cold is just a state of mind

I keep trying to convince myself that cold is all relative, and it's just a state of mind. at 4:30 this morning, barefoot and in pajamas, I walked to the end of the driveway to get the newspaper. It didn't kill me, got back to the house without turning into an icicle, and thoroughly enjoyed reading the paper and sipping a cup of coffee.

About six hours later, it took about 5 minutes to change the marquis at church. This time I had shoes on, and wore a jacket over warm clothes. My hands still got numb.

It seems like almost everybody I talk to is complaining about the cold: I usually agree with them. And this is from the guy that is planning on voluntarily jumping into frigid water in January. http://www.northdavisprep.org/Docs/PolarPlunge1.pdf  (click).

And then just when I’ve convinced myself that we should all turn up the heat, add several more layers of clothing and burrow under a pile of heavy blankets, I read a list of the "15 coldest cities" and guess what? Ogden isn't on that list, neither is West Point. In fact based on some of those temperatures, and what my thermometer indicates, it would probably have to be a list of the top 115 coldest cities for us to be included.

So, I’m going to pretend its summer, especially at about 9:00 am on Jan 21, 2012, when you'll be able to find me at Fort Buenaventura where, along with several other beach lovers, I'll be “freezin for a reason”. (By the way the public is invited to financially support my insanity. All donations go to the NDPA scholarship fund, to help give deserving students the opportunity to study in Spain as part of their 9th grade educational experience).

So what are you waiting for? Let’s break out the shorts and tee shirts, just in time for Christmas!

Tyndale Christmas giveaway

I love contests. I hardly ever win, but i keep entering, especially when there's no entry fee associated with entering.

And Tyndale has a contest, so i entered, you can too.
here's the details:
Here are the NLT Facebook page giveaway details:
Starting on November 29th until December 24th at the New Living Translation Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/NewLivingTranslation?sk=app_121121694568521 we're giving away lots of great prizes and something free for you just for singing up.
By visiting the giveaway entry page (located on the NLT Facebook page, the link is under the profile picture) and entering your name and e-mail address you'll be entered to win the following prizes:
• One random person each day will win a Life Application Study Bible Family Pack (Guys Life Application Study Bible hc, Girls Life Application Study Bible hc, Student's Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible hc, Life Application Study Bible Large Print hc).
• One Random person each week will win an Apple iPad 2!
Everyone that signs up gets a free download copy of the Life Application Bible Study – Book of Luke!

And Book of Luke is a really good place to read about the Christmas Story.

Going Deep reviewed

Several years ago Gordon MacDonald wrote a book, about a church and the people who didn’t realize just how much they needed to and wanted to change the way they were doing things. Going Deep: Becoming a Person of Influence picks up where that book left off.
This is the story of a church that has transitioned over time, and become a relevant entity in its community. But now it’s time for the next step. Dr MacDonald, pastor, author, educator, in his role as pastor of this transforming church has a conversation with a neighbor, a neighbor who doesn’t go to church, but who has some good ideas. He asks “GMAC” for an elevator story of the church, and the process begins.
Many churches have it down pat when it comes to doing what they need to be doing to further the kingdom today, but MacDonald and his leadership team, the people that are committed to going deep, take it a step further. They become intentional about finding deep people and training them. These people are being trained to train others and to be future leaders.
It’s not all easy, and we get a glimpse of the conflicts that arise when certain people aren’t chosen. We see the heartbreak when someone drops out, the joy when people are transformed, and we get to experience grace in many different ways.
Seminary still has its place for training church leaders, but this book shows that much of the ‘nuts and bolts’ training can and should be done at the level of the local church.
This book is an enjoyable read, but it lacks some of the enthusiasm of Who Stole My Church.
4.5/5
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review.