Unashamed

Christmas and New Years

2012-01-12T11:19:00.000-06:00

Having Logan in the house and old enough to enjoy Christmas made it so much fun this year. He loves horses and cowboys and such. Naturally, his favorite thing was a $2.00 cowboy hat that Santa brought him. He would sleep in it if we let him.

I loved the look on his face when he opened a present. It didn't matter how big or how small, he would squeal with excitement and proclaim, "I love it!", often before he even knew what it was.

We were at a gym the other night watching Leah's travel team play when a man with a long grey beard started walking up the bleachers. Logan saw him and said, "Momma! There is Santa Clause!"

Midland Heights had a Christmas service. I was telling my oldest that I would be shocked if we had 32 show up. We were having a communion service and I didn't expect too many to show up. I had gone to the church Saturday night (Christmas eve) to prepare the Lord's Supper and only filled one trey of cups and a partial of the another trey. As people started to file in Sunday morning, I grabbed a deacon and ask him to go ahead and fill the other trey. There was over 80 people that showed up to celebrate Christ. I was so moved by God's presence. I could hardly say a word as the bread and juice were passed.

Vanderbilt played in Memphis in the Liberty Bowl. My brother Dan and his son Will and myself, took the short drive to watch them play. I could not believe the view from our seats. I got 2 row seats about the 30 yard line. I could literally talk to the defense as they came off the field. I wish they could have pulled it out, but I can't be mad after the great time we had.

For a month now I have been meeting with 3 other pastors on Monday mornings to pray for revival. A personal, fresh fire from God. I want to be renewed so I can lead Midland Heights to a revival. If Sunday is any indication of the things to come I am excited. We had 93 in Sunday School (been averaging around 80). We had 130 or so total for worship. As I am preaching a sermon series called "Know Fear", I am praying some of Satan's strongholds will be torn down and we can live a life without fear. After two weeks, I sense a stirring of God's presence. I believe something is about to break loose.

Christmas Time is Near!

2011-12-13T11:58:00.000-06:00

Saturday night I had a surprise for the family. It was close to my 19th anniversary, but since Steph and I had taken a little trip together, I wanted to do something with the family. I contacted "Five-0 Sedan" and rented a limo. We took the Christmas lights tour of Nashville and Brentwood. It was a shock when the limo pulled up to pick us up. We had fun looking at all the houses that have way more money than sense.

As mentioned earlier, my anniversary was yesterday. Hard to believe that Stephanie has put up with me for 19 years. She is truly an amazing women.

Lynna recently got her braces off and looks stunning. Now we are fixing to have to put them on Leah. Kids are expensive, but worth it.

I am glad to be finished with my Christmas shopping. I am not one that likes to fight the crowds at the stores, the Internet does wonders for me. In a few clicks, my shopping is done and boxes begin to arrive at my door. Now that is shopping.

Midland Heights will have services on Christmas morning. Why wouldn't we? If we are going to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, why call off church? We are planning a simple service starting at 11:00 with special music and a short devotion followed by communion.

Our Choir perfomed Sunday before my message and did an outstanding job. They looked great in their red, black and white and sounded wonderful.

This Sunday the kids will do their play, before my message. They always do a good job of focusing on what is important this time of year.

Fat and Skinny Sheep

2011-11-29T11:20:00.001-06:00

This picture was taken at Lynna's dedication. The fact that she is now 16 makes me feel.....well....old. Things have changed over the last 16 years. I am now shiny on top and my dad is no longer with us. I think about him a lot during football season. That is when we talked the most. I have attended two funerals in the last week. Each one reminds me of loved ones that have gone on to be with the Lord.

I preached a sermon on spiritual gifts Sunday. Not sure how well it was received. But, I do believe each believer is equipped with a gift to be used in the local church. Not all the gifts are the same, but all are important. If some are not using their gifts, than the church is not functioning properly. A church that is not functioning properly becomes weak. A weak church is a useless, dead church. It doesn't matter how gifted the pastor or how great the leaders of the church are, if the members are not using their gifts, the church is dead weight.

Ezek 34:20-21 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep. For you fat sheep pushed and butted and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scattered them to distant lands.
I came across this verse yesterday. It really got me to thinking about the church today. At first glance, I want to be a fat sheep. But, when you read the next verse, it is the fat sheep that keep the scrawny sheep from getting what they need. So the question popped in my head, "are you keeping people from getting to the Lord?"
Now, I am a little different. I may be taking things a little more literal than most, but since they are both sheep, I take it to mean they are all saved. They all know the Lord as their personal Savior. I come to this conclusion because Jesus makes a reference between sheep (the saved) and goats (the lost). The difference in this verse is simply the weight of the sheep. One set of sheep are fat, fully feasting on the food given to them, but they are pushing other sheep away from the food. I see this in the church today.
What I see is a church (generally speaking) that takes and takes and takes, but never gives. A church that is served, but never serves. A church that is getting fat, while others are starving. Maybe that is why when the altar call is given, no one moves. Maybe we are too "full".
I want to "share". I want to become a church that loves and serves each other. That will gladly "miss a meal" so others will get fed.
Is this all just wishful thinking or is God trying to stir something up inside me to become a different church?

The "Not so" Good Wife

2011-10-26T09:56:00.000-05:00

You should probably never start your post off with a disclaimer, but I feel a need too. There are things I do and don't do based on my convictions. An example would be my choice of music. I only listen to Christian music. All Christians are not that way. It is however my conviction. The Lord knows what music does to me, so I don't listen to secular music. Using that as your example, you can now proceed to my post.

I have a few shows I like to watch. I purposely did not watch any new show this fall, since I have a DVR full of shows that I don't have time to watch now. I did really like a show called "The Good Wife". I became disenchanted with the story line when they had the lesbian scene. I did continue to watch it hoping it was a one time thing. It was not, as the next story line was two men. That is when I chose to stop watching it. Then reality hit. I turned it off because of the homosexual activity but not because of the heterosexual affairs that the story is based on. Sin is sin whether it is homosexual or heterosexual. Truth is, I should have never watched it to start with, based on my convictions.
Now I am not one to call or write demanding they drop the show, or even ask others to stop watching it. I just simply erased it from my DVR.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Revive Us Again

2011-10-12T11:13:00.000-05:00

So much has happened since my last post. Just about the time I think I need to update the blog, I get distracted. Just like this book I am writing. I want to write, but life takes priority. The family had some pictures made a week or so ago. I called my friend Amy Jacobs from AmyJacobsphotography.com (catchy name huh?) and she met us on the square in Shelbyville. She took some photos a couple of years ago when Logan was born. She does a phenomenal job. We got a sneak peak of a few of the pictures she took. I am really looking forward to the seeing the rest of them. This pictures you see are just a couple of the "sneak peak". As you can see, my family indulged me we all wore Vanderbilt attire. My kids are growing up so fast.

Last week we had our fall revival. My brother, Dan Reed, came and preached his heart out. In years past I have been a little disappointed in the attendance. I can't say that this time. For a church that runs about 120-130 on Sunday morning, our lowest crowd of the week was 95. It is difficult to get people to come to church on Sunday much less on Monday and Tuesday. The MHBC choir sang Sunday morning and Sunday night and were outstanding as always. Lindsey Harris and Faithful (I accidentally called the Unfaithful one night) lead us in worship Monday and Tuesday night and Dr. Tim Key (DOM New Duck River Baptist Assoc.) came Wednesday night and lead us in worship. I have come to learn that revival is no longer for the lost but for the church. I can truly say, I have been revived. God's Spirit showed up each night as people just stood and publicly confessed sin, testified and poured out their hearts before God. I hadn't seen these type of services except in youth camps.

I started a different workout routine. I can already feel the difference. Instead of doing all my cardio and then lifting weights, I have started doing short stints of cardio in between my sets of weights. I was told that will burn more fat. I don't know about that, but by the time my last cardio session is done, I am done as well. I have not checked the scale to see if it makes a difference as of yet. More to come.

Irony at it's Finest

2011-09-23T13:21:00.001-05:00

I am a Vandy fan. I have always been a Vandy fan. I watch the interviews and read all the articles about Vandy. I even listen to the call in shows. Last night I thought I would call in and talk with Coach James Franklin. When it came to my turn to speak I complained (jokingly of course) that I was a season ticket holder with seats in the South Endzone. All of the touchdowns have gone into the North Endzone with the exception of one. This is a live show and it is in front of a live audience. You could hear the crowd laugh but I really heard the laughter when I told them the one TD that came my way was a Trey Wilson pick six that I missed since I was in the rest room. Needless to say, the coach (and Joe Fisher) got a kick out of that and I was "Caller of the night". What is the irony you might ask? My prize was a free hair cut!

Monday Blues

2011-09-20T13:12:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is a big day in our family. It is my wife's birthday. She will down play it, but it is a big deal. It is also Granddaddy's Birthday. Between the two, it is bitter sweet. Granddaddy would always tell Stephanie she special because they shared the same Birthday. They were 50 Yeats apart and Granddaddy would have been 89, so I will let you do the math to determine how old my wife will be. By the way, I am still older than her.I won't deny the fact I am an emotional guy, but yesterday caught me off guard. I was taking the trash to the dump and decided I would drive to Rover. Rover is where Granny, Granddaddy and my dad's bodies are laid to rest. They are side by side by side. I walked up to the graves and just began to cry. I miss them. I need them. I wish I could see them, talk to them, hug them. I have often reached for my phone to call dad. He is the reason I am a Vandy fan. I have wanted to share in the fact Vandy is 3-0. I know they are not at the grave any longer but for some reason I still talk to them. I tell them what is going on. I hope nobody drives by and sees me since I talk with my hands.I took Leah to the game with me Saturday. Vandy looked impressive. I had a lot of fun explaining the game to Leah. She cheered right along with me.

No Wonder the U.S. is Fat

2011-09-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

I know obesity is a problem. You can look around and see it. One of the issues I see is the fact it is so easy to eat unhealthy and eating heathy will put you in the poor house. Here is an example. I walked in the grocery store the other day to buy a bag of sliced apples. I work out, try to eat right and was looking for a healthy snack. I happen to really like the sliced apples. I grab a bag and notice they are now $2.99 for the equivalent of maybe 3 apples. I turn and notice a huge display of "Little Debbie" snack cakes. If you guys have ever read my blog before, I LOVE "Little Debbie". She is like crack cocaine to a junky. There are days I can't help myself. I have to stop and get my fix. I NEED a fudge round or a zebra cake! (Little Debbie, as beautiful as she is, is probably an atheist). This particular display was very appealing, eye catching with bright colors and even a carboard display of Debbie herself. But, the most appealing thing about this mound of Little Debbie goodness was the large sign that claimed 2 for $3. What? You can get TWO boxes of Little Debbie's for only THREE BUCKS? If my math serves me correctly, that is 20, count them TWENTY, individually wrapped, Little Debbie snack cakes for $3. Hmmmmm. $3 dollars for a handful of sliced apples or $3 for twenty snack cakes.
On this particular day, I chose the apples. At 230 calories apiece, that would be 2300 calories per box and 4600 calories for the two boxes. That would be around 4 1/2 hours of cardio. That day I won the battle, but I wonder how many didn't?

The Vandy/UConn game was exciting! I took my amazing wife this time and even though she is not a football fan, she stuck it out for me. After jumping out to a 14-3 lead, UConn kept coming back on Vandy's miscues. In the end Vandy returned an interception for a TD and kick a go ahead field goal with just a couple of minutes left in the game! I went home a happy man. In the morning I am taking Leah to the Ole Miss game. It is an 11:30 kickoff.

Church Sunday was off the chain! We had 91 in Sunday School. We had 145 show up for worship and we baptized 4!

The (long) Weekend

2011-09-06T10:55:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was one of the best weekends I have had in awhile. Friday night the whole family went to the Community High School football game. Even though we got beat by Chapel Hill, I thought we played well and scored some points. Logan seemed to enjoy the game or was it the ring pop? Not sure, but I thought he did really well. Saturday was spent around the house. Steph took off to town for groceries and both girls were out of pocket so I got to keep Logan. We watched "Horse land" several times, but when when football started, he crawled up in my lap and watched the games. Saturday night, I took my eight year old nephew Will tot he Vanderbilt game. He was so quiet, but I think he enjoyed it. I loved it as Vandy won a game they should have won. This coming Saturday may be a different story as we take on UCONN. I will be there with my Vandy jersey on. I am not sure who I will be taking though. Sunday was amazing. The last couple of Sunday's have been rough for me. Things just didn't fall into place and I was not in the right mind set before i preached. The messages were solid, the delivery was just a little off. That was not the case Sunday. Right frame of mind, receptive hearts, I was a good day. Monday, I took down Logan's crib. That was bitter sweet. He is growing up and becoming a little man, but to take down his crib brings reality to the situation. He is a big ham that loves to entertain. The Lord knew how boring it would have been around my house without Logan.

I am a Nerd

2011-08-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

I am not a real nerd. I am not smart enough to be a real nerd. I am a football nerd. I absolutely love football. College, pro, it doesn't really matter. This past weekend was a really good example.
I am not much of a loner. I like having people I know around me when I do things. This past Saturday was the only "open" practice that Vanderbilt was going to have. I don't know many Vandy fans who want to go to a football practice in the 93 degree heat. I talked myself into and out of going several times. With a slight nudge from my wife, I got up early Saturday and went, alone. I can't tell you how much fun I had. It started as soon as I walked through the gate at the practice field.
Coach James Franklin comes running off the practice field, shakes my hand and says "Hi. I am James Franklin". After telling him my name, still looking me in the eyes, he said "it is nice to meet you, Scott."
The funny thing was, I knew exactly who he was. I have been excited ever since they hired him. But, he still introduced himself to me. I could see why high school kids want to play for this guy. After practice the team came over and thanks us "football nerds" for coming out to a practice. Dude, those guys are big. I am 6'3" and 230. Those guys made me look like Pee-Wee Herman.
I left the practice field (with a couple of free t-shirts) and a huge grin. Football is just around the corner and I have season tickets!

Trying to Capture Something Fresh

2011-08-03T15:29:00.000-05:00

For two years in a row, the family and I went to Panama City Beach Florida. Last year was the first time my kids had ever stepped foot in the ocean. It had been 20 years since I had been to Florida. We had such a good time. My kids talked about the vacation all year long in anticipation of going back this year. So, we booked the same condo. Went to eat at the same places (with a few new spots). Went shopping in the same stores. I left Florida a little disappointed. I didn't enjoy this time, as much as I did last time. I had a good time, but not as good a time as we did the first time. Because of what happened or didn't happen we are looking for another place to spend our vacation next year. It got me to thinking.
I had this same issue at a church camp a few years ago. It was a Tuesday night. Our church service was amazing. God moved in a way that I had never seen or felt before. After a 2 hour alter call, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. God had showed up and showed out. Fast forward to Wednesday. I was depressed. I was really down. We were getting ready for the worship service when my buddy stopped me and asked why I was so down? I told him, "I don't think we will have a service like we did last night. Tonight will be a let down." I know that sounds like I "spoke" it, so it was bound to happen, but I felt like I had received a word from God. Wednesday nights service was good, but just not like Tuesday's service.
What I have figured out since then is we don't need to try to replicate what we have seen and heard from God. We need something fresh and new. I want something fresh and new. I need something fresh and new.
I often wonder about people who come and go from churches. Are they disappointed because God didn't repeat His last "performance"?
Here is what else I have learned from that experience. If you want the Spirit of God to move in your church like never before, spend time with Him through the week and bring Him to church with you.

Interesting Read

2011-07-29T12:48:00.000-05:00

I came across a book while searching the Kindle Store. It was called "Erasing Hell" by Francis Chan. I love Chan so I figured anything by him will be an excellent read. I was right. He sets out to prove Biblically, that Hell is a literal place. Hell is a place of torment. Hell is a place where God's judgement is carried out. Basically it questions Rob Bell's view of he'll in his book "Love Wins".
As much a I want to take Bell's stance and believe that Hell is what we go through here on earth, that we will all come to saving knowledge of Jesus and spend eternity with Him, it just isn't Biblical.
Chan doesn't just want you to believe in a literal Hell, he wants the fact that it exists to change how you live your life. This theme runs deep, "we must get this right".

I can't agree more.

