I am so tired of...

Well I started thinking of that and here is what I am tired of... in no particular order... :-)

Election Ads - do they really think we believe them?
China's Air Quality - I am not running, biking, putting, throwing or any of that so why should I care. Try hanging around a bunch of 7th grade boys and then come talk to me about air quality.
SUV's - wah, boo hoo, so you bought a house to drive around and now you can't afford it...
Gas Prices - yep, it is 3.50something, still cheaper than in Europe, so we make adjustments.
Iraqi War - We won the war, now we are the police there. Yep everyone in that area despise us, so get over it.
Jamie Lynn Spears - I should care why?
Brittany Spears - see above.
High School Musical III - Shouldn't these kids have graduated by now? They are like Joe Bob in my class in Arkansas, body hair all over and still in the 8th grade.
California - So you hired an actor as governor and when he doesn't act like a governor you complain? You should have hired someone who played something other than the Terminator.
Illegal Immigrants - Aren't we all immigrants, I mean other than those who own all the casinos in Oklahoma. They should be the ones griping.
Lottery - I thought the lottery was to help out the educational needs of our state. Seems like our school budget has been cut so many times that no one must be buying a ticket.
Public Schools - that you have to pay to attend?
Michael Phelps - will he or won't he win 8 GOLD medals? The man is a porpoise masquerading as a human.
Alex Rodriguez - greatest baseball player NEVER to win a championship, and I don't really care if he is dating Madonna or not.
Madonna - see above.
Tour De France - if Lance isn't racing, I don't care.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi - she is from California, enough said.
Brett Favre - retired, not retired, retired, not retired, retired, not retired. Come on people, make a decision already!
Nascar - Hate the COT, need more bumping and grinding, how about some more racin'...
Tiger Woods - go ahead and shut down the PGA till he gets back... did anyone watch the British Open, now that was golf!

I am sure I can come up with some more, so let me think on it. For now... I am so tired of trying to come up with something else.

Doing things Halfway...

I don't like it when people do a halfway job. I was looking at projects yesterday and had the urge to do a halfway job in scoping these locations. I thought, "hey, it won't affect me" but then I thought of all the others it would affect. I thought about how that would tarnish my legacy and people would question me and my ethics. So I decided to do the right thing and finish the job right and not halfway.

As my picture depicts, doing things halfway is never a good thing. Imagine the thoughts that would swirl around all who would see my friend (at least he was my friend before I posted his pic!!) with his hair like that. What would they think? It might be something like, "dude, uhmmmm you missed a spot...hehehe" or it might be like "did the timer run out on the shaver and you didn't have another quarter to finish? hehehe" or maybe, "Hey man, don't drink and shave... hehehe"

But many of us leave things undone in our lives. Things that we never get around to fixing... things that we never get around to taking care of and it affects how people think of us. Sometimes our lives don't reflect that we are 100% commited to whatever our cause is because we leave things undone.

I will tell you, my friend did not like his hair cut halfway... he insisted that it get finished and I just have to say, I really appreciate that he finished the job!!

Honesty...

really is the best policy. My wife and I came clean with our church yesterday, first about our ministry and then about the finances.
Our Ministry is built on us being a team. Yep, we are indeed "one flesh" and we make home decisions, and church decisions together. Now we are not crazy where I call her about what I am going to have for lunch, but we do discuss major decisions together. I love her insight and discernment and her pushing... and I think she likes my logic and my thinking things through BEFORE we jump. We find that we complete each other in most ways but people have a hard time with that. I think it is a sterotype that "men" are the ministers and the "women" are the piano players and pretty arm hangerons... Wow how many ministers are missing out on a great blessing that GOD gave them by not allowing their wives to participate in ministry.
I am the head, the final authority in my home. But I do not "lord" it over my family, I love them like Christ loved the church and am willing to put aside my wants to see them blessed. The same is for the church as well. But when you don't really know, you would think that some strong willed women rule the roost when it is not really so. So we were honest and straighforward with our congregation in how we do ministry. Will some of them not get it? Perhaps, but at least they know.
Now the next thing was by far more hard. Finances, I hate preaching on them, looking at them or talking about them. But the church needed to know that we have been "bankrolling" the church for some time by not taking a full salary so that bills could be paid. Are we starving? No, GOD has provided through other means but we have sacrificed. And we brought that to the churches attention. I am sure some looked at it as a plea for money, others as a building up of oneself. I just wanted them to know that we are looking out for them and doing everything that we can do make this thing work. I figure if they want to talk about us, and face it, it does happen then they can talk about the good things that we are doing instead of the things that we are not. We are well above $10K in the money that the church has not paid us. Wow, what I could do with that kind of money, but I would not have it any other way. GOD knows and I believe that he will bless us with it at a later time when we really need it.
So in all things be open, honest, and transparent, it feels good!

