Closing Out 08

The first of this year is pretty much a blur in my memory. With mom passing a week before Christmas last year it seems I lost a month or two. I know I traveled, spoke, called some basketball games in Jan./early Feb. but it was really mid-Feb. and on that I remember best. It was a good year. Morgan turned 16 in Jan. (dang, our baby is 16) and then Shelbi graduated from high school in May and started college in Sept. (Is our oldest already in college?)

I worried about my dad some this year. Not only did he lose his wife, my mom, but he got some pretty bad stomach bacteria thing going on that really plagued him for about 6 months. When they did find something that would correct the bacteria balance in his belly, the meds caused some nerve damage in his hands and feet. We are waiting to see how much damage but we are praying it is minimal.

We lost Sondra's dad on Sept. 9th. Five days after we moved Shelbi to Union University in Jackson, TN, Bernard passed away. It was two losses at the same time in a way. While we did not lose Shelbi permanently, our household felt it like a loss just the same. Sondra was hit with a double whammy. I worried for her and thankfully, she seems to be grieving both of those occurrences in a healthy way.

We both turned 45 this year. Dang! Am I really that old?!? I ran the KC Marathon in Oct. and qualified for Boston again just to prove that I might be old, but I ain't dead yet. It was pure vanity on my part.

Sondra and I celebrated 23 years of marriage in May. Truly an amazing woman. I do not know how she does all that she does. The best mother; wife of my dreams; and still manages to keep us all going the right direction at the right time.

I am thankful to have the job that I have. I completed 16 years in Oct and began #17 on Nov. 1. I love what I am doing. Feel like I am pretty good at it. Wonder what 09 will hold there. Economy the way it is and the layoffs LifeWay experienced this summer were staggering. In some ways, I experience survivor guilt. Many good friends lost their jobs this year.

I am excited to see what 09 brings. I know that I want to be more like Christ than ever. I have a long way to go. I am resolved to follow hard after Him.

Quick Update

It is now Saturday and we had a great Christmas week. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Bolivar with Sondra's mom even though it was really cold. She seems to be doing really well even though I know that she missed Bernard. We enjoyed Sondra's sister and her family and it is always good to be with them. Her husband Phil was working in Tulsa and was not with us but Sondra and the girls saw him briefly on Christmas when they were on their way to Independence and made a quick stop in my dad's town to pass off Morgan's ipod she had left in Bolivar.

The Christmas lunch at my dad's was big fun with 23 folks and 4 dogs there. Sondra did a great job in the kitchen and I think it is her way of handling my extended family. Can't blame her. She also was trying to help my dad out so he could spend time with family. We enjoyed out time at dad's. He misses mom but seems to be doing well. It was good to see my brother and sister-in-law along with my niece and nephew and my niece's two girls. They are cuties for sure.

We made our way back to TN yesterday and enjoyed good weather traveling home. We arrived to mid-60s and I even got to work in the yard again today. Cooler weather coming tomorrow but only mid-40s so that beats the single digits we endured last week in MO.

Reflecting on this year has been interesting. We are so incredibly blessed. Hope to blog about some of that in the next day or two.

Ben and I found a couple of Bernard's old hats and decided to model in the pic above.

Christmas Eve Eve

December 23rd is always an interesting day. It is Christmas Eve eve and most people are not sure what to do with it except catch up on last minute shopping or try to figure out a way not to have to work on this day. We have been enjoying our time in Bolivar with Sondra's mom and Sondra's sister and her three kids came up late Sun. Phil is heading this way tonight but had to work yesterday and today. We will miss him this trip unfortunately.

We leave later today to head to Harrisonville and to spend the next couple of days with my dad. Tonight we are supposed to meet up with a good friend of mine, Steve Elkins and his family, on the Plaza in KC to see the lights and drink coffee and tell big lies. Steve and I ran part of the KC Marathon together back in Oct. He has been a good friend for many years and is more like a brother in our family than just a friend.

It looks as though we might be getting some freezing rain today and tomorrow so it will be interesting traveling. We will be careful and take our time. While in Harrisonville we will have limited web access so Merry Christmas to everyone and we will do our best to update you as the opportunities arise.

Our plans right now include us heading back to Nashville on Friday and enjoying being home for a few days before Morgan's basketball schedule kicks back in. I am also hoping to get some work done on the outside of the house next week too. Praying that the weather will cooperate.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Missouri

We traveled to MO today and had a really good trip. We got away from the house about 815a and hit Bolivar about 4:45p or so. It is good to be here. Sondra's mom was glad to see us and vice versa. I will say that it is pretty stinking cold here and getting colder. Looking at low of 11 tomorrow with a high of 18 and a low of 4 Monday am. Not sure how I am going to get a run in but there is a YMCA in town and will see about heading over there for at least a treadmill run. 15 is usually the lowest temp I will run in out doors. And . . . the wind is blowing like crazy here too. Anyone thinking about looting our house while we are away will be surprised to find we have some folks staying there.

Last night was DCA basketball and the Lady Cats won a close one against Cannon Co. We had lost to them by 4 at their place last week and beat them by 1 last night. Good win. Our guys won a close one as well. I sure do enjoy high school basketball. And . . . I still enjoy getting to announce. Tends to keep me out of trouble.

Not much scheduled for the next few days. Just plan on hanging out, staying indoors, and watching some football and am really planning on finishing the John Adams biography. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it but have slowed down on it the last few months. Need to finish this week.

We also buried my mom's body a year ago today. Interestingly, today has not been sad at all. So thankful for the hope of knowing that I will see her again.

Merry Christmas to every one.

A Year Ago

It is hard to believe that my mom passed away a year ago today. While it has gone quickly in some ways, in others, it has dragged by. I cannot say that I miss her any less, but the pain does not seem to be as sharp. I do catch myself at times just wishing I could hear her voice. My dad made a visit to her grave today and sent the picture that I included. He seems to be doing pretty well all things considered. I talked to my brother today and he seems to be doing okay as well. None of us would ask her to leave and come back, but we all miss her.

This week has been filled with catching up on some reading, some Fringe (goofy tv show) and Christmas shopping. It has been good to spend time with Sondra too. I am off from going into work until early Jan. but am doing some work on our LifeWay National Youth Worker's Conference that is to be held in Sept. Lots to do and it seems like it is so far away.

Shelbi comes home tonight and will be home until late January. It will be good to have her around although she might get tired of us after having been on her own now for a semester. We head to MO on Sat. to visit family and celebrate Christmas with them. Between now and then we have a couple of things to do and on Friday we have a couple of home basketball games. It will be fun to announce those games. Keeps me out of trouble and keeps me occupied. I like that.

Saturday Update

It has been a pretty good week. I ended up running 38 miles this week and really had not planned on running that much. Thursday was an 8-miler in the drizzle, semi-rain and included me taking a spill. It was about time for a fall I guess. I have been very fortunate that I have only busted 3-4 times in over 20 years of running. Thursday's was the first in about 6-7 years and it was pretty mild. It would have been a great slide into second base or home, but was not totally fun on the sidewalk. No harm, no foul. Skinned both knees a little and jarred my body some, but no real damage done thankfully. Dark, rainy, and dodging cars. Could have been much worse.

We played ball three times this week. Played very well on Monday and lost by 4, played terrible on Tuesday and lost by 30 some, and played fair last night and won 40 something to 4. Yes, the opposing team scored 4 points. Two in the first quarter and two in the 4th. Morgan played really well last night and seems to be getting back to normal on the physical side. She executes pretty well. Her shot is off some but she is doing pretty well on the defensive side.

