Thursday, May 31, 2007

 
I named my blog after a song buried on Mellencamp's Scarecrow album, one of my favorites of all time. It tells the story of a young man's conversation with an old man on a Greyhound bus. The old man's hard-earned wisdom sticks with the young man and proves inspirational in his life.

The song is emblematic of the entire album in a way. Mellencamp dedicated the album to his dad, Speck, and offered the following original quote to sum up his work: "There is nothing more sad or glorious than generations changing hands."

It makes me think of my dad.

This morning, I played out my favorite song somewhat, though the location was the waiting room at Wal-Mart's Tire & Lube Express instead of a Greyhound bus. But the gist of the conversation was basically the same.

One of the rear tires of my car was really low a while back. I put some air in it, and, reflecting my intellect, hoped that some alien had just borrowed a little air from the tire and that it wouldn't lose air again. On the second and third occasions I put air in it, I chose not to think about it at all. On the fourth occassion, befitting someone as smart as me, I thought that I should probably get it fixed. So after the fifth occasion, I decided to go to the American mechanic, Wal-Mart.

I arrived before 7am this morning in an attempt to beat the crowd. It worked. I even beat the employees there. So I got right in when they showed up, and I went to the waiting room with my work bag to plan a class and a sermon.

Then, an old man walked in.

It wasn't completely the irony that the class I was planning was the same class in which I taught last Sunday that "the way of Jesus" was a personal way, and that noticing people was more like Jesus than anything else we could do. It wasn't completely the irony, but it helped.

So I struck up a conversation.

I learned that the old man is 81 years old, and that he was getting a new set of tires so he could evacuate to West Virginia again for the next hurricane. "Always plan ahead," he said. He expounded, "That's the problem with everyone today. Everyone's in such a d*$% hurry that no one thinks past what's right in front of their noses."

I agreed.

I told him that my dad never let his gas tank drop below a half-tank before filling up. My new friend does the same. It turned out that my dad and this old man had quite a bit in common. Their fueling habits, of course, but they were also sailors in the Pacific in World War II. They both cussed like it, too. They both had low opinions of the doctors that rushed through medical school to serve in the war, and they both had experiences to prove it.

But my new friend was from Pennsylvania originally, not Missouri. And he stayed in the military after the war, going on to serve in the Korean War, too, instead of getting out and becoming a butcher. And my new friend is still alive, while my dad has been gone for going on thirteen years now.

But I met a real human being today full of hard-earned wisdom, and he reminded me that I shouldn't be in such a blankety-blank hurry.

And he reminded me of my dad, whom I still miss terribly.

And when I left, for just a moment, when I looked into his eyes and exchanged a firm handshake, I reconnected with a fading generation that I cannot forget.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

 
I had an interesting morning.

A press release from my friend, Alison, landed me a spot on morning talk radio at WTNI 1640AM with co-hosts, Ken Allen and William Sackett to talk about the Single Parent Network. Our big event is this Saturday, and today was a perfect day to talk it up.

I had been on this particular program in the past (for Habitat for Humanity I'm certain), so I knew a little bit about what to expect. The hosts were gracious, but beyond that, I was so excited that they GOT IT when it came to our ministry. By the time I left, I think they were more excited than me! In fact, Mr. Sackett proposed that we devote one of his one-hour shows to the concept in the near future, complete with more of "us" as guests as well as encouraging callers to call in and interact!!!

In the middle of today's interview, the hosts were notified that a caller was on the line, and it turned out to be Susan Tennant, one of "us" in our new ministry! It was absolutely perfect that she called in, lending credence to the overall concept by adding the voice of a single parent. Susan came to our very first meeting, and we learned that she had a heart for single-parent ministry and had simply been looking for a way to make it happen. So... she joined our work immediately, and headed up the Childcare Committee for our last event. Now this Saturday, she is co-chairing the Program Committee!

I know that I went to the studio to drum up enthusiasm for this ministry, but I'm pretty sure I was the one whose enthusiasm was drummed up today!

Then there was this afternoon...

My youth minister, Trent, called with news that he and one of our teens, Matt, had collided in a softball game at Bible camp and that they had taken Matt to the hospital to make sure everything was alright. He said he would call with an update later.

When he called later, he shared the unsettling news that Matt's spleen was ruptured and that they were taking him into emergency surgery. I did a quick web search on that injury and learned that it is fairly common in sports, but that it is very serious and can be fatal without the surgery. This is not what Matt had envisioned from a week at church camp, nor did anyone else envision this either.

Gene (one of my elders, and Matt's grandpa) just called a few minutes ago to say that the surgery was successful, though they had to give Matt three units of blood and discovered that both his kidney and pancreas were bruised. They plan to keep him in ICU overnight and in the hospital several days afterward to make sure everything heals properly. These surgeries typically witness full recovery, with the only long-term effect being a greater susceptibility to infections due to a weakened immune system. But keep Matt and his family in your prayers nonetheless.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

 


My Ocean Springs

I tried to get back into the swing of several things today after the holiday weekend, including my Ocean Springs photography project. I enjoyed very much adding two entries today: the YMCA and Broome's Grocery store.

