And now It Begins!

Well with Thanksgiving out of the way and this morning I was in line at 4:45 participating in what we call the day after Thanksgiving Sale or " Black Friday " these events pale in comparison to what takes place tomorrow afternoon at 2:30! If you are not from this state, then you know the history behind tomorrow's war between The Auburn Tigers and the crimson team across the state.

As you all may know or if you dont know me let me just go ahead and say that I am an Auburn fan period, end of story! I can remember when I was 5 and my older brother had just started at Auburn and going to a game and my other brother John, ( who has gone home to be with Jesus )

took me to an Auburn game! Funny thing is my mother is a bama graduate, graduated with a man named Bart Starr famous quarterback from this state, when on to be a legend of the game of football for his accomplishments playing for the Green Bay Packers! Another famous man from this state to go on to the pro's and gain Hall of Fame status was Joe Namoth who was also a state graduate. And there have been to there credit players who have made it to the pro's and thats all fine and good, but never in my lifetime will that university hold a candle to The Auburn University in my eyes!

Let me take you to one of the greatest cultural icons and sports figures and still is to this day! A man who set records at Auburn, literally running over the compition setting Auburn up to be known as Running Back U! A Heisman Trophy winner, a number one draft pick to the Oakland Raiders and also played for the pro baseball for the Kansas City Royals and basically paved a way for multi sport athletes! Now that you have some of the history that can go back and forth lets focus on what makes you one or the other, THERE IS NO INBETWEEN!

To be an Auburn fan let me just say is a passion that can only be rivaled by a passion for God! Just from the greeting of " War Eagle " that term says it all! That term can mean, hello, goodbye, great job, good to see you, time to celebrate, time to get serious, time to enjoy, time to be great, it means you are apart of something special, it means you are apart of a family, it means you are apart of greatness, it means you arent afraid of failure, it means your not afraid to try, it means that you will give your best, it carries the weight of Auburn men and women who have gone on before us and asked us both graduate and fan to carry the torch of passion that is Auburn!

War Eagle fly down the field, ever to conquer, never to yield! War Eagle fearless and true, fight on the Orange and Blue! Go Go Go on to Victory strike up the band , Give'm Hell Givem Hell stand up and yell Hey! War Eagle win for Auburn Power of Dixieland! Whether or not Auburn wins or looses , I bleed Orange and Blue and will till the day I die!

Positive Reinforcement!

What a day today was! The day started off meeting someone for breakfast which was alot of fun, but it felt so good not having to go to go to work today! I have already blogged today but I just got back from shopping! Not just shopping for myself, but shopping for someone who is in need of some positive reinforcement! Crossroads has adopted a senior and give them a gift this year but its more than that! Its making a positive out of what could be a negative situation! I had my trustee sidekick with me ( aka Josh ) and he brought alot of positive reinforcement! He was a very active part in making someone's christmas a great experience!

Yeah I know I have blogged about Christmas already and not yet about Thanksgiving but to see a little kids heart wrap around an idea that someone was going to have a good Christmas is what it is all about! When I presented Josh with the idea of helping me shop for this person his face lit up! You could see the power of joy on his face as he thought about someone getting a gift! I will say more about this later but the power of thought giving and allowing those thoughts to carry over into shopping for someone you dont even know and want to do something for them is a powerful thing!

In this season of giving, give thanks, give thoughts, give time, give love, give kindness, give cards, and give out of genuine spirit! For in doing so you show the very essence of why we celebrate Christmas! For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, before we could think of God, He thought of us and gave us what we couldnt give back! When we imitate that, we imitate the very actions of God!

Holiday Goodies!

Ok sit back because this blog is loaded full of sweets! Its all I have eaten since November started, brownies, cookies, brownie cookies and those red oreos at the staff meeting last sunday! Great, here comes that 15 pounds back that it took 4 months th get off this year! Ugh! Where is my will power! What is happening to me! Ha ha let me preface this, for the last 2 years I have been serious about staying in shape! For me I think it is a image thing but also health reasons too! As many of you that know me or maybe you dont know but one of my legs is shorter than the other. Not that much now but it used to be like 2 inches shorter, I used to wear built up shoes and it was horrendous for my social life back in the day, but that will be another blogging session, ha ha but now its only 7/8 of an inch shorter!

