No April Fools

Ok, so here is my April plan:

-30 days of no desserts (put off).

-30 days of exercise (alternate swim, bike, run)(put on).

and

-Joining the Water's Edge folks in 30 days of worship.

I'm not blogging this because I think I can do it, I'm blogging this because I'm not so sure. I'll need your prayers and your encouragement to reach these goals and am excited to see God continue to form habits in my life.

But for now, March 31, I think I'll go for the Ho-ho's and some evening television...

Hey, by the way, just added my first taker for the April Challenge! Welcome Cindy! Tomorrow we begin!

Going Solo?

I may be alone in this 30 days of April fast and I'm ok with that. God is talking to me and I need to respond.

I'm reminded that throughout the Scripture, God does not simply say to not do certain things. He also encourages us to do certain things. Often it is the concept of the "put off, put on".  If you go into the Hollister dressing room and simply put off and then step out to the three way mirror, security will certainly be called. But if you put off and then put on and then step out to the vanity mirrors, you will simply be looking good.

 

I want to look good. So if I go ahead with the no-dessert April (put off), I'm thinking I will also add (put on) daily aerobic exercise. (I'm not cheating but you need to know that I'm already at 4-5 days a week with running, biking or swimming...but those other two or three off days have been awfully sweet for me!)

In my world, when my exercise increases, my prayer life increases. So I am looking forward to what God has to say to me during this fourth month of the year. Do you want to join me?

What? No takers?

No one up for the April challenge? 

Now, either you don't have anything to give up which I hardly believe, or my Google Analytics stats are way off and it's just Mo reading areyoudestinized...

I'm leaning towards giving up desserts or watching Oprah, (or simply giving up watching Oprah eat desserts) how about you?

Dexter at Destiny II

Coming off of the season of Lent just before Easter, I am acutely aware of my addictive personality. My 11 year old son and I both gave up soda for the 40 days before Easter and to some that would not be a big deal but to me, who craves Dr. Pepper, that was huge. 

The spiritual act of fasting allows God to work through our addictions and for us to focus on him instead of our eating, our tv viewing, our social networking or our carbonated beverage consuming.  Today, right now, is there something that you are "addicted" to that you'd be willing to give up for the month of April? 

If you will be bold enough to share with me what you'd like to give up, then I'll join you for that 30 day period and be committed to pray for your fast daily. There's no Biblical basis or Church history that encourages April fasting, I just thought it would be a cool idea, what do you think?

I'll let you know on Monday just what I'm going to give up in April... 

Dexter at Destiny

This Sunday at Destiny, we get to learn from the struggles of a man who at one point was at the top of his game. Dexter Manley was an all pro defensive end for the Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins, yet he still found himself entangled to the point that he was forced to abandon his career.Dexter's story is dramatic to say the least, but it is not that far from the story of my life or yours. We can all easily be entangled if we are not careful. What's tangling up your life and how can you get rid of it?

"...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  Hebrews 12:1b

Easter Weekend

Let me encourage you to not neglect Easter this weekend. Take about 65 minutes out of your weekend and stop by a church in your town. Allow that group of Christ followers to remind you of God's great gift for us. And, by the way, many of the churches you may choose to visit will let you in with or without a tie. I personally go with the no tie option.

If you're near Leesburg, join us at Destiny at 10am.  We are definitely offering the no tie option and we will even save some Starbucks for you.

"By the death of Christ we are set free, 

that is our sins are forgiven. 

How great is the grace of God 

which he gave us in such large measure!"

Ephesians 1:7

Spring Break Part Three

The news is already all over the internet, see MOments, but one of the obvious highlights of our trip includes the addition of Gigi to our family!

Her mom is part lab and part beagle and her dad is a border collie. She was born on January 15th and is going on a trip to Virginia this afternoon. I hope we all survive and that she likes Chick Fil A.

Spring Break Part Two (.5)

After a great brunch of blueberry pancakes, omelettes and fruit smoothies, we explored the rest of the hotel including the fitness center. Mo then headed to the spa while the rest of us headed over to the Nemacolin Driving Academy. The half hour ride was a blast filled with 60 degree inclines, 40 degree tilts and lots of mud!
Later in the afternoon we headed back to the Wild Life Academy to see about some adoption papers. We'll give you more details later...

Spring Break Part Two

Rainy and about 29 degrees. They still ran with the dogs!

Spring Break Part One (.5)

Busy agenda today:

-Katey and Clay dog sledding...
-Brunch...
-Mo massage at the spa...
-Off Roading on the Hummer course...
-Indoor Pool...
-Mini Golf...
-etc.

We'll post pics from these events (with the exception of the massage) later on today.

Spring Break Part One

We have taken the opportunity to get away for a few days and are stoked! We are staying at this decadent place called Nemacolin up in podunk PA. Each day has its own list of adventures and we'll keep you up to date with each event right here at areyoudestinized.

We arrived after lunch and settled into a huge family suite. Almost immediately Em and I headed off to dog sled without any snow. It was a classic father-daughter time. 

