Day 3 Back

We got home from Romania on Sunday night after quite an adventure of digging our way out of our street in Braila, driving through the snow, shopping a little in Bucharest where it was snowing like crazy, short night at the hotel and early to the Bucharest airport to catch our flight to Munich. It all went off w/o a hitch. (I hope to post video of some of that adventure soon.)

In Munich we had a few hours layover and most of us had not slept much the couple of days before but we were headed home. We boarded our flight to Dulles (Washington, DC) where they had received 2 ft. of snow on Saturday/ early Sunday. It was a long flight filled with many laughs, movie viewings, and restlessness mixed w/ a little sleep.

Landing in Dulles and claiming luggage for customs and passport control was crazy. As before mentioned, DC had received 2 ft of snow and 75% of the airport ground crew did not show up for work. We finally got luggage, made it through customs, rechecked our luggage and have not seen it since. I dreamed last night that it is in Chicago and will come today. Crazy dream. I did talk w/ United and told them I would settle for $1000 compensation for my two lost bags and they said they would look harder.

I have done little since being back. Monday was filled with doing very little, but I did get a 5 mile run in for the first time in about 10 days. Tuesday was a 10-miler with my running buddies from work, Pancake Pantry breakfast, a chiropractor visit and dinner and grocery shopping with my bride. And a nice Starbuck's visit with Shelbi and Morgan. Good times for sure.

Today has been yard work with raking leaves and mowing the yard. It looks good by the way. Ran a couple of errands, did a little Christmas shopping so my wife would not everything she got herself from Christmas from me, and picked up some Big Bad Wolf brisket for dinner tomorrow night.

Oh, and Monday we went and saw Shiloh who is a new adoptive baby girl of our friends Todd and Angie. She is beautiful and here is a pic if you are interested.

Looking forward to an afternoon of nothingness. The pic above is our group digging out a bus wide path about 90 yards and drifts up to 5-6 ft deep. We were determined to get home. About 1/2 way through we found a snow plow driver and paid him to finish it off. God bless the snow plow!

Still Snowing

Ministry on Weds. was here in Braila at Home of Hope and we had a great time ministering to the children in the orphanage. Our team has done a great job of preparing and then having plans change and then have them change again. They have responded brilliantly. Here is a video from Weds. ministry.

On Thursday we headed into town and ministered to an area that has a church but no pastor. We were able to minister to a bunch of kids in a very small room and it was great fun. Some of our team headed out for home visits and found the city life and little less open to the Gospel. They came back encouraged though that they were being used for what God had called us to do. We also spent time in the morning making Christmas crafts for the staff here at Home of Hope and make all kinds of decorations that are adorning their areas now. The video can be viewed here (with maybe a little looking around on my site).

It is now Friday am and we are snowed and colded in. The temp is about 12 w/ feels like of 4 and the roads are still bad and the snow is coming down. Another 3-5 inches is expected today so we had to decide to stay close. Hoping to minister to the Home of Hope kids again today. It will be big fun.

Thanks for praying for us. God has done some pretty cool stuff in our group as well. These students are pretty incredible. I have learned much about God's timing and our plans and the students have done a good job of being flexible and having great attitudes. Our van drivers have been great to get to know and have been so careful with our group. The staff here that has served us have been over the top.

Snow and cold are reflected in the pic above.

On a personal note - it was the 2nd anniversary of Mom's death yesterday. Hard to believe time has flown by so quickly. Must seem like only a 1/2 second to her. I miss her but know my dad misses her more. Dad continues to do very well and my brother, James is the man. He encourages me so by his walk and his love for the Lord.

Snowy Romania

What a great day of ministry here in Romania today. We woke up to snow, it has snowed all day, and it is snowing now. Weatherman is calling for snow the next three days. We ventured out to our ministry sites and made home visits in the blowing snow, did children's ministry in a warm spot, and prayed alot as we ministered and our bus drivers navigated the snowy landscape.

The team is doing great. The children, youth and adults we have the privilege of serving are wonderful. We have eaten well and had sausage and cabbage tonight for dinner so who knows what the night holds. Cabbage is an interesting vegetable that does unusual things to one's stomach. Let the games begin!

Here is a quick video from our work tonight on the hats, scarves and gloves give away that we will do later in the week.

We are not sure what the weather will allow us to do tomorrow but we are planning on ministry to children and youth somewhere here in Romania one way or the other.

Monday Romania Report

It has been a full day of ministry here in Romania. Our two teams ministered in four different villages here doing programs for children involving music, Bible stories, games, crafts and many other activities. It was a great day of sharing in homes as well.

The children are a delight to work with as are the adults. We did youth ministry programs which involved many who were in their 20s but they responded well.

All the team members are doing a great job and everyone is healthy! The day was long and cold but very productive.

Will post more tomorrow and try to upload some video as well. Thanks for praying for us. They are calling for quite a bit of snow for the rest of the week so that will make it more exciting. It may as well snow with it being this cold. Having a great time!

Good Morning from Romania

It is 730ish a.m., Sunday, here in Braila Romania and most of the team is stirring around upstairs. Safe to say that many of them are pretty tired as am I but we got a good night's sleep last night. We are staying at the Home of Hope Orphanage and it is very nice accommodations with good warmth, nice beds, and hot water. Yea! (and internet obviously)

We have a total of 18 on the team and soon will be headed out to serve two different churches in the Braila area. Our team will be leading in worship through singing, testimonies, preaching and whatever else they would like for us to do. The afternoon is to consist of doing some children's ministry and encourage them to come back each day after school. We have many crafts, games, and lessons planned for them.

Our trip went very well. 10 of us left from Nashville about 630p on Friday and met the other 8 in Dulles, (who had come from Dallas, Charleston, and other places I am not remembering right now). All of our luggage and supplies made it with us except for one of the girl's bag that will arrive on Monday to us here in Braila.

Braila is located about a 3 hours drive NE from Bucharest and about 60 miles west of the Black Sea. The weather is mid-20s at night and mid-30s during the day and the wind likes to blow across this flat part of the country.

I will do my best to update our trip daily. Thanks so much for praying for our team and for the Roma people that God has allowed us to serve this week. Pray for our missionaries, Bob and Gayle Hill, who are wonderful people and have made us feel very welcome already.

Christmas Time is Here

It would be nice if that meant it was "slow down time" but in most cases, it means, "turn it up because there is a lot to accomplish." I headed to Orlando last Thurs. for the annual student meeting with NAMB and enjoyed my short time with them Thurs and part of Fri. I love those guys and their heart for God and for students. I really cannot believe God lets me do the stuff I get to do.

The weekend was extremely busy with ballgames on Friday night (I love announcing our home games and have a great court-side seat); haircut, neighborhood brunch, SEC championship game on TV with good friends Keith and Laurie D, and the late showing of The Blind Side. What a very good movie and to all the Alabama fans, good win against Florida. I am not a fan of either team but do like Tebow and his stand for Christ.