My last day in the office was Weds. although I was in Thurs. am for a short time for a meeting with a new guy in our office. I am really impressed with Kevin and look forward to working with him and learning from him. He is my main help on the National Youth Worker's Conference we will do Sept. 14-16, 2009.

Shelbi is loving college and attended a formal of some kind last night. I am not sure what all the details are but the pic she sent of herself was amazing. So thankful our girls look like their mom.

Looking forward to this Christmas season. Remember my dad as you think about it. Mom passed on the 17th last year and this week I know he is re-living this week from last year. We will travel to MO next Sat. to be with Sondra's mom and then my dad and will see all of the immediate family on both sides. Should be good.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Not just the song, but it sure is cold outside in Nashvegas today. Windy, lots of moisture in the air, and just generally cold. I know it is almost mid-December but I really am not much of a cold weather person. Pretty wimpish actually when it comes to the cold.

Last night's basketball game was a new low for us in many ways. The main way was in just overall effort. Weird since we had played so very good the night before against a really good team. We lost that one by 4 but it really felt more like a win. Last night against Harpeth Hall, well . . . it was just pretty ugly. I love this bunch of girls. They are good kids but are playing with very little intensity or effort. Not sure what it will take to get them through this but hope it does not last long.

Today is hopefully my last full day in the office this year. I was hoping to not be here today but work demands that well . . . we work. I have a meeting later and then hope to be done. Looking forward to doing some stuff around the house and lots of nothing actually.

Shelbi has one more week to go on school this semester. It will be good to have her around some again.

I have included a pic of my bride and me from a week or so ago. Dang if I am not a blessed guy!

Leaves, Part Deux

A week ago Saturday I spent two and half hours blowing, raking, hauling and cussing leaves and the yard looked good for exactly 20 minutes and 32 seconds. The winds came, the leaves fell some more and carpeted our yard. This afternoon I headed back out armed with the blower, rake, and tarp and conquered our front yard and the neighbors front yard. It looks good and their are a minimal number of leaves left on the trees to fall . . . so there.

This past week was very busy with meetings with our state folks here in Nashville and then on Thurs. I flew to New Orleans to meet with more of our state folks. All of the meetings were very good and very productive. I am really blessed to get to work with the people that I do at LifeWay and our partners in the states.

I got a couple of 5-milers in while in New Orleans with a run through the Quarter and then a fun 5-miler down St. Charles Ave. It just felt like Monopoly and the Garden District is really nice. Actually the French Quarter run that I did early Fri. was good. It is a totally different place early in the morning. Clean, quiet and non-crowded.

This week I am in the office Mon/Tues. and have a luncheon on Weds. and then I am planning on not being in the office for the rest of the year. I am working on securing some breakout leaders for our national conference next Sept. but that is the bulk of what I will be doing and doing that from home.

Glad to be home again. It has a very good year work-wise. Thankful to have the job that I do and am blessed to get to do the work/ministry I do.

Looking forward to some good basketball this week from the DCA Lady Cats too. We have been hot and cold with cold being the most recent temperature we have chosen to play. Road trip tomorrow to Cannon Co. Hoping the girls are ready to play.

It's Been a Year

This blog entry may be pretty reflective but it hit me today that it has been a year ago today that I had my last conversation with my mom. I had flown up to KC for the weekend and spent some great time with my mom and dad and it was obvious that mom was getting closer to death. She was in and out quite a few times during the weekend. The past three months had been so incredibly surreal in some ways and in other ways, so rich and blessing filled. Little did I know that my last real conversation with mom would happen on this trip. I had planned on not flying back to KC for two weeks because of stuff going on at home and just the mere expense.

It was Sunday afternoon and I had stayed home with mom during church that morning and we watched Adrian Rogers together on tv and we also had watched a little bit of the Gaithers. Both of my mom's favorites. She was pretty lucid and we just enjoyed one another's company. She had talked about those who had died before her and who she was ready to go see. Jesus was first on the list and a very close second was her dad. He died in 1968 when mom was only 26. She missed him from that point on. I am not sure a daughter ever gets over losing a dad. (I think that is more a reality as I watch Sondra grieve her father who passed in September.) She was ready to see her mom and brother too. It was a very cool conversation. She worried that her boys, my brother and me, might have a tough time in this "mean old world" and she talked about my dad and how wonderful he had been to her for over 48 years. It was a rich conversation. Her mind was so very clear. Her eyes danced with that ornery look that I have inherited from her. It was a treasure of a conversation then, but now a year later, it is more precious than I could have ever imagined.

I miss mom. It is so good to know that what has been a year for me is only momentary for her. Her reality is so much more real. I long for that day. I am so very thankful for how dad has done. I know these next two weeks will be pretty tough for him as he makes it through the last of the "firsts". Pray for him as you think of him.

Remember Sondra's mom, Joyce too. She has been such a delight to have with us this past week. She heads home tomorrow. What an amazing woman. I love her like my own mom. I am doubly blessed in that way.

A Busy Week

Last week was much fun, sleeping in late and getting up to run whenever I really sort of felt like it. This week, up at 430a and out the door of the Y at 530a to get the mileage done. Ran 5 this morning and it was fairly cold and somewhat wet, but not near as bad as I thought it would be. Thankful for that.

Thanksgiving week was a lot of fun. Good basketball, I think the DCA girls went 3-1 last week with their loss to FRA last Monday, and we enjoyed the UCA/Vandy game. Sondra's mom is still with us until Weds. and we are thankful to have her here. She felt a little puny yesterday but rebounded pretty well and enjoyed the rest of her day. Shelbi was home Tues-Sun and then we sent her back to school yesterday. Big fun to have her home. My cousin, his wife and a friend of theirs spent the night with us on Sat. on their way to Gatlinburg for a few days this week. Always good to see Brian and Dee.

This week is one of the busiest meetings weeks of the year. Our state associates are in town for part of the week and then I head to New Orleans on Thursday to meet with more of our state associates. Hard to explain why they cannot all meet together but . . . not enough blog space and you would not even care. I always look forward to getting together with these folks.

No ball this week until Fri/Sat and unfortunately I will miss those games. Bummer.

Black Friday, Grey Saturday

Who would have thought that people would gorge themselves on Thursday and then head to the malls (some of which opened at midnight around here) so they could shop for stuff that most of them did not need in the first place. I did my part to stimulate the economy with my $15 belt purchase last night at Old Navy.

Yesterday was a good day with a 6-miler to the Y in Donelson where I met up with Sondra and Shelbi. Morgan had a basketball game at noon in Columbia (about an hours drive away) and they won. The girls came out from the start and played pretty well. Got up by as many as 12 I think and held on to win by 4. They play again this morning at 11 back down in Columbia so we will have to leave soon.

My cousin, his wife and a friend are headed our way to spend the night tonight and then they are on to Gatlinburg for a few days. It will be good to see them. Sondra's mom has been here since Monday and seems to be getting caught up on some much needed rest. She seems to be handling things pretty well.

Pulling for Mizzou over KU of course today. Some other good games on today with OU at OSU and who cares about Notre Dame at USC. Why is that even a game?

