Greetings from Alex City...

Well, after a very busy hectic last few weeks, I have finally arrived at my new post as Senior Pastor of Sixth Street Baptist Church in Alexander City, AL. I've unloaded the books and set up the office. Now, I am spending some moments getting to know the staff, enjoying the occasional visit from a church member coming to say "Hi" to the new pastor, and trying to understand the culture and ministry of my new ministry home. Alison, the boys, and I have been so warmly greeted and welcomed by a great group of wonderful people. We are in a temporary housing situation until our home in Alabaster sells. Please pray for a timely sell so that we can establish a more normal routine as soon as possible.

Also pray for me to establish a new, healthy ministry routine. I now need to find the balance between crafting sermons (Sunday AM and PM), visiting members and hospitals, leading a staff, leading my family, and becoming a pastor. I am looking forward to it.

I hope to be able to make more strategic posts to this site about the lessons that God is teaching me as well as use it to help communicate with the members of my new church. I'll also continue to post my usual rants and raves about the Bulldogs and the Red Sox. Right now, I am not too happy with either of them, so in the interest of being "pastoral", I will keep my opinions to myself for a while.

Updates On My Crazy World

Hey guys. Been a few weeks since I last posted. Basically because I have spent the last three weeks totally changing much of my professional and family world. On June 28, I preached at and accepted the call to become the next Senior Pastor at Sixth Street Baptist Church in Alexander City, AL. It's been a long and emotional journey the last 9+ months. Last fall, I spent some time in prayer and consulting several mentors about some discontent in my spirit and calling to serve God's kingdom. I was affirmed by many others that God was possibly calling me to step out and seek to serve as the pastor and chief shepherd of a local church. After months of prayer, telephone calls with friends and mentors, and several interviews with a number of churches, God has now opened a new door for me to serve the Kingdom.

This transition was huge for me on a number of levels. First, I am leaving behind a church family and group of co-workers at Westwood that I have served alongside of for twelve and a half years. When I came to Westwood in 1996, I prayed that God would allow me to have a ministry of longevity. It has been a dream come true. The people of Westwood invested a lot in me, allowed me to work though my own maturation process in ministry, and gave me a forum to develop my leadership and communication skills. It is one of the best churches in the state of Alabama. We've seen phenomenal growth over the last 12 years. I have had a lifetime of ministry experiences at summer camps, building houses in Mexico, doing mission in Honduras, visiting people in hospitals, and doing weddings and funerals. I have had relationships with hundreds of students and hundreds of other church members who trusted me and sought out my spiritual insights. Westwood will always have a fond place in my heart. Last Sunday, July 12, was my last as a member of Westwood. I had a huge moment driving off the campus for the last time. This past Thursday, I packed my books and locked my door for the last time. It was a difficult, but rewarding experience.

In addition, this transition is huge for my family. My tenure in Alabaster brought me a wife and three boys. Alabaster is the only home they have ever known. Alison and I have had great relationships with the neighbors on my cul-de-sac. We've also met dozens of other parents through our involvement with kids sports. I didn't get to say goodbye to most of these people from the community. I regret that deeply and if you are reading this, please know that I will miss you.

Now my kids have to learn a new school system. They will have a different experience on Sunday mornings at church. My wife is walking away from her job as a NICU nurse and will probably be working at something else soon. We've spent the last three weeks doing a lot of work to prepare our home to sell. Now, on the verge of moving my family and assuming the pulpit for God's church, I find myself filled with a mix of excitement, anxiety, awe, and gratitude. My prayer is that my family will find Alexander City to be as much of a home as the one they are now leaving. I also pray that I will be a faithful steward of God's Word, a leader of His church, and proclaimer of the gospel. Don't know what the next few years will have in store, but it should be quite a ride.

More updates coming soon...

