I Did Some CPR On This Blog

I left my blog to die.
Its a sad statement, but there is no need to try to deny it. Anyone that visited could tell instantly that they were entering an abandoned place. The stagnant smell and lack of life was probably quite overwhelming.
I avoided my blog because hearing its dying gasps were more than I could bear, but today I held my breath, entered it and went to work reviving this thing.
What you are reading is its first real exhalation in several months.
I hope you like the new name and heading. That pic is Noah looking out on the Shenandoah River, which is the river I grew up on.

Prayer This Afternoon

At 1:30 this afternoon a group of us will gather at our church offices to pray for a meeting our Pastor is having in Tennessee at 2:00pm. This is an important meeting in regards to the future of our church and we are praying not only that the Lord's will be done (because it will be) but we are praying that He meet our needs and not our wants. We will also praise Him I hope. Our worship pastor is bringing his guitar so we will see what happens.

New Name

Soon this blog will undergo some renovations. New name coming soon. I will continue the random thoughts about life but I will also start being a little more transparent about ministry. I have kept that stuff pretty close to the vest but I'm going to try letting some of that stuff out and see what happens.

Ridiculous

Over a month without posting? Ridiculous.

Noah Love's Lucy

My son Noah has discovered "I Love Lucy". I never really loved the show but it always seemed to be on at any time of the day if you flipped the channels so I'm pretty sure I've seen about every episode. Watching them with my wife and children has brought re-birth to the show in my home due largely in part to Noah's outbursts of laughter and his genuine declarations of "dat is sooo funnnny..." while he slaps the couch or his knee, or his little brother...

Spring

Spring is here!!!!

Our New Office

Our new office is awesome. I thought I might miss the old place, but quite frankly I miss it like the flu bug I just kicked.

Pain In The Hip

So my doctor needed to pump me full of antibiotics over the weekend and she told my wife and I, "I'll need to give you a shot in the hip".
I've never called that area of my body, my "hip".

Sick

I've been sick...
Now I'm better.
Thanks for your prayers.
I need to live a healthier lifestyle.
The days of living on coffee, coke and whatever food that caught my eye are through.

Lotta Things Happening

I haven't blogged much lately and I have not just one good excuse, but several. The recurring theme in all of my excuses is how busy I am. Its a good kind of busy, but I'm getting to the point where I need to streamline some things.
So here is what is happening...
Family: Jasilyn is learning to read and I'm trying to spend a regular amount of time with her each night reading through "Hop On Pop". This has been some of the best times of my life and I've been guarding these moments from all of the other things that might try to keep me from accompanying my daughter as she journeys into new worlds. At the same time, Noah is learning to catch and throw a ball. Of course he has been throwing stuff since he was a baby, but now we're actually "playing catch" and these times are as magical and filled with destiny as the moments reading with Jasilyn. Jacob is growing at a faster pace than either of his siblings. Misty is back full swing in full dinner theater so I'm alone with the kids three nights out of the week while she practices.
Work: Our office is moving. I'm trying to set the pace as we move a little at a time before the "Big Move" on March 15th. We rented a U-haul twice and moved tons of stuff. Our old office is on the eleventh floor and moving stuff on the elevator has become precarious and tiresome. Our new office is shaping up nicely. Leaving behind what I affectionately call "the temple of nicotine" will be easier than I thought.
Ministry:I'm blessed to have several ministry projects going at the same time. Helping my pastor write a book. This is my dream! Preached in chapel at Jasilyn's school last week. Very cool! Teaching a class on Sunday nights with Joe. Trying some different teaching techniques and relying on the Spirit more than I ever have before.
So those are a few of the reasons I haven't blogged lately. I miss it...

Lauren's Valentine

My worries about who will take over this blog when I grow old and too arthritic to type have been diminished. I just read a valentine my niece wrote in her local newspaper, "The Northern Virginia Daily".
Her challenge was to write a valentine using a fruit and a vegetable.
Here is her finished product:

"I'm bananas about you!" "Lettuce get together and have a good Valentine's Day."

