Women Vs. Men

I am often perplexed by the difference between Men and Women, especially being married to one. By the way the on/off switch for the woman does not work!

Life is

Does not matter where you are or what you are doing as long as you are with family for Christmas. What a great time of year to share with the ones you love. I saw a guy walking accross the Causeway today and he was homeless and alone. I hurt for him not because he is homeless, but because he is alone. I am so blessed to have people in my life. As God I am sure is blessed to have you in his life. Rejoice and praise him for this season is not only a time to be thankful for what we have, but also to appreciate why God made us and keeps us with our families, you, me, Him and all of us together! He is so flippin awesome! I Love our God! I Love all of you! Life is Merry Christmas to All! All of you and All year round!

Porn Hits Video Games?

If you have a chance you need to watch this!

http://www.wallythewiener.com/wallyawards.html

Think no? How about these facts to encourage you:

THE FACTS ABOUT THE INDUSTRY

How did an industry that used to be represented by PacMan and Donkey Kong turn into Leisure Suit Larry and Extreme Thong Volleyball? 2004 was the year of porn and sex in video games and Wally along with Mike and Craig at XXXChurch took notice.

THE FACTS:

• Game industry worldwide video game annual sales reached $20 billion (Cohen, 2000).
• In households with children, 67% own a video game system (Subrahmanyam et al, 2001).
• In a report by the Federal Trade Commission, of 118 "M" rated games, 70% were targeted to children under 17 years of age (FTC, 2000).
• Unaccompanied children, ages 13 to 16, were able to buy "M" rated video games 85% of the time (FTC, 2000).

FINALLY, NOTHING IS SACRED NOT EVEN THE FABLE PAST TIME OF FOOTBALL MAINLY THE SUPER BOWL. YOU WON'T LIKE THIS BUT HERE ARE SOME MORE FACTS TO CHEW ON!
Advertising Stats

•The average 18 year old has already watched 22,000 hours of television including 350,000 commercials. This is more than the total hours spent in schools (912,000 hours by the end of high school)

•By age 70 these kids will have watched TV for 7 to 10 years.

•TV exposes children to more than 14,000 sexual situations and innuendoes per year.

The Money

•59 in-game spots have been getting a record average of $2.4 million per 30-second commercial.
That's $80,000 per second.

I only ask you to think about how this affects your kids and why it is so important to instill in them the Word and Godly value, if not you are letting tv do it!

Peace B

THE ANSWER TO THE AGE OLD PROBLEM OF WHO HAS CONTROL OF THE REMOTE IS HERE!

Now husband can sit on the right and watch the game, while the wife watches Beaches on the left side of the couch. Who says technology isn't improving?

Something Good!

OK, I am not a huge fan, but after watching the trailer I really want to see this one!

click here

A Funk? A Friend? And Family?

I can't tell you how blessed I am. That said, I am going through a time of transition in my life and raising the bar a bit. The standards I once believed were just my level are no more. God has revealed to me that my level is only limited by Our own potential (Our being God and Me). I know God's level is a lot higher I just have to wrap my mind around it. Still I feel kind of in a Funk. Why? Well I love life and what God has done with mine. I don't worry about much anymore, and God honors that. I am so in Love with my wife, and God honors that too. I have three of the best behaved boys who I also love and trust their lives to Christ, and God honors that as well. The lesson? God Honors Trusting Him, Right Behaviour and Attitudes. Being here has only been hard in one area for me, and that is friends. Not like hey lets have dinner, or eat after church. But the type of friend like I have in which I would go to lunch and vomit my hopes, fears, and anger, then get checked against the glass for being such a wuss. The answer, keep on keepin on, and God will honor it. I know my wife misses Lil Jean incredibley as do I, but I also miss my friend as well, I miss those good lunch talks. Oh well, friend if you are reading this and I doubt you are, you are your missed, God is faithful and just. I am just venting in a public forum and wanting to say appreciate what you have today, for today should be better than tomorrow and if tomorrow happens to be better than today, PRAISE GOD either way we win! Thanks for listening!

What I want of Christmas?

Yeah know sometimes I see a car or bike that I would like to own, but ya know if it meant one less minute with my wife and kids, No thanks. I have everything I could ever want right in front of me now, God is Awesome! OK, THERE IS ONE THING, I WANTED A FLAT SCREEN TV. ONCE AGAIN GOD HELPED ME GET CREATIVE AND I MADE MY OWN! PRETTY COOL AYE?

