thoughts from ME

Follow the Leader

2009-08-17T01:36:00.008-04:00

*this blog was written from observation, not from any current situations* Enjoy!

I am a soccer player, a.k.a. football player. I’ve spent many years on the soccer field – many nights at practice – and many weekends on the road. Soccer is an amazing sport. It requires skill, fitness and a bunch of teamwork. In July, I was able to go down to St. Lucia to help with a soccer camp. We had over 300 kids from ages 8-18 with a wide range of skills. Their passion for the sport and their desire to learn was incredible. We were able to teach them new skills which they then put into practice during our scrimmages. On the last day of camp, we had warm ups and I led them in something which we call Follow the Leader.

It’s a simple thing.
The leader does something and watch this
–you follow –
incredible huh?
things like touch the ground, jump, high knees, etc.
All you need to do is watch or listen to the leader and then do what he does.

Transitioning into our roles as men in a tough generation. It is very difficult as a male in our society and culture to truly be the leader. The women’s rights movement hasn’t really helped our cause.
We have women in school getting degrees

-out working trying to compete on salaries-

doing everything they can to make us equal.

All of which are great things and I applaud you ladies for wanting to make something of yourselves but in doing that, you make it really hard on us guys.

We want to be the leaders that you need and desire. We want to be the breadwinner.
We want to wear the pants in the relationship. We want to be able to provide for you. We want you to have the life that you have always dreamed of. We want you to feel loved all the time. We want you to feel cared for always.

But we are not perfect. We make mistakes and we will continue to make mistakes. It’s hard. It’s a huge responsibility to be the leader. We can’t lead ourselves, let alone someone else. We aren’t always going to have the right answer for you or the right thing to say. We aren't always going to provide the best life for you. This life will have its ups and downs. It will be tough. But please know that if we have made that commitment to you then we still feel the same way that we did for you at the beginning, probably more.

We are, however, trying.
We want to be able to lead and give you everything.
-BUT-

We need you to be come along side of us and be flexible with us.

Help us out.
Allow us to lead and make it a team.

Dont make it a competition.
Respect the things that we may choose or decide upon.

Always remember that we are looking out for you more than ourselves.

You are our prized possession.
We will do anything for you.

We love you.

Ephesians 5:22-28
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

St. Lucia Prayer Letter

2009-07-06T23:58:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you know, my heart is set on missions. I believe that in some form or another, I will one day be overseas whether in a city or a village with the purpose of sharing Christ with people that have never been exposed or even heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This summer, I was given the opportunity to go to Indonesia for about 2 months and learn how to fish farm. Due to some unforeseeable changes in Indonesia, the trip was postponed to a later date. I was content with not going anywhere this summer but I still had a desire to serve in some aspect. Through some decisions and plans that were made out of my control, I now have the opportunity to go to St. Lucia.

The missionaries in St. Lucia are former Indian Rocks teachers, one of which was my high school soccer coach. They are natives to the island and have been back there for about 3 years. Since being back in St. Lucia, they have planted 3 churches and they have seen many people give their lives to Christ. They have ministries with women, married couples and they are now reaching out to the youth. The purpose of the trip is to help with a soccer camp. At the current time, the camp is expecting well over 500 kids. There will be World Cup soccer players and referees to lead the camp as well as representatives from SCORE International. Our role in the camp is to help with organization and lead devotions. It will be three full days of soccer and at the end of the camp, there will be a big fellowship with a Gospel presentation. The hope and prayer is that many kids will bring their families as this could be their first exposure to the Gospel.

On the next page, I have included a list of prayer requests. I am writing this letter because I believe that prayer is one of the strongest attacks we have against the evil in this world. Wycliffe Bible Translators has a sign in the headquarters in Orlando that reads – Prayer isn’t for the work, it is the Work. I then ask you for your prayers. I don’t know why I am on this trip but it is all coming together and it is out of my control. I know God is going to do something awesome and I ask that you join me on this trip with your prayers.

In Christ,

Mitchell Eggers

PRAYER NEEDS

Ø The hearts and souls of the lost and hurting people of St. Lucia.

Ø Team member and player’s safety and health during the camp.

Ø The fellowship night and Gospel presentation at the end of the camp.

Ø A deeper, personal relationship with God.

Ø Wisdom and discernment in the future with decisions and life choices.

Ø As of Monday, the government is not allowing the camp at the National Stadium or a big field. As a result, the camp is currently going to be a small field which would only allow for about 150 kids. Pray for the government to have a change of heart.

Daily Struggles – Ignorant People

2009-03-06T21:56:00.005-05:00

How could anyone question a Creator on a day like today? It’s one of those Florida days that I wish I could bottle up so I could relive whenever I wanted. You know the days where there is a nice balance of sunshine but still a little coolness in the air? That’s what it is like today. A day that a camera couldn’t do it justice. Sure, it would capture the perfect blue skies and the palm trees softly blowing in the wind but it wouldn’t catch the feel. The feeling of WOW, there has to be more. Somebody or something had to have created this beauty. There’s no other explanation.

Days like this make me feel so insignificant. It just shows order and a plan - that I am nothing in this huge world that I live in.

The sun rises,
provides the perfect amount of warmth,
sets for the day
and then it starts all over again the next day.

Granted, some days the clouds don’t allow us to feel the heat but even the clouds are amazing. Clouds hold rain. How cool is that? I can imagine God putting all this stuff together and then thinking I need to get water to my people. How can I do that? By creating oceans and lakes and springs – that’s how - but He needed something more. He needed a way to get fresh water down to Earth. So what a brilliant idea - make clouds that can move across the world and drop fresh water down to us. Amazing! And not only does He provide the rain water but He also provides it in His perfect timing and knows exactly how much we need.

Jeremiah 5:24
They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'

I am just blown away at how anyone could deny a Creator on days like today.
Are they so blinded to the Truth that they can’t see it?
Or are they just stubborn and ignorant?

I know that anyone who truly wanted to search for the Truth could find it. Look at Darwin. He theorized against a creator by using evolution. I applaud the man for searching for answers and questioning a Creator. However, at the end of his search and the end of his life, he denied his own theory and said there had to be a Creator and someone in control – it’s not just a random thing. Darwin dedicated his whole life to this theory and at the end of his life, he rejected his own creation.

People today seem to be too busy to go on a search. They don’t want to know the Truth because they are satisfied with their life. They don’t need to throw any wrenches in it and distract from their American life. We do have it really good here in the States but at some time, people have to stop being ignorant and seek out the Truth and that’s where we come in. As Christians, we need to be throwing out questions to make people think, to make people uncomfortable and make people seek out the answers.

Oftentimes, the Truth isn’t comfortable but the Truth is always the Truth and people need to know it…

Daily Struggles - Speaking LOUD

2009-02-05T22:44:00.003-05:00

How LOUD are you speaking? The new Jeremy Camp song really drives this point home. Below are some lines from the song:

Take every chance that you can
Move together taking a stand
Never losing heart, we'll speak as one

We need to be the image of Christ
Show love and serve at all times
We can make a difference in these lands

We are the hope that's been forgotten
We have the love that will be brought and
We are speaking louder than before

It is a great song if you haven’t heard it. It truly speaks what is on the mind of Jeremy and so many other Christians in this world. It is our responsibility to speak LOUD about what we believe in.

If we aren’t the ones sharing our faith than who is?
The Jehovah’s Witnesses that come to our door,
The dead church down the road that people stumble into,
Or the Muslim nation that is quietly and quickly taking over the world?

Who’s it going to be?
Are you going to speak LOUD or let the world win these hearts?

I most definitely struggle at times with being LOUD.
I get busy with things.
My eyes aren’t open to opportunities.
I even get scared.

I’m silent, I’m quiet, I’m mute.
But then there are those times when I can be LOUD and fearless.
When sharing the truth and the love of Christ is the only thing that matters.
Where the Spirit takes over and I don’t even recall how it happened or where it came from.

Jeremiah 1:6-8 - "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.

What is stopping you and I from talking to people about the one thing that matters the most to us?
Is it our fear? Probably
Is it our pride? Probably
Is it the Devil? Probably

You know why I love talking to people about Christ? Because I know how much the Devil hates it. He can’t stand it and it just brings a smile to my face every time it happens.

Speaking LOUD these days can be difficult. It requires us to know our stuff. Our stuff being God and who He is and the only way to know “our stuff” is to be in the Word and be in constant communication with Him.

