Thoughts from the balcony

Sitting here on the balcony of our room at the C'Mon Inn in Billings, MT. I know, it sounds like a dive but it is a SWEET family hotel. I'm getting ready to speak at Super Summer Jr. High Camp for the Western Conference of our Denomination. Sab and I thought we'd take a day before and after camp to take the kids on a "mini" vacation. We've already hit the pool, hot tubs and eaten out, now we are on the balcony in the hopes that the 3 oldest kids will go to sleep in the room. Thought I'd share a few thoughts from the balcony.

--- I love speaking to teens. Never done just jr. high so a little nervous about that.

--- I feel good about the messages for next week. I have a couple of "camp" messages that I feel are some of my best stuff that work for camps. Tweak them to be original at a different camp but the same message really.

--- Monday night: Where do I fit in? Taking a different twist on the parable of the sower. Four types of people. The only one that produced was the person who was "all or nothing" for God.

--- Tuesday night: The Slippery Slope of Sin. The ONE THING that steals the power in the life of a believer is sin. And it is a dangerous and slippery slope. I get to share a story from my life that at the time was horrible, now it is funny. The time I got arrested for stealing Clinton and Perot political signs during the 1992 election. Compare that story to how sin works. It's funny but a very POWERFUL illustration of sin.

--- Wednesday night: Have some GUTS get off your buts. Taking about the excuses we'll give God when He's wanting to flip our world upside down with a world changing love.

--- Thursday night: What will your story be? God said of Job "He's upright and blameless. A man who fears God and shuns evil." Those words should hit us square in the mouth. (LOL, my new phrase) GOD said that about a man. WOW! I want that to be my story. Whether anyone ever knows who I am. Whether I'm a cool sermon illustration someday, a spiritual hero, a life someone would talk about...I want God to be able to say those words about me. "Upright and blameless. A man who fears God and shuns evil." And who did He say that to? The stinkin' devil himself. DUDE that fires me up.

I'll try to blog updates each day if there is Internet. Please be praying for us.

Following Christ,

Jeff