Getting A Grip

Have you ever thought about the many things in our lives where we are constantly striving for a better understanding? How many of us have felt overwhelmed at times where we just can't seem to get a "handle" on anything? We do all we can to "get a grip" on life.

I think about the things in my life where "getting a grip" comes into play.

My golf game. Anyone who plays golf knows all about "the grip" and how to hold/swing your club. It's not just any grip either. It's one specific to the game that (supposedly) when properly achieved, can help your overall swing, make the proper contact and help you hold your head up high out on the fairways...instead of ducking behind a clump of trees, much like I do. I thought this "grip" wouldn't make much of a difference and when I first started learning how to play, I instinctively held the clubs like I did a baseball bat. I even caught myself lifting my left leg up as I began to swing. All of these are "no no's" in golf. I've become painfully aware that to play this accursed game the right way, I need to adapt my "grip".

I read about this theme this morning during my quiet time with God. One of the books I'm reading, "Building Dynamic Faith" by Dr. Jerry Falwell, spoke about how we can "get a grip" on what God is trying to say to us while we read the Bible. It's a five step plan that was brilliantly illustrated in a story he told of young man speaking to his Bible class early in his pastoral training. This young man reiterated (or introduced) Dr. Falwell to these 5 steps by standing in front of the class and challenging another student sitting in the front row to try and take his Bible from his grip. The student was told to use only his thumb and forefinger while the speaker held on with a full 5-fingered grip. Of course, the volunteer couldn't do it because the speaker had a firm hold on the Bible. This point was reinforced by saying that the 5 fingers he used to hold onto the Bible represent the 5 things we need to do to better understand what God is saying through His Word.

1. Hear the Word.
2. Read the Word.
3. Study the Word.
4. Memorize the Word.
5. Meditate on the Word.

By applying these 5 principles to your life as you read through the Bible, God's Word and statutes will become much clearer than if you just read it in a leisurely manner. Here are a few Scriptures Dr. Falwell gave that will hopefully encourage you as they did me.

Joshua 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate in it day and night."

Psalm 119:11 "Your word I have hidden in my heart that I may not sin against you."

Acts 17:11 "These (believers in Berea) were more noble...in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."

Proverbs 23:7 "...for as he thinks within himself, so is he."

Psalm 119:14 "I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees, as much as in all riches."

That last one especially impacted me. The ways of the Lord (His teachings and instructions for our lives) are even more valuable than all the riches (materially) I could obtain.

What's also incredible about this is God's timing. I had prayed before I even opened the Bible or Dr. Falwell's book this morning that God would give me more insight to know Him through His Word and His plan for my life. I opened Falwell's book and saw the title of today's chapter (Grasping God's Word) and I KNEW instantly God had heard my prayer and was going to reveal more of Himself to me. As I began to read Dr. Falwell's book then delve into my own personal Bible time, I came across Psalm 117. Talk about power in the Word!

"Praise the Lord all nations, glorify Him all peoples for great is His faithful love to us; the Lord's faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah!"

How awesome is that!! God is faithful and His love endures forever!

Before I wrap this up, I wanted to share one more thing...

As you have read in the past couple of days, I've been listening a lot to Casting Crowns' newest CD "Lifesong". Today, I really listened to a song called "Love Them Like Jesus". I hope these words will minister life, hope and encouragment to you this very day as they did me.

"Love them like Jesus, carry them to Him,
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don't need the answers to all of life's questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus."

If you know someone today who's going through a hardship and is down, maybe it is you, remember to stand beside them today, encourage and support them, love them the way He loves them and let His light (and love) shine through you.

Have a great weekend!

You're Kidding Me, Right?

MLB's investigation into steroid abuse (ie: Let's Make It Appear We're Trying To Thwart Barry Bonds and His Steroid Denials). Now, first off, I'm by no means a Bonds apologist. In fact, the day he leaves the game for good will be a joyous day for me. Not that he's ever done anything to me personally...he's just one of those athletes who likes to thumb his nose at everyone. Fans, officials, teammates, other players, the media, the public in general...you know, everyone. What I actually don't like about this investigation is that, as it was pointed out this morning on ESPN Radio with Colin Cowherd, there's already been a conclusive investigation done on Bonds and his steroid abuse. It's a book called "Game of Shadows", one that a lot of professional sports people have been talking about and oddly enough, Bonds has not come out to deny it's allegations. This book containst over 200 separate sources, numerous files and documents all confirming what even a blind man could see...

Bonds is on the juice.

Yet, I guess because it (the book) wasn't a "sanctioned" investigation, MLB feels like it has to conduct one of it's own and come up with the same conclusions. Actually, MLB (read: Bud Selig) is starting this investigation to try and determine the rampant use of steroid and performance enhancing drugs. They have to say this so their efforts to nail Bonds don't come off looking like a witch hunt. Some are claiming this investigation needs to go back and include Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, among others. However, it's been noted before that since 1980, most MLB players have been aware of steroid abuse (and easy availability) and one would also then conclude if players know about it, owners and officials would've also had to have known about it.

So why start now? Because Bonds is less than 50 HR's away from breaking Hank Aaron's record and this hallowed feat can't be surpassed with such a cloud of controversy hanging over it. So, what to do with Bonds in the meantime? Do you let him play until this "investigation" ends (if it ever does) or do you suspend him in the interim? Even if you hate Bonds and all he represents, you have to admit the timing of this is indeed suspect and looks to me like MLB is trying (horribly) to start some damage control for keeping their heads in the sand for so long.

Can you say "waste of time"?

Another realm of professional sports that's got me a bit disgusted is one of the new rules put in place by NFL: no excessive celebration after a touchdown.

I guess it's all in how you look at it. Is it bad sportsmanship or is it entertainment for everyone watching? Would I want to see a high school kid doing CPR on a football after he ran one in? No way. Would I want to see the Hogs congregate in the endzone and do a choreographed dance after Mitch Mustain lit one up to Damian Williams for 7? Hmmm...are we playing Texas? Just kidding...

No, really...I came to enjoy and wonder what guys like Chad Johnson would do the next time he scored. When you have a guy doing a "Riverdance" around a solitary ball in the endzone or even run over to a Bengals' cheerleader and "propose" to her in marriage...THAT'S funny.

T.O. stamping the ball on the center of the star in Dallas...not funny. T.O. getting blindsided for stamping the ball on the center of the star in Dallas...justice. T.O. now playing for the 'Boys this year, in the very stadium that's home to that star...irony.

Think about those great endzone phenomenons we've seen in the past 15-20 years. (I'm sure I'll forget some good ones so please hit the "comment" button below to remind me).

The Ickey Shuffle
Tony Gonzales slamming the ball over the goalpost.
The Lambeau Leap.
T.O. and the Sharpie.
Joe Horn and the hidden cellphone.
The Funky Chicken.
The Washington Redskins' "Fun Bunch".

Ahhh yes...good times. Good for you if you were a fan of the team "celebrating". Bad if you were watching Deion strut down the sideline after a 55 yard return against your team.

Bigger issues are out there for officials in both leagues to try & tackle. But to me, some of their methods, timing and reasonings make little sense.