Sunday was filled with Community Cares with Morgan and the student council from DCA. We worshipped at a local methodist church and the Rev. Pat did a great job with the Micah 3:1-4 text. Best woman preacher I have heard in a long time. (That does not sound very Baptist of me, I know, but she did a great job with the text for sure.) Watched a little of the Titans game and then Sondra and I had dinner with the headmaster of DCA (one of my favorite people in the world) and a prospective high school principal and his wife. Very impressed with both of them and praying for God's direction. (I serve as the Board of Trusts chair at DCA this year. Somehow how they thought I would be a good fit. You can fool some of the people some of the time evidently. I do like serving in that role and am very excited about some things going on related to future at DCA that we will unveil after the first of the year.)

This week has been busy with work and our LifeWay State Summit is going on this week so I am in meetings most of the day. I appreciate these folks so much and for the way we are able to minister together.

On Friday, 18 of us head to Romania to serve among the Roma people group. We are doing all sorts of activities and storytelling while we are there. Please pray for us as we go and minister. I will try and update the blog as I can. We will be gone Dec. 11-20 and then when I return home we are planning on staying home this year as a family. Sounds good to me.

I am including a pic of Morgan and I from this past Sat. as we did a little shopping. Just one of those fun daughter/daddy pics.

Crazy, Busy Time

We enjoyed having Sondra's family with us for Thanksgiving and hit the ground running this week. The weekend was filled with Morgan playing basketball; Sondra, her sister, Bronwyn and mother traveling to Atlanta for the wedding of Nola who turns 80 this week. She married a great guy who is 86. I love it when people do not quit living even though they might be getting older.

We have enjoyed having my mother-in-law these past two weeks. She flies back to MO tomorrow and I head to Orlando for the NAMB Youth Evangelism Mtg. I am pretty sure I will stay away from Isleworth and all things Tiger Woods. He has enough going on and quite honestly I am praying that God would get a hold in his life and save their marriage. It is another case of having everything except Christ and He alone is the one who can fill your life complete.

This next week many state directors will be at our office in Nashville and the week will be filled with meetings. I am also trying to pull together the rest of the Romania Mission Trip together. You can read more about it here.

Sondra and the girls are doing pretty well. Morgan is trying to get over a little sickness, Shelbi is in her last week of classes and has finals next week, Sondra is subbing all week.

Headed to the Vandy/Mizzou game tonight. A good friend from work gave me a couple of tickets. What a nice guy.

Thanksgiving

It has been a great week off from work. Got home late Sunday night from 4 days in Atlanta at the YS Youth Worker's Conference. It was great to see many old friends there and to meet some new ones. I love being around youth ministers and leaders and the FUGE team I got to work with is just too cool.

On Monday it was nice to be at home, hang out with my mother-in-law who is with us for a couple of weeks, watch Morgan play ball and just be home. On Tuesday I headed to Memphis to catch up with a good college buddy and watch Memphis and UCA play. Got to spend time with another good friend, Mike Priest who is a buddy of mine from LifeWay who is now pastoring in Bartlett. So fun to see those guys, watch some basketball and just hang out.

Drove home on Weds. and immediately started cleaning gutters, raking leaves and changing out some burned out floodlights on the corner of the house. It was a beautiful day in Nashville and
nice to be outside. Sondra's sister and brother-in-law and their three kids arrived yesterday too and we have a good time with them.

Just finished our Thanksgiving lunch, watching some football and enjoying hanging out. So much to be thankful for. Including a couple of pics from lunch today that I hope you will enjoy. You will notice Natalie in the pic of the four girls. She is a friend of Shelbi's at college and lives in Colorado and spending the weekend with us. So glad she is here too.

Count the White Team Passes

Sometimes I enjoy these kinds of awareness exercises. Makes me wonder if I really pay attention to what people say and do. See if you can count the # of passes the white team makes.

New Implications for Youth Ministry

The company that I work for has developed something new for the XBox. Glad I work with folks who want to get the Word to people in multiple formats and experiences.

Richmond Marathon Report

Flew out of Nashville early on Fri. via Atlanta to Richmond. It was a dreary, rainy day in Richmond on Friday and a little cool. Met up with Kelly Davis and his wife, Sarah their son, Samuel at the Expo at 11a. Picked up all the race stuff, a couple of PowerGels and then headed to a nice little Italian restaurant for pasta. It was a nice meal at a good price and then we headed to theDavis' home. Kelly is a ministry buddy of mine who works for the IMB and had graciously invited me to stay with them on Fri. night.

Pretty much laid around most of the afternoon and then we headed out to PizzaFusion for a little more carbo loading. I dined on the organic 4 cheese, sun-dried tomato pizza w/ wheat crust. It was very good for sure. We headed back to the house in the rain and watched some football and then headed to bed.

Morning came early and I ate a bagel and drank plenty of water and gatorade. Kelly was running the half-marathon and his race started at 730a so we headed out about 615a. Found a place to park just up the street from the finish line and he took off for the start which was about 4-5 blocks over. I hung out in the car for awhile and then headed toward the start a little after 7 looking for a hotel lobby w/ a bathroom. Found a nice Hilton Garden Inn and hung out there until about 745a and then found my way to the start.

The race started promptly at 8a and I settled in w/ the crowd around me and finished w/ a 3:44:22. All in all, a pretty good race. I never pushed myself too hard, enjoyed the beautiful fall scenery and the course runs through beautiful neighborhoods, along the greatly swollen James River, back through town and VCU and out through another couple of nice neighborhoods and then finishes on a big downhill back in town.

A good day with good weather, misty and 50s at the start and a north wind of about 10mph. It did warm up some but about the time it got too warm, we turned back into the north wind and cooled back down.

Blessed to be able to run. Thankful for the ability to get out and exercise. Thankful for my family allowing me to go run these crazy things too. If you are a runner, I would encourage you to train for and run Richmond sometime. Good course, organized well and very scenic.

On a sad running note - just went online to register for Boston and it is closed. Hard to believe it filled 5 months out. Looks like my qualification may go unused again this year. Think of the money I will save however. :-)

Been a Busy Week

Finished up the Biblical Worldview class at NOBTS on Sat. and had a great time with the students. On Sat. afternoon I traveled to Picayune, MS and spoke at FBC, Picayune Sunday morning, KNOWN training in the afternoon and then spoke in the p.m. service. It was a great time with them. FBC has a great staff and beautiful facilities. The parents and members were very receptive and it was a very good day with them.

I flew back to Nashville on Monday and was glad to get out of there before Hurricane Ida/Tropical Storm Ida decided to make landfall. All in all the storm moved east, deluged the Florida Panhandle and is still churning over the mid-Atlantic.

I am to run Richmond Marathon on Sat. and praying the rain moves on out of there. I have run marathons in the rain before and it is not just a whole lot of fun. I fly over early tomorrow, meet up with some ministry friends from IMB and work a little on the Romania Mission trip I lead Dec. 11-20. Pray for that trip and the planning leading up to it please. Lots to get done.

