Matt's Great Big Blog

All Business Cards.com Business card giveaway

2009-07-15T14:35:00.001-05:00

The people at AllBusinessCards.com are having an awesome giveaway on their site. Go check it out and possible win some free business cards. I'm pretty stoked about it and have entered it myself. Good luck.

My Dad

2007-06-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

I know this is a day late, but I didn't get a chance to write this yesterday. Yesterday was Father's Day so I just wanted to say a few things about my dad. I couldn't have asked for a better one. I've grown up and seen lots of dads that aren't as involved in the lives of their kids, who didn't quite get the significance of spending quality time with their sons. My dad wasn't like that at all. I grew up playing baseball every summer from the time I was 5 until I was 18 years old and now playing some softball and baseball even now at 28. My dad was there all the time. He was there teaching me to play baseball before I was old enough to play city league. He was there cheering me on during the countless city league, all-star and high school games. He was sometimes critical but not overbearing when it came to teaching me about baseball. He didn't show favortism towards me the one time he got to be my head coach. I always respected that about him, being a victim of many coaches who thought their kid was the greatest to ever play. His role as dad went far beyond the baseball field though. He was a great role model for me and my brother. My dad overcame a lot of bad choices as a teen and young adult to become a patient yet stern Christian example that steered me to become the person I am today. He always told me that he loved me and my brother and many dads sadly don't say that to their kids. I'm lucky to blessed with two parents who love me as much as they do and I hope to be a good parent one day as well and my kid/s will be lucky to have two sets of grandparents who will help pass the love down to them.

Oh yeah, and my dad still comes to my softball and baseball games and it still means just as much now as it did when I was a kid.

Blank

2007-06-04T16:08:00.001-05:00

You know, sometimes nothing happens on the weekend. I was badly sunburned so I barely went outside, therefore I stayed home and was extremely lazy. Therefore, not much happened. I've turned from a lobster into a banana. My skin is peeling like crazy. It's gross, yet cool at the same time if that's possible. Ole Miss did clinch it's 3rd straight super regional so that's cool. They have to go to Tempe, AZ so that sucks. I am coughing like crazy and I hate it, yesterday Leslie and I were in Old Navy and I was coughing so bad I was sure that someone was about to call The Center for Disease Control, so I left and waited in the car with tears streaming down my face from all of the coughing. Coughing really sucks!

Recovering Lobster & A Movie

2007-05-31T09:14:00.001-05:00

So apparently I have sun poisoning. I've been sick the last couple of days and not completely better yet. I've had cold-like symptoms which are apparently from the good burning I received from the sun Monday. I'm doing better today but still not 100%. I hope I learned my lesson this time. My shoulders are still pretty sore and red but getting better each day. Hopefully I'll be pain free by the weekend. We shall see.

I watched a pretty good movie last night. "The Night Listener". It's a psychological thriller starring Robin Williams. It's about a phone relationship with a 14 year old boy who's manuscript William's Character Gabriel Noone had been given. However after talking to the boy's "adoptive mother" over the phone the question arises whether or not the boy even really exists or if the "mother" simply made him up and disguises her voice to sound like a teenage boy. I actually enjoyed it and recommend it. Robin Williams makes some pretty good movies. "One Hour Photo" and "The Final Cut" are also good movies starring Williams. Go check them out.

Lobster Anyone?

2007-05-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

"Why do I have a picture of a lobster on my blog?" You might ask. Well, it's simple. Because right now I look like one. Yesterday Leslie and I spent part of the day with some friends on the Tombigbee River near Columbus. Needless to say, I was out there a little bit too long and today I am paying the price. Mind you, I've been burnt worse before, but it's still never fun to be sun burned. I guess I will never learn my lesson.

Sunday I got to sing with two friends of mine at First Christian Church here in West Point. We sang "One Thing I Ask", "Hide Me Away, O Lord" and "Wait on the Lord" (which I learned in 10 minutes). People are always so impressed at a cappella singing when they aren't used to hearing it at their church. It is always music to my ears having grown up around it my whole life. To me, there is nothing quite like it and I love every opportunity to sing with my friends.

Friday, I attended the worst graduation EVER. My cousin graduated from West Point High so me and some of my family went to see him. For some odd reason we met his parents at the far end of the stadium where it was hard to see anything. And I don't think I heard 10 words of the graduation ceremony because people all around us were talking, stomping on the stands and showing up 30 minutes after graduation started. I faintly heard the principal ask for respect and silence since graduation is supposed to be a dignified event, yet I saw no action taken to make that happen. I was really angry. Why do people have such a hard time showing even the smallest amount of respect.

My Ears Hurt

2007-05-24T15:54:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Jordin Sparks on winning American Idol last night. She definitely deserved it. That makes two years in a row that a worthy contestant has won it, unlike seasons 3 & 4. I am so lucky though, I got home just in time to catch Bette Midler in her ear piercing performance of "Wind Beneath My Wings". I though Bette Midler could sing. BOY WAS I WRONG! Check it out for yourself, but when your ears start bleeding, don't blame me, blame the blonde haired chick who obviously traded vocal chords with a wounded penguin.

The Cell Phone Prank

2007-05-22T15:13:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love "The Office". I think I can relate to it on many levels since I happen to work in an office filled with cubicles and sometimes annoying people. This is the famous cell phone prank Jim and Pam pulled on Andy. Enjoy!

Back Again...

2007-05-21T13:18:00.000-05:00

I'm gonna try to be a more efficient and regular blogger. We'll see how that works out.

Life has been pretty good lately after going through some rough moments. It's funny how things turn out so unexpectedly when you think you know exactly how things will play out. I guess God has a funny way of showing us who is boss. The great thing about that is He always gives us what is best. I'll share more about those things at a later date.

I'm sad to see so many show's seasons coming to an end, especially since this has probably been the most shows I have watched on a regular basis in a long time. My favorites have been "Lost", "Heroes" and "The Office". The "Heroes" season finale is tonight (should be a good one) while "Lost" will be ending it's season on Wednesday (can't wait to see it). "The Office" ended its season last Thursday. I was tuned in to a great website where you can view every single episode of "The Office" and a few other shows for free. Just go to fanpop.com. Enjoy.

Type at ya soon.

American Idol Auditions

2007-01-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how many of you watch American Idol out there, but I think I have renewed my passion for it this year. I watched the entire second season from start to finish, but haven't been as interested the last two times around. I'm not sure I'll catch it all this time around either, but I really love watching the auditions. It makes for some good laughs anyway. Who told these people they can sing? Especially the ones who are bad, yet are teaching others to sing as well. Holy crap, make sure you do some background investigating before you hire your next voice coach.

Last week's shows proved that the American Northwest is flat out weird. There was strange weirdo after strange weirdo, especially in Seattle. Wow. I thought that American Idol had invaded a Star Trek convention or something. Tonight the auditions will come from Memphis and I have a feeling that the South is gonna come through big time. Should be a good one.

I'm all for the judges being honest to the people auditioning, but sometimes they just go a little too far. I'm sure the music business can be cruel, but dang! give some of the folks a break. I honestly believed that some of them were not all there mentally to begin with. Simon told one guy he looked like a jungle creature. Whaa!?

The sad thing I see in these auditions is the weight many of the contestants put on themselves to make it through, to be a huge star, etc., etc. Why is this so important to some people. I wanted to grab some of those that came out crying as if life was over and tell them, "There is more to life than this, so much more!" That really makes me sad.

Defend God?

2007-01-16T09:48:00.000-06:00

I was directed to thes two links, here and here.

It seems there is a growing number of people who are attacking the foundations of Christianity and claiming that we are wrong or as the videos say, "delusional". So the question is, "Do we need to defend God?".

Atheists, like the one/s who made these videos claim to be revealing the truth to us. Sound familiar? These videos really struck a chord with me and made me think about how to respond to someone like this. I'm still not really sure how I would respond. The fact is, no overwhelming proof, scientific or otherwise, can be given to dispell the truth of God. Faith is what we have, a gift from a God, that fuels our belief in Him. Faith is not physical, so obviously it can't be seen. It's something that is spiritual and therefore cannot be proven by holding it in our hand and showing it to someone. But, alas, we can show it to them in other ways. Through kindness, compassion, love and by sharing all the gifts that God has shared with us.

I have argued before with people who are atheist. My conclusion is that arguing with someone like that is futile. Instead we, as Christians, need to stop arguing for proof and telling people how wrong they are and start sharing with them how much they are loved by the God by showing them our Faith. We need to stop Defending God and start Sharing God.

Guitar Hero II

2007-01-10T09:15:00.000-06:00

Ok, so you have to check this game out. Leslie and I bought it this past weekend and we have both been semi-addicted to it. The fact that it actually comes with a real guitar is an awesome. It's got some great songs on it as well. "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Freebird" are two examples. The guitar has five colored buttons on it, a strum bar and a whammy bar. You must strum and push the colored buttons that appear on the screen to the beat of the song. Depending on how well you do you either get lots of cheers or you get booed off the stage. It makes for a cool party game. Hey, if Leslie likes a Playstation 2 game then you know it must be good.

How Great Is Our God

2007-01-08T14:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had an awesome Sunday morning service. Mike came back from Birmingham for the first time since Janet's transplant and preached an awesome sermon and shared Janet's powerful testimony and his own testimony about how all of this has opened his eyes even more to God's power and his timing, which is perfect by the way. I had originally planned to sing "Shout to the Lord" following his sermon but changed it to "How Great is Our God" yesterday morning at the last minute when I saw the title of his sermon was "How Great is Our God". It's a song, he shared, that Janet loves. So before we sang the song Mike was advised by Scott and Allison that he should call Janet so that she could listen/sing it with us. He couldn't get her at first, but as we got to the middle of the song, he was finally able to contact her and let her listen to the song as we sang. Such a powerful moment and a moment that reminded me of why we come together to worship.

God's power and perfect timing has been so evident through Janet since the call was made to her and Mike that they had a potential match. It truly humbles me to think about it and to try and comprehend it, which I've come to find out is impossible. It definitely opened my eyes to live for each moment and to not take for granted the life God has given me, but instead to use it for his glory and for the purpose he has put me on this Earth to fulfill. It's a work in progress, but I'm willing to work at it. I hope you'll join me. God truly is a Great God.

"Sing with me How Great is Our God"

I'm a Bad Blogger

2007-01-04T11:00:00.000-06:00

Ok, it has been well over a month since my last post. For that, I apologize. For some reason I have had trouble getting motivated to write for some reason, but I will try to do better. It will be one of my New Year's resolutions. Much has happened since the last time I wrote, the most exciting of which is the new pair of lungs Janet Ellis recently received on Dec. 20. Wow! What a great Christmas present, huh? If you would like to follow her progress (which, so far is going excellent) and drop a message or two of encouragement, visit www.carepages.com and search for "janetlungs". I'm sure she would greatly appreciate some more encouraging words.

Leslie and I had a great Christmas. I always love spending time with my family on Christmas and exchanging gifts, laughing together and just enjoying each other's company. I got some cool gifts, as always, which is pretty exciting, so I plan on using/wearing all of them quite often.

New Year's Eve was fun as we spent it at my Uncle Johnathan and Aunt Missy's house where we watched an excellent display of fireworks from Johnathan, who I worry a little about, with his passion for pyrotechnics and fire and all, haha. Anyway, it was another fun time and for me, it's about the only time I get to stay up late and not be the only one doing so, so that was nice.

With the new year comes new beginnings and fresh starts. 2006 wasn't the greatest year for me, although it wasn't a total loss. We lost my uncle David to heart attack in May, I stopped doing Youth Ministry and some other things happened that just made for a tough time, although I have to say it ended on a pretty good note. Things continue looking up and I know that we have to remember to look at the big picture and see the lessons God is always trying to teach us, whether in good times or bad. My God is the god of second chances (and third & fourth, etc.) and he has blessed with a new year to get to know him more and start over again. His grace is and mercy are truly amazing. I'll leave you with this verse:

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21

The weekend

2006-11-21T09:51:00.001-06:00

Had a pretty good weekend overall. Friday night West Point defeated Lafayette County 20-13 with a late 71 yard touchdown run and a last second interception to seal the win and secure their spot in the class 4A North Championship against 4A powerhouse Clarksdale in Clarksdale. If West Point wins Friday they will advance to play in their second consecutive (8th overall) State championship game in Jackson, MS. Looks like I'll be going to Clarksdale Friday. Since 2003 West Point has lost to only one 4A team (this year against Louisville, 20-14). This should be an exciting game in the Delta.

