Hope In The King

I must admit that I am not a huge fan of the NBA... Say what you will of me, but I haven't been very interested since MJ hung it up... And I don't mean when he came back as a Wizard, or whatever he was trying to do... But I mean "back in the day"... Pippen, Paxon, Grant, Rodman... Okay - maybe not Rodman... But basketball was so much fun then... We all believed that the Bulls might actually win every game because they had ol' number "23"... No matter what the scoreboard said - we had hope that he could do it...

It seems like nowadays, though - that there is another "23" for the Cavs who is bringing a similar 'glint' in the eyes of fans everywhere... Whether you follow the NBA or not - watching the highlights of this "King" during Sports Center is astounding... They could do their own segment just on the 'sweet action' plays he makes every night... It doesn't matter if the Cavs are up or down - if he has the ball they believe they can still win... They still have hope...

However - there's not eternal hope in this "king"... Occasionally - he will let you down... He won't make every shot... He will, at times, lose the big game... But there's another "King" that will never fail... He will never let you down... In fact - He is the "King of Kings"... His jersey has all numbers - the "Alpha and Omega"... If you're looking for someone to hang your hopes on - you can "bank" on this guy... His name isn't 'King James' - It's "King Jesus" - and He is - by far - your 'best shot'...

"No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame..." (Psalm 25:3)

Better To Have Loved

Relationships seemed to have been the hot topic for the day... And not just relationships, in general - but some of the hardships that can come with 'relationships' with each other... A couple of my boys were having some - uhh... Issues with their significant others... However, I always think that happens this time of year... It's the time of year when 'change' sounds good to some people...

One of my boys has been involved with a girl on and off for the past nine months... She has treated him pretty rough - but like many people - he allowed it to happen and kept coming back for more... I wish I could say that I didn't know what that wasy like, but - unfortunately - I do...

The other young man had a different story, though... He has been with his girlfriend for the past 4 years... They've had their rough spots from time to time - but stuck with it... And due to some unintentional texting - that relationship is on the 'rocks' - and I don't mean on ice...

Anyways - throughout all of the counseling and encouragement - somebody busted out the ever so popular advice, "If it's meant to be - it will be..." And you know what..? That's true, to a point... God has a plan for your life... You can set yourself back, but you can't mess up God's ultimate plan for your life... No matter how hard you try - He's always got you in His 'sights'... So take heart, "love birds"... God's got it all under control...

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD." (Proverbs 21:30)

Life in 4-D

Today was a cool day... For starters - it was "the day the LORD has made" - SO - "let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) It was also my wife's birthday... I would be in trouble if I told you how old she is now - but I can tell you that my wife does really enjoy her birthday... If it were up to her it would be a National Holiday, where all humanity would celebrate her birth with brightly wrapped presents and plenty of birthday cake... However - It is celebrated only by her family and friends... Oh, well...

But I think my wife had one of the coolest birthday presents ever, though... We had her birthday party at the doctor's office to see our unborn son in '4-D'!!! Now hold on, people... I said, "4-D"... I would explain to you exactly what that means, but I honestly don't know... What I do know - is that we saw our son and it was COOL... We saw his nose - his lips - his ears - his little hands and fingers - his feet... We even saw his little heart beating... AMAZING!!! To think - I got to see my son while he was still in the womb... What a privilege... I'm not the only one that gets to do that, though... Somebody else saw him - saw me - and saw you before we were ever born...

"For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. " (Psalm 139:13)

God formed each one of us... He knows every physical trait we have - down to the number of hairs on our heads (which for me is a lot!) I think that makes each and every one of us pretty special... So - in case nobody's told you today - you're special!!!

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." (Psalm 139:14)

The Do Run, Run, Run

My wife and I had the privilege of going to a Memorial Day 'Cookout' / Bible study at our small group tonight... It was a 'joyous' occassion to say the least... We ate too much food... We laughed until we cried (we have 2 pregnant women that keep us in stitches...) We then made our way into the living room to crack open our Bibles...

Our small group leader prepared an insightful lesson where we looked at several scripture passages - but we eventually landed in the book full of aroma, boldness, and rich taste - He-brews... (you get it - "He Brews"..? It's all coffee metaphors... Anyways) As we began to 'drink in' chapter 12 - we began to find ourselves 'stirring' around a particular passage...

" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.." (Hebrews 12:1-3)

We got to thinking about these words and started to (in our own words) give our interpretation of what these passages 'said' to us... We were trying to figure out how - if this really was a foot race, how would Jesus fit in... What would His role be... After several different ideas and 'word pictures' from the group - I started to develop my own visual imagery (my imagination SOARS at times...) I started by going back to my junior year of high school where I was forced to run cross country by my basketball coach... I began to remember how difficult running those 3.whatever miles was... I started to apply those memories to my life and my commitment to being a Christian - and it started to become clear to me what Jesus' role is... "Fix our eyes on Jesus." He is the runner in front setting the pace of the race (The "rabbit" as one of the guys in our group said) and showing us where to go... The Holy Spirit, then, is the one that encourages me along the way... He is passing out Gatorade to me as I get thirsty and is throwing water on my face when I'm burning up... He's also there to say, "you can do it just keep going... I'm right here with you..." And then God (The Father) is waiting for me at the finish line with the most proud grin on His face, just waiting to tell me, "Well done, good and faithful servant... I knew you could do it... I'm so proud of you..."

Only one question now - anybody feel like going for a run..?

Pomp & Circumstance

Picture this: Your rear end hurts... You are surrounded on all sides by people that are well beyond the boundaries of 'personal space'... It's hot, stuffy, and you begin to wonder if you are sticking to the bleachers... You see the flash of cameras and that lady down the row waving at someone across the way (that obviously is being seen by everyone BUT the person who's attention she was trying to acquire...)

Then - All of a sudden - You hear it... The Fanfare - The horns - The cymals - It's time for... Drum roll, please... Pomp & Circumstance!!! Ah, yes - good ol' P & C... When I was teaching music it was required that the band play for graduation and this was our big hit... We'd play it over and over and over... Actually - my students and I began to loathe this popular tune... We would call it "Pump & Circumcision" or something like that... Believe me - after 9 hours straight (okay - an exaggeration) you'd come up with clever titles, too... But this was always a sign to those in attendance to stand up and welcome in the graduates...

Now - I realize that most students don't necessarily 'enjoy' the whole graduation experience... They want to complain, or wear something stupid... They might even think it's not important enough to merit their attendance... But you know what - It's not very often that people will rise to their feet at your entrance into a room... Unlike J.D. on the show 'Scrubs' - most of us don't have background music in our daily lives - let alone a standing 'O' for just walking in...

Did you know, though - that God feels that way about you everyday... It's true... He is that proud parent sitting out in the bleachers with the HUGEST smile - taking all the pictures - remembering all the ups and downs along the way... He's blowing the air-horn and shouting for you and over you... He loves you, you know...

"He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

Eat It Up

My wife and I have several things that we both truly enjoy doing together... One of which is eating dinner and spending time with our friends... There's something special - dare I say, "spiritual" about sharing a meal with those you greatly care about... I grew up in a family where meals (and lying - different story/different time) were very important to us - so it makes sense that the same feeling would carry over into adulthood...

Tonight we feasted on a nice meal full of delicious Tex-Mex cuisine that included tantilizing tacos, gnarly nachos, and superb soppipillas (I DID NOT spell that right...) YUMMO!!! We then followed that up with a fine film... What a night!!!

Why are nights like this so enjoyable..? I think God has formed us to need special relationships where you 'break bread' together... After all - it was one of the earliest aspects of the church...

"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." (Acts 2:46-47)

I must admit that there are some aspects to following Jesus Christ that are difficult and you think, "only by the grace of God can I make it through..." This one, though - is one I can totally sink my teeth into...

Those Pesky Hiccups

I'm sure most of us at some point in our lives have had the displeasure of being bombarded by those pesky hiccups... They have the 'nack' for showing up at the most inopportune moments... When we're laughing at a joke... When we're eating at our favorite restaurant... When we're on a first date and we're trying not to embarass ourselves... You can pretty much bet on it that if you don't want them to show up - They're coming to the party!!!

To tell the truth - I'm not exactly sure where they come from... They just kind 'pop in' and start disrupting what you're doing... Whether it be from a disruptive air flow, a change of breathing pattern, or even a physical condition - they are no fun - no fun at all...

