Interview with Pat Williams

Earlier this month I recorded an interview with Pat Williams. Pat Williams is the senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. He's also the host of a weekly radio program on WTLN 950am / WHIM 1520 AM in Orlando.

Pat had been given a copy of my book, Remember Who You Are, enjoyed it, and wanted to speak with me about it on his weekly radio program.

We recorded a 30 minute interview which will air during one of the segments of his program this Saturday, December 1st. The Pat William's show is on from 11 a.m.-noon.

Here's a link if you'd like to listen live: WTLN Live Broadcast.

btw: If you'd like to give someone a signed copy of one of my books as a Christmas present email me at arronc@ccontheweb.com with the book you'd like and the name of the recipient and I'll make sure the signed book arrives in plenty of time for Christmas.

World Aids Day 2007

More than 30 million people worldwide have died from AIDS-related causes and more than 40 million are currently infected.

8,000 people die every day because of AIDS.

Another person dies every 11 seconds.

There are more than 15 million children who have lost one or both parents because of AIDS. Most of these cases are in sub-Saharan Africa.

When Jesus saw sick people he was filled with compassion.

Matthew 14:14

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

No one is disqualified for compassion.

If we want to be like Christ then we need to let compassion well up freely within our souls when we witness those who are hurting and then--driven by compassion--we must release that compassion and do whatever we can to help them.

Saturday, December 1st is World AIDS Day 2007, so at The Well on Sunday I'm going to be delivering a message on AIDS. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but this is the first time I've spoken on AIDS, but it won't be the last.

The AIDS crisis is ravaging Africa, creating another orphan every 14 seconds.

This video will give you just a glimpse of the AIDS crisis in Africa.



This weekend please join me in . . .

• praying for those around the world who are suffering from AIDS
• praying for a cure for the HIV virus and AIDS
• raising awareness in the Church about the global AIDS crisis
• challenging our individual churches to do something . . . anything . . . to make a difference
• and in making sure that a day will come when little girls--like Flossy--will grow up to have little girls of their own.

Thankful for Our Disney Cruise

Before too much time passes I want to give you a report about the Disney Cruise we took last week.

It was amazing!!!

My family and I are so thankful to the leadership and congregation of Southside Christian Church in Orlando for sending us on a Disney Cruise. I can't find the words to express how much fun we had last week and how profoundly grateful we are for their generosity. The cruise was so much fun for so many reasons, so--in honor of Thanksgiving--let me share with you a few of the reasons why this cruise was such an incredible experience and why we're so grateful.

Here's The List (in no particular order):

• Family Time
• Eating breakfast overlooking the port at Nassau in the Bahamas last Monday morning
• Constantly thinking about how good God is to my family
• Constantly thinking about how nice it was for Southside to do this for us
• Constantly thinking about the people of Southside and how much we loved our ministry with them and how much we miss them
• Free Food
• Seeing wonder on my kids' faces during the evening shows
• Vijay and Wowie (our servers for dinner each evening)
• The glass-bottom boat ride around Nassau
• Butter-nut squash soup
• Eating several appetizers, entrees, and desserts each night for dinner
• Ashton getting to try Escargot . . . and loving it!
• Listening to my kids' laughter and the happy silly songs the trip stirred up in their souls
• Watching my youngest 3 kids swim in Mickey's ears
• Levi and Sylas going down the big slide again and again
• Sitting in the hot-tub with my youngest daughter Payton
• The way the light from the setting sun settled across Rhonda's face as we walked around the deck
• Hand sanitizer
• Free Food
• Holding hands with Rhonda as we walked the deck before dinner
• Watching a late-night showing of High-School Musical 2 with my family in deck chairs as the warm ocean breeze gently blew around us
• Mickey ice-cream bars in a bowl with sprinkles and marshmallows
• A towel folded to look like a monkey and hung over the bed in our stateroom
• Towels folded into the shape of animals and left in our stateroom every night
• Shopping in the straw market
• Riding the exercise bike in the front window of the ship as we arrived at Nassau
• Free soft-drinks
• Free Food
• Watching Ratatouille in a movie theater in the middle of the ocean
• Leaving the biggest tip of my life
• Seeing the stars . . . I mean REALLY seeing the stars
• Feeling small in the face of God's beautiful creation
• Listening to the ocean
• Taking pictures of Rhonda and Ashton on Deck 4 on the last night . . . my girls are so beautiful.
• All of the free plates of french fries we could eat
• All of the ice-cream we could eat
• Snorkeling with Ashton and Levi on Castaway Cay (and hearing Levi scream through his snorkel and thinking that he had been bitten by something only to realize that he was screaming at the sight of Mickey 10 feet below us)
• For the first time in their lives: My kids begging us to put them to bed.
• For the first time in their lives: My kids saying that they don't want anymore to eat.
• The Shows, especially the Golden Mickeys
• Watching the sunset over the ocean on our last night at sea
• Sitting at the pool with professional wrestler Mick Foley (a.k.a. Mankind)
• Pirate Night
• Payton's reaction to finally meeting Snow White
• No cell-phone and no email for 4 days
• Did I mention the free food?
• Did I say family time?

