WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION: Part 1

To say it's been a busy summer would likely contend for the "Most Understated Phrase of the Year" award.

It's been so busy, I haven't blogged for about three months.
It's been so busy, I haven't read any blogs for possibly more than three months.
It's been so busy, I forgot how to blog! (Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration.)

Either way, I've had a remarkable summer, to say the least. It all started with a trip to Kentucky that went horribly awry.

It was the first weekend of May. The Aca-fellas and I were scheduled to perform at a youth rally in Glasgow, KY that Saturday, then near Gulfport, MS the next day. As we drove toward Glasgow that Friday evening, the weather started getting pretty rough (cue the "Gilligan's Island" theme). Our plan was to drive to Jackson, TN, spend the night there, and go the final five-or-so hours to Glasgow the following morning. Well, we made it to Jackson, but not without some near misses.

As we got into Arkansas, we turned on the radio to hear whether we should be concerned about the weather or not. As it turned out, we should have been concerned. The weather man was talking about a tornado touching down and causing quite a bit of damage about an hour ahead of us. We decided to keep going. We figured if the tornado had already hit, it wouldn't come back there. A little while later, we found out there was a tornado touching down about an hour behind us. That's when we got a little nervous. We were surrounded by tornados!

By God's grace, we made it to a small motel in Jackson. It was raining pretty hard and steadily. The tornado sirens were going off ... all night long. People who know me know I don't sleep all that well on a regular basis. Heavy rain and sirens certainly didn't help matters much. The next morning we loaded up the van and started out of the parking lot. That's about as far as we got. We didn't realize how high the water in the parking lot was until we were wading through it from the van that had just been baptized (It was waist-deep.).  

After some phone calls and frustrations (and a ride on the back of a tow-truck ... inside the van), Wes got us up and running in a rental van. We made it to Glasgow about 30 minutes before we were to sing. Some of the guys had wet clothes. Some had really wet clothes. Either way, we got through the concert and loaded out when we found out that we wouldn't be going to Mississippi after all. A massive flood had struck Nashville - we had just driven through there a few hours before and were supposed to drive through there again - and we were stranded. Thanks to the kindness of Dale and Brenda Clark, we were put up for the night, worshiped with the Impact Church in Glasgow the next morning, and got on the road in the Clark's family vehicle on a northwestern route through Louisville, KY and St. Louis, MO on our way home. We made it home around 3:00 AM.

Looking back, it was only by the grace of God we made it anywhere that weekend. Interestingly enough, that was just the beginning of summer break!

How was your summer?

Next, more adventures in Arkansas.

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

I GIVE UP

Considering everything that has happened over the past few weeks, I find it only appropriate to declare that I'm surrendering every aspect of my life to the One who gave me this life in the first place. I will accept whatever God places in my life, whether I like it or not. He is so much bigger than any trial or sorrow I might face. I want my life to bring glory to his name.

So, Lord, bring the rain if that's your will. You are holy.



God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

No, I'm not writing about the book we had to read in high school. I'm talking about what we have on a daily basis. We expect great things out of life. We expect things to go our way, and our way is... well... great!

I've noticed this expectation thing in myself a lot lately. I expect for the drivers of the cars in front of me to go fast enough for me to not have to ride my brakes - at least the speed limit! I expect my students to understand what I'm trying to teach them in a timely manner. I expect myself to be able to pay the bills and take care of my family without any problems.

Unfortunately, that's not the way life works. Life is where we get behind the slowest drivers when we're running late. Life is when the teacher tries everything he or she knows but the students just don't get it. Life is where the end of the money comes way before the end of the month and panic sets in.

And how upset do we get when our expectations aren't met? When the shoes you wanted are no longer on sale? When your kid comes home drunk? When your life gets flipped upside-down? At the point where disappointment becomes the understatement of the century?

