sconelbro

Bathroom battleground

2009-09-02T13:09:00.003-05:00

I have discovered that I have slowly and discretely been losing ground in the war of bathroom space that I didn't know I was involved in. I'm sure there is a name for that type of battle strategy where you slowly take ground without the other person even knowing the battle is going on. When we moved in, I had my closet, the smallest of the 3 drawers and about half of one of the bigger drawers. I had my sink and a legitimate amount of space around my sink (the entire counter is about 7' and has a sink on each end).

As of today, I have the 3 inches to the left of my sink and none of the 4' or so between the sinks. Isha's sink has become the storage for her flat iron and curling iron (for which I know not why you would need both), so she has hers and shares mine for water and drain purposes. My small drawer is now being shared as her toothbrush and floss and a few other things have made their way into it. My space in the one of the bigger drawers had been narrowed to a small container with glasses and contact stuff. I discovered this morning that the contents of that container have been placed in my small drawer and is now full of makeup stuff. I have lost about 6" in my closet as well as all suit case declared as joint property have made way to the top of my closet, but I'm regrouping and re-enforcing to hold the line there.

I have no opportunity to regain occupied territory because when everything is put away, that is my nonverbal signal to clean the bathroom which does not pass inspection with any of my stuff on the counter in normally occupied territory.

I may have to put a small sink and mirror in my closet before too long! Wait...forget that...I don't want to give the enemy any ideas.

GOIN' BANANAS

2009-06-20T07:57:00.002-05:00

Ok, we leave for vacation Tuesday, and I can't wait! Of course, one thing on the to-do list before vacation is the same as most people, lose a little weight. Unfortunately, I waited until Sunday to start, but I have managed to lose 8.5 lbs so far. I call it my water-weight. But due to bathroom factors, Isha calls it something else.

Anyway, my new thing is to buy one banana at a time. Yes, at first it feels a little weird to walk to the counter with just one banana, but you get used to it. It is much better for you than the normal-feeling purchase of a candy bar, and there are several benefits. It isn't the best fruit for you--I think I've read that watermelon is, but it is better than that candy bar or chips. They are pretty filling. They have a good burp to them. (You know, like roast or brisket make s good meal, but no-so-good of a burp.) Banana burbs taste almost the same as they did going in. Also, if you are in your car, you can leave the peel in for no more than one day, and it gives your vehicle the aroma of banana. And, even at Ooodle in Archer City where things tend to be a little high priced, you can pick off the largest banana you see and pay about .35 versus the .99 or more for candy. Finally, it will make you diet beverage taste banana-eee. We all know what happens when you mix candy and soda. The sweetness of your candy makes the soda taste like carbonated water.

So, bravely walk into your local grocer, pick up a single banana and your favorite beverage and proudly walk up to the register as they may snicker or make a comment of your one-banana purchase, but know you are making the right decision.

Good Message

2009-05-12T10:37:00.002-05:00

Justin Peters Message

CHAMPS!

2009-03-02T11:20:00.004-06:00

Well the 5th grade girls had a successful showing and finished off the season at the Y by winning the championship. They entered the playoffs as the number 2 seed because of the forfeit we had to have against Iowa Park during the season. The first game was Friday night against Notre Dame. We had not played them in the regular season because their coach had a death in the family and had to cancel the game. The girls defeated them 41-7. Then, we went on to play Petrolia. We beat them, but I'm not sure what the school was...something like 25-8. Then, we got to face Iowa Park in the finals. It was sweet revenge to defeat them 31-10 in the finals to grab our 3rd championship in 4 years. YAY GIRLS!

Special Kudos to Ashlee (#23) who hurt her ankle during the Petrolia game. She stayed for the rest of that game, sat the bench through the championship game, came to Double Dave's to celebrate with us, and then went to the doctor and found out it was broken. That's dedication!

Sad Faces

2009-02-23T13:19:00.006-06:00

L-R: Jaxon (#24), Justin (#21), Noah (#11), Corben (#12), Kobie (#22), Drew (#23), Lane (#15), Keaton (#13), Morgan (#14)
These are the faces of a group of boys that just lost in the championship game 19-20 to the undefeated Big Dawgs. Sad isn't it? They played hard... defeating Holliday and Iowa Park to get to the championship game, but they just couldn't quite pull it off in the finals. They finished 1st place in 1st grade and 2nd last season. They play in a tough division and by far have the best defense in the league, but poor shooting has plagued them. At least they know what to work on and how to get ready for next season. ...And it's okay to say it, guys: Congrats on your 2nd place finish and a great season!

New Songs

2009-02-23T10:33:00.002-06:00

I've updated my finetune player. Not sure if anyone listens to them, but I basically hit play and minimize it and listen all day. It holds about 45 songs and I try to update about 10 every month...although I have some favs that I have a hard time getting rid of.

It's All Relative

2009-01-25T18:07:00.003-06:00

I've never really had the notion to get into psychology or sociology too much, but I do get interested in how it relates, fits in, and affects our relationship with God. One thing that I say over and over is how the things we want (or need) is all relative to what others have, what we see we could have, or what we might have even had in the past. For example, we can irritated as we pull into Allsups or some little store if we have to park at the end or even around the corner from the door. Yet, if you measured that distance in feet, we'd love a parking spot at Wal-mart that close. And the spots at Wal-mart we complain about are about the distance we'd love to have at a concert, major sporting event, or Six Flags. Obviously, it's all about what we have compared to others or what we might have gotten in the past.

We think we need things that didn't even exist 20 years ago. We discard things that are just fine, but we consider out of date. We just have a disease that one of the most worldly rooted thing that affects all people. We do it with things, friends, spiritual gifts, talents, family, ...pretty much anything. We are warned about storing up treasures on earth in Matthew 6:19 and about coveting in Exodus 20:17. But, I think the most important to remember who should own our things, our talents, and even us ourselves. There is great wisdom in Jesus's "Sermon on the Mount" in Matthew 5-7, but God's most powerful message in the Bible I've seen is Job 38-41 as God speaks to Job. He had taken everything from him and his friends wanted him to turn on God. After a time of silence, this was God's message to Job. It can be summed up by God telling Job how powerful he is, and Job's answer in Job 42:1-6 tells us he got the message.

Job's lesson and us wanting 'things' may not seem to go together that much, but if we got the message that Job did...and we have the benefit of reading it in Job...then why do we worry so much about things? I use the word 'things' because it can be material or immaterial. It can be a better car or a better job. It can be a house or a talent. It can be better kids, a better spouse, a better boss, a better extended family, or just more money. It can even be that we covet better health or even healthier kids instead of the ones we have. I am all about working hard and bettering our lives, our situation, or finding more ways to enjoy life. But, we don't deserve anything we have, so why do we think we deserve better? Because someone else has better? Because we've seen or heard about better? Because maybe we've had better before?

That last think to remember is that we have exactly what God wants us to have until he directs us to more. Probably the oddest thing on my list above was wanting healthier kids. I know it was just a movie, but remember the movie Signs? Remember how the son's asthma was so severe and giving him so many problems...almost killing him at times. What was it that eventually saved his life from the poison? It was the asthma that God had given him that kicked in at just the right time to close his lungs and prevent the poison from entering. You may have a car the breaks down all the time because you needed to be stalled one day to miss an accident or maybe you are suppose to witness to the mechanic you now frequent or maybe it breaks down when you can't afford a new one and God somehow provides a way for you to get one and he wants you to see it was through him you could. There are a million possibilities for everything that we consider bad to be good because God wanted it that way.

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

There is a good reason your child may have a quirk in there personality that drives you crazy.
There is a good reason you have those family members that you dread seeing.
There is a good reason you have that job, co-worker, or boss that you can't stand.
There is a good reason that car keeps breaking down.
There is a good reason God took that loved home to be with him.
There is a good reason you feel a task has been put upon you you aren't qualified for.
There is a good reason your bills and paycheck don't add up.

But using my quote above by C.S. Lewis:
"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."

You can't now just sit back and think, "Oh, there's a good reason for all this crap in my life..." You have to seek God to find that good. Without that, there's always room for it to get worse before we find that good in it through Him.

On a side note and unrelated deal, I have to mention a small proud moment. I taught the other night at GTIME about praying more and spending more time with God. Without saying a word to us, Drew went to his room that night and began to pray. We only know because in his prayers, he began praying for Papa (who passed away on Christmas Day) and we could hear him crying and checked on him. Drew has such a tender heart for a rough tough sports guy. I love when it's just the 2 of us doing whatever. He'll come help me at the church with whatever anytime, and I just enjoy him and those 'father-son' times. I especially love that he's growing in church and in his relationship with the Lord as we get a lot of time to talk about it during those times alone. He fits in wherever he is and with whatever age-group he's with, and he makes friends with new kids all the time. ...And I have to admit, I love to have a kids that actually listens to his dad teachings at church...lol.

The Forfeit

2009-01-19T09:15:00.002-06:00

Well, I had my first big coaching blunder...the first to directly cost me a game. In our league, there are substitution rules designed to keep the playing time pretty equal. For 7-10 players, everyone has to play 2 quarters and no one can play more than 3. However, I have that odd team with 11 players. The rule for that is that every player has to play 1 1/2 quarters, and I have to sub halfway thru the 3rd and 4th quarters to make that happen. The exact thing I must do is that one player that didn't play in the first half must play the 3rd and then sub back in for someone halfway thru the 4th quarter at the 4 minute mark. We were playing Iowa Park, and for whatever reason, they were irrate the entire game and yelling at the refs and had even been given 2 Ts. Well, there's a problem with the substituting because the clock faces the crowd and not the bench...to where I have to walk onto the court to see it. I have been close to missing the time several times over the last two years, but usually got it in. Well, with this game being a little more intense than usual, I looked up to find just over a minute left in the game. I had missed it by nearly 3 minutes. The player that needed to come in was equal to the one she was coming in for and we were up 28-17, so it was obviously of no benefit to me to not do it. She ended with 9 minutes instead of the mandatory 12. The penalty for a team protesting you not substituting right--a forfeit. The team decided to make us forfeit. It's a strict rule, but it is that way to keep people from purposefully cheating and then making excuses later. I'm not sure if they really believe that I cheated or if they just wanted the win, but they got it either way. Up until this year, first place was just determined by overall record. Beginning this season, there are playoffs in place to determine the champion, so luckily this game will only matter in the seeding of the playoffs and has no bearing on whether we win it all or not--maybe we will even face this team again in the playoffs, who knows?

On a side note, Alisha had a big game with 6 points...go girl.

The Journey

2009-01-14T11:58:00.002-06:00

There are so many times in life that I want to just give up. I know that anything is possible through God, but I also know that he puts limits on us that just probably aren't going to change. There are the extremes...like I will never win an Olympic medal...and even less likely, I will never fly. Yes, God can do anything he wants, but we know that there are a lot of things that he does not have in his plan to step in to do. It goes from those extremes down, but everything seems to have a certain percent chance of happening, and God is not likely to alter those chances very often. We have to make decisions in life based on those limitations, and expect the failures and successes of life to coincide with those percentages.

Obviously, I'm not talking about God speaking to us to do something that we don't think we have much chance of doing. I know that those are the times he does step in and helps us beat the odds. But, generally speaking, we will live the majority of life dealing with those odds and percentages.

That said, we have to prepare ourselves for the failures in life. Some are physical, some are moral, and some are spiritual. I have always looked at my life as climbing a mountain. I always thought of it as climbing a mountain that had several plateaus along the way. In other words, you worked hard to reach a certain spot, and then you rested and enjoyed it for a while. After a time of rest and enjoyment, you began to climb again with your eye on the next plateau. And somewhere at the top was a plateau that you would end up at and rest and enjoy life until you die or until Jesus returns.

I hated the idea of "setbacks." I hated the idea of getting knocked down only to have to reclimb a certain area for a second time. I've had some big kick backs in my life lately, but I realize that it's not a "reclimbing" for no reason. I am learning new lessons I missed the first time and being reminded of some I might have forgotten. Most importantly, I've learned that the plateaus aren't there for me to stop and enjoy. That mentality caused me to miss three very important facts:

1. Because plateaus aren't there for me to stop and enjoy, I have to realize that enjoyment of life has to me "all along the whole trip." God didn't design us to live life at only full-speed and stopped. I have to pace myself and enjoy it all along to enjoy it at all. I do have to stop and rest, regroup, and look both back and forward to prepare for the next stretch of climbing, but the enjoyment still has to come all the way.

2. There are always parts of life that we aren't going to like. There are times when we struggle in our marriage, our jobs, our friends, our kids, and our relationship with God. We have to find the balance of taking the enjoyment from the positive areas, but not neglecting to better all of the areas.

3. There is no top to our mountain here on this earth. I wondered once if there would be a point to a man climbing a mountain only to die as soon as he reached the top. I realize that this world is just a blip on the timeline of my eternity, and if I spent the whole time "working" and "climbing" and never enjoy the results the way I wanted to, then that's okay. You see, I'm driving in a race where the winner's circle is in heaven and it wouldn't matter if I died in a crash on my final lap or my first lap, and it could very well be that I'm only here to work and climb (and sometimes reclimb) and never see the benefits until I get to heaven. Think about it like a basketball game where your high school team is playing in a league against NBA players. God does not promise that through him we won't go out every night and get stomped by those teams. It says he can give us that victory at any time, but our victory may not come until we are gone from this world. Someone may look at our lives and think, "they worked and worked but never got anywhere." If that work was what God intended for you to do, then you did get somewhere, but it won't be seen in this lifetime.

Daniel 3:16-18:
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

Acts 7:59-60:
And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

The only difference in these two stories is how God chose to work. Each person had the same responsibility to do what they did. The earthly result was different, but the eternal result was the same.

Not sure if this helps anyone else, but I pray that I can work and climb even harder in life while realizing that I may only be working for the promise to stand before God one day and be judged based on my journey rather than my accomplishments because my destination is set. When that is the case, it no long matters where you are at in your climb, or if you fall back from time to time...it only matters that you continue that climb.

Papa

2009-01-12T13:28:00.001-06:00

My papa died on Christmas Day, just after noon. His funeral was on the following Monday, and I gave the following eulogy:

First of all, I would like to thank this church for everything you’ve done for our family. I want to make sure you know that we so appreciate you and your pastor. And I want to make sure you as a church know how much Bro. Gentry did for my family. He was at the hospital every day. He brought coffee, or stayed with Papa while we went to eat, or anything else you could ask. You know, all week, we made statements about it not feeling like Christmas, but the truth is we spent the time leaning on each other as family, being together, and praising God for the assurance of what was happening because he sent his Son to be born in that manger and eventually die for our sins. I don’t know what’s more Christmas than that. Bro. Gentry planned to come back for this, but my grandmother would not hear of him sacrificing that time with his family. I also want to thank my pastor, Roger Deerinwater as he was at the hospital every day and continually checking on our family.
Papa was a faithful member here at Cornerstone, but I happen to know he was a little more faithful the first hour to an hour and half of each service. I guess that was the Baptist still in him. He might wish I could convince you that each time he slipped out early, it was for health reasons and not because his stomach was growling, but it’s a hard sell considering the time he stood up and Bro. Gentry asked him where he was going…he stated that he had heard enough and was going to eat.
Papa was a people person. He got along with everyone. Now, that doesn’t mean he liked everyone…it just means that those of you he might not like, you just probably didn’t know it. He never met a stranger and made friends any place he might be at. He made friends at restaurants with the people at the tables around him and nearly always found a common friend or relative of theirs he knew. I even asked my son what he would miss most about Papa and he said “his jokes and making people laugh” That’s a true compliment from a 9 yr old that put that before the dollar bills he was regularly slipped. I wouldn’t try to do him justice by standing here and sharing jokes like he would. Instead, I want to point out something that we may not even have realized was going on. There are lots of “funny people” in the world, but Papa was not just a comedian. He was not just a story-teller. What he did was tie all of us in his world together with humor and stories. You see, there are a lot of people in this room that I don’t know very well, and a lot of you don’t know me. But I have distant relatives here that I’ve rarely seen, but I know you better because I know your craziest childhood antics and the funny things you’ve said as kids and even adults. I know those of you that worked with him or went to church with him better because I know your catch phrases, your jokes, and especially times when you might have just told it like it was. We all know each other better just because being in his world meant you learned about everyone else in his world.
He was often compared to Bill Cosby, and added to the comparison of his character on the 80s sitcom was the patience he had to have with us his family. He never put you down for your mistakes and usually found a humorous way to let it go. Still in high school, Sue had already had her fourth wreck. When asked about it, he just said that he wasn’t really embarrassed because she was so short in that big car, most people probably didn’t know it was her anyway. Poor Sue, I don’t know how many wrecks she’s had but even if she were to have one today, he’d turn to an angel say something like, “Well, that’s number 23, but I think she’s just about got this driving thing figured out.” He was paying my way through college and as a typically responsible 19 yr old, I went and bought an expensive sports car with outrageous insurance expense. I can imagine now how that would irritate someone, but he just said, “Well, let’s go for a ride,” and then as we were driving, he simply said, “I think everyone needs one of these.” His method of teaching us was to support us and let us learn as we went along, and we all came around eventually. He never hesitated to offer to help us clean up our messes, and buy the same thing for us twice when we might not have taken care of it like we should have. But, we were definitely learning from him all along the way. He gave you no reason to lie to him and no reason to wonder what he thought of you even if he knew all your faults. He was the first to say how proud of you he was in every accomplishment. I know the story of the prodigal son is depicting our Lord, but I can’t hear it without thinking of Papa as well because that’s just how he was--giving and forgiving.
That patience he had with us had to be vented elsewhere, and I think the restaurant business might have caught the brunt of it. There is probably not a restaurant in a 30-mile radius that he didn’t vow to never return to. However, he was very forgiving too, and just weeks after such a statement he might call and ask you to meet him for lunch at that very restaurant.
As Roger stated, his favorite pastime could be summed up in four words: FREE NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS. He did love those free unlimited minutes on his cell phone and loved to keep up with everyone and the humorous things in their lives. You may think it didn’t seem like he called you that much, but that’s only because you don’t realize how many people he kept in touch with. I happen to see his bill regularly and how many of those free minutes he used each month. Those of us in the immediate family received daily phone calls. He wanted us to get together as much as possible and it would begin with hints like, “Well, I know you’ll come see us when you get ready,” and would move on to calling you out of the blue and saying, “We’re about to leave the house and head your way…were we supposed to bring anything?” I often got calls saying he had just arrived at the Dairy Queen in Archer City for coffee, and I could come up there if I wanted to…not much choice there… But I always enjoyed and it was usually just the break I needed. There were just a couple of social settings that he would pass on: Outdoor sports games the kids played in bad weather and anything involving Chuck-e-Cheese.
He was a glue that kept us all close. I know he instilled in us the ability to solve our own problems, to love and appreciate each other as family…even when we want to kill each other at times. He is not just someone we will miss on holidays, but every day that passes and that phone doesn’t ring. I was already saddened as a few days of no calls would come as he was sick and didn’t feel like talking on the phone much anymore and he didn’t stop by for coffee as he had lost his taste for it. But, his suffering is over. We knew he wouldn’t enjoy life at less than 100%, so it was God’s sovereignty that took him home when He did. Even at his weakest state, he couldn’t help but try to entertain any visitors at the hospital and even the nursing staff. I know we will all miss him, and we thank you for being here and supporting us during this time.

