One Hundred

For the last three weeks, I have made some pretty major lifestyle changes. For one I'm eating healthy. To be more specific, I'm on a diet. Luckily for me I like healthy foods as much as unhealthy ones or at least almost as much. I do tend to "miss" certain things that I am currently not eating after a while. Usually this is where my weight loss fails to continue and generally the tide comes back in, bringing the fat with it.  So far I have lost fifteen pounds. This brings me to my second lifestyle change which is exercise. I get up at 4:45 AM every morning during the week and head to the gym. I have done this for a while in the past and after a while it has failed. Something is different this time. Something kicks me out of bed every morning. Something makes me say no to a cheeseburger and a milkshake. That something is inspiration and for me it comes in two sources. Certainly the biggest inspiration is our Father in Heaven to which I have prayed to give me strength and determination. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me. Philippians 4:12-13. So far he has answered my prayers and then some. The other source of inspiration is earthly. This post is a dedication to him.

Normally I don't mention anyone's real name for obvious reasons but in this case I am, because Tommy wants me to. He has reached a milestone that he's proud of and he should be. I'm proud of him. Tommy Keener has lost 100 pounds as of this morning. I asked him how long it took and coincidently it is the same as my goal: One Hundred pounds in two years. His favorite answer when people ask him how he did it is "I don't eat so much" and as true as that may be the fact is he has worked his butt off for two years, literally. I saw him work like an animal today to get that last and final pound. Obviously the closer you get to the goal, the harder it gets. You have to keep pushing yourself. I'm up for that now. Tommy was about the same size as me when he started. Today, as Tommy would say, "not so much".

This morning Tommy Keener, the tall slender fellow he has become, is probably walking around eating a donut calling everyone "chubby" or "biggun". He has earned the right to do so if you ask me. Good job Tommy and God bless!

Rats, Desperation, Dawgs, and Dog Tired

Man have I been busy. There have been a LOT of subjects for me to write about, so I'll try to get a few into one entry here. I'll go in order with the title:

• Rats. I have lived in my house since 1995 and have never had a rat until recently. I started seeing him a couple of weeks before Christmas. I have been trying to catch and/or terminate the rodent ever since. I immediately waged was on two fronts: "Bait and destroy" and "Ambush the Path". "Bait and Destroy" is simply a large traditional spring trigger rat trap baited with peanut butter placed where the rat would go but my kids and dog would not. It didn't work well for every morning the trap was sprung and the peanut butter licked clean. I think maybe my dog was going where it shouldn't. "Ambush the Path" is  a couple of those HUGE sticky mats that you put on the floor and when the rat steps on them they are stuck. I placed them behind furniture and in a storage closet by the hot water heater where I had seen some rat turds. They sat there for weeks before I caught anything and when I finally did I walked in to find our dog, a Shih Tzu, with all four feet stuck laying on her side whimpering. It was not easy removing the trap from the dog. Finally this week I was able to pinpoint the location of the beast's entry into the house. I then took the Spring trap, baited it and closed the door to the kitchen area just enough for the rat to get through. On the kitchen side of the door I placed the baited trap so that the little monster had to step on the trap to gain entry. The next morning I had success. It was a combination of "Bait and Ambush" that did the trick. It took me over a month to out smart a rat. The trap put the vermin out of my misery and I felt like the great white hunter. In case you're wondering, I am NOT talking about mice. I am talking about a 12-14 inch long RATS, tail and all. If they were any bigger I would be catching Possums.  The next day however my wife discovered that the rat had an older brother. This morning I slayed him as well. It was not a possum but it is getting close. We will see what happens tonight for I am now a rat killing machine.
• Desperation. In my 43 years, I don't ever remember devastation like we are seeing in Haiti. My heart breaks for these people. There is pain and anguish on so many faces. There are so many orphans. There so much chaos that even the billions of dollars of aid cannot be distributed fast enough. God please give them strength.
• Dawgs. We got a new Defensive Coordinator and a Defensive Backs coach. It will change UGA to a 3-4 defense as opposed to a 4-3. Very physical and it will bring the heat. I am happy with both hires and I can't wait for Labor Day Weekend. Go Dawgs!
• Dog Tired. I have been getting up at 4:45 every morning to go to the gym and I have been working HARD!. In addition, much of my spare time has been spent volunteering at the church. With so much activity, my body is slow to adjust to the change. God has given me the strength to do it all so far. If it was all up to me it wouldn't be happening.

In closing, I have been busy and now you know why. To all you Dawg fans that might read my BLOG, I want to make a recommendation for some good reading. This comes from a writer that blows away everything we get from the sports columnists at AJC(Atlanta journal Constitution). To make it sweeter, it is written by a lady that knows more about football that most of us fellows. She is ALWAYS on top of the UGA football scene. I don't know how she does it. Here is her blog: theladysportswriter

That's all Folks - God bless

Save the last dance for "T"

Youth is where we learn so many lessons in life. Betrayal, humility, regret and remorse are among a few. I am reminded of a homecoming dance in high school that took place at a school across town.

My buddy, "D" we will call him, had it bad for a girl, "SC" we will call her. She went to the cross town school and she had an "on again-off again" boy friend, in which she was going to the dance with. D had been stirring things up pretty good for the couple and they were on the edge for sure. D had to get to that dance and would stop at nothing to make it happen.

D was a fun guy to be around because he was always getting into something over his head. I simply couldn't resist hanging out just for the pure entertainment value. You also never new what was on his agenda because he was a snake in every sense of the word. If Eddie Haskel from "Leave it to Beaver" was reborn, he would pierce his ear and call himself D. There happened to be a girl, "T" we will call her, that was quite smitten with D and he very much knew it. She was an awesome girl, pretty as can be and much too good for the likes of D. A Volunteer at the local retirement home and the 4th Annual Farm City Festival Queen, she was a sweetie some might say. Still, the girl can't resist the bad boy can they? Nevertheless, she asked D to the dance and he didn't hesitate to accept because he certainly had nothing to lose.

Shortly into the dance, SC and her boyfriend have the usual fight and he storms off with buddies to try to score some beer. Obviously, he too was also a bad boy. D didn't waste a second to swarm all over SC to console her, all the while leaving T sobbing by the punch bowl. D was certainly a jerk and even I was amazed when he left the dance with SC, after bringing T all that way.

There was a nice fellow named "P" at the dance that was about as sharp as a bowling ball, but a big physical freak. P reminded me of "Moose" from the "Archie" comics, a certified knuckle dragger but good as gold. When he saw T crying by the punch bowl he went to see if she was OK. When she told him what D had done, P was all over him, quite literally. To make a long story short, D got what he had coming and T came out OK in the end. I didn't actually see the massacre but I was told that besides a broken forearm, D had two broken ribs, a concussion and a fractured jaw. Bystanders said T broke the ribs herself with a swift kick to the gut. I didn't particularly care for T myself because she was from the wrong side of the tracks. Plus I knew she wasn't very bright for pursuing D in such a way to begin with. D, the poor son of a gun, just didn't know any better.

T was very popular gal and learned a good lesson that night as did D. I hear she ended up marrying a doctor shortly after she graduated from college. D is somewhat of a celebrity himself. You can see his picture on the Georgia Department of Corrections website. From my understanding he was a purse snatcher with an addiction to prescription pain killers. Ironically P is a corrections officer at the same facility. Life is funny huh??

So, Lane Kiffen has just left Tennessee by the punchbowl and hauled ass to Hollywood with USC. I can't wait until P catches up to him. Karma is a wonderful thing.

I am certainly no Tennessee fan. However, I am an  SEC fan and have said Kiffin was an imbecile all along. So to my SEC friends to the north, you are better off without him and I wish you a speedy recovery. By the way I think D is a Tennessee fan. The last time I saw him he was wearing orange!.....Go Dawgs!!!!

