Welcome to Nolan's World

I'm Thankful For...

• an awe-inspiring God Who relentlessly pursues a relationship with me.
• the most incredible wife in the whole wide world.
• the best bud that any dad could have.
• a great family.
• a fun job.
• the best small group imaginable.
• my coffee ninja skills.
• coffee in general, especially Kenya and Christmas Blend in particular.
• the Tennessee Titans.
• the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team.
• sports radio.
• the dvr.
• books, and lots of them.
• friends.
• 24, Lost, and Top Chef.
• music--Gateway Worship in particular.
• my iPod.
• movies like The Dark Knight, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, Remember the Titans, Batman Begins, and Armageddon.
• my church.
• Memphis BBQ.
• most sweets.
• podcasts, especially the Andy Stanley Leadership and Catalyst Podcasts.
• time off with family.
• tickets to next Sunday's Browns vs. Titans game with my friend Tom
• Thanksgiving.
• The rest of the holiday season.
• New beginnings.

The Power of Choice

How did you do today?

You were faced with a myriad choices as soon as you rolled out of bed. 

Did you rise above the challenges that came your way or did you sabotage yourself with "stinking thinking"?  Did you choose to add value to others regardless of what they did to you?  Did you make people smile or suck the energy out of the room by a negative attitude?  Did you live like Jesus rose from the grave or like He is still stuck in a tomb?

The greatest difference maker we have in life is our attitude.  Those who choose to make the best of their circumstances regardless of how bad they may be are usually the winners, no matter what.

What will you choose tomorrow???

Word for the Day

Mosaic:  A deliberate re-arrangement of shattered pieces and broken fragments into a beautiful and compelling work of art.

Application--how are you allowing God to rearrange the shattered pieces of your life and broken fragments of your heart into a work of art that is truly beautiful to Him?

Writer's A.D.D.

I have had my fair share of "writer's block" in the past, but that has not been the case this week.  I have sat down at least a half-dozen times to write this week and have had many "fragmented" thoughts that have made one huge muddled mess!!!  I have hit the delete button all week rather than saving my drafts.

The inspiration and effort have been there, but the results have been lacking, in my opinion.

One of my heroes in ministry and life is John Maxwell.  His advice to writers is to write.  Profound, I know.  Unless you put the pen to paper (or in my case, the fingers to the keyboard) you really have nothing to work with. 

I have violated the key rule of writing (deleting rather than saving drafts and reworking them after creating some space) and am starting over this weekend.

I am planning to do a "journal dump" over the next couple of days and write down all of those random thoughts that I have been unsuccessfully trying to explore!  There's some stories that need to be shared and thoughts that must get out. 

When it comes to me and writing, I am normally "laser focused" and know what I want to write about well before I sit down to type.  This week has been more of a "shot gun" scattered experience that has been difficult to translate from my mind to the keyboard.

We'll see what happens and hopefully the blog will have much more to say next week than it has had this week!

The Coolest Gift

On Sunday, I received one of the coolest gifts ever!  My friend Tom (the handsome guy in the picture with me), who is also a big Titans fan, had gone to a game recently and when he was there, he bought me a powder blue #9 Steve McNair jersey.  Tom is taking me to see my first Titans game on December 7 against the Cleveland Browns and he wanted me to be able to proudly rock a little Titans blue! 
What a cool gift from a great friend!
The only gift that would be as cool would be a  powder blue 2xl number 28 Chris Johnson Titans jersey (Santa, I hope you read the blog)!
Thanks again, Tom!  I am fired up for the game!!!