Do things ever 'pop up' in your life..? Do things ever come up during your day that 'jack up' your flow..? You go about your day feeling like, "everything is hunky dorey" and then all of a sudden - WHAMMO!!! You get a 'hiccup'!!! That came out of nowhere... And you know what..? It doesn't go away very fast... You try to hold your breath... You drink the glass of water 85 different ways... You might even do what I do - and pinch your left shoulder (don't ask - it just works...) We all have our solutions to get rid of these 'hiccups' - but they don't always work... Sometimes they just stay for a while... You stay sick - The doctor report isn't good - you have a akward relationship at work that's hard to deal with - you find out that you are spending more than your bringing in and THERE'S A BABY ON THE WAY!!!

As a Christian - shouldn't we be protected from the 'hiccups' of this world..? After all - we're believe in Jesus and we're following the One True God, right..? Where's the special treatment..? Well - that's not what Jesus said it would be like, unfortunately... Actually - He said it would be the exact opposite...

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

At times hiccups just come... Other times - we bring them on ourselves... But the next time those little 'buggers' sneak up on you - Thank God that these are just 'bumps in the road' and that nothing can stand in the way of your God...

"because He himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. (Acts 17:25)

Where Does The Time Go

Do you ever have those days that you are certain beyond a shadow of the doubt that it's at least a day or two earlier than it actually is..? Time seems to fly by like a 'humming bird on Mt. Dew'... I'm not sure of why that is... Maybe it has to do with our hectic lives, our self-consumed 'tunnel vision', or maybe it's our discontentment that leads to the persistent pursuit of 'the next best thing'... All of these, though, can keep us from enjoying the 'Landscape of Life' that God has us planted in today... (I know, I know - what's with all of the weird analogies...)

God wants for us to enjoy each day as a gift... We spend so much time looking forward to the bell ringing at 3:30 - that 5 o'clock whistle - TGIF - The weekend... Some of us even develop the "when/then" philosophy of thinking which ALWAYS has us looking ahead... These people often say, "When I get ______, I'll be happy" or "When I find the right girl/guy, I'll be happy"... However - only one thing can bring contentment each and every day... That good stuff is a relationship with Jesus Christ... He's like "life giving water" for our dried up and dreary souls... A big gulp of that - You won't be looking towards tomorrow - but you'll be drinking in each and every day...

"... whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14)

Oh, Allergies!

If any of you have ever been in the Midwest for more than 5 minutes - you have discovered that you actually are 'allergic' to something... Shocking, I know... You've spent your entire life putting on doctor's forms that you were not allergic to anything - yet here you are... Your eyes are watering - your throat is swollen - you're sniffling every 8 seconds - and waking up in the middle of the night choking on the phenomenon known as 'drainage'...

Now an 'allergy' by definition is an abnormal reaction of the body to a previously encountered allergen introduced by inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin contact, often manifested by itchy eyes, runny nose, wheezing, skin rash, or diarrhea. (dictionary.com) Our bodies naturally react to what we breathe in or touch with our skin... Our imperfect bodies fall under attack and we can't help but see the signs of 'allergens' in our bloodstream...

That's kind of what sin is like, you know... There is always an 'abnormal reaction' to our exposure to sin... Our bodies (spirits) can't help but show the effects of sin or 'allergens' in our life...

"...you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)

No matter how we try to cover up our symptoms of allergies (Claritin, Zyrtac, Benadryl, Allegra) we can't rid ourselves of them... The allergic reaction is still there no matter what... We just try to find different ways to cope with them or cover them up so nobody sees the internal 'war' happening inside between our immune system and the attacking allergens...

That's the cure 'the world' is trying to sell people for their troubles... If you drink this beer, or sleep with this many women, or put on enough make up that nobody will see all of your imperfections... The truth, though - only Jesus Christ can make us 'healthy' from our sins... He's the only perscription that can truly bring a cure...

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18)

The Family That Prays Together...

Yesterday I had the privilege of doing one of my favorite duties as a minister... I got to baptize a young married couple... It was actually a very neat story... The couple decided to have their 1 year old son 'dedicated' during our Baby Dedication portion of our service... They stood up there and accepted their certificate, received their prayer of blessing, and listened to the entire congregation say, "Aww"(The babies were just too cute)...