A Lesson in Judgement, Humility, and the Love of Christ

Here is yet another reason that ANYONE is welcome at Rock Bridge Community Church. I can admit that if they will open the doors to the likes of me and change my life, then anyone else is welcome too. We strive to be Christ like. Let me repeat a sentence with one simple change that holds all the truth. I can admit that if He (God) will open the doors to the likes of me and change my life, then anyone else is welcome too. No one is too "bad" to give their life to Christ. There is none too evil. The book of Luke is abundant with examples of Christ reaching out to those who were self condemned or condemned by others. If you open your heart to hear what the word of God is telling us, it's as clear as a bell. Here is yet another example:

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman  ( LUKE 7:36)

      One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. ³⁷ When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. ³⁸ Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
   ³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
   ⁴⁰ Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”
   “Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.
   ⁴¹ Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver^[i] to one and 50 pieces to the other. ⁴² But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”
   ⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”
   “That’s right,” Jesus said. ⁴⁴ Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.
   ⁴⁷ “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” ⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
   ⁴⁹ The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”
   ⁵⁰ And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Nuff said!

The Grout, the Cheesecake and the Nose Goblin.

< WARNING - some graphic content is not suitable for some readers >

So it has been a while since I posted, which means for the most part that I have been busy with a mix of Holiday Cheer. Today, without getting very fancy, I will catch you up on some of the noteworthy things that have transpired over the last few weeks:

• For three plus weeks, my wife and I, along with some help of some awesome friends, have remodeled our kitchen. It looks fantastic and we are loving it. It was a small narrow kitchen complete with 1978 compress board counter tops and drawers that worked as well as a derailed train. We replaced the counter tops and tiled new ones in and did a great deal of carpentry and painting. We put down a temporary floor that will do until we tile the kitchen and dining area this spring. It was a lot of work and my body still has not recovered.
• Christmas came and went. It was very nice this year as my ultra cool mother-in-law and good buddy Ethan came up a spend the holiday with us.The kids racked up and Alisha and I got an awesome kitchen. ( I also got some great XBOX 360 games.) We had a dinner party with great friends to break in the new kitchen on Christmas day.
• The week between the holidays, I had a very minor surgery on a toe.( I almost passed out and vomited during the procedure - what's up with that?) The rest of the week I volunteered with decorating the new ministry building at Rock Bridge Community Church.
• During a recent message at church, the pastor made a statement that he rarely sees things that people do that astonish him yet the work of God astonishes him on a regular basis. I tend to agree. Until the following Monday as my daughter and I are pulling into the parking lot at our local Hobby Lobby. ( yes we are the artsy fartsy kind of folk.) As we pull in to park, the car directly in front of us had a fellow in the passenger seat that did not seem to notice us pulling in, as his pinky finger was submerged into his right nostril to the hilt. I said to my oldest daughter who was in my passenger seat "Look at this guy picking his nose." No sooner did she look up, when he pulled out a keeper and proceeded to dine on it. Yes, this grown man of about 45-50 years old, ate a booger in broad daylight in front of all who witnessed. Needless to say, I was astonished!
• My good friend and Pastor G (Gus that is) went to New York between the holidays and when he returned brought back some cheese cake for those who put in special requests. Now this is authentic "Cheesecake de New Yorke" and is to die for. It was also my first time tasting this heaven in a box. The problem is that I got it on Sunday afternoon after church and after lunch. The following Monday(today), I am committed to starting a diet and making some real changes in my lifestyle. Yesterday was certainly not today and I attempted to eat the whole cheesecake before bed time. I managed to get down two thirds in about 6 hours in an act of pure gluttony. I didn't want such a fantastic desert to go to waste and no one else in the house yesterday liked cheesecake. I hope my oldest daughter will finish it off today. Nevertheless, when I woke this morning, my esophagus felt like it was still packed with cheesecake and it was all I could do to not vomit. I am so glad I didn't think about booger man.
  
• The Dawgs whipped the Aggies in the "toilet bowl" and showed us that we are indeed better off without Willie Martinez because we had our best defensive game of the season. I see promise for the 2010 season and I have high expectations. As of now, the SEC is break even in bowl wins/losses. I would love to see the Tide roll all over the Longhorns.

That's what's been going on for the last few weeks. Starting any day now, we will begin setting up Rock Bridge Community Church in Chatsworth, Georgia. There's lots of work to be done and I am stoked to get things going! Happy new year folks!! To all a fantastic 2010!

Forever Blue

Tonight the Northside Eagles of Warner Robins, Georgia play in the state championship for the fourth time in 5 years. It doesn't seem that long ago that I put on the pads for that team and suited up for the greatest sport on earth. Actually it's been a while and it is disgusting how old I feel when I put things in perspective.

Not only am I old enough to have a child on that field but I am old enough too have one in college. When my father was my age, I was in my 4th year of college. My oldest child is 14 and my youngest 2 with my middle child 10.  I still have a way to go raising my family but everything is happening too fast. My kids are growing up too fast. Yet, the past doesn't seem that far away.

I can still smell the fresh mowed grass on the practice field at Northside. I can feel the burn of the sweltering heat and humidity that would make me stagger like a drunk when it got near unbearable. I can remember the stench in the varsity dressing room where sweaty pads and equipment hung, I remember when the first cool weather of fall was welcomed on the field as it rejuvenated an otherwise tired and drained bunch of young men. I remember feeling like superman on a Friday night, tearing through a defensive line to clear the way for yardage to be made. I remember the animal rage that built up inside and how great it felt to unleash it upon the opponent. I remember the drums of the band roaring like thunder in cadence. Very rarely did we taste defeat and when we did it was as bitter as anything I've ever swallowed. I remember gathering on cold Saturday mornings after the game to stretch out soreness we had from the night before and evaluate any injuries sustained during the game. Those memories will always seem like just yesterday. God bless the young men who suit up tonight to rage war for the top prize. For those of you that will play in your last game, may this always seem like just yesterday for you as well,  for the grass on the practice field always smells fresh cut.

Go Big Blue!

People Suck......God Loves Us Anyway.

I was saved way back in high school. However, I didn't know how to be a Christian and probably had some misconception of what a Christian is. Although I accepted Christ as my savior I still wandered lost in a world of sin with no repentance.

In my second year of college I was baptized. Still, I had no true direction other than I needed Jesus in my life. I continued to wander lost in a world of sin with no intentions to repent. Shortly after this my life went into a tailspin of sin as I feel I had become the pure embodiment of hell on earth. I tore others apart in my sinful rampage. Not only was I not a good Christian but I wasn't even a good person. I had pushed Jesus back into a small corner of my heart and tried to forget he was there. Still, He burned on in my heart like a pilot light flickering in an unused furnace, waiting to be turned on. There was no love in my life and certainly none in my heart. At least that is what I thought.

Eventually I finished college and lived through the carnage that had become my life. I eventually focused on career and met the lady that is the love of my life and luckily for me, became my wife. We started a family and the furnace was turned on so love could burn in my heart, warming the walls of what had been a cold void. We found a church for us to go to with our first child. I was trying to be a Christian or at least what I thought one should be. The church politics became heated and festered resentment in my heart for the church and the people in it. Church is no place for politics I thought. How dare these people taint the house of God with greed, thirst for power, and the fear of the unknown. I quit going to church and started to resent everything the "church" represented or at least what I thought it represented.

As I look back now I can easily see what went wrong. Jesus never turned his back on me. People with good intentions however, failed me three times. First when I was saved but given no direction. Second when I was Baptized but not guided. Third when I turned to the church and only saw people. Unfortunately people suck. Even in the very house of God where love should spread like wildfire, the sins of people do exist. Our imperfections as such will not change and only by the love of God do we have any salvation. Without the love of God we are hopeless. That thought is what made me realize that I was as hopeless as the politics within the church. People are going to make regretful mistakes. They are going to make them in dirty alleys and they are going to make them in the house of God. Still, He loves us. He forgives us. We too often forget that we have the ability to Love and Forgive as well.

Colosians 3:12-14

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Of all places where people should have love, compassion, and forgiveness for each other, the church should be first. An outsider looking in should be able to see the love of God at work. It should be at work within the hearts of people as imperfect as we are. For the love of God is the only perfect thing we have. What a sin to take that for granted.

