R.I.P – Reading Rainbow 1983 – 2009
“Butterflies in the sky, I can fly twice as high….”
Wow – I can’t believe this show is still on the air. Growing up I NEVER wanted to miss an episode of Reading Rainbow.
That’s why it is was deep regret, and sadness that I have to say that this Friday will be the final episode of Reading Rainbow!
So grab a handkerchief with me and watch the opening credits.
{p.s. – I’m going to miss you, LeVar.
Via MSNBC
Times Square is a lonely place
I have been in New York City the past few days, and every time I come to New York I enjoy spending lots of time in Times Square. I enjoy interacting with people. Ok, I thrive on interacting with people. It’s the way God wired me. If you have ever been to NYC then you know how jammed packed with people times square is. It doesn’t matter what time of the day (or night) you go there – you’ll always find someone trying to get you to buy a watch, a purse, a broadway show ticket, a comedy club ticket, or sell you a hot dog. It’s packed. With people. Lots of them.
As much I enjoy going to Times Square, I am always heart broken by how lonely, broken, and hurt so many of those people are. Sure, most of them would never admit that. But, I wonder how many of them know that there is a God who is head, over hills in love with them . A God who created them. A God who knows there loneliness. Their pain. Their hurts. Their Fears. Their Worries. Their desire to “fix” themselves. (Adam and Eve did the same thing by the way.)
A God who desires to know them in a very personal way.
I’m not sure, but there is one thing I do know;
“Times Square is a very lonely place.”
My 15,000 tweet (or) I fall more and more in love with my wife every single tweet.
I am sending out this blog post as my 15,000 twitter update. I worked hard yesterday coming up with a very creative idea for my 15,000 tweet (in fact I’m going to save it, and maybe use it for my 20,000 tweet). Last night as I was finishing it up, and getting ready to post it; I could see my wife through the open door in our bedroom reading her Bible, and I was overwhelmed with how much I love my wife. So I decided to scratch my “super, awesome, creative, and witty 15,000 tweet idea” to simply say – “I love my wife.” ALOT.
I could write a huge blog post talking about why I love her so much, and how amazing it is to have a wife that loves the Lord more then her husband, but since you probably don’t know her it probably wouldn’t be all that interesting to you. However; if you know my wife in “person” (of if my wife has treated your sick child), then you know how loving she is – and I’ll assure you, it’s not an act. She is just as loving, and sweet at home, as she is in public! I’m one incredibly, blessed husband.
So here it is, my 15,000 tweet – I love my wife!
{p.s. – Abbie, if your reading this – thanks for being such a great wife – your prayers, love, and support spurs me on! – I love you!}
BK Whopper Bar – Orlando, Florida
My wife and I were trying to find some late night food at the City Walk last night when we ran across this place – “BK Whopper Bar” – curious we went in – this is what we saw…..
Universal Orlando knows how to do it…..
I’m in Orlando, Florida at Universal this week, and I must say – it is nice. My wife and I keep such busy schedules, it’s nice to be able to take some time to just get away and relax. Here is a quick view from our hotel room.
{p.s. – if your somewhere else, like work, sorry – wish you could be here!} 
Lots of people care (or are really nosy) about The Ambassador (William Branch) and his marriage…
For those of you who may not know; there are many tools that someone who owns a website (such as this) can use to help track how people are finding their website. Most of these tools will show you what people have typed into a search engine to get to your website – within the last month I have received a great deal of traffic to my website from people searching for these terms -
—————————————————————————–
“william duce branch”
“william branch the ambassador marriage”
“pray for william branch”
“william branch the ambassador”
“ambassador cross movement”
“ambassador moral failure marriage”
—————————————————————————–
I’m not sure why so many people are searching google to find out information about William Branch (The Ambassador), but my hope is that many of those people have a deep care to find out about William’s marriage, and ministry – and they are hoping that some where on the internet they will come across a website saying that William is back on track to restoring his marriage, and his walk with the Lord. (Side note : To this day I have not heard any update on The Ambassador’s restoral process. My hope is that he has surrounded himself with Godly men who are walking with him through this.)
As I have posted; I am a huge fan of The Cross Movement, and The Ambassador. I am also deeply saddened by all that has surfaced in the last month or so – but I am also confident of this;
That God can restore people, marriages, and lives allot quicker then it took them to mess them up.
