Thanksgiving

I had a great Thanksgiving time with my family. We went to Brookgreen Gardens as usual. It is such a relaxing place to be. I got to see more animals than you could imagine, eat some really good oysters, and spend time with my wonderful family.

The USC/Clemson game was also quite awesome. It was quite cold at the game but the Tigers pulled it out of their hat, barely!

Red-Eye strikes again

I chose to fly a red-eye Thursday night back home because I kinda wanted to get back and take a long nap before festivities of the weekend started.  I have to admit that red-eyes are not my favorite anymore, well probably never were.  I had a particularly bad attitude for a few moments last night.  I had to choose an airline that I do NOT like to fly and one that I do NOT have frequent flyer status on, I will tell you that it sounds much like US SCARE :) 

They did not have enough room for my pack, so I had to stuff it under my seat.  This doesn't work when you are over 6' tall and especially doesn't work when you are in the middle seat.  I really didn't think I was going to be able to make it.  I get very claustrophobic and I felt like I wanted to crawl out my skin.  The guy beside me had the arm rest up and half his belly was hanging in my seat, not to mention his hand was chillin on my arm.  I slowly tried to push the arm rest down while he was sleeping.  Time-out, this woman beside me as I'm typing in the airport, just stood up right beside me, said to her 5 year-old son "mama's underwear is showing." She then goes to straighten herself out.  So back to the sleeping giant beside me.  I know people come in all different shapes and sizes and I probably shouldn't be complaining but it seriously about drove me nuts that he was all in my space and sleeping like a rock.  I kept telling myself that he probably had some medical condition that made him spill over into my seat and this is the only thing that made me feel better about being mad at him.  I sound like a 5 year-old.  I did eventually knock out for almost the entire flight so it worked out. 

On a happier and less-complaining note, it was a good few days in San Diego and the weather was quite awesome. 

Well I am sitting in Charlotte airport and they have a JAMBA JUICE now.  You should try it next time you see one, all natural, so GOOD. 

A week in Cali

This has been a good week in California. I flew out on Sunday morning which wasn't so fun. But, it has turned out to be a good trip. I spent a few days in Anaheim, Ca. Which, I might point out, is where Disney Land is. My hotel is right across the street from it, and no, I have not visited. I headed over to Hollywood last night and met up with a friend I haven't seen in years, an aspiring actress :) I actually took her to a Neutrogena audition. Hollywood is actually a dirty city, which is funny because it is portrayed as glamorous on tv. We did have a an awesome dinner at the Geisha House. It was a modern sushi/Japanese restaurant. It was very hip and cool.

We left dinner and went to a comedy improv show over at Upright Citizens Brigade. It was pretty funny.

I had one more meeting tonight in Anaheim and went well and head out tomorrow for two days in San Diego, then back home!

Seeker-Sensitive Movement

The Goodness of God

I'll just be honest. I think I take the goodness of God for granted on a regular basis. I'll be honest and confess a feminine thing I do, I SAVE EVERYTHING. If you have given me something, I save it. I have pretty much every note anyone has ever written to me. Back home, I have a green tub with stuff from high school. In my room now, I have a place where I put all my notes, letters, etc. I've gotten better over the years, but for the most part, I save everything, down to the notes that might have 5 words on them. What in the world? Am I the only one who does this? Occasionally, I'll go through them. It's important to not live in the past, but sometimes to really know where you are, you have to look back at the paths you've been. There is something about doing this that humbles me. I don't know what it is, but it's this weird feeling that usually ends up stirring my soul to love God more. I get the same feeling when I go visit my family after not seeing them for a while.

I think if you look back on your past, you have to see that God has always taken care of you. I don't care about the outcome, maybe you didn't get the job you wanted, maybe you didn't get the girl, it doesn't matter, I think you always realize that God has taken care of you. I can look at all the stupid things I have done in my past and I always can see that God's hand has always guided me back to where I needed to be. This I often take for granted.

I loved the line in The Chronicles of Narnia where they said of Aslan, "He's not a tame lion." Then the reply was, "No, but he's good." Man our God is a lion. Jesus is a lion. Man I sometimes don't want to see Jesus as a lion. It's a lot easier in America to see Him as a nice lil lamb that wouldn't hurt a soul.

Read this passage from Revelation. This should bring chills to your spine. He's good.

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns... He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Rev. 19:11-16, NIV).

Clean

I have cleaned so much this weekend. What in the world is wrong with me. I really think I have been taken over by someone else. Ed came and got his boat today and I thought, hmm, the garage is dirty. For hours, I took every single thing out of it, cleaned it, swept, used the blower, and now I can park the Rover in there and can actually see the floor. I even have room for my dirtbike to live beside the Rover. I finished staining the table I bought also. I went metro and painted the legs black and stained the top a maple brown. I think it turned out quite well.

Go pick up Josh Turner's new cd, it's COUNTRY. I like it. I sing background vocals on it, NOT.

I'm officially domesticating.

The Older I Get

I am a grown-up. There is a big part of me that just hasn't really accepted this idea.




I understand...
I have a job
I work hard
I have a house
I clean (naked)
I have a church, I love.

I just still feel like I still have so much growing up to do. I can't get over this idea that I'm waiting on the next thing and I struggle with settling down, but it is getting easier. I tend to take a long time to make decisions that really matter. I know everyone isn't like this, I hear about people dating for two months and getting engaged. I'm not downing that or saying negative things, but in my mind, I can't understand it. I need time, data, information, points of reference, situational experience. We always deal with decisions, but it seems like as we get older, the decisions and choices get tougher and deeper. They have bigger consequences. I struggle with this idea that maybe I don't trust God as much as I think or profess that I do. Maybe people that make quick decisions know more. I feel like I'm going to miss something somewhere in my process of trying to "figure." Man I love to figure. I love to open spreadsheets and figure costs, I love to watch planes get jacked up on the runway and figure out how they back them up so quickly. I like to figure out how these ladies on these planes are going to get their big honkin bags in the overhead bin. They always do.

I have been hanging out with people a lot lately and really talking about life. This has helped me a lot to discuss deep things with people around me and share struggles and success. I'm pretty good at masking sometimes and I hate it. A friend asked me today if I read my Bible today, I told him no. I thanked him for encouraging me.

It's about 11:30 and I have been flying all over the place today and I am beat, babbling, and probably not making sense at this point. I hope to start flying lessons as soon as I save up enough pennies, so be on the lookout :)

God has blessed me. Amen!

So our church went out to a local apartment complex around Clemson and put on a nice thing for the kiddies. We had cars full of candy, a lil craft area to paint, and a field with lots of games. It was a fun time and all came together nicely.

