TOPIC: Preaching soon...

I get the opportunity to preach again in Big Kids' Church this coming Sunday...I really like to do this...ultimately, I love teaching teenagers about the things of God, but I also really dig the chances I get to do it with adult-type people...I am preaching about John 9, the passage of the man who has been blind his whole life, and then Jesus heals him..."I was blind but now I see!"...what a great summary of the Christian life...once we were stumbling around clueless, but then we met Jesus and He helped make sense of things...don't know how many people will be there on Sunday, seeing as how it is the day after Christmas and all...doesn't matter...still looking forward to it...now I just need to hope and pray that I feel better by then...don't want to be sniffling or hacking up phlegm throughout the sermon...

TOPIC: Jury duty...

How did I get picked for jury duty???...I have only lived in this town for a year and a half, and I get picked?...ridiculous...anyway, I went in last week to do my duty as an American...Marcy's first question when I got home was, "Was it interesting?"...in a word, no...it was quite boring...we stood around for a while, then sat around for a long while while we were read instructions, and then questioned, first by the prosecutor, and then by the defense attorney...after a long recess, we were given the results...as it turns out, I was not selected to be one of the twelve...it's probably a good thing that I was not chosen, because the defense attorney was so annoying, so condescending, that I wanted the prosecutor to win on that basis alone...she treated us like we were third graders and had never heard of the judicial process before...I know, how childish of me to base the fate of a man on that...that's why I say that it is a good thing that I was not among the twelve...

TOPIC: A Christmas Poem...

Here is a Christmas Poem that our high school youth group helped me create...it's a sort of Mad Libs...in case you can't figure it out, the words in italics are the ones I had them fill in...enjoy, and Merry Christmas...

'Twas the dog before Christmas and all through the clock,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a snowflake.
The hockey pucks were hung by the moose with care,
In hopes that George W. Bush would soon be smelly.
The monkeys were nestled all snug in their bumper cars,
While visions of dogs danced in their duck.
And Mom in her shovel and I in my snowman,
Had just settled down for a lysdexic winter's tree.
When out on the baby there arose such a clatter,
I skipped from my curtain to see what was the matter.
Away to the gator, I ran like a flash,
Tore open the on/off switch and threw up the boy.
When what to my wondering liver should appear,
But a bright sleigh and 32 ugly reindeer.
With a little old driver, so lively and greasy,
I knew in a moment it must be Marcy.
More rapid than boogers, the pencils they came,
And he vomited and licked and called them by name:
On Sasquatch and Elvis,
On Dave Matthews and Barbie.
On Tom York and Frosty the Snowman,
And Ashton Kutcher and Napoleon.
But I heard him squat as he drove out of sight,
"Yummy Christmas to all, and to all a good pig!"

TOPIC: Discipline

If you have read this blog at all, you probably know that I have a puppy...she is now a little over 5 months old...for the past several weeks, we have been taking her through obedience classes...that has been very good for her, and for us...this coming week, we actually have to be tested to see if Attie passes and gets her diploma...she has been doing very well, so we had no reason to believe that she wouldn't graduate...then comes last night...it was not a good night of training...it seemed like the things she had learned about stay-ing had been completely removed from her doggie mental framework...I would tell her to stay, and she would stand up and walk right along with me, as if I had never said anything...as a result, she would get quite a yank on her pinch collar...the more and more I did this, the more timid she would get...she also, surprisingly enough, got very loving...she knew something was wrong, and she probably knew I was causing it, but it just made her want to cuddle up to my legs and have me hold her...man, did I feel awful!...I was hurting her, but she just loved on me all the more...I knew what I was doing was for her own good...it still hurt, though...I wonder: does God hurt when He disciplines us?...and why don't we love Him all the more when He does?...hmmmm...

TOPIC: God makes me shake my head

As I type this post, I am listening to an MP3 of my cousin preaching at my home church in Ohio...it makes me think about our family and what we are doing with our lives...here I am, in Missouri, a youth pastor...my cousin that is preaching on my computer right now is a worship leader in Ohio...another cousin is a youth pastor in Pennsylvania...how weird is it to have three people in the same family in full-time ministry?...and my brother is seminary-trained, too...makes me shake my head...this is not to downplay anyone else who works at a job outside of the local church...I know they have a ministry that is just as important as the ones we hold in the church...but as I think about our childhoods (can that be pluralized?), I just find it a little baffling the way that God has directed our lives...He never ceases to surprise me...

