What an Incredible Christmas (1)

Before continuing, I must make a confession: I wasn't really looking forward to Christmas about three weeks ago. I'm not sure why, but I just wasn't in the Christmas mood. With that said, this turned-out to be the greatest Christmas that I can remember. Why? Because we got to tell everyone that Michelle is pregnant!!!

I actually found-out on my birthday (best birthday gift ever), but we wanted to wait until Christmas to tell our families. Michelle and I both struggled with keeping our mouths shut for two weeks, but it was worth it. The news was not only a great gift for our families, but their reactions were the best gifts that could have received. We actually made a video to tell part of my family because we weren't going to see them at Christmas. I'll attach it to the end of the post for all to enjoy.

I must admit that the more people call me "daddy" the more freaked-out I get. Don't get me wrong, I am super excited. This has been something that we have been praying about for a long time, and God had to get us in the right place for this to happen. I just can't comprehend having a child to care for and love. It's still a little weird to think that I am going to be a parent!

I could go on forever with this post, but will end with this: God is good!


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Merry Christmas (0)

Yes, I'm one of those people. You know who we are. The man in your office with some off-the-wall sports stat. The lady at church who knows the back story of every song in the hymnal (btw...not all songs in hymnals are hymns, and all hymns have stanzas not verses). Dang it! I'm doing it now. As my wife puts it, I am one of those people with a wealth of useless knowledge. It's true. I know just enough to be dangerous. With this in mind I wanted to throw-out a few Christmas tidbits for you. I'll include all explanations and answers.

1. Jesus was not born in a manger.
That's right. Scripture says that Mary laid Him in a manger. I doubt that Mary climbed-up in a feeding trough and went into labor.

2. We don't know how many wise men visited Jesus.
"We Three Kings of Orient Are" is the worst Christmas song ever (unless you use the alternate lyrics). Not only were the guys not kings (they were astrologers), but we don't know how many of them there were. We assume that there were three because Scripture tells us that they brought three gifts. Michelle and I will take 7-8 gifts to my parent's house on Christmas eve, but it will only be the two of us bringing them. Maybe we should find 5 other people to bring.

3. The "Heavenly Host" was an angel army.
No choir. No organ. No praise band. Just a bunch of soldiers going nuts about Jesus! Luke 2:13 says that these guys were praising God and saying...not singing. A host is a military term. Wrap your head around this: what kind of battle was taking place that God sent an angel army to kick some tail (in Jesus name). Get you some, Satan!

4. We don't know if Mary rode a donkey.
All we know is that she made the journey to Bethlehem. I would like to think that she rode something if she was nine months pregnant. I can hear Joseph now, "Babe, I know you're about to pop, but I'm tired too. Besides, you're carrying God's kid, so I'm sure He'll let you make on foot." I'm sure he was more of gentlemen that.


I'll leave it at that. I've got a ton more of these things, but I'm sure that you have better things to do. I doubt that I'll post again before Christmas, so I pray that you have a tremendous time celebrating the birth of Christ with your family and friends. Merry Christmas! Labels:

Ask and You Shall Receive (2)

Today's post will delve into a topic that has been the talk of the MLBC youth group for a little over a year. While not proud that my name is attached to this story, I am happy to say that I can talk about it with a smile. As promised in yesterday's post, I will recount the story of me hitting the guy on the bicycle with the church van.

As I said yesterday, I was working as a summer intern with Sammy Clary at Calvary Baptist Church in Williamston, SC. This happened to be my home church, so I was familiar with all of the youth and children that we were working with. During the first week of the summer, we held a Children's Day Camp. I think that we had around 30 kids participating, and we had a blast. This was actually when Sammy and I discovered the secret to turning someone into a "biscuit." It consists of...this is totally off the subject. Maybe I'll write about this in a practical joke post. Anyway, at the end of the week, we were taking the kids to the now defunct Tropical Island in Taylors. We loaded-up two vans full of kids and workers (actually, we had so many kids the workers rode together in another car), and headed off to a day of fun.

After a day of putt-putt, go karts, and video games, we rounded-up the kids to head home. Now, the quickest route from Taylors to Williamston requires you to go down hwy. 29, and through downtown Greenville. Its the downtown Greenville part where the action happens.

