ARrrrrrr

The power is out in a lot of places, trees are down, ice is on the roads. A mess. I echo what Sleeve talks about on his blog sometimes. I just want to do something adventurous today, like go driving through a mountain or do something redneck like drive through the mud. There was a tree down in our neighborhood, it took everything in me to fight the feeling to hook my jeep up to it and drag it out the way. Well the powerlines attached to it encouraged me a small bit. I did get to put my Jeep in 4wd on the way to work, what a feeling that is to throw it in there on the fly. Of course you have to beat your chest and do a big growl when you do it. It's manly.

Recently

First of all, I have seen Narnia 2 times now.  I absolutely love the movie.  It will get you excited about the Kingdom.  The thought of a coming King who is majestic, mysterious, and about a zillion other adjectives.  A God who is not safe, tame, or comfortable always, but a God that is GOOD.  That will get you excited.  If not, you got the wrong wood on the fire.   Go see it.

I will reiterate what many people have said about the John Mayer Trio album.  You should definitely go buy it.  It's the type of music that makes your head move and you have to make funny faces when you listen to it.  There are a few songs on it that I would call...in blog safe terms...very "smooth." 

I'm learning that God will actually really definitely assuredly supernaturally intervene in our lives when we need Him to.  Next part will be able to teach me to listen and be sensitive to hear.  TOUGH.

If you are reading this, you are probably one of my friends or some random person who googled something weird and found my blog, either way, I want to say that you mean a lot to me and I appreciate all of you.  Your friendships are VERY encouraging. 

This Morning

In my Jeep this morning, I followed a policeman just to make him nervous.

Little Switzerland

Take a few days off to head up the mountains, a big huge gargantuan pot of chilli, a few friends, and you will have an awesome weekend full of deeper friendships combined with a lot of gas. Sandy!

A group of us went up to stay at Sandy's parents mountain house in Little Swizerland, NC. It was the type of weekend where you go with the full intention of doing nothing for a few days. I mean nothing. Of course, eating is always a huge part of anything I want to be involved in, amen. Sandy, me, meredith orten, and amy wyatt went up on Thursday night to get a jump start on the weekend. Sandy and I went shopping to make sure we had all the right fixins. Fun times at the local wally world. Did you know that powder sugar only costs 1.00. I thought that was quite a deal. Anyway. Everyone else came up on Friday night. Rhett Cheatham, Loren T., Whityey, Joe S, Tavaras B, Melodacious, and a co-worker of mine, PEDRO whom we call Pedo, which means, the fart. It was a name given to him at work and it has just stuck. hilarious.

We did absolutely nothing the whole weekend. I'll define nothing by saying...a few games of cards, foosball, celebrity, and sitting by the fire drinking hot chocolate, apple cider, and bringing in wood every now and then. It's good to get away from everything and just take a break from what you call your life. A place where cell phone signals are few, emails are not popping up, and you are just alone with nature, friendships, and a really cool view of the mountains. We laughed the entire weekend.

Saturday night, we had a time where we all sat down for dinner. Melody made spaghetti and it twas good. It's amazing that we don't really sit down in big groups for dinner as much as people like our parents did in the past. We live in such a fast paced Zaxby's kinda world. I shouldn't say that Zaxby's is fast paced because they actually pride themselves on preparing your food in a timely manner and they are NOT a fast food restaurant. Anyway. It was really neat to sit at a table with your friends and just talk, eat, and have fun. Sandy said it was a tradition to talk about something good that has happened in our lives in the past week etc. So we started it and went around and shared. Everyone had something to say that was meaningful to them. It was really encouraging to sit and listen to everyone share something from their heart. It's SO easy to speak from the surface of our lives and just say that things are good, when they are not, to say that finances are good, when we are broke, to say that you are growing and learning, when well, you are not. Everyone opened up and shared and it was like you could see faces and hearts start to really open up. It's amazing that we long for that type of interaction but we don't really work for it. I think I know why. To really get to know someone and dig into their life, you have to let them see your life. You have to lay yourself bare and allow them to see your sin for what it is. You become vulnerable. I don't know of one single person, much less man that desires to be vulnerable in any way or form of the word. I think I am learning that it is okay to be vulnerable and for people to know your struggles and problems. When we open up and share our intimate thoughts and feelings, it creates an atmosphere where others can also feel comfortable to share theirs, and we can all grow together.

As believers, we are called to love each other, to care for each other, to share our struggles as well as our blessings.

This weekend taught me a lot about the power of friendships that go deeper than the topsoil. God is continually showing me more and more of what He desires me to be. The hard part is that it hurts to be scaled down and broken apart. He wants what is good for us and in return we will glorify Him by pointing people to His Son by the love that we have for each other.

Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart, oh God, you will not despise" 

Grace

A spider danced across my windshield yesterday, I fought the urge to turn on the windshield wipers. 

The Deep End

I grew up in the pool. I think my mom had me in the water everyday or in the river. I was swimming by about age 3. I have distinct memories of the middle of our pool. We had an above ground pool. My dad wanted to make it deeper so we dug out the middle of it to make it deeper. It was shallow around the outside, but on the inside, it was about 2 feet deeper. At a good game of marco polo, u always knew where you were when your nose would start to snort water. We also spent a lot of time at our neighbors. They had an in-ground pool with a distinct shallow and deep end. Those were the good ol days, playing in the pool, then eating ice-cream sandwiches and hot dogs. MMMM.

I feel like I'm in the shallow end of a pool of all black water. Something is pulling me to the deep end and I can't see a thing. I can't even see my feet in the shallow end, much less what it will be like in the deep end.

