On my mind today

As you know, this has been a year of firsts in our home. Most importantly, our son Joshua was born on April 11th this year so this has been a year of the first smile, the first laugh, the first roll-over, the first tooth and now, his first Christmas. He's brought light into our home that I simply couldn't have imagined before he got here. It's funny. . . . we adopted Joshua, but I honestly don't know how on earth I could love him anymore if he were biologically mine. It's almost as if the Lord orchestrated things and people, placing him in just the right family at just the right time (ya think??!??!). Here's a sample of what I mean. Not long ago, Julie, Josh and I were at Wal-Mart. Nothing unusual there! We were in the produce section with me pushing the cart, Josh seat in it and Julie gathering. A stranger walked up to Josh and I, looked Josh hard in the face then looked me hard in the face then back at Josh. Then Julie walked over and the stranger st...

We put up the Christmas tree last week, although it's not fully dressed. We put up the garland and the other Christmas-y things around the house. No biggie, right? Wrong. We didn't get to decorate last year since we were between places, living half in one house and half in another. Thus, no Christmas decorations which are a big deal for both Julie and myself. But this year, in our new home, we're going full bore for more reasons than that. As you well know, this is Josh's first Christmas. We're only at December 1 (almost) and it's already been better than I could've imagined. This Christmas really will be like none we've ever known.

As I'm writing this, the Cardinals have just beaten my beloved Rangers. While I'm heart-sick about losing for the second consecutive year, after a lifetime of waiting to get to the Series, the pain of the moment won't overwhelm the perspective time will bring. Last year, we got horse-whipped in the Series. This year, we had it down to the last strike before the whole thing went to pot. Perhaps by writing about some happier times, I'll be able to temper my disappointment. May 1974 - I had just turned 6 yrs old. My mom got tickets for our family to go to the old-school Arlington Stadium (that's it). I'd never seen such a site! They were playing the much-hated Yankees. We had great seats and I'll admit it - I was hooked. From then on, most every year my parents took me at (or near) my birthday to see the Rangers play. Year after year, spring training would come and, with high hopes, we'd eagerly look forward to getting to the playoffs - much less ...

This week @ CBC, we're talking about Generosity. What that means and people who we known who are generous. It brought to mind one of the most generous men I've ever had the privilege to know. When I graduated from Dallas Baptist University in 1990, I received a scholarship to attend Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth. (Truth be told, I was third in line to receive it. The only reason it came to me was the other two turned it down to pursue other options). The scholarship was awesome and a blessing beyond measure, but it only covered tuition. I still had to live, eat, buy my books and gas to get back and forth. Knowing my penchant for eating (a frequent habit of mine!), I found work through a friend at Sears, right down the street from Southwestern Seminary. Although the store has since closed due to a declining clientele and neighborhood, I learned much about generosity and investment in the future in my 5 years there. Most significantly, I learned how to be generous ev...

I've just reviewed my last blog post. I'll tell you the truth - I'm not in the least surprised by the date - March 28, 2011. Significance? That date is B.J. - before Joshua. He was born on April 11. I couldn't speak to that here since the case was pending and in the six months since then, we've been a little busy. A brief run-down for those who I don't get to see often. March 9 - We got the call about a baby who needed a home. Although it wasn't settled, we were one of six couples being considered. March 23 - We were officially approved as the adoptive couple for an unknown gender child. April 8 - We were informed that the birthmom was to be induced on April 11 and we needed to be there. April 10 - A Sunday. After the AM services, we told only a bare minimum of people and left to get our child. We went with an empty car seat, empty arms and expectant hearts. Truly, our lives were about to change. April 11 - 11:25 AM - Joshua David Wood was born! ...

Monday morning gives me a few minutes to consider the previous weekend - and if the rest of the year goes as wildly busy as the first three have gone by, it will be Christmas in about two weeks! - Charniece's retirement service was awesome! It was a outstanding reminder of the power of long-term service. She has served the Lord so faithfully for so long here at CBC - her legacy here will be long-remembered. Thanks to Will Cumbee and the hospitality crew for making the event so special! - The beginning of our Red-Letter Series got off with a bang! The message of grace and forgiveness we found in the mouth of Jesus in John 19 is a poignant reminder of God's calling on our lives to give forgiveness just as freely as we have received it. NOT easy. There are many who struggle with forgiveness throughout their lives - either giving it or receiving it. I hope you'll pray with me for them. - Julie and I went out to dinner Friday night (HOT DATE!) at El Chico on the Loop in T...

