we've had a great year...

Topic #12 - New Year's Resolutions

I love the idea of New Year's Resolutions. A fresh start. A new beginning. A chance to try something new. A motivation to acccomplish something difficult. An opportunity to mold your life in a new and better direction.

I just don't really like coming up with them, writing them down, and then following through.

However, they have become almost as necessary in our society as washing your underwear and engaging in small talk with other humans - things which many men only began doing in the last couple of decades.

So, with the suffocating pressure of society upon me, here are my resolutions:

1. Hike a trail in the Smoky Mountains that I've never hiked before...minimum 2 miles.
2. Throw darts at Spicy's on Emory road at least twice a month
3. Reduce my "soda" consumption to no more than one beverage each day
4. Begin walking/jogging 2 miles at least twice a week
5. Commit to the previous two resolutions, or commit to actually buying a larger size of pants
6. Floss my teeth...um, at least once...each month?
7. Try my best to make the most smart-assed comments on all the blogs I read. As of now, sometimes I only have the 2nd or 3rd most smart-assed comments. And that blows.
8. Stop eating anything by Chef Boyardee. Period. For some reason, about twice a year Spaghetti-O's sound really good to me. Then I eat them. Then I barf.
9. Listen to more worship music and less rap music. This has been a long time struggle.
10. Pray less while laying on my back half asleep in bed...and pray more when I'm fully awake, on my knees, and actually focused on having a conversation with God.

They're not extraordinary, I know. But they're real. And they're attainable. And that's what counts.

Have you made resolutions? Are they real and attainable? Are they important enough to follow through on? Feel free to share them. I've been told it helps to have accountability in these types of things. And if you'll take time to comment, I'll be sure to put forth my best effort in regards to my 7th resolution.

Happy New Year!

Topic #11 - The Prosperity Gospel

Sheerly by chance, I caught most of a Joel Osteen interview on 60 Minutes last night while at a family Christmas gathering. I think it originally aired in October but was aired again.

I want to direct you to the CBS website recapping this interview. It's a 3 page report, and this link will take you straight to page 3. You may or may not want to read the enitre recap. It is pretty interesting. What's more interesting to me are the reader comments. 86 of them at the time I looked a few minutes ago. And mostly mean, seething, evil, sarcastic, cynical comments at that.

I'm not sure if I can think of a human being in my lifetime who has been so loved and so despised by the Christian community. Even among television evangelists. Millions love his "Prosperity Gospel", tens of thousands attend his church, and millions watch it on tv each week. In fact, his church collects roughly $30,000,000.00 each year through the mail from tv viewers - and they don't even solicit money on the television program!

However, many have grown up in the "Turn or Burn Gospel", and believe it to be the correct way salvation is preached. In addition, many others (myself included) are very focused on a more "balanced" Gospel message. Teaching the good with the bad. The love and the rebuke. The rewards and the punishments. And understanding all of it in the light of God as a LOVING God whose ultimate desire is for His people to love Him, honor Him, live peaceful and fruitful lives, and spend eternity with Him.

In our society today, is the Prosperity Gospel necessarily bad? Is it better or worse than the Turn or Burn Gospel? I'd love to know what else happens at Osteen's church. Small groups, classes, Sunday School, specialized ministries. What do their people study in those environments? Do they dig deeper? Do they wrestle with tougher questions? Do they truly believe that by living the right way, God will provide you with a better life and financial stability? I don't really know. And I'm certainly in no position to judge.

I simply hope and pray that if we believe in the saving grace of Christ, that no matter what lens we see it through - prosperity, turn and burn, catholic, methodist, lutheran, king james only, traditional, modern, missional, attractional, etc - we'll all be able to talk about it someday in Heaven together.

Topic #10 - Giving vs Helping

"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he'll eat forever."

Matthew 19:21 - Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

I think a lot about my lack of giving or service or help to those in need (aka - "the poor"). Anytime in my life where I've given or served freely, I've always been blessed and so thankful for the opportunity to help. Yet I do so little. I'm serious...SO little. I'm so concerned with my own life, my own time, my own needs, and my own happiness that I simply block out the needs of others. It's sad.

But I've also been thinking a lot about the difference between "giving" and "helping". It's so easy to give. Take donations to Goodwill. Put in a little extra offering. Support a local charity with a monthly check. Even serving food in a shelter to the homeless. All good things, but all pretty easy and non-invested types of things.

I came across this story recently. I don't know if it's wholly true or not, but I think it probably is. It really brings to light the vast difference between "giving" and "helping" people in need.

It's easy to give someone money....but how do we HELP that person learn better work skills, earn more money and manage it more wisely? It's easy to donate food to a pantry. But how do we connect with families in need of food and HELP them get off their feet and provide for themselves? It's easy to see someone on Sunday at church who is struggling with finances, marriage, their job, sin, or a broken down car and to be nice to them and tell them we're praying for them, but how do we HELP this person work through the situation and come out better on the other side?

Again, as usual, I don't have much in the way of answers. Just a continued struggle. It's just frustrating to see Christians and the church miss the mark so often when it comes to helping those who need it most. We all work more, do more, drive more, commit to more, have a hundred responsibilities a week, and are left with almost no time leftover to truly invest ourselves in the lives of others. We like the concept of serving, but don't understand the application of it.

I'm praying that God might give me clarity and opportunity in this area. I'm tired of being stressed and busy and all about me. Life is not very fruitful or satisfying without serving others in need. And I don't want to be 68 years old and "retired" before I realize it. Please pray about how we all might serve/help others daily. Jesus lived it. He taught it. He commanded it. It's ultimately what our lives on earth are all about once we've been saved.

1 John 3:17-19 (The Message) This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God's love? It disappears. And you made it disappear. My dear children, let's not just talk about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.

Topic #9 - Church Saturation

I've sort of been a long time fan of the "megachurch" - typically defined as a church with 2000 or more attenders in a typical week. There are many who disagree, saying you lose that close knit family feeling, it's too impersonal, you don't know anyone. I've been a part of more than enough churches of 50-150 to say with confidence that I still never knew everyone - at least not by more than name. And, really, what is a megachurch? It's a bunch of smaller groups of people who, when gathered together, make up a really large group of people.

However, this is not really the point of this post.

I'm simply wondering if there are too many churches in our nation, our region, our state, or even our city.

Here's what my searching has uncovered. In the "Bible Belt", it is estimated that there are typically about 15 churches for every 10,000 residents. This would be about 667 persons per church, if EVERY person went to church. But they don't.

Various studies and research show that, on average, about 40-45% of Americans attend church regularly. However, most of these studies also qualify that 40-45% of Americans SAY they attend church regularly. So the true figures may be lower.

But, since we're talking about the Bible Belt, let's offer the benefit of the doubt, and say that 50% of the people actually do attend church. This would mean that there is a church for every 333 people who attend church. So, for the sake of balance, for every church with 50-100 attenders (of which there are many), there would be a church of 500-600. Or, which is more likely, for every 4-5 churches of 50-100, you've got one church of 1200-1500.