I was asked to give a short gospel message and to use a pumpkin to share Jesus. We talked about how God can open us up, take out all the nasty stuff that is inside us and make us new. We scooped all the yucky stuff out and handed it out to the kids. We went through sin and Jesus and how He paved a way to God for us. In the end, my friend Paige cut a cross out of it and we put a candle inside to talk about how Jesus is the light of the world and how it shines out. Well the problem was, it's about 6PM and there is no darkness so the candle doesn't really work. Well, I had a backup plan, I asked someone to get a huge firework out of my car. Yes this is the part where we could have possibly been on the news. "Church burns down neighborhood." Thankfully- the firework exploded and blew out the rest of the sin that was in the pumpkin and smoke billowed out from it, it was quite awesome.

It's difficult to speak to a vast age range of people especially when they are amped on candy and a good game of dodgeball. It's easy to get frustrated sometimes when you worry that they might not be "getting it." It is encouraging when you look across a crowd and do connect with a few lil faces and you can see in their eyes, they are listening, they are understanding. There could be 50 kids talking and not listening, but just to see a few that are learning of the gospel and starting to see it, that's worth it. Ultimately, I know the Holy Spirit brings those hearts and there is nothing in me or you that could ever convince them of anything.

Please note the BURNED PUMPKIN :)

Back out this week to my mom's home state of Connecticut!

About one time a month

Okay, so about one time a month, I like to get naked. Over the years, I have not really become a clean freak, but I have gotten a lot more organized and clean. Maybe it is just apart of getting older. So back to being naked. I started my day with one goal: to mop the hardwoods. My roomies started cleaning this morning and I realized we didn't have any Murphy's Oil :) That's the best for hardwoods in my opinion after my 10 minutes of internet research :) I left to buy the Murphy's and stayed gone for 2-3 hours and came back with my Rover's oil changed, a few new ideas of furniture, and the Murphy's Oil Soap.

I came home, went to eat at Mac's, then headed off to buy a dining room table. I got a high table that looks pretty contemporary, I like it. I also got some new lights for the walk-way/house so you can see at night. I came home and put them up, because when I get something on my mind, I am focused. The lights look nice and pretty. It's about 10 o'clock and I never washed the hardwoods. So I decided, okay, back to the being naked part. It's not really efficient to try and deep clean your house when you are wearing clothes, you are going to mess them up. Well I am not a complete idiot, so I don't get naked until I start on the bathroom. It's so much easier to just strip and scrub everything, then hop in the shower and scrub it too. If you have never tried this, I suggest you try it, it's relaxing.

Disclaimer: I absolutely do NOT like scrubbing the toilet. I really don't know what it is but I think that is one of the worst things. I will go ahead and put this in writing. If I get married eventually, my wife can come back and read through my years of blogs and find my words. I will strike a deal with whomever I marry, if she doesn't mind doing the toilet scrubbing, I will mow the yard, wash the dishes, clean the bathroom(minus the toilet), mop the floor. Heck, I will do whatever just to not scrub the toilet. I feel like it just stares at me and all the people that have sat on it come to mind, mainly Sandy and it disgusts me. :) All and all, I will scrub a toilet if I need to, but it's not my favorite thing to do.

For some reason as I was scrubbing the toilet, I thought about the woman in Luke 7. Jesus comes over to have dinner with a Pharisee, and a prostitute comes in and just starts crying at his feet and washing his feet with her hair. She took her perfume, mainly a year of her salary, and adorns him with it. He uses this woman's example to show the religious people that this was true love and he would truly forgive her of her sins.

The simple fact that God created Himself in human form to enter into time with sinful people like us, well that is pretty amazing.

I'm Getting Old

So I played ultimate frisby yesterday against my better judgement, and I was right. My nice friend Rhett and I were warming up and went up for the same frisby and I'm pretty sure his fit went through the back of my rib cage and touched the backside of my heart. I could barely lay on my nice comfy bed last night, how do u know if you bruised a heart/rib?

I've had so many great conversations lately and filled the last few days speaking with people one on one and learning, hanging out, and just having "real" conversation. Today was a good day.

"IF YOU KNOW JESUS, THIS CHURCH IS NOT FOR YOU!" (Quote from a pastor in NC)

I got home tonight and listened to part of a sermon series by a pastor in NC. I think I almost crawled out of my skin listening to it. His main premise was the church is for non-christians and creating an army of people to go out and reach lost people. He explains to his people that they are not going to teach theology but only preach Jesus. His aim is good, he wants souls to be saved but he "downplays theology and God."

This is a trend among modern churches to only focus on evangelism at the sacrifice of teaching doctrine/theology. There is this huge misconception that if you are teaching theology, you are not teaching evangelism. Theology is the study of God basically. Could it be that studying God could lead us to reach people? Instead many churches are promoting themselves and hoping to create a large mega-church at the sacrifice of discipleship and teaching. This pastor says that teaching theology is like feeding people so they get fat and never do anything. I really must stop typing this because my skin is falling off onto the keyboard because I am typing so fast.

We are going to continue into this downward spiral. We do not measure church growth by the number of people coming to our church! Could it be that people leave church, evangelize, and those people that get saved go to other churches?!?!?!? Of course. We are so inward focused in the modern church and I know it's so easy to pick on churches. I want to be warning people of this trend and for people to know that we must be on guard of this. Next thing, all of our churches will be like Joel Osteen who can't even confess on national television that Jesus is the only way. Pastors are flocking to his church to "learn" from him when this guy can't even figure out what he believes.

God spent a lot of time to write the Bible and we would rather tell happy stories and insert Bible into it. Eventually people are going to need more than milk and the happy meal sermons are not going to cut it. There is just this misconception that if you are teaching the Bible, you don't care about evangelism. So not the truth.

I seem to be in the minority in thinking this and as time goes by, it will probably get worse.

Could it be that teaching people how to evangelize will send them out and they can witness on their own. Does this have to happen in the church? I'm not against the church evangelizing from the pulpit, but does it have to happen every week? As a lost person, would you rather hear the gospel from a Christian friend or some guy you don't know? I think I'd rather hear it from someone I know and I can see if their life backs up what they believe.

The church is to MAKE DISCIPLES! NOT CONVERTS!

Here is a good link to listen to.

And who in the world thinks that Christians shouldn't hear the gospel? I realized, well really realized in the past few weeks that I pretty much am crap outside of the Holy Spirit inside me. There is nothing good in me. I need to hear the gospel and be reminded.

I am ranting and must go do something else :)

Pretty funny video about many of the speaking styles of post-modern preachers today.

a cool night in San Diego

So I'm in San Diego again this week, what a sad life :)  After a few flight delays and missed flights, I made it to San Diego for a few days of meetings.  It has been absolutely gorgeous out here around 70 degrees all the time.  I am in a corner room on a place called Mission Bay which looks over the bay and the Pacific Ocean.  I got a really cool room that has two flat screen tvs, not that I really watch tv but it looks cool.  I have the door open right now and no A/C on, just letting the breeze blow off the ocean right into my room, so awesome. 

We went to dinner tonight at a placed called the "Gaslamp Strip Club."  Wow, what a cool place we stumbled upon.  No, it's not a strip club!  It's a place where you go and order meat and grill it yourself.  They have these huge grills all around the place and you just walk up to one with a group of, well, usually men grilling.  This is such a manly place.  I felt like I should grunt like Tim Allen and make lawnmower noises while grilling my ribeye.  We had grill asparagus and mashed potatoes on the side.  I was a happy man after leaving there.