WHY I PREFER MAC

Man this new Vista OS is great I love that start screen, finally Microsoft is letting you see what you have to look forward to right from the get go!

What makes you happy?

Sometimes, it is simple, sometimes not? But all of us find happiness in certain things. I once heard if your gonna be dumb, you better be tough and if you are gonna be happy, you better make room for friends. Why? Cause dumb people will hurt themselves through stupid actions and funny people are a joy to be around. That said, find your happiness and choose to sorround yourself with it. So, What makes me happy? My wife and boys! And Florida! And My Family! And a nice warm day with the ones I love! A Date! A Convertible! BUT MOST OF ALL ME! I CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY AND GUESS WHAT THERE I AM! GOD LOVE YOU AND CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY! IT WILL BE HONORED! SO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?

For a Fee

A price, it is universal isn't it? Everything and everyone for a price. We all have it. Yeah, I know your first reaction is to say, oh no I can't be bought! Really? What do you give up to have that car you drive? That house you live in? The ability to go to the mall and buy a new clothes? Oh, but that is not being bought. Yeah sure keep kidding yourself, but think about it. You work for a company and trade your time and skills for a dollar figure. That money is what you settle for in lieu of your time. So in essence you are selling yourself for a price. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with working or having a job, I am just saying that everyone has a price. The sooner we can establish this the sooner we can realize we are selling ourselves short! For most, God values you way more than you value yourself. Why would he create you if he did not value you? Why would He want YOU to have a releationship with Him? Why would you even be here? You serve a purpose and a function GOD finds important and worth something. The value of you is so high that GOD sent His one and only Son to die for you. Not only that when you devalue yourself by not trusting God with every aspect of your life, you hurt God and yourself. Today look in the mirror and see who God sees. He made you in His likeness, not yours! God is LOVE and so are you!

Why do I live here?

So, I walk out to my car after enjoying my favorite Grande Vanilla Bean Frapaccino and Barrista and this is what I find on my truck.





















So, as we have been driving around I have said to my wife, "Hey was that an aligator in that lake?" And my wife has said to me, "That is not an alligator Give Me A Break!" Then I am like really! Well low and behold as I am driving away from the Egret which was once perched on my car I see not one but two alligators sunning themselves on the bank of the lake by our home. All I have to say is AHAAAA!











































This is why I love living here! Where else will egrets perch on your car and gators bask on your lawn, I LOVE THIS PLACE! The only thing that would make this place better would be a beach! Hey wait its got it!

Top Ten Reasons Golf Is Better Than Sex

#10 - A below par performance is considered good.

#9 - You can stop in the middle and have a cheeseburger and a couple of beers.

#8 - It's much easier to find the sweet spot.

#7 - Foursomes are encouraged.

#6 - You can still make money doing it as a senior.

#5 - Three times a day is possible.

#4 - Your partner doesn't hire a lawyer if you do it with someone else.

#3 - If you live in Florida, you can do it every day.

#2 - You don' t have to cuddle with your partner when you're finished.

and best of all................

#1 - If your equipment gets old and rusty, you can replace it.

10 Thoughts to Ponder

Number 10 - Life is sexually transmitted.
Number 9 - Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.
Number 8 - Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich!
Number 7 - Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.
Number 6 - Some people are like a Slinky.....not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.
Number 5 - Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
Number 4 - All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
Number 3 - Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars, but a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents?
Number 2 - In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
AND THE NUMBER 1 THOUGHT FOR 2005:
We know exactly where one cow with mad-cow-disease is located among the millions and millions of cows in America but we haven't got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are located.
Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration.

It's Dot Com!

www.homestarrunner.com

Looking for a good laugh? I am really enjoying this and if you go to SB EMAIL you have to watch "crying" it is great!
ABE

www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail.html

Understanding is an Understatement

God is said in His Word to be an Infinite Spirit with No Shape or Form. OK, so how do we relate to that? Really? What is a Spirit? Have any of us really seen a spirit, touched a spirit, smelled a spirit. No I don't mean spirits in a bottle either. It can get pretty complex when you think about it. I remember sitting on the beach recently with my wife and her amazement at God knowing the number of crystals of sand on the beach. When I think about the fact that the average human can only hope to use 12% of their brain in an entire life time it starts to come into perspective. If I am to understand God, I am to understand JESUS. Cause truth is, Jesus defined how we are to live and to put it in the simplest and easiest of terms and without going to seminary and studying Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. I believe it is often times the understated life of Christ that leads to understanding God. If we are live everyday as He did and make every one of our choices based on how He taught us to live, then maybe that shows how in tune we are with God? If we make the understated choice of truth, love, justice, compassion, forgiveness, and sacrifice then we are in tune with God!