Heart

This has been a season of disappointment for any Georgia Bulldog fan. As most expected a building year, it still was hard to accept some of the losses and the fashion in which they were lost. Moreover it was hard to swallow that we lost to some of the teams we fell to. It was a year of inconsistent play, turnovers, penalties and a general lack of discipline and concentration. Most of all we lacked heart. As I mentioned in earlier posts, we have had problems coming back from a negative momentum change. That is a momentum change that favors the opposing team. However, something happened of November 28, 2009 in the last game of the regular season. The Bulldogs found heart and it was a beautiful thing.

Our offense played hard nosed football and ran the ball all night long, punching the highly favored Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets right in the mouth. When GT punched us back we kept on getting after them. I can't remember a Georgia offense that passed fewer times in a game, including when Herschel Walker was plowing through defenses. We had two running backs get over 100 yards rushing in what would be the most rushing yards in a game since Richt has been at the helm. They were running as if possessed. Possessed indeed by a heart bigger than we have carried all season.

The defense, although still not as physical as I have come to expect of a Georgia team, did what it took to hold off GT just enough for us to prevail. Not enough, I would say, to save Willie Martinez's job but enough to pull out our biggest win of the season, against a very good Georgia Tech.

This was also sweet vengeance for in 2008 GT beat a better Georgia team. Last year GT beat us with heart. This year our heart was bigger.

Work with heart, play with heart, love with heart, for through man's heart the Lord will do amazing things. Go Dawgs!

Thanksgiving: Recipe for a Sweet and Sour Heart.

The year is really flying by. Thanksgiving is upon us and my head is swimming in an emotional batter of salt and sugar. Let me get the salt out so I can get to the sweet stuff.

Normally I go "home" to Dublin, Georgia for Thanksgiving. I always look forward to eating with family and spending time with loved ones I simply don't get to see very often. I'm right in the middle of remodeling our kitchen. It's a Christmas gift my wife and I are giving each other. We want it done by Christmas and I have a lot to do. For that reason, I won't be making my yearly trek to Dublin for turkey. It saddens me on many levels but particularly because my family needs me there and in many ways I need them as well. Last Thanksgiving night 2008, my father was admitted to the hospital from which he would not return as he ended his battle with lung cancer. In some ways I feel relief that I don't have to face that but for the most part I feel guilt for not being there for my family in Dublin. My Mom, Sister, Step-father, Grandmother, Aunt, Cousins and more will be there with this heavy on their heart. It will be heavy on mine as well.

In addition to that I will miss out on the fellowship of hunting and/or fishing that I might have done while visiting. This will be the second year missing out on this because as my father was sick last year, there was certainly no opportunity for the things we loved to do together. I also don't look forward to back breaking labor to get the kitchen done. So there's the salt, bitter as it is.

Let us get on to the sweet stuff. Let me tell you of all I am thankful for:

• First off, although I won't be in Dublin for my family, I am thankful they will all be together and have each other. I am thankful that with today's technology, I can call them throughout the holiday and tell them I love them.
• I'm thankful that after years of suffering in a poorly designed kitchen that I have taken the steps to ending that misery.
• I am thankful that I don't have to drive in holiday traffic through Atlanta.........twice.
• I am thankful for our friends from church that are inviting us into their home for Thanksgiving dinner as our kitchen is in shambles. Cracker Barrel would have been fine but the family atmosphere is certainly welcomed this year.
• I am thankful that my parents are who they are so that I became who I am.
• I am thankful for the most awesome wife and kids a guy could have.
• I'm thankful that this miserable Georgia Bulldog season is almost over.
• I am thankful that my father is with my heavenly father.
• I am thankful that one day I will be too.

No doubt it will be a bitter sweet holiday. I really look forward to Christmas so I can see everyone. It will be all sugar for sure.

Could we get a couple pounds of Pollack please?

I'm watching the Georgia/Kentucky game as I write this. Georgia looked like it could do whatever it wanted in the first half. I felt good about the potential future of the team. Then there was a little momentum change to start the second half and I realized that we don't know how to get that back.

We panic, we make stupid mistakes and we choke. What does it take to gain back momentum?  I'll tell you that it takes spirit, heart, and focus. All of this we lack on this Georgia team I love.....We are now fighting to prevent a loss as we are behind. Bobo calls predictable plays and Joe Cox has a crappy grin on his face when things don't work out. Three turnovers and more penalties. Two minutes are left and it doesn't look good.

We need heart. We need the likeness of Pollack on the defense. We need the focus and determination of David Green. Grinding it out and trying to get better isn't working. We stink.

Kool-Aid Part 2: Fire and Ice.

Ok, I'll try to make this short. It shouldn't be a problem because there isn't that much to say.

In Kool-Aid Part 1 I spoke of how I didn't really care for the production and fabrication of energy and excitement where it just didn't feel genuine. Be on fire for Jesus yes, but don't try to motivate or move me with something that isn't pouring out from your heart. This wasn't a problem at the second church we visited. In fact for a while there I wasn't sure if there was a pulse.

As we left the service from the second church we visited and piled into the van to depart, our pastor looked around the van as to say .....well?? What did you think?" I, as I am usually glad to give my opinion, stated that I learned a few things: " Ben Stein could probably give a sermon if that guy can." In addition, the best ideas or tips we took away from the visit was how not to make people feel welcomed, and on a positive note we learned that it is very important to get good casters (wheels) to put on the bottom of your carts, buggies and other equipment transporting devices used in a portable church set-up.

It was as if someone heard me say "turn that crap down" from the visit before and took that to mean turn everything down. This is a very successful church we visited. If they can have that kind of success with that kind of effort, then I am REAL exited about what we can do at Rockbridge Chatsworth when we launch.

So, We've sampled the porridge that's too hot. We've taken a sip from the bowl that's too cold. Now I'm ready for little bears' grub that's just right. I think little bear's going to eat in Chatsworth, Georgia and we're cooking dinner.

I never thought I would say this, but I am excited about being a portable church!
 
Afterthought: I should always be clear that as my BLOG is titled, these are my thoughts, and my feelings and they don't necessarily reflect the thoughts, vision and feelings of my church as a collective. In addition , although I speak negatively of these other churches, let me be clear in saying they are both doing an incredible job of sharing Jesus and saving souls. They are obviously doing a lot of things right. God Bless.

Deep Roots

The other day as I was reading the Bible I came across the following in Ephesians Chapter 6:

Slaves and Masters

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As Slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slave or free.

Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don't threaten them; remember you both have the same master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

There is so much In this passage that means so much on so many levels. First and formost it says we are all equal in Gods eyes. But what does it say about slavery. I found myself asking, "Does God condone slavery?" I had to find out more about what exactly this all means and the short answer is yes, and no. I will elaborate on what I discovered.

Slavery in the time of Jesus was much different than it is today. Slavery exist still in our modern world, masked by the evil of mankind. We in the U.S.A., are fortunate enough to say it is rare if not non-existent here. However, in third world countries across the globe it still happens and it isn't pretty. Millions of people in the world are in slavery through forced labor, sex trade, minions of drug lords, etc. Most of the time in America when we talk about slavery we think about the abduction and slavery of Africans as we founded this nation. It was wrong and we still suffer for those sins through racism and cultural segregation of our own doings. When I say "our own" I'm not talking about whites, I'm talking about people. However, that's another subject in itself. Slavery today is wrong, it's immoral, and it isn't Christ like because through the years mankind has made it something it used to not be.  The slavery of a race or a people is wrong now, just as it was when the Hebrews were enslaved in Egypt. This isn't the slavery Paul spoke of in his letters. And it isn't slavery as seen by God's plan.

Slavery at a time was a voluntary means of living a better life. Folks starving in debt, might sell themselves willingly to slavery to pay off debt and to ensure that they are taken care of, for their labor in return. It wasn't really any different that being employed if Gods plan and intent is followed. Let me repeat the above again "Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don't threaten them; remember you both have the same master in heaven, and he has no favorites."

Men, as we always have, took slavery as it was then and meant to be, and through greed and hatred made it something bad. It's hard for me to even write this because today slavery is such an ugly word of disgust. But it wasn't God's intent. Does God condone slavery?  As defined by God I would say yes. As defines by us I would say absolutely not. What do you think?

Who's Drinking the Kool-Aid?