Proverbs 18:10

Here is a verse I have read a thousand times, but this morning it surfaced in my mind and brought me unexplainable peace.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Worship

I watched children praising God yesterday and I realized that I worry too much about what people think when I worship.
These kids were unashamed as they lifted their hands and sang and danced.
It was a magnificent scene.

Caffeine

The time has come for me to acknowledge my addiction to caffeine.
I hit main street at about 8:28 this morning, which left me about a minute to get coffee from my normal place and run up the street to my office by 8:30. I realized very quickly that my normal coffee place was closed so I made a quick decision to shoot up 5th street to the Starlight Cafe. It was 8:31 when I pulled into Starlight's parking lot, but it was worth it to be a few minutes late if I could get some decent coffee. I slogged through the mud to their side door and some pseudo bohemian wearing a hat that was cool when my dad was the mack of his 1950's neighborhood was leaning against the wall trying to tap into Starlight's wireless connection with his laptop. Pseudo bohemian was nice enough to inform me as I pulled on the door that the place was closed. I appreciate fully his willingness to tell me after I had walked through mud, past him and up the steps.
I slogged back through the mud, nodded at pseudo bohemian, climbed back into my car and headed back to my parking garage. Coffeeless.
As I rode the elevator up to my office I realized that the time has come to acknowledge my addiction to caffeine. So, I am acknowledging the problem. At some point I will actually do something about it...

The Office

Our office is moving. As a result, my boss has gotten a headstart on the move by packing up his personal items and books. He discovered that boxes from the ABC store had cool cardboard separators in them which keep the bottles from clinking against each other. These cardboard separators also help my boss protect his pictures and other precious junk from rattling around in the boxes.
When clients come into Mr. R's office, they survey the area and their eyes linger on the towers of whiskey boxes that line the walls. There is one stack in particular that captures their attention due to an intimidating Captain Morgan leering at them from the top of the tower.

The Wedding

I had an awesome opportunity to help "officiate" a wedding last night. It was the first time I've ever done anything like that and it was a great experience. The bride has been a friend of ours for several years and she was even present at the birth of two of my children. The groom is a newer friend to us and thankfully was not present at the birth of any of my children.
Jasilyn was the flower girl and she wore a red dress. She was beautiful. She only dropped about six petals because she wanted to keep the rest in her basket. She still has the petals from a wedding back in August.
I learned a lot from this wedding and I'm thankful for my Pastor being so patient with my many questions. Its great to serve with someone who is not afraid to teach you and train you.
I was so nervous earlier in the day that I thought I was going to throw up, but I ate mexican food and felt much better.

V Day

Valentine's Day is coming up. I had planned on going into a rant about the holiday but I decided not to write anything about how commercial and coercive it is. I have also decided not to comment on how it makes lonely people feel lonelier or poor people poorer.
I have a wonderful wife and we celebrate Valentine's day every day of the year, so I have decided not to say one word about this wretched holiday that exploits the feelings and emotions of citizens all over the world.
I'm tempted to rant against Valentine's Day but I have too much love in my heart to do so.

Pocket Full Of Kryptonite

Several Sunday mornings ago we were all discussing Galatians in our Sunday School class and I thought I heard someone say the phrase "kryptonite soup". The speaker was a college student named Allen and when I questioned him, he vehemently denied using the phrase. I chalked it up to caffeine deprivation and moved on throughout the day.
That night, though, the phrase bobbed back up to the surface of my thinking and I have come to the conclusion that it will be the title of the book I will finally sit down to write.
Here is my concept in a nutshell. Superman would never consume soup made from Kryptonite. Its just as ludicrous for Christians to invite sin into our lives the way we do.
My sequel could be a rant against revolving our lives around television. I could call it "kryptonite coffee table". Of course I would have to break my tv addiction first...

