Have You Punched Your Pastor Today?

Yep... That's what they said.

And, believe it or not, this was a GOOD thing!

There is NO doubt that God has called Inspire to be a different church, & this statement was a PERFECT example.

It happened while we were welcoming our guests & letting them know how glad we were to have them as part of our church family today. One of the presenters, Felicia, was telling our guests that Jennifer & I would like to meet them after church at our Guest Reception. She said our guests could meet us, talk with us, punch us, tell us their stories, etc. Then Kenny asked the BIG question, "Have you punched your pastor today?"

Everyone started laughing. Not because it was a slip of the tongue, but because it fit who we are.

Kenny commented, "I wonder how many churches would ask you that question."

Not many, I'm sure.

But I am SO glad I'm a part of "that pastor-punchin' church"!

We have an amazing church family... I am SO honored to be a part of what God is doing at Inspire!

So...

Have YOU punched YOUR pastor today to show him how much you love him?

Like Reading a Good Book

"It's an AWESOME ride... If you can handle it."

Those are the words I often from my dad when we talk about how wild & crazy it can be following Jesus.

My journey--just like yours, I'm sure--has always had challenges and rewards. For me, the last couple of years have been especially challenging. There have been rewards, too... In fact the rewards have been like nuggets of gold dug out of the turmoil and heartache.

But recently, there seems to have been a shift... Like a break in the clouds when the sun comes beaming through.

And it has been AMAZING!

These are things I have prayed and longed for for years... Things I KNEW God wanted to do, but--honestly--things I had never seen before!

I don't just mean here, either. Jennifer & I lived through 6 years of revival at Brownsville, & I never saw these things then, either.

But I'm seeing them now!

And it is SO exciting!

It's an honor to be a part of it, too!

I was thinking today about how much fun this has been, & the perfect description came to mind.

Have you ever been reading a really good book, looking forward to turning the next page, and wondering what kind of excitement you'll find?

Well, that is EXACTLY how I feel.

And I hope you persevere in your journey long enough to get to this place.

It's like reading a good book!

Family Day, the Vieux Carre, & Hard Rock Cafe

Today is Family Day for the NOLA Oettles.

I learned a LONG time ago that families in the ministry suffer by default--unless you prioritize time away just for them.

My wife--the textbook definition of a helpmate--has forced me to live by that principle over the years. And I am NOT complaining! Her insistence that we dedicate a day each week to our family has done more to keep us close than any of my "parental heroics." I love & appreciate her for that!

One of the things she got me to do while the kids were still VERY young (I think we started with each of the girls when they turned 5) was Daddy-Daughter Dates. If you & I are facebook friends, I'm sure you've noticed how important those are to me. Oh... Did I mention that those were Jen's idea?

I guess at this point that any remnants of thought that I'm a great dad are now giving way to thoughts of giving credit (to Jen) where credit is due (to Jen). I'm happy to have busted your bubble, if you had one. ;)

Anyway...

So, we started the day with Faith helping me make chocolate-chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, & bacon. (I LOVE bacon! I asked Jen to choose another insult this morning when I was eating too much; "pig" made me feel a little too canabalistic!)

After some clean-up, we were off to the Children's Museum. It took us FOREVER to get downtown (there's ANOTHER festival/parade in N'awlins--just like every other weekend, it seems!) and we found a spot right in front!

I should've listened the spirit of pessimism that was riding in the truck with us because we spent about 10 minutes putting money in the meter, piling out of the truck, & walking inside only to find that they were closed for a special event. Ugh.

Jennifer--never one to miss an opportunity for retail therapy--commented that Urban Outfitters was just a few blocks away in the French Quarter (Vieux Carre if you're from N'awlins) & [Gasp!] they were having a sale that she'd been wanting to check out anyway! Honestly, if going to the Children's Museum had been her idea (it was Faith's), I'd have been REALLY suspicious.

So, we made our way over to the Quarter & dropped Jen off while the rest of us parked the truck. We went up to the Riverwalk so the girls & Judah could play. (Fortunately for me, the girls haven't yet caught their mommy's shopping bug. Don't misunderstand me, though: they can hold their own in the mall!)

Mommy came out with her bag of loot & her excursion into bargain hunting had apparently given her quite an appetite. The kids were hungry, too (they always are!), so they were THRILLED to hear that she wanted to eat.

And [another gasp!] Hard Rock Cafe just "happened" to be right there.

So we enjoyed some food, enjoyed our family, and enjoyed our Family Day.

Why I LOVE Apple

My PC-loving friends just don't get it.

Neither does anyone else that has never used a computer.

Or lost a paper to a "crash."

Or a virus.

Or... I think you get the point.

But it's not just because Apple products are made BY geeks FOR geeks like me!!

I LOVE the way the strive for excellence... And today I got a glimpse into WHY Apple is excellent.

I got up early this morning to stand in line & buy a new iPhone 4s for Jen... She's been waiting MONTHS for this (& I've been married long enough to understand the power of the brownie points I could score here)!

One of the big deals is Siri, a suped-up voice-command app that does just about everything for you.

