A digital commonplace for a Regular Guy called Charlie Pharis

Category: General (page 37 of 121)

The Star of the Story…

Louie Giglio always challenges me whenever I hear him speak or read what he’s written. I heard him at the Catalyst conference. He talked about worship. He boiled worship down to God’s revelation of Himself and our response to that revelation. In typical Louie fashion, he did it like this…

God: “Watch this!”
Us: “Oh, WOW!”

More Louie…

We might be infatuated with the process of worship and not be in His hand at all.

And even more…

There are people who can stop you from leading. No one can stop you from putting your life into God’s hands.

And that led me today, to open Louie’s I Am Not But I Know I AM

…this book is not about you and making your story better, but about waking up to the infinitely bigger God Story happening all around you, and God’s invitation to you to join Him in it. It’s about looking up to see that there’s a story that has been going on long before you arrived on the planet and one that will go on long after you’re gone. God is the central character of this story and this book. He commands center stage in existence, Creation, time, life, history, redemption, and eternity.

I’m not trying to put you down or imply that you don’t matter. Nor am I saying that you are absent from the grand Story of God. In fact, just the opposite. Amazingly, you appear on every page, existing in God’s thoughts long before this world was made. I’m simply stating the obvious – that the story already has a Star, and the Star is not you or me.

When Your Day Doesn’t Turn Out Like You’d Planned…

Listening…

Feeling…

  • lousy
  • sick

Had planned to go the second day of Catalyst today. Missed the afternoon sessions yesterday. I think I’m just worn a little thin today. Trying to think why…

Since Thursday morning…

  • Drive to conference
  • Upon arrival at the arena, pesky little rain drizzles give way to drenching torrents. Umbrella from back seat? Naaaaaah…been moved by somebody…
  • Nice conversation walking in rain from parking lot to arena entrance with a woman who tried to share her umbrella…
  • Inside the arena…looking for a place to sit – along with 9000+ of my closest soaking wet friends…
  • Powerful worship…
  • Challenging talks…
  • Breakfast? Peanut M & Ms, large Coke…
  • Lunch? LongHorn Cheesesteak Sandwich, sweet tea, new and old friends, great company…
  • Drive home…
  • Wal-Mart run, unproductive…
  • Drive to MARTA station, catch train to Atlanta…
  • Supper? Too crowded at The Varsity to even get in line…
  • Georgia Tech vs. NC State with father-in-law and brother-in-law…Tech snatches defeat from the jaws of victory…fight in the stands near us…roasted peanuts, Snickers bar, large souvenir Coke…but the Braves win
  • Back on the train, 11:30 p.m….back to car 12:15 a.m. (that would be today, I guess!)…
  • Drive toward home…decide to fix those hunger pangs with a healthy late-night snack…pull into Krystal…order a combo with no pickles…order comes, no pickles, but the most cheese I’ve ever seen on a Krystal hamburger in my life…ate the fries, threw the burgers away…
  • Another Wal-Mart run, 1:20 a.m….also unproductive…
  • Kroger for milk…
  • QT for gas…cheese croissant calling my name…finally, nutrition(?!?!?!?)…
  • Home, 1:45 a.m….check e-mail (yeah, yeah)
  • Crashed, 2:35 a.m….
  • Alarm, 4:45 a.m….feed cat…make the coffee…see the lovely and gracious Mrs. Just Charlie for a minute…shower…clothes for conference…
  • Dizzy, nauseous…think I’ll sit the second day of Catalyst out…bummer…


You Just Never Know What You Might Find…


Today, as I was leaving our church building, I pulled my truck over to our dumpster to throw away some large trash and old bookshelves. I opened the double lids from the front, let them drop to the back, and then threw my junk in the dumpster.

As I went around behind the dumpster to close the lids, look what I found! In case any of you are missing your Rebel flag bikini top – size 7/8 – I know right where it is!

Amazing, ain’t it, Tom?!?!?!

OK, So Who’s In?

Any of you loyal readers – either of the two of you – going to be in town for Catalyst Thursday and Friday? Hit me up…I’d love to meet you, and put a face on your blogs!

Empty…

It’s not very clear, but that, ladies and gentlemen, is a screen shot of my Inbox just moments ago! Please notice it is E-M-P-T-Y, empty! I think that’s a good thing, isn’t it?

I Double-Dog Dare You…

I get a little email newsletter from Oscar Bruce. Some days, it’s good, some days, it’s OK, and some days, Oscar knocks one out of the park.

