I KNOW A YALE GRAD

Just a quick word of congratulations to my buddy, Eric Barry, who just graduated from Yale with a Master's degree in vocal performance. Eric and I went to little ol' WTAMU together and I had the privilege of singing with him on more than one occaision. Eric's a great guy and I wish him all the success he could ever hope for!

Congrats, Buddy! I'm proud of you!

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

WE ARE HOPEFUL

Most everyone is hopeful for something.

Some hope for health, some for wealth;

Some for family, some for sanity;
Some for life, some for death;

Some for love.

I'm hopeful for a new job. Not that I don't love my current job(s), but I'm in need of something more stable and consistent (mainly for my sanity). I have a great opportunity to work at a great place. The interview happens Monday at 1:00. I'm hopeful that it works out in a way that I can provide for my family by doing something I love to do.

There are some, however, who have no hope. One of my very favorite quotes is from Dr. Brent McCall who says, "The most dangerous man in the world is the man with no hope." I am hopeful that I will never be that man. If you are that man, I am praying for you to find hope. If you know that man, pray for him and help him find hope.

For what are you hopeful?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

AND I QUOTE...

"I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose."

1 Corinthians 1:10 - NLT

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

GREATEST MARRIAGE ADVICE EVER

When Steph and I got married, my dad gave us the greatest marriage advice ever:

"Be good to each other."

Dad was always known for making things easy to understand.

If we're being good to each other, we have no time or room to be un-good to each other. Now, don't you wish you had thought of that?!

What's the greatest marriage advice you've heard?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

COMFORTED OR COMFORTABLE?

This question has been rattling around in my mind for quite some time now:

Are we supposed to be comforted or comfortable?

Think about this question for a moment. When was the last time you went through something difficult? Loss of a loved one? Financial woes? Bad grade? Betrayal? If you prayed, did you pray for God to comfort you in your time of need, or did you pray for God to make you comfortable?

I know I tend to ask God to make me comfortable. When the money is tight I ask for him to put a job in my hands instead of asking him to help me be a better steward of the money and resources he has given me.

When I'm stressed out about not having enough time to get everything done I ask for him to give me a vacation instead of asking him to help me manage my precious time better.

See where I'm going with this? I would much rather be comfortable than comforted. That's on me, though. I cannot be entitled and spoiled and expect God to bless that type of attitude. Instead, I'm called to be like Jesus, who, even though he was God, thought nothing of himself, but served those around him (Phil. 2). If I learn to serve like Jesus did, and love like he does, then I won't ever think to ask to be comfortable because I'm busy being comforted by the "peace of God, which transcends all understanding" (Phil. 4:7).

So, what do you want to be - comforted or comfortable?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

PROVERBS: WEEK 1

As I've been reading and studying Proverbs this week, I've noticed a distinctly unmissable message: Wisdom is the key! So far, Solomon, the person attributed with the majority of the authorship of Proverbs, has hammered on the topic of wisdom for eight chapters straight, with no sign of letting up any time soon.

Besides his admonition for the reader - to whom he speaks as a father to his son - to gain wisdom, he specifies some key areas in which to gain this wisdom. In chapter 2, he encourages wisdom pertaining to the importance of avoiding "the immoral woman." He returns to the topic in chapter 5, and again in chapter 7. If someone spends the majority of three chapters (out of eight) coming back to the same topic, I would think that that author is resolved to get his point across. Maybe he has personal experience and is trying his best to warn anyone who will listen to not follow his example. We are talking about Solomon, the wise king with 700 wives and 300 girlfriends. He probably knows a thing or two about this subject!

Solomon also speaks adamantly against the love (or worship) of money. He makes quick mention of it in Prov. 3:9-10, along with a few other places, but then spends all of chapter 6 expounding on the subject. I might add that the end of chapter 6 is a segue back into the immoral woman issue.

It seems to me that Solomon really wants us to spend time working on our hearts - weeding out the junk that blinds us from the wonders God has in store for those who live holy lives. This is huge! We have a great opportunity to example the way of life to which we've been called. It starts with seeking wisdom, getting our hearts in check, promoting fidelity in our marriages, and stewarding our finances in a way that pleases God.

There's more to the story. We'll dig deeper into it as the days and weeks go by. Your thoughts?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

OH, JOHNNY!

I've recently come to realize that I love Johnny Depp's movies. He is among my top five favorite actors (don't ask me to name my top five right now ... it changes too much). I just thought I'd mention that.

Any actor/actress you're really into right now?

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

ALIVE!

ROAD. DARK. STARS. SHADOWS. FOUR. SANDALS. Robes. Quiet. Suspense. Grove. Trees. Alone. Questions. Anguish. “Father!” Sweat. God. Man. God-Man. Prostrate. Blood. “NO!” “Yes.” Angels. Comfort.