I had a really good conversation with a coworker tonight about God and how the world came to be.  This guy has a Ph.D in Nuclear Physics so it was cool to hear his ideas and how he believes the world came to be.  I've never really been wrapped up in all of the details of how this world came to be, I think it's better to get wrapped up on Jesus and who He is/ was/ and will be.  What did He tell us to do, we should do it.  How did He live, we should live.  I like that Truth can listen to many ideas and not feel threatened.  I like to hear people and their ideas, I ultimately know that Jesus is the only way and the fact that Joe Shmo believe in evolution or doesn't...well it doesn't change the fact that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  My coworker and I had a good conversation about how God exists outside of time, which is so ironic and cool because Jesus was inserted into time to be like one of us for a season.  He got to experience all of the things of this life, He got to experience pain, He got to experience joy, He was one of us.  I just love that. 

So now I am sitting here overlooking the bay and feel small because God has created this HUGE world and universe (one spoken sentence) in which we live and can feel small and appreciate how big God must be.  We are very small fish in this big pond.  I know that Romans says that God's invisible qualities are clearly seen in what has been created and it's so cool to look over this ocean and know that God is in every square inch of it. 

I fly back tomorrow morning to Charleston and then will make my way back up to th upstate of SC. 

Timing and Decisions

I generally make decent decisions, well I think. I am sure some might disagree. I tend to be the type of person that will research and research. If I buy something, I am generally going to know all the details of it, how it works, etc. I went to buy a C.S. Lewis book the other day and while I was there, I noticed a book on decisions by Andy Stanley. The name of it is "The Greatest Question Ever." It's fun to read in the airport because I know people read the cover and are dying to know what the 'greatest question ever' actually is. He tells you around chapter 2 so I can tell you. He goes through the process in which we make decisions and poses the question...This decision you are about to make could go either way, but is this the "wisest" choice you should make? He forms the book around what is the wisest thing for your life. There are many different directions we could take in life, in who we marry, in where we live, in where we work, how we spend our money, the type of car we drive, the time we put in etc. So far, I am half-way through and it seems to be a good read. I generally read about two books a year so I am not your avid reader by a long shot!

So far I have realized that I need to manage my time and money much better. Well, not to mention many other things I probably need to improve in. I am trying to start being a "doer" of many of the things I "want" to do instead of just talking about them. I'm generally not a "trailblazer" and it's tough to get things running from the ground up. There are so many things I want to do and accomplish and sometimes feel overwhelmed and have a hard time just starting the small things first. I sometimes look at my disorganized room and feel overwhelmed, when I should just start by picking up the clothes, then work to bigger things like making my bed and hanging up clothes :) I like to think in remedial ways, it helps.

Well I am sitting in the Atlanta airport after leaving Charleston yesterday, delayed flight, then missed a connection in Atlanta to San Diego, so Delta paid for a hotel. It's very early and hopefully this plane will leave and I can be west bound for a few days, then back to the South. I did buy a new shirt this weekend and I am wearing it today, it fits nicely and I didn't even try it on :) It has small vertical stripes, I like small vertical stripes. An old lady just said to me...

"you're a gem."
"are you married?"
no. 'mam.
"well tell your mom she raised a nice gentleman, you don't see too many of those these days."

What a way to start a day, I love old people.

Planes, Boogers, and Good Food

So talk about a way to end a trip! I sat in the San Diego airport all day on Thursday and still didn't end up getting on a plane after waiting from 12pm to 10:30PM. I was a tired man. So I got the nice hotel again and slept a few hours, woke up at 4:30AM and flew back today. Tired!

I did get to see Ed and Julie's lil kid mary addison. Such a cutie! She just laughs and laughs.

So remember booger eater from 2006? It was a guy in my church that I saw eat a booger. Okay, I am not trying to be gross, but I got into Greenville today at 4:00 after a LONG LONG day of flying and as soon as I get off the plane, I see the guy! I kid you not, as soon as it registered in my mind that was a guy from church...okay, here goes....yes his finger goes up his nose and he is doing something with it. I kept walking and DID NOT want to know where he would put it. I know you guys are going to think I am making this stuff up, I am NOT. This is a real story and I am pretty sure he is still eating boogers.

I just laughed while I was exiting the terminal and really thought, there is no way people are going to believe this.

Well I am home for the weekend and heading back out to San Diego for another week :)

San Diego

Wow, the good news is that San Diego is a beautiful city. I got here on Monday night for a week of meetings. What a beautiful place to be! The hotel I stayed in last night is by far the nicest I have ever been in. Flat screen tv with a view of the ocean you would not believe. It's so fun to walk into hotel rooms, they really aren't that bad :)

Now I am sitting in the airport for 7 hours :) I will be on a red-eye flight all night long eating peanuts :)

Back again next week, hopefully I can schedule it a little better.

Tavaras

A Fun Day

So you know you have worked and talked way too much on the phone when your phone bill hits $530 and you have officially, in one month, talked 47 hours!  Yes, this past month, I talked on the phone for 47 hours and At&t made sure to tell me in the bill they sent.  Wow!  Thank the Lord for expense reports :)

In other news, I am adjusting to life back in the office for the past two weeks.  It feels so funny to be in an office again.  I am just now adjusting back and about to head out to San Diego for two weeks on Monday.  I've never been there and excited about going. 

Tonight I drove to Due West, SC to speak at Erskine's FCA.  Talk about in the middle of nowhere!  It was such a fun time and a great group of people.  I absolutely love speaking and find it so rewarding.  I really enjoy speaking with people afterwards about the things they are dealing with in their life.  I think people open up to speakers because they are strangers and most likely, will never see them again.  I like to hear their stories and God-willing, impart some advice to them.  It's always humbling to go somewhere and speak, I always leave changed myself and charged up again. 

The Land Rover has been a great car so far, I luv the fact that I have room now to drive people around and room to store clothes in the back :) 

Two more days in this work week, can I get a what what!! Woo Woo.  If Tavaras was here, he would do the Soulja Boy dance. 

Sandy is also back from HI and a very happy man.  He made sure to visit and share stories of all the great checker games he played.  JK.  He is a very happy man, I've never seen him so happy.  :) 

80 Years And Ticking

Playas, this is how you put it down.  This playa has been with his boo for 80 years!  He says they have been too busy to be "fussing."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071002/D8S1BFM02.html

Flash From the Past

I like online sermons

It's pretty dang cool how just listening to some people preach encourages you. I love to listen to Mark Driscoll and the video I posted here is quite amazing. Mark is by far one of the best all around teachers I have found. He has a gift of speaking very passionately combined with using scripture and application.

I struggle and get off track so often in my focus on ministry. Listening to some of these guys, just gets your heart back and excited again. I'm going to speak at a college fca in a few days and listening to these guys makes me think about a bazillion different things to speak about, downside of listening to them!

