Random Stuff...again...

Sorry for the "Random" blogs...we are still in limbo between our temp house and new one. My computer is packed up and in storage, so I'm blogging from my laptop in my office. Our builder is saying next week we should be closing and then moving in! Exciting stuff there!

Well, Thanksgiving is almost here...we'll be going up to Holly's mom and dad's tonight and then tomorrow head to mom's for the rest of the day and night. Thanksgiving with my family is always a pretty big deal...we'll have lots of aunt's and uncles, cousins, etc. and of course loads of food. The day will consist of visiting, eating, watching football, eating, playing cards, eating, a little guitar picking with the picker's, and eating some more! A great day...

Last weekend I took the leap and bought my latest gadget. This is a gadget that I've been talking about for awhile now...just ask Holly. I got me a 30GB video iPod and it is stinking awesome. I've been a downloading fool...cramming this bad boy full of music...and videos! Of course I had to see if the hype of the video was everything they were saying...so I downloaded "Remember the Titans." Cool stuff! My goal is to max this baby out. By the way I got the sleek looking black one.

SOLD

The house is officially sold...we spent our last night on Thursday. Kinda weird...we were all sharing our "favorites" while in the house...it was good to reminisce.

Our new home is about a week away from being complete, so we are in a "temp home" that our builder owns. We have just the bare bones necessities...kinda feels like camping with a roof over your head!

Random stuff...

What a busy week it's been...lots of stuff going on...here's an update...

-We are preparing to close on our old house this coming Thursday...so this weekend we've been doing the packing thing. Good night you don't realize how much STUFF you have until you move.

-We rented one of those PODS (Portable On Demand Storage)...way cool thing that is. I had several guys come yesterday to help move the BIG things into the POD. It was like playing a big game of Tetris...we were piecing furniture together just like the game...I can't believe we got it all in there!

-Our new home is just about finished...looks pretty sharp too! We've been going out almost everyday to see the progression. Only one more major thing to do...place the electric pole in the back...after that the rest is gravy!

-On a sour note! My dear Louisville Cardinals laid a big goose egg in the second half of the Rutgers game Thursday night. They should get a decent bowl game...but it won't be the National Championship game...maybe next year! Go Cards!


-Graduation is almost here! December 8th is the big day at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary...looking forward to the ceremony and seeing things come to a completion. My goal is to savor the whole day...only took me 16 years to get it finished (not 16 cumulative years mind you!)

-Last but not least, but most important...our son Bryan has been doing great! We've had 3 three weeks of no hospital visits, no ER visits, no missed school...and we are so thrilled. He'll have one more surgery to remove this tube...maybe over the Christmas break, but it seems we are seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Praise God for His faithfulness.

Mi Casa...

Everything with our new home has been going great...they are about 2 weeks or so away from being finished. We've had a ball picking out appliances, floors and ceiling fans, etc. Holly and I go check things out every other day to see what they have finished. We'll walk around talking about where things will go...it really has been an exciting experience.

Here are some recent pics...we should be closing on our house next week and then make "da move!"

Cardinal Football

Woo-hoo! The Cards last night looked pretty stinkin' awesome against an undeafeated West Virginia. A great game all the way around! If the Cards can run the rest of their games with W's...they should be playing in the BCS Championship game...again, they should. Something tells me inside my brain that they might get the shaft!

Oh well...I'll savor this victory for awhile! Go Cards!

God's perfect timing!

Last May we put our house up for sale. After many months of being accused by our son that we are "cleaning Nazis" and after many showings and open houses...we think we have a buyer! We had some folks come by out of the blue last week...saw the house, next day made an offer, after a counter offer...deal!

So it looks like the house is sold! We are waiting to hear the results of the home inspection, finalize some paperwork...come mid next month we'll be closing the deal. Woo-hoo...

Our home that we've been building is almost complete...about 3 more weeks. Finishing touches are being done...Holly and I were out tonight at Loews picking out tile for the tub and new appliances. That's been a lot of fun to do...we picked this cool fridge that has the ice maker on the front (never had one of those!).

Through this process of selling and building our prayer has been perfect timing...not only the sell of the house, but only having to move once. Looks as if our prayer is being answered.

