Let it snow...

We just decided to cancel the Wednesday night services and I am about to leave the offices. I love snow! I hope we get lots of it!! It will be so much fun to hang out with my family, read, play in the snow, and watch lots of TV. I cannot wait to get home! Enjoy.

3 Blind Mice...

Ok...maybe not 3. Ok, he/she is not blind. If that was the case, it would be much easier to catch it. This mouse is driving us crazy. We have seen it on several occasions and cannot seem to catch it. I put out some glue traps (w/ peanut butter) over the weekend. Stil no mouse. Any ideas about how to catch this thing?

He's Back and other random thoughts...

1. In October, Joni and I discovered we had an unwanted friend in the house. Chuck E. Cheese disappeared after a few days. In the last month, he has reappeared. I just put out new glue traps (w/ peanut butter) today. I hope we catch him!
2. I am still trying to recover from the robbery that took place at Cameron Indoor Stadium last night. Check out this article, where the ACC admits that Duke got some homecooking! Also, Tadd had some really funny things to say in his post!
3. It is 12:30am Saturday morning and I just finished reading some more of Simple Church by Thom Rainer, while I am waiting for Anniston to wake up and eat. This book is rocking my world!
4. No basketball game to coach this week or next week. Man, I miss it!
5. Just heard today that the pastor at FBC Daytona Beach just resigned. I don't know all the details, but it seems like the same crap that is happening at Bellevue. Great pastor serves there for many, many years. He retires. They hire a younger pastor with some fresh vision. People get angry because the new guy tries to move the church forward. They run their mouth and try to destroy the guy. To be honest, it just makes me sick!!
6. My boy Jeff Bumgardner has some big stuff coming up.
7. Joni and I went furniture shopping again tonight (sounds fun, right?) We got 3 small tables and a chair for $155. Another reminder not to buy on impulse. We replaced all of the furniture in our bedroom for under $600 (just a little more than what we got for our old stuff). We almost spent $1350 on a bedroom set. I love getting a good deal!
8. Steven Furtick's blog is well worth reading. Be sure to check out what he had to say on this past Thursday and Friday. He is tearing it up! It is exciting to see how God is using him.
9. Today, Brayden and I watched Cars and ate popcorn(@10am) and then I had to rescue him after he locked himself in the bathroom. He is at such a funny age!
10. For the 2nd weekend in a row, Joni and I went to dinner at Jim & Nick's BBQ. This place is unbelievable! You gotta try their cheese biscuits. Everything, yes everything, that I have tasted there has been off the hook!
11. I STINKING LOVE THE BLOGGING WORLD!

Well, it looks like Anniston is waking up. I am going to feed her and hit the sack...

Todd
jtlollis@hotmail.com

Risk

Here's a thought from the "Isn't She Beautiful", a conference celebrating the church at Mars Hill Bible Church. (Notes are provided by some guy named Longbrake.)

+the art of risk
//be willing to fail. and fail. and fail. the fear to fail is the fear to try. the church has become obsessed with putting on the perfect show for the world. there’s no risk. everything is safe. Jesus is not safe. christianity can be messy and hard and vulnerable. there’s risk in allowing ourselves to try, to create, to invite. i’d rather fail than be safe.

Anniston and CrossOver

Joni took Anniston to the pulmonologist and they freed her from her last monitor. We had been putting the monitor on her each night since she has been home from the hospital. It measured her heartbeat to let us know if it was too fast or slow. I am so grateful that she doesn't have any complications from being born so early.

CrossOver was pretty interesting tonight. The students seemed especially energetic, which usually translates into lots of frustration for the person on the stage. The night ended up going well and we had 2 students begin a relationship with Jesus! Not too bad!! Also, I challenged them to get rid of the secret sin in their lives and be 100% devoted to Christ. It was a pretty heavy night.

Show me the mammon?

As I was driving yesterday, I saw a church sign that said, " Choose : God or Mammon, Matt. 6:24". I consider myself to be at least a little knowledgeable about the Bible and I had never heard the word "mammon". Come to find out it means "riches or greed". I am sure that people were stopping in by the truckloads to admit they didn't want to choose mammon.

I have no idea why in the world you would put such a thing on your sign. I thought the purpose was that people might be able to read and understand it. We live in a strange, strange world! Oftentimes, it seems that the Christian people are the strangest of them all!!

In other non-related news, I saw this video in my office today with Jesse, David, and Kelsianne. I laughed so hard at the guy in the middle. (Give it a few seconds...it's worth it!) I certainly didn't know that a human could make such sounds!

Things I Learned this Weekend...