There is only one thing I know that will always meet our expectations and, in fact, go beyond: The love of God. He loves us so much more than we could ever imagine and His love never ends. Whenever we're going through it, God is going through it with us, loving us and wanting us to trust Him. I don't know if He expects us to trust Him, but I do know that that's His desire for us.

What are your expectations?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

Tater Faith and Whatever

No, it's not the latest Christian bluegrass duo to land on Nashville. I just thought it would be a fun title. And it has a point, believe it or not.

Steph and I watched Faith Like Potatoes night before last and it completely sparked something in us. If you haven't seen this 2006 movie yet, I highly recommend that you go rent it or buy it and watch it as soon as possible (I hope I don't get sued for this free advertisement!). Here are three reasons I fell in love with this film:


1. It's based on a true story. Can't go wrong there.
2. It's about people completely surrendering their lives to God and stepping out in faith to answer His call.
3. It's about God showing what He does when we are totally sold out for Him. Basically, it's God showing off!


Seeing this movie has kicked us into gear. We've been sitting on some major, life-changing decisions for a while, but now we have to choose. Will we take the comfortable route or take a risk that will alter our lives forever? I think God has shown us what we need to do.

Go check it out yesterday! (note: if you have a hard time understanding thick Scottish and/or South African dialects, you may want to turn on the subtitles)


Faith Like Potatoes reminded me of a song I've been hearing a lot on the radio and it kinda hits me in the gut every stinkin' time I hear it. It goes perfectly with this idea of having "tater faith" (as we southern folk would say it). It also fits perfectly with today, seeing how God has allowed me to be another year older. I still say it's just Tuesday! Enjoy today!!!

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)
Sanctus Real
songwriters: Dan Gartley, Mark Graalman, Matt Hammitt, Peter Prevost, Chris Rohman

Peace, Love, and Chocolate Birthday Cake

Me: New and Improved

"I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed." The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the emeny, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear." - Dr. Bob Moorehead

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. (Rom. 1:16a)

Your Opinion Matters

I received a comment on my previous blog that kinda disturbed me. The comment basically went contrary to everything the blog said. If you haven't read it, I recommend that you do, so you can fully understand the comment. This person said, in a nutshell, that people in higher governmental positions should not profess their faith. I beg to differ. I feel that political figures who proclaim the name of Jesus in their daily lives have just as much right as anyone else to share their faith in the workplace. It just so happens that their workplace is one of publicity and many will hear the message. Whether they will listen, or not, is a different story. Their decision to get angry because of the truth someone else was bold enough to tell could be a reaction to the Word pricking them in the heart. Just know that we must be ready. God's wish for us is that "every knee will bow and every tounge will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Don't hate the messengers. We're just doing our job. If you're going to hate, hate the Deceiver who fills our world full of lies and wickedness. The same lies and wickedness that the brave politician from Kansas denounced will be the demise of this old world. I can't wait until we leave this world behind and move on to the Great Beyond! I'll see you there!!

Bold Words: Follow the Leader

I got this incredible profession of faith from a friend of mine from Texas. This is the type of person I aspire to be, but often find myself lacking the courage to do so. It is my prayer that we all will learn from this and make the proper adjustments in our lives to become more bold so that the truth, grace, love, and power of God will shine brighter than ever through us. He is the only one who can fix our broken lives and our world that is steeped in peril. Check this out and see if you can learn something valuable from it.

Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Minister *Joe Wright* was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard: "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, *'Woe to those who call evil good,'* but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have *exploited the poor* and called it the *lottery.* We have rewarded laziness and called it *welfare*. We have *killed our unborn* and called it *choice*. We have *shot abortionists* and called it *justifiable*. We have *neglected to discipline our children* and called it *building self esteem*. We have *abused power* and called it *politics.* We have *coveted our neighbor's possessions* and called it *ambition*. We have *polluted the air* with *profanity* and *pornography* and called it *freedom of expression*. We have *ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers* and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest! In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help , may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God."

Hi. I'm Samson...

