Just passing through

Story Telling

2010-04-15T13:05:00.002-04:00

Donald Miller writes one of my favorite blogs. I will add it to the blog roll to the right when I get the chance. This is what he wrote today that I thought was great, and I'd love for you to read it.

Words fail me

2010-04-09T11:00:00.003-04:00

I promised you some trivial stuff yesterday so check out this video. There are so many things that could be said about this, but I am speechless.

The blog isn't dead.

2010-04-08T10:58:00.003-04:00

I'm sure all seven of my faithful readers (that number includes Sherry and my parents by the way) want some explanation as to why there has been no activity here for the past couple of weeks. There is really no reason other than the fact that most of my attention has been focused on Easter. Also, many of the things I think about writing are pretty trivial, and I'm not sure if you as a reader actually want to spend time reading what my thoughts are on American Idol, pizza toppings, or new movies. Of course, there are times when I have something of importance to say that involves Freedom Fellowship, and the blog is a great way to get those messages out as well. That's a long way of saying, "I don't really have an explanation for why there has been no activity on this blog, but beginning today I will write my thoughts both significant and trivial here for your perusal." Is perusal really a word?

You know I love bullet points, so here goes:

- The worship service on Easter was amazing! Being able to be there as 5 people were given new life by Jesus was the coolest thing ever. There is no better way to celebrate the resurrection than to be a part of people being resurrected from their sins into new life in Jesus. As if what happened Sunday morning wasn't enough, I got a Facebook message late Sunday night from a Mom telling me how her and her husband had the opportunity to pray with their daughter to accept Jesus at home that night! Like I say all the time, the pastor doesn't have to be present for you to have your life changed by Jesus.

- New message series begins this Sunday. This Sunday we will kick off "The Gospel" series, and it will last for three weeks. We will cover the very basic truths about our need to be saved and how God does the saving.

- I think creativity in Hollywood is dying. I saw an ad the other night for a new movie called "A Nightmare on Elm Street". It looked really scary. It's about an evil man named Freddy who shows up in people's dreams. It's a great idea for a scary movie. In fact it's such a great idea that someone else thought of it 25 years ago when the original movie came out. It seems like at least half of the movies that are released now are remakes of old movies, t.v. shows, or comic books. I love a lot of those remakes (I'm looking forward to the A-Team movie), but it seems like the big movie studios have gotten lazy about developing new stories and characters.

- Ipod for sale. I've got a 16 GB ipod Nano for sale. If you are interested just leave me a comment or send me a Facebook message.

Wearing Green and Pinching People

2010-03-17T14:11:00.003-04:00

March 17: The life of Saint Patrick is remembered today not because March 17 is the day he was born, rather it is the date of his death. So, who was Saint Patrick? I think his story is pretty awesome. Patrick was born in England and was the grandson of a priest. When he was 16 years old he was taken captive and carried off to Ireland as a slave. He served as a herdsman during his slavery in Ireland, and after six years he heard a voice telling him he would soon be free. He responded to the voice by fleeing from his master and finding a ship in port over 200 miles away that would take him home to England. For most people in that situation that would be where the story ended, but for Patrick it was only the beginning.

A few years after returning home he had a vision where a man handed him a letter which read "The Voice of the Irish" across the top. The body of the letter contained a plea for him to return to Ireland in order to preach the gospel. Responding to this vision from God, Patrick soon returned to the land where he once had been enslaved. He spent the rest of his life in a place where he once had no freedom, so he could tell the Irish people how to be free in Christ. I've always thought that the story of Patrick is a pretty cool example of how God can take what could be the worst part of our life and use it for His glory. Who was better qualified to carry the gospel to Ireland than a man who had lived there for six years as a slave? What a great reminder that whatever situation you find yourself in today, even if it is not what you had planned, God can use you there to do something amazing.

While people celebrate Saint Patrick today by wearing green shirts, drinking green beer, putting goofy clover leaf hats on their heads, and then pinching anyone not wearing green, remember that the real story of Patrick the slave boy means so much more.

Stuff on my mind

2010-03-12T09:05:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I wrote a post of random thoughts. I'm sure you have felt there was something significant missing from your life because of this. Here are some important thoughts along with some not-so-important ones.

- I'm asking God for big things to happen at Freedom on Easter. Whether you realize it or not, Easter is only three weeks away. Join me in asking God to make this Easter the most significant Sunday in the history of Freedom. Go ahead and begin inviting your friends who don't know Jesus to join you that Sunday.

- I'm looking forward to this weekend's time change. I always love the "spring forward" time change because it means we are closer to warm weather. I also love the fact that there will be more daylight after work everyday.

- I came up with what I think is a great name for a store that sells hot tea: Teayouwanna. If I could find the right investor, and if I knew anything about tea, I believe that name could become as common as Starbucks.

- I've been reading straight through the bible this year, and I've been in Psalms for a couple of weeks. Here are some Psalms that have really spoken to me this week: 84, 91, 101, 103.

- I'm looking forward to hearing Liz Wood play Saturday night at Cafe Mundo. Liz has made it to the semi-finals of the battle of the bands that Cafe Mundo is sponsoring. Liz plays guitar and sings in the Freedom band, and Saturday she will be playing all original songs. It starts at 7:00. I'd love to see you there.

- I saw a commercial for Iron Man 2 the other night. It looks awesome. Emily and I will most certainly check it out the weekend it opens.

See you Sunday!

The Return of Tiger

2010-03-10T15:28:00.002-05:00

There's a lot of talk in the sports world about when Tiger Woods will return to the golf course. I'd be surprised if he wasn't at the Master's next month. Until he returns, enjoy this video of him accepting an ESPY award a couple of years ago.

What's that you're wearing?

2010-03-09T12:31:00.003-05:00

Michael Hyatt is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and a very influential Christian businessman. I follow him on Twitter, and unlike me he writes something on his blog almost daily. His content is always very good, and today he wrote something I thought all of you should read. For those of you who don't normally click on the lincs I include here, be sure you check this one out. It will be worth your time. The subject matter is something I feel very strongly about. For years as a youth minister I would talk with teenage girls about this subject, and as a Father of two daughters it hits very close to home. By the way, I think the four rules he lists are good for grown women as well as teenage girls.

Read it here.

I'd love to hear you thoughts. Just leave a comment.

I've Been Waiting All Day To See You!

2010-02-25T10:17:00.003-05:00

Several weeks ago I took Grace to a friend's house on a Saturday afternoon to play. When we arrived at the house, Grace's friend was in her front yard talking to the man who lives next door. I pulled up to the house with the window rolled down, and when Grace got out of the car I heard Grace greeted with these words: "Grace! I've been waiting all day to see you!" What a cool way to be greeted by someone. I think everyone likes to feel that someone is glad to see them. In fact I would say not only does everyone like it, I believe we all need it. I believe that's why dogs are so loved by their owners. A good dog will always make you feel like they have been waiting all day to see you.

After I dropped Grace off that day I started thinking about how people who visit Freedom on a Sunday morning are greeted. We have a great team of greeters who have the official job of saying hello to folks and to help them get any info they need, but I believe that all of us at Freedom have the opportunity and the ability to make people feel welcome. When someone shows up at Greer High School on a Sunday morning I want them to feel like there are people there who have been waiting all day for them to arrive. Even if they aren't impressed with my teaching, or the music, or the facility, I want them to walk away remembering that they were warmly greeted.

I've said this before and I'll probably say it again, if you are a regular Freedom attender, you are a key part of the greeting team. Put those skills to work this Sunday!

A Psalm for Today

2010-02-22T11:09:00.002-05:00

My journey of reading straight through the Bible has landed me in Psalms for awhile. I read Psalm 19 this morning and was encouraged about the fact that in the midst of a world where truth seems to be hard to find, and the lines between right and wrong are always blurred, if not non-existent, the unchanging law of God still reigns supreme. Read it for yourself and let it encourage you:

Psalm 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

That's good stuff. Enjoy your Monday!

What I'm Thinking Today

2010-02-19T10:44:00.002-05:00

I haven't done a bullet-point random thought blog in awhile. I know all of you have missed those so here goes:

- I love the Winter Olympics. Any Olympics is good, and two summers ago I was big-time into the whole Michael Phelps story, but when it comes to awesomeness the winter games come out on top. Short track speed skating, snow board cross and half-pipe, luge, and even curling are all cooler than anything in the summer games. I think I feel that way because all of the winter sports are more unique. The summer games feature lots of swimming, running, and basketball, all things I have done before, and that makes them a little less intriguing. On the other hand, when I see a dude lying face down on a tiny sled the size of a cookie sheet and hurtling 90 miles per hour down an icy track, I am aware that not only have I never done that, but I don't even know anyone who has ever done that. Maybe if I grew up in Canada or Minnesota I would be less impressed, but I doubt it.

- ESPN has gone crazy with the whole Tiger Woods thing. This morning on both ESPN channels that was all that was being discussed. He hasn't made his public statement yet, and I'm already tired of hearing about it. I feel sorry for Tiger's wife. It's bad enough that she has to deal with her tomcat of a husband, but she has to deal with him in front of the whole world. This whole story should serve as a huge warning to anyone who desires great fame. The more famous you become the more famous your mistakes become as well, and we are all going to make mistakes.

- Donny is preaching for the next four weeks. It has been a long time since I took a break from the Sunday morning teaching schedule. I will still be working on messages during the break, and my plan is to be four weeks ahead when it's over. On Sunday Donny will be continuing the "Heroes" series with the first of two powerful messages about Moses.

- No rain of snow is in the forecast for this weekend! I am really looking forward to a dry warmer weekend. There are lots of outdoor projects to be done around the house and I plan on jumping on some of them starting this afternoon.

Lessons From a Facebook Fast

2010-02-17T11:59:00.003-05:00

Exactly one week ago I began a seven day fast. This was not a traditional fast where I didn't eat food. I went on a social network website fast. Like many of you for the past couple of years now I have used Facebook and Twitter almost daily. The reasons I went on the fast were all personal. It had to do with me feeling that I was spending way too much time surfing those sites for one thing, and by eliminating them for a few days I figured I would find out if there was any real benefit to me using them at all. Here are a few things I discovered during my time away:

- Social networking sites really do help me stay connected with people. Other than all of the useless stuff on Facebook (i.e. Farmville, Mafia Wars, etc.) the other elements (status updates, photos, private messages) have helped me know what's going on in the lives of people I care about. It took less than 48 hrs. away for me to feel disconnected. Facebook and Twitter should never replace actual connections with people such as talking on the phone or going to lunch, but it does allow me to stay connected with a larger group of people more efficiently. There's no way I can know that a friend from out of town's kid made honor roll, or that someone at Freedom needs prayer unless I am talking to those people everyday. In reality, I can only keep up with a handful of people at a time if I am required to daily talk with them, but with Facebook it allows me to know what's happening with hundreds of people.

- I need to set times when I will check Twitter and Facebook. One of the reasons I felt so addicted to these sites was that every time I passed a computer I felt a need to quickly log on and see what I was missing. It was like I had to know right away if I had a new friend request or if someone had written on my wall. I haven't yet figured out how it will work, but in the next day or two I am going to set times that I will check the sites, and also set times where the sites are off-limits. Also, as a Pastor there is an added dimension that I need to protect myself from. I have to make decisions on a daily basis about the direction of Freedom, and often those decisions make people upset. Some of the folks who get upset with me like to talk about how upset they are, and how I should be doing things the way they would like for them to be done. Every now and then those type of comments end up in a status update, in a veiled non-specific way of course. The other limit I will set for myself is that if I know someone is talking about me or the church then I don't need to look at their Facebook profile to see what they are saying. All it does is make me want cuss people out. Which I generally try to not do. When I figure out what my self-imposed limitations will be as far as times are concerned I will let you know.

- The best way to get the word out about this blog is through Twitter and Facebook. I didn't blog last week after I made the decision to fast. This wasn't really by design, I just realized that I couldn't list in my status update that I had written a new blog. Other than the handful of folks who subscribe, the large majority of folks who read this here blog find out that I have posted something new when I alert them to it on Facebook. Again, these sites help keep us connected.

So there it is, it seems that I am in this whole e-networking thing for good now. My advice to you would be, don't let anything other than Jesus take over your life and that includes the internet.

Reality Check

2010-02-04T10:31:00.002-05:00

One thing no one wants their pastor to talk about is money. I once heard someone refuse to go back to a church he had visited because the first Sunday he was there the pastor taught about tithing. According to this guy, "I just don't think it's right for a preacher to talk about money". I found that comment funny since the Bible has a lot to say about money.

Well, whether you like it or not I have to address the topic of money here today. In order for Freedom to operate on a daily basis money is required for things like utilities, supplies, missions, technical equipment, staff salaries, age-graded ministries, etc. The list is long and expensive. Those things are funded through the weekly offerings that are collected in the two black boxes in the atrium each week.

January of 2010 was a great beginning to the year as far as attendance is concerned (over 350) but not good as far as giving goes. In fact, the third week of January was one of the lowest offerings collected in the history of Freedom. (Christmas credit card bills coming in?) That brings us to the snow / ice storm of last weekend. As a result of the weather, we were forced to cancel the worship service, therefor no offering was collected. Missing a Sunday offering has the same effect on the finances of the church as missing a paycheck has on our personal finances. It might not make us go bankrupt, but it sure is difficult. Since we missed an opportunity to give last Sunday that means that everyone who couldn't give last week will double their offering this Sunday right? I wished it worked out like that, but history tells me that the majority of folks only give to church when they come. If they miss a Sunday they don't normally make-up for it later on.

Here's what I am asking you to do: tithe, give 10% of what you earned this week to the offering. I don't expect you to do anything more than what God has already asked us to give in scripture. I guarantee you that if everyone who attends Freedom this Sunday were to tithe, the offering would be the largest we've ever collected.

I know this is not the most enjoyable thing to read on the blog, but I want to be sure that we all do what's best for Freedom. If you read this blog and you attend another church be sure and give to that ministry. Thanks for understanding.

Sunday Preview

2010-01-29T11:25:00.003-05:00

I guess the preview word for this Sunday is "might", as in we might have worship at GHS or we might not. Right now the weather report looks pretty nasty, but as I stated yesterday, I will believe it when I see it. Here's what you need to know as far as how to find out if the service has been cancelled or not. Sometime tomorrow, Donny, John Cessarich, Jim Cantore, and myself will make a decision on whether or not the service will be cancelled. After that decision is made there will be an announcement on the church website, on WYFF 4, and I along with several others will begin spreading the word through facebook.

If the service happens as usual we will continue our "House" series by talking about the Bedroom. The music will feature selections from Barry White and Marvin Gaye. Just kidding about the music, but we will talk about the bedroom. Two passages of scripture you can read to be prepared ahead of time are: Genesis 2:18-25 and
1 Corinthians 7:3-5.

I'm really looking forward to seeing you then! I'm praying for clear roads so we don't miss an opportunity to worship together!

Scattered Thoughts

2010-01-28T15:30:00.004-05:00

I was out of the office on Monday and Tuesday, so that means message prep got pushed back to Wednesday and today. As a result, this is the first chance I've had to think about blogging. That's probably o.k. since most of the stuff I'm wanting to write about is silly and/or irrelevant. Here's the silly stuff I'm thinking about today:

- Avatar will win Best Picture Oscar this year, and it shouldn't. Yes, I know that what I just typed is heresy to some people, after all this is a movie that recently had a mountain named after it! Avatar winning all of these awards is proof that style wins out over substance all too often. Visually Avatar is the best movie I have ever seen, but I don't judge a film just on what it looked like. The story was a rip-off of Dances With Wolves, and the large majority of the characters are very one dimensional. The main villain (ripped marine with scar on head) is a character I've been seen in tons of action films over the years. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Avatar was a bad movie. It was visually stunning and very entertaining, and I left feeling that I got my money's worth. I'm just saying it's not Best Picture worthy.

- I saw a dude on Wade Hampton today who was dressed like the Statue of Liberty. I'm sure you have seen these folks. They are advertising for Liberty Tax service. The thing that made this guy different was that he was talking junk to a man stopped at a red light. I'm no expert, but I bet the folks who are paying him to stand by the road and wave would frown on this behavior. I can't say that I blame the guy too much. Roadside Statue of Liberty has got to be one the worst jobs in America, plus being a male dressed as the Statue of Liberty would make it worse.

