20091208
20091206
20091204
Played...
I just played with a worship group (Jason Nations band) at Celebrate Recovery in Cornelia. Amazing night. I went in with no expectations (my bad) and left with a completely blessed heart/renewed spirit.
Thanks Jason!!
Thanks Jason!!
20091113
A day on Saturn would add some perspective...
One year on Saturn is equal to almost 30 "Earth years". Our universe is expansive and complex. As humans we "feel" time only because our Earthbound bodies age while the Earth spins and circles the Sun. Time means NOTHING to God. In the beginning (for us), God's Spirit hovered/moved through eternity as he began His creative work. As amazing as this is...He is so in touch that he knows the hair count on our head (easy on mine). He understands eternity. He wants us to understand and accept that He IS. We are His. Purchased at a great price. But it is our choice. We can pass great things down to our children, or we can chase selfish indulgences, further wrecking our relationship with God one generation at a time. Our choice. As for me and my house, we will SERVE the LORD. Serving means more than acknowledging that God exist. More on that later...
Think about time.
Think about time.
20091105
Draw your own conclusions...
How many important decisions have you made in your life? If you were asked to list them how many could you list? When asked to actually list them most people list such things as: choice of a school, choice of a life mate, choice of a career, choice of a home, choice of a car, choice of friends, etc...
While those are all certainly choices that most of us make in our lifetime, there are millions more that are seemingly insignificant...but are they really insignificant? The fact is that we make, on average, hundreds...sometimes thousands of decisions each day. If you doubt those numbers I invite you to begin counting your decisions as soon as you wake tomorrow morning.
Do you get up when the alarm goes off or hit the snooze button? If you hit the snooze button once, do you hit it again? If so, how many times? Do you brush your teeth before or after breakfast, or both? What do you have for breakfast? If you have cereal, what kind? Do you pour milk over it or eat it dry? Perhaps you pour juice over it; if so what kind of juice? Do you have coffee first? How many cups? Hopefully you're getting my point. Life is a constant and never ending series of decisions and most of them are more important than we imagine they could be.
Each of the thousands of seemingly insignificant decisions CAN have a major impact on your life and remember...
While those are all certainly choices that most of us make in our lifetime, there are millions more that are seemingly insignificant...but are they really insignificant? The fact is that we make, on average, hundreds...sometimes thousands of decisions each day. If you doubt those numbers I invite you to begin counting your decisions as soon as you wake tomorrow morning.
Do you get up when the alarm goes off or hit the snooze button? If you hit the snooze button once, do you hit it again? If so, how many times? Do you brush your teeth before or after breakfast, or both? What do you have for breakfast? If you have cereal, what kind? Do you pour milk over it or eat it dry? Perhaps you pour juice over it; if so what kind of juice? Do you have coffee first? How many cups? Hopefully you're getting my point. Life is a constant and never ending series of decisions and most of them are more important than we imagine they could be.
Each of the thousands of seemingly insignificant decisions CAN have a major impact on your life and remember...
20091104
Reading The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley
The following is from the intro: (seems like a good book so far)...
In the category of Top Three Dumbest Things I Ever Did is my decision
to ignore an oversized Detour—Road Closed sign and drive
down a stretch of I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta before that
particular section of highway was officially opened. But I was eighteen
and knew everything there was to know about anything.
Well, almost everything.
I was not alone. My good friend Louie Giglio and I had some
“business” in Birmingham, Alabama. Somehow we overlooked
the fact that Birmingham is on Central Standard Time, and consequently,
it was an hour later at home in Atlanta. I’m not sure how
we overlooked that piece of trivia. We had driven to Birmingham
that same afternoon and arrived at our appointment an hour early.
Granted, we should have logged that detail away and planned our
trip home accordingly. But we didn’t.
We had promised our parents we would be back by midnight.
That was after a long discussion about whether we should even go
on this little jaunt across the state line. So we departed Birmingham
at nine thirty, thinking we had plenty of time to make the return
trip. But about twenty minutes down the road, it dawned on us
that it was an hour later than we thought it was. And as fate would
have it, that was about the time we arrived at the detour sign.
Back in the day, there was a twenty- or thirty-mile stretch of
I-20 between Atlanta and Birmingham that for some reason the
Department of Transportation just could not seem to finish. So
vehicles were detoured off the interstate onto a single-lane road
that meandered through a couple of small towns and a whole
bunch of pasture, forests, and lowlands. The road eventually
would dump back out onto the completed section of I-20, and off
you would go. On our way to Birmingham that afternoon, we
couldn’t help but notice that the closed section of I-20 looked
perfectly navigable . . . at least the section we could see. From
what we could tell, all it lacked was stripes and guardrails.
