Southland Christian Church

How are you going to ring in the new year? I spent the day drinking an old school Pepsi, playing with my kid’s “new” old school toys (legos, a slinky, and tinker toys), and we ate at Gatti Town where I played old school Galaga and Ms. Pac Man! Does it get any better than Galaga!!!
 
Before you ring in a new year and a new decade, take a walk down memory lane and reflect on what you’ve experienced and learned over the past 12 months…the good, the bad, the ugly!  Make a quick list and thank God for what He’s done in your life and in the life of Southland in 2009 and remember…tomorrow is a new day in a new year in a new decade! So enjoy your time with family and friends tonight

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You do not want to miss our kick off weekend for 2010! We’re going to reveal the total from our year end offering (You’ll be blown away!!!) And we’re going to set the stage for your role at Southland in 2010 and beyond! I love you and I can’t wait to see you this Saturday or Sunday!
  

The results are in and  based on your response to our online question regarding the greatest Christmas movie of all time, the big winner was…”It’s a Wonderful Life” winning 27 percent of the overall votes!  Only three votes separated the 2nd and 3^rd place finishers with “Elf” barely beating “Christmas Vacation”. Coming in 4^th place was “The Christmas Story” followed by “Home Alone” and “White Christmas” in last place.

My vote…”Christmas Vacation”…hands down one of the best movies ever!  If for no other reason other than all of us have a “cousin Eddy” in our families!

Merry Christmas!

As I read through the narrative surrounding the birth of Jesus I’ve done my best to take one trait from each of the characters in the script and I’ve asked God to show me how to live with more of Joseph’s obedience and more of Mary’s joy and less of Herod’s jealousy. And like a magnet, God keeps pulling me into a conversation with John the Baptist…no matter how many times I read about him, I learn something new and I’m drawn to his raw faith and passion. His line about Jesus—“He must increase; I must decrease.” (John 3:30)—has been rolling around in my mind for a few days now. More of Jesus and less of me. More of Jesus in my conversations. More of Jesus in my interaction with Allison, Ava, and Silas. More of Jesus in my preaching. More of Jesus in my schedule. More of Jesus…less of me. If you haven’t spent a few hours on the site www.iamsecond.com you need to carve out some space between now and Christmas morning to live in the in the truth that more of Jesus is always a good thing. You can never get too much of Jesus…never…ever…”He must increase; I must decrease.”

I’ve been reflecting and thanking God a lot this week for what has taken place around Southland in 2009! In our elders meeting last night we spent over an hour talking about all the amazing things God has done through you! Your surrender, your sacrifice, your obedience, your joy, your love, your generosity, your enthusiasm, your passion, your repentance, your courage, your humility, your hunger…wow! God has really used you to make a difference in the lives of others! You’ve changed my life in so many ways! So “thanks” for following Jesus with everything you have and everything you are! 
 
As of today 973 people have given their lives to Christ and been baptized at Southland in 2009! 973 people!!! And that’s only the beginning!!! 10-7-5 is here! I can’t wait to reveal the total for our year end offering…be here January 2/3…You won’t want to miss it!!! 
 
This morning I put together my top 10 Southland moments for 2009. Here’s my list...

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Seriously, what would we do without public access television? This Christmas season if you are feeling down or if you have done something that you would categorize as embarrassing, this clip should give you hope!

We’ve settled the debate about the best burrito. Now it’s time to determine the best Christmas movie of all-time! You may need to invite some friends over and watch them together. I’ll reveal the winner next week. 

Author Donald Miller is coming to speak in our weekend services at Southland March 13/14! If you haven’t read his new book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years you should. I read an excerpt from it in my message this past weekend about the concept of story and how our lives “feel written” because there is a “Writer who is writing us into his story.” Many of you have read his widely-popular book Blue Like Jazz which is a really fun book to read as well. Mark your calendar and definitely bring a friend because Donald is one of the best story tellers you’ll ever hear and even better than that, he is one of the most authentic people you will ever have the privilege of hearing.

It was close! Very close! But at the end of the day after all the votes were counted…Qdoba came out on top! Chipotle ran a close second, just 20 votes behind the winner and poor Moe’s…in spite of the discounts that Moe’s offers, it came in a distant third. Personally, I’m a Chipotle guy! I could eat there every day! My only problem with Chipotle is I have to drive a good distance to get to one so a lot of days I end up at Qdoba and don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan! I especially like the Qdoba card where after so many purchases you get a free burrito! I’m all about the bargain!

Yesterday I polished off a “Hickory Pit Panini” from JJ McBrewster’s…well-worth your time and money! It’s the best BBQ sandwich I’ve had in town (put the melon sauce on it). They’re being featured by the Food Network because of their BBQ. If there is a better BBQ sandwich out there, please let me know where to go and I’ll check it out.