One month from today we will elect a new President.  Here is the one and only election post I will have.

• Because of tax laws I as a pastor nor the church can endorse a candidate without losing the tax breaks we enjoy as a church so don’t even ask me who to vote for…you’ve got to pray and research that on your own.
• If you don’t vote I don’t ever want to hear you complain.
• Your vote is a gift that as a Christian you need to be a good steward of.  In other words, like your time and money, you don’t get to selfishly spend it in the way that best benefits you.  Rather you need to spend it in the way that best glorifies God and helps His Kingdom the most.
• So with that said, don’t vote Democrat or Republican just because that’s the way your momma always voted or just because that how you’ve always voted…vote on the candidates and/or issues based on what God’s Word says and who you think will best represent Him and His values.
• This means research…this means bible study…this means prayer.
• No matter who gets elected 4 Tuesday’s from now, we must remember that God is in control and none of it will catch Him by surprise.  Romans 13:1.
• Also remember that no matter who gets elected or what we think of them, they are still OUR President and are worthy of our respect and prayers.  Hebrews 13:17
• Most of all remember that neither McCain nor Obama…Democrats nor Republicans can save our country…only Jesus can. 
• The church…you and I…we are the hope of the world! 

So don’t forget to take this next month to study up and pray about how to wisely spend your one and only vote…and remember to also give your time, talents and money to the only organization in the world that Jesus said can truly make a difference…the Church!

• Friday I spent most of the day at the hospital as my grandfather got a pacemaker put in.
• It’s amazing…in some ways it’s like a minature computer for the heart.
• I told him I hope it comes with internet access.
• In the waiting room I told my mom and sister about what I was going to be doing with the casket on Sunday.
• They’re like…”Cool we want to come see that.”
• That was a far cry from Lisa who refused to come into either Experience until she had been reassured that I was already out.
• Friday night Lisa wanted Chinese food and something chewy for dessert.  I went to the store and bought all kinds of goodies that might work.
• I had forgotten how much I like Cowtails…mmmm they’re good!
• Saturday morning I went into the church to help Earl move in the casket they were going to use over in the sanctuary.
• Adam Swisher was there so he and I carried it in from the parking lot…the look of the driver passing by on Grand Point Road was priceless.
• Saturday night Aaron and I met at the church at 8PM to get things ready for Sunday’s funeral procession.
• We never left until 11PM…that was good though considering we had been told we wouldn’t be able to get in until 10PM because of a wedding reception taking place in the Multi-Purpose Room.
• Yesterday was a long day but well worth it.
• Found out that we had another person raising their hand to receive Christ that I didn’t see…awesome!
• Been getting a lot of nice e-mails from people saying how touched they were by yesterday’s Experience.
• Yesterday was burger heaven.  We ate lunch at Red Robin and then our friends had burgers for us last night at their house.
• Guess what I had for lunch today…you got it…another burger.  Guess you can say I’m not a vegetarian.
• Loving my Redskins right now!
• Hating the Terps right now!
• Looks like another busy week coming up…can’t wait for week 2 of the series…make sure you invite someone…it should be another awesome week!

• Wow today was awesome.
• That’s what I call an Experience!
• The morning started out with me at the church by 6:30 so I could get things set-up so we could do a full walk-through of the funeral portion a couple of times.
• Yes being in a coffin was weird.
• It came in on Thursday and I spent some time in it just to get used to the idea.
• Surprisingly there was more room that what you’d think there would be.
• Last night I stayed in it for about 3 minutes which is what we estimated that total time would be.
• This morning during practice everything went fine…other than it’s a bumpy ride…the bottom is not solid but just pieces of metal.
• Right before the 9:15 Experience I started to get nervous and was wondering if I could go through with it, but everything turned out to be fine.
• Between the video intro, the rain, lightening and thunder, it made for quite a shocking entrance.
• Some people told me they guessed I was in there…others thought it, but said, no there is no way he’d do it….others were completely surprised.
• It had the effect I intended…everyone I talked to said it was one of the best Expereinces they’ve been a part of.
• It was great to have Lance Long guest lead worship for us today and knock it out of the park singing Live Like You Were Dying.
• I was disappointed that we had to rush through the 9:15 Experience to be able to be done on time for the joint communion, but it turned out to be great.
• Nice to see the sanctuary full and people from all 4 services and Experiences together celebrating Jesus life, death and ressurection.
• The 10:45 Experience was much more relaxed and it was great to see so many people engaged in the worship and the message.
• Great to have yet another person pray for Jesus forgiveness and leadership!
• We set attendance records in both Experiences, which of course means our combined total was the highest we’ve seen!
• Ok, there’s more to share, but it’s time for a nap…I’ll share more tomorrow.

Today marks 1 year since My First Blog entry.  Truthfully when I started I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep it up.  However this entry is the 264th blog I’ve written in a year.  That works out to be an average of 5 entries per week. 

What amazes me the most is that the posts that generate the most traffic are typically the ones about what’s happening in my life.  That’s pretty convenient because it’s what I know best.  Sprinkled in have been posts about vision, some fun stuff and even some controversial stuff that led to some of my greatest personal and spiritual growth over the past year.

All in all I’m pleased with how it’s gone.  You get to know me better and I get to communicate with you vision and mission more than just for 30 minutes every Sunday.  Also we are reaching an audience and making an impact beyond just our region which always excites me (see the map for the location of cities where people read the  blog entry previous to this one).

Would love to hear your comments.  What topics do you want me to blog more about?  What questions would you like me to answer?  Would it be helpful if everyday had a consistent theme?  For example you know Sunday’s are always about that days Experiences, but would you like, for example, Wednesday’s to always be about vision or a bible verse that is impacting me or links to something helpful?  Would you like to see interviews?  Guest bloggers?  Again I do this for you, so give me some ideas what you want!

Thanks for a great first year…can’t wait to see what happens in year 2!