Randomish Stuph

The world is changing, I feel it in the earth...

2010-08-23T15:28:00.002-04:00

So I started working from home in November 2003, and the entire time I've had one family member or another in the house with me pretty regularly. The exception being the first part of 2008 when Mom took ill and passed away. Well today, Shasta started back to work and Mac went to Aunt Sue and Uncle Steve's and it seems as though it'll be just me and the dogs during the day from here on out. I've gotten several calls and texts about how I'm doing and it's actually not bad. I do notice the lack of sound from outside my office. Particularly Mac crawling up to my closed door and yelling "Dadadadadada" while I'm talking to a customer. And I can actually leave my door open without having to worry about him crawling into the most unchildproof place on the planet. It's an adjustment but a necessary one and one that I think our family will be better for. I am extremely grateful to have been able to work and be home with Mac during the first months of his life and the time spent as a family has been great for all of us. The change is gonna be interesting, a good change I think but none the less interesting.

Here's a pic of Mac when I dropped him off this morning. Aunt Sue and Uncle Steve are already spoiling him, notice the new bouncie they got for him. Which he loves by the way!!!

9 Months, How It Flies

2010-08-05T10:59:00.001-04:00

Slideshow: 9 months with McKinley - Slideshow

Is this thing on???

2010-07-27T07:29:00.003-04:00

I was reminded the other day that even though I haven't posted here in forever, at least one person still checks my blog pretty regularly. In all honestly, I guess the world of facebook and twitter pulled me away and I've let short 2 or 3 sentence updates suffice. That and the fact that I'm keeping up with an almost 9 month baby boy who is growing waaayyyyy faster than he should have kept me from doing Randomish Stuph justice. The day after Mac was born a good friend told me "time flies now." And it's looking like he's right, I was browsing through some pics of the day we brought him home and was blown away at how tiny he was then and how much bigger he is now!

I do promise to make more of an effort to post more frequently in the future. I know some of you are saying "after 9 months that's all you got D?" Well for right now yes and you're just gonna have to wait for more :D

Hello Baby Boy

2009-11-06T19:05:00.007-05:00

The last time I posted my heart was full because I had lost something precious to me. Well the Giver of All Good Things has taken me full circle and filled my heart with the joy of something so precious that I don't know if words will do it justice. There are so many things I remember from the past 2 days. Shasta asking me "are you gonna wear pajama pants?" as her way of telling me she needed to go to the hospital. The rock steady presence of our friend Pamela in the labor room. Her knowledge and gentleness were a blessing that everyone who goes through child birth should have. The incredible strength my wife showed through labor and delivery. I'll remember all the updates to friends and family and feeling the strength of their love and prayers throughout the day. But even as I right this the words don't do it justice, if you have ever had a child you know what I'm talking about. My heart is so incredibly full and I know that as of 9:23 last night my life has completely changed.

I know a lot of you have waited patiently for pictures and I won't keep you waiting much longer. The reason we waited was to be sure that McKinley's great grandma Baker got to be one of the first people to see him. She has seen him and so for the rest of you here he is:

McKinley David Douglas
9:23 pm 11/5/2009
6 lbs 5 oz 20 3/4 inches

So Long, Babygirl

2009-08-04T15:05:00.005-04:00

When I first met you, you were 4 months old and weighed probably 3 lbs which was small even for a Cavalier pup. You were the result of an accidental breeding and by all accounts shouldn't have survived at all. You mother was too young to breed, and as a result her milk dried up and the rest of your litter died. Thanks to an angel named Melissa who bottle fed you for 12 weeks you survived. You were a fighter even then who had her own way of doing things. When Melissa ask us to house sit for her, we met you and your "brother" Aslan and immediately fell in love with you both. 2 weeks later we picked the two of you up and brought you home. You fit right into the house and soon every one who met you was falling in love with you. Yesterday morning you couldn't even stand up and I took you see Dr. A. Dr. A called me with worry in her voice and said you weren't good, they tried some steroids and took some blood with the hopes that when we got the results this morning we'd know what was wrong and how to treat it. When we prayed last night we placed your life in the hands of the God that created you and allowed us to have you, knowing that in all things His ways are best. Dr. A called this morning and said you didn't make it through the night and now my heart is heavy but I am so grateful for the time I had with you. There are so many things I will miss. I'll miss the fact that at 8 lbs you were still "puppy" size. The way you hardly ever barked, I think in the 2 years we had you I recall you barking maybe 5 times. The way you would always take your food out of the bowl and put it on the floor, making sure Aslan got some too. The way you immediately cuddled up with Muffin or myself when a strange person or animal came near. How right after we found out Muffin was expecting your changed your habit of sleeping on the foot rest between her legs to sleeping on her tummy as if you knew there was a little life growing inside her. And I'm really sorry you won't be around to meet McKinley, because I know you would have had a special relationship. I'll miss your "seal fights" with Aslan and how you used to chase him to the point where he would just lay down in the floor and give up. I'll miss watching you snuggle up with Grandma Flo. I'll miss how our godson Paulie named you "nutter one." But I think most of all I'll miss the "kisses" that you so rarely gave to anyone. The fact is I just miss you, a ton, already. Say hi to Mom, Dad and Guilo for me babygirl. And don't be snooty, give them a kiss :D

Urgent Prayers Need

2009-07-27T11:44:00.002-04:00

This prayer requests comes by way of old friend. Please be in prayer for Stellan, Stellan is 8 months old and has a heart condition that has taken a major turn for the worse over the past several days. You can get more detail on his Mom's blog, but please pray.

2009-07-25T09:40:00.001-04:00

Ughh!!!! Beat down 18-2. Next game at noon.

2009-07-25T08:19:00.001-04:00

Gonna try mobile blogging for the first time. We have a softball tourney today and I figure I'll post updates throughout the day.

Are You Sure?

2009-07-18T11:43:00.006-04:00

I'm still trying to get my head around this whole being a dad thing. Thursday we found out that the baby we've been calling "CinnaBun" is a boy and since that's the case it looks like his name will be McKinley David. So my head has been filled with thoughts of watching football and baseball together, reading any number of books together, rocking out in the car (check the video below for a glimpse) and all the things that I'm sure every dad wants to do with their son. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of these same thoughts before we knew the sex and I even pictured doing them with a little red headed girl. My mind also drifts some times to thoughts of failing or being completely inept at being a dad. Everyone I know seems pretty confident that I'm gonna do fine, but there are times when I don't share that same confidence. Like any dad I want the absolute best for my child and that includes the best dad. I have no doubts that before He created the earth my Heavenly Father planned to entrust this child to to Shasta and I for this time and this place. I just find myself wondering why and asking "Are you sure about this. God?" I am totally in awe of the fact that the Creator of this universe, whose desire is that everyone know him as the perfect father, has chosen me to be a picture of a father to McKinley and while there is some trepidation there is decidedly more joy and nervous anticipation. But it's the kind of anticipation you have as the roller coaster is chugging up the hill before that first big drop. Hands up y'all HERE....WE....GOOOOOOOOOooooooo!!!!!

What a Bargain

2009-07-11T12:12:00.003-04:00

If you know me you know I love C.S. Lewis. Well last week Shasta and I headed to the outlets in Hagerstown and of course we went by Book Warehouse. As I was browsing I found a complete unabridged Chronicles of Narnia box set. The set includes all 7 books in one volume as well as unabridged CD recordings of all the books. The CD versions are read by folks like Kenneth Branagh, Michael York, Lynn Redgrave, Patrick Stewart, etc. The retail price on the box set is $99.99, but I got it at Book Warehouse for $29.99. Shasta and I both love to read and it's something we definitely hope to pass on to CinnaBun. Growing up we didn't have TV in our house until I was in 4th grade so my entertainment was pretty much anything legible that I could lose myself in. I still love to read but now I have to make time for it and most of my reading is done before I go to bed. This usually means I get 2-3 pages read, start to doze off and after several futile attempts to recover, Muffin says "babe take your glasses off you're falling asleep." We also picked up several books that I'm excited to share with my child. A Hans Christian Andersen treasury, a family faith treasury, and of course The Curse of the Bambino (the child will know Yankee history :D). Suffice to say, I think this will be one of the parts of being a dad I'm gonna like.

A little patriotic flavor

2009-07-04T14:54:00.001-04:00

Patrol Magazine has an article with some really good renditions of the our National Anthem. My particular faves are the Cactus Cuties, N'Sync and Whitney Houston versions. Let me know what ya think.

Still Here

2009-07-03T16:30:00.004-04:00

Well it's been a little while hasn't it? The past few months have been interesting and fast paced. For those of you that may not now, Muffin is expecting our first child. She told me on Easter Sunday and we are both extremely excited. I would be lying if I said I didn't find the whole prospect of being a father a bit intimidating. I am also feeling extremely blessed and humbled by the whole circumstance. Everyone asks me whether I want a boy or girl. In all honesty I don't have a preference. When I talk about the baby I say he alot. But when I picture the baby in my mind, I almost always see a little girl. So I have to say that I will be happy with whatever good blesses us with. javascript:void(0)

We were shopping last night and went by a book outlet, they had a childrens book called Dad's Bald Head. Which of course we had to buy, it's actually a really cute book and one that will be reading to CinnaBun soon :D

Worth The Wait

2009-04-20T19:25:00.003-04:00

I know it's been a while since I blogged so I hope this post will in fact be "worth the wait" for you guys. The contrast in my last 2 Easters has been an incredible one. Easter 2008 was spent with my mom, just 6 days before she passed. I was informed that Easter 08 was earlier than it had been in like 90 years and was able to find another blessing in what at the time was a lot of pain and hurt. This Easter was a special one as well. Shasta and I were doing some rearranging and she laid 2 baby outfits beside each other, one boy and one girl, and asked me "Which do you think we'll need first?" I asked something to the effect of "What are you trying to say?" and she said "well we're gonna have to pick soon." So came the announcement that Shasta is expecting and we'll have a little one before 2009 is over. There were many joyous phone calls and more than a few happy tears from friends and relatives. My friend Julie wanted to scream but couldn't because she had a nasty cold and her voice was shot. So here I sit again, blessed way more than I deserve, about to start a family with the most incredible person I know and the words that come to mind are "Thank you LORD, I could not ask for more."