I managed to get a 5-miler in this morning and to get the dog a short walk before the rain started here. Does not look like it will rain much though. Just sort of cold and wet today. Looking forward to good basketball and then home to just hang out and stay warm.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well . . . there are so many things to be thankful for that I am not even sure where to begin. It has been a year of great gains and two of the toughest losses we have ever experienced as a family. Mom was with us last Thanksgiving but was in very, very poor health. So thankful she was here but even more thankful that she is no longer suffering and is experiencing eternity with Christ. Sondra's dad passed in Sept. and is missed so much. What an incredible two lives lived by mom and Bernard. They are missed, but are reigning with Him already. How cool is that?

It is good to have Sondra's mom with us and of course having Shelbi home is wonderful as well. Who would have thought that 18 years would have gone so quickly and Shelbi would be in college and home only every few weeks. I know that is what we prepare them for but it comes way too quickly.

We are looking forward to our friends, Mitch, Christy, and Graham Fuller to come over soon for Thanksgiving lunch and of course, we are watching the Titans annihilate the Lions. I actually got to go to the Titans/Jets game on Sunday and saw Favre just pick us apart. It was good to see him play in person, but he sure kicked us. Tuesday and Wednesday a buddy of mine from college was in town with his basketball team for University of Central Arkansas. I got to hang with them some and do a shoot around with them at Vanderbilt and then Kevin got us tickets to the Vandy/UCA game. They lost to Vandy but UCA at least did not give up. It was big fun to see Kevin again.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I will try to update the blog a little more often. You can read the twitter feed in the sidebar on the blog to keep up with my daily goings on.

Friday Already

This has been a whirlwind week. Started out on Monday in Orlando, FL meeting with some of the finest student ministers in FL. They were working on a mentoring manual where they would take it and use it in helping younger ministers in ministry. Tuesday morning was a good run in Orlando and then a flight home with about 70 kids and 30 adults. I did manage to get upgraded and the kid behind me kicked my seat for about 30 minutes before his parents realized what was going on. Nice kid and nice parents but I was a little weary of the constant kicking.

Tuesday night the Lady Wildcats kicked off the season against Harpeth Hall and lost both the jv and varsity games but looked fairly good for the first game of the season. HH is pretty good and one of the tougher teams we will play all year.

Youth Specialties is going on here in Nashville this weekend and so my time is pretty much consumed by that. Did a podcast yesterday morning for BSFL and today do one for our KNOWN curriculum. Those are always a lot of fun.

Plenty to do today. Working the YS event and announcing the guys home game tonight. Always fun to be back at that. I have gotten 28 miles of running in this week and with the temp predicted to be 20 in the morning, that is probably all I will get this week. Looking forward to the weekend and then I am off all next week. Woohoo!

Monday Travel Day

I find myself on the road again this morning headed to Orlando to meet with a group of Florida youth ministers who are trying to get at ministry in a way that is pretty Kingdom-focused which is very refreshing.Update: good meeting with the guys today. I really love what they are trying to accomplish. You will be hearing more from these FL guys for sure.

I helped teach a class at New Orleans Seminary Thursday – Saturday with one of my former bosses and a very good friend, Clyde Hall. Clyde is one of those guys who has impacted youth ministry for the last thirty to forty years. It was good to be with him and the class went well. Ate some pretty good seafood as well and then visited Port of Call, which is an establishment known for their burgers and baked potatoes. It was pretty good but I guess the Monsoon drink they do is really what they are most known for. I am not a drinker but that was not the case for the majority of the folks there. Evidently money and drinking go hand in hand. The Monsoon was $9.50 a pop and I watched more than one person drink multiples. Crazy.

I got home Saturday night to an empty house. Well, the dog was there but she does not count. Sondra and Morgan had gone to Union to be with Shelbi, watch the girls’ bball team play and just hang out. They made it home Sunday afternoon around 2p.

The post-high school class we started in early Sept. is going well. We had 16 yesterday with two regulars absent. One a fun group of folks and Kevin is doing a great job teaching. I have been traveling way too much to attend much lately but am looking forward that changing.

It is another YS Convention this week but it is in Nashville so it will be good to attend and be able to sleep in my own bed. The conventions are always a great time to make contact with youth ministers and to hang out with the LifeWay student ministry team as well. What a great group of folks. I am privileged to be a part of this group.

Tomorrow night opens up the DCA Lady Wildcats basketball season with the ladies at Harpeth Hall. Got word today that I am announcing the homes games this year and it should be fun. We will have to see how that works out. Really curious as to how the Lady Wildcats will look this year. We graduated three seniors last year and have a great group of younger athletes ready to go. Should be an exciting year.

Hump Day

How did it get to be Weds. already? I got back from MO/KS Sun. night and then got up Mon. am and drove to Jackson to spend the day with Shelbi. good times. We really did not do a whole lot but it was sure fun to hang out together. We did catch some coffee/hot chocolate and scones and muffins at Starbuck's and then she headed to class. I made my way to the campus coffee house to work on some class stuff for New Orleans this weekend. I sure felt a lot older around all those college students.

We got Shelbi's skype stuff and webcam hooked up and then headed to Logan's for a good meal. We talked and laughed and just pretty much enjoyed one another's company. It was a great time. I left about 430 or 500 after getting a chance to meet Brett who is a young man Shelbi has been spending some time with. Nice guy and it was pretty obvious that I did not need to get my gun out. The pic is of Shel and me right before I was getting ready to leave. We both wore striped shirts. Weird.

The rain has landed in Nashville and the last couple of morning runs have gone well. Fairly cool and no rain has been a blessing running wise. I head to New Orleans to teach a class with my former boss, Clyde and it will be great fun. I love being around Clyde and around seminary students. I have a quick trip to FL next Mon-Tues and then am home for quite a few days. Looking forward to that.

Nashville Baby!

It has been a great time in Kansas and Missouri this weekend. I headed to KC on Weds and visited with Mark Scribner and the gang at West Haven in Tonganoxie and then on Thursday met with Joe Nelson from Northland. These two guys are doing a great job of ministry and I am priviledged to get to know them better and hear about what is happening in ministry.

Had a great conference with the folks in Kansas out in Salina. I led three conferences on student development and just thoroughly enjoyed meeting new folks and renewing old friendships. It was good to see one of my profs from Seminary, Wes Black and then a good friend in ministry, Richard Ross. Terry McIllvain is the state youth guy in KS/NB and it is always good to be around him.

I am sitting at MCI ready to board good old Southwest and looking forward to being home. Tomorrow I am driving over to Jackson to see Shelbi and to do some work. It has been about a month since I saw Shelbi and am really looking forward to being with her.

The Titans go to 9-0 and the Chiefs are in a battle with the Chargers. Their first drive was for 95 yards and a td which looked pretty strong.

Enjoyed visiting with my dad and aunt this week while here in the midwest. Today I preached for dad at East Lynne and my cousins and their families came down and we had a great lunch together after church. Good times.

Ready to be home. All of the Turner's seem to be doing pretty well. Ready to be off the road soon. I am at New Orleans Seminary Thurs-Sat. this week and then a quick trip to Orlando next Monday returning on Tues. afternoon. Home sounds really good.

I am including a picture of part of team I was with in Pittsburgh last week. Good folks for sure.

Post-Election Thoughts

Congratulations to the Democrats for soundly trumping a less than stellar Republican candidate and for hopefully waking up the Republican Party which has been pretty much on "checked our brains at the door" status for a few years. I did not vote for Obama (check that Bronwyn, - I did not vote for Obama) but will do all that I can to support him. His ideology is definitely different than mine, but I respect the office and will respect him in that office. Does not mean I have to agree with him and his policies but I will pray for him and his administration. I think it is great that an African-American has been voted as President as well. And . . . his two daughters are just precious looking.