So at 11:00 p.m., two hours from home with only an hour to
get there, we made a really bad decision. We drove right between
the words Road and Closed and headed on down the highway.
Two things happened as we crossed into the great unknown. First,
the notion of doing what nobody else was doing created an
immediate adrenaline rush. Louie cranked up the radio, and we
both rolled down our windows and began singing at the top of
our lungs. I won’t tell you what we were singing because that
would date this story beyond recognition. There wasn’t such a
thing as a high five back then, so I doubt there was any actual
body contact, but we were totally sure and full of ourselves in
those initial moments. The second thing I noticed was that someone
was following us. Fast.
My first thought was, police. But there weren’t any blue lights.
In fact, whoever it was seemed content to just follow along. That
was too freaky, so I slowed down and motioned for whoever it
was to pull up beside us. Turns out it was another guy from
Atlanta, looking for a shortcut. We assured him that the road was
completed, just not open, and off we went—side by side, lights on
bright, radio blaring. Since there was no posted speed limit, we
assumed there wasn’t one at all. Besides, the point of a shortcut is
that it is shorter. Or at least faster.
Twenty or thirty minutes later, our initial burst of enthusiasm
began to wane. The farther we drove, the less sure we became. We
even started slowing down. Then up ahead on the right shoulder
we caught a glimpse of a black sedan. As we flew by, the headlights
came on, and it pulled out onto the highway. Our stomachs
dropped through the floorboards. We were sure it was the police.
But once again, there were no blue lights. And the driver, whoever
or whatever, was not content to follow. He was planning to pass.
Now we were really scared. At this point it would have been
comforting to see blue lights. Instead, we were being chased by . . .
well, we didn’t know. To add to our anxiety, we were in the middle
of serious nowhere. And the only things we could think about
were Walking Tall Part 2 and The Trial of Billy Jack. (If neither of
those movie titles rings a bell, check with your father. He saw
’em.) I thought about trying to outrun the black phantom, but I
knew my mom’s four-door Catalina was not up to the challenge.
So we began slowing down. But our pursuer didn’t. With headlights
flashing, he flew by us in a cloud of dust and gravel and
almost disappeared into the darkness. As he passed, we could
see that there were two people in the car, and one of them looked
rather female.
That was a good sign.
But our fear suddenly changed to confusion when the driver
stopped in the middle of the highway, got out of his car, and
began waving his arms over his head. Clearly this guy was crazy.
Louie suggested I slow down enough to make him think we
were going to stop, and then keep going. I agreed. But then we saw
that the passenger in the car was, in fact, a young lady; and the
driver looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.
That’s when it dawned on us what they were doing out in the
middle of nowhere. But what we didn’t know was why they interrupted
their date to chase down a couple of strangers.
The guy in the other car rolled down his window and waved
the kid over. He slid in between our two cars and blurted out,
“What are you doing out here?” Actually his question was a bit
more colorful than that, but that was the gist of it. And though it
really wasn’t any of his business what we were doing out there, it
seemed like a fair question now that we knew what he was doing
out there. But why he had chased us down remained a mystery.
Before any of us could answer, he informed us that in another
mile or so the highway ended at an unfinished bridge. If we had
kept going, we would have driven off the bridge into a swamp.
That would have really made us late.
Fortunately, our new friend and his girlfriend offered to lead us
back to an exit ramp, and from there he told us he would show
us how to get back to the county road that would eventually take
us to where the completed stretch of I-20 began. We expressed our
sincere gratitude, and off we went. Looking back, the decision to
follow this guy over the river and through the woods was about as
stupid as ignoring the Road Closed signs. For all we knew he could
have been the grand dragon of a local cult. But our only other
choice was to drive all the way back to where we started this misadventure.
So we followed along.
True to his word, lover boy guided us through a series of back
roads and state highways until we finally reached a legitimate onramp
for I-20. And at around 1:30 a.m., we rolled into my
driveway. I don’t remember what we told our parents about why
we were so late. I do know we didn’t tell ’em the whole story. Some
stories are better left untold.
And some roads are better left untraveled.
That’s what this book is about.
In the category of Top Three Dumbest Things I Ever Did is my decision
to ignore an oversized Detour—Road Closed sign and drive
down a stretch of I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta before that
particular section of highway was officially opened. But I was eighteen
and knew everything there was to know about anything.
