"This Christmas"

This young lady and her beau have written such a nice classic Christmas song. McKenzie Lockhart works with us in the World Changers/P2 Missions office. She is an incredible artist and a beautiful soul. You can search her other stuff on YouTube as well.

How About Those Royals!

If you know me at all, you know that I am a KC Royals fan. It really goes back a long time. Actually to about 1969. My dad took my brother and me to so many baseball games back in that old Memorial Stadium that had housed the minor league KC Blues, the KC Monarchs of the Negro League, the KC Athletics and the KC Royals. Starting in 1969, the Royals became that mainstay MLB team in KC. The Athletics headed off to Oakland in 1968 and promptly became contenders and a quick rival of the expansion Royals who kicked it off in KC in 1969.

The Royals have been my team since then. About 45 years worth of my life. There have been some really good years through the mid-80s and then really lean years until the past couple of years.

What this team did this year though is really just plain, old baseball fun. A bunch of young players with a couple of veteran pitchers, a somewhat semi-successful manager and a fan base that had little to cheer for so many years. But it was a great combination. And the time was obviously right.

Back in the Spring, I sprung $20 for the MLB app on my phone and kept up with the Royals like I hadn't in over 20 years. That $20 investment brought a lot of enjoyment to this old KC boy. I listened to so many ballgames at night and enjoyed every minute of it.

The run through the wild card game; the division series; the conference series and the World Series was just good baseball fun. The Royals won so many games through that post-season stretch that they were not expected to win. They played some really good teams; the Athletics, the Angels, the Orioles and then the current MLB World Champion Giants. So much fun. So much good that happened in my hometown of Kansas City around these Royals.

Last week, I climbed in the car and drove to Kansas City to watch games 1 and 2 of the World Series with my dad and brother. It took me back to all those games we had watched in the old stadium and then the K starting in 1972.

I am a Royals fan but I realized even clearer last week watching those games with dad and James that it wasn't really about the baseball. It was really about the times we were together as family (mom would go back in the day and take a book or newspaper to read) and we just happened to be watching the Royals. This year the Royals helped me to remember what an amazing family and childhood I had and that I am a blessed dude for sure.

Hats off to the World Champion San Francisco Giants. You are a good team that squeaked past another good team, the Kansas City Royals.

Go Royals! (and as my brother reminded me this morning, only 113 days until the pitchers and catchers report).

Shake It Off

As that wise, old sage Taylor Swift sings in Shake It Off - 

But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music

In my mindSaying, "It's gonna be alright."

'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate)
I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heart-breakers gonna break, break, break, break, break (mmmm)
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake (and fake, and fake, and fake)
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

Shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off,
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Sometimes life can jump up and kick you right in the teeth, the gut or even that great groin shot! You stand there, mouth agape, wide-eyed and out of breath, thinking, "What Just Happened!" I have experienced that a few times in my life and wondered, "What do I do now?!" Those times have been few and far between but each of those times have brought a time of decision. 

This past Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at Friendship Community Church in Mt. Juliet and it was a great time of corporate worship. It is a growing church which meets in a local elementary school. The sermon was based out of Romans 5:1-5 (one of my favorite passages) and the focus was on rejoicing in the One who can be trusted in all situations.

While I think Taylor Swift is an ever improving artist (she is an excellent song writer), be careful that you do not take her philosophy in this song as words to live by. Don't get me wrong. This is a fun song and entertaining. True it is going to be alright, but that is not dependent on me. It is dependent on the One who has already made it alright.

Don't think I'm cracking on Miss Swift. She is talented but this particular song should not influence our theology like unfortunately many of us can adopt from everything but Christ Himself.

And, remember. Sometimes we can't just shake it off. No matter how hard we try, things can get to us. Turn to and trust completely Christ. He can be trusted in each and every situation. He expects and has provided the way to trust Him in all things.

No offense meant to Taylor Swift.

New Perspective on Volunteers

Confession time for me here. I have been a leader, minister, staff person for many years in local churches in MO, TX and TN. I have led 100s of training conferences for student ministry and discipleship leaders in almost every state and in 12 or 13 countries. I have encouraged leaders who were about to quit due to frustration, depression, burn out; leaders just getting started in a new venture; and others who are on the backside of their sweet spot in ministry years and people in between. But . . . this past weekend I got a fresh, new perspective on how to treat volunteers.

