Christmas Eve Service

Tomorrow night from 5:00 to 6:00 will be our Christmas Eve Service and let me tell you...don't miss it! Seriously, the service will be great, but what we have planned at the end will be awesome. Some of you may cry...prepare yourself. I promise you won't regret sacrificing 1 hour tomorrow night to experience this. Really, what are you gonna miss in that hour without your family? The burping of your uncle? Watching TV and waiting for everyone to arrive? Show up at 5:00 and you'll be on your way home at 6:00 with a great story to tell your family and it will all happen because of you. See ya!

Maddie on the radio

My youngest daughter Maddie is on the radio. She is reading a script along with another drama student promoting the Nutcracker. No, she's not in the nutcracker...just promoting it. We've already been down that road. Men in tights...no comment. Not sure how long it will be on the radio, but we heard it last night. It was pretty cool hearing her on the radio and I think she got a big kick out of it as well. If you listen to any of the triple FM stations and you hear a couple kids talkin' about the Nutcracker...it's Maddie. I went with her a couple weeks ago to record and it was pretty cool. This picture was taken with my phone so deal with it. Triple FM stations are 106.7, 104.9 & 100.5.

Christmas Parade

Attention Crossroadians: We'll be at the Jonesboro Christmas Parade this Thursday night. Parade starts at 7:00. We will be handing out the Gift Revolution Cards with a dollar bill attached to each one...it's always fun to give away stuff. Also, we'll be shooting out t-shirts to the crowd. Don't miss out on this awesome ministry opportunity! The more people...the more fun! If you didn't get to sign-up Sunday, just drop me a comment and let me know you'll be there. Later!

The Revolution is here!

Go here and check it out!

Curious and Ticked!

Curious-There are some things in life that make you go hmm! That happened to me this morning as I was leaving the gym. I was walking out the door and another guy was walking toward the entrance. I decided to do what I was always do...play the role of the servant, be the bigger man, sacrifice for others...you know, typical me. Well, I opened the door and stood there holding it open for him. I was clearly in control of the door, I'm a big boy and can hold it open on my own. As he nears the door he says, "appreciate it buddy," clearly a gentleman in his own right. However, he then proceeds to reach for the door and hold it open himself. Why? I've made eye contact, I have control of the door, I'm doing it so he doesn't have to put forth any effort. Listen people, this is not the 1st time this has happened to me and I'm sure it's happened to you. You try to do a favor and the other person acknowledges you trying to do a favor and then they grab the door and totally ruin the moment. Why? I have no idea. It makes you want to just slam the door right in their back and say, "my bad, thought you had it."

Ticked-I left the gym and went straight to Wal-Mart to pick up a few needed household items. I noticed last week that Wal-Mart (highland) has added a new feature to their parking lot. A handicapped parking spot for 'vans only.' Now, my sister is handicapped, so, most of the time I can spot someone parking in a handicapped parking spot that's not handicapped. It's very frustrating. I never realized it until Carla got her tag. One time I saw a guy in a handicapped parking spot jump out of his car with much energy and walked toward the store. I got in his face and said, "I'll give you two options." Option 1: You can go back to your car and park in a normal spot and walk back into this store. Option 2: I'll break your leg and you'll be legal. What'd the guy say? Nothing, there was no guy, I made all that up, but I do dream about moments like that. Anyway, I'm all about avoiding handicapped parking spots. "But I was in a hurry," you say, don't care it's illegal. Well, here's what ticked me this morning. As I was walking into Wal-Mart I notice a car with a handicap license plate parked sideways in the 'van' parking spot. Then, when I came out of the store I noticed 2 parked cars in the van spot...both with handicap license plates. Now, come on people! I don't know who they were, but I'm sure they've been ticked at someone parking in handicap without a tag. Well, sir or mam you just lost your right to complain when you took away the parking spot for a van. Vans need the extra room and Wal-Mart clearly recognizes this by giving a special oversized spot for them specifically. How can someone that's been given a privilege take away someone else's same privilege? Doesn't make sense to me. The more I live in this world the more I'm amazed at the way people act.

