Went fishing yesterday afternoon and this morning. Total fish count: 2. Very small bluegill. But I got to get outside for awhile.
Geocaching is a sport I love, but only with other people. Fishing is a sport I love, but mostly by myself. Both involve spending time in parks. Both need good weather. But there's an intrinsic difference in the goal.
Going to the Reds' game tonight. Woo hoo! Beat them 'Stros!
Friday, April 28, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
A Quick note
I've been reading lately.
I used to read a lot in high school, but in college I got away from it when my social life picked up. But soon to be an official dad, I've been perousing lots and lots of books. I've always been a magazine sort of guy, but lately I've gravitated towards books.
I guess I just need to be ready.
I used to read a lot in high school, but in college I got away from it when my social life picked up. But soon to be an official dad, I've been perousing lots and lots of books. I've always been a magazine sort of guy, but lately I've gravitated towards books.
I guess I just need to be ready.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Why do Easter Bunnies hide eggs, anyway?
T minus 5 days and counting until my favorite holiday of the year...Easter.
I never realized how much Easter meant to me until I was in high school, and had to work on Easter Sunday. I missed out on the big crowd at church. You know, when everybody you haven't seen since Christmas shows up. I missed out on the fun Easter songs that you sing only on Easter Sunday, like "Up From the Grave He Arose!" and "He Lives!" and many many others. Growing up in a small country church gave me perspective on the whole Easter Sunday thing.
When I was 7, we got a new pastor, Bro. James Wells. On the Sunday night before Easter, he came to talk to our Training Union class. Training Union is apparently now an archaic dinosaur that was really the predecessor to "Small Groups." We met each Sunday night at 6 for Training Union, just like we met for Sunday School at 10 in the morning. We studied in depth particular topics, even when I was 7. Needless to say, we never had as many kids for Training Union as we had for Sunday School. I think there may have been 5 or 6 of us. Bro. Jim talked to us about Jesus, and how He came to die for all of us kids so that we could be in heaven one day. He talked about trusting Jesus with our lives, our hearts, every thing we had.
After Training Union and the PM service, as we were walking out, shaking the preacher's hand, I just remember going to him and saying that I wanted to become a Christian. I wanted Jesus to live in my heart. He took me back in to the steps where we knelt, and he quoted some Scripture passages from Romans to me. I especially remember Romans 10:13--"For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved."
I called that night.
And I was saved.
He explained to me what to do next. On the following Sunday, when he gave the "invitation" I needed to walk down that aisle and let the church know that I had been saved. At 7, I had little to no fear whatsoever, and did just that. On Easter Sunday, 1982, I walked the aisle and let my church know what Jesus had done for me.
Being a small country church, we didn't have a baptistry. When people got saved at New Antioch, we usually called up Brookland Baptist to see if we could have a joint evening service with them. I guess we called them and got it set up because the following Sunday night, we journeyed the 2 or 3 miles down the road to join up for a baptism service, where me, Dale Burleson, 12, Matt Mink, 9, and Michael Willey, 9, were baptized.
Dale's family wasn't the most stable. He had a hard time throughout school, and never really much came to church after that. I never really knew him, but I know Matt really looked up to him. Dale was killed in a car crash either when he was about to graduate high school, or just thereafter.
Michael became addicted to drugs while in middle school. He lived with his grandparents, and they sent him away to a rehab center/boarding school. He visited occasionally over the next few years, but we really lost contact. I heard he's living in Virginia or somewhere and doing well with a family of his own.
Matt grew on up at New Antioch with me. He was at church every Sunday, just like me, but he was there because his family made him come. After graduation, he came less and less frequently, and eventually married a girl from Jonesboro. I think they're living in Little Rock now and doing well, attending a church there.
But I do love Easter. I can't remember the exact reasons why I gave my life to Christ 24 years ago. Who knows what goes through a 7 year old's mind? I like to think it has to do with the Easter story.
The greatest story ever told.
We should all tell this story.
Over and over again.
Tell me the story of Jesus. Write on my heart every word. Tell me the story most precious. Sweetest that ever was heard.
I never realized how much Easter meant to me until I was in high school, and had to work on Easter Sunday. I missed out on the big crowd at church. You know, when everybody you haven't seen since Christmas shows up. I missed out on the fun Easter songs that you sing only on Easter Sunday, like "Up From the Grave He Arose!" and "He Lives!" and many many others. Growing up in a small country church gave me perspective on the whole Easter Sunday thing.
When I was 7, we got a new pastor, Bro. James Wells. On the Sunday night before Easter, he came to talk to our Training Union class. Training Union is apparently now an archaic dinosaur that was really the predecessor to "Small Groups." We met each Sunday night at 6 for Training Union, just like we met for Sunday School at 10 in the morning. We studied in depth particular topics, even when I was 7. Needless to say, we never had as many kids for Training Union as we had for Sunday School. I think there may have been 5 or 6 of us. Bro. Jim talked to us about Jesus, and how He came to die for all of us kids so that we could be in heaven one day. He talked about trusting Jesus with our lives, our hearts, every thing we had.
After Training Union and the PM service, as we were walking out, shaking the preacher's hand, I just remember going to him and saying that I wanted to become a Christian. I wanted Jesus to live in my heart. He took me back in to the steps where we knelt, and he quoted some Scripture passages from Romans to me. I especially remember Romans 10:13--"For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved."
I called that night.
And I was saved.
He explained to me what to do next. On the following Sunday, when he gave the "invitation" I needed to walk down that aisle and let the church know that I had been saved. At 7, I had little to no fear whatsoever, and did just that. On Easter Sunday, 1982, I walked the aisle and let my church know what Jesus had done for me.
