Here's a "snapshot" of Anna's birthday celebration. Thank you to our wonderful family and friends for all the birthday wishes and "Disney dollars". I love doing themed parties and Anna loves so many "themes", I made a run to Party City and turned our patio into "Anna heaven". The party room was very pink and sparkly and guest included Barbie, Hello Kitty, Disney princesses and anything else I could find that was fun.
Anna brought all "her friends" to the party and that included a Strawberry shortcake doll and many bears. She loves to pretend play and her teachers at school constantly remark at what a great imagination she has when playing. The party was great and it was fun to watch her open her cards and gifts from all of you. Anna sends great big hugs to everyone for making this day special. We love you all and since we all couldn't be together, please enjoy a few moments and pictures from her special day!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Happy Birthday Anna!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Diary of a Church Hopper - Chapter Two
Well, it's been a while since we've written. We have been so busy! We have traveled as a family, I have traveled for work, Melinda worked some over the summer, and with our kids on this crazy school schedule, they have actually been in school for over a week! This summer has been full of blessing, adventure, and joy. I can honestly say that it has been a GREAT few months!
Last we wrote, we were looking for a new church. While we haven't found "the one", we have been blessed to see several different types of churches and hear some exceptional teaching. I'll take just a few lines to describe a couple...
As we alluded to before, worship is a big sticking point for us when it comes to church. We aren't die hard classicists in that we have to have a magic formula of choir, piano, and organ, but we do like a good balance. We have never been fond of the "rock 'n roll" scene on Sunday morning that dominates so many churches these days. For example, we went to one church that had great music from a quality standpoint, but their worship experience left a lot to be desired. We just don't like going into a dark auditorium with multi-colored lights on the stage where the focus is on a single person and participation seems optional. In other words, you feel you are at a concert to be entertained not to worship collectively. The contrast was the teaching at this church was amazing. Still we couldn't reconcile the two.
We went to another church where they decided to eliminate the discussion altogether and didn't have any accompaniment with their worship - just voices. While I like a good a ccapella song now and again, that was on the other side of the extreme for us.
Then we attended another church where we had one of the best worship experiences we've had in a long time. It was refreshing to hear something so contemporary in style, but conservative in execution. We definitely want to go back there, but we have at least one more church on the list to visit.
The great thing through this adventure is that we are being fed every time we go. All of the messages we have heard have been solid and appropriate. It has been proof that God's Word is living and powerful. We love sitting under good teaching and learning how to live a more faithful life for our Savior.
I would like to clarify one thing - the title of these posts. I used the term "church hopper" as a semi-indictment to the process we are going through. I do not advocate church-hopping, and firmly believe that we need to establish ourselves in a local body so that we can minister and be ministered to. Our desire is to find a grace-based, God-centric group of believers that have the desire to accept us for who we are (flaws and all), and very importantly have the ability to care for Anna so that we are free to experience church in a way we haven't been able to for a long while.
I will let Melinda write more on some of the other things that have happened this summer. We are at a great time in our lives and we love being together as a family and seeing what is around the corner as a family. As we enter into another season of school and work after our summer break we have so much to be thankful for and can't wait to share more here!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Diary of a Church Hopper - Chapter One
Recently we made the very tough decision to leave the church we were members of for almost 5 years. There wasn't one thing that happened to make us do it, but years of various preferences, issues, and differing philosophies added up, and the timing was right, so we cut the cord. Enough said about that.
So, here we are looking for a new church. One of the things that we challenged ourselves on was to question everything. We didn't want to assume that anything was right simply because we had always been taught that. Anything that comes up that is different, we want to carefully examine before passing judgment.
We visited our first post-exit church this past Sunday. It was different. That didn't make anything wrong, but it was different than what we had experienced for the last 5 years. The music was louder, the people were more animated, and it was a whole lot bigger. We were quickly faced with the very thing we were trying to avoid - automatically judging because our of preconceived notions of how church is "supposed" to be done.