Take a stand today and be LOUD…

Daily Struggles - Focus

2009-01-13T16:52:00.004-05:00

This past week, I went to my old stomping grounds of Orlando for a weeklong interview process with a Christian organization. In my committee interview, I was drilled with questions about my past, my present ministries and my future vision. At the end of questioning, I stood up and thanked them and then everything in the room started spinning.

I couldn’t focus.

I seriously didn’t know what was going on and I thought I was going to crash to the ground. Luckily I didn’t and I somehow made it back to my room but the dizziness and loss of focus are still there. Anytime that I stand up or move my head real fast, it takes me a few seconds to re-gain my sight and focus my attention. It is definitely weird and the constant ringing in my ear doesn’t help. I feel very slow like I am a few steps behind.

With my present physical state, it got me thinking. All I want is to be able to stand up or turn my head and keep my focus.

I’m not asking much.

I use to be able to focus and keep my attention but something happened. But how much does God ask of me? All He wants me to do is keep my eyes focused on Him all the time. He isn’t asking much of me either.

He died for me.

He has an everlasting and unfailing love for me.

He deserves my eyes and my attention – ALL THE TIME.

Psalm 33:4-5
“For the Word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the Earth is full of His unfailing love.

I know why my focus is messed up speaking in physical terms. Well I don’t know the exact reason but I’ll find out when I go to the doctor. I know it is crazy – Mitch actually going to the doctor? Get out of here. Anyways, what about my focus on the Lord? Why would I ever take my eyes off of Him?

Sin
Busyness
Worry
Doubts

These are just to name a few. There is good news however. If through the help of the Holy Spirit, we can focus our eyes on Christ, all those things mentioned above will begin to disappear. We will see that everything we need, we have in Christ.

-We won’t need sin, but we will listen and obey His commands. (John 14:23)
-We won’t need to be busy in the world, but we will rest in Him. (Eph. 2:6-7)
-We won’t need to worry, but we will pray and know that He hears. (1 John 5:14-15)
-We won’t need to doubt, but we will know that He is faithful.
(Deut. 32:4)

Lord, I want tunnel vision on You. After focusing my eyes on You, show me in your way to go. Amen

Daily Struggles - Starbucks

2008-12-29T01:12:00.003-05:00

So I don’t know if you are aware of this, but I work at Starbucks. That’s the high paying coffee company that’s on every street corner in America. Working at Starbucks is a lot of fun – I’ll give it that. But it’s still Starbucks. I get coffee, I get great benefits but I still go into work and throw on a green apron and my black hat and say Welcome to Starbucks…

What 25 year old with a college degree in finance works at Starbucks?
It’s not like it’s my second job or it’s helping me pay bills as I get my master’s degree.

It is my job.

It is what pays my bills.

It’s what I have to answer, when people ask where do you work?
Yea I work at Starbucks.
Are you in school?
No, I graduated and I have a degree.
Then you always get that fun look that comes across their face. They look at you like you’re crazy or messed up - like you aren’t good enough to be in the big time corporate world like they are. Little do they know that I’ve been there and I know what it’s like. I’ve seen millions of dollars passing from one person to another. I’ve been in the meetings where a person’s retirement was on the line. I’ve seen it.

But it’s not for me. There are bigger and better things for me. I tried it and now I’m back at square one - Starbucks. Right now, I’m one of those guys that I despised in high school. The older guy that had the job that the high schooler needed and deserved.

I am very grateful and thankful for the job and life that I have but it’s a DAILY STRUGGLE that I go through. On those mornings that I have to roll out of my bed at 4 or even 6, the first thought in my head is always what are you doing, Mitchell? You can do so much more than this. And that is exactly what I am going to do.

I have been placed at Starbucks for a reason.
I know that I can fall into a worldly mindset and get frustrated with my job and my current situation – OR – I can see it as God does.

A time of focus -
A time of study -
A time of growth -

I’ve been placed there for a reason and each day can be a struggle if I choose to see it through the world’s eyes but I choose to see it through His eyes.

Lord, continue to grow me in this time. I know that this isnt what I want to be doing but I trust in your plan for my life and I trust that you will continue to pave the way. Lead me one step at a time and I will follow...

Hold Your Horses Buddy

2008-10-19T17:13:00.002-04:00

As a kid when my parents asked if I wanted to go to the toy store, I lit up just like any kid does. That is a kid’s paradise. So many toys that I don’t have, that I need and that I want.

What stops me from getting the new remote control car or video game system?
Money
So what do I do?
I ask Mom and Dad to buy it for me.

Obviously Mom and Dad are going to say no but every once in awhile for some reason they say yes. It’s usually after report cards or near my birthday or Christmas. Sometimes you even have to sweet talk them into it which works pretty well.

However, God does not work this way. There is no sweet talking God.

If you give me this now, God, I will be good for the rest of the month. I’ll be at church whenever the doors open, I’ll tithe every week and I’ll even read my Bible every morning. That’s all riding on if you give me what I want first.

Sometimes when we ask things of God, He does say yes and He give us what we want.

Psalm 37:4

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

I John 5:13-14

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

Matthew 7:7

“Ask and it will be given to you..”

Sometimes, like with our parents, we get the no. What we ask for, we don’t get which is never fun. When we ask for something like in the toy store, we are hoping to get it. We want it but God for some reason doesn’t give it to us.

Romans 8:28

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Genesis 50:21

“So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.”

With our parents, we get a yes or no. God works on the same answer system but He adds one – WAIT.

How would you feel if you asked your parents for the toy and they said wait?
Wait!
How about a yes or no?!
I don’t want to wait.
I can’t wait.
How long do I have to wait?
Why am I waiting?

God loves to make us wait. Not because He is trying to hurt us or because He wants to torment us. He does it because He wants to see our faith and trust in Him.
Can you wait on God to deliver?
Do you trust that He is going to give you what you want at the right time?

He knows what you want and He knows what you need. He also knows the best time for you to get what you want. Our job is to be persistent in praise and thanksgiving followed with requests like it says in Philippians.

Phil. 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Will you wait on God who waited a long time on you?

Tried and True

2008-09-25T17:44:00.011-04:00

I tend to think that I am a pretty smart person. Some people are just born really smart and that’s great for them - others have to learn. People learn things in three different ways: visually, auditory or kinesthetically. I can learn by reading the new Erwin McManus book, Wide Awake, or by reading through the book of Romans. I can also learn by listening to a professor or listening to my pastor. Both ways are great ways but I learn more from actually getting my hands dirty and getting put into action. I can do all the watching of football games that I want but it isn’t until I am thrown into the game that I begin to see the areas that need improvements or the areas where I am strong.

As many of you know, I have the opportunity to go overseas for 2 years with hopes of turning it into a career thing. The goal of a missionary is to connect with people and then share the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is an amazing opportunity but I cant help but be selfish in thinking about it. As awesome as it would be to see lost people come to know the Lord, I am also excited about my own personal growth that will happen during these times. The verses in James are always on my mind:

James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of any kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may by mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I know that without a doubt that it is going to be really tough to be halfway around the world - away from family, away from friends, away from my sports teams, away from comfort. If I could, I would bring everyone and everything with me but unfortunately I cannot do that.

On the flipside, I can’t wait to get thrown into the game.
I want to be tossed into a world of lost souls.
I want to see God move through towns and villages.
I want to see lives changed and only be able to attribute it to the Living God.
I want to be tried.
I want to have no idea what to say or what I am supposed to do.
I want to be scared of what is going to happen.
I want to be tested because I know that will grow my faith and trust in the Lord.
I want to be refined and purified.

I Peter 1:6-7: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Through this experience, I hope to become mature in my faith and see a whole new God – the God that created me and desires a true and deep relationship with me. The God that I have come to know is amazing but there is so much more to find. Like it says in Matthew – “Seek and you shall find.”

The journey will be tough. It will have its ups and downs – its times of laughing and its times of tears. I know that in those rough times, I can rest in His promises.

Isaiah 41:9-10:
“I took you from the ends of the earth,
From its farthest corners I called you.
I said, “You are my servant;”
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Blah Blah Blah

2008-08-19T00:52:00.007-04:00

This is going to be short and I am just going to start it off and say it – I don’t like deep friendships - I like the surface relationships. The ones that involve, “Hi, how are you today,” and “What have you been up to lately?” The conversations that when you leave you don’t have to remember anything because there was nothing to it. It may sound shallow but that is what I like.

I don’t know what is so appealing about an arms distance relationship but it is much more enjoyable to me. I do like to talk and have conversations but I hate having to talk about myself. I would rather talk about the Florida Marlins or the Presidential race or Barbie than have to talk about myself. I don’t like to sit around a dinner table and talk about me or what’s on my mind. I don’t mind listening to others but have a real hard time talking about myself.