Most Memorable Sports Moment #4

Team USA Beast Russia

Do you believe in miracles? Yes. Now I know that there is a theological understanding of miracles that would never apply to a hockey game. However, given the scope of the United States upset over Russia in 1980, that is the closest thing outside of an act of God that can be considered a miracle. Most people would consider this to be one of the top sports moments on any list.

At the time of this event, I was 12 and didn't fully understand the global hockey situation. As a teenage boy from New Hope Mississippi, we didn't see much hockey in those pre-ESPN days. As a matter of fact, I didn't watch it on TV and really didn't think it was a huge moment the first time I saw the highlights. It wasn't until I heard the background story and later saw the movie Miracle that I really began to understand what this group of college kids was up against in the professional Russian hockey team. The Russian hockey team had won all but one Olympic ice hockey gold medals since 1956. The year before the Olympics, the Russians defeated an NHL All-Star team 6-0. In addition, the decades of the Cold War tension between the US and Russia and the potential of the later on US boycott of the Summer Games in Moscow added a lot of fuel to an already brewing fire. The US Olympic coach, Herb Brooks, had played on the 1964 and 1968 US hockey teams and almost made the 1960 team, the only one who had won the gold medal. Brooks had a consuming passion to beat the Russians which translated into a fiery determination that pushed his young college guys harder than they had ever worked.

The week before the Olympics, the Russians defeated the US kids 10-3 in an exhibition game. No one gave the US a chance, except them. The US fought back from a 2-1 deficit to tie it at the end of the first period. The Russian coach pulled Vladislav Tretiak, the best goaltender in the world, at the start of the 2nd period. The Soviets scored again to take a 3-2 lead. The US tied it again at 8:39 into the third period and team captain Mike Eruzione fired the lead goal with 10 minutes left to play. The US goaltender, Jim Craig, made a series of incredible saves to keep the US lead and secure the victory. The most incredible upset, potentially in the history of sports, had just taken place. Few remember that this was actually not the gold medal game, but got the US in the medal round game against Finland later on to secure the gold medal. However, the real scoop was the incredible upset that will forever live on in sports lore.

Now excuse me. I have to go put "Miracle" in the DVD player.

Great Thought About the Love of God

Read this from A.W. Tozer today:

"Every time God thinks about you, He thinks about you lovingly. Even if He must chastise you, or allow hardships to come to you, it is love that allows it to come and love that sends it. And we never should be afraid of love, because love casts out fear...The best preservative in the world is the love of God. Some people believe in the security of the saints from theological grounds. They take it from a text somewhere. I believe in the security of the saints because God is love and God always keeps that which He loves. We always keep what we love - always..."

Thank you Lord today for that reminder about your loving thoughts towards me. May I be a conduit of your love to a love starved world.

A Needed Reminder About the Gospel

From D. Martin Lloyd Jones in "The Kingdom of God"

"How does it come to pass that, with open Bibles before them, men and women should be wrong not so much about certain details with respect to the Gospel, but about the whole thing, about the very essence of the Gospel...it is indeed very surprising that at the end of the twentieth century, men and women should still be all wrong about what the Gospel is; wrong about its foundation, wrong about its central message, wrong about its objective and wrong about the way in which one comes into relationship with it."

Good stuff I needed to hear this day. Help me, Lord, to be faithful and true to the Gospel.

Most Memorable Sports Moment #5

USA Wins Ryder Cup/Payne Stewart Dies



One of the sports I have learned to really enjoy watching over the last few years is golf. I have always liked to play golf and sometimes would watch an occasional major tournament, but never really followed golf until September 1999. One of the main reasons for that year was I had started to really follow the career of Payne Stewart. Payne had been a great golfer for many years who struggled to win the major tournament. He won the PGA championship in 1989 and the US Open in 1991. However, his win at the 1999 US Open at Pinehurst had tons of drama. He beat out up and coming golfers David Duval and Tiger Woods and won an epic battle against one of my now favorite golfers, Phil Mickelson.