Now, are big churches better than small churches? No. Are small ones better than big ones? No. But this over-saturation of churches concerns me. It seems to speak to a greater & deeper division among Christians who, rather than coming together, pooling their gifts and resources, experiencing in the unifying power of large corporate worship, and living in dynamic faith communities, would rather build their own church with their own people who like to do things their own way.

And - at least to me - this just doesn't seem healthy.


PS - Did I mention that most STATES in the Bible Belt each have over 100 different divisions/denominations of churches to choose from throughout the state? That's amazing, but a totally different discussion for another day.

Topic #8 - "The Christmas Season"

Disclaimer...my opinions in this post have nothing to do with the fact that Christmas truly exists to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, of which I am extremely grateful. It deals with Christmas as a "holiday season", celebrated by the masses, many of whom may not have a speck of faith in Christ, but enjoy the holiday nonetheless.

With that in mind, here are the things that I truly ENJOY about "The Christmas Season":

1. The weather. For some reason, in the last 3-4 years, I've grown from hating cold weather to actually really really enjoying it. Weird.
2. Days off. If you include Thanksgiving and New Year's as a part of the entire season, you normally get to enjoy quite a few days off from work. Nice.
3. Rudolph, Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and any other classic Christmas cartoons.
4. Christmas services at church. No matter what denomination you are, what church you attend, or what type of services they do, you know at Christmas time you'll be talking about Jesus and singing familiar Christmas worship songs.
5. Eli's anticipation of Santa Clause. How fun is it to be young enough to still believe in Santa? I love hearing him talk about Santa, what Santa's going to bring, seeing Santa at every mall, etc.
6. Christmas lights. I've always enjoyed driving through neighborhoods looking at the wide variety of decorations, lights, yard displays, and more.

Here are the things I truly DO NOT LIKE about "The Christmas Season":

1. Gift buying. I know this sounds harsh. But I'm really tired of buying gifts, getting gifts, expecting to buy gifts for people I don't think I should be buying them for, getting pressured to participate in gift exchanges at work. I think Christmas would be so much nicer if it were more like Thanksgiving...just a time to relax, eat good meals, be with family and friends, and remember Jesus.
2. Sale prices. Some people see the $20.00 pair of shoes that are normally $60.00 and think it's awesome. I see it and often think, "man, they are really ripping people off throughout the rest of the year when they sell those for $60.00." Really, when you see how low stores will mark things down, it almost makes you wonder why we would buy anything the rest of the year?
3. Political correctness. Happy holidays. Enjoy the season. We wish you a happy holiday season. Crap, crap, crap. It's especially disheartening when 90% of the "Christmas" cards don't really say anything about Christmas or Jesus. Which leads me to...
4. Christmas cards. This has been a pet peeve of mine for a looong time. I truly do not like to receive Christmas cards that simply say, "from the ____ family". If you can't take time to write a personal note, include a family picture, or put together a more creative card, please don't send out Christmas cards. Just my opinion. =)
5. Christmas falling on the 25th. The 25th is the day we celebrate Christ's birth. But any research will tell you that Jesus probably wasn't actually born on December 25th. I wish Christmas would always be on a Friday or Monday. That way - like Thanksgiving - you could always have a long weekend off of work and really fully enjoy the holiday. Doesn't it stink when Christmas falls on a Wednesday or a Saturday, and you end up not getting any extra days off?
6. Increased stress. Isn't this the opposite effect Christmas should have on us? Shouldn't we be happier, more reflective, and slow down? Instead we have 7 different gatherings to go to, 20 gifts to buy, increased traffic everywhere we go, and a personal budget crisis. It's just not right.

Well, those are my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours. And I want to wish everyone a very happy and joyful holiday season and may you and family enjoy each other's love and company as you rip off the wrapping paper and think about which things you're going to keep and which you're going to take back for exchange. No really...Merry Christmas. And thank you God for sending Jesus.

yes, i keep changing the way this thing looks...sorry....just trying to make it easier to read, harmony of colors, contrasts, all that good stuff. i promise i won't keep changing it.

again, the randomness of life.

Topic #7 - The Randomness Of Life

I've always been a person to notice the randomness of things in life. I often say things that cause the people around me to say, "that was kind of random." But life IS, in many ways, totally random. And I sort of think it's by God's design. Just think about a few things:

A person who has always been healthy, works out, and eats right can contract cancer....while a person down the street who never exercises and has smoked their whole life can live to be 82.

Some people live in the midwest and have never once seen a tornado....others may live only a couple of counties away and have seen many, and possibly had homes destroyed.

A person can grow up in a wonderful Christian home with awesome God loving parents, and rebel against God and never truly believe...another person can grow up in a terrible environment, have no positive influences, and end up becoming a devout follower of Christ.

You can plant 100 trees in an open field. Some will never grow. Some will grow and die. Some will grow and grow and flourish for decades.

I can buy a fictional Elmore Leonard book at McKay's bookstore for $2.50, take it home to read it, and when I open it, an airplane ticket from Boise to Denver, and a one-day ski lift ticket from Sun Valley, Idaho from 02/25/2007 can fall out of the middle of the book. Oh yes, this is true. It just happened this week. I would absolutely love to know the history is this paperback book. It was copyrighted in 1989, but when was it actually printed? Who bought it first? Where? How many people have owned it and read it? How in the world did it get from either Idaho or Colorado to McKay's bookstore in Knoxville, then into my own home?

I don't know who you are, John Murphy, but I hope you're flight went well, and that you enjoyed the book. I'm only 2 chapters in, but I like it so far.

Topic #6 - Going to the Doctor

I've been sick the last two days. So has Eli. On Monday afternoon, we both went to the doctor. He had thrown up a couple of times but she said just to monitor him and be careful what he eats for a couple of days. I had a horribly sore throat, no strep, and was given an anti-biotic prescription.

I also went to the doctor last Friday. I wasn't sick, but I've had a dry cough now for about 4-6 weeks that hasn't gone away, and am getting tired of it. My wife works for an ear, nose, and throat group, so I was able to visit with no co-pay out of pocket.

The two doctor visits, and a prescription for my cough and one for my sore throat cost a total of $85.00. To be honest, there's hardly ever a time when we can afford a sudden loss of $85.00. So not only have I been sick, but very frustrated as well. Not to mention the doctor on Friday ran a flexible scope up my nose, down my naval passage, and into my chest. Not enjoyable.

I've been to the doctor a total of 3 times this year. Before April, it had been probably almost 3 years since my last doctor visit. I hate going. Not because I don't trust them. But because I hate getting a cold, paying $20.00 to see the doctor, then paying another $20.00-$40.00 for some medicine, only for the cold or flu to take as long to go away as it normally would. I can understand going when you're REALLY sick or injured in a way that you can't possibly care for yourself. But how many people go at the drop of a dime? Everytime they feel something? Everytime they get a cold? Everytime they have nausea? It's been said that this is part of the extremely high cost of healthcare....the fact that people who have free or low cost healthcare grossly overuse it.

