Christmas in October

No, this is not a complaint about christmas decorations coming out before halloween. I actually got a little in the mood fo christmas when Kim and I went to see "Surviving Christmas w/ Ben Afleck and Christina Applegate. I would rate it very high on the date movie list. Great Flick. I enjoyed it. http://www.survivingchristmas-themovie.com/intro.html I had a great time playing paintball. I did pretty well considering I shot my own teammate. I didn't mean to , but he wasn't that good anyway. After a little ankle swelling and limping enough to get sympathy from my wife, we went to HELL, oh, I mean mom and dad's. It's not even close to being a terrible place, but it was HOT. Dad and I disagree on the comfort levels of modern HVAC equipped houses. A good 68-70 is prime for me and I remember complaining about the house being so hot while growing up in the old hood. Dad always said when I paid the bills, it could be as cold as I want it. I took him up on it. It was really NOT that bad. I got to watch my Gamecocks LOOSE AGAIN. Why do I torture myself year after year with this. I have to pull for my team, but why do they make it so hard. I hate to say it, and I don't think a band wagon has started, as far as I've heard, but I agree with dad. It's time for Lou to go. I hate it, and I know I can look forward to 4-5 more years in the crapper until the program builds status again, but that's it. Unless some real changes take place in the next few weeks, It's time. Oh well, I give no money, go to know games, and nobody really cares what I think, and you know, that's ok. Why? Because I'm special and I like me. Gotta get ready for Sunday Morning Stuff. l8r

Road Rage!! I'm not going to jail.

I thought I was on the way to jail today. I had a major case of road rage because of the road work in front of West Side Baptist on Platt Springs Road. I even had to call some friends just to see if they would bail me out in the event I could no longer control myself. I thought I was going to have to use the 5.7 liter V8 and my brand new rebuilt transmission in my suburban to push cars full of ignorant people OUT OF MY WAY!!!!!!! But I finally reached my destination. It took me 25 minutes to get from west columbia walmart to the church, which is normally 5-10 minutes tops. I controlled my anger (almost) and didn't commit any crimes. BUT I WAS TEMPTED!!! I bought 144 can drinks for FCA 5 th quarter and then settled down to some relaxing xbox. About 5, I left the house, went to springdale elementary to get our snow cone machine, iced down the drinks, ate dinner w/ Perry, and enjoyed the Friday Night Lights of my old high school rival. We had a poor turn out for FCA but we still had a blast. Thomas Yarbouro was the speaker and I haven't seen him in about 10 years. I finally got to meet Dean Howell face to face, and finished up the evening with a diet coke and some pnut m&m's. That's my day in a nutshell. I'll be at Ball Busters to play paintball in the morning @ 9 and I will attempt to NOT break anything. As for now, I'm going to cuddle up with my sweet wife and go to sleep. I hope your day was good and tomorrow will be even better. LIGHTS OUT night-night!

Ouch, Snore, AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!

I overslept this morning. That's really not so bad until I realized I didn't know I overslept. I thought it was 7:30 and instead it was 8:30. Time change isnt til Sunday so I have no excuse. It made for an interesting conversation with my wife about something I was supposed to do at 8:30. missed that one. Here's another cheesey church sign. Eat your beans. They're good for your heart. But Jesus is better. I got a million of them. I don't know how many youth pastors, workers or preachers look at this sight, so this may have nothing to do with most of you, but for those who are in my profession, you'll understand this. Last night, we continued into our 3rd week on Healthy Friendships. We are talking about developing a community of real, godly, loving, accountable friends to strengthen our walk with God. We are also talking about how to be influencial as a friend to a non-believer without being influenced to turn away from God. The best way for the 2nd to work is to have the 1st in place. Anyway, last night was just tough. We talked about spotting counterfeit friends and I just wasn't feelin it. I'm using some new material from Andy Stanley and Stuart Hall. Good stuff called 7 checkpoints (http://www.dashstudentleadership.com/site.html), but it's not using very much scripture right now. I spent the last 2 years throwing out cirriculum that was too shallow and so beneath the students ability to grasp, and spent a majority of the time on verse by verse expository preaching and teaching. It helped some, but the masses couldn't or wouldn't plug into it. SO, we changed directions, got hold of good cirriculum (am I the only one thinking good stuff is almost impossible to find?), and started to hash out life. But for some reason, I wasn't feeling it last night. I couldn't get the connection. I couldn't make the points. Just a tough night. We also had some distractions. I don't know, I'm trying to figure it out and I just hope it's a one time thing. Anyway, just wanted to get some thoughts out. Don't think it helped me much, just put me off schedule. l8r.