Footsteps. Torches. Voices. Romans. Surprise. Swords. Kiss. Confusion. Betrayal. Fearful. Run! Bound. Wrists. Marching.

Courtyard. Priests. Lamps. Sanhedrin. Caiaphas. Sneer. Silk. Arrogance. Beard. Plotting. Barefoot. Rope. Calm. Shove. Kick. Annas. Indignant. Messiah? Trial. Nazarene. Confident. Question. Answer. Punch!

Peter. “Me?” Rooster. Thrice. Guilt.

Proceedings. Court. Rejection. Prosecute. Weary. Pale. Witnesses. Liars. Inconsistent. Silence. Stares. “Blasphemer!” Anger. Waiting. Bruised. Dirty. Fatigued. Guards. Spit. Blindfold. Mocking. Blows. Fire. Twilight.

Sunrise. Golden. Jerusalem. Temple. Passover. Lambs. Lamb. Worshipers. Priests. Messiah. Hearing. Fraud. Prisoner. Waiting. Standing. Shifting. Strategy. “Pilate!” Trap. Murmurs. Exit.

Stirring. Parade. Crowd. Swell. Romans. Pilate. Toga. Annoyed. Nervous. Officers. Tunics. Spears. Silence. “Charge?” “Blasphemy.” Indifference. Ignore. (Wife. Dream.) Worry. Interview. Lips. Pain. Determined. “King?” “Heaven.” “Truth.” “Truth?” Sarcasm. (Fear.) “Innocent!” Roar. Voices. “Galilean!” “Galilee?” “Herod!”

9:00 A.M. Marchers. Palace. Herod. Fox. Schemer. Paunchy. Crown. Cape. Scepter. Hall. Elegance. Silence. Manipulate. Useless. Vexed. Revile. Taunt. “King?” Robe. Theatrical. Cynical. Hateful. “Pilate!”

Marching. Uproar. Prisoner. Hushed. Pilate. “Innocent!” Bedlam. “Barabbas!” Riot. Despair. Christ. Bare. Rings. Wall. Back. Whip. Slash. Scourge. Tear. Bone. Moan. Flesh. Rhythm. Silence. Whip! Silence. Whip! Silence. Whip! Thorns. Stinging. Blind. Laughter. Jeering. Scepter. Slap. Governor. Distraught. (Almost.) Eyes. Jesus. Decision. Power. Freedom? Threats. Looks. Yelling. Weak. Basin. Water. Swayed. Compromise. Blood. Guilt.

Soldiers. Thieves. Crosspiece. Shoulder. Heavy. Beam. Heavy. Sun. Stagger. Incline. Houses. Shops. Faces. Mourners. Murmurs. Pilgrims. Women. Tumble. Cobblestone. Exhaustion. Gasping. Simon. Pathetic. Golgotha.

Skull. Calvary. Crosses. Execution. Death. Noon. Tears. Observers. Wails. Wine. Nude. Bruised. Swollen. Crossbeam. Sign. Ground. Nails. Pound. Pound. Pound. Pierced. Contorted. Thirst. Terrible. Grace. Writhing. Raised. Mounted. Hung. Suspended. Spasms. Heaving. Sarcasm. Sponge. Tears. Taunts. Forgiveness. Dice. Gambling. Darkness.

Absurdity.

Death. Life.

Pain. Peace.

Condemn. Promise.

Nowhere. Somewhere.

Him. Us.

“Father!” Robbers. Paradise. Wailing. Weeping. Stunned. “Mother.” Compassion. Darkness. “My God!” Afraid. Scapegoat. Wilderness. Vinegar. “Father.” Silence. Sigh. Death. Relief.

Earthquake. Cemetery. Tombs. Bodies. Mystery. Curtain. Spear. Blood. Water. Spices. Linen. Tomb. Fear. Waiting. Despair. Stone. Mary. Running. Maybe? Peter. John. Belief. Enlightenment. Truth. Mankind. Alive. Alive. Alive!

From No Wonder They Call Him the Savior
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2005) Max Lucado

Peace. Love. Dark Chocolate

AROUND THE SUN

Today marks another trip around the sun for the most beautiful woman in my world! If you get a chance, take a moment to show her some love in my comment section (or you could go to her blog, but she hasn't been blogging all that much lately, so maybe here would be better? I dunno...).

If you hadn't noticed, I'm madly in love with this woman! She is absolutely gorgeous, totally intelligent, and completely sold out to Jesus! There is no other woman on the planet as amazing as my Roo-Baby ... and I don't care if I'm biased (it's my blog. I can be biased if I want to be!), I'm just speaking the truth!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby. I love you now!












Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

WORDS OF WISDOM

The Purpose of Proverbs

 

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,

to help them understand the insights of the wise.

3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,

to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,

knowledge and discernment to the young.