1. Never buy on impulse. Joni and I sold our bedroom furniture this weekend and needed to replace it. This is something that she has wanted to do for a couple of years. Finally, I gave in and we sold it in 1 day. As we were shopping for replacement furniture, it was tempting to spend more money than we should. We agreed to talk about it over night and ended up getting a pretty good deal. If we had bought on impulse, we would have spent 2 1/2 times what we got for our old furniture. (Not exactly a good trade!)

2. You never lose things that aren't important. As I was getting ready for church yesterday, I asked Joni where my ties were(all of our stuff is in boxes and suitcases until the new furniture arrives). She paused and said, "I never took them out of the old furniture." Now, this wasn't devastating to me because I am not much of a fan of ties. However, the world can sleep well because the lady returned my ties after church.

3. An appointment at a doctor's office means nothing. I took Brayden to the doctor this morning for an ear infection. We knew what the problem was but had to go get a prescription. Our appointment was at 10:20. We went back to see the doctor at 11:30. You figure that one out, I've tried!

4. No matter how hard you try, some people just don't get it! Sometimes there is a disconnect from the way people think things are and the way things actually are. There is a huge disconnect between Christians and those who do not know Christ. The sad thing is that many times people aren't willing to do what it takes to bridge the gap. That makes me sad!

TGIF!!!

I wonder if my life can get any busier? The past couple of weeks have been absolutely insane! I have literally had something going on every night during the week. It has been pretty exhausting and I am ready for the weekend. I can't wait for the opportunity to hang out with Joni, Brayden, and Anniston.

I thought I would share these pictures with you. Joni and I are not the best at taking pictures and getting them out to people. She took some this week and I thought you might like to see them. Brayden apparently has not discovered that the potty should not be used in the bathtub. Anniston is actually getting a little chubby, which I never thought I would say about her. After all, she was only 2lbs 9 oz when she was born. Soooo...have a great weekend and enjoy the pics!

By the way, we won our game last night. We looked really good and the rest of the season should be interesting! Our record is 1-1, but we are much better than that!

todd

jtlollis@hotmail.com

Game Deux

We play again tonight, as we attempt to rebound from our season opening loss. We were missing some key players last week, which didn't help us for sure. Tonight, everyone should be back. We must win tonight! We will win tonight!!

Blogging...I Can't Live Without It

Isn't it interesting how our world changes? I remember sitting in a room a couple of years ago and hearing some people talk about blogging. As I sat there, I was wondering if blogging was some type of disease or if they had a problem pronouncing some word. I had no clue what it was. Now it is something that I feel like I can't live without. I have to read them. I have to write them. I love the opportunity to give and receive information in that way. You can really get to know a person and how they think. You can discover the things that are important to them. You can learn stuff about people that you have never even had a conversation with. I love blogging. It has helped me to learn more about all sorts of things, including Jesus, leadership, technology, etc.

So, if you don't regularly read blogs....read them. If you are looking for an interesting way to express yourself to others...start blogging. You'll never be the same!!

Over the past couple of days, I have read a few entries that are must-reads. Check them out:
Perry Noble - A pastor from Anderson, SC. It is worth your time to read what he writes on a daily basis.

David Jacks - A senior at White Station HS and an intregal of the student ministry here at Crosspointe.

TV and Wednesdays...

This week brought about the return of 2 of my favorite TV shows: 24 and American Idol. As I watched them, I was reminded of why I love these shows so much! 24 happens to be the craziest thing on TV. I am pretty sure that I want Jack Bauer on my team. There isn't any situation that he can't get out of. As for American Idol, I love the first 3 weeks of the new season. It is so hilarious to see people that think they can sing. The problem is that their family, friends, and churches have not been honest enough to tell them that they can't! So, they make an idiot of themselves on national TV. I look forward to enjoying the new season of both these shows.

I know that this is not news to anyone, but today is Wednesday. Wednesday just happens to be one of my favorite days of the week. I look forward to hanging out with some of the coolest students and adult leaders in the world. I am excited because tonight we are going to take a look at this verse. We will talk about how we have to opportunity to experience God in a way that even Moses and the people in the Old Testament couldn't. I am looking forward to a great night!!

Also, Clemson plays UNC tonight. Pray hard...I would love for the Tigers to pull the upset!!

24...

I have waited for this day for a long time. It is the season premiere of 24, which happens to be the best show on TV. It kicks off with a 4 hour premiere: 2 hours tonight and 2 hours tomorrow night. Don't miss it! You'll be sad that you did!!

What time is it? GAMETIME!

Every year, I have made the same comment. Every year, I not been true to my word. Every year, I say that I am not coaching a basketball team next year. Every year, I end up coaching a team.

This will be my 5th year coaching the high school boys team at Crosspointe. I just can't let it go. I love the game. I love watching the faces of those guys when we win. I love experiencing the disappointment with them when we lose. I love challenging them to work hard and seeing their game progress.