Helicopter

2008-12-10T14:29:00.003-06:00

Life's roads get bumpy, rough, and even impossible to travel on. However, God is following right along with us in a helicopter ready to let us hop in at anytime. Yet, we choose to struggle down these roads on our own all the time. Sometimes, he even wants us to just stop traveling altogether to rest, regroup, and spend some time with him before he head out any further. Funny, we don't realize how much time and effort we would save if we would just hop in the helicopter and visit while he takes us past those rough roads to smoother ground.

Alright...I needed to hear that...even though it came from me...

Hurt, Pain, and Suffering

2008-11-20T09:50:00.003-06:00

I watch a message delivered on TV this morning that really hit me in a few areas. We look to God to remove hurt, pain, and suffering. However, the Bible states in multiple places that it is good for us to suffer, we are meant to suffer as Christ did, and that he blesses us for our suffering. The problem is that we don't seperate the different types of suffering. We are meant to, and will, suffer. There are several differences though.

Good suffering is presented by God for a purpose. Some purposes we see, and some we won't know about until we are in heaven. This suffering will make us stronger and better. It is rewarded by God through blessings and the character it builds. It is the kind of suffering that Jesus went through. Aside from the moment that all the sins were cast upon him and God turned his head, I believe that the suffering he experienced in the garden was worse than all the pain he went through that lead up to being nailed to the cross.

Bad suffering is a result of sin. It is suffering brought on by ourselves and is better described as consequences. This suffering is a result of setbacks brought on by sin and many times, we get through it to not only find we aren't ahead, but that we are further behind than when it started. There are some blessings in it. We gain experience, knowledge, wisdom, and what it means to lean on God during such times.

If we want to get anywhere in life and want to follow God's will for our lives, we much go through suffering. We certainly don't need to bring any added onto ourselves. Many times, as God leads us into trials meant to help us, we fail and fall into sin and make it so much worse because that is when we deal with the good suffering wrong and add to it the bad suffering.

This world is not meant to be easy. God has given control of it over to Satan but is here to help us get through it and even accomplish great things through him. It all has to start with a change in heart, mind, and attitude. We can so easily look at the battles that go on around us and know what to do--whether we actually do it or not. However, the "I can't's" come in when that battle is taking place in our minds. We have to gain control over our thoughts. It's like spraying a fire. We all know that you have to spray it at the base to put it out. You have to get weed killer to the root of a plant to kill it for good. Our sinful actions begin in our minds and we have to battle them there to overcome them and avoid the suffering that they lead to.

This is simpler than we think. We have to pray...and I personally think that it needs to be on your knees and given full attention...or maybe just my own prayer times seem more meaningful when I do. We need to surround ourselves with the right people. We need to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength and love others as ourselves. Do good for others and feed off the blessings it gives you. Church...church shouldn't be as big a part of our walk as we let it. It should be a time of celebration for what your walk is the rest of the week. It should be a time of encouraging others and time to know you aren't alone in your battle.

Give to receive
Love to be loved
Hug to be hugged
Seek joy rather than happiness
Don't tackle your burdens alone because that is not how it was meant to be

Unsafe People

2008-11-18T11:36:00.002-06:00

Just ordered a recommended read entitled Unsafe People, and randomly researched some blogs on the subject. Although not all experts, it seems that people most often discussing this subject are usually people that have been abused, hurt, or used by an unsafe person...perhaps several times before they realized it and took control and realized what they needed to do to identify and avoid such unsafe people. Of about a dozen blogs that I read, here are the characterstics that showed up in at least half of them. There are obvious things that show up once it's too late and you're into the relationship, but these are signs to identify them before you get too close:

>Their lives revolve around themselves and everything is about them.

>They are extremists - everything is either great or horrible because they always want praise or help.

>They are gossips and secretly take pleasure in other people's pain.

>They have advanced manipulation tactics that you see them use on others, and eventually on you.

>They don't trust other people or their motives because their own are so often unpure.

>They don't own up to their mistakes...they will deny, lie, and hide them to the very end.

>You could see them in that same role as a high schooler...because unsafe people have never grown up.

>They will not do for you the things they want you to do for them. They can even disguise this by quickly to giving you 'tokens' that you yourself need in life that don't compare to what they are asking of you.

>They do not love and appreciate your family and other friends and the importance of them to you. They are jealous of other people you are close to or are friends with--including your own family.

Anyway...just interesting reads from people that have apparently gone through a lot in life, but hopefully are on the right track...some were obviously Christians and some did not appear to be. The world is not a safe place for us, and it is so important to find those safe havens and people in the midst of it all.

ONE VOTE

2008-11-04T15:00:00.000-06:00

Busy...

2008-10-30T09:11:00.002-05:00

Wanting to post on this election crap, but I'm too freakin' busy...had Fearless Family Fun Nite last night, and because of construction in one area, my office became candy central, and it's a wreck...maybe later, but idk...

Wildcats earn final game

2008-10-27T14:30:00.003-05:00

The Peewee Wildcats will be playing in the championship game this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Iowa Park high school stadium against the undefeated Electra Lions. It will be a true test ot how much we've come along, as we dropped 2 of our first 3 games and then rattled off 6 wins in a row by at least 2 TDs each including a playoff defeat of Bowie North who beat us one of those early games.

It looked like we were lining up against an older team as we lined up against the Wichita Falls Redskins this weekend, but our guys dug deep and never let the game be in doubt as we basically scored 2 TDs to their 1 each half.

We are taking a detour this spring from sports for Drew. The football season has run so deep and the basketball team is expected to be pretty good and might do the same, so he is not going to play baseball this spring. Instead, he is going to shoot trap. I have a 12-gauge that belonged to my grandpa that he is going to start on. This will be a nice change for him as he tends to take the sports stuff so serious that he is already losing some of the joy of it. He puts so much pressure on himself...like he is only mildly satisfied with the wins and devastated with each loss. This individual sport will be good for him.

Drew with a gun...watch out...

But for now, we want to go out and win this championship!!!

Prayer request

2008-10-20T12:38:00.002-05:00

Just an update on my grandparents for those that have been asking:

My papa (dad's dad) has finished up his chemo and radiation. He was told that the mass in his lung has shrunk and the collapsed part of the lung is opening back up. They say that the treatments work for about 6 weeks after they are complete, so they will wait a while before checking him again to see how it is all doing. He has always been as a healthy as anyone I know other than now his fourth round of cancer (removed part of colon, removed kidney, and chemo for a third cancerous tumor all prior to this). My grandmother is just busy taking care of him...which it's more work to make him not do stuff than it would be for her to just do it...

My granny (mom's mom) is have bypass surgery in Dallas on Wednesday, and I'll be heading down early for that. She was found to have a 90%, 95%, and a 100% blockage. The tricky part is that they only found one usuable vein in her leg, so they are going to have to cut into arm and maybe even behind her chest to find more. She will be there for about 10 days and then to a rehab hospital in Wichita.

Thanks for your prayers.

Going to the Semis

2008-10-18T21:08:00.002-05:00

The Pee Wee Wildcats are going to the Semifinals. They will face Wichita Falls NW Redskins this next Saturday at Iowa Park at 1 p.m. We went up 8-0 pretty quick on a long Richey run and Drew 2 pt conversion, but turned around and let Bowie score on a blown coverage by Drew and poor angles by the entire secondary...apparently, the kid was much quicker than our kids thought. We scored again as Corben got his first TD since our second game...and followed it by scoring the 2 pt conversion. We were up 16-6 at the half. Corben scored again to put us up 24-6 (2 pt. conversion by Jeremiah). Bowie said they were throwing in the flag and playing their backups, so we put in a backup offense (possibly next season's starting offense)...and they rattled off a long TD run by Justin to put us up 30-6...a perfect team to revenge score on after the rain game. Bowie followed by putting their starters back in and grabbing another score, but Garger stood them up on the line in the conversion attempt which left the game's final score at 30-12. Wichita Falls later beat City View 8-6, so that determined who we face. Good job guys!

ebay

2008-10-15T08:29:00.002-05:00

I felt the need to post this exchange of emails with a store that tried to jip Isha out of some jeans I won for her on ebay...and I love the politeness I was able to 'draw' out of them. Basically, we won the item at a price that I think was lower than they wanted to sell them for, and they were trying to get out of it, but hopefully the jeans are on their way now:

seller: hi there, i couldn't get the messege to you before the auction ended but the jeans have been damaged and sent back to the manufacturer, i am so sorry for any inconvienience i wasn't aware of this till i got to my store this afternoon, thanx so much for your understanding. i will refund the balance if you have already paid.

me: Are you sure you just didn't get as much as you wanted for the item? There was no reason you couldn't have gotten this off in time, and just so happen to get on to do it just as the auction was over? I will report this to ebay because I do not believe you...

me: You must send the item, and it must arrive and be as described within 10 days or ebay will begin their investigation. I have contacted customer service, and they are very curious as to the timing of your communication being right after the auction won at a price lower than what you said they valued at, but they asked me to contact you first about sending the item in. They would then request proof of the damage and proof that it was returned to the manufacturer and what the manufacturer would do for the damaged item.
My suggestion is to just send the jeans and forget this ever happened...

seller: i will have some more by the first of the week, i will send a pair,,, they maybe alittle lighter or darker depending on what i get. just bear w/ me let me see what i get. sorry... i will make it right.

me: Just checking in to see if you've got those jeans to send yet. Waiting patiently...Thanks.

seller: hi, didn't get mail today, i will have several pair tomorrow, and will send em out 1st thing wed morning, i will resend the reciept tomorrow for you, thanx for your patience.

seller: hi, just got the jeans wrapped up and ready to send off to you,, i think you'll be happy w/ em. ill resend the paypal invoice and get these off in the morning.

LOL...why do we have to be so firm to get good service nowadays? Oh well...maybe the jeans will come, and we'll "forget this ever happened..."

Basketball

2008-10-15T08:13:00.003-05:00

I'm still excited about the football season, but I attended a basketball meeting last night and can't wait for that either. I'm on the board at the Y, and I had to go over rules with the coaches that coach in the division that I usually ref in. I have my teams...Alisha's 5th grade girls team and Drew's 3rd grade boys teams. They are both beginning to move beyond the age that I like seeing the most. I reffed last season doing an all-day slate of 2nd/3rd grade girls games (because I had a boys team in that division). While the gym supervisor continues to point out all the moms he thinks is hot, and the parents yell and scream at me from time to time, it was just so much fun to be doing a lot of the same teams week after week. It was so cool to watch them progress throughout the year and to watch their personalities on the court. Even as a ref that is supposed to be a robot out there, I cannot help but coach and encourage a little. I love watching the 'animal' come out in some girls as the games get tight in the end...I just whisper things to them to encourage them to channel it through their play instead of anything that I would have to call. Now, I see a lot of those girls around Wichita all the time. I always notice their double-take of me because they recognize me...sometimes not even sure where from.

All that to say that it just makes you even more aware of the fact that we are to be a light to the world everywhere we go. I love my job and working with kids all the time. I love the positive impact we can have in their lives. I pray I always know what God has blessed me with, and that I can have that impact on them and my own two.

South Conference Champs!!!

2008-10-13T10:06:00.003-05:00

The Archer City Pee Wee Wildcats have captured the South Conference Championship. They move into the playoffs as a number 1 seed and face Bowie North this next Saturday at 3 p.m. We lost to Bowie earlier in the season 0-12. However, things are different now, so we'll have to see how it goes, but I believe that we are much-improved and a different team. First of all, it was pouring down rain for most of the game. Second, one of our starting RBs was not there, and our backup fumbled 3 times playing the spot for the first time in a game with the rain. We really only gave up the one TD with our first-team defense on the field, and I'm not sure that Bowie got a first down outside of that. The second TD came with less than 2 minutes left, and we cleared our bench to give all the guys some playing time. Our top player has played "out of his head" the last 4 games. He's nearly knocked a kid out of every game on defense and scored 11 TDs in those 4 games. Then, there's the home field factor. Bowie scored one TD, and at that exact time, the varsity coach comes out and says he wants a running clock for the rest of the game to protect the field. Combine that with the 2-minute huddles that Bowie was having, and we didn't really have much time to turn things around. We will not have a running clock and we will have a crew that includes the head ref for the league that will not allow the stall tactic in the huddle that takes advantage of no play clock. We are coming off 4 straight wins, and Bowie is coming off a conference championship loss to Wichita Falls NW. Let's do this...

Hmmm???

2008-10-06T09:05:00.004-05:00

Ok, what would it mean if someone was told by God that they were going to die in a car wreck in the next four weeks. Because they had always wanted to smoke, but didn't because of health reasons, they went ahead and took it up. Three weeks later, they crash into a guardrail and die because some cigarette ashes had fallen in their lap. Hmm?

Well, I think that's the way we are a lot of times. We live our life in a "binary system." For those that remember a binary system in computers has only two options: 1 or 0. We know that ultimately, we can only either go to heaven or hell. If we have that assurance that we are going to heaven, we tend to stop working on stuff because our decision is made. We forget that the Holy Spirit was sent to us, not only to call us to salvation, but to guide us in our everyday lives.

I believe that "God's control" is not as much control as we think. Think about it, if God was really in control, would there be so much sin in the world? Would the world be rapidly decaying as it is? I know he can have as much control as he wants, but I believe, for the most part, he sets things in motion (such as nature...and our birth), and after that he reliquishes that control until we truly come before him and ask for it. I believe that the power we have through the Holy Spirit has to be claimed.

I particularly believe that, we as baptists, shy away from that. I discussed in my Bible study last night, what if someone could fly? Would they do it? Of course they would. If I could fly, it would be next to impossible to keep me from it. There's so much I could do for good, for fun, and for myself. So then, if we have so much power through the Holy Spirit, why do we not use it? Well, to begin with, my analogy is a poor one for this reason: If I could fly, I would do so because I see the benefit and know it would be great, but I would be in control. Would I be so quick to fly if it meant someone else would be controling me? I don't think so. We do have power through the Holy Spirit...power to heal through prayer, power to win souls for Christ, power to be an important part of miracles performed, power to be a mouthpiece of the gospel...but that power is only found by giving up control to the Holy Spirit.

My prayer is that we, as a body of believers...both my church and beyond, relinquish more and more of that control as we truct God with our lives. We've already given him eternity, so why do we hang on to our lives in pathetic world?

Sometimes in Life...

2008-09-26T09:17:00.002-05:00

We are now deep into the football season, and it's one of the highlights of my life...it's my escape. The Cowboys are undefeated and for now, the favorites to go all the way. They just have to overcome their long streak of not having a single playoff win, including last season when they lost at home after having a bye. So far, they haven't had any significant injuries, and that could be the key.

The Longhorns are undefeated and on their way to the big Texas-Oklahoma game in a few weeks with Oklahoma having a chance to grab the number 1 spot and Texas could move into the top 5 or 6 with USCs loss lst night.

Then, we have Drew's team. I mentioned before that, before the season started, Drew came up and said he wasn't sure he wanted to play. After some discussion, he confessed that he didn't want to play because he was nervous that they would make him the quarterback. I assured him that he wouldn't be the quarterback--that he was an ideal fullback. Well, he is still ideally a fullback, but he is the starting QB. He does love it, but he takes it too serious...yes, I said he takes it too serious. We have had a couple of bad losses, but we are 1-0 in conference play. We've already beat another of the conference teams 20-6, so if we can beat them again, we are assured of a playoff spot. Our first team defense has only had 2 TDs scored on them, and our offense is starting to pick up. We have to correct the fact that we have scored 5 TDs in the second half and 0 in the first.

All that said, football is just an escape. The Cowboys and the Horns play on with or without me, and Drew's time will be over before I know it. Right now I watch Drew pouring his heart into it. He has agony in defeat and only mild satisfaction in victory. That's the way I feel about life sometimes. Sometimes there is just something small that can just ruin my day. And, actually there is one thing that can ruin any day for me. We all, at times, have that "thorn in our side." Many times it finally goes away for good, but usually it is a "thorn" stuck in our lives because we have no control as to it's presence.

So, I have nothing enlightening or profound to say...just hating that my "thorn" won't go away, and giving you that reminder of your "thorn" to ruin your day, I guess...sorry...

Football

2008-09-12T10:58:00.002-05:00

I posted last year that the Patriots had sold their soul to the devil, but I chose to associate myself with the devil and have fallen on hard times. I took Brady with my 7th overall pick in the first round of my fantasy football draft. Brady gets me 3 points in the season opener and then goes down for the year with a torn ACL and MCL. Now my season is already a wreck. What a spiritual lesson. You watch and hate them for their success, but you just can't help but attach yourself to them to try to gain from it personally, and it all comes crashing down around them and you go down with them. At least this opens things up for the Cowboys to have a chance to win it all...and I'm stuck starting Brian Griese-fingers at QB.

On another note, the boys looked good in their win this week against CLE. I'm ready for the Monday-nighter against Philly though. Go Cowboys!

While we are on football, Drew is the starting QB for his Pee Wee Wildcat team. He scored his first touchdown this last Saturday on a keeper around the left side and immediately followed it by running a quarterback sneak to get the 2-pt. conversion. They beat Holliday 20-6. I am the special teams coach, and I was proud of my group as they recovered 2 onside kicks and returned a kickoff to the 8 yard line. We are in Bowie this week to face the undefeated mighty rabid jackrabbits...might be playing in some heavy rain as the rains of Ike move inland, but we'll see.

Who I try to be...