I guess I've said before that I don't really know where I fit in. I don't feel called to be part of "normal church" as we know it. I went to hear a guy speak this weekend and I think it has revolutionized my heart. His name is Wolfgang Simson. He's a German church planter and has been all over the world planting churches and teaching people. His talks blew my mind. The purprose of his message was to get back to authentic worship and the type of church that Acts speaks about. A place where people share, don't gossip, sell things to pay bills, give away life, and eat together. Most of church today does not have a "real" look or feel to it. We go meet at a certain time, get out fill, then leave. Most leave unchanged. The focus of the church has been to get people to church. Pack the place out. And if it gets too big, build a bigger building. The focus is not on taking the church to people. Meaning, believers being trained and discipled, and going out into the world and showing them church. Wolfgang spoke a lot about what it will take to have this real fellowship and to take the church to the world. It's in the form of a house church. A place where people come together, eat real food, eat the Word, sing, confess sins to each other, and grow. The home is a place where you cannot hide your life. It's easy to hide our lives behind a pulpit. The first church I ever spoke at was interesting. I walked in the door and nobody in there knew who I was. It was awesome. They didn't treat me special because I was the guy speaking, they didn't know who I was. For all they knew, I was a stranger come in from the street. I could have been anyone to those people. I could have spoke about things that I do not live. I could share a life that I don't have. The same is true of many pastors. Most members will never share a meal with their pastor, will never see him interact with his family, or will never see how he handles his finances. It's a very personal thing to eat with someone in their home. You can see their dvds, you can see their books, you see how organized their life is. There is no way to hide! How scary! I think it frightens me sometimes if people get too close to my life. Am I scared that they may find something that would cause them to not like me? Who knows. I'm thinking through a lot of these things and just wondering what it will take to reach people like in the book of Acts. Church growth is not adding people from other churches, it's adding new people to the Kingdom. The growth that existed in Acts was new converts. Thousands, daily. Where do you put these people? Could they have built these buildings fast enough? Most of these people went to house churches. The branched off and would come back together and meet as a whole.

What does a house church look like? It's a place where a person or family opens their home to people. They share a meal together, study and read the Word together. And not only read together, but talk about how the words they read are going to change their lives. How is the Bible going to transform me? How is it transforming me? The last thing Wolf said was that they would gather around and pray. They would go in a circle and encourage each other, maybe in something from the Lord, maybe with just a verse, but something to spur one another on. We practiced this at our table in a room of about 50 people. Tables were about 6-7 a piece. The guy who said something to me did not know me. But he spoke directly to me. How could someone do that? I say God. He spoke about something that pertained only to me that day I felt like. A morsel of food God sent to keep me hungry again. Man what a crazy day it was. It feels so good to know when God is at work again. To know that He has not given up on you and He still wants to use you. I still am clueless about so many things, so many things, and so many things. But I do know that God is still God, He's the same one forever and ever.

I am so far behind in what I am to do, but I feel like I have more direction, that's now enough for me. I know the director and he's still moving His hands at the right part of the song. I can wait.

On a side note, Columbia was awesome this weekend and a win over Carolina was good. More importantly was to see Jason's life group in action. It's neat to see a bunch of strangers come together in Jesus' name. They were super awesome and so fun to be around. I really believe God is about to do some really crazy things around the Columbia area that could have implications in other places. I love to see people think radically outside the box about God. The craziest things can happen. I love crazy things.

Dillon Strikes Again

After the wonderful victory over the University of Chicken, Dillon's own Shipp Daniel makes the cover.

On a side note, I do believe that the gamecock crow is going to be the siren that is played over and over in Hell.

Good conversation

I really like to listen to a guy name Todd Friel. He is controversial and really makes people think. Some of you might like to listen to this.

Todd Friel talking to high school kids.

More than this

Times are going fast and life has passed me. I'm just trying to catch up, hang on, etc. So officially a homeowner! Exciting times ahead. We settled everything yesterday and finally closed on the house. I left feeling a little disillusioned. I was excited but there was something else I was feeling. It took me a few hours to really feel what it was. I think partly it was the fact that well..."wow, that was a lot of money." But I don't even think it was the money, I think a big part of the feelings was the thought that I have committed to something big. I think commitment really sobers you up from the fast pace of life. The other thing I have been feeling lately is that I have let life run over me. I let it. God made our days for something bigger than having a good job, money, friends, and a mortgage. There is something in me right now that says something big is on the horizon. Ever feel like that? I never really feel anxious about anything. I really think that God has blessed me in that area. I never worry. I have a good life. Somewhere in the past year, I have made a provision for life to pass me. Scripture speaks of not giving the devil a foothold in your life and not making a provision for your flesh. Mainly it's speaking about lust and the things of the body, but you can apply that to so many other things in your life. I think most of my past year, I've just let the world and surrounding dictate what I do on a daily basis. I haven't grabbed my days by the horn and done something that I really wanted to do. None of this probably makes sense, and that's okay, because my blog is therapeutic for me. Right now, I just feel like something is just around the corner in my life that is going to be crazily good and from above. I've had so many thoughts lately about big things that I want to do with my spare time right now. I don't have everything sorted out and a true direction, but I do have some baby steps. I will take them. I want to do something that has some eternal impact. We think so small, I know I do. We believe that...all the big things in the faith must be done by people blessed with organization, money, time, smarts, or many other excuses. That's crap and from below.