This past weekend my wife and I visited a very large, very successful church in another state. We went with leadership from our own church and our purpose was to observe things they do well, that we might adopt as we move forward in launching a satellite church in our home town. The impressive aspect of what they did, was in the fact that they set up and break down church in a local high school auditorium with the help of MANY volunteers.

As I have mentioned in past BLOGS, I am extremely happy with my church, its philosophy, and the atmosphere we create. However we realize that to keep folks on fire for the Lord, you have to shake things up, you have to take advantages of opportunities to improve and you have to be willing to fail. The church we visited this past weekend ( I won't mention the name or location because they are doing wonderful things and I don't want to place ANY negative impression on what they are doing.) is very similar to our own church in many ways, non traditional with modern Christian music rather than hymns. The Pastor is very young, very energetic and without a doubt he is bringing people to the Lord. They have grown from nil to more than 4000 members in just over 3 years. WOW!!

Here is some of what they do well:

• Technology - Incredible electronics for visual and sound systems.
• With that technology, an incredibly talented group of musicians leading the worship.
• Volunteers.Hundreds of them make it happen EVERY Sunday. The people ARE the church.
• Production: They create a great experience for first timers with greeters everywhere. They put on a show for sure.

That brings me to what I think they either didn't do well or didn't feel good to me and understand I am talking about me which may not be that significant. Here's what I didn't love:

• The music was AWESOME,  original and WAY TOO LOUD!!! I could feel the base from the drums vibrating my shirt. In case you thinking I'm just being an old fuddy duddy, I went to see KISS in concert a few weeks ago and they were not as loud as this church. My ears were hurting and I don't recall being offered ear plugs as I walked in. How could I take my 80 year old Grannie to this?
• Energy overkill - When you watch infomercials you often see the pitch men get so exited that you know any second they are going to pee themselves. The excitement and the energy is fabricated because nobody goes ape crap for a juicer. There is a HUGE difference between Jesus and a juicer and I realize Jesus is certainly something to get exited about.  However, do I believe you are that excited? I kind of got that same feeling of fabricated excitement from the pastor and the guest speaker/preacher as well.  They were certainly not unlike Rock-star preachers and I was almost giggled at the stench of egos. I am all for some getting fired up for Jesus. I love it. However, I have a strong sense of genuine and I simply felt more ego than love.
• There was also some methodology in which volunteers were obtained that seemed a bit militant. I won't go into any detail here but I got the feeling that if a fellow is strattlin the fence for too long that the leadership will just push them off the fence, outside the pasture and wish them well.

The one thing I can't deny here is that the formula from which they are using is working and the locals are certainly "drinking the kool-aid". I don't mean that in a bad way because after all we all end up drinking the kool-aid when we start serving Jesus. If I could sum my experience in a short thought, it would be this: It didn't seem to have something for everyone and it didn't feel sincerely genuine.

I like the flavor of the Kool-Aid at my Rockbridge Community Church. Less ego, fewer rock stars, more love for Jesus and each other. Thank you Jesus for placing me here. Cheers!

Finding Time For My Savior.......and me!

I don't think I have ever been busier that I am right now in my life. With three kids ranging from two to fourteen and a reborn life in serving Christ I am a busy man and my lovely wife, a busy woman. Tired yes but probably not any more so than we have been in the past. Ironically, in serving Christ, I do have less "free time" and this has made it difficult to find time to spend praying, talking to Jesus, and reading the Bible. In addition I find myself never doing the things I love and need.

Let me tell you about what I love and miss and how it can fit perfectly if I let it, as well as tell you what I need in life.

I love to:

• fish
• hunt
• golf

In my life I need to:

• exercise
• pray
• relax
• read the Bible
  

Let's see how well those marry up starting with fishing. I have the boat and all the gear and right now is the perfect time to go after some slab crappie. I haven't been going because I've been watching college football on the television (which I also enjoy) and looking after my two year old while my wife does various things with the girls (my two oldest children). I could however make plans on a couple Saturdays a month to do so or even a quick trip to the local lake after church on Sunday. Fishing is peaceful, relaxing, and is an awesome time to pray and talk to Jesus. That works well and addresses several needs.

Now for hunting, This one is difficult for me lately for several reasons. One is that I don't have a great place to hunt anymore other than public land. I am spoiled in growing up in middle Georgia and miss the easy access hunting there. I was on a hunting lease but as the economic downturn of the country is upon us, it is simply not affordable to go south often enough to justify the cost of a hunting lease. Fuel is simply too expensive. But I can hunt locally and it would be enjoyable. That activity would provide exercise. (walking up a mountain carrying a gun, a blind, a backpack and a chair is darn good exercise for a big boy like me.) It is also an incredible opportunity to not only relax but to talk to God in prayer and connect with nature. I don't know if there is anytime better to pray than sitting in the woods quietly. It is awesome. Once again a pretty good marriage for my wants and needs.

What about Golf?? I don't know that golf accomplished as much, other that some well needed exercise that I desperately need. Unless you play alone(which isn't likely) it doesn't offer much as far as the opportunity to pray and spend time with Jesus. Further, I'm a pretty bad golfer so there is an increased chance that unsavory words might flow freely from my lips. Then again, I haven't played golf since rededicating my life to Christ. Maybe golf is something I should do with my daughter who has shown interest. That way I spend quality time with her and Jesus. Now there is an awesome opportunity!

Let's try to summarize my true needs in exercise, prayer, relaxation and reading the Bible. I have covered them pretty well in the loves I have above in some very good activity combinations. However, these are one day a week solutions to my true needs at best. I need more of all of these in my life on a daily basis. My thoughts are that walking is my overall solution. It gives me my exercise, and opportunity to pray and the after effect would surely result in some true relaxation. The only thing keeping me from this seems to be energy and motivation. I'll start by praying for this. A regular walk with Jesus will be a life blessing in so many ways. Somehow this solution seems so simple yet so difficult. Sacrifices will have to be made but the payout is surely worth it. Last but least, I need to read the Bible. I think I have a solution to that as well. I'm going to get myself a nice compact Bible to keep in my office at work. I'm going to start eating self prepared healthier choices in my office and spend that time reading the Bible as I enjoy lunch. Can it really all be this simple? I think it may!! OK so I have a plan. Let's see how well I execute.

It's time for us to get fed up and put our foot down!

Today I read and article on AJC.com where a Home Depot employee was terminated for wearing a pin on his work vest that said "One nation under God, Indivisible" with a US flag background. It was said that it was because that it didn't conform to dress codes and they offered to give him a pin instead that read "United We Stand". He was asked to remove his pin and he refused. I applaud him for doing so. He was fired for wearing a patriotic pin with a quote from our very own Pledge of Allegiance.

The article can be read here: http://www.ajc.com/business/fla-man-says-home-175481.html

I am sick and tired of government and corporate America pushing God out of our schools, workplace, our communities and our very lives. I'm tired of voting for politicians that stand for the self interest of political parties and supporters. I'm sick of Democrats. I'm sick of Republicans. I'm sick of lawyers hungry for the opportunity of a law suit that disputes Godly morality. I'm tired of this country losing Purity and becoming a filthy gutter slut of a nation.

Politically I'm waiting for candidates that want to return us to "One Nation Under God" again. Until then, there isn't much I can do about government. Corporately however, I can effect those that won't stand with God and Country. I promptly e-mailed Home Depot and notified them that I have been a loyal customer for 10 years. I have spent a great deal of money there and every time I did,  I drove past a Lowes to get there. I told them I would now start saving on my fuel cost and begin to stop at Lowes. I'm paying off the little I have on my Home Depot account and I'm going to destroy my card. The very money that Home Depot so eagerly takes in daily has "In God We Trust" inscribed on it. Somehow they don't seem to have a problem with that. Then again, how much longer before God is removed from our currency. I assure you there are lawyers working on that one right now.

In a nut shell, nothing is going to change for the good by the hands of politicians and lawyers. We need to make the change. We make the change by taking a stand. Put your foot down America.........One Nation Under God!  Indivisible.

Sidenote: Georgia Vs Florida this weekend. I'm not very confident in a win here but I do know that in the SEC, an upset is possible. I think it will either be a blow out with Florida eating us alive or a victory in a close one. Either way, GOOOOOOOO Dawgs!

