Regurgical Dance

The staff of Lifepath Church worked very hard on this Holiday Dance which was featured on a recent Sunday morning. We've had many requests to see the video, so here it is.

Christmas Pageants Rock

Lifepath's first Christmas pageant was a lot of fun. The church members did a great job creating all the costumes and the sets. This first picture is from the opening number which involved lots of dancing and pink hats.

There were also spies in this version of the Christmas story. That's Jane Blonde in the middle.

Here is the Angel Jazz Band. That's Gabe on the horn.

Here are my three fifth graders. It's a little sad to think this may be their last Christmas pageant.

Judith was in the angel chorus.

And here is Jake. Is this a mild form of child abuse?

What Is the Pastor Reading?

I tend to pick at half a dozen things at once. Here are the main things I'm currently working through.

It was time to read some R. C. Sproul.

I've read plenty of Calvin and studied quite a few theologians that come from the Reformed tradition. I've also spent a fair share of time reading the classic Reformed creeds. But I've never read someone modern who holds so closely to a 17th century scholastic version of the Reformed faith in its famous TULIP form.

Sproul is an engaging writer and a good teacher. If I can get some uninterrupted time, I should finish it in the next week or so.




This is a fine look at how to share one's faith. There are no gimmicks or fads. It's all about loving people and listening to God's guidance. I'm really enjoying it.

This book by Joseph Canfield is an unflattering biography of the editor of the Scofield Bible, which popularized Dispensational theology in the United States.








With so many faiths represented in the city of Houston, a pastor is well served to have a decent understanding of the major world religions. Huston Smith's book is considered a classic.





And finally, just for fun I'm reading a fictional account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Normally I prefer history to historical fiction but this is pretty good.

The Ultimate Anti-Zombie Weapon

You know you want one.

My Buddy, the Pirate

Michael Wurl is my buddy. He and his parents, Gary and Jennifer Wurl, are member of Lifepath and very involved in the life of the church. He's now about 23 or 24 and I guess I've known him about 11 years.

Michael has always been a bit of a character. He recently graduated from chef school and he must be pretty good at it. He has just gotten a job to be an executive chef in Nigeria at a five star hotel. He'll be leaving in January and gone for the next year. I'll miss getting together with him and playing video games.

But if you ask Michael what he really wants to do, he'll tell you he wants to be a pirate. He just called me from Ireland where he has been doing a cooking internship. He announced that he had made the national television news and the national paper.

You can read the story on the Irish Times website found here. But I'll go ahead an post the text:

Student's sea paddle prompts rescue operation

An American student sparked a full-scale rescue today after paddling a mile-and-half out to sea in a tiny boat to photograph a lighthouse.

The man in his 20s, who is taking classes at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in Co Cork, set off in rough conditions from nearby Ballyandreen, using a stick as an oar.
The RNLI lifeboat crew at Ballycotton said the Texan would have lost his life in the choppy waters if he hadn’t been spotted by a local fisherman.

“A major tragedy was definitely on the cards,” said eagle-eyed Redmond Lane Walsh who saw the 10-foot punt, a half mile off Ballycotton Island, in the Atlantic.
“If he hadn’t been rescued when he was, there would definitely have been a bad outcome. No-one knew where this guy was and they wouldn’t have known if he was missing.”

Lane Walsh, a fisherman and RNLI volunteer, noticed the boat as he walked along the Ballycotton pier and quickly alerted his RNLI crewmates.
They launched the Austin Lidbury lifeboat, which took just 15 minutes to reach the frightened sailor, who was being pulled further out to the ocean.

“When we got to him he had no oars, no flares, no mobile phone, lifejacket or safety equipment and nothing to bale out the water,” said Mr Lane Walsh.
“The wind was picking up and the waves were building so the boat would have floundered. There was no way in which he could alert anyone to let them know he was in trouble.”
Apart from some seasickness and shock, the hapless visitor was uninjured and made his way back to his hotel.

“People need to use their heads and not treat the sea lightly,” warned Blathnaid Lane Walsh, RNLI spokeswoman, who is also Redmond’s wife.

She said the rescue highlights the invaluable work done by the Ballycotton RNLI as it celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
PA © 2008 irishtimes.com

Michael, I love you but you need to stick to cooking. No more adventures on the high seas!