Got a call from a nice young man that Shelbi has been seeing some and he asked for official permission to date Shelbi. I was greatly impressed with his courage, character and honor. I sure can see why he is interested in Shelbi. She is an incredible young lady and we look forward to getting to know Mark better.

Morgan is in the full swing of basketball and their season kicks off next Tuesday night. I look forward to being on the P.A. again for the home games. Good seats and can't beat the price.

Sondra is doing well. I am so incredibly blessed to have the family that I do. I will try to get a report up on Sunday or so about the race this weekend. Looking for a same day finish and anything 4 hours or less will be good, but if it takes longer, I am good with that too.

Also attended the Nashville Veteran's Day Parade yesterday and so very thankful for those who have served and are serving in our Armed Forces. God bless those who have served, are currently serving, and may God continue to bless America!

Mid-Week Update

We enjoyed the Vandy/GA Tech game on Saturday night with our friends Keith and Laurie. We do not get with them enough, but every time we do, it sure is good. Sunday ended up being a fairly busy day with teaching sunday school, worship and then some good yard work. With the rain and wind that we had on Sat. our leaves decided to part ways with the trees and become a new carpet on the ground. I raked for awhile and then mowed the lawn. Sure looked nice for about 30 min. before more leaves decided to fall.

This week has been busy with many meetings at work, but the evenings have been at home. Very nice for sure. I head out tomorrow for New Orleans and am teaching a Worldview class at the seminary. It will be alot of work and alot of fun. Always thankful when I get the opportunity to teach and I get to spend time with my former boss, Dr. Clyde Hall. Clyde sure invested in me a lot and I am always thankful for any time I get with him.

Sondra, Morgan and Shelbi are all doing well. Sondra is subbing all week, Morgan has started basketball practice for school and Shelbi is becoming a professional, intramural athlete and still keeping her grades up. She also has discovered a young man at Union and they seem to be spending some extra time together. We have met him but not spent much time with him. From the father's skeptical eye I am thinking he is "okay". Our motto at the house has been for years, "boys are bad" but I am adding this, "but young men are okay." You dads out there know what I am saying.

The Romania mission team is gearing up and plans are well under way. We will be serving in Braila, Romania from Dec 11-20. There are 18 of us that will be going.

Please be praying for a couple friends of mine; Dwayne Ulmer is a good friend and ministry buddy and his wife, Bev, passed away this a.m. after a long, valiant struggle with cancer. Pray for Dwayne and his three sons. Another friend, Keith Loomis, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer and is consulting with drs. later this week. Wonderful friends who are in some major times of crisis right now.

On a much less serious note, only 9.5 days until the Richmond Marathon. I think I am about ready.

MJ and Happy Halloween

Thought I would share one of the early and great videos of the whole Michael Jackson era (post The Jackson 5, of course).

Enjoy.

More Like This Needs to Happen

Ran across this story and video and thought that this is the kind of stuff that needs to happen more. I have to admit that I have to set aside and even rid myself of the bias I have many times. This video runs a little over 5 min. but it is worth it.

$1.15 Billion US

The new Cowboys Stadium is amazing. It also cost a boat load of money and all of the hype surrounding this stadium has me thinking. Those of you who know me well know that thinking is not my strongest asset, but here are some of my thoughts. I guess it works in my mind that people like Jerry Jones would want to build monuments to themselves under the guise of building stadiums.

But... that is a lot of money. I mean a lot. I could do the figures and figure out just how much that is, but I am thinking you could feed and clothe alot of people for that amount of money. I have traveled some around the world and seen just a small portion of the poverty that is out there and I tell you, $1.15 billion would buy alot of food and clothes and medicine. And, we play games in these buildings. Sounds sort of Roman Empirish to me.

And then it hits me. Many of our churches are monuments that we build and in many of those churches, we play games. We preach pablum and teach our students to be entertained and we complain when the carpet gets stained and the walls get dinged and the "wrong kind of people" come in. We spend on ourselves hoping that somehow what we spend on us will bleed over and help others. I am convicted. I am sickened by my own lack of love for those who are hungry and naked and sick. Makes me want to kick my own butt but God seems to be doing a good job of that right now. And, I need it. I need to be broken for the poor, hungry and the naked and the LOST. It is not enough for me to live "christianly" and not tell others about what God has done for me and them through His Son.

I do not have $1.15 billion US because I have not been faithful with what I do have. Why would I expect Him to give me more? I do not need to get more, I need to give all. That is the issue. And . . . I am praying this is not a passing phase for me.

Exciting Locker Room

Iowa State is not a football powerhouse and Nebraska sure is not the team that they used to be in the Tom Osborne days but this is one exciting locker room. Thought I would post it for your enjoyment.

Weekend Report

Actually it was a nice weekend in Middle Tennessee. Once we got past Fri. am where the rain came in torrents at times. It also happened to be the day of my 20-miler getting ready for the Richmond Marathon that runs on Nov. 14. Some of you will know that I decided not to run Detroit and if you are interested in that story see this post.

The run on Fri. was a good mental toughness run and it did not pour the whole time, just about 1/3 of the time with continual rain the other 2/3. Other than a few bad spots rubbed, it was a good training run.

Friday night DCA played FRA on CSS and we got a call from our friends in Florida saying they saw us playing FRA which raised the cool factor quite a bit. Morgan mugged for the tv cameras and it is rumored that she was on quite a bit. DCA won which sets up a big contest in Knoxville this Fri. with us vs. Know-Webb.

Sondra and I enjoyed the weekend together with sleeping in on Sat./Panera for breakfast and then some DCA Lady Cats volleyball mid-afternoon. Unfortunately the Lady Cats came up short and ended their season. Sat. night was football on tv and just hanging out at home.

Sunday was Sondra's birthday and we had agreed not to exchange gifts this year and put that money towards some other things we need for the house. I did get her a card though that was pretty funny it I might say so myself. She enjoyed her day at church and then just hanging around. She also made her own birthday cake (I offered to get her one) and it was an amazing carrot cake.

I taught the parents of teenagers's s.s. class at church and then did a parenting conference for Oak Valley Church in Franklin. What a great bunch of parents who encouraged me and I just hope I was able to do the same for them.

Busy week ahead. Already started out extremely busy and Morgan begins her basketball season today too. The week off they had from soccer to basketball is feeling really short for her now.

I Think I Am Addicted

The last 9 days have been up and down for me. Morgan's team qualified for the state soccer playoffs and hosted Knox Webb on Sat. You know that I chose not to run Detroit on Sunday since it would mean I would have to miss the game on Saturday.

The DCA Lady Wildcats soccer team played one of the best games I have seen them play and fell to the visiting team 1-0. It was a very good game and Morgan played especially well. It was sad for her and us for the team to lose but it was good that she went out leaving all of her best game on the field. Tears were shed but a late lunch/early dinner at Big Bad Wolf helped ease some of the sting.