Christian Brainfarts #2

Brainfart..."to indicate a regrettable and poorly thought out choice of action." We all have brainfarts that squeak out from time to time...especially in the church. I've posted one already...here's another:

Skipping Church. Read this verse and come back. Hebrews speaks of it, and a quick study in the 1st few chapters of Acts will reveal the importance of attending church. Those guys were crazy in love with going to church...they met 'everyday' in the temple courts and then met in their homes on top of that. Most of us have no problem believing we should be at church...it's the actual showing up that causes problems. We could probably poll Bible Believing People in just about any area of the world and they would say that attendance at church is important. However, I don't think our actions always back that up. Allow me to explain. Think of other areas in your life that demand your attention and attendance. Weekly TV shows, ballgames for your children, concerts with your favorite band, birthday parties for your family...the list goes on and on. Some of these events we hold up high and some we are not that concerned about. How do we know which ones are held high? Attendance. It's simple, if you're always there, you obviously believe in it, if you're a no-show...well, it's not really a big deal. Give me a headache and I'll still be at the ballgame, an upset stomach during a much desired movie...i'll fight thru it, just flat our tired from a long week...won't even notice it at the concert. However, when Sunday rolls around it all changes. So, the next time someone skips church and you hear..."I had a headache"..."I had too much goin' on"..."I wanted to but my stomach just wasn't right"..."I hate to miss but it was just crazy hectic around our house and we just couldn't get there in time"...my advice is to strike a match because somebody just ripped a big brainfart and it stinks!

Funny Halloween Pranks

Don't do anything crazy tonight! See ya Sunday!

Questions without Answers

1. How did ArcherHill Chili not win 1st place? Sauteed onions, bell peppers, 3 different colors of beans???

2. Did James really make this?...or just take the credit?

3. How long did Weston leave this painted beard on his face?

4. She gets booted and she stays. Are you kidding me???

5. Will this show ever come on again...and will I care?

6. Was this an accident?

7. How did we not win??? Homegrown tomatoes...come on people!

Flag football

Keep in mind...this video was shot with a camera...not a 'video camera.' It's a little over 6 minutes long and low quality, but it has been requested...so enjoy!

Christian Brainfarts

We all know what a brainfart is, right? It's when we have a thought or make a choice that later reveals our stupidity. Well, being in the ministry for several years, I've noticed some brainfarts by Church people that have been...well, rather stinky. Here's one. Focusing on ourselves every Sunday and not giving a care in the world to the guest. I notice that most of us come to church Sunday after Sunday thinking..."what will I get?"..."will the sermon speak to me?"..."will they sing my song?"..."will I get my needs met?" We easily feast our eyes on ourselves and take them off of the guest. It's easy to do and we all do it. Many of us do it often and most of us probably do it every weekend. However, when do we see a change? The Sunday we show up with someone that 'we' invited. That particular Sunday, everything changes. We call the Pastor to make sure he's preaching on something that will be relevant to the guest, we ask the worship leader about the songlist to make sure our guest will enjoy it, we get to church on time so we will be ready to make our guest comfortable, we check with the nursery and make sure someone will be available when our guest drops off their children, etc. The conditions have to be perfect...everything must be done with excellence...because WE have brought a guest on this Sunday. What happens after that? Well, if they are not planning to come back next Sunday...it's back to normal. Show up late, who cares about the nursery?...and the songs better be something I like and the sermon better speak to me as a believer. That's an official Christian Brainfart. We should treat every Sunday as if we have personally invited someone to Church and they are in attendance. Every Sunday should be done with excellence from the parking lot all the way to the Stage. When I have someone coming to church with me there's no way in Hades I'm missing that service, but when I don't?...don't look for me, because if I show up...I'll be late and if I don't show up...I've got something better to do. That's a brainfart and it sure does stink!

Christmas around the corner

Last year we gave people $50.00 to give away to someone in the community. This year, we're taking it to the next level...the gift revolution.

Starbucks

I go to Barnes/Noble once a week to grab a Grande White Chocolate Mocha on Skim with Whipped Cream and spend a couple/three hours studying. I figure since I get skim milk I can afford any extra calories from the whipped cream. Anyway, that is the drink I order about 9.9 times out of ten and everytime I get this from the employee..."would you like to up that to a Venti for only 35 cents?" I respond with, "No thanks." "Would you like a cookie or piece of pie with that?" "No thanks." Well, the other day I didn't respond like that. Instead it was more like this..."No thanks...you ask me those same questions everytime I come in here." She sort of gave me a funny look and said..."I'm required to ask you." I said..."I figured you was." So, I got to thinking about that idea within Starbucks. For the customer, it may not be that big of a deal. But for a company that's selling coffee all around the world...it's enormous. Just imagine how many people are asked that question each day and how many of them fall prey and say..."oh yeah...why not." Starbucks is already making a ton of money, but with 35 cents extra coming in thousands of times across the country...it's adding up. My question is...will this work in the church? I say we try it out this weekend. If you see somebody singing just go up to them and say..."are you sure you don't want to sing a little louder?...maybe clap your hands?" Or, if you see someone dropping $10.00 in the basket during offering..."you know you could make God a little happier if you throw in an extra $5.00." What if you see someone working in the nursery..."hey, I bet God would really be proud of you if you started working in the nursery 2 times a month, rather than just one...it's only one extra Sunday." Think about the impact...it's not much to ask a little extra from one person but when everyone in the church starts doing it....man what an enormous difference! Starbucks may have something here. Ok, you're probably thinking I've gone over the deep end. Or, you figured out that one of my pet peeves is being asked something over and over when all I want is what I ordered. The truth is, whenever I give a little extra to Starbucks...it's for their benefit. When I give a little extra to God...it works for my benefit. If I give 35 extra cents for coffee, I get filled with a little bit more caffeine. When I give a little extra to God, I get filled with a lot more of Him. Starbucks may have to ask the customer for a little extra but the church shouldn't have to be asked. We should willingly come ready to give all we have for Him. Maybe God is asking all of us the Starbucks question..."are you sure you don't want to up that offering?"

