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 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

TEN TOP TENS FOR 2010: part 3

Today's list is all about traditions - Christmas traditions. Every family has Christmas traditions; some more than others. Here are ten Christmas traditions my family (Brannon, King, Fowler, Hackett, etc.) keeps:

10. Holiday travel
9. Christmas music on the car radio
8. Opening new pajamas on Christmas Eve
7. Day-after-Christmas shopping
6. Football!
5. Baking Christmas goodies
4. Decorating the tree
3. Caroling in nursing homes, schools, stores, and other places that need Christmas cheer
2. Spending quality time with family/friends
1. Jesus: the real Reason for the season

Feel free to share some of your Christmas traditions.

Peace, Love, and Merry Christmas

REJOICE AND BE GLAD

B. C. Brannon, 91, of Borger, died Friday Oct. 15, 2010, in Amarillo.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Wed. Oct. 20, 2010, at the Church of Christ at Borger. Burial was in the “Garden of Love” at Westlawn Cemetery under the direction of Minton/Chatwell Funeral Directors of Borger.

B. C. was born April 30, 1919, in Dodd City, to Isaac and Lizzie Brannon. He was the minister at Jim Hall St. Church of Christ. He was a retired airplane assembly mechanic. He was a longtime Borger resident. He was preceded in death by his parents, sons Ronald Williams, Earnest Earl, and James Henry, first wife Vera, and second wife Shirley.

He married Jonell Wilson Nov. 26, 1994, in Plainview.

He is survived by his wife Jonell of Borger, sons, Bobby Ray Brannon and Robert Brannon, both of Portland, OR, and Robin Charles Brannon of Edmond, OK; 12 stepchildren, brother L. J. Brannon of Childress, sisters, Verdele Jackson of Gainesville, TX and Adele Bates of Bonham, TX, 11 grandchildren, 36 step grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

To send condolences, sign the online guestbook at http://www.mintonchatwell.com/.

I have decided that October is my new least favorite month. Not only did we lose Dad, but we also found out today that we lost our baby. We are hurting, but we know that God is faithful and just - His ways are far higher than our ways, and His thoughts are far higher than our thoughts. His knows exactly what we need and what is best for us. He also knows how to comfort us in our time of greatest need.

Rejoice, Family, and be glad that Dad doesn't have to suffer anymore - ever again! - and that Baby never has to deal with this world, but gets to party with Dad, Mama, Ron, Ernie, Gram, and all the rest of those who have gone on before. Great is their reward!

Shalom

WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION: Part 3

We left Searcy the third time and headed back to Tennessee. It was a grewat opportunity to spend some quality time with the in-laws ... except for the fact that we were in preparation for ACAFEST, so I didn't get much face time with the fam for a little while. However, the end result was memorable and meaningful for me as well as the rest of the Aca-fellas. We were blessed to perform with Acappella Classic!

It was, to say the least, a fantastic experience. I learn so much every time I get a chance to sing with Acappella alumni. I feel like I grow as a musician and as a Christian when I'm around those guys. So, if you are an Acappella alumni and you're reading this, thank you for giving yourselves to God and His work. You are an inspiration to me!

After ACAFEST, we traveled to Houston and Lufkin, TX for a couple of concerts at a couple of amazing churches. I hope to write more about them later, but I really need to move forward before winter gets here!

Next up, Brasil!!!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

I LOVE YOU, MAMA

Shalom

TREASURE

I treasure my family.

I'm madly in love with my beautiful wife.

I'm amazed by my wonderful daughter.

I'm inspired by my hero of a dad.

I'm strengthened by my fabulous mom.

I'm given hope by my super siblings.

I'm encouraged by my incredible in-laws.

I'm entertained by my fantastic friends.

I'm unequivocally loved by my heavenly Father.

What more could I ever need?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

CONGRATS ALL AROUND!

Congratulations are in order for the newly-crowned champions of NBC's The Sing-Off, NOTA!

As I wrote in my last Sing-Off post, I was really captivated by their uniqueness and courage to stay deeply rooted in their own sound and traditions. These guys are very professional in their approach to music. They know when to scale back and be sensitive, but they also know when to let loose and get wild without losing control. I love the fact that out of the six singers, all six have weapons that contribute to the group's arsenal and can "smack you right in the mouf" at any given time!

I'm really proud of NOTA and I hope to get to know them and work with them if I ever get the opportunity!

In other news, today is my sweet mother-in-law's birthday. I won't give her age (for my own protection) but I'll say she doesn't look a day over the age she was yesterday!
Happy Birthday, Cathy! Congratulations for making it around the sun one more time! Love you lots!!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

THEY GROW UP SO FAST!