Sorry, I guess I'm just venting a little. Feeling mostly better now, both physically and emotionally. Throat still a little sore, and the cough is not gone. I'm very grateful for doctors. It's hard to understand how hard they work to get to where they are. They do incredibly important things daily to help people stay alive and healthy. And although I DO believe that God can heal people even today, I'm not really one who shuns doctors as a way to fortify my faith in the healing power of God.

I just don't like going to see them....could just be that I really hate needles?

Topic #5 - Chuck Norris

I don't know much about Chuck Norris. I'm not sure if I've ever watched any of his movies from beginning to end. "Walker, Texas Ranger" was a pretty boring show. And his workout, product promo tv stuff if terribly lame.

But I freaking LOVE Chuck Norris facts. I laugh everytime I hear them, read them, or make them up in my head.

I especially like this one: "If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win. Forever."

Check out a bunch of good ones here.

Topic #4 - Fuel Economy

I've always been a junkie for compact cars. I currently drive a 2002 Mazda Protege LX, which looks very much like the one picture to the left. I bought it new. It now has about 85,000 miles. I've always gotten about 29-30 mpg from it.

I'm now pretty totally enamoured with the Honda Fit. Awesome car. 35 mpg, tons of room, sporty, great standard features, air bags all the way around, and really fun to drive.

In my vehicle history, I've owned a 1987 Ford Escort, a 1994 Mazda Protege, a 1998 Mazda Protege, and a couple of compact pickups for a short time. So, for most of my driving life, I've gotten about 30 mpg....and I really like it.

What's very frustrating is to know that fuel economy is the USA could be much better.

Get this.....in 2007, only TWO cars in the US got an average of at least 40 mpg...the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybid. In Europe in 2007, 113 cars got at least an average of 40 mpg. That's right. 113 different cars.

In 2007, the average mpg of ALL cars/light trucks on the road in the US ranged from 21-24 mpg. In Europe, 2007, the average mpg of ALL cars/light trucks on the road ranged from 40-43 mpg. That's right...about 70% better than our vehicles. That's ludicrous. Again, Capitalism bites us in the rear end. Not only that, but have you seen many pictures of the compact cars and trucks in Europe? They look way cooler, more stylish, and more sporty than their counterparts here do! And I'm not just talking about the 2 seater Smart cars. The best resource I can find to look at a sampling of different European cars is this page from Wiklipedia listing the Top 3 finishers the last several years in the European Car of the Year voting. Also, the Toyota Yaris has been gaining in popularity in the US over the last year. This car was released in Europe all the way back in 2000. This is a pretty normal trend, actually. Cool cars are released in Europe, gain popularity, then are released in "modified" versions here in the US...modified in the sense that they are rarely as good looking and get worse gas mileage. I truly cringe when I see the vast number of Hummers, Envoys, Expeditions, Suburbans, Sequoias, Armadas, Range Rovers, Durangos, and other gas guzzlers that rove our roads. And I don't think people that drive these vehicles are bad people. It's just that I'm a fuel economy kind of guy. And I hope I'll have the sense and frugality to remain that way.

Topic #3 - Cats

I do not like cats. They sneaky, arrogant, they shed, and even the cutest nicest ones have a little evil streak in them just waiting to be released. I hope that I shall never be forced to own a cat. The purring thing is kinda cool, but it doesn't make up for everything else.

To reiterate....just to provide clarity....I do not like cats.

Topic #2 - Racism

Let me say two things to start. 1) I do not consider myself racist. A person is a person. A bad person is a bad person, regardless of color or culture. A good person is a good person, regardless of color or culture. 2) I do not believe racism will ever be eliminated - or for that matter, really even "reduced" - in our nation in my lifetime. It's an attitude that has simmered and boiled for many decades, and I believe will be invariably impossible to overcome.

I almost think racism needs a new name. When I say the word, I immediately think "whites who are prejudice against blacks, or vice versa." But it's much more than that. Racism involved whites, blacks, hispanics, asians, middle easterners, and anyone else in between. I believe whites can have racist attitudes toward other whites. If a button-uped, upper class white sees a 20 year old in public with baggy pants, a vulgar oversized shirt, and a backwards cap, and thinks "what a punk", does he really care if the 20 year old guy is white or black?

Our nation is polarizing itself in many ways - political affiliation, christians/non christian, rich/poor, city/urban, and definitely by race/culture. We've become intolerant of almost anything or anyone who is not like us, does not believe like we do, or think like we do. It's been reported that more than ever, Democrats are moving to democratic areas and Republicans are moving to republican areas. Most of us in the church have heard the stat that within a few years of becoming a saved Christian, you have basically no more friends who are NOT believers. City people believe rural dwellers are all red-necked, slack jawed, dumb, calloused, ignorant nobodies who drive 20 year old trucks and can't speak right. Country folks think city people are high fallutin', liberal, egotistical, arrogant jerks who will never understand the meaning of a hard day's work nor the enjoyment of a quiet life.

Is this not all, in some way, racism? Hence the reason I think the term needs revisiting. And I realize that in many cases, I'm as guilty as the next person as "judging a book by its cover", and I do not like that I do it. There's so much to be learned from others, regardless of their social status, color, or position in life. I've been friends with blacks and hispanics. I spent several months a few years ago working with a group of Korean men who were unbelievably hard working, kind, humble, frugal, persistant, and often very funny. I've experienced friendship with white people who were a few economic levels above me, and I've had a long time friendship with a guy so country I can barely understand what he's saying when we talk on the phone. (If by some chance he's reading this, I meant that in the most complimentary way!)

The point is, ultimately, people are people. I have no answers or suggestions on this topic. It's just something I think about regularly. Having the mind of Christ involves seeing a person for who they can be, in addition to who they are. His involvement with Samaritans was not much different than if I became poker-playing-buddies with a bunch of drug dealing hoodlems from downtown Knoxville. At least it wouldn't be looked upon much differently. Yet He did it, and I can hardly see myself doing it. Which is just one reason why Jesus is so incredible. In His heart, He never experienced racism. He never judged by color or position. He never avoided someone because of how they looked, walked, dressed, or even smelled. He knew that people were simply people in need of something greater than themselves. He knew that I was someone in need of something bigger than myself. He knew that you were someone in need of something bigger than yourself. God, open our eyes, help us see people the way you did.

Topic #1 - Being a Sinner

Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with the fact that I AM a sinner. I don't just commit sins. I am a sinner. And so are you. And if you say you are not, then you've just committed a sin, so there. =)

There's a tremendous conflict of language in the Bible regarding sin. The wages of sin is death. One who lives in sin and does not love his brother cannot know God. Christ died for our sins so they would be wiped away. But if you do sin, ask God for forgiveness and it will be granted. But don't sin, because sin is darkness, and God is light. I understand there are "contexts" to all verses of the Bible, and that it must be read and understood as a whole. But still.

I'd like to think I don't "live in sin", but that's probably a lie....which is a sin. The key here is to understand that SIN is SIN. Bad thoughts, worrying about things you shouldn't worry about, unkind words, lies, untruths, holding an earthly person in too high of esteem (idolatry?), seeing opportunities to help someone in need and consciously ignoring it. These are sin just as much as rage, robbery, and assault are sin. Yes, the consequences differ, but they are sin. And SIN is SIN. It separates us from God. And we spend our whole lives - if we're fortunate enough to believe in Him - bridging that separation. Which is almost futile in a sense, because we will continue to sin, regardless of how hard we try not to.

