We’re back, but not for long. Thanks to a crazy east coast trip, this 52 Zoos in 52 Weeks tour is close to completion! I’ll have pics soon, but I’m currently moving my Aperture library over to a larger hard drive just to hold them all! I think we had maybe 25,000+ pics in the library since 2002, but these zoo trips are adding to the total quickly. We usually average maybe 200 pics per zoo.

I’ll keep it short. A future post is coming on how and why families should start connecting, getting out of the house, or at least spend more time together. God’s been amazing at showing us ways to do that. It’s amazing to connect with families that are willing to open their homes and begin new friendships. If you’re ever near Ohio, we want to be that family. We’ve all met new friends we’re looking forward to seeing again.

Thanks to their help, we were able to go to zoos in Buffalo, Bronx and Central Park in New York – Philadelphia, PA – Washington D.C. – Baltimore, MD. If that weren’t enough, our girls were up to the task of also stopping to see Niagara Falls while in Buffalo, the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and a long walk around Washington D.C. to see the White House and Lincoln and Washington Monuments. We also took some time to stop by the Great Falls just outside of town in Virginia.

We saw God’s hand through it all, and look forward to sharing even more details in Marla’s new book. Thanks to our girls, our new friends, those that support us (ad space is still available here), and the God that created all we’ve seen and provided a way to see it!

On Saturday night I spent 4+ hours in a bar with God. My buddy Duey and I were at a concert in a church last week, and saw The Jared Mahone Band play before Sanctus Real. We had never heard of them before, and were pretty blown away by the quality of the local, up-and-coming band. So much so that we followed them, and God, into a bar Saturday night for another show. If you haven’t seen these guys live yet, be sure to check out their site and make it out to a show. I guarantee you’ll be impressed. Someone needs to sign these guys up and get this goodness on the road.

Back to the title of today’s blog. God living and breathing in a bar is probably a statement some would shoot down without even checking it out first. A few years back I had my first opportunity to hang out in a bar and witnessed God living there through another band as well. They weren’t quite as good as this band, but they brought God with them too. I’m not saying that God needs to be escorted around like a dog on a leash……it’s true, He is omnipresent. So what is it about this that just doesn’t make sense to people, if that’s the truth?

I’m a firm believer in both Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19. Some people decide to put walls up around these, suggesting that they might be true but shouldn’t be taken literally. That’s where we come in, and that is where you see the Holy Spirit move. When people like Jared take their talents outside of the four walls of a comfortable church facility. God’s just hanging out in the bar, waiting for Jared to arrive. When Jared arrived Saturday night, carrying his amp and guitar, God opened the door for Him. He arranged the concert itself and is never late. It was a blast glorifying God until 2:30 am, getting a few hours of sleep, then heading back out the door to meet God again at church later in the morning. I was a bit tired, but I found out that God must not get much sleep either.

PRAYING for God’s blessing on the Jared Mahone Band. PRAISING God for the talent He has given them, and thrilled to see them always include Him in their shows.

Last night Rhett and Link (internetainers – see their site here and watch live on the web every Thursday at 9pm EST) were in Ohio for a live concert, so I drove two hours to enjoy the show! They drew a crowd of around 60 and really put on a good show. Thanks to Steve and Brian for hosting these guys and all of us! They won one of R&L’s contests and the prize was a free concert at your home base. R&L were pretty glad the winners didn’t live too far across the globe from North Carolina. You can see a few more photos I shot of the evening over here. If you want to check it out, you can listen to an interview I did with the guys back in April of 2008 on the God’s Mac Podcast here.

It really is pretty amazing that these guys were headed into a career in engineering, but are now full time with their talents on the web. Last night showed that they’re really connected with their fan base. And the fan base is pretty diverse in age, a result of their show, music videos and songs being clean and enjoyable. You’ll definitely want to check out all of their media that is available on their site, and watch for the new stuff that shows up frequently. You’re guaranteed to laugh, and I’m guessing you’ll even enjoy their Thursday live shows just as much. Thanks to R&L for making the flight up here, and for the enjoyable Thursday evening!

PRAYING that God provides great opportunities for R&L in the future. PRAISING God for allowing us all to use our unique talents!

First off, you have my apology for missing last Sunday’s Selebrity post! No excuses. Now let’s get up to speed and talk about J.R. Mahon aka “Hollywood Pastor”.

J.R. is one of a kind. You won’t find another pastor like him. Definitely check out his new blog at HollywoodPastor.com! I had the privilege of interviewing J.R. a few years ago on the fourth episode of our podcast on GodsMac.com. You might be familiar with XXXChurch, which was a ministry that he had great impact with. He wrote the Porn Manual and got out of the pew and realized that those in the adult film industry need Jesus just as much as you and I do. He and the ministry, while accountable to others and being sent by God, have taken that need seriously. And they’ve actually done something about it (with the help of the Lord).

He is also the co-author of the book Starving Jesus. The book was part of a nation-wide tour that he was a part of. The message was focused on challenging churches to get out of the pews and take the command God has given us seriously. Too often we sit back, watch others serve us, and starve Jesus as a result. I’m very thankful for individuals like J.R., who hold their faith as priority number one and don’t just “do ministry”. Have fun getting to know him a bit, and pray for him as he and his family will soon move from here in Ohio to the west coast!

PRAYING for the Lord’s guidance and provision as J.R. and his family go through this transition. PRAISING God for using XXXChurch to reach the adult film industry through Craig, J.R. and others.

The last 48 hours I’ve been a bit behind on my own blog while focusing on my friend Kary Oberbrunner’s new site. Kary is an author, pastor, and considers himself a “recovering pharisee”. It says a lot to me when someone acknowledges their past, but also that they strive for today. It’s always fun to hang out with Kary, and we both knew this day had been coming for a while now. His previous site was ready to be something of the past, and we could kill two birds by combining his site with his blog. So off I dove into the 5th blog design in 3 weeks!

If you haven’t had the chance to hear from Kary before, you’ll definitely want to check out the site and also grab one of his books while you’re there. His message is very clear and I’ve enjoyed hanging out with Kary enough to know that it’s not just words on a page with him. We spent some time together at Grace College, but I’m glad God allowed us to intersect here in Ohio years later.

A few individuals keep asking how much I charge for websites and blogs. If you’re interested, please contact me through my website or give me a call (number is listed there). Best of luck to Kary with the new site! I’ll be reading and waiting to see how God uses it.

PRAYING for a family member that recently lost their job. PRAISING God for the ability to help Kary better spread the message God’s given him.