So much for customer loyalty

2009-04-11T21:32:00.002-04:00

I have been a customer of my current ISP pretty much since they came to town. I was the first person on my street to convert my dial up account to DSL, I took advantage of their unlimited long distance, dove in with both feet when they offered bundled DSL, phone and satellite service. You could say I'm happy with the service and offerings they provide. I even stuck with them when their stupid computers didn't bill us for long distance for over a year and all of a sudden it all appeared on one bill. However the treatment I've rec'd in the past few weeks have left questioning whether they are worthy of my loyalty. It's not that the service has suffered or degraded at all. It's the way they seem to not care about those customers that have stuck with them and remained loyal. Back at the end of February I called to see if there was any way I could save on my bill. I had heard rumors that they were offering free laptops for customers who locked in for a certain amount of time and figured I'd see if it was true. The very nice rep I talked with said it was and she'd get me all set up. Well after several minutes she said that she could give me the laptop and save me $35/month on my bill if I took advantage of another promotion they were offering. I said heck yeah. Well after a minute or so, she said she couldn't do the laptop because I wasn't eligible, but I could still do the promo that saved me $35/month. I asked why I wasn't eligible and she just said her supervisor said I wasn't. I told her to go ahead and sign me up and then asked if I could talk to her supervisor to clarify why I wasn't eligible. She put me on my hold and after about 5 minutes I hung up and didn't think anymore of it until the other day when Nathan knocked on my door. Nathan was all excited because he could offer my some savings on my bill and, wait for it, a free laptop! I chuckled and explained that I had tried for the free laptop but I wasn't eligible. Well Nathan was not one to give up easily, he called his supervisor and after about 5 mins, they to determined that I wasn't eligible, and advised me to speak to someone at my local office. Well I went to my local office and explained my situation to them and they were extremely sympathetic and even worked my bill so I got an extra $20/month but I still don't have the laptop. I asked them if they realized that this left me with no incentive to continue as a Frontier customer once my current contract expired. They actually nodded and said they wouldn't blame me for exploring other options! By the way, Frontier is still offering the free laptop, rightchere! I am apparently not eligible because I take advantage of their new service offerings as soon as they come out instead of waiting until they start tying them to promotions like the one I am not eligible for. It seems Frontier would rather score a new customer for the short term than worry about keeping the those of us who have stuck with them happy. Fine by me, we'll see what Comcast offers when contract renewal time rolls around.

A Year Later

2009-03-29T15:44:00.002-04:00

So I was in church this morning getting ready for my Sunday School class when Muffin comes in and says "Pam's(our pastors wife)looking for you." Since I had just seen Pam I didn't really think anything of it and just said "OK". About 5 minutes later Pam sticks her head in the room and says "Hey D, I just wanted to make sure I gave you a hug and make sure you are doing ok today." It actually took me a second to realize that she was talking about the fact that today is the one year anniversary of my Mom's passing away. My friends Sam and Joy also mentioned that it was the one year anniversary and I've told several folks that while I certainly miss her I think I grieved a lot for her while she was sick and in the home and since I know Momma is so much better now than she was I can't be sad for her, and I absolutely do not wish her back here.

My wife has an awesome list of some of things about Momma that we all miss on her blog and I really do encourage you to read it. I promise you'll smile and you my even tear up a bit at reading it but it's worth the read.

For those of you that didn't know her or never meet her, I'm going to tell you 2 stories that I think capture her personality.

When Shasta and I first started dating she lived about an hour away from us and didn't have her own car. So I would pick her up on Sundays and we'd go to church, have lunch, spend time with family or friends and then I would take her home. Well on the third Sunday that we did this, Shasta and I were in the kitchen cleaning up lunch dishes and Mom starts giggling in her recliner. Shasta and I both asked what was so funny and Mom, in this giggly, giddy little school girl voice says "I see red headed grand daughters." At the time it freaked both Shasta and I out a bit, but Mom probably knew before I did that Shasta was the one for me. I am so incredibly thankful that my wife and mother had Naomi-Ruth relationship.

One of things that I am thankful is that Mom actively started attending church with me at the Chapel in the last 3-4 years of her life. If you've never been to the Chapel it is a, well, unique church. Shasta has said it's like having church in your living room. It is very relaxed and things like back and forth banter with the pastor are not uncommon and happen quite frequently. One Sunday morning during prayer request time Mom requested prayer for my Aunt Libby who had a quadruple by pass earlier in the week. I shared the story of how we had visited with her and Libby had said she was in so much pain, she didn't know why God didn't take her home. I told the Chapel what I had told Libby in the hospital which was that God wasn't ready for anymore of those smart mouth Knott (mom's maiden name) sisters just yet. Without missing a beat Mom blurts out, to the whole church, "I'm sorry I ever adopted that boy." The whole church was in stitches for several minutes.

Mom I miss you and I love you, say hello to Poppa, Jesus, Dad and Guilo when you get a minute and I'll see you soon :D

My home-in-law

2009-03-15T13:00:00.002-04:00

We made it to Oklahoma and the drive took us just about 24 hours. It wasn't really a bad drive, any further night have been an issue but with Shasta and I switching off driving, good music, XM and several 5 hour energy shots we made good time and hit almost no traffic. Many thanks to all of you who prayed before, during and after our travel.

We got to see my nephew Johnathon play 2 basketball games and for being a third grader he seems to be developing quite a nice jump shot. We also took John and his brother Justin out for the birthdays. After some shopping Braums was next for good burgers. If you're not from Oklahoma Braums is a family owned chain of restaurants/stores that has some of the best burgers, hot dogs and ice cream you'll find. All their beef and dairy products still come from the family farms and in order to maintain freshness they don't open any franchises outside of a 300 mile radius from the main farm in Tuttle, OK. If you're ever out this way and see a Braums sign, I would highly recommend stopping.

Yesterday afternoon we visited with Shasta's Grandma Baker and her Great-Grandma Leecy. Leecy will be 98 in July and while her body is starting to show signs of age her mind is still sharp and she loves to visit and talk. We walked into the house and both of them were sleeping in their chairs but once awoken they were anxious to hug on our necks and talk about just about everything you can imagine. At one point Shasta pointed out that there was 5 generations sitting in the room, which was very cool to think about. Here I was sitting with Great-Grandma Leecy, Grandma Baker, Grandma Bakers Daughter Flo, Flo's daughters Shasta and Angela, and Angela's sons Johnathon and Justin. They really are a great family and from the beginning have made me feel like I fit right in. As you can see we've had a pretty packed trip so far and it's just getting started.

Song Lyric Sunday Week 5 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

2009-03-08T17:39:00.002-04:00

Ok, so Dana got last weeks, which makes him the contest winner and this weeks lyric is just for fun. Congrats Dana!

Girl
I can't understand it why you want to hurt me
After all the things I've done for you.
I buy you champagne and roses and diamonds on your finger -
Diamonds on your finger -
Still you hang out all night
what am I to do?

RULES:
1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't mean I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Song Lyric Sunday Week 4 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

2009-03-01T21:11:00.002-05:00

Pete got last weeks. So Dana has 2 and Pete has 1 with 2 weeks left

Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio, he moved a million hearts in mono.

RULES:
1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't mean I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Song Lyric Sunday Week 3 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

2009-02-22T16:04:00.002-05:00

Sorry I missed last week, but I was down with a stomach bug and by the time I even thought about the blog it was too late to post a lyric. Dana got the lyric for week 2 so he's leading 2-0 and if he get's this weeks then he'll win. Here y'all go.

Do you have to die again
for me to understand
What you mean to me
And what I mean to you

Song Lyric Sunday Contest Week 2 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

2009-02-08T16:06:00.004-05:00

So Dana got last weeks, which means he's in the lead right now. Please make sure you read over the rules before posting an answer.

The drinks were two for one
Inside the crowded bars
The girls would make their run
Out on the boulevard

1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't mean I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Zebras Uggghhhh

2009-02-02T21:46:00.002-05:00

OK, first of all I'll warn those of you that are not sports fans that this is gonna be a football rant so you can go back to your crocheting if you like. I watched last nights Super Bowl and had a blast, I thought it was one of the best football games I've ever watched. Was it the greatest Super Bowl ever? Hard to say because I haven't watched every one but I will say that it's probably in the top 3 that I have watched. My complaint centers on the officiating. It's not surprising really that in a year that has been marred by some horribly bad calls the championship certainly had it's share of questionable calls. The sad thing is the officiating did a disservice to both teams. It may have cost the Cardinals a championship and it leaves people (those who aren't Steeler fans anyway) questioning the legitimacy of Pittsburgh's hard fought 6th Super Bowl title. Heading into the 4th the Cardinals had been flagged for 10 penalties to 2 for the Steelers and the final tally ended up with the Cardinals being flagged for 106 yards in penalties to 56 for the Steelers. The irony of this that Steeler Nation was on the war path after their regular season game against San Diego in which they were flagged for 115 yards in penalties to the Chargers 5. The Steelers won that game however. And yes, the NFL did admit to getting at least one call in that Charger game wrong. Back to last night, the 2 most glaring examples of this officiating crews ineptness were yet to come. After Santonio Holmes go ahead score he clearly took the ball, shook it and did what appeared to be an imitation of NBA'er LeBron James' chalk ritual. He clearly used the ball as a prop which according to the NFL's excessive celebration rule should have resulted in a 15 yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. I personally think the excessive celebration rule is asinine and I hate it but it is the rule and I am 99% certain that if it had been Steve Smith, Chad Johnson, or Terrell Owens doing the same thing it would have certainly drawn a flag. 15 yards of field position makes a huge difference on that final drive. And then on Arizona's last play from scrimmage the replay booth chose not to review the play to determine if Kurt Warner's arm was going forward and he had control of the ball or if fumble ruling on the field was correct. Yes, the NFL has said today that the ruling on the field was correct but c'mon this is the biggest game of the year and your replay crew can't take the time to make sure the call is right? The replay officials making that call while the game is still in progress holds a lot more weight than saying it the day after. If you're a Steeler fan (Dana!) congrats and I don't mean to take anything away from their win, but the NFL has got to do something about their officiating. Missing one call a game is one thing, but when your championship game has this many questions it's obvious that something needs to be fixed.

Song Lyric Sunday Contest Week 1 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

2009-02-01T16:16:00.001-05:00

So the last contest got such a good response we're gonna do another one. The rules have changed slightly so make sure you re-read them before you start posting your answers.

1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't me I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Now that the technicalities are done with here's the first lyric:

I need a sign to let me know you're here
'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me

A cord of 3 strands...

2009-01-27T18:12:00.010-05:00

Today is my parents 40th wedding anniversary. It almost slipped by me but I happened to be looking at the date on a piece of mail and it caused me stop for a second. Dad passed in 1986 and Mom passed last March so for the first time in 23 years they are actually celebrating their anniversary together.

This is actually, I think, the oldest picture I have of them. It's from November 1969 and the baby that mom is holding is me. I'm sleeping, which according to Mom I did a lot of. She used to say that she had to wake me up to feed me. Well that wasn't a problem for long I assure you.

This is a family portrait from the mid to late 70's. Note Mom's beehive, length of her hair and lack of make up. All of those were requirements of the church we were attending at the time. You'll also note how much I (that's me on the right standing beside her) look like my mother and how much my Dad and my brother Dana favor each other.

The last one is from Christmas 1980 and it's not the best photo but I just love the memory it brings and look on Mom and Dad's faces. We never had a lot of money for Christmas but it was special day to them both and they really went out of their way to make it as special as possible for Dana and I.

