A First for Me (and Jake)

We all know that football season has arrived, and if you know me, you know this makes me very happy. Not only do I enjoy College Football, but I also love High School football. Tonight was a HUGE game in our area called "The M&M Bowl;" it's Munford High School vs. Millington High School and it happens every year.

Well, tonight, I decided that I was going to go to the game. Of course, that's not really big news, but I also decided that I was going to take Jake with me. This was the first time that he has ever been to a football game; in fact, he kept asking me if we were going to watch the Bulldogs. Stephanie was very worried because Jake didn't take a nap today but he did great.

Now, I didn't expect him to sit there and watch the game all night, I'm not sure I could even do that. So we walked in, bought him a bottle of water, walked around, sat in the stands for a little while, walked to the other side, sat in the grass for a little while, watched the band at half time and headed home.

It was a GREAT night and this is just one reason I LOVE being a dad.

I watched it...

It was very interesting to me to see Rick Warren live and in person on Monday night, and then watch him talk to the presidential candidates on Saturday night, along with the rest of the nation. I found this quote from the Washington Post very interesting:

"This was not a debate. There was not a winner or a loser. The one sure winner was Rick Warren, who overnight changed the face of evangelicals in this country from the cartoon caricature of rigid, right-wing fundamentalists to one of open-minded, intelligent, concerned citizens. There were grumblings that the forum should not have been held in a church. But Warren managed to keep the religious aspect of the event to a minimum, including in his questions. And he followed his own advice, the lead sentence of his best-selling book "The Purpose-Driven Life." It wasn't all about him."

I said it Sunday and I'll say it again here; if you're depending on the government to save you then I've got some bad news for you. Whether Barack Obama or John McCain becomes president I still don't place my faith in either of these men. The government holds no power for the salvation of mankind. Only the gospel holds this power. If evangelicals would stop thinking of themselves as a voting bloc and start reaching the world with the gospel, I believe a lot of these other issues would completely disappear.

It's really simple. God hasn't selected Rick Warren to save evangelicalism; although I applaud him for a job well done. And God hasn't ordained Barack Obama or John McCain to save our nation; only Christ has such power...and the willingness to do so.

Worship at the Pointe

We had an incredible worship service on Wednesday night. All the guys on staff who planned, prayed and prepared did an amazing job. It was a great way to kick off "Worship at the Pointe" and all I can say is, I can't wait for this Wednesday. The bar has been set extremely high and it's going to take a lot of effort to keep it at this level. But I have confidence in our team and can't wait to see what this Wednesday will be like.

If you are anywhere close to Millington, you won't want to miss "Worship at the Pointe" this Wednesday at 6:30. Invite your friends and neighbors to come with you. It's going to be incredible.

Gone and Back

I was in Lynchburg, VA last week at the innovatechurch conference. It was an awesome time. Rick Warren did an amazing job the first night. It was the first time I have heard him in person and I could sense his passion for the church; very encouraging. Got to hear Church Colson, Tom Mullins, Jim Cymbala and Ed Stetzer as well.

Man, I have always wanted to meet Jim Cymbala and I had the chance to do that this week. His ministry and writings have influenced me greatly in just a few short years. It's amazing to see what God is doing through him at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City.

It was fun hanging out with Ed again; I forgot how funny he can be! I followed him around a bit on Tuesday and got to spend some time with Jonathan Falwell also. I was really impressed with him, God is doing some great things through him at Thomas Road.

All in all, it was a great trip. But, I'm VERY glad to be back with my family. I missed them way too much when I'm gone. I think I'm figuring out that I could never be a traveling evangelist or a preacher that travels a ton. I just miss my wife and kids way too much!

Is it time yet?

Man! I am COUNTING THE DAYS until College Football starts; I can't wait!

Stephanie says she can wait a little while longer because she actually enjoys me being somewhat productive on Saturdays and also football season means that cooler weather is coming. For her, cooler weather is a curse; it means that mommy has to stay inside all day with three small, wild, energetic children.

But, I am pumped about this season. I saw last week where the Dawgs are pre-season #1 in several polls. Awesome! I just hope we end up #1 at the END of the season! Starting well is important, but finishing well is vital. I'm pretty sure there's a spiritual application here as well. I tell you what, I want to finish well!

Quote of the Day

The other day, Stephanie was talking to Jake about prayer. He had hurt his lip pretty bad (see previous post) and Stephanie had asked if he had thanked God for healing his lip.

He answered, "No. I'll just tell Him when I get to Heaven."

Stephanie: "Well you should tell Him thank you by praying to Him. That is how we talk to God before we get to Heaven."

Jake: "Moooommmm, when I talk to Him, He never talks back."

Stephanie: "(Chuckle) Baby, He does talk back to you."

Jake: "Well I can't hear Him."

Where I've Been

Wow! I know I haven't posted in a while but there's a good reason for that. Things have been absolutely crazy since we got back from vacation. You know how it is when you get back from vacation and need a vacation to recover from the first one.

So, since then here's a little bit of what's happened since we've been back.

1. The Kudlas family, our good friends from GA, came up for a visit the last weekend in July. It was a great time.
2. Jake fell off the bed and almost bit through his lip; very close to needing stitches.
3. I left for Atlanta with our Sr. Adults on July 30th. Stephanie called me in the middle of the night on Thursday and said that Jake woke up with an extremely high fever; so bad he was seeing things flying around his room.
4. Steph took him to the doctor on Friday and he had a severe infection and needed some serious medical attention.
5. I flew home from Anniston, AL to Millington, TN thanks to a very kind act from a friend of a friend in order to get back and take care of my family.
6. We had a GREAT day on Sunday as we celebrated 5 years for Crosspointe and our family's first year here.
7. I woke up feeling awful on Monday and as of last night (for our Clay Crosse concert) I had no voice at all. Still nothing today.
8. Today, Stephanie and I woke up at 4:15 AM to get the boys ready for their surgery. They both had tubes put in their ears (details here). They're both doing well but it has been an extremely long day!

So, I hope that is proper justification for my online absence. The funny thing is, that this is only the beginning. It's going to be a crazy fall!