Well, almost everything.
I was not alone. My good friend Louie Giglio and I had some
“business” in Birmingham, Alabama. Somehow we overlooked
the fact that Birmingham is on Central Standard Time, and consequently,
it was an hour later at home in Atlanta. I’m not sure how
we overlooked that piece of trivia. We had driven to Birmingham
that same afternoon and arrived at our appointment an hour early.
Granted, we should have logged that detail away and planned our
trip home accordingly. But we didn’t.
We had promised our parents we would be back by midnight.
That was after a long discussion about whether we should even go
on this little jaunt across the state line. So we departed Birmingham
at nine thirty, thinking we had plenty of time to make the return
trip. But about twenty minutes down the road, it dawned on us
that it was an hour later than we thought it was. And as fate would
have it, that was about the time we arrived at the detour sign.
Back in the day, there was a twenty- or thirty-mile stretch of
I-20 between Atlanta and Birmingham that for some reason the
Department of Transportation just could not seem to finish. So
vehicles were detoured off the interstate onto a single-lane road
that meandered through a couple of small towns and a whole
bunch of pasture, forests, and lowlands. The road eventually
would dump back out onto the completed section of I-20, and off
you would go. On our way to Birmingham that afternoon, we
couldn’t help but notice that the closed section of I-20 looked
perfectly navigable . . . at least the section we could see. From
what we could tell, all it lacked was stripes and guardrails.
So at 11:00 p.m., two hours from home with only an hour to
get there, we made a really bad decision. We drove right between
the words Road and Closed and headed on down the highway.
Two things happened as we crossed into the great unknown. First,
the notion of doing what nobody else was doing created an
immediate adrenaline rush. Louie cranked up the radio, and we
both rolled down our windows and began singing at the top of
our lungs. I won’t tell you what we were singing because that
would date this story beyond recognition. There wasn’t such a
thing as a high five back then, so I doubt there was any actual
body contact, but we were totally sure and full of ourselves in
those initial moments. The second thing I noticed was that someone
was following us. Fast.
My first thought was, police. But there weren’t any blue lights.
In fact, whoever it was seemed content to just follow along. That
was too freaky, so I slowed down and motioned for whoever it
was to pull up beside us. Turns out it was another guy from
Atlanta, looking for a shortcut. We assured him that the road was
completed, just not open, and off we went—side by side, lights on
bright, radio blaring. Since there was no posted speed limit, we
assumed there wasn’t one at all. Besides, the point of a shortcut is
that it is shorter. Or at least faster.
Twenty or thirty minutes later, our initial burst of enthusiasm
began to wane. The farther we drove, the less sure we became. We
even started slowing down. Then up ahead on the right shoulder
we caught a glimpse of a black sedan. As we flew by, the headlights
came on, and it pulled out onto the highway. Our stomachs
dropped through the floorboards. We were sure it was the police.
But once again, there were no blue lights. And the driver, whoever
or whatever, was not content to follow. He was planning to pass.
Now we were really scared. At this point it would have been
comforting to see blue lights. Instead, we were being chased by . . .
well, we didn’t know. To add to our anxiety, we were in the middle
of serious nowhere. And the only things we could think about
were Walking Tall Part 2 and The Trial of Billy Jack. (If neither of
those movie titles rings a bell, check with your father. He saw
’em.) I thought about trying to outrun the black phantom, but I
knew my mom’s four-door Catalina was not up to the challenge.
So we began slowing down. But our pursuer didn’t. With headlights
flashing, he flew by us in a cloud of dust and gravel and
almost disappeared into the darkness. As he passed, we could
see that there were two people in the car, and one of them looked
rather female.
That was a good sign.
But our fear suddenly changed to confusion when the driver
stopped in the middle of the highway, got out of his car, and
began waving his arms over his head. Clearly this guy was crazy.
Louie suggested I slow down enough to make him think we
were going to stop, and then keep going. I agreed. But then we saw
that the passenger in the car was, in fact, a young lady; and the
driver looked to be no more than sixteen or seventeen years old.
That’s when it dawned on us what they were doing out in the
middle of nowhere. But what we didn’t know was why they interrupted
their date to chase down a couple of strangers.
The guy in the other car rolled down his window and waved
the kid over. He slid in between our two cars and blurted out,
“What are you doing out here?” Actually his question was a bit
more colorful than that, but that was the gist of it. And though it
really wasn’t any of his business what we were doing out there, it
seemed like a fair question now that we knew what he was doing
out there. But why he had chased us down remained a mystery.