Today is game #1 of the 2007 season. The expectation level is high. We have a championship to defend. Everyone will be striving to beat us. Everyone will want us to lose. People will get angry because we care about winning. (After all, who likes to lose? Winning is way more fun!)

So, it's GAMETIME! No more practices. No more wondering what our team will be like. Tonight at 7, it will be time to see what we've really got. We'll see what happens!

Todd
jtlollis@hotmail.com

Before the Curtain Closes...

I attended a funeral today and it really caused me to think. As I was sitting there, a curtain closed to allow the family a few more minutes together before the service began. It caused me to think about several things that I want to happen before the curtain closes on my life.

1. I want to live as long as possible. I have come to realize that this is going to take a strong commitment to my physical health. Not for just a few months or years, but a lifetime commitment to excercising and eating right.

2. I want my kids to know me, love me, and respect me. So many fathers are not there for their kids. Sometimes they are physically not there and sometimes their physical body is the only thing there. They are so disconnected. Since my childhood, one of my strongest desires is to make sure that I am a good father. I don't intend to let anything get in the way of that. I know a lot of guys that put ministry in front of their family. I plan to be very intentional about making sure that my family knows that they ALWAYS come before everyone else!

3. I want to love my wife and treat her like the amazing lady that she is. Some guys think that their wives are there to take care of the house, kids, etc. While Joni does all of those things, that is certainly not her job! I help out when I am at home. I do not expect her to take care of everything while I sit on the couch and watch TV. I am pretty biased, but I have the most amazing wife on the planet. At the lady's funeral, they talked about how her and her husband had been married for 50 years! What a legacy! I can't wait for the day Joni and I can look back and say the same thing. Nothing excites me more than to think about doing life with her.

4. I want to make a huge impact on this planet. For whatever reason, God chooses to use us in His great plan. He doesn't have to do so, He is God. He could certainly do it all alone. He allows us the honor of being a part of seeing people come to know Christ. My desire is that he would give me the opportunity to make a huge difference in this world. In my lifetime, I want to see God do amazing things and move in a way that hasn't ever happened before. I want to be right in the middle of what God is doing!

I could talk about these things all day long! What do you want to see happen before the curtain closes?

Todd
jtlollis@hotmail.com

The Last of the Mohicans...

After the tipoff for this basketball season, I could've never imagined that I would be writing this blog. There is only one undefeated team in all of Division I men's basketball. Do you know yet who it is? You guessed it...the Clemson Tigers. Who would have ever imagined that? They are ranked #14 in the latest poll. Let's hope they don't mess it up. Let's go Tigers...

Dear Church...

I just finished reading Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation by Sarah Cunningham. "No matter if you are young or old, pastor or church leader, Christian or someone who avoids the church altogether, this series of grippingly honest letters will give voice to your questions for the church. Dear Church will take you on a journey to look disillusionment in the eye, to reexamine the church and your own heart, and to sift through your frustration to find a renewed peace and commitment to Christ's mission."

This brutally honest book is certainly worth the time it takes to read it. Despite the church's mistakes, Cunningham helps us to realize that there is still promise of a greater hope. It would be wise for every pastor and church leader to read this book. It would certainly help them to bridge the gap with the younger generation, which seems so disconnected from church as we know it.

How I lost 70lbs in 2006 (and plan to keep it off)

It is that time of year. Everyone is talking about losing weight. The gyms are packed. Restaurants are selling more salads. Everyone in the world has a plan to lose that extra weight.

Last year, I lost 70 lbs. Yes, I said 70 lbs. I still remember the day that I stepped on the scales and weighed over 300 lbs. I lived life being constantly discouraged about my weight and had no idea what to do about it. This is something that I had struggled with my entire life. I had tried every diet out there. None of them were successful. Some appeared to be successful but as soon as I stopped the diet, I gained the weight back plus more.

Then I finally tried something that worked. It took a life change, not just a diet. I had heard people say this all my life and I had never believed them. I was going to be the exception to the rule. Here's the deal: I don't think there are exceptions to the rule. It takes determination. It takes sacrifice. It takes hard work. It takes life change.

Here are three things that I did to lose weight.

a. Eat Right. I have tried all kinds of diets that allow you to eat whatever you want. I tried Atkins, where I ate steak, wings, or cheeseburger patties every meal. The bottom line is that you have to eat right. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to count calories. I allow myself about 1500 per day. That means I eat lots of Lean Cuisines, which are about 300 cal. each.

b. Exercise. This was the part that I was never good at. I always tried to find a way around the exercise part. JR and I began running a year ago. (There was a lot more walking than running in the early days!) Now, we run at least 2 miles 4 days a week. Make up your mind. Put on your iPod and get your body moving. It is the only way to really lose weight. I never would have thought that I would love to run. I am addicted to the results. If I can do it, I believe anyone can!

c. Find an accountability partner. I think this is one of the keys to success. There will be days that you will not feel like eating right and working out. It helps to have someone who is as passionate as you are about losing weight. Trust me there were days that I wanted to give up, but it helped to have JR there to encourage me. Plus, no one wants to be the guy that just gives up and lets someone else down.