Having done marathon training the past 16 weeks, it was really weird not to run this Sun. and I began to try and find a race I could run that was not to far away or too far away from the race date I had been training for. A search revealed that Richmond and San Antonio ran on a weekend that I did not have an obligation so then it became trying to figure out which I could get to most inexpensively. Richmond won out and a friend even offered their guest room so lodging was inexpensive.

I bit the bullet today and booked an award flight ticket and registered for the marathon. All that means that I will do a 20-miler this weekend and pick up the last three weeks of training/tapering again. We will see if that works.

I am addicted to running evidently. I like setting goals and then having the opportunity to meet them.

Shelbi made it home on Sunday and we enjoyed a wonderful time and meal Sun. night at Carrabba's. We were celebrating Sondra's birthday a week early since Shelbi will not be back home this weekend. Morgan is enjoying her week off from any practice and basketball begins for her on Monday. 10/26. Pretty short in-between season for sure.

We are enjoying no rain and warmer, sunnier weather this week after a very cold, and wet few days last week. For a few days it felt like we were just skipping Fall and going straight to Winter. The leaves are beginning to change too. Should be pretty here in another week or so.

Open Letter to My Dad

My dad, Charles Turner, turned in his resignation /retirement letter to East Lynne Baptist Church this past Weds. I believe he has been pastoring/preaching for 48 years. This is an open letter to the greatest man I know.

I have known you for 46 years and in those 46 years you have taught me so many things. Nothing you have taught me is more important than what it is to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You told me about Christ, you have modeled Christ-living all the days that I have known you, and you continue to show and tell others of the wonderful changing grace of God.

You have taught me that honesty is always the right choice. You have modeled that in so many ways. You have taught me the power of honoring your spouse. You have always cherished your wife, my mother, and that was never more evident than in the last few months of mom's life as you cared for her in such a loving way. But, the years leading up to that were filled with that same kind of honor for mom.

You have taught me that love out trumps everything. You have continued to love James and I and our mates even when we were knuckleheaded and ornery. You not only have told us you love us, but you have shown that in innumerable ways.

You have been a great pastor to the people God has privileged you to lead. From Highview in Chillicothe, to East Lynne, to Beaumont and back to East Lynne, people have been blessed by God through you and countless people are in the Kingdom for eternity because you have led them to know Christ. What a great pastor to His people you are.

Many people get to call you pastor, friend, uncle Charlie, Brother Charles, but James and I have always been privileged and blessed to be able to call you dad. You are a great man Charles Turner and an even greater dad. I am blessed beyond measure because God has allowed me to be your son. I am looking forward to what God has in store for you in mid-January as you step into a new chapter of ministry post-pastoring. I know it will be good. I know you will continue to be faithful to Him. And, if mom were still walking this turf, she would continue to be proud of "her man".

I love you dad. You are simply the best!
Your #2,
Paul

Sometimes Plans Change

Back in June I made a decision to start training for the Detroit FreePress Marathon. I had planned to run it last year too but some Sondra's dad passed away and I needed to be in MO rather than MI so I ran KC Marathon instead of Detroit. I ran a Boston qualifier there so I was pleased.

This was going to be the year to run Detroit. I wanted to run in a different state and it also crosses over in to Canada and back so an international marathon would be in the books too. I began training and it all went fairly well. Not the best training but good enough to finish respectfully.

Tapering started three weeks ago and then on Sunday I found out that Morgan's soccer team, DCA Lady Wildcats, had made the playoffs and that their season would be extended at least through this Sat. I am choosing not to miss Morgan's games. With her being a sr. and no "next year" for her, I will not be going to Detroit this weekend to run. I cannot work out travel and packet pick-up on Sat.

There will be other marathons to run, but this could possibly be Morgan's last soccer game of her high school career. This is an easy decision for me.

Overwhelmed?

Do you ever get to that point where it just seems completely overwhelming? I know many times it is because I am over extended in commitments or maybe just poor time management on my part. I find myself wondering just how much I really need to be involved in. At times I get consumed by others expectations of all that I "should" be doing and striking a healthy balance in lifestyle seems elusive.

I really do not feel that kind of tension right now however. I am thankful for my job (completing 17 years at LifeWay at the end of this month)and am very blessed with an incredible wife and two amazing daughters. I am fairly healthy (cholesterol is not the best but manageable)and can still run and get out and do most things I want to do. My mind is pretty alert most of the time (late night is not the best thinking time for me) and for the most part, I have not made to many enemies.

The overwhelming part for me is just how much God loves me. I know that I do not deserve anything I have by my own merit. I know that I did not get to choose to be born in America to middle class, God-fearing parents, be reared in a solid, Christian home, but have been blessed by all these things.

Why would God send His Son to ransom me? I have to say that He is in love with me as unlovely as I can be sometimes. That is the overwhelming part to me. An eternal God chooses to sacrifice His only Son so that I can continue to use Him for my own purposes and glory at times. "Oh how He loves you and me" never grows old to me. I long to be completely His. I want to live in the moment, every moment for Him. I want to let "my lifesong sing to You" and pray that I will bring You glory and honor, not because I think You will love me more, but because I love You.

Keep me overwhelmed by You, Lord.

Making Healthy Lifestyles Fun

Found this on YouTube and thought it was worth sharing. I have a two floor rule at work or anywhere I find myself. If there are stairs and I am going up two floors, I skip the elevator and take the stairs. I think you will like this video. It will make you smile.

All Things Homecoming

Here is a series of pics from Morgan's facebook account that you should be able to look at. Needless to say we had a great night! If you are interested in the entire senior group and the queen announcement, you can watch this video.

This pic includes my mother-in-law too. What an added blessing to have her with us for Homecoming and Sr. Night for this coming Monday too.

HomeComing

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind. We had our LifeWay National Youth Worker's Conference which went great and here is an article to recap it if you are interested. It was a great event.

Last week I headed to CA for the Youth Specialties Convention and we enjoyed our time in LA but the attendance and traffic through the exhibits was much less than desired. It was good to reconnect with some ministry friends and some of the leadership of YS. I have to tell you that I am a huge fan of Mark Matlock and his role in changing the tone and culture of their events. He is a great guy and I am thankful for his leadership at YS.

While in LA I caught that 48-hour bug that seems to be going around and missed the trip to the Santa Monica Pier (which is celebrating 100 years) but I have been there before. Missed hanging out with the team though. We did manage to catch a taping of Leno and a some of the team went to the taping of Conan the day he crashed on the set and got a concussion. There were a couple of movie star sightings and we got up close and personal with Bruce Willis at his World Premiere of Surrogates. I had a new phone and did not know how to operate the camera properly and he said hello and I clicked and turned the camera off. Oh well, just proves I would not make it in the paparrazi.

Morgan has had two soccer games this week and have gone 1-1. Sondra's mom flew in on Weds and will be with us until next Weds. I have to say that it is wonderful having her here with us. What a godly woman! and I think I love her more since I lost my mom almost two years ago. I think I really just cherish having her around more. I already loved her a ton.

