My View From There

I had just gotten out of my classes, changed clothes and headed to the pool. I grabbed my lounge chair, laid back and this is what I saw. It was perfect. It was about 85 degrees, just a little breeze, and I am sitting between two palm trees. I had to take a picture. The Gaylord Palm resort was the fanciest place I have ever stayed.

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The next picture is the view I had from my balcony. All that you see was on the inside of this place. It had restaurants, shops, even alligators and turtles in a pond in the center of the atrium. It had more ponds with beautiful Coy fish. the entire place was immaculate. I have other pictures of other places I will share as time permits. That is all for now.

There and Back

First, baby news. This is a picture of Logan taken on Friday March 13th. There is a huge difference between it and the 10 week picture I posted. Last night he was very active. Both my daughters got to feel him moving inside my wife's belly. That was the coolest thing ever! We also found out last night that Stephanie's brother Andrew and his wife Amber are expecting as well. This Christmas we will have two babies to pass around at Nana's house.


I spent last week in Florida. I flew out Monday to Orlando and drove down to Port Saint Lucie to spend a couple of days with my Aunt Dottie and her husband Kent. It was great just to be able able to relax at the beach. The picture is of Lake Okeechobee. Dan and I spent a summer in Okeechobee, FL with our Aunt. It was not the best of times and I have basically put it out of my memory, but when Dottie ask would I like to go and look at the place, I couldn't resist. I remember going to this lake and seeing a huge alligator at the bottom of the pier. I have some really good pictures on my camera, but I keep forgetting it so they will have to wait.

God has been pushing me lately. Things I push down in my spirit, God is bringing to the surface. I always look for an easier way, a less confrontational way. Even if it means more work for me, or placing the burden on my shoulders and carrying the load, if I don't have to make someone mad or upset, I almost always take that road. Case in point, I had a church in Nashville call me. They wanted a CD of my preaching. They liked my resume and wanted to hear me preach. I sent them a CD, but have already made excuses of why I could never pastor in Nashville. The job has not even been offered to me, yet I couldn't possibly take the job. "It would be difficult on my kids, especially Lynna who is about to move up to high school and is super sensitive about change, any change." "We would more than likely move closer to the church, which means selling and moving (again)." "It would just be easier to go back in my shell and stay where I am and let an opportunity (dream) pass by." I personally know how it feels to move. My dad was in retail and we moved all over TN and AL when I was growing up. I moved from Shelbyville Central High School, to Community High School In Unionville between my Freshman and Sophomore years. But, given the choice, I would have never left SCHS. That was where I was comfortable. Looking back, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. If the job is offered, I am praying I make the right decision and somewhere down the road, my family can look back and see it was the best move (non move) that we ever made.

Baby News

It is a boy!!!!!!!!! We are going to name him Logan Bryce Reed. My two brothers names are Michael Bryce, and Daniel Logan. I know Mike is the older brother but Bryce Logan just doesn't have the same flow as Logan Bryce. Plus, we have to stick with the "L" theme. Lynna, Leah and Logan. Sweet!

Business Trip

Tomorrow the entire family is going to see if our speculations are true. Is my wife having our first son? If the baby cooperates, we will know tomorrow morning. I am sure everyone will know before I have a chance to report back since Lynna has the fastest texting thumbs in the known free world.
I am also leaving on a business trip to Orlando Monday. I am actually going to spend a couple of nights with my Aunt Dottie and her husband Kent before spending the rest of the week in the Gaylord Palms Resort for a BST conference. I know, it is a tough job, but someone has to do it.
I have traveled more in the last year than I did the previous 12 years I have worked here. I have been to California, Pennsylvania, and now Florida. I have never liked traveling by myself, but it is something you just get use to. I am reading a good book by Dr. Henry Cloud and this will give me time to complete it.

Happens Every Time

Most of the time when God gives me a "thing" to ponder, I end up sharing on this blog my thoughts before I have a chance to "preach" them. Today is no different. I am sure when I get around to preaching again, I will get such comments as "I have heard this before", or "Where have I heard this?" Since Bro. Charles announced Sunday that he will be preaching Sunday nights again until further notice, it may actually be awhile before my peeps hear it anyway.
I was sitting in the youth revival last night listening to Pastor Jeff Faulk from Calvary Baptist Church, when the Lord interjected some thoughts in my head. Pastor Jeff asked the question, "Why are you here?" To which I wrote down, "to serve the Lord". Then he asked, "How many of you are on fire for the Lord?" No one raised their hand. He then asked, "If you are not on fire, than what are you?" I immediately wrote down one word. Mediocre. That is what came to mind. Not passionate. Not sold out. Just mediocre. That is really how I feel about my worship, my service, my quiet time, my prayer time, just mediocre. Nothing to write home about.
Then God didn't stop there. He pointed my thoughts to a verse:

Galatians 6:7 (King James Version)
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

If I am just a mediocre Christian, it shows. It also affects the people around me. There are times when I leave the house on Wednesday mornings around 5:15am. I work till 4:30pm. I rush home home grab a quick bite, feed my dog and grab the kids for church. I have band practice at 6:00, service till 7:30 then wait till 8:30 (or so) till Stephanie gets out of choir practice. Home around 9:00, get the kids in bed and sit down on the couch around 9:30. Needless to say, there are times when I don't want to go to church on Wednesday nights. When I don't go, my kids don't go. When I don't go, usually my wife doesn't go. My actions affect more than just me. It teaches my children that church is not as important as my job, my sleep, etc. If I sow mediocre seeds, I reap a mediocre harvest. Mediocrity, breeds mediocrity. God is not mocked, if I and Stephanie are mediocre (I am not speaking for Stephanie), we have no choice but to have mediocre kids who grow up to have mediocre kids and so forth.

The good news is, the opposite is true. If I and Stephanie are on fire for God, that fire spreads to our children and to their children and so forth.

Starting Over

This picture is at the 10 week mark. Stephanie is now into her 18th week of pregnancy. One of my favorite things to do when Steph was carrying my two daughters was place my hand over her belly and feel the baby move. I couldn't wait till this one was big enough to move around and push on her stomach. Last night we were watching some T.V. right before bed, my hand was on her belly and "bump". I felt the baby move. Stephanie had said earlier in the day she leaned up against a cabinet and felt it move, but I figured it would still be a little while before I could feel it. This was no mistake. I looked at Steph and she smiled and said, "That was the biggest one yet!"

Harley is driving me crazy. I went out to feed her yesterday and when I got back in, my kids start yelling, "Harley is off the lead!" Sure enough, I looked out the window and she was off her lead. I went out to look and it was too muddy to try to wrangle with her before church so I left her. When I got home last night, she came up to me and I grabbed her collar only to find she had broke the metal ring that the lead was attached to. UUUUGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!

We have a Youth Revival at Fair Haven that starts Sunday night and runs through Wednesday night.