Last night was a first for us. Steph and I (and Anthony) witnessed Gabby's very first orchestra concert! She did a great job, as did all of the students. For having played only 3 months, give or take, they are really coming along well. Even though you can't really see Gabby up close (she's on the front row with the blond hair that looks a little extra bright, like she's an angel...which she is!), I just had to share the clips from the concert. We are so proud of her, but she is growing up way too fast!

Mama and I love you very much, Sweet Pea!




Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

RECHARGED

Steph, Gab, and I spent a few days with my great friend, Blair Fowler, and his beautiful family. We had such an amazing time relaxing and catching up with each other. Steph and Courtney (Blair's wife) talked "shop" about nursing stuff, Gabby played with Brock and Ollie (the kiddos) quite a bit, and Blair and I got to watch a lot of football! Here are a couple of pics of where they live:




After having been with the Fowlers for a few good days, we headed up to Borger to visit my folks (I'm still looking for some good pics of them, so bear with me). Please, if you think about it, say a little (or humongous) prayer for my dad. He's every bit of 90 years old, and his body seems to be breaking down more and more every day. As he struggled to get up out of his chair and to the bedroom to put his shoes on, he looked at me and said, "Son, I bet you never thought you'd see me moving this fast, huh?" At least his sense of humor isn't breaking down.

I ended up preaching in his place this morning because he didn't have the strength or energy to get ready for worship service. That's very unlike him. I mean, we're talking about a man who preached his own mother's funeral. We're talking about a man whose doctors told him to stop preaching and he refused. It kills me to see him so feeble. Please pray for him and for my family.

Now that we've gotten a little Sabbath and are recharged, it's time to finish the year strong! I hope and pray that your year finishes strong as well. Dig into the Word and keep your mind open to its guidance. All the best!!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

SIMPLE PLEASURES

I love watching Gabby get so excited about staying in a hotel room. Ever since she found out we were staying at a hotel this weekend, she has been planning what she wants to do, and it's adorable. When we first got here, she claimed "dibs" on the drawers because she loves unpacking her bags. Since then, she has been on top of everything, including the schedule. She was the first one awake this morning (five minutes before the alarm), so she quickly jumped in the shower...before she realized there was no bath soap in the shower! So she went to the front desk to ask for soap, extra towels, etc. Now, at 8:35 AM, she's watching Saturday morning cartoons on the nice hotel flat-screen, waiting for us to be ready so we can go eat breakfast before we have to leave to go to the venue for today's concerts.

It's the simple pleasures that make life so much fun!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

Pray On, Sister!

I just read this blog and it made me feel really good... until I read some of the comments. There is a traditional belief in most churches of Christ that says women should not pray aloud if a Christian man is present. I'm gonna come right out and say it:

I OBJECT!!!

I may be way off base in my beliefs, but I honestly don't think I am. The Scriptures say that women should not have authority over men (1 Tim 2:12), which is another highly debated subject in and of itself. However, it doesn't say that women cannot pray aloud in the presence of men. As a matter of fact, doesn't Paul (the author of 1 Timothy) clearly state in other passages that we should pray for one another? I find it insane to think that he meant for us to be so legalistic as to not allow our wives or sisters or daughters to pray for us while we are present. Men, what happens when you're having a hard time with your faith and can't find the words to lead your family to God's throne in prayer? Does your family simply not pray? Somehow I doubt it. If that is the case, think about this: dads who have good relationships with their daughters who get married and move away want to hear from their daughters, regardless of whether their husband is in the room or not. When they don't, they feel slighted and unloved. Do you think our heavenly Father wants to hear from his girls on a regular basis, regardless of who else is there? I do. God always wants to hear from the women He created. It strengthens the Father/daughter bond that women need. It also promotes unity within families. That unity should spread throughout the Church and promote unity of God's family.

That's what I think about it. What do you think?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

20 Things I Learned From Mama

It was 20 years ago today
God took my Mama away
To the "land of endless day"
That sacred land for which we pray

So let me introduce to you
A list I've made from all these years
How my Mama taught me to be a man!

(bonus points if you can name that tune)

20. Always respect authority.
19. Be on time.
18. Keep learning.
17. Don't put off today for tomorrow.
16. When you go to pick a switch, make sure you pick the right one!
15. Smile.
14. You don't always have to fit in to be cool.
13. You have no business dating until you can take the girl somewhere and pay for it.
12. Be still when I'm combing your hair (yes, I actually had hair once). It'll hurt less.
11. You're never too old or too big to get a whoopin'!
10. Just because your friends do it doesn't mean you do it.
9. If you say you're going to do something, do it to the best of your ability.
8. When you are asked to help, don't complain. Just do it.
7. Treat people better than you want to be treated.
6. A hard head makes a soft behind!
5. Always be honest.
4. Jesus wept and God is love. Memorize scripture.
3. Cancer may destroy your body, but it can't harm your soul.
2. Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. (Eph. 6:1)
1. I will always love you and be proud of you, no matter what happens to me.



