Silent Monks Sing the Hallelujah Chorus

To help you get into the Christmas spirit I am sharing this from about five years ago. This is worth the watch!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? Yes!

I have always loved Christmas. I like the lights, trees, ornaments, gifts, parties, well . . . not so much all the parties. I like most of the people at the parties, but being an introvert by nature, I like smaller groups and not a whole bunch of hoopla. I realize that I could sound like Ebenezer Scrooge to some. I really do like the people and most of the activity, but I get overwhelmed by all of the "on time". Introverts get that term. It is not that we are trying to be phony, it is that we are trying to be nice and participate, just don't ask us to be "on" all the time.

Here in early December, I look at my calendar between work commitments, church commitments, and family commitments and just feel a little overwhelmed. Days are filled with incredible amounts of work, nights are filled with parties, ball games, church related ministry opportunities and family commitments. And . . . all of them are good things. I just struggle bringing balance to all the commitments and to celebrating the One who makes all things new.

The last few years I have had the opportunity to take the last couple of weeks of the calendar year as vacation time and I truly enjoy that time more than I can express. I have many things on the list to accomplish around the house. Many of them will stretch me which is actually pretty good. I need some stretching. I also am looking forward to some just hanging around time with family.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year, as long as I keep it in proper perspective. If you see me out somewhere, remind me to keep things in perspective. If you see me at work, a party, a church activity, or running down the road, remind me. Remind me to celebrate Christ.

Walking A Thin Line

Many who read this know me pretty well. Others of you have a tendency to know me through conferences, projects, or some even through creeping on me and my happenings via Twitter or Facebook. Some times I write something rather pithy, or report on what has been happening in our family, work, or even some kind of fitness adventure I have embarked upon. There are times that I struggle with what to write, what I want to reveal or even to just ignore hoping that somehow I do not write something that would be offensive; too self revealing; or just plain stupid. The filter that I try to write through does include a lens that I hope will be informative and especially encouraging. I do not always hit that goal, but that is a desire of mine.

This post is one designed to point out some of the struggles I contend with practically every day I am alive. At its' root, it is addiction or addictive behavior. At times I masquerade it well and at other times, I am blatantly out in the open with it. My addictive behavior patterns are revealed practically every morning in my tweets and posts. It can look like this "good 8 mile run/18 mile bike ride/ swim", etc. It can also look like this "great win by the #Royals and I like the way this team is playing right now" but seldom does it look like this - "my goal today is to bring glory to God in all I say, think and do today".  At times, if I am not careful, I can become consumed to see how many "retweets" or "likes" or "favorites" I get on the posts that I make. Addictive behavior craves "more" of many things and even the seemingly "good" activities that I participate in can be fillers for not being satisfied w/ Jesus. He is enough. I know that. I teach that, I conference on that, and I remind myself of that often and then run out and try to find other things that will fill that "enough" spot I have in my life.

I am thankful that God has created and wired me the way that I am. I love being outdoors. I love to run, bike and exercise. I like mowing the grass and creating that "checkerboard design" in the yard. And I love sports. You know that I am a MIZZOU, Royals, and Chiefs fan painfully at times. I think you know that I love Sondra, who is just simply amazing. Shelbi, Mark and Morgan bring me true delight and make me well up with pride. I am blessed. I have family and friends who love and support me. I have a God who is crazy about me. I need to remember that! I need to accept and  live a line that I quote often, "Jesus loves me and accepts me exactly the way I am, He just loves me too much to leave me that way."

Spectating Ironman Florida

This past weekend I found myself in Panama City Beach, Florida spectating and supporting my buddy, Dave MacNeill, as he competed and completed the Ironman Florida Triathlon. Dave and I work together at LifeWay and over the past couple of years have become pretty good friends. Dave is an Ironman. He has been an Ironman for a number of years and you may recall that back in the Spring, I completed my first triathlon, much to the encouragement of Dave.

An Ironman Triathlon consists of these three sports and distances:
Swimming -2.4 miles
Biking - 112 miles
Running - 26.2 miles
All of those miles add up to 140.6 miles and a pretty tired body evidently.

I had a blast spectating and supporting this triathlon. I really did. I found myself encouraging and supporting
people that I have never seen before and quite possibly, never will see again. But that did not really matter to me. What mattered is that they competed to the best of their ability and I wanted to help them do that by encouraging them to press on. There were all shapes, sizes, ages, colors,statuses (even the prince of Bahrain participated) and levels of natural talent represented. It was incredibly inspirational for me to watch.

The Progression of an Ironman

There were new course records set and three men finished under 8 hours. Watching the winner come down the finish chute was pretty amazing. Another amazing feat to me was accomplished by my friend Dave. His swim time was 1:20:00 which was incredible! His bike time was 6:48:18 with a 20 minute rest time to let his quads sort of recuperate. Both of those were incredibly strong physically, but it was his run that impressed me the most. His time of 7:34 does not reflect his best physical effort of run/walk, but it screams to me outstanding mental strength that he used to push on physically. Dave struggled with extreme nausea from almost the start of the marathon. Without being graphic, it is safe to say that the majority of nutrition that he took in on the run, made its way back up the way it went down very quickly after it went down. He was pretty sick.

I saw him at the half-marathon mark, encouraged him, worried about him and told him he had 5 hours to finish 13 miles. And . . . he did that with time to spare on a nutritionally depleted body. It was a remarkable feat to witness. Way to go Dave! It was awesome to be a part of your support team. Looking forward to competing alongside of you in the future.

Sidewalk Prophets Cover Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire"

I like these guys alot and we have become friends over the last few years. You know I love the great Johnny Cash, so I like what Sidewalk Prophets did here! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Big Brother!

Mom, James, Me & Dad

I have the best brother ever who turns another year older today. October 29, 1959 (almost 4 years before my appearance on this terrestrial ball) a dark headed, widow peaked little boy was born. I have seen pictures and know that this kid looks much like his dad (my father).