At the "Y" I had a most enjoyable visit with CEO, David Harris. He was so very gracious to me and more helpful than I could have ever expected, though when it came to picture time he handed me off to the Fitness Center Manager, Joey Edmonson.

I caught Barry Broome at a bad time when I approached him about my project, but he still took the time to pose for a picture in front of the store. The stories I have read about his legendary father (who passed away last year) are priceless.

You can scan through all my Ocean Springs pics from 2007 in the slideshow above (though it cuts off much of each pic), but I'd encourage you more to go to my photography blog HERE to read about the YMCA and Broome's Grocery.

Monday, May 28, 2007

 
Today is my thirteenth wedding anniversary. Coincidentally, my wife is celebrating her thirteenth wedding anniversary today, too, so we decided to celebrate together.

Due to a fortuitous series of events, we both agree that this has turned out to be the very best anniversary of them all.

Fortuitous event number one: Our anniversary fell on Memorial Day, and my wife happened to be off work today.

Fortuitous events numbers two and three: Our oldest daughter is in Arkansas for the summer, and our youngest daughter left for Bible Camp yesterday.

So...

We drove to New Orleans yesterday afternoon and checked into the Maison Dupuy hotel in the northern section of the French Quarter. We wandered around the Quarter and ended up eating at "our place" (I guess): Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company. That this is "our place" is ironic since Jody is the only person on Planet Earth that didn't like Forrest Gump. Nevertheless, we shared the Run Across America Sampler, I had Captain Jim's Fishwich, and then we shared an unbelievable chocolate chip cookie & ice cream dessert.

Today, we discovered a new "favorite" place (but only when you secure a small bank loan and have a huge appetite) when we tried the Jazz Brunch at the Court of Two Sisters Restaurant on Royal Street.

Un. Bee. Leave. A. Bull.

Go to the link and check out the menu, though words cannot describe. Of all the amazing food I sampled, I would probably give a tie between the glazed sweet potatoes and the ice cream with praline sauce for "best dish."

We spent the rest of the day walking and talking and basking in a singular day where we didn't have any responsibilities to anyone else.

Thirteen may be unlucky for some people, but for us it has seemed the luckiest day ever.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

 


Well, my youngest daughter is off to camp for her second straight year. I thought of something really weird today: she is the exact same age I was when I went to camp and decided I wanted to be baptized. I was too young, really, but still... it's a weird thought.

Who knows what might happen in a week like this?


Saturday, May 26, 2007

 
Pastor Troy at Flamingo Road

I grew up hanging around the Gramling house, a set of three brothers who were unbelievable athletes, along with good friends. Troy was the oldest, and his senior year at our high school went down as the most legendary basketball season in school history. And Troy was the leader.

When Jody and I decided to get married, we asked Troy to perform the ceremony. Over and above being a great athlete, Troy was also one of the most spiritual men in the universe, and we were honored to have him officiate.

The church Troy led in my hometown grew from 50 to over 600 in the time he was there, and about the time we moved to Ocean Springs, he moved on to other locales. We kept in touch by email.

After Hurricane Katrina, the church Troy leads in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, sent some very generous contributions to help our church family. Beyond that, when life had settled down a bit, they paid for my wife and I to fly to South Florida for a weekend just to get away. The picture above is one I took of Troy that Saturday morning when he crawled out of bed to show Jody and I around the amazing campus at Flamingo Road.

I'm afraid to follow John Dobbs' lead in linking to blogs of all my friends, since that is an awesome task. Instead, I just have two linked to the side: John Dobbs (the king of all blogs, and the man who introduced me to blogging), and Troy's.

I was reading Troy's blog this morning and discovered that he had been on CNN last night! I forgot to mention that Troy is the king of all creativity when it comes to church life. His most recent teaching series was titled "ivescrewedup.com," which came complete with a website of the same title. It is, in effect, a cyber-confessional, and the concept is so novel that he was interviewed and featured on the Anderson Cooper 360 show last night.

If you're interested, you can read the transcript HERE.

And, of course, the more interesting website is found HERE.

It's neat to know someone like Troy, someone whose heart for God and impressive talent combine in such a way that the entire world takes notice.

Friday, May 25, 2007

 
My friends, Jim and Betty, operate Mississippi Mud Works in downtown Ocean Springs, offering a variety of beautiful pottery products Jim creates in his studio.

In the post-Katrina world, downtown Ocean Springs has seen a proliferation of bars, much to the consternation of Jim & Betty and many of the downtown merchants. Litter, in the form of empty beer bottles and cigarette butts, has greeted Jim & Betty every morning for quite some time now.

Wondering how to react to these changes, they came up with a new "project" last week. Betty made a nice little display with "free Bibles" in it for any takers who might be enjoying their business front after-hours.

Betty reported no Bibles taken after the first night, but it will be interesting to see how things develop in the future.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

 
What an awesome sight to behold!!!

On Monday morning, there were twenty slabs in Gulfport, Mississippi. And this Thursday afternoon, when I got out of the car to the beautiful music of hammers at work, there were twenty structures that are beginning to look an awful lot like houses! The Americorps Build-a-Thon with our Habitat for Humanity affiliate is clearly a stunning success!

There is something inspirational about the construction of a Habitat for Humanity house, but the sight of so many at once, staffed by talented young men and women from Americorps, was simply unbelievable.

