A Little Tired After 3 Years

In case you haven't noticed, I took a little break from blogging recently. It wasn't a planned break, but a break nonetheless. This month, I celebrate the THIRD Anniversary of thechiefend.com, and I must say, it has been great. Recently, I went back through some old blogs and decided that I am ready to blog again. Hopefully, I won't hit a wall 2 weeks back in and give it all up again. We'll see how it goes.

So, check back often or click on follow, and join me for a renewal of this crazy ride! You and I have a lot of catching up to do.

Going to 3

On August 16, we will begin a third morning worship service at Immanuel. I'm excited about the fact that we are growing, and now have even more potential for growth. The Immanuel Choir will be singing at both the 8am and 9:15am services. Be a part of the excitement as we grow to 3 services beginning August 16.

Jesus and Mickey

Every night, we have the honor, and task, of putting our 3 lovely children to bed. Each night presents a varying degree of difficulty. However, there are usually laughs to be had and memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. Last night was such a night.

As I was holding our 3 year old, Ella, she began to fuss about going to bed. She said "I don't want to be by myself in my room. I'm scared." My response was "baby, you won't be by yourself. Jesus is watching over you." She immediately said "No, He isn't." "Yes, Ella," I said. "He is." "No, He isn't," she answered. "Jesus went home." " He did? Where is that?" I asked. "Disneyland," she said with a smile. "He lives in Cind-ella's castle."

If you could ask......

Who is your hero? Please don't be the spiritual one and say "Jesus". I know he is our hero. Instead, I'm talking about someone who has impacted you the most in ministry, your current job, in life. Who is that one person that you look to for advice? Who is it that you pattern your career after? Who do you try to emulate when you are making an important decision?

Now that you have that person in mind, if you could sit down in a roundtable discussion with them and ask them any question, what would it be? I'll tell you why I'm asking in a later post.

TWITTER

If you have not gotten into the phenomenon known as TWITTER, then congratulations. However, as addictive as it can be, it is a great tool and resource. You can follow your heroes and mentors, getting valuable advice from them personally on a regular basis. You can post things about yourself and share ideas with those who follow you. And now, you can even follow your church, getting up the minute ministry announcements, prayer requests, and behind the scenes quirky little details.

You can follow me personally by clicking RIGHT HERE .

You can also follow Immanuel Baptist Church (where I serve as Worship Pastor) by clicking RIGHT HERE .

Don't miss another detail. Sign up for twitter today and start following. See you online!

New Baby on Board

Jody had her first appointment with her new doctor last week. With each of our previous children, our insurance has only paid for 1 sonogram. We found out that we are getting three with this one. The first of which was on our very first appointment. So, we had the thrill of seeing our baby at less than 10 weeks.

It was amazing. He/she is already moving his/her little arms and legs (stubs). The heart is beating strong and healthy, and everything seems to be on pace for a January 20ish delivery. So, any predictions? Boy or girl?

Longshot, the Movie

As I've told you before, my dad recently produced and acted in a movie with David Carridine. It is a western about a group of outlaws that are targeting the bank in various towns. One town, in an effort to protect their people and their bank from being hit by these outlaws, comes up with a strategy. They decide to hire a former "longshot" to pick-off the would be assailants with his great shooting ability. David Carridine plays a U.S. Marshall. My dad plays the role of Mr. Tether; a banker who is the key person in securing the "hired hand's" services.

The premiere was a lot of fun. I loved being able to be there to experience it with my family. My nephews, my uncle, my brother and his wife, myself and my parents, all enjoyed it together. It was a night that I don't think my dad will soon forget. The movie will go straight to dvd in the US, and to theaters in a few foreign markets.

A Brief Blogging Break

Wow! That was the longest break from blogging I think I have taken in the nearly 3 years of "The Chief End". I actually spent much of that time on a mission trip to Hawaii with our Student Worship Choir. We were blogging and posting videos at another site. So, I wasn't totally away from blogging. You can check out the videos at THIS SITE . You can also purchase a DVD of the Homecoming Concert and Daily Videos by emailing spaul@ibchighland.org. Give us your name,address and phone number. DVDs are $20, and really tell well the story of what God did during our time there. We saw 4 kids pray to receive Christ, and our lives were impacted as well.

