Creating Environments that Connect us with Jesus and People

Last year Jay Barrow told me about Andy Stanley's podcasts on leadership called "Practically Speaking" (http://www.practicallyspeaking.org/) - All seven podcasts are great and I've listened to them several times. One of the many things that Andy Stanley and his leadership team talked about was creating environments. Stanley had summarized every role and goal in his mega-church to one sentence and every description talked about creating environments. So, I've been thinking about this a lot. I've been praying that God will help me. During a conversation with Allen Meadows who leads our small group ministry, Allen was preparing for a small group leaders meeting. It was just a simple phone conversation and I don't know how it evolved but I know that God was in the conversation. We were trying to reduce our mission into a single sentence that captures what we believe Jesus wants us to accomplish in our small group ministry. Allen ALWAYS emphasizes Jesus. He even counts how many times "Jesus" (his name) is used in the Bible, in conversations with people, in sermons, in classes - I mean, he really wants Jesus to be the center of everything. And I do to. So, we are talking about this and Allen is emphasizing how the mission of small groups has to focus on connecting people to Jesus. He said it over and over - the purpose of our small groups has to focus on connecting people with Jesus (that's why I love talking to Allen!). Well, as we talked we decided this sentence captures what Jesus wants us to accomplish in our small groups: "our purpose is to create environments that connect us with Jesus and people." That's it! Eureka! Thank you Holy Spirit! That's exactly what Jesus wants us to do. And I am convinced that it applies to every ministry in our church. That summarizes our purpose. Now we have a mission statement (our purpose is to know him, follow him, share him, and worship him) and that's great. I will continue to repeat it and encourage others to let it inspire and give direction. It's painted on our walls. It's on every piece of literature that we produce from bulletins, to CD covers, to letters. It's a good mission statement because it focuses on Jesus. But this "new word", for me at least, captures it because it summarizes how we can accomplish the four points of our mission. It answers this question: How can we know him, follow him, share him, and worship him? By creating environments that connect us with Jesus and people. Even more, it answers the deeper question that I've been struggling with every since Jay challenged me. The deeper question is: What problem are we trying to solve? That question lodged in by brain. I had no answer other than scattered ideas, all of them OK, but scattered ideas that left me feeling like I was trying to do everything at once and nothing well. So, I have wrestled with that question: "What problem are we trying to solve?" for months. It's a great question. If you were able to ask the people in Nehemiah's day "What problem are you trying to solve?" the people would answer together with one voice "The walls are broken down and we are building a wall for God!" Today, if you ask anyone in AA (who has some time under their belt and knows the purpose of AA): "What problem are you trying to solve?" they will respond together with one voice: "Our primary purpose is the take the message of AA to alcoholics who still suffer." Now that sentence inspires me. That's it! That says it all! Or at least, it captures our primary purpose and what we are trying to accomplish. AA exists for alcoholics and the only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. Underneath that statement lies all the richness of a relationship with God, the 12 Steps, the 12 Traditions, the Big Book, and the fellowship of AA. The point is this: we need to know what problem we are trying to solve. For me (and many others), the problem relates directly to our lack of connection with Jesus and people. By "connection" I mean "relationship". Connecting with Jesus means so many things to me: Worshiping. Loving. Repenting. Obeying. Learning. Changing. Engaging. Enjoying. Receiving. Giving. Praising. And on and on. Connecting with Jesus means we have a close, personal, dynamic relationship that puts Jesus at the center of everything in life. Not only on Sundays but every single day, hour and minute so that our entire life is a sacrifice of worship - so that everything we do is to the praise of his glorious grace! Connecting with people is similar to connecting with Jesus (excluding worship of course) because the connections we make with people is nothing more or less than Jesus connecting with people through us. Understand? We are channels for God's love. I love people but the love I have comes from God. God loves and connects with people through us (1 John 4:7-21). Jesus' love is so dynamic that we not only receive it we share it with other people. So, it's really not our love, it's the love of Jesus Christ and the Father. It's the love that the Holy Spirit has poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5). I will get back to "creating environments" in a minute but first I want to get this idea of connecting out of my head and into my computer. God's eternal purpose is so amazing! He chose us in Christ before creation! In love he predestined us to be adopted as sons and daughters. He did it to the praise of his glorious grace so that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace and love. God is working out his eternal plan according to the purpose of his will (read Ephesians). He loves us with a love that is beyond anything we can imagine. He has accomplished it all through his Son Jesus Christ who prayed that through the message of the gospel believers would be one so that the world would believe HIM! Jesus prayed "Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them" (John 17:21-26). That's what I mean my connecting. It's more than a word. It's God's eternal purpose. "Connecting with Jesus and people" means that we are one in Christ like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. Even more, I don't know how to say it other than how Jesus prayed: "I (Jesus) am in you (the Father) and you are in me and they (people) are in us because the Holy Spirit is in them." Now that is connection! It's a ONENESS that cannot be topped. It's a connection that cannot be stopped or disrupted because the power that keeps us connected is God's love that is so deep and high and wide and long and NOTHING can separate us from his love in Jesus Christ. Nothing in all creation can stop it! It's the most powerful force that exists. It's older than creation. God's plan is wrapped up in a man, Jesus Christ, who came to connect us and give us eternal life. The cross is the center and stands eternally as the ultimate demonstration of love. Now, back to "creating environments". Well, not yet. One more thing. The reason this grabs my heart is it's theological foundation. For me, it's not the latest fad. For me, it's like stepping into the flow of God's eternal purpose - the redemption and reconciliation of all things. I must admit that my interest peaks when I read leadership material, but deep in my heart I want something more than the principles of the world. Something more than "Seven Habits" or "Good to Great" or even the principles found in Christian literature (including Andy Stanley's podcast practically speaking). I'm not saying anything bad about these things - I like them and I see their value. I just want more! I want to know what God is doing right now. I want to join him and make it as simple as possible. Simplicity. It needs to be simple. Powerful, dynamic, God-driven simplicity without all the jargon. No esoteric language understood by only a few. God's message to the world is not helped with wise and persuasive words. God's message is simple and clear because it is revealed i.e., we can't figure it out with reason or logic. It is revealed. The Holy Spirit reveals it - he illuminates it and the cross of Jesus Christ stands at the center! God's ultimate demonstration of love - the climax of everything meaningful is focused on the cross of Jesus Christ by which God connects with us. That's why I want to keep it simple and I, like Paul, resolve to know nothing but the cross of Christ. That's my theology. That's my message because that summarizes everything God has to say. It's all about God loving us, saving us, and connecting with us. In response, we desire to connect with Jesus and all people. Now, back to "creating environments". I think of it like this. God was the first to create an environment. He created earth. Eden was the perfect environment for connecting with God and people but we messed everything up and we fell. The earth became so corrupt that he destroyed it with a flood, with the intention of re-creating another environment for Noah and his descendents. Then God called Abraham to leave his idol-worshiping country and move to an new environment which would be occupied by his descendents. Eventually, Israel occupied this new environment - the Promised Land, which was intended to be a "type" or a model of what God was planning to accomplish for everyone on planet earth by sending his Son Jesus. God made covenants, promises, and revealed his plans throughout history. Every covenant God made was focused on connecting with people, first with the Jews and then with us (Gentiles). We (Gentiles) can gain incredible insight into the importance of God's creativity by studying the Old Testament. For instance, the Sonshiners (the seniors at our church) and I spent several months studying Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus. We're taking a break through the winter because of weather but will pick up in Numbers and Deuteronomy in March. We've learned so much about God's creativity by studying the Old Testament, especially the book of Exodus. God's instructions for how to construct a tabernacle is amazingly detailed. It is so comprehensive and detailed that, at times, it left us scratching our heads in wonder. Why is this so important to God? Why did he choose the colors (e.g., gold, blue, purple, scarlet)? Why did he choose the fabric? Why did he choose the particular wood and metal? Why did he give the craftsmen special gifts to make it just like he wanted? Why did he prescribe the incense? Why did he give detailed instruction for so many different offerings and animal sacrifices? Why all the attention to diet and holidays? Why? Because he was creating an environment for people to connect with him and each other. Worship was central but it generalized to every aspect of life. Worship engaged all the senses; seeing, hearing, touching, and even tasting the fellowship offerings. And the beauty of the model does not compare with the glory of what John describes in Revelation - our eternal home. In the fullness of time God sent his Son Jesus. When Jesus saw how the religious leaders had ruined God's temple he drove them out with a whip. Twice! They had ruined the environment by turning it into a den of thieves. He accurately predicted it's destruction and pointed us to heaven. Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us but before Jesus takes us to this perfect environment - our home in heaven - he made is home in our body. Jesus lives in me and you. The Holy Spirit leads us to others as the Father calls them. I've seen him work in AA meetings, restaurants, city streets, homes, hospitals, and jails. When I went to jail God set me free. Ironic? Not really. God shows up everywhere if you look for him. He's made his home in me and he wants me to create safe environments everywhere I go. I do it with a smile. I engage people, smile on them, brag on them, praise them, and when the Holy Spirit opens their heart I put in a good word for Jesus. It is just that simple. No matter where you go or where you are Jesus is with you. He wants to connect, not only with you, he especially wants to make his home in the hearts of those who do not know him. So create warm safe environments in small groups, homes, coffee shops, schools, AA meetings, hospitals, jails - wherever you go love people and keep it simple, easy to understand. Just go about doing good things for people and put Jesus Christ in the center and watch the Holy Spirit work. He will connect you with Jesus and people. Connecting. Loving. Healing. Encouraging. That's what Jesus wants us to do. Don't ruin the environment with a bad attitude or a critical spirit. Target pain. Pay attention to their hurt and meet their felt needs. Divorce. Depression. Anxiety. Addiction. Guilt. Grief. Find where they hurt and show them you care. Create the environment by being completely humble, patient, loving, and empathic - then, once they know you care and understand – asked Jesus to make the connection.

