God is very interested in the details. When you take a look at the instructions for the tabernacle tent God instructed in Exodus, up to the Temple design God gave David to pass onto Solomon…we see a God who loves precison and excellence.

He called for the best materials. He called for the best craftsmen. He called for everyone to give their all. The level of excellence was not lost in the details….it was amplified.

The result was a place of His presence, a place of worship like no other. It’s no different today for us. God is still interested in the details. He is still involved in every little intricacy.

God still wants the Tabernacle…His Temple, to be a spectacular display of His presence to dwell. The only difference today is we are the temple! He is still involved in every detail of the constuction…but the materials are our lives. We have a master builder in the Holy Spirit who is working to make our temples excellent.

It was Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians. It’s the cry in Romans 12:1 that calls us to this true act of worship. It’s not all on us, God is just as involved as He was in the old testament! The materials and the methods have just become personalized.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

Great song from Matthew West …. the video is a testimony, the song is my life prayer

“I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking,
“What if I had given everything,
Instead of going through the motions?”
— Matthew West from the song “The Motions”

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

I’m not one of the 1.4 million viewers who caught this video from Justin Bieber. My buddy Matt turned me onto the new album from Justin (only $7.99 @ iTunes ). The kid is amazing, check him out nailing this Stevie Wonder Christmas song:

His YouTube channel has a host of other great songs (even some worship songs) that he knocks out with a handy cam and sheer talent. Usher swooshed in and signed him before Timberlake, Diddy, and the other industry peeps chasing him.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

I tweeted this video link out already, but it’s definitely worthy of blog post. Nike gets what brand means…Nike breathes excellence in everything they do…Nike found a way to honor their past with a fresh look at the future!

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

I had a little revealation as I pulled some clothes out of the washing machine last night. They were all stuck together and started to form into the shape of the cylinder that just did a cleaning number on them.

It’s a lot like the world we live in. The environments, the conditions, the forces working aginst us all want to ultimately shape us into themselves. The faster the pace, the faster the spin cycle. But at the end of the cycle we are still who we are. The washing machine of life doesn’t make us loose our identity.

I heard a speaker say recently, “Our value was nailed to the cross.” Jesus put our value above all. He wants to be the one to shape us..or reshape us from the spin cycles of life.

I’m living proof of that truth. I could list my history, my environments I fell subject to growing up (and many I put myself in) and it would make for a 4 part Jerry Springer Show mini-series. For years it shaped me, until I met the ultimate creator who came in and reshaped me from the inside out. I looked a little like this picture, until He put me in His arms of love and brought me back to the original design.

It doesn’t make everyday a walk in the park. But it does give me a connection with a Father who wants me to be in His shape…and welcomes me from the battles of life to His refuge so I can get in shape.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

I’m a bona fide Who Dat nation card carrying member. If you cut me, I bleed black & gold. Tonight’s game with my Saints battling the dirty birds of Atlanta I learned a couple of lessons in leadership from our star QB Drew Brees.

A great leader knows when to drop back in the pocket so he can read the field

A great leader knows exactly when to time the pass

A great leader knows who to throw the ball to

A great leader celebrates the victories with the team

Brees has a superstar, or great leader, ability to drop back and make the big play. He reads the field of opposition. He looks for the opportunity. Most importantly he places the utmost confidence on the receivers to catch the ball in the small windows he threads it through. Ultimately he rallies the team to rise to the occasion, sets the bar, and delivers the opportunity for success. In the the end the team celebrates the victory.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

Ephesians 1:18

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,”

———————-
Quote for the day:

“‘Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your presence all our fears are washed away” — Paul Baloche “Hosanna”

I’m embarrassed to say I missed the U2 live YouTube concert last weekend…I was not one of the 2.5 million who tuned in. And I wasn’t one of the 1.2 million who streamed the archived YouTube show…that changes tonight, check it out!

It was classic U2 at all new levels…stage, sound, songs, crowd…unbelievable! Best seat in the Rose Bowl.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

Reading through a book from one of my favorite authors….excellent chapter on fear and conquering fear by unlearning…be inspired.

“The goal of love is fearlessness! As we grow in a love relationship with God, we unlearn the fears that paralyze us and neutralize us spiritually. That is the essence of faith. Faith is the process of unlearning your irrational fears.”
Mark Batterson from “In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day”

1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris

So the rumor mill just got turned up a notch with the recent NYT executive editor Bill Keller’s “off the record” interview Could the e-reader market get an Apple revolution? Will Steve and the Cupertino gang come in and put the slam dunk on the democratization of the book industry? Will iTunes U + the Apple Tablet empower the education industry overhaul?

All I have to say is if the MacBook Pro becomes a touch like this wishful comp illustrates…count me in! At $800 the price is right for a Christmas frenzy.

Breathe In & Smile Out,
Chris