Vacation

2011-07-21T15:02:00.000-05:00

My family and I try to get away at least once a year. It is usually a quick trip to the mountains. The last two years we have come to Panama City Beach, FL. I love the sand, beach and sun. Leah is right there with me. The others prefer the pool. I try to take this time to unwind and have a good time. We love to eat at the different places. Last night might have been the highlight of the trip. Stephanie and I left the kids in the condo and took a stroll down the beach hand in hand. We were only gone about 45 minutes, but I feel it is important to steal some time for us. We have been married 18 1/2 years and I love her more today than ever before. I would love to post a picture, but my IPad won't let me.

God's Word

2011-07-06T13:11:00.001-05:00

I was getting ready for tonight's Bible study when a thought struck me. We are in the book of Acts, chapter 23 when Paul is being held prisoner. The verse that caught my attention was verse 11. Jesus spoke to Paul and said, "Be of good cheer Paul, for as you have testified in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome (NKJV)."
That is not the first time that Paul was down and out that Jesus spoke to Paul. Early in Paul's ministry when the Jews sought to kill him in Jerusalem, it was Jesus that told Paul what to do (Acts 22). When Paul was discouraged in Corinth it was Jesus who showed up to encourage Paul to stay (Acts 18). During a storm Paul was again encouraged (Acts 27). During his trial in Rome, Paul was encouraged by the words of the Lord, "Lo, I am with you always (2Tim 4:16-17)"
As I was thinking on these various times that the Lord spoke to Paul, I got a little jealous. jealous you ask? Yes. jealous. I thought about the times I was in need of encouragement, the times when I was afraid, the times when I really needed a "word from the Lord". If I were honest, there are not too many days that I don't need encouraging.
As I was rolling around in my self-pity, is when the next thought came to mind. God spoke to Paul because he didn't have the written word. Paul couldn't pick up the Bible and get encouragement from it because it was not written.
What is your point, preacher man? I have the written word of God. The encouragement God gave Paul, also applies to me. The promises God gave Paul, He also gives to me. God doesn't have to speak to me what is already written down in His Word. If I am afraid, alli need to do is open my Bible to the book of Joshua and read how many times God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. If I need encouragement, all I have to do is read the gospels and see how many times Jesus tells his followers, "be of good cheer! It is I.".
Best of all, I never have to feel alone. God told Paul, "I am with you always!". Guess what? He told me too.

Tough Sledding

2011-06-27T20:54:00.001-05:00

The last two Sunday's have really been tough. They have stretched me as a pastor. I had to move past the "bulletin-board Jesus" that we learn about and embrace the God of the Bible. I have had to move past the God is (only) love and embrace the fact that God hated Esau. The Bible says before any evil or good was done, while they were still in the womb, "Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated."
I got a lot of closure this week when I heard another preacher speak on this subject. He said don't be shocked at the fact God hated Easu, we all fall short of the glory of God. Be shocked that God loved Jacob since there is nothing good in us to love.
The more I study Romans, the more humble I become. I am truly blessed to be counted among the forgiven.
Listen to me sweat from the pulpit at www.midlandheightsbc.org

More Technology!

2011-06-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

we are live with the Midland Heights app for your iPad or iPhone. You can get it at the app store. Golden Delicious Apps did a great job with the app. You can listen to the sermons as well as get access to this blog. It will be in the Droid market soon.
Midland Heights is also starting to advertise. I have put together a year long plan to get the church name out there. I hope it brings more families in so the love of God can make a greater impact in our area. If you see us on tv or in and around local businesses let me know!

It is all over

2011-06-17T13:22:00.000-05:00

Granddaddy's estate was settled yesterday. There was an auction that took place on the grounds of his home. It was a little emotional seeing people I didn't know rumbling through his stuff. I didn't know how well a Thursday night auction in 95 degree heat would do but there were cars parked on both sides of the road as far as I could see both ways.
I was a little disappointed that the house only brought $50,000, but in this economy, it is was it is. There were things that went cheap that I thought would bring more and then there was a jar of buttons that Granny made a lamp out of that brought $45.
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220 by 40 was an epic fail. I really have no excuse. I was well on my way to 220, until Granddaddy's death. Food became my friend again. I am 230. Ten pounds short of my goal. I will get to 220, but it may take a little longer than I thought.
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Father's Day is Sunday. Over the last few months, I have lost my Dad and Grandaddy. A few years ago, I lost my father-in-law. A few years before that we lost Stephanie's Granddad. It breaks my heart that my children don't have a Grandaddy. The fact of the matter is, I don't have anybody to call and wish a happy father's day. I will celebrate the fact I am now a dad to the third power!

Goodbye 30's. Hello 40's.

2011-06-14T15:10:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day I can say I am in my thirties. It is really no big deal to me. I am not depressed or upset. Really, I don't care. There are some things I have noticed about getting older. I simply can't do the things I use to do. My recovery time has increased. I can't work out, referee and play softball without waking up feeling like I have been hit by a truck. I have also noticed that most of my activities are with younger people, much younger people. I play softball with a bunch of twenty somethings, yet they come to the park with their ankles taped, their knees braced, their wrists wrapped and arms covered in icy hot. They talk about their aches and pains. I just smile. I don't have a single brace on my body. I do have a mouth piece, since I play third and their are some hot balls hit toward third. I have yet to get hit in the face, and hopefully I will never experience that. At the gym I don't take the risks anymore. I stick to weights I know I can lift and when I feel a pain, I stop. I have started to listen to my body. It is the only one I have. I was four in that picture, now I am almost four-0. Time flies.
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I have had some really good days lately. Things are going really well. I have enjoyed God's favor in my life. The Lord keeps coming through time and time again.

Technology Rocks

2011-06-10T15:21:00.001-05:00

I am not very tech savy. I love electronics, but can't afford the really cool gadgets. If I had the cooler gadgets, I am not sure I would know how to use them. I have a smart phone, a Droid X to be more specific. I love it. I can read my Bible in one click from my home screen. I can get scores from my favorite teams in a matter of seconds. Facebook and Twitter are a click away. I read books from my "Kindle" app. I can even turn my phone into a tazer. I even have my brother Mike and his friend Greg working on an app for Midland Heights Baptist Church. I got the idea from scanning the droid market and finding John MacArthur's "Grace to You" app. I can listen to one of my favorite preachers anytime I want by clicking a button. The best thing is it is free. It doesn't take a lot to entertain me.
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Granddaddy's house and belongings are going on the auction block Thursday, June 16th. I find myself driving by his house and stopping by, knowing I will not be able able to in a week or so. I have pictures, one of his Bibles, an old watch he use to wear, and a bunch of great memories. It is still hard to believe he is gone.
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Sunday night is Praise Night at MHBC! We will be singing praises to God under the pavilion behind the church at 6:30.

220 by 40

2011-06-02T14:37:00.000-05:00

I had set a goal of being 220lbs by my 40th birthday. I am not sure if I can make it or not. The last few weeks have been pretty tough on me. For some reason we want to mourn the death of love ones with food. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for all the food and support we have received, but two deaths in a span of three months doesn't help you reach your goal weight. However, I am going to bust my butt for the next couple of weeks and we will see what happens.
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I can't really explain it but since Granddaddy's passing I have just felt a sense of relief. Almost like a weight has been lifted. I have felt better and been in a better mood. I have had fun looking through old pictures. I got one of granddaddy's Bible's and have enjoyed seeing his notes and underlines. I miss him and Granny everyday.

Safe and Secure in a Pleather Chair

2011-05-17T12:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we laid the body of my Granddaddy to rest. I had the honor of speaking at his funeral. I wish everyone could have met him and spent time with him. He was an amazing man. I can remember growing up and spending weekends with Granny and Granddaddy. My home life was very volatile to put it lightly. I loved going to my Grandparents house. There was always something good to eat and 100 acres to run and play on. But I had a favorite spot. It wasn't at the barn with the calves or at the creek. It was in an orange, pleather chair. It was the ugliest chair you have ever seen, but it was there I have some of my fondest memories. Granddaddy would be setting in that chair reading the paper and I would always interrupt. I wanted him to read to me. Night or day he stop what he was doing and pick me up and set me in his lap. My older brother Mike would then lay across the back of the chair and Granddaddy would read "The Poky Little Puppy" among others. I bet he read that book 1,000 times to me. We would also read the Sunday Comics from the paper. I loved them because they were in color. It was something about being in his arms that made me feel safe and secure. I just knew nothing could get me there. Granddaddy taught me about sacrificial love long before I knew who Jesus was.
A couple of my cousins sang and one spoke at Granddaddy's funeral. My younger brother Dan also preached his funeral with me. Granddaddy was honored yesterday. I am sure he and Granny are having a great time.

Granddaddy

2011-05-10T11:02:00.000-05:00

Granddaddy has been admitted to Heritage Medical Center. When they brought him in he was dehydrated. Apparently the stroke affected not only his sight but his throat as well, He wouldn't eat or drink and when he did he would get choked. Now his organs are starting to shut down. He is unresponsive and was put on a morphine drip to keep him comfortable. This is a long process that could take up to weeks. It is hard to see Granddaddy in this kind of shape yet I have a hard time staying away. On the rare occasions he opens his eyes, they are not looking for a familiar face, they are distant and cold.
My brother Dan calls him his hero, so I will leave that for him to describe him, but he was my "dad". He is everything a dad should be. He was the one that came to my basketball and baseball games. He was the one that taught me about respect and how to carry yourself. He taught me the importance of a good name. He is an amazing person to all who meets him. He is a man of faith, loves the Lord and His Word. He is Heaven bound and Heaven will be a better place with Granddaddy there.

Confirmation

2011-05-05T11:39:00.000-05:00

I have been working on my book. I sent what I have written so far to a pastor friend of mine. He is a mentor of mine and someone I hold in very high regard. I wanted him to take a look at the first section of the book I am writing. I wanted his opinion to see if the book was worth reading (so far). I got an email back from him. It stated off with "WOW!" That was all I really needed. He went on to talk about the book and how excited he was. That got me fired up! I was wanting to make sure this book was relevant.

Granddaddy is refusing to eat. All he wants to do is sleep. He seems to be mad when he wakes up that God has not taken him home yet. I go by there everyday but it seems to always be the same. It is sad to see such a strong man, be so weak.

Mother's day is coming up Sunday. I have a gift for my wife! She is an amazing mom to Lynna, Leah and Logan. They are blessed to have her as a mom. I am blessed to have her as my wife!

Granddaddy, Easter and More...

2011-04-26T10:48:00.000-05:00

Granddaddy has had a stroke. He spent about a week in MTMC before being moved to Glen Oaks for some rehab. He is having good days, as well as bad days. I guess that is common with strokes, but just when I think he is turning the corner, he has another day where he talks crazy stuff. On the good days he recognizes me. On the bad days, I get a smile and a blank stare. He sleeps a lot. That is probably a good thing.
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Midland Heights Baptist Church is unbelievable. I couldn't be more proud of the choir, the deacons, the kitchen commitee, Mike Simms (Sunday School Super), Herbert Derickson (and Jill), Roger Gregory (mows the yard), Sunday School teachers, the youth and youth leaders, and even the people that clean the toilets.
The church looked fabulous for Easter Sunday. The unusual thing is, the week before Easter, we had a great crowd. One hundred forty five people showed up. We have been running about 115-130 for worship. After a quick egg hunt, 22 people stayed and help hand out 240 Easter invitations to houses around the church. A total of 500 invitations were delivered the week prior to Easter.
Easter Sunday, we ended up in the neighborhood of 170. The front pews were full as the church sanctuary seats about 180.
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The church looked great. We had a huge crowd. The music was amazing. I was really pleased with the turn out
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Logan is growing up. We had to convert his crib to a "big boy" bed. We tried it without the guard on the open side, but he kept rolling out in the floor. He is picking up new words and phrases every day. He had so much fun at Easter picking the eggs out of others basket and putting them in his. I guess he thought hunting for them himself was a lot harder. He loves horses and "moos" (cows) and often gets them mixed up. He rides Flash, his stick horse all over the house and yard. I love that kid.

A Weighty Matter

2011-04-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

I always knew if I would eat right, I could lose weight. I love to work out. I don't like not eating what I want. I use to say, I worked out so I could eat what I want. That no longer works for me. I look at the label of just about everything I eat now. I count my calories. I get depressed when I go out to eat and look at what I would order in the past and how many calories I was consuming. Now I am eating a lot of salad, oatmeal and chicken or steak. I am leaving off the Little Debbie's, cookies, burgers and fries, and when I do splurge, I use portion control. I think about how long it takes me to burn the calories I consume, then I choose my calories wisely.
The results? In the last two weeks, I have lost ten pounds. After the revival in KY I stepped on the scales and weighed 239.5 lbs. Now I am somwhere in the 230 neighborhood. I have a goal of 220 by 40. I think I am well on my way to that.

Cool Story

2011-03-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

       Yesterday I was changing the saying on the church sign. Not one of my favorite activities. It was a gorgeous day so that made it easier. As I was removing the old letters, I noticed a car turning in the church parking lot. It was an old, beat up, late eighties, early nineties, Ford Tarus. It had three different colored fenders. It stops in front of the sign and a young man jumps out. He had grease stained, work pants and a button up work shirt which was unbuttoned. I am not going to lie. My immediate reaction was, Oh no, another person with a sad story wanting money. His appearance fit the bill. I tried to remember how much I had in my wallet.
       I make eye contact and we exchange pleasantries as he walks toward me. This is where it gets totally cool. He walks up and shakes my hand and asks if I am the pastor. He then says, "I really need you to pray for my mom. I just lost my dad". (Conviction fills my heart as I knew I had already judged this book by it's cover). I could tell he was fighting back tears. He went on to tell me, it wasn't his real dad, but it was the only dad he knew and he was the best man to ever walk the face of the earth. After sharing with him about losing my dad a couple of weeks ago, I asked for his name and his mom's name.
       Right there in the church parking lot, I grabbed his shoulder and bowed my heard and I prayed for a young man who was hurting and just needed a touch from God. After the prayer, he bear-hugged me. I invited him and his family to church and he left.

2Co 1:4 (God)Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

This verse immediately popped in my head. While I was playinng Rook in KY, and got the phone call about my dad, it was my friends, Herbert, Mike, Jill, Sherry and Stephanie that prayed for me and my family. I was able to get comfort knowing God was near. I hope Brian did too.

Good Bye Dad

2011-03-15T12:50:00.001-05:00

I was preaching a revival in Stanton KY. This was the second year in a row, Shiloh United Methodist Church has asked me to come. I had so much fun last year, I had to go back. I went horseback riding again this year. They gave me the horse they train their young riders on. Stephanie and I stayed in our own cabin, while the Derickson's and Sim's stayed in the other cabin.
It was Sunday night, we had just came back from a great service and was going to play some Rook. My phone rang. It was my Uncle. My dad had a heart attack and it didn't look good. I decided to stay and finish the revival since my family could handle the situation. By Monday afternoon, my dad had passed away. After many, many years of abusing his body. Death came one last time. This time dad couldn't talk his way out of it. So many times death had come before, only to leave empty handed. This time death won.
I rest in the fact my dad assured me he was saved. The day he told me he had made things right with the Lord, he was in the hospital, nearly lost him them. Four years later he was still sober.
I got my love for Vandy and my detest for UT from him. We often called each other before or after a Vandy game to shout or cry. I started to pick my phone up and call him Saturday only to remember he wouldn't answer it.
My brother Dan and I got to honor him by preaching is funeral. Not too many tears were shed, just a lot of laughter from stories shared about my dad.
It was said by one of the people who knew my dad, "He cheated death. He cheated everyone who knew him. He cheated himself."
For those of us who knew him, I couldn't have said it better.

Little Man is Growing Up

2011-03-04T10:06:00.000-06:00

Logan got his first "professional" hair cut this morning. He was such a big boy and sat in the chair and never cried. I know this sounds strange, but that was one of the things I was looking forward to when we found out Logan was a boy. I wanted to take him to the barber shop, much like Granddaddy took me. I haven't needed a barber in quite some time, so it was a little different than the last time I was there. Only one of the three barbers were still there and he even remembered me.
I was asked by a gentleman from my church to come visit him. He is sick and unless a miracle happens, he is not going to recover. I went yesterday and sat with him. Before I left, he gave his heart tot he Lord. To be honest, I never knew he was lost. He was just a nice guy, always at church when he was healthy. We talked about his Catholic upbringing, which had him so confused and even bitter. I left thanking God for His grace. I was humbled that I was used as a tool to point another person to a life saving Savior.
I hope that is a prelude to the revival in KY I will be preaching!

