Out of the Blue . . . and In Touch

An odd thing happened the other night while Sondra and I were getting caught up on a long running, summer TV show called The Closer. We enjoy that show and have kept up with it over the last 5 or 6 years. It is one of those seasonal kind of shows that the non-big 3 have aired trying to woo watchers/viewers to their network. If you do not know the show, a Georgia girl moves to LA to lead a homicide group of investigators. There are many characters of various ethnicity (which I really like) and the show can be violent and funny at the same time. Weird, I know, but it is an entertaining show.

We are behind on catching up on this series and in fact, the series has ended already and spun off into another TV show with most of the same characters but a new female lead. I think we have two more episodes until the series finale for us. So . . . on Sunday night of this week we were watching an episode and at the end of the episode, a death occurs that hit home to me. The main character's mom died and her reaction to the death just rocked me to put it bluntly, and I even saw the death coming.


The last few days that scene has played in my head a few times and has caused me to think of my mom more than normal. It is really not a morbid, depressed funk that I am in, in fact, I don't think it is a funk at all. I just really think it is still the grieving process that I find myself in almost five years later. We have celebrated alot the last few months with our girls and now son-in-law from graduations to a wedding to a new relationship that Morgan finds herself in (which is all good and I approve) and a very real part of me is a little sad that mom is not here to see her legacy play out. And, I feel much the same way in regards to my father-in-law and his passing a little over 4 years ago. There is a little sadness that they have "missed" their influence in our lives. (By the same token, both are with Christ and we would never ask them to leave His presence for this temporal earth. It is just that I miss them.)

So . . . no need to call in the psych squad but I realize that these moments that come "out of the blue" are really important of me being in touch with how God has wired me. And . . . it is great assurance that He never leaves or forsakes His own and that since we are created for relationship that when relationships are interrupted, there is grieving. I am cool with that. I am thankful for it too.

360Nashville Recap

This past week was a lot of fun and a lot of work as well. LifeWay Student Ministry partnered with Urban Youth Workers Institute to encourage/train/minister to student leaders from across the country. Here is brief recap of that time together in video:

360 Nashville ReCap from UYWI on Vimeo.

Imagination and the Lost

One of the joys of being around the 3s/4s at our church (Hermitage Hills Baptist) is the constant change and the continual "who knows what is going to be said next" moments that at times come like a gushing fire hydrant.

In order to not make myself better than I actually am, I want to remind you that I am a rookie at working with 3s/4s with the exception of our own two daughters who were that age almost 20 years ago. And . . . I only work with them once a month, so by no means am I putting myself in the category of those saints that work with 3s/4s every day in your home or every week at your church.

The other Sunday I got bumped from the 3s to the 4s which meant I went from the Aqua room to the Purple room. Everything in the room was new to me except for the kids that had graduated last month. So, I was reunited with the kids but the surroundings were all different. New toys; new books; new chairs; new tables; and a new co-worker.

One new-to-me boy came in the room all gang busters and greeted me with a hiss. My normal position is on the floor because at 6'2" I am pretty much a giant to 3s and 4s, so I am on the floor as he enters and immediately drops to his knees and "slithers" over towards me. The next 4-5 minutes he worked really hard "convincing" me that he really was a snake. He realized I wasn't buying it but he did not break character. I have to tell you, he was working hard and doing a good job at it too. So much so that one of the girls came over to me and asked, "Is he really a snake?" Suppressing a grin, I looked at her and asked, "does he look like any snake you have ever seen?, at which she walked away more relieved knowing there really wasn't a snake in the room.

Imagination is powerful and somehow the older I have gotten I have drifted away from using my imagination. Sadly, I have forgotten what it is like to be lost too. I wonder if we allowed people to imagine what it is like to be lost more if it would change the way that you and I picture the lost.Not to judge them, but to love them enough to imagine how best we can reach people with the Greatest News there is.

"Snake boy" reminded me that it is important that I remember what it is like to be lost and quit being lost in myself and not see others as Christ sees them. How cool would it be to imagine that there are no more lost because we have used our imagination to discover better ways to share the Gospel with those who desperately need to hear that God loves them!

Some Things New

If you are a repeat offender to my blog (yes, I am speaking to you dad and about two other people), you will notice that I have changed the look up a little. After 4plus years of the "dark" look I have decided to lighten things up a bit. The profile pic is one from a photo shoot I did back around February for a MORE Magazine which is supposed to do some little blurb on what I am passionate about. I wanted to go with Sondra as that story but they said it had to be ministry related and I told them that she had taken me on as a ministry project almost 28 years ago. Needless to say, I tried and they went with something else that I said I was sort of passionate about. I would disclose it here, but . . . I signed a contract so I cannot reveal before it comes out which is sometime soon I think.

One of the great new things at the Turner household is Alysha. Alysha is staying with us for a few months while she waits on an opportunity to get involved in a "missions around the world" experience that God has placed on her heart. She's an incredible, young lady that loves Jesus and seems to have been a part of our family forever. We have discovered that she is more petrified of bugs than Morgan which is saying alot. She has been with us almost two months except for the week we "kicked her out" around the wedding. We love having her around. She is a delight and a blessing to our family.

There are some more "new" announcements that will be coming soon. I have been in a new "low-travel" phase the past couple of weeks that is about to change again so I have been working on some new presentations that I will be doing this Fall. Very excited about presenting some new research related to students and some other stuff ministry related. Love what I get to do and having a ball with a new crop of 3-4 year olds at church; new college students in the am LIFE Group; and just started a new LIFE Group for the student leaders that meets on Sunday nights. Busy, but stuff I love doing.

This older dog is learning some new tricks.

One Great Story

Every time I see this video I pick up something different but I love how HIStory is captured in this short video.