St. Francis Prayer

Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God,

Grant us the desire to do only what pleases you,

and the strength to do only what you command.

Cleanse our souls,

enlighten our minds,

and inflame our hearts with your Holy Spirit,

that we may follow in the footsteps of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Gaining Christ

I am blessed. No doubt I have lost more than I wanted but I still have more than most. Even if I lost it all, it would still be a good deal to gain Christ. Since our transition out of vocational ministry we have hung on to Matthew 5:10 that we would be blessed. We have been...

• Kristan and I have stayed connected
• The kids are resilient
• Friends have drawn close for fun, comfort and care
• Family have given us support, food and love
• Kristan is living her dream of a private counseling practice
• Church family has prayed, hugged and given us money
• We have had ministry opportunities to speak and serve
• I have new insight into Scripture, people and myself
• God has given us daily bread
• Our bank account has multiplied like loaves and fish
• Doctors and Businesses have comped their services
• Charlie has a home with my parents
• Brent has given us a home
• I have a job with benefits and free tuition
• I sense God's presence and preparation for what's next

Ultimately I want my life to please Jesus. A quote by Fil Anderson has helped...

"Often, our gift will be found in endless and tireless service, but Jesus reserves the right to suspend our service in order to help us know what our greatest affection is."

Losing it All

My favorite chapter in the Bible is Philippians 3. In verse 8, Paul says...

"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ."

I have found this to be true, though I have questioned and found it painful. In my recent transition out of vocational ministry it feels I have lost it all.

• the church I pastored
• my career
• some friends
• my credit score
• my house
• district support
• my reputation
• my possessions are in storage
• stability for my kids
• money, lots of it
• my dog can't live with us
• american amenities and luxuries
• position, status, recognition
• privacy, solitude, control of quiet
• my books are in boxes
• platform for ministry
• neighborhood friends, routines, places
• maybe even a portion of my faith

I don't naturally have the proper response: mourn, detach, refocus, anger, depression, paralyzed, cocoon, vengeance, cursing and cussing. I know I am not like Paul yet and far from the quality of Jesus. I lack contentment, peace, love, faith, hope and forgiveness.

It amazes me to think of what Paul lost. In the religious world of the Jews, he had it all: education, position, success, accolades, mission, status. As a Pharisee he was set for life and a 401K to retire on. Paul chose to lose it all for Jesus. Or Jesus chose Paul.

Top 10 Pick Up Lines for Christians

1. "You've opened the eyes of my heart" - Paul Baloche

2. "Beautiful one I love, Beautiful one I adore, Beautiful one my soul must sing" - Tim Hughes

3. "You are my all in all" - Dennis Jernigan

4. "Draw me close to you" - Kelly Carpenter

5. "All of you is more than enough for all of me" - Chris Tomlin

6. "I could sing of your love forever" - Martin Smith

7. "Every move I make" - David Ruis

8. "I stand in awe" - Mark Altrogge

9. "You never let go" - Matt Redman

10."I called you answered and you came to my rescue and I wanna be where you are" - Hillsong United

Psalm 23 - is for the Dogs

If we changed the metaphor from sheep to dogs...

Jesus is my master, I do not have to beg for anything.
He invites me to sit on his lap,
He fills my water bowl with cool water
He refreshes my panting mouth and tired paws.
He holds my leash and guides me down the right path because he is good to me.
Even though I cross major intersections, I don't fear people who want to hurt me,
For my master is always with me;
Your "down boy" commands and "good boy" affirmations comfort me.
You feed me everyday and give me treats,
The coyotes and big dogs are close but you protect me
You get me groomed and my water bowl overflows .
No doubt you will continue to be good to me and pet me all the days of my life,
and I will be a loyal companion in my Master's house forever.

13 MANscaping Tips

The philosophy behind manscaping (landscaping of a man's hair) is if you get a haircut for the top of your head, you should consider caring for the rest of your hairy body. If your wife says she doesn't care or notice, she is lying! Never manscape in public (like the gym locker room) and don't think people don't notice your curly, pubic-like, shoulder hair when you wear a tank top. Lastly, the motivation for manscaping is for a woman, not to become one.

1. Trim your hairy chest, arms and legs. Shaving them is metrosexual, trimming is manscaping
2. Wax your back, it's gross
3. Keep armpit hair in your armpit
4. No one should ever see hair coming out of your nose or ears
5. If you're going bald, shave it. You're not fooling anyone and Agassi's hair was a wig
6. Never give yourself a haircut and if no one has ever complimented you after your wife's attempt she must stop too
7. Shave your neck line between haircut appointments
8. Uni-brows are still out so pluck and shape but don't over do it Alice.
9. Eyebrows should have a length limit. How come you don't notice that 2 inch wild hair?
10. Cut your sideburns parallel to your jaw bone and cut facial hair symmetrically
11. Don't miss a patch of hair while shaving. We notice the left over stubble under your nose and around your moles
12. Trimming some areas make objects appear larger than they are!
13. Knuckle hair shouldn't cover your wedding ring

Top 10 Favorite Things of NorthGate Church

Kristan and I have spent the last 5 1/2 years serving as lead pastors at NorthGate Church of the Nazarene. Here are just some of my favorite things...



10. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the church with former pastors and families

9. Ministry to people and seeing God move to help and change them

8. Participating in life's passages such as marriages, baby dedications, baptisms and funerals (can you believe the Benson boys finally got married! Most painful to me was saying goodbye to Emma Simpkins - see you soon)

7. Preaching the Word - nothing greater than trying to communicate God's heart for people

6. Doing church at the movie theater - thanks for leaving the 99 so we can search for the 1

5. Getting healthy - I found a safe atmosphere to get physically healthy and strengthen my marriage

4. Taking trips - Mexico, Mt Whitney, Uganda, Grand Canyon rim to rim and Ireland!

3. Learning about leadership and loving people by teaching, practicing our faith and finishing my B.A.

2. Raising my family - Kennedy was 2 and Kristan was 8 months pregnant with Jameson when we came. NorthGate was a great introduction to my kids

1. People - Thanks for your love, support, patience and forgiveness. We love you too!!!