Archive for May, 2008

Incredible Story (Warning: Will Make You Think)

Posted: May 30, 2008 in Books, Faith, Life, People, Spirituality
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Here is a story from the book Ministry of Nurture by Duffy Robbins that has really challenged me and made me think about God’s Word…

Psychology Today published a remarkable incident concerning the life and death of the Prince of Grenada, an heir to the Spanish crown. Centuries ago the Prince was sentenced for life to solitary confinement in Madrid’s ancient prison, the Place of Skulls. Apparently, the authorities feared he might aspire to the throne. During his imprisonment he was given on book to read – the Bible.

Over the course of the years, the Prince of Granada apparently read the Bible hundreds of times and read it with painstaking care. But when he died after thirty-three years of imprisonment, and the authorities began going through his cell after his burial, what they found was striking.

All over the walls of his cell, they found that he had etched in soft stone notations such as these:

The eighth verse of the 97th Psalm is the middle verse of the Bible; Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters of the alphabet except the letter “J”; The ninth verse of the eighth chapter of Esther is the longest; No word or name of more than six syllables can be found in the Bible.

It is incredible that this man spent more than thirty years carefully studying this one book that has been described even by its critics as one of the most amazing pieces of literature ever written, and all he gleaned from his study was a few isolated pieces of Bible trivia.

The Prince is certainly not the only one to walk away from the Bible empty-handed and empty-headed.

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How do you view the Bible? Is it simply a book full of trivia and facts that you can use to impress people on Jeopardy? Is it just a history book? Or is it God’s Word, one of his ways of communicating with you, that is living, relevant, and capable of giving you answers for life’s toughest questions as well as completely turn your life right-side-up?

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

Sports Illustrated Cover

Posted: May 29, 2008 in People, Sports
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I went to my mailbox last night and found the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. Who was on the latest cover? Josh Hamilton. There is a big story about his journey from being the first pick to being a drug addict to back to being an All-Star in the big leagues. 

Here’s the cover:

All I got to say is that I beat you to this story Sports Illustrated. Check out my post on Josh Hamilton on May 21st if you have not get the chance to read it yet.

Graduation Mistake

Posted: May 29, 2008 in Family, Life, People, Random
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We are currently right in the middle of graduation season. All of the college graduations are over and now comes all the high school graduations.

People, we have been making a huge mistake in graduations for a long time.

As somebody that has been through both the high school and college graduation processes, I have learned something and will propose something that will change how American culture responds to graduations. We need to stop sending all the graduation money to high schooler grads and show some love to the college grads. Let me explain…

I remember June 1999, I was graduating high school from Cheatham County Central High School (CCCHS – Go Cubs!). My mom so nicely and motherly-like ordered graduation announcements and mailed them to pretty much everybody we had ever met and had an address for. Being ignorant of the whole process, I thought my mom was inviting all those people to my actual graduation, which I thought was a little psycho because I did not even really know some of these people. But I thought, “Hey, my mom is always really proud of me,” so I went with it.

Then the checks and cash started to come in. I was amazed at how much money I got from people. I am pretty sure that my final cash amount was in the four digits range, which is way too much money for a high school senior. What did I use that money for? Who knows? I probably wasted all that money on a trip with my friends to Panama City (yeah, I have been there Luke), a couple Nintendo 64 games, some clothes, and junk food.

Compare that to when I graduated Lipscomb University in December 2003. What did I get when I graduated college? Jack squat. Nothing. Nada.

Now when did I need the money more? After high school when I was facing a life of living in a dormroom, eating on a meal plan that required none of my money, and not having to pay one bill or after college, when I was facing a life out on my own for the first time, away from my parents, engaged to be married, and paying bills? Hmmmm…let me think? I could have used that money after college way more than after high school.

I propose that we save our money for when these students graduate college. Now I understand not everybody goes directly to college and need that graduation money after high school. By all means, still hook those students up. However, for those that are planning on pursing a college education, let us give that graduation check after they finish college…for their sake. Instead of buying tattoos, snow cones, and Guitar Hero 3, they can start to pay off their student loans, put a down payment on their first apartment, or pay their cell phone bill. I think that is a better use of graduation money.

What do you think? Am I crazy or am I making some sense? 

Airplane Seat Belts

Posted: May 28, 2008 in Funny, Life, Random
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In my younger years, I thought that seat belts on airplanes were the most pointless things on this planet. I thought that somebody somewhere is getting rich off sealing massive amounts of a product that will never in actuality be used. Why listen to that boring flight attendant’s speech every flight?  

