Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Social Networking

A phenomenon of this generation is social networking. Social Networking uses software to build online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others.

There are two networks that are most recognized, myspace and facebook. As with anything on the internet, you have to be careful. With myspace and facebook, I have been able to connect with childhood friends, students that were in our youth groups, former co-workers and college buddies. :) The general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, George O. Wood, has a facebook page and we are "friends."

Are you on myspace?
Are you on facebook?

If you read my blog and we are not connected on one of the social networks, please go add me as a friend. Just click on the links below.

Rusty's Myspace
Rusty's Facebook

Monday, April 28, 2008

Weekend Thoughts

1. What a great Sunday! We had great attendance in both services! We also had really good services. One person made a commitment to Christ.

2. I really enjoyed communicating the message on Passion for the Lost. It is imperative that the American Church fulfill the Great Commission. It is our responsibility to reach the lost.

3. Mavs lost. I'm afraid they are done. I'll go on record saying that I think there is no way that they can come back. There's always next year. :)

Friday, April 25, 2008

Top 5 Things I'm Thinking About

1. My wife and girls - we had a great time last night and I can't wait for the weekend. I love spending time with them. We have a good time laughing and playing. Mady and Kenzie are both changing so quickly. This weekend's going to be great.

2. Sunday's Message - It's going to be the last installment of the Super Size Me Series. This week is "More Passion." Don't Miss It if you are in the Atlanta area. :)

3. 21 Day Fast - We are on day 12 of the fast. Only 9 more to go. :) Last Sunday, we had reports of several people that were healed. I believe that is due to the fasting and prayer of God's people.

4. NFL Draft - Tomorrow is the NFL Draft. I love watching it. I love sitting and hoping that the Cowboys select the player I want. Last year, they traded out of the first round. This year, they have two first round picks.

5. Missions Convention - We are having our first missions convention the first weekend in May. It's going to be awesome. I can't wait for the church to hear what God is doing through our missionaries .

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

After two games....

I think it is safe to say......THE SKY IS FALLING. :) The Mavs looked awful last night. IMO, I think they shouldn't trap Chris Paul (CP3). Let CP3 have his 30-40 points, but don't leave the other guys uncovered. When you trap, someone is left opened. In the Hornets case, it is usually Tyson Chandler for an alley oop or Peja for a three. CP3 having 30+ points is not a problem. The problem is when he has 30+ points and 10+ assists. The Mavs cannot win if that is the case.

If Kidd can't stay with CP3, then put Kidd on Mo Petersen. Then, take Josh Howard and put him on CP3.

Could someone please get this information to Avery? Otherwise, it is the second first round exit in as many years.

The only positive is that the Hornets have not won a game in Dallas in 10 years. Dallas must win the next two and gain the Big Mo back.

Otherwise, Chicken Little was right. The Sky is Falling.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Miscellaneous Musings

1. We had a great weekend at Cornerstone. Two of the highlights were seeing 2 hands raised for Salvation and seeing Bobby, Jesseca, the girls and Peyton back in church. :)

2. Mady lost her first tooth yesterday. It is one of the bottom teeth. The tooth has been wiggling around for a couple of weeks. Before school, Sasha had told her that it might come out that day and she was right.

3. Mavs play tonight. :) Most Sportscasters over EXAGGERATE the first game. If a team loses, the sky is falling. If they win, they are going to be the champs and no one can beat them. It is hyperbole at its best. For me, I hope the Mavs win tonight. :)

Friday, April 18, 2008

Friday's Thoughts

1. Looking forward to tonight's Kids Movie Night at the church. It's going to be fun.

2. I'm exciting about this week's message on Faith. If you're in the Atlanta area, come join us Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

3. The next two weekends are two of the best sports weekends of the year. The beginning of the playoffs and the NFL Draft happen. Miami disappointed me this year. I had them winning the East. The Mavs also didn't fair to well, but at least made the postseason. I think they have a chance to pull the upset over the Hornets.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Peyton is.........

HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jesseca called yesterday and said that they were being released and heading back to Texarkana. I just talked with Bobby and they are home and doing great.

Peyton was in the hospital for 72 days this time. He had two other stays since he was born. One was a month and the other was two weeks.

Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for this family. :)

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Giving Honor - Dennis Land

This is the third installment of Giving Honor. The first two guys were Brent Williams, my Youth Pastor in High School, and Scott Wilson, my mentor during College.

Shortly before graduating from Southwestern, I walked into Scott's office and he asked me if I had my resume together. Honestly, I didn't have it. So, he told me to get it together and that he was sending it to three different churches.

One of those churches was First Assembly of God in Nacogdoches. The church now goes by the title of ICON - International Church of Nacogdoches. Shortly after sending out the resumes, I received a call from Dennis Land. After an interview process, he extended an invitation for me to be the Youth Pastor at First Assembly. So, in May of 1995, I loaded up a U-haul and headed to Nacogdoches.

Today, I'm giving honor to Pastor Dennis Land. I want to say a big thanks for giving a young, single Youth Pastor with no full-time experience a chance to minister. It especially means a lot because I was able to be 3 of his 4 boys Youth Pastor. Brad, Nathan and Blake were all in Youth Aflame (that's what we called the Youth Ministry) while I was there. I had great times with this family.

Things I learned from Bro. Land:

1. Having a heart for missions!

2. The importance of spending time in Word and prayer. - Some of my favorite times were the morning staff prayer times. I also remember coming into the sanctuary many times to see Dennis with his Bible open and reading the Word.