We had done some research online and the one thing that we wrestling with was that this church does infant baptism. They were very quick to point out that the act of baptizing the infant doesn't mean that the child is saved. They would still be responsible later on to come to faith and trust Jesus on their own, through the teaching and influence of their parents and their church family. However, they didn't advocate another public baptism after the profession of faith - something completely contrary to what we have always been taught. We had to make a choice - would we hide behind our current beliefs, or would we open up and explore that their might be other interpretations of Scripture that weren't necessarily wrong?
For the most part, we enjoyed the service although it was harder to open our minds than we thought it would be. We aren't sure if we will go back, but I will tell you this - it has nothing to do with the infant baptism. As long as they aren't misleading the parents into thinking that the act of baptism saves the child, I can't really argue with the reasons why they do it. Just like I can't argue with the fact that they have drums in their worship music. It is one interpretation among many that does nothing to dilute the message that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that no one comes to the Father except through Him. That is the one undeniable fact that bonds all believers together, and that is what church is - not a building, not a constitution, and certainly not a person, but the corporate group of people called by God into a relationship with their Savior.
I look forward to writing more as we make this journey. I have no idea how long it will take, but we already have several churches lined up that we plan to visit over the coming months.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Be a Part of History
Firefox is an alternative browser to Internet Explorer. The latest updates you see in IE7 are direct results of trying to compete with features that have been in Firefox. Even still, Firefox is faster, more secure, and overall easier to customize (if you are into that). I've used Firefox for years now and would never go back to IE.
If you want to have some fun, and help Mozilla (Firefox's creator) to break a world record, click on the badge to the left. They are trying to break the software download record in a 24-hour period when they release Firefox 3.0.
In the meantime, you can download Firefox 2 from the link above, or if you are a little more adventurous, you can preview Firefox 3 here.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Forget Flying Cars, I Want This!!!
This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I just had to share. Watch this video and be blown away. This is Star Trek here today...
Read more!Sunday, April 27, 2008
We Did It!!!!
We were way too tired last night to create a slide show, but here is a quick pic to prove we actually did it!
We will have the full story, and more pictures, up soon!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Here We Go!
Sorry for the late notice, but we wanted to let you know that you can follow us throughout the race at the Country Music Marathon website. Just click on the Live Results section, enter in our names and it will update you as we pass certain mile markers.
We woke up to rain and thunder this morning, but we are hoping it passes soon. We are bringing our camera and as long as it stops raining, we hope to have pictures up this afternoon!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Pre-race Jitters
The half marathon is 6 days away. We got our Thomas Nelson team shirts, got some good shoes, have a sitter all lined up, and we will pick up our numbers and timing chips Thursday night. We are excited and little nervous. We are excited about being there and having the experience, but nervous at the 13.1 miles and the fact that we never did our long walk (10 miles). Based on our training history, we think we will be just fine, but it will definitely challenge us (which, I guess, is the point). The goal this week is to do some moderate walking every day to stay loose and do a LOT of stretching!
Here is a link to all the course information, in case you are curious. Supposedly, the day of the race, you will be able to track our progress online and see where we are at certain mileage markers. Since we are walking those stats won't update quickly, but it may be fun to check in on us! I don't have all the info on how that works yet, but I'll add another post as soon as I get it. We have to be downtown around 5 am, and based on our starting position, probably won't even start until around 8 am. Assuming we finish in four hours, we will be done around noon. We plan to hang out at the Thomas Nelson tent for a little while and then go home - hopefully with completion medals in hand! If anyone around Nashville would like to cheer us on in person, there is information about all the places you can do that here. We would love to see you!
Pray for us this week, and on Saturday. Pray that we have energy to sustain us through the course, that we would finish injury free, that we will be able to move on Sunday(!), and most importantly that we would have a whole lot of fun!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Social Networking Parts II and III
Part II - I took my social networking experiment a step further. I added an application on Facebook called Ustream.tv. It allows you to stream your webcam to the world so anyone can see you any time that you are broadcasting (yes, you control it). Now anyone can click on the little Facebook application and, if I'm on, can see me and what I am doing. Most of it will involve sitting and staring (I do a LOT on the computer - email, research about ministries, etc.) so it won't be that exciting, but I am curious as to the response I'll get. I did choose to keep the sound off. I'm not ready for the world to hear everything just yet!.
