A New Week

Allow me to gloat for a couple of lines. I had 7 of the 8 in the Elite Eight and I have all four in the Final Four. Okay, enough of that.

This is going to be a busy week. I started out with meetings this morning after a 5-miler in the cool, not so steady rain, and then we have the girls' basketball banquet tonight. Might be a tear or two with this being Shelbi's last go around with sports banquets. I think we will survive it though.

I head out of town on Weds. and there is much to be done before I leave. I have doing a resource fair in La Puente on Thursday, a large conference in Riverside on Fri./Sat. and then head to Las Vegas on Sunday morning for another resource fair on Monday. I need to squeeze in watching the ballgames on Saturday night and then try to catch the championship game on Monday night before bringing a red-eye back getting me home Tuesday morning. Crazy I know but I have a meeting on Tuesday I really cannot miss.

No word from Sondra's parents yet so we are assuming they are doing about the same. Remember to pray for them.

Bracket Management

Okay, so my Elite 8 are all in tact except for the spot Davidson sits in. I had the Hoyas there and then my Final 4 is all the #1 seeds. So, my bracket looks pretty good save Davidson. Watching them play Wisconsin last night almost makes a believer out of me. I do think their run ends tomorrow against the Jayhawks however. I think KU has too much even for Curry to overcome.

Carolina will have their hands full with Louisville tonight for sure. Too very good coaches going against one another in this one for sure. Roy Williams is the man and Pitino is a close runner up. Hard to believe that Pitino has never lost a Sweet 16 game and has carried three different teams to the Final Four (I think I am right on that one - Providence, Kentucky and Louisville).

It is a writing day for me today. I am at the public library trying to get it done. I ran almost 11 miles this morning in 1:19 which is not too bad for me. I did 45 miles completed this week and then after the run this morning went to Panera with my bride to eat bagels, drink coffee and just hang out with her. She is pretty awesome to say the least.

Remember to pray for Sondra's parents. Her mom's tests went more quickly than planned for and we will know results this next week.

Go Tar Heels!

Tar Heels Win

It was fun to watch the very limited coverage of Carolina last night. The Xavier/West Virginia game was exciting and I had picked Xavier so it helped my bracket. Now I have to admit that Western Kentucky played UCLA very tough and it showed that UCLA is very vulnerable which is why I have them in the final 4 but do not have them in the championship game.

Tennessee was just manhandled by Louisville last night. I had those two playing in my bracket with Louisville winning. I did not think they would win by 19, but Tennessee just did not shoot well at all. I like Bruce Pearl but I think he has to get past some really big games to be considered a great coach. I think he is a very good coach however and he has turned the Tennessee program around for sure.

I am looking forward to a good weekend at home. I have some writing to do to finish up the leader guide for the book on student leadership that I have been writing. It will be good to get that one completed. Writing is hard work. Good, rewarding work, but hard. Now if we can just get it printed and get some folks to read it we will see if it is any good or not.

Quick Update

We got Sondra home late last night after a couple of delayed flights. We are glad that she is home. Morgan leaves today for a Student Council event in Memphis so all four of us were under the same roof for about 8 hours.

Sondra's dad seems to be doing a little better right now and he got a clearer understanding from the dr. of the cancer that he has and knows that it is not curable. Sondra has a way of zeroing in and got the dr. to just really help them understand what is going on. All hope is not lost by any stretch, but it does give them a clearer understanding of what they are facing. He also is receiving high doses of prednizone (sp?) to fight the infection in his chest and the blood clot in his leg seems to be some better. Pray for his physical strength and encouragement. Sondra's mom has a series of pretty extensive tests scheduled for tomorrow to get to the bottom of the pain she has been experiencing.

I am attending two funerals today. Both of the men we are honoring were great men who have influenced so many lives. Remember the families of Jerry Howerton and Lee Sizemore today. I did not know Jerry but know his two boys and they are wonderful men. Lee and I worked on many video projects together at LifeWay and he was one creative, fun guy to be around. Both of these men will be missed.

On a final less important note, Go Tar Heels. They play the early game tonight against Washington State. Pulling for Tennessee as well but I think Louisville will get them tonight.

Things I Wonder About Sometimes

This may be a little more contemplative than my usual posts for sure. At times there are things that run through my mind that just have to get out. The last couple of months have been pretty busy and I have found myself really thinking about some things in life that really matter.

I know it may go without saying but the last few months with mom's illness and death have made me realize just how thankful I am for so many people in my life. I really do think that my dad is the greatest man I know. I have thought that for many years but these last few months, he has just been amazing. His reliance on God throughout all of mom's sickness and death and in the months since mom died, he has just modeled trust in God.

