I know, I know, my blogging has been sporadic at best and lethargic at worst, but there is just so much going on in my life that I don't even know where to start. Between church(which is going just fine, thank you very much) and golf (which is not, but that's another story for another day), and a dozen things in between, I hardly have time to think, much less sit down and write something the least bit relevant. We've been doing a little traveling (to Nashville to see Skillet & Disciple in concert) and working with the church (leading a grief share for our church and working with the kids in Awana) and occasionally finding some time to do some work around the house. It is amazing how little time we actually have, and we don't even have kids. I don't see how people do it. We are truly too fast-paced in today's life and need to slow down a lot. But, as my favorite history teacher used to say, "No rest for the wicked, and the righteous don't need any!"
Well, now summer is almost here and things will begin to kick into high gear. My good friend and golf partner, Jason Ramsey, has talked Amanda and myself into assisting him with church camp this year. I know, I know, you probably think we're crazy for wanting to spend a week with 120 teenagers eating bad camp food and sleeping on sunken-in bunk beds, but I truly think that it is one of the most fun things to do in the summer time. "And besides", he said, "we're going to the beach this year." Well, that just sealed the deal for Amanda, and we jumped right in. I mean, putting up with disrespectful, whiny church kids is worth it as long as you get to go enjoy the beach, right?
So, Jason and I have been excited and talking about plans for camp over Friday morning breakfast for the past couple months, figuring out ways to torture kids and adults all at the same time with Stryper and Stellar Kart and Skillet (don't you just love headbanging preachers and youth workers?). After the nightmare that was church camp last year, Jason was so thankful that things were going as smoothly as they were and just waiting on the other shoe to drop. I kept trying to reassure him that everything was going to be fine, and he should just quit worrying. Wow, that' scary, me trying to tell someone not to worry.
Well, two weeks ago, the other shoe dropped. Jason got a phone call from the leasing agent at our camp in Gulf Shores, saying that there had been a double booking for the week we were to be there, and we were the second group to book. So, exactly 8 weeks before church camp, we were now without a place to go! I'm not gonna lie to you, my heart sank. When I told Amanda, you would've thought I just told her that she needs to lose weight before we go to the beach ( which she doesn't by the way!). So, a weekend was spent praying and searching, hoping to find a miracle that would save camp. I'll be honest. At this point, I didn't even care about the beach at this point anymore. I was concerned about the kids, because I know camp is the highlight of the summer for alot of these kids. I also know how so many kids come to know Christ at camp and many more rededicate their lives and get on fire for God at this camp every year. That was the part that I was truly looking forward to, in hopes that it would get me fired up and wanting to work with kids again. I love the challenge and really need it. It keeps me focused and doing the things that God wants me to do.
On Monday, 3 days after we've learned we're out of a place for camp, the Lord answered our prayers. Jason sent me an email that said a new place had been found for the same week, and we would still be going to the Gulf for camp. Mrs. Lynn Knight had found a place in Elberta, AL called Camp Baldwin, and it was open for our particular week. Jason sent me a link to it, and I honestly had to go get a towel to clean the drool off my keyboard. This place was so much better than the place we had planned and a thousand times better than the camp in Tishomingo. The camp is owned and operated by the Baldwin Baptist Association and is designed specifically for church camps and retreats. It turned out they had room for 150 people, which is about how many we were going to be taking anyway, and they would even provide all the meals for us. This came as a great relief to my lovely wife, who had volunteered to be on the kitchen staff, (not to mention to all those kids, because they won't have to worry about her burning their biscuits or anything else now!). Not only that, but Elberta is 15 minutes from the beach, so we are going to be taking a road trip to the beach on Wednesday afternoon. I could hear a 300-lb. man scream from Nashville to Huntsville when he found this place.
