Pastor Dad

           I read. A lot! I try to read something every day. Most of the time it is leadership books or ministry books. Sometimes it is about marriage and family or even a subject that I am researching to teach. I read my bible every morning and then also at some point during the day. But, my wife has convinced me as of late to also read for entertainment. I used to while I was in school but had pretty much stopped for fear I was wasting time. I read all three of the Hunger Games books and really like them. Book Two was a little girly but one and three were excellent. I also like to read the news online. I steadily take in Foxnews.com and also CNN.com. And this is where the fuel for today has come from. An article on CNN that says that a poor economy makes it difficult to teach family values.             ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What does love, respect, loyalty, and honor have to do with the economy? As if because you are wealthy gives you an advantage over someone who isn’t to teach you

           I’m really strange. Unique may be a better word but the truth is, I am. I think differently, not better, at least not all the time, than most people. I have flaws but like everyone else I don’t celebrate those very often. Here is what brought this thought on this morning. I did something that I don’t think most people (not named Jordan Bryant anyway) would have done.             I’m leaving the hospital after visiting my sister and her husband (no worries, he’s doing better.) and it is raining. I mean raining. You don’t understand, R A I N I N G! As I leave, I decide to play a game (see, I told you people don’t think like me). As I am gingerly walking to my car in what seems to be the offspring of Hurricane Katrina, I start asking people (hospital employees, visitors, and one elderly lady that was dressed like she just walked out of an 80’s Church of God Camp meeting) if I can borrow their umbrella.             You have to get the picture. Most people in society stare a

            I could write an actual paragraph or two or two-hundred about my weekend but for Monday’s sake, I will, instead, list what I learned over the weekend. Mostly sparing you the details which were sad, funny, startling, surprising, bad, and great. Starting on Friday and continuing through this morning. I may choose to expound on certain details at a later time but for now this will have to do… What I learned over the weekend: There are some crazy generous people in the world (see over $12,000 raised for Sam and Monica Tucker on Friday) I can get from my office to Downey Oil behind Fort Craig School and back to my office in less than 10 minutes. Depending on the red-lights, of course. The Cowlady can make a mean chocolate pie Greenville, South Carolina is really not as far away as I once thought. Less than 3 hours with me driving. My wife is the most selfless mother that I know. My kids are fortunate that she is around. My son is one of the nicest, kindest, most cour

            I love to connect. I am the person that will wait in line inside for fast-food even if the drive-thru is empty. If I am afforded the choice at home of sitting around the TV at dinner or at the table, I always choose table. I love to connect with people.             I am the guy that resisted texting because I like to have a conversation. I would rather talk than text but I will say that I can communicate with more people more efficiently with texting. I’m notorious for being in a meeting with lots of people and texting someone else with my phone under the table. But I’d rather talk.             I am the guy that resisted Facebook. I use it more than anyone in my family now simply because it is a way to connect. But I miss face to face conversations instead of conversations on Facebook. I like conversations.             Oh to hear a human voice and see a human face. To speak to real people. To receive a human greeting and not a “this call may be recorded for training

I want to first thank my cousin, Jamie, for the title. He captured the moment perfectly. What a weekend. I’m going to tell you about it but understand that words will never do justice to the moments, events, and experiences. I can only hope to paint a picture. And what a picture it was.             Friday – Kelcey gets the once in a lifetime experience of having all four wisdom teeth removed, extracted, pulled, evacuated, choose your verb. They’re gone and not coming back (at least she hopes they won’t). Spent the morning and early afternoon with Tammy taking care of the now drooling eldest offspring. It was beautiful but Tammy wouldn’t allow me a photo. Friday night Jordan, my youngest offspring, plays basketball and scores 8 points in 10 minutes. That was pretty sweet.             Saturday – Jordan had two games this morning. He played well in the first and his team boycotted the second. At least that’s what it looked like. Not fun; for parents, fans, or players. After the dis

Two paddleboats left Memphis about the same time a long time ago, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side-by-side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snails pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South. One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor took some of the ships cargo and tossed it into the ovens. When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal, they fueled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, but had burned their cargo. God has entrusted cargo to us, too: children, spouses, friends. Our job is to do our part in seeing that this cargo reaches it’s destination. Yet when the program takes priority over peop

When someone you consider to be a Spiritual Father to you calls you on Monday and says he is reading a book you might like and then reads something from the book, I don’t know about you, but I stop and pay attention. And boy was it worth it. I am going to copy what he read to me for you to read. This is so great… “Defining your core values will guide you in setting goals for yourself. Kind of like writing your own eulogy on what you would want people to say about you. To my surprise my list was very short and simple. I want to do something great for God! I want my relationship with Him to grow daily, and I want Him to mold me into a usable vessel for His glory. I deeply desire to be the absolute best husband on the planet. I want my marriage to be full of joy daily. I want my children to know they are absolutely, unequivocally second to nothing else in my earthly life except their mother. I will be available to them 24/7. I will attend every event they participate in if possib

            What a great weekend! I mean not just so, so but great! It was so good I’m going to tell you about it. Tammy had one of her 53 paid holidays on Friday so I decided to take off on my off-day (What that means is I usually work my off day but not this off day; I took this off day off, get it?).             Anyway, we took off Friday but Thursday night we turned off all Friday alarms and alarm clocks. We had a big day planned but wasn’t sure we were going to get it all done so we attacked the day the way big companies do; we had a meeting. We woke up around 7:30am or so and laid in bed and talked till almost 9. Upon leaving the “meeting” Tammy fixed some healthy strawberry muffins for breakfast (hehe). Long story short, we cleaned off the back deck, pressured washed the deck and everything that was returning to it and finished just in time for Tammy to attend a ladies event at the church and me to go celebrate a friend’s daughter’s birthday.             Saturday was Spring

           Wow, it’s been a while. Sorry bout that. I know this is necessary for you to make it through a week. I’ve been a little busy. This is Easter week. For those of you that don’t know, I am a Pastor. I Pastor RIO 180 Church on Montvale Station Rd. in Maryville TN (our services are 9:30 & 11:30am on Sundays {shameless plug}). And in case you aren’t aware, Easter is a pretty big deal to churches and Pastors. It’s kind of like Black Friday only instead of offering great deals; we offer eternal life through Jesus. Kinda cool, huh? But really it is soooooooo much more than just salvation. I mean that’s a huge deal but there is more.             Easter is the most incredible holiday of the year. I’m not sure exactly why the government hasn’t taken it away but it is the day that is recognized as the day that Jesus rose from the dead. No jokin, it’s on almost every calendar, phone, and computer and hasn’t been taken off yet. Probably shouldn’t brag too much or it could happen.

            I’m struggling to write this morning. My heart is very conflicted. I look around my life and there is so much to be thankful and happy for. I am so blessed to have an incredible family and extended family. I have the absolute best job in the world (at least on a quiet Monday, I do). I am not financially wealthy but I have never been hungry, I have a nice home with heat and air conditioning and running water, I have a car that has started every day for several years now, I have friends who love and support me and are incredibly loyal, my family is healthy, our church is growing, its spring, I have nice clothes to wear, I live in a time when technology is abounding, I can go to the grocery store today and buy enough food for my family for weeks, my faith is growing, and yet there is even more.             But here is the struggle. There is a lot to be hurt about also. I was there Saturday as a chaplain with one family of the boys who died on the train tracks. I have a frie