A Direct Line to God

God came through big time for us today! We've been stressed out all week because Sunday is the final day of a 45-day window that our bid on our worship center is good for. We had planned on signing the contract this week and then our lender let us know that we had another test that has to be done in association with our apartment complex that we're using as part of our collateral. This test could take another few weeks to complete. We immediately began to scramble to put together a legal addendum to the contract that would protect us if for some reason the financing fell through, so we could go ahead and sign the contract and not lose the bid price we have received.

This morning the president of the construction company we've selected called our architect to say, "Tell the pastor we have no problem extending our bid long enough for them to get their test done." He said, "We've done business with several churches in the past and they always get their money approved so we're not worried about it."

Our architects we're ecstatic! They called to say, "Obviously yall have a direct line to God!" (It appears this kind of thing is very uncommon.) So thanks everyone for praying! This is yet another way God has proven that we are fulfilling His will in expanding our facilities here at Crossroads Church!

The New Halter Boy

Last summer, my good friend Carol Thibodeaux brought a little six-month old AQHA weanling out to our farm as a gift. The kids named him Humphrey. Today, I finally got a halter on him. I've been working at it for weeks. Because my time with him is limited to just a few minutes before I get ready for work, the process took a lot longer than it should have. Now that I have the halter on him I can start halter breaking him so he can be led where I need to take him, tie him when I need to, teach him to trailer load, etc. All of this will ultimately lead up to this fall, after he turns two, when he'll be taken to the trainer who will break Humphrey to ride. It's all a process that results in a greater relationship between horse and owner, enjoying many hours on the trail together.

I've been thinking about doing a message series called "Horse Sense." I think it would be fun to take the film crew out to the trainers and capture some of the process on film to illustrate my messages with. Maybe I'll even bring Humphrey out on stage for one of the services. There are so many references in scripture to horses and there's a lot to learn from the parallel between how horses are trained and how God trains us. I certainly hope I'm more easily trained than Humphrey!

The Most Talented of the Least Talented

So this is what it comes down to in season nine of American Idol: Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox battle it out next week for the title. They definitely are the most talented of the contestants this year in my opinion. The problem is, it wasn't a very talented group this season! When I think about the thousands that auditioned I think, "Really? These are the best singers in America?" But I know that's not the case. My good friend Timmy Gautreaux auditioned a couple of years ago and didn't even get to sing for the judges and I promise you Timmy could sing anybody in the competition under the table! We've got singers that perform at Crossroads each week that are far more talented than this group. I'm not saying that to boast or to criticize, it's just a fact.

But at the end of the day, despite the awkward moments that Ryan and Ellen served up (Who knew those two could make Paula seem normal?) it was a fairly entertaining season. With Cowell out of the mix next year I don't know if I'll even bother watching.

As far as Dewyze and Bowersox go, I think I'll root for Bowersox. I like her mic stand!

Man's Buildings, God's Buildings

When we were in New York, one of the highlights of our trip was going to the top of the Empire State Building at night looking out over the city. The view was breathtaking! We paid a little extra and got the audio tour: A set of headphones with the voice of a guy named Tony who pointed out all the attractions of the city. It was well done and really enjoyable. At one interval Tony pointed out one of the historic churches in town and stressed how small it is compared to all the commercial buildings. He explained that the reason is because New York, unlike many other historic American cities, wasn't established as a religious center, but as a business center. The comment bugged me a little, but otherwise Tony did a good job and we really enjoyed the tour.

A couple of days later we visited the Tribute Center at ground zero. It was an inspirational tour led by a survivor of the attacks on the World Trade Center. During the tour, he pointed out how every building around the perimeter of the towers was damaged (windows blown out, sides of the building scorched by fire). Every building but one: St. Paul's Chapel (one of the oldest churches in America). It sits right on the perimeter of where the towers stood and yet it wasn't damaged at all. Not a scratch! In fact, it became the staging center for feeding the flood of relief workers who carried out the recovery efforts amidst the wreckage of the fallen towers.