Which is why Christ's sacrifice - for our sin - is so utterly amazing and unbelievable and really hard to understand deep down inside. No act of goodness can save me. Once I'm saved, no measure of good living can "enhance" my saved-ness in any way. Christ did it all. And I believe it and accept it. And I'm so grateful for it. And yet...I still sin. And although it does matter....somehow, through Christ's death, it doesn't. And I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to comprehend it.

a 5 week topical series

I want to prepare you for what's to come. From now until the end of the year, I'm going to be posting blogs on various topics. Some will be decidedly biblical topics, others may not be, most could go either way. My post title will simply be the topic for that day. Plain and simple.

Then, I'll simply write my thoughts on that topic. I may or may not use biblical references, since I'm not really offering this as a Bible study or platform to preach. I'll write honestly about each topic. Some things could possibly be R-rated. My words may be a little rough on some points, more refined on others.

I'm not really looking for any debate. Not looking "stir things up" in any way. But I'll be totally open to all comments you may have, either about the topics or my thoughts on them. You should know this about me...in most areas of thought or debate, I'm pretty open to all sides of the issues. This is true of my faith as well.

There are very very few things to me which are DECIDEDLY firm (Jesus is God's Son, God created everything, Christ died to save us, etc). On the other hand, most biblical or spirtual topics - especially those which cause so many arguments and divisions (tongues, steps of salvation, worship, gifts of the Spirit, etc) - I have always had a very open mind about. In some respects, I really don't even care. I hope you'll see what I mean by that over the next month.

So, that's the deal. From now to December 31st, all my posts will follow this set up. I hope you'll read, ponder, and share freely as you see fit. If you agree or disagree with things I have to say, that's okay either way. I simply hope you'll join me.

where are you, arrested development?

At this moment, on my Windows Media Player, Arrested Development is singing the song, "Washed Away" from their excellent 1992 album, "3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of...". Definitely one of my favorite albums to listen to, ever.

Every time I listen to them, I can't help but wonder, what in the world happened to them? They were big time, had several really awesome songs (Mr. Wendal is an incredible song), and then they disappeared. Poof. Gone. No more music.

They weren't the only music artists I listen(ed) to that made sort of a sudden disappearing act. I know sometimes it's because of outside circumstances, sometimes because of talent, and sometimes because they're just not making money. Regardless, here are a few that I can think of....and these are only people that I actually listened - or still listen - to.

Arrested Development
Fu-Schnikins
Vanilla Ice
Snow
C&C Music Factory
Burlap to Cashmere
Reality Check
Waterdeep (any word on them?)
Young MC
Heavy-D
O-Town (j/k)

Well, those are the ones that come immediately to mind. I'm sure you can think of others that were important to you.

PS - Now I'm listening to Heavy D and the Boyz, "Now That We Found Love". Awesome song. Where are you Heavy, still trying your hand at acting?

christian concept of retirement?

There's a concept I've mentally struggled with for a long time. We talked about it in my small group last week. It's the concept of "retirement" and "investment savings" as a Christian.

Here's my struggle. In the New Testament church, no one really owned anything. All possessions and material needs belonged to everyone and people used stuff as it was needed most. The Bible speaks often about trusting God for provision, not worrying about tomorrow, and giving what you have to those who need it more than you.

Yet we live in a current world - Christians included - in which we earn and save mostly for ourselves...we're taught to put away nest eggs for college savings, retirement, and those "just in case" moments (worrying about tomorrow?) when we'll need the money.

I realize that this practice is really a result of a community shift. If ALL Christians were committed to New Testament possession principles, we could live the way they did. Even if one church body were committed to it, that church could probably live the NT way. But people don't do this. We think it's an awesome concept, but we don't really trust others, ourselves, and maybe even God enough to really believe that it could work and we could still live comfortable lives.

So, do I look at retirement savings (IRA, 401K, mutual funds, savings, etc) as provisions from God - maybe that's God's way of providing for us. Or do I look it as a lack of trust for provision, do I consider it hoarding, and a way to plan on being totally lazy for the last 10-15 years of my life?

Should Christ followers ever truly retire? Or do we simply retire from a worldly job in order to focus our full-time efforts on ministry work? And if we do that, wouldn't that retirement nest egg be wonderfully spent on missions, providing for the poor, helping people get back on their feet, helping new church plants.....yes, it's important to have enough to eat and have a roof over your head and a car to drive, but isn't that really a secondary concern to doing the work of Christ?

Help me out, here. I'm totally on the fence. Sometimes I'll lean hard one way, then hard the other way. I want to be more committed to saving and investing and making sure my son has all he needs down the road....but I also want to commit to live more frugally, to trust more in God's provision, to teach my son that we don't need all the best possessions to be happy and at peace. What are your thoughts? How do you see the Bible teaching us in this area?

old school big wheels...

When I was younger, I used to have a Dukes of Hazzard style big wheel, much like this one:

It was such a blast, man. My buddy had a Knight Rider big wheel. We'd race, spin out, go down hills way too fast, spin the wheels in the rocks, all kinds of stuff. I've always had these unusually nostalgic memories about riding a big wheel. I'm not sure why.

Now, finally, my son is able to ride a big wheel. Erin and I actually bought him one when he was 18 months old, thinking he'd be tall enough to pedal it when he turned 2. Well, another year and half later (what were we thinking?), and he's finally up to speed. And, yes, I realize this is not a "classic" big wheel, but there aren't many of those around any more, so this one had to do.


















It's awesome to watch and remember how much fun I had doing the very same thing over 20 years ago. I hope he'll also get to enjoy a cool Huffy or BMX bike, an Atari, and a whiffle ball bat and some rocks. Just like dad did.

dissed by my sis...

Kaly - my 16 year old sister - just dissed me. On this blog. A couple of weeks ago, I offered this post. It was a challenge to think, if someone said, "That's just (your name) being (your name)" ... what would that entail about you? I offered some thoughts of what it might mean if someone were to say, "That's just Jason being Jason."

Yesterday, my loving sister commented on this. Here were her thoughts....about me.

"He's just congratulated me on a new album, or tried to convince me that i look like avril lavigne"
"He's just given you all the information you could ever want on a topic"
"He's just thrown a frisbee on grandma's roof"
"He's just decided to give brandon (our 19 yr old brother) an n'sync calendar for christmas, or maybe even a cardboard cutout of michael jackson"

hahaha yeahhh...

Ok, I get it. Very funny. Veerryy funny.

Yes, I do weird things sometimes. I did give my brother an n'sync calendar for Christmas once, when he was about 17. It was funny. Kaly laughed, if I remember.

Yes, I do randomly send them postcards with Missouri landscapes and write messages that say things like, "I saw the trees on this postcard, the way they stood there, round and brown and still and perfectly spaced apart, and they reminded me of you. Love, Jason". Is that so odd?

