fun thoughts on the economy...

you'll love this from Tripp.

fly like a...bird?

So as I was driving into this office this morning, after a community meeting, a bird flew right next to my car...like RIGHT next to my car...parallel with it, so that I could watch it fly. It was very cool!

FLAP-FLAP-FLAP-FLAP-GLIDE...FLAP-FLAP-FLAP...

It was just cool to see. That's what a birds SUPPOSED to do. To fly. It would be super sad to see a bird just walking. Not because it was hurt, but just because it didn't want to...or it didn't feel like it. Like maybe it's just walking because...'Well...if I fell from up there, it'd hurt, or I could die'. OR...'Walking's just easier'

Sometimes I get the feeling that some of us aren't doing what we're SUPPOSED to do. Sometimes maybe it's due to a fear. Sometimes we just try and take the easy way out.

What are you SUPPOSED to be doing?

Swazi Support

The following is a copy of a letter that I thought was sent out to my friends and families weeks ago. I just found it sitting in my drafts folder in my email this week. Not really sure why it never went...so here it is...and some of you may also be getting this in email as well...but please...take the time to check it out, and respond back!

If you’re getting this letter it’s because I consider you a friend, or family member. Or maybe those 2 lines are somewhat blurred between you and I. Either way you are someone that I trust and know I can count on.

I’m writing you today in regards to an upcoming journey that I’ll be taking this coming summer with a team here from New Covenant. Before you continue on, if you’ve been around church circles for very long, you’re probably assuming that this letter is going to end with, ‘Would you consider helping to pay for the trip’. I’ll let the proverbial cat out of the bag, I simply want your prayers.

For several years now, New Covenant has been partnering with a couple of ministries in Swaziland, Africa. The first of which is El Shaddai Ministries, an orphanage that helps kids who have either been orphaned due to circumstances such as AIDS, poverty, or other terrible circumstances, or simply their families were unable to care for them. New Covenant has also helped to plant a church there, and currently we raise support for the pastor, so that he can care for and love his community, while sharing the message of Jesus Christ with that community.

Several years ago, God really started wrecking me about some of the heartbreaking realities that are occurring on that continent, but primarily, the AIDS pandemic. There is literally a generation there that will be raised without parents. The myths about HIV/AIDS that are abundant in Africa are rampant. As a follower of Christ, I’m convinced that it’s not ok for me to simply be sad about this, but it’s integral to be someone who stands in the gap. As a church, our church has decided the same thing.

So, this summer, I’ll be heading with a team from our church and heading to Swaziland, where we will be serving the children of El Shaddai, worshipping with and getting to know the people at the church, as well as serving them. I believe that God is a god of hope, of promise, of a future, and I look forward to having the opportunity to serve these people, and maybe in some small way try to communicate that.

I would appreciate your prayers at several levels.

· That God would use us in our short time in Swaziland to develop relationships that point people towards Christ; that they would see Christ in us.

· For safety for our entire team, both in travel, and during our time in Africa.

· For my family, while I’m away. Emily is an incredible wife who will be playing the single-mom role in my absence to our 3 awesome kids.

· That all the funds would be raised for our team, and for the projects for the trip.

· That I wouldn’t cry like a baby with all the shots I have to get. (ok…maybe a few tears are ok) (update: all shots have been received, and you'll be glad to know...I only slightly whimpered...ok...not really).

Thank you for your support and encouragement as we travel this journey. If you want more information (or just want to send a word of encouragement, because I AM ok with THAT), feel free to email me (philowen@cliochurch.com), touch base with me on facebook, or follow my blog at wideopensecrets.blogspot.com.

Thanks so much,

Phil

ideas

so i talked to a friend tonight about the possibility of some creative serve projects. reminded me of what jeff and some friends did. pretty sure i've posted this before. still worth watching again.

Benched from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

at a moments notice...

So last night, as I was laying in bed, I was uploading some pictures of Brinley's graduation to Emily's facebook account, I was also checking out a couple of blogs. I found out about a pastor who just admitted to his church this past Sunday about an affair that had started 6 weeks earlier, and he was stepping down from this church, that he had helped to plant 5 years earlier. The church has been rocking, and just really spreading the name of Jesus and making Jesus' name famous.

And then one wrong choice. The truth is it was probably more than ONE wrong choice...it was probably a few unwise choices that led to a few WRONG choices, and then you find yourself slumped over the wheel...wondering now what? Wow. It's absolutely heartbreaking...we need to be praying for him, his family, his church. Honestly from what I've read, he is now in the process of taking all the right steps to healing, and restoration...yet, we all know there's consequences to our sins...there's pain, there's hurt, there's healing, roles lost, etc. Let's really be praying for this man, because I believe he will be restored.

