Look before you turn lef....I mean right.

Today started out like any normal Monday. I went to Starbucks, grabbed some iced green tea, (which is a life changing moment if you've never experienced a Starbucks Iced Green Tea) and headed across the highway to the church. As I was getting ready to turn left onto the street that leads back to the church, I saw two cars there getting ready to pull into traffic as soon as there was an opening. One car was in the left turn lane, and the other in the right turn lane. It was obvious to me that the gentleman in the left turn lane was growing very impatient. He had obviously been waiting there for a while.

As the traffic dissipated a little, I made my left turn into the industrial park where Catalyst is located. As I was turning, the man in the left turn lane decided, last minute, that he instead wanted to go right, and attempted to do so. Unfortunately for him, the gentleman in the maroon minivan in the right turn lane also wanted to turn right. The man in the left turn lane, who was driving a rather large Chevy pick up truck, barreled through the mini van, leaving a nice array of mangled car parts in his path. Luckily, no one was hurt, other than the pick up owners pride.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get a little impatient. I want things to work in my time. I want things to go my way, and I want things to be perfect. Unfortunately, that's not how the world works, and it's definitely NOT how God works. His timing is always best, but not necessarily on your watch. Sometimes it's best to just sit and wait instead of barreling over some innocent person who bears no fault in whatever situation you are in. I just hope that guy had really good insurance.

Wandering and Knocking Down Walls With Volume

This Sunday, Dave is continuing our current series, "Visible" with a lesson on faithfulness. If you want to get ready for this weeks message, go ahead and read Joshua chapter 6. Yep, the whole chapter. Sometimes God asks us to do things that don't really make sense in our heads, but His plan always ends up being the right one. See ya Sunday!!!

JK <><

Cuban Pork Chops

Catalyst is going to Chile in December, and, to raise money for the trip, we held an auction just a few months ago. The auction raised over $1300 for our trip, and some pretty cool things were sold that night. One of those things was a gourmet dinner for two, courtesy of this guy. (Yes, I'm pointing at myself with both thumbs right now.) Well, last night, I got to make that meal for my friends, Eric and Kelly Padgett.

It was a good time. I got there at 4pm, prepped the food, and got the cooking started. By around 6pm, Eric, Kelly, and their little girl Allie began eating. Luckily, they liked what they ate, and I felt accomplished. After they finished eating, I did some dishes, cleaned up the kitchen and hit the road. I felt like one of those guys on Private Chefs of Beverly Hills.....I asked what they would like to eat, and, based on what they told me, planned a meal.

They asked for something Mexican, and I took that to mean "Latin". So I planned a simple three course meal with: homemade tortilla chips and mango salsa, Cuban pork chops, Mexican red rice, corn with red and green bell peppers, and a dessert of apple chimichangas with vanilla ice cream. Thank you foodnetwork.com for making me a hero. The only negative of the night was that I'm on a diet and couldn't enjoy all of that with them.

Well, now that I'm done gloating in my culinary greatness, I guess I'll get on with my day.

Rough Mornings

This morning, I received a phone call that I really just wasn't ready for. Gary Nelson, a good friend and mentor of mine, was found dead this morning in Shilito Park in Lexington, KY. Gary was struggling the last few months with respiratory issues, and those struggles no longer bother him. Very few people come across your path that truly exemplify the life that God has set forth for us. That was Gary. He was a passionate man; passionate for his family, passionate for his music, passionate for his church, and, most importantly, passionate for his God.

I've known Gary for years, but it was only in the past year that we got the chance to really get to know each other. In the past few years, I've gotten more and more involved with recording music, and that's how Gary and I got connected. Gary was asked to try to digitally record the services at his church, Gardenside Christian Church, and asked if I could help him out. For the next several months, Gary and I spent almost every Tuesday afternoon together. It's not often that two guys separated by almost 30 years get the chance to really be good friends, but that's exactly what I consider Gary; one of my close friends. Gary even played his saxophone at my father's memorial service. He and dad used to sing for adult events at Blue Grass Christian Camp.

