sports weekend...whew!

what a weekend we just had! it was all day sports day on saturday....
noah and nate both had opening day baseball games...nate's team the owlz played first...then opening day ceremonies....a quick lunch....then noah's team the bats played....with team and individual pictures mixed in as well....nothing a like a nice spring morning and early afternoon at the ballpark. i'm so proud of noah and nate both....the both played the pitcher fielding spot for their respective teams and both were the leadoff batters in the lineup. Both played exceptionally well. with all the excitement there was a little sadness...another "last first"....it was nate's first baseball game...i realized as he was playing that I would not have another first baseball game with one of my sons....they are growing up so quickly.
and speaking of growing up...luke is now 13 years old...i can't believe it....he is on the aau basketball team i'm coaching....we played in our second tournament this weekend....so after two baseball games that morning we were involved with 3 basketball games that late afternoon and evening....what a day! the team did really well and luke played great! we were 4-1 on the weekend with all four wins over 20 points each....we lost in the championship to a team that finished 5th in the nation last year....now we know what kind of work we have to do....i'm really enjoying working with these 13-14 year old boys....watching God work on them little by little is amazing and rewarding.
whew!

what is sustaining?

only one thing....Jesus!

in John 15:5 Jesus says the He is the vine and we are the branches...and that by staying connected to Him we would produce a lot of fruit....just as a branches is sustained by the vine it is connected to so are we sustained when we are hooked up with Him!

we try to find strength, joy, encouragement in all kinds of places....we try to find it in the people we love....we do lots of different things in search of that ultimate feeling or experience....but I'm learning through some hard things right now that Jesus is who sustains me....I can find all that I need in Him!

my prayer today: Lord, help me stay connected to you. Sustain me with all that I need from You today. Teach me not to look anywhere else, but to look to you. Amen.

refuge...

where do you go to find refuge when life gets a little uneasy? where do you find strength? it is so easy to turn to places of comfort...friends, family, food...all kinds of places to turn to for comfort and to feel safe. what do you do when the storms of life are affecting all the places you feel safe?
turn to Him....Psalm 73:26 says "...my flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever..."
i am learning more and more that everything I have is sustained by His strength....He is the strength of my heart, the strength of my peace, the strength of my joy, the strength of my understanding, the strength of my forgiveness, the strength of my love....
when i take refuge in Him i find this strength!

i make my dwelling in the shelter of the most high...therefore i sing!
i find my rest Lord in the shadows of the wings of my king!

my prayer today...
Lord, I choose today to open my heart and take refuge in You. Give me a song to sing today as I recognize and experience your strength in every area of my live! I love you Lord. Amen.

faith needs to grow ... grow up!

i had some thoughts this week about growing up in Christ....Ephesians suggests that we need to no longer remain as children but rather grow up into all things in Him! being followers of Christ requires alot but promises more! Christianity is by definition comprehensive...it envelops all of life. if our faith and understanding do not grow, we will fall into the rut of giving attention to the more appealing parts of the Christian faith and neglect all that is has to offer.
immediate interests can make our Christian walk lopsided...we may fight battles valiantly without learning to rest in Him and thus exhaust ourselves and perhaps become cynical...we may discipline ourselves to maturity but never experience grace and therefore become rigid and self-righteous...we may be healed of our problems but rarely accept the pain and sacrifice of helping others...we may climb the mountains of success (financial, spiritual, relational, etc) yet refuse to descend into the pits of defeat where the majority of people live.
imagine with me that you have just been given a new fully furnished and equipped home...choose your entrance way into the house...did you choose the front door, back door, garage, porch, a window? let's just say that your choice led you directly into the kitchen area and since you were so hungry you stopped and made yourself a giant sandwich and devoured it...then you took a nap just to wake up into to prepare for dinner...you settle into the kitchen and gradually forget about the rest of the house. or you slipped into an entrance that led you directly to the library and you find your favorite book on one of the shelves...you hibernate in the high-backed leather chair, cover up with a blanket and begin to read...soon you are so cozy that you never want to get up. maybe it is the game room or the bedroom or the office...any of the rooms can divert our attention from all that the house has to offer by demanding our concentration to that one interest...
and sadly, I feel like we stay in those rooms and fall into that trap in our following of Christ...we become attracted to one interest or ministry and our following of Him becomes only as big as that interest and our world becomes small...and the abundant life becomes lopsided....
let's grow up together...and experience all that abundant life has to offer!