I'm back in my office this morning, following a quick trip to New Orleans / Baton Rouge for a conference and some R & R. It's not often I'll take a Sunday out in the middle of a series, but this conference was too good to pass up. The Greer-Heard Conference , held at New Orleans Baptist Seminary , was entitled "Can we trust the Bible on the Historical Jesus?" Styled in a point-counterpoint format, this conversation was headlined by two eminent scholars: Dr. Craig Evans and Dr. Bart Ehrman . While you may not recognize their names, in our little scholarly world, they are straight-up ROCK STARS! One of them - Dr. Evans - believes the answer of the question to be yes. The other, Dr. Ehrman, believes the answer to be no. So why discuss it if we know their answers before we begin? Because this is a key question many are asking today. To understand the answer, however, we've first got to understand the question. Can we "trust"? To t...

As you may have heard, I'm out of town this weekend. We've taken a weekend out to travel to southeastern Louisiana for two purposes. (1) To see Julie's side of the family who live in Baton Rouge. Her parents, her sister and her family - we're the only odd-balls who live somewhere else. (2) To dine with heretics - at least one of them. I'll be leaving Julie in Baton Rouge in just a little while to head down to New Orleans for the Greer-Heard Conference at New Orleans Seminary. The title for this year's conference is "Can we trust the Bible on the Historical Jesus?" You already know my answer - a resounding YES! But there will be at least one person at the conference who will say "no." I LOVE these conferences as they provide an opportunity to engage my brain in a different way than I normally do. It should be a fascinating discussion. Check back with me later in the weekend for a run-down on it. In the meantime, for my CBC family, ...

Just home from church tonight but I'm far from tired even though I feel awful! (I hate sinus stuff! They've been draining all day!) I live for Sundays, but there are some that are bigger than others! This one counts as one of those! - I was all set to close out the service this morning, when Anna Jacobson came down to tell us she had invited Christ to be her Lord! Nothing gives a pastor more joy than to see someone proclaim Christ as their Lord! That NEVER gets old! Rock on Anna! We'll baptize her soon! - After worship this morning, Julie and I had lunch with Randall and Suzanne Cooper at Jalapeno Tree - once I found them! I had a couple of meetings after church so they told me to catch up with them there. The only problem was they didn't tell me where "there" was! Makes a body feel unwelcome! I finally did find them after I went to Chilis and then to Posados! - Tonight's service was our vote on our Vision 33. Our Long Range Plan Committee h...

It's a few minutes after 8 PM on Sunday night. We just got home from church. Wow! What a day! - Welcome Ray and Holly Rawlinson, CBC's newest members! Coming to us by bapism, Ray and Holly are awesome! They and their two small kids are joining us in our crazy and passionate pursuit of Christ! - The second in our "Toxic" series - Toxic Words - was the message this AM. It's been surprising to me how strongly people have responded to this series! I've had people ask me several times this week about this series! Awesome! That means God is working in spite of my shortcomings. This next week will get people talking - Toxic Relationships. - We ended the day with a round-table discussion of our Vision 33 proposal from our Long Range Planning Committee. It was an outstanding time of fellowship, questions and answers among our family! I opened our Q & A time with 1 John 3:1 - "Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we might...

I'm sitting at home now - at 2 PM on Wednesday afternoon - when I normally would be finishing my preparations for Wednesday night and Sunday. For the second week in a row, we've been forced to cancel our Wednesday night services due to inclement weather. Bummer. I hate canceling! It makes feel like I'm giving up. But with all the moving parts of a CBC Wednesday, we were convinced it was the right call. The best example I can offer to that end is this. When I walked out to my truck to go to my regular Wednesday lunch meeting, there was ice on every side of my pickup! The side mirrors were coated in ice and I had to YANK the door open to get in! The springs groaned under the cold load as I sat down! I'm not THAT heavy! So for now, I'm sitting at home, with a fire in the fireplace, Julie seated just a few feet away and our dog sitting contentedly between us.