James and I have had some incredibly great times together. We grew up playing ball in the back yard (any kind of ball, it really didn't matter); he frequently beat on his little brother (I have the scars to prove it); and we shared a bedroom as little kids where he would say scary things to me and pretty much freak me out. He taught me how to throw a ball; hit a golf ball; kick a soccer ball and how to mow a yard. We shucked much corn together; broke many a green bean; traipsed through all kinds of woods hunting squirrel and rabbit; and fished every little creek, pond, lake, and puddle in Cass County. Oh, so many good times and memories.

We grew, he moved out of the house, and I did not see him as often, but I continued to look up to him. There were times that we went months without seeing or talking to one another, but I knew we were still close. We got together and took my dad on a baseball trip to Chicago and St. Louis and out ran rain storms, drug dealers and saw some good baseball and tried to break dad's ankle. We got together when we could and it was always good to catch up.

A few years back, mom got sick and we just knew that we needed to be together more. It was one of the toughest times because mom was so sick, but it was an incredibly sweet time because I got to spend a lot more time with James. In a time that I needed a big brother the most, James was there and he carried me a couple of times when I really did not know how to move forward on my own. It is what he does. He steps in and helps many when they need his strength.

He turns 54 today. I am incredibly proud and thankful to be his little brother. He has taught me much. Two

and half years ago, James and I made a trip up to Alaska to just hang out together. We watched alot of NCAA basketball; saw a lot of snow; but most importantly, I just got to hang out with my big brother.

I love you James. You are an incredible picture of a man loving Christ and loving others. You are incredibly giving and forgiving. You continue to model for me what it means to "love well, because you have been loved well."

Don't look to hard for that birthday card. I forgot to send it. See you at Thanksgiving. I'll hug your neck then.

Hero Worship - Do We Need Another Hero?

I am a little hesitant to even write this post because it could be perceived that I am "calling out" some folks or possibly setting myself up as being better than others. I will have to trust that those of you who really know me will understand that I am writing from a a perspective that is not mean or vindictive. If you do not know me and just happen on this blog, give me the benefit of a doubt. Or, totally disagree. Either way is really okay.

Hero Worship is really nothing new. By definition is foolish or excessive adulation for an individual (Merriam-Webster) There are different levels of hero worship from mild to all out lunacy. Some synonyms would be: adore, adulate, canonize, deify, dote (on), hero-worship,worship and to be honest, I get that we are wired to worship, make a hero out someone or something. I live in SEC country and it is fair to say that during this time of year (football season) all kinds of Hero Worship rears its' head. And . . .  I am guilty of this as well. I mean, MIZZOU is undefeated and ranked #5 right now, the KC Chiefs (the bane of the NFL last season) are currently undefeated at 7-0 and the only remaining undefeated NFL team.

In religious circles, there are many heroes that are being lifted up and others who are falling by the wayside. There are people who are convinced that their guy (rarely any ladies get much airplay in evangelical circles) is the one that God has his hand on. I am thankful God uses people. . . People who are in the public limelight, and people who are in the smaller, remote areas of the world just serving Him and very few, if any, people know that they even exist. I believe there is truth that must be defended. I believe that there are many who show up in sheep's clothing who are very potentially, well . . . wolves. 

Leaders can be guilty of jockeying for position and feigning humility. Others try to attach themselves to leaders hoping some of it will "rub off" on them or they can ride some coat tails. Posturing and positioning happens on little league teams to religious institutions/denominations. Governments run on this sort of principle and strategy as well. And . . . it is nothing new and is really not a jab at our current US government mess. We have been posturing for this position as a nation for years and have been okay with it. We can get so focused on "getting ahead" that we take our attention and focus of the end game.

I believe that I have much to learn. I believe it is good to associate with others, invest in others and learn from others. I also believe it is a very dangerous thing to make people heroes. Our heroes have weaknesses. You know it and I know it, but still we long to fill our weaknesses with things/people hoping they will bring us freedom. And . . . we associate because we long for strength, power and control. We desire to be a part of the Inner Ring that C.S. Lewis talked about here. 

Great stories include a villain and hero. The greatest story includes a God who loves and takes His own Son, sends Him to die for a people who absolutely have no hope for life on their own. I really want to be guilty of worshiping that Hero and that Hero alone. It is that Inner Ring that matters most. Not so I can look down on others, but so that He may be glorified.

(For clarification - I believe there are legitimate examples of people who have done heroic things for their families, their country and for complete strangers to save lives, etc. I am not referring to those instances and people but to those who are seeking a position through posturing and for personal gain. I am grateful for those who have served, are serving their countries to preserve a free and healthy way of life.)

Happy Birthday Sondra!

There are all kinds of quotes when it comes to getting older:

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old. George Burns 

Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough. Groucho Marx 
Age is a question of mind over matter.  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.  Leroy "Satchel" Paige
and one of my favorites is this one - 
“A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age.”  Robert Frost

I will let you figure out what age Sondra turns today but here are some things you need to know about her - 

She loves Jesus.
She loves me with all of my faults and quirks.
She loves her girls and her son-in-law.
She loves people.
She loves rules/guidelines and plays by them.
She keeps a checkbook like no other.
She can find something in a stack of papers when I cannot even find the stack.
She loves details.
She loves students she gets to be around at McGavock.
She loves singing and leading in worship through music.
She is always supportive. Always.
She is my best friend. Ever.

Sondra, on this your birthday, know that I am totally mesmerized by you and your beauty. I am forever grateful that God in His wisdom/grace (heavy on the grace) allows me to walk this life with you. You are His greatest blessing to me. I love you!

Happy Birthday!

Arizona, Texas/Missouri & Other Stuff

Last week Sondra and I headed out to AZ for the week and had an incredible time. No work, email, little
phone stuff and lots of hiking and big fun with the best girl in the world! We hit Tombstone, hiked/climbed Camel Back and South Mountain in Phoenix, Bell Rock in Sedona, laughed alot, saw a couple of movies, and ate alot of oatmeal for breakfast. We enjoyed the pool, the dry air and just each others' company.

We both left on Sunday of this week, she for MO to hang with her mom, and me to Texas to the Youth Minister's Conclave. It was great to see so many youth ministry friends and lead a conference. The weather was not the best but they needed the rain. Sondra has enjoyed being with her mom and Bronwyn and I am looking forward to her being home again. She heads back to school on Monday which I am sure she is not totally excited about.


