Diet Update

So how am I doing a week from officially starting my diet? So far so good. I've lost 4 lbs. I've been really good on my carbs. I'm trying to stay below 80 everyday. Some days I've stayed below 60 and others I've fudged on the 80 . . . no pun intended. I've also started exercising. Monday and Thursday are my running days. Tuesday is my "walk 9 holes of golf" day. And Wednesday, I preach. That's a work out I promise! I play Friday and Saturday by ear. My goal is to get to 199 lbs and then I'll probably start Weight Watchers with Billie. The low carb thing is designed to shed lbs quicker and I'm trying to get rid of them quicker so there ya go.

Don't know if I'll get back down to my wedding day weight (170 lbs), but if I can get near it, I'll be happy. I've got two Sunday suits waiting to be wore again!!!

At a crossroads with my college . . .

So I'm trying to figure out what to do. I've been thinking for awhile and decided to talk about. Maybe you've got some suggestions. If not, then maybe you could pray for me. That would be great!

I've been enrolled in the Church of God Theological Seminary since Fall of 07. I'm working on my Master's degree in Discipleship and Christian Formation. Now I'm going to be honest. Other than the knowledge and experience, I don't exactly know how this is going to help me. Maybe it would position me for a better church one day if I move. Maybe it lets me into state work. Maybe it'll give me credibility if I write a book. Yet in all three possibilities, there are countless numbers of individuals who don't have a Master's that have done just fine for themselves, if not better. Still, I do enjoy the classes and wouldn't be thinking about leaving it if it wasn't for a "situation."

Fall of last year, our church was growing by leaps and bounds. I was doing the youth, the music, teaching, preaching, visiting, involved in community organizations and events, not to mention denominational events. Quite frankly, I was burning the candle at both ends and the ends were just before introducing themselves to one another. So I emailed my professors and told them my situation. Basically, I couldn't continue with my studies. They were too time consuming that semester and I planned on taking off and coming back. I told them that they could give me an incomplete if that was possible and I'd finish later or an F if they felt I deserved that. I just knew what I had to do. So final grades came out. Three professors gave me an F. One gave me an A. Then I get correspondence from my loan company and the seminary about my withdrawal from school . . . WITHDRAWAL??? Come to find out, even though I got my grades, and even though I contacted my professors, I was listed as "unofficially withdrawn" thus forfeiting the semester and the loan money. This means before I continue there, I have to pay about $2000 back. I'm still pretty livid about this. The registrar informed me that this was gone over at the freshman introduction when I entered seminary. I don't doubt that, and I should have remembered their policy. But I guess my question is . . . if I was supposed to know the policy, shouldn't the faculty have known that . . . and if they did and they saw where I was . . . why didn't one, just one of them, mention what I was about to be doing? So needless to say, I'm at a crossroads. I want my Master's in Christianity, but I'm having a hard time going back to the Seminary after this.

Which leads to where I am now. I could transfer and continue my Master's, but a good many of my classes probably won't transfer. I've even thought about going back to my undergraduate school, Brewton Parker College, and finishing up a second major I almost had in Political Science and begin to build from there. I guess I just need some prayer as I make this decision. I don't want to be in debt $100,000 to student loans, but I certainly want to finish what I've started.

So which road to take . . .

Well it's Wednesday morning

Some reflections from yesterday . . .

I did great on my diet. Finished up the day with about 60 carbs intake. I also walked nine holes of golf. Sorry Brian. Didn't get your text about Houston Springs until I was already through walking Perry! I didn't shoot tremendously well by any means, but I can tell my game is improving. I even had a couple of birdie putts which I missed, but that's besides the point!

American Idol was great last night. The whole group did great. It's going to be sad to see any of them leave tonight, but if I had to take a guess, I'm going to say it's either Matt or Allison. I'm hoping for Matt because I really like Allison. I loved her performance last night. Danny crunk his performance up. It was awesome. And Adam did what he usually does . . . blow everybody away. I don't know how anyone but him can win this competition but stranger things have happened. I'm personally rooting for Danny, then Allison, then Adam. If either of the three win, that's cool though. Kris isn't so bad himself, but he doesn't have what the other three mentioned have.