The Republican Party has hopefully learned from the past few years of trying to be Democrats that it does not work. Be Republican through and through while you are in office and in charge or end up where we are now. On the outside looking in.

I am thankful that my hope and trust has not ever been in the government (no more now or less than in years past) but in God whom I am committed to serving. I will pray and support our leaders but my allegiance is to Christ. Hands down.

On to other things - this past weekend was a good one in Pittsburgh for the YS Convention. The LifeWay Student Ministry team that was there was just stellar. So much fun to be around and so articulate in helping student leaders know that we are about developing students and not just trying to build student ministries. We even got a great picture button together. Big fun.

Sondra, Morgan and Shelbi are all doing pretty well. Sondra is subbing quite a bit at DCA and really enjoys the students even when she is subbing for the band teacher. I think it is pretty loud in there. Morgan is in the throes of basketball practice and all that brings from Coach Schierling and his staff. Bret is tough on them but they love him and will work hard for him. I think he is a pretty doggone good coach. Shelbi is still loving Union and navigating the waters of first semester challenges in classes and relationships but is handling both of them pretty well.

I am traveling way too much right now but it is heavy training time. The seminar I led on Monday am in Pittsburgh for YS went really well. I am probably pretty conservative for most of the crowd and just really tried to stay biblical rather than focus on my thoughts. It was good times. I am in Kansas and Missouri now and this weekend meeting with youth ministers, my family and little bit and then leading a conference out in Salina, KS with my good friend Terry McIllvain who has forgotten more about students than I have ever known. Just a great guy.

Pray for my dad who seems to be having some reaction to some meds they had him on that appears to have done some nerve damage. We will know more soon. Sondra's mom continues to do pretty good but we sure appreciate you praying for her and the rest of us as we work through the grieving process of losing Bernard.

Halloween in Pittsburgh

I flew to Pittsburgh yesterday to be at the Youth Specialties Convention. LifeWay Student Ministry has a booth and I am actually leading a seminar on Monday morning on the Seven Mega-Trends Effecting Student Ministry. Sounds like an impressive title. I enjoy doing this conference and we will see how it goes. This is the first time we have had a LifeWay employee leading a conference at YS.

Sondra got home from MO on Tuesday night and we spent the day together on Wednesday. It was a great day with a workout and a run at the Donelson Y, Panera, chiropractor visit, a little laundry, dinner at Olive Garden to celebrate Sondra's birthday from the 25th, and church. Big fun just to spend the time together. Morgan was at home sick but is doing better now.

Shelbi got her new glasses and I will post a pic when she sends me one. The DCA Wildcats got a big win over Ezell tonight and I am waiting to hear where they travel for the first round of playoffs.

I will post again later this weekend. All is well with the Turners for now.

Catching Up

Morgan and I enjoyed a good weekend together. Saturday we did very little. I was tired from traveling and running a marathon and Morgan, well, she is 16. She is always tired. I mustered a 5-miler and then headed to Panera for a little coffee and bagel - minus Sondra :( - and then came back home with a chocolate pastry for Morgan, and watched football, did laundry, ate dinner with the Drummonds - amazing meal - and then headed to the Burden's for some homemade ice cream and cookies. A good Saturday.

Sunday was church and then Morgan and I caught a quick lunch at Cinco and then headed to the Belmont women's soccer game. Great game that Belmont won 3-2 in OT. It was absolutely beautiful here in middle Tennessee weather wise on Sunday but a cold front came through and the last two days have been sunny, but windy and cold. It will be good to have Sondra back tonight. She has really enjoyed her time with her mom, sister and niece, and today she went through Jackson and spent the afternoon with Shelbi. Got Shel some new glasses picked out and visited the dr. who has been treating Shel for a staph infection. It is looking good and finally getting better.

My dad has been having pretty bad trouble with his feet and legs and got to the dr. on Mon. and they figured out that the high powered antibiotics he has been on for his stomach has the side effect of affecting nerves. The meds were helping his belly but causing some nerve damage. Looks like it is all reversible and he is already feeling better.

I am playing nurse for Morgan tonight. She came home puny from school today and is in bed. Looks like a cruddy, head cold. I also met with a board of directors that I am on helping students get copies of Scripture. It is a subsidiary of the Gideon's International and I believe has great potential to bring about lasting change. It is a very eclectic group of men who I already have great respect and admiration for. Can't wait to see what God does with this ministry.

Sondra and I are spending the day tomorrow and then I head to Pittsburgh (brrrr) until Monday night. Back for a day or two and then off to Kansas and Missouri. This is a pretty busy time for sure.

I have included a fun picture of the girls when Morgan was in Jackson about a month ago. These two are a hoot!

Happy Birthday Sondra

Today is my wife's birthday. I will not tell you how old she is but we are pretty close in age. She is in MO visiting with her mom and her sister, Bronwyn and niece, Katie are coming up tonight. We have talked a few times on the phone, via text, via email, and we even skyped a few minutes ago.

What an amazing woman! Unbelievable wife and mother and absolutely the love of my life. Happy Birthday Sondra. I love you. You are simply the best.

Headed Home from San Diego

It has been a really good week in San Diego. It is hard to complain about having to come to this beautiful city. We had great meetings with the state sunday school youth associates. They are such a great group of people who are really interested in ministering to students in a way that helps them to come to know God, take ownership of their faith and make Him known. I so enjoy being with these folks.

I am ready to be home though. I had a great lunch with Mike Lovato from Magnolia Ave. up in Riverside and got to meet he and Nicole's new little daughter, Addison. She is a sweetie. Looks like her daddy but hopefully she will grow out of that.

Sondra is headed to MO today to be with her mom for a few days. It is Sondra's birthday on Sat. so that will be a special time for her with her mom. We will celebrate when she gets back home next week.

I am feeling pretty good since the marathon. Still a little tired but that may be due to the time change stuff I have put myself through the past couple of weeks with two CA trips with a marathon stuck in the middle. Still have been celebrating the race results from Sat. some at least in my mind. It is an amazing thing that God gives the ability to run. I also got to catch up with my good friend, Steve Elkins at the race. We toed the line together and parted about the half-marathon split area. He ended up running a 1:42 half I think. Good race for him. He had not done a ton of training and just recently got on with H&R Block which is great. Sprint laid him off back in the spring so I am glad he landed there. He is such a great guy. And a good friend for over 30 years.

Our volleyball Cats are playing tonight so I am planning on getting back in time for Morgan and I to drive down and see them play. I have only seen them play a couple of times this year since Shelbi is not playing anymore. She is all grown up and enjoying college. And . . . she got a spider bite last week at home on fall break and is dealing with that. Pretty funky looking bump on her leg and the doctor is treating her.

Enough from me right now. Pray for Sondra as she travels today.

Quick Marathon Report

It is Sunday afternoon and thought I would give you a quick update from the KC Marathon yesterday. Flew to KC on Thurs., my dad picked me up, we went by the race expo and picked up my packet. Drove home to Harrisonville and just hung out. Watched the BoSox come back for an exciting victory. Friday I was a slug and just pretty much laid around and did nothing but carbo load and . . . well, carbo load. Up early Sat. am to get ready for the race and drive to KC (about 45 minutes), toe the line at 7a and run for 3 hours, 28 min, and 14 seconds officially. Good cool day to run and I had a good day. Qualified for Boston which was the goal. Headed to my brothers to clean up and then on to Los Corrales for mexican food. It was awesome and I was plenty hungry. This mexican place is a restaurant we have been going to since I was a kid growing up in Independence. Man, it was good.