Anyone on the Mississippi Gulf Coast ought to make a trip over this weekend if at all possible. Just get on Old Pass Road directly behind Gulfport Memorial Hospital and turn on 45th (or 44th, I forget, whichever one you see there). You will be more than impressed.

I also had the unexpected pleasure of seeing my old friend, Eric Cullen. Eric came to the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Katrina to help jump-start our affiliate's construction team. He eventually moved back to Seattle, but he had to come back for this special building event. As Hillary and I walked along the construction line, I heard someone call out my name, and it was Eric! It was so neat to see and visit with him again.

BIG HABITAT ANNOUNCEMENT! I'll get to see Eric again next year because there was a big announcement this week: the Jimmy Carter Work Project is coming here next year!!! This is the biggest Habitat event of each year, and we were chosen to play host next year! Habitat junkies from all over the world converge on one site each year to do amazing things, and we get the best seat in the house in 2008. It ought to be unforgettable.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

 
Sorry for the rare "skip" day yesterday. Just goes to show that some days can be so full of life that there isn't even fifteen minutes to throw together a blog post!

* The day began with Hillary's last day of 4th grade, which as every last day of school goes, was a party day. Which meant I was in charge of taking and picking up a crock pot in between the craziness of last day of school traffic. Plus, I had the great opportunity to visit with both Mr. Estis and Ms. Nungesser, two teachers that touched Hillary and our family's lives in special ways.

* Then there was our weekly Neighborhood Watch meeting, followed by a very lively ladies' class, the liveliness of which spilled over into crock pot picking-up territory.

* On the side, Hillary left elementary school in a Hummer limousine! Two girls had a joint birthday party in which they invited 16 girls to a slumber party, and they left school in a Hummer limo! I saw it rolling down the street on the way to get the aforementioned crock pot.

* Then I went to Biloxi to sit on the front porch with my buddy Hezekiah.

* Then I went to Gulfport to look for the Habitat for Humanity blitz build. I drove around for a long time and never found it. Then this morning, I get an email with directions. Guess I should have asked for that first.

* Then, best of all, my old friend Rob Shaver arrived from Arkansas to hang out with us for a while! Rob was my star point guard back in 1994 when we won our conference and had a spectacular season. He was an unbelievably quick, long-range bomber who scored points like John Dobbs collects blogs! In addition, he was a deep-thinking young man with whom I shared a lot of great conversations. A lot has changed since 1994. I hadn't seen Rob in ten years, and in that time he nearly died with Stage 4 cancer. In that battle, he had his left shoulder blade removed, and in awful irony, he can't lift his left arm high enough to even shoot a basketball anymore. But more importantly, it is inspiring to hear Rob talk about how cancer changed his life for the better - his new lease on life has translated into an even deeper place from which he approaches life.

* Rob went to dinner with Jody & I (Cafe New Orleans) and then to Ocean Springs High School's graduation. When we made it back home, we talked and talked and talked and talked...

I went to bed at 2am this morning, and was in no condition to blog at that time!

But what a great day...

Monday, May 21, 2007

 
Well, I didn't cry.

Today was the 4th Grade Promotion Ceremony at Magnolia Park, and my wife and I had the honor of watching 160 bright, talented, and beautiful students receive certificates acknowledging their promotion to the fifth grade. Having a 4th grade promotion ceremony may seem a bit odd to those of you with different school formats, but here in Ocean Springs the elementary schools run from kindergarten through fourth grade, so today was a milestone.

Hillary received three certificates today: the promotion certificate, an Accelerated Reader certificate, and a certificate for being one of the "five year students" that have attended Magnolia Park ever since kindergarten.

I didn't get too mushy today, but the ceremony did bring up some interesting emotions:

* It felt strange to recognize that my daughter is old enough to have spent five years doing any one thing.

* It felt nostalgic to realize how much has happened in her life during her years at Magnolia Park, not the least of which being losing her home and possessions to a deadly hurricane.

* I felt pride to recognize the bright, talented young lady she has grown to be during these years. I'll never forget that that cute little puffy-cheeked kindergartener had to miss her very first day of school because she was sick, but as she approaches her final day there tomorrow, she is healthy and happy, bright and beautiful, and a mature and vibrant young lady.

I wrote a mushy devotional years ago now where I admitted my jealousy of Magnolia Park, since it would see so many of my daughter's formative moments over the next five years. Now, looking back, I don't feel any jealousy at all. Instead, I've grown quite attracted to this neat little school. It has served my family well, and it will always bring to mind the fondest of memories.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

 
No, this wasn't a picture from the worship assembly at the Ocean Springs Church of Christ this morning. :-)

Instead, this was from a jamming concert featuring the North Mississippi Allstars this afternoon, after a HUGE event combining the end of the first-ever Americorps Week with the kickoff of the Habitat for Humanity Build-a-Thon. 500 Americorps Habitat volunteers will join with many other volunteers to build 20 houses from scratch in Gulfport this week!

Quick side note: I highly recommend checking out the North Mississippi Allstars. They are a cool combination of rock 'n roll meets the blues with a little touch of country thrown in. Check them out!