I had never really followed the Ryder Cup until 1999. The Ryder Cup is a golf format held every two years featuring the best gofers in the US against the best golfers in Europe. Prior to the 99 Cup, Europe had dominated for several years. The US entered with some hot golfers - Tiger, Payne Stewart, Duval, Jim Furyk, Davis Love, and Mark O'Mera. Europe had a strong field as well. The US started the competition on Friday with the foursomes and was throughly trounced by Europe, ending Friday down 6 points to 2. (Each team gets a point for a match win, 1/2 point for a tie). In the Saturday competition, the US failed to make ground and ended with a 4 point defecit (10-6). This meant that the European team only had to grind out 4 points in 12 individual matches on Sunday, a seemingly easy feat. However, the US guys came out on fire! They dominated the singles matches, winning the 8 of the first 9 matches. The competition came down to a late match between Jose Maria Olazabal and Justin Leonard. Leonard fought back to come to the 17th hole needing to drain a 45-foot putt to secure 1/2 point and win the Ryder Cup for the US. He drained it and all America went crazy! It was the kind of drama that makes sports so entertaining.

One of the key players in keeping the American hopes alive was Payne Stewart. He jumped and celebrated with his teamates and wrapped up an incredible year for him - US Open and Ryder Cup wins. One month later, Stewart would board a small plane headed to Dallas, TX. On route, the plane lost pressure, killing all inside. The world watched in horror as this plane randomly flew off course and then crashed in a South Dakota field. Payne would be a guy who in his later years on tour would be known as a strong family man and a devout follower of Jesus Christ. Through some friendships with other Christian golfers on tour, Payne had come to a personal faith in Jesus and had an influence on many on the Tour in his life and an even greater impact on the world after his death. Watching those events - the US Open win by Stewart, the Ryder Cup comback (with Stewart), and the subsequent plane accident that took Payne's life - would have a dramatic impact on me and became together one of the most memorable sports moments of my life.

Most Memorable Sports Moment #6

Pete Rose Breaks Ty Cobb's Hits Record

When I was growing up, Pete Rose was my baseball idol. This was when he was just known as "Charlie Hustle", not as Pete Rose "The Guy Who Bet on Baseball", or "The Guy Who Went to Prison for Tax Fraud", or "The Guy Who Lied About It for Years", or anything else. I agree that now as a much older man with kids of my own, I am very troubled by much of the sad saga of Pete Rose's life. However, all of the character deficiencies do not take away from the fact that, between the lines, Pete Rose was one of the best players of his time and played the game with a passion and a intensity that few have ever shown. Good or bad, Pete was a winner and was consumed with everything he could do to win.

I was fascinated as a young kid with the "Big Red Machine" of the 70's and their impressive cast of players. I got the chance in 1978 to go to Riverfront Stadium to see a game and watch Pete, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, and Tony Perez play. My 7 yr. old team growing up was "The Big Red Machine" of Columbus, MS, and I did everything I could to emulate my hero Pete. I had more of his baseball cards than any other player. I remembered wanting one every time I opened a pack of cards I had bought from Templeton's Superette just a few blocks from the house. I followed Pete from Cincinnati to Philadelphia to Montreal in that ugly Expos uniform and back to Cincinnati in 1984. Pete was a 17-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year in 1963, NL MVP in 1973, and World Series MVP in 1975. In his career he played all three OF positions, 2nd base, 3rd base, and 1st base. He played all of them with every ounce of energy he could. Pete Rose holds the MLB record for most career at bats (14,053), most games played (3,562), and most career hits (4,256), as well as the NL record for most consecutive games with a hit (44).