I am Stepping Out

2011-02-24T11:12:00.000-06:00

I have decided to write a book. I have been thinking about it for years, but have really felt lead to do so lately. I am not sure who will read it. I am having a hard time deciding on a name for the book. It is either going to be called, "I am Messed Up......But so are You", or "Life Lessons: Things I Want to Pass Down". It will be Biblical based lessons that Granny and Granddaddy Reed taught me growing up. Along with things I wasn't taught, but wish I would have been. I have no illusions of becoming a wealthy author with a huge book deal. I am just being obedient. This is a little scary for me as I will have to become even more transparent than I already am. I have the first chapter written, but I am not sure how long it will take me to write the entire book. Writing in my "spare" time, is not going to get this thing completed any time soon. I will keep you updated on this blog on how it is going and if you have any suggestions for the title, let me know.
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I have a new goal. It is to be 220lbs by the time I am 40. I will be 40 in June and currently weigh 235. I have been killing it in the gym and watching what I eat. I actually bench pressed 245lbs earlier in the week. Not to say that is a big deal for most, but it is for me. A new high mark.
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I have been watching videos a friend of my has been putting together. They are basketball games from my High School days. I was 6'3" 180lbs and had a head full of blonde hair. I had so much fun playing basketball with those guys. It is hard to believe it has been 22 years ago. I miss playing.

You Bought What?

2011-01-11T11:43:00.000-06:00

Time seems to be flying by. It is very hard to believe and very strange that my oldest will be turning 16 this year. Seems like it was yesterday we were buying her a Barbie Jeep, now, we just bought her a car. Stephanie and I have been looking for her a car for awhile. We had even set some money aside incase we found one. Sunday, we found one. Stephanie had already looked at it and as we were headed to see it, I told Steph, a dollar figure I think we should offer for this car. The owners are friends that go to our church. After driving it, the owner quoted me a price $300 lower than his asking price, the exact number I quoted Stephanie. I shook his hand and told him to take the sign out of the window.
It is a 1996 Toyota Camry. It is a nice looking car with very few scratches. Lynna was estatic. I was thrilled we found a car we could pay cash for, Lynna like it and Momma was happy. We let Lynna pick out some seat covers for her "new" car. It is way better than my first car.

Extreme Weekend

2011-01-04T11:02:00.000-06:00

I was very hesitant to go to "Winter Extreme" with the youth group. First of all, I am not a youth pastor. Secondly, it would mean leaving my family home without me (except for Lynna, who was old enough to go). I did go and looking back, I am so glad I did.
       Thirteen total (4 adults and 9 kids), took off Friday morning for Gatlinburg. The cabin was really nice, but the road was nearly straight up to get to it. I am glad the ice and snow had melted. We were able to get to it no problem. The night was filled with laughter, as we watched fire works off the back deck.
       Saturday morning we headed to the convention center to listen to "Unhindered" and Speaker: Josh McDowell. I really enjoyed "Unhindered". They were a praise and worship band that performed every day. Saturday night, was Franchesca B., Matt Pitt and Mercy Me. If you have never heard Matt Pitt, the only was to descibe him is high energy. He is loud and all over the stage. He was fun to watch. Mercy Me came on the stage. I like MM. I am not a huge fan, but I like them. Something happened about half way through their set. It is hard to describe. "Word of God Speak" was the song playing when I felt an overwhelming presence of God in that place. I turned to Bud (one of our youth leaders) and said, "it is thick". He had already felt it. I had no other choice but to stand to my feet, lift my hands and worship my Savior. As I was reflecting back in the cabin, I wondered how many people missed that moment. There were people moving and talking all around me. Sadly, God was moving in that place and people were so busy, they just failed to realize it.
       Sunday morning, Tony Nolan preached, then Newsboys finished the conference. They were awesome. The youth were already talking about going to "Winter Jam" in Nashville. Wonder if they will want me to go?

Tonight Will be Fun!

2010-12-21T13:57:00.000-06:00

Tonight will be fun, for me at least. It is Leah's birthday. She turns eleven today. She is such a blessing. She is a good student, athlete and loves the Lord. She has already had her party, as we took her and seven of her friends to the "Bounce-a-Rue" in Chapel Hill. It is a place with all the blow-up, bounce things. The kids had a blast including Logan. He loved to slide down the slides (head first). But, tonight, I am taking Lynna and Leah to their first Vanderbilt game. They have never expressed an interest in going until recently. They started watching Vandy on TV with me and both said they would like to go to a game. Vanderbilt is playing MTSU in Murfreesboro tonight. I got tickets and even invited Uncle Dan to come along. I think I will have more fun than they will.
       Sunday was another great day at MHBC. We have had at least 130 in worship for three straight weeks. I hope it doesn't fall off at the first of the year. The kids put on a play that brought the meaning of Christmas to life. It was really good and all the kids did a great job.
       I am not sure if it is the Holidays or what, but I have been thinking about my Granny a lot lately. I miss her so much. Seems like I am not the only one as a lot of facebook status updates from family mention her as well. She loved Christmas almost as much as she loved Halloween. My aunt Dottie talked of when she would dance around Granddaddy. Tears welled up in my eyes, as I could see her in the kitchen, hands raised, knees bent, up and down around Granddaddy as he would just stand and grin. She always made Christmas special. Her house was always decorated with lights and a tree. She complained about the decorations and would start taking them down after everyone left Christmas morning. She would say, if me and my brothers weren't there, she wouldn't even have a tree. But, I think she loved it as much as we did. She made the best peanut butter balls. She would make them and hide them in closet till Christmas. She knew I would have eaten them all before the family arrived. The funny thing was, they often got left in the closet until someone asked about them.
       I have so many fond memories of Granny. I guess Christmas just makes me reflect on the important things in life.

Church Update

2010-12-16T09:43:00.000-06:00

       This is a time when most church attendance is down. With the business of Christmas and travel and such, it makes it hard to attend Sunday morning worship services. At MHBC, that has not been the case. The last two Sunday's have been the best crowds we have seen since back in the summer. We have been over 130 in our worship services for both Sunday's. I only hope this Sunday, being the last Sunday before Christmas people will show up that normally only come on Christmas, Easter and Mother's Day. I am excited about the sermon Sunday. It is not your usual Christmas sermon.
       I am still adjusting to not having to drive to Murfreesboro every day. It is a joy to be able to spend time doing what I love and am called to do. I know it sounds crazy, but I enjoy spending the day at the hospital with people from the church. I enjoy calling and checking on the elderly.  I know, I am weird.
       Christmas is fastly approaching. I think the girls will love what "Santa" is bringing them. Logan is going to have some much fun this year. He is old enough to be excited about what he gets. He loves any kind of ball, any kind of book. I hope both of those trends continue. I stayed home yesterday with him, he has been feeling a little rough. I think it is his teeth, but you never know. I love playing with him, reading to him. I miss that with the girls. Yes, I played Barbie and cooked in the play kitchen more than once when Lynna and Leah were little. Logan just want to dump out his huge building blocks and through them around the room, over and over. He does help pick them up.
       He is starting to sit long enough to watch parts of movies. He loves "Cars". He has a "Mater" car he pushes around. We watched "Shark Tales". He likes to dance to the music. He is so much fun.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2010-12-10T11:37:00.000-06:00

December 12, 1992, I stood at the front of a tiny country church that was packed from front to back. There were lawyers, judges, friends and family all present and accounted for. I remember standing in the back with my Granddaddy, and three of my best friends in the whole world, Jason Blackburn, Troy Harrison and Jason Reeves. I was shaking like a leaf, just ready to get this thing over with.
When the song played that we were to come out to, We all began our journey to the stage. When the wedding march played, tears filled my eyes as the most beautiful women I have ever laid eyes on came walking down the aisle with her dad.
the rest of the ceremony is a blur. I do remember my Granddad being so nervous he called Stephanie, Cathy, Jennifer and finally Timothy. Somehow we managed to get through the wedding.
We took a limo to the best Hotel in Murfreeboro where a girls basketball tournament was being held. Girls running up and down the hall and bouncing the balls on our ceiling made for a lovely night.
It is a wonder with that kind of start, we were able to hold on. But, hold on we have.
It hasn't always been easy to be married to me, yet my wife make it look easy.
We have had our fare share of disagreements, but divorce was never an option. She is the best mom to our three kids. I don't think there has ever been a better preacher's wife.
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I can't imagine a life without her. Happy 18 years of marriage Stephanie. I love you like crazy!

Not Sure Where to Begin

2010-12-03T11:46:00.000-06:00

It has been nearly a month, so not sure where to begin. I think I will start with family. As you can see from the picture, Logan is a mess. Notice the pajama's with his boots on. That's my boy! He is so much fun. He is to the stage where he will repeat things you tell him to do. He tells you he loves you. He has a "surprise face" that he will show on command. He is just a blessing. I had to take him to the doctor the other day. He showed out. The nurses were laughing at him dancing and "talking".
       Lynna is making the principals list (straight A's). She is cheering for the high school basketball teams and is a really good kid. Leah, just finished up soccer with another undefeated season. She is about to get her basketball season started. She is an honor roll student (A average). Both girls get their smarts from their mother. Whether in the classroom or court, my girls make me proud.
       The church continues to do well. Averaging around 115 for worship. We had our 2nd annual Leadership Dinner last night at Legends. I enjoy being around those people. They understand that small mindedness will destroy a church. You must grow, not just to have bigger numbers, but to make a bigger impact. The choir is getting geared up for our Christmas celebration on the 12th. They are even going on the road to sing at Wartrace Baptist that night!
       We are starting to put together GROW teams. I am really looking for this to take our church to the next level. I have never seen so many people that want to see this church grow and make a difference in this community.

It's the Same, Just Different

2010-11-11T13:06:00.000-06:00

People have asked me all week, "how does it feel to be full time?" I don't know how to respond. I always felt like I was "full-time". I still went to the hospitals. I still preached funerals. I just had a secular job to go to every day. I usually grin and tell them it is great. Deep down inside, it is still very, very scary. I have no safety blanket to fall back on. This is it. This is so unlike me. God has dragged me so far out of my comfort zone. Even when I had a "real job", I would try my best to not depend on people to get results. If I could do it on my own, that was the path I chose. As a pastor, I can't do it on my own. I have to depend on the people of the church to listen to God and follow His direction. If God doesn't show up, it is doomed to fail. But, coming into the presence of God, changes everything. I have peace that I did the right thing, but it is still a little scary.
I am really enjoying the freedom. I am still getting up and taking my kids to school and daycare. But, now I head to the gym. After the gym, I head to the church. I love coming to the church alone. It is quiet and cool. Praying out loud, walking the sanctuary, knowing God is near and listening to my every word. It doesn't get much better than that.

Crazy Train

2010-10-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

I am not an Ozzy fan, but I have been to enough ball games to hear the song "Crazy Train" a time or two. I feel like I am not only a passenger, but I am driving the thing!

Stephanie continues to get better every day. The doctor did tell us Tuesday that it was cancer, but consider herself cured. I considered her cured as soon as they told her she had a mass on her kidney.

From the strange to the ridiculous, I have turned in my two week notice at work. I have worked at General Mills for 14+ years. Friday, November 5th, is my last day. I have wanted to go into full-time ministry ever since I answered the call 17 years ago, but never took that chance. Now is the time.

The "plan" was to wait till Jan, to go full time. God had other plans. Wednesday night of revival, I was telling the church about Joshua (Chapter 10). He prayed that the sun would stand still. He needed to finish this battle and knew he couldn't in the dark. The next verse says, "The sun stood still". For an entire day, the sun stood still in the sky, allowing Joshua to win the battle. I stood before the church, telling them that God was willing to make the sun stand still over their marriage, over their finances, over their health. "Tonight is your night for a miracle". I then proceeded to wrestle with God for the next hour, over leaving my job. God spoke very clear to me. "You are going to have to believe your own preaching". Ouch. I told God, the church is not ready for me to go full time. He replied, "The church doesn't supply your needs, I do." I turned in my notice the next day.

I was unsure if the church would embrace it or not. I spoke with my deacons, I made sure they knew, I was not trying to force their hand. I was just being obedient. I honestly didn't know how God was going to do it, I just had the assurance He would. The leadership has decided to get behind this crazy vision.

I am fully aware this is not the time to be quitting a "secure" job. But, I have played it "safe" for a long time. "Safe" feels good, comfortable. There are days I am very fearful. There are days I am overwhelmed with questions. I am not sure what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds my hand.

Stephanie, Revival, Red Bull (In that Order)

2010-10-19T13:18:00.001-05:00

I can't begin to tell you how much I am thankful for the prayers that went up on behalf of my wife. Let me tell you how amazing it went.

We arrive at the hospital at 5:30am. She gets all her veins poked and prodded and gets ready for surgery. The doctor comes in to answer questions. I ask him if I can pray for him. After I pray, he looks at Stephanie and says, "My team will pray for you before the knife drops". I leave to go to the waiting room and wait for the nurse to call. She calls about 45 minutes later to let me know, they were 20 minutes into the surgery and she would call me in an hour to give me an update.

The surgery was suppose to last 2-4 hours. 30 minutes after the nurse called, the doctor walks out to the waiting room to let me know he is finished. It took 45 minutes. Very little blood loss. She was only under for less than an hour. Other than being sore, she did fantastic.

Revival! Revival!! Revival!!! As I have been shouting for a while, Brady Weldon is preaching our fall revival. It started Sunday morning and then Sunday night through Wednesday night. The first three services have been phenomenal. The altar has been 3 and 4 people deep all the way across the church. Strongholds are being broken. Pasts are being let go. Hearts are being mended. I am still blown away that more people have not shown up. The crowds have been decent, 95, 75, 86, but it could and needs to be so much higher. The Lord is moving in this place, and I am saddened that people are willing to let this moment pass them by. I HAVE NEVER FELT THE SPIRIT OF GOD SO STRONG AS I DID LAST NIGHT AT MHBC!

You still have a chance to come. Tonight and tomorrow night is it. Bring your hurts. Bring your pain. Bring your failures. Bring your past. God is ready to do something tonight.

Due to my situation (my wife's surgery, late nights being wired after the services), I am drained. I need a diet Mt. Dew and a Diet Red Bull, on the rocks please.

Revival Cometh!

2010-10-12T13:13:00.000-05:00

Before we get to Revival, I need to give some props to my kids.

Lynna and Leah both came home with report cards. Lynna made Principals List and Leah made Honor Roll (one B). I am very proud of both of them for their hard work.

Leah had a soccer game Saturday. She scored her first goal of the year. She plays "defender". As a defender, you don't get to score. You keep the others from scoring. When our team gets ahead by a good margin, Leah gets to play "striker". They get to shoot. There is a drill that her coach makes them do, both at practice and before the each game. One kicks the ball toward their teammate, the teammate practices kicking the ball in the goal on the run. Not stopping and kicking, just kicking the rolling ball toward the goal. That very thing happened in the game. the middle striker, "passed" the ball toward Leah and while running toward the goal, she kicked it right past the goalie into the far corner of the goal. A really nice play.

Friday (15th), Stephanie will no longer be able to donate a kidney. She will have her right kidney removed due to a mass on (or in) it. Prayers are greatly appreciated. It is a long recovery, but she should be able to function normally with one kidney. I am thankful for caring people who have asked to help watch my kids, clean my house, feed my family and etc. I have an amazing group of friends and family.

Sunday (17th) MHBC will be starting our fall revival. I am so excited to have Brady Weldon coming and preaching. He is an amazing man of God with a passion to see God work in the lives of broken people. I pray the church will be over flowing with people needing a touch from my heavenly Father. It starts Sunday morning at 11:00. Sunday night thru Wednesday night at 6:30.

I Feel Amazing

2010-10-05T12:08:00.000-05:00

Not sure what happened last night. I went to bed late. I was expecting a restless sleep. What I got was an amazing night. Logan has been waking up here lately. Not completely waking up, just crying out. Just one cry, every hour or so. Not sure if he is dreaming or what? It usually doesn't warrant me getting out of bed, but it does wake me up. I am not a big fan of interrupted sleep. Last night, before I went to bed, I covered him up, prayed over him (again) and climbed into my bed.

I slept so good that I was awake and singing before my alarm went off. I had to wake Logan up this morning to get him ready for daycare. It is amazing how much better I feel with a good nights sleep.

My wife is away for a couple of days on business, so I get to remember how much I need her. Last night, I had to warm up supper (Steph had already fixed it), feed Logan, give him a bath, clean up the kitchen, do laundry, check homework, sign agenda, etc. It is a lot easier doing half of that (okay, 1/3) while Steph, does the rest. All of it was tough.