But... back to the event. Lots of speeches preceded the concert, but lots of really good words were shared. I've always had a lot of respect for the Americorps program, but I've never been in a room with hundreds of them all at once! While some were in their later years, most were college-age, and seeing these leaders of tomorrow gathered together at such a tender age was a moving experience all by itself.

If you're not well-versed in Americorps, check them out, too.

But tonight, after our evening devotional at the Ocean Springs Church of Christ, came the sweetest part of the day. Hillary has a great friend named Alexis. A while back now, we came to find out that Alexis's awesome family still had not rebuilt their house following Katrina. The storm brought nine feet of water through their house and destroyed everything. A group of elderly Lutheran volunteers gutted their house, but it sat empty for well over a year. Many people wonder why people didn't rebuild more quickly, but there's this important factor called: money. No insurance help. No FEMA help. No church help. Just waiting and waiting.

The government grant system became their only hope, and they kept waiting and waiting on that. When we found out about their plight, our elders were able to offer some financial assistance to help this great family get started. Finally, the grant came through, and three weeks ago our new friends moved into their house.

Tonight, I had the honor - per their request - of coming over and saying a prayer of blessing for their resurrected house. They fed us strawberry shortcake, we shared wonderful conversation, and then we had the privilege of holding hands and sitting in a circle - their family of four, ours of three, and two grandparents - and giving God thanks and asking for his protection.

New friends.

What an absolutely wonderful way to end a day.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

 
It's been a really good day, though I won't bore you with every detail of it.

Two things stick out as special today:

#1: Our subdivision has been in the process of forming a homeowner's association, and the new association planned a cookout today for all the residents. It was really, really nice. It was hot outside, yet still a gorgeous day, and although not a huge number of neighbors came by for the crawfish and shrimp, enough did that it seemed to have served it's purpose: getting all of us to know each other better. I met several new folks, and especially enjoyed a lot of sports conversations with these new friends.

#2: Tonight was our church's annual banquet to honor our graduating seniors. We have three this year: Hollie, Cody, and Tyler. We've been friends with Hollie and her family for a long time now, and they are very special to us. Cody has only been coming around for a couple of years now through a friend, and we don't know his family at all, but Cody is a really cool guy with a great personality. We have been super close to Tyler's family ever since we moved to Ocean Springs in 1999 (when Tyler was a 4th grader!). For a long time, we would take turns every week eating with one another, alternating between our houses each week. It is really neat to see Tyler all grown up (pictured with his parents above), and it reminded me just how long we've lived in Ocean Springs.

I hope your Saturday was just as good.

From the looks of things, Sunday looks promising, too!

Friday, May 18, 2007

 
The five years students spend at my daughter's elementary school end with a blast. Literally.

Today was the day for the 4th grade Rocket Launch, and it really was a blast! All the 4th graders had fun firing off their rockets and chasing them down as they descended to earth with a little parachute. It seemed that the teachers and parent volunteers had fun setting them off, too, and I know the rest of the school had fun watching and screaming out the countdowns... 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...

BLAST OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I liked the picture of Hillary above. She was the first one to set off a rocket, and she looks about as confident as I am shooting off fireworks!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

 

I think I'm learning to chill a bit in my old age...

I have a TON of respect for President Carter, and I've been a fan for a long time. It was his book, Living Faith, that introduced me to Habitat for Humanity back in 1996, and since then I have established two separate affiliates, one in Arkansas, and one in Mississippi.

I've always wanted to meet him in person. Once, my wife and I planned a little trip to Georgia where he regularly teaches a Bible class at his church, but as fate would have it, he was out of town the weekend we had available. Recently, after the tragic death of Habitat for Humanity International board member, Pat Smith, he traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to dedicate a house the family built in Mr. Smith's memory. I was out of town.

Well, a little back story here...

I was term limited off the board of directors of the Habitat affiliate here last May after six years. Since my departure, our affiliate merged with our neighbor county's affiliate in the post-Katrina world to form a super-affiliate called Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Last month, I was asked to be on its board of directors, and I accepted. Tonight was my first board meeting, and WOW, is there a lot going on!!!

This Sunday kicks off a 20-house blitz build in Gulfport. That's right, 20 houses will be built in one week. 650 volunteers are flying in from 50 states for this project (we've booked all the incoming flights to the Gulfport-Biloxi airport). It's going to be awesome. Alongside this kickoff event, President Carter will be in New Orleans Sunday night and all day Monday to dedicate the 1,000th house built in the region since Katrina. NBC's "Today" show will be there Monday.

Guess what? I have a devotional to speak at Sunday night. My youngest is graduating from the 4th grade Monday. So I'm going to miss him again. Both times.

But, as I say, I'm learning to chill in my old age. Life goes on, and all is well in the world...

(But I will tell you that there will be a big announcement made Monday that may make my dream a reality after all!)

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

 


Fuzzy Zoeller's shot = My life

The roll = The grace of God

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

 
It's been a terrific day, but I'm afraid I'm just too sleepy to go into too much detail about it...

