Lakers

Oh my gosh . . . the Lakers finally won a game . . . and I was not comfortable during this game. In fact, I was so uncomfortable, I forgot to go to small group tonight. I am a bad person.

Karyss' New Job

Well, it is official . . . . my wife, Karyss, has now quit Wells Fargo (woo hoo!!!) and is working at the MGM Grand hotel pool. For those of you who don't live in Las Vegas, and even for some of you who do, this may come as a surprise . . . . that a pastor's wife would work at a pool on The Strip. However, my perspective of Las Vegas has really changed in the last year that I have worked here.

I want to preface all of this by saying that I do not by any means endorse what "The Strip" represents. It represents greed, lust, getting drunk, and just an overall materialistic culture. The old saying "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" represents that it is a place to come and make whatever choices you desire without any consequences. Again, I do not support this at all!

However, working at a church in Las Vegas, we are reaching people who's reality EVERYDAY is The Strip. At Central, we don't necessarily reach those who come in for a weekend fling and then leave. We reach the dealers, cocktail waitresses, dancers, musicians, DJs, artists, strippers, pit bosses, poker stars, gambling addicts, alcoholics, orphans, and EVERYTHING else that comes along with the culture that the Strip tends to produce. Not to mention working with the kids and students of those people. The reality of what takes place on the Strip is a daily reality to many of the people who are a part of Central, and this is why my perspective has been changed.

Also, what I have learned about MGM/Mirage through Karyss' orientation and a conversation with a good friend that works at MGM has been really healthy for me. The employees alone, not the company, donate 1.7 million dollars annually to organizations around the Las Vegas Valley. Also, any processing fees that go along with donations to non-profits (and they are out there) MGM will cover so that every dollar from the employee goes directly into the organizations hands. Also, a huge part of Karyss' orientation was education on gambling addictions and the harm that it can bring to a person's life.

Again, none of these things justify what happens on The Strip on a nightly basis, but it brings into perspective that there are real people . . . GOOD people, who work there. My friend who works at MGM has no family in Vegas (quite common), and he describes his co-workers at MGM as his family.

How has your perspective changed in the past year?

New Look

So I played some kick ball with our high school leaders this Sunday and it was awesome! My team got beat to the ground, but it was still a lot of fun.

I'm guessing it was about 90 degrees this past Sunday . . . not too hot by Vegas standards . . . but my hair was all in my face, sweaty, stinky, hot, uncomfortable, stinging my eyes, and i was MISERABLE! So . . . . i decided to chop off the mop!

I am a new person! I sleep better at night, I get ready faster, I don't always feel so hot, I don't take showers anymore . . . just kidding!

Any other hot new Summer looks out there??

Weekend Thoughts

Another great weekend! We started our "Deadly Viper Character Assassins" series this week and i think its gonna be a hit!

The Banzai game was hilarious! It was a contest to see whoever could fit the most clothespins on their face in 60 seconds . . . i tried for three and it was painful.

Robert brought the heat with his message this week! We were talking about the "Assassin of Character Creep" and how our character is destroyed by many small decisions. These small decisions erode our character little by little until it is much easier to make very bad decisions and choices. Robert did awesome!

My camera broke a week or two ago, and its been hard for me to go out and spend another 200 bucks on a camera, but i think I'm just gonna do it because i can't stand it any longer! I want to share pictures of some of these moments I'm talking about!

Well, that's all for now . . . this blog has definitely lasted longer than my previous blog! I'll try and keep it going :)