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Saturday Ole Miss took LSU into overtime in a game Ole Miss had every oppurtunity win being up 20-7 in the 4th quarter, only to give up two late touchdowns and a game winning field goal in overtime to lose 23-20. I just hope they spank those dirty Bulldogs this week in Oxford.

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Janet got a call for potential lungs Sunday night, so I rode with Mike to Birmingham Sunday night about 11:00, but about 2:15 am the nurse came in the room and told them that the lungs were no good, so Mike and I returned to West Point about 5:00 am Monday and I spent the rest of the day sleeping. Continue to pray for Janet and for her to receive some new lungs. She has been an inspiration to so many during their time in West Point.

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Well, this is my last day working this week, taking/getting the rest off for Thanksgiving. I give thanks for that, haha! There really is much to be thankful for. Family, Friends, Loved ones and most of all to a loving God who cares so much for all of us. Have a great Thanksgiving week!!!

The weekend

2006-11-21T09:51:00.000-06:00

Facing the Giants

2006-11-15T13:05:00.000-06:00

Leslie and I went late Sunday night to finally see the movie "Facing the Giants". This movie was made by a church in Georgia using no professional actors. I was really impressed with it and came away inspired. The acting, as expected, was subpar but it didn't take me long to get past that part and enjoy the purpose of the movie. It's about a high school coach, which many parents want to get rid of, who decideds to put everything in God's hands including his football team (the school is a Christian school) and relays that message to his players. Great things begin to happen, but I'll let you watch the movie to see what exactly happens. I suggest that you go see this movie, it's very inspiring and has a great message. One thing I will say is that it does sugarcoat Christianity somewhat. I'm not saying that God is not able to do all of the things that were done in this movie but things don't always turn out in real life as sugar coated as they do in the movie. But it is a good story about how God's blessings await those who are ready to receive them.

Inching Closer

2006-11-14T09:06:00.000-06:00

West Point survived the 2nd round of the class 4A playoffs this past Friday as they defeated the Oxford Chargers 27-23 in an extremely close ballgame. West Point's top player who was suspended for the first half of this game due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the first round came in in the second half and racked up around 240 yards rushing/receiving to outgain the entire Oxford offense for the game. The kid is a game changer and should be the key to West Point winning in the third round.

Next up for West Point? the Lafayette County Commodores who are currently 10-2 coming off a second round win against a good Kosciusko team. Luckily this game will be played in West Point where West Point is hard to beat. If West Point can win this one they will advance to play in the class 4A North State Championship against the winner of Yazoo City/Clarksdale for a right to play in the State Championship at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson. I just love High School Football! Go Green Wave!

Somebody's Getting Married

2006-11-09T10:24:00.000-06:00

Today a good friend of mine is tying the knot. That friend's name is Brandon. I'm honored to be a part of the wedding this weekend (even though I am missing a certain 2nd round playoff game) and I'm sure it will go over well and no one (Brandon) will pass out from nervousness or excitement at the next big step in life (I will admit though, it would be pretty funny to see that). Anywho, Brandon I've told you this already when you told me about the engagement but I'm really happy for you and I wish the best for both of you. Marriage is a really good thing, no matter what others say, especially when you're married to someone whom you love so much and that returns the same amount of love to you.

I'll be there Friday night with bells on and my phone on silent (of course) for the rehearsal, don't worry (as if you were worried anyway). Best of luck to you and I hope you enjoyed today's blog (cause I know you read it daily) and the excessive amount of parentheses I used in it. I'll leave you with this.

Ephesians 5:25-33
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Clean and Healthy

2006-11-08T10:17:00.000-06:00

It looks like Leslie doesn't have the flu. She was feeling better yesterday except for some weakness, but it looks like her sickness is gone which makes me really happy. She drank some TheraFlu stuff Monday night that smelled like a candle and she said it tasted like one to. In fact it even looked like a melted candle. Maybe that's TheraFlu's secret. Hmmm. Thoughts to ponder.

I decided to clean up our apartment while Leslie lazed around so I spent most of last night doing that. Lots of fun, let me tell you. But, hey, a clean home is a happy home, right? or something like that.

I watched a little snippet of Shepherds Chapel with Pastor Arnold Murray this morning before work, except it was his son on instead today. Any of you ever watched these guys before? They give me the creeps. I think he said that Cain was not Adam's son this morning. Huh?

Have a great Wednesday

Sickness and Coolness

2006-11-07T09:17:00.000-06:00

Leslie is battling some sickness right now, hopefully it's not the flu. *fingers crossed* so she has been doing some resting the past day or two. I'm hoping I don't catch what she's got.

So I go to my Landlords' apartment (they live in the apt. building) to pay rent. Sunday night they were in attendance when we sang. I knock on the door and they let me in and I hand them the envelope with the rent check. We talked about Sunday night and they mentioned how they enjoyed us and that we did really well then he gets up and leaves the room and comes back with a $20 bill and hands it to me and said he meant to put it in the collection basket Sunday night (they took up an offering for us at West End). I though that was extremely cool of him to do that. Apparently he didn't even mind that my rent was 5 days late. God works in mysterious ways sometimes.

Singing

2006-11-06T09:46:00.000-06:00

We sang last night at West End Baptist Church here in town. It was probably the worst we have done in a while. It seemed like everything just went wrong as soon as we walked into the building. We had trouble with our speakers, we couldn't get the monitors to work, the sound in the building was horrible plus we couldn't hear ourselves and we started a song too high. It was rough. I even tried to be funny but got no response from the crowd. However, many people said they enjoyed us and that we did a great job, so unless they were just trying to be nice cause they felt sorry for us, then I guess it wasn't so bad. There's nothing worse than awkward silence when you are speaking in front of a crowd haha! Maybe we need to practice a little more next time.

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West Point beat NE Lauderdale 39-14 Friday night and moves on to play the Oxford Chargers at Oxford next Friday in the Class 4A second round. This is a rematch of last year's North State Championship which West Point won 24-14. Sadly, WP will be without it's best player for most or all of the game due to an ejection he received in the 4th quarter Friday night. It will make a win that much tougher.

1st Round

2006-11-03T09:30:00.000-06:00

West Point begins their run for a second straight class 4A state championship tonight as they take on the Northeast Lauderdale Trojans in the 1st round of the playoffs. I don't know much about NEL other than they have an athletic QB and a pretty good wide receiver. West Point has been playing really well lately and if they can avoid the turnovers tonight then they should win this by a couple of scores. It will be cold, but I'll be there with my gigantic jacket that makes me look like the Michelin Man, but that's football weather for ya. Hopefully I'll be going to watch Ole Miss capture their 3rd win of the season against Northwestern State (Louisiana) tomorrow afternoon. Tis the weekend for football, much to Leslie's displeasure. Kidding. Hope everyone has a great and safe weekend.

An apology

2006-11-01T10:16:00.000-06:00

It has been almost two weeks since my last post and for that I am truly sorry. There are a couple of reasons for my recent non bloggish attitude. Either I have nothing to write about or I just can't get motivated to write about anything. Either way, I am truly ashamed and will try to bestow some more of my "great" wisdom upon you... yes all 2 of you. Mind you, I'm not making any promises, but I will try to do better. I really don't want this blog to die, I really do enjoy having it, although it's hard to tell that since I rarely write anything in it. But really I do!!! Much has happened to me in the last couple of months, some good, some bad and I'm sure some blog-worthy things may happen to me soon. We'll see. Hey maybe I can write a story about a guy named Brandon who is finally getting married. We'll see. :)

Later.

Leslie's Grandmother

2006-10-20T08:03:00.000-05:00

Leslie's Grandmother passed away yesterday morning. Please pray for her and her family as they grieve.

Death is such a scary thing and such an unfortunate thing, but it is something we must all deal with at some point in our lives and it has been my experience that God is always there even in tragic circumstances making something positive out of something so sad, we just have to open up our eyes and see it for ourselves.

My Theme Song

2006-10-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

White and Nerdy

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Stuck

2006-10-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

Every feel like you're stuck in a rut?

That's me right now

Random...again

2006-09-26T14:26:00.000-05:00

Keeping with my self-proclaimed randomness week, I will now reveal the random fact of the week:

"Warren means 'rabbit hut' or 'rabbit den'."

There, I said it, are you happy now?

Randominity

2006-09-25T16:47:00.000-05:00

Random quote of the week:

"Cannons sure have come a long way." - Leslie Warren

I love her!!

Happy Birthday to Leslie

2006-09-14T14:55:00.000-05:00

Today is my wife's Birthday, she is now 27 years old. Happy Birthday, Leslie. I Love You. I'm so thankful for a wife that loves me as much as I love her. There is nothing better than having someone love and care for me regardless of my many faults. Happy Birthday!!!!!!

The Big Rivalry

2006-09-08T10:31:00.000-05:00

Tonight West Point takes on easily its biggest rival in the Starkville High School Yellowjackets. This has always been a heated and intense rivalry, however West Point has been on the losing end quite often in the rivalry with Starkville winning 15 of the last 16. West Point's last victory came two years ago in 20-13 home win. Starkville took last year's game 13-9 despite being heavily outgained in yardage by West Point, unfortunately turnovers doomed the Green Wave. This is always an exciting game with an overflow crowd always on hand. Hopefully West Point can pull out the victory tonight against a not as good as usual Starkville team.

This area has been a hot spot for big time high school football which makes rivalries in these parts more heated. There have been a mass of state titles won in this area. West Point has 5 state titles, Starkville has 4, Louisville has 5 and Amory has 3 as well as Tupelo with 2. Although none of these teams play Amory, Starkville, Louisville and West Point all play each other in pretty intense rivalry games. It makes for some interesting football games.

And by the way, Ole Miss takes on a pretty good Missouri team tomorrow at 11 a.m. Hotty Toddy!

Crossing Cultural Boundaries

2006-09-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

We had an interesting class last night at church. We discussed why, at least in West Point, churches seem to be separated by race. The overwhelming answer from us was that people are not comfortable with the worship styles that are so different from one race, and in some case, one denomination to another. The different worship styles probably come from our cultural backgrounds. In West Point, African American congregations have more expressive worship styles, why whites are often more reserved. Should we try to integrate our churches? Personally, I feel that it would be a great thing, but I feel that most people, both black and white would not be willing to do that.

The more I think about this, the more I realize that when it comes to reaching out to the Lost we too often only reach out to those similar to us (the white churches get whiter, the black churches get blacker). I think it's time for Christians to be willing to cross over those cultural boundaries to reach people for Jesus, to be willing to proclaim his message to anyone regardless of their "color" or "social" status. We have made an effort at the Old Aberdeen Road Church of Christ to reach out to the African American churches in West Point to simply say, we are with you and we love you, and we have also done that with other denominations in general mostly through our singing group, "Refuge". But I think as a whole we haven't done enough for the lost of the community. Sure, we are inviting our friends to join us on Sunday mornings, but are we reaching out and serving those we don't know and don't usually "associate" with? (I'm including myself as well). I just think we can do better, so I am challenging you and I to be more aware of those around us regardless of what they look like and be prepared to reach out and serve them in some way, whether it's with money, food, kind words, a prayer, or simply a smile. You'd be surprised how the little things you do can go a long way in blessing someone.

Howdy

2006-09-05T09:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the sucky title but I just couldn't think of a catchy one for this post. This weekend was good. The singing went well at the Prairie Arts Festival, the only bad thing is that we had 4 microphones for 8 people, which is nothing new for us. We improvised and everyone said we sounded great, so that makes me happy. I got my yearly funnel cake at the festival, which is pretty much the only reason I go to it other than to sing, of course. I love me some funnel cake!

