Glad They Were There

7 days ago my church held an amazing community outreach event - the first annual Cartersville EGGDROP. It created quite a buzz around town because of the great success of the event...and the chaos of the event. In case you didn't hear - an estimated 5,000 people showed up. The church only planned for maybe 2,000. Overall, the day was perfect. Great weather, smiling kids, WONDERFUL volunteers, lots of eggs, live music,....the list goes on. The mishap was a miscommunication with the pilot of the helicopter - resulting in eggs being dumped on people (most people are laughing now). Also, 200 volunteers and limited security trying to manage over 5,000 people was crazy ridiculous.

The point of bringing up this "old story" (amazing how news becomes old quickly) is to shine a light on Oak Leaf's volunteers. During the drop, quite a few kids became separated from their parents. I was near the main stage, which quickly became "ground zero" for reconnecting kids with parents. As I think back to what seemed chaotic at the time, I realize just how GREAT all these crazy people in yellow shirts were. Nobody panicked (at least not on the outside too much). Everyone focused on securing kids and keeping everyone calm. They continued to do what they had been doing for hours - whatever was needed. They continued to serve.

I told Dana later that evening, "Thank goodness it was Oak Leaf's volunteers there during that time." What a tremendous job they did....doing eggactly what needed to be done. (I just had to work in my corny "eggactly".)

Bottom line: I'M GLAD THEY WERE THERE.

Odd Saturday

No ballgames going on...Dana doesn't have class...no going to work...SHOCKER - we have no obligations today! Just goofin' with the kids and attempting to rest (and getting over strep throat).

God of this City - Chris Tomlin

I love Healthcare in America

Ok, ok,.....so I just used the title to grab your attention. This is not a post to debate the current conditions of healthcare in America. It's a simple, brief, post to say I love my doctor. Homeboy hooked me up yesterday.

Here's a rough outline of my 45 second visit:

Doc, I think I have strep or a serious sinus infection.
Let me take a peek at your throat. Yep, it's red. I can swab it if you'd like but it won't change what I'm going to do...here's an antibiotic....also, last year when you had strep, I gave you a shot. Want one again?
Absolutely. That helped a ton.
Very good. Well, have a good weekend.
You too.

I wish all visits were that easy.

HOA

Question of the Day: Is there anything worse on planet earth than attending a Homeowner's Association Meeting?

Answer of the Day: Absolutely not.

how to spell jo(h)na(o)tha(o)n

THIS Jonathan told me about THIS Jonathan's post on how to correctly spell Jonathan. Finally, decades of frustration eloquently put into simple, yet firm, instruction and rebuke. Very nice.
Be sure to read the whole post...and check out the "See Also" at the bottom.

Going Old School

Today I felt like going Old School. Instead of cranking my morning off with TAKE IT ALL by Hillsong United, I instead found THIS masterpiece. This is my all-time favorite hymn. Powerful lyrics.

So, what is your favorite hymn?

Not So Non-Drowsy

Ahhh...allergy season, got to love it. I'm sitting here at my desk, working away...and the room---well, the room isn't exactly staying in place. Fair warning: Some allergy medications say "non-drowsy", but I think what they really mean is "not so non-drowsy" or "slightly drowsy" or "at least it won't knock you out."

I'm really relaxed.
What a beautiful day.
:-)

Interesting Raffle

A tad bit better than winning a smoked sausage gift package at the local fair, eh?
LINK

Hey Honey, Can I Get A Motorcycle Now?

LINK

mEsSeD uP helping the MeSsEd Up

Friday's Quick Word:

When I think about Oak Leaf's volunteers...or Elevation's volunteers...or essentially any ministry's volunteers - I think something is cool. Consider this: You have a couple hundred (thousand) people who work like crazy for a portable church - because they love Christ, want to introduce as many people to Him as possible, and have a passion for serving their community. And not to oversimplify it, but it boils down to messed up people helping messed up people. What? You don't think there are problems in a sea of volunteers? These ordinary people....folks with credit card bills, stresses from work, pasts that still haunt them, etc...have made themselves available for the Kingdom Agenda. What an amazing picture! Christ's transforming power, made alive in us. Ordinary people doing extra ordinary things. An army of crazy, sold out (to use a 90's Christian term) individuals who are not near perfect but are allowing God to reshape/remold/redefine their lives and then in turn, pour every ounce of themselves into someone in need.

Can't wait for tomorrow.

Extra Special? or Waste of Money? or Weird?