IRONMAN Chattanooga took place on Sunday, 9/28 with about 2600 participants and who knows how many volunteers. I would say a whole bunch, would be a pretty accurate number. Each volunteer was given a green shirt with all the appropriate IRONMAN Chattanooga and sponsors logos plastered on it and a huge VOLUNTEER written on it. Volunteers served the races in many various ways from water stops to handing out bags, catching and releasing bikes, providing sunscreen and cleaning up thousands of cups and trash. There were oh! so many different volunteer roles that people filled. I served by releasing bikes to the athletes or their family/friends at the end of the race. If an athlete was picking up their bike after the race, I ran and got their bike for them. I pointed family/friends to the appropriate spot where they would find their bike. All-in-all about 2300 bikes were racked in numerical order. The picture gives you at least one view of what that bike transition area looked like on Sunday.

During my shift 3.5 hour shift I am not certain how many bikes I personally released but conservatively the number was in the 50s at least. Some of those bikes were racked about 300 yards away so it made for some pretty good running exercise. The overwhelming part of the whole experience for me was this - Athletes, family and friends were so very appreciative of the service the volunteers were giving. I met so many nice people who were genuinely thankful for the volunteers as we served them. They verbally told us again and again how much they appreciated us serving as volunteering.

After the volunteer shift was over, Dave, Gregg and I headed to grab us some dinner. As we walked along, we congratulated finishers and without fail, they thanked us for serving. People who were there just spectating, thanked us as volunteers. It was very affirming but in reality, we volunteers had just done something that we enjoyed. We did not do it to get any kind of recognition, but it sure was fun to be thanked.

It got me to wondering . . . How come this is not the norm at most churches? Many times it seems that volunteers are seen as a commodity, a means to an end, to accomplish something that really has very little to do with them. We beg for volunteers and then seldom genuinely thank them. I walked away Sunday affirmed and convicted at the same time. I have been guilty of overlooking volunteers and not thanking them for all that they do.

Lesson learned/remembered this past Sunday at IRONMAN Chattanooga. Genuinely thank those who serve. Not really so much for what they do, but because of who they are as people.

What's Up?

How is it that time goes by so quickly? I remember when I was a kid, my mom and dad would talk about how quickly time goes by and I would sit and wonder, "what the heck! Time doesn't go by quickly, it has taken me ALL MY LIFE to get to be 12 years old!" But now . . . my perspective has changed.

Time does by quickly. And I realize that more just about every day. So . . . since my last post, here are a few things that have happened.

This is big news! Over Labor Day Weekend and after 29 plus years, Sondra and I said, "so long! to our waterbed." I can a bit of a slow adopter, but 29 years was enough. It was a good bed. She had sprung a leak or two over those years but that bed served us well. It must have weighed about 5 million pounds so I am sure there will be less stress on our floor joists. Our new bed arrived and we both seem to be sleeping pretty well. We are in the process of finding some new bedroom furniture too. Not my favorite pastime but pretty much a need at this point.


The first weekend in September, Shelbi and Mark came up from Georgia to visit. It was great to see them again. That same weekend, I participated in the Riverbluff Triathlon (Olympic distance) and it was big fun to have the whole family together. Some good friends were there to support me as well. I had a pretty good race on a hot day and took second in an older man's age group (or as I jokingly call it, first loser). Brought home a little hardware and get a free race pic! Big winner.

This past weekend, I headed to Nevada to train student ministry leaders in the Las Vegas area. I absolutely love the student leaders out there. They are hungry for encouragement, practical tips in leading students and have a great heart for Jesus, students and their families. I always come away from there encouraged. Caught an early afternoon flight, got out of Vegas before the Mayweather boxing match and made it home about 10p. On Sunday morning, I had the privilege of sharing the Word at Green Hill Church. It was good to see many friends and meet new ones who love Jesus and His Word.

Sondra, Morgan, Shelbi and Mark are all doing great. Sondra's new role at McGavock is taking a lot of time but she is doing a good job and is learning much. Morgan is really enjoying her new job as a school counselor/therapist and Mark and Shelbi are doing great. Working much and Mark's new role at WinShape is going really good. He is implementing some new processes and finding some great success. Shelbi is coming up on her 2 year anniversary as an employed nurse and seems to be excelling at what she loves and that is helping people. Wilson (Morgan's beau) is back in school full-time this semester taking some courses that will best prepare him to be accepted at Physician's Assistant program so we do not see him as much during the week, but we see him on the weekends.