Finally got to watch a new episode of The Mentalist! It's about time. It's one of my favorite shows. Law and Order SVU was new too and it was really good. I'm starting to get worried about it though. It seems it is attracting audiences through guest stars instead of story lines. There aren't too much actually going on between the characters and that's never good.

I'm almost done with "Breaking the Jewish Code" by Perry Stone. Next up is "Closing the Back Door" by Bryan Cutshall. More on that later.

The Rainbow House at Leta's

I just got back from Leta's on the Square in downtown Perry tonight. They are usually closed on Monday's, but they opened tonight for the Rainbow House. The Rainbow House is an organization that helps to prevent child abuse. The restaurant opened up tonight and a percentage of all proceeds raised goes to prevent child abuse. Great cause. Not to mention, Leta's has some great food. Billie and I have been recruited to wait on tables next year for the cause. That'll be fun!

I ate chicken parmigiana and a salad. I did good. Before we went, I walk one and a quarter miles and a I ran one a quarter miles. My knees are talking to me right now! Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be walking nine holes of golf!

Revisiting the Great Commission

For the past few weeks on Sunday's nights, I've been teaching a series called, "Revisiting the Great Commission." We disected the verse in one lesson. The other lessons have revolved around attracting people to church, ministering to your family, and last night's recognizing opportunities. I thought I would share a little bit on the blog, especially for all you readers who could care less about how much I weigh . . . (you're my favorite readers by the way, lol).

In recognizing opportunities, there are a few phrases we should look out for. First, we must know 2 Peter 3:9 says it's God's will for all to be saved. Jesus instituted the Great Commission. Great theologians like John Wesley and Jonathan Edwards doubted people's salvation if they didn't have a desire to witness. I've found that the lack of witnessing that does occur is not so much a product of people not wanting to, but sometimes it's because people don't know how . . . or don't recognize the opportunities. To witness, we have to take the focus completely off of ourselves and think ahead.

Think about the last time you had a conversation with someone and these phrases came up . . .

". . . I just don't know what I'm going to do . . ."
Don't answer back, "Me either! My life is a mess. Let me tell you what I'm facing." That however is the typical response. We are inadvertently reinforcing the lost at that time. If we're saved, and claim to have a hope, and serve a God who loves us and works for us and through us, how come we have the same outlook at the sinner? Instead, forget about your own problems and in a not "in your face" way, tell the individual how God is helping you through some stuff you're in. Tell them how your church family is supporting. It will make a difference.

". . . My kids are driving me crazy . . ."
Again, don't just argue about what your kids are doing too. Talk about the change you may have seen in your kids through church and kids ministries. Give some hope that "this too shall pass."

". . . I'm so stressed out . . ."
The obvious response is, "who isn't." Instead of taking this opportunity and trying to one up the conversation with what's eating at you, take it and talk about how God gives you peace in the storm or how He's worked things out for you in the past. Misery is not the only feeling that enjoys company. Optimism does too.

". . . We always run into each other . . ."
I'd be willing to bet that it's not an accident. God strategically puts us in places to meet people that we may be a blessing to them or vice versa. If you keep running into the same individual in your day, whether you know them or not, consider it an opportunity for you to get to know someone and share the love of Jesus. You just don't know who you're going to affect.

Monday Weigh In

I'm pretty happy this morning. I weighed in and I've lost 3 lbs. I'm pretty excited because I haven't been really strict on myself and I just started my diet on Thursday. Today, I'm in full gear. I had a bottle of water for breakfast with a sugar free jello pudding cup (6 carbs) and for lunch I'm having a salad with low carb salad dressing (3 carbs). I may add a few cashews to the meal for six more carbs which will put me at 15 carbs going into supper tonight. Not sure what I'm going to eat tonight, but maybe I'll be good!

Diet Day 4

Today, I did pretty good for a Sunday. I had a bottle of water for breakfast with some cashews. I didn't eat so good for lunch as we all ate at the local Mexican restaurant. I had rice covered with melted cheese, grilled shrimp, steak, and grilled chicken. I could have done worse!!! Tonight I had another Zaxby's grilled chicken Caesar salad. So all in all, my carb intake for today is probably close to 80 which is more than I want to take, but still less than I have been.