From Birmingham.- Sweet Home Alabama

I am in Birmingham Alabama. I spoke at a state conference for the volunteers of the Alabama Hospital Association. My presentation titles were "Getting What You Want and Wanting What You Get" and "Serving Others is What Life is all About". During my presentation I play my guitar and sing some of the songs that I have writen. At their request I also played Sweet Home Alabama. It has been a wonderful trip but I'm looking forward to going home to see Kim and our girls.

Today, by the Grace of God, I am 5 Years Sober

Today (October 19), by the grace of God, I have been sober five years. I thank the Lord Jesus for saving me for a life a self destruction. I could not stop drinking by using my own will power and self determination. I tried to get sober on my own many times. I threw my liquor in trash cans, poured it down the sink, busted bottles by the road side, made solemn vows and promises - but I always went back to it. I could not do it on my own. God did for me what I could not do for myself and I am so grateful. Thank you Lord! I am so grateful for Kim who stead by me. I am so thankful to have Kim and the girls. I am grateful for my family - mom, Jeanie and Allen, Susan and Bob, Carl and Sharon. I am grateful for my brother and sisters in the church and for my friends in AA. For my previous sponsor in Columbus John C, and my current sponsor Tom J. I am grateful most of all for Jesus and my heavenly Father. Today, I am sober! Lord, keep me sober - one day at a time.

Monster Buck

My brother-in-law Bob Mays killed this monster buck last December. It scored 161. He was hunting on Bruce Johnson's property. For years I hunting on land that Bob owned or leased but now Bob and his dad are making trips to Ohio to hunt with me because I live in deer country. I was happy for Bob when he killed this 12 point. Bob and his dad have hunted all over the United States and in places like Canada, Alaska and Africa. They have trophy rooms with awesome mounts of bear, mountain lions, elk, and white tail. This deer, however, was taken on Bruce’s property in Lawrence County Ohio and it is the second largest whitetail in their collection. It’s a great picture of Bob with his trophy. Last Saturday I stood at the place where Bob took him and remembered the excitement of that day. We appreciate Bruce and Janet for allowing us to hunt on their land. The Johnson's are a great family.

I Want to Be a Rock Star (Solomon, the OT Rock Star)

Solomon was an OT rock star. When I read Ecclesiastes 2 I think of the popular song by Nickelback "I Want to Be a Rock Star". Read the words and think about how similar it is to the story of Solomon. Yes, God was pleased when Solomon prayed for wisdom in 2 Chronicles 1, but in Ecclesiastes Solomon indulged in the pleasure of a playboy it's the same kind of story Chad Kroeger sings about today. I'm through with standin' in line To clubs I'll never get in It's like the bottom of the ninth And I'm never gonna win This life hasn't turned out Quite the way I want it to be (Tell me what you want) I want a brand new house On an episode of Cribs And a bathroom I can play baseball in And a king size tub big enough For ten plus me (Yea, So what you need) I need a credit card that's got no limit And a big black jet with a bedroom in it Gonna join the mile high club At thirty-seven thousand feet --(Been there done that)-- I want a new tour bus full of old guitars My own star on Hollywood Boulevard Somewhere between Cher and James Dean is fine for me (So how you gonna do it?) I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame I'd even cut my hair and change my name [CHORUS] 'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars and Live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap We'll all stay skinny as we just won't eat And we'll hang out in the coolest bars In the VIP with the movie stars Every good gold digger's Gonna wind up there Every Playboy bunny With her bleach blonde hair And well... Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar Hey, hey, I wanna be a rockstar I read this song in our Bible at church and compared it to Solomon. Ecclesiastes 2:1 I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." ... And what does pleasure accomplish?" 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. 4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. 10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. ... Solomon was a big rock star. He tried it all - wine, women, and wealth but he was never satisfied. Solomon said in 2:11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun." ... 12:13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. I don't want to be a rock star. I want to follow Jesus.

Church Camp Dance

We're at church camp and our theme for the week is "Step into the Ring." Dan Barlette of Russell Christian is my co-dean this year and next year he will take my place. Dan rented these big blowups and the kids played like the fought each other with big boxing gloves. All the Bible lessons are about fighting the enemy. Round one - "Who is the Enemy". Round two - "God is in our Corner." And so on. Lots of campers and lots of fun. I wrote a song for the talent show and I hope the kids like it. Shayna and her friends are going to dance beside me as I play my guitar. The lyrics are below.

Church Camp Dance

Up in the morning about 8 o’clock. We eat a good breakfast so we never have to stop. Then we all go to chapel and we have our God Time. When we praise the Lord Jesus everything is always fine. Then we go to class and we have our workshop. We’re going to fight the good fight and we’re never going to stop.

Chorus

Cause everybody’s going to step into the ring. Everybody’s going to shout and everybody’s going to sing. You may be surprised so I’ll tell you in advance. That everybody’s going to do the church camp dance.

We all love to play the sports and games. But cabin-cleanup is just a necessary thing. We eat a good lunch and we get our rest. But swimming in the pool is what we all love the best. Then we all go to crafts and to the canteen. It feels so good that everybody’s going to “scream!”

Chorus

Free time is fun and so are special events. Everybody plays and no one sits the bench. When the camp bell rings we all stand in line. Cause everybody’s hungry at supper time. Then Dan leads the worship and he leads it so well. That everybody stands up and gives a great big yell!

Chorus

It happens in the evening when the sun goes down. We build a camp fire and make a great big sound. Cause we worship the Lord with all our might. We praise him every day and we praise him every night. Then it’s back to the cabins, tomorrow we’ll do it again. And everybody at church camp shouts “Amen!”

My Old Man Needs to Die (My new song)

I just wrote an new song. I hope you like it. It's called my old man needs to die. It's my story i.e. the story of how God saved me from alcoholism.

My Old Man Needs to Die

When I was young I got baptized to wash away my sins. But I did not have a clue that my old man could swim. I’ve struggled with him everyday since I was a child. But in my teens, about 15, my old man went wild.

I took a hit and had a sip and brother it was on. I drank it from a bottle and I smoked it from a bong. Three years passed, I turned 18, I said “I got to quit”. It’s way too much I’ve had enough my old man made me sick.

My old man needs to die. So I don’t act like Jekyll and Hyde. He’s my old man and he needs to die. My old man is not my dad. He’s the part of me that acts real bad. He’s my old man and he needs to die, he needs to die.

Twelve years went by and I was dry, I tried to be good. I went to church, I read the book, and I did those things I should. But my old man was still alive, waiting for control. I took one drink of whiskey and the devil took my soul.

My friends were Jack Daniels and his brother Jimmy Beam. I loved Smirnoff Vodka and everything between. It was like a little puppy to play with every night. But he grew into a pit-bull and took my away life.

My old man loves to drink. And he never turns the other cheek. He’s my old man and he needs to die. My old man put me in jail. But my wife came and paid my bale. She said “Your old man and he’s got to die, he’s got to die. (But he didn’t).

I was sitting in a biker bar 2am one night. Three bikers came to kick me out and I stood up strong to fight. I knew that I could take those three, but there were 15 more. Who grab me by shirt and kick me out the door. (Then one day it happened).

I was driving down the road one day, higher than a kite. I blacked out like so many times but this time I ran a light. Three cars were totaled in that wreck and no one hurt but me. They put me back in jail and that’s were I got free.

My old man went to rehab. And I gave up everything that’s bad. He’s my old man and he needs to die. My old man went to AA. And worked the 12 Steps day by day. He’s my old man and he needs to die, he needs to die.

Years have gone by and I’m still dry, I have not had a drink. But I still go to meetings, to change the way I think. I’m grateful for my family and my serenity. And most of all for Jesus Christ who died to set me free.

Now you may think since I don’t drink, that I am all cured. But my old man is patient and he knows just how to lure. I struggled with him every day, what a wretched man I am. Every time he rises up, I put him down again.

My old man knows how to sin. So I don’t want him back again. He’s my old man and he needs to die. My old man can’t be tamed. He’s always bad, he’ll change. He’s my old man and he needs to die, he needs to die.

My new song "Home Six Mile"

I just wrote a new song. Finished it at 7am this morning. It's about growing up on Six Mile.

Home Six Mile

No shirt, blue jeans, running bare feet. Honey suckle growing up and down the creek. Railroad tracks and a fishing hole I got a Rainbow Trout on the end of my pole.