Part III - I had a meeting in Memphis yesterday at a well-known ministry to kick off a project we are working on together. I met a lady there who opened with "How are Melinda and the kids?". I stood there a little taken aback (at first I thought she was talking to someone else and it was a major coincidence) while I scrambled to search the file folders of my brain to see if I knew her (I did grow up in Memphis). Before I could say anything, she told me that she knew I went to Memphis State around the same time she did, and mentioned a previous Memphis-based employer I had worked for. Now I was really starting to panic, thinking how did I know this woman?! I think she saw the confused look in my eyes, because she put me out of my misery and told me she had found my LinkedIn (a business networking site. There's a link to my profile to the left) profile and had read this blog. After having a good laugh about the whole thing, I thought about my previous post.
There is a LOT of information about me, out there for anyone to see. Could that ever be used against me? I try to keep things above reproach, so I'm not concerned morally, but it's a little disconcerting to have perfect strangers know all this info about me and use it causally in a conversation at our first meeting! Now, the lady I met was extremely sweet and I would never question someone like her having the information she had. But what about not so well-intentioned folk?
Again, I don't have the answers, and I'm not ready to remove my digital footprint from the web, but maybe I can end with this challenge - have you ever Googled yourself? You should try it and see what information comes up about you! If nothing comes up, and you want to keep it that way - great! If nothing comes up and you are a little disappointed, maybe it's time to venture out into cyberspace a little further. Start a blog or get on Facebook. The internet is here to stay, and you can either hide from it, or jump in with both feet. Just remember to have fun, and always look for the good in people and not assume the worst about their intentions.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
What a week...
This week was sales conference week at Thomas Nelson. We have sales conference every quarter, and it is always long. We listen to hours of presentations about hundreds of upcoming titles. It can be tedious and, frankly, boring at times. The publishers do their best to make it as interesting as possible, but it gets difficult. Sometimes they will try and bring the authors themselves in to talk about their books. That can be very "hit and miss", but this week was nothing short of a home run.
This week, I had the privilege of listening to some amazing people. On Monday we heard from Mike Flynt. You may remember Mike from making headlines last year as being the oldest player ever to play college football. At 59 years of age, he went back and played the final year of football that he missed because he was kicked out of school. Because of his age, and the fact that he was going back to play his last year, his book is called The Senior. It is an incredible story of overcoming obstacles, never giving up on your dreams, never letting anyone tell you that you can't do something, and, in a lot of ways, a story of redemption. Look for this inspirational story to hit bookshelves this fall.
On Tuesday Marcus Buckingham spoke. Marcus is best known for writing the book Now Discover Your Strengths. This book has helped countless people put into words what they have known all along - I am really good in this area, I just don't know how to express it. Once your strengths are known, you can then work from those strengths rather than buying into the misconception that the only way to succeed is to focus on improving your weaknesses. Marcus' new book is called The Truth About You and will be just as revolutionary. Simply, it's about finding out what you really like to do, not just what you are good at, and excelling in that area. For example, at work you may be given a task to do over and over again because you happen to be good at that task. However, for you that task is a horrible, draining experience. You can't stand to do it, although you are good at it. According to Marcus that is a weakness, not a strength. Anything that makes you feel horrible is a weakness. He will help readers identify the things they love, and show them how to work in that sweet spot. For more on this, check out Oprah Winfrey's show on Friday April 18th. Marcus will be on the show with the results of five months of coaching several women in this concept. Should be interesting!
Wednesday I had the chance to listen to someone that for most needs no introduction - Dr. John MacArthur. John has a new book out called A Tale Of Two Sons, and is basically a commentary on the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32. Dr. MacArthur challenges the way we think about this oft-told parable. He examines the original language closely and based on the evidence found in the text feels this parable isn't all that it seems to be, and the way it is usually taught isn't quite right. It's a fascinating take, and I can't wait to read it. This book is out now.
At the end of sales conference, Thomas Nelson did something unique and hosted an Open House for Christian retailers. They brought retailers to Nashville and held special events, concerts, and seminars - all to help them with their business. Like many other things Thomas Nelson is trying to do right now, this event wasn't Thomas Nelson-centric. It was all about the retailers and all about encouraging them and helping them re-think their business in an ever-increasing hostile economy.