A Miscellaneous Monday

Word to the wise:

Don't stay up 'til 1am watching Law & Order then expect to wake up bright & perky the next morning. Ugh. I've already had the equivalent of 3 large cups of joe and I still feel like my eyes have just opened. Blasted Law & Order...why does it have to be so addictive? I can't stand it when the first 30 seconds of a show lasso you in and you can't help but watch the whole thing!!

OK Jim...time to shake it off. Let's clear our minds and focus on the day...there you go. F-O-C-U-S....

Congrats to the University of Missouri on the recent hiring of new basketball coach Mike Anderson. He was the former assistant here at Arkansas to Nolan Richardson when we won the Nat'l Championship in '94 and was most recently the head coach at UAB. They played a lot like the way Arkansas used to play (remember the 40 Minutes of Hell motto?) and he's promising to make Mizzou basketball a lot like that. There are a lot of Arkansas fans who are upset this morning we didn't hire MA when we had the chance but who's to say how he'd have done here? I think our current coach, Stan Heath, had finally turned the corner and will make Hog basketball a lot more competitive, much like it was 10 years ago.

Happy Birthday to Jennifer's step-mom, Tricia! She was married to Fred until his passing but still remains a vital part of all our lives and we love her dearly! We're so thankful she lives only an hour or so away from us and still gets to come over for all the kids' activites (ie: school musicals, church functions, birthdays, etc) Don't worry Tricia...we've got a pat of butter here waiting on you too! haha

Some of you may ask "what's with this butter on the nose thing"? Well, according to Fred, it's a way to butter up the birthday person for that day to help prepare them for the upcoming year. As you can see in yesterday's post, the butter tradition knows no limits nor boundaries. It is observed anytime, anyplace, anywhere...even on vacation. Tricia even did some legitimate research on this "tradition" and I think she said there is indeed a habit of this occurence in India or some place like that where it's observed between family members as a sign of affection.

No mention on whether or not that family is the Orville Reddenbacher family or not. (rimshot)

This cheap and pathetic humor comes to you as a bonus for reading this morning. You're welcome.

Spring is officially here. I love it when the snow and cold temps are moving out and the warmer temps are moving in! The snow is gone (not that we got much to begin with) and the birds are out singing and the sun is shining! Goodbye Frosty! See you next year! It's supposed to be in the lower 60's today but a cold front is expected to move in tonight for a few hours. Then, temps will climb up into the 70's for a good part of the week. I'm pumped about this because there's a lot of golf to be played, especially since my excursion on the course in Florida. I can feel some good rounds coming on!!

Jordan, Buster...you all ready to go play soon?

If you're visiting here today, thanks for stopping by. I hope God blesses you today in ways you never dreamed. I read Matthew 7:7 this morning and hope to keep it on the front of my mind, especially if I get discouraged today. Hopefully it'll help you too.

"Ask, and it shall be given to you."

So many times we try to bully our way through life, thinking if we can't make it on our own, we're somehow weak...incomplete...a failure. But that's not true at all. We're complete when we put our lives totally in His hands and allow Him to work through us. What better way to know your Heavenly Father is there with you than by calling to Him when you are down & discouraged? He's promised to never leave or forsake His own so take comfort in knowing this. He's the one who will stick by you closer than a brother and He's right there with you even as you read this.

Christian comedian Brad Stine said something incredibly relevant at this past summer's Promise Keepers rally here in Fayetteville. In essence, he said how he's heard critics of Christianity say how weak minded & dependant we all are and how we use Jesus as a crutch just to get us through life.

Well, yes...when you put it that way.

There's no way I can make it through my life on my own. There's no way I can depend on myself to make sure my life provides me the best it can offer. There's no way I can stand up again on my own after I've fallen for the 17th time.

But I can with Jesus beside me.

Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Here's hoping you have an incredible week ahead, walking, talking and depending on Him.

Destin and the Bobby Hopper Tunnel

Well, they say good things must come to an end and this week has done just that. Spring Break 2006 has come and gone and for the first time in a long time, we've done the "Florida" thing and gone to Destin for a week of sun & sand. However, with all family vacations, there are all kinds of episodes that you remember and some you'd rather forget.

I never thought a tunnel in the side of a mountain would make such an impression on a boy, but it did. My 3 year old Jake was SO impacted by us going through the Bobby Hopper Tunnel between Fayetteville and Ft. Smith, he told everyone about it...and I'm not exaggerating when I say EVERYONE. I bet if I had $1.oo for everytime he menitoned the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, we'd have had our trip financed completely PLUS made $100. The really bad stuff happened later that night.

Starting with our late night arrival at the Hattiesburg MS Hampton Inn, we hoped it wouldn't be a sign of things to come. We got there around 11:45pm on Saturday night (the 18th) after deciding to not pay the entire night's room fee for a late cancellation. We had a non-smoking, 2 double bed room. What we got was a non-smoking single KING BED and with the hotel being overbooked, we had no choice but to all sleep in the same bed.

Remember that scene in Willy Wonka where all four grandparents were laying in that giant bed in Charlie's house? That's exactly how we looked that night. I kept waiting for a little blond boy to come up and offer me a chunk of his Wonka bar.

"No Charlie...it's your birthday. You keep it for yourself."

To make matters worse, Jake got sick...on MY side of the bed...and the hotel manager had no sheets to give me at 5am. Needless to say, once the real help got there after 7am, we got our room charge waived and better reservations made for our return trip home.

The remainder of the trip to and from Destin was incredible! We celebrated my 37th birthday with a tradition my father-in-law Fred Turner taught us. The birthday person gets their nose buttered, to allegedly butter them up for another year. Kaitlyn woke me up with a glob of butter on my nose...so much so, I could've used that butter for a facial mask at the Sandestin Spa. I probably smelled warm & buttery the remainder of the day.

Great food, good times with our friends the Yates and Nicholsons (we actually called the HOGS at Joe's Crab Shack and got a rousing roar of approval as well as a Hog response from across the restaurant!), a decent time on the golf course and plenty of time on the sand...it was definitely a relaxing time away.

A few things I noticed while on vacation:

-My son loves to talk about tunnels, especially the Bobby Hopper Tunnel
-The dialogue on Speed Racer DVD's is so ridiculous, it's hilarious!! No wonder I loved it as a kid. "You're the most dangerous man I've ever met...and you're wacky too!"
-Did you know Charles Bronson is a manager of a gas station/convenience store between Destin and Ft. Walton Beach? It's true...I saw the sign on the bathroom door myself.
-Don't fall for advertisements on billboards that say "Hours of Family Fun" because there's no way possible a 50 year old aquarium will keep a family of four occupied for 3 hours, let alone 1.
-There must be at least 347 small churches on the side of the road between Hattiesburg and Mobile AL. Seriously...there was a small church at least every mile from what I could see.
-Kids under the age of 10 have no thermal body regulatory functions. My kids were impervious to the frigid water temps in the pool where we tried to swim.
-You sometimes DO play golf better on vacation.
-$50.00 lobster does taste pretty good but I'm fine with it only once a year.

It's good to have had a week of downtime but I'm looking forward to getting back into things. We're starting to prepare for "Three Days" at our church. Check out the link to it in my links section and join us if you can. Have a great week!

