Dorn's Halloween party Saturday night!

Here is Kim and her friend being assistant and Dr. crazy...(names I made up...her husband was Frankenstein...so she might have been Egor!

here was my costume....can you guess what i was?

Yep...that is death pointing right at me...kind of scary...but tons of fun.

There is my wife on the stairs! Raggedy Ann woo woo! OK off to bed now...night!!! and please KUTPs!!! 

Some random stuff....

Me and my Nanaw!

A Christmas ago...with my Nanaw!


Well, my Nanaw is still not where we would love for her to be, but she seems to be recovering still. The congestive heart failure seems to be forcing Nanaw on a roller coaster ride. one day she is doing good, following the physical therapists directions and eating a little bit here and there, and the next day she is stubborn not doing anything or eating anything.... she has been taken off the O2 tent, and is now only on the nose O2 tube...she might still need the tent when she sleeps, but they are playing it by ear right now... Thank you all for your prayers and please KUTPs!!!

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Anyone want to see how good my Mom is as painting... well here is one of the best ones I have ever seen from her....


yep told ya... Love you Momma!

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and now for a little typical D.G.... John Choi caught me being me.... Great picture John...and great face Kim!!!


More for later...but yall have a great week!

fall (ing) leaves

This was what I got to experience this morning during my quiet time..just awesome.

My Nanaw is still not doing well....

Well, I got a instant message today from my mother saying that my Nanaw still has fluid in her lungs (congestive heart failure) The Dr. is going to be talking to my father, aunt, and Tom (Nanaw's husband) about what to do.

I must say that I love my Nanaw........ And through my entire life that is her name, "my Nanaw". heh heh.... She has lived a wonderful life and I know that she lives to love and loves to live! I bet even right now she could smile and raise her eyebrows even if she could not speak, heh...

So pray for God's will to be done. That is can that we can do! She is not dead yet, and neither are you, but death is not something to be feared...and life is worht fighting for, but not at the cost of selfishness.

Thank yall and love you! KUTPs!!!!

All Hallow's Eve early.....

Well, tonight after youth group was over @ Asbury I went down to the cemetery behind the church and wanted t take a few pictures to get everyone in the Hallow's Eve mood...

I love this one became it has that, "shaky what the...is that a ghost over there in the pic" look to it...heh... it really is me just trying to hold the camera REALLY still while the shutter stayed open, heh... I love the look though.

This one was just with a flash, and even though it is very sad...there is a peace about it.

Threw in the Sepia tone for this one...This has a great feel to it...and I just used the camera's filter...none of these have had any Photoshop...it is just me playing around with my camera.

A little B&W action here... on Flickr I will put the three different versions of this one up and yall can tell me which one you like best. Have a great night and God bless yall!

Seriously, go over to my Flickr page (just click on the ad over there on the right...and you can see the weird lens flare that looks like a "spirit" (or in my mind a single celled organism) but is sounds a lot better and much more freaky as a "spirit" (insert crazy laughter here) heh...enjoy the notes I added to it...see if you can find the one I am talking about in the set titled, "All Hallow's Eve" OK, yall take care and KUTPs!!!

Some pictures from today after church....

Here are a few pictures I took after church today. I have yet to really go out and have a full day with my new camera...and to tell yall the truth, I have having a ton of fun...and wishing I had a digital SLR, heh.... well nah not really, I am having too much fun with this tiny camera! And besides I kind o look at it like it is a challenge to make just as good photos with this small suck than the others with their big guns...the only thing I wish is that I could some how make a Marco lens for the camera...that would rock..but other than that I LOVE IT! So here is Sage, two Organic Apple shots (tell me which Apple shot yall like better) and one last one of a tree! The colors are awesome this time of year... I am still trying to get with Scott, and go out for a day or half day to go take pictures...I need someone that can jog my memory of how to take some shots...especially since I am still trying to learn my camera. Anyway I hope yall like them and there are even more over @ my Flickr page. I thought my Mom might like to paint the apple one..the class she just took did lots of still life's...oh and Momma send me that last one via email so I can blog it and show everyone how awesome it is! It is probably one of my most favorite ones so far!

Yall have a wonderful Sunday take care, God bless, and KUTPs!!!