Sondra, Shelbi and Morgan are just amazing ladies in my life. Sondra is so incredible in her walk and in her love for God. She is now walking through some really tough times with her mom and dad's physical frailties, and I really hope I can be the rock she has been for me. Shelbi and Morgan just bring us so much joy and to think that God allows us the opportunity to be their parents is pretty overwhelming.

My brother and his wife are a great encouragement to me and their walk and faith have increased exponentially over the last couple of years. What a huge blessing they are in my life.

My in-laws are some of the most precious people I know. Their walk has been such a strong encouragement to me and to countless others who have been blessed through their hospitality, teaching, conferences, preaching, and bible study groups. Only God knows just how many people they have blessed through their obedience to God. Please continue to pray for my in-laws, Joyce and Bernard. Pray for their physical health and for their emotional strength.

I am a blessed man. I have to admit that God is stretching me, challenging me, and causing me to rely on Him more than I can ever remember. What a blessing to know that God loves me and wants the best for me. My prayer is that I will not try to keep Him to myself.

Quick Update

The girls got home from FL last night and we headed to church this morning. Sondra is in MO with her parents and her sister and her family arrived there a couple of hours ago. I am thankful Sondra is getting to spend some time with her family. Please continue to pray for Sondra's parents. Her dad is doing fair and her mom is always in the kitchen and rarely rests.

The girls and I had a wonderful lunch with our friends The Fullers. They are a real blessing to our family and have been for the last 15 years or so. God is so good to give us friends like them. Mitch led worship at our church this morning and it was wonderful. He used to be the worship leader at our previous church and it was good to sit under his leadership again today.

My bracket is sort of messed. My final four are still in but I only have 10 of the sweet 16 in place. It is amazing to me that I can spend 5 minutes or 5 hours on my bracket and it comes out about the same each year. I did the 5 minute plan this year. I have all the #1 seeds in the final four with Carolina and Memphis in the final and Carolina winning it all. Go Carolina. They just beat Arkansas by about 30 or so.

I head back to the office tomorrow. I haven't spent much time there lately with all the travel.

Also, please pray for my friend, Shelby Baucum. He has a nerve condition that causes him much pain but they are not sure what the condition is or how to treat it. He and his wife Dora are great friends and need our prayers right now.

Home Again

Man it has been a whirlwind to say the least. Our time in Florida ended up very well. We laid in the sun on Weds., dodged rain on Thursday and laid out some, and then had dinner with our old friends, Clark and Patti Keator. They are the folks who let us stay in their house while we were in Orlando and they were on a cruise. It was great fun to catch up with them.

On Friday morning, we got up early and headed to the airport. It was nuts. We were not flying together since I put Sondra on a free ticket so I got home about 930a, picked up the dog and mowed the lawn. Sondra went through NY LGA and got home later than scheduled. I had left at 1p to head to east Tennessee with a couple of guys from the SS class to camp and white water raft. Great fun. We laughed putting up the tent, starting the fire (I was in charge of that and we came out good) and then trying to see how flammable Jacob was. Not very. We were trying to light the lantern, but Jacob tried to light himself a little. No problem. It was a good night's rest (for real) and then up this morning to meet up with a couple of other guys to go down the Ocoee. What a rush! Probably the best trip down the Ocoee I have made.

We cleaned up, grabbed some lunch and headed home. It is nice to be home. Sondra left this afternoon to go spend some time with her folks. She should be landing in Springfield about now. Shelbi and Morgan should be home from Naples tonight and then we will head to church tomorrow. Looking forward to celebrating Easter.

Pray for Sondra's folks. Neither of them are really doing very well. We will know more now that Sondra is up there with them. Pray that it is a good time for all of them to spend together as well.

I talked to dad today and they placed mom's headstone this week and dad said it looks great. It really helps bring some closure for dad. He really is a cool guy who seems to be handling the loss of his wife pretty well. I have always been proud of him, but probably more now than ever.

I am also loving watching all this cool March Madness stuff. My bracket is not too bad. I have missed 6 so far. Glad Duke is gone.

Florida

I left Des Moines early Sunday, had lunch with Sondra in Nashville and then boarded a plane for Orlando. We are partnering with Universal Studios to provide training for Rock the Universe in Sept. and paired up with Jay Strack to be involved with his Youth Pastor Summit on Monday and Tuesday this week. It was great to hear some good speakers (Francis Chan, John Eldredge, Brent Crowe, and Ed Young, Jr.) and I got a little platform time to talk about our KNOWN strategy and our partnership with Rock the Universe. I also did a breakout yesterday on What Students Wish We Knew with our strategy at the heart of the presentation. It was great to meet some new friends in ministry and see some folks I have known a long time.