Yes, I did mail Kaly a cutout picture of a model from a Marie Claire catalog (that did look like her - and Avril Lavigne) and congratulated her on her new modeling career, expressed confusion as to why she didn't tell me about it, and wished her good luck. Humorous, right?

Yes, I used to collect barf bags from airplanes, and mail them to people I knew when they were sick with notes inside that said, "thought you could use this...hope you get better."

You can actually mail a barf bag just like it is....as long as you tape up the open end. You can also mail McDonald's french fry boxes...put a note in the open end, fold over the arched top, tape it up, write address on the box, apply a stamp...and it mails just fine. Done this several times.

So, to my wonderful sister, who could actually pass as Avril's little sister...and who is capable of temper fits that rival any hollywood celebrity...and who likes dating boys with car names (Bentley, Tacoma, and 525i to name a few)...and who used to run out to my car excitedly when I used to come home from college to visit...and who is anxious to pursue a career in dermatology, where she is destined to invent a creme that makes freckles disappear, unless applied unevenly, which would then cause them to turn purple...I say "nice dis".

a case of blogger's block

I don't really know what to write about. When I entered the blogosphere, I sort of made a commitment to myself that I would be honest, free my mind, and try my hardest not to go more than 3-4 days without a new post....the exceptions coming when I'm out of town and have no computer access.

But I'm starting to find it more difficult to come up with interesting things to write about. Almost like all my best thoughts and ideas have already spilled out, and there's nothing left, which leaves me feeling much less introspective and insightful than I thought that I was.

Sometimes I'm not sure whether to blog about things going on in my life, or stick more to random thoughts/questions that I have about life, religion, people, the universe, etc. I don't really want this blog to be a "diary", but when I have nothing deeper to offer, it's just easier to talk about going to the bounce house or taking a vacation.

So please hang with me as I attempt to think harder, delve deeper, search my soul, and continue to offer new posts, even if they're not all terribly funny and thought provoking (not that they all were to begin with).

In the meantime, check out this meaningless, but funny, picture:

eli loves greg's music

My friend Greg has just released two new Cd's...."Chasing the Western Sky" and "Thirty Three". You can check them out or buy them here. Me, Erin, and Eli went to see him perform this past Friday night at The V Cafe. He played 12 songs with a full band, it was pretty awesome.

What really blew me away was how enthralled our son Eli was. He watched the entire show. He played percussion on the table he was sitting at, bounced up and down in his chair, and even got up in front of the stage and danced to an entire song. Unfortunately, we didn't have a camera with us. It was so funny.

This morning I was taking Eli to school. We were listening to the "Thirty Three" album in my car. During the very first song, he recognized it was Greg singing. He asked me, "Dad, why is Greg singing in our car?"

Then when the song ended, he asked, "Can we listen to another Greg song?". Then when the second song ended, he asked again, "Can we listen to another Greg song?". Then we made it to school. Thankfully, one of the songs we listened to was entitled, "Four Bucks." I hope Eli listened to it closely and learned an important lesson about inflation and gross overspending.

Thanks, Greg, for your subliminal influences on my son.

off to work...

This Sunday morning at 8:00am, I'll be driving a 16 ft box truck full of apparel and displays about 11 hours to Merritt Island, Florida. Along with two other co-workers, we'll be working 4 straight 11 - 14 hour days at 4 different Sea Ray manufacturing facilities along the Florida coast. We call it a "Plant Sale." It's typically more like a "flea market."

Drive a big bulky truck for 11-12 hours. Check into hotel. Eat. Go to sleep. Get up at 5am. Spend 2 hours unloading a truck and setting up stuff. Run an event sale for 8 hours. Spend 2 hours reloading everything on the truck. Get something to eat. Chill out, go to sleep. Do the same thing the next day. And the next day. And the next day. Then drive about 10 hours back home. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Anyways, I'll be going dark for a few days. Until next Friday, be good, stay warm, and drink plenty of water.

12 years of worship music

In 1995, a guy named Chris in my dorm let me borrow a Vineyard worship album entitled "Glory and Honor". It's pictured here. That album includes in the original release of the song "We Will Dance" by David Ruis...a popular song for several years. The song is over 10 minutes long on the album, which I loved. If you've been in church or around any type of contemporary worship over the last 10 years, there are probably 4-5 songs on the album that you would know.

For me, this borrowed album was the beginning of my love of worship music. I began buying almost every new Vineyard album that came out...and they use to release a new one every 3 months. Soon I was buying/listen to Davis Ruis, Brian Doerkson, Sonic Flood, Hillsong, Tony & Donny, and Matt Redmon.

Then, in 1998, the Passion series began. Amazing stuff. I have every Passion CD and love every one. David Crowder and Chris Tomlin, two of the core Passion members, have gone on to sell millions of their own worship albums. Worship music subscription companies formed, sending out new CD's every so often to minister who signed up. Contemporary Christian artists all began releasing their own worship albums...mostly made up of songs written by other worship artists. By the early 2000's, Vineyard Worship - which was really the best stuff coming out in the 1990's - was hardly relevant anymore. Other styles began to grow...grunge worship, rock worship, ska worship. Labels like Wow and Worship Together began releasing worship albums with 20-30 songs, all the most popular songs of that particular time or place.

Here's the weird part for me. In the last couple of years, other than Chris Tomlin and David Crowder, I don't know of any new worship music that's caught my attention. I've not really heard, seen, or bought anything new that's really pulled me in the way Vineyard and Passion did. Maybe I'm just not paying attention. Maybe the worship music craze that seemed to last about 10 years has faded a bit. Maybe the style is headed in a different direction - back to more traditional sounding stuff (?) - and I just haven't noticed it. What I know is that the worship music I've been belting out in my car (I'm a pretty enthusiastic worship driver) is the same stuff I've been listening to for quite a long time.

So help me, if you will. If you're a fan of worship music, what are you listening to? What's worth buying and listening to again and again? What album or artist first got you listening to worship music? What song do you love to sing loudly in your car? Who, if they were leading worship somewhere, would you drive 3 or 4 hours just to be a part of it?

pimp slapped by 1 John

I am a Christian, a believer and follower of Christ. However, I've found it difficult to use this blog as a way to promote or discuss that much. I'm not sure why, really. It's possible that I've envisioned this site as a way to just kind of put ideas/thoughts in my mind to (virtual) paper, and frankly, I don't dwell on spirtual or Christ-related things all day long. I'm not necessarily proud of that, and I don't mean to sound "unspiritual" in some way, it's just the truth. I'm aware of Christ daily and strive to mold my life in ways that are true to my beliefs, I just don't find myself thinking all that much about spiritual matters.

However, I would like to direct you to 1 John, chapters 1, 2 & 3. Notice, this is not a reference to the Gospel of John, but the first of three smaller writing by John. This is what we've been studying the last 3 weeks in my small group at church. I'm going to paste the text at the end of this post, just in case you feel led to read it. If not, that's okay. But if you do, I just want you to be aware of the strong terms in which John writes. The black and white of it. Notice both the encouragements he gives to believers, then the almost backhanded pimp-slaps he follows it up with. At least that's how I felt. It was hard to read, but here's what it left me with:

Being a follower of Christ requires intentional, consisent, daily, fleshed out effort by way of living right, loving your brother, avoiding sin, and holding true ("remaining") to Jesus love, care, and teaching. You don't get to take a day off and be okay with it. You don't have a choice to not love people. You don't get to think of sin in any type of light hearted way. You either walk in the light or you walk in the dark. There is no half-lighted middle passage. To me, this felt like a body-shot from Iron Mike....or like a pimp slap from John. And I needed it.

