Outrageous Joy!

Last Wednesday at Living Hope Church we started a brand new series called "Outrageous Joy". The idea of this series started because of where I was at in life. I tend to be a very positive, happy, laugh a lot kind of person. The last few months things have happened that have robbed joy from my life. I can't even put a finger on what those things all are. Just life.

I came to a point where I thought, this is enough. Ministry should not drain me of joy. Life should not bring me down. I have Jesus Christ in my heart, an awesome family and serve a great church. What's going on?

Needless to say, I am really looking forward to this fall series, because I need it!

Last week I gave everyone an assignment. Throughout the week they are to look for and jot down the things that occur that make them laugh or put a smile on their face. Come back on Wednesday prepared to share, even if it is embarrassing to them. We promised not to laugh at them but with them.

How about you? Are you looking at the glass half full or half empty? Does how you feel about life depend on the events of the day or upon things that change? The Apostle Paul was a person that experienced unbelievable trials and still continued to walk in the joy of the Lord.

I hope you can join us for this fun series as we look at Paul's life and his letter to the church in Phillippi.

Let's reclaim that "Outrageous Joy"!

What's A Great Day?

Today my family experience a "great day". We started the day by biking the Soo Line Trail from Little Falls to Bowlus. This is one of the things that I've had on my bucket list for a couple of years now. I know it may be one of the less significant things on my list, nonetheless, it was something that I desired to do with my family.

We are overlooking the Mississippi River at the Blanchard Dam.

We had lunch at Jordie's Trail Side Cafe in Bowlus. I loved the outdoor eating area. It was so relaxing.

Later in the day we played Bocce Ball; guys vs. girls. The guys won! Then we grilled some steak and had some awesome veggies from the garden. Following the meal we played croquet and then had a fire and ate smores. This is what I would call a great day.

What does your great day look like? Are you making some decisions that will create memorable moments in your life and the life of those around you? I want to do one thing every day that will cause me to say, "this was a great day".

Meeting Tony Dungy

Andrew and I were so excited to meet Tony Dungy. Tony came to the Assemblies of God General Council and did a book signing along with speaking at a luncheon and in a youth service.

He reached out his hand to shake hands with Andrew and had a little conversation with him. I think Andrew was pretty pumped. For all of you Viking fans, I did encourage him to come out of retirement and coach for the Vikings. If you read his book, "Quiet Strength", you know that will probably never happen. When he was our assistant coach, his wife couldn't tolerate our cold winters. Who can blame her.




I received an autographed copy of his new book, "Uncommon". It is the next book on my long list of books waiting for my time and attention. There is a Bible study that goes along with the book. I hope to have a group of men go through that some time this next year.

What I appreciate about Tony is that he is a man of integrity and character. He has certainly had his share of disappointments, heart-ache and success. In the midst of it all he has stayed anchored to his relationship with God and his family. I also love the fact that he loves to pour his life into others. Check out his website, All Pro Dads!