Over the month of Oct. we will be passing out "Boom-Sticks" to all three area high schools to be passed out at the football games. They have our church name and website on them. I am looking forward to tracking our site and see if traffic picks up. If it does, than we can justify other things in the future.

Saturday was so much fun. Very rarely can my entire family have a day to spend together. Saturday, we had a soccer game in Franklin. Leah's team dominated again. We then took off to TJ MAXX. I was looking for some Vandy apparel. Score! We also found Logan a Vandy hat (on clearance!). Made our way to Murfreesboro for a couple more stops before eating Mexican.

MHBC's revival is quickly approaching. I can't wait to have Brady Weldon come and preach.

On a sad note, it seems as if Church has decreased over the past several weeks. We went from averaging 130 down to around 100. A couple of Sunday's ago we had 75 in the sanctuary for worship. Not sure what is happening, but I hope it turns around soon. I know if we all show up on the same Sunday, the church will not hold us all.

How Will You be Remembered?

2010-09-28T11:35:00.001-05:00

One thing that I am reminded of on a daily basis is the fact this life will come to an end. Whether we want it to or not, life is here one minute and gone the next. I've been reflecting on that fact for the past couple of weeks. I keep asking this question:
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If today was my last here on earth, how would I be remembered verses how I want to be remembered?
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Twenty something years ago when I hung up my high tops, I knew how I wanted to be remembered as a basketball player. Someone who loved to be part of a team. Someone who loved to come to practice. Someone who took pride in playing defense and taking charges. Unselfish as a player. Someone who hated to lose. I worked really hard for that reputation. My high school coach still to this day, tells his players about my senior year and how I took 20 charges. One of my greatest memories was winning the region tournament and walking off the floor with a "ALL REGIONAL" trophy in my hand. The other team's coaches had to vote on that award. I remember walking up to my dad and him hugging me. He was proud to be my dad.
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But, how do I want to be remembered in life? Someone who loves God and his family. Someone who has a passion for the lost. Someone who my heavenly Father can look down on and be proud to say, "That's my son".
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The problem is, I am not sure that is how people will remember me, if it all ended today. I love my God and my Savior, but can people see that? I love my wife and my kids and will do anything to protect them. But, can people see that? Does my family see that?
I will admit, when I played basketball, I would often throw caution to the wind. There was more than one time I played with a black and blue ankle that no one knew about but me. I would be willing to stand tall and get run over by a guy running toward the basket, so I could take a charge. I was willing to take risks. In life, as I look back, I haven't taken too many risks. In ministry, I have played it safe. I often joke that I have no feelings left, but when they do get hurt, I often retreat and don't "play hurt".
In ministry, I play "not to lose" instead of "playing to win."
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Some days I wonder if I have even made a dent. After 16 years in the ministry, I still struggle with acceptance , self-esteem, self-confidence.
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I struggle with......how I will be remembered?

ENERGY!

2010-09-21T14:27:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying it is my wife's and Granddaddy's birthday. They are 50 years apart. Happy Birthday to two of my favorite people on the planet.

Secondly, I bought a memory foam mattress for our bed Saturday. It is early, but that may be the best purchase of my life. Our mattress was about 10 years old. It wasn't very good when we bought it. A couple of years ago we tried to make it last by putting an egg shell topper on it. With my wife's ailing back and hip, and my lack of recovery time, I took matters in my own hands. I did the research. I talked to people. I found one I liked and bought it.

It is amazing. It is beyond amazing. I use to wake up, still dead tired from tossing and turning all night. My days were just terrible because of my nights sleep or lack there of. Sunday night was comfortable, but felt like a hotel room. Sunday night was good, I had slept better. Monday and beyond have been outstanding. I woke up this morning in the same position I went to sleep in. I wake up energized. I feel good through out the day. I am loving this new mattress. Stephanie seems to be feeling better too.

Sunday was a welcome sight. Quite a few folks were back at church and the sanctuary was full again. We have plenty of things coming up in Oct and I can't wait!

Silver Lining

2010-09-14T13:58:00.000-05:00

If there is a silver lining in my weekend, it was the fact that Leah, my 10 year old, now likes watching football. She, along with the other females in the house have always given me a hard time for spending countless, mind-numbing hours watching football. I was shocked when she announced Saturday, "Daddy, I want to watch the Cowboys game with you Sunday night." Stephanie and Lynna went into another room and watched a movie. Leah and I got comfortable on the couch to watch the Cowboys and Redskins.
We were watching the game, and she was asking questions about different things. I was really enjoying talking to her about the game. Then, on one particular play, the Cowboys huddled behind the line of scrimmage. Leah asked, "Daddy, are they praying?" I had to crack up a little bit as I explained to her Romo is calling the play so everyone knows where to go and what to do.
She made it to half-time before her bedtime. She woke up Monday and was disappointed when I told them they lost.
After I brain-wash Logan, we may have the majority in the house.

As far as the game goes, with Washington, you just never know. Records don't matter. The better team doesn't always win in this series. It was one game. We will get back on track this week when Jay Cutler (Vandy grad) and "Da Bears" comes to town.

ALZ Time Again

2010-09-10T08:32:00.000-05:00

I signed up to walk in the Alzheimer's Memory Walk again this year. I got a really late start. Normally I get emails telling me to register well in advance, but I got nothing this year. It is less than a month away and I haven't even started fundraising. So I got busy this week. I tried a different approach at work and have gotten great results. Since General Mills is a corporate sponsor I figured they would care if I sent a mass email to the plant. I do it every year with not a lot of result. This year I made it personal. Below is a copy of the email I sent to the plant:

Every year I try to make a difference in the fight against Alzheimer’s. It is that time of year again. I just want to share the reason I do this every year. My Grandmother raised my two brothers and myself. She took us in when we were 6, 12, and 18. Her and my Grandfather took care of us until all 3 were married and out of the house. She was my hero. She taught me life lessons that I try to pass on to my three kids. She passed away June 21st, 2006 of this terrible disease. My youngest never got to meet his “Granny”. Hopefully with your help, there will be a cure found. I have a goal of $500. You can help is several ways.

• Click the link below and donate
• Click the link below and join my team and walk with me (Oct 2).
• Drop by my desk and donate to the cause.
• Send a note of encouragement
• Thank General Mills for being a corporate sponsor!

My donation page

Thanks for your time.

I even inserted the picture of Granny and I for good measure. I have a goal of $500. Not much, but with the lack of time thought it was a pretty good goal. In two days, I have received over $300 in donations. Even the plant manager and several of the Plant Leadership Team has brought me cash.

If any of my readers want to donate, feel free to click the link.

Bold Predictions for NFL!

2010-09-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

These were my bold predictions last year. I struck through the one I missed.

~~DeMarcus Ware will be defensive MVP of the league~~
Felix Jones will be the feature back before the end of the year
Jason Witten is the best tight end in the NFL
Dallas breaks the playoff win drought
Tony Romo will have an MVP type year (won't get MVP due to the man crush people have on Brady and Manning)
Eagles will not make the playoffs
Giants are over hyped
DALLAS IS BACK ON TOP OF THE NFC

Here are my bold predictions for this year:

When I am at the Dericksons watching the Super Bowl, my beloved Cowboys will be playing in it.
Romo has another fantastic year (MVP worthy)
Dez Bryant is offensive Rookie of the Year
DeMarcus Ware leads the league in sacks (He is a beast).
Dallas repeats as NFC East Champs

Last year I didn't have them in the Super Bowl. I thought they were one year away. I am selling out this year. Dallas wins the Super Bowl in their home stadium!!!!

Total Access

2010-08-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

It has been too long since I have posted. Not sure if it was a lack of energy or inspiration or a combination of both.

I wanted to share a thought I had Sunday. I was preaching from Romans 5:1-5. Verse two is where I want to focus.

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

I am trying to wrap my mind around the fact we have complete access to our heavenly Father. It wasn't always that way, as the Old Testament taught that God revealed Himself behind a curtain in a place only the High Priest could go and only once a year, on the day of atonement. But, the good news is when Jesus died, the veil (or curtain) was torn from top to bottom. It broke the wall of separation between God and man. Now the New Testament teaches that we can come "boldly" before the throne of grace (Heb 4:16). Here is the kicker. It is not based on anything except my relationship with God. It is not because I deserve access. It is not because I am a preacher and a pastor. It is because I am His son.

I shared this Sunday to make the point: If you call me, I may or may not take your call, based on how I feel or what I am doing at the time. But if I look at my phone and it is one of my kids calling me, I will answer it. I will answer it if I am in a meeting or on visitation or really busy. Why? Because they are my kids. They are important to me. My stuff can wait. If my kids need me, they have access when others don't!

It is the same way with my heavenly Father. I am important to Him. I have access.

Some Days Your the Windshield.

2010-08-16T10:10:00.001-05:00

Ever the heard the saying, "Sometimes your the windshield, sometimes the bug."? There are a lot of days I feel like the bug. Sunday's driving home from church, it is like a blur. Often asking the question, "What just happened?" I feel a lot of times like I am not cut out for the job. I feel inadequate, unprepared.

Then there are days like yesterday. The music was good. Our special singing (Lindsey Harris) was awesome. I preached until I had no voice left and we baptized 4. We ended the service with an altar prayer for a dear lady who has been out sick for quite some time.

I left church exhausted. I left everything at the church. I felt really good about the things that just transpired. That is not always the case, but it sure makes for a great day when it all flows and comes together.
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Stephanie and I had a date night Friday night. No kids, just the two of us. We went to Outback Steak House and had a wonderful meal. With three kids, we don't get too many opportunities to hang out and enjoy one another. After Outback, we went to the Aeropostale store. Lynna has to wear uniforms (solid color polo shirts). She only wants to wear Aero, which is fine when you have a shopper like my wife. We bought, 8 polos, 1 pair of shorts, and 2 other non polo shirts for $93. The kicker is with her 30% off coupon and finding the polos on sale, we saves $183. Can't beat that with a stick!

Some More Honesty

2010-08-13T12:13:00.000-05:00

I got to be honest in this post. I am messed up. I have posted that before. But this time is different. I am messed up because of my parents. I am messed up because of choices I make and have made in the past. I am messed up because I am human. The last few days, I have really been messed up. God has rocked my world.

I just finished Frances Chan's book, Crazy Love. It was a really good book that constantly challenged me. I came across a statement that shook me. I have lost sleep over it. I have mulled over it. I have prayed over it. I have cried over it. I have talked with trusted friends about it.

The statement Chan wrote was not even a challenge, just a statement. It wasn't even the focus of the chapter. It was Chan saying that sometimes he prays "Whatever it takes God to get me closer to you....do it."

At first glance, I thought to myself, I have prayed that before. No big deal. I started to utter the words and about the same time, Logan jabbers to me.

I was home with Logan for two straight days because of a low grade fever. As I was trying to pray that prayer, God spoke to me, through Logan. it was almost as to say, ARE YOU SURE? Are you sure you can say, "Whatever it takes?"

My mind began to race as tears filled my eyes. I remember what it took for David to get closer to God (2 Sam 12:18). I know what God ask of Abraham to prove his loyalty (Gen 22:5-18).

I want desperately to get closer to Him. I am just not sure what it will take and am I ready for whatever it takes?

Jesus Loves Me

2010-08-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I was taught a song called "Jesus Loves Me". The lyrics have stuck with me all these years:

Jesus loves me this I know

for the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

they are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

For the Bible tells me so.

I guess the reason I remember this song is the powerful, but simplistic lyrics. Every once in a while, I need a reminder of the fact that Jesus loves me. Let's be honest. When I step back and take an honest look at myself, there is not a lot to love.

I am selfish. I am self-centered. I am forgetful. I am hard to love. Yet, Jesus loves me. Understand, He doesn't love me just because I trusted Him to be Lord and Saviour.

The Bible says, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)

Did you catch that? Before I came to a saving knowledge of Jesus, He already loved me.

Why is that so significant? I didn't do anything to earn His love. He freely gave it.

Carnival Night was a Success

2010-08-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

MHBC decided to have a "Back to School" carnival night for the kids. To say is was a success would be an understatement. We had carnival food, corn dogs, snow cones, etc. We had carnival games, pony rides, dunking booth, face painting, etc. There was even cake walks. Every station had a chance to win tickets. the tickets then could be redeemed for school supplies. There was no cost to play the games and a great way to get school supplies.

I was in the dunking booth most of the night. The water was from Duck River, brown, hot, nasty water. The first kid up hit the target 3 straight times! No sooner than I got back up till he knocked me back down. The little ones would try to hit the target, but if that didn't work, they just ran and pushed the button to watch me go into the water. I didn't count, but I am sure I climbed in and out of that tank a hundred times or more. It was tiring, but well worth it.

I think the "cake walks" might have been the hit of the night. Kids and adults alike stood in line for their chance at a cake. Some were homemade. Some were store bought, but all were snatched up in delight by the last person standing!

I saw a BUNCH of kids there last night. Some of them I have never seen before. Maybe, along with their parents, they will come back for a service. I will have some pictures to post soon.

Monday Hangover

2010-08-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

I have been fighting this sinus mess for awhile. For some reason, Wal-Mart has run short on their "Equate Cold and Sinus" medication. I have looked at two different Wal-Mart's for a week and both are sold out. I refuse to buy the Advil brand since it is twice as much. So, the pain continues.

Yesterday something happened to me in the pulpit. I must admit, I am slow. I know this. I accept this as fact. God knows this too. He allows me to preach certain things that don't really register with me until I say them out loud. I know that sounds strange, but it is true. I will try to explain.

Yesterday, I was telling the congregation at MHBC that if we were to deposit a million dollars into our banking account, we would be treated like millionaires. Those of us that are "born again" Christians, have an account set up for us. It is filled with God's grace, mercy and love. Because all of that was deposited in my account (and my sin debt paid) when I accepted Christ as my Saviour, I am treated, not like a millionaire, but a son of the most high God.

I know that sounds simple, and I understood that from the beginning, but when I explained that yesterday, I got choked up. I almost lost it. When I think about my sin debt. It was so great I couldn't pay it. Jesus stepped in and paid my debt for me. God then placed love, grace, favor and mercy in the account that once held my sin. Now I get to live under that umbrella.

I am treated like His son.

Speaking of son's, we had Logan's 1st birthday party Saturday. We had about 40 or so people show up. It was good to see my brothers and their kids together. We don't all get together very often. Logan loved his cake and playing in the water. He got so many toys and clothes, he didn't even know what to do.
His favorite toy is a little shaker that came with the party favors.....go figure.

I Don't Know How I Feel

2010-07-30T14:07:00.000-05:00

The news was not the best in the world Monday. As Stephanie and I were sitting in the doctor's office Monday, he came in to give her his opinion. "It is a tumor on your kidney, and your kidney must come out." As the doctor kept looking at Stephanie in amazement. He even stopped his explanation to comment that she was taking this really calmly.

We have shared this news with family Monday night and the church Wednesday night. My wife is a rock. As word began to trickle out more and more people are approaching me asking me questions that quite frankly, I don't have the answers to.

There is not a lot that bothers me. I don't lay awake very often worrying about anything. I trust in God. I believe He knows what is best for Stephanie. For some reason, I feel a lot of pressure. With work obligations, church obligations, family obligations, my days and nights are just running together.

But, (Pastor) Scott, you are suppose to be "tuned in", "prayed up", and have "peace that passes all understanding". I know. That is what is bothering me more than anything is the lack of peace.

Who wants their best friend to have to go through pain and suffering (I am assuming the removal of your kidney will cause some discomfort, but I can't speak from experience)?

There are moments that I feel God's presence, His hand on me, but those are few and far between.

The doctor assured us both, that this is no big deal. A two hour or less surgery, no chemo, no treatments, just go in and remove a kidney. "I do it everyday." But, you don't do it on my wife everyday!

I have had people stop me at work ,who don't know anything about my wife, and ask me, "Are you okay?" My response is always, "Yes!", but the truth is....I don't know.

I know God is sovereign. I know God is faithful. I know God is merciful.

What I don't know is God's plan.

Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Florida Rewind

2010-07-28T12:12:00.000-05:00

I didn't really have a chance to post the full story yesterday. It was also Logan's Birthday so I didn't want to clutter the page up with stuff no one cares about anyway. The next little bit is an outline of our Florida trip. Probably more for me, so I can look back and remember the wonderful time we had. So, if you are not living vicariously through my family, this may get boring.