God sure has been good and faithful...and I don't say that just because everything is working out the way we wanted. If our house was still on the market...God is still good and faithful. But I don't want to act surprised when God answers a prayer, as if it were a first or something like that...you follow me? There are plenty of passages in the Bible that speak of laying your request before God...we shouldn't be surprised when that request comes to fruition. I just want to bring glory to God's name for answering our prayer.

I'll keep ya posted on the house...if you are in the Richmond area sometime around Nov. 20th-ish and have bulky muscles and like to lift things...give me a call.

Sinners saved by grace?

Alright, sorry so long with the hiatus...been a busy time of the year. But I wanted to throw my two cents in to my previous blog question. Don't know how many have given it much thought, but here's my response...

Is the following a good description of a Christian:

"We are sinners saved by grace"

My answer would be absolutely NO...it is not a good description...it's an accurate description, but not a good description. Matter of fact, nowhere in scripture is this idea (sinners saved by grace) taught. Yep, I was a sinner, and yes I've been saved by grace...scripture teaches that Christians are now "saints" which means "holy one". We may think of ourselves as sinners saved by grace, but then the emphasis is still on being a sinner, not a "holy one." Peter Lord says that such a mind-set results in a believer being enveloped in feelings of unworthiness.

Just a few thoughts about how we view ourselves as Christians...let me know what you think!

Is this a good description?

Growing up in the church most of my life I've heard many sermons and teachings. Of many of the pastors that I have heard or been under I've heard many use the following phrase:

"We are sinners saved by grace."

Is this a good description of a Christian? Or better yet, is it the most accurate description of a Christian?

Before I give my thoughts, I'd like to know what you think. Let's hear some feedback from ya!

Dad and Lad Night

This weekend Holly took several girls from our youth ministry to Knoxville, TN. for the Girls of Grace conference. Kinda odd this afternoon seeing everyone off and not going.

So since the girls are away...the fellas will play! Bryan and I had one of our famous "Dad and Lad" nights...some serious guy time. Here's the breakdown:

-Dinner at Johnny Carino's
-Went to Circuit City to look at BIG tv's (it's a guy thing!)
-Went to the dollar movies...saw Barnyard...hilarious
-Went to Barnes and Noble and looked at books and drank coffee
-Came home and played video games
-Getting ready to watch a few M*A*S*H videos and then go to sleep

tomorrow's schedule:
-EKU Homecoming Parade
-Brunch at the Baptist Student Union
-Going to BW3's to watch the Louisville / Cincinnati game (sorry EKU!)
-Going to Dick's sporting goods to look at stuff

Holly and the girls will be home around 8pm...I love dad and lad weekends because my "lad" is so cool and rawks the house!

PETA goes way overboard!

I love animals...I even have a cat that I'm very fond of...but this going overboard and crossing the lines of "get a life"...

funky stuff

Life for the past several months has been a bit different for me...I feel like I'm in some kind of a "funk" or something. Now, I don't disclose this info for pity's sake...so don't hear it that way. But trying to describe these past several months...I can only come up with the word "funk."

I have some suspicions why the funk...I think a huge part has been Bryan's medical attention. It's been tough watching him hurting and not being the typical full-of-life kind of a kid. In all of the suffering that he's been through I've been asking God to teach me something's through all of this. I've had several revelations...but the one that hits home more than any other is a question to God. In watching my son Bryan suffer I'm thinking..."God, how did you do it?...How did you watch your Son suffer the way He did?" And then to think...He did that for me. That's been very humbling and makes me very grateful.

Not real sure how long the "funk" will go on...now don't get me wrong, I'm not walking around constantly in a zombie-like trance, feeling really blue. No there's joy in my life...and that totally comes from God. That's life as a Christian...even during the "funky" times...God is still God and His grace definitely is enough.

It's raining, it's pouring...the old man is snoring

This morning I woke up to some serious rain coming down...as if we needed the rain. I think my backyard is still trying to recoup from the "Noah's Ark Type" flood that we had a few weekends ago.

Anyhow...I love a good rain, especially in the morning. I got into the office early today, about 7:20am...usually it's like 8:30am before I come in, but I have a handful of things to get accomplished today.

I began this morning with some personal worship time with God...man, it was some good stuff...the rain was tapping on the window...the thunder was rumbling my whole office...I decided to read some passages out of Psalms and I had one of those connect moments while I was reading and thinking. It was awesome time with God ...I look forward to what's in store the rest of the day.

