Shelly and I had a great vaca at the beach. I am back in the saddle this morning with over 100 emails to return. Its great to come back to a job that you love and are privileged doing. It sure beats the post-vaca depression:) So excited about our trip to Nicaragua this year and all the other great trip and opportunities we have planned. More info to come!!

Last Protege Horray was at Fogo De Chao. I am a firm believer that Fogo De Chao is a great place to spend your dough. I hope this doesn't sound too carnal but I wonder if this is a good picture of what heaven is like?:) All the meat you can eat!

I am speaking this weekend at our Ebenezers and Georgetown Locations on the Parable of the Talents. I am not sure I have ever dove into this parable as much as much as I have over the past two weeks. I love the meat of the parables. Jesus shares so much in such few words. I have come to the conclusion that Jesus would be amazing on Twitter:) He would be able to astound us with only 140 characters. Here is a pre-take away to the weekend: each and everyone of us has God-given talents so that we can reach our God-given ability. However, the Parable of the Talents reveals that if we don't use them, we will lose them! How are you investing your God-given talents each day. Are you using them at all? What risks do you need to take today to begin making the right investments?

This weekend Pastor Heather spoke on the Parable of the Vineyard. The summary of the parable goes like this: one worker worked a full day and the worker that only worked for one hour got the same amount of pay. The conclusion was that God is not fair but He is extravagantly generous. I have two take aways from the message:

It is time for some margin in our lives. This has been a great summer season of high impact and we have loved every bit of it. Now, its time to take advantage of some R & R. Seasons of constant gain and high energy are great but you have to couple it with seasons on downtime and low energy or you can burn out. So, this month we will take a week off, maybe two, to create some margin in our lives. Our only agenda will be to enjoy each other and pray for surf!

One word to describe last night: WOW! What an amazing time. We shared videos, stories, interviews, had Q & A, and even shared some snacks and drinks together. The whole opportunity was amazing. The whole night was MC-ed and led by our deaf leaders with text followed on the screen for interpreting purposes. We pulled an audible at the very end. We opened up the floor for everyone and anyone to ask whatever question they wanted to ask a deaf person. Our leaders did so great. I think everyone left that night changed and equipped to bring change and equality in our community and world. What a huge monumental night to capture in the books!!

Every year we commit a week to reveal a few unjust situations in our local community and around the world. We utilize media, literature, and interviews to get the point across. This week it all begins. You can come out each night to learn about different topics from Refugees, to Sex Slavery, to Financial Debts, to Deaf Culture. Our small group is hosting the Deaf Culture Night on Tuesday. We will step into the Deaf Culture and take a look at some ways we can make a difference by bringing equality both locally and globally. Come out for a viewing. All programs are listed at weekofjustice.org. Together we can be the hands and feet of Christ and be the Catalyst of change for our world!

We kicked off a new series this weekend titled, Figuratively Speaking. We will journey through the parables for the next few weeks and unveil the powerful truths that Jesus conveyed through stories. I have always loved the parables and how Jesus can sandbag his point with such weight at the end. Just when you thought he was talking about someone else, all the while he was talking about YOU! Ouch! Join us these next few weeks live or on the web.