Archer Girls Entertainment

The girls have been messing around with the piano lately. It's a little out of tune but it gets the job done. Marinda plays, of course, so she has been teaching them when possible. I don't know how they pick it up so fast. I wish I had their talent.

Smell of Skunk

A couple days ago we awakened to the smell of a skunk. It smelled like the thing had crawled under our bed and took a nap. It was rough. However, later that morning when I went out to start the car I discovered the smell was very strong on Angel, our dog. She reeked! Apparently, she had the bright idea to chase a skunk during the night and got sprayed. It's been two or three days and she still stinks. Actually, she's not the only thing that stinks. The inside of my car and the inside of our truck smells like skunk. I had to make a run to Wal-Mart for some strawberry air freshner. It did the trick. It got me thinking about how strong that smell is and how it amazingly seems to stick to objects. Did the skunk spray my car, the truck and angel? I think not. Also, it was stinking inside and I know for a fact it didn't get in the car. It reminded me of a song I heard years ago by Charles Billingsley...the fragrance of Christ. Read these verses. My question is simple...do we have this aroma? I'm sure some of us have an aroma. Maybe, the smell of a certain cologne, perfume or bad B.O. Have you ever been around someone with major B.O.? Dude, some people I've been around can make your eyes burn. As believers, we should be so in love with God, his stench should be floating all around us. Whenever we enter a room, every head should turn, and not only that. It should stick on others. People leave us and they should be like, "Man, what's that smell?" For most of us, we don't spread the smell of Christ, because we've covered it up with something else. As a youngster, I would play ball, decide I didn't have enough time to shower and just squirt on some old school Polo. However, Polo mixed with B.O. is not really a good idea. It's the same spiritually. The fragrance of Christ and the fragrance of the world are not really a good mixture. The best advice, is to take a shower and rid yourself of the worldly B.O. and then the fragrance of Christ will smell pretty darn sweet.

Lady Bearcats

As many of you know, I coach the Middle School Girls Basketball Teams at Brookland. I've created a blog to keep the Athletes, Parents, Family & Friends informed during the bball season. It's going to be information directed to the students/parents for the most part, regarding anything and everything Bearcat Basketball. Most of the information will be useless to the few and proud that read this blog. Plus, I won't have to bore you as much on this site with our stories of heroism or failure on the hardwood. I do realize that some of you may have an interest, since my daughter Maddie is on the 4th grade team...Tommy, Misty you'd better. The rest of you could probably care less about Bearcat Basketball, but there's a little snoopiness in all of us...Bearcat Basketball.

This was cool!

This was Micah's study sheet for her History test today. She was pretty pumped. She said, "I didn't even have to study...when the teacher was giving out all the answers...I already knew them." Of course, I was a little sad...my one moment to shine and help her study something that I already knew myself...without having a headache and thinking..."did we have this in 7th grade?" Anyway, I went over it with her once and she nailed them all.

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:1 says when Jesus "saw the crowds" he climbed up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came up to him. I'm not sure if that was the 12 or the 12 and a few others...but some of Jesus closest followers received what is known today as the "Sermon on the Mount." Jesus touched on a lot of different topics that day. One of those topics was having love for enemies. Jesus mentions it here. Something interesting about this passage is that Jesus never says..."if you have enemies" but He simply assumes that we will have enemies. And why not? Jesus lived a perfect life and He had enemies...even one within his own recruited group. If you're like me...having enemies is not a good feeling. Especially, when there's not really anything you can do to avoid it. I'm feeling that today. I posted the list of the girls that made the 4th, 5th & 6th grade basketball teams at Brookland at 7:40 this morning. There was actually about 5 or 6 waiting in the hallway for me to post it...and a couple that were waiting didn't make the cut. I went in the office and gave it to the Secretary and asked her if she could post it on the billboard today. As I was walking out the door she was posting it...I felt weird...didn't want to look back. I got in my car and drove away. Today, I made some friends...today, I made some enemies.