Sondra flew in Monday night and we have been hanging out some and especially today. No worries and no work today. Monday night I headed to the Blue Man Group show comped by Universal as part of their wooing us. Sondra flew in later so missed the show but we headed back to Universal for the fireworks show. Yesterday afternoon it was hitting both parks after a full day of teaching and exhibiting but our friend Todd, Universal employee got us to the front of the rides in both parks. Saved much time and got to ride what we wanted without the wait. I am officially spoiled. Did dinner at Margaritaville on Citywalk and then back to some friends' house who are letting us house sit for them and saving us and LifeWay lots of lodging money. Very cool.

I am writing later today and tomorrow and sending it to my editor no later than Sat. night complete. Syble if you are reading, hold me to it.

Des Moines

On Friday am I got up early and ran 5, caught a plane and ended up in Des Moines for a conference I was participating in. It turned out to be a really strong conference with a little platform time and a break out on the student development strategy we have been working on for about a year and a half. I have a link to it on my sidebar if you are interested in learning more.

I head to Orlando tomorrow and Sondra will meet me there on Monday night. I lead a conference on Tues morning and then we are planning on spending a few days just hanging out in Orlando. Should be fun. The girls are going to Naples with some friends so everyone will be in Florida only not all in the same place. We hope to get to Universal some time during the week.

Sondra's dad seems to be doing okay once they figured out he had a blood clot and have him off his feet and on blood thinners. Keep praying.

Further Update on Sondra's Dad

Sondra, being her persuasive self, convinced her dad to go to the dr. today and they found a pretty large blood clot in his leg, thus the out of breath and severe pain in the leg. They have started him on blood thinner, staying off his leg with it elevated. There is still a little confusion about the levels in the blood from earlier tests, but things seem to be a little better right now. Just wanted to keep you updated and thanks for praying.

Update on Sondra's Dad

I got this in an email from Bernard yesterday after I posted. Please pray for him:

Although I still feel reasonably well I need to report a change in my condition. Last week I was able to walk around the house without the aid of a cane or walker. After teaching my class Sunday morning things changed rapidly. While walking down about 15 stairs with the help of the banister and the strong arm of one of my class, I was completely out of breath and since then I cannot walk many steps without the walker and experiencing shortage of breath. I think the problem is associated with the left leg which really feels heavy. I see my neurologist next Monday morning.

Forgive me for constantly asking for prayer. For those who pray, Joyce and I are extremely grateful. I’m not sure what to ask for but our heavenly Father will guide you.

Thanks for faithfully praying.

Homeward Bound

Not the sappy movie that had the two dogs and a cat trying to find their way back home, but me finally headed towards home and my lovely wife and two daughters. It has been almost a week since I left, but it seems longer than that. The trip has been most effective and the meetings all went well and I met some really great folks who love students and want them to become like Christ. What a privilege it is for me to be able to encourage them and provide tools to help them help others. I really do have a great role in the Kingdom right now.

But I am a husband and a dad and then an encourager of others in that order. And . . . it is time to go home. I leave again Fri. and come home Sunday and then Sunday afternoon head to FL where
Sondra will meet me on Monday. I am working a couple of days in FL and then playing for the next few days. It will be fun.

I am about to get on a plane here in Richmond so will need to cut this short. Pray for my father-in-law, who is feeling really well, and pray for my mother-in-law too. They are such wonderful people and I am praying that God will heal their bodies. I know He can and just waiting to see how He will choose to do it.

I will let you know how it goes. Pray for me also as I am leading the youth conversation at our church tomorrow night and looking forward to being with our home church kids. They are a great group.

Carolina Wins

It was fun to watch Carolina beat Duke on Sr. night at Duke once again. Psycho T (Tyler Hansbrough) has won three times at Duke. Pretty much unheard of. It was good to see the Heels show that they are pretty good inside, in transition, and can play defense.

I had dinner last night with Julie Burden (a former student of mine and good friend of our family) and one of her friends Kelley Mesa. We enjoyed some Lebanese food and enjoyed just catching up with one another.

This morning I worshiped with John McArthur on television. I then headed into DC to run The Mall. It is really sunny here today but very windy and cold. I ran about 7 miles, talked to a few other runners and planned on running more but when I went by my car (parked next to the Potomac and FDR Memorial) there were all kinds of emergency vehicles including a helicopter and water rescue. Emergency personnel were pulling a body out of the river and it was pretty obvious that any attempts at reviving the young man (it appeared to be a young man) were futile. I have to tell you that it was a pretty sad scene for me. I began to pray for his family, if he had any one who really cared for him, and then began to think about his life and how he ended up in the river. Life is so fragile. I wonder where he is spending eternity. I just did not have the heart to run anymore today.

This has been a good trip and I did enjoy my run on The Mall. It is one of my favorite places to run, but it is time to head home. I go to Richmond later today, conduct a resource fair for youth ministers tomorrow and head home on Tuesday. I miss my wife and our girls. Shelbi is enjoying New York City and will be home on Tuesday as well.