TOPIC: Closeness...

I have a good dog...this morning, Attie sat patiently by the back door, waiting for me to finish drinking my coffee and reading my Bible...I finally got up to let her out...she wandered out to the back sidewalk, but instead of running around the yard sniffing leaves or going into the yard to facilitize (go to the bathroom), she started heaving and came back up on the porch with me...I recognized that she was getting ready to throw up, so I tried to get her back down into the yard so as not to make a mess on the porch...but she wanted to stay close to me...so I simply petted her and talked with her while she vomited on the porch - twice...it's like that with our relationship with God...we are happy to run around the yard, footloose and fancy-free, until things are cruddy...then we scamper back up onto the porch to puke before God...the difference is that God never tries to push us back down into the yard...He simply strokes our back and speaks softly to us...I have a good God...

TOPIC: The sports doldrums...

Thank goodness for Lebron James and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers...if it weren't for them, I would be in a majorly bummed state as far as my sports loyalties go...the OSU Buckeyes never really showed up this year (except for against Michigan, which was nice)...the Browns are pitiful (except that Luke McCown got a start, which I predicted before the season)...and my fantasy football team reeks in a significant way...all I can say is, "Go Cavs!"

TOPIC: I will be the next Head Coach of The Cleveland Browns...

Want evidence? Read the application letter I just submitted below...

November 30, 2004
RE: Head Coaching Position

John Collins
c/o The Cleveland Browns
Training Facility and Administrative Complex
76 Lou Groza Blvd.
Berea, Ohio 44017

Dear John Collins,
It has come to my attention, through my good friend Chris Mortensen (I consider him a good friend as I listen to him regularly on ESPN Radio), that the position of Head Coach of The Cleveland Browns has recently become vacant. It is my deep desire to throw my hat into the ring of possible candidates to fill this opening.

I feel strongly that I have what it takes to be a head coach in today’s NFL. Most people that know me would say that I am sorely under qualified for this position. They base this solely on the fact that I have no professional, college, or high school coaching experience. In addition, I have no experience playing organized football (unless you count soccer, which I played for several years in high school). However, I have one year’s coaching experience at the YMCA Pee-Wee level. And I have been following football – and The Cleveland Browns – very closely for many years and feel that I have a keen mind for the game. When Brian Sipe threw the infamous “Red Right 88” interception against the Raiders in 1980, I knew even before he threw it that he should throw the ball into Lake Erie. When John Elway led “The Drive,” and two seasons ago when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Browns in the playoffs, I screamed at the TV to not use the prevent defense, which the Browns employed and ultimately lost. And numerous times, I have made comments and observations about various games, to which friends and families have replied, “Wow! You should be coaching this team.” These are just a few of the evidences of my football mind. As a result, I am now looking for my opportunity to make a difference for the Browns.

Thank you for considering me for this opening. I would love to be the next Head Coach of The Cleveland Browns, and I feel that we would be a great match! Please contact me for my resume, if you have any questions, or to set up an interview. Thank you again…

Thank you,

Michael C. Fitzpatrick
MCF/mcf

TOPIC: Thanksgiving

With only a few minutes before I head home for the long Thanksgiving holiday (my local home, not Ohio), there isn't much time to compile a good list of things to be thankful for...but I'll come up with what I can:

-God, and the fact that I can have a relationship with Him...
-My lovely and patient wife Marcy...
-La Croix Church, it's leadership, and the great people I get to work with...
-the awesome youth of La Croix...
-Hostess Ho-Hos...
-all Cleveland sports teams (even though they often make me mad)...
-all the good friends in my life, especially Joe and Trey...
-my fantastic family...
-my puppy (who's quickly turning into a dog) Attie...
-modern conveniences: TV, telephones, computers, microwave, coffee maker, electricity, stereos and CDs, DVDs, etc....
-Adidas sandals...
-my car...
-Evil Dead 2...
-Arrested Development...
-living in the USA...
-reading materials...
-the color orange...
-David Wilcox music...
-Graeter's Ice Cream...
-Quizno's...
-Homestar Runner...
-kids...
-when someone says, "duty" (it makes me giggle because it sounds like "doody")...