3. Seeking a move of God! - Bro. Land was constantly seeking God to move in our church. While I was there, we had multiple revivals with salvations, healings and people filled with the Spirit. Sometimes, they would extend and go over. It was powerful.

4. I also learned a lot about the way the Assemblies of God structure works. He is the Presbyter for the Section. He used many occassions to show me how things worked and how some church difficulties could be prevented. It is the valuable lessons that I'm still drawing from today.

I have great memories from my 4 and 1/2 years on staff with Pastor Land. He invested in me by sharing books with me, taking me to conferences and speaking into my life. I'll always think fondly of my time there.

Thanks Pastor Land for believing in me! I love you!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

21 Day Fast

This morning, I challenged our church family to a 21 Day Cooperate Fast. We are in a series entitled "Super Size Me." In 2004, Morgan Spurlock chronicled his 30 Day Journey of eating McDonald's 3 times a day. There are some things we need more if in our life.....fast food is not one of them. The question that I poised to the church is "what if we spent 30 days seeking more of God in our lives." So, we are taking the next 21 days to fast and pray for more of God in our lives, families and church.

One of my favorite ways to fast is the Daniel Fast. It is a struggle for me because I'm the guy on the V-8 commercial that says no to fruits and vegetables. So, it is a struggle for me to eat the fruits and vegetables.

Daystar TV has a great page on the Daniel Fast. Here is the Link.

I can't wait to see the results of our cooperate fast.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Friday's Thoughts

1. Kenzie seems to be doing better today. :)

2. Great performance by the American Idol Top 8 of "Shout to the Lord" on the Thursday night results show. I didn't see them do it Wednesday Night. This is a great song. Click here to view the video.

3. I hated to see Michael Johns leave Idol. He has a great bluesy rock voice. His rendition of "Dream On" wasn't great. The first half was. The second half was horrible when he tried to scream. I first heard the song "Dream On" when Petra's former lead singer, Greg X. Volz, did a cover of it on his "Come Out Fighting" album in 1988.

4. The Mavericks clinched the playoffs last night. What a shot by Dirk with .9 seconds left to beat the Jazz! I can't wait for the NBA Playoffs. :) I need to get some tickets to go to a game.

5. I'm excited about Sunday's message on "More Power." Don't miss it! We need more of God's power in our lives. I cannot wait to communicate this week! Did I mention that I'm excited? :)

Thursday, April 10, 2008

A crazy few days...

Well, it has been a crazy few days. I got a call on Tuesday Morning that my Granny was taken to St. Michael's Hospital. She had a mild heart attack. I spent most of Tuesday at the hospital with the family.

She is doing better. They gave her a medicine patch and sent her home today.

It was good to see my Dad and sister. They drove in from Central Texas and left today. We don't get to see each other much. This is not the way we like to see each other, but it was great to see them.

Then, around lunchtime, Sasha called and Kenzie was sick. So, I had to go and pick her up. She has really bad allergies and sometimes the drainage can cause her to vomit. Today was one of those days. Please pray for her. :) East Texas is definitely not allergy friendly. :)

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Kansas Wins

1. Congrats to Kansas fans and fans of the Big 12. Big 12 Basketball is on the rise. There are great players and great coaches in these parts. Memphis was better than I thought they were. Rose is the real deal and will be playing in the NBA next season.

2. I drove to Chandler and hung out with friends last night at San Pedro's. San Pedro's is a great Mexican restaurant. Pete and the Gang serve it up right. When we lived in Chandler, I ate there way too much. Last night, one of the waitresses walks up and starts asking me about Sasha and the girls. Wendy was the best waitress of all time. She would see me walk in and bring my drink to the table. I'm a creature of habit. So, I usually ordered the same two or three things. She would ask which one I was getting that day. It was great hanging with old friends, talking fantasy football and eating some great food.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Happy Monday

1. Great weekend! We had a great Men's Breakfast Saturday Morning. I enjoyed the food and the fellowship. Thanks to Rob and Marc for cooking! :)

2. We had a great day yesterday. My friend, Michael Norman, spoke in both services. Sunday Morning, he spoke on our worship to God. Last night, he challenged us regarding our "relationship" with God and not having a form of "religion." Two great messages. We also got to hear Michael's vision. He is planting a church in Dallas. The area that he is going to is 90% unchurched and there is a quarter of a million people there. We are going to partner with Michael financially and with our prayers. Please pray for Michael, his family and Gracehill.

3. I enjoyed seeing Michael again. We have a great time when we're together. It has been over five years since we have seen one another. With cell phones and e-mail, we have stayed connected.

4. Mavs beat the Suns. It's about time they beat a legitimate contender in the West. I think they are turning the corner. I can't wait for the playoffs. :)

5. For the record, I hope Kansas wins tonight. I usually cheer for the Big 12 when my teams are knocked out.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Random Thoughts

1. Check out this video of the Clark Brothers on American Idol. Their dad was an evangelist. They grew up singing in the church. They combine styles of rock and bluegrass. I was impressed with their boldness and talent.

2. Peyton is doing better. After the procedure to put the button in, he had a couple of rough spells. They now have removed his breathing tube and he is breathing on his own. If everything goes well, he should be able to come home in the next week. :)

3. I'm excited about this weekend. My friend, Michael Norman, is coming to speak at Cornerstone. Michael is a fantastic communicator and you will not want to miss it. After pastoring in the Houston area for several years, Michael is now working toward planting a church in the Dallas area. He will be speaking in both services.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Peyton

I spoke with Bobby earlier today. Peyton had the "button" put in. The procedure was a success. If all goes well, then they expect that he may be able to come home in the next week.

Please keep praying for this great family.