Day 2

Wow what a long but awesome day.  Can I just say one thing about Ruston, LA.  They should put a seminary here because it would be easy to teach people how to preach against hell when their living in the same heat.  Just a personal thought.  Now onto camp.  Neil McClendon is my kind of preacher.  Sometimes I think he comes off a little strong but I think he gets his point across well to the students.  Tonight his focus was on asking the kids if they had ever really died to Christ.  Was there a time in their lives where they died to old self and their new life in Christ began.  He had a quote I loved.  “They’ll be alot of people who said a prayer with a preacher in hell”  You know it sounds kinda rough but I believe its something our kids needed to hear.  As I sat their and watch our students faces I could tell his speaking was making them think.  Many I could tell where starting to look at their lives and see where exactly their relationship with Christ was.  My prayer this week is still that God will wreck their lives.  That when they leave this camp that their lives will never be the same.  Well I’m tired and my feet hurt and well….everything hurts at the moment.  Man when did I get old and become an adult.  Oh yeah a college girl here at LA Tech called me sir today.  That hurt a little….haha  My wife thought it was great..haha

Peace and Love,

The White-man

The Camp Post Night 1

So Ive decided that I’m going to try and post something every night on here about our week and Student Life Camp in Ruston, LA.  Besides the fact that I wouldnt ask my dog to live in these dorms, things are great.  We’re not here for the dorms so I’ll live.

As for the first night I dont have much to report.  The band is great.  Kristian Stanfil does a great job leading worship and Neil McClendon is the speaker.  He’s alot like me in a sense that he’s real straight forward and if you dont like, well deal..haha  Our kids really like him so far which is a plus.

I guess my prayer for the week is that our kids lives will be wrecked.  I realize that sounds kind of strange but its really my prayer.  I really think our kids think that God is really cool, and they know the ABC’s of Christianity so they think their good.  But if they really look at their lives, their Savior has very low priority.  Youth group and camp and any church function is a social function or because the parents make them.  My prayer for this week is that God will wreck all that in a crazy and great way.  I would love to see their lives so turned around when they get home mom and dad are convicted.  In a town where it seems there is little spiritual maturity among the adults, I just think it would be awesome to see our youth rise up and lead the revival.  Most revivals or spiritual awakenings were started by young people after all.  So my prayer is our youth will get rocked to their foundations this week.  And God will flip their lives for the betterment of eternity.  Well its time for this white-boy to hit the hay.

Peace and Love,

The White-man

Buck Tooth Donkeys that Smell Bad

So last night we took the youth to an Arkansas Travelers baseball game.  Can I first say that I have had a great time picking on people from Arkansas about all the stereotypes that come with Arkansas.  But last night helped me figure out why.  The Travelers mascot whose name is Shelly had one big buck tooth that stuck out…haha  Now look Arkansas people if you dont want to get made fun of you shouldn’t let stuff like this happen.  It only helps to fuel the fire of people like me who love giving you a hard time.  Although to be completely fair, the movie Deliverance was filmed in the area where I’m from in North Carolina.  Probably not much better.  Another pondering from last night is this.  When meeting Shelly, the buck tooth mascott, who is supposed to look like a Donkey we all came to the conclusion that a mascot should not actually smell like the animal that it is protraying.  Shelly the buck tooth donkey actually smelled like a Donkey.  Maybe the person inside, a possible wanna-be actor was trying to get into character or something and thought.  Donkeys smell like crap, therefore I should smell like crap.  Newsflash wanna-be actor destined for the not so big time.  Bad move, you just stunk.  When small babies, who are supposed to love you, hold their nose because of your smell, you just stink.  No more getting into character.  Just get into a clean costum, or make friends with your other acting buddy who hasn’t made it as big as you yet and holds down a job at the local dry cleaners and send that puppy to him.  Other than that it was a night.  But when speaking of baseball a true Cubs fan must end such an article in the only appropriate way.   GO CUBS!!!!!!!!