2008-08-27T10:06:00.004-05:00

The life of a minister is a hard one. No, I don't compare it to the hard that a blue-collared oilfield worker or rancher endures. The hard part is finding an identity within it. It is difficult to teach, counsel, and give advice every week in the midst of your own faults. It's hard to live a life that is suppose to be "above reproach" when you know your own heart. It's hard to be in a position that is forced to worry about how people view you and not appear hypocritical to your own family. My dad was a minister...my father-in-law was a minister. Even I, as a fellow minister found it hard to look at their combination of faults and ministries and not be judgmental, so "oh how people close to me must view me!"

Well, I want to be as transparent as possible and for people to know that I see my faults...including the fault that we all have of not seeing all our faults...does that make sense? Well, here's transparent:

I don't know where more fault lies, but the combination of how my kids act and how impatient I am is making my relationship with them very difficult when I'm with them too much. I feel even worse when I go away for the day, return to find them excited to see and running up to tell me about their day, and what I really want is to go lock myself in a room just a little while longer.

I don't smoke or drink, but I have done both in the past. I don't really even like to drink, but I do envy smokers. Not that if I wasn't a minister I would do it because I don't like that I would smell like it all the time and the health factors, but it is vice I would deal with. When I commuted to school in Dallas, I sometimes had a couple on the way home to help stay awake...or that was my excuse anyway.

I don't like to do all the planning for stuff--trips, events, or whatever. I like for someone else to. However, if I see something I could have done to make it better, but it's too late, then I feel really guilty. "I should have thought of that" makes me angry at myself, so that usually drives me to do it anyway--especially if no one else wants to plan it.

I'm very competitive, but very strict on myself and others about staying within the rules. I want to win but I won't cheat to win. I don't get angry at others on my team that play for fun because I don't even think I have to win...I just want to do all I can to make it happen.

I feel I have very few talents, so I try to overcomensate by overusing the ones I do have. In other words, I can't do much, so what I can do I try to be perfect at. Problem is, there's no perfect, so I stay disappointed in myself. I feel like a failure a lot of the times when something small didn't work out.

I hate being misunderstood. It bothers me when I have a couple of friends mad at each other because of a misunderstanding. It drives me absolutely crazy when someone is upset at me because of a misunderstanding. I can't help myself but to want to make them see what I'm really thinking because I just know if they really knew what was in my head and heart, everything would be just fine.

I don't fear death, but I'm not sure if it has more to with being a Christian or the fact that I wouldn't have to worry about making anymore mistakes.

Sports is my escape, but I don't know if that's good or bad.

I do pray daily...I rarely get into my vehicle alone without praying about something.

I don't read my Bible like I should.

The combination of being stretched very thin and doing a poor job weighs heavy on me.

I don't want to appear okay or appear to be a good dad or husband or friend. I want to be a good one...I just don't always know how to make it happen.

I feel like my quiet and driven personality is mistaken for judgmental, critical, and "no nonsense".

I hate how long it takes for me to change. I hate that it takes even longer for others to accept and see that I've changed. However, I have a hard time accepting that someone else has changed. I guess both have to do with the fact that most people don't change. I feel like the last 7 years has been a long slow process of changing some things about me for the good. It's been stunted at times by life problems and my own stubbornness, but it's disheartening that the people closest to me might not have noticed or believed it happened.

God looks different to me all the time. I don't know if I'm getting a clearer picture as I go along or if I just don't know him like I think I do or should.

I do think that being a minister keeps a lot of people from wanting me around too much...if they only knew the mess I know I am they wouldn't be worried.

I wish I had time for a nap every day. I think it would make my day go better. I only need about 30 minutes, but it's not about finding the 30 minutes...it's about finding 30 minutes when I can empty my head.

That's all for now...

Saturday's scrimmage v. Iowa Park

2008-08-25T09:10:00.002-05:00

Well, the PeeWee's had their first scrimmage Saturday v. the Iowa Park Hawks, and I must say that we did get the best of them. With our first teams, we held them twice to practically nothing on defense. With our second team in, they moved the ball some, but not much. When we loaded the defense with first-year players, they gave up two TDs, but that won't ever happen in a game. On offense, I must say that I was pretty impressed with the new offense. I wasn't sure it was going to work, but it worked with several more tricks up our sleeves. Drew had about 35 yards on 6 carries at QB, and we never had to throw the ball because we were running so well. Our first and second team offense moved the ball with ease until the last drive when we tried a few newer things that didn't work as well. I guess Drew is officially the quarterback since he played first team QB and second team QB, and the coach didn't even try anyone else there all day.

PeeWee Football

2008-08-22T14:52:00.003-05:00

Football season is here and Drew's team has their first scrimmage on Saturday morning. Let me just say that this is a picture of our PeeWee team from last season. That's a nice size line, huh? Well, we finished tied for first in our conference, and all but one body on that line is gone. We are fielding a line that weighs about the same as just one side of the line pictured, so our quarterback and running backs will be running for their lives most of the season. Where does Drew play? Ya, he's the starting quarterback, poor kid. Well, we are tough and we might surprise everyone...including me, so let's get the season rolling and see what these boys are made of!

Preteen Camp pics

2008-08-14T09:46:00.004-05:00

Just had two weeks in a row of camp. The first week was preteen camp (4th-6th grade) which was Monday-Friday, August 4-8. It was a great week. We took 21 to camp for the week (although some are obviously ore camera-shy than others). It was called "Get Real" and used a YouTube theme. Enjoyed the week as well as the Bible studies that I taught on getting a real perspective on things such as how Satan attacks your mind even when your heart belongs to God...how we put too much stock in the way things look rather than the way they are...and how God loves us no matter what and we are safest in his hands.

Aggrevations & Dislikes

2008-08-02T08:59:00.002-05:00

Some of my recent aggrevations and dislikes:

>dealing with insurance companies when the appraiser breaks my headlight trying to force it back into place...then didn't even list the headlight on the list of approved repairs
>dealing with rental car places with which we made a reservation 4 days ahead of time for 10 a.m., didn't have a car ready, said they'd take it to Isha's work in 20 minutes...they delivered it at 5:30 p.m.--the time at which the body shop closed and 45 minutes after that body shop called and said our car was ready
>dealing with body shops and how they left our car out and unlocked and someone stole our DVD player
>pregnant women smoking and drinking...in public no less
>people that don't do their job
>slow Internet...I'm spoiled
>107 degree days
>Six Flags
>having plans to go to Six Flags on a 107 degree day
>Weddings - church staff people understand
>anything I'm fully responsible for, but not given the means to succeed at
>not finding good fruit in a grocery store
>trying to sleep when its hot
>guys that carry the 'pimp' 'player' or 'stud' mentalities
>girls that carry the 'fake ditz' 'bossy' or 'can't get along w/ other girls' mentalities
>the price of gas...ya, I'm finally there
>lying politicians
>hotel bedspreads
>being overweight
>what it takes not to be overweight
>the inconveniences of having a pet

Things that usually bother people, but not me:
>old people driving - I'll be there sooner than you think
>old people in stores - eaves dropped on an old man at Wal-mart yesterday asking the worker in electronics how could they not stock a movie about Normandy
>kids at camp - about to have two weeks in a row of it - 1st-3rd grade and 4th-6th grade
>a messy desk - can't work when everything is put away
>obnoxious church groups at places like hotels and restaurants - I've been there...as a leader and an obnoxious student
>lots of people at my house - as long as it isn't family

My Philippians Read Today...

2008-07-28T13:48:00.003-05:00

Just some of my favorite verse out of Philippians that I read today:

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 1:21

But whatever was to profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 3:7-11

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 4:13

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 4:19

Did Paul really say he wanted to "share in Christ's sufferings"!? I pray that God will continue to humble me and grow me as I seek him. As much as I've had to lean on him the last couple of years, I find myself sitting around and acting like Jonah, who first sat and sulked, then God gave him a plant to shade him, took that plant away, and watched Jonah complain about losing the plant that wasn't his to begin with. I find myself complaining about the cleaning the home and possessions he gave me, complaining about needing to water the grass I did not plant and certainly did not make grow in the first place, and complaining about family problems when I deserve nothing beyond being alone in the world.

Everything is so different in God's eyes, and as you read his word and try to get closer to him, you see it more. I do have a competitive streak to me, and God has so humbled me. I have sometimes become distracted by trying to please people...I want people to look at me and say, "he's a winner"..."he's got it all together"..."he knows what he's doing"..."I want to be more like him"..."how did he do that?" ...and there is no humility in seeking any of that. If there's a trait I want someone to admire in me, it would be something that I somehow managed to Christ-like in.

So, here I am...nothing special...willing to lose anything because anything can be lost...or taken...at any time. I love and appreciate what I have and know it is all because of a gracious God. I want my life to be defined as Christ and my death as gain. I want to change my perspective as to what is profit and what is loss. I want to consider worldly things rubbish. I want to be righteous. I want to be more like Christ. I want to know I really can do all things through him. I want to realize he has and will meet all my needs and it is not anything about me. And maybe...possibly...someday...I will want to share in his suffering...because I'm so not ready for that and I still have the tendency to wallow in my own which is so much less than his...

FOR SALE: 2001 DODGE TRUCK

2008-07-26T15:07:00.003-05:00

2001 Dodge Ram Truck
73,000 miles
V-8 w/ Standard Trans.
Bedliner & Bed Cover
Sliding Rear Window
Pipe Steprails
$5700 (or best offer)
904-631-2738

VBS

2008-07-14T17:09:00.004-05:00

VBS is coming next week, and I'm so not ready...not to mention that this weekend, Drew had a bunch of boys over to spend the night for his bday and I got no sleep and Alisha has a basketball tournament in Denton this weekend, so I'll be out of town Friday-Saturday-Sunday, and we start VBS first thing Monday morning...dude!

Remember these shows?

2008-06-29T15:28:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I was bored today...and made this list. Enjoy, and add to it if you like...I'm sure there are plenty I've forgotten about...especially shows more for girls. I stuck with the non-cartoons that 80s kids were known to watch...on their own or forced to watch with parents since most of us only had one TV in the house. (in Random Order):

Double Trouble
Small Wonder
Just the Ten of Us
The Hogan Family
I Married Dora
Perfect Strangers
Alf
Mr. Belvedere
Out of This World
Diff’rent Strokes
Facts of Life
Family Ties
Growing Pains
Head of the Class
My Two Dads
Who’s the Boss?
The Wonder Years
21 Jump Street
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Cosby Show
Family Matters
Punky Brewster
The A Team
Doogie Howser, M.D.
Charles in Charge
Knight Rider
My Secret Identity
Gimme a Break
227
Silver Spoons
Kate & Allie
My Sister Sam
Learning the Ropes
Newhart
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Riptide
Magnum P.I.

My Day at the Pool

2008-06-25T09:20:00.005-05:00

Well, unlike most days where I just send the kids to the pool, I had to go with them yesterday. You have to be 8 to go by yourself, and their cousins were with them...one of which is 6. I was reminded right away what I was getting into as Alisha says, "You're going? I thought you said it was only for moms?" Exactly...

And, yes, I was the only dad there...everyone else was a mom or teenage girl babysitter...ugh! So, I found a private corner in the shade away from everyone (most lay out and take in the sun). I had a couple of diet drinks in the cooler, an NFL magazine, a pen to take fantasy football notes, and a book I was given some time back and had never read. I began my four hours of nothingness with my magazine, and then started in on the book.

The book is "Life Wide Open" by David Jeremiah. Although not really deep, it is just the thing to get you headin' in the right direction, excited about what you do in life, and ready to seek exactly what God has for you...and it lends itself to plenty of discussion on families, marriage, work, etc. It may get deeper...I'm only a third of the way through it. I was looking for a book to do a study on for a men's Bible study on Sunday nights at my house. Call it self-serving if you will, but most men skip Sunday night studies because of football. The Cowboys play a lot of late afternoon games that don't end until 6:15 or 6:30. I would love to have this study where they can show up at my house at the start of the 4th quarter (or earlier if they want...not like I'm gonna be doing anything else but watching it anyway), and we start our study as soon as the game is over. This gives us an automatic "ice-breaker" every week and allows people to invite other Cowboy fans to join us. Also, the regular football season is exactly 17 weeks, and this book is...17 chapters. If the Cowboys play earlier, we'll just catch another late game. If they play at 7:30, then we'll do the study and move into our normal practice of watchin' the Cowboy primetime games as a group anyway.

So, my time at the pool wasn't totally worthless, but it didn't get the house cleaned, laundry done, or dinner fixed. Maybe it was God's way of sitting me down for a little while though just to do some reading. Also, I did get to visit with several kids about church and had a couple of new ones sign up for camp this summer. ...and maybe God has rewarded me with my list of 6 possible sleepers to pick in my upcoming fantasy football draft.

The Random TV Show Game

2008-06-23T09:57:00.003-05:00

Last night Isha and I found ourselves layin' on the bed, and like we sometimes do, we broke into a spontaneous game...this time of TV trivia. It consisted of giving a word or short phrases of description of TV shows while the other tried to guess the show. It was just funny how little info the other one needed sometimes and how much we needed other times. For example, Isha got these right off:

"Cousin"

"Housekeeper"

Then, she looks at me and says, "Huh?" after I gave all these clues before finally guessing:

"Family...Yellow...Fat...Ageless..."

"Alien...Furry...Likes Cats..."

I think I should get bonus points for guessing the ones that she gave wrong clues on though, like:

"2 brothers...a cousin...a uncle...a farm"

"a family...2 uncles"

But, I must say the highlight was winning the debate as to whether Max Headroom did Coke or Pepsi commercials...the look on her face as she googled it and the prize I got for winning..."YOW BAYBEE!"

Random Things That Pop in My Head

2008-06-17T09:47:00.004-05:00

I'm quite the thinker and I can't really just veg out often because I'm always thinking about something I need to be doing or planning or whatever. But from time to time these random things just pop in my head and I don't know why (in random order):

How a memory has been blocked in my mind from 6th grade...I was accused of taking a dollar, and I honestly can't remember if I did or not...then, I think I replaced it, but I can't remember that for sure either...just bugs me because I usually remember everything

Isha's blond fro she had when I met her that bobbed around when she laughed

The song, "Islands in the Stream"

A girl's phone number I liked in 3rd grade...592-9896...I never even called it

Picturing myself randomly punching someone in the face

Plays from a Kansas City Chiefs-Houston Oilers playoff game in 1994 including a touchdown pass Joe Montana threw to Tamarick Vanover in the win over Buddy Ryan's defense. Vanover spiked the ball in a huge realistic drawing of Buddy Ryan's face on a banner a fan had hanging on the sideline...the Chiefs came back from a 7-13 defecit in the 4th quarter to win 28-20...Montana's second consecutive comeback in as many weeks during those playoffs. This was my favorite non-Super Bowl game. He got a concussion and lost to the Bills in the next game, but then the Cowboys took care of them in the Super Bowl.

Picturing myself eating a small moist loaf of bread...and then my mouth begins to water

Car jumping scenes from the original series, "The Dukes of Hazzard" as I'm driving and picturing myself doing it

Another random thought not related to this list: That I used to think about soft serve ice cream when I saw something gross or smelled something really bad to keep me from gaggin'. I mean soft white creamy cold ice cream is the opposite of warm yellow-brown chunky stinky puke, right? Well, that all got ruined on a ski trip a few years ago when a kid had a soft serve ice cream cone and then chucked it on the floor right beside my driver's seat.

Making Happy Happen

2008-06-10T10:49:00.005-05:00

This last Wednesday night I was sharing with the kids how God wants us to be happy. We were looking at specifically how we as Christians can be happy. We begin to "live our Christian life," and then look for something else to make us happy. We treat Christianity like it's our 'job' and then we find other things to fill our leisure time. I'm guilty of that all the time, but the truth is that if we are truly living our lives the right way, we find that satisfaction and happiness living right and building the kingdom.

I looked up the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) and read them from The Message. Not that they mean anything differently there, but I saw them in a new light. I always read them like they were blessings given to those that worked their 'job' properly or suffered. That there were separate from their leisure time...their happy time. But as I read them in The Message and even reread in my Bible, I see that it isn't just a blessing to suffering martyrs, but a blessing to those that found happiness in their Christian lives.

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule."
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embrace by the One most dear to you."
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."
"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. he's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat."
"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourself cared for."
"You're blessed when you get your inside world--your mind and heart--put right. Then you can see God in the outside world."
"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family."
"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom."
"Not only that--count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens--give a cheer, even!--for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble."

This isn't a 'blessed are the hurting' message, it's a 'this is what Making Happy Happen looks like' message. It's about getting yourself taken perfectly care of when you quit trying to take care of yourself and instead focus on others and the work of the Holy Spirit through you. It's about finding happiness in all areas of life--your job, your marriage, your kids, your passions--because you let God own it all. It's not about suffering now so you can be blessed or rewarded in heaven. It's about the reward of happiness that you will find even now here on this earth. It's about becoming a better friend, husband, wife, parent, co-worker, etc. It's about knowing God in a way that you know you don't and know you should.

This message, the 'Sermon on the Mount' (Matthew 5-7), began with those words and ended with these:
"But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards."

Brag Time

2008-06-05T14:12:00.006-05:00

It was awards day for the last day of school. Here's the kids with their awards.
Drew received awards for both VIP citizenship and for making the 'A' Honor Roll for the entire year. I did always make the 'A' honor roll in elementary, but school isn't like it was when I was a kid. They learn so much so fast and have to prepare for so many state tests. He kind of got jipped on an AR Award. Last year, he got an award for getting the most AR points in his grade based on the number of books read x your score on tests on those books. This year, they gave them based on the number of words read, so some kids read longer books and beat him out. Believe me, if he'd known what it took, he'd have won because he was through all the levels that a 2nd grader can get to by Christmas.
Alisha received both the VIP citizenship award and the 'A' honor roll as well. She also got an AR award...aggrevating her brother even more as she read only long books, but didn't accumulate near the points he did. She also got an award for finishing 5th place in her grade in an Oregon Trail tournament (one of only 11 that got them there alive). I must confess, even in high school, I don't think I ever got those folks there alive.

I must say that I am very proud of them. They did this on their own because I know I haven't been giving them the kind of support they need. I watched as many very smart kids only made the A-B honor roll, and I looked and knew that nearly every kid that made the A honor outside of them had more parental support and attention than we have been giving them. They are God's gift to me, and I thank him for watching over them and protecting them...even excelling them through all of our hard times. To borrow from Shelly T's blog, they managed to "dance in rain in the midst of our storm."

Is God in Control?

2008-06-04T09:16:00.007-05:00

Sometimes you think you see the light at the end of tunnel, but you can always get to the end of the tunnel and find that light to be a hole too small to fit thru...

