Random Musings from Tripp

Running Log: This Week

2011-06-09T21:31:00.002-04:00

OK...where did the time go? Anyway, I've been out 3 times this week, for a total of around 6.5 miles. I've had a pretty triumphant run, followed by a couple of, honestly, discouraging ones, for the following reasons:

1. My Nike + sensor keeps fouling up on me, cutting about .25 miles off each run. This doesn't seem like a lot but, trust me, it means something to me! I finally just reset the thing to factory settings and it looks like that did it...Wednesday morning was almost spot on and tonight's was just a little short (although that may be because 'Map My Run' was using a street calculation when I, in fact, used some sidewalks tonight).

2. My legs are killing me right now. I've had problems on and off with shin splints, due to poor form, and this crops up every once in a while. If I could just trust myself to actually run the whole distance instead of run/walking it, I'd probably be fine (it actually feels fine when I run). But I think the start/stop and not keeping a steady pace isn't helping. I iced my leg down yesterday morning and then went out again tonight. Got through mile 1 pretty well, and then the pain set in. I practically limped home.

Despite not feeling good about tonight's run, I'm determined not to let this beat me. I will become a runner. Firecracker 5K is just 24 days away. And I've finally made the decision to go ahead and register for the Space Coast Half-Marathon in late November. I still don't know how I feel about that. Some moments I'm really excited and then the next I'm thinking I'm crazy.

Maybe that's the point! :)

Running Log: 6/5/11

2011-06-05T07:02:00.002-04:00

Good Sunday Morning!

That alarm came early this morning. I did not want to get out of bed. But, I took it one step at a time (swing legs over side of bed until they reach floor, walk to bathroom, brush teeth, put contacts in...etc.) and made it out the door.

I ran my 3.1(5K) route again. This time, finished in 41:42, which is slightly below Friday's 42 minutes. But my overall pace was down (14:21). I think this is due to the calibration issue again...today it registered the same route as 2.9 miles (it recorded it as 2.85 on Friday). Looks like a trip to the gym is in order, to run on their measured track...

Anyway, feels good to get back out again today. I spent some time yesterday watching videos from people who've run the Disney Half-Marathon and I got uber-inspired. I've decided that, with just a little under 6 months still, I'm going to register for the SpaceCoast Half on November 27. Whew...13.1 miles. I can hardly believe I'm seriously going to do that! I know I can, though...

Running Log: 6/3/11

2011-06-05T06:58:00.003-04:00

3.1 (5K) route this morning. I woke up ready to go, and stepped outside with the intention of running 2 miles...but felt so good that I ran my 5K route around our neighborhood. Much better pace today (14'44"), and I'm highly encouraged that I ran this length at this pace after a few weeks of, really, little activity.

Having a slight problem with my Nike + system. It's saying this route was only 2.85 miles...which is significant because it's a full quarter mile off. That's a little discouraging because, if the calibration was correct, I'd have registered a PR for a 5K. Guess I need to recalibrate it.

Running Log: 5/31/11

2011-05-31T13:19:00.004-04:00

I've been on a bit of a hiatus for a couple of weeks. Ran the Running Zone Race for the Gecko 5K back on May 7, and then later that week got a nasty case of shin splints...which really hurt. So, on the advice of Dr. Google, I took a bit of a break for a bit to heal up. Went out twice last week, and hit this week running, literally.

Did 2.05 miles this morning, mostly walking. 15:38 pace, which, yes, I realize is kind of a joke. Whatever, though...I just want to focus on actually doing something active right now. The pace will come later.

My goals this week:

1. Simply get out of bed before 5:15 every morning.
2. Log at least 2 miles every day, at least 20% running.
3. Put in a 5K walk in there, sometime before Monday.

A Brand New Start

2011-01-09T06:19:00.002-05:00

It's early Sunday morning. Date Night was last night. True to form, we went out to eat and then perused the local BooksAMillion. While looking through the religion section: "Hey, I should start writing again."

So, OK, here I am. Give me a few days to get this rolling and back on track. Looking forward to sharing the many things that have changed in the year plus since I wrote my last entry.

College Football: Week Three

2009-09-28T20:00:00.002-04:00

I decided to take a week off from prognosticating last week, due to my pretty miserable record, and, of course, missed a couple of golden opportunities. I know this is hindsight, and I know it doesn't count now, but I would've (seriously, really) picked South Carolina to beat Ole Miss and Miami to lose to Virginia Tech, big.

I've thought all along that the Rebels were overrated (and there's also that bit about losing their last 5--make it 6, now--SEC openers), and, while I've been impressed with the 'Canes, there's absolutely no shame in losing to the Hokies, especially in Blacksburg.

Anyway, here's a quick poke at the week that was:

The Good:

1. Iowa. Simply put, when this team's playing Penn State...pick 'em everytime. That's 7 of the last 8 to Kirk Ferentz' crew, and they did it in the prime-time rain of Happy Valley.

2. Oregon. Give them credit; after the season opening debacle in Boise, they've bounced back big, including a 42-6 thrashing of Cal, a team that was primed and ready to make a run at the conference and possibly national championship. Keep in mind they host USC later on this year. Maybe the Ducks will be playing in Pasadena in January, after all?

What's interesting about these two wins is it effectively eliminates the prime contenders in both the Big 10 and Pac 10, clearing the way for a Texas vs. SEC National Championship. If the Longhorns and either the Gators or Tide win out, we'll have about a clear-cut matchup for the crystal football as we've ever had.

The Bad:

1. LSU. Yeah, I know they won, but they needed a goal-line stand (and some strange play calling by Dan Mullen) against Mississippi State to do it. This after the Bulldogs did everything but gift wrap the game for them. Do you realize that this team is a stunning 105th in the nation in total offense? Defensively, they're not much better, at #65 against the run and 49th overall. They're getting ready to face the meat of their schedule, with a trip to Georgia this week followed by the Gators coming to town the week after, so, chances are, we'll know a lot more about this team real quick. Personally I think they're--wait for it--paper Tigers.

2. Boise State's schedule. It says something when your toughest remaining game--just 4 games into the season--is a road game against Tulsa. I'm personally tired of the talk surrounding the Broncos supposedly being "snubbed", even as they work their way up to a #5 ranking and, one would suppose, a spot in a BCS game. You want to play for the whole thing, though? Fine, go join the Pac 10 or any other conference that'll have you. Two things happen then: 1. Your schedule becomes legitimate and 2. It doesn't matter, because you're a mid-conference team.

The Ugly:

1. Florida State. Will someone--anyone--please tell me what's going on with this team? A close, albeit entertaining, loss at home against Miami. A shockingly close win over 1-AA Jacksonville State. A fairly impressive win over an overrated BYU team in Provo. And now, this. The 'Noles are officially 4th in the state. The USF Bulls came to Doak Campbell having lost their star quarterback in Matt Grothe, and leave with a 17-7 win. What would bother me most as an FSU fan is the way the coaching staff (read: "Bobby Bowden") just kind of shrugs this stuff off anymore, like it'll be better next week. Guess what, 'Nole fans: it won't.

2. Tim Tebow's head. Thankfully it doesn't appear it'll be ugly for too long, but Saturday night all of Gator Nation held their breath as Tim lay on the Commenwealth Stadium grass. I knew looking at the replay of the back of his head hitting Marcus Gilbert's knee that this was going to be nasty but it probably could've been much, much worse. I won't get drawn into the argument that seems to be building that he shouldn't have even been in the game at that point, by the way. It's really a matter of opinion, and there is really no right or wrong answer. Coaches--and players, for that matter--have differing agendas and, as difficult as this may be to believe, it goes beyond just winning a ball game. When I have as many championships under my belt as Urban Meyer does, I'll make those calls. Until then, he's calling the shots, and doing pretty well, thank you.

Besides, nobody that I've heard talking about this dared mention Colt McCoy, who played into the 3rd quarter in a drubbing of UTEP. He was in the game at 47-7, chucking the ball around. I've got no problem if you want to call out Urban Meyer for leaving Tebow in the game as late as he did, but you'd better have Mack Brown next on your list to call if you're going to do it.

College Football Preview: Week 3

2009-09-17T17:00:00.001-04:00

I picked 2 of 3 winners last week...though, how they got there was certainly different than how I thought they would. It appears that Ohio State and Michigan (and, therefore, the Big 10?) are, respectively, slightly and much better than I thought, and that someone hijacked every defensive player from Georgia and South Carolina...how else to explain a combined 78 points?

Anyway, here's to a better week 3:

1. Georgia Tech @ Miami (Thursday Night). I'm not drinking the 'Canes kool aid. I'm just not. Yes, they eked out a win in a Labor Day "classic" against FSU, but that victory looks fairly hollow now (see Gamecocks, Jacksonville State). Then again, the 'Ramblin' Wreck nearly blew a huge lead at home against Clemson, only to pull out victory last week. Anyway, if Miami can contain Georgia Tech's ACC-leading running game, they've got a good shot at winning this. But that's a big if for a defense that gave up the second-most rushing yards in UM history last year to this same Yellow Jacket team. Like I said, I'm not drinking...

Georgia Tech 34 Miami 23

2. FSU @ BYU. Max Hall=good passer. Seminole Defense=bad pass defense. FSU loses this one fairly big in Provo, on their way to a disastrous season (no more than 6 wins...I'm serious) and falls farther into mediocrity and irrelevance. Seminole fans better hope something changes soon to change the fortunes of a once proud team, because the longer things stay like this...well, I digress.

BYU 43 FSU 20

3. Georgia @ Arkansas. I've been wavering on this one all week. I guess I'm not sure which Georgia team is the real one. Is it the 'Dawg squad that only mustered 10 points against Oklahoma State's defense two weeks ago (a defense that returned to form in giving up 45 this week to Houston), while holding an explosive offense largely in check? Or is it the Bulldog offense that scored 41 against a pretty good defense in South Carolina, while defensively giving up 37 themselves? On the Arkansas side of the ball, I think this is a good team that has some experience from last season...particularly in quarterback Ryan Mallett. Playing their SEC opener in Fayetville doesn't hurt, either. In short, I think the 'Hogs could surprise some folks in the SEC. Does that start with the favored Bulldogs?

Arkansas 34 Georgia 22

Bonus Pick: Tennessee @ Florida. Florida fans are hoping to embarrass Lane Kiffin, somewhere to the tune of 127-0. The talent gap between these two teams has rarely been larger, but it's made slimmer in a big rivalry showdown like this. UT has a pretty good defense, and I think Tebow will have some challenges against Eric Berry and crew on Saturday. Still, those challenges pale in comparison to what Jonathan Crompton will have to deal with. It's bad enough UF's defense is every bit as deep as they are talented. If that weren't bad enough, this is an undersized offense that can't move the ball effectively. If they are to have a hope, it will have to be from running the football and controlling the clock enough to keep the Florida offense off the field. The Gators will try to force Crompton to beat them through the air and, if Lane is foolish enough to take the bait, he'll lose big. Even with some success on the ground, it's tough to see this Vol team scoring more than a couple of touchdowns...unless they're defense- or special teams-driven.

Florida 37 Tennessee 13

College Football: Week Two

2009-09-16T20:50:00.004-04:00

Well, we're rolling now. "Preseason" (as it was for many teams, mine included) is done...now on to the real stuff.

Week 2 Wrap:

The Good:

1. Michigan-Notre Dame. Wow. Great entertainment from two teams who've been lacking in the recent past. I was flat wrong about this one, as it looks like Rich Rodriguez has himself a quarterback in Tate Forcier. As for the Irish...well, they aren't going to play for all the marbles this year (sorry, Lou), but they'll definitely be a force to be reckoned with. Strange play-calling at the end cost them. Run the ball with 2 minutes and change left, and they're probably still undefeated. Great comeback by the Wolverines, though, and a great overall game!

2. USC. I hate giving props here, but the Trojans did just enough to beat the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe. So, I've gotta. I'm not sure this team is as good as past Troy units, but it's clear they have a budding star in Matt Barkeley. I still hold that they'll lose to Cal in early October, in addition to (characteristically) dropping a game on the road where they just shouldn't...Notre Dame, maybe?

The Bad:

1. Colorado. Bye, Dan Hawkins. This is varsity football...something you appear to know little about. Maybe there's an intramural team out there that'll have you?

2. Ohio State. Specifically, Jim Tressel. Will this guy ever win another big game for the Buckeyes? I know he won it all in 2002, but, really, since then, can you think of when his teams have not blown it in a big game (Big 10 tests excluded)?

3. Tennessee. Just last week, John Crompton was a Heisman candidate in many Vol fans minds after throwing for 5 touchdowns against mighty Western Kentucky. Which should tell you the state of many Vol fans' minds. Anyway, Saturday's home loss to an average UCLA team, and the boo-fest that followed, reminded Lane Kiffin that he has a way to go--a loooonnnnggg way--to get this team to a competitive level in the SEC again. Oh, well. At least it gets easier this week, right? Right?

4. Oklahoma State. Speaking of not being able to win big games...looks like I'm going to have to revise my prediction of the Cowboys finishing ahead of Oklahoma in the Big 12 South this year. And after I crowned them a potential National Championship spoiler. How must Georgia be feeling right about now?

The Ugly:

1. FSU. In case you missed it, the 'Noles (who, apparently, were "back" after barely losing to Miami to open the season) needed a touchdown with just 36 seconds left to pull ahead of, and defeat, Jacksonville State. That's Division 1-AA Jacksonville State. Not Troy, as Bobby Bowden kept referring to in his post-game presser. What's revealing about this is that hardly anyone on a national scale has been talking about it. Which, I suppose, speaks to the relevancy of Florida State football these days.

2. Defense in South Carolina and Georgia. I'll admit that I didn't even watch the Gamecocks and Dawgs battle it out in Athens (no ESPN for me this year), so I can't say what happened beyond the stats. Still, 41-37?? Only one time in the previous six games had either team scored 21 points. So, obviously, this was a bit of a change of pace. Not sure if the defenses just are overrated (probably) or the offenses are much better than I gave them credit for (not likely).

Week 3 preview coming tomorrow evening...

College Football Preview: Week 2

2009-09-10T05:31:00.002-04:00

Figured I might try my hand at this prognosticating thing, instead of simply talking about what has been. Who knows, maybe Gameday will notice and hire me. Then again....

Anyway, here are 3 games I'm keeping an eye on this weekend:

1. USC @ Ohio State. Matt Barkeley and the gang didn't look like the Troy of old against San Jose State last weekend...at least for most of the first half. Then, they flipped the switch and suddenly the game was over. OSU, meanwhile, had to be breathing a sigh of relief to escape a spirited Navy effort with a win. So, what I'm trying to say is, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Despite a true frosh at QB for the Trojans, I think they roll into Columbus and handle the Bucks with relative ease. Although it won't be near the blowout last year was, I'll call it...

USC 27 OSU 13

2. Notre Dame @ Michigan. Where did this one come from? This is a storied rivalry, to be sure, but I'm not sure anyone thought this would be as significant a matchup right now as it's looking. Last week UM took care of business with a rout against a historically solid Western Michigan squad, while Notre Dame was impressive in shutting down one of the nation's more prolific offenses in Nevada, 35-0. Clearly both of these teams are better than last season--Michigan especially so. Notre Dame was actually on the cusp of a pretty good season in 2008, losing 3 games in which they held a lead in the 4th quarter. Win those, and a paltry 7-6 becomes a good 10-3. That, besides having far more experience, is one of the reasons I like the 'Domers here.

Notre Dame 31 Michigan 14

3. South Carolina @ Georgia. When Steve Spurrier coached for my beloved Gators, he once scored 82 points in a single game. Heck, he may struggle to reach that mark for the season at USCe this year! Although both offenses are terrible, I think Georgia missed an opportunity last week against Oklahoma State on the road. 'Dawg fans should be miffed at Mark Richt's coaching, which started out great by pounding the ball right down the field for a quick touchdown and momentum and ended with inexplicably getting away from that formula in a 24-10 loss to a very good Cowboy squad that I think will finish second in their division to only Texas. It's clear that Joe Cox is not the QB I thought he was and that Georgia will have to rely heavily on it's running game to win ball games this year...that, or switch quarterbacks. Don't be surprised to see the second option come to fruition, with talented freshmen Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger getting their turns. On the Gamecock front, it's the same old story: Spurrier just can't find a quarterback. So, as in the immediate past, this one comes down to defense. I think Georgia is just a little bit better there. Not much, mind you, but a little. That, combined with Richt realizing that he'll need to run the ball to win, should equal a Bulldog victory. (Note: the loss--again--of Trinton Sturdivant could really hurt this team offensively. I think against USCe they'll be OK, but I wonder how this will affect the 'Dawgs later on against more agressive defenses like LSU and Florida.)

Georgia 17 South Carolina 6

College Football: Week One

2009-09-08T06:25:00.004-04:00

OK guys; I'm back. Walton Family Update by the end of the week, but, for now, a quick post about my favorite time of the year: College Football. Here's a brief review of week one.

The Good:

1. Alabama. Beat a pretty good Virginia Tech team in Atlanta, pulling away late offensively. I knew the defense would be good, but it looks like Greg McElroy is the real deal, too. I'll go ahead and call it now--the Tide will return to Atlanta to represent the SEC West in the Championship game later this season. By the way, I think part of the reason I put 'Bama here is because VT may be slightly overrated. But, time will tell.

2. Notre Dame. This one pains me. But you have to hand it to the Irish for completely whipping a Nevada team many felt was going to challenge them. A shutout against one of the nation's more prolific offenses in the Wolfpack is cause for celebration in South Bend. Still, we should know alot more about the 'Domers this weekend, when they host Michigan.

The Bad:

1. Illinois. I drank the kool-aid, and bought into this team being a surprise contender for the Big 10. Turns out they may struggle to reach .500. Got completely blown out by a rebuilding Missouri team. Typical Ron Zook: great recruiting, lousy coaching.

2. Georgia. (sorry, Scott) Again, I bought into this one, thinking Joe Cox would be capable of leading this team to at least as many wins as last year. But a horrible offensive performance at Oklahoma State (the same Cowboy defense that gave up about 30 points a game last season) means things are tough right out of the gate for the 'Dawgs. Pretty good defense holding the 'Pokes to 24 points, though. I have to question the coaching, too. Georgia came right out on the field and ran the ball for a TD...and then promptly got away from running the ball. Not really sure why.

3. The entire ACC. Starts out the season 5-7 (FSU-Miami being an obvious push because they played each other). That's not the bad part. Those other 4 wins include just one against a D1 opponent. Included in the losses: 2 to D2 schools (William & Mary over UVA and Richmond over Duke). I realize it's just week one, but that's not parity. It's weakness.

The Ugly:

1. Oregon. For obvious reasons. Bring the fight Blount showed after the game onto the field during it, and maybe the Ducks are victorious. As it is, not only is he gone for the season, but the whole outlook just changed for an Oregon team many felt would be a contender in the PAC 10.

2. Thursday night games. Speaking of Oregon...first night of the season, everyone's excited about watching college ball, and then--the games start. A complete snoozer in South Carolina-NC State followed by a slightly more entertaining Oregon-Boise State. At least we didn't have to wait more than 48 hours for another game, though.

The Incomplete:

Any team that played (and won) against a D2 opponent (or a really bad D1 one). This includes Tennessee, Florida, Georgia Tech, even Mississippi State, among many others. We'll see what the next week holds for these teams, after they play real (or, at least, better) opponents.

life with Emily...

2009-06-03T20:44:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe one week has already passed since our daughter, Emily Faye, was born.

OK, I lied. It actually seems quite a bit longer than that, honestly. I don't know if that's because time flies faster when you're having fun (which, yes, we are, for the most part!) or because my concept of a week gets shorter as I get older. Probably both. Either way, though, here we are at the one week mark. I thought I'd mark the occasion with a few random thoughts and lessons learned:

-Cabbage leaves have many uses. I learned that one in the hospital. Seems they use 'em in the Maternity wing. You'll have to Google it to find out why, though. This is, after all, a "family" blog.

-When it comes to sleep, quality beats quantity hands down. Unfortunately, I won't be able to fully test this theory out for, oh, I'd say 16 years or so, but you'll just have to trust me. The 5 hours a night I'm lucky to get in seems much more effective than the 8 or 9 I used to get. Plus, it provides hours of laughter when talking about sleep cycles with people. Them: "Boy, I just can't seem to sleep past 8am anymore." Me: "Bwahahaha!!" See?