The most memorable moment for me though was September 11, 1985 - the day that Pete broke Ty Cobb's career hits mark. Much like Rose, Cobb was a fierce competitor who won at all costs and was not liked much by his peers. On that day in September, Rose was tied with Cobb 4,191 career hits. Considering that by most standards having 200 hits in a year is a great season, that means that someone would have to average 200+ hits a year for 21 consecutive seasons to reach that mark! On that day in September, a much slower, heavier Rose entered the batter's box to face Padres pitcher Eric Show. On his first AB of the night, Rose laced a single into center field. He had done it. My hero had taken down the mighty Cobb. At that time, I was a 17-year old Senior in High School who had just witnessed history. I don't remember if I cried or not, but I remember the pride I felt for Pete. I remember being emotional during the long standing ovation the Reds fans gave him and seeing him cry and hug Pete Jr. on that base.

Later on I would watch my hero fall. Much like David in the OT and many of the epic heros of Greek mythology, Pete would become a victim of his own undoing. He would fall into public disgrace. He would be banned from my favorite sport forever and become ineligible to it's hall of elite players. The greatest hitter who ever lived has no place in the one place he most deserves from his play between the lines. I cannot judge whether Pete deserves the Hall or not. Like most, I know there is no dichotomy between who a person is and what a person does. But on that September night, I witnessed something I will remember for the rest of my life and that's the Pete I choose to celebrate.

Most Memorable Sports Moment #7

Cal Ripken Breaks Lou Gehrig's Iron Man Streak

I am an avid baseball fan and have been since I was 6 years old. Much of my generation of baseball however is defined by steroid allegations, labor strikes, and cancelled World Series. Baseball in my generation has given us some of the greatest talents to ever play the game - Arod, Jeter, Griffey Jr., Brett, Clemens, and Nolan Ryan. However, one of the greatest has got to be Cal Ripken Jr. Ripken defined baseball for much of this generation. Rookie of the Year, 2-time AL MVP, and 19-time All-Star. He was the face of the Baltimore Oriole franchise in an era marked by free agency and players leaving for higher dollars. He was a sure fielder at shortstop without possessing great defensive skills. He just seemed to always know where the ball would be hit.

Cal will best be remembered as this generation's Iron Man. He broke a record that many believed would be impossible in this baseball generation - the consecutive games played streak of Lou Gehrig. Gehrig played 2,130 consecutive games for the Yankees in his career. Ripken's streak began on May 30, 1982, as a rookie. Few had any idea how many games he would play and how much of an impact he would have on the game. On September 6, 1995, much of the world watched as in the middle of the 5th inning, the game became official and Cal had played in 2,131 straight games. 13 years with no visits to the DL, no games sat out to rest. He just wanted to play each and every game. He played through injuries and slumps. He played in the late season games when the Orioles were long out of the postseason picture. He played because he loved to play, just like when we were kids. On September 20, 1998, Ripken quietly ended his own streak at 2,632 games.

Growing up, I wasn't a huge Ripken fan. He didn't play on my favorite team or put up incredible stats. It wasn't until later that I began to appreciate the significance of Ripken on the game. Like most, I was watching an otherwise uneventful game on September 6. It wasn't a huge game with postseason implications. However, it was the opportunity to tell my kids that I saw one of the greatest moments in sports. Thanks Cal for showing us all not only how to play the game, but how to treat it right in the process.

Most Memorable Sports Moment #8

Duke/Kentucky 1992 NCAA Tournament Regional Final

I had to try and put at least one college basketball moment in my top ten and it's hard to find a moment in college basketball that was more memorable than the 1992 NCAA Regional game between Duke and Kentucky. This was one of those games that any basketball fan knows what he was feeling as he watched it. It featured 2 national powerhouses battling it out. Kentucky was on it's way back from a prolonged period of decline. Duke was trying for it's fifth Final Four in a row. Kentucky had legends like Jamal Mashburn, Travis Ford, and John Pelphrey. Duke had player of the year Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, and Grant Hill.

