At 2:30 a.m. on the Fourth of July, my cell phone rang and I didn't answer it. I wondered who would be calling me at that time, and what the problem could've been; but I fell back asleep. At about 7:30 a.m., my wife woke me up and told me that Kristina Buckley's heart had stopped for about 15 minutes before the doctors and nurses could get it beating again

Bam! Just like that, I have figured out the Millennial mystery. I have deciphered the mysterious motivations that lead to this Millennial generation's methods and madness. On Tuesday we had our interns (all Millennials) join our staff meeting and join our pastors in our bus riding adventures around Phoenix.

Since the heat wave is on in Phoenix, my seven-year-old, Bella B,, my five-year-old, Eva G,, and my six-year-old, Luther the dog, all hopped in our minivan and we headed north. Our game plan was simple. (It had to be because Luther is a dog.)

Brittany reached over and gently tapped me on the shoulder and said, “I think it is time.”

It was midnight and I had been asleep for an hour, so it took me a couple of seconds to realize what she meant. When it hit me, I bolted upright and a thousand action steps flew through my mind all at once.

HELLO, EVERYBODY OUT THERE!

I'd love to hear where you are as you read this. I know many of you Phoenicians are “escape artists” this time of year. So, if you could just take a second to comment, it would be fun to know where you are.

June is here, and that means a very different thing to those who are in Wisconsin than it does to us here in the desert. The heat is on. Even my visiting Belizean friends. who live in 90º weather with 90% humidity all year round, have been amazed by our desert heat.

If there were no pain and death in the world, we would not need to talk about Jesus. If all we experienced in our world was peace and tranquility, we would never need to rock the boat by bringing up the powerful, unsettling name of Jesus.

The name Daniel means God is my judge. In my opinion, it has become very hard these days to judge what is right and true in the midst of all the clamor and confusion. It seems there is very little substantial meat in the extremely fattened calf of our country’s philosophical and political scene.

I Miss My Mom.

She took her last breath of this world’s air 12 years ago. For 53 years before that, she added light and love and good food to the world she interacted with.

Trump has been in office for 100 days, and it is what it is. I am not going to comment on that, but I've been in my new role for 100 days, as well. If you have a few minutes, I would like to comment on that.

Psalm 100 begins this way in The Message translation:

On your feet now—applaud God!

Bring a gift of laughter,
Sing yourselves into his presence.

Know this: God is God!
He made us; we didn't make Him…

Don’t even think about taking your foot off the gas pedal right now. Yes, we did have an amazing Passion Week around Living Streams. Yes, we did have a service on Palm Sunday that left many of us at the front of the church, on our knees, in humble surrender.

My 39-year-old eyes have seen many people pursue sexual pleasures, financial gains, and positions of power, with a greater passion and commitment than many who call themselves followers of Jesus actually pursue Him.

I have a contest for you this week.

Without Googling, what are the three times God the Father spoke audibly during Jesus’ earthly life that are recorded for us in the gospels?

In the Bible Jesus is called many different things. He is the bread, the rock, the anchor, and the water. He is the Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.

If I were to sing, “London Gold...” you would probably sing, “...It's the best.”

If I were to sing, “Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that...” You would probably sing, “...Kit Kat bar.”

The only time in all of Scripture that we are asked to test God is in reference to tithing. In Malachi 3, God promises to pour out a greater blessing than we can hold if we are faithful in our tithes and offerings.

I’ll keep this simple. This Sunday I will be preaching on the most incredible message of all: The Reconciliation of Everything. To get you ready, please drink in these words from a man from bygone years who was deeply committed to God’s message: 

There are some expressions in the modern, American version of the English language that have been mulling around in my mind. They have to do with the most basic, yet vital of human functions: breathing.

A song that has recently become popular in our society says,   

“Oh, it's just me, myself and I   
Solo ride until I die.  
’Cause I got me for life    
(Got me for life, yeah)   
Oh I don't need a hand to hold   
Even when the night is cold   
I got that fire in my soul”