One for you my Lord.......nine for me.

This past Sunday our pastor spoke on a very unpopular subject: Tithes. For months now I have been "high five-ing" myself for following Gods' plan as each weeks sermon was a confirmation that I was doing the right thing. I've not been very humble and have had very little humility as I've been proud to be a "born again" Christian if you will. Wooo- hooo look at me go, look at me go! Then this past Sunday I slammed face first into the wall of reality. I am robbing God who has given everything to me.

Malachi 3:6-12
 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?' 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

I'm not saying my wife and I don't give money to the church every Sunday for we most certainly do. However, we haven't been giving the money to God and most certainly not in the amount he has clearly specified. It should be ten percent off the top. That means the first ten percent and that means gross. That is Gods part. That means if you give the ten percent you are tithing. If you do not give the ten percent you ARE NOT tithing. God has challenged us to test him in this. If you tithe as God has specified you will be blessed. My wife and I live paycheck to paycheck just like everyone else. Ten percent of our salary is a big chunk of money. To tithe is a huge leap of faith. How do we squeeze blood from a turnip?? The answer: We don't, that's Gods part in all this. It is He that makes the impossible possible and it is us that must simply have faith. I don't know any way to make this happen other than to pray and just do it. The rest is in Gods hands.

I also learned that a little more than 97 percent of Christians don't Tithe by definition. There are so many of us who's money and finances are cursed. I'm getting out from under that curse. Part of me says "boy this is gonna hurt". However, I also thought being a Christian and walking with Christ was going to be a burden and it is anything but. I have faith that the Lord will meet my every need. My family will thrive under the love of God.

I have to look at it this way. It's all Gods' anyway. I'm not giving him ten percent. He's giving me ninety percent and He gave his only son to pay for my sins. I don't want to rob from God who has given me so much any longer.

Just how bad is it?

Two years ago Georgia went up to Knoxville flat and lacking passion for the game. To put it simple we were not fired up. We got our tails handed to us by a team that was not nearly as good as we were. But they were better that day. Coach Richt said we would never go into another game unprepared and lacking emotion. We did it again this last Saturday and we made the worst QB in the SEC look like Peyton Manning. We were never in the game and even the Jim Donnan teams of the 90's put up a better fight against better Tennessee teams.

Lane Kiffen made the bold statement that he would see to it that Tennessee would never loose to Georgia as long as he was coaching. This man, who most of us thought was a fool coming into the season did at least keep his promise to the Vol nation so far. Our Coach let us down.

What's wrong in Athens? Well, it you break it down to it's simplest form the problems with losing are caused by one of two things:

• Lack of Talent
• Lack of Coaching

We have dominated in recruiting battle for the last 7 years. We have as much talent on our team as anyone in the nation. We don't have a lack of talent. We have a coaching problem. Am I ready to throw Mark Richt under the bus? Absolutely not. I was hoping Willie Martinez would not be on the travel team this coming Saturday. I also wish Bobo were coaching QB's and Richt was calling plays.

What about Coach Mark Richt himself? I love it when he is calm as a cucumber during the crunch to remain focused on the game. I do not at all like it when he shows no emotion when we are being made a fool of by a team that's got nothing but Eric Berry. I'm ready to see some snot bubbles and spit barking out of a hopping mad Mark Richt. His team needs snot bubbles and spit! Dawgs Slobber for goodness sake!

We only have one game left this year that I don't much worry about and that's Tennessee Tech. I don't know if we can stop anyone else left on our schedule. One of the worst offenses in the SEC hung nearly 50 points on us this past Saturday and at this time Tennessee Tech is dreaming big thinking maybe they stand a chance.
Everyone else is certainly coming in thinking they will beat us. We have to prove them wrong. I don't know if firing someone in mid season is the right thing to do. But I think a statement needs to be made. A simple win against Vandy this weekend isn't going to cut it.

Sometimes you can't go back home.

This has been a week of reflection for me, a look back at the past. Places of precious memories stained by time. It started by going to a funeral in deep South Georgia for the death of my closest friend's father.  Valdosta was a long drive for my wife and me and offered plenty of time for me to reflect. I have lived from one end of this state to the other and there I was driving that trek twice in one day. I grew up in Middle Georgia. Dublin, Perry and Warner Robins are where I spent my youth. Valdosta came about as I went there for college. I adore it all and miss many things that simply are not here in Northwest Georgia.

I thought about the Georgia coast as well. I didn't actually live there but my father did and it is probably one of my favorite places with so much natural beauty. I love those live oaks that stretch out more than they do up. I loved being underneath the canopy of a live oak, curtained with Spanish moss as my bare feet dug into the black sand and a warm breeze blew off the salt marsh. That breeze carried a sweet stench from the marsh that I would say is an acquired taste, or smell if you will. I think about the friendly folks at Shellman's Bluff. Most of the people there were not from there at all but spent the weekends there. It was as if it were a place where people went to be friendly. Time certainly slows down there and there is a sense of peace. The local restaurant at the Bluff was ironically called "Speeds", named after the family that started it many years ago. The placemats and menus, from what I remember read, "we move slow here" as a reminder of where you are and that the food was cooked fresh to order. As I thought of all this I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever go there again. I certainly hope so.

Nevertheless, I traveled the same stretch of interstate I did as a young buck in college going back to school after a weekend at home with family. I had to look hard for the things from my youthful memories. Time had covered many of these memories as trees grew taller and the general terrain changed. That's easy enough to accept because things change in time. Some of the change however is not so easy to swallow.

There have always been quite a number of billboard advertisements along I -75. Many of these served as landmarks as I journeyed up and down this highway in my youth. Stuckey's, Disney, Silver Springs and their glass bottom boats, even adds for farmers markets and fruit stands where fresh Florida oranges were always available. Although those billboards still exist, they are rare and for the most part have been replaced by something very disturbing. The have been replaced by "Strippers", "Intimate massage", the "Love Store" and an endless array of sexually themed advertisements that I can only assume are targeting lonely truck drivers that must truly be lost. However, although the trucker may be the target, it just as often misses its mark. I grew up knowing that when I saw the "King Frog" billboard, I was almost to Valdosta, or Florida if that was where I was headed. Now it is the "Lions Den" adult novelty store. The logo features two lion's silhouette in an intimate position with a gold sun backdrop. That's the memories for the kids today. There isn't just a few of these type advertisements, the highway is littered with them and it seems the further south I went, the worse it got.

It certainly had a "life in the fast lane" feel to it as if it were a road straight to hell. It is certainly a different place and far from the likeness of Speeds Kitchen where no one is in a hurry to get anywhere, particularly hell. Nevertheless, it's a different place this state I live in. At the same time, I have to ask myself  "How much of this change is because I am looking at it though different eyes?" Thank you Jesus. The last time "the devil went down to Georgia" as I remember it, old Johnny sent his butt back to hell whipped and defeated. Of course this isn't factual but does hold truth because we used to give him resistance. Now it seems he owns the largest advertisement network on I-75. Why isn't this a big deal?

Sometimes you can't go back home. Sometimes it's because it isn't another place but another time. In addition, there is certainly something to "home is where you make it". Ultimately, home is where I want to go, and although it is not of this earth, I bet it will have live oaks and black sand.

Am I a spineless hypocrite?

I recently finished a book called "Sharing Jesus Without Fear" by William Fay. It was a great book for a new Christian to learn about sharing your faith as well as instruct you how to bring others into God's grace. I don't intend on giving a book report today but I wanted to consider the title of the book alone as I reflect on some of today's events in my life.

I work for a large company in a customer service habitat where we have around 600 employees in the customer service division alone and professionalism is most definately a requirement. I am fortunate because it is an incredible company that is ethical, fair, and very diverse. It takes pride and places great value in diversity and rightfully so. There is a commitment to diversity to the extent of a diversity committee that raises awareness of other cultures, religions, geographic areas, etc.