I've been thinking about a lot of other crazy things too. Ever really wonder why you are the way you are? Were you born that way? Did your social conditions do the most to shape you? If you look at my left ear, it def. sticks out more than my right ear. Anyway. I didn't get serious about living for the Lord until probably my senior summer of high school. I think that's when the Lord really started working in and around me. I began to read my Bible and just grew. I didn't listen to sermons, I didn't read Christian books. I didn't wear a Jesus bracelet. I would just read. I wanted to go to school in the Navy, but ended up being color-blind so I had to sit home a semester before starting Clemson. I would just read every single night. If I would fall asleep, God would wake me up and instantly, I would start reading. I was disciplined. It was a good time of growth, real good. I have never been directly involved in a church. I've always been on the outside looking in. I just never really felt like it was my place or that I didn't really belong there. These are feelings that I am sorting out. I've been apart of churches, helped in their ministry, and done things behind the scenes but I just have never really had this deep desire to be involved in one church. Something in me these days is telling me that I prob. won't ever be. I'm always going to be on the outside and roaming around. I don't know what that looks like yet or where it will go, it's just what I feel and have felt for a long time. I do not believe that everyone is called to that type of life. For most people, it might be harmful. But for me, I do well having people around me that are good and from above, friends that care about the Lord more than themselves, for the most part. Wow, we struggle there. I raise my hand first. I'm the worst. Back to church, I feel like God is leading me to something that will help glue churches together and make it where we will care about souls. Somewhere in our growth, the church seems to have forgotten about the souls of people. We forgot that Hell really does exist and people will go there. Do we care about the lost? Think about all the books that are out right now. They all seemed to be focused on what God can do for us and how our lives can be complete. Does this bother anyone? This life is not about us. In Philemon, Paul was writing to this small church that was meeting. He really loved them and wanted to encourage them because he heard good things about their faith. He tells them in verse 6..."I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith so that you will have a full understanding of everything good thing we have in Christ" How do we REALLY know what we have until we explain it to someone. Man, that's good. I miss opportunities all the time to share my faith, but as soon as you finally share with someone, there is no feeling quite like that. It encourages every part of you and the people around you. Christianity isn't just about witnessing to people, it's about exciting and refreshing the hearts of people around you.

It seems that most of today's modern churches have an inward focus. I know, right now, of one church that does evangelism training. One. I think most churches really believe the sign out front that says..."Walmart, it's not the only saving place" is their evangelism. We are missing it. This world is not going to be reached by just inviting people to church. That is not the heart of what Jesus taught. I'm not saying it's bad to invite someone to church, that's great. Jesus' greatest ministry took place during the one-to-one relationships He had. They multiplied from that. Evangelism is not about how great your videos are at church, it's not about how great your singers can sing, it's about having a contagious faith. This is convicting for me to type. God has done the work, He has paved the path that we will walk, in His blood. How often do we cry for lost people around us? Who cares whether or not God chooses or He doesn't? I have spent way too much of my time wondering that one. He has commanded us to care for the lost people around us. Who knows if God will save them? He didn't ask us to save people, He commanded us to speak and encourage them, He will do the rest. I do such a crappy job at encouraging people. I have a friend that really believes in me. A friend that always challenges me to think outside of myself and get out of my world for a little while. A friend that sometimes makes me mad. The madness will go away and I'll realize the truth. Mmmm, that's good. It's so good to be encouraged and have someone push you along into doing something eternal. Mmmm...good.

Quote from Wise Cheatham

My boy Rhett and I were sitting in Zaxby's when he spoke these words::

"There is nothing like seeing a girl pray and then tear into some hot wings" - Rhett Cheatham

Friday!

You never really know where you stand until you look to see what is around you.

On on a side-bar...Today is the annual MARKETING VS. ENGINEERING SOFTBALL GAME.  GET EXCITED CORPORATE AMERICA!

Excellent Football Players.

I should get a raise.

So our company picks a few people to give out candy to the entire company. Guess who got picked?

Sad News

It's amazing that this is going on in our world right now.

SC Native

Yes, this woman is from Lancaster, SC. I honestly think she wants to have my children. :) Good song! Julie Roberts is her name.

Mile marker 203
The gas gauge leanin on the edge of E
And I'll be damned if the rain ain't pourin down
Theres somethin smokin underneath the hood
Its a bangin and a clangin and it cant be good
And its another 50 miles to the nearest town

Everything I owns in the back in a heafty bag
I'm out of cigarettes and I'm down to my last drag

Chorus:
I'd sure hate to break down here
Nothin up ahead or in the rearview mirror
Out in the middle of nowhere knowin
I'm in trouble if these wheels stop rollin
So God help me keep me movin somehow
Dont let me start wishin I was with him now
I made it this far without cryin a single tear
And I'd sure hate to break down here

Under 50 thousand miles ago
Before the bad blood and busted radio
You said I was all you'd ever need
But love is blind and little did I know
That you were just another dead end road
Paved with pretty lies and broken dreams
Baby leavin you is easier than being gone
I dont know what I'll do if one more thing goes wrong

Chorus:
I'd sure hate to break down here
Nothin up ahead or in the rearview mirror
Out in the middle of nowhere knowin
I'm in trouble if these wheels stop rollin
So God help me keep me movin somehow
Dont let me start wishin I was with him now
I made it this far without cryin a single tear
And I'd sure hate to break down here oh no

I'd sure hate to break down here
Nothin up ahead or in the rearview mirror
Out in the middle of nowhere knowin
I'm in trouble if these wheels stop rollin
So God help me keep me movin somehow
Dont let me start wishin I was with him now
I made it this far without cryin a single tear
And I'd sure hate to break down
Its too late to turn around
I'd sure hate to break down here

Mile marker 215...

More Ferrari

So I have many videos that I keep finding of our Ferrari adventure. Here is another one of a man starting from a dead stop and allowing the Ferrari to pick up a little speed. I'm not sure who was driving :).

Ferrari leaves cars in dust.(right click and save target as)

I'm clean at a cost

So my roomie and friend Lee Stunningman and I had a nice lil dinner last night at Ancheux's which included a Blackjack sandwich.  It's a blackened chicken sandwich that is from the Lord.  It includes tater chips that are seasoned with what I think is also from above.  Anyway.

We left and went to Walmart.  I bought a ceramic heater that has a nice lil thermostat and it beeps.  Ok, I confess.