Wrap-up Before Destin

Spring Break is 6 hours away from officially being here and we've decided to make the most of it. We're taking the kids to Destin for some time on the beach and adventures in buryng Daddy in the sand. You can feel the enthusiasm I have for that, can't you?

I feel this trip is more of a "wife" thing that she's justifying as a "let's take the kids to the ocean" reason. Now I have no problem going away on a vacation to the beach but when we used to do that, we had a truck full of scuba gear accompanying us instead of 2 young kids who will invariablly either need to take potty stops every 30 minutes, getting stir-crazy from sitting in the Sequoia for 8+ hours (we're only going to Mississippi tonight) and who will be fighting over what movie to watch in the DVD player.

Barney, the Wiggles or Hilary Duff?

Oh Calgon...take me away.

Nah...it's going to be a great time and we're all seriously looking forward to the trip. We're going to meet up with our friends Mike & Sandy and Lyle & Kelly (whom we had no idea initally were all going to be there at the same time) PLUS I'm putting in a call to our neighbor from Columbia who relocated to the Florida panhandle a couple years ago to see if he wants to meet up. Then, this is the greatest part...

Since Monday is my birthday, my loving, devoted and giving wife is INSISTING I bring my golf clubs to go play some of those famed Destin courses.

Excuse me a moment...I'm beginning to choke up with emotion.

Now, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post while we're gone for the week but we'll bring the laptop and hope for an internet connection. But if there's no update for about a week, you'll understand why.

Therefore, as an early birthday gift to you, I'm going to put a couple of pics up for you to either admire or mock. I'm good either way.

First one is the crepe I made for my wife's book club meeting on Wednesday. Other than a slightly singed milk taste to the pastry cream that went between each layer (18 of them), I think it turned out OK. Jennifer's sister Kristin was my "go to guy" when I got stumbled on ingredients and/or preparation. It was her idea to go with the powdered sugar and the fresh strawberries. Maybe I'll post the recipe for this next week.

Bob, show 'em what's behind Door #1.

Ooooooooohhhh...aaaaaaaahhh.

OK. Comedy time.

This cat turns 37 on Monday. Please no comments on the fashion. I think my family wanted to see if I could break a balloon by laying on it. Of course, being about 1 year old, this wouldn't have been one of the more enjoyable memories I had and may explain my fear of balloons today. My family has a cruel, twisted sense of humor.

"Hey...let's watch Jimmy get scared by the balloon popping underneath him!!"

(laughter from the adults)

Go ahead Bob. Show 'em the pic.

Please. Stop laughing. As you can see by the enormous flash that was used, not only was I blinded for about 3 weeks, the flash also took my nose off. Probably worked out better for me due to the "gift" I left the family later on for making me the brunt of their whims.

Well, have a great day and a safe Spring Break! I'll hope to get some updates from Destin next week but just a word of caution...

There will be no shirtless pics of me on the sand...and no "beached whale" jokes please. It's an insult to the whales.

A Change In Plans

This morning, as we were all rushing about trying to get the kids out the door and to school on time, I mentioned to my wife in passing I knew what I wanted to write about today. I made an 18 layer crepe yesterday for her book club meeting and it turned out pretty good, IMO. I had a picture taken of it and even had a title of the blog I was going to use...

"BAM!" Yeah, I was going to allude to Emeril's catch phrase and expound on the crepe and my finishing touch of hitting the crepe with a bunch of powdered sugar.

But as Jake and I were leaving, I put a CD by Casting Crowns in called "Lifesong". The title track of this CD is extremely powerful and uplifting to my life. I even have it as the ringtone on my cellphone.

As we drove away and I began to reflect on this song's message, I heard a tiny voice behind me begin to sing the chorus. Softly, childlike yet in his own way, full of confidence. I looked back at him and saw him smile his patented grin, his beautiful brown eyes sparkling with life. I heard this chorus come from his mouth...

"Let my lifesong sing to you, let my lifesong sing to you, I want to sign your name to the end of this day, knowing that my heart was true, let my lifesong sing to you."

I knew that this precious 3 year old had no idea what these lyrics really meant or the impact he was having on my life right then, but it was a special moment. I saw God reveal to me the impact I was having on my son and daughter, the impact I was having on my wife and family. I realized the impact the Lord was having on me and the work He was continuing through me.

I felt a song of praise begin to rise up inside me. The tears began to well up in my eyes as I felt the presence of the true and living God visit me right there in my SUV, speaking words of love and support, drawing near to me. I realized that all I do has an impact on those around me, especially those in my inner circle. I've written about "impact" and "legacy" numerous times and I'm starting to see God has stamped this theme firmly and deeply on the pages of my life. How I act, what I say, what I do...especially when it comes to raising my kids, I need to make sure I point them toward the cross.

I've already spent some quiet time with Him this morning, digging through 2 Corninthians and was blessed at what I read. If you have time today, go read 2 Corinthians 4-7 for some incredible words of encouragement!! Awesome is our God!!

As I walked Jake into daycare, he was still giddy from singing this song. He will probably never know or understand how much he's blessed his Daddy this morning. I love my kids SO much and want them to come to know the blessings God has for them if they commit their lives to Him.

This song that began to well up within me...it has no particular melody. There is no specific note arrangement or time signature.

It's my life and it's my praise to the Almighty for all that He's done for me. Whether it's from what I have or who I know, all of it pales in comparison to the ultimate gift He's given each and every one of us.

His only beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

He who took on the form of a man to come to this lost world to take OUR sins and OUR punishment so that through His shed blood, we can come to accept Him and know Him intimately! We are saved because of His sacrificial death on Calvary and it's through His brokenness we are made whole!

Luke 19:40 came to mind as I left Jake at school this morning.

"I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out!"

I can't keep silent anymore! God is real, He loves us all and wants each of us to know Him as Lord & Savior! I thank Him for His blessings and the mercies He gives me each day. I thank Him for my wife and kids and how much I love them. I thank Him for each and every member of my family. I thank Him for the people He's put in my life who are making an impact for the kingdom and pointing ME toward the cross. I've mentioned several of them on this blog through the past weeks:

my grandparents, Pastor Ronnie Floyd, Buster Pray, Randy Nichols, Jordan Cox, Darin Gray, Mike Yates, Julio Echegoyen, my wife and children and countless others...

Oh, I could go on and on giving thanks to Him here on this website but there's not enough bandwidth out there in cyberspace for me to tell of all the things He's done.

Instead, I will live my life in a manner that gives praise and glory and honor to the One who saved me.

I will leave an impact that will hopefully point people toward Christ.

I will do as Philippians 1:27 says..."live my life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

I will look to 2 Corinthians 5:9 for inspiration: "Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him."

I will not look back but I will reach forward, remembering 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away and look, new things have come!"

Lord, let my 'lifesong' indeed sing to you!

One More Round

Wednesdays are special for me because I get together with a great friend for breakfast where we can share about our lives and what God is doing for us. It usually varies which restaurant we go to due to time constraints, but it's a great time in the Lord and I thank Him for bringing men like Randy Nichols into my life. We all need to be encouraged, lifted up and surrounded by those who can do just that. I appreciate Randy's friendship, openness and willingness to meet for breakfast when I'm sure he'd much rather be home sleeping. I know how tough it can be to get up and leave the house on those cold, wintry mornings when the truck is cold and the heater takes 15 minutes to warm up. But it's people like him that really improve my day after I've had time to meet with a brother in Christ.

