Category: reflections

My Bucket List

Friday night Laurie and turned off the Olympic opening ceremonies (yes I know a cardinal sin) and watched the Bucket List. I loved it. She wasn’t as impressed.

The idea behind the movie is two men are dying of cancer and are only expected to have six months to live, so they make a list of all the things they want to do before they “kick the bucket.”

The movie reminded me of the “life goal list” Mark Batterson challenges folks to create in his first book, “In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day.” Basically a list of 100 things that you want to do/accomplish before your life is over.

Been thinking through some of my goals (especially realizing that I only a little more than have 4 full months left to complete my goals for 2008). Looks like I’ve blown one of them already – the take a photo each day of me in 2008. I think I lost focus/motivation after folks said they were getting bored with my photo selection in mid-April. Hopefully I’ll pick it back up next year – but maybe just take a photo a day – rather than a photo of me each day.

So far I did finish rebuilding a new encounter website as well as rebuilding the CasadeBlundell.com website (with a lot of great help and insight from my life).

I think I’ll easily meet my reading goal for the year. I’ve completed 10, almost finished with #11 and just received #12 and have #13-15 currently being shipped from Amazon.com.

My last goals that I’m still worried about/shooting for are:

  • Finish losing weight. My goal weight is 205. I’ve got about 20 more lbs to go.
  • See 8 new community groups started at encounter.
  • Get 4 new people on the sound or media shout rotation at encounter.

So… all that said – what about my Bucket List? Well, I’m still thinking it though. I’ll give you one of them though… bungee jumping.

Now how about you? What’s on your Bucket List?

related ::
IMDB :: the bucket list
SSL :: goals for 2008
the “new” casadeblundell.com
the “new” encounterthis.com

Verse for today

We’ll be looking at one of my favorite verses tonight at our community group:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13

Eugene Peterson puts it this way:

They couldn’t take their eyes off them—Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright—so healed!—what could they say against that?

Duncan’s reflection

My new mate Duncan McFazdean offers up this “Saturday reflection” ::

Does excellence matter when it comes to worship?

Some good discussion going on. What do you think? Share your thoughts here or on Duncan’s blog.

related ::
duncan’s blog
seven men (duncan’s new ministry – micro business venture)
something beautiful podcast :: 1.10 :: duncan mcfazdean

3 hours a day

Read an interesting stat today. Most Americans watch an average of 3 hours of television per day. Over a year, that’s more than 45 days of television watching! Crazy!

So turning off the television instantly would instantly give you an extra 45 days a year to do other things you enjoy – like reading, playing softball, frisbee or just spending time with your family.

Of course there are other ways to consider this stat – if you having trouble finding time for things you want to do – realize that by spending just 3 hours a day working on it – you’d gain 45 days a year to focus on that one thing.

Want to learn a new language? 45 days a year would probably make a huge difference? Want to spend more time reading? 45 days would be a huge improvement.

What will you change to gain 45 days of your life back? Or what will you spend 45 days of your life doing this year?

Tribal Life

I spoke to my tribe yesterday and encouraged them to think about new ways to express & understand Christian community. (You can listen to the message online via the encounter website.)

Got one comment about me turning into Karl Marx – but I think it was in jest and if that’s the worst they can say… it was a good day ;-).

As I think more and more about my tribe, and Christian community other thoughts are crossing my mind.

I keep asking myself this same question, “So what does this tribe, this community, this oneness look like?” As I mentioned yesterday, “I’m not entirely sure — especially in modern America.”

But I do know this ::

Jesus told his disciples, “By this all men will know you are my disciple — if you love one another.” — John 13:34 & 35.

Seems that Christian brotherhood and sisterhood and community and unity were very big on Jesus’ plan/plate.

In the Hebrew Scriptures we read about the “tribes of Israel.”� The 12 tribes whom God called upon to be different in their culture. To be set apart. To be unique.

He calls them to accept the foreigner into their homes.

He calls them to ignore the idol worship of their neighbors.

He calls them to put their trust in Yahweh rather than in a king, or a Pharaoh or a President.

He calls them to honor the Sabbath — a day you set aside all your business of the 24/7 consumerism and focus on God — the creator of it all.

And so the Hebrews get very accustomed to this calling of being “separate” from the world (not that anyone’s ever really figured that out).

And then Jesus shows up on the earth and starts telling everyone that he was forming a new tribe.

A tribe where the Hebrews would join together with the Gentiles. No wonder they got upset and had him killed. That in and of itself could be considered blasphemy.

A tribe for all who were baptized into Christ and have clothed themselves with Christ.

Where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.

It’s a radical idea and I believe it calls for radical changes in our thinking and behavior.

When the tribe succeeds – everyone succeeds!

related ::
encounter
SSL :: the rule of life
SSL :: duncan mcfadzean talks about micro-financing