Being a small country church, we didn't have a baptistry. When people got saved at New Antioch, we usually called up Brookland Baptist to see if we could have a joint evening service with them. I guess we called them and got it set up because the following Sunday night, we journeyed the 2 or 3 miles down the road to join up for a baptism service, where me, Dale Burleson, 12, Matt Mink, 9, and Michael Willey, 9, were baptized.
Dale's family wasn't the most stable. He had a hard time throughout school, and never really much came to church after that. I never really knew him, but I know Matt really looked up to him. Dale was killed in a car crash either when he was about to graduate high school, or just thereafter.
Michael became addicted to drugs while in middle school. He lived with his grandparents, and they sent him away to a rehab center/boarding school. He visited occasionally over the next few years, but we really lost contact. I heard he's living in Virginia or somewhere and doing well with a family of his own.
Matt grew on up at New Antioch with me. He was at church every Sunday, just like me, but he was there because his family made him come. After graduation, he came less and less frequently, and eventually married a girl from Jonesboro. I think they're living in Little Rock now and doing well, attending a church there.
But I do love Easter. I can't remember the exact reasons why I gave my life to Christ 24 years ago. Who knows what goes through a 7 year old's mind? I like to think it has to do with the Easter story.
The greatest story ever told.
We should all tell this story.
Over and over again.
Tell me the story of Jesus. Write on my heart every word. Tell me the story most precious. Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Dude. I got a Dell. And a heartbeat.
When I walked into my office after vacation, I noticed things were awry. The first clue was the big Dell box in my floor, then I noticed a new flat panel monitor. Then I noticed a new black Dell E310 Dimension on top of my old 'puter. Yippee! After 6 years, with a couple of updates, I finally got a new computer! Dangit! After 6 years, I had a TON of stuff on my old 'puter, including stuff I needed for Sunday. Oh well, easily remedied. Just time consuming. I rehooked my old puter up today and copied it all to the server, but I can't seem to get to the right drive from my new computer. I'll figure it out. Or I'll just make Phil do it.
We had the big "It's time to hear the heartbeat!" appointment for the bean yesterday. By all accounts of these pregnancy sites, the bean should be about 3.5 inches long by now. So not so much a bean anymore, but anyways. Dr. Roberts came in. Immediately, we liked her. She made some small talk, Kim asked her questions, and then out came the little fetal doppler thingy onto the belly. After a few moves around, Dr. Roberts says, "You've got quite a little mover! Listen to that good strong heartbeat!" And it was there. Ka-thump-a-thump-a-thump-a- thump. And I smiled.
And Kim smiled.
And Kim would laugh, and make the thing go, "WOOOOOOOO" and nearly deafen us.
And it was real.
Sunday we sang "The Heart of Worship" and it meant something to me like never before. When we first saw Butterbean, there was a little light flickering. That was the baby's heart. We were actually looking into our child's heart. In "The Heart of Worship," there's a line that goes, "You're looking into my heart."
That's what God does. He looks into our hearts. Physically, we were looking into Butterbean's heart, and marvelling. God looks into our hearts and knows what we feel. Our fears, our sins, our strengths, our passions.
This having a baby thing is very spiritual. I guess I wasn't as prepared for that as much as I thought I would be.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Amen.
We had the big "It's time to hear the heartbeat!" appointment for the bean yesterday. By all accounts of these pregnancy sites, the bean should be about 3.5 inches long by now. So not so much a bean anymore, but anyways. Dr. Roberts came in. Immediately, we liked her. She made some small talk, Kim asked her questions, and then out came the little fetal doppler thingy onto the belly. After a few moves around, Dr. Roberts says, "You've got quite a little mover! Listen to that good strong heartbeat!" And it was there. Ka-thump-a-thump-a-thump-a- thump. And I smiled.
And Kim smiled.
And Kim would laugh, and make the thing go, "WOOOOOOOO" and nearly deafen us.
And it was real.
Sunday we sang "The Heart of Worship" and it meant something to me like never before. When we first saw Butterbean, there was a little light flickering. That was the baby's heart. We were actually looking into our child's heart. In "The Heart of Worship," there's a line that goes, "You're looking into my heart."
That's what God does. He looks into our hearts. Physically, we were looking into Butterbean's heart, and marvelling. God looks into our hearts and knows what we feel. Our fears, our sins, our strengths, our passions.
This having a baby thing is very spiritual. I guess I wasn't as prepared for that as much as I thought I would be.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Amen.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Short but sweet
This will precede a much longer post, one I will write when I get a little more caught up after the breakest of springs.
The trip was fine. Dad's old. Mom's older than I thought. Kim's pregnant. So all of these conspired against seeing everything I would have liked to. But that was okay.
Aside from a slight scare from Kim heading home, the trip was absent of malcontent. Mom and I generally got a long better than I thought we would.
They left this morning to head back to Arkansas. When they leave, or we leave from a visit, it gets harder and harder every time to say goodbye.
I'll post some pics when I have some time. This week is going to be a killer.
TJ
The trip was fine. Dad's old. Mom's older than I thought. Kim's pregnant. So all of these conspired against seeing everything I would have liked to. But that was okay.
Aside from a slight scare from Kim heading home, the trip was absent of malcontent. Mom and I generally got a long better than I thought we would.
They left this morning to head back to Arkansas. When they leave, or we leave from a visit, it gets harder and harder every time to say goodbye.
I'll post some pics when I have some time. This week is going to be a killer.
TJ
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