I wish I could have attended the seminars on Friday, but Melinda and I did get to go to the kick-off event on Thursday night where we got to worship with people like Travis Cottrell, Jaci Velasquez, and Sandi Patty among others. The highlight of the evening was listening to Max Lucado speak on 3:16, his latest book. I've read the book, and heard Max speak on this before, but it is always a thrill to hear someone as eloquent as Max tell me how much God loves me, and the lengths He went to to save me from hell. I must admit, though, that one of the best parts of the night was the date I had with Melinda - sans kids! The night was inspirational, and an excellent way to cap off the week.
Once again, I am floored that I can describe all of the above to you and it be a work week! I love where God has placed me, and I love the career I have with Thomas Nelson. I just passed five years of "official" employment with them. I've actually worked there, freelance and employment, for almost six years. I count each day I have with them a blessing.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
How Much Social Networking Is Too Much?
Social networking is all the rage, and I must admit that I got into MySpace for a little while. I burned out pretty quick, though. Too many advertisers (to describe most of them as "inappropriate" would be a grand understatement), too loose moderation, and the fact that it was really hard to update it left me feeling like it was more work to keep up than it was worth.
Then I got onto Facebook and social networking became fun again. I know you still have to be careful in cyberspace, but Facebook does an excellent job at keeping most of the bad stuff hidden. The applications are fun and, for the most part, easy to use, and the pages are clean and inviting. It's been great to find and keep up with people you haven't seen in a while, at same time getting a glimpse into the daily life of the people you talk to almost every day. Melinda and I both have Facebook pages and have a ball with it. We haven't let Jessica get on it yet, but she is still learning about cyberspace and we don't want to throw her in too soon.
So where is the line?
I just started using a service called Twitter. I had seen it around, but had a few minutes and decided to check it out. Twitter allows you to let your friends (and the whole world) know what you are doing at any given moment. You can update Twitter on the web, via instant message, or through a text message from your phone. You can Twitter as much or as little as you like. If want to let everyone know your every last move, send it to Twitter. Update it a couple times a day and let people know what a typical day looks like for you. Random thoughts, activities, schedule, Twitter is your stage and the world is watching your every move. They even have a public timeline that will show you everybody's Twitter updates all in a row. You can follow the lives of people you know, don't know, and may not want to know.
I took it one step further and connected Twitter to my Facebook page and now every time I update Twitter, it updates my status on Facebook. It will probably get really old for me (and for my Facebook friends), but I at least wanted to experiment with it. I want to see how ridiculous it can really get. For example, I just updated Twitter (and therefore Facebook) with an entry that I was writing this blog post. And that brings me to my point...
How much is too much? First, does anyone really care what I am doing at any given moment of the day? If so, what do people care about? Do they want to know activities, thoughts, actions, or all of it? Or none of it? How often? How detailed? Do they want to know who I called, or just that I am making a call? Where does it end?
And then there's the work factor. Much has been written recently about social networking and its impact on productivity. For example, I am writing this blog entry at work. Since I updated Twitter and Facebook with the entry that that is what I am doing, could that be used against me to say I'm not "doing my job"? There has been a lot of press lately too about potential job seekers being denied jobs because of what they have on their MySpace or Facebook pages. Should that be considered "private" although it's out there on the web for all to see? You heard it here first, expect a lawsuit over that issue soon. Don't believe me? Remember the Duke lacrosse players, and the swift judgement America made on them because of pictures of them partying on their MySpace profiles?
Of course, the absolute best policy is 1 Thessalonians 5:22 where we are exhorted to not even give the appearance of evil. However, most people have different standards of what evil is, and therefore I could take just about any picture or statement from some of my most conservative Facebook friends out of context and make them out to be a villain. Should that be used against them, or change your opinion of who they are?