I know that God cares a great deal for Duce, and his family – and I hope that anyone that comes across this blog will stop right now, and pray for William, and his family. If you have randomly stumbled upon this page just to be “nosey” – know this – God cares more for Duce, and his family more then any of us every could, and we should be on our faces praying for him and his family.
William, if you come across this page somehow – as a brother in Christ – I love you, and I want God’s best for you. I believe God can restore all that has been broken. Thank you for the impact your ministry has had on my life.
9 Principles of wise decision making
“How do I know if I”m making the right decision?” This is a question that I am often asked as I get the chance to speak to many adults and teenagers who are simply wanting to know if they are making the “right” decision. Instead of trying to answer their question for them, I like to give them principals that help guide them, as they make an informed, Godly, decision. I have had this hand-written list, written on a small index card, for years now. I”m not sure where I got it, or who I heard them from – but I wish I could remember, because I’d like to think them – it’s a great list. (I’ll also never know if there were 10 principals, and I just didn’t write down the last one, or not. Regardless, I sort of like the fact that there isn’t a perfect “10.”
All of us at times are faced with a crossroad, and we must also weigh our decisions against the truths found in God’s Word. I hope these principals will bless you as you seek to make Godly decisions in your life
9 Principles of Godly Decision Making
1. Am I putting God’s desire ahead of my own? (Matthew 6:33)
2. Will it help me to love God and others more? (Matthew 22:37-39)
3. Does this help me fulfill the great commission? (Matthew 28:18-10)
4. Will this help me lead a more holy life? (1st Peter 1:15)
5. Will this increase my personal knowledge of Christ? (2nd Peter 3:18)
6. Is this Profitable? (1 Cor 6:12)
7. Is this glorifying God with my body? (1 Cor 6:19-20)
8. Is this causing another to stumble? (1 Cor 8:9)
9. Am I doing this for God’s glory? (1 Cor 10:31)
God sure does make really cool stuff….like Laminin….
By now I”m sure you’ve seen this clip – but if you haven’t you need to. (I’m blown away every time I watch it.) It’s a talk given by Louie Giglio about you, me, God, laminin, and how incredible He [God] is.
If you’re not “into” “church talk” at least skip to 4:03 where Louie starts talking about a molecule called Laminin(picture to the left) – it’s amazing. Wow – God really knows what He is doing….
God is…..Triune
A few days ago I asked my friends on twitter and facebook this question;
“If you had to describe God in one word; what would it be.”
(not that any amount of words could ever adequately describe God)
Here are some of the many replies….
—————————————-
Awesome
God
Love
Indescribable
Unconditional
Word
Holy
Good
Father
Daddy
Hope
Faithful
Perfect
Amazing
——————————————-
While most of these are great adjectives for God; I was saddened that no one described Him as the one quality that is His, and His alone – Triune. It is this quality that sets God apart, that sets Christianity apart from any other religion. If you have the other qualities, but not this, then you don’t have a Biblical picture of God. Why is this not one of the first things that comes to people’s minds when then think about the One, True, God? Why do so many “Bible Teachers” neglect to talk about God in Triune (Biblical) terms? Why do we not teach our students (let alone our adults) about the face that God is Triune? That if God wasn’t Triune, if Jesus wasn’t fully God and fully man, then His death wouldn’t have mattered? Why do so many neglect this?
I’m so thankful that God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and that each is fully God and there there is only one God.
This is so vital because
“What a person thinks about God is the most important thought they will ever have. Because what a person thinks about God will determine what he thinks about everything else.”
Are we “thinking” right about God? Are we teaching Scripture to people in a way that would cause them to think “right” or “Biblically” about God? To think of God as Triune? Every time I open up the Bible to teach Scripture I ask myself “How can I make sure people walk away “thinking” CORRECTLY about the God this Bible describes?”
How about you? How would you answer the same question? When is the last time you have heard a sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity? When’s the last time you taught someone about the TRIUNE God? Do you make it a priority to teach about the Triune God of the Bible? Just some thoughts….
{On a side note – there are two professors at DTS, Dr. Scott Horrell and Dr. Jeffery Bingham, that God has used to really change my life, and my teaching. These men taught me more about the Doctrine of the Trinity and the importance of TEACHING it in my sermons then anyone ever has. I owe these men more then I can ever repay them. Thanks guys, you’ll never know the impact you have had on my life.}