Oh and my Nanaw (grandmother) has been diagnosed with having a severe infection of diverticulitis, she is running a fever now..which means more hospital time..but Tom (her husband) is healing up fine..and Tiffany is getting better but very slowly...so keeping up the prayers is greatly appreciated! oh and the wedding I got to officiate yesterday went great! I can't wait to have (The Oats) oer to eat so I can take pictures of their son for yall! He is so stinking cute!!! Cyall!

The purse of death!

Danger Will Robinson, Danger!!! This is my wife's purse...and man if her cell phone goes off...you might as well just expect for it to go into voice mail! It really is scary to stick your hand in there...you will never know what will happen! There is the leopard case...with it's deadly zipper like teeth, the seemingly sweet green with flower wallet of death, the old (and cranky) yellow coin purse, and I can not tell you how bad the pen and pencil infestation has become in there! There is no cure! Well, except for....no...not that...anything but THAT............ Another purse? AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Tiffany still not up to snuff, a rumor, and some websites....

I forgot to mention that Tiffany is still not back to normal. She does not feel sick any more but the same symptoms are around. The stool sample came back negative for parasites or bacteria, so the Dr. told her that if she is still having the "looseness" then she would have to come back in on Monday and they would do some more tests... it is all just weird...and we both really just want her to be taken care of and all better!

Also, my grandmother is in the hospital right now...she went in a few days ago with high blood pressure, and then they released her, only fr her to go back in because she was not eating anything...she is feeling better Tom (her husband) said, but pray that her desire to eat comes back...

And speaking of Tom...he just had surgery a day or two ago, on his face. Every now-and-then he has to have some skin growths removed just in case...and he just sent me a picture of what he looks like and man they did work on him... he said one side was looking good, but the other sure was cut on. So pray for him too.


Even though his picture looks scary, it is kind of funny also, you can tell he took the picture himself, and he even joked about acting like a mummy in all the bandages...just in time for All Hallow's Eve! heh. heh...

With all of that said please KUTPs!!!!
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OK, here are a few websites I have been wanting to put on the blog for a while and it is about time to do another one of these posts.....



Here is a link to a site that is talking about the rumored iPod touch screen....I know that the picture above is not real, but man oh man I really am looking forward to this one...WHEN it comes out, heh... but anyway...here is the latest news of the touchscreen iPod and the iPhone
(oh and they are saying December might be when we officially hear more about them!

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Want the recipe for the best cake you will ever eat? (if you like the flavors of course, heh)
i wanted to give yall the recipe of the cake I backed for the UM pastor cake auction that sold for the most money in the auction (more than $140). this cake is Paula Deen's wedding cake and it is a Almond Sour Cream Pound Cake. <--there is the link for it) ------------------------------------------

Monkey On Your Back is fun and cool! Basically it is a way to create tasks for others to do and it will email them to other people or yourself. Check it out if you want to and following the link I have provide.

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For those of you who do not know there are going to be two new video game systems this Christmas! The Playstation 3 ($499 & $599) and the Nintendo Wii ($250). That means you could buy a Nintendo Wii gmae system and a Xbox 360 for te price of one Sony Playstation 3! Anyway.... I am very happy with my Xbox 360 and There are several games coming out that I know I will enjoy in the future, so i was not every excited about either of the PS3 or the Nintendo Wii....until I saw these videos....



These videos really show how great the new Nintendo controller is...I think this system will be the definitive system for parties! You do not have to know what button to press for the basic games...you just swing the controller in the motion you want to show up on screen and it shows up. The guy in the picture above is bowling...And Nintendo is going back to the roots f Video Games and actually giving away a game with the system! Very interesting..and I really would love to play around with one some day!

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Well, I guess that is all for now...look forward to the next Craddock installment soon!

Dang that is one GOOD LOOKING GIRL!!!! woo woo! I sure do love you girl!!!

That is rights people...I love my wife...and I want the world wide web to know!!!

Funny, I am even saying these things when she did not buy me anything...must be true love, heh...

Yall have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to KUTPs!!! 

Here is the wedding reshesal cake from the rehersal dinner last night...of Bill and Jill who I am officiating thier wedding this Saturday. I thought it was a very good looking cake... (they love to play poker, heh)

The most impressive part of the cake were the cigars, they looked very good, and even though they were not perfect...I was very impressed! Anytime you have to get close to see if they are real...the cake maker did a good job.