Let me set the stage: two 15 passenger vans, 30 kids, Sammy in front with me following. While on Church St., near the old Ramada Inn, we saw a guy on a bicycle start crossing the northbound lanes. He stopped in the median while Sammy's van passed, but that was as long as he waited. Without hesitation, the dude pulled-out in front of me. I locked-down the brakes, and cut my wheels as hard to the right as I could (This is the first miracle. I was able to cross three lanes without any other vehicles around. This is unheard of for downtown in the middle of the day.), but I could not avoid the man. He proceeded to run into the side of the van, his head bouncing off one of the windows and making a streak on it from his helmet. As I screeched to a stop (2nd miracle. I slid that van around 45 feet. The police officer said that he had never seen a van slide that far without rolling over), I watched in my rear view mirror as the man bounced in the road like an empty Coke bottle (you litterers know what I'm talking about).

Upon stopping, I ran to the man as fast as possible. I'll be h0nest; I don't remember much of what happened next. I do remember the man trying to get up, and me stopping him. I also remember him telling the emergency workers that he wanted to go to St. Francis Hospital because he was a radiologist there! That's right. I hit a doctor on a $2000 racing bike.

We eventually made it home, and checked on the man. He wound-up with a broken pelvis, broken collar bone, and some cracked ribs; however, he recovered fully. I was found to be at no fault, and was somewhat commended by the police officer for not killing the guy.

I really can't believe that its been 8 years since this happened. I can still see that guy bouncing in the road. If anyone is reading this, and remembers any other details, please email me, brian@mlbcgreer.com, and I'll post it later. Labels:

Weekend Reflections (0)

The weekend that was...

-I got to spend a couple hours on Friday with Sammy Clary. I worked with Sammy as a youth intern in '99. There were some wild stories from that summer, including me hitting a guy on bicycle with the church van (I promise to post on this tommorrow)! Anyway, Sammy is now the pastor of Stone Bridge Church which meets at Wren High School. The church is going well, and it was great to hang-out with on old friend.

-Saturday was jammed, but was awesome. Why? It was Michelle and my 6th anniversary! I love my wife more than I can even begin to describe. God has given me the perfect "minister's wife," right down to the practical jokes (the birthday, office decorating fiasco was her idea).

-Before continuing, I want to say this: working outside in 40* weather, while it is raining is not fun. Dang, I do alot for our dog.

-Ok. Back to our anniversary. We went out for supper at The Open Hearth in Greenville. This was our first trip, and it did not disappoint. Michelle had somekind of grilled chicken, and I had swordfish...really good. Two things topped-off the meal: 1) the spinning contraption that held the butter, sour cream, bacon, and cheese for our baked potatos (I had a blast with that thing) and 2) the free strawberry shortcake at the end of the meal!

-Sunday was great. The morning service was awesome. Mark continued his series dealing with imperfections at Christmas. The message dealt with being past your prime (Simeon and Anna). God really spoke to me about "pressing toward the mark" that God has set before me. As long as there is breath in our lungs, we should realize that God has a plan for our lives.

-Sunday night was the Christmas presentation by the choir. Ted did a great job putting this thing together, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Congratulations Ted on a job well done.

-The weekend ended with a trip to Applebee's with Nathan and Alex Redding, Jordan Plumblee, and Drew Burgess. I still think that Burgess is in shock (sorry, inside joke).


That's about it. Gotta get some work done. Labels:

Time to Vent (0)

Before saying anything else, I must make a confession. I used to have a problem speaking my mind. Those of you who have known me for a while are thinking, "I've never known him to shy away saying what he thinks." You're exactly right, and that was the problem; however, God has shown me over the last couple of years that it is better to think before I speak. Recently, I've been thinking about something a lot, so I'm about to go off.

Last week, Michelle and I saw a local news station report that there is still a "raging" debate over the phrases "Christmas tree" and "holiday tree." We listened to a woman make this earth-shattering argument: "This is a free country, and people should be able to celebrate what they want; so, I think we should call it a holiday tree." Wow. Just wow. This may be the dumbest argument in the history of mankind. Not only does it not really support her belief, but it actually helps mine!

