A Time of Immersion

Seasons change. Wisdom grows. Philosophies evolve. Passions intensify. God remains the same. Music reflects it all.

Our music and our ministry will be taking a bath next month. God has orchestrated events that will allow us to immerse ourselves in Him and our music. So, in February, I will work at the radio station in the mornings, return in the late afternoons for an hour or two, and have several hours a day in which to spend with Messiah and music. We expect great things to come from this time of immersion.

My earthly goals:

• gain a clearer understanding about our ministry
• finish recording existing songs
• write, record, and produce new songs
• set a CD release date
• connect with God and Bridget in new and fresh ways

Those are just a few of my earthly goals that I can come up with right away. I'm sure God has his own idea for this intensive time together.

God's goals?:

• reveal himself in greater ways
• grant wisdom and understanding concerning our ministry
• draw us closer to him

I'm not going to pretend to speak or think for God, but those are a few things I can feasibly see him doing. I'm sure he's got grand plans for this season, and I can't wait.

So, we'll call this the Pre Immersing Period. I shall attempt to keep you updated as the Immersing continues throughout the month, and then I will hopefully have a lot to tell after this time of immersion. Also, we'll hopefully have a lot of great music to show for it. Be encouraged.

Update & Working On the Look

• have 4 of the 5 songs' guitar track laid down
• gonna lay down some vocals on Saturday (today, I guess)
• been working on the new look - lost some stuff (some on accident, some on purpose)
• thanks to those that have kept asking about the CD

VOTE!

don't vote party - vote righteousness

don't vote race - vote righteousness

don't vote sex - vote righteousness

don't vote pocketbook - vote righteousness

don't vote age - vote righteousness

don't vote charisma - vote righteousness

don't vote looks - vote righteousness

don't vote fear - vote righteousness

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Proverbs 14:34

Father, God, You are God and You are in control. I thank you for the opportunity to elect our leaders. Today, I hand this nation's election over to You. Your will be done, Your kingdom come, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Have mercy on us as a nation, O God. I turn to You. Be our rock and our fortress. I ask for peace and joy in the midst of this tumultuous time. Whatever happens today, You are still my God, and You are still my hope. Thank You for the blood of Jesus; thank You for the love of Jesus. In his mighty name I pray.

Soli Deo Gloria

Happy Birthday, Bobo!

My #1 son turned 10 this past Saturday. Wow. He's so old. And he's getting so big. The circumstances surrounding his birth and early years were not so great, but he is my pride and joy. Well, one of them anyway. He is awesome! Below are 10 of my favorite memories from his first 10 years (in chronological order - as best as I remember it)

1. his birthday (born in OKC on September 27, 1998 - I was a very proud dad)



2. it took him forever to sleep through the night (I mean forever - thankfully, we learned from him and had the others sleeping through the night within a few weeks)



3. he once stuck some keys in an electrical socket outside my office in KY (I could hear him hitting the wall with the keys, but didn't think about a socket until he got real quiet before he started crying really loudly)



4. he would pronounce the letter W "double doo!" (he spent a weekend or something with my parents who taught him his letters - that one was his favorite)



5. he loved the American flag (he always shouted "A flag! A flag! A flag!" until we finally acknowledged that he was seeing a flag)



6. he was George Washington in a school "play" (I think it was President's Day or something in either the first or second grade - he read a few lines)



7. he had to have glasses (there was a prophet at our church who was healing some people of eye problems - glasses, etc., he stood for a moment, then sat down and said that he liked his glasses)



8. his violin recital (he's really gifted)



9. playing baseball (he had the highest on base percentage on the team, because he kept walking, and he was a pretty decent second baseman)



10. his prophetic word (wow, what a word spoken over him - if you want to hear it, make your request known in writing and send $1 to.... - just kidding about the dollar, but it's worth hearing, just not on this blog - sorry)

There they are. My wife calls him Bobo on her blog, so we will too. Happy birthday, Bobo! I love you, buddy.

Love Note Day

Today is Love Note Day. So here are a few notes of love:

To my wife:
I love you. I can't describe it any better than that. You are my sunsushine. You make me happy; you can make me mad, but you don't do that very often. You put up with me. God has said that our marriage was a miracle; well, I'm glad it's our miracle. I'm proud of our children. You are a wonderful mother, and you'll only get better. Thank you for 10 1/2 years of marital bliss (most of the time)! I love you.

To my children:
I love you. You guys are the best. From #1 son to baby girl, you are my pride and joy. You are so much fun, and I love coming home to a family excited to see me. Thanks for being so cool! I love you.

To my family ('rents and others):
I love you. Thank you for your love and support throughout my life. Thank you for loving my little family. Thanks for letting us use your pool and cable and internet and sugar and kool aid and Oreos and everything else. You guys are my foundation. I love you.

To my friends:
I love you. Whether you're a new friend or one who's been with me through the permed hair and Speedo stages of life, you are one of my most valued treasures. Thank you for making me laugh, for laughing with me and at me. You are the best. And I'm sure you owe me money. I love you.

