Unhindered Worship

Wednesday night I took our students to a See You At The Pole rally to celebrate that morning's activities. We had a great turnout and got to spend time hearing all that God did in our area. Part of the event included a worship band to lead us in singing. Theresa and Emily were there during the singing time and I was fortunate enough to be next to Emily. She never ceases to amaze me. For those of you who do not know her, she just loves music. Whether it is listening to it or making it, music is her thing. Before she could even walk, she would rock back and forth on her knees to the beat of music playing in our living room. Now that she is a little older, she is really getting into singing and playing.

Almost every Wednesday night when I am setting up for MidWeek, she will grab a microphone and start dancing and singing to the music I have playing. Of course we always have to listen to Blessed Be The Name at least once or twice. This is her favorite song right now and she constantly ask to hear it. A couple of weeks ago she and Theresa were in the back of the room when our students were singing. Theresa said that when the song we were singing said, "we stand and lift up our hands" that Emily did just that. Then she turned to Theresa and said "come on mommy, lift up your hands." We will be in the car and if a song says anything about lifting your hands or just has a good beat, she will lift her hands or start to dance in her car seat.

Having said all that, back to our See You At The Pole rally. During our worship, Emily was just doing her thing. She listens so closely to the words we sing and tries to do exactly what they say. One song even talked about falling face down and she did that! It really humbled me to watch my two year old daughter do what I would probably be embarrassed to do in church. Where did we become so stiff and rigid that lifting our hands or closing our eyes brings funny looks? I am a very private person and often have a hard time letting my emotions show. My daughter is teaching me that when it comes to my expressions about God, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks but Him. I did see a couple of students look at Emily during the rally and laugh or say "how cute." If we all were as unhindered as her during our worship, I know that God would be more blessed that our routine singing, standing, and sitting down. I am grateful that I serve a God who uses two year olds to teach lessons to us grownups.

College Memories

This morning I found myself thinking about the days I was in college. Ahhhh, these are fond memories. The years I spent in college were some of the best because they were pretty carefree. College is where I made some of my truest friends. As I was lying in my bed thinking, I recalled so many silly things. If you were there with me, then you know these references: Reba (she is still #1 in my book), Amanda's pig collection (do you still collect?), Vony and Vonda (they both have a special place in my memory), wanting a second place finish in order to get the Popeye's fried chicken (but winning first), Sheree falling down in the construction site (I did not witness this but she told us), our snow report (funniest thing ever), the BSU (now called the BCM), our late night devotionals, Katie, holding me hostage, and so many other great memories. Isn't it amazing how our lives have changed so drastically. We are moms, wives, grown-ups. It is an amazing thing. I remember us sitting around talking about what we wanted our husbands to be like and what we were going to name our children and what we wanted to do. I don't know about any of you, but all of my dreams have come true.

My Grandma

This post is really a prayer request. My grandmother has been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. This is a disease that itself is not fatal but the symptoms can be. If you know me pretty well, you know that my grandma and my aunt are the two people in my life whom I look up to more than anyone else. My grandma has always been there for me. Some of my best and favorite memories have to do with my grandma. We would go to the beach with her every summer growing up and just had the best time. My brother and I spent a lot of time at her house because my dad was a single dad and needed the extra help. I have picked up so many sticks in her back yard it is not even funny. One of my favorite memories was at the beach. My grandma told my brother and I that the tide was supposed to be high that day. We went out to the gulf (of Mexico) and would not get in because we didn't know how high the water was. I remember looking up and see my grandma walking down to the beach in her black bathing suit. She just walked right into the water like it was no big deal and so my brother and I followed her. We were on both sides of her and started splashing each other. She told us to stop splashing her or she would go back to the house. Needless to say, we stopped. My grandmother was my biggest supporter growing up. There are a lot of different paths my life could have taken because of circumstances beyond my control, however, she always encouraged me to live a life that I would be proud of. I will not get to see my grandma this Thanksgiving because I will be too far along in my pregnancy to travel that far. However, I am hoping to get to Baton Rouge after the baby is born. My aunt says that my grandma is going downhill pretty fast. Please be in prayer that I will get to see her soon.