The cards are not perfect, but the funny thing is that you can see the smudge where someone tried to pick up the "real" card, ha ha... anyway please be in prayer for the couple Bill and Jill (soon to be for a last name) Oats! Yall take care and God bless yall! KUTPs! 

The one about team Hoyt...

I worshiped this morning and I did it through a video.

I have a great father here on earth...and man I love you Daddy, but our Father in heaven is calling out for a reminder that together is the way he desires to move, work, and play!

The one about me spedning the day with Fred Craddock....

with several other pastors...but I ate with him, heh....

So who is Fred Craddock?



Well, I believe that he is one of the premier narrative preachers in the world. When I was in Seminary I found out that the seminary kept all of the sermons that have ever been preached (that they recorded) on tape! So, then I went to one of my heroes who I consider to be on the same list mentioned above (for traditional preaching, of course)


Dr. Kalas (who was one of my professors and mentors @ Asbury Seminary)

and I asked Kalas who were the premier narrative preachers still alive today..and he mentioned two others, Craddock and


Haddon Robinson (but this is not about either one of those...yet, heh)

So, anyway I went to the tape archive section and copied everyone from both of them...and I only had maybe 20, heh.... but I listened to them all and even though my favorite sermon of the bunch was Haddon....I loved the amazing gift of the good news given through the person of Fred!

So what was his wisdom? Well, when searching his name I found someone in Georgia that gave an amazing summary of the same stuff that I am sure Dr. Craddock gave to him with another group somewhere else...so here are his main points..but to love Craddock is to love his stories more than just his points...so here are the pints and all the good quotes will follow, heh....

Craddock offered 13 statements about preaching. Here they are:
1. Respect and come to love the hours of study in the preparation of a sermon. The discipline of study brings freedom.
2. Pay close attention to words; study them, respect them, love them.
3. Have a clear grasp of anthropology. In other words, understand deeply your view of humankind. How you view people informs your sermon.
4. Create high expectations.
5. If possible--find a governing image or metaphor.
6. Build anticipation in all your ministry.
7. Be able to state the sermon in one sentence.
8. Facilitate conversation between the congregation and Scripture.
9. Be flexible with the many layers of Scripture. There is usually more than one way to understand and present a text.
10. Populate sermons with people--people with names.
11. Create materials to make your sermon more real.
12. Develop and maintain balance in your life.
13. Live with a understanding distance of God. Talking with God that authorizes talking about God.

So that is a great list to take to heart.....but if you just heard that you would have fallen asleep, here is the stuff you would have loved!!!:

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A question he always asks:
What do I think I am doing when I am preaching?

Preaching should be a habit/discipline BUT MUST contain reflection
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He talked about Chaim Perelman a man who is an author of rerhetoric not preaching). And Craddock said this"
“Good communication, is making the absent present”. If listeners can see something, then it is persuasive. He gives and example of a Chinese emperor standing in the entrance of the palace. He watches some men taking an ox to its death for sacrifice. The emperor said, “Stop turn it loose and go get a sheep!” So the men asked the emperor, “Emperor, do you prefer sheep over oxen for sacrifices?” And the emperor replied, “No, it is just that I can see the ox”.
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We must help people see it!!!

This thought is exactly what the Bible does. For instance when Abraham is on the Mt. who is on the Mt.? Abraham, Isaac, and YOU!!!

Same thing is for: Garden of Gethsemane, at the cross you hear him say, “take my mother home”, wilderness, transfiguration, etc…. YOU were allowed to be them, hear them, see them!

Do we as preachers allow the people to see and hear the event/Bible? If we do and can then it will be persuasive. And the persuasion will cause action.
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Something important to Craddock when he thinks about preaching is that the sermon 1. must get the scripture straight. (knowledge), 2. AND it must be powerful, (then he gaver a en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Lear">King Lear quote, “My heart is in the coffin with Cesar, and I must pause until it returns me”) there is power in those words...he could have said, "I just miss him, give me a few minutes", but instead Shakespear uses power, and those words force pause, awe, and beauty!
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The other example is:
Robert Goulet - If Ever I Would Leave You Lyrics
From the show "Camelot" (1960)
(Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe)

If ever I would leave you
It wouldn't be in summer.
Seeing you in summer I never would go.
Your hair streaked with sun-light,
Your lips red as flame,
Your face witha lustre
that puts gold to shame!

