10. It’s a Great City!

9. The McKinney Trolley

8. The National Cowgirl Hall of Fame

7. The Fort Worth Zoo

6. Six Flags Over Texas

5. The Fort Worth Stock Yards

4. The Dallas Zoo

3. The New Cowboys Staduim

2. Frisco (Norther Suburb of Dallas)

1. The 2009 Home of The D6 Conference

The D6 Conference CLEAR Advantage Registration ends on October 1 (in about 6 weeks). It’s definitely worth registering by this deadline for pastors because you can save a HUGE chunk of cash. Most pastors will want to take leaders or leading parents with them, and there is some pretty significant savings there as well for those who register by the Oct. 1 deadline.

Here is some other info you might be lookig for:

• Info about the Embassy Suites attached to the Convention Center
• Dallas – Frisco Convention Visitors Bureau (GREAT Pictures)
• D6 Conference Info
• Other Dallas – Frisco Hotels

A few people asked me yesterday what we decided from our trip last week, so I thought I’d send out an update. 

We are praying hard (and have been) over which venue The D6 Conference will be held within.  However at this point we do not have anything new to release. Hopefully by the end of the week we will be able to make an announcement.  Please pray with us that God continues to guide us with his unending wisdom.

On another note, my meeting with Neal and David of Dave Ramsey’s office went well yesterday.  I always enjoy my time with Dave’s team members.  They have a solid team that is proud to work for/with him. They were impressed by the D6 Conference Promo Video and are excited about the event…there was some definite synergy in the room after the video. After seeing the promo piece, they are now excited to show it to Dave.  We are thankful for our working relationship with their world changing organization.

We will be in touch.

I just landed on the last of three flights in 48 hours, going from Nashville to Dallas/Ft. Worth to Orlando then back to Nashville.  We will very shortly be deciding and releasing where The D6 Conference will be held. This trip was extremely valuable in helping us determine the conference venue. 

On the way back I sat next to Jay Strack of Student Leadership University.  He was on his way to the Tennessee Titans (Go Titans!) game where he will be praying for the team before their preseason game.  We had delightful and engaging conversation about denominational challenges, denominational leadership, pastoral leadership, the all to often dysfunctional relationship between the pastor and the youth pastor, vision, leadership training, parenting, passing along faith and values to our kids, our families, teen challenges, his conferences in Orlando, summer programs, our favoriate comedians, Bill Bright, David Ferguson, and The D6 Conference.  I enjoyed our time together and look forward to future conversations.  We swapped cards and he agreed to do an interview that I will later podcast. 

Wonder who I will run into tonight?  Likely a server who needs to know God is in love with him.  

I find it interesting that our culture does so much to devalue marriage and make light of affairs, cheating, and divorce, YET when a public figure or a politician like John Edwards crosses a particular line, the voices begin to chime in that some offense has taken place. Why the inconsistency?

We, as humankind (American in particular), often find it easy to find ways to justify our behavior and lifestyle (divorce, affairs, homosexuality, etc). However, when a public figure may cross that same line, the media can talk about every aspect of it it for weeks, as if the behavior is in question. The very same media that runs prime-time programming filled with lust, adultery, homosexuality and divorce (implying that there is nothing wrong with it), will spend much of the news hour discussing the various aspects of these issues implying that there was some sort of offense committed. What a dichotomy!

I just happen to believe that there is a still small code written on our hearts that tells us right from wrong. We are afraid that if we admit that there is right from wrong, then suddenly we are held accountable. We don’t want to admit that because we can’t live up to it. If we can’t live up to it, then who can help us?

Anyone? Bueller…Bueller?

I just read a wonderful write-up on the new CEO of Zondervan, Moe Girkins.  She seems like a wonderful leader.  The web post on her was well written and placed together nicely.  However, I would like to point out one item.

About a quarter of the way through the I read this quote from Moe’s Mother “I didn’t send you to all that school so you could stay home and have babies.”

