Life. Liberty. And the pursuit of God.

Anson Turned 5 yesterday. It is hard to believe our youngest is now 5!

The day after Christmas my wife and I cleaned out the house. We got rid of all of the kid’s old toys, clothes, and junk. What I discovered is that the “stuff” that is hard to throw away are the basics. All of their stuff with electronics and batteries are pretty much gone. The toys they really love (not what they say they like, but what they actually play with in a quiet room) are simple and don’t have all of the bells and whistles.

My wife picked out TinkerToys for one of Anson’s birthday gifts. Blocks, Lego’s, linkin’ logs, hot wheels and now TinkerToys are his favorite. There is beauty in their simplicity. They are generational toys because they are basic and simple. Their simplicity gives them longevity.

I believe that churches and organizations should take notice. Batteries, lights, and moving parts are fun for a while but they fail to hold attention long term. The simpler the structure, the longer it lasts.

Simple structures know their purpose and limit their function. They know what they can and cannot do. They understand their form and work within those parameters.

Malfunctions begin when these organizations decide to add some bells and whistles to their programming to “make it flashy.” “Flashy” usually means expensive and crappy. Take this from a father who has purchased his share of flashy toys in his lifetime, only to see them used once or twice before they wear out or the kid gives up on them.

But, I bet little Anson Olive (up above) will be playing with his TinkerToys in 5 years. I bet that is the only toy he got this year that he will still have then (not that he didn’t like the others). So, what does this mean for us church folk?

Simplicity may not immediately catch the attention of those around. They may chase after the flashiest, newest thing they see. But the chase gets tiring and the lack of substance leaves them unfulfilled. So, they return to the Tinkertoys and begin to re-experience the fun found in creative imagination and simplicity once more.

Yes, I’m talking about the dog.

This week’s sermon was classified as:

Title: Live at EarthGarden – Cygna / Artist: Cygna / Album: Live at EarthGarden / Genre: Soundtrack

I am obviously a pretty eclectic guy.

Anxious.

Nervous.

Young.

Knowledgeable.

Committed.

11 Years later:

Anxiousness has turned to wonder.

Nervousness has turned to contemplation.

Youth has turned to adulthood.

Knowledge has turned to mystery and unknowing.

Commitment. My commitment has never wavered.

Happy 11 year Anniversary Sharla!

I had a few sent to me this morning!

Dayspring hosted a spectacular service tonight at Bergfeld Park. We were so much more prepared for this service than we were a year ago when we hosted our first Christmas Eve service just a couple months after Dayspring began.

Tonight over 400 people attended – for a church just a year old in Tyler that is incredible, unbelievable apart from the working of God. The weather was perfect and the music was outstanding (Aaron worked like crazy)! Our set-up teams did an amazing job transforming Bergfeld for worship – the visuals and stage looked amazing (thanks Laura). The hospitality volunteers, the sound crews, the band all brought it together and made it happen tonight.

An offering was received for the East Texas Rescue Mission and about $4,000 dollars was received – PRAISE GOD AND HIS GENEROUS PEOPLE!

Seeing everyone worship together on this Holy Night and lighting candles at the end of the service was inspiring. I pray that the service touched lives and that it will be a cherished memory for those who came.

In the busyness of the moment, I am not sure if we got any pictures. Did any of you take pictures?

Well, I guess the schnoodle officially has a name. When we got him, I was calling him Moses, my daughter was calling him Asher and my son was calling him liquorice. That was one confused puppy. So, for a couple of days we called him Asher and a couple of days we called him Moses. In the end, we discovered that we would probably be calling him “Mo” for short. Problem was that it sounded too much like “No” and he might have thought we were getting on to him every time we called him. Really, Dogs need very clear commands and I imagine I’ll be telling this dog NO a lot, so I want it to be a negative command and not one associated with me calling him over for a friendly scratch of the ears.

So tonight, I let the kids decide what to name him. Avery voted for Asher (Sharla tacitly likes this name best). I abstained (but I still like Moses). And Anson? My almost 5-year-old son. What name does he pick? My question to him, “Do you want to name him Moses or Asher?” Anson, “FLASH DOG.”

Flash Dog! Where did that come from? But he was insistent that he preferred Flash Dog above all other naming possibilities. So folks, now you have the story behind the Olive’s Schnoodle puppy named: “Asher-Moses-Flash Dog-Olive.” That is his official name and the order preference in which he will be called.

(Dr. Phillips, if you read this could you please update his records).

Merry Christmas! It’s just around the corner. This Christmas Eve, Dayspring UMC will host our second annual Christmas Eve service at Bergfeld Park on Wednesday December 24, 2008. The fun starts at 6 pm. Bring your friends and family!

6 pm. December 24, 2008

Live music
Hot drinks
Christmas message
Fun for the whole family

On Sunday, Dayspring held a combined service for adults and children. We are also holding a combined service this upcoming week, which gives our volunteers a break and allows families to worship together during the holidays.

The music on Sunday was incredible. We had a relaxed service. One of our advent candles would not light but after much persistence, it lit for a couple of minutes. At first there was a little nervous laughter and then just plain laughter – definitely good for the soul.

Being portable and working toward future plans for Dayspring has made this season extra busy. I am looking forward to our Christmas Eve service at Bergfeld Park and I am praying for NO RAIN. Cold is fine, rain is not!

I-tunes determined my sermon from Sunday should be classified like this:

Name: Big Boss Man

Artist: Old New Traditionals

Album: Jax Fairgrounds

Genre: Unclassifiable

I interpret it this way:

Name: God

Artist: New Church with Old Traditions (advent)

Album: Bergfeld Park – come to Bergfeld Wednesday

Genre: It is going to be so good, there are no words