We always like to say that God is in control. But hasn't he chosen to not be in control? I mean, we talk about how we have to give him control for everything to get better, so if we don't, he isn't in control, right? Of course, I mean he isn't in control by his choice because he can take control at any time. I know he can take it any time, but we know for the most part he wants us to give it to him before he will really step in and have that control and take care of us and our messy lives. What about the complication of other people involved? If other people directly affect you, and you give God control but they don't, how can he really have that control in your life when their actions affect you and he won't normally 'take' control of them if it isn't given to him? What if people we affect give God control and we don't? Isn't our controlling ourselves going to affect part of their life in spite of them giving God control?

The Scream...The Cry

2008-06-02T14:06:00.002-05:00

Ok, we did a GTIME on this last Sunday morning to show everyone what we do on Wednesday nights with the kids. Everything started out fine. I had planned to do the normal 30 minutes that we do. With our other normal stuff and a few other special things, that would take up the entire service.

We started out with a piano special, our semi-annual baby dedication, a scripture reciting, and recognizing our graduation seniors. We had the welcome, announcements, and I took over. The first thing I had planned was a skit/game. I had 3 "contestants". They left the room while I quickly set up the stage. I put different kids of balls under cloths. The catch is that the 4th of the 5 cloths actual sat over a hole in the table with a guy's head sticking up through it. It looked just like one of the other balls. The contestants are told that they are being timed to see how long it takes to go by one at a time, yank the cloth off, and yell out what kind of ball it is. When they get to the head, they, of course, jump and get scared. Well, the first contestant goes through calling out the balls and then she gets to the guy's head. Ya, she screamed a really long time...and then started crying really bad...in front of the whole church! I felt like crap, but what can you do at that point? I've seen this trick done 4 or 5 times, and no one has ever cried, and everyone afterwards said she was just the type they would have picked as well. Dang, though... And that was my first game to ever go bad, and it was in front of the whole freakin' church...

Well, the next one was an adult lady (that was funny), and then the last one came in. Well, the last one was the head guy's daughter. He was already to scare her bad, but what he didn't know was that we had already told her what the trip was. We had als placed in her hand a whipped cream pie, so you can guess the rest.

Then, we did about three songs and had the lesson, and concluded with a pizza party in the fellowship hall and a drawing for prizes that included a webkinz, an mp3 player, and a $50 gift card to Toys-R-Us. Pretty good otherwise...

The monopoly of a marriage

2008-05-27T13:16:00.005-05:00

Your marriage is a monopoly. It has to work. What if you only had one option at things?...not just only one option at the time, but only option ever? How would you act when a waitor gets your order wrong at your only-ever restaurant? How would you act on the phone to customer service at your only-ever cable company when a storm knocks it out? How would you water and care for your only-ever flower? How would you savor your only-ever steak? How would you drive and tare care of your only-ever car? How would you keep up with your only-ever set of keys? How hard would you work at your only-ever job?

Marriages would be different if we all treated our spouses like they really are our only-ever, forever and ever, life mates.

Enjoying Life

2008-05-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

Enjoying Life is not wanting more than you have, but looking for ways to better enjoy what you already have!

That's a Scott original...unless I read it sometime, had it buried inside me, and then emerge as a false original...

The Other Son...

2008-05-21T09:38:00.007-05:00

At GTIME, our Wednesday night worship service for 1st-6th grade, I've been going through a series about Satan's tactics to get to us. I've used the temptations of Eve and of Christ to show how Satan wants to get us to trade something good for something bad, how he lies, and how he wants us to focus on ourselves rather than others. We've looked at how he gets us to change small subtle things and how they snowball into worse things. We've looked at how he convinces us to ignore the consequences and believe we can beat them or dodge them and how the consequences will never make it worth it. Last week we began looking at the story of the Prodigal Son and how Satan will lie to us and make us believe that, once we've messed up, God doesn't want us back.

As I've prepared for this week, I see more of what goes on in our very churches. This week, we are studying about the "other son." The son that was just as rebellious but stayed with his father and didn't see his own faults. We are looking at how Satan lies to us and tells us that as long as we are in church, we are fine. That Satan will convince those in church that it's all about how things look rather than how they really are. It's so difficult to convince people that it isn't about how it looks, but rather how it really IS. As we focus on how things look, we find ourselves in some Shakespearean play where things appear normal to everyone, but everyone is plotting and focusing on their own needs. As all the people's selfish plans begin to go awry, they desperately try to hold their appearance together until they get into a situation so awful, they kill themselves or something. We will never be able to hold the appearances of a good life together when we are living a life of sin. The consequences of that sinful life will always surface in some form.

I pray that we can be a light to the lost world, but also reach out to our brothers and sisters among us that are struggling and that they will take the first step towards freeing themselves from that bondage by coming before the Lord broken. And also, I pray that each one of us will realize how quickly and easily we can be where they are if we let sin have a single foot in the door of our lives.

THE GOOD WIFE

2008-05-19T10:35:00.004-05:00

This forward came to me over the weekend. I researched it and it is actually from a Maryland Newpaper from the 1960s that has been reprinted hundreds of times. Obviously, the only writing to totally transcend time is the Bible, but how do you think this list of things it takes to be a good wife stands the test of time? My thoughts follow the article:

1. The good wife, grown-up enough to give as well as to receive, has the capacity to provide her husband with emotional support when needed.

That is, she is sensitive to his feelings and moods. When he is preoccupied by tensions outside the home, she knows he is not rejecting her. If he needs praise, she’s able to offer it. In crises, she stands by him: if he loses his job or fails in a venture, she doesn’t blame him entirely, but puts on a good face and does all she can to see him through the ordeal.

She understands his impulses even though she may disapprove of his behavior. Let me illustrate with a case at one of our agencies. Barbara had married Fred, a widower with a grown daughter and two grandchildren. Fred tended to go overboard with financial help to his daughter. Last summer, he sent both grandchildren to an expensive camp, thus depriving Barbara and himself of a longer vacation. But Barbara realized that Fred’s daughter resented his second marriage and perhaps this was his way of winning her over. Instead of expressing resentment, Barbara accepted his gesture as a wish to be a good father and grandfather — an emotional need that had to be satisfied.

2, To be able to give her husband emotional support, the good wife develops her own potentialities as a human being. Retaining her individuality and independence, she may take courses in adult education, cultivate her talents, or participate in community affairs. Thus, she fulfills herself as a person and still pulls her oar as a wife. At the same time, she grows along with her husband, expanding her horizons with his and broadening her interests as he moves ahead. She is able to keep pace with him. adjusting to the many and various changes and emotional cycles in their love.

3. Her expectations of what her husband can do are realistic. Take the case of Joan and Paul Meadows, for example. As an orphaned child, Joan had been placed in one foster home after another. Instability marked her entire youth. When she married Paul, a truck driver, Joan realized he had far less education and intelligence than she, but he was steady and predictable, giving her the security she needed. Joan manages the finances, plans for the children, and makes the major decisions, yet she makes Paul feel he is the boss at home. She has never berated him for his inability to increase his income. Joan sees her husband in a true light.

4. The good wife shares her husband’s goals, fitting them to her own. She is willing to wait patiently for the ultimate rewards. In attaining these objectives, she shares responsibilities as well as pleasures and problems. A fairly common case in point is a couple I’ll call Ed and Betty Jackson. Ambitious to get ahead, Ed started as a salesman in a demanding business. He worked late hours and traveled a good deal. Although she was annoyed and lonely from time to time, Betty adapted herself to the situation. She learned to make casserole dishes that wouldn’t spoil when he came home late, and made the most of their few hours together. Now that Ed has been made an executive, they have household help and more time to spend with each other. Recently, the Jacksons took a long-dreamed-of trip to Europe. As her husband’s “partner,” Betty had played her role well in his hard climb upward.

5. Through the warmth of her affection, the good wife helps keep their love alive. She sends him off with a kiss in the morning and greets him as fondly when he returns. To her, physical love is a symbol of devotion rather than an end in itself, and she is aware that such physical need is usually greater in the male. The considerate wife lets her mate know that she finds him desirable, and never makes him feel inadequate as a male.

6. The good wife has a deep, abiding, confident faith in the man she has married. She wants others to respect him as she does. In a group conversation, she permits him to take the lead and shouldn’t interrupt him constantly or spoil his joke - She avoids criticizing him in public. Nor does she disparage associates and friends he admires. She follows an open-door policy for them in her heart even if she finds them dull or sometimes dependable. She may compromise gracefully, however, by not seeing them too often.

7. While she enjoys her husband’s companionship, the good wife doesn’t become too dependent on it. Respecting his need for occasional privacy, she learns when to keep quiet if she’s aware he is upset or uncommunicative. If he’d rather read or watch a ball game on television, she avoids disturbing him with idle chatter. While family unity is desirable, she doesn’t force him into “togetherness.” If her husband invites her to join him in golf, fishing, or bowling — and she’s interested — she’ll go along for the comradeship. But if he prefers some social time with other men, and she senses that she shouldn’t intrude, the good wife doesn’t consider this a personal affront. She knows she doesn’t have to be in her husband’s corner every moment of his free time.

8. Social scientists agree that emancipation from parental domination is essential to harmony in marriage. The good wife doesn’t run off to mother every time she’s up against a situation she can’t handle. While she maintains close ties with her parents, their wishes do not control her decisions. No longer their “little girl,” she has assumed the full stature of a wife. Her mother’s advice may be helpful, but the smart wife knows that it must not intrude on the young couple’s privacy. Toward her husband’s parents, she is accepting. Tactfully, she arranges to see them regularly (if that’s what her husband wants), and takes their suggestions with grace. But she and her husband still hold the reins at home.

9. Considering homemaking her profession, she enjoys being a capable household manager, even if she has an outside job, too. Home should be more than a place for her husband to hang his hat — he should find pleasure in returning to it each day. She makes every effort to keep their home reasonably cheerful, a restful haven. Meals are enticing in variety. Unless he’s willing to do such household chores as washing dishes or changing diapers, she does not insist on it. Although he can help around the house, her mate isn’t converted into a “mother substitute.” If she has a part-time career or full-time job, it doesn’t take priority in her life, and her own work should not become more important to her than his.

10. Conflicts are normal in marriage, and the astute wife doesn’t let tensions pile up; she works them out as they come along. Above all, she must be able to communicate her feelings and respect her husband’s, though they may differ. She tries to find out what’s “eating” her mate, concedes that his viewpoint may be reasonable and opens the way to discussion and compromise. When she knows the “sore spots” in his personality, she avoids the temptation to strike at them. If she has a grievance herself, she tries to choose the right time and place to air it, limiting her arguments to relevant facts. Above all, she retains her sense of humor and sense of proportion.

What about her function as a mother? Having children is a joint goal, an expression of a couple’s affection for each other. Generally, the American woman today takes a dominant role when the children are young, but the good wife doesn’t shut out her husband or lessen her devotion to him. She divides her love between him and the children. From the beginning, she encourages him to share in their rearing and guidance. When they misbehave, she handles the problem as it comes up: she doesn’t put him in the unfavorable position of a dreaded disciplinarian by threatening her children with: “Wait till Daddy comes home!” He does his part when he’s at home, and she backs him up in his methods of punishment.

I just thought it was a good read to discuss because I can see women that agree and disagree with it, and I could see men that agree and disagree with it.

I can see women who would say this is how it should be because too many women become self-centered and make their happiness dependent on what they want instead of tending to the family God blessed them with. This was written in a time when divorce rates weren't near what they are now. Saying that this list describes exactly what God means by submitting to your husband and being his helper.

I can see women who disagree and say they can tell it must have come from the 1960s. Saying that women actually weren't happy that way, and that this list is not for the modern era.

I can see men that agree with this list and say that this is the wife's role in their marriage, but I can also see men that would read this list and feel threatened to admit that they need these things from their wife.

My stance: Well, I do like the list because I know enough men and how they are wired to know they do need these things. When they don't get them, they have a tendency to become the jerks that so many women hate to see. Oh, there are some modern twists that might need to be added, but I think there are only two true conditions to accepting this as a true list of things a good wife is.
1. One is to have an equal list of what it takes to be a good husband. If you have a good wife, and the husband is still a jerk and simply expects these things, then you have a good wife and a bad marriage. If a wife is this giving to the relationship and role as a mother and wife, then the husband needs to be as well.
2. The expectations of each item on this list have to be realistic. This isn't a 1960s TV show and no woman can be these things all the time. Not all women are fantastic cooks. Not all can jump in and handle the finances. Not all women have the organizational skills to keep a clean house without the help of the husband when they have kids at home and work outside the home.

I think the list more accurately describes the "needs" of the husband and how they can be "perfectly met" in a perfect world. I don't think the husband necessarily needs all these things done, but what he needs is to recognize the effort the wife puts into them. Notice that each one focuses on why the husband needs those things rather than just going with the basic notions (like he wants a clean house because clean is better).

Here is what I think has changed with time: I think that each couple must find the balance of "duties" that suits them. This balance can happen with the husband doing more than this list suggests as long as the needs he has behind these things are still being met.

But, I'm no marriage counselor, so...

The Cancer

2008-05-13T15:18:00.003-05:00

Well, the cancer has struck my grandpa once again. He has already dealt with the cancer twice. Over 10 years ago, he had part of his colon removed because of the cancer. The next time was about the same time Drew was born (he was in the hospital at the same time as Isha for birthing Drew). It was in his urinary tract, and they removed his kidney and did chemo to remove it. Today, he was found to have a tumor in his lung...which they have declared to be lung cancer.

I hate the cancer. My grandpa means a lot to me. He and my grandma did some financial things for me along the way (bought me my first car, paid my way through college, bought 90% of our kids' diapers, took us to buy groceries in our poorer days, etc.). He constantly tells me how proud of me he is because I took everything he ever gave me as a investment that I used to better myself and put myself in a position to where I didn't need anything from him from an early age on.

I talk to him at least 5 days a week (if not everyday), and just those 10 minute conversations are a very important part of my life. I'm in a very busy part of my life, and they take what they can get from us time-wise and don't expect anything more. He can always tell when I don't really have time to talk and lets me go immediately without the slightest aggrevation. He always has a joke to lighten the mood or make my day (even if it's one of the ones he's told over and over--and I admit that sometimes I bring things up that I know will relate to one of those jokes and he'll tell it like clockwork). They always drop anything and everything to watch our kids so that we can have a night out or whatever.

If he does ask anything of me, he does all he can himself first. They got a new TV, and he asked me to come take the old heavy one to my aunt. I get to the house to find he's brought it out of the house and into the garage ready to load. He hands me gas money, helps me load it, and follows me to my aunt's (15 miles away) to make sure I got it unloaded ok. If he'd had a pick-up, he wouldn't even have asked me to do it. That's his version of me helping out...I barely have to do anything.

I know my grandmother is not ready...as I held her shaking hands this morning in the doctor's office as the doctor shared with us the bad news. Since he retired about 8 years ago or so, they are probably apart from each other a whole couple of hours a month. I'll bet their cars have not been out of the garage at the same time in years. I hope and pray for the doctors to have the wisdom and means to deal with the cancer, and pray that God will do a miracle here and remove it. I'm not nearly ready for this to go this way.

I hate the cancer.

AS A MAN...

2008-05-05T09:11:00.003-05:00

AS A MAN...

IF YOU CAN ONLY BE ONE PERSON'S HERO,
BE YOUR SON'S HERO.

IF YOU CAN ONLY TEACH ONE PERSON TO RECOGNIZE TRUE LOVE,
TEACH YOUR DAUGHTER TO RECOGNIZE IT.

IF YOU CAN ONLY MAKE ONE PERSON BELIEVE LOVE CONQUERS ALL,
MAKE YOUR WIFE BELIEVE IT DOES.

IF YOUR LIFE CAN ONLY HAVE ONE BRAND NAME ON IT,
LET IT HAVE THE NAME OF GOD ON IT.

Just thought about this because you can't be everything to everyone, and you don't need to be everything to anyone. A man of God needs to be certain things to certain people, and I want to be the things my family needs from me and the things God wants from me.

Something about you...

2008-04-29T15:40:00.005-05:00

Sometimes someone doesn't like something about you.
Sometimes it can hurt your feelings for them to say it.
Sometimes you need to stop and look it before you get upset.
Because sometimes you don't like that about yourself either.

The Critic

2008-04-28T13:22:00.003-05:00

No where in the Bible is the "gift" of criticism shown. All spiritual gifts are commanded to be presented and used in love. All throughout the Bible, God tells how to act in love, love each other as we love ourselves, and that love is the greatest commandment. There are gifts where correction takes place - preaching, teaching, discernment, etc., but scripture holds true to the fact that all of these gifts must be expressed in love or they are not being used of God.

The truth is that God usually matches our gifts (spiritual strengths to be used for God in the body) and our talents (strengths Christians & non-Christians have that help them succeed in certain areas of life). We can easily be using our simply our talents and believe that they are spiritual gifts.

There are numerous examples. A preacher can deliver a powerful message with all the right words and emotions, but it be a result of his speaking talent rather than a spiritual gift of preaching where God provides him with the message.

I've been specifically thinking about critical people lately. We all have our critics. There is always someone that is ready to correct you, tell you what they would do or what you should do, and remind you of your mistakes and failures. many times, they try to disguise critism with a mask of wisdom, discernment, or healthy correction.

Don't let the critic get you down. There is no spiritual gift of criticism. They DO NOT always know what they would do in your shoes. They DO NOT always know what is best for you. And Godly advise does not come in the form of critism.

Lastly, don't be critical of yourself or your life's situation. For the most part, we have to accept responsibility for where we are, how we are, and where we are heading. But, review your situation with a wise, discerning, and healthy evaluating eye, and not the eye of a critic. Answer yourself and others with a response that is of the word, prayed over, and expressed in love. Be gracious to yourself and others...and respond to negatives you see with yourself and others as a gracious person and someone who doesn't deserve anything we have anyway--because we don't.

"Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let you speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." - Corinthians 4:2-6

Valentine's Dance Party

2008-03-31T14:11:00.004-05:00

While Isha and I went out to eat on the Friday after Valentine's Day, the kids stayed out the house and turned the Breakfast room into a dance floor. When we returned, we dressed up and "got down"!

pops & dinks of spring

2008-03-24T15:31:00.003-05:00

Spring is here and the outside items that have neglected all winter are screaming my name. I don't consider it spring or plan any spring work until I've had a little spring fun. We went camping last weekend and it was pretty chilly, so I don't know if that counts or not. But, I definitely need to get a few things planted out front, start the lawn work, and make plans to paint the house--YUCK!