How Far is Too Far?

At The Well last night I answered the next question in our "You Asked For It!" series: "How far is too far?"

It was the first PG-13 sermon I've ever delivered (on purpose) and it was an interesting experience and the first time I've ever spoken about sexual matters in such great detail from "the pulpit."

Here were some of my main points (in a nut-shell):

• "How far is too far?" is the wrong question. I call it the "Prodigal's Question." The prodigal son wanted to get his inheritance and get as far away from his father as possible to live a wild life and squander his father's wealth in a distant land. In essence the prodigal son wanted to know, “How far can I wander from home (God) and not be lost?” The proper question is, "How much do we really love God?" If we really love God then we'll want to be close to Him--not out on the edge indulging in sin in a distant land.

That being said, I gave 2 answers to the question: "How Far is Too Far?"

1. When It Leads Us Into Sin--Matthew 5:27-30

• In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches that--when it relates to issues of sexual purity--a thought is as good as a deed and we need to do whatever we can to guard our minds and our bodies from indulgence in sexual sin.

Matthew 5:27-30
"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

2. When It Leads Us Away From God--Hebrews 10:19-25

• God's desire is to be near to us. Think about it: To God heaven is going to be having us near to Him for all eternity. He wants us to stay close to Him on this earth maintaining moral purity. Knowing this truth, the writer of Hebrews urges . . .

Hebrews 10:19-25
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

• In this passage the writer of Hebrews teaches us how to stay close to God
  1) Through Moral Purity v.22
  2) Through Strength v.23 (hold “unswervingly” to the hope)
  3) Through Accountability v.24
  4) And Through Faithfulness v. 25 (don’t give up meeting together)

Cruisin'

I'm not going to be blogging for the next week.

When I left Southside Christian Church last year they gave me and my family a Disney Cruise as a going-away present. Wow! It was an incredibly generous and thoughtful gift. We still love the people at Southside, so much, and we are grateful for this trip.

I'm sure I'll return with some stories worth sharing.

Be blessed!

Have you heard of Paul Potts? You will.

Here's a clip of Paul Potts' "unveiling" on Britain's Got Talent.

I don't want to say too much, but . . . prepare to be amazed.

Love at First Sight

In my devotions yesterday I was reading Mark 10. In a familiar passage I noticed something that I had never seen before.

It was the word "love" in verse 21.

Jesus is talking to a rich young man. There is nothing in the text to suggest that Jesus knew this man before this man came to him with a question, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

In the midst of their Q&A about eternal life, what it means to be "good", and keeping the commandments we see a glimpse into the heart of God.

It's in verse 21.

"Jesus looked at him and loved him."

Do we really love lost people? Do we look at them with apathy or love?

Do we pity them or adore them?

Do we wish they would just mind their own business and keep the residue from their filthy lives off of ours, or do we hunger for their salvation?

Do we avoid eye-contact with a lost people, or is it hard to keep your eyes off of them?

I want to see the people in this world like Jesus does.

Jesus sees lost people and loves them at first sight.