Yes its been a while Still makes me smile When I think about … home Six Mile

White house, porch swing, chestnut trees Sunday morning church, Jesus set us free Jeanie and Susan, little brother, that’s me Childhood memories, good family

Front yard, green grass, all the cousins play Granny and Paw, “making-apple-butter-day” Don’t worry, don’t fret, it don’t make sense Just knock that whiffle ball over the fence

Yes its been a while Still makes me smile When I think about … home Six Mile

Cross cut saw in the blacksmith’s shop Floating down the river on an old car top Playing guitar at the Boone County Fair Family and friends, everybody’s there.

Full moon, crickets by old water fall Fireflies, hoot owl, listen as them call. Hound dogs barking, there’s a fox on the run Slipping through the woods with my old shot gun

Yes its been a while Still makes me smile When I think about … home Six Mile

Bridge Sometimes I wonder how the days have come and gone When I need break from life, I love to sing the six mile song … about …

No shirt, blue jeans, running bare feet. Honey suckle growing up and down the creek. Railroad tracks and a fishing hole I got a Rainbow Trout on the end of my pole.

Yes its been a while Still makes me smile When I think about … home Six Mile

Loving an Imperfect Church - My study in 1 Corinthians

I just began a new series in 1 Corinthians called "Loving an Imperfect Church." I enjoy preparing for topical sermons but my favorite type of preaching is expository. When I work through a book I live in it longer. In my mind I have sailed into the Corinthian port, watched the ships being pulled over the Isthmus on the "haul across", I have made tents with Paul, spent time with Pricilla and Aquilla, listen to Paul preach and persuade people to believe that Jesus is the Christ. I've felt the opposition and rejection, watched him leave the synagogue in protest as he shook his clothes out and said "Your blood be on your own heads, from now on I'm going to the Gentiles." One night I heard Jesus say "Paul, don't leave, don't be afraid, I will protect. Stay and preach because I have many people in this city." I've seen the church grow strong. I've sit in their spontaneous and sometimes chaotic assemblies, I've listened to them prophesy, sing, speak in tongues, pray, commune, and love each other. The church become such a threat to the established Jewish religion that a united attacked was aimed at Paul. In my mind I witnessed Paul being accused before the Roman procouncil and watched Sosthenes get beat up. On and on I go imagining, envisioning what it must have been like for Paul. Paul is in Ephesus now but I'm going to stay in Corinth for the summer and learn all I can about how to love an imperfect church. I'm posting my sermons at http://sermonsbyjeffgarrett.blogspot.com/

From Siesta Key

Kim, Amber, Tori, Shayna, Mom and I are in Siesta Key. We are staying with (my sister) Susan and Bob. We got to visit with Heather. Hiedi and Jason are here with Scout and Gus. We have had a great vacation. Bob has taken us on his boat twice. Mom and Susan went on the first boat ride. Today, Hiedi, Scott and Gus went went and we all we swam in the Gulf of Mexico, two miles from the shore. The girls giggled and laughed. Mom brought Molly (her dog) and she loves it here.

Kim and I went out late last night and heard a couple of bands and went for a late night walk on the beach. The weather has been beautiful. Sunday morning we worship at Bob and Susan's church. Sunday night we walked to the beach and watch people drum and dance as the sun set. We've caught a few fish. We've walked and talked and ate and visited and laughed. Bob and Susan are living a dream in paradice. We are so happy they invited us. The rest of the family is coming to visit this summer.

From Charlotte NC

I am writing this post from the Westin Hotel in Charlotte NC. I will be speaking three times (one is a repeat) in the morning. This conference is for the Southeastern Directors of Volunteer Services in Healthcare Organizations. My friend Pat Chambers has invited me to speak for the hospital on serveral occassions. I really appreciate these opportunities and thank God for Pat. Tomorrow Pat is going to be inducted as the the president of the association. She is great! This conference includes directors and volunteers from hospitals in 13 states in the southeast. The first is a class called "Getting What You Want and Wanting What You Get." The second is a keynote presentation called "Serving Others is What Life is all about." I pray I do a good job in the morning. I talked to Kim and the girls this evening. I will be back home tomorrow night and I can't wait!

From Pepperdine (God, why are you so good to me?)

I am looking at the Pacific Ocean as I write. The campus at Pepperdine University is stunningly beautiful!

This is my fourth trip to the Pepperdine Lectures. I love it! My class title this year - “Contrasting Healthy and Unhealthy Churches: Nursing Your Church back to Health.” Everyone is encouraging. I have to pinch myself every now and then to make sure I’m not dreaming.

I am staying in the Drescher Apartments with three other ministers that I admire and look up to. I’m rooming with Rick Atchley, Buddy Bell and Chris Seidman. Tuesday night Rick, Chris and I went to Mexican restaurant in Malibu and ate together. After dinner we went to an ice cream shop. It was great being with Rick and Chris. I download their sermons every week and listen. They are excellent ministers of the gospel. They are also very kind and gracious. It is a privilege to spend time with them. And Buddy Bell, well, he’s as humble and down to earth as can be. A true disciple of Jesus. Friendly, personable and very kind. I look up to and admire all of these men who are far ahead of me. They are solid as rocks and they live a life of integrity. They make me want to be a better man. It is a great privilege to be in the same apartment with them.

I got to talk to Harold Shank after his sermon Wednesday night. Harold’s sermon was amazing, as usual. His plea for the church to take care of widows and orphans was convicting. I hadn’t seen Harold in years. He said, “Jeff Garrett, yes, you are at Norway Ave in Huntington.” I said “How did you know?” I was very surprised that he already knew I was preaching at Norway Ave. But he had heard my story and said that he was thankful that God had saved me. About that time Lynn Anderson put his hand on my shoulder and said to Harold and me “You fellows almost hooked up at one time.” He was referring to a time, ten years ago, when Harold invited me to be his assistant preacher. (My heart pounds as I write this). Harold said, “Yes that’s right.” Then he pointed to the man sitting standing near him and explained that he was the one who took the job. A weird feeling came over me. I thought “perhaps I should have taken advantage of the opportunity to work with Harold.” It seemed surreal standing with Harold and looking at the minister that took the job he invited me to take. I was thinking that could be me. Maybe if I would have taken that position as Harold’s assistant preacher I wouldn’t have fallen. Maybe that was my way out. You see, it was before my fall. It just seemed so weird standing there – maybe that was my way out and I didn’t take it. Maybe I was disobedient to God by not taking it. Anyway, things worked out and I am still ministering through my own brokenness. It’s all good now. God worked it all out but It was just so surreal that I wanted to write about it so that I don’t forget it and so I can learn from it. And besides, after all I’ve done and all of been through, I was surprised he eve remembered my name. It was encouraging to me.

Wednesday night all the teachers went to Andrew Benton’s house, the president of Pepperdine. The view from the presidents house is unbelievable. The moon was full and shining on the ocean – it is amazing. President Bush has stead in that house. The house was full of people. I sat on the couch with Lynn Anderson. Lynn is great – he’s my coach, my mentor.

When I get to heaven I am going to ask God why he has been so good to me.

Beautiful Night on the Ohio River

It's a beautiful night. The moon is shining on the river. Lighting is flashing in the east. It's a warm spring night. Summer is almost here. I just walked outside. We live on the river. My girls are sound asleep. Kim and I just talked about our upcoming vacation in June. Life is good. Really good. I'm four years and six months sober. God has saved me and my family and I am so grateful.

Tonight I will grade papers. My students at Marshall have completed their theory preference papers. The papers are 20-25 pages in length. The papers cover various topics such as Gestalt Therapy or Cognitive Therapy or Behavior Therapy or Adlerian Therapy or Existential Therapy to treat a variety of mental disorders. I better get started. I have to finish grading them all by Thursday. Over 300 pages of reading and grading. Between each paper I think I will go outside and enjoy the view.

Speaking in Waverly Ohio

I am preparing to speak in Waverly Ohio for the Pike County Recovery Council (PCRC). I think this is the 9th time I have conducted a six hour seminar on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I am working on a treatment manuel and finishing up an outcome study. The counselors at PCRC are great and I love working with them.

Daddy Date

I took my girls on a daddy date today. We went the Starbucks, EB Games, a dress shop and a movie. We saw "Are We Done Yet" which is the sequel to "Are We There Yet". We've seen both of them. I love being with my girls. They took a couple of friends. We ate popcorn and had a good time. Yesterday was Easter. We canceled church Sunday night to spend time with our families. Kim, the girls and I went bowling. The girls good bowlers. They beat me! We had a good time. I love Kim, Amber, Tori and Shayna.

Guilt

A man entered a coffee house, bought a cup of coffee with ice and then immediately threw it into the waiter's face. Quickly grabbing a napkin, he helped the waiter dry his face while he apologized with great remorse. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I have this compulsion to do this. I fight it, but I don't know what to do about it." "You had better do something about your problem," the waiter replied. "You can be sure I'll remember you and will never serve you another drink until you get help." It was months before the man faced the waiter again. When he asked for a coffee with ice, the waiter refused. Then the man explained that he had been seeing a psychiatrist and that his problem was solved. Convinced it was now okay to serve him, the waiter poured him a cup of coffee with ice. The man took the cup and splashed the coffee into the waiter's astonished face. "I thought you were cured," the shocked waiter screamed. "I am," said the man. "I still do it, but I don't feel guilty about it anymore."