Go Tar Heels!

I am watching the Carolina/Duke game. I really do not like Duke. I think Coach K is a very good coach, but I am pulling for Roy to win tonight. Coach K could be a great coach if he left Duke. Looks like the officials are going to let them play. It is less than 6 min. in the first half and there is a lot of banging going on. Go Heels!

Rain is Coming

I am still in Baltimore (area) and the meetings and presentations I had yesterday went very well. It is good to among youth/student leaders who love God and students and their families.

I also got to have dinner with one of my former students who is living in the DC area. Jonathan is a great guy who is involved with the Naval Credit Union and does something in the credit card fraud prevention division. He explained it to me and I sort of understand what he does. We enjoyed a good meal together and then headed in to DC for me to see the WW2 memorial for the first time. It was a pretty nice night, plenty of school tours going on, and we even took a drive down The Mall and saw all the major sites.

DC is a beautiful city and a huge sense of American pride wells up inside of me every time I am in DC. This morning I took a run that was supposed to be about 8 miles but I overshot my car on the way back and ended up doing about 10. It was a good thing the crossing guard lady was so nice or I might be still trying to find my car. It is the first real time I have gotten sort of lost running. I knew the general area that I was in, but those of you who know me, know that I like to talk and I was talking with some other runners and completely ran past my car. Oh well.

I am writing today (trying to finish this book on leadership) and then speak tonight and tomorrow morning. I will update the blog some time on Sunday I am sure.

Remember to pray for Sondra's mom and dad, Joyce and Bernard and I will try to get an update from them and report to you. Also, my friend Steve's mom is home from the hospital. Yea! Answer to prayer.

The rain is coming to the area and I am hoping to stay dry. Also, pray for our oldest daughter, Shelbi and 72 of her classmates as they are on a bus headed to New York City for their sr. trip.

Baltimore

I arrived in Baltimore today to do three days of meetings in this area and then down to DC to see a former student of ours and then on to Richmond for another couple of meetings. The weather is just pretty incredible here today but the route through Detroit was interesting. It was sunny, but they got about 6 inches of snow last night. Flights were a little delayed but nice and sunny once we got here in Baltimore.

I am going to finish up the book while I am here this week too. I will get it done this week. It is time. Looking forward to getting it done and make my editor happy. Headed off to grab some dinner and then back to the hotel to get some work done.

There will be basketball on and I need to write. I better pay attention to what I am writing.

Back to Nashville

It has been a good weekend with the conference on Friday and Saturday in Columbia, MO. Lyle Witcher is the state guy in MO that I work with and he is like a breath of fresh air. He has a real heart for ministering to youth ministers and loves his job. As we talked this weekend, we discovered that his sister and my wife were big buds in college and Sondra even sang in Leeanne's wedding. For some reason I did not attend the wedding. Hmmm.

Got to spend time with my dad Sat. night and Sunday and even preached at his church yesterday morning. Dad really seems to be doing pretty good. I know he gets lonely. He told me on Sat. that Sunday nights are his hardest times so I was glad to be with him last night.

The weather here was in the 70s Sat and Sun and then last night a cold front pushed through and dropped it to about 30 outside now. They were supposed to get snow but thankfully that did not materialize and I was able to make it to the airport this morning with no problems. I am sitting at the gate enjoying the free wi-fi and board here in about 30 minutes. I have meetings most of the day when I get back to Nashville and am looking forward to being home tonight.

I begin a really crazy travel schedule this week and will try to keep you informed as I go if you happen to keep up with the blog.

On a prayer note, please pray for my good buddy Steve's mom, Sandy. She is struggling with depression right now and needs our prayers. It was a bonus this weekend to spend some time with Steve and his wife, Stephanie. Steve is like a brother to me and he is dad of Stephen that I have asked you pray for on the cancer scare. Things are looking real good there and it appears that there is no cancer. They are scheduled to check out his heart murmur in about a week. Continue to pray for Steve and his family.

Looking forward to a great week.

Saturday

I just realized that I had not updated what is going on in our lives for the past few days. Actually, we are all doing good pretty good and enjoying just starting to slow down a little bit (which is not really slowing down at all.) We ended up in the gym every night but Friday this week and we saw some great basketball. I headed out yesterday morning for KC and got to spend some time with my dad yesterday and then headed to Columbia for a conference that I am speaking out today. After the conference I am headed back to my dad's, will preach for him tomorrow, hang out with dad and my brother and sister-in-law and head back to Tennessee for work early Monday.

This is a crazy travel time for the next two months so you will be seeing a lot of "on the road" blogs.
A bonus for me today is that the conference I am doing is in the shadows of the wonderful MIZZOU. Go Tigers!