Both West Point and Ole Miss won this weekend, so that also made me happy. West Point pounded Columbus 37-6 and Ole Miss pulled one out against Memphis 28-25. The future looks much brighter for the Rebels this year. I would love to see them win at least 6 and maybe get a bowl game. We'll see. I hope everyone else enjoyed a safe and happy labor day weekend.

Kay Baine Rules!

2006-09-01T11:10:00.000-05:00

West Point travels to Columbus tonight to take on Columbus high school who defeated a weak New Hope team 40-7 last week. Should be a good one. Timmy's grillin out at his house in New Hope before the game.

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Ole Miss kicks off the season against Memphis Sunday at 3:30 on ESPN. Good times ahead (hopefully)

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Refuge is singing at 9:15am tomorrow at the Prairie Arts Festival, we'll be at the gazebo. We go on before none other than Kay Baines of Buddy & Kay morning show fame on WTVA. My Blog title is a little misleading however, because I truly despise her morning show, which still comes on, by the way. I am sure she is just as nice as she can be, but watching that show makes me want to stick a fork in my ear for relief (or just turn the channel, whichever). I have never heard singer sound good on her show (especially her) and I'm not sure why. Hey, maybe she'll ask us to sing on her show. Hmmmm...

Close Call & Bad Traffic

2006-08-29T09:21:00.000-05:00

West Point squeaked one out Friday night against Noxubee Co. West Point won by the final score of 10-8 after Noxubee fumbled a snap on 4th & 4 from inside the 10. West Point fans breathed a big sigh of relief. It was kind of a sloppy game, but most season opening games are in high school football. West Point will improve as their new coach continues to get broke in. This week, Columbus High School.

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Leslie and I journeyed down to Jackson, MS this weekend to watch the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints play in their final preseason game at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Leslie bought me tickets earlier this year as an anniversary gift. The game itself was fun, Peyton Manning played the entire first half and showed why he is the best QB in the NFL, and Deuce McCallister and Reggie Bush got significant playing time for the Saints, however what wasn't fun was being stuck in traffic for an hour and waiting 30 minutes outside of the stadium, tickets in hand, to get into the stadium at the one of two gates that were open. It was the most poorly organized event I have ever been to. Some people did not get into the game until halftime because of traffic and crowd overflow at the gates. I highly doubt Jackson will be hosting an NFL game anytime in the near future. It was truly sad and a waste of money for the people who couldn't get in.

Here's a link to a blog that has some funny comments about the crowd overflow. Click here

It's Finally Here

2006-08-25T11:16:00.000-05:00

The time is here again. That's right, High School football is back in full swing tonight as West Point travels to Macon, MS to take on Rival Noxubee County in the first game of the season. I love high school football, always have and always will. I think it's the familiarity of it. Knowing kids and coaches on the team personally, and not just from reading the newspaper. The innocence of it, no scholarships or big contracts, just pure love and passion for the game.

West Point is coming off of their best season since 1989 (when they won their 3rd straight state title) winning the 2005 4A state title in dramatic fashion over highly favored Wayne County. This year West Point must replace 29 seniors from last years team, leaving 6 returning starters on the #1 defense in 4A, and 3 starters on the #2 offense in 4A. It will definitely be a more challenging year, but from what I saw in their jamboree game against a good 5A Tupelo team, they look to be up to meeting the expectations that they lived up to last year.

West Point will begin their quest for a 6th state title which would give them more than any other team above the 1A classification (unless South Panola - 5 state titles - wins a state title in 5A this year). In the 1980's, West Point was the king of high school football in any classification winning the AA state title in 1982 over highly favored Gulfport, and being the first and until recently the only large school to ever win 3 straight state titles, winning them in 4A in 87 & 88, and then moving up to 5A and winning it all in 89. West Point has also been to the title game two other times, losing in 85 and 2002. They are one of the more tradition rich programs in the state, and although they hit a rough patch in the mid and late nineties, a once proud program has been revived and is now back on the map. In fact, since West Point's 2002 state title game loss to D'iberville, they have yet to lose to a 4A opponent, moving up to 5A in 03 & 04 (although still competing against some 4A competition).

West Point will compete in Region 1-4A for the second year which includes Shannon, New Albany, Tishomingo County, Itawamba Agricultural, Pontotoc & Saltillo. Although playing in arguable the weakest district in the state, West Point's tough non-region schedule against Noxubee, Columbus, Starkville & Louisville will have them battle tested come playoff time. Here's to another great season for the hometown team.

My prediction for tonight's game:

WP - 21
NC - 6

I Need Strength

2006-08-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

I've hit a rut lately. Spiritually speaking. I've become lazy and complacent. I'm not sure why, maybe my not being a youth minister anymore has something to do with it, maybe it's something else. I'm not really sure, but I know I need to study more, to do more, to be a better husband to Leslie, to be a better servant, to have a better attitude and more confidence in God. I am thankful that I am just a work in progress, far from perfection. I share these struggles so that someone else may join me in knowing God more, trusting him more, and realizing that we can accomplish nothing on our own strength, but God can accomplish amazing things through us when we allow him to work in us.

City League Champs

2006-08-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

With a final record of 13-0 the 'Phillip's Hardware Bulldogs' are the 2006 City League Fastball champs. We defeated 'Blazon Tube' by a score of 9-5 last night to win our second title in 3 years of Fastball in West Point. This league is so much fun and I recommend trying to get your parks & rec people to install this league in your town.

I was really upset at what I saw last night, however. The team we played against were the biggest babies and complainers I have just about ever seen. And yes, they were adults (by age only). The game was really close for the most part and during one inning our first baseman made a diving catch down the line and raced to first base to try and beat the runner. As he dove and tagged the base with his glove the runner kicked the ball out of his glove and the umpire (making the right call) called the runner out. That was when the crap hit the fan. Blazon went ballistic and started spewing profanities out loud and yelling at the umpire and even threatening to beat up the recreation director who was telling them to calm down or forfeit. REDICULOUS! We said nothing during this time, but instead played with class as we did all season. I am so glad to be able to play on good teams, who can be good without having to be jerks and using foul language. We had some good guys on our team, and people who came out to the park and watched this season noticed that and commented about that. I must admit, it gave me great joy to shut them up by beating them. I hate when people act like that but it makes it so much more enjoyable to beat them. Mouths don't win the game, maybe they'll remember that next year.

And I am so lucky to have parents who still love to come and watch me and my brother play baseball, and a wife who does as well, and even cares enough to bring a Gatorade.

Finally, Bulldogs that are actually good at a sport. BOOYAH!!! State Fans!!!

I Told You So

2006-08-22T09:23:00.000-05:00

We pulled out our victory against the 'Old Wave' in the sixth inning with a game ending single. The final score was 6-5. We were pretty much outplayed but managed to catch a break at the end and win it. After playing poorly in that game and having to play another game right after that, we proceeded to Spank a very good 'Mossy Oak Hooks' team 18-1 in three innings. The two wins last night brings our overall record to 12-0 and also puts us in the championship game tonight at 8:30 against whoever emerges from the loser's bracket. The only time you will ever hear me say this: "Go Bulldogs!"

Stein Alf!!!

2006-08-21T11:02:00.000-05:00

Can I just say that Poison and Cinderella were freaking AWESOME. I would definitely go see them again. Cinderella's front man said he was having voice problems but I couldn't really tell except for on one song. Both bands put on a great show, and seeing them live really lets you how great they really are as musicians. I'll try to re-post this blog with a couple of pictures soon.

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The "Bulldogs" (I hate the name personally) continue the quest for our second Fastball league title in 3 years tonight as we take on the "Old Wave" (made up of some former Green Wave baseball players) which includeds my brother. We are currently undefeated and I predict it will stay that way tonight. Yes, Timmy, you heard that right (You to Brandon), "The Old Wave is going down". You heard it hear first.

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I really want to do more as a Christian, I hope to start being a better servant. I am realizing that now more than ever.

Thank Ya Very Much

2006-08-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

I was Elvis Saturday. Kind of. I was asked to sing an Elvis song with our group "Refuge" Saturday at Danny and Theresa Bailey's 25th anniversary party. Theresa is a huge Elvis fan so her daughter thought it would be neat if I sang "I Can't Help Falling In Love" for her. Now, I didn't dress like Elvis... at all, and I'm not even sure how much I sounded like Elvis, but I wooed her and even had a handkerchief in my pocket that I wiped my forhead with and gave to her. It was absolutely hilarious and I had a blast doing it, just don't think I want to do it all the time, so don't get any ideas!!!

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Our adult city league baseball team won the regular season crown yesterday and now we start the playoffs tonight. I'm so thankful I still get to play baseball, at least a little bit.

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And congrats to my good friend, Brandon on his engagement. ABOUT TIME!! Kidding, of course (About the second sentence, not the first one, or... oh Nevermind)

Later Folks,

Elvis has left the building

Big Hair Concert

2006-08-11T10:30:00.000-05:00

During the late 80's when I was still a little kid I loved the Big Hair Bands such as, Whitesnake, Cindarella, Ratt, Winger, Def Leppard, Great White, Poison and others. Me and Paul Graham would Rock out in our rooms together pretending we were in one and vowed to actually be in one one day. Well, Paul did go on to play with bands, I however never even learned to play an instrument, but I do still sing and my goal was to be the lead singer. All these memories were being brought back for me when Leslie informed me that Poison and Cinderella were going to be in concert in Pelham, AL next Friday. So, yes, we purchased tickets and we are journeying just outside of Birmingham to Rock Out! with Poison and Cindarella and a couple of other bands. It should be lots of fun, especially since I was always too young to go see them in their prime.

Now I need to figure out what to where, maybe some extremely tight leather pants, a fish net wifebeater shirt and a leather jacket and a really curly long haired wig. Oh, and I can't forget the snakeskin boots. Then again, maybe not. But maybe I should buy one of the tour T-shirts with the band's tour dates on the back. Those were the days.

And remember, Every Rose Has It's Thorn.

Anniversary

2006-08-04T16:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was mine and my wife's 4 year Anniversary.

I am happy to be married to such a wonderful person. God truly is good.

End of a Chapter

2006-08-02T10:24:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday morning I informed the youth group that I would no longer be the youth minister at the Old Aberdeen Road Church of Christ. A decision was made between me and the elders that I would step aside. It was a shock, yes, but I believe it was an answer to a prayer that I have been praying for the last few months. I am sad that I won't be serving in this capacity any longer, but I will continue to be the worship leader. As one door closes another will open and God will lead me into something else. I feel like I served to the best of my ability and gave much to the kids there and I regret nothing. I worry about the direction these kids are taking and I pray that people will step up and lead them in the right direction.

Refuge Concert Last Night

2006-07-31T11:22:00.000-05:00

Last night was awesome. Our group "Refuge" had a concert at the church building and invited the community to it. We had a great time of worship and everyone really enjoyed our singing and many shared with us that we had blessed them through our ministry. It's such an encouragement to know that you are having an impact on someone else. We clapped, we raised our hands, we knelt down to sing and we even shouted. Yep, I think we broke a lot of Church of Christ "rules". 190 people showed up and we just enjoyed praising God together. I hope we can do this again sometime. Sometimes we don't always fully grasp the impact we have on others and then God opens our eyes to the fact that we have a huge impact on the people around us. We need to realize that and use our talents for God's glory no matter what your talent is. Praise be to God for his wonderful love and the wonderful gifts he bestows on everyone of us.

More Pics From St. Louis

2006-07-27T15:08:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures from the St. Louis Zoo (which is free by the way). By the way, Sunday July 23rd was the one year anniversary of my first post on this blog. My blog is now 1 year and 4 days old.

A gorilla... um... smoking crack?

I Love Gorillas!

