mattmehaffey

Basey's Downtown

As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post ... I am ready for football season to kickoff this Thursday night.  Even though I just moved to Miami and I have become a Dolphins fan (1-15 last year, ouch) I am originally from Indianapolis. I'm a Colts fan first.  I am trying to figure out when I can get to up north to watch a game at the new Lucas Oil Stadium. I've heard it's very impressive. 

Directly across the street from the new stadium is Basey's Downtown. Greg Basey, the owner, is a personal friend of mine and I am seriously craving a tenderloin sandwich from Basey's.  It's the best tenderloin in Indy.  Hands down.  There's no better place to grab some great food before a Colts game. 

Do me a favor, if you go to a Colts game this year stop by Basey's, get some great food and tell Greg, "Matt's blog sent ya."  You will not regret it.

Sunday Blend :: August 31, 2008

Labor Day weekend hit The Pursuit crowd this morning but not as nearly as bad as I expected.  Today was 70s week in our Retro series.  "Do the Hustle" is still stuck in my head.  We also had some fun at Bob's expense (nice picture).  I was born in 1976 so research was fun.  The ideology of the 70s was, "If it makes you happy do it.  All that matters is self."

The Big Idea for today was: The world says, "Find yourself in you." But Jesus says, "Find your identity in Me." 

We talked about one of my favorite guys in the Bible today, Jacob. His story is captivating. Here's a guy who lived a "me-centered" life. He didn't care who stood in his way.  He was going to get his.  God comes down and picks a fight and ends up giving him a brand new identity. 

Doesn't take a sociologist to see we are influenced by this today in 2008. We have bought into the lie that meaning in life can be found in our own selfish pursuits. 

Jesus says, "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39)

Today's Highlights

• We finally had an excuse to use the disco ball in the Ballroom!
• The band played a rocked out version of "I Will Survive." I would buy it on iTunes if it were available.
• God has brought new people with great potential the last several weeks. Very exciting.
• We had more Community Group sign-ups than we have ever had.  Looking forward to our Community Group Launch in two weeks.
• We passed out a bunch of 40 Days of Purpose books for free thanks to many generous individuals! We will be giving out more the next two weeks too.  The Pursuit's 40 Day campaign begins September 14.   

Next week is 80s week.  I need to wear this ensemble. It's tempting.

You Are What You Eat

Janie made fresh scones.  They're delicious.  But to be honest, the words "Lemon Curd" make me want to hurl.

Football Readiness

Madden 2009 for Xbox 360?  Check
Fantasy Football research?  Check
Fantasy Football draft party?  This Tuesday night
DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket?  Check
Colts & Dolphins Jerseys?  Check

Am I forgetting anything?

The 60s: "Free Yourself" Message

Here's the link to this past Sunday's message on the 60s.  You can also download it from The Pursuit Christian Church's podcast on iTunes.

Lottery Winner Gives It All Away to True North Church

I was sipping my coffee and watching the local South Florida morning news when I got quite the shock.  I saw my friend, Bert Crabbe, Lead Pastor at True North Community Church in Long Island, NY accepting a $3,000,000 dollar check!  An anonymous (and very generous) member of the church won the lottery and gave it ALL to the church.  Wow!  Here's the story:

Sunday Blend :: August 24, 2008

Yesterday we kicked off our Retro series at The Pursuit.  We took a trip back in time and looked at the 60s.  Like no other time in US history, the 60s was the decade of rebellion.  "Question Authority" was the mantra of the day.  It was widely taught that freedom could only truly be found through rejecting all authority.  Today in 2008, we are still widely influenced from this mindset.

The Big Idea: The world says, "Be your own authority." But Jesus says, "Make Me your authority."
Text: Matthew 8:5-13 - Jesus and the Roman Centurion

I had an absolute blast preaching this message.  I'll link to the podcast when it's up later this week. 

Highlights of the day:

• Several people came dressed up in 60s attire!  Ashley Cross gets the prize though.
• God brought several new people to The Pursuit.  One family just moved to Miami from North Carolina (usually it's the other way around).  How did they find us?  They were visiting family in Orlando this past July and attended Journey Christian Church one of the weeks I was preaching there!  I love watching God work.
• I took a cheap shot at Brett Favre.  C'mon, he deserves it for the constant media coverage he's put us through!
• Alex's rendition of The Beatles classic, "Blackbird."
• The laughter that came as a result from Yearbook Yourself.  If we did not get you this week, do not think you are safe! 
• We had a great group at Pursuit 1.0 last night.  My friend and new member of The Pursuit, Frank Fernandez, is a police officer in Miami and because of his job he gets to go to every home game for the Dolphins, Marlins and Hurricanes.  When Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th home run, Frank was the guy who pulled the guy who caught it out of the scrum. Last night he gave me a game used baseball from a Marlins game.  Cool!

The Cuteness that is Reagan

Janie has been up north in Kentucky and Indiana for the past week.  Last night she got to hang out with all my family (I am pretty sure they like her more than me).  No family is perfect, but mine is pretty awesome.  Here's a clip of my niece, Reagan coming out of her shell.

Retro

This Sunday, The Pursuit is going old school!

The 60s, 70s, and 80s were all known for a way of life that is still going strong in our day. Our culture has been influenced heavily by the mindsets that arose during those decades. But God calls each of us to a way of life that is radically different from the ideals of those decades.

We will explore on...

• Sunday, August 24: The 60's - Free Yourself
• Sunday, August 31: The 70's - Find Yourself
• Sunday, September 7: The 80's - Suit Yourself

We are going to have some fun with this series!  You better hide your yearbooks because if we get a hold of one this might just happen to you!

Tropical Storm Fay

Many people from other parts of the United States and the world are following this blog and have expressed concern for us over Tropical Storm Fay.  This was my first encounter with any named storm.  We don't name tornadoes or blizzards in Indiana, but maybe we should because it's the polite thing to do.

Besides a steady diet of rain and wind (a little bit of flooding in parts), Fay didn't effect us too much.  Thank you for all the calls and emails we continue to receive but we are all doing just fine. 

One thing I have learned, don't watch the local news.  Meteorologists are excited as kids on Christmas morning when a storm with a name is anywhere close by.  They love the hype and getting their mugs on TV more than getting factual information to the public. 

Actually, Fay has been a godsend to the area of South Florida.  Lake Okeechobee, our main source for water, has been seriously low for over a year and Fay is projected to refill it to a much better level.