Three Minutes – Reggie Joiner (Orange Parents)
This is the best reflection I’ve read this week on the events of Newtown and the struggle that we all face in its aftermath. This is what it looks like to hope and healing to those affected by this great evil.

It only took three minutes last Friday to remind us there is evil in the world, but those three minutes also showed there is good in the world too. I hope the lessons we learned from the families and leaders of Newtown will challenge and inspire us. Romans 12:21 says, “Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

The Importance of a Leader’s Heart – Michael Hyatt
I heard Hyatt talk about the Leader’s Heart at Catalyst Dallas in 2011. This post is actually the show notes for a great podcast based on his presentation. If you don’t listen to Hyatt’s This Is Your Life podcast, I’d encourage you to subscribe to it today.

Jerry Seinfeld Intends to Die Standing Up – NY Times
I love reading stories about artists and their craft. This a great article about a comedian who loves what he does and takes care to grow and hone his abilities.

When he can’t tinker, he grows anxious. “If I don’t do a set in two weeks, I feel it,” he said. “I read an article a few years ago that said when you practice a sport a lot, you literally become a broadband: the nerve pathway in your brain contains a lot more information. As soon as you stop practicing, the pathway begins shrinking back down. Reading that changed my life. I used to wonder, Why am I doing these sets, getting on a stage? Don’t I know how to do this already? The answer is no. You must keep doing it. The broadband starts to narrow the moment you stop.”

3 Things That Change Everything – Jon Acuff
Jon Acuff is the best. He is my favorite writer to go to when I need encouragement, a laugh, or a great dose of reality. This is a great example of his articles and his thinking.

If you told a 22-year old today that before he can change the world he has to work for 20 years, he’d giggle at you. Generation Y wants meaning now, not eventually and Generation X has been caught up in that momentum. Hope is boss.

I am a Princess – Disney
From the moment I found out that I was going to be a father to a baby girl, I started thinking through my “princess philosophy.” I struggled with wanting my daughter to embrace imagination and fantasy while at the same time avoiding an entitlement mentality. Not to mention the pressure that is placed on young women to pursue physical beauty, which is superficial, over and above virtues that are far more lasting and meaningful. I believe that being a Princess isn’t a ROLE to PLAY but a RESPONSIBILITY to LIVE OUT. To me, a Princess is a woman of strength, courage, honor, and service. That’s the woman I want my Princess to become. I saw this short film on Disney Jr a couple of weeks ago and I believe it sums up my “princess philosophy” beautifully. I am very thankful that the home of all things princess feels the same way I do.

(Full disclosure: I literally started crying while watching this. Fatherhood has softened me a bit.)

I was looking back over some things I had written all the way back in 2004 and I came across this little gem about a 60 minutes interview with Bob Dylan.

I really enjoy listening to Dylan’s music. The depth of emotion in the music and lyrics is unmatched. What is even more fascinating is Dylan’s matter-of-factness about fame.

“His fellow musicians paid tribute to him when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, joining him in a rousing rendition of his most famous song, “Like a Rolling Stone.” That song was recently named by Rolling Stone magazine as the No. 1 song of all time. And he has 12 other songs on their list of the Top 500.

“That must be good to have as part of your legacy,” says Bradley.

“Oh, maybe this week. But you know, the list, they change names, and you know, quite frequently, really. I don’t really pay much attention to that,” says Dylan.

“But it’s a pat on the back,” says Bradley.

“This week it is,” Dylan replies. “But who’s to say how long that’s gonna last?”

Leave it to Bob Dylan to remind us that everything is just blowin’ in the wind. 

A total redesign has gone down here at Kicking at the Darkness. I am now using the Standard theme and am super impressed with everything under the hood.

If you get a few minutes, look around and tell me what you think. I’m excited and anxious to get back into writing mode.

Happy New Year everyone! It is the first week of 2011 and I couldn’t be more excited. The last two months have been a real challenge for me. In December, I began preaching each week during the minister transition at our church. I’ll be preaching for the whole month of January as well. For today’s Top 5 list I have decided to post about my five best friends over the last few weeks- my study tools. Let’s get to know these guys little better.

This is a picture of my ESV Study Bible. The ESVSB is no joke. It’s huge and chock full of great study notes, outlines, essays, and beautiful maps. I primary use two study bibles to help prepare my lessons and classes. Besides the ESVSB, I rely pretty heavily on my TNIV Study Bible. Both of these Bibles are great and I would recommend either one of them in a heartbeat. A Study Bible is a must-have study tool for me.

When I purchased my iPad back in August I figured I would use it for two things: a) as a tool to preach from and b) a device to read from. Little did I know that my iPad would allow me to do so much more. Here is a quick run-down on how I typically use my iPad each and everyday.

I upload a copy of my sermon presentation into Keynote for the iPad and carry it and a bible into the pulpit with me each Sunday. I also use it when I teach my small group Bible study at my house. Using either the Kindle book app, YouVersion Bible app, or my own notes that I have loaded into Pages for iPad the iPad is flexible enough to meet my teaching needs.

I use NoteTaker and a stylus to write (by hand) notes for classes, bible studys, meetings, or sermons.

I use Pulse to gather all of the blogs that I read into one place so i can read them offline later in the day.