On the way home from IHOP today, I tuned into Dr. James Dobson and his radio program Focus on the Family. Today, they were featuring an incredibly dynamic African American preacher named Herb Lusk who spoke to a predominantly white audience in Colorado Springs. Now anyone who knows about African American chruches know that the audiences "converse" with the pastor as he's teaching. As Dr. Dobson said, the congregation is there to respond and encourage their pastor as he's going along. However, this Focus on the Family audience he was speaking to were mostly caucasian and probably not quite as used to "responding" as Pastor Lusk may have been used to.

But by the end of today's message, there was no recognition of skin color. No denomination. No specific style of worship.

No. What you'll hear is that the Spirit of God was moving and HAD moved during that service! To use a phrase I discussed last week...

"they HAD church!"

Absolutely incredible message. I highly encourage you to download the link at Dr. Dobson's website and listen to Pastor Lusk's message. (www.family.org) The link to hear this message is there on the front page.

I promise you...you will be encouraged!! In fact, I'm placing an order for 2-3 copies of this CD message to share with others.

One of the things he mentioned today was that a child of God must not only have the zeal of a zealot but the spirit of a soldier...the guts of a gladiator. By this, we need not be complacent or meek as a Christian. The Devil has enough strongholds set up in our nations, our homes and even in our churches. It's time for us to become aggressive against the Devil and his schemes. We can do this without any worry and without the fear of failure. For as Christ said "upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18 KJV)

What a great word! When we go into battle following God, nothing...not even the "gates of hell" will be able to stop us! Even as we get down and think there'll never be any hope for us again, God is there with us. He has a plan spoken about in Jeremiah 29:11. This plan is for our welfare, not our disaster. It's a plan that gives us a future...it gives us hope!

Rev. Lusk told the story of an up & coming boxer who went up against a powerful champion by the name of John L. Sullivan many many years ago (by my research, the fighter's name was James J. Corbett and the fight was in New Orleans, 1892 although Rev. Lusk never names the man). The story continues that no one had given this challenger any kind of chance or hope to survive this guranteed bludgeoning but he went in to do his best.

As expected, in the first round, Sullivan rocked the young man's head with a smashing blow that the man later said he felt from the top of his head to his feet. Yet, he thought to himself "if I can make it just one more round".

The next round, Sullivan greeted the man with a shot to the body that knocked the man flat on his back. Again, he summoned his strength and thought "if I can make it just one more round".

Third round. Another crushing blow and another visit to the canvas. And again, the man thought "if I can just make it one more round".

The fight progressed with more punishing blows to the man's head, face and body. His body badly bruised, bloody and beaten. Yet he kept telling himself "just one more round".

The fight went until the 17th round. It was a fight many had wanted to see for a long time. Then 18. Then 19. 20. Finally the 21st round.

As the bell rang, the man literally staggered from his corner to meet Sullivan once again for another assured beating. And once again, he told himself "just one more round".

This time, though, it was different. The man, who by all odds and expectations should have either been knocked out 20 rounds earlier or should've been well into the land of unconsciousness, pressed forward. This time it was HE who went on the offensive and with one punch, knocked out the champion, John L. Sullivan.

He did it because he made himself get back up for "one more round". That's what we need to do today in the midst of our own fear and desperation. As we feel like we're going down for the count and there's nothing left we can give, look to your side and see the loving eyes of Jesus there with His arms underneath your's, supporting you and helping you up, all the while whispering in your ear "come on...let's do this. Let's go one more round."

You see, the battles already been fought, the victory's already been won and Jesus Christ reigns supremely as Lord!!! The Devil knows he's lost. He knows he's bound for eternity in hell and he's trying to take as many souls as he can with him.

So if discouragement is filling your life today, all it's "stuff" has got you down and you feel like Satan is moving in for the knockout blow, pray for guidance and help from our God Almighty today. Put your faith in HIM alone. Surrender your life to HIM. Christ's already knocked Satan out and took his teeth out too. For as it says in the scripture:

"Your adversary, the Devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour." (I peter 5:8 HCSB)

He roars and tries to bow up, intimidate you. But if you're under the blood of the Lamb, Satan can do absolutely NO harm to you!! He may roar loudly and stomp his feet on the ground but God protects you. You don't need to fear the Devil at all, even though he can try to make your life a living hell. Yes, life can get rough and it isn't always going to be easy. This is true for everyone...saved or not.

But why fight a battle that you're unsure of who wins or not? You don't have to. Put your faith & life in the hands of the One who created the heavens and the earth. God will protect and sustain you today. Even in the midst of all fear and doubt, even at the lowest of times in your life, our Heavenly Father is there to care for you. Don't go through life with nothing to look forward to.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Keep your eyes on Him. Remember what He did for you and me over 2000 years ago. He's still as relevant today as He was back then. No other person, no other name has been discussed, debated or created as much furor as the name of Jesus. Why?

Because there's power in His name. As a song we recently sang continues

"There's power in the name of Jesus,
there is HOPE, there is STRENGTH
and VICTORY to claim,
there's healing in His holy presence,
there is power in His name!"

Jesus Christ came to die for our sins. He did this to show His love for EVERYONE. He allowed Himself to be beaten and scourged for our sins (Isaiah 53:4-5) and He took our sins to the cross, dying a ghastly death for me and you.

All of Hell rejoiced that day as Jesus died. Satan and his demons thought they had finally won. But Christ came back and with the most powerful roundhouse right imaginable, He arose from the dead, broke the chains of sin and hell, defeated the enemy soundly and permanently then walked out of the tomb.

So what do you say? You need someone to go along with you...one more round?

Remembering A Father, A Husband, A Friend

Today is the birthday of my wife's father, Dr. Fred Turner. He was born on this date back in 1942 and would be turning 64 today if he were still here with us. However, he passed away in 2000 very suddenly one night on his way home from karate practice. I can remember it so vividly. I was home alone with Kaitlyn, who was a little over 2 years old at the time, and Jennifer was on call at the hospital there in Columbia. We got a phone call from Fred's wife, Tricia, that he had collapsed and was being taken from Mtn. Home AR to Springfield MO.

Immediately, I called Jennifer and began to pack. Within less than 45 minutes, she was home, the car was feverishly packed and we were speeding down Hwy 65 toward Springfield. It was at least a 3 hour drive from Columbia and the miles & minutes literally creeped by.

I can remember getting to the hospital somewhere around 2am. I waited in the parking lot for my grandparents (I had called them on the way to see if they could meet us to take Kaitlyn to the hotel) while Jennifer rushed inside to meet Tricia. Once I got inside, I found them huddled together and that sick feeling in my stomach hit me. I can recall that sensation of knowing something bad was happening and with all the medical staff & equipment surrounding us, there wasn't anything we could do to help Fred.