Tomorrow is way in day, so we'll see how that goes. I'm also going to start getting stricter on myself for meals.

Diet Day 3

I didn't do so hot, but hey, it was my splurge day!

I had a water for breakfast. I ate two grilled chicken go wraps from Wendy's for lunch with water. The Cheesecake factory wasn't the greatest though. I did drink sweet tea. Sorry . . . I was having withdrawals. I had a blackened grilled chicken sandwich with broccoli so that wasn't that bad. Now the chocolate chip cookie dough cheescake . . . we won't talk about that. Yes, I know they have low carb cheesecake there . . . but it didn't have cookie dough in it . . . I mean what am I supposed to do.

Tomorrow is Sunday and that's a bad eating habit day as well. I'll try to do good though. I do promise to try!

Saturday Recap

What a great day. I slept in a little and caught in some pre-draft coverage of the NFL Draft on NFL Network. I love the draft every year. I love watching the teams think and bluff one another to get the player they most covet. I'm a closet General Manager myself I think.

Before lunch, Billie and I took off for Atlanta. We went to Turner Field for a tour of the stadium. I advise it for any Braves fan. We went all over the stadium from different seating sections up and down, high and low, to the press box where the Braves' announcers call the game. We got to sit in the chairs that Skip Carey and Pete Van Weiren sat in for years as announcers. We got to view the Braves' clubhouse and go into the luxury suits above ground and below ground. We walked on the field, sat in the dugout, and saw some other cool stuff. It's worth it for $14 a pop.

Then we went to the Cheesecake Factory. Last time ever in Atlanta. Sorry. They were doing road construction and it took us about 45 mins to go maybe 10 miles. Traffic was horrible. Not to mention, they make you valet park at this one. Ok, that's cool if the parking lot is a good distance away, but the spaces are like as far as a parking spot at CVS to the actual building. Ridiculous!

When we got home, I watched the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. It was a wild one! Three UGA players were picked in the first two rounds. The Falcons got to great defensive players. I'm looking forward to the finale tomorrow.

Also looking for a great service! See ya then.

Diet Day 2

Today was a pretty easy day actually. I didn't stick as strict to the diet as I normally will, but weekends are made for cheating right? I drank a bottle of water for breakfast and ate a ceaser salad with grilled chicken at Zaxby's for lunch with Bro. Roy Holton. Then Billie and I went to Cheddars where I had a grilled chicken breast, broccoli casserole, and mashed potatoes. That obviously wasn't too carb conscious, but I saved some up for tonight lol! I just got back from buying groceries so I can have some low carb foods at the house to snack on. I hadn't started my exercise routine quite yet. That's Monday. So far so good.

I'm going to weigh in every Monday and I'll be honest and post my weight on the blog each Monday morning. Just be gentle ok!!!!

Some encouraging thoughts

I was thinking back on Easter this morning. You know, Satan must have thought that it was over. After all, he's not omniscient. He just knew that having crucified Jesus that the victory was won. He thought he had killed the Son of God. But my what a difference a moment in time makes.

At the moment of celebration, I can imagine a big knock at the hell's gates and it was Jesus who Paul wrote took the keys to the Death, Hell, and the Grave. This is important because as Christians we don't have to fear death. It is merely the road that takes us home. We don't have to fear hell, because our souls can now be washed in the precious blood of the Lamb. We don't have to fear the grave, for we know we can't stay in the ground for when the trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ will rise first to meet Him in the air.

You know in this world we live in today with all the maliciousness, hatred, and lies, the enemy is still constantly thinking that he's won a victory. He still looks for ways to cause turmoil and chaos. His limited view of the situation makes him believe that he has won. But we know in whom we have believed. When your situation looks as if the enemy is gaining the upper hand, don't be dismayed as difficult as it may be. The battle doesn't belong to you anyway. It belongs to the Lord. He will not allow the enemy to win. In cases such as this, all we can do is stand and see the salvation of our God.