They can remove the Ten Commandments from inside the building?

But can they remove them from the building itself? Thats right as you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S. Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view. Who is that noble man in the middle? It is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments! Sweet aye?

Drop it like its Hot!

I did not get to post anything on this cause, well my wife usually does, but I figure what the heck its a free blognation right?
So we were so blessed to see Rob and the guys again, it is really funny I have seen and spent more time with Rob now that I am 1500 miles away then when I lived 5 miles away. So here are some cool pics from the time we spent together. They actually played in Clearwater where my restaurant it so that was cool, although we did not get to go to the beach. That was not cool. Enjoy!



Me and the boys and some boys from church waiting for the show to start.













Me and Jackson



















RA & JAZZY















Rob eatin some crab!
















Jayden and our Youth Praise and Worship Leader AROD

















Jackson GETTIN DOWN!










THE WHOLE GANG OUTSIDE MY RESTAURANT

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? PRAYER = SPEAKING?

OK, so in the beginning of the evangelical movement there were these two well known evangelists, lets say for anonymity sake their first names are Oral and Jerry. Jerry says to Oral, "Hey Oral, this week when we pray with our congregations why don't we make a bunch of funny noises and owwww and awwwww. Then be all crazy Like OHHHHHH HOLIEST OF LORDS WE EXALT YOU AND WORSHIP YOU AND OHHHHHHHHHH LORD PROSPER US, IF YOU DON'T TITHE LIGHTENING MIGHT STRIKE YOUR HOME HEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY." Then we could make all kinds of guttural sounds and hack and coooo. So, they did it and guess what it back fired on them. Everyone accepted it and they were all so insecure in their relationships with God they embraced it. Afterward the two met and decided they must have been cooler than they thought and setting a trend, so they never told anyone and today the church still practices this and we call it prayer and supplication,worst yet we accept it?

So maybe I embellished a bit here, but really? Think about it, prayer is defined as Speaking to God.
Definition
pray (SPEAK TO GOD) Show phonetics
verb
1 [I or T] to speak to a god either privately or in a religious ceremony in order to express love, admiration or thanks or in order to ask for something:

Well then why is it made to be more than this or twisted from this? I mean you don't have reverence for you father and mother, obviously you don't worship them, but if your children were like, "OHHHHHHHH Father I think you are great can I borrow the car?" "Will you please bless me with your wheels OHHHHHHH most gracious, steadfast, beautiful, caring, selfless mother?" We would be like "What are you smoking?" As I grow closer to God, He has shown me that it is not for reverence, but relationship that He created me. Nothing I speak will prove my adoration of my heavenly Father, nor anything you speak will either. It is in my actions and our relationship. So where you ask, "Where am I going with this?" I will tell you. I am talking more to God and growing closer than I have ever been through simple conversation as with any relation I have. Seems simple to some, but I have been led to believe "Some Divine Revelation" had to occur for this to happen? Well it has, I don't need anyone to show me God or how to speak to Him, He shows Himself to me and He will to you " JUST BE REAL!" I heard it once said the finest form of flattery is imitation. Imitate God not a man, God wants you to speak to Him as a Father to a Son and Mother to a Daughter. He sees through everything else.

Talk to God and be you, He will honor it and talk back to you!

Our new church and passion in the south!

So, I am driving down the road and see this sign for a church and think this is da place fer me!

Then I pull in and see the building and I am like yeah multi-tasking this is definetely fer me!

I head in side and see they are having a candle light vigil!

But the tops is the passion of the congregation members, turns out after the sermon is NASCAR! Or is the three stand for the Holy Trinity?

THE ULTIMATE IRONY

OK, So I could not strike for very long? I saw this and could not resist!

ON STRIKE!

THATS IT I AM ON STRIKE, I AM TIRED OF POSTING WITH NO COMMENTS SO LIKE ORAL ROBERTS I AM NOT POSTING AGAIN TILL I HAVE ATLEAST ONE MILLION COMMENTS! OK, MAYBE NOT A MILLION BUT ATLEAST HALF A MILLION! OK, MAYBE NOT A HALF MILLION BUT ATLEAST 5 COMMENTS!

Need Potty Training?

I saw my sister in law potty trained my nephew and felt bad I did not share this ad with her sooner.