As I get older I know they say my metabolism will slow down, they say it happens ha ha so I just wont get older! No uhm they say that you gain weight and the more weight you gain the more strain you put on your body, well that is doubly true for my back and hips! When I stand for long periods of time not really moving just standing, my back gets stiff and it does a number on my hip! Well thats me after yesterday's fiasco! So now my back is dealing with not only the stiffness but the weight I am carrying with me! Ugh! So thats it, starting today ( I know I have really good timing right? ) I am pushing away from the goodies! Smaller portions and loads of protein! I am going to get in shape! I hate my clothes not fitting especially when they fit last week!

I have to be more active, so I am going to get back on the weights like now,..... ok maybe in a few minutes! God give me strength to resist those deviled calories! Ha ha you guys have a great Thanksgiving, stay one bite away from sin and More is to come!

Pray For Your Leaders!

Wow this is going to be an awesome week as we welcome the beginning of the holidays! A busy busy time for some as we prepare for meals and family and travel and work and the list goes on and on! How was your weekend? Mine was busy with helping a good friend of mine move into his new house to setting up for Crossroads Sunday morning to touch football on sunday afternoon to pastoral meeting Sunday afternoon! Let me tell you guys I have seen and been apart of various pastoral staffs before but none with the heart of the ones serving on this one!

Pastor Gene and Pastor Leslie are great servants who have sold there souls to serving Jesus and connecting people to God! And being apart of that atmosphere is something words cant describe! As he gets more focused it seems to be rubbing off on the rest of the staff! The Youth Pastors Ben and Kelly Rice are a great example of this! These two are near and dear to my heart, as I have worked with them in the youth ministry I have seen the transformation in them both, from hey what are we doing to getting a vision and making it there own and running with it! They have turned a ordinary youth service into extrodinary youth ministry! If you havent checked it out, then you might want to get there early if you want a seat! Ben and Kelly are working feverishly to connect young people to God and see there lives changed!

Nic and Janna McElveen are the worship leaders at Crossroads and I just have to say they bring something extra to our worship experience! The more I get to know them the more I have seen they too are working hard to connect people to God! They come from Dothan every Sunday at early morning hours to serve and lead people in worship!

Holly and Matt Mendenhall are the childrens pastors and while Matt is on the other sided of the world, Holly is holding down the fort and bringing life change to all the kids coming in to that cinema 2 we call the Filling Station! I have seen it in my nephew Josh's life the change that is taking place there and they too although apart are giving there lives to connecting people to God! There vision continue's to expand and the childrens ministry is where they are making the difference!

I write about these people because to do this life takes great effort and sacrifice in there lives and if you have been touched by there sacrifices and the sacrifices of others and I havent even talked about, the other side of the staff! I encourage you to pray for these people I have mentioned! I know they covet your prayers and I know that your prayers are effective because I see it every Sunday in the eyes of people that come into that cinema on a sunday morning! In this time of giving thanks and worshipping our God for everything He has done, I encourage you to pray for Pastors Gene and Leslie, Ben and Kelly, and Matt and Holly, and Nic and Janna! Your prayers make the difference in the staff and are so appreciated!

God I take a moment to lift these people up to you, and I thank you for them and what they give to connect people to you! I know that you love and honor them and I pray for there time and energy to be restored to them and that as they continue in there efforts that Jesus would be glorified and honor given to His name! Bless there efforts, take care of there needs God, and may we join them in wanting to connect to you! In Jesus name we pray these things and thank you so much for who you are! Amen!

Get Your Game Face On!

As football season is drawing to a close, and we near the bowl games that has every fan on pins and needles, there is still games to be played people! If you have even an ounce of pride I do in my team ( hard to guess what team I love huh ? ) then you know the drill especially if you love football, especially if you live in the state of Alabama! Every saturday morning if your like me, then you can hardly wait til its game time!

You know when your team comes through that tunnell that it is time to play the game! No distractions, totally focused on the task at hand! The emotion, the blood pumping in your veins, the thoughts of what is about to happen just pounding in your head! Lets take this same scenario and bring it into everyday life! Everyday we face something dont we? Everyday has task for us doesnt it? Have you found out that if you arent focused on finishing the task at hand, then you can get distracted and even let the day defeat you! Getting your gameface on has alot to do with how our day is going to play out! It sets the tone actually! How you start your day has everything to do with how it finishes!

