I received a phone call yesterday from Valerie.  She wanted to go to church today.  So, I thought about where we might go today… I decided on Oakleaf.  Today Oakleaf started the year off with going to four services meeting in the Carmike Movie theatre.  It was a great service!  Joel was running the sound in the service I attended… (It was nice to hear The Choir’s “Sad Face” playing through the PA… a perk of running the sound is you get to pick the tunes).  I told him it was a bit loud this morning… but I was kidding!  The sound was awesome!  Will was leading worship with Dean ripping on that Fender of his.  (The Edge would be proud).

It was good to see many friends as well.  God is going some awesome things through Oakleaf.  There is a definite excitement in the air.  I was picking up Walker from the Children’s area and the person taking the security tag from me asked for my child’s name.  I said, “Walker.”  She went on to say, “Walker knows what his purpose in life is… He said it is to sing!” 

If she only knew the other half a dozen things he wants to be… they all involve wearing a costume with a cape.  I bet he may have some music in his future.  I’ve thought about buying him a drum set from DV… not sure if he still has it or not.  I do have a child’s guitar that I would like for him to start learning.  And for the past 2 years he has sung every song to Phantom of the Opera thousands of times!!  Literally.  At age 4 he knew all of the words to all of the songs!!!  I know whatever he sets his mind on he will succeed.  He has his favorite songs he likes to hear when he gets in the car:  “Marvelous Light” by Charlie Hall, “With Or Without You” by U2 and “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel.

Thanks for a great day at Oakleaf and looking forward to Tapestry next week…

We had a private ceremony hosted by our friends Nat and Tonya in their home.  Valerie invited some of her friends over to join in the celebration.  My friend Joel was there and led us in a song.  Valerie asked if Joel would sing Beautiful Day by U2 during the ring ceremony. 

I challenged Valerie to hide God’s word in her heart so that she will not sin against God.  She pledged to seek God and to keep herself sexually pure until she gets married.  “I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart…” (The Message).

The next day Walker calls me to let me know something exciting happened!!  He was so excited to lose his first tooth.  He said he got 5 bucks for his tooth from TF (the Tooth Fairy).  The only thing is that TF left the tooth under the pillow.  I told him that maybe he ought to bring it over to my house the next time he is over to see if it works again!!

The Read Through the Bible has gotten off to a great start.  I know that I have several friends who are also walking through the Bible this year as well. (Joel, Nat, Jason, Randy, and (Amy C, aka Raging  Genius)  Keep it up!!  I hope to hear from others who are as well.

I’m praying some outrageous prayers these days too!!  I know God is going to work in them, in my family, and through all of the praying!!  I’m glad I can talk with Him about the things on my heart.  God is good!!  I look forward to seeing God work in my life in 2009!!!

I’m only 2 weeks away from the Full Gospel Business Men’s Advance too…

For me, that means my kids will be here for almost a week.  Which means more to me than anything else that will transpire over the next week.  Well, I do look forward to Lori’s birthday… it’s on Christmas Eve.  What a day to have a birthday!  Who can compete with the birth of Jesus and Santa Claus?I guess we’ll have to celebrate it next month… that’s terrible I know.  We’ll have cake and sing… the gift will have to wait until January.

This is the toughest time of year for many!  And this year probably tops off as the toughest of a lifetime for even more.  I wish all the pressure that goes with the season would not be associated with it… We celebrate Christmas because of Jesus’ birth… the great joy that is associated with his life and the promise his life offers.

I’m thankful to celebrate His birth, to spend some time with my children, and Lori’s birthday!

About 10 years ago or so Jacqueline started pointing out her 1/2 Birthdays.  She would turn 4 then 4 1/2 then 5 next would be 5 1/2 and so on… Well, this was a big deal for her.  So, I decided to make a big deal of it too.  I decided that on my children’s 1/2 Birthday we would go out to dinner.  Just me and the child celebrating the 1/2… a night out with Dad. 

A part of the  deal is that the child gets to pick the place to eat… anywhere!  Jacqueline’s first year was Red Lobster and got Crab Legs!  I believe she was 4 1/2 maybe 5 1/2… I’m sure she could tell me exactly.  Now it’s off to Dave and Buster’s for Jacqueline and Valerie.

Last week was Walker’s 6 1/2 year old birthday!  He wanted Chuck E. Cheese.  We had a blast!  I loved watching him run through those 80 Tokens!!  He ended up with 320 tickets to spend on prizes.  He would have come out better going somewhere else eating then letting me buy him something at Target for $10. 

But that would have spoiled the fun!  It really was fun.  We had an incredible time and wouldn’t have missed the moment for the world.  He’s a special kid… I love him so much!

What is your favorite family tradition for Thanksgiving?

I really enjoyed watching this movie with the kids.  They are for sure what makes my life smile.  They each mean more to me than I could ever express in words.  The theatre here has stadiuim seating and the arms raise up so you can sit real close.  Valerie snuggled right under my arm.  It was wonderful and I treasure the memory of our time at the movies.

I bet God treasures the moments we sit close with Him.  When was the last time you took in the scenery with Him?  The Fall is my favorite time of year.  The leaves turning colors are so pretty.  Next time you have a minute alone somewhere and you can take in the changing of the season… snuggle in the Lord and thank him for the sight.

