Prayer Request

Hey all...I'm a believer in prayer and would covert your prayers over my son tomorrow morning. He's having surgery at UK children’s hospital...we've been there all day today doing prep work for the surgery. Pray for the surgeon and nurses who will be taking care of my precious son. The surgery has to do with his colon...I'll keep you posted. Blessings.

My wife...the hero

Friday morning while in Florida my lovely wife Holly set off for her usual morning walk...as she was returning back to the condo she heard a man hollering for help. She went to see what was going on and she found this 80 year old man whose wife was in need. She was choking on something and turning blue...Holly immediately started doing the Heimlich maneuver to this lady. After 10-12 minutes of this what ever was stuck finally came out...her color came back and she was okay. An ambulance was called and came to aid her. Holly proceeded to walk back to the condo and told all of us what had happened.

Man, what a wife...a true hero in my book of life.

Sand Castle: Part 2

So today I started adding on the sand castle I made on Wednesday...it's sorta like the Northern / Southern Kingdom thing. I think I spent a total of four hours working on this...too bad it won't last forever, but it sure was fun making...I couldn't stop.

What a day...so far!

-Woke up this morning (not sure what time it was)...
-Went to the Frog Pond and had this incredible banana fosters waffle...














-Built me a sand castle...



Going out for seafood tonight...

Tough day! (man, I love vacation)

What a schedule

Okay there is wireless access here in the condo...a great place...a great view...I can hear the ocean even as I type, do you hear it too?

The past couple of days...
-I've eaten haddock, pollock and white fish (our condo is right across from Crabby Bills, some serious fresh seafood)
-Been a "beach bum"...Sunday and Monday...not too red yet, just getting primed for the savage tan.
-Played a few rounds of rummy...I'm in second place as of last night.
-Watched two sunsets...last night was beautiful. We were in Clearwater
-Finished one book and started another.
-Been to the Frog Pond once (a great breakfast place!), going again tomorrow.
-Slept in everyday...
-Built one sand castle...not a great one, but hey it's only Tuesday.

More perhaps later in the week...if only I can get the sand out of my toes (that's for Jessie)

Getting away tomorrow

Tonight me and the fam are driving to Louisville and then in the morning we are flying out for Florida. Ever since my dad died back in August of 2000, my mom has desired that we all vacation together...and what a time we have with mom and my sister's family (8 of us in all). Here's a break down of the schedule for the week:

-wake up (no specific time, just whenever you wake up)
-roll out to the pool...then roll out to the beach...then come back to the pool
-while we are at the pool/ocean we decide where to eat dinner that night
-eat dinner
-maybe some putt putt golf, go up to the Clearwater pier, etc.
-play rummy at the condo
-then go to bed and start do the same the next day

I'm planning on doing a little more reading on the beach and of course I'll be building several sand castles...I love building sand castles.

Anyhoo...no blogging will go on until we get back...talk to you then!

This is kind of fun...

Are you an abstract painter? Go here

I think I could do this...

I was truly touched after watching this...even teared up.

I went to the dentist yesterday...

I have a great fear of going to the dentist. Before I type anymore let me explain…I’ve had this fear since I was a kid…not sure where or why it started. Maybe it’s the sound of the drill…the grinding and burning smell of teeth…perhaps that little suction, slurpy thing that sucks the inside of your mouth off…don’t know! I just know I have a fear (Dentophobia- fear of dentists…to go along with Algophobia- fear of pain).

I’ve been putting this off for sometime now. When I had my knee surgery back in March at one point during the surgery they had to intubate me. When they were finished they began to pull the tube out of my throat and I clamped down on it like Mike Tyson clamping down on Holyfield’s ear. So they YANKED the tube out and in doing so broke my front tooth above the gum line.

So for the past several months I’ve been eating with the side of my mouth because of the stinking pain of this tooth. Earlier in May I went to the dentist and they made a partial mold and even going to that appointment was tough enough.

Alright, long story longer…went to the dentist yesterday…it was d-day. My dentist numbed my mouth…it felt like a Fat Albert lip…he kept on saying you won’t feel a thing, just pressure! I saw the pliers/torture device go into my mouth and bingo…my tooth was extracted, pulled, yanked, etc. He slapped the partial tooth in (going to get a bridge in a few months) and I was out the door. I think the whole ordeal took 20 minutes. I made a mountain out of a mole hill. No pain…just pressure!