My main argument was that an airplane seat belt was not going to do me any good in a crash. Free-falling thousands of feet extremely rapidly into the traditionally solid earth cannot be contained by a simple seat belt. I mean, come on. There are not any “fender benders” that happen 20,000 feet up in the air without any major consequences.

Let me be the first to say that I was wrong and I am now a fan of the airplane seat belt. Where I still believe that a violent, sudden crash will cause my immediate death with or without my seat belt on (this article disagrees with me), I now believe that there is definitely reason to buckle up.

On my flight last Friday from DFW airport to the Denver airport, the plane suddenly jolted after hitting unexpected turbulence. Now I am not talking about normal turbulence; I am talking LOST Oceanic flight 815 turbulence. I have been on many flights but I have never had the plane jolt and shake as suddenly and as forcefully as it did. It was one of those moments where there were a couple of screams, everybody was fully awake and attentive after that, a few babies and young kids crying, and a plane full of people breathing a collective sigh of relief. I was glad that I had my seat belt on in that moment. 

When the flight attendant came by to see if we were ok, the man sitting beside me asked her if she had another pair of shorts for him.

Lesson learned = wear your seat belt on an airplane.

James 1:27 (Part 2)

Posted: May 28, 2008 in Faith, Life, Movies, People, Spirituality
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“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” - James 1:27

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This is Miss Patsy’s story…

I met Miss Patsy about the same time that I met Miss Dee. I walked into Miss Patsy’s house with the intention of interviewing her as a candidate for getting her house painted at Sulphur Springs Workcamp.

Miss Patsy greeted me at the door. Her small, frail frame was hidden by the all-of-a-sudden life that had crept into her eyes. I found out that Miss Patsy is 76 years old. She lives alone and has no family in town. She lost her husband years ago and is now a widow. She has three children, but two of them have already passed away. Her living son currently lives near Orlando, Florida, and rarely gets the chance to visit Miss Patsy. She is living well below the poverty line.

The saddest part of this story is that Miss Patsy has severe arthritis and is confined to her home. Due to severe, constant pain, she has not left her house in over three years. Yep, you heard right, three years. She has a nursing service come to her home 1-2 times a week to get her groceries and do light house cleaning.

From June 29-July 2 there will be a group of teenagers and adults at Miss Patsy’s house everyday painting her house and mowing her lawn. She is ecstatic. I think she is happier just to have people around that she can talk to and fix lemonade for a few days rather than getting her house fixed up. Although, she is extremely excited to have her prized white-picket fence in her side yard cleaned up nice and pretty. Miss Patsy cannot believe that people would help her like that without asking for money or wanting anything in return.

My question is why? Why is it such a foreign thing in today’s society to take care of people who cannot take care of themselves? Why is it so foreign to “love your neighbor as yourself”? 

We are going to paint Miss Patsy’s house. We are going to fix up her white-picket fence. We are going to replace anything that needs to be replaced. We are going to help make her yard nice. Why? Because it is the right thing to do. It is what God desires from us.

I encourage you to do the same thing. I do not mean that you need to go find somebody and paint their house for free. Find somebody that you can help without wanting anything back in return. Step outside the bubble known as your comfortable life and invite somebody else in that needs help of some kind.

To quote the 2005 animated film Robots, “See a need, fill a need.”

James 1:27 (Part 1)

Posted: May 27, 2008 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality
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“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27

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This is a true story of an awesome lady by the name of Miss Dee. I had the privilege of meeting Miss Dee about two weeks ago. I was starting the process of finding people who would qualify for their homes to be painted for Sulphur Springs Workcamp, a mission experience for teenagers here in Sulphur Springs. The phone call with the meek woman with the calming, gentle voice led to a face-to-face meeting at her house.

As I arrived at her house not knowing what to expect. What I found astounded me. To say that she lived in a house is a stretch of the imagination. She was living in a house that is the size of most two car garages (see above picture). The completely square structure had only one recently added wall as to only have some separation between the living room and Miss Dee’s bedroom. As I sat at her kitchen table answering all her questions and looking around her home, James 1:27 kept coming to my mind. I felt responsibility for Miss Dee. I felt that God had led me there to help Miss Dee and help take care of the basic, human needs that we all so often take for granted.