Today is LayLay's 21st birthday and I am asking you to continue to pray for the Hollister/Willams families along with Wacey Russell. God did a beautiful thing with her and her life and she is sorely missed. I wrote about her previously here.

The Turners are all doing well. I will try and blog a little more frequently but then again, I may not ;-).

The Government Shutdown

A rare political rant by me. Here are my thoughts on our current state of government.

1. If I operated my household the way our current administration and Congress is operating, I would be in jail.
2. The officials that you and I helped elect seem to be less competent than they presented themselves to be at election time. (I am including all parties.)
3. My grandfather would say when we were out of hand, horse playing in his house, "you boys straighten up; act like you got some sense; get up out the floor and get to work." Seems to be pertinent in our current governmental climate.
4. Please open the National Parks. We are going to AZ on vacation and really would like to spend the day
at the Grand Canyon (selfish on my part). It would also be very good to put government employees back to work.
5. Remember, just holding a position of leadership does not mean you are a leader. If you hold a political position, be a leader and lead. The whole bunch of ya.

Lay Lay (Leighton) Williams: A Beautiful Life

Tuesday night I had the honor and the privilege of being a part of a celebration where no one in attendance actually  thought it was the right time to be celebrating. Early Saturday morning, Lay Lay stepped from this Earth into eternity and met her Savior face to face.

Lay Lay was a beautiful, young woman who loved others because she was in love with Christ. It was evident in every area of her life. I was privileged to watch her grow from a 10-year-old girl into a beautiful, young woman. Lay Lay was a special gift. She was a fiery and feisty one when there was a ball involved; she was kind, compassionate and giving where there was a life involved. She was everyone's best friend; every parent's daughter; and everyone's sister. It was just they way it was with her. Jesus had captured her life and He shined through her to everyone.

Lay Lay, I will miss you. I remember our last conversation on Friday, September 6. You were excited (in that signature monotone voice of yours) about your nursing school assignments. You hugged me like you always did (and like you hugged everyone else you knew) and your eyes sparkled. Thanks for shining Christ's light through your life.

We will take care of your parents and your brothers and sisters. In fact, Jesus already is in amazing ways. He is good at that. Enjoy our Savior. I am a little jealous about that but rest well in him young lady.

Thanks for loving. You have taught many how to love well through your example.

Thank you God for a beautiful life in which you have revealed more of Yourself to us. So long Lay Lay. See you soon and I'm counting on that hug.

Getting Out of a Pickle

I love being a part of the Royals family during the bad and the good times. Granted it has been painful since 1985 but I am a Royals fan. Always will be. I am having fun this season with them still in the hunt and this video of stealing home last night by Escobar was too good not to share. Go Royals!

80 Years of Beauty and Grace

Today my mother-in-law, Joyce (Trail) Holmes, turns 80. She has relayed to us that she was born about

3am after her mother and father arrived at the hospital on their motorbike. Because it was so early in the morning, they pushed the motorbike away from the neighbor homes before starting it so they would not awaken any unnecessarily that early in the morning.

Joyce was born in New Zealand and the best I can recollect, she was born in Wanganui which is about a 3-4 hour drive north of Wellington. I know that she has 3 sisters; Nola, who lives in Atlanta; Rose, who lives in New Zealand; and Betty, who is lives in Guatemala. There was a brother, Jack, who died in an accident when he was pretty young.

She married a boy named Bernard (Bernie) Holmes who ended up bringing her to the US via Canada. I have to admit that seeing home movies a few years ago of their move to North America via ship with a stop in Hawaii showed a much less developed Honolulu. It was pretty awesome to see.

Joyce is known by many as Bernard's wife, but what she is known for is her incredible, gracious service to Bernard and so many others. When Bernard became ill, Joyce assumed the primary care-giving role and continued to serve not only Bernard much more intentionally but served at her church, her neighbors,
countless college/university students who were in Bernard's missions and discipleship groups. Bernard was intentional in discipling students and they would come to their house early in the mornings for study but I am convinced that a major reason they wanted to be in Bernard's discipleship groups, were for Joyce's home cooked breakfasts.

Joyce is the Proverbs 31 woman. She has faithfully served Christ. She has sacrificially given her time and health to serve Bernard, her girls, and countless friends. She has a few aches and pains. (I am probably one of the biggest in her life - pains that is) She is a wonderful woman who just loves. She has spunk and one of the things that I love about her the most and scares me the most about her is her desire to prove that she can do it. Whatever it is, she believes she can do it.

A couple of years ago I had the privilege of spending a couple of days with her by myself in her home. She had a few things to do around the house like some light painting and just general clean up. It may have not seemed like much to her, but the time we spent together painting the bottom part of her back porch was just sweet time to me. She is a wonderful lady and I love her so. What a privilege to be a part of her family and legacy.

Happy 80th Birthday sweet lady! I love you.

50 on 50

Best Part of the Trip

So . . . how does one celebrate their 50th birthday?! I knew that I was not interested in anything involving adult beverages especially with someone like me who can have addictive behavior tendencies, so I put my mind to work.  I have known of people who run 50 miles on their 50th and that really did not sound like alot of fun to me.Back in the Spring, I entered and completed my first triathlon and found it to be pretty fun so I thought do a combination of running,biking and swimming that would add up to at least 50 miles was my best option.

I took off from the Downtown YMCA with a bunch of buddies (Rusty, Mike Whittle, Young Mike, Gordon, Young Charlie, Stubblefield, and David Grant). We ran a familiar 8 plus mile course and then David and I ran almost 5 more to complete the half marathon distance. I ate some breakfast and climbed on the bike and started making my way towards the Donelson Y to swim. On the way I stopped and saw Sondra at her work and then continued on. The green way system is really nice and pretty much traffic free so it made for an enjoyable ride. I arrived at the Y to swim and got

Hardest Hill on the Bike

a mile in there. I found it to be pretty refreshing and talked to a couple of friends who happened to be working out at the Y. After swimming, it was back on the bike and on the way to see Sondra again and then to finish up the day of exercise. All together I think I was out there about 6.5 hours with many breaks and lots of fun. I was just covering the distance and had to remind myself of that a few times. I have a tendency to be a little competitive as some of you know.

