And the winner is…

Well, today is the big day…it’s time to announce the winner of “The Great Pumpkin 2008″ contest.

Drum roll please………………………………………..

The winner is #2 by a count of 12 votes to 4.

Pumpkin #2 was carved by my wife Carla.

Thanks for showing pumpkin #1 [which is obviously far superior to #2] no love whatsoever! Oh well, there’s always next year.

Thanks for helping us choose a winner. Have a great evening!

The sad, pathetic loser,

josh

It’s the Great Pumpkin!!!

UPDATE: Hey everyone! Thanks for supporting your favorite pumpkin. There are two more days left for voting, and the winner will be announced this THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 by 4:00pm. Send your friends over to vote before then! Have a great day. josh

Every year, as Halloween approaches, Carla and I carve a pumpkin together. However, last year we began a new tradition…we both carved our own pumpkin, and tried to decide whose was the best. This year, I thought we would leave it to those of you who are part of the “Intersections” community to decide whose pumpkin carving skills should reign supreme this year. Below are the pics of our pumpkins. Which one is mine and which  is hers will remain a secret until voting is over. I will announce the winner next Thursday right here at “Intersections”.

If you have never commented on a post before…this would be a great opportunity to start!

Do you like…

pumpkin #1 the best?

or pumpkin #2?

Hope you pick mine,

josh

The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today…

This quote from Brennan Manning, author of [among many other works] The Ragamuffin Gospel, has really been challenging me lately.

“…the single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

What do you think? Is he right? If so, what can we do to change this perception?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

josh

Is it Monday already?

Is it just me, or does the weekend seem to fly by? So much happens in such a short amount of time! Here are a few things that happened this past weekend:

• Friday was a good day. After a day of errands, Carla and I braved the temperature to go to the Butler Co. football game. We were up 41-0 at half time and went on to win 48-16. Our team is having a great season so far!
• Saturday we went to the foster parent classes in the morning, but we had to leave early because I was performing a wedding that evening.
• The wedding was outdoors, in one of our church member’s backyard. It was beautiful…and chilly!
• Have I mentioned that I LOVE this weather? Well, I LOVE this weather!
• Sunday we started a new series called “Seriously?” We began by looking at the story Jesus tells of a wise builder and a foolish builder. The wise builder represents someone who not only hears Jesus, but is changed by Jesus. The wise builder will live differently, because he/she will orient their entire lives around doing what Jesus says. The foolish builder hears Jesus, but chooses not to be transformed. When the storm comes [and it WILL come!] the house that stands is the house that was constructed by listening to Jesus and doing what he says.
• Did a little relaxing, then work around the house after church.
• Last night I played volleyball with some people…it was fun. I am so glad I am healed enough from my ankle injury that I can start to play again.
• I was not ready to get up this morning…I love the cool weather, but it makes it hard to get out of bed!

Hope you had a great weekend, and that you survive Monday.

josh

And the winner is…

Well, you all have spoken. And the winner is…

Thanks for the help!

josh

Seriously…are you ready?

Hope all of you are doing well. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful Fall day.

This morning at MCC we are kicking off our new series, “Seriously?” If you are in the area…stop by at 9 or 10:30am.

Have a great day!

josh

Two more days…

If you have not voted for your favorite graphic for our next series [Seriously?] at MCC… you have two more days. We will be making the final decision Friday. BTW, everyone is welcome to participate…not just people who attend MCC. Thanks for your help! Click here to vote.

josh

Wanted…dead or alive?

Many of you know how corny Christian t-shirts get under my skin. Not too long ago I ranted about this very issue. You can catch up here.

However, today I ran across a shirt so ridiculous that I had to laugh.

I guess it was bound to happen. Check it out.

Be on the look out!

Later on,

josh

Seriously, I need your help!

This Sunday, October 19, we are beginning a brand new series at MCC, and I am so excited! This is one of those series that I have been wrestling with for several months, and I look forward to sharing it and inviting others to wrestle with it too. The series is called “Seriously?”, and the big idea that we will be talking about is simple: What would it look like if we took Jesus seriously? How would our lives be different? How would our relationships look different? Is it possible that Jesus is not offering helpful suggestions, but that he actually expects us to do what he says?

We [and by we I mean our creative genius, Chad Flener] usually create all of our series graphics here at MCC, but due to technical difficulty [an overloaded computer] we had to get some help on this one. My good friend Ben Stewart has created several options for us to choose from for this series. There are two that I really like, so I thought I would ask you all for help. If you happen to be reading this, take a look at the two options below and tell me which one you like best. Come on…everybody jump in on this one!

Option one:

Option two:

So, which one strikes your fancy?

Thanks for your input,

josh

This Sunday @ MCC…

Last week we finished up our Intersections series, which we began in late August. Next Sunday we will begin a new series called “Seriously?” This week, in the meantime, we will be talking about unity. In the gospel of John, chapter 17, Jesus prays a prayer that reflects his heart for his followers…that they would come together in complete unity, and because of this unity, the world will know that Jesus is for real.

Join us at 9 or 10:30am this Sunday to discover how we can be the answer to Jesus’ prayer.

Have a great weekend.

josh