I remember going out to eat with Gary, and it seemed like everyone in the city of Lexington knew him. We couldn't go five minutes in

our conversation without somebody walking up and getting a hug, or just wanting to say hello to Gary. He's definitely made his mark in the world that he lived. No one can ever deny the live that were impacted by such an amazing man.

Now my heart goes out to his wife, Margie, his children and grandchildren, Gardenside Christian Church and all the others like myself who are going to truly miss Gary, his infectious smile, and the amazing music that he has created over the years. Heaven really got a good one today. Now, maybe he and dad can sing some of their duets for Christ and all the saints. Rest in peace friend.

JK <><

Iron Man 2

Finally, after almost a year of anticipation, Iron Man 2 was brought to the silver screen across the nation. I, like many others, went to the midnight screening at the theatre near my home. Our show, however, wasn't "technically" a "midnight" showing. Our showing began at 11:59pm on Thursday night meaning that we actually saw the first 60 seconds of the opening credits on the night BEFORE the movie came out!!!! Now I feel important. (You have to be picking up my sarcasm here)

Honestly, the movie was fantastic. It was, in my mind, even better than the first. Lots of action. Lots of explosions. (Guys like explosions) It even had some really great humor. What really got me cracked up, though, were the guys that came in wearing their very own arc reactors on their chests. The arc reactor is the glowing thing that Tony Stark wears on his chest to keep shrapnel from entering his heart, and it also powers the Iron Man suit. I've been to Star Wars Premiers where people have their Jedi apparel on. I saw the Watchmen premiere and had the opportunity to see blue people walking around....clothed thankfully. For some reason, though, I thought the arc reactor thing was really dorky.

Grown men in their 20's and 30's walking around with a glowing "thing" on their chests was almost uncomfortable. I kinda felt sorry for them. If you were one of these people, please understand that I respect all people, but that's just weird. If you want to emulate Iron Man, or even Tony Stark, wouldn't you want more than just the glowing chest? What about the iron armor, or Tony's 3-piece suit, or even his leather jacket? Just wearing the arc reactor wanna be is weak. If you want to really show that you're a fanatic, you need more than just one aspect of the costume. That would be like saying you're batman and only wearing a utility belt, or saying you're wolverine and only wearing one of his gloves. Nerdy I know, but there's a point.

Too many Christians walk around saying they are Christ followers, but not wearing the full outfit. We like to act righteous, but we aren't very truthful. We speak of peace, but we have no faith. We could have all those things, but if there's no knowledge of God's Word, what do we have to base it all on? Needless to say, I "try" not to be the guy walking around with only my "arc reactor" of faith to show. I'm not always successful.

I think the reason I was so uncomfortable around those guys was because it home a little too close.

JK<><

This Coming Sunday: Am I Good Enough?

The current series at our church is titled, "Visible". We've been going through the fruit of the spirit, and Sunday's part of that fruit is goodness. Sounds like an easy enough topic I'm sure, but it might be a little more difficult than that. One of the things that Dave will be tackling is how church culture has defined "good" in a way that might not gel with Biblical Christianity as well as we think. Needless to say, you don't want to miss worship at Catalyst this Sunday. If you get the chance read Romans 12 to prepare for what God has in store for you this weekend. See you Sunday!

Mother's Day

!!!!!!!!NEWS FLASH FOR ALL SINGLE, SOMETIMES FORGETFUL MEN!!!!!!!

MOTHER'S DAY IS SUNDAY. DO NOT BE A LOSER AND FORGET TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THE WOMAN WHO CARRIED YOU IN HER WOMB FOR NINE MONTHS. DO SOMETHING NICE, AND TELL HER THAT YOU LOVE HER. THAT IS ALL.