Song Lyric Sunday

2009-01-25T21:16:00.001-05:00

The contest starts next week. I post full rules and the first lyric sometime after 4 pm (ET) next Sunday. Here's this weeks lyric.

Maybe sometimes, we've got it wrong, but it's alright
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same
Oh, don't you hesitate.

Grace Is For Sinners and a Song Lyric

2009-01-18T17:07:00.004-05:00

In my last post I mentioned that I was reading the book Grace Is For Sinners. I finished the book today and just wanted to say that first of all I highly recommend the book. The author, Serena Woods, gives a first hand account of an abusive childhood, foster care, finding faith, falling into an affair and heer finding grace in spite of the "biblical discipline" dished out to her by her church family. The book really is an incredible read and is one of those books that I think could well become a staple for myself and others like me who need a faith and a God who doesn't fit into a box. Woods does an excellent job of telling the story of how church discipline almost destroyed her faith instead of helping to bring her to a point of restoration. She provides specific examples of how this biblical discipline was actually anything but biblical and does so without coming across as mean spirited or vindictive. She also doesn't down play her own shortcomings and the sin of the affair that ultimately led to this book being written. Woods also does a fine job of pointing out that for the believer God should be sovereign and we need to believe that he all things in control at all times. I really don't think I can recommend this book highly enough, especially for those who feel abandoned or outcast by the church. javascript:void(0)

In keeping with the spirit of the book, here's my song lyric for this week:

I keep on chasing the wrong things
and coming up empty
This isn't who I'm supposed to be
I keep on learning the hard way from every mistake
And I'm finding each time that you fall,

Shooting Our Wounded

2009-01-15T21:10:00.003-05:00

I recently started reading a book called Grace Is For Sinners and it really has me thinking about how much God is in control of everything and how little control we have. The book focuses on the way the church tends to treat believers who stumble or fall away and how harsh we can be when someone in the church falls into sin. I was reminded of this even more recently when I started doing some research on Katy Perry. As I've told you previously I am a huge music fan and even though I didn't know it I am no stranger to Katy Perry. In 2001 I bought a CD by a 16 year old named Katy Hudson. It was a very good CD, the singer had an amazing voice and the lyrics were not your typical "god or girlfriend" variety but were solidly based on scripture and to this day the song "Trust In Me" is one that pops into my head when I'm struggling with worrying about something. Well it doesn't take long at all to find out that Katy Perry and Katy Hudson are the same person. That's right the same person who wrote "But you said don't worry/for I've healed the blind man/and I've set the captives free/and you said don't worry/for all you gotta do is put your trust in me" in 2001 wrote "I kissed a girl and I liked it/the taste of her cherry chapstick." in 2008. The song was a huge hit and if you have a teen I'd venture to say it's on their iPod somewhere. How does that happen you ask? I dunno, I dunno Katy so I don't know where heart was in 2001 or where it is 2009. I do know that I've read plenty of snarky comments on "christian" websites about how she was never really a believer, or how disappointed her parents must be and those are the mild ones. I do know that the God she sang about in 2001 is the same God in 2009 and his love for her hasn't changed and until Katy is dead there's always hope. Who knows maybe this time is Katy's time to be "sifted like wheat" and 10 years from now she'll be an example to all the believers. But dog piling on the girl just makes us look like some elitist country club that has decided to revoke her membership because she doesn't meet our standards. Does this mean I'm ok with the bigger issues that I Kissed A Girl presents or that I think parents don't have a right to monitor what their kids listen to? Absolutely not, and I think as a parent you should be familiar with what your kids are listening to and watching. I'm just saying that instead of villianizing Katy, try for a minute to see her as Christ does and remember that the same blood he spilled for your bad stuff, he spilled for her bad stuff too.

Prayer Request

2009-01-14T18:20:00.002-05:00

My friends the McKenzies have been missionaries in the Middle East and Africa for quite some time now and Steve is faithful to send periodic updates on their work. When I checked my email today there was an update requesting prayer for 2 of their colleagues. I'm not gonna try to reword it I'm just gonna cut and paste and ask that after reading you would take some time to pray as he's requested:

MAJESTY IN MEEKNESS
Special Edition

Please Pray
When one part of your body hurts the whole body feels the burden of pain. Our teammates, Brian & Becky Schrader have endured an incredibly difficult few months. Initially they hoped to be studying French about this time in Quebec but God sovereignly held up the sale of their house while slowly stripping them of possessions and securities. Just days ago they left their home without any of the equity they anticipated. Their testimony of faithfulness throughout all of this allowed God's glory to be seen through some very difficult circumstances.

Just yesterday God blessed Brian and Beck with a very special little girl, Elliana Hope. She was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome. She has no ear canals with a very small upper and lower jaw that is preventing her from breathing on her own. She also has a complete cleft palate. Specialists are currently evaluating how to best help Elliana, especially so she can breath on her own.

Becky has also endured various complications throughout the pregnancy and hemorrhaged after the birth. She has lost 50% of her total blood volume but remains stable without needing blood transfusions up to this point.

I would be amazingly grateful if you would pray for our teammates during this difficult time. Would you be willing to pray for them now before closing this email and make them part of your regular mealtime prayers? This email goes to various countries in different time zones and it would be a blessing to know that God's universal body was interceding for this family throughout the day.

For His Name's Sake,
Stephen McKenzie
www.majestyinmeekness.org

Song Lyric Sunday

2009-01-11T17:30:00.002-05:00

Hey mama hey mama lookee what your little babies all have become
Hey mama hey mama don't it ever make you wish you'd been a nun?
Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle?
Is it in our blood?
Rome is burning

Song Lyric Sunday

2009-01-04T15:04:00.002-05:00

So, if everything goes as planned a new contest will start the first Sunday in February. My buddy Brian over at Black Dog Coffee will be sponsoring the contest and putting together a nice little prize package for the winner. The rules will be pretty much the same with the exception that I will be turning on comment moderation for the duration of the contest. Keep your eyes peeled for rules and other info in the coming weeks.

Why pluck one string... what good is just one note?
Oh, one string sounds fine, I guess... but we were once 'one notes',
We were lonely wheat quietly ground into grain...
What light and momentary pain!
So why the safe distance, this curious look?
Why tear out single pages when you can throw away the book?
Why pluck one string when you can strum the guitar?

Artist of The Moment - GRITS

2009-01-03T11:35:00.003-05:00

My first memories of GRITS are not actually as musicians at all but as dancers. They danced for DC Talk when DCT was opening for Michael W. Smith on his Go West Young Man tour, which was before most of the youth I now teach were even born.

Grits members Coffee and Bone formed one of the first "Christian" rap acts that made music that didn't come across as a cheesy christian version of whatever was being played on mainstream radio at the time. They released their first album "Mental Releases" in 1995 and their latest "Reiterate" was released in September of 2008. In the time between they have release 7 albums of original material and 3 compilation/remix albums. They are one of my all time favorite groups, ranking right up there with artists like Jars Of Clay, Sixpence None The Richer, The Prayer Chain, etc. The first song on the list 'Tennessee Bwoys' is special because it always makes my think of my family in Tennessee and that always brings a smile to my face. Even if you're not a rap fan, give the list a listen and let me know what ya think.

Not nearly as bad as it seemed

2008-12-27T22:43:00.002-05:00

So I'm sitting here tonight printing bulletins and trying to finish up my lesson for tomorrow and all I can think about is that as bad as I think my year has been, it has been just as bad and worse from some of my friends. God has driven that point home on at least 3 occasions this past week. I have had rough spots this year, but I have not had to worry about my home being foreclosed on, or my spouse abusing me, my parents divorcing and sticking me in the middle or having a parent in jail for this Christmas and the next several as well or any number of things that friends have confided in me over the past several days. We are 2 days from Christmas and there are reminders everywhere of why we need Christmas, why we have to have it. That this world is sick, dying and going to hell unless it grabs hold of the life preserver that Christmas offers. I am sitting here wondering what I can do to help ease my friends hurt and pain, I mean actual physical things that I can do and I keep coming up with nada. The only thing I know I can do is trust that God, in his wisdom, will turn what the enemy has meant for evil into good and that on that day when I get to ask Him face to face why all this mess has to happen He won't be too upset with the smart aleck accusatory tone in my voice. To my dear friends that are struggling and going through these difficult circumstances, please know that my heart aches for you and that I am, to the best of my ability, constantly in our Father's ear asking for relief on your behalf.

Good Article

2008-12-25T22:36:00.002-05:00

I read The Ooze with some regularity because it provides an interesting faith based perspective without the pat answers. I thought I'd share this article. I'd rate it PG for one phrase that's a little rough but definitely is worth taking the time to read.

A slightly different Christmas

2008-12-25T15:54:00.002-05:00

So my house is quiet now, everyone else (dogs included) is taking some time to catch a well deserved nap. And in the quiet I am struck by several things this Christmas. First is the fact that it is the first without my mom, and while I certainly miss her I am not sad. My friend Juls suggested that we start a tradition of collecting angel ornaments for the tree in honor of mom and for this year we got an ornament that is simply a pair of angel wings to remind us that our angel is missing from us but celebrating Jesus' birthday with him. I am also struck but just how amazing that babe in the straw was. I was talking with my friend Peter the other day and he said he recently been struck by the total compassion and heart of Jesus. Christmas is such an awesome expression of that. Imagine giving up your warm home and family to go be born in a garage to fix a relationship with people who really didn't give a rat's butt about you. Would you do it? I know I probably wouldn't leave the trailer on Grassdale St. to do it, much less leave heaven. Yet Jesus decided that he loved me, and you, enough to give all that up and fix a relationship that we had messed up. The presents, food, music and all the other things we associate with Christmas are nice, but they should never cause us to lose sight of the reason we celebrate it. Merry Christmas to all of you and may that babe in the straw be born anew in your heart today.

On a side note, please say a prayer this Christmas for my friend Tiffy, she's had a rough one and could use them.

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-12-21T20:37:00.002-05:00

Ok, first I'm gonna post a reminder of the basic rules for those of you that have forgotten or may be new to SLS. WHEN the contest starts, there will be a few additional ones.

1. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner.*

* - in most cases I want the original artist but will take anyone who had some modicum of success with the song and that I can verify recorded it. But just because the garage band up the street plays it doesn't mean it qualifies. Disputed cases will be covered by rule 3

2. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya. Any disputes will be settled by rule 3.
3. In the case of any disputes, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.