LINK

True-True-Very True

CNN is slanted to the left. True
Fox News is slanted to the right. True
Watching more than 3 minutes of either, I've determined, is a waste of time. Very True

Moes is one of the best fast food places in Cartersville. True
C'ville Chickfila has been one of the best for quite some time. True
The Burger King on Main Street ought to knock down the building and start over. (Have you been there lately?) Very True (said in the hope that management will get that place back in order...i like burger king.)

Republicans are praying hard core that neither Barack nor Hillary get in the White House. True
Therefore, they are stuck with McCain. True
Ultimately, this is what matters:
"The Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
"His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation."
Daniel Chapter 4 VERY TRUE!

These are just a few examples of the True-True-Very True game. If you feel brave, try your own in the comment section.

Then the kids came in

I saw a great thing the other night. I was checking email and doing some ministry stuff and work stuff...ok, so I was reading Auburn football articles, ya caught me. In the background I had Extreme Home Makeover on. Like American Idol, I don't watch the whole episode anymore. It's the same stuff. Same plot, same layout, I know what is coming. So I generally watch the beginning and the end.

This particular episode they were building a home for a pastor who had dedicated his life helping troubled teens. He was a "biker" pastor, big dude who lived in a mobile home. They, of course, built him and his family this HUGE, awesome home. As they walked through it, his response to everything was just so-so. He wasn't an extremely emotional guy, so his reaction to the new home and new appliances was just mediocre.

But something cool happened when they took him in the rec room. They built this great room, filled with a pool table, air hockey table, lounge area, etc. And again, like previous rooms, he just smiled and said, "Ok, ok, wow, good." But then they opened a door and all the kids that he had "adopted" poured in the room. All of a sudden, he seemed to be Santa Claus. All of a sudden, he seemed to have won the lottery. His excitement could not be contained. He smiled and shouted and picked em up and bear hugged everyone in site.

Interesting lesson there, eh? His joy was not complete until the kids came in. He wanted to share this new home with them. THEY were the reason for all that had been built. THEY were his passion. Here he had been shown new furniture and new appliances and a home that all of us would die to have....but he got most excited over the kids.

That'll preach.

Under-cooked equals Unhealthy

Quick Blog: 1/2 my office went to Shane's Rib Shack in Acworth today. They undercooked the chicken. Some worse than others. Not cool. (It thought is tasted a little "gooey".) We are all on stand-by....should know something within 12 to 24 hours. Praying nobody gets sick.

This was not intended to bash Shane's. Normally a good place that we eat quite often. But dude, cook your food...not that difficult.

Today's Pic

HERE is the story.
If only I was that cool. (Gee, wonder why I never got in to that stuff.)

No Waiting in Line

We did something important as a family this week. We divided up! (Thank goodness for great, willing family members to watch some kiddos.) When you have 4 kids, all 6 and under, you MUST occasionally separate em all and do your best to give individual time to each. I knew that it had paid off when I was wrestling with Braden this morning and 3 seconds in to our "1st round", he says, "Hey Dad! I don't have to take turns!"

He recognized and appreciated this individual attention. He knew I wouldn't be saying, "Hey Braden, watch out for the little ones." Free reign. Free to do his super duper flip floppin' high rope action belly buster karate chop DIVE into his Dad. And he could do it without interruption.

It's tough to find these individual moments. But I think it's vitally important. So today, for a few brief hours, there will be no waiting in line.

Auburn Football 2008 Trailer

PeeWee

So me and my oldest, Braden, took advantage of the warm weather yesterday and tossed the football for a while. He's been pushing Dana and I to let him play peewee football in the Fall. I've been a little reluctant....but after seeing his cannon of an arm - IT'S ON!

(This was slightly exaggerated...ok, a lot exaggerated...but he can seriously throw a much better spiral than me - and he's 6. Sorry grandmothers, time to strap the pads on the young lad and turn em loose.)

:-)

Coffee 101 Part Deux

Follow-up question: Who makes the best coffee maker? Any particular type of machine you would recommend?

Coffee 101

Ok, I need help. I'm becoming somewhat of a coffee drinker. But I aint goin' broke over it. (Sorry Starbucks, I have a mortgage and 4 kids.) So, here's what I need from you. What is the best store-bought coffee out there? What do you make at home that is just downright delicious? Or maybe it's not the coffee. What flavored creamer is best? I appreciate the help.

My New Favorite Pastor

THIS guy went on to graduate from Duke and planted a church in Knoxville, TN.

Tyler Hansbrough and the Church

Ok, 2 reasons for this post.