Tonight is Homecoming at DCA and Morgan has been chosen as one of the Sr. attendants. I will be donning my tux that still fits after 12 years (thank you very much) and she has a beautiful white dress that she will be wearing. No worries, I know my place. I am filler, she is the main attraction. My job is to not embarrass her. We will see how well I do. I think Morgan is more excited about tonight than the picture shows above though.

Shelbi comes home tonight with her friend Anna. Sweet girl that we are thankful Shelbi gets to be around. I think they are good for one another.

The Detroit Marathon is a little over two weeks away. I did my last 20-miler a little over a week ago and am in taper mode. I feel less prepared for this marathon than any I have attempted but if I can get a "same day finish" I will be successful.

Fun Pic of Shelbi

I got this today and thought you might enjoy seeing how our money is being spent on Shelbi at Union University.

That's our girl right there.

Busy day today with me starting the day with a 20-mile run and finishing with a meeting for DCA this evening. Needless to say I am pretty spent.

Headed to L.A. tomorrow for YS - National Youth Worker's Conference. L.A. is not my favorite place and the Dodgers are in Pittsburgh so there goes that idea.

Sunday Lazy Day

This week was a whirlwind in many ways. We hosted the LifeWay National Youth Worker's Conference this week here in Nashville and had a great time. We heard from Steven Curtis Chapman, David Platt, Aaron Ivey Band, Blue Tree, The Skit Guys, Brad Stine and had over 25 breakout conferences as well. This was our second year to host this event and it grew by about 100 attendees.

DCA Lady Wildcats played three soccer games this week and won 2 and lost 1. We have had so much rain that one day was completely rained out. It was good to get the games in and to have a little bit of a break. We are pretty short on subs and have had quite a few injuries so hopefully the break will give us time to heal.

Dad and my aunt came through on Thurs-Sat to watch soccer and it was great to have them here. They are pretty much two peas in a pod and enjoy one another and are pretty good for one another too.

It will be a busy week this week as well as I head to LA on Weds and will be out through Mon. for the Youth Speciailties Convention.

Shelbi came home this weekend and it was great to spend time with her. She will be back in a couple of weekends to be here for Morgan's Homecoming appearance on the Sr. Court for DCA Homecoming. As she said, "who knew I was so popular?" Typical Morgan response.

The Next Five Minutes

You may have seen this video already, but I will tell you it is powerful. Take 5 minutes and then decide what you are going to do differently to make a difference in the world.

Crazy Busy

The last week has been incredibly busy with soccer games, holiday weekend, 10k race, office time, more meetings than I care to even remember and final preparation for the LifeWay National Youth Worker's Conference. All in all it has been very good, just very busy.

I currently am in Orlando, FL for Rock the Universe which is a christian gathering at the parks that involves us in doing training, artist interviews, hanging out with youth leaders and hopefully getting to ride a couple of the rides. If you dig through their website you might even find a picture of me on there in case you have forgotten what I look like. We will also lead in three worship experiences tomorrow morning w/ my boss, Jeff Pratt speaking and the Michael Spooner Band leading in worship through music.

I fly home tomorrow and we begin setting up for the LNYWC that runs through Weds. Busy week for sure but looking forward to spending time with the youth leaders coming our way to Nashville.

Family is doing well with the exception of our dog, Sadie who seems to have some funky colon issue going on. Got her on meds though and looks like she will live. It is pretty obvious she has not been feeling well. Praying she is the only one in the family that decides to get sick this year.

Closer to 50 than 40

Let me be the first to say that I rarely live in denial, but it dawned on me this week that even though I have been closer to 50 than 40 for the last 364 days, I really am closer to 50 than 40 for real now. Tomorrow I turn 46. It will be the second birthday to celebrate w/o my mom being around, which although sort of sad, is not what it was last year.

I do admit also that when my parents turned 46, I thought they were old. Heck, I thought they were old when they turned 30 but I was a kid and didn't know any better. Now I wonder what Shelbi and Morgan think of me turning 46? I have a lot of friends who are much older than me and I really do not think of them as being old. I don't think of myself being old. But, . . . I also have to admit that when I go to do some form of physical exercise, I feel older. Not ancient, just older. I do consider myself pretty studly after running 20 last Sat. but I have to admit, recovery takes a little longer than it used to. I am just not near as good at some things as I once was, and . . . I am really learning to be okay with that.

I do think however that I am better at hearing God's voice and pray that I am quicker to obey. I am honored that some younger brothers come to me for advice and to pray for them. Not that I have figured it out but because they trust me. My hair is grayer and my torso sags a little more than it used to (although not too much); my arms are still skinny and weak; my mind is fairly sharp; my love for my wife and family is stronger than it has ever been; and I am more appreciative of God's grace and mercy than ever. I long to be wholly His. I know now more than ever that He can be trusted fully. I want to live that out.

I am a blessed man. I have an amazing wife who loves me, two daughters who are the delights of my life, and a God I serve Who is Who He says He is. I am blessed.

Simply Follow

It will always be true that the wisest course for the disciple is always to abide solely by the Word of God in all simplicity. D. Boenhoffer

I just rediscovered this quote this week and am reminded that too many times I try to make it to hard. I am pretty troubled over some things happening at church and am really trying to pray, seek God, and not respond like I want to. I know that I could be wrong on a couple things related to this so I am really trying to seek out wisdom and understanding before doing anything.

I want to be honoring in all that I think, say and do and right now that is just praying and asking God to guide my thoughts. I need wisdom and to be filled with grace.

Morgan seems to be getting some better and made another visit to our chiropractor, and in my opinion the best witch doctor, uh, I mean chiropractor in the world. Don is truly one of those guys who loves the Lord and is very good at chiropractic care. Morgan said that today she felt some things move back into place that hurt like crazy, but is finally finding relief. I make my monthly call to the witch doctor today. He is the best. We will be glad when Morgan gives us the thumbs up sign that her head no longer hurts.

The weekend was good. No DCA Wildcats football so a Fri. night at home, Sat. am started at 430 with a 20-miler and then Panera with my bride. I love our time talking at Panera on Sat. mornings. My favorite time of every week just hanging with my beautiful wife.

Shelbi seems to be adjusting as RA there at Union. Sadie, our Westie, continues to be herself. Moody, loves me when it is ball or take a walk time.

A couple of soccer games on tap this week but looks like Morgan may miss at least one of them if not both. We need to get her well so it might be next week before she is back in action.

Going to Update More

I realize that I have not been the most up-to-date blog poster the last couple of months. All kinds of excuses but none of them are very good. Everyone is busy, etc., etc.

I have enjoyed some time at home the last couple of weeks. I love my wife and daughters and even sort of like our Westie, Sadie, now more than I used to. Work has been pretty busy and I have been researching some new things to begin working on some new presentations. I have been doing quite a bit of reading and trying to figure out what youth leader's are asking and what some of the current issues that leaders are dealing with. I will post more on those findings on a new blog that we are going to be starting very soon for LifeWay Student Ministry.

