Terribly Interesting

This Blog is updated each Tuesday. This past weekend I had the privilege of attending a leadership training for Community Bible Study in Houston, TX. I attended with my friend (and Children's Director) Tina. It was such a blessing to learn more about my friend (we stayed up til 3 a.m.!) and to glean knowledge from the Holy Spirit and the hearts of the speakers. I could fill this blog completely up with my notes from the weekend. Instead, here are a few things I took away. If you want anything to happen in your ministry, get closer to God. If you want to be a more dynamic leader, teacher, etc ...the answer is always the same. Get closer to God. There was a story of a woman who was condemned when her community found out she had been letting her 9 children live in and eat out of garbage cans. We do the same thing. We let our children live in spiritual squalor when we fail to equip them. Do not settle to live your life by default. We hold the DNA of tomorrow's church. If we want ...

I read this wonderful post on CJ Mahaney's blog .  He also has a free download available: Women, Beauty, and God In the  previous post  in this series, I explained the personal goals that flow from my most important relationship: my relationship with God. Because that relationship is a priority, my goal is to practice the spiritual disciplines as a way of communing with God and acknowledging my dependence upon him. This goal shows up in my schedule as I protect my morning devotional time. Today we begin to explore biblical productivity in my relationships with others, particularly in my roles as husband, father, and grandfather.  Serve and Surprise As I explained earlier, in my relationships with others I work from two biblical categories. Broadly speaking, my goals are twofold: Serve  (How can I serve?) Surprise  (How can I surprise?) Obviously, I don’t think these are the only categories you may work from, but thinking in terms of  serving  and  surprising  has helped clarify my ...

This Blog is updated each Tuesday. For the past few days I have had these words in my head. Flotsam and Jetsam. I'll be honest, I couldn't even remember what exactly they had to do with the ocean or why I was thinking of them. It must be a message, I thought. That led me to look it up on handy dandy Wikipedia. There, I relearned exactly what Flotsam and Jetsam are. Both are types of debris found in the ocean. Jetsam is debris voluntarily thrown (jettisoned) into the water to avoid detriment. The cargo remains the property of the owner. Flotsam is debris found floating on the water (usually after a ship wreck). It is the property of the finder. Here is the message I got. Throw over what is holding you down and you will retain your goods or find yourself ship wrecked and your goods will be a free for all. Ouch. What debris do you need to throw over the side of the boat to avoid ship wreck? Maybe you are even like Jonah and you need to throw your whole self over. Here is my chal...

Here are some pics from the work day on Saturday. 

I want to issue a small challenge to you this week. It is two-fold. First, be positive. Avoid making your conversations consist of who is sick or gossip. Not only focus on the positive, focus only on the positive. Completely ditch the negative. You only have to do it for a week. Second, take a moment this week to tell someone who loves on, inspires, exhorts, encourages, or challenges you how very much they mean to you. Have a phenomenal week! (Ever get taken the wrong way? This picture made me laugh.) ***W e have a work day at Gomer's House this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Come see the vineyard I am planting!   Email me for more info.***

Please take a minute to pray for our dear friend, Eric Perucca, and his team as they hike into a remote part of Honduras this next week to serve and share the gospel. Our pastor is also accompanying him on this trip. Amo Honduras !

Our daughter is two. I am not really sure what to do with this realization. We are beyond blessed by her in our lives and I am continually thanking God for sharing her with us. We are praying a blessed year ahead. May she continually grow in godliness and love. Please take a moment to pray for this little girl.  Laomai trivia: There are so many things we love about her. She firmly believes that she is a princess. She can walk in my four inch heels easily. She absolutely loves to pray and somehow she picked up that the Holy Spirit helps us. She is reading. She puts herself to sleep by singing the Doxology. Laomai loves people!! All of these funny little things make me laugh. She is unique and special just like Every child God created.  We are thankful to share in her life. Last week I challenged the ladies at Shiloh to speak kind words for the rest of the month. Someone was gossiping to me before the night was over. I had to laugh. It was a good reminder that I can talk all I want, bu...

I have started the process of redeeming our yard. My first project is to plant flowers down each side of our sidewalk. I have estimated that this will take a few hundred begonias. What was I thinking! Denbigh asked me if I was going to need new top soil. I thought of the recent lesson (in Bible Study Fellowship) about letting the land rest for Jubilee and I realized this land had been at rest 20 years! Jubilee dirt!! In fact, I have never seen anything so lovely. It is beautifully aerated. Jubilee dirt. I like it. Things I thought of while gardening: 1. Why is it called a sidewalk when it goes down the middle? 2. Is a male black widow called a black widower?

I gave a little snippet at Shiloh tonight and wanted to challenge all my blog readers to do something I challenged those ladies to do. Speak kind words. For the next thirty days, set your heart and mind to edify. Turn away from gossip and hurtful words. Open your mind up to things that you might not perceive as gossip. If anything you say about anyone defames or slanders the reputation of someone else, it is not Christlike. It could be about your kids, your husband, or your in-laws. It could be to your best friend, your mom, or your husband. If what you desire to say demeans another, let it go. Thirty days. I have people in my life who always have to share other people's dirty laundry with me. I don't need to know!!! I get so frustrated with the one gossiping that I want to complain about them to my husband. That's gossip. You can call it venting or concern or doll it up any way you like. It will never be pretty. Just for thirty days, let it go. Hand it over to Christ and ...

I love the words to the old hymn Jesus Loves Me . The most profound parts of the song are never sung. Ponder the poetry and the grace. ~ Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong; They are weak, but He is strong. ~ Refrain ~ Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so. ~ Jesus loves me! This I know, As He loved so long ago, Taking children on His knee, Saying, “Let them come to Me.” ~ Refrain ~ Jesus loves me still today, Walking with me on my way, Wanting as a friend to give Light and love to all who live. ~ Refrain ~ Jesus loves me! He who died Heaven’s gate to open wide; He will wash away my sin, Let His little child come in. ~ Refrain ~ Jesus loves me! He will stay Close beside me all the way; Thou hast bled and died for me, I will henceforth live for Thee. ~ Refrain ~ This stanza from the original is commonly omitted in hymnals: ~ Jesus loves me! Loves me still, Though I’m very weak and ill, That I mi...