Dry Bones by Gungor

Absolutely the BEST concert I've been to in the last 5 years at least was the Gungor concert earlier this fall. Phenomenal. Fantastic. Intense. Overwhelming. 

This is a great song that comes from the book of Ezekiel 37 with the story of God's interaction with the prophet in the Valley of the Dry Bones. This is a live performance at the Relevant Magazine Studios. The song comes off of their "Beautiful Things" album but is also featured in concert and on their latest album which is a live album entitled "A Creation Liturgy." See lyrics below.

My soul cries out
My soul cries out for you

These bones cry out
These dry bones cry for you
To live and move
'Cause only You can raise the dead
Can lift my head up

My soul...

Jesus, You're the one who saves us
Constantly creates us into something new
Jesus, surely you will finds us
Surely our Messiah will make all things new
Will make all things new

My soul...

These bones...

Jesus, You're the one who saves us...

Life is breaking out, it's breaking out
Life is breaking out, it's breaking out, it's breaking out

And life is breaking out, it's breaking out, it's breaking out

Jesus, You're the one who saves us...

Steven Curtis Chapman - Do Everything

Colossians 3:15-17 (The Message) "Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."

"7" - Jen Hatmaker

So what is my small group getting ourselves into? Sounds a bit crazy. A bit dangerous. A bit ambitious. Sounds habit and possibly life changing. See for yourself. Or better yet, read the book.

Blink - Revive

Teach me to number my days
and count every moment
before it slips away
take in all the colors
before they fade to gray
I don't wanna miss"
even just a second
more of this
It happens in a BLINK

No kidding. It seems like I've blinked and I'm 33, married for over 10 years, 3 kids, house payment, car payment, full time job, coach, mentor, etc. Seems like yesterday I was 16. Or 20. Or even 25. How time passes by so quickly. My job is not to try to make it slow down but to savor every moment. Moments with my wife. Moments with my children. Moments in the classroom or on the mat. Moments that I'll never get back. Life is all about those little moments. Moments like these:

Supporting my brother during his cancer treatments

Hiking with my children

Holding two precious hands

Yard work with my son

What was that line from Dead Poet's Society? Carpe Diem. Size the day.
The following are scriptures I used that might help you see that life is but a vapor. So LIVE it.

James 4:13-15
1 Kings 3:9-14
Ecclesiastes 8:2-8a
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Mark 12:28-31

BLINK by REVIVE

The Phantom Husband

Father Knows Best

What does it mean to be a man? To be a husband and father? What does society (our culture) expect from us? What do we expect from ourselves? Do we expect to be "perfect in every way?" I don't think so but read the following and let me know if this doesn't sound like what our culture expects from every man in America.

He rises early, has a quiet time reading the Bible and praying, and then jogs several seven-minute miles. After breakfast with his family, he presents a fifteen-minute devotional. Never forgetting to hug and kiss his wife good-bye, he arrives to work ten minutes early. He is consistently patient with his co-workers, always content with his job, and has problem-solving techniques for every situation. At lunch he eats only perfectly healthy foods. His desk is never cluttered, and he is confidently in control. He arrives home on time every day and never turns down his boys when they want to play catch.

This phantom is well-read in world events, politics, key issues of our day, the Scriptures, and literary classics. He's a handyman around the house and loves to build things for his wife. He is socially popular and never tires of people or of helping them in time of need. He obeys all traffic laws and never speeds, even if he's late. He can quote large sections of Scripture in a single bound, has faith more powerful than a locomotive, and is faster than a speeding bullet in solving family conflicts. He never gets discouraged, never wants to quit, and always has the right words for every circumstance. He also keeps his garage neat. He never loses things, always flosses his teeth, and has no trouble with his weight. And he has time to fish.

Thanks to Bob Barnes in 500+ Handy Hints for Every Husband including this from Dennis and Barbara Rainey