As I heard this, I thought of Tony's comments from the audio tour at The Empire State Building and I thought, "No matter what man's motive in building this city (commerce, trade, materialism) the church stands by the grace of God to accomplish His will and purpose on the earth! When all the business, commercialism, buildings and trade come crashing to the ground, His work continues and nothing can stop it! Jesus said, "Upon this Rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!" (Matt. 16:18)

Summer movies!

Summer usually officially arrives for me with the summer movie season. There are at least three major films that I have been looking forward to, the first of which released today. Ironman 2 has arrived and I can't wait to see it. I'm trying to convince Donna it would make an appropriate Mother's Day outing Sunday evening but she doesn't seem convinced. I loved the first Ironman. Robert Downey, Jr. is one of my favorite actors of late (loved him in Sherlock Holmes) and he is perfect for the role of Tony Stark!

Next up is Robin Hood. The latest reinvention of this legend of folklore is brought to the screen by the dynamic duo of Russell Crow and Sir Ridley Scott. Their first outing together (Gladiator) is one of the best movies ever made! Throw in Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian and how can you go wrong? The beloved story of rights made wrong by the merry-making, arrow-shooting Robin of the hood should get a nice dose of masculinity and grit by Mr. Scott, hopefully making it a bit more manly than the Disney or Costner versions.

Last, but certainly not least, Toy Story 3 releases in June! The first two installments from Disney/Pixar were as good as it gets: Great story telling, incredible animation and all around fun! I never tire of Woody, Buzz and the gang. There is a nostalgia attached to these films that is irresistible for any boy who grew up with a toy box in his room and I can't wait to get lost in the story these toys provide this time around!

In addition to these releases, I'm also looking forward to Shrek Forever After, The Prince of Persia, Marmaduke, The Karate Kid, Knight and Day, Despicable Me and others. How about you? What summer movies are you looking forward to?

A blog about my blog

Look what I found! I had no idea, but this was featured in the April 18th addition of the Daily Advertiser (our local paper). I'm extremely honored!

Acadiana News

Hot Links: Blog roll by Cody Daigle cdaigle@theadvertiser.com Blog of the Week: Mile Markers jeffables.blogspot.com Who: Jeff Ables What: Ables covers a grab bag of topics — entries on spiritual issues sit side by side entries about the Oscars — and he does it all with distinctly personable voice. Why We Love It: Jeff Ables has a lot on his plate. As a pastor at Crossroads Church, he’s got a congregation to think of, and as a father of two teenagers, he’s got an equal burden at home. But Ables still finds time to blog. And his corner of the web is an interesting look beyond the public roles of a local leader. At the intersection of technology and faith, Ables is writing down his life and letting us take a peek inside.

Cartoons

Phil (Bubba) Ables

As a result of some prompting from my friend Kraig Menard (Reallykraig.blogspot.com), I have decided to let those of you who are unaware in on a little known talent I've had since I was a kid - Cartooning. (I guess ultimately you'll be the ones who decide whether you think it's an actual talent or not!)

I started doing cartoons when I was quite young and had a lot of encouragement. So much so, I really believed I had a knack for the art world. That's until seventh grade when I took my first art class in school and flunked out BIG TIME! It seems art is much more than cartooning and I had little talent (or interest) in the rest of it. Throw in a pretty serious case of ADD and early experimentation with some unmentionable junior high activity and... Well lets just say my art career was over before it really began. However, through the years I continued to cartoon and I still enjoy it. I've even used it from time to time in ministry designing newsletters and such.

My greatest cartoon accomplishment is my caricature of my brother Phil, who we grew up calling "Bubba." (Every family in the south has a Bubba). My Bubba cartoons have provided a lot of family fun through the years and some interesting Christmas gifts as well. (As I write this I'm drinking coffee out of a Bubba Coffee mug from Christmas 2008.) In the year 2000 I produced a Bubba calendar and I thought I'd introduce my work to you with the June cover from that calendar. It's a tip of the hat to a favorite family vacation spot from our childhood - The Buffalo River in Northwestern Arkansas. The pig shows up in all my Bubba cartoons as an inside family joke. Hope you all enjoy!