Overwhelmed

No, the good kind. I'm back from this conference...but I'm not on a conference high. I'm overwhelmed for other reasons. I'm simple just amazed/dumbfounded/shocked/amazed (I already said that one, didn't I?) /perplexed/humbled/motivated by God's Providence and Grace and Mercy (new every morning). God has done some amazing things in my life recently and I'm simply amazed at how He never lets go of us, He never gives up on us...we can run to the mountains, we can run to the depths of the sea...but we can't escape His Will, His calling on our life. He forgives. He renews. He loves, and then loves some more. He is Faithful when we are not. I'm simply overwhelmed tonight at His loving plan and how He blesses His people, his chosen people, with so many good things when we deserve the exact opposite.

My response to this kind of love and pursuit of our Loving God?
Glory to Him! Glory to Him! Glory to Him!
Have all of me, have all of me, have all of me.

Burnt Orange & Navy Blue

The title is just a goofy way to say I'm going to the ORANGE CONFERENCE tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it as we launch full speed ahead in to leading OLC's kid's ministry. I'll report back some of the good stuff we learn.

(p.s. It's AU's official colors if ya didn't know.)
:-)

80's Stud

Future, Present, and 2 Week Notices

I finished out my 2 week notice yesterday. About 1/2 way in to it, I came home one evening and answered Dana's question of, "Well, how was work, how's it going?" I told her it was fine and that I was working hard to generate any business I could before I left. I was pounding the phones and touching base with as many prospects as possible. After all, whether you have 100 days left or 1, you should always do your best. That's a given.

But then I also told her of the awkwardness of a 2 week notice. Each day you come in to the office, it's like a farewell all over again. You feel like others are probably getting sick of saying the same things over and over again. You don't want to be a nuisance. The best way I could describe it to her was:

If you are not part of the future, it's kind of difficult to be part of the present.

As soon as I said it, I realized the statement could have great spiritual application. I talked with my buddy Chris about it, and we discussed how if you are not Kingdom minded, then your motivation in living for Him NOW will be minimal. If you are not looking forward to our future hope & home, then the desire to pursue the lost NOW will not be what it should be. Also, any "present sufferings" can seem unbearable without remembering the future that God has promised.

So, the challenge this week: Live Kingdom minded - therefore participating daily in the work He's called us to!

Quite the Honor

My good friend and co-worker and church going buddy, David Busey, decided to honor my departure from the Sales world by painting his toenails blue & orange (since I'm an Auburn freak).

David needs professional help.

2 highly recommended messages

ENJOY

(you can skip ahead to the talks...or enjoy the worship too)

The God Story (much abbreviated)

I had this long, elaborate post ready to put on the blog...all describing my journey up to this point...and how I've arrived at becoming Family Pastor of OLC. Then I realized I wrote a book. And I never read long posts, so why would I expect you to do the same? So I've cut out 42,617 details and shortened it to a few brief sentences.

Through God's Providence, moved to Cartersville in 2005.
-
Have been involved in ministry (mostly bivocational) for 13 years.
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A buddy from out of state emailed me b/c he ran across something online mentioning some guy named Michael who was going to plant a church.
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I met with Michael at Rafferty's the next day.
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Dana and I became part of the launch team. (Not THIS kind of launch.)
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At that time, our kids made up 1/2 the children's ministry!
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We've served and volunteered, mostly in the children's area.
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Over the past 6 months, God finally got my attention enough to show me why he put Dana and I together - to dedicate our lives in Ministry toward kids. (Only took 8 years of marriage to figure that out!)
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Never thought I'd have a strong desire to work with kids. Now, I can't get enough of it.
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I'm very very (as in very) EXCITED about leading this ministry.
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For the rest of the story, come see me at OLC on Sunday mornings.
(Be sure to arrive at 6am for setup.) :-)

Extras:
Plug for the ministry my wife is involved in. LINK
Spent 4.5 years in THIS city.
I think THIS is funny.

50 second break

Best "evil eye" I've ever seen.
LINK

Time to Journey

Michael announced on his blog today the news of me becoming OLC's Family Pastor. I figured I'd do the "pastoral thing" and put a pic of my family on here. (ha) In all seriousness, though, WE ARE BIG TIME EXCITED about this move...this journey...that God has called us to. Look for a post sometime this week telling the God story of how it has all come about.

p.s. I'm from the state of Alabama and proud of it. (Sorry Michael, you will have to get over that.)

A 5th Grader Preached at our Church Today

Another good day at the Leaf today. Another great time hanging in The City, K-5th. A very cool thing happened today. I was alerted to the fact that someone put a $100 bill in the offering. Out of curiosity (and yeah, I guess also to make sure it wasn't a mistake), we asked around. I found out it was a 5th grade boy, so I went and asked him about it. "Did your parents give it to you to put in?" I asked. "Nope," he replied, "I won $500 in a poetry contest so I decided to give one hundred of it today, to the church...it's my tithe."

Ummm....yeah....awesome, eh?! Convicted any?

It gets better: I spoke with his Mom when she came to pick him up and she says that she told him that he only had to give $50, a ten percent tithe. But she said his reply was, "Nah, I want to give a whole hundred."