The truly amazing part happened in the preparation before that, though... The couple decided that months before that they would not only dedicate their child to the Lord - but their lives as well... They both decided to get baptized by immersion... She had never been baptized before and her husbund - who grew up Baptist - suprised her and chose to be baptized with her as a rededication to follow Christ... They have decided that it's not enough for their child to "be in church" - but that it's a commitment (as a family) to follow Christ...

I can't help but think about a man from the Bible named Joshua... He was Moses' right hand man and took over in leadership after Moses died... He led the children of God into the Promised Land and knew all kinds of victory... As per usual, though - the Israelites were not very consistent in following God... So he made this profound statement: "Choose this day whom you will serve. As for me and my family we will serve the LORD..." (Joshua 24:15)

What would this country be like if all of our families followed that motto..? A lot different...

Party On, Dude!

My wife and I went over to Olney today for the celebration of our nephew turning 3 years old... Goodbye 'Terrible Two's" - Hello "Easy, amazing, agreeable Three's"... One can hope, right..? It was a fun time... My brother and sisters were there... My sister-in-law's fam was there, as well... The weather was beautiful... The food was delicious (Great job, bro!)... The company was superb... All the way around it was a fantastic day of celebration!!! Which is important for Christians to do... God is really big into celebrating...

In the book of Esther we read about a plot to wipe out the Jews by a man named Haman... God used Esther to change their doom for their good fortune... When God had delivered His people (yet, again...) He told them (through His servant, Mordecai) to celebrate with what came to be called "Purim"...

"when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration..." (Esther 9:22)

So the next time you have the chance to celebrate - Thank God for His blessings and PARTY DOWN, DUDE!!!

Another Man's Garbage

This is a very exciting weekend for me... We decided to have a Family Worship Weekend at our church... Now for most of you that doesn't sound like that big of a deal... But for me and my students that are involved with my ministry - it is... Most weekends we have our own service in our student center... We have our own worship time, teaching, games, and slushies... But this week we have bypassed our student service to join the rest of the body in a weekend of combined worship... "How good and pleasant it is when we dwell together in unity..." (Psalm 133:1)

The excitement doesn't end there, though... As a 'special element' for this weekend's service - we decided to add in some "Stomp-esque" percussion mumbo jumbo... IT IS SO MUCH FUN!!! We are banging on hubcaps, bicycle tires, trash cans, buckets, pan lids, exhaust pipes, washboards... Who knew 'trash' could be so much fun... It took me back to my days of goofing around with my music students bangning on stuff... Except this time - we were doing it for Jesus...

It's sad to me, though, that there are probably going to be some that are not going to feel the same way about the addition... They will probably feel it's too loud, or doesn't belong in "The Church"... Well - I don't agree with that... In all things (Including rhythmic activites) I'm going to offer them up to my God... The God that's pleased when I go all out to show my love for Him... If you don't agree - READ PSALMS!!!

" 1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power;praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD..." (Psalm 150)

Spiritual Warfare

The idea of 'spiritual warfare' isn't something we hear a great deal about in 'the church' today... We are becoming so scientifically advanced that we are determined to prove - or in some cases disprove - anything and everything... If we can't see it or use some complex equation to give us the facts - Then it can't be true...

I - on the other hand - believe strongly in 'spiritual warfare'... Jesus talked about it a lot during His earthly ministry and remember what Paul said, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

Most of the time, though - those of us THAT DO believe in 'spiritual warfare' are oblivious to it... We expect it to be something from a creepy horror movie or some bizarre physical experience... That's not the case... Most of the time the battle takes place in our minds (Way to go Joyce for figuring that one out...) We see the casualties of this war in our attitudes, thought life, relationships, and quality time spent with God (or lack there of)... We don't notice that our patience is gone - That our energy has depleted - That our hunger to please God is obsolete...

I found myself in that very situation today... And you want to know what's completely ironic? I was listening to a teaching on 'Spiritual Warfare'... Crazy... I guess I better 'tweak' my armor, huh...

Time After Time

Ah - another Wednesday down... Wednesday's are always long due to my current occupation - Youth Pastor... Wednesdays and Sundays wear me out most times... They are still great days, but tiring none the less... My Wednesdays normally start out at around 9 am and end around 10 pm... And in case you were counting - that's a 13 hour day!!! I know - some of you work even harder... But I'm not complaing!!! I am so blessed to have my job... It's the coolest!!!