Shirley Mae Brannon
January 12, 1944 - September 17, 1989

See you soon, Mama! I love you!

Dad Is Great

Sometimes you just need a little chocolate cake for breakfast. You're welcome.


Peace, Love, and Chocolate

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Hey Family!

I have a huge and urgent prayer request to share with you all. Please lift up my sister Rahnee (sounds like Ronnie) Williams to the Father as soon and often as you can. I received word this morning that her the oldest two of her four daughters have run away and she hasn't seen them since Friday. As bad as this is, it gets worse. She is going to be evicted as of tomorrow, September 2. At this point, she has no idea what she will do, where she will take her two young girls, how she will feed them. There is a church in Eugene, OR, where she currently lives, that is trying to help her, but there is only so much they can do at this point. I don't really know how to help other than to pray for a miracle. I know a God who still works miracles and He listens to the requests of His children. So, please, pray. It's the least you can do and the most you can do.

Shalom

Celebration! 100 Posts And Counting...

Well, I finally made it to my 100th post on this blog spot! I've been racking my brain over the last several days trying to decide what I would write on this post (Really, what do people typically do to celebrate a milestone like this?). Actually, I had been thinking about waiting until my birthday to post it, but I decided that would simply take too much time between posts. Instead, I decided to write about some of my favorite people in the world, my family.

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to take Steph and Gabby to Texas for the first time to meet my parents. While we were there we were able to have a little reception at the University Church building (where I was a member for eleven years before moving to Nashville) in honor of Stephanie's and my marriage, my dad's 90th birthday and my graduation (finally) from WTAMU!


I would have, and should have, written about this right after it happened if I had had better pictures, but I haven't gotten them yet. I hope to get them soon. Until then, I'll have to use what I have, which isn't very good at all (I'll exchange them once I get the good ones in).


B.C. Brannon - one of the greatest men I've ever had the priviledge of knowing. It's a trip to think that anyone would still have the desire to do work at the age of 90. My dad has told me on more than one occaision that he wants to preach until he can't preach anymore. By then, it'll be time for him to be with Jesus. He hasn't preached as a 90-year-old yet, thanks to pneumonia, but if the Lord so wills him to see October 5, and to preach again, he will have been preaching for 68 years! Most of my friends' parents aren't even 67 years old and my dad has been preaching that long. That's dedication! That's passion! That's honor! That's God inhabiting every fiber of his being! That's why he's my hero!

JoNell Brannon - After my mother died in 1989, I thought I would never have a mother again. Five years later, I was proven wrong. Dad showed up at WT one fall day of my freshman year and told me he was headed to see my "new mom." JoNell has been nothing short of a blessing to me since she married Dad. So much so that I call her Mom. I must mention, though, that I was encouraged by a very wise man to call her Mom instead of JoNell because in certain African cultures (from which I come) there is no step-mother, aunt, grandmother. There is only mother. Therefore, JoNell is my mother and I'm proud of that!


Stephanie Brannon - If you had asked me early last year if I thought I would be married with a child by this time, I most likely would have laughed until I couldn't stand up straight anymore! God seems to change people's plans from time to time before they even know their plans have been changed. Steph has been an answer to a prayer I'd been praying for quite a long time. I'm grateful to be married to such a beautiful, wonderful woman of God!

Gabrielle Nelson - It seems like just yesterday that we had a 10-year-old little girl who was excited about starting 6th grade in a few months. That's because it was just yesterday. Gabby turned 11 today and we treated her to a nice homemade breakfast, balloons, and presents. Isn't she adorable at 7:15 in the morning?



So, as you might have guessed by now, I am madly in love with my family and I'm so glad God put them in my life and me in theirs. What can I say? I'm blessed!

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

For Our Heroes

Today is the day our great country has set aside to honor those who have given their lives to help ensure our freedom. It's sometimes difficult, in today's culture, to look past the immediate and remember history, but that's something I try to do on Memorial Day. There are so many young men and women who have paid the ultimate price in the wars in which we are currently involved. To their families I offer my heart-felt condolances.