-Saying the words "the kids" is really, really cool. It's really gratifying to have not just one but two munchkins totally relying on you for every basic need. Frustrating, frazzling, and just plain exhausting at times, yes. But completely humbling and awe-inspiring as well...which trumps the former emotions by a mile.

Welcome Emily Faye Walton!

2009-05-29T16:49:00.004-04:00

For those of you who don't know yet, our daughter, Emily Faye, entered the world at 7:44am on Wednesday, May 27, 2009, via scheduled c-section. She weighed in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces (just 3 ounces lighter than what her big brother was) and 18 inches long. As you can see from the pictures, she also had a full head of dark hair. Contrary to Jacob's birth, which was a harrowing ordeal due to an emergency situation, this was a calm, ordered process, one that we both were able to fully participate in. It was an incredible blessing to be holding my wife's hand as we heard the first tiny cry from our daughter, and both of us were crying when we were able to see her. It was a joyous occasion and our whole stay here has been pleasant, if not relaxing. (Although Jacob is staying at Grandpa and Grandma Voris' house and, with the nurses help, we're actually able to get some pretty good rest in!)

Anyway, here are a few pictures (you can also see a small album on my Facebook page, for those of you so inclined).

I told Becki in the quiet after the initial "meet and greet" that followed all of the excitement of Emily's arrival that I had been nervous over the past few days and on into Wednesday morning, punctuating in a stream of relief as I saw and then held my daughter. We are so blessed already by having Jacob as our son that I honestly didn't think it could get better. In fact, I started going through scenarios in my mind: would she be healthy? What if she were "special needs"? What if something happened to Becki during the surgery? Of course, the answer to the first two (and, really, the last one, as well) is still--and always--that God is in control and I'm blessed anyway, But, as He so often does, God went above and beyond in giving me a perfectly created little girl, a healthy and beautiful wife, as well as an incredible son. I'm not usually at a loss for words, but, to be honest, I have none to explain the gratitude I feel toward my God for giving me all this. I only pray that I am up to the task of taking care of them.

Thank you, Lord!!

a quick update...

2009-05-21T05:23:00.001-04:00

First, let me say that my creative juices have been flowing a lot more lately--I have a ton of things in my head that I want to write about and, in fact, I write whole posts up there--but I rarely have time to sit down and actually put pen to paper (or, in this case, finger to keyboard). Maybe I'll find more time for that sort of stuff in a couple of weeks, after Emily is born.

Yes, that was a joke.

Anyway, here is what's going on in the life of our family:

We're starting to settle in to our new home. As I wrote, it's significantly smaller than our previous residence, so there are definite unpacking and organizing challenges. We've resigned ourselves to just unpacking what we think we'll need for the next year and leaving the rest in boxes in the garage until we move into something larger. But the house is, for the most part, unpacked and livable. A lot of you are probably wondering why we made the move down here to (almost) Palm Bay. Simply put, it was hard to ignore a 5-minute commute to work. And, as I said...it's temporary. We fully expect to be in a new home next year at this time (whether that's in this area or not, we don't know).

T-minus 6 days and counting. Becki is scheduled to go in early next Wednesday morning (5/27) for her c-section that will give us our daughter, Emily Faye. It's really hard to believe that the time is here already and, although we're naturally a bit nervous about adding a new little one to our family, we're really excited, too! Everything is going great and we're as ready as we can be, I suppose. I'm sure I'll be sending out updates/pictures to those of you whose email addresses I have, as well as posting on here, so check back next week.

Still church-shopping. This is a whole lot tougher than I remember it being. I think we've come across one that we like, though, so we'll see. It's actually quite a commute (25 miles one-way), but some good friends of ours go there and we've really enjoyed the past couple of weeks. Bonus points for the Pastor remembering our names this past Sunday! I'm pretty desperate to get us plugged into a small group soon--I really miss that--but I don't want to jump head-first without checking things out thoroughly. Still, this place has some real potential and we've already identified some ways that we can contribute--something that is important to me.

Work is going well right now. We're severely understaffed, which can be bad (lots more to be done) or good (lots of overtime). As I mentioned a couple of posts back, I've been cross-promoted in the department to take on more of an admin role, which I'm really enjoying but is keeping me super busy. In fact, I've put in extra hours the past 3 weekends, and will be going in this weekend, too. I do love the fact that I have a job like that now, though. All that being said, I'm still keeping my eyes open for other opportunities. I don't remember who said it, but I love the quote, "The best time to look for a job is when you have a job." Becki and I are continuing to talk about where we believe the Lord may be leading us and, even though a move may be tough with 2 little ones, we're open to His leading.

Well, that's it for now. Obviously there's going to be a lot more going on next week at this time, so expect to hear from me then.

on searching for a church (to be continued)...

2009-04-19T20:27:00.006-04:00

So, first of, for those of you who don't know...we've moved. Not far; just about 15 miles south of where we were, almost to Palm Bay. I never thought I'd ever be living in or near Palm Bay (indeed, I always assumed we were as far south as we'd ever go) but here we are. It's a nice place, albeit much smaller than our old house (which is now on the market), but MUCH closer to my current office. That in and of itself is a very nice thing for all of us. Anyway, at worst, this is temporary...we'll be making a more "permanent" move next year, depending on what God decides to do with us. For now, though, we needed to get into a place pretty quick before the baby comes in just 5 weeks. We've accomplished that, and now we get to unpack.

Anyway, this morning, we decided to venture out to a local megachurch (no, I won't be naming names. But I've always held this place in high regards because I love their pastor's teaching, the music is captivating, and their small groups are supposed to be top-notch). We've been shopping around for a church lately and, honestly, I thought this might be the one. However, things didn't go well this morning, and I left feeling frustrated and, to be honest, a bit angry. Here's how it went:

10:32 AM
We're greeted at the door by a woman whose sole purpose, it seems, is to make sure that visitors like ourselves feel "welcome". We're given a visitor's packet--complete with a sticker advertising the church that we're apparently supposed to place on our car--and immediately told that "we really encourage children to visit the children's department." Fine, but we want Jacob with us. But, you see, the pastor is preaching on sexual purity this morning and it may be sensitive. Uhhh...well, since my 14-month old son can't understand the difference right now between his "Baby Einstein" videos and "Debbie Does Dallas", I think we'll be fine. We're led to a "special" section for families with children.

10:47 AM
Two minutes into the service and we're packed in tight. Yet, I look behind us to see at least 7 empty rows of seats. Why does everyone feel the need to sit right by us?

10:56 AM
The music is good, and Jacob in particular is really enjoying it. But neither of us recognize the lyrics, which makes it hard to keep up with. And my sense of worship is really hindered by the two ladies behind me carrying on a conversation at normal levels. I turn to look at them, in hopes of helping them to be quiet, only to see that they're both wearing shirts advertising the kid's department.

11:08 AM
The pastor comes to pray and it's evident he's about to start his message (which I'm really looking forward to). It's at this point in any service that Jacob usually gets a little fussy, so Becki normally takes him out in the foyer where she can still listen to what's going on and allow him to run around, as well. I decide to accompany her today, and we make our way to the commons area, which is a large gathering area complete with information booths about various ministries, a bookstore, and even a cafe'. Plus several big-screen TV's sharing the live feed from the sanctuary. Here's where it gets really maddening for me. There are maybe 60 or so tables in this area. Every one of these is either taken or, apparently, reserved, as evidenced by the many bibles stacked on them. I look over to the cafe' to see a line of about 40 people, all of whom are ordering food. Almost no one in this area is paying attention to what's going on on the TV's; it seems their purpose is simply to socialize. Yet, we were told by "Greeter Lady" earlier that this is where we need to come if we want to watch the service and not have Jacob be a distraction. I missed the part, I guess, where she told us we'd need to stand to do it, and hope to hear over the noise going on. So, needless to say, at...

11:11 AM
We get in the car and leave.

OK, here's the deal. I know that all of this stuff is put into place by this church as a ministry. And, run effectively, I'm sure it helps. But there's a danger in it, too, and I think we saw that this morning. Simply put, this place is too big for it's own good. There's no personal touch (and, yes, I know that's what the small group infrastructure is for). And, from my first impression, at least, they've forgotten what their purpose for having a worship service is. It seems they're trying way too hard to make sure that everyone is comfortable, catered to, and feeling like they're in a "non-churchy" environment. So much so that they actually are in a "non-churchy" environment. Which is, in this case, not a good thing.

Look, I'm all for cutting edge. I'm all for casual. And I think we as Christians do need to loosen up somewhat and meet those who are seeking more at their level.

But, in doing so, as I said, there's a danger. We sometimes can make the mistake of trying so hard to be casual that we become irreverent, and forget that there should be a sense of awe and reverence associated with the worship of our God. It's easy to get so wrapped up in "cutting edge" that we miss the fact that the point is to actually have a sense of traditional worship...an attitude that gets us away from the fast-paced, media-driven world around us and forces us into utter honesty and honor of our Lord.

When, for instance, did it become common for a food court to be bustling about while the pastor is praying, as I saw this morning?

Anyway, one thing I nailed down this morning...I definitely want to be part of a smaller congregation. One that doesn't try to impress with the food court, or multimedia, or "shock and awe" (as I like to call it), but that is more interested in meeting the needs of the people in the name of God's love.

I'll keep you posted on how that goes...

on death and missing my Mema...

2009-04-12T22:11:00.005-04:00

My Mema passed away this week. She was 88, and had lived about as full a life as most anyone can, I guess, when she went Home on Thursday, April 9. She’d been in declining health for the past few years; not unexpected at that age. But she didn’t complain about it, at least not to anyone I know. The end came when she entered the hospital late last month after falling and breaking her hip. She got progressively and steadily worse, leading to the decision to have her placed in Hospice care on Saturday morning, where she slipped away as peacefully as anyone can just a few days later, with most of her family by her side and rejoicing in her bolting from the pain that was holding her back from the arms of Jesus, my Papa (who preceded her by almost 20 years), her son, Clinton, sisters, Ide and Carolyn, and a host of others who no doubt welcomed her with shouts of joy and encompassing embraces.

I’ve not had to go through this journey for many years—as I said, Mema’s husband, who we lovingly referred to as Papa, passed away 20 years ago this June. So, naturally, I’m looking back at that experience as an 18-year old fresh High School graduate and comparing it to my thoughts and feelings now, as a 38-year old husband and father. And I think that there is a stark contrast evident between these two experiences that neatly parallels my growth both as a man and as a child of God:

1. Of course, the most striking difference between then and now is my role as a husband and a father. Yes, I’m “older and wiser”, but, make no mistake about it, having Becki and Jacob by my side in situations like this make a world of difference. I can’t say I would be more outwardly emotional, because I believe that’s how God made me, but it sure does give me comfort to have my family with me in times of need.

2. My faith is stronger, much more practical, and plays a deeper role not only in my everyday life, but, naturally, in situations like these. This enables me to look past the “now” to the future that God’s promised us to spend eternity with Him. In this respect, I have a much clearer picture of how death, even though we view it as a final, painful thing, is actually a beautiful transition into Real Life. It’s difficult to explain this to people—even my closest friends and family—but, getting past the sad realization that I have to wait to see them, I rejoice that those who have passed away are actually much, much better off than I. This gives me great comfort and hope, and, to be honest, it’s difficult to mourn much at that point.

3.There’s something comforting, too, about knowing that a spouse is being reunited with their soul mate in Heaven. 20 years ago, when Papa left us, it was painful to look at Mema, knowing that her best friend and lover would no longer be here to comfort, protect, and care for her. In fact, I remember hearing her tell him one night as she held his hand as he lay in the hospital bed in those last days, “Who’s going to hold my hand when I go through this?” (Naturally, and thankfully, my family took this role for him when it came her time). Anyway, in this case, I picture Mema being comforted and even excited about the prospect of seeing her Jim Bob again, along, of course, with Jesus.

I write all of this to flesh out ideas I’ve had for a long time about why I show so little emotion at times like this. Don’t get me wrong—I have my moments. And, I’m sure when Monday comes and we celebrate my Grandmother’s life before placing her body at rest for the final time, I’ll be shedding a few tears. But as I sit here typing this, it’s difficult for me to feel tragically sad, knowing Where my Mema is and Who she’s with. I’ve been accused of being unemotional and cold, even uncaring. The truth, though, is that I recognize that she’s in a much better place than any of us and, for that, we should be thrilled.

I will miss you, Mema, though…for the brief time we’re apart. Enjoy golfing and fishing with Papa, Clinton, and Jesus. Don’t forget to meet your sisters to “sit a spell” on your bench swing, just like out back in the yard. I love you!

Walton family update...

2009-03-21T10:19:00.002-04:00

Hi to all my faithful readers! I'm truly sorry that I haven't jumped on here for more than a month now; as you'll see in a minute, there's lots going on in our lives at the moment and, while my own apathy had something to do with my blogging absence, there's no denying that I've been pretty busy, too.

Anyway, time for a quick update on all things Walton. Read on...

--Jacob is growing into a little boy! It's hard to believe that just a few months ago he was just finding his way to crawling around the floor; now he's confidently walking all over the house, and is starting to jog a little, too. The cutest part about this is he accompanies his walking excursions with some pretty entertaining conversation, most of which we have a hard time understanding. I'm certain that it's an engaging, entertaining, and intelligent discussion to him, though! He's learning more and more about the world around him, and is communicating more effectively with us everyday. For instance, he knows several signs (although "milk" has turned into "whatever is in my sippy cup") and shakes his head "no" when we try and give him something he doesn't want. We were blessed, due to a good friend's generosity, to take him on his first trip to Disney World this past Monday and it was a great day. He particularly enjoyed the Tiki bird show and the fireworks, but also seemed to enjoy Small World and Nemo, too. Even though it was a marathon day that left us pretty tired (got there at 9am and didn't leave until almost 11pm), it was really a lot of fun and well worth it.

--Becki and I are doing well. Becki is, besides a few normal pregnancy issues, feeling fine and everything is on track to meet our Emily Faye on May 25. She looks fantastic; I often have a hard time remembering she's pregnant, other than the fact she looks like she swallowed a basketball! The rigors of being a pregnant mother to a 14-month old sometimes frazzle her (heck, me, too!), but she's a fantastic mom and I know we're both really looking forward to having all four of us together soon. As for me, I've just recently been given a raise at work, along with a "redistribution" of responsibilities. While not a promotion, it will allow me to work on some projects and areas I've been wanting to get my hands into for a while now, so I'm very excited about that.

--We're moving. No, not far. But, still...we've been in our house for almost six years and it's been a real blessing to be here, so this is going to be kind of difficult for us. The owners, who have been really gracious to allow us to live here for as long as we have, have decided to put the house up for sale, so we're in the market again. We're looking to stay in the Suntree/Viera/Rockledge area, but are also considering a move south to Melbourne or even Palm Bay. The big advantage there is it would drastically cut my commute down to just a few minutes, as opposed to about an hour round-trip right now. Anyway, we looked at a very promising place this past week, and have a few more to look at this week. We'll make a decision by the end of the week and hopefully be moved by the end of the first weekend in April. We will, of course, keep you all updated.

That's all for our updates right now. I'll make a point of posting another one when we get moved and settled. Until then, please keep checking back here and, hopefully, I'll have slipped another musing or two in for your reading pleasure!!

on "Daily Bread"...

2009-02-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Recently I've had occasion to revisit--several times, I might add, through my own quiet times of reflection, or a word from a blog I follow, or even in a sermon I heard; God things, all--the prayer that Jesus models for us in His Olivet Discourse (more popularly known as the Sermon on the Mount). I'm sure most of you are familiar with the words He spoke in Matthew:

"Our Father in Heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."

The words I've been focusing on lately are the seven simple ones He prays in the prayer's only real physical request: "Give us this day our daily bread."

What I've been focusing on is just what, exactly, constitutes "daily bread". I've always found that part of His prayer interesting. He asks us not to look ahead to tomorrow, or focus on yesterday, but trust our Father to provide us what we need for sustenance for today. As evidence of this, Jesus tells us further on in His teaching, just a few verses later, where He tells us not to store up treasures here on earth, but in heaven, and not to worry about daily provisions...as our Heavenly Father will provide those to us as we have need.

I think this whole bit about trusting in God to provide for us on a daily basis is played out beautifully in Exodus. God's provision of literal "daily bread" in the form of manna is simple and yet powerful. The Israelites were told, with one exception, not to take any more than they needed for that day. Were they to take any more than this allotment, the leftovers would spoil and they'd have to toss it--probably at the risk of embarrassing themselves to their neighbors, friends, and family. It was an important lesson in trusting that God would provide for today, and do the same thing tomorrow.

I say all of this to let you know that I've really been taking Jesus' words here to heart, especially lately. Many of you know that we are in fairly significant financial debt. It's getting better, really--we're working very hard on whittling it down--but, the truth is, we're probably saddled with quite a few payments to creditors for several years, at the very least. It's not a fun situation to be in. Quite honestly, there are times when I wonder whether this burden will every be lifted. It's a demoralizing, depressing, embarrassing function of my financial immaturity. But I digress.

It's at these times that I have to force myself to take stock of all that God's given me. This includes the obvious material blessings (and they are many, despite my sinful desire for wanting more), as well as things I don't often stop to think of, such as family, friends, a job, my health...honestly, this list could go on and on, and that alone is evidence of God's grace in my life! And although I tend to think of the Lord's provision stretching into tomorrow and next week, and the years to come, I, like His children in the desert, need to recognize the bread that He's provided for me today.

It's hard, I admit. But I'm learning every time my mind wanders to the balance I owe for a particular debt, to simply thank God for the daily bread he's provided me with in the form of our bills being current. When I start to worry over whether we'll ever have the finances necessary to buy a home, or send the kids to college, or retire, I whisper, "Thank You, Lord, for my daily bread!", knowing that there's money in our checking account. Knowing that the God of all creation has it taken care of, to the point where I don't have to worry about our daily needs.

God promises us that, when we ask Him to, He will provide us what we need to make it through today. In so doing, He provides hope for tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after. The key, I'm discovering, is to keep our eyes focused on the blessings He provides for us today. Everything after that is already in His hand...which we'll discover tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that...

a few thoughts from the weekend...

2009-02-03T19:13:00.002-05:00

Let me say first that I've got a ton of great ideas in my head that I would love to get on paper (or, in this case, on the keyboard). What I'm lacking right now is time. So, if you are a faithful reader of my blog, thanks, and rest assured I will be musing away with some pretty meaningful stuff soon.

For now, though, here are a few things left over from this past weekend:

--Jacob will be having a little sister in May! For those of you who may not have heard yet, we actually announced this last weekend (1/25) at Jacob's first birthday party. Emily Faye Walton will join us in just a few short months! We couldn't be more thrilled at God's grace toward our family and are really looking forward to holding our newest little one!

--The Super Bowl turned out to be pretty good, huh? We got together at a friend's house and grilled out. It was a fun night. I was planning on only staying through halftime--when I thought the game would be a blowout--but, of course, ended up staying to watch the dramatic finish. Very, very good game, and highly entertaining. That's two years in a row now.

--Apartment prices have skyrocketed since we lived in one. We stopped by a new complex in Rockledge on Saturday, just to look (no, we're not planning on moving!). Granted, it was a "luxury" complex, with gated entrance, fitness center, et al, but, wow!! $950 for an 800sf 1BR/1BA. By the time you get to a 3/2, you may as well take out a mortgage. The most spacious place they had was an admittedly large 2000+ sf 3/2 with garage but, at over $1700 a month...well, I think you can get a lot of house for that. And these were all "special" prices--this week only, according to the woman who showed us around. Becki asked me later what I thought that meant. Simple. Those prices are only good for this week. Next week, though...they'll "extend" the deal.

--I'm becoming a bit of a data geek. Figured I may as well hone my current job skills, which involve a lot of data analysis and reporting, so that when the next job comes along I'll be a genius at it. I've been stuck at "intermediate" level for a while when it comes to Excel, and never really delved into Access. So, I'm cracking the books open and diving into teaching myself both of those. So far, actually, I'm enjoying it. Pocket protector to follow...

ditching the idiot box...

2009-01-24T10:26:00.002-05:00

We reached sort of a watershed moment in our house last week. A point that will hopefully serve as a turning point in our lives and will provide us with more purpose, more life, and more creativeness as individuals and as a family.