acquire the fire

more memories came rushing back this week...Friday afternoon after spending the day in one of my out-of-town offices I took Luke to the Sundance hotel to meet the other young people from his youth group. they were gathering to go to Acquire the Fire...a convention that will bring together thousands of young people with the goal of igniting their passion for Jesus! I was so excited that Luke wanted to go...he was really ready and excited. the memories of youth conventions gone by rushed through my heart and mind as I dropped him off. I'm so thankful for Art and Trish Seib, our youth pastors...they made it easy for me to feel confident about leaving him so far from home. I pulled to the back of the hotel and sat in my truck and just cried for several minutes. I know God has big plans for Luke's life...it is one of my greatest joys to help steer him toward his destiny.
i love you luke!

your time is coming soon too hope, noah, and nate! God has big plans for each of you!
i love you hope! i love you noah! i love you nate!

piano brings back memories

there are many things in life that can bring back a memory from your childhood or a time in your life that you really enjoyed...this week as I listened from the distance to Hope practicing here piano it brought back a flood of memories for me to when I used to take piano lessons and play in recitals...I can remember the proud look on my mother's face when I used to play...I feel exactly the same way about Hope...she is learning so quickly and is really good. I think she'll stick with it and be an accomplished pianist one day. I heard her playing a version of "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee"...I remember playing that song as a young boy.
Take some time to remember the simple joys that life offers.

the last first

some of life's last firsts can be exciting and sad all at the same time...we just had one of those this week. nate (our 6 year old son) lost his first tooth...he was excited, scared, uncertain...the tooth was so loose it could have just fallen out...after pleading with him to let me get it he finally agreed...however he kept biting my fingers as I tried to get a grip on the tooth...after about 30 minutes of great effort we got the tooth out...he said it didn't even hurt and he didn't cry at all! What a big boy!
As a dad those first experiences with a child are great moments that will be remembered...but knowing this was the last time I would experience this first with one of my children made me realize even more the value of time...it passes by quickly.
remember to spend quality time with your family!

thankful for vacation

Vacation earlier this week was incredible. I took Angela and the four kids to The Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. If you don't know about it...check it out...it is a great place. It is a gigantic indoor (yes, fully indoor) water park....the water is heated! It is non-stop water fun!
The kids had a blast. Hope got confident on the fast water slides and kept going over and over and over again. Nate loved the water jungle gym area....you have to crawl through netting and climb things to get to the top of the two slides....he was all over it....all day....all night! Luke and Noah almost killed me in the water basketball pool...but even two on one could not beat old dad!
Luke also enjoyed the Tornado....a ride for 2-4 people together...with an almost vertical blind drop....and then side to side...top to bottom swing in this funnel shaped slide! It was definitely fun...especially at night when if asked they would turn the lights out inside the funnel.
My favorite area was without a doubt the lazy river! It was slow and relaxing....I wish life could be a little more like vacation!
What I came away with....vacation was filled with adventure! All of life should be that way!
Let's have a lifelong vacation!

Happy Easter!

Well, it is a beautiful Easter morning...and I'm sitting back, relaxing, and pondering the greatness of that Easter reminds us of. What a work Christ did for me and for you... as me and as you. It is incredible to think about. I want to just say thank you to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the work of the cross and resurrection! It makes today a Happy Easter!
This Easter Sunday is especially unique for me. Today, March 23, is also the same date that I asked Christ into my heart 30 years ago. I was a young boy at the age of nine at a Sunday morning service. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. The sermon was about the interaction between the young boy who had the loaves and fishes and Jesus. The little boy gave Jesus everything He had. I felt the need to do just that as well that morning. I still feel that today. I want to give Jesus all I have....He gave me all He had!
Can you remember the time in your life when you gave Him everything?
Again...Happy Easter!

feeling homeless

we're at a crucial stage in the life of adventure life church...the use of our current facility is quickly coming to an end...and i'm at a loss as to where to go...we are having great difficulty finding a facility that is accommodating and affordable...nothing is coming easy
pray for us....pray that God will open some miraculous doors!
i wonder if this a little bit like how it feels to be homeless? ... nothing comes easy, it seems like no one wants to help, you feel all alone?
I'm certainly not indicating that our situation carries the same magnitude of someone being homeless, I just wonder if some of the feelings aren't the same?
pray for us!

knee injury ends season

Last night at AAU practice Luke collided with a teammate and severely sprained his left knee...
today the doc put him on crutches and sidelined him for the rest of his season...
Noah's team ended their season tonight with a first-round loss in the tournament....what a great group of boys...they learned to play as a team and play hard...the team's record was 1-6 with a score differential for the entire season of 5 points....they scored 68 and only gave up 73...one basket here or there and they could have easily been 6-1.
Nate's team is still in their tourney...they play in the championship game this coming Tuesday night....yeah Nate-dog!