1 John 1
The Word of Life 1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete. 5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

1 John 2
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also forthe sins of the whole world.
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. 9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. 12I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 13I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. 14I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 18Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us. 20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us—even eternal life. 26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. Children of God 28And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. 29If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

1 John 3
1How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. 4Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. 7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. 11This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. 16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

"that's just ____ being ____"

Here's a thought....when someone refers to Manny Ramirez with the phrase, "That's just "Manny Being Manny", they mean he's being aloof, doing something that's funny but hurts his team, making up his own rules, etc.

Now, insert your name. If someone says, "Ah, that's just (your name) being (your name)", what would they mean by that?

For instance, if someone were to say, "That's just Jason being Jason", here are a few things I at least think they might mean:

• "He just pulled a well-conceived prank on somebody...and got them really good" (ask my co-workers on this one, they'll confirm)
• "He was just trying to be witty but ended up coming across as a jackass"
• "He's in a bad mood for some unknown reason...it's not like he's actually mad at you"
• "He just made a comment or observation that was totally out of left field, but actually somewhat insightful"
• "He can be a little bit of a control freak, just live with it and move on"
• "He said something really funny, but you had to think for a minute to get it"

I'm sure there's more that could be added to that. Some good, some bad. So...think for a minute...what would it mean if someone said that phrase about you?

a deadly middle name...

Just a suggestion for any readers who might be having kids anytime in the future. When contemplating middle-names for your child, do not pick the name Wayne. You may thank me for it.

Wanna know why?

Check out this site.

manny being manny

Manny Ramirez makes me laugh. Amazing baseball player. 490 career home runs. .313 career batting average. 2200 hits. 1600 RBI's. The most postseason home runs of any player in history. Amazingly powerful swing. Always wears a do-rag under his helmet to keep is dreadlocks tidy. Says pretty much whatever is on his mind, regardless of the consequences. Dude makes $17,000,000.00 a year in salary. He's possibly the best right-handed slugger in the history of the game.

But he doesn't run. He loofs around in the outfield. He never hustles. Just last night he should have scored from 2nd on a single by Mike Lowell, but he decides to slow down to take his helmet off, doesn't beat the throw, and refuses to slide into home - instead just running into the tag. Then, a few innings later, he hits (what he thinks) is a home run....decides to pretty much walk to first base....and then it hits the top of the wall and comes back into play. Could have had a triple. Ends up with a single.

Wouldn't you think if you'd hit roughly 500 home runs in your career, you would know the difference between a ball that was definitely a home-run, and one that was borderline? Come on, Manny. For $17,000,000, the least you can do is run.

yes, i did..

just change the background color of this blog. Frankly, the previous color was starting to look a little bit too "purpley" for me. Don't be suprised if it changes again. I'm crazy like that. If you're interested, the color is Grey Hex #212121. Very dark grey, but not black.

Thanks so much for stopping by...please continue reading...

The Colonel

This is me…

This is Eli…

This is me & Eli with Colonel Sanders...at the very first Kentucky Fried Chicken ever opened, in Corbin, Kentucky. I love that Colonel Sanders. He actually makes me look tan. And he cooks up a darn good drumstick. Eli loves the Colonel's mac-n-cheese. They just don't make mac-n-cheese anymore like the Colonel does. Hmm, hmm. Finger lickin' good.

corn toss...an old west folklore tradition?

This weekend, we went to Kentucky to visit family and see our newest nephew/cousin, Grayson, who is only 3 weeks old. On Sunday, we began our drive back to Tennessee. Not long after leaving my sister & brother-in-law's, we drove through a town named Columbia. It has one of those cool, old timey town "circles" where there's a big circle in the middle of town with 4 or 5 roads that branch off from it in different directions. We saw the following sign while driving on this circle:

Just to be clear, it says "Downtown Days - Folklore of the Old West Festival". Cool, huh? A little town festival. We had these kinds of things in my home town growing up. Vendors and food stands set up. People walking around, enjoying the town. Pretty neat theme too, "Folklore of the Old West." You would expect to see people dressed in Old West costumes, cowboys and indians, maybe some big black kettles cookin up some stew for lunch on the sidewalk.

But no. As we head down our branch off of the town circle, this is what we see:

I'm kidding, right? No. It in fact does say, "Corn Toss - Register Here." Hmm. This must be some Old West version that we've never seen before, right? Maybe they take big ears of corn and throw them through tire swings hanging from old oak trees. Maybe in the 1800's men filled canvas bags with corn and heaved them over wooden fences in an effort to build strength and stroke their egos.

But no. This is what was happening:

That's right. A full-blown Corn Toss Tournament. From what I could see, there were 8 Corn Toss matches going on simultaneously. There was even a small crowd of spectators cheering on their friends and family. The matches were important enough that the parking lot was sealed off with top-grade, bright-yellow Caution tape.

Way to go, Columbia, Kentucky. It's nice to know there's a place with people who have the courage to elevate Corn Toss to the level it deserves. You've captured the spirit of the Old West and made our early settlers proud. I say again, way to go, Columbia, Kentucky.

bounce house mania

Eli & I have a new found joy. The Bounce House. There are no less than 3 of them here in Knoxville. The one we go to has "open play" on Wednesday nights from 6:00 - 8:30pm and costs only $7.00 per child. It's such a blast!! They have 3 of the standard "bounce houses" where you just go inside and just jump up and down. There's an obstacle course just for kids. There's an "adventure course" that he and I both go on, a 24-foot tall slide, basketball hoops, and they offer very inexpensive and healthy snacks.

After about 90 minutes at the Bounce House, we are totally exhausted. My joints hurt, my knees are burned, Eli is sweating like crazy and making multiple trips to the water fountain. It sort of causes me to realize how spoiled our son is when the things that he gets to do on almost a monthly basis (dollywood, bounce house, chuck e cheese, the zoo) are things that I may have gotten to do once every 1-2 years when I was growing up! Heck, the only time I ever remember seeing Bounce House type stuff was at yearly state fairs or carnivals. And then they were so crowded with kids you were lucky to make it out without an injury!

So we'll continue bouncing each month. And I'll continue mentally griping about how I didn't get to do all these things as a kid. Then I'll just make up for it all by doing it now. And then one day my son will make fun of me for griping about all the things I was deprived of as a child. Just like how my dad had to walk a mile to school and back every day, regardless of the weather (this is actually true), and that was after getting up at 5am to milk the cows, and how he never went ANYWHERE - vacation, ocean, amusement park, etc - until he was in his 20's. And then 30 years from now Eli will gripe about how he never got to travel cross-country in 2 hours on a hovercraft when he was a kid, and how he actually had to brush his teeth and scrub his body with soap before the 24-hour-entire-body-clean chewable vitamin came out in 2019.