These are also the things that I will do to keep the weight off. They are also the things I will do to lose the rest of my weight. These are the things that I will do for the rest of my life!

I hope this helps!

Todd
jtlollis@hotmail.com

Things I Learned in 2006

I had planned to develop a list of some things that I learned last year. I decided to just share one of those things with you and develop the idea a little.

In 2006, I learned that GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES. I have told people this for years and this year I had to live it out. It blew me away to see how God has provided for my family. Obviously, my first concern after Anniston was born was for her health and Joni's health. God allowed both of them to be ok. Anniston is doing better than I could have ever imagined, especially for a baby that was born 3 months premature. She came into the world in a crazy way, but, now, I wouldn't have traded that experience for anything in the world. It caused me to have to depend on Him like never before. I learned more in those few weeks than I had my entire life about trusting God! In 2006, God provided us with good health.

God also provided for us in the area of finances. I am not the kind of guy that worries a lot about money. But I will have to confess that I was a little concerned about where the money was going to come from the pay the dr. bills. Anniston's stay in the hospital ended up costing $185,000. I don't know about you, but I don't have that kind of money stashed anywhere. We found out that we have great insurance that payed all but a very small portion. Then churches like Crosspointe, Cherrydale, and Oak Grove sent us money to help out. Individuals pitched in to help cover the costs. We walked away from the deal without it costing us anything out of pocket! I was in awe! Once again, God showed me that He always provides. He is always in control. Nothing catches Him off guard. We just have to trust Him with everything!

This experience, along with a few others, has allowed me to experience the grace of God in a whole new way. It is not hard for me to give back a small portion to God because I know that He has provided for me so many times in my life.

It seems that everywhere I turn, I am reminded that "God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" (Ephesians 3:20)

What seemed to be like a well-deserved (in my mind, at least) vacation turned out to be the greatest learning experience of my life!!

Anniston and Brayden Update

I haven't updated everyone in a while about Anniston. So...here we go. She is 4 1/2 months old and weighs 11lbs and 10oz. She is also 21 1/2 inches long. The awesome thing to me is that she has had no complications. We took her to the doctor last month to check out her development and they were pleased with her progress. She is exactly where she should be, if she would have gone full term. We are still keeping her at home most of the time to prevent her from getting sick. Thanks to everyone for praying for her.

Brayden just turned 2 in November and I don't know if there is a funnier kid on the planet. He is talking pretty well and the way he says things makes me laugh. For example, he couldn't say "snowman". He would say "new man". I like the baby stage, but personally I like being able to communicate with him.

Needless to say, I have the 2 most incredible kids in the world! I know you think little Ralph and Tina are cool, but they don't compare to my kids!!

Yes, I am alive...

Wow, our trip out of town was nuts. Good, but crazy. I spent very little time posting (obviously), checking email, and reading blogs. It seemed like as soon as I would sit down, it was time to go visit someone or go to a Christmas party. Don't get me wrong, I loved connecting with people I haven't seen in a while. However, it was very exhausting! I felt like I needed a vacation to recover from my time off!

Joni and I pretty much just hung around the house this weekend. We were invited to several parties, but decided it was best for us to stay at home to prevent Anniston from getting sick. So, we watched football and all of the boring countdown shows!

Yesterday was filled with football, friends, football, UFC, and more football!

Over the next few days, I will be sharing some things that I learned last year. 2006 was an interesting year. I feel like I learned a lot through some tough experiences. I am looking forward to this year with great anticipation. We'll see what God does in 2007! I can hardly wait!

Another Year....Another Clemson Disappointment

For a team that started the year 7-1, Clemson really did a great job of turning a great season into a disappointing one. I am not sure what happened, but I am thankful that the season is finally over. An 8-5 season is a far cry from what they should have been able to accomplish.

Of course, I should be used to this type of disappointment! It happens every year. Oddly enough, the football season has me excited about basketball season!

The Tigers are 14-0 so far this season. We'll see what happens when they start ACC play. They haven't been any good in basketball in a long time and I am ready for a good year. After all, I pull for the same team during basketball AND football season. (Although, the last sentence may appear to be a jab at those people who cheer for Miami during the football season and Duke during the basketball season, it was in no way intended to cause any harm!)