We got rid of our satellite TV service.

Now, before I go on, I should mention that we have not physically removed our TVs from the house. I honestly toyed with this quite a bit and decided that was slightly too radical for right now. In fact, we went ahead and bought a new digital TV converter box and hooked that up, so we'll still be receiving "over the air" broadcast signals. (And just a note here--I am really amazed at how clear the picture is, even with our old rabbit ear antenna. Almost all the major networks come in and, once we save up for and buy a multi-directional antenna, we should easily receive upwards of 30 channels very clearly, and, best of all, free of charge!) What's happened is we've now become more intentional about what we watch and how much of it we expose ourselves to. It is, honestly, a nice feeling to not "worry" about missing a show anymore. Funny how you don't really miss it when it's not there anymore.

We'd been praying and thinking about doing this for quite a while now, for two reasons: One, it's going to be nice having an extra $70 in our budget every month. Two, it's going to be even nicer to not be slave to mindless drivel nearly as much. I say that because, yes, there are a few shows we still like to watch and will plan to catch when we can (although I will definitely miss the convenience of the DVR. Turns out they used to make these things called "VCRs" that may work OK for that purpose, though!). But one of the things that bothered me about having literally hundreds of channels to choose from was I could easily, at any point, drop what I was doing, plop myself on the couch, and "channel surf" to my heart's content. And I found myself doing that often. It was way too easy to unplug from the world around me, in other words--and I'm at a point in my life where I definitely need to be plugged in and purposeful with my time. I guess I'm admitting here that I'm weak in this area, and needed to cut it from my life. And I don't mind telling you I don't have a problem with that.

Case in point: I found myself last month watching some show on MTV--you'll remember them;they used to show music videos?--and, about 10 minutes into this pathetic excuse for entertainment, I literally shook myself awake, verbally asked myself what I was doing, and clicked the "off" button. It had gotten that bad--I could no longer keep myself accountable and, therefore, couldn't justify the expense, both in money and time, that my television watching habits garnered.

So, an era ends. Personally, after just a few days, I'm loving it. I look forward to spending our time as a family finding other avenues of entertainment and growing together instead of letting mindless media dictate that for us.

At least until football season... (just kidding!)

Happy Birthday, Jacob!!

2009-01-21T23:08:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe it's been 365 days since we were introduced to our adorable, wonderful son, but it has! I clearly remember meeting him for the very first time, feeding him formula as his Mom recovered, holding him in my arms, and then the sheer elation I experienced as I handed him to Becki and to finally be together as a family. All wonderful memories that come flooding back one year later. I also remember thinking how tiny he was, and that I would never want him to grow up, but that we had plenty of time for all that.

And, yet, here we are at the milestone of his first birthday. I'm afraid to blink, lest I miss his first words (which, I'm convinced, will either be "Gators" or "moose"!), his first "real" steps, potty training, his first fishing experience, his first date, or graduating college!

Wow, does time fly... Son, when you read this someday, I want you to know how profoundly you've changed the lives of your mother and I. We are so proud of you and count each minute we are allowed to spend with you as sheer joy. You have brought us such an incredibly wide range of emotions over your first year...from unbridled happiness to unmitigated worry and, yes, even sheer terror (though you won't remember your first ambulance ride, I'll always have it burned into my brain; ask me about it later!). You are truly a gift from the Lord above and I am absolutely humbled to be your Dad.

Happy First Birthday, Son!

To my own Dad: I don't say it often enough, but this year has taught me what an incredible father and person you are, and I love you very much. To have this experience gives me the utmost respect and adulation for you, and I pray that I can be half the father you were for me. Thank you for providing a shining example for me to follow as I raise my own son...and soon to be children!

on vacation and prayer

2009-01-14T20:48:00.000-05:00

We're on vacation this week. We rented a gorgeous mountain home in Blue Ridge, GA for our parents and my sister and we're enjoying the cold weather (and hopefully a little snow!), the "rustic/luxury" cabin, good food, and a lot of fun. Weird how a week can seem so long when you start your Monday off in an office, but so short when you're in this environment--I'm already mourning Saturday, when we have to leave.

On the way here, we were privileged to spend a couple of days with our good friends Scott and Carmen Copeland. Scott is one of my best friends and, although we never seem to talk all that much throughout the year, when we are able to get together every 12 months or so, we pick up right where we left off and have a blast!

Anyway, Scott joined the staff of Brookwood Baptist Church in Lawrenceville, GA recently, so, naturally, we tagged along on Sunday morning. Scott did his normal bang-up job of leading us in worship and then the pastor, Dean, gave one of the more simplistic yet thought-provoking messages I've heard in a long time.

Dean really challenged his congregation with the premise that, in order to be the community God had called them to be and, most importantly, make an impact on their surroundings, there were several things that needed to be paramount in not only the individual lives of the congregation, but the corporate entity, as well. To be honest (and Dean, if you're reading this, I apologize!), I forgot what the others were. But his last point was the sharpest and, at least for me, thought-provoking. Simply put, Dean felt (and I wholeheartedly agree here) that what was missing in their congregation was prayer. Communication with God.

Why is it that churches push programs and money and resources but seem to fall woefully short when it comes to the basic premise of communicating with the very One who sustains them? For that matter, why do those of us who claim to know Him intimately? Understand that I am implicating myself here, as well.

Pastor Dean shared several practical and powerful illustrations from the Bible on Sunday that pointed directly to the awesome impact of the saints' perseverance in the simple act of prayer. He talked of how Peter's companions, in Acts 12, "prayed very earnestly" and were rewarded greatly when he showed up miraculously at their door. He pointed out the incredible fact that Jesus, before He began His ministry here on earth, spent 40 days and nights seeking His Father in prayer. Remember that this is God Himself illustrating the importance of humble obedience in this area--I mean, if God not only says it, but practices it, how much more should we? Finally, Dean, of course, led us to Ephesians 6, where we are told to "pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere."

Finally, and probably most emotionally--at least for me--we were treated to a video story of a modern-day miracle of prayer named Danny Velasco. I present a similar story here, for your viewing pleasure. An incredible story of a man who was dying, a woman who prayed, and, because of her faithful prayer, a God who saved:

As I was listening to all of this on Sunday morning, I wondered why we don't take prayer much more seriously. And I wondered if it's because we simply lack the faith that God still answers prayers miraculously. I also wondered what would happen if we knew that the Thing we were praying for would happen. Would we clamor to hit our knees far more often? I think the answer is obvious. And, yet, God DOES promise to hear us and answer. He is faithful.

We look to so many things other than the power of prayer to change our world for Christ. May we be constantly reminded, on a daily basis, of the powerful, life-changing, awesome impact of the simplicity of communication with the One who created and sustained us. It is in this communication that we experience the miraculousness of His Power in our ordinary lives.

National Champions

2009-01-09T00:25:00.002-05:00

Hey guys...as a couple of you have reminded me (and, seriously, thanks...), I have not blogged at all this week. Truth be told, I've been sick with a cold and we've been scrambling to try and get stuff done for our vacation this week, so spare time has been at a bare minimum lately.

But I did want to take a minute to say how proud I am to be a Florida Gator tonight! 2008 National Champions. Second in the last three years. It was a heck of a battle with the Oklahoma Sooners tonight, but we managed to pull out a 24-14 victory and I couldn't be more thrilled!

Just wanted to say that, as always, it's Great To Be A Florida Gator!!!

Goals for 2009...

2009-01-01T21:07:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! As I look back at the last couple of months, I realize that I've fallen pretty hard off of the blogging wagon. Either nobody's noticed or they're simply too polite to tell me to get my keyboard working again. I'm betting it's the former! Seeing as I want to become a much more serious blogger this year, I'm hoping to increase my readership and doing that will mean increasing the frequency of my blog thoughts. On that note, look for at least 2-3 new posts each week during the coming months. I hope you'll check back often, let me know your comments on my writing, and let others know about it if you think they'll be interested. Thanks.

Anyway, in the grand tradition of starting off fresh for the New Year, here are a few of my goals for 2009. Hopefully those of you who know me best can help keep me accountable in these areas.

1. Lose significant weight and become physically fit/active. Embarrassingly, I'm tipping the scales right now at about 235 pounds. I've really been trying the last few months--in fact, I got below 230 briefly in October--by making regular trips to the gym, but I know I've got to make this a top priority and take it to another level. My plan here is to hit the gym at least 5 times a week, make sure I'm doing something active each day, and, most importantly, eat more purposefully and healthy. My ideal weight: 185-195. Branching out from that, I want to become a runner. Yeah, I know. Me, a runner. Honestly, it's something I've wanted to do for awhile now. I'm setting a goal of running a 5K this summer, another in the fall, and then finishing off the year with a 10K. I also plan on getting a half-marathon in by early 2010.

2. Become a much more devoted student of God's Word. I have my moments here, I really do, but I struggle with consistency and commitment. The times I've simply made time for God--instead of "trying" to fit Him into my schedule--have been sweet times of fellowship, so I'm really praying that I can simply trust that He desires to meet with me each day, and that the fruit of that meeting will be sustaining, dynamic, and awe-inspiring. Besides overhauling my daily quiet times with God, I want to actually take a couple of seminary classes this year, at my own pace, to see if it's something I would really like to do. As I love teaching/speaking, I would like to find somewhere to plug in and do that, and I really, really need to find a good men's group to meet with, as well as a Discipleship/Accountability partner who will meet with me on a regular basis.

3. Continue to get our finances in order. I've made a bold statement that we will shave our credit card debt by at least 30% this year, while continuing to put some of our money aside in savings--I'd like to have $3000 for emergencies in the bank by the end of the year. We've definitely made some financial mistakes in the past, but have been really working hard lately at not diving into more debt, cutting the debt we do have, and saving. It's time to kick all 3 of those into high gear if we want to live the rest of our lives debt-free. This will take some real sacrifice on our part, as well as finding creative ways to find more income. On that same note...

4. Find a new career. I spent a good deal of time in 2008 reading about strengths management and discovering what my God-given strengths and personality traits are, as well as how they fit into the vocational world. I'm still wrapping up the loose ends and determining what direction I need to take there, but I'm absolutely determined that what I'm currently doing is not close. Whether it's another position with my current company, or a bold move across the country to take a completely different path, I need to be involved in something that will not only provide a steady paycheck, but food for my soul, too.

5. Be more relational/communal. I've always considered myself an outgoing person, but one of the things I realized this past year is that, despite my personality, I'm not really active in community. This stretches from our involvement at church (which is, honestly, minimal right now) to not getting together with friends and family more often, and even to not taking time to say hello to our neighbors (where we've lived for almost 6 years now). I will be looking for more opportunities to get "out there" and be more visible this year. What I believe will happen is, the more this area changes for the positive, the more positive impact will be felt in all of the other areas I've just mentioned. Should be interesting to find out.

Well, there you have it. On to 2009. God bless us all.

random Monday morning thought...

2008-12-01T10:03:00.001-05:00

While working out this morning:

"There is nothing better than shooting baskets in a empty gym...one with real hardwood floors, regulation sized court, and intact nets."

Deep, I know.

a list of things to be thankful for...

2008-11-24T12:43:00.004-05:00

So, in honor of Turkey Day (more formally known as Thanksgiving), I thought I'd take a moment out to make a list of just some of the many things I am thankful for.

It's so easy to get wrapped up in a negative, victim attitude and think that the whole world is on our shoulders. I know I have to work really hard at avoiding that mindset. And what makes it so ironic is that those of us in the United States--even at our "worst"--live life better than probably 95% of the world's population. Who are we to complain? Anyway, this is something that helps me remember just how very much God has blessed me. I hope it helps you, too.

1. A gorgeous, loving wife and an adorable son who love me far more than I deserve.
2. A new son or daughter just 6 months away!
3. A beautiful, comfortable, spacious home in a great neighborhood and location.
4. A great looking, functional, and well-running minivan in the garage.
5. Good, healthy food on the table at all times.
6. An extended family that loves me.
7. Friends to share life, laughter, and love with.
8. A good paying, steady job...as well as several other income-producing projects that Becki and I are able to work together at "on the side".
9. I'm breathing and in relatively good health.
10. Plenty of good books to read.
11. The knowledge that, even when things are tight, it will all be OK because HE says it will!
12. Being a Florida Gators fan!!
13. Knowing that there is so much more "out there" for me to explore, enjoy, investigate, and become.
14. Living in, despite all of its issues, the greatest country in the world.
15. Cool, crisp fall nights.
16. A Savior who loves the unlovable me.

I'm sure I'll think of many more....and I'll come back and add them later....but, for now, here's just a short list to greet you all this Thanksgiving morning. Have a blessed one!

election day musings...(long!)

2008-11-04T11:19:00.009-05:00

I cast my vote this morning. Glad that's over with. I am looking forward to not having to watch any more political infomercials, having my mailbox stuffed with ads, or receiving unsolicited calls from candidates, at least for 3 years or so.

One note from the polls: I don't get why so many people went to vote early. I've read reports of people standing in line for "early voting" for up to 6 or 8 hours. This morning, we were in and out in 10 minutes. And I don't ever recall, in all my years of voting, waiting more than just a few minutes on Election Day. So, yeah...I don't get it. Of course, maybe one of the reasons there were no lines today--a lot of folks voted early? Still...

Anyway, here are a few points I'd like to make from today, as well as the last few months:

1. My number one issue for today was taxes and the economy. Yeah, I know. As a Christian, I'm supposed to put "abortion" and "gay marriage" in this slot. I'll cover those two topics in a moment--one is still important to me, the other, not so much anymore--but for now let me just say that I really worked hard at aligning myself with a candidate who I felt spoke for what I believed in here (and it wasn't Obama...or McCain). If you've read my blog at all in the past year, you know that I've become a huge believer in Fair Tax, and I remain convinced not only of it's merits but also of the opinion that a complete overhaul of our tax system is the ONLY thing that will save our economy. We HAVE to stop spending frivolously and start being accountable for taxpayers' money. I not only want to know how my money gets into the hands of our government, but, more importantly, what happens to it when it's there. If we can get our financial house in order (a pipe dream, maybe, I know), we can solve so many of our problems. But, in my opinion, it has to start with a fair, balanced, simple tax system that will actually increase revenue combined with a spending cooldown until our budget is balanced.

2. OK, let's talk about the social issues for a moment. To many of you, when I wrote the paragraph above, I was automatically labeled "pro-choice", simply becase the abortion debate wasn't at the front of my mind when I went to the voting booth today. And therein lies the problem. Growing up as an Evangelical Christian, I was taught that this issue trumped anything else on the ballot. Period. In fact, I remember in my early days of voting basing my entire decisions simply on whether the particular candidate was "pro-life" or not. If I wasn't sure, my church would help me out with a handy dandy "voters' guide" that I could even take with me into the booth, just to make sure I didn't screw anything up. Don't get me wrong here--I definitely see the great, great merit in this issue, and understand for some people this is literally the deciding one. I could probably write several paragraphs on this subject alone, but I'll summarize my point by saying that I truly believe the manner in which we--Christians and/or "pro-lifers"--address this important issue is simply all wrong. We should be reaching out to the women who have to make choices like this and, instead of demonizing and vilifying them from behind judicial lines, help them with the practical issues that they'll have to go through--such as, for example, how to successfully carry their baby to term and, once here, place it in a loving home. (There's a great story about this on Greg Boyd's site, as well as some other thoughts I readily agree with; check it out here.) In addition, we need to create commonality with those "pro-choicers" who, believe it or not, are almost overwhelmingly AGAINST more abortions in general. As pointed out in a fantastic commentary here, judicially we are no closer to solving the abortion problem than we were 20 years ago. And to circle back around to my number one issue from above, it seems that a stunning 75% of all abortions in this country are carried out because of poverty. How great would it be to both reinvent our fledgling monetary policies while at the same time completely eliminating the major reason for abortion?

For the record here, as long as there is a vote, and as much as possible, I will always vote "pro-life". I do believe that abortion is murder, and unborn babies need to be protected. But I also believe that our approach to this issue is a completely flawed one that needs social action and justice, especially from the Evangelical Christian church--and quickly.

As for homosexual marriage, I have to admit I've softened on this quite a bit. Yes, I do believe homosexual behavior is a sin according to God's Word (just as much as lying, cheating, and adultery), but, again, we risk alienating the very people we are trying to reach with Christ's message when we use a broad brush to try and legislate our values on those who simply are not ready to accept them. As a more practical--and, I believe, effective--approach, I wonder what would happen if we befriended these same people and lived a dynamic, different life as Christ asked us to--one that would have them practically begging to know what The Difference is? Instead, again, we use the wrong approach when we try to legislate morality (in both of these issues, as well as a host of others) from behind judicial lines. I'm also struck by the irony that the very entity that is driving this edict--again, the Evangelical Christian church--has a divorce rate higher than that of the society around it. Who are we to judge when we are unable to live the life of commitment that God-ordained marriage demands?

Again, I do have the opinion that marriage should be one man and one woman in a committed, lifelong, God-centered union. But I also realize there are those that don't think that way. For me to attempt to shove my belief--which is not at all judicially or politically created, but God-centered--on someone else, especially without appealing to their heart, is simply wrong. This is a moral issue, and I simply believe, in a free country, we are unable to legislate morality.

3. As you can tell, I'm undergoing a bit of a revolution when it comes to my faith and my politics. I was never really that much into politics in the first place, but recently, with the historic election this year, I've attempted to get a bit more into it (as evidenced here and here). The last few weeks and months I've been really reading some radical stuff that goes completely against the grain, so to speak. It started when I read Jim Wallis' "God's Politics" a few months ago. I enjoyed it for the most part, and Jim made some good points but, frankly, I felt he was advocating leaning too far to the left (read: "Democrat") in an effort to seem "radical". For instance, the whole "legislating morality" issue? That applies to things like poverty, as well (something Wallis believes should be addressed through our government, which I don't completely disagree with). You can't tell me what to do with my money, even if it's for a noble cause. This, by the way, is something that makes me distrustful of Obama's platform--the "redistribution of wealth" from those of who, apparently, by the government's decree, don't need it. Anyway, although I do believe Wallis has some neat ideas for how our Christian faith should interact with our political involvement, I do have to say that I do disagree with him on many issues.

Bring on Greg Boyd, of Christus Victor Ministries. I don't even remember how I stumbled onto his site, but I did, and I have to say it's been really eye-opening for me. I'll let you draw your own conclusions by exploring his thoughts here, but I'll also try to summarize what I've learned from him. Probably all you need to know is summed up in the title of his book, "The Myth of a Christian Nation". I realize that's offensive to some of you, and I don't mean to be offensive, but Greg makes a point that I've felt to the core of my being for a long time now. When did we, as Christians, start equating being a United States citizen with being a citizen of the Kingdom of God? When did we start placing our nationality above our "kingdomality"? And where did we get the crazy idea that our forefathers crafted our nation to be solely a Christian one? I frankly have not seen it and I don't get it. After all, weren't they fleeing from religious persecution--from, ironically, a state-mandated religious monarchy? Sure, our nation's ideals and values are based on Judeo-Christian ethics...but that's not the same thing. Is it?

Boyd makes the distinction, both in his book and through the sermons that he preached that inspired it (you can listen to them by going here, starting with the 4/18/2004 archive), between the kingdom of this world (maintained by government) and the Kingdom of God. He suggests that the two are necessarily isolated and, often, diametrically opposed. He points out that serving our Heavenly King is our top priority and we are to serve Him even when--especially when?--it's opposed to our political leanings.

What does this mean? It means we should stop trusting in our government so much. Indeed, he makes the assertion that all governmental systems should be viewed with a healthy suspicion, as well as the knowledge that, while some good can always come from anything God created, looking to place our hopes and trust and faith and future on those very systems--no matter how "good" we may think they are--will always leave us wanting for more.

Greg cements what I've been feeling for a very long time now...that Christians as a whole are too wrapped up in the political process to make an impact for Christ in the world around us. Instead of changing those around us with "Calvary Love" as he calls us, we look to our government to enact legislation in order to "make" that change happen. Instead of serving others simply because Christ asked us to, we look to our elected officials to come up with the capital and resources, so we won't get our hands dirty. Instead of putting our arms around those who feel unloved and despised and simply loving them because they are a child of God, we stand behind a voting booth every four years to "vote our conscience" and, in so doing, make bastards out of the very people God sent His Son to die for.