In order to begin a deep and meaningful relationship, you have to talk about yourself. Why can’t we just hit the basics like how your day was, what your plans are for tomorrow and talk sports and end it at that? Wouldn’t that just be easier? Why start a deep friendship when it will all fade away at some point anyway? Let’s be real – somebody will get married or move away and everything won’t be the same anymore. You may say that you’ll talk or email all the time but we all know that isn’t going to happen. Now your deep relationship has turned into an arms distance one, so why not just start it that way and keep it that way? That’s how it will turn out anyways….

(just to clear it up, I would rather listen to someone talk about themselves than have to talk about myself)

CrazyLove

2008-07-17T22:41:00.003-04:00

Have you ever sat in amazement at just how everything works? I have no idea how the computer in front of me or the tv Im watching works. I turn it on and I expect it to operate and it usually does. We have expectations on these things and if they are not met, we become quite frustrated and even mad.

But what about expectations of ourselves? What are we supposed to do in this life? If someone were to turn on the channel of our life, what would they expect to see? If we call ourselves Christians, would they be expecting pure, holy, sinless people? or would they be expecting the person that goes to church, reads his Bible, prays but still messes up? I bet your thinking the second one but why is that ok? Why are we allowed to mess up? Why is our mindset stuck in sin? Like its alright to sin because we have God's grace. Or the excuse that we are just humans. Jesus came to this earth for a purpose. He went to the cross to bear our sins and made us a new creation so that we wouldnt have to be in sin anymore. Why is it still ok?

I for one know the grace of God. I still sin but it comes down to a daily renewal of the mind and spirit. Its about standing your ground when the temptations start and then continuing to stand on the Rock who will never fail. Its about a relationship with the Father who created you and has always and will always love you. I know it sounds crazy but if you truly love someone you wont want to hurt them.

Fall in love with your Maker. And make it a crazy kind of love.

101%

2008-06-15T20:48:00.002-04:00

What equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants to give over 100%. How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here’s a mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z Y is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then,

HARDWORK = 8+1+18=4+23+15+18+11= 98% AND

KNOWLEDGE = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5= 96% BUT,

ATTITUDE = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5= 100% AND,

Look how far the LOVE OF GOD will take you,

LOVE OF GOD = 12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4= 101%

THEREFORE, ONE CAN CONCLUDE WITH MATHEMATICAL CERTAINTY THAT: WHILE HARDWORK AND KNOWLEDGE WILL GET YOU CLOSE, AND ATTITUDE WILL GET YOU THERE, IT’S THE LOVE OF GOD THAT WILL PUT YOU OVER THE TOP!

I am a cheater...

2008-05-29T11:22:00.006-04:00

My name is pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God- given destiny...bc you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment...bc you deserve better than this.
I cheat you of knowledge...bc you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing...bc you are too full of me to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness...bc you refuse to admit when you are wrong.
I cheat you of vision...bc you'd rather look in the mirror.
I cheat you of a friendship...bc nobody's going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love...bc real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you greatness in heaven...bc you refuse to wash another's feet.
I cheat you God's glory...bc I convince you to seek your own.
My name is pride. I am a cheater.
You like me bc you think I am always looking out for you.
Untrue.
I am looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but dont worry.
If you stick with me, you will never know.

Instantaneous

2008-02-21T00:10:00.008-05:00

Superstitions.
There are some great ones out there.
Step on a crack, break your mother’s back.
Walking under a ladder.
Black cats.
Spilling salt.

I’ll say that I am somewhat of a superstitious person.
I am, however, not all about the ones listed above.
I tend to have this belief that some things just happen.
For example…
I am driving back from the bookstore.
There is an intersection that has a left turn light,

so that I can get home.
If the light happens to be red,

I then proceed to go to a side street and cut over from there.
I look at it as a sign,

a sign that I wasnt supposed to go that way.

Or…
I decide to go shopping at let’s say Express.
I see a dress shirt that I like but they only have one left.
I choose to not buy the shirt immediately.
I walk around the mall for a little while longer.
Then I venture back into Express.
Only to see my shirt has disappeared.
Once again, another sign that it wasn’t meant to be.

As you can see, its probably not the most Biblical thing to do,
but these are just small, petty things.
In times that matter, I meditate on Phil. 4:6-7.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

When faced with a decision, major or minor,
Take it to the person who wants the best for you.
The One that has a plan for your life.
The One that will always be there for you, step for step.

I can look back on the past year
and recall two instances that were presented to God in prayer.
And no, those weren’t the only things.

I felt led to go to Montana on a mission trip,

only to hear that it was cancelled.
I was bummed out.

I really wanted to go there and felt led to.
After hearing it was not going to happen,

I prayed to be shown another opportunity.

The next day after my prayer,

I got a call and I was invited to go to Kazakhstan.
Now Kazakhstan wasn’t on my list of countries to visit,

but I believed that to be a sign,

an opportunity from God.
I immediately jumped on it and the rest is history.

Another example.
It was the beginning of January 2008, not long ago.
I remember one night lying in my bed thinking,

What am I doing with my life.
I felt stagnant,

like I was doing nothing of any merit.
That particular night,

I prayed that doors would be opened.
That I would have a chance to make a difference, to do something.
You might think I am lying,

but the very next day my Mom called me.
She told me that one of the teachers at the school,

wanted to know if I would be willing to help with a trip to NYC.
I didn’t even have to think about it.
It was a no-brainer.

In closing, I am not trying to say float through life

and whatever happens, happens.
Rather, present your requests to God and follow in His will

and “He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4).

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I was going to...

2008-01-30T01:04:00.000-05:00

HEADLINE from January 30th, 2008

GONE - Millions and Millions of “Christians” Magically Disappear

Just seconds ago, I was sitting in my living room enjoying a glass of coke and some potato chips and now I’m flying, naked. What is going on? Where are my clothes and what is happening to me? Am I dreaming? Thoughts begin to wildly race through my head. Then it hits me – Jesus came back for His children. I am amidst the rapture of His church. How amazing! Then I begin to ponder all the things I never did. Not a bucket list – I want to see the Eiffel Tower or visit St. Petersburg, Florida and St. Petersburg, Russia in the same day – no I’m talking about Christian things, things for God, things that would make a difference in this world.

I was going to…
Stop with the pride, jealousy, anger and lust.
In fact, I was going to stop sinning completely.

I was going to…
Read my Bible every morning and every night and pray continuously.
Not in just the bad times, but even in the good times.

I was going to…
Meet new people, do different things and expand my horizons.

I was going to…
Feed the hungry, give shelter to the homeless and clothe the needy.
I was going to be content with what I had.

I was going to…
Care for the sick, cry with the hurting and lend a hand to the elderly.

I was going to…
Smile with my family, laugh with my friends and dance with my enemies.

I was going to…
Work harder, play longer and sleep less.

I was going to…
Look for the lost no matter what the cost.

I was going to…
Tell everyone in the world about Jesus and His love.

I WAS GOING TO...BUT I NEVER DID...

TIME is UP - Do Something!

Unnecessary Touching

2008-01-13T01:30:00.000-05:00

HUG – to clasp tightly in the arms with affection; to cling firmly or fondly to; to cherish

What is so special about a HUG?
Is it the gentle touch that stirs us up?
Is it the warmth that overflows from that moment?
Is it the feeling that someone actually cares to hold onto you?
Or is it just a nicer way to say goodbye?

I have always had, until recently, a quirk that I called “unnecessary touching” – rubbing my shoulders or tickling my stomach or poking my side. It always made me wonder, “Why is this person touching me and what gave them the right to do that?” After hearing about my touching fears, people started doing it just to annoy me, which it did. Time went by and I eventually just didn’t care anymore. However, I do have a new problem with the HUG.

I need to clear some things up before I get going on this HUGging ordeal. I actually enjoy HUGS but like I just said I’m not touchy-feely like other guys. I like to think that I make up for that area in ways of laughter and smiling and just having a good time. I’m not trying to downplay the HUG. It is a great weapon to have in your arsenal but it has to have its proper time and place.