On another note, I haven't bought anything in a long time. Well, other than a recent car. I love gadgets. I have never had a key to my own house. I now do :) I installed a keyless entry system on the front door. It is so awesome, I just type in a key and bam, unlocks :) If you come visit, I can give you a temporary "key" for the weekend :)

Mary Addison Edwards says...

Mary Addison is Ed and Julie's new baby girl. Mary Addison sent me an email the other day and asked that I send out a message to my blog readers and I will quote her..."uncle justin, I ask that you please post a picture of me and I promise people will see how cute I am and go vote for me so my mommy and frugal daddy can get free pictures of me, I am attaching a picture of me to post." I told her I would do it, so go vote now! It takes 20 seconds and you don't have to register for anything.



Click here to vote.

Okay, so every once in a while I think of names for kids. You can take my man card if you want, but at some point you might have a kid and it's good to have some names. I've been listening to a new artist and I absolutely love her music and I love her name, so if I have a girl, I'm naming her this. Check out the music also, Colbie Caillat.

A little fast paced

You prob. hear me talk all the time about being so fast paced. My body and life has just become accustomed to being so fast paced and I have to force myself to slow down, which generally is easy to do :) I just finished a huge huge project in Houston and for the most part will be finished there for at least a few weeks, a lot to be still determined. All and all, it feels good to walk away from something knowing that you worked hard and did your very best. It's not easy to walk away from things where you 2nd guess yourself and wonder if you did give it your best.

I have been without a car for a while and finally found one! Long story short, I've been looking at HUNDREDS of everything you can imagine. I found a car Wednesday night and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was the right one. I checked my email Thursday morning and saw that the car was still available and I purchased it on Ebay :) Yes, this is my 2nd car from ebay, the first was a Wrangler that I picked up near Omaha, NE. Everything worked out so perfectly and the woman I bought it from had taken such great car of it. This thing is in awesome shape and is almost like a new car. It has more buttons than I can press and I got an amazing deal. All and all, I was a happy camper yesterday. Flew into Charleston, met a friend at the airport, met a guy that sold me the car, and within 30 minutes, I was driving away in it. What a good way to end a week.

Tonight was Sandy and Andrea's rehearsal and dinner. Man what a cool time to be around good people. I drove back from Charleston this morning, came home, picked up dry cleaning, and headed up to meet them. The rehearsal went smoothly, the dinner was awesome, and afterwards all the guys went out to the Falls Park to hang out with Sandy. We all just sat around on the ground and wall and just encouraged him. It was so good to see all of the guys talk about how Sandy had encouraged them or taught them something in their life, it really was so encouraging to hear. The other cool part was to hear married guys talk about their lives and their marriages. It's so freakin neat how marriage is a picture of what we are to Christ. I like to hear about all of the imagery and how earthly marriage teaches these guys more about Jesus, grace, love, and all sorts of other things.

Tomorrow is their wedding and we are gettin crunk. Well not "crunk" by definition, but fun shall be had. :)

A lil Plan

The sign said "dog" so I assumed it was okay for me. Okay, that was not funny. Maybe a lil :)


So I did a little something sporadic today. I've been without a car for going on over a month. I pretty much fly everywhere so it really has not mattered. I don't say that snobbishly, I'm being serious. I've spent more time in airplanes and hotels than my own car and own room in the past 6 months. My time is coming to a close here in Houston and I'll be coming home for at least a week! You have no idea how good it will feel to hang out at my house and just chill out for a week!

So not really much has gone to my own plan lately, I've been seeing first hand that maybe God's timing and plan is much better than any of my own. I've always considered myself a super patient person but it seems that lately so many things in my life have been a little up in the air. My personality allows for most of this, ha, but sometimes I do want some clarity.

I have looked through about every car on the internet, seriously. I research everything until I am blue in the face. I rarely jump into anything w/o really knowing everything. I am very slow to commit, but once I do, I'm in and running strong. I found a car! The sad thing is, I am in Houston and it is in Charleston. Well I emailed the owner and told them I wanted to buy it. I still have not heard back, but I went ahead on a lil faith and booked my flight to Charleston, SC tomorrow afternoon, ha. So I'll be there about 5 o'clock and hopefully the car will be there. The airline worked out well, they actually gave me a credit back for changing my flight, and while I was typing this, Fergie cussed on Itunes, I guess I downloaded the wrong "glamorous."

Hopefully I will be pimpin a new ride tomorrow and it can settle at least one unsettled thing in my life tomorrow! I'm excited. Worst case, I've got some friends I can hang out with down there for a lil while :)

The pictures are from things I saw today in Houston, including the "Jesus Car." This guy had a bad experience somewhere in his religious movements in this world.

Tick Tock

So a really relaxed day for the first time in a while. Work has been so absolutely crazy, it's good to have a somewhat relaxed day. By relaxed, I mean I only sweat about 1 gallon instead of 3 :)After two wrecked cars, I am surprised that Avis is being so generous with the upgrades they give me. The latest is a Chrysler 300M which goes well in the ghetto. I drive through and now I am definitely the drug dealer of the neighborhood. Everyone stares at me, some even stopping to take a glance. I want to just to put a sign on the side that says, "sorry, not a drug dealer, see the next white guy in a gangster car."

Please note the sign above, these are the type of conditions I work in and people wonder why I carry a gun everywhere I go. Say whatever you want, but I know who you will run to when something goes down, you are going to hide behind the man with the gun! I was driving down an alley today and got out to work, this sign was the first thing I saw, nice.

I haven't really had the best timing lately or maybe God is just trying to teach me something, who knows. On that same alley, I was driving out and this Asian girl zooms right by on a bike. Had there been two seconds difference, she would have hit my car in the side and probably really hurt herself. She zoomed right on by and didn't even realize I was there. I just took a deep breathe and said "wow."

I actually left work at 5 which is not normal, it's usually 7 or after. I went to the gym here in Houston. There is something I think we guys should note about gyms. First of all, this gym is unreal HUGE. There are so many people up in that piece. God sovereignly had my elliptical right in front of the window where they teach all the classes. Guys, I think I need to bring something to your attention. First of all, did u know that everyday in the US and world, there are THOUSANDS of women "exercising" but I think this is just a cover. I watched them today. They are not exercising, they are training for something. It really does look like they are planning a mass take over of something. You have about 50 women in funny clothes punching and kicking in all sorts of directions. Listen, they are doing this all in perfect harmony. The scary part is when they turned around, I had 50 women looking at me and punching and kicking and hopping, I'm telling you, they are planning something. That is not exercising, they are soldiers. Their outfits are a disguise.

I ended my day with a table full of sushi in my hotel room. I layed it out perfectly and the nice lady at the Sushi place apparently thought I was ordering for two, because she gave me two sets of chopsticks, sorry I'm just a hog. This sushi is the only sushi that you are allowed to eat in two bites. It's HUGE. You have to eat the top off and then eat the roll.

I get to be home next week, I am excited.