Pictures of St. Louis

2006-07-26T09:13:00.000-05:00

Leslie and I had a lot of fun in St. Louis this past weekend. There was plenty to do so it kept us occupied. My favorite thing was the arch. It was truly amazing to me to see how large it was, 630 ft. high. It's such a simple shape but it's so cool to look at when you're coming across the river. Here are some pictures of the arch, outside/inside, that I took last Friday. I'll post some more pictures of some other things we did tomorrow. There are way too many to post them all in one day. So enjoy the arch. You can click on the pictures to view a larger version.

Pictures from atop the arch
Busch Stadium – Home of the St. Louis Cardinals

Downtown St. Louis

Edward Jones Dome – Home of the St. Louis Rams

Pond in the Gateway Park

The mighty Mississippi River

Looking straight down

Inside the top of the arch

Leslie at 630 feet

Goin' to Da Lou

2006-07-19T09:38:00.000-05:00

I finally get to take a vacation this year, albeit a short one, but I am anxious for it to get here. Leslie and I will be leaving tomorow for St. Louis, MO for the weekend. We are looking forward to getting away for a few days and just have some fun spending some quality time together, much need quality time together. We plan on going to Six Flags, probably Friday and checking out some other things in St. Louis, like the Arch and whatever else we can find. Pray for us.

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I don't even think that I have mentioned this on my blog so here goes. Sunday July 30th, Refuge who is also the praise team at O.A.R. (See my link to the right) will be doing a concert at the O.A.R. church. We are making this a community event to bring together believers from other denominations and hopefully unbelievers as well. We are hoping to reach out to other believers to let them know we are all on the same side. Although we may disagree on some biblical things we still serve and worship the same God and His son Jesus. Please pray for this event, as we are working really hard to get all of our songs together to sing for everyone. We will also be doing a good bit of singing involving the people who attend. If you live in West Point or the surrounding area feel free to come and enjoy a night of praise and fellowship.

Target Customer Service... Bad, Bad, Bad

2006-07-13T08:47:00.000-05:00

So we had to deal with Target's customer service Tuesday afternoon. Mission, not accomplished. Leslie and her sister took a trip to Tuscaloosa, which is about an hour and a half from West Point, for a day of shopping and what not. The last thing they do is go to Target to get a few things. Leslie comes home, looks in her bag and realizes that all of her items are not in the bag, $20 worth of items. She searches her sister's bags and her car yet cannot find it anywhere. She concludes that the girl at the checkout must have forgotten to give it to her.

Leslie calls the Super Target in Tuscaloosa to tell them about her issue. She was transferred to customer service, who promptly told her there was nothing they could do about it, that she would have to come back to the store with her receipt even after she told them that she lived almost 2 hours away. "Sorry" was all they would say. So she calls the store again and asks to speak with a manager, the girl puts her on hold to transfer her to one, yet the call never gets through, so finally the receptionist asks her to wait to see if she could get someone to help her with her problem, but while she is gone the call is disconnected. So Leslie calls back again and is told by a different receptionist that there is nothing they could do about it and that she can come back, even two months from now with her receipt, and of course they were still gonna believe that things were left out of her bag. And there was also a number at the bottom of the receipt which apparently tracks the receipt and the items that were purchased, yet we couldn't give them that number, they need to see the receipt. The story is not over yet. I decide to call back, after searching the internet over for an 800 number to call unsuccessfully, and I ask for the number to their corporate headquarters which I did find out was in Minneapolis, MN. The number they gave was for Birmingham, telling me that is where the local corporate headquarters were. I thought that sounded strange but I called it anyway. After being transferred to someone I stated my issue to him and he told me "They transferred you to this number?"
"Yes", I said
"Well this is just the Target store in Birmingham", he stated.
So after that he finally gave me the number to customer service, and guess what, customer service was closed for the day. *Sigh*

Long Weekend

2006-07-11T08:54:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the prayers this past weekend. It really was a long weekend. Just doing a little fasting and praying. Hope everyone's having a great week so far, I'll try to write in some more this week. Peace!

Prayer Request

2006-07-07T09:45:00.000-05:00

Not going to discuss why until after the weekend, but please be in prayer for me, Leslie and a few other folks this weekend. We have a tough weekend ahead but I trust it will reap great results. More importantly, pray for the Old Aberdeen Road Church of Christ youth group. God is able:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us
- Ephesians 3:20

Influencing Others

2006-07-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

I had a pretty good weekend with a little bit of rest. My mom threw my grandmother a surprise 80th birthday party. We had a good bit of family over and ate some barbecue and hamburgers in my parents backyard. It was HOT, but we had fun. I love spending time with my family.

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Yesterday morning Mike gave a great lesson. The thing that stood out to me the most was the part about how we (Christians) as adults influence the next generation. Sometimes we take for granted that kids are watching us and listening to what we say. We need to be a good influences and be careful what we do and what we say because I don't think we will ever fully realize how much of an impact we have. As a youth minister I must try my best to set a good example for the youth group and I see too often that adults in the church forget about the youth and don't take advantage of the examples they are able to set for them. They need more Christian examples in their lives because their friends are not being that for them. How else will they learn to fear God, and to put him first in their live? We must show them how to do that and how important that is. Let's not forget about the next generation, the future leaders of the church and the influence we have over them. Make the most of it!

Last Night of VBS

2006-06-29T13:29:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the last night for our "King of Kings" VBS. I've had a blast leading the singing and getting to meet some of the kids who have visited our church this week. I hope they come back! Tonight the kids have been asked to invite their parents to come at 7:15 and sing with us and eat some ice cream aftewards. I was asked to mediate a Q & A session between one of the puppets and the audience and I am also going to be asking questions to the kids about the Kings they learned about this week, as the kings (David, Solom, Hezekiah, Nebuchadnezzar & Jesus) stand on the stage. Should be fun and promises to be, at the very least, very interesting. I can't wait to see the parents doing the hand motions to the songs we have been singing all week.

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Congratulations to Doug who was the winner of the 4000th visitor Grand Prize. I'll let you know soon what he got. I'm just glad someone finally responded to the competition.

Want A Prize?

2006-06-28T13:30:00.000-05:00

OK, I think I have a few more readers than the last time I tried this so let's see how it goes this time. If you visit my blog and the counter to the right of the page (may have to scroll down a little) says 4000, then leave a comment and let me know you are the 4000th visitor. After leaving a comment, click on my profile and then send me an E-mail by clicking on the E-mail link in my profile. If you are the 4000th visitor I will send you a prize. It won't be expensive or anything, but I'll make it a pretty cool one. It's already close to 4000. Good luck.

VBS - night 4 is tonight... Can't wait!

VBS - Night 2

2006-06-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

We had another great night at VBS. Not a large crowd, but that's to be expected since we were late planning the whole VBS thing anyway. I'm sure that will change next year. I had a little more trouble with the songs last night. It has been waaaaaaay too long since I have sung some of them so I'm a little rusty on the hand signs, hopefully my memory will come back tonight. Those little kids are so cute and some of the things they say just blow you away (in a good way). During the opening assembly last night we sang "B-I-B-L-E". I asked everyone, "Do you know what the Bible is?" and "Do you know what the Bible is about?". One little boy said "It's about Jesus". "That's right", I said, and as I was about to sing the song, he raised his hand and said "Jesus was hung on a cross!" That just melted my heart to hear him say that. Kids do listen. During the closing assembly I asked them to tell me something they learned in their classes (last night was about King Solomon). One girl raised her hand and said, "He had a lot of wives". Ha!! At least she learned something. You gotta start somewhere.

God bless all the women who have pulled this thing together in such a short time. Everything seems to be going very well and I expect this to be the beginning of an annual thing for the OAR church. Tonight I believe King Nebuchadnezzar will make his appearance.

King of Kings VBS

2006-06-26T13:14:00.000-05:00

Our first night of VBS was last night and I must say that I had a blast leading the singing with Mike. Kids love to sing and they love to sing loud. We sang a lot of old kid songs that I remember singing when I went to VBS back in the day. Can't wait to sing some more tonight. The kids seemed to really enjoy it and I know that it will get even better as the week progresses. I just wish the adults would sing like those kids do. Passion just flows out of them when we are singing songs like "Father Abraham", "The Lord's Army" and "Three Wandering Jews". It makes me want to sing even louder when I listen to them. Jesus was right on when he told the people that we must have faith like a child. I am so thankful for VBS.

Monday Night Live

2006-06-20T09:12:00.000-05:00

Wow!!! Monday Night Live went great last night! We had a packed house and the singing was awesome! That's always my favorite part of gathering to worship with other christians. No offense to those of you who worship with pianos and guitars (especially since I'm learning to play one), but to me there is nothing like hearing 150 voices making their own music together. Good stuff.

The kids did great in their skits and I hope they conveyed the message to everyone. I'm always extremely proud of them when they work hard to get their parts right and then proceed to do just that in front of others.

Our theme, as I said before, was "Travel Light". We discussed how God never intended for us to carry our burdens with us. He wants us to give our burdens to him, after all, he handles them much better than we ever could. I'm not sure why (maybe it's pride) but we tend to carry a lot of burdens with us in our lives. Grief, Loneliness, Depression, Anger, Jealousy, Guilt, the list goes on. These things hinder our walk with Christ and they hinder our ability and even our willingness to help others. We are to bear one another's burdens and ultimately give them over to God. We simply can't do it on our own, nor should we have to. When Christ died he bore the weight of the entire world on his shoulders so that we wouldn't have to do it ourselves. Yes, even when we bring those burdens on ourselves. So if you have a burden weighing you down, don't just think about how it effects you, but how it effects those around you. Let go of it and I promise you life will be much easier.

Later, folks

Maybe Next Year... Again

2006-06-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

*Sigh* Well for the second straight year Ole Miss failed to close it out in the Super Regional and lost to the University of Miami 14-9 last night. In what was a close game until the Bottom of the 7th Miami just continued to pound the Rebel pitching inning after inning coming up with a number of big hits. One inning after Junior third baseman Chris Coghlan hit a game tying homerun in the Top of the 7th, Miami's Danny Valencia hit a 2 out Grand Slam - after Miami had already scored a go-ahead run - to make the score 13-8, Miami. The homerun just sucked the life out of Ole Miss who had been clawing back since Friday evening when they were able to pull out a come-from-behind victory. Although they were able to load the bases and get a run in the ninth, the Rebels just finally ran out of answers for the Hurricanes, thus sending Miami to their 22nd appearance in the College World Series.

The good news is that Ole Miss returns a very solid nucleus next year even after possibly losing a few players to the draft. Look for Ole Miss to be back in a Super regional next year and hopefully this time they'll be able to win it.

One Step Back

2006-06-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

Well, Ole Miss took a step back last night in a 7-0 loss to Miami. So that means it's a do or die situation for both teams tonight at 6 pm in Oxford. Ole Miss is looking to make it's first trip to Omaha since 1972. I think they've got a great shot, but this situation is bringing back flashbacks from last year's super regional when Ole Miss won the opening game against Texas then went on to lose the next two and watch Texas go on to win the national title. Hopefully the story will turn different this year. Unfortunately I won't get to watch it until later (thanks to DVR) since I'm taking the youth to Monday Night Live in Starkville. I just hope no one tells me the score before I get home.

Sniffing at Omaha

2006-06-11T00:15:00.000-05:00

Ole Miss is now one win away from going to Omaha to play in the College World Series. They beat a good Miami team today in dramatic fashion 11-9 after being down 9-3 at one point. Ole Miss continues to establish themselves as a national power in baseball and making it to Omaha will only solidify that. I'm sure Mississippi Sate fans are just beaming with pride now, hehe. And this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Rebels but instead it was a reloading year. Hotty Toddy!

Monday Night Live

2006-06-09T08:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, I was supposed to post this yesterday, but blogger was down for some reason, so here it is. If you live in the area you are invited to attend this event. It's always a lot of fun and a great time of worship & fellowship...and you also get some free food. Click on the poster to view a larger version. The verses near the bottom right are:

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. - Matthew 11:30

Sorry!

2006-06-07T09:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I know it's been about two weeks since I last updated this thing. I don't know what's wrong with me, sorry :(. Anyway, the summer is really getting kicked up with the youth group and the rest of it will be a busy one. We've got several things planned. Please pray for me as I work with the younguns that I might have the wisdom and knowledge to communicate with them in a way that will show them Jesus.