My brother, Earnest, fought in Operation Desert Storm in the late eighties and early nineties. I may never forget the day when I was told he had to go to fight. That's not something a freshman in high school who lost his mother the year before really wants to hear. I got in trouble in my algebra class for being so distracted worrying about him. Fortunately, he came home. Unfortunately, he came home with a severe drinking problem as a result of his having to kill. He developed this habit of drinking a few shots of vodka, falling asleep (or passing out) for a few hours, waking up in the middle of the night, taking a few more shots, and passing out again. He would go through a fifth of vodka in just a matter of a couple days. We lost him eight years ago from an enlarged heart caused by a mixture of alcohol and diet pills.

That being said, Ernie was, and still is, a hero of mine because he was willing to give his very life so that you and I could enjoy our freedom. Valor and bravery like that is hard to come by these days. I pray that we raise our children to be courageous and honorable like the men and women of our armed forces. I also pray that our children will be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and that they display all the characteristics of Christ-followers. Big blessings from our Big God!

Peace, Love, and Freedom

Blogs I Like

I haven't been the most faithful blogger on the planet by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoy blogging. It's a good way to reach out to whomever will take a moment to read and learn some of my thoughts on life and all it's intricacies. Since I've been crazy busy lately, I feel like I've neglected my little corner of the blog world. So, to fill some time while I try to get my stuff together, I thought I'd hit you with a list of blogs I like. I'll give you the url's and you can copy and paste into your browser as you so choose. I pray these blogs bless your life as they have blessed mine. If you have any others I need to get into, please hit me with them. I love reading good blogs that encourage, educate, and entertain (yes, blogging is entertainment) me, as well as challenge me to be closer to Jesus. That's what I attempt to do with my blog, so that's what I like to read. I guess that makes sense. Okay, enough rambling. Here's the list:

My beautiful wife, Stephanie Brannon - http://roos-kangaslang.blogspot.com/

Matt Chandler - http://theresurgence.com/mc_blog
Shane Coffman - http://shanecoffman.blogspot.com/
Mark Driscoll - http://theresurgence.com/md_blog
Gary & Melody Evans - http://garyandmelody.blogspot.com/
Louie Giglio - http://268generation.com/blog/
Josh Graves - http://joshgraves.blogspot.com/
Brenda Hughes - http://path189.blogspot.com/
Chris Lindsey - http://chrislindsey.blogspot.com/
Patrick Mead - http://patrickmead.net/
Trey Morgan - http://www.treymorgan.net/
John Piper - http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/
Terry Rush - http://www.terryrush.blogspot.com/
Brandon Scott Thomas - http://brandonscottthomas.blogspot.com/
Chris Tomlin - http://christomlin.com/blog/

If I had more time, I'd read more blogs. Hope you enjoy these.

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Meet The Brannons

Hey Kids! I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to my new bride, Stephanie. She and I married on New Year's Day and I'd never seen her more beautiful! Absolutely radiant!!

Okay, enough gushing. It's been two weeks now, and things are good, but we are learning a lot about ourselves, each other, and marriage that we never imagined. Some people say marriage is easy. Some say it's super-difficult. Some view marriage as an obstacle or a burden. Some view it as a great challenge. I think it's all of the above (minus the obstacle / burden part, of course).

It's easy to be around the person you're in love with. It's super-difficult to change from being a selfish single person to a selfless married couple (it doesn't happen overnight). The challenge is learning to be completely selfless and fully devoted to your God and your spouse. It has been said that it takes couples about 9 or 10 years to learn complete selflessness. Well, I'm a guy, and I'm from Texas which makes me want to do things faster and better (thank you, testosterone), so I'm shooting for less than 5 years! We'll see how that works out for me.

Peace, Love, and Chocolate

A Big Ol' Double-Shot, part 2

I got to spend the majority of a week with Roo and her family in Myrtle Beach, SC. We were there until the day before Hurricane Hannah hit the coast. As a matter of fact, it had already started raining by the time we started driving back to Nashville. This is a shot of the beach the day before we left…

And this is the same beach the day we left…


What kind of mess is that, huh? God does some truly amazing things!

On the drive back, God started doing some amazing things in Steph’s and my relationship. God has this uncanny ability to teach people different things about ourselves that completely change the way we live. He did that with Stephanie and me over the last week and a half. He went to some crazy extremes to show us what we needed to learn. It’s an intriguing story, full of suspense, heartbreak, redemption, and reconciliation. She can tell this story much better than I, so I’ll post her story as soon as she posts it on her blog. What I will say is that He has totally changed the way she and I approach our relationship for the better…best! I’ll write more about this later. I’m excited to see where God is taking us!

Peace, Love, and Chocolate