A lil note

So after coming back from a cruise and a very relaxing one, I started back at normal life again today. Had a conference call at 1:00, stayed at home all day sick, well which was because a friend suggested taking Epsom salt. Never do this if you have any agenda for the day :) I am writing this at 1AM and I have to be up about 3:30 to fly out for hopefully one more week in Houston and then be back at home for a while. It's good what a vacation can do for you. It gives you a chance to clear your head and catch up.

Tonight in small group we talked about the things that happen in this life to humble you and bring you closer to the Lord. We discussed evil and how the Lord can use it to bring people to Him, it was a good conversation. I was a little out of it most of the time and was really thinking about things in my own life that I needed to give to the Lord. Have you ever felt like you could manage something better than He can? Of course, nobody really believes that but our actions sometimes reveal that we want to control our lives instead of letting the Lord do what He will. Tonight was a good night and I let a lot of thoughts and feelings go to Him and felt so good. It's so freakin tough to let go. These are the times you really learn to trust the Lord does care about you and does want good things for your life. The woman who gave a penny in the Bible. She gave out of faith and was poor, where rich people were giving out of their wealth. The woman gave because she had faith and knew the Lord would take care of her. I think sometimes we act in faith, but we have doubt in the back of our mind, "Is He really going to take care of me?" ...."Does He really, really love me that much?" I think those are pretty common thoughts. I've learned that I don't trust the Lord enough and give Him everything in my life. I stood outside tonight and acknowledged to Him that he was a much better manager of my life than I am, I am His, and I was bought with a price.

I drag my feet sometimes to what I know I should do, and once it is done, the Lord always confirms in my life that I did the right thing. I also know that the Lord uses people around you to teach you and be a guide for your life. I've been reading through Proverbs and it's full of wise counsel. Anything I do in this life, I want to have people around me that encourage it and the Lord uses to grow me. This is comforting and I am glad I am a Christian because I don't really know how people do this life without the Holy Spirit and an eternal Father that will always love, even when it is a disciplining love. I like that everyday as a Christian can be a new one and you don't have to be the person that you were yesterday.

I've never really watched Grey's Anatomy but one of my favorite singer/songwriters has just written a song for it, Mat Kearney, check him out. I've listened to his cd for a month straight, pretty awesome.

So in 2.5 hours I will wake up and hopefully not curse the day :)

An awesome Cruise and Long Drive

So we are driving back from a cruise right now and we are on about hour 8 of 10. A super relaxing week was had an well well needed. It was so relaxed and I was so looking forward to it that apparently somewhere I missed the fact that we would be returning Saturday instead of Friday, which was pretty funny to find out in the middle of the ocean. None of us had any plans, so another day of hanging out is good for a brotha. Pictures to follow soon :)

Please not T-Brock in the background lookin like Usher.

He has been so nice and driven about 18 hours so far and I get to sit in the back and listen to music and play on the computer. We occasionally talk about our feelings on this long drive :)

Sunday Sunday Sunday

It's about, well way too late and I am still packing up. It's amazing how fast a day can go and then it's gone. I think I say it all the time now and lately everything seems like a blur. I actually have to write things down and keep somewhat of a schedule to keep up. I'm tired. I believe the Lord is the giver of strength, Jesus promises rest from the worries of this world. I really haven't taken any time in the last few months to just digest. I've worked now for a few years and never really taken a straight week of vacation to sit and do nothing. This week is going to be it. Me and a few buddies are going on a cruise and I plan on doing absolutely nothing, well maybe driving a dune buggy, 4 wheeler, or possibly a segway to find some mayan ruins, but other than that, I'm resting. It's really neat the ways the Lord will bring us to a place to rest. He will use anything and everything to get us back closer to Him. Sometimes I struggle with being a performer and striving to do certain things to make Him love me. I am probably not the only one guilty of this, at least that makes me feel better to say that. He loves us despite what we do and wants good for our lives. Our lives are not our own and the Bible says we were bought at a price, a great price. Jesus sat in the Garden of Gethsemane and thought about what would come of His life. He knew as God in the flesh that He would hang on a cross, but as a man, He knew He would have to suffer more than any man ever. Jesus was in perfect union with His father and for a time would have to endure the crappy sin that all of us have done and will do. He still went there and paid that price for us so that we can be with the God of the Universe. I really don't know why I am typing out the gospel but it's good and I like to remind myself. He did all of that so we won't have to be performers and we can work because of His love for us and not work FOR His love and acceptance.

I have also learned lately that words are powerful and just as proverb 18 says, "death and life are in the power of the tongue, those who love it eat its fruit." We have the power to encourage or discourage this world. I've heard stories in my travels lately of how people have been discouraged by people in this world. When I hear these stories, it gives me a nice kick in the rump to be even nicer to people even when they don't deserve it. I enjoy smiling at the ticket counters when people are just rude, there is something to that, I think Jesus would. People can't understand that type of love and it's neat to see their faces.

I've never been this real big, take your sabbath on Sunday type of guy. I do believe that the Bible teaches we should take a day and rest, find your day and rest. I am going to try and do better about digesting my life and waking up different than the man who went to sleep the night before. I get so tired of being me and getting comfortable in this life. I'm not trying to be homeless but sometimes it's good to be encouraged and pushed along in your walk with the Lord.

In the past few weeks I have also learned to appreciate people that encourage you. I am guilty of doing everything on my own, being prideful, rarely asking for prayer. I just don't want to feel like I am a burden to anyone and I know that I can pray for myself. BUT, it feels good to get things out and have people encourage you and say nice things. Everyone needs someone to cheer in their corner sometimes in this life. There is no doubt that this life is hard and everyday has troubles of its own. We should take each day at a time and enjoy it.

I weigh less right now than I have weighed in about 6 or 7 years.

This cruise is probably about to change that.

Bam

So another lil accident here in Houston, I love the old saying, "When it rains, it pours." ha.  Avis is going to hate me. 

Word of advice for anyone driving in Houston, nobody really drives well here. 

JT

Fun Family Weekend!

So I have been living in Houston since May. I have a house in Pendleton, but haven't been there in a few weeks. I did get a chance to spend to spend this past weekend having an awesome time with my family. I would say it was the most fun we have had as a family, well since I can remember!

My sister flew in from Amsterdam with her boyfriend to spend a few weeks. The reason our whole family came together was for..da da da dah dum, my brother Greg's wedding. Let me tell you, he could not have had a better day and wedding. Everything went super well and everyone was so happy. The wedding itself was short and sweet and the reception was SO fun. Everyone danced and had a great time, even my dad danced for the first time in his life!

Is your world spinning too?

