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It was quite the weekend here at Casa de Felker. I hit up a concert VIP-style, I wogged a 5k, spent the evenings with my beautiful wife, and reached a milestone with my online relationships. For more on each of these events keep reading.

RUSH Concert
I have never considered myself a fan of RUSH before but I have enjoyed and appreciated their music in the past. This concert was incredible. It is hard to believe that three people could put out that level of sound. Their musicianship, stage presence, and visuals were outstanding. Perhaps my favorite part of the night was when the South Park kids (as “Lil’ Rush”) introduced the song “Tom Sawyer” on the video screen. Hilarious!!! I got the VIP hook up from a friend at church and was able to enjoy the second half of the concert from the VIP box. It was a great concert and and great night. Except…

Race for the Cure
I shouldn’t have stood for three hours at the concert because I had the Race for the Cure bright and early on Saturday morning. This was my very first 5k and although the main goal was to just finish I was able to finish just under my target time. I lost a few minutes of time waiting on the portajohn and i wasted some time maneuvering around moms and their strollers but all in all I finished strong. I can’t wait for my next race!

501
Today I added my 501st friend on Facebook. This is kind of a big deal for me as I have personally met every one of the people listed as my friends (even Dave Ramsey). This is a pretty big milestone and I appreciate everyone of you who have added me as your friend. If you haven’t added me as your friend please drop me a message on Facebook. I was going to offer a prize for my 500th friend but the number snuck up on me and I wasn’t prepared. Maybe I’ll have something planned for the 550th.

Hope you have a great week!

Anyone need to get rid of some frequent flyer miles?

There is a conference I would love to attend this summer but I just can’t afford the airfare out there. The first set of tickets I found cost over $800 and they were economy tickets with layovers! I was able to find some tickets for less but not enough to really make a difference.

The conference is in the middle of June and I would need to get from Dallas to Washington, DC.

Is there anyone you know of who could help a brother out?

Last Friday our church building suffered the wrath of the hail and roughly 1/3 of the building was flooded. Sunday smelled awesome!!!

On Monday a cleaning crew arrived and set up a plethora of fans and vacuums to tackle the moisture problem. Due to all this I haven’t been working at the office but from home or the coffee shop or a restaurant. Yesterday I grabbed some lunch while I studied and then I hit up one of my “thinking places.”

I have a handful of places where I walk and think and dream and ponder. My creative juices start flowing and my brain gets a little exercise and fresh air. Yesterday I went to one of the larger Christian bookstores in our area.

While there I overheard (read: eavesdropped) a woman discussing their church’s Bible reading group with her friend. This woman lamented how boring it was.

“I don’t like to read books over a second time. That’s my problem. I’ve read the Bible before. I just don’t see the point in reading it again. We’ve gone through the whole thing. Let’s just move on.”

I probably stared at the same section of Biblical maps for 10 minutes while I pondered this woman’s statement. I don’t know what was going on in the woman’s heart but I couldn’t help but take her words at face value. Was she really bored with reading the Bible with her brothers and sisters? What was she suggesting they move on too?

In The Divine Conspiracy, author Dallas Willard opens the introduction by writing,

My hope is to gain a fresh hearing for Jesus, especially among those who believe they already understand him. In his case, quite frankly, presumed familiarity has led to unfamiliarity, unfamiliarity has led to contempt, and contempt has led to ignorance.

I wonder what that woman would have done with Willard’s assessment.

Of course, the next logical question is, “What will I do with Willard’s assessment?”

Do I assume an overfamiliarity of God’s word or his Son or his ways? Will I allow a haughty sense of presumed knowledge harden my heart with contempt for the Almighty Creator of the Universe?

Or will I always look to read His words with a heart that is open to the things that I see or that are revealed as I read and listen? Can I truly ponder anew all the things that I’ve “learned” or have been taught?

Isaiah 43:10-12 proclaims,

“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God.”

And Isaiah 45:5-8 says,

“I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other.

I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things. “You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the LORD, have created it.”

How can you move on from this? How can you feel like you’ve learned all you can about the one who proclaims these words?

May you never tire of reading the words of the Almighty.
May you never assume that you’ve reached the end of your pursuit of Jesus Christ.
May you never hold the leading and teaching of the Spirit in contempt.

Dear Friends, I have an urgent request for you all to be praying for my friends Ryan and Lacey and their twin baby girls, Berkley and Emory.

Last week Berkley and Emory were born 15 weeks premature and are expected to be in the hospital for the next few months. While there are some positive signs of improvement happening there is an awfully long road ahead for both mom and dad and Berkley and Emory. I was able to see Ryan and Lacey on Thursday. They are asking for prayers and so I’m passing that request along to those of you who read this blog.