Before any of us could answer, he informed us that in another
mile or so the highway ended at an unfinished bridge. If we had
kept going, we would have driven off the bridge into a swamp.
That would have really made us late.
Fortunately, our new friend and his girlfriend offered to lead us
back to an exit ramp, and from there he told us he would show
us how to get back to the county road that would eventually take
us to where the completed stretch of I-20 began. We expressed our
sincere gratitude, and off we went. Looking back, the decision to
follow this guy over the river and through the woods was about as
stupid as ignoring the Road Closed signs. For all we knew he could
have been the grand dragon of a local cult. But our only other
choice was to drive all the way back to where we started this misadventure.
So we followed along.
True to his word, lover boy guided us through a series of back
roads and state highways until we finally reached a legitimate onramp
for I-20. And at around 1:30 a.m., we rolled into my
driveway. I don’t remember what we told our parents about why
we were so late. I do know we didn’t tell ’em the whole story. Some
stories are better left untold.
And some roads are better left untraveled.
That’s what this book is about.
20091101
20091028
It seems....
That FaceBook has taken a front seat to the ole blog. I am afraid that I have no idea what to expect next in life. My way of doing life is no longer working. (I am sure that it never worked). In a world full of distractions and people chasing "happiness" ...it is hard to hear God's voice clearly. All of a sudden, I can't pray enough. I can't get certain things off of my mind.
God...YOUR Kingdom come, YOUR will be done... on Earth(?)
God's will... PRAY on that.
God...YOUR Kingdom come, YOUR will be done... on Earth(?)
God's will... PRAY on that.
20090601
Excellence
I am going to post something that is obvious beyond measure. So obvious in fact that I should not post it. Okay...instead of posting...here is a link:
http://www.thebridgeonline.cc/podcast
I promise you wil get something from ALL of these!!!!!!!!
http://www.thebridgeonline.cc/podcast
I promise you wil get something from ALL of these!!!!!!!!
20090522
Yes
Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them, because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
Miles Davis Apple Ad
How cool is a Mac? Almost as cool as Miles Davis? Probably so...what a great ad campaign!!
Life
Short post...much like the life of a man on Earth. A breathe really. How are you fitting in the grand scheme? How 'bout in the Kingdom?
Think about it.
Think about it.
20090521
Discovery
Tonight our family went to my son's school to meet his "Discovery" teacher for next year. This years teacher is retiring. Discovery is the "gifted" program for Georgia. Everything about education and learning is discovery...I wish more students had the opportunity to be taught with these methods. It is really neat...
I am very proud of our kids and our school!!
I am very proud of our kids and our school!!
20090520
My Vision...blurred???????
When I fail to accomplish something that should be EASY to accomplish...I always ask, "Is this my vision or his?" Often the things that hold me back and/or blur my vision are things that are way beyond my control. My new choice is to measure wins in areas that I can and do have an effect on.
20090517
Excited and Content, Another Piece
Finding the elusive balance between these two emotions is my next goal. Paul wrote this:
Philippians 4:12 (New International Version)
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Apparently he had worked out contentment in his life. Sometimes I think I get too excited to be content (if that makes sense), but I am working on it specifically right now.
Philippians 4:12 (New International Version)
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Apparently he had worked out contentment in his life. Sometimes I think I get too excited to be content (if that makes sense), but I am working on it specifically right now.
20090514
NO SOFT DRINKS...Coffee for me...
I was a multiple-a-day Mountain Dew guzzler. Then I transitioned to a 4+ a day ENERGY DRINK sucker. Both in conjunction with my LOVE for coffee.
Now I am free. I have had water/zero Calorie flavored water only for two months.
My next step is to focus on doing some enjoyable things like biking and being involved with music.
The best part of this is my relationship with God. I believe more each day that all things are possible.
One Piece
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (New American Standard Bible)
17 pray without ceasing;
One part of me un-boxing God is to substantially increase my prayer life. I've been guilty of being a quick prayer at meals, quick prayer with the kids before school, and quick prayer before bed type of guy. I have also prayed a lot of self-centered prayers (bless me, my friends, my family, etc.). My "revitalized" relationship with God is starting to focus more on prayer life. I LOVE IT!
More soon!
17 pray without ceasing;
One part of me un-boxing God is to substantially increase my prayer life. I've been guilty of being a quick prayer at meals, quick prayer with the kids before school, and quick prayer before bed type of guy. I have also prayed a lot of self-centered prayers (bless me, my friends, my family, etc.). My "revitalized" relationship with God is starting to focus more on prayer life. I LOVE IT!