This is by far NOT an exhaustive list, but I want to go home now...happy Thanksgiving to you and yours...

TOPIC: New CD in the player...

Currently listening to tobyMac's new CD...borrowed it from a co-worker...most excellent...it is clear that this guy was the driving force and the creative element behind DC Talk...Tait is OK, and Kevin Max went nowhere fast...toby keeps pushing the envelope and coming out with great music...I'll be wearing out this CD, fo sho (that was me trying to sound cool)...

TOPIC: Thank goodness it's over...

The ballots have been cast, and the results are final...I watched as Kerry conceded the election today, and then a short while later, Bush gave his victory speech...I am not only glad because Bush won (yeah, that's who I voted for - it's out there now)...but I'm even more glad that the whole election process is over...these Presidential election campaigns, as well as all the other local and state election campaigns, were U-G-L-Y...namecalling, accusations, twisting truths, and just downright meanness got me all fed up with the election process...not to mention the fact that there will be no political commercials for a while...now we can get back to important commercials, for things like Cialis, Pepto-Bismol, and Kotex...OK, maybe political ads aren't all that bad...I have this weird new fantasy...I want to run for political office and simply be me - t-shirts, jeans, and all - and be really nice..."Hi, I'm Fitz, and I approve this message. If you elect me President, here are the things I will try to accomplish: _________________. Now my opponent, Joe Blow, is saying some negative things about me. That's OK. He's allowed to. That's what makes this country great. Joe is actually a pretty good guy. I don't agree with everything he says, but he has strong convictions, is a good husband, and a great dad..."...anyway, you get the picture...I might actually gain a few votes from people who like nice guys...but you know what they say about nice guys...

TOPIC: The Red Sox...

I am quite glad that the Boston Red Sox finally won the World Series...this is not because I am a Boston fan; I am a lifelong, faithful Indians fan...this is not because I hate the Cardinals; they are currently my National League team, thanks to me living near St. Louis...this is also not because I felt bad for the Red Sox, since they haven't won a World Series since 1918...this is simply because maybe this means they will quit whining already..."WAAAAHH!! We haven't won a World Series in soooo long."..."WAAAAHH!! The Curse of the Bambino."..."WAAAAHH!! Bill Buckner let that ball go through his legs."..."WAAAAHH!! We have it so bad."...give me a break...hopefully this will put an end to all that sniveling and carrying on...

Now we just need to get the Cubs a World Series and we're all set...

Topic: Obedience...

During my current trek through the Bible, I find myself in the Old Testament again...each time I read through the Bible - I have done it several times now - something new shows up...or maybe I should say that something appears new to me...the latest thing that I have discovered revolves around obedience...to be more specific, it revolves around the phrase, "...just as the Lord commanded," or something similar...Noah did everything just as God had commanded him regarding the building of the ark...Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded regarding speaking to Pharaoh...at the first Passover, the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron...David did as the Lord commanded him and he beat down the Philistines...you get the picture...

As I read through these passages, I have to ask myself, "At the end of my life, when they write my biography (because they will, you know :-) ), will they write, 'Mike did everything just as God commanded him'?"...I don't see it happening...I try to live my life by God's guidelines, but at the end of each day, I know how unsuccessful I have been...add all those days up, and you have a whole lot of falling short...thank God that my relationship wih Him is not dependent upon my doing everything just as He commands me...is that my goal, what I strive for, what should be my aim?...certainly...but fortunately, God recognizes that I am human and that I will fall short...however, I will keep trying...man, it sure would be cool though to hear those words at my funeral...if I weren't dead and all...

TOPIC: Youth ministry - how fun...

Over the last two days, I have had three students come to me with significant problems in their lives, and a fourth is coming in shortly...apparently I have been here long enough for them to feel comfortable sharing with me their concerns, issues, and heartaches...that is great, because that is part of what I do and part of growing up in Christ...and it would be fine if I didn't have such a feeling-type personality...it would be nice to be able to analyze it and to not get caught up in the emotion of it, but that's just not me...it weighs heavily on me...it would be much easier if it happened maybe once a week, but four in two days is a little overwhelming...I'll get though it, with God's help...pray...

TOPIC: Why do we say that?...