Here's this weeks lyric:

They're singing "Deck The Halls"
But it's not like Christmas at all
Cuz I remember when you were here
And all the fun we had last year

Death's Dark Shadows Put To Flight

2008-12-20T19:58:00.001-05:00

Did y'all miss me? It has certainly been an interesting last weeks for me and for that matter and interesting 2008. For the most part it really has not been my best year. For a number of reasons I have really struggled to find even an ounce of the "joy of my salvation." I was chatting with my friend Juls a couple of weeks ago and opining to her about how I was anxious for 2008 to be over and she reminded me to be careful not miss out on what God might do in the last 6 weeks. Well in the past week or so God has really reminded me of what an incredible thing Christmas is. Last weekend we went to 2 Christmas shows that friends were involved in. The folks at Covenant Church did an incredible job putting on Imagine, Christmas and one of the songs we sang was O Come, O Come Emmanuel and during the third verse we sang "Death's dark shadows put to flight" and while I heard the singers and the audience singing it, I also heard it in my heart. I don't know that words can describe it but after the past 2 days I honestly believe that it was God saying to me that this Christmas he was going to put the shadow of death that I have been letting myself live under to flight. And He did that in any number of ways this week but I'd like to share 2 of them. My father-in-law had ask me several weeks ago if I would take him to his dental appointment which was scheduled for yesterday, Friday 12/19. I told him of course I would and that while he was there I would find a coffee shop nearby and work until he was done. Well I found out Thursday night that it was located in the same medical complex that my mom's podiatrist was located. The last time I had been there was January 28, 2009 which was the Monday before she would go into the hospital and not come home again. Mom and I used to have a routine with her appointments where I would drop her off, made sure she got inside and then I would find a nearby coffee shop with wireless access and work until she called that she was done. We would then head back and maybe have lunch or a snack and I would finish out the work day while she read and dozed and we would head home. If I'm honest there was some trepidation about going. But once I got in the car I was completely ok with it. I dropped Steve off and went to the same coffee shop where I used to wait for Mom and the minute I walked in, the owner smiled and said "Hey there, where have you been?" I explained to him that since mom had passed I hadn't been to Hagerstown nearly as much we chatted and caught up and he smiled as he told what a joy his few conversations with Mom had been. Instead of being a day of mourning it turned into a day where I remembered so many wonderful things about my Mother, things that I had lost in the shadows of her dying

Today Muffin and I headed out to get supplies to make Christmas goodies for our friends and I started out with a get in, get it done and get home attitude. Let me tell y'all we went to Wal-Mart on a Saturday and I knew something was up when I got the second parking spot in line folks. While the store was crowded folks were very friendly and we even had funny discussion with a woman about getting recipes online. The cashier, while tired and a little rushed, was friendly and courteous. At another point we were walking through the mall, holding hands and older lady smiles and says "I can tell you're in love." and my reply was "You bet!" We then struck up a conversation with another lady about her late husband and his love for the Dallas Cowboys (Muffin and I were both wearing Cowboys gear.) This afternoon we spent some time with our good friends the Whitacres and thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and time spent with them. God, in his goodness and mercy has definitely put deaths dark shadows to flight this Christmas and I am actually looking forward to celebrating!

Don't Give Up

2008-11-24T07:36:00.003-05:00

So yesterday I had the privilege of preaching for the second time. In the weeks leading up to the sermon I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to speak on humility. Well by the Tuesday before the sermon God had made it pretty clear that I was supposed preach on something entirely different. I used the internet as my concordance and found an outline, some illustrations and with some help from my friend J.C. found a video clip that illustrated exactly what I was trying to say. I honestly had my doubts going in, but even before I had spoken a word, it was clear to me that what I was going to say was what a lot of people (myself included) needed to hear. The sermon is called Don't Give Up and is based on Luke 18:1-8. Don't stop the video after I stop speaking or you'll miss the video clip.

As I stated in my previous post the band Our City Sleeps was in town for The Big Night - Take Two and had agreed to bless us by leading worship. After talking with their lead singer Shaun we decided to have them do a cover of The Glorious Unseen's "Hear Our Prayers" as an invitation which was right in line with the message I gave. The invitation itself didn't make the video so I have also posted a copy of the The Glorious Unseen's video for the song below, I really encourage you to watch it and listen to the words.

Lastly I will say that this message for me was one I've lived, especially this past year. It was not necessarily one I wanted to preach, but I needed to. I needed to know that we can't give up in our prayer life. I needed to know that Jesus doesn't give us that option. I needed to know that my God is faithful, even when I am faithless and I needed to know that he always keeps his promises. I hope the message meets you were you are and you find some encouragement from it.

For those that are interested the scripture I used was Luke 18:1-8 and the points are listed below:

1. Don’t Give Up There Is Too Much At Stake (verses 1-2)
2. Don’t Give Up When Circumstances Seem to Be Against You (verse 3)
3. Don’t Give Up the Answer May Be Just Around the Corner. (verses 4-5)
4. Don’t Give up God is Working Out the Answer (verses 7-8)
5. Don’t Give Up Jesus Always Keeps His Promises (verse 8)

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-11-23T23:04:00.002-05:00

I know some of you are looking for video of the sermon I preached this morning. I have uploaded to GodTube and it should be available as soon as they get done with whatever content reviews they need to do. If that happens tonight I will embed the video in a post and if not it will be tomorrow. I honestly do appreciate the interest.

We had The Night last night and it was actually the conclusion of The Big Night which was cut short by rain. And it really was an awesome night. Our City Sleeps and Sunday Obsession rocked out and lead worship. The Nuteenz drama team did a powerful skit that used the song Everything by Lifehouse and Kyler Barr delivered an awesome message on going into the world and making disciples. I am really in awe of were God seems to be going with The Night and other ministries of involved with and even more in awe that he lets me be a part of it.

Here's your lyric for this week:

I'm scared and I'm alone
I'm shamed and I need for you to know

I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say
And you can't take back what you've taken away
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me
I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say
And you can't take back what you've taken away
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-11-09T21:37:00.001-05:00

when the world has fallen out from under me
I'll be found in you, still standing
when the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
when time and space are through
I'll be found in you

Can't we all just get along!

2008-11-05T18:05:00.003-05:00

So another election has come and gone. Democrats won pretty much everything, so I'm sure Armegeddon is right around the corner. I have become so weary of the "I'm right" attitude of both sides that it really makes me not even want to take part in the process. It seems that as a society we have lost the ability to disagree civilly. If you know me you know I love a good discussion and if I can get under your skin I will certainly do it but at the end of the dicussion I will laugh with you, hug on your neck and still try to be the best friend I can be. It just seems to me that in our effort to be proven right we forget that there are actual people with actual emotions and feelings that are getting run over. While it was certainly my desire that the outcome last night would be different the God whom I (and alot of democrats) serve obviously had a different plan and he has this, like he has all things, in control and "under his feet." As an American I think it's awesome that this process that has served us so well for over 200 years still works. I am in awe of the fact that 40 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated we are going to see an African-American president. And as my president he has my full support and respect. Whether I agree or disagree with his politics I will pray for God's will and guidance for him and for our country.

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-10-26T17:44:00.003-04:00

Thanks to all of you for checking out the video of my sermon last week. I'll be preaching again on 11/23 for those of you that are local and would like to stop in and hear. The message from last week was something that had several months to brew, so having to have something ready in just over 4 weeks seems a bit daunting but I already have several ideas brewing and I'm sure God will make it clear in plenty of time.

Here's the lyric:

Fearful tears are running down
The pain you've laid don't speak a sound
Don't take my heart away from me
And they think I fell down, again

Preach!

2008-10-20T07:25:00.003-04:00

Well yesterday I had the privilege of preaching at my church for the first time. I was admittedly nervous but I didn't commit any major faux pas and everyone seemed to enjoy and receive what I had to say. The video is below, it about 24 minutes long and you'll probably need to turn your speaker up to hear it but I hope you like.

There seems to be a teensy problem with playback. After a couple of minutes it abruptly stops - to remedy this, just restart it and move the play bar at the bottom of the video over to where it left off, and start it back up. There isn't any buffering if you have high speed internet.

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-10-12T23:04:00.001-04:00

Fall asleep...
Don't fall asleep...
Don't fall asleep...
[They lied when they said that the good die young]
They lied when they said the good die young... [Woah-oh oh-oh]
They lied when they said the good die young.
Stay with me, stay with me tonight.

Artist Of The Moment

2008-10-11T16:16:00.002-04:00

I tend to listen to a lot of bands/artists that are not exactly mainstream. They're good but for various reason you're not likely to hear them on the radio or MTV. So to give you all a feel for some of them I'm going to start featuring a different "artist of the moment" in my playlist widget. It's over there <----. Just click the play button on the widget and give a listen. Feel free to leave comments with your opinions. The first artist is Anberlin. They've been around for several years and have developed into one of my favorite bands for the fact that they do rock oh so hard. Anyway enjoy and, you never know, it may help you with a Song Lyric Sunday down the road.

Prayer Request

2008-10-09T13:10:00.003-04:00

If you get a chance say a prayer for my sister-in-law Sherry today. She's having some pretty heavy duty surgery on her shoulder. She's been told the shoulder will be immobile for 7-10 days and the rehab could be as long as 6 months so I'm sure she'd appreciate any prayers for a speedy recovery.

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-10-05T22:10:00.001-04:00

We can load what we own in the back of a U-haul van.
Couple modern day Moses', searchin for the promised land.
We can go four hundred miles before we stop for gas.
We can drive for a day, and then we'll take a look at the map.

Conflicted

2008-09-28T21:13:00.002-04:00

It's been an interesting few days to say the least. My youth group put on the second annual The Big Night yesterday and all in all it really did turn out to be a great event. The weather threatened all day and we got a few hours of clear skies but when the skies opened, boy did they open!!! The rain was one thing, but with lightning all around us we really had to consider everyone's safety and call it about 3 hours earlier than we had planned on. We ended the night with the guys from Our City Sleeps singing "Rain Down" which was a perfect way to end things. Speaking of Our City Sleeps, if you get the chance to see them live you should go do it!!! They really are one of the best bands I've heard in a long time and genuinely nice guys to boot.

I also got some unsettling news from a friend yesterday. While it wasn't unexpected and I kind of saw it coming, it didn't make it any easier and right now I'm wondering if there's anything I could have done to prevent it. If you're familiar with the situation you'll know what I'm talking about, otherwise just call it a semi-unspoken prayer request and say a prayer cuz God will know what you're talking about.

Here's a song lyric for this week:

Cold rappin' for the King with a sting in my voice
Not condemnin' men or women, but relayin' a choice
Higher groud is the sound that I'm talkin of
Opportunity knocks through a different love
Not love like we know it, like ya love your girl
It's a love from above not of this world

Tidbits from my youth group

2008-09-18T19:18:00.003-04:00

Even though I've been a youth leader for close to 20 years, teens never cease to amaze me. 2 examples from recent meetings:

2 weeks ago I did a lesson on how the kids view themselves, their future and why it's important to keep God first no matter where you think life might take you. I was asking a series of questions; one of which was "When you meet a person of the opposite sex, how do you see that person in relationship to yourself?" My experience tells me that this question had serious rabbit trail potential. So before asking I told the group that I wanted them to write down the first thing that came to mind, and not to over think it. Well that might work in a youth group without Kody L. in it, but Kody just has a unique way of seeing the world and has had the whole class in belly laughs with his comments and opinions on multiple occassions. So we're discussing the answers to the question and Kody L. raises his hand and says "you said the first answer that came to mind, right?" My brain went "ut oh" and I said "yes" and he said "OK, cookies and pie." Which preceded to send the whole group, myself included into what was probably a good 3 minutes of the aforementioned belly laughs.