If people want to celebrate Christmas, then have at it. If they want to celebrate something else, be my guest. Those not celebrating Christmas aren't going to have a tree in their homes anyway, so why change the name? I don't want the name of a symbol of another belief system changed just because I don't celebrate that holiday. If you ask me, all of this is just stupid.

As Christians, we go crazy over this debate. We also throw-in the whole "Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays" thing. I've got an idea: let's raise our voices about abortion, same sex marriage, hate crime legislation that targets the church, and any number of political or social objectives that contradict God's word! If someone at Wal-Mart says "happy holidays," respond to them with "Merry Christmas." If someone calls it a "holiday tree, " call it a "Christmas Tree." If someone says that a mother taking the life of her unborn child is "her choice," but then charges a dead-beat for murder when he strikes his pregnant wife and the unborn child dies, call it what it is...hipocracy!

It would be easy for me to say that we should choose our battles wisely, but this is cop-out in my opinion. I say we follow Jesus' example, and live our convictions and beliefs. Don't speak-up becuase its the thing to do. Speak-up because its what you live on a daily basis. Jesus could make a point by flipping tables in the temple because He lived and breathed God's Word on a daily basis, not because it was His "conviction of the month."

So why is this debate over tree names aggravate me so much? Because I got caught-up in it like everyone else. Thanks God for helping me see the bigger picture. Labels:

29 going on 30 (0)

I must say that yesterday was incredible! It began with a birthday surprise in the form of a prank. Michelle and two of our youth group leaders, Ashley and Stacy decorated my office on Tuesday night. The damage wasn't severe, but the impact was. I loved it! There were balloons everywhere, streamers hanging from the door and ceiling, and a "pin the tail on the donkey" game hanging on the wall (no, I didn't play this with the rest of the staff). Thanks ladies, you got me good.

I was overwhelmed as I received phone calls, email, text messages, and Facebook messages throughout the day. I know that I've said this before, but I am the most blessed individual on earth! I want everyone to know how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness. You guys really helped #29 be an awesome day.

One more thing. My brother, Michael, dedicated a blog post to me yesterday. You can find it here, http://www.michaelrhodes.vox.com. I'm not giving him props because of me, but he really has some great insights, so go check it out. Labels:

An Open Letter to Everyone Involved With Church Basketball (0)

I am writing this letter for one reason and one reason only: accountability. Over the years, I have participated in church leagues in many roles. I have been player, coach, fan, and official. For the longest time, I allowed my competitive nature to take control of my attitude and actions. While I don't see anything wrong with being competive, I do see a problem with Christians displaying an attitude that does not line-up with what we preach.

It is with this in mind that I issue a challenge to all who associated with church basketball: keep each other accountable for our actions. As players, we need to understand that we are not NBA players. We will miss shots (I miss more than I make), make bad passes, and fail to see the open man. We will be fouled (I apologize for taking my frustration out on #10 from Victor Baptist...that was way to hard of a foul Monday night), we will be called for a foul that we didn't commit (because no one ever fouls anyone else), and we will lose a game or ten. As fans, we need to understand that we don't pay to watch these games. We have nothing more invested than our time, so what's the point in chewing-out an official or degrading a player. Support those who you came to watch. As Christians, we should be reminded of James 1:19. Let's be "quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." We must remember that we represent Christ to a lost world, and that world extends to the basketball court.

I leave you with this request: keep me accountable. I have come to the place thatI realize that I will not have a better life by winning a basketball game, making every shot, or yelling louder than the person beside me. While this is the norm, my competitive nature still takes over from time to time, and I feel that I get a little out of line. I apologize to anyone who has been offended, or God forbid, not drawn closer to Him because of my actions. I am #32 for MLBC, and I ask that you tell me when I step out of line. Help me hold myself to a higher standard...a Christ-like standard. Labels:

Q & A (0)

Over the last few days I've had a few questions posed to me concerning different subjects, so I thought that I would spend some time answering them in a public forum (now that's standing by your response).

1. What has happened to the WASIMACHO Worship videos?
Over the last few weeks, we have had some technical issues with our videos. Techinically, I was the issue. I made some dumb mistakes while editing the videos for the last three weeks of RESET; as a result, the videos were rendered useless. I am in the process of making transcripts for each of those weeks, so if you would like to read what went on send me an email, brian@mlbcgreer.com . The first week of WRAPPED should be up by Wednesday of this week.