John 1:16-18 (NASB)

Check out these verses from John 1. I was reading through John two nights ago and this passage jumped off the page as I read. Today at work I felt compelled to share this passage and thats what I'm doing right now.

16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Peace

Anyone that knows me knows that I struggle with being a worrier.
This morning I found out that my daughter's school and many other area schools were on a lockdown status because someone with a gun was reportedly nearby. Normally I would have been worried sick (literally), but this morning when I heard that news I immediately felt a peace that surpassed my understanding and I knew that it was the kind of peace that only came from the Holy Spirit.
Thank you Lord for protecting my baby girl and for protecting the other boys and girls that innocently sat at their desks this morning. I don't understand how you work and I'm thankful that I don't understand you because a god that I could figure out would not be a God that could bring me the peace that you brought me this morning.

Mark Driscoll

Joe and I have spent the last several weeks watching Mark Driscoll's sermon series "Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions". Each week, Mark tackles a tough question or topic and then at the end of the day he does a Q and A session. These sessions are amazing. My jaw hurts from dropping, laughing and yelling.
After preaching all day he stands in front of the church while people in his congregation text message questions to him. Of course the questions are screened, but they aren't softballs. The thing that makes the process even more interesting is the fact that it takes place around 9:00pm on a Sunday night. I think the fact that he is tired makes him more sincere and transparent. If you're looking for some straight forward teaching balanced with some gutsy stuff that you've most likely never heard from a church pulpit before, prepare yourself with some solid prayer time and then go to their website.
http://www.marshillchurch.org/

Life Is Good

The original owners of "Yellow Submarine" have made me very happy by opening up a sub shop on main street. In a time in my life where I could count on very few things in this world, I knew I could count on Yellow Sub. And now, when things are going great and I am blessed in every sense of the word, a small little sub shop opens in the Galleria and the sun seems to shine just that much brighter...

Groundhog Day

The groundhog saw his shadow this morning. Six more weeks of Wintery weather. As a result Punxsutawney Phil has dethroned Donahue on my list of Phils that I dislike.

Lost

Misty and I watched the season premiere of "Lost" last night. It just so happens that the title describes my mindset for the entire hour we watched the show.

Though I Am Weak

Its a sad statement, but sometimes God has to overwhlem me to get my attention and He did that in a subtle way two days ago.
I was blessed with the opportunity to speak in the main sanctuary of my church this past Wednesday night. I wasn't as nervous as I usually am, but when I walked into the sanctuary I was hit by the awesome responsibility someone has when he stands up to preach God's Word. I asked Joe if I could stand back in the media room before the service started and he let me in. Standing back there in dark obscurity I watched as people walked by and I felt completely incapable of giving those people what they needed.
In that moment, before I had the chance to panic, the Lord spoke into my spirit that He is able to work through me only when I realize that my own skills and talents are useless without Him. His power is made perfect in my weakness. Though I am weak, He is strong. As I spoke that night, I felt Him giving me words that I hadn't planned, and taking me in directions that I had not mapped out.
I probably studied for about 3 weeks for that message, reading scriptures and commentaries and histories and expository dictionaries and that message was the best message I have ever given. What no one else knows is that my 15 pages of typed notes and outlines that I took to the front with me and opened up at the beginning, remained virtually unread...

Snow in Lynchburg

It snowed yesterday in Lynchburg. I woke up to a white yard and I called Jacob over to the window to watch the snow fall. He loved it.
Around lunchtime Jasilyn, Noah and I went out to do some sledding. They preferred riding together, and Noah negotiated my towing services in order to get back up the hill.
Misty made grilled cheese sandwiches for us when we came back inside.
Yesterday was a great day.

Debating

I used to love to debate with people. My friend Joe calls it "battling". He loves to battle mormons. When I need a good laugh I picture Joe "battling" Donny Osmond.
I've grown tired of debating. I'm not talking about defending my faith. I have no problem doing that and I welcome the chance. I'm talking about the type of debating where two people waste their time going back and forth on some obscure issue like "can a pop-tart sin?"
Its kind of like taking your dog for a walk and using a bungee cord for the leash. It starts out well but ends badly for all involved parties.

