Do Not Read This Post

Do not read this post unless you meet the following criteria:

1. You count yourself a very dear friend of mine and enjoy reading most anything I write about.
2. You count yourself a good friend of mine and would feel some guilt should you not read it.
3. You count yourself an acquaintance of mine and you are curious by nature.
4. You don't know me but are a defiant person and the title has set you off.
5. You have way too much free time on your hands.

Everyone else...please hit the "back" arrow now.

Still reading? Okay, don't say I didn't warn you!

The following is what a vocabulary-challenged and tact taxed person (that would be me) would call a "Blog Barf" ... a veritable vomiting of ideas and throw up of thought. It will be my longest post to date and contain (like any good upchuck) a mix of content, all at various stages of cerebral digestive states. So grab yourself a 7up and some saltines and watch me toss my e-cookies:

This Past Weekend:
I had a great weekend preaching at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Kemp Texas. Kemp is a fine city roughly between Dallas and the end of the earth with a booming population of 1134. I was blessed to get to speak at their D-now (Disciple Now) on Saturday night and then preach on Sunday morning. Great people. Good church. Amazing youth pastors in Don and Rima Griffin. My mother in law (Cathy) also came in town for Grandparent’s Day at Emily’s school which was fun. But the highlight of the weekend for our family was (I know what you are thinking…”how could spending the weekend in Kemp, TX AND having your mother in law come stay with you not be the highlight?”) … the highlight was Laura making Eaglettes! (Eaglettes are the dance/drill team at Abilene High). Congrats Laura!

Jeff Berry’s Heart Problem:
I returned home Sunday evening and it wasn’t long after dinner that I received a call from Jeff who proceeded to tell me he was in the hospital due to chest pains. Let’s just say the past few days (Sunday – Wednesday) have been chaotic to say the least. Bottom-line is that Jeff did not have a heart attack but did have a viral infection in his heart and did sustain some heart damage. He was released from the hospital yesterday and has been ordered to rest by the doctors for the next few weeks. You can read more about this on Jeff’s site by clicking here.

Monday Night Walker’s Appreciation Dinner:
On Monday night Kim and I got the blessing of helping with a dinner at the home of Jerry and Patsy Strader in honor and appreciation of the college students at Highland who walk the neighborhood every Sunday night with the simple (and completely Christ like) goal of loving people. It was a great evening and we were so encouraged by their faithfulness and love for God and His kids. Steve Hare, Bob Strader and Jordan Swim have done such an amazing work with equipping and empowering these students to serve so strong. They wouldn’t ask for it or even want it but they are worthy of our honor!

Tuesday’s Trip to Dallas:
I flew to Dallas on Tuesday to see my friend Jeff and help him with a few ministry related items. Plane was delayed on the way out. Supposed to have left at 5:45 and left at 6:45 which is not a big deal. The trip was great and it was such a blessing to see Jeff and Anna. I got to see Jeff’s mom and meet his aunt and grandma too which was fun. Okay, now the not fun part. The flight home was frappin horrific! Seriously, it was the worst approach to a runway I have ever experienced. In fact it wasn’t an approach. Our plane fell from the sky like a broken rocket. Totally thought I was going to take the big dirt nap! It was like “bring your kid to work day” in the cockpit or something because that was the worst “decent” into Abilene or anywhere else I have ever been through. My son was working the ramp at the airport that day (you know the guy with the cool orange glow sticks waving the plane in?) and his partner who was waiting to unload the bags both saw the plane dropping out of the sky. Put it this way, John’s partner said to him, “there is no way that pilot is going to land that plane!” That is exactly what all of us who were clinging to our seats with white knuckles thought too.

Laura Gets Her Driving Permit:
I just thought I was scared on Tuesday afternoon’s landing. I immediately got off the plane (kissed the ground and prayed) and then hopped in the car and picked up Laura and drove to the DPS office where Laura proceeded to pass here driving test (the book part) which meant that she was able (well let’s just say legal) to drive home with me in the front seat. The good news is that her first behind the wheel on city streets experience happened at 5:10 pm right at the busiest intersection of Abilene (Starbucks) which I know isn’t saying a lot because after all, it’s still Abilene. The bad news is that … no wait, that was the bad news. In all seriousness, she did great (better than that altitude/speed/quantum physics challenged pilot!) and is a great driver.

Last ONE of the Semester:
The emotional roller coaster that was my Tuesday just kept going as we gathered together for our last ONE that night. It was a powerful time of commissioning and commitment. Steven and his band, Branch, did an amazing job of leading worship and Luke preached one the best sermons I’ve heard in the past five years! To get to be a part of ONE is such a blessing and these college students are so incredible! They want God! They are so hungry. Hopefully I can post more about ONE in the days to come. One (pardon the pun) other amazing bit of ONE news was that we received a donation for $3000 on Tuesday night! Praise God. We are trying to raise about $10,000 more for sound equipment so keep that in your prayers.

My Dad is Back Home in the States:
I don’t want to write too much about this yet but I did find out that he is home and sober again and is doing better. I hope to report some incredible news some time next week about my dad. We talked on the phone for a long time during my drive home from Kemp. It was wonderful! I am so grateful for all of you that prayed for him and our family.

The Mighty Men:
As many of you know I meet with 8-10 of the coolest college guys every Wednesday night in my house and it is often one of the highlights of my week! These guys are really trying to pursue Jesus and are tired of simply being good kids who go to church. They want more and have taken some radical steps to make space in their life for God. With only about a week remaining in the semester we decided that we wanted to stay in touch with one another over the summer. One of the ways that we are going to do this is through a blog. So last night we launched www.mightymen.blogspot.com as a way for all of us to keep connected over the summer. I don’t know what will happen with the blog but I did think it was cool that they cared about staying in community with each other.

My Future:
I haven’t shared this with too many and definitely not on this blog but I am in the middle of a season of change with regards to my employment. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing what I do now. I will write more on this topic in the next week or so but I did want to ask for your prayers in this area of my life. I have a couple of options and for those who know me well know which one I hope God allows! Bottom-line is that I miss ministry and while I’m grateful for the part time positions I hold now and for the opportunity to go to grad school, I am really missing ministry. I hope God will open a door for me to get back into full time ministry in the next month or two. Please pray. Kim and I are confident that God has a great plan for us and our family.

and finally…

Firstverb.com:
My non profit ministry, Firstverb Ministries, has a totally redesigned website thanks to Scott Ballard and Twelve Nine Design. If you are still reading this blog then you might as well go check that out too. (btw – why are you still reading this?) The site is not near complete but I will be working hard to finish it over the next couple of weeks. I’d love some feedback on the site. I am hoping that God opens some doors for me to at least do some preaching or consulting in May and June while other opportunities materialize. Prayers toward that end would be appreciated too.

Well, you made it! You’ve just experienced a “Blog Barf” and lived to tell about it. I’ll close with a quote from M.P. Horban:

“The work of God is held back not by bad men and women, but by good ones who have stopped growing.”

In the words of the most amazing woman on the planet who happens to be my wife, “Have a blessed day!”