Today, there was a diversity committee awareness e-mail that went to the customer service division with information of the Jewish Holiday Yom Kippur. In this communication, wherever God was mentioned it was spelled "G_d". Shortly after this went out to the masses one individual replied TOO ALL " Since when in this company are we not allowed to spell out the name of God?" Amen to that right? Following this were several others supporters in the Christian faith to also "reply to all". All 600 or so employees in customer service.

As a manager it is my job to make sure that we are professionals. To my understanding, doing a good job for your employer is very Christian like. However I can't deny that I felt that I was witnessing someone act not unlike Daniel did when King Darius outlawed praying to God. Daniel of course did so anyway and was thrown to the lions. Who am I to douse the flames of someone on fire for the lord? Nevertheless I do my job by sending the following to my group:

Team-

No doubt everyone has seen the e-mail communications concerning diversity and Yom Kippur. I think it is Great that we get to learn about other cultures. However, I would ask my group to not participate in "soap boxing" by replying to all as some have done in response to this communication. While I think it is acceptable to communicate your feelings especially when offended through the proper channels such as HR or as in this case to the Diversity Committee Chairperson, I do not think it is appropriate or professional to communicate to the customer service group as a whole, particularly in this case where individuals of other cultures or religious sanctions might be offended.

Thanks for not participating in communications of this nature.

Vic

As it happens, none of my folks were involved and I wanted to prevent it before anyone got in trouble. In addition, a well informed employee responded to all, informing them that in Jewish tradition the word God is spelled G_d, in order to respect God. It is believed that the paper the name of God is written on cannot be destroyed without disrespect to God himself and in this case, any e-mail deleted. This certainly stopped the outrage but was followed by several "reply to all" communications where Christians were verbally "high fiving" each other for standing up for their beliefs.

With all of this I am left with much conflict in my heart as I find it hard for professionalism and Christianity to co-exist in today's corporate world, where we all walk on egg shells so we don't "offend" anyone. This is especially hard where it is my job to uphold policy. Where are we as Christians today in corporate America. I'm in the same hole as the judge that can't post the ten commandments at the court house and the teacher who can't allow prayer in state classrooms. So I am lost with this. I'm asking for some guidance here. Am I a spineless hypocrite in the eyes of God? I will pray on this. I would love some comments from anyone with thoughts or insight.

Love will gain you everything......Hate won't gain you squat but a front row seat in hell!

I am fortunate enough to work for a company that has incredible human value and bases it's foundation on honesty, integrity and hard work. My company encourages interaction between individuals to follow five basic principles. These principles are awesome and if applied can not only make a positive change in your work relationships but also strengthen relationships with friends, family, neighbors and even your relationship with Christ as it builds on brotherly love.

These five principles are:
1. Focus on the situation, issue, or behavior, not on the person.
2. Maintain the self-confidence and self-esteem of others.
3. Maintain constructive relationships.
4. Take initiative to make things better.
5. Lead by example.

I think anyone who is truly living for Christ does these things because they are loving interactions rather than destructive. So often you hear arguments between couples, friends, parents and kids, or maybe complete strangers, where hurtful and uncalled for things are said. Absolutely NOTHING good can come from saying things to hurt or anger another individual.  On the other hand, if these five principles are used, a lot of great things can happen. These principles are not written in the bible in any literal form. However, they do represent love which is mentioned many times. Don't shame anyone into changing. Love them and pray for them to change! Incredibly, I work for a company that encourages brotherly love.

So often in the church, the very house of God, folks are tearing each other apart. These five principles if applied within a church, will make that church unite. The church becomes strong with brotherly love and mighty by the hands of God. It's as simple as deciding if you are going to let your life be filled with hate and resentment, or love and grace.

With that, what are you going to do today? Will Satan be in your heart as you destroy something dear for no good reason? Are you going to give someone a piece of your mind today? Try instead to give them a piece of your heart. Watch that grow like a seed planted in fertile soil. Maybe you can apply these five principles to your life and watch as you are blessed by the bountiful gift of brotherly love in the eyes of God.


Side notes:
UGA vs Arizona State Saturday. No need to apply the five principles here. Love them after the game. Until then, tear ass you hairy dawgs!

Also - Happy Birthday to my baby girl Sidney. 14 years old today.

"Aint No Woman Like the One I Got"

Genesis 2:24 So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.


No doubt God outlined the plan for his children to follow in love, in marriage, and in life. For me, I realize this with everyday that passes. Just as Eve was made for Adam specifically, I have no doubt my wife was made for me and I for her. The initial attraction was undeniable and irresistible. Not necessarily in a form of temptation but a pure sense of belonging. At the same time I was nervous and a bit scared because I didn't quite understand what was happening to me. Yet the direction I was going was unmistakable. It is very similar to falling in love with Christ for the first time, being very nervous about the new life but unable to deny it or turn away. God modeled the love between a man and a woman after his own love.

I knew my wife was special from the beginning. I've known all along she was the love of my life and that I was hers. I've known all along that it doesn't get any better than this. I knew I had the perfect marriage! Boy was I wrong.

My wife and I have been married for 15 years and we have children ranging from 14 to 2 years old. I didn't know there could be more love in our lives until I actually GAVE my life to Jesus Christ. I accepted Jesus as my savior long ago before I ever met my wife. However I didn't hold onto his hand and walk beside him. When I was saved I don't think the evangelist quite finished the job by getting me in a church that I was at home with. At the same time I am grateful I was taken as far as I was. Still, my heart wasn't being nourished by the word of God. It seemed we would cross paths now and then and it was enough for me to know I was blessed and that I was loved. However, it was small compared to the love, life, and happiness I have with my Lord, my wife, and my kids today. I live for Him and understand the true blessings of doing so. It is amazing how it is never a burden as I thought it might be.

When I gave my life to Christ it was as if my wife was a flower that had just bloomed. I think she waited for me to come around for years. More so, she was waiting for Jesus to come around and lift me up. It breathed new life into her and has brought us closer. It's God's plan. Like the Four Tops Sing "Ain't no woman like the one I got", it is true without doubt, because this one was made for me.

So many of us don't follow Gods plan and many are further off than I was. Truth be known the farther you're off that path the worse your direction gets. This is especially important for young people starting off in life. Follow God's plan and bask in his glory. The rewards are incredible. Following your own plan can and likely will lead to teenage pregnancy, divorce, or poverty from missed opportunity provided by God himself. Luck isn't real and God is.

Ain't no woman like the one I got! However, He has a plan for you too.

Ephesians 5:31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."

New Flu Bug Worse Than H1N1

There's a new bug spreading rampantly this morning consuming the world in it's sickness. I'm going to call it the H1KW. Let me tell you of its' origin.

Although I didn't watch it myself, The MTV Video Music Awards were on last night and from it rose a veil of hatred, spread relentlessly by one individual. In case you've been holed up in a cave somewhere, I'm taking about Kanye West. Taylor Swift was on stage accepting her award for Best Female Video when Kanye stormed on stage grabbed the microphone away from Taylor and went on a short rant about how Beyonce's video, which was also nominated, was one of the best videos ever. Taylor sat there drop jawed as did the rest of the nation.

Social networking exploded with posts of hate, feeding the fires of racism and resentment. Other celebrities present at the awards were "twittering"on site about the heinous act. No doubt that Kanye has his freedom of speech and can comment on what he wants, but he had NO right to take away Taylors freedom of speech by taking away her moment.

Now I obviously don't know Kanye or Taylor and I'm not a fan of either although my kids are likely fans of both. However, Kanye's actions anger me very much and I can feel hatred trying to fester in my heart. I don't like it. I despise the hatred more than I despise the action by Kanye. The seed of hate is however, what Kanye planted. He created the H1KW ( hate 1 Kanye West) virus. I'm going to fight off this virus with prayer. Nothing else will make it go away. I'm going to pray for Kanye so that he may see the fruit of his evil actions. I pray for forgiveness.

Beyonce responded later as a true class act, giving Taylor back her moment during her own acceptance time for an award Beyonce did win. It was a true selfless act during a time of self recognition.

As I write this I am still boiling with anger and resist speaking words of hatred. I have more praying to do for myself and the world, that this hatred may turn to forgiveness. Kanye you big dummy!

Made in His image......yet far from the real deal.