I bought a loofah.  I have wanted one for a long time because I don't really use a wash cloth.  I used to think I was in the minority and didn't really think anything about not using a wash cloth.  I realized that many people, mainly guys, apply the bar soap directly to their body.  Some girls might find this disgusting, and it just may be.  I mean, when I get out the shower, i smell clean...anyway.  So back to the Loofah.  I felt kinda silly buying a loofah.  While I was in the act of being gay, I saw a nice bottle of liquid soap that would go nicely with the loofah.  Yes, it was something along the lines of Butter pecan honey or something to that effect.  So about 10 minutes later, while trying to hold my ceramic heater and 3 dvds, I dropped the soap and loofah and the soap busted and went all over the place.  So now clean-up had to come over and clean my mess up.  The woman that came over was the same woman I had just met in the bathroom.  Well, she was cleaning the men's bathroom and I walked in as she was walking out.   She made me wait a few minutes.  She was in a hurry.  I think she thought I might have had to "really" use it.  But I really just needed to pee.  So when I saw her the 2nd time, I figured she might look at me funny, like.."oh this guy again."  She was really nice and I thanked her for cleaning up my mess.  I did purchase the loofah and bottle of soap, minus the few ounces I left on the floor. 

I will report that I smell like a honey nut cheerio today and my skin is soft and smooth.  I love my new loofah. 

Dillon, SC is on the Map

Not only is Dillon, SC boasting such names as Ed Edwards, Jason Grier, Chris Moody, Justin Tanner, Chris McDuffie, and the list could go on, but the town is now boasting to be the hometown of the new Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke.  He will be confirmed very soon!  He actually worked at South of the Border.  This man will become one of the most powerful men in the world!

Just listening

So I switched it up a little and bought Josh Kelley's new cd....


So in the meantime
You'll be resting on my mind
For the last time
I will leave myself behind
In the evening
Raise a glass and tell some lies
Make a pass, impress another girl,
She was easy on the eyes

She was easy
And so was I

My reflection
In the window when I ride for Chicago
She is on the other side
Take a picture
Write a letter to my love

Well I was almost honest
I was almost honest

Been a long time
Since I've lay with you in bed
Conversations, full of words you never said
I got your message
But I didn't hear the ringing bell
I gave into the loneliness
But I didn't give them nothing else

Which direction
Down this highway that I ride to Atlanta
She is on the other side
Take a picture
Write a letter to my love

I was almost honest
Well, I was almost honest

Yeah, Oh oh oh Hmmmmm

My reflection
In the window when I ride
Could not save us
But I swear to God I tried


Take a picture
Write a letter to my love

I was almost honest
But I was almost honest
Cause I was almost honest

Texas A&M

I love the folks out here at A&M. This was not your normal day at the office. Kidding ok? :) Click picture for video clip.

Meet Herbert

So a few months back, I got really sick one week and did not leave my room for 3 days straight. I did not eat anything, well some crackers that Rachel West brought over :). But that was it. I lost about 10-15 pounds that I later found quite fast. Anyway, I came down from my sickness and ventured out into the living area of 106 Canterbury and discovered what you will see on this video. Enjoy.

I am out in College Station, TX this week for work so I had some creative time. :)

Meet Miss Wyatt

So, every now and then, the Sanch and I like to have a little time where we interview people. This week's video is a video about a first year teacher. Miss Wyatt was a little nervous about her first day at school and her first parent/teacher conference. So, to help Miss Wyatt, the Sanch and I wanted to do a mock interview so she could field some of the questions she might get.

Please ladies gentleman, hold your applause until the end of the movie. This is not the official release.

Meet Miss Wyatt. (Right click, and save target as)

Wow

I saw this video about and died, literally.  This is the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

http://www.hrtwrk.com/video/gooddoctor.mov

 

Yes...another Ferrari picture....U know, I had to get my white jacket out the front :) Real pimps drive ferraris in Rainbows...haha...Actually, I had to take them off because the car is just like driving a racecar...flip flops just get in the way.

I have sinned

This is my new tennis outfit....yes....don't you like it. Um....NO.
Jk. This is very disturbing, I am sorry for the children and hot
girls who saw this. I mean no harm.

Today

I wore dress pants to work today w/o really trying them on the night
before. I feel like I am ready for God to flood the earth again, but
He promised He would never do that again. Well...so the whole day I
felt a lil uncomfortable with my semi-highwaters on.

Some shots of the mountains in Las Vegas

Pedro giving the piece sign. We got some really cool videos of cars that were left in the dust. No, mom, we were not speeding, the other cars were just going really slow.

Okay, so back to the car. I should have tucked in my pink shirt to look more like Don Johnson but I guess this was close enough. Talk about a fun day. There is nothing like driving this car. To sit in the car instantly puts you in the realm of something incredible. As soon as you hear the engine crank, blood starts flowing fast through your body. This car was not made to be driven the speed limit. I am not saying that I broke the speed limit, I am just saying that this car was made for big things and big roads, and guys with small feet whom I don't fit the build of the feet part. I think I was raced by every car you can possibly imagine. One guy even spun his car around to come back and try to race me. He was driving an Audi, which I could have easily beaten, but I chose to reframe from such childish things :) Many of you might think this is really shallow and a waste of money. So. Who cares. I have 3 small worldy dreams. 2 of them have come true. 1 was to sky dive. Check. The other was to go some cool place and rent the coolest car I could find and well...test the limits of the automobile. Don't ask about the 3rd. More like...ask my wife , if God ever sends me one of those. The funniest part about renting this car was a guy I met at the gas station. He was an older gentleman who walked up to me really sweaty. He had been walking for a long time. He asked if he could have a ride, he just needed to get a mile down the road. I told him that I could give him a ride. Then I turn around and tell him to hop into the Ferrari, he was quite excited. Well let me just say that we got to his destination really quick. I got to share the gospel with him really fast, literally. It was the quickest presentation God has ever allowed me to have. What a fun time.

Sandy and I got lost numerous places. This happened to be one place that was quite funny. What was even funnier was to watch people take pictures in front of the bronze booties.

