2010

I just finished reading my blog entry from: New Years Eve of 2008. Well, here it is fixing to be 2010 and I honestly have no idea what God will do. I am writing this thinking how humbled I am to be a part of such a great church and church family. There are so many people have invested in me spiritually and because of that my walk with Christ will never be the same. Physically has been for sure the hardest part of 2009. I have left behind almost over 38 lbs in 2009. I think this will be the first News Years when one of my resolutions is not wanting to lose 40lbs...and that's probably what excites me the most when I look back at 2009. Honestly, God has done so BIG things not so much in my life but most everyone around me. Many of my friends have gotten engaged, moved jobs, had kids, bought their first home, or been married. Its funny when I look at the last sentence I JUST typed, it makes me angry at God a little because not one of those things happened to me this year. While God did do some big things in my life, he did not the ones that I really wanted. Selfishly, I fall into the trap of "God, you owe me", look at what you did with everyone else. When I start feeling like that God ALWAYS directs back to Matthew 20, which is the parable about the workers in the vineyard. I find myself grumbling and compiling just like the worker did to the land owner(God) about only getting a Denarius for working hard all day, while others worked less than me and got the same pay. This is what my convo looks like with God: "Hey Shannon, you agreed to surrender your life to me and let me do EVERYTHING in your life on MY timing" to which my answer is this "I know but I feel like I'm always last when it comes to your blessings and its hard" Gods answer "So was dying on a cross for ya" -conversation over!!
My 2010 New Years Resolution is one that I have never said before but there is a first time for everything, so here it is: Is that by new years of 2011, I have no new years resolutions!!

The Official last day of Loren Hopf has come...

Today was Loren Hopf's official last day our of church staff. She has been serving as our 5th/6th grade girls associate for the past year. God opened a door for her to become a teacher at Second Baptist School and will be teaching 5th grade English. I am so proud of what she has done with this ministry. So many young girls lives have been changed because of what Loren allowed God to do through her. Her and Chris (her Husband) have impacted my life so greatly. Loren and I have shared many ups and downs but I can honestly look back and say "Every tear, every shout, and every talk I received, was worth it". Loren, good luck and thank you so much for what you have done in my life and the lives of our 5th/6th graders, you will be missed. Below are some of my favorite videos and pics of us doing ministry:

Ray Lewis's Ministry

I heard Gregg Matte one time say this "To beat the enemy you have to learn how take your misery and turn it into your ministry" Ray Lewis gets it and I quote Ray Lewis "Working out is just another way of fellowship"!!! I saw the interview on Sportscenter this morning: click here to watch it!!

The Intro

My boy Chris Hopf lived in Chicago for a short time. Yesterday he sent me an email and the title was "Remember this....best starting 5 ever". That title hit me like a ton of bricks. The intro to the bulls playoff game in 1996 was so impactful, that 13 years later Chris still remembers it. That got me thinking about every intro to a basketball I have ever seen. I can even recall leaving my house early to make sure I got to the game in time to see the intro. When the lights went out everyone knew to stand up and get your cameras ready. Next, you heard the high energy music come and it was so loud you could feel it in your bones. Then every ones adrenaline jacks up and everyone goes nuts. You then see a video that takes you on a "Journey" -Brian Mills, of what the team has done up to that point. In ministry, "The Intro" has fallen off the radar because we want to keep our students guessing about what will happen next. If you think about it, the intro plays such a huge part of getting the crowd excited about what they are fixing to see. What would happen if next time you went to a profession game and there was no intro? I think the intro, if done with excellence, can be a very effective element to start off bible study. How AMAZING would it be if we could get our students just as excited about the beginning of bible study as a sports event? I have seen intros to sports that I care nothing about, but it was so good that I became interested. I think an intro can be an amazing thing if it is done right, like the bulls did and the Lakers do here: If on facebook, to see video click here: Lakers

My first hero in ministry: Matt Chandler

Matt Chandler came and spoke at Faith West Academy my junior year of high school which was 1996. He was the first person I had ever heard that made the gospel com ALIVE. I can remember thinking "Someday I want to follow who he follows and do what he does". From that day forward I would check around and see when/where he was speaking and I would go. Here is a video that describes the battle he is fighting right now and the UNBELIEVABLE perspective he has....WOW: If your on facebook reading this to see the video click here: MATT

Allen Iverson and Matthew 23:12

When I saw this interview God really spoke to my heart about how important it is to stay "Coachable". If you have followed Allen Iverson's career in his earlier years he was everything but, on and off the court. He is blessed with all the talent in the world but had a very hard time with authority early on. It got me thinking about my our life and the way I do ministry. It sooooo easy to look at Allen and say "Wow, he is blowing it" or "What a waste of talent". If all of us would take a long hard look at our own lives, we do the same thing with the talent God gave us. How many times have we wasted an opportunity because we were to prideful to listen to the advice of someone who really cares about us? These are the questions I asked myself after I saw this interview. I love seeing someone who has been labeled all his life, come to a point where humility replaces exaltation. It's funny, we run from humility (out of fear) as long as we can, then when it catches us, it makes us a better person: Matthew 23:12
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. I'm excited to see how Allen Iverson's game changes on an off the court!!!

WOW.....My Day of 1st's

When I woke up this morning I knew it was going be a great day, little did I know it would be a day of 1st's that I will never forget:

The First time I have EVER ran 8 miles (in the snow with Michael Head)
The First time in Houston History it has snowed 2 years in a row
The First time it has snowed in Houston this early in the season
The First time I had to drive through a snow storm in Katy, Texas
The First time I went to Starbucks when it snowed (Carmel Apple Cider)
The First time I jumped into a freezing pond while it was snowing (to see the video, click here)

Matt Chandler: Planting, Preaching, and Leadership

Choices: