Weekend Review for October 30, 2005

Today we launched a new series title Storms

Music (with iTunes links)
Blessed Be Your Name
Home
I Will Live My Life For You
Still (Hillsong)
Made Me Glad

Message - "Where Is God In the Storms?"
Brandon answered the questions "Where Is God in the Storms?" There was a lot fo scriptural support. If you are going through a storm or you sense a storm coming on...click the link above to check out this message. It will encourage you.

Notes:
Today was a good day. There was a ton of energy in the second service. After looking at the connection cards, it seems that God really used today to encourage many many people.
Our volunteers did a great job. We had a huge weekend with the fall fest and still our volunteers had great attitudes and accomplished the goal. Good job!

Subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.

Four Great Questions To Ask God Every Day

This is an excerpt out of a book that I read on my retreat. It really spoke to me. I hope it speaks to you.

From time to time, I meet people who are having a hard time and who sometimes admit they are discouraged and depressed. As I ask them for details about their lives, I often discover that they are acting totally on their own strength and energy. They are trusting in their experience, their education, their acquired skills, and their natural know-how. In some cases, they are trusting in others to provide for them. Their discouragement is rooted in the fact that they are failing in some way or others are failing them. They are disappointed in themselves or in others. Friend, any time you try to define and reach your own potential using human resources alone . . . you are going to fail. And the more you fail or feel that others have failed you, the more you are going to be subject to disappointment, discouragement, and depression.

The real key to reaching your potential lies in trusting God to help you become your best. We do this by actively and verbally placing our trust in the Lord, saying, "I need You, Holy Spirit, to help me become and do all that God has created me to be and do. I need You, Holy Spirit, to work in me in such a way that I will want to accomplish and be able to accomplish all that You have purposed for me to do in my life."

There are four great questions we are wise to ask God daily:

1. What do You want me to do? God desires to reveal to you the next step you can take into your own potential. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you specifically what He desires for you to do in any given day. Is there someone He desires for you to contact? Is there someone He is planning to bring across your path? Is there a meeting you should attend or an appointment you should make? Is there a decision you should make?

Be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit deep within your heart. Trust Him to give you precise guidance and direction.

2. How do You want me to act? For everything that God desires to accomplish on this earth, He has a method He plans to use. For every purposed there is an accompanying plan. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how You are to accomplish the goals He sets before you. What methodology or protocol should you use?

3. When do You want me to act? We often fail because we get ahead of God, or we lag behind. For every thing that God desires to accomplish on this earth, He has a precise timetable. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you His schedule and His expansion plan. When you act can be as important as how you act and what you do.

4. How can I best represent You today? The Holy Spirit desires to influence others not only through what You do and say, but also by your very presence in any group of people. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the joy, peace, and forgiving spirit that bear witness to Christ Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to make and mold you into an even greater Iikeness of Christ.

Listen closely for God’s answers to your questions. Some of those answers are likely to be revealed to you as you read and study your Bible on a consistent, daily basis. Some answers may come as you hear a sermon or teaching tape. Some of those answers may come as you listen quietly before the Lord. Some answers may come as you receive godly counsel from believers who are skilled in their fields and humble in their hearts before God.

When you know God's answers . . . and only when you know God’s answers . . . begin to act. Stay sensitive to the Lord all day. Ask repeatedly, "Is this what You want me to do? Am I doing this in the way that is pleasing to You? Am I on Your schedule? Am I reflecting You in a way that brings glory to Your name?"

Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit - Copyright 2005 by Charles F. Stanley (pgs. 44-48)

Life Is Very Fragile

A pastor performing a baptism was electrocuted inside his church Sunday morning after grabbing a microphone while partially submerged, a church employee said.

The Rev. Kyle Lake, 33, was standing in water up to his shoulder in a baptismal at University Baptist Church when he was electrocuted, said Jamie Dudley, a church business administrator and wife of another pastor there.

Doctors in the congregation performed chest compressions for 40 minutes before Lake was taken to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, Dudley said. Police said they weren't called and the hospital referred calls to the church.

The woman Lake was baptizing was not injured, Dudley said.

Pastors at University Baptist Church routinely use a microphone during baptisms, Dudley said.

"He was grabbing the microphone so everyone could hear," Dudley said. "It's the only way you can be loud enough."