Life moves quickly. We are just trying to be intentional about involving our lives in the things that really matter.

A Simple Great Message

I realize that I have been remiss in posting lately. I am not really sure why. It seems that I have ideas to write about but then I go to keystroke it in to the computer and it just does not flow. I know that writing is a discipline and one that I enjoy doing but life has been running fast the last month or so and so I have not slowed down enough to think and write.

The past couple of weeks have involved some really great times with student ministers and our LifeWay Student Ministry staff. I am thankful for the work and calling that I have. I am also thankful for my church and the opportunities that I get to share with the college aged students and the middle and high schoolers.

Recently we have been looking at who Jesus is. Not just at some of His teachings that are good for us to follow, but to try and place our attention and affection on Him personally. It is fun to watch and lead students to discover Jesus the person who longs for relationship with us.

I ran across this video recently. It is a good reminder for me about the Greatest Message and the One who is all about bringing about transformation in our lives. This is a good reminder from Ignitermedia.com. It is sort of like Christmas in August.

Sometimes you just want to say thank you #TDThanksYou

Get out your Kleenex. Just a great reminder to say Thank You. This bank did a great job.

All Star Game 1970

Here is a clip of the final run of the 1970 All Star Game that was won in the 12th inning. Most people remember that Pete Rose scored by knocking over Ray Fosse at home plate. That was pretty cool but the batter, Jim Hickman, is the dad of a good friend of mine (Joey Hickman) and his single allowed Pete Rose to score. Way to go Jim Hickman!

Easy Answers? Tough Questions

Recently I was invited by our church to participate in a series of Hot Topics that the church seems to shy away from at times. There were several choice topics offered, but the topic of sexual identity seemed to jump off the screen at me. I have my reasons why, but that is saved for another blog post some time. I really have not struggled with sexual identity in my experience personally, but have some experience with students, friends and co-workers who have seemed to have some great questions about this topic. I agreed to study, pray and present on the topic and my talk landed first in the series. The series at church is being adapted by a resource by Mike Glenn called Gray Areas. I think Glenn does a good job of looking at some tough issues through a solid, biblical lens. 

Here are some thoughts that I spent time explaining in more detail. You are getting the Cliff Notes version here.

Here are three statements that I believe the Lord led me to share to establish some basis of understanding for the group moving forward:

• There is not and never has been a prerequisite for God loving us.
• Mistreating someone based upon a decision that they make is never Christ-like.
• Christ came to provide forgiveness of sin.

We took a look at Romans 1:18-32 which is the "go to" passage when many Christians want to address the sin of homosexuality. It is mentioned there and is one of the sins listed among many others.

Paul came and preached to Gospel. The Gospel is about forgiveness and about people dead in their sin being made alive in Christ.

      Be careful not to gloss over your own sin to focus on the sin of another.

We are all sinners in need of a Savior. How can we not share that if Christ has truly transformed us?

John reminds us in 1:14 that "Jesus was filled with grace and truth." I think what Scripture teaches is that Christ compels us to share the Gospel, introduce people to the Savior and then for us to allow the Holy Spirit to bring about a change in someone's behavior. Prioritizing our focus on trying to change someone's behavior rather than introducing them to the Savior and allowing Christ to bring about the change in someone is missing the call that I believe that Christ has called us.

Remember that all of us are tempted. Christ was tempted. He however did not give into that temptation. It is when we give into temptation that sin occurs. The temptation is not the sin.

Jesus was known to look up on the crowds with compassion. How can we do less than that?

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV) May we be known for loving those who are dead in their sin (just like we once were outside of Christ) and for loving one another.

The easy answer? I know the tough question for me is - Do I believe in Christ being who He says He is and am I willing to share Him and trust Him to do the work of life in others and in me?

In Honor of the World Cup

Where Have You Been?

When I was a small boy growing up in rural Missouri, my parents asked me, "Where have you been?" quite often. Sometimes the inquiry was because I had been away from home without specific permission; sometimes because I was away longer than I had permission; and, sometimes they wanted to hear about my adventures.

Here is an update on some of my adventures the past couple of months - 

Since mid-April most of my adventures have been around Nashville. There were a couple of trips but they were mostly uneventful

We made a quick trip to Panama City Beach, FL mid-May to support Mark in his 70.3 triathlon. The water was rough so they cancelled the swim. He got a good finish and we had a ball with him and Shelbi. Sondra and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary that same weekend.