Following Through....

How many times have you been around people who do not follow through. You know what I mean, they start something but never get it finished. I am a horrible follower througher (is there is such a word!!) myself. I always have about 10 projects going in one state of completeness or another.
So last Monday I resigned my job and I found I have to make a choice. Do I mail in the last two weeks, or do I follow through? Do I slump off all the work to the people who will be handling it when I leave now, or do I try to do as much as I can while I am here to finish strong?
I have decided to finish strong. I know that I am an asset to this company. I know that I will be missed, but this is my chance to secure my legacy at this place. They will never be able to say that I mailed it in the last two weeks. They will say that I gave when I had nothing to gain from it.
That is how I have decided I want to live my life. Giving when I have nothing to gain from it. So I have decided to finish strong...

Choices...

Do as I say, not as I do. How many times have I heard that? Isn't that just the stupidist thing you have ever heard.
We had a great class this evening on money management. And to apply what we learned is a wise thing, but we have to make the choice TO APPLY what we learned. That is the biggest problem we face today is making the RIGHT choice in life.
Face it, we are people who constantly will make the wrong choices when given the chance. We try to talk a good game, but when the decision is placed in front of us, we often do not make the wise choice.
I for one am going to make an effort to make wise choices. I was looking at some of the choices that I have made in life and some of them were not very good. It seemed I was looking not far enough ahead and was living in the moment. Well now I am going to look at things from an eternal perspective. So make wise choices that will impact eternity and I am sure you will do fine.

D O N E !!!

I quit my job yesterday. No, not the church job, but the job that pays the bills. I received a job offer from another company to do the same type of thing I am doing now at a better pay rate and benenfits. Sounds good right? It is all good except the people you leave behind.
I really thought my boss was going to have a stroke yesterday. I called him the night before and told him my decision. I meant to have a face to face meeting but he did not come in and I felt I needed to give him as much time as possible so I told him over the phone. The next morning he looked like he hadn't slept or ate since then. At lunch time he said he still had an upset stomach and refused to go eat. I realized then how much value I was to this company. One man I have worked with for 20 years refuses to talk to me. One gal called me a pot stirrer of feces material. One guy sarcastically said thanks for all the extra work. Some of these people I have known for almost half my life and the thought of leaving them is like loosing part of my family.
My emotions are running from sad, for those I am leaving behind, to excitement as I am embarking on a new jouney. It is going to be the longest two weeks of my life.

J U M P !!!

We went to the lake this weekend and found this old bluff down by Honey Creek. From the water's surface it looks to be about 15' from the top of the bluff to the water. But once you get on top and look down at the water it seems almost twice as high. So this weekend our young adults decided to jump off the bluff and the not so young adult decided to do it as well.
Now we had checked it out for submerged obstacles first to be safe and once all was deemed good it came to jump. Now I had jumped off of this same bluff over 20 years ago as a younger man with some friends so I went head first without hesitation. But we had some others who were a little more reluctant to jump.
What we found out is that once they did it their fear was quite a bit relieved and then they started to have fun doing it.
Life is that way, when we are standing on the edge looking at something new, looking at life from a different aspect, it is a bit scary. But once we commit and by faith take that plunge it is exhilerating and fun.
So next time you are faced with a scary proposition, think about it, weight the risk and then Jump!!

Say What?

What has happened to our great country? I heard on the news today that our banking federal chief is saying our economy is in trouble. The government has bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, our countries two largest mortgage brokers. We have car companies about to go under, budgets that are out of control, airlines that are charging you $5 for a pillow and making you pack one change of clothes for a weeks stay unless you want to pay for shipping on the SECOND suitcase you want to take with you. By the way I had my shipping guy run the numbers, a 25# suitcase can be shipped all over the continental US for like $12, and that is on UPS's plane. So why can't the people who carry my body take it for less if they are going that way, but I remiss...

I am so tired of American's looking for the government to step into every trial and tribulation in our life and bail us out. Yes we pay taxes, does that mean if we make a bad decision on a house that was too big for us and we could not afford that the government owes it to us to help us pay it off? Gas is over $4 a gallon , so park the HUMMER and take the Volkswagon. Food prices are rising... have you heard of a garden? And do we really need to eat as much as we do? I know that I don't... but lets not get into that... I realize that our county is the greatest thing going... but lets get real folks, they are there to govern our land, make available the pursuit of happiness and secure our freedoms, not fix up our land because of mining waste, not ENSURE that we are happy (remember it is a pursuit of happiness) and freedom doesn't necessarily mean that whatever we want to do is good for us.

So what will fix this great country? You! Doing your part... all 304,614,311 million of us...

I N T E G R I T Y

Integrity - Doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

All that we are is based on our integrity. If we don't have integrity we don't have anything.

But that definition, doing the right thing even when no one is watching is the key. You see there are people who in the public eye look like people of integrity, but behind closed doors you find out who they really are.