Cheesey Church Sign of the day. Don't wait for the hearse to take you to church. Funny Tshirt: WWJD for a klondike bar This is your daily reminder to NOT get all of your knowlege of God from tshirts, bumper stickers and church signs. Spent some good time with Perry and Michael last night watching our red neck soap opera called wwe wrastil'. OK, hold your opinions and judgements. I always talk about FILTERING the culture and yes, I know it's fake. so SHUT UP!!! j/k. We had a great time drinkin coffee w/ Greg B. and talking trash about growin up in Cayce and Arkansas. I woke up this morning about 6 and played a little xbox. I am ticked b/c after lending my xbox to a halo tournament, I found out someone erased all my screen names including JRoophus. With this super hero alter ego, I finished the game on legendary. NOW IT'S GONE. YOU FREAK!!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?? CURSES TO PERSON WHO COMMITTED THIS AWFUL INJUSTICE AND I HOPE YOUR DRAWERS RIDE YOUR CRACK FOR THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL BORN DAYS!!!! Ok, I'm over it. It's just a game. Yeah I said it. And anyway, Halo 2 will be out in 2 weeks. That'll be my new addiction. l8r.

ashlysimpsonvanilli

i vegged this morning with a fast forwardf look at Saturday Night Live from this past weekend. It appears that another bublegum poppy star tried to pull a fast one. When the wrong song started playing and Ashley Simpson's pre-recorded voice came over the system without her lips moving, she responded with a hokey hoe-down dance and then left the stage causing the band to continue playing the wrong song and nbc to go to a quick commercial. She came on at the end a blamed it on her band and live television. ehh, not feeling it. One more reason to be discusted with the music industry. Not just secular, but christian as well. I have no problem giving opinions and I hate to see "Solid" christian families undergo decay. I remember going to a friends house when I was about 10. His parents gave the perfect example of christian home and I felt so good around them. After 10 years, family split up, mom and dad divorced b/c of debt and alcohol, oldest son so bitter he doesnt want anything to do with the family and younger son reaping the benefits of crap that everybody else put on him. My wife grew up in a loving christian home. mom and dad split up after 30 years over mental illness and financial struggles. Now, former youth pastor (Jessica Simpson's Dad) is living the high life on his daughters $ and big natural boobs (His reason for her not being in christian music). Now, little sister throws her profanity and lifestyle around without any known resemblance of a "christian" teen making it big. I'm not one who trashes people for making mistakes, but I am one to look at the results of certain behavior. Judgemental? maybe. Sucked into the world? Ya Think?! Making a positive influence for Christ? Not Yet. Good role model? NOPE!

ready for another sabbath

So we went to a luncheon in our honor today put on by the singles in our church. They washed my car and stuffed my gut. I had a great time talking to other staff members without agendas Just a short time, but well worth it. That's about all I did today. I watched Return of the King. Man, what a series. Talk about friendship. That's our topic for the next 2 weeks at church. No big plans, just resting up for a sabbath, trying not to let this saturday do to me what the past 2 have. Looks like I won. I'm actually going to bed early. No deep thoughts, no stupid lokes (ok maybe one), just rest. goodnight! ps last night I dreamed I was eating a HUGE marshmellow. When I woke up and my pillow was gone.

"Are we there yet?!"n

I was reading a great post from a college student who is earnestly seeking God. She wrote of the so called "waiting" or "silent" times with God and how those are candy coated terms. She calls it the JUNK of life and I tend to agree. Any attempt to use past experience and God's peace to make it through these times often fall short. I thought of this last time I was in the junk (sometimes I think I stay in the junk). So ponder this, stay awhile and get comfortable, or just click a link and go. I only hope you have as much fun reading it as do writing it. I love to travel, but I want to get there. I always pick "quickest" on mapquest. I guess it's the nature of the beast I call youth ministry. Get there as fast as possible without breaking too many laws. I am overjoyed when I reach my destination saving an extra 13.5 minutes, and I talk about it like I just got elected to congress or something (ok, congress election stuff on tv, A.D.D. moment). My dad, on the other hand, can't stand interstates. He likes back roads, small towns, stoplights on main street america. He plots out his trips by the scenery and the attractions. To him, the trip is not about the destination, it's about the whole trip. He and my mom always come back after a long trip with shirts, coffee mugs, toys for the grandkids and a lot of stories of beautiful places and interesting people. Oh yeah, they talk a little about the place they were going to. OK, what's the point. Dad taught me a lot in this without realizing it. We're always waiting for the destination of our journey. We want to get out of the junk, out of the struggle, avoid patience. Maybe we should enjoy the trip more. This morning I remembered going on family trips. To dad, it was about the journey. To me, it was about the destination. We were both together doing the same thing, riding in a car, goin to grandma's or where ever our plans took us. This added for an interesting dynamic. Dad, trying to enjoy the journey, me complaining and "are we there yet"n. I probably made his trip miserable at times, oh and he definatley made my trip a challenge by tanning my hide. I bet Dad would have rather me learned this lesson as a kid. It is about the journey, But it's also about the perspective. Dad loves travelling with mom. She enjoys his perspective. SO AGAIN what does this have to do with the JUNK of life? PERSPECTIVE. We're on a journy. maybe the silent times are nothing more than an opportunity to change perspective. To learn something about ourself and see what may need to change. My college friend wrote that she longs to fix everybody and she's learning she can't. that's a perspective change. Either way, we've all been there, will go there again and again and again. I hope I can simplify it that much when I'm there. God, help me change my perspective.