Morning starts out much like a pre-game, and what you do in your pre game is crucial for how you view your performance! I have to say that this is a great representation of what goes on everyday spiritually with us all! Take this morning for instance, after you woke up, and stretched and hit the snooze! Then got your cup of coffee and sat down at you puter or whatever you did, did you think about today? Getting into the shower, did you start then? Or did it turn sour from the time you opened your eyes? Was the coffee cold? Were the kids hard to get off to school? Did you get an early phone call from work or a wrong number?

All of those things can fill our minds and if we let them keep us distracted from reaching our goals throughout the day! Thats why keeping our game faces on is so important! That no matter what happens today I have a goal in mind and I am going to reach it! As christians we have tools we can use to keep our minds focused! We have the Word of God and we have our imagination on how to use that word! God isnt just those pages and He isnt just with those people then God is the air we breathe and its how aware we are of Him in the here and now!

To me sometimes the Word of God acts like a Coach! This is the day that I have made! I have chosen you today to be my light! Show my love to all you touch today! Find me in the small things, here my voice when the wind blows around you! Resist the urge to give in, fight it, you can do it! I believe in you! Call a time out! Come here! Lets talk! Tell me about it! Keep me posted! If you cant stop thinking about that then think about me! My word in your heart will keep you pure! Think about my words! I have faith in you! I love you!

If we could keep in mind that God has a purpose for why we are who we are, in the exact place we are in, I think it would make it bring it home more to keep our game faces on!

Its the Holiday Season!

Ahhhhh, wow the chilly air, the hot drinks that warm you up, the decorations on every street corner, and you walk into Wal*Mart through the garden center and you are hit with Christmas! While some think OMG christmas in November? I just absolutely love it! I do, especially when its cold! You turn on Sunny 98.5 and you get christmas carols and christmas music! I guess the reason I love it is because it puts me in the mood to give! I love shopping, it's wierd but I do! Especially buying for others who arent expectacting it! To see that joy on there face that they were thought of enough to get a walking penguin pooper, ( a toy that you wind up and it walks around and poops out candy ) ha ha , but this year, ohh man I have sooooo many to buy for! And I cant wait!

I am the type that puts the thought into like every gift, how its going to affect the person, the joy or what is this crap that they are going to feel? Last year's christmas was the hardest one I have ever had to face! My mom who is a total inspiration to me became really ill, and she needed help that we couldnt give her so she went to a facility for 9 days! It was the right thing to do but the hardest decision I have ever had to make! Before she went, I took her christmas shopping and she ended up buying things for everyone in my family! I have brothers that live in Birmingham and Panama City and I have a sister-in-law that lives in Huntsville! So we are close without being close!

Everyone came down to celebrate here after Mom got out of the facility which was awesome, but when it came time to recieve gifts, there was a little of a stink about it because my family didnt bring anything and yadda yadda yadda! Pride has a stench thats worse to me than burning flesh, and it really upset me! I understand the whole if someone buys me something oh I just have to go buy them something because I feel so guilty thing! GAG ME WITH A PITCHFORK!! If a person surprises you with a gift then they should know you dont have anything to give back! For crying out loud, are we supposed to be hoodini and pull gifts out of our keisters? Come on! But thats how we act, like saying thank you isnt good enough, we have been programmed not to take people at there word!

I dont want to be like that, I wont be like that! I dont give to make anyone feel guilty! God didnt give Jesus to make us feel guilty! He loved us before we could or even would love Him back! Jesus was given to us, His life was a gift, His death was a gift, His redemption was a gift that we can or never will be able to pay back and He doesnt expect us too! All He said was recieve! So this christmas if someone gives you a gift, recieve it and recieve from that person not only there thought of you, but there gift as well because what that person is thinking and saying to you is , you are a gift to me!

Shout To The Lord

My Jesus, My Saviour, Lord there is none like you! All of my days, I want to praise the wonders of your mighty love! My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength, let every breath, all that I have, never cease to worship you!

Shout to the Lord all the Lord all the earth, let us sing, Power and Majesty praise th the King, mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name! I sing for joy at the work of your hands, forever I'll love you forever I'll stand, nothing compares to the promise I have in you!

My Jesus, my Saviour Lord there is none like you, all of my days I want to praise the wonders of your mighty love! My Comfort My Shelter, My Tower of refuge and strength, LET every Breath, ALL that I have, NEVER cease to worship YOU! Shout To the Lord all the earth let us sing, power and majesty praise to the King! mountians bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name! I sing for joy at the work of your hand, forever I'll love you forever I'll stand! NOTHING compares to the promise I HAVE IN YOU!