The excitement never ends in this life I've been living lately. It seems that on a daily basis, something crazy happens. It keeps the days always interesting, that's for sure. Well today was no different. I was running around all morning trying to finish up work that had to be done because I had to fly out for my brother's wedding this weekend. I had my day planned out perfectly and had one more task to do before I hit the airport routine. On my way there, out of nowhere I get slammed in the side by a nice young lady pulling out of a parking spot. This complicated my plans a little but gave me the perfect opportunity to exchange insurance information, ha! It was her fault so that made me feel better, probably not her. The cops don't even come to investigate these accidents, you just feel out a paper and drop it off, big city life! So I did make it in to Charlotte and was heading home and the nice Moody family allowed me to stay at their home for the night :) They are such a great couple and God is able to demonstrate is mercy and grace as people see Chris and Lod live their life :)

Off to sleep after a really long long day!

BUMS BUMS BUMS

So about a month ago, I was rapping about helping people in the parking lot of the hotel I stay in and have stayed in for the last 3 months. There are constantly people asking for help as businessmen like myself, leave their hotel. I love to help people, but am very cautious in giving money etc. I will buy food in a heart beat but rarely give money. This man about a month ago told me that he was broken down and in need of some food to hold his family over until they could get their car fixed, which should be soon. He knew all sorts of technology and was dressed just like me. I questioned and questioned him and finally agreed to buy him some food.

I told him to hop in my car (keep in my mind I always carry a 9mm on me) and as soon as he did. I smelled a stale alcohol smell. I asked him, "Have you been drinking?" and he goes on to tell me that he is a Christian and does not drink alcohol. I kept telling him that I was pretty sure that I smelled it and I told him "I hope you are not lying to me, because I enjoy helping people but when someone lies to me, it pisses me off." (It was to that effect) :) He insisted he was telling the truth and at this point, I knew he was not. I still decided to help him and I wanted to drive him to the place he told me his car was because I knew I would not find his car there and I wanted to see his face when he knew, that I knew, he was busted. To make a long story short, he said that I couldn't drive in the parking garage where his car was ( a lie) so I dropped him off. He then went and thanked me and told me that Jesus would take care of me, BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Well how about this...I was walking out of my hotel yesterday and guess who approached me in the parking lot. Sure enough, I see this man walking towards me. Keep in mind that I do not drive the same SUV every week, you could find me in a Jeep Liberty, Chevy Trailblazer, Chevy Surburban, etc etc. THIS GUY DID NOT RECOGNIZE ME. As soon as I rolled down my window, he started telling me the same story and I just stopped him VERY QUICKLY. "I recognize you and I have just busted you trying to scam me!" I pretty much said in a voice that he might fear for his life :) I told him that I had helped him before and I did not appreciate him taking advantage of my generosity. I told him that I am a Christian and enjoy helping people but when they take advantage of that, they ruin others chances of getting help. I wouldn't let him get a word in and just railed on him for about 5 minutes. He kept trying to justify himself but I would not let him. He then went on to tell me that he was divorced and having to pay child support and I went on to tell him that it was too bad, because I am not going to help you! I was pretty frustrated with this man and really wanted to take my wallet and beat him in the head with it :) Yes, I realize that is not like Jesus. I didn't do it.

This guy preys on businessmen that only see him once, too bad I am here for a while, I can't wait until I see him again!

MAN I DO NOT LIKE DISHONESTY!

i'll have the usual

So I made it to Charlotte this morning after staying with my buddies Ed and Julie Edwards.  I used to have to wear ear-plugs at their house for different reasons, now they tell me to wear them because of the new baby.  She slept all night and I didn't hear a peep out of her. 

I also didn't make my flight, so I'm on a lil later one, I always wonder how these small hiccups in your time path of life affect you.  :)

From a Simmons Beauty Rest

As I am just now laying down in my bed after a long week of work, I feel like that night before your first day of school. You know the feeling right? It's this little tingling in your stomach and almost a sense of being a little bit alone. I cannot really describe with words, but maybe if you could see me, I might run around the room and spin a few times, you could then say I was crazy and a fruit loop which I don't really eat anymore, but they are good.

It seems that most of my life, things have just happened. I wanted to go to school in the Navy and do Nuclear Engineering and discovered I was color-blind. Plan out. I took a semester off in 1998 and sent college applications, Clemson responded, the other got lost in the mail. That was an easy decision. I wanted to go to seminary out of college, all of those doors closed and a door that should not have opened, opened, so I took it. These were all easy. It seems now I am facing decisions that I could not have planned for and I am a little overwhelmed. If you know me, you know that I rarely get overwhelmed and have always felt like I have a Christian world-view that has helped me put in perspective this quick life we have here. During this time of decision, I believe that is driving me back to God and seeking Him more than I have been, makes you wonder if God controls these things in our life :) I know He does. I want to be a good steward of this life He has given me and am learning that I just have to seek Him, seek wisdom, and make wise decisions.

I have learned also that this life is going faster than I ever thought and I am now grabbing it by the horns and planning a lot more for my life. It's crazy that I might be a husband and a father one day. Well, honestly it's a little bit scary too. That might mean I can't eat out everyday and hopefully will have a wife who can cook and encourage me to not go to Zaxby's.

With eternity in the backdrop, our lives are so quick. I am just so scared I am going to wake up one day, be 50, and wonder what I did with my life. Does anyone else have this kinda feeling? So I write all of this to say I am going to plan a little better for my effect (with God's grace) on eternity.

If I have ever come across to you as someone who has it together, I don't.

Ever Been Lied to?

I don't know what it is, but when someone lies to me or is dishonest in any way, it gets UNDER my skin big time.  It makes me feel so cheated and I often want to punch them in a Jesus kinda way.  Okay that didn't make sense, but you know what I'm rappin. 

The hotel I stay at is often visited by guys who prey on the businessmen coming out into the parking lot.  A common scheme is for a guy to walk up to you and say that he is out of money and his credit card has been declined because the hotel overcharged him.  A guy did this to me a few months ago and usually they dress very nicely to look much like another businessman.  He told me that he was having trouble getting back home after taking his sister to the cancer hospital.  I looked in the car and the woman in the car did look very sick so I filled his tank up with gas.  As he drove away, I knew I had been scammed and it really got me.  I can just hope that he repents of his sin and hope that he doesn't one day fall into the hands of a just and good God. 

The guy this morning said the hotel overcharged his card and I could have easily walked in and asked the hotel.  I have been at the same hotel for 3 months and might as well be running the front desk.  He also said he was in the oil field and my coworker with me had been in the oil field for a number of years and could have easily called him on his story.  I didn't do anything, just told him I didn't have any money.  My coworker gave him $5.  As he drove away, he had brand new tags on his car.  GRRRRRRRRRR.

I just wrote this blog at 8:25PM EST sitting in the middle of traffic while downloading data from a meter on a pole.  This is a funny life right now.  And as I was writing that, a woman named Michelle, a refugee from New Orleans has just told me about her life and why God allowed her to go through the things He has.  I told her that one day, if God does bring her out of the situation she is in, she might look back on that valley and realize she learned to pray, read, and get rid of sin.  Okay, I'm loading up my equipment and hitting the road.  Thank you Verizon Wireless card for allowing me to write this blog.  Thank you God for blessing people with brains to create wireless cards.