As I was talking to one of the men in our church Monday night at the associational brotherhood meeting, I realized just how much God's hand was in all of this. There are no coincidences with God, and we always tend to sell Him short. We worry about everything and take so much for granted. He knew where He wanted us to be all along, and He knows what kind of great works will be accomplished through this camp. I am so ashamed that I don't honor Him better, but so thankful for every little miracle He allows me to witness. I can't wait to see what this camp holds in store for us, and see what blessing will pour out into Wolf Bay, and then back into Lincoln County. As a good friend said Monday night, God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Long time, no blog
Man, has life been too busy lately. It's been a long time and I still don't know what to say, but I figured I need to check in. We've been so busy with my weight loss plan (which is only going okay), and Bible studies and Upward basketball and preaching and I could go on, but there's no point in complaining. Life has been really good. Saturday was so wonderful. I took my beautiful wife to the golf course on Saturday. We've been leading a Fireproof Your Marriage small group at church, and going through the Love Dare book. I've really enjoyed the study, and it has made me appreciate the relationship that we have. I hope that I can grow to be a better husband and we can grow to be a lot closer through this study. One of the bonuses is that we have gotten an opportunity to meet some new couples in our church and make new friends. It's tough to have a lot of friends when you don't have children, because everyone else is so busy living and dying by their children's ball & school activities, and you're left on the outside looking in, wishing that you had children you could take to these kinds of things.
So anyway, we've been really working at this Love Dare book and it's funny how much we think alike. One night we were supposed to do something simple but nice for our spouse. We try to fix each other's plates for for dinner one night, and we bought each other books from Lifeway and Family Christian stores. She baked me chocolate oatmeal cookies last week, and I'll be honest, nothing that I can do would ever be better than that. I may be trying to lose weight, but I'll eat those cookies and try to walk a little further. Hopefully that'll help (Yeah, right!).
So anyway, back to the golf thing. Amanda's been mentioning that she wouldn't mind trying to go golfing with me, and I wasn't so sure about that. I know that a lot of spouses get into bad arguments when the wife tries to take up a hobby that her husband enjoys, and they end up nearly killing each other. But I prayed about it and thought, You know, it would be pretty cool to be able to go golfing with my wife. I'll try not to be too pushy, and who knows, maybe I'll learn some patience in the process. Well, yeah, I had to learn some patience. She only made contact abut once in every 10 swings, and when she did, she didn't hit it more than about 20 feet. I tried not to laugh at her too much, but I think she did learn a little bit. It'll just take some time. She told me that she really enjoyed spending the day out there and that we would do it again in a few weeks. I promised to try to get her a lesson or something, and maybe that'll help her game. It was just so nice to spend some together, and not have to worry about anything, but just enjoy the beautiful day. We have been so blessed.
Well, it's time that I actually try to do some work. Until next time.
So anyway, we've been really working at this Love Dare book and it's funny how much we think alike. One night we were supposed to do something simple but nice for our spouse. We try to fix each other's plates for for dinner one night, and we bought each other books from Lifeway and Family Christian stores. She baked me chocolate oatmeal cookies last week, and I'll be honest, nothing that I can do would ever be better than that. I may be trying to lose weight, but I'll eat those cookies and try to walk a little further. Hopefully that'll help (Yeah, right!).
So anyway, back to the golf thing. Amanda's been mentioning that she wouldn't mind trying to go golfing with me, and I wasn't so sure about that. I know that a lot of spouses get into bad arguments when the wife tries to take up a hobby that her husband enjoys, and they end up nearly killing each other. But I prayed about it and thought, You know, it would be pretty cool to be able to go golfing with my wife. I'll try not to be too pushy, and who knows, maybe I'll learn some patience in the process. Well, yeah, I had to learn some patience. She only made contact abut once in every 10 swings, and when she did, she didn't hit it more than about 20 feet. I tried not to laugh at her too much, but I think she did learn a little bit. It'll just take some time. She told me that she really enjoyed spending the day out there and that we would do it again in a few weeks. I promised to try to get her a lesson or something, and maybe that'll help her game. It was just so nice to spend some together, and not have to worry about anything, but just enjoy the beautiful day. We have been so blessed.
Well, it's time that I actually try to do some work. Until next time.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
What completes you?
Well, I haven't blogged in a while. I have been real busy lately and I wonder where the time goes. It seems like the more technology we have to simplify our life, the less free time we have. What's up with that? But I digress...
