On my mind today

One of the things I enjoy most is the study of the Bible. Whether it's for use now or studying the ancients versions of it, my heart beats fast for it. The picture you see at left is the portion of a papyrus version of 1 Peter. It was only recently discovered. For those who say Biblical study is boring, I say you're not doing it right! Here's a link to the site where you can read more about it and learn more about the fascinating world of New Testament studies. Let me know what you think!

Each day I get an email from Zondervan Publishing House, printers of the New International Version Bible. They send me a random verse per day, completely random to me although I'm sure they have some sort of plan involved. The amazing thing is how timely these verses seem to be for me. Today was a great example. Although this week has been nothing short of amazing, it's always tough starting a new gig. Having to ask such mundane questions - like "where do we keep the pens?" or "how do I mail this?" or, my personal favorite for myself, "How do I turn on the copier?" - it's a reminder that we're still getting our feet on the ground. Thus, when I opened that email this morning, I couldn't help but smile. Today's verse is Isaiah 26:3 - " You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you ." This week hasn't been trying because of my job or the people I work with - far from it. Bu...

Welcome to our friends from Central BC! Herein, you'll find my incoherency on full display! If you take time to read this with any frequency at all, you'll find my thoughts are as random as the day is long! My hope and prayer is that you'll also find something of my heart for people and ministry here. First, a word about who I am and where I plan to go. My deep desire is (1) for the love of Christ to change each of us for the sake of His kingdom; (2) for the love of Christ to change what we do and why we do it; (3) for the love of Christ to call us to worship Him for who He really is, not just what I'd like to think of Him as; (4) for the love of Christ to call us to mentor and guide other lives toward maturity in Christ; (5) for the love of Christ to bind us together in faithfulness and love as we serve Christ together. Although it's not been advertised, Steve Edwards has been gracious enough to let me have the privilege of leading tomorrow night's prayer ...

We're back. What a great time we had! It was an awesome time to spend with us before next week. A brief recap: Monday - We went to the Alamo and the Dallas Cowboys Training Camp at the Alamodome. Both super cool! While I've been to the Alamo many, many times ( I once had a job that had a significant amount of travel around the state and San Antonio was a regular stop), I never cease to be impressed by it. It stirs the love of history and Texas within me and causes me, once again, to thank God for this amazing and wonderful land in which we live. As for the Cowboys,I've long wanted to go to Training camp just for the experience. It was no disappointment! It was great to see the Cowboys up close - I'll never be able to afford seats that close at the new stadium - and the best part was it was FREE! Since we had parked downtown, we didn't even pay a parking fee! Tuesday - Literally, we did nothing. We slept late, swam in the hotel pool, ate a late lunch and ...

I'm here in my FBC office, but it's different now. All the books are gone and so are the wall-hangings. My little knick-knacks and tchotchkes are gone as well. It has been the strangest summer of my life. I would've never believed it if you had told me on Memorial Day weekend. Sunday is our last day here - it's shocking to me even now to say that. All the life and heart and soul poured out here - it's hard to reconcile all of this. And yet, in this change and the accompanying loss, there's a quiet confidence in my heart. A confidence that yes, this IS INDEED God's plan for us. I don't know why and I can't express with clarity what happens from here. For all human intents and purposes, this looks like insanity. Yet I'm fully convinced and convicted this is the plan of the Lord. To my friends at FBC Frankston: Thanks for allowing us to serve the Lord here for the last two-plus years. We're indebted to you in so many ways. Your love ...

For my friends who love puns, here are some I got today and just had to share them! I'll harass my wife with them when I get home! A CAREER IN PUNS My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned. I couldn't concentrate. Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the axe. After that, I tried to be a tailor, but I wasn't suited for it -- mainly because it was a sew-sew job. Next, I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was too exhausting. Then, I tried to be a chef -- figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme. I attempted to be a deli worker; but any way I sliced it, I couldn't cut the mustard. I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn't have any patience. Next, was a job in a shoe factory. I tried but I couldn't fit in. I became depressed and soulful. Then there was the professional fisherma...