On Monday, June 19 we are having our annual Monday Night Live at the church building at 7:00 and the theme will be "Travel Light" and we will communicate how we need to give our burdens over to God so that we don't have to carry all the baggage, enabling us to be more effective in our service to others. Please join us for some praise & worship...and food that night. I'll try to post the flyer for that event tomorrow. This event is geared towards teens but is actually for all ages.

On Sunday, July 30, Refuge, the group from our church will be doing a concert at the building. We will be trying to make this a community-wide event and have one big time of worship with other believers and non-believers (hopefully) in West Point and the surrounding area. So mark that on your calendar and BE HERE!!!

Later folks

Softball Sucks!

2006-05-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

I decided to participate in a weekend Softball Tournament this past weekend. I hadn't played softball since about the middle of last summer so since the tournament was going to be in West Point I figured I'd give it another go. Since graduating from High School I have played a lot of softball, especiallly in the last 3-4 years. Last year I even played on a team that had our own uniforms and got all kinds of free stuff. Eventually I stopped playing and really haven't missed it much, especially since I have been working out for baseball with my brother for the past 6 or 7 months.

Well, I was kind of excited about playing until the first game was over. I popped up to the third baseman twice in my only two at bats of the game. The ball was coming towards me so slow compared to a baseball, added to the fact that I didn't even get to take batting practice before I played. So after we got ten run ruled the first game I made sure I took batting practice. I ended up going 4-9 in 4 games, so it wasn't all bad, but I could have done a lot better.

I really didn't have much fun. I think after playing some baseball in the last few months I realized how much more I love baseball and I don't even want to go back to softball for a while. Hopefully I'll get to play some baseball this summer with the Tibbee Ramblin' Eagles and then in the adult fastball league later in the summer. We'll see.

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Sidenote:
Doesn't look like MSU is going to the SEC Tournament this year. And who kept them out? That's right, Ole Miss. Just thought I'd throw that in there. Later folks.

My Grandfather

2006-05-16T15:48:00.000-05:00

As I was sitting around with my family the week that my uncle passed away, I caught myself just listening to them tell stories about other family members, past/present. One of those stories involved my Grandfather (my mom's dad). My grandfather passed away just over a year before I was born, so I never got a chance to meet him. I had heard really good things about him, but as I told Leslie no one really told me many stories about him. Some have said that I look just like him (we have the same nose), and it kind of makes me proud to hear that (One lady told me I looked like him the day my uncle passed). I've always wanted to meet him, and I know that someday I will. The story I overheard a couple of weeks ago made me look forward to meeting him even more.

My Grandfather's name was Durrell and he loved to play baseball and did even as an adult. This story is as my Great Uncle told it (sort of):

Durrell was playing ball one day and he hit a ball to the outfield and the outfielder tried to throw him out at first (Apparently my Grandfather was really slow-another way I favor him). Durrell beat the throw by two or three steps and it was obvious. Well, an umpire wearing overalls looked at him and said "You're out!", as he clutched his overalls with both hands. Durrell ran up to him and said "What do you mean, 'I'm out?'". The umpire proceeded to pull a switch blade out of his pocket. I asked Durrell, "Well, what did you do?" to which he replied, "Nothing!... Hell, I was out!"

That story made me laugh really hard. Grandaddy, I can't wait to meet you.

Backup Singer

2006-05-14T07:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at the wedding I almost laughed during my song. Now I don't normally do that when I sing, unless, of course, something funny is happening around me. Yesterday, there was. I began to sing "The Broken Road" standing behind the groomsmen and bridesmaids as the couple lit the unity candle. The bride had a 5 year old son who was standing next to her during the wedding. As I looked around during the song I saw a few people laughing. I had a couple of different thoughts running through my mind. One was, "Is my singing that bad?" and another one, "I know I zipped my fly, didn't I?" Well not long after that second thought I looked down and noticed the bride's son, Nate, looking at me and singing every word of the song with me. Not only was he singing it, but he was also performing the song. After singing to me for a minute he then turned towards the crowd and began performing the song for them, throwing his arms up in the air and apparently (as I was told) singing every word of the song and even holding out the long notes during breaks in the lyrics. By this time half of the audience was in tears from laughter while the other half was in tears because of the wedding. And there I was having to finish my song, all the while trying to be the only one, who saw Nate, not lauging.

I finished the song and then finally got to return to my seat and start laughing. Afterwards people came up to me and said, "I don't how you made it through that song", and other comments such as that. A couple of other people said to me, "looks like you had a backup singer with ya". "Nope", I said, "Apparently, I was Nate's backup singer." This was a wedding song I won't soon forget.

My Awesome Mac

2006-05-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

When I got back to work Monday my boss informed me that our new computers were in. Needless to say I was pretty excited. She and another coworker of mine had gotten new computers last year (Power Mac G5), and another coworker of mine got a 23" screen to go with her old computer while me, the new guy, got all the left overs. Well, not anymore. Let me just show you what's sitting on top of my desk at work now

A brand new G5 Mac with a 20" Cineman display. The G5 has 2 gigs of RAM and about 180 gigs of hard drive space. The thing is a monster and it looks so sleek and clean. I'm lovin' it, I don't care that I only get to use it at work.

Obviously I'm a Mac guy, to me they are the only way to go. You don't have to worry about the viruses that endanger PCs and they are very reliable. Not to mention they look twice as good as any PC out there. Anyway, just wanted to show off the computer that I didn't pay a dime for to a bunch of people who probably don't really care.

And by the way, yeah, I know, I'm a nerd. See ya!

Another Wedding and A Family Reunion

2006-05-11T21:23:00.000-05:00

This will be a busy weekend for Leslie and I. I am singing in another wedding this weekend, so Friday we are going to the rehearsal and dinner tomorrow night in Starkville and the wedding will be Saturday at First Methodist in Starkville. I don't even really know the people getting married, but I know that it is Leslie's boss's brother. I'm singing "The Broken Road" again. I did okay on it last time but like I said before it's not an easy song for me to sing, but it'll be alright.

Sunday we are traveling to Sulligent, AL to a family reunion on Leslie's side. They have it every year on Mother's Day of all days which is kind of odd, but oh well. So we'll go to that Sunday and then come back and spend some time with my mom and then go to her sister's baccalaureate ceremony. i'm getting tired just thinking about me.

So that will be my exciting weekend. Hope you have a great one as well. God bless.

United 93

2006-05-09T17:57:00.000-05:00

Leslie and I went to see "United 93" Saturday night. I have to say it was a very good movie. It detailed all of what went on on September 11, 2001. I wasn't there in the control rooms and air traffic control towers or on the airplanes that were hijacked but this movie was probably a pretty accurate reenactment of what went on as they were trying to contact the planes and after finding out they were hijacked. Some of the footage was actual footage from that day and it brought back some painful memories (I had just gotten out of the shower and getting ready for class at MSU when I saw the smoke pouring from the WTC on TV). The passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 were very brave and were willing to sacrifice their lives for others. I know no one is absolutely sure of what went on on that plane, but I am willing to bet that it was somewhat like this movie portrayed it. I recommend this movie to anyone, but don't take your kids. The language is a little rough at times and I'm not sure why you would want to take kids to see this movie anyway (There were quite a few kids in there Saturday). Go see it!

It's hard to believe that it has been almost five years since that fateful day.

David's Funeral

2006-05-06T10:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had the funeral for my Uncle David. There were so many people there. One of the coolest things that I saw yesterday was how many people that had worked with David over the years came to the funeral to pay their respects. All of them came in their uniforms (He worked for Forest Services in various places). I introduced myself to one of them and told him I was David's nephew. He said, "you must be one of the ones that loved baseball so much." I was floored. It meant so much to me that David talked so much about his family. One of the Forest Service representatives read a letter from the Forest Service during the funeral and expressed his condolences. It was really emotional. I did okay giving his eulogy, thanks to mike for the advice the night before. I finally stopped worrying so much about it and let God give me the words to say. I just wanted it to be right for David, he deserved it. It was tough but I think he was given a great funeral and he will be well remembered by all who knew him. He was a great man.

Sadness

2006-05-04T14:43:00.000-05:00

The end of this week has been a sad one for my family. Yesterday evening I was informed that my uncle David (my mom's brother) suffered a heart attack and passed away. This news was shocking to our family and has brought about great sadness and mourning yesterday and today. Please be in prayer for us. He was a devoted son, brother and uncle and he will be greatly missed. He called my grandmother every night to check on her and always took care of her in any way he could. He died in the Ouchita Mountains of Arkansas in the forest, the place he wanted to be when he died. He was 46.

Death is such a hard thing to deal with and to fathom when it hits close to home, especially when it is so sudden. It's amazing how our day can change so dramatically in an instant. Many tears are being shed on his behalf and I have been witnessing firsthand the purpose of the church. There has been endless phone calls, prayers, visitors and food that have been supplied by people from my grandmother's church in Columbus. It is amazing how God works when people are in need.

My mom and grandmother have asked that I speak at his funeral. I know this will not be easy, but I pray that God will speak through me.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be praised. - Job 1:21

David, we miss you and we love you.

On the Mound

2006-04-28T09:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I worked out with Timmy and Ken at the WPHS baseball field as I usually do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Timmy is going to a couple of tryouts next weekend for two independent teams. Since the time for him to go is getting really close he asked that I throw him some live Batting Practice this week and next to get him more prepared. So Ken put on the catcher's gear and I got on the mound and threw (as I would in a game) to Timmy.

This was the most I had pitched from a MLB distance mound (I played in an adult baseball league the last two years but the distance is nowhere near 60' 6") in over 6 years. I had been working out with them since around October/November of last year so my arm is in pretty decent shape. I did well! I was throwing pretty hard and most surprising to me was how much movement my fastball had on it, which is something I never had much of in high school. Ken said he was impressed and figured I stayed pretty much around 85, but with no speed gun there it's hard to tell. It took me a while to get loosened up but I finally did (probably comes with age). The biggest problem I had was hitting the strike zone real consistently but I was pleased (for the most part) with how well I hit my spots (inside/outside corner) when I was in the strike zone.

It's really funny, my arm is a lot stronger than it was in high school, but I'm not sure exactly why. I played softball a lot after high school, not much baseball, so maybe throwing a softball a lot did it. Not sure. But being on the mound throwing again really reminds me of how much I miss playing and has me wanting to play some this summer. I plan on throwing to Timmy again next Tuesday which is probably when my arm will be better. I'm paying for that time spent throwing yesterday, Ouch! As for how Timmy did, I'll let him tell you that. :)

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My Aunt (Auntee for some folks out there, ha)! is coming in from Texas so we get to eat some fish at the parents house tonight. Should be fun.

Also I will get to see Nicole C. Mullen in concert here in West Point Saturday night for a youth event, unfortunately no one in the youth group here is going to it, but I am pretty excited to see her. Should be a good concert.

Hope everybody has a great weekend! See ya!!

A New Breed of Ninjas

2006-04-27T09:21:00.000-05:00

Just give the chimp the banana or else this will happen to you

Trust me, Ninja chimps are not to be taken lightly. Beware.

Gaining Discipline

2006-04-25T20:59:00.000-05:00

I must confess. I am not a very disciplined person. That's not to say I have no discipline at all, but I lack the amount I need. I know what you're thinking. Well, his parents should have spanked him more growing up. Well, that's not exactly the kind of discipline I'm talking about.

Sunday night I attended my parents' small group at the church building. It was good to finally get to be a part of a small group other than a "youth" small group. We talked about (I don't remember what the book's title was that we studied) prayer and how easy it is to get in a rut when it comes to prayer. Sometimes other things get in the way of prayer and sometimes we just get too tired. One of the things that stuck out to me was that Prayer must be a discipline before it becomes a joy. I think about growing up and learning about God and how we are supposed to talk to him and how we are supposed to act. I found it often times to be a burden more times than I saw it as a joy, but my parents stuck with it and made sure I acted appropriately and continued to teach me about prayer and other spiritual things.