#1 - The number ONE ranked Tar Heels took down by Bluedevils last night. Yes, I said my Bluedevils. I've always been a closet Duke fan (zero connection to the school though). I think they have THE BEST student section in the country and arguably one of the best head coaches. So in a way, this post on Mr. Hansbrough is a congrats to his team...who controlled the game last night from the tipoff.

#2 - ESPN did a pregame piece on Tyler (affectionately called "Psycho T" by his teammates). In it, they answered the question, "Why is he so good?" And by the way, he IS good. In fact, he's one of my favorite collegiate players. And what ESPN said about him last night is precisely why he's one of my favorites.

a. He never takes a play off.
b. He seeks contact, yet still finishes.
c. "Will" exceeds "Skill".

When I saw that piece, I thought about churchplanting.

Never take a Sunday off. (No, I don't mean the staff. In fact, wisely, some churches demand that their staff take 1 Sunday off a month.) What it means for the church is EVERY Sunday matters. EVERY Sunday the church, the body of volunteers, will give everything they have. Why? There's too much on the line not to. Every Sunday someone visits for the first time. Often, you have 1 shot, and 1 shot only. Plus, it glorifies God to bring your very best each and every week. Worship Him with all ya got.

Be aggressive, Finish Strong. Tyler gets in the mix. He loves contact. Need proof? Check it out:

Last night against Duke, he would go up against 2-3 guys at once, and it looked as if he was just throwing up a prayer shot. But he wasn't. That was his specialty. He's like a tight end in football who loves to run over the smaller safeties and line backers. With ministry, don't be afraid to get in the mix. Hang out with lost people (gasp). Do it a lot. Do it more. Be aggressive. God did not give us a spirit of timidity. And finish strong. The ole "It's a Marathon, not a Sprint."

"Will" exceeds "Skill". Tyler out-hustles everyone, all the time. And then some more. He's not the most talented guy on the court. But he wins, and wins a lot, by his effort. A VERY IMPORTANT message for volunteers to hear is this: will does indeed exceed skill. Think God has ever used ordinary people to do extraordinary things? Uhhhhhh...try reading the whole Bible! It's full of misfit, uneducated, unskilled, untalented people who made themselves available for Kingdom work. And God used them. Christ transformed them into warriors.

So, as much as it pains me to say it....YES, we should be more like a UNC player.

(I'm now going to wash my mouth out with soap.)

:-)

Community Service

Dana is writing a speech for her class tomorrow night. (She's finishing her last semester of college. It's "only" taken 10 years...and of course she had 4 kids along the way.) It's a persuasive speech. She's chosen Community Service as her topic.

Here's a few good quotes:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but the one thing I know; the only ones among you who will really be happy are those who will have sought and found a way to serve.”
-Albert Schweitzer

“Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and verb agree to serve…You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

More Than You Know

Last Saturday, our 2 year old Camden decided to entertain the back half of a restaurant with some of his dance moves. Every eye was glued to this superstar. So much so, that we had an older guy approach us and give us a "this is what it's all about" speech....talking about his love for children and the importance of family.

Driving home from that experience made me think a little. Here we were in a typical stressful situation. Ever gone out to eat with 4 kids under the age of 6? Do you actually expect them to be quiet? And in the midst of that stress and just wanting to get our food and get out, one of our kids starts doing what he does best - BEING A KID. And in doing so, brings a ton of smiles and ton of laughter to ordinary strangers.

Here's the tie in for ya: For those in ministry or your career or in the service industry or whatever, be encouraged today. The tedious tasks of your weekly routine can be tiresome, I know. You may feel like you are spinning your wheels. For those in ministry, you may have hit a wall with trying to figure out why more people are not showing up...or why the community won't respond to your acts of service. But hang in. Hold on. Right in the middle of all the chaos, people are observing (more important, God is being honored) and you are blessing the socks off someone, whether you know it or not. Feel like you are managing 4 kids in a busy restaurant? Is it crazy yet? GOOD. Cause in the midst of that, your 2 year old is doing what God made him to do. It's making a difference - more than you know.

Expelled

THIS will be an interesting film.
When you find some time, watch the trailer and read some of the blog.

BBQ (the real kind)

Attention Georgia Residents:

Let's set the record straight. You have "ok" barbecue in this state. But compared to my homestate, Alabama, you are Jr. Varsity.

Now hold on a second...not trying to start a fight (ok, maybe a little)...just sayin' - seriously - bbq is way much better to the West. Different style. Different sauces. It's "wet" bbq over there.

Mmmmm. Good stuff. Sweet Home.

politics schmolitics

This time of year just cracks me up.