Just a random shot from the side of the road showing the mountains. It was really pretty out there, minus the dryness :)

Pedro again, what a fun day.

This was a picture I took of Pedro, one of my coworkers/friend that flew out to meet me in Vegas. He is a car enthusiast and he loved the car also. We stopped on the side of the road and just took in the view and the gas fumes from our lil race car :)

The Italians design cars based on a funny concept. Form over Function. This was funny to me because this car looks awesome but functionally, it's tough. You cannot open the doors wide open. You have to open them enough to get your body in and then easily shut the door. I felt a little like I was on the Dukes Of Hazard.

So we rented a Ferrari for the day, this was our gas fill up. Of course...only 93 octane will do for this ride :)

Expository Preaching

I have been thinking a little lately about preaching styles and what is exactly the right way to preach...or at least the general idea of what the Bible teaches...here is a great link to listen to...might make you think....a lot!

Ponder This

I once got into a rather huge debate at Clemson over a publication
that I wrote regarding evangelism. I never wanted to have the "I was
right and you were wrong" attitude but when it comes to souls and
people, sometimes it's okay. :)

A good read:

Concerning The Four Spiritual Laws and the late Dr. Bill Bright:
(Taken from The Way Of The Master, by Ray Comfort, Chapter 10, page 78.)

Over the years that I have shared my concerns about contemporary
evangelism, I have been careful never to name names. However, many
have guessed that on occasion I have been referring to the incredibly
popular tract The Four Spiritual Laws, penned by the late Dr. Bill
Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ. More than a billion copies have
been distributed in all the major languages of the world, and his
approach has become the model for the modern gospel presentation.

In July 2002, Kirk and I were invited to Orlando, Florida, to join Dr.
Bright at his home for breakfast. After breakfast, we sat down in his
living room and heard this warm, humble, sincere man of God (then
eighty-one) confess that he had been in error. Let me use his own
words from his book Heaven or Hell - Your Ultimate Choice (published
the same year) to tell you what he said to us:

"In his approximately 42 months of public ministry, there are 33
recorded instances of Jesus speaking about hell. No doubt He warned of
hell thousands of times. The Bible refers to hell a total of 167
times. I wonder with what frequency this eternal subject is found in
today's pulpits. I confess I have failed in my ministry to declare the
reality of hell as often as I have the love of God and the benefits of
a personal relationship with Christ. But Jesus spent more of His time
warning His listeners of the impending judgement of hell than of
speaking of the joys of heaven....I have never felt the need to focus
on telling people about hell. However, as a result of a steady decline
in morals and spiritual vitality in today's culture and a growing
indifference to the afterlife, I have come to realize the need for
greater discussion of hell....I have thus come to see that silence, or
even benign neglect on these subjects, is disobedience on my part. To
be silent on the eternal destinations of souls is to be like a sentry
failing to warn his fellow soldiers of impending attack." [Bill
Bright, Heaven or Hell - Your Ultimate Choice (Orlando, Fla.: New Life
Publications, 2002), 32, 48]

Dr. Bright even took the time to use the Law lawfully, by quoting
every one of the Ten Commandments, then expounding the Law by saying,
"Breaking these commandments will take us to hell without the
intervening grace and mercy of Jesus Christ." [Ibid., 37] By admitting
that "benign neglect on these subjects is disobedience on my part,"
Dr. Bright revealed his honest humility and his genuine love of the
truth.

Please, follow Dr. Bright's example and examine your evangelism
methods in light of God's Word. At stake is the eternal salvation of
millions of people. You don't have to throw away The Four Spiritual
Laws. Simply make four important changes. First, don't tell sinners
that Jesus will improve their lives with a wonderful plan. Second,
don't make the unbiblical mistake of giving the cure before you've
convinced them of the disease. Third, take the time to follow in the
way of the Master by "opening up" (or explaining) the Ten
Commandments. And fourth, faithfully remember to include the terrible
realities of Judgement Day and hell.

Thoughts from a Jet-Lagged Man

What does it mean to stay on track?
To keep your eyes forward, hands to the plow, never looking back
To the old life lived, words spoken, thoughts awoken
Positive and negative
Regretted and encouraged
What do we do with those old thoughts and words?
Seen and unseen.
Do we save them in the boxes of our mind?
Labeled and catorgized for quick recall?
Some are probably better suited for a yard sale or junk yard.

So I'm sitting here at 1:38 in the morning struggling to get back on
eastern standard time. We arrived in on a red-eye this morning around
10. If you don't know what a red-eye is, it's basically when you
leave one city around midnight and arrive in another city the next
morning. Basically you fly all night and usually lose a few hours in
the time change. We wanted an extra night in Vegas so we took the
red-eye back to Greenville.

It's amazing how a few hours time change can really mess up your daily
routine of life. I flew out to California last Saturday and stayed in
Long Beach for a few days of work. No, I did not see Dr. Dre, Snoop
Dogg, or any of the G-Unit. I did happen to pass Michael Keaton on
the street down from the hotel, which was quite interesting. I wanted
to tell him that he played a much better Batman. Something inside me
also wanted to walk up and say, "I'm Batman!" in that really deep
whispery voice. I chose not to. He was there shooting a movie,
although I'm not sure what the name of it is going to be.

California was beautiful and it was neat to see a beach on the Left
Coast. We toured around Long Beach a little, tried to make our way to
LA on a train but soon realized that it would be passing through
Compton and decided that was not our best bet or even remotely smart.
A co-worker and I ended up renting a car and driving to LA to visit
some beaches and see the city. We drove through Beverly Hills, wow,
some nice houses and cars. We also drove down Rodeo Drive, which was
quite an experience. It's so funny how fast paced things are there.
If you do not slam the gas at a traffic light when the light turns
green, you are in trouble. Horns will start blowing and you will be
forced to drive 90. On Rodeo drive, a woman was trying to parallel
park, so I and the other traffic waited patiently for her. All of the
sudden, she just stops in the process of parallel parking and sits
there. I am trying to figure out what in the world is going on.
There are cars waiting to get by and she is just sitting there. She
reaches down and answer her cell phone. Hilarious. Instead of
parking her car, then answering her phone, she priortized the phone
before the park. Crazinesss. After Rodeo drive, we toured through
Hollywood and a few other places and then made our way back to the
airport. While we driving through LA, we heard on the radio about the
plane that had trouble with the landing gear.

