My crazy life

Song I heard today

2008-03-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

I heard a new song today on a country station that blew my spiritual socks off.

It's called "I saw God today" by George Strait.

Here's the chorus and you can see what I mean:

I've been to church
I've read the book
I know he's here
But I don't look
Near as often as I should
Yeah, I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I just slowed down to stop and stare
Opened my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today

Awesome huh?

Recent happenings

2008-01-27T07:45:00.000-08:00

Wow a lot has happened the past six months.

My baby girl will turn one this week. Boy the time has flown by. She is a blessing to us.

I was ordained as a deacon at Gateway Baptist Church back in December, I feel honored to be chosen by my church family.

I'm still struggling with a daily quiet time, but I've started reading Proverbs with stepson every morning.

Our church has a biggest loser contest that ran from September thru January, that I won. I lost over 40 lbs and 16% of my bodyweight.

So that is just a few quick things, I hope to start a regular blogging schedule as time permits.

Coming soon

2008-01-09T17:49:00.000-08:00

I know it has been almost seven months since my last blog, but I am planning to start back soon.

A humble and responsive heart

2007-07-03T04:55:00.000-07:00

2 kings 22:19

Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD.

The context of this verse is that King Josiah was read the book of the covenant when it was found and this was his response to the Word of God.

What it speaks to me today is the question: Is my heart responsive before the Lord, His Word and His will for me today? Will I humble myself before Jesus and turn to Him for my needs today?

I'd like to answer that and say Yes to both questions, but more times than not I haven't been doing that. For me this life get busy and the time to slow down and hear from Jesus through the Word and prayer is hard to find.

But I've made a committment to set the alarm everyday at 5:45, to get up and spend time with Jesus every morning. Please pray for me that I can get used to the earlier wakeup time, and that God would meet with me in a powerful way.

Sin

2007-06-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

I ran across a quote from Tim Keller about sin today:

'Sin' is not simply breaking rules but is building your identity on things
other than God, which leads internally to emptiness, craving, and spiritual
slavery and externally to exclusion, conflict, and social injustice.

That about sums it up doesn't it. I basically believed that, but seeing it defined this way really drove the point home - That anything not of God is sin. We must build our lives on the Christ the Rock.

Food for Thought

2007-06-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

If we could reduce the world’s population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this:
The village would have 60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 from the South Pacific
51 would be male, 49 would be female
82 would be non-white; 18 white
67 would be non-Christian; 33 would be Christian
80 would live in substandard housing
67 would be unable to read
50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
33 would be without access to a safe water supply
39 would lack access to improved sanitation
24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76 that do have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)
7 people would have access to the Internet
1 would have a college education
1 would have HIV
2 would be near birth; 1 near death
5 would control 32% of the entire world’s wealth; all 5 would be US citizens
33 would be receiving --and attempting to live on-- only 3% of the income of “the village”
Does this help us see the world in a different light?

[HT] Worldconnex.org

God works in mysterious ways

2007-04-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

I've come down with the stomach crud.

My stepson Morgan, age 6, came down with it Saturday morning. I took care of the baby up to 5 pm yesterday. I let Sherry, my wife, take care of Morgan, so I wouldn't be exposed to the germs. That didn't work and praise God that Sherry or Reagan (12 weeks old today!) haven't come down with it.

But here is the interesting part. As I have dealt with the symptoms, it parallels the symptoms my Mom has been dealing with under chemotherapy (she's been fighting stage 4 lung cancer for over a year). I guess God is giving me a little glimpse of what she is feeling and dealing with. I'm getting a new perspective and a little empathy for what she has been going through.

Open Forum or Open Season?

2007-04-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a long time, I guess the blogging bug has long worn off for me, but this post is for anyone and everyone that might have anything to ask or say to me.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-01-30T05:12:00.000-08:00

Reagan Danielle Slagle was born Jan 29th at 7:57 am.

She is 8 lb 6 oz, 21.5 inches long, very short and thin black hair, she already has her daddy wrapped around her little finger!

Mom (Sherry) is recovering nicely and on schedule from the c-section.
Morgan (Reagan's big brother) is very excited and happy to have such a sweet little sister!

Baby Countdown

2007-01-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas Wishes

2006-12-22T06:11:00.000-08:00

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas"- Calvin Coolidge.