Obviously Moe is quite gifted.  God has a plan for her and I assume this new role at the big Z is a part of that plan.  I would even like to meet her one day to learn more about her journey.  

I just think that it’s appropriate to point out that many mothers do have extensive education, executive leadership roles, and a wide range of influence in the corporate world and still choose to give it up to be a mother (exclusively).  I don’t want to imagine a world where this doesn’t happen.  

I found some of Moe’s remarks near the end of the article quite interesting.  Especially this one where she is reflecting on a time where she was in between executive positions in her career: ”In the winter of 1999, I went to 120 basketball games,” she says. “It was the most fun I had in my life. To be there, and be there for every minute of it, was a gift. I wouldn’t have figured this out if I were working full time.”

I also realize that not every family can do the “one income thing.”  Some people just don’t have that choice and have to have both parents working, and many single moms work just to survive. I know a few ladies at Randall House who are also in this position.  

As I have been reading this book over the last few days (while traveling to and from the AMFM Conference), I came upon this quote on page 31 that I really love:

“In fact, even a cursory reading of Jesus’ life on Earth shows that He was deliberate in His choices as to where to go, whom to associate with, what to say and how to evaluate situations. In short, everything He did was done for a reason, and His reasons always related back to His relationship with God the Father and His rules for living a holy life.”

Christ lived not for His own purposes, but to be about his Father’s business and to find pleasure in glorifying the Father; even if it meant his own discomfort and suffering (which He obviously submitted to God before, during and after the crucifixion). 

I want to be very aware of my choices, my motivations and my attitudes, for the sake of being sure that they allign with my fathers.  I know from the Word and in the depths of my soul that I will only be truly satisfied in life when I am in obedience with God.

At the moment I am feeling thankful to know Him and to have access to His Word [severely understated, but truthful and sincere].

I am in Phoenix, AZ at the AMFM Conference and to say it has been an incredible day is quite an understatement.  I am here with Randy Walser, a teammate of mine, to promote The D6 Conference and all things D6 related (Family Emphasis Kit, D6family.com, CLEAR Curriculum, etc.).

The response to The D6 Conference has been amazing.  Peter stopped by the booth to tell me how much this is needed in his region of the Episcopal church.  Nathan, a faithful Catalyst attendee can’t wait for September 2009 to get here.  Steve couldn’t wait to tell his Young Family pastor/leader so he could take this information back to his church.  Tammy was almost in tears as she thanked me for what we are doing…she believes in it because it’s God’s heart for the family and for The Church, and she will be at the conference and will be bringing others with her.  

As the evening was winding down, I was finally introduced to Rob Rienow of Visionary Parenting.  Rob is saying the same thing we have been saying for the last two years.  He is a mover and shaker on the grass routes level of family/parenting ministry and embraces D6 as the foundational passage in everything he does (don’t judge him by the look of his web site…you guys know how image conscious I can be and I am telling you this guy is making a real impact regardless of how under-resourced he may be).  Several attendees of this conference have told me that churches all across the country use his curriculum to get parents on board with “D6″ thinking.  What he is doing is amazing.  As we parted he said “If you guys can plug me in, in any way, let me know…I am on board.” We will be talking with Rob in the days to come to think/pray over the possibilities together. 

It also looks like AMFM may play our D6 Conference Promo Video during this conference.  If that happens, it will be beyond huge.  This audience is one of those bulls eye groups whom we long to share our message with.  I will keep you posted.

One last item…one guy stopped me and told me that just before he left town to come to this conference, he used one of the “Splinks” on obedience with his kids because he was about to leave town and wanted to reinforce the principle since his wife would be alone with the kids for the next several days.  On behalf of the D6 team, I was so humbled that he found Splink so friendly and useful.  He loves it!  

The synergy is thick right now.  Pray that God will continue to make a way for his message to be communicated clearly to the body of Christ as we move toward September of 09.

Pray that tomorrow will be as productive for His purposes.