Morgan graduated with her Master of Social Work from the University of Tennessee and my dad and cousins came down to attend the graduation and hang out for a few days. It was great to have them here. 

I participated in about 10 days of training our World Changers and P2 Missions summer staffers in late May/early June. We are blessed to have some great young adults serving churches this summer.

I am traveling quite a bit right now visiting World Changers projects in Louisiana and Texas. It is an honor and privilege to serve group leaders and churches in this capacity.

All of the family is doing good. Sondra was in Bolivar for about 9 days cleaning her mom's house; prepping it to sell; and having a garage sale. She enjoyed her time with her sister and niece while there as they worked hard and got the house ready to sell.

Morgan became world famous by appearing on ESPN during the USA/Nigeria game in Jacksonville, FL a week before the World Cup in Brazil. She is a big deal of course.

Come see us some time but if you're coming from out of town, call first so we will be sure to be around when you come.

New Orleans 70.3

This past weekend I was able to compete in and complete the IRONMAN New Orleans 70.3. I had mentioned back in January that I was training for this event and faithfully executed the training plan. Sondra was kind. gracious and patient with me (as is her normal routine) and allowed me to take some extra time to train. I cannot say enough good about Sondra and how supportive she is of me in the pursuit of these kind of goals I set for myself.

I had World Changers business in New Orleans Thursday and Friday, so I climbed in the car Weds. afternoon and started driving that way with all my gear. The meetings I had on Thursday and Friday went really well. I am blessed to be a part of World Changers and P2 Missions and provide opportunities for the Gospel to be shared through the lives of students.

Friday night, Sondra, Shelbi and Morgan arrived in New Orleans (Mark had a work retreat and was unable to come this time) and we headed to dinner.

Saturday was filled with the girls running 9 miles (they are training for the Country Music Marathon half), me turning my bike in for the race on Sunday, lunch with Dave and Kimberly, and dinner with Chrissy and Steven Sanders. They are a wonderful couple that we are blessed and honored to know. They are expecting their first in May so it was very cool to see them and spend time with them. Saturday evening was concluded with some berries and coffee with Allen and Judi Jackson. We have been friends for 25 years and they are both professors at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Allen has been such an incredible friend over those years and has taught me much about students and ministry.

Sunday I was up early for a hard boiled egg and bacon breakfast along with a Clif Bar and banana. Dave and Kimberly MacNeill had come to New Orleans to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary and support me in the race. Actually, Dave is the one who got me into this triathlon stuff in the first place. He is 7 time IRONMAN 140.6 finisher and you might remember me supporting him in November in Florida. You can read that account here. Dave picked me up about 530a and we made our way to the race. Sondra, Kimberly and the girls slept in a little and then we all met up with Meagan Medley who is a long time IRONMAN New Orleans supporter and new friend of ours about 645a. The race got started a little late and it was a swim wave start so I had about an hour after the first ones got into the water before I jumped in and began swimming.

Swim = 1.2 miles Basically, we walked out on a platform, jumped into the harbor of Lake Pontchartrain and swam a modified M shape. It was a little hard to sight the buoys but I managed. The wave start meant fewer people in the water at one time so that made it much easier to swim. I had hoped to swim somewhere between 45-48 minutes. It was my least confident part of the race. Coming out of the water, you transition back to the bike area and make a stop along the way for someone to help you get your wet suit off. That is a huge help! All of my support team was there in the transition cheering me on. They were awesome.

Bike = 56 miles
I jumped on my bike, looked down at my watch and realized I had not hit it before the swim so it showed all zeros. Bummer! I had no idea how I did in the water. I thought I swam ok, but had no clue. Was I in there for 50 min - 1 hour. Who knew! I hit my watch to start the bike portion and started pedaling. I ate a banana and a Clif bar and took in some fluid and pedaled some more. The first 7 miles were flat and wind free and I averaged about 22mph. Then, it was turn into a head wind for the next 5 miles and it was rough. Averaged about 16 mph. Hit a long stretch of cross wind for the next 17-18 miles and then turned again for about 4 miles with the wind at my back! It was awesome! 24 mph and I was feeling pretty good and then . . . u-turn back into the strong head wind for about 7 miles of just grinding. Averaged about 14 mph or so and just decided to enjoy the grind. Turned with the wind to my back and hit 23-24 mph average and had a couple of hills in it that I loved. The majority of the ride was very flat (it's New Orleans remember) and very sunny! No shade on the ride. I turned back into a crosswind for the last 7 miles or so and knew that the ride was coming to an end. I came down towards transition and my wonderful support team was running up and cheering me on. (I found out later that they had gone to eat breakfast and made it back just in time for my transition.) I was off the bike in 3:13 which is about where I had hoped to be, just a little quicker than I thought I would do. I went into transition, changed my shirt, shoes, sunglasses and put on my race belt. (I had trouble with that silly race belt and laughed at myself.) Grabbed some water, a banana and Clif bar and started running out of transition.