When I say that I am not disciplined I am not just talking about prayer, I'm speaking of Studying my Bible, I'm talking about exercising, eating right, and a host of other things. You may be just like me. I have been struggling with this lately because I have really felt the pull to be more disciplined, especially when it comes to my relationship with God. Sunday night a quote from the book that hit me like a ton of bricks was this: "There are two kinds of pain: The pain of discipline and the pain of regret". I thought how many times I started something only to fail to follow through and later regretting the fact that I gave up. Ever done that before?

So why have I not gained the discipline I need? Well, I think about how many times that I actually pray for it. Not very often. I keep trying to do these things with my own strength, my own power, yet I continue to be surprised when I fail. I have been ignorant to the fact that is God that can give me the strength I need, I just need to ask him, but yet not just ask, but sacrifice the things that get in the way of my time with Him. Like it or not, it does require some work on my part, but too often I try to do all the work and not letting God do what he does best.

I know that sometimes we must suffer through some things before it becomes a joy and a privilege to do it. Maybe it's just God pushing all the bad stuff out and bringing the good stuff to the surface. It's the story of redemption. Suffering always comes before joy (Think Jesus here). I think we are made to feel so guilty for not praying as often as we should that we feel too guilty to pray because we think we're not doing it right, or not sincere enough.

So I am beginning a journey of discipline. Sometimes it will feel like a burden to open up my Bible and study it, sometimes it will be a burden to just sit down and thank God for the day. That's okay, because God will take what feels like a burden and make it a joy. It's the pain of discipline (Remember those spankins you got when you were little). But it's a pain that doesn't compare to the pain of regret (Insert regret story here). See what I mean?

Here is where I would like to start:
Prayer
Bible Study
Praying/Studying with Leslie
excercising regurlarly

There are some others but I am starting here. In what ways would you like to be more disciplined. Shoot me a comment :)

Taking a Risk

2006-04-24T23:19:00.000-05:00

According to Wikipedia Risk is the potential harm that may arise from some present process or from some future event. In everyday usage, "risk" is often used synonymously with "probability", but in professional risk assessments, risk combines the probability of a negative event occurring with how harmful that event would be. Financial risk is often defined as the unexpected variability or volatility of returns, and thus includes both potential worse than expected as well as better than expected returns.

25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing.
-Acts 15:25-27

When we follow Christ we take a risk. Not a risk of whether we are “right” or “wrong”, for following Christ is “right”. Rather we take the risk of being either accepted or rejected by the world. Rejection is the more common theme and it is foretold to us. When we choose Christ we are in conflict with the world.

Often, taking a risk means that there will be a great reward if successful, but may mean great pain or punishment if we fail. However there is no failure in Jesus Christ, but there is rejection. Not by God but by those who stand opposed to him. Many apostles and disciples over time have followed Jesus without reserve and ran the risk of punishment from the authorities and others who were against them. Many were severely punished, sometimes to the death. Although we may be persecuted for our faith we have a God who will reward us…

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
-2 Corinthians 4:16-18

What is more important to you? Temporary, fleeting pleasure & satisfaction or an eternal glory?

The Great MST

2006-04-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

If you have been reading my blog for a while you might know that I am somewhat(sarcastic term) a fan of various sports such as baseball, basketball, football and a few others as well. And although I like to use the blog to talk about spiritual issues and such I also like to throw in some personal things about me and from time to time I spout off about some teams I root for like Ole Miss, West Point High School Football, etc.

I enjoy watching sports but I also enjoy talking about them as well. So about two years ago while looking for more info on high school football in Mississippi I stumbled across a website called Mississippi Sports Talk or MST as many of the users call it. MST is a web forum for various Miss. high school athletics as well as a couple of collegiate and Pro sports forums. It even hosts a couple of forums to discuss non-sports related topics along with a smack talking forum for those who like to do such.

I have enjoyed discussing high school and college sports with people from across Mississippi and even across the country who still like to keep up with their alma maters or hometown teams. In the General Chat forum everything from your favorite television shows to faith discussions come up in various posts as users get to talk with one another about political views or just spout off some nonsense to make others laugh. It's fun to talk about various topics with people who are known by screen names such as, DaddyO60, Joker, WP Green Wave #51, Tomboy, rebmus, PeytonFan, mhswriter, Johnny Reb, WildcatPlayer, truecolt, CountryGuy, cheerleaderchickcool, TatGK, sidewinder, Cap'n, StateDog (who runs the site) and many others.

It's cool to be able to share your faith as well while on a sports forum and I have even discussed spiritual issues with others both publicly on the forum and privately in personal messages. The internet is a neat tool to connect with others about many different topics.

So if you love sports and want to share your thoughts about your favorite teams in this great state, whether college, high school or professional, I encourage you to visit MST and make some new friends and possibly some new enemies, depending on who you root for. Enjoy!

Easter Video

2006-04-17T21:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday during Easter service we showed a video that I put together. It's some pictures from "The Passion of the Christ" along with some paintings of Jesus to the song "Not My Will But Thine" by Acappella. Take a look and let me know what you think. It's not professional by any means, but I thought it turned out pretty well. Also, this is a scaled down version of the original so the sound quality and picture quality will not be real high, but you'll get the picture. If you have dial-up it may take a little while as the video is around 2.5 megabytes. Enjoy.

Happy Easter!!

2006-04-16T20:59:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Easter today. We had an awesome Easter service this morning. Mike gave another great sermon on the 4 stations of the Viva Vivo. The Betrayal of Jesus, the Cross, Jesus's Death, and His Ressurrection. I think we talk about the Death of Jesus so much that we neglect the fact that Jesus also rose from the dead. If he had only died, yet didn't arise, our salvation would not have been completed, but Jesus conquered death by raising again on the third day to show us that we too will be raised again with him when he returns to call us home. Anybody getting homesick yet?

Once again Happy Easter.

A Cooooooold Wedding

2006-04-10T18:52:00.000-05:00

Leslie's cousin was wed Saturday evening...IN THE COLD. That was by far the coldest wedding I have ever been to. It had to have been low 40's or lower. And it had been really nice here all week leading up to it. Thankfully it was a quick wedding and I made it through both songs without having a forced heavy vibrato from the weather. I guess I did well on "The Broken Road". Many people told me I did well, so either I actually did, or they were a bunch of liars. I am supposed to sing it again at a wedding in May.It was a fun wedding though. First one I've ever been to that had Karoake. That was kind of cool.

It's good also to see people take the plunge and make that kind of lifelong commitment to each other. Kinda reminds me of our commitment to Christ, but I think that's kind of what God had in mind. Peace out E'erybody. :)

A Good Birthday

2006-04-06T22:50:00.001-05:00

I had a good birthday. My mom threw me a surprise party before Wednesday night service. Many people were there. Thanks Mom!! and thanks to everybody else that took time out to come and celebrate. I don't feel like I'm worth the fuss, but I am grateful nonetheless.

I don't feel much older...yet. I did however finally get over the fullness that plagued me yesterday. I ATE WAAAAAY TOO MUCH!!! So much that I didn't eat any of the Birthday cake my mom got for me until about 11pm last night. I was miserable in that aspect all day long.

I am thankful for another birthday and hope to see many more. I am also thankful for the people God has put in my life who care for me and are willing to do so much. I hope they feel the same way about me.

And thank you Leslie for the Birthday post on your blog. Love you.

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I am singing this weekend in Leslie's cousin's wedding. I am singing "The Broken Road" and "Making Memories of Us". PLEEEEEASE pray for me that I do well singing "The Broken Road". It is not a very comfortable song for me, kind of stretches my range. Hopefully I won't screw it up too bad.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

2006-04-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

Today is my Birthday. YEEEEEAHH! I am now the ripe old age of 27, yep that's right the very memorable age of 27 (can you sense the sarcasm?).

No, 27 is not an age that comes to most people's mind as a turning point in their life, unless there is some huge event that happened to them. There is nothing really significant about turning 27, except that you get older. But hey, you never know, maybe something great will happen to me this year to make this age really stand out. Yeah, like I'll win the lottery or something and be rich and have a huge mansion and I'll never have to work again. Whoa, sorry, I think I dozed off there and was dreaming out loud, sorry. I'm happy, though, I have a great wife and two good jobs. Sure there are more things in store for me but I really got nothing worth complaining about as of now.

So here's to 27 and may I get to see the even more significant (getting older) age of 28

Unity Among All Believers

2006-04-02T17:51:00.000-05:00

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3

I have been thinking a lot lately on this subject, especially since returning from the Tulsa Workshop. For decades many Churches of Christ have distanced themselves from denominations. Arguing over doctrine. Some have decided that we should not associate with those who don't believe the exact same thing.

A movement has begun (not necassarily recently) to unite with other believers for the cause of the Cross. My opinion? IT'S ABOUT TIME. Why have we waited so long to open up our eyes to see that just because someone says "I go to a Baptist Church" that they are not as "saved" as we are? Where do we get this from? Would Jesus be pleased with the separation that exists between believers? We too often become so consumed in being right that we don't stop to think that "We don't have to agree on everything".

Growing up in Mississippi I know first hand what it is like to grow up around ultra-conservitive Churches of Christ. Praise God that the Old Aberdeen Road Church which I grew up in is ready to move forward and be Christ, not Dictator, to the community. I am fed up with feeling like we should do things to please other Churches of Christ, lest they say negative things about us. It's time to look to what God wants, what his will is.

In fact, in the end, it's really not about Churches of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, Pentacostal, etc. It's about Jesus Christ. It's about glorifying him. It's about sharing him and being him to others around us. It's about believers in Jesus Christ working together to win souls and impact a community of people in desperate need of Christ.

How should we live? I'm sorry, but I don't equate freedom in Christ with fear of other churches. I pray that a movement can take place in West Point, MS where believers of every race and denomination can work together for the greater good, to the Glory of God the Father.

I am going to work at getting all/as many of the youth ministers in West Point together that I can to gather together to eat breakfast once a month. To share, fellowship, and plan how we can impact the youth of this community as one. Please pray for this that it all comes together and that God would bless it.

I really believe God can do great things once we tear down the walls that separate us and start loving and fellowhip with all. I believe he would be greatly pleased with that. Praise God for unity

Pictures from Winterfest

2006-03-28T23:24:00.000-06:00

I know it's been a month since I took the youth group to Winterfest but I ran across some pictures the other day, so I wanted to post them. Some of them are really cool and they were all obviously taken while it was snowing.

By the way, I finally got my wife to give in to the bloggin world, so check out her blog, there is a link on the side bar. Make sure to leave her a comment.

Mashed Potatoes & Different Religions

2006-03-27T18:57:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to share a couple of funny stories from the Tulsa Workshop. Thursday night as I stated below Jeff Walling and Chucke Buer spoke. Afterwards we were encouraged that when we went out in the Tulsa community on Friday to invite someone to come and hear Max Lucado and Bob Russell speak. Since Max Lucado is a well know author they figured it was be a good conversation starter. Stan, Dad and I had eaten at a corner cafe in downtown Tulsa on Thursday morning, so we decided we would also go on Friday morning and while we were there we decided we would invite our waitress to come here Lucado that night. Stan opens up the conversation and it went something like this:

Stan: Have you ever heard of Max Lucado?
Waitress: Mashed Potatoes?
Stan: No, Max Lucado
Waitress: Yeah, we have mashed potatoes
Stan: (very slowly) Maaaaaxxxx Luuuucaaaadoooo
Waitress: Mash Lucado?
Me:No, M-A-X
Waitress:No never heard of him (walks off)

HAHA. We never got to invite her. The moment was so awkward we just gave up, and I don't think the waitress really cared either way. Anyway, we laughed a lot at Max Lucado's expense although he never knew. Stan says the title of Mashed Potato's next book will be "Finding God in the Gravy". That was a really funny moment.