Random stuff...

-Last week I called Bell South to make a change to our phone service..an hour later I had switched from cable to Direct TV, switched from cable to DSL, and changed my phone plan. We end up saving like $60 a month and we are getting like $300 for making all these changes...can you say Christmas Money? So that's why there hasn't been much blogging for a little while, we just got the "hook up" today.

-Bryan has been doing much better. Last Monday he had another surgery to fix some complications that stemmed from a few weeks ago. Dang I hate to see my son sufferering and in pain...but he's better and we really appreciate all the prayers.

-We are still trying to sell the house...we've had lots of prospective buyers, but no offers, yet. There are a couple of folks we are hoping will come through sometime this week. Talk about a s-l-o-w buying market! Our new home is going up well...see the pic below. They should be finished sometime towards the end of November.

A little R & R...

This past Monday and Tuesday I had the chance to play in the KY Baptist Ministers Golf Tournament that was held at Cherry Blossom golf course in Georgetown, KY. A BEAUTIFUL course...this was like the 6th year I've played in this deal.

Now I'm not a very good golfer by any means...I can hit a "good" score every now and then, and I can really hit a bad score too. Typically, the more times I play consecutively, the worse I get. You may think that to be weird and I'm sure it is, but golf is SUCH A MENTAL GAME. If I haven't played in awhile, I usually shoot a decent score for me (86-89).

So we teed off on Monday...I had a great game going (for me!)...the front nine was a 41 (that's 5 over par). And I'm thinking, "okay the wheels are going to fall off sometime, just a matter of when." I get to the 18th hole (Cherry Blossoms signature hole), a par 4 over water...I have a 37 at this point...if I par the hole I'll have a 82 for the round...even if I bogey the hole I'd have a 83.

My drive took off straight and then faded into the water. Long story short...when I finished the hole I had put two balls in the water and took a monstrous NINE on the hole...finished with a round of 87. Oh well...it's golf. I really can't have high expectations because I just don't play several times a week.

The real treat for me was who I got to play and hang out with over the two day event. Three incredible guys from Lincoln Co. My fellow youth minister colleague Kevin “K-Flow” Floyd who I think had more on his mind than golf (West Virginia!)...Aaron "The Wood" Hougue, who is the pastor at Pleasant View Baptist, probably one of the funniest guys around...Kerry Jones who was my youth minister in Louisville, he to this day is still a great mentor to me and a great golfer! There were three Louisville fellas from Valley View church. Brad Burns, youth minister at Valley View in Louisville (as a teenager Kerry's nickname for him was "Cephas"...that lets you know what kind of guy he is), DeWayne Drake, activities director at Valley View, great humble heart with some cool hair...Josh Sherwood, Men's/Recovery Minister at Valley View, who is a Matt Damon look and sound alike, and just a really cool guy who doesn't "lose" his grip on the course.

We laughed on the course, at the banquet on Monday night, and then back at the hotel. As we were watching the Steelers lose on Monday Night football we were cleaning our clubs and talking about the golf that day (that's what you do). We even had a putting tournament with the incredible wood putter that Aaron had won at the banquet that night. (The actual putter is pictured above, but don't go falling in love with it!)The putting tourney turned into a chipping contest, yes, this all took place in the room! After several balls ricocheting off the walls / doors / people, Aaron smacked one in and put a hole in the hotel trash can...the tournament came to a halt.

I couldn't ask for a better two days with a bunch of Godly men...I think guys need times like this. Times to act foolishly and laughing together...I almost felt like we had reverted back to high school in some way. In Proverbs it says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man ought to sharpen the other.” I think these past two days were part of the sharpening process for me. Anyhow, it was a great two days...the golf was okay, but the "guy time" was much needed. Enjoyed it guys...let's do this again next year, if not before then.

A new BIRD in my life

Today Holly and I went to the UL / Miami game...dang what a great game it was. The Cards looked awesome on both sides and played a totally solid game. I was surprised to how many Hurricane fans were there, but they all starting leaving at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The only sour note of the game was Brian Brohm hurting his throwing hand...he'll be out for a few games...just get him back before the West Virginia game.

Towards the end of the third quarter the Cardinal Bird came up in our section...I managed to get a little photo with him (I'm assuming it's a "him"). Anyhoo, a great, great game...I'm loving Cardinal Football...I;m working on getting tix for Nov. 2nd (West Virginia). Go Cards!