So I've been watching a lot of the things that are going on with Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens. It is truly telling when stories involving steroids in baseball can lead the evening news at a time when our country is struggling to recover its financial identity. As I watched Alex Rodriguez last night, I noticed something truly remarkable about him. He appeared incapable of separating his real life from his baseball life. He seemed as if he was incapable of defining who he is. I watched as he continually talked about letting the fans down and letting baseball down. The first thought that ran into my mind was, "What about God? Do you think you let Him down?" Now, I'm not trying to call into question anything about Rodriguez' salvation situation because I don't know him from Pacman Jones. But I do believe that he only recognizes himself when he puts on that uniform, and he doesn't really know who he is underneath. We allow society to push identities on us that don't really fit us and they certainly don't define who we really are, but over time, we allow them to change us to fit those other identities. I've been listening to some of Ergun Caner's sermons to Liberty Seminary's Campus Church, and he talked about how his wife is a part of who he is, but she does not complete him or define him. He said that only Jesus can complete him, and truly define him. I thought about that as I watched Rodriguez' interview. I thought to myself, How sad! This man blamed all his problems on the money that he was given and how it just created so much pressure on his life. He allowed $252 million to fool him into sacrificing his integrity, his talent, and his body in hopes that it would help him find peace. He thought that this money could complete him and fulfill all of his needs for the rest of the life. All he needs to do is ask Deion Sanders how far that money will take you. Right over the edge and a moment away from ending your own life. He has had it all: a dream job, a beautiful wife, and all the money he could ever need, and none of it has brought him happiness. In fact, his wife has left him, and will take most of his money, his sport will very likely turn their back on him like a pariah, and he'll still be looking for something to fulfill him.
I'm not trying to critcize this man for his mistakes. We all make mistakes if we'll be honest about it. But I do think that it is important to note that there is nothing in this world that can make us happy apart from Jesus Christ. You can have money, fast cars, big houses and rich friends all over the world, but when you make a bad decision, how many of them will be there to comfort you and pick you up? But Christ will always be there, waiting on you to turn your eyes to Him. He know what we're going through, He knows how we mess things up, and he knows how we will make a lot of the same stupid mistakes again and again, yet He loves us anyway.
You know, I've seen people lining up on TV and radio, just waiting to kick this young man while he's down. I only hope that someone like Deion or Ray Lewis will reach out to this young man and show him that these things don't matter. I have seen great men fall, men of God who I thought could do no wrong, and I realized that they are only human. I hope that people will not rush to judge him, but rather rush to lift him up. Remember, Judge not, lest ye be judged.
I know that allowing ourselves to be clay in the Lord's hands isn't always easy. We think we know what direction He wants us to go, and we want it to coincide with our will. We try to pretend like things are so great in our lives and that we are always letting God be in charge. I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes like to try to find those things that will make me happy and complete me. I allow little gods to come into my life that will pull me away from Him. But He always shows his love and patience with me and pulls me back in. Sometimes He does it in a gentle way, and then other times He has to smack me in the head with a big stick. He has to say, "Hey Dummy! You're not in charge here. I am, and you belong to me." It's not always easy and I sometimes wish that he would just throw me off the cliff, instead of giving me the discipline that I know I need. But each time, I always feel stronger and better about the situation, and feel like I am getting a little closer to God through that experience.
Until next time, remember this: Christ still cares and He will always love.
So I've been watching a lot of the things that are going on with Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens. It is truly telling when stories involving steroids in baseball can lead the evening news at a time when our country is struggling to recover its financial identity. As I watched Alex Rodriguez last night, I noticed something truly remarkable about him. He appeared incapable of separating his real life from his baseball life. He seemed as if he was incapable of defining who he is. I watched as he continually talked about letting the fans down and letting baseball down. The first thought that ran into my mind was, "What about God? Do you think you let Him down?" Now, I'm not trying to call into question anything about Rodriguez' salvation situation because I don't know him from Pacman Jones. But I do believe that he only recognizes himself when he puts on that uniform, and he doesn't really know who he is underneath. We allow society to push identities on us that don't really fit us and they certainly don't define who we really are, but over time, we allow them to change us to fit those other identities. I've been listening to some of Ergun Caner's sermons to Liberty Seminary's Campus Church, and he talked about how his wife is a part of who he is, but she does not complete him or define him. He said that only Jesus can complete him, and truly define him. I thought about that as I watched Rodriguez' interview. I thought to myself, How sad! This man blamed all his problems on the money that he was given and how it just created so much pressure on his life. He allowed $252 million to fool him into sacrificing his integrity, his talent, and his body in hopes that it would help him find peace. He thought that this money could complete him and fulfill all of his needs for the rest of the life. All he needs to do is ask Deion Sanders how far that money will take you. Right over the edge and a moment away from ending your own life. He has had it all: a dream job, a beautiful wife, and all the money he could ever need, and none of it has brought him happiness. In fact, his wife has left him, and will take most of his money, his sport will very likely turn their back on him like a pariah, and he'll still be looking for something to fulfill him.