Dad and I headed back to Harrisonville and I just laid around again like a slug. I was tired but not totally trashed. Watch some of the Mizzou fiasco and some of the Red Sox game and went to bed about 930. Up early this morning, headed to church with my dad and had a great time in his sunday school class and then he preached a great sermon out of Psalm 32. I love to hear my dad preach. He is clear, easy to follow and full of passion. It was a great day of worship.

Titans move to 6-0 after and thumping of my Chiefs. I am a Chiefs fan at heart but really enjoy the home town Titans as well. The Chiefs are just pitiful.

Headed to San Diego in the morning for a series of meetings and then back to Nashvegas on Thurs. Missing home and family, but had a great time running KC and being with dad and my brother and sister-in-law. Speaking for dad tonight at his church since dad announced I was this morning in the service. Earning my keep I guess.

CA, AL, MO, CA

I got back from California Monday afternoon and enjoyed being at home in my own bed. Tuesday am I headed out to Birmingham along with our youth minister Justin, to teach a seminary class at the extension center in B'ham. It was a great time to spend with Justin and to listen and learn what God is up to in his life and the life of his family.

We met with Paul Kelly, one of my best friends, and enjoyed a great lunch and then some hang out time at Starbuck's and planning for the seminary class. We talked about all kinds of things including the sorry state of the whole political process and the candidates and did not settle anything. It was a long day but we taught for two hours and then climbed back in the car and made our way home in time to get involved in some fun construction traffic once we reached Nashville again.

Today has been good with enjoying the Career of Excellence Awards that LifeWay bestows on employees who have gone above and beyond. Ed and Chris are two of the recepients that I have had the privilege of leading during my tenure.

I got the hairs on my head cut and made my way to the chiropractor for a good realigning. Watching the debate tonight (not sure why) and then heading to KC tomorrow to be with my dad and then run the marathon on Sat.

Monday I am headed to San Diego to meet with some of our state youth associates. Tough place to go of course. Okay, so not really but am looking forward to being with them and some other youth ministers in the southern California area.

I am running little, waiting for the marathon and drinking lots of water, and starting the carbo loading. Praying for a good day on Sat. and running like the wind.

Back from Sacramento

It was a good trip to Sacramento for YS-NYWC where we worked many hours in the LifeWay Student Ministry booth and talked to some great student ministers. What a great job I have. I get to listen to and learn from people who work with students all over the country. I also get to share some of my story and the things God is teaching me.

Tomorrow I head to Birmingham to teach at the New Orleans Seminary extension there. It is a youth ministry class and we will look at curriculum and talk some student ministry philosophy as well. My youth minister, Justin Heap, is going to make the trip with me and I am totally stoked about spending time with him. He and his wife Trisha and baby O are such a blessing to us as a family and as a church.

Shelbi has found a guy she really seems to like and I have yet to meet him but I know Shelbi well and know that he must be a good guy. I do know that he is one lucky guy if he gets to hang out with Shelbi. I am going to get through my travels the next couple of weeks and make a road trip to Jackson to see Shelbi and meet Brett. I am not planning on taking my gun, but plans can always change.

It is marathon week and I flew back through Chicago today and there were many marathoners on the plane. I am praying for cool weather and a good running day. It is carbo week too since it is marathon week and come Thurs. or so I am going to feel pretty bloated and giddy, ready to run on Saturday.

Sondra's mom seems to be doing pretty well. Sondra is doing okay too. Times get hard when the house gets quiet and with me traveling the next two weeks, it will be somewhat quiet. Thanks so much for praying for them.

I am including a pic of one of my co-workers, Scott Mills, who is just a lot of fun to work with and be around. He is a dancing phenom too. Here he is working the booth in Sacramento.

Been Guilty of This

I thought of this in light of the debates the other night and then realized that I have been guilty of this a few times myself.
Just click on the image and you should be able to read the third frame.
In Sacramento now and headed over to meet with my buds for the YS Conference.

Post Debate Hangover

I watched the debate last night more because it was from here in Nashville than I did because I thought I would hear something that might help me decide who I might vote for this election. I did twitter a couple of times during the debate and really thought neither one said anything of substance. I did get to see a couple of people I knew in the pre-and post- debate part on CSPAN and then Todd Smith of Selah fame was the bald guy with the green and khakis on on the front row. I have worked with him a few times in the past. Good guy.

My take on the debate - wasted time.

This has been a pretty good week and we got some rain in Nashville yesterday and today. My grass is already a little greener. The weather has cooled off some too and I am in the middle of my big taper for the marathon on the 18th so my running is going well.

I leave today for Sacramento, California and the YS convention. I will be back on Monday and then head to Birmingham on Tuesday to teach at the New Orleans Seminary extension. It has been to be home for the past few weeks.

Sondra finishes her teaching assignment today after 9 weeks. She has really enjoyed it but I think she is looking forward to having some time back and it not be a constant daily assignment.

Okay, I saw this online this morning and just had to laugh. So many times I have wondered what "leave it all on the field" would look like in my mind and this is pretty close.

I stayed up too late last night watching the Red Sox and JD Drew blast a 2 run homer in the top of the 9th, but it was a good game. I really have enjoyed the Red Sox the last few years. I am a Royals fan at heart and one thing I have not had to worry about the last few years is how they will do in the playoffs. Maybe next year.

I am pretty domesticated today. At Panera by myself this morning as Sondra and Morgan head to Jackson to spend time with Shelbi today, so I have started the laundry, will vacuum the house, wash the beast, and watch some football on tv before heading to Vandy/Auburn. My good buddy, Keith, scored me a ticket to "the game" in town this weekend. I don't deserve it, but am thankful for grace.

I enjoyed a 7-miler this morning and did 5 @marathon pace which is 8:00/mile pace. I remember a few years ago where that pace did not seem hard at all, but age is creeping up on me and things are a little different.

Will try to skype some family overseas later today and also get home in time to watch the Mizzou/Nebraska game tonight if I can find it on a local channel. I may have to check out ESPN 360 to get it or at least listen to it online. Go Tigers!

Go to Bed Already

It is pretty crazy late for a guy like me but for some reason I am not ready to give up on this Angels/Red Sox game yet. It has been a really good day starting out with a nice, cool 5-miler and then I had to take my car for an oil change and tire rotation. I just left it at the shop and walked about 3-4 blocks to work.

Very productive day in the office and a great lunch at Demo's with Byron Hill. I am really appreciative of Byron, his take on life and work and family, and just enjoy listening and learning from him.

Tonight's DCA game was pretty exciting with DCA coming back in the 4th quarter to win by a touchdown. Our boys needed a win in the district and they overcame a sloppy quarter and a half and got the win.

Tomorrow Sondra and Morgan are headed to Jackson, TN and going to spend the day with Shelbi. I will be around the house most of the morning after a 7-miler with 5 at marathon pace, and then I got a ticket to the Vandy/Auburn game. It is the ESPN Game Day Central game and I will probably try to get down into some of that tomorrow. It should be a fun day and hopefully a great game. I am pulling for Vandy, but much more interested in the Mizzou/Cornhuskers game tomorrow night. Mizzou has not won there in like 20 years or something crazy like that.