Blue Aprons

As many people may, or may not know, I was a barista at Starbucks from the fall of 2007 till the summer of 2008. I know. That's not a really long time. I still like to think of myself as a coffee stud anyway. For years, Starbucks has been know for those people who wear the green aprons and flash smiles to everyone who enters their stores. Today, I was shocked to see that they were wearing baby blue aprons and wrist bands. You know, the ones that were popular just after the turn of the century. The ones that rock bands and hip, young, Christian kids would wear around. Well, there they were on the coffee aficionados that serve me my daily caffeine.

The only reason I bring this up is to make mention of how well Starbucks does at getting it's message across. Each season, they bring out something new. Something exciting. Something creative. When you walk into their stores, you know exactly what they are excited about. You know exactly what it is that they are trying to sell you. Today, they began their heavy push on their new frappuccino recipe. Needless to say, ALL of the employees of the store tried to sell me a frappuccino at some point. They were excited. They were passionate. They were intentional.

Could you imagine if people in the church were that excited about Christ? What if we told the world about Christ the way Starbucks tells the world about frappuccinos? How do you think the world would respond? Even with all the selling that they did this morning, I never felt pressured. I could just tell that they really wanted me to enjoy this thing that they had. Our world is going through so much garbage politically, socially, and religiously. Imagine the difference that God's people could make if we were excited, passionate, and intentional.

I guess we can all dream.

JK <><

Oh Worship

Last weekend, I got the opportunity to lead worship with the JKB for a group of about 40 fourth and fifth graders. These kids were amazing! I don't know what your experience has been like with children, but I do know what mine has been.

Kids refuse to water things down. If a child doesn't like something, they tell you about it. They say exactly what is on their mind, and aren't afraid to share that with the world. The same goes for their view of God. They aren't afraid to unashamedly share their love for God whether it's in worship, prayer, or hanging out with friends. We got the chance to experience some pretty intense worship with these kids, and I learned a lesson. Maybe I need to start coming before God like these children; with a sense of awe and wonder, and an undying display of love for my father. Have a great week.

JK <><

...after a short break....

I guess waiting a year between blogs gives me a lot of stuff to post. Last year, 2009, was a rough one....culminating with the loss of my Father, Tom Kelley. This is actually the first time that I've taken the time to put into words what has been going on in my head. I miss my dad. I miss our conversation at the half times of ball games. I miss getting beaten mercilessly on the golf course. I miss our discussions about the church and how to deal with all the craziness that can happen there. I miss seeing that twinkle in his eye every time he caught a glimpse of my mother. I miss my dad.

Some days are better than others. Sometimes, I just find myself thinking what would we be doing right now if dad was still around. I find myself listening to an old CD of dad singing songs that he recorded back in the dad. I find myself praying for my mother that she won't be lonely; that her nights can become less frustrating, and that she'll be able to find some new friends that she can spend time with. The one thing that I'll never regret is that I'll never have to say, "I wish I could've had more time with Dad."

This past year, I spent almost every Friday with my father. We got to do some really fun things; fishing, golfing, movies, and we even got to go to a Red's game together. This last year, I really got the opportunity to get closer to my father than I've ever been. We spent a great deal of time together, and that's time that I'll never regret. Most people have the normal parent/child relationship with their parents, but, this last year, my father became my best friend. I got to see him at his best and his worst. In all of it, he never wavered in his faith. He never blamed God. If anything, he saw his life as a chance to share the gospel, not only in the good times, but in the face of death. Dad was a great father, husband, and friend. Even more that that, he was an example of what faith in Christ is really all about.

If I can give you any encouragement from this, it would be to not take for granted the people you love in your life. Whether it's friends, family, co-workers, or anyone else.....don't take those relationships for granted. Life on earth is short, and life on earth is precious. Cherish every second of every minute of every hour of every day. Life is a gift, and we need to be grateful for those that God has placed in our lives.

Have a great week, and God bless.

JK <><