Now I know that you girls absolutely love HUGs. I don’t know why but you do. I don’t understand a lot of things about you but I do know that much. Anyways, I’m not down with hugging every time I leave your presence. As much as I may have enjoyed it, every time we hang out does not warrant a HUG. I want my HUG from me to you to actually have some meaning – have some depth to it. I don’t want this being something that I just do out of routine – like waking up and brushing my teeth or making my bed in the morning. I want this HUG to actually have a purpose and feeling behind it. This is me saying that I care about you and you care about me. And in those times, when I don’t HUG you, please please please (did I say please yet?) please don’t overanalyze the situation and think that I don’t like you anymore or you said something wrong or I’m grumpy. I’m just not feeling the HUG at that particular moment. It’s not that I don’t want to but I just don’t want this to be something that becomes numb. Something that is done just because it has to be done.

In closing, HUGs are special times that have to be cherished. If by chance my arms open wide and you find yourself amidst a HUG - know that it is a genuine HUG, not something done just because but rather something done out of true care and friendship.

Luke 15:20 – “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him…”

The Worst Thing about Being Single

2008-01-07T01:18:00.000-05:00

As I sit here and look back on my trip to New York City, I can’t help but laugh and smile. I think back to all the funny things that were said – P Diddy - and funny things that were done – nearly tripping like 3 times in a row - and all the memories that were made. When you spend time with people, you make memories. You create pictures that will forever be with you. No matter how hard I try, every time I think of Times Square or hear about the New Year, I’ll think of standing for 8 hours. Not a pleasant thought but still a great memory (and I would encourage anyone to do it – it’s not that bad). That brings me to my main idea about the worst thing about being single.

Imagine, if you will, your parents pulling out pictures from when they were 21. I’m sure you might have a little laugh at first and then your parents would go into how that was the style and those were the fashions at the time. They might try and to describe to you that they actually were cool back then with the big afro or the wild disco clothes. No matter how hard they try, you probably aren’t going to buy it. They look funny. How could that be cool?

This is when it becomes difficult. They try and describe to you something that you weren’t even a part of while you try and picture it way back then. How could you possibly understand? As good a picture as they can paint for you, you’ll never fully understand because you weren’t with them when it all happened. It’s different to actually live and be in the memories as opposed to hearing about it. There’s just something about being able to relive that experience in our head that brings it right back to life like it just happened yesterday. So…

The worst thing about being single is not having someone to be there with you during all the memories as you travel through life.

I know that’s part of getting to know someone – you ask questions and learn about them – you make new memories. On the contrary, how much more fun would it be to be able to sit back and laugh about the things that happened in high school or college? Those times spent on the beach during Spring Break or on the football fields in New Orleans. Those times you toilet-papered the principal’s house or went streaking through the quad. To the new girlfriend, they are only past recollections. They mean nothing because she wasn’t there. Sure she cares about them and loves to hear the stories but she doesn’t have any sort of tie to them.
How much easier is it to remember things that you were a part of rather than having to imagine being involved in it?

You may be sitting there completely in disagreement with me and that’s fine. I just sit here and look back at my life. Sure things have changed since high school and college and I have had a chance to make changes. However, look at all the stuff that my future mate has missed. I’ll actually have to talk to them – gosh! Just kidding.

In the grand scheme of things, the past really doesn’t matter. It's in the past for a reason. You'll meet someone and make new memories together. You’ll be able to sit on your porch in your rocking chairs while sipping on some wine and look back at a picture from January 7th, 2008 and say, “Gosh, I look awful in that picture!”

Make memories and make as many as you can!

The Fork of Life

2007-12-11T23:55:00.000-05:00

You’re traveling down the road of life and you come to an intersection. You’re only options are to go left or go right. Continuing straight is no longer an option – it’s barricaded. The detour signs are up and now you have a decision to make. Which way will you choose? Will you go left or go right? When life throws a curveball at you, how will you handle the situation?

When facing trials, I like to find the source of my detour.
Who put this bump in my road?

God often puts bumps along our journey to test our faith. The book of James opens with talks about trials.

James 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers,

whenever you face trials of many kinds,

because you know that the testing of your faith

develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work

so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

God puts obstacles along our path to test us. When facing a problem, which way will you choose? He wants to know if you are with Him or not, because the testing of your faith develops perseverance. The choice that you make will either make you stronger or break you in half. Will you focus your eyes on Him and trust in His plan or try and do things on your own?

When I look at hardships in my life, I see them as a positive thing. God is trying to mold me into the person that He wants me to become. He really is testing me to see if I have what it takes to become great and make a difference for Him. If I choose the other path and fail the test, He can always go elsewhere and find someone who can.

The Devil also throws roadblocks in our way as we travel down the path of life.

James 1:13

“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’

For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”

Temptations, therefore, come from the Devil. Matthew 4 has the account of the Devil trying to tempt Jesus with sin. Imagine fasting, not eating, for 40 days. I don’t know about you but I would be really hungry. The Devil saw this as an opportunity to tempt Jesus with food. “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread (4:3).” Jesus, however, resisted his temptations. He actually tells the Devil to leave.

Jesus had a decision to make amidst the temptation. Should he eat some food and fall into the temptation or trust in God’s plan and provision? Make or break situation. Obviously, Jesus did not succumb to the temptation because we know that He lived a perfect, sinless life. But how do you handle the Devil’s temptations? Do you ponder them? Do you dive in head first? Or do you flee and run the other direction?

Ps. 25:15

“My eyes are ever on the Lord,
For only He will release my feet from the snare.”

Lastly, how many times do we bring trouble and strife into our own lives? Out of my laziness, I put off fixing my headlight and chose to drive around with only one and risk the ticket. Thank God that didn’t happen.

In looking at our own lives, how many problems do we bring on ourselves? Skipping our time in the Bible or in prayer – the friends that we choose to have – the places that we choose to go – don’t you think these things could become a hindrance?

By sticking yourself in these bad spots, you make it very simple for the Devil. I can see him looking at us and thinking, “This is too easy. I don’t even have to do anything. They do it to themselves.” We have a hard enough time fighting through temptations, so why bring troubles on ourselves?

When problems come, realize the source. Is this sent from God, the Devil or did I do this to myself? And when you find yourself amidst the trial, focus your eyes on God and let Him guide and direct you. He wants to make you, not break you.

FOCUS ON YOUR TEMPTATION – YOU STUMBLE
FOCUS ON GOD – YOUR TEMPTATIONS TUMBLE

Was Joseph ever called Jesus' baby daddy?

2007-11-16T14:19:00.000-05:00

In this season of Christmas, I like to watch Christmas movies. Without snow and sometimes rather warm weather, the only thing that gets me in the mood is shopping and movies. I have compiled a list of movies that I would like to see before Christmas arrives. If you have any good ones, please share them with me.

-Elf
-It's A Wonderful Life
-Santa Clause
-Home Alone 1 & 2
-Family Man
-The Grinch
-Fred Claus
-Christmas with the Kranks
-Charlie Brown Christmas
-Jingle All The Way
-The Nativity Story
-ABC Family Christmas movie

No Re2grets

2007-11-16T14:13:00.000-05:00

The intramural football season at UCF was coming to a quick end. All season long, The Franchise, had fought hard; not only in the games but against both the refs and administrators. We were a hated team. Nobody liked us. We had something to prove. We wanted to win.

The playoffs had begun and we easily had advanced through the first couple rounds. Our semifinal showdown was set for Pi Kappa Alpha, aka Pike. All the practices, hard work and game plans would be put to the test. We had our work cut out for us. However, we did feel confident. The motivation of playing a frat team was fuel enough. They were what we wanted. A frat team has a swagger like they are the best thing that has ever happened to this planet. Not only did we want to prove something to the UCF staff, we wanted to show those frat boys what we could do.

All these events were taking place during the month of November but to get a clearer understanding, we need to venture back to the summer of that year. My mom likes to make vacation plans early like most people do. She asked if I would like to visit my cousin in NYC and without hesitation, I said yes. Who would pass on a trip to the Big Apple in November? As great as Florida is, it’s nice to see the fall colors, feel the cold wind rip through your clothes and be in a big city full of mass chaos and excitement. Little did I know when I signed up that this vacation would start the same day as our football game.

Herein likes the conflict. What should I do? My team needed me. It wasn’t like I was the back-up punter and had a little role on the team. I was the QB - The one that touched the ball every play - The one that the offense ran through. I made the decisions - Who got the ball and how it would get there. They needed me there. They needed their leader.

I loved sports and I loved both playing and winning with The Franchise. It brought so much happiness and joy. I’d like to say that I really weighed my options and thought about it but I’d be lying if I said that. I was going to NYC and I was hoping my team would pull of a victory in my absence.