Monday Morning Kickoff

• It was a great weekend...I haven't worked since Friday morning at 10:45 AM!!!
• I was able to go hang out with Zack, my atheist friend who I used to work with, on Friday...it was fun catching up with him, but it made me miss working with him...
• It was a super relaxing Saturday hanging out, eating some of Granddaddy's killer baked ziti for dinner, watching football
• The best Saturday game was the Alabama-Mississippi State game of course...Bama showed up late but brought their A game to the second half...State's defense is solid and I was impressed with their first half for sure!
• I don't know any number one team who has gotten less respect than Alabama
• 11-0 looks very good at this point!
• On the NFL front, the Titans steamrolled to a 10-0 record with a fantastic second half from Kerry Collins connecting with his receiving core.
• They may be the only number one team to get as little respect as Alabama
• Team Bobbitt's undefeated streak was snapped with weekend in fantasy football...still tied for first place, but need a win this weekend going into the playoffs after that...on a side note, if I would have played my bench instead of my starters, I would have won and beat over half of my league, so watch out next weekend!
• Still dwelling on something Alan said leading worship yesterday: "Worship God for Who He Is, not for who you want or perceive Him to be"
• Our small group did the children's ministry at church last night...it was fun seeing everyone in our group pitch in and have fun loving on kids and serving together
• Our store holiday meeting is tonight and should be lots of fun...I am leading the coffee tasting (aged Sumatra)...
• Ten days til Christmas blend
• Perry Noble rocks my world with blog entries like this!
• I received the coolest gift yesterday, and I will blog about it later this week!
• Hope your weekend was as relaxing as mine!

Savoring Today

One of the things that I love about working for Starbucks is that we are in the "people business serving coffee."  I feel like I am in the "pastor business serving coffee." Today was one of those days where I was able to experience the best of both worlds...

• On the coffee side, I was able to share my enthusiasm for our new Thanksgiving Blend with several customers who enjoyed talking about coffee and enjoyed a sample of it.
• On the pastor side, three customers asked me to pray for specific needs in their lives today.
• On the coffee side, I had to be in the back room for a little while...when I came back to the front of the house, I was overwhelmed with the smell of freshly ground coffee...that smell never gets old to me.
• On the pastor side, I had a great conversation with two different customers about why they frequent our particular store.  They told me that our people make the difference.  I was able to briefly share with both my "true calling" but how much I love my barista job.
• On the coffee side, it was great to be part of smooth system that allowed us to serve a whole lot of drinks in a short amount of time.
• On the pastor side, I prayed for many people silently as I served them today.

Being a barista helps to pay my bills right now.  Being a pastor is who God made me to be.  There will probably come a time in my life when I don't serve coffee, but I can't imagine ever not being a pastor. 

Today the was the perfect combination of both worlds in my heart and mind. 

I plan on savoring today for many days to come!

My Biggest Growth Opportunity

"Thy will be done..."

The Lord's Prayer is one of my favorite Scripture passages, and I love to pray most of it, but this phrase reminds me of a truth about me that I don't like to face:  I am a control freak!  When I pray "Thy will be done" and mean it, I am acknowledging that God knows what is best for my life and that I will ultimately trust Him with my life.

I have caught myself praying quite a bit over the last couple of days praying for my will to be done.  In a sense, I am reducing the Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth into a "genie in a bottle" and telling Him do what I want Him to do.

"Make the miracles happen God, and Your Name will be blessed because of it!"

I recently preached Romans 12:1-2 and I still messed up because of it.  We are a few weeks removed from the message being delivered but God is still trying to work out this sermon in my life. 

A renewed mind and transformed life can only begin with a spiritual yielding.  We must lay down our hopes, dreams, desires, ambitions, plans, and schemes in order to present ourselves as empty-handed living sacrifices whose only hope is in living out God's plans (which are so much better in the long run, yet that is so hard for us to see from our limited perspective).

Am I yielding my heart and longings to God?  Do I come to Him with a list of wishes and demands or do I offer to Him a pair of uplifted empty hands?

It is probably no coincidence that the words that just played on my iPod as I just wrote the last few lines said, "Here I am, take me as an offering--Worthy, Worthy, You are Worthy..."  (From the song "Alabaster Jar" on the Wake Up the World CD by Gateway Worship).

I don't want "thy will be done" to be a tag line at the end of my spiritual wishlist, but to be the most sincere longing of my heart!  This spiritual yielding thing is difficult for me, but I know that His plan is best, and I want God to be pleased with me...

And that can only happen when I get my plans out of His way!