Day 1:

Day one could be Saturday or Sunday depending on which way you look at it. The ladies got up and went and got their hair cut and their nails done while Logan and I finished packing the Tahoe. When everyone got home, we headed to Murfreesboro for eye appointments. After supper, we felt it was the best opportunity to head to Florida since it was Logans bed time. We ended up getting to PCB around 3 am. We just all found somewhere to lay down and collapsed for a few hours. Logan did so good on the ride and slept a good portion of it.
After grabbing a quick breakfast from BK, we headed to the beach. It was the first time the girls (and Logan) had ever been to Florida, much less the beach. The beach was clean and beautiful. The water was clear and the girls loved the ocean. It was not crowded at all. A good time was had by all except Logan. He was not a big fan of the sand or the waves. He didn't mind if I held him and we walked into the ocean together.
Lunch was at Margaretaville. Great atmosphere, pretty decent food, but our waiter stunk. After lunch we swam in the pool for a bit.

Day 2:

Breakfast in the condo. We then headed out to find the boats to take us to shell Island. Shell Island might have been my favorite part of the trip. It was a beach with nothing on it. People brought coolers and stayed all day on the open beach. We found a pop up sun shelter at Wal-Mart that was a life saver on Shell Island. It was beautiful, watching the dolphins play in the distance. Again, the water was crystal clear. The girls and Steph took of exploring for shells while Logan and I would take turns swimming and hanging out under the sun shade. Supper was at "The Back Porch". I had a lobster stuffed, Mahi-Mahi. It was fabulous. After supper the girls did a little shopping at Pier Park.

Day 3:

We got up and went to Gulf World. It was a scaled down Sea World. We all loved the dolphin show. Logan got too hot and cut our trip there a little short (after the dolphins, everything else was boring). We decided to try Pineapple Willy's for supper. We had gotten mixed reviews on the food and prices and such. Lynna (and I) wanted a t-shirt anyway, so we went for supper. Just like every place before, we were able to walk in and be seated without waiting. We got a seat out on the pier. The weather was great. The scenery was beautiful. I couldn't ask for more. I got the Flounder basket. It was really good. My kids don't like sea food unless it comes from Captain D's, so Lynna had an order of fries.

Day 4:

Last full day, so we basically hung out at the pool and beach all day. We took some really good family photos on the beach that evening and then went to the Olive Garden for supper. The whole family loves Olive Garden. Some last minute shopping to spend the last of the allowances was in order.

Day 5:

One last trip the ocean and the pool before lunch and then headed back home to TN. We had such a great time. There were a lot of people that helped make this trip possible. I am thankful for each one of them.

PCB, VBS and Happy Birthday!!!

2010-07-27T07:55:00.000-05:00

It is so hard to believe it has actually been a year. But, the one in the middle, my buddy Logan, is a year old. We are having a little get together Saturday to really celebrate. He has been such a blessing to me. I was working 2nd and 3rd shift when the other two were little. Stephanie got to raise them on her own. Now, I get to take Logan to daycare and feed him and give him a bath. I did take turns getting up with him when he was small. I love being a dad. It is one of the greatest blessings God has ever given me.

Sunday we baptized 5. We were suppose to baptize 6, but one was out of town. 5 of the 6 were saved during our VBS.

Stephanie and I took the family to Panama City Beach this past week. It was the first time the kids had been to Florida. We had the best time. We ate, swam, slept, and shopped. It was so much fun. Logan surprisingly did well on the long trip to and from. Logan loved the pools, but was not real fond of the sand.

2010-07-14T12:46:00.000-05:00

We are knee deep in Vacation Bible School at Midland Heights. We have seen 5 young lives changed during these VBS nights. Some may say, "They are too young." or "They really don't know what they are doing." I believe these 5 people knew exactly what they were doing. I am not the kind of preacher that ask the audience to bow their heads and close their eyes and ask who wants to be saved. I let the little ones come to me. I take them to my office. I speak with them one on one. I ask them what sin is. If they can't tell me what sin is, then why would they need forgiveness from it? All five of these kids could tell me exactly what sin is and which sins they needed forgiveness from. They knew and understood the ABC's of salvation (Admit, Believe, and Confess). Each one said their own prayer, as I don't believe in "repeat after me" prayers. They parents (or grandparents) all told me afterwards that they have been asking questions. It has been a great VBS with one more night to go.

Saturday night, my family will pack up the Tahoe and leave for the great state of Florida. So many things have fallen into place that allowed us to go. I have to believe this is of God. We got a great deal on a place to stay (thanks to a church member). Panama City Beach has not been affected by the oil spill in the Gulf. I have an awesome church that can handle me being gone (thanks Bud for filling in). The timing was perfect between camps, ball and VBS. This is the first time Lynna, Leah and Logan will ever stick their feet in the ocean, and I will get to be there to see it. I am going to "let my hair down" and enjoy my time away. It is going to be a great week.

Back From Vacation #1

2010-07-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

I took off work last week. Well, I took off from my "real job" last week. Stephanie and I were suppose to go to Florida with a couple from the church, but things happened and it didn't work out. No use taking my vacation off the books at work. I still took off.

I went to the doctor one day. I needed my bp medicine refilled and the doctor wouldn't do it until I went to see her. The nurse took my bp (which was right on target) and told me to step into the other room. I asked her if she was going to weigh me? She then put me on the scale and I was at 235. The last time I was there, I weighed 251.

I didn't do too much on my vacation. I mowed the yard. I went to the pool. I slept late. I played softball. I read. I enjoyed my time off with the kids (an my lovely wife for a long weekend).

Speaking of softball, I did something the other night I have never done. I hit two home runs (over the fence) in the same game. I am not sure if it the gym paying off or it is technology. I have an awesome bat. It is a Mutant (by Worth). The sweet spot must be growing. This is the 3rd season I have used it and one of the home runs I hit, I hit right off the handle. Last night, I hit one off the very end of the bat, same result. Most of the home runs are are going out at the deepest part of the park, dead center field. We still are not winning, but it does make playing a little more fun.

Sunday night (27th of June), we had a fellowship at the pavilion behind our church. We rented a huge water slide and the kids had a blast. With no sermon or invitation, we had a little boy get saved. It made for a great night. His entire family joined the church Sunday as he made his profession of faith public.

We got another great blessing as the family is planning a vacation in a couple of weeks. My kids have never been to the ocean and Steph and I wanted to take them. We were trying to decide where to go and where to stay when a man from church offered his family condo in Panama City Beach for a killer price. The kids are excited. The wife is excited. I am excited. It is going to be a wonderful trip.

Choices. Choices. Choices.

2010-06-24T12:40:00.000-05:00

Wednesday was Lynna's birthday. We still go to church on Wednesday. We did take the time to go out to eat before church and let the birthday girl pick the place. She wanted to go to Captain D's. Captain D's is not the place to go if you are trying to count your calories. Not only does their broccoli taste terrible, but it cost more to eat baked Tilapia than it does to eat the 3 piece fish (Cod deep fried) with double fries and hush puppies.

The choice comes down to, eat healthier, pay more, eat crappy broccoli and not be happy because I am looking at Lynna's deep fried cod or give in since we don't eat at Captain D's very often and spend less and be happier (until I start feeling the effects of the deep fried cod). I compromised (somewhat). I ate the 2 piece fish. I made better choices for breakfast and lunch and had a great work out this morning.

The same thing can be said about sin. When I make bad food choices, most of the time, I don't feel well. My body wants me to eat healthy. When I don't, I feel the affects. My Spirit wants me to make good choices as well. When I don't, my spirit hurts. The sin and the food might have been enjoyable for a fleeting moment, but then I regret the choices I made.

Better choices = Better mood, spiritually and physically.

I Don't Act Old enough to Have a 15 Year Old!

2010-06-23T11:55:00.000-05:00

I can remember the day. I was watching The Fresh Prince of Bell Aire, while my wife was pushing with all she had. Suddenly, after 12 hours of labor, Lynna Breanne Reed was born. I still remember trying to wipe the tears from eyes as I went to tell the families that the first grandchild and niece was born. She was a healthy, beautiful baby, with all her fingers and toes. I was so proud to show her off. That was fifteen years ago today. I still am proud of her. She is a straight A student. She is a cheer leader for the Community High School's basketball and football teams. She is on the yearbook staff. But, the one thing that makes me the most proud is she is a born again Christian.

A pastor friend of mine sent me an email stating, "Lynna is going to change the world for Christ" I sure hope so.

Happy Birthday Lynna. No matter how old you get or independent you become, you will always be my "Lynna Bug". I love you!!!

Father's Day Fun

2010-06-21T11:46:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest honors ever bestowed on me was when God allowed me to become a dad. Almost 15 years ago Lynna was born. Since then, two more have entered this world. I will forever be known to them as dad. I love being a dad. I get so much pleasure out of embarrassing Lynna. I figure that is my right as her dad. Friday night she had a bowling party for her birthday. I bowled a strike and began to do "the white boy dance" in the middle of the lane.
My family went swimming and then out to eat Saturday for Father's Day. Sunday's are busy for us so we went Saturday instead. I did not get to open my gift until Sunday. It was a couple of fake Under Armor (Starter brand, just as good at half the cost) sleeveless shirts. I like to wear them under my softball uniform to keep it from sticking to me when I sweat. It was a very thoughtful, useful gift.
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Sunday at MHBC we honored the father's with a coffee mug with the name of the church on it. I got the kids to pas them out to all the dad's. Our crowd was down for worship. Vacations and the fact it was Father's Day probably played into it. I preached a message on "Taking a Risk". It was the story of Bartameus. You can listen to it at http://www.midlandheightsbc.org/ . Be sure to send me any feed back from the sermon.
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Lynna, Leah and Logan. The greatest gifts I could ever as for. I love you guys.

Marriage.....Does it go Both Ways?

2010-06-17T14:40:00.001-05:00

I was preparing for Wednesday night and began to read the 5th chapter of Ephesians. It always seems to put me under conviction. The chapter talks about wives submitting to husbands and husbands loving their wife like Christ loved the church. I began to think of the things Christ did to show His love for the church. It was not just a matter of willing to die for the church, but He protected her. He nourished her. He provided for her. He cherished her. He honored her.

the way the Scripture is written, I am suppose to do those things (nourish, protect, provide for, cherish, honor) REGARDLESS of how my wife treats me. My wife, according to Scripture is suppose to submit to me, REGARDLESS of how I act.

I know this is not a very popular opinion, but it is Biblical.

Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Do you see the fine print that says "Wives submit only if you husband is treating you right" or "Husbands love your wives like Christ only if she is submitting to your authority." NO, because it is not there. There is no fine print.

Here is what I think. If I love my wife like Christ loves the church, my wife will be happy to submit to my authority. But, even is she doesn't, I still must love her with an unconditional love.

Eph 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. (KJV)

Here is the verse that drew my attention. That word that the KJV translates as "reverence" is translated "respect" in the NKJV and NIV. The original translation is "to be in awe of". It could read, "the wife see that you are in awe of her husband". My question is what makes a wife be "in awe" of her husband?

After asking my wife. Here is her response: "To be a husband who truly loves his wife just as Christ loves us and is willing to give up everything for her and his family. . .. That is what I'm "IN AWE" of. A sacrificial love . . . that's the kind of love God calls us to have for each other & Scott your are 'AWED" I guess you just didn't realize it. "

I love my wife. She is easy to love with an unconditional, sacrificial love.

Birthday Fun

2010-06-16T08:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I turned 39. Yes, that is my real age. My wife's grandmother told me, "I thought you were well into your 40's." I am not trying to "hang on" to the 30's, that is my real age.
Yesterday Steph and I took off and we decided to take the kids to the pool. I really was not sure how Logan would do. He is okay in the tub, but acts like he could take it or leave it. He loved the pool. He loved to splash and kick, even if the water hit his face, he would just keep on slashing. He had so much fun. When we got home, he passed out in his bed.
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Finished up the night with a couple of softball games. We won the first one (the other team didn't show up). The second game was a lot of fun. We lost, but it was a battle that lasted the full 7 innings. I went 3 for 5 with a home run. If it wasn't for a few bad defensive plays, we might have won that game.
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I am so looking forward to Sunday. We need a crowd at MHBC.

Good Times

2010-06-14T09:07:00.000-05:00

I had a surprise for MHBC. I brought in Pastor Tre Faulkner from Illuminate Church in Murfreesboro, TN. I just enjoy being around this guy. He brought it Sunday morning and we ended up with an altar full. Sunday night, we had a fellowship under the pavilion. IT WAS HOT! We still had 76 people show up for our praise night. Pastor Tre brought it again last night. We had such a good time in spite of the heat.
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Sunday afternoon between services, my wife's family got together for June birthday's. Having a June birthday myself, I got to be honored with gifts. My wife always knows just what to get me (I always make sure there is no doubt she knows what I want). She bought me a Tony Romo action figure and a book that I have been wanting to read.
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I got up this morning and was expecting to see a gain. I did get in a couple of good workouts, but it was my birthday party and a church fellowship. I was expecting the worse. I was down to 234.5! that means I have broken the double digits! I have lost a total of 10.5lbs!
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I am so excited about this coming Sunday at MHBC!

Trying to Put it All Together

2010-06-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying, I have been asked by 4 different people if I have lost weight.

For about 2 years I would head to the gym and work out for 45-60 minutes a day, three to five days a week. No one ever asked, if I work out or have I lost weight. I think it is because I still ate what I wanted to. I basically worked out so I could eat what I wanted to.

Fast forward to now. I can't leave to go the gym. I have been trying to go twice a week, before work. There was a two week period where I never stepped foot in the gym. But, I have changed my eating habits. I eat a lot of protein. I try not to eat desserts. I have been losing a pound here and there, but nothing huge. I have jeans that are 36 inch waist and also some that are 34 inch waist. The 36 inch waist jeans look like a family have moved out of my butt.

I am hoping to put my workouts and my eating habits together. I was down a 1.5lbs this week. I had gained a 1.5lbs last week. 236lbs is where I stand.
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Take a risk. That is the message I have been given from God Almighty. Stop playing it safe. Come into My presence. The next two Sunday's are going to rock Midland Heights Baptist Church.

I am going to be obedient and "Take a Risk".

Am I Too Competitive?

2010-06-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

It doesn't seem to matter what I play, anything from Madden to softball, I want to win. It doesn't matter who I am playing, my kids, my wife or my brothers. I want to win. I am a very sore loser. I try to hide it. I try to smile and shake it off and be the one telling everybody, "It will be alright. We will get them next time."

Last night just got the best of me. Playing softball for the city league is a tall order anyway. We are a church team. We don't have the quality of players from top to bottom as most other teams. Most teams out there, are tournament teams that have been together for awhile. Doesn't matter. I want to win.

We may get better as the season goes on. I am hoping so, but last night was awful. We made so many errors in the field. We were just giving the other team run after run. It seems we have a tough time recovering when one makes an error, we all start making errors. We can't stop the bleeding. At the plate, we can't string hits together. We may get one or two on base, but then pop up the next three.

I know I take this "game" way too serious. I know that in the grand scheme of things, softball is not high on the list of priorities, But, I want to win and at this point, we are not even competitive.

Still Feels Like a Monday

2010-06-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

It is Tuesday. With the holiday yesterday, it feels like a Monday. I decided to shake things up this morning. My job demands severely cut off my gym time. I haven't stepped foot in there in two weeks. Mornings are usually my wife's time to go the gym. She gets up early and heads out while I sleep a little longer and take the kids to school and daycare. Now we have a Zumba class at church. The ladies seem to be enjoying that and my wife is no exception. She doesn't go to the gym on the morning she has Zumba at night, so I packed my bag last night and I got up early this morning and headed to the gym. I assumed the gym would be packed as most are around 6:00am. I was shocked to pull into the parking lot and see half the lot empty. I walked in and just a hand full of people were working out. It was great! I got a good workout in, got my shower and even grabbed some breakfast at Subway before heading to work.

Sunday was another good Sunday at MHBC. We baptized two men as a part of our worship service. The sanctuary was full, but I didn't get a count on how many were actually there. Even with some gone on vacation, our attendance has stayed steady and so has our offerings.

I stepped on the scales Monday morning. I was expecting a gain. There were a couple of days I made bad decisions. No gym time doesn't help to off set those bad decisions. I was surprised to only see a 1.5lb gain. I was at 237.5. Next week will be better.

Saturday, I got up and painted the front door to the house. I wanted it to match the shutters that were painted last week. I really like the look of the front of the house now. I even went and bought some mulch for the bushes next to the porch.

Happy Birthday Granny!