While riding and swimming I did a lot of thinking and remembering. So many people who have invested in my life over the years. I am incredibly grateful and blessed. And . . . so many of you sent birthday greetings. One of my friends, Chrissy, wrote a blog post about me which I decided to read during lunch at Calypso restaurant. What she wrote was very humbling. Here is a link to her blog post and I know that sounds a little self-serving, but it reminds me that what we say and do influences people at times when they and we need it most. (By the way, when eating lunch at Calypso by yourself, reading the blog post and crying can tend to be a little awkward but agh . . . who cares?)

I am thankful for you. Thank you for influencing me and allowing me to be a small part of your life as well.

As John Gruden of football fame said a couple of weeks ago when he turned 50, "Hey! All you 50 year olds, let's keep fighting." Count me in!

Celebrating 80

On Thursday night I got the opportunity to go to the Vandy/Ole Miss game with Michael DiMarco and Ben Williams. I have known Michael for a long time but I did not know Ben before Thursday. We go to church together, but since the church is so big, there are many I do not know. Ben is from New Zealand, loves sports, and is the father of young children. With Sondra's parents being from New Zealand, we had an automatic bond. I enjoyed getting to know him and I always enjoy Michael and the football game was just a bonus. It was a hot and humid night and virtually no defense in the football game so lots of points and lots of excitement.

On Friday, Sondra, Morgan and I headed to Bolivar to be with Sondra's mom and Sondra's sister and brother in law and family. It is an 8 hour drive each way but it did not prove to be too bad. We arrived about 11p on hit the bed not too long after. On Saturday we enjoyed doing some work around Joyce's house and my dad came down and spent most of the afternoon with us. It was great to see him. I am thankful for any time that we get together.

Sondra's mom has been in some ill health the past few months as I have reported before and she had back surgery in June and a couple of complications related to that surgery but all in all is doing pretty well. She at times gets a little confused but all in all is doing pretty well. Her back seems to be healing but at times she seems pretty weak and forgets that she is weaker and takes off after something or to do something without totally realizing she is not as strong as she has been in the past.

On Sunday, we went with her to her church Wellspring and they acknowledged her during the service and sang happy birthday to her. She actually does not turn 80 until the 9th but we celebrated while we were all together over the holiday weekend. Sunday afternoon we hosted a reception at her house and had many people come through to wish her a happy birthday. She has had a significant influence in so many peoples' lives. It was a great afternoon. For dinner, we all headed into Springfield for a Chinese meal and enjoyed our time together.

Yesterday, Monday, we all loaded up and drove back to Tennessee. Joyce will be with us for a month or so and we are trying to work in a visit with her sister and her husband in Atlanta before she heads back to Tulsa for a follow up dr. visit in early October.

Graham, Our "Boy" Is Off to Arkansas

Just a few days over 18 years ago, we had a "son". Our good friends, Mitch and Christy Fuller welcomed
into the world a little guy named, Graham Mitchell Stephens Fuller. He was born one evening after a fairly grueling day of labor if I remember correctly. Graham became our godson and a brother to Morgan and Shelbi. (Truth be known, him being a boy took alot of pressure off of me thinking I had to produce a boy in our family.)

Graham enjoyed the things that boys enjoy like dogs, beaches, music, gadgets and girls. In fact, Graham has always had a group of girls around him. When he was a baby, it was our two girls but when school came along, Graham always had girls around. Well, always maybe a little strong. He entered the scouting program and progressed through merits and badges and last week was presented his Eagle Scout. Rumor has it that he busted through the first steps of scouting quickly and then slowed down quite a bit but made Eagle Scout with just days to spare ;-).

We experienced many phases with Graham like you do with children who move from infancy to young adulthood. There were a couple of slightly annoying phases but we all have those. In fact, there are many who actually grow out of them (you know who you are). Graham has been reared on HGTV, Home Shopping and Friends. He can quote more Friends lines than I even know exist. He did a great job in his academics, choir and athletics. He has grown into an incredible young man. He loves Jesus, girls, his mom and dad, and the Turners.

We are very proud of you Graham. Saying, "So long for now," last night was pretty tough. You are a good one son. You have enough of your mom and dad in you to bring a great balance to life. We will be sure to make sure that they do OK while you are in Fayetteville. Study hard, learn alot and not just in the classroom. Experience all that you can and remember to make much of Jesus. You may get a little lonely the first few weeks. You might miss home. You will get past that. We on the other hand, will always miss you being "right up the street." It will take us a little longer but you know that we will continue to pray for you, cheer for you, and always be in your corner. You will never get away from the Turners. 

Holy Cow! A Year Already?!!

Yesterday, Sunday, August 11th, was Shelbi and Mark's 1st Anniversary. What a whirlwind the week was leading up to their wedding, and what an amazingly quick year it has been since that wonderfully, great day. This past week we were blessed to have Mark and Shelbi at the house for a few days. I have to tell you that it is very exciting to see how the two of them are honoring God in their lives and relationships. Sure makes a dad proud.

It also pretty much marks a year that Morgan and Wilson (Wil or Wil P. as I call him) have been officially dating. I am not sure if I have introduced Wil to my blog readers but I guess if Morgan is going to keep him around for a year, I better do some introductions. Wil and Morgan met at Union and both graduated this past May. Wil graduated with a double major (best I remember) in history and I think biology. He is smart guy. He knows alot about alot of things but does not come across as a know-it-all by any stretch. He is his own person which I actually admire and when he called last year to ask our permission to date Morgan, I told him he would have to bring his A game because Morgan is her own person and not easily impressed (that is not a dig on Morgan, just a fact). He keeps hanging around and we like him. He and Morgan did the Warrior Dash this past weekend up in KY and so he keeps her active. It is fun to watch them interact with one another.

