It's a Boy

Yesterday, my daughter, Flora, found out that she was going to have a boy. Allow me to introduce Christopher Gabriel...

Know Thyself

Yesterday my son and I started a new study together: The Purpose Driven Life. Actually, it is only new for him. I've taken two of my daughters through the book, and have read it for myself. I think it is one of the best resources available for giving direction to life.

Prior to starting into the book, I asked my son to take an assessment that I downloaded from the PDL website. The assessment is made up of five questions about each of the five purposes. He read each question carefully, and made thoughful, introspective judgments about where he stood. He resisted the temptation to answer in a way he thought would impress me. He was honest.

Then last night, when my wife asked about his day, my son produced the assessment and shared with her some of the results. It was awesome. He even committed to make some immediate changes to improve his life--and we haven't even started the book! What a cool kid.

The Last Jihad

Yesterday a friend at church loaned me a stack of books by Joel Rosenberg. Now usually when someone gives me a book and insists I read it I'm left a little disappointed. It's hard to find truly great writing. And on top of that, I don't read fiction. I just don't have the time--or better yet, I feel guilty reading fiction because I spend a good chunk of my day reading for work. So reading fiction feels like cheating.

But on my friend's recommendation, I cracked open The Last Jihad. From the first page, it reads like an episode of 24. The writing is tight, the pace is quick, and the addiction is irresistable. I couldn't put it down.

I forced myself to bed before it got too late, but dreamed about it all night. Later today, while waiting for one of my kids, I managed to squeeze in a few chapters. I only have two left, and I'm going to savor them tonight.

Do yourself a favor. Pick up The Last Jihad.

Meant to Do

Yesterday I heard a song on the radio while I was driving in to work. It's got a catchy tune, but more than anything the words gripped me.

There's a man who waits for the tests to
See if the cancer had spread yet
And now he asks why did I
wait to live 'til it was time to die
If I could have the time back, how I'd live
Life is such a gift
So how does the story end?
Well, this is your story and it all depends
So don't let it become true
Get out and do what we were meant to do

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

What a Revelation

Yesterday I posted Saturday's message, "The Scroll, the Lion and the Lamb" on the podcast. The response to this study of Revelation has been quite exciting. My podcast is fast approaching 15,000 downloads, with almost 500 in just the last 7 days.

Why so much excitement? Your guess is as good as mine, but I believe it shows that people have an intense interest in understanding God's Word. And while I might personally enjoy teaching from Colossians more that Revelation, it's probably true that Colossians is more approachable for people, so they are less likely to be excited about it.

In any event, I love being in God's Word!

With 15,000 downloads right around the corner, I thought I'd share my all time top 5 downloaded messages:

1. Jesus: His Sermons
2. Free at Last: How to Abide in the Freedom of Christ
3. Jesus: Women
4. The Holy Land: Jerusalem
5. In Your Face: Say Hello to My Little Friend

Each of the above messges are part of larger series of messages. I hope you enjoy them and continue to spread the word.

Babies

Yesterday evening my wife and I stopped by a baby shower. Nothing too unusual, except that the new mommy used to be a middle-schooler during my days as a youth pastor.

Am I really that old?

Catching Up

Yesterday was a day for catching up. After I dropped off my Valentine gifts for my staff, I returned home to work in solitude. I know it's odd, but I find that I get a lot more done in a day when I'm not interrupted or distracted. Strange. Anyway, I was able to check-off a number of things from my to-do list (and that, by the way, causes a euphoric feeling for someone like me).

At lunchtime, I hooked up with one of my closest friends at Spoon in McKinney. If you haven't eaten there, I highly recommend it. They are located in the town square, and the food and service are amazing. I had the BLTA (the A is avocado), with tomato basil soup. (I'm aware how mundane it is to read about someone's lunch on their blog--but trust me, it was that good!)

Our conversation was one of surprises. We hadn't met in almost two months, whereas we usually get together weekly. Life, travel, and travail had interrupted, so it was good to do some catching up.

If you can, give yourself a day for catching up. It's not a day off, but sometimes you need to set aside the things that occupy your life and knock out those things that have been lingering for some time. The result is a little breathing room, a sense of accomplishment, and maybe a few surprises.