We are actually considering a franchise? Let me know what you think?

Garbage in, Garbage out?

I am sure many of you have heard this at least once in your life. If not let me explain, it is the flawed premise that if you are to partake in the evil fruits of the druid secular culture you are filling yourself with garbage and therefore will spew garbage as a result. I can remember a time when I took my rather large CD collection and got rid of it to have nothing but "Christian" music. Now not to say there is anything wrong with that, and before I get blasted for approving of explicit things, which I do not, let me explain my view.
The first real flaw with this is that there is no part of society that is not tainted by sin or sinners, including "Christian" entertainment. I was watching Mark Lowry speak and I have a new respect for him, because he spoke about the only difference between a "Christian Entertainer" and the audience was three feet. The three feet that the stage is raised above the audience. Other than that he suffers with the same sin the rest of us do.
The next flaw is who for certain knows what distinguishes clean "Christian" music from unclean "secular" music? Is "Left Behind" so much better than "The Hunt for Red October?" Because it is on a "Christian" label the Priest has blessed it with Holy Water it is ok? I guess POD is no longer saved cause they are on a secular label?
Truth of the matter is "garbage in, garbage out" operates under the premise that if I see and hear sin up close, I will want to participate in it? THE TRUTH IS SIN LOOKS ATTRACTIVE FROM A DISTANCE, the closer you get to it the more clearly you see it for what it really is. I was around alcoholism my entire life, growing up I watched it destroy lives, hurt and scar people for life. This was more than enough to convince me that getting trashed all the time and becoming an alcoholic is in no way fun or enjoyable.
God sent the Holy Spirit for discernment and that requires us to use it to filter out the culture of our time. We do this in both Christian and Non-Christian environments moving toward what is good and rejecting what is bad. In order to engage the culture we live in and be relevant to today we must watch films, listen to music, read books, watch TV, shop at the mall, and most importantly engage with others. Otherwise we can't begin to do the transforming work of the gospel in our culture and we become ineffective to the ones God has called us to Love.

Its good to be at home!

Well as you all now know I am home, what you did not all know is I was living in Hellston, TX the fourth largest city in the country and the second dirtiest. I can't believe it now, but I started this little journey on July 4th and minus two weeks home for paid time off, I was gone the entire time. Well suffice it to say you learn a lot about yourself and your family while apart. I learned that I can still cook for myself. I also learned I can't do laundry for myself, see dingy grey white shirts. I found out that if you kids are watching a movie and on the phone, the movie always wins, no matter how long it has been since you talked to or seen them. This also applies to your spouse as well, I know I am guilty too! I also found that it can be a pretty lonely world out there without your family. I not only take a new appreciation for being able to spend time together, but also being able to just do the most mundanest of chores together. There is no place like your own bed, but more importantly there is no better place to sleep than holding my wife. I also found that I could get depressed without my wife to talk to. Finally, I know why God paired me with such a beautiful, young, loving, sincere, caring wife. Because, first off He could, second she encompasses everything I hope and aspire to be. She is my earthly reason for being and will make up the better half of my future here on the second rock from the sun. Till I go to be with the Son. I thank God for Him and what He has done with my life thus far, I am more excited than ever to see what He does with our future!

Its good to be at home!

Well as you all now know I am home, what you did not all know is I was living in Hellston, TX the fourth largest city in the country and the second dirtiest. I can't believe it now, but I started this little journey on July 4th and minus two weeks home for paid time off, I was gone the entire time. Well suffice it to say you learn a lot about yourself and your family while apart. I learned that I can still cook for myself. I also learned I can't do laundry for myself, see dingy grey white shirts. I found out that if you kids are watching a movie and on the phone, the movie always wins, no matter how long it has been since you talked to or seen them. This also applies to your spouse as well, I know I am guilty too! I also found that it can be a pretty lonely world out there without your family. I not only take a new appreciation for being able to spend time together, but also being able to just do the most mundanest of chores together. There is no place like your own bed, but more importantly there is no better place to sleep than holding my wife. I also found that I could get depressed without my wife to talk to. Finally, I know why God paired me with such a beautiful, young, loving, sincere, caring wife. Because, first off He could, second she encompasses everything I hope and aspire to be. She is my earthly reason for being and will make up the better half of my future here on the second rock from the sun. Till I go to be with the Son. I thank God for Him and what He has done with my life thus far, I am more excited than ever to see what He does with our future!