My flight left on a Thursday afternoon in Tampa and the big game was later that day in Orlando. I remember flying into La Guardia, dropping off our stuff and heading down to eat at the ESPN Zone. My buddy called me later while I was in the middle of Times Square to share the news with me. We had lost and it was ugly. I felt bad. My team needed me. As much as I can sit here and sulk in the lost and the people that I let down that day, I have no regrets about it. As I’ve told them once and Ill say it again – I would do it again if I had too.

Certain things in life you have to do – no matter what the cost. It’s a now or never thing. You get one shot. One chance to experience it. Who knows when God will shut the door and leave you questioning - I wonder what would have happened if…

**we had many more semifinal appearances and many more shots at frat teams of which we never lost another game**

Ba1ck In The Day

2007-11-05T00:43:00.000-05:00

Ah, childhood memories. The good old days as we often call them. How we wish we could just go back to being a kid again.

Freedom - No worries – Just live and have fun

Memories from my childhood:
Hitting a baseball over my house and onto the street when I was 2 - Scoring the winning touchdown in a make believe game of football with my grandpas - Summer vacations to Indiana - Playing hide and seek with my grandparents at the park - Playing playground kickball with Mr. Mills - Traveling all over Florida to play soccer - Ski trips to Tennessee and Colorado

All my memories involve either sports or my family. Sometimes both. Everything else is fuzzy. I really can’t remember things outside of these areas from days in middle or high school. I don’t know if I erased them from my memory or they are just tucked way back and I can’t seem to find them. Does anyone else have this problem?

Why is it that good memories from our past are so alive and vivid in our head that we could retrace each and every step from that particular moment? I could replay a soccer game in Orange Park when I was ten like it happened this morning. Or relive sitting in a hot tub while it was snowing with my family in Tennessee. Good stuff is so easy to remember.

The dark things in our past however– the things we wish we never were a part of – where do they go? Does God take them from us so we don’t have to live in that hurt and pain anymore? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that I had this terrible childhood or awful school experience. There were some things that I’m glad that I can’t remember any longer. I just want to know why. Where did all those things go?

As Psalm 103:12 says,
“As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
He removes all of our sins the moment that we accept His free gift of eternal life. Does this count for all the bad memories? Does God wipe those all away too?

It almost seems like God is putting us one step closer to the glory and magnificence that we will see one day when we step foot into Heaven. Heaven, like our childhood, is a place of freedom - no worries - just live and have fun. I couldn’t think of anything more fun than hanging with God. I’ll still be able to score touchdowns, play hide and seek and go skiing. Now He is the one throwing the touchdowns, hiding from me and sitting with me on the ski lift. How cool.

Back from that bunny trail and to the question – where does all the pain go? I actually want to believe that God takes it all away. He took it all on the cross. All my sin. All my past. Why wouldn't He take all my hurt and pain? Why do you think He suffered so much?

Cake and ice cream - YUM!

2007-10-18T12:40:00.000-04:00

Mitch: Yo Steve, what’s going on? You going to be in town for Bible study on Wednesday night? We’re having a special guest, maybe Pastor Jeff or someone like that.

SteveO: I don’t know, Ill try to be there.

Yea that’s what I told SteveO the other day. I was ready for Bible study and I was telling everyone about it, including my family. I had no idea who it was going to be. I just knew it was going to be fun.

Wednesday night rolled around and I went to church as usual. The plans were all set. I was going to go Routman’s house and then go pester some girls at Starbucks. I got to the house and saw no cars in the driveway which was weird. It wasnt't until I got to the door that I realized something was going on. I heard a lot of talking – girls talking – which is not allowed at Men’s Bible study. I walked in the door and SURPRISE! What a cool thing to do.

I hate being the center of attention. I think a lot of people do, but surprises are great. All your friends go through all that trouble to keep it quiet, make sure you don’t know and throw a good party. It makes you feel special. It celebrates all the friendships that you have. All the people that you care about and likewise care about you are there to have fun, laugh and of course EAT. So at the end of the night spending time with my friends is always better than listening to some special guest.

I thank you all for a great night. It was a lot of fun. Just remember, though, that you have a birthday coming soon too. Don’t think I’ll forget about it. So be ready for a big SURPRISE!

Listen to The Box…

2007-10-16T14:38:00.000-04:00

Ok, so lately I have been doing a lot of work with kids. This ranges from coaching the junior high golf team, substitute teaching for the elementary kids, helping out at the middle school group and coaching church league soccer teams. I love working with the kids but they can be a humongous pain sometimes. They don’t listen. They are kids so what can you expect. We were all kids at one point. Some of us are still kids but that’s beside the point. No matter what you do they just won’t listen.

You raise your voice and they get louder.
You threaten them but they aren’t scared.
You split them up but they’ll find someone else to make trouble with.
You make them run but they don’t care, practice will still be over at 6:30.
You tell them to stop doing something and they listen for about 5 minutes and then start it again.

Kids just don’t listen. That’s why I had to get some advice from a friend. He created The Box. I use this whenever I substitute teach and it works pretty good. Its like a time-out without putting the kids in the corner. I draw a box on the board and obviously title it THE BOX. Any kid that is out of line throughout the class will get their name put in The Box. I then explain that you do not want your name in The Box or you will be dealt with when the teacher gets back. Scary, isn’t it?

Once a kid gets put in The Box, you now have their attention. If they are quiet the rest of class, they will get their name removed from The Box. If they are still being a distraction, their name will remain and they will face the consequences.

Oftentimes in our own lives, we don’t listen. We go through the busyness of our own lives and never stop and listen. How many times have we missed hearing something because we were talking, we were doing something else or we weren’t expecting to have to listen? Our ears weren’t open.

We have three options as we go throughout life.

1. Clear our mind, open our ears and listen to God.
2. Get put in The Box where He will have our attention or Else.
3. Not listen at all; become deaf.

I wouldn't encourage the third option.
It’s not until we actually make Him our primary focus that we can actually hear what He is trying to speak to us. Sometimes I don't listen. I get put in The Box and that’s uncomfortable. It’s no fun to be in time-out.

You can’t play,
You can’t talk,
You can’t live.

When I get put in time-out, it’s a place where it’s just me and God. One on One with Him. He talks and I listen. I can choose to not listen but why would I want to do that? He knows everything about me. He knows what I’m going to do tomorrow, what I did yesterday and what I’m going to do when I finish writing this blog. A time-out with God then isn’t such a bad thing but you still have the option to not listen. Why be stuck in time-out when you can always be in that relationship outside of The Box?

Don’t make God put you in The Box to get your attention. Let Him have your attention all the time. It’s what He desires.

He talks and I listen – I talk and He listens. It's a good relationship.

Game night has been moved to Monday afternoon

2007-10-15T12:18:00.000-04:00

Let’s have a little fun. I learned about the game Mad Gab a couple weeks ago and was completely stumped. That’s not a normal thing to happen to Mr. IQ (see Indian Rocks yearbook 2001). Back to Mad Gab – it is a game where you read the words from a card and your teammate has to figure out what you are saying. We played that you had a minute to guess as many as you could. Sometimes we would get 3 or 4, sometimes 6 and then the occasional goose egg. They get tough alright! Here are some examples:

Jewelry Robbers – Julia Roberts
He Sledge Her – Heath Ledger

Not too hard right? Well I have gathered a list of 15 Mad Gab clues for you to take a stab at. The answers will be in the comments section of the blog. No cheating! Good luck with them and let me know how you do.

1. May Cuss Suck Jest Chin
2. Gnome Ore Deers
3. Weigh Cup Toothy Fax
4. Dawned Hutch Mi
5. Mash Who Sun Tide
6. Date Roy Pea Stuns
7. Who Why Inn Sir Fur
8. Toe Beam Hack Wire
9. Lie Finch Urine Spa Less He
10. Hairy Putter Randy Saucer Is Tone
11. Up Arrow Tin Issues
12. Hype Bleed Dinner Scen
13. Hefty Chew Fit Swear Hit
14. Bick Ma Nun Cam Puss
15. Wide Own Shoe Seamy Hen Amour

More Mad Gab fun online - http://www.playmadgabonline.com/

SWM seeking SWF

2007-10-05T09:48:00.000-04:00

This is a fictitious opening question. Please do not think my best friend has a girlfriend or is even close to having one. Don’t hate me for saying that weave.

Why does my best friend have a girlfriend and I can’t even get a date? Don’t worry, you’ll find one soon. The right one will eventually come around. These are common responses. Do you know this for sure? Am I magically going to meet the girl of my dreams one day or are you just saying that to make me feel better so you can go have fun with your girlfriend? I do appreciate the positive attitude about my situation but let’s be honest with ourselves – we have no idea when, where, who or how so why bother acting like you do.