We also say goodbye today to Jordan who has been staying with us this summer. He was doing an internship at Sam's here in Nashville and needed a place to stay for a couple of months. Great young man who has a couple of job offers that he is mulling over. Pray that God will show Him clearly what He wants him to do. We have enjoyed having Jordan around. He has also delivered on some good pecans. Not his only contribution to our family, but a pretty good one.

I have been traveling quite a bit doing training on the weekends and finding myself a little tired but I get so energized spending time with student/youth leaders across the country. So many people who love Jesus and students and their families. It is a privilege to learn from them.

Sondra is still simply amazing. We continue to pray for her mom and her back. She is slowly getting some better. It is a long process. We are grateful for the care that Bronwyn and Phil are providing for her and are planning to go to either OK or MO in the next few weeks to celebrate Joyce's 80th birthday.

TN, GA, SC, NC, TN

So the last two weeks have included a lot of in the car trips. Since I was driving I got to throw my bike in the back so even though I did alot of driving, I did some a couple of fun rides as well.

Morgan and I headed out to Chattanooga for a World Changers project and enjoyed some time together along with visiting some great ministry sites. I host Ben Trueblood and Eric Geiger for some of the sites and really enjoyed spending time with them. Both of those guys are great guys who got to see students in action helping others. It was alot of fun.

Over the weekend, our family met up in Rome, Ga for Shelbi's 23rd birthday and we had a great weekend. I got a nice bike ride in over to Berry College and Winshape, we ate cake, Mark and I played a little golf and we attended church together on Sunday. It was such a blessing for all of us to be together!

On Sunday, I headed towards the mountains of North Georgia to meet with a great church and help their staff work through some clarifying strategy for ministry. These guys were great and took care of me. It is so much fun to interact with the whole staff, heart their hearts and then help facilitate mission and actions that they will take.

After meeting with them I started towards South Georgia to another of our World Changers projects.It was great to spend time with them and to visit the ministry sites that we were working on. To say that this summer and seeing so much ministry going on in different cities has been exciting would be a gross understatement. God is doing such an incredible work through students willing to give of their time, talent and treasure to make a difference in others' lives. I also got a pretty fun bike ride in over to Saint Simon's Island and ate some of the best shrimp I have ever had a little dive in Darien, GA called B&Js Steak and Seafood. Awesome fresh shrimp!

After GA I headed to Ridgecrest, NC and facilitated the student Sunday School training for Extreme Sunday School Event. Some of the best student leaders were there and I had blast facilitating a teaching/learning process. It was pretty intense schedule wise but was great fun.

Today I find myself back in TN, but not quite home yet. I am at a World Changers project in Loudon Co. and will be home soon. Excited to see what God has in store here through these projects and then excited about getting home to Sondra.

In Honor of Wednesday - Hump Day

I have seen this at least 50 times. It just owns me right now. Enjoy!

 

What Did I Just Say?

Recently, I have found myself trying to listen more and talk less. Shocker to those of you who know me, I am sure. I know the cliche' that we have two ears and one mouth, so listen more and talk less. It is more than a cliche', it is good advice.

I have many speaking/training events coming up in the next couple of months so the past few weeks I have been working on what I would say and would not say. To be fair to Miss Teen South Carolina 2007, she got her question just a couple of seconds before she was to answer and then her time to answer was very limited. When someone asks me a question during a talk/presentation, one of the very first things that pops in to my head is this video. It reminds me to stop, collect my thoughts, and not comment on something that I know nothing about. You have seen this before, but it bears repeating.

Summer Has Hit! & Christian Response to Culture

I am thankful I get to do what I get to do. These past two weeks have been pretty fast and furious. On Father's Day afternoon, after church and lunch, I headed towards Chicago to speak at our World Changers project up there for the week. It was a great week of ministry. The crews that came did all kinds of work in the Chicago suburbs. I enjoyed speaking and getting to know so many. God moved in a pretty big way and there were 7 salvations of those in the area. God is that good. You can see some of the week's highlights here if you are interested.

I headed home on Saturday and enjoyed some time with Sondra before she headed out on Monday to go be with her mom in Tulsa. Sondra's mom had back surgery almost 4 weeks ago and she seems to be doing fair, but not great. We are hoping for her to have another MRI to see what is causing the most recent pain.

I am enjoying having Morgan home and Jordan is with us this summer. He is a recent Union grad and doing an internship here in Nashville with Sam's and needed some housing so we are glad to have him around. I am enjoying getting some runs, rides and swims in even while traveling a bunch. I am looking forward to being home this next week even though I am missing Sondra who will be out with her mom until July 6. Once the second week of July hits, I will be burning up the pavement.

On another note - with recent rulings from the Supreme Court regarding Prop 8 and DOMA, I ran across an article that articulates my feelings about our "engaging culture, rather than railing against culture" mush better than I could have said it. If you are interested, I would encourage you to read it here. My co-worker, Ed Stetzer says it well.

Personally I am disappointed, but not surprised with the ruling. And, in many ways I am grateful. I am grateful for a loving, grace-filled God who hates all sin, including mine, and offers hope, peace, redemption and grace. We have a great story to tell. Let's focus on telling His story. He is that good!

America - Celebrating Flag Day

I have long been a fan of the late Johnny Cash. In celebrating Flag Day today in the United States, I am reminded of this song Johnny did years ago.

Whole Lotta Stuff Going On!

So why does someone with so much going on not stop and blog about it? Laziness and excuses come to mind.

Since I last informed you of the Turner happenings -

• Morgan graduated from Union University w/ honors. She gets her looks and personality from me but thankfully her brains from Sondra.Wilson, her beau, graduated as well and I think we may see alot of him this summer. That's not a bad thing (for the most part). ;-)
• We moved Morgan home and moved one of her classmates in for a couple of months for an internship here in Nashville. The housing that had been arranged fell through and we have a spare room. Jordan is fun to have around and doesn't eat much.
• I have made a few trips but can't remember where I went so I guess it has been too much lag time since.
• Work is busy! World Changer and P2 Missions projects are up and running after 2 weeks of training. It was my first go around with the training part of getting summer staff ready. It is a very involved and focus process. It was great to spend time with almost 80 summer staffers. I learned much and hope I passed on some information and wisdom as well.
• I also hosted about 12 youth ministers for three days here at LifeWay. We call it Student BETA and help youth ministers think through ministry and try to be a resource for them in their mission of making disciples through their local church. It is a great time and fairly tiring but I love spending time with these men and women.