Heroes

Last night was the premier of the second season of Heroes. Theresa and I really enjoyed watching this show last season and are looking forward to what's in store the second time around. This is one of two shows that our church secretary and I discuss on a frequent basis. (We also talk about Survivor.) Almost every Tuesday of season one she or I would bring up the previous night's show. Her whole family watches Heroes and we discuss plots and try to answer questions we have about what will happen next. Basically it helps liven things up around the office.

While I really like the show, I think I like even more the concept of heroes. On the show, ordinary people have special gifts and abilities that in the real world don't exist. I do think that real heroes, however, do exist. For the most part they are just like you and me and anybody can be a hero. I have many heroes of the Bible that I love to read about and look forward to spending eternity with them one day. I also have many heroes in my family, church family, and my friends. America has had countless heroes that have fought in numerous wars, served during times like 9/11, and in many ways that never catches the attention of the public. One of my wife's heroes is her grandmother and we found out yesterday that she has Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. This is the one person that Theresa wanted at our wedding more than any other relative or friend. I often hear stories about Grandma Nettles and it makes me proud to be in her family. Please remember her and Theresa in your prayers. We cannot be with Grandma Nettles this Thanksgiving because of travel restrictions during Theresa's pregnancy, so Theresa is really hoping to she her early next year. We are not guaranteed she will live that long and this is really hard for Theresa. We are both thankful for real heroes that make a difference in our lives.

The Future Brings Change

Even though I don't always embrace every little cultural change that comes my way, change can be good and I love to dream about the all of the possibilities the future holds. For all of us, the future can be a clean slate with endless possibilities. Today I was again reminded of that through an e-mail my sister sent me about the new Mercedes Benz. This car is different from any that I have seen and even though I'm not quite sold on how it will work, it's just cool to see that somebody somewhere thought this up. I feel the same way about the Apple iPhone. This phone is pushing the limits on a device that the majority of the people I know today have attached to their body at all times. Does it have flaws? Yes, but Apple won't just give up and throw in the towel. Instead, they work to make it better. We need to also not be afraid to fail but strong enough to understand that we are not perfect and will make mistakes. God gives us the chance to fall flat on our faces, stand up, dust ourselves off, and start again. Here's to seeing our God-shaped future as limitless!

Spending Time With God

Isn't it amazing how God speaks to us about things that maybe we don't think are a big deal. The last few days, my quiet times have been about having more of a commitment to Christ. I have always struggled with having a quiet time. I know how important having a quiet time is and so I have always tried to do better and have always vowed to do better. However, the other day I was reading the verse that says, "He who seeks to follow Me must take up his cross daily." I have read this verse many times but it has stuck with me for the last few days. I have always looked at this verse in such a way to speak of the struggles of being in a Christian in this world and the persecution we must endure. But after the other day, I look at it in a whole different light. We are to daily spend time with Christ; this is our cross. It is not a burdensome thing. It is simply putting ourselves and our desires aside in order to fulfill the calling of our Heavenly Father. Our quiet times that we spend with Him each day are not necessarily something earth shattering, but by making them a priority, we have chosen to take the focus off of ourselves and put on Him, where it belongs. This is my desire in life and this is one of the simplest things I can do to show what priority He has in my life. If you are not spending your time with God each day, I urge you to do so. Let Him know how valuable He is.

Fresh Cut Grass

As you can probably tell from the title, I spent a few hours today doing yard work. My weed-eater had been out of commission, so I hadn't been able to fully finish my typical mowing on the weekends. While I have mowed, not weed-eating is a whole different story. Little by little, grass started to overtake our flower bed and against our fence. Needless to say, I had a lot of work to catch up on and I am pretty tired from it all.