No Power

Was it ironic that a lot of people lost power early Sunday morning...the day we kick-off a series called, "Excuses"??? I think not! I'm telling you, when I got up at 6:00 the wind was humming big time at our house. I thought I would walk outside to major destruction and hundreds of fallen tree limbs...but I didn't. We have a few limbs but nothing out of the ordinary for us. The lights were blinking on and off when I got up so I lit a few candles in the bathroom and it was excellent planning on my part. About halfway thru my shower the lights went out. It turned out to be pretty relaxing...I may do that more often in the future. Anyway, I left the house and went to church about 7:05. When I left, the power was on. Didn't really matter though, because it was daylight outside, so there wouldn't be total darkness. And, we had plenty of hot water available in the tank. After the girls got to church, I asked Maddie if the power was off at the house. She said it was. I asked her if it was off all morning and she said, "yeah." Then she went on to say..."I couldn't get it to do anything...it just said...searching for signal." Mmmmh...I thought. I had to clarify to Maddie what power is. It's not just the TV. Lights, appliances, etc. Our Direct TV Satellite had been moved by the 60 mph winds and it couldn't find the signal, therefore the TV wouldn't work...which was apparently Maddie's biggest concern. And I'm sure she wasn't missing the smile of Joel Osteen. Anyway, I thought it was funny.
On another note, night 2 of tryouts was last night. I have 15 4th graders trying out, 13 5th graders and 23 6th graders. 23? I was like...where are all these girls coming from? One girl left sick 15 minutes into the 1st tryout and another left sick halfway thru last night but other than that they've done well. We have tryouts Thursday and next Monday will be the last. I'll probably post the girls that make the team on Wednesday of next week at the school, so, there may be some sad faces at Brookland next week. Remember, back in the day...going to school and searching for your name to see if you made the team? If you didn't make the team you hated the coach and told your Mom and Dad and they hated the coach. Well, I'm that guy next week.

Tryouts Start Tonight!!!

I'm the 4th, 5th & 6th grade girls basketball coach at Brookland and it all starts tonight. 4 practices will hopefully be enough to determine which girls make the team. Should be fun!

Allow me to vent

Before I get started, let me make something clear. Wal-Mart on highland has stepped up their game. The whole store has been updated and re-organized. I was a little lost at first but I like the new layout. Also, they have all new buggies...which I'm totally for since I always get the buggy with the bad wheel. Ok, enough bragging.
I'm at Wal-Mart a couple days ago with two items...two items people!!! Of course, I head on over to the 20 items or less aisle...both lines open are pretty big lines. 20 lanes and 5 are open!!! What's up with that? Anyway, as I near the register the person in front of me leaves and I notice the person in front of her (now in front of me) has an overflowing buggy. I mean...she could almost be kicked out of the regular line. I'm thinking, what are you doing in this line? It's 20 or less...how hard is that to figure out. I have two items...I'm allowed 18 more. She has like 200 items. I'm pretty frustrated but I'm trying to keep the good Christian attitude. Then, the lady looks at me and says..."you can go ahead if you want." I did, of course. And in my mind I'm saying..."you just acted like you did me some sort of favor." I mean, she was real nice about it...gave a friendly smile but it one of those..."I'm doing a good deed smiles." I wanted to tell her thanks but it's my right to be here and you're not even allowed to be in this line. So, don't come over here where you shouldn't be and pretend to be a generous person. Of course, I didn't say squat...I just paid for my 2 items and got out. Why? Because it reminds me of my attitude towards God. I give my money, my time, my gifts to God. I don't even deserve to be where I'm at...I deserve death...but somehow I end up in this line and rather than being thankful for that...I act like I'm really doing something big. I'm a loser.

On a lighter note...I heard this story on the radio this morning. Funny!

New Crossroads' Gear

We have new Crossroads' Gear hot off the press for sale. Hoodies in chocolate, red, pink & grey. 3/4 sleeve shirts also available. Hoodies $20.00 each and 3/4 shirts $10.00 each. Don't call me and tell me to hold some for you...I won't do it. This is not 1st come 1st serve...it's 1st pay 1st serve. No charging, no "I'll pay you the rest later." When all that's available sells out, we may order more. Gear goes on sale this weekend but if you want to stop in and buy some this week...that's your choice. I'm here all week but you may need to call 1st to make sure myself or James will be around during the time you choose because I tend to study at Barnes/Noble and make frequent unscheduled visits to my second home at Wal-Mart.

