When Opportunity Knocks

More than a series of events, life is really a series of opportunities. They come in various forms and present themselves in unexpected ways and how we respond to opportunities is a defining factor that sets the trajectory for our lives. Remember, Opportunity is a guest who arrives unannounced and never stays long. In other words, "opportunity knocks", but it rarely knocks twice! When a good one comes your way, seize it, because it might not come your way again.

Top Ten

I know that we're supposed to love everybody (even the people who get on our nerves), but some people are just harder to love than others. Below is my "Dave's Top Ten" list of most annoying people. I'm praying that God gives me the grace to love these folks, because I know that He has loved me unconditionally as unloveable as I can be.

10. People who send Spam e-mails (I don't need any "Male Enhancement")
9. People who crunch loudly when they eat.
8. People who don’t wave when you let them over in traffic
7. Lazy People
6. People with more than 15 items in the Wal-Mart Express Lane
5. People who talk loudly on cell phones
4. People who gossip
3. People who brag
2. People who like cats
1. Rude People!

Singles and Sex

This Sunday at the Creek, Pastor Marty will be wrapping up our current sex series by talking directly to single adults and students about the lies Satan is telling them in terms of their own sexuality. CNN recently ran a story about a college co-ed in Nevada (where prostitution is legal) who decided to auction off her virginity to help pay for college. She apparantly sees nothing wrong with this and sadly, her values are consistent with her generation ("my body...my choice"). We as followers of Jesus must remember that our bodies are not our own; we were bought with a price and must honor God with our bodies. God's regulations for our sexuality have nothing to do with taking away our "fun", but they have everything today with protecting us and elevating the value of sexual intimacy that should be enjoyed between a husband and a wife. It's going to be a great Sunday and I hope to see you at The Creek! (www.stevenscreek.net)

Hungry for Hope

We're living in a time of unprecedented challenges and more than ever, people are hungry for hope. Today, I had the opportunity to record some brief, encouraging messages that will be broadcast on our local Christian radio station (www.wafj.com). I'm no Joel Osteen, but I'm honored to do whatever I can do to help bring a little bit of encouragement to people. Encouragement and hope are in short supply, so whenever, wherever and however you can, make the effort to spread a little hope around today. It's pretty easy to make someone smile if you make the effort (and it's always worth the effort)!

The Secret

I've been asked recently, "What do you think is the 'Secret' behind the tremendous growth at Stevens Creek Church?" I had to think about it for a minute. On the surface, I believe there are many reasons including a strong, visionary leader (Pastor Marty), a dedicated staff team, a passionate congregation, an amazing new facility, good marketing, Pastor Todd's "Cool Factor", Pastor Kevin's rockin' youth program, great children's ministries, and dozens of other reasons. Any of these would have been a decent anwer to the question, but I don't believe that any of them are the "Secret".

The real reason for the explosive growth hasn't been anything that can be seen a stage, a website or a billboard. I strongly believe that the church has grown, because the church has prayed! Two decades of passionate prayer have yielded this current growth. God always moves through prayer and I believe that nothing great can ever be accomplished apart from prayer. Whatever you may be doing, whether growing a church or growing a family, make prayer your central focus and then watch God do greater things than you could ask or even Imagine.

Awards Announced!

Awards Season is upon us, but with all the hype going to the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, etc. We have forgotten the most important awards of all..."The Daveys"! If you're unfamiliar with "The Davey Awards", it's because I just made it up, but I'm expecting this to get big. There are no committees, no ballots or sealed envelopes, just the winners I appoint based on my own criteria. So...here it goes...announcing The Davey Awards honoring the Best in Ministry, Culture, Politics and Entertainment over the past 12 Months (drumroll please)...

Best Show:
24 (We owe our very survival to Jack Bauer).

Worst Show:
The View (My estrogen levels are so high after watching it, that I actually start lactating).

Best Mini-Series:
John Adams (it made me want to go back in time and wear wooden teeth just for the privilege of fighting for my country. It's truly one of the best films of any genre in recent years).

Best Actor: It's a tie!
Barack Obama (very compelling performance trying to appear more moderate than liberal).
John McCain (very compelling performance trying to appear like he could raise his hands over his head).

Best Actress:
Hillary Clinton (trying to act excited for Obama when he won the election).

Best Book:
The Bible (it wins every year)
Axiom by Bill Hybels (personal development category)
The Shack (Fiction)
The Know-it-all (useless but interesting trivial knowledge category)

Best kids:
Cooper and Connor Willis (like I said...I'm the only one who votes on this!)

Hottest Lady:
Ashley Willis

Sweetest person:
Ashley Willis (congrats on winning two categories!)

Best Church:
Stevens Creek Church (www.stevenscreek.net)

Best Athletic Performance (Wheelchair Division):
Dick Cheney at the Inauguration (he also wins the Hunting Division Category)

Best Awards:
The Davey Awards

Well, that's it for the first annual awards! If your favorites weren't on the list, stay tuned for next year's which promises to be even bigger and better.

Toddlers and Terrorists

I've been watching the show "24" recently which centers around controlling terrorists and my everyday life consists of controlling toddlers and I've noticed that toddlers and terrorists have a lot in common. First off, it's always a bad idea to negotiate with either group...it gives them a false sense of power and it never ends well. Secondly, it's not a good idea to take either one on an airplane. Both groups also tend to scream loudly in languages that don't resemble English. If I didn't love my toddlers so much, I think I would turn them into Jack Bauer and say they pose a threat to national security.