I HAVE A DREAM

The speech that changed America. Watch. Believe. Act.



Peace, Love, and Freedom

BUT...

Steph and I were talking about stuff the other day and before we knew it we were fussing about whatever it was we were talking about. I don't remember exactly what our subject was. What I do remember is how the fussing started. I said something to the effect of, "I agree with you, but..." That one little word had a huge impact on the direction of that conversation. Had I not used those three letters I would have saved a lot of time and energy trying to explain myself.

See, the word "but" has the power to throw a conversation into reverse in under a second. When we say "but" we negate everything we said prior to that word. For example, "That show was great, but I wish there hadn't been so much singing." Even if the singing in the show were the best ever, the person who made the comment wasn't a fan of singing (shame on that person!).

In the case of my conversation with Steph, I ruined the good vibe by using that word. Even though I was giving my opinion - and my opinion is highly valued by my wife - the fact that I had already agreed with her was completely overshadowed (and nearly nullified) by "but." I'm learning that if I can keep the "but" out of the conversation it will end much better for me. Of course, "but" is appropriate in some situations. We have to be careful how we use "but," though, so it doesn't cause us problems. In other words, keep your "but" out of the way and you'll be just fine.

How has your "but" gotten you in trouble? How did you correct it?

Peace, Love, and Good Speech

TEN TOP TENS FOR 2010: part 10

My final post in this series. My final post of the year. My final post to get you thinking about life and all its possibilities.

I don't know of anyone who doesn't want to make any positive changes in their life. And if someone says they don't have anything to change about themselves, they're delusional. Everyone changes in some way or another. We grow, we learn, we adapt. We become embittered, we become enlightened. We search for the best this life has to offer. Think about some thing or things you want/need to change in your life. Remember, you can't change anyone else. You can only change yourself. Do you have your change(s) in mind? Good. Now, let's talk logistics.

The top ten best times to make a positive change in your life:

10. Now.

9. Right now.

8. Do you know when "now" is?

7. This magic moment.

6. The time has come.

5. Isn't there something you should be doing besides reading this?
4. Wait ... you're still here?
3. Don't let this opportunity pass you by ... Oh, there it goes ... Well, catch it!
2. Why in the world are you still reading this?
1. It's always "now."

So, what are you waiting for? As my mama always said, "Don't put off today for tomorrow."

Peace, Love, and Now

TEN TOP TENS FOR 2010: part 9

These are my top ten most memorable moments of 2010:

10. The Nashville flood (including baptizing the van in Jackson, concert in Glasgow, KY, and getting home)

9. Getting the honor of performing with Acappella Classic at Acafest

8. Visiting Bob Marley's home/museum

7. Learning about the murder of my good friend, Hal Moreland, the weekend before Christmas

6. Western Heights drum line winning drums at Konowa Marching Contest/Western Heights marching band getting straight superior ratings at OSSAA Marching Contest (first time to get an overall superior rating since 1999, first time to get superior ratings from all 3 judges since 1987)

5. Being on the Amazon River (as a matter of fact, the entire Brazil trip was unforgettable)

4. Steph's 30th birthday

3. Finding out we were expecting/Finding out we had to give our baby back to God before we even got
to hold it in our arms

2. Our first wedding anniversary

1. Sending Dad to his eternal home

What are some of your most memorable moments of 2010?

Peace, Love, and Memories

TEN TOP TENS FOR 2010: part 8

And I quote...

10. "These people better not get a divorce or I'm gonna be so mad!" - Zac George at a wedding we sang for after a 16 hour drive ... after a 3 1/2 week Brazilian tour ... after a really long summer ... before a long trip back home via Nashville ... on a bus that broke down in Nashville ... after the air conditioner broke down ... in August.

9. "If I can't whoop 'em, I don't want 'em." - Steph speaking of other people's children

8. "Lil' girl, you can take your attitude elsewhere 'cause I ain't the one you need to mess with today." - Me at school ... 'nuff said.

7. Courtney Fowler to her son: "Brock, would you bring me my house shoes, por favor?"
Brock, after running to get the shoes: "Por favor is back!"

