Ok…I like that we have good people that do good video work. This is a cool trailer that we are playing at a number of churches around Atlanta….I am putting it on here just so you will watch and laugh at the end. I still laugh.
Some thoughts for you. Life is all consuming to all of us. Usually consisting of work, family, solving crises, getting ready for the next event, sermon, presentation….and of course for many of us “endless” meetings. I have meetings on my schedule every week. But, I know that my life and my business will become boring and frustrating if it doesn’t evolve and change. I have a few days where there are two hours dedicated on my calendar to creativity. Learning, reading, meeting with someone other than job related, thinking (yep…sometimes i just lie on a beanbag and think). Those are the scheduled appointments with myself and my creative juices(that often sit inside all by themselves and don’t get to come out and play) that help make my life and my work evolve. I highly recommend that when you work on your calendar, you schedule time in your week for evolving. creating. thinking.
And you have a list of those things that you want to read or write or think or research, or record…so that when you meeting alarm goes off on your iphone, you know what you are going to do with yourself. is this time any less important than the meetings you have with others to accomplish great tasks? This is just an encouragement in case you are feeling in a rut. Get outside your normal ordinary life and watch the extraordinary happen.
Been a while since I wrote something. Wanted to let Jessie’s tribute settle in for a while.
Two things coming up now. Catalyst. and Night for Africa.
Jeff Foxworthy, Fee, Me, Daraja Children’s Choir from Africa, Jack…one stunning night!
What is going on at the 410 Bridge is simply incredible.
If you are anywhere close to Atlanta, I’d love for you to join us. It will be an incredible night. Check out this link to see what it is.
http://www.410bridge.com/nightforafrica.php
If you have been to my blog before, then you know the story of jessie. If not, this is something you should watch.
It is the same video that was posted before. We have changed the last minute
. We wanted this video to have the proper ending. To Marilyn, Kitt and Robert…this is for you.
I am reminded of my friend Rick who went to be with Jesus exactly three years before Jessie. At his memorial service Louie recited the following lines about Rick but i have inserted jessie’s name in place of Rick’s as this is fitting since her life, like his…is about this …We win.
“… so that now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For me to live is Christ, and for me to die is gain.” Phil 1:20-21
We all hoped Jessie wouldn’t die…
And in fact she’s very much alive!
WE WIN.
We prayed and believed God would raise her up…
And He did!
WE WIN.
We wanted to see Jessie walk out the front door of her Hospital…
But instead she soared through the roof!
WE WIN.
Death tried to claim her…
But Jesus had already saved her!
WE WIN.
We grieve because Jessie is gone…
But seeds of hope reside deep down in our souls because we know exactly where she is.
WE WIN.
We miss her…
But we will again embrace her.
WE WIN.
Jesus Christ is Risen today and He is the ultimate grave robber.
In Him we have the victory.
In Him WE WIN.
Manchester Orchestra “I can barely breathe” from clay lipsky on Vimeo.
so…now and then i oughta just put something on here so you can see what some creative folks are doing out there. then again, most of you who read this are probably way ahead of me and have see this.
it makes my blog look cool though.
On Sept 8 2008, Jessie got to get rid of all of the pain she has experienced for so long. She now gets the hugs and smiles of her heavenly father and feels no more pain forever.
The last few days, we got to let Jessie and her family know that many of us have seen her as a young princess warrior for a great King and that the amount of people she has influenced in her short life of 16 years is amazing. Talking with Louie Giglio today convinced me even more as he mentioned her influence on him and the message of hope that he has preached literally all over the world ….and it was much about Jessie. She is certainly missed and i cannot begin to fathom the mixed and very strange emotions that her family has to bear at this time. However, God has shown his grace and mercy throughout this whole journey and Jessie’s parents are evidence of being held up by a loving father. This is the 3rd anniversary of my good friend Rick Pearson going to see Jesus. I smiled some today when i pictured Jessie and Rick pain-free, worshipping together the God who loves us all enough to keep us from staying on this planet longer than we should.
