Focus on Jesus

Life can be hard. For some in the metroplex, today is especially hard because the beloved Dallas Cowboys lost in their playoff game against the NY Giants. In the grand scheme of things (and by that I mean life) it really is not that big of a deal. However, many will wallow in their misery this week as if someone literally ripped out their heart.

There are people today who are dealing with much greater troubles. There is a sweet lady in my ministry who found out this past week that she has cancer and will need surgery in the next week to remove it - then chemo - then a lot of prayer. On our church prayer chain, I read about a family who lost their dad and husband at the age of 38 because he was serving his country in Iraq. When I think about these situations and the similar times of disappointment or grief that I have experienced, I am reminded that the "storms" of life are inevitable. Everyone experiences storms in his life. They are sometimes unpredictable, always devastating, and can come quickly or last a very long time. Regardless of who you are, you will experience storms.

How do you handle those storms? Who do you turn to for answers? Those are difficult but great questions. In Matthew chapter 14, we read about the apostle Peter stepping out in a great act of faith. Verses 22 through 32 document the story of Jesus walking on water. If you have grown up in church, you know what happens.... Peter asks to join Jesus on the water, Jesus says "come on out," Peter steps out of the boat, stands on the water and doesn't sink. If the story ended there you would say, "WOW!", "GREAT!", "That-a-boy, Peter!"....but something happens. Verse 30 of Matthew 14 tells us that "...he (Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me!"....

Did you notice the first phrase? "....he SAW the wind..." Interesting, isn't it? Would you not say that he felt the wind? The point that is being made here is subtle but simple - Peter took his eyes of Jesus and put them on the wind around him. When you focus on the storm or your circumstances and problems that surround you, rest assured that you will begin to sink in the midst of those circumstances or problems. But when you keep your focus solely upon Jesus... you will find safety, peace, and comfort. It does not mean that the storm will go away. That storm may whistle and blow hard but the key is this: where will you put your focus? On the storm or on Jesus?

American Gladiators

Oh yes, you know what I am talking about. If you went to high school in the 80's or early 90's, you know all about American Gladiators. The Joust, the Eliminator, the Rings, and much more crammed into one exciting hour of breathtaking television entertainment! Well, it's BACK and bigger than ever. Plus, for us "teens of the 80's", they have added Hulk Hogan as a host - how awesome is that, BROTHER!? (If you are a Hulk Hogan fan, then you understand the "BROTHER" reference). Last night, I watched the premier of American Gladiators on NBC - and I have to admit, it was very good. They have kept most of the old events and added some pretty cool new events. What's wild is the fact that I am sitting in my living room watching this show with MY KIDS! And they love it!

Now don't get me wrong, it is purely for entertainment purposes. There is no educational value (maybe healthy living - but that is a stretch, I know), or nothing that challenges your brain or makes you think. It is purely average American people (who happen to be in really great shape) getting a chance to put on head gear and beat the fool out of muscular models - with the chance to earn money doing it. In the words of boxing promoter Don King, "Only in America!"

It is important to understand that the people who apply and are able to go on this show are in amazing condition. Last night, a Marine lady and kick boxing lady were on the show and they were literally dusting the gladiators. I started thinking, who do I know that could go on this show? Obviously not me! There is a guy in the Bible Fellowship that I used to teach in Tennessee named Jack - he is in the FBI. He is a small guy who stays in great shape - probably knows about 31 ways to kill a man with his hands type of guy - he would be good on this show with his quickness, small but strong size, and his anger management issues.
My current pastor could go on this show - he is 6'5" and about 260 solid (That is him on the left - Hulk Hogan is above - didn't want you to get them mixed up). He could hold his own - and how cool is that - to have a pastor who could go on American Gladiators? That would be classic! I could see it now: "Now that I have beaten Wolverine (Gladiator man's nickname on the show) in the Joust - can I have one conversation with you if I could only have one?"

Ok, I am ranting, Happy New Year to everyone! I hope 2008 is the best yet. God bless...