A couple of times on the ride I had some pretty cool worship experiences. I found myself thanking God for the ability to be out and physically able to participate. I love Him and His creation and enjoy being out so for an introvert it was heaven on earth. May seem weird but some of my best times of worship are outside enjoying Him.

Run = 13.1 miles
I saw all my support team (they were so great) and asked Dave how I did in the water (since I had been stressing over that for about 3 hours or more) and he hollered out :43. Almost a minute and a half faster than my early goal time. I gave out a WooHoo! and was pretty pumped. My legs felt good and I felt good. I started running, ate a banana and soon realized that the vast majority of the people were walking. I was shocked. I finally hit the part of the race that I had some real confidence in and felt good. About a mile into the run, God provided cloud cover. It was wonderful especially with the wind that had been blowing all day. I hit all the water stops (every mile of the run) and grabbed two cups of ice cold water. One I sipped from and the other I dumped on my head. It felt so good. About mile 5 I started feeling a little nauseated and backed off of the fluids and started munching a Clif bar for the next mile. Slowly my stomach settled and my pace started picking up. We ran along Lakeshore Drive forever and then turned down into City Park where there was great shade. I decided about mile 7 that I would start encouraging others and have used this strategy in many road races. I do it for two reasons: 1. We all need encouragement. 2. It takes the focus off of how I may be feeling and puts the focus on others.

I saw Sondra, Shelbi and Morgan about mile 11 and they were hollering like crazy. It was awesome. They
asked how I was feeling and I said, "I ain't gonna lie. I'm a little tired. But I am feeling okay and will see you at the finish line in about 2 miles." The next mile seemed like 10 in my mind but my time was still good  and in fact I had picked it up a little bit. At mile 12, I decided I had some left in the tank and picked it up some more. I turned the corner to come down the finish stretch and congratulated finishers who were making their way back to their cars. They seemed a little stunned that I would congratulate them but remember . . . we all need encouragement. I saw the clock as I neared the finish line and realized that I had exceeded what I had hoped to do in this race. I finished in 5:58:41 and had hoped to come in 6:15-6:30. I have a tendency to get a little teary after these kind of events and this one was no different. Just the feeling of accomplishment and the gratitude to Christ for allowing me to glorify Him through exercise is overwhelming to me.

It was a great day and a wonderful weekend with family and friends. Thanks for enduring the detail, for putting up with tweets and posts, and for the many kind remarks you have sent my way. I am grateful.

The More Accurate St. Patrick's Story

I have shared this account before here but seems fitting once again on this St. Patrick's Day. Have a great one and remember to make much of Christ today and everyday.

Because I'm Happy

Here it is a Wednesday of a cold week in Middle Tennessee. Schools have been out because of snow and ice. Parents are ready for their kids to go back to school. People are ready for their power to be restored in their homes. There is a lot of work to get done and you might need a little pick me up. How about this for the next few minutes just to lift your spirits. Enjoy.

Learning . . . Learning . . . Learning . . .

• Learning to let go of things that I have no right to act like I do have a right to.
• Learning to spend a lot of time on a bike and in the pool.
• Learning more and more every day that I have a lot to learn.
• Learning to listen more and talk less.
• Learning that God can be trusted in all things.
• Learning that same God will allow me to put myself in tough places in order to realize He can be trusted and I can be a knucklehead.
• Learning that some things that used to be so important are not quite as important as before.
• Learning that some things that I thought were unimportant earlier in life are more important than first believed.
• Learning that people matter most to God.
• Learning that I talk about being open to change more than I am really open to change.
• Learning that I am blessed with an amazing wife.
• Learning that our daughters and son-in-law are great treasures that God allows me to help steward.
• Learning from K5 kids at church too many things to even mention here.
• Learning from college aged students that God has His hand on them in some incredible ways.
• Learning that I do not have to agree with all the ins and outs of every situation to be supportive.
• Learning that I can push myself when I determine to do it.
• Learning that sugar is a drug and these past few weeks without it have been healthier for me.
• Learning I can live without frozen yogurt and whip cream (the whip cream deal is huge!).