But if I'd ever leave you,
It couldn't be in autumn.
How I'd leave in autumn I never will know.
I've seen how you sparkle
When fall nips the air.
I know you in autumn
And I must be there.

And could I leave you
running merrily through the snow?
Or on a wintry evening
when you catch the fire's glow?

If ever I would leave you,
How could it be in spring-time?
Knowing how in spring I'm bewitched by you so?
Oh, no! not in spring-time!
Summer, winter or fall!
No, never could I leave you at all!

Why not let Robert Goulet get on stage and just say, “I won’t leave you.”? (It is not knowledge, but power that makes it, IT!) (my quote is in parenthesis)

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Now I will take a pause here and say thank you to J.D. Walt. I have for quite sometime read many of his poems that he blogs all the time...and while I loved them...I never knew why and I just did not ever really "get it"......until now....so Thank you J.D....and keep them coming... I just wish I was good with words...and I really do not think that I am....but I do like photos, heh...OK back to the Craddock blog post.....

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Ok There will be more to come..but I am just too tired to keep going...yall take care and God bless yall! Next Craddock post will include a lot of one sentence wisdom!

Yall have a great night!

The one abou tmy trip to lexington yesterday....

Hey everyone: Here are a few of my pictures from yesterday. I ate with a professor of mine that was interested in Th3 Waters and it was a wonderful discussion, and just like every time I talk to a scholar, I am encouraged even more by what we are being and doing @ Th3 Waters. It just in my soul feels right and it seems like everyone else feels the same...I am just a little worried that it will not grow in the time that the conference thinks it should grow...but we will see what God desires for ti to be in the future! so, anyway the I met up with Christ and his mom. Chris is a good friend of ours and his mom is very sweet too! so here they are....

Did I mention that Chris has a turtle? Actually he has two of them and they are awesome! I loved trying to take a picture of one! I am still trying to learn my camera, but every now and then a decent shot comes out...so here is one just to give you an idea. I bet these turtles are almost as big as a silver dollar! They just rock!













And here is a photo of me and the two newest members of The Kingdom down in front! Steven and Deborah were baptized yesterday in a Methodist church that actually has a dunking pond (well, immersion baptistery for those that want a less hick term, heh) Gary the Sr. Pastor of Florence (my co-worker) is on the far right and the kids' grandfather is beside me who did the actual immersion. It was a great time for everyone that showed up and those kids are so cute!

Well that is it for now...... I went on Monday to hear Fred Craddock talk to the KY Annual Conference pastors! It was wonderful, and I plan on putting up all the key notes (and a few stories of course) from the day lecture. He is such a wonderful man, and even though I rarely do traditional preaching that he teaches...it is still refreshing for me to be around such a man of wisdom and passion (not to say Gary is not any of those either, heh heh) Yall have a wonderful week, and KUTPs!!! Tiffany went in on Monday for a stool sample to check and see if her loose stool could be caused by a raging case of bacteria infection in her intestines. She now has antibiotics, but the test results have not come back...she feels a little better, but still has the problem!!! We timed her...and it only takes 1 hour and 7 mins for the food to go through her...amazing if you ask me! Anyway thanks for the prayers and please keep them up! Thanks and God bless yall!

the one about the boy in my office on Sunday....

October 15, 2006

There was a little boy in my office after church. It is not unusual for me to work in my office on Sundays after church, because I spend so much more time out side of my office and in Starbucks developing non-manipulative relationships, that any time I am in my office I try to make use of it as much as possible. So, I was in my office just like I normally am, and sure enough this boy comes in because he knows my office has lots of toys to play around with and he knows I love to let them play with them…even if I have to work…so he decided to play with the magnet darts and I encouraged him as he threw them each time…and the id was not too bad at all…probably could have beat me if he wanted to…and he told me that he was not really aiming…he was just throwing it…. So as he threw I worked…and he kept talking himself up and how good of a dart thrower he was…and of course I was helping him out with his dart throwing self esteem…and then he got real quiet. I noticed that he was placing one dart in the bull’s eye center and then the rest around the center dart. He kept one dart and threw it at the board and excitedly told me, “Hey wook! I got it in the Bullth’s eye!”…. his mom walked in and I asked him, “did you really throw that dart and it hit the bull’s eye?” And guess what his answer was…. Yep! My response, “are you sure?” “yep”, wow…what do you think mom do you think that he threw that dart and got the bull’s eye?” mom’s reaction, a smile. The boy left happy as all get out…living a lie.

