:: eric michael bryant ::

During our recent road trip in Texas, we purchased Queen’s Greatest Hits.

The kids already know a couple of the songs from going to Dodgers games or even playing little league baseball or just being a sports fan in general. They are now officially Caleb’s favorite band. He always asks for us to “put on The Queen!” I even heard him attempting to play “We Will Rock You” and “Another One Bites the Dust” on his little drum set.

One of my new favorite activities is to play the song “Bicycle Race” in the car on the freeway while pretending to run really fast like Jim Carey did in Dumb and Dumber (”It feels like I am running at a really high rate of speed!”)

If you don’t know this song, listen to the sample at Amazon.com and try it! Debbie and the other drivers around me hate it when I do it, but the kids and I cannot stop laughing!

My favorite line from any of their songs which is sang which such hilarious, ironic hyperbole comes from “We Are the Champions (of the World).”

Freddie Mercury sings: “I consider it a challenge before the whole human race that I never lose!”

I love how grandiose and melodramatic these guys were! Even in the midst of their bragging, you cannot help but like them!

May we all have such confidence yet make people smile in the process!

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I called a new friend the other day, a church planter in SoCal named Richard.  I didn’t get him, so I ended up listening to his outgoing message on his voicemail.  He ended it with such a profound statement:  “Make it a great day!”

How often do we allow ourselves to fall victim to the circumstances around us or even the mood of others?  It is up to us, no matter what might be happening around us or even to us, to decide to make this a great day.

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 A PFP moment from Jessica Joy at Origins in NYC:
“I live in NYC in Washington Heights, a dominant Dominican neighborhood. We decided one way we could serve our neighbors is getting together (our lifegroup) to bake goodies and stuff them in Christmas goodie bags to deliver to each of our buildings. While we were baking the goods, we prayed over our buildings and the relational work God would be doing in the upcoming year to restore some of the cultural negative-stereotyping that goes on.

Delivering the goodies was nerve racking, especially since most of my neighbors don’t speak English. Amazingly, God blessed the opportunity so much! Little by little, relational trust is occurring, and I attribute most of it to that first opportunity at Christmas time. Praise God for breaking down the barriers that seem too much like obstacles that aren’t worth the effort. I’m still praying God would use us in our neighborhood, strategically!”

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I discovered a sad fact: the porn industry has had an increase in revenue as a result of the government’s stimulus checks.

Pornography is a rampant and destructive problem with all sorts of hoffiric implications such as breaking up relationships, destroying trustworthiness, fostering abuse towards women, and even contributing towards human trafficking among other things.

Through some of our support groups and small groups at Mosaic, we have seen some remarkable transformations for guys struggling with addiction. This past week, Kim McManus shared a powerful message (listen here) on the subject and brought up a couple who shared their story.

A powerful spiritual truth Jesus shared which has been a guiding force in my life has been: “The pure in heart will see God.”

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I heard this horrible statistic yesterday: half of gun deaths are suicides. This is especially telling in light of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court that we have the right to bear arms.

As we near the celebration of our freedom we have in this country, I cannot help but remember the passage from the Scriptures which reads:

“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows” (Galatians 5:13).

People deserve freedom, yet have you noticed how often we blow it?! The answer isn’t gun control. (Chris Rock thinks the answer is charging people $500 per bullet. That way people would be less likely to pull the trigger!)

The answer according to Jesus is finding hope by bringing others hope. Jesus said that we find our lives when we lose our lives in serving others. Healing comes through serving.

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By Erwin McManus

“Somewhere in our past, many of us gave up on our dreams and lost touch with this essential part of our being. Sometimes our capacity to dream of a different us, of a different life, is beaten up and left broken by people and pain and disappointment. Sometimes what should be a dream inspiring us is actually a fantasy distracting us. Say, for instance, if you’re waiting to be abducted by aliens from outer space and have been giving your whole life to this dream, it’s probably safe to say this is not a life well spent.

Have you ever met someone who was pursuing the wrong dream? You know, it’s the American Idol syndrome. You are so sure of your talent and are waiting to be discovered, but even your friends don’t like to hear you sing. You might want to ask yourself, Is this a dream or just a fantasy?

For centuries now, Jesus has been a focus of every kind of research, from theology to history to philosophy. His approach to ethics left an undeniable mark on humanity. What has been significantly underappreciated is how Jesus changed the way his followers actually engaged life. He launched a movement that unleashed previously untapped potential in those who believed in him. He created an environment where his disciples began to believe the impossible and soon found they were turning dreams into reality. His became a movement of dreamers and visionaries. They were called and compelled to dream of a better world. He called them to touch the whole of humanity with his message of life and love. Theirs was a life of faith and a call to accomplish great things by serving humanity. Here, by the way, is one of the dramatic differences between Jesus and Buddha. Buddha once wrote “do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

While I agree we must not dwell in the past, and I wrote an entire book on how to live and seize the power of every moment, I have to say Buddha missed it when it comes to the future – not to mention the power of dreams. Our dreams are where the future is fueled and created. This is one of the things I love about Jesus and the Scriptures – they call us to dream and to dream with our eyes open. To live wide awake you have to begin to dream. You have to dare to dream great dreams and find the courage to live them.”

(This excerpt is taken from the book Wide Awake by Erwin Raphael McManus, soon to be released in July 2008, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

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It’s been great to receive so many positive emails and blog posts from people who have read Peppermint-Filled Pinatas. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to share.

If you’ve done something in your neighborhood or with your church that may be inspiring to others, let me know! I will post it on my blog. The author of the post at the end of July which has received the most comments will receive a free copy of Erwin McManus’ new book “Wide Awake” or the new Wide Awake DVD.

Post your “PFP moment” (as Dana Evans one of the leaders at one of the Mosaics in New Zealand has called them) on your blog or you can email me at eric@ericbryant.org with a brief one to two paragraph description of your “PFP moment.”

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The irony isn’t lost on me that the day after posting “Avoiding Being Super-Sized,” I am posting a reminder that today is World Refugee Day. As we struggle to stop eating more than we should, many struggle to even eat at all. I always think of the passage from Genesis 12:1-3 in which God blesses Abram to be a blessing to the nations and the phrase from the New Testament: “To much is given, much is required.”

According to the United Nations, by the end of 2007, there were more than 11 million refugees worldwide and 26 million internally displaced people.

Another important statistic: The world population will grow to 7 billion by 2012.

Finally, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Iraq, Kenya, Russia, Sudan and Europe have been identified as among the worst violators of refugees’ rights in a global survey.

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Erwin’s newest book, Wide Awake: The Future is Waiting Within You is coming to a store near you June 17th!

To catch a glimpse of this powerful book about making your dreams a reality, read a chapter here for free.

Check out the short films preview here!

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Beginning June 21st and 22nd at Mosaic, our next series is Practical Wisdom: Solutions for Everyday Situations.

This is your chance to ask Erwin any question about any topic you want. Questions about dating, finances, or college and career choices are just a few ideas to get you started.

To do this we must have your help. Email your written questions or make a video to be emailed to practicalwisdom@mosaic.org. For more information about video rules and regulations visit mosaic.org/practicalwisdom.

Erwin McManus will speak on Practical Wisdom at our 7pm South Bay (NEW on Saturday Nights in the Summer!), 9:30am Pasadena, 11:15am West LA, and Mayan gatherings.

For a full list of gathering locations and directions, go to www.mosaic.org or if you aren’t in the Los Angeles area, listen in on our audio podcast.

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