Changing Blogs

For better features, looks, etc...I'm moving to a new blog - http://stevemarkle.wordpress.com/

Church Basketball Begins

Tonight we begin our 2nd year of men's basketball. Last year, I think our team was 1-5. So we defintely plan to improve. The games are held at Christ Chapel in Woodbridge. Click here for the schedule. We have 12 guys on our roster...looking forward to having a good time with the guys. Pray for no injuries!

Our *$*%&*@ Culture

That's my attempt at simulating cursing... Two recent occurances left my head shaking just amazed at where our culture is heading.

One took place in a family restaurant...a major chain you all know about it. The cooks and servers were carrying on with all kinds of the filthiest language...very loudly where the customers (my family) who were trying to enjoy a meal could hear it. I shot a glance toward a manager...a "what's up with that?" glance. He shushed them...

Then I was with a friend who was making a purchase a mall kiosk. The sales person was carrying on a conversation with two of his buddies while ringing up my friend's purchase. I cannot even begin to write here what his conversation was about except that he was detailing his latest wild escapades with the opposite sex. I mean x-rated conversation. We walked away shocked. Sure we know people talk like that and about those things with their buddies...but it's just all wide open now with no shame. How desensitized has our culture become? And where is it headed?

Preaching Style

People often ask about preaching style. Are your messages topical (using a variety of verses to discuss a topic) or exegetical (teaching verse by verse through one passage)? Are your messages more point-driven or more of a narrative? Do you provide fill-in-the-blank notes with your key points or blank paper or nothing at all for notetaking? Well, at LCC we do it the biblical way :-) I'm kidding of course...there's no mandate in Scripture about these things. So when people ask, I usually say I try to mix it up...but in reality I am more often topical, almost always providing notes and usually very multi-point-driven.

So I'm branching out a little with our series beginning this Sunday...HEROES. Each week we are going to cover a HERO from the Bible. I am going with a more narrative style, with only a big blank space for notes in the bulletin, and with only one main point each week. Hopefully everyone will learn from it, but I'm sure some will be lost without the fill-in-the-blanks!

Facing The Giants...a Success!

The Facing the Giants Movie event was a great success. Everything went great. Great crowd of between 250-300...of which only about 100 were from LCC...which means lots of guests! We're praying that many of those guests will check us out on Sunday mornings...and see how much fun we have at LCC...on a weekly basis. (yea...I did say fun :-))

Facing the Giants...tonight

Tonight is the big night...the pre-registered online count has gone over 100 now. No telling how many we'll have tonight...we have 600 seats in the auditorium. It should be a blast. No ticket or pre-registration is required. I'm thankful for the good weather today!

Scientist develops caffeinated doughnuts

Kristie Buttram...a friend and member of LCC...alerted me today to some more incredible news...check out this story from USA Today.

That cup of coffee just not getting it done anymore? How about a Buzz Donut or a Buzzed Bagel? That's what Doctor Robert Bohannon, a Durham, North Carolina, molecular scientist, has come up with. Bohannon says he's developed a way to add caffeine to baked goods, without the bitter taste of caffeine. Each piece of pastry is the equivalent of about two cups of coffee.

While the product is not on the market yet, Bohannon has approached some heavyweight companies, including Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks about carrying it.

Drink Coffee, Get Smarter?

I came across this video yesterday.

This is great news for me :-)

Click here and scroll down for this video.