2010-05-28T09:15:00.000-05:00

It is my Grandmother's Birthday. She would have been 89 years old. Unfortunately she passed away back in 2006.
Moving in with her and Granddaddy when I was 13 was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I, along with my younger brother Dan, was already spending the weekends with them. Things changed when we took up residence with them.
I went from being able to do no wrong on the weekends, to facing the "motherly" side of Granny. She taught me a lot of things about life and marriage and the way things are suppose to be in the home. We would play all kinds of games together and if you beat Granny, you earned it. She wouldn't let you win just because you were a kid.

One of things Dan and I would do to get her going was to sing at the table. Granny loved to sing and play the organ, but didn't allow singing at the table. Dan would usually start out with a church hymn that Granny didn't like such as Oh, How Sweet to Die! I would take the cue and start singing at the chorus. Granny would start to get mad, but end up laughing at us. She would start yelling, "I am going to whip you with a soft cloth" as she grabbed a dish towel and would hit us with it.
Man, could she cook. It didn't matter what she decided to fix, it was worth the time and effort to be home in time for breakfast, lunch or supper. I see a lot of Granny in my daughters and it makes me proud. She loved my kids (all her great-grandkids) and I know her and Logan would have been big buddies.
I visit her grave pretty often, but I am not sure why. I know she is in the presence of the Lord, but oh, how I miss her.

I must share this "Jesus-Pet" moment. Stephanie's Aunt Connie is always talking about being a Jesus-Pet. It refers to her receiving blessing from other people. I had one of those moments. My Tahoe has been acting up lately. It has been running hot, leaking anti-freeze, etc. I took to Gateway and ask them to look at it. Diagnosed it as a water-pump that need to be replace. It was only going to cost me $495. No thanks, I told the lady behind the counter. I was at the softball game Monday night and was asking folks if they knew a mechanic that could be trusted. Names were given to me of people they use. Tuesday I get a call from a church member whose wife was at the game. To make a long story short, Cliff Carlock is my hero. He not only put a new water pump on my Tahoe, but gave me a vehicle to drive while he fixed it! He called me yesterday to tell me it was fixed.

Cliff: Your Tahoe is fixed.
Me: What is the damage?
Cliff: A new water pump, thermostat and anti-freeze was $159.
Me: Okay, what do I owe you for fixing it?
Cliff: IF YOU HAD TO PAY FOR ME, YOU COULDN'T AFFORD IT!!!!

We both laughed. When I got to his house, he said, "That is just what we do for each other. We take care of one another."

I am a firm believer that God made us not just to need Him, but to also be dependent on others. I thank God for bringing people into my life like Cliff.

Blue Shutters and a Red Thumb

2010-05-24T13:16:00.001-05:00

One of the projects on my "to-do" list was the take down, clean and re-paint the shutters on the house. They were a faded maroon. Stephanie wanted to spruce them up a bit, so we bought some dark blue paint. I took the down, and started mowing the yard, while Stephanie started cleaning them. I got the first floor shudders down easily. The 2nd floor was a little more challenging. When I was removing the screen so I could hang out the window and unscrew the top screws a wasp decided to sting my thumb! I haven't wanted to cuss in a long time, but some words scrolled across my mind. I did manage to not let them cross my lips, but that was painful. Even a few days later, my thumb is still red and swollen.

I finished the yard and grabbed a paint brush. Stephanie and I spent the hot part of the day, painting the shutters. After I got them back up, I was a little nervous Stephanie wouldn't like them. She kept saying, "They are not as dark as I wanted them!" I thought they look good. A real dramatic difference.

Friday night the youth had a movie night in the fellowship hall at the church. Blindside was the movie chosen. I have seen the movie a couple of times and noticed it was PG 13. There was a couple of words that could have been left out, but in the end I thought the positive message outweighed the few words.

Sunday was deceiving. It looked like the sanctuary was full, but apparently not. We still had a total of 137 for our morning worship.

I am now down to 236 (again). That is a 4 pound weight loss for the week.

I Feel Like I am 90!

2010-05-18T12:08:00.000-05:00

I understand that I am not a "Spring Chicken" any more. I don't really care about my age. But, I don't want to feel older than I am. Last night I played a couple of games of softball (in the mud). I played shortstop since Tim Dixon was on shift at the Fire Hall. He is OUTSTANDING on shortstop. Shortstop happens to be my favorite position, so while he was working, I was campaigning to play shortstop. I don't mean to brag, (well, maybe a little) but I was snagging everything that came my way. I even caught a rocket that I had to leap and extend my 6'3" frame to grab out of the air.
However, I kept feeling my back getting tight. I would stretch on the sidelines between innings, trying to loosen it up. By the time I got home, I could hardly stand up straight. It hurts to walk, sit, stand, or even lay down. Not sure what is going on. The earliest the Chiropractor could see me was in the morning.

Sunday was High Attendance Day at MHBC. We had 94 in Sunday School and 143 for worship. We have been averaging in the 60's for Sunday School so , hopefully this is step in the right direction.

I was looking for a good week on the scales. I was determined not weigh until Monday, but hopped up their Friday night to see I was down to 236! But, I got up there Monday morning to see I was back up to 240. Lost one pound for the week. I have not been able to step foot in the gym so I guess one pound is not too bad. I feel better. My pants are looser.

Busy Times

2010-05-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

Sunday we had another good day at Midland Heights. Our attendance was back up to 140 or so. We also had 3 more join the church and one of those needs to be baptized. Our attendance last week was down to 103. The weather was a big factor. It shows just how far we have come when you are disappointed with 100+ in attendance.

A project I started at the church was shooting videos asking people in the church two simple questions:

What has Jesus done for you?
What does Midland Heights mean to you?

We have some pretty good videos shot so far. I have been showing them before I preach on Sunday mornings.

Friday night I will be speaking in my old stomping grounds. Fair Haven's youth Department has asked Dan (my brother) and myself to come and preach to the youth workers. I have always wanted to preach a revival with Dan. This may be as close as I get.

Softball has started back up. MHBC has a men's and coed team this year. We both played last night. For the first time out, we didn't do so bad. We need to improve if we actually want to win a game, but we held our own for the first few innings.

Great Sunday. Not so Great Monday

2010-05-10T14:47:00.000-05:00

Sunday our attendance was back up in the 130's. We had 3 more join the church and 2 more that want to be baptized.

Monday was a whole different story. After losing 5.5lbs last week, I got on the scales and it showed a 5lb gain. I was back up to 241. I ate right throughout the week, but Sunday was not a good day. We ate at my Mother-in-laws for Mother's Day. I didn't overdue it there. We went to a Mexican place in Chapel Hill for supper and not sure how to even count the calories. I didn't get a chance to work out Monday or Tuesday but went Wednesday through Friday and even took Harley for a walk on Saturday and Sunday. Never the less, the scales don't lie.

Gotta try harder this week.

Week One

2010-05-04T11:11:00.000-05:00

The first week was really tough on me. I tried to keep my calorie intake under 2000 calories a day. I managed to do that even if it meant going to bed a little hungry. My wife has done amazingly well with the meals she has been fixing for supper. I know she gets tired of me asking, "how many calories are in this?" I understand it is all about the choices you make.

Sunday was extremely tough. We eat at my wife's mom's house every other Sunday. She always has a feast. I had to use great restraint and portion control. I even had to skip dessert.

I catch myself looking at the labels of EVERYTHING I eat. I know how long it takes me to burn that many calories and then I decide I want it or not. Some things are not worth it.

This week I have been teaching a class all day and I provide drinks and snacks for my people to to have through out the day. This time I brought some fruit along with the normal chips and chocolate. I provide donuts in the mornings as well. I managed to resist the donuts (that was not easy). I brought my lunch and snacks from home so as to fight off the temptations.

So far so good. I got on the scale Monday morning and weighed 236. That is down 5 1/2 pounds in one week.

Need Some Help

2010-04-28T09:02:00.000-05:00

I am going to do this if it kills me. I need a little accountability for my choices. I am taking blood pressure medicine. I have high blood sugar. I work out 3 to 5 days a week, but my eating habits are terrible. I don't think I am overweight, but my body mass index (BMI) says I am obese. I understand it is just a scale, but that is the standard. The BMI suggest I weigh around 190. I have been 190lbs at 6'3" and looked like a rail. I do have a goal of 220lbs. I want to see what my bp and my blood sugar is if I dropped 20lbs. So I am going to weigh every week and put it on here for all to see. I also want to share what I did in the gym and the food choices I made for the week. Yesterday was a good day in the gym: 1200 calories burnt. Supper last night, was less than 500 calories, but I was starving at bed time. I managed not to eat anything, but still woke up with a sugar level of 114. Not too bad, as it has been 150 some mornings.

If I don't post, I need my readers to ask about it since I have a tendency not to post if things aren't going well. Keep me honest!

Today's weight: 241lbs

Why is so Difficult?

2010-04-23T09:09:00.000-05:00

This post has been brewing for a while. I am not sure if it is a rampant problem or just one I seem to struggle with. It is just a simple question. Why do I have such a difficult time telling people that I love them? I have no problem telling my wife. I have no problem telling my kids. Most of my conversations with them both end with, I love you. I even tell my mom and my mother-in-law that I love them.

Maybe it is a man thing. I am very comfortable and secure in my manhood, yet I very seldom tell my Granddaddy that I love him. The few times I have, he just looks at me and grins. Very seldom do I tell my brothers that I love them. Yet, Granddaddy, Mike and Dan are family. I do love them. I would give them a kidney or something, if they needed it.

I have male friends that always hug me and tell me they love me. I always tell them, I love you too, but I never initiate the "I love you" with those guys.

This new pastor friend of mine (Tre), the first time we met for lunch, he hugged me in the parking lot and told me he loved me. We have talked several times on the phone and he always ends with, "I love you, bro."

Maybe, it stems from not hearing my dad or granddad tell me. In comparison, my father-in-law always told me he loved me.

I have never doubted their love. On the same note, I want my kids to hear those words. I want my wife to hear me say those words. Words are powerful (Read the book of James). It is very important that the words "I love you" are backed up with actions. Ever since he was born (and before in the womb), Logan has heard my voice telling him, I love you. I want Logan to be comfortable with telling me and other men in his life that he loves them.

I want to be more freely with those words to the people that mean the most to me as well.

Just Plain Good

2010-04-16T09:37:00.000-05:00

Sunday, I had a grown man walk up to me before church began. I had seen him once before at the church, but didn't even know his name. The conversation went something like this:

George: Bro. Scott, I want to be baptized! I have been thinking about it for a while and feel it is the right thing to do.
Me: Great, have you ever trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ to be your personal Savior?
George: No. I need to do that too!
Me: Step into my office.

There in my office, before church began, George Hollin accepted Christ as His person Savior. That is two weeks in a row that grown men have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Statistics say, nearly 80% of Christians reach that decision before the age of 13. We have 4 baptisms scheduled for April 25. Three of the four are over the age of thirteen.

We had a pot luck/baby shower Sunday night and I was discussing the recent activities of the church, how the church has grown, all the visitors, the giving is way up, people are getting saved, etc. My statement was that "I don't know if I can stand it if it gets any better!" I believe it will get better.

We are just scratching the surface of what God has planned for the church. We are not really doing anything as far as outreach goes. There are four or five of us that go out and visit on a regular basis, but nothing really church wide as far as outreach is concerned. Yet, we are still seeing a good number of visitors and a good percentage of those visitors coming back.

James was the gentlemen that gave his heart to Christ the week prior. After church Sunday, he walked by and shook my hand. "Bro. Scott, this is the best week I have ever had!"

A healthy church is is a growing church.

Lunch or Something Deeper?

2010-04-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

I came across a sign at the gym where I work out. It was a church sign. They always catch my eye. Wonder why? It was a sign advertising a new church Illuminate Church. They are meeting at Barfield Elementary. When i got back to work, I looked them up. I really felt a need to reach out to the pastor. Not sure why, just a "nudge" from God. Tre' Faulkner is his name. I emailed him thinking we would just encourage each other from a distance. He immediately wanted to have lunch today (Wednesday). I was leery at first, but decided to take him up on the offer. I am so glad I did.

We talked, laughed, and prayed like we knew each other for years. I haven't connected with anybody like that since Brady Weldon came and preached a revival at the church I was pastor of. Come to find out, he and Brady are friends. We talked (and laughed) non stop until he had to leave for another appointment and I had to go back to work.
I asked him if we could get it worked out, would he be willing to come to MHBC. He said, anytime.

What Easter Bunny?

2010-04-05T12:40:00.000-05:00

I cannot begin to tell you what a fantabulous weekend I had. I spent the vast majority of it with my favorite people in the world, my family. Friday we spent most of the day looking for shoes for the kids. We took the stroller and pushed Logan around Stones River Mall and The Avenue. The weather was gorgeous so he was in shorts and barefooted. He kicked back with his bottle of juice and propped his feet up on the stroller tray and took in all the sights. He was such a good baby.
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Saturday was spent around the house. We cleaned and put stuff in the attic. We cleaned some more. And we finished the night by cleaning.
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Sunday was Easter. I was giddy with excitement to see what God had in store for MHBC. Our attendance the last few weeks had been great. We ended up with around 167 for worship. That is not the best part. The choir was unbelievable. The best I have ever heard them. When it came time for the invitation, one gentlemen walked down the aisle. His eyes were filled with tears. He and his family have been coming for a while. It was obvious he wanted to speak to me, but he wasn't saying a word. I leaned into his ear and asked did he want me to pray for him? He simply nodded yes. I did. I expected him to return to his seat. He didn't. I leaned in his ear again. Do you want to join the church? He nodded yes again. (I am slow, but worth waiting on.) It only hit me when I asked him has he ever put his faith and trust in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Tears still flowing, he shook his head no. THAT WAS WHAT HE WAS PRAYING FOR! THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE TEARS. Just get out of the way dummy, and let God work was the next thought that went through my head. His wife came and they both joined our church, but only after he Joined "The Church".
I know I keep saying it, but God is up to something at Midland Heights.

Blown Away!

2010-03-29T14:15:00.000-05:00

I can't begin to tell you how excited and humbled I am. Yesterday, I got up and got ready to go to church. I went to church with my family, just like every Sunday. When it came time to start our worship hour (I say hour loosely), There was 145 people. That may not sound like a bunch to you. It depends on what size church you attend. Let me give you a little history on myself:

Grew up in a church that had 10 on a good Sunday (8 of them had the last name of Reed)
Became a pastor of a church of 5 (eventually got to 60)
Became a pastor of a church of 50-60.

Between 50 or 60 is where we started back in June. We have been growing steadily. I was really taken back that 145 would show up for PALM SUNDAY. This wasn't Easter. This was the Sunday BEFORE Easter. There was kids everywhere. There was adults everywhere. Everybody was smiling and looked like they wanted to be there. We had an egg hunt after the service. Understand I didn't get through preaching till 12:15pm! Then, we had an egg hunt. I was one of the last ones back in the church after the hunt. Guess what I saw. A fellowship hall full of people just talking. Not going home. Just sitting around talking, laughing, connecting. I sure hope we have to put out chairs this Sunday.

Grateful, but Lonely

2010-03-19T14:16:00.000-05:00

I have been in Dallas (Grapevine) TX since Tuesday. It is another trip for work. I was really looking forward to coming, but as always, things change once I get here.
I have been fortunate to get to travel. I have been sent to Philadelphia, Minnesota, Ojai, CA, San Antonio, Orlando and now Dallas to visit different plants and conferences and such. My company has been great to put me up in the nicest places. I have a piece of plastic that allows me to eat at any restaurant. I have a rental car and a GPS. I have freedom.
I have met many people along my journeys. People such as Joe G.(a youth pastor from CA), Kari L., Louie,. These are people that made my travels more enjoyable.
Dallas was no exception. I was looking forward to comng. I am the biggest Cowboys fan you will find. I knew I wanted to tour TX Stadium, which I did. I went straight from the airport. I went to TX Stadium before I went to my hotel room. I was like a little kid. My heart was pounding when I got out of the car in the parking lot. The tours were sold out for the day. I had to come back the next day. It was only 15 miles from my hotel so no big deal. The next day, some of the excitement had worn off, but never the less, I wanted to see this massive place. The first stop was right in front of the big "JerryVision". There you got your picture made with your group. The picture would be available to purchase at the end of the tour. That was the first dose of reality. I watched as families walked up one by one to strike a pose. Some just husband and wife, or sons with their dad. I snuck behind the crowd as my turn was approaching and walked to the seats where the you went after you had your picture made. I didn't see the need of waisting the film. There are places I went and things I saw that would have been so much more enjoyable with my family, at least a friend.
I have never been a big socializer. I don't drink or do nightclubs. The highlight of the trip was the pro shop at TX Stadium, even there I didn't see anything I couldn't live without. Olive Garden is my favorite place to eat. Even the Olive Garden doesn't taste as good by yourself.
I had a great idea of visiting one of the churches here in the Dallas area for a Wednesday night service. I went online and The Potters House (TD Jakes), Fellowhip Church (Pastor Ed Young) and several others was near by. NONE OF THEM have a mid-week worship service. They have "classes" or in some cases, nothing at all.
I guess I am just lonely. I make a lot of these trips to try to better myself. I want to learn more to be able to do more. The classes and training on this trip were not up to par, or maybe they were, but I was not up for it. I will be back on a plane in the morning heading to TN. Back to a life that I have come accustomed to. No more picking where I want to eat. No more Dallas Cowboy fans everywhere. No more maid services to clean my room. And that is okay with me, because what I will have is my family. A wife who never fails to tell me she loves me and misses me. Three kids who don't seem to mind me leaving but are glad to have me back home.