The sound of spring is accented with the pops of a ball landing in a glove and the dinks of the bats hitting the ball. I have never been much of a baseball fan, but I'm becoming more of one. For one thing, I don't have to coach it, so I get to actually sit in the stands or dugout and just enjoy it. Also, it is usually pretty nice weather. Drew is moving up a year early to kid-pitch baseball, and coming off his broken collarbone, we'll have to see how that works out. But the team wanted him to move up to the 3rd/4th grade division to play with them, so he's doing it. He has a tournament starting this weekend, although he is currently limited to playing outfield and no batting in the game to avoid contact to his shoulder for a couple of more weeks. he's got regular season games beginning the week of April 7 through the first week of June. Alisha is playing softball for the first time, and I haven't gotten her schedule yet, but I'm sure the combination of the two is going to make the rest of the school year crazy!

Easter Video

2008-03-17T10:11:00.001-05:00

Getting Lost in Lost

2008-03-11T10:18:00.003-05:00

I began watching the show Lost a few years ago when the show started. But, my crazy schedule with ball practices and church and such kept me from continuing past the first few episodes. It was before my DVR days, so I just let it go without much thought but that I knew I was missing a good one. Well, after hearing more and more people rave about it and knowing people who had actually owned it on DVD, I decided I would get it that way and begin watching it. Well, Isha and I got it Saturday evening. We were preparing for company the next day for lunch after church, so we settled in about 9:30 to watch an episode or two. The season is 7 disks of 4 episodes each. They are about 3 hours per disk with a 3 1/2 disk 7...I'm assuming a 2-hr season finale or just a 25th episode. Well, we got sucked in so quick. We moved the 50" TV to the bedroom and we spent the weekend in bed watching Lost and eating too much. We watched 4 episodes Saturday night 9:30-12:30. When the company was gone and cleaned up after on Sunday, we settled in for 4 more episodes 2:30-5:30 p.m. before church. We went to church and came home in time to catch another showing of 4 episodes 8:30-11:30. Monday was a busy day of errands and appointments in Wichita, but we returned and fit in 8 episodes from 7:30 till about 2 a.m. We have only disk 7 left to finish this season, and probably on the brink of bed sores. And my gosh people, you watch another episode to get answers, and they only present more questions!

Anyway, I knew it was a good one when I first saw it, but didn't have the means to keep it going. But now, we defintely are sucked in and will be going through it all to catch up. Hopefully, we can pace ourselves a little better though...lol.

Pig Pens, Video Games, and Direction

2008-03-07T09:51:00.008-06:00

This is a nice illustration of us trying to fix a problem without God. Reading Psalm 23, I realize how poorly things go that I try to handle on my own in the "valley". They don't make a video game (that I know of) where you are in a spiritual battle and have God as one of your weapons. It wouldn't make sense because you would stand no chance of winning without him and be guaranteed to defeat the enemy with him, so what would be the point of playing? Well, maybe we should sit down and play it everytime we think we can do it without him, huh?...and realize how much we need him.

Here's a question for thought? Would you rather your life be good or appear good? I think most people would honestly say they want it to be good even though not all of our actions always show that, but here's another question: Would you rather your life be good and not know where it's going or be rough and heading in the right direction? Be careful...that's not as easy of a choice. You can think your life is good, but you may be required to let it get rough TO head in the right direction...

Making Lemonade

2008-03-03T11:03:00.005-06:00

And the two will become one flesh, so they are no longer two, but one. Mark 10:8

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

I'm thankful for my wife that I love so much.
I'm thankful for my family that I know I can count on when I need them.
I'm thankful for my friends that will do anything for me.
I'm thankful for my kids that just love me and trust me.
I'm thankful for a loving and forgiving church.
I'm thankful for a Savior that died for our sins and blessed me with all that these things, and I'm thankful that when we hand him our lives, he makes lemonade out of the lemons we've squeezed into it...

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. Romans 8:28

Callin' the Play

2008-02-18T10:02:00.006-06:00

This week, Drew's team was playing a 5-3 that should have been a pretty easy win, but for several reasons, we struggled. First of all, one of my players showed up after the game started and it messed the rotation I had set up. That led to two of my best players sitting at the same time for the third quarter. We lost our lead in that quarter and went into the 4th quarter tied up 8-8. Their best player started the quarter with 4 fouls. I told Drew to steal the ball and go down to shoot, but don't take the shot because I knew that kid would foul him. He did just that...stole the ball and paused at the other end for a second and let that kid foul him. They called it on the ground, so he didn't get the free throws I was wanting, so we played on. Still tied with about a minute left, I called timeout and drew up a play. I had been sending the high post, Corben, to go screen for Drew going with a pick-n-roll. They were covering that now. I had sent my wing as well, Morgan, on the last play to do a double screen that had resulted in a missed layup by that dork of a son of mine, so I knew their coach was preparing them for that now too. I had Corben come screen for Drew, and Morgan to act like he was going to go screen as well, but instead just take one step towards Drew and then break to the basket. Drew was to hit him cutting to the basket as he himself came off Corben's screen. Morgan's dad was sitting with his wife at the scorer's table where she was keeping the books, and he heard the play explained to the boys. The play was executed to perfection and Morgan scored the basket to put us ahead for good. Drew hit one more shot to finish the game 12-8.

I was excited for them, but Morgan's dad mentioned to me how much more exciting it is to actually hear the play explained and watch it carried out to perfection for the win. That must be how it is with God. He has a plan for our lives. It is a perfect plan for us to win in life. It must be exciting in heaven as the angels hear God call a plan for us, and then to watch us carry it out and succeed. Also, it must be heart-breaking to watch us stumble and make a mistake that messes it up, and even more frustrating to watch us deliberately go out and do something different from what He's drawn up for us to do. I guess just as bad, we can stand in the huddle and not even listen to the instructions, and just be totally lost when step onto the floor.

I probably have more to prove as a guy trying to coach this team, but I truly feel like my interest lies in seeing the boys faces as they win games. But, I'm sure I get a little pride and self-seeking in the process somewhere as well. Well, God has nothing but our interest in mind as he coaches us and draws up the plays for our lives. We need to listen, prepare, and execute those plays the best we can. I want to picture those in heaven clinching their fists and yelling, "YES!" as they see me do what God wants me to do and succeeding because of it. And, that all starts with me listening to the perfect coach of life, and preparing to do what I'm told.

Usin' a Sharpie

2008-02-11T15:14:00.001-06:00

We begin each day of our lives with a Sharpie in our hand. As soon as we wake up, we take off the lid and place it on the page. It writes until we crawl into bed, close our eyes, and go to sleep. Everything we do that day is permanent to us and those around us. No words can actually be taken back, nothing can actually be made up for, and no one can dodge the permanence of their words and actions.

What we need to do is:
1. Be careful about those things...as careful as signing an important document in just the right place.
2. Realize that everyone is using a Sharpie, and they will make mistakes from time to time just like you.
3. Take time to look back at the mistakes you've made and don't repeat them over and over.
4. Take time to look at other people's mistakes and let them be lessons to you as well, so you don't have to make them.
5. Have people that you admire and look up to you in your life. Look at what they've done right and get where they are by following their example.
6. Don't spend all your time looking at the past. You can't pay enough attention to what you're marking now if you're just looking at old stuff you've marked all the time.
7. Don't let your bad markings dictate the rest of your life. Know when it's time to regroup and start in a different direction.
8. Be aware of people around you. When they are hurting reach out to them. Help them in their failures, and realize that you CAN mark your page and help others at the same time. If fact, helping others is marking your page...and good.
9. The faster you mark, the harder it is to "stay in the lines," and that's just the kind of mistake Satan wants you to make so he can get to you.

God made our lives move in one direction - FORWARD. We can't slow it down or speed it up. We can't change the past and don't need to worry about the future too much. If we take care of the present, the future will be good. If we simply prepare for the future, the present will be more enjoyable with less worry.

LOVE YOUR LIFE OR GET CONTROL OF IT BY GIVING GOD THE CONTROL!

Relevancy

2008-02-07T20:36:00.001-06:00

I love to be stretched. I love to have my mind stretched. I think more people do than not...just in different areas. I love a difficult math problem (yes, I hear the gag sounds). I love to read blogs that stretch my thinking, expand my environment, and force me to back up and approach it from a different direction.

I love reading things that I could talk to someone about and come away thinking we must not have read the same thing. I love art. I'm not an 'artsy' person by any means, but I am intrigued by it and appreciate it as something beyond my natural talents.

All that to say, we must push ourselves...we must push our minds like a runner in the last stretch of a race looking for his second wind. However, there is this one caution. We must remain relevant. I want to give the world something that pushes their minds, but I have no desire to give the world something that is only useful to small portion of the population. I want to give the world something to think about that might be new or different for them, but I want them to understand it when they hear or read it. I want to be outside their box, but I want to be relevant.

I would humbly say that I am told I am a smart person, but without relevance, I am dumb...without wisdom, I am stupid...without the ability to improve people around me, I am...irrelevant. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." I named by fantasy football teams IRONMEN as a reminder of that. If I participate, and win it all...hoist the trophy and set it on my mantle for the year, but don't positively influence those guys I play with, I have won nothing.

My world may not consist of that many people...my family, my friends, the kids I work with on Wednesdays, the kids on the teams I coach, my Sunday School class, and the few people that actually read my blog...but I want to stand before God one day and have him tell me that I was a positive influence on those people for him. That is what my prayer is. There is no "meaning in life" that does not include, and is most importantly, what you give to others. It's so easy to be selfish. It's so easy to lean on certain talents to get praise from others. It's so hard to keep your motives pure. But when we focus on pure motives, our actions will remain pure. When our actions remain pure, we remain useful and relevant to a world in need.

Sounds from the Patriots locker room

2008-02-05T13:20:00.001-06:00

Here are some quotes heard in the Patriots locker room just prior to the Super Bowl...

1. "Uh-oh Coach, the VCR just ate the video labeled 'Giants Signals.'"

2. "Of couse we're gonna win...everyone says so."

3. "TO? This is Tom Brady...now exactly how did you come back from that ankle injury to play in the Super Bowl?"

4. "Coach, here's a bright new red hoodie for good luck."

5. "Backs, you've got to hit the gap." "Why does he want us to just run into Strahan?"

6. "We're 5-0 against teams from New York so far this year, so what do we have to worry about?"

7. "This is Tom Brady...sure, let Giselle in the suite...she's can't be as unlucky as Jessica."

8. "Randy, quit hoggin the play book!" "Wait your turn...I'm checkin' out which plays I wanna take off."

9. "Crap guys, you were suppose to wait till after the game to down the champagne."

10. "Line, keep me on my feet, and we'll be fine."

11. "Guys, keep my car running in the fourth quarter...if things are going bad, I'm out of there before that final second runs off the clock."

12. "I hear there's some hottie in Archer City sittin' on the couch with her man rootin' against us." "So, she'd have to be really hott for that to matter..." ;-D

Giant Accomplishment

2008-02-04T15:20:00.001-06:00

That was the most amazing Super Bowl game for me that the Cowboys weren't in. My hatred for Belichick and Brady has grown to where I was not only rooting for the Giants, but loving them as if they were my team. I do love the story...I don't like Tiki Barber and I was glad to see him eat his words about Eli and the team...and glad to see the team win a Super Bowl the year after he retired early "because he didn't need the game." Game was awesome...commercials were pretty good...half-time show sucked. Anyway, I have nothing prophetic to say about the game. But I do need to mention that it's hott that my wife has a quote about it on her page...just sayin'...

God's Ways Are Not Our Ways...

2008-02-01T07:40:00.001-06:00

Recently God revealed himself to me again in a way that was as clear as talking to him on the phone or something. I'd have to say there are three times in my life that he's spoken to me this clearly...or rather, that I've listened and heard him this clearly...because I'm sure he would do it a lot more if I listened more.

1. I was 19 years old. It was the weekend of the Greenbelt Bowl in Childress. I worked in the head office for Golden Fried Chicken in Wichita Falls, and I was taking care of some business at the Childress store. The shift manager there asked me if I wanted to go to the dance after the game with him and some other people, so I did. We began to goof around and pick out girls to ask to dance...like, "see that girl over there...I'm about to ask her to dance with me." For the last year of my life, I had been just living worldly and recklessly. At one point, I saw a girl across the room and said I was going to ask her to dance, and she instantly made eye contact with me and came and asked me to dance instead. As we danced and talked, she told me about how important Christ was in her life. It hit me that this was the type of girl I needed to be going after...and that I wasn't living my life in the right way to attract this type of girl. I asked her what she was doing later that night or the next day, and she said she was leaving on a mission trip with her church. She told me the name of the church, and we talked a little more and then split. Our 'spot' was by the entrance, and I went back to join the guys there. I never saw her again and I scanned the place over and over. I never saw her leave either. Later that night in my hotel room, I began looking through the phone book for that church and it didn't exist. That was my wake-up call. That was God telling me "I have a great life for you, but you're gonna miss it living the way you are." I don't know if that was a girl, an angel, or what, but it got my attention...and even more so for me to realize the woman I eventually married, people tried to set us up since I was 17, and I met her a year and a few months after that night. God knew I wasn't ready to meet her...or better, she wouldn't have liked the me then.

2. After being here for 5 years, I felt God specifically calling me to a different type of ministry. It was a very clear call. I applied for an education position at one other church. It was a large church in Oklahoma City. They called me, interviewed me, and gave me a ton of tests (spiriutal gifts, psych, etc.). They were ready to bring me in view of call, and I just felt God saying no. I was like, "You told me this was what you wanted me to do, so what gives?" I did say no, and just a few months later, Roger and a deacon from here began to discuss with me what God was calling me to do, and exploring whether or not it was here. Now, I've been here over 11 years, and I love my job. I don't know that the combination of things I do with education, children, and administration even exists anywhere else.

3. God is still in action on this one, so maybe I'll share it another time. But let me say that, like the second time, God was calling me to do something I felt I'd have to leave to make happen. As I explored moving, I again felt God telling me to stay put. I committed to him again that I would stay put even though I didn't see how the combination of what he was calling for and staying here could work. Within a couple of months, he began to put things in motion that is allowing for both. He is an awesome God.

These three things had some common ground. In each case, I knew...just really knew what God was asking for. Each time, as soon as I got the instruction from him, I left him and began to search for how to make that happen on my own. I thought I needed to track that girl down when she wasn't 'the one'--just a picture of the one. I thought I needed to move, when God wanted to make those things happen without me moving. Also, in each case, I heard him loud and clear on what needed to happen...he had someone for me, he had a change in ministry for me, and what he was showing me needed to happen recently, each really did need to happen. I just needed to continue seeking him to find out exactly when and how those things were to happen. I look at those three instances and feel a little like Abraham being told he was going to have a son, and then he looked around for how to make that happen on his own.

I just thank God that he works the way he does...that he'll make it so clear when the time is right...that he'll tell us things that need to happen and reaffirm it by putting things into motion that will make it happen...and that he does this for me when there are so many more important needs out there in the world...

Exhausted

2008-01-27T21:00:00.001-06:00

K...My Saturday consisted of the following:

Left the house at 7:30 a.m. to go to Wichita to ref 3 basketball games at 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30.
Left Wichita at 11:20 to return to Archer to shower and get to the church to help with a funeral lunch by noon.
After the lunch, I set up and ran sound for the 2 p.m. funeral.
After the funeral I jumped in the car and changed on the way back to Wichita to coach Drew's game at 3:30 p.m.
We won that game 18-4.
Drew had another game an hour later at 5:30 p.m.
We were up 17-2 at the start of the 4th quarter, so I left to go to Alisha's game downtown.
The boys finished 19-9 without me.
I got to Alisha's game at the start of the second half. We were up just 3-0.
They finished 7-6...it was a horrible game for us...agh!
We went to Target to buy a birthday present.
We ate at Pizza Hut and had a terrible waitress and I had to explain to Isha what a Robot is (see her myspace blog).
Went to Penneys to exchange some shirts.
Drove home to arrive about 9 p.m. or so.
I showered again...and we gave each other a shoulder rub to get the tention of the day out.
Then, we just laid in bed and talked until we were ready to go to sleep

WHEW!!!!!!!!!

Be Careful Little Eyes

2008-01-25T10:21:00.001-06:00

It is obvious that God made us all different for a reason, and I'd never question Him in that. Each person in the body of Christ has different strengths. I have people all the time see things that I don't and get me back on track...although sometimes I don't see until I learn the hard way.

I guess sometimes, in a way, I just wish we all saw things the same way. I mean, don't freak out and start listing the negatives to that. I know them all, but I just mean sometimes i just wish that. We could all just get along. We would be strong about the same things and get hurt byt the same things, but we wouldn't know any different because we'd all be living in ignorant bliss.

The mistakes that you make, everyone would make and we'd all just live with the same consequences. The mistakes you would see someone about to make, they would see too and not make them. We wouldn't improve or grow, but we wouldn't know the difference...

Just a place I'd like to be sometimes...

Where I Am

2008-01-23T09:37:00.001-06:00

OK, usually when I go to post, I've either had God hit me with something or I've got something to get off my chest or I've got sporting news to jabber about, but this time I just felt compelled to start typing, so who knows where this is going. (And, can I use the word 'either' with a list of three things or is either like better and only an option between two things?)

Anyway, I do truly love the life that I have. Summer of 2005, we had a two year plan to get here and we did it in one year when the opportunities and doors opened for it to happen that way--when the house we wanted became available and the job that Isha wanted and needed to finish school in time for became available and an opportunity for me to bring in the extra money we needed to make it happen presented itself. I mean, wow, all I could think was that this must have been God at work in our lives. And we did it. Isha finished school, and got the job she had wanted so bad. We finished the work on the old house and sold it for double what we paid for it...including more than we paid in payments, insurance, taxes, interest, upkeep, repairs, and remodeling all put together. I did the extra work for the extra money to remodel, and I helped Isha as much as I could in school.

This was the ultimate "project" we had taken on together and completed together. It was bigger than being in school at the same time with babies, fighting through the 'lean' years of eating hotdogs or something when we couldn't afford anything else. It was harder than me working nights and her days and sleeping in the same bed (at the same time) only twice a week. And it was harder on Isha than any of the postpartum times with either of the kids, and I didn't even know it at the time.

Actually, I was probably pretty sensitive during the year, but when the year was over and I felt all the stress was gone, I lost that sensitivity. In fact, the extra income I was getting lasted longer than I thought and we bought new furniture too, so what was there to be stressed about?...so I thought. Well, I wasn't the one starting a new job, and I was probably a little full of myself as the 'provider' of our family and what 'I' had accomplished and put myself on cruise as the God-appointed leader of the household.