Listening to these schmoes on TV (especially the Dems), it appears the government is going to give me:

Free healthcare
Free college tuition
Free pay increase at my job
They are going to stick it to the rich, therefore making me feel better (Psst....look at the real numbers, EVERYONE'S taxes will go up)
Freedom from any problems, whatsoever

Man, how in the world do people fall for this?!?!?
Relying on the gov't to fix your problems...now there's a bright idea

For What It's Worth

Interesting numbers in the article:

"Survey: Americans switching faiths, dropping out"

Yep, already...

....talkin' FOOTBALL.

good article.

Moment To Shine

So I've told you I coach my 6 yr old and 4 yr old in basketball, who play on the same team. It's the Upward Basketball League at a local church here in town. Well, today we had a special moment. So allow me to brag and pretend to be interested.

Logan, our 4 yr old, had his day of glory. You see, Braden, our oldest, has been a good player. He's one of the tallest kids on the team and has some previous experience. He usually scores a couple points every game. Logan, on the other hand, is one of the shortest on the team and this is his first year. Generally, when Logan shoots, the ball either hits the front of the rim or just brushes the net.

But today...today was a great day. Logan was standing there making faces at people on the sideline, watching the other game on the other court, and daydreaming about the Capri Sun and Cheezits that awaited him after the game.....when all of a sudden he found himself with an offensive rebound and standing around the freethrow line. Realizing this was a golden opportunity for him, I yell, "Dribble and shoot buddy, dribble and shoot!" And in that moment, his eyes lit up...something internally starting clicking...a gun went off...and with bright eyes and a renewed focus, he tucked the ball like a running back (yes, he tucked the ball and ran...he did not dribble...most kids at this age struggle to dribble - funny stuff), he got just at the right spot and with all his might he managed to push the ball high enough to get over the front of the 7.5 ft rim and fall through the hoop.

I set aside my coaching role and became an ecstatic parent! (It was almost a miracle!) I went straight to him and gave him a high five. His face said it all. He realized just how BIG this was. He knew how hard he had tried SO MANY times to get that daggum ball in that goal. And now not only had he scored, but he scored IN THE GAME! Dana and I made a big deal about it for the rest of the day - telling grandparents and anyone who would listen. (But also telling Braden how proud we were of his 2 buckets.)

Now we are working on the slam dunk. Why not just skip all the fundamental stuff?
:-)

Tickle Me....WHAT?

LINK

Kinda funny, kinda not.
(Nah, really funny.)

Tip Drill

So we are in some new office space. Lots of it. What is now a huge open room will eventually be filled with cubicles. Until then, though, me and my co-workers enjoy random breaks tossing a soft football that I brought in from home (an Auburn football of course).

Waste of time? Absolutely not! We work hard, really hard. And we work smart. And we work long hours. And this sporadic football tossing has reminded me of the importance of taking a deep breath every once and awhile. Furthermore, I've realized that I GOT TO HAVE days where I "shut it off" for awhile. No emails, no phone calls - full devotion to what matters more --> the wife and kids.

p.s. I run a mean post route.

church softball prayer

I had a random flashback the other day. I thought about playing church softball...some of the fun we had...some of the tourneys we played in...those were good times. And I think back to the pre-game prayer. Since it was men's church softball, we would huddle with the other team around home plate and have a quick word of prayer before the game. It was always the same prayer: "Dear Lord, thank you for this beautiful day you've given us (even if a thunderstorm was approaching and they were about to call the game), thank you that we have all gathered at this place to play this game, I pray that you will keep us all safe and that we will honor you with our attitudes, AMEN."

Now before I go into my attempt at humor, hear me clearly - I think praying before anything is a good idea. And certainly praying that God would protect you from harm is always OK.

But this random thought I had was this: HOW FUNNY would it have been to huddle one evening and heard a prayer like this:

Dear Lord, please help us to crush the living daylights out of this team. We are bigger, faster, stronger, and have a lot more experience. We should destroy them. Lord, I thank you in advance for the victory you've already given us. Help us to lay claim to it. I pray for safety, but only for our team. If someone on their team gets hurt, I hope it's not too bad...but that would obviously help and give us a better advantage. Thank you for this beautiful day. The blue sky looks very similar to the blue sky that we played under the last time we destroyed this team. I pray we can once again experience the mercy rule - therefore ending this game early so I can go home and play Nintendo. (We didn't have Xbox360 back then.) I also pray for the umpires. They are smart, intelligent, dedicated, hard -working dudes (slip them each a $20 bill). Please light my bat on fire. I pray for 2 homeruns per teammate....well, except for Fred, who is 75 but still plays with us...I just pray he lives through another game. Also Lord, bless the concession stand food. AMEN.