I've long believed that God is disgusted with His "church" here in the United States. We've traded a Kingdom mindset for political processes, forgetting that, rather than legislating our morality and having our way, He's empowered us and commanded us to love one another. Christ has called us to be His hands and feet, and we should be determined to do that with no political affiliation, with no regard for party politics, with no expectations of our government and the kingdom of this world coming to the rescue. If Christians want to change the world, it begins with each one of us. Not our elected officials.

In the meantime, of course, by all means, pray for our great nation and its leaders. But do so with the understanding that God has His Hand on His Church. NOT any nation, no matter how "good". May He be glorified....

debating the race...

2008-10-24T12:18:00.003-04:00

Note: This post was actually written several weeks ago, which is why you may be confused by some of the references to time in it. I prayed and thought long and hard about posting this, mainly because I don't want to come off as arrogant or ignorant (both of which I have tremendous capability of being!). The following represents a bit of a simplicity in politics, I know, but, what can I say: I'm a simple man.

Anyway, enjoy. And don't rake me too much across the coals should you decide to leave a comment. Thanks.

The second (and, I think, last) Presidential Debate is on tonight. I'm not watching it. I started out this year with the grandest of intentions; to really dig deep, get inside the candidates' heads and figure out their stance on the issues important to me. I've watched history unfold as we've seen the first African-American Presidential candidate accept his party's nomination. Even if he doesn't win, we'll still mark a historic moment with the first woman Vice President ever to be elected to office. It was my hope that, with the "change" that Barack Obama has been talking about, and the folksiness that Sarah Palin exhibits, there would be a clean, honest, insightful race to the White House.

I've been dissapointed. I guess my expectations are just too high. Maybe it's just me, but I've yet to hear from either candidate real, solid answers for dealing with the avalanche of challenges and issues we all are facing in the United States of America today. Instead, well, it's more of the same. "Barack did this, or didn't do that." "McCain is George Bush reincarnated." Finger pointing. Mud flinging. Attacking character. Name-calling.

I realize here that I'm supposed to, as a "conservative", "good" Christian (as opposed, I guess, to a "bad" Christian?), place all of the blame in the Obama camp and wave my flag for McCain/Palin. But that just wouldn't be correct. Unfortunately, one side is as bad as the other. We were just talking last night about McCain's promise that the last few days of his campaign would be focused squarely on sullying Obama's character. Which, to me, serves to distract us from the flaws in his own character.

So, let me be clear here: I'm equally disgusted with the Republican campaign as I am with the Democrats fight.

I just simply don't get why we can't have someone who will run on the basis of what he intends to do for our country's problems rather than what the other guy will/will not/did/did not do. And I understand that this--the attacking of the other guy--is how it's "always" been done. But that doesn't make it right, does it? Hopefully you can tell the internal struggle I have with all of this.

Just once, I'd love to have someone stand up and say, "Well, Dan, I don't know how my fellow American over there, the gentleman I am in competition with, would answer that--you'll have to ask him and work out the details with him--but here's how I would tackle that problem." Of course, I get that this is a "perfect world" scenario. But, still, a guy can dream, can't he?

So, I guess I've got just a few weeks to figure this all out. For the record, I'm almost certain I will go with McCain in the voting booth--there are just too many things that scare me about having Obama in the Oval Office--but I have to confess I'm not real confident about either of these men. Or their running mates (although I do honestly like Sarah Palin, and, actually, Joe Biden seems like a nice guy, too).

And that brings me to one last point.

Wouldn't it be nice to have more than two choices for this important election? I watched a few minutes of a speech from Ron Paul this morning in which he pointed out this flaw in our two-party system. Basically, it was never designed to be a two-party system. In that, Americans lose the ability to select who they believe would best run the country and, instead, vote for the "lesser-of-two-evils". Honestly, that's what I will be doing.

I wish it wasn't that way, but it is. Whatever happens, though, I put my trust in Jesus. To many Christians are up-in-arms over this election (and, frankly, politics in general) when they should be focusing on their need to follow Jesus' call. After all, Jesus said his kingdom would not come through the politics of men. Jesus--and those who followed Him while He was on this earth--changed the world around them not by employing political or economic movements. Instead, they rolled up their sleeves and went to work helping anyone who would talk with them, investing in the lives of everyone they met. I wonder why we think that it's different today?

Whatever happens, though...remember to pray for our leaders. Whoever they may be.

frankie say "relax"...

2008-10-15T10:58:00.002-04:00

Seriously, folks, chill out!

From a "worldly" standpoint, I suppose there is plenty to be worried about today. We have a critical election coming up in just a couple of weeks. Some people I've spoken to (both in and out of the Christian community) believe either nirvana or Armageddon is coming, depending on who they're opposed to in the election. Meanwhile, to listen to the experts out there (read: "media pundits") we are going through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Which may or may not be true.

But that brings me to my point. Should we, as Christ-followers, be as worried as we are? I have Christian friends taking the above two points so seriously that they can barely sleep at night. I've actually heard others say that if Obama's elected President, they're moving to Canada (which we hear every election, but, still...). Is it right to get so wrapped up in all of this that we forget that our Heavenly Father is in complete control?

Don't get me wrong here--I'm not advocating being completely apathetic to politics or the economy. In fact, I believe it's important to stay involved in the political process and make your vote count. And who doesn't want to know where our money's going? When it comes to that, though, I'm always reminded of how God showed the Isrealites the scope of His care on a daily basis...He provided more than they needed, but did it day-by-day. I guess He was asking them not to look ahead, but to trust Him for each day's needs. I would assume it's the same today.

I have alot more to say about this, but I'll let my blog buddy Seth Barnes take it from here. He's got a fantastic entry on this very subject here. Enjoy.

on the bailout, the sports world, and new beginnings...

2008-10-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

I had a blog all ready to post this morning about how I was disgusted with the electoral process and the candidates' tactics to this point. In the interest of not revealing my ignorance of politics, however, I've decided not to reveal it. Suffice to say, I am tired of the whole race, I'm not sure that I'm voting for anything better than the cliched "lesser of two evils", I wish there more than 2 candidates to choose from (as Ron Paul states in this video clip), and we need someone who will give us solid answers, not "well, he did this, and I won't".

Sigh.

If I get enough requests, and if you'll all promise not to go too hard on me, I'll post it. Be warned, though--I ramble quite a bit. But, if you're interested in reading it, leave me a comment and I'll do my best to oblige.

Turning to ligher matters (for the most part):

-The Walton Family is gaining a new member, arriving in June 2009. I know, I know, we're nuts. But, whatever...we're also richly blessed. Becki's only 5 weeks along (we think), so, obviously there's really nothing to report right now, but we will update as we get news. We'd only been trying for a few weeks, so, uh, I guess everything works pretty well. When we get back from the hospital with our new little one, it's separate bedrooms. Not for the kids. For us!

-I'm not sure what to think of the sports world anymore, expect that it's completely on it's ear. In college football, upsets are the norm (expect in the Big 12, where Oklahoma and Missouri remain undefeated). USC, Georgia, and, yes, my Gators all upset pretty badly. In the NFL--hey, the Dolphins are actually fun to watch, and just doubled their win total from last season! And don't forget baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays--yes, kids, Tampa--are in the ALCS gunning for a spot in the World Series. At least the Cubs gave us some semblance of normalcy by collapsing in the playoffs.

-Fall is officially here. I guess. Here in Florida, we'll start feeling maybe in late December...just in time for the thaw in early January. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but Becki and I are making plans to spend a week--along with our families--in the mountains of North Georgia in January and can't wait for the cold! I would love to introduce my son to real snow, too...here's hoping. Anyway, how crazy is it to start thinking seriously about Thanksgiving and Christmas plans? Seems like yesterday we were celebrating July 4th...

-Isn't it great that we've been saved from financial Armageddon thanks to our elected officials' brilliant $700 Billion bailout package? I was really worried there for a while. Please note the dripping sarcasm. My buddy Scott has a great post about this subject here. And I thought Dave Ramsey had a fantastic alternative, in addition to some great comments. Too bad nobody listened. I'd ask what this is going to do for the homeowners--should I say soon-to-be-EX-homeowners--out there, but I already know. What it will do is distract us from the problems that got us here in the first place and help those responsible--yes, including the foolish borrowers--avoid responsibility. Not that "responsible" and "elected official" ever belong next to each other.

OK, so that last one wasn't so light. Good way to end, I guess...

on 1 Chronicles 14:14-17...

2008-09-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Note: Here's another entry from my journal as I continue to read through Seth Barnes' The Art of Listening Prayer.

"And once again, David asked God what to do...so David did what God commanded, and he struck down the Philistine army. So David's fame spread everywhere, and the Lord caused all the nations to fear David."

What a fascinating concept David illustrates here. He asks questions of God as though He were sitting at the table with him, right there. And God answers. Rather than procrastinate or make excuses, David acts...and, of course, is successful. It's interesting to note that, in verse 17, it was David who got the glory. I wonder if he even wanted it? Nevertheless, it's clear that God orchestrated the whole thing, and communicated this to David.

Lord, I wish I had the heart of David. I wish I had the courage to ask You questions and to expect an answer. I say I do, but I don't really think I am doing that. I know You're trying to speak to me now, God...please let me be still enough to listen! I doubt this whole "dialogue" thing so much, but I know it works, because I can see the fruit of it in others' lives. Father, please cast my doubt aside!

Was yesterday one of those days where Your voice was shouting at me? Mark Balmer of Calvary Chapel took a break from his current sermon series on Exodus--the one week we decided to go and check the church out--and speak on a subject that's been on my mind and heart quite often lately: living desperately for Jesus. He referenced Luke 9:1-11, where Jesus sends His disciples out to do His work. He tells them not to take much--nothing, really--with them, in an effort to leave their "comfort zone" behind and trust fully in His provisioning. Basically, abandoning all to Him.

Are you telling me something here, Lord? Can this be mere coincidence? Or am I reading more into this than is actually there? God, I've heard You say to me the last few weeks that You have great and wonderful things planned for me. What does that look like? Do I have the faith to step out and let You lead completely? Why do I doubt You? Show me, God, what You would have me do!! Lord, like David, give me the faith to act on it...for Your glory, Father!!

back from a blogging break...

2008-09-20T10:42:00.002-04:00

Well, I really didn't think I would let that much time go by, but I look up and see that it's been a solid two weeks since I posted! I don't have a great excuse for not keeping up with things here; truth be told, I simply haven't felt like writing lately. What's strange is, I have thoughts that go through my head that I'll think I should write about (and, of course, these thoughts occur when I'm away from my laptop), but I never get around to it sometimes. That's been amplified these last couple of weeks, for some reason.

I did switch my schedule at work, to a night shift, so maybe that's got something to do with it. Right now I'm getting home between 11pm and midnight on the weekdays and, no matter how much I may want to, I haven't gotten up as early as I've planned to. Which eats into my "creative" time (for me, the mornings). Anyway, no matter what, welcome back. Thanks for sticking with me.

Here are a few things going on in my (our) life recently:

- College Football is back. Thank goodness. I won't spend much time here on this subject (although I do love to write about it--maybe another, separate blog is in order?) except to say I'm thrilled to have something other than baseball and golf to watch on Saturdays. I'm giving a bigger welcome back to the NFL, too, than I normally would, simply because of my involvement in several Fantasy Football teams. I told you about this several weeks ago, if you'll remember. Turns out I went a little overboard--I've got 3 NFL teams and a college team and, frankly, it's really hard to keep track of all of them. I'm concentrating on just one more than the others, so we'll see what happens. So far the results have not been good. Note to self: just one team next year. Please.

- We will be buying a new car soon (like in the next few days). For those of you who get our family update emails, you know that both of our cars are getting into retirement age. We actually had a bunch of work done to the Kia, but still feel like it's time to move on. God has richly blessed us by providing the funds to go do this, so we'll be buying a "new to us" car--probably a minivan--soon and selling our other two. We looked at a really nice Chrysler Town & Country the other day and made what I thought was a very fair offer, but the guy said no way, even though it's been sitting with no action for three months. I was kind of bummed about that, as I thought for sure it was a done deal. Oh, well, just means God's got something else in store for us!

- Jacob's first tooth is starting to come in. Accordingly, Mommy and Daddy's sleep has started to erode away! Actually, it hasn't been too bad. He's a tough kid and faring pretty well. Hard to believe he's 8 months old already!

- The IRS finally came through. As I wrote about here, our economic stimulus check was massively late. Well, it finally came. Needless to say, it made a quick entrance into and exit from our bank account, as we really needed it. And there's actually good news from this whole thing. Last week we got notice that, somehow, we had overpaid our taxes and would be getting an actual refund of around $1200 in about six weeks or so! Now, based on what I know of the IRS, I'm taking a "wait and see" approach on this...so, if it does indeed come, it will be a nice bonus. But whatever happens getting an IRS envelope is usually not a pleasant thing, so the fact we don't owe anymore is big. Again, I'll let you know what happens.

red letters: a review

2008-09-04T07:51:00.008-04:00

Several months ago, I was provided with a complimentary copy of Tom Davis' book, Red Letters :Living a Faith that Bleeds, through a blog I frequently visit. You can read the offer by clicking here. Incidentally, take some time to look through Seth's blog...I have been spending quite a bit of time there in the last few months and have been really moved by what I've read and seen. So much so, in fact, I believe God is starting to stir my soul to complete abandon to Him. What that means I'm still not sure of, but I digress. As promised to those who provided this book to me, here is my brief and humble review.

Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds is a straightforward, simple book. In writing that, I don't mean to devalue the message that Davis is sharing. In fact, I believe his writing style enhances his message, which was clearly written from the breaking of his heart. Tom starts our journey by introducing us to Kirill, a young boy who he met on the cold, dark streets of Vladimir, Russia, who also just happened to be Jesus. You'll have to read the book to understand that statement, but it is a powerful and valid one.

Throughout the rest of the book, Tom lays out the reasons we, as Christ Followers, should be consumed with expanding our borders and reaching out to a world that desperately needs to be touched by God's love, and not just told about it. He makes the argument that, in our world today, there is absolutely no excuse to allow the things that go on...things like disease, hunger, criminal injustice, and the like. With the globalization of the world around us, we have, more than in any era in human history, the resources and power to literally wipe these things from the face of our planet. As Bono, of U2 fame, is quoted:

"We are the first generation that really can do something about the kind of "stupid" poverty that sees children dying of hunger in a world of plenty or mothers dying for lack of a 20-cent drug that we take for granted. We have the science, we have the resources, what we don't seem to have is the will."

Harsh words, I know. But I also know he's right. Although he touches on many instances in our world where there is a lack of social justice, Tom's main topic is the AIDS crisis in Africa. The statistics are there, and they're sobering, but what makes this book so compelling are the stories. I've always been a numbers kind of guy: logical, rational, calculated. Sure, the numbers here have an impact on me. It's hard to ignore a statement like: "Though the region (Africa) is home to just over 10 percent of the world's population, it contains more than 60 percent of all people living with HIV." But it's impossible to ignore the heart-breaking stories that he shares. Stories like Adanna's, who watched her parents and sister agonizingly wither away from AIDS and who, at just 10 years old, is now in charge of her younger siblings. Like most girls her age in this position (and there are many in Africa), Adanna, having exhausted all of her resources to provide food for her family, is left with the unimaginable choice to trade one last thing--sex. Unfortunately, this is a common theme throughout the stories in Tom's book.

But, scattered among them...there is also hope. Stories of hope from those who have already answered the call. Hope that we can make a difference. Hope that we will.

As I stated a few paragraphs ago, Tom's message is straightforward, simple, but also extremely hard-hitting. Consider the opening sentence:

"The Christian church owes an apology to the almost fifty million individuals in our world currently infected with HIV/AIDS."

Our apologies can't come in the form of words. Red Letters is a call to action. Will we mobilize together and share God's Love the way He intended for us to? Will we observe and follow Christ's words (hence the "Red Letters" allusion)? Or will we continue to live in our "comfort comas", not oblivious to the plight around us--for it can't really be ignored--but apathetic to it?

I know I've been challenged by this book to do more. That's a broad statement, I know, and while I don't believe God is necessarily calling me to Africa to do it, I do believe there are opportunities in my immediate vicinity to be His hands and feet. May I answer the call...

on John 10:2-4

2008-08-26T07:00:00.005-04:00

Note: I'm currently reading through a 30-day devotional book called The Art Of Listening Prayer, by Seth Barnes. True to form for me, the 30 days so far have not been consecutive, but I'm trying! Anyway, through this devotional I'm learning more about what true conversation with God really is, and how to still ourselves to hear His Voice. It's not an easy thing for me--in fact, I confess that I'm struggling with the concept. As I wrote in my journal this morning, I understand the mechanics behind God's actual speaking, but I struggle with the trust and patience required to actually hear Him. Still, He is teaching me amazing things so far...and I'm recognizing that listening really is an art to be practiced.

This first post is an entry from my journal. I will follow with others as I am on this journey. As always, thanks for reading.

"...a shepherd enters through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice."

Sheep don't understand English (I don't think), so it's impossible for them to know what the shepherd is saying. So, how do they "recognize" his voice? They know the tone, the inflection, the volume, the accent of the one speaking. They know all this intimately from spending time with him. Out in the wilderness, with no one around, no distractions, no noise, the shepherd's voice becomes clear and loud. They can't help but listen. Through weeks, months, even years of listening to his voice, the sheep know their shepherd.

Although we may not always audibly "hear" God speak (in fact, this is a rare occasion), we recognize His voice--the tone, the inflection, the volume, the accent--by spending time with Him. Like anything, the more time we devote to this, the better we hear. Simple things, such as a gentle prodding, a "feeling", a stirring in our soul, even circumstances that align themselves in such a manner that we sense His shouting at us--these are all actually God speaking! And though we don't always hear the actual words, His voice leads us! The questions for me, for us is: Will we follow?

we're waterlogged...but fine

2008-08-22T00:22:00.003-04:00

So, just a quick update from my post yesterday, since so many of you have been asking. We're fine, thankfully. The water is still high in many areas of Viera, but appears to be receding quite a bit in our neighborhood. Which is good, because it's back to work for me in the morning.

I remember not too long ago posting that I was almost hoping for a Hurricane to swing through, because I was looking forward to some time off of work. How foolish of me. Right about now (well, actually, a day or two ago) I am ready to get back to "normal" and see the sun again. This has been the strangest storm I've ever seen and has done more damage than any Hurricane I can remember (in our area, at least). So much rain...we're well over 20 inches.

Yep, I'm glad to see Fay truck on outta here.

As promised, here are a few pictures I snapped on one of my walks around the neighborhood. No, I didn't have a boat. Yes, I got wet.

on Tropical Storm Fay...

2008-08-20T21:56:00.002-04:00

OK, Fay never made it to Hurricane status...but it sure as heck feels like it.

As most of you no doubt know by now, Tropical Storm and Pain-In-The-Rear Fay made landfall in SW Florida early Tuesday morning, then swept north-northeast across the state, where she plopped her drenching rain and gusty winds right on top of us. To say the last 36 hours or so have been an adventure would be putting it mildly. We've literally had constant rain and gusting wind since around noon on Tuesday, and, even though the storm is moving north at a raucous clip of 3 miles an hour, it shows little signs of letting up.

Currently our concern (with most of Brevard County) is flooding. Luckily I came home from work early this afternoon, or I would have never made it in the neighborhood. Not 2 hours after I walked through our front door, 2-3 feet of water covered our street...making it impossible to leave lest we stall the car out. I took a walk this afternoon (pictures soon, after I dry out) and found that we actually have it pretty good. Turns out there are many places in our immediate vicinity--meaning our exits--that are under waist-deep water. And, unfortunately, it looks like we're in for continuing rain tonight.

Which means we may seriously have to think about sandbagging the house and, somehow, evacuating. Ugh.

Hopefully I'll have more--and better--news in the morning. Stay tuned.

on Fay, the Lakeland Revival, and Fantasy Football...