When is the last time you lived a lie? Are you living a lie right now? I have good news… you don’t have to! Lies can be reversed and destroyed!! It might be painful killing that lie…but I promise you it is worth it!

A Few pics from tonight!

Here are a few pics from tonight. I went to go visit my friend Nate and his family! I did a little HT calibration for his mother-in-law, and got to see little Thomas! Man was he a cute guy! They were tons of fun and it was a great visit.









And of course I just had to get a pic in of Halo sleeping on my belly at night...and now with my Macro function he sure is cute! I added two more to my Flickr page just fyi (you can check it out on the Flickr link over there on the right of my blog ---->). Yall have a great night and a great week! I will be spending the entire day with Fred Craddock tomorrow...so please know I will be very happy...for those of you who don't know him...he is one of the premiere narrative preachers in the world...and he is teaching a class for a few CEUs @ the KY conference center tomorrow! VERY cool and I am sure there will be a big crowd...I will be traveling with Tiffany's Sr. Pastor so please pray for him,heh heh.... KUTPs!! Oh and Tiffany is still sick, and we hope to get her into the Dr. tomorrow...hoping there are some cancels...if not then it is Urgent Care Center for her! Thanks for your payers...we will see if we can kick this loose stool and fever symptoms out of her so she can be her usual fun and happy self! Love yall! 

OK the online photo war did not last long...Flickr wins!!!

Man I wish the HD - DVD war would end this fast, heh.... well, after playing around all day today I think that I will be using Flickr instead of Piccsa web albums.... I got a lot of cool things I can do with Flickr that are just not possible at all with piccsa web albums...so I will be transfering over any photos from Piccsa web albums over to Flickr soon...but for now go enjoy my new Flickr badge over there on the right side of my blog --->
(that thing is cool, it even updates the latest photos I put on...so if you see different photos in there then you know I updated my Flickr!)

Anyway...here is the link to my Flickr photos (leave comments if you would like)

D.G.'s Flickr photos

I have killed my Piccsa links...FYI....yall have a blessed day tomorrow! KUTPs!!!!

Appology for all the RSS feeders of me out there...

I ran into a friend of mine yesterday (Steve Carr)and he told me that it looked like I was freaking out with the blog updates....and then I realized that for the RSS Feeders out there every time I post a new post OR make a change and correct the posts!!!..... that it shows up on the RSS feed... So, When I was going through my entire blog and putting labels on all the posts about Jay or good stories, etc... it was showing up on your RSS feeds! I am so sorry.....and I am sure that it was weird to have around 130 post updates of the past few days showing up on the feeds...So now you know what I was doing and I apologize for the weird things I do...Have a blessed day!

Hey....Got a photo album up and going....

I use Piccsa for all my photo stuff on my computer (because it is free and the most amazing photo orginizing softwere for PC computers) and I am trying out someting new piccsa is doing, called "Piccsa Web Albums." It is basically Piccsa's way of trying to be Flickr...but not as cool as flicker (in my mind) but anyway.... it is very easy to upload your Piccsa photos to this album and I am trying it out...I did notice that it has a limit in size...unless I want to spend money to increase the size, heh...and that is something I will not be doing...so for now I will try it out and keep creating albums...and if it does not work then I will just transfer over to Flickr all the time (and besides Flickr...just looks much cooler).

Here is MY Piccsa Web Albums for now.

Oh and you will always be able to check out my albums on the links over there ---->
in my link section. Thanks!

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Oh and my mother wanted to see the new shoes I just bought so here they are....(yes yes, I know they are dorkish looking...but I must tell yal the truth...I have tried Dr. Martins, Birkenstock, and every other kind of shoe out there...and none of them hold up to my torture each day...most shoes only last me (maybe) a year...and the last Birkenstock shoes I bought had a hole in them right through the shoe (it was going t be $100 to just get them fixed)...I walked into a puddle of water and my sock got soaking wet...so here is my next attempt at a shoe that will last and feel comfortable. (and that I can wear everyday...and even in a dress up way(maybe still wondering about this one)...so I sure hope that these will last.)

so here is the ugly but durable, and comfortable Dansko Pro shoes:



(I actually have two of them though and the other one is for my left foot, heh)

oh and did I mention this is the shoes that tons of chefs, doctors, nurses, etc... wear? so if it is good for people that are on their feet all day long...let see if they will be good enough for me...)

