Odds and Ends

This has been a busy but very profitable week. We have gotten a lot of things accomplished and have done it in a way that hasn't been too stressful. Here are a few things of note.

There is a very silly waste of time called the "it-list". Check it out and get back with me on why you and I aren't on it.

Here are a few shots of the house site.


1-29-04 concrete footings poured

Here are a few pics from last weekend when we were at Williamson Community Church in Horatio, Arkansas.



John and Holly are sitting in front of this beautiful little old church, complete with a ringing bell, which was rung at the beginning of service. As the service began, they asked for all the CMAers who were there to sit in the tiny little choir loft. They, of course, weren't too excited about sitting in front of everyone, but as you can see by the picture, we obliged.



After a great meal we took this picture with Pastor Jimmy Roden of Williamson Community Church and Wayne Schulte of Chaplain Hometown Warriors - Mena, Arkansas. The last picture is of an interesting lady Mrs. Pettigrew who was as sassy and cantankerous a person as you will ever find. She played the piano for the beginning of the service, during which she wise-cracked and backtalked who ever was at the pulpit. She was a real sweetheart and we had a good time eating lunch with her. She said that she had been married to two husbands but was "too mean for the both of 'em".

Doodles

I have totally gotten into my new Pocket PC. Being a complete gadget junkie, this is a really cool machine. I have been doodling a little as well. Here is are some of the first scratches.

The Crazy Ones
Apple Advertisement

here’s to the crazy ones.
the misfits.
the rebels.
the troublemakers.
the round pegs in the square holes.
the ones who see things differently.
they’re not fond of rules.
and they have no respect for the status quo.
you can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
about the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
because they change things.
they invent. they imagine. they heal.
they explore. they create. they inspire.
they push the human race forward.
maybe they have to be crazy.
how else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
we make tools for these kinds of people.
while some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.
because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Recent Pics

Here are few recent pictures of things going on with us.



These are images of the new house. Footings were dug today.




Her shirt says "cute"...What else could it say? (proud daddy talking.)

A Lament
Bess Powell

There are many forms of loss: divorce, illness, sudden change. 33 years ago, a few days before Christmas, I lost my youngest son, age 6, in a shotgun accident at our home. I loved this little boy more than life itself. I was more than devastated and in my grief I pushed everyone away and stuffed my feelings for years.

In a discipleship class I am currently involved in at a local church, our instructor asked each of us to write a lament and this is what I wrote.

Oh Lord, my soul called out for you,
My heart hurts with no relief.
My anger was hidden deep within me,
Blame was alive.

Death would have been welcomed.
I was at a place with no answers, no solutions.
Then one day you took me to a place of relief,
In the mire of alcoholism and codependency.

Codependency, what in the world is that?
You showed me myself through the gentle hands of Al-Anon.

Where you gave me hope with the hopeless,
You gave me peace
--for the moment
--then the minute
--then the hour
--then the day.

You gave me a place of refuge from a life of struggle and heartache.
I found my place, maybe at the manger in Bethlehem or at the Cross of Calvary,
When I became willing to turn my will and my life over to the God of my understanding,
Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns within me, as I choose each day to let Him.

He chose me. He knew me before I was ever conceived. He knew the place He had for me. And He made a way for me in the desert.

~Bess and her husband Harlan, are amazing loving servants of the Kingdom of God and part of our new CMA family. Bess shared this at a Christmas event and I was very moved. I asked her to send me a copy and she kindly obliged.

Empty

The other day I was walking around Iron Mountain and saw where they had cut down some trees. What I saw caught my attention, for what reason I do not know. I saw this tree that was just cut down laying right by it's stump and both were hollow. I looked at the tree on the ground and at the other trees in the area and a thought ran through my head. This tree looked great until it was cut down.



It was only after the tree was cut down that you could see it was rotting from the inside. A friend told me that sometimes when trees get a disease they will slowly die from the center of their trunk out. The tree was decaying inside, but the casual observer couldn't see any evidence of it from the outside.

I wonder how true a metaphor this dying tree is for our own lives. Here are some thoughts I had about this image: Many times we hide the corruption that lurks at our own center, because outwardly our roots go deep and our branches stretch high. I was also struck by the ease one could hide a hollow soul. What things start the 'hollowing out' process in my life? What do you think of this image? Does it make any ideas come into your mind?

Remember what David says comparing the godly to trees in Psalm 1?

Instead you thrill to GOD'S Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.

"If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water." John 4:10

If I ever really pause for a few moments and reflect on who Jesus is and why he is, I really get hungry for what he has to offer. Not that I am constantly asking him for things for me to consume or enjoy, but realizing that he is the embodiment of God's generosity to me. Jesus is the picture of the mercy that I so desparately need. He is the 'living water' that my soothes my parched heart. I sometimes forget that I need to come to him broken, needy and thirsty. It is then when I can drink my fill and find what my soul thirsts for most.