A Saddle Sore Revival

2010-03-10T09:57:00.000-06:00

       I don't know who got more "revived". I, along with my wife, Herbert and Jill Derickson and Mike and Sherry Simms, drove to Stanton, KY Saturday. I was asked to preach a revival Sunday morning and night and Monday night. Did Shiloh United Methodist Church get revived? Time will tell. Did Scott get revived? You better believe it.
       The drive was about 5 hours. But when you are with people you love to be around, you tend to make the most of the time. We laughed, mostly at each other the whole way. Once we got there, H.T. and Wilda Derickson made us feel right at home. They took us out to eat and I sat next to H.T. and laughed at his stories. We stayed in cabins on the Derickson property. From my balcony, you could overlook the massive farm where the Dericksons breed, train and raise horses. Most of the horses were Rocky Mountain trail riding horses, with a few TN walkers mixed in.
       Saturday night we sat around the cabins and played Rook and talked and had a great time. Sunday morning it was all business. We went to the church, Herbert lead the music and what little bit of reservations I had flew out the window as the people of Shiloh UMC were lifting their hands and worshiping the true living God. I preached on "Diligence, You must be ready!". We then had a fellowship "pot luck" in the basement. KY Wildacats were playing FL on Sr. day at noon and I didn't quit preaching till nearly 12:30. It is a sign of dedication when the congregation is listening to the KY game during the fellowship. I loved it.
       Sunday night, the praise team (Steph, Herbert, Mike and Sherry) lead us in some praise and worship songs, along with some special music that was amazing. Again, the people were ready to worship. I preached on "Grace". Between services we were suppose to relax in the cabins. Instead, we took a nice 1/2 mile hike (nearly straight up) to "The Natural Bridge" in the Natural Bridge State Park. Once we got to the top, the view was well worth the walk. Sunday night, we again played Rook and fellowshipped.
       Monday morning we were treated to brunch by a lady from the church. She owned a bed and breakfast, and treated us like royalty. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it. Afterward, we went sight seeing around the Appalacian Mountains. It was breath taking. We ended back up at the Derickson's farm (Van Bert Farm) where we went horse back riding. Everybody was making fun of the preacher man wanting to ride. "Give him a rocking horse", "He needs to ride Morning Glory" (the horse they let the little kids ride). I tried to tell them, I have rode before, but they didn't want to see me get hurt. Out of all the horses they pulled out to let us ride, I ended up with the "fiesty" one. It was a fun ride through the obstacle course, the river, and down the lane. When I came up the bank out of the river, my horse decided to go up the steep side of the bank instead of the flat part where we had entered. It made for a little excitement.
       Monday night at the church, the music was setting the tone. You could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in that place. I knew God was up to something.  I preached on Mephosheth. I was sweating profusely, shouting and pacing. I could feel the nudge of The Spirit. Invitation time came and the altar was full. When it was all said and done, two souls were saved that night.
       I went to revive. I came back revived.

Another Church Update

2010-03-02T16:15:00.000-06:00

Sunday marked the fifth straight Sunday we have had over 100 people attend our worship service. I try to not get wrapped in the "numbers" but I also know that the greater the numbers, the greater the impact. We have had a flux of visitors lately. It seems to come and go in spurts. You may not see any new faces for a week or two and then for a month you are seeing fresh new faces every Sunday. It is encouraging to see those faces come back for a second and third service. We also had two baptisms Sunday.
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I got a pretty good compliment (I think) yesterday. My mother in-law ran into a family friend and she said to be sure to tell me to never be ashamed of what was accomplished at my previous church. At The Spirit Filled Church, we never could seem to get above 60 in attendance on a regular basis. One Sunday we are running 60. The next Sunday we had 30. My friend went on to say that she has never felt the Spirit move like it did in that building. I will admit, we had some powerful services. The praise and worship songs were sung with feeling. The messages were inspired by the Holy Spirit. She never has to worry about me being "ashamed" of what God was doing in that place. That was where I learned to not be ashamed to worship my God with up lifted hands and tears running down my cheeks. Somedays I want to run back to that place.
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I am heading to Kentucky this weekend to preach a revival. I am looking forward to going and sharing the love of God. The revival will be Sunday morning and night and Monday night before we head back home. Pray for us that we see the mighty hand of God transform hearts and lives.

Your Witness....Your Choice

2010-02-22T12:53:00.003-06:00

2Pe 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

I preached this Scripture Sunday morning. I probably didn't do it justice, simply ran out of time. The jest of this Scripture is keeping your witness clean. That word "stedfastness" is talking about your witness. How do people perceive you? Is your "witness" backing up your talk?

Let's be honest, it just takes one bad choice to "define" how people perceive you. I have a couple of stories to back this up:

My brother Dan made some bad choices BEFORE he got saved. Yet, I overheard a lady talking about those choices at a game recently. She talked about those choices as if they occurred that morning. Those choices have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. God remembers them no more, yet people want to bring up the "bad" instead of focusing on the good. She never mentioned Dan is a minister now. She never mentioned Dan has been sober since the day he was saved.

We had a special guest come and sing special music for yesterday. She did an amazing job of ushering us into the presence of God. Before service I was introducing myself to her and her husband. I know them, but wasn't sure she knew who I was. She kept looking at me, like she trying to figure something out. I looked at her and said, "Stephanie's husband." Then she grins and says "You were Satan at LifeHouse!" I have to say, I embraced that role. I have strangers come up to me and ask me the same question. The funny thing is, I played the roll of Jesus the year before. Nobody ask me about that roll. I played a doctor this year. Nobody ask me about that. It is just when I played.....Satan. I will always be tagged with that label.

We must be always try to make the right decisions. People have a tendency to remember the damaging choices over the good choices. Give them less damaging choices to remember.

The Church Being the Church

2010-02-19T09:18:00.002-06:00

Wednesday, I preached the funeral of a church member. She had only been to church one time since I became the pastor. Her health just wouldn't allow her to get out much. I visited her and her husband on several occasions and really got to know and love her family. Mrs. Sue Williams will be greatly missed.
After the funeral, we had lunch for the Williams family at the fellowship hall of the church. Her family kept coming in talking about how beautiful the place was. They really seemed to enjoy their selves after such a trying time. We had quite a few women step up and handle the food and hospitality part of the lunch, as well as a few guys that came to help greet the crowd. I was proud of the way our church was represented.
Thursday morning, several guys got together and painted the foyer, fellowship hall and the hallway leading to the Sunday school rooms. Some of the ladies thought the bright white walls were a little cold and needed "sprucing" up. It was painted a beige color and I must say, what a difference. It looks amazing. The guys did a great job.
As I stated in the last post, the attendance has been up lately. With higher attendance, comes problems. These are good problems to have, but problems none the less. We are going to have to expand the choir loft. We simply have no more room to put choir members. We have some talented singers who don't sing in the choir, because they don't want to take someones seat.
Another thing we are talking about is building a multi-purpose building. The fellowship hall is not big enough for our functions anymore. We need additional Sunday school room as our teens class as well as our young adults class is running out of room. Again, I am not complaining! We love the growth. We love to see visitors come and stay. We just need a place to put them! God is doing some things at MHBC! YOU need to be a part of it!

Who am I?

2010-02-15T09:23:00.002-06:00

This weekend was crazy! It started with a trip to Wal-Mart on Friday night. It was just Stephanie, Logan and I. We were checking out and as we were leaving, I had Logan bundled up in his car seat walking a few feet in front of Stephanie, who was pushing our buggy. I walked by the door greeter and through the double doors toward the parking lot. Stephanie comes through the doors laughing and says, "The door greeter said she was scared when she saw you with that baby, till she saw me walking behind you!"
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Saturday, I take a friend (Bud) to the Vandy game with me. We sit next to an elderly gentleman. He asks Bud, which is 21 or 22, "Is that your dad?"
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I went to the store Sunday night on my way to a hospital visit. A sweet little girl with pneumonia. I bought her a stuffed bunny, some colors and a coloring book. I went to pay and the lady behind the counter, handed me my change and then said, "Have a nice day, Ma'am."
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If I had feelings, they would be hurt.
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Saturday night we had a Valentine's Banquet at the church. That was so much fun. We had great food, fellowship and the "Newlywed Game". After 17 years of marriage, I am still not a Stephanie expert. We definitely were not the worse. Some of the answers and comments were too funny.
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Sunday morning, I woke up to a white front yard and it still coming down. I wondered if people would risk coming out and going to church. I was surprised to see the sanctuary fill up. We had around 120 for worship. We have been over 100 for 3 Sunday's in a row.

Back Tracking

2010-02-10T12:50:00.002-06:00

Since my last post was about the Super Bowl that took place on Sunday night, I feel the need to back track to what took place Sunday morning. A few Sunday's ago, I really felt the Sunday services were getting stale. It just seemed like if God was showing up, He wasn't making any noise. I am never one to have church whether God shows up or not, so I wanted things "fixed". I met with my Worship Leader one night and he felt the same way. Neither one of us knew how to fix it, but knew something needed to happen to get back to the place where God was showing up and making a difference in people's lives.
I know I am going to sound like Mr. Obvious, but we both vowed to pray about it. Really, that is all we knew to do.
Since then, things seem to have turned a corner. Visitors are coming in. Visitors are coming back (and are no longer visitors). The church is filling up on Sunday morning. People are coming in smiling and laughing and looking like they actually want to be there.
This past Sunday was unbelievable. That is the only way I can describe it. I walked in late to my Sunday school class because I was running a sound check and had to stand up. Walked out of the classroom and watched the sanctuary be transformed from a bunch of empty pews to a place of worship filled with people eager to hear the Word of God.
The choir loft was full as the choir lead us in "That's Why We Praise Him". Special music was led by my wife and her best friend. The two songs they sang plus the choir singing set the stage for God's Word to be preached.
I am preaching through the book of 2 Peter. I finished chapter 2. We have been talking about "false teachers" for a few weeks now. I enjoyed preaching Sunday. I was excited to get in the pulpit. The excitement I had seemed to rub off on the congregation. God was doing some work Sunday as when it came time for the invitation, the altar was full. God moved.

Hello Reminder!

2010-02-08T13:57:00.003-06:00

Call it what you will, a thought or insight. I will call it a reminder. When I came across this picture of Drew Brees and his son, it brought tears to my eyes.

I have always liked Drew Brees. I watched him at Purdue and then San Diego and now in New Orleans. I always liked his character. He is not the biggest QB, yet had a drive about him.

I am happy for Brees. He is now a Super Bowl Champion and MVP.

New Orleans had never been to the big show much less won it. Brees just played his tail off refusing to lose. He could have been doing a hundred different things all pointing to how good he is and well his team played.

He chose to spend the time with his son. His son was more enamored by the sparkly confetti coming from the sky. He didn't care that his dad was MVP. He didn't care that NO is now SB champs. He was with his dad. Drew Brees is a born again Christian. He understands the subtle reminder that this picture gives me.

I can't be successful, until I am successful at home.

I love you Stephanie, Lynna, Leah and Logan. You make my world go round.

Don't Quit Your Day Job?

2010-02-03T12:44:00.003-06:00

I want to share with you (all three of you) some of my thoughts. I know that I run the risk of being redundant. I have written on this subject before and took some heat for it. But, yesterday really brought it back to the forefront of my mind. So, I must write about it.

I was off work Monday and Tuesday. There was a virus running through my house. It started with me, went to Leah, Steph and then Logan. Lynna has been untouched so far. It was a 24 hour thing as I was fine by Saturday night, and stayed home on Monday and Tuesday to watch kids who were sick.

Yesterday Logan covered me in puke, so I kept him home from daycare. The other kids were already out of school because of the snow and ice. I really enjoyed yesterday. It made me once again think about my "dream job". For the past 16 years, I have wanted to be a full time pastor. While I was off from my secular job, I spent my day "working" on my Christian job. I spent the day (in between feeding, dishes, laundry, etc.) working on sermons and Bible studies. I made phone calls and sent emails. My time was spent well, and I felt by the end of the day, I had accomplished something.

It was a few months ago, that my boss came to me with a pretty good offer. A 12% raise and a management position. I took it. My thinking was to use this opportunity to bless my family and besides this bi-vocational thing isn't too bad. I don't want to seem ungrateful. There are a lot of people that don't have one job, let alone two jobs that pay pretty good. I just felt good about what I was doing yesterday. It felt good. For a couple of days, my life was not filled with meetings and audits and expense reports. It was filled with the very thing I was called to do. Be a dad, a husband, a pastor.

MHBC has been great to my family. They are very generous to my family. We are growing and I believe eventually, they can offer me a full time position. But for now, I will continue to work two jobs.

The "Watch" is Over

2010-01-21T15:41:00.002-06:00

Okay, I have my shoe strings and belt back and I have come in off the ledge. The Dallas Cowboys got beat. But I thought back to an earlier post (9/11/09) where I made some pretty bold predictions:

DeMarcus Ware will be defensive MVP of the league
Felix Jones will be the feature back before the end of the year
Jason Witten is the best tight end in the NFL
Dallas breaks the playoff win drought
Tony Romo will have an MVP type year (won't get MVP due to the man crush people have on Brady and Manning)
Eagles will not make the playoffs
Giants are over hyped
DALLAS IS BACK ON TOP OF THE NFC!

The only two I missed on was DeMarcus Ware not winning Defensive MVP and those dreaded Eagles. Notice I did not pick them to win the Superbowl, but to end their playoff drought. Next year, Dallas will host the Superbowl in their new stadium! Next year the Cowboys will be the first team to win the Superbowl on their own field!

It Was Logan the Whole Time

2010-01-20T09:41:00.003-06:00

I am writing this knowing I will get hounded for being such a softy. Despite looking like "The Dean of Mean-Keith Jardine", I am a marshmallow. I am okay with that. I went to the high school basketball alone last night. Steph needed to stay home, so she kept Leah and Logan with her. Normally, I am surrounded by people of all ages wanting to talk. Last night, the only words I got was, "Where is Logan?" I thought for the past few months that I had regained my popularity I once enjoyed many moons ago, only to be struck with reality. It was Logan the whole time. I must say, he is a stud. I can't go to the mall and wait outside the shops while Stephanie shops without being eyeballed and even talked to by all the female passerby's. I have warned Steph not to leave me alone with him. He is a flirt.

The real reason for this post is to share with you my morning. Lynna and Leah are to the age that it is not "cool" for their dad to show them affection. Maybe, maybe at home, before they go to bed, but that is it. Logan on the other hand, has not reached that stage. I am torn because I am looking forward to doing the dad/son things that I have watched others do, but I also don't want him to grow up so fast. I worked second and third shift, six and seven nights a week as Lynna and Leah were growing up. I missed out on a lot. More with Lynna than Leah.

I pulled into daycare this morning. I knew Logan was asleep since he had quit "talking". I was a few minutes early so I opened the back door and stared at him. I gently rubbed his head. I kissed him on his cheeks. I kissed him again. I know one day, he too, will think it is not cool for his dad to kiss him. But until then.....

As time grew near, I unbuckled him and held him tight. As I walked into daycare and handed him over to Lisa, he looked back at me and smiled with his mouth wide open.

I love my kids.

Not as I had Hoped, but Moving On.

2010-01-18T12:14:00.003-06:00

I had a wonderful weekend. Friday night we had a Homecoming game at Lynna's High School, where she and her other cheerleaders did a great routine. When I was in HS myself, and even up until Lynna started cheering, I couldn't have cared less. To me the cheerleaders were a distraction. It is funny how things change when your daughter makes the squad. Now I pray a lot during the routines as Lynna is being thrown around like a sack of potatoes.