Another funny moment was during the Jubilee singing in the Fairgrounds Exchange center. A guy by the name of Marcus Garrett gets on stage to sing...by himself (his group couldn't be there until the next day). So he played background tracks and he sang the lead part. The first song that he sang was "This Little Light of Mine". When he got through he said

"We need to let our light shine. There are lots of other religions out there and they are outnumbering us, like the Catholics...and the Baptists"

WHAAAAAAT!!!! You could have cut the awkwardness in the room with a knife, it was so thick. I could see everyone looking at each other in disbelief. I tried not to laugh out loud at that comment, but it was truly funny, and yet sad at the same time. Hopefully that was just a statement made out of nervousness.

Anyway, those were a couple of funny moments that stood out. If you have never been to the Tulsa Workshop you don't know what you're missing. YOU MUST GO NEXT YEAR, I COMMAND YOU.

Have a great day e'erybody

Tulsa Workshop Day 2

2006-03-24T23:56:00.001-06:00

WOW! What an awesome day at the Tulsa Workshop. Great speakers, great singing. The Holy Spirit is definitely working in Tulsa, OK this week. I just got in from watching Acappella who went on after the evening service that went on earlier. The evening service was INCREDIBLE!

Max Lucado, who I'm sure many of you have heard of, and Bob Russel spoke on unity tonight. This was an historic moment for the Churches of Christ and the Christian Church as this marked the 100 years since the U.S. census bureau listed the two churches separate from one another, marking a split between the churches. 100 years later we are making amends and beginning the process of unification with our brothers and sisters from the Christian church. That's right, they are our brothers and sisters. I believe this week is a turning point in bringing together churches everywhere to unite for the cause of Christ to win souls for him together as one 'true' body. God is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. The key verse tonight came from Ephesians 4:3 which says:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Although we may disagree with other churches on doctrinal issues, we are still called to live at peace with them by keeping the unity of the spirit. God longs for unity among us. Too often we bicker over things that don't matter and we are missing out on the oppurtunity to reach those who are lost among us together as one, just as God intended it to be. Although we have doctrinal differences, we all still believe in the same God and same Jesus, and as long as we all are preaching Christ crucified we must put aside the differences and see the more important issue, which is reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. Let it be so.

Tulsa Workshop Thoughts

2006-03-24T00:31:00.000-06:00

Just got in not long ago from the first day of the Tulsa International Soul Winning Workshop. Hmm, where shall I start.

Well first of all we awoke to a white Tulsa, Oklahoma. IT SNOWED!! IT'S SPRING!! Anyway it was really cool to see that at the end of March. Besides, I even got to throw a few snowballs. That is the second time I have seen it snow and neither time was I at home in West Point. Oh well, I'm used to that anyway.

I got to hear Rubel Shelly, Wade Hodges, Jeff Walling and Chuck Buer (not sure if I spelled that right). All were really good, as was expected, but the highlight for me was the evening service when Jeff Walling and Chuck Buer spoke as a team. it was really cool, especially since Chuck is a preacher in the Christian Church at Christ's Church for the Valley in California. This year the the workshop leaders decided to open up to the Christian church to build a bridge that was broken about 100 years ago when the Christian Church and the Churches of Christ split. Unity is the theme for this year and the fact that many Churches of Christ are opening up to the other brothers and sisters in their communities that don't have the name "Church of Christ" over their heads. It's a really cool thing and a really huge step for the Church of Christ to overcome the past and the reputation that that past has given us. Praise God for Unity.

Tomorrow night is also a special night as Max Lucado, probably the most well known Christian writer today, and Bob Russell, the senior minister at the Southeast Christian Church (25,000+ members strong) will speak together at 7pm. An overflow crowd is expected, and I mean an OVERFLOW CROWD. That place will be packed and with the Zoe Group leading worship the place should be rockin'. I cannot wait.

This trip is a much needed one for me as I try to get some spiritual renewal and take it back home with me. These things are great for us to get a shot in the arm. So often we need, yet we don't do the things we need to do to get it. Sometimes we just gotta step back and get the spiritual nourishment that we need so that we can jump back into the fire and get back to work spiritually healthy.

Have a great Friday, Everyone. Peace OOOOOOOOOOOOOUT!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2006-03-17T13:01:00.000-06:00

Top o' tha merning to ya! Watch out for the Blarney Stone me lads and laddies

Care Page for Sherry Decker

2006-03-16T14:46:00.000-06:00

If you don't know Sherry Decker, she is a lady who goes to the Old Aberdeen Road Church in West Point who has been recently diagnosed with leukemia. She is currently undergoing chemo at NE Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. Her family has set up a care page. You can go there by clicking here. You must create a login name and password to view it, but don't worry, it's free. You can read updates on her condition there as well as leave a message of encouragement or support. Please be in prayer for Sherry as she battles this disease, and for her family that they may be strong through this whole ordeal and be a rock for her.

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The madness has begun, March Madness that is. I have filled out no less than 10 brackets and hope that everything works out for my benefit. I love College Basketball, especially the NCAA tournament. Here's my Final Four Picks:

Duke, UCLA, Connecticut & Boston College (almost got beat today)

What's your Final Four looking like?

The Lord Opens Doors

2006-03-11T11:21:00.000-06:00

As was stated in the last post, God blessed Refuge with an oppurtunity to sing at St. Paul's M.B. Church last night. And let me just say, Praise God for all that He is able to do. We had a great time sharing songs and testimonies with the kids that were there, and they enjoyed it and let us know that. I love singing for people who really give you positive feedback, and that is what they did. It helps us to get into more when that happens. They clapped and laughed and even sang along a little bit. It was awesome and just another step toward crossing those racial and cultural boundaries that need to be torn down. They even gave us presents at the end of the service. I received a book called "Proverbs to live by". How cool is that!? I know that God will continue to open up doors for us and use us for His Glory and His purpose. I left feeling like we accomplished what God wanted us to accomplish last night and that is a good feeling, but I know that there is so much left to do to bring God's people together. God is able to do that.

Anyway, that's the scoop on last night and if you're reading this and need a group to sing for your next even just drop me an Email and I'll get back to you soon.

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Side note: My blog is now being linked up from the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Website. Thanks to Bobby Pepper for offering to post a link there. If you have come to this site from the daily journal site, I say to you, "Welcome! and come back often, just make sure you wipe your feet off before you come in." :)

Have a Great Saturday

We Get To Sing!

2006-03-10T09:49:00.000-06:00

Tonight, Refuge (The a capella group I sing with) will be singing at St. Paul's Missionary Baptist Church in West Point. I am excited about this oppurtunity. Why? Well, I get excited about every oppurtunity to sing, but this is an even greater oppurtunity, because it will allow us to try and work on bridging the gaps in the black and white Christian community in West Point. It started when we sang for Black History month at Central School in West Point. You can read the post about that here. It is a youth event so once again we will be singing for a lot of young people, although this crowd may be a little older (jr. high to high school). I'm anxious to see how well they accept it.

It was brought to my attention that there is some tension between the black and white churches in the community for various reasons. I hate to hear that, because there needs to be unity among chrisitans, even those in separate denominations. We are all striving for the same goal no matter what color we are and those who don't know Christ need to see that Christians are willing to love others who look, act, or think differently than they do. This goes for every race of people who claim to know Jesus.

We embrace this oppurtunity to share the good news with the young kids tonight and my prayer is that God will first of all open up their hearts to accept it and shape them to be leaders in His church. Also, that God would continue to open up doors that lead to unity among his followers.

I am humbled at how God chooses to use people for His glory and for His purpose. There is nothing that he can't do. Please take a moment to pray for us as we sing tonight and may God be glorified through each breathe that we take. Let it be so!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Been A While...Sorry

2006-03-08T09:22:00.000-06:00

Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted anything, but I hope that Steve has kept you company while I have been silent.

Leslie and I had supper with Scott and Allison last night, it was really good, and we had a lot of fun. I am reminded of how great it is to have friends, friends that you can be honest and open with and that will pray for you and encourage you. I highly recommend those kinds of friends to you. Anyway, I hope you have a great day and are richly blessed. Keep looking up!

My New Cyber-Pet

2006-02-28T09:56:00.000-06:00

Everyone, meet Steve, my new pet penguin. If you'd like to play with him just roll your mouse over him and have fun. Oh, and feed him some fish whily you're at it. He looks kind of hungry. Don't play too rough. Good boy, Steve, Good boy. Stay, Steve, Stay.

adopt your own virtual pet!

When a Stranger Calls

2006-02-22T09:28:00.000-06:00

Leslie and I went to see "When a Stranger Calls" Last night. The movie was pretty good. It drug on a little too much, but the whole time your waiting on something to jump out or something. Not the best movie ever, but it was okay.

My luck with movies seems to be getting worse lately. The last 3 or 4 movies I have gone to see have been filled with conversationalists beind me. Why do people feel they have to talk during a movie, especiallly at a movie theatre? And I don't mean just talking to the screen, but just casual conversations with each other. I wanted to tell these people to "go to a coffee shop or something if you want to talk!". I had to pray hard to keep myself from standing up and shouting "SHUTUUUUUP!!!"

Anyway, that's life, I guess. Have a great Wednesday!

Winterfest Trip

2006-02-20T15:14:00.000-06:00

Got back from Winterfest last night, and I AM TIRED! This weekend drained me in so many ways, both good and bad, but good won over the bad, Thank the Lord! Let me just say that being a youth minister is NOT an easy job, but the rewards far outweigh the junk that goes along with it, and honeslty I feel blessed to be put in a position of influence over kids, and I hope that I can be an accurate reflection of Jesus to them. I am thankful for Leslie and the support she gives as well as all of the chaperones that went along with us, you guys are truly a blessing.

The theme this year was Rock Solid, and we looked at the truth of Jesus, Jesus as fact, not just some great story we like to tell. We covered five basic things to help us understand and rely on the fact of Jesus, they were the ABC's of this weekend, or I guess they were the ABCDE's.

A = Archaeology
B = Biblical Reliability
C = Creation
D = Divinity of Jesus
E = Environmental Evidence

These five things were meant to solidify our faith in Jesus Christ, and I pray that it did that for the people there, but what is more important (which was shared at Winterfest as well) is that we live out the reality of Jesus Christ in our own lives. How can we believe he is real ourselves when we haven't allowed him to change us to be more like him? And how can other people believe he is real if we are fakes? Jeus was a man, but he was also the Messiah who came to save us, to renew us and to bring us back up from the dead to take on the world with our new life and to share the good news with all who are willing to listen. But when we claim to know Christ and his saving power yet blatantly live the opposite type of life, we make Jesus out to be a lie, and quoting Jeff Walling are "an embarrassment to the name of Jesus". I wanted to stand up in my chair and say Amen when he said that.

I want so much for the kids to see Jesus, to know he is real, and let others see that in them. There is so much noise out there that is telling us to believe something else, we must block out the noise somehow. Honestly, it's not easy, but nothing that is worth having is ever easy, the sooner we learn that the better off we will be. I know Jesus, I know his power and love, although I can't fathom either one. I want you to know it to, and I want everyone around me to know, I want to be him to my wife, the youth group, the church family, my neighbors, my co-workers, people I pass by at Wal-Mart, etc., etc. I WILL fail, I WILL stumble, but Jesus Christ will pick me back up, dust me off, tell me...and show me that he loves me and will lead me once again. That is how great and wonderful God is. That is how real he is. We must choose to believe for ourselves if Jesus is real, then we must share with the world the good news and pray that all will listen and believe themselves. But don't just tell them that Jesus loves them. Show them.

Winterfest '06

2006-02-16T12:31:00.000-06:00

Please be in prayer for the OAR youth group this weekend as we travel to Gatlinburg, TN for this year's Winterfest.

If you don't know what Winterfest is, it is a massive youth rally attended by mostly churches of Christ, while there are other denominations there as well. There is usually around 10-12,000 people there. It is held in the Gatlinburg Convention Center. There are speakers(Jeff Walling) Worship Leaders(Watershed Worship), Comedians (Bob Stromberg) and other things. It is an awesome weekend of praise and learning more about God and building relationships with each other. This weekend usually has a huge impact on the kids, and some have made decisions to become Christians during this time. I can't wait. Even though I will be responsible for a lot of kids, I know God will take care of us and use us for his glory and to further his kingdom. Continue to lift us up to the Father who guides us and uses us in ways we could never imagine.