I have something that I need to get off my chest...I have a new pet peeve, for lack of a better descriptor...it's a small, two-word phrase that many people I know use, including myself...but lately I have decided that I would, if I had the power, wipe it from the face of the linguistic earth...the phrase is, "real quick"...it's used as a part of a larger phrase such as, "I need to go to the bathroom real quick," or "I have a story to tell you real quick"...the phrase is grammatically incorrect, but that is not my problem with it...my problem is that it makes me wonder if we are really that busy that others have to give the disclaimer that what they are doing, they will do it quickly so as not to inconvenience us...sure, I have a lot of things going on, but my life needs to be about people, not about my time...Jesus was about people, not time...He didn't wonder if this healing or that personal contact was going to interfere or make Him late for His committee meeting with the Rabbis...He knew that He came to be with people...and I am supposed to imitate Him, not be wrapped up in how busy I am or the ministry is...I need to be about people...so the next time you are with me and you have to go to the bathroom or tell me a story, take your time...I've got it to give...
 

TOPIC: Professional athletes...

Yet another reason to hate professional athletes...if you've watched or listened to any sports broadcasts today, you've heard the story of Frankie Francisco, a relief pitcher with the Texas Rangers...late in the game against the Oakland A's, a fracas erupted, but it wasn't between the Rangers and the A's...it was between the Rangers and the fans of the A's...apparently there were some fans mouthing off to the pitchers that were in the bullpen, and one of the pitchers lost it...he and some of the other pitchers started to go after the fans...and then, out of nowhere, Frankie launches a chair into the stands and hits a lady in the face, breaking her nose...now I know, fans can be idiots...I've witnessed some of them, especially since I watched games from the old Dawg Pound in Cleveland...but couldn't other measures have been taken, like having security remove the fans or simply ignoring them...but no, the athletes think they have certain rights and are above the law...I was glad to hear that he was arrested and not just suspended...not only is this another reason to hate pro athletes...it's also another reason why the new Commissioner of Major League Baseball should be my cousin's husband, Cleveland attorney Stephan Schlegelmilch, Esq...if there is one person that can fix baseball's problems, it's him...Schleg for Commish...

Just thought you might like to meet my new puppy, Attie...although she is a girl, she is named for Atticus Finch from 'To Kill a Mockingbird'...she is absolutely adorable, except when she whines and barks all night long...she's still cute then, too, but also quite annoying...but we still love her...they tell me that this will be good practice for having kids...we'll see... 

TOPIC: The body and the blood...

This past weekend, I got to serve Communion at my church...now this is something I have done countless times, both here and during my time at seminary...there have been times in my life that I have dealt emotionally with the idea of Jesus Christ, the God-man, giving up his life in such a brutal, inhuman way, so it generally doesn't affect me the same way any more...some may call that callousness, I don't know...but something different happened this time...the juice dripped on my hand...maybe it has happened before and I just didn't notice it, but it felt like a new experience...and then it happened again...and again...then one man, as he was taking the juice-soaked bread to his lips, splattered it on his shirt...after I served, I sat down and looked at my hands...there were stains from the juice and small morsels of bread...my mind immediately raced to the soldiers that whipped and beat my Lord to death...I thought of Pontius Pilate and how he metaphorically washed his hands of Christ's blood...I considered those who removed his lifeless body from the cross...how all of them must have been covered in the blood of Jesus, either literally or figuratively...then I thought of myself...I thought of the times I have turned my back on God, the times I knew the right and did the wrong, the times I rebelled against the only one worthy of my entire loyalty...and I thought, "It's not enough."...this small amount of juice and bread was simply not enough to cover for the sins in my life...but fortunately, that wasn't all...it was only a small shadow of what Jesus did when he laid his life down on that cross, when he shed his blood and allowed his body to be broken for me...for me...what a strange thought...he did it for me...Jesus, thanks doesn't cut it...but thanks just the same...

TOPIC: Summer's almost over...

Yeah, it's true...summer's almost over...I can't believe it's already here...it seems like only yesterday that I thought that I had plenty of time to prepare for the new school year, to get all my youth teaching squared away, to get all my calendars put together, and so on...but school starts next week, which means so does the youth programming at church...it was an insane first part of the summer, but the last couple of weeks have been laid back...maybe a little too much so...I think I got a little complacent and am now feeling a little behind the 8-ball...it will be O.K., though...as a wise man once said, "If you wait until the last minute to do everything, it only takes you a minute to do everything."...now there's some true wisdom...