Today was especially exciting for me because I got to develop a "quote"... You know - one of those things where people will 'google' "famous quotes by unfamous people" and it pops up... I was working on a set for a service for this weekend with my buddy and he was, ever so slightly, edging his way to the edge of the platform we were standing on... The only problem was that he was moving backwards and couldn't see it... Knownst to me but unbeknownst to him - he was slowly moving towards disaster and unimaginable pain... So I lunged out - snared him by his shirt - and rescued him from the cavernous 2 foot fall that was lurking below... (I know - I had to make it sound cool, though...)

Of course, he began to thank me uncontrolably... Actually - it was more like groveling... But I want to remain humble so I'll 'hold back' a little on the details... As I was saying, he thanked me for saving his life and I said my profound quote - I said, "My job is not to catch you when you fall, but to catch you BEFORE you fall..." I KNOW - I was impressed, too!!! Where does that wisdom come from..? "But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell?" (Job 28:12), "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." (Psalm 111:1o)

However - as I was bragging to him about what a great friend I was to him - I ended up letting him fall off the platform, anways... I stopped focusing on him and found myself thinking of how great I was... I ended up failing at the very thing I was commending myself for... Isn't that just like God.?! "You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud." (Psalm 18:27)

Shooting For Par

(I must begin this 'blog' by thanking Landon for my topic today)

I'm not sure why all the time, but I have developed an unquenchable desire to play golf... Well - let me rephrase that... "An unquenchable desire to 'go' golf" (I don't necessarily always 'play'... At times I act more as the grounds crew than an actual golfer...) But I really enjoy it... I'm beginning to see improvement (ever-so-slight, but improvement none the less) in my game... My drives are getting longer & straighter... My putts are getting much more precise... If I could only get my Pitching Wedge under control - Ahh to dream...

But the more the times I go out to the course - the more infatuated I get with the idea of 'Par'... Now 'par' is what is expected of 'seasoned' golfers on a certain hole... It can be '3', '4', or '5' - depending on distance to the pin... Most of the time when a golfer completes his/her round (18 holes) he/she will say they were, "12 over par" or something like that... I of course would be a little higher than that... But that number says how well (or not) you played that day... If you played 'even par' - you played the course the way it should be...

Now - even though it takes great golfers YEARS to shoot par on 18 holes - I feel like I should be doing it now - consistently... Why am I so impatient..? What's so wrong with 'Bogey' golf... That's just 18 over par..! Probably because most of us don't want to wait to be good at anything... We want it and "We want it now!!!" That isn't very attractive, though... As followers of Christ we are to be (much like Snapple) "made of better stuff"... What's so wrong with a '90'..? Nothing!

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..." (Galatians 5:22-23)

"Just Another Manic Monday"

Ahh - another Monday almost down... It's pretty amazing - I spent my entire 'educational life' disliking Monday's... From Kindgergarten through 5 years of teaching High School - There was not a worse feeling than late Sunday night... The very thought of that alarm, or your mother turning the lights on - throwing the blankets off your feet - and singing, "Good morning, good morning, good morning - It's time to rise n' shine"... Wait a minute - I see some confused expressions... Did that not happen to anyone else..? Well - it happened to me!!!

You get through some type of soggy cereal, or breakfasty/plywood-ish bar and head out to school, or work... Every week was the same, it seemed like...

However - Life is different now... PRAISE GOD!!! Now that I work in ministry - I have Monday's off... It's AMAZING!!! There's no dread Sunday night... No alarm at 6:45 am waking me up (Well - my wife's alarm still goes off and wakes me up - And she manages to sleep right through it - Strange I know...) By having Monday off now I get to relax, do yard work, play golf, read my Bible, or anything else I want to... It's a day that I have come to look forward to every week... Now granted - I work on Sunday's now - But it's totally worth it...

So I know not everybody gets to have "Monday's" off - But I do wish everyone could take time regularly to refresh, catch up, or even breathe each week... You won't regret it...

Psalm 62:5 - "Find rest my soul, in God alone"

A Day Off

How sweet is it to ACTUALLY have a day off... Not a day when you stay at home and work, or a 'day off' to be sick... But a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L day to do things you want to do... It's a rare thing - But a good thing, none the less... God knows that - Hence the whole 'Sabbath Thing'...