Tradition, Tradition what would we be without Tradition

In case you did not know what that is from it is Fiddler on the Roof. Unfortunately it is a very wrong methodology.
The problem is traditionalism fails to distinguish between biblical principles for ministry and cultural methods for implementing those principles. Traditionalism clings to dated ineffective methods in the name of staying truer to tradition than to Scripture.
Bottom line is the result of traditionalism is a Christianity that has all the right answers to all the wrong questions, why? Because the questions being answered are no longer the ones being asked. We have to be culturally relevent to today. The Bible has applications we have to translate those applications to the current days operating system. Like trying to run software on an older version of Windows, it does not work. We have to be relevant to our current culture. Look at God's Word as a prime example of this. Ever read Mathew, Mark, Luke and John? They all tell the same story of Jesus. So why would God tell the same story four times? Each one is relative to different cultural group of that time. Mathew was written for Jews, Mark was written for Romans, Luke was written for Gentiles and John was written for Greeks. Kind of like ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN each telling the news of Jesus. We have to look at how the news is told today, in color, up to the minute, and in relation to how it affects our life in the most sensational format possible. How does Jesus affect our life to today the same way? People don't want to know what Jesus did for Isreal, but what Jesus will do for New Orleans and what he continues to do for all of us in the future. So let go of tradition and start to become a good reporter. Explaining the news of Jesus and all the benefits therein. In the end everyone looks for meaning in their life and convince themselves of false meanings without finding meaning through Christ.

Survival

As I watched the people arrive in Houston going into the Astrodome and watch the peoples will to survive and keep going. I was amazed looking at the children and my heart is crying out to them, I can't imagine how the children are feeling, thinking or hurting.

In Corinthians Paul ended his eulogy with Our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort (v. 7). I believe suffering is not incidental or even accidental in life. Paul did not say the Corinthians MAY share in his sufferings, they WILL share in them. This, however, results not in despair but rather in hope, a hope not in the Corinthians' ability to weather hardship, BUT in God's ability to sustain and strengthen us. This is why Paul can call this hope firm, which is written as God's Word is a guarantee. One thing to see is His warning to not place confidence in our own own spirituality. Cause as he says, it is the ones who consider themselves spiritual who are most prone to fall when faced with hardship. But for those of us who trust in God, Paul says, to be certain that those of you who share Christ's sufferings will also share God's comfort.

So as we see this tragedy realize that we as God's Children are essentially characterized by hardship and affliction. Yet, there is in this the promise of God's comfort. Pray God's comfort for the refugees and families suffering!

The Art of Living

Mastering the Art of Living makes no distinction between work and play, mind and body, information and recreation, love and God. There is no diference. Simply pursuing a vision of exellence in whatever you do, leaving society to decide whether you are working or playing. To the one who has Mastered the Art of Living, he/she is always doing both!

Sent Me an Angel

Just when I feel like the world is spinning out of control my angel steps in and keeps me grounded. Yes I have an angel. My angel is compassionate, caring, sincere, tough, selfless, loving, giving, sensible, confident, affectionate, and GORGEOUS! I am busted yes it is my beautiful wife. I know that she has been through a ton with this move, yet she keeps returning to God and His Word for wisdom. She amazes me with how strong and how selfless she is. I just wanted to say to her and the world I AM BLESSED AND LOVE HER SO MUCH!

Jesus Walks

Luke 1:79
to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

Fact; Everyone has a shadow. Fact 2; Everyone has a shadow of death, it is part of being live, because without life there is no death. So what is the path of peace. The path of peace is living a life of love that shines on those living the life of death Those living the life of death leads to eternal damnation. Ohhhhh! What did he say, damnation? That's right I used the "D" word. We want to be positive, but again without positivley we have no negativity. I know damnation is negative, but it is reality of having free will. I know none of us want damnation for anyone, including God. Yet he says in His Word that we are to shine on those who are living in darkness.