I'm not trying to critcize this man for his mistakes. We all make mistakes if we'll be honest about it. But I do think that it is important to note that there is nothing in this world that can make us happy apart from Jesus Christ. You can have money, fast cars, big houses and rich friends all over the world, but when you make a bad decision, how many of them will be there to comfort you and pick you up? But Christ will always be there, waiting on you to turn your eyes to Him. He know what we're going through, He knows how we mess things up, and he knows how we will make a lot of the same stupid mistakes again and again, yet He loves us anyway.
You know, I've seen people lining up on TV and radio, just waiting to kick this young man while he's down. I only hope that someone like Deion or Ray Lewis will reach out to this young man and show him that these things don't matter. I have seen great men fall, men of God who I thought could do no wrong, and I realized that they are only human. I hope that people will not rush to judge him, but rather rush to lift him up. Remember, Judge not, lest ye be judged.
I know that allowing ourselves to be clay in the Lord's hands isn't always easy. We think we know what direction He wants us to go, and we want it to coincide with our will. We try to pretend like things are so great in our lives and that we are always letting God be in charge. I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes like to try to find those things that will make me happy and complete me. I allow little gods to come into my life that will pull me away from Him. But He always shows his love and patience with me and pulls me back in. Sometimes He does it in a gentle way, and then other times He has to smack me in the head with a big stick. He has to say, "Hey Dummy! You're not in charge here. I am, and you belong to me." It's not always easy and I sometimes wish that he would just throw me off the cliff, instead of giving me the discipline that I know I need. But each time, I always feel stronger and better about the situation, and feel like I am getting a little closer to God through that experience.
Until next time, remember this: Christ still cares and He will always love.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Day of the Lord.. Is it Close at Hand?
As we begin this new year and we enter a new presidency, there are so many bad things going on that it makes me wonder how close Jesus' return really might be. They (the media, the great deceiver!) claim our economy is the worst it's ever been and they talk about how bad all the job loss is. They tell us how our leaders have brought all this bad stuff down on our heads and everybody should blame the now previous president for everything because he was the devil. Well, I've been studying the book of Joel and I notice a lot of similarities between the times of Joel and the times of America today. Jerusalem faced a plague of locusts unlike they had ever seen and it destroyed their food, their livestock, and ruined the economy. The overall mood of the country was dismal and the people probably believed they would all die shortly. Joel told them that they had never seen anything like this and they would never see anything like it again. I'm sure that a lot of people had a lot of ideas on how to fix the problem, but very few of them had to do with God. That sounds like today to me. We're hearing all of these great plans for fixing the economy and getting us out of the war and creating more jobs, but I don't hear anything about turning to God to get our country going in the right direction. We've become a nation that tolerates idolatry, condones immoral behavior, and condemns anyone who doesn't tolerate the heresy that is coming out of our country.
Joel warned the people that it was time for them to repent from their evil ways, and to turn back to God. He warned them that if they didn't humble themselves before the Lord and turn from all the idolatries and hedonisms that they were engaged in, then the Day of the Lord would soon come and it would be far worse for them than this.
I couldn't help but notice yesterday the boos lobbed at Rick Warren and the Bushes, and wonder if we are approaching the Day of the Lord in our time. How can you boo a man of God unless you are child of the devil himself? Because he has stood up for what is right according to the one true God, this man who was once revered by a lot of casual wannabe Christian hypocrites, is now being turned on because he refuses to stand silent on God's truths. As a preacher myself, I wonder how long it will be before we are all told by our new leadership that we cannot proclaim the truth because it might hurt someone's feelings or it comes into conflict with someone else's views. I know that we are to support our country's leadership and for now, I have no problem doing that. But I will have a hard time standing by them if they begin to step on the truth of the Lord.
I honestly believe that our nation needs to hear God's call to us. Just like He told the children of Israel to turn from their idols and their sins, the call is ringing out to us now. We have become a country that is fat on our own successes and we have become lazy and complacent. We have replaced golden calves and snakes with televisions, SUV's, large houses and mountains of debt. We allow our children to focus on video games and sports rather than on school and church. We build big houses and big churches, but we never invite God to come into either of them. We are a nation about me, myself and I. So many people don't even care about the blessed children given them by the Lord while so many of us don't even have the chance to have children of our own. I watch people who pawn their children off on their parents and babysitters because they need some "me" time. I feel like the only "me" time I need is time for me to get alone with God and let Him humble me. Isn't it sad that we have people who will go further to save a cow or a tree than they will to save a child?
I truly believe the Day of the Lord is close at hand. I just wonder how many people will be ready for that day?
Joel warned the people that it was time for them to repent from their evil ways, and to turn back to God. He warned them that if they didn't humble themselves before the Lord and turn from all the idolatries and hedonisms that they were engaged in, then the Day of the Lord would soon come and it would be far worse for them than this.
I couldn't help but notice yesterday the boos lobbed at Rick Warren and the Bushes, and wonder if we are approaching the Day of the Lord in our time. How can you boo a man of God unless you are child of the devil himself? Because he has stood up for what is right according to the one true God, this man who was once revered by a lot of casual wannabe Christian hypocrites, is now being turned on because he refuses to stand silent on God's truths. As a preacher myself, I wonder how long it will be before we are all told by our new leadership that we cannot proclaim the truth because it might hurt someone's feelings or it comes into conflict with someone else's views. I know that we are to support our country's leadership and for now, I have no problem doing that. But I will have a hard time standing by them if they begin to step on the truth of the Lord.
I honestly believe that our nation needs to hear God's call to us. Just like He told the children of Israel to turn from their idols and their sins, the call is ringing out to us now. We have become a country that is fat on our own successes and we have become lazy and complacent. We have replaced golden calves and snakes with televisions, SUV's, large houses and mountains of debt. We allow our children to focus on video games and sports rather than on school and church. We build big houses and big churches, but we never invite God to come into either of them. We are a nation about me, myself and I. So many people don't even care about the blessed children given them by the Lord while so many of us don't even have the chance to have children of our own. I watch people who pawn their children off on their parents and babysitters because they need some "me" time. I feel like the only "me" time I need is time for me to get alone with God and let Him humble me. Isn't it sad that we have people who will go further to save a cow or a tree than they will to save a child?
I truly believe the Day of the Lord is close at hand. I just wonder how many people will be ready for that day?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
A New Year, A New Hope
I know that I sounded a little pessimistic in the first post I made on this blog, but I am a lot more optimistic than I used to be. As we've looked back on the year, Amanda and I made a promise to each other and to the Lord that we were going to do our best to have a much more positive and loving year. We are ready to move on from the troubles of the past, and to see that things can only get better from here. As we listened to Bro. Van Sunday evening, Amanda said that the Lord was just touching her throughout the service. He asked us to pray for our church family for different reasons, and as he discussed each topic, he asked one of the men of the church to come up and pray. It gave me a peace and a joy unlike any you could imagine. He read this scripture. Jeremiah 29:11-14 11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
As I listened to those words, I reflected on the last year, and you know, it did feel like we had been in exile. It seemed like every corner we turned there was some unexpected problem that would bring us down. We did have good moments too, though, as we saw between 10-15 kids saved in our church in the last year. We had opportunities to show them Christ's love, and we were loved back by them so much. That was what made it hard to leave. But God is in control, and He has great plans for us in the new year. It has been on our hearts to start a group that would comfort and reach out to those who may have gone through the things that we have in the last year.
It is so difficult for someone to know the pains of childlessness when you have children of your own. We have watched people who we once considered friends become distant and afraid to speak to us, as if they didn't want to make us feel uncomfortable or they didn't want to feel uncomfortable themselves. There were people who were going through the struggles we did, and they turned to us and we were grateful to help them, but when they were able to have children, we were almost shunned by them. That's a very hurtful experience. I watched as my wife would come home from baby showers in our home church, and she would be crying. It would hurt me so bad, knowing that there is nothing that I can physically do to help her experience what these women felt. No one knows that pain, but we do. And we want to help others who are going through that. I don't know if anyone will read this, but if you do, I want you to know that there is hope in spite of all the bad in this world. Yeah, it may seem unfair that God has chosen not to bless us with the beauty of natural childbirth, but God never promised that life would always be fair. He did promise, though, to be there for us, and to comfort us and to give us the strength to overcome. I hear so many people say that God will never put more on us than we can bear, but I disagree with that. The reality is this, if we try to bear anything alone, it will become overbearing for us. God doesn't want us to bear our burdens alone. When our burdens begin to weigh us down, we need to go to Him right then and ask Him to help us carry our burden. It may be our burden, but it's not ours to bear alone. It's ours and His together. Just as a husband and wife must bear all their joys and sorrows together, so must the Christian bear all their joys and sorrows together with Christ. Remember what Paul says in Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
I plan on talking about this topic of infertility and loss a lot throughout this year, and I hope that I can help someone who is going through what we have gone through. Amanda and I have talked about starting a support group for folks who go through this pain this year, so please be in prayer for us. It's going to hurt a lot to go through it again and again, but it's part of God's plan, and we know that He has great plans for us, because He told us so in His word.
Brian Luna
The Lunatic Preacher
As I listened to those words, I reflected on the last year, and you know, it did feel like we had been in exile. It seemed like every corner we turned there was some unexpected problem that would bring us down. We did have good moments too, though, as we saw between 10-15 kids saved in our church in the last year. We had opportunities to show them Christ's love, and we were loved back by them so much. That was what made it hard to leave. But God is in control, and He has great plans for us in the new year. It has been on our hearts to start a group that would comfort and reach out to those who may have gone through the things that we have in the last year.
It is so difficult for someone to know the pains of childlessness when you have children of your own. We have watched people who we once considered friends become distant and afraid to speak to us, as if they didn't want to make us feel uncomfortable or they didn't want to feel uncomfortable themselves. There were people who were going through the struggles we did, and they turned to us and we were grateful to help them, but when they were able to have children, we were almost shunned by them. That's a very hurtful experience. I watched as my wife would come home from baby showers in our home church, and she would be crying. It would hurt me so bad, knowing that there is nothing that I can physically do to help her experience what these women felt. No one knows that pain, but we do. And we want to help others who are going through that. I don't know if anyone will read this, but if you do, I want you to know that there is hope in spite of all the bad in this world. Yeah, it may seem unfair that God has chosen not to bless us with the beauty of natural childbirth, but God never promised that life would always be fair. He did promise, though, to be there for us, and to comfort us and to give us the strength to overcome. I hear so many people say that God will never put more on us than we can bear, but I disagree with that. The reality is this, if we try to bear anything alone, it will become overbearing for us. God doesn't want us to bear our burdens alone. When our burdens begin to weigh us down, we need to go to Him right then and ask Him to help us carry our burden. It may be our burden, but it's not ours to bear alone. It's ours and His together. Just as a husband and wife must bear all their joys and sorrows together, so must the Christian bear all their joys and sorrows together with Christ. Remember what Paul says in Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
I plan on talking about this topic of infertility and loss a lot throughout this year, and I hope that I can help someone who is going through what we have gone through. Amanda and I have talked about starting a support group for folks who go through this pain this year, so please be in prayer for us. It's going to hurt a lot to go through it again and again, but it's part of God's plan, and we know that He has great plans for us, because He told us so in His word.
Brian Luna
The Lunatic Preacher
News of the Absurd
I was just reading an article about a 2-year-old child who was killed while on a hunting trip with his 29-year-old father, who apparently is a big child himself. Maybe it's just me, but my first question is this: Why is a 2-year-old child on a hunting trip with his father? I know that I'm not a big-time hunter, but I know that hunting is something that requires quiet and observation. How can a man be observant of what's going on when he's trying to keep up with a 2-year-old in the woods? How can he expect that child to be quiet? I've yet to meet a 2-year-old who can be quiet for more than about 15 seconds. It's just not in their nature. Not only that, but consider the risks you are putting your child at by having them in this environment. First and foremost is the potential for the child to be accidentally shot. Children are not known for standing still and he could see that deer and take off running toward it. Then there's the matter of the child's hearing. Think of the damage a shotgun blast could do to the ears of a child. I have a hard time thinking this irresponsible father had enough forethought to bring earplugs for the child and at that age, ear damage can be very permanent. Not only that, but the father was bragging about letting the little boy shoot his .22 caliber rifle for the first time. OK, who is going to let a 2-year-old child shoot a real gun? Please, someone answer that for me. I have no concept of the sanity of this whatsoever. We wonder why our kids grow up with an obsession with guns. Give them one at 2, and let's see what they can do. Excuse me? Children shouldn't be anywhere near a real gun of any kind at that age. Then, there's the matter of allowing him to ride on the ATV with him. This is something that I see a lot of people do, and I have a real problem with that. Children love to touch stuff, and you have to pay close attention to what they're doing. This man was reading a text message while barely creeping along talking to his brother-in-law, completely disregarding the child. Then when the child hit the throttle, it threw the dad from the ATV. They said they were amazed that he was able to hang on until he hit the tree. I would have been hanging on for dear life too. The child didn't have a helmet on, of course. Maybe I'm out of bounds here, but I feel like this man needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for neglect and complete disregard for human life. I fully support the right to bear arms, but when I see cases like this, I just have to shake my head. How completely absurd. Here's a link to the article on Fox News' website. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,476104,00.html
Monday, January 5, 2009
A look back on the year that was.