And I will laugh.

if i could only eat one thing the rest of my life....

It would be hamburgers. I love hamburgers. I love Big Macs, Double Cheeseburgers, Whoppers, Singles, Doubles, Sonic Burgers, burgers fresh off the grill, burgers cooked on the stove, medium, medium-well, well done. I like plain hamburgers. I like them with ketchup and mustard. I like them with mayo or Miracle Whip. I like them with A-1 sauce. I like lettuce and onions. I like plain buns and sesame seed buns. I even like Krystal burgers. At least I like the first 4 or 5. Then I begin to really hate them.

I've eaten at Whataburger in El Paso, TX. Loved it. I like Jack-in-the-Box burgers too. In fact, I'm hard pressed to think of a burger I've eaten in my life that I didn't like. Seriously. They're awesome. They're filling. Easy to hold. Easy to eat. They come in different shapes and levels of thickness. You can put a wide variety of toppings on them. Check out Cheeburger-Cheeburger if you ever get the chance...amazing burgers and tons of different toppings to choose from.

Dear God...If destruction should come to the earth, or I crash unexpectedly while flying across the ocean on a Fed-Ex airplane, and I find myself in that often referenced but terribly unrealistic position of being "stranded on a deserted island", please God, just provide me with burgers from heaven. Or a few cows would be okay too.

hooray for cousins

By my count I think I have 21 first cousins. Yeah, a lot. Big families on both my mom and dad's sides. I know them all by name, but most of them I hardly know, simply because they are much younger than me. My cousins Todd & Matt (brothers) are very close to my age, and we used to have amazing adventures on our grandparents farm when we were growing up. Hay forts, tobacco stick sword fights, long wades through a long and windy creek, treating the barns as if they were abandoned castles. I have some great memories of those times.

My favorite cousin though - not to offend all the others - is Dianna. She's 1 year older than me, and we've been great friends since we were about 3-4 years old. Coincidentally, the same age as our children - Elijah and Eliza - shown in the picture above. This past weekend, we went to Kingsport to visit them. It was the first time in 2 years that Eli and Eliza saw each other. They played with puzzles, a train set, at the park, and had a blast at Chuck E Cheese.

I have countless memories of the last 28 years of friendship with Dianna. Most of them make me laugh, but you probably wouldn't find them that funny, since they're sort of inside-joke kind of stuff. For instance, she was obsessed with Phil Collins back in the 80's. When she sent me letters - we were pen pals for a LONG time - she used to return address them as "Dianna Collins". This happened for years. We used to love to sing "Su-Su-Sudio...Oh, Oh", a Phil Collins favorite. Then there's the story about how much I love Manwich, and she and I laughing so hard in the car about it, I almost had to pull off to the side of the road. If she's reading this right now, she's laughing. The rest of you are saying, "I don't get it." I understand.

My first time ever going to a Piggly Wiggly was with Dianna. Her New Kids on the Block love affair could have rivaled any other girl's in America. When it was time for me to go to college, I wanted to attend Milligan College in east Tennessee more than anything....mainly because Dianna was already there. Unfortunately, I simply could not afford it. We wrestled with our uncle Brian together. We served at weeks of church camp together. And I had the amazing pleasure of presiding over her wedding to Corey in 1998. It was the only wedding ceremony I ever conducted.

I hope Eli and Eliza have the same opportunity to grow up as friends. It would be very special to both of us. His other new cousin - Grayson - is only 2 weeks old. We'll have the opportunity this weekend to see him for the first time. It's highly unlikely Eli will ever have 21 cousins. I'm thinking it will be more like 6 or 7. But if he can enjoy even half the experiences that I did with my cousins, then 6 or 7 will be more than enough.

universal texting language....revealed!

I have a question for you. And it’s not are you a snot nosed egotistical rude teenager. An unpleasant visual, I know. No really. Do you understand texting? I don’t. I’m confused. It’s a world where great phrases like “see you later alligator” get downsized into one word. Remember when you used to write notes on paper? As a matter of fact, I still keep shoeboxes full of old letters. To be honest, I enjoy moments of happy crying when I read those letters. They were meaningful. With messages like, “have a nice day”, “love ya”, “best of luck”, and “best friends for life”, these notes were great because they required effort. You had to work a little to write one. In my humble opinion, turning I Love You into ILY, or reducing the art of getting to know someone into age/sex/location and where are you from simply leaves me scratching my head in disbelief. In fact, it stinks. Just for fun, I thought it might have me bursting with laughter to create this texting post. For real though, I’m feeling like an egghead.

Let me know what you think about this post. Your responses could range from big deal to bored out of my skull to smiling from ear to ear. It’s your choice. Be honest. Just fill in the blank. That would be fine by me. Please reply quickly though, or I’ll go straight evil on you. Thanks for reading. Good luck deciphering. Just to let you know, this message will be revealed in full. Just don’t quote me on this. Because, frankly, I couldn’t care less. Giggling my butt off….your brother in Christ…Jason

universal texting language

Warning: this post could cause an immediate need for Advil.

?4U. and its not ru a snert. an uv, ik. no really. do u understand txting? i dnt. %-( its a wrld whr grt phrses like l8rg8r r dwnsizd 2 1 wrd. remembr whn u used 2 wrt notes on papr? aaf, i have shuboxs full of old ltrs. tbh, i enjy momnts of :'-) whn i read thm. thy were meangful. with msges like "hand", "ly", "bol", & "bffl", thy were grt bc thy reqrd effrt. u had 2 wrk a lttle to wrte 1. imho, trning ily into ily or rducing the art of gtting to no a prson in2 a/s/l and wuf smply lvs me smhid. infct, pu. jff, i thght it mght hav me bwl to mk this txt post. frt, im feeling lik (:>

let me no wht u thnk abt this post. ur rsponses cld rnge from bd 2 booms 2 sete. ur choice. b hnest. jst filb. tht wld b fbm. pls rply qik though, or ill go str8 >-( on u. thnks for rding. good lck dcphering. jtlyk, ths msg will b rveald in full. jst dqmot. bcs, ficcl. gmba....ybic...json.

being a dad

There's nothing like being a dad. For the longest time, I really thought I would never have children. I pretty much thought I'd live life as a bachelor, doing what I wanted, traveling, etc. And granted, Eli was not actually planned. But neither was I. And I'm glad I'm alive.

I never slept as little as I did his first 2 weeks of life. It was horrible. Erin was not able to do much after a c-section, and every night, every 2 hours, it was me and Eli on the rocking chair in the living room, me singing make believe songs in his ear, with lyrics like, "please go to sleep and daddy will spoil you forever", and "God loves it when we sleep".

It wasn't too long before he started to be fun! Learning to talk, crawling and walking, realizing when he did things that were funny and then doing them again. Eating on his own, recognizing things like animals, cars, and balls. It was amazing. As a parent, you pretty much think you're child is the only one in the world learning these things at such a young age. It's so fulfilling.