I was kind of tickled this week as the news ran reports about Jesse Jackson leaning over to tell someone on a TV set a comment about Barak Obama. Pretty much what was said was that Jesse doesn't like it when Barak talks down to black people, and it makes Jesse want to cut a significant part of Barak's body off. Wow, in case you did not know, Mr. Jackson puts REV. in front of his name.

What really concerned me was that I was not shocked, appalled, or even outraged, for you see, I never labeled Mr. Jackson a man of integrity even though he has a designation in front of his name that would lead you to believe he is. Numerous times situations have come up where his integrity was questioned and the answers were not always positive. I will let you web search those things, but onto my point.

If we are to be people of integrity, we need to do the right thing when no one is watching and say the right things even when we think the microphone is in the off position...

Be Blessed.

Revived...

Have you ever really thought what being "revived" means. Well I looked it up and most times it deals with something that had been dead!! Now how many of us would admit that we are dead? I mean, really admit we are dead? No way would we admit that we are dead, not in a million years. Can you imagine how that conversation would go?
man #1: So how are you doing?
man #2: Dude, I'm dead.
man #1: Yeah man I know what you mean.
man #2: No really I am dead.
man #1: Oh yeah, you mean really tired.
man#2: No, dead, D E A D dead.
man #1: But dude, you are still moving.
man #2: Yeah, still moving but still dead, my body has just not quit moving yet.
man #1: So what it going to happen with you?
man #2: I don't know, I guess I will just stop moving and cease to exist.
man #1: wow, what will we do with you then.
man#2: I don't know, I will be useless and won't be able to do anything. I guess they will just set me to the side and have someone else do my stuff.
man #1: well, we are going to miss you...
man #2: well thanks. I will miss you too.

Sound familiar? I seem to hear that conversation with people all the time. They may still be moving, but inside they are dead. So what do they need? They need to be REVIVED. Shocked back into existance, charge up the paddles and yell CLEAR! and zap them back to life. But many times people come to revival and don't get revived. Why? Because they don't go to the ER of GOD'S world and let GOD bring them back to life. If we are not willing to go to the Hospital or the Doctor, how can we expect to get better? So the next time you are dead, go get revived and let GOD zap you back to life!

Hey, watch this...

Those fateful words...last spoken by some moron who is going to do something to get themselves hurt. I have said it, numerous times. Getting cute with a firecracker and not throwing it quick enough, bouncing a rubber super ball off the ground and not getting out of the way fast enough when it bounced back up, riding no hands on a ten speed, downhill, with potholes in the road!!!

I remember one time when I was younger trying to impress the ladies at the swimming pool. We had a 3 meter board (9 feet) that I would do these great looking swan dives off of. So there are about 4 or 5 gals lounging by the swimming pool and I have been doing my best to splash them to get their attention but they were too far away. So me and my buddy start talking real loud, showing off our muscles, and we finally get their attention when I say, "Hey watch this great dive!!" Of course half the swimming pool at this point heard me and turned to watch the next Olympic hopeful perform some kind of great dive. So my plan was to do the run up as normal, leap as high as I could, spread my arms out like a swan and go in with no splash. Great plan huh? So I get a mighty run and about as I am to leap in the air my foot slips out from under me, I go paralell with the horizon and the upper half of my torso lands on the end of the board. Which proceeded to throw me straight up into the air still horizontal with the surface of the pool. Now remember the board is at 3 meters, and with the rebound off of the board I am around 5 meters (15 feet) now horizontally above the water. Well everyone who knows diving knows that you go into the water PERPENDICULAR, well I did not. My friend said when I hit the water horizontally it sounded like a thunder clap and the water displacement was significant at least. After I gained consciousness (I don't think I passed out but I wished I had) I came to the surface and made my way to the edge of the pool, OPPOSITE of where the girls were hoping that they did not see my display of ineptitude. As I pulled my reddened body (half from the impact of the water, remember I was 15 foot above the surface and the other half redened from embarassment) I realized that my hearing had been affected. That was until I realized the ringing in my ears was not from the dive, but from the laughter, the clapping and the people holding up 10 fingers making fun of me. I limped off to the locker room to compose myself and adress my injuries.

Back - repairable but bruised by the board...

Side - water bruised but no long lasting affects...

Head - intact...

Arms - intact...

Legs - intact...

Pride- .... totally destroyed.

It was at that time I remembered the sign at the bottom of the diving board. It said "slippery when wet, use caution...".

Why is it we ignore life's warning signs? If we would just listen and pay attention I think we would live a life without the pain that follows those fateful words. But many times pride clouds out judgement, it impares our vision and it causes pain. So the next time you begin to feel pride rise up, remember there is always pain that comes after the pride.

Changes...