Anyway, I had gone in 'debt' with my family as a husband and a dad, and when payments were due, I was not making them. I don't know that I regret the crazy, busy, hard year because I just see too many things in it that were God-given opportunities and doors that He opened. But, I do hate that I didn't come out of it prepared to pay my family back for working them so hard that year.

I just want to be the kind of dad and husband that makes them proud of me and not just the "pusher" all the time. My kids so love to bring their accomplishments, and I know they work hard for me. They want to celebrate their victories with me over their own teammates. Drew sticks by my side after every game, and it just lets me know that he knows I push him to work hard and part of him does it for me. Alisha, though not usually as motivated, wants to always compliment the cooking (even if she accidently already complained about it) and show me things that she's proud of just looking for my approval. I'm glad to see them work hard, and that they do it in a way that they know it pleases me. I just pray that I can teach them to stop and enjoy it at the same time. I pray that they see in me that I hate that I made that mistake, and that I want to do all I can to make up for it.

I mortgaged that year, and waited another 6 months to begin paying it back. I can see how easy it is for ambitious people continue to get caught up in mortgaging their families and time over and over for another carrot, and it's a sad thing. I pray that I never do it again. I have two of the best kids, and I try to tell them that a lot. I have the best wife that just loves me no matter I do. I love that she is so sensitive to my 'moods,' that she makes our house so beautiful, that she takes pride in what she does, that she keeps me in line with the kids...and the kids in line with me, that she lets me know she appreciates all I do, that she'll sit and watch tv or a movie with me that she might not even like, and that she just looks so dang good all the time...she's the only woman I know in the world that pulls off pretty, cute, beautiful, and sexy at the same time.

I'm just thankful to God for what I have...thankful he gave me both things I don't even deserve and the means to work for things...thankful that he allows me to keep it all in spite of my many imperfections and for giving my family the ability to live with me through those imperfections.

that's my boy

2008-01-21T18:22:00.001-06:00

This weekend Drew's 2nd grade Wildcat team faced the undefeated Petrolia Pirates. The Pirates were 4-0 with victories of 35-11, 48-6, 30-10, and a forfeit. We went in short-handed with only 5 boys there for the game. We trailed the entire game with a half-time score of 8-11, and were behind by as much as 7 points. After a couple of steals and fast break points near the end, we entered the final seconds down 13-14. Drew drives to the basket and is fouled on the floor with 13 seconds left. He is shooting 1 and 1 free throws. Before shooting, and without instruction, he "huddles" his team together and instructs them on the importance of getting this rebound. He hits the first one to tie the game up at 14. Then, he misses the second one, but gets his own rebound and puts in for the 16-14 victory. I don't think I said a word during those final seconds of the game...I simply watched in awe as Drew coached the team from the floor to victory, and at that point, I'm not sure if I cared that much about them winning except to see him get what he was working so hard for. As the final buzzer went off, he ran off the court and dove into my arms for a second time (the first coming as we beat Holliday in football with a goal line stand and he was in at cornerback). K, just had to share that proud moment...

esse quam videri

2008-01-18T09:27:00.001-06:00

esse quam videri is a greek/latin phrase that simply means "to be, rather than to seem". This phrase jumped out at me because I totally believe this is important and think that this would improve the world so much.

esse quam videri - I hate when people take what I say wrong. I'm not going to intentionally offend someone very often, and when I do, you won't have to wonder if I am or not. So, if it just seems I am, then you're probably wrong, so just relax and assume the best.

esse quam videri - I want relationships to be good...not just seem to be good. I'm a "let's just get it all out there in the open, so there's no misunderstanding" type of person. I tend to be very aware of problems and faults in myself and other people, but I am also usually more sensitive to the fact that we all have quirks, and I don't get too sensitive about some over others. I do appreciate differences and how those differences can be strengths to others' weaknesses.

esse quam videri - We are stuck with family. I don't need to pretend I'm best friends with family to get together and enjoy them. Extended family time, especially in-law time, might never be most enjoyable time, but deep down I believe it is necessary and bearable time with people you love and that love you and that will be there when you need them. So, you don't have to make it seem like something it's not...just let it be what it is and relax and you might even find yourself enjoying it...or at least entertained...lol.

esse quam videri - Our walk with Christ can always seem better than it is as long as we focus on what we do and look like rather than who we really are. Yes, it is scary to look at who we really are because I hate seeing what thoughts can go through my head and what I could be capable of without accountability. But the truth is, if we spend the time focusing on "being" instead of just how we "seem to be," it would fix them both. And although fixing who we are feels like a daunting task, ignoring doesn't help anything...in fact it hurts us.

Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. Psalm 26:2
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
ESSE QUAM VIDERI

sometimes...

2008-01-17T08:23:00.001-06:00

Sometimes we make mistakes that cost us.
Sometimes the world seems tougher than usual.
Sometimes we find another reason to love someone.
Sometimes we don't understand each other.
Sometimes we have the best time.
Sometimes someone we love hurts us really bad.
Sometimes we have selfish moments.
Sometimes people do just what we need when we need it.
Sometimes we wish we'd stayed in bed.
Sometimes we're right; sometimes we're wrong.
Sometimes we fail at our attempts.
Sometimes we hate life; sometimes we love life.
Sometimes we just feel blah.
Sometimes we forget things we should remember.
Sometimes we remember things we should forget.
Sometimes we discover someone's selfishness.
Sometimes we do the right thing; sometimes we don't.

But, God...
Always "meets our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19)
Always "is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Ps 46:1)
Always loves us, "not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 Jn 4:10)
Always "comforts us in all our troubles." (2 Cor 1:4)
Always "forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases" (Ps 103:3)
Always removes our sins "as far as the east is from the west." (Ps 103:12)
Always has "even the very hairs on your head numbered." (Mt 10:30)

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousnes for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, the comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoit my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." - Psalm 23

I include this passage to remind us that these "always" aren't a guaranty of Christianity, of being good, of claiming to know God, or going to church. These "always" pertain to God, our Lord, the Creator, the Father. It's through a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with him that we find and understand these things. I pray that anyone reading this takes time to invest in that relationship today. I pray that anyone feeling they are in "the valley" right now, feels God's arms around them today.

Helping the Needy

2008-01-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

In my line of work, I have needy people come to me for help all the time. That is just part of my job and I don't partucularly like or dislike it. I see it as one of the things God has me here for. As Christians, we are supposed to help those around us in need. Yes, after a few times, I require them to do things to help themselves before I'll help any further. It might be to ask their teenage or grown child to get a job, to come in and make a budget with me, or to get rid of unnecessary expenses such as Internet, cell phones, and bottled water. I usually don't hear from them again, but if they don't want to help themselves, then so be it.

Also, you can't get too close to people in need. I'm not refering to just physical needs either. I'm refering to people we see spinning their wheels in life and having self-pity parties all the time. First of all, yes the world is against you. It is supposed to be. But, it's against all of us and we have to get past that and move on with life. These are the people that, if you get too close to, they will drag you down with them.

No matter what you do to help those people, if they never begin helping themselves, their situation will not improve. There is no such thing as a destiny that we are headed to regardless of what we put into life. The only destiny is being destined to fail when we expect more than we put into something. Then, if you are too close to them, their plan turns to continuing to drain your resources because they won't work for any themselves or to simply hurt you because they're jealous of the life you've worked hard for. They can be jealous of someone's money they've saved while they wasted. They can be jealous of someone's "pretty things" while they didn't take care of what they had. They can be jealous of someone's job, career, or position society that they worked hard to get while they were being lazy. They can be jealous of someone's family that they've had to work through the good, the bad, and the ugly to enjoy their marriage and their kids, while they were busy being too selfish to invest in anything but themselves. They can be jealous of someone's looks that they may have spent hours in a gym or watching what they ate while they were Biggie sizing everything. Proverbs warns that being too close to those people can cost you what you've worked hard for because, having nothing to lose, those people will attempt to take what you have, and if you both end up with nothing, they haven't lost anything.

I watch Deal or No Deal last night and as the offer reach $278,000, the husband began to tell his wife to take the deal. The "best friend" was screaming 'no deal'. She went no deal and it dropped to $170,000 on that turn. The husband again begged her to take the deal while her friend continued to scream 'no deal'. Again, she went no deal and it dropped to just $22,000. The husband was looking at the reality of what they had and the friend was just along for the ride and probably knew settling would mean she might not get anything, but winning a million dollars would certainly get her sometime as her friend. Well, this was house money, but what if it hadn't been? And what if it hadn't even been just money? Seems like the friend was a bad influence and more than willing to gamble with something that wasn't her own.

Sure this last weekend, that person would have said, "Bet $10,000 on the Cowboys and we'll split the winnings." What would they have been losing either way? And $10,000 is a lot of money to me, and I would have lost it while they lost nothing. Money is just money, but what if it was, bet your kids? bet your career? bet your marriage? bet your friends? bet your reputation? bet your home? bet your dignity? That person is willing to bet anything you have because they have nothing to lose, and if you lose it all, they just pack up and move on to find someone else willing to "help" them that they can selfishly suck in and begin betting the things they have worked hard for and God blessed them with. They pretend to admire you just to get close enough to take from you, and sometimes they take things that you can never get back.

I quoted this Proverb before in a blog: "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20. We help the needy with our resources because we are called to do so, but we don't bet our own 'wealth' (the blessings of God) on them because that is foolish. The wise admire the tiger and throw him the food he needs from a distance. If you get close enough for him to take it, then you could lose an arm with it.

Hate to say I told you so,

2008-01-14T11:29:00.003-06:00

but I told you so! Break out the Favre jerseys and the cheeseheads! GO PACKERS!

Cowboys prediction

2008-01-10T22:25:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's official. Although I love the Cowboys and want to see them go to the Super Bowl, I have picked against them in my playoff challenge competition. I officially put my money on the Giants. The Giants are playing good despite the loss of Shockey, Eli is finally coming up big in big games, and the team is 8-1 on the road this year with their only loss coming at Dallas in week one. The Cowboys on the other hand have played terrible the last month or more. Romo is flat trying to play the role of Hollywood boy since he got his contract, and his latest antic was to show up in Cabo with Jessica Simpson and her family along with some other players instead of preparing for the playoffs. Who knows what we'll get out of TO. He played big in the Super Bowl with Philly after coming back from a broken leg, but he also led the league in dropped passes last season with a hurt finger. The dreaded high ankle sprain is the type of injury that lingers all season on a wide receiver, much less after just three weeks. I'd love for them to prove me on, and I'll cheer them all the way, but I predict we lose, and that becomes Jerry Jones's excuse to fire Wade Phillips and make Jason Garrett the head coach...but we'll see...

2007

2008-01-09T14:55:00.002-06:00

Here's my 2007:

Spent too much money
Ran out of time

Lost 50 pounds
Found 10 of it between Thanksgiving and Christmas

Discovered the best things in life aren't free
They just might not cost dollars

Learned who was my friend and who wasn't
Learned who I can trust and who I can't

Discovered what things were most precious to me
Discovered I had to fight for the things most precious to me

Lost a friend for the nearly the entire year (since December 06)
Found him in December 07...or he found me

Missed the playoffs in FF for the 2nd straight year
Cowboys made the playoffs for the 2nd straight year

Was mentally worn out by my job
Was rejuvenated in it by God

Drew's team finished 1st place in basketballand football, and 2nd in baseball
Alisha's team went undefeated in basketball and that's all she played

Discovered many things I'm not good at
Discovered some new foods I can make

Grew my hair out
Found lots of gray in it

Went to The Fray concert and loved it
Went to a Nickelback concert and hated it...too trashy

Was told I looked like i am 23 or 24
Was told they thought I graduated in the 80s

Time didn't fly this year...
Might have been my longest year yet

Stopped peeling my fingernails
Drank more cokes than any two years combined

Redid a lot on the house...and like it
Am broke from doing so...and hate that

Ate lunch every Wednesday at school with my kids
Wanted to kill them nearly every night at bedtime

Punched a hole in my wall when I was mad
Hit a deer in Isha's car on Christmas night

Learned to play Cards and Marbles
Have like a 12-15 game winning streak in it

Started this blog - it goes to anyone or no one
Dumped my myspace - hated the drama with it

Ran/jogged 10.7 miles to Windthorst
Watched Archer finally beat Windthorst

Threw a New Year's Eve party
SO FREAKIN WON the scavenger hunt

Bring on 2008...might as well...

Cowboys Week 17

2008-01-03T11:35:00.000-06:00

PLAYOFF BOUND!

We've had a playoff spot locked up for a while and already had home field advantage locked up before this game, so it should have been meaningless. However, it made me a little more concerned than I already was. This team has bnot been playing good all month. This should have been a effortless first half lead and what happened in the second half could have been meaningless.

Romo has thrown 1 TD and 5 INTs in his last 3 games. TO will be rusty. The Dallas running game was SHUT DOWN this week with a franchise record of only 1 yard rushing including -6 by Marion Barber.

I hope we do a little more than just rest this week...gotta get our heads and skills ready!

Stat of the Week: Dallas RBs 16 rushes for 1 total yard; Portis 25 rushes for 104 yrds, and 2 TDs

haunted

2007-12-21T08:10:00.002-06:00

I'm haunted by my mind
The thoughts that I cannot flee
Everywhere I go or turn
They follow me...taunt me

It's a bridge that can't be crossed
An item that can't be bought
It's stairs that can't be climbed
These thoughts that haunt my mind

How do you fight what you cannot see?
How do you silence what you cannot hear?
What can stop this pain I feel?
What can dry up all the tears?

God reaches out and calls my name
To come to him and leave the other
But isn't it a trap just the same
To leave one master for another?

Ah, I am not trapped here with them
These thoughts that are haunting me
God remove me from these demons
Because in your arms is where I am free

-Unknown

This just came to me in an e-mail forward from someone I don't even know. Thought I'd pass it on as this is the time of year...with family, financial pressures, new year new beginning plans, etc., that our thoughts can be destructive. Once we belong to God, thoughts cannot hurt us unless we let them control us and get out of His arms.

Not your typical holiday sentiment, but Merry Christmas and hoping your joy is much deeper than the smile on your face in front of the family!

Cowboys Week 15

2007-12-20T10:14:00.000-06:00

Ok, the Cowboys are definitely "sputtering" at the wrong time of year. The barely got by the Lions and now got beat by the Eagles. Although I've said all along that the NFC is nearly impossible to sweep, I hated to this loss come at this time at home.

This week has already struck panic with everyone. Is TO going to blow up? Is this loss Jessica's fault? Is Romo's thumb ok? Well, maybe, no, and I hope not. Yes, I'd like to see Romo focused on football right now. He broke things off with Carrie Underwood saying he needed to focus on football. Was it football of the new contract? Because, once he got the contract, he was off to see Britney and now obviously running with Jessica. Hey, Romo! Football is still going on...and you've accomplished and won nothing yet!

Now, can we be done with E! and get to ESPN?

Roy, oh Roy! Roy is out of Saturday's game with a suspension for his trademark, yet illegal, horse-collar tackle of Donovan McNabb. So, hopefully we'll get better coverage of the slot guys and the tight ends. The D-line looked really good against the Eagles and contained McNabb well. The defense essentially gave up 17 points, but it only shows 10 thanks to Westbrooks fall down at the 1 (much to the demise of many fantasy football owners). I think its time to allow the true Cowboy stud to carry us into the playoffs and secure home field advantage...that player is not even a starter--Marion Barber.

Stat of the Week: The Cowboys had 11 Pro Bowlers named this week - TO, Witten, Flozell, Gurode, Ware, Davis, Folk are starters with Romo, Barber, Hamlin, and Newman as backups...again, that's Marion Barber...the "backup RB for the Cowboys makes the Pro Bowl!

Being Disappointed

2007-12-17T07:59:00.001-06:00

I've decided I'm ready to set myself up for a little more disappointment. Sounds stupid? I know, but hear me out. Things in life have made me very cynical. I've become a person that expects the worse from people. The benefit to me was that I'm never disappointed in people because I was always prepared for the worst. The problem is that it also makes you very unhappy with people and somewhat isolated. I've wanted to live on an island with one ferry in and major security checks before anyone can enter my island.

I was watching a TV show the other night where the main character is a real jerk to everyone all the time. He always expected the worst from people and never gave anyone the benefit of the doubt. However, he was very good at his job and that was his appeal to people. I realized that, if not for that talent, he would have no friends at all and be very miserable. Someone finally said to him, "I would rather go through life expecting good from people and being disappointed every once in a while than to just always expect the worst."

The Bible is clear and I've posted on it before, a person that keeps friendships and close relationships with fools will suffer because those fools will use them and burn them for their benefit. And fools who have nothing to lose are the scariest because I have worked hard and God has blessed me with so much that I could lose. I know who those people are, and my feelings there won't change. But, I don't want to go through life assuming everyone else I meet is on that list until they prove to me they're not. I want to go through life assuming they're good until they prove they are the fools the Bible is talking about. I want to enjoy people and life and assume they're good...and maybe be disappointed every once in a while.

The Patriots Have Sold Their Soul

2007-12-12T09:48:00.000-06:00

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. 1 John 2:18

The Patriots have sold their soul to the devil. Their dominance is the work of evil forces led by the antichrist, Bill Belichick. He dominates under the name of teamwork, but people know there is more at work here although they just can't put their finger on it. The competition was was already brewing as the Patriots replaces their fanchise QB with a 6th round pick I refer to as the beast who was not allowed to adorn his true number because of NFL uniform reguations, but we know what number that is.

And what about the state of Massachusetts as a whole? They legalize same sex marriage and then the Red Sox win a World Series ending the curse of Babe Ruth and going on to win another World Series this season. Now the Celtics, once winners of championship after championship aquire KG and Ray Allen (who played a college basketball prospect named Jesus in a trashy movie) and are rolling in the NBA.

Sure, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry's run for president fell short as did his former Massachusetts politician Michael Dukakis, but why do we assume that the antichrist will enter into power through politics? What do you think the ratio of voters is to sports fans? Watch for Belichick's power to grow as the NFL continues to seek to go global even pushing for a Super Bowl in London. The end times could be coming through the billion dollar sports industries. The love of sports is a common thread across all of the world. Why do you think there were no planes crashed into stadiums and arenas? And guess what team played in and won the Super Bowl after 9/11? Yes, the Patriots!

ok...just a theory based on the evidence listed and amplified by my hatred of the Patriots. ...Did I mention I hate the Patriots?