There has been a lot of talk lately about relationships.

Who’s dating who?
Who likes who?
Who’s pregnant? JK

My eyes were opened up this very week about the simple, little things that girls talk about and even sometimes worry about. Everybody wants to settle down, get married, have kids and share a life with someone special. Everybody! (Maybe not the kid’s part, but you do want to spend your life with someone). Sounds simple enough right?

Your Mission should you choose to accept it, Inspector Gadget – find one single, yes I said single, guy or girl to spend your entire life with.

How hard can it be? We oftentimes make it hard on ourselves. We make excuses. Bad excuses.

Well what if she doesn’t like me like that?
Why would she like me? Why not so and so?
What if the timing isn’t right?
What excuse is she going to throw at me?
What's her history?
What if she’s a psycho that I don’t know about?

Everybody needs a relationship. Guys want it just as bad as girls, although we sometimes don’t admit that or act like it. But we do desire relationships too.

This leads me into my main thought. I believe you only need one good relationship to work and that is your relationship with God. The other day I was asked why I didn’t have a girlfriend which was a fair question. My response was something like I’m just working on my relationship with God. I probably tried to say something sarcastic like I’m just hanging with God, I don’t know. You get the point. My friend thought that was a good excuse but it was the truth. If I can’t get my relationship with Him right, how the heck am I going to get one with a girl right? You girls are…I won’t even go there. Haha

When we were first created, we were created in the perfection of God. We had everything we could possibly have imagined until Adam and Eve messed it up. Thanks guys. We became disconnected at that point. Nowadays, when a baby like you or me is born, what is the first thing we do? We cry. We come to life and we have immediate feelings of disconnection.

We need someone to love us.
We need someone to take care of us.
We need someone to nurture us.
We need someone to be there with us.
We need someone to be there for us.

We go through life searching and searching for that love - whether it's in drugs, sex, alcohol, money, possessions, multiple relationships - but it always seems to slip through our grasp and we can never fully taste or feel the true love that we need.

This whole time that we’ve been searching, there has been someone sitting and waiting patiently for us to call on Him and get that true love that we most desperately need.

Some have it and need to fine-tune it.
Some have it but need to continue to work on it.
Some need it but haven’t found it yet.
Some just don’t want it.

Whatever your case may be, everyone needs that love. I John 4:8 says, “…God is love.” If you’re running from God and searching for love, you’ll never find it. You can’t go away from God and expect to find love. It just doesn’t work that way. If God is love, you have to go to Him for it. The relationship with Him is the only relationship we need.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

He knows all. He has a plan for each one of us. He has someone picked out for you already. Someone that will perfectly complement the person you already are. Scary I know. I strive to continually work and improve my relationship with God, because I know he has a purpose and a plan for my life. In the event that a woman gets sent my way – awesome – but if not, I know that I have the true love of the Father, always.

For all the USF fans...

2007-10-02T22:52:00.000-04:00

I had to put this picture up for the girls. I hope you can actually make it past the picture and into the good stuff.

This is for all the USF fans out there. I’ll admit that I like seeing you guys win. It hasn’t happened much but it is a good thing to be part of a winning community. Saying that I am anxiously awaiting the War on I-4 showdown on October 13th when UCF rolls into town. Should be a great game.

Anyways, let’s get to the point. The past couple of weeks I have noticed the USF fans with this hand motion. The one like Matthew McConaughey and Mack Brown are doing in the above picture. PLEASE STOP DOING IT. The University of Texas has been doing this for years. In fact, they have been doing it since 1955. If you want to read more about the tradition that someone is already doing – go here.

I love that USF is winning. Keep on doing it. It brings excitement and electricity to Tampa. However, in between classes and partying think of some other hand motion to call your own. Don’t steal Texas’ long standing tradition.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

2007-10-02T10:58:00.000-04:00

I spend my Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons on the golf course. How lucky right? I am very lucky to do that but more importantly, it is who I am with. Accompanying me on the course are 11 junior high golfers. Some of these kids have never played golf before and some have been playing their whole lives and it shows.

After warming up on the putting green, the kids come over for their usual pep talk. This is when I get real nasty with them, tell them everything they do wrong, everything they need to work on and what’s going to happen if they don’t fix it. I wish I did that. It might spark a little fire under them. Instead we talk and joke around and just enjoy the company of each other. We then proceed to the tee box where I tell them who will be on who’s team. They love finding out who they get to play with and who they get to possibly beat that day.

Before we get going for the day of golf, I always ask one of the kids to pray. I wish you could be there to listen to some of their prayers. They are so innocent and to the point.

“Please don’t let us get struck by lightning today.”

“Please don’t let us get hit by a golf ball or a golf club.”

“Please don’t let us hit our balls in the water and let us play good.”

“Please don’t let us get mad if we don’t do good.”

My kids are great. When they say these prayers, they truly mean them. They say it with their whole heart knowing that they will be taken care of by God. Sometimes we pray things but don’t necessarily believe they will happen or ever come true. Or we pray and we aren’t specific with our prayers. Learn from my boys – be specific and believe because God does hear them and He will take care of it.

The Boxing Match that I didnt want to fight...

2007-09-26T00:56:00.000-04:00

I know that everyone has those days that just suck. Well I had one of those on Monday. So take a minute and step into the ring with me...

Round 1 – Me vs. the Alarm Clock

5.45 am and all I hear is the stupid alarm clock making noise. Not something that I or my body wanted to hear. I had to live up to my word and keep my promise that I would be at the gym at 6. What was I thinking??

Round 1 WINNER – ME

Round 2 – Me vs. My Contacts

Just like me, my contacts do not like early mornings. All they want to do is stay in their case and “sleep” longer. I don’t think they have ever seen 5.45 in the morning before so I think I caught them off guard with this one.

Round 2 WINNER – My contacts

Round 3 – Me vs. My Office

Compliance meeting from 9-2. Wonderful! This isn’t your normal sit and listen to your manager and interact meeting. This is a listen to monotone man on the computer for 3 hours and then discuss it for the next 2 hours. Definitely not my cup of tea. And to top it off, I’ve already been up for 3 and a half hours before the 9 am meeting even started. This equals me being tired.

Round 3 WINNER – My Office

Round 4 – Me vs. 2 pm

Like I just mentioned my meeting lasted until 2. I, however, had to be at Indian Rocks at 2 to get everything together for our golf match in Bradenton. Before I go any farther, I was unaware that I would be traveling down to Bradenton for the match. I didn’t think I was allowed to drive, which by the end of this blog you will understand why I wished I didnt drive. Anyways, I got to school at 2.30 and everything was together by 3.

Round 4 WINNER – 2 p.m.

Round 5 – Me vs. Ironwood Golf Course

I left the school in a hurry without any clue as to how to get to my destination. Luckily, I called a couple people and got directions to the place and made it just in time for the match.

Round 5 WINNER – Me

Round 6 – Me vs. Rain

We got to the golf course right on time, as well as did the rain. It was a downpour. I thought great, Ill get to go back home. Their coach had other plans. He wanted to wait it out. We ended up waiting an hour and fifteen minutes before it stopped raining. The course was now obviously covered in water. Not your ideal conditions to play golf in.

Round 6 WINNER – Rain

Round 7– Me vs. My Dry Cleaned Suit

Nothing like getting back dry cleaned clothes. So fresh and so clean. Since I wasn’t aware that I would be driving my team to the golf match, I didn’t bring a change of clothes and didn’t have time to run home and grab any. Due to the weather conditions, I definitely was not going to win this one. Therefore, the dry cleaned suit wins by default.

Round 7 WINNER – My Dry Cleaned Suit

Round 8 – Me vs. Bradenton St. Stephens

We lost. Simple Enough.

Round 8 WINNER – Bradenton St. Stephens

Round 9 was cancelled because I was crying in a corner. JK, I actually cant count right and forget about number 9. Oops!

Round 10 – Me vs. Food

I hadn’t eaten since 12 noon. I was starving at 8 when we left the golf course and so were my kids. I told everyone we would stop at McDonalds and they were excited. Only problem was that only one of the seven kids had money. That is a big problem when you are going to buy food.