The next few weeks will be very busy with work. I will be speaking all next week in Chicago and then have quite a few trips planned for the next 6 weeks with World Changers. It will be fun.

Sondra's mom had surgery on her back and seems to be recuperating very well. Sondra will head to either Tulsa or Bolivar to spend some time with her in the next few days. We are thankful for successful surgery and are praying for healing and a fix to the terrible leg pain she had been experiencing. We are grateful to Bronwyn and Phil and their kids for the way that they have been caring for her.

I Am a Triathlete?

A few months I was presented with a challenge from a co-worker about training for and completing a triathlon. I had toyed with the idea a few times; told Sondra a time or two that I will do a triathlon someday; and then on occassion thought, "That's crazy!  I will run but triathlons sound crazy." Consider me crazy. Some of you do already anyway.

I started getting in the pool, got some goggles and earplugs and a short pair of running shorts and swam. Three strokes, breath; three strokes, breath; sounded easy enough but I found it a little overwhelming and challenging. But I am competitive and kept after it. I swam a few hundred meters; spit out water, coughed, gasped numerous times and tried it again later in the week. A quarter mile became and half-mile became a mile became a mile and half. I was considered a somewhat controlled flailer. I always thanked the lifeguard at the Y for not letting me drown. They thought I was kidding and laughed. I do not joke about getting out of the water alive. I also began to climb on the stationary bike at the Y. 20 minutes turned into 40 minutes turned into an hour. Soon I was riding an hour and running for 30 min. I knew how to run but the transition from the bike to running was a little wobbly the first few yards but it got better. And I got a nice bike from my friend, DiMarco who had one hanging in his garage for a few years because he had blown out his Achilles tendon a few years before. I still owe him some money on that bike too.

Fast forward to last weekend. After about 5 months of training, I put it all together at an event called the Iron
Nugget. It consisted of a .5 mile swim (in open water), a 17 mile bike ride, and a 3.1 mile ride. It took place at Montgomery Bell State Park just west of Nashville a few miles. It is somewhat of a demanding beginner's triathlon but not totally unfair. The weather was perfect. Mid-50s and overcast and the water temp was about 68 degrees. Burrrr. But Mike Harry let me borrow his wetsuit so I was not very cold. (I did a practice swim of a couple hundred yards the day before in the wetsuit just get the feel for it.) I was nervous as a cat but excited to see if the training that I had done had properly prepared me for the event. I swam okay, I transitioned slowly from the swim to the bike, I biked about what I thought I would do and I ran. I ran pretty well. It was the one part of the event I had a lot of confidence and I pushed it a little. My goal in the run portion was to pass some people and not be passed. Mission accomplished. I had set an overall goal of 2 hours or less and I finished in 1:53:40. I was pleased and much to Sondra's demise, I was hooked. I can see my self doing more of these kinds of events. I do not see a full Iron Man any time or actually ever, but who knows. It was a great experience. I am glad I did it. And, I am thankful for a guy named Dave MacNeill who challenged me to try doing a triathlon. There were actually 5 of us from my work area who participated.

On another note and an important one - on Saturday, May 11, Sondra and I celebrated 28 years of marriage. She was there at the triathlon encouraging and supporting me just like she has for our whole married life. She is the best. Period.

Wanting to Be Right So Badly that I Miss Getting the Right Information

I had an experience recently where a person called me on my cell phone and asking me if I was X. I explained that I was indeed not X, but that my name was Paul. She then went on to tell me that it had to be Xs number because someone had given her this number and said that it was X's number. I explained that I knew X but that this was not, in fact, X's number. She insisted that it was but I kindly told her whoever had given her the number she dialed was mistaken. She repeated the number she was given and indeed, it was my number and not X's. She would not have it.

I tried to actually give her X's number but she quickly insisted that she was right and hung up. Wow! She was being like me. So many times I insist that I am right and in the process of someone trying to help get me the right information, I insist I am already right and miss the correct answer. I really dislike that in myself.

Sometimes I am like that with God. I insist that I am right, and miss the fact that He is trying to help me get it right (because He knows). I spend alot of time trying to be right instead of surrendering to the truth. I am praying that God will stop me in my tracks and continue to teach me to trust Him. He can be trusted. In all things.

Dads Matter

Saw this recently on a plane and thought it was worth drawing some attention to those who read this blog. This is just a good reminder that kids want their dads in their life. Matt Lauer does a little documentary on the back side of this video about a PSA that he was doing. Enjoy!

Trying to Make Sense

The past couple of weeks have been busy with travel, conferences, training, and senseless bombings in Boston. Last Monday I was leading a group of youth ministers here at LifeWay and my phone started going off with text messages from all sorts of people. All of the texts had basically the same message: "Are you OK?"  For the first few minutes I had no idea why I would be getting these messages then one of them included that there had been a bomb at the Boston Marathon.

A couple of things raced through my mind, but more importantly, people came to mind. People I knew who were in Boston running the marathon. I have run it four times and every time it has been an amazing experience. I thought of Charlie and Ron Kramer who is a part of the Boston Athletic Association who puts the race on. I thought of Jim and Herb also who were running. And I felt conflicted in many ways. I was concerned for the safety of the ones I knew were there and I was thankful that people who know I run cared enough to check on me.

Within a few minutes I had heard from those I knew were there and they were okay, but there were many who were not okay. From the deaths of three individuals to so many people who were injured by the blasts. I became angry. I felt like my own "family" had been attacked. I am a hacker runner, but a Boston Marathon qualifier and finisher and those people are my people.