These two teams battled it out for 40 minutes and finished tied and needed overtime. The overtime was epic. The two teams exchanged the lead 5 times in the last 31 seconds. With 2.1 seconds Sean Woods makes a shot over Laettner. Duke coach Krzyzewski draws up a play for Laettner that will forever be known as "The Shot." Grant Hill threw the ball into Laettner at the foul line. He took one dribble, faked right, spun left and then threw up a shot that seemed like it hung up for hours. Swish, game over. Thomas Hill's shocked look said it all. So ended an epic game and created probably the most memorable college basketball moment of the last 30 years.

Most Memorable Sports Moment #9

Buster Douglas Defeats Mike Tyson

I remember when I first heard about an unknown guy named Buster Douglas defeating Mike Tyson. I was in college at MSU and my roommate Sam came in and said, "Did you hear that Mike Tyson got knocked out?" I thought for sure he was egging me on. For those of you who remember Tyson's early career, this guy was a monster. He was the most dominating boxer in the world and on a fast-pace to be the greatest boxer ever. He didn't just beat opponents, he destroyed them. He won 26 of his first 28 wins by knockout. He knocked out 16 guys in the first round! He was so dominant they made a video game out of him that everyone had - Mike Tyson's Punchout.

In February 1990, Tyson went to Japan to fight an unknown guy named Buster Douglas. This fight was such a mismatch that it wasn't even on TV to my recollection. I didn't even know he was fighting. We all assumed Tyson couldn't be beat. However, he was destroyed in the 10th round by Douglas and knocked down and out for the first time in his career. It was the beginning of the end for Tyson's boxing career. It was later revealed how much of Tyson's personal issues (losing his trainer, marriage and divorce to Robin Givens, etc.) could have contributed to his being distracted. However, at the time, this was a monumental upset.

Most Memorable Sports Moment - #10

Josh Hamilton's HR Derby Tirade

Ok. This won't make a whole lot of Top 50 moments in the grand scheme of sports, but for me, last year's Home Run Derby performance by Josh Hamilton was one of the greatest individual sports moments I have ever seen. It was made all the more special by the knowledge of what this dude has been through since being the #1 draft pick in 1999. After an accident took him out of baseball for a while, Josh turned to drugs and hanging out with the wrong crowd. It eventually destroyed much of his life and led to a suspension from the one thing that mattered most to him - playing ball. He was chased by his demons for several years until he finally surrendered to Christ in his grandmother's home. He then began his long journey back to the major leagues.

As if Josh's return to baseball wasn't enough of a story of redemption and grace, he began the 2008 season on a tear knocking the cover off the ball. He received an invite to play in the HR derby at Yankee Stadium. After watching several other competitors, Josh strode to the plate, and the fun begins. He began to belt monster shots all over Yankee Stadium. He hit three hr's that were measured over 500 feet! He averaged 453 feet per homer. When the first round ended, Josh had 28 hr's - the highest ever in one round - and the story of grace had another amazing chapter. Josh signed autographs and high-fived teammates between swings and obviously had a great time. Unfortunately, he hit a power outage in the final, losing to Justin Morneau. However, even Morneau had to admit that the night was all about Josh Hamilton. This story of grace, power, redemption, glory, and salvation left all who saw it in awe. So this makes my Top Ten Most Memorable Sports Moments.

Ten Most Memorable Sports Moments

I was thinking a few weeks ago about how much I love sports and what great moments I have been able to witness in my lifetime. Like a lot of guys, I am an avid sports watcher and usually cannot rest at night until I have had my SportsCenter fix. I have long loved baseball as my primary sports (the reason why a lot of my moments are baseball related). I also have a great affinity for football, golf, college basketball, and others.

Starting tomorrow, I will start posting about the Ten Most Memorable Sports moments I have witnessed. Remember, this is a personal list of the most memorable to me. You will probably not agree with all of this. I did not pick the Top Ten Sports Moments. I didn't try to necessarily include the moments that changed sports. I just compiled a list of the moments that I remember watching or hearing about that fixated my attention. There were lots of moments that didn't make the list and deserve to be mentioned - moments like the HR chase of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in 1999, Kirk Gibson's World Series HR, The Cal/Stanford play, Doug Flutie's Hail Mary, Montana to Clark "The Catch", NC State winning the NCAA tourney, and much more. These are all great moments that I love to watch, but they didn't have the personal impact to me.