I remember hanging out with a friend who was convicted of murder and had actually repented, accepted Christ and started living for God in the ministry. He was very bold and called definetly called to ministry, he woud talk to anyone, at anytime about Christ with out thinking twice about it. Well we would go to the bar each night after work and play pool. We would not drink alcohol just play pool and talk about Christ. Well it was a dark hole in the wall and we tryed to keep from drawing attention to ourselves, so we would go to the far side of the bar and play pool. Well it was always busy and there would be people at the table next to us and within a few minutes we would be completely alone at our end. Well my friend would say it was the light that drove them away. I was like the light? What do you mean the light? He would say it was the light of Christ shining through us that would drive them away. So, I finally said ok, I did not agree and that he was being a freaky Christian. So he said ok, tomorrow we will come to the other side of the bar and play pool and everyone will go the the other side of the bar. Well suffice it to say I was wrong. We went to the side closest to the door were all the dart boards where at and within about ten minutes everyone was on the other side of the bar while we played a silent game of pool. I walked to then other side of the bar and looked back and I saw it, at first I thought I was imagining things, but it became very apparent to me that I could see something, LIGHT. It was at that point that I realized the POWER of being a Christian is REAL. That we are really the light of the world I know my experience was a bit weird, yet the truth is that God says we are the light of the World and if we believe it we receive it.

Well knowing we are human, we sin, we intend to sin and we are dark, we sin, and don't intend to and repent so, we become light. In other words if we make a mistake and are sorry, we are the light. We make a mistake and feel no remorse and we are dark. How do we lead, what influences us? Actions, I can say it over and over and over and over, yet it is my actions that speak to others. I look at the Tobacco industry as societys model of repentenance, they were sued for their liability with killing people with the knowledge of the dangers of Tobacco. Ok, so I admit to sinning, let me do my penance and do it again? Sounds like religion to me, we sin and confess and sin again? The Tobacco industry payed MILLIONS of dollars as a penance, yet they still sell their product? This is societies downfall. We sin yet sell it again and again as we payed the penance of our previous sin. If Jesus really walks with us we would not sin the same sin over and over and over again we would be truly repentant and live the life of Light on the Dark and make God happy by increasing the amount of his children who return to him.

God Bless You and Change You for Him!

A Body Dies a Spirit Lives

I lost my sister-in-law a week ago and it has all seemed a bit surreal. I moved here to be closer to both her and my brother. Well I know I was following God's will for my life, but I could not help but feel like I missed something? Then it dawned on me in my prayers for her and my brother. Her body is dead, but her spirit is still alive. The Word says that we don't die we just move from one realm to another. I know it is kind of like duh? I hate to say this, but I feel closer to her now than I did when she was alive. In order to put together some photo books for the visitation I was able to go through all the photos in there home and I found out more about Jaclyn and her family then I had from the past three years of visiting and conversation. Then to make it even better, I had the opportunity to meet many of the people from the photos. It was funny cause the more I prayed for her, the more it became a conversation with her. In the end I was speaking to her like I do God and even better I was hearing her speak back through the people who came. I have to say I have never been so proud of anyone since Richard when Nita died than I had my brother this week. He really has been so strong and such an incredible husband. He has been there through all this and loved so unconditionally I can't begin to tell you! If you would keep Darin, Jaclyn and Jaclyn's family in your prayers. Finally, in memory of Jaclyn we are going to run the next The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training® Nike 26.2 Marathon in Maui. We are going to need to raise money to go and for the society. I am not very good at this stuff so if you would like to send us some greenbacks to help, it would really mean a ton to Darin. Darin ran the marathon in San Francisco in Jaclyn's Honor last year and raised over $27,000 for the Socitey. Go to www.helpjaclyn.com and click on donation to donate.
Bless You!

Abe

Draw near to God and He will draw near to You!

First off, I am blessed to anounce I have been able to attend Joel Osteen's Church and WOW what a church. Second, you may say to yourself as I would, "I could never go to a church with 57,000 people attending." Well after going I will tell you that I could attend this church. Why? Well first of all I was amazed of the number of people who introduced themself to me and who talked to me. I also enjoyed the company of such a diverse and sincere crowd. Suffice it to say I really enjoyed the service and the messages were incredible. It was actually Joel's sister who inspired me for this blog.

You have to move in order for God to move. Bottom line? It is not where you start it is where you finish! I have heard if before and never really understood how to finish in the way God wants me too. So how do we do finish first?
We need to feed our spirit. We can't go more than a couple of days without food, if we don't eat we die! Well, the same is true with our spirit, if we don't feed it, it is like our body. It gets weak and eventually will die. So how do you feed your spirit? Through spending time with God. Through reading the Word, Prayer and helping others.

