Been Away

Hey Guys. I know many have been wondering if I've given up on the blog...but let me assure you that is not the case. I've been in GA, away from my computer. I performed the marriage ceremony for my Sister in law, and my mother and grandmother drove 2 1/2 hours to the wedding to see us. I got to spend a little time with them, which was great. However, later that night my grandmother had a heart-attack. They had to do openheart surgery to save her, and her recovery has been hampered by kidney problems, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and now both of her lungs have collapsed. She is not doing well at all. Please be in prayer for her and my mother...this is her only living parent, and my only living grandparent.

Have you ever gotten to a point in your life where you realized how much you loved someone because of the surrounding circumstances? I've always loved my grandma (MawMaw), but the extent to which that love goes has just been revealed to me in recent days. I've been humbled in a lesson to cherish every second we have, because God's plan is to bring us home with Him one day...and it's sooner than any of us ever plan for. We must have confidence in our relationship with Him, and then extend that relationship to others. How urgent, I've seen recently, our witness to others must be. Everyday sees numerous souls go to hell. Share Jesus! Our time is short.

Over the next 2 weeks I will be in the process of packing and traveling from Atoka, TN to Highland, CA. My posts will be sparse, however, please continue to check back often. I will post as I have access to a computer. Until then, give Him the glory, and worship as if it is your last day on earth. Thank you for your prayers.

Praise & Prayer

Praises - 1) We close on our house today in East Highland
2) Caleb got over a fever that he had this weekend. He's doing much better now
3) My family is safe from their trip to GA
4) I get to see Jody, Abby, and baby Ella this THURSDAY!
5) Ministry is going well at Immanuel
6) I'm making friends, and the staff has seemed to really take me in
7) Caleb loves his new school and is doing well there

Prayer - Please pray for the following:
1) Safe travel for me and Caleb this Thursday to GA, and on Sunday as we return to California
2) For our house in Atoka to sell. If you are interested, God could use you to bless us by buying it!!!! (hint, hint) So quit praying and go sign the contract
3) Safety for Jody and the girls as they travel back to Tennessee next week
4) That someone will buy our house
5) That God will give clarity to me for the vision He has for the ministry here at Immanuel
6) That God will send someone to buy our house because we will make them a great deal on it
7) That God will use me to impact lives for eternity and lead others to a relationship with Him on a daily basis

Thank you for joining me in prayer. If you are praying with me, I'd be encouraged to know that. Just post a comment on this blog....I just never know how many people are reading this thing. I love each of you, and I appreciate your concern for our ministry. God bless!

Random

It just hit me today that I'm in California. California! I think it was when I was driving in to church this morning and saw a new fire at the base of the mountains. Where else do you see that sort of thing? I thought Smokey the Bear was something that had played out when I was 11, until I saw him standing along the roadside (in wooden signage form) throughout our drive in the mountains this weekend. All of this and I haven't even experienced the earthquakes, yet. There are so many things that I want to see....like LA, Hollywood (though I'm told both are not areas I want to be in at night), San Diego, and more of the mountain towns. There are many other areas too, but again, these are just random thoughts. I think I'll wait on the rest of the family to get here, though. I'd hate to make them too jealous. Although, I wouldn't mind hitting a Lakers game with Caleb before the girls get out here. They would just sit at home while I went anyway....unless we get a babysitter and turn it into a romantic rendezvous.........well, anyway. I'd better stop there.

Fun on the Schedule

Today is going to be a great day. I can feel it already. It's Friday! And I'm off today. I've got plans to do the final walk-through on our new house at 10:00am, then I'm off to have lunch with Caleb at his school at 11:30am. This afternoon when I pick him up, we are going to head for the movies. Santa Claus 3, The Escape Claus, comes out today. So, we are going to go watch that. He is really excited. So, it's Father and Son time.

Tomorrow we are planning on driving up into the mountains to an old town that has train rides, apple orchards, restaurants, etc. We are going to spend the whole day together. I'm really excited about it. Although it is really hard being away from the rest of the family, we are enjoying being able to hang out...just the two of us.

That's My Boy!

Let me just say that I have been extremely concerned for Caleb with his first week of school, and all of the adjustments that come with that. However, I am concerned no longer. He came home from school one day and said "there's this girl in my class that loves me." What? What do you mean "she loves you?" So, I very calmly asked him, "how do you know she loves you?" He answered, "because she lays her head on my arm and says 'I like you already'."

That's my boy! Although, if it were my girl it would be a totally different situation. But, for now, (praise God) it is not my girl. It's my son. And get this; he told me her name is Ashley. Now, would you believe this if I told you? When I was in first grade, I had a little girlfriend named Ashley, too. ............That's my Boy!

What's in a Mask?

Last night, many of us saw everything from power rangers to Frankenstein show up on our door step wanting a piece of candy. Perhaps some of you reading right now were one of those in costume wanting that quick sugar rush. My son and I were fortunate enough to attend our first ever Immanuel Baptist Harvest Festival. It was absolutely incredible. For those of you who have never had the experience, there was everything from pizza to mexican food, from pony rides to hayrides, from bounce houses to 40 foot tall rock climbing walls. Not to mention the 75 game booths that surrounded the lot. A live band was onstage throughout providing entertainment for those who were resting and/or eating on the numerous haybails that littered the lot infront of the stage. But as I looked, I saw many other things, as well.

I noticed many unchurced people in attendance. And with a crowd of over 10,000 people, I'm sure I only saw a small percentage of them. Many of them were in costume, and some were not. But what I noticed about most of them, was a sense of uncomfortableness just being on the grounds of the church. Now granted, some of them had no sense of where they were. But for most of them, I could tell that as I talked with them they were acting in extreme opposition to their normal life. Many would look away, or hang their head. One even put his mask back on and walked away. That's when it hit me. Even as Christians, we behave the same way. When God's conviction falls on us, or when we are face to face with the Savior (which happens simultaneously), we hang our heads and do all that we can to avoid the issue. Many of us avoid that meeting with Him as best we can because we know what our lives are really "littered" with. No matter what "mask" we wear we are stripped of it before the Father. He sees beyond our false identity and calls us to be honest with ourselves. That is where we have to make the decision. Will we hide our true identity even from ourselves? or will we allow God to make us into who He has created us to be? Many of us continue to wear mask far beyond October 31st. Are you one of those?