There are two sets of people in the Bible who have promises: the righteous and the unrighteous. The righteous are promised eternal life, a friend that sticks closer than a brother, the ability to be more than conquerors, the promise of our needs being supplied, and a promise to fight our battles for us. The unrighteous have their own promises: curses, hellfire, calamity, and judgment. When the great Jonathan Edwards penned, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," he wasn't kidding.

So let the enemy smirk and grin. Let him celebrate for a bit. When it's all said and done, it won't end well for him. As an old 80's song suggests, "look who's crying now."

Diet Day 1

So I did start my diet today. I wasn't completely good, but my goal is to ease my way into the first of the week and go full blast. Considering everything that was going on today, I did pretty good I think.

First, I drank nothing but water today for the most part. I skipped breakfast, just because I'm not a big breakfast eater. For lunch, I had a district meeting at Red Lobster here in Perry. I ate grilled talapia and a plate full of broccoli. It was only 6 carbs. I did great.

Then there was the trip to Buckner's with Joey and Angie Graham. We'd been planning it for awhile and we wanted to go before Angie has to start her chemo so she'll still enjoy the food. So here I am at a feeding trough practically with potatoes, bbq, chicken, rolls, beans, and the works spinning around and around in front of me. Not to mention good sweet tea. So what was I to do? I didn't pig out, but I ate pretty good.

Then we got the call about Evelyn Ryberg's birthday party tonight. I'm not going to miss a birthday party you know. So after Buckner's, we dropped Joey and Angie off at their house and drove over to the Ryberg's house. I had a little piece of cake and a little bit of ice cream, BUT I did drink water!

So overall, a good day for my first diet day. Tomorrow should be interesting. I've got lunch with Roy Holton tomorrow at Zaxby's. Do they do low carb there???? lol

For all you Journey fans

I'm a huge Journey fan. Awesome music. I ran across this video and was blown away. It's a group of kids with the oldest being 12. They do "Separate Ways" by Journey and you won't believe it unless you watch it.

Enjoy! I know I can watch this over and over again! Don't miss the guitar solo.

God was awesome tonight

Tonight was one of those crazy nights. I'll be honest. I used to not look forward to Wednesday nights. As with most every other church, it is usually our lowest attended service during the week. It was really hard for me to get focused for it, but God started changing the way I thought about the service. You really get to see the backbone of your church at midweek services, and that backbone needs to be strengthened because they're helping you carry the load. I also realized that whether I have the biggest crowd or not, many folks need that midweek service due to things they've encountered since Sunday. So needless to say, I repented of my attitude and asked God to give us some powerful encounters on Wednesday night. Lately, He's been doing just that and He really showed out tonight.

I never could get settled on a sermon tonight and I read the scripture in Genesis 29 of Leah naming her children and thought some about it, but I still couldn't never nail down what I wanted to do. So what transpired was me not having a message prepared and not really knowing what was going to happen. I felt led to speak on Genesis 29, but I couldn't never get anything together, so basically I just told God I would read it if He would give me something to say. We had an amazing service and God broke through some situations with some people and the "spoils" are still being reaped. We prayed with some people and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that some things are about to start changing in their lives.

It's services like these that you remember and appreciate because without a doubt, God took over and there's no denying it. Afterwards, we had dinner (I still say supper most times) with the Pitts. I love those folks. They are an awesome family and truly have a heart for God and the church. We're getting ready to start a Food Bank at the church and they are going to help us head it up. I think it's going to be a great thing!

A waist is a terrible thing to mind . . .

One perk of living in Perry for me is that I get ESPN Radio. It plays nonstop in my car unless I've got a CD going. It's hosted by 105.5 The Fan out of Macon. And being it's a local station, local businesses advertise. Some of them have pretty cool ads. Some just make me laugh. Then there's the Spa Medical ad. I usually think they are pretty corny, but I liked their slogan they came up with about their weight loss program . . . "A waist is a terrible thing to mind." Obviously it is the old phrase about a mind being a terrible thing to waste. But with that in mind, I'm making a big step. I'm going on a diet.