AAU...first scrimmage game

Last night I got a voice mail from Luke...he sounded so excited. Coach Reed, my assistant coach for our Garner Rd Bulldogs AAU team directed our practice time last night while I was out of town. The team had the opportunity to actually scrimmage one of the other 14U teams. Our team won by 20 points. 'Luke said that he played well and felt very confident. I hate I missed it!
Go Bulldogs!

Art...awesome thoughts on environment and identity

Hey everyone...I'm sitting in a courtroom in Charlotte at the moment. I am assisting with a medical negligence case this week. Pretty boring testimony at the moment...so I thought I'd just reflect on this past Sunday night. Art Seib spoke for ALC and his topic was the impact of environment on identity...and what we ended up discovering is that identity can have just as much impact on environment. UNSEEN REALITIES...wow! how many powerful unseen realities are there in the spiritual life! God is always at work in our life in unseen ways. Behind the scenes, in the life beneath life He is always at work. Unseen realities taking place in our own life can in turn empower us to allow our identity to impact our environement, our spheres of influence in ways unseen. Art shared a story from his days as a probation officer several years ago. He indicated that the environment, the language, the activity initially had an impact on him...he began to become a participant of the environment. Then by choice, he decided to be an agent of change (SALT)...in that environment...and suddenly as unseen things were taking place the environment began to conform to Art's identity...his identity in Christ! Praise God for this ability that we have. We can truly be like salt...do you see salt adding flavor, do you see salt preserving, do you see salt healing? When we allow ourselves to live out our identity in Christ...just like salt we can impact our environments in unseen yet life-changing ways!
Thanks for sharing your heart and insights with us Art! You are truly a blessing to all of us!

big day for crossroads church

my dear friend and brother, Michael Tabor had a big day this weekend...on Saturday i was able to go over to his church and celebrate the dedication of their new worship facility...Michael has worked endlessly in this endeavor...i know firsthand because my company was there for a big portion of time doing all the audio visual and lighting work....
great looking building Michael! congrats!
love you bro!

desire not duty

i was reading earlier today for a few moments in 2 Corinthians 11...Paul is writing about some of his experiences in his adventurous journey...experiences from both life and ministry...everything from working hard to being in prison to being flogged severely to being shipwrecked...
in light of these experiences you might ask why keep going on? he answered this question earlier in 2 Cor 5..."Christ's love compels me"... Christ's love (my identity...it is what makes me who i am) fuels me with desire even in the face of challenge...in the wake of so many hard obstacles a sense of duty could have never sustained him...but desire could and did!
it is the same right now with my new AAU basketball team...we are working diligently on stamina right now...after consistent non-stop drills some young men are ready to quit...and then i remind them who they are...champions...and the desire takes over.
let's guard against a sense of duty in serving Christ...let desire take over!

AAU Basketball

We had our first practice last night with the 14U Garner Road Bulldogs! It was awesome! I am so excited about the potential these young men have. Practice was intense with great effort from every player. The players were pushing each other to the limit. I can see all 13 of these young men excelling to another level. It was incredible to coach and direct a practice in which every player cared about what they were doing. I'm pumped up about this opportunity....keep it in your prayers.
Thanks.

today is my birthday!

wow! today marks the last birthday for my thirty-somethings! but I'm feeling good! you know what they're saying...that 40 is the new 30!
well, lots of nice things have been said to me today due to it being my birthday! Thanks for all the kind thoughts and words.
leaving early from work now for a nice quiet birthday evening!
maybe the wolfpack can give me a nice gift tonight and beat the tarheels!
love you all!

winning feels good!

wow! it's been a great weekend on the basketball court. for Noah's recreation league team all the hard work finally paid off...we acutally won our first game of the season and several of the young boys on the team actually scored a basket....and most of the others at least had a good look at the basket and got a shot off...Noah had a terrific effort leading the team in scoring and rebounding...he's such a hard worker on the court...I'm very proud of him for sticking with it through several discouraging losses....we have lost three of our games by a combined total of 7 points....great win on Fri night.
Luke's team in the recreation league had a thrilling double overtime win today in which Luke had several key rebounds and 4 very important points in the overtime play.
always feels great when you win!

the effective plea...