She showed me to her backyard which held her dog. There stood a huge, intimidating German Shepherd-looking dog starring a hole through me. Now you must understand that Miss Dee is a tiny, 82 year old lady that probably weighs as much as her dog. It was obvious that you could see the loyalty that the dog had for Miss Dee. It was a sweet dog, so my defenses were down almost immediately.

I wish you could have seen the joy in Miss Dee’s face when we she spoke about her dog. Miss Dee told me, “the reason that I get up everyday and the reason I keep on living is for my dog.” She jumped at the chance to take me to the backyard to show me how her dog would chase boxes that she would throw.

While in the backyard, Miss Dee showed me how she has to get out of her house. Her front door only completely shuts from the inside of the house. To get to her car, she has to go through her fenced-in backyard. The problem is that the gate on her fence does not fit her fence and she has to makeshift rig the gate to the fence so that her dog can play in the backyard without escaping. It takes a long time and too much energy for Miss Dee to detach, remove, and replace the heavy gate every time she needs to leave the house.  That usually means that she stays at the house most of the time.

As a Christian, what is my responsibility with a Miss Dee? What is your responsibility with a Miss Dee? Miss Dee is a 82 year old lady who has become a widow after loosing her husband years ago. She has no family what-so-ever in the surrounding area to check in on her or take care of her needs. Who helps bring in the groceries? Who mows her lawn? Who does she spend holidays with?

She wept after I told her that we were going to paint her house, put up a new fence with a new gate, and make her yard nice during Sulphur Springs Workcamp. Literally wept.

But I feel I should do more. After the mission trip, I need to check up on Miss Dee. I need to stop by just to see how she is doing and if she needs any help with anything. I need to invite her over during holidays just like I would my own grandmother. Not just because I like her; not just because it is the right thing to do; but because God commands us to take care of widows. James 1:27 says that taking care of Miss Dee is “religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless.”

What do you think? What are our responsibilities to a Miss Dee? Are there any Miss Dee’s in your life? What are you doing to take care of all the Miss Dee’s around the world?

Back in Texas

Posted: May 26, 2008 in Books, Friends, Life, People
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I made it back yesterday. What a crazy weekend! After seven states in a span of 48 hours, I made it back to Sulphur Springs. The drive took from Maurice (pronounced like “Morris”), Iowa to Sulphur Springs, Texas took a grand total of around 12-13 hours including all the stops. The drive was incredibly boring and there was a whole lot of nothing from there to here. I got enough of America’s Midwest to last me a while. It’s sad for me to say this, but Iowa made me appreciate Texas.

I had two highlights that I would like to share:

First, I got to experience my first audiobook on the drive back. I strongly recommend audiobooks for long road trips, especially if you are by yourself. I listened to Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. This is the book that chronicles the history of BALCO, Barry Bonds, and steroids in baseball and the Olympics. It was a very interesting book and more importantly, it was ten hours of the drive.

Second, and by far the greatest highlight of the trip, was seeing my great friend and future coworker, Ben Vos, get married to his lovely bride, Lisa. It was a beautiful wedding and I was honored to be there. It was such a blessing getting to meet, get to know, and talk with Ben and Lisa’s family and friends. 

Here are some pictures from the wedding:

This Weekend

Posted: May 23, 2008 in Books, Friends, Life
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This weekend is going to be crazy for me. Here is a projected timeline of my weekend:

Friday, 1:40pm – Heather picks me up to take me to the DFW Airport.

Friday, 2:09pm – Stop at the Starbucks and get my 1st Caramel Frapoccino.

Friday, 3:32pm – Get through security checkpoint without getting frisked.

Friday, 5:05pm – Fly from Dallas, Texas to Denver, Colorado.

Friday, 6:11pm – Arrive in Denver, and sit for over two hours.

Friday, 6:23pm – Find a Starbucks in the Denver airport and get my 2nd Caramel Frapoccino.

Friday, 8:45pm – Fly from Denver, Colorado to Omaha, Nebraska.

Friday, 11:10pm – Arrive in Omaha, Nebraska and meet up with Ben Vos’ Uncle Rod and Uncle Gary.

Friday, 11:32pm – Meet Uncle Rod and Uncle Gary for the first time, introduce myself, and give a good, firm (but not like I’m trying to hard to man up) handshake.

Friday, 11:49pm – Rent car and begin driving to Maurice, Iowa with Uncle Rod and Uncle Gary.

Saturday, 2:18am – Arrive in Maurice, Iowa and sleep for a few hours.