Why announce it here? Well you good folks are going to be my accountability partners! I've lost a bunch of weight before. Back before I met Billie, I weighed almost 250 lbs. I lost all the way down to 170 before meeting her and weighed 167 on our wedding day. Now, after almost four years of marriage, I'm tipping the scales between 220 and 225 depending on how many cookies I've eaten the night before. It's time to do something. Not to mention, I've heard doctors say that extra weight actually hurts people with asthma. So I'm doing it for my appearance and my health.

Of course, as the procrastinator that I am sometimes, I'm starting tomorrow. I've been slowly working myself up to this. Not eating so much here and there. Getting in the habit of drinking more water. So tomorrow, I start the diet that worked for me when I lost all the weight before . . . the low carb diet. It's a killer for me because I think I mainly eat one food group . . . carbs! But it needs to be done. So say a prayer for me. Don't tell me what you eat please. And wish me luck!

Thank You Miss California

Maybe the Beach Boys had it right . . . . "I wish they all could be California girls" . . . at least in the mindset.

I don't really watch beauty pageants. I can't tell you who won it last year or anything of the sorts. What I do know however because my wife was in pageantry is that the questions that are asked of the contestants usually have a hidden side to them. They usually are asked to promote an agenda or to at least draw attention to an issue. And if the contestants know what's "best" for them, they'll answer the question the way the judges want them to.

Not Miss California. Not only was she a knock out, but she had brains and a backbone. When they asked her if other states should legalize gay marriage like Vermont has, she gave an honest answer. She appreciated the freedom our country gives us to act and live as we feel is right, but that the traditional approach of man and woman in a marriage is what she believes in. THANK YOU!!!! To the jacklegs and bozos who booed her . . . seriously, get a life. Even if you disagree with her, she's got a right to her opinion just like you supposedly have a right to raise a child with two dads or two moms. You don't like her right. She doesn't like yours. She was asked an honeset question and she gave an honest answer which is more than half of those contestants could stand by.

So kudos to Miss California. Marriage will always be husband and wife, male and female. The US can make it whatever they want to make it, but God's Word doesn't lie. It is what it is. If you don't want to hear how people feel about "alternate lifestyles" then don't ask. But if you do, get ready, because you're going to hear how we feel.

May I add, Miss California stood up for something that I'm not sure some of our popular evangelists on TV have even stood up for . . . . . ahem . . . . Everyone go have your best life now.

The Jackleg and a Bozo

First of all, let me say that I believe the entire Bible is the Word of God. From Genesis to Revelation, every scripture supports one another. There is no contradictions. You cannot pull one scripture out and apply it to your situation in such a way that makes another scripture false. You also can't take one scripture and excuse a lifestyle or way of thinking when there is a plethora of other scriptures which suggest otherwise. People who make a lifestyle out of this have often been referred to as "jacklegs" or in my terminology, "bozos."

Let me, if I may, give you a who's who of jacklegs and bozos based on good ol boy Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck" . . . . I've divided the two to protect the innocent . . . lol

You might be a jackleg if . . .
. . . you only pray with folks after you've taken an offering.
. . . you think your special oil can cure diseases better than someone else's.
. . . you're ordination papers were given to you much like you get 2 apple pies for a $1.
. . . you're entire ministry is based on what people said instead of what you've done.
. . . you've got more experience telling people what to do than knowing what to do.
. . . you see more demons than you do angels.
. . . after your on fire message from God, someone can tune in to a Jentezen Franklin rerun from
last night and hear your message exactly. Darn Jentezen stole your message didn't he?

You might be a bozo if . . .
. . . you claim to have been part of something before it ever started.
. . . you are an expert at spiritual beings, but are oblivious of spiritual things.
. . . you can't find a single church that can "feed" you.
. . . you don't have a life so you have to make up stuff about others to create one for yourself.
. . . you have a rock with your name on it, but plan to throw it at someone else.
. . . your only spiritual gathering is an online group.
. . . you plan to help someone become free of addictions in between drags.
. . . you have an excuse for all your failures and none of them include, "It's my fault."