I use the Facebook and Twitter apps to keep up with my teens and friends.

My dad got me these Beats by Dre for Christmas two years ago and they have been my constant companions since then. The headphones allow me to concentrate on what I’m reading or listening to. When I read I typically have some music going but they have proven to be my favorite headphones to listen to podcasts with. Plus, I look super cool- at least I think I look cool.

The reading experience on my Kindle is second to none. When I read on my iPad I get easily distracted- “Oh, let me research that. I have to check my email. Let me download this other book. Angry Birds!!!” On my Kindle, all I do is read and I love it!!! There are a lot of e-readers out there now. The Kindle is the best.

Let’s get this out of the way- Yes, I keep my pens in a pocket protector. Big whoop! I gots to have my pens ready and easily accessible. Here are the instruments that I rely on:

Highlighters: Zebrite Bible Highlighters
Stylus: Pogo by Sketch
Writing Pen: Pilot G-2 0.38 (I like to write thin and small)
Bible Pen: Micron Archival Ink 01

Merry Christmas from the Felkers!!!

I’ve been busy working on a series of lists to post for next week. Here is a sneak peak:

Top Books of 2010
Favorite iPad Apps
Top 10 Favorite Podcasts
Favorite Ministry & Leadership Resources

I love making lists. My wife laughs at me and believes that my Top 10 song list must include at least 100 songs or more. Hopefully these lists can be helpful for you and I hope that you enjoy them. look for the first list to be posted tomorrow morning. See you then!

This post is about Thankfulness.

Three weeks ago, our family suffered a miscarriage.

I am still sifting through my thoughts and feelings about what has happened to us. I don’t yet have the words to explain it all. What I do know is that I have a profound sense of thankfulness and a desire to express my love and gratitude to everyone who has cared for us over these last three weeks. It is hard to believe but, even in the midst of incredible sadness and loss, we have much to be thankful for.

I’m thankful that I have a God who is good and does good. The day before the miscarriage I read an article about Pastor Matt Chandler and the 1 year anniversary of his battle with a brain tumor. The picture that accompanied the article showed Matt surrounded in prayer. His head is bowed- his bald and scarred head- and his hands raised. The author asked him how theology sustained him through the suffering of the past year. He answered:

“There were at least 3 meetings with my doctors early on where I felt like I got punched in the soul. In those moments when I was discombobulated and things felt like they were spinning out of control, my theology and the Spirit were there to remind me that “He is good and He does good”—to remind me that God has a plan for His glory and my joy that He is working.“

I am thankful that, even in the midst of questions, loss, and pain, ultimately God is good and does good. That perspective has been my rock over the last few weeks.

I am thankful for our Family. Our immediate family members have been supportive and loving throughout this whole ordeal. I am thankful for their love and care.

I am thankful for our Church Family. One of the axioms that we live by is that we do “life” with our church family. We want to celebrate with them and we need to mourn with them. When we went to the emergency room, our church family took care of our son for the day. While we waited to hear from the doctor, we were surrounded in prayer by many people. Phone calls and text messages flooded my phone throughout the day and didn’t stop 24 hrs after. People engaged us and cared for us. And food… oh was there food. We have seen the blessing of “Doing Life” with our congregation. We wouldn’t have it any other way.

I am thankful for my wife. The strongest, most beautiful woman in the world somehow agreed to marry me. We will celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary in August 2011 and I am very thankful that God saw fit to bless me with this woman.

This is my big red chair.

Since we have moved into this new house I have found this red chair to be the perfect afternoon companion. At around 2:30pm each afternoon, our back porch begins to be shaded from direct sunlight. As soon I get home I usually pour myself a tall glass of Sweet Tea, grab something to read, and sit outside for a few hours. As hectic and as crazy as our lives have been over the past few months being able to sit outside and be still for a few hours has been an incredible blessing.

In this chair, the concerns of the day are paused. In this chair, tomorrow is planned.

In this chair, life is good.

It is has been a really long time since I’ve posted here on the blog. Life has a way of getting n the way of your best laid plans and that has certainly been the case for me. The Resistance got me. Let me tell you what I’ve been up to over the last few weeks.

1. We Moved. We moved into a brand new house that was a little bit bigger than our old house and a little bit closer to the action of our daily lives. The move was a whirlwind of activity. We ended up moving our furniture in the dark because, in all the confusion of closing houses, our power was shut off. Crazy. So that was on a Tuesday.
2. We Are Having Another Baby. And on Saturday we found out the big news. This was not the plan but we are excited and have begun the process of getting everything together for our new family member. We are anticipating another May birthday in our house.
3. Catalyst. This past weekend I attended the Catalyst Conference with some of my youth ministry peers from here in town. We traveled by White Church Van from DFW to the ATL last Wednesday. The conference was the best yet. Andy Stanley gave an incredible lesson on Esau and set the bar for the whole week. It was incredible. On Friday, we drove the entire trip back during the night. It was a long trip but extremely fruitful. Our personal ministries will benefit from the conference and so will the joint ministry event that we participate in together. I am so excited about what lies in store for us.

There you have it 3 great things that have kept me from the blog. Be on the lookout for more regular posts beginning today.