The marathon training is going well and I am enjoying the cooler weather and the taper. I run two weeks from tomorrow in Kansas City and am looking forward to this one being over and hoping to qualify for Boston. Here is hoping I can run a 3:30. We shall see.

Headed to bed. The game is still going but I am out of gas.

Many Things Going Through My Head

Sometimes it just seems that there are so many things going on that it is hard to just focus on one thing and see it through. Ever been there? Sure you have. Today is a good day to get some work done, meet with some youth ministry folks and prepare for an all day meeting I have tomorrow away from the office.

Tonight it is DCA girls' soccer against Davidson and it looks like the weather has turned and it will be much cooler. I am looking forward to cooler weather and especially on the running side. I did a 10-miler today with some track work in the middle and my running buddies stayed at the track to support me. I was pleasantly surprised they did that. It is always easier to do those workouts with others there to support.

Continue to pray for Sondra's mom and Sondra and her sister Bronwyn. It has been a quick three weeks in many ways since Sondra's dad died. What an incredible life he lived. I miss him and I know that my missing him does not even compare to that of Sondra's family.

A little over two weeks to go until the marathon in Kansas City. Hope my legs come back. They normally do but who knows how it works the older you get.

HandyMan Can

Here it is Sat. night and we are all four at home together. Sort of nice to say the least. Yesterday started out with Sondra and Morgan headed to DCA about 4a for the Channel 4 Cool School event. A local tv station comes out and does a major pep rally and gives props to the school. It went over really well but they were sure tired come around 1130a. They dismissed school then and we all sort of napped around.

I had gotten up around 430a and run 20 miles leaving the house about 5a. It was pitch black so I ended up not being on the greenway as much as I had hoped. It was just too dark. It was a hilly course, but the temp was about 60 so it went really well. It is three weeks of taper now so maybe my legs will refresh and be ready to run a 330 on 10/18.

Shelbi came home last night in time for the DCA homecoming game. The game started well and went down hill big time in the fourth quarter and we lost. Fairly disappointing loss for the guys and the fans as well.

Today it was up and I decided to walk three miles on the greenway and then lift at the Donelson Y so Sondra and I both did our respective workouts and then headed to Panera. I love those Panera mornings with her. Please continue to pray for her, her sister Bronwyn, and her mom. It sure is hard losing those you love.

Hard to believe but I fixed our garage door and put new weather stripping on the back door getting ready for cooler weather. The garage door was a little more work, but I accomplished getting it working properly. Actually shocked all of us.

Saw our friend Jamie score two goals for Belmont today and have enjoyed just being home tonight. Our pastor and his wife provided our dinner tonight and it was delicious. Thank Raymond and Peggy.

Pray that we will get some rain in middle Tennessee. It is getting really bad here.

Thursday Already?

This week has been a whirlwind to say the least, but it has been great. We hosted the LifeWay National Youth Worker's Conference here in Nashville and had a great group of student pastors, leaders, exhibitors, breakout conference leaders, and general session speakers. I have the privilege of working with a great team of folks who pulled off a great event.

Looking forward to doing a little more normal life for the next few days. Sondra's mom seems to be doing pretty well and we are so appreciative to Nola and Betty, two of her sisters, who were able to come and stay with her. Her other sister, Rose, lives in New Zealand and has been a great support as well via skype, the telephone and through prayer. Please continue to pray for Joyce, Sondra and Bronwyn. I also ask you to pray for Bernard's brother, Gavin who lives in New Zealand too.

Sondra seems to be hanging in pretty well. Losing those you love is never easy but she is such an incredible lady. Shelbi is loving Union and is even trying to break it to us gently that she has met a boy. The motto around our house has always been, "boys are bad!" Enough said about that. The great thing is that I trust Shelbi completely. But I do reserve the right as the dad to remind her and Morgan that "boys are bad."

Morgan is hanging in and pretty much over the walking pneumonia phenomenon she had, recovered from a crashed ankle, and is back on the soccer field. They are playing pretty hard but finishing 2nd in most matches. Character building is painful at times.

I am in the throes of marathon training and will be glad to finish my 20-miler tomorrow and then begin the taper for the race which I have changed a little bit. Instead of running Detroit on 10/19, I am runnign Kansas City on 10/18. Cheaper for me to run that race since I can bum off of my brother and dad for lodging and transportation. Hoping to qualify for Boston. We shall see.

I love this picture of Shelbi and Morgan. What incredible ladies they have become. Thank God they are like their mother.

Live From Nashville, It's Saturday Night

It has been a pretty good weekend. Friday at work ended up being pretty busy in preparation for the national conference we are hosting this next week. All the plans seem to have come together pretty well and it looks like it is going to be a very good conference. It is one of those things that I have been working on for almost a year along with a great team of folks. Blog entries will probably be few next week.

We had soccer Thurs and Fri night and then today at noon. We lost Thurs., tied Fri. and lost today again. A bit unlucky today on a couple of plays. The girls seem to be playing hard. Maybe need a little more legs under them to play 80 minutes but we have had a lot of sickness and injury and our numbers are pretty thin. We do seem to be improving and hopefully will be ready for district tournament play.

Our youth minister and his wife provided us with dinner tonight and some other good friends provided us with dinner on Thurs. We also were provided dinner last Sat. night. I want everyone to know that how helpful and appreciated each of those meals have been. And the food has been just incredible tasting as well.

Looking forward to a good day of worship tomorrow and then I will be getting ready for exhibitors for our conference later tomorrow as well. If you are interested in our conference click here.

This has been a different week for sure. I have had numerous meetings that would not have happened had I been in Malaysia as was previously planned. I am glad that I have been in Nashville to be around my wife alot more than I would have. She is such an amazing woman and I know that she is grieving her dad's passing. She is truly amazing though and is jumping right back in to teaching. I am thankful she has that going on right now to keep her mind occupied.

Shelbi called yesterday and we had a great conversation about some decisions that she is needing to make regarding college, etc. It is cool that she calls and asks for advice and I think I was able to help her think through a few issues that had not really made it to her frontal lobe yet. What a great young lady she is.

Morgan is really recovering from her walking pneumonia phase and is back in soccer but probably only about at 85-90% strength. She missed some school last week of course due to the funeral, but she is doing well.

I have been running alot this week, planning for our national conference that begins on Monday and am really excited about it. What a great team of folks to work with here. Check out the conference here if you are interested in what we have going on. I thnk it is a strong lineup and am praying that folks will be encouraged and strengthened.

There is a lot of travel coming up in the next few weeks too so I am glad I am home for the next couple to get some things done and to be around to provide support for my wife. Pray for her as you think about it.

Looking forward to some soccer this weekend and my brother and his wife come back through Nashville tomorrow on their way back to MO. They have been hanging out in Gatlinburg this week on vacation.

What about those stinking gas prices? We are reducing the amount of driving that we are doing and quite honestly I am a little tired of having to bail out companies that have operated on bad business principles. I think it is time for all of us to live within our means. How about that for a last minute blog rant?

