Archive for February, 2009

Fort Worth Cowtown Marathon

Posted: February 26, 2009 in Friends, Life, People, Sports
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legs-running

The day is almost here. The countdown is on.

In two days, I will be running the third marathon of my life. On Saturday morning, February 28, Ben Vos and I will be running the 26.2 mile Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, Texas.

We are ready to run. In fact, I have never felt physically better going into a marathon than I do for this marathon. I truly believe that we have put in the miles, the time, the hard work, and the dedication to be as successful as possible. In fact…

We have been training for 24 weeks now (6 months). 

According to my best estimation, we have ran a total of 420+ miles during training.

My weight is the lowest it has been since college. (I’m not going to share how much I weigh right now because, frankly, it is embarrassing. A gym rat who loves to lift weights as much as I do and is 6’3” should never weigh this low.)

I am sure I will post about the race next week and share all the details.

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As for the next two days, I covet your prayers. If you are in the East Texas/Fort Worth area, I would love if you came out to the marathon to cheer us on. It really is a festive, cool environment.

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Finally, got any good tips or advice for us?

John 3:16 Hottest Google Search

Posted: February 25, 2009 in Faith, Inspirational, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Sports, The Bible
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GOOGLE has the ability to know what specific search was the most searched phrase on any specific day.

On January 8, 2009, “JOHN 3:16″ was the most searched phrase on Google. The next day, John 3:16 remained in the top ten.

Why was the world so curious for that specific 48 hour span about the Bible verse that reads, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”?

tebowjohn316On January 8, 2009, the Florida Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA College Football Championship Game. Tim Tebow, the Florida Gators MVP quarterback, had a message written on his eye black. It said simply, “John 3:16.”

When asked about his eye black message, Tebow answered, ”In this game, I knew there’d be a lot of people watching, and this verse represents Christianity in a very good way…It’s sort of the essence of Christianity,” he said. “So I felt people will say: ‘Hey, What’s that verse?’ Hopefully, some people will look at it.”

It worked…

While the Gators were beating the Sooners 24-14, John 3:16 became the most searched topic of the day on Google – far ahead of “Oprah,” “Obama speech,” “Why is milk white,” and “What is a Sooner?”

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Who knew writing eight characters on eye black could make such a difference in the world?

I want to challenge you to stop thinking that you cannot make a difference in this world. God can use you in ways that you cannot imagine. Whether you are sitting in a cubicle at work, at a school desk, or in front of your laptop at home, God can use you to make a huge dent in this world.

How can God use you today to steer people towards him and make a difference in other peoples’ lives?

Slumdog Millionaire

Posted: February 24, 2009 in Family, Life, Movies, People
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I need your help deciding something. 

As most of you know, I am economically responsible. Some might describe me as cheap, but I consider myself financially disciplined, cautious, and responsible. 

One of my financial statutes is that Heather and I don’t normally go out and see movies in the theater. The rationale is why pay for a movie twice when we can wait a little longer and pay for it one time. I have gone 27+ years without watching that movie, so what is the big deal waiting a few more months till it comes out on DVD? That way we can watch the movie through our sound system on our comfortable couch and cuddled up with our dogs.  

However, in the spirit of a good date night, I am contemplating breaking my financial principle to watch the Oscar award-winning movie SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. If I am going to break that principle, why not break it on the movie that won this year’s “Best Picture” award?

slumdog-millionaire-poster-full

Here’s where I need your help…

If you have seen the movie, is it really good enough for the Cromer family to break down and watch it in the movie theater? What did you think about that movie? Good? Not good? Wait for the DVD? We only break down and watch a movie in the theater a couple of times a year, so I like them to be worth it when we do. I would love to hear your opinions.

My Lunch with Jason Witten

Posted: February 23, 2009 in Faith, Food, Friends, Life, Ministry, People, Random, Spirituality, Sports
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75558020CM020_DALLAS_COWBOYToday I had lunch with Jason Witten.

If I were being completely honest, I did not have a personal sit-down lunch with the Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl Tight End. However, I did eat in the same Dallas-area Pei Wei with my great friend, Luke Norsworthy, at the same time with the former University of Tennessee standout. Luke and I debated whether or not to be “that guy”and ask for a picture or autograph but ended up deciding to let him eat his reasonably priced Asian cuisine in peace.

I know it’s not the same, but it sounds cool to say I had lunch with Jason Witten.

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Speaking of Jason Witten…

At our Wednesday night REVIVE youth worship service, we are featuring this testimonial video during the last message of our current series “I AM SECOND.” 