Should be fun and I'd love to hear your interaction.

Way to go Alabaster Red Sox!

Last night, I had the privilege to be a part of my son Nathan's little league team wrapping up a very special season. The Red Sox won the championship of the Alabaster Minor league and capped off a perfect season. This very special group of boys won every game we played this season! It wasn't easy, but they fought hard and played together as a team each and every game.

None of us coaches could possibly expect at the beginning of the season when we got this group out on the field for the first time that perfection was possible. We knew we had some very good players, but it was rough at the start. Most of this team is composed of 9 yr. olds who are playing "kid-pitch" for the first time. The first time we did fly-ball drills nobody came close to catching one. Our first batting cage practices were mediocre at best. However, our head coach set the goal that every practice we just wanted to get a little better. These kids worked hard and did everything we asked, each and every practice.

We had games we dominated from the start this season. We had a game where we scored 12 runs in one inning to come back down late to win by 9. We had a game where we had to score 9 runs in our last inning to tie the game after the time limit had run out. We had a game where we were losing with 1 minute to play before time ran out. We started the next inning, scored 4, and won.

All in all, we are proud of this special group of kids, especially my boy Nathan. He ended the year with a great game, getting 2 solid hits. At the end, we brought all the boys out to the mound to give them their championship trophy. Thanks again boys for a great, fun year.

Put Your Dream to the Test - Review

Alright. I have now completed my second book review for Thomas Nelson Publishers book review bloggers. For this one, I selected a book by one of my favorite authors, Dr. John C. Maxwell.

I have been a big fan of John Maxwell's writing for a long time. I was a member of the Injoy Life Club for several years and gained a lot of valuable insight from his leadership teaching. His book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is still one of the top 5 books I have read as a leader and one I refer to quite often.

Put Your Dreams to the Test is another inspiring read from Dr. Maxwell. His premise is that everyone has a dream at one time or another. He gives the reader 10 questions to take your dream from wish to fruition. Dr. Maxwell defines a dream as "an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it." This definition alone is enough to draw the reader to explore this book further.

He believes that all dreams have the power to inspire and empower you. He helps the reader to clearly define the dream - creating a clear picture of an achievable future. He also helps the reader to identify if the dream meets with the passion of the dreamer as well as whether you have considered the cost to achieve it. The most helpful chapter to me was "The Pathway Question: Do I Have a Strategy to Reach My Dream?" One helpful quote was this: "The secret to your success is found in your daily agenda. If you do the right things day after day, then you will make progress, and you will eventually achieve what you set out to do." That's inspiring advice.

Another great piece of advice was implementing the "rule of five", doing five things every day that can move you closer to your dream. This helps to answer "The Tenacity Question." Most people fail to achieve their dreams because they fail to have the stick-to-it attitude necessary and put into practice small steps consistently to make it happen.

As usual, Dr. Maxwell writing is filled with plenty of inspiring stories and illustrations to make each point. Maxwell is an excellent story-teller and has an exhaustive illustration file drawing from Christian as well as non-Christian sources. This book is meant for anyone who has a dream, whether Christ-follower or not. It will have powerful potential for the kingdom of God if readers can develop a God-led dream to advance the kingdom. I wish that Dr. Maxwell were able to spend more time developing how dreams can have kingdom potential and not just a pathway for earthly success. There is tremendous inspiration and encouragement in Put Your Dreams to the Test for any and all Christ-followers. Get a copy for your library and put it into practice. You may find your dreams coming true.

Man Up Jon...

