I'm just here for the paycheck.

Yes ... I am an IT concubine ... or so it would seem. My resume has always been the most interesting parts of the interview process.

• "How many places have you been?"
• "When were you there?"
• "They actually paid you to do that?"

I never really heard the last question verbatim but the subject has been encroached upon. Where am I going with this? Right ... 15 guys piled in a church shuttle last night for Boys Night Out at the Ballpark. The Rangers squeaked out a win and everyone had a pretty good time.

What was even more impressive to me was the array of dudes that are connected through this wonderful church body at Lake Pointe. I didn't get to talk to everyone but discovered so many new things. The remarkable nature of each man's walk and how that translates into their family structure and careers is mind boggling. My career flakiness is really troublesome when considering some of these guys dedication.

So here's some more shameless promotions of local business dudes that are dedicated to their craft that I HAVEN'T mentioned before:

Jason Cooley - Integrity Mortgage
I've used Jason 3 times and would refer him to anyone looking to purchase a home that needs a loan. You just can't say that about too many lenders. He's been there longer than I've known him and never flounders. Check out his bio.

Eric Gebhardt
Another long-time empoyee in the lender biz (one of the biggies so I don't feel the need to promote.) The real story here is that Eric has been planning a career change for months. His goal is to become an art teacher. You wouldn't believe the arduous process he's going through. The planning and patience in execution is most impressive. Our community will be better off with someone like him in the class room.

Justin Graves - Pharmacist
Our fearless ABF leader has been a pharmicist for 15 years! Now that's dedication. I think he works for Walgreens or something ... but did you know he has aspirations of owning his own business? I was shocked to learn he even has a location and space! Maybe we could encourage him in that and provide some inspiration. Entrpreneurs, UNITE!

Paul Flemming - Westport Church - Hillsboro, Oregon
If you went to the Ballpark last night you proabably would ask why I would list someone that lives in Oregon. However, Paul came up several times. Cooincidentally, I received a LinkedIn invite from Paul while we were at the game. Several years ago, Paul left the exciting world of being an IT concubine to plant a church outside of Portland, OR. Westport has now become one of the best Lake Pointe sister church sucess stories. If you're looking for a national ministry to get involved with, look no further. Or simply make a meaningful contribution at http://www.westportcontributions.com/.

I could go on and on. As usual, I have no point. But I did bring the IT concubine reference from beginning to end! Sorry about that Paul.

Thanks for a great evening guys! I leave you with scripture and a You Tube video that may or may not work in your browser. If ou can't see it, I suggest becoming more technical ... it's the year 2008!

Proverbs 27:17 (New International Version)
17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another.