stuff i think

I saw yesterday that the guy who bid $11 million for one of Eminem's childhood homes on eBay wasn't going to pay up...said "the bank wouldn't loan me that much money." Well, duh. Now another one of Eminem's homes is on the block - bidding has reached $500,100. May I suggest an FHA loan? That way, you know they'll have to freshen up the paint.

Doing a preview for Alpha tonight...giving people a taste of what it's like w/o asking them to commit to the full ten weeks. Pretty excited about it - it's such a great way to get people digging deeper and asking questions. Also spin off a lot of small groups from it. One recent Alpha participant wrote the team:

I came in to the class expecting to learn more nuts and bolts of the Christian faith and wanted to take the opportunity to ask all of the "why" questions that I had. I think I became the "why guy" of our group. I ended up with so much more than that, and through the course, the people in my group and the opportunity to spend more time at the Vineyard I was lead to a deeper, more personal relationship with God, Jesus and an experience with the Holy Spirit that affirmed my faith and a true belief that this magnificent journey that I have been taking the last nine months is indeed real.

Through the encouragement of the course I have begun reading the Bible and spending prayer time on a daily basis. Instead of hitting the snooze three or four times and rushing to work, I now get up and spend time in prayer and Bible study. I still rush to get to work on time, but I feel much better as to why I am rushing than I did before.

If you're a planter looking to gather folks - especially the unchurched - I'd suggest Alpha in your home, with your neighbors. Our spring session starts in January...can't wait.