6. "Everybody ought to love sweet potatoes!" - Papa J telling the story of how he tried to bribe Dad to keep him from tattling when they were kids

5. "Aaaaaand ... there's water coming into the van." - Anthony Lancaster as we baptized our van

4. Gabby: "Are you gonna wear those shoes with that dress?"
Steph: "Are you gonna wear that face with that dress?"

3. "I'ma pray for you ... a lot!" - Me

2. "Lots of laughin', lots of lovin', lots of exercise; that's what's gonna make life fun!" - Steph

1. "I love you, Son." - Dad

End quote. What are some of your favorites from 2010?

Peace, Love, and Good Quotes

TEN TOP TENS FOR 2010: part 5

Since it's Sunday I thought it would be appropriate to share my top ten worship songs for this year. All of these songs have helped me get through various situations over the course of the year, whether good or bad. I hope there's a song on this list that speaks to you in a very real way:

10. Glory And Honor - Acappella
9. Trading My Sorrows - Darrell Evans
8. Blessed Be Your Name - Matt Redman
7. Healer - Hillsong
6. Our God Is Greater - Chris Tomlin
5. Majesty (Here I Am) - Martin Smith; Stuart Garrard
4. God Holds The Future In His Hands - James Rowe; James Vaughan
3. Firm Foundation - Jamie Harvill; Nancy Gordon
2. All I Need Is You - Hillsong
1. Rejoice - Anthony Evans

Name some of your favorite worship songs.

Peace, Love, and Worship

TEN TOP TENS FOR 2010: part 4

Christmas Day - the biggest movie box office day of the year! How many blockbusters have been released on Christmas Day? Surely there's a count somewhere, but that's not what this post is about. This post is about great movies about Christmas, involving Christmas, set at Christmastime, etc. Let's spend a little time at the movies, shall we? This is my top ten Christmas movie list (this one was tough because there are so many great Christmas movies, so please add to this list):

10. Home Alone 

9. The Family Stone 

8. Elf

7. Miracle On 34th Street

6. Scrooged (and all the other movies based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)

5. How The Grinch Stole Christmas

4. A Christmas Story

3. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

2. It's A Wonderful Life

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Name some other great Christmas movies.

Peace, Love, and Merry Christmas ... at the movies

LIFE LESSONS FROM DAD (Post # 300)

One month ago today Dad left this world to receive his reward. It's been a very difficult month, but it's given me more reason to reflect on the many things he taught me; Dad was such a great teacher (and the fact that I don't always get it right does not reflect the fact that he was such a great teacher). So, for my monumental 300th post, and in memory of Dad, I want to share my top ten list of the most important things he taught me. As was his custom, I'm going to back up every lesson with Scripture. I hope you get as much wisdom and insight from Dad as I have.

• 10. Always keep your promises. Jeremiah 44:25
• 9. Tell the truth, always. Zechariah 8:16
• 8. Get out of debt and stay out of debt. Proverbs 22:7
• 7. Do things right the first time. Jonah 1
• 6. Be kind to people, even when you don't want to. Matthew 25:34-40
• 5. Be patient. Ephesians 4:2
• 4. Never complain. 1 Corinthians 10:10
• 3. Work hard. Colossians 3:23-24
• 2. Trust God. Proverbs 3:5-6
• 1. Be good to each other (That was his marriage advice to Steph and me, but it works for everyone). Matthew 7:12

What else should I add to this list?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

LIFE IS LONG ENOUGH (by Max Lucado)

All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old.

Psalm 139:16

No person lives one day more  or less than God intends. "All the days planned for me were written in your book before I was one day old."

But her days here were so few ...

His life was so brief ...

To us it seems that way. We speak of a short life, but compared to eternity, who has a long one? A person's days on earth may appear as a drop in the ocean. Your and mine may seem like a thimbleful. But compared to the Pacific of eternity, even the years of Methuselah filled no more than a glass. ...

In God's plan every life is long enough and every death is timely. And though you and I might wish for a longer life, God knows better.



Traveling Light

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

COPING MECHANISMS

One of the worst parts of this past few weeks is figuring out how to cope. I am blessed beyond blessed to have a wife and daughter who have been so supportive and caring as I grieve for Dad. Now it's my turn to be supportive and caring while we grieve for the baby. I feel honored to say I provide some sense of strength and comfort for my family, but it's really not me providing that. It's God working through me. Either way, I'm trying to figure out the best ways to get through a time like this.