No, really... Just about EVERYTHING the iPhone can do!

If that weren't excellent enough, Jen asked it this afternoon, "Siri, will you marry me?"

What did Siri answer?

"I'm sorry; I don't understand?" Nope.

"Please rephrase your request?" Uh-uh.

How 'bout this: "Let's just be friends, OK?"

Siri-ously (sorry: I couldn't resist)... That's how Siri responded.

I heard someone said, "Siri, I love you!"

Siri replied, "I bet you say that to all your Apple products."

Apple could've programmed Siri with no personality, no humor, no sarcasm, but THEY DIDN'T!

And it is THAT kind of attention to excellence that makes them LIGHT YEARS in front of everyone else... & why I LOVE Apple!

Welcomed to the Club!!

Thursday, I turned 40.

Yep... "The Big Four-Oh."

For some reason, I was really looking forward to 40. 30 wasn't a downer for me (like a lot of people I know), & 20 was no big deal. I don't remember being excited about a "milestone" birthday since I was 16.

For some reason, I have a real sense of expectancy with this birthday. I was talking with Jen that night when a thought occurred to me: the number 40 is a time of testing throughout the Bible--Moses was in the desert 40 years & on the mountain 40 days (twice, back-to-back!), and Jesus had 40 days in the wilderness.

And I've had 40 years on this earth.

My friends that have experienced their 40s say they are/were some of their best years... I'm looking forward to finding out for myself!

What if It Was YOUR Daughter?

Sometimes people are REALLY insensitive.

Even cruel.

I'm sure that doesn't surprise you (it doesn't surprise me)... It's just one of those inescapable facts of life.

But sometimes God slaps me in the face with perspective.

Yesterday was one of those days.

Late in the afternoon, I decided to check the headlines--kind of take a break from the business of the day--when I saw that Amy Winehouse had been found dead in her London apartment.

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I was only surprised for the .87 seconds it took for the initial shock to wear off. Even though I felt some sadness, my actual THOUGHT was something along the lines of, "I'm not surprised, given all the drug-abuse problems she is reported to have had."

Wow. THAT was callous, Jeff! (I feel ashamed again as I re-live this to write it down.)

That's when the perspective backhanded me...

"What if that were Hosanna? Or Faith? Or Leili? Or Jennifer?"

Ouch.

I wasn't so calloused anymore.

Regardless of how we feel/think about Amy Winehouse, she was SOMEONE's daughter. SOMEONE loved her. SOMEONE is hurting horribly today because their beloved little girl!

Today, someone is remembering--through HORRIBLE heartache--the day they found out they were going to have a baby... A baby that became Amy Winehouse.

They're remembering today--through tears--her first steps. Her first words. Her first day of school.

The first song she wrote.

The first time they realized that she was talented. Extraordinarily talented.

I doubt they imagined at that moment that they would be mourning her death at just 27 years old.

I doubt they imagined that they would outlive their "Baby Amy" (or whatever cute little nicknames they gave her).

I doubt they imagined that people would say such cruel things about her untimely death. (Is it just me or do some people seem to be almost celebrating?)

But then again, I doubt if anyone ever imagines that their beloved son or daughter passes into eternity before they do.

Have you?

I haven't, even though I lived it.

So, before you pile on the "we all saw this coming" bandwagon like I did, please... Please... PLEASE...

Ask yourself...

"What if it was YOUR daughter?"

I Don't Need Your Help, Sir!

So, it's 5pm central time here in N'awlins...

Nothing particularly significant about that, really.

Well... Unless you consider the end of the world "significant."

Oh, yeah... The world was supposed to end today. So far, so good.

Don't misunderstand... I think the world still being here is great news. I just wish this Mr. Doomsday Predictor (whatever his name is) would have identified himself as a false prophet BEFORE all this foolishness. Not than any of us would've paid any attention to him if he had (not that any of us DID pay any attention to him), but I'm just REALLY tired of people saying & doing stupid things 'in the name of Jesus."



To be honest... It seems to me like we Christians have a hard-enough time earning credibility with the world that God commands us to reach. The LAST thing need is some (other) knucklehead out there shooting his (or her) mouth off for the sake of his (her) proverbial 15-minutes of fame.

The fact that today's little Oops-the-world-didn't-end-so-I-guess-you're-a-false-prophet "fiasco"thistle current clown's SECOND time to ride this pony (I just learned today that this wingnut did this back in 1994, too) just rubs salt in my wounds.

What really bothers me isn't that this guy shot his mouth off & made a fool of himself. (Knock yourself out, Dude.)

Actually, it's not even that he provides (another) opportunity for people to make fun of Christians. (Like we need to provide opportunities.)

It's not even that people lump ME in with other "ministers" like this guy. (That comes with the territory.)

Come to think of it, it's not even that I look like a fool thanks to this idiot. (Vicarious association can be a real bugger!)

What REALLY bugs me about it is that I am MORE than capable of looking like a fool ON MY OWN MERITS!

I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP, Mr. Camping...

I'm doing just fine making a fool of myself, Sir!!