Jay's Proposal

Last Sunday, at the end of service, our campus minister Jay Barrow proposed to his girlfriend, now fiance, in front of the church. It was an incredible moment. We are so happy for Jay and Lacy. They are perfect for each other. Watch Jay propose to Lacy at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2drTaTb-yc

Repitition can be meaningful

Our children love repitition. Every night. Same thing. Same words. Same kisses. Same prayers. Same routine. If we miss something they remind us and we do it just right. Kim and I have little bedtime routines with our children. We do it every night. It makes them feel safe and secure. We lay down (or sit down). Hold hands. Hug. Talk a little about the day (if it's not too late). We say a prayer. After the prayer we take care of fans, doors, and lights. Shayna likes her fan on three. Tori likes her's on two. Amber does not sleep with a fan on. Shayna likes her light off and her bedroom door open. Tori likes her light on and her bedroom door open. Amber likes her light off and her bedroom door closed. Every night we say a little statement that ends the day followed by "I love you's". When our girls were small I used to twirl them around and toss them in the air. They would say "do it again daddy!" So I did it again and again and again until I was tired. "For grown-up people," says Guthrie, "are not strong enough to exalt in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough.... It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again," to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again," to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we ." Repitition is not always vain. It can be meaningful. Traditions are not always bad. They can make us feel safe and secure.

The Superiority of Jesus

Hebrews 1:1-4 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Seven Statements that Affirm the Superiority of Jesus.

Jesus is the heir of all things.

Jesus is the creator of the universe.

Jesus is the radiance of God's glory.

Jesus is the exact representation of his being.

Jesus is the sustainer of all things.

Jesus is the one who provided purification for sins.

Jesus is the one who sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

God's Final Word

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son… (Hebrews 1:1-2) Think of all the ways God revealed himself. He visited Abraham, he wrestled with Jacob, he thundered from Mount Sinai, and he whispered to Elijah on Mount Horeb. He spoke through nakedness of Isaiah and scandal of Hosea’s marriage to a prostitute named Gomer. God spoke at many times and in various ways. The Bible itself contains variety. God gave us a book with law, poetry, history, allegory, apocalyptic and wisdom literature, prophesy, sermons, letters of correspondence, and even romance literature. In the past God spoke at many times and in various ways. He revealed himself a little bit at a time. This is what theologians call progressive revelation. The story of divine revelation is a story of progression up to Christ, but there is no progression beyond. God has been disclosing himself bit by bit until Jesus came and then God revealed himself completely. The most important thing God ever said was “Jesus.” Jesus is God’s final word. Michael Card captured this thought in a song - When the Father in his wisdom wanted to communicate his love. He spoke it in one final perfect word. He spoke the incarnation and then so was born a Son. His final word was Jesus he needed no other one. He spoke flesh and blood so he could bleed and make a way divine. And so was born a baby who would die to make it mine.

Long Time No See

I've been busy with a host of things. My last post was last year. I'm going to try to blog a bit. Spring is here and the weather is great. Today I took three walks (6 miles) and shot some basketball with my girls. Kim and the girls are sleeping. I'm responding to emails and I remembered my blog. I hope all my blogging friends are doing well. It's good to be back. Talk to you soon.

New Year Prayers for 2007

I’ve started writing New Year Prayers rather than New Year Resolutions. I did it last year (see my blog post on December 31, 2005) and it worked. God answered many of my prayers. Although I didn’t receive everything I prayed for I did receive many things and I thank God for it all. I am so grateful for all that God has done. I still need God to help me in every area. My New Year Prayers for 2007 are below. Spiritually – Father, help me to follow my Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to love him better. Help me to trust and obey him in all things so that I can please you. Make me sensitive and responsive to the Holy Spirit who lives in me. Protect me from the evil one. Keep me sober. Use me to lead others. Open up more doors of opportunity so that I can use the gifts and talents you’ve given me. s Mentally – Father, give me wisdom. Do not hide things from me. Make me hungry to learn, grow and change. Teach me. Show me. Help me to apply what I learn in practical ways. Socially – Father, help me to love Kim as Jesus love his bride. Help me to father my children like you father me. Bless my relationships with family and friends so that we grow closer each day. Physically – Father, keep my family and me healthy. Give me motivation to exercise regularly and take care of my body. Financially – Father, make me prosper and help us to manage our money wisely. Help me to be generous with all that I have. It all belongs to you. Help me to be a good steward. In Jesus name, Amen.

How it Works

The following passage is read before every AA meeting. It comes Chapter 5, pages 58-60 of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. I’ve heard it a thousand times but it never gets old to me. It only becomes more meaningful. How It Works Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. There chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest. Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it - then you are ready to take certain steps. At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way, but we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. Remember that we deal with alcohol - cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power - that one is God. May you find Him now! Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. We asked His protection and care with complete abandon. Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery: 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventures before and after make clear three pertinent ideas: a. That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives. b. That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism. c. That God could and would if He were sought.

God blessed our Christmas service.

God blessed our Christmas service last Sunday. We could sense the presence of God as we worshiped. We praised the Lord Jesus. We encouraged one another. The assembly was filled with thanksgiving and love. The theme of the service was “Joy in Christ” and we were joyful! Matt Hayes did an awesome job leading and directing us. Everyone worked so hard. I can’t name them all – but everyone did an excellent job. The shepherds spent an entire year preparing for this service. We used instrumental music during this service. It was a big step for an a cappella church. The care and sensitivity our shepherds demonstrated during the past year made this step possible. The step I’m referring to is not merely the use of instrumental music. I’m referring to a larger, more important issue that focuses on the person of Jesus and his love for people. The need to wrap the gospel of Jesus Christ around the most powerful forms of communication so that we can connect with them and show them the love of Christ. Our purpose is to know him, follow him, share him and worship him. That’s our mission. Everything is focused on Jesus Christ. I thank God for our Christmas service last Sunday. I’ve played it over and over in my mind. I can see their faces and hear all the people praising the Lord. I am so grateful for our church. I’m so happy to be one of the ministers here. I love my job. I pray that the Lord will continue to bless us and use us so that many people will come to know Jesus Christ.

The God-Man at Christmas

Is Jesus God or is he man? The answer to that question is “yes.” Jesus is the God-man. God in human flesh. Isaiah said “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). When Isaiah said “a child is born” he was speaking of his humanity. When he said "he will be called ... Mighty God” he was speaking of his divinity. He is the God-Man. As a child, he was born in Bethlehem. As God, he has ruled from eternity. He did not have his beginning in Bethlehem, that’s just where he was born. Fully human and fully God. That’s why the wise men came to worship him (Matthew 2:1-2). That’s why we worship Jesus.

The first time Jesus came as a baby. But he is coming back as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When he came the first time there was no room for Him in the inn. When he comes back, all of the earth will be full of his glory. When he came the first time only a few people saw him. But one day, when he comes back, the whole world will see him. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. All of your neighbors will bow. Every world leader will bow. Every athelete from Mickey Mantle to Michael Jordon will bow. Every rock star from Jimmy Page to Eddy Van Halen will bow. You will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. He died for our sins and rose from the grave. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Fully God. Fully human. There is a man in heaven. Jesus Christ! Worship him today. It's Christmas.

We saw the movie and it was great!

Tonight we saw the movie. Kim, Amber, Tori, Shayna, Allen, Jeanie, Todd, Theresa, mom and I went to the theater. I loved it! We all love it. It's my favorite movie. I'm so proud of Allen. He's my hero. The movie made me cry and laugh. It was so inspiring.

Allen has been speaking at several events and now he is going to be speaking at Erich Robinson's church. When Erich read the article about Allen in the Christian Chronicle he sent it to his elders. Erich invited him to South Lake Church in Texas. I know he will inspire and encourage them. If you would like Allen to speak at your church his email address is Allen.D.Meadowns@pmusa.com

Worshiping Jesus Creates Unity

I heard Ravi Zacherias tell a beautiful story a that occurred many years ago. During the cold war, one of the team members of the Billy Graham Crusade was in Romania. It was a cold, blistery snowy day and he was bundled up, trying to keep warm as he was walking down the street. But one Romanian walked by with his hands in his pockets and he was whistling a tune. He wondered how that fellow could whistle in the cold. Then he paused and listened. He was whistling an old hymn “The great physician now is here, the sympathizing Jesus.” He said, “I ran after him and I asked ‘Do you know Christ?’” The fellow shrugged his shoulders because he did not speak English. He didn’t know what to do. Then he decided to whistle the hymn. And the fellow’s eyes lit up. His face just beamed. He whistled the melody with him. They hugged one another. Pointed towards heaven and walked away together whistling. Two worlds were bridged by the mystery of worship. That’s what Jesus does for us. Worshiping Jesus creates unity. Just the tune of a hymn about Jesus can cause you to wrap your arms around a total stranger because you know that they are in the family of God.