For those who are from our soon-to-be church home at Central BC, Jacksonville, WELCOME! This is the place for my ramblings about whatever is on my (oft-demented) mind. Now, on to what I really wanted to say. . . . Tonight, I was called as pastor of Central BC in Jacksonville by an unanimous vote of 300+. Wow. That shocked me. There's always at least one "no" in a crowd of any size. At least one person usually votes "no" to make sure it isn't unanimous. But tonight, it was. It strikes me that it's an example of the spirit of the church. I can't remember a time when I had a greater swell of emotion. The joy of being called mixed with the sadness of leaving our beloved FBC in Frankston. The anticipation of a new challenge mixed with the challenge of new opportunities. We don't know what happens next when we get there, but we know we'll be ready for it when it does come by holding the hand of the Lord. Please pray for us as we get re...

Perhaps you missed it last night - I did - but I found it this morning. Coach John Wooden was honored last night by the The Sporting News as the greatest coach in American Sports history. I'm not sure how you can measure that, but I think they choose properly. He was near retirement when I was born yet only one other coach has had the kind of influence on me that Coach Wooden has had (Coach Tom Landry). He's now 98 yrs old but still has the clarity of man much younger. Take a couple of minutes and watch the interview he did with ESPN.

This is Tim Tebow, quarterback of the University of Florida Gators Football team. While I'm not a fan of the Gators, I'm a BIG fan of Tebow. He's used his stature and platform (Heisman Trophy and National Championship ring) to the forefront as a platform for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ! It unsettles many of those who have become jaded, like media members. It causes them to wait for "the other shoe to drop." I can't blame them - we've seen this before. But Tebow is different. When you have time, read this column about Tebow and it'll explain the details!

By now, you've probably heard that I've been invited to come to Central Baptist Church, Jacksonville this coming Sunday, August 2, in view of becoming their pastor. For my dear friends in Frankston, please know that this has been one of the most difficult choices I've ever had to make. The path we've walked together these last two years has been one of challenge and joy and I've loved you for them both. You've loved my family in ways I simply cannot express and welcomed us as one of your own. My gratitude to you is deep. Please allow to dispel any notion that we were in some way dissatisfied at FBC or that we were "shopping" around for a place to go. The truth of the matter is that the Lord opened this door and we're simply walking with Him through it. For many days and nights, I laid awake thinking and praying about this choice and its ramifications. At the end of my debate, I felt like to stay would be disobedience to what I felt like the L...

We're home and exhausted. That's why I didn't get to you yesterday. We completed our work on Thursday by lunch and some of us turned for home. We finished sheetrocking the ceiling and the upper half of the walls. Where we left it was where someone else could come and really knock it out! We left them with sufficient supplies to complete the job. As for the rest for the rest of us, on Thursday we went to the beach! We played for a while in the sand and the warm Gulf of Mexico. It was a great time! Look forward to tomorrow night and the report!

Our work here continues! Our Variable group uncrated donated furniture today, preparing it for it's transition to people's homes. Much of it was donated through a drive spearheaded by the "Today Show." Ask Julie and Duane about it! As for the Project group, the sheetrocking continues! I learned today that I really don't need to try to make a living at it - I'll starve! The 100th missed stud or broken sheetrock screw told me all I needed to know! We're at about 75%, but I really don't think we'll finish before tomorrow night. The good news is that even if we leave tonight, there are sufficient materials to finish the job. Whereas what we've spent is a fraction of our mission trip budget, it's a fortune to the homeowner! We're headed home Friday so tomorrow is it for us. We're saddened at how quickly this week has passed, but we're exhausted and ready to see home. We're going to try (again) to go to the beach tomorr...

With the insulation finished, we got started on the sheetrock today. Let me just say - and I realize this will shock many of you - I don't know anything about sheetrocking! In reality, I have one skill: being tall. Fortunately, it works for me. With a sheetrock jack, several drills, countless screws and a seriously large pile of sheetrock, we got almost all of the ceiling done in the project house. We'll be finishing that up tomorrow morning and then get cranking on the walls. I'll try to get you some pictures tomorrow, but for now, I'm tired and going to bed! Before I go, I did have some time this evening to look for stuff for Sunday. I'm not sure I can use it, but here's something interesting.