Peace and Love

The White-man

Empty Wallets and Bike Seats….both make me cry

After putting gas in my truck today and feeling the empty feeling that comes with loosing $92.00 in a matter of minutes I realized a couple things.  1….I wish I owned a gas company & 2….I’ll be voting on whoever can make me feel like they have an idea on how to make our economy better.  Now let me go ahead and tell you that I by no means can sit here and act like I am some kind of economist.  But I know that our economy isn’t really all that hot right now and that gas prices are forcing me to ponder the idea of actually buying a bike(…hmmm and maybe some biking shorts…haha)  Ok maybe not.  But as a Christian you here so much about voting these days.  My mother for example, votes solely on the issue of abortion.  If a political figure says that they agree with freedom of choice she will not even consider on voting for that person.  Now if you want my opinion on that issue you can have it, I am anti abortion and anti-pro choice.  I believe abortion is murder.  But in this election if a person votes for President solely on that issue they wouldn’t be able to vote because if what Ive read is correct both Presidential candidates are pro choice.  But I guess my thinking tonight is this.  Should a persons vote be based on only one topic.  That just doesn’t make logical sense to me.  I wonder in this election if either one of these guys has a clue how to get gas prices down, or bring our troops back, or fix health care, or help the housing market, or…..well the list can go on and on.  Again Im by no means a political know-it-all but Im curious and I dont know if my butt can handle a bike seat.  Well I’m tired of rambling and its 1:00am.

Peace and Love,

The White-man

Crazy or Not??

Ok so to be honest this was my newsletter article for this month.  But I’m not really inspired to write twice in a couple days so heres that.  Maybe I’ll get back on here in a few and do something original.

I recently attended a Youth Ministry conference in Fort Worth, TX and while I was there the speaker kept saying things that really stepped on my toes.  It wasn’t like one of those moments when you leave something mad or offended it was a feeling of, “I have work to do.”  The man was named Francis Chan and he just wrote a great book called “Crazy Love” that I’m right in the middle of reading.  But the point of his messages really struck me.  Have you ever thought about the love of God?  We all know that God loves us.  If you ask small children do they know God loves them, I’m sure the majority will tell you yes.  Most of us can quote John 3:16 without even really thinking about it.  But do we really get how great God’s love is.  The idea that God would give his son to die for me is kind of hard to wrap my head around.  I don’t have kids, but I can tell you I wouldn’t give my child up to die for someone else.  Let alone millions of people who have sinned against me.  And I’m sure if I asked you, you wouldn’t give up your children either.  That kind of love is just flat out amazing to me.  But the question that stepped on my toes is this one.  How do you show God’s love?  Are you passionately in love with your savior?  This really hit me.  God loves me so much that He gave His son and yet so many times I don’t think I act like I’m in love with Him at all.  Many times our walk with God becomes routine, but as followers of Christ, He has called us into a relationship with Him, and not just any relationship, but one that passionately follows and one that passionately loves God and loves others in His name.  So in this article, I’m passing the question on.  Are you passionately in love with your Savior?  Or do you find yourself like I did.  We have work to do.

Home Sweet Home

Well I haven’t written on this in way to long it seems and I’m not really sure why I am today.  I think sometimes it helps to vent a little on these or share joy or whatever the emotion might be at the present time, its just nice to get something off the ol’chest.  Today was a weird day.  And not for any particular reason, but it got me thinking about home.  Now we currently live in Arkansas which is pretty cool.  I mean the people are nice but the scenery lacks a little.  We have many friends in Texas and in many ways this is a home to my wife and I because its where we met and its where the majority of our friends are.  But my home home is in Highlands, NC.  Up in the mountains at 4118 feet above sea level.  Where a hot day in the summer is in the high 70’s or low 80’s.  Where you can sit outside at night and not be carried off by mesquitos.  It doesnt happen often but from time to time I get a little home sick for my mountain town.  I mean, its just the greatest place on earth in many ways.  Now I dont know if I’ll ever get to live there again but from time to time, it would be nice.  Wake up one summer morning, throw on a sweat shirt and have a cup of coffee on the front porch of my moms just sounds nice right about now.  I dont know why but it just does..haha  I have to be honest this blog is pretty stinking random but its what I’ve been thinking about alot today.  Oh well so goes life.  On a different note…I think I saw a mesquito the size of a small bird today.  Gotta love the delta of Arkansas.

Peace and Love,

The White-man

Overwhelmed

I’m writing tonight after an amazing weekend at Youth Lab.  I came to one amazing conclusion after the weekend and that was that I have an amazing God and I don’t act like I realize that in my life.  Francis Chan was the speaker for the weekend and if you haven’t heard of him, look him up because he is amazing.  He looked at a passage in Revelation where John describes a vision of God.  Then the same day Dr. Ross, who is another amazing man, spoke on if we realize who Jesus is today.  So to make a long story short I quickly realized that my life doesn’t match up with who my God is.  I mean if someone where to look at my life, not just who they see in public, but the me behind closed doors I’m not sure my life would look like a person who is overwhelmed with God.  I’m not sure they would see a person who is constantly in awe of who Jesus is and what He has done in my life.  This blog may not make alot of sense to people who read this but I dont think I can fully put in words the experience I had this weekend.  I serve a God who wants personal relationship with me even though I am completely unworthy of that relationship.  And that just amazes me more and more every day.

