Ok, now for some observations:

Genuiness. The first thig that Pen noticed about this man was that he was GENUINE. The way the man complemented the show and spoke praise to Penn & Teller came across as real and from the heart. Penn also saw that this genuine nature wasn’t just evident in the way he praised the show. This man had a genuine concern for Penn’s soul. Having the character trait of being genuine with and about people was shared by Timothy in the Bible. In the letter to the Philippians, Paul writes that Timothy was a man who had real and genuine concern for the people of Philippi. Paul writes, “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” (Philippians 2:19-22)

Boldness. Acts 14:3 says, “So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time (in Iconium), speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.” Penn Jillette is a bear of a man. At 6′6″ he towers over most men and his booming voice looms large as well. Penn speaks his mind and is very animated when he talks. As nice as he seems most people would try to avoid any argument with this vivacious magician. However, it was the boldness of this man that seemed to capture Penn’s attention and his respect. It seems that Penn wasn’t the only one pulling off amazing wonders that night. God had a few tricks up his sleeve as well.

Love. Penn argues, “How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?” Penn, a dedicated atheist, believes that sharing your faith in Jesus Christ is ultimately an act of love and that keeping quiet about your faith is actually telling the world that you hate them and want them to go to hell. Think about that one for a minute.

One. In the video clip, you can tell that Penn is wrestling with the entire situation. He isn’t dismissive. He was touched. He isn’t defensive. He’s disarmed. He isn’t angry. He is thankful. One man. One incident. One gift. One conversation. That’s all it took.

“I know there’s no God and one polite person doesn’t change that… but I’ll tell ya, that was a very, very, very good man. And… that’s real important. And with that kind of goodness… it’s ok to have that deep of a disagreement. And I still think that religion still does a lot of bad stuff, but, man, that was good man who gave me that book.”

I’ve really been thinking about this video all week. How can I make an impact on others the way this man impacted Penn? I hope that I too can be GENUINE, BOLD, and LOVING to others so that God can use me to impact others in His name.

I got the church van towed!

That’s right! I parked in an apparent tow zone when I took a group of teens downtown Friday night. I felt so stupid and angry and scared and frustrated and embarrassed and alone and helpless and… I think you get the point. Thankfully, everything worked out fine. No one was angry. No parent took their kids out of the youth group. It wasn’t brought up from the pulpit on Sunday and no one asked me to go forward. It was an event that I don’t ever want to repeat but it was also a learning experience that helped me put into practice some youth ministry basics.

Here is what I learned from the evening:

1) Make first contact with the parents.
Once it was determined what I needed to do and what it was going to take for us to get the van back I called the parents to let them know what had happened. I didn’t dance around what happened and I quickly admitted my stupidity mistake. I was able to make first contact with all but one family- their teen called them on their cell before I could. The ubiquitous nature of cell phones makes this a difficult task for sure but make sure that the parents hear from you sooner rather than later. A great side note: All of the parents were quick to offer assistance. That gave me a little confidence in a tough situation.

2) Name on the Insurance Card
One thing that would have made everything as smooth as silk is if my name had been on the insurance card for the van. (According to the impound lot) In the State of Texas, a tow company can only release a vehicle to the owner/operator of the vehicle. Our insurance card only listed the name of our church. All though I am a registered driver for the van my name was absent from the card. Make sure that your church/business puts your name on the insurance card along with any other drivers registered for the vehicle. One of my youth deacons had to come sign for me and we had to have that document notarized. Big hassle!

3) Keep Your Cool
I wanted to scream, kick, spit, and shove the valets and the (at first) unhelpful tow truck driver. Back in high school this is exactly what I would have done- I would have let my temper get the best of me. When we walked up to the spot where the van had been I immediately saw the fear and confusion in the eyes of my teens. I had to fight against pride and anger (pride in that I knew that they would begin blaming me and I felt stupid enough and anger in that I was so mad at myself and the whole situation) to put on a brave face. “Wait here,” I said, “We’ll figure this out.” I then began talking to the tow truck driver and began weighing my options. My intern said that he and the teens took comfort in seeing that I handled the situation calmly and rationally- for me, that’s a big win.

4) Don’t Park in a Tow Zone
Duh right? When I pulled into the spot I was paying more attention to the meter than the tow zone signs. We were actually parked in the last spot reserved for a restaurant. The sign warning against towing was halfway down the van (as opposed to in front of the parking spot) and I completely missed it. While I still believed that the zone was/is poorly marked that didn’t keep the van from being towed. Just be extra careful when parking in an area you’re unfamiliar with.

I hope that this never happens to you but if it does come back here and leave your story in the comments section so that I can feel like I’m not alone. have a great week!

It has been difficult keeping this under wraps and we had to out ourselves to a few people along the way but it is out now for all to know and we couldn’t be more excited.

My wife and I have been married for 7 years and our foray into starting a family actually began 2 years ago. We had just about given up hope on conceiving on our own. In fact we had even scheduled an appointment with a fertility specialist!

It is amazing how God works. Just when you think that it is all up to yourself God comes along and bonks you on the forehead V8 style. He is firmly in charge.

Ok, so I wanted to share this story about our (my) first Dr. visit.

I was playing it all cool the first time I met the OB doctor. She walks us through the ultrasound procedure and I nod accordingly. Under the surface though I’m jumping out of my skin. I want to see this ultrasound so that the little blue cross on the pregnancy test will become really real!!!

She moves the sensor (sensor is the right word, right?) around and I catch a glimpse of the heartbeat. I literally yelled out, “Is that it there!?!?!?” Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I have been medically diagnosed with a “voice that carries” so imagine just how loud my excited question was.

I could no longer play it cool. My cover was blown. This suddenly became real and I love it!

I sure am glad that I spent all that time on the fan and the fan belt. Whew!

Over the weekend there were some classic Camaros parked down the street from the church building. The owners refused to let me flip one on its side so I can only assume that this looks correct. They had no respect for authentic pursuit. Jerks.

Cleanest. upholstery. ever.

I am actually proud of the small detail on the dash of the silver Camero emblem that I managed to paint. I almost wept I was so proud. Almost.

I spray painted the first coat in my real garage. For some reason my wife freaked out when I started prepping the kitchen table for an impromptu spray painting area. I’m only kidding. I never prep anything.

What’s a swinging bachelor like me going to do with my new found freedom? Work on my classic 1969 Camaro Z/28.

Unfortunately for me, this classic car is only a 1:25 scale model.

We went to the craft store on Monday and I got the itch to build. I put together a Corvette back in college and I had a lot of fun working on it. My fat fingers make it a real challenge to glue some of the tiny pieces together but I’m up for the challenge.

I have completely taken over the kitchen table. For all practical purposes this weekend this is the garage.

The engine has been lowered into position and has been fastened to the frame.

Here I’m letting the glue dry so that I can apply some paint touch ups when I get home.

I’m pretty upset that when I finish this piece and glue it into place it will cover over the front part of the engine obscuring the view of the fan and fan belt. I’m just sayin’.

Stay tuned for more pictures of my classic ride.

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!!!

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