- I hope some of the folks who are hosting Super Bowl parties at Freedom have invited you to join them at their home. I got lots of good reports on Sunday from some of the newer families at Freedom that have already been invited. The whole reason we promote these parties is so folks will take the opportunity to get to know one another better. I hope you will take advantage of it.

- People are looking forward to snow here in the next couple of days. My official snow policy is that I don't believe it will snow until I see it on the ground.

- I'm seriously considering an internet fast. Well not the entire internet, more like Facebook and Twitter. I couldn't go completely internet free since we use gmail and google calendar at the office. I haven't thought too much about what that would mean for this wildly popular blog. I purposely did not look at Facebook and Twitter until 3:30 today, and I was more productive. Plus, I just felt better. If I decide to fast from these sites for a period of time I will let you know how it goes.

Sunday preview

2010-01-22T11:32:00.002-05:00

This Sunday we will continue the "House" series, and we will focus on the kitchen. Here's some scripture you can read before you arrive: Hebrews 5:11-14.

Also, remember to come prepared to give to the special offering for relief in Haiti. The envelopes will be on the regular giving table. You can put the Haiti envelope in the black box with your regular offering envelope.

By the way, it has been brought to my attention that I have been pronouncing the word Haiti like a redneck. I have been saying, Haytee with the emphasis on the last syllable. I'm pretty sure the correct pronunciation is Haydee, with the emphasis on the first syllable. I can't help it that I am 100% southern, and it really comes out in my speech. Just know that this Sunday as I am talking about the offering I will be making an effort to pronounce Haiti correctly. Let's hope I can do it.

Haiti needs your help

2010-01-20T10:08:00.004-05:00

By now, you know of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti. As I announced last Sunday, we will have envelopes available this week for you to give to the relief work being done there. We will be giving this money through Samaritan's Purse because, we know they are a reputable charity with a proven system of getting aid in the hands of the people that need it. Pray about what you should give to this need. Notice I didn't say for you to pray about if you should give. I believe that all of us have the ability to give some amount.

The envelopes for Haiti relief will have a label on them that simply reads, "Haiti", and 100% of the cash or checks placed in them will be sent to Samaritan's Purse. Remember to give your regular offering in one of the normal envelopes available on the giving tables this Sunday as well. As the situation in Haiti begins to become a little less chaotic there may be other things we can do (such as collect shoes, school supplies, etc.) but for the time being it seems that giving money is the best way to help. Give this week and you will be glad you did!

Pants on the Ground

2010-01-18T10:02:00.002-05:00

Funniest thing I've seen on TV in awhile. Just what we need for a Monday. Maybe we can get this guy to come do a live performance at Freedom one week.

Sunday preview

2010-01-15T09:59:00.002-05:00

I am really looking forward to this Sunday's worship service. If you haven't already planned to be there, make that plan now. (Greer High School 10:30 a.m.) We will continue the "House" series of messages, and this week we will be talking about one of the most frightening parts of the house (no, not the bathroom) the closet. I want to encourage you to go ahead and begin praying now for what God might want to deal with you about as we worship together Sunday. Also, I will take a few minutes at the beginning of the message to address Pat Robertson's comment concerning the earthquake in Haiti, as well as let you know about a way you can help with the recovery. If you would like to preview some of the scripture we will be reading on Sunday check out Joshua 6 & 7.

The first round of the NFL playoffs are over. I was glad to see the Patriots lose (if you're reading this Bruce I'm sorry), and disappointed that the Cowboys won. I actually like Tony Romo, but I can't ever pull for a team owned by Jerry Jones. The team I want to see win it all are the Saints. Sherry and I lived in New Orleans from Jan of 1992 - August of 1994 while I was in seminary, and I'm telling you from experience that there's not much that the folks of that city love more than their Saints. If they win it all it will be bedlam down there. Other than the Saints I can't really get excited over any of the teams left. It would be cool for Favre to win with the Vikings, and if the Jets won with a rookie QB that might be fun as well, but the team to get behind this year plays in New Orleans! Go Saints!

A few thoughts...

2010-01-12T15:40:00.003-05:00

I am enjoying the heat wave we are experiencing today. If we keep having highs in the 40's I might have to turn on the AC. Here's a few quick bullet points for you to look at. Some are important, some are not. I'll let you be the judge of which is which.

- Botswana t-shirts are still on sale each Sunday in the atrium. It's a cool design, and all of the profit from the $15 cost per shirt goes directly to help our brothers and sisters in Africa.

- Does the Slap Chop commercial get on your nerves as bad as it gets on mine? "Linguine, fettuccine, martini, bikini"? What does a martini and bikini have to do with grating cheese? Never mind. Don't answer that last question. I really don't need to know.

- I hope you shared the post about last year's stats with your Freedom connections. One other thing I thought about after I typed that was this: a 9% increase in giving over 2008 was particularly amazing with the state of the economy in 09. Just further proof that God will provide for His church.

- Last night was weird without any Monday Night Football on the air. We are now only weeks away from February, the absolute worst sports month of the year. This year however, the Winter Olympics will air in February. Other than the figure skating, I love the Winter Olympics.

- I've gotten tons of positive feedback from folks about the current series of messages. It seems like we all have some part of our spiritual house that could use a little refurbishing. This week we'll talk about The Closet.

- Mark McGwire finally admits that his cartoon sized arms were the result of steroids. In my mind the single season HR record is 61, and it's still held by Roger Maris. The career mark is Hammerin' Hank's 755. I don't care what the record book says.

2009: A Year of Growth

2010-01-07T13:36:00.003-05:00

This past year at Freedom has been an interesting one. Without a doubt 2009 was the most challenging year I have experienced in my short time as a pastor. Last week Donny spent some time looking over the numbers for 2009. This is always helpful when evaluating where things are heading and what possible changes need to be made. I was encouraged by what he shared with me, and I thought you might find them encouraging as well.

In 2009 attendance increased 7% and giving increased 9% from 2008. Since our first month of worshipping together back in 2005 attendance has increased by 78%. Also, as we broke the 2009 attendance numbers down we found that weekly average attendance from January-May was 350, while the weekly average attendance from June - December was 359.

What does this mean? Freedom is attracting new folks each and every week to worship with us. In fact, attendance increased by a larger percentage in 2009 than it did in 2008. We are seeing a growing trend that we need to be ready to embrace. Now more than ever we need to be inviting our un-churched friends to join us each week. Now more than ever we need to build relationships with new people that we meet at worship. Now more than ever we need to focus on the positive things God is doing in our midst, and of course we also need to pray daily for Freedom to make an earth shattering impact on the Greer-Taylors community.

Now if you are a partner or regular attender at Freedom I want to ask you to do me a favor concerning this blog. Notify everyone you know who is connected with Freedom and ask them to read this. You can send them an e-mail with a linc, put it on your Facebook page, tweet about it on Twitter, but do something to let them know they need to read this. Each and every week God is sending new people through the doors at Greer High School to worship, and we need to be focused on that opportunity. Spread the word!

I am second

2010-01-06T15:09:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow night Texas and Alabama will square off to determine who will win the national championship of college football. I watch the national championship game every year despite the fact that my favorite team never even gets within shouting distance of playing in it, and tomorrow night will be no different. In the media there has been much made off the fact that Tim Tebow (quarterback for Florida) is a follower of Jesus. As you will see in the video below Colt McCoy, who is the quarterback for Texas, is very vocal about his faith in Christ as well. I don't really care who wins the game tomorrow night, but after watching this I do hope Colt has a great game. Thanks to David Pollock for sending me a linc to this video earlier today on Facebook. I love the way the video ends, with a simple proclamation about where we stand in relation to who Jesus is. Very cool.

Sunday Follow-up

2010-01-05T11:04:00.002-05:00

After the service on Sunday I talked with several you who said that the topic of the message was something you really needed to hear. It seems that lots of us struggle with being possessed by our possessions. At the end of the message I asked a few questions designed to make us think about our own situations. Here they are again for you to read and think about. Perhaps as you answer these you will get an understanding of whether or not you have a healthy or unhealthy relationship with possessions.

- Have you already picked out the next thing you will purchase?
(not including groceries, gas for the car, etc.)

- When you get extra money that you weren't expecting what is your first inclination of how to use it.

- In the past what have you been willing to go into debt for?

- Do you have storage issues at your home?

- Do your plans for the future revolve around what you can buy or what you can do for the Kingdom of God?

Sunday's message and the questions above were both based on two passages of scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10 and Luke 12:22-31
Be sure and read both of those when you get a chance.

Sham-Wow on auto tune

2009-12-29T09:39:00.003-05:00

I don't own a Sham-Wow, but the video below almost makes me want to run out and buy one.

Year in Review

2009-12-28T10:12:00.002-05:00

I had an idea the other day to write a Year in Review post here. Instead of writing about my personal year, I though it would be cool to give my opinion on some of the bigger news events of 2009. Things like government bailouts, balloon boy, and "hiking the Appalachian Trail" would be covered. Just as I was getting some thoughts together I ran across a year in review column written by syndicated columnist Dave Barry. Obviously he does a much better and more thorough job of hilariously commenting on all the big events of the year. Take about 15 minutes and read it here. I think you will be glad you did. As for my thoughts on a few big events of the year, I will comment using one word descriptions. Why one word you ask? Because after reading Dave Barry's column you won't have the patience to read what I think.

government bailouts: scary

balloon boy: moronic

Captain Sully: hero

Michael Jackson: legend

Hiking the Appalachian Trail: sad

Jenny Sanford: strong

economy: struggling

America: still great (I know that's two words)

2010: hopeful

Weekend Wrap-Up and Billy Squier

2009-12-21T10:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's service where we celebrated the Lord's Supper together was a highlight of the year for me. Every time we remember the sacrifice of Jesus by taking the bread and the cup I am overwhelmed by the reality of His love for us, and yesterday was no exception. Chris and the band did a great job with the music to set the stage for what we were doing. I thought that the entire service had a very relaxed and family-type feel to it. Maybe it was just me, but I got the sense that we could all be real and trust one another as we sought to honor Christ together. It was a very cool experience.

Now for an update on my unfinished Christmas list: after this past weekend all of my unfinished business is now taken care of! Friday was lunch at the Beacon in spite of the sleet, Friday night Em and I watched "A Christmas Story", then on Saturday I successfully fought off the crowds to buy Sherry's gifts and enjoy a Peppermint shake. Saturday night we drove around and enjoyed Christmas lights. With all of that out of the way, I can relax a little before the big day on Friday.

Here's the final Christmas video for 2009. I promised you one a week, and I have saved my favorite for last. I posted this same video last year, so I hope you will enjoy it again. This one always takes me back. Lots of fond memories of Christmases past.

Christmas to-do lists

2009-12-17T09:05:00.005-05:00

The blogging has taken a small hiatus this week, but now I'm back with another post filled with useless information about my life. Sorry, that it's not an inspired piece of writing, but all my inspirational concentration has been focused on prepping for this Sunday's Lord's Supper service and the following Sunday's message. Now for the useless info:

List of things already accomplished this Christmas season:

- Watched "It's a Wonderful Life". If you can watch the end of that movie and not cry at all you are a cold-hearted dude.

- Drank eggnog by the Christmas tree while watching Monday Night Football. One of the more obscure Christmas traditions, but one of my favorites.

- Watched "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" with Grace. To me it's not really Christmas until I hear Linus quote from the gospel of Luke.

- Helped Sherry with the shopping for the girls. She does 98% of the Christmas shopping, but I do enjoy going with her to shop for Emily and Grace. Of course one trip to Wal-Mart tests my enjoyment of Christmas shopping to the limit.

List of things still to be done this Christmas season:

- Buy Sherry's gift!! Don't accuse me of waiting until the last minute, it's not Christmas Eve yet.

- Piled everyone in the car (including Buddy) and driven around to see Christmas lights. By the way, leave a comment with your suggestions for the best places to go, the brighter and tackier the better.

- Watch "A Christmas Story" with Emily. I realized the other day that she hasn't seen this classic yet. I feel I have let her down as a Father, but we will fix that situation next week.

- Drink a Peppermint shake from Chik-Fil-A. I had one last year and it was mighty tasty.

- Eat at the Beacon. I eat at the Beacon a once a year whether I need to or not. For the last 15 years that meal has taken place the week before Christmas. There's nothing like some greasy onion rings, lemon flavored iced tea, and the pain of indigestion, to help you ring in the Christmas season.

It's Christmas time in Hollis Queens...

2009-12-14T08:28:00.004-05:00

For the past three weeks the video opener for each message has featured part of an old hip-hop song by Run-DMC. A couple of weeks ago I asked if anyone knew the song, and Margaret Bowen told me after the service that not only did she know the song but she still has an old Run-DMC shirt! Here's the video for the song. I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure that "Christmas in Hollis" was the first Christmas hip-hop song recorded. Hope you enjoy this "old school" Christmas memory.

Sunday scripture

2009-12-11T11:12:00.002-05:00

This week we will be continuing our Christmas message series. I hope you will be able to make it. The scripture you can read if you want to look ahead at what we will be talking about is Matthew 2.

Also, remember to bring your check books or cash to purchase a Botswana Project t-shirt. They are $15, and all of the proceeds will be sent to Old Naledi Baptist Fellowship in Botswana to feed children.

There's no need to panic, but Christmas is two weeks from today! Try and enjoy the next 14 days even if you feel rushed to finish shopping and get everything together for a big family celebration. Don't miss the joy of the moment!

Have a great weekend and I hope to see you and a friend on Sunday!

Proud Dad

2009-12-09T09:48:00.004-05:00

Everyone one at the Marshall house woke up excited this morning. Thanks to Ben Patat, Emily had her first opportunity to perform her songs before a live audience. Ben's band The Lilies and Sparrows were playing a show at The Channel, and he asked Emily to open for them. She played six original songs, and I know I'm just a little biased, but she was amazing. She had lots of family and friends who came out to support her, so the atmosphere was like a big gathering of friends, which I'm sure helped her not to be nervous. Overall it was a great night, and when I finally fell asleep last night I slept very soundly from all the excitement.

I've included a video from YouTube for you to check out. It's a a short message from Matt Chandler, the pastor of the Village Church in Texas. Matt faced a life threatening health situation recently, and in this video he talks to the members of the Village Church before he went in for surgery. I think his attitude towards health challenges will inspire you.

Sorry, for those of you just now tuning in. The video evidently has been removed from YouTube, so I have deleted the link. If I am able to find it on another site I will upload it. It was really good stuff.

Feed the World

2009-12-07T11:55:00.002-05:00

For the second Christmas music video I have chosen "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The song and video were put together very quickly in November of 1985 in order for the song to be released for the Christmas season that year. What began as an idea for raising some money for the famine in Ethiopia grew to become a world-wide emphasis that led to USA for Africa and then the Live Aid concerts of the next summer. I have been hearing this song on 98.9 and 102.5, and each time I hear it I am reminded of what Christmases were like back in high school. If you're a child of the 80's like me, I hope this will bring back some pleasant memories.

Inside Pride

2009-12-03T14:56:00.005-05:00

Since I've been working hard on Christmas messages lately, I've been spending lots of time in the first couple of chapters of Matthew and Luke. After Mary finds out from Gabriel that she will give birth to the Son of God, she visits her cousin Elizabeth and while there begins to talk about the greatness of God. Her words are found in Luke 1:46-55. Some refer to this as Mary's Song (of course it doesn't say whether she sung it or not) and the traditional name for this section of scripture is the Magnificat. You can read those verses here.