He'd suffered a brain aneurism which had caused him to pass out and eventually never regain consciousness. Fred was one of those guys who, in his early 50's at the time, could literally give Sly Stallone a run for his money. He was fit, he was healthy, he was strictly disciplined in what he ate and how he voraciously trained. Yet now, here he was, lying on a hospital bed on a ventilator. Even in that state, his muscles rippled and tensed. He looked like he should have been able to open his eyes, pull the tubes out of his mouth and get up. I kept expecting him to sit up and give us all that warm, charming and heartfelt smile as he stood up and bowed to all of us in the room, like he always did in his "dojo" at home.

But that was not going to happen. For all intents & purposes, he was gone. The machine was keeping him alive yet as "alive" as he appeared to be, he would not ever come back.

It wasn't too long after we arrived that Jennifer's sister Kristin got there. She and her family had traveled up from Northern Texas to be there. I was happy to see the girls and Tricia get to spend some alone time together with Fred. Of course, I would have no idea the struggles, grief and pain each of them must've been feeling at that moment. I knew how much I hurt, for all of them and also for losing someone like Fred, but who can say the pain they had to have been experiencing as they saw their father, their husband, lying there on that bed.

My wife was struggling to keep calm, going back & forth from "daughter" mode to "doctor" mode. I think the "doctor" mode helped her deal with her grief, at least there in public. It also enabled her to translate to us what the prognosis was. Basically, because Fred was so strong and in such good shape, his body was beginning to fight as best it could to regain control. What this meant, however, was that if he was able to begin breathing again on his own, he would still never regain consciousness and remain in a permanent vegetative state. This was something he had made perfectly clear he never wanted to become.

So a decision had to be made...and it was.

He went to sleep peacefully, leaving behind a loving and wonderful wife and two absolutely beautiful, stunning and successful daughters who to this very day, continue to live their lives in a way that reflects his strong commitment to family. That was one thing he told Jennifer (in essence)as she was completing her med school residency...

"Don't worry about the money or the time you spend at the hospital. Focus on the quality of life with your family, not the quantity of money you can make. Money is temporary...family is forever."

I really admired and loved Fred myself. Without going too much into my upbringing, Fred was the kind of dad I so desperately wanted. Outgoing, manly, interested in your life, concerned for your well-being, confident enough to let you be an adult. I never had a father like that (although I did receive that love & support from my grandfather and who I looked up to like my father) so when I met Fred and realized that his daughter and I were going to become one, I was thrilled to be joining this family. I was excited to see how one day our kids would go out to Granddad & Grandma Turner's farm and play with the dogs, look at the deer in the bottom of Granpa's fields, ride the 4-wheeler and go shoot guns.

Hey...this is Arkansas. It's what we do. LOL

Fred accepted me into "the fold" and we began all kinds of silly nuances only a father-in-law and his son-in-law can develop. Most notably, our names for each other.

Stallone 1 and Stallone 2.

Yeah, I know. Hick. But I didn't even get to the pose-down, flex offs we'd have to impress the women. Considering Tricia and Jennifer still married us, it must have worked. I look back at when Jennifer & I first started dating (almost 20 years ago) and what I first thought of him. Fred was a highly skilled black belt in the martial arts and had a literal wall of weapons that greeted you in the exercise room. Staffs, sais, nunchuks, swords, punching bags and the finishing touch, especially for all the teenage boys interested in dating Jen & Kris...

a large pile of broken cinder blocks, busted in half by Fred's hands of iron now laying in a heap of rubble. It was almost like it said "this could be your skull, son". I think it's a good sign for all dads to have when their baby girls start dating those nasty boys.

I don't think I even thought about kissing Jennifer for quite a while. Does 2 hours count as "quite a while"?

Fred was also an avid Harley Davidson enthusiast. In fact, he and Tricia would annually hop on their Hawg and ride it up to Sturgis for the big biker weekend. It was always a sight to see them come back looking all weathered, tanned and unshaven. Jennifer was stunned one time to see him come riding in wearing a jean vest but no shirt and a four day growth of whiskers all over his face. Awww yeah, he was "Harley Man".

Then there were the gun weekends where Jennifer and I would come home from Little Rock and go shooting a bunch of his guns out in his field. It was always more interesting because Fred would either hang posters of "burglars" on trees for us to shoot at OR he'd dress up some stuffed dummies, put sticks in their hands as "weapons" and we'd have to "protect ourselves" from these intruders.

Deer stands still sit in perches across his massive acreage, waiting for that one big buck to come up from the creek. We'd hear stories after stories about how he'd be out in the stands, ready to make a kill on a 6 point buck when all of a sudden, Copper-dog would come bounding through the weeds, scaring Bambi off. But, as evident by looking around their home, Fred was very successful on the big hunts. Stuffed bears, mounted deer heads and bearskin rugs adorn the walls and floors of Casa del Turner. He tried to get us to take one of his black bears home for Kaitlyn's room but Jennifer said absolutely not.

Sheesh! Talk about close-minded. She just doesn't have "the vision". LOL

Or the weekends at the races in Hot Springs...the games at Razorback stadium followed by the traditional dinner at A-Q...the Christmas tree "selections" (a funny tradition I'll talk about some other time)...the planning of our schedules at the U of A which began with a reading of the school's course catalog.

"OK Jennifer, let's begin deciding what you'll be when you grow up. We'll start with the letter 'a'. 'Agronomy'. Not interested? Ok, let's move on."

He was extremely powerful and strong yet always had a quiet, sensitive, caring nature about him. He never blew up, never yelled in anger, never slammed his fists in frustration and I never ever saw him disrespect anyone.

There are so many memories and so many great times. I know we all miss him dearly for so many reasons but we have several pictures of Fred hanging around our home.

The one that means the most to us though is one that Tricia gave us for Christmas last year. It is a picture of Fred's silhouette on top of a bluff with his arms outstretched to either side. It seems as if he's standing on the threshold between an earthly existence and a lifetime in Heaven, beckoning us to come on up and join him. It's a picture that brought tears to our eyes when we first got it and still to this day makes us choke up.

We know he lives on through his wife, his daughters and his family. We can feel him and "see" him still in our lives in so many ways.

Happy Birthday Fred. We love you, we miss you and can't wait to come on up to join you.

Stormy Night

Yesterday before we went to bed, we saw on TV where there were a reported 37 tornadoes in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. Then, the storm cells began heating up in Oklahoma and Arkansas, as well as returning to Missouri. We saw that Mid-Mo, near Sedalia & Columbia (where we used to live) there were several bad storms blowing through with tornadoes touching down, leveling homes and destroying lives.

Then around 9:30p or so, they came to Benton County, just north of us. Tornadoes were reported to have touched down around Centerton and Bentonville, moving toward southern Missouri. Several homes were damaged and families were displaced for the night. Rain, hail, winds and torrential downpours were the theme all throughout NWArkansas. In fact, after the Benton County storm coverage ended, things seemed to quiet down...until about 12:30am when the second round of storms came through Washington County, directly at us here in Fayetteville. Fortunately for us, the storm veered to the south of the city and as KNWA's Rick Katzfey noted, the storm was lessening in intensity, which was going to be mean less damage and less likelihood of tornadic activity for us here in Washington County.

Nevertheless, it was a long night. We had to get the kids up and bring them downstairs for about an hour until the storm passed by. They were a bit rattled, although not too much, and we decided to make it as easy as we could so we blew up an air mattress for them to sleep on in our room and finally got some sleep about 2:15am.