The LifeWay National Youth Worker's Conference is quickly approaching again and I have been trying to make sure all my ducks are in a row for that. We have a great team of folks that I get to work with on that event. You can find out info on the conference here.

Shelbi is in full swing at Union University and she is getting her feet wet as a new RA. I got to spend some time with her on Monday and today on my way thru Jackson. She has 35 young ladies in her dorm that she is responsible for and is also taking 13 hours this semester. She will be stretched. I led a couple of evenings of conferences in West Tennessee this week. Good folks and lots of fun training.

Morgan took a shot after a header in her soccer game last night and got her bell rung. Not fully diagnosed as a concussion and could be whiplash. She is holding her own but has a headache that hopefully will subside soon. She is still pretty much herself and quick with her tongue. I think she will live. Her soccer team plays again tomorrow night but she will not be playing. By the way, they tied Lipscomb 1-1 last night and have Davidson tomorrow. The pic above shows Morgan a little bored.

I have a 20-miler scheduled for Sat. am so I will be pretty worthless Sat. afternoon. I forgot to take socks with me to Memphis and did 7 miles yesterday am with 4x1 mile repeats. My heels got pretty gnarled but it was my own fault. I bought some socks and TJ Maxx yesterday and ran today. Let's just say the socks were pretty bloody. Going to have to work on that before tomorrow's run and especially before Saturday's run.

Committing to update more often and share more than just some family stuff.

You Did What?

Last week was somewhat of a whirlwind even though I was in town. Morgan and I got home late last Sunday night from Orlando and it was good to be home. Monday was a day of catch up and shopping for Sondra and the girls. Morgan had soccer practice and then started school on Tuesday. Her sr. year. Crazy!

Wednesday found us headed to Jackson with a friend's Yukon packed with Shelbi's stuff. She is an RA this year so she needed to move in early. They have been in a retreat and then freshman show up later this week.

Sondra had an endoscopy on Fri. and everything came out good. She has been suffering from anemia so they have checked her out pretty thoroughly in the last month. They have discovered a couple of things that could be the cause and are following up. Thankfully those two things are not major issues.

The weekend was nice. Good to be home. I did an 18-miler on Sat. am in prep for the Detroit Marathon and was blessed to have a good friend, Dan run 14 of them with me. Always helps to have someone else along on those long runs.

Yesterday was church and training for a local church and then our annual church picnic last night at New Hope. Pretty hot and buggy but good to catch up with some folks. Looking forward to a good week in the office with youth ministers we invite her for a conference called Student Beta. Love getting to meet new folks in ministry.

Morgan has her first soccer game of the year tonight. Go Wildcats!

Florida

Morgan and I got the opportunity to come to Orlando for the FL Youth Evangelism Conference and represent LifeWay Student Ministry. It has been a good weekend. We flew over on Fri. and leave out later tonight. We have not done a whole lot but I have really enjoyed just spending time with her. She starts her sr. year on Tues. at DCA and it is pretty hard to believe that time has flown by so quickly.

Building 429 and Tony Nolan were the platform personalities and they did a very good job. There were close to 1oo decisions for Christ on Friday night and then yesterday afternoon students distributed groceries to over 100 families in the Orlando area. I love seeing students in action. I also had many great conversations with youth leaders about how we can more effectively minister to students. I love my job.

Last night we met our friends the Keators for dinner at Pizza Fusion (all organic) and had a great time with them. We have known Patti for close to 25 years. We love the Keators and plan on going over to their house later today to hang out before flying out tonight.

Sondra has enjoyed her time with her mom in Missouri this week. She met up with some college friends, did a little painting at her mom's and got her Skype working again for her.

Shelbi and one of her college roommates, Andi, have been in SC all week with our friends the Carringers and they have had a great time. All of us converge back on the house tonight. Morgan starts back to school on Tues. and we take Shelbi back to Union on Weds. where she starts her 2nd year and will be an RA this year as well. Another summer almost in the books.

Looking forward to the day and the week and thankful for God's blessings on us as a family.

An Interesting Week

This past week seemed to fly by to me. I was on retreat with the LifeWay Student Ministry Team on Weds./Thurs. and we met at Deer Run Retreat where Shelbi has been working all summer. (She finished today by the way.) I discovered a major issue in my left armpit that ended up being an abscess that the dr. lanced and packed. Looks like I will live. It did knock me out of an 18-miler on Sat. though.

Lots has been happening with the Cash for Clunkers stuff in the media. Glad new cars are being sold, old gas hogs are being taken off the road, but not sure how much more I can afford for others to drive new cars and I am more than a little concerned about people making 7 years worth of payments on a new car that many might default on the loans. Didn't we sort of do this already with houses a few years ago which is sort of why we are where we are?

Enjoying being off the road some. Morgan and I do head to Orlando this weekend to participate in the FL Youth Evangelism Conference on Fri/Sat. We are staying over until Sunday to play a little before she starts back to school on Tues.

Sondra heads to her mom's tomorrow to spend some time with her and she will be back on Sun. Shelbi comes home today and leaves tomorrow to go spend some time with our friends The Carringers in Florence, SC. Their place is like a resort with a great pool and wonderful meals. They are very good to take care of us.

Make it a good week!

BTW, Morgan got her sr. pics back and I posted one so you could see it. Hard to believe our youngest is a sr.

Do You Mind?

As a matter of fact I do. I grew up minding my parents and now I pretty much mind my wife. No dig intended on my sweet Sondra. Those of you who know me, know that my motto is, "Do I want to be right, or do I want to be happy? I choose happy every time." Of course, that is said somewhat jokingly, well . . . at least a little.

It was nice to be home this weekend. First one is awhile. Spent Friday afternoon at the pool with Sondra and Sat. am I got up and drove up to Hendersonville to play golf with Sid, Rick and Pat. Three great friends. My golf game was pretty lacking in all categories although I did manage to putt fairly well. After golf we headed to a mex place for lunch and then I met my family at the pool again. It was a long day outdoors, but there was no work involved. Shelbi was home for part of the weekend and brought Andrea, one of her friends from camp staff, and we grilled out and enjoyed the evening together.

Sunday was fairly typical. I spoke in our parents of smaller children's class and enjoyed being with them. I am thankful our church offers affinity groups for bible study. The afternoon consisted of us being with Morgan for sr. athletic pictures and just hangin out at home.

Morgan started soccer practice this am at 630 and Shelbi began her last full week of camp. This has been a fast summer for sure. Morgan starts her sr. year two weeks from tomorrow and we take Shelbi to Union on August 12th. Time keeps marching on and it looks like it has marched all over my face.