For the most part I really enjoy mowing and weed-eating because I get to see the finished product. In youth ministry that is not always the case. You can spend years pouring into a student and never really know if they got it. Maybe someday they will hunt you down to tell you how you impacted their life for Christ, but this can be few and far between. Many days at work it feels like I just put out little fires to only be faced by a dozen more the next day. Don't get me wrong. Ministry definitely has its rewards, sometimes here on earth and many times in heaven. It is just nice to have a couple of things in my life that I can see the beginning, middle, and end. I love seeing the yard when all of my work is done. For one thing I know when I'm done. There are only so many times you can mow a yard.

I think it also reminds me of how quickly our lives can change. Even though I had mowed and done the weed-eating just a few weeks ago, you probably couldn't tell that this morning. Little by little the weeds and the grass grew until it looked really bad. Sin can be the same way. When it is left alone, it grows and grows until you find yourself in a huge mess that you might not have seen coming. The lesson I learn over and over again is take care of the small stuff. Whether this be mowing the grass, weed-eating, or getting rid of sin, don't put it off.

Emily Being Emily

Okay, if you get tired of hearing about Emily, I am very sorry. But, seeing as how I am a stay-at-home mom, that is probably what I will talk the most about. She is so funny. She is really into her car right now. We only have one vehicle and Jason takes it to work everyday. At lunch time, when he leaves to go back to work, she will start crying because he took her car. In the afternoons, we he returns home, she gets so excited because her car is back. I just really think that is funny because it is such a big deal to her to have her car at home. I have also included a picture of her "helping" paint by putting tape on the wall. It is such a funny picture. The second one is of her sliding down her "waterfall." She thought of this all by herself. I think it is amazing how they just need the simplest things to entertain them, blue painters tape and a blue blanket and she was good to go. I will leave you with one profound thought and then I am fresh out; do you think God laughs when we try to maintain control of a house with a two year old in it?

Gotta Love Hanging Out With Youth Guys

Today I got to spend most of my time just learning from and hanging out with other youth pastors. We are very fortunate in Oklahoma to have something called OKYMA that exists to give youth ministers the opportunity to network with each other, to sharpen their skills, and to fellowship with their fellow laborers in youth ministry. It is so nice to spend time once in awhile with other people who understand what you are going through and just get you. Times like these remind me that I'm not alone in this journey called youth ministry. If nothing else, I also got to be out of the office for most of the day and that is a very good thing.

It was also a great day because I got to re-connect with a youth pastor and his wife that I met while serving in New Mexico. It was great to see them again and find out that they are now serving in OK. I look forward to continuing our friendship and ministry together. Not only did we get to spend time goofing off at Incredible Pizza, but we also were challenged to take care of ourselves as ministers. To surround ourselves with people that share our passion and help us grow spiritually. What I valued the most today apart from getting to meet new youth pastors was the insight into youth ministry from a husband and wife who have been serving in a local church for many years. Even though I have been a full-time youth pastor for almost five years, I am reminded all of the time how much I don't know and need to work on. Too many ministers are either leaving full-time ministry or just plain burned out. From day one I committed to this to the end. I don't want to be another statistic of a guy who used to be in the ministry. So, I keep pressing on. Growing, learning, and serving each and every day. Talk about one fun, exciting, uneasy adventure!

Defining Patience

I have come to learn that patience is not a word in a two year olds vocabulary. If I ever have to tell Emily to wait, I know a tantrum will follow. I don't know when she will finally understand what this word means, but it can't come too early. The truth is that we are the same way with God. If God tells us to wait, we sometimes throw a tantrum and tell him we don't want to. The funny thing about a two year old is that if you just focus their attention on something else, they will forget about whatever it is they wanted (at least for a couple of minutes.) Maybe we need to do the same.

Oh, by the way. Yes, the Saints lost and I was very disappointed. However, we were playing the defending World Champs, Payton Manning, and on their home turf. I am okay with that and I think that we will do really well the rest of the season.

Go Saints!