About 800 people attended the morning service, which was larger than normal because it was homecoming weekend at nearby Baylor University, Dudley said.

Lake, who had a wife and three children, had been at the church for nine years, the last seven as pastor, Dudley said. Courtesy of Associated Press

Please be in prayer for the Lake family and the UBC family. May God comfort them in their pain and begin to heal their hearts with HIS nearness.

Another Rambo?

First Sylvester Stallone announced he would be making another Rocky film, and now he’s bringing back Rambo. Millennium Films is reportedly producing the fourth installment of the Rambo saga that will feature Stallone reviving his role as the Vietnam vet. Rumors are also swirling about a sequel to a lesser-known Stallone movie, Over the Top 2: Keep on Truckin’ in which Stallone’s character is forced to arm-wrestle for the custody of his children—again …courtesy of relevantmagazine.com

Mother Goose Rocks

This is hysterical. This was forwarded to me by Bill Jones.

Proud of My Sooners

My Sooners are jellin!!! I realized today that the 3 teams that have beaten OU have a combined record of something like 28 and 1. That's right...1 loss. 2 of the teams are in the top 10 and the other is in the top 20. So my Sooners are SOOO bad!

Today we saw the return of AD (Adrien Peterson). His first play was a 36 yard TD run. I was screaming like a school girl!!! My poor roomie was trying to have his quiet time and I was screaming like a girl. Anyways...AD had 146 total yeards and a few tds. Malcolm Kelly is a our new Fresham wide-receiver sensation. He had 8 catches for 88 yards. He has great hands. Mark my words...you will be hearing this combination for the next coupls of years - "Bomar to Kelly." Rhett Bomar did well today.

I really was concerned that we would lose AT Nebraska but the Sooners held them off with 31-24 win. I would be so pumped if we could end up 9 and 3.

BOOMER SOONER!!!

Fall Fest a BLAST

I had a blast today at the 2nd Annual Viallages of Woodland Springs FALL FESTIVAL! Keystone got to serve the community. What an amazing opportunity! We helped with all the kid games, sound system (i got to play dj...it was a blast), ipod giveaways, and much more. We got to connect with many people. It was also a perfect day outside.

I want to give a shout out to every volunteer who served today! You put feet to the gospel today! What you did today was the heart of God. Thanks so much for sacrificing your Saturday to minister to others. I pray God will bless you and your families.

Check back in about a week for a video of the event. Thanks to Chris for shooting the video and editing it!

Great job everyone!

Gotta say Happy B-day to My boy BEESON

Beeson turned the BIG 30! Welcome to the club my BROTHA! Also, keep that costume...I think it could help Dumbo Circus out on their first Worldwide tour "The Greatest Hits You've Never Heard."

My evening with Bono, Larry, Edge, Adam, Ang and 20,000 of our closest friends

Tonight's concert was amazing! It started off with an awesome dinner. My sis, Ang, and I went to Trulucks off Maple and McKinney in Dallas. The food was perfect and the outside atmosphere added to the perfect dinner all to setup a fabulous concert.

U2 opened with City of Blinding Lights and never looked back. I was really moved by "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for." Bono is a great performer and he captivated the audience. You were always looking for Bono. "Vertigo" was the second song out of the gate. The Edge's guitar melodies were like a brick wall of sound just pounding you in the face...it was quite beautiful. They played a little "Elevation" and "Beautiful Day." Both a crowd favorites. Bono gave a moving performance of "Sometime You Can't make It On Your Own." He talked about his dad and how he missed him and how he inspired the song.

Then the sound I had waited for all night..."Streets..." The Edge tore it up and the place went crazy. I was like a kid in a candy shop...a really big candy shop. U2 played many other favorites. "Love and Peace or Else" had a great groove. Sounded amazing and the technology made that song even cooler.

Then came the First Encore. During that encore they played With Or Without you (Bono sang to a gal int he audience.) and a broke down acoustic version of "Stuck ina Moment..."...then the band kicked in. Cool.

Then the Second Encore. Bono did something amazing. Bono pulled a kid out of the audience who kept telling him that he could play the guitar. So Bono let him play. They played "Angel Of Harlem" and this kid did awesome. He played the acoustic. One cool thing is the kid started waling around stage and performing to the band. At the end of the song, Bono switched glasses with him. They tore it up with "All Because of You" and then ended with "40." It was cool because the band pealed off one by one till just crowd was left singing 'How Long to sing this song..."