Cell

We had our 1st Cell meeting last night to kick-off the ministry season. Our group is going thru the book of Genesis...the beginning...starting next Wednesday that is. Last night was a night to cast vision to the group, so everyone is on the same page and play a couple games in the process. We played one game called myth or truth. It was men versus women and the men came out victorious. However, the funniest game of the evening went like this...each person had to name one item they want to get rid of and 3 reasons they want to get rid of it. For example, I may want to get rid of a TV. My reasons...it's too small, has a short & the sound doesn't work. Also, I told each person to write one of four names at the bottom of the page for a separate game (I sort of fibbed.) Your spouse, Mother-In-Law, Father-In-Law or a good friend. Here's the catch, after everyone handed me the papers I told them I was going to switch the item they wanted to get rid of with the name they put at the bottom of the page. Some came out very funny. Here's the list:

Carol Harral wants to get rid of her father-in-law because...
1) don't need
2) in the way
3) to help someone else
(hers was a tv)

Chip Black wants to get rid of his good friend Thomas "Cadillac Wheeler because...
1) it's 14 yrs. old
2) it has a slight short in it
3) High Def is the talk now
(his was also a tv)

Marinda wants to get rid of her mother-in-law because...
1) need space to put Michael's tools
2) to declutter my life more
3) to make Michael proud of me because I was able to let go of stuff.
(hers was stuff in the shed)

Tim Harral wants to get rid of his wife because...
1) don't want to move it (they're in the process of moving)
2) don't want to store in the attic of new house
3) won't be missed
(his was extra house decorations)

Zach Gilliam wants to get rid of his wife because...
1) in my way
2) need to get money back out of it
3) it's going to ruin
(his was store merchandise)

Jake Hillis wants to get rid of his wife because...
1) slick hide
2) worn laces
3) busted seams
(his was football)

Stephanie Gilliam wants to get rid of her mother-in-law because...
1) broken
2) too many (didn't really apply that's why you need 1 object...not multiple)
3) not played with
(hers was toys)

Cristi Hillis wants to get rid of her husband because...
1) taking up space
2) i'll never make anything out of it
3) i feel guilty for having them and not making anything with them (again, need 1 object)
(hers was bag of old jeans)

We're excited about this Cell season and all that God wants to do in and thru our group. Feel free to use this game at your next work party or family get together...I have lifted the copyright so you can have the freedom to use it as is, or tweak it. Later!

Happy Labor Day from Penny

Scattered Post

I wear a suit for very few occasions. Funerals, Weddings & Live Fantasy Drafts. What's the common denominator of all these events? Major loss is involved! And for the record, I couldn't have drafted as well as I did without my secretary. Marinda snapped this photo before we left.


Dancing with the Stars:

We commit to very few things on TV...Lost, American Idol, Disney Channel (for the girls, but I can handle some Waverly Place), ESPN (the greatest channel in the world) and HGTV (go Marinda!). However, one show we watch as a family is Dancing with the Stars. I must admit though, I became disinterested last season because we all knew Kristi YamaSuzuki was gonna win. This year, the new lineup has been posted so I'll mention a couple favorites. First, Toni Braxton, is gonna be one of my favorites. Why? Because she is one of the all-time greatest female singers on the planet. I bought Toni's album back in the early 90's but have no idea what happened to it. But, I do have 3 of her songs on my Ipod..."Another Sad Love Song, Breathe Again & You Mean the World to Me. You can have Whitni Houston, Celine Dion...give me some Braxton. You know how you have a singer you really like to hear and you think...man I wish they would get saved and sing at my church? Ok, maybe you don't think like that, but I do. Well, Braxton is one for me. Can she dance? Probably not. Second, Lance Bass. I never liked "In the Sink" couldn't name one song but I'm sure this guy can move. He's also an astronaut...so, gravity should not be a problem. Warren Sapp. What's this guy doing? He'll last 1 maybe 2 weeks and hopefully he won't fall on his partner and make a pancake out of her. Let me mention one more...Cody Linley. He plays Jake Ryan on Hannah Montana...which I'm forced to watch. His character Jake is really conceited...so it will be interesting to see him as himself.

Going to the Redbirds game Monday at 1:05 to make up for the Back to School Bash that got cut short...ready for that.

Here's a quick thought...have you ever heard anyone say this? "We've tried everything; now all we can do is pray." Huh? Why do we use prayer as a last result, rather than the 1st option?