There are many more things I am learning but in each one of the statements above, there are many things going unsaid that God is teaching me. I am blessed, thankful and learning to learn again.

When Golf is Like Cholesterol

So . . . as you know, I enjoy the outdoors. I like to run, bike and am developing a like/enjoyment for swimming. All of these things I seem to be disciplined about especially when I am training for something. As I mentioned earlier, I am in training for the New Orleans 70.3 that will take place April 13th. In my last update, I mentioned what I have been up to but I did not give full disclosure.

Back in mid-December I had my annual physical and went in feeling very smug about being a 50-year-old dude (whom AARP still has not caught up with) in pretty good shape. All of my prior tests, etc had come back pretty good and in fact, really good with the exception of this blasted cholesterol that I cannot seem to overcome. For years, my doctor, Ken Demerjian, whom I really like and respect, has been telling me that heredity is not my friend and that I am just prone to high cholesterol. I would take fish oil, eat oatmeal, blah, blah, blah . . . but every year it would hover around the high side. Until this year. No more hovering. It was over the top (220) and he thought it best I go on a statin. I understood, but said no. I thought maybe I could change some eating behavior and see if I could reduce my cholesterol count more naturally.

#17 TPC Sawgrass

A week later I went to visit my chiropractor, Don Mynster (who I affectionately refer to as my witch doctor) who also does nutrition and explained to him my predicament. He gave me a new eating plan that focuses on eating meat, vegetables and fruit. It eliminates pretty much all bread and sugars other than sugar from fruit. I told him I would try and he said in 3 weeks my cholesterol and triglycerides would be much better. So . . . for three weeks I stuck to the plan. This past week I went in for another blood test and my cholesterol dropped from 220 to 161. I really could not believe it. My triglycerides dropped significantly and I actually increased my good cholesterol (HDL) by 2 points. Too say the least, I was excited and I lost 7 lbs. to boot. Most of that weight came from my belly and love handles.

It is not a crazy strict diet but it requires discipline and moderation. I feel much better too.

So . . . just like golf, the lower my score and the lower the number on my cholesterol count the better. Both take a lot of discipline. Needless to say, I have done a much better job on reducing my cholesterol number than I have my golf score, but there's time to work on that!

What Is Happening?

One thing that has not been happening is me posting to the blog. It seems that about the time I get more disciplined in one area of my life (more about that later) I seem to drop some other things. Writing down my thoughts and meanderings seems to have taken a back seat the last month. I will attempt to do better. We'll see.

Our Christmas and New Year's were wonderful. I had the last couple of weeks of 2012 off from work and we decided that we would not travel during the holiday season. Shelbi and Mark spent about 5 days with us right around Christmas and we thoroughly enjoyed having them here. Of course, they brought Bear, their new dog with them and he is a great addition to their family.

We watched alot of football, enjoyed the company of family and friends and the weather broke a couple of days so I was able to get a couple of outdoor bike rides in and even jumped in the lake with my new wet suit in Dec.

Sondra enjoyed her time off from school and we enjoyed lots of time together. Morgan was on break from school and she and Wil spent a lot of time together. We really did little out of the ordinary together but it was just good  to be together. Sondra has committed to going back to Guatemala with our church in March and is preparing hard for that and very well could be sending you a letter soon asking you to commit to pray for her and the team.

Sondra's mom has been with us since Thanksgiving and she is still in some of the deciding phase of where she thinks she wants to live. She has yet to make plans to sell her house but we are thankful to have her with us and glad she enjoys good health overall. She has few aches and pains but I remind her she is 80 and things are a little different than they used to be in her body.

I committed to a Half-Ironman race scheduled for April 13 in New Orleans so I have very focused on getting the proper amount of swimming, riding and running completed in preparation. So far so good. I love the discipline part of it and have been very focused. Work continues to challenge and there is much to do through World Changers and P2 Missions. It brings great delight to get to partner with churches in sharing the Gospel and I am thankful for the role I get to play in these ministries through LifeWay.

To each of you, I say Happy New Year and look forward to connecting with you this year. Thanks for being a valued influence in my life.