Shaking the doldrums

As you can see in my previous post, I truly love Christmas. Now, comes the hard part - getting myself back in the habit of actually being productive. I get used to sleeping in, taking it easy, going to see holiday movies, eating out, eating at home, playing the X-box with my son, and just hanging out. Don't get me wrong, everyone needs "down time" and I enjoy taking mine every year. The difficult thing is getting out of the "down time". I have heard people say if they won a million dollars they wouldn't change a thing - that they would keep on working like they do today. Really? Welllll, not me.... I wouldn't mind trying it out for awhile.

The one thing that gets me back in gear and going again is the fact that I am blessed. I remind myself that many people this past week worked every day. Some people don't have a choice. They have to get up at early hours, work late into the day, and work very difficult jobs. To some, Christmas is just another day in the week. Those people didn't get "down time" or the opportunity to see a holiday movie. I think about that and how much I actually enjoy my job (to the point that it doesn't seem like a job), and I don't have any trouble getting back to the reality of my life. God has blessed me and my family. I remind myself of this truth and allow it to help me shake the doldrums and get back to work!

Kids and Christmas - the True Meaning

During this time of year, I become like a big kid. I enjoy everything about Christmas - cookies, presents, shopping, lights, cold weather, cookies, Christmas pageants, the Charlie Brown Christmas special, Santa, cookies, time with family, and Christmas music. Did I mention cookies? My mom for years has made these great cookies (just for me by the way!) with chocolate icing on top - oh my word! I could eat two dozen - and probably do every year. Christmas means different things to different people. For some, it is a joyous occasion while for others it can be a sad time without beloved family or friends who have passed on. It also seems that our culture has become afraid to say this time of year is the "Christmas season". We know call it the "Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, holiday, festival time of year" (I would like to see you create a song with that title!) But in reality, this time of year should mean one thing for everyone - a time to be thankful and reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ.

As a Christian, I am aware of the importance of Christ's birth, but I far too often don't appreciate and value it the way that I should. As we approach December 25th, I am challenging myself to remember the true reason for this holiday. While I enjoy all that comes with Christmas, I am able to do so because of the birth of Jesus. Our family will take the time this year to teach our children this important lesson. My wife and I have worked to develop certain traditions in our home that emphasize the importance of Christmas. Each year, we all go see a Christmas production that tells the story of Christ birth and then talk about it on the way home. We read the true Christmas story from Luke chapter 2 on Christmas Eve before going to bed. We also take the kids to a Wal-Mart or shopping mall and let them pick out an angel tree gift to buy and give away - because not every child will have presents this year.

I love celebrating this season, especially with my kids. We do it all - as you can tell in the picture above! But the most important thing we do is consistently remind them of that important event that happened about 2,000 years ago in a very small town called Bethlehem. So as you snuggle around the fire with your family on Christmas Eve, take a moment to look out the window at the starry cool evening and remember what Luke told the shepherds on that similar night: "I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!"

College Football and the BCS

Okay, this may not be a post that would interest all of you, nor will it be one of my more spiritual post. With that said, occasionally, I think it is good to get things off your chest - I call it venting. This vent is in regards to the college football ranking system and championship formula known as the BCS. Now let's get one thing straight - I am a die hard Tennessee Volunteer.
So, I don't have a dog in this fight (as my old high school basketball coach used to say - for an explanation look up a redneck dictionary). Back to my venting. For the life of me, I don't understand why we cannot have a college football playoff. It does not have to be like March Madness College Basketball with 64 teams. Rather, something very easy that could be implemented tomorrow. Here is my plan (I am sure that I am not the original author of this plan, but I will take credit for it). First, make all 6 major conferences have a championship game like the SEC and ACC do currently. To have this conference championship game, you would need at least 12 teams in the conference so that you could split teams up into 2 divisions.

To accomplish this task, move Notre (we are the most over hyped overrated team in the history of college football) Dame and move them to the weakest conference in America - the Big Ten. That would give the Big Ten twelve teams - thus a championship game. The Big East already has enough teams, so they can have a championship game. For the Pac-10, put Hawaii and Boise State in that league to give them 12 teams. Now, all 6 conferences (SEC, ACC, BIG TEN, BIG 12, PAC-10, BIG EAST) have a championship game.