Here's the good news. All of us have found ourselves in one, if not two, of these categories and God still loves us. He still has a plan for us. He still longs to take the blinders off of our eyes, but He also still plans to govern by His Word. God told Israel, "I put before you life and death. Now choose life." The same choice is given to each of us daily, and it amazes me at how often we choose death (lies, malice, anger, hate, vengeance, deceit, gossip, perversion, disobedience, disrespect, lukewarmness) over life (and it more abundantly).

Hey, nobody's perfect. Nobody's asking you to be. All we ask is that you try to "live at peace" among your fellow man. (that's scripture by the way) If your personal time is spent thinking about how horrible someone else is, how much they've wronged you, how right you are in a situation, or how you've got the idea and solution to fix everyone's problems . . . please, God loves you, but please . . . just go pray. It doesn't take a Bible scholar to realize the difference in a victorious and overcoming life and one characterized by bondage, cliches, and legalism.

Good day today

We had our monthly Chaplains meeting at Perry Hospital today. I enjoy going to these events to fellowship, not to mention, that the hospital is a mission field in itself. If you ask someone who just drank a bottle of water if he wants another one, he may say yes or no. If you ask someone who hasn't drank anything in about a day if they want a bottle of water, the answer is most definitely yes. When people find themselves in a hospital, it slows them down. They have time to think and reflect. Often, a sense of mortality comes on them regardless of whether the condition is good or bad. Most everyone in the hospital that I've found has been more than willing to have me pray with them or just talk to them.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with Travis Bennett. He's like my older brother. He's an awesome man of God and to see what God has done in his life in such a short time is nothing short of amazing. I only wish everyone had the desire to learn about God and grow in His Word and presence as Travis does. Anyway, I got some good old fashioned BBQ and chips. Can't beat that with a stick!

I'm fumbling through some ideas on our discipleship program at the church. More on that later. Have a wonderful rest of the day!

Great church services today

This morning I started my series called "After the Resurrection." I spoke on the the three ways the Lord responds to us when we have faith. I spoke concerning Thomas and his doubt that Jesus was really alive. Of course this all changed when he saw Him and touched His wounds.

As with Thomas and in another instance of the woman with the issue of blood, sometimes our faith just needs to touch Him and we need Him to touch us. Other times we're like the Roman Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant and then told Jesus to just speak the words being he wasn't worthy to have Him under his roof. Sometimes we need a word of confirmation spoken to us that sets everything in order. Sometimes we just need to allow our faith to stand upon the spoken words of God to us . . . mainly the Bible, not just a preacher, teacher, or song leader. Lastly, as with the disciples in the room with Thomas, Jesus knew where they were and came through the door even with it closed and locked. In Matthew 8, there is the story of Peter's mother in law who was sick. She didn't ask to be healed. She didn't send for Jesus. But the simple fact that He invaded her space and moved into her vicinity made all the difference. Sometimes all we need to do is to get lost in His presence. It makes all the difference!

Reflections before bed

I'm about to head to bed and was thinking about some things . . .

Went for a walk this afternoon and maybe half way through it, I started getting a song. Not really sure where it came from, but I kept trying to sing it to myself until I could get somewhere to write it down. Finally did, put some music to it and I'm liking it right now. I hadn't really wrote any songs since my time in Douglas and Florida. A few here and there have popped up, but lately, I've been getting more and more ideas. I'm certainly not opposed to that.

Getting ready for service tomorrow. I'm starting my new series called, "After the Resurrection." I'm taking three big occurrences that John writes about in his gospel. Tomorrow is the issue with Thomas and faith. God changed my sermon almost completely tonight while studying at the church. We'll see what happens tomorrow. I'm trying to stay positive about the service. I've already had a lot of phone calls and texts with folks telling me they won't be at church. In fact, I think the total is up to 16 right now . . . It can be a little frustrating.

Interesting Day today

I'm still feeling the effects of a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon that kept me up until 3 AM, but hey it was worth it. I forgot just how good those movies were. And in a bit, I'm the designated driver for our Primetimers as they head to Juliett to eat at the Whistlestop Cafe. This will be our second attempt at this trip . . . The first time, the hours of operation were not looked at before we drove over there so we had to settle for Golden Corrall in Macon. Not a bad substitute I suppose. Then after that I've got the house to myself for awhile as Billie left this morning for her niece's birthday party in Donalsonville. So it'll be me and Bossie tonight. Thinking of starting another movie marathon tonight . . . .