2008-08-17T00:29:00.002-04:00

As I write this, we’re keeping a wary eye to our south, where Tropical Storm (and soon to be Hurricane) Fay is churning across Cuba. At least that’s what the infidels want us to believe! Just kidding. Anyway, looks like we may have a windy, wet week ahead. I wouldn’t mind a day or two off work (if it’s paid, at least), so I’m not complaining too much. True to form, the media hype is already starting. The first three minutes of tonight's news included a story interviewing a family in Orlando who was cautiously boarding up. I mean, don't get me wrong--better to be safe than sorry--but let's not make this out to be another Katrina. And, of course, since I cleaned the garage out tonight in anticipation of storing the patio furniture in it so it won't blow around...there's no way that thing's coming anywhere near here.

On to a few other things:

- I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this item of news. If you didn’t read it earlier in my blog, I commented—pretty harshly, I might add—on the whole Lakeland thing. I’ll stand by my comments at the time, and just remind everyone that, along with a passion for the deep things of God comes great need—especially in this day and age—for discernment, as well. Whatever happens, though, Todd Bentley needs our prayers. A failed marriage is never good, and is against God’s will, so, no matter what my opinion is of the man, I am praying that he and his wife can reconcile.

- I’ve taken the plunge and joined two fantasy football leagues for the year. Actually, I hope to be in three, the third being a team in the new college version at CBS Sports, but I have to wait to see if there’s a spot available. Anyway, I tried this whole fantasy thing a few years ago, and failed miserably, probably because I just didn’t put any effort into it at all. This time around, I’m actually doing some research and getting informed. In fact, one of my teams is being built via live draft, so I’ll be chatting online with the other managers while putting it together. I’m actually excited about doing this, and we’ll see how it goes. As long as I don’t get stuck with any of the Dolphins’ quarterbacks, that is. Actually, Chad Henne looked pretty good tonight against the Jaguars (sorry, Scott). Oh, yeah, it’s the pre-season.

- I’m posting really late tonight because I stayed up to watch swimming in Beijing (Phelps’ record 8^th gold medal!) and then the first half of the Saddleback Civil Forum. I will most definitely be posting more about this event in the next couple of days. I was very intrigued by it, and, although I’ve only watched the first half so far, it has not disappointed one bit. In fact, I’m more impressed than I thought I would be. This is what we who are Evangelical Christians should be doing—dialoguing with and asking honest, open questions of our candidates and their opponents. I love how Rick Warren opened it up tonight:

“We believe in the separation of church and state, but we do not believe in the separation of faith and politics. We’ve got to learn to disagree without demonizing each other and we need to restore civility in our civil discourse…”

I couldn’t agree more, and I’m thrilled that a Christian leader is actually leading the way. Like I said, more on this soon.

- I can’t help but believe that Russia’s recent invasion of Georgia will hurt their National Championship, and maybe SEC Championship, hopes. Time for Mark Richt to rally the troops. Just kidding, Scott.

nice job, irs

2008-08-11T09:44:00.002-04:00

So, here I am this lovely Monday morning sitting on hold with the IRS. So far it's been almost an hour. The reason for my call? I just want to chat. Well, not really. We still haven't received our "Economic Stimulus" check. Sure, we got the notice in the mail that it should be sent by July 4, but when the middle of July came and went, well, I made a call. Had to get on the phone early (they open at 7am) to just get in the queue, and got in after only 5 minutes. One of their helpful, cheerful agents (that was sarcastic, by the way) told me that the check was "hung up" but that it should be sent by the end of July. She had no other details other than that. I wondered at the time how she could have the information on the fact it was "hung up" but not know why, but, whatever, we needed the money, so just send it to me.

Anyway, here we sit on August 11 and nothing still. I don't need to tell most of you that, on a single income, a $1000+ check is a nice bonus and, in our case, we've been counting on it. Especially since they've told us to expect it. So, on the phone I sit.

Still waiting...

I'm struck by the irony that, had I been this late paying my taxes, the IRS would have been all over me...with interest and penalties, to boot. I wonder why it doesn't work the other way? Hmmm...

9:48am: Success! I'm on the phone with a very helpful and nice (seriously) Miss Blackledge, who says our delay is due to us owing, despite the fact we paid in full. It's a shame her position will be eliminated once Fair Tax is passed, but I digress. Supposedly she is "releasing" the hold on our check, and it should be here within two or three weeks. Sigh. We'll see.

At 10:02, my call is done. I miss the charming hold music.

random Saturday post...

2008-08-09T09:34:00.002-04:00

No witty banter to start out today's post. Just a few thoughts on a Saturday morning:

- We managed to catch a few minutes of the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics last night. For those of you who missed it, I really don't have words to describe it. It absolutely blew away any expectations I might have had and was absolutely spectacular and literally breathtaking (so I guess I DO have words to describe it). Seriously, if you have the chance and can find it on tape, watch it. We just watched the last 30 minutes or so, but were treated to the lighting of the Olympic cauldron--performed in one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring ways I could ever imagine--and the massive fireworks display. As they were closing for the night, though, NBC showed clips from earlier in the ceremony, and it made me disappointed that we had missed that part. Anyway, I flipped on the TV this morning to find the beach volleyball competition. Who knew? And further, who knew that Sweden had a beach volleyball team? Isn't that a bit like the Jamaicans having a bobsled team in the Winter Olympics? Oh, wait...

- College Football kicks off in a mere 3 weeks. Not a moment too soon, I say. My Cardinals are fading in both the NL Central and Wildcard races, so I need something else to focus on. Yes, I'm aware that the NFL preseason is here. And, true to form, I'll probably manage to watch the first 5 minutes of one televised game each week. But, I mean, honestly, does anyone watch one of these all the way through? Yeah, it's football...but, like the Arena league, it's heavily watered down. I can't believe there are actually betting lines on these games.

- Speaking of the NFL, I'm officially tired of Brett Favre. Sorry, I understand he wants to play again, but the fact is this whole mess he's put the Packers and their fans through has greatly tarnished his legacy. Yes, he's a Hall of Fame quarterback. But that doesn't give him license to hold people hostage and force his former team to make the kind of decision they had to this week (trading him to the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets). Favre should have retired a Packer, on top of his game. Now he'll join a long line of players who, instead of walking off into the sunset, have been dragged from the game kicking and screaming. Don't want to retire? Fine. But don't say it, sit around until the week before training camp opens, and then change your mind. Have some integrity. Of course, the flip side of this is, to clear the way for Brett, Chad Pennington is now a Dolphin. So, um, I guess that's good. At least we now have a QB I've actually seen play.

- We are officially in a "relaunch" phase for our business. Many of you have heard us talk about Ameriplan before, but maybe not known fully what it is (probably because we've not shared enough about it). We're going to fix that in the coming weeks. I'm approaching this as if we were opening a "bricks and mortar" storefront--having a "Grand Opening", inviting everyone we know to check us out, marketing like crazy, etc. Bottom line is we've saved literally thousands of dollars using Ameriplan's great health and dental plans and we not only believe in the product, but the company, as well. I've been praying for a second income for some time now, and I really believe God is showing me that this could be it. Not only that, I truly believe this is the key to financial freedom for us. I will be starting a new blog in the coming days to offer information, share our stories, and keep my readers updated with Ameriplan and the healthcare industry in general. But for now, you can check out our websites here and here. If you have any questions, please let me know. You can always call or email...I'd be happy to talk to anyone more about the business and/or product!

California Vacation 2008: Days 7 and 8

2008-08-02T10:47:00.003-04:00

We spent much of our morning on Tuesday sleeping in a bit, relaxing, and trying to repack for the flight home. As I said, after camping for three nights, it feels great to get into an air-conditioned room with a bed, and I know we all needed the sleep! Anyway, after a lazy morning we all took off for San Francisco. The plan was for Becki, Jacob, and I to return the rental car at the downtown location we rented from and meet Trevor, Heather, and the girls at Pier 39. On the map, this didn't look like too bad of a walk--maybe 1 or 2 miles at most. However, after dropping the car off, walking down the block, and turning the corner, we were met with 3 blocks of streets that had to be at least at 80-degree angles uphill! OK, I'm exaggerating about that last part, but not by much. We managed to claw our way to the top, though, and, thankfully, there was nothing but a gentle downward slope all the way to the Pier from there.

We saw quite a few interesting sights on our way. Seems we were making our way through Chinatown. Not the touristy Chinatown street, either, but a true Chinese neighborhood, complete with authentic sights, smells, and tastes. I think we were pretty pleased with ourselves for traveling "off the beaten path" and getting away from the tourist mindset. On a side note, I've never seen the words "Dim Sum" outside of so many shops in my life.

Anyway, we finally hooked up with the Peacocks and, after stopping by to visit the sea lions, had lunch at Boudin's Bakery, a famous sourdough bakery. After lunch we headed over to look at a couple of WWII ships--including the submarine, the USS Pamapnito, which Becki and I had toured previously--and then made our way into a huge hall full of old--and still working--amusement machines. Apparently this is some kind of exhibit they are showing off for a while, and you can play all of the old games. We had a lot of fun going up and down the aisles, stopping occasionally for a game of baseball or skeeball. All pretty interesting stuff. From there, we walked about a half mile to Ghiradelli Square and indulged ourselves in (what else?) plenty of chocolate.

At this point we were planning to visit Chinatown (the tourist version, anyway), but, being that it was already evening and we were pretty wiped out, we decided to head back to the hotel. This presented a slight challenge, though, as we were now car-free. So, while Trevor drove his family back to our hotel in Redwood City, we jumped on BART and took the train to San Francisco International Airport. Not more than 45 minutes later, Trevor very graciously picked us up and, after a late stop at the always delicious In 'n Out, we arrived back at our rooms, ready for bed.

Wednesday morning came pretty early, but thankfully we were completely packed up and ready to go, so we were able to grab a few minutes extra sleep before our 11am flight home. Our flights to Atlanta and then Orlando were pretty uneventful (yes, we had seat back entertainment for the long flight, but, alas, the live TV wasn't working. And, of course, they weren't about to offer us free movies!) except for early on, when we flew over Yosemite, which was suffering through a major forest fire just outside the park entrance. The rising smoke presented a stunning picture that Becki was able to snap, and it was really interesting to see this perspective from a place we had been in just a few days ago.

And that, as they say, is that. Our vacation is done for this year. We had a blast, as we always do in Northern California, and it was made all the more special by spending a lot more time with friends and family. Thanks for reading all about it. Hope I didn't bore you too much! Well, back to reality, I guess...

California Vacation 2008: Day 6

2008-07-31T15:04:00.008-04:00

Monday was transition day, as we broke down our home (read: "tent") from the past three nights and made our way to the comfort of a hotel. Trevor and I jumped in the car and drove a few miles down to Santa Cruz to scope out on the internet a reasonably-priced hotel that would provide us with good accommodations and a fairly short drive to San Francisco International. This actually took longer than we thought, as we first had to find a wi-fi connection (apparently both McDonald's in town had never heard of the internet), and then pour through the many choices available. Finally we settled on a Days Inn in Redwood City. After heading back to the campsite and eating lunch, we drove the long, but scenic, way into town, got settled in and cleaned up (that first shower back always feels great!) and then turned right back around and headed back to Santa Cruz to meet the family for "Boardwalk Night".

The Santa Cruz Boardwalk is an amusement park built in the early 1900's. Of course, there have been lots of improvements made to it since then, but certain elements--like the carousel and the wooden roller coaster, for instance--still remain. It's really a pretty cool place, and Monday nights in summer are specially-priced events, where certain food items as well as attraction tickets can be bought for 75 cents. Because neither Becki or I wanted to ride the rides, we helped watch the kids, stuffed ourselves with boardwalk food, and tried to avoid the chilling winds off the ocean. Definitely a fun evening, but I had a bit of trouble staying awake on the drive back. The winding mountain roads didn't help that, either.

Final day of vacation coverage coming up soon...

California Vacation 2008: Days 3, 4, and 5

2008-07-29T12:07:00.009-04:00

The middle part of our vacation represented the "meat" of why we came out here. Every year, Becki's family gathers together on the coast, just north of Santa Cruz (Swanton, CA, to be exact, although it's not really a town per se), for a family reunion. Outside of a potluck lunch on Saturday afternoon and a family church service on Sunday morning, there's no real schedule. Instead, we just hang out by the fire talking and visiting, or watch the kids try to catch crawdads in Big Creek, or munch on snacks, or catch up on reading, or...well, you get the picture. Pretty much just "hanging out". Of course, being in the beauty of a forest on the edge of the Pacific ocean helps give the "hanging out" part some real definition. Waking up each morning to the cool, brisk air, followed by the realization that there is no agenda except for being with family and friends is my idea of a great weekend.

As I said, there was actually not a lot to report from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A few random highlights, though:

- We detoured through Monterey on our way up the coast to the reunion. Not nearly as big of a deal as I thought it would be. I didn't get to see Pebble Beach golf course as I was hoping, and, to be honest, the whole place was a little too "touristy" for me. Still, I can cross it off my list now.

- The family had a blast meeting Jacob. That includes his younger-by-three-days cousin, Zachary. We had no shortage of babysitters for the weekend, either.

- Our friends Trevor and Heather Peacock and their two little girls, Hope and Gabriella, drove up from Los Angeles to hang out with us for a couple of days. We all camped out on Sunday night (and the Peacock's quickly made friends with the Voris clan) and then moved to a hotel in Redwood City for Monday and Tuesday nights. As I told Becki, I love camping out with her family. But that first night back in "civilization" (and particularly, that first shower) is great.

OK, here are a few pics:

California Vacation 2008: Day 2

2008-07-25T01:29:00.006-04:00

When I planned today's visit to Yosemite National Park in my head, there were three things that I was anticipating that didn't actually happen:

1. An early start and a 10am or so entrance to the park.
2. Lots of hiking.
3. A sense of accomplishment, knowing that we had seen at least most of what we wanted to.

Because this is a vacation, we're not on a particular schedule for now, and, let's face it, these things happen, none of those things really happened. Oh, yeah, we were blown away with the awesome things we saw, but I definitely left the park this afternoon with a sense that there was much, much more to see. In fact, after only 5 minutes of driving through the front gate, I remarked to Becki that we needed to make plans to come back and stay for several days. The place is simply awe-inspiring and I have no idea how--or why--I didn't manage to see it up close and personal on so many trips out here. Rather than describe the awesome sights to you, I thought I'd share our views through the many pictures we took.

Special thanks go out to Jacob and Candace Tallmon, Becki's cousin and wife, who met us for lunch and proceeded to tour us around. Here are the highlights of what we saw:

1. Bridalveil Falls

2. El Capitan

3. Yosemite Falls

4. The Ahwanee Hotel

5. Half Dome

Our plans for Friday were to include getting up early and driving from Becki's aunt and uncle's house (where we bedded Thursday night), but, after the 2+ hour drive from the park to their house along winding mountain roads, we've rethought that plan and will instead head to the coast, where we'll do some sightseeing before gathering with Becki's family for their annual campout/reunion. Because we will most definitely be out of range of any kind of internet access until Monday, I will post then.

California Vacation 2008: Day 1

2008-07-23T23:52:00.003-04:00

If I had room for a subtitle for this post, it would be: "You get what you pay for". Our vacation is not off to an incredibly rousing start thus far. Not that we're not enjoying being in California, mind you...it's just that, while this will be a great sightseeing and visiting trip, it will not really be a "relaxing and restful" time. As far as the subtitle goes, here it is, blow by blow:

4:00AM: As we're lugging suitcases, car seat, carry-ons, and baby to my parents car for the drive to the airport, we very quickly make the decision not to carry through with our afternoon plans of taking BART (San Francisco's version of the subway) from the airport downtown to pick up the rental car. We rented off site and saved $200...turned out to be a not-so-great move, as you'll see later.

5:23AM: After a short wait, we check in. Yep, as I feared, we're overweight on luggage. Luckily we're able to rearrange and avoid an $80 fee--just because we're a mere 4 pounds over.

7:00AM: The plane's supposed to be moving back from the gate now. No dice. Turns out it has a little something to do with the lightning and thunderstorms going on. We have to wait for the lightning to clear, another 35 minutes, before taking off. I officially start to worry about missing our connection in Atlanta.

9:30AM: My fears are confirmed. We run, but miss the plane by just a couple of minutes. Thankfully Delta does their best and re books us on a flight about two hours later. At least this gives us an opportunity to grab some breakfast and relax just a little.

1:15PM: We land in San Francisco. Given that we've nixed our previous transportation plans, we have to come up with new ones. Taxi? Limo? Hitching? We settle for one of the many "door-to-door shuttles", which encompasses $50 and a 45-minute ride. But it's pleasant enough and, in fact, we share the ride with a couple from Cocoa Beach.

2:12PM: We are dropped off at the Alamo office in downtown San Francisco. Here's where the fun begins. We walk in the office to find a line at least 30 deep, most of whom seem incapable of speaking English or--as it turns out--actually driving (I'm not kidding. I actually witnessed one of the attendants frantically teaching a French family how to put the car in gear and drive). After standing in this line for 30 minutes and not moving, I call the 1-800 number and complain. I'm told I should be able to use the "express counter" downstairs in the storage garage because I have a reservation. We trek down there (pulling luggage and Jacob with us) to find...uhhh, there is no "express counter". Nevertheless, the attendant working has pity on us and gets us set up in a Rav4 fairly quickly, which is a good thing, because Jacob's not happy, and letting everyone know it. After stealthily moving the SUV out of it's tightly packed parking space, we load up and head in the city. Where we realize we've forgotten a map. After a few turns, though, we find I80 West and head out of the hustle and bustle of the city. Lesson learned. After spending $50 on transportation, unnecessarily lugging all of our stuff, and wasting valuable time...well, I'll probably just go ahead and rent at the airport next time.

4:27PM: We make our first stop in Fairfield, where we zip into the Jelly Belly factory to load up on a few "Jelly Flops" for our eating pleasure.

5:08PM: Our first of what I hope will be a few stops at In and Out for delicious burgers and fries.

7:04PM: After a short stop for supplies at WalMart, we finally arrive at our destination for night one, Becki's friends Dave and Melanie Eastman. It feels great to finally stop moving for the day. We rest up for Yosemite tomorrow.

One rant for the day (besides the ones above): Because of the missed connection as outlined above, we got bumped to another flight later on. This meant we ended up being on a smaller plane, with far less amenities. Like leg room and entertainment. Keep in mind, from Orlando to Atlanta, we were on a newer plane with a bit more room and, more importantly, individual entertainment screens that included live TV. I have no idea why Delta decides to do this, but it makes no sense. Orlando to Atlanta: a mere 1 hour and 20 minute flight. Atlanta to San Francisco: almost 5 hours. Yeah, that's what we need on longer flights: less diversions from the fact we're crammed in like cattle for hours. And we pay for this privilege. Seriously, next time...we're driving.

on James 1:5-6

2008-07-20T08:00:00.003-04:00

"If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

If only I had this kind of faith.

James gives us a pretty uncomplicated blueprint for obtaining wisdom here. We simply have to ask. God not only wants us to, He expects us to.

That's the simple part, though. The hard part: listening. For me, really, I don't doubt that God will provide me with the answer(s) I need; I have doubt that I can still myself enough to hear His Voice. I'm the kind of person who surrounds himself with distractions--I'm sure you know someone like me!--that drown the silence and stillness out of my life.

Lately I've been getting more aggressive with the asking part. Those of you who are on our "Walton Family Update" email list (if you're not, and would like to be, I'd love to add you...just let me know) know this. We are getting in the habit of asking specific things from God, as opposed to broad general prayers that do nothing but fulfill the goal of "praying" itself. I wonder if God's not frustrated with those prayers? I wonder if He doesn't sit there going, "OK, yada, yada, yada...now, what is it you really need?" So, anyway, I've been trying this for a few weeks now, and, I have to say, I think it's working, if only in the sense that it's giving me a peace that He knows what's going on in our lives and what we need (as if He didn't already!). I suppose I need to have more faith and expect an answer, for instance, to our financial debts, either in the form of a pile of cash or a second source of income. I guess I should be anticipating our car problems being wiped out, either supernaturally, or by something as simple as someone showing up to fix them for us (which would be supernatural, too, now that I think of it). And that's the next part of the equation for me...first, expecting Him to speak and then listening to His voice.