As I was reading those verses today I was struck by the theme of humility that runs all through the passage. Mary begins by praising God for being aware of her although she is just a humble servant. Then she talks about how God humbles the proud even those who are proud only in their "inmost thoughts". That got me to thinking, none of us like to be around someone who is outwardly proud or cocky. I mean who really likes to hear a know-it-all talk other than the know-it-all himself? While the problems with being prideful on the outside are well known, this passage talks about how God will deal with those of us who are proud on the inside. Evidently, even well concealed pride is something God takes seriously. I think that might be because any pride we have detracts from our ability to completely trust God. Pride is a form of trusting in ourselves which is dangerous. I don't think it's a coincidence that Jesus was born in a barn, in an out of the way town, to a working class parents. By the way He arrived on the earth He was sending the message of how we should live on the inside and out, with humility.

Rain, rain go away...

2009-12-02T13:45:00.003-05:00

The weather today is unbelievable. I knew it was going to rain, but I had no idea we were in for this type of rain. This is rain of biblical proportions. In order to try and be positive I will not complain about the rain, temperature, or wind. There are many things you can't do on a day like today, but to remain upbeat I will list a few things you can only do on a day like today.

- Kayak down the side of Hwy. 290.

- Use the phrase "we sure need this rain" like you are a farmer.

- Find out how good of a job the crew did who put your roof on.

- Start collecting samples for that science experiment on acid rain you've been meaning to do.

- Discover whether or not your dog can swim.

- Catch a 2 lb. bream of your back deck.

- Dig a hole in the backyard to get that in-ground pool you've been dreaming about.

- Swim to the neighbor's house.

Strange Partnership

2009-11-30T13:37:00.003-05:00

I thought it would be fun to post a music video here each week leading up to Christmas. I first saw this video on MTV when I was about 14 years old, and I remember thinking, "How in the world did Bing Crosby and David Bowie ever get together to sing a song?" You can read about how that happened here. It certainly is an odd pairing, but I like how they sound together. The scripted banter before they sing is kind of weird, but it adds to the overall experience of two guys performing together that you never thought you would see. Hope you enjoy it. Also, leave a comment with suggestions for future videos.

Friday blog on Wednesday

2009-11-25T08:46:00.002-05:00

Today feels like Friday, because thanks to Thanksgiving today is my last day in the office for the week. I'm looking forward to enjoying food, family, and football over the next two days. Here's some Freedom info you need to know:

- Botswana shirts will really be available this week. There was a mix-up last week, and the shirts didn't make it to GHS. This week I will be sure that they are there, ready for you to purchase. Remember, the shirts are $15, and all the proceeds will be sent to Old Naledi Baptist Fellowship in Botswana.

- We begin a new series of Christmas messages this Sunday using clips from one of my favorite Christmas movies. You will need to show up this week to find out which movie. I'll give you a hint, "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear".

now for one non-Freedom related point...

- The game will be played this Saturday. If you don't know which game I'm talking about then you probably didn't grow up here in the Palmetto State. As a Gamecock fan who struggles to control my blood pressure during games, I am glad this year's game will kickoff at noon. My plan is to record the game on the DVR and do yard work or other jobs until around 3:30. I will check the score, and if the Gamecocks win I will then sit down and watch the game. If they lose (which is normally the case) I will delete the recording and never watch a down of it. I wish I was different, but that's the only way I can handle the rivalry. My heart will thank me for following this plan.

I hope each of you have an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Take some time amidst all the events to reflect on how much God has blessed you with!

What a weekend

2009-11-23T14:45:00.003-05:00

I don't know about you, but there are times when I just need a good weekend to kind of cleanse the palette of work concerns. By the time Thursday afternoon arrived last week that is exactly how I felt, and thanks to some good friends I had a weekend that will be remembered for a long time. It all began with a facebook post...

- Thursday night I got to see the great Texas singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen. Thursday was my buddy Mark Johnson's 40th birthday, and he made a comment on his facebook page about going to see Robert Earl that night. I wrote back to him to have a good time and that I was a little jealous. It wasn't thirty minutes later that he called and said he had an extra ticket. Mark had gotten two comp tickets by helping out at WNCW the weekend before. So, my weekend began early when we went down to see REK play on Thursday night. He played all the songs people expected, (Merry Christmas from the Family, Road Goes On Forever, Amarillo Hwy.) as well as some great new ones.

- Friday morning I got to hang out with Mark again as we, along with David Faucette, hiked to the top of Table Rock. Mark had planned this hike several months before, and the weather couldn't have been better. When we reached the summit, the views were spectacular. Thanks to David we also walked a little further to the Caesar's Head side of the summit and took in a beautiful view that included a waterfall and one of Greenville Water System's reservoirs. On the way up the mountain I thought my lungs would explode, and on the way down my legs felt like jell-o jigglers. David and Mark were great encouragers, and they wouldn't let me fall behind. All in all we made the entire trip up and down in about five hours, that's not too bad for a few almost old guys.

- Saturday was yard work (those leaves just keep falling) and spending some time with the girls. Saturday night Mark had some friends over to celebrate his 40th. Tricia had do it yourself pizzas which was a very cool idea, then we played Catchphrase. The teams were women versus men, and I'll just say the better looking team won. Although I wasn't victorious the best part of the night was the laughter. Two answers that really made laugh were "Jesus" when the real answer was "Ty Pennington" and "soft pie" when the real answer was "easy as pie".

- Sunday we had a great worship experience at Freedom that was further proof that God's word is powerful. There was no sermon or message from me, instead we used scripture on the screen along with a few questions and prayer reminders to create an environment where God could speak to each person individually. We've done this a couple of times before, and every time people comment on how moving it is for them. Again, proof that God's word needs no further explanation from me or anyone else.

After a weekend like that I am reminded that I have so much to be thankful for: a beautiful wife who is also my best friend, two wonderful girls, lots of good friends, and a church where we can freely worship the God who created all this good stuff. I'm glad this is Thanksgiving week because I am feeling particularly thankful!

Things are looking up

2009-11-19T15:15:00.002-05:00

This week has been challenging. It's funny how no matter who you are or what you do there are just some times that are little more difficult than others. It would be cool if you could schedule those times, then you could prepare yourself ahead of time. Of course life doesn't work that way. Although there have been challenges this week things are certainly looking up.

It began last night at Life Group. The group I have had the honor to lead this term finished our study last night, and it was cool to hear each person share how their time in the group has made a positive impact on them. We will get together in two weeks for a Christmas party, and I left last night looking forward to hanging out with all those folks again.

Then this morning there was an envelope stuck in the office door when I got here. I opened it to find gift cards for all the staff! Target cards for the ladies (Wendy, Shelley, and Robin) and Texas Roadhouse cards for the guys (Donny, Blake, Chris, and me). Everyone was excited about the early Christmas surprise. Big thanks to the "secret Santa" who made that happen!

The day continued to get better when my main man Mark Johnson called and asked me if I'd like to go see Robert Earl Keen tonight. Here's the even better part, it's free! He had a couple of comp tickets and he is sharing the joy of live music with me. Very cool.

Then finally, and this might not seem like a big deal, I had a positive experience with the billing department at Charter Media. Most of my experiences with dealing with mistakes on the bill have been anything but pleasant. However, today I called about a rogue $35 "service charge", and the nice lady on the phone told me they had already removed that charge and told me the new balance. I was pleased because I didn't have the energy to argue with her about it.

Next, for lunch I got to hang out with a good friend and discuss leadership styles and how I can learn to do things better and learn from past mistakes. This is a man I respect, and we have very similar personalities. Because of that, he knows where I have the tendency to mess up because he's been there.

Two other things that have me feeling good about where things are heading and both of them have to do with what will happen at Freedom on Sunday. First, we will have a unique worship experience this Sunday. It's something we've done a couple of times before and it is always powerful. If you want to read ahead of time you need to check out Ephesians 2:1-10. Second, the Botswana Project shirts have arrived! Beginning this Sunday and lasting until all the shirts are sold you can purchase a cool looking Botswana Project t-shirt for $15. The money will be sent to Old Naledi Baptist Fellowship in Botswana to feed children. Come Sunday prepared to buy yours. Also, they would make good Christmas gifts.

I realize this post is longer than usual. Maybe it's because I haven't written all week. Hope you made all the way through. Hope to see you Sunday! God is at work at Freedom!

Sunday scripture and other assorted thoughts

2009-11-13T10:07:00.002-05:00

Based on yesterday's blog I wanted to include the picture you see here. Part of the report on NPR was about how Sammy Sosa has recently been accused of lightening his skin color. He claims it was the lighting, but I'm not so sure.

- On a more important topic, I am looking forward to teaching this Sunday and I hope you are planning to be at Greer High School at 10:30 for worship. The scripture for this week's message is from John 4. Go ahead and read John 4:1-42 if you want to have a head start on what we will be talking about. Also, when you show up on Sunday be sure and grab a name tag. You'll see why.

- Based on all the rain and wind of the last three days it looks like most of my weekend will be spent cleaning up leaves. Yippee!

- When you come to worship this Sunday check out how Chris is the oldest guy in the band by far. This week's line-up will feature two teenagers and three guys in their 20's. That means that Chris, Donny, and I will be the oldest people on stage by almost 20 years. I think that's pretty cool.

- Sherry and I will be heading over to Woodruff tonight to watch her cousin play football. The playoffs began last week, so we expect this game to pretty good. Woodruff finished the regular season undefeated for the first time since the mid 80's, so all the folks there are hoping for a state championship.

- I borrowed a Joe Cocker CD from the library yesterday. After listening to it I am convinced that he is the greatest white soul singer in history. He's even better than me when I sing along with Aretha Franklin in my truck.

That's all for now. See you Sunday!

Wanting what we don't have

2009-11-12T14:36:00.003-05:00

I was listening to NPR on the way to the bank this morning when I heard something very interesting. The newest target audience in the world of cosmetics marketing are Indian men. The country of India has a population of 1 billion, half of which are male. So what, you may ask, is the cosmetic product that marketers are targeting towards men in India? It's skin lightening cream. Evidently, this had been a desire for Indian women for years and now Indian men are getting into the act of wanting their skin to be less brown. Now before we hear this and make a joke about Michael Jackson, think about the fact that Americans spend hundreds of thousands (maybe even millions) of dollars per year trying to look darker. Whether it's tanning beds, tanning lotions or just a good old fashioned sun burn, Americans will go to great lengths to change their skin color as well. Skin isn't the only thing we desire to change either. For years I've joked about how women who have straight hair pay money to make their hair curly and women with curly hair use irons and special products to straighten theirs out. I won't even get into what we do for different color hair or what men do who are losing their hair (can anyone say comb over?).

It seems like all of us humans, whether we are American, Indian, male or female, suffer from the same disease. We want what we don't have. Of course this goes well beyond skin color and type of hair. We can be completely satisfied with our house until we visit a home that's bigger and newer. Suddenly our home feels old and out of date. We can't enjoy the job we have now, because we are busy dreaming about how good things will be when we get a promotion. When we were in high school we couldn't wait to be in college, and when we were in college we couldn't wait to be done with school forever, and now that we are out of school and paying the bills we reminisce about how great and care free high school and college were.

The book of James says, "Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming." I think we would all do well to remember that this life is not all there is. If you think you are too dark or not dark enough it's only a temporary condition. That bigger house you want probably has more issues than you realize, and even if you lived there it wouldn't be your permanent home. I believe we should always be striving to be better, know more, and go farther, but I also believe there are situations that it would help us to just be content. Be patient, just be patient.

More fun with YouTube

2009-11-11T15:17:00.002-05:00

After vacation last week (which was great) this week has involved a lot of catching up and several long meetings. Since the blog is always the thing that gets pushed to the rear in weeks like this, enjoy this video. Chances are you've already seen it, but this one features a slow motion section that I had not seen before. Hope it makes you laugh!

Monday Musings

2009-11-02T11:49:00.002-05:00

First of all, I don't even know what a "musing" is. It sounds way too girly for it to be something I would do, but I chose that for today's title anyway. Here's what I'm musing about:

- Follow-up to yesterday's message. I had a friend of mine ask me a great question after yesterday's message on money. He asked, "When I start to tithe, how do I do it cheerfully?" This question addresses one of the great biblical paradoxes. In scripture we are commanded to give 10% of our hard earned money away and we are also commanded to give it away cheerfully. For most folks the giving away of that much income is anything but cheerful. Here's a condensed version of how I answered my friend yesterday. The first time you give 10% you probably won't feel very cheerful, but as you continue to give, and as you continue to see that God is providing all of your needs even as you give away a large percentage of income, you will begin to experience a joy that can only come from being free financially. I also had another guy tell me that he actually enjoyed yesterday's message. That was a pleasant surprise. Maybe he enjoys root canals too.

- Donny has started a blog! Here's a linc to Donny's new blog. I will also add him to the blog roll in the sidebar when I get a chance. He will be following up on each week's message with some practical ideas and resources that should help you apply what you learn each Sunday.

- We are looking forward to hitting the road this afternoon for Williamsburg, VA. The last time we went we experienced a good bit of rain. This year the forecast is for sunny skies. That will make walking around much nicer.

Even though I will be out of the office this week I hope to blog a couple of more time before Sunday, but I'm not making any promises!

Lots of different stuff

2009-10-30T10:24:00.003-04:00

Friday's here already? Maybe I'm getting old, but it seems like time is moving faster these days. Hope you are ready for a very random set of things to read.

- Here is the scripture for Sunday's message. I'm not going to tell you what it's about, because I want you to show up anyway. Of course, if you read the scripture it will be obvious. Let me just say this, it's a topic that people complain to the Pastor about if he teaches on it too often, but the Bible has tons to say about it. In fact, Jesus talked about this subject more than He talked about Heaven and Hell.

- I watched highlights on Sportscenter of game 2 of the World Series. Ryan Howard struck out four times last night. The woman doing the highlights referred to striking out four times in a game as a "Golden Sombrero". I have been a pretty serious baseball fan since I was 12, and I have never heard of a "Golden Sombrero". I've heard of a "Texas Leaguer", "high cheese", "round tripper", "dinger", "ribbies", "taking the bump", "frozen rope", "a look what I found catch" and tons of other baseball sayings. I'm thinking the folks at Sportscenter are trying to create a new term. I don't even know why four strikeouts would be "golden" and what does it have to do with a giant Mexican hat? I think striking out four times in a game should be called "guess I need to spend more time in the batting cage" or "Dang, I'm glad I didn't get to bat five times tonight", or maybe even "I'm overpaid".

- Sherry and I ate at Soby's last Friday night for the first time, and now I'm trying to figure out a way I could afford to eat there once a week. It was that good. Thanks to Chris and April for generously sharing their gift certificate with us!

- Our friends in Botswana need your old cell phones! If you have used (but still working) cell phones you can donate them to Moruti James ( the pastor of Old Naledi in Botswana) when he visits next week. Any used phones, other than Sprint, will work. You can bring them by the office next week.

- I haven't been to see a movie in a while, but there are several I'm interested in seeing. "Where the Wild Things Are" looks cool, and I'd like to see how the writers took a book with about 10 sentences and made it into a two hour film. The new version of "A Christmas Carol" should be good, although that animation like they used in "The Polar Express" is kind of creepy. I'd love to see "The Men Who Stare at Goats", but that will have to be a guy's afternoon out because Sherry draws the line on stupid looking films that star George Clooney.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you on Sunday! By the way, keep washing those hands swine flu is still running wild.

Tribute to the Greatest of all Decades

2009-10-29T11:29:00.002-04:00

If you graduated from high school when I did (1987) or in the handful of years before or after that, you will get a chuckle from this video. Thanks to my man Trey Frick for sending this to me. I'd love for you to leave a comment about some of your favorite things from the 80's. Enjoy!

Excuses, excuses

2009-10-28T13:39:00.003-04:00

To my eight regular readers (yes it used to be seven, but Jimmy White now makes it eight) I need to apologize. Wednesday afternoon is far too late to post the first content of the week. Here are a list of excuses for why this has happened.

I haven't written on the blog this week because:
- I've been trying to hammer out a new health care bill with Jim Demint & Bob Inglis.
- An adverse reaction to the swine flu vaccine.
- Been too busy putting orange lights in the yard for Halloween.
- Had a painful bout with IBS.
- No time due to finishing up my first studio album of me singing Bob Dylan songs where you can clearly understand the lyrics.