Random Thoughts

-Bryan had a follow up at the doc yesterday...everything looked great, no surgery this weekend, no staying at the hospital this weekend...thanks God for answering my prayer.

-Granger Community Church in Granger, IN. is pretty incredible. I check out their site and their leadership blogs almost daily. Go here to check out a video of their baptism celebration they had a few weeks ago...made me cry while watching...I think this is a very cool way to experience baptism.

-Tomorrow afternoon Holly and I will at Pappa John's stadium for the Louisville / Miami game. Ought to be a good one...the Cards are the favorite, especially after they trounced on Temple last weekend (poor owls). Go Cards!

Trying to figure it out

This morning I had the chance to go speak to the FCA at Madison Central High School. I love going into the schools and interacting with students on their turf. I shared some thoughts about a scripture verse that I've heard all my life, but I'm still trying to figure it out and it's meaning. The scripture is Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Now I know this verse and have heard it thousands of times...but I was honest with them as I'll be honest with you, I'm trying to figure it out and how it really works...how it really plays into our lives.

I used my summer experience of a near drowning of one of our youth at our high school camp...how is God going to work in that? Now I can see some things in how He's been working, but dang what a price.

I think about my son Bryan and all the crap that he's gone through...how is God going to work in this? This one has stumped me...and I'm trying to figure it out. I'm trying to be honest and not just give the Sunday school answer, etc. I think it's beyond that.

In my office I've put this scripture up where I see it all day...I'm trying to meditate on this, and...figure it out.

overwhelmed right now

Last night around 8pm we had to take our son Bryan to the emergency room at UK hospital. Seems he had a really nasty abscess by the area where he had surgery about 6 weeks ago. My little guy was hurting bad. They admitted him late last night; around midnight...I stayed with him while Holly came home. Nobody got any sleep.

Today they performed a surgery to fix the abscess and to try and figure out what's going on, because were not real sure. It hit me really hard today as they were putting Bryan to sleep how this isn't supposed to happen to 10 year old boys. I know it could be worse...but I guess I'm just tired for my son in having to go through all of this.

Holly is staying with him tonight...he is so tired, as we are too. They are continuing to treat everything with antibiotics...we may go home tomorrow, not real sure.

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts...thanks to my in-laws and Mike and Sherrie Eckler for coming by to visit. Those kinds of things help and mean so much to us.

A HUGE thanks to several of my youth who came by the house today and raked my grass. It got kind of high this past week...so my plan was to rake it after cutting it last night. We are having an open house this Sunday and the grass stuff really had to be done...so THANKS guys...you are awesome...that really takes a load off of me.

I'm going to bed now...I've found it helps deal with "stuff" when you write/type it down. This blog does that for me at times.

Peace.

VICTORY for the Cards...sort of

What a game it was on Saturday night. You couldn't ask for better weather and the perfect atmosphere...it was a sea of RED with a little sprinkling of blue. If course there were the drunkards who had to start around 8am that morning...they probably didn't even realize a game had taken place. Enough about them...

Great game from the get go. The Cards of course had two Heisman trophy candidates (notice I said 'had') coming into the game...Brian Brohm and Michael Bush. Both looked great in the first half...Bush had like 85 yards and three touchdowns...the guy was like a train running over the little kitty cats.

The second play of the second half, Bush does a sweep to the left run...gets tackled...BROKE HIS STINKING LEG!!! AUUUGGGHHHHHH!! Papa John's stadium was stunned...not the first game, he's a Heisman candidate...but he's also human. Michael Bush is out for the season, he had successful leg surgery this morning, at least it wasn't a career ending injury.

BUT, no fear cause the Cards have some serious back-up's in Kolbi Smith and George Stripling. And they came out after Bush left and did a bang up job! Next week should be a bunny game against Temple. The third game of the season...Miami Hurricanes...and yep, we're going to be there. Go Cards!

Plan "B"

Crap...it's stil raining outside. I went to Cracker Barrell to get some coffee and read the paper (I love doing that)...hoping the rain would stop.

So plan "B" on the day off...I think I'll play some X-box...in particular NCAA Football 2006. I've developed a player on the game...he won the Heisman Trophy the other night...his name...6'3, 215lbs, from Louisville, KY..."Flash" Prosser.