I'm getting ready to dive into a 30-day journey about the listening part of it. The Art of Listening Prayer by Seth Barnes was provided to me free of charge to review if I agreed to post my findings on my blog...so, naturally, I will be. This is a book that explores the notion that prayer is not the boring monologue many of us make it, but is supposed to be a dynamic, interactive conversation with our Creator. The idea is we should be giving God the opportunity to speak to us, instead of drowning Him out with our words. On one hand, I must confess to being a bit nervous about starting this book. It relies heavily on two things I'm uncomfortable with: journaling and long stretches of silent meditation. On the other hand, it's precisely because I'm uncomfortable with those things that I'm excited about diving into this. I'm really pumped about abandoning my "uncomfortableness" and allowing God to do precisely what He wants to do with me. I have no idea what to expect, and I know I won't be able to lean on myself for support...but, after all, isn't that what faith is all about?

In the end, I hope to be more in line with both ends of the formula James provides us with for attaining wisdom. The asking part, I'm getting better at, day by day. The listening part...well, I've got a long way to go. But God's eager to meet me on the journey, I know that much.

a milestone...

2008-07-19T11:44:00.004-04:00

So, I finally completed one of my long-time goals this week. For the past 18 months or so, I've been slowly but steadily reading through the entire Bible, and I finally finished that this week. This may not sound like a huge accomplishment, but I'm really proud of myself for sticking to my goal, as it's one I've started and given up on many times throughout my adult life.

I feel like I've been at a buffet while I've been doing this. You know, just picking and choosing, not really paying too much attention to content, but trying to make sure you get your money's worth by loading up your plate? I've tried to keep my eye on the goal of simply reading, with the understanding that I will go back and really dig into stuff later on. Every time I've come across a pasage I wanted to study further, I would note it with a post-it flag for further reflection later on. I've got dozens of said flags in my Bible right now. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you've seen posts on some of these passages already, and you should be prepared to see more in the future as I go back and study more.

If the past 18 months have been a buffet, the next few are going to feel like a gourmet meal! Seriously, I feel like, now that I've gotten a taste of everything on the table, I can take the time to go back and truly savor the "meat" of what I've been reading. I'm really, really looking forward to it...and also excited to share it with my readers.

random Sunday post...

2008-07-13T11:30:00.000-04:00

I didn't even realize until this moment that I didn't do a Weekend Review this week, so I guess my work-week has been fairly busy. Sorry about that! Anyway, the July 4th weekend was a long one (a four-day stretch turned into a five-day one thanks to Jacob's hospital visit) and fairly dull. Not even fireworks. But we did get to hang out with our good friends Scott and Carmen Copeland on Saturday afternoon, which is always a blast and way too infrequent. Other than making sure Jacob was back to full strength, though, we didn't really do anything out of the ordinary.

So, here's just a few random things going on in my head right now:

- Is it cruel that I take perverse joy from this story? Seems the big Apple IPhone launch yesterday didn't go all that well. Poor techies. As pointed out by a brilliant comment on the linked article, these same people should have to stand in line for food--not a gourmet meal, but life-sustaining rice, for instance--in a third-world country for awhile to gain some perspective. We make some interesting choices in this country (which, I guess, is why our country is so great--diverse opinions. But, still...). As noted by one of my co-workers yesterday while we were watching this on the news, the local station briefly mentioned how foreclosures were at one of the highest rates ever for our state--and then cut to a good five minutes of coverage about the IPhone drivel. Hmmm...

- It's finally time for a new car for the Waltons. Quite frankly, I should have been looking around a few months ago. But necessity is the mother of all invention (and, I believe, action), so, with the catalytic converter finally puttering out on us on our 2000 Kia Sportage, along with no A/C and some battery problems on the 1997 Nissan Altima...well, I guess it's time. Luckily we shouldn't have to look too hard before our vacation in less than two weeks, as our parents have graciously allowed the use of their automobiles in the meantime. In fact, we'll probably sit on it until then. We'll be in the market for a used-but-solid car, one with not a ton of miles on it, and basics like A/C, a CD player, and (for Becki) tinted windows. My hope is to find something where we can simply sell both cars--even in the shape they're in--and turn right around to buy a new (for us) one. Any suggestions? Better yet, know anyone who wants to buy a couple of good, solid cars that need some work?? :)

- Speaking of vacation...it's right around the corner! We fly out on July 23. I'll be posting a few times out there (hopefully) and also putting some pictures up on Flickr, so check back if you're interested. We're spending a couple of days in Yosemite, heading over to the coast for Becki's family reunion, and capping off the week with some sightseeing in San Francisco with our good friends Trevor and Heather and their two girls. I always get real excited about this trip--we do it every couple of years--and this year is no exception. I'm especially looking forward to introducing our son to everyone, including his cousins, aunts, and uncles.

- I still can't believe it, but I watched Bowling for Columbine last night. I feel dumber for it, and I'm still not sure exactly what hypothesis Michael Moore was trying to make...except that, in almost every homicide case, the fault lies with someone other than the shooter. That includes the six-year-old boy in Michigan who shot and killed his classmate and who, Michael conveniently leaves out, had behavioral issues that included stabbing at least one other classmate and whose mother was a single woman who, because of financial difficulty, "had" to move her family in with her crack-dealing brother--who also happened to own a loaded gun. Oh, and in the case of Columbine, well...apparently it was all Kmart's fault for selling the ammunition in the first place. Please...
I will agree with him on one point, though...our news media definitely feeds the fire when it comes to gun violence in America. Of course, Michael's way of dealing with that isn't to ignore the media. Nope, he decides to go make a movie about it. Pot, meet kettle.

on 1 John 3:16-20, 23

2008-07-12T12:25:00.000-04:00

"We know what real love is because Christ gave up his life for us. And so we also ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters. But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help--how can God's love be in that person?"

Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." (16-20)

"And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us." (23)

It's interesting--and disheartening--to me to see how little our fellow human beings mean to us most of the time. Even in the church, our focus is not on how we can help each other, but rather on what's in it for us. Sure, we talk about loving one another. We talk alot, actually. But Jesus' command to love one another didn't include anything about saying we loved one another. In contrast to our lips flapping and our arms not moving, He asked us to love each other through our actions.

I'm going through a period of my life right now where I'm beginning to question things I've been taught to this point in church. No, that's not it, really. Maybe I'm just beginning to see that there's a disconnect between what we say in our churches and what we're actually doing through them. I see the effort occasionally; I'm just wondering if it's half-hearted. I guess I'm thinking we (and I definitely mean "me, too" here) can do more...much, much more. We are in a "comfort coma"...and very few us want to be woken up.

For instance, I'm told that, in South Africa, a child can be fed, clothed, educated, and have their medical needs met for somewhere around $30 a month. Connect this with the fact that 30,000 of those same children died last night from starvation and you can see the gap between "talk" and "action". To bring this point emphatically home...think about how callously we throw away $30 on a daily basis. We should be doing more--so much more--with the things (read: money) God's given us.

This stretches to our churches, as well. It's inconceivable to me that we can think nothing of spending literally millions of dollars on a building and resources in light of the fact I posted above. In one of the most egregious examples I've ever heard of, I was watching an interview with a pastor recently who admitted--willingly, and even while smiling--to spending $1.6 million dollars on a lighting system. If you're not great at math, I'll do the calculation for you. That's 53,300 kids who could have their lives impacted forever. But at least the stage looks pretty, right?

Now, I understand completely that many churches--probably more than I'm willing to give credit for--will turn right around and use said resources for reaching many more people for Christ's kingdom. But for every church who is doing a bang-up job of distributing their wealth, there are dozens more who are content to allow their congregation to come for their hour of "worship" each week, sit in air-conditioned comfort, listen to a neat, point-by-point 25-minute sermon, close with prayer, and hit the local buffet before their rival church lets out, lest they have to wait for a table--and call that loving God.

I'm convinced we've got it all (or most of it, anyway) wrong. I could write a book about this--maybe I will one day--but I think this verse sums it up nicely: "But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help--how can God's love be in that person?"

Challenging words. I know, after writing this blog, I'm definitely going to be looking for everyday opportunities to do the "ordinary" and love my fellow man much more through my actions. I'm also going to be on the lookout to do the extraordinary and make an eternal impact on the lives of everyone I meet. Where will this all lead, and what form might it take, God only knows.

our first scare as parents...

2008-07-06T07:44:00.006-04:00

We had our first scare with Jacob this past week. Early Thursday morning, around 12:15 or so, the little guy woke up barely breathing. He was wheezing and struggling so hard to breathe that his chest was literally almost touching his backbone, and his mouth was turning bluish. He had been coughing and wheezing a bit the night before, but we chalked that up to a minor cold and didn't think anything of it, especially because he had been acting like his normal, happy self all day. So, naturally we were terrified at this turn of events. I frantically got on the internet looking for 24-hour urgent care centers in our area (I'll give you a hint: there are none here. Not one.) while Becki tried to calm Jacob down by singing to him and holding him near the steam from the shower (to help loosen the congestion).

Anyway, we got him in the car and drove him to the emergency room. Luckily, as he normally does, he dozed off in his carseat, but we could still hear him struggling to draw a normal breath. Upon arrival at the hospital, the staff--which was very good, by the way--jumped into action, getting oxygen flowing, hooking up an IV, and generally poking and prodding the poor little guy from every angle. Which, of course, didn't immediately help matters, as he was getting more and more anxious. The attending physician told us that it sounded like he had a respiratory inflamation of some sort, probably croup, and, while his breathing was much better after an hour or two, he was still concerned with his "retracting" to try and draw a breath. Based on that, he made the decision to transfer us, via what I'm sure will be expensive ambulance ride, to Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando. My parents graciously got up in the middle of the night to drive me over, while Becki rode with Jacob and the ambulance crew.

And, of course, once there, everything was fine. The doctors (as it's a teaching hospital, there were 4 of them!) all agreed very quickly that Jacob had gotten croup and went through a particularly nasty spell of it, which is why he was breathing hard. It's fairly common, and, most of the time, doesn't require hospital assistance, but everyone thought we had done the right thing by bringing him in--I know that I, despite the cost of all this, felt better knowing he was in good hands! So, after diagnosing him and giving him a shot of a steroids-based medicine to help clear his respiratory system out, there was really nothing to do except spend some quiet time together as a family while the nurses monitored him, and hopefully get some sleep (we didn't). We were discharged in the early afternoon, set up a follow-up appointment with Jacob's pediatrician, and were home by late afternoon.

So, all in all, yes, it was a scary night. But, as God often does, He pointed out several things clearly to me:

1. I need to appreciate my wife and son more. Honestly, I think I do a fairly good job of this already...but I know I can do more. For instance, in the few days we've had together since coming home from Orlando, I've learned how much more entertaining spending time with Jacob can be, as opposed to flipping on the TV or surfing the internet. And that time will not only not always be there, but it will go quickly. I need to learn to take the time to enjoy it.

2. I need to give God not only my life, but those around me. There was seriously a point in the hospital in the first few minutes where I was asking myself what would happen if Jacob didn't survive. It's a brutally poignant question. But the truth is that God's in control no matter what. If He wants to take me, or Becki, or Jacob in the next five minutes...well, that's His business. And, no matter my grief, I have to trust Him completely. After all, as a Christ-Follower, what choice do I really have?

3. Life is precious, and little else matters. Funny how a few hours in an emergency room dealing with a potential life-threatening issue makes our "problems" seem so trivial.

weekend review...June 28-29

2008-06-30T14:24:00.004-04:00

My weekend was a lot shorter this week, thanks to having this coming Saturday off (4-day weekends rule!). Even so, Sunday was a busy day, and I felt like I accomplished quite a bit.

- I finally bought an external hard-drive to back up my laptop. I've been toying around with this for a few months now, fearful of losing everything--including hundreds of pictures we've accumulated--to a crash. It's happened something like 3 times in the past 5 years, so you'd think I'd have done this a long time ago. Experience is the best teacher, I guess. Anyway, got a pretty sweet deal on a Seagate 500GB drive at Circuit City--only $100--and had a blast moving stuff over Sunday afternoon. After all was said and done, I cleared out more than half of my laptop and optimized it pretty nicely. Next project: burn all of our music CD's onto it, and get rid of the actual discs themselves in a garage sale we're having this weekend. After that, we plan on taking all of the magazine articles we've saved through the years--interesting pieces, recipes, etc.--scanning them, and saving them in PDF form. Not only will this help with physical space around the house, it will help us be far more organized. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'll let you know how it goes.

- As a follow-up for our DISH problems...well, I did it again. Last year (probably right around this time, I believe) we were having the same issues we were having lately--intermittent signal outages at odd times. I expected it when the weather was nasty, but it seemed it was happening on sunny, clear days, too. So, as I explained last week, I finally booked a service call. The guys came out on Thursday evening (in drizzly weather, no less) to check things out and weren't here 10 minutes before they found the problem. It was familiar to me, because it was the same thing as it was the last time: our palm tree simply needed to be cut back. So, we did. And, as expected, the signal is fine. I remember looking at the dish, measuring it against the tree, thinking there was no way a branch could be getting in the way...but, of course, I was wrong. Only cost me $29 to find that out, though. I've asked my wife to beat me across the head next time I mention this problem. And then hand me the clippers.

- You can eat a pretty good meal at Sam's Club. I finally got my membership from work (which was a saga in and of itself), so we went to look around and get a couple of things. Turns out it was "Demo Day" and there were at least 10 different booths with some pretty good food items. All for free. Not having to buy lunch was a nice addition to our Sunday.

- Does anyone else think it's nuts that it's July already? July 4th weekend is at our doorstep (and, as I mentioned, I've wrangled it into a 4-day weekend!), and our California vacation, which seemed an eternity away, kicks off in just 3 weeks. Next thing you know football season will be there...not that that's a bad thing, at all!

on Acts 17:16-34

2008-06-28T10:08:00.002-04:00

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. He went to the synagogue to debate with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there." (16-17)

"So Paul, standing before the Council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it--'To an Unknown God.' You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him." (22-23)

"When they heard Paul speak of the ressurection of a person who had been dead, some laughed, but others said: "We want to hear more about this later." That ended Paul's discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers." (32-34)

I love the picture that Paul creates in this passage, as well as the direction he provides us for dealing with the culture around us. It's clear from the way this account was written that Paul was troubled by what he saw, implying that Athens was a place that didn't exactly have their hearts set on God. If that was true then for him, how much more for us now? One look tells us all we need to know about the world around us. Much like the physical statues that the men and women of the ancient city in Greece worshipped and prayed to, we have created false idols of our own. We use physical possessions, emotional highs, twisted relationships, and misguided searches in an attempt to fill the void we have in our lives. Like the citizens of Athens, we are praying "to an unknown God"...

So, how do we deal with the gap that's created? How do we adequately and effictively share the love and power of Christ without upsetting the applecart, chasing away those who honestly want to find Him? Well, obviously, we're called to speak the truth no matter what. So there will always be those who we will not be able to please, no matter our approach. But, in this passage, Paul gives us a pretty radical and practical blueprint for dealing with those who are earnestly seeking.

It would have been easy for Paul to come into the "Council" guns blazing, shooting up the traditions and culture of the people he was trying to reach. But, instead, he offers a far more pragmatic approach. Paul looks for the common denominator...something he can point to that will help them to understand that he was just like them, and he grasped where they were coming from. In this case, Paul is able to point to the "religiousness" of the people of Athens. It was clear they were looking for something Higher than themselves. They just weren't sure what it was. Along comes our hero, who is able to put a face and a personality on their "Unknown God".

Interestingly enough--and worth noting for own benefit--there seems to be no huge revival here. Indeed, we are told that some even laughed at Paul. But, it's made clear that some wanted to hear more, and their lives were transformed into Christ-followers. The clear inference from the conclusion of this passage is that, no matter how we approach telling others about Christ, we will face rejection. However, if just a few--or even one--come to know Him, our effort is worth it.

Too often, I believe Christians take the "Rambo" approach to evangelism: shoot first; ask questions later. As I said, we need to always speak the truth. But how much more powerful is that truth if it's spoken in love? How much more af an impact can we make if we try to understand those who don't know Christ, instead of dismissing them away from Him automatically? Like Paul, may we make every effort to understand and connect with the culture around us. May we look for common connections (after all, once we were just like them!), an opening to share our lives with them, and, above all else, an opportunity to truly show the love of Christ.

weekend review...June 21-23

2008-06-26T06:20:00.003-04:00

Yes, I know it's Thursday. And, yes, I know last weekend is far removed from most of your minds. Sorry about that. It occurs to me that if I'm going to have a "weekend review" posting every week I might actually need to post it while the weekend's still fresh. I'll try harder next week. For this week...well, it's already Thursday. Deal with it.

Anyway, my lovely wife turned 35 last Saturday, so obviously it was a celebratory weekend around the Walton household. Early Saturday morning, before I sauntered off to work, I presented Becki with a couple of homemade gifts as well as the traditional Starbucks gift card. Sunday was a blur, as we had our parents and family (read: Brent, Rachel, and the kids) over for lunch. The plan was to hit the pool (which I was looking forward to; I haven't taken Jacob yet), but because it's Florida and because we planned something outside, of course it rained. Hard. (I did manage to get the lawn done before that, though. Yay!) So, we resorted to cards and/or Halo on the XBox. Apparently I enjoy getting my rear end kicked by my nephews at this game so much that I made an afternoon of it. Oh, well.

Monday was, well...a Monday. Started off the morning with our regular stroll around the neighborhood, and then relaxed quite a bit for the day. We capped off the weekend with our last Small Group until August (we're breaking for a bit because of conflicting vacation schedules). And that was it. Exciting, huh?

A couple of additional notes:

- I finally broke down and called Dish to schedule a service call. (In the middle of our Sunday festivities, which did NOT make my wife happy. Can't say I blame her!) Seems we are having intermittent problems with the signal going in and out, even on clear days. The kicker is, I can't just call and have someone come out to check it--I have to wait until the problem crops up. Which usually happens right about when there's something on that we planned to watch. Anyway, of course it started doing this on Sunday, right about the time I wanted to flip the Cardinals game on. So, I made the call. They'll be here today. I'll let you know how it goes.

- I'm back on the "wake up early and work out" wagon. Started again this week. I was really into it around the time Jacob arrived--which obviously threw a wrench into my plans--and then again right around the time I got sick for about 3 weeks. My goal is to lose 7-10 pounds by the time California is here in a month. That feels outrageous typing it. But, I know it can be done...just gotta stay focused! Long-term (say 6-9 months): I want to run my first 5K. Really...

weekend review...my first Father's Day!

2008-06-18T15:01:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe it's been a full year since Becki and I discovered she was pregnant. And how cool that it coincides with Father's Day! (Which means I just missed it last year...if only she had tested just a few days earlier, I could've scored more gifts. Oh, well...)

Anyway, had a very nice day on Sunday. Spent the whole afternoon at my in-laws, where we gathered, along with my brother-in-law, Brent, and his family, and my folks for lunch and cards. It was a lot of fun to have us all together again, and I'm looking forward to doing it again this weekend for Becki's 35th birthday.

Earlier in the morning, Becki and Jacob woke me up and presented me with my very first Father's Day card, pictured above. As I understand it, the little guy had a bit of help from Mommy and some of her friends...but it's still darn impressive, ya gotta admit! I'm really proud of it, and, as always, I am so thrilled to be a Daddy!

Because I had to work on Monday, it was a rather short weekend, so, other than the Father's Day festivities, nothing much went on.

However, here is what's been on my mind lately:

- Just got back from a trip to Barnes & Noble. My folks gave me a gift card to reward me for all my hard work as a new Father, so I went and spent some time picking out a few good books for the summer. They're all along the theme of completely abandoning ourselves to Jesus, something that's been really capturing my heart lately. Here's what I got:

- Searching for God knows what by Donald Miller
- Desire by John Eldredge
- The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian D. McLaren

I'm really excited about diving into these, and I'll be giving a full report after I'm done.

- Speaking of abandoning to God, I've been spending quite a bit of time over at Seth Barnes' site lately. Seth is the founder of Adventures in Missions, which, among other things, facilitates short-term missions trips to South America, Africa, etc. I'm absolutely positive I will be writing much more about this in the near future, as I believe God is starting to stir something up in me with regards to this, but, for now, spend some time looking around his sites. Very thought-provoking, poignant, and, most of all, challenging.

- OK, NBA, I really tried. Lakers-Celtics in the Finals seemed like the perfect way to draw my interest back to you. After all, I spent much of my early teens watching Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale and the gang take on Magic, Worthy, and Kareem in epic battles at the old (and better) Garden in Boston and the old (and better) Forum in LA. So it was natural to at least hope for something similar this time.