I had an amazing phone call this afternoon from Rob Shaver. Rob was my star basketball player in my sophomore year of coaching high school basketball, and a friend as well. I had not spoken with Rob over the past seven years or so until today, and during that time, he has faced a dramatic battle for his life with cancer. And he has survived. I loved hearing his story today, and I also loved that he promised to come down and see us in Ocean Springs. Soon. I cannot wait for that, and I look forward to sharing pictures when it happens with all of you...

Tonight, I had the honor of speaking to the good-looking group of college students pictured above from the University of Central Arkansas. Their campus minister, Seth Simmons, and I go way back, though we haven't spent a lot of real time together. He's an impressive young man with an impressive group, and I was honored to be asked to speak to them tonight about "being hungry for the hungry."

It was also great to be able to spend time with my friend, John Dobbs. The Central Church of Christ in Pascagoula is still going so strong in their hurricane relief efforts, and I am proud to say that the mention of their name on the Gulf Coast brings compliments from everywhere. They have been unbelievable. The group from UCA is here on their 8th trip, and they are just one of many...

Anyway, John didn't "have" to be there tonight, but he is a great example of a real friend. We stayed afterwards and laughed and talked with Seth and the UCA gang, and I didn't leave until 10pm. John even missed American Idol to come out tonight (but don't worry, he recorded it!), and I'm so thankful he did. He is an amazing friend.

And now I have to get some sleep.

Monday, May 14, 2007

 
Hillary, with friends, Sydney and Alexis, just before going on stage tonight

I'm starting to wax the least bit nostalgic these days, so prepare for a really mushy post coming up real soon. The Ocean Springs School District has three elementary schools that escort students from kindergarten through the fourth grade before shipping them off to a school dedicated solely to the fifth grade, so with the exception of a few weeks in Arkansas following Hurricane Katrina last school year, Hillary has only been to one school in her life. And in one week her time there will be over.

Tonight was the 4th grade play, "Mississippi: My Home," basically the grand finale of these students' lives at their elementary school, and I just began to think about the significant changes that have taken place there over the past five years. Okay, I'll quit now before I get mushy. Maybe later...

It was a neat production tonight, offering tons and tons of things that make Mississippi unique, all of which were presented by talented fourth graders.

For those of you in the hinterland of America (read: Arkansas, etc.), you may not know all the unique traits of Mississippi, and I'll spare you the long list offered tonight. But for a taste, did you realize these famous people are all Mississippians?
* Oprah Winfrey
* Elvis Presley
* Walter Payton
* William Faulkner
* Leann Rimes
* John Grisham
* Jimmy Buffett
* B.B. King
* Brett Favre
* Faith Hill
* Morgan Freeman
* James Earl Jones
* Jerry Rice
* Tennessee Williams (oddly enough)
* Conway Twitty
* John Dobbs

Quite a list, huh?

I guess tonight's play was a little attempt at indoctrination, but I appreciate it nonetheless. These 4th graders should be proud of their home, and I'm proud to be an adopted Mississippian, too.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

 
I don't know if watching a troubling movie with your wife is the most advisable way to spend a Mother's Day afternoon, but my wife and I are glad we watched "Invisible Children" today nonetheless. We were practically ready to move to Uganda by the end of the documentary, but that doesn't speak well of us: I believe anyone with a heart would feel exactly the same.

Come to think of it, caring about children no one else cares about is a most appropriate way to spend a Mother's Day. It just fits with the idea of a mother's love.

I preached about Rizpah this morning from 2nd Samuel 21. After her two sons were executed for their father's sins, Rizpah camped out on the hillside where their bodies were strewn for six months, fighting off the birds by day and the wild animals by night. Is there any length a mother wouldn't go for her child? Rizpah tests the limits.

And "Invisible Children" tests the limits of our collective compassion, too. It is a horrible movie that the entire world needs to see.

You can read more HERE.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

 
With all due respect to Pamela Anderson, getting my picture made with Alisa Dalton today was a whole lot more fun. I even got some kisses out of this deal!

Hillary needed a new babysitter a few months after we had moved to Ocean Springs in 1999. She wasn't yet two years old, and we didn't know what to do but to ask. Robin Hayes told us about "Mrs. Pam" where her son Connor went (and amazingly, Hillary & Connor have been best buddies ever since then!), so we called up Mrs. Pam and went for a little interview. Alisa was about 11 years old or so at the time, and I had barely sat down on the Dalton's sofa when she landed on my lap! We've been buddies with this terrific family ever since.

Hillary went to "Mrs. Pam's" for just over three years before beginning her kindergarten year, but elementary school did nothing to deter our love for this family. Eventually, Gary Lee (who was a 6th grader when we first met him) became our yard man, and we watched him develop into a most impressive young man - now a sophomore at the University of South Alabama. And Hillary insisted each year that we stop by and see "Mrs. Pam" every once in a while. So we have.

We received an announcement for a graduation party for Alisa a few weeks ago, and we wouldn't have missed it for the world today. We enjoyed great food and watching all the people whose lives have touched the Daltons (though most often vice-versa).

It was even more amazing to watch all of Alisa's special-needs friends that arrived. It is mind-boggling to think that every one of those wonderful lives came into the world with the pronouncement that something was "wrong."

What I watched this afternoon shouted that something was "right" in the world.