So far, I have come up with reading (especially Scripture), prayer, talking with family and friends who have been through the same types of situations, listening to uplifting & comforting music, reading, prayer, spending time with good friends who come to visit, singing (which is tougher to do when your heart is mangled like mine), reading, prayer, watching good movies, writing, and reading ... and prayer. I'm seriously considering training for a marathon, too. Otherwise, that's all I got.

What coping mechanisms do you suggest?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

PARENT-TEACHERS

Parents are teachers by default. We teach our children how to walk and talk, how to work and play, how to give and take. We also teach them our habits (good and bad), fears (healthy and unhealthy), and much of the intricacies that make us who we are. I don't know how many times I've heard the phrase, "You are your father's son," or "You are your mother's daughter." What we do as examples sticks a lot more than we realize sometimes. And sometimes we influence our kids in ways we didn't consider.

For example, the parent who won't allow their teenager to go on the school trip because they will be flying and the parent is afraid of flying. In the teen's mind, "Flying should be an awesome experience, but I won't know that until I'm out of this house." Then, once that teen is out of the house and on their own, they develop an intense fear of flying because they don't know what to expect and it just seems crazy that a machine that big can get up in the air and stay there and what if it crashes and we're all gonna die and...

On the other hand, we do teach our children good things. Let's say the same parents have always been very frugal and responsible with money, saving what needs to be saved, spending only what needs to be spent, investing enough to make the money work for them instead of them working for the money, and giving enough away to make a huge difference. The teen has always seen money treated this way and learns by watching Mom and Dad to follow suit. As a result, the teen grows up to be a responsible and generous adult who teaches his children to handle money the same way.

So, now it's time to take stock of the example we set.

What are you teaching your children?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

I'VE BEEN BUSY

It's been a while since I've posted. I had some other stuff in the works, but I ended up scrapping it for the time being.
I've been busy.
I've been VERY busy.
I've been working ... A LOT!
I've been spending time with my beautiful girls.
I've been working on some Dave Ramsey personal finance stuff so I can take care of those beautiful girls (and myself) like I'm supposed to.
I've been working on life, trying to live the way I'm supposed to live.
I'm still working on it. I may never finish working on it.
I'll keep trying, though, because that's all I can do.

What have you been doing?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS

I've not been posting much lately. I could blame it on a number of reasons, but the bottom line is that I've just not been as diligent with my blog as I have been with other facets of my life.

That's probably a really good thing!

I finished re-reading The Richest Man In Babylon yesterday and it's got me all motivated. If you haven't read that classic gem on finances, I implore you to go get it and read it right away! Proverbs spends a ton of time talking about gaining wisdom. There is a whole lot of wisdom to be gained from this book.

Everyone has something about themselves they want to make better. For me, two things: finances and punctuality. I've already started working on both issues.

Do you have anything you want to make better about your life?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

I WANT (ANSWERS)

Everybody has dreams. Some folk don't share their dreams, some don't realize them, some don't even acknowledge them. Regardless, everyone dreams about something. Everyone wants something. For one it may be financial success, for another a happy home, for yet another a great adventure. Everyone wants something.

A while back, I posted this about what we want, but I never gave my answer for the proposed question. The time has come for me to answer my own question. (The question, for those of you who didn't read the other post, is this: What do you want?)

I want to love and serve my family the way they deserve to be loved and served.
I want to be a great example for my child(ren).
I want to be out of debt.
I want to sell our house in Tennessee.
I want to provide for my family.
I want to be financially stable.
I want to serve God without hesitation, reservation, or contemplation.
I want to go where ever He sends me and never question that decision.
I want to live regret-free.
I want to live excuse-free.
I want to not cringe when I hear my wife or my daughter start a statement with "I want..."
I want to have undeniable peace in my soul.
I want to wake up each morning, kiss my wife, hug my daughter, and thank God no matter what the day holds.
I want to be content.
I want to be free.
I want to go to heaven ... now!

The trip about this whole thing is that I can have everything I want and then some. As long as I seek the kingdom of God first, everything else will come along in its appointed time. So, I guess I should say that I want to worship God. Everything else is just details.