I have heard that song,.....well lets just say alot and everytime without fail it grips my soul! No matter who sings it, I am gripped by that chorus! Mountains bow down, and the seas will roar at the sound of your name! Creation was made to worship its creator just by being what it is! We are His creation, we are fashioned and shaped and molded by the hands of God! Much like the mountains and the sea in the picture! Those mountains were created by a crater in the earth, and over years and years those mountains were shaped and molded into the creation it is, and those mountains declare to goodness and glory of its creator! If we will take a second, and look at ourselves, at what we have been through, the pain in our lives, the sacrifices we have made, we are alot like those mountains, we have been individually shaped by the same Creator to declare His Glory!

How do I begin?

Wow what a weekend, went to the movies friday and got the chance to reaquaint with a frined of mine, I had a blast! SaturdayI watched a very improved Auburn team nearly pull one out against Georgia. Watching the effort was awesome, and it made me proud to be an Auburn Tiger! Ha ha War Eagle! And today was another outstanding service at Crossroads! Let me explain waht a life of a Roadie is like on Sunday morning! Wake up at 6:30 get to the college cinema by 7 and start the set up! We usually start with the staging and lights and then we set up all the other rooms, but there are other people already setting up the childrens and preschool areas. We all meet in the lobby at some point and set it up and that usually takes us about an hour to an hour and twenty minutes!
I am getting somewhere with this, because today was a sign of where Crossroads is going! There were so many people there today to help set up that we were basically done in 30 minutes! Lobby, stage, and childrens and preschool done in like 30 minutes! Wiring, lights, done! And what a service to go with it! Crossroads is growing together as a community of change! It is such an awesome thing to be a part of, its really is life changing! Our community has so much going on!
Today was another Crossroads Football Sunday! We had more participants with all different abilities and personalities and it made the game a whole lot of fun! My team won the first game and lost the second, but it is just so enjoyable to be apart of something like I said that is just so genuine! My life is being shared with so many rich people that it is making me more rich as a person! Is this what it was like when the early church got together? I wonder what the games were they played? Wonder what there conversations were like when they were going down the road from city to city? They wrote about there community, but were they really any different from you and me? I dont think so, they fell in love with the same one that gave them the same breath we are breathing! What an awesome God!

Say It Aint So

Ha ha I would have to say that the last two days at work have been great! The work load is terrible but the commerodary has been phenominal! I think I have laughed more at work these last 2 days then I have in awhile! Monday was really busy, I was just about to drop oh, about 31 doctor call ins, when I got a call from one of our elder patients! I pick up the phone and from the time I said pharmacy can I help you, it ensued! The caller told me who he was and it was a guy who, is a nice customer but it takes so much out of you to deal with him! So I played off of everything he said, he proceeded to tell me the doctor was going to call in a rx for his wife, it just happened to be the top perscription in my hand, so that whats I told him! He said good because he sent his son with his credit card to pick it up and that he would be at Wal*Mart in about 15 minutes, and I said Mr so n so, please say it aint so! And without missing a beat he said why do you know him? The pharmacist beside me my good buddy Steve who is normally pretty quiet was laughing out loud!

I love playing tricks on customers who call in and say I want to place and order and I will either ask if they want fries or plain cheese or pepperoni! Some respond positively while others dont seem to have my sense of humor! Oh well! Anyway I thought you guys would get a kick out of some of the stories we go through on a daily basis! Oh, and then there are co-coworkers! I could really go off on that subject but I want to stay saved! Ha ha have a good one!

Crossroads Football Sunday!

Ha ha and it was as fun as it sounds! From waking up this morning and setting up to winding down after a grinding day of football, what a great day! Just being in the atmosphere of the people of Crossroads is something all to itself! We even had a couple that literally stopped just to ask about the church, they were just passing by. The man went back to his car and asked his wife if she wanted to stay and they came in! It made my morning! Really nice older couple! Crossroads really seems to be finding a nitch with people and its exciting to see!