Remember the cute bee story . . .

I'm now proud to be a bee murderer. My house is infested with them. I tried to help one out after my last experience and it came at me like it was going to sting me . . . . So I got my bandanna and a can of raid and I'm the biggest baddest bee killer in Perry baby!

Great Men's Meeting tonight

There was only a few of us there for different reasons, but we had tacos and the Bible. I don't know that you can beat that! Brian reminded us of the memorials in our lives that we can remember back to remind ourselves of God's purpose and hand in our life.

I think it's important that we all have those rocks in our life that we can go back to and remind ourselves of God's faithfulness to us. I mean we can be on the mountain one day and feel like God's forsaken us tomorrow. It's in those times that we need the reminder of who He is and what He has planned for our lives.

One of mine is the car accident I got into when I was just out of high school. My car stalled going across an intersection and I got t-boned by a truck going way over the speed limit. It hit me straight on the driver side door and tore my little 92 Pontiac LeMans inside out. The impact through me about 50 yards down the road with the steering wheel in hand. All I suffered was a mild concussion. The doctors were amazed that I didn't have more significant injuries or that I had even lived. God protected me because He had a plan for my life.

I could type out plenty that God has done in my life that I can keep going back to in order to remind myself of who He is and what's He's done in my life. What about you? What's your memorial? What reminds you of who He is in your life?

17 Again

Don't know if you've seen the previews for the new movie with Zac Efron in it called "17 Again," but it looks pretty good. If nothing else, I understand the concept. Who wouldn't want to go back and change things? Well maybe some of you out there lived a perfect life and everything was great, but I'm not one of those.

No . . . I experienced a lot of great things in my teen years and in my early 20's (the fact I'm having to type early 20's makes me shiver!), but I also had my fair share of crap . . . most caused by me, myself, and I . . . you know, the three headed monster. You know looking back, I deserved to have been thrown away somewhere. God had every right and reason to forget about me and find someone else to do his plan.

It seemed like everything He gave me I messed up and abused it in some way. I hurt good people. I disappointed many more. I made a constant mess of my life and those associated with me. I was emotinally driven instead of faith based. I was a luster, not a lover. I was after the pleasures of this world while trying to keep one foot on the side of Heaven. And you would think after all the many ways God would get my attention, I would have listened before I finally did. I'm hard headed and stubborn, strong willed and fiery. I know God has forgiven me and I believe I've forgiven myself, but still there are those days when the memories of yesteryear . . . the good and the bad (and probably the ugly too!) come rushing in like flood waters after two weeks worth of Georgia rain. I think of the people I've known in my life and I know the marks I left were probably negative in many ways. If you're one of those people and you're reading this, I'm sorry. If I could change it, I would. If I could go back and not take advantage of you, I would. If I could go back and not have been so hard headed and hard hearted, I would.

I know we learn from our mistakes and what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I preach that constantly. I know God can and does and has taken my blotches and made something out of them . . . Yet from time to time, I'm humbled again to remember where I was and somehow by the grace of God where I am today.

Randomness in the Morning

I was supposed to go to a Braves game today, but I'm still not up to par. The doctor told me Tuesday that I have a sinus infection, ear infection, and that my asthma has progressively been getting worse. She hooked me up with an antibiotic and three inhalers. She said my lungs sounded like an accordion! So occasionally throughout the day, more times than not, my head feels like it's going to explode . . . I can't breathe . . . and my ear feels like if it had a knife it would stab me repeatedly.

I watched American Idol last night. I love American Idol. Been watching it since it first debuted. Kelly Clarkson's still my girl! I wasn't surprised Matt was voted off, but I was disappointed that he got the save to stay. Simon obviously didn't want to, but you could tell the other judges wanted to save him before he ever sang for his chance to stay. I like Matt and all, but a lot of crazy things could happen in the next two weeks too. Anybody heard of Daughtry or Jennifer Hudson?