The beautiful ones

If only we were all what God calls us to be? I don't know why, but we all run from what God calls us to be. I may not know where I am going, I may not know what I need, but one thing is for certain I know what I want. That is GOD. It is easy to warm up to the one we think is beautiful, but try to warm up to an ugly person. That is God. You say how can that be God? You are ugly! Yeah, that's right, is there any sin in your life? If you are a human being then the answer is yes! So, yes you harbor ugliness in you life in a way only God can see. Being transparent can cause you to call yourself for who you really are. A no good rotten low life with nothing, but self providing intentions. If my kids do right I am ok? If I can make it through this week without cheating, all is ok? Wrong! Love is blind, dumb, and fun? Yeah that is right. What if you were told you had one hour to live? What would you do? Would you get drunk? Would you sit and piss and moan about it? Or would you look to what would bring you the most Joy? Your strength is found in Joy? Choose to enjoy it and you will be strong? Most of us think that if joy finds us we will be happy, but truth be told, if we make the choice to find joy we will be strong! So choose joy and help others to find it and God will honor it! So where am I going with all this? Well I have a calling on my life as do all of you. If I deny this calling I can search and search for my joy, but it will always allude me. If I relent to it, repent and give God credence I will find Joy eternal and success beyond my wildest dreams. Do what you fear them most and be relentless in what God has called you to be and you will reap a reward beyond your wildest dreams! God Love You and Keep You where He has chosen you to be! Not where you want to be!

Thankfulness depends on what is in your heart, not what is in your hand.

What keeps us from others? It is interesting cause I have heard many things from many people. Yet one thing rains true that most people don't want to admit. Pride. That's right, pure unadulterated pride! God says pride lands you flat on your face. Pride is why we bless God with the same tongues we cures others with. Who has not been somewhere and looked at another with disgust, disdain, or just outright "I am better than them." What sets us apart from others is nothing more than God's grace. So, how do we show appreciation for the grace God has given to him? We spit in his face by denying others the same love He has shown us. I know I am guilty of it and I have to constantly remind myself that Jesus never saw people as bad, only lost. When we start to see people the same way we honor God's grace for us. Not only that we encourage Him to show us even more grace in our areas of need. Instead of seeing people as society does, being net-worth equaling self-worth start seeing people as God does not for the package, but the contents.

P.S. I am starting to read my posts before I publish them hope it is better!

Life Exists without People?

If you ask me what is wrong with the world today it is that we are able to exist without interacting in a genuine matter with other human beings. Let me explain, I wake up and need to get gas, I go to SAM'S Club and buy gas there is no humans in sight. I need to get some groceries so I go to Wal-Mart and get in line with others who look ahead for the end of the line, because we are trained that waiting in line is bad (just as a side note; I remember a time when I was waiting in line with my three boys and a lady in front of me was complaining about something an using every experlative in the book and what I wanted to say to the lady was "Can you cuss a bit more in front of my kids!" yet I smiled at her and I empathize with her and said good bad and ugly we are all God's kids, suffice it to say she was ugly and I will never forgot her face when I said that, she looked at me and smiled and said "Yeah it is too bad there isn't a law against stupidity." Well not exactly the revelation I was looking for, but she stopped cussing.) So, instead of waiting in line at Wal-Mart I get into the self-check line and check myself out. Again dealing with no people. I continue about my day and have no instances of dealing with people? What is wrong with the interaction removed from society? Is is possible to exist and not interact with others? Yes! Is that wrong? Yes, why did God create you? For relationship! Why did he create others? For relationship! It is the enemies plan to separate us from ourselves so that we can become more accustom to being alone without him or anyone for that matter. I say revolt, resist, reach out to others. If you are lonely and hurting chances are others are too! The great commission? Find them and Love them as you wish to be loved! Show them God through you faith not fear. We are becoming such a closed society with so many avenues to open up which are squelched by the Dark side. We need to stand up for who we are and become who He had called us to be.

Who are we really?

I think we look at society and see a viagra commercial and God looks at society and sees Oysters. We are so desperate to be who we are not and always working to be something more than what should be. We need to stop and be content with who we are. God says you are made in His image. You are made in His image? I am made in HIS image, not my image, but HIS. Hey guess what so are you. Do you want to feel like it? Sure you do as do I. So how do we accomplish this? Botox? Jenny Craig? Plastic Surgery? How about a personal trainer? NO! Why not start treating everyone you meet like they are made in GOD'S image and are His sons and daughters. Try it. I promise it will change your perspective of you.

A day in the life and who I admire!

I think we all suffer from some hypocrisy from time to time, but it is funny how you see some people as more transparent than others. I had the great opportunity to spend the day with Rob at a show in Dallas. I drove in and hung out with Beaugh and Scott and well as you can see someone is compensating for a size issue aye?

