Hey Jimmy!!
Great videos, love 'em. I have really learned a lot from just listening to you. You mentioned books, and someone asked about getting fired up. My small group that I lead at church just finished reading, "A Passionate Life" by Mike Breen and Walt Kalstead. It is a really neat book about connecting with our Creator and rejuvenate your faith. I highly recommend it. I kinda wish I was at school at UF, I know I'd have a blast in Cru with you and Kelly.

What's up home boy? Well, it seems to me that you already have a plethora of ideas and topics to discuss. So rather than leave you with a question I thought I would give a word of encouragement. I think it’s great you’re taking this avenue to advance the Gospel at UF. I look forward to seeing how God is going to use this as a tool on your campus

Hey seamossjimmy!! man u r really working it with the techno bro. what i would like you to share about is the issue of relationships and what it takes to build a significant one. thanks man, u r the best!

Wonderful idea friend. Hope to see you very soon as I will be in Gville in the fall for a game for sure. Can't wait to see what else you'll be discussing here.
Here's one thought: Eckhart Tolle and his books "A New Earth." He's a guru that was a nobody until Oprah decided that he's discovered the true meaning of life and promoted this book on her show and through her book club. Now the thing has sold millions of copies and is making some big waves in this country. Our church is doing a 2 week study on this guy and his teachings, and it's pretty scarey. I don't have time to go into it now, but he's teachings can be really misleading and dangerous. He's got very a pantheistic worldiew and a strong eastern religion-type message, but it's all presented in a "christian" package. He talks all about Jesus and the New Testament writers, but twists everything into a "God lives in you because you're god, i'm god, we all god" type of thing. I'm totally not doing a great job explaining the heresy he's preching, but you should look into it, if you haven't already heard of the guy. Apparently it's his book has gotten pretty big, because if Oprah says it, it must be true!

Brother, the site looks good. Nice job. I am looking forward to actually sitting on you back porch soon. Be there in a week or so!

Hey man, this seems like a pretty cool idea to me. When you were talking about which books we have read lately, I couldn't help thinking about this book I read yesterday. It is called "Save me from Myself". It is the autobiography of Brian "Head" Welch, the former guitarist from Korn. It is a powerful testimony of how Jesus delivered him from drugs, depression, and an overall pretty messed up life. Nowadays, he lives with his daughter and pursues a deeper walk with Christ everyday. Awesome stuff!

I'm going to have to agree with Herrera and say that I also love how you are using technology in such a great way.

I would love to see you talk about prayer and for us to have a conversation about prayer. I have been thinking a lot about how it effects our lives. And this is in a very positive way when we pray and I would argue a negative way when we do not.

I had the thought about how we cover foreign mission trips with prayer both ourselves and we ask for prayer from every person that we know and at least from my experience every mission trip I have been on has been very successful beyond what is humanly possibly. Why do we not act in the same manner here in the states? Why are we not always in prayer ourselves and soliciting prayer from others? Sort of like what Andre said about reading the Bible and being fired up about, how can we be fired up prayer and not feel like it is an obligation? I know we talked about this some at your house but wanted to go deeper and spur more conversation about it.

Great job and look forward to hangin!

Jimmy

Let me start by saying you are an innovator. I think it's great how you are taking something that has defined our culture (the internet) and are using it to further God's kingdom. I can't wait to see what's next, but I was thinking this might also be a great way to show the incoming freshman what we are all about. It would be cool if they were able to ask questions and get an idea of what God is doing on this campus. Anyway, just a thought, have a great week you're awesome!

Jimmy,

Hey man! It has been a long time.
I think you are right on the money about how all these "relationship building" websites don't really build relationships at all. I am a member of several and I don't think I could feel more disconnected from my "friends " than I do. Isn't the point to build real relationships. I sometimes just feel like a vouyer looking into peoples lives and not really connecting to anyone. I am excited about what you have got started here. This whole Back Porch concept is very appealing. I think that it will really let us connect in a very real manner.

You mentioned that this "is your pursuit of us", I love that because it is such a beautiful picture of Christ. Christ is always the pursuiant in His relationships with His children. We are not even worthy to seek Him. He loves us so much that He wanted us to have a better life in Him, therefore He Pursues us. Just like you want to have real connections with others, you set out to make that happen. Christ is amplified through that.

We are told in Exodus 33:11 that the Lord spoke to Moses "face to face as a man speaks with his friend". I like that you have chosen to do the same, speak "face to face", (on a video blog), so that your friends will see your heart.

Bravo Jimmy!

jim-daddy. you know i love you, and i don't even know if this is the kind of response you're looking for, but i was wondering if you could give your thoughts on the christian book market. maybe i'm wrong but it seems like a phenomenon that's come around fairly recently and i'm not sure how i feel about it.

i know that there are tons of good things that have come from it (my life has definitely been blessed by some non-fiction christian books) but on the whole i see some problems that this explosion has either created or perpetuated.

1. it's way easy to get caught up in what these well-meaning, articulate authors have to say and use them as a substitute for the holy spirit's guidance when interpreting scripture. the bible should be all that we need. period.
2. (and most importantly) i'm beginning to feel a widening gap, created mostly by evangelicals, between non-christians and christians. it's really subtle and doesn't apply to everyone, but generally it's becoming harder and harder for christians to relate to non-christians because we are very inwardly focused. and when we befriend non-christians they immediately become our "projects." that is sick. and the world sees right through that fakeness. i know this is true because i've found myself guilty of it.

sorry for the tirade, and i'm not blaming all of this on the christian book market, but i guess i just saw it as another way we are alienating ourselves from our culture instead of engaging in it. (obviously i'm not saying engage in the party scene to reach people for jesus) but how can we reach our campus if we don't KNOW our campus? we know ourselves and we love ourselves which is good, but we don't have a significant relationship with our campus. how can we really love them? i don't love my campus. i would trade every non-fiction christian book that i've read for one truly significant and honest and deep love relationship with a non-christian. . . even if i knew beforehand that they would never come to know christ.

Great job, babe. I also look forward to hearing your wisdom! You're an incredible man in pursuit of GOD and journaling has really made a difference in your walk. i'm excited to hear about what He's been teaching you specifically.

I love your embrace of technology! Times are a changin' but id love to hear about the scripture youre reading through. Whether you feel like youve found something amazing in a passage you didnt know existed or that youve just seen new value in scripture youve read a hundred times, im sure it would be encouraging and a motivation for digging in deeper myself! Gracias Jimmy!

Yoo!!! Jimmy it's so awesome that you are doing this brother. Great idea. I'm gonna throw a topic out there for discussion, more like a question. What are some ways that we can get fired up about reading the Bible rather than seeing it as something that we "should do"? Love you man. Can't wait for the next video.

Well of course, I biased as you are my son. But you are awesome and I can't wait to learn more about God through your blogs. I love you!