Clowns

I'm feeling very good about a Reuters article I read on Yahoo! this morning. It seems that a study has revealed that children don't like clowns. This article justifies feelings that I have suppressed and repressed for decades. No longer must I question my masculinity due to my inner shakings and quakings whenever one of those painted face menaces comes near me.
Here's a great quote from the article:
"We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable." (Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Steve Addison)
My son Noah disliked clowns until his big sister Jasilyn showed him how to get cool balloon hats from them. Jasilyn asked a question that sheds great light onto this subject. "Daddy?" Jasilyn asked, "Why would someone paint a smile on their face when all they have to do is really smile?"
Great question, Jasilyn. Great question.

Snow in Iraq

My Yahoo! home page informed me that it snowed in Baghdad this morning.
At first it meant nothing to me but seeing the video of those Iraqi kids running around catching snowflakes on their tongues moved me. I realize that I have a bit of a hardened heart when it comes to thinking about foreign countries, especially ones where our soldiers have so recently faced death, but seeing those kids laughing and running around made me feel good about the fact that our country has played a role in bringing freedom to their country.
Cindy Sheehan may feel otherwise, but I feel quite confident that had we not removed Hussein from power, those same little girls that were catching snowflakes would have been looking at that snow as something that fell from the sky and instantly created mud that they had to fearfully avoid tracking into their homes. Freedom allows you to view blessings as blessings. Freedom puts a spring in your step and brings brightness to your eyes. Freedom lets you lift your face to the sky and make your tongue a landing strip for beautiful flakes of snow

73

Today is Elvis' birthday. He would have been seventy three years old. I can't picture him being that old and singing "Burning Love".
Well, I was just able to picture it and I regret it.

Tools

As I sit at my computer and listen out for the fax machine, and answer the work phone and await the vibration of my cell phone, a line I once read from Thoreau drifts back into my memory.
"Men have become the tools of their tools."

One For The Books

Saturday was one for the books. I met David and Joe and their daughters at CiCi's for pizza before heading over to the Carmike to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was a great time. Jasilyn was livin large with her posse and popcorn.
I sat behind her with the dads. I smiled and laughed at the movie but a part of me yearned for the days when Jasilyn always wanted to sit on my lap. She's growing up now, so its good for her to learn to be independent. It took a while, but I resigned myself to the fact that she will need her space to grow.
About halfway through the movie, Jasilyn turned around and waved me forward and asked if she could sit with me. "You sure can," I said. "You sure can."

Alllllvinnnnn!!!!!

Last night my church's worship pastor, David, called me and invited me to a movie on Saturday. David and my friend Joe (our church's marketing director, television director, ministry intern, etc) are taking their daughters to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks" on Saturday. David asked if I wanted to bring Jasilyn and I said yes. Jasilyn gets along great with the other girls and these two guys are Godly men that I enjoy spending time with, so I anticipate a great day. I don't anticipate liking the movie, but who knows? I like the Chipmunk Christmas albums and I have fond memories of coming home from school and watching the Alvin and the Chipmunks cartoons on channel 5. Alllllvinnnnn!!!!!

Bearded Letterman

Last night I watched a few minutes of Letterman. He has a beard now to show solidarity with the striking writers. The thing I like most about David Letterman is his ability to laugh at himself. If you can laugh at yourself it not only beats other people to the punch but it takes power away from anyone that wants to be negative about you.

I like Letterman and I like his beard. Its a manly beard.

We Got A Dog

We adopted a dog from the Humane Society yesterday. Misty has wanted a dog for quite a while and we had looked in the paper and asked around and visited the Humane Society and finally we decided to just go back to the Humane Society and trust the Lord to bless us with the right dog for our family. And He did.
We brought home a five month old beagle named "Peanut". We renamed him "Cooper".
Jacob tries to ride him around the house.