Here we are in Galveston! Finally, we're here and working! The weather was unusually cooperative and moderate for late July in south Texas (low 90's) and we even had a short shower to cool it off even further. We split up into two groups - here's a report on each one. GROUP 1 - Led capably by Duane and Julie, this group took on a home on Avenue L near the eastern end of Galveston. They painted the exterior of the house, the bathroom inside, mopped the floor, cleaned up the yard and generally loved on the lady who owned the house. Some of our ladies bought her some new things for her home (new towels, sheets, a mini-blind) to make her home feel more like home. GROUP 2 - The BIG one - Ms Belinda's home was under 6 feet of water for several days last year after Hurricane Ike. The house was gutted of all insulation, sheetrock and flooring in the fall. After she filled out the paperwork to have us come and help her, our contact told her it would be a long time till so...

We rolled into FBC LaMarque about 6:30 tonight and we're all set up! We get to work tomorrow morning. Look for more tomorrow!

Okay, so here it is the day before we leave for Galveston. After tomorrow morning's worship service, we'll be on our way. We got word of our project and it's a good one! I was concerned about being outside, but they've assigned us to a house that has a good roof. . . .and nothing else! It's completely gutted inside, down to the studs. We're moving a bathroom, re-framing walls, electrical work, plumbing work and drywall (if we get that far!). We're PUMPED! Finally, a project we can dream about, plan for and execute. I'll be taking lots of pictures and will be posting them as I'm able. Check our facebook page if you're interested since I can post from my phone to there. IF YOU'RE GOING: Get excited! Get prayed up, packed up and ready to go! IF YOU'RE NOT GOING: Get excited! Pray for our safety, our work, and our safe return on Friday. We'll use Sunday, July 26th as our report time. Join us as we show pictures and tell of...

I spoke with our friends in Galveston yesterday. They're excited about us coming. They sounded tired, but excited. While it's a new opportunity for us, they've been at it since Hurricane Ike came through last summer. Construction projects are in various stages of construction and thus, they can't tell us much yet about what our projects will consist of other than basic construction, landscaping, painting and loving people through our actions. We'll pick the projects up where the teams working this week leave them off. Here's the real deal. If you're going with us and you're a planner who simply must know what we'll be doing, check back here on Friday afternoon / evening (or call me Friday night or Saturday). They recommended I call back then to find out what we'll be working on next week. Pray for our projects (whatever they may be) and for the opportunities to work in people's lives while we work on their homes / churches.

Our students left for youth camp this morning. Julie went with them which means I'm on my own this week. Just the boys in the house. That can't be good. If the house is still standing on Friday, she'll be home to clean it up - or hose it down. It's a long story about why I didn't go with them, but let's just say Mission Trip leaves on Sunday and somebody has to make sure to prepare for it. I was a bachelor for a long time (we didn't get married until I was 31) so I can make it okay, but it's not the same. She left me with a meal plan, prepared food and clean clothes, so we'll be fine - it's just that the heart of the house is gone. Pray for us this week as we prepare to leave for Galveston this Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, Julie will be going with us! :-)

Many of you knew Keno. He was a congenial, warm-spirited man who somehow never married. With a host of friends, Keno was a wonderful part of our community. Yesterday afternoon, the Lord took him home, too soon in many eyes, at a young 35 yrs of age. Please pray for his family during these difficult days. Pray for his friends. Pray for our community. VISITATION - Autry's Funeral Home in Frankston, July 10, Friday evening from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. FUNERAL SERVICES - 2 PM on Saturday at the United Methodist Church's Family Life Center here in Frankston.

So I've been getting ready for Mission Trip this week. We leave one week from Sunday! I'm excited about going but in a strange sort of way. I can't help but wonder what the Lord has in store for us. The details for work are sketchy at best. We know this: we're going to work at whatever the Lord places before us. When we get there, we'll be passionate and work hard at whatever we do. I like to think of myself as a planner, so not having a plan is forcing me to rethink things - and forcing me into a dependence on God's directing hand, not my capacity to plan. It's forced me to get my thoughts together and say "I'm going even though I don't know what I'll do once I'm there." In a way, it's reminscent of Hebrews 11:8 - "By faith, Abraham obeyed the Lord and went, even though he didn't know where he was going." If you're going with us, prepare your heart by preparing your mind to be flexible. Flexibility me...