Happy Thanksgiving to everyone….

So last weekend we went to a suprise birthday party. Because iit was Saturday night and we always have a ton of church stuff to do we missed the surprise and were late arriving and by the time we had gotten there everyone had formed their little ‘Party Clicks’ and were well into their convos. Being Pastors Lynn, the birthday girl, decided she needed to introduce us to everyone. People who were in church she introduced us as Atiba and Nikki. To people who do not go to church we were the Pastors.

Now I always LOVE, sarcasm, that introduction because 99% of teh time the mood of conversations change as soon as people know…The Pastors are here.

By now you probably know…VRI is a community of people who love GOD and can admit that they are far from HIM, and openly share their flaws. So when people clean up their act because the Pastor is in the room it bothers me. I want to know who YOU are…

Like I said though…that happens 99% of the time. Last Saturday was the other 1%. I stumbled into this conversation with a group parents who all had kids on the same football team. One couple was the head coach, the other the defeensive coach and the third was the masscott. And that’s exactly where it all started…

(an aside….I am horrible with names…especially a week later so no real names will be used).

This group was more interested in being themselves than impressing anyone else. We went from talking about being the team mascot to the lack of fashion sense most men have. Honestly, it was not just the lack of fashion sense, it was also the fact that the masscott was wearing a BERBER sweater. If you are not familiar…think of burlap’s softer cousin. In history it was used to make rugs and 1 sweater that the mascot has owned for 20 years. That spiraled us into a conversation about 80’2 clothing and having a throw back party, Do you remember OP shorts and IZOD, I had to be honest with them I’d come and pull the fire alarm to wake up the neighbors and bring the police. HEY, They were talking about wearing 20 year old shorts that were so tight they cut off circulation to the place every man wants feeling. From there we talked football, 1970′s TV shows, and Farting in the bed with your spouse. In all it was a rappid pace, soundbite filled 2 hours of very raw fun as they drank beers, offered me beer (a true sign that they are being themselves), ate desert (ok maybe it was only me eating), and died laughing.

At the end I was able to tell them…come check us out on Sunday morning some time…we are just as casual and fun as tonight. I’ve been excited about TJ playing football but I’m even more excited now that I met his future coach and some new friends.

By the way…Cathy, Berber sweater, AKA the mascot, wife owns an Edible Arrangements. The one in Catonsville, it was whey cool because I have actually ordered stuff from her before. Either way check out her Web site and bookmark it for the next time you need flowery food.

I’ve got pics of all of us but I cant figure out how to get them off my blackberry.

here are some Berber and OP (Ocean Pacific) pics…

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Hey anyone know what berber is. Well last night I was with a group of friends that have totally redefined berber. I've got some pics to share from our time together. I'll post more tomorrow.

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So I'm in NJ for the week and I find myb favorite watering hole: panera. Excited about the breakfast I'm about to have I enter and approach the counter. Now if u know panera like I do u know they take breakfast orders from the bakery side, so that's where I went. While standing there a woman, obviously the manager, looks at me then looks away without aknowledging my presence as she continues to bark orders to her staff. To make it worse. When she is done barking orders she looks back at me and says 'we take orders down there'.

I like my panera sandwiches double grilled and that's how I order them. As I'm ordering the manager walks over and interups and coldly says 'u realize u are taking them if they come out black'. the musicbin that panera was exceptionally loud and even over it I could here her berating her staff while I ate.

I love panera but I'm not sure I will come back to this one

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Most of us understand leaders and leadership from the point of the person out front or the person with the vision. If you are a leader you also understand the principle of accepting blame and passing along created to others

We knew these things when vri started and we wanted to create an organization that was faceless. Yes we would pass along credit and accept blame while we casted vision but also we wanted to stay annonymous and let the church be the church not its pastors.

Here at the Leadnow conf I've been challenged to take our leadership to the fringes. By that I mean: what if as a leader all I did was invest in people and find ways for them to own the vision that god gave me. What if I spent long enough with them to figure out exaactly where they fit and then released it to them to run the vision. In other words why should I as a leader hold so tightly when I can't accomplish God's vision on my own.

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Nikki and I were sitting in the parking lot of a walmart in Dallas last night discussing this Sunday's message on learning how to invest in the lives of people around you. We were in the middle of working through some simple examples when I saw somethin totally apauling that most of us do. A woman was taking her cart back to the cart collection area in the parking lot and on her way she noticed others had just dumped their cart in a certain parking spot. We've all done that. Been on our way to do the right thing then we see someone elses shortcut and we think, why can't I do that too.

Here is my issue and I hope you can share this too. That woman left her cart 4 parking spaces away from the cart collection area. Here is the deal…imagine for a moment that the cart she leaves there runs into someone elses car who you never know, that person could be at the end of their rope. What if the cart hits the car of a guy who is mad at his wife and the world and now he really abuses his wife. You might be thinking its not that serious. Let me ask you: what language do you use, what emotions do you have when a cart hits your car? Exactly none of take it with joy. So if u a well adjusted, normal person can't stand when a cart hits ur car. Imagine how someone a little less well adjusted than u will feel.

Here is the point. Investinting in others starts with doing the right moral and spiritual thing. We have to thinl past our own conveniences and consider the larger picture of a life that includes your neighbor.

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So we have made it to dallas. We got in after midnight and ended up at whattaburger to eat. If you don't know whattaburger its their local famous burger joint. I had to do it at least once while we were here. Neway…it usually tied to a gass station so we get into the gas station and the walls are decked out in cowboys photos. It was like bein at a diner in a gas station. My wife is lovin this.

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