Garbage for Grace

We have more garbage cans than anybody in our neighborhood. When I drag the garbage cans out for pick up, everybody else has one or two cans. But we have five or six. I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because there are more people living in our house. Maybe all my neighbors have trash compactors. Maybe their garbage cans are bigger and better than mine. But we have more garbage than anybody else. Every Wednesday all my garbage cans are full. I feel a little self-conscious about it. I sometimes help the men who pick up my garbage. I help them lift the cans and dump it in the truck. One morning I bought them donuts. I thought I should give them something. All I give them is garbage – and lots of it! So I gave them donuts and they accepted them. Sin is like garbage. Everybody has garbage. I have more than others. There was a time when my life was so trashed. I had so much garbage piled up I couldn’t see. Shame. Guilt. It overwhelmed me. But I couldn’t stay out of the garbage. I threw my addiction (my bottles) in the garbage and made vows and promises that I did not keep. I could not stop. At night, I went back to the garbage. Literally! This brought more guilt. More shame. But I couldn’t quit. Then I hurt myself. I hurt others really bad. It woke me up. I came to my senses and cried out “Lord, help me! Save me!” He did. He took my garbage away. Jesus Christ is my garbage man. As I say that I cringe. I almost deleted it. It sounds so irreverent. But it’s true. All I had to give Jesus was garbage – and lots of it! He took it away and told me to stay out of the garbage. Jesus told me to “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (James 1:21). So, by his grace, I accepted his word and he saved me. But I still have garbage in my life. More than anybody else I know. I try to stay out of it. I keep giving it to Jesus and he keeps taking it away. He picks it up every day so that it doesn’t pile up. I feel self-conscious about it. I sometimes try to help him but he always tells me that he has to take care of it. I can’t help him. He has to do all the work. He takes my garbage and I take his grace. I try to give him things to show how grateful I am but my gifts are equivalent to donuts. He doesn’t need my gifts but he accepts them anyway. What an exchange! Garbage for grace. Jesus takes my garbage and I take his grace. He takes my guilt and shame and credits me with his righteousness. Lord, Thank you for saving me. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for your grace and love. Help me to stay out of the garbage. In Jesus name, Amen!

Three Recent Speaking Engagements

On Monday December 11 I provided training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for counselors at The Counseling Center in Portsmouth Ohio. On December 12 I spoke for Pat Chambers at a holiday luncheon at St Mary's Hospital. On December 18 I provide consultation focused on the clinical application of CBT for Kindred Spirits near Lucasville Ohio. I thank God for these opportunities to speak at other places. The people are great and I love it!

Allen Meadows in the Christian Chronicle

The Christian Chronicle featured the story about Allen Meadows and his friends from the 1971 Young Thundering Herd. Bobby Ross Jr. writes ... "On a recent Sunday, the Young Thundering Herd came to church. In town to see a premiere of the new Warner Bros. movie We Are Marshall, more than 30 players and coaches from the 1971 Marshall University football team received a heroes’ welcome at the Norway Avenue church in Huntington, W.Va.“Your story is going to be told all over the world, and millions of people will be inspired,” minister Jeff Garrett told the special guests in a sermon titled “The Hall of Faith."

You can read the rest of the article by clicking on this link - http://www.christianchronicle.org/

We are Marshall - The 1971 Young Thundering Herd Came to Norway Ave Church

Allen and Jeanie Meadows invited the 1971 Young Thundering Herd football players to our church on Sunday (December 10). It was fantastic! At 8:30 Allen led a memorial service in the cemetery across the street from our church building. Several people spoke at the memorial service including Head Coach Jack Lengyel and quarterback Reggie Oliver spoke. At 9:30 we had for coffee and refreshments for the team, church and community. This was followed by a worship assembly. Our assembly was filled with the presence of God in a unique way. The Holy Spirit moved us and Jesus Christ was praised. I preached a sermon from Hebrews 11 called “The Hall of Faith.” You can download the podcast of the service from itunes – just type in “Norway Avenue Church of Christ” and click on the free subscription. The Young Thundering Herd received two standing ovations during our assembly. They signed autographs afterwards. The community came, school administrators from Marshall came, we had to shuttle people from other parking lots (the bank and HIMG because our lot was packed). Newspaper reporters and television reporters were present. It was a great weekend. I thank God and give him praise! I thank Allen and Jeanie for there hard work and making it possible.

1971 Young Thundering Herd at Norway Ave This Sunday

The 1971 Young Thundering Herd football team will be at our church this Sunday. Allen and Jeanie Meadows contacted the players and they responded. They are coming to our church this Sunday - a total of 47 with family members. We're so excited! We are having a breakfast for so that the community can meet the real stars - the original players who rebuilt the Marshall University Football Program. This is two days before the premier. After the social at 9:30 we are having a worship service and I will be preaching "The Hall of Faith" from Hebrews 11. I pray that everything goes great and that Christ is glorified.

I killed a 4 point buck in WV

I killed a 4 point buck yesterday in Mason County WV. I hunted with Bob Mays Sr. – my brother-in-law’s dad. It reminded me of hunting with my father. Dad taught me how to hunt when I was a little boy. We spent a lot of time in the woods together. I can remember hunting with him like it was yesterday. One time dad and I went to Mason County and we both killed a deer the same day. We tracked dad’s deer for 3 hours. We loaded our deer in his pickup and drove to Bob’s house. I took a video of Dad – we still have it somewhere. I'm going to look for it so I can watch it again. It was a great hunt and it was on the same farm (Bob's farm) that I was hunting on yesterday. As I walked the trails I remembered walking with dad. Those are great memories. Dad was such a good man. He loved mom, Jeanie, Susan and me. He loved Allen, Bob, Kim and all of his grandchildren. He loved us all and we are grateful for him. Dad died November 23, 2000. He’s been in heaven six years (earth time). We will see him again when Jesus takes us to heaven. Hunting with Bob Sr. makes me think of dad. Bob Sr. is such a good Christian man and I enjoy spending time with him. We are going to hunt on 4-mile in Ohio next Monday.

Headed for Seattle Washington

I'm headed for Seattle Washington to meet with Jim Henderson, author of "aka lost". I had originally planned to see him at a workshop in Holland MI but the seminar was cancel. Fred Peatros is Jim's friend. Fred wrote Jim and asked him to meet with me. Thank you Fred!

Speaking at the Pike County Recovery Council

Last Friday I did another training for the counselors at the Pike County Recovery Council. This was my sixth training in Pike County Ohio. I am teaching counselors how to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to treat addiction, mood disorders and a variety of emotional and behavioral problems in outpatient treatment. The counselors are doing great work, applying the principles of CBT. We are doing a year-long outcome study of treatment effectiveness using three standardized measures. I love working with them.

By the grace of God I now have four years of sobriety.

By the grace of God I now have four years of sobriety. My sobriety date is October 19, 2002. I thank God for saving my life. I am so thankful that Kim stayed with me. She loved me when I was unlovable. She stayed with me and I am so thankful and I love her. We have three wonderful daughters that are happy and healthy. I’m so thankful for them. I love them. I thank God for my mom and Jeanie and Susan and all my family. I so thankful to be serving as a minister at Norway Avenue. The Christians at Norway Avenue are wonderful. I thought I had totally disqualified myself but God’s grace covered me and people forgave me. God has opened many doors for me. If you could have seen me four years ago you wouldn’t believe it. God did a miracle in my life and I give him praise. God saved me. I thank God for AA and my sponsors and all my friends in AA. I am most thankful for my Lord Jesus Christ.

You Can’t Grill It Until You Kill It

I love to hunt. I grew up in the WV hills. When I was a kid I played in the mountains and creeks. Swinging on grape vines, riding down trees, building a cabin, and damming up a stream. Fishing in the summer time, hunting in the fall, me and family we all had a ball, in the country (I may put that to music some day). I learned to hunt when I was a boy. It's stayed with me. I love to be in the woods. It was my day off and I stayed in the woods all day. Well, I did come out to eat lunch but I went right back. I killed a deer today. I killed another deer two days ago (last Saturday). I killed one in September on a land damage permit. God gave me three deer and it's only the first two weeks of 2006 deer season. I thank God for the thrill of the hunt and the meat. I eat what I kill. Tonight I grilled deer tenderloins and deer hamburger. I read the two scriptures below with fresh eyes this evening. Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. Acts 11:6 I [Peter] looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts … 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' As Ted Nugent says "You can't grill it until you kill it."

Dreams

I dreamed about deer hunting last night. It was so vivid and real. I was hunting that big buck I've been hunting for two years. I saw him in my dream last night. I’ve seen him twice while awake (in real life). He is huge, a monster moose of a deer. And now I’m dreaming about that buck. I can’t get out in the woods to hunt him because of my schedule. So I’m dreaming about hunting him. Weird, isn't it. In the Bible God spoke to people in dreams. God spoke to Abimelech, Jacob, Joseph, Gideon’s friend, Samuel, Solomon, Daniel, and Joseph in dreams. God can still speak to people in dreams but I don’t believe my dream is a message from God. It’s simply my desire to hunt deer. I think about it a lot. My feeder and bow are in my garage. Three hundred pounds of corn are in my trunk. I just can’t find the time to get out in the woods. So I think about it while I’m working and even while I’m sleeping. We dream every night. It’s one of five stages of sleep. We don’t always remember our dreams but we always dream (if we sleep well). I believe dreams are an attempt to resolve some thing i.e., a problem, a thought, a desire, a preoccupation. We think about it even when we are unconscious. That’s probably what happened to me last night. I’m preoccupied with a sport that I can’t enjoy right now. So I just think about it. This cooler weather makes me want to rub my head against a tree or something. I want to hunt and until I actually get out in the woods I’ll dream about it.