Well, I have been to hundreds of concerts in my life time and this was bar far one of the best, Rob and the boys did the most excellent job! But the funny thing is that I have been to plenty of shows with Rob and others in the music industry and I have missed something that I had seen yesterday that has revealed to me why I admire Rob and appreciate his friendship. He has grown so much and this scripture sums it up to me; Proverbs 17:27 A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. Rob puts everything into what he does and just gives till it hurts and I see him walk off stage emotionally and physically exhuasted and then what? He is bombarded from one person to the next and the funny thing is he does not say much. He just listens to each person say what they have been rehearsing they would say knowing they would get to meet him and he just sits and patiently listens and tries to make them feel as special as he can. It is a very selfless thing to watch once you realize what is going on. Anyway I admire him for what he does and knowing who he is just makes it that more special. Love ya bro!

TIRE?

A covering for a wheel, usually made of rubber reinforced with cords of nylon, fiberglass, or other material and filled with compressed air.
I have been sitting on an idea for quite some time and God has been stirring it up in me. In the mean time the Devil has been trying to unstir it up in me saying, "what a stupid idea," "this is to outrageous," "too big for you to do," "what makes you think you will succeed?"
I know that God has put this in my head, Proverbs 2:2 says 2Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
God gives us the ability to tune into His wisdom and give us understanding. So you ask what does the definition of a tire have to do with this?

This was one mans stupid idea for a tire which he has held onto for sometime. Well, this is said to redifine the definition of tire? The air quotient is missing here?

Well if this takes off it will revolutionize the tire industry as we know it. Bottomline if you know who God wants you to be then it is your responsibility to act on it and His to provide the means.

Faith without works is dead; is often in the perspective of Man doing the work as a result of his faith in God, but if you reverse it and look at God having faith in you without you doing the work, it is dead. Meaning that God knows the begining and the end we just have to choose to run the race to get there. Don't be discouraged he has faith in you and your works will create life!

Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

I use to think that I had to be busy to be fruitful as a Christian. Boy was I wrong in fact Scripturally speaking, "Come away...all by yourselves and rest a while" ( Mark 6:31 ). Mark explains that "Many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat." Sound familiar? Constant hurry is the mark of an un-prioritised life. It's a sign that second and third things have become first things. So, what should be first? Well I have found that first is your relationship with God, then family, then fullfilling your commitment to God.

TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE PACK YOUR BAGS AND LEAVE TONIGHT!!!!

So you are probabley asking what does Eddie Money have to do with pictures, nothing! Just thought it was a cool intro to the photos of where we are at so here it is, Enjoy!

The Entrance

YES! Starbucks

Parkway

The Fountain

The Club House

The Pool

The neighborhood




The courtyard

Leaving


As soon as we get the inside done will have them up for ya! Bless!

I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I have been heart broken the past week and last night I came to the realization GOD has blessed me with the best friends in the world! Everyone was so awesome and I can't believe how much everyone did to help us move out of town. I am awe struck still, Ronnie, Jeanette, Jeff, Rob, Linda, Lisa, Ronnie Sr., Connie, Stacy, Mark, Jim, Jennifer, Marlita, Craig, Barb, Freddie, Joel and EVERYONE the list goes on and on you all rock my socks off and I love you all so stinkin much I miss you all incredibley already and dd want to fly you all down to visit. My first priority is to buy a huge house so I can put everyone up. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You just don't know! LOVE ABE

WOW!!!

I am so amazed at GOD. I can screw the pooch over and over and he is constantly there to help me out of it. I miss plan A for my life and he put plan B in my way. Well, suffice it to say I have made many mistakes in my life, that said I don't regret my life a bit cause it has made me who I am in Christ! Well I don't do this type of thing ever, but I am going to say I am reading the most incredible book about being a Christian it is by Craig Gross of XXXChurch a ministry I totally support. Knowing him makes the book even better, cause I know everything he has written to be true. Well it is one of those books were you expect one thing yet get another. If ANYONE is wondering about being a Christian I URGE you to buy it. Here is the link


I have to say this book is stinkin awesome!
I as I am sure you have heard the verse in Psalm 23:4 a million times, you know, Yea though I may walk through the valley of death, I fear no evil, You are with me;
Well this book showed me that as my children do to me at night when given the choice of having the light off and me with them or having a light on and me not with them, the always choose to have me be with them in the dark. Just as I would rather be in the dark with GOD than in the light without Him. I believe this is the place we have to strive to be. I the dark He is with us and intends for us to be there, showing others that He is there with us, His rod and staff comforting us!