Friday, May 11, 2007

 
Here's a pic of our friends, Tom & Laura, a couple of months ago at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. Tom & Laura came over tonight for Jody's homemade pizza and conversation among friends. I think you can recognize real friends when you watch yourself hang out for four hours w/o any need for board games or television shows or movies. We just talked, and it was great...

I've got a lot of thoughts going around my skull like a pinball right now, and I'm thinking that they will eventually coalesce in a few blog posts before long. No guarantees there, but I'm feeling a real need to put my thoughts together some way like that... I've done too much reading and had too many important conversations and listened to too many good speeches over the past year or so to just move on with life as it's always been. Stay tuned to this channel for further information as it develops...

Thursday, May 10, 2007

 
I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff O'Keefe this afternoon and adding the Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home to my Ocean Springs photography project. As we were setting up, a passing motorist honked at Jeff, and the picture I quickly snapped of him waving turned out to be the best picture of them all!

The Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home is the most beautiful building in town, but as a preacher who is too familiar with their work, I have to add that this family-owned business is run with dignity and class. I could not have more respect for how they conduct their business.

I continually remember the story one of my elders tells of when he and his wife suffered the tragedy of a stillborn child. With lots of grief and little cash, they went to the funeral home to arrange for the burial. There, they learned that the standing policy was that there would be no charge for funerals of babies. He never forgot their explanation, "We make our living off people that live nice, long lives. Not babies."

There's something about that statement that almost brings tears to my eyes every time.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

 
I'm going to present my lecture, "In His Steps," (scroll down at the link) tonight for my Peak of the Week Class in Ocean Springs. We'll see how that goes over...

I spent the biggest part of today assembling my sermon for Mother's Day. I ended up choosing the haunting story of Rizpah from 2nd Samuel 21. The terms "haunting" and "Mother's Day" don't really sound good together, but I doubt I could choose a better story to convict the heart of a mother's love.

I read a chapter on Abraham today, too, from Eugene Peterson's new book, The Jesus Way. Peterson's approach to Abraham's faith focuses on what Jewish rabbis call the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac (what we often misname the "sacrifice" of Isaac). I'll just share his big final paragraph to hint at the richness within:

The 'Akedah' strikes us as outrageous, the God of promises and covenant acting totally out of character. But maybe not to Abraham. Sacrifice was the motif by which he had lived for years, the letting go, the leaving behind, the traveling light. Faith, repeatedly tested by sacrifice, was a way of life for Abraham. Each sacrifice left him with less of self and more of God. Each sacrifice abandoned something of self on an altar from which he traveled onward with more vision, more promise, more Presence. In the command to leave Ur, Abraham had abandoned his past. He has been learning how to do that now for thirty-five years or so, losing nothing in the process. Now he is asked to abandon his future. By now he has a lived history in which God has provided for him in unanticipated, unexpected ways. Maybe by now he is used to living trustingly in the seemingly absurd, that which he could not anticipate, that which is beyond his imagining. Maybe he is accustomed by now to the operations of providence. If we arrive at Mount Moriah without having prayerfuly and imaginatively participated in the decades of Abraham's testings, God seems to us to behave outrageously out of character. But not to Abraham. He is by now a veteran in the way of faith that is at the same time the way of the faithful God. He is not nearly as surprised as we are. Mount Moriah is the centerpiece of a life of faith that is completed in Jesus, who absorbed the 'Akedah' entire in his Gethsemane prayer, "Not my will but thine...." It certainly occupied a prominent place in St. Paul's mind when he assured all of us who walk in the way of Jesus that "No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13).

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

 


My Ocean Springs

I had some time this afternoon to add some more work to my photography project about my hometown. I am now officially 39% of the way done with “My Ocean Springs: 2007 in Pictures.” It is early May, so I’m just about on track I guess.

I have met some fascinating people along the way, and I look forward to meeting many more. It has been a wonderful way to combine a hobby of mine with an opportunity to open my eyes to the unique community I live in every day. And as icing on the cake, I hope to produce a coffee-table book at the end of the year.

If the html code works properly, you should be able to see a slideshow of what I have so far. If not, you can go to the blog link HERE.

But more than all this, I’d like you to check out the website of one of my most recent entries. I met Michele Hirata at the “Hearts With Hope Cancer Awareness Festival” on Sunday, and I think everyone in the world needs to know about Fat Thumb Originals.

So…

Check it out HERE, and then tell everyone you know.

Monday, May 07, 2007

 
Randy Harris (the Church of Christ's "man in black") is easily one of my favorite speakers, and his sessions at Pepperdine's Lectures were no exception. It seems I'm not alone: Randy delivered each lecture to a packed house in the Smothers Theater.

Page two.

I have a headache. I've spent most of today trying to assemble a plan for my new "forty-something" class in Ocean Springs. I have high hopes for this brand new group, and I met with the class for the first time yesterday with absolutely no agenda for the upcoming class. I opened the floor for ideas, and by the time class ended I had a general idea of an approach to the class. Today, I tried to flesh it out.

After practically a full day of wrestling, I'm now prepared to teach "Counter-Cultural Christianity" this teaching quarter. It's sort of an "introduction to postmodernism" meets "the way of Jesus." Or something like that.

