General

I've been preaching the virtues of drinking coffee since I was in the sixth grade. My mom and dad brewed their coffee in a percolator that sat on the stove. Myself, I've graduated from a Mr. Coffee to a french press and am loving every minute of it.So ... today I'm browsing through Google News and find this story about how coffee has the most antioxidants of any food or beverage. And it's a legitimate study, too, not one funded by Folgers or Howard Schultz. It was done by an outfit known as the American Chemical Society. Sounds good enough for me.Sitting there next to this story is a sidebar link entitled, "Coffee: The New Health Food?" Of course, I had to click there as well. Here's what I found ...Drinking coffee cuts the risk of type 2 diabetes. "After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18…

Our last and final preview service for LifePoint was this past Sunday morning. We had 50 people show up with little to no advertising. Our one-week-old band played a great set of music and the morning flowed really well. With the gathering set to start in about 15 minutes, I finally was able to get MediaShout working on their projection system. No sweat :-)We now have one "down" Sunday left and then our Grand Opening is September 11. It's been exciting to see how God is arranging the parts of the puzzle.

I can only remember my dad having gray hair. As the youngest of five boys, I came along when dad was 42 years old. My little league buddies would ask, "Hey, is that your grandpa?" But in spite of the hereditary propensities and having two small children, I've been blessed to have avoided the gray hairs ...Until deciding to plant a church. Lately I've noticed a few stray grays shooting up above the ears on both sides. I've had hints of gray in my goatee for quite some time, but that doesn't really count.It might be the result of all the little details that a pastor takes for granted when serving in an existing church. Details that a church planter cannot take for granted. LifePoint made the decision not to use the typical metal communion trays many churches use. It's not our style. OK, so what is? You have to…

Newsweek just did a feature on the state of American faith and beliefs ("Spirituality in America"). One of the distinctions that surfaced was how people view being "religious" as opposed to being "spiritual." Sample:The NEWSWEEK/Beliefnet Poll found that more Americans, especially those younger than 60, described themselves as "spiritual" (79 percent) than "religious" (64 percent). Almost two thirds of Americans say they pray every day, and nearly a third meditate.Many people view being "religious" as a public, formal expression of faith. On the other hand, being "spiritual" is a personal matter or search. Being "religious" is seen as rigid, dry, old. Being "spiritual" is new, meaningful, and fluid. In our contemporary setting and experience, this may be true. Historically, the words were used fairly synonymously. Click here to cast your own vote.Another important distinction that surfaced is that being "religious" often has to do with the search for truth while…

LifePoint just got a great plug from another blogger. Here it is:Saturday, August 20, 2005If you're in the San Diego area or plan to be, don't forget the grand opening LifePoint Church on Sunday, 11 September.In the interim, Pastor Ken will be guest speaking at Pomerado Christian Church in Poway on 21 August. They meet at 12708 Stone Canyon Road at 9:00 and 10:30. A preview service at LifePoint's new building is planned for 28 August, starting at 10:45. This gathering will feature an original drama by Ricky Allen, LifePoint music, and a special guest artist. The September 11th services are at 9:00 and 10:45. They’ll provide a children’s program at the 10:45 gathering only. Pastor Ken is looking for an "extended" LifePoint network to consider attending both services for the first two months. We're tied into Shadow Mountain, but will be over at LifePoint for opening day.If you can't…