So if you've ever gone to my profile on myspace.com, you've seen what my greatest weakness is...beautiful women. Wow, I just came out and said it, didn't I? Well, believe it or not, I have other weaknesses. It's just that beautiful women take up more space in that part of my life than most anything else. It really makes me feel like Samson. Not that I'm all strong or anything. If you've ever studied about Samson, you know that he had a great weakness for beautiful women. He also had issues with an invincibility complex that ended up killing him. That's another story. I'll get to it in a little while.
Back to the confusing topic at hand (let's see if I can make it less confusing). In a recent Bible study, we talked about Samson and the different things that made him special and memorable. For example, Samson was "set apart to God from birth" (Judges 13:5) and given strength unmatched by any man. Let's be honest. This guy was a freak of nature. You can't deny it. Anyone who tears a lion apart with his bare hands and beats a thousand men to death with a donkey's jawbone is pretty much a freak of nature. Even though he had all that strength, his weakness consumed him until it killed him. You see, Samson kept getting himself in trouble with people because of the woman he loved. His first love ratted him out to the thirty friends that were given to him as a wedding gift (Judges 14 makes more sense of this story). In his anger, he beat up thirty men, stole their clothes, gave them away, all while his wife was being pawned off to a friend from his wedding. He let his temper get the best of him and sought vengeance. He burned up grain, vineyards and olive groves that belonged to the philistines, who, in turn, burned up Samson's wife and her father. He went back and attacked the philistines, slaughtering many. It took three thousand men to capture him and tie him up, only for him to break the rope and commence the bludgeoning with the donkey's jawbone. It was all about revenge and it was all because of a beautiful woman.
He had a small matter with a prostitute and then there was Delilah. Oh, Delilah. Such a beautiful, crafty, eventually deadly woman. Long story short, she talks him into telling the secret of his strength. Now here's where a lot of people get confused or mislead. Many people think that Samson lost his strength because his hair was cut off when, in actuality, God left him. Samson had relied on himself for so long that he became arrogant and took his God-given strength for granted. You should read the whole story for yourself. It's pretty interesting. You can find it in Judges 13-16. (If you don't know where Judges is, it's in the Old Testament, the seventh book of the Bible. It's right after Joshua and right before Ruth.)
Now, I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with me and why I went into that crazy long episode giving a summary of Samson's life. Here's why. I'm in the same boat. Granted, I'm not going around ripping lions apart or beating people to death (although I feel like doing that on occasion), I often find myself being persuaded (easily) by beautiful women to do things I wouldn't normally do. I've noticed that I usually become a total goober around beautiful women, as do most guys, and that turns into me wanting to prove my masculinity and ending up doing or saying something stupid that I'll regret later. Any male who has ever had feelings for a woman can probably relate to what I'm saying. You do everything you can to impress her and you would defend her to the death if you had to. The problem is this little thing called pride. You feel like you have to prove your worth and when someone opposes or embarrasses you, you seek vengeance. It may not be physical, but the attacks are very real on an emotional and a spiritual level.
That brings us to the watershed moment. The turning point where you decide you're going to get rid of yourself and, being emptied of all your sinful ways, be filled with God and let His grace give you a fresh start. So now we have a decision to make. Do we keep doing the same dumb stuff over and over again? Or do we make that life-changing move toward living the life we've been called to live, holy and righteous in His sight? Here's the catch. It's not going to be an easy road to travel. We're gonna face all kinds of temptations and trials. It all depends on how strong we are. God has given us all strength beyond our realization or understanding. It's our job to harness that strength to do His will. I have to make that decision every day. I challenge you to start facing the things that are wearing on you and figure out how to overcome them. Here's a hint...the figuring starts on your knees.

Ten Guidelines

Ten Guidelines From God
Effective immediately, please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines.

1. QUIT WORRYING: Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST: Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME: Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE: Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME: I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH: I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE: You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT: I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND: Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF: As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget......

Thanks to my friend, Jennifer Smith, for letting me post this on my blog. I really felt convicted and challenged after I read it and I hope you do to. Blessings!