Well, this is something new for me. I have heard so much about blogging and have been encouraged by a lot of my friends to try my own blog. I wasn't so sure if this was my thing, but we'll give it a shot and see. As I look back on 2008, I hate to say that I am glad to be past a year because we don't know how many we'll be given. But, this was truly one of the most difficult years of my life and definitely the toughest of our eight years of marriage. We had to make a tough decision to begin the year with Amanda's hysterectomy, and it was one that grieved us greatly. We were so completely devastated by that, but I would rather give up having children than give up living with my beautiful wife. She is so strong and such a good Godly woman. I couldn't ask for a better wife. I know that if God wants us to have children, He will provide a way. We were able to get through that, though, because of the love of good Christian church and family members. I am so thankful for the folks of Maranatha and Pleasant Hill Baptist Churches. They have been so supportive of us and kept us in their prayers, and we couldn't have made it without them. If anyone ever asks how I know God is real, I can always point to this situation and show where He was there for us.
We were also dealing with a church without a pastor. This was the first time that I had ever been at a church as an adult that didn't have a pastor. When I accepted the youth pastor at Maranatha in June of 2007, I never imagined that four months later, my pastor and friend would be stepping down due to disagreements in the direction of the church. That was a tough thing for us to deal with, and left us unsure of what our next move should be. God kept us there, though, and we grew so much through this trial, as well. I gained so much insight into the workings of a church and how much work goes into being a pastor. Finding a new pastor was a grueling process, but it proved to be a rewarding process, as I gained a new friend in our new pastor, and someone who I can go to with questions and concerns. Unfortunately, though, we have left this church because I felt God was leading me in a different direction in my ministry. That was a very tough decision for us. Even though we had only been at this church for about a year, I felt like God had other plans, and that He was through with us at Maranatha. I tried to resist and stay, but the more I resisted, the more I could see the direction he had intended for us. I had gone to the same church for most of my 35 years, but now we're changing churches again that was a little tough for me. It was a taste of life as a pastor and preacher, and I know that it will make us stronger in the long run.
Then the Lord led us to a new church, and it was the last place I ever expected us to land. One of my wife's co-workers invited us to the First Baptist Church in Fayetteville. Now, being raised in a country church where everyone is family, you just don't wind up at First Baptist churches. But, we went and were so blown away by the love and warmth that we were showed. The people made us feel right at home and God showed us that this was the place He wanted us to serve. I believe that God is going to grow us this next year in ways that we've never seen, but I'll save that for my next blog.
Our year has ended on several sad notes though, as we've been touched by death to some good friends and church members, and that is somehting that we don't expect at Christmas, but this year we were hit especially hard. There is comfort in knowing that the friends we lost are now with Christ in Heaven, but it is sad to know that they will not be here to make us laugh and smile in the next year. But, I know that God is in charge and He will help the friends and families of these loved ones to carry on, and we will be stronger for the influence they had on our lives.
I don't want anyone to think that I am whining and complaining, for I am truly grateful. I have been blessed with good parents and a wonderful wife, a house to live in and more stuff than I deserve. I am so grateful that God chose to use me as one of His humble servants, and I hope that He will continue to use me in the coming years. I know that this will be a better year, and life is going to be full of interesting adventures and new experiences that I can't wait to see. Here's to a great 2009!
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