Cowboys Week 14

2007-12-12T09:35:00.000-06:00

Not much to say on this week. Barber looked great and I have to say that I'm satisfied with the role that he and Julius play together with the acception that Garrett needs to descretely put Barber back in on certain key situations such as when they go for it on 4th and 1 or drives that are important because they are behind.

The biggest issue with the game is the lack of getting TO the ball. He finishes with just 3 catches for 21 yds in a game they nearly lost. Perhaps they wouldn't have been behind if they had gotten him the ball more.

You can't deny one thing though...the Patriots found a way to beat the Ravens and the Cowboys found a way to beat the Lions, so a win is a win...I just hope we can get better play from our defense before the playoffs hit. We are putting a lot of pressure on Romo continually giving up over 20 points a game.

Stats of the week: Romo 35/44...his completion percentage is the one of the most important things we need from Romo...he's well into the 60s, but this will be the only single season passing record he won't break as Aikman had an over 69% on the books. Witten 15 catches for 138 yds...Witten and TO - who ya gonna cover?

People Watchin'

2007-12-04T13:50:00.002-06:00

Is there any better activity than a good time of people-watching? Now, I'm not just talking about sitting around and making fun of people. It's still probably a wrong thing to do, but it's just a simple time of watching people and their interaction with each other...their expressions, demeanor, appearance, etc. Yes, basically making assumptions based on stereotypes. I mean, it obviously can't hurt anything if you have no interaction with them. And yeah...so fun.

Well, we had another good time of it this weekend as we were in San Antonio for a conference. There were the workout junkies in the workout room with us, the couples who had begun to look alike, the kid-grandparent combinations shopping together, the drunks at the riverwalk, the preacher standing on a step-ladder screaming at everyone at the Alamo, and engaged couples section where the girls were obviously holding various opinions they had until after the wedding and the guys were in major "good impression" mode.

Did we have to go all the way to San Antonio for that? Absolutely not. Some of the best people watching can take place by going having a seat at your local Wal-mart establishment! I've even made a Wal-mart bingo card before with things such as fanny packs, houseshoes, little skinny guy/big wife combos, 2 inch or more hair roots showing, strappy sandals, socks & sandals, etc. Yeah, call me mean...lol. It's just a game! I'm sure there's something about me on someone else's list, and that's cool with me!

Cowboys Week 13

2007-12-04T13:36:00.000-06:00

Well, this was an exciting game indeed. Brett Favre came out like the old Favre and went to slinging, and it hurt the Pack early. I would like to have seen the Cowboys defense hold them better because they are going to need to play better defense to make it through the playoffs, but a win is a win...just ask the Patriots. Romo still had some improve, but he has held in check for only 2 carries of just -1 yard each, but he was able to beat them with his arm. I swear it seemed like Barber just wasn't getting the ball enough, but he ended the night with nearly twice as many carries as Julius (17 to 9). However, it has to stick out in people's minds that Julius was in the game and was used on a 4th and 1 that didn't make it.

Owens has a signature game of late and Crayton had some clutch catches with 2 TDs. I was just impressed with another big win in another big game. As the Patriots continue to win, it looks more and more like they are beatable. How sweet it would be for the '72 dolphins to see the Patriots go undefeated in the regular season and then lose in the playoffs...possible in the Super Bowl to the Cowboys.

Stat of the week: I hear it costs as much as $16,000 just to buy the right to purchase season tickets for the new stadium!!! And, I have to say I believe the Cowboy fans are loyal and biggest in number, but I'm not sure home field advantage will mean as much to us as it would to teams like Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Green Bay, and other crazy fan cities.

Cowboys Week 12

2007-11-26T14:45:00.000-06:00

This was really just a week to get ready for next week as the Cowboys romped the Jets 34-3. Playing back-to-back Thursday games will leave it as a normal work week. It would be nice if Green Bay had been coming off a short week, but they played Thanksgiving too, so they've had a normal week to get ready as well. They are playing the second of two road games while this will be a second of two home games. I'd like to have every advantage possible.

I was sitting there stuffed on the couch and listening to in-law conversation, so I don't really remember anything that struck me other than the seeing the Cowboys take care of a game they should win by running the ball and gaining 174 yds on the ground and Romo only having to throw for 195 yds but going 21 for 28 (75%) to do it. Crayton was a late scratch, but we need him opposite of Owens to give a little credibility to keep DBs from just doubling and tripling TO all the time. Jones broke for 19 once and Barber broke for 20 once. Loved Newmans INT return...he's healthy...now we just need to get Henry healthy and they'll be a great tandem going into the playoffs.

Bring on Green Bay! This could be for home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and we sure don't want to have to go to Lambeau in January for a playoff game, so this game could have a major impact on who goes to the Super Bowl.

Stat of the Week: Barber 18 carries for 103 yds, 1 TD - so we know he's ready to chew up the clock when needed.

Cowboys Week 11

2007-11-19T09:12:00.000-06:00

Well, I figured this game to be one of the biggest hurdles. I was afraid my stat of the week was going to be that, between Washington and Dallas, the team with a worse record at the end of the year actually has a 9-7 record against the "better" team each of the last 8 years. Even in Jimmy Johnson's 1-15 season, that one win was against the Skins. The NFC East is just a big rivalry that I see as the best in the NFL followed by the AFC West. So far, we are 4-0 in the East with only 2 more games to go, so that's saying a lot.

The biggest thing I've seen is our poise when we are behind and finding a way to win. It starts with all three bad snaps turning into no loss plays. That is where Romo is a real threat. He can turn nothing into something. I would trust him to replay that bad snap play again, if for no other reason than I know that Folk, unlike Gramatica, would slow down the guy that tackled him enough for him to get in the end zone.

We are still on pace for a home field deciding matchup a week from Thursday with Romo's idol Brett Favre and the Packers. Both the Packers and the Cowboys play on Thanksgiving (@ DET and v. NYJ, respectively) and then a week later in Dallas. Yes, I do believe with the experience and domination they are showing, injuries or strange things must happen for the Patriots to get beat in the Super Bowl. But, maybe Belichick's ego of playing Brady and the others enough to break Peyton's TD record and going undefeated will catch up with him and get someone hurt.

I know this sounds repetitious, but as each area of the team gets better, the glaring weakness continues to be Roy Williams covering tight ends as we gave up 89 yds and a TD to TE Chris Cooley. Williams continues to lead the team in tackles (8 this week) because they continue to go his way with the ball.

Talking about injuries, we have got to stay healthy. Our secondary is getting better (in spite of the 348 passing yds they gave up yesterday) as they get healthier. Hopefully Flozell is okay with just a 4-day rest before the Thanksgiving game. We have the Jets who come off an upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers, so we can't just look ahead to the Packers, but this should be a game to get past fairly easy.

Terrell Owens blew up again. He took credit for it by blaming his past coaches for not using him properly, but did give Garrett credit...not for being a good coach, but for giving him the ball...lol. And Romo continues to give TO the credit. That's just what I've been calling for and I love that Garrett and Romo embrace TO like that! TO had 8 catches for 173 yds and 4...count them, 4...TDs. That moved him to 3rd all time and quickly approaching Cris Carter in second. Romo needs just 3 TDs to pass Danny White for the season TD record for a Cowboy. He also needs 1 Super Bowl Victory to make sure he isn't labeled as another Danny White who got the stats but not a Championship like QBs below him on the stat records named Aikman and Staubach.

Stat of the Week: other than TOs obvious big game, 1 TURNOVER (1 INT, 0 FUMBLES)...gotta keep this low because it's hard to recover from them in the playoffs and big games!

family

2007-11-13T12:17:00.001-06:00

I've got a good-lookin' wife and kids. Check out our pics by Deerinwater Designs:

Scott & Isha pics

Brooks Family pics

Lean not on Your Own Understanding

2007-11-12T10:44:00.001-06:00

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

This is an all too familiar verse that I find myself constantly ignoring. Alisha, working on her Bible verse memorization for Bible Drill yesterday, walks up to me in the middle of a football game and quotes it to me. It was something I needed to hear. I believe I trust in God with most of my decisions and problems, but I don't always take away my "own understanding" in the equation. I want to worry in a way that makes me think I might be actually making suggestions to God about things I think I understand. And with things I don't understand, that worry turns into fear, frustration, and terrible thoughts. You cannot second-guess things because you can't change the past and the future is only secure when you give it to God and then LEAVE HIM ALONE with it.

Second-guessing is also a lack of faith. James 1:2-8 says, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him aski faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. I am double-minded and unstable when I second-guess God, my past, or what God has for me from this point forward. And that isn't productive to those around me--especially my family.

Accepting that "everything happens for a reason" is trusting God... needing to know that reason is going back to leaning on your own understanding.

Thanks Alisha...

Cowboys Week 10

2007-11-12T10:18:00.000-06:00

This was a very defining game for the Cowboys. It essentially gave them a 3 game lead over the Giants by dropping them to 6-3 and sweeping them for the year. I didn't really expect them to beat the Patriots, but they did hang with them better than anyone outside of the Colts and that was with a banged up secondary. So, without looking past the upcoming opponents, it looks like we are on our way to an NFC showdown with the Packers that could be a preview of the NFC Championship game. It is a huge game because it could decide home field advantage for the playoffs including the championship game. We don't want to be playing on Lambeau Field in January.

Back to this week's game... The Giants came in with a good formula...and that was to take Witten out of the game and exploit Roy Williams. I'm getting really tired of discussing a Pro Bowl caliber first round pick like Roy as a liability, so an announcement needs to be made that for the rest of the year, he is officially auditioning to remain with the team. Hamlin is doing an awesome job, so he has the comliment they say he lacked. He lead the team in tackles, but that is only because they had no fear of going at him. I saw numerous plays where he watched other tackle and just stuck his hands in to pull a player down rather than to knock the crap out of them.

The corners continue to impress me. They are getting healthy and even Green has gotten enough starts to be able to come in with experience in a nickel situation or against the Patriots or Colts in a possible Super Bowl matchup. The WRs for New York had only 8 catches for 74 yards and no TDs.

I wanna see Barber get more touches. Jones had better numbers than Barber this week, but I knew that was padded as soon as I saw a poor defense give up a 20-yd run on the first play of the game. Outside of that run, they were about equal, but niether was very good. As good as Romo and the passing game is, I'd like to see us have the ability to chew up the clock with 5 yds per carry.

Stat of the week: Shockey 12 catches for 129 yds and 1 TD - that's on you, Roy...
Owens - 6 catches for 125 yds and 2 TDs - thank you Romo and Jason Garrett for making your team better by loving TO!

Cowboys Week 9

2007-11-06T10:11:00.000-06:00

Well, the boys come off their bye and roll over the Eagles 38-17. Romo has his contract and continues to carry himself as a "humble celebrity." Oh, I have no doubt that he's a competitor, and I don't mean the humble celebrity thing in a negative way. What I mean by humble celebrity is that he takes his contract, does his thing, pushed for TO to have a huge game over his former team and the fans that ran him out of town. If there's a most valuable trait that Romo has, it's that he's treating TO the way a QB needs to treat him to get the most out of him, and I love it!

We saw a very equal performance by the two RBs. I see them letting Jones go next season and resigning Barber to a decent contract and drafting someone to share the load with him, but we'll see. The secondary did their job again as they continue to get healthy for the playoffs. Hamlin and Henry each had an INT, and over half of McNabb's completions when to Westbrook out of the backfield, so coverage downfield was good. Roy made 5 tackles but I swear I continue to see him lay a shoulder on guys instead of tackling them. More and more often, they are bouncing off that shoulder and someone else has to make the tackle.

We have a big test this coming week when we have to go to the Giants after their bye and a 6 game winning streak. Matchup of the week will be Plexiglass v. the Dallas secondary. Playoffs are nearly a sure thing, but we want home field advantage because I don't want to see us have to go to New York or Green Bay for a game.

Stat of the week: Terrell Owens- 10 catches, 174 yds, 1 TD
All Eagle WRs combined- 10 catches, 134 yds, 1 TD

Cowboys Week 8

2007-11-01T15:13:00.000-05:00

Well the Cowboys were off, but they had way too much time on their hands...at least on of the reportedly did. First, Romo was granted a 6 year, $67 million deal, just ahead of the $65 million deal Marc Bulger got with the same agent this years and the $60 million deal Tom Brady went into in 2005.

Well, that's fine with me, but here's what gets me. Romo breaks things off with Carrie Underwood this summer stating that the celebrity dating situation could cause him to not be taken seriously as a football player. Then, as soon as he gets his new contract, he's reportedly seen by Ryan Seacrest getting a lap dance from Britney Spears in an LA night club this weekend. So, I guess once he got his money, he was not only not worried about not being taken serious, he was ready to move on to skank material...

Maybe I'm being too judgmental. I mean, Britney may be a generational thing that I wasn't a part of. Perhaps there is someone like that in my generation that guys couldn't resist no matter how bad they got, and people older than me were saying "yuck" about. I don't know...couldn't think of anyone. But, I'm just disappointed in our little Cowboy Playboy if this is true...

Add in the scandal about Coach Phillips saying that Britney stole the name of her album and "images" on her video from his daughter who is a dancer at a club called "Blackout" and I'm predicting an overkill on the Britney references on the Sunday night game this weekend...just glad its Madden and Michaels rather than Kornheiser on MNF!

To Be Blessed

2007-10-30T09:19:00.001-05:00

Not sure if I have anything original in this, but just something on my mind lately...

As Christians, we are blessed in so many ways. There is some balance between God's promise of blessing (even wealth, health, etc.) to his people and the realization that there is no set distiction between the problems in life that Christians face and non-Christians face.

Here are the "for sure's" to the difference:
1. Christians realize who is in control. They know God is there and they begin to "see" more because they start to recognize what God is doing. For non-Christians, it will always remain confusing because God's ways are not our ways. That brings comfort in knowing no matter how bad things can be or get, we can know we are never "spiraling to the bottom" the way it can appear if you don't know God is in control.
2. Following Christ does not make us perfect and we will sin again, but we sin less if we stay close to God. Sinning less leads to less consequences and many problems in life are due to the consequences of sin.
3. We realize we are blessed because we quit taking personal credit for the things we have in life--from health and loved ones to possessions and wealth.

Now, it comes into play that some people believe our wealth, health, and other blessings have a direct correlation with us asking for it, claiming it, and the faith behind that claim. We know Job had it...it was taken from him at no loss of faith from himself, but it was also given back to him. Well, my statement to that is always that, although the wealth and "people" were replaced, the individual children could never be replaced.

As a people whose natural instinct is to be selfish, I believe God actually made this easier for us than we think. I believe most of what he asks us to do is actually FOR us. When we pray for someone to be healed, God's overall plan isn't going to change for our desire for that person to be healed. The prayer isn't for that person...it's for us. It's for us to get closer to God and to know him better. Don't get me wrong, his plan could be for us to get closer to him by him answering the prayer to heal that person. But, the healing would still only come as part of his plan and not a direct reflection of our faith. I believe a person showing a small amount of faith for the first time could see there prayer answered as part of God's plan, and the most faithful person in the world praying day and night could see their loved one taken home if it was God's plan. I believe prayer, witnessing, seeking wisdom...it's all for our benefit...because God will heal who he wants, reveal himself to who he wants, and carry on his plan with or without us. But, we know it is far better to allow ourselves to be his tool for those things because of the blessings we will get from it.

Our relationship is not about showing enough faith to change God's mind all the time. It's about his plan being in place--for us and those around us--and us trying to find our role in that plan because that plan is the best plan for us and that plan provides the most blessings. And by blessings, I don't think we can compare ourselves to others and see who is more faithful and who is more in God's will. We can only measure it against what we would be like without him.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

Give yourself to God and let him change you instead of letting the world determine who you are. Let him change you from the inside-out. And you will see his perfect will at work in your life. The closer you are to him, the less you let sin control you, the more you are in line with that perfect will. The will...the plan...is already perfect and doesn't need to change by our desires or faith. We just need to continually find it and stay in line with it.

cuttin' again

2007-10-24T08:26:00.001-05:00

well, most have heard that Isha got a clean bill of health at the doctor, but as a precaution, the doctor is going to cut a little more off the edges of where the last chuck was he took out of her back in two weeks. Since this one is already clean maybe we can keep it this time!

i just called to say...

2007-10-22T16:11:00.002-05:00

My dad calls me to tell me the dumbest little things sometimes, like "i just bought new wiper blades for the car" or something like that...and he's serious! Well, for my own humor, I return the favor by telling him the same kind of stuff. The other day, I called him to tell him that I bought 2 new tires for my truck. Before I could get it out, he informed that he had just bought a brand new pecan cracker. He said, "It cost $9...I think it's gonna be a good one." I just couldn't top that...

Who do you look up to?

2007-10-22T10:23:00.001-05:00

Have you ever found yourself intrigued and in awe of someone? Perhaps it was a celebrity? Well, that's not exactly what I'm talking about. The best way to describe it is seeing someone who you want to become. We can be in awe of celebrities, but when I see a celebrity somewhere, it isn't really about them. It simply becomes a story i get to tell. I've seen some actors in Aspen skiing, some Christian singers at conferences, etc. I was there, and it was neat to see them, but the only thing I really got out of it was a story to tell.

This isn't what I'm talking about here. A better example of what I mean is for a medical student to meet a famous doctor that wrote a book about the field of study they are wanting to get into. This is where you are not in awe of them being famous, but you admire them for who they are and want to be like them or where they are. You find yourself with them and asking them a 100 questions. You just want to know the key to being who they are, where they are in a career, or in life.

As God humbles you, you will see the need for more of that. I have more and more people that I admire all the time. Amazingly, some of the ones I admire also seem to appreciate certain things about me. I believe this is the body of Christ at work. As I see humble, God-seeking people live their lives, I notice things in their lives that I admire. I want to be around them. I want to see what makes that area strong. Sometimes, I just want to sit down with them and a pen and pad and just interview them. What can or could I have done better? How did God show you that? Yet, something I might be good at seems so natural for me and not something to admire.

I admire people who think of ways to be a blessing to people. I admire people who are just self-less and easy to get along with. I admire people who have strong convictions and let those convictions mature, but don't compromise them for their own interest. I admire the guy who works hard for his family and doesn't use 'man of the house' to have a king persona. I admire people who surrender their own desires and become missionaries in other countries. I admire the couples that work as a team on everything. I admire the women who find their place in ministry in the world and at home at the same time. I admire people who can constantly put other people's desires and problems ahead of their own. I admire people who can walk past the same temptations I seem to struggle with all the time. I admire people who expose their faults and weaknesses and failures to me to help me be stronger and not make the same mistake. I admire people who have any of these things and act like its no big deal they are like that.