It gets better: When he was telling me the story, he was really excited about winning the contest...and equally or more excited about immediately giving the money. He was a cheerful giver. (2 Cor 9:7)

So, yeah, my pastor's message was good this morning. In fact, it was really good. But it was tough to top the lesson the kids learned (we shared it with his small group)...and us adults who were blessed by the story.

Bottom Line: It's God's money. We can trust him. Give quickly. Give faithfully. Give cheerfully.

Drive Thru: OLC style

Our youth minister and youth intern have way too much time on their hands.

PROOF

(i loved it)

Passion '08 ATL - Intro

motivation for yard work

OK, if they can do THIS, I guess I can get out in my own yard and attempt to grow something.

Traditional Signage

It's been a while since I've mentioned church signs...so here's a unique story. Last weekend me and Fam were driving around Acworth area, heading over to Dallas, GA. We passed a church with multiple signs out front...and as I read each sign, I had different reactions. It went something like this:

Sign #1: "Traditional Service"
Hmmm...I thought...that's different. That really stands out. Obviously this area is full of intersections that have signs of new church plants, telling the masses of their new services. And obviously these new services are not traditional, by no means. So my first reaction was, "Good for them." They are letting people know that they're sticking with their traditional service...because that fits them...and if that's your cup of tea, cmon in.

Sign #2: "We sing old hymns"
Hey, still with ya. If you have a traditional service, it only makes sense that your worship style would be traditional as well. I was still on board. They obviously were making a statement b/c of the "invasion" of new church plants in their area...and they were letting everyone know what they were all about. I'm still game.

Sign #3: "We use the old Bible"
Ummm.....game over. You lost me bro. WHAT?!?! Ok, now your clever signs out front make sense to me. I guess you were just shooting for the ole MAKING A STATEMENT thing and not really inviting people, eh? Wow, just wow. I can understand it, though. One of the criticisms of new "modern" church starts is their "watering down" of Scripture, etc. And maybe rightfully so. I'm sure there's some that have done a poor job of teaching the Word properly. But from my experience with church planting...and having visited a lot of church plants...the exact opposite is true. Many are doing a phenomenal job of explaining Scripture and adhering to Biblical truth. Yeah, sure, the style and approach are different. And yeah, I also realize that this particular sign was probably referring to using the KJV. I'm just avoiding that debate all together. :-)

Some of My Favorite People

Know who some of my favorite people are? Wanna know just how highly I think of them? This particular group of people are winners. They think of others. They are kind and considerate. They should probably run for office. They are the backbone of America...making our nation what it is today.

The people group: Drivers who flash their lights at you, warning you of a speed trap ahead.

God Bless America. :-)

Royalty

Spoke with an older Nigerian man recently (very cool accent) who went on a 20 minute rant about the moral condition of America. He mainly centered his schpill around how children are often seen as a burden. Something he said stood out:
"Mr. Jonathan (remember, very cool accent), in my country...where I grew up...when a woman gave birth to her 10th child, she would be honored in her village. She would be royalty! She would be like a QUEEN."

Ok, ok, stop your laughing. I know, I know. Your Western mind is like mine. 10 kids, yeah right! Ha. But the point is still solid. Wow, how right on he was. Think about how far (away from goodness) we've come.

He continued to go on about his children, now grown, and just how special they were to him. Him and his wife "only had 4" and he wished that God had granted them many more. He also spoke of larger families that he knew and how God's Grace was sufficient.

While you may not be called to have tons of kids...or perhaps any kids...I strongly feel this is a healthy, Biblical mindset we should always maintain. And believe me, some days it's much harder to think this way amidst the chaos of preschool aged kids.

Unusual Challenge: Next time you see a large family, go up to them and bless them. Encourage them with your words. I can guarantee you they don't hear it that often.

Lucky 7

So, did you survive tax season? How'd ya do? Don't you just love our government?....so kind, so giving, so organized and responsible...ahhh, taxes,...so easy to figure out....smooth system....(HA!).

Well, just wanted to share with you that Dana and I had 7 things to report this year. 7 different jobs (Five W2's and Two 1099's). Yeah, I know, crazy eh? Three of them were really the same job for me, the company just went through acquisitions, etc. I just found it humorous every time I kept entering another job. "My goodness, we did that TOO?"

08 should be a bit more normal. Maybe we will only have 3-5 sources of income.
:-)

Weekend Recap

* Took the kids to get a haircut at a "cool kid haircut place". They had video games and toys and the kids sat in airplanes and fire engines while getting their hair cut. Good idea...but WAY pricey...won't be back.

* Almost went to PASSION 08. Had a late last minute ticket, for Saturday, but decided to hang with the Fam. I heard it was very very good. (I wanted to say awesome, but that's so 90's.)

* Taught a bunch of rug rats at church to never ever give up praying. To be persistent in prayer. Never Stop Praying! 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

* Hired a babysitter last night and went with Dana to Oak Leaf's first church in a bar service. It went great. Afterwards, Dana and I had an abbreviated date - went to Chili's for some chips and salsa.