And last night we were talking about Jesus healing the 10 lepers and just the one returning. I threw out the question "How do you think Jesus felt when only one returned?" After the standard "disappointed" "sad" "angry" answers, Abbey H. raised her hand and asked 'Why did he have to feel anything, he's God he knew the weren't gonna come back didn't he?' The question is even more insightful when you consider that Abbey just moved up to senior high 2 weeks ago. Carey and I explained that we don't know for sure that "man" Jesus knew everything beforehand and she seemed okay with that. Since Carey is her dad I'm sure it made for interesting car talk on the way home though :D

Never, Ever Forget

2008-09-11T10:59:00.001-04:00

Random Stuph 09/06

2008-09-06T09:45:00.002-04:00

I know it's been a while, for some weird reason this time of year always seems to be a down time for my blog postings. No idea why, it just is.

I've had a pretty busy few weeks, took my old Taurus for inspection last Friday and they said it needs new ball joints and new tires and it'll be about a bajillion (ok, $700) bucks for us to do it. I told them to go ahead and put a rejected sticker on it and I'll see if I can get some help from some friends. I called my friend Homer and he said he could do the ball joints if I bought them. Well they cost me about 60 bucks and he has my car right now fixing it. Although after talking with his son yesterday, Homer may be regretting actually agreeing to do it. More on that in another post. Once the ball joints are done, it's off to Mr. Tire, Costco or somewhere that tires are cheaper than what the other guys want.

I rediscovered Larry Norman recently. Larry was really the first "Christian" rocker. He was an incredible musician and definitely did not fit into the mold that the church wanted him to. If you get a chance check out some of his music, it may sound a bit dated but the lyrics are incredible and you won't be disappointed.

Speaking of music, if things work out there will be another Song Lyric Sunday Contest soon. Now, I may post lyrics on Sunday between now and the start of the contest but there will be NO PRIZES until the contest officially starts.

I spoke at The Night last Saturday night and while I have been a youth teacher/leader for close to 20 years, this is the first time I've actually had to prepare something akin to a sermon and deliver it front of a crowd. I was a bit nervous but other than feeling like I rushed through it a bit I thought it went well. I got good feedback from several people who would have no problem telling me if there were problems with it.

Prayer Request

2008-08-27T10:53:00.002-04:00

Please pray for the Drews Family. Last night their 3 year old son drowned in a pond behind their home. More info can be found here.

Little bit of salt and light

2008-08-26T19:55:00.004-04:00

Donald Miller has been a favorite author of mine ever since I read Blue Like Jazz so it was a great surprise to see him pray at the Democratic National Convention last night. Regardless of your political leanings, his prayer was a great example for us all. You can watch the whole thing below:

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-08-17T22:09:00.004-04:00

Here's the lyric...

Now we're up to talking divorce,
And we weren't even married.

8/18 Update Dana's got the song title right and it was COMPOSED by Burt Bacharach but he didn't record it. Who recorded it???

Has it really been a year?

2008-08-12T08:41:00.006-04:00

If you know me at all you know I love dogs. Especially the small, cuddle up on your lap kind. I was blessed with a one of a kind buddy named Guilo and when I had to have him put down in January 07 I really didn't think I'd ever be interested in having another pet. Well last summer we were blessed with the addition of two bundles of major cuteness. Muffin calls them our "special needs kids" because both survived really rough births and have a couple of health issues. The first pic is from the car ride home a year ago today.

Aslan has had his share of health issues, including a leaky heart valve and hernia surgery. Just this morning he was at the vet for an infected hot spot on his tail. When we first got him he was all boy and determined to be the boss, well the hernia wasn't the only thing they "fixed" with that surgery and he's not nearly as domineering as he used to be. He's very much a cuddler and still loves to play. He has the "bay" of a hound and is quick to let us know when someone is near the house. He also loves be scratched on either side of his neck and will love you forever if you do that for more than 30 seconds.

Lilybet is actually fairly healthy , but she has shown some signs of Syringomyelia. Which is a spinal fluid condition that is fairly common to the breed and other than her occasional scratching episode she seems none the worse for it. She is 6 lbs of Diva, when she first came to us, she was timid and was pretty much completely dominated by Aslan. While she is still a tad timid, but she has made it clear that if there's any dominating to be done she will do it. She rarely barks, but when she does you better listen up. She loves to be scratched on her chest just under her chin and will like you a lot if you do it for more than 30 seconds :D

I won't say they've taken Guilo's place in my heart, but I will say they've made a pretty good place of their own. The below pic was taken today. Seems they have also made themselves a pretty good place on Dad's recliner.

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-08-03T21:28:00.002-04:00

I got to go to Promise Keepers this weekend and what an awesome event. They're really aren't words to describe the feeling of worshiping with 10,000 other men. The speakers were awesome and challenged me in areas of my life that I needed to be challenged in. The event was made extra special because I got to spend it with my brother Dana and my nephew Kyle and we had a blast. The only drawback was that I have changed timezones every day for the past 4 days and I'm just little lagged right now :D Here's the lyric:

Take me to another place
Take me to another land
Make me forget all that hurts me
Let me understand your plan

Just a little something

2008-07-30T21:11:00.005-04:00

OK, first of all. There is currently NO CONTEST associated with Song Lyric Sunday. I know I had posted previously that there would be a contest in July but that hasn't worked out. I still plan to do one and when it happens, trust me you will know!

So over the past week I have been asked for my input on a couple of conflict situations that involve some very good friends. For some reason I seem to be one of those people that both sides of argument come to for advice. I really don't understand it either, because I'm not the type of person that's going to tell you that you're right just cause you're my friend and you want to hear it. In fact I tend to be blunt and will tell you if I think you're wrong. Both situations recently involved long term friendships that were being affected by miscommunication and/or things that had been left unsaid. I'm not gonna share details, because if you weren't involved, it's not any of your business. I will say that feelings have been aired, tears have been shed and both situations seem to be on their way to a resolution.

I posted a poem a while back about someone that had really disappointed me. Again I'm not gonna post the sordid details but I will say that God has been faithful and He has done an incredible work to restore a relationship that seemed very close to being irreparable.

So tomorrow I'm flying to Nashville so I can do promise keepers this weekend with my brother. I am very excited and looking forward to a weekend away and some guy time with my bro and other Christian brothers

Song Lyric Sunday, etc.

2008-07-27T18:36:00.014-04:00

So it's been an eventful weekend to say the least. When we got home Thursday night, Dana called and said that Kyle and his team had won their game that night and they would playing on Friday night, with Kyle pitching. If they won Friday night, they would play for the state championship at 10 am on Saturday. When I got off the phone Muffin says, "we should go." Well after some emails and phone calls to make sure I could work 1/2 a day Friday we pulled out about 12:15 Friday afternoon, headed for Johnson City, TN. The game was at 7 and most mapping sites listed the drive at just over 6 hours. Well we made 2 quick stops, hit no traffic and had great weather the whole way down. We pulled into the parking lot at 6:30 and hadn't taken 10 steps when my brother and his family pulled into the lot. After lots of hugs, we headed over and watched the game. Kyle really is a very gifted athlete and he pitched a phenomonal game on Friday night and his team won 6-3. He also hit a double that scored 3 of his teams runs. Little League rules won't allow pitchers to pitch in back to back games so he couldn't pitch the final Saturday and Jimmy "Digger" Hollandsworth pitched a great game but they lost 5-1. They finished 2nd for their age group in the entire state and I am extremely proud not only of my nephew but the whole team, they played well, never gave up and did their town, families and friends extremely proud.

I took this pic from behind the backstop, right after I took it the umpire turned around and started walking toward me. It took me bout 3 seconds to realize I was probably not supposed to be there. I muttered a quick "sorry, blue" and beat a quick path to my seat beside Muffin.

Even though we only saw them for a few hours, it was great to spend some time with my family. My niece Cassie and my nephew Kullin even got to come back and spend the night in our hotel room. Cassie had a great time and even got to share some Fun Dip with Aunt Shasta. She was quick to show off her green tongue afterwards to:

We hadn't seen Dana's family since they were up for Mom's funeral and it was nice to be able to see everyone doing so well. The trip down was filled with a lot of very happy, simple memories of our previous drives down to visit Dana and his family and while it would have been nice to have Mom with us I know she had the best seat in the house and was cheering right along with the rest of us.

Here's this weeks lyric:

Got a beat-up glove, a homemade bat, and brand-new pair of shoes;
You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride.
Just to hit the ball and touch ’em all - a moment in the sun;
(pop) it’s gone and you can tell that one goodbye!
Oh, put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Put me in, coach - I’m ready to play today;
Look at me

Couple Quick Things

2008-07-21T21:00:00.004-04:00

2 great news items happened in the past couple of days.

1. Muffin and I have another godson. William Joseph Petretta arrived at 6:15 pm on Weds. July 16. He is just as cute as a button and as soon as his photographer Father has pics on line I will let y'all know :D

2. My nephew Kyle's little league all star team started the Tennessee state 10-11 year old playoffs on Saturday and Kyle had quite the game. He pitched a complete game no-hit shutout and struck out 16. The pic below is from the story in his hometown newspaper. Go check it out for all the details.

What a week

2008-07-19T12:02:00.002-04:00

Well this week has been eventful to say the least. Shasta and I helped our friend Pastor Billy from Fellowship Bible Church out at their Summer Break this year. Summer Break is a week long event that is essentially a vacation bible school for teens. There was games, food, music and great teaching every evening. Shasta and I served as team leads for what I think was the smallest team there. It was a real challenge for our team to compete and score points in the games challenges but they more than made up for it by memorizing their verses and just gutting it out all. Props to Melissa who was one of only 3 attendees who memorized every verse (15 total) this week. For the first 4 days our team was either 7th or 8th of the 8 teams there and it was an inspiration to me to watch them continue to go full steam even against teams that in some case had twice as many members. Well when the final points were totalled, we were suprised to find that it was based on the average per team member and not total points. Our team ended up third overall but more importantly we had a great time and grew in the word!!!