Merry Christmas to all from the Slagle clan (Rob, Sherry, Morgan and baby) to you and yours this season.

Political Correctness Run Amok - Carolers Told to Stop Singing

2006-12-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

A high school choir in a Riverside, CA mall was asked to stop singing Christmas carols during an ice skating show featuring Olympic medalist Sasha Cohen out of concern the skater would be offended because she's Jewish.

Check out the story here.

[From me]

Like one of my friends has said, that this country has been about getting down to the lowest common denominator - so that nobody can be offended.

Last time I read the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, the right not to be offended wasn't one of them.

Even though Cohen says she didn't ask the choir to be silenced, the mall and the police should be ashamed of themselves!

Thanksgiving

2006-11-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

Psalm 118:1 - Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but things have been busy/crazy the past few weeks.

I gave testimony Sunday night at our church's Thankgiving dinner service about how thankful I was to be involved in Christian community on different levels, from being discipled, to a prayer group of 3 - 8 men, to the young adult ministry I am involved with, and finally the small cell group I am involved in, as well as my local church. I am also very thankful for my wife and stepson and how they have adjusted to life in a bigger city, and for our little one that will be here late January/early February of next year. I am also thankful for how God has brought my Mom through stage 4 lung, lymph node, and brain cancers.

So please post up in the comment section, What are you thankful for this year?

Halloween and the world

2006-10-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

I was reading my regular blogs and bulletins from people I know.

I came across this snippet today:

I can't stand these people who get so upset at Halloween. They think it's all about the devil and witches and goblins and bad things. That it teaches the kids all the wrong morals. Bull-cockey! All the kids want to do is dress up, hang around their friends for a couple of hours, put on a mask and pretend to be someone else! Is that so bad? I argue that it is not. Why? Because the people who don't like Halloween do the exact same thing on Sunday mornings... dress up, hang around their friends for a couple of hours, put on a mask and pretend to be someone else. Oh Snap! Danny's got point there!!!

How do we speak to this in a loving and Christlike manner? Is this what the lost of our world truly think of us?

The Muppet Matrix

2006-09-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've always been a fan of the Matrix, and I grew up on the Muppets.

Here you have them together, check it out.

Who will get into heaven?

2006-09-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

An article in USA Today on the Baylor Religion Survey struck me today.

Here's a quote:

But Dougherty says the survey found 61% of Evangelical Protestants and 46.4% of black Protestants say only Christians will get into heaven.

Only 61%? What are the other 39% believing? I am just wondering if some of those 39% are folks that "say" they are church members, or if they are truly attending a church that they might not be saved or at the least not properly discipled.

You can read the article here.

Another article based on the same survey, which describes how the people polled view God and religion can be found here.

What say you?

SBC Chapelgate roundup

2006-09-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything related to SBC politics before on my blog, but I felt it necessary to give a roundup on this subject.

From Wade Burleson's blog:

There is nothing to fear from information: Information is power

The SWBTS official press release

Decide for yourself: Text of Dr McKissic's message

Welcome to the Neighborhood Dr McKissic

ABP Article where Dr McKissic responds

Dr McKissic's response via Art Roger's Blog

President Frank Page's response

Comments on SBC Outpost to President Page's response

What my pastor, Alan Cross posted on his blog

And to wrap up and focus your thinking, you can find a survey of the 3 tiers of doctrine here.

Here are description of the 3 tiers:
Tier 1 --- An Essential Doctrine Necessary To Be Considered a Christian, for a Denial of this Doctrine is a Denial of the True Christian Faith.

Tier 2 --- An Essential Doctrine Necessary to be Considered a Southern Baptist Christian, and if One Disagrees With It, He Cannot Serve in Leadership of the SBC.

Tier 3 --- A Low Priority Doctrine that Is Not Necessary to Believe in Order to be a Fully Cooperating Southern Baptist (leadership, missionary, trustee, etc..).

I fully believe that the doctrine concering the gift of tongues falls within Tier 3.

I agree with Alan that there has been a continued narrowing of the parameters for cooperation in the SBC that needs to be reversed. If we exclude people based on the theology of a select few that is based on tradition outside the BFM2K, not by thorough exegesis of the scripture, the effectiveness of the SBC sharing the gospel to the world is compromised.