Today my wife and I got to spend this gorgeous day together... We slept in - ate cinnamon rolls that my wife had prepared - went to Wal-Mart (okay that wasn't so cool) and Lowe's - And spent the day at home together... We even watched this ridiculous show that made us both laugh until we cried... HILARIOUS!!!

But as this day began to progress, I started to wonder why we didn't do this more often..? Why don't my wife and I take more time just to 'chill'... Our busy schedules for starters - but also the fact that saying, "I love you" or "Will you marry me" seems to be a whole lot easier than that 2-letter curse word - "NO"... For whatever reason - It's very difficult to say, "no" to anyone for any reason these days... But I think it's important that we all learn to...

I believe it's extremely Godly to put other people's needs first... "No greater love than for a man to lay his life down for his friends..." But sometimes we need to remember that we need to "love others like we love ourselves"... If we don't love ourselves (and take care of our health, relationships, spiritual needs) how can we tend to the needs of others - effectively, at least..?

So - in case nobody has told you today - "NO"... Now - You try it!

Crack the Yearbook

It's always amazing to me the capability of the human mind... The mass quanitity of information an memories always astounds me... How, at times, your memory cache can take you on a journey like Marty McFly "Back To The Future"...

I was at an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) meeting today where I saw several of my students - but one stuck out at me, especially... He was a senior this year - and informed me that he had 3.5 days of school left... 3 DAYS - WOW!!! 13 years he has been in the public school setting - and if you take an 18 year old High School Senior and divide that into 13 years - They have spent 73% of their life in school... Now - some of you "math" people are scratching your heads right now thinking, "You MORON! You figured that out all wrong!" - But you get the point, though... Even if 73% is not the correct number - It's still the vast majority of their life they've spent in school... CRAZY!!!

The student has always said how excited and 'ready' he is to get out of school... When I hear those words - "I go back..." (Thanks, Kenny Chesney) I revisited my old days at East Richland High School and remember what I thought in 1997 (Wowzer - that's a while ago!) I went back to a day with shorter hair, a better jumpshot and a stronger throwing arm, my white Dodge Dakota 4X4 with the chrome roll bars and hallogen lights! (Don't even pretend to not be jealous!) I remember how I couldn't wait to 'move on' - Thinking about how, "When I get older ____..."

And you know what - I did get older... And life's been good. Much better than I deserve, that's for sure. It's amazing how God still loves us so much that He still meets our needs when we don't deserve it (Romans 5:8 - "Why we were still sinners Christ died for us.") I've got an amazing wife (and soon to be son), a loving family, a great job/ministry, fun students, the best friends on the planet... LIFE IS GOOD!

But as I got thinking - I wish I would have realized something 12 years ago... I wish I would have taken the opportunity (did I spell that right?) to just enjoy being a kid a little more... Unfortunately - I was that kid that wanted to grow up pretty fast - at least in my mind that's what I wanted... My parents would probably deem otherwise... I wanted to grow a beard (Why on earth would anyone want to shave!), I wanted to drive (Can you imagine the money you would have if you weren't filling up that tank?), I couldn't wait to get out of high school (What? Do you know what comes after high school? Either HARDER classes or WORK! Do either of those things sound more fun than playing ball, going on band trips, hanging out with friends?)

Anyways - I guess that's why we learn lessons, huh? To pass it on to others... The only question is - Will they listen?

Initial 'blog'

Well - I figured it was time that I start 'bloggin'. After all - I'm a 'hip' guy. I'm down with the current culture! What? The TRUTH?! You want the TRUTH?! "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!" Okay - Jack Nicholson movie quotes aside - let's be honest. My 65 (or is she 64) year old mother now 'blogs'... She's a grandmother for crying out loud! Ooops - excuse me - "Grandmother, Dear" (as she likes to be referred to)... I mean - I'm a 29 year old youth pastor - I should have it together more than my mom, right..?

Anyways - I 'shant' bore you anymore today, but everyone pray that I can at least be semi-consistent with my daily blog... And you never know - maybe some day someone WILL ACTUALLY read it...

"For I know the plans I have for you, " declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..." (Jeremiah 29:11)