Trailer for "Letters to God"

There's a new movie coming out on April 9th called Letters to God. A story about the galvanizing effect one child’s belief can have on his family, friends & community. I was honored to blog about it for the indie-film company's rep who contacted me. Take a moment to check it out. Flicks like this are few and far between.

@funnyoneliners

For the same reason my fav movie genre is comedy, one of my fav twitterers is @funnyoneliners: I LOVE TO LAUGH!! On crappy, cloudy days, when I don't feel like tweeting myself, rest assured, I'm looking for @funnyoneliners on my TweetDeck. The profile of the ostrich, alone, cracks me up. Here's a lil sample. Get ready to ROFL, LOL & LMBO...

1. Water is just coffee that hasn't reached its full potential.
   
2. Kite flying. The sport for people whose athletic ability is being able to hold on to a string.
3. When birds take a blow to the head, I wonder if they see a little circle of flying humans.
4. I have a dentist appointment tomorrow. Which means I have nineteen hours to do six months of flossing.
5. Is constipate an irregular verb?
   
6. How come when my wife says she needs to talk its never about football?

For My Brother

Hey Bro,
I am hurting for what you are going through right now. It begs the universal question of, "why do bad things happen to good people?" I am sorry for the pain that runs deep and the future that is unknown. But I am writing to let you know that God knows the plans He has for you. He has plans to prosper you. He does not have plans to harm you. He has a plan to give you a hope and a future. Keep your gaze on Him and your glimpse on your circumstance. You will come through better than when you came in. And you will do great things.
Love, Me

A Zit Saga

So Saturday, I noticed a small zit forming. "No big thang," I thought to myself, "nothing a lil super-acid-compound can't fix." And because the weekend was narrowly upon me, I decided to apply about 10 applications of it Saturday night. On Sunday morning, I woke up to something far from a zit. It looked like a flaming-zit-inferno. It was 3 times the size, red, swollen w/ a white film covering it (sorry for the visual). So Monday, I QUICKLY made a call to a local skin-doc for a hopeful immediate eradication of this THING. In her assessment, I had BURNED a hole in my skin from acid-overdose. There was nothing she could do but highly recommended I apply a cortisone cream for burns. Moral of the story? Who knows. But if you have one, please feel free to leave it in the form of a comment! In the meantime, I'm gonna go reapply my burn cream. :/

Family Mess in a Church Lobby?

This weekend, my church kicked off a new series called, "Family Mess." To add some grins & giggles to the series, our creative team came up with this idea to have this huge cardboard cut-out in our lobby. It's sure to draw many more crazy hams, like the 3 you see here--hi-yo!

Also, if you wanna hear a freakin' fantastic message on TAKING THE MOUNTAIN that stands in front of your life, check it out HERE.

Great Quotes for Creative Peeps

Love me some good quotes! Recently, I read a Graphic Designer's blog where he posted some good ones for creative peeps. I was going to tweet ALL of the ones I liked, but decided to blog, instead. Hopefully saving you from unfollowing me for OTD (Obnoxious Tweet Disorder). Without further ado...

1. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo Da Vinci
2. To live a creative life we must lose our fear of being wrong - Joseph Chilton Pearce
3. Design that doesn't take a chance, doesn't stand a chance. - Anonymous
4. Graphic design is the spit and polish but not the shoe. -Ellen Lupton
5. Imagination is more important that knowledge. -Albert Einstein

Prayin' for Raul

While on a tour of a cool church in Baton Rouge today, Raul got a call that his 46 yr-old sis had a stroke. She's in critical condition. She's got 3 kiddos. She's a single mom. Raul is en-route, right now, to be with her. My heart's breakin' for them. And yet, at times like this, there's a sort- of 'holy discontent' that stirs up to be light in the dark & salt to the world. The things Jesus called us to be--Raul will be in his family's world right now. Prayin' for you, husband. You are uniquely equipped with grace and compassion; and through your heart, God will be in their world.

Please Help Haiti.

This weekend, my church is partnering with C3's Hope4Haiti. Please join us! There are two ways you can help. You may make a donation online (click here) or bring the following items to a drop-off station at one of our Flamingo Road Church campuses:

Medical Supplies
1. Gauze Bandages and Tape
2. Antibiotic Ointment
3. Pain Relievers

Food Items
1. Canned Meats and Beans
2. Protein or Granola Bars
3. Baby Formula

Learnings From a Monk

You know I love quotes! But man, last December, when I read this book by a monk named Brother Lawrence, I was taken aback by its lasting impression. This quote is from a friend of the monk's, who described him:
"Though he was indeed a humble man, he never sought the glory of humility. He wanted no one but God to witness what he did, just as the only reward he expected was God Himself."

Gosh, I want to live my life like that. If only...

Unexpected Convo; Unexpected Place

Today I got my hair cut by someone I'd never met before. For simplicity, I'll compartmentalize our convo:
Differences:
He's from Israel; I'm from America.
He has 2 daughters; I have 2 sons.
He's a hairdresser; I'm a pastor.
He believes the Old Testament is the bible; I believe it's part one of the bible.
He believes the Messiah has yet to come; I believe He already came.
He thinks he's not good enough for Heaven; I think he doesn't have to be.
He suggested I read the Torah; I suggested he read John.
Similiarities:
He believes in God; I believe in God.
He has a purpose; I have a purpose.
He had every sin paid for; I had every sin paid for.
He has Jesus ready to carry his burden; I have Jesus ready to carry my burden.

I've thought about this convo all day--analyzing what I said, didn't say &, sadly, didn't know. But my one hope is that in this unexpected convo, we both walked away thinking a little more...about Jesus.

My Face-Concealing Tips

I'm SO not an expert, but always game for giving my opinion. So without further ado, here's what I do for concealing various "situations" on my face:
1) MAC Studio Fix
If you don't have dry skin, this product has crazy-good coverage. I've been using it for TWELVE years--on my face & neck.
2) Maybelline Pure Concealer
OMG! This zit concealer has a very precise tip; zit-removing acid in it; you can pick it up at a grocery store; its crazy cheap AND...it works!
3) Mary Kay Yellow Concealer
Again, been using this for a long time. I use it under my eyes & on my eyelids for puffiness & dark circles. It's just fantastic in its coverage & price.
4) Physician's Formula Green Concealer Stick
Any kind of RED can be neutralized with its opposite on the color spectrum: GREEN. This green concealer works! Dab it on any "red" stuff, set it w/ powder & Wah-Lah!

Where's My Strength Come From?

Psalm 73:26 "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Your flesh and your heart may fail...
your marriage may fail,
your kids may fail,
your job may fail,
your health may fail,
your finances may fail,
your desire to live may fail,

but God is the strength of your heart forever...
God is the axis of you when your world spins out of control.
God is the anchor of you when waves torment your voyage.
God is the solid-oak root of you when wind snaps your branches.
If your strength can't, don't worry. His can.

I'm baaaaaaack. Not really.

I kicked bloggin' to the curb for a personal, record-breaking 15 days. WOW! Well, actually, I didn't intentionally kick it--'cause I would've written a "taking a break" post before doing so. It's just that I ran out of things to say & during this "speechless time," I learned that the world won't crash if I don't blog, hello! And sometimes? Shutting up is good. I'm not sure what my 2010 blog-sched is gonna be. But over the last 15 days, I humbly learned: If I don't have something to say, don't say it!