We've explored every inch of the hotel, had a great birthday dinner for Mo and are now chillin'. This is going to be a great Spring Break.

Most

When you describe the incredible sacrifice that God made on our behalf, it is difficult to find the words to adequately describe it. The breadth of this gift is too wide. The depth is unfathomable. No mere illustration can fully capture the application of this suffering on our behalf.

Many of us have used the simple bridge illustration ad nauseum to capture this theological truth. Tomorrow, I will allow the movie Most to add relationship, dramatic musical scoring, and beautiful images to communicate this illustration and to convey a part of what happened on Good Friday.

At Destiny I will only show about 4 minutes of this incredible film. You need to see the rest. Borrow it from me or go to www.mostthemovie.com to get your own copy. You won't be sorry and you will probably end up using it in a small group context sometime down the line.

Life Changing Words

Take this with you as you enter into the week before Easter. 

-Read it. 

-Meditate on it. 

-Embrace it. 

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink.  But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.  At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead.  They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”  Matthew 27:45-54

Need to Pee in a New City?

As a public service to those of you who will find yourselves traveling over Spring Break, let me direct you to the very helpful Mizpee website that is designed to help you find the closest and cleanest public restroom. 

For instance, if you and your family are visiting the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC and need to find a "Five Roll" loo, then Mizpee would direct you to the lovely Hotel Palomar where there is "no purchase" required to use the facilities.

Just trying to do my part in making your life easier.

Working It

One of the obvious marks of a church growing up is the arrival of workable systems. The chart below may look like an obvious step, but sometimes it takes churches decades to get to it. My three favorite titles included here are Creative Arts Director, Scheduling Queen and my very own (stolen) moniker:  Chief Strategic Officer.  My prayer is that God uses these systems to expand His kingdom.

I wish I had written this...

All you have to do is replace the word Granger with Destiny in the last sentence of this blog and you have some of my thoughts in Tim Steven's words. Be sure to check out this link.

Thanks for the honesty, Tim.

Shift in Focus on a Rainy Saturday

The refreshing rain has altered our plans today. No lacrosse to be had for the Ericksons today.

So, now my focus moves to my opportunities to communicate this week. Do you want to help with my research?

On Sunday night, I'll talk with about 30 high school students about how God is powerful. I've chosen to use the account in Mark 5 where a woman touches the edge of Jesus' robe and is healed. Where have you seen God's power displayed?

Then on Monday, we will gather a group of key Destiny leaders together to talk about vision and leadership development. What has been the biggest boost to your own personal leadership development?

Next Sunday I get to speak on one of Jesus' Famous Last Words. I'm unpacking Jesus' heart wrenching question:  "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"  What are some of the difficult questions that you have for God? Have you ever felt forsaken by Him?

Daddy Daughter Day (the reality)

Here is how our Daddy Daughter Day actually played out:

-Dunkin Donuts for breakfast,
-Jiffy Lube for an Oil Change,
-Installed a New Battery for the Trooper (she helped!),
-Got an Emissions Inspection,
-Chick Fil A for lunch with friends and a killer playground,
-The movie Arctic Tale at home with Emily watching and me dozing.

Both of us would still say it was a winner of a day. Em would go so far as to say "It was fantastic!" Sometimes it just takes some one on one time together...

Daddy Daughter Day

Dunkin Donuts, Chick Fil-A, Bike Rides, Kiss Tag, Twister, and Mall Madness are apparently all essential elements of a successful Daddy-Daughter Day. Wish me luck...

Swim, Bike, Run for a Good Cause

The weather is changing and the Ericksons are turning their focus to the outdoors. Our second triathlon season is about to begin and I'm excited about a few events:

• Katey and I will be participating in a Big, Little Adventure in April,
  
• Mo and some friends will be walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in May,
  
• I'll go after my first ocean swim Aquathon in July,
  
• Katey and Clay will Splash, Pedal and Dash in September,
  
• and the event I'm most excited about will be when we team up with Team World Vision for the Giant Acorn Triathlon in October.
  

The Destiny Tri Team will go after the Giant Acorn in order to meet some individual physical goals but will also be participating with World Vision to raise both money and awareness for kids impacted by AIDS in Africa.

Why don't you think about joining us in support of World Vision or actually participating in the Giant Acorn?  

We can help you train and we'd love to have you alongside...

Brain Power and Pride

I've spent time writing about efficiency and organization in this blog and one of the greatest hindrances to both of those are time wasters. "Who has the Biggest Brain" on Facebook is one of those!

I'm currently addicted and I'm not even all that good at it. As of this morning, I rank just ahead of Maureen, but behind my 8th grade daughter and my brainiac niece. Honestly, I don't know if it is time wasting or my pitiful rank that bothers me most.

In Deuteronomy God warns the Israelites that "...then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God." (8:14). My third place standing keeps me way out of that "proud" category, so as of right now, I'm not in danger of forgetting the Lord. Are you?