I certainly don't have answers, and I do enjoy social networking, especially as a way to keep up with long lost, and/or far away friends, but the book isn't closed on social networking and it's effect on the world. New technology will continue to emerge, and people will continue to expose their lives for all to see. Some will be responsible and others won't. In the meantime, like an ice cold Coke, know that while water is the better alternative, no one will judge you for enjoying the Coke unless you chug the whole 2 liter down in front of everyone...
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
3 Weeks Until Race Day!
Yesterday, Melinda and I received all of our race info (starting position, number, etc.) for the Half Marathon. It was timely because we had gone to the Y Monday night and we both walked and neither of us felt like we were behind at all after our relapse. That made us feel pretty good, and we are more and more excited about the big day!
We are both still able to maintain 15 minute miles or better, so we have all confidence that we will finish in under four hours. The other participants at Thomas Nelson are all abuzz and everyone is comparing workouts, times, and overall progress. It has been a lot of fun preparing with a group. I'm not sure it would be as fulfilling going at it alone.
Of course the best part is how we look and feel! I forgot to weigh myself at the Y Monday, but I have had several people comment that I look like I've lost weight. And we both feel so much better! I'm sure a lot of that is healthier eating, but the exercise alone has been great. Here's hoping we have developed some good habits that will carry us past race day.
We'll keep you posted as we round the training corner and, of course, will have the full story and pictures of the big day on the 26th!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Oops...
Between Christmas and New Year's, we went to Gatlinburg (really Pigeon Forge) and spent a few days in a cabin with Melinda's family. We had a fun time playing, hanging out, and doing Christmas. Here is where the oops comes in - I created a PhotoShow of our time there and forgot all about it! I saw where I did it and thought I'd go ahead and post it even though it's almost four months late! Enjoy...
Monday, March 17, 2008
Five Outside!
After not walking for a couple of weeks, we finally made it out yesterday. It was a sunny day, although slightly chilly, but we decided to head to the park and walk there while the girls played. A half-mile in, Melinda started having a lot of trouble with her asthma and had to stop, but she graciously let me continue. Melinda ended up doing a couple of miles, but I had my longest walk so far at 5 miles. I was supposed to be up to 8 yesterday, but didn't want to push it after being off for so long. Here are my splits:
- 15:04.234
- 14:43.640
- 14:55.603
- 15:00.804
- 14:54.913
I am very pleased with my time, and the five miles. I am more excited now than I have been in a while about my ability to finish and finish well. Read more!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thomas Nelson Marathon Kick Off
We had the official Marathon kick-off meeting at Thomas Nelson yesterday. As you can see from Mike Hyatt's blog, the company reached its goal of have 25% of the work force participating in either the Dallas or Nashville races. It was a great meeting with a lot of great information for first-timers like me. I learned more about rashes, chafing, and other potential problems than I care to admit!
Melinda and I both are still WAY behind on our training. When I last posted we hadn't walked in a week or so, and then the whole family (except Anna) got sick, then I was busy at the NRB convention. So, here it is Friday and we still haven't walked! I was supposed to have walked 7 miles this past Sunday, but I have only done 3.5. We plan to get back on track this weekend and hit it hard over the next month. I am still confident that we can fisnish, since our goal it still to "just finish" and not push ourselves too hard the day of the race.
All in all, we are excited about the actual race. We still need to work out someone to watch the girls for us, and hopefully bring them down to the finish line (we would love to see them at the end!). We also still need to get shoes and socks. Otherwise, we can't wait to complete this monumental undertaking and feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing!
Read more!Saturday, March 08, 2008
March Snow
The weatherman was right! We watched as the snow started to fall on Friday night and woke up to 4" inches of snow. It was still snowing as we attempted to build a snowman. Hmmm. . . building a snowman was not quite as easy as I remember as a kid but with Scott and Jessica's help, we got the job done! Anna even ventured out into the cold and was excited to build her first snowman too.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
It's S'winter!
I had a boss at Thomas Nelson that once observed that all of the Thomas Nelson emails were first initial, last name, and that some of them made for cool names. Mine, for instance, was "Swinter" (said all at once). He talked about it all the time, even joking at our quarterly sales conferences and the nickname stuck. There was a woman who worked at Nelson whose name is Pam Stein (pronounced "stane"). So, her email was pstein. Think about it for a sec and you will get it. Anyway...