Today is a significant day in the lives of many friends - it is their birthday today. Some of these guys are older than others but here goes: Sid Woodruff - great ministry buddy and accountability partner; Justin Heap - ministry guy that is like a little brother in many ways; Jacob Carringer - known this guy since he was just a little pipsqueak and has turned into a huge man and has been a joy to watch grow up and mature and soon to be a daddy; Sam House - good friend at LifeWay who has effected my life more than he will ever know; and, Andy Morris - another ministry buddy who loves Jesus and makes things happen wherever he is. Happy Birthday guys!

Political Alert

I usually choose not to bl0g about my political thoughts but feel compelled to make a point of clarification and wanted to post that clarification on my blog as well as other means of communication.

When President Obama was elected in Nov. I shared in my blog that I did not vote for him but would support him through prayer. I disagree with many of his ideas and directions, but that does not mean I will not support him in prayer. You can see what I wrote on Nov. 5th here.

Recently I have been accused of hating President Obama and nothing could be farther from the truth. I disagree with his ideas and the direction he is leading America in especially in the whole bailout issue, and health care reform. I think a better direction would be in less gov't. control and more focus on changing the insurance structure but do not profess to be an expert in either of those areas.

I have many friends that I run with, associate with, etc. that I do not always agree with, but we continue to be friends. I just wish we could agree to disagree on some of the President's directions and still be friends. I have mentioned many times that I felt as though President Bush made some grave errors in judgement and some decisions that set us back as a nation. I also am not a racist, bigot, nor am I infallible.

I am praying that the leaders who have been elected will do what is best for all Americans. I am assured that they think they are on the right path. I am thankful that my hope and trust is in Christ and not any government.

Any friends I have offended by disagreeing with President Obama's directions, I apologize for offending and pray we can continue to be friends.

Another Week Goes By

I finished up my week at FUGE camps in Glorieta on Saturday after getting up very early, driving to Albuquerque in time to catch a 6a flight. It was good to be home around noon though.

The week at Glorieta was very good. God showed up in a really, BIG way and many students' lives were changed. I also got a horseback ride in on Thurs. through Ruis Canyon. It had been awhile since I had ridden, but it was big fun and we saw a 4 ft. rattlesnake to boot. I was a real cowboy for sure. Also hiked on Fri. and it was good to be with a group of students for that.

The weekend was sort of fast and furious but good. Always good to be home. We got to Shelbi for a few minutes on Sun. and she has about two weeks of camp left before she is done. Morgan has sort of an off week this week with no soccer yet, but still having to get her workouts in.

Yesterday would have been my mom's 67th birthday. I do miss her but the pain does not seem as strong. God is good for sure and my dad seemed to go through yesterday pretty well too. Our nephew, Samuel, celebrates his birthday today and evidently got to open a facebook account since I got a friend request from him today.

Today Sondra had a colonoscopy due to some anemia issues we have been keeping an eye on. Many of you know that her father battled colon cancer for many years so when we got the results back today and the "all clear" we were very thankful. Her dr. has scheduled her for an endoscopy on Aug. 14 so we will see what does or does not show up there.

Marathon training is going pretty good. I am doing hills and repeats so that is always a joy. It is good to have a goal to shoot for however. Looking forward to playing golf with three of my buddies on Sat. We do not get around one another near enough. Should be good times.

The pic I took with my cheap, camera phone but the orange spot is actually rain bending and the sun shining on it. Much prettier in person however, but still pretty cool. Glorieta is a beautiful place for sure.

Where Have I Been?

I get asked this alot since I travel quite a bit for work. It is always good to be at home which is where I was all last week. Yes, you heard that right. I was home for a whole week. It was awesome! I was even in the office for 4 days which is a record as of late. I did take last Fri. off to be with Sondra before I headed out again.

Since my last blog post, I have participated in a memorial service, spent many hours in the office, hung out at the pool with my wife, ate at Big Bad Wolf BBQ (you have to get there, all i'm saying), and celebrated Shelbi's 19th birthday.

Morgan spent last week at FUGE in Panama City Beach and had a great week. It was a different experience for her since she was sort of the lone, older high school student with our group this year, but she loved the camp.

I headed out on Sunday afternoon for Glorieta, NM and to participate in FUGE out here as the adult trainer. It has been a very good week so far. Dave Edwards is speaking and DecembeRadio is leading in worship through music. They are pretty much southern rock and have done a very good job leading worship and not just performing. Great group of guys who hang out with students and adults during the day too. That rates them very high on my list right there.

Reconnected with a girl who was in our group in Dallas over 20 years ago. She is married with 3 children and her husband is a very, solid youth minister in the Dallas area. So affirming to see her family so strong in Christ.

Sondra is having a couple of procedures done this next week. Nothing serious (easy for me since it is not me having to go through them) but would appreciate your prayers. She has been a lot anemic the last few months so they are just checking everything out. I am playing the part of the supportive husband. Sure do love that girl.

Vacation, Celebrities, and Life In General

So sorry to go almost two weeks without a blog update. After returning from Denver and the Cherry Hills Church (which was great by the way and good times with old college buddy, Tim Coan and his family), I spent a day in the office and then we headed to SC to spend 9 days away from all things work related.

What a great vacation we had. We loaded up, drove to Florence, SC and stayed with our friends, Tom and Georgina Carringer. He is a big muckety muck at data company and we have known them for 20 years. Great folks who were very kind to let us hang at their place Fri-Sun before we headed down to Murrell's Inlet for vacation. Their place is like a resort (pool, wonderful food, and a great worship service on Sunday) and we were treated like royalty. We stayed with them a night on the way back to Nashville at the end of the trip too.

Sunday afternoon we headed to the beach and stayed through Friday. We played at the beach, read, rode bikes, ran, ate, saw movies, and just all around had a great time. No internet service and limited cell service at times. Great to be unplugged I have to admit. I did tweet a few times but that is about it. Morgan invited a friend, Cheech (Chelsea) who fit right into our family. (Shelbi was unable to go since she is working this summer.) They watched boys most of the week. See the picture above.

Many celebrities died while we were gone and a couple of them were pretty influential in my growing up years but overall brought very little value to the things that really matter. Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were good entertainers but unfortunately lived very sad lives in many ways. Billy Mayes died and OxyClean commercials will never be the same. Steve McNair, a very good football player, but not a good husband was murdered on Sat. am and has dominated the local news here in Nashville. As a Titans player he was so fun to watch. He did many good things to help others in the community, but obviously struggled in his personal life with making good decisions. A very sad story indeed.

This week is a week in the office. Been awhile for that but it is much needed. Next week I head back to Glorieta to be with the FUGE team one more week. Morgan is at FUGE in Panama City Beach, FL with our church youth group this week. Praying they have a great time.
Got to preach at New Hope yesterday and it was good to be able to share with our folks. Preached out of Psalm 95. Wonderful psalm reminding us who God is.

I also will be participating tomorrow night in a memorial service for a man in our church who died on Sat. Pray for his three kids; Hayley, Chase and Chandler Grace.