2. Why do Christmas plays have an innkeeper in them if the Bible never mentions him?
Great question. Here's an even better response: show up Wednesday at 7pm and you'll find-out! Just kidding. While we will be talking about this subject at WASIMACHO this week, I will give you my take on the mythical innkeeper. Us church-folks figure that ifthere was no room in the inn, there had to be someone there to tell Mary and Joseph that they could stay in the stable; therefore, we make him a supporting actor in all Christmas plays.

3. Why are you using Christmas songs as your status on Facebook?
Let me start with a Facebook tutorial for all of you who are not into pop culture. Facebook is an online community where one can interact with other people through messages, pictures, videos, etc. On your personal page, you have the option of adding a status that tells everyone what is going on in your life at that particular time. Recently, I have taken to using song lyrics as my status, and since it is Christmas, I have been using Christmas songs. Why? I don't know. Chalk it up to being a little skewed. Go here, http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=510369805 , to see what I mean.

4. What are you doing for your birthday?
Yes, my birthday is this week. Wednesday to be exact. I will be spending the day polishing-up my talk on availability for WRAPPED, attending a staff meeting, eating lunch at Peggy's #2 (trust me, you'll hear about Peggy's later), shuffling through shoppers to pick-up a really cool gift to give away to one lucky student at worship, and spending my evening with my favorite people in the Blue Ridge area; the students and leaders at MLBC!


If anyone else has a question for me to address, please send me an email at brian@mlbcgreer.com Labels:

Good Times With Friends (0)

Last night, Michelle and I attended a surprise party for two of our friends, Jonathan and Joel Lopez (brothers). Jonathan turned 30 on Wednesday, and Joel graduated from NGU on Thursday with a Masters of Christian Ministry. It was a great to be able to hang-out with these guys, their wives and families. We were also joined by Phillip Jewel who lived with us at NGC (I know what I typed). After the majority of people had come and gone, I joined Joel and Phillip (who are also youth ministers) in a discussion of "church." I must admit, it was great to sit down with these guys and discuss what God's doing in our lives. More importantly it was great to talk about the struggles that we have on a day to day basis in our places of ministry.

Don't get me wrong, we are all excited about where God has put us, but don't think that ministers don't struggle with the church thing. We hurt. We cry. We complain. We wish. We dream. We aren't perfect, and for one night, it was nice to share these feelings with these guys. I can't just walk up to Joe Churchmember and start going-off on something that's bothering me, but these guys understand. It was uplifting to talk with other ministers who struggle with the same things that I do. God really used this time to build me up, and I hope that it did the same for Joel and Phillip.

Thanks guys for a great night!


Again, I am estatic about serving God at MLBC. This post in no way meant to show any displeasure, only the satisfaction that came from discussing ministry with these guys. Labels:

I'm a Slacker (0)

I have no excuse for not posting over the last few days, but I'll fill you in on what's been happening.

-Michelle and I went to the Third Day/Jars of Clay Christmas concert in G'ville on Saturday. We had a great time. This was my birthday present from Michelle. BTW...my b'day is 12/12 (hint, hint).

-We had a great service Sunday morning. Mark's Christmas series is going to be awesome. He's preaching on Christmas for real people. His message Sunday focused on how to celebrate Christmas with a screwed-up marriage (that's my wording, not his).

-Sunday afternoon was the memorial service for Coach David Farnham. The entire service was a celebration of a man who served God with everything he had. God is still speaking to me about having an impact on lives like Coach Farnham did.

-Monday night was our third church league bball game. I am happy to say that we picked-up our first win this week! It was a lot of fun with the exception of the swollen/stiff knee that I have this morning (I banged knees with a rather hefty man...it hurt).

-I've spent the morning cleaning-up my talk for Wednesday night. WRAPPED is going to be really cool. I'm especially excited about this week. We're going to have a surprise guest (by video). The only info that I'll give you about him is this: he is the most wired individual I know.

I guess that's about it. I promise to get back to a regular blogging schedule this week. Labels: