Robert Pooley

Update

Feeling somewhat better... the inflamtion in my body has caused my knee to swell and become painful.  That's no fun.  The swelling in my cheek has gone down quite a bit.. that's a good thing... and the sinus infection is not bothering me at all right now.

Having said that, I am having a CAT Scan done in the morning to look at the remaining lumps on the left side of my face.  One is the size of a small egg... the other is the size of a grape.   But all I can think about is... I wonder if they will find cats?

Follow Up

Went back to the Doctor today.  Swelling is way down.  He wants me to get a CT Scan to determine what the knots are that are in my check and at my gland.  So that is my next step.  Was nice to get out in to the world for a bit.  We went to Wal-Mart after the Doctor and ran into lots of folks... and now I am tuckered out.  Keep praying.  I am better but not totally through this yet.

How are you feeling?

Use this incredibly helpful chart.

Thanks to Mike for the laugh.

Just a couple of thoughts

**The last week for me has been very difficult.  I have never in 10 years of Coast missed a Sunday due to sickness... till yesterday.  I heard it was an amazing service... that Vicki and the ladies panel did a great job... (I knew they would) and that the band overcame lots...  (both key worship leaders out...  the loss of drummer and bass player (brothers) due to the sudden unexpected illness of one of the brothers) and they still pulled it off. Our Worship team are warriors.  So yesterday went on and we never missed a beat.

**I have cabin fever... I'm not quite ready to rejoin the land of the living... but I am definitely getting better every day.  But I can't wait to get out and active again.

**God has spoken to me alot during this time... sometimes I think it takes slowing down to hear Him best.

**This was the first year in a lot of years that I didn't see my mom on Mother's day.  That was kind of sad.

**I had some weird thoughts about the cats?  Want to hear them?  Hmm, why am I asking you?  Its my blog.   So here goes.  I was thinking about my relationship with the cats.   We have three, Max, Maggie and Moby.   Max is the regal leader of our cat clan... a big, gray tabby.  Most of the time he will keep to himself and go about his business.  But sometimes during the day he will become very needy, and then he will come and purr and rub his head against my legs. He is need of love and assurance.  I call him the love cat when he is like that.  Its very sweet... lasts only for a few minutes... and then back to his routine.

Moby is the youngest cat.  He's a little orange tabby.  He's cute as a button and if you saw him you would want to hold him and love up on him.  But he won't let you.  If you come to our house, you won't see Moby.  When we first come home, we don't see him for a while.  Moby is a great hider.  Oh, I could tell you a lot of stories about him.  Sometimes when he gets sleepy he will fall asleep on our bed.  In those moments I can crawl up on the bed and pet him... and he will let me love him...  and if I stop, he will place his little head under my hand to make me start again.  But most of the time he has trouble receiving love.

Maggie is our middle cat.  She is a calico, beautiful, fluffy and quite the snuggler.  Maggie passes the love around.  She loves to find a place and crawl into my lap and snuggle for as long as I can stand it.  She loves to snuggle... but again, being a cat, its still only on her terms.  She comes when she wants to.  She comes alot, but she comes when she wants.

Anyway, I was thinking that sometimes I am like this with God.  I come to him on my terms...  like Max, I may come when I feel needy.  Like Moby, I  may let God catch me in my down moments... and like Maggie, I may go alot, but still under my own terms.

I wonder what it would be like to be so alive in my relationship with Christ, that me was gone.  My will. My thoughts.  My agenda.  My plans.

The bible says that God is love.  That goes beyond simply offering love.  He IS love.  And there is a part of me that wishes that I could just stay connected to the love at all moments... receiving for myself, and letting His love pass through me to others.  But not like a cat.  Not when I want to, or when it fits my plans... but just as a natural part of my life in all things.

I want to love fully... completely.  And I want to always love... not sometimes love.  My prayer?  God make me less like the cats who are sweet and show love... and more like you.  You Lord are love.

Just a few thougths...

Ugghhh

I am not taking a blogging hiatus on purpose... I am sick as a dog.  I have a sinus infection and a saliva gland infection.  My face on the left side is swollen and painful.  Keep me in your prayers...

Tuesday Thoughts

**Its Cinco de Seis  I like that one day better than Cinco de Mayo.

**My mom came home from the hospital today...  Yeah God!

**Sunday is going to be awesome!!

**Our message Sunday @ Coast.  "A word from Yo Mama."

**My knee is killing me.

**American Idol, very poor week.  You would think Rock-n-roll hall of fame week would have produced some better results....  and as much as I love the kid... Good bye Jason.

**Iron Man rocked... and now I'm pumped up for Indianna Jones.

**God is really speaking some things to my heart.  I enjoyed reading the book The Shack." Gave me some things to think about...  Didn't agree with everything... but I didn't find myself crying... wrestling with some stuff... and pulling in closer to God.  Not a bad thing.

**Wasn't feeling well today... but still enjoyed hanging out with our team at Staff meeting... They are creative, fun, silly, and they know how to worship... and seek after God's heart.

Hmmm

I don't comment much on politics here, but the race is looking a bit like this to me.

Sunday Night Thoughts

**Awesome day at Coast today...  We finished up our "Fearless" series and I talked about overcoming fear in a crisis.  I think it struck a nerve...

**Lot of hurting people in church today... the response to the message was phenomenal.

**Its been an extremely long week... with my Mom in intensive care... and all the normal stuff going 100 miles an hour... I am running pretty much on empty.

**I felt that tiredness tonight as I spent time with the teens...  There were lots of questions... and in my tired, depleted state, I really don't believe I was on my "A" game.  We have such a great group of teens and they deserve my best whenever I am with them...   I'm going to spend some time with them in the weeks to come and talk about the basics of the faith...  I think it will be good... but I left tonight wishing I had done some things differently.

**Mom is having a heart cath tomorrow and today they removed close to a litre of fluid off her lung.  She has handled everything well and really has kept a great spirit during it all.  Thanks to everyone who is covering her in prayer... Don't stop!

**Sunday for Mother's Day is really going to be different at Coast.... we are calling it "Real Talk with Real Mom's."  Its going to be off the hook, or off the chain, or whatever its supposed to be off of... I'll just say its going to be fun.

**Our bookstore folks, Cathy and Josh are designing new Coast tshirts... I am looking forward to seeing what they look like... I'm sure they will be cool.

**New website is also in the works... I love where this thing is going and I can't wait to let you see it... soon.

**Baptism coming up in two weeks... and we are going to be baptizing a boat load of folks.  I'm stoked!

**I'm going to crash hard tonight...  really hard!

**I love our church...  great people... great servant hearts.

Rambling Man

A few rambles from my Coast Online Newsletter.

**True story about Yogi Berra, while he was a back catcher for the NY Yankees he used to harass Hank Aaron from the Milwaukee Braves. Both teams made it to the world series and as Aaron came to bat Yogi Berra was chatting at him and said, “hey Henry you’re holding the bat wrong. You’re supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark.” Aaron didn’t say a word but the next pitch he hit it over the bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging home plate Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, “I didn’t come here to read.”

**Ran across what's written below years ago.. it profoundly affected me.  Then saw it again recently on a blog that I read... and then another friend sent it to me in an email...   It still moves me.

I simply argue that the cross be raised again
at the center of the marketplace
as well as on the steeple of the church.
I am recovering the claim that
Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral
between two candles;
But on a cross between two thieves:
on a town garbage heap;
at a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan
that they had to write His title
in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek...
And at the kind of place where cynics talk smut,
and thieves curse and soldiers gamble.
Because that is where He died,
and that is what He died about.
And that is where Christ's men and women ought to be,
and what church people ought to be about.

**I am so pumped about all the cool things happening at Coast.  So far we have about 7 people signed up for our Baptism on May 18th.  God is changing people's lives in amazing ways at Coast.  Its so cool to be a part of something like this!!

**One Prayer in June is going to be amazing... We will be a part of this amazing event with churches literally all over the world... including churches like Fellowship Church in Dallas, Life Church in Edmonton, Oklahoma, and National Community Church in DC.  The thought is, If I had one prayer for the church, what would it be.  Besides hearing from me, you are also going to hear from some of the most amazing pastors around the nation.  This will be an event unlike any other.

**As we walk through life, I want our prayer to be... let our words speak our faith, but let our actions scream out that God is real!   The rest of this week.... go out and be the church!

**I have   thoroughly enjoyed the "Fearless" series.... next week will be Mother's Day and you won't want to miss it... there is going to be a lot of really cool things happening... 

**It's a joy to be relationship with all the people at Coast!  My life is rich because of you guys.

Quick Note from Rob

My Mom is currently in the ICU at Santa Rosa Medical Center in Milton.  She went into the hospital about a week ago... they finally diagnosed her with a serious bacterial infection in her lungs.  The antibiotics were working and they sent her home yesterday.  This morning at 4 AM my sister Kathy took her back to the ER.  She was struggling with pains in her chest and running down her arm and she was in A-fib.  Her heart rate was at 140 and erratic. 

They got her stabilized and admitted her into the intensive care unit. The doctors want to do a heart cath, probably in the next day or so.  She is really weak, but she's tough.  That is pretty much all we know at this time.  Please keep her in your prayers, her name is Jo Cobb.   We believe that prayer makes the difference!  Thanks!

Sheryl Crow and The Gills

Jesse Wheeler, the son of Mike and Carol Wheeler who attend Coast...  his band opened for Sheryl Crow at the Civic Center Saturday night... and everyone tells me they blew the doors off the place.  I hated missing it.  These young guys are a band to watch... Congrats to The Gills... and congrats to Mike and Carol... i know you guys are pumped.

Here's the band with Sheryl... Jesse is in the striped shirt in the center with Sheryl.

Reveal - Rick Warren

Loved the comments by Rick Warren when interviewed after the Exponential Conference...  They asked him if he had read the Reveal stuff from Willow.  Check it out here. 

Thanks Scott Hodge

Thursday verse

From my reading this morning.

"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you  except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and perusassive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."  1st Corinthians 2:1-4  (NIV)

We're in!!

Coming in June to Coast!

Watch this space for more info... Coast will be joining with churches all over the world to take part in this amazing series.  I am beyond pumped about this.

Quotes

Bob Roberts speaking at the Exponential Conference in Orlando.  "Converts grow a church... disciples change the world."  Thanks Travis

The second was a quote from Andy Stanley on a live interview that I was watching.  Thanks to Los for the heads up on that one...  Andy was talking about something he prays everyday... He said, "Lord help me to see the world the way You see it and respond the way You would respond."

Chew on those awhile!  Enjoy.

For Someone

I was talking with someone earlier and felt that I should post based on what we talked about.... Not sure who this is for... but here it is...

Just because a door is closed now... doesn't mean it will be closed forever.  I see people all the time who hit roadblocks and then they just quit.  Sometimes no means absolutely not... and sometimes no means not now.

There were times when i was a young believer, and I knew God had called me to be a pastor... and I wanted it to happen right away.  And over and over again there was this overwhelming no... but really what it meant was not now.    Looking back, I can see the absolute wisdom of that... I would've been dangerous... I'm serious!  God had so much for me to learn...  (By the way, I'm still learning.)

Would it have been easy to quit?  You bet...  I think there are so many times when people hit a "no" and they just give up on their dream.  They put it on a shelf, but then they never come back to it.  That could be a serious mistake.

I believe someone who is reading this is discouraged... and you feel like quitting...  You have hit a roadblock... maybe its a solid no for right now and you want to give up.  Take the time to stop and pray... let God reaffirrm the dream in your heart... and then find out why you hit the no.  It might be a minor roadblock you can overcome with a few adjustments... It might be a timing issue... maybe its just not the right time.

I guess what I am saying is what God said to Joshua... Be of great courage. Get in the Word...  Do what it says. Don't be dis-couraged.  Keep your head up!  Don't give up...  learn... refocus... grow... and then slam through the door!

Remember this, other people may not see the potential in you... but God knows its there and He can help you reach it.  Just don't give up!

Sunday night thoughts

** I am feeling terrible... so I kicking back at home tonight

**Seemed like a good morning... I was so fuzzy headed I'm not even sure what I talked about...

**It was great having two of our missionaries visiting with us this morning

**I'm going to lay back down... hopefully I will once again join the land of the living tomorrow.

**Ugggghhh.

Ugggghhhhh...

Not blogging much right now... since I returned from the ARC Conference I have not felt well... not even a little bit.  Gary, our worship leader, not so good either... Pray...    I don't have time to be sick... and I don't do sick well.    I am pitiful when sick...   So I repeat.... uggggghhhhhh!

ARC

The ARC conference was awesome this year...  sorry I didn't blog about this one like i normally do, but I took 7 of our team with me and really spent time hanging with them... dreaming with them... laughing with them... and plotting to take over the world.... bwah haha ahahaha hahahaha......

So let me just say, the conference was great.  Chris Hodges from Church of the Highlands really blessed me with his transparency, and encouragement.  Gregg Surratt from Seacoast in Charleston was great... Dino Rizzo from Healing Place Church is one of my favorite pastors in the world.  Definitely enjoyed hearing from Brian Houston from Hillsongs.

I  got to see a lot of old friends, and made some new ones...  Was cool to finally meet Bobby Gruenwald from Life Church... seems like a great guy.

Also loved hanging out with Bobby Lepinary and Roger Hirth from Harvest Church in Pensacola.  Bobby is my normal conference buddy and a great friend.  My job is keeping him awake at conferences.  If you know him, ask about the visual image I gave him to help him stay awake.

But again, the best thing was just hanging out with the staff.  In the pic we are eating at Cracker Barrel.  Someone on our team had never eaten there...   Also, even though I was born and raised in Milton, FL, some of our team accused me of not being southern... because I don't have much of a drawl...  I think I was offended.

Anyway, we had a blast... oh, and I'm not in the picture because I took it... 

ARC Conference

I'm off to the ARC (Association of Related Churches) conference in Birmingham.  I always say what ARC means in caase somone thinks its the association of rodeo clowns or something like that.    I am taking 7 from our staff with me....  I love hanging out with these guys.

Our keynote speaker will be Hillsongs Pastor Brian Houston from Australia... We will also be hearing from Rick Bezet, pastor of the fasting growing church in America, Dino rizzo and others...  Should be a blast. 

If you're at the conference... please find me and say hello... and ask me to tell you about my childhood.