Thursday night we decided to go catch the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight with several of the teens from our youth group. First of all, the movie very much deserves it's PG-13 rating. It is however an incredible movie, Heath Ledger's performance as Joker will be talked about for years to come. In my opinion his performance was a actually a bit tame compared to previous versions of the Joker, which is exactly what it needed. It would have been very easy for him to carbon copy Caesar Romero or Jack Nicholson's performances but he takes the character to a new place and pulls it off spectacularly. Christian Bale is just about perfect as Bruce Wayne/Batman. His understated performance as a conflicted, reluctant superhero will be overshadowed by Ledger's but is no less dynamic and the film would not have been nearly as good with out it. We got home at 3:30 am and I was up and working by 8:50. Lunch brought a 90 minute nap and with the help of 5 hour energy I made it through the last night of Summer Break.

Fish On!!!

2008-07-09T18:51:00.003-04:00

Well check out my nephew Kullin, he caught this fish recently and to quote his dad "He about crapped his pants." with excitement. Congrats Kullin!!!

And I know it's not Sunday, but here's a Song Lyric Anyway...

Now there's a chance that if I hurry
I could beg her to stay
But that water's right
And the weather's perfect
No tellin' what I might catch today

Tuesday, Tuesday

2008-07-01T20:38:00.002-04:00

Congrats to Dana for getting this weeks Song Lyric. Shasta was right as well in that Vince Gill sang with Sara Evans on No Place That Far. I picked that song because it was 4 years ago this month that Shasta and I went down to Annapolis, got engaged and I surprised her with a Sara Evans show.

If you happened to be watching Raw last night you saw my sister-in-law Angela and her husband Matt in one of the crowd shots (although it was so quick we almost missed it). When my nephew Jonathon called this morning to tell me all about it he was quick to inform that he could "take" JBL with the 619. LOL. I know that if you don't watch rasslin that really means nothing to you. I will admit that there was a time when I didn't miss a show, but it has been several years since I've watched with any regularity and it doesn't hold nearly the fascination that it once did. My suspicion is there are a few of you out there that have been or currently are fans.

Speaking of my nephews, my nephew Kyle had an awesome outing for his little league all star team. With the exception of the last out, he pitched the whole game. He struck out 13, only gave up 2 runs and his team won 10-7. Way to go Kyle!

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-06-29T21:04:00.001-04:00

If I had to run, if I had to crawl
If I had to swim a hundred rivers, just to climb a thousand walls,
Always know that I will find a way, to get to where you are,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MUFFIN

Every Breath You Take

2008-06-24T18:13:00.002-04:00

Yes I know it was easy. I actually got the idea to use it when I was watching Nashville Star last Monday night and one of the contestants did a pretty decent version of it. Speaking of Nashville Star, last nights episode had to be one of the worst episodes of reality music television evah!!! But I digress. Hearing "Every Breath You Take" reminded me that when the song was a hit, back in the 80's I always thought Sting was singing "I'm a pool hall ace" and not "How my poor heart aches." Go ahead and laugh, we all have songs we're the lyrics sound like something completely nonsensical. You know you do. Feel free to leave comments with some of your own :D

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-06-22T20:05:00.001-04:00

Oh, can't you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take

Hey Y'all

2008-06-21T17:34:00.002-04:00

First of all, if you're reading this and you are the one who sent Muffin and I a copy of The Shack. Thank You!! Muffin is reading it right now and I'll grab it when she's done.

The next Song Lyric Sunday contest will begin on Sunday July 7 and we actually have a sponsor and prize package and it will be like a real contest!!! It'll run for 8 weeks and the rules will be the same as the last one. Which means you'll be on your honor for not googling the lyrics!

2008-06-20T11:17:00.001-04:00

mobile blog setup

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-06-15T21:48:00.001-04:00

We'll be doing a new contest starting in July, and the cool part is it looks like I actually have a sponsor lined up. I'll give more details later. Here's this weeks lyric

He said, “I just climbed out of a cottonwood tree
I was runnin' from some honey bees
Drip dryin' in the summer breeze
After jumpin' into Calico creek
I was walkin' down an old dirt road
Past a field of hay that had just been mowed
Man I wish you'd just left me alone

SLS Winners

2008-06-09T10:07:00.002-04:00

Ok, I honestly thought that there was maybe one regular reader of my blog that would get yesterdays lyric. Well to my surprise, 2 people got it and neither was who I suspected. Kate and Dana are both right, Through The Fire was originally recorded by The Crabb Family and Randy Travis covered it on his album Glory Train, with The Crabb Family helping out on vocals. Congrats to Kate and Dana!!!

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-06-08T21:49:00.002-04:00

First of all Congrats to Angie for getting the last SLS right. She guessed Heaven In The Real World by Steven Curtis Chapman. She got a little help from JC but what the heck!

Here's this weeks:

he never promised that the cross would not get heavy
and the hill would not be hard to climb
he never offered our victories without fighting
but he said help would always come in time

Oh and a quick prayer request for my buddy Aslan, he goes in for surgery tomorrow to fix a hernia and be neutered. It's actually pretty simple surgery but since he has a leaky heart valve, any surgery is risky. The vet doing the surgery specializes in dogs with his heart condition, so that much is a relief. Just pray that things go quickly and that this will be the last surgery he ever has to have.

O, Canada

2008-05-31T08:22:00.003-04:00

So not 10 minutes after I blogged yesterday, we finished loading up the car and when I went to start it, nothing, just clicking. Seems some idiot (me) had left the dome light on after he got done setting up the GPS the night before. I pulled our other car alongside and tried to jump start, but nothing, still just clicking. I was convinced it was the starter and so I proceeded to do what all mature, grown men do it that situation. I threw a tantrum :D. I called my good friends at Ameritech Tire and Auto and they said if I could get the battery up there they would test it and see if it was the battery or something else. I grabbed some tools and before I got started Ameritech called back and said the owner, Newman, was headed down with a HotShot to try to give the battery a boost. Well he got there, the hotshot worked and after a quick stop at AutoZone for a new battery, we were on our way.

By the way, if you're looking for quality work from good people, take your car to Ameritech. I really can't say enough about them.

I really have to thank Randy for letting us use his GPS. It kept us off the major interstates for the most part, we got to see some beautiful scenery driving through PA and NY and we avoided most of the tolls we would have paid if we had used the directions I printed from the internet.

Our room, is well awesome, we have had top notch service since we pulled in. Valet parking, the bell hop turned us on to some local restaurants and the internet techs were here within 5 minutes when I called about not being able to connect. The view is not the ideal one of the Falls but just being able to see them from our room is awesome. The pic below was taken from our room window.

I haven't been to Canada since the mid-90's and things are way more pricey then they were on my last visit. An example would be the two 1 litre bottles of Aquafina water sitting on the desk here that have a tag which says "Make Your Body Happy $9.95 + tax." I'm sure there's some fine print that says "And piss your wallet off." I just haven't found it yet.

That's it for now, I'll post more pics in another post.

Road Trip!!!

2008-05-30T09:12:00.003-04:00

So in just a few minutes, Muffin and I will be headed to Canada for the weekend. Our very good friend Mamen hooked us up with 2 nights in Niagara Falls and we have been excitedly looking forward to it for the past 2 weeks. It has been a long time since we've had the chance to get away by ourselves and with the craziness of the past several months it is much needed. So the GPS is ready, we have a full compliment of MP3's and I am ready for a good ole fashioned road trip with the most beautiful woman in the world!!!

70 x 7

2008-05-27T11:51:00.003-04:00

Part of me wants to understand why you do what you do
Part of me doesn't give a rat's ass
Part of me has to forgive you, every time
Part of me wishes it was optional and wants to punch you in the mouth, every time
Part of me cares about you and hurts for what you go through
Part of me hurts more for the people I see you hurt
Part of me wants you to see and understand exactly what grace is
All of me lives in and needs that same grace every day

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-05-25T08:36:00.001-04:00

To stand in the pouring rain and believe the sun will shine again
To know that the grave is not the end
To feel the embrace of grace and cross the line where real life begins
And know in your heart you've found the missing part

There is a hope, there is a peace
That will make this life complete
For every man, woman, boy, and girl

Happy (belated) Birthday, ya redneck!!!

2008-05-23T10:36:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was my brother Dana's birthday. Dana is only 18 months younger than me so I don't remember a time when he wasn't part of my life. At times he's been a bit annoying and he's always, well, loud :D but if I could have picked a brother I don't think I would have changed him much at all. He's very quick with a remark and hilariously funny at times. He loves to hunt and fish and is handy with cars (all traits the skipped right over his big bro). He and his family moved to Tennessee about 5 years ago and have made quite the life for themselves. Since that move I have seen his faith grow in leaps and bounds and I know both Mom and Dad are very pleased with the man of God he's turned into. If you would have told me 5 years ago that Dana would be asking me about going to Promise Keepers with him I would have just chuckled at you, but we are planning just that for this August. The pic below is of him and my sister-in-law Sherry and does a great job of capturing his personality. So happy b-day BRO!!! You know I love you!

Prince Caspian

2008-05-16T17:48:00.002-04:00

So as I stated in my last post Muffin and I went to see Prince Caspian. Overall I think it's a fantastic film, I'll try to give a fair review without spoiling it for anyone. I have few complaints, none of which are major. My biggest is the choice of Ben Barnes to play Caspian. The book is pretty clear that Caspian was a pre-teen or in his early teens at the oldest and Barnes is obviously much older. However this is forgivable and Barnes actually does an adequate job with the part. And for some reason the producers felt the need to add some romantic tension between Caspian and Susan that the book makes no mention of and really does nothing for the story line. I could nit pick other things but for the most part the movie is a faithful representation of the book. As for what I liked, oh my. where to start. Visually the film is absolutely stunning, the scenery is gorgeous and the effects are even better than the first film. Where LWW had at least one scene where the CGI was obvious, there were no such scenes in Caspian. The CGI animals are even more impressive than they were in LWW. Aslan comes across as even more life like and Trufflehunter the badger is done incredibly well. Personally it was awesome to see one of my favorite literary characters, Reepicheep the mouse, brought to life with incredible realism and personality that matches the one I pictured when reading the book. Even at over 2 hours, it was the type of movie that I was disappointed to see end and will definitely see again.

At The Movies

2008-05-15T21:07:00.003-04:00

If you know me at all, you know that I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis. I won't say I've read everything he's written, but I have read a substantial amount and The Chronicles of Narnia are high on my list of favorite reads. So when I heard that Walden Media and Disney had signed on to make all the books into movies I was cautiously optimistic. Well I loved The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and have been anxiously awaiting the release of Prince Caspian. Well tonight my wait ends, we have tickets to the 12:01 am showing that starts in just under 3 hours. It's ok, go ahead, envy me :D I'll let ya know how it is later.

Mothers Day

2008-05-11T18:42:00.007-04:00

*NOTE: We're under construction, please excuse any messes!*

Today is the first mothers day in my life that Mom hasn't been here for. While I miss her and the day has had it's mixed emotions it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be. Every time I want to allow myself to get down I'm reminded, in one way or the other, that mom is so much better off. I told my friend Sam this morning on the way out of church that's she's probably still saying "Watch this!" to my dad and taking off at a dead sprint across heaven, with Guilo right on her heels :D I had planned to take flowers to her grave today, but the weather turned rainy and I can just see her saying "I'm not going out in that mess!" and so I'll take some by later this week. Even after my father passed I never visited his grave much. Graves hold little symbolism for me as I know neither of them are actually at the graveyard and that I can talk to either of them whenever I want without going to their graves.