The winners of those games make it into the BCS championship tournament, and the final 2 spots are determined by the BCS ranking of the highest team that did not win their conference championship game. Let the BCS poll seed the teams, and play them beginning January 2 as not to detract from the New Year's Day Bowl games. Let the playoffs be played in the stadiums that house the Sugar, Orange, etc. so that they will not lose their money, and the other 34 teams left out of the BCS tournament can play in the bowl games named after corporate sponsors. There.... I feel better. It will never be done, but I feel better. For now, we have to put up with this craziness of the BCS and hope that it changes soon. In reality - in the grand scheme of this world - it really is no big deal. Enjoy your college football and GO VOLS!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I love the Christmas season! For me, it officially begins when the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place on Thanksgiving morning and ends on the morning of January 2nd. Of course, Christmas decorations and Christmas music can begin on November 1st. Some people would argue with me that November 1st is too early! I say those people are wrong (in a kind and humble way). I am also glad that a little cold weather has hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area. About a week ago me and my family were riding in our car with the windows down in shorts and t-shirts due to the 84 degree temperature - there is just something wrong with that in the middle of November. On the car radio, the Christmas song "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" was playing. We laughed as it looked like May outside. Today, it is a brisk 50 degrees with a cool wind blowing - love it! Our family built our first fire of the season last night as temps dipped to the mid-30's. This is truly my favorite time of the year. Enjoy it! Spend time with your family. But, most importantly, be thankful that the whole reason for this great season is that our Lord and Savior came to earth as a baby to die for our sins. Our family will enjoy the holiday. We will eat some great food. We will exchange gifts. But we will also pause to celebrate our Savior - Jesus Christ! Merry Christmas and be blessed!

Top 10 things to make you a true NASCAR fan...

This past weekend, my family and I went to the NASCAR Busch race at Texas Motor Speedway. I had been to a race before, but this was a first for my son, daughter, and wife. We had a great time primarily because we were together as a family. My 7 year old son had a blast and has now proclaimed that he wants to be a race car driver (by the way, my kids informed me that race car spelled backwards spells race car!). If my mother is reading this, don't worry mom, next week he will want to be a baseball player...


I will tell you that if you have never been to a NASCAR race before, go at least one time. Regardless of whether you like the sport or not, it is a sight to see, at least once. I will admit that I was reminded of what comedian Jeff Foxworthy said about going to the state fair: "If you ever want to feel better about yourself, just go to the state fair and look around - you will begin to feel a lot better!". I will tell you, that goes for a NASCAR race as well.

Without further delay (and in salute to David Letterman), here are my top 10 things to make you a true NASCAR fan (according to my observations this past weekend):

10. You must purchase the appropriate car flag of your favorite driver and fly it from your car at all times while traveling to and from the race. Large banners flying from the trunk are also encouraged.
9. Corn dogs are good for you. Don't think about your heart stopping when you eat the 5 pound hot dog smothered in batter that is big enough to be used as a baseball bat!
8. Take your vehicle to a dealership and request that they change your car horn from its normal sound to the ability to play the "rebel yell" from the Dukes of Hazzard. Then, as you drive around the race track, honk your horn repeatedly and do your best Bo Duke "ya hoooo" impersonation.
7. Keeping on the Dukes theme: Daisy Dukes are considered normal attire - although not the best choice for the majority of people attending (including men).
6. Be sure to have your high tech radio headsets to wear during the race - true fans will have the head phones with the microphone pieces in the front and the wireless scanner to listen to the pit crews. Talking into the microphone of your headset will not guarantee that the pit crew chief will actually hear you - but go ahead and pretend.
5. It is appropriate to cheer when an accident occurs on the track. We don't encourage this outside the race track so please refrain from honking your horn and shouting "yeah!" on the interstate when you see a fender bender.
4. You should only put down your cigarette long enough to dip a good piece of your SKOAL tobacco chew. However, please be extra cautious that you do not drop your cigarette.
3. It is also appropriate to salute your favorite driver as they whiz by you at 180 mph with your desired beverage of choice. No need to shout or say anything at this point - the salute speaks for itself.
2. Duct tape is a way of life....embrace it.
(Drum roll here.....) and the number one thing that will make you a true NASCAR fan....
1. Put 14 leather recliners in a long flat bed trailer behind a Chevy Truck and use it as a trolley to drive people to their cars. Be sure to tie the safety rope on the back for people to hold on to as they ride.