Here is an email from Ryan (dated 4/18) detailing what is happening and what specifically needs our prayers at this moment:

My daughters Berkley and Emory were born on Monday afternoon at a small hospital in Rockwall but were immediately taken to Medical City in Dallas and placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). They are very premature (15 weeks early and weighing a little more than 1 pound each) and need the best care and technology available to ensure that their little bodies mature properly. They remain in critical condition but are surrounded by some of the best and brightest nurses and physicians in this big city. My wife, Lacy, was transferred to Medical City Wednesday and saw the girls on Wednesday afternoon. Since that time, Berkley and Emory’s conditions have improved, which is not a coincidence. The doctor has told us that the girls have had two good nights in a row (Tuesday night was tough). Right now, we cherish news like this because “good” is not a word that is used often in the NICU.

Lacy and I are still learning the geography of the girls’ new room but are getting used to the idea that we will be spending most of our time here over the coming months. The monitors, tubes and wires are overwhelming, but we do not underestimate their value. Please continue to pray for our little girls. While every step along this long journey is important, the next 5-to-7 days are critical to their chances of survival and their long-term health. Our prayer needs at this time are as follows:

Both girls are starting to show symptoms of Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), which is a condition where a fetal blood vessel, the ductus arteriosus, fails to close after birth. Prior to birth the fetus gets oxygen through the placenta, not from its lungs. The ductus arteriosus allows the fetal blood to bypass the lungs and go directly to the placenta. After birth, this vessel is no longer needed and must close to establish normal blood flow. The doctors started medicinal treatment yesterday and this will continue for the next 3 days. If the vessel does not close by that time, surgery may be required. Please pray for this vessel to close without surgery and for the medicine to have no negative side effects.

Berkley and Emory are also at risk for Intraventricular Hemorrhaging. The tiny blood vessels in the brain of a premature baby are very fragile and may break and bleed. This bleeding is most common during the first week of life. Bleeding can occur in many different parts of the brain and severe bleeding may cause serious developmental problems such as cerebral palsy, vision loss and hearing problems. A head sonogram is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22nd, and we will learn the extent of the bleeding, if any, at that time. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to prevent the bleeding, so we are forced to wait and see. Please pray that the sonograms for Berkley and Emory will be clear.

The lungs are the last major organ to develop during pregnancy. When babies are born this early, a ventilator must be used to replicate the developmental process that ordinarily takes place in the placenta. When respiratory problems occur after birth, it can often cause trauma in other areas of the body. The ventilator is tricky because we want Berkley and Emory’s maturity process to be as independent as possible. Too much ventilator support can cause damage to the lung tissue, causing Chronic Lung Disease, respiratory distress syndrome, and other problems. Too little support, however, may not provide them with enough oxygen or teach them to breath properly. Right now, Berkley and Emory are on good settings and have not needed to have much oxygen pumped through the ventilators. Pray that this stability will continue and that their lungs will grow stronger every day.

May God continue to watch over Berkley, Emory, mom and dad

So there is folks. Ryan, Lacey, Berkley, and Emory need your prayers. Pray for them, the medical staff, and their extended family as the wrestle with this for the coming days and months ahead.

I know that God is good. I know that he hears us when we pray. Let’s make sure he hears from us a lot on behalf of this family.

As I get information I’ll pass it along to you. Thanks.

It’s insomnia time again my friends so I’m making the most of it and I’m clocking in. Rather than lay in bed staring at the ceiling or flipping through the tv channels or playing some XBOX I’m prepping for my week ahead.

I’ve cleaned up my home office and I’ve laid out all the books I think I’ll be using for references this week. I teach 3 different classes, 3 times a week. Sometimes due to the nature of what we’re studying I need only two prep times because we will build upon (say) Sunday morning class during our Wednesday night class. That is not the case right now. On Sundays we are studying the life of Christ. On Wednesdays we have more of a discussion based class. We recently finished studying Philippians and I’ll soon start a class on God @ the Movies. Both of these teaching times are more or less formal teaching times with a big dose of discussion. Sunday nights are a bit different. On Sunday nights we gather for a teen worship time complete with singing, prayer, and a “sermon.” This week we will not do this on Sunday night. That means I don’t have to prep for this but I will spend a little time looking ahead and planing out the Sunday nights for the month of May.

In personal study time, I’ve been studying through Acts 11-15 and I’m working on a book proposal. The proposal has been time consuming but very enjoyable. I hope to have it finished in the next two weeks. As it comes together I’ll be posting information here and would love feedback from you all. I’m reading Bulletproof Book Proposals to aid in my completion of the proposal. Each chapter ends with a writing assignment that helps you think through the various aspects of a winning proposal. I have really liked working through and thinking through my ideas. I would buy my book idea! Maybe some editor will think the same thing!

