• 15:15 @richbirch contact @blakeblunkall about @liquidwater #

• 23:25 Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. — CHRISTOPHER REEVE #

• 18:27 Just got the NEW updated #TweetCaster by Handmark FREE for my BlackBerry in exchange for this Tweet. tinyurl.com/TweetCaster #

• 08:27 getting ready to watch the Arts Mash up at #innovate09. Looking forward to seeing @richbirch and @liquidchurch demonstrate #
• 09:55 "What type of theology does not agree with clean water?" @timlucas amazing presentation at #innovate09 #
• 15:05 getting ready to attend the #innovate09 conference from my living room. great technology guys #
• 16:11 #innovate09 its amazing how much can get accomplished when no one cares who gets the glory #
• 17:38 Chinese food and movies tonight… now that’s a good time. Leadership training and dreaming in the morning. #

• 11:27 watching #innovate09 from my office. amazing stuff. #

Good People.

I have been thinking about something over the last couple of days. I have some great people in my life. I work for a church. As a church we do alot of great things. Sometimes, we will go do an organized compassion project at a local soup kitchen or another local ministry. I am always energized by watching the people in my community serve. But there is something that gets me fired up even more. And that is when a group of people gain a heart for something in their world and go out and ’serve’ on their own. A few months ago, my wife’s grandmother moved to Ohio. When she moved into her house, a number of the students in my youth group helped her move in. One of the students goes over to her house and mows her lawn each week. This past weekend a group of adults and high school students gave their Saturday morning to helping Gramma Wright ‘Beautify’ her house. It was their idea, they initiated it and got others involved. They weeded, mowed her lawn and spread mulch. I hear people talk about hero’s alot. Well, this group of people are truly my hero’s. Way to go guys!

a great day

My wife and I woke up this morning and went and picked up a few of the students from our youth group. We then met up with some of our other friends at a place in Dayton called the Life Enrichment Center. This place is amazing. They teach life skills, have medical clinics, serve meals and have a food pantry. It was a fun day serving with good friends. Here are two fun times below.

Girl Effect

I am finding that the things that drive me are becoming more and more defined. I am realizing what the things are that drag me down are as well.

This video below is how I am thinking more. These are the things that excite me, that drive me. These are the reasons I cannot sleep at night.

Revolutionary Love

This is a blog that a good friend of mine wrote. It is a topic that has been heavy on my heart and my mind lately. Going into this Christmas season, I just can’t see things the same as I always do. There is to much need and to much hurt in the world this year to operate this Christmas in the usual manner. Instead of writing about this all myself, I figured I would direct you to someone who wrote about it much better than I ever could.

The other side of revolution

Revolutions are messy.  By definition it’s a massive upheaval in system.  When we talk about revolutions we often just focus on the “up” side of the change – those people that “won” the confrontation.  But there is always another side of the conversation that we have to understand as well. Somebody always comes out of a revolution as a loser.  By the end of the French Revolution Louis XVI had lost his power than his life.  When the American Revolution was all over the British had lost their control of the new colonies.  Even the Jesus Revolution left the Jewish leadership reeling because he made a way to God free to rules, rituals and regulations that they administered and controlled.

So in this revolution that we in at Connexus – who loses?  What is going to have to be subtracted from the equation of our lives to add an ability to care for the poor and marginalized?  I know in my life the “loser” is my own desires.  The life that Jesus calls me to is one that is oriented around the needs of others.  It’s about putting aside my wants and looking for what the needs of others are that I can meet.  I know in church world we can make that sound “easy” sometimes.  Like this transaction is simple to do.  It’s not – it’s hard.  (Well – at least it’s hard for me – maybe it’s easy for everyone else!)  But I take comfort in the fact that Jesus seems to be describing a faith that is active, uphill and even “work” at times in the following passages.

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 16:24-5)

Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. (Mark 1:17)

Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead. (Matt. 8:22)

If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. (John 8:31)

The amazing thing about putting my own needs to the side and looking to the needs of others is that in the middle of all that is a peace and fulfillment that is way deeper than the self driven life that comes so easy.  So for me . . . to serve the poor and marginalized in my world it’s about not having the most recent technological thing-a-ma-bob.  It’s about finding time in my schedule to spend time serving the poor when I could just be hanging out with my family.  It’s about continuing to find ways to detach from the material stuff I could have an connect with Jesus’ call on my life. What about you?  What “loses” in this revolution in your life?  What are you having to give up at this season to make room for the poor in our community?

Rich Birch
rich.birch@connexuscommunity.com

Coming this June…..

So there are alot of great things happening in my life right now. Overall, I am not sure I have ever been happier.

But there is one thing that is trumping all the others. Bekah and I are expecting our first baby in June! If you know me at all, you know that I love kids! I am so excited for Baby Biggs to enter our house. It is almost surreal most of the time when thinking about the fact there is going to be a new baby in our home. To be honest, the next six months cannot pass fast enough.

I am already a proud dad with pictures to show…

This is 7 weeks….

this is 11 weeks..

Bekah is 13 weeks right now.

She is pretty convinced we are having a girl. I am convinced we are having a boy.

what do you think? Comment below.