TOPIC: Idol...

Who will it be? Fantasia or Diana? We'll find out tonight...my buddy thinks it's all about Fantasia, but her attitude drives me a little batty...sure, Diana is all bubbly and bubble-gum, but man does she have pipes!...anyway, we'll see what happens...

I love this town (Cleveland)! 

Cool stained glass of Jesus crucified at YS Convention 

TOPIC: Fun game...

Here's a fun game if you are looking for some time to kill and are with some music-literate friends...it's called The Band Game, for lack of a better name...how to play it: one person comes up with the name of a band or recording artist...the next person has to come up with another band or recording artist whose name starts with the last letter of the previous one...so if someone said Brian Setzer, the next person could say Ray Charles, to which the next person could respond with Sly and the Family Stone, etc...the word 'The' does not count as a 'T' name, so The Beatles would be a 'B' band...the 'Y' Rule may need to go into effect after a while...after exhausting the few 'Y' names that there are (Yo-Yo Ma, Yoko Ono, etc.), you can then start using the next to last letter in the name to start the next one...you may need to use it also with 'X'...just played it for two days straight with some co-workers...much fun...

TOPIC: Lazy days...

It's nice to just have some lazy days...my wife is at work, and today is my day off...I got up late (8:30am - not too late) and cooked a huge breakfast...then I got online to send an e-mail and pay some bills...I have ESPN Radio on in the background and I'm still in my PJs...it's lovely...I have some chores to do today, but they will still be there in a little while when I get to them...

TOPIC: New yummy food...

Have you tried French Toast Crunch cereal?...how about French Toast Pop-Tarts?...wow, both are really yummy...and when you toast the Pop-Tarts, it makes the whole house smell really tasty...

TOPIC: Kick in the stomach...

Ever have one of those days...man, I had one yesterday...I was majorly bummed because not as many kids signed up as I wanted for some events we had planned...it put me in a funk...then I had some computer issues and lost some of a document I had put a couple of hours into...it was not a good day at all and I was feeling it...then I went to our midweek worship service...that went a long way toward straightening my attitude out...it reminded me that I am always teaching our kids to not look at your problems but to look at Jesus...I was so not doing that...it feels like a kick in the stomach when you realize that you were not listening to your own words...the worship time was awesome, especially the part led by the little kiddos...and as always, communion focused me...it was great to again focus on Jesus after that...felt much better on the way home...

TOPIC: Great worship...

The music in our church service this morning was awesome!...one group song and one special song had the same theme...Forever by Chris Tomlin was one song, and Emmanuel was the other...both have the theme of God being with us...it's good to be reminded that God didn't just create us and leave us to fend for ourselves...He also didn't create us and simply abandon us when we screwed up...instead, He loves us even though we screw up all the time, and He wants to be involved in our lives on a daily, minute-by-minute basis...all we have to do is let Him...He won't force Himself on us, but if we call on Him, He will respond and be a part of our lives...now that's good news!...

TOPIC: Garage(less) Sale...

Just had a fundraiser yesterday for our youth group...it was a Garage(less) Sale (since we don't have a garage)...people from the church donated all sorts of crud and we sold it, with the proceeds going to the mission trips we will take this summer...went quite well...made over $2,500.00...I'm not gonna' complain about that...I do have to say that garage salers are absolute nuts!...we weren't going to start the sale until 8:00am, but we had people scoping stuff out and claiming it as early as 6:30am...the truck wasn't unloaded and the stuff didn't even have prices on it yet!...finally, by 7:30am, I was kneeling in our parking lot with a line of 20-30 people making up prices and just selling stuff...it was insane!...but it made money, so that's all that matters...

TOPIC: Best series finale ever...

They had a web poll on ESPNRadio.com today...might still be there...the question was, "What was the best season finale ever on TV?"...not surprisingly, they didn't have my fave listed...it was a little-watched show in the 80's called Sledgehammer...I say little-watched because my best friend, Joe, and I were the only ones who watched it, I think...anyway, in the season finale - the season that they were in danger of cancellation - Hammer accidentally set off a nuclear bomb...the caption read "To be continued?" since they didn't know if they would be renewed...they were...the following season, they recapped by showing what happened at the end of the previous season...then they said, "Tonight's episode took place three years prior to these events," so you never found out what happened to Hammer of his cohorts...absolutely hilarious and clever...nice way to get renewed...