And also I must be honest I feel like I am wear high heels in these shoes compared to my Birks. heh heh.


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Yall have a great weekend! Take care and please KUTPs for Tiffany she is still not feeling good this morning....and might not be able to be @ church tomorrow...we will see though).

Pics from New camera!!!

Here is the best part, Macro Mode....man I love using the Macro function....I can't wait to play around with this one!

Here is Steve enjoying a empty cup of double espresso with whip...Sean what is the name of this one again?

Here is our normal regulars tot he Friday OG...had a few missing tonight...including Tiffany who was sick @ the house...pray for her!

And who could ever forget John the Choi....it is amazing how when I get something new tech wise...John takes it and plays with it...ha ha ha... and I love him for it! Yall have a great night! and KUTPs especially for Tiffany she is very tired, ca't sleep, running to the bathroom every few seconds and Imodium (sp?) AD is not helping...and she has been this way for a week...an the next available Dr. time is Nov. 6th!!!! Yeah three weeks away! That is crazy insane...anyway she was doing good enough today to order pizza, but felt bad to her stomach afterwards...oh well we both think she will be fine...just needs to get lots of rest! Thank yall and take care! 

just a very cool explosion I found from Digg...

Now that is amazing!

My call into ministry...this is a VERY long post fyi....

I am the kind of person that does not have the exact moment, date, or time of a conversion experience. You see when all the other friends of mine had imaginary friends I just talked to God...my relationship with God is something that I cannot boil down into one moment when it first started. I cannot remember a time when I did not have a relationship with God; kind of like Adam and Eve in relationship as soon as they were created. And since that is the case, the only story I have to tell when people ask me for the first one, is the story of my calling into the ministry.

When I was in High School I would have friends and fellow students always come to me and need to talk about their personal lives, problems, and difficulty issues. I never knew why they came to me, but I would always listen and try to be a good friend and end up not having any answers, but I did pray for them every time. I preached once in church, but in reality it was just a report I gave from being the vice-president of the Northwest Texas Conference Counsel on Youth Ministries. Well, college came around and when I was thinking about what exactly I wanted to do with my life I wanted to make sure that I covered all my bases and so I decided to try out youth ministry. So, as a college student I took a very part-time youth position in a town smaller than the one I grew up in...and let me tell you that is a small town.

During this time I went on a college chrysalises, and I even was a table leader for a youth chrysalis, and while I was there I was told by my Sr. Pastor that he could not give the clergy talk due to a funeral, so he had me give it! Me the non-clergy college student youth pastor gave a clergy talk! I wrote it during all the breaks we had and gave it. It was beyond words. I really do not remember what all I said...just that when I finished talking/preaching I walked into the chapel where a woman was praying for me and the youth listening to our talk and I fell to my knees crying. It was almost as if God borrowed my body and mouth to talk...and then he gave it back to me after I was done...and I was blown away. I gave many talks in several cases and several people would tell me that was the best sermon they had ever heard and that I should be a preacher/pastor. And my response ever time would be, “Thanks for your thoughts and suggestion, but that is too big of a responsibility to just hear it from you (no offence), I just need God to tell me... I would need my own burning bush.” This would be my response even when my wife Tiffany would tell me hat I was called into ministry, heh heh.

Tiffany would tell people all the time that she just knew (because I was hard of hearing when it came to God) our home would catch fire, our car would burn up, or her hair would catch one fire and she would have to turn to me and say, “D.G. Can you not see your ‘burning bush’ now?!) ha ha...