White Trash Stache Bash

To see all of the pictures from the "White Trash Stache Bash" click here.
There were a few scandalous people and outfits at the party, but all and all, it was way fun.
Jason's stache was quite nasty and mine was Tim Mcgrawish. :) Lee looks like a redneck panama Jack.

Bad Attitude

I woke up at 3:45AM this morning to drive to Charlotte to fly out, well for none other, Houston, TX.  The day started off with a nice ticket that requires my court appearance.  I got on the interstate and as soon as I did, bam, small town trooper gets me.  Anyone know anyone around Laurinburg,NC? 

I get to Charlotte and of course the airline confiscates my rounds of ammo.  Telling me that they are not packed correctly.  I explained to the nice man at the counter that I travel every week for the last 3 months and travel with the same container every week and through about every airport with no problems.  I tried to be as nice as I could, but I really didn't like that.  So now, when I get to Houston, I have to go buy more.  It is so stupid the hoops we have to go through in this country to travel anywhere.  I wish we didn't have to deal with terrorism.  It would be a lot easier if they just made everyone walk naked through all the lines, this would eliminate all the searching.  Okay, maybe not, we would have lots of other problems!

I will take a nap on the plane and wake up a lil happier about flying. 

...

if ever simple song I wrote to you would take your breath away, I'd write it all.....  "Hey There Delilah"....Sandy doesn't like when I listen to it, but I sneak behind his back and listen.  He will be married soon, sniff, sniff. 

Sunday Night Packing Up

Yes this is a picture of Jason Grier from high school. Yes the is also a good picture of God's grace and seeing how far He has brought Jason in the "looks" dept. Praise Him.

Jason is having a party on Friday at 10:00PM in Columbia at 3505 Park Street if anyone is interested. This is no ordinary party. This party is a "White Trash Stache Bash" party and consists of everyone wearing their best redneck gear. Many of you from Dillon will come as your normal self, this is okay, and welcomed. Tavaras will come as our token brother from another mother, but he has been known to rock a camo hat and chew on straws.

Facebookers can find Jason's party here.

Back to Houston for the week :)

Life in a Rental Coche

So another week closes and it has just been long and busy as usual. The days all seem to be always crazy and it's never dull that's for sure. I've learned something about myself over the last few months that I never really knew even though the Bible is very clear about it. We need rest. We need to Sabbath. It's just been go go go for the last couple of months and I just really haven't thought about it. I haven't taken a real vacation since I started working and usually only take a day here and a day there. Americans needs vacations as a break. Christians need a break from their day to day to rest and reflect on life, repent, breathe, relax, eat, and just spend time with the Lord. I just haven't really done that in a long time. I have no real excuse. I heard my pastor at church say, "it's not that we don't want to read the Bible, it's that we don't plan to read the Bible." I just plan my day away on a daily basis because it so hectic. I went from a guy to never plans anything to a guy who has about every minute of the day with a note beside it. I live by email, cell phone, Avis, Continental, and Jason's Deli. Today it all just seem to add up and God just reminded me that I need to rest.

He has blessed me with this ability to just be easy go. I rarely worry about anything and never really have bad days. I just enjoy life and have a good time. This is a gift from the Lord and nothing that I can take credit for. So many things just didn't go right today, they just kept adding up. I had so many places and things to do, then my cell phone of 4 years finally breaks. This was a bit frustrating and God reminded me to start writing stuff down instead of a cell phone being my idol. Well, I pulled over on the interstate after getting into ATL airport and took it apart, put it back together, Praise God it worked for the rest of today. (this is apart of my daily life in my job.)

I've been looking forward to watching "The Bourne Ultimatum" all week. I live for the weekends and seeing my friends and hanging out. I rushed all the way to the movies only to find out it was sold out. I got pissed off. I NEVER, well RARELY get just pissed off. Maybe 1 time every 2 years. I got in the car and just went home. I just laughed when I was driving down the road in my Avis Ford Taurus, (I just sold my Wrangler) on the ride back from the airport. I pulled over on an exit, met a guy, he gave me money, I gave him keys. Well anyway, I just stopped in my brain and being pissed for a moment and acknowledged to the Lord that I knew I was pissed off and I laughed. I said out loud. "I'm pissed off." I have no idea why at this moment. It just seemed like all of the last few months just kinda summed up into one moment. So through all of that paragraph of raps with God on my ride back home, God reminded me that I need to rest and breathe for a little while.

Moday 3AM - drive to ATL
Arrive in Houston.
Work a week.
Friday - Fly Back
Weekend - rest.
Sunday - book ticket for
Monday - fly back to Houston.

I am just learning how to balance everything and get my priorities in line. I need some time in the Avis car this weekend as I go look for a "newer" ride somewhere! I also have some big decisions to make regarding my future and I would appreciate your prayers. I want to make the right moves in this life but ultimately I know God is Sovereign and knows. He has given me opportunities and I want to be a good steward of those.

I really enjoy writing and writing this blog made me feel better. I'm laying here in bed with my nice lil lap pad (that protects my future generations) and believing that heaven is going to be sweet, full of rest, and a table with good food, good friends, and the King of the Universe, forever. Forever.

Traffic

I don't really get mad in traffic and usually just find it funny what some people do.

This guy pulled in front of me really REALLY close this morning and right as he did, I notice a huge dent in the back of his fairly new car, I thought, "he has done this before."

Was my body made for this?

So I woke up at 3AM Monday morning to drive to Atlanta.  Your body, well at least mine is NOT made to wake up that early.  So now I find myself at 4:07 writing a blog because my clock is all mixed up now!

It was a busy and productive day and no bullet holes were found in my body. 

Sad news is that a guy is buying my Jeep on Friday and I have not been in town long enough to find another ride to replace it!  So I will be searching online this week to find a new ride!  Who knows, might have to take another flight up to Nebraska and buy another one, or, maybe not. 

I'm going to sleep again. 

Plain White T's

Generally I like to confess stupid stuff here on my lil blurb on the internet. I mentioned wearing another man's underwear by accident a few weeks ago after some accident at the wash n fold service. Well apparently I didn't throw them away and ended up wearing them again! He is almost my size apparently and likes the white boxer briefs, but I don't know that guy so that is not cool. I mean if it were Sandy, it might be okay.

On another note, I have to confess that I really like this new cheeseball song "hey there Delilah" by Plain White T's. I know I might be hated by some but it is the sweetest coolest song.

Well I am going to bed, I have to get up at 3AM to fly out of Atlanta tomorrow. Looks like it's back to a Snicker's Ice Cream bar to keep me awake :)

Balance is the spice of life

I am all about a good balance in this life. In this video, you can see that Ed is a very caring father and a baby hog as Julie calls him.

The other side of Ed is this one:
I say..."Ed, I know what I will do with all my frequent flyer miles and hotel points, I will save them for my honeymoon someday."

Ed replies, "Justin, those things expire."

I say..."they are good for at least two years."

Ed smiles.

See Ed is a good balanced friend for my life. He is often awful, but I still like him.