Actually, there's no real reason other than the fact that I struggled a little more than normal writing this Sunday's message, and some normal pastor type things came up that slowed me down a little. Just normal stuff, but as a result the blog got put on the back burner. Here's some stuff you need to know now:

- Freedom loves Africa. As many of you know, we have been financially supporting Old Naledi Baptist Church in Botswana for the last year. Four of our folks spent a week there on mission this past summer. On Sunday, November 8 the entire service will focus on what God is doing there and how we can be more involved. It will be a special day. Also, next Thursday (November 5) the pastor of Old Naledi, Moruti James, will be here in Greer speaking at out new office about the ministry in Botswana. That meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m.

- Halloween Hoopla was a huge success again. Big time thanks to Shelley Kauffman, Chrissy Kemp, Crystal Schulte, Misty Corbett, and of course Donny for organizing the whole thing. Of course, there were over 100 others of you who volunteered to make everything go off without a hitch. Pray for wisdom for the planning team as they get together soon to evaluate everything and plan to make next year's event have an even greater impact.

That's all for now. The World Series begins tonight. I predict the Phillies win in seven.

Hoopla Time!

2009-10-23T10:11:00.002-04:00

Everyone around here is gearing up for Halloween Hoopla in downtown Greer tomorrow. This is one of my favorite things we do as a church, and here are a few reasons why:

- The city supports it. The only reason we are able to do this event is because the city of Greer asked us to take it over. This had been an event that they put on, but due to the fact that they had a difficult time finding enough volunteers the folks in charge asked if we wanted to take it. Because of that, we never have any problem getting the city to agree to close the streets,hang a banner, provide police support, etc. I think that partnering with our city is a pretty cool thing.

- Our volunteers are awesome. Once again there will be well over 100 volunteers from Freedom who will make everything happen tomorrow. It's obvious that without them this event would not happen. In addition to handing out candy, there will be faithful Freedom volunteers doing everything tomorrow from cooking burgers to picking up trash. Not only do they work hard but they do it with a great attitude.

- It makes kids happy. There's not a whole lot of things that are better than seeing a child smile. Halloween Hoopla brings smiles to the faces of kids from lots of different backgrounds. Hopefully the message that Freedom loves kids will be communicated loud and clear tomorrow.

- It's not about us. Now that God has blessed Freedom with a piece of property we could put on an event that would cater more to the needs of our families. It's more difficult to move everything in and out of the downtown area for one day, but we want the community to know that Halloween Hoopla is our gift to the families in this area. It's a gift, and all the best gifts require some sacrifice on the part of the giver.

Looking forward to seeing you there tomorrow! If you didn't get on a team to help, just show up early and tell someone you want to pitch in. There will be plenty to do!

Good for a big laugh

2009-10-21T15:36:00.002-04:00

This is the kind of stuff that always makes me laugh. Hope it helps you through your day!

The Importance of Water

2009-10-20T15:04:00.003-04:00

As many of you know my wife Sherry had a horrible experience this weekend. She had to endure the excruciating pain of a kidney stone. Thankfully, the stone passed this morning, and she is beginning to feel normal again. If you have had a stone before you know that the main thing any doctor will tell you to do is to drink lots and lots of water. It's pretty obvious why, the kidney stone should eventually get flushed out if you drink enough. All the water focus at my house since Sunday got me thinking about how the effect water has on our body is similar to the effect God's word has on our lives. Now I'm not a doctor, (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night) but it seems like the two main things water does for us are this: 1. it hydrates our body which is necessary for survival 2. it flushes out impurities from our body. I'm sure there are lots more things that water is needed for but those are two obvious ones that I thought of. My 10th grade Biology teacher, Mr. Anderson, would be so proud.

When it comes to hydration, we need to put water into our bodies everyday. Most experts agree that we should drink at least 64 ounces a day. It's needed for our bodies to function correctly, and it must be replenished daily because we are always losing water. I had a doctor friend tell me once that most people walk around in a mild state of dehydration, and that not being hydrated can make anyone more susceptible to disease. Likewise, if we go days or weeks without reading the Bible we are much more susceptible to making unwise moral choices. Daily scripture reading is needed for us to live as we should day by day. If we choose to ignore this and become spiritually dehydrated we can't be the people God wants us to be.

As far as flushing out bad stuff from your body water is the best thing there is. It does a better job than Coke, juice, milk or beer because it's pure. Everyday we are subjected to images, sounds, and ideas that are not in line with God's teaching. Unless you move away to a monastery and completely isolate yourself from society there is no way to avoid this. That's another reason why daily reading the scripture is so important. Just like water does for our body the Bible can flush out all the impure junk from our lives. As you make daily Bible reading part of your life, the flushing out of impure ideas will naturally happen even when you aren't aware of it. Soon you will begin to recognize ideas and thoughts that are contrary to God's plan. The impurities of the world around you will become much clearer. That's all part of scripture flushing out the junk from your life.

So drink up! Make some time to read some scripture everyday. You will be healthier spiritually if you do. It wouldn't hurt to drink more water everyday as well. You'll probably feel better by doing that as well.

It feels like Friday.

2009-10-15T12:00:00.003-04:00

Today feels like Friday due to the fact that I will be out of the office tomorrow. Normally I only spend about half a day in the office on Fridays anyway, but just knowing that I'm not coming in at all tomorrow feels good.

This week has been very nice. Granted, the weather has been pretty dreary, but what's going on in my heart has been nice. Maybe it's the fact that I was at Catalyst last week, but I have had a greater sense of calm in my spirit about the future of Freedom than ever before. Don't get me wrong, things aren't perfect. Yes I'd love for attendance and giving to be way up, yes I'd love for more folks to be volunteering to lead Life Groups and work at Halloween Hoopla, but through everything that is going on right now God is reminding me that Freedom is His church and He will take care of us. That's something that I have known since the day Freedom began, and have reminded myself of that fact over and over, but this week my awareness of it has been much clearer. It makes me think that God is preparing us for some big things! I can't wait to see what they are.

Here are few more random things to look at and know about:

- Halloween Hoopla is a week from this Saturday, and there are still opportunities to participate. If you are a regular Freedom attender or a partner you need to sacrifice a few hours on October 24 to this project. This is one of two big community-wide things we do each year, and we want it to be huge. If you haven't signed up to help, send an e-mail to Shelley Kauffman today. Don't hesitate. Her e-mail is: shelley@freedomfellowshipsc.com

- Check out this great blog post from Seth Godin.

- "God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to Him" - Andy Stanley shared that quote from his Dad Charles at Catalyst last Thursday.

- Donny will continue the "Best Question Ever" series this Sunday. Invite someone to join you.

- Duracell and Energizer batteries have exactly the same life span. At least the 9 volts do. I replaced the batteries in two of the smoke detectors in our house a few months ago. I used a Duracell in one and an Energizer in the other (just because that's what was in the house, not because I was doing an experiment). They both began beeping early this morning to indicate they needed to be replaced. Next time you see an ad that tells you one battery outperforms the other, don't believe it.

- The guy who wrote this article thinks my Gamecocks will beat Alabama this Saturday. I wish I agreed with him. My heart is with my team, but my head won't allow me to believe they'll win. Did I mention Alabama is the second ranked team in the country, and the game is being played in Tuscaloosa?

Last, here's a video from Catalyst you should check out when you have an extra 20 minutes. It is without a doubt one of the most moving things I've ever seen. I would venture to say that all 13,000 of us who were there will never forget it.
Have a great weekend and see you Sunday!

Catalyst 2009 Compassion Moment from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Splash!

2009-10-13T10:36:00.002-04:00

In addition to all the great speakers at the Catalyst Conference, there were also lots of cool moments that didn't involve teaching. Check out this video of one of those moments. We actually missed seeing this live because we were on our way back from lunch. I'm glad they posted the video, so we can enjoy it now. By the way, if you think you could do this please let me know.

Professor Splash Breaks World Record! from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Chuck's Wisdom

2009-10-12T11:07:00.004-04:00

Last week I was able to attend the Catalyst Conference for the third straight year in Atlanta. Every time I've been I have discovered a new speaker who can bring the truth of the Bible home in amazing ways.

This year in addition to being exposed to speakers who were new to me, I also re-discovered one of the most gifted teachers I've ever heard. On Friday, the Catalyst team presented Chuck Swindoll with a lifetime achievement award for leadership. After the presentation he spoke on the subject of leadership in ministry. Andy Stanley told him before he spoke to "let us have it with both barrels" and he certainly did that. The cool thing is, I know there were younger leaders there who came to Atlanta not knowing who Chuck Swindoll was, but they left having been impacted by the teaching God did through him.
Here are a few highlights of what he said:

- When God wants to do an impossible task He takes an impossible person and crushes him. Leave room in your life for the crushing.

- Tradition is the living faith of those now dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living.

- Ten things that are true about ministry leadership
(these are now printed in my office for me to see everyday)

1. It's lonely to lead.
2. It's dangerous to succeed.
3. It's hardest at home.
4. It's essential to be real.
5. It's painful to obey.
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary.
7. My attitude is more important than my actions.
8. Integrity eclipses image.
9. God's way is always better than my way.
10. Christ-likeness begins and ends with humility.

Chew on that for a few days. (He didn't say that, I did.)
That is a small part of what he taught us during those 40 minutes. I'll fill you in more tomorrow on some other highlights from the trip.

Read this right away.

2009-10-07T11:19:00.003-04:00

Attention Freedomers! An opportunity for you to be involved in something has just come up today, and I wanted to make you aware of it. Over the last few days the two guys who were heading up basketball at Freedom have had to give up those responsibilities. Both of them have lots going on with their families (all good things) and as a result have had to choose to get some things off their plates.

Here's where the opportunity comes in: If you have talents and gifts in the areas of organization we could put you to work right away in getting basketball teams together for our kids at Freedom this season. This would be a commitment for this season only. Most of the hard work will need to happen within the next three to four weeks and would involve things like, recruiting coaches, handling registration, finding appropriate practice locations and times, etc. Once the season begins there would be much less to think about.

If you have any interest in this at all please let Donny know right away. You can reach him via e-mail at donny@freedomfellowshipsc.com

Weekend Wrap-up

2009-10-05T16:04:00.003-04:00

On a rainy Monday like today it's good to recall the sunny weekend that preceded it. I had a great weekend, and I hope you did as well. Here are a few highlights, as well as some things I think you should know:

- Friday evening I got to be with my three favorite ladies. We went to Stax Omega for supper. They have the largest menu I have ever seen there. Largest in terms of number of items to choose from not in terms of the physical size of the menu. (as far as physical size it's actually quite normal) If you can't find anything you like to eat at Stax Omega, you must be on a hunger strike. After the meal we headed to Barnes & Noble, so Emily and Grace could spend their birthday gift cards. I picked up at least a dozen books that I would love to read one day. Am I the only person whose desire to read far outweighs my ability? I mean, I can read but I will never be able to read fast enough or often enough to read everything I want to.

- Saturday was spent running a lot of errands and building the compost bin in the backyard. Now the fun part of putting the right ingredients in the bin and letting them rot will begin. I am a composting novice, so if any of you have experience in this area I will gladly accept your wise advice.

- Sunday was another great day at Freedom. The surprise I talked about here on Friday was revealed: a new logo and website. Check out the new site here, and read Chris' blog here to see the new logo. Of course the logo is on the website, but I'm trying to hook Chris up with some more readers for his blog. If the seven of you that read mine start to read his then his total will be up to nine, maybe ten. By the way Jimmy, I'm including you in the seven.

- My sister Robin and her family came to visit this weekend as well. Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning the Marshall house was at full capacity. The boys brought their new band instruments with them. Jacob is learning the sax while Austin has chosen to master the much less popular oboe. (You just never hear any cool oboe solos in rock songs) I was surprised at how small the oboe was, but then Austin told me I must have been thinking about a bassoon. Evidently it's the big one of the clarinet family. We had a great time with them, and I think they enjoyed their first trip to the best restaurant in Greer, El Mariachi.

Here's the linc for purchasing the "Best Question Ever" from Amazon. I promised y'all yesterday that I would put it up here again.

Sorry I didn't get this posted until late in the afternoon. For those of you who read this blog on your lunch hour it will be a Tuesday blog, but it's really a Monday blog. Since it's a Monday blog here's a Monday Night Football prediction: the Favre-led Vikings beat the Packers tonight, thanks more to Adrian Peterson than Brett Favre. A second prediction is that I will wake up tired in the morning because I am determined to watch the whole game if it's a close one.

Thanks for reading. Don't be afraid to leave a comment.

Sunday Preview and Very Random Thoughts

2009-10-02T10:14:00.004-04:00

It's been awhile since I've written about the random things I've seen or am thinking about, so I'll give it a shot today. Before I do that, let me give you a little preview of Sunday's message. We are continuing the "Best Question Ever" series, and this Sunday's edition of the series is very practical. The scripture you need to read before you arrive is James 1:13-15. As I said at the beginning of this series, these are great Sunday's to invite your friends to join you at Freedom. Why don't you take some time today to call a friend and ask them to come with you on Sunday?

- I'm looking forward to hanging out with the girls tonight. Since Emily and Grace both have just had birthdays they have some gift cards that need to be spent. We will spend lots of time this evening at Barnes & Noble, which is one of my favorite places to go, and then follow that up with a Starbucks visit. You may be thinking, "Isn't there a Starbucks in Barnes & Noble?" There is, but they do not accept Starbucks gift cards. Dumb, I know.

- I'm planning on planting my first ever vegetable garden next spring. To get ready I am going to build a compost bin in the next couple of weeks, so I can turn all the leaves, gumballs, and limbs around my yard into fertilizer. I have never tried anything like this before, but I am looking forward to it.

- Emily has started her own blog. If you are interested in reading about the life and thoughts of an exceptionally gifted and talented, (I can brag on her if I want), 15 year old you can check it out here.

- I'm a summer guy but I am really enjoying the cooler weather. Isn't it funny how what precedes something changes our perspective? For example, the temperatures we have had the last couple of days have been referred to as cool because they follow summer, but you could have the same weather in late March and we would call it warm because it followed winter. Interesting, or maybe not. Either way it feels nice.

See you on Sunday!

It's Good to be Back

2009-10-01T13:37:00.002-04:00

Hello faithful readers. I hope you are still there even though I haven't been a very faithful writer this week. The reason is that I have been out of the office doing some planning. Every six months or so I have found it to be very beneficial if I leave town for a couple of days to plan message series ideas. Maybe you're thinking, "Cliff why can't you just do that at the office?" My answer to that is, "I don't know why I can't, but I wish I could." I would love to be able to walk into the office, turn off the phone, and be able to concentrate enough to map out nine months worth of messages, but my mind will not allow that to happen. You see, I'm kind of easily distracted. I always have been. It can be frustrating, especially when there is thinking work to be done, and most of what I do is thinking work. The strange part of this affliction is that the main struggle occurs when I try to concentrate on important things (i.e. - preparing a message, balancing the checkbook, remembering what Sherry asked me to get at Ingle's), it rarely is a problem when I'm watching football, listening to my ipod, or reading Sports Illustrated. Anyway, on Sunday evening I headed down to the beach where I stayed at a friend's place to pray, brainstorm, and plan for the direction the messages will be going at Freedom over the next several months. This is probably the sixth or seventh time I've tried this type of planning get away, and this was the most productive by far. In the past I had been unrealistic about how much I could accomplish in the time I was away. I had such wild expectations of how much I could read, write, and plan that the Apostle Paul couldn't have lived up to them. The result was that I would get some things done, but ultimately I would get bogged down in what wasn't getting finished, and I'd come home frustrated. This trip I took a handful of legal pads, a folder full of message ideas, and my Bible. I had one goal which was to get as many message series down on paper as possible. The result of focusing in on what really needed to get done was pretty amazing. When I got back home yesterday afternoon I had a folder full of enough message ideas to take us through next October. To say that I was happy with the results would be a huge understatement. Now it's time to get together with the team and put the ideas on the calendar and then begin the hard work of making them happen.

Here's a teaser for this Sunday: There's a neat change coming to Freedom, and if you are there Sunday you will be the first ones in on it. Also, you will want to sit close to the front!

Happy Birthday Grace!