I'm thirsty for what Jesus is serving.

Why do I watch this stuff?

It seems that American Idol mania is sweeping the country again, and I have to admit that I have watched, sometimes with great enjoyment, Simon completely destroy some contestants. But my real feeling is this: Are these people for real? Do they really think that they have a chance or are they actors? I'm too cynical to believe it when some of the worst singers in the world get their feelings all hurt when they verbally rip them up. I mean they have to know don't they? When they say, "That's just your opinion!" to Simon, you can't tell me that they really think that what they did was good!

That's the madness of the whole thing. I get pulled into judging these people as being winners or losers. It makes me into a scary person. Why do I love seeing people, what seems to me, making complete idiots of themselves? It's enjoyable to watch that dude sing so terribly and then act like he was great and then act devastated when the judges say he isn't! Why?

Have you ever been in a church service when a singer comes up and delivers what is the worst attempt at singing you have ever heard? What do you do? I always try to sing along and smile alot and try to be supportive. In my heart though, I feel a 'Simon' coming on. I know that people don't sing for the applause of men, but have you ever wondered what it would be like if a worship service was more like American Idol with Simon Cowell as the pastor? Just a thought.

Jennifer and I watched Bowling for Columbine last night. It was, to say the least, very interesting. Understanding that the filmmaker Michael Moore is about as left as you can get, and that the conclusions that he draws may not be the ones I would end up with, I felt that it was an astounding film. I still haven't taken it all in. Far from your basic feel good movie, it is a documentary that comes off as sharply sarcastic as anything I have seen.

It is a commentary on the violence that is so prevalent in our society and a necessary investigation into the teenage culture that 'led' to the Columbine murders. (I use 'led' very loosely). Anyone who is around teens alot would agree that alot of what is presented in the film is accurate insight into how they feel, yet I couldn't agree with the message that Moore is so loudly preaching in this movie.

Yet it brings me back to a struggle of sorts with the words of Jesus. I'm sure that "peacemakers" are referencing people rather than guns. And I am also sure that "fear" is not a great place to live. Yet is Hollywood to blame? Is the Government to blame? Is war to blame? Is the American way of life to blame? Moore wants to lay the blame somewhere as many of us do. But maybe you just can't. If you can stand to watch a two hour documentary that is at times disturbing and sarcastically vicious, you should watch it and tell me what you think.

Notes from a Teacher
David Moody

Forget the media image of teens, forget the movies. Films like Thirteen are nothing but nasty adult exploitation of youth. Of course kids get into drugs and sex and violence, but I really wonder why... What do teenagers need? What do they want from you? At least these three things: that you love them, that you respect them, and that you lead them. The last is just as important as the first: teens need a firm hand a lot of the time. But if they feel your love and respect for them, if you treasure their forthrightness, they will generally trust you enough to let you guide them.

When this happens, their teen years may turn out to be the happiest of their lives. And why shouldn’t they?


To read the rest of this interesting article click here.

~What do you think of David's approach? What do teens really need? Do you have any proof for your thoughts on this important question? On the other side, how do you remember your teen years? Were they the 'happiest of your life?'

What a Ride

We arrived home last night from a whirlwind trip to Colorado Springs and back. It was really a good trip. Not only did the meeting go very well, (We met with Hiram and Sharon, the CMA Southwest Regional Evangelists and with all the State Coordinators from that part of the country) we also had a great time together as a family. The meeting was enjoyable and I think will prove to be very valuable for the future of the CMA Youth Movement.

As a family we saw some things around Colorado Springs and spent some time at Focus on the Family, where the kids enjoyed themselves. We also got a chance to hit the indoor pool a couple of times. They always love that! Here are a few pics from the trip.

On the Road

Yesterday we left for Colorado Springs. We had a great lunch with Jennifer's brother Jason in Tulsa. It was really good to talk with him. From there we drove up to Wichita, Kansas where we spent the night in a hotel with an indoor pool. The kids had a blast splashing and swimming for a few minutes. Today we drove up to Colorado Springs. The kids watched movies and played gamecube and Jennifer finished reading the last few pages of The Brothers Kramazov to me. I have been trying to finish that book for a few months. It was really a nice day. We got checked into the hotel and hit a local Walmart. Tomorrow we are expecting to see some of the sites, Pike's Peak, stuff like that.

God Chose Me

Think about this great story from the gospel of John, chapter 1, beginning in verse 43.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Phillip and said to him, “Come, be my disciple.” Phillip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown.
Phillip went off to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from there?”
“Just come and see for yourself,” Phillip said.
As they approached, Jesus said, “Here comes and honest man- a true son of Israel.”
“How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked.
And Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Phillip found you.”
Nathanael replied, “Teacher, you are the son of God – the King of Israel!”
Jesus asked him, “Do you believe all this just because I told you I has seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “The truth is you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down upon the Son of Man.”