Well, I did the youth pastor thing for a while and then I wanted to try out a paid internship with a non-profit Meals For The Elderly organization. Funny when I wanted to try out business and make more money I was still working for a ministry! I enjoyed the raise in money and designing their website and newsletter, but something was just not right.....In hind-sight, of course I was just not being and doing what God desired for me to do, but I heard that call faintly and so I decided that I would still go into business or marketing, but just in the Christian music industry, so I could still make money AND serve God at the same time (I think Christ said something about that one time, can’t serve two gods or something like that heh heh). So, after Tiffany and I married we immediately moved to Wilmore so Tiffany could answer her call into youth ministry and attend Asbury...and I went looking for a job to support us. After a few months I realized how difficult it was to walk into a corporate office with a resume and ask for a job. So, instead, I walked right into a temp agency and they found a job for me. I started working at the corporate headquarters of Long John Silvers inc. just doing data input. They saw my work ethic and was so impressed that they paid the finder’s fee to the temp. agency and hired me after only a few weeks of working there. I was a Field Marketing Coordinator in the Marketing Department, and the funny thing was people would walk into my cubical and ask me questions like, “What is the purpose of communion, or baptism?” it was just amazing.

And then I went to go watch a movie titled, “The Prince of Egypt”. And it was that movie that I felt God was calling me into the ministry. This movie was a cartoon movie all about the life of Moses! In it I saw an amazing unbelievable showing of God’s power and might through the story of Moses. You see I grew up my entire life a United Methodist. I had wonderful youth ministers and during High School and college I knew all about the grace of God and the love of God and the friend I had in Jesus, but I needed to know that the God I serve was a powerful, almighty, strong God! And beside there was a huge burning bush in surround sound! Ha ha... I walked out of the theater excited and telling my wife and our friends, “Now that is the God I serve an awesome, almighty powerful God! That is the God I serve and God is calling me to serve him!” I applied to enter seminary the following day (and I did not even have to look around...my house at the time was one the campus of one! And so I continue to listen to where and how God directs my path, and I encourage others to do the same. This is my story, and this is your story lets continue to live it together in humility, passion, and grace!

Labels on posts from now on....

Hey everyone, I hope your week is going as god as mine is! I ran this morning in the 33 degree weather and loved it...I got out to the track and ran 2 laps, until my body went into shock with the cold weather, and told me that I needed to use the bathroom, ha ha... So I drove home with my prairie dog and finished my run around the blocks near my home, ha ha...and good worship followed.

But anyway...I wanted to let yall know that over there on the right side of the blog you should see something called labels. These labels are little classifications of what the blog posts are about. I really do not want to go back through all my old posts and put in the labels...but I did decide that I really wanted to go through and mark all the ones that I mention Jay in or were about Jay(133 in total...wow that was a lot of prayer requests!)...and I just finished that task...so I welcome you to go over there and check out the labels.

I still need to go back and make sure that I get all my sermon posts labeled, and a few other stuff...just because it would be nice for anyone to read about Jay or desire to read a sermon of two to have that ability to do it...so yall have a wonderful day...I am off to calibrate a home theater for some friends/neighbors! God bless yall!

(Please check out The Sushi Guide, good stories, etc...)

Prayer comment...

After reading the latest post from Taylor over at the EmergingUMC blog, I decided to put my comment on my blog....you can go tot the link to the otyher blog above...if you want to know what I am answering...but anyway here is my answer..(or you could pretend this is a Jepordy game and try to fingure outt he answer, heh heh....anyway here was my answer...what do you think?:

Taylor's QUOTE:

"What does intercession look like for the emerging, missional church? What does it look like in your congregation? What might it look like? And how might you get from where you are now to somewhere closer to where you might be?"

Funny that you ask this...because I am reading Dallas Willard's "Divine Conspiracy"...and this quote from the book really hit me and I immediatly remembered it (talking about Jesus' teachings on prayer),

Jesus teaches us to...."be in prayer what we are in life, and how to be in life what we are in prayer."

That is the attempt of Th3 Waters...entire life transformation, and a life style of prayer, not just something only done by someone else one hour a week, but something that is a part of who you are. So we encourage people to be constantly praying for others. @ work, @ the store, in the mall, etc... And that prayer and love of others is what draws them to develop an intentional relationship with others so that they can experience the same community that those who are a part of Th3 Waters!

We do this in several ways, a ministry called Living Out Loud, and also the way we pray in worship (which happens in public places, etc...) but that is our desire to live lives of prayer and for prayer to be our life!

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Yall have a great day...and just two more days until the new camera comes in! Woohoo! heh.

Running worship!!!!! or maybe Worship Running!!!!