Back in Nashville

The events of last week have been hard to fully get my mind around. A week ago this morning, Sondra's mother called me to say that Sondra's dad was doing poorly and the drs. had done all they could do and that her father had just a few days to live. We got Sondra on a flight to KC and then a car ride with my dad to Bolivar. Her father passed on Tues. am and then all the things that have to kick in for funerals and burials took place. Sondra and her sister Bronwyn just did a great job of taking care of their mother and all the details on that end, while I became to go to guy here in Nashville to tie up loose ends, try to nurse Morgan back to health from walking pneumonia and get Shelbi ready to travel from Union in Jackson.

The week went really well, but I have to admit that I am pretty trashed. It is amazing how you kick in and just get through stuff and then get on the other side and are completely worn out. I know that Sondra has to feel even more tired than me. I know that she hurts for the loss of her dad, worrying some about her mom, and then just all the emotional stuff that comes with grief. I have to say that my wife is just an amazing woman. I watched, stepped in, stepped out, encouraged, hugged, cried, laughed, and numerous other things and just saw my wife handle things beautifully. I would appreciate you praying for her for the next while as she begins to get her mind and heart around the death of her dad.

Yesterday my brother and his wife came through Nashville and stayed with us last night. They are headed to Gatlinburg for a few days of vacation and it was great for them to come and stay with us. He also brought a cedar chest of my dad's that dad built in shop in high school. It is a great old cedar chest and I am honored to have it.

Remember my dad as well. He has been struggling with some pretty serious stomach illness since late May and is currently seeing a specialist and on some different meds to get him cleared up. He is not overly well right now but hopefully they can get it figured out.

Enjoying some cooler weather in Nashville. We only got a little shower yesterday from Ike. We need rain.

Missouri Update

Morgan and I headed out of Nashville about 730a and right in the middle of traffic. We made it to Jackson and Union University and picked up Shelbi, filled up the car with gas, and headed back on the road. It was a good trip up to Bolivar with few delays. Had one short detour due to an accident and made a couple of stops for breaks and lunch and made it to Bolivar about 5p. Everyone here is doing really well. We enjoyed a good dinner provided by one of the church members and are sitting around laughing about stuff Bernard would be laughing about with us.

Tomorrow looks like possibly a rainy day but it will be good. We head to the funeral home at 11a and then pick up Sondra's aunt from Atlanta early afternoon. Visitation is from 6-8. Looking forward to seeing many people we have not seen for years and it will be a packed 2 hours at least. My guess is that two hours will not be long enough for everyone to get through.

Pray for Joyce Holmes especially at 11a on Thursday and for Bronwyn and Sondra. Thanks so much for praying.

Plans for Dr. Bernard Holmes

Visitation will be on Thursday evening from 6-8p at Wellspring Baptist Fellowship, Bolivar, MO.
Service will be on Friday, Sept. 12 at 1pm on the campus of Southwest Baptist University in the Mabee Chapel.
Because of Bernard's heart for missions and discipleship, he has requested that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to support Global Encounter Ministries, India. Please send and make donations payable to: Wellspring Baptist Fellowship, PO Box 474, Bolivar, MO 65613 and indicate for Global Encounter Ministries, India.

My brother-in-law, Phil wrote a great note about Bernard on his facebook page and you can read that note here.

Thanks so much for praying for us. Morgan and I will head to Jackson in the morning to pick up Shelbi at Union and then make our way to MO.

A Life Well Lived

This morning about 615a, Sondra's dad and my father-in-law, Dr. Bernard Holmes met Jesus face to face. Sondra was able to be with her daddy when he passed away. We so appreciate the prayers and concern for our family. It will be later today before any arrangements are made and as soon as I know them, they will be posted here.

Please pray specifically for Joyce, Bronwyn, and Sondra. There are many details to be settled in the next few days. Morgan and I will leave Weds. am and drive to Jackson, TN and pick Shelbi up at Union University and then drive on to Bolivar, MO where Sondra's parents live.

Thanks again for praying.

Sondra's Dad Update

Quick word on Sondra's dad. We got word yesterday that he was not responding very well to some treatment they were trying and this morning got word that the drs. feel as though there is nothing they can do for him. They are giving him just days to live. Sondra is flying up this afternoon to be with her mom, dad and sister. Please pray for all of us as we walk through whatever it is that God has planned for us. It seems just a short year ago that we were beginning this walk with my mom. I know through that experience that God's faithfulness with sustain us.

Shelbi begins her college classes today under a different cloud than we would have hoped for, but none of this stuff ever catches God by surprise.

Thanks so much for your prayers for our family.

Whew!

It is Saturday and I am home from a quick trip to Orlando and Rock the Universe at Universal Studios.

Thursday ended up being a really good day taking Shelbi to Union and getting her moved in and set up and ready to go. We were blown away when we pulled up at the dorm and faculty and staff members began grabbing stuff and moving her in. I did not carry one box to her room! They set a great tone for her college experience by being there in the rain moving in student after student. I was greatly impressed. We did all the set up stuff you need to do like hanging curtains, making beds, hanging stuff on the walls, hooking up computers and tvs. I made a couple of runs to find some shelving but we settled for something from Wally world that works just fine.

Union does a worship service as the day closes and then you say goodbye and drive home and the students stay busy with all kinds of activities. As the worship concluded I sat there reflecting on the last 18 years and all that we had done to help prepare Shelbi for this step. I have to tell you that I feel pretty good about her being prepared and ready. The goodbye was good and there were tears shed. Long hugs, kisses and a few tears. The drive home was really pretty good. We did not have to pull over to cry but we did slow down driving through some pretty strong rain. After a while we even turned on the Vandy game and listened to them beat South Carolina. I love it when Spurrier loses.

I am ready for bed and church tomorrow. We are a part of a new college-age class start beginning tomorrow. I am excited and am glad that I am the assistant. Looking forward to see what God does.

College Eve

We sit at home tonight enjoying one another's company. We take Shelbi to Union University tomorrow to embark upon her college career. And, I guess for the rest of us to embark upon life without Shelbi at home anymore. Will probably be a big adjustment for all of us I am sure.

We grilled chicken, hash brown potatoes, zucchini, and will eat some Miss Daisy pie later and just enjoy being around each other. We have to pack some stuff up tonight and then just laugh and maybe cry a little bit too.

I do have to say that it is hard to believe that 18 years has gone by so quickly. I was thinking about teaching Shelbi to walk, ride her trike and then her bike, teaching her to catch and throw and swim and . . . on and on. I am incredibly blessed. Sondra is such the great mother and I am not too bad as a dad. It is comforting to know that what we intentionally set out to do long before we even knew God would bless us with kids, has come about fairly well. Shelbi is ready to go. We have invested wisely in her and have had so many people partner with us to rear both she and Morgan. We are blessed.

Pray that we will have safe travel to and from Jackson, TN tomorrow. Pray that the move in will be as painless as possible and that Sondra and I will be smart enough to pull over if we are crying too hard as we attempt to make it back to Nashville.

Good times. Bittersweet, but right.

September - Here Already?

Is it just me or is this year flying by? I headed out this morning for a 12-miler since my running schedule is going to be off this week due to travel. I usually do not do long runs on Mondays. I did an easy 5-miler yesterday before church and then we headed to church and then to MTSU to watch the women's soccer team from Belmont play MTSU. Our friend Jamie plays for Belmont and we wanted to see her play. Belmont won 1-0 on a really hot afternoon. I think it got to 96 yesterday and we sat out there and cooked.

After running this morning it was waffles made by my wife and we had a friend of ours over, Julie, who is one of my former students from many years back. Great young lady who is currently living in DC but moving to LA next month. It was really good to catch up with her.