Catching Up

• Seems like forever since I blogged...gotta get back into my natural rhythm of writing!
• We kicked off the weekend a day early and had the opportunity to go all the way across the state of Tennessee to new country for us, Kingsport and the Tri-Cities region
• East Tennessee is GORGEOUS
• We had the opportunity to visit some friends of mine from years ago, David and Melanie Gardner.  Their daughter Kelly was one of my youth kids in the Memphis area years ago.  David and Melanie ended up at my Starbucks almost a year ago on a visit back to Collierville (great story for another day), and David and I have been touching base recently and he invited us up to visit.  David and Melanie, thanks for your hospitality and for showing us around Kingsport!
• Friday night, we witnessed the Dobyns-Bennett High School Band...they were incredible (their football team was great in the first half too, but couldn't hang on in the second half unfortunately).
• We also met some new friends at an amazing ministry, Celebration Church, in Kingsport.  Pastor Dave Spear led a wonderful worship service and Pastor Robert Russell preached a much-needed message to my heart.
• On the way back, we were able to meet our friends Matt and Jennifer Weston and their two boys for lunch in Nashville at the Cheesecake Factory.  It was so great to visit with them for a couple of hours over a great meal and dessert.  It made me realize how much we miss being able to hang out regularly with the Westons!
• If you eat at the Cheesecake Factory soon, try the Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake...killer stuff!!!
• Because of travelling, I didn't get to watch the Bama/LSU game until last night on the DVR--Roll Tide Roll!!!
• I listened to the Titans game on the radio for the second straight week, but they have really solid announcers who helped me visualize what was happening on the field!
• Fall weather is in full swing at Starbucks and my coffee ninja skills were tested greatly over the last couple of days.
• My brother in law had a deer jump out in front of him on the way to preach at his church in Odenville this Sunday morning.
• Mike didn't make it to church, but fortunately was not injured.
• The deer unfortunately cannot say the same thing.
• Neither can EPG's truck, but it least can be repaired.
• RIP Bambi!
• Still a little travel-lagged, but it was a great trip. 
• I laughed at my travelling family at one point on the road...Maddie was watching a DVD, I was driving and listening to ESPN, and Alison was listening to her iPod...great family interaction!
• Seriously, we had lots of laughs and good conversation on the way to and from Kingsport...Maddie is the best travelling seven year old in the whole world!
• Still loving some Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend.
• Christmas Blend is only 16 days away!!!
• Maddie is on fall break until tomorrow, so yesterday we went to see Madagascar 2--lots of fun!
• The girls are watching High School Musical 3 right now...I sat that one out...I figure I'll get to see it enough when the DVD shows up around here.
• Speaking of DVDs, Kung Fu Panda is out and Maddie and I watched it after Madagascar 2 yesterday.
• Bobbitt Fantasy Football rolls on with a 7 game winning streak...two weeks left before the playoffs...a win this weekend virtually clinches a number one seed for Team Bobbitt, but it may be my toughest challenge yet.
• Three more days until my ESV Study Bible is purchased...I am very excited!
• I know that God is always at work in our lives but I am very grateful to feel Him at work in my heart right now!

Me, Myself, and I AM

Me, Myself, and I AM is a fun new book that will be greatly enjoyed by list makers, note takers, and those who love to journal. 

Open this book to any page and take a new look at you, where you’ve been on your spiritual journey, and where you’re going. Out loud, in private, in order, or backwards all the way, this book of questions will have you laughing, praying, thinking, and maybe asking a question or two yourself. It’s a creative and revealing way to get to know God—and you—better than ever. So go ahead. Grab a pen. And get ready to get real.

A new experience of God comes one question at a time in this fun and provocative journal. Made up entirely of insightful, profound, and occasionally ridiculous questions, Me, Myself, and I AM invites you to open to any page, open yourself to God, and be the author of yourown story.

 Questions range from spiritually intriguing—

You overhear God talking about you. What do hear him saying?

 

to thought-provoking—

You are on a long car trip with a close friend who is not a Christian and the conversation turns to faith. What is your biggest fear about what your friend will ask or say?

 

to challenging—

Do you believe that all of Jesus’s followers have a responsibility to tell others about him?

 

to just plain fun—

If your life before you became a Christian were a movie, its title would be:

Animal House

As Good as It Gets

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It’s a Wonderful Life

Me, Myself, and I AM will entertain, inspire, and get you thinking about your spiritual life from brand new angles. Whether you use Me, Myself, and I AM as a reflective tool, a way to start conversations with friends and family, or as a spiritual time capsule to look back on years later, their own words will create a powerful journey of self-discovery.

If interested in receiving a copy of Me, Myself, and I AM, be one of the first two people to drop me an e-mail and I'll get you the book for FREE!