Runner-up would have to be Newhart or M*A*S*H*...

TOPIC: Youth ministry...

Just finished yet another book on youth ministry...good one by Andy Stanley and Stuart Hall called The Seven Checkpoints...it was a good read and very practical...here is the problem I am having...there are so many books out there telling you how to do youth ministry that's its hard to know which one is right...they don't generally give you a specific gameplan, but they tell you things like:

-You need a purpose statement
-There are seven things that each student needs to get out of your ministry
-You need this curriculum that will span the Bible and relevant topics over the six years you have them
-Today's youth ministry should be about postmodernism and should reflect vintage Christianity

Which is right?...or maybe the question should be, how much of each is right?...I would love to find the best way to reach the youth in my area...and I know there is no silver bullet that will guarantee 'success,' but it would help if they all got on the same page...I guess it's a matter of trial and error and finding out what works for the kids I get...I'll let you know how it turns out...

TOPIC: Friends...

On Thursday night, Friends will air it's last episode...quite frankly, it's about time...don't get me wrong; I was once a big fan of Friends and still watch it occasionally...but it seems to have run its course...I haven't watched religiously in several years now, but every time I turn it on or see a commercial for it, it seems that Ross and Rachel have some sort of romantic / sexual tension thing going on...enough already!...move on and get healthy, for goodness sakes...and how in the world can these people work not very good paying jobs and afford an awesome apartment in NYC?...the average apartment goes for a million dollars!!!...and the show probably has done more harm for the morals in America than shows like The Sopranos and Sex in the City...why?...because their relativistic morals and sexuality is seen as funny and acceptable, rather than over the top like the other shows...if you can get someone to laugh at immorality and make it look normal and O.K., it's a slippery slope after that...I won't be too sad to see Friends go...but I will be watching on Thursday just to see how everything turns out...

TOPIC: Heroes...

You want a hero?...look no further than Pat Tillman...here's a stud who stood up for his convictions...a pro football player who left a LOT of money on the table so he could go serve our country in the war against terrorism...he had been playing for the Arizona Cardinals when 9/11 happened...he was so moved by this tragedy that he gave up his career in football to serve in the military...how easy would it have been to live the good life while playing a game he had loved?...very...but he chose the hard road and ultimately paid the price of his life, dying last week...the thing that most stood out to me in the life of this man was the fact that he never talked about what he was doing...he could have gotten on his soapbox and said, "Hey! Look at me! I'm a great American because I'm giving up millions of dollars to join the military. What a great guy I am!"...but he didn't...he did it quietly...he just served and gave his life for something he believed in...are you?...

TOPIC: Shielding my eyes from the light...

Had an interesting "A-ha!" moment at the Ichthus Music Festival...it occurred while we were standing listening to one of the speakers (we couldn't sit - too muddy)...as usual, I was located on the left side of the field as I faced the stage, which meant that the late afternoon sun was in my eyes (I haven't yet learned to go to the other side of the field)...and as I was trying to listen to and watch the speaker, I had to shield my eyes from the sun, because it was getting quite uncomfortable glaring in my eyes...made me think about the fact that Jesus said that he was the light of the world...I wondered how many times I had "shielded my eyes" from Jesus because his presence was making me uncomfortable...the closer and closer we get to Jesus, the more and more aware we become of the darkness in our own lives, and it is tempting to try and shy away from that light shining in trying to remove the darkness...try to not shield your eyes from the light...the outcome is worth the uncomfortableness...

TOPIC: Ichthus, continued...

More Fitzie Awards to dole out...

Thankless Job Award: tie, between the police officers who did their best to keep traffic moving and to keep people from getting hit by cars, and the guys who were sucking poo out of the porta-pots..."We're Number One in the Number Two Business"...

Coolest Merch Available: Trucker cap sold by John Rueben that said, "Oh look, another trucker cap...John Rueben"...not to mention the fact that it was in the hottest pink imaginable...

