So, it was brought to my attention this Wednesday night as I was helping out as a host on the Internet Campus… that I look like Dora the Explorer. Yes, THE Dora the Explorer. The one with the little purple book bag that somehow manages to fit a raft inside of it. The one that has a map that not only talks to her, but sings to her the directions (better than any Garmin GPS out there) on how to get to some magical castle. The one who has a best friend who is a blue monkey that happens to enjoy rocking red moonboots. Yes, THE Dora who spends all her days running away from some creepy Bandito fox who wants to snatch her book bag and hinder her plans.

Oh, boy. Do I really look like Dora? The decision was unanimous all around on Wednesday night… what do YOU think?

I’m a free spirit, I really am. I have been longing to take a road trip for some time now, and the more I wait, the antsier I get! I love traveling, I love meeting new people, I love new places, new cultures, new experiences. I will be one of the 80 something year old ladies that is driving down Route 66 wearing a sun visor, Hawaiian shirt, and some over-sized sunglasses while blasting some good music! Anyone else a free spirit? Any one else game for a road trip?

What are some of your favorite places that you’ve experienced while on a road trip?

I recently asked the question on twitter and facebook: “What is worse? Losing someone you loved, or losing someone you should’ve loved?”

I got an overwhelming amount of responses back, here they are:

- @fullertime : Wow…
- @jeffzelaya Losing someone you should have loved is far worse. It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.
- @frcallie Losing someone you should have loved … There goes the “what if?” question.
- @BrianVasil Someone you love. In the first case you feel emotional love loss.. in the second.. just guilt over a missed opportunity. If it’s real love for a person…that loss will always trump the feeling of regret of what could have been with someone else.
- @Glowing4Him Agree with @JeffZelaya Losing someone you should have loved is far worse. It is better to have loved & lost than to never have loved at all.
- @ErinBar I think someone you should’ve loved is worse because you missed the chance to make an impact in two lives.. yours and theirs.
- @LisetteA I think losing someone you should have loved. At least the loved one you got to experience love. The other you’ll just wonder.
- @SandyLender Freakin’ excellent question. Of course the latter is the more heartwrenching. Love the concept for a book!
- @simplygreatness I think losing a loved one is worse.
- Elizabeth: Losing someone you love.
- Amanda: Since I’ve only experienced the first, I’d say that’s the worst.
- Cathy: Losing someone you love.
- Jesslyn: Someone that you should have. On top of pain there’s guilt and regret…
- Debra: Losing someone you should have loved hurts and may leave you with guilt and regret as Jesslyn said…however, losing someone you genuinely love is worse. The pain is raw, there is an overwhelming sense of sadness, loss and loneliness, sometimes anger and then the emptiness of the void they left in your life and in your heart….
- Joseph: The reason I thought of that is because my best friend and I lost touch. I know that if something happens to someone I love then I made the most of his/her life. But if something were to happen to my friend, and we never reconciled, then I would have missed out because of my own pride.

BIG thanks to everyone for the responses. What do YOU think? What’s worse? Is it really to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all? Let me know in the comment box below.

In Matthew 17:20-21, Jesus had just finished casting out a demon the the Disciples weren’t able to. When they asked him why they weren’t able to cast the demon out, Jesus basically responded that they need to start taking God seriously! He said that if they even had the faith of a stinkin’ poppy seed, they could move mountains! Then, he says, “There is NOTHING you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” 

Imagine if we lived by that principle! Imagine if we had even a wee bit of faith, we could move mountains! This verse right here, is a call to action. It’s a call to stop making excuses, to quit whining, and to quit complaining that things are too hard. If you even have the faith of even a poppy seed, move the mountains! He’s telling us there’s nothing that we wouldn’t be able to accomplish or tackle if we just have faith. What are you waiting for? Start a’movin that stinkin’ mountain! 

What are some instances where you had the faith or a poppy or mustard seed, and the Lord allowed you to move mountains?

Q: What is FB fulfilling that your website is not?

A: FB is the community aspect. Not just information. — @lynseleanne

I was looking at some notes about a recent conference that took place (BUG ‘09) and thought I would take some time to harp on the point above. People spend tons of money on a website, yet for most people, that’s not the most effective way to spread information. Why? Because a website ONLY spreads information for the most part. No interaction. No community. 

People are all about community. People will not spend time on a site that only tells them about an upcoming event. Now, they WILL spend time talking about the event on a discussion board on Facebook. I think that churches need to start utilizing Facebook to create community amongst the Church AND to get the information out! With a ridiculous amount of people on Facebook, I think that if a Church is NOT on there, then they could be missing out on a very big oppurtunity to connect to their members. Facebook is absolutely free, what are you waiting for? LEVERAGE IT!

What do you think?

What is the heart of worship?

What is worship when we strip away the music?

When we strip away the songs?

When we strip away the instruments?

When we strip away the lighting?

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Worship is not for us, it’s for God. I think it’s sometimes easy to forget that worship is not just something we do, before your Pastor preaches a message. Worship is not just music, it’s a lifestyle! The way we live our lives, is continually how we continue to worship God. Worship is in the way we give, in the way we love, in the way we serve.

In fact, worship literally translates into, “worth-ship.” The word worship means to ascribe or give worth to something. Are we DAILY living our lives as though we’re ascribing worth to Him… or are we living life as though to only ascribe worth to ourselves?
What does worship mean to you?

On June 11, 2009, Electronic Arts (EA) held a mock Christian protest for the launching of their new game, Dante’s Inferno. They hired a bunch of actors to stand on the street and hand out cheesy flyers for church websites while wearing cardboard signs telling people they were going to Hell. Some of the signs took shots at Christian culture by saying, “Turn your Playstation into a Praystation” or “My High Score is in Heaven.”

Now, am I upset? No, I’m saddened. But definitely not for the reason you’re probably thinking of. E.A. hit the nail right on the head…they got the Christian stereotype down pat! The sad part is NOT the fact that they did this. The sad part is that THIS is how the world perceives Christians. When people think of Christians, they imagine people protesting outside, yelling at them, telling them they are going to Hell.

This is what Christianity is coming to. This is why 3 different magazines in the past months have called Christianity a dying religion. Now, the stereotype is not always the way that true Christians are. In fact, more and more Christians are starting to realize that they need to change the way the approach people and presenting the Gospel, if they ever want to bring people to Christ. However, until that minority of the Christian faith stop acting like hate-mongering, judgemental, “Christians”, I don’t see too much of the world’s perspective of Christians changing.

Christians need to start loving as Christ did, and need to stop judging. Let’s leave the judging to God since He’s perfect, and worry about loving on the broken, hurting, society we live in. Sometimes we forget that we are to hate the sin…. NOT the sinner.