To my God:
I love You. You saved my life. You are my rock, my fortress, my provider, my savior, my joy and my strength. You are the Ancient of Days. You are the Alpha and Omega. You are awesome. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me and bringing me this far. I look forward to continuing our journey together. You are life. I love You.

Top 10 Lessons I'm Learning

10. be on time (it's a courtesy to those who are depending on you)
09. be professional (echoes #10)
08. even if the cat's away, God is still watching (so do your job anyway)
07. tithe (the first fruits of your money and your time - give God the first part of your day)
06. spend time with God (you can't get to the next level without Him)
05. pray with your kids (teach them early)
04. pray with your spouse (stand in agreement)
03. do what your wife says (this is a lifelong lesson)
02. communicate with your spouse (makes things a whole lot easier)
01. write it down (Habakkuk 2:2 - you can't remember it all)

29 Reasons Why I Love My Wife

in no particular order...

1. she's hot (I seriously could end here)
2. she can sing (you need to hear her)
3. she makes beautiful babies (have you seen our children?)
4. she's a great mother (to 4 kids!)
5. she's a good cook (creamy baked chicken, baby!)
6. she lets me make her laugh (maybe she's just laughing at me)
7. she's desperately in love with Jesus (I'm not jealous)
8. she washes my clothes and cooks my meals (this is a good thing, people)
9. she rearranges our house at least once month (change is good)
10. she's not the neatest painter (seriously, check her clothes and look at the ceiling)
11. she loves to decorate (seriously) (and she's good at it)
12. she sings a lot around the house (see #2)
13. she shows me things only I get to see (and I like what I see)
    
14. let's just call this one an elaboration of #13 (4 kids, natch)
15. she prays for me (Lord knows I need it)
16. she prays with me (important to stand in agreement)
17. she prays with our children (see #4)
18. she likes to watch movies with me (so what if I like "Pride and Prejudice"?)
19. she blogs a lot (check it out here)
20. she talks a lot (this can be a good thing)
21. she likes to make music with me (have you heard some of our songs?)
22. she had the words, "pastor's wife" spoken over her in high school (we were just given the pastoral nod this past weekend) (more on that later)
23. she bought me at my fraternity's date auction (I'll let her tell you what I cost) (she got a good deal)
24. she loves my family (and they love her)
25. she likes to buy things (but only when we have money) (which isn't very often)
26. she likes to buy me things (not as much as I'd like for her to, though)
27. she likes to look pretty for me (I did a "top 5" today on my show - #2 was "women are infinitely more concerned about what they wear then men are; in fact, if you met us at the door naked, you wouldn't hear a complaint from us)
28. she's my Bridy Girl (and my sunsushine)
29. she loves me (I couldn't ask for anything more)

When she turns 30 next year, I'll add another one. I love you, Bridy Girl!

Head....Swimming....

Sooooooo many thoughts and stuff going on inside the ole brain. You could call it a brain storm, but I wouldn't.

First, yesterday. 9/11. I read a timeline of the events and played a radio montage from various stations in Manhattan from the day of the event on my show. It was very, very tough. Even now, 7 years later, it still affects me.

Second, yesterday. At work by 5:45a, a remote from 1p to 4p, doing the public address for three Jr. High football games starting about 4:15p and getting home around 9:30p. Only to get up and be at work by 5:30a this morning.

Third, this week. Our church's staff meets every morning in the theater for prayer at 9. Anyone is welcome to come Tuesdays through Fridays (the staff prays just as a staff on Mondays). I try to go as often as I feel I can get away from the station. I made everyday this week. I do enjoy praying with those guys and gals. It's good stuff.

Fourth, my thought keeps developing. The whole "our fears are fueled..." bit. It has now evolved to

"Our fears are fueled and our faith is felled when we forsake the Father's favor."

Sometimes we don't forget, we just plain ole rebel.

Fifth, Ike. He sure is causing a lot of trouble. This morning during prayer, one of the pastors was praying concerning Ike, and I had a vision of hundreds of little groups, just like ours, gathered together to pray. It was like a line of defense up and down the Gulf Coast. Then, another man there started to pray and asked if we dared to rebuke the storm. Jesus did. Why not us? So he rebuked the storm. I then realized that this "line of defense" was for more than just Ike. The groups spread all over the world. War was being fought in the spiritual realm, and it was goose-pimply to see believers praying with us and for us from around the globe.

Sixth, this blog. In my own vain efforts to sound so spiritual and profound, I lose sight of the personality that God has given me. I love to laugh. My whole family does, as do most of my friends. Yet, I'm so serious on the blog. I'm sorry, guys. I shall try to do a better job of just being me. Oh, don't get me wrong. I am spiritual and profound, but just not all the time. So, I will try to blog more, and just see where God leads things. Sound good?

Seventh, I like odd numbers.

In Progress

• gathering timbers (Haggai 1:8)
• The Kingdom Project (preparing for the ministry God has for us)
• more music (finally writing again - fresh inspiration and motivation)
• Kingdom Quest (the evolution of a book I've been pondering/writing for over a year)
• fixing the link to the internet stream of KQ106 (now have the engineer and station manager working on this)
• writing this blog (sorry for the long stretch of silence)