Poor Kaitlyn had school today and stumbled bleary-eyed out the door. Jake slept in 'til about 9:45 so I know both kids will be in rare form tonight.

However, it doesn't amount to very much at all considering how many families throughout the Midwest lost it all yesterday. Homes, cars, pets, possessions, pictures, memories...all gone in an instant.

My prayer today is that God will send His peace and comfort to those people today. I pray for no complications from insurance companies, I pray for a quick recovery and rebuilding to all those who lost their homes yesterday and I hope that in the midst of the rubble and the dawning of a new day, the presence of the Lord will be found.

Matthew 7:7
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find it; knock and it will be opened to you.

Friday Night's Meat-ing With The Wife

Now I'm sure like anyone else out there who has 2 young kids, whenever you have the chance to get away for some decent "couple time", you take it. Last night was our chance to just get out and decompress from a long couple weeks of work. Usually, it's a dinner and a movie, which I'm totally cool with. None of this dancing or club-hopping or anything wild...just something somewhat subdued and simple.

One of our favorite places to go eat is a place here in Fayetteville called Boi de Ouro, which must mean "incredible meats served at a gluttonous pace" because that's what happened to me! This place is absolutely awesome!! If you've never been to a Brazilian steakhouse type of restaurant, here's how it works. You sit at your table, they bring you your drinks and you serve yourself at a huge 50+ item salad bar...not much of which is found at the local Golden Corral. This is prime stuff folks. Shrimps, gourmet mushroom salads, escargot, fresh lettuces & salad dressings, chunks of meat & cheese...real high end food.

Then, after you have your salad, you flip over a card next to you at your table. "Red" means "stop", "green" means "bring it on son". The waiters bring you out an individual slab of meat stabbed on large (2-3 ft skewer) and they cut you off a slice (or 3) right there next to you. Anything from lamb to sirloin to flank steaks to various styles of filet mignon & chicken to Brazilian sausages...it's all juicy, hot and melts in your mouth the moment you begin eating it.

Of course, with all good things comes the bad and I walked out last night feeling like that very large man from the Monty Python bit who "overate". I'll leave it there for those with more delicate palletes but when you're feeling brave, look it up. Funny and gross...but mostly funny. Anyway, it was incredible and we had a real good time talking to each other without having to yell at the kids for something. I think both of our favorite(s) last night were the flank steaks, the sirloin and the pork tenderloin. Ohhhhh, Mylanta.

So we head out to go to the movies to see a definite chick flick. It's the new one with Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker called "Failure To Launch". The premise of the film is that MM is 35 years old and still lives at home with his parents, played by Terry Bradshaw (who actually has a brief nekkid scene...g-r-o-s-s) and Kathy Bates. SJP is hired by the parents to "woo" MM away from the family nest, focus on her and realize he needs to find his own place to live. Blah blah blah...MM walking around with his shirt off...blah blah blah...MM smiling and flirting with the girls and with the camera...blah blah blah.

Make me even sicker.

I knew I was in trouble for this "movie" when we first arrived. We got into the theater about 10 minutes before it started and the ratio of men to women was about 1:13. Now multiply that by 9 because there were 9 guys and the rest of the "crowd" were women. YOUNG women all there to ogle at Mr. M and his dreamy eyes, smile, body, etc. And guys...you know what I'm talking about...a room full of young women there to see a stud like MM are NOT going to be sitting there quietly discussing the current interest rates' effect on the housing markets.

Hunh-uhhh. They were loud, expressive, jumping in their seats, fixing their hair & makeup, gabbing on their cellphones AND talking to the row of girls they came with at the same time. I began messing around with my cellphone, trying to see if the Razorbacks' score could be found online anywhere. Then, the lights (mercifully) went down.

"Let's get this over with" I thought quietly.

The only thing masculine on the screen the entire night was an ad for some new power drink who's slogan was "Let Your Man Out". It ended showing hundreds of men chasing this semi-truck full of this energy drink (I think it was Full Throttle) in their cars, motorcycles, tanks, jeeps, helicopters, etc.

Then the "meat show" on the screen started up.

I don't like Matthew McConaughey. I really don't like Sarah Jessica Parker. I DO like Terry Bradshaw but not in chick flicks. Kathy Bates has scared me since she was in that Stephen King movie where she busted James Caan's leg with a sledge-hammer.

But to be honest, there were enough funny moments to keep me interested and not totally wish for a non-drugged dental visit, like when we went to go see "Pride & Prejudice". The movie was only about 90 minutes long and it did go by pretty quickly. However, seeing the appreciation in my wife's eyes and knowing SHE enjoyed the movie was good enough for me.

That and also knowing that next date night, I get to pick the movie. And I know Superman PLUS Mission Impossible 3 are both right around the corner.

What's that you say? Both of those movies have hunky, meaty, heart-throbs as leading characters?

(sighs) Well, there's always Ice Age 2.

A Realization

Last Sunday morning, on the way to church, I was listening a show called Truth For Life. In this message, Pastor Alistair Begg was speaking about the betrayal of Jesus in the garden on that fateful night before His crucifixion.

Teaching from the book of John, Pastor Begg showed the amazing consistency of the Lord as well as some notable ironies. Below is only one instance in a vast number of times where God continually proves His unchangeable nature.

As Judas led the angry mob into the garden to arrest Jesus, it was Christ who actually stepped out to meet them. When He asked the crowd who they were looking for, they responded:

"Jesus the Nazarene".

"I am He" Jesus said.

At this, the crowd fell back in astonishment, almost as if some cosmic force had brought them literally down to the ground.

Again, He asked them "who are you looking for?"

Once again, they replied "Jesus the Nazarene".

"I told you I am He," Jesus replied.

Now, go back a few chapters in the book of John to when Christ met the woman at the well. They were discussing a parable Jesus had told her about "Living Water". Eventually their conversation became focused on how true worshippers would worship God in "spirit and truth". She told Him that she knew the Messiah was coming (who is called Christ) and once He arrived, He would explain everything to them.

Jesus responded "I am He, the One speaking to you."

A few chapers later, when confronted in the temple by the Pharisees, they ask how could He know Abraham when He wasn't even 50 years old yet. Jesus replied "I assure you: before Abraham was, I am."

This response really sent the teachers of that day into a frenzy for such a blasphemous comment. They were ready to stone Him at that moment but He "was hidden and went out of the temple complex". (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

As amazing as the consistency of this one example is, it's the irony of how it all proceeded and what God showed me as I reflected on it that touched my heart.

This crowd came into the dark with their torches, expecting to have to hunt down this fugitive called Jesus. Yet He revealed Himself willingly and without delay. Would you consider that for a moment? It's a dark, gloomy night in the middle of a garden. Fear and terror permeate the air as this riotous crowd approaches. Can you imagine what the disciples must have felt? Can you imagine what you or I as humans would've felt? We'd have ran in the other direction, scared for our lives!

However, Jesus stepped forward, as the Scripture says "knowing everything that was about to happen to Him."

Here it is: the darkness, the violent crowd, the fear and our human tendency to run YET Christ showed His majesty in all this by revealing Himself, literally stepping from the shadows.

