Deurty

I am back in the pocket. I have returned from my time in jam packed NYC. Many highlights, but the best was spending time with my dad. I got to see the Yankees lose, eat breakfast outdoors every morning, take in Times Square lights, eat NY cheesecake, take a nap, read a couple books, ponder in Central Park, try Japanese candy, etc... It was a refreshing time. I am sure my dad will post some pics and I'll rip him off and add to his reflections or photos. Go there: Dibs Maturing My dad and I did see this dude (Richard Belzer from Law and Order) eating with friends. Of course I saw him and promptly ignored him. sd

I am getting out of Dodge and heading to NYC for five nights with Dibs (aka: Deurty Old Man, aka: Dibs Maturing, aka: my dad.) I am looking forward to this trip and it is coming at a really good time. I hope and pray that it will be refreshing and a good infusion of creativity and vision. Going to a big city always seems to stir my heart. I'll be reading, journaling, visiting sites, planning some leadership things, and having fun. We are going to a Yankee game and I'll be quietly rooting against them. (Sorry Nate Sean) We will be visiting a couple churches while we are there. The ones I am sure about are linked below: Redeemer Pres. Brooklyn Tab. We'll do the prayer meeting on Tuesday night at the Brooklyn Tab. Anyways I'd appreciate your prayers for my family as I am away and for my own soul's renewal. Also that my dad will be okay with me walking into him. :) Thompson is 36 today, sd PS: One of my all time favorite posts by my dad is from July 2003 and it ...

This week we are talking about being an alternative transformational community. This is a mouthful, but a great image. In the book of Acts (in the Bible) it describes the earliest followers of Jesus as a community that stood out in the surrounding culture. They were promiscuous with their money and stingy(chaste) with their bodies. This stood out. I may have commented on this before and so forgive me if I have, but it appears that, as followers of Jesus, our primary concern in being an alternative to the surrounding culture is to just listen to Christian music (which I like some), avoid swearing (we all have different levels of what swearing is), don't drink booze (for some denominations), don't smoke (at least don't inhale), don't ride a motorcycle (unless it is a Harley for most pastors trying to keep their mojo), etc... Are these really the distinctive marks of a life following Jesus? These are so easy. What about character issues? What about not seeking reveng...

Have you ever noticed that when someone tells a parent that their baby is adorable the parent says, "thank you." Maybe they are speaking for the baby who is unable to say, "thank you." But it seems as if the parents are taking credit for the baby being cute. I am sure that good looking people have a better chance of producing a child that is so cute that you could just "eat his little face." But what about babies that are not nice to look at? Should we have parent's apologize for their baby's looks? If we take credit for the cute we should probably take credit for the not cute. (code for ugly) So, I want to say thanks for my kids and I want to apologize on behalf of my parents for me. :) Out on the streets - out where we meet... sd

Well, It's over. I am out. We raised, $460.00 thanks to some really generous people. Thanks again to those who contributed. Thanks also for sticking with me as I took time to talk about this. I hung out with Maryanne Gregory (from Watermark and also in jail) at Snug Harbor and got to eat some donated grub from Arbys while I made some phone calls. (Including you Wade Breeden!) Why did I do this? First of all, I was asked. Oh the power of "the ask." I forget about the power of being asked. It forces you to make a decision. Secondly, I wanted to participate in a community oriented event. As a pastor it can be easy to get focused on only the local church and this was another way to help the wider community and assist in a cause that wasn't my normal environment. (I believe the local church has to be my focused environment, but sometimes it is easy to become limited in my focus.) Third, it was a stretch that I wanted to do. My word for the year was, "courage...

Today at 1 pm I will get arrested "for good." My goal was to raise $1,000 and so far we have raised $390. If you have been considering giving but haven't yet you can visit my MDA website and donate online. Thanks again - this should be interesting. :) Deur MDA Lock up Slammer jammer, sd I'll give you an update.