This was my first time to see U2. I was not disappointed. It was worth every dime spent. I look forward to seeing them again someday.

i am at U2

Second Annual Fall Fest

This Saturday, Keystone will be serving the community at the Village of Woodland Springs Second Annual Fall Festival. Please pray for us as we are the hands and feet of the gospel this Saturday. Love God, Love Others, Love Life!!!!

I'm BACK!!!

Well, not actually...I am sitting in the Albuquerque Airport. This is the first chance I have had to check email. I will write more later but I must say...If you have never been on a personal retreat where you can just get away from everything and read, look at the stars, watch the snow fall (yeah that's right, it snowed), read some more, listen to some different communicators (I listend to a little Matt Chandler and Louie Giglio) and rest rest rest....(This is becoming the biggest run on sentence ever), then you MUST! It is worth it. I challenge you to sacrifice a little and make the investment in you. God really showed me a lot about Himself and myself. I think the one over arching thing I learned this past week was...Solitude. We need solitude. We need to get alone and rest in God's presence. If it is just for 15 minutes a day, get alone with God's word and let Him speak to you. Yeah, all those voices in your head are distracting but let me tell you something...after a while of doing this, the voices get quiter and quieter with each passing day. So find a quiet place and try it everyday for a week and see what God shows you. I promise you will be blessed.

It is good to be almost home. If you are looking for a place to go to church this Sunday, come check out Keystone. We are launching a new series called Storms.

Weekend Review - October 23, 2005 - One Year Celebration

We had an amazing day today. God was so faithful to hear and answer our prayers.

Music (with iTunes links)
Forever (We tagged the chorus of Crowder's Here Is Our King)
For All You've Done (Susan Thomas - Worship Leader)
You Alone
How Great Is Our God (We tagged the chorus of Majesty Here I Am)
Offering

Message - One Year Celebration
We had a great day!!! Brandon shared the vision God has given him for the Keller area. It all was based around Love God, Love Others, Love Life. You should listen to it on the podcast.

Notes:
We had our highest attendance today - 423! Many people indicated that they were interested in becoming Christ Followers. It was also a day of giving sacrificially and our people gave above and beyond. May God bless their faith! One of my favorite parts of the service was when we sang "How Great Is Our God" At the end of the song we tagged "Majesty." The band played the first part of Majesty with a Coldplay Politik feel. Musically I was blown away but more than that...I really sensed God was reminding everyone that His grace alone can rescue us. It was very moving to me. Finally, I say this..."How Great is our God!!!"

P.S. Oh yeah...we showed 4 video testimonies...you can watch them here.

Going on a retreat

On Monday, I will be heading to a cabin in Angel Fire, NM to retreat by myself. A while back I watched the Nooma video, "Noise." This video impacted me so much that I realized I needed to retreat away from the noise in my life. There are a couple of reason whay I feel God is leading me there. #1 - there is WAY too much noise in my life. So I'm going to get away from the cell phone, the internet, tivo...you know...all the noise. #2 Hear a fresh word from God. #3 Get clear vision for life and ministry. #4 REST REST REST. I plan on reading a ton and praying.

Have you ever been on a retreat like this? What did you do? Do you have any suggestions on books I should take with me? Any specific excercises you would suggest? I would appreciate your thoughts and I would appreciate your prayers next week. Thanks.

Check out this Worship CD

I have been listening to the new Lincoln Brewster "All to You...Live." This is a great cd. Lincoln has amazing gifts...he is an amazing guitarist, song writer and worship leader. His heart truly comes across in the recording. One thing I really enjoy about this cd is that as a worship leader, I can use these songs. They aren't so produced that you need the loops and effects to make it sound like it is written to sound like. He gives a great version of the old tune "Another Hallelujah." Right now the song "You Are the One" is resonating in my heart. Below is are the lyrics to that song. BTW, you can download and/or listen to "All to You...Live" at iTunes. You can download the charts for this cd here.