The first ever Crossroads football game! There were 8 of us! Great game, I had alot of fun getting out there and playing the game again! I even had a screen pass that turned into a touchdown! It was a good thing that other team was covering the other side of the field! Ha ha because I was huffing it and someone who is faster than I was about 5 steps behind me! Lots of good fun! Max Oden brought the game closer with 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns! But in the end the team of Pastor Gene, Gomez, and Will Lurie and little Gomez pulled out a victory! It looks like it wont be the last game we play, but most of us will have to ice down before tomorrow much less thinking about doing it again! Ha ha cant wait!

Overall great day and a great weekend! Spent saturday in Troy with a friend/customer from work. It was a fun experience and I really need to go back to a Troy game, its about 45 minutes from the house and Troy has a pretty good team! Just for those who think I have swithced teams, HA I laugh in your general direction! I am and always will be an Auburn Fan! Nothing as far as a team goes can take its place!! But I did have a great time ! Well for those reading its time to go ice down and get ready for tomorrow, til then later days!

Turning Points!!

Turning points! Thats what this month seems to be about! As we kick off the month of November, whether you are talking about college football or the election this month is one of turniong points! I know it has been awhile since my last blog, but it has been pretty hectic this month and it just started! This past Sunday at Crossroads really struck a cord with me! I mean it was like walking into that theater for the first time! Something happened, ( I want to break out into the old song now and sing, Something happened and now I knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, Heeeeeeeeeeeeee touched me and maaaaaaaaade me wholeeeeee! ) Ha ha sorry had to do it! There was a real connection with everyone there! And with the events of just this past week, studying for my message I gave last night entitled Maximizing Your Potential, and the mens Mafia meeting and Amplified getting started at the EOCC, my focus has really been on putting God first!

Last night really hit home with the young people at the Garage, ( the youth room over at the annex, ) but it hit home with me as well as I was giving the message! There again something happened within me! My points to my message were how to make the most of your capacity to develop into what God wants you to be! Put God First, Who is your Influences, and Taking Action! Putting God first, living day to day making God's Kingdom my primary concern! I am still convinced that God cares most about people! The words of Jesus rings out to me, when you are doing this to the least of these you are doing it to me! I am the light of the world, I have put that light in you so that you would shine before creation!

As you can see I am getting deeper into how to live for God day to day! Its how He created us to live and its not the same for everyone! But whats funny is how we respond to the same God that is calling us! You can hear person after person talk about how God is dealing with them and it has the same theme! We all experience life from different angles and God cares about all of them! That was one thing that I said last night that hit home not just with the teenagers but with me, that God cares! I think you reach a turning point in your life when that becomes a reality!

As a nation and as a church, I think we must realize that God cares! Its been God's plan all along to be involved in every detail of our lives! From President elect Obama down to the newest newborn, God wants in! Just like The Blessed Life , the series at my church, life isnt our own, its bigger than that! Living day to day putting God's concerns above my own, I have reached a turning point!

Opportunity Knocks!

Does anyone remember that movie? Back in the early 90's Dana Carvey is a con man but finds a job he is really good at but poses as someone else and cant really enjoy this golden opportunity, because if the truth got out,.... yeah! Well in Hollywood it worked out and all was well! But as I prepare for next Wednesday, I grow more excited about Maximizing Your Potential! If you were there last week at the Garage, Natalie Lurie made this week a tough act to follow! Ha ha not that its a compitition, but I am going to need to bring my A Game thats for sure! ( Natalie you did a great job, I am excited to see what God is doing in your life! )
As I thought about this message the movie Facing the Giants came to my mind, and after watching it last night with a Starbucks Chai Tea Latte I might add, I was inspired by it all, Opportunity Knocks, Maximizing Your Potential! It is one of the best movies of all time in my book, because of how it is filmed! It has a sense of realness in it that you dont get with most movies, and it shows how to truly maximize by putting God first and getting your priorities in the right order! When our lives are in disarray and nothing seems to be going our way what do we do? Do we as the ol King James puts it, grow weary in well doing? Or do we see it as an opportunity to get things right with God first and then work on the rest?
I am excited about what God is doing in my life, but I am more excited about what God is doing! Life is bigger than me, God is bigger than us all and He chose us to show that His love is everlasting and that He cares about us, YOU, ME, God CARES!!!! I love that because it gives me hope that He wants to get involved, He wants to be active in my everyday life! I have the opportunity and was chosen to show the world what God is like! So today and everyday, want to maximize your potential, take the oppoortunity to let God be first in your life, to live as he created you too! What does that mean? I challenge you to discover that!