A co-worker familiar with the joke just sent me this YouTube video and I had to share it. Who would have thought that out of a little office joke I would end up with my own theme song! Enjoy!
Monday, February 25, 2008
How NOT to Train for a Half Marathon
Ok, I totally slacked off last week and only walked once. What's worse is the one time I did walk I really didn't want to, but when I started I felt really good so I kicked it up a notch (BAM!) and felt horrible at the end of the 3+ miles that I half jogged/half walked. I was out of town Thursday-Saturday and even brought workout clothes, but didn't make it to the treadmill at the hotel. What has surprised me the most is how much my legs have stiffened up and hurt so bad! You could play the bongos on my hamstrings right now.
Melinda and I are planning on hitting the Y tonight. I'm supposed to do six miles, but I'm not sure if I should. I'll see how it goes, but if I do six I will do it flat (no incline) and just maintain the 4 mph pace rather than trying to jog any of it. Hopefully this will get my legs stretched out without hurting anything.
The lesson I learned? Wow this is really hard. I still know that I can finish the Half, but the reality of the difficulty is setting in. Rather than discouraging me though, it has steeled my resolve. I am looking forward to the challenge of getting back into training and the challenge of the actual race. This little set-back will only make finishing that much sweeter!
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Longest Walk Yet
We walked three miles today. It was a beautiful, sunny, dark blue sky out with mild temps, so we decided to head to the park. Jessica and Anna played on the playground while Melinda and I walked the track. It was great! As we completed the first mile, I remembered that the iPod had a stopwatch feature, so I switched it on. I'm pretty sure our first mile was around fourteen minutes (based on my watch), and the next two miles went like this:
- Mile 2 - 14:18.192
- Mile 3 - 14:18.143
So, our pace is pretty consistent, and right where we need it to be to finish the half in under four hours. I could have gone one more mile at least, but Melinda was a little winded. I told her that this shows we can do it! We went three today, and all we have to do is do the same thing for ten more miles!
Read more!Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Training Update
Training has started slow, but we are encourged. We have both been able to maintain a 15 minute/mile pace for the duration of 30 minute sessions, which is well ahead of the four hour time limit to complete the 1/2 marathon. As we continue our training the walks will get longer, so we'll see if we can keep up the pace! Otherwise it has been great! We have walked outside, but the last couple of times have gone to the Y to use the treadmill. It's nice to have all your stats in front of you on the treadmill. Another bonus is the humidity indoors so you sweat more. I love a good sweat! I also like being around other people. There just seems to be an energy in there with everyone else on treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, etc.
We are still taking it easy to start off with. Since we feel better than we thought we would, we have had a tendency to step it up a little, but have tried to keep things just under the level of extreme for us. We don't want to burn out, or worse, injure anything before we really even get started.
The best part? Other than some mild soreness, we feel great! Our energy levels are up and overall we just feel better. I can only imagine that this will get better as we go along. nothing noticiable on the weight side, but I'm sure that will come as we get more consistent with our walks. We'll keep you posted!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Call to Action
Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey are hosts of the nationally syndicated radio show Rick and Bubba, based out of Birmingham, Alabama. They also happen to be best-selling Thomas Nelson authors. Melinda and I used to listen to their program a lot until they went off the air in Nashville. They got back on an AM station a while ago, but we never picked it up again. I can remember Melinda singing their annoying theme song and I swore I would never listen. I started and was instantly hooked. Not only were they really funny, but they were unabashed about their faith on secular radio. I respect them as artists, as authors, and as Christian men. A lot of their stories center around their families, so you could instantly relate. As a matter of fact Melinda and I remember a few years ago when Rick's wife became pregnant with their fifth child, Bronner. Unfortunately Bronner died tragically this past weekend, drowning in the family swimming pool. No parent should ever have to experience what they have experienced and it's hard not to feel a tremendous amount of sorrow even when you don't know the people personally.
Rick did an amazing thing yesterday and spoke at the memorial service for his son. It was not a typical memorial service message. I would ask that you take some time to listen to the message before reading on, as it will help put my comments in context.