More soon!
20090512
10 Years...New Challenge
It has been awhile, I'm sure you get it. I've never used this blog with the intention of getting a bunch of readers...and won't start now...I am doing it for me. I am also going to use this blog as a part of my "new challenge".
The challenge is "30 days to live" and is part of a series the is going on at The Bridge Church in Cleveland GA. For me, a big part of the challenge is actually taking my relationship with God and unboxing it and integrating into my life. This is what I am praying toward tonight...I'll post more on this later.
This year, my wife and I have hit the 10 year mark in our marriage...it seems like just a short time. I am very proud of her. Now I want to take our great marriage, great kids, and awesome life to the NEXT level...fulfilling the call that Jesus has for ALL BELIEVERS.
Perhaps I will update the look of the blog soon as well!!
The challenge is "30 days to live" and is part of a series the is going on at The Bridge Church in Cleveland GA. For me, a big part of the challenge is actually taking my relationship with God and unboxing it and integrating into my life. This is what I am praying toward tonight...I'll post more on this later.
This year, my wife and I have hit the 10 year mark in our marriage...it seems like just a short time. I am very proud of her. Now I want to take our great marriage, great kids, and awesome life to the NEXT level...fulfilling the call that Jesus has for ALL BELIEVERS.
Perhaps I will update the look of the blog soon as well!!
20090205
Why not??
Picking on on the "don't act like Dr. House" ending from the last post...
Gregory House is complex as a character (even though he is fictional, many real lives are equally complicated). Words like "perspective" and "world-view" are tossed around almost like excuses for people. I am going to make a statement, I want any reader that wants to comment or just call me to please do so...I AM CURIOUS.
"Human nature is flawed (or sinful), but we do have the propensity or capability of choosing to do the right thing." (read Genesis through Chapter 5)
To Be Continued....................
Gregory House is complex as a character (even though he is fictional, many real lives are equally complicated). Words like "perspective" and "world-view" are tossed around almost like excuses for people. I am going to make a statement, I want any reader that wants to comment or just call me to please do so...I AM CURIOUS.
"Human nature is flawed (or sinful), but we do have the propensity or capability of choosing to do the right thing." (read Genesis through Chapter 5)
To Be Continued....................
20090129
MP Continued
Why? Because it is possible to focus on pleasing others so much that you neglect the Creator. By neglecting the ONE that we are supposed to Love with all of our heat, mind, soul, and body...we subsequently neglect ourselves. In Isaiah (and other spots in the Word), we are to be the clay...God is the potter. Follow me on this...
Instead of saying, I'm going to fix "whatever" or I'm going do do better in "this area", how about taking the focus off of what "we" think "we" can do. God has clearly gifted his creation in many ways. We are capable of becoming "successful" (from a human standpoint), on our own. However...we will 1.) probably not reach our full potential and 2.) not be terribly useful in the Kingdom if we constantly focus on ourselves and our need to please other people.
Clearly I would not recommend being like Dr. House (on FOX)... TO BE CONTINUED
Instead of saying, I'm going to fix "whatever" or I'm going do do better in "this area", how about taking the focus off of what "we" think "we" can do. God has clearly gifted his creation in many ways. We are capable of becoming "successful" (from a human standpoint), on our own. However...we will 1.) probably not reach our full potential and 2.) not be terribly useful in the Kingdom if we constantly focus on ourselves and our need to please other people.
Clearly I would not recommend being like Dr. House (on FOX)... TO BE CONTINUED
20090127
Multi-Personafied
Not a real word. Probably not an accurate fake word, but what do I call it?? Various groups want/expect different things from me. I'm flexible and I'm a YES man. Saying No is ridiculous...it goes against my wiring. I am capable of "background" or behind the scenes work. I am capable of leading/decision making. I can be overly serious (I usually am), but can be light/funny/beligerent as well. There's a fine line between being authentic, and being a master of "mask" or "disguise". I learned early that if you show people what they want to see, they are happy and show their approval. Approval feels nice. HOWEVER...seeking approval from other people is a DANGEROUS game...
TO BE CONTINUED...
TO BE CONTINUED...
20090122
Three Months
Here's a current pic of the kiddos!!
It has been three months since my last post. My only current thought is...I REALLY NEED A I-MAC, and an i-phone to go with it.
--perhaps it would spur me to post more (or play with Photoshop/Garage band/i-work '09/pro-presenter/VM Ware Fusion 2/ETC.)
--OR-- It could just look better on my desk than a plain jane 22" LCD
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)