I think they were circling right over our head, we saw a few airplanes circling but didn't know which one it was. Anyway, they are safe :) We made it safely to our airport in Long Beach and flew out to meet another co-worker and Sanch Gibbes for a few days in Vegas :) I will post more on Vegas later! But let me tell you, driving a Ferrari around is no easy job :)

Much Needed Break

So after a few months of intense work, I will be leaving for a mini vacation / work for a week. We are going to California to work for a few days and then hopping over to Las Vegas for a few days of fun. I have never been to either place, so I am excited. So let me tell you the plan. We will have a day extra in California, so I plan to tour around and see this and that. Yes, this and that is a great places in California :)

So after a day of fun and a few days of work, I am flying with a coworker over to Vegas where I will meet my roomie, Sanch, and another friend of mine from work. Here is the fun part. I have a few small somewhat worldly dreams if I may. One was to sky dive. Done. The other well...I can't share. But it's Godly. And one of them is.....to fly out to Vegas...rent the most pimped out ride I can find, and cruise around the city. If all goes well, this will happen this time next week :) Here is a picture of it. Yes, that is a Ferrari.

We will cruise around for a few hours, preferably in a white suit that I bought from a thrift store, but we shall see about that. We also want to play some type of theme from a show....maybe miami vice or something corny like that. It shall be a good time!

Hardees

So forgive me for not blogging after I said that I would. But this
blog must be quickly written. Daily my coworkers and I go out for
lunch. It's our bonding/fun time of the day that we look forward to.
Well...that all changed today. We decided that we had not had a
burger in a while so we decided on Hardees. We walk in the door and
the first thing we see is a small baby spread out butt naked at one of
the tables being wiped. Oh my, my my. What in the world? Do people
really believe that this is okay. There are a few things that should
be written in peoples' minds from birth:

Do not ride 40 mph in the passing lane.
Do not wipe your baby at a restaurant table.
If you use the last piece of toilet paper, replace the roll.
Do not double dip the chip.

If you abide by these small rules, many things in your life will run smoothly.

I guess I could write that you should also never date someone on the
rebound. The stats are not good in that area. High rebounds are not
good for your game.

Out of Range

Life has sort of picked me up and dropped me off somewhere that I
wasn't expecting. I never used to have to plan my life around a
calendar but it seems that ways these days. I feel like a nerd
saying...."I need to check my calendar." It would be nice to have
someone to do that for you...hint hint God.

So I have to run again but if anyone out there is interested in going
west to Las Vegas....the week of Sept. 18-24th...holla at me. I'll be
out that way for work and my special roomie Standy Gibbes is meeting
me out there. More would be merrier!

I will write a real blog soon, I promise. I'll make sure it's
something that has been simmering in the realm of thought and whatever
else goes on upstairs.

Also...would anyone in the upstate area be interested in having a "sit
around and talk" group using John Piper...."Life as a Vapor" or "Don't
Waste your life"????? I am thinking maybe Monday nights.....

JT

On the road

Well, I have fallen in love. Please exhale, I promise it's not what you think. She's not blonde, nope, she doesn't have dark hair either. She is actually white and has a shine to her.

Okay, I really love the toilet in the hotel I'm staying at. It's a pressure assisted toilet much like this one. If you have never experienced this type of toilet, you are missing out. Have you ever been visiting someone or maybe even at your boo's place or parents place and been worried about the toilet flushing?? Or maybe you have just imagined what it would be like if the toilet wouldn't flush? Has this happened to you? Don't just take my word for it, you have to try this toilet. I am on the road this week traveling for work . I checked into the hotel yesterday and as soon as I got to my room, I completed a #1. I hit the flush button and you would have thought it was the ignite button on a bomb. The toilet flushed so hard that I barely had time to see the water leave. Immediately I had to investigate. I took the lid off the back of the toilet to see how many horses she was pushing. Man! This toilet is awesome. It creates a vacuum and sucks all the water out quicker than you can blink! I've got to get one of these, amazing.
Another thing I like about being in a hotel is the king sized bed. My bed at the pimp plantation is a single bed and many people laugh when they see it. It's about the size of bed that an 8 year old should sleep in. I curl so my feet don't hang off the end. Back to the king bed. It's great, I love the feeling you get when you open the door after a long day and you see the big huge king just waiting to break your fall. Ahhhhh. Lots of pillows too.

Not much new to update. I have been super busy with work and not much time to do anything else.

Oh yeah, the blog I wrote about Joel Olsteen blew up. So many hits from all over the place were coming in. I think I was on the top 10 hits on yahoo. Craziness. I kinda felt bad for writing it...oh, no I didn't, let me stop lying. The truth is the truth, whether it's on Larry King or Oprah. I think I'll go flush the toilet for fun a few times before bed....:)

Whew!

So my brain has been stretched this past week at work. We were locked in a room for a week to do some high priority testing and all I did was work and eat all week long. No time for play. I see while I was away that I was compared to Color Me bADDDDD by miss Erin Sanders and Ed Edwards. Quite hilarious I must say.

I've learned a few things in the past week. Well the first is that I hope I find a woman that knows how to cook. I really enjoy going out to eat but I sometimes get tired of it. I figured something up that might disturb some of you. Over the past two years, I've gone out to eat for almost every meal, at least 2 meals a day. There were probably 20 meals that either I cooked, ate with my parents, or a girl cooked a meal for me :) So for the past two years, we could say 2 meals out a day times 7 days in a week times 2 years would equal about 1400 or so meals! That is crazy. That's about $10k if the meals were around $7 a piece. Well some were a little cheaper and a few visits to the melting pot were not exactly cheap but well worth it.

