Gift!

This morning I was given a gift.  Like anything that God gives you, you have to share it.  Therefore, I am sharing it with you.  Here is the canvas that I saw this morning.  Everyday it is new and everyday it is spectacular.  Enjoy this one that truly moved me.

Are You Reading "IT?"

One of the most remarkable things that I understand about Faith is that we go through seasons.  This has never been more true for me than in the last 6 months.  As God is awakening me from the Spirit of Apathy, Complacency, and Status Quo;  I am finding myself seeing the world differently the last 3 weeks.  He has given me His eyes for this world and I am ruined, simply wrecked!

In this season, He has placed this book in my lap and had me read it.  At first I thought it would be one of those lame books that sounds like someone is preaching to you, but I was dead wrong.  This book has honestly pegged my story, my apathy, my lack of leadership, and my status quo heart.  

I now realize that the transformation of peoples lives on the West Side of Cincinnati from a "Religious Condition" to a thriving, Authentic "God Experience" begins with my own heart and the leadership that is produced from "IT."  

I recommend this book to anyone who knows there is something wrong with what they are leading and has no idea how to put their finger on it.  This book will open your eyes to apathetic leadership and call you to something greater.  God speaks in this book.  I have found that even though I am wrecked, God is calling me to know what "IT" is, how I once had "IT", then lost "IT", given me a desire to have "IT" back and wants me to keep "IT".  

I am alive again. 

The Incredible Children's Pastor

I want to introduce you to my friend "Pastor Jim" or PJ as the people who are closest to him call him and he is amazing.  PJ has such incredible vision for how a children's ministry should work.  

On Friday night, He, Kim (his wife) and Jamison (his son) pulled off one of the greatest events ever known at Vineyard Westside.  It was called the Blast.  

I had no idea what a great event it would be, but PJ did.  We watched as over 150 kids packed into the Glenmore building on the Westside of Cincinnati with their parents as they bobbed for apples, through bugs through webs, golfed, kicked soccer balls into nets, played every other kind of game you can imagine.  Not only that, but there was hot cider, cotton candy, slushies, bar-b-que, hot chocolate, popcorn, and every kind of candy under the sun.  The most impressive part of all of this was that He did it while feeling a bit under the weather.  

Here's what i know.  He has Vision, He has an incredible heart for kids and them becoming all that God made them to be.

I love this guy!

Cure Apathy Now (CAN)

One person CAN make a difference.

"This is what the Lord requires of you...To ACT JUSTLY, To LOVE MERCY, and To WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD." Micah 6:8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrJ5lJGjpDI

So many of us walk through this one life we have and buy into the lie that we can't make a difference in this world. I beg to differ. I think we get scared, we live in the status quo, and a spirit of medocrity and religion hold us in a place that tell us we have nothing to offer.

I saw this video, and was inspired to show it to all of you as well. I hope you see Micah 6:8 come to life through this and you find yourself inspired to CURE APATHY NOW (Because you CAN).

Proud Papa

It's the last quarter.  The 8th grade football team is losing to Madeira 14 to zip.  The Three Rivers coach calls a time out and moves the tall lanky wide receiver to QB.  In He goes, immediately throwing 4 for 6 completions, 2 Touchdown passes and runs in the extra point to win the game in the last minute.  Yep, that's my son AJ.  I am a proud Papa.

Best Friends

Back in 7th grade, I attended a predominantly white Catholic grade school in Cincinnati.  We had recieved word from our teacher that another Catholic Grade (completely African American) School in Lincoln Heights was closing their doors and the kids from that School would be joining us.   

The first day they came to school, we played a pick up game of football at recess...us against them.   However, they didn't have enough players, so myself and another kid went on their team.  That day, I became the peace keeper of my school and I found myself connecting to the new kids in a way that most of my classmates didn't understand.  In the middle of it all, I became best friends with the leader of this group.  His name was Scotty Hutchings.

From 7th grade through our Senior year in High School, we found ourselves in all kinds of trouble, all kinds of fun, and all kinds of opportunities to grow.  I was the quarterback and he was the All State Tailback for Roger Bacon High School.  

Scotty's mom passed away during our sophmore year of High School and he came to live with my family in Forest Park for the better part of 2 years.  During that time, we grew even closer in our friendship.  

After our Senior year, I went to Toledo and Scotty went to Southern California for college.  But during that time, we both found ways of testing our freedom, but Scotty found himself in some trouble with the law and ended up dropping off the face of the earth for a while.  I tried to find him for 4 years (we didn't have the internet back then), but to no avail.   After getting on with my life and sure that He had gotten on with his, 21 years has passed.

Until Today!

Today, while I was in the shower, I received a phone call.  My wife said, "do you know a William Scott Hutchings?" followed by "is that Scotty?"  You see, I have been married for 17 years and my wife and children know about Scotty as I have talked about him regularly for the last 21 years.  "Yeah, Yeah, that's Scotty...why?"  "Well He just called and left 2 numbers where you can reach him, she said.

Within minutes I jumped out of the shower, cried and called my old friend.  

Turns out Scotty was in town to bury his sister who passed away from a heart attack recently and that brought to mind the death of his mother, his past, and our friendship.  He told me he was shaking when He called because of how abruptly he was taken away from me in a police cruiser, and how he had thought he let my family and I down.   I told him that it could have been either one of us at any time taken away in a police cruiser at that point in our lives.

We met for lunch today.  I don't think I have ever hugged anyone as hard as I hugged Scotty today.   We spent 2 hours catching up on his life, my life and the bond that we shared as boys.  One black, one white, from different worlds that taught each other the value of people simply for the fact that we are both people.   During our lunch, we laughed, we cried, we talked about the paths that our lives have taken us down, and we committed to each other that we would walk this life out together from here on.

I have missed my brother for a long time.  My children will know him as "uncle Scotty" but I will always know him as my best friend.  So if you see me cruising around Cincinnati with a big black man with dreads, just say hi to my brotha from anotha motha.  We are "each others people" and I would imagine, even though we're both 40, we will probably still get in a little bit of trouble from time to time.  At least I hope so.

Photo "Shop"

Ok,  I know my blog is lame because I don't have any pictures.  So... I will be shopping for a camera to take digital pictures to liven this thing-a-ma-jiggy up.  If you have any thoughts on this, please feel free to send them my way.  If not, just keep tuning in and look for a digital pixel revolution on the Love, Learn, Live blog.