Biggest Surprise: The 35th Anniversary Celebration was way cool...they started by showing a banner from the very first Ichthus and introducing the wife of the recently departed founder of Ichthus, Bob Lyons...then they shot off fireworks while playing lots of great music over the sound system...very exciting, and surprisingly, very worshipful...

Must go put together a talk for tonight's junior high youth meeting...have a great day...

TOPIC: Ichthus Music Festival...

Well, it's day 1 1/2 of recuperation time from the Ichthus Music Festival...I feel sorry for the six kids that went with us that had to go to school the next day...but not so sorry that I'm not enjoying my time off...this morning, I ate Pop-Tarts, drank coffee, and watched Malcolm in the Middle and Arrested Development that I taped on Sunday...I don't know why Arrested Development is getting horrible ratings...very funny show...anyway, back to Ichthus...it's nice that it's not raining outside and that there is no mud on my feet...it's nice that I don't have to put garbage bags on my feet before getting in a car...needless to say, it was a little messy in Kentucky over the weekend...cars were getting stuck all over the festival; people were mudsliding; and the traffic got so bad that the state threatened to shut the festival down because cars were lining the streets heading into the campground...I just hope that it doesn't give the festival a black eye...they do a great job and the only negative feedback I have ever heard about Ichthus is the weather (unlike Cornerstone)...

It's time to give out the first annual Fitzie Awards for Ichthus:

Show of the Year: tobyMac, hands down...I was telling my wife that one of the things I really like about tobyMac's shows is that it never sounds like one of his albums...you know what I'm talking about; some bands in concert, well, you could have heard the same thing if you had just listened to their CD...not tobyMac...he really mixes things up, and his concerts are just as creative as his CDs...as always, lots of energy, including a breakdancing male backup singer/dancer who did a backflip off of the speaker stack...they did a great medley of old school funk/disco/r&b stuff...the other male backup singer dancer did an amazing human beatbox...the female singer had pipes like you wouldn't believe...all in all a great show...

Runner-Up: For All The Drifters...not only are they better musicians than many of the other bigger bands - like Relient K and Pillar (sorry Emily) - but they also mentioned me on stage...very cool...thanks JT...

Most Deafening Performance: tie between Pillar (for whatever reason, they were about 20 decibels louder than the other hardcore band Kutless) and Mike Bickle, the speaker on Saturday night...I guess he didn't realize that you don't have to yell to have your voice amplified; that's what a microphone is for...

Biggest Disappointment: tie between the weather (lots of rain and mud) and Hannah puking and having to miss her fave band, Switchfoot...poor thing...

Funniest Moment: had to be Emily getting her finger stuck in a bottle of spicy water, Ale-8-1...

Best Speaker: Big Poppa, Rick Grigsby (heh-heh-heh...)...he made us laugh, he made us cry, but more importantly, he showed us how we could worship God even when we don't understand or like what God is allowing to happen to us...

I'm sure more awards will come to me, but I must go bake bread now...do me a favor and look around to see where you see God today...

TOPIC: March Madness...I'm mad...

Already my March Madness bracket is suspect...I picked Charlotte to upset Texas Tech - wrong...I picked Southern Illinois to bump off Alabama - wrong by one point...and I contemplated long and hard about picking Manhattan to knock off Florida, but I ended up going with Florida - again, wrong...must learn to go with the first instinct...thank goodness for Maryland and St. Joe's so far...it has the making for a rough March for me...it's a good thing it's only for fun and that there is no money involved...otherwise, it would be hard to pay the mortgage this month...

TOPIC: Professional athletes...

Man, professional sports are really starting to annoy me...actually, I should say that professional athletes are really starting to annoy me...first there is Jason Kidd...the New Jersey Nets sucked until they got rid of Byron Scott as their head coach...was he that bad of a coach?...I think not...it's pretty obvious that Kidd and the cronies that followed him were tanking games until they got their way and got Scott fired...then there was Allen Iverson pouting and refusing to suit up for a game because he wasn't going to start...baby...and finally, Terrell Owens gets his way by saying that he doesn't want to play for the Ravens - who I can't stand, by the way - so he gets the 49ers to trade him to the Eagles instead...since when were the players the ones who dictated what happens and what doesn't?...I guess we don't need head coaches or general managers anymore...professional sports are declining, but since I have been a sports fan for 34 years, it's hard to break the habit...they are like drugs to me; I would like to kick the habit, but I just don't see it happening...