This is then what God showed me. Flip the situation and look at our own lives. We ourselves are lost in this darkness. We revert to our own "understanding" of things, relying on ourselves to either fight or flee. However, instead of an angry crowd coming to confront us with weapons & torches, it is Christ and His never-dying love that shines in the darkness. He pursues us gently, not voraciously as a mob, for that one on one relationship. The crowd sought to capture and destroy.

Christ seeks to engage with us and love us...build us up for His glory.

Remember Revelation 3:20 from yesterday?

"Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him and he with Me." (HCSB)

He waits patiently outside the doors of your heart. He will never intrude until you invite Him in. Unlike the crowd that night (much like the sin in our lives) that seeks to burst through your doors and utterly destroy you, Jesus will come in by your invitation and will then work His wonderful, saving, changing grace upon your life!! For it's by His shed blood, His mercy & forgiveness, His grace and our unabashed faith in Him as Lord and Savior that we are set FREE!!!

Have you opened the door to your heart today? Have you invited Jesus into your life to have fellowship with you? Have you surrendered yourself unto Him?

Look outside the doors of your heart. Do you see Him? He's there...patiently waiting...eager to love...wanting to be with you.

In fact, He died just to be with you.

Why not invite Him in?

Let's Have Church!!

Each Sunday morning before our choir leaves the choir room, we all yell this as sort of a rallying cry but also as a way to sort of prepare our hearts for worship. It's a good way to all of us get on the same page as well as each of us individually start thinking about our role in leading the service. There have been numerous times as we've been singing various songs that I've felt the presence of God descend on the sanctuary and it's one of those moments you can't explain except that it's not of anything we have done. When these moments happen, it's a true joy to leave the service and know we've all communed with God. There's a real inner peace and glow to my life after I've been in one of those services.

However, those emotions aren't always limited to just Sunday mornings.

We "had church" last night at choir practice. Yes, we were there to rehearse and go over music so we don't sound off key or off rhythm, but one of the things I truly love about Buster Pray and his leadership as worship minister, is that he's VERY sensitive to making sure the choir does not ever go out to "perform". We're not there to "perform" for anyone.

We are there to lead others in worship of God. Whether it's inward or outwardly expressive, our hope is that each person in attendance takes the time to quiet their lives and focus on the reason why we're there...to worship Him. Last night, as I mentioned, we all came together to worship as we rehearsed and it was evident to me God was there.

The messages of each song we practiced varied from our thanksgiving, reliance and dependance on Him to the awesomeness of who He is. Whether the songs were upbeat or more expressive, the Spirit was there and I was blessed because of it. He IS a Mighty Fortress!!

What made this day very special for me was the "church" didn't end last night. God showed up again today during my quiet time...and again...and again...and again. I can't say that there is some magic formula you must do to ensure God shows up...that's all part of His plan and on His timetable. All I can say is that in several different instances today, God blessed me. I'll share with you tomorrow about one specific instance where God began speaking to me on Sunday and things came together today around 11am. It was extremely exciting and invigorating to see Him leading me through Scripture, the testimony of others and the promise that He will draw near to us if we draw near to Him.

Maybe there are some of my old radio friends reading this and wondering what happened to me. Is this the same guy who loved to blast Van Halen at the radio station? Yes, it's me...but there's been a major change in my life. Something incredible!!

God spoke and I (finally) listened! I finally realized there was nothing I could do to better my life. There was nothing this world could offer me that could fill up that emptiness I had inside. I saw how none of the things radio had to offer me really mattered. But what God offered me...that meant something and it continues to mean something to this very day!

One of these days, I'll share my story about who I once was and how God got my attention.

I have to run get the boy from school but keep these thoughts fresh on your mind.

1. Seek Him today while He may be found. He's closer than you think.

2. Check out Revelation 3:20. Look at this verse and really consider what it says. It wraps up what I want to share tomorrow.

Golf Stinks!

Well, that didn't take too long. After only 2 days of infatuation & expectation about a new "season" of golf, I left the course today defeated and about 6 golfballs less than when I first got there. They had the back 9 open due to some routine maintainence to the front 9 and there was hardly anyone out there.

No fogeys or foursomes riding my tail right off the bat? Check.

Nice, cool (but cloudy & slightly windy) day? Check.

Good outlook and mood upon arrival? Affirmative.

First ball teed off gets popped straight up and lost out in the open? Oh boy...here we go.

It's unbelievable how I can hit this tiny pill about 150ft. straight up in the air yet if I try to hit it away from me toward the fairway, it visciously slices to the right and into the driving range. Of course, at the bottom of the tee box, there are hundreds of yellow practice balls littering the ground and any chance of me finding 2 white balls in this mess are about as good as Paris Hilton finding herself shopping the clearance aisles at Target.

That means not good...which then means telling myself to drive on and leave a ball that's worth about .75 laying where it's hidden. It'll mean something to the guy who finds it tomorrow morning.

By about the 4th stroke (this is a par 5 hole) I realize that scorekeeping today is a very ambitious thought. No sense in wasting those extra brain cells on simple math. This will be chalked up as an "entertaining, relaxing" morning round...just to work out the kinks.

If my continued play indicated anything, I'm still wound up tighter than those metal ties around your child's toy that are there to help "support" it. BTW, do those things drive any other parent out there absolutely bonkers? Oh, what joy it is to be attempting to unwrap a John Deere tractor for the boy, only to see it's tied down tighter than Fort Knox and he begins to scream he wants his twak-toh!!! Sorry...I digress.

Long (and rather boring) story short, I really stunk it up today. Although it was good to get out and get some fresh air & exercise, not to mention beat the deluge that hit us later this afternoon, it's disheartening to see I'm still pathetic.

I'm speaking only of my golf game here.

Thus, 2 days into the "season", I'm despondant & discouraged, realizing I need to get those lessons going again. But, like the misfit doll on Rudolph used to sing...

"There's always tomorrow, for dreams to come true..."

Oh man. Did I just reference a claymation Christmas cartoon? I really AM pathetic.

Leaving A Legacy

Today as we all begin our day, we read that we've lost 2 very special people.

Kirby Puckett, 45, star outfielder for the Minnesota Twins, died yesterday after he suffered a stroke on Sunday. Many baseball fans remember his remarkable play and leadership in the 1991 World Series when he almost literally took his team, put them on his back in game 6 and carried them to an eventual world championship. It was sparked, in part, to his incredible catch he made against the center field wall, robbing the Atlanta Braves of some almost guaranteed momentum that would've carried them to a victory. However, Puckett had other ideas and after not only proving his defensive skills in the outfield, he then showed he was pretty good offensively as well by hitting the game winning home run, beating the Braves 4-3.

Unfotunately, time caught up to Kirby and he was forced to retire years later when he developed glaucoma in his right eye. Yet many of us remember this man, small in stature yet large in heart, as someone who was extremely popular with the fans and played with an incredible amount of intensity. That's one of the reasons I really liked Puckett. He was only 5' 8" and had a very unique body. Very stocky and not at all fashioned after today's "Hollywood stud" athlete. That's the kind of body like mine. Yet Kirby showed us all that even someone who's 5' 8", slightly overweight and just like everyone else can compete and WIN with determination and hard work. It's always hard to see generational personalities pass away because it reminds us all of our own mortality.

