I had a profound thought yesterday morning at breakfast and thought "I need to blog about that". Unfortunately I did not do it and now, a day later, the thought completely escapes me.
The garden is doing fairly well. We have blooms on the tomato plants, the squash plants are growing and the green beans have really taken off. It is fun having Christopher help in the garden, listening to him talk about it and seeing things grow through his eyes. At 3 he is really a sponge now, absorbing all kinds of information, what an amazing time.
Jacob is running up and down the halls, singing and laughing. The greeting he gives me every time I come home is amazing.
This weekend we head for the Smokies. Can't wait to be back in the mountains, they have a way of reviving the soul. We will spend time with family and friends so every trip back home is special.
Enjoy the week,
David
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Weekend Update - I'm Chevy Chase?
We had a busy weekend. Friends from Chattanooga came up Saturday and we grilled out, got c up to date with each other's lives since their move and played Settlers of Cataan. The boys got to play with their daughter and all had a good time.....well, until the kids got overtired but they still had fun.
Sunday seemed like football weather, rain, wind, cold. I called Mark Bell and asked him how we missed out camping in weather like this. We now have a running joke that anytime our two families plan on camping together, no matter how good the forecast is looking, the weather turns south in a hurry. So instead of camping the boys took mommy out for lunch for mother's day. Janelle got to talk to her parents in China and I spoke to my mother in east Tennessee.
Monday was adventure day. With the big earthquake in China we were on the phone trying to get through to family and friends over there to make sure everyone was okay. We are close to 3 couples over there including Janelle's parents. Her parents and the Cooks are both in the same city which is about 500 miles from the epicenter. They all came through okay. Will and Brittany are in another city and apparently had a nap interrupted but are none the worse for that.
Last night was the Macho Monday. 12 guys got together for dinner at Vittles, talked about manly things while the TV was on ESPN. We had a good time and it was fun catching up with everyone. With all of us married, most with kids, its hard to find time to just hang out and talk. We are going to try it again next month on a Turbo Tuesday and another Meat and 3.... no salad and muffin places for us! Have a great week.
David
Sunday seemed like football weather, rain, wind, cold. I called Mark Bell and asked him how we missed out camping in weather like this. We now have a running joke that anytime our two families plan on camping together, no matter how good the forecast is looking, the weather turns south in a hurry. So instead of camping the boys took mommy out for lunch for mother's day. Janelle got to talk to her parents in China and I spoke to my mother in east Tennessee.
Monday was adventure day. With the big earthquake in China we were on the phone trying to get through to family and friends over there to make sure everyone was okay. We are close to 3 couples over there including Janelle's parents. Her parents and the Cooks are both in the same city which is about 500 miles from the epicenter. They all came through okay. Will and Brittany are in another city and apparently had a nap interrupted but are none the worse for that.
Last night was the Macho Monday. 12 guys got together for dinner at Vittles, talked about manly things while the TV was on ESPN. We had a good time and it was fun catching up with everyone. With all of us married, most with kids, its hard to find time to just hang out and talk. We are going to try it again next month on a Turbo Tuesday and another Meat and 3.... no salad and muffin places for us! Have a great week.
David
Friday, May 9, 2008
Geocaching
I enjoy getting out from time to time to geocache. I have seen parts of Nashville and other cities that I would not have known about if it were not for this game. If you don't know about geocaching, it is a high-tech treasure hunt using a gps unit. Go to geocaching.com to learn more or to sign up for free.
To participate in geocaching you need a gps unit (your guide), coordinates of the cache that you will be seeking and it helps to know where you are. The gps unit will lead you to the coordinates and then it is up to you to find the hidden treasure. Easy enough, as long as those satellites are in the sky that allow gps units to know where they are. If they aren't there, then there is no game.