Oh yeah, got out of the aircast yesterday. The ankle is healing nicely and I've been doing stretching and flexibility exercises all week (Doctor's orders). That 12" vertical will be back before you know it.

Ear Piercing

A couple of days ago I met Marinda and the girls at the Mall to get Maddie's ears pierced. She's been wanting to get it done, but the thought of going thru pain is not really Maddie's forte. However, when her "BFF" Cailey got it done a couple of weeks ago...she knew it was go time. As you can see, all is well at Claire's (my least favorite store in the mall) for now.



I've always noticed that when life brings more than you can handle...it's always good to have someone that's there for you. You need a helpful hand to get thru certain difficulties in life. Someone who's strong and courageous, but also comforting. So, you would think the person in need would cling to that type of person...fittingly, a father? No! Reaching for the hand of your Mother? No! Possibly the hand of an older sibling? Sorry! In times of desperation my 9 yr. old daughter reaches for the hand of a 10 yr. old girl...Cailey Hillis. Man, what's up with that?

Perhaps, it's because during those times of need your older sibling is too busy trying on every pair of shades in Claire's and putting on a modeling show that you don't reach for her support.


You've been there many times in life. You're getting a shot to overcome a sickness, you're about to hit another vehicle and you see it coming, you tell your wife she looks phat in that dress and she thought you meant fat so the backhand is on it's way...and what do you do? You brace yourself for the pain.


One thing about the employees of Claire's...in the words of P. Weese..."this was not there 1st rodeo." They do both ears at the same time and tell Maddie it will happen on the count of 3. Of course, they never make it to 3...it's 1, boom...the trigger is pulled, a quick sharp pain that lingers for about a second and Maddie says...is that it? No big deal!


Are you into piercing? Well, if you are, bring someone with you to church this Sunday as we close out the "Believe it, Or Not" series. We're going to look at a story about a woman that puts a tent peg where no tent peg should be put. Come check it out!

Back to School Bash

We had our annual "Back to School Bash" Friday & Saturday of this past week to give the girls one last shabang (it's a word) before they had to return as Bearcats at Brookland School. When I say girls...I'm including Marinda because she teaches 6th. They all ride to school together now...it's awesome...I don't take anyone to school or pick anybody up...it rocks! I felt the need for a motorcycle until I received a phone call today from Chris Castleman's workout partner regarding "an accident" by our beloved Chris Moix. He's ok, but you need to call and check on him. Anyway, back to subject. We kicked off Friday evening by going to downtown Memphis and eating a good meal. You can see the girls excited about the ribs that will soon be delivered in the picture below. Our next item of interest was the Memphis Redbirds. The picture above shows our experience. We arrived at 7:00. Gametime was 7:05. We looked at a huge wet tarp for 1 hour and 37 minutes. Finally a voice came over the loudspeaker..."the game tonight has been cancelled...exchange your tickets at the ticket booth." So, we will be going back to Memphis on Labor Day to watch the last game of the season...it better not rain. Oh yeah, we stayed at a Holiday Inn, so we have been on our A game all week.

ArcherHill

We have definitely stepped up our game at ArcherHill. This is our 3rd year in a row to garden (I said 2nd year in a previous post and Marinda was quick to correct) and we have ventured into the wonderful world of canning. Yeah, you've heard your Grandparents talk about canning...well it's not just for old people. You'll notice in the above picture that the water is very hot...that's what you want people...boiling water.

In the picture above we have some purple hull peas. This takes a little time but if you have a few extra hands and something good on TV...it goes by pretty quickly. After you "free the peas" (that's good huh?) you need to put them in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook them. Just get a good boil going and simmer for about 45 minutes and they're ready to go. You can't get the same taste from a can of peas at Wal-Mart.

Here is a sample of some of the canning we did the other night. We have cucumbers running out our ears, so we have canned several jars of pickles. I'm not really a pickle guy, but if you're into pickles, these are tough to beat. What's the red stuff? Good question. That's our own special homemade spaghetti sauce. Now, I can throw down on some pasta. In fact, the restaurant of choice for myself and the wife is Olive Garden. So, a chance to can our own spaghetti sauce is one I couldn't pass on. It's got a little kick to it, but I think once we mix in the meat and noodles...mmm, mmm, good!

Pickling takes a little work. The Boss is in the middle of it right here and as you can see...Ty is eating out of the scrap bowl. It takes work to keep a 20.5 inch chest and 20 inch belly...you think I'm kidding?

And of course, we left our camera at the House of Hillis and when we got it back the next day....this is what was on it. So, I thought...that was a pretty good trick. The only way to get them back would be put it on the web for the whole world to see...so I did!

I knew something wasn't right...

