It has been awhile, but it is time again for me to get up on my soapbox and tell you just what I believe:
- I still believe that there ain't nothing better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a potato roll, provided that you use black raspberry jelly.
- I believe that if you still haven't picked up a copy of The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne, you really should.
- I believe that after you pick up a copy of The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne, you should read it. Maybe read it twice.
- I believe that I would look forward to the time when we run out of street corners to build new banks and pharmacies on - we already have enough of them.
- I believe that the reason that celebrities and people like that are picking up the causes of HIV/AIDS in Africa, environmentalism and other issues is because the church has not stepped up where it should.
- I believe that if you eat Jell-o with chunks of fruit in it, you are a little weird.
- I believe that the Phillies are going to be in the pennant race all year, even though their pitching is a little shoddy. However, in the last week of the season, they will get swept by the Washington Nationals and lose two of three to the Marlins and disappoint us once again.
- I believe that Habitat for Humanity is an incredible ministry.
- I still believe that God was right when he said that it is not good for man to be alone.
- I believe that these are the books on my desk that I am either reading or getting ready to read soon: Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security, by Christopher Cooper and David Block; Leading with a Limp, by Dan Allender: Death by Suburbs: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul, by David Goetz; The Myth of a Christian Nation, by Dr. Greg Boyd, and Prayer, by Philip Yancey.
- I believe that we don't realize how close we are to living in the kingdom of God.
- I believe that saving the environment is not a liberal issue or a conservative issue, a democratic or republican issue, but a Genesis 2 issue.
- I believe that conflict is an opportunity for us to show how much we really believe the good news by loving one another more.
- I believe that I get the willies every time I see green ketchup, purple applesauce, or any other oddly colored food in the grocery store.
- I believe that Jesus came to the earth to preach the kingdom of God - a way of living the way God created us to live.
- I believe that Harry Potter is going to defeat Voldemort by using love, not magic (and I believe that Professor Snape will turn out to be good, not evil).
- I believe that God has a heart for the poor, oppressed, weak and disadvantaged. I also believe that the closer we come to people in those conditions, the closer we come to Jesus.
- I believe that Eagles training camp is less than five weeks away. Yahoo!!
- I believe that the only answer to the war in Iraq is peace that passes all understanding.
- I still believe that as much as we say that we are followers of Jesus, it is hard for us to put the majority of his teachings into practice.
- I believe there are two types of people in this world - those who eat their hot dogs normally and those who eat their hot dogs weird - burnt to a charred crisp.
- I still believe that the most strategic time in the week when it comes to growing a church is Sunday, after worship, when you can either go out to lunch with someone that you don't know or invite them over for lunch.
- I believe that love is difficult. It is much more easy to walk away and not care.
- I believe that there are times when I don't like to sing some of the songs that we sing in the Sunday service. Like "I Surrender All" - it is a great hymn, but to be honest, I am not sure I always want to surrender everything in my life to Jesus. Sometimes the songs push me further than I want to be pushed.
- I believe that this could be the Eagles' season!
- I believe that the calling to be a Christian in this world is a calling to put down individualism and to live in community.
- I believe that as Christians, we always have to search for a better way of facing conflict. Not run from it. Not allow it to push us apart. But always allow it to draw us closer to each other. It is tough, but that is what we have to do.
- I believe that churches need to regain their imagination in worship, evangelism, fellowship, missions and living together.
- I believe that the church can be built simply by playing Uno with one another in the fellowship.
- I believe that after having nasal surgery, I have a new found appreciation for Q-Tips and hydrogen peroxide, which I regularly used to clean my schnozz. Oh, yeah...I also have a new found appreciation for being able to breath while I sleep.
Updated July 8, 2007.