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Saturday was Leah's 2nd basketball game. There was much improvement from the first game, but still needs a lot of work. Sunday she played a 4:00 game and I think something began to click. She became more aggressive. Her team was up a lot so she got to play most of the 4th quarter. As I was "instructing" her from the other side of the gym, she began to post up strong, and look to score when she got it. She rebounded and even got two fouls called on her (I told her that is why they give her 5). I was really proud of the way she played. I am hoping this is a turning point for her.

Saturday night was back to the gym for another High School basketball game. I have set my phone to get updated "tweets" on the Vanderbilt men's basketball games. They won at South Carolina and are 3-0 in the SEC. They have also won back to back SEC road games (Alabama and SC). My High School didn't fare as well.

Sunday at church was very telling. With the weather outside being rainy and dreary, I expected a lighter crowd. That was not the case. We also had 8 visitors (3 families). I am preaching through the book of 2 Peter. I started the 2nd chapter. The whole idea of the chapter is about false teachers. It is telling when you compare the description of the false teachers (verses 1-3) in Peter's day to the false teachers of today.

As far as Sunday afternoon, I have one thing to say: 5 time Superbowl Champions!

You Look Like.....

2010-01-13T13:32:00.005-06:00

I went to the Community (Unionville) High School basketball game last night at Moore County. It was pretty crowded and I noticed the guy sitting in front of me kept passing his cell phone around to his buddies and he would look back at me. When his buddies would look at the cell phone they would look back at me as well.

Finally, he spoke up and the conversation sounded like this:

Stranger: What is your name?

Me: Scott Reed

Stranger: Do you keep up with the UFC?

ME: (As I am smiling, because I know what is coming next) Yes.

Stranger: Dude! You look just like Keith Jardine!!

Me: I get stopped on the street and told that same thing.

It lead me to ask the question...Who do people say you look like? Jardine, is just one of many. Basically, if you are big and bald, there are a ton of people you look like. I showed this picture to my boss and he said,"You don't look that mean. You look pretty mean, but not that mean."

Much Better

2010-01-11T09:42:00.002-06:00

This Sunday morning felt much better than last Sunday. We still had a good crowd in spite of the freezing temps. It was 13 degrees when I started the car Sunday morning. That is usually a deterrent for people to go to church, not Wal-Mart or a good restaurant, but if it is that cold in middle TN, we are not getting out to go to church. I am glad they did. We had good music and fellowship. God was in the place.
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I am trying to do a lot better as far as keeping "in touch" with my congregation. Even though I work a full time job, plus a full time ministry, there were people feeling "left-out" and wanted more of my attention than they were getting. The trick is finding which ones want/need me to call, visit or write and which ones don't want that "personal" touch. I noticed a sweet little lady that missed last Sunday so I called to check on her. She is elderly and didn't want to take a chance on falling from the ice and cold temps. She was back Sunday, and hugged my me and told me "how much she appreciated me calling to check on her". Sometimes it is just the little things that make the biggest difference.
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My Dallas Cowboys are looking strong. That is all I am going to say at this juncture.

Humble and Scary Feeling

2010-01-04T13:26:00.003-06:00

Sunday was both humbling and somewhat scary. I was preaching Sunday morning and it just all fell apart. I couldn't complete my thoughts. I couldn't find my Scriptures. It was pathetic. It was one of those sermon that I felt I needed to apologize to the listeners. So, Sunday night I did. I told them "It was awful", to which one member said, "AMEN". I have been there before, but not very often. I don't like that place.

On another note, I am proud to announce Leah is riding her dirt bike all over the place now. I had to back up and take a different approach. I wasn't getting through to her, so I asked her uncle Andrew (Pictured on the right) to teach her how to ride. I dropped her off at his house and left. A couple of hours later, he sent me a video from his phone of her riding all over the yard. I was so proud of her and you could tell she was proud too. I asked her how Andrew was different than me when it came to teaching her how to ride? She said, "Daddy, he yelled at me!" To which I replied, "I yelled at you all over the front yard!" I guess it is just different when it's daddy doing the yelling!

Christmas and stuff

2009-12-28T08:12:00.002-06:00

There are times when you second guess yourself. Maybe it is the way you try to celebrate Christmas, or try to raise your kids the right way. This Christmas, Stephanie and I had made an effort not to go "overboard" and spend way too much on stuff and try to keep the "main thing" the "main thing". I sometimes wonder if we did enough with this teaching opportunity. Then they do something that brings tears to my eyes.
Lynna, the 14 year old was asked to help at a restaurant that is owned by a church member and got a nice sized paycheck for one nights work. She took her own money and bought Stephanie and I a $30 gift card to Chili's for our anniversary.
Leah, the 10 year old, brought down from upstairs a present for Logan to open. It was her absolute FAVORITE Webkin. The Kangaroo that she has slept with ever since the day she got it. I have made trips late at night to go get this kangaroo from peoples houses she has spent the night with and she wanted Logan to have it. You can tell this things has been "loved on". She told her mom that she didn't have any money to get Logan anything so she wanted to give him her kangaroo. He took to that thing much like Leah did when she got it. He squeezed it and chewed on it and loved it.
Those couple of things leads me to believe we are on the right track.
I wrote earlier about "The Drive-By Christmas". I must say, that got way more attention than I had planned. I did not intend that to be pointed at anyone, just to point out how we change. I thought Christmas with Granddaddy went well. We still had several that didn't come. Still had several that left after twenty minutes, but over all I think we enjoyed being together. Looks like after my rant, it will be left up to me to plan next year. What do I get my self into?

Everlasting Joy

2009-12-18T12:49:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love Christmas. When I was little I loved Christmas because of the presents I knew I would get. As I got older I loved Christmas because of the presents I gave, just seeing the looks on peoples faces as they open up the gifts. Now, as I am 38, there is even more to love. I love the lights. I love the tree. I love the decorations. I love Christmas cards, especially the ones with family pictures on them. We have 10 different family picture Christmas cards proudly displayed on our refrigerator. I love Christmas music. I have been playing all the Christmas CD's I own today. That list includes, Third Day, Todd Agnew, David Phelps (my favorite), City on a Hill, Steven Curtis Chapman and Mercy Me. I love church gatherings like we had last night. The MHBC Choir did an amazing job singing about the birth of Christ. It was awesome. I love family gatherings, where we eat, fellowship and talk about how we are going to spend more time together next year (which we never do). We talk about how big our kids are getting and how we miss the ones that are no longer with us. I love the fact I have a little boy that gets to experience Christmas for the first time. It is going to be so much fun starting over with "Santa" and such as Logan gets older. All these things bring me joy.

The problem with having "Christmas Joy" is in a few weeks, the lights come down, the decorations are put back in the box and the tree is put back in the attic. In a couple of weeks, the toys that your kids couldn't do without will be old news and no longer touched. The music will be put back in the rack awaiting next year. What do you do then? Could that be why suicide rates climb during the holidays? There is nothing to sustain that joy?

Can I invite you to explore the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place? Can I take you to a place called Bethlehem and show you the place where Jesus Christ was born?

Luke 2:8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Did you catch that 10th verse? The angel told the shepherds, "I bring you good tiding of GREAT JOY, which shall be to all people." That is the kind of joy that last past Christmas. When you know the reason for the season and worship Him as Lord and Savior, you joy is everlasting, regardless of the time or season! Praise be to God for sending His Son to walk among men and take away the sins of the world. Joy to the world!

Welcome to the "Drive-By" Christmas

2009-12-16T12:12:00.002-06:00

Once upon a time there was a close knit family that celebrated Christmas every year the same way. Christmas morning the kids would get up early, wake up mom and dad (or just mom) and go and see what Santa had left for them. They would play for an hour or so and then get dressed for the most exciting time in a pre-teens life.

This pre-teen grew up like most kids now a days, single family home, the parent spends their time away from the family working so the kids are left to fend for themselves.

But, one time a year, this kid knew he could be like other kids. On Christmas morning, he knew he was headed to his "family" Christmas. He could anticipate the smells of scrambled eggs, bacon, "cat-head" biscuits and peanut butter balls, his personal favorite. He would sit around the table with his aunts and uncles, cousins and brother, and especially his Granny and Granddaddy. There, among all this crowd, he felt loved. Even though he only tarried for a few hours it seemed like all day to him.

As the years went by and the cousins got older and married and began to have kids of their own, it became increasing more difficult to keep Christmas Morning tradition. But, still, this little kid in a grown man's body wanted to continue in this tradition. They did, until one day the "mother" of the bunch passed away. Tradition, as he knew it, passed with her.

The families continued to grow, so we must not meet in Granddaddy's house. Other traditions became a priority, so "Let's not have it on Christmas morning anymore". Instead of a few hours to spend with cousins, and nieces and nephews and Granddaddy, let's squeeze tradition in between other parties we "have to" attend!

I have a great idea for this year. Since the little kid is "old" now, let's just have a non-traditional Christmas. No longer at Granddaddy's house, no longer at the church he loves so much, no longer a sit down meal with conversation and time to catch up. Let's not even have it on Christmas day! Let's have it at a place Granddaddy has never been, let's have desserts and no gifts for the great-grandkids. It will be like NO OTHER Christmas party ever. We can make it like a funeral. you can come by him, shake his hand and slip out the back door. We can start a new tradition and call it "The Drive-By Christmas".

If you haven't guessed, the little kid is me. I can see why the tradition doesn't matter to the others. They have plenty of family parties to attend, but for my brother Dan and myself, Granddaddy was "daddy". Up until a couple of years ago, this was the only party on my side of the family. My brothers and I decided to meet at each others house and have a meal and let the kids open gifts. This year we are including Granddaddy. For so many years he opened up his house and gave me a place to experience joy and laughter, contentment and security. The least I can do is open up my house and try to bring him some joy.

Maybe a new tradition won't be so bad.

Weekend of Entertainment

2009-12-07T12:11:00.002-06:00

The week was long with OSHA training, Tuesday through Friday. I got a break Wednesday night as a dear friend took me to the Vanderbilt Men's Basketball game Wednesday night after church. We had awesome seats under the goal where Missouri's bench was located. Vandy ended up winning that game by 6.
Saturday as Leah was mulling around the house, she and her mother had a classic conversation:
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Stephanie: "Leah, what size pants are those you are wearing?"
Leah: "12 slims."
Stephanie: "Don't ever wear those pants again, they make you look like J-Lo!"
A few minutes later after Leah had packed her bag to spend the night with a friend.
Stephanie: "Did you pack some bluejeans for tonight?"
Leah: "I couldn't find any except the ones that make me look like Jay Leno!"
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I doubled over from laughing.
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Sunday night I was not having such a good night after Dallas' lost, and Leah looked at me and said, "If it makes you so mad, why do you watch the Cowboys every Sunday?" Good question. Really, good question.
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Sunday morning went well as I started a Christmas series of sermon's. The Choir sounded great, the crowd was good and I was told that was the best sermon I have ever preached.

Been too Long

2009-11-20T15:17:00.002-06:00

I am just not very regular on this blog. I want to be, just don't have the time it takes to keep this going every day (or even weekly). Anyway, my family had some pictures taken last weekend and I love them. They are the best pictures my family has ever had made. The photographer's name is Amy Jacobs. She is a friend from way back when and she did a fabulous job. You can take a look at the photos on her website, look under "featured", we are on the second page. If you decide to book her for your photos, be sure to mention my name!
Sunday night is our "Harvest Dinner" at the church. It is time of giving thanks and celebrating with out church family. This past Sunday morning we had a few visitors, a couple I had not seen in a good while. The other couple came with their kids and was back for our Wednesday night Bible study.
I have really felt like God had me under His thumb lately. I could feel Him poking on me making me really uncomfortable. I felt like nothing I did was measuring up and to be honest, it was making me a little depressed. Then I noticed it wasn't God. It wasn't even the devil. It was me. I was the one beating myself up for things that God has already forgiven me for. Once I grasped the truth (again), that God is in the forgiving business and I can't let past failures hold me down, it has been like a weight lifting off me. I am free.
I am free to forgive myself as well as others.
yesterday I had Logan so he and I went to Granddaddy's and took him out to lunch. Granddaddy loves the "Sweet Aroma Cafe" in Unionville. All three of us loaded up and went. Both Logan and Granddaddy seemed to enjoy the afternoon. He started out calling him Logan, but after lunch he was "Will". Will is my brothers son. I figure he's 87, at least he is calling him by "a" great-grandson's name. Logan didn't seem to mind either.

An Amazing Day

2009-11-09T12:17:00.002-06:00

Yesterday could have not been much better. It started with a soldier coming to MHBC for the first time. He was being deployed in the morning (today) and just wanted the pastor to pray with him. I got the whole church involved and we "adopted" Stan Wilkerson. We exchanged info and promised to take care of any physical needs as well as cover him and his unit in prayer.
Leah's soccer team played in the championship game yesterday afternoon and her undefeated regular season turned into a tournament championship as well. She played really good at her defensive position.
Last night I got the privilege of preaching at El Bethel Baptist Church. They are having revival every Sunday night in November. This is also my brother Dan's church. I don't know what it is about our churches, they like to joke about Dan and I, our age, our hair (or lack there of), our preaching. It is all in good fun. I had a great time at El Bethel.
After church my kids went to spend the night with others, except Logan, and Steph and I took Logan to Chili's and had a great supper together.
The night finished with Steph reading on the couch, Logan asleep in my arms and me watching the Dallas Cowboys take sole possession of first place in the NFC East!
I need more nights like that!

UT, Halloween and Dedication! (not necessarily in that order)

2009-11-02T12:00:00.005-06:00

Saturday was Halloween. Our kids have never really been big fans of it. They haven't even went "trick-or-treating" the last couple of years. This year, with Logan, it was different. Logan was a horse (not a Chick-Fil-A cow), Leah was a doctor and Lynna was a "glamour girl". Lynna dressed up to help the little ones from the church as they went door to door. We started at Granddaddy's house. I am often reminded this time of year, how much Granny loved Halloween. It was her favorite holiday. She would dress up to give candy out to the kids. When I lived there we could have up to 100 "spooks" come from miles around to see what "Granny" was wearing this year. We lived out in the sticks so 100 is a bunch. Granddaddy never dresses up, and usually just the grandkids come by now, but Granddaddy always wants us to come by and see him. We left there and went to our Church function. it was a "Barn Party" out at the Derickson's horse barn. We had such a good turn out with most of the church and a lot of guest showing up. We took the kids trick or treating at a near by neighborhood. We had hot dogs and chili, hayrides, face painting, pumpkin decorating, etc. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday morning, we had "High Attendance" Sunday at MHBC. The deal was, 100 for Sunday School and I would preach in a UT jersey next Sunday. 101 was the count. I had a plan. I wore a UT shirt under my suit and when I got up to preach, I took off my jacket and tie, and my dress shirt. I wanted the ones that couldn't come next Sunday to at least see me in Orange. It was not a pretty sight. Next Sunday it is an orange and white #10 Jersey (Kerry had to bring me one, since I don't own anything UT).

Sunday night we had a dedication service for Logan at Fair Haven Baptist Church. I had been telling MHBC that Logan would be upset if they didn't come to his dedication. Man, they came. When Bro. Charles ask for MHBC to stand, it look like an army rising up from the pews. I was proud to be called their pastor. It was a very nice service.

Let's be honest, I am not use to having a church that shows up for things other than church. MHBC not only loves each other, but likes to be around each other too. Strange concept, huh?

UT? Really?

2009-10-28T14:44:00.003-05:00

This coming Sunday (11/1) is our "High Attendance Day" at Midland Heights. We have set a pretty aggressive goal of having 100 in Sunday School. We have been averaging around 60. The Sunday School teachers were asking input on what I would be willing to do if we hit 100. I offered several suggestions one included shaving my head. No dice. They then came up with the ultimate challenge. If we have 100 in Sunday School on Nov. 11th, I will wear a UT (that is Tennessee not Texas) jersey the following Sunday. The deacons will also be singing special music that Sunday as well. As all of you know, I am a lifelong Vanderbilt fan. Wearing a UT jersey is sacrilege. But, I am good sport and will gladly play along.

Sunday night will be Logan's dedication at Fair Haven Baptist Church. We still have a lot of family that goes there, and I needed someone besides me to do the dedication. I am looking forward to it. I hope he cooperates.

The second Sunday night in Nov. (8th), I will preaching a revival message at El Bethel Baptist Church.