I say all that to say that I do look forward to cooking more! But prob. won't. So to get back at the people who have posted terrible pictures this week, I will make a peace offerrrrrrrring and post one that incriminates us both Ed. Here goes. Note: Kyle Renfrow also had a crustache.

Well...Yes...It was High School

If you can't laugh at yourself, then life is going to be pretty rough for you.

This should get you a good laugh.

http://ededwards.blogspot.com

What a Shame

We wonder why our churches have no power. Joel Olsteen has the
largest church in the US and read the transcript from this interview.
Terrible. He claims now to have botched the interview. What do you
think?

Link for interview on Larry King.

Or listen to Al Mohler on Joel Olsteen, heard on KKMS (Todd Friel)

Joel says that he doesn't like to use the word "sin." What? I mean I think I just threw up in my mouth? What did Jesus call people to do? He called them to leave their life of sin. He calls us daily to pick up our cross. The cross and blood is represenative of the sacrifice. For what? SIN. He died because we sinned. I just don't understand how so many people would go to a church that a preacher doesn't even talk about sin??? Is this feel-good Christianity? I wish I could sit down with good ole Joel Olsteen. I pray that God turns his heart around and points him back to the truth. He has veered.

Thought for today

Who cares what you believe if it does not change the way you live.

Form over Function

We finally met the cow. For months now, I've awoken to
some intense mooing. No comments please. We could not figure out for
the life of us where this "moo" was coming from. During slip n slide
party day, I was grilling some steak and chicken on the back porch
when all of the sudden, I heard the loudest MOO! I look up and there
is a cow standing almost in our back yard. He was about 30-40 yards
from me and just looking intently at our house. I think he had the
feeling that I was grilling a relative. Anyway. So our neighbors
have a cow that moos, story over.

I went to church on Sunday (Grace on Pelham in Greenville.) Matt
Williams was speaking on the subject of worship. It's become a really
popular subject in the modern church movement. He stated that many
times we focus on the form over the function. The form of music often
supercedes the function of worship. You hear people leave the service
criticizing the music, or the singer, etc etc. People lose the focus
of what worship is about. I used to complain and say that I didn't
like to listen to hymns. Many people LOVE hymns and can really
connect with God through hymns. It really doesn't matter about the
form as long as the function of worship is reached. The form often
times becomes a distraction and we get lost in it. Girls get so
wrapped up in the planning of a wedding that they forget to plan for
the marrage, the form is embraced and the function in neglected. I
guess guys can do the same thing, but rarely. I guess I just don't
know many guys that plan weddings. There are instruments that were
used in the old testament that we don't even have today. It doesn't
matter what type of instrument is used to worship the Lord just as
long as He is worshipped. Banjo, trashcans, violin, guitar, or even a
really bad singer. Make a joyful noise bad singers. :)

I just don't know

Enough Said.

Photoshop had nothing to do with this. How cool would this float be on the lake. Lee loves the lake more than anyone so he seemed fitting for this picture.

So I got to "model" a year ago for a DVD cover! You know you have made it big when you reach this status in life. Kidding. Still funny :)

No, these are not pictures of your 4th grade party, these are images from Slip n Slide Day at Canterbury! Please check out Stunningman's Gallery for some more fun shots.

Mystery in Modesty

What defines a woman? Interesting question isn't it? The world seems
to tell us it's how big her bootie is or how big her...well the other
b word that I've mentioned a few times on my collection of random. I
will share a short story. Girls often struggle with their clothes and
wonder what is scandalous and what do boyz like, what should they
wear? etc etc.

A few years ago when I was in college, I had the opportunity to be
around a lot of beautiful women that loved the Lord. Much like my
life now :) Blessed I am. There was one girl in particular that
caught my eye. I don't mean that she caught my eye in that I was head
over heels etc. I was very interested in the way she dressed. See,
girls...guys check you out regardless of what you think. Guys check
girls out before we even realize we check them out. It's just part of
our nature. It's like going to a restaurant that has a buffet. Many
times, you walk in the place, and look over the buffet before you
decide to stay and eat. Bad example, but you get my point. I am
going to be honest here because honesty is good. This girl had a
really nice body. What was funny was...she never wore anything that
revealed anything about her body. I'm not saying she wore a cucumber
sack, she always wore really attractive yet modest clothes. Often
times, she would even take her sweater and tie it around her waist. I
think she did this because she had a ba donka donk, but I just wasn't
sure. She was a beautiful person...inside and out.

So on the way to a concert one time, me and a couple of guys were
talking about the way girls dress. (There were two girls also in the
car.) We were having a fun conversation and then something happpened
that made it even more interesting. I said just what I said above and
a lil more. "I know a girl that has a nice body and always wears
really modest clothing, sometimes she even ties a sweater around her
waist, etc etc" As soon as I said that, the guy in the front seat got
really excited and said..."I know exactly who you are talking
about!!!!" I was like..."there is no way, I didn't give you any more
description of her." That was all I said. Well after a few words
back and forth, I made him whisper the girl's name in my ear to see if
it really was the same one. Well it was.

Sure, if a girl wears a dress that her boobs fall out of, guys are
going to stare and probably stare for a long time. But as soon as
that girl is gone, they aren't going to think about her another
second. Thoughts gone. But you take a girl who dresses modest, she
will be remembered for a lot longer in a Godly Guy's mind. There is
something about mystery covered in modesty that is so much more
attractive than a hooker suit. If that makes sense.

It's really tough for girls, I'm sure. The world markets skin. As
guys, we don't do a very good job at encouraging as we should. A
friend of mine thanks another close girl "space" friend of mine and
says that he really appreciated the type of clothes she wore. She was
always dressed modestly. I still remember what he said and I'm sure
she does too.