Hope, my 10 year old daughter has a cat...his name is Smokey...and over the last several months he has gotten into several cat fights outdoors and has needed to go see the vet...and it has caused a significant dent in our checking account. well last week we could not find him because he had been in another incident and was hiding to lick his wounds. immediately I said no to another trip to the vet. Hope has continued to ask....and I continued to try and ignore the situation.
Then yesterday when I was checking my email there was one from Hope....
It read something like this....
Daddy...I really don't want my best friend Smokey to die...so please reconsider taking him to the vet...I'll give up my allowance...whatever I need to do....but please Daddy, please please please Daddy....will you do it?
if you are looking for an answer, for a miracle....I think in James it says pray again!

valentines day

well Valentines Day this year was pretty simple...everyone at my house other than Noah and myself has been sick this week. it makes for a tiring and gloomy environment...but wow!...what a few gifts will do to everyone's attitude. I brought home some small gifts for my special ones...Angela, Luke, Hope, Noah and Nate...their eyes just lit up...even Angela's. lots of joy for me to see that happen.
I think that feeling of joy is something like the Father feels when our eyes realize His great gifts!
On the day that the world considers the day of love...let's not forget how much God has loved us and pause to share our love for Him!

spiritual GPS

what a week so far! I have been on the road extensively everyday this week.
to Winston-Salem and back, to Charlotte and back, to Stokes County and back...today is finally an office day...and there's a lot of catch up to do.
for the first time yesterday I used a GPS navigational system as I travelled through the mountains in Stokes County...what a helpful tool, but annoying as well...i could not decide if I liked it or I hated it. Every curve around the mountain on Hwy 8 the GPS saw as a turn...turn left 50 yards! prepare to turn right 500 feet! and on and on! I worked best for me when I muted the voice and just used the road map feature.
I think we have been called to be spiritual GPS systems for those who are lost to help navigate them to their destination. I wonder if people have the same feelings I had toward the GPS I used...do they have to decide between our being really helpful and our being really annoying?
Think about it!

I love basketball!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love the game of basketball. I coach three young boys teams in our community recreation leagues. I watch as much basketball as time will allow...with ESPN 1 and 2 and U and FOX sports, etc. you can just about watch any game you want. I even get up often in the early morning (5:30 am) to actually go a run a full court game for an hour.
I even more excited about basketball at the moment. I have the opportunity to something I have always wanted to do....coach an AAU basketball team. The AAU team is one of the 14 and under Garner Road Bulldogs teams. The level of competition and athleticism is intense. Many young boys trying to become men who want to excel in basketball play at this level. I am proud to say my son, Luke will get to play at this level. It is an honor and it is exciting.
One reason I love basketball so much is because I can use it to teach life lessons to these young boys. Pray for me as I try to shine light into the darkness!
Go Bulldogs!

identity...what does it mean to you?

you can change how you look...how you act...on and on...
but changes in appearance and in behavior do not change who you are!
"In Him we live and move and have our being!"
not our doing but rather our being!
you can be strong...you can be patient...you can be forgiving...you can be gentle...you can be joyful...on and on...because we live and move in Him! He is our identity!
WE ARE CHRISTIAN!

courage...what is it?

Courage...is it just being brave and strong in the face of challenge or adversity? is it just making a choice to stand alone? is it the absence of fear?

Courage...is it dependent and driven by my past success? the success and experience of others?

Courage...where does it come from?

In Joshua we are instructed to "be" strong and of good courage. "Be" is directly related to identity. Identity portrays who we are...

at adventure life church we are currently going through series entitled "WE ARE CHRISITIAN!" it is a series based on the movie "We Are Marshall"...we can learn a lot from the characters and their experiences in this movie...the movie is about the plane crash of the Marshall football team and its impact on a small West Virginia community...in the face of such great tragedy and challenge the students of Marshall Univ stand together and chant "We Are Marshall"...

you see identity can not be altered by challenge...this realization to me produces courage...true courage...a change in mentality...a realization of my identity in Christ empowers me to see challenge and adversity in a whole new light...

what empowers courage in you?

more to follow on identity and courage....

I'm Back!

well, sorry everyone for my long absence from the blog! I'm back! It is certainly not that I have had nothing to say...life and work and ministry have just thrown a lot of changes (curve balls if you know what I'm saying) all at once.
so, not trying to make excuses ... just been swamped ... but feel the need to starting putting down some of my thoughts again.
I'll try to blog some thoughts, experiences, concerns, ideas once a day now.
join me again!

thanks.