So that’s where I’m at here at 1:50 in the AM. Maybe I’ll crash here a few hours. We shall see.

I hope that you are fast asleep. I hope that you are getting your rest.

I’ll join you sometime. Until then it’s back to work.

I think we had a little bit of hail at our house last night. Of course, we had planned on cleaning out the garage this Saturday enough so that we can move our cars inside if we need to. It’s a good thing we’re going to do that!!!

No damage to the house or to the cars. Sandy’s garden full of bright and beautiful flowers… didn’t fair so well. In fact they are gone. They received the royal beat-down from the icy skies. The front yard looked like it was covered in shredded lettuce this morning. All those new leaves were knocked from their limbs! Good news was that the fence that I put up last year stood strong and laughed in the face of the storm!!! HAHAHA!

Enjoy the pics. Anyone else get hail last night?

A few years ago we were out at dinner with a few friends at a brand new restaurant. The place had only been open a week or so when we gathered together for some cheddar biscuits and conversation.

That night I ordered a big, tall glass of Coca-Cola. When the waiter brought me my drink I grabbed it, lifted it to my mouth, and the glass shattered into a million pieces mere inches from my face.

I would like to blame the demise of the glass on my bulging muscles but the truth is that the glass shattered because it couldn’t take the pressure.

This brand new glass succumbed to the pressure of the heat from the dish washer and when it came to doing its job, holding cold drinks, the glass cracked. Its integrity gave way.

So it is with us.

I spoke to a group of High School students yesterday about submitting to authority (a cracker-jack topic, I know). I told them that this is one area where their integrity can be compromised everyday. It is such a temptation to defy authority or to fail to understand the importance of living under authority. For us, God is the ultimate authority and learning to live under human authority figures helps strengthen our reslove and honors our heavenly Father.

I was honest with them and told them that I have struggled my whole life to live with integrity on this issue. I am independent and I am strong willed. I take issue with poor authority figures and struggle with following men and women I perceive to be weaker leaders. However, God doesn’t put caveats on submitting only to strong leaders or wise authority figures. In Romans 13, Paul states that Everyone must be subject to authorities. That’s a pretty definitive statement.

Standing before them I realized that I was 10 years older than those in the Senior class and I was about 10 years younger than most of the teachers. Every single one of us was under some authority. Some of these authority figures are good, godly, wise, nurturing individuals. Give thanks to God for these men and women. Some though are weak, selfish, and incompetent. Learning to live under both of these types of leaders ultimately gives glory to God and honors his commands.

Often times I have had to learn the hard way and have made many mistakes. Thankfully God keeps repairing the cracks in my heart. Learning to live under authority, good or bad, is just one way to make sure that you are living with integrity.

Don’t crack under the pressure and try to take out your King (1Sam 24). Honor them as you honor God. He is ultimately in control and the ultimate authority of our lives.

By the way, I still had to pay for that Coke. What’s up with that?!?!

The plan is to teach on the themes and stories featured in 5 upcoming summer blockbusters. We will teach on each film the Wednesday night prior to its published release date.

We’ll start with…

And end with…

What do you think?

I was able spend the day at the Texas Rangers home opener. They lost 8 to 1 but who cares? I don’t. In fact, I had an awesome day!!! We arrived at the Ballpark around 9am to begin tailgating with a group of area ministers. We set up the tent and started grilling. I had a blast.

As we were setting up, the group next to us was blasting some rock tunes including Where the Streets Have No Name, my personal fav!!!!

About an hour before we headed into the game a truck full of twenty-somethings pulled in near us. They got out and set up their tailgate paraphernalia, opened the truck door, and turned up their stereo. The smooth and mellow sounds of some dude’s Break-Up Mix-Tape started bringing the party atmosphere to a grinding halt.

I am all about using the right music to craft moments and experiences. These particular choices were suitable for a) sunset beach cookouts on Laguna with LC, b) late night cryfests over unrequited love, and c) the last songs played at a Junior High dance.

Don’t believe me? Check out their playlist:

Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright
Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
Kiss from a Rose by Seal
Open Arms by Journey
Ordinary People by John Legend
Easy Like Sunday Morning by Lionel Richie

These are all good songs (some great songs) but I’m not sure absolutely, stinkin’ positive that they are not “party before the game” songs.

Hope you had as great a day as I did. If you had a crappy day, I’ve just provided you with a healing mix of smooth pop music. Let Lionel take you away!!!

Twenty-eight years ago today you adopted me.

What can I say?