I injured my ankle playing softball a couple weeks ago. I thought it was a sprain but after two weeks it didn't show much improvement. So, after church Sunday the Fam and I got a quick bite to eat and headed over to the Urgent Care Center on Windover Drive for an X-Ray. Dr. Maglothin said my ankle is fractured and I need to wear an aircast for the next 2 weeks. This really stinks, but I'm glad I finally know what's wrong.

Weird Stuff

Allow me to share something that happened a couple of nights ago. It may seem dumb to you but it was one of those weird moments. Micah has a friend named Sarah. Sarah came to church with Micah Sunday morning...you might have seen her. Well, they are 4 days apart in age and best friends...nothing weird yet. Sarah's parents came over the other night and hung around for a couple hours while the girls went swimming. We were watching the Olympic Basketball game and talking...ok...I was watching the game...they were acting like they were watching it to amuse me and we were all talking. Anyway, we were talking about school and Christmas break and stuff...Marinda made the comment that it was hard to really do anything on our Anniversary because of school always starting back. Esther (Sarah's mother) said, "when is your Anniversary?" We told her it was on the 2nd of January. Their eyes lit up because they said their anniversary was also on January 2nd. Well, conversation continued and we finally asked them how long they had been married. 15 yrs...it will be 16 January 2nd. That means they were married January 2nd, 1993...the same day we were married. We all talked about how it snowed that day. I thought the freakiness had ended until he said something about the honeymoon. We spent our honeymoon in San Antonio...Marinda just had to schedule our honeymoon the same week Barkley was in town for Spurs versus Suns...that crazy girl! He said they took a honeymoon later (i don't know where they went) when they had money saved, but they did spend the night in Little Rock. Well, we flew out of Little Rock to San Antonio the day after our Wedding, meaning we also spent the 1st night of our honeymoon in Little Rock. When I found out we had stayed in the room next door to them I started feeling weak in the stomach...I almost passed out...well, not really...I made that part up. We didn't really stay at the same place but it was kind of a weird moment when you realize the world is not quite as big as you thought.

Melissa Meeker

I just received a phone call from Heath Funeral Home in Paragould. The visitation will be from 5:00-6:00 Saturday night for immediate family and 6:00-9:00 for everyone else. The funeral will be at East Side Baptist Church in Paragould at 2:00. I will be one of 3 ministers speaking at the funeral...pray that I find the right words.

Melissa Meeker

I just got word from Dana that Melissa Meeker passed away around 3:30 this afternoon. You can stay updated at caringbridge. In the "enter website name" box just type in melissameeker...no caps and no spaces. Any info. regarding visitation/funeral arrangements should be posted on this site. Please join with Crossroads as we remember her family in prayer.

God's, Believe It or Not

This Sunday we will be kicking off a new series. We are looking at some stories in the Bible that may be a little difficult to believe. I tried to (for the most part) pick some stories that are not really popular. We’ve all heard about Jonah and the fish, Noah and the boat, Daniel and the lions, etc. How many of us have heard about a guy lying on his side for 390 days? A lady hammering a tent peg through a guys head and it comes out his temple and into the ground? A King looks on his wall and a strange writing magically appears…then he dies that night? That’s the kind of stories we’ll be looking at during this series. What can we learn from these stories?…that’s our goal.

August:
3rd-God's text message
10th-Pigs in a panic
17th-Sideways obedience
24th-Ear today, gone tomorrow
31st-Hammertime

Sunday Night Softball Practice

My right ankle...
My left ankle...

Not good.

Homeschoolers gone wild!!!

Sugar is a good thing...even for a homeschooler.

Some things you need to do...

1) You need to go on a canoe trip...if you're a man that is. And you need to canoe at Spring River Oaks on August 9th. However, if you really want to be a man...leave on the 8th and spend the night. Sign-up is in the lobby of the church. It's all about making memories people!

2) You need to get involved in VBS. It starts Monday and will last all week. Contact Jami at jm1612@hotmail.com ...and being a man is not required.

3) You need to go to Lewis BBQ and eat lunch or supper in the near future. It's located in the old Corky's BBQ facility. They catered our Membership Class and it was pretty good stuff. I took the wife to Corky's about a year ago and when they delivered the bread rolls there was a little surprise plastered on the side of one of the rolls. A common housefly. Yeah, it was a little difficult to finish the meal after that. Never went back...why? Because, they offered to take $5.00 off the entire meal and showed zero compassion??? Should've been free in my book. Anyway, new ownership...new name...good food.