I have been contemplating a change for a while. It is a hard choice to make as once it is made, I may never be the same again. It will probably affect the realationships I have with people, the way people will look at me, and the way I feel about myself. It is not an easy choice. I am constantly putting myself in that dream world of what it would be like. Questions like, "will I like it?" and "will everyone else approve?" swirl through my mind.

You see, I am thinking of shaving my head........ I saw a wad of hair in the shower this morning. I do not think it is mine, but it could be. There was a whole lot of it swirled around the drain. As I am continually exposing the dome on top of my shoulders, I am thinking of speeding it along and going for it. Today on MSN there was an article that bald guys are better looking than guys with hair... so that may just be the incentive I need to go for it!!

But change is so hard...

It is finished... those were the words of JESUS as he died on the cross. I felt like uttering those words the other day but not in the same attitude as CHRIST. I was just glad I was done!!
We finished the fireworks sale, got out some schooling on 4 hours of sleep, aced the test, got kids all picked up and off to where they were to go, preached a Sunday service, took my wife away, traveled some, shopped some, ate some and now back in the swing of things.

Sometimes it is good to finish something which goes totally against everything within me!!!

Say it ain't so...

So I love guitars, and I have always been a fan of great guitarist. And one of the best arguably was Jimmi Hendrix. I am not a big psyadelic guy, don't really wear tie dyed stuff, but I have heard some of his stuff. Know that he lived hard and died from a drug overdose far too young. But I don't want to talk about him, but about his guitar. See I have always loved that guitar's look. White on white, with a Maple neck. So simplistic, so elegant, so I decided I wanted one. have you checked how much guitars cost, so I decided to make one.

So I worked and worked and put one together with some parts I made and some part I purchased. Now I am not a guitar hack, I pretty much know what I am doing when building eletric guitars (this is my fourth) and I think I did pretty good. The one on the right is mine.

But what I found out is this, I can't play like Jimmi Hendrix. I don't even sound like him playing. I have the same looking guitar, even have the reversed headstock, the same color and shape but my playing sounds like me playing any other guitar even though I am playing a guitar styled after Jimmi's. Sometime we think if we act a certain way, or dress a certain way, or drive a certain car it will change who we are. When in reality we are all made differently, as David said, "formed in our mother's womb" to be who we are. To look like we look, talk like we talk and be who we are. So lets stop trying to be someone else, and be the best YOU that you can be.

Childish People...

What is it about fireworks that brings out the child in us? Is it the danger of playing with something that could injure us? Is it the loud noises? It is the fire?

It amazes me sometimes when we work the fireworks stand to see full grown people come in and get giddy about the prospects of fireworks. I delivered some to work the other day, and brought a freebie to the guy who bought a lot of fireworks. It was a 36 shot artillary set and he got this big grin on his face and giggled a little bit when I gave it to him. I thought it was the prospect of getting something free, but after thinking about it, I think it was the kid in him thinking, "Man, those are gonna be fun to blow up!!"

I wish that we would have that same attitude about other things in life. Things like GOD, Family, Fun... If we could get childish about some of these things... not in childish like, "Mine!! Mine!! Mine!!, but childish that we can see the wonder in all the things around us. The wonders of a sunset, a rain shower, or a rainbow that GOD created. The fun of running around in the yard, playing in the mud and sliding on the grass with the kids. The fun of jumping off the swings, the fun of blowing up fireworks, the fun of hanging with friends on a summer evening.

So be Childish sometimes, I think it is good for you...

Touch not GOD'S annointed...

I have heard this preached a thousand times, usually with that scripture of Elijah or Elisha being made fun of because he was bald, and he called a curse down on the children who were teasing him and a bunch of bears came out of the woods and mauled the kids. Don't mess with the preachers of GOD'S word!!!
I haven't really thought of that till this week, when I heard someone going off about their preacher. They were this and they were that and stupid too on top of it all as they bellowed out the list of failures that they had witnessed, as I overhead the conversation. I really thought that they were all insignificent things, but they were not to the "talker". I wonder if these people who talk out about the men and women of GOD realize the sacrifices and the work that they do? I truely believe that the men and women of GOD do not get the respect that they deserve. R E SP EC T!! And I do mean respect, love them or hate them, they are GOD'S people and because of their position should have our respect. I do not hear preachers sitting down with other preachers and telling every juicy morsel of rumor that they know about their congregation. I do hear them sitting down and getting advice on how they can minister to those that are hurting or those going through a trial though. Back in the old days, the minister was the respected, even revered ( I wonder if Reverend came from that?...) in the community that he ministered in. I do not know if it is a cultural shift or something else that make people feel that those in the ministry are fair game to criticize, condemn and converse about.
So the next time you want to talk about your Preacher, walk a mile in their shoes first. Here, I have mine off, you can borrow them IF YOU DARE!!! I have a feeling you won't make it out the door...