Well back on the road this week and I applied to be on a gameshow, it's ABC's new gameshow. I sent a picture in and a lil blurb but the casting was this past Saturday and I had to fly out.

We shall see.

An interesting day

Today was another wide open day in Houston.  My morning started out in the ghetto, again.  I was working in an area that the police enjoy hanging out around.  One stepped up to my car and asked if I knew any martial arts.  I explained to him that I knew how to pull a trigger instead, he laughed.  A word of advice.

Dear Avis Rent a Car,

I have appreciated your service and your appreciation of my business.  Yes I have been renting from you for going on 3 months straight.  Yes, I know you love me.  Oh yeah, I do appreciate you upgrading me to the Saturn Vue this time.  Yes I noticed the big sticker in the car "YOU'VE BEEN UPGRADED."  I do have to say though, Avis, it is not good for you to give me a Saturn Vue to be driving around in the Ghetto.  I usually either drive a Jeep Liberty, Chevy Suburban, etc, but the Vue is just not going to cut it around the drug dealers.  OH and another note, could you please buy car in some other color than WHITE>  I am sticking out like a sore thumb.   Oh, and could I get bullet proof glass next time? Thanks.

Love,
JT

Okay so back to the policeman.  Apparently they had a big bust yesterday because there were undercover guys all around me wearing bullet proof vests and laughing at me for being out there.  I just kept pointing to my side like I was some cowboy in the Wild West.  They laugh. 

Later in the day I met a black woman who was very nice.  We talked for a few minutes about the problems of racism in our country and we talked about what it is going to take to get rid of it, or at least a lot of it.  She was really nice and I was glad to speak with her.  I felt like Jesse Jackson for a moment.  Well except, Okay, not Jesse Jackson. 

Later I met a few cops who shared with me all of the bad things that go on in the neighborhood.  (Keep in mind I have been there for almost 3 months).  1 hour before this, I saw a man hanging from a 2nd story apartment.  I am almost positive he was breaking in.  I had to keep walking, I don't get paid to be policeman Justin. 

The day ended with a whole lot of sushi.  AND THEN, I get back to my Hampton family and they tell me I have won $50 in their drawing.  I was happy :)

Now I am finishing up some work and searching Google News to see if I was on the news today.  There were choppers flying all over my head. 

Back at it tomorrow.

Houston #456

So I was flying out a week ago and this nice young lady started talking to me in line.  She was really nice and was interested in hearing about what I do for a living.  Sometimes it's a little tough to explain but I got it out.  So of course, I asked her "what do you do for a living?"  She replied with, "I work in entertainment."  I smiled and said "oh, okay."  We talked for about 10 more minutes and went on our way, she ran to one terminal, I ran to another.

Was she a stripper?

What exactly does "entertainment" mean?

Creative

I was watching "Dirty Jobs" today and was reminded again how creative God is!  Hippos have to be the funniest animal, well, not really but they are hilarious.  Mike Rowe is my favorite person on television.

Stay out of the bushes

So, since I was a child, if I get within feet of poison ivy, I GET IT. I am very aware of my surroundings usually but somehow managed to get it again! This looks absolutely disgusting which encouraged me to share it even more. It has been making a steady climb up my leg so I had to wash everything to make sure it wasn't on any of my shoes or clothes. GROSS. I want to just take my skin off during the day it itches so bad!

I love having a blog and being able to share these gross images with you all.

To Dine with Papa or Alone

So I don't have my people here in Houston this week and for a few days, I'm solo.  I had to make a crucial decision that is usually easy to make.  Where to eat?  The person deep inside me said to just get Papa J's takeout and eat it in my hotel room.  But, the other side of me said, "nah, JT, you want some good sushi."  So I chose to eat alone and go grab some sushi at http://www.konagrill.com.  I have eaten there a few times and love it.  They have some of the best ribs!

Most people probably wouldn't think this but man I can be self-conscious.  I never really thought I would be that guy, but when you are in a city, away from all your people, and all of your comfort, it gets magnified.  I found there are actually websites devoted to teaching people how to eat alone.  Man, what a crock.  It's easy, just sit there and look like a loser.  JK.  I don't just sit there.  I try to look like I'm normal and try to at least interject somewhere that I do have friends but I am on business. 

I ended up convincing my waitress to go on a cruise.  No, not with me, with her husband.  I made it a short dinner and early night after downing my crab crunch roll and something else????

So it's an early night and work starts VERY early tomorrow.  The good news is I spent a few hours in the ghetto today and did not get shot, the blessings keep coming :)

Booked

Back in Houston.  Nothing like ending a nice day of work with a cruise BOOKED.  Yes we are booked and Mexico bound September 10th-15th if anyone is interested in going with us :)

I found an awesome deal!  You can't be $367 for a 5 day cruise! 

:)

A fun weekend with my friends

So this was a fun week and a fun weekend of hanging out. It's amazing how much you miss your friends when you are gone for a while. I enjoyed catching up with everyone and just being stupid as usual. We went to a Greenville baseball game. Pretty fun and the stadium is super nice.

Tonight we spent making our own pizzas. I actually just wanted to grill out but I am glad we did the pizza thing, they were so good.

I head out for Charlotte tomorrow and then fly out to Houston again on Monday for another week of work. Crazy life begins again!

We are booking a cruise for September 10th-15th if anyone is interested. I found an awesome cruise for $350!!! I am super excited and have not taken a full week's vacation since I started working. This will be crunk. "Crunk" has been redefined by me as to entail, dancing, eating, eating, and hanging out all day long doing nothing :).

Hangout and Pizza Night

A good week with family :)

My family goes to Cherokee, NC every year for a really relaxing week of camping. This year was the same, very relaxing and a good time to chill out with my family and enjoy God's creation.

My parents had typical Tanner luck on the way back when their car broke down :(

Cherokee 2007

It strikes again

I officially have poison ivy again!  It is all over my legs and I do believe it could have possibly crept into other regions.

More news later, once I find out.

:) 

In heaven one day, I need to ask God about poison ivy and gnats.  And gnomes. 

This shout-out goes to my friend Rachel

You know it's really neat when you have friends that just encourage you by being who they are.  I had dinner tonight with my friend Rachel who happens to have a new boyfriend, go Rachel West.  She is a really neat girl and just being around her encourages me to be a stronger person.  I love how we can be encouraged. 

 

Well this week is about done and I might be taking a few days off finally after a long time of NOT.  It will be neat to just chill out for a few days and relax.  It's tough to slow down, and chill after you have been going full speed for so long.  I think I will be okay :)

 

JT

Back Home, woo hoo

So after a few delayed flights and then one LONG straight RUN across the airport in Houston, I found myself missing my flight by approximately 30 seconds. It's amazing that a door can close so fast in such a short amount of time and translate into a LOT of extra time for me and trouble. All and all, I flew into Columbia airport instead and drove a rental to Greenville and arrived home at 5:30 AM. I fought sleep for 5 minutes just so I could enjoy how nice my bed feels!

These pictures are with Ashley and Josh Jones and their "New one."