Worshiping God Under the Stars

I like to think about the size of the universe when I look up at the stars. It is so large that scientist have to measure space by the speed of light. The ruler of measurement is one light second. Light travels 186,000 miles per second. It’s 1.3 light seconds to the moon. It’s 500 light seconds to our sun. When you move beyond the sun to other stars you need a bigger ruler called a light year. A light year is 32 million times longer than a light second. It takes 10 light hours get from one side of our solar system to the other. There are about 100 billion stars in our galaxy (the Milky Way) and it takes 100,000 light years to get from one side of our galaxy to the other. That’s just our galaxy. Over 2 million galaxies have been counted and scientist estimate that there could be as many as 100 million galaxies. When I look up at the stars and think about the size of God’s creation I feel like singing with David - "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

Dr. David Olson Performed Additional Analysis with My Dissertation Data

It was such a surprise when I received an email from Dr. David Olson telling me that he had done additional analysis with my dissertation data. Dr. Olson, from the University of Minnesota has authored 100s of publications, including four marital satisfaction inventories that have been used by millions of couples. He’s like a guru in the marriage and family field and he used my research. I thank God for this. It came out of the blue – like a gift from heaven. Olson used the same data I used for my dissertation and did a comparison of the four groups on couple typology. It is unreal how similar the percentages are in each type across the four groups. He is featuring it in the PREPARE/ENRICH Newsletter since they are coming out with the Empowering Couples book in Spanish. You can read a short summary at this address - http://image.exacttarget.com/members/3362/hispanic_study.pdf - Or I pasted the summary below. _________________________

Hispanic and Caucasian Couples have Similar Couple Types Jeffery Garrett & David Olson (2006)

Although it is often assumed that couples from different ethnic groups will have unique patterns of marriage, this study found considerable similarity in the ENRICH couple types across four ethnic combinations (both Hispanic, both Caucasian, Male Hispanic—Female Caucasian, Male Caucasian—Female Hispanic) of married couples. The results indicate that the four groups had very similar numbers of couples in each of the five ENRICH types. These findings are based on ENRICH data used in a dissertation by Jeffery Garrett (2004) who found no significant differences between the four groups of couples on the major ENRICH scales (i.e. marital satisfaction, communication, conflict resolution). Using a national sample of 868 married couples who took ENRICH, these four groups of married couples were compared on the ENRICH Couple typology. The average age of the males was about 35 and females was 33 and they were married an average of 9 years. The individuals were second or third generation Hispanics. As illustrated in Figure I (see http://image.exacttarget.com/members/3362/hispanic_study.pdf), there are no significant differences in the percentage of the four groups of couples in any of the five couple types. About 20-25% of the couples were Vitalized, 5-10% were Harmonious, 10-15% were Traditional, 20-30% were Conflicted and about 25-35% were Devitalized. The only difference (not statistically significant) was that there were slightly more Hispanic couples that were Traditional and Devitalized, and fewer that were Conflicted than the other ethnic groups. This study clearly demonstrates the ENRICH Couple typology is relevant to Hispanic couples where one or both are Hispanic. It also demonstrates there is no significant differences between the Caucasian and Hispanic ethnic groups using this couple typology. These findings are similar to a study by Bill Allen and David Olson (2001) that found no significant difference between African American couples and Caucasian couples on the ENRICH couple typology. In summary, the current and earlier studies demonstrate that the five couple types based on ENRICH are valid for use with Hispanic, African American and Caucasian marriages. This is a powerful and important finding since it says that marriages across ethnic groups are not that different in terms of their underlying patterns. References: Allen, W.D. & Olson, D.H. (2001) Five types of African American Marriages based on ENRICH. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy. 27, 3, 301-314. Garrett, J. (2004) The Marital Satisfaction of Hispanic-White Interracial Couples. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Counselor Education, Ohio University. Garrett, J. & Olson, D.H. (2006) ENRICH Couple Typology and Hispanic and Caucasian Married Couples. Unpublished manuscript. Minneapolis, MN: Life Innovations.

Back home with our girls

The Greenbrier was great and it's good to be back home. I love my girls. They are so precious and dear to me. Kim and I had a great time. I was happy with my presentation and I thank God for the opportunity. I also thank Pat Chambers - she's great!

From the Greenbrier

Kim is sleeping. I am rehearsing i.e., preparing for my talk in the morning. We had dinner with Pat, two sisters, the president and president elect of the auxiliary, a volunteer and her son (who was a graduate of Bob Jones University) and the CEO of St Mary’s and his wife. Pat is wonderful. Her personality is perfect for her job as director. We had a pleasant evening at the table with 11 people. It was a 3 course dinner plus dissert. We thank Pat for the treat. This was a special night for Kim and me. I pray I do a good job in the morning. I have to get back to rehearsing it.

Headed to the Greenbrier Hotel

Kim and I will leave in the morning for the Greenbrier Hotel. My friend Pat Chambers invited be to speak to the Directors of Volunteer Services for hospitals in WV. It’s a special treat for Kim and I and I pray I do a good job speaking.

A Prayer for My Classmates

I emailed this prayer to my classmates and posted it on our blog. I thought I would share it. _____________________________ Classmates, I hope you don't mind me saying a little prayer for our class. I just feel like praying for everyone. So here is my prayer .... Father, Thank you for the wonderful time we had at the reunion. Thank you for our friendships that last forever. We seldom get to see each other but when we get together it’s like we were never apart. We feel just as close and connected as we did when we were teenagers. We truly love and care for each other and it is so great. We realize all of this comes from you. So thank you God. Thank you for taking care of us. Thank you for blessing our families. Thank you for our parents and brothers and sisters. Thank you for our children. It means so much to see our friends’ families. We realize that everything good comes from you and we thank you Lord. It was great to learn about all the wonderful things our classmates are doing in their community. We are homemakers and dentil hygienists and coalminers and construction workers and electricians and computer technicians and communication specialists and teachers and school administrators and real estate agents and car dealership owners and restaurant managers and office administrators and secretaries and truck drivers and businesswomen and businessmen and computer programmers and on and on. Our classmates are gifted and talented. They are making the world a better place. We are spread out from California to Virginia and from Indiana to Florida. Our class is making a positive difference in the world. Thank you for blessing our friends with all of these abilities and the contribution they are making. We know all these good things come from you. Thank you Lord! We are sadden because we have lost some of our friends to death. Please bless and comfort their families. Thank you for the time we had with them. Now, after thanking you for all of these things, we want to ask you to bless us more. Please keep us and our families healthy and safe. Cover us with your protection. Send strong angels to guard our children. Help us to trust Jesus Christ, your Son, and bless us with faith to believe you, hope for the future, and love. Help us to love you and to love others as you love us. Bless us financially and materially, but most of all bless us spiritually so that we are close to you. Bless us in everyway and we will give you all the glory and thanks. Lord, in five years, bring us all back together again for another reunion. The older we get the more important it becomes. Until then, we will remember our 25th Year Reunion. We will remember the smiles, the laughter, the hugs, the music, the dancing, the stories – we will remember it all and give you thanks for allowing us to grow up together and to be friends. So bring us all back together in five years. And then one day, take us all home to be with you. Please forgive all our sins and take everyone of us to the big reunion you have planned for us in heaven. In Jesus Name, Amen! Jeff

Long Time No See

I've been absent from this blog because I have been working on four other blogs. Two for my students at Marshall (which would probably bore you to tears) and two for my high school reunion. My high school reunion was wonderful! I loved it! If you you would like to see a slide show of my reunion (my daughter Amber helped me with this slide show on myspace. Amber is great with this stuff!) just click this link and turn up the music - http://www.myspace.com/scott_high_1981

Tristate Chinese School

My friends, Berlin and Fountane Fang, began the Tristate Chinese School which meets in our church building. It is growing! Berlin and Fountain (and their children Faith and Frank) are an amazing family. They shine so bright because they are full of Christ. Watch this video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6v2X2xvm-Q

Preaching on a Harley Davidson

Last SundayI preached on a Harley Davidson that belongs to Will Edwards. My sermon was called "Treasures in Heaven" from Matthew 6:19-24. I had several props but my favorite was the Harley. I'll never forget when Will started his bike and rode it out. Jesus said "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions"( Luke 12:15). It won’t last. It will captivated your heart. Distort your vision. Make you a slave and ruin your life.

However, if you hold on loosely, love God with all your heart, see things clearly, and make Jesus Christ your Lord you can enjoy all of these things and use them to God’s glory. 1 Timothy 6: 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Paul didn’t command the rich to give all their possessions away. The only person Jesus said that towas the rich young ruler because his possessions were his god (Luke 18:22). If that describes you the best possible thing that could happen is for you to loose everything you have so that you can trust Jesus Christ.

But I don’t think that describes you. I believe 1 Timothy 6 describes you. Paul gives you seven commands and specifically tells us that this is how to store up treasures in heaven. 1. Don’t be arrogant. 2. Do not put your hope in wealth. 3. Put your hope in God. 4. Enjoy what you have and thank God for it. 5. Do good 6. Be rich in good deeds. and 7. Be generous and willing to share.

