Everest

Over the last year, I have watched several different t.v. shows on the subject of climbing Mt. Everest. It has been amazing to see how much time, money, and effort it takes to take on the world's tallest mountain. Watching the stories of those who have made it to the top and the stories of those who have died on the mountain, I've been more impressed with those who have almost made it. I was watching a documentary today on Everest, and one of the climbers had to give up and turn around less than 250ft. from the summitt. Two hundred and fifty feet, that's less than a trot around the bases at a major league ball park, but on Everest it is hours worth of climbing. I wondered what that must feel like, to be so close to fulfilling a dream and then watch it slip away. If he hadn't turned around, he would have most likely met the fate of many on that mountain, death. Yet, I'm sure it was probably one of the toughest choices he has ever had to make.

It got me to thinking about my life and following Christ. If I was that close to one of my dreams, but God asked me to walk away from it, would I? Would I really give up anything for Him? Would I save my life by losing it?

What are your dreams and goals? If you were "250ft" away from reaching those dreams, would you be willing to give them up to follow Jesus down the narrow road. I guess I'm so impressed with the climbers that almost make it but turn back, because it takes the ability to give up themselves. Ultimately that's what we must do to follow Christ, give up ourselves.

Stepping on toes

"You really stepped on our toes this morning, pastor," is a common phrase uttered in churches across America on any given Sunday morning, and I've still never gotten use to hearing it. In my mind when a sinful man seeks a holy and righteous God, toes are going to get crushed. I don't know why that surprises us. His ways are not my ways, His thoughts are not mine, so something has to give and it's not going to be God.

My hope is that your toes are being stepped on all week as you engage with God, not just on Sunday morning.

Invite

This weekend Shawna and I invited one of our friends to go to the ENMU football game. We hadn't done a lot with him since we moved out to Arch, so the game was a great way to get reconnected. I've know him for a couple of years now and I've even had the opportunity to share Christ with him and invite him to church. The great thing about having a relationship with him that doesn't start and stop with a church invitation, is that when he doesn't come to church, the door isn't closed on our friendship. The Invite weekend gave Shawna and I a good reminder that we can't let relationships like this one, fall to the wayside.

Invite Weekend

This weekend will be our first Invite weekend at Arch Baptist Church. My hope is that everyone in our congregation will invite somebody to do something. Now, I know that sounds a little vague, but basically that's all it is. Church should be about building community, especially with unbelievers or non-church goers, so that's what an Invite weekend is all about. For some this will be the perfect opportunity to invite a friend or co-worker out to eat or to a football game, and for others this would be a great time to invite someone to church. Either way, it's about building relationships to further God's kingdom, not necessarily our church membership role. So whether or not you go to church out at Arch or if you just got unlucky and stumbled across this blog, invite someone to be a part of your life this weekend.

Also, I would love to hear about your Invite experience, so feel free to leave your comments or send me an email at codyhbrown@yahoo.com.

I would love to have a motorcycle

It's been a long time since I've ridden a motorcycle and even longer since I've owned one. The last one I had was a 1987 Honda Interceptor 750. It was a great bike, but when Abby showed up it somehow became a nonessential. Things like baby formula, diapers, groceries, etc became the essentials, and things like motorcycles where the first to go.

I love to ride because it makes you forget about everything else. When you are on 2-wheels going down the road, there are not a lot of things that I'm thinking about other than if that car a mile down the road is going to pull out in front of me or not. And that's nice. It's nice not to think about life, and I miss that. As a pastor most of my day is spent chewing on life's questions, whether preparing a sermon, counseling a church member, or sharing Jesus with someone, my mind is always turning. I guess that's also why I like t.v. so much. I like watching t.v. and just going brain dead for an hour at a time.

I would love to have another bike, but I guess it continues to be a nonessential in our house. However, if you've got one out back that you want to get rid of...

Something New

I got tired of looking at that green background, so I decided to change the look of this site.