2009-09-25T21:19:00.004-04:00

My regular readers (that includes you, Jimmy!) know that I normally write my blog during the day when I'm at the office. It just works out better for me to get it done there. So, what would make me write a blog post at 9:30 p.m. on a Friday night? Well, I didn't get a chance to write about my baby girl's birthday yet. Nine years ago today God blessed me, Sherry and Emily (the big sister) with a big brown eyed, chubby cheeked, head full of black hair, baby girl that we named Grace. We had prayed for Grace's arrival for several years before she finally arrived on the scene. We have told her all her life that our table wasn't full until she was born. We had the one vacant chair that was being saved just for her.

Today I didn't have time to blog because I left the office early to hang out with Grace on her special day. We did lunch at Moe's. She had the kids cheese quesadilla, a white chocolate chip cookie, and a drink where she added a little of every type carbonated beverage into one cup(we used to call that a suicide at the skating rink). While we were at Moe's I asked Grace, "Now that you're nine, what did you enjoy about being eight?" Her reply: "Being older than everyone who was seven." Of course I laughed so hard the other patrons stuffing their faces with massive burritos gave me some strange looks. That was the first of many laughs of the afternoon. Next we headed to the Starbucks located in the front of Target, so she could get a Vanilla Bean Frappucino. The we went into Target so she could figure out how to spend some of her birthday money. Part of the conclusion she came to is that $50 is too much to pay for a new Wii game. After that we headed home to look at a cookie cook book she got from the library and to play some Wii.

During the whole time we were together, I was reminded of what a blessing Grace has been to us. The things that made me laugh, her wanting to share everything on her plate with me, the non-stop talking in Target about everything she saw, and a surprise Dolly Parton singing impersonation, were just a few things that confirmed what I have always known: Our Grace is a gift from God.

Happy Birthday Rascal! I love you!

This should be on AFV

2009-09-22T07:01:00.002-04:00

If I want a guaranteed laugh I can always turn on America's Funniest Videos. My friend Ben Patat is very talented musician and songwriter who plays in two bands. Check this video out of the last song in his group's performance last week down in Columbia. Hopefully he will send this to the folks at AFV. One thing I love about the video is that it's obvious that Ben and his guys don't take themselves too seriously. That's a good reminder for all of us today.

Best Questions

2009-09-21T11:37:00.003-04:00

In case you didn't have a pen yesterday, here are the three questions we can use as a filter for all of our decision making. Remember these questions are based on Ephesians 5:15-17. Also, if you would like to get your copy of "The Best Question Ever" by Andy Stanley you can click here.

Now for the questions:

In light of my past experiences, what is the wise thing to do?

In light of my current situation, what is the wise thing to do?

In light of my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?

I thought we had a great start to the new series. Continue to invite your friends for the rest of the messages.

Make it a great Monday! Also, don't let the rain get you down.

The Boss comes to Greenville!

2009-09-18T12:00:00.004-04:00

On Wednesday night I had the rare opportunity to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert. This was the first time they had ever played in Greenville and they put on their normal high energy, almost three hour long show. This was my second time seeing Bruce, and even though he will turn sixty soon this show was even better than the first time almost seven years ago.

The only drawback to the show was the sound in the Bi-Lo Center. Most of the high stuff sounded garbled, but that didn't take away from the total experience. It did however contribute to the ringing in my ears that didn't subside until last night.

One of the interesting things that Mark Johnson and I noticed before the show was the diversity of the crowd. There were folks there who are probably collecting social security, elementary age children, bikers with full leather, guys who came straight from work at the bank, long hair, short hair, and everything in between. (I even heard there was a preacher there!) One thing everyone there had in a common was a love for the music. I would guess that the place was 95% full, and when the band played "Born to Run" it was amazing to hear everyone sing along.

The set list featured two songs from the new album, several hits, some rare gems, a beach music tune, a couple of folks songs, some 60's R&B, and even a classic song from the British invasion. The band was great as usual and featured Jay Weinberg on drums. Jay's Dad Max is the regular drummer, but due to his day job (as Conan O'Brien's band leader) he had to let Jay sit in for him. The kid just turned 19 and he made his old man proud I'm sure. Clarence Clemons looked pretty good considering that he is due to have back surgery when the tour is over. I guess that's what happens when your band is made up of guys who have been playing together for 35 years. Bruce was the amazing showman he usually is. From bringing two little girls on stage to sing, to wandering through the crowd, and climbing on top of the grand piano, he kept the crowd involved and raised the energy level in the whole building.

I had lots of folks ask me yesterday if I enjoyed the show. My response has been, "It exceeded my expectations, and my expectations were pretty high."

For those of you who are interested, here's the set list with my comments:

10th Avenue Freeze Out
Badlands - (I thought this would be first)
No Surrender
Hungry Heart - (the crowd sang the first verse)
Outlaw Pete - (new album)
Working on a Dream - (new album)
Seeds - (didn't expect this, rare selection)
Johnny 99
Atlantic City - (really glad he played this one)
Raise Your Hand - (during intro he went into crowd taking requests)
This Hard Land - (requested)
Satisfaction - (requested, the first time the band had played this Stones song)
Ramrod - (requested)
Waiting on a Sunny Day - (let two little girls sing the chorus on stage)
The Promised Land
Backstreets - (another one I didn't expect, very cool)
Radio Nowhere - (a heavier version than usual)
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Hard Times Come Again No More - (old folk song written by Stephen Foster)
Double Shot of my Baby's Love - (brought the Swinging Medallions on stage to help)
American Land
Glory Days
Detroit Medley - (Devil w/a blue dress, Good Golly Miss Molly, CC Rider)
Dancing in the Dark - (I was sure this was the final song and then...)
Thunder Road - (This was perfect finish for what had already been a great show)

Now I've got to start saving my money for the next tour!

Sunday Preview

2009-09-17T13:47:00.003-04:00

One of the things we emphasize every week at Freedom is bringing your friends with you to worship. We have tried hard to create an environment that folks who don't normally attend church can enter into without feeling too awkward. This Sunday is another day when it will be important for you to invite your friends. This week maybe more than usual. This Sunday we will be kicking off the "Best Question Ever" message series. The messages in this series are all focused on how to make wise choices, which is a skill that everyone can benefit from. You will hear this again on Sunday, but I believe that the "Best Question Ever", if implemented correctly, has the potential to foolproof your life against stupid decision making. Who doesn't need that?

Here is the scripture you can read in order to be ready for this Sunday's message:
Ephesians 5:15-17

If this seems like the blog I normally write on Friday it's because it is. I plan on using tomorrow's blog to write about my awesome experience at the Springsteen concert last night. You've been warned, so you don't have to log on tomorrow if you you're not interested in the Boss.

Happy Birthday Emily!

2009-09-16T14:36:00.003-04:00

15 years ago today I became a Daddy when God blessed Sherry and I with Emily. It is very hard for me to believe that she is 15. It seems like yesterday when the nurse placed her in my arms, and I couldn't believe a baby could be so tiny. To celebrate her birthday today I got to take her to lunch at El Mariachi, and then we went to Petsmart and bought her a guinea pig. She named him Lenny. Lenny the guinea. The reason we did those things at lunchtime is because tonight she will be at LINC (she wouldn't dream of missing that even if it is her birthday), and I will be at the Bi-Lo Center visiting my friend Bruce. In case you are wondering, Emily did give me permission to go to a concert on her special day. Happy birthday Emily! You are the sweetest, smartest, most considerate and compassionate teenager there is, and I am proud to be your Dad.

Here are some other things on my mind:

- Teaching the message this past Sunday was very liberating. Just being brutally honest and getting everything out on the table was very healthy for our church. I want everyone who participates at Freedom to understand what's important, and to be working as hard as possible to make those things happen. It's messages like what we taught the past two weeks that helps us stay on that track. If you were out of town or working with the children the last two weeks and missed the messages you can click here to listen to them. I would suggest you do that. It would be good to listen to them even if you were here both of those Sundays.

- A big thanks to Trey Frick for leading Life Group tonight while I go see Bruce and the band. I'm sure he will do such a good job that our group might vote me out as leader tonight.

- It's 3:00 now and I'm beginning to have a hard time concentrating in the office. This will be the second time I've gotten to see the Boss live and I know he will not disappoint. I'm hoping he plays "Thunder Road" tonight. The last time I saw him he didn't, but he has been featuring that song more on this tour. I'll let you know tomorrow if he does or not.

Tune in tomorrow. I will preview the new message series that begins this Sunday. I hope you are making plans to invite someone to come with you!

Video Tuesday

2009-09-15T17:05:00.002-04:00

I saw this commercial and thought it was awesome in a stupid kind of way. It also features a band that I loved in high school which made it even funnier. Hope you enjoy it.

Football Friday - Sunday Preview

2009-09-11T09:55:00.002-04:00

I just finished looking over my notes for Sunday's message, and I got so excited about what we are going to talk about that I actually felt butterflies in my stomach. Pretty cool for Friday morning in the office with no one around. If you are a partner or regular attender at Freedom this is a Sunday you will not want to miss. I want everyone to be sure and be in the auditorium ready to worship at 10:30, and I also want to ask you to sit down as close to the front as possible. We will be discussing some serious stuff, and want to be sure that all of our regular Freedom folks don't miss it.

Now that I've shared my excitement with you, here's what you need to read to be ready for the message: Hebrews 5:12-14, Matthew 16:13-18, Numbers 13:31-14:4, Numbers 14:21-23.

Let's move on to the less important but still exciting subject of football. The football season has slowly started over the last couple of weeks. First with high school games, then college last weekend, now as the NFL begins we can enjoy football all weekend for the next couple of months.

This weekend will be full of football for the Marshall family. We began last night by watching the Blue Ridge JV team lay some serious smack on Travelers Rest. One of my favorite kids in the world, Steven Greene, looked awesome out there directing the Blue Ridge defense.

Tonight we are heading to Woodruff to watch them play Abbeville. Sherry's cousin Jake Lambert is Woodruff's QB, and he's doggone good.

Tomorrow we are going to to Spartanburg to watch our alma mater Charleston Southern take on Wofford. You might remember that CSU took a beating from Florida last Saturday in order to make $450,000 for the school. They won't get a check like that this week, but will probably get beaten again. I'm still a proud alum however. When Sherry and I went to school there we didn't even have a real football team!

Then on Sunday I plan on enjoying a full afternoon of NFL action. I'm a little droopy eyed this morning from staying up to watch the end of the Clemson game as well as the NFL opener which went into overtime. Also, Carolina plays Georgia on Saturday, and because I will be at the CSU game I will use our new DVR to record the Gamecocks. If they lose I will delete the recording without watching it. Let's hope I get to watch it.

Hardy har har

2009-09-10T16:00:00.004-04:00

When I head home from the office later this afternoon, I can go home excited about what got accomplished today. The highlight of the day was the brainstorming meeting where Donny, Blake, Chris, and I threw out and discussed ideas for upcoming messages. It was cool to hear the creative give and take that was happening across the table. Our hope is to have all of the messages for 2010 on the calendar over the next several weeks.

Today's meeting was just another reminder that God has brought together the right guys on the team here at Freedom. One way I know that is that every time we meet we laugh a lot. I don't want to serve with anyone who can't laugh at themselves, and who doesn't enjoy the naturally humorous things that happen everyday. Even though there was plenty of laughter today that did not deter from work getting done. As a matter of fact I think the laughter encouraged work to get done. Think about it, you are more productive when you are joyful. That's just part of how God has wired us up. If you are stressed at work today, take some time to laugh. If you work with other people you shouldn't have to look far to find something that will make you chuckle. After all, we're all pretty funny whether we know it or not.

What day is it?

2009-09-08T14:11:00.002-04:00

The calendar says Tuesday but it sure feels like Monday doesn't it? I told Sherry this morning before I left the house that I felt a little down. Maybe it was due to the fact that summer is over, or that I spent all day (literally) painting on my day off from the office. Whatever the reason, once I got to the office and started prepping for Life Group tomorrow night my attitude rebounded, and now I'm back to normal (well as normal as I can be). Stuff going on today includes:

- I went home at lunch to watch President Obama's speech with my girls. Even though some parents kept their kids home from school to avoid this, we home-school our girls and made sure they would see it. By the way, Sherry and I are not communists, socialists or even Democrats. I had read the text of the speech on the White House website beforehand, so I knew that it was good stuff for them to hear. I think the uproar over this thing proves that our country is more divided now than anytime in my memory. Since when did telling kids to work hard, take responsibility for themselves, and not to give up become a bad thing? This controversy reminds me that you'd have to be crazy to want to be President, and that I'm glad that my real home is in Heaven not in America. Also my leader isn't a President. My leader is a King named Jesus. He was my leader when Bush was in the White House as well.

- I took a walk along the trail on the property after lunch and disturbed a decent sized black snake from his or her rest.

- Chris has already had several folks sign-up to participate in auditions for the band. If you can sing or play an instrument you need to sign-up. You can do so by clicking here or you can do it the old fashioned way on Sunday morning in the atrium of GHS.

- We enjoyed four free Chik-Fil-A sandwiches for supper last night. I would love to see the stats on how many freebies were given away nationwide yesterday. Sherry and I discussed the strategy of giving away free food on the way home, and I told her that chances are someone tried a Chik-Fil-A sandwich yesterday for the first time because it was free. Of course I don't know anyone who has never had Chik-Fil-A before. If you have never eaten a Chik-Fil-A sandwich, or if you know someone who never has please leave a comment. Also, if you want to leave a comment on all the political stuff I wrote about earlier I'll read those as well.

Sunday scripture and more

2009-09-04T10:06:00.003-04:00

Friday has arrived! I know lots of you will be heading out of town this afternoon for the last big weekend of the summer. Be safe as you travel and know that we will miss you at Freedom on Sunday. Here's a few stray thoughts to lead you into the weekend:

- I wrote on here yesterday about Sunday's message, now I need to share the scripture you should read before hand. It is: Genesis 12:1-3 and 22:15-18, John 10:14-16, Matthew 28:18-20. I am very excited about teaching this Sunday.

- Charleston Southern University (mine and Sherry's alma mater) open the football season Saturday night against the Florida Gators. Florida has won two national championships in three years, are favored to win another this year, and their QB is a Heisman Trophy winner. Due to all of those things, Florida is favored to win by 73points. I know my school's team will not win, but I don't think they will lose by 73! The great thing about this game is that it has generated nation wide publicity for my school. It doesn't hurt that the CSU athletic department will get a check for $450,000 from Florida either. Go Bucs!

- Tomorrow I will do something I haven't done in over four years. I will play golf. I just found out two days ago that the tournament the church is having will not be a shotgun start, so that means when I tee off on #1 there will be people watching. My goal for the entire tournament is not to embarrass myself on that first tee. I just want to hit it in the air, where the ball goes after that is not my concern.

Keep praying for the Africa team, and be sure and check their blog. Today is their last day of work before they begin the long journey home. See you on Sunday!

Early Sunday Preview and Happy Birthday

2009-09-03T12:19:00.003-04:00

This has been a week where the days have flown by. It is hard to believe that it's Thursday already. I am very excited about everything God is doing at Freedom. Donny and I had a conversation this morning about how we both sense that we are about to see God break some barriers in our church. It just seems to me that we are heading into uncharted territory, uncharted for us at least. Thankfully, God has already been where we are going and is pushing us to get there.

Normally I preview Sunday's message on Friday, but I spent some time working on it this morning and I am pumped about it! I'll give you some scripture to read tomorrow to be ready, but for now spend some time praying and asking God to speak clearly to you this Sunday about the importance of His church. It is His by the way, not mine or yours!

Happy Birthday Sherry! Today is my wonderful wife's birthday. I will not tell you how old she is, but I will tell you that I've been celebrating birthdays with her for 21 years(18 married), and she keeps getting more beautiful and sweeter each year.

College football season begins tonight! Hopefully at 10:00 tonight I'll be happy.

Keep praying for the Africa team! They are updating the blog daily, and God is doing some great stuff through them.

In lieu of actual content...here's a video!