But I'm especially thankful today for Randy Harris' second session at Pepperdine where he outlined seven concepts gleaned from his study of ethics as to what a "new humanity" (prompted by Jesus) looks like. His depth of insight arrived just in time for me.

And now I'm tired. I have to get some sleep.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

 
Days come and go, but on some days you wonder, was this one of the landmark ones?

I went to "Hearts With Hope" this afternoon, which was a Cancer Awareness Festival held at The Shed BBQ Restaurant. My friends, Rochelle Harper and Gary Boswell, were two of the key people behind this great event, and it was good to spend some time out in the heat for such a worthy cause this afternoon.

Recently, after I told Rochelle that my Hillary had sung the national anthem at her school's field day, she asked if Hillary would want to sing it again at the festival. Hillary debated long and hard before finally declaring, "I'll do it." So we waited expectantly for today.

My wife and mother and I tagged along today, and some great friends in Dave and Pamela Harrison braved the Mississippi heat for valuable moral support too, and we all knew right away that Hillary was questioning her decision. She was so scared that she began to cry and felt sick at her stomach. At this point, I hated that I had anything to do with bringing this around, and I gave her every possible means to escape.

But she didn't take any of them.

She continued to struggle with her fear and her decision as we waited and waited, but she never did give up on the idea. I tried to tell her about a thousand things in an attempt to help as we waited, including a little Bible lesson on Jesus crying from being scared in an olive garden. She listened to everything I said, but the decision would ultimately be hers.

And she decided to face her fears, and to conquer them. All on her own.

She was wonderful. I can't tell you the feeling in my heart when the last note was sung and the enthusiastic applause rose from the crowd for my little girl. My hero.

I told her tonight when I tucked her into bed that some people live their whole lives and never face things that scare them head-on because they "choose" to face them. She seemed shocked, but I know it to be true. But at nine years old, she's already climbed one of the biggest mountains of life.

So nothing will be impossible for her.

Saturday, May 05, 2007

 
I took one final, exhuasting walk around Pepperdine's campus after breakfast this morning before heading toward LAX, taking pictures (like the one above) along the way.

It was a beautiful flight home, and I enjoyed seeing not only the Pacific Ocean on takeoff, but also the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico along the way.

After landing in New Orleans, I had an uneventful drive home (my favorite kind!), and then it was SO good to be back with my family.

Now I have to study. Some of us have to work tomorrow.

 
Well, the 64th Pepperdine Bible Lectures are now in the books, but it was the 1st experience for me. And I give it a hearty two thumbs up.

From my first-timer perspective, there are three things that made this week worthwhile:

#1: Breathtaking nature (as I heard someone say - either Bobby Valentine or John Alan Turner, I can't remember which - if you can't teach people to see God in nature here, well, you should simply give it up)

#2: The (too) wide variety of excellent speakers (I attended 21 lectures this week, but I missed so much, too)

#3: Meeting neat people (just today, for instance, I had breakfast with a lady from Oregon who happened to be from Paragould, Arkansas, and at dinner I broke bread with the neatest elder from Long Beach, California)

I got to see my friends from the past, Scott and Jamie Gatlin, this week. I played phone tag with my friend, Jeneen Metz. I ran into my friend, Pam's, brother and sister-in-law tonight. I got to hang out quite a bit with Danny & Terri Dodd (which included time with neat guys like Bud Meyer and Jim Miller). I met Bobby Valentine in person, which was a distinct pleasure. I had the pleasure of seeing John Alan Turner again, and I had interesting private conversations with scholars such as Gary Holloway and Rubel Shelley. I met lots of people whose names I have already forgotten, from locations all over these United States. And I spent a LOT of time with Mikey, one of the coolest people in the universe.

But now I'm ready to go home. I miss my wife, and my daughters, and my mom who is at our house right now. So I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, too...

Good night Malibu.

Friday, May 04, 2007

 
So we've finally arrived at THURSDAY.

On Tuesday, I see Jim Belushi. On Wednesday, Pamela Anderson. But on Thursday, best of all, pictured above in one of his favorite places (in front of the Stauffer Chapel), Pepperdine English professor, Michael Lasley.

Six high-quality lectures today: three Part Two's following up on Wednesday (Rick Atchley, Rubel Shelley, and Randy Harris), Darryl Tippens this morning, a class on The Irresistible Revolution led by Sara Barton and Josh Graves, and a keynote by a neat preacher from Japan whose name I cannot remember, nor could I spell properly if I did remember it.

Two of my favorite extra-lecture parts from today:
(1) I got to spend significant time this morning with Danny & Terri Dodd, my friends from Pensacola, and...
(2) I got to spend significant time with Mikey again this evening. He showed me around the Malibu downtown shops (where he has seen lots of stars, most recently, Britney Spears, and Rod Stewart), we drove by Malibu High School (what a place to go to school, huh?), and we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant. Most importantly, as expected with Mikey, we had great conversation.

And tonight, I bought a cord to be able to hook up to the Internet in my dorm room!!!! So consider yourself caught up. I'm whipped!!!

Thursday, May 03, 2007

 
Welcome to WEDNESDAY, and have I got a story for you.