Blogging is an interesting thing because it connects a lot of people around the world to see and experience everything from the mundane pieces of our lives to our political views and, as i have mentioned here often, the uncanny stories of God. One of the intersections of life for me to see God has been through a young girl named Jessie. If you haven’t seen her video, please go back and view it today. I admit I usually have no clue truthfully about God’s will for our lives and why life evolves the way it does, but i do know many of the pieces of God’s puzzle when i see them and i have no doubt that even though pain and suffering are weird and oftentimes senseless from our perspective, that God is always at work and we have the opportunity to be a megaphone for him especially in the times of trials.
Today Jessie is in the hospital struggling with kidney failure and lungs that don’t want to cooperate.
My request is that all who read this today stop for a few minutes and intercede for jessie and her family. This has been a long battle and they are not giving up on what God might want to still do thru his valiant young warrior here on this turf. Our prayers are that he would miraculously intervene and put his healing hand on her body and give life and breath to this incredible young lady of faith.
If you want, i will pass any of your written prayers on to her family from here.
Thanks for being part of a family and letting a bizarre cultural piece of our lives called blogging, bring us together for a cause and task and prayer much bigger than this internet.
Lanny
Sorry it has been a while since i have written. Have you ever noticed how much time life takes up?
As for the comments on the preachers, i got a bunch but as promised only published the comments of those of you who were positive.
If you want me to publsih yours and it isn’t so positive, just feel free to let me know but this is by no means an open debate on who is good and who is not. It is for an experiment i am doing that i cant quite tell you about yet. If it works, it will be fun.
I may list a bunch of others in a day or so and get your opinions on those, And i might add that your opinions have been very helpful.
Meanwhile, i have blogged about Jack and Jessie and Pain and a lot of aother tear-jerking stories.
I don’t like to write about mundane unless it if for pure entertainment. So, if you are follwoing, let me know what you wnat to hear from me…poignant stories, funney weird stuff, leadership ideas, creative ideas, stuff i found that you might not have, fun videos ….do you want me to stir up trouble ? In a fun kind of way. What???? How about excerpts from my next book. would you help me get it virally marketed? Do you want to hear miracle stories about africa? I got stuff in my head just ready to bust out….but only so much room in order to do a shorter blog post than this.
I could give you weird pictures.
I could ask you to come to Bigstuf Camps next summer, or book our African Childrens Choir. or come to CAtalyst. in October…its gonna be great. I just want to make sure if i am writing then it is something that people want to read. Meanwhile here is a bizarre older video for you just to entertain you, but i am warning you….i am gonna start making you cry unless you tell me different.
Meanwhile…smile at this.
Reggie looks older than the other two.
Today was my friend Reggie Joiner’s Birthday. I had to work all day and didn’t get to do anything special yet. But, hey it made me think about a few things. I went to his facebook and sent him a note and then I copied the picture that is his facebook profile picture and made it my profile picture as well.
I’ll attach it here. As you can see …it is Reggie and Me and Andy Stanley. Here is my thought. The three of us have been friends for a long time. We have gotten to do some absolutely amazing things together. I have memories of ministry, and teaching and laughter and fun and life change and struggle and disease and heavy hearts and pure joy with these guys. God has given us people in our lives where he has revealed his very presence and nature and sometimes we forget. On birthdays, we stop and remember. And thank God for friendships like these that you would never replace for anything in the world. None of us really knew each other 20 years ago. We had heard of each other but we would never have dreamed what God would do in our lives together. That is the heart part of this. The fun part would be to have all of you send Reggie a note saying that he looks a lot older than Andy and Lanny. Send it to Reggie on his facebook account Reggie Joiner or ..dang i really want to give out his personal email address here. but …i won’t. go to tour@rethinkgroup.org
Thanks
Another in the ping pong links. Just cool and fun.