I have been intriqued and encouraged that Gustav has simmered down and is not causing as much damage as he could be. Still not good and praying that the levees hold in NOLA as well. I have many friends who evacuated and we have been praying for them.

Later today we head out to eat and celebrate my birthday which is actually this Thursday but will Shelbi moving in at Union on Thursday we decided to celebrate today. Should be good times. This is going to be a busy week with an all-day meeting away from work on Weds., college move in on Thursday, and I head to Orlando for work on Fri./Sat.

Wishing everyone a Happy Labor Day today.

I am glad to be at home this weekend and enjoying some time with just hanging out. I have some stuff that I could be doing on the outside but am content to just hang out. I completed my 20-miler yesterday and found it to be very humid and pretty warm before I finished. The good thing is that the 20-miler is done and I took the day off today. I may run a little tomorrow morning, but maybe not too.

We went to the DCA football game last night and our guys played hard but ran out of gas in the last half. We just need more bigger bodies. I think there are only 3 returning starters from last year's team. I have to tell you that I like the way our kids play, they just need some more bigger bodies.

I am watching a little college football today and looking to do some grilling tonight and maybe a little pool time this afternoon. We will see. It is pretty hot and humid here today so I may just hang out at home and be a bum. Planning on heading to church tomorrow and finish up with our young marrieds with no kids class tomorrow. What a great time we have had with them the last two years. We are joining another couple to start a college-aged class next week and are running a play where all the advertising for the class is through facebook. We will see how it goes. We have about 40 in that age bracket and about half of them are away at colleges, but the others are close so we are trying to keep everyone involved. It should be fun.

My birthday is next week but with many things going on including taking Shelbi to college and some travel on my part, we are going to celebrate on Monday. Hard to believe that I will be 45 on Thursday. Sometimes I feel younger than that but not usually after 20 milers.

Pray for Sondra's mom and dad. He had blood work done yesterday and has a couple of MRIs on Tuesday. Pray that all is going well inside of his body.

Home Again

Had a great trip to MO to do conferences and got to see my dad and brother and my in-laws as well. Sondra's folks seem to be holding their own. Her dad is pretty weak but did get to preach on Sunday which is so encouraging. He has some blood work tomorrow to determine levels and then has a couple of MRIs scheduled for Tuesday to check a couple of places that have been giving him some trouble. It was a short visit with them but a great time to see them and reconnect.

Morgan's ankle seems to be doing better after the crash on the soccer field last week and she practiced some yesterday and may get to play tonight some against Page. Shelbi is one week away from heading to college and is scrambling around to get all her dorm stuff together. We did pick up a laptop for her last week from the Dell auction site and she got it last night and was pretty excited to have it.

Sondra is still teaching pre-Algebra and Algebra and is doing well just tired for sure. It is pretty crazy around our house right now with many different things going on. My plan for tomorrow is to take a floating holiday and do my 20-miler in the morning so that means pasta and carbs today. Training for this marathon seems to be going pretty well. With a Malaysia trip coming up leaving on 9/9 and coming back on 9/17 I am hoping to get some runs in when I am not on an airplane.

Looking forward to a good weekend. I am ready for a little rest before the activities of the next three weeks or so.

Quick Update

I am in MO for a couple of nights of conferences beginning tonight and concluding tomorrow night. They are being held about 30 min. from my dad's so I am staying with him and saving the company lots of money. (That's a good thing and staying with my dad is just very, very good.)

My brother and I went fishing for a couple of hours after church yesterday and he caught a nice 5.4 lb. bass. I did not even get a real bite but sure celebrated with him on his catch.

I am running down to Bolivar in the morning to visit with Sondra's parents for a couple of hours and looking forward to seeing them. Hope to give you an update on them tomorrow. Enjoying nice 70 degree weather up here, maybe low 80s but barely if it is that warm and the breeze is nice. I ran a 11 miler today since I will be traveling early tomorrow.

Will catch up with you all later. I have limited internet access and am sitting in the public library in Harrisonville with my new Cass County Library card. Oh what we will do for internet.

All Things Considered . . .

I am not sure that this phrase really makes a lot of sense, since when most people use it in a sentence, they have not really considered all things. I catch myself using phrases (euphemisms) that I really do not mean, nor have I really thought through completely.

I had a very good conversation today that helped me remember the importance of not playing shell games or doing end runs. I operate best in environments where everything is up front and even if something is said that I do not like, at least I know what is going on. I can appreciate that and respect it as well, even if I do not like the outcome. I am thankful when the rules are known and the cards are played on the top of the table.

Morgan and her DCA women's soccer scrimmage went fair last night. Early in the first half, Morgan went down and from across the field it looked like her knee went out. Thankfully, it was her ankle and even though it is very sore, she is doing pretty good. My guess is that she will be out of soccer commission for a couple of weeks at most. Her team is pretty low on numbers and pretty high on injuries right now. Not a good combination for sure.

I have some travel coming up this weekend and into next week. I am leading conferences in MO so I will get to spend time with dad and also my brother and other extended family. Looking forward to that.

Pulling for Walsh-May/Treanor tonight in the beach volleyball finals and really enjoyed the men's USA/Serbia match today.

Firsts

Today Morgan started her junior year at DCA. So, that is her first day of the school year and the first time that she has started school and Shelbi has not been with her for the "first day of school picture" that every mother wants of their children. I am not even sure if Shelbi got out of bed to see her sister off to school. It is also the first day of school for Sondra. She is teaching algebra and pre-algebra for the first 8-9 weeks of school while a teacher is out on maternity leave.

It is the first day of work for me since a couple of good, close friends lost their jobs here where I work. Weird. I really enjoy my job, but more importantly, I really like the folks that I work with and when a couple of them are here no longer, it changes the make up some. Thankfully they are both doing pretty well.

I have to tell you that I am struggling with these subjective point systems that we have in many of the Olympic events. Some of the boxing, gymnastics, and other related sports are just starting to tick me off. Granted I am not an expert in any of those sports, but it sure seems a little suspect when people land on their knees from the vault or in the ring and somehow score higher than others or the one who knocked them down.

I like timed events, score a goal events and other less subjective competitions. Track and field makes sense. I can see who crossed the line first, etc. You get what I mean.

Continue to pray for Sondra's parents. Her dad seems to be doing pretty well, but is experiencing a few side effects. Overall though, he is doing pretty well. We sure appreciate your prayers for them. I am including a picture of Shelbi and Joyce and Bernard from a couple of weeks ago so you can see who you are praying for once again.

Eights Everywhere

Michael Phelps wins his 8th gold medal of the 08 Olympics and my mom passed away 8 months ago. I ate breakfast this morning at 8 o'clock and think I will count 8 rows from the back and sit in that pew at church today. Who knows why?

Looking forward to a good day at church and then Sondra and I may head to the pool since the weather is so nice. We will see.

I have to tell you that I think I have turned into an Olympics junkie. I watched quite a bit of it yesterday from track and field, women's marathon (so sorry for Deena Kastor who was the USAs big hope), swimming and the whole Michael Phelp's phenom and that Lezak guy is pretty unheralded but a mighty awesome swimmer in his own right. Hated to see the 41-year-old lady, Dara Torres, not win the gold just because anyone that age competing at that level is incredible. Heck I even watched the USA men's water polo team beat Croatia yesterday but missed the May-Teanor and Walsh match but glad they won.