Posts Tagged ‘I am Second’

3 People You Need To Follow On Twitter

Posted: November 24, 2009 in Culture, Life, Ministry, People, Sports, Technology
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Are you on twitter? I have been on twitter for about 4 months now. It’s growing on me more and more everyday. One of the things I like about it is that you can pick and choose who you receive updates from. You find a person or organization that you want to follow and their updates show up on your home page. You can also synch your twitter account with your facebook account and update both at the same time.

If you are a tweep (twitter peep), here are three people/organizations you need to follow on twitter…

1. XXX CHURCH (@xxxchurch) – This is an amazing ministry that I fully support. It provides free resources to help individuals break free from the chains of pornography. By following them on twitter, you can be the first to read new blog posts and articles, see new podcasts, and more. You can also follow their founder, Craig Gross, on twitter (@craigxxxchurch).

2. I AM SECOND (@IamSecond) – This is another amazing ministry that is making a significant impact in culture right now. Their website is known for having video testimonials of people (famous and not famous) who put God first in their lives. By following them on twitter, you get updates on new videos, information on how to get involved, share prayer requests, and more.

3. THE BATTING STANCE GUY (@BattingStanceG) – This guy is hilarious. If you are a baseball fan, the Batting Stance Guy is a must follow on twitter. This guy immitates professional baseball player batting stances. By following him on twitter, he will give you links to new videos. Plus, he has a funny insight on sports and baseball.

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Shameless plug:

You can also follow me on twitter @briancromer.

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Who are people/organizations that I need to be following on twitter?

Three New I Am Second Videos

Posted: October 16, 2009 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Sports
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In lieu of tomorrow’s Oklahoma/Texas college football game (that I will be in attendance), I AM SECOND has released three new I AM SECOND videos featuring the starting quarterbacks from each team, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy.

Enjoy…

Freeeeeeeeeeeeedoooooooooom!!!

Posted: October 14, 2009 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, The Bible
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handcuffs

There are certain things in life that don’t mix. Oil & Water, Shaq & Kobe, Good hair day & Rain, Gasoline & Fire, Microsoft & Works, etc. The list can go on and on.

Another example that most people think do not go together is God & Freedom. In John 8:32 Jesus says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” But wait a second. God cannot possibly be talking about freedom, can he? Because he is all about rules and regulations, right?

I don’t know about you, but I grew up thinking that God loved rules. I would go to church and hear about the Bible simply to hear a bunch of do’s and don’ts. After a while, I assumed that he got a kick out of saying “no”.

But think about Adam and Eve in Genesis 2. Adam and Eve were the freest people in the history of the planet. Why? Because they lived in a “one-rule” world and were only given one “Do not…” God said they could do whatever they wanted except eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They took care of the garden, named animals, multiply, but just don’t touch that tree.

In God’s ideal world – a world that was just the way he wanted it – he only instituted one rule. Adam & Eve were happy in God’s one-rule world until Satan came along and convinced them that they were not absolutely free. Ultimately, in an attempt to reach for absolute freedom, they chose to disobey and rebel against God’s authority. The idea of their decision was that REBELLION brings FREEDOM. What they soon realized was that they LOST their freedom because of their rebellion.

Something happens to us when we become teenagers and it bleeds into adulthood. Somewhere along life’s journey, we begin to believe that freedom is a world without authority. A world without somebody over us. A world without somebody telling us what to do. That is a lie straight from Satan’s lips that will actually rob you of your freedom.

Have you ever known a rebellious teenager? All of sudden, the boundaries and authority that Mom and Dad set up no longer fly. The teenager starts to believe he/she wants freedom. Their desire for freedom causes them to rebel against Mom and Dad’s authority. Does the choice to rebel result in freedom? No, the exact opposite is true. The rebellion leads towards less freedom, not more freedom. A teenager’s most freedom can be found under his/her parent’s authority.

In the same way, God beautifully sets up boundaries and the way life was intended to be lived not to give us a bunch of do’s and don’ts but to help us experience freedom. When we rebel, it leads towards less freedom, not more freedom. When we submit to his authority, we experience freedom.

Maximum freedom is only found under God’s authority.

Say this with me today...I AM SECOND.

I Am Second

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REVOLUTION

Wednesdays, 7-8:15pm, all October

NORTHchurch

Laszlo Cseh

Posted: October 8, 2009 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Sports
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Laszlo-Cseh

Have you ever heard of Laszlo Cseh?

Until I started doing some research, I had never heard of this guy. However, thanks to the ole’ google machine, I now know Laszlo Cseh.

Laszlo Cseh won the 5th most medals at the 2008 summer olympic games in Beijing. He won more medals than Usain Bolt, Roger Federer, and Lebron James. Yet nobody (at least in the United States) knows him and would not be able to pick him out of a crowd.

Why?

Laszlo Cseh, a Hungarian swimmer, won three silver medals. In all three events, Laszlo Cseh finished second to Michael Phelps. In all three events where Laszlo Cseh finished second, Michael Phelps broke the previous world records.

What a killer! Think about it. Laszlo Cseh trained his entire life – hours of practice in the pool, hours working out, years of eating right, and hours of sacrifice – so that he could compete in the olympics. Not only that, he was really good. In fact, he is one of the best swimmers on the entire planet. However, he just happened to be alive and swimming against undoubtably the best swimmer to ever jump into a pool. He never trained to be second.

None of us like being second. Deep down all of want to be first. We want the glory. We want the credit. We want the spotlight. We want the attention. We want the gold medals.

But when it comes to the pecking order of life, the depth chart of life, the chain of command of life, we must understand this fundamental truth – GOD IS FIRST & WE ARE SECOND.

What He says goes. He is in charge. He is calling the shots. He has control. He gets the glory. He has authority. He gets the gold medal.

Say this with me today…I AM SECOND.

I Am Second

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REVOLUTION

Wednesdays, 7-8:15pm, all October

NORTHchurch

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

I am Second

Posted: February 11, 2009 in Culture, Faith, Inspirational, Life, Ministry, Movies, Music, People, Spirituality, Sports, Technology
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Tonight we are starting a new series at REVIVE, the Shannon Oaks Church weekly teen worship service.

My partner in crime, Ben Vos, will be speaking over the theme “I am Second”. Basically, “I am Second” is about knowing our true place in this world. It is about knowing the importance, necessity, and urgency of putting God first in life and everything else (including ourselves) second. We will be diving into how we truly put God first when we live in a society that screams the exact opposite message. We will also take a look at what consistently keeps us from living the “I am Second” life.

The idea for this series came after seeing billboards scattered throughout the Dallas area that simply said “I am Second”. The mysterious ads list a website – IAMSECOND.COM – with provocative testimonial videos by celebrities like movie star Stephen Baldwin, Dallas Cowboys tightend Jason Witten and former American Idol contestant Jason Castro. The website also has a lot of “non-famous/normal” people sharing stories of eating disorders, loneliness, drug abuse, pornography addiction, and much more.

We are utilizing these videos throughout the worship experiences. Here is one of the testimonies we are showing tonight. This is Brian “Head” Welch, former guitarist in the band Korn.

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

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