2009-09-01T15:52:00.003-04:00

Today turned out to be pretty crazy (and tomorrow ain't looking too good either), so instead of a real blog, enjoy this video clip from one of my favorite shows, "The Big Bang Theory". It's the only show I've ever known to prominently feature nerd humor. Hope you find it as funny as I do.

Monday notes

2009-08-31T10:26:00.003-04:00

Yesterday turned out to be a fantastic Sunday! We had over 400 people in attendance for the second week in a row, and there was a definite feeling of excitement in the air as we concluded the service. Here are a couple of things to remember today:

- Keep praying for the team in Botswana. Be sure you click here to get updated on everything that is happening on the mission trip. God is using Freedom to make an impact around the world through the faithfulness of these four volunteers! That's awesome.

- As things continue to move rapidly forward at Freedom each week, I am reminded that the devil is at work to slow that progress down as much as possible. A couple of things happened over the weekend that brought this to my mind. Let's all be sure that we are on guard against his attacks, and that we are wearing our spiritual armor. It seems like the easiest place for us to be attacked is in our attitude. I am praying daily that God will give me His attitude towards every challenging situation that I face.

- Fall is here. I know that to be true because football is here. The arrival of football season is the only thing that makes the coming of fall bearable for me. I love summertime, but it is exciting that HS football started Friday, college games begin Thursday (go Gamecocks!), and Pro games begin a week from this Sunday. That means we are two weeks away from Monday Night Football. Click here to see the best promo for MNF that ESPN has ever come up with.

Have a great Monday, and remember that God's power is at work within you today!
Eph.3:20-21

Africa Blog

2009-08-25T15:31:00.003-04:00

I will be out of the office for a couple of days, so this is the last blog post until Friday. On Thursday our team of 3 men and 1 brave woman will be heading to Botswana. They will report what they are up to over there on a blog they have set up. Be sure you check the blog daily while they are away, and pray for them a lot.

Here's the linc to the blog: http://freedom2africa.blogspot.com/

Talk to you (well actually I'll write) on Friday.

New Land, Ice Cream and Community

2009-08-24T10:54:00.003-04:00

I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. Part of it was the normal Monday doldrums, but I think the main reason was the amount of homemade ice cream I consumed last night. I made myself stop after five bowls in a futile attempt to regain some semblance of self-control. The final count of bowls was, one bowl of peach, one bowl of peanut butter, and three bowls of Oreo. Other than me overdoing it with ice cream some other things happened yesterday as well.

- It was really cool to see Freedom partners and attenders spread out all over the new property praying together. One thing I think is interesting is that some folks think that there is a master plan for the property that we haven't revealed yet. Nothing could be further from the truth! That's why we gathered together to ask God for wisdom last night. A lot of big decisions will have to be made about what the next steps are for the property, and we want to only do what God would have us do. The great thing is that according to the promise found in James, God gives wisdom if we ask for it. I sure do need it.

- I thought it worked out great that on a Sunday where the message focused on the importance of community, we had a chance to spend some time together yesterday afternoon. Whether it was sitting around talking, throwing football, or walking the trail, lots of people made connections with each other yesterday. All of those connections are important to what God wants to do through Freedom.

- Thanks again to Trey and Jill Frick for organizing everything for yesterday's get together! The two of them along with the volunteers they recruited handled every detail that made yesterday special, and Donny and I were able to just enjoy hanging out.

I truly believe that God has some amazing plans for Freedom, many of which will include the use of the new property. I also believe, as I said yesterday, that this is only the first step in much bigger journey that God wants us to follow Him on. I am thankful to be traveling that road with each of you.

Sunday Preview

2009-08-21T09:39:00.003-04:00

I always look forward to Sundays at Freedom, but this Sunday should be extra special. In addition to the regular worship time at 10:30, we will have fun hanging out together on the new property from 4-6 p.m. Here's what you need to know:

- We will continue the re:boot message series this week. The message is entitled "Network", and here are some verses you can read to be ready: Genesis 2:18, Proverbs 27:17, Genesis 28:3, and Acts 4:32-37. I hope you are planning on inviting your friends to join you this Sunday.

- Be sure and bring a lawn chair with you for the get together in the afternoon. Also, there is still an opportunity for you to bring a churn of homemade ice cream as well. If you have any questions about the ice cream, send Trey Frick an e-mail: tfrick@nuvox.com Also, feel free to bring frisbees, footballs, etc. with you. Bringing along some bug spray wouldn't hurt either if you are planning on walking the trail.

- This next section is for Freedom partners and regular attenders only! Due to the increased attendance we have experienced this summer, parking spaces in the main lot on Sunday mornings are at a premium. If you could begin parking in the large (gigantic, actually) lot to the left of the high school on Sunday mornings that would be great. It is a longer walk to the entrance, but your heart could use the exercise I'm sure. The last thing we want is for someone who attends Freedom for the first time to drive through the parking lot and leave because there are no spaces available. Thanks for helping with this!

Can't wait to see all of you on Sunday morning and in the afternoon at the new property (3075 Locust Hill Road).

Summer Movie Review

2009-08-20T12:36:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid my Mom would load up the car each week in the summer with me and my sister and a couple of our friends and head to the summer movies. This was before the age of summer movie blockbusters and sequels. I'm talking about the free summer movies (at least I think they were free, I wasn't paying). It was there I saw classics like "War of the Worlds", "Pipi Longstocking", and "The Time Machine". Now as each summer arrives there are always a ton of new movies released that I want to see (but they aren't free). Now that summer is officially over (I know it is because Walgreeen's has all flip flops marked down 75%) I will share with you my ratings for the movies I had the chance to see. I am rating on a five star scale because Blake thinks four is not enough.

Wolverine - 2 stars
I seriously considered a one star rating, but the special effects were good enough for one star all by themselves. This was the first movie of the summer that Emily and I went to see, and I was expecting it to be as good as last summer's first movie which was Iron Man. I was very disappointed. When this comes out on DVD don't rent it, borrow it from a friend.

Night at the Museum 2 - 3 stars
Sherry liked this better than the first one. I still like the original better, but this one was very good. Two new characters, Kamunrah and General Custer, added to the already funny mix. Also, my girls were happy with the voices of the Cherubim.

Star Trek - 4 stars
This was a movie that I didn't even care to see when it first came out. Then I started to hear great things about it, so Sherry and I went to see it on a date one night. It turned out to be my favorite movie of the summer. It had what too many summer blockbusters lack, a plot to go along with all the CGI and explosions. Also, it included lots of the elements from the original Star Trek series that guys my age used to watch after school on reruns. I can't wait until the DVD comes out so I can watch it all again.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - 3 stars
I had high expectations for this film, perhaps too high. The Half Blood Prince was my favorite of all seven of the books, but the film did a poor job of measuring up. I know that the book is always better, but I felt the climatic scene was so poorly presented in the movie that it lost the significance that was so evident in the book. I think that those who have read the book and seen the movie will agree.

G.I. Joe - 2 stars
I would have thought this movie was awesome if I was 12, but I'm 40.

Ones I missed that I will see on DVD:
Terminator Salvation and Public Enemies

No I didn't see Transformers. Frankly, I thought the first one was just o.k., so I didn't see the sequel. I know I'm in the minority on that, but I'm cool with it.

Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this summer's films.

Freedom folks are givers

2009-08-19T08:28:00.004-04:00

I was reminded yesterday about how generous the people at Freedom are, and I wanted to share it with you. A friend of mine is helping out another friend by providing him a place to live for a few months. Friend #1 called me Monday night and asked if I knew of anyone who had some extra bedroom furniture for friend #2. I sent out an e-mail to Tamara Whitener about the need, and she forwarded it to everyone in an e-mail database she has of Freedom partners and attenders. Within two hours of me sending the first e-mail every piece of furniture needed for the bedroom had been donated! Friend #1 called me last night to say that when the calls started coming in so quickly it was all he could do not to cry with joy while he was at work. I never cease to be amazed at how the folks at Freedom really understand what it means to be the church and not just go to church.

Donny suggested three great books that people might want to read as a follow-up to this past Sunday's message about being Maxed Out. They are:
"Margin" by Richard Swensen...Restoring margin to overloaded lives.
"Holy Discontent" by Bill Hybels...Fueling the fire that ignites personal vision
"Made to Count" by Bob Record...Discovering what to do with your life

By the way, there had been a problem with getting the messages up on-line, but that has been fixed now. You can find all of the messages from the current series at freedomfellowshipsc.com or on itunes or by clicking here.

Two other things:
Ice cream fellowship and Prayer Time on the new property this Sunday, August 23 from 4-6 p.m. Bring a lawn chair, and a smile.

Partnership Class - Sunday, August 30 from 3-5 p.m. You can sign-up in the atrium at Greer High School this Sunday.

Stuff I'm Thinking

2009-08-17T14:16:00.003-04:00

Random Monday thoughts:

- I loved it that we opened things for yesterday's service with "Running On Empty". Ben (the cool looking guitarist) had never heard of Jackson Browne until the band started working on that song. That either means I'm old or that he needs a 70's music education.

- I struggled with concentration issues big-time leading up to the moment I got on stage to teach. God really reminded me that He is in control when He helped me focus when I needed to.

- I got to the LINC back to school party in time to see the belly flop and back buster competitions. The prize was an XBox 360, and those kids sacrificed their bodies in order to win! There were a ton of beet red backs and bellies when everything ended. This gives me a lot of hope for the next generation of leaders in our country.

- I challenged Blake, Ben and Ben to do a back buster after the competition ended. They refused to try. They have been demoted in my mind from full man status to some type of man/girl hybrid.

- We had a great time visiting with Tony and Bettye again this weekend. They are friends from Charleston that we've known for a long time. They've been to see us twice in just a few months, now we need to plan a trip to see them. The girls missed their dog Kiki who didn't make the trip this time, but I think Buddy (our dog) was happy to have Tony all to himself.

- I am looking forward to the get together on the new property this Sunday afternoon. If you didn't sign-up to bring a churn of homemade ice cream, you can still do so. Just send Trey Frick an e-mail and he will get you on the list. tfrick@nuvox.com

- I wish Ryan Howard had gone on the DL last week. If so, the Braves would only be 4 games back of the Phillies instead of 6. There's still six weeks of baseball to be played, so their not out of it yet.

That's all for now! Leave a comment if you're not too scared.

Sunday preview and Friday wrap-up

2009-08-14T08:56:00.002-04:00

For whatever reason this week has gone by faster than normal. I know it really hasn't, but it feels like it has. Maybe that's just a way to justify the unfinished items on my to do list.

I am looking forward to another great Sunday at Greer High School! This week we will continue the re:boot series with a message called "Maxed Out". Here are the main scripture passages we will be covering this week: Exodus 18:13-26 and Acts 6:1-7.

Here's a gentle reminder about something you already know, the service begins at 10:30. That is the time you should be seated in the auditorium. If at 10:30 you are still in the atrium eating doughnuts and drinking coffee you will miss something. I am reminding you of this because, you will not want to miss the first song this week! All of you who are classic rock enthusiasts will especially enjoy it. We have begun using a countdown timer at 10:25 to let you know when the service will begin. When the timer hits 0:00 the band cranks it up.

Summer is coming to a close now that kids are having to go back to school. That means people will be home more often, which also means we have a great opportunity to invite them to worship each week. Call someone today and ask them to join you at Freedom this Sunday. See you then!

Back to School Bash by the numbers

2009-08-12T12:38:00.003-04:00

As I said in Monday's blog, what happened at Century B Park on Sunday afternoon was pretty amazing. Here's a recap by the numbers:

3 - the number of churches who had volunteers present on Sunday afternoon. In addition to the big crowd of Freedomers, there were hard-working folks helping out from Springwell Church and Ridgeview Church. Also, Living Way Church made a financial donation to help off-set costs. We were thrilled to be able to partner together with other churches who care for the community.

130 - approximate number of volunteers who made everything happen.

1,500 - estimated total number of people present. Needless to say, we were rather overwhelmed, especially since most of the signs we had put out to advertise had been taken down pretty early on.

725 - number of backpacks full of school supplies that were given away. This is the first year we have given away every single backpack. The last two years we have had some left over that we then donated to area schools.

1,000 - conservative estimate of the number of backpacks we should plan to give away next August.

100 - combined pounds lost by our cooking crew as they sweated over their grills on the hottest day of the summer. This crew never got a break, and they never complained.

4:45 - time that the first folks got in line at the gate to receive a backpack.

6:00 - time the event began.

30 - the number of folks it took to put together the big white tent where the food was served. We believe in working together you know!

0 - number of parking spaces left in both parking lots and also in the lot of the church across the street. Not to mention all the cars parked up and down the road.

250 - number of hearts broken by Miss Upstate, Stephanie Vaughn (who was giving away signed photos) when the boys found out she's already dating someone.

??? - the impact made in the lives of kids and their parents who received the backpacks. It simply cannot be measured.

A huge thanks to everyone who participated by volunteering on Sunday, or by donating school supplies! A special thanks to Donny for arranging so many of the details and to Laurie King, who headed up the backpacks, and Brian Thomas, who headed the food crew. Sunday was another great way to let the community we live in know that we care. The hard work and dedication of the folks at Freedom never ceases to amaze me!

Six Questions

2009-08-10T16:38:00.003-04:00

I'll get a longer post on here tomorrow about the Back to School Bash. For now you need to know it exceeded our expectations, and we had pretty high expectations! Until then, here are the six questions I asked everyone to think about as part of yesterday's message:

Sabbath questions
How comfortable are you with silence?
Could you spend a day (24 hrs) without TV, Internet or your cell phone?
You are in a room with nothing but a place to sit and your bible, how long can you last?

Confession questions
When talking to God, are you honest about your sin?
What are you trusting in to earn your forgiveness?
Is there something you have been carrying too long?

That's a lot to think about.

Friday wrap-up

2009-08-07T09:08:00.002-04:00

The week is coming to an end, but as normal that means we are heading into an eventful weekend. Here's what you can look forward to:

- Virus Scan is the theme for Sunday's message. This will be the second in the re:boot series. I encourage everyone who will be in worship Sunday to come prepared to let down your guard, and get really honest with God. Read the scripture we will be focusing on this week, and you might get an understanding of why I'm making this request. Exodus 16, Mark 2:23-24, Psalm 32:2-5

- Back to School Bash is this Sunday afternoon! For the third straight year we will have a big party at Century B Park in Greer in order to give away free school supplies. In our office right now are over 600 backpacks full of everything needed to start off the school year, and I cannot wait to be there when our volunteers give them away. (A big thanks to Laurie King and the rest of her crew that worked hard to get everything seperated and then put into the backpacks!) There will also be free hot dogs, face painting, and inflatables. What a great way to be the church instead of just going to church!

- Emily and I are going to see the new GI Joe movie with Jake today. It's awesome that my daughter enjoys cool movies. I think the movie is based on the GI Joes that were popular back in the mid to late 80's. Those are the ones that were small. By the time they came out I had outgrown playing with GI Joes. I grew up playing with the tall Gi Joes with the fuzzy hair and kung-fu grip. I had the GI Joe tank, helicopter, jeep, six wheel vehicle (don't know the real name), and foot locker. Not to mention all the guns, helmets, boots, and dog tags that went along with them. By the way, even though I spent hours playing with GI Joes and my hundreds of little army men, I have never shot at or tried to attack anyone with a bayonet...at least not yet.

- I found an app for my Google calendar that allows you to download a picture from the web and make it the background. I found a picture taken from the pier at Garden City, and now I see it every time I open my calendar. I will keep it up until I get too sad that I'm not going back to the beach anytime soon, and I guess I'll take it down then.

Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Overdue

2009-08-06T15:25:00.003-04:00

So it's Thursday and this is only the second post this week. That doesn't mean that there has been nothing going on. In fact, a lot has happened since Monday. I'll fill you in on some of it in the normal helter skelter, out of order fashion that is normal for me.

- Chris and I got to hang out with Kent Bateman over lunch yesterday in Columbia. I've known Kent since he was about eight years old, and it thrills me to see the man he has become. He has been able to use many of the gifts and talents God has given him at Midtown Fellowship. We had lunch at a great burger joint in Five Points called "Pawley's Front Porch". Of course on the way back we stopped at Zesto's, and I got two pieces of chicken to eat on the ride home. Can't waste a trip to Columbia without getting Zesto's or Rush's.