Cowboys Week 7

2007-10-22T09:57:00.000-05:00

Well, although it wasn't an impressive win, it was a win. And, I believe this Vikings team is better than their 2-4 record shows. They have a very good defense that forced some turnovers, but the Cowboys defense responded. Green played pretty well in Henry's absence again. He's started nearly every game...first for Newman, and now for Henry and seems to be playing good enough to not stand out as a target to pick on. Of course, with how little Minnesota throws, this isn't a week to measure him. I'm glad to see us grab a win and get into the bye week and let some people get healthy. Romo seemed to play through the hammy ok, but it was very noticable with his running style...and there were few, if any, rollouts called after that...which are his best plays. Owens got a 103 yrd, 1 TD day, and that was very important to keep him calm and quiet during the bye week. In a close game, Barber got twice the carries Jones did, so they are seeing who the better back is. Enjoy the BYE!

Stats of the week: Ellis, 2 sacks (glad he's back to form) Jackson 6/19 for 72 yds. (4 of the 6 completions went to RBs, so the Dallas secondary only gave up 2 catches all day including time in the prevent to end the game)

Basketball

2007-10-18T08:40:00.001-05:00

Well, it's time to get ready for basketball. This is going to be a pretty busy season as well. I'll be coaching Alisha's 4th grade Lady Cats team and Drew's 2nd grade Wildcats team. The Lady Cats are coming off of an undefeated season and back-to-back championships. The Wildcats played their first season together at the Y last year and finished 8-1 for first place.

This season will be pretty busy because I'm going to be reffing as well...to help Bryan out and grab a little vacation money for this summer. I'll probably be riding in with him early on Saturdays and reffing until time to coach my two teams later in the day. Well, at least my teams know they won't have any early games!

...time to work with Drew on his wicked crossover...the only move I have to pass on!

Secondhand Relationships

2007-10-17T14:37:00.001-05:00

There are things that everyone needs: direction, purpose, hope, etc.And there are things that different people need based on their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses: support, encouragement, a plan, a shoulder to cry on, a kick in the rear, etc.

God knows us better than anyone. I love my wife, and she amazes me at times with how she knows me and what I need when...even when I don't even know. But, there is only one person that is going to be right about that 100% of the time, and that's God. And He will provide it when we ask for it and when its time for us to need it.

If that's true, then why are there so many people out there without direction and purpose and in need of support and such?...even those that know God? Well, what kind of relationship do they have with him? Is it a personal relationship where they talk to him everyday, or is it a secondhand relationship where they here about him from other people? God can speak to us directly thru other people, don't get me wrong, but if our entire relationship with him is based on what we get from others, we won't ever get what we need. God cannot work in our lives as a "friend of a friend"...he needs to be your friend. Our relationship with him cannot simply be based on listening to preaching, teaching, and what others say about him. It cannot be just about what we've learned about him in the past or past times we were close to him. It is about what time did you have with him face-to-face today, this week.

If your needs are now...and they are...then the time with God, the relationship, needs to be now. If your needs are personal and specific to you...and they are...then the relationship you have needs to be personal and specific to you.

This blog is to me, but if helps you, then that's cool too...

Cowboys Week 6

2007-10-15T12:40:00.000-05:00

Well...just as i said, our secondary is in no shape to match up to the Patriots right now. I was glad to see us with the lead in the 3rd, but i never had confidence that we could pull it off at this time. There's a lot that can happen with both teams between now and the playoffs. Here are the major differences between us and the Patriots right now:

Romo doesn't have the experience Brady does, but his experience does double between now the playoffs.
Our secondary is hurt with a starting corner out and one just returning not 100%. There is time to get healthy before the playoffs.
Our coaches aren't what Billichik is, but with Garrett on OC and hopefully Phillips as HC overseeing the defense, we will be getting better.

All these things can get better for us by the playoffs, and with the road to a championship being all about one game matchups, anything can happen. What could be better than for the Patriots to go undefeated and then lose the Super Bowl to the Cowboys...that would be great...I'm not callin' Vegas on it or anything, but I'll be rootin' for it. And there's still the Colts to not overlook in the mix.

Stats of the week:
Brady 31/46 for 388 yds, 5 TDs, 0 INTS; 75 total rushing yrds for NE; didn't take brain surgery to figure this out, but I told anyone who asked, "everyone says New England is only about .500 when Brady throws more than 40 passes, so the game plan must be to take away the run...we can do that, but I just don't think our secondary is healthy enough to stop Brady after that"...hated to be right...

Next up...Adrian Peterson, who ran all over the Bears' D...should rebound for an win and get into the bye for some R&R...

Cowboys Week 5

2007-10-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

Well, there's nothing more to be said about the amazing finish of the game. The Cowboys looked horrible all game, but they did what it took to beat a weaker team on the road, so that's what counts for now. Coming up next is a home showdown with the high powered New England Patriots. I'm glad we did what we needed to do this week and saw some areas to improve on before this next week's game. Here's the key to beating Tom Brady and the Patriots: We must first stop the run and force Brady to throw the ball. He is not nearly as good when he throws 40 or more passes in a game. Then, our secondary has to do their job. Well, it isn't looking good there. We already know what the concerns are with Roy Williams in coverage. Hamlin is more of a strong safety himself too, so that isn't the best for us. Newman is ack, but we saw him get caught from behind on that interception return Monday night. And now, we don't know if Henry is going to get back or not for this week.

I'd love to go out and win this thing, but it looks like we don't have the healthy personnel for it, so we may let it go and hope to meet them again in the Super Bowl. But this is the NFL, and anything can happen, so let's hope for a miracle.

Let's not forget, we need to get TO more involved, and note that he was robbed on that force-out. His freakin' outside foot was inbounds, so why would they assume he wouldn't get the inside foot down if he hadn't been pushed...stinkin' refs!

Stats of the week: Nick Folk 1 xp, 4/4 FGs (47, 29, 37, 53) including the career long for the game-winner...twice...that's my fantasy stud!

Romo 29/50, 309 yds, 2 TDs, 5 INTs, 1 F...as people compare Romo to Favre, we must remember that by the end of the season, Favre will own the all-time TD record and the all-time INT record...it all comes with the territory of that style of play, so don't throw him under the bus...we knew what we were getting...and he'll be fine.

Ashamed

2007-10-03T09:35:00.002-05:00

I bring this up all the time and I know others do too, but I just felt the need to blog about it a little today. I'm not sure exactly how the Holy Spirit is meant to work in us, and I'm not even sure he's meant to work the same way in each of us. However, I don't think he changes with time, so if I look at how he worked in me in the past and don't see that in younger generations, it bothers me. I don't want to be judgmental, but a "tree is known by its fruit."

When my parents moved me from all my friends in Ft. Worth right before my junior year, I became very rebellious. I bounced back and forth for those last two years of school on how I lived. After I graduated, I totally rebelled for a year. It seemed like much longer, but I did not attend church and was involved in a lot of sin. However, through those three years, I always knew what I was doing was wrong. My number one goal in all of it was to hide it. I didn't want to do anything that I couldn't hide from my parents and my friends' parents who were Christians. Now, I know I was hiding nothing from God, and I know that's the most important thing, but the look of guilt and conviction was all over my actions. I was guilty and I knew it.

Today, it seems like people don't have a problem with letting the world know what they do and how they act. They post it all over their myspace in the form of pics, comments, and blogs. They don't care who sees it and they don't even make their pages private in fear that their own parents might look it up. wow. When a person pleads guilty to a crime by reason of insanity or mental defeciency, they can only prove that by showing they didn't think what they did was wrong because they did nothing to hide it. I knew I was guilty, and I didn't want people to know about it. What does it say about those who don't try to hide it? Where is the Holy Spirit in their lives? Is there a new level of spiritual complacency or is the Holy Spirit not even in them? Did they answer a call to invite Jesus into their hearts, but fell short of "making it real" by not truly giving their lives to Christ by way of inviting the Spirit in? Or am I just being too judgmental about God's place in their lives?

That year after high school was the longest year of my life. I have so many scars and hauntings from it that I deal with to this day. I cannot imagine doubling it, tripling it, or more. So, my question is this...If these people were in the garden with Adam and Eve, would they even have put on a freakin leaf after eating the fruit? I have no doubt how I would have been ashamed and wearing the fashionable 100% leaf briefs. idk...maybe I'm being self-righteous...

Cowboys Week 4

2007-10-01T10:52:00.000-05:00

OK, looks like the Cowboys are foreal! Although, a game against the Rams should give too much information, the dominance they showed tells a lot.

The running game looked good. Barber has gotten increasingly more carries over Jones until yesterday, but that was probably just due to the Cowboys being so far ahead. On the year, Jones has 51 carries for 176 yards and Barber has 48 for 306 yards. Sounds repetitive, but Barber is a good back...just not a full-time back and Jones is not a good compliment. He's the right style of compliment, so it's working for now, but he's just not good enough. However, the Cowboys rank 4th in rushing yards on the season with the help of Romo's 71 yards and poor starts by some of the league's top backs.

It was great to see Crayton have a big game-especially looking like a speedster that we weren't suppose to have with Glenn out. Glenn doesn't need to worry about his job yet, but this gives the team confidence to wait until he's really healthy and will stay that way for a playoff and Super Bowl run. The team has to keep TO (33 yds.) happy though. And, he does deserve credit as the Rams double-teamed him and sent linebackers and safeties following him all day which left witten, crayton, and the backs open.

We are 2nd in offense and points, 7th in defense and 11th in points against, so we aren't just too one-sided. We still need to get the secondary healthy, and it was good to hear Hamlin's name more. It was also good to see Ellis back in action which really gives us some depth with the young guys playing so well.

There is a little concern still about the special teams. Folk didn't have to attempt a FG yesterday, and we gave up a punt return for a TD. Romo or not, it was our special teams that knocked us out of the playoffs last season, so we don't need to overlook them and let the little mistakes continue.

Stats of the week: Greg Ellis - 1.5 sacks; Crayton - 7 catches, 184 yds, 2 TDsDepth, baby, depth!

Think about what you think about

2007-09-28T12:53:00.001-05:00

Last night, I watched the movie "Click" with Isha, we had our devotional together, and then stumbled onto this quote from one of her old blogs:

Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny!

Our devotional (Joyce Meyer: Battlefield of the Mind Devotional: 100 Insights That Will Change the Way You Think) was all about how your thoughts determine your future and how bad thoughts can lead to failures and misery. And, of course, "Click" is a comedy about a guy that focuses on the wrong things and misses life because of it. This is an area that I sometimes struggle with. I can be very pessimistic and I tend to be miserable with defeat to the point that i'm only slightly satisfied with victory or success. When things go bad, I'm miserable, and when they go good I barely enjoy it.

I love the life that God has given me. I never know what direction it will go, but I don't want to worry about the future at the cost of enjoying the now.

I love my kids, and I am tore up that they are nearly halfway through their time at home and well into the age of remembering everything from that goes on. They can both be difficult at times, but I am so selfish with my time and energy around the house. tonight, we are having family time instead of going to the varsity game. I hope this is the beginning of a better relationship for us as a family.

I love my wife. She is the greatest...people see it, but I've got the best seat in the house, so no one knows like I do. I fail her all the time. I am so ready to take on anything God has for me with her by my side. I can only be happy when she's happy, and I can't help but be sad when she's sad. I can't sleep without her foot touching my leg...seriously. I just wish in my successful quest to find the perfect wife, I'd have spent more time preparing to be the kind of husband that wife needed.

My family is a constant reminder that my relationship to God must stay firm. I cannot be what they need without Him, and every shortcoming in my attempt to be a good father and husband is when I try to do it on my own.

Okay, that wasn't even what I began to blog about, but guess I needed to get that out too. Anyway, I want God to control my thoughts and desires. When I think I'm unhappy, I think I need something more. When that happens I feed a desire for more than what God has for me and has given me. My life is not perfect, but it is perfectly covered in His grace, so I need to quit worrying about every little imperfection and live for Him. My desire is to take care of what God has blessed me with and seek His will for my life--and the lives of my family that He has entrusted to me.

I hope anyone that reads this that finds themselves unhappy can know that true happiness is found only in the will of God, and that will is found through prayer, His Word, church, and godly wisdom from those you know can serve as a mouthpiece of God to you. And don't let Satan, that sorry thief, rob you of the life God promises by putting lies, worries, and hurts into your thoughts!

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the FULL." - John 10:10

Cowboys Week 3

2007-09-24T09:31:00.001-05:00

Ok, week 3 is in the books. There are still some question marks, but there are some answers too. This offense is the real deal. They laid 34 points on perhaps the stinkiest defense in the league. Romo is for real and TO and Witten are having Pro Bowl seasons. I hope Crayton gets back healthy and in a groove soon. The big concerns for this offense right now are Julius Jones and that 2 receiver spot.

Julius is just not a good back. It appears that we have 2 third down backs. I agree we have to just keep doing what we're doing because we are winning right now. I don't think starting Barber is the answer. I like him coming in fresh and running over people hard. But, Jones is not the starting answer either. I also don't know if we can go all the way with this running back situation. We can make it through the NFC perhaps, but not win a Super Bowl until we can establish the run in the opening series of a game.

Also, there is still a void with Terry Glenn out. We aren't sure if he'll be back at all this season, but we sure do need his presence. If we are going to be in games against New England (in two weeks), we need all of our weapons, and it is looking bleak for Glenn to return anytime soon.
The Cowboys defense basically had a by this week. At least its another week to get healthy. St. Louis is next week, and they are bad, but still have a lot of offensive weapons, and then we have New England. The defense is getting better though...let's just hope it holds true to the games against better offenses.

The Skins lost to the Giants, so the NFC East is already beginning to get jumbled. I don't know if there is another conference where the underdog wins more games than the NFC East. And Philly looked dominant in their ugly throwback jersey win.

Stat of the week: Barber 15 carries, 102 yds, 1 TD when the Bears gave up only 16 carries for 55 yds to Larry Johnson and 17 carries for 25 yds to LaDainian Tomlinson who are suppose to be the top 2 backs in the league.

Frappuccino Delivery

2007-09-21T09:18:00.001-05:00

ok, i usually handle situations pretty good and can think quick on my feet, but sometimes i have a real bonehead day and it is usually when the city-boy comes out in me really bad. i have very little country sense--mechanics, being handy, etc. well, i was in wichita yesterday and decided i would swing by starbucks and surprise isha by bringing her a frappuccino...i had them double cup it because i knew i had about a 25 minute drive back to her.

well, i get about 8 miles from archer city and the road is shut down because of a wreck. they say its going to be about an hour. well, i'm sitting there with a cold frappuccino that needed to be delivered quickly, so i turn around and begin to look for a short cut around it. i get on a dirt road and figure as long as i keep turning left i'll eventually get back to the highway or to archer. well, i hit a familiar dirt road and think, great i know this goes there. but, i came to a fork in the dirt road. i took the left fork because, again, i'm trying to keep going south. the roads were pretty muddy, and i've let my back tires get pretty bald. so, as i came up to large stretches of mud and water, i had to drive faster to make it through it. the road i was going down began to get smaller and appear less traveled. i began to worry that i needed to go back. however, i had gone through so many mud holes and long stretches of mud that i wanted to keep going and hope this small road hit the highway at some point. finally, the road almost disappeared and i knew i had to turn around. i tried to find the largest dry area i could to turn around. well, it didn't matter because sure enough i got stuck. as i tried to get out, my truck began to overheat and i stopped. my belt had broken. this was bad news as i knew enough to know this was the only belt and it ran everything so there was nothing to keep the water pump running to cool now.

i climbed out and looked around to try to see where i was. yeah, i had no idea and the lack of tracks on the scarce road let me know help wouldn't be by anytime soon. i could see some powerlines, across the field, so i thought the highway might be close. i looked and saw the top of a rest area that i knew was only a couple of miles from archer, so i started walking down the road further to see if it hit the highway soon. about a mile down, the road was so muddy, i knew i couldn't get through, so i went back to see if the truck had cooled. it had, so i dug out under the tires and put some limbs i had broken off a tree to give me traction. did i mention i'm in jeans and flip flops? yeah, perfect. well, i got the truck out, and stopped for a minute because it was already really hot again. i knew i was going to have to drive fast through the muddy areas again to make out, and that would heat the truck up pretty bad. i started out and nearly got stuck several more times, but finally made it past the mud and to the original fork. i sat and let the truck cool again and started out from there. where i finally hit the highway was about 15 miles from archer, but i left the hood cracked open and the air kept the engine cool until i got to town...exactly 1 hour and 40 minutes after i turned around at the wreck.

yeah, i don't deserve a truck...i should be driving a dodge stratus...oh, and what about the frappuccino? i had poured it on the engine to help cool it off...

Cowboys Week 2

2007-09-19T10:31:00.000-05:00

Well, the Boys did take care of business on Sunday...finally. They let the Dolphins hang around way too long though. We still don't know how good this team is considering the two teams they beat have also been beatin by Washington and Green Bay and are a combined 0-4, so there's no reason to jump on the Super Bowl bandwagon just yet. The team had 4 picks without Newman in there, but I swear Trent Green had a concussion relapse out there, but I was pleased nonetheless. Jones started off in a way that made me think I was gonna have to eat my words from last week, but finished with only 32 yds on 15 carries, so my feelings on him remain the same. I'm glad he's there to allow Barber to come in fresh and run over people, but I'd take pretty much anyone in the league there and be just as good. Romo wasn't spectacular with less than a 50% completion rating but with 2 TDs and no picks, I'll take it in a victory. Folk continues to hold his own with 4 XPs and 3 FGs with a long of 47 yds. And most of all, I loved Romo's attempt to get TO the ball early even if that cost him on his completion percentage some. Keep showing TO love! If he could get that Philly team to the Super Bowl three years ago, then we have a shot with him as well. Next week will be a much better test for us as our offense (the highest scoring since 1971 in the first two games - thanks Josh) takes on the Bears 'D' and the defense gets another weak offense lead by Grossman to buy time to get healthy again.

Good Stat of the week: Secondary combines for 4 INTS (Hamlin, Williams, Henry-2)

Bad Stat of the week: Only 2 sacks of an aging Trent Green that attempted 40 passes behind a line that only blocked good enough to gain 61 yds rushing on 21 carries...we need more pressure than that!