In the Mail

Yesterday I received my plane tickets for my trip to Israel. In about four weeks I'll be travelling with an awesome group to the Holy Land. My first trip was in November of 2005, and ever since I've been counting down the days.

Lord willing, I will be blogging the trip as I did last summer with my vacation to Costa Rica. If you can't wait, try my series on the Holy Land I preached last year. You can listen to the entire series by clicking here.

Fiesta Plate

Yesterday my wife and I came together at the end of the day, both a bit frazzled and near the end of our respective ropes. We decided rather spontaneously to take a walk to the nearby Papaya's Tex-Mex for a light dinner. The stroll was just what we needed to unwind.

Neither of us felt very hungry, so we decided to share an appetizer. We ordered the "Feista Plate." Perfect. That and the walk back capped off the evening.

With apologies to every child of the '80s, sometimes you gotta fight for your right to party. Sometimes you just need a fiesta.

Our Future of Worship

Yesterday I was blessed to explore the theme of our future of worship, as described in Revelation 4. You can listen here.

Greater Love

Yesterday I received a prayer request via my webpage (www.stevelucas.org). The prayer request feature is relatively new on my page, so I only receive a few requests per week. The one I got yesterday stood out. It was from my daughter, Stephanie.

• "hi dad i love you and i would give my life 4 u. i would want to die first if either of us were about to die and u would still live and uhhh........... Amen?"

It doesn't get any better than that! John 15:13

Butt Whooping

Yesterday my wife and I got a major butt whooping. We hadn't worked out with our personal trainer in almost two months because of the holidays, various illnesses, and schedule conflicts. Though we didn't go crazy with bad eating, we weren't exactly strict with it. And though I mostly kept up with my workouts, I admit I wasn't pushing it either. So when Jay put us through the paces last night, we paid the price.

But life is like that, isn't it? If you let things slide--even little things--in the end they can build up and get you. We all know the value of daily disciplines, but without any accountability it is easy to let the important (but not urgent) things get deprioritized to the bottom of our to-do lists. And if you are like me, the things at the bottom never seem to get done at all.

So today, since I can barely lift my arms, I'm reminded to do the things that matter most. If I can even move, that is.

Strange Packages

Yesterday I received a gift from the Lord in a stange package. I call it a gift, because it was a gentle reminder of something God has been trying to teach me for some time now. It was a strange package, because had I not recognized it for what it was, I might have been really upset and disappointed.

As a veteran control freak, I sometimes fall under the mistaken notion that I can get people to do things that are good for themselves. Yesterday's reminder was designed by God to demonstrate once again that I have no control over other people's lives. I can influence, pray, guide, but never control. And when someone (even my child) makes a choice that is wrong, it is ultimately an issue they have with God.

The hardest part for me, is dealing with the reality that in many ways I am a bystander--concerned, but still a bystander. The only thing that mitigates my angst is my faith in God, Who is not a bystander.

General Update

Yesterday (and even today) someone asked if things were okay because I hadn't blogged in a while. While I offer no excuses, the truth is I've been quite busy and life has been rather ordinary (at least, ordinary for us!).

Anyway, beause you asked, things are going well. On the kid front, Flora is pushing to get married sooner rather than later. While I'm excited for her, I'm hopeful that she will take just a bit of advice and do it the right way. Angela and I have been working hard to offer what help we can. What remains to be seen is whether she will take it. Why start making good choices now, right?

Carmen, David and Steph are total rock stars. Each week they are excelling in school, volunteering and church, and showing what awesome is at home. They are not perfect--far from it. But I'm grateful to have such wonderful kids to remind me that God is still on the throne and life goes on.

Angela and I are working--a lot. We both bring it home daily, yet are mostly remaining disciplined in our time with each other. Our "Marriage Staff Meetings" have become critical to keeping on the same page. I'm blessed to have a wife of such understanding and patience.

On the global front, things are progressing with our vision for Costa Rica. Lord willing I'll soon complete the business plan for our retreat and training center to be located in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. Once that is done and our property is located, I'll be begging everyone I know to invest in a dream of developing pastors all across the Western Hemisphere. And on that note, I can confess that life is so much more exciting when you are pursuing a dream that feels impossible.