No dice. I spent maybe five minutes watching the whole thing. Today's game is way too glitzy and "me" oriented for me to care much. I just couldn't do it. I guess I'm glad that Boston won it all, but, to be honest, I couldn't really care less.

Oh, and if you expect those of us who have a passing interest to tune in to watch, maybe it would be a good thing to start scheduling games where us "regular" folks can watch it...as opposed to 9pm every night (including two Sundays where tipoff in the afternoon would have been welcomed with open arms). Even with a start time 2 hours earlier it would be a hard decision whether to watch...but a later start makes the decision easy for me. So, uh, thanks.

- I can't help but think this Tiger Woods kid will be pretty good someday. As much as I love golf, I don't watch too much of it (it's not really a great sport to follow on TV), except during Majors. Even this year, I didn't really catch too much of it until Tiger's late Sunday afternoon charge. And, of course, the one Monday I have to work just happens to be the US Open playoff. But I still managed to catch quite a bit of it in our break room at work. What an intriguing battle. Glad I could watch. Shame Tiger's pulling out for the rest of the year with a bum knee.

It's a good thing he won the tournament, so he's got the cash to pay the doctors... :)

on Micah 6:6-8

2008-06-13T06:52:00.004-04:00

"What can we bring to the Lord to make up for what we've done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer Him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the Lord? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that make Him glad?

No, O people, the Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what He requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

In our quest to "appease" God, we often resort right back to what our forefathers seemed to do so often:

They wanted quantity over quality.

They wanted physical sacrifice over spiritual abandonment.

They wanted to bow before God one day and mock Him the next.

But Micah reminds us that God is not after empty rituals. He's not interested, necessarily, in what we give Him, if it doesn't come from the right attitude.

No, in contrast, Micah offers up what God requires from us all:

Integrity
Mercy
Humbleness

The practical application of this is up to us. But, if it's not rooted in these three things, well...it's not rooted at all. We need to be careful that the "what" we're doing for God doesn't exceed our "why". We need to examine our "programs" and "movements", our resources, our actions...everything we do "in God's name". We need to ask ourselves whether these things are vain sacrifices, empty rituals, meaningless tributes. Basically, we need to be aware of our true intentions and attitudes at all times.

I know I'm guilty of this far more often than not. God, forgive me. Let my life be an expression and outpouring of Your love and mercy. Let me walk humbly with you. Let me do the right thing, always.

counterfeit revival...or the movement of God?

2008-06-09T15:33:00.005-04:00

I first caught wind of what's now being called the "Lakeland Revival" just a few weeks ago, while reading about the death of Steven Curtis Chapman's little girl, Maria. If you haven't heard of this movement yet, here's a few news stories on it (here, here, and here) as well as the Wikipedia entry and the official site. Anyway, the aforementioned story appeared in the Orlando Sentinel the morning after Maria's accident. Like most news outlets, the Sentinel allows user comments to encourage discussion. What caught my attention in this forum was a posting from someone claiming to be with the revival who all but called the Chapmans out for not bringing Maria's body to Lakeland so she could be raised from the dead, as something like 20 people had been. Now, obviously this caused quite a stir and immediately my hyperbole antenna was in alert mode. So, like any good researcher in the 21st century would do, I "Googled" it up and had pages of information at my fingertips. And here I am.

Let me say at this point that I grew up in a staunch Southern Baptist church so 1) I have not had much experience with or been witness to much "charasmatic" activity and 2) what little I know about things like this I tend to automatically dismiss, simply because it seems, yes, weird, and I'm fairly uncomfortable with it. That being said, however, as I grow older I'm trying to grow wiser and, therefore, I am much more open to God's moving in unusual ways in my life or other's. After all, who am I to question God, or the way He speaks?

So, in an effort to understand this type of thing further, I'll ask the following questions. I hope someone with more experience in this area can give me an honest answer to these, and don't take my questioning this as questioning God. I truly want to know.

For the record, though...I, at the very least, do NOT believe people have been raised from the dead as Bentley claims. If 21 people had been prayed back into existence, not only SHOULD there be medical proof, but there WOULD be verifiable reports world-wide. There's a great blog that talks about this, and questions the claim that a girl was raised after being dead 2 days, here.

Anyway, here are my questions:

1. Why, in order to "receive" a blessing from the Holy Spirit (Who we all, as Christ-followers, have the same access to), is it necessary to travel to a particular location--Lakeland, Florida, for example--and have one person--Todd Bentley, in this case--impart this blessing upon us?
2. If this is a true revival of God, why is there not a much-more concentrated effort on repentance, and bringing people to Christ's saving grace? The times I've watched there has really not been one mention of the Gospel. Instead, the main focus seems to be physical healing. I understand that God uses the supernatural to bring people into a relationship with Him (see Paul), but what about those who do NOT experience this and still accept Christ, as I would guess the great majority of Christians do?
3. If there really is physical healing and, yes, even raising the dead going on here, where's the proof? I get it that we are supposed to have faith, but, let's face it, if there is verifiable proof of something, shouldn't we be itching to share this? And shouldn't we, as Christ-followers, be demanding it, lest we be called liars?

I suppose, looking back at all I've written, that I've probably made up my mind on this already. To be honest, I think I know the answers. But I would appreciate someone else's slant on it. Having heard the comments of friends who don't know the Lord, I believe that "movements" like this only serve to further separate the world from God's love. So, for better or for worse, there's my take on this. But, in the interest of seeking to further understand how God truly speaks to us and because, well, I just typed a bunch of stuff I don't want to go to waste...I'm keepin' it.

Opinions, please!

the death of "three on thursday"...

2008-06-08T17:17:00.002-04:00

Hi folks. Obviously, this well-intentioned feature of my blog has not worked out the way I want it to. Number one, I'm finding it increasingly more difficult to come up with "top 3" categories every week (I mean, c'mon, my best topic--top movies--was used up in week one!). Number two, despite my annoyingly organized mind, those skills aren't transferring to the keyboard. It's too easy to miss a regular posting for whatever reason (even legitimate ones, like my car dying and having to work on it this week...) and, therefore, miss the whole point anyway.

So, at least for now, no more "Three on Thursday" posts. However, if you have any keen ideas for future categories, let me have 'em. I'm not at all opposed to doing one every once in a while.

From here on out, please expect far more random posts (both in timeliness and subject matter) and also a move toward more serious subject matter, as you'll see within the next 24 hours.

Thanks for reading...

weekend review...May 31-June 2

2008-06-03T20:59:00.003-04:00

Somebody asked me why my "weekend review" posts included Mondays. Well, I actually work Saturdays right now (although "work" is a relative term--I actually find Saturdays at the office fairly relaxing and get a ton of personal stuff done), so Monday is my usual day off. Which still feels kind of weird. I almost feel guilty for not going to work. Almost.

Anyway, had a great weekend with Becki's family. Her brother, sister-in-law, and 3 kids are back from Macedonia after a 5-year stay! They flew in on Friday and, despite being dog-tired, still managed to have dinner with us that night. Sunday afternoon we headed out to Toni's condo (which she graciously allows us to use from time to time) for some beach action. Had a blast body surfing with Brent and the kids. But I forgot how tiring being in the ocean can be! Anyway, Jacob got his first taste of the beach, too! He looked adorable in his lobster-festooned swimsuit and hat, and seemed to have a pretty good time with his feet in the wet sand and the waves. Those are the pictures above. Cute, ain't he?

Beyond that, it was a fairly typical weekend for the Waltons. Here are a few things on my mind, though:

- Please keep us in your prayers as we deal with some difficult situations at church. We are leaders of a Small Group and, while we enjoy it immensely, it puts us in some tough binds sometimes having to deal with "issues". Before I get into specifics, I'll just leave it at that, and ask for prayer that God would rejuvenate and re-inspire us, while giving us the wisdom to know what to do in these situations...

- On a related note, I'm beginning to shop my resume around a bit in hopes of finding a career closer to what I would like to be doing. I have a great job right now that comes with a pretty good paycheck, but, to be honest, I'm bored and feel like I'm not going anywhere there. So, it's time to test the waters a bit. Something in business/project management would be great, and I would be THRILLED to work from home. Really, I would like to find some sort of a semi-regular speaking gig in a church or two, also. I really miss that, think I'm good at it, and, who knows, could God be calling me back? All in His time...I pray that I can recognize it, though.

- My Dad turns 69 tomorrow! Happy Birthday, Dad! With a son of my own now, I am so much more appreciative of your role in my life, and I hope I can be half the father to Jacob that you were to me! I love you!

- As I've mentioned before, I've become slightly addicted to the Discovery Channel show, Deadliest Catch. Our DVR is now brimming over with episodes I have yet to watch, even though it seems like I'm getting 2 or 3 in a day. As I told, Becki, though...it's probably time to cut back. I'm finding myself on those boats every night in my dreams!

three on thursday...historical spots I want to return to soon

2008-05-29T21:02:00.003-04:00

So, not a real inventive topic, but, with our California vacation coming up, I thought I'd share a few places I want to return to in the near future. These are historical sites--historical meaning they are on the National Register of Historic Places--that I've been to in the past and that I've been longing to spend more time at in the future. Here goes:

1. Gettysburg, PA
I've been here twice, once as a kid and another just a few summers ago. As a kid, I had neither the patience nor the interest to fully enjoy the incredible sense of history oozing from every pore of this place--but I still remember being entertained. As an adult, I enjoyed it so much Becki and I went back a second time during the few days we were staying with my sister in Washington, DC. If you're planning on going, make absolutely sure to take the auto-tour (for sale at the visitor center). This is simply a CD you pop into your car's stereo system and follow the directions. Easy stuff--but chock full of information. And I can't recommend enough to get off of the "beaten path" and away from the crowds. The second day there we did this and ended up meeting a "re creative actor" who shared what it must have been like for soldiers who were there. It was really moving stuff. Next time through, I'd love to actually stay in town (there are, as you might imagine, quite a few old Bed and Breakfasts) and really dig into the history of the place...

2. Bodie, CA
This is actually what sparked my idea for this post ('cause we're heading that direction in a few weeks). You can check out everything you need to know about this 19th century ghost town at the site here. It's literally out in the middle of nowhere--the last 10 miles or so in are on a gravel road across winding hills--and is an incredible picture of western life in the 1800s. Although most of the buildings are gone, a good few still remain and paint a picture of life from that era. We spent several hours a couple of summers ago wandering through what's left of the town and had a blast. I'd love to go back and spend more time with the park rangers (several of whom live on site year-round), asking questions not only about life back then in Bodie, but also what it's like for them now. I really get into that stuff...

3. Mesa Verde, CO
Honestly, I don't remember a lot from this National Park, as I was probably 7 or so the first time round, but it definitely made an impression on me even then. So you know it would be completely worth the effort to check out now. There are literally thousands of archaeological sites, the most spectacular of which are the ancient cliff dwellings which the Pueblo people used as their homes. I do remember climbing down ladders into these places, and thinking how cool it was to actually be standing in a place that had been built by human hands thousands of years ago. Check out the site for more information...

weekend review...Memorial Day Weekend 2008

2008-05-27T22:05:00.002-04:00

Well, first off, I'm feeling much, much better. Thanks for asking. I'm still coughing a bit, but nothing like I was before. I'm guessing I had a version of the flu, but, whatever it was, it knocked me around for a couple of weeks. I even missed about 3 days of work. Which my checkbook hates.

So, anyway, this was the first weekend in a while that I've felt pretty good. Beyond having our Small Group and some friends/family over Monday night to grill some hamburgers, though...nothing too exciting happened. I'd love to say here that I worked on the lawn like I said I was going to, or cleaned my office like I had hoped to, but, alas, I did not. Chalk it up to just wanting to relax, I guess.

I did catch quite a few episodes of Deadliest Catch on Discovery yesterday. Good stuff. At first, every episode looks the same. "Hey, we caught crab. Pay us." But, after a while, you start to get hooked (ha!). It's a pretty fascinating look at a profession I never even thought about before. And, like most shows on Discovery, it's very intriguing.

Beyond that, though...pretty boring weekend. Oh, I did clean the grill in preparation for Monday evening's cookout. REALLY cleaned it. I had no idea that several month's worth of drippings from Stubb's chicken marinade would be that hard to clean. But it apparently is. By the way, don't let that stuff go down your disposal (the residue--not the marinade). If you do, make sure you're prepared to do a bit of plumbing.

Back on Thursday with a new list of cool stuff. See ya then.

random friday posting

2008-05-23T19:41:00.002-04:00

So, I've been down with the flu for about a week, and still recovering the bulk of this one. That, combined with a strange work schedule and working some overtime to make up time lost didn't leave a whole lot of time to post. I'll be back on track next week; for now, here's some random topics I've been mulling over in my head lately:

- Went and saw Prince Caspian last Friday with my father-in-law before he took off for Mongolia for a couple of weeks. I have to be honest that I was kind of expecting to be disappointed, but I was actually pretty pleased with it. My concern with adapting the book was that due to its length--under 100 pages--it would need to stray alot from CS Lewis' original story. But, despite being over two hours long, that wasn't the case. Sure, they took some "artistic liberties" (the raid on Miraz' castle; the little romance between Caspian and Susan that I REALLY didn't like), but, all in all, it was pretty spot on. I can't wait for Voyage of the Dawn Treader, due out in 2010. That was always one of my favorites in the Narnia collection...

- Speaking of going to the movies, about 5 minutes after we got in the theater I was reminded why I don't go often. Holy cow, people, have some manners! Sure, I knew the place was going to be packed on opening night, but that doesn't mean I was expecting kids running around, people talking loudly on cell phones, people saving ROWS of seats for late-arriving friends, etc. Things settled down after the trailers started rolling, but since when is it acceptable to--as the guy in front of me did--carry on a texting conversation through the movie? Or bring your 3-year-old, who cares nothing about the movie, and let him hang from the railings, loudly asking Mommy and Daddy when they were going to go every few minutes? And, oh, yeah, you think gas prices are high? Good thing I didn't show up to the theater hungry. I actually don't own a home, so I can't mortgage it to buy a tub of popcorn and a large coke. Anyway, at least the movie was good. But my visit to see it was a strong reminder why I much more enjoy watching the newly-released DVD from the comfort of my couch...

- I'm sure quite a few of you have heard the tragic story of Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter's passing (story is on his website here). I have to admit, being a new parent, this really hit me in the gut hard. My heart really breaks for them. Not only for their loss, but also for the emotional trauma it's sure to cause for their son, who accidentally ran over her. Please take a moment to pray for them. Steven, as well as his whole family, are such great warriors for Jesus Christ, and I know they're leaning on Him...but they need our prayer support, too....

- I thought this story was pretty interesting. Seems the woman was in WalMart, the guy in front of her, in a hurry, left an envelope on the counter, and the cashier handed it to the woman, thinking it was hers. Supposedly the envelope contained $1800, and the woman has now been charged with grand theft. I'm not dismissing the trauma the guy's going through, but there's one key point that seems to be missing: no one knows where they money is, and no one can prove it was there in the first place. So, uh, how can you possibly charge the woman? On the guy's word? I'm curious what everyone's take on it is, so leave me a comment and let me know. Whatever, though, it seems like both parties have issues...

- Memorial Day weekend is here. Enjoy the long weekend and don't forget to take a moment to remember why you've got Monday off--to pay respect to the men and women who allowed us to live in this great nation.

sorry; I'm sick...

2008-05-15T20:56:00.001-04:00

so, no new posts this week.

On a side note, having the flu absolutely sucks.

three on thursday...best vacations

2008-05-08T20:21:00.003-04:00

Ok, I'm really tired tonight from a stress-induced cold, so this will be short and sweet. But still chock full of literary goodness.

In honor of summer rapidly approaching, I give you this week's edition: favorite vacations.

1. Maine 2007
I put this one at the top because it was such a relaxing trip to a unique place (Oquossoc, Maine, anyone?) with great friends and family. This was a trip that was given to us by Becki's old boss, who took the whole staff and their families as a bonus for the year. We spent several days in old log cabins on the edge of an incredible lake with gorgeous views. No TV, no internet, hardly any cellphone service. We loved it and talk often of getting the gang back together to do it again. Of course, our favorite part was finding out Becki was pregnant with Jacob...and sharing the news there. You can still see the pictures from this trip here.

2. Almost any summer from my childhood in North Carolina
Back when my Pop was alive, he and my Mema--along with several members of our family--owned property and homes in Hendersonville, NC. The whole complex consisted of three older, country-style homes, a big, sloping field that we converted into a driving range, an old barn, acres of apple trees, and a pond that was perfect for swimming. All of us cousins would get together every year--sometimes at Christmas, too--and have a blast spending the day out in the mountain air. The "rite of passage" came when Pop decided you were old enough to drive the rickety old red jeep that we used to scurry around the property. I miss those summers of getting together with family. It was all so simple then...

3. "Sports trip" with my parents, Summer 1994
This trip came right at a time when I needed it most...I had just gotten fired from a job I hated, but still needed at the same time. It was a last minute thing; my Mom was driving up north for business and my Dad was going with her. I decided to tag along. It turned into a great few days. While Mom was on business, Dad and I went to a lot of sports-related things, including the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, a Chicago Cubs game (sat on one of the rooftops across from Wrigley Field), and threw in a visit to Notre Dame stadium (which wasn't all that impressive...but at least I've been!). The highlight for me was driving to downtown Cleveland hoping to find tickets to the Indians game, who were playing their first year in their beautiful new stadium. The game was sold out, but the parking attendant where we parked the car saw our Florida tags and, being a native Floridian himself, offered us seats 10 rows back from first base for some ridiculously low price. That was a great night, and I had a great time bonding with my Dad.

Any cool vacation stories/spots to tell me about? Let me know...

weekend review...May 3-5

2008-05-06T10:16:00.002-04:00

So, again, not an overly thrilling weekend...but a good time was had by all. Here's what went on:

1. We had a picnic for our company (Percepta) on Sunday afternoon, at which we enjoyed some great sliced pork BBQ sandwiches and baked beans and hung out with everyone from my department. Later that evening, we had a Small Group dinner, at which we enjoyed pulled pork BBQ sandwiches and baked beans and hung out with everyone from our Small Group. I guess you can never get enough pork BBQ!

2. I finally got to watch my Cardinals play some baseball on TV this weekend, a three-game set against the rival Cubs. And they didn't disappoint, taking two games and opening up a 2.5 game lead for first place. That's significant in that all of the "experts" said St. Louis would be in the tank this season. But this is just the kind of team that Tony LaRussa likes, a lineup he has to tinker with every night to get the best out of. He's the best in the business at it, and it's showing this year. 'Course, it's only May 6. I'm aware that the MLB season runs until October. Still, I really like what I see from this club so far.

3. Summer has arrived. I don't care what the calendar says. It's hot out there.

4. I'm secretly praying for a close brush with a hurricane this year, if only so we can have a vacation without costing me time at work. But I'm also praying it doesn't happen between July 23-30....when we're on vacation (taking real vacation time) in California. That would suck...

Also, I need to have more interesting weekends...

three on thursday...favorite fast-food places

2008-05-01T17:23:00.002-04:00

You probably can't tell from looking at me, but I enjoy fast food every once in a while. (That was a joke, people...but I'm workin' on it!!) I try to stay away as much as I can and eat healthier, less expensive meals--i.e., cook at home--but, let's face it, it's hard to beat the convenience of ordering a cheap meal from the comfort of my own car.

So, this week's edition: my top 3 fast-food joints...

1. ChickFilA
This one's easy. I could eat here all the time. I love the chicken sandwiches and I've become a pretty big fan of their breakfasts, too. Unfortunately, we live in a no ChickFilA zone (for now), so the only time I eat here is occasionally when I'm at work and when we happen to be in a mall. I'll choose this over almost anything out there. The fact that Truett Cathy is a great man of God and his business model shows it doesn't hurt, either.

2. Sonic
I love their breakfast burritos and onion rings especially. In fact, I don't believe I've ever had a burger here. The other stuff is too good. The first few times I ate here I thought the whole "order from your car and we'll bring it to you" thing was pretty cool, but it's no big deal now.

3. McDonalds
Yeah, I know...this one's here purely because of the fries. They're hard to beat, and polls show it. And the McGriddle sandwich for breakfast? Yum. My enthusiasm for this American icon took a big hit after watching "SuperSize Me" (we even swore the place off for a few months), but I still manage to sneak a visit in every week or so on the way home, if just for the fries.