Here is an awesome demonstration from the Bible about how God chooses people. Earlier in this chapter you can read about how Jesus called the fishermen, Andrew, Peter, James and John. And here you read how he chose two more disciples Phillip and Nathanael. Think about the purposeful choice of Jesus. You see to Phillip and Nathanael, and to all of us reading this story it might seem very casual, how Nathanael, came into contact with Jesus. A friend told him about Jesus, he came to see for himself. But when Jesus reveals that he was aware of him sitting under a fig tree before Phillip ever came by, Nathanael sees that Jesus had planned to pick him all along.

And this is specifically what I need to remember. When was Nathanael picked and singled out to be one of Christ’s disciples? Long before Nathanael knew about it. I am the same, Jesus chose me: long before I made the decision to follow him. Before I ever made up my mind to come and follow Christ, He was watching me just like he was watching Nathanael. He has had his eye on me from the beginning, and he chose me. I some times forget that. God chose me!

The other night Zoe was chattering.

I caught a little of it on my pocket PC.

Listen to this

I mentioned earlier that we had a great time watching football this weekend. Those four games were probably the best collection on a playoff weekend in a long time. The Eagles win was the least impressive I thought, even though at this point it doesn't matter how pretty it is, as long as you get it done. I also am wondering if the real Payton Manning has been switched with some cyborg facsimile. Does he make mistakes any longer? And what if you are the punter on that Indianapolis team, do you sit on the sideline heater so you can break a sweat and look like you have been busy? The colts truly looked good, as did the patriots, however, the titans fought valiantly. I also really liked what Carolina did Saturday when their star back Stephen Davis was sidelined, very impressive.

Yet, after watching for weeks and seeing a lot of football and having my favorites, I won't climb to far out on a limb predict Philadelphia and New England for the Super bowl. Please comment and tell me why I have completely lost my mind.

The Good Life

It seems that we have had another great weekend. Aside from Zoe having some fever most of the weekend, we really had some good times. Friday evening some friends came over and we hung out and watched a movie. Saturday, we went over to Iron Mountain and put out some flags for the site work to be done on the new house (talk about exciting!). Later that afternoon we watched Playoff Football and played with Mighty Beanz. Yes, I did say Mighty Beanz. These beans must be the absolutely most low tech toy I have seen in years, and yet, we have already logged in more than a few hours playing with them. We had a good service Sunday Morning and then had lunch afterward with some friends. Sunday afternoon, zoe was feeling low, Zeke and I watched football and Abby and Joby played outside. All in all, a very relaxing weekend. We are spending the next few days getting ready for a CMA trip to Colorado Springs. Zeke has to have some dental work done today, and Abby's dance class is tomorrow. Other than that we are ready to head west!

Wishing for snow

The kids want it to snow. I guess if I am honest, Jen and I both want it to snow. Living in Georgia, Arkansas and Florida, I haven't seen just a huge amount of snow in my life. We are planning a trip to Colorado Springs next week. We all want to see lots of snow! Here is an interesting comment on snow.

The Whiteness of Snow
Molly Kelly

It has been snowing all day, and it’s supposed to go at least until tomorrow…

When I was a kid, I loved snow. Snow meant a day off from school; a day to go out and play. As an adult, I had to travel a lot for my job, and I liked it less. Snow meant plans had to be canceled or changed, and if they couldn’t be, it often meant treacherous driving. Snow also made me sad. My husband, Jim, died in a sledding accident, and for years afterward, I thought of his death whenever I saw snow.

Now that I am in the twilight of my life, however, I find that I once again appreciate snow. Seeing trees, bushes, roads, and roofs all covered in white makes me think of what our souls must look like after confession, when God’s grace has washed away the grime of our sins and left them unstained and pure. It also makes me think of heaven, and how pristine and beautiful life will be there…

What a great time of year for watching football. The playoffs are running and wildcard weekend has produced two smash-mouth games and two blow-outs. Unfortunately the Cowboys were on the short end of one of the blow-outs. Oh, well, maybe next year, the jags and the boys will make the playoffs. Check out this poll, and this story about former Jacksonville coach Coughlin.

Who do you like this year in the playoffs?

Will the real NCAA National Champion please stand up?

Nothing is more frustrating than this split National Championship thing. Which do you think deserve to be No. 1?



Oh, and not to complain, but you call that a Heisman trophy winner?

Is Pete Rose sorry?

The news is buzzing again and many people are expressing their opinions about the baseball legend. He says that he has lied for 14 years and concealed, at least publicly, the fact that he indeed had bet on baseball during his years as player and player/manager. Most of the opinions that I am hearing about Rose aren't very favorable, but the online polls are pretty much split. Do you think that his admissions in themselves equal an apology? Is an apology necessary for Pete to be eligible for the Hall of Fame? Have you ever been in a spot where you feel guilty about something you have done and simply to admit it is agony? Maybe Bud Selig, the commissioner of Baseball will act with mercy toward Rose...How likely do you think that is?