You're the One Who made the heavens
You're the One Who shaped the earth
You're the One Who formed my heart
Long before my birth
I believe You'll always lead me
All my days have been ordained
All Your thoughts toward me are holy
Full of love and grace

You are the One You are holy
You are the One You are worthy
You are the One You are the One everlasting You are the One
You are the One I will worship
You are the One I will serve all my days
You are the One You are the one everlasting
You are the One Jesus You're the One

Paul Baloche and Lincoln Brewster© 2002 Integrity's Hosanna! Music/ASCAP and Integrity's Praise! Music/BMI

God's Megaphone

“But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."
—C.S. Lewis

No Need for Guilt

Ps 32
Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven,whose sin is put out of sight! 2 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin,whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
3 When I refused to confess my sin,I was weak and miserable,and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.Interlude
5 Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them.I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the LORD."And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.Interlude
6 Therefore, let all the godly confess their rebellion to you while there is time,that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. 7 For you are my hiding place;you protect me from trouble.You surround me with songs of victory.Interlude
8 The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.I will advise you and watch over you. 9 Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control."
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked,but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD. 11 So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him!Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!
NLT

Weekend Review - October 16, 2005

Music (With links to iTunes)
Oure Love Is Loud
Blessed Be Your Name
Here Is Our King
Offering
Everything
Take All of Me

Series - Dollars and Sense
Message - The Investment Principle
The was a cool day. Brandon team taught with his father, Dr. Claude Thomas. This is a new format for Keystone and it was a success. Dr. Thomas has over 3 decades of pastoral experience and now is a VP at Injoy Stewardship Services. He gave great bottom-shelf wisdom on how to invest in things that last. We have received a ton of feedback on how this message affected people's lives. Great day!

Sly, what are you doin?

The Italian stallion himself, Sylvester Stallone, has signed on to reprise his role as famed boxer Rocky Balboa. Stallone will also direct the sixth installment of the series simply titled Rocky Balboa ...

Bigfoot Conference in Texas

Nearly 400 people gathered this weekend at a Bigfoot Conference in Texas discussing theories about the elusive beast. Put on by the Texas Bigfoot Research Center, the conference hosted seminars discussing tracking techniques, sightings and new evidence. After Saturday’s meeting, the attendees were faced with an even more elusive goal, finding dates …10/17/05 5:33 PM
from relevantmagazine.com slices

How Bob Iger Saved Network TV

On the ITunes Store, you can buy the latest episode to Lost and some other shows the day after they air on Network TV. in this case ABC, for $1.99. Sounds simple and reasonable. Not anything earth shattering right ?
I did not write this article but I believe it has amazing insight. Check out Mark Cuban's unique insight regarding Apple's iTunes partnership with Disney. Very interesting...did an evolution begin yesterday that will change the way we watch tv forever...another TIVO moment?

VIDEO on IPOD

WOW! WOW! WOW! I just downloaded the first 3 episodes of LOST (my favorite show) on iTunes for under $6! WHAT!!! APPLE has just taken over the world while you were at work.
I am now going to buy my new IPOD that plays video and it will be black! Check it out!!!

Isa 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, because the LORD has appointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair. For the LORD has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for his own glory. NLT

Be Encouraged

I came across these verses this morning.

Ps 16:7-11
7 I will bless the LORD who guides me;even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I know the LORD is always with me.I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
9 No wonder my heart is filled with joy,and my mouth shouts his praises!My body rests in safety. 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your godly one to rot in the grave. 11 You will show me the way of life,granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. NLT

Ps 17:7-87
Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.You save with your strength those who seek refuge from their enemies. 8 Guard me as the apple of your eye.Hide me in the shadow of your wings. NLT

Ps 20:4
4 May he grant your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans. NLT

116, 8, 9, T

NO these are not new numbers/clues to LOST (tv show) which by the way is #1 on my Tivo season pass. Actually, these numbers are where I will be sitting for the U2 concert on Oct 29!!!.
Well, I have been to many concerts this year but there has been one...one concert I have longed to see. I saw Keane...They were great...Dave Matthews...great...Coldplay...my fav so far... but about 5 minutes ago I landed U2 tickets for the U2 concert on Oct 29. YEAH YEAH YEAH!!! I am so pumped!!! They are great seats too. I will have to let you know how it is!

The top 100 in 100 years of Texas-OU

This is an awesome article on the 100 yrs of the Red-River Shoot-Out!!!