Then, this morning, I read that Dana Reeves, the widow of the late actor Christopher Reeves, had succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 44. Now although I didn't know her as much as I did her super-hero husband, I did know she was a rock in their marriage and loved, supported and sustained him throughout the entire time he was so tragically confined to a wheelchair and respirator. I recall several interviews where Chris would speak, as best he could, through machines and ventilators of how much he loved his wife and how strong she was for both of them as well as their children. You could just see the love and admiration they had for each other.

I couldn't imagine the grief and sorrow she must have felt as she said goodbye to her husband for the last time in 2004...for the life that was gone and the life that was to be missed. Yet she persevered and began charities in his memory to help raise support for spinal-cord paralysis cures. I know that many who felt the pain of seeing Superman suffer as he did and then eventually pass away are grieving for the loss of Dana with as much, if not more, pain and sorrow.

Yet both Christopher and Dana, along with Kirby, leave behind legacies of which we will remmeber them by. Legacies that will not be tarnished by each person's humanity, character flaws and stumbles. No, these 3 people brought a lot of joy and hope to a lot of people and that's what we'll remember them for.

What about you? What kind of legacy are you leaving today? How will people remember you?

I was wanting to write about this topic within the next few weeks and didn't quite know how to present my thoughts on it. Today, it seems pretty easy to do.

My pastor, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, a very gifted and annointed man of God, led a series of messages dealing with this very topic...leaving a legacy. This was a message that really made an impact in my life and made me stop to think about what I'm doing with my life to influence my family and those around me. Is what I'm doing making a difference? Will it have an impact on their lives?

Then Pastor Floyd broke it down even further and said "will your life leave a kingdom legacy for others to look toward".

"A kingdom legacy" I thought. "What's that?"

Pastor Floyd described it like this.

A Kingdom Legacy is when the power of God rules over your life and the legacy you leave behind. It's the realm over you where God's will is first, dominant and fulfilled.

Look at what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 4:20.

"For the Kingdom of God is not in talk but in power."

God's power ruling over our lives and us allowing that power to work through us. God's character shining over every aspect of who we are. In fact, Pastor Floyd went on to say that the principles of a Kingdom Legacy are based from 2 separate scriptures:

2 Corinthinans 9:6-7 (giving and receiving)

"the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and the person who sows generously will reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart-not out of regret or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver."

and Philippians 4:15-19 (expansion and supply)

Verse 19 says "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

If you have time today to look at these verses, take a moment and read them, reflecting on how they can make an impact on others. This topic has made a huge impact on my life and has really become one of my heart's desires. I can remember where I came from and what motivated me then versus where I am headed and the prize that I see waiting before me now.

"...forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead."

As I continue on this journey, I want my legacy to reflect this. I want others to see God first in my life and the changes He's brought to me. I want my wife & kids to see the husband and father who loved them so very much and did all he could to keep Christ the Head of our home. I want my family and friends to see the man God intended me to be, one who was obedient and willing to do His will and put my own will aside. I want everyone to see that Christ lives in me and has the power to change lives, just like He did in me. I want my legacy to be about Him.

How about you? What will be your legacy?

(Thanks Pastor Floyd...for speaking this message that made a difference in my life.)

Fore!!

It's looking like an incredible day for a Monday! Sunny and a high in the lower 70's. You know what that means for me...

Back to the greens for the first time in 2006. High five!

My wife was kind enough to let me buy and pick out my own Christmas present(s) this year and so "Santa" brought me a few new Callaways. A new Big Bertha driver (last year's model for only $180...can't beat that!), a new 3 wood (also at a reduced rate) and my first real forray into the world of "hybrids". I got one of those 5 hybrids which is supposed to take the place of my 2-4 irons. We'll see about that.

Back before I quit for the season, my swing was all out of sync and I was almost literally popping the golf ball straight up off the tee. Unbelievable. I wonder how many eldery gents had strokes laughing so hard at my "form" off the box? One thing I hate is a group of old fogeys waiting behind me, giving me "the look". It's the one that says "hurry up there you novice whipper-snapper! The Matlock marathon is coming on in 3 hours and we don't aim to miss it!"

I hate (and don't need) that kind of pressure.

Hopefully though, I'll have learned some patience and spend some time at the range, getting back into the flow of things before I really head out to play a quick 9. I'd like to do 18 but my ability to lose balls is almost second to none...not to mention my endurance to play through my wicked slice.

And don't remind me about the snakes that writhe about the creek, curling up around those errant golf balls like they were their own eggs. I feel like Indiana Jones sometimes when I try to fish those balls out of the creek. You don't want to disturb the snakes but the appeal of snagging a discarded golf ball...it's the lifelong epic battle of fear (the snakes) and discovery (the balls).

Last time I "discovered" a snake, however, I ran back to my cart squealing like a girl.

Seriously.

I hope that bunch of old fogeys weren't there to see it. I'd have been laughed off the course for sure.

Yes, golf season is back and I love it!!!

"C" Is For Cookie

It's the most wonderful time...

...of the year!!!

No, I'm not referring to Christmas (although that IS an incredible time in and of itself). I'm talking about the delivery of girl scout cookies!!!

This is where you can look into your video cam and see me licking my lips and rubbing my belly expectantly...

Then you can get physically ill and never blot that horrendous image from your memory. Sorry about that.

Anyway, this is the time of year when many of us are looking forward to the day that sweet little girl from down the street comes up to our door and says "here are your cookies sir". Ahhh yes, the anticipation of those delictable caramel delights, those luscious peanut butter patties that are covered in a deep, rich chocolate coating to my favorites of all...

the thin mints.

Is there anyone who DOESN'T like thin mints? Mike, put your hand down. Anyone else? Oh man, those cookies are incredibly good yet incredibly bad. It's especially tough for me this time because since November, I've been on the lo-carb diet. I made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years without cheating or bending the rules too bad. In fact, up until a couple weeks ago, I could boast that I'd lost between 20-25 pounds since November.

Yeah, I was beginning to look like a little Butterball...just in time for Thanksgiving. You can't imagine the embarrassment and humiliation I felt when I'd have to go up to a double X (XXL) size shirt just to cover my gut. In fact, it got so bad that when we were at Disneyworld, some of the characters would rub my belly like it was a good luck charm. One of the live characters thought they'd be cute and asked when my due date was.

Is it any wonder why I don't like the Fairy Godmother?

Nah...seriously. Back to the cookies. I don't know what it is about them but after only eating a scant few, and I do mean FEW cookies, I feel like I've gained about 4-5 pounds this week alone. As much as I've tried to resist their charms, their beckoning voices calling out to me, I broke down and succumbed to their mesmerizing taste. It wasn't like they had to try all that hard either.

"Hey Jim, how would you-"

"OK!!! All you cookies...get in my belly!!"

Pathetic is the word that comes to mind. *sighs*

I guess it'll be time to get back on the diet, the medication and fire up the will power again. Not to mention back to the gym. Ugh.

Where's that magic pill that burns fat instantaneously?

As much as I like the cookies to come visit, I'm learning it's much better if their stay is extremely brief.