If you know me at all, this post should come as no surprise to you. Tonight, the New Orleans Saints take the field against the Indianapolis Colts. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am that football season has begun. I really want the Saints to win but if they don't, I wouldn't be that sad because the Colts are my second favorite team. Jason and I really like Payton Manning and usually root for them. However, they are playing my team, so GO SAINTS!

I know to some of you this is not a big deal. It is such a big deal that my daughter says "Go Saints, Go Colts, or Go Cowboys (Jason's team)" every time we watch a football game (even college). So tonight she should be a little confused. I really don't have words of wisdom to share this time, I just thought everyone needed to be rooting for the Saints tonight.

Only The Best

This past Labor Day, I got to spend most of the day working on painting our living room and kitchen. My mom and dad came over to give us a hand with the project and to of course see Emily. This turned out to be a productive but draining day since we worked almost non-stop. By the time I climbed into bed around 1:45am, I was physically sore and ready to sleep. You may be wondering why I would spend a national holiday working instead of taking it easy. For one, this was the first day that my mom and dad could help with the project when I too was free. We have been wanting to paint ever since we moved in last December, but time seems to fly by so fast these days and here we are almost a year later before finally getting to paint. I also like the look and feel a new paint job does for your house and for your soul. I always want to give everything only the best I have to offer, and this includes my home. Not only does the new paint really make our living room and kitchen look great, but it makes me feel good about all of the hard work I did. Since I am a homeowner, I feel that it is my responsibility and right to take care of my house. As a husband and a dad, I have a great level of responsibility to provide the best environment I possibly can for my family. That is why I didn't mind working on my extra day off this week and why I felt pretty good about the day when I started seeing an end in sight. I still have a few places to fill in and some spots to re-touch, but it is all downhill from here. Of course, we still have the rest of the house to work on, but this is a great start.

With the work done from Monday fresh on my mind, I was reminded again of the importance of giving God only our best. For the past two weeks, we have been looking at Acts 2:42-47 to better understand the makeup of the first century church. As you read through these few verses, I believe that these first followers of Christ understood the importance of give everything to God. Too many times we tend to give God our "leftovers" and that is not what He deserves. From waiting until the last moments of the day to say a quick prayer to putting off reading His word, He doesn't always get my best. Some of the very first opening words from The Purpose Driven Life teach us the life is not about us and is all about God. He is the reason we are here on planet Earth and He is the reason we live and move and breath. When our focus is shifted from ourselves and making our name great to making His name great, we can only long to give God our best. I know that this sounds easy to do, but for me this will be a lifelong journey that is worth working towards. May we all strive to give God our best in all that we do.

Naked Child

Well, this is officially my first blog. I know what I am going to talk about because it made my whole day. Emily, my two year old daughter, has recently been working on potty training. Since we are having our second child in January, we are really letting her do this at her own pace and not push her. A few months ago, she decided that she did not need naps anymore, (actually I decided this because she would be cranky the rest of the night and not get to sleep until really late.) Anyway, you may wonder what these two things have to do with each other until today happened. My daughter does go in her room for an hour of "rest" time. She usually plays in her bed with her babies or looks at her books. This morning, she told me that she was not wearing pull-ups anymore but she was going to wear big-girl panties. I tried to get the pull-up on her, but she really did not want it on. Since we are at home all day, I decided not to fight this battle and just let her wear her big-girl panties. She did pretty good and went to the potty most of the day. Then, "rest" time came. I told her that she needed to wear a pull-up and after "rest" time, she could wear big-girl panties again. She was okay with this arrangement. However, after her hour was up, I went in to get her and she was naked. She had taken her pull-up off and was playing with nothing on. I asked her if she went potty somewhere and she told me in her pull-up. I checked but her pull-up was dry. She did not go potty anywhere else either, so I put her big-girl panties back on and decided not to make a big deal about it. I thought this was so funny because I thought she understood the situation perfectly, but obviously she was not happy about the option. She teaches me all the time that just when I think I have control over a situation, I lose it. I guess that is a life lesson we all need to be reminded of.