Peace out, and have a great weekend. See ya Monday

Real Love

2006-02-15T10:35:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day yesterday with their loved one. Never sure why we have to set aside just one day a year to be extra romantic, but I guess if some didn't there would never be any romance in their life. Leslie and I had a good Valentines, we ate at the Olive Garden for lunch and gave each other some small gifts, nothing really spectacular, but it was nice.

It's great to share love with someone else, and I don't just mean your spouse or your girlfriend/boyfriend, I'm also talking about friendships and families as well as the love that exists between us and God. Love has been made into such a diverse word, from "I love you" to "I love these chips" to whatever else. Love can be such a strong word in some situations and in others can be just as cliched as any other word. Why are so many things attached to this one word? Why has it been made out to mean so many different things when there really is only one definition of it.

As a Christian love must be the center of all that we are and do. God is love, as the scripture says, so to know God is to know love. To be like God is to be a loving person. Without love we do everything in vain. The world has made love out to be a self fulfilling thing, I love this person because they make me feel so great, and they can do all these things for me. It teaches us that we should only love those that can give us what we want. Love is all about what I can get out of it, not so much as to what we can put into it. Worldly love, Soap Opera love, is the exact opposite of the love God intends for us to have. The right kind of love is about sacrifice, what are you willing to do for someone else? What are you willing to give to God or give up for God? We must get rid of this self-righteous train of thought. "If it isn't what I want, I don't want it at all." "I deserve only the best."

The way we act and the things that we say, in my opinion, say a lot about our love for God, ourselves, and for others. Is it love coming out of your mouth when you're a jerk to someone, or when you gossip about or slander other people? I think you know the answer. Is it love when we accept someone who is different than us, and that no one else will except, or when we put our wants to the side to help someone else get what they need. My friends, that is only a glimpse of the love of God, if I were even able to describe it, I would never have enough cyberspace to type it all out, but I like to use the word sacrifice to describe love, although there are other words as well. When I think about true love, I sometimes think about the love that exists between husband and wife, etc., but my mind always goes back to the greatest love ever shown to us, when God willingly gave his only son so that we might be able to communicate with him and one day be with him in heaven, and how his son willlingly chose to accept his Father's will and mercifully carry the sins of the entire world from every generation past present and future on his beaten and battered shoulders so that even the ones who beat him and hung him on a cross may have the opportunity to know true love and taste salvation. That is love, explainable or not, that is love. It's the right kind of love, it's the good kind of love, and it is the perfect kind of love.

May the love that God pours out on us, overflow so that it spills over into the lives of those we encounter that they might taste the love and salvation that he brings us.

Singin at Central 2

2006-02-13T09:22:00.000-06:00

Wow. The singing went great Friday(see previous post)! The kids absolutely loved it. We sang for the entire 5th & 6th grade class. Let me just say that God works in such awesome ways. When we arrived there I noticed that they had awesome sound equipment. I brought the church sound equipment just in case, but since I saw how great their's was I decided not to worry about using our stuff. Well as we got closer to the time to sing, we realized we didn't know how to work their equipment so we were scrambling around trying to figure it out or get someone in there that did know. We finally got someone in there who knew a little bit (but not much) and so we were able to fix a few things. Central School's auditorium is pretty big, so I knew that if we didn't have proper sound (and I use that term loosely) that the kids would not be able to hear and therefore kind of defeat the whole purpose, know what I mean?

As we were backstage I just felt the overwhelming desire to say a prayer, probably because I was kind of worried about everything. So we got together and said a quick prayer, and wouldn't you know everything went well. The kids were energetic, clapping with the songs, and applauding and yelling and all that good stuff. It made it so much easier on us to get into the songs we were singing because we were getting so much energy from those kids. I could've sang 20 more songs. Timmy was there helping us set up and everything and he told me afterwards that as we were walking onto the stage (and remember we were doing this as part of a Black History Month celebration) that he heard one of the kids behind him say, "They're all white!" I thought that was absolutely hilarious.

Well, everyone said they enjoyed it and I think the guys' favorite part was the vocal percussion. I told them they could approach us afterwards and we would teach them how to do it. And they definitely took me up on that offer. We also were invited to sing for a youth lock-in hosted by one of the black congregations in town, as well as a potential offer to sing at next year's Martin Luther King celebration in West Point. I was floored! God is most definitely opening doors for us to reach out to others of a different race and different cultural backgrounds. I think it's just what this town needs. There are still way too many racial barriers put up by every race, and it's up to us as individuals to take part in breaking those barriers down. We can't wait for others to do it, we must be willing to do it ourselves. Praise God!

Not bad for a bunch of white folks, huh?

Singin for Central

2006-02-10T10:08:00.000-06:00

Now get this, Refuge, the singing group I sing with, is singing today at Central School(5th & 6th graders) in West Point for Black History Month. I know, I know, sounds weird doesn't it? A bunch of white folks singing for BHM.

It's pretty cool that we get to do that, so we are trying to sing some upbeat songs that the kids might like. I also see this as a wonderful oppurtunity to plant some seeds in that school by sharing the love of Christ. It's not often a public school asks a Christian singing group to come in and sing. We are happy and excited about it. I just want to be an example for them. I hope they enjoy it. A capella music, I'm sure, is something they don't hear very often, if at all, especially with bee-bopping and vocal percussion behind. I'm anxious to see how they respond.

If you read this before 1:30pm today, then pray for us that we can plant some seeds and get them to asking questions and that God would take over the rest. Have a great weekend everyone.

Lions, Oh my!...and other stuff

2006-02-07T08:24:00.000-06:00

So apparently there are lions roaming around Clay County. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself here Be on the lookout. Hey, maybe it's just Aslan, haha.

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The Men's retreat went really well, I thought, this weekend. We got some things accomplished and planned for this year. Although, not all things end up being accomplished, many things do, and I'm excited once again about what the year holds for our Church Family and what God is going to do through us. Be in prayer about this so that God may use us to reach out to the community in a special way. Oh, and we will have a website up sometime this year, just you wait and see. The future is bright.

OAR 4-Life

Breathe Again Benefit a Success

2006-02-02T08:40:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday the OAR church put together a fund raiser for our Minister's wife, Janet (Cystic Fibrosis or CF and is in need of a double lung transplant). We had been praying long and hard about it since the idea was put out there, and let me just say. WOW! It was an amazing success. There was a silent auction, a variety of singing groups and bands, food, fellowship, and a video about Janet made by a local college student. Everything went so great. There were a whole lot of people there, the building was packed. Getting the singing groups to start on time went really well. Everything just flowed very smoothly. There were a lot of great items that were auctioned off. Let me just put it this way, in a town of about 13,000 people (which of course wasn't the attendance Saturday) there were $13,000 raised. CAN I GET A AMEN SOMEBODY!!!!! It really was an overwhelming experience to say the least to see a community come together to help someone in need. There was Baptists, Methodists, Church of Christ, Black, White, you name it, and nobody cared because we were all there to help and to give praise and honor to the Father.

One of the highlights of the night was when a little 2nd grader named Joshua came onto the stage to sing. Shelia gave an introduction before he sang and said that he had asked someone "Is Mrs. Janet going to die if she doesn't get here new lungs" the reply was yes to which he said "That's OK, the doctors told me I was going to die after I was born". "It's ok if she dies because then she will get to be with Jesus." He then came onto the stage and without any music or any backup he sang two songs. I am sure there were many teary eyes in the audience after that one. I took a picture of him, but I will have to put it up some other time.

There was much prayer, as I said before, that went into this event, and God truly blessed it in so many ways, so there is no way anyone who was there could talk about how great it went and not give praise and glory to God because of it. He is truly an awesome and Wonderful God. If anyone happens to read this and would like to donate some money to help Janet out as she waits on "the" call that her new lungs have arrived, Click on the link below to Email me and I will let you know how you can do that. God Bless.

Email me

Comfort Giver

2006-01-26T11:21:00.000-06:00

I have really enjoyed teaching the college age class at Church on Sunday Mornings. I hope those that attend the class have been blessed as well. We have been talking about suffering, why do we suffer?, How it began?, What good is it?, How do we learn from it?, How can we help others? I personally have learned much myself as I have studied this subject. One of the verses that we read this past Sunday was:

2 Corinthians 1:3-5
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

The most important thing about the sufferings, the trials, the troubles that we have in our lives is that we learn from them. As we have gained comfort from God to get us through the hard times, so I believe he allows us to comfort others who are going through the same thing. Count your troubles as a blessing from God to be able to go and help someone else. When I graduated from college with a degree in Graphic Design, I felt I was really ready to take on a new job, that I was qualified enough to handle new projects, to take on the world, so to speak. The difference here is that we don't get to choose what our major(trials and suffering) is. Life hands us all kinds of things, and God can take it and lead you out of it and give you the certification to go and help someone else.

There are so many lessons we can learn if we would open up our eyes. Sometimes we only see the here and now. How tough it is right now, how much pain you feel now. We must learn to see that, although the pain is great now, blessings will soon come, and the hope in Jesus that we have far outweighs any pain we could ever feel. It's not always easy to see that way, but those of us who have been tested, who have gone through those same trials, need to be there for those that have trouble seeing through the pain, and be Jesus to them.

I have learned so much in the past week about how important it is to be an "encourager". To build up and not to tear down. There are people all around us who need that. We don't always know the problems others around us are dealing with, so how much more do you think we should encourage those people then. Who knows if the person you were rude to at a restaurant the other day, just lost a family member or is dealing with trials we could never understand. Be careful what you say, how you act. Just as God gives us comfort we must allow that comfort to overflow into the lives of others.

I'll start: "God loves you and wants all of you, He is waiting to bless you. Have a great day and allow yourself to see God all around you"

Now pass the encouragement around.

To Tithe or not to Tithe

2006-01-20T09:01:00.000-06:00

I honestly would have never blogged on this subject if it hadn't come up last night, in all places, in the West Point High School weightroom. As me and my brother and a friend of ours were working out he asked me a question. Does grace supercede the law. I was unsure of where he was going, such as "should we still sacrifice animals?" or something like that. But he moved on to tithing and the great 10% of our possessions that is taught to us that we should give to God.

God commanded his people to give a tenth of their possessions over to him. Here's an example

The problem posed here and the reason the previous question was brought up was that this was under the old law. Are we still under the old law? Of course not, Jesus came and fulfilled the old law, hence the fact animal sacrifice is no longer necassary and we no longer need a priest to be our spokesperson to God, although Jesus did not come to abolish the law.

The problem with tithing now, is that it has become a burden on people to make sure they give a certain amount. Church leaders the world over are pressuring people to give, making them feel guilty. As my friend stated, he was tired of seeing leaders pumping people up to give a lot, only to find them regretting it when they walk out of the building. That is not the kind of giving God desires. It (not just tithing, but every aspect of service) ultimately comes down to one thing, Your heart. You see if we give 90% of what we have, but give with a regretful or a jealous heart, God is not pleased with that gift. God does not need our money to build his kingdom, although money is useful in it, but I guarantee that if every one of us had no possessions to give, God would be able to do just as much kingdom building.

The verse we discussed last night was 2 Corinthians 9:7 Man should not be "duped" into giving but man should be allowed to give what he has purposed or set aside in his heart to give. If that is 10%, 5%, or 90%, God is pleased.

I guess my point is that if you give 10% now, do so with a cheerful heart, and if you give less or more, do so with a cheerful heart, and not with a hard heart, and God will be pleased. But not only give your possessions but more importantly give your heart to God. I guarantee he will be a lot more pleased with that. Don't let anyone tell you what you should give, but give what God has laid on your own heart to give. Also, don't use this as an excuse to give less. Once again give with a cheerful heart, not a selfish one.

My friend and I both agreed on the subject, and it was an interesting conversation to have during a workout, but what better conversations to have than biblical ones. I hope to have more of those with him.

I will leave you with this prayer I found on another blog:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me

Have a joy filled weekend!