I was talking to my lil sister tonight and just started thinking about
how tough it's going to be for her when she gets a little older and
has to deal with this life and all the trials that follow us.

I spoke at a sorority Bible study one time and said that there is an
easy rule about how girls can dress. If Jesus came back today, would
you need to change before He took you up? "Wait a minute Jesus, let
me put some clothes on." Sure, you clothed in righteousness, but that
skirt has got to go.

Friday Afternoon Thoughts

Your goal is not to find the woman with no issues, your goal is to
find the woman with the least issues. -JT

More than you know

Combine a black man, a few white guys, and lots of egytians...what do
you get? Tony Abdou's wedding. Tavaras Brockman and I made the trip
down to Valdosta, GA for the big event. Tony and Leigh tying the
knot. I knew before going that the wedding was going to be
interesting but had no idea what that would entail.

Tony's family is so fun. They were all super funny and very generous,
kind, and loving. We all stayed in the same hotel and ended up
spending about every minute of the weekend together. They came from
all over, including Canada.

The wedding rehearsal went well. We got everything down really quick
and that was good becuase it was a very large wedding party, 10
groomsmen and I think 11 bridesmaids, including two that were
pregnant. No, they weren't ours. Anyway. Then onto the rehearsal
dinner. The rehearsal dinner is by far one of my favorite parts of
the wedding events. A time when people say things that are funny,
encouraging, and just all around good. It's amazing that we wait
until things like that to say how we reallly feel. Many stood up and
shared stories about Tony and Leigh and it was really neat. Tony
shared stories about all the groomsmen and it was also very
encouraging until he got to part of my story. There were probably 50
or more people at the dinner. Tony talked about how we met and served
in ministry together. He told everyone how we had both encouraged
each other in the Lord. "At first meeting Justin, I thought he was
very weird." People laughed. Now I don't really get embarrassed.
But the thing Tony said next got me. After saying that he thought I
was weird, he went on to say that he got a chance to stay in a bed
with me in Memphis, Tenn for a mission trip we were on with FCA. The
next line out of Tony's mouth was..."Justin taught me so many things."
Everyone at our table about died laughing and the room erupted. I
started drinking sweet tea like a sailor. He tried to clarify that he
was speaking spiritually, but it just got deeper and my face was red
I'm sure. It was hilarious. By far, the funniest thing Tony has ever
done around me. A good time was had.

After the rehearsal dinner, we all went out on the town. We went to a
"mellow mushroom" that happened to have a bar and dancing place
inside. It was so fun. We just hung out and got to know each other.
One of Tony's cousins, Natalie, had never really heard good country
music so that was quite an experience to watch a Canadian get down to
some Hank Williams etc.

The wedding was fun and everything went smooth. The church was built
100 years ago and was beautiful. All wood and very detailed. Leigh
looked great and Tony didn't do anything stupid :) Not much room was
left to sit, a packed house! Or church.

Now here is where the fun really really began. I've been to a few
weddings in my life but never had I experienced what I was about to
see and hear. The reception was incredible and was held at a country
club in Valdosta. Super great food and very very nice. After
everyone finished eating, Tanner's Lane, the band, came out and
jammed. People started dancing but it was only a few. Then all of
the sudden, some really crazy Arabic music came on and the place went
nuts. Egyptians came out the wazoo and started breaking it down.
Have you ever seen someone belly dance? These people were breaking it
down. They came with some type of wrap around thing with
tamborine-like things attached to it. Wow, so much fun. So I
couldn't be left out, so Tavaras and I took the opportunity to learn
some moves. Cousin Eddie was happy to teach us. They all were. Even
the white girls were out there learning, hilarious. We would go from
Shag, to rock, to some swing, to some arabic music to some rap. The
most diverse and cultural wedding I've ever been to.

I discovered something this weekend that I never really knew about
myself. I really love other cultures and getting to know them. We are
so close-minded in the states and I don't know enough about the rest
of the world. All of Tony's family was super well-rounded and had
genuine hearts. Me and Tavaras were learning how to pick up girls in
Arabic until we found out that what we were saying really meant, "You
donkey!" Haha. We did learn a few nice phrases :) So a long blog to
say that I really like learning about people and broadening my
horizons.

It's not easy being Tavaras Brockman. Dancing with beautiful women and all :)

Note the drums :) The band rocked out!

Nancy and Natalie....awwww.

Reception, quite possibly the most fun I've ever had at a reception!

Family pictures too!

Tony & Leigh Abdou...awwww...and family.

Natalie (the Canadian and Tony's cousin) Quite possible the coolest crocheted hair around.

Cousin Eddie, Tavaras, and Joe Mikhail in the background. George Jacob in the way back, Mad shouts Dr. George!

Rough life, ya know.

Tonto with the ladies! Woo Hoo.

"So I just carry the ring up to you in my pimp-tight outfit?"

This is the most pimped out outfit I have ever seen. Look at this kid. I so wish I could rock that today.

Tony's bride :)

Leigh and the "flower girl" awwww.

Imagine Tavaras with white socks here and Michael Jackson in the making. Well I mean. Nevermind.

Very Sneaky.

Tavaras and John Scott, who knew?

Eddie Abdou ( Tony's cousin). We spent about 48 hours around each other and I'm now know as "cousin Justin" and he is "cousin Eddie." I love it. What a funny guy.

Tony talking to the bridesmaids...the last time he will talk to women as a single man.

Michael Gilbert, Andy Heck, and Tavaras Brockman.

Before the big show, some of the boyz grazing around the cheese and grapes :)

Natalie and JT at the waffle house too. See we have to make sure our Canadian people get the full experience of the South! She tried grits for the first time and was upset at me for ordering a "Big House" breakfast. Fat Americans.

No comment needed here. The myth, the man, the legend.