Prov. 1:1-4 (NLT)

I have been reading a chapter of Proverbs each day for the past month. I'm going to keep doing this throughout the year in addition to the rest of my reading, whatever that may be. I'm going to read from a different translation each month to keep things kinda fresh and new for me. So, I figure it might be good to share some of the things I learn from my daily readings. This will hold me accountable and give me some insight from other people (if anyone makes comments) about the Word of God and how it applies to our lives. I hope you'll join me on this journey.

Today, it's all about wisdom. The purpose of the Proverbs is to help the reader acquire wisdom. It gives constant encouragement for the reader to seek wisdom (Prov. 1:2). It speaks to us like a dad speaking to his son (Prov. 1:8-19). It calls out to us from the streets like a person trying to help their loved one find his way back home (Prov. 1:20-33).

The majority of the book was written by the wisest man in the world (besides Jesus, of course); he should know what he's talking about. The whole book is common sense stuff that we tend to forget.

So, today's thought is simple: seek wisdom in every way you possibly can. Don't wait. Start now!

Peace, Love, and Wisdom (and Dark Chocolate)

  

AND I QUOTE...

"Every other day, I’ll rev that sucker up to twelve miles an hour and do three five-minute intervals. Running at that speed for that duration doesn’t come naturally to anyone-it’s hideous, absolutely horrible. But by pushing past the pain, you become progressively tougher. You prove to yourself that pain is just that, pain. You can walk away from it afterward knowing that you surpassed a barrier that makes most humans curl into the fetal position and weep for Jesus."

- UFC fighter Forrest Griffin
via Daniel Wright, Biggest Loser Season 8

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

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

I FORGOT WHAT I WAS GOING TO WRITE ABOUT

At one point today I had a really interesting topic to write about. Over the course of my busy day, though, I forgot what it was. I cannot, for the life of me, remember what I was going to write about. Sure, I might remember later on. It may take a few days, and I may forget that I had been thinking of it in the first place, but I'll probably get it back someday.

I mentioned it to my wife and she said, "You were gonna write about cuddling me."

Guess I have some cuddling to do. :) G'nite!

Don't you hate it when you forget what you were going to say?





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 

AND WE'RE BACK!

I now deem Spring Break officially over! We had a great trip to Tennessee to visit friends and family, and to rehearse with the boys in preparation for our new and improved concert program, which debuts in less than a week. I hope to see some of you at an upcoming concert. Here's a short list of dates:

March

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Date: Saturday, March 27th, 2010

Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00p.m.

Location: Tulsa Fairgrounds (Central Park)

Event: Free Concert as a part of the Tulsa Workshop.

Contact: Shane Coffman (918) 520-6959

Web site: http://www.tulsaisww.com/

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 

Date: Sunday, March 28th, 2010
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Location: Oklahoma City Ford Center

Event: We will be performing the National Anthem at the Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers NBA game (how cool is that?!)

Contact: http://www.oc.edu/thunder.aspx

April

North Richland Hills, Texas

Date: Saturday, April 10th, 2010

Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Location: Legacy Church of Christ

Event: Private concert for Oklahoma Christian University's North Texas Alumni Dinner Auction.

Info: http://www.oc.edu/auction

North Richland Hills, Texas

Date: Sunday, April 11th, 2010

Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Legacy Church of Christ

Event: Free Concert

Contact: http://www.legacycoc.org/ or call (817) 485-6749

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Date: Friday, April 16th, 2010

Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00p.m.

Location: Riverside Church of Christ

Event: Free Concert

Contact: Kent Hall (505) 898-2627 or www.klajhall@aol.com

Web Site: http://www.minuteswithmessiah.com/church/rside.html

Amarillo, Texas

Date: Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Location: Central Church of Christ

Event: Concert - Tickets $10.00 adults, $7.00 children under 10 Groups of 10 or more $7.00 each.

Contact: (806) 373-4389 or http://www.amarillocentral.org/

Garland, Texas

Date: Sunday, April 25th, 2010

Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Location: Saturn Road Church of Christ

Event: Free Concert
Contact: (972) 271-2444 or http://www.saturnroad.org/

May

Glasgow, Kentucky

Date: Saturday, May 1st, 2010

Time: 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Plaza Theater

Event: Free Concert for the IMPACT Youth Rally

Contact: Refuge Church of Christ (207) 678-4366

Picayune, Mississippi
Date: Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Location: First Baptist Church of Picayune

Event: Free Concert

Contact: Josh Spears (601) 337-0236

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Date: Friday, May 21st, 2010

Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Location: TBA

Cincinnati, Ohio

Date: Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

Time: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Location: Cincinnati Christian University

Event: Concert festival

Contact: http://www.acapellacinnati.eventbright.com/

Which concert will you attend?

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate

REST

"May the presence of the Lord go with you, and he will give you rest."

-from Acappella's album Find Your Way

Peace, Love, and Dark Chocolate