Round 10 WINNER – Draw

Round 11 – Me vs. The Cops

We all know who wins when you’re up against the cops. Just to let everyone in on the story. We had just got into the car and I was driving across a bridge which had a speed limit of 50. After crossing the bridge, the speed limit drops to 30. That’s a big drop. Anyways, I was talking to the kids about things we need to work on and really wasn’t paying attention. I was driving but really not watching my speed. Big mistake in a different city. I came flying through the 30 mph zone only to get pulled over. Lucky me!

Round 11 WINNER – The Cops, they almost knocked me out

Round 12 – Me vs. Cable Box

I look forward to two things on Monday nights. EE and Prison Break. I did catch the end of EE which was exciting. However, I missed Prison Break. That’s the good thing about DVR. I can do stuff and still catch the shows I like. The only thing that you need to DVR something is a cable box and power. Last night, we didn’t have power. Therefore, there is no Prison Break. Based on the day, I should have just known.

Round 12 WINNER – Cable Box

Let’s go back through and look at the scorecard. I won 2 1/2 rounds and lost the other 8 1/2 so it’s pretty safe to say that I lost this fight. The good news is that there will be other fights and there will be other days.

Things to learn from my day:
1. Don’t go into a fight unprepared
2. Expect the unexpected
3. Turn the bad into good, somehow
4. The devil will throw anything and everything at you to get your focus off of God
5. PRAY

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

How does an onion cry?

2007-09-18T00:59:00.000-04:00

This past weekend in church, we talked about loving one another. What a yucky subject to talk about. Pastor Ray gave us a list of about 30 verses that had the words one another in them. Things like love one another - forgive one another - encourage one another. Some friends, after pointing out the ones I needed work on, decided to challenge me to blog about one of the verses. I picked Galatians 5:26 which talks about not provoking one another. Simple enough right??

I did a little research on my new buddy, provoke. In the NIV translation, provoke is found 42 times in the Old Testament. Most of those 42 times, the verses are talking about the Israelites provoking the Lord to anger. Here are just a couple examples:

Psalm 106:29 - They provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.

2 Kings 17:11 - At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the LORD had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the LORD to anger.

Jeremiah 25:6 - Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not provoke me to anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you."

Ezekiel 8:17 - He said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose!

As you can see, they were always provoking the Lord to anger.

As I said earlier, I did some research on provoke. Provoke has 2 different meanings. One of them is to anger, which I just talked about.
Some common other uses of that meaning:
annoy
bother
bug
enrage
incite
infuriate
irritate
madden
nag
offend
upset.
The use of this word, provoke, leads to very violent emotions. Typically when you infuriate someone or offend someone, it doesn’t lead to good things.

However, the other meaning of the word, provoke, is completely different from the first - to start. To start? Hmm. What does that mean?
awaken
begin
challenge
electrify
elicit
evoke
excite
generate
inspire
kindle
motivate
pique
promote
rally
rouse
stimulate
stir.
All things that will make you think. Here are some Biblical examples:

Hebrews 10:24 - And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.

Luke 11:53 - And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things.

How could one word have such different meanings? One is to stir up anger and the other is to get people to start thinking. Let’s look at one more word – provocation. Provocation means an act that causes a response. This is truly what provoke means. Whether is stirs up a feeling or gets someone to think, it still leads to a response. One way or another, if you provoke someone, you will get a reaction.

-provoke (or incite) a fight
-provoke (or evoke) laughter

Whichever way you look at the word, provoke, it will lead to something. The Bible talks about the word in the context of anger. You definitely don’t want to provoke someone to anger but rather provoke someone to start thinking and be different.

Jokes are a good example of provoking someone. We can go overboard with our jokes -
Yo mama's so fat she makes Free Willy look like a goldfish.
If someone told me that joke and actually meant it, I would be mad. I would get angry and probably follow up with a joke myself. One that goes like this -
Yo mama's so fat she fell in love and broke it
- or -
Yo mama's so ugly she made an onion cry!
You get the point. Yo mama is fat and ugly. Just kidding. If you say those things and mean them, you provoke the person to anger.

Point being – first, watch what you say – second, whats the attitude of your heart? – third, if you think you messed up, ask for forgiveness – fourth, have fun and live – finally, provoke people to think rather than anger.

Are you a NERD like Me?

2007-09-12T23:57:00.000-04:00

Candy – the first thought that pops into my head is yummy. I couldn’t get enough candy as a kid. I absolutely loved Sour Patch Kids and Skittles. I also loved getting to go to 7-11 after school. I felt like I just hit the jackpot. What could be better? No more school and now I get candy.

The other day I got a phone call from let’s call her Belle (picture the girl from Beauty and the Beast). Well Belle was having some troubles so I went down to help. When I got there, Belle was eating NERDS. Nerds are another one of those candies that I love. I think the only candy I don’t like is black licorice. I don’t know why but it’s kinda gross. Back to the story – I hadn’t had Nerds in such a long time so I needed to fix that. She offered so I took a few. I couldn’t say no because you can’t say no to someone who offers you food (and candy is food).

Between handfuls of Nerds, Dairy Queen was brought up. One of my favorite things about going to Indianapolis every summer was Dairy Queen. I would always get a Nerd Blizzard. So much sugar and ice cream and even more sugar. Great for a little kid like me. This brought up the NEED and Ill say definite need to get a DQ Nerd Blizzard. What a brilliant idea. Go back to the glory days of being young and free and our only worries were getting our homework done and video game time.

The DQ Nerd Blizzard event took place tonight after church. Dairy Queen doesn’t do the Nerd Blizzard anymore which is a shame. After tonight, I can understand why. We stopped and picked up a Jumbo size box of Nerds. Took the box into DQ and kindly asked them to make some for us. The first mistake was having them put half the box of Nerds into each Blizzard. There were so many Nerds in them. The second mistake was ordering a Medium size. Like I said, there were so many Nerds in them. It looked like it was a box of Nerds with a little bit of ice cream in my cup. Oops!

I don’t know what happened between the time that I was 10 and now but I don’t like all that sugar anymore. I ate probably ¾ of the cup and my stomach was so sick feeling. I could just picture my stomach down there looking up at me saying I hate you for doing this to me. Why would you ever think you could handle that much sugar? You aren’t 10 years old anymore.

As much as I love the Nerd Blizzard, I think it should go into retirement just as it has at Dairy Queen. There is just way too much sugar and I honestly can’t handle it. So thank you Dairy Queen for all the great memories with the Nerd Blizzard.

Take this verse however you like.
Ps. 107:18
- “They loathed all food, and drew near the gates of death.”

All the Small Things

2007-09-10T14:01:00.000-04:00

Matthew 5:14 – “You are the light of the world.”

Every Wednesday morning while in elementary school, I prayed to become a Christian. I was the type of person that prayed the prayer every time it was offered. I liked what they said and I wanted to follow who they were talking about. However, my true day of salvation that I marked it down as was at children’s camp when I was 7 years old. I don’t remember the exact day but I do remember vividly praying the prayer, walking down the aisle and being escorted into the back rooms. What a great day.

At the age of 7, you can’t really get into too much trouble. I know everyone is born into sin but what can you really do at 7?
Steal a crayon.
Write on the walls.
Then lie about it and blame it on your sister.
It’s not like your going to be involved in drinking, drugs and sex at such a young age like so many people in our world today. This brings me to my question…

What would it be like to live in the life of an unbeliever for one day and how would they view Christians??

My struggle is how much impact do I have on the world.
Does a simple handshake and how are you doing mean anything?
Does a smile really brighten up a total stranger’s day?
Is praying over my food noticed?
Does my attitude reflect Jesus Christ and is it visible?
What kind of impact does carrying your Bible into work really have?

Do non-Christians really see these things and what do they think? If I were to pray for my food, do they look at me differently? Will they watch me the next time to make sure I do it again? Will they watch my actions; listen to my conversation as I eat dinner? What do they really think?

Being saved at 7 has its ups and downs. I don’t really have that ugly past sin life like others have. You know the ones that can tell you how bad their life was and then God’s grace was poured into their life and completely turned them around. Parts of me wish I could have a testimony like that but we are all the same. We were all sinners, lost in this darkened world and had a choice to make. No matter what our past, we had a choice that very moment. Do we follow God or the ways of this world? If you chose God, it doesn’t matter what our past is like – God wipes it all away in His forgiveness. His doing on the cross freed us from our pasts.

Getting back to the main question – what impact do these “little things” have on the world? A friend of mine the other day said that in her days as an unbeliever, those things really did add up. The smiles and hello how are you, really do mean things in the lives of unbelievers. Back in my UCF days, I went to listen to a speaker named Mark Cahill. If you haven’t read his book, One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven, you need to. It’s great. Anyways, Mark was talking about planting seeds. A smile, a hello, a prayer – these are all things that can plant seeds. It gets the person thinking. They begin to wonder what is so different about him than the rest of the world. As Pastor Ray put it on Sunday, we need to be the light of the world. We need to attract people to us and shed some light on the darkness.