Thank God for March Madness and other collegiate sports stuff...except the BCS...but that's another post altogether...

TOPIC: My cousin, Tylenol PM, and recent viewings...

So I got a phone call this morning...it was my cousin saying that he saw my blogger online...I thought, "Crud! It's been a while since I have updated it."...he also implied that it was cheesy...jerk...just kidding...it probably is cheesy, but I've never claimed to not be cheesy...it's just a part of being me, I guess...

I'm pretty tired this morning...haven't finished my coffee yet, and not sleeping very well...got a lot of stuff on my mind: planning activities for the youth group, visitors coming, etc....when lots of stuff is going on, I don't sleep well...thank God for Tylenol PM...it is my friend, and I anticipate that we will be getting together tonight...

Saw a great movie the other night: Runaway Jury with John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and Rachel Weisz (yama-yama!)...great stuff!...I knew it would be because my dad recommended it to me, and if he made it through a whole movie, it must be good...he usually loses interest after 30 minutes or so...rent it if you haven't seen it...

Was glad to see that Jon Peter Whatever-his-last-name-is made it through on American Idol...I don't think he has the talent to make it through to the end, but he sure is quirky and fun to watch...we'll see if he gets through tonight...if he weren't in it, I wouldn't be nearly as interested...

Ummmm, so have a great day...

TOPIC: Hunger, movie, and comics...

I'm feeling a little hungry this morning, even though I had my usual Fruit-Loop waffles with peanut butter on them (yum!)...makes me think about this weekend when the youth group that I lead will be doing the 30 Hour Famine...we will be going 30 hours without food while raising sponsors to help support starving kids around the world...right now we support the cutest kid ever from Uganda...we will be supporting him and one or two other kids for the whole next year with the money we raise...it's going to be a good time and an educational one for the kids and for all the leaders...I am very much looking forward to it...

Saw an interesting movie this weekend (actually Thursday): Lost in Translation...I don't know that Sofia Coppola deserves director of the year or that it deserves movie of the year, but it did intrigue me...it was a good picture of how people can get involved in extra-marital affairs...they find someone that they can connect with in a way that they can't with their spouse, and that's how it starts...the main characters didn't have sex with each other, but they had what I would call an emotional affair...it made me want to be even more cautious about my relationships with members of the opposite sex so that I don't fall into the same trap...

Best comic strip of all time: Calvin & Hobbes...Second best: Bloom County...Current best: Foxtrot or Zits...just my $.02 worth...

TOPIC: Good book and my wife...

just finished a book today that i would recommend to any- and everyone...it is called Dangerous Wonder by Mike Yaconelli...it is a call to reclaim our childlikeness and wonder as it relates to our faith...too often we take our lives - and our faith - too seriously...don't get me wrong; my life and my faith is a very serious matter, but when i get all wrapped up in 'doing ministry' and learning theology and making decisions with regards to mission statements and forget what it means to just get swept up and carried away in the love of grace of God, something's wrong...i want to experience a sense of reckless abandon in my relationship with Jesus...i'm tired of getting upset that the guy or girl in the car in front of me doesn't know how to drive; i'm tired of worrying about if my wife and i will make enough money to pay the bills; i'm tired of worrying about deadlines and making sure my desk is cleaned off (not that it ever is); i'm tired of going through life without living it...Lord, help me to experience you, to get lost in your love, to be mesmerized by your mercy, to be perplexed by your power, and to giggle in your grace...

my lovely wife is gone for a few days...bummer...we have only been married a short while, but already it feels like there is something, someone, missing...sure, i get to watch the tv i want to and kill time instead of doing chores, but boy do i miss her...soon we will be back together, but not soon enough...

TOPIC: Sin is like ice...

never done this before...wondering if it's a good idea...wondering if the youth i work with will think it's cool or ultra-dorky...i guess we'll find out

had a thought today...sin is a lot like ice...it sure looks nice (all the trees were frozen over from the freezing rain yesterday), but man, can it do some damage...the ice cut the power off several times today and trees were uprooted...i was afraid to drive under some trees because i was afraid that a huge limb would snap and fall on my car...sin looks great...it is so attractive and appealing, but it will do damage in one's life...ultimately, it will kill you, just like a limb would have done had it crashed through my windshield...just one of my random ramblings