The Cereal Aisle

So tonight I was at my CG (Community Group) and we were watching a Nooma video. Nooma is amazing by the way. We use it for our CG curriculum. We were watching the dvd entitled "Noise." Basically the point of the video is to ask the question, "How much noise is in your life and does that noise keep you from hearing God?" If you have not seen this video then you need to check it out...very very powerful and unique in its presentation. On with the story...As we talked about the noise in our lives, we talked about how that noise affects our minds wandering when we pray. I really believe that because of all the noise in my life it is now harder for me to focus when I pray. How do I know this? Take this morning for instance...I will let you in on my prayer time...it went like this..."God I thank you for all your blessings. Thanks for how you have blessed me with great friends and family....a great church....continue to bless my church. God thank you for your love and grace in my life. I could not live without it. speaking of living...hmm....i am little hungry...i would really like some cereal. I wonder what kind of cereal...definitely hony nut chereos. definitely. I need to buy some when I am at the store later..." BEFORE I KNEW IT...IN MY MIND...IN FRONT OF GOD ALMIGHTY...I was in the middle of the cereal aisle of the nearest grocery store! Does this mean that God likes Honey Nut Cheerios too and wants me to have them now? How silly. That's how I felt. I felt a little ashamed to be quite honest. So I realized I had wondered off and took the measure of writing my prayer out. It helped me stay focused.

Have you been there? Does it bother you when your mind wanders during prayer? If you are out there and your mind wanders when you pray...have no fear...you are not alone and I really do believe God understands but wants us to take measures to remedy it. 1 suggested measure...write your prayer out...it will keep you focused. And like I am trying to do now...eliminate some of the NOISE in your life.

So pray lots and eat lots of cheerios (honey nut) when you aren't praying.

1 or 2 or 1 or 2

Today I went to the eye doctor. It has been a couple of years and my eyes were getting bad so I decided to see the doctor. I was little nervous. Why? Because of the TEST! You know the test when the doctor puts the huge robotic machine in front of your face and has you look through it and then...then...asks the question..."Tell me which is better...1...or...2...or...1...or...2." SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH Pressure! I am freaking out. I am afraid I am going to jack my eyes up with a really bad prescription. So I made a pre-emptive strike by asking the doctor a question of my own. I said, "Hey Doc! How much does my prescription really rely on me answering your questions right? How bad will I jack my eyes up by guessing 2 when it is actually 1?" He chuckled and said don;t worry. Yeah right! So I walked the gauntlet of eye exams. It actually wasn;t too bad. And for the first time I actually noticed a difference. Hopefully my new glasses will help me see better. We'll "see" next week.

New Series - Dollars and Sense

This weekend we start a new 2 week series - Dollars and Sense. It is about Biblical Principles for Financial Freedom.

Stress...Regret...Guilt...Worry...Do these words characterize how you feel about your finances? Do you feel like you're always playing catch up? On October 9th & 16th, we will explore the Biblical principles for financial freedom.

On 10/9 - The Management Principle and 10/16 - The Investment Principle.

Check out the promo.

Weekend Review - October 2, 2005

Music (With Links to iTunes)
Beautiful One
I Will Not Forget You
Sing to the King
How Great Is Our God
Offering
Till I See You

Series - Losing My Religion
Message - Hypocrisy - Can't Keep All the Rules
This message was very powerful. 6 Questions were asked and they cut straight to the heart...
Do you Practice What you Preach?
Are you All Show & No Grow?
What Kind of Legacy are you Leaving?
Is Money your God?
Are your priorities out of whack?
Do build your life “Inside-Out”?
Do believe the myth: “I would never!”
Check the audio out for more clarification.

Thoughts
Despite a couple technical glitches it was good day. God really used Brandon as he spoke on Hypocrisy. We had a great day in attendance as well despite it being Fall Break. The specail moment for me in both services was during "How Great Is Our God." I was just reminded at how great God has been to me personally and how great he has been to my/His church.

David Crowder band - iTunes TOP 10

I purchased the new David Crowder tunes last Tuesday when they released. The new album is called "A Collision." I noticed when I bought it that it was #3 on the TOP downloaded albums. I thought...THAT is cool. Then I thought it will probably go away after today because it is just everyone downloading it the day it comes out. BOY WAS I WRONG! All weekend DCB stayed at #3 above Kanye and Coldplay and many others. Today it is at #7 ...but WOW! What an amazing opportunity! Think of all the people who will just listen to a couple of tracks to check it out because it is rated so high! I pray that God will use DCB to show His love to people throught iTunes!

The album is also very great! You should check it out!