I wish I could spend a day as an unbeliever. Be able to walk around and see the world in view of their eyes. See how the Christians treat them. See how much love is truly given to them. Feel the loneliness of this world. Feel what it is like to have no hope and no joy.

You know the old saying, I wish you could walk in my shoes for a day – well I wish I could….

Cook me something woman...

2007-09-08T01:32:00.000-04:00

Totally kidding about the title. That wouldnt be a servant. That would be a slave. Anyways....

Busy – (adj,) – full of or characterized by activity

As I sit here in the wee hours of the morning, I am thinking about the schedule that I have somehow gotten myself into. Everybody likes to be doing something because boredom for me puts me to sleep. Obviously busyness keeps me out of trouble but it also can get me tired. I think the point of those couple of sentences is that no matter what I do, whether I’m bored or busy, I’m still going to be tired. Busyness = fun. That’s why I like the busy schedule.

Starting tomorrow, my schedule will look as follows:

Saturdays - Coaching 2 soccer teams in the morning
Country church @ Indian Rocks

Sundays - Transport elementary kids @ Indian Rocks
Encounter @ Indian Rocks

Mondays - Work (yes I do that)
Evangelism Explosion

Tuesdays - Work
Junior High Golf practice @ Indian Rocks
97 West @ Davis Island

Wednesdays - Work
JH Golf practice @ Indian Rocks
Mid-week service @ Indian Rocks

Mens Bible Study

Thursdays - Work
JH Golf practice @ Indian Rocks
Soccer practice @ Indian Rocks

Fridays - Work
The Spot @ Indian Rocks

I’m sure I forgot some things in there but oh well. Clearly there is hardly anytime for me to go to the gym or even eat for that matter. Some would say you’re crazy for trying to do that much stuff. I love it. It keeps me, one, out of trouble and, two, it is a great opportunity to change kid’s lives and my own.

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

God calls us to have a servant’s heart. With the proper attitude and motivation, I know for certain that I will not grow weary and I can find rest in the arms of the Lord.

Malnourished friends and anorexic marshmallows

2007-09-05T22:51:00.000-04:00

This goes out to all those people that like to be sarcastic but know that sometimes there is a fine line that we often dance around.

So I have been blessed with a group of friends that enjoy being sarcastic. I mean who doesn’t like to be sarcastic? If you can’t joke around and have fun, then what the heck are you doing? As much fun as it is to be sarcastic and joke around, sometimes it can get ugly and down right mean. With one of my malnourished friends, we joke around so much with each other that we had to make a deal that we would never take it personal. We, as people, joke around to have fun. You always heard, or at least I always did, the only reason you make fun of people is to make yourself feel better. Blah Blah Blah. I do it to have fun, because I know the moment I say something, its coming right back at me. Usually, it comes back even harder. And this game goes on for quite some time. Either we get tired of it or have nothing left to say. At this point, it’s time to reload the ammo and start it all over again. It’s a fun game. Try it sometime.

Now that you know the rules and the way the game is played, let me dive into the real matter. It all starts with a comment and then snowballs from there. One comment or one sarcastic remark can blow up into something huge. Like I said earlier about “the deal”, my friend and I aren’t supposed to take anything personal. However, sometimes it feels like I’ve gone too far. I know you’ve done it before where you have said something and then immediately wanted to take it back. Unfortunately we can’t do that. I know my friend knows that I am only joking but sometimes you never know. A smile covers up a lot of stuff. What if that was a touchy subject for the person or what if you’ve said something so much that they actually start to believe that it’s true. I know that if I said you smelt bad, you probably would laugh it off but what if I said it all the time. You would start to wonder.

My point is that sometimes we as individuals can get carried away. We honestly can’t know everything about everybody. Certain people will be more affected by things we say than others. Obviously we never want to cross the line in our joking around. We dance around it and trust the other person doesn’t actually take us seriously. My hope is that I never cross that line. I mean, we are here to have fun, enjoy life and eat as many anorexic marshmallows as possible. We don’t need to be hurtful with our fun. We laugh at each other but in the end, we just want to be laughing together.

Live for the MOMENT

2007-09-03T22:13:00.000-04:00

Lions, Rocks and Strawberries - What do they all have in common??

Ever feel like you’re just running and you can’t stop and take a break?
Life is moving so fast that you just need a time-out.
You need a vacation, a day off.
You need a day to simply smell the roses.

Let’s say I give you a plane ticket. (You can pay me back later)
The airplane will take you to an altitude of 38,000 feet.
Then you will be asked to look down.
The ground is your life.

What does the snapshot of your life look like?
What is going on in your life?
What is keeping you busy?

Think about your life for a second.
Are you so involved with work that you don’t have time to have any fun?
Are you so involved with yourself that you don’t let anyone in to get to know you?
Or are you so involved with Christians that you miss the people crying out for help that are right in front of you?
We get so involved with the everyday busyness of life that we oftentimes miss opportunities that God places in our lives. That brings me to my story.

Imagine you are running.
You ask what am I running from.
There are humungous lions running after you!
There is absolutely no way you are going to outrun these lions.
They are way too fast for you.
And face it, you aren’t much of a runner anyways.
Luckily for you, there is a cliff ahead with a rope on it.
You make it to the cliff.
You grab a hold of the rope and slide down to avoid the lions.
Phew! That was close. The lions were right there.
You begin to wonder, what the heck am I going to do now?
You look up and the lions are ready to devour you.
You look down and there are gigantic, jagged rocks just waiting for you.
They aren’t trying to kill you but they will if you fall.
What do you do?
Do you climb back up the rope and face the lions?
Or do you let go and let the rocks win?

Think about it...

Neither.
You look directly in front of you and eat the strawberry that God has placed on that cliff for you to enjoy at that very moment.

Life is full of worries and distractions, busyness and boredom.
Stop looking back and dwelling on the past lions in your life.
Don’t look forward at the rocks that may exist.

Take advantage of the things that God places in your life each and everyday.
Make a difference NOW.

Eat the strawberry and seize the opportunity.

Long Live the Quirks

2007-08-27T18:27:00.000-04:00

Quirks are fun and I figured that they have to live forever. I think they are so good that they are going to be my first blog so Enjoy!

-I always brush my teeth the same way. I start with the bottom left move to the top left and then to the top right and then the bottom right. I conclude with the middle and can’t forget about the tongue.

-If you are a passenger in my car, your seat has to be in the right location, meaning out of sight with the corner of my eye. The last thing that I want to do is be able to see you when I’m driving.

-I feel that if I miss the beginning of a sporting event, say a Bucs game, and then they lose, it’s my fault. So all I ask is to be there for the opening kickoff or the first pitch.

-I have a fascination with airports. I would be more than happy to work at an airport whether at the ticketing booth or at the Burger King or at the duty free shop. I don’t know why but I like airports.

-I cannot and will not eat mashed potatoes. I hate them. However, I love French fries, baked potatoes and hash browns.

-Immediately after I open the car door to get out, I lock the doors. Oftentimes this isn’t good for the passengers.

-When I go to the beach, I always have to put suntan lotion on my face before I leave in fear that if I did it in public, I may miss a spot. Obviously it wouldn’t be a good thing to walk around with a white blob of suntan lotion on your face.

-My fan has to be on full blast at night or it is difficult to fall asleep. That or if there is no fan, it has to be cold in the room.

-Ever since I’ve been back from Kazakhstan, I’ve had this fear that someone is standing at the door and he is watching me. So everytime I walk through the house, I have to look at the door and make sure there is no one there. Also if I see the door is unlocked, I have to go and lock it.

-I like to pick boogers and eat them. JK. I actually like to flick them. Kidding again. Ever get that urge to punch someone in the face? Well I know this isn’t Christ-like but I get that urge often especially with stupid people or people that are cocky. I cannot stand them, but they have nothing to worry about because I would never do that. It would be both fun and funny though.

-I love toothpicks. If I see a toothpick in a restaurant, I grab one and play with it for quite some time.

-I love grass. In between plays of a football game, I will grab a piece of grass and play with it in my mouth. I know that sounds gross because of the insecticides and poop, but it takes my mind off the game and keeps me busy.

-Finally, as much as I like sports, I do not own a football or soccer ball. Weird huh?