Pastor Dad

            Tammy almost burned down our house yesterday. Might as well get straight to the point huh? She was supposed to stay in Nashville Saturday night and pick up Kelcey from the airport on Sunday and bring her home. Well, she got sick and ended up driving home on Saturday evening. So Sunday after finishing our worship service I got in the car and drove to Nashville.             Before the story let me say that my wife is one of the funniest people that I know. And she is by far the most funnest person I know. When she gets tickled and can’t stop laughing she actually cries! Its great! That is a picture to think about as I share Sunday’s adventure!             Because Tammy is sick and I am going to Nashville this left her at home with waaaaay too much time on her hands. Jordan had agreed to smoke a turkey for dinner and Tammy was busy cleaning (which is all she does when she’s sick). Jordan decides to go play basketball while the turkey is smoking and tells his mom to a

Not a lot to say about the pictures. This picture was taken in May of this year 2013. My daughter and I came across this a week or so ago and we both laughed even though inside I was pretty taken back by how much bigger I had become. I weighed in at 206 or so. Over the next few months I lost about 9 or 10lbs on my own but was just lazy in food choices. I started the Advocare plan and their products in August. Here I am on August 4th, the day before we began: Try to control yourself, I know I'm beautiful! :-) After our 24 day, yes I said day, challenge we took this picture Right after taking this picture my lovely wife, ever the optimist rubbed my stomach and said, "I forgot you even had these!" Thanks babe! And after 24 days post challenge, I have actually lost another 2lbs and not really trying that hard! We are not hungry and we eat real food! Healthy food! The plan is that this is my last week on the weight loss side of Advocare. Next week the goa

           I grew up in the mountains of Townsend TN. I would say I grew up on a farm but that would be a little exaggeration. I grew up beside a farm. Papaw had a farm and we worked some and visited a lot. Growing up in the mountains and in the South there are certain staples that are associated with that. Biscuits are important but more important with gravy. Now for you transplants from the North, gravy is pure bacon/sausage grease mixed with flour and milk or cream (absolute heaven). We eat a lot of cow, pig and chicken. And my mom always had vegetables on the table and made me and my brother and sister eat them. So what I am about to tell you is no fault of hers. I just had a strong will (close your mouth, I know you’re surprised). I ate the colored stuff on my plate when threatened but the taste never took with me.             That may be why, when I ventured out on my own with the woman I would spend the rest of my life with, I stopped eating colored things. And Tammy (tha

          While thinking about a devotion for my SWAT team this week I wanted to share something about “focus”. This group trains long hours and is expected to perform above average when they are called on. As I was preparing for my Tuesday morning ten minutes of fame, I kept coming back to Philippians 3; a new group of trainees just joined the team and the entire group would be going over basics for the week of training. I wanted to share something that was both inspirational but instructional. I view my job as their Chaplain the exact way I look at my job being the Pastor at my church.             So while waiting to share what God had given me about focus I hear the instructor explaining to a shooter the importance of his front site on his gun. I have heard this for years and, like them, I know that your front site is important but something was said on the range on this morning that really stuck with me. Here were the instructor’s comments:             “You have to find y

            It’s early on Wednesday morning as I begin to write today. I haven’t written in a while just because I have been so busy. No excuses just facts. Wednesdays are the busiest but usually I get to spend more time reading and preparing to teach so that isn’t all too bad. I have been really making an effort to live according to scripture. I know, I know, that’s what a person is supposed to do, especially a Pastor. But more than lip service I have a strong desire to include scripture into my personality as well. I want to make it less of an effort and more of a habit. With that said, here is what is on my mind today…             Galatians 5:16-17 says this, “ 16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly

          What are you doing here? This question makes me think several things when I have been asked. Sometimes I have thought, “Well, I must not be wanted.” Other times I quickly blurt out my purpose. Still other times I have just kind of stood there wondering what the asker wants the askee to say. For example when Tammy and I visited my parents after Jordan was born and we didn’t have either of their grandchildren, my dad asks, “Where are the kids?” to which I respond, we don’t have them. And before I could explain why, my dad responded, “What are you doing here then?” Lots of love!             God asked Elijah this question. This in my mind is kind of disconcerting seeing that God should already know and then I realize He was asking for Elijah’s sake and not His own. But the story is fascinating. Here is the synopsis. Elijah has just prayed down fire from heaven and embarrassed all the king’s prophets and preachers because they couldn’t do it. Then to add insult to the alrea

            I am going to risk sounding like a 40-something year old man who has been married for over 22 years but hey, that’s what I am!             I really don’t like Valentine’s Day. I don’t boycott it but I don’t enjoy the National Day of Women either. Not because I am rebellious or not crazy in love with my wife but I don’t like the idea that this is THE day that I am supposed to shower her with over priced flowers and/or candy!             That’s all. I’m not gonna lose any sleep over it but that’s my humble thoughts and opinion. I wouldn’t advise any of the guys marching out of Kroger with their spoils of war in hand to say anything like that to their Valentine without a long hard thought out conversation first. That could end poorly for them. But here is my tribute to my Valentine (Which may mean that I have fallen victim to the day and am just too cheap to buy a gift…hmmm I may need to rethink my position)!             Not that yours isn’t, but my wife is specia

A store that sells husbands has just opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates. You may visit the store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights. There is, however, a catch... you may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building! So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband... On the first floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men have jobs and love the Lord. The second floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, and love kids. The third floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love the Lord, love kids, and are extremely good looking. "Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads: Floor 4 - These men have

            Do you happen to have any investments? Long term investments? I have heard that if you invest in the right product early on in its existence that with the right leadership, management, and a few breaks that your return could exponentially be greater than your original investment.             Well, Tammy and I have two long term investments. The first we have been invested in almost 22 years and the returns just keep coming in. The other is what this blog is about and that investment is just over 18 years. Tonight is senior night for some of the athletes at Heritage High School. Our son, Jordan, will take the floor for his last regular season home game of his high school career. Not sure how to feel about it. Very emotional, obviously. But I’m not really sad. I am very proud, excited, and looking forward to what his next step is.             Here is how his mother, sister, and girlfriend decided to commemorate the occasion:               From the most adora

            When you have car problems on 75% of the home fleet…               When the furnace at church (from 1969) finally craps out…   When you open the oatmeal for a semi-healthy breakfast and realize it went out of date 10 months ago…   When you go to the pharmacy and you are picking up more prescriptions that the guy in the motorized cart with oxygen…   When the dog walks over to her bowl of dry dog food and looks at you intently as if to say, “Really? Really? That’s the best you can do?”…   When you shift gears in your automobile and the shifter comes off in your hand and that wasn’t included in previous 75%…   When you experience all 4 seasons in 3 days and don’t have to travel…   When you see the energetic toddler in the buggy at the grocery store loading up the buggy with stuff when mom has her back turned…   When you agree to go along with your son and eat better. My thoughts have always been that more is better but Tammy says that doesn’t appl

            Occasionally I will pull a random book from my shelf and find where I have folded down a page and just start reading. This was one of those mornings and its so amazing how God uses everything to speak to where you are! The following is my version of what I read in, "The Eye of the Storm" by Max Lucado and some of my commentary also.             There are lightning storms. There are rainstorms. There are snowstorms. And there are doubtstorms.             Every so often a doubtstorm rolls into my life, bringing with it a flurry of questions and gale-force winds of fear. And, soon after it comes, a light shines through it.             Sometimes the storm comes after the evening news. Some nights I wonder why I watch it. Some nights it’s just too much. From the steps of the Supreme Court to the steppes of South Africa, the news is usually gloomy… thirty minutes of bite-sized tragedies. A handsome man or attractive woman in a nice suit with a warm voice giv