4) You need to welcome our newest members to Crossroads. They include the following:

Jason McClain (Pastor James' better lookin' brother)
Felicia Crowe (Jason's fiance)
Michael & Diana Coln (Vanilla Mike, that is)
Jeremy & Amanda Escue (Amanda's the one that got lucky at sequence that night with Kara at the late night cafe...yeah, that's her)
Ryan & Samantha Stone (Young couple from Trumann)
Amanda Stone (Sister of Ryan)
Zachary Loyd (Friend of Stone's)

There's your to-do list...get on it!

New Sign is here!!!

Stop telling all your friends and family we are located on Grant Avenue...next to Champions Gymnastics. They are located next to us now. We have a sign and the lights come on at dark automatically...yeah that's big time right there. Good Job P. Weese!!!

ArcherHill

ArcherHill is the name of our Garden. This is our second year to garden with the Hillis' family. We've talked about putting up a walk-thru gate with "ArcherHill" written on it for the past 2 years now...it will never happen. The top 3 photos indicate the early years of the garden. Where you till, fertilize, water...and nothing happens. You wait in eager expectation for something to come out of the dirt...besides a worm. At this stage of the garden...there's not much excitement. You work hard, but see no progress. An occasional streaking of Ty (son of Hillis) in his underwear is about the most exciting thing that happens in the garden during the early weeks. However, all that is soon to change.







Now, as you can see from the rest of the photos...things start to change in the garden. What was once a dirty mudhole is quickly becoming a beautiful work of art. Old School gardeners will tell you to stick to straight rows...nothing else. Well, that's not how we roll at ArcherHill. We have straight rows, no doubt, but we also throw in a change every now and then to give the garden a new look. We offer cucumbers, squash, zucchini, peppers, watermelon, tomatoes, onions, green beans...you name it, we probably got it. As of now, the garden is producing abundantly. We actually had to lose our canning virginity last night as we canned cucumbers. For all you rookies, that means we'll be eating pickles till we puke tonight in cell group. Homemade Salsa is soon to come!

So what's the spiritual application of the garden? There is none my friend...sorry! Just kidding. If you're working your tail off and all you see in your life is the top 3 pictures. My advice is to hang in there and keep tilling, watering & fertilizing. Someday, the fruit will arise. Now, if the fruit is rotten...you've got a problem. Jesus said we could be recognized by our fruit. As you inspect the fruit of your life, what are you seeing? Is it good or would you rather throw it to the dogs? My prayer for you is that the fruit you bear will be so good that others will want it. I'll think about you tonight as I bite into a pickle.

From the Bookshelf

I'm not sure if you like to read or not...the fact that you're reading this is a little evidence I suppose, but if you do...here are some books that I've read over the years and enjoyed.

Looking for a good book on leadership? I read this many, many years ago and it's a life-changing book.

Looking for something quick to read? I read this book a couple years back and it brings to light the powerful impact we can all have by doing small things well.

Not all life-changing books have to be bought from the Christian section. This one's been on my bookshelf for a few years now. Read it thru the lense of your ministry or walk with Christ.

Need a book for Father's? I pulled an idea from this book that I will incorporate into my relationship with my daughters.

Andy Stanley is my boy...plain and simple. I've read about 5 books from him. I recommend any of them. Here's 3:

Visioneering
Next Generation Leader
It Came From Within

That's just a few I've enjoyed...hopefully you can benefit from some of these...maybe I'll write a future post on what not to read...trust me, I've got some on the shelf...hmm?

Cousins

Snake

The Spider

Cell Game Night

4th of July Ministry

They just came in a few minutes ago. As we said on Sunday, we will hand these out Friday night in Jonesboro just before the fireworks display...which starts at 9:30 p.m. Get involved!

Summer School

This weekend we kick-off our series, “Summer School.” We will be displaying school pictures of fellow Crossroadians during the 4 weeks of this series. Bring a picture of yourself this Sunday to be on display. Think about it this way…by bringing a picture of yourself from high school, you are really doing yourself a favor. Because, if you don’t bring one…your spouse will and you gotta wonder…which one will he/she bring? So, bring a snapshot this Sunday to be on display for the next four weeks. Also, you can bring one by anytime this week and we will post it for you. Thanks!

Footprints in the sand

This morning I was walking along the beach. I was thinking about our vacation and all the images of the fun we had were flashing through my mind.
With each memory I could see footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was only one.
This bothered me because I knew that I came with my family…so there would be no reason for me to see only one set of footprints.
I became angry with my family because we had promised each other that we would spend this week together. Why, when I needed them most, would they not be there with me?
Marinda said, “Stop whining you big baby, those are not your footprints.”

Shark Attack

Scavengers

Scavengers Cont.