I have been blessed to have my mother-in-law Flo with us since the day after Moms funeral and it was a blessing to be able to celebrate with her. She got a dozen roses and corsage and we did lunch at Sonic. Now you have to understand that until recently the nearest Sonic was 3 hours away in Pennsylvania, well last month one opened in Winchester which is a mere 30 mins from here. So Muffin and Flo were more than eager to do lunch at Sonic. And above you will see a pic of our first meal there :D

And to all you mothers that frequent this blog. I hope your Momma Day has been everything you wanted and more. Happy Momma Day to Flo, Kate, Kirsten, Joanne, Becky H., Mara, Tina, Becky P., Angie and anyone else I've forgotten, charge the forgetfulness to my head and not my heart because I have much love for you all. Last but not least a special Happy Momma Day to Julie for spending her mothers day coming up with this great new template for my blog. Julie's a great friend who moved Texas a while back and I miss her a lot. If you don't already, be sure to check out her blog "The Clearing."

Congrats to Alex for getting last weeks lyric correct. I would have also accepted Larry Norman for the artist. Larry Norman wrote the song and is considered by many to be the "father" of Christian Rock. He went home to be with Jesus in February but left an incredible legacy that won't soon be forgotten. And here's this weeks lyric

Lovin you is like food to my soul
Youre always down for me
Have always been around for me even when I was bad
You showed me right from my wrong
Yes you did
And you took up for me
When everyone was downin me
You always did understand
You gave me strength to go on
There was so many times
Looking back when I was so afraid
And then you come to me
And say to me I can face anything
And no one else can do
What you have done for me
Youll always be
You will always be the girl in my life

2008-05-08T18:16:00.001-04:00

test

Six Word Memoir

2008-05-07T08:18:00.002-04:00

So my wife and several others have done this six word memoir thing and I got tagged to do it to. It's not as easy as it sounds but after some thought I came up with...

A work in progress, almost done.

Song Lyric Sunday

2008-05-04T16:37:00.005-04:00

If you know anything about me, you know I love music. Music has been my confetti when I'm happy and my pillow when I'm sad. One of my biggest complaints about the church before I became a believer was that the music in church didn't appeal to me at all and if the church would get rockin then maybe I would be more inclined to go. Of course the way I phrase it at 38 is slightly different from the phrasing I used as 16 or 17. Well not long after my dad died in a car accident the president of our schools bible club brought me some cassettes by Amy Grant, Leslie Phillips and Mylon Lefevere and Broken Heart and not too long after that the schools metal head Tommy let me borrow a tape by the band Stryper. And I was honestly amazed, for a kid that had grown up with some very rigid rules of what Christian music could be I was a little overwhelmed and it actually took me several months to get my head around the fact that this music was "Christian." Well that music was instrumental in leading me to the Lord. It also lead to a friendship with Pete that is still strong to this day. I've mentioned in previous blogs that we actually had a pretty successful DJ service that provided a Christian alternative for those who wanted to dance without having to worry about what they were listening to. Well it's been several years since we have actually DJ'd together but several times a year my youth or a friend will ask me to do something and since I really do enjoy it I usually say yes if my schedule allows. Last night I got to do the local Home School Formal, which is basically a prom for the home school kids in the area. This is the second year I've done it and I really enjoyed myself. I was joking with my friend James that I have to be careful with what I play, because some of the stuff that I play 10-15 years ago that I like and is good music just doesn't appeal to today's teens.

I kind of wax nostalgic when I think about how far Christian music has come. Gone are the days of Pete and I traveling to the local Christian bookstores to stock up on all the latest music. Gone are the days of us filling up the back of his trooper with trays of CD's. I fit more music than we ever carried on a 150gb portable hard drive with tons of room to spare. And these days I buy more music at Wal-mart or off the internet and I honestly couldn't even tell you the last time I went to a bookstore. I miss the buy 5 get 1 free sticker promotions that gave an incentive to buy the music at a Christian bookstore. The fact was, before it became more mainstream, Christian music had sort of an underground feel to it and it was the neatest thing to be able to turn someone on to a band like The Prayer Chain, Sixpence None the Richer, P.O.D., Switchfoot and countless others and also get the chance to talk to them about Jesus. I'm not saying that the increased exposure for Christian music is a bad thing, it just makes me realize that things are different than they used to be and that time marches on. So in honor of that I'm gonna throw some retro Christian lyrics out there.

I ain't knocking the hymns,
Just give me a song that has a beat.
I ain't knocking the hymns,
Just give me a song that moves my feet.
I don't like none of those funeral marches
I ain't dead yet!

There will be another contest starting soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

I'm the birthday boy!!!

2008-05-03T12:39:00.004-04:00

Today is Aslan's first birthday. A year ago today, this little guy had a rough start to his life. Because he was deprived of oxygen during birth, he was born blue and required CPR. He hasn't really shown any ill effects of this and just seems to take life as it comes. Aslan is all boy and loves to play, chew, bark and generally has a happy go lucky attitude toward life. He finally seems to be getting the whole potty training thing down and at least goes to the door when he needs to go out. Of course going out to him could mean just some time outside. Because, unlike Lilybet, he's just as happy to be outside as he is inside. He seems to fancy himself a watch dog, even to the point of barking at his own reflection in the living room window. He is very much a kisser and has learned to "lick Daddy's glasses" pretty much on cue from Momma, grrrr. He is also very content to cuddle up on the couch with momma or daddy and just be. So happy b-day lil man!!!

2008-05-03T12:39:00.001-04:00

test

Couple Quick Things

2008-05-01T22:14:00.003-04:00

First, the Song Lyric for this week was from the song "So Wonderful" by the band Undercover, the lead singer wrote it after going to his grandmothers (if memory serves me) funeral. It's long been a favorite of mine and when my mom passed it was one of the first songs that came to mind.

With regards to David Cook being undiscovered; I was told tonight that he has released a single at some point? I can't find any verification of this anywhere so if anyone has anything on this let me know. Independent, myspace, youtube and American Idol iTunes downloads don't really count.

And I've already ranted enough in the past about my growing disdain for Paula that I'm just not even gonna comment about THIS MESS

American Idol (bleh!)

2008-04-29T22:01:00.003-04:00

OK, so I've been a fan of American Idol since the first episode of the first season. And in all honesty this season has been my least favorite ever. Despite all the hype that the level of talent this year is the "best ever." I'm just not seeing it. It's funny because the powers that be seem to have tried to "stack the deck" with a slew of almost beens and people who had their share of experience and can't really be considered amateurs. There's a very good article over on Vote For The Worst that details just how much the producers tried to force fed us people (e.g. Carly Smithson, Michael Johns, Kristy Lee Cook) who have failed at previous attempts to become pop stars. The funny thing is, the most original and talented of the bunch is David Cook, who from what I can see is the only one who would qualify as an undiscovered talent.

Busy Weekend and Song Lyric Sunday is back :D

2008-04-27T16:37:00.005-04:00

So it's been a rather eventful weekend. We went to Eli's first birthday yesterday and his baptism this morning. It was a lot of fun and we got to spend a lot of time with some folks we had seen in quite a while. Keep an eye on Our Adoption Story for pictures cause I'm sure his parents will have some up soon.

I updated my playlist and it's got like 50 songs in it now, so take a listen and let me know what you think. If you happen to hear something that doesn't sound like the song it's supposed to be, please let me know!

Speaking of songs, Song Lyric Sunday is back, at least for this week. In all honesty I'll be hugely surprised if anybody but J.C. gets this one. J.C., I'm pretty sure you probably know it, but at least give everyone a day or two to get it before you answer :D

I came to see you one more time
I came to say goodbye
I missed you though you came to me
I felt you in the air
The smile of your spirit
The glory of your soul
Aren't you so happy to be free
And flying in the air

Spring Cleaning

2008-04-24T15:40:00.001-04:00

OK, figured it was time for a change on the ole blog so I thought I'd try out Yankees template. Since, it is like baseball season and stuff. Enjoy

I Love You More

2008-04-23T08:11:00.005-04:00

For the longest time I honestly thought I would never find the "one for me." Friends had said you'll know when you find her, but I was in my mid-30's and had pretty much given up when I met Shasta and by our second date I knew she was it :D It's been 3 wonderful years and I don't know how it's possible but I think I fall more in love with her each. She continues to amaze me in every way. I love you so much muffin!!!

One of the reason we picked April 23 was because it was close to my fathers b-day. He would have been 64 on April 22. I'm sure he would more than approve of muffin and that mom has filled him in on how wonderful their daughter-in-law is. So happy birthday Dad!!!

Dem's muh boyz (and girl) :D

2008-04-23T08:02:00.003-04:00

Just a quick shout out to my nephews Kyle and Kullen. Kyle is 12 and has been playing baseball since he was little. Well last night he hit his first 2 over the fence home runs!!! Not only did he hit 2 home runs, he pitched 5 innings and struck out 12! Kullen is 7 and just started soccer this year and scored his first goal on Saturday. Not only are the good athletes, they are good kids and I'd be proud of them even if they never hit another home run or scored another goal. Just like I'm proud of my other nephews Johnathon, Justin, and Cody and my niece Cassie.

Guess who's 1 today!!!

2008-04-19T08:42:00.003-04:00

Today is Lilybet's 1st birthday. She really is a sweetie, she can be very standoffish and skittish, especially around new people and she probably doesn't weigh more than 6 lbs but when Aslan gets on her bad side she really does wear him out. She never barks at people, only Aslan, and she is completely house broken. She is definitely a house dog and any time spent outside other than going potty is a waste of her time and she is completely content cuddled at Mommy or Daddy's feet while they watch TV. HAPPY B-DAY Lilybet!!!

Go Vote, like um now!!!!

2008-04-16T13:27:00.002-04:00

My friends in Sunday Obsession have entered themselves in the National Young Guns competition for bands with high school age members. You can vote twice a day and starting at midnight on 4/16/08 you can vote once an hour. Click HERE and select best if you wanna help them out. You can also check out their MySpace for gigs and such. I'm sure they would very much appreciate the support.

Couple Things

2008-04-08T20:56:00.002-04:00

First of all, I'm watching Idol and does anybody know who dressed Paula??? What the heck is the deal with that top? It looks like it's 2 sizes too small and somethings gonna pop out of it any second!

So we went to Hershey Park on Saturday and I was major disappointed. The last time I went there was this really neat coffee shop by the main gates that sold this awesome Hershey's Chocolate whole bean coffee that I have been wanting to get more of for the past 5 years or so. Well the coffee shop is now a stinkin Dunkin Donuts and the coffee is apparently no where to be found in the park. The good thing was we spent several hours at Chocolate World and found several flavors of Hershey Kisses that we either haven't been able to find or have never had. Including Cherry Cordial and Chocolate Marshmallow, both of which are wayyyy awesome.