Ok. This will be painful to admit, but this last week I watched the season premiere of Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Now mind you, I don't normally watch this show. I promise you. I may have watched 10 minutes of 1 episode before Sunday night. However, with all the news plastered all over the place of Jon and Kate's recent problems, I was interested to see how it was going to be handled on the air. It was one of the saddest experiences I had ever seen.

Most of you probably know that Jon Gosselin is rumored to have had an affair recently. He denies it, but does admit to "making some mistakes." I watched as Kate and Jon were interviewed separately throughout the program instead of the usual together on the couch. Most of the conversation had little to do with the eight children and mostly to do with how they were handling each other.

Here's my problem with what's going on: First, Jon says this really isn't what he wanted with this reality gig. Evidently, he's having a hard time keeping up with the public scrutiny. Waaa! That's what happens when you put your family on the air to profit from them. If you can't handle it and it's tearing up your family, then find a way out of the contract dude. Second, when both Jon and Kate were asked where they were in the relationship, Kate responded she was there but Jon said he was "here for the kids." Come on! For the kids? Do you really think that what the kids need is a dad who isn't around when the spotlight is on and only comes around to tolerate his wife? Were the kids on your mind when you were photographed with that 23 yr. old in the car? Were you there for the kids too?

You know what your kids need Jon? They need a father who models for them what a man really is like. They need a man who will stand in the gap for his family and not dessert them just to please himself. You've got three boys who need a father to lead them through the difficult landmines of life that await them in the coming years. They need to know you can lead them through how to have a relationship with a woman based on integrity. They need a dad who can admit his mistakes and still place his family first. You have 5 girls who need a model for what they need to look for in a man. They need to see a father who loves their mother with all his heart, no matter how difficult the home may be. Your girls will get their model for a husband from you Jon. What are you going to show them?

Also, I heard several years ago about how Jon and Kate were Christians and the place of spirituality held in their family. Now, that may well be true. As Christians, we are no less immune to problems in our home, especially when that home has the child dynamics of the Gosselin household. However, it's time that Jon and Kate moved past being Christians and instead became Christ-followers who went back to the center of their relationship. It's time they focused more on God and His Word in their relationship. It's time they hit their knees in repentance and prayed for the brokenness of their relationship to be restored. It will take unconditional love and a heart that has been broken before they will survive.

It's time to Man Up Jon! You are failing your family. You are failing your wife. You are failing your children. You are a perfect picture right now of what's wrong in our culture with men today. Today's man is a perfect picture of passivity and selfishness. Today's man is confused and wandering. Too many men, including Jon, have sacrificed their families on the altar of personal fulfillment and happiness. It's time to man up and take your family back from the enemy. Your wife and kids are far too important. You stood on an altar and made a vow to your wife and to God. Vows may not mean much to us, but God takes them very seriously. If you really believe, Jon, that your life would be better apart from this family, I would have several guys that I know who would beg to differ with you. Take your family back. Don't let another opportunity arise for your daughter to say "When are you coming back daddy? Why do you have to leave?"

Men. It's time to take back our families. It's time to go to the Jon Gosselin's of the world and help them before they lose another family. It's time to hit our knees for our families and the families of our brothers-in-arms in the church. I am not trying to be critical of Jon. My heart breaks for him and his family. I am praying that at the end of the day, we will see a restoration of his family. I am sure that the media scrutiny will be so much that restoration will be unlikely. However, our God is faithful. If we seek him and honor him, he will lift us up. Jon and Kate, you can make it. It will take more out of you than you know. But if you are willing to pay the price, you can make it.

Summer begins - Family Updates

Well today is the first day of summer at the Haines' house and the kids are pumped. This morning my youngest, John David, graduated from 4K at Kingwood Christian School. We had a great time listening to them sing the books of the Bible, count to 10 in Spanish, say their memory verse, tell about long and short vowels, and lots more. He walked up and received a diploma from his teacher, Mrs. Vaughn. It was a very special time for us. He has made a lot of advances this year in 4K. We're looking forward to his first year in big school in the fall.

