Ellie made the front page of the Newspaper!!!

This weekend we are back in my hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. Yesterday we headed over to Baldwin, Kansas and took a family trip on a 1923 train. It was very cool. Half way through the trip I had noticed a man taking Ellie's picture. Now I know why, she was on the front page of the Lawrence Journal World this morning with her grandpa!!! You can view the picture and read a blurb about my dad here. It only took 3 years, and she's already making a name for herself in Jayhawk Country.

Breaking Free

This is my son. He turns 1 on August 30th and he just (sort of) began enjoying life on two feet. He's so proud and so are we!

Flip that Sac

I got a great deal yesterday on a LoveSac.  I got this HUGE LoveSac (it's actual title is "SuperSac") on Craigslist for $75.00.  Obviously it came without a sweet cover (that's why I got such a sweet deal) like the one's on the webiste.  If you ordered the one on the website with the cover that I got, it would be $649.00.  I found the same cover on Ebay brand new for $35.00.  We're going to put it back on Craigslist, and should sell it for around 300-400 dollars.  It's way too big for our room, but our kids are LOVING it in the house...

Downgrade to Double Threat

Mystery solved. The unidentified caller mentioned at the end of my last post has been revealed. After a call to the police and a cell phone trace, I discovered that it was indeed a prank call from a student. We had a good conversation about why threatening, violent phone calls weren't funny and he gave me the classic excuse of, "I guess I just wasn't thinking". If you've read The Primal Teen, that excuse actually makes a little sense.

How did an 8th grader make himself sound like an angry neighbor? He used this audio from Soundboards.com. Somebody needs to sue that website...

Triple Threat

I don't know what the deal is but violence has seemed to be following me over the past few weeks. I've had 3 out of the ordinary experiences that have kept me on high alert everywhere I go. Check it out:


August 10, New York City. In a Subway (restaurant) I witness a man verbally harassing two women at a table. One woman gets up from the table and begins to move away looking for help. When the man follows her and she begins to cry, I step in between. He starts come at me but I use words to calm him down and eventually escort the man from the restaurant. Luckily, I didn't have to hurt anyone.


August 20, Dallas. Leaving a Game Stop, I witness a man across the parking lot being jumped by 3 other men. I, along with several others, began moving in to help when the 3 guys got spooked by the shouting and hopped in a car and sped away. It turns out that they were trying to steal a woman's purse and a man had intervened to stop the crime. The woman's two tweenage sons had been punched (cut above eye and bloody lip respectively), her head had a knot and her shirt had been ripped, and the man who stepped in had a bloody nose, bruised temple (from a kick to the head) and a sore shoulder. I called 911, reported the descriptions of the men and their vehicle (we got the license plate) and stayed for the ambulance and police. It was crazy.


August 25, My Living Room. My cell phone rings and I answer. An angry, unidentified man on the other end begins ranting about me stealing his newspaper. He claims to be outside my house and shouts at me to get ready because he's coming in the front door. I immediately rush to the door to be sure it's locked. After a few more threats and an argument about whether or not he had the wrong number, he hangs up. Police say there's really nothing they can do. It took us a little bit longer than normal to go to sleep that night.

Outside the Camp Leaders Retreat

Our staff had an amazing time with our leaders this past weekend! We had a ton of fun playing together, talking about student ministry, and fueling up spiritually to get ready for a big year. Special thanks to Camp Shiloh for hosting us, and giving us some great memories with our leaders! I look weird in this picture because my good friend Russ is goosing me from behind, which you cannot see.

Wake Review for 8/24/08

Wake is our weekly meeting for Junior High students at Watermark. We meet on Sunday mornings at 11:00am on the 4th floor of the Watermark Tower. Here is my assessment of this week's Wake.

8/24 Program Outline
Attendance: Way Above Average
Fun Factor: Above Average
Leader Presence: Above Average
Music: Above Average
Message: Above Average

I had a blast at church this week. Our staff had just come off of a Leaders Team lake retreat and I was running on coffee, donuts, and very little sleep. The energy of the kids got me going and we had so much fun singing, playing games, and digging into God's word. We opened registration for our Pine Cove Retreat (see invite below) and started a new series called "This is Real" about identity. I think it really hit home with several of the kids. If you're interested, you can click here to find a discussion guide that leaders use in their small groups throughout the week.

Mike is Way Excited

This is the first of 5 "video invitations" we're putting together for this Friday's re-launch of watermarkstudents.com. We're making some minor adjustments hoping to increase the effectiveness of our website as a communication tool with students and parents. Props go to Bode for the top notch production of this video...I just can't stop watching it!

Kinda Like Guitar Hero

Each fall we order new t-shirts to celebrate the new ministry year. I love t-shirts! We like to offer kids two options and sell them for a little less than cost so they are affordable and so we don't take a huge hit. Click above to enlarge the picture and view our latest designs. The Guitar Hero one has a rectangle on the back below that neckline that looks like a bumper stick reading "Wake is fun (Kinda like Guitar Hero, but not really)"

How Did We Get Here?

The photo above, taken in our "dressing room", is one of many snapped on a recent trip to New York City. I'm not at liberty to share the details but I will tell you it all started with this video for Watermark Student Ministries. From entertaining the kids to (possibly) entertaining the masses.

Community Group Retreat @ Possum Kingdom Lake

Our Community Group took this weekend and went to Possum Kingdom Lake. With 10 adults and 9 kids there was never a dull moment. The weekend was filled with 4 wheeling (apparently people from Arizona call it "quading"), water skiing, wakeboarding, tubing, cliff jumping, napping, grilling on a big green egg, hanging out by the pool, and encouraging each other to grow closer as couples, and closer to the Lord. You may be thinking, how could you do that much with that many kids running around? We're just that awesome.

I was reminded this weekend of what the new testament church is really supposed to look like. We experienced community in a great way this weekend, and I'm now trying to convince everyone to sell their houses, and begin the search for a house that's big enough for all of us here in Dallas. It's taking some work to convince them...

Comfort and Hope Breaking Through

Steven Curtis Chapman has released a new version of his song "Yours" with a fourth verse chronicling the experience of grief that his family is currently navigating. You can download Yours (New Verse) NOW at Amazon.com (Proceeds go to Shaohanah's Hope). Check out Jim Houser's blog to find out more about the new verse's lyrics & details behind the song.


In addition to the powerful lyrics added to an already powerful song, the testimony of hope continues as Steven and family are slated to appear and share God's story on Good Morning America on Wednesday August 6th on ABC and then Live with Larry King on August 7th on CNN. If that weren't enough, Steven will be found on tour with Michael W. Smith for the first time ever this Fall.

Join me in praying for the Chapman family during this difficult time.

It's All Very Hush, Hush

In a previous teaser post, I indicated that I would answer the questions I posed. Turns out, I've got a gag order. I've probably already said too much! How's that for mystery? Here are some pictures that might give you some clues as to why we were in Hollywood last weekend and why we'll be traveling out-of-state again next weekend. Even though you probably don't care, I wish I could say more.

P.S. The picture above captures my joy in the moment when our driver picked us up at the airport. Yeah, we had a driver.