This was last Friday’s edition…

I DARE YOU

The world at large steals your youthful enthusiasm and unbridled confidence , piece by piece, bit by bit. Friends and relatives throw sand in your dream machine. They’ve conformed to the pressures to become ordinary, and insisted you do the same. They compromised by downsizing their dreams and restricting their field of vision.

I DARE YOU to free your mind from these cultural constraints. To RESIST the pressure to become ordinary. To IGNORE those who give you their version of why you cannot rise above mediocrity.

I WANT TO CHALLENGE YOU to free yourself from the shackles of your past conditioning. To break the chains that bind you to false beliefs about what you can do with your life.

I DARE YOU to aim at something worthy of the best that is in you. I maintain that you are a better, more capable person than you have experienced so far, or that others have led you to believe you are.

TODAYS PREVAILING IDEOLOGY IS NOT SELF IMPROVEMENT. It is self preservation. People no longer dream of surmounting difficulties to gain all they desire. Most people live in complete servitude to the “survival mentality”. They hope merely for “coping”.

I AM PROMISING YOU that living aggressively changes the whole complexion of life. Not until you dare to attack will you master your fears completely. Suddenly you step into a new world of adventure. Horizons are pushed back on all sides. Opportunities open up that were previously unseen. The sleeping giant within you is stirred and awakened. On that priceless day you will discover that have a new power. The power to rise above the lives of those around you.

CHALLENGES ARE THE STUFF OF LIFE. Going after what you want, pursuing what is important to you. Everybody loves to be a winner, a star, a hero. Nobody want to be a loser, a failure. Americans love to be number one.

IT IS THE BASIC NATURE OF MAN TO ACHIEVE. To explore the full potential of the human spirit. Deep down in every heart is the desire to be somebody, to get somewhere, to be respected. Every individual yearns to make something of his or her life.

NO PERSON CAN BE HAPPY unless they are expressing their inherent potential, fully and completely. A life that satisfies is impossible without a sense of achievement and fulfillment.

THE BRAIN NEEDS OBJECTIVES. Most of us begin our journey with no end in mind. Then one day we find ourselves somewhere we don’t want to be and don’t have a clue how we got there. Nothing diminishes a life more than nowhere to go. A mind with idle time and nowhere to go becomes filled with contradiction and doubt. Nothing enriches a life like being a part of something big.

THINK WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO YOU to possess the calm assurance that you are one of the few people in the world who know exactly where they are going and how they are going to get there – and that attainment is only a matter of time. That you have something to believe in , a mission that gives purpose to your life. Your days filled with meaningful tasks.

I DARE YOU to think bigger, to act bigger and to become bigger and I promise you a richer life, a more exciting life. The rewards for daring in this world teaming with opportunity were never so rich or so plentiful. Science, business, education are all looking for rare individuals who dare to face life creatively and aggressively. Who dare to attach, rather than to defend or compromise.

IS WHAT YOU HAVE NOW, WORTH WHAT YOU MIGHT BE MISSING?

I DARE you to stop putting conditions on the word commitment and dedication. I dare you to stop putting limitations on your dreams

Funny About a St. Bernard…


UPDATE: A shot from later in the day…no scooper, no bag or box…hmmm…

I tried to get a picture just now, but I wasn’t quick enough on the draw with my camera.

Anyway, yesterday morning, I was sitting here in my office at home, working away. Out the window, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a gigantic St. Bernard walking a woman down our street.

Now, I’ve never seen this dog or this woman in our neighborhood before, so I’m assuming either (a) they’re new neighbors, or (b) they’re guests of someone in our neighborhood, or (c) the woman lives in our neighborhood and is taking care of the dog for someone else.

Just now, I saw them again. And now I’m leaning toward option (c) above. Why? Because yesterday, the woman was carrying the typical doggie-poop scooper and a small plastic grocery bag. Today, she had the scooper…and a large cardboard box!

I’m pretty sure there’s a sermon in there somewhere…

Sunday Night Unwind…Special Monday Night Edition, 10.03.05…


The last of my shipment from Jazz Heritage came today. I’m listening to the inimitable sounds of Dave Brubeck. Had it on cassette (remember those?) for many years and it finally bit the dust.

This recording is, for me, the epitome of “cool.” I know you’ve heard some of the tracks, even if you don’t know it. Blue Rondo a la Turk, Three to Get Ready, and the title track, Take Five have been heard in commercials and other instances where the aim is to project a cool, sophisticated kind of vibe.

BTW, the Brubeck stuff reminds me a whole lot of Vince Guaraldi’s music in the Charlie Brown TV specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, which, come to think of it, will be next up in the ol’ CD player!