If you are a teenager in the Sulphur Springs area, you need to be at REVIVE Wednesday night. If you are a parent of a teenager in the Sulphur Springs area, you need to make sure your teenager is at REVIVE Wednesday night. It will be powerful.

REVIVE, Wednesdays, 6:30-8pm, Shannon Oaks Church

Reed Is Going Home!!!

Posted: February 20, 2009 in Blogs, Faith, Friends, Inspirational, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality
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reed

If you are a consistent reader of this blog, then you are familiar with the story of Reed White. 

On November 12, 2008, Ryan and Keeley White, who are great friends of mine, had twin boys – Reed and Braden. During the pregnancy, they found out that one of the twins, Reed, had developed a heart condition called “Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome” or HLHS. They learned about this condition after doctors realized that one twin had an underdeveloped left side of his heart. HLHS is a complicated condition that normally requires three stages of surgery all before the child turns three years old. After delivery, Ryan and Keeley elected to pursue a heart transplant for baby Reed. Since that time, Reed has stayed at the hospital under the careful watch of nurses and doctors waiting for a new heart. 

On January 19, 2009 many prayers were answered as Reed White received his new heart.

After 100 days of living at the hospital and only 32 short days since heart transplant surgery, Reed White is finally healthy enough to go home. 

Today at 1:21pm I received a text from Ryan (dad) saying, “Can you post that Reed is coming home?!?”

What an amazing text!

Praise God! 

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Ryan and Keeley are asking that anybody who has been praying and thinking about Reed during the past 100 days to leave a comment on their blog. They are asking for either a comment, your favorite scripture, a note to Reed, or just to simply say you were praying him during these past 100 days. 

I know many of you who read my blog have been praying for baby Reed. Leave them a comment to show how hundreds and hundreds of people all over the world have been praying for their son.  CLICK HERE TO LEAVE THEM A COMMENT.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers.

Things To Do Before I Die List

Posted: February 19, 2009 in Family, Inspirational, Life, Movies, People, Sports, The Bible, Travel
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In 2007, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman starred in the movie The Bucket List. Upon discovering terminal illnesses, the two main characters from this movie decide to make a list of things they wanted to do before they died. They cleverly entitled this list “The Bucket List”.

Now I have had one of these lists before this movie was released. I simply called it my “Things To Do Before I Die List”. I only have things on this list that require a lot of effort – either financially, mentally, physically, or spiritually. These things are not easy. This list is also forever changing with things coming off the list and things being added to the list.

Here’s my current “Things To Do Before I Die List” with completed items being crossed off…

  • Learn another language
  • Run a marathon
  • Step foot on all seven continents
  • Go to Spring Training
  • Coach my child’s sports team
  • Be in vocational ministry for 25 years
  • Watch a baseball game at every MLB stadium
  • Memorize a book of the Bible
  • Work a job I love for free
  • Stand on top of a mountain
  • Stand on the field at the old Yankee Stadium
  • Stand on the field at the new Yankee Stadium
  • Buy a brand new car (odometer as close to zero as possible) with cash

Here are some pictures of accomplished things on the list:

marathon After my 1st marathon

top-of-a-mountain On top of a mountain

yankee-stadium On the old Yankee Stadium field

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What else needs to be on my “Things To Do Before I Die List”? I am up for suggestions.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Challenge

Posted: February 18, 2009 in Culture, Faith, Family, Inspirational, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Sports, The Bible
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sports-illustrated-logo1

My wife is awesome.

I have subscribed to Sports Illustrated for years. As a subscriber to Sports Illustrated, the annual Swimsuit Edition (first published in 1964) gets sent to my house every February.

Here’s the cool part…

I have not seen one picture or one article from the Swimsuit Edition in years. Every year my incredible wife gets that particular issue, rolls her eyes at the super models who are not wearing their swimsuits, and immediately throws the issue in the garbage. 

I love that she does this for me. The raw, honest truth is that I probably do not have the strength to do it myself. Granted, I might throw it away but not without first taking a peak. (I care here you thinking “but you’re a minister!” Yeah, you are right, I am a honest and real minister.) I cherish the fact that my wife cares about my purity enough to help me succeed. She gets it. She makes me a better person. She makes me a better follower of Jesus. 

Some people might think “who cares?” or “what’s the big deal?”

Here the truth…

I know I am not missing anything. My eyes have better things to look at. I have better thoughts to think about. I got a hottie that I am madly in love with and who loves me back. Who needs the Swimsuit Edition? I know I don’t.