Our spiritual walk is similar to geocaching. We have the Spirit to guide us and the word to give us the "coordinates" for the treasure that we seek. We can constantly know where we are if we bother to check our guides.... but if there is no power in heaven, then there is no need to participate. It is the unseen power of the Father that allows us to continue and it is his love and mercy that gives us hope. Good luck on your treasure hunt.
In Him,
David
To participate in geocaching you need a gps unit (your guide), coordinates of the cache that you will be seeking and it helps to know where you are. The gps unit will lead you to the coordinates and then it is up to you to find the hidden treasure. Easy enough, as long as those satellites are in the sky that allow gps units to know where they are. If they aren't there, then there is no game.
Our spiritual walk is similar to geocaching. We have the Spirit to guide us and the word to give us the "coordinates" for the treasure that we seek. We can constantly know where we are if we bother to check our guides.... but if there is no power in heaven, then there is no need to participate. It is the unseen power of the Father that allows us to continue and it is his love and mercy that gives us hope. Good luck on your treasure hunt.
In Him,
David
Monday, May 5, 2008
Thoughts on the Men's Retreat
This weekend I attended a men's retreat with several others from our congregation. Clarence Daily, who has spent 68 years in ministry was the main speaker. While listening to Brother Clarence I was reminded about the story of the Apostle John in his latter years. When John spoke it is said his message would be a simple "My little children, love each other". While Clarence spoke I kept thinking of John and that same message. How blessed we were to hear it emphasized again from someone we all love and respect.
With the theme "Who's gonna fill their shoes?" my mind first goes to my own life. Having lost my father while I was a young man, I hope I have done all right at trying to fill his shoes. I hope that people who knew him will see him in my life and that is my hope for my boys. I hope that I am the proper example that I can train them to fill my shoes, not so that I can be praised as a great father but that they can reflect the glory of the Father.
The other thought that I had was when Jesus was told to keep his disciples quiet his reply that even if they were silent then the rocks and hills would cry out (please excuse me for taking it out of context). If we don't train our children to fill our shoes, to do what they should, then God will raise up children that will. If we don't step up and fill the shoes of the giants of faith that went before us, God will raise up leaders that will.
I am confident that the church will go on.... I need to make sure that I am part of that by doing my part.
In Him,
David
With the theme "Who's gonna fill their shoes?" my mind first goes to my own life. Having lost my father while I was a young man, I hope I have done all right at trying to fill his shoes. I hope that people who knew him will see him in my life and that is my hope for my boys. I hope that I am the proper example that I can train them to fill my shoes, not so that I can be praised as a great father but that they can reflect the glory of the Father.
The other thought that I had was when Jesus was told to keep his disciples quiet his reply that even if they were silent then the rocks and hills would cry out (please excuse me for taking it out of context). If we don't train our children to fill our shoes, to do what they should, then God will raise up children that will. If we don't step up and fill the shoes of the giants of faith that went before us, God will raise up leaders that will.
I am confident that the church will go on.... I need to make sure that I am part of that by doing my part.
In Him,
David
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The Truth Project
On Sunday evening I attended services at Hillsboro in Nashville to learn about The Truth Project. Hillsboro is hosting the special satellite training session that will occur on September 27, 2008. If you have not heard about this, click on the title above and it should take you to a link for The Truth Project. This series of lessons is from Focus on the Family and it helps Christians develop a world view from a biblical perspective. I am excited about this and cannot wait to attend.
As a bonus, your church could host the video simulcast if no church within a 20 mile radius has already agreed to do so. Janelle's uncle has already conducted 4 small groups through this curriculum and is currently working with a fifth group. His excitement is contagious and after I saw some of the video clips, I can't wait to learn more.
In Him,
David
As a bonus, your church could host the video simulcast if no church within a 20 mile radius has already agreed to do so. Janelle's uncle has already conducted 4 small groups through this curriculum and is currently working with a fifth group. His excitement is contagious and after I saw some of the video clips, I can't wait to learn more.