Peace & Love,

The White-man

Revival

Websters dictionary says the meaning of the word revival is, restoration of life or restoration of use.  And the more I think about it, our revival here at the church this week was a real eye opening experience for me.  One of the things that I have noticed about ministry is many times its hard to get fed.  Before I was a full time staff member it seemed liked it was so much easier to be fed spiritually.  I wish I had a great explanation for that but I don’t.  Many times it seems like with all the stuff going on at the church, or maybe with small things that rub me the wrong way I get easily distracted and my personal walk gets pushed aside a little.

This week a man by the name of Don Phillips came and spoke at our church and in many ways I think God used him to hit me in face a little.  Don’s preaching style wasn’t something I was used to.  He used examples from hunting and fishing, things that I know nothing about.  And if someone would describe his style of preaching to me before I probably would not have been real interested to be honest.  But after his first message I was hooked.  The thing that I think I took most away from Don was his straight forward way of presenting the gospel.  I think so many times we’re scared to say certain things in a church.  Its almost like we’re afraid to mention the word hell because it might make people uncomfortable.  The only reason I say all that is to say that Don really stomped on my toes this week.  Some of the things he said at first made me uncomfortable but when I thought about it they should make me uncomfortable.  I think in many ways I get to comfortable in my faith.  I know where I stand with God, I know when I die I’ll be going to heaven but I think many times I don’t have the passionate burn to get others to have the same assurance of their salvation.  I recently read a book called the Barbarian Way.  The author describes how many times we lack the fire and the urgency we need to spreading the gospel of Jesus to other.  By lacking that fire we in turn take the fire out of others who don’t want to come across as overly religious.  I think the reading of the book and this revival were God’s way of smacking me in the face and asking…..Where’s your fire?  I like the way Webster defines revival, a restoration of life or a restoration to use.  That really sums up the last week for me!

Peace & Love,

The White-man

It’s Speedo Time Kids!!

So I realize I haven’t done this in a while and then I thought…..self…..its time you changed your blog account too. So I did and now I’m at Word Press. It seems pretty cool so far and because of this tremendous occasion I thought I should kick it off with a good post. I was searching for a picture on the web and came across this one. I have decided that these guys are my new hero’s. I mean you have to be some kind of comfortable in your own skin to look like this in public. And on top of that allow someone to take a picture of you. This gives me all the more reason to break out the speedo at the beach this year. I’m not sure my wife’s gonna go for that but I like I’ll look pretty good…considering. So as your sitting at home, maybe starting to think about that trip to the beach this summer and worrying because your beach body isn’t what you want it to be. Just take a look at these boys and then go break out that bathing suit and feel confident while you strut you stuff.

Peace & Love,

The White-man

Get in the boat!

So this morning I was reading in my Bible and I came across something that I found pretty interesting. I’ve probably read this story countless times or at least heard it countless times but there was a certain part today that really hit me. In Mark 6:45 and following is the story of when Jesus walks on water. We’ve all heard this story before probably alot in fact about how we need to place our faith in Jesus. If you want to I’m sure you can think of all the little catchy church sayings we get from stories like this such as; “always keep your eyes on Jesus.” You know those overused church sayings we seem to hear all the time. But it was another part of this story that really hit me this morning. In verse 45 it says, “Jesus immediately made his disciples get into the boat..” Think about that for a second. I always run right over this part of the verse wanting to get to the good part where Jesus walks on water, but listen, he made them get into the boat knowing a storm was coming.

See I think alot of times when bad things happen we, meaning I, have a tendency to say…why God are you allowing this to happen to me. You know where I’m coming from. Its almost as if I forget that He’s in control and no matter what happens He has a plan. When you read on further down it says in verse 48, “that he saw the disciples” and it goes on to say that “about the 4th watch of the night he went out to see them, walking on the water.” See he was watching them, he didnt even go out to see them until the 4th watch of the night, which was the 3:00 am - 6:00am shift. He knew all along what was going on. Its almost like we sometimes see God as our knight in shining armor that comes to the scene to get the big bad evil things away from us and regain control and walk out on the water and calm the storms in our life down. Instead of thinking of God as the all knowing, all powerful, all everything God who told us to get in the boat in the first place. Its not that God isn’t the knight in shinning armor, its just that He’s so much more. God is in everything, good and bad and as tough as it is he has called us as his followers to trust in His perfect plan. So no matter how tough life is or no matter how hard you feel like your going to crash just remember that He’s watching and waiting and IN CONTROL.

Peace and Love,

The White-man