Nathan completed the third grade yesterday and ended his tenure at Creekview Elementary. He has really established himself as a leader at school and is still and excellent student. He especially likes science and art. He likes anything that he can tinker with or draw. He also participated this year in the gifted program at Creekview and had a great time. He is a thinker and GRC really helped him use those thinking gifts. Nathan is playing baseball with the Alabaster Minor Red Sox (9-10 yr. old) team. So far, our team is undefeated at 13-0 with 3 games to go. It's been a great group of boys and they have all made tremendous advances since the first practice.

Drew just finished second grade at Creekview and had one of his best years. Like his older brother he was tested and accepted into the GRC program starting in the fall. From the beginning, Drew's teacher Mrs. Roberson has said that Drew is "sneaky smart." He usually finishes his work faster than other students. He is an exceptional reader and is already on a 5th grade level. He has also developed a knack for writing this year. His teacher was very impressed with his ability to develop a story. Drew also has a passion for computer and video games. He bounces around between the computer, Nintendo DS, his PSP, the Playstation 3, and sometimes the Wii. Yes, we have too many video games around the house.

Now that summer is here, we are looking for some things to do. We'll spend some time swimming as well as try to get in some fishing trips for me and the boys. VBS will start in 2 weeks and Nathan is also doing a baseball camp at UAB one week.

I'm preaching at Westwood this Sunday. Looking forward to it. We are in a series called "Lost Words" and I am preaching on "Kindness". Much of the church will not be here as it is time for the yearly Memorial Day exodus to Disney or the beach. Whatever your plans, have a great weekend!

On the Road - Chicago

Well, my friend Jason just reminded me that I have been slacking up lately on the blog. Truth is, I have had lots on my mind and little time to unlock it. I'm on the road with my friend Jason Seales in Chicago. We're here for the "Entrusted with the Gospel" conference with The Gospel Coalition. It'll be three days based on the subject of being a faithful steward of the gospel. I'm looking forward to a great lineup featuring Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, and Bryan Chapell. It will be a refreshing conference.

It was a long ride today from Birmingham to Chicago. However, it went pretty fast and was filled with lots of laughs between me and my young friend. At one point, Jason tried some hot and spicy Chex Mix and accidentally inhaled it up his nose causing a painful burn.

Looking forward to a great three days here at the conference and a Cubs game Wednesday night. You can follow a live webcast of the conference here.

Go Barefoot!

Just saw this on the internet. It's about a campaign tomorrow to raise awareness of how many children around the world don't have shoes. I'm thinking about going barefoot, will you?

He Is Risen!

Hear the heart of heaven beating, "Jesus Saves. Jesus saves."
And the hush of mercy breathing, "Jesus Saves. Jesus saves."
Hear the host of angels sing, "Glory to the Newborn King."
And the sounding joy repeating, "Jesus saves."

See the humblest hearts adore Him. "Jesus saves. Jesus saves."
And the wisest bow before Him. "Jesus saves. Jesus saves."
See the sky alive with praise, melting darkness in its place
There is life forevermore, "Jesus saves. Jesus saves."

He will live our sorrow sharing, "Jesus saves. Jesus saves."
He will die our burden bearing, "Jesus saves. Jesus saves."
"It is done!" will shout the cross, Christ has paid redemption's cost!
While the empty tomb's declaring, "Jesus saves."

Freedom's calling, chains are falling, hope is dawning bright and true.
Day is breaking, night is quaking, God is making all things new.
"Jesus saves."

Oh to grace, how great a debtor! "Jesus saves. Jesus saves."
All the saints who shout together. "I know that Jesus saves."
Rising us so vast and strong lifting up salvation's song,
The redeemed will sing forever, the redeemed will sing forever, the redeemed will sing forever, "Jesus saves."
"Jesus saves."

Words by Travis Cottrell

It's Friday...but Sunday's a comin'

Thank you Jesus for your purchase of my salvation.