Notice that v.19 specifically says that when you do these things you are storing up treasures in heaven. It says 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. If you think the things you have now are good wait till you get to heaven.

I Killed a Deer Today

My friend Dana Edwards obtained permission from the Game Warden to the kill deer that are damaging his property. Dana gave me permission to hunt the deer. Today I killed a doe. I'm not allowed to kill bucks until October 1st. Last Sunday Bruce saw the monster I hunted last season. I'm happy he made it. I will hunt him come October. Another friend, Mike Shepherd, is going to help me plant winter oats on the point above Bruce's house. I have also been watching some nice bucks in another field that Stewart Kaiser owns in Miller. From my stand I saw three eight points and a nice ten point buck. I can't wait for the season to begin. Until then, I get to hunt does and I am happy!

A post from Mom about Dad

This post was written by mom. Jeanie typed it and now I'm posting it. It appeared the the Sonshiner's Bulletin this month.

God's Word

"My husband was a Bible scholar—especially an Old Testament Scholar. People came from near and far to ask him Old Testament questions. He preached and taught classes for 40 years. Never a day went by that he didn’t have his head in the book and his knee on the floor. I used to wonder how he could learn anything new after studying all those years. I had studied the New Testament but thought the Old Testament didn’t apply to us and it was too hard to understand. How wrong I was!! About two years before he died I began to study the Old Testament. I learned that the Old Testament was an unfolding plan for Jesus to come with wonderful prophecies about Jesus. "As I began to study, I made a lot of notes and used workbooks. Then I got the idea to become a scribe. I found that I could remember so much more if I wrote it down. So I began with Genesis and wrote the Old Testament by hand. I have forgotten much of what I studied but remember so much more than I would have if I hadn’t written it down. "My husband is in heaven now. He has joined the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on that we read about in Hebrews chapter 12. He is saying 'read it, write it, memorize it, and teach it. It is God’s word.'" written by: Betty Garrett

A Buck Attack

Check out this video of a buck attacking a hunter. It's wild! Just click on this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIylw1vPhxA

My Girls made the Volleyball Team

I was more nervous than they were. We prayed that both of them would make the volleyball team and they did. I am happy right now. It's the beginning of another year of school for our girls. I pray that God will help them in school, in sports and with their friends. I pray that it is a great year for all three of our girls.

Fred Peatross

My friend Fred Peatross has been on a blog sabbatical from March til' August but he is now blogging again. Check out his blog at http://fredpeatross.blogspot.com/

My Brother-in-law is a Movie Star

Hollywood came to Allen and Jeanie's house to interview Allen. You will see this inteview when the movie make's it to DVD. Warner Brothers will release the "We Are Marshall" movie in theaters December 22, 2006 and I can't wait. Allen is my hero! It's an amazing story and Allen is right in the center of it. Watch this movie trailer at http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/wearemarshall/featurette/.

Stained Glass Masquerade

I just learned a new song on my guitar. It's called Stained Glass Masquerade and it's by Casting Crowns. I've been playing and singing it over and over. I've played it a hundred times. I love the music and the words are meaningful. Stained Glass Masquerade Casting Crowns Is there anyone that fails Is there anyone that falls Am I the only one in church today feelin’ so small Cause when I take a look around Everybody seems so strong I know they’ll soon discover That I don’t belong So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too So with a painted grin, I play the part again So everyone will see me the way that I see them Are we happy plastic people Under shiny plastic steeples With walls around our weakness And smiles to hide our pain But if the invitation’s open To every heart that has been broken Maybe then we close the curtain On our stained glass masquerade Is there anyone who’s been there Are there any hands to raise Am I the only one who’s traded In the altar for a stage The performance is convincing And we know every line by heart Only when no one is watching Can we really fall apart But would it set me free If I dared to let you see The truth behind the person That you imagine me to be Would your arms be open Or would you walk away Would the love of Jesus Be enough to make you stay

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

I found "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" at http://www.shol.com/agita/wolfside.htm. A. Wolf took the stand today in his own defense. This shocked and stunned the media who predicted that he would not testify in the brutal double murder trial. A. Wolf is accused of killing (and eating) The First Little Pig, and The Second Little Pig. This criminal trial is expected to be followed by a civil trial to be brought by the surviving Third Little Pig. The case has been characterized as a media circus. His testimony is transcribed below: "Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they do. But I'll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody has ever heard my side of the story. I'm Alexander T. Wolf. You can call me Al. I don't know how this whole Big Bad Wolf thing got started, but it's all wrong. Maybe it's because of our diet. Hey, it's not my fault wolves eat cute little animals like bunnies and sheep and pigs. That's just the way we are. If cheeseburgers were cute, folks would probably think you were Big and Bad too. But like I was saying, the whole big bad wolf thing is all wrong. The real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar. THIS IS THE REAL STORY. Way back in Once Upon a Time time, I was making a birthday cake for my dear old granny. I had a terrible sneezing cold. I ran out of sugar. So I walked down the street to ask my neighbor for a cup of sugar. Now this neighbor was a pig. And he wasn't too bright either. He had built his whole house out of straw. Can you believe it? I mean who in his right mind would build a house of straw? So of course the minute I knocked on the door, it fell right in. I didn't want to just walk into someone else's house. So I called, "Little Pig, Little Pig, are you in?" No answer. I was just about to go home without the cup of sugar for my dear old granny's birthday cake. That's when my nose started to itch. I felt a sneeze coming on. Well I huffed. And I snuffed. And I sneezed a great sneeze. And you know what? The whole darn straw house fell down. And right in the middle of the pile of straw was the First Little Pig - dead as a doornail. He had been home the whole time. It seemed like a shame to leave a perfectly good ham dinner lying there in the straw. So I ate it up. Think of it as a cheeseburger just lying there. I was feeling a little better. But I still didn't have my cup of sugar . So I went to the next neighbor's house. This neighbor was the First Little Pig's brother. He was a little smarter, but not much. He has built his house of sticks. I rang the bell on the stick house. Nobody answered. I called, "Mr. Pig, Mr. Pig, are you in?" He yelled back."Go away wolf. You can't come in. I'm shaving the hairs on my shinny chin chin." I had just grabbed the doorknob when I felt another sneeze coming on. I huffed. And I snuffed. And I tried to cover my mouth, but I sneezed a great sneeze. And you are not going to believe this, but the guy's house fell down just like his brother's. When the dust cleared, there was the Second Little Pig - dead as a doornail. Wolf's honor. Now you know food will spoil if you just leave it out in the open. So I did the only thing there was to do. I had dinner again. Think of it as a second helping. I was getting awfully full. But my cold was feeling a little better. And I still didn't have that cup of sugarr for my dear old granny's birthday cake. So I went to the next house. This guy was the First and Second Little Pig's brother. He must have been the brains of the family. He had built his house of bricks. I knocked on the brick house. No answer. I called, "Mr Pig, Mr. Pig, are you in?" And do you know what that rude little porker answered? "Get out of here, Wolf. Don't bother me again." Talk about impolite! He probably had a whole sackful of sugar. And he wouldn't give me even one little cup for my dear sweet old granny's birthday cake. What a pig! I was just about to go home and maybe make a nice birthday card instead of a cake, when I felt my cold coming on. I huffed And I snuffed. And I sneezed once again. Then the Third Little Pig yelled, " And your old granny can sit on a pin!" Now I'm usually a pretty calm fellow. But when somebody talks about my granny like that, I go a Little crazy. When the cops drove up, of course I was trying to break down this Pig's door. And the whole time I was huffing and puffing and sneezing and making a real scene. The rest as they say is history. The news reporters found out about the two pigs I had for dinner. They figured a sick guy going to borrow a cup of sugar didn't sound very exciting. So they jazzed up the story with all of that "Huff and puff and blow your house down" And they made me the Big Bad Wolf. That's it The real story. I was framed." But maybe you could loan me a cup of sugar? SOMERSET PA (AP)

Simple things add up

I’m in the office in my garage listening to Casting Crowns. “Who am I” is playing now. Worship. My heart swells. Gratitude. I feel really good right now. I jogged four miles and walked one. Still sweating. It’s after midnight and I’m not sleepy at all. Everybody else is asleep. I’m going to work on my sermon till I get sleepy. I’m studying Matthew 5:31-32. Marriage and divorce. It’s a difficult section of scripture. Sticky. Controversial. I quoted it over and over while I was jogging. I’ve read it a hundred times (literally). I’ve prayed for insight. I’ve done word studies in the original language. I’ve consulted my teachers (i.e., my commentaries). But the sermon manuscript is still not coming together for me. I hope God turns on my light bulb soon. I want I do a good job with this sermon so that it’s accurate, clear and practical. I hope that it encourages the married to stay married and that it gives hope to those who have been divorced. Simple things help me. A jog. Tucking in my kids. Massaging Kim's feet. A kiss goodnight. Listening to music. Worshipping in my garage. All these simple things add up and take me where I need to be. Now it's quite. Really quite. No music. No noice. Just a Bible. I'm ready to write.

