Good Day

Today has been a good day.

• We had an awesome worship service this morning; God's presence was all around. We sang a couple of songs that I love: Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin and Here In Your Presence by Desperation Band. Both of them have a powerful message. Pastor Keith has been preaching on having a God centered life and it's been really good as well.
• My wife is the most amazing woman in the world. She didn't sleep very good last night and she still let me go play racket ball with Matty and Russell while she stayed home and watched James. I think I owe her a massage or something.
• While we're on the subject of racket ball, we won!
• I am a little disheartened by Texas' loss to Memphis. They definitely were not at the top of there game today. Nevertheless, they went farther than Arkansas or Oklahoma and that's what really matters. I would have liked to see them in at least the Final Four, but, oh well, there's always next year. TEXAS FOREVER!!!

Outdoor Bliss

So, the camping trip was amazing! The weather was perfect during the day, as well as, through the night. We had hotdogs for dinner over the open campfire and some amazing apple cobbler concoctions that Bryan made. After it got dark we had a little fun with Bryan's cool camara and took some pictures with extended exposures. That was fun!

However, I didn't sleep all that well because the ground was hard and I'm getting old. Not to mention, Boomer woke up every couple of hours and shook his head so that his ears made this kind of hellicoptor sound. Nevertheless, I finally did nessle into a groove in the ground and get a few hours of shut-eye.

The float on Thursday was no less than spectacular. The water was crystal clear, the bluffs were awesome testimonies to God's splendor. The only negative thing about the whole trip was that the water was nearly ice cold. That fact being known, I took the plunge anyway, but it didn't take me long to get back out. Boomer (my black lab) enjoyed the trip as well. He was in the water more than he was out. It was fun to watch him.

For anyone who is ever considering coming to the Ozarks to do see the beauty of God's creation, I would highly suggest coming to the Buffalo River Valley. It is simply GORGEOUS!!!

Break Time!

Well, it's Spring Break for Berryville and we will not be having a youth service this week. We have a unique set-up here at our church; when school's out, we're out. It's different I know, but it works for us.

Anyway, since it is Spring Break, Pastor told the staff to take a little time off and to only come into the office to get done what needed to be done; otherwise, we were to take a break too. I am actually in the office today getting some necessities done, but I am looking forward to going camping and floating tomorrow and Thursday with some friends down on the Buffalo River for some relaxation in the great outdoors if the weather cooperates. We're planning of floating by the tallest waterfall between the Rockies and the Appalachians. It's nearly 200 feet tall. I'll load some more pictures on Friday so you can see how beautiful the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas really are.

Boredom or Laziness?

I sit here at my computer on a Saturday afternoon bored out of my mind, while the truth is, I'm really just being lazy. It is a beautiful day in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and there's a light breeze out of the north just strong enough to put a little chill in the air. It's the kind of day you can really breathe deeply and be energized to your very core. Nevertheless, I sit here at my computer apathetic to my dilemma.
My mind says that I should go and do something productive and vigorous, but my body says, "There will be plenty of nice spring days for that. Besides, it's too late in the day to really do anything now. It will be getting dark soon. You don't have enough time. Just sit here and relax. You work to hard anyway."
Who do I listen to, my mind or my body?
So far, my body has been winning this little tug of war. I've had a few spurts of animation here and there all afternoon, but they have lasted only a moment and then it's back to vacillating between my minds desires and my bodies rebuttals.
Have you ever been there? It reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible.
"I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it, I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time." (Rom. 7:17-20 The Message)
I think this applies even in areas of our lives that are not necessarily bad. We know what we should do when it comes to health, relationships, finances, etc. But, most times knowing what we should do and actually doing it are two different things entirely. It is a constant contest.
Today, as dusk approaches, it appears to be that my body has won the debate and I have decided to just be lackadaisical in my activities. However, tomorrow is a new day, not to mention Easter Sunday, and in race that God has marked out for me, that is the day I'm too busy to be bored or lazy.
Have a blessed Easter everybody!

Denying the Obvious

(This is something I wrote in my journal a while back after a service at a youth camp in 2005.)

I caught myself tonight being so caught up in the rythm and energy of the songs that I forgot to truly worship. I asked myself, "What is in my heart? What words come from my mouth so that I may truly glorify God without using someone else's words?
Too often we let ourselves get swept away with the emotion of the moment that we forget the reason why we are where we are. Tonight's message talked about the Isrealite noise of celebration. Sometimes songs are great because they help us express ourselves in ways we wouldn't be able to otherwise, but at the expense of learning for ourselves how to truly talk to God. If all I ever did was sing love songs to my wife and never just expressed in my own words how I felt about her, what would happen? It would be cool for a while, but then it would just be noise. My most intimate moments are when I sit with her in my arms telling her how much I love her, how beautiful she is and how she makes me feel when we are close together, so close we can touch one another. Whispering in the silence, I tell her how much she means to me, how she completes me, we hear each other's heart beat. It's then she knows our love is stong and she feels secure.
So the question remains, are we in "pursuit of God" or is just an expression that sounds poetic. In reality we are just in pursuit of the emotional experience, "the shout." It must truly be an expression of our heart. God talked to Elijah not in the whirlwind, the earthquake or the fire, but in the sound of a low whisper. Are we allowing the noise to leave us so we can hear God's heartbeat and listen to his voice?

Change

(Originally written in April of 2006)
The word change is a powerful word. It means to become different, to alter, and to pass from one phase to another. Change doesnt occur overnight but its a process that takes place daily in our lives. When the disciples began to follow Christ they didnt know that their lives were going to be totally different by following him. For 3 ½ years they experienced change like never before. Men who once were timid and shy about their faith had become men of courage and boldness. For change to take place in a persons life there has to be a step of faith. The disciples left their comfortable, ordinary lives to follow Christ. They did not know where they were going or what the future had in store for them, but the end result was changed lives. There is an old quote that you have heard that says, If you keep doing the same thing youve always done youll keep getting the same thing youve always gotten. If you are tired of an ordinary life and you want to change then maybe Christ is calling you to "Rise Up." If you are ready to step out of the ordinary and into a changed life take a step of faith. In Psalm 20:7-8, it basicly says, "Some trust in their own stregth; but we put our trust in God. Those who trust in themselves will fall, but we who trust in the Lord will rise up and stand firm." Let's rise up together.

First Starting Out

So, my first few posts are things that I have written previously, but I thought they would be good to start out with so you can get an idea of who I am and where I am at in this journey of life. I wrote this one when I was moving to my first youth pastor position in Van, TX. Looking back, it is amazing what God has done. These thoughts can be put into anyone's journey through life. Hope you enjoy!
"Today I embarked on a journey, a journey for the rest of my life. Through years of growing physically, mentally and spiritually, I now take the course that my ship has been designed to sail. Crafted by God, captained by Jesus Christ, sails filled by the wind of the Holy Spirit, I set out away from my port of safety to a new home port filled with the mystery of the unknown. I ask myself a question, 'Will this new land be as a barren waste land needing much sewing before a plentiful harvest can be reaped or are the fields ripe and ready to be brought in?' Despite the answer I have faith in the ship, because I am a friend of the craftsman; I trust the course, because I have teamed up with the Captain; I have confidence in the sails, because have a connection to what fills them. TODAY, LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN!!!"
So that was seven years ago. The journey can still be a mystery at times, but I put my hope in God. "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in me will complete it..." (Phillipians 1:6)
Love you all!