I went to bed late last night (not planning on that one, because I really wanted to run this morning) because now that the blog has labels that I can use in my posts, I decided to go back and label all the ones that dealt with Jay. I know that I have a whole bunch more to go back and label...but I just wanted to have an easy place to click to see all of the posts about Jay...Well, I started last night...and could not finish...I need to start back and get Aug. '04 and earlier...and I have what something like 80 posts already...and more to go...dang that is a lot of talking about Jay, heh...anyway.....

I went to run this morning and I was in awe! It was not the fact that when I started running that there were stars and when I stopped there was a sun rise. It was not the fact that I love seeing my old lady walkers each morning that are so faithful in their morning exercise. It is not the fact that my hamstring and legs did not hurt at all this run. Why was I in awe?

Well, you see when I run....I worship. As I run I listen to worship songs, and that is normal, it seems to get me going and I usually have a little better run...and especially with the iPod nano it will allow you to have a "power song" that helps you get through the last push (even though I never remember to use it, heh)...but today I was listening to the new Bebo album!

There is something about worshiping God when you are at your weakest! By the time I am nearing the end of the workout I am breathing hard (hard enough to not be able to hold a conversation), my legs are weak, my arms are tired, and I am coated is sweat! (yeah, I am fat and hairy...so that is what happens, ha ha ha), but here is the thing... all my worries and inhibitions are gone. I don't care about the way I look or sound. I don't care who sees me, I am not sucking in my stomach, and I am not walking a little taller, I am weak, tired, and in a little pain (mostly just mental heh)....and then I worship!

I was running in the fog, in the cool morning/evening air. I was listening to Bebo sing from his soul to God...and I joined all of heaven in worship of God! I was walking around the track tears in my eyes, silent whispering words of worship flowing from my mouth, failing to the knees of my soul,, in worship! No words can describe the moment, it was like seeing a rainbow for the first time. It was like knowing that time was of no matter and you could be caught up in the presence of God, and allow his mercy to flow over you! It was one amazing workout! Thank you God, thank you!

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My Eyes Have Seen Holy

Written by Bebo Norman and Jason Ingram

Am I unfit for You
Remember me, the one who turned from You
I come in rags tattered by the Fall
And all the earth, a witness to my crime

Mercy, weep over me
Let Your tears wash me clean
Majesty, be merciful with me
For my eyes have seen Holy

Hear my prayer at night
Let the morning find me alive
For I am tired and weakened by the Fall
Let all the earth bear witness to my cry

Let the Amen sound from Heaven as You lift my soul
Let the Amen sound from Heaven as You lift my soul
Let the Angels sound from Heaven, Holy is the Lord

© 2006 Appstreet Music (ASCAP) / New Spring (ASCAP). All rights for the world on behalf of Appstreet Music (ASCAP) administered by New Spring (ASCAP). / Peertunes, Ltd./GrangeHill Music/J Ingram (SESAC)

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You want to experience worship in an amazing way....go do something really humbling, so you can be in the right posture...then enjoy the awe of God's presence! let your soul sing, and you might just be overcome with mercy, majesty, and grace!

(now I really wonder how this workout worship could occur in community? Any thoughts/ideas/suggestions?)

The best question I heard today....

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So, I was asked to go and answer a few questions in the 4th and 5th grade class Sunday school this morning, because they were asking great questions that the SS teacher felt like she did not have a good enough answer for them (they were studying Genesis)...so I got the usual questions, "Who created God?", "How did he do it?", "where is the garden of Eden and if we find it can we go into it?", "Did God create sin?", "Did God create Satan?", "What about the dinosaurs?"....And I can answer most of those...and most of the time the answer is, "mystery"...and if anyone is telling you something different they are 1) acting on assumptions, 2) saying what they were taught, 3) selling you something, or 4) just don't know at all.... and what is so wrong with mystery? Is it really that hard to accept that God can not be defined, explained, or reasoned into existence? Maybe it is just me...but I don't mind the mystery...and I believe that it is intentional in the bible...just look at what God tells Moses is his name,

13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:13-14)

See even God loves mystery. he is beyond names...and all you need to know is that he exists; He is who is!

Anyway getting back to the good part (not that that last part was not good, heh...anyway....

the best question of the day in that SS class?

"Is there chocolate in space?"

my answer:

I sure hope so!

Love yall, have a wonderful week, and God bless yall! KUTPs!!!


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