Happiest, Saddest, Funniest

2008-04-04T12:51:00.004-04:00

Mom's funeral was Weds. and a friend said afterward that it was "Happiest, Saddest, Funniest" funeral she had ever been too. I'd have to agree, we really wanted to celebrate Momma's life and the fact that she is at home now and I think we had a service that she would have loved. The music was great, the words shared were perfect and it truly was funny, happy and sad at the same time. I feel the need to say thank you to sooooo many people but in all honesty there is no way I could remember everyone or that words could express the depth of my gratitude.

As for me, it gets better daily I think. I miss her and that will not change, but I remember more of the good each day and let the emotions come when they want to. We picked up my mother-in-law Flo in Pennsylvania yesterday morning and she is going to stay the next few weeks to help around the house. She really is a blessing and it's nice to have just her presence around the house. I see in her a lot of the qualities that attracted me to her daughter and am thankful to God for extending my family to include her.

Weather permitting, we are headed to Hershey Park tomorrow with my brother and his family. My nephews have never been to an amusement park and this will not only allow them to go, it will allow us to spend some time together before they head back to Tennessee. It has been a blessing having them here and we truly have enjoyed our time together. Admittedly, I wish it would have been under better circumstances but any time Momma saw her boys together she was happy and we know she's ecstatic now.

There are several blogs you should check out that have written kind words about Mom. I know she was very special to me, but the fact that she was so special to so many is at times overwhelming and Y'all make me cry :D.

Eccentric Ramblingz (my wife's blog) posted 2 wonderful blogs. I am grateful and thankful that God not only provided me with a wonderful wife but provided Mom an incredible daughter-in-law who loved her like her own mother.

Intrigue/Passion/Rebellion My friend Becky's blog. I found this blog comforting in that Becky and sooo many others shared in my family's suffering on Saturday and are now rejoicing in her "Forever."

My friend Julie did 2 posts
A touching and appropriate scrapbook page

And this one

And Keet did this one, which might be the one Momma would have liked the most because it talks about food.

Many thanks to each of you, and if I missed one please, please let me know. It does my heart so good to read them.

Quiet

2008-04-01T17:47:00.004-04:00

My house is quiet now, save for the breeze blowing through the windows and soft music in the background. It's actually kind of nice, the days have been hectic but filled with happy memories and of course some tears.

Martin got into town this morning, so all of Momma's boys are together and I'm sure she's smiling. We had a small private viewing this afternoon and it was actually a happy time. After the viewing we had dinner together and shared memories, smiles and laughter about the sweetest, most beautiful woman we know. I couldn't help but notice that she looks so peaceful and I know she's resting. The past 2 months were not at all restful for her, mainly because she was not at home in her bed. But we know now that she is AT HOME resting at the feet of the One whose scars paid for that home. While I miss her terribly, there is not an ounce of me that wants her back here because I know she is pain free, her body is whole and she is worshipping her precious Savior.

Thank you all for the kind words, thoughts and prayers. I hope to see many of you tonight at the viewing or the funeral tomorrow. If I choke up while talking about her, just give me a second and I'll be fine.

This morning

2008-03-30T07:34:00.004-04:00

I awake this morning knowing that the most constant presence in my life is gone. There's a part of me that desperately wants to fix my mom a cup of coffee that she said I made better than anyone and just sit and talk to her, but my heart knows that she is at rest and better off than any of us that are left here. For those of you that maybe didn't know her, I'm truly sorry for you, because everyone she came in contact with developed an affection for her. Here are just a few things that you might not have known about her.
She was the type that pretty much everyone called Mom or Grandma.

She loved to read (James Patterson was a favorite) and loved to talk and learn about Jesus. I was not unusual to find her studying that bible at 3 or 4 am.

She spoke her mind, whether it was appropriate or not. I used to tease her that she had an opinion and everyone was entitled to it.

She loved lottery scratch off tickets.

She loved her kids and her grandkids and would do anything for them.

In the past 6 months she battled several falls, a separated shoulder, MRSA, e-coli and staph infections, a partial foot amputation, c-diff bacteria, arthritis, some depression.

She loved to do search a word puzzles, watch game shows, Law & Order, CSI, Without a Trace and John Hagee.

She was a dynamite cook (her carrot cake was legendary).

Mom, I miss you and will always love you.

Ruth Estelle Douglas

2008-03-30T00:41:00.001-04:00

Feb. 16, 1935 - March 29, 2008.
She and my father dance with Angels now.

ICU

2008-03-29T09:19:00.002-04:00

They moved mom to ICU yesterday morning. She was having problems with her blood pressure dropping and was retaining a lot of fluid. In a regular room they couldn't give her any medication to help drain that fluid because of the low blood pressure and the fear that it may drop further. To be honest the move to ICU sent my mind on a whirlwind of fear and doubt and since I was by myself I felt very alone and helpless. I prayed, actually cried out to The Father, and talked to some family and friends through those tears. The arrival of my wife eased the lonely feeling and began a process of God showing me that he is still in charge and his hand is upon us.

Since 2 of my brothers live in other states and are approximately 10 hours away, I was concerned if I needed to tell them they needed to be here. I got to talk to Mom's doctor around lunchtime and ask her if my brothers should come. And her response was "actually she's improving." As the afternoon went by, little bits of good news continued to trickle in. Her white count is down, which means the infection is clearing up. Her blood pressure is still a bit on the low side, but the medicine to clear the fluid has not caused it drop to the previous low levels and she is draining some fluid. Her heart rate and oxygen levels are good which means the fluid has not cause the onset of her Congestive Heart Failure. Her mind though is still fearful and full of distrust. Please pray that God will calm her mind while her body continues to heal.

Back and Forth

2008-03-27T07:37:00.003-04:00

My poor mom has had a rough few days. On Tuesday the nursing home took her to the hospital and she was admitted with what is a very bad Urinary Tract Infection, thankfully her foot is showing no signs of infection. Yesterday morning she was in a lot of pain and agitated with her arthritis and was also dehydrated from battling diarrhea. When I left last evening her mood had settled, her fever had broken and she was sleeping soundly. I pray that God continues to heal her and get her to the point where one day we can all glorify him through this.

In his Easter sermon my pastor talked about an author who had written a book about her husbands bout with cancer and the author ended the book with the line "there is no eye on the sparrow." While I don't agree with that author, I can certainly understand. There have been times these past few months when I have questioned my faith down to the very core. It has been extremely difficult to watch my mother, who to my knowledge, has done very little to harm anyone go through what must be some very difficult and painful things. I do know that God has been there through this. I have seen Him in my wife, in my church family, in my immediate family and in other ways to numerous to mention.

Away for the day

2008-03-15T12:15:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know it's been a while. The good news is, there is a lot to catch up on and hopefully this post will be worth the wait.

First of all, mom continues to improve a little everyday. The hardest part for her is being away from home and there are days when she desperately wants to come back. The good news is, those are becoming less frequent and I think she is keeping her mind focused on getting better so she can eventually be home instead of just wanting to come home. We know that she will be home eventually and are trusting God's timing for that.

I had asked several of you to pray for wisdom and guidance for me as I tried to negotiate the process of applying for Medicaid assistance with her hospital and nursing home bills. I had heard all kinds of horror stories about dealing with West Virginia DHHR and after seeing the list of forms and things I needed to provide to apply I was not at all looking forward to the process. My appointment was yesterday at 9 am and I had all the forms they asked for, with the exception of 2 that I just couldn't provide. I prayed before I went over and tried really hard to trust God and not worry, but I had my doubts and fears. Well at 9:30 the case worker called me back and asked for 4 of the 4,000 (well maybe not THAT many) forms I had with me. I happened to look up at her degree and noticed her first and middle names were Dana Lynn, which just happen to my brothers first and middle name. I took that as a sign and was able to relax a bit. So we talked and joked about that and really hit it off. I also noticed that she was in a gospel singing group and since I manage a band and love Christian music we were able to have a great conversation about that. She was extremely friendly and took the forms back to copy and says "well that's it." And I asked "so she's approved?" and she chuckled and said she definitely qualifies. The really awesome thing is the approval is retroactive to Feb. 1 and will cover most of her hospital stay and surgery. My friend Terry used to say a lot times when we asked God for something, he'll say here's what you ask for and, oh yeah, just a bit more. So thank you to all of you who prayed and are continuing to pray for our family.

Shasta and I decided to take today and just get out of town and take the day for ourselves. So we went to Weight Watchers ( I lost 5 lbs and am down 20 since January). I picked up coffee and dropped in to visit mom for a bit and then we headed out. We stopped in to see one of the kids Shasta is a nanny for play basketball and that was fun and now we are in Germantown and Shasta is catching up with her good friend Mamen and we're gonna do lunch and maybe catch a movie at the theater were we had our first date and just relax.

Keep your eyes peeled because Song Lyric Sunday will be back soon.

Various and Sundry Items

2008-03-06T22:22:00.003-05:00

Ok, well Mom is doing well. She is really anxious to get home, but she still has a way to go with her rehab and it's probably gonna be a few more weeks. So pray that she'll be able to relax and trust God's timing through this whole process.

Just got done watching Idol and for the most part I think the top 12 are the right ones. For some reason I haven't found one contestant that I really like this season, maybe once we get to the real competition that'll change.

So we've started watching New Amsterdam which so far is a very interesting series. The plot is that the main character is over 400 years old and was saved by some Indians using a spell that will keep him alive tell he finds his one true love. No, it isn't some sappy soap opera love drama thing. It's actually more of a crime drama. Although if you're going to watch I would recommend starting soon, it's the kind of series that is probably gonna be hard to start 5 or 10 episodes into it.

Living Life

2008-02-27T07:17:00.002-05:00

So mom continues to improve and the main problem right now is her spirits. She really wants to come home but until she progresses to the point were they are happy with her rehab that can't happen. As much as I would love to have here, we simply cannot give her the level of care she needs right now. Her therapy goes well and she improves daily but of course it's not fast enough for her. She's also a worrier and does most of her worrying at night which means she's not sleeping. That's not real unusual for her though; even when she was at home it was common to find her awake and doing a bible study or reading at anytime throughout the night. Her doctor has prescribed a sleep aid, which will start tonight and we're praying that it will help her to rest.

The needle of our life has moved very close to the normal range. Shasta and I both back to work and living at the house. We have our puppies back and what a blessing they have been. We even got them groomed and took them in to see their "grandma" last night and that really was a good visit. I apologize for taking so long with this update but even in the normal range my life can seems like it's filled to the rim.

Quirky Quote Contest Entry # 2

2008-02-22T22:38:00.001-05:00

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” C.S. Lewis