As the events unfolded this past week, a thought kept running through my mind. Christ died for those effected and for those who caused the chaos and terror. And I felt conflicted. I prayed for those families and individuals directly effected and I prayed that the perpetrators would be found and that there would be no more harm or injury. And, I prayed that God would capture the hearts and minds of those who did this evil thing. Not because I arrived at that by myself but I am learning to ask God to allow me to see people as He sees them. I am thankful that these two are not in a position to inflict pain and terror any more. I know one of those brothers is now dead and every indication is that he did not know Christ. I cannot rejoice in that. I am praying that God will capture the heart and mind of this 19-year-old. I believe he needs to be brought to justice according to our national laws and I am praying that He will allow Christ to become real to him.

I once was an enemy of Christ, but through His grace, he brought me from death to life.

NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament

I love college basketball. I am somewhat frustrated with the way the game is becoming more about the strength of the players rather than the skill and art of the players in the game, but I thoroughly enjoy the game. My heart is with the MIZZOU Tigers and I am a North Carolina Tar Heels fan as well. Not split allegiance, just really admire Dean Smith and what he did so long at UNC. I also respect Roy Williams very much. I wish that MIZZOU would go after coaches that had character and knew Xs and Os but right now that does not seem to be priority.

All that said, I wanted to share the One Shining Moment video from CBS. It has been a tradition since the mid-to-late 80s the best I can remember. Enjoy. And congrats to Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals. Pitino has proven to be an incredible coach and seems to be overcoming some poor personal decisions in the past.

Make a Difference - End It

Throughout history, April 9ths has come and gone.
0715 - Constantine ended his reign as Catholic Pope.
1865 - At Appomattox Court House, Virginia, General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate Army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.
1866 - The Civil Rights Bill passed over U.S. President Andrew Johnson's veto.
1912 - The first exhibition baseball game was held at Fenway Park in Boston. The game was between Red Sox and Harvard.
1913 - The Brooklyn Dodgers' Ebbets Field opened. 
1928 - Mae West made her debut on Broadway in the production of "Diamond Lil."
1940 - Germany invaded Norway and Denmark.
1942 - In the Battle of Bataan, American and Filipino forces were overwhelmed by the Japanese Army.
1947 - 169 people were killed and 1,300 were injured by a series of tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
1950 - Bob Hope made his first television appearance on "Star-Spangled Review" on NBC-TV.
1957 - The Suez Canal was cleared for all shipping.
1959 - NASA announced the selection of America's first seven astronauts.
1963 - Winston Churchill became the first honorary U.S. citizen.
1965 - "TIME" magazine featured a cover with the entire "Peanuts" comic gang.
1965 - The Houston Astrodome held its first baseball game. 
1968 - Murdered civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., was buried.
1986 - It was announced that Patrick Duffy's character on the TV show Dallas would be returning after being killed off.
2005 - Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles.
2012 - Facebook purchases Instagram for $1billion and the broadway show, The Lion King becomes the highest grossing show of all time, surpassing Phantom of the Opera
All that to say, each day is just not another day. Today, April 9, 2012 is really not just another day. It is a day to make a difference. Every day is a day to make a difference. Why go through life existing when we can be influencing, spreading hope and helping deliver people from all types of slavery and oppression.

It is End It: Shine a Light on Slavery Day. I wish today we could hit an easy button and end all forms of slavery and oppression. What we can do is our part to help end slavery and oppression in our area of influence. Right where you are; Right where you live. Not only for the here and now, but for eternity. Join in the struggle to end slavery from physical oppressors and share Christ with others to help end a present and a future of eternal slavery to sin.

R and R

The last few weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind for the Turners. I somehow thought it was a good idea to cram my schedule so full of "good" stuff and forgot that at some point I was going to need to rest a little. If you have kept up at all with some of my travels you know that I overextended. I love what I get to do but even too much of a good thing is still too much. All of my weekends were involved in training youth leaders or encouraging people coupled with a week of teaching at Midwestern Seminary, a quick trip to Alaska (which was awesome and encouraging), to attending one of our World Changers Spring Break projects in Birmingham and then a weekend of training in Kentucky. It was crazy.

Sondra went on a mission trip to Guatemala with our church, Hermitage Hills, and did construction (I know, right?), worked with kids, taught a women's Bible study based off of our friend's (Hayley DiMarco) book, The Fruitful Wife, and even did some sewing. To say the least, it was a life-changing experience for Sondra. I am always proud of her, but she really stepped out of her comfort zone on this one and it has been cool to hear the stories. She even got to catch up with a cousin of hers and his family who have been in Guatemala a long time.

Last week was wonderful. We all (and I mean all of us, Sondra, Shelbi and Mark, Mark, Morgan, Anika-
Morgan's sorority sister, and me) headed to Orange Beach for the week. No agenda. No drama. No plans. No stress. No anything work related. It was awesome. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. A few bike rides. A few runs. A little golf and fishing. Lots of cool (literally cool temps) beach time. It was incredible to have everyone together. What an amazing blessing it is to be in our family.

Easter Sunday was awesome. I had the opportunity to serve our 4 year olds at church in ETC. What a hoot! Beautiful dresses and smart looking coats and ties on 4 year olds never gets mundane. And, they tell everything they know.

I am in the throes of busy times at work with training and traveling but see light at the end of the tunnel. Just a few more weekends out and then summer hits and I am excited to jump into the new experiences of World Changers and P2 Missions. I have alot to learn but am grateful for the opportunity.

Professor Paul

This past week I had the privilege of teaching The Minister of Youth class at Midwestern Seminary. A former colleague at LifeWay invited me this past summer to consider becoming an adjunct professor. I went through all the vetting process and somehow passed the test. I developed a syllabus and created projects with homework and everything. It was a good process for me to go through.

Monday-Thursday we met from 9a-330p. Seven of the most fun and entertaining people/students have been around. I am pretty sure that I did not fit their idea of a prof. We learned together and I am grading projects and they have one more big project to finish in meeting the requirements of the class.

It was a great experience. On Thursday afternoon, I climbed on a plane and flew to Anchorage for Avalanche which is their annual youth event. It was great to spend time training some great volunteers and leaders. That was followed by preaching on Sunday morning at University Baptist Church in Anchorage. It is a multi-ethnic congregation with a strong Palaun attendance. And I met a couple of Kenyans from Eldoret where I have ministered in the past. They both are champion runners at University of Alaska-Anchorage.