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

AND I QUOTE...

"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils."

- Louis Hector Berlioz

19th century French composer

 

Don't let your teacher get away from you without learning something great!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate 

EVERYBODY HURTS

I heard this great song today and it brought me to reality. No matter what we go through, there is hope. No one is immune to the adverse situations that arise in this journey called life. Everybody hurts some time. What makes the difference is how we handle the pain.



Don't give up. There is hope.

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

FIRE!!!

There was an enormous fire in our apartment tonight!
We were making dinner and some of the marshmallows from the sweet potato casserole bubbled over and landed on the floor of the oven. Then they caught on fire. It was crazy! There was smoke all over the place. I couldn't even see the casserole dish for all the smoke.

Instinctively, I panicked. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only logical thing I could think of.

I blew it out.

Turns out it wasn't a big fire at all.
There was hardly even any smoke.

But my family thinks I'm all brave now. Totally worth it!





Had you going for a second, didn't I?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

SORROW FOR THE NIGHT, JOY FOR THE MORNING

I eagerly await the Day when there is no more sorrow. How wonderful it will be when the only tears we cry are tears of joy and awe at the sight of the Holy One!

Unfortunately, that Day hasn't come, yet. It will come soon enough (very soon), but until it comes, we must endure all of the pain, hardship, and brokenness this world has to offer.

There are some, though, who are already experiencing life face-to-face with the Father. One of the most recent is baby Lorna Ganeath Galatian.

Our sweet friends, Scott and Nanci Galatian, have been foster and adoptive parents for quite a while, but never had a child themselves. On Tuesday, February 23, that changed. Lorna was born weighing 2 lbs 11 oz, and was 16 inches long. She was relatively healthy for her age and size and was doing really well. Wednesday afternoon Lorna started having trouble. In a very short amount of time, she was gone. I don't know why God took her to be with Him so soon, but I do know that He is sovereign and faithful.

We have a great opportunity to show our love, support, and faithfulness to God's word by praying for the Galatian family. If you know them, I'm sure you've already been praying and contacting them. If you don't know them, I implore you to lift them up in prayer. This is a grief with which I'm not familiar, but I do know how much a family of believers can encourage a brother or sister in mourning.

"...weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Ps. 30:5 

Shalom

LEGENDARY LEGACIES

Today we commemorated two men who changed the world in their own ways.

One changed music, one changed ministry.

One changed bodies, one changed hearts.

One changed the way we treat people with disabilities, one changed the way we treat people with different skin color.

Both changed lives.

Teddy Pendergrass passed away last week. His life as a musician was remarkable, to say the least. But it was his life-altering accident that showed what he was truly made of. After his brakes failed in his car, Pendergrass hit two trees, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. The injury caused him to start an organization designed to educate and encourage others who had spinal cord injuries. The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance still operates on all cylinders, just as does the memory of the R&B legend.

Theodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass

March 26, 1950 - January 13, 2010

Of course, this country...this world would not be the same were it not for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His dedication to justice, even in the face of adversity, was such that caused the greatest awakening in America concerning the way we treat one another. Because of Dr. King, my older brothers were among the first black students to integrate the schools in our hometown of Borger, Texas. Because of Dr. King, I am able to be married to the most beautiful woman I know without fear of persecution. Because of Dr. King, we see people more like Jesus sees people. Thank you, Dr. King.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

What a great pair of lives to celebrate!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

AND I QUOTE...

The following 8 nuggets of wisdom come from chapter 8 of Dave Ramsey's book More Than Enough.

"Work is doing it. Discipline is doing it every day. Diligence is doing it well every day."

"Prayer is vital, but God is not in the business of rewarding the lazy."

"We feel better about ourselves when we are accomplishing things."

"I have heard it said that the reason worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work."

"Discipline understands that the best way to get rich quick is to get rich slow."

"A consistent excellence is a rare thing to observe, but so is wealth. Diligence is just that: It is consistent excellence."

"I have heard it said that adults decise a plan and follow it, while children do what feels good."
"You work, you get paid; you don't work, you don't get paid."

You're welcome.

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate