Softball with Tori

Tori and I passed softball this evening. We walked around the block playing catch. I walked backwards all the way around the block as we pass the ball. She would say “Dad, throw grounders” or “Throw pop-ups.” She catches them all and throws it right back at me with enough speed to make my glove pop. Tori is great and I love to play with her. She has a game tomorrow and I get to see her play.

Speaking in Pike County

Yesterday I did another training for counselors at the Pike County Recovery Council. I enjoyed it! I am teaching them how to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I signed a contract to provide four more CBT trainings, write two manuals (one for individual and another for group), and conduct an outcome study on the effectiveness of the treatment they provide. We will be using several measures like the MAST, the BDI, and the BAI. I thank God for this opportunity. I love working with the people there.

Attention

My light bulb has been on all evening. I love it when it happens. Especially when I really need it to happen because of time. This took place after an extended period of reading and preparing for two sermons on The Da Vinci Code. I got home at 9pm, helped Amber prepare for a science test which she has to take tomorrow, then I went to the office in my garage and started writing. It was weird. I started writing a blog post about the Da Vinci Code and it turned out to be too long. Then I thought, this is my sermon! It may not be weird to you but it felt weird to me. It was coming so fast my fingers could hardly keep up. I love that feeling - it just keeps flowing and I just keep writing. I did not get up and walk around. There were no mental pop-ups to distract me. I stead in one window and accomplished a lot during the past 7 hours. Now, at this point, I really don't know if I have anything because I'm tired. I may wake up, go to the office, read it and thing "This is terrible! I can't believe I wasted all that time" and start over. I will not know until four hours from now. But my hopes are high because I put it in text aloud and had the computer read it to me. I think it's what I want to say. I think.

Mom

Mom raised three children – Susan, Jeanie, and Jeff (that’s me). We grew up on Six Mile in Boone County WV. We’re proud she is our mother! She is a godly woman. She is full of Jesus. She has devoted her life to her children. She loved dad and was married to him for 52 years. Mom is strong. She possesses “quiet power” – which means dignity and strength and stability. She is beautiful inside and out. Her beauty comes from her inner self. It’s the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God’s sight and in ours. Her heart is full of love. She is kind and good. Mom is sensitive and considerate of others. She’s always interested in us. Mom is dignified. She has a wonderful personality and a great sense of humor. We love to see her smile and to hear her laugh. She likes funny stories, especially stories about her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We’ve laughed so hard (I’m smiling as I write) we could barely catch our breath. Jeanie, Susan and I have so many wonderful memories. All of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren love her. She is respected and esteemed by her friends. All of our friends looked up to our mom when we were growing up. The people in the Boone County Churches respected our parents and depended on their leadership. Mom was a rock for her parents and sisters and their families. She was a wonderful daughter to Granny and Paw. She was a wonderful sister to Jenny, Carol, Johnny and Nan. She was stable and strong. Nothing bad was tolerated in our home. Mom and dad were shinning examples for our entire family, for the community and for the churches in Boone County. I believe the Lord will have a special gift for mom’s service to Sue. She was so patient and good to Sue. After Dad died Mom moved to Barboursville. To say that she has adjusted to her new home doesn’t communicate how well she has done. I mean, she has established friendships and remained active – well, it’s like she’s lived here all her life. The people at her new church praise mom for her devotion to Christ, her knowledge of the Bible and her sweet spirit. Mom has written the Bible by hand. She studies hard-to-understand passages. If you ask her what she’s studying she may say Ezekiel or Daniel and she does this in her own personal devotion. She leads ministries and gives good counsel. She writes a monthly bulletin for the Sonshiners (the senior group at Norway Avenue). People asked her questions and she writes letters explaining God’s word to them. She’s always growing and stretching and learning. She challenges people to think differently. She influences people to change for the good. The elders of the church read her letter about instrumental music and even asked her permission to share it with others. That’s awesome! We are so proud of mom. Dad, who is now in heaven, would be so proud of her. Mom is smart. She edits all my papers. She tirelessly helped me with my dissertation. She read, re-read and edited my dissertation. I couldn’t have finished my dissertation without mom. She continues to proof manuscripts for me. She helps our girls with home work. Jeanie and Susan could tell you more stories than me because they’ve known mom longer than me. They could add to this post with stories of how she has served them and their children. Mom loves us! She is always available, always dependable, always on call to help in any way. She raised us right. She made us feel secure and loved. She taught us to follow Jesus and study the Bible. Her faith is inspiring and her love is wonderful. We thank God for our mother. She is the best!

Distraction

It’s easy for me to get distracted. There are so many things competing for my attention. Some distracters are important and urgent. Others are unimportant time wasters. When I finally sit down to study my mind is divided because I am distracted. It’s so frustrating. It’s like a virus on my computer that causes so many pop-ups I can’t do my work. Some of the pop-ups are interesting and I begin to work on them only to realize I've wasted 30 minutes and I've made no progress on what I needed to accomplish. Alarmed, I start closing every pop-up window. It seems like I'm so busy closing pop-ups I can’t get to the window I need to work in. Then time becomes short and frustration becomes high and I become emotionally reactive and creativity leaves me. Frustrated, I stop and walk a bit but even that can be distracting. I get a diet Pepsi, check the bills on the table and think about the bills. I see things I left undone like the invitations for my H.S. reunion that I need to mail. I remember a hospital visit I need to make. I write down things I need to do. I send myself an email. Leave myself a voicemail so I won’t forget. And on and on. The break is not helpful it’s just more distraction. It’s a constant fight for attention. I sometimes say aloud “Stop Jeff! Focus!” Do you identify? I’ll bet you do. Everybody has problems with attention. Some more than others but everybody struggles with it. Brain scans show more brain activity during periods of distraction. It’s like the brain lights up in many regions during periods of distraction and confusion. But it looks different when you are focused. Brain scans show less activity during periods of creativity. When you are focused and creative, it’s like one bulb lights up in your brain. That’s why I frequently pray “Lord, turn my light bulb on.” That means, “Shut down everything else and light up that one place in my brain so that I can focus.” That’s happening tonight. So I pray – "Lord, please turn my light bulb on now."

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Little Johnny went shopping with his mother. He loved chocolate chip cookies. Before they went into the grocery store his mother told him “You are not getting any chocolate chip cookies in this store because it will spoil your dinner.” They went through the store and he was good. But when they got to the isle where the cookies were he said “Mommy, please let me have some chocolate chip cookies.” She said, “I don’t want you to even ask. I told you before. If you ask again you are going to get it when we get outside.” Then they went down another isle. And he said, “Mommy, please let me have some chocolate chip cookies.” She said, “I told you not to ask and you are in big trouble. When we get outside you are going to get it!” She went to the end of the isle looking for something on her shopping list. Johnny stood up in the cart and shouted “In the name of Jesus can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” I don’t know whether the people felt convicted or amused but when the mother got back there were 22 boxes of chocolate chip cookies in her shopping cart.

Lunch with Milton Jones

I went to church three times today at Northwest Church in Shoreline WA (a suburb of Seattle). Northwest Church is a Christian Church/Church of Christ. They blend a cappella and instrumental music. I was inspired by the worship and enjoyed eating lunch with Milton Jones, his wife Barbie, and their two sons Pat and Jeremy who play guitar in their praise band. His wife plays the keyboard. They lead an excellent worship service. Milt preached on Nehemiah in the morning and Romans in the evening. After church tonight I enjoyed eating pizza with Milt. He's a great leader and an excellent preacher. I've admired him for a long time. I'm thankful I had the privilege of spending time with him.

Seattle Pacific University

I spent the past two days at a Christian Writers Conference on the campus of Seattle Pacific University (which is associated with the Free Methodist Church, Asbury Theological Seminary is a sister school of SPU) . The theme of the conference was “The Master’s Call to Excellence.” Calvin Miller’s lecture was brilliant, humorous and inspiring. I pitched my proposals during group editorial appointments to Terry Glaspey (Director of Acquisitions, Harvest House Publishers) and Lonnie Hull DuPont (Director of Acquisitions, Revell/Baker). I participated in classes, round table discussions, and forums featuring panels of publishing experts. This was my first Christian Writers Conference. I enjoyed it and learned many things that will help me in sermon preparation, preaching and writing. I've talked to Kim and the girls every day. I miss them and will return Monday. Tomorrow (Sunday) I am going to attend the Northwest Church which is a Christian Church/Church of Christ. I'm having lunch with Milton Jones.

Taming the Tongue

Sometimes our mouth really gets us in trouble. A man working in the produce department was asked by a lady if she could buy half a head of lettuce. He replied, "Half a head? Are you kidding? God grows these in whole heads and that's how we sell them!" "You mean," she persisted, "that after all the years I've shopped here, you won't sell me half-a-head of lettuce?" "Look," he said, "If you like I'll ask the manager." She indicated that would be appreciated, so the young man marched to the front of the store. "You won't believe this, but there's a lame-braided idiot of a lady back there who wants to know if she can buy half-a-head of lettuce." He noticed the manager gesturing, and turned around to see the lady standing behind him, obviously having followed him to the front of the store." And this nice lady was wondering if she could buy the other half" he concluded. Later in the day the manager cornered the young man and said, "That was the finest example of thinking on your feet I've ever seen! Where did you learn that?" "I grew up in Grand Rapids, and if you know anything about Grand Rapids, you know that it's known for its great hockey teams and its ugly women." The manager's face flushed, and he interrupted, "My wife is from Grand Rapids!" "And which hockey team did she play for?" Our mouths get us into a lot of trouble. Maybe that’s why James talks so much about the tongue. 3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. The word "perfect" literally means "mature" or "healthy". When you go to the doctor and say, I'm not feeling good. The first thing he says is "Stick out your tongue." Doctors can tell a lot about your physical health by having you stick out your tongue. And God can tell a lot about your spiritual health by looking at your tongue. So watch what you say. Use your tongue to encourage people and praise Jesus.

Sleepless in Seattle

I am sleepless in Seattle. Tomorrow I ill be attending a writer’s conference. Calvin Miller will be speaking. I read his “Singer Trilogy” and I look forward to hearing him speak.

Headed to Seattle

It’s been a long time since I’ve written. I’ve haven’t taken time to write because my schedule has been heavy. I’m sitting in an airport terminal in Lexington Kentucky waiting for a plane. I’m going to a conference at Seattle Pacific University. I will return Monday.

My ipod is great

My ipod is great. I download 36 podcast sermons a week from Chuck Swindol, Charles Stanley, John Piper, Alistair Begg, John MacArthur, Jack Hayford, Ravi Zacharias, and Adrian Rogers. I get to listen to my favorite teachers and they are contained in my tiny little ipod. It’s amazing.

Hollywood Came to the Norway Avenue Church

Last Thursday Hollywood film makers used our church building as they shot the funeral scene in the cemetery across the street for the movie “We are Marshall.” Jeanie and Allen Meadows opened the building at 3am and stayed till late night Thursday. There were over 300 people in the building. It takes a lot of people to make a movie. There were costumes and make-up artist, caterers, big trucks full of movie equipment. Allen is in two scenes of the movie. Jeanie, Eric, Angie, Todd, and Theresa will also be in the movie. It’s very exciting!

Jammin at the Java Joint

Tonight I played my guitar with 15 musicians at the Java Joint. The Java Joint is a Coffee House near Marshall University. There were three guitars, a base, drums, and about 10 harmonica players. The group of musicians meet every Tuesday night from 8-10pm and is called the Harmonica Club. I joined the group tonight. We played a variety of songs but my favorites were Last Dance with Mary Jane (Tom Petty), Sweet Home Chicago (Blues Brothers), and I’m Feeling Alright (Joe Cocker). It was fun!

Rubel Shelly on CNN Headline News

Rubel did a great job on CNN Headline News. Nancy Grace was rude and interupted him repeatedly but Rubel represented us well. God bless the three children of the Winkler family. It is a terrible tragedy.

Faith Works

Many years ago George Blondin walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Thousands of people showed up to see this unbelievable feat. Spectators lined both the Canadian and American sides. Blondin walked up to the edge of the tightrope and began to walk across -- inch by inch, step by step. He got out in the middle and everybody held their breath. They knew that if he made one mistake in balance he'd fall off the rope and into the falls and be killed. Blondin got to the other side and the crowd went wild, shouting and cheering. Blondin said, "I'm going to do it again." He got to the other side and the crowds went crazy. Blondin said, "I'm going to do it again but this time I'm going to bush a wheel barrow full of dirt." He pushed the wheel barrow across the tightrope and the crowds cheered. Blondin did this stunt with the wheel barrow many times. About the tenth trip across he pushed the wheel barrow in front of a tourist who said, "I believe you could do that all day." Blondin said, “Do you really believe that?” The man said, “Sure I believe it.” Blondin dumped out the dirt and said, "Get in." It’s one thing to say you believe. It’s another to demonstrate that your faith is real. Faith is invisible. In a sense, faith is like the wind – you can’t see it directly but you can see or feel it’s effect. You can say “I believe. I really believe.” But if your walk doesn’t match your talk your faith is not real. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. Faith without deeds is dead. Jesus wants us to “get in” and demonstrate that our faith is real. Faith in Christ is more than mental ascent. It’s more than simply “saying” that we believe the facts of the gospel. Faith works.

We Are Marshall (The Allen Meadow’s Story)

They’re making a movie about my brother-in-law, Allen “Iron-head” Meadows. Yes, it’s true. Warner Brother’s is in the process of making a movie called “We Are Marshall.” The cast includes big Hollywood stars like Matthew McConaughey. The movie is about events following the 1970 plane crash that killed members of the Marshall football team, along with most of its coaching staff, sports commentators and many of its local boosters. In 1970 the pride of Scott High School Football was Allen Meadows. He was our hometown hero. I knew him well because my sister Jeanie dated and married him. Allen was recruited by several universities but he chose to play for Marshall. Allen started for the 1971 team and played four years for Marshall. He was an outstanding athlete. Strong as an ox. A wild man on the field. Allen became the captain of the Thundering Herd. I hope the movie producers capture Allen’s character and show what an important role he played in leading the team. We are all very excited. No one is more excited than Jeanie and Allen and their two sons Eric and Todd (along with Angie and Theresa). I can’t wait! It’s going to be great.

You’ll see it when you believe it

Thomas said "I won't believe it until I see it." Then, some time later, Jesus appeared through a wall and said “Peace be with you!” Thomas touched his wounds, fell to his knees and said “My Lord and my God!” Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." I’ve never touched his wounds but I can see his wounds. I see him right now. I can see a man in heaven. A man. The God-Man. He is the only mediator between God and man, the Man, Jesus Christ. I can see him because I believe him. I approach him with fear. But I’m not afraid. I’m not like our Jewish ancestors who approached Sinai. They were terrified but I’m not. Because there are no volcanic blasts, no earthquakes, no earsplitting God-words, no loud trumpets that make me cover my ears. It’s not like that at all. It’s inviting. It’s beautiful. Yet, I am filled with awe and fear so I bow low. I say “My Lord and my God!” Then I look up and what do I see? Mount Zion. The city of God. The invisible Jerusalem. I see thousands and thousands of angels rejoicing and praising God. They say “Holy! Holy! Holy! Is the Lord Almighty.” They sing and shout, “Glory! Glory! Glory! To the Lamb that was slain!” It is loud as thunder. I worship. I see my sin. I repent. I beg forgiveness. I am cleansed by his blood. I feel his joy and power. I say, “Here am I. Send me. I’ll preach. I’ll serve. Use me.” I’m back. No angels. No throne. Just a desk. A laptop. A cell phone charging. A couple of books. My wife, children and dog are all asleep. I feel good. Have you ever taken a little trip like the one I just described? It doesn’t take long. It’s worth the journey. It’s one of the ways I worship. You say, “Jeff, you didn’t really see Jesus. You didn’t really see angels praising God.” Yes I did. I can see the unseen when I fix my mind on things above where Christ is seated. You can too. You’ll see it when you believe it.

Kids in Church

Lisa Williamson share these stories about children which I am posting below. These are good. They make me smile. _______________ A little child in church for the first time watched as the ushers passed the offering plates. When they neared the pew where he sat, the youngster piped up so that everyone could hear: "Don't pay for me Daddy, I'm under five." _______________ A little boy was attending his first wedding. After the service! , his cousin asked him, "How many women can a man marry?" "Sixteen," the boy responded. His cousin was amazed that he had an answer so quickly. "How do you know that?" "Easy," the little boy said. "All you have to do is add it up, like the Bishop said: 4 better, 4 worse, 4 richer, 4 poorer." _______________ After a church service on Sunday morning, a young boy suddenly announced to his mother, "Mom, I've decided to become a minister when I grow up." "That's okay with us, but what made you decide that?" "Well," said the little boy, "I have to go to church on Sunday anyway, and I figure it will be more fun to stand up and yell, than to sit and listen." _______________ A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon." How do you know what to say?" he asked. "Why, God tells me." "Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?" _______________ A little girl became restless as the preacher's sermon dragged on and on. Finally, she leaned over to her mother and whispered, "Mommy, if we give him the money now, will he let us go?" _______________ After the christening of his baby brother in church, little Johnny sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That priest said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!" _______________ Terri asked her Sunday School class to draw pictures of their favorite Bible stories. She was puzzled by Kyle's picture, which showed four people on an airplane, so she asked him which story it was meant to represent. "The flight to Egypt," said Kyle. "I see ... And that must be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus," Ms. Terri said. "But who's the fourth person?" "Oh, that's Pontius - the Pilot. _______________ The Sunday School Teacher asks, "Now, Johnny, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?" "No sir," little Johnny replies, "I don't have to. My Mom is a good cook." _______________ A college drama group presented a play in which one character would stand on a trap door and announce, "I descend into hell!" A stagehand below would then pull a rope, the trapd! oor would open, and the character would plunge through. The play was well received. When the actor playing the part became ill, another actor who was quite overweight took his place. When the new actor announced, "I descend into hell!" the stagehand pulled the rope, and the actor began his plunge, but became hopelessly stuck. No amount of tugging on the rope could make him descend. One student in the balcony jumped up and yelled: "Hallelujah! Hell is full!" _______________ Pastor Dave Charlton tells us, "After a worship service at First Baptist Church in Newcastle, Kentucky, a mother with a fidgety seven-year old boy told me how she finally got her son to sit still and be quiet. About halfway through the sermon, she leaned over and whispered, 'If you don't be quiet, Pastor Charlton is going to lose his place and will have to start his sermon all over again!' It worked." _______________ A little girl was sitting on her grandfather's lap as he read her a bedtime story. From time to time, she would take her eyes off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. She was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again. Finally she spoke up, "Grandpa, did God make you?" "Yes, sweetheart," he answered, "God made me a long time ago." "Oh," she paused, "Grandpa, did God make me too?" "Yes, indeed, honey," he said, "God made you just a little while ago." Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God's getting better at it, isn't he?"

CBT Training

Today I provided training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for counselors in Pike County. I thank God because things went very well. They invited me back. I will be providing another training in CBT for them this June. That will be my third seminar for these therapist. I thank God for these opportunities.