As I journey home, Sondra is in Guatemala with our church ministering to the people of Los Conchas outside of Guatemala City. Thanks for praying for her and the rest of the team. They return to the States, Sunday the 24th

Pastor/Staff Relationships

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Allen Jackson and Ben Trueblood and have a short discussion on  pastor/youth minister relationships. While not definitive, I think we raise some good observations and provide some helpful ideas for student ministers who are wanting to be in good relationship with their pastor and other staff members. You can find more videos like this one at Ministry Grid - LifeWay's new online training tool

Are You Prepared? Am I?

prep·a·ra·tion  

/ˌprepəˈrāSHən/

Noun

1. The action of making ready or being made ready for use.
2. Something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.

Some of you know that I am training/preparing for a Sprint Triathlon in May. I have been a runner for many years but a few months ago was challenged by one of my friends to do a triathlon. You know I am stubborn (I like to think of it as "disciplined") so I took up the challenge and the preparation that goes with trying to complete a short (very short) triathlon.

A couple of events have happened in the last couple of days that have made me think about preparation/training in a little different way. Our oldest called this week, sharing with us that as a nurse, she lost her first patient. It was a traumatic death and one that shook Shelbi to the core as you might imagine. I will spare you the details, but I did remind Shelbi that God had been preparing her for a long time to work with patients and that there would come a time, (God knew the time) that a patient would die under her care. I reminded her that God had prepared her well. And then I thought about the individual who died. Was he ready? Was he prepared to slip into eternity?

Another event that has occurred involves a pastor friend of mine named David Landrith. David pastors the great Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, TN. David is a loving, caring pastor who more importantly loves Jesus and Loves his family. He recently has been diagnosed with cancer and is beginning the process of undergoing treatments that will be very rigorous.

These things cause me to realize that the best way to be prepared is to not focus on every possible circumstance, but to be focused on the One to trust and rely on. I know Shelbi and David love Jesus. I know that they could never be prepared for every possible circumstance, but they are leaning in hard and trusting Christ.

I am praying for each of them. I am praying that they and I will trust Christ in all things. There is no better way to be prepared.

Learning and Thankful

I learned some things this week/weekend.
1. Boise, Idaho is a long way from Nashville.
2. There are some really crazy Boise State Broncos fans.
3. The blue football field at BSU is unique and birds mistake it for water and many end their lives crashing into "water" that is really turf.
4. Training for 6 hours makes for a long, rewarding day. I spent a day with 12 youth leaders from AZ, NM, UT, ID, ND, SD, and AK. (I hope I didn't miss a state.) TeamWest
5. People think I have an accent. I do. Everyone has some kind of accent.
6. My wife is an amazing woman. (Not something I just learned but was reminded.)
7. God is incredibly good. He does an awesome job of making a big deal of Himself.
8. The Delta Airlines free upgrade from Seattle to Atlanta was a nice gift.
9. I don't really need much snow in the winter. Got a little snow in Boise but it was nothing like my hometown of Independence that got 10+ inches this week (with more forecast this next week).
10. You DON'T pronounce a Z in Boise (say the se as c). If you say it with a Z it screams, (you ain't from around here are you boy).

11. Flying over downtown Seattle and seeing the Needle makes me feel like an excited little boy.
12. Expressing gratitude to those who serve me is not hard to do and needs to become more common in my behavior.
13. I am overwhelmed that God allows me to represent Him. Make me a worthy ambassador of you Father.
14. Our kids, Shelbi, Mark and Morgan are a true delight to me. Heck, for that matter, Alysha who has been living with us since July is a great blessing in our lives.
15. I am thankful for those who read this blog. You have impacted my life and influenced me in ways that God uses to make me more like His Son.

I am a blessed and thankful dude.

Calling All Servers

So many times I realize that I can be such an arrogant jerk. You might be thinking that sounds like I am being too hard on myself (or in full agreement), but I have a window on my heart that is usually closed off to others.

As I write this, I am on a regional jet flying to Salt Lake City. I am crammed into an exit row seat sitting next to a guy who is taking his seat and about a third of my seat. He's nice enough but HE'S TAKING MY SPACE. And my arrogance and "rights" rise to the front of my brain. "I am being cheated out of what is rightfully mine" is playing over and over in my mind.

And here comes the flight attendant who is serving us, a bunch of travelers, who "deserve to be respected and served with the utmost service because we paid for those peanuts and soft drinks."

And then I open the presentation I am doing this weekend that talks about serving and honoring others because that is not only what Jesus talked about/taught, but what He modeled. Take a look at Mark 10 and John 3.

God, thank you for your grace and for saving me from my sinful, prideful self. Thanks for bringing me from death to life. - Colossians 1

Make me "guilty" of thinking and acting like you and that only comes by surrendering to you.

Purpose

This past weekend, Sondra and I headed to the "mountains" of Georgia to lead a youth leaders' retreat for a local GA church. It was good that Sondra was with me. Lots of travel lately so spending time in the car together was awesome. The more I am around her just helps me to realize how blessed I am to be married to her.

One of the major tasks of the weekend for the youth leaders was to make sure they understood their purpose and to make sure they were pulling toward the same goal. It was a great time and they are a really strong team of volunteers. Their youth minister is doing a great job of leading them. It was fun to help them evaluate and affirm much of what they are doing. They arrived at a couple of things that they do, which are good things, but things that can be strengthened with a few tweaks. They were willing to question methods, evaluate and make changes. It was healthy and fun and I was honored to be a part of the process.

It reminded me the importance of being honest not only with results, but also the processes used to achieve the results. I have to admit that evaluating and making changes is hard work. I, too many times, fall into the trap of believing that things are okay as they are. Blinders wreck businesses, relationships, churches and lives. Attack the processes but never the people.

Never are we called to be jerks to people. Some will bristle at evaluating and making changes. Do not allow others to be victims and do not be a perpetrator yourself.

I have much to learn on both sides of the spectrum. I am learning to lead by serving from whatever position I have been given.