The truth is it can happen to any of us. One unwise choice usually leads to another. One decision in a moment of weakness can snowball to the next. We need to be encouraging one another, challenging one another, asking one another the hard questions, GIVING PERMISSION to others to ASK us those hard questions, safe-guarding our lives, our families, our spouses, our children.

Let's be praying for this man, and let's also let this serve as a reminder to all of us...not even a foothold can be allowed in our life.

Fast as fast can be...

So tomorrow to help to take the OnePrayer experience to a whole new personal level, we will be joining with thousands, and hundreds of thousands Christ followers all around the world, and going without food, or fasting, to take some intentional time in prayer.  Together TOMORROW, we will all be praying for opportunities to spread the Gospel.

I think for me, I sometimes think of that in a one-layered approach...but come on...there's so many facets of that.  I think of the words of St. Francis of Assisi who said that famous line of, 'Always preach the gospel, when necessary use words.'  

So we're praying for opportunities to share our faith and hope in Christ, with our neighbors, with our co-workers, with our friends and family.  With the guy who we run into and haven't seen in a while, with the person who's been hurting for quite some time, and it's out of our comfort zone to talk to them...with a stranger.  

God...please give me...wait...God, please help me to see the opportunities I have to share the gospel.

2 Cor. 5:18-21 1 Matt. 28:18-20

So what's your OnePrayer?

So I've been working pretty hard the past few weeks on the upcoming OnePrayer series.  It's not much of a secret that I'm a big fan of lifechurch.tv and what they do.  They GIVE resources away to churches...they make it a part of their DNA.  They bring churches together globally, across boundaries, for the common thread.  They provide an UH-mazing online resource to help people as they study scripture.  YouVersion is like an online bible and community, and resource area.  GREAT STUFF!  They partnered with Dave Ramsey to bring the...Town Hall for Hope a month or 2 back.

Anyhow, OnePrayer is going on the month of June (although we were so excited about it, as are several other churches that we're just gonna' add July into that mix).  And the idea...the theme, if you will, is God is...

Yeah...good luck.  YOU try and finish that statement.  So since there are so many attributes and characteristics of God, I thought we'd need an extra month to do it.  Anyhow, this week I'll be sharing on 'God is...moving', based out of Jeremiah 29.  Then next week, Perry Noble will be teaching, 'God is...here'.  (a bit of a contradiction to God is moving...but maybe not.  Maybe it's more like..he's moving here...there we go.  I like that).  The week after that, Francis Chan, author of one of my newly favorite books, Crazy Love will be sharing, 'God is...strong'.

It's just setting up to be an INCREDIBLE time!  If you're anywhere in the area, you want to join us.  I really feel like God is just getting ready to blow the roof off this place.  There might be a lot going on all around us (see previous post) but I guess I'm just convinced that God doesn't want for us to be a product of our environment, but he wants our environment to be a product of us.

a new day...

So it finally happened. GM today announced the bankruptcy that we all knew was coming. They're already starting to market the NEW GM...the website looks pretty impressive, but let's be honest, that's what people are paid thousands and thousands for. And I've got no problem with it...it's sad, but we all knew it was coming.

So here's where we go from here, I guess. See, for this area, and a lot of my friends, and neighbors, today's announcement has some very real ramifications. For some they won't know their fallout for a little while. But for a lot of people I know and care about there was this crazy, creepy, cloud hanging over them for a while. A lot of the 'what if' questions...and not the good kind, but the scary kind.

But in the past year, I've been hopping all throughout scriptures reading some of the different promises of God. One that I've spent a lot of time with that a lot of people are familiar with is Jeremiah 29:11.

But the rest of that chapter...the whole thing is great. There's this context of the people in exile...living away from what they know. Missing home...restless...eager to go back to the way it is.

And God says...calm down.

Settle down.

Plant gardens.

Find spouses for your kids.

I'll take care of you...but just remember...this is my timing. Not yours.

At least on this end...we know where we're at, and now it's taking one step at a time...my friends who are struggling with news today...I love you. I've been praying for you today. You will make it through this time. One step at a time...

Haley's 8th Birthday Video

Haley's 8th Birthday Video from phil owen on Vimeo.

and it's time for the birthday video...music courtesy of Brandon Grissom

Charlie Hall...in a house...and wandering...

this is a cool simple video from Charlie Hall and his bandmates. Saw this posted over on Brandon's blog as they're hosting Charlie tomorrow at Cafe 20 at Willow.