- I had a great time on Tuesday at the Bi-Lo Center with Grace. She wanted to see Demi Lovato, and since Sherry is not a fan of concerts, I got the call. First of all, Demi Lovato is talented. She isn't one of those made for television pop stars that can't actually get it done. Her voice was as good as the CD's, she played the guitar and piano, and she writes songs. The funny thing is that since she came on third, Grace was getting very tired. It was already past her bedtime. We stayed for well over half of her set, and then Grace was ready to hit the road. David Archuleta was one of the opening acts on Tuesday. Here are a few observations: he is just as goofy in person as he seemed on American Idol, mothers of little girls seem to like him as much as the little girls do, if the screams and squeals of 6-14 year old girls could be converted into cash he would be Bill Gates. I'd estimate that there were probably 8,000 people there at the concert and 97% were female. Take away the Dads like me who were there and the number is probably 99.5%.

- I had a great conversation with a friend today who is going the extra mile to help a friend in a tough situation. He is helping even to the point of rearranging his living situation. It challenged me to think about what I would do to help someone. Am I willing to do that for someone who needs it?

- Prediction: When the Taco Bell in Greer re-opens, the crowd will be out the door, even though the building is the only thing that has changed. The Chalupas, Taquitos, and Pintos and Cheese will taste exactly the same, and be just as greasy as they were before. People are funny.

He's got amazing timing

2009-08-03T15:32:00.003-04:00

I never cease to be amazed when God makes it clear that He knows exactly what He is doing. I have had tons of moments like that in my life, but the last seven months they have been happening more often than ever.

Yesterday I taught a message about what we should do when life crashes. I focused on the fact that although our circumstances in life change, God never changes. His love for us remains the same when times are tough or easy, and that He has not abandoned us when tragedy strikes. Since the service ended yesterday I have had person after person tell me that they needed to hear those words, which proves that whenever there are a few hundred people gathered together there is a lot of hurt and heartache present.

Here is something that is really cool about the timing of yesterday's message. The idea for that message, and all the messages I will teach this month, came out of a brainstorming session back in February of 2008. From time to time I will leave town for a couple of days to pray about and brainstorm new ideas for messages. In February of 2008 I spent two days in Hendersonville, NC and I wrote out the ideas for the "re:boot" series that we are doing now. I tucked them away in a folder labeled "Future Message Series". Since then I have pulled out that sheet of paper several times as I was scheduling messages on the calendar. For whatever reason I would look over it and decide to put it back in the "Future" folder for consideration later. A couple of months ago I decided that August would be a good month for the series. This afternoon I found out that sitting in yesterday's service was a child who only days earlier had lost a parent. This child had never been to Freedom before, but was visiting with a friend. When I discovered this I couldn't help but be utterly amazed at how God knows exactly what needs to happen when. If I had taught that message seven months ago, seven weeks ago, or even just seven days ago this child would not have been there to hear it. What a great reminder that I need to begin everyday asking God to move me out of the way so that He can do what needs to be done.

Friday wrap-up, Sunday preview

2009-07-31T09:05:00.003-04:00

As I wrap up the week and look forward to worship at Greer High School on Sunday, here's what's on my mind:

- I love summer, but I'll be glad when my girls are home more often. Emily is away until tomorrow at a World Changers project in Chattanooga. She also has already been to camp and to Gran and Grandbob's house this summer. Grace has been to camp and Gran's as well. Things are out of whack around the house when one or both of them aren't there. Even the dog notices the difference.

- John Mellencamp exceeded expectations. He played three songs from his new album, which were great and well-received by the crowd, along with classics like, "Pink Houses", "Rain on the Scarecrow", "Paper in Fire", and "Check it Out". The highlight of the night for me was a tooth rattling version of "Crumblin'Down" followed by a surprise playing of "Hurts So Good" to end the show. As a side note, Heritage Park was a great place to see an outdoor show. The lawn, parking, access, and just general atmosphere were all top notch.

- Grace has been attending Coach Neely's basketball camp at Greer First Baptist every morning this week. I'm proud of her because none of her friends were able to attend this week, so she went in Monday morning without knowing anyone other than Coach Neely and some of his helpers. She has made new friends everyday and told us last night that she has loved the week.

- We begin a new series of messages this Sunday. We are calling the series Reboot. Be sure you are there this week. If you are on the pre-service reading program that Dr. Waterfield recommends, here is your assignment for the weekend: Job 1-2

Teaser: Hold Sunday afternoon August 23 open on your calendars. I'll tell why on Sunday morning.

Now that's funny

2009-07-30T15:30:00.001-04:00

There's nothing quite as therapeutic as good, hard laugh. Enjoy this video of two guys who can't stop laughing!

Minutes to Memories

2009-07-29T14:00:00.006-04:00

In a couple of hours I will be leaving the office to head towards Simpsonville to see John Mellencamp in concert. I am excited because it will be the first show I've gone to at the relatively new Heritage Park. I am excited because I will also get to see Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan. I'm excited because I'll get to hang out with my brother from another mother Mark Johnson and his son Miles. The main reason I am excited though is that I will finally see John Mellencamp (the artist formerly known as John Cougar) in concert.

Several years ago I made a list of artists I wanted to see perform before I die, or they die (the latter of which I hope happens first). Some friends of mine have called it my bucket list. Of course at the time I made the list that movie had not come out yet. When I first made the list it included four acts: John Cougar Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, The Eagles, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. When I first came up with the list I really thought it was a lost cause. The reason why is that at the time the Eagles weren't even speaking to one another, and Bruce and the band had not performed together in some time. Well if all goes as planned this evening, when I wake up in the morning I will only need to see Tom Petty to finish the list.

Throughout my high school years and during my freshmen year of college three Mellencamp albums got tons of play on the Clarion cassette deck in my Datsun 210. The songs on "Uh-huh", "Scarecrow", and "The Lonesome Jubilee" hold a ton of great memories for me. So tonight if he plays "Crumblin'Down", "Small Town", or "Paper in Fire" I won't just be in Simpsonville. In my mind I'll be cruising down Hwy.378 in West Columbia, with a bag full of Rush's cheeseburgers, to meet Pauley when he gets off work at Little Caesar's. It seems like I was just there yesterday. As Mellencamp sings, "days turn to minutes and minutes to memories".

Tuesday catch-up

2009-07-28T13:35:00.004-04:00

Sunday was one of those amazing days that you have from time to time as a pastor of a church that really can't be explained. The way I usually react to those days is that I have a huge adrenaline rush, and then the following day I have very little energy as I come off of the natural high. As a result, I didn't even consider trying to post a blog yesterday. Instead, here are some of my thoughts about the Sunday that was:

- I hope you were there. Baptism is one of those things that I never want anyone to miss out on, because I believe as we do it we get a glimpse into Heaven. People openly proclaiming their love of and commitment to Jesus, cheering and clapping at what He has done, hanging out with friends, are all part of what happened Sunday afternoon, and those are also all things we will get to do for eternity in Heaven.

- I love watching other people do the dunking. Donny and I only baptized 5 of the 16 folks on Sunday. Instead of us, a husband baptized his wife, Dads baptized their kids, a brother baptized his sister, and a friend baptized a friend. Seeing those Dads walk into the lake with their kids was really something special. As I said on Sunday, John the Baptist had never been ordained or gone to Seminary and he baptized Jesus. Obviously Donny and I are not the only ones qualified.

- I was reminded that it's never too late. One man came to see his adult daughter be baptized, and as we were talking before everyone arrived he told Donny that he needed to be baptized. He accepted Jesus in 1965 but never followed His example by being baptized. He decided that he could not wait any longer, so he took off his shoes and socks and waded into Lake Lyman in his street clothes. Kinda reminds me of this verse in Acts.

- Doing baptism at a public lake is a great way for people to see what Freedom is all about. Several people noticed that as we were baptizing, a boat with four guys in it stopped and watched. We don't who they were, but they saw an example of the church doing what Jesus commanded.

Thanks to Kathy Hannah for the great picture of Jason Trusty baptizing his daughter Leah. I hope you don't mind that I stole that shot off of your facebook page Kathy!

God continues to do some great things at Freedom! I believe that it is only the beginning of what He has in store for us.

Come on in boys the water is fine

2009-07-24T09:43:00.004-04:00

Normally on Friday I have a list of things that I want you to know about, but this week the list has only one item on it: Baptism. This Sunday at 5:00 we will celebrate the fact that Jesus has changed the lives of 14 people by baptizing them. I tell people all the time that this is the most important thing we do as a church. The reason why is found in this scripture. Jesus commanded us to do it, that makes it top priority. Baptism is not what forgives us of sin, only Jesus' sacrifice on the cross does that, but it is the way He commanded us to let people know we have been forgiven.

Here are some of the details you need to know to be ready this Sunday afternoon:

- Start time is 5:00.

- You need to bring a lawn chair, and an appetite. Because we believe this should be a party, we will have Bucky's BBQ for everyone to eat afterwards.

- Baptism will take place at Lake Lyman Lodge. If you want to google it for directions, the address is: 100 Lyman Lodge Rd., Lyman, SC

- We believe the proper way to respond to baptism is excitement and joy, therefor not only do we not mind if you clap and yell when someone is baptized, we encourage it. It makes no sense for us to celebrate more at a football game, which has no eternal consequences, than we do at a baptism.

The number of people being baptized is not set in stone. If you are interested in talking to someone about being baptized let me or Donny know on Sunday morning and we will get you all the information you need. Don't miss the celebration! I look forward to seeing you there.

Summer Camp Memories

2009-07-22T13:31:00.004-04:00

On Monday of this week I had the chance to drive a van full of boys up to Sunset, SC and drop them off at Camp McCall. When I was a kid I always loved spending a week away from home at summer camp. Camp McCall, Camp York and Camp Harmony were three that I went either as a child or teenager with my church. Here are some fun memories I have from those times:

- One year at Camp York there was a kid in my cabin who was crying at night before bed. When I asked our counselor what was wrong, he told me that the kid was homesick. I can vividly remember thinking to myself, "What's wrong with that kid?". Here we were sleeping in bunk beds with all of our buddies, we got to swim in a lake everyday, shoot bow and arrows and cool stuff like that, and this kid would rather be at home? For me it just didn't compute.

- Camp was the first place that I ever had any part in a worship service. Once again it was at Camp York and our pastor Lonnie Shull asked if I would say the opening prayer. I remember being so nervous when I walked up to the microphone that my hands were shaking.

- We had a kid in our cabin one year who would run back from the showers to the cabin in the nude. My friend Andy called him "the running butt", because that was what we saw as he passed by us. We thought he was crazy, but looking back it wasn't that bad because there were no girls in that section of the camp. That experience just prepared me for living in Quad 2 at Charleston Southern years later.

- I always loved camp fire time at every camp I went to. There was something cool about everyone sitting in a circle around a huge fire and singing cheesy old praise songs like "Pass It On".

I'd love to hear about some of your favorite camp memories. Don't be shy, leave a comment!

Start today

2009-07-21T11:01:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Tom Watson was 8 feet away from the impossible. On Sunday, Watson missed an 8 foot putt that if it had gone in would have secured his sixth British Open championship and his ninth major championship overall. What made all of this seem impossible is that Watson is 59 years old. In fact, he will be 60 in just a few weeks. It would have been an amazing story if the putt had gone in, but even though it did not the fact that he led the tournament all the way until the final hole is a major accomplishment.

As I watched Watson on the final four holes on Saturday, and then on the final three holes on Sunday I thought about what I will be able to do at age 60. What is certain is that I will not be able to compete for a golf championship of any kind at that age. The reason why has nothing to do with health. Who knows, I may be in fantastic shape at that age. The reason why is because I don't play golf now. Tom Watson's ability to compete at age 59 is the result of years and years of playing competitive golf, practicing his swing, and staying in shape. He didn't wake up at age 59 with the ability to drive, chip and putt.

If I want to be in great shape at age 60 the time to begin work on that is now. If I want to play an instrument, excel in a sport, learn a language, know the bible, have the respect of my kids at age 45, 50, or 60 the hard work that is required must begin today. Christian theologian and author Eugene Peterson called following Jesus, "a long obedience in the same direction". I can't expect to know who Jesus is and how He wants to change me overnight, but if I want to be closer to Him at age 60 than I am at age 40 then the journey begins now.

VBS wrap-up and Sunday preview

2009-07-17T09:45:00.002-04:00

This has been an incredible week. I turned off my alarm at 3:00 a.m. this morning because I knew I wanted to sleep past the 6:30 a.m. time it was set for. I woke at 7:45, which is later than I've slept in awhile. I think I have what you might call a VBS hangover. Here are some final facts and thoughts about the week, along with scripture for Sunday:

378 - the number of hot dogs that Ken and Mary Floyd and their crew (which included Trey and Jill Frick) grilled last night. When all the fuss was over last night there were only a handful left.

Amazed - The comment I got from lots of folks about the number of volunteers that were helping every night. The number was over 100 each evening. I am thankful God allows me to pastor a church where people are anxious to work hard.

0 - the amount of rain that fell during VBS this year! We have done outdoor VBS for four summers now, and this was the first year we escaped with out anything getting rained out.

30 - the approximate number of times I got dropped in the dunking tank. It was funny that the only adult who knocked me down was my lovely wife, but there were plenty of little ones who did me in. John Nick Hannah knocked me in every time he got up there.

50 - the approximate number of times Donny got dropped. I went first so I think by the time he got up there the kids were warmed up. By the way John Nick put him down as well. The Greenville Drive need to offer that boy a contract.

Pleasantly surprised - the feeling I had when I woke up this morning and wasn't half as sore as I expected to be after my time in the tank.

405 - amount of dollars raised by the kids during the Penny War. The girls beat the boys, but the winners are the children in Botswana (that's in Africa by the way) who will use that money to buy library books.

Too many - individuals that need to be thanked by name for all they did to make VBS happen this year. I don't want to leave anyone out, so if you helped out at all with any element of VBS, THANK YOU!!! What you have done in the lives of kids cannot be measured.

This Sunday we will continue our current message series. We will be talking about "The Commitment". Here's a list of scriptures you might want to read to be ready: Luke 5:31-32, Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 10:9, Matthew 3:13-17.

Also, Mike Breece is putting together a VBS highlights video that we will show Sunday. Be sure you are there!

VBS facts day two

2009-07-15T11:42:00.002-04:00

We had another great night at VBS yesterday. Here are some facts:

140 - the number of kids present last night

118 - the number of volunteers present last night

1 - new song during the opening and closing celebration

232 mph - the speed Amber Pitts' fingers were moving last night as she and Tamara Whitener entered the attendance into the computer

1,000 - number of slices it took for Mary Kauffman and the rest of her crew to get all the fruit cut up for tonight's snack

5 - number of months that Amber Pitts has been planning and organizing everything that is happening this week.

immeasurable - the impact that is being had on the lives of all the children participating each night.

VBS facts from day one

2009-07-14T14:57:00.004-04:00

Wow. Last night we kicked off Vacation Bible School at the new property, and it was a great night. Here's some observations and some facts from last night:

129 - the number of kids who were there

119 - the number of youth and adult volunteers who were there

10:30 a.m. - the time the first crew of volunteers arrived to begin set-up

Smiles and hugs - what I saw our workers giving freely to the kids

The Bible - was being taught in every small group at some point in the evening

Cool dancing - what Trey Frick did as he led the opening and closing celebrations, especially on the walking on water song.

300 grams - the amount of sugar that must have been in the extra delicious double doozie cookies that Mary Kauffman made for snack time. (yes, I participated in snack time!)

48 - number of miles Shelley Kauffman walked last night as she checked on how everything was going.

Thankful and excited - two feelings I had last night when I saw all that God was doing.