I listened to six, count'em, six great lectures on Wednesday. Listen to this star-studded lineup (in order): Jeff Walling, Rick Atchley, Rubel Shelley, John York, Randy Harris, and Harold Shank. Personally, Shank's sermon resonated with me the most, but I found Atchley's & Shelley's classes the most intriguing. Thankfully, the latter two were the first of three part class series.

I also started by book purchasing on Wednesday. I've actually done good, only buying three: Kingdom Come by John Mark Hicks and occasional blog commenter here, Bobby Valentine, Divorce & Remarriage by Rubel Shelly, and Hear the Word of the Lord by Tim Willis (the expositor of this lectureship).

At dinner break, I had noticed that Pepperdine's baseball team was playing Cal-State Fullerton on campus. Mikey had told me that stars were seen around campus (that Reggie Miller and Adam Sandler worked out in the gym, and that Pamela Anderson was a baseball fan). As we walked along the cliff over the baseball team, he looked toward where she usually sat and thought it looked like she was there. So we sauntered down the steps to watch high-quality NCAA baseball action, and attempt my second star sighting in two days.

Well, Pepperdine was putting it on Cal-State Fullerton, much to the delight of the sparse crowd in attendance (maybe 200?). At one point, Ms. Anderson got up to leave, and I went to take a picture (the one you see above). She stopped and talked to a few folks with her ten-year-old son, very graciously I might add, and then said that she was just going to her car and would be back.

It gets better.

Toward the end of the game (another 45 minutes or so), Mikey & I decided to leave and go eat some dinner before I needed to be back for the evening lecture. As we began walking up the hill toward my rented mini-van, none other than Pamela Anderson is coming down the hill toward us! The word "surreal" comes to mind... here I am at the Pepperdine Bible Lectures, and my friend and I from Paragould, Arkansas, are alone on a hill with Pamela Anderson.

So, yes, I went to the Pepperdine Lectures and had my picture made with Pamela Anderson! (Side note #1: she was very kind; Side note #2: Mikey says she teaches a children's Bible class at one of the local churches... Just when you think you know someone...)

My wife requested approval of the picture before I post it on the internet. LOL!!!

 
Okay, it's catch-up time on my blog: This one is for this past TUESDAY.

So I fly from New Orleans to Los Angeles on Tuesday, which is an awfully long flight from my perspective. Especially since they no longer serve you meals on flights of nearly FOUR hours. But they let me buy a box full of crappy food for five bucks, so I wasn't hungry when we landed.

I became a big fan of Dollar Rent-a-Car that day. I was in and out with my cool mini-van in less than five minutes, which was downright amazing.

And then I was introduced to driving in Los Angeles, but since it was my first time, L.A. was gentle. It may have been because it was around lunch time on a Tuesday, but the traffic wasn't as horrible as I expected.

I existed 405 on Mulholland Drive, and I nearly lost my breath at the amazing views that opened up on that windy road. Simply breathtaking. I stopped at a few scenic overlooks to try to take some pictures, but the pictures in no way do it justice.

I made it to my first stop, Franklin Canyon Lake, without any problems. This particular lake has been used by Hollywood many times over the years. It was used a lot for Bonanza, it was the "pond" in On Golden Pond, and I even read that it was used in Star Trek, but since I'm not a trekkie, I'm not sure how that happened. But none of these were the reason I traveled there intentionally. No, as a huge fan of The Andy Griffith Show, I went there because this was the "fishin' hole" from the opening whistlin' song when Andy & Opie are walking along with their fishin' poles (as well as Myers Lake from a variety of episodes). That was really cool.

From there, I made my way up to 101 to look for an out-of-the-way park I had read about on the internet where I could get a good view (and picture) of the Hollywood sign. I had a couple of traffic snafu's, but I made it there without much problem. And it WAS most definitely a breathtaking view. The only problem was that there were policemen all over the park with their training dogs and a camera crew for a commercial about the LAPD. I parked anyway, and walked around to take some picture. As I sauntered by, I noticed that Jim Belushi was the spokesman for the commercial! I had been in L.A. for less than three hours, and I already had my first star sighting! This was just too cool... If you need some proof, look at the picture above...

From there, I drove up the 101, exited toward Malibu Canyon Road, and I began losing my breath again. I came to understand why California has mudslides, wildfires, earthquakes, et al - God has to keep Californians humble somehow. The combination of the mountains and the Pacific Ocean is stunning.

Pepperdine's campus is simply unbelievable. You'd just have to see it to understand.

As I walked around campus, my friend, Michael Lasley (Mikey from the Houseflies blog), found me. It was so good to see him! He's an English professor here at Pepperdine, and also the envy of "ME!" I cannot imagine working in this gorgeous setting.

After seeing Mikey for a bit, I enjoyed a men's dinner where Buddy Bell spoke. Afterwards, I went to the Fieldhouse for the opening night keynote from Glen Pemberton.

And then I was exhausted. Partly because I've never seen (or climbed) so many stairs in my life. This campus is on an oceanside mountain, and they have the steps to prove it. But I was mostly exhausted because, given the time change, I had been up since 1:45am California time.

So I climbed the mountain to my dorm and crashed.

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Locations of visitors to this page Click here to join OceanSpringsChurchofChrist
Click to join OceanSpringsChurchofChrist