Thank you. You opened your home for me, cared for me, disciplined me, and provided for my every want and need.

Thank you for helping me understand the importance of my adoption and for not letting me be defined by it. It was never used as an excuse or crutch. It was a reality but I was your son. No questions asked.

Thank you for your examples and your love. Thank you for the dinners and for watching after your grand-dog when we are away.

Thank you more than words can say.

This is the year that we get out of debt.

Over 7 years of marriage we’ve managed to keep our heads above water but we have accumulated a little bit of debt. We used our credit cards to travel to see family, we moved, we bought a few pieces of furniture, and we bought a few stupid items.

After taking a step back and looking at our finances we concluded that something had to change or we would run the risk of getting into terrible financial trouble. It doesn’t matter that our level of debt was just under the national average. We were failing in our call to be good stewards of our money and so we decided to do something about it.

Today my wife told me that our credit cards have been completely paid off!!!

In just three months, we paid off a (ahem) crapload of money on those plastic traps. We went and did our taxes, found out that we didn’t owe anything, and then used the money we had set aside for taxes to completely pay those puppies off. We are done!!! No more plastic!

The next step is to pay down our car notes. That’s right, we have two of them and owe money on both. It’s ok though. We shouldn’t have bought my car when we did. I had a truck that was paid off but I was tired of driving that big boy around and I wanted a smaller car. Lesson learned. The plan is to have both of our cars paid off by the time 2009 rolls around.

Big PROPS to my wife because she does our finances.

Thanks babe for doing the hard work and for giving me a generous allowance each week. I love you babe!

…to Teach to Teenagers on Wednesday Nights.

Our teen Wednesday night class has become my favorite night to be with my students. We meet together (7-12th grade) to pray, read, and discuss. Our discussions have been growing better and deeper over the last few months and it is just amazing how interested most of the teens seem to get into expressing their thoughts and feelings concerning certain passages. The overarching theme that has carried us over the course of the year is “Becoming a Disciple.” Right now I have been teaching through the letter to the Philippians. Last night we were in chapter 3.

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

So I begin to walk through the passage. I remind them that Paul was writing to them to encourage them to keep holding on to Jesus in the face of opposition. In chapter 3 Paul gets specific about who or what is threatening these young Christians. It was the idea that these Gentiles must become Jews in order to become Christians. So far they are with me.

Then we get to the part about circumcision. I, gingerly, explained what it was and, because it represented the covenant God had made with his chosen people, why it was important to the Jewish believers.

I can start to see the guys squirm and giggle.

At that point I stop them and say, “Let’s not get caught up on circumcision, ok? Just understand that these people Paul was warning about were saying that just believing and obeying Jesus wasn’t enough. They were telling these new Christians that they had to do more in order to be saved. They had to “look” a certain way and that by looking that way they would find favor with God. It’s about outwardly appearing to be holy.” At that point they stop giggling and I hear a few “ohs” and “Ok I understand.” I am getting ready to to bring the comparison to today in and one of the boys raises his hand. He still has a confused look on his face. A confused look mixed with fear.

Teen: “How long ago was this?”
Me: “About 2000 years ago.”
Teen: “So there were no knives!?!?! (panic sets in) What did they use? Sticks!?! Rocks!?!”

I was so afraid at that point that “circumcision” was going to totally derail the discussion but it didn’t. I assured him that there were knives at that time and his face relaxed and so did the other guys. They stayed with the rest of the discussion and all went well.

I guess I learned, again, to never take anything for granted when it come to teaching teens. Don’t assume that they have been taught about the background to anything. Don’t ignore their concerns (even about renegade Rabbis with circumcision stones).

Treat them fairly and answer any and all questions no matter how funny, serious, or seriously funny they are.

Twenty-eight years ago today, You gave birth to me and then you gave me up for adoption.

What can I say?

First, thank you. Your decision brought untold happiness and joy into my life. I am who I am today because you made that life-changing decision. I grew up in a loving family and experienced a large extended family through my school and church. I sat at the feet of godly men and women who challenged me and molded me in to the adult that I am today. Although I was influenced by all these things there are traits and characteristics that I share with no one other than you. I thank you for those things too.

Second, I have never, never felt any ill will towards you and your decision. What good would come from being angry with you? I don’t know if you’ve ever worried about that but know that those fears are unnecessary and misspent.

Third, know that I have and will always love you.

I’ll never know the reasons behind why you gave me up and you owe me no explanations. The reasons you did what you felt you needed to do are yours and yours alone. Just know that I love you and thank you and often pray for you. I think about you every now and then and wonder if you ever think of me. I hope you do.

May you be blessed knowing that you have blessed me.

tune in on the 7th for part 2