Sunday scripture

2009-07-10T10:15:00.004-04:00

Friday is here, and I'm thankful to see it arrive. This has been a very productive week, and it is time for a little break. Here are a few things to look forward to, as well as a look back at things from this week:

I'm looking forward to continuing our message series Sunday on "The Basics". This week we will talk about "The Promise". For Dr. Waterfield and any one else who cares to prepare before they arrive, the scripture you need to read before Sunday is as follows: John 14:1-7 and 1 John 3:2

Next week is Vacation Bible School. This is always one of my favorite things we do at Freedom. This year's VBS will be extra special because we will be meeting at the new property on Hwy.290. That will give us a lot more freedom in how early we can set-up and what we can do.

There was a good bit of organizing and cleaning that went on in the office this week. Getting settled in and organized has been a big job. Robin Wellmon, our ministry assistant, has done tons of cleaning, sorting, and just moving things to their correct place. If you see her Sunday, be sure and thank her for all her hard work.

After a wedding tomorrow and hopefully some time to just relax, I will be looking forward to seeing all of you on Sunday!

Loose ends, important and irrelevant

2009-07-09T13:58:00.002-04:00

Here are a few loose ends that need to be tied up. I'll begin with the important ones first:

- The office phone number never changed. A couple of weeks ago I announced in front of everyone at worship that when we moved into the new office our phone number would change. I announced this based on what the folks at Charter Media told us. Well, when they installed the new line we discovered that our number was exactly the same as it had been: 877-3604. We are glad the number is the same, even if the Charter people made a liar out of me.

- Opening on the trip to Botswana, Africa. Due to circumstances beyond any one's control one of the folks on our Africa Mission team has had to drop out of the trip. This means there is a chance for a lady, with a passport to go. The passport has to be current. If you are even remotely interested in going please contact Mark Johnson immediately: mark@johnsonfamilyweb.net

Now for the irrelevant ones:

- I just used the term heebie jeebies in describing how camel back crickets make me feel. As I said it I wondered, "What is the difference between the heebie jeebies and the willies?"

- If all goes as planned we should have a DVR installed in the house next week at this time. That way I don't have to watch the Carolina Clemson football game live this year. I can just wait until it's over and if Clemson wins, as they have most of my life, I won't have to watch it. It will be much better for my blood pressure.

- I'll be glad when this whole Michael Jackson thing blows over. How many hours can CNN milk out of this? A lot more than I want to watch apparently.

A Tragedy?

2009-07-07T13:10:00.004-04:00

Many of you were probably as shocked as I was at the news of Steve McNair's murder. If you don't know the details here is the condensed (Cliff's Notes!) version: Steve McNair former NFL MVP, a married father of four, was apparently shot by his 20 year old girlfriend who then killed herself.

When the news of this first broke I heard many people classify it as a tragedy, and I would agree that there are tragic elements to it. It is tragic that two people died by being shot. It is tragic that one person killed another person. It is tragic that four young men will grow up without their father. It is tragic that a young lady with many years ahead of her decided to end her own life. Even considering all of those things it is hard for me to call what happened to Steve McNair a tragedy. In my mind a tragedy is something that was unavoidable and often unexpected. The murder of five people in Gaffney last week, one of which was a 15 year old girl, was a tragedy. If Steve McNair had been home last week with his wife and four boys and someone came into their home and shot him that would have been a tragedy, but the hard truth is that if he had been home with his wife he would still be alive. That's why I can't call his death a tragedy. It was avoidable. If he had put his marriage and kids before his own desires everything would be different now.

Another sad part of this story is that up until last week, McNair was known for his toughness, his community involvement, and his devotion to his family. Now he will be forever remembered for the way his life ended, instead of for what he accomplished.

A busy week comes to an end

2009-07-03T08:45:00.002-04:00

I have decided that all weeks in my life are busy, except when we I'm at the beach, but this week has been even busier. It's been good, but I haven't had any problems getting to sleep at night. Here are some random thoughts and updates:

- Pray for Sherry's family today.
Sherry's grandmother, Allie Mathis passed away on Wednesday afternoon and the funeral is today. Grandma Allie had been in poor health for awhile and she was a follower of Jesus so there is no sadness over where she is now, but the service today will still be difficult. Also, pray for me and Jimmy Hawkins as we lead the service.

- My girls come home today!
Emily has been at Go Camp this week and Grace has been getting spoiled by my parents all week. This has probably been the best week for them to be gone since things have been so busy, but I will be glad when they are both sleeping at home tonight.

- I'm praying for the people in Gaffney.
I can't imagine what the folks who live in that community must be feeling this morning. I pray that the police officers there will be able to find the man responsible for the killings and bring him in before anyone else is hurt.

- Power Plant was great.
Thanks to everyone who prayed for me this week as I taught. I was very encouraged by what I saw in the lives of the teenagers and their leaders. Getting to teach them every morning this week was a real privelege. I'll write more about this next week.

- Sunday will be a great day.
It seems that every week I get more excited about what God does in worship on Sunday mornings at Greer High School. This week we begin a new series of messages called "The Basics". This week's basic is "The Call". You can go ahead and read the following scriptures if you want to be extra prepared for where we are going this month: Matthew 4:19, 8:21-22, 9:9, 19:21, and John 10:27.

- The Braves swept the Phillies.
Is it time to believe that the Braves can make a run for the division title in the second half of the season? We'll have to wait and see if they keep hitting like they have the last few games.

See you Sunday!

5 Jackson Classics

2009-06-30T15:50:00.004-04:00

The last seven days have been very abnormal for the staff at Freedom. Last week at this time we were up to our ears in painting the new offices. Since then everything has been moved out of the old offices and gotten somewhat set-up in the new place. I spent all of yesterday afternoon putting together a desk from Staples. I got lots of good help from Donny's four year old son Johnathan. He was very good at finding what piece I needed next. Every morning this week I have been teaching to the 160 teenagers and adults who have come to Greenville for the Power Plant project. I will write some of my thoughts about that experience on here tomorrow or Thursday.

Since everything has been so busy I haven't had a chance to write anything about the death of Michael Jackson. In the last 15 years Michael was known for some extremely strange and disturbing behavior. In no way do I condone or even understand all of the things he was involved in, but I am 40 years old and that means that Michael Jackson's music is the soundtrack of my youth. As I thought about his death last week I realized that Micahel Jackson songs were important to me from the time I was ten years old all the way through graduating from college. Instead of talking about the crazy Michael Jackson here's a list of 5 of my favorite songs by him:

(I put these are in chronological order. They aren't in order of what my favorites are, because I can't choose a favorite. Also, I have only included songs he did as a solo artist)

- Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Every time I hear this song I think about Seven Oaks Elementary skate nights at Red Wing Rollerway in Columbia. This was a perfect rollerskating song because of the tempo and crazy sounding violin part at the beginning and end. Although I loved skating to this I never was able to "shoot the duck".

- Beat It
I was in the eighth grade and my friend Jeff Caldwell came to school and told me that Eddie Van Halen played guitar on the new Michael Jackson song. I told him he must be crazy because I couldn't imagine how it would sound, then I heard it and was convinced that getting Eddie to play on "Beat It" was an amazing idea.

- Billie Jean
What can you say about this song? It's probably the most well-known song of the eighties. The moonwalk that he did on the Motown 25th Anniversary special was one of those things that everyone was talking about in Mrs. Hilliard's homeroom the next morning. The bass line to this song is one of the best ever. I dare you to listen to it and not move.

- Man in the Mirror
The best part of this song is the lyrics which Michael did not write, but the way he sang it made those words come to life. Having the choir (featuring Andre Crouch and the Winans) sing in the background gave the song a gospel flavor that took it to another level.

- Smooth Criminal
Another song that I can't listen to and sit still. I don't have any idea what the lyrics are talking about, but I think they have something to do with the plot of a movie that Michael made. Either way it's a cool sounding song with a driving, frantic sounding beat. The harder rocking cover by "Alien Ant Farm" that was released a few years ago sounds cool too.

Have a great evening! I hope to write more here tomorrow.

Sunday preview

2009-06-26T08:41:00.002-04:00

This Sunday we will finish up the One Prayer series by listening to a powerful message from Craig Groeschel. Those of you who have been to Catalyst before know that God uses Groeschel in a powerful way to communicate the truth of the bible.

Also, Chris tells me that the first song this week is going to blow you away. Sherry came home form band practice last night talking about it. That means you need to be sure and be in the auditorium by 10:30. If you are used to strolling in the atrium around 10:29 and then taking your time to get coffee and a bagel, you will need to change your regular schedule! There will be a countdown clock on the screen to let you know exactly when the service will begin. Invite your friends to be there this week!

I was shocked last night when I came in from working in the yard to hear Michael Jackson had died. This has been a crazy week due to celebrity deaths and the Mark Sanford debacle. Because we have spent so much time in new office prep this week I haven't had a chance to comment on these things. Hopefully, I will have some thoughts to share with you next week. In the meantime, check out Chris' blog to see what he wrote about the deaths of Michael, Farrah, and Ed.

Last, please keep me in your prayers next week as I have the opportunity to teach on the subject of church planting to 160 teenagers and adults. Greenville will be hosting a Power Plant project where I have been asked to teach. The first session is on Sunday afternoon with sessions on Monday through Thursday morning following. I would appreciate your prayers as you remember.

See you Sunday! Be there early!

Moving

2009-06-25T10:26:00.003-04:00

This week has been very busy with painting and packing. By this time next week we should be settled in our new office space. There have been a ton of people who have helped out to make all of this happen, but I want to mention a few people who have really led the way in this project:

Jake Ticknor and Jason Collins - Jake and Jason served as our unofficial project managers. They made sure that all the materials were available, recruited workers, made sure things were done right, and just generally kept a check on everything.

Mark Wilson and Chris Wellmon - Thanks to Mark and Chris we will have lights when we move in this weekend. They pulled all the wire for the new electrical circuits and made sure it was all tied in with what was already there.

John Bostic - We had several people who helped paint in the new space, but no one spent as much time painting as John. He took off of work on Tuesday and painted literally all day. He was there from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., and then he came back on Wednesday afternoon for a few more hours to get things finished up.

Chip Patat and Tamara Whitener - Chip and Tamara have organized getting everything moved from the old space to the new location. On Saturday several of our Life Groups will begin loading trucks with boxes and office furniture thanks to Chip and Tamara's organization.

Thanks to everyone who has had a part in making this move possible. If you painted a wall, hung sheet rock, or moved a desk, your work is appreciated!

Being 40 and Sunday scripture

2009-06-19T10:19:00.003-04:00

Well today I'm 40. I know this is one of the big birthdays that should make me feel old and depressed, but in reality I feel no different than I did yesterday. Actually, I feel better than yesterday because I slept better last night than I did on Wednesday night. I subscribe to the Satchel Paige school of thought when it comes to age. Satch famously said, "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind it doesn't matter."

I hope you are planning to be at worship at Freedom this Sunday. We are continuing the One Prayer series. This week the message is "God is worthy". If you want to be ahead of the game when you show up you can read Joshua 24:1-24. Also, Dustin Willis, the pastor at Midtown Fellowship in Columbia, will be with us to give us an update on the cool stuff God is doing in that church. Many of you know that Midtown is one of six different church plants that Freedom financially supports every month.

Well that's all I can do for today. Now that I'm 40 I'm supposed to go home and take a nap right?

If you can't say something nice...

2009-06-17T15:19:00.003-04:00

While I was away on vacation last week David Letterman evidently said some pretty mean things. I honestly had no idea until Monday when I saw a story on the USA Today website. The only tv I watched last week was some of the NBA Finals. My friend Dino pretty much sums up my feelings about the whole incident on his blog here.

In addition to what Dino said let me add two things: First, I understand that anyone who tries to be famous has to accept being made fun of by late night talk show hosts as part of the territory, but their kids should be off limits. The kids have no control over the fact that their parents are in the public eye, and besides when did it become funny to make fun of anybody's kids? I understand that part of Dave's appeal has always been his willingness to knock down a notch or two any celebrity who took themselves too seriously, but this was different because of who the target was and because of the nature of the joke. The non-apology, that he claimed to be a real apology, which he offered a couple of days later only made him look like a bigger jerk to me.

Second, Dave has a new son named Harry. How would Dave feel when Harry is 14 or 18 (the age of Sarah Palin's daughters) if Conan O'Brien were making similar jokes about him? I doubt he would be willing to overlook it.

I know I'm a pretty simple guy, but it occurs to me that this whole incident wouldn't have happened if everyone involved had remembered the words of Jesus. You might know it as the Golden Rule, "Do to others what you would have them do to you."

Back to the Real World Update

2009-06-15T14:57:00.002-04:00

Vacation was great, really great. Being back in the office today has been easier than I expected. I can't put all that I'm thinking about into a coherent order, so I'll share some short thoughts in an even more random fashion than normal. Hang on.

- One of the highlights of the time at the beach was riding the waves on a two man inflatable boat in which the bottom had been torn out. That's what happens when you pile five kids between the ages 8 to 14 in a two man inflatable boat.

- My rear view mirror just fell off today on my way to lunch. I almost drove off the road onto the sidewalk it startled me so much.

- For the first time in a long time I didn't get sun burnt at all at the beach. Maybe I'm getting smarter, but I doubt it.

- There are a lot of baby sharks in the ocean. We caught a ton of them this week. I guess that means there are lots of Mama sharks as well.

- Fried oysters, fried shrimp, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, ice cream, peanut butter fudge milkshake, fried chicken, BBQ, and NY Strip are some of the things I ate last week. I know that sounds like a list of banned foods put out by the American Heart Association. I've got to do better this week.

- I loved watching Grace play skee-ball and Emily play pop-a-shot at the arcade.

- I failed once again to score 25 runs on the baseball game at the arcade. If I had succeeded I would have won a small stuffed animal that has been hanging on the wall there since around 1978.

- My nephews are into wrestling now. Not real wrestling like kids do in high school gym class, but rasslin. As a result, I got speared by them often in the ocean this week. Of course I dealt out some punishment of my own with some Ric Flair inspired chops to the chest.

- Sherry and I have been married 18 years as of June 8th! I am looking forward to the next 18, and the cool thing is I love her more now than I did on June 8, 1991.

- Coming back was easy this year because we have a great team at Freedom. I was able to go away and really relax knowing that everything back home was under control.

- Yesterday's worship attendance was 370! Not bad for the second Sunday in June.

- I love my girls (all three) and I love the beach, so being with them last week in Garden City was about as good as it gets.

Just passing through

Story Telling

Words fail me

The blog isn't dead.

Wearing Green and Pinching People

Stuff on my mind

The Return of Tiger

What's that you're wearing?

I've Been Waiting All Day To See You!

A Psalm for Today

What I'm Thinking Today

Lessons From a Facebook Fast

Reality Check

Sunday Preview

Scattered Thoughts

Sunday preview

Haiti needs your help

Pants on the Ground

Sunday preview

A few thoughts...

2009: A Year of Growth

I am second

Sunday Follow-up

Sham-Wow on auto tune

Year in Review

Weekend Wrap-Up and Billy Squier

Christmas to-do lists

It's Christmas time in Hollis Queens...

Sunday scripture

Proud Dad

Feed the World

Inside Pride

Rain, rain go away...

Strange Partnership

Friday blog on Wednesday

What a weekend

Things are looking up

More content to come later in the week

Sunday scripture and other assorted thoughts

Wanting what we don't have

More fun with YouTube

Monday Musings

Lots of different stuff

Tribute to the Greatest of all Decades

Excuses, excuses

Hoopla Time!

Good for a big laugh

The Importance of Water

It feels like Friday.

Splash!

Chuck's Wisdom

Read this right away.

Weekend Wrap-up

Sunday Preview and Very Random Thoughts

It's Good to be Back

Happy Birthday Grace!

This should be on AFV

Best Questions

The Boss comes to Greenville!

Sunday Preview

Happy Birthday Emily!

Video Tuesday

Football Friday - Sunday Preview

Hardy har har

What day is it?

Sunday scripture and more

Early Sunday Preview and Happy Birthday

In lieu of actual content...here's a video!

Monday notes

Africa Blog

New Land, Ice Cream and Community

Sunday Preview

Summer Movie Review

Freedom folks are givers

Stuff I'm Thinking

Sunday preview and Friday wrap-up

Back to School Bash by the numbers

Six Questions

Friday wrap-up

Overdue