* Woke up this morning wondering if it was April or November. Possible snow showers today in North Georgia. Yeah...go figure.

Perceived Value of School

Know how kids always start asking you a ton of questions as you are putting them to bed? The ole delay strategy. Well, it's used in the Sutton household every single evening. In particular, my 5 yr old Logan has become a Master at this.

His question is the EXACT SAME every night. He wants to know what tomorrow will bring, "Daddy, what are we doing tomorrow?" And 5 out of 7 nights my answer is exactly the same, "Logan, you are going to go to sleep and then tomorrow you are going to school." Usually the answer suffices.

The other night, however, Logan did something to throw me for a loop and send me in to a GREAT LAUGHING SPELL. After posing the routine question...and me giving my routine answer...he, as naturally and innocently as possible, exclaims, "But...but...but Daddy, I keep going going and going to school, all the time,...and my teacher, she keeps talking and talking and I do those same papers over and over...AND I ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING!"

I didn't even attempt to explain anything...I just smiled and laughed and told him I loved him and said goodnight.

Extra Credit: Yes, it made me think of THIS song.

Quote of the Day (as heard on talk radio)

Yeah yeah...I know, talk radio. Blah blah. But I do occasionally tune in. Heard a great quote the other day. The dude was talking about personal responsibility - for instance, those who took out a subprime loan should not whining and complaining that they are now in a situation where they face foreclosure and cannot afford what they originally signed up for. But he also talked about companies not always turning to the government to bail them out of their misfortunes and irresponsible decision making.

"We are becoming a nation of capitalists when we make a profit and socialists when we have a loss."

Miracles & Technology

A buddy of mine and his wife are expecting their first child. He shared this recent ultrasound with me. A couple of thoughts: 1. Technology is amazing....imagine what they will be able to do 10 years from now. 2. Birth is a huge miracle. 3. God is absolutely amazing.

I just need to convince him to raise her to follow Auburn. (Fat chance: He's a Bulldawg)

:-)

Help Indeed

I was thinking today about prayer...and how we often ask God to help a lot of people - "Lord, help Billy with his test today...help Aunt LuLu get better in the hospital...help me find a new job...help my neighbor's car...help my football team go undefeated this year....help help help...". It was during my own prayer, asking for help, that I stopped and just pondered what I was doing. Did I really mean it? It's such common language, prayer language that is. Had I really thought about what I'm asking God for? More importantly, do I fully realize what's happening in that moment? The exchange that's taking place?

And then there's the whole guy thing. We don't like to ask for help. We, indeed, like to show our independence...our lack of any aid...WE can handle this, I can do it. Yet, daily, we are called to approach the Creator of the Universe and lay down our controlling ways, becoming utterly dependant upon Him for every single thing. All rights given up.

Help. It's a big word. It's an important word. Do you mean it? Do you trust the Author who will give an answer?

Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. Psalm 5:2

Best Game Ever

Let's See What Happens

No clue what I'd like to blog about this morning, so I figured I'd just start typing. Saw a buddy from college over the weekend - him and his wife spent a few years as missionaries in the Philippines. I wanted to play disc golf in Huntsville this weekend, weather did not cooperate. Someone in our office just made a Starbucks run. I can't tell you what I'm drinking, it's a sissy drink. Didn't really watch the championship basketball game last night - bring on some football...Fall cannot come quick enough. North GA is being invaded by yellow pollen like nobody's business. You basically bathe in it when you step outside. Dana is doing a phenomenal job with KiDs Beach Club. Fall of 08 will be huge for this ministry. I have the best kids on planet earth. They are unique. I'm a lucky Dad. I also have this Heavenly Father that loves us like crazy mad. He's unconditional in his grace and kindness. Have you heard? His mercy is new every morning. The end of today's post. Later.

Update: Braves seem to have the same problem they've always had - closing pitching.

Emotions

Saturday's Quick Thought:

I'm very very very glad that life and following Christ is not based on emotion. Like it or not (I often don't like it), I'm an emotional person. That is both a blessing and a curse. And today, just randomly, I thought about how my feelings...or current mood or attitude...had zero to do with the grand scheme of things (His perfect & pleasing will). It was a good reminder - and a great time to THANK our Creator for basing things on Grace and not feelings.

So, let it rain this weekend. Let plans get changed. And yeah, bring on the "blah" feelings. God is in it all.

Rain Rain

Traveled in the rain today.
Arrived in North Alabama, in the rain.
Took the kids to see Nim's Island today, in the rain.
Felt like I was living in Seattle today.

Encouraging post, eh?

Bad Advertising

Driving to work this morning, I saw the 2 bumper stickers above on the same vehicle. I truly felt bad for this individual. Essentially, what they just communicated to me was this: "I'd love to be your realtor...but if I can't pick a good team, I doubt I can pick you a good home."

:-)

Sweet Home WHAT????

I'll never hear this song the same. Wow, just wow.

LINK

Pic of the Day, part 2

Point #1: I will never make fun of women's softball again.
Point #2: I will never stand in the batter's box if Brittany Day is on the mound.

Tuesday's Pic