Eric and Angie’s wedding

We all enjoyed Eric and Angie wedding. We had a great time at the reception. We celebrated and danced and laughed together. It is a day we will always remember. I’m smiling as I write because I’m thinking about how much fun Allen and Jeanie had on the dance floor. Allen and Jeanie can dance! Allen enjoyed it to the hilt! You should have seen him dance – it was so much fun! It was so good to see all our friends from church who drove from Huntington. Mom got to visit with all her children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Our family loves weddings and we know how to celebrate them. Eric and Angie are now in Mexico on their honeymoon.

Headed to Morgantown for Eric and Angie's Wedding

We are traveling to Morgantown in the morning for Eric and Angie's wedding. Eric is Jeanie and Allen's oldest son. He's my nephew. He's a wonderful man and I love him. He's been working at WVU for years. We are so happy for Eric and Angie - they were made for each other.

Lust Arrested

Donald Barnhouse told a story from his book on Romans that illustrates Paul's idea of what it is to be dead to sin. A man came to Dr. Barnhouse's office and told this story. I work for such a company and I have a private office. Several months ago my secretary was absent and I had to use another lady. One day when she brought a paper for my approval she got too close and when she leaned over the desk, she let her hair trail across my face and I fought it down but after all I am a man and toward the end of the day I put my hand on her and she came right back to be kissed. Even while kissing her I was visualizing my two children running to meet me and my wife standing in the door. I hated what I was doing but I kept on. I had the greatest desire to push her from me put I kept pulling her to me. My body was doing one thing and my mind was doing another. When I went home that night I hugged my children so hard that one of them cried and when I got him to laughing I told him that I loved him so much I had tears in my eyes and my wives eyes were shining, we all clung together in one of those moments that are indescribable. My wife was supremely happy because I walked around the house that night touching familiar things that we had scrimped to buy expressing my love for the home and for her. And for God I was never more true. Next day, the office intrigue began all over again. I was never more miserable in my life. Before a month had gone by I realized that my lust and my love was in a terrible battle. When I came home, there was everything I wanted in life. When I went to the office the machine of my body seemed geared to something terrible that was purely mechanical in which I wanted to get out of more than any fly ever wanted to get off fly paper. I heard my wife tell someone that I was becoming more and more a homebody and that all I wanted to do was stay home and its true. I’d follow her around the house, talk with her in the kitchen where she’s working, I’d watch her as she put the children to bed. This morning when I left the house she told me that she thought she was the happiest woman in the world because I showed her so much that I loved her alone. I could hardly talk and when I lifted a lock of her hair to dry them I said I love you more than life itself and she cried, I crushed her to me until she screamed and smiled at the same time, I ran off to my train. But now what shall I do? With the husbands consent, says Dr. Barnhouse, I called the wife to my office and told her the story. Fear leaped to her eyes but I reassured her. We took a taxi and went to his office. He was expecting us and I stood by as they embraced and she said, “I know, I know, I understand, it’s alright”. And then I called the other lady in the office and the scene that followed typified the mortal struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. Both striving for the mastery of that body. But the wife was not striving; she knew that the mind soul and heart of her husband had never been away from her. She understood the glandular warfare of his body and that his lust had sprung to life in response to the lure of strange flesh. She looked at him with complete understanding and love. The secretary stood there speechless. I said to her “she knows all about it. She loves him and he loves her completely and he has never had any thought toward you except one of animal lust. You were never wanted except physically and you are not wanted at all from now on. Do you understand? I asked her to wait in the hall while I prayed with the couple and then I went out and saw the secretary dabbing at her eyes and I talked to her about her need for Jesus Christ. I wished all stories on lust ended like that but they don’t. I wish all pastors were as faithful as the late Dr. Barnhouse and could be called in to intercept before adultery has happened but that’s not possible. And my message to you today is that you do not have to have a pastor, you do not have to have another Christian to intercept your lust. You have Christ the master and he will do it. But you have to present yourself as an instrument of righteousness and just "no" and he will come to your rescue. God who raised him from the grave can raise you above the level of your sins if you will let him.

Our Summer Vacation

Pack. Car trouble. Laughter. Borrow Sharon’s car. Six hours late. Long drive. Kim sleeping. Girls sleeping. Long drive. Coffee. Coffee. More coffee. Sermons on iPod. 4am. Kim wakes. I’m lost. It figures. Laughter. Unstoppable giggles. Found map. Arrive 5:15am. Bed. Kids. Wake. Beach. Sun. Water. Swimming. Lazy River. Sleep on beach. Shop. Kroger’s. Walmart. Sleep. Wake. Kids. Beach. Boogy Board. Body Surfing. Putt putt golf. Beach balls. Flying kites. July 4th. Fireworks. Pool. Balcony. Daughter's ears pierced. Sea mist. Calabash. Crabs. Steak. Shrimp. Back to the beach. Sting ray. Jelly Fish. Beach shops. Floats. Necklaces. Girls talking to boys. Sharks teeth. Laughing. Singing. House of Blues. Kool and the Gang. Dancing. More swimming. Hot sand. Sandles. Sunburns. Tans. Ear aches. Doctor. Ear drops. Pack. Drive home.

My intake of God’s word has quadrupled thanks to Text Aloud and my iPod

Thanks to TextAloud and my iPod my intake of God’s word has quadrupled. Here’s how I do it. It’s a two step process. First, I download 36 sermon podcasts a week from iTunes. I choose the ones I want to listen too and transfer them to my iPod. I burn the rest on CDs so that I can use them as resources in the future. My podcast sermon library is growing daily with great preachers and teachers like Swindol, Begg, Rogers, Zacharias, Piper, Stanley, etc. Second, Jeanie scans in chapters from commentaries. She has OCR software i.e., Optical character recognition which translates images of typewritten text into editable text. After Jeanie scans the chapters from the commentaries she copies them into Word and emails them too me as attached files. I then copy them from Word into TextAloud and my computer reads it using the AT&T Natural Voice of Mike. I set the reading speed to 257 words a minute. I don’t read very fast but I can listen at lightening speed. I save it as an MP3 file and transfer it to my iPod. During the past four days I have listened to 16 sermons. I’ve also listened to commentary book chapters on Matthew 5:27-32 from Dallas Willard, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and James Montgomery Boice, as well as three sermon manuscripts from Ligon Ducan, Rubel Shelly, and John MacArthur that I retrieved from internet websites. Where do I find time? I listen to my iPod while I walk on the beach, workout in the weight room, and at night as I lay in bed waiting to get sleepy enough to rest. I have a big appetite. I frequently copy books of the Bible from biblegateway.com, paste them into TextAloud, and transfer them to my iPod. I look forward to listening to the Bible, sermons and books using this technology. And it has not interfered with our vacation. I’ve had a lot of playtime with our kids and I have had lots of fun with Kim. This would be IMPOSSIBLE without TextAloud and my iPod.

Dancing at the House of Blues

Tonight Kim’s parents watched the kids while Kim and I went to the House of Blues. The house band was great and we danced the night away. It was fun!

Myrtle Waves Water Park

Today Carl and I took the kids to the Myrtle Waves Water Park. The kids rode almost all the water rides and slides. Some of the slides are fast – they loved it!

Happy 230th Birthday America!

On July 4, 1776, we claimed our independence from Britain and Democracy was born in North America. Today we celebrated Independence Day on the beach with thousands of people. Fireworks everywhere! Up and down the beach as far as we could see, fireworks, cheering, and applause. The kids loved it. I thank God for the USA! Christians should criticize less and pray more. Paul explained why we should pray for our country's leaders in 2 Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. We should pray for President Bush and for everyone who leads our great country. We are so blessed by God. We are free and there is peace in our land. Yes, there is a war in Iraq, a war on terror, and trouble in North Korea. But we are so blessed! Since there is peace in our land we should live godly, quiet lives so that people can see Jesus in us and put their faith in him.

It’s so big!

Everybody is asleep. Kim, the kid’s, her parents, they’re all asleep. Except me. The sliding door is open as I write this post. I can hear it. It roars peacefully. It’s rhythm is nearly perfect. I can see it. Barely. White foam lapping on the sand. Beyond the dim hotel lights I see thick darkness. I see two lights. Fishing boats I guess. They make me think of the life teaming under it’s surface. I feel the breeze. I smell the salt. It’s so big! And I feel so small. God is so awesome. Who else could create something so big? Who else could control something so great? God established it’s boundary. God said, “Here is where your proud waves halt.” The Spirit of God hovers over the waters. God is speaking in every pounding surf. He says, “My grace is deeper than this ocean and wider than this sea.” God’s handiwork makes my heart sing his praise.

Beach Bound

We’re headed to the beach this afternoon. Kim, her parents, the girls, their cousins and me will spend a week at Myrtle Beach. We will be staying till next Sunday. Fun in the sun!

Floating on the Ohio River

I just got back from floating on a big inner-tube in the Ohio River. People tell me not to float in the Ohio River but I can’t stay away from it. I grew up swimming in the Little Coal River. When I was a kid we had a great swimming hole with a long rope and a tire swing. The Ohio is MUCH bigger! But it can’t be any more dirty than the Little Coal River. I figure it all washes off in the shower anyway. Floating on the river clears my mind. I sometimes get mentally stuck as I am working on my sermons. So, this Saturday, I studied till I was stuck, then I mowed the grass and cooled off in the Ohio River. I think I’m ready to work again.