Assuming you listened, what you just heard is a call to action. Don't miss it. I was incredibly convicted as I listened to Rick. Melinda and I have heard many times that receiving an autism diagnosis for a child is similar to the process of losing a child. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to take anything away from the grief of this family, but there is a parallel - lost dreams, dashed hopes, and missed experiences. What I was convicted of was that I have had many opportunities over the years to talk with many people, a lot of them strangers, about autism. About how it affects our life, about how it affects mine and Melinda's relationship, about how difficult it is in general. You know what I don't talk about? The other person's soul. Sure, God will inevitably come up in the conversation, but I can't remember one time that I took to time to fulfill the Great Commission with the opportunity I had to talk about autism.
For Rick Burgess to stand up in that service, just days after losing his baby boy, and not talk about Bronner, but show genuine concern over the souls of men astounded me. It is not what I expected. Because of what I know of Rick and Bubba, I expected the gospel, but I didn't expect to hear Rick ask that people use his son's death as an opportunity to preach Christ.
At our church we are wrapping up a long study in the book of Acts. As our pastor has taught us, the theme of Acts is to preach Christ. At all times, in all circumstances. I must admit that I have a lot of head knowledge from this series, but nothing motivated me more to preach Christ than Rick's heart-felt message from yesterday. Why? Because I know as a Christian I am supposed to preach Christ, but what I have been missing is that I have been given a unique opportunity to have discussions with people that I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to talk to because God put Anna in our life - opportunities I have missed. No longer. I covenant from this day forward that no person I talk to about autism will walk away and not know that Jesus died for them.
Another thing that convicted me was Rick's passionate plea on behalf of his other kids. His observation that the only concern that we need to have for our kids is to raise them up to be warriors of Christ, and let God take care of the rest floored me. How many times have I chided Jessica for missed opportunities in school, but haven't sat down and prayed for and over her? How many times have I told Jessica to learn her Bible verses so that she can get a good grade, but not so that she be hiding God's Word in her heart? How many times have I shown her the wrong path, not by what I say, but by what I do, or don't do? My job with Jessica is to raise a Godly woman, not a straight A student. To raise a warrior for the kingdom, not an artist, or doctor, or teacher, or whatever else she might do as a job. God will take care of that. I need to be about the business of instilling Godly principles in Jessica, not teaching her to crave more things in this sinful world.
Rick Burgess never imagined that he only had two years with his son. I bet if he did, the last two years would have been different. But that is what the Bible means when it says to be ready (Matthew 25-1-13). We don't know when the hour will come, so we need to always be diligent, to always preach the Word (2 Timothy 4:2). So, let's live from this day forward like it was our last, taking as many people with us as we can into heaven.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Just Finish
Melinda and I have a goal. The goal is simple - just finish. That's it. Just finish. The more I say it, the more I believe we can do it. Just finish.
What am I talking about? Mike Hyatt (the president of Thomas Nelson) issued a challenge to the company for a second year in a row. That challenge was to participate in the Country Music Half Marathon. While there will be some internal competition to be the fastest, the challenge was simple - participate and finish. Do so, and the company will reimburse your entry fee, give you a t-shirt, and a $100 gift card. Mike even extended the invitation to spouses (we have to share the gift card) as well as Nelson's current authors, and agents.
As anyone who has seen us recently knows, Melinda and I aren't in the best shape. Choosing to participate in an event as big a as a half marathon this late in the game, plus being out of shape, means there is really no way we could compete in the event. So, Melinda and I decided to walk to half marathon and set a goal to just finish. 13.1 miles in under four hours. We don't need to be first, we don't care if we are last. We just want to finish.
Official training starts on January 21st. We have already begun some initial steps, like drinking only water, walking, and other forms of exercise. Once the 21st gets here, we will have to keep a strict schedule of training in order to be even close to ready.
The Marathon is on April 26th, here in Nashville. We'll keep you posted on training and progress. In the meantime, please pray for us! We are excited to have a goal to work toward, rather then an abstract "let's get into shape". It's also great to have a team of people to work with to help with encouragement and accountability.