Several weeks ago I sat on my front porch with my wife and some of our close friends( another couple) talking about church and where Jesus has led us. We discussed kids, the ups and downs of raising teenagers, and general how's life been treating you subject matter.

My friend and I have had many adventures together and there was a time that we were certainly hell on earth. At least we thought we were. Twenty years ago I certainly didn't think we would one day be sitting on my front porch talking about Jesus. My friend's wife is of strong Christian faith and the Lord no doubt has worked through her to bring my buddy to where he is now. He goes to church regularly and certainly is involved with the church a great deal. As we sat on the porch there that night, I wondered how did my buddy get here? In addition, where exactly is he with his faith. I had to ask. He loves to be asked anything about his thoughts, beliefs or opinions, because he will certainly give them to you and he won't hold back.

As he explained "where he was" is was apparent that he has come a long way in his spirituality just for the fact that he has any. Yet as he described his beliefs he also told of the things that he struggles to believe in. Things like "how can God let horrible things happen to little kids?" This is certainly a difficult question for someone such as myself that is not fully prepared or educated to bear the armor of God as needed in this situation. However, I was able to explain that the sins of the world sometimes have horrible effects on the innocent. I explained that Gods love either shields these individuals to make the stronger or perhaps they are convicted to take a different path. Still, it's earthly sin and we all bear the scars of it's sword.

Then he went to say that there is no way that he could sacrifice the life of his son for anyone. He asked how a loving God could do such. How can a loving God allow such horrors that are present in our earthly lives? Once again the sins of the earth create the horrors we have in our life, not God. Still, he stumped me with the question of how can a loving father sacrifice his son for the salvation of others. He says he doesn't feel the love of God. I did not immediately have an answer. I was stumped. I only knew that I was concerned for my buddy and that I needed to pray for him......and HARD.

Weeks later, (today) the answer for me was clear and so simple that I wonder why I couldn't present it on the porch several weeks ago. We cannot comprehend that kind of love. We cannot think like God for we are so meager in comparison to his might, his wrath, and his love. We cannot love as hard, as strongly as God can. We are not that forgiving of ourselves or others.
John 3:16
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. "

While we certainly can suffer and perish in our physical life here on earth, through BELIEF, we are given the gift to continue life beyond that eternally and without the wrath and scars of sin.

In addition we too are the children of God. God foresaw this deed long before Jesus walked the earth. He sacrificed a part of himself so that we might have salvation.

No doubt my buddy will read this as I'm sure his loving wife will show it to him. I certainly won't be surprised if he wants to debate this further. He probably has more questions. That's OK because the Lord has suited me up in some awesome armor and as I pray for my friend the answers will be provided. Face it, God loves you buddy! You might as well deal with it. Oh yea........I love you too.

We Lost. So what, I got me some Jesus!

I am so happy that football season is back. I am not so happy that the Bulldogs lost to the Cowboys this past Saturday. I REALLY think we should be better than them but we are not because we lost. Why did we lose? I'm not sure but here are my thoughts on the game and the team:

• Joe Cox with flu like symptoms was not as good as I expected he would be. I know he is no Mathew Stafford with an incredible rocket and a long ball but I did expect some accurate finesse passing. We have incredible receivers and Joe wasn't getting the ball to them. We do miss Stafford indeed.
• We have a great running attack! Too bad our play caller couldn't capitalize on this within his strategy. To bad we couldn't identify what works at halftime. I'm not sure Mike Bobo is the right guy to be our offensive coordinator. Most teams have someone in this position that is much more experienced.
• Defense was not too bad. They kept a powerful offense from scoring a lot of points. They were on the field a lot and didn't get overwhelmed. They were also dealt a few bad hands with turnovers in BAD field position for us. They still missed a few given opportunities for turnovers that I think would have changed the course of the game. It did for Oklahoma State when we coughed up the ball. Can Willie Martinez keep this intensity and improve a bit more on getting some turnovers? We sure have a LOT of talent.
• Stacy Searels is one of the best coaches to come through our program in a while. We need to do what it takes to keep this guy on our staff. Could he play a bigger role?

These are the things that I question about the chemistry of our Bulldogs. These are the things that I pray will get better or get resolved. I really do pray for Georgia Bulldog football.

One thing that is different for me this season as in seasons past is that I am not devastated by this loss. There is something else in my life that I am even more excited about than Georgia football. I am fired up because it is also Jesus season and it lasts all year long! I get to play for His team, I get to root for His team and I get to recruit for His team. I love Georgia football and with Jesus I can love it even more and can roll with the punches a whole lot better.

This weekend we play South Carolina. They also are lacking on offense. This could be a dud of a game to watch but I'll be watching all the same. I'll have myself a bit of prayer before kickoff and no matter the outcome I will be content. Football is back and I'm watching the game with Jesus. Feel free to join us if you like. Go Dawgs!

Crickets or Worms?

Fishing in one of it's simplest yet most enjoyable forms is going after pan fish on the river. What is a pan fish? Well it's usually a term for a sunfish or similar species. Generally, it is bream or as we so often refer to them locally here in the south, shellcrackers, red breast, and bluegills. As you prepare to go catch a "mess", one of the first things one ask themselves is, "I wonder what they're bitin?". No, I didn't misspell that. We don't say biting down here when we go "fishin" and I'm trying to bring you into the setting. Nevertheless, to make sure you have a successful bite, you cover all the bases. You get crickets, some "pinks" perhaps (worms also called nightcrawlers), and possibly other seasonal creepy crawlies that the fish might like to eat. With that, you're bound to have some success given that you know how to present the bait and you don't do anything stupid to scare the fish off. The reward is an awesome fish fry complete with hush puppies, fries and coleslaw. Boy do I love the south!

This is all good but my intention here is not to teach anyone how to catch a mess of fish for dinner. The picture is a little bigger and certainly more important that that. I'm going to be the fish now. I'm swimming in a river of sin and I certainly don't want to be caught in the net of a church in which I think is full of politics, judgment, hypocrisy and void of love. Not to say I don't believe in God and Love Jesus for I most certainly do. But here I am swimming in a river of muddy water where my direction and my faith is as unclear as can be. My intention is staying away from the the lures of church which at times have become objects of despise. I've seen every bait that can be thrown my way and I'm not "bitin". Then one day, I am presented something that I've never seen before. I won't call it a bait or a lure because that is deceptive and it is anything but that. It is more of a net. I am willingly caught in this net and gently transported to a crystal clear stream where I feel love, where I want to love others, where I can be myself and still openly love Christ and share him with others without fear. It is a church without boundaries but yet a clear direction, which is the only direction. It is the direction of Jesus Christ and as soon as I willingly surrender unto his net, I am anything but caught. I am freed.

This is a church that can let go of tradition and focus on the important thing which is salvation through Jesus Christ. It is very modern and lets people be people. We drink coffee in church. I wear cargo shorts and a t-shirt to service. The music presentation is for worship and it's engaging to youth as is a rock concert. Everyone is welcomed. I see that everyone is loved. Yep, hook, line and sinker and I am forever grateful.

Why do so many other churches get it wrong in bringing someone like me to Christ? The answer is simple and we turn back to fishing for bream as I quote myself from earlier: "you're bound to have some success given that you know how to present the bait and you don't do anything stupid to scare the fish off." The reward is certainly much better than a fish fry.

^{Mathew 4:19}"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
Jesus has certainly made fishers of men at Rockbridge Community Church in Dalton, Georgia.

I now stroll up to the banks of the river. I cast out the net. But the net is no longer mine because Jesus has made me a "fisher of men".

In case you're wondering, I most certainly still love a good fish fry and will drown a cricket in a heartbeat!

side note:
Georgia vs Oklahoma State this weekend..........GO DAWGS!

We Never Left the Playground.......Did We?

As an adult we easily recognize how cruel and inconsiderate children can be of each other. As tender hearted as we may think children are, I would say they are exceptionally tough to make it through childhood. I'll go ahead and say that it is likely we all carry emotional scars from childhood that have become a part of who we are today.