In Him,
David
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Visitor in the night - Part 2
Reading Trey Morgan's original post on visitor in the night reminded me of a story that happened when I was in eighth grade. Our family was building a house out in the country in East Tennessee. The basement was complete and habitable and we moved in. While the upstairs was enclosed it still needed all the work; electrical, plumbing, drywall, etc to be done. The way the lower level was situated the front of the house was underground, where the bedrooms were located, while the back of the house containing the kitchen and living room was at ground level with windows and a sliding glass door looking out on the backyard. With the bedrooms being underground, the rooms were very dark especially when you closed the doors at night (side note: as a teenager these dark, cave like bedrooms were perfect for the guy wanting to sleep until 1 or 2 in the afternoon). Anyhow, on with the story.
One night we are awakened to dad hollering and mom screaming and a lot of banging going on in their room.... it went down like this. In the middle of the night, in their very dark bedroom, my father awoke to feel a hand pressing down on his chest. He smacked it away and it thumped down on his chest again, enhancing he fear. He pushed it away again and the hand smacked him in the face. My mother wakes up wondering what is wrong and dad tells her that someone is in the room with them. Mom starts flailing away, occasionally hitting the "intruder" but mostly landing blows on my father can feel. After a brief period of time with this going on, my father finally gets my mother to quit striking him, regains his composure, arises to turn on the light to find the room empty except for he and my mother, their door securely closed.
As it turns out, my father had been sleeping on one of his arms which went to sleep. When he rolled over the now asleep or "dead" arm flopped over striking him on the chest. He had no feeling in that arm or control over it so when he pushed it off with his good arm it would just flop back on him and in the pitch black of their bedroom he had no idea on what was going on.
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as our family has through the years.
David
One night we are awakened to dad hollering and mom screaming and a lot of banging going on in their room.... it went down like this. In the middle of the night, in their very dark bedroom, my father awoke to feel a hand pressing down on his chest. He smacked it away and it thumped down on his chest again, enhancing he fear. He pushed it away again and the hand smacked him in the face. My mother wakes up wondering what is wrong and dad tells her that someone is in the room with them. Mom starts flailing away, occasionally hitting the "intruder" but mostly landing blows on my father can feel. After a brief period of time with this going on, my father finally gets my mother to quit striking him, regains his composure, arises to turn on the light to find the room empty except for he and my mother, their door securely closed.
As it turns out, my father had been sleeping on one of his arms which went to sleep. When he rolled over the now asleep or "dead" arm flopped over striking him on the chest. He had no feeling in that arm or control over it so when he pushed it off with his good arm it would just flop back on him and in the pitch black of their bedroom he had no idea on what was going on.
I hope you enjoyed this story as much as our family has through the years.
David
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Favor with all men
John Dobbs comments on "Why do the lost seem so far away" got me thinking of lots of random thoughts. Why was the early church so successful in evangelism? Definitely their zeal was a huge factor of it, but the latter part of Acts 2 explains a lot of it as well. "46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Enjoying favor of all the people. Their kindness, their love, their generosity was appealing to all who witnessed it.
Often time we become focused on agenda evangelism. We set out to convert someone but we have not taken time to show them the love, kindness and generosity it takes to grow in favor with them. I'm not saying that we don't evangelize, for that is our purpose as Christians, what I am saying is that we take the time and build relationships and trust with those we are seeking to engage in biblical discussions. I think of myself as a good person yet I know this is something that I need to work on in my life.
If you click on the title bar to this blog topic it should take you directly to JD's blog
In Him,
David
Often time we become focused on agenda evangelism. We set out to convert someone but we have not taken time to show them the love, kindness and generosity it takes to grow in favor with them. I'm not saying that we don't evangelize, for that is our purpose as Christians, what I am saying is that we take the time and build relationships and trust with those we are seeking to engage in biblical discussions. I think of myself as a good person yet I know this is something that I need to work on in my life.
If you click on the title bar to this blog topic it should take you directly to JD's blog
In Him,
David
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