Lots to catch up on. So, make sure you check back daily. I will give you some updates about the new little baby we have on the way in the upcoming days. Also, a little news about my dad's movie premiere with the late David Carridine.

Gettin' Smoggy With It

I told you about my crazy DMV experience the other day. Well, when my number was finally called, I learned that I now need a smog test. So, this morning I showed up @ 8am for the test. The guy didn't come in until 8:45 because he got "held up" in Fontana. What does that mean? Were you robbed? Was it traffic? Was it a late night? Why were you "held up"?

I digress...so, he then tells me he has to wait for a delivery before he can do the test. So, I'm sitting @ Starbucks enjoying a Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato. I could have gone to another shop, but by that time, I would have been behind so many other cars that it wouldn't have made a difference.

But, it's gonna be a good day! Even in the midst of a stressful situation, our response reveals our character. Stay positive!

FOLLOW IBC

Get updates and the latest, hottest news from Immanuel at followibc on Twitter. If you are not currently a twitterer, what is wrong with you? Go to followibc and start getting updates from Immanuel. It's that simple!

Hawaii Bound

I leave on Friday (at 4am) for Honolulu, Hawaii! I am taking our High School Worship Choir on tour for a week. We are partnering with Kalihi Baptist Church in an effort to reach the families of two housing projects for the Kingdom. We will do a total of 5 concerts, and 2 separate Backyard Bible Clubs for 4 days at each. It will be a busy week, but we've worked in plenty of touring, too. I can't wait!

Life @ the DMV

Things I've seen today @ the dmv:

1) A lady wiping off the eye exam test before using it. And I thought I was bad.
2) A lady made the examiner wait while she brushed her hair before having her picture taken.
3) A baby that souns like a goose.
4) A man with a tatoo on his calf of the rebel flag and a "white power" banner. Are we in Cali or Bama?
5) An old man who tripped twice, was disoriented, and looked like he had been resuscitated in a back room. His license was renewed. Look out.
6) A woman wearing tights with a t-shirt. That's all. It looked like two polar bears were in there fighting to get out.
7) A man came out of the testing room to tell his wife he had "dominated that thing". The next time he emereged from the room he proclaimed that the guy grading the test didn't know what he was doing. He failed. I laughed.

Random Happenings and Thoughts...

1) Ella (our 3 yr old) asked me this morning if she could be our new baby's mama when it gets here.
2) The group "Voices Won" just recorded a song I wrote called "He Came To Me". It is set for release sometime this summer. I'll let you know when. This group is nominated for New Group of the Year in Southern Gospel Music. (They'd better win!)
3) David Carradine died today. My dad was in the last film he made. Maybe that will catapult my dad into stardom. Maybe not.
4) Our Worship Band will be doing "Give Me Your Eyes" later this month in the Cont. Worship Service. Great tune!
5) We had crazy lightening in Cali yesterday. It struck the mountain near the church and started a fire. Random.
6) The Immanuel Choir is opening our Patriotic Celebration in July with a Neil Diamond song.
7) Downloaded Travis Cottrell's new project "Jesus Saves (Live)" today. It is great. Go get it on itunes!
8) Great stuff coming our way, Immanuel. God really challenged us at Staff Retreat and we are ready to implement the vision. Get ready...and get on board!
9) I wonder what I should do for lunch today. Hmmmmm......
10) My office looks like two mail trucks had a wreck on my desk. Disastrous!

Major Announcement

So, I told you I would make a major announcement this week. Coming January 27,we will have a new Bumgardner baby!

Staff Retreat '09

The Immanuel Ministerial staff is in Palm Springs this week for our annual staff meeting. Before you get any ideas, know that we are working like crazy. It's gonna be a good week. I love planning, strategizing, and finding the most effective ways to build and grow our church by reaching as many people as possible for the Kingdom. And, yes, I put all of that into one sentence on purpose.

We are already talking about how to make the biggest impact by streamlining what we do as a church. I'll give you more info later. Just know that the future of Immanuel is looking bright!

Stay tuned this week for some great info. Also, I'll be making a HUGE announcement right here between now and Wednesday. But, you have to check back to know what that is!