Sorry, random I know. But that would have been funny.

Superhero

She might kill me for mentioning it, but it's worth the risk. My mother-in-law, Sandra, is a super hero. Late Monday afternoon, she saved someone's life - literally. I don't have all the details, but here's the skinny:

2 elementary aged boys are goofing off on Lake Lanier. Decide to float out to an island on some rickety flotation device.
(Keep in mind we are in the middle of February.)
Wind picks up.
They fall in.
She sees it, grabs her cell phone and runs down to the dock.
Grabs two life vests and plops herself on a raft.
Paddles out to where they are.
One is under water, turning blue.
Grabs him, manages to pull him up on the raft, and swims over to the shore.

According to paramedics, it was close. Too much more time in the frigid water and it would not have been a happy ending.

Everyone is OK. She's a superhero.

This very awesome event reminded me of how thankful I am for people like Sandra. I have parents and in-laws and brothers and extended family and in-town friends and out-of-town friends THAT ARE THERE FOR US, always. They have supported us along this crazy journey known as life - through multiple moves and four children within 8 years of marriage. And people like Sandra are so vitally important. They often serve quietly. You won't see them on a stage anywhere. But when they are needed most...when chaos strikes...when you need help - they are right there ready to spring in to action b/c they've been watching and caring the whole time.

Thank God that this particular event had a happy ending. Way to go mom-in-law!

(Does this get me any free babysitting? Can you come over Saturday night? Ha.)

Under New Management

I passed by a local shop recently that had the typical "Under New Management" sign displayed out front. A number of questions arose:

* How effective are those signs? Does it really help draw people in?
* I'm always very curious, what happened? A family dispute? Does cousin Vinny now own it?
* Besides new management, what have you done to improve your service/product? If it was a bad burger before, it will be a bad burger now...just a different person overseeing the crew. Probably more important than telling me there's a new Sheriff in town, tell me what has changed, what has improved?

After rattling those questions around the ole noggin, I then thought about how it would be a good title for a sermon series - maybe a stand alone message. As a follower of Christ, prior to trusting Him, I ran the show. I seemingly had good control over everything and thought calling all the shots was how it was supposed to be. Well, come to find out, you don't want to go down that path. Instead, both at the time of conversion and now a daily symbolic thing: we give over management; we hang the sign out front; we say to God, You're running the show now. I give up my title as manager.

Swings, Spuds, Mercy, and Hives

Quite the Saturday afternoon:

Me and the Fam checked out Kennesaw's largest (brand new) park: Swift-Cantrell Park - a massive awesome park with multiple playgrounds and some new, fun stuff to play on. Kids loved it.

Then we ate at McAlister's Deli. We rarely go to the local one here b/c it's not that close to the house. But going there tonight was a trip down memory lane. When we lived in Auburn, not a week went by that we didn't stop in for a sweet tea.

Ahhhh....the mercy part. Uh, yeah....do we have to cover this one? Hmmmm...ya sure? Ok, ok, ok. I'll keep it short: I ran a red light tonight. The cop that pulled me over showed mercy. (Actually, it was a combination of mercy and the fact that he had run out of citations and needed to refill.)

Braden ate something (possible a cookie) that contained peanut butter or something he's allergic to, and broke out in hives. Not cool.

Hardened

Business can harden you. Life can harden you.

I've noticed something that I don't like. (A little confession time here for ya.) Business can harden you...as it has me at times...to the point where you are not compassionate towards others. I don't think I'm alone in this. I think many people (especially guys) struggle with this. We are so driven in our work, and so desire to succeed and to accomplish our goals. And in the middle of our dealings with co-workers, managers, assistants, bosses, partners, etc, the drive towards success makes us forget that we are dealing with people. Here's what I'm getting at: You can be a nice guy, yet still have lost compassion for people. In the midst of leading people and pushing them towards your vision, you can forget to truly care about them. I've done it before...will probably do it again. I don't like it.

If you lose it with a co-worker, or if you vent about someone behind their back (once again, guilty)...it doesn't gel with the Holy Spirit. And as soon as you've done it, you have this overwhelming thought: What am I doing? I gave up all rights of revenge when I committed my life to Him. Jesus says to pray for those who would do you harm. I'm a goob.

So my challenge to myself and to others: BE COMPASSIONATE. Remember that God is full of kindness and grace...and mercy that endures forever. Be the same. Go beyond just being a nice co-worker - truly care about others and don't allow your work to harden you toward those that need to be blessed.

GA Idol

THIS dude from Buckhead can sing.
Good luck homey.

Got 22 Million?

If so, HERE is a sweet piece of property.