So, yesterday I spent some time making the rounds talking with them over the phone.  I was out with my son yesterday afternoon riding bikes.  He is still using his training wheels up and down our long driveway.  As he drove past he asked, “Who are you talking to?”  It was his Meme (My Mom) in Virginia.

Once he was done riding he wanted to tell Meme about his bike riding…  That he had some mud on his pants… and more importantly the mud that was on his front tire.  My mother told him, “I bet you have changed so much that I wouldn’t recognize you.”  Walker’s response, “Well, I still have the same face.”

2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV).  When we live a surrendered life to Christ he changes us on the inside.  Our heart changes and it takes on the heartbeat of God.  As we grow in God’s Word, our mind begins to think the thoughts of God. See Psalm 119:9-11.  The changes begin to take place inwardly.

As the changes begin to take place – we still have the same face.  Our thoughts, attitudes, and praise given to God will lead to a world of changes on the outside.  But we still have the same face.  People that know us will look at us and recognize us and they will see the change as it is lived out.  It is not for us to go about telling others, “Look at the changes, listen to how I pray, or see how I have sacrificed.”  Once we go about bragging spiritually speaking who gets the glory?

It’s one thing to go through a crisis grandly, yet quite another to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying even the remotest attention to us. If we are not looking for halos, we at least want something that will make people say, “What a wonderful man of prayer he is!” or, “What a great woman of devotion she is!”  (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, November 16).

…whatever you do, do all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Today, spend some time thinking about your human life and how it is impacting your spiritual life.  What is it that you seek in life?  Who are you seeking in life?  Whose attention is it that you seek?  Are you looking for the approval of others or that of God?  Seek first His kingdom and is righteousness. Matthew 6:33.

In today’s devotion Chamber’s goes on to say,

The true test of a saint’s life is not successfulness but faithfulness on the human level of life. We tend to set up success in Christian work as our purpose, but our purpose should be to display the glory of God in human life, to live a life “hidden with Christ in God” in our everyday human conditions ( Colossians 3:3  ).

To my 14 year old!

My life has been a journey of discovering that “one thing”.  But it seems that the “one thing” always seems to allude my grasp.  As soon as I think I have discovered what the “one thing” is – I realize that isn’t “it.”  Today, I am slowly coming to a realization that it has nothing to do with what I thought it was.  At least my focus has been in the wrong direction. 

Before you turn off this post and go to see what someone else has to say – here me out.  Life is not about what you can gain, obtain, save, or promote into.  It’s not about building churches, growing ministries, or even having a feeling of fulfillment.  Life is not about any of that.  It is about “one thing” living.  (The video clip is PG13)

City Slickers is one of my all time favorite movies.  I was there in the theatre when it was first released in 1991.  Ever since then I have thought about that “one thing” in life.  All of this time I have been missing it.  I may even miss it tomorrow.  But for now I am getting a grasp of it.

You see – we miss the meaning of everything about life all of the time.  For example, one may say the most powerful force on earth is prayer.  I’ve come to believe that prayer is not the most powerful force but rather God is.  You see - we try to think this act or that thing we do is what it’s all about  – but it’s not.  It has always been about God.  I know that’s hard to grasp… after following God and trying to get to know him for almost 25 years I still miss that “one thing”. 

Oswald Chambers puts it this way,

The purpose of prayer is that we get ahold of God, not the answer.  (My Utmost for His Highest, February 7).

We get it wrong.  We seek and search for the “one thing” in life and miss the mark because we never get ahold of God.  The keeper and giver of that “one thing”.  We are so selfish at times in our praying that we want to consume all of our prayers on ourselves.  God wants us to get a hold of Him.  He wants our praying, seeking, and focus to be consumed on Him.

I believe everyone has the opportunity to get things right.  The ultimate “do-over” in life only comes through Jesus Christ.  This life in Christ is a great one!  It doesn’t mean that you will not have problems or struggles in life anymore.  It does mean you will have power to deal with and overcome the difficulties in life.  It does mean strength in times of trying to discover what life is all about.

Once you discover what the “one thing” in life is – go after “it” like your life depends on it… like the life of your family depends on it.  Because your family does depend on it. 

Psalm 27:4  sums it up like this,

One thing I ask of the LORD,
       this is what I seek:
       that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
       all the days of my life,
       to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
       and to seek him in his temple.

I was OK.  I think I was stunned after that first message.  Andy Stanley talked about 3 specific things and how they relate to doing ministry.  They are:  Forgiveness, Family, and Finances.  God really got my attention right off the bat.

Just moments prior to Stanley’s talk I had a conversation about forgivenss.  Then to hear Stanley talk about it I was dumb-founded.  I was in shock… it was as if he had just read my mail… like he had been listening in on my conversation… this was such a God moment for me.  Literally I thought I was the only one in the room.  The element of Finances was the other key point to this power-packed threesome of points. As a family, we have made some decisions on this as well.

The mess was cleaned up with each message I heard afterward. Now that I am home I am trying to figure out what the purpose of all this was.  I think I know.  I am still praying through it.  I want to do what thus says the LORD.  I am making sure I’m not chasing after something Roye wants to do.

So I am back to making another decision.  I know Joel would have you think the decision still centers on whether I should wear Boxers or Briefs.  (If you need more info on this click here… then read the comments).

It’s kind of an exciting moment… not the choice of boxer or briefs.  That decision has been already made.

So, while we are on the subject I think I will try out this new feature here on wordpress…