There you have it. Opinions (and scolding comments) welcome...

weekend review...April 26-28

2008-04-28T16:53:00.004-04:00

Welcome to another regularly-occurring feature I've come up with...a no-holds barred review of the two (or three, in some cases) days that is my weekend.

Not too much to report this week, I'm afraid.

I "worked" all day Saturday--I say "worked" because I'm not really doing much on Saturdays except setting up our systems, running some reports, and then, well, uh, watching the clock. Seriously, I'm in at 8:30, have everything done that I have to get done by 9:15, and then sit and read, watch TV, surf the internet, etc., until I go home at 6 or 6:30. I used this week to get some online Microsoft Office courses done and catch up on my reading. At least I get paid for it.

Sunday...our normal visit to our church at 9am, breakfast, and then mostly relaxing all day, except for the couple of hours I worked in the yard. The good news is our lawn looks pretty good, except for a couple of mysterious brown patches. The bad news is, I found out why. Looks like the sprinkler system is on the fritz. So, I'll either be watering manually, asking my father-in-law for help (but he's in Nicaragua until Saturday), and/or praying for rain. It's actually clouding up a bit now, but, trust me, it's not gonna rain. Just 'cause I need it to.

Today was a pretty good day. We picked up the in-laws (mine) and headed to Orlando for a visit to Ikea. Becki and I went a few weeks ago and were in awe of this place. We both agreed it would be something her folks would enjoy, and I think they did. We picked up a few things for our kitchen and got some good ideas on how to do some future organization projects. I'm always amazed at the cool ideas that place has, and I hope one day we can head in there with a wad of cash and go nuts (with a plan in mind, of course!). Anyway, after a quick lunch at the food court at Mall at Millenia and a stop by the Apple store, we headed home...and here we are.

Small Group in T-minus two hours. I should probably go clean the house. See ya...

three on thursday...favorite movies

2008-04-24T18:06:00.004-04:00

Taking a page from another blog I frequent (have to get permission before I can link it here, though), I thought I'd take time every Thursday to share with you a "Top 3" list of some sort. Sometimes I'll tie it in with an upcoming holiday or event, other times (like today) I'll just throw 3 of my favorites out there. So, if you don't visit any other day...at least make sure to check out Thursdays!

Without further adieu, here's this week's edition: My 3 favorite movies of all time.

1. Airplane!
I've watched this one so many times, if you were to put it on and hit the "mute" button, I'm fairly certain I'd be able to give you every line. Simply the classic of all comedy. I mean, how can you argue with such lines as, "Surely you can't be serious?" "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley." So many great jokes that it's impossible to list them all.

2. The Godfather (parts 1 and 2)
It seems these movies are on AMC every weekend, and, almost every weekend, I manage to watch at least a few minutes of them. The ultimate guys films, in my opinion. And full of life lessons, too: "Leave the gun. Take the canoli." Words to live by.
Don't get me started on Godfather 3, though. As so often happens, that's way too much of a good thing. They should have left us with the indelible final image of part 2 with Michael in his garden, finally realizing that what he had been trying to avoid all his life had finally consumed him. Classic!

3. Cast Away
This was a tough one, because I really like a lot of movies, and they all could be here. But this one makes the list because of superb acting by Tom Hanks (one of my favorites), an incredible story, and compelling cinematography. This movie is so good that, for the key section where Hanks' character is on the island (at least an hour of film time), there's not a single note of music played. That's highly unusual, and, because we're so engrossed in the film, we don't even miss it. Great commentary, also, on just how much we are tied into "busyness" and forget to take time to smell the roses...until, often, it's just too late.

Others that just missed the list: Hoosiers, Field of Dreams, Remember the Titans, Shawshank Redemption, Lord of the Rings (the whole trilogy), Napoleon Dynamite.

So, what are your favorites?

reorganization

2008-04-23T20:23:00.002-04:00

As you can tell, I'm back, finally and hopefully, permanently, from my Blogging Coma.

As you can also tell, I've reorganized some things and cleaned house a bit. I only kept a few of my previous posts so, if you had a witty comment attached to one, well...sorry.

Anyway, enjoy.

saying goodbye to the IRS...

2008-04-23T19:55:00.004-04:00

Well, tax season has come and gone. Hope it was a good one for you. For us…not so much. The government has $2200 coming their way, courtesy of the Waltons, as a result of my feeble efforts to be a self-employed Realtor last year. That’s the bad news. I guess the good news is: 1) $1200 (I hope) of that bill will be paid for from our “economic stimulus package” check arriving soon and 2) Next year should be much better, thanks to our son.

None of that eases the sting of writing a check, though.

I’ll try hard not to rant too much against our system of government—I do consider it to be the greatest in the world and I am grateful for having been born under it and consider it a privilege to live in it—but, all that being said, it’s hard not to feel uneasy and frustrated about our current tax situation. I simply don’t understand how we, as citizens, can accept a tax code that is as oppressive, confusing, and downright counterproductive. Consider just a couple of incredible facts:

- In 2005 Americans spent an estimated 6 billion hours complying with the federal income tax code, at an estimated cost of over $265.1 billion. The compliance costs in time represents a work force of over 2,884,000 people—larger than the populations of Dallas, Detroit, and Washington, DC combined. Put another way, more people worked on complying with the tax code than are employed in the auto, computer manufacturing, airline manufacturing, and steel industries combined. Compliance costs are not shrinking, by the way. It’s estimated that, by 2015, compliance costs will grow to $482.7 billion—with a total of over 10 billion hours spent. Just to comply with current tax regulations.

- Since the inception of the income tax way back in 1913, the number of pages of tax code regulations and rulings has grown from 400 to 67,204. Since 2000 alone, it has increased 43%...and it’s growing larger everyday.

Obviously, the way we pay taxes (and I do, by the way, believe strongly in funding our nation via fair taxation) is confusing at best and oppressive at worst. After all, consider that number I wrote above: 67,204. That’s the number of pages in the current tax code. Now, ask anyone who works for the IRS whether they’ve ever read—much less understand—even half of that code. I guarantee you won’t find anyone who has. And these are the people that get paid to enforce it. If the folks who are supposed to know it don’t, because it’s simply too monstrous, how can Average Joe Citizen—who’s supposed to abide by all of these regulations—ever hope to?

I learned a long time ago not to complain unless I had an alternative. As you’ve hopefully guessed by now, I do have one—and I hope you’ve heard of it. Basically, this new tax code proposes to do the following things:

Abolish the 16the amendment, which started the whole income tax movement in the first place and, interestingly enough, basically gives our government the right to take 100% of your income, should they so choose.
Eliminate the IRS completely. (Jokes about IRS auditors will continue, however)
Establish a sales tax on any new products, taxed at the cash register.

So, basically, here’s how this would work (compare this to what you did to pay your taxes this year):

1. Head into your local store.
2. Pick out an item to buy. (Remember, though, this has to be a new, never sold item—it can only be taxed the first time it’s bought; never again after that.)
3. Pay for said item, paying approximately 23% in federal taxes for it.
4. Go home and enjoy the new item. Don’t worry about saving your receipts for filing taxes—you don’t have to do that anymore.

That’s it in a nutshell. Of course, there’s a lot more to it. But not more so that you’ll get confused. It’s really a very simple, easy to understand plan (which is one of the reasons I think people don’t get it—we’re used to being confused, and I think we almost like it!). For more information, check out www.fairtax.org. There you will find a very concise and detailed overview of how Fair Tax works. If you want more (and I hope you will) check out these books, both authored by Neal Boortz: The Fair Tax Book and Fair Tax: The Truth: Answering the Critics. Both are excellently written and do a fantastic job of explaining Fair Tax and, yes, answering critical questions from critics.

By the way, please don’t bring up the tired argument of getting a “refund” from the IRS as a reason to keep our current tax system in place. If you believe that, I’ll make the deal even sweeter: I will guarantee a refund of $1000 next year for you. All you have to do is give me $2000 now. You can send your checks to my home address. Sound good? Didn’t think so…

OK, I'm off my soapbox now. At least until the check to the IRS clears.

Jacob Walton is here!

2008-01-31T17:12:00.001-05:00

OK, OK. I did promise I would be back in a couple of days with at least one cool, exciting, refreshing, engaging new blog. And, yeah, I slacked a bit. But I at least started a couple--one on some specific goals I'm setting for this year; another one on my first book review. I had great intentions on using some spare time to finish those off and get them uploaded.

But a funny thing happened the last couple of weeks.

My son arrived.

Now, of course, this wasn't a big surprise. I've been kind of guessing that something was up with Becki for some time now, and I was secretly hoping she was pregnant. Turns out she was. (Yes, that was sarcasm.) Anyway, James Robert Walton IV...or "Jacob", as the little guy is called around our house and shall be henceforth...arrived a few days early, at 4:13am on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 via emergency c-section. Becki's fine; her labor came on VERY quickly and he was turned the wrong way, so the hospital had to spring into action pretty quick. They did a great job and, for the most part, the whole staff treated us very well during our extended visit. But, let me tell you, it felt GREAT to walk through our front door on Saturday afternoon!!

Wanna see some pictures? Yeah...I've got 'em...they're here.

We've all been enjoying getting adjusted to one another during the past week. Actually, I think Becki and I are getting adjusted to Jacob, rather than the other way around. He's kind of setting the pace for us right now. Good thing I took some time off work...

So, needless to say, the last 10 days or so have not afforded me a lot of time to keep my blog in order as I had intended. Sorry 'bout that. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that, with a newborn in the house, my spare time quotient just plummeted several notches. But I guess that just means I'm going to have to be that much more organized. So, I won't promise a brand-new post within a few days...but I can tell you I'll get to it as soon as I can.

Uh, don't hold your breath, though...please.

On to 2008!

2008-01-09T16:40:00.000-05:00

So a good friend reminded me recently—not intentionally, but through normal conversation—of two things: 1. I have a blog. 2. I should probably update it before my unborn son heads off to college. Thanks, Tyler!

Anyway, I’ve been thinking of a good way to wrap up 2007. I covered a bunch of different subjects last year—the primary one being college football—and, while I do make a point of writing about things that interest me, I want to be more intentional in 2008 about what I write and how often I do it. So I guess I should just make a clean break of it and dive right in to the new year.

One of the things I really want to spend more time doing this year is reading. And not just reading anything, either. I want to expand my horizons to understand more about the world around me and how I fit into it. I want to read books that will broaden my horizons and challenge my thinking. Basically, I want to read with intent. That’s why you’ll probably see me writing more about religion (Christian apologetics in particular), politics, business, etc.

Quick side note here—I still plan on writing about some of the things you saw last year. For instance, my interest in college football is such that I’m even looking at starting a separate blog just for that. So, please don’t think I’m not planning on keeping you all updated with what’s going in my (our) life, because I will. It’s just that those updates will be shorter and less infrequent. What I hope to accomplish this year is more of an academic pursuit of sorts.

Back to wrapping up 2007. I could spend time talking about the end of football season (Tebow winning the Heisman, LSU winning it all—even though I think there are at least 3 teams who could challenge them…can you say “playoff”?, my top 5 for next year—in no particular order, Georgia, Florida, USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma, etc.), but I won’t. I will tell you in quick update that it’s a matter of days until Jacob is born, so obviously that’s dominating our thoughts at this point. I’m probably much more anxious than Becki is (she’s content to wait until the due date), but we’re both really looking forward to meeting our son! His official due date is Jan. 27; we’ll most certainly be updating all of you when the big day comes, and will, of course, be posting pictures.

Here’s my plan to ease my blog into 2008. I would really like to do a few book reviews and share with you what I’m reading and how it’s impacted my life. I’m currently reading “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, and it’s reminding me what an incredible genius he was. So I’ll definitely be sharing my thoughts on that one real soon. In the meantime, I’d like to cover some of the books I read in 2007, so look for the first one in the next 2-3 days. I’ll cover one every couple of days or so. Then I’d like to take some time to talk (and probably rant) about Walt Disney World—one of my favorite places in the world but, in an ironic twist, probably also a place I am hating more and more, too. We just spent a weekend there and I had a whole list of things to talk about by the time it was over. So you’ll get to hear my thoughts on that, too.

So, there you have it. My plan for 2008. Hope you enjoy it. I’m really looking forward to it, myself. See you in a couple of days!

dreaming of our future....

2007-10-19T05:34:00.000-04:00

So, I came across a great blog full of incredible resources yesterday at www.thesimpledollar.com. I haven't had a chance to look through the whole thing yet (it's really massive), but it's definitely going to be one that I check on a regular basis. One of the coolest things the author does--besides all of the great, practical tips--is offer book reviews of many of the same business books I've either been reading or am planning on reading. For instance, I've had my eye on "The 4-hour Workweek" for some time now. Instead of buying it, though, now I can just read the review on the blog. Cool stuff. Check it out.

I also want to give "blog props" (it's a made-up word!) to my friend Scott's blog. Scott and I have been friends for years and although we definitely don't see eye-to-eye on favorite college football teams (he's a Georgia Bulldog), he offers some great insights on a lot of other issues. You can read his blog here.

I'm currently reading (again) "The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People". This is, I think, my third time through, and I think I'm reading it at the perfect time. As I'm starting to increase my vision for our future and expand my horizons, I'm recognizing that there are quite a few disciplines I need to develop, and this book is helping me to do that. One of the things that has really struck a deep chord with me is the ability to "begin with the end in mind"; in other words, to create the dream before you start moving toward it. It sounds simple, but, quite honestly, I've never thought to do it! Anyway, last night I spent some time "vision-casting" our future, typing out about a page on how I would like our lives to look in a few years. Here's what I wrote:

Beginning with the end in mind, here is my vision for our future:

We are in our log-cabin home on the side of a mountain in North Carolina. Smoke rises from the brick chimney and, as we watch the sunset from our swing on the spacious porch, we look forward to the warmth of the fire, as fall is setting in. Our children are playing in their playroom downstairs, while upstairs we begin cooking a gourmet dinner in our equally-gourmet kitchen. We have all the latest conveniences, including WIFI internet access, HD plasma screen TV’s, etc., but those things don’t define us. They enhance our lives, but we don’t allow them to encompass us. Our beautiful home is large enough for not only our immediate family, but is great for entertaining, as well. We have approximately 3500 square feet of living space, including 6 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, a 3-car garage, and a huge basement area that is split between a play/game room for the kids and a theater/sports room for the adults. On the deck is a large eating area, complete with a summer kitchen, and a spacious hot tub allows us to soak our cares away as we enjoy the mountain view.

We are completely debt-free, except for our mortgage and a few business investments. The only time we consider using large amounts of credit is when we come across a great business deal that we know will earn us a nice profit. We work together on several business ventures and “work-from-home” jobs. Tripp may be employed through traditional means every once in a while, just to build capital, but, generally, all of our business/work is done from our home office, which, again, is filled with the most up-to-date technology.

In addition to our business lives, Becki teaches our children full-time in our home. We are both very active in our church, and not only lead and host our own small group, but also mentor young couples. We are certified financial planners with Dave Ramsey (one of our businesses) and we help people with their financial issues. In addition, Tripp is seminary-trained in Apologetics and teaches a small class at our church, as well as leads youth camps several times throughout the year in various locations and times. Our Pastor has even asked him to lead a sermon series on the defense of the Christian faith in a few weeks.

Because of the dynamic nature of our lifestyle, we are able to travel frequently and for many reasons. We will sometimes travel as a family to business conferences/seminars/meetings and also to a few of the camps that Tripp is speaking at. We can also take trips—planned and unplanned--to see our parents and/or extended families, and we never miss an organized event in our family life (reunions, for instance). Several times a year we pile into our SUV and travel to Gainesville for an extended weekend to see the Gators play. We also make a point to go to a few road games each year, and will even throw in a bowl game every couple of years (we even got to see the Gators win their 5^th National Championship in the Rose Bowl last January!). We make a point of taking the kids places that they will have lots of memories from, and are frequent visitors to National Parks. We use our traveling opportunities to help teach the kids, and believe they are getting the best education possible by seeing the world with us!

We are all in great shape, healthy, eat right, and exercise as a family. Tripp plays golf at least 3 times a week and is teaching Jacob, our youngest, the game right now. Becki recently became interested in tennis and is getting quite good at it. The kids are always interested in doing physical things outdoors, and, although we enjoy watching TV occasionally, they almost always find something more “interactive” to do.

Besides our SUV, we also have a 4-door sedan as well as a 2-seater sports car in the garage. We briefly considered buying an RV, but rent one on occasion for trips (we did this two years ago and drove to California for the family reunion, stopping at places like Durango, CO, Mesa Verde, and the Grand Canyon as we went!).

We are constantly hosting dinner parties, game nights, movie nights, etc. Tripp loves to have people over to watch College Football when they’re not at a Gator game.

We are blessed more than words can say. Though we are well-taken care of materially and financially, our true joy is being able to “do” lives together as a family, with no one telling us what to do, when to do it, and how. We are self-made and independent…but not arrogant about it. We recognize that everything we have is a gift from God and it is only by His love and grace that we are allowed to live this lifestyle.

mini-vacation

2007-10-09T08:45:00.000-04:00

So, Becki and I took a couple of days off this week and had nice, long, four-day weekend! It’s been awhile since we’ve been able to get away—just the two of us—so we got a motel room in Orlando and did something we’ve always wanted to do—the Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT.

Now, we’ve done this “casually” before, meaning that we’ve walked it and poked our heads into a couple of different seminars (this is where we were, with our friends, Paul & Becky Schryer, introduced to the joys of Chocolate Bock beer, but I digress). But we’ve always wanted to “eat our way around the world”, so to speak, and never had the cash or time to do it. This year was different, and we had a great couple of days doing just that.

So, without further comment, here is a list of where (and what) we ate, along with my scientifically precise rating (1 being gross, 10 being heavenly in all aspects):

- Italy: Pizza with Fennel Sausage, Bell Peppers, San Marzano Tomatoes and Mozzarella. This was a solid 4. Just OK. I liked the thick crust, but the rest tasted like something I could get anywhere—like Sbarros, for instance.

- Germany: Spaetzle with Creamy Mushroom Ragout. I give it a 7. Loved the sauce and the ‘shrooms. The Spaetzle was a little dry, but I liked it. Also tried the Debriziner Sausage and Sauerkraut in a Pretzel Roll. This gets a 6. Really, it was just a sausage on a roll with Sauerkraut. Nothing special, although the meat was cooked perfectly for a sausage and I enjoyed the pretzel roll.

- China: Pork Pot Stickers. 8. We both liked these a lot. Not too tender, not too crisp, with a yummy sauce. Great stuff.

- India: India Rice and Coconut Pudding. I can’t rate this one as Becki tried it. It smelled OK, though. She seemed to like it, although she said it tasted like it had Sprite in it. I don’t believe that’s a staple of Indian cuisine.

- Spain: Papas con Chorizo (Potatoes and Spicy Sausage). 8. Not enough potatoes, but that’s my only complaint. They’re not kidding when they say spicy.

- Ireland: Broxty Potato Pancake with Bacon chips and Kerrygold garlic and herb butter. This one gets a high 9. Outstanding, innovative dish. I could have eaten lots more. But I had to save room…

- Mexico: Chilaquiles (Baked Tortillas with Chicken and Cheese). The only reason I give this a 6.5 is because they slathered it with a green chile sauce, which I generally don’t like. It was OK, as were the tortillas themselves.

- Dominican Republic: Dulce de Coco (Coconut Flan). This one is a 7.5. I actually don’t like Flan that much, but this was a very rich and sweet taste--it was hard to put down.

- Canada: Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. Let’s put it this way…I had 3 separate helpings. One of which I walked all the way back through the park for. Easily the best food I had at the Festival. 10.

- France: Quiche au Fromage de Chevre (Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato quiche). I was really looking forward to this one, but it was a bit of a disappointment. Dry crust, and I had to search for the goat cheese. 5.5.

So, if you’re keeping count, that’s 10 different countries (not counting our normal Japanese lunch stop and a dinner of Fish and Chips in England). That sounds impressive until you realize there are 28 stations to try, each with at least 3 samplings. Looks like we’ve got more work to do…we’ll update with the new dishes...

For now, I guess it’s time to hit the gym again!