have always fallen off track at some point, but it is still a good tool to help me re-establish a habit of reading my Bible every day.

Some days, I have to admit, it's just a matter of reading and checking it off the list. I don't get a lot out of what I read on those days, but it is still helping me instill a habit into my life.

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending conVERGE 2011 with my IMPACT Team. This weekend away also served as our team retreat and a great chance to get to know each other better. As part of the retreat, we spent time each morning doing TAWG (Time Alone With God).

On the first morning I pulled out my reading plan and went to work. One of the passages I read was Matthew 11:4-5. This was Jesus telling some messengers what they should pass along to John the Baptist, who sent them to ask if he was the Messiah. Part of Jesus' response was, "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor."

I am sure I've read that passage multiple times in my life, but here's the beautiful thing about reading the Bible: this time something new stuck out to me. The last three words, "to the poor" were what gripped me.

Why did Jesus put this clarifying phrase in there? Why didn't He just say, "the good news is preached"? Why was it significant that the poor were hearing the good news?

I stopped reading and began to write down some traits that are often associated with the poor:

They need hope
They need love
They need security
They are willing to listen
They aren't self-reliant
They can find joy in the midst of discomfort
They understand needs vs. wants

This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it's a start. It's enough of a list to see a trend: Poor people have real NEEDS.

This was something I found myself unable to identify with. When was the last time I had to go without something I truly NEEDED? I can remember many times when I didn't get everything I wanted but I cannot remember a time when I've not had my NEEDS met. I have been given a richly blessed life.

The next thing I knew I was flipping pages back to Matthew 5 because I knew Jesus said something about the poor in spirit. In fact, the first sentence of the Sermon on the Mount is this, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

I looked back at my journal and the characteristics of poor people I had written down. Then I thought about myself and wondered how I could possibly become poor in spirit. How can I go from a comfortable life where I don't NEED anything, to a desperate life that is clearly in NEED of a savior?

I don't know.

Got any ideas?