One of my teenagers at lunch yesterday, suggested I get a gold tooth…he said I could "bling" while I was preaching. I declined on the gold tooth…and NO, don’t ask me to pull my tooth out.

I still have a fear of going to the dentist.

A tender father / son moment

I love my son Bryan...he really cracks me up. He has this great dry sense of humor...and comes up with stuff that really takes me off guard. Like the other night...he's in the bed and we are getting ready to say prayers together.

Before we started to pray he says outta know where..."I wonder if we all talked in fart language what that would sound like? I mean how would certain words sound?" "Well...I guess it would be pretty loud and smelly." So for the rest of our conversation he was speaking to me in "fart" (with the use of his arm and mouth, not an actually passing...you understand.) He had a distinct short "fart" sound that was to answer "no" and a more drawn out sound for a "yes", etc. etc.

This particular conversation lasted about five minutes...then we prayed together...not in the "fart" language.

I love the mind of a ten year old boy!

Another update on Shane Noakes

This afternoon I went and saw our buddy Shane. We had a good visit together along with his mom...the plan is for him to go home next Tuesday. As I was sitting there talking to him I couldn't help but think back to the day he almost died...it's still very surreal to think about that while looking at him. He still has some memory loss, but he's getting better and stronger everyday.

He told me he had lost about 20 pounds, but was having fun putting it back on!

Keep on praying for him and his family. I witnessed him walking today, so now I can say this...he is a walking miracle.

My newest CD

Last night the fam and I were in Lexington, specifically at Barnes and Noble. We were browsing...Holly for some books for the beach, Bryan was checking things out in the kid's section...and I was browsing in the music section.

I've always been a fan of "The Police"...they were a pretty popular group when I was in high school...then the lead singer Sting went solo. I really dig his solo stuff...The Dream of the Blue Turtles, Nothing Like the Sun, etc. great tunes...and very jazzy sounding and very melodic.

So last night I came across “Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-94”…good stuff! It’s got all my favorites. They had one called the very best of The Police and Sting, but I already have the best of The Police…I’m figuring when I get my i-pod that I can put all these tunes (and many others) all on one device.

Any Sting lovers out there? (lovers of his music that is…)

What exactly are "church clothes?"

Okay tomorrow is Sunday, if you are going, what do you wear to church? The following stems from a bible study that I was in a few weeks ago. Someone brought up the topic of "the right clothes to wear on Sunday." Good discussion came from this...some of it was debatable, some was comical, some was absurd and some was sensible.

If you know me, then you know I’m not much of a tie wearer…occasionally I’ll wear them…sometimes because as a minister that’s what’s expected. I wouldn’t dare wear cut-off’s and a t-shirt to perform a wedding ceremony (unless the bride and groom asked me to, even then I would feel awkward).

Anyhoo, a gentleman in the bible study made the remark that people should wear coats and ties, dresses, etc. to church...we are honoring God by doing so. I disagree. Jesus came to change my life, not my shirt. In our church we have all spectrums of dress on Sunday mornings…those who wear jeans and polo shirts, t-shirts / slacks and button downs / classy dresses and hats / occasionally the three piece polyester suit / skirts / etc. you get the idea…a huge range.

Typically I wear dress pants and a button down shirt (every now and then a tie). Sunday nights I’ll even wear jeans! For me it goes back to being a member of our church staff as to what I wear on Sundays. The Apostle Paul says that he became all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9: 19-23). If it helps someone to know come to Christ…heck I’ll even put on that three piece polyester suit.

On the flip side…yes, I do want to honor God with what I wear…I think we should…I don’t want to cause someone to stumble. But to say, you gotta wear a dress or coat and tie to church…because it honors God? Don’t think so.

So what do we wear? I believe part of an answer may be wear you live...depends on your church...depends on you.

So what do you think? I’d love to hear more discussion on this. I realize this is not a real deep theological idea, but I was surprised at the bible study as to how much attention it was given.

I’ve have to go now…gotta iron that suit for tomorrow!