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Here’s the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Challenge…

Follow my wife’s lead. If you get the Swimsuit Edition, throw it away. If your husband/son/brother/friend gets the Swimsuit Edition, take the initiative and throw it away for him (like me, he probably doesn’t have the strength to do it himself). 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” – Jesus in Matthew 5:27-29 (NIV)

Penn Says

Posted: February 17, 2009 in Culture, Faith, Inspirational, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Technology, The Bible
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This powerful video is from the video podcast “Penn Says,” which features Penn Jillette, who is a comedian and illusionist in the popular duo Penn & Teller. In this video Penn describes an encounter he has with a guest after one of his performances. The guest gives a surprisingly wonderful gift to Penn during their encounter. It is important for you to know that Penn is an outspoken atheist, libertarian, and skeptic.

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I don’t know about you, but I want to be like that good man who gave Penn the Bible. I want to live that authentically. I want to make that kind of impression on people.

Two Very Different Responses

Posted: February 16, 2009 in Books, Faith, Inspirational, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, The Bible
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The Bible…

  • Contains 66 different books
  • Has an Old Testament with 39 books
  • Has a New Testament with 27 books
  • There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible
  • There are 31,173 verses in the Bible
  • There are 807,361 words in the Bible

Knowing all these interesting facts may make you a baller in Biblical Trivial Pursuit, but are these facts life-changing? Do you look at the Bible as a history book full of interesting facts to memorize or do you look at the Bible as the perfect, infallible Word of God? How do you respond when you collide with the Bible?

Check out these two very different responses to the Bible:

Centuries ago the Prince of Granada was sentenced for life to solitary confinement in one of Madrid’s ancient prisons. Apparently, the authorities feared he might aspire to the throne. During his imprisonment he was given one book to read – the Bible. Over the next 33 years, the Prince apparently read the Bible hundreds of time and read it with painstaking care. But when he did after 33 years of imprisonment, and the authorities began going through his cell after his burial, what they found was striking. All over the walls of his cell, they found that he had etched in the soft stone notations such as these:

The eighth verse of the 97th Psalm is the middle verse of the Bible; Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters of the alphabet except the letter “J”; the ninth verse of the eighth chapter of Esther is the longest; no word or name of more than six syllables can be found in the Bible.

It is incredible that this man spent more than 33 years carefully studying this one book that has been described even by its critics as one of the most amazing pieces of literature ever written, and all he got from his study was a few isolated pieces of Bible trivia. (from The Ministry of Nurture by Duffy Robbins)

Compare the Prince with the Ethiopian eunuch from Acts 8…

In Acts 8:26-40 an Ethiopian man was traveling home in his chariot reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. The man needing help understanding what he was reading asked Philip to explain God’s Word. Through looking at the book of Isaiah, Philip told him the good news about Jesus.  Immediately he responded by pulling the chariot over, asked Philip to baptize him right then and there, and gave his life to Jesus. The eunuch’s life was forever changed after encountering the Word of God.

Two stories. Two different encounters with the Bible. Two very different responses. 

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Which story do you relate more with? Is the Bible just a history book filled with trivia answers and cool facts to you? Is the Bible simply decoration on your coffee table or night stand collecting dust while making you look “spiritual”? Or is the Bible the “sharper than any double-edge sword” Word of God that is your life guide that when you encounter it, it forever changes you?

Would You Rather…

Posted: February 12, 2009 in Culture, Life, People, Random, Sports
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president-obama  vs  lebron-james

This morning I was listening to Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio, and they discussed a great question. The question was thought-provoking enough that I would love to discuss and hear your answers. Here the question…

WOULD YOU RATHER BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR A SUPERSTAR PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE?

This question got me thinking. It is a great question.

For me, my answer has to go back to my childhood. I never dreamed as a kid of becoming the President of the United States. However, as a kid I often dreamed of playing shortstop for the New York Yankees and playing small forward for the Chicago Bulls. I never pretended to veto a bill from Congress or imagined what it would be like to execute a campaign strategy. However, I did pretend hitting the game-winning jump shot on my indoor Nerf hoop and hitting a walk-off homerun in my back yard. I would have to go with being a superstar professional athlete – a baseball player for the New York Yankees more specifically. 

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What about you? If you could choose to be the President or a superstar athlete, which one would you choose? Also, make sure you tell why you answered the way you did. I would love to hear your answers.

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