I'm reading Perry Stone's new book "Breaking the Jewish Code." Man this book is great. It's been awhile since I've started on a book and looked forward to reading it. Awesome stuff in it. I know some folks aren't in to Perry using all the writings not in the Bible and Josephus and all, but seriously, get over it. It would be one thing if the man was using these resources to say something the Bible wasn't saying. But to each his own.

Have a good day blog world. I guess since I'm not going to the game, I'll be trying to get a little work done here and there.

I'm a murderer

I've killed many bugs in my life. I've accidentally hit animals with my car (possum, bird, goat - don't ask). But yesterday I felt so horrible. I killed a bee.

This was a bumble bee. It was a mad one at that. I'm guessing it came when one of our doors came open and it was flying all over the house banging into stuff and buzzing very loudly. It chased the dog some and I knew I had to do something. It wanted to go out, but how do you soundly usher a bumble bee outside without getting stung? So in our best interest, I sprayed some bug spray on the bee. What followed made me feel horrible . . . .

The bee immediately got angrier and started banging into the window. Then it started turning flips all the while buzzing. And then it fell off the top of the window onto the window pane and continued turning flips and buzzing. The bee was dying right in front of me a slow and painful death. He then flipped himself on the floor and began running in circles on his back. The whole time he was buzzing but as every second passed, the buzzing got quieter and quieter. Finally, he quit buzzing and it was over. I know it was just a bee, but I don't guess I've really ever seen anything actually go from being fine to dying. Call me a softey and a wuss, but I felt horrible.

Let me try to make this spiritual. Like the bee trying to get out, many times there are dreams and visions just dying to break out of us. Little glimpses show up here and there, but if we're not careful, we'll allow the words of others to "spray" death on them. What follows is a slow painful death of a dream. One saying goes like this, "old habits die hard." I beg to differ . . . . Dreams die hard. It's painful. And I started thinking . . . all of us have played the part of the bee at one time. All of us have played the part of mean ol' murderer (me). In either case . . . if your bee is trying to get out, don't be afraid to take the risk of opening a door or a window to see what happens. Yeah, it could backfire and you get hurt or disappointed, but at least you know. And, if you're the one with the spray can in your hand . . . don't do it . . . but if you must, step on it. It's quicker and easier.

Starting Over

It's been almost a month since I've blogged. I took a much needed vacation from internet posting altogether. I started seeing something in me that I didn't like. Ever so slowly, a temptation was rising up in me to compete or to at least look competitive. Competitive in what you ask? Well . . . everything.

In my other blogging, I did Sunday recaps. The temptation was always to try to make the service sound better than maybe it actually was. This didn't happen all the time, but at the risk of it looking as if we had an off day to readers and maybe church members, I would sugar coat the truth. Nobody's fault but my own. Then of course, I got to thinking about my reasoning for posting Sunday recaps. Is my blog really my blog, or is it a church blog? Am I blogging my true thoughts, or am I blogging what I wish people would think about me and maybe my ministry? Honestly, I've felt quite hypocritical many times. There were many times I left our Sunday services scratching my head wondering what in the world happened only to blog that "we had a good service." I'm just trying to be honest here.

In a world and occupation where the natural tendencies to fight are those of competition and measuring up, I found my blog to be another fight rather than a place to express myself, my thoughts, and my feelings. Reading back, I mostly only blogged about church events. People in my church did read them and I got some great comments, so I recognize the importance and impact blogging about church happenings can have. This is why I've decided to separate the two. In the coming weeks, I'm going to develop a church blog in which anyone in ministry at the church can use and post on. It will hopefully become the official place for Perry Crossroads Church of God feedback and discussion. As for my blog . . . sorry to disappoint, but you're just going to get me. It'll be my thoughts, my struggles, my feelings . . . me. I may or may not talk about a Sunday service, but if I do, it'll be my honest interpretation.

Hey, I'm not trying to be selfish here. I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I think one thing I've learned over the past month is that people in general are tired of watching preachers put the "S" on their chest every time they are in public whether that be in the community or on the internet. When many people's dreams have crashed to the ground in the wake of reality, they want to see someone in reality that still has the ability to dream. I want to be that kind of person.

So here's to the new start. New site. New blog. New beginning. Hope you enjoy. I know I will.