Denver, CO

I flew to Denver this morning to meet with some friends from Bear Valley Church where Frank Tillapaugh pastored many years ago. My friend, Jim Walters, is pastoring there now. Tillapaugh wrote Unleashing the Church while he was pastor here at Bear Valley. Later in the day I meet up with my college buddy, Tim Coan and his family and maybe even get to see my old college roommate, Brad Clark who happens to be in Denver right now too. Hope it works out.

Tomorrow I am meeting with some of the staff of Cherry Creek Community Church. A great church who is interested in doing a comprehensive strategy of development for people from birth to heaven. Looking forward to my time with them.

Enjoying seeing the Rocky Mountains too and love seeing the snow on top. Pretty warm down here below but love seeing those mountains.

Should be home again tomorrow night. Yea!

(This was meant to be posted on Sat. but no internet access while in MO)

I guess I find myself feeling pretty sentimental today. There are many things sort of colliding today and this weekend especially. Traveling and being gone from home and family for almost two weeks may have a lot to do with it. I love my job. I love being able to listen to, encourage, teach and train adults who work with students in their churches. It is a great joy. I am still overwhelmed that God allows me to do what I get to do in the Kingdom. I can hear my mom saying, “I just can’t get over the fact that a boy that grew up in a small town in Missouri gets to travel the world and encourage believers. I am with her on that one for sure.

Today is mom and dad’s 50th wedding anniversary, only mom is not here to celebrate it. She departed this “old, evil world” (her words not long before she died) in December 2007. Forty-eight and a half years of marriage to the greatest dad who ever lived (my father). I know that today is a tough day for my dad and so after I get off of this plane from Dallas to Nashville, I will board another one four hours later to go spend the rest of the weekend with my dad. What an amazing man.

Sondra will be spending her first Father’s Day without her dad. I have to admit that I have no clue how that must feel. I know that daddy’s and daughters have a special bond, because I have that kind of bond with Shelbi and Morgan. I will never forget looking at out Sondra during my time honoring her father in his celebration of his life service and thinking, “there sits the love of my life, who is a little girl who just lost her daddy.” I have intentionally tried to help ease some of her pain over these past few months, but know that God is the only One who can really do that for her. I sure do love that girl. She really does complete me. And, I have missed her terribly this past two weeks. It has been great to hear her voice each day, but there is nothing like being able to just be around her, to capture her smell, and to sit up close and just enjoy being in her presence. I am a blessed man.

Being dad to the most incredible daughters is another huge blessing that pretty much blows my mind. Each of our daughters has their own unique temperament and personality. Sondra and I have been committed together in helping our girls “love their Lord their God with all their heart, mind and strength.” In spite of my knuckle-headedness they have grown into beautiful, young women. I am not sure where the time has gone but the reality of having a sophomore in college and a senior in high school has hit me full force. I know it was only yesterday that we were chasing one another around the backyard; throwing balls way up in the air and learning to catch pop-flys; learning to read; learning to drive Ole Blackie; and laughing during family devotions while the crazy dog had to jump up in a lap and participate in prayer time. So many incredible memories and affirmation that God is Who He says He is.

So, in A Moment Like This, thank You God seems so inadequate, so incomplete. But, it is the cry of my heart. What a blessed guy I am. I have a loving, heavenly Father; a godly, earthly father; an amazingly, wonderful wife; two beautiful daughters who reflect Christ in their lives; and a crazy dog who loves me (I think) but only really likes me when I have a tennis ball or a leash in my hand. I am grateful. I am blessed. I am overwhelmed by His goodness. Lord, do not ever let me forget or forsake You: Not for what You have done for me, but because of Who You are.

Father's Day

This is going to be a different Father's Day in many ways for us. I head to KC late tomorrow afternoon to be with my dad for Father's Day this year. That is pretty odd in latter years for me. Another reason I am headed to see him tomorrow is because tomorrow (Sat., June 20) would have been my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. With mom passing in Dec. 07, they were married roughly 48.5 years. That is a long time for sure but I know that Dad sure wishes they could have made it to 50.


Sondra's dad passed last Sept. so this is the first year she will observe a Father's Day without her Dad. I cannot imagine what she must be feeling. I know that I love her and know that she will have a tough day without her dad.

I am also Dad to two incredible girls. I am not sure how God thought I deserved to be Dad of these two, but I sure am thankful. It will be a quick visit with them tomorrow before heading to KC. I am blessed to be in a lineage of many great dads.

Glorieta FUGE Week 2

Here it is already Thursday and I am wondering where the week has gone. I have to admit that I am ready to see Sondra. It is amazing to me how I miss her more now than when I was away from her early on in our marriage. She completes me.

The week of ministry here this week has been pretty tough. We have dealt with many issues including talk of suicide and the death of a father of a camper. I will say that God has shown up big time and walked us through some difficult trails. He is so good.

One more day of training and I have to say that these adults have been incredible. I have been challenged, heard some heart-wrenching stories, and have been diligent to encourage and spur on these folks. What a great opportunity that God has given me. I pray that I have been completely obedient.

I fly home early Sat. and then head to MO to be with dad for a little while. He and mom's 50th wedding anniversary would have been Sat. Just think it is a good thing to spend some time with him. I come back on Mon. and then head to Denver on Tues. to meet with a church who is trying to get a handle on helping parents teach their children "to love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, and strength." Looking forward to reacquainting with some good friends from college and also a couple we ministered with in Dallas when we lived there.

Morgan attended her last basketball summer camp this week and I am not so sure she was too terribly saddened by that. Shelbi is having a good week of camp this week and got to do some special ministry with a young girl who had a prosthetic leg. Sondra just continues to be her incredible self and thankfully did not get blown away by a storm that hit our town. She promises me that she will pay more attention to the news and weather.

Thankful for family and ministry. Praying that I keep them in that order during this busy season.

Glorieta FUGE Week 1 - In the Books

It has been a great week at FUGE here in Glorieta. I am reminded once again that God has allowed us to be involved in Kingdom work and am always amazed He allows me to be a part of it. I am out here training adults who work with students and getting to hang out with youth ministers. I love my job. I am also reminded that there are many folks in ministry who love the Lord and love kids and doing a great job of helping them become like Christ. Many of these youth leaders are dealing with their own life issues and ministry issues. I got the privilege to listen to, encourage and pray for so many leaders. Just like Col. 1:29, Paul says ministry is a struggle and today it is no different.

I also met a pastor and his wife who brought students from Arizona and they were just a real blessing. I love smaller church pastors. I know I am biased because I grew up in one of those smaller church pastor's home.

Sondra and the girls are doing well. Morgan is in another basketball camp with DCA girls' team down at MTSU and Shelbi is starting week 2 at Deer Run Retreat. This week is a day camp so the students are only there from 8-4. I know she will enjoy that a little more and give all the team a little break.

Week 2 of FUGE Glorieta starts tomorrow. I will make a run to the airport in Albuguerque and pick up my good friend, Allen Jackson from NOBTS who will be camp pastor this week. Looking forward to what God has in store for everyone.