It wasn't too long before he started getting an attitude. Refusing to do things. Saying no all the time. Not eating something he didn't like. Laying on the floor and pouting. Fake crying. Not wanting to go to bed. I'm not sure where "Terrible Two's" came from, but it's not entirely true. Our 3rd year has been the rough one. He's too smart now. He knows how to manipulate. He understands emotions. He's stubborn and sometimes refuses to give in, regardless of the punishment. He's pretty much been poddy trained for about 6 months, but still gives in sometimes, even though he knows it's yucky and will make mom and dad upset. We've had to start an "Eli Bank" just to start rewarding him again for successful pooping, because he was having a really rough stretch for about a month.

But I can't wait to see him every morning. And each evening. Going to do things together is so much fun....Dollywood, hayrides at the corn maze, Happy meals, shopping at Walmart, the bounce house, playgrounds. He's learning to ride a big wheel...his legs are finally long enough. He's so much fun, he's becoming more thoughtful and polite, he learns things every day that I often don't even realize until he springs them on me days later. His vocabulary continues to grow. His bad days are pretty bad, but the good days are so so so so good.

Like I said, there's nothing like being a dad. And I thank God everyday that I got to be one.

And, yes, I'm aware that his shirt is on backwards in the picture. But he likes to put it on "by himself." Who am I to stop him?

more random thoughts

How do fashion trends actually start? I think one disadvantage to living in Tennessee is that we're always a little behind the curve on trends in general...especially fashion. For instance, let's say that a current fashion trend is wearing jeans that are torn. My question is...who was the first person to do that on purpose? Did that kid get laughed at? Where did it happen? How long did it take before 100 people were doing it? Then 1000? Then 10000? Another example might be the big New Era style backwards caps that cost $50.00. I see them all over the place. Again, who wore that for the first time? Where? When? How long did it take until kids in TN were wearing them too? This fascinates me.

Subdivisions are getting out of hand. They are literally everywhere. And everywhere there's not one, there's one being built. And they all have such great names like, "Walker's Point", "Pleasant Valley", "Mountain Ridge", and "Lakeside Manor". Maybe it's because I grew up in the country, but I've always thought it would be much nicer to own (for example) a $120,000 home that sits on 2 acres of land than to have a $200,000 home that sits 8 feet from the homes on either side of it. Problem is, with the massive amount of subdivisions out there, you almost can't find a home to purchase anymore that's NOT in a subdivision. You have no choice. It's as if Microsoft took over the real estate market. You either buy a home in a subdivision, or you have to wait (sadly) for an elderly family member to pass away and leave their long-held property to you in their will. Or you somehow acquire $100,000 extra dollars to actually buy a piece of property. Then of course you have to build a home to live there. It's very sad.

Finally, for golf fans. The President's Cup is taking place right now. And does anybody really care? The entire golf world gets totally siked up about The Ryder Cup, which takes place on even numbered years and pits the US against Europe in head-to-head golf matches. It's crazy, fans are wild, they yell, both sides just want to kick the crap out of the other. It's almost like a soccer match in golf. But The President's Cup is more of a friendly engagement. A nice competition between the best golfers in the US and "the rest of the world" (aka, not Europe). Their jovial, coureous, and everybody wants the matches to be of good spirit and one accord. Very weird. Regardless, Tiger kicked some tail yesterday, which is all I really care about. He's only 4 months older than me, about $500,000,000 richer, and I've been following his career since he was about 13 years old. Amazing. Hope to get to see him play someday. If I'm lucky, maybe in the cosmic scheme of things, my son and his daughter could end up together. Sam Alexis Woods-Edelen...has a good ring to it.

uncle jason

Last night I became an uncle for the first time. My sister Kari Jo delivered a 7lb 12oz baby boy - Grayson Carter Booe - at about 8:58pm. For any of you Bible College people out there, both I, my sister, and her husband Rodney graduated from KCC...now KCU. KCU is located in Grayson, Ky, which is in Carter county. Hence, Grayson Carter. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures yet. I'm really excited to have the chance to be that "cool uncle" that we all remember from when we were kids. If you didn't get to have a cool uncle growing up, I'm sorry, but you really missed out.

I'm 4 1/2 years older than my sister...I also have another younger sister and a younger brother. I have some pretty good memories of Kari Jo when she was about 2-3 years old. I can remember some pretty major fights we had when we were roughly 12 and 8 years old. I recall founding the first FCA at my high school when I was a senior, and thinking it was awesome that my sister and some of her 8th grade friends were members of it. I remember one night at church camp around 1995 or 1996 when she and I hugged and cried for a really long time. I remember the summer of 1998 when she made sort of a last minute decision to attend college at KCC, and thinking what a bummer it was that we wouldn't be able to be students there at the same time, since I had just graduated. Her husband and I lived on the same floor of the same dorm for a while. I don't think he thought much of me at that time. We're better friends now. =)

I remember participating in her wedding, and not feeling weird about the fact that she was married before I was. I felt very proud not too many months ago when she completed her Master's degree in education. She's certainly proven to be an excellent daughter, wife, teacher, younger sister, older sister, and an awesome aunt to our son Eli. And she'll certainly be an incredible mother.

church signs from hell

I love - and hate - the signs you find in front of most churches in the south. Maybe in the north and west too, but I haven't seen enough of them to know. Here's one I just found that made me laugh.

I just don't understand the motivation behind church signs. Very rarely have I encountered one that genuinely captured my interest in a way that made me think, "I think it might be enjoyable to visit that church one day." They mostly make me think, "what jerks", or "how stupid", or "I want to throw eggs at that sign".

Maybe the funniest one I ever read - right here in Knoxville - said "Church parking lot is for church members only. Violaters will be baptized." Pretty awesome, huh?

Do you have any favorite church signs that you've seen?

bad night of sleep in a campus house

It's 7:20am in Johnson City, TN. I'm sitting at an open computer on the 3rd floor of an old student fellowship campus house on the campus of ETSU. 7 of us arrived here last night after playing 18 holes of disc golf in Knoxville. In about 30 minutes, we're headed out to try and play 4 different 18 hole courses by the end of the day today.

We went to "bed" around midnight. Bed meaning really really old couches spread throughout the 3 floors of the house. I finally fell asleep around 2:30am. Woke up around 6:45am. I'm really exhausted, but ready to hit the courses!

These old campus houses are amazing. There's probably 3000 square feet of space in here. Room to sleep 30-40 if they wanted. Old, crooked, creaky hardwood floors. Huge back deck. Old tired walls filled with event flyers and student's favorite scripture verses written in Sharpie marker. Two kitchens, a wide open gathering room on the main floor. A dingy smelling basement with a warped floor and an old Nintendo 64 with some cool games like hockey and Mortal Combat 4. And it works. But there's only one full bathroom. And the toilet in it barely flushes. Definitely not a real livable house. But I don't think anyone actually lives in here, so I guess it doesn't really matter. Even so, as I sit here and type, it's almost like I can feel the ghost of a frustrated college student breathing on my neck, as if he thinks I'm writing an important term paper than he can copy verbatim and turn in to the professor before I do. Kind of gives me the old Blair Witch Project goose bumps. I think I'll go ahead and stop before an exorcism become necessary.