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Week three of the “You’ve Got a Friend” Sermon series, centered around the songs of James Taylor at White’s Chapel UMC in Southlake, Tx. Dusty looks at the James Taylor’s 1970 hit “Fire and Rain” and draws from the book of Job to see how we respond to suffering.

Week one of the “You’ve Got a Friend” Sermon series, centered around the songs of James Taylor at White’s Chapel UMC in Southlake, Tx. Dusty looks at the 1971 cover of Carole King’s hit “You’ve Got a Friend” and draws from Psalm 41 to see how we respond to loneliness.

JK Wedding Entrance Dance

i havent really thought much about getting married, but i do know that along with those cool chocolate fountain thingys Im so walking down the aisle like this video!!!

dc

I dont know if you have a bucket list, but you should.  I list of things you want to do before you die, or i like to put as things i want to do while i live.  Today, I got to do two of those: visit seattle and go to my friend len sweet’s place on orcas island.  My friend Larry and I arrived in Seattle yesterday to visit a teen center called The Vera Project which is a teen run music venue in downtown seattle. Kevin took us on a tour of the place and then sat us down and blew our mind as explained the philosophical underpinnings for their space.  This is the future of “ministering” to teenagers and we are trying to figure out how this works within the context of current student ministry enviornments…we are almost there.

We then hopped the smallest plane ever to travel to Orcas Island.  I’ve been wanting to go here ever since I met Len and heard about the water advances.  As we landed I saw the beauty of this island and I was amazed.  Its 75 degrees, full of trees and surrounded by beautiful ocean where the orca whales occasionally visit.  It has this serene feeling and Len’s place full of cottages and sacred spaces does something to your spirit.  We’ve been talking about the future of the church and Methodism all day and will continue to do so tommorrow, as there is much to talk about (i’ll post more on this later).

What is on your bucket list?  What are you doing to get those checks…i promise that life will be more fulfilling and that you might even encounter God in the strangest of places, even on a tiny plane.

dc

Posted via web from dustycraig’s posterous

Posted via web from dustycraig’s posterous

“Nature & Nurture” – Dusty Craig from White's Chapel UMC on Vimeo.

Are you suffering from Mad Church Disease? It is the illness facing church leaders who – despite their best efforts to serve God and his people – are killing themselves spiritually, physically, emotionally or relationally.

In the book, Mad Church Disease , popular author and blogger, Anne Jackson, digs into the causes, symptoms and solutions of a wide variety of challenges stemming from church work. Anne should know: she’s a pastor’s kid and has been employed in churches. I doubt there is anything quite like the dynamics of working in a church when it comes to the pressure it puts on leaders. And Anne captures the experiences and causes of burnout effectively.

The book is deep, but not stuffy. It is funny, but not cynical. It is easy to read, without being simplistic. Anne’s writing is poignant and personal, without being tacky. It takes a long, hard look at the difficulties of church work, while asking readers to face their problems.

Ultimately, Mad Church Disease is not just about solutions, it is a solution. It is a tool that can be used by a church staff or by individuals. It contains helpful interviews with church leaders who have lived through Mad Church Disease. And it offers worksheets to start private or group discussions about the issues of personal and spiritual health. Use this great new tool to find and restore healthy margins in your life.

–Dave Kinnaman, President, Barna Group –Barna Group, June 2009

So we just got in from taking incoming high school seniors on a leadership trip, and it was so amazing!  The trip was full of leadership lessons, powerful worship experiences, open and honest dialogue, and relational connection.  I never know what to expect with each different group we take because they are all so different.  This group is very special to me in that they were 7th graders when i started working at White’s Chapel.  In fact, a couple of the girls on this trip interviewed me before I took the job.  They still hang that over my head

We went to big city of New Braunfels, Texas for our trip and we got to see all the lovely sites such as the river, schlitterbahn, and historic Gruene, Texas.  I’ve never taken kids to a country music hall, but it was a great  experience, even seeing our Senior Pastor do the two step!!!

I guess the reason for the post is to say that I have great hope for these incoming seniors.  You never know if the next senator, teacher, professional athlete, or CEO is on the trip, but my hope is that regardless of where they’re path leads that they would have huge hearts for Jesus.  I saw this on the trip.  I saw groups of people bond from different schools and backgrounds.  I saw relationships get healed and new ones formed, and I saw kids wrestling with the big questions of faith with such awe and desperation that will challenge me from this day forward.

When I think of them, i feel like Paul as he rejoiced over the Philippians by thanking God everytime I remember them, and I am certain that God will complete the work that he started in them!

dc