Saturday, 2:00pm – Watch Ben Vos & Lisa Muilenburg become Ben Vos and Lisa Vos. They are getting married Saturday afternoon.

Saturday, 3:03pm – Go to the wedding reception, eat some goodies, and wait for everybody to leave.

Saturday, 7:23pm – Begin to pack Lisa’s car full of their wedding presents and other stuff.

Saturday, 8:09pm – Begin the long 778 mile drive from Maurice, Iowa to Sulphur Springs, Texas. I am driving Lisa’s car back so that Ben and Lisa (who are going to begin ministry at Shannon Oaks Church the first week of June) will not have to drive back to Iowa after their honeymoon. Yeah, I’m taking one for the team.

Saturday, 11:57pm – Stop at a hotel somewhere in between Maurice, Iowa and Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Sunday, 8:03am – Back on the road again. The game plan is to listen to my first audiobook, Game of Shadows, that I downloaded (by the way, thanks for the audiobook suggestion, Kate) and find as many Starbucks as I can.

Sunday, 5:47pm – Arrive back in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

Sunday, 6:00pm – Enjoy the last Growth Group of the semester with the high schoolers at JP’s house.

Sunday, 8:36pm – Finally go home.

Sunday, 8:38pm – Go to sleep.

Seven states (Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma) in 48 hours. Seeing one of my great friends and future coworker get married. Listening to my first ever audiobook. Driving 778 miles all by my lonesome in somebody else’s car.

What a weekend, huh?

HDTV?

Posted: May 23, 2008 in Funny, Sports, TV
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To HDTV or not to HDTV? That is the question.

I am strongly considering getting HDTV. The main reason why I would consider getting it is for watching sports (and possibly Man vs Wild). I have heard incredible things about it from people who enjoy sports in HD daily. While watching some sporting events at other people’s homes, I have seen how good it truly is (especially on the right tv). I have even heard people go as far to say that watching sports in HD is even better than watching games live.

As of today, I only have basic cable. HDTV is not even an option right now. I would have to make the switch over to digital cable. That is more expensive and if you know me, I could be considered on the cheap side. While I am on the cheap side, I do enjoy certain conveniences in life and am more than willing to pay for something that is worth it?  But is HDTV worth it? 

This is where I need your help and your opinion. Take in to consideration that I am a massive sports fan. For those of you that have it, does it live up to the hype? Should I pony up and get HDTV?

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On another note, as for those who dare to say that Man vs Wild is fake and that big bad Bear Grylls is deceiving all his viewers by staying in nice hotels instead of the implied sleeping under the stars, Bear is simply using what nature gives him to his advantage. 

Check this clip out…

Happy Anniversary!

Posted: May 22, 2008 in Family, Life, People
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Four years ago today, I stood in front of a large group of family and friends and committed my life to a young lady named Heather Jean Swilley. And today we are celebrating our four-year wedding anniversary.

As I look back to four years ago, I remember what was one of the best moments in my life. You know, those moments that are forever burned into your brain and that make you smile every time no matter how many times you think about it?

Heather and I are not traditional people, so we definitely did not have a traditional wedding. My groomsmen came down the isle to the startling lineup theme music from the classic 1990s Chicago Bulls teams with Michael Jordan for crying out loud. We also did not do the whole traditional “bride and groom cannot see each other till the actual wedding”. We took pictures before the ceremony, so we could go straight to the reception and more importantly, start the honeymoon sooner. However, we did have a special moment where I was in the church auditorium alone and Heather walked down the isle. When the doors opened, my heart skipped a beat and my breathe was taken away by her beauty. Having that moment of seeing my bride walking down the isle, dressed in white, and all dolled up brought tears to my eyes. That moment was so special because it was just me and her, nobody else. What a special moment!

Heather, I love you so incredibly much. I thank God everyday for bringing you into my life. Thank you for all the countless ways you are a servant to me. You teach me more about God than any other person in my life and you make me want to be a better person. You are such an amazing partner in life and in ministry. In fact, you are probably a better minister than I am. You are beautiful. You are my best friend.

The thing that attracts me to you the most today is the same thing that attracted me to you so many years ago: the fact that I know without a shadow of a doubt that you love God way more than you could ever love me.

I cannot wait to grow old with you, raise kids with you, go on vacations with you, experience new things with you, minister with you, and see you smile day after day.

I love you very much. Happy Anniversary, Heather.

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And, yes, we are sitting in the Yankees dugout at Yankee Stadium in the above picture.

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