Let's look at the targets. There's the fat kid, the stupid kid, the smelly kid and then there's the day that you might happen to be the targeted child for what ever reason. This certainly carries on through high school and into being an adult but at some point we develop compassion and a dislike for treating others without consideration. At least we should. However, do we ever quit making fun of the less fortunate, the freaks, the afflicted, the sinners? Is sin funny? I certainly don't want to think so and my savior absolutely hates sin. Do I as a Christian participate? The fact is our society thinks sin through the actions of a sinner is hilarious. Now some of you are thinking "what in the world is this imbecile talking about?" Let me shuck it down for you.

One of the best entertainment vehicles for humor is without a doubt the television. Looking at a classic, "The Andy Griffith Show", I ask what was funny about that show. Certainly irony and a cast of dimwitted characters, but I want to focus on one character and the reason he was funny to us. Let's consider Otis. He was funny only because he was living in sin as the town drunk. How many television shows, movies, and plays have used this formula for humor through the years? Why is this so funny to us when it should be so sad?

Now I'm going to go somewhere that may anger some folks. Let me start by saying that I respect and love all but my Savior hates sin and therefore as his child I do as well and although I am a sinner I do my best to repent. Let's get back to the next example. In television today you still have the town drunk but there are other sinners that we love to laugh at in television, movies, and various other medias. In particularly, why is homosexuality so funny. How many TV shows today, don't have the token gay guy or gal. How often is "sugar britches" the comedy relief? Yes we love to laugh at these "fruit loops". I laugh at them and I find them to be hilarious. I find humor at their expense because of the sin they live in or simply the product of the sin they live in.

As a Christian, I love them and pray for their salvation. There is really nothing funny about it. Look at who's funny in entertainment. It's still, the fat kid, the dimwit, the drunk and the "sugar britches". We laugh at them at their expense and they, as grown ups, allow themselves to be exploited. No folks, we never left the playground and we never will. We are sinners as well. Praise Jesus for washing our sins away. One day we will have something better to laugh about.

Change is Change and Peanuts are Boiled.

Labor day approaches and I am reminded of the arrival of my favorite time of year. Fall for me starts in September on labor day weekend although the hot Georgia summer doesn't give to the cooler weather until much later in October. I think back at Labor Day weekends of the past.

I remember sitting in the shade of a tree, hiding from the baking sun on the edge of a peanut field with my father. Opening weekend of dove season at noon and Larry Munson is on the radio talking up the Dawgs as they prepare to kick off another season of bulldog football. I sit and watch the power lines in the distance hoping a bird would be foolish enough to stop there so I could pick it off with my BB gun which later became a 410 shotgun and so on. Shotguns are popping off everywhere and I stayed pretty busy as my father figured he didn't need a bird dog as long as I can fetch birds. Snacking on boiled peanuts with an ice cold Coke was about as good as it got. Storm clouds march across the horizon like smokey giants as a welcomed cool breeze passes by in their wake. At the end of the day I would be slightly sun burned, filthy, and wore out. By the time I feasted on birds, gravy and grits I was ready for bath and bed. Good Day indeed.

Things are quite different this year. Some things have been different for a while. I now live in north Georgia and I wouldn't even know who to ask about getting in on a good dove shoot, which is harder and harder to find. Some things have just recently changed abruptly, offsetting the natural order of things. First, Larry Munson retired last year and as ridiculous as it may sound to some, it will never sound the same to me when I listen to Georgia football on the radio. This will impact the way I feel about labor day weekend. It may change the course of my direction. But it isn't the biggest loss for labor day weekend. My father passed away in December this past year. No matter if I was with him on the dove field as a kid or at home eating boiled peanuts in my own recliner, there was rarely a game day that I didn't speak with my father about what was happening at the game. We would rant about the coaches not having them prepared when we were not doing well and praise Old Glory when we were. Sometimes we would speak four or five times during the game and it was almost as if we were watching it together. I'm not sure how labor day starts this year without that. My father did solidify one thing in my life with his passing. It is the one thing that will help me to carry on. It will strengthen and guide me to provide these same memories for my own children. My father helped to solidify my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

I now move forward in my life as I walk with Christ and I know my only way to God and his glorifying love is through Him. With that, Labor Day will come and so will Georgia football. I will hopefully be by the TV but in the least by a radio listening to the next generation of Georgia Bulldog Radio. Maybe my kids will want to join me. One thing is for sure, I still have the boiled peanuts. I'll praise Jesus and I'll think of Dad and you never know, maybe it will seem like we are watching it together. Go Dawgs!

Shut up and go to work Roddy!!

Football season is just around the corner. It's the time of year where I get fired up for several reasons, good and bad. Good because I'm ready for some football. Bad because of the disappointing things that happen this time of year, such as injuries and hold outs. I'm a huge Georgia bulldog fan and I feel good about where we are this year. I'm also a big Falcons fan and also like where we are there as well, with one exception.

Roddy White is holding out of training camp/practice because he wants a contract RE-negotiation. He wants more money. In particular he wants the Larry Fitzgerald kind of money. Larry is arguably the best receiver in the game. Roddy is NOT.

I will give Roddy credit for stellar year in 08 but prior to that he was a pass dropping disappointment. Further, one good year does not make for a mega star! Does he deserve an increase? Probably so. Does he deserve what he is asking for? Certainly not.

So you just hold out Roddy. There is already an injury to a starting receiver for Atlanta and with your hold out your TEAM is down two starting receivers so you can feed your greed. I certainly hope they let him keep holding out. I wouldn't give a dime more than they have already offered other than season tickets so he can watch the game from the bleachers. The Falcons have spent the last two years weeding out Prima Donna players who are not in the best interest of the TEAM. Looks like there is a little more work to do there. God Bless and let's play some football!

Tommy Can You Hear Me?

As some of you may know, there is nothing more wonderful than raising kids. On that same note, there is nothing more horrifying than raising a teenager, particularly a teenage daughter. My wife and I have done a pretty good job of handling the upbringing of my oldest daughter who is almost 14. Everything kind of came naturally, that is until now. For the first time, we realize we haven't got a clue as to what we are doing.

My sweet little girl has become confronting, argumentative, and disrespectful at times. Yes, she has the potential to be a pure Gremlin. In general, the fighting happens between my daughter and my wife who understandably is reluctant to take the crap that my daughter has come to believe she is privileged to dish out. It is pretty much impossible to break through the barriers of my child's mind to get her to understand her responsibility for her actions. She doesn't understand where she is wrong and doesn't want to hear it. It seems like the same fight over and over and at times I duck my head into my foxhole until the shrapnel quits flying. Often I have to step in to fan out the smoke so everyone can see clearly. Still, the point is, my daughter doesn't hear what we are saying. She doesn't want to see her part in the problem. She doesn't want to talk about what she could do differently so that we might all live in harmony.

This is where I bring in the reference "Tommy can you hear me"? This phrase is from the rock opera movie "Tommy" based on music by The Who (1975). The Movie is about a young boy who's' father in the military, returns home one night and sees his wife with another man. The man then kills Tommy's father by smashing a lamp over his head as Tommy witnesses the whole thing. Tommy is then told by the mother and the lover that he "didn't hear it, didn't see it" and "won't say nothing to no-one". As a result, Tommy becomes deaf, dumb, and blind in order to block out the tragedy and conform to the request of his mother and her lover. The movie then revolves around the mother and eventual step father breaking through the wall Tommy has built to enclose himself from the outside world.

So there is my comparison. "Tommy can you hear me, Tommy can you see me"? My extremely brilliant daughter has become the "deaf, dumb and blind kid" when it comes to the reasoning of parenting. In addition, I'm concerned that she doesn't "play a mean pinball" in order to snap out of it. ( You'll have to watch to movie if you don't follow what I'm saying there.) Nevertheless, here I am trying to play "the miracle worker" to mediate and communicate where possible. That is, when I'm not ducking into my foxhole. Some tell me this is normal. Although I'm still concerned, the only thing I can do is turn it over to God. I pray, I love and every now and then I peep out of my foxhole. As stressful as it all can be, my faith tells me God will take care of me, my wife, and most importantly my baby girl. I also know He will give me the strength to deal with the next teenage girl who for now is nine. I pray more. I would also appreciate it if you would pray for me.