Preacher of Tent Revival arrested and fined

2006-08-31T16:30:00.000-07:00

Fort Payne, Alabama

An Oklahoma preacher, Dwayne Blue (I wonder if Wade Burleson knows this guy) was arrested and fined for violating the town's noise ordinance during a tent revival. Read about it hereand here.

Here's a quote of what Mr Blue had to say:

"Blue said he’s upset with the arrest. “I’m upset because this is a free country. And when you can come and interrupt somebody praying for revival, praying for our nation, naturally you’re going to be disturbed because you feel like your religious rights are being violated."

“We weren't being radical, we were just praying, and it wasn't a loud prayer. It was just praying closing the services,” he said.

Read about one of the city councilman's reaction and comments here.

I can understand there was a PA used and it was 10:30 at night, but they arrested him during the closing prayers, the revival was wrapping up.

What's next? Are we just going to outlaw tent revivals and on-the street witnessing altogether because somebody might get offended?

What are your thoughts?

Family faces eviction for loud prayers

2006-08-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

A family in Germany faces eviction for keeping their whole building up with their loud late night prayers. Read about it here.

A quote from the story:

"I really don't want to disturb the neighbors but the high volume is needed in the battle against the devil," Pierre D., the 42-year-old father of the Christian family, told Bild newspaper.

Where is that in the bible that the volume is what is effective against the evil one? My bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess Jesus Christ as LORD. The there is no name under heaven that is greater than Jesus.

What do you think?

Morgan's First Day of School

2006-08-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

IMG_1246
Originally uploaded by Rob_Slagle.

This is my stepson Morgan Burch, with his teacher.

He started kindergarten yesterday, he did great according to his teacher. He said they had pizza for lunch and they learned about kimono dragons in science class.

I'm proud of him, he tested ahead of 350 other kids to get into his school.

Sunday School Class

2006-08-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

I'm in a new class that just started up called 'The Way of Jesus'
and a question was posed that I would like the readers of my blog to answer.

What does evangelism and discipleship look like and how would you define those terms without the usual baggage and barnacles those terms usually carry?

What are your thoughts?

I've been tagged

2006-08-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Alan Cross has tagged me, this tagfest has been making its rounds thru the baptist blogs recently.

1. One book that changed your life: Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson, I know how corny that may sound, but reading this book activated faith I needed at a difficult time early in my walk with Christ.
2. One book that you've read more than once: A Man After God's own Heart, Jim George. Good stuff about living life as a man.
3. One book that you'd want on a desert island: No intellectual or witty answer here, The Bible
4. One book that made you laugh: I'm drawing a blank on this one, I usually read for serious reasons, not to get a laugh. (I don't read much, I'm more of a visual/relational learner)
5. One book that made you cry: Never cried reading a book that I can remember.
6. One book that you wish you had written: Primary Purpose, Ted Haggard-- awesome book about being intentional with evangelism
7. One book you wish had never been written: Your Best Life Now, Joel Osteen. No need for a comment.
8. One book that you are currently reading: Waking the Dead, John Eldridge
9. One book that you've been meaning to read: Getting Things Done by David Allen - great organization system I've been researching lately.

Here's been tagged now, The Meat Man-Wesley, Kiki Cherry, Fran McCorkle, Robert Crowell

A story of redemption

2006-08-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

A Montgomery, Alabama church has bought a venue known for explicit rap shows and drug dealing, to be remodeled and used as their new sanctuary.

You can read about it here.

I think this follows the model in the Bible of how Christ comes and restores what is broken and make it beautiful and useful again.

What do you think?

News of the weird and crazy

2006-08-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

According to Lucille Pope, her red oak tree has been mysteriously gurgling water for the past 3 months. Check out the article here.

There are claims that the water might have healing properties, like healing spider bites and painful ankles.

Weird or what?

testimonies from Promise Keepers 2006

2006-08-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

In addition to my experience here is some links across the blogosphere

Headgamer

Kerry Woo

Moore News live

Saturday at Promise Keepers

2006-08-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

We found out first thing that 299 decisions were made for Christ on Friday night, Praise God! I'll definately pray for followup and discipleship for these men.

Saturday morning was a time of teaching by Bishop Joseph Garlington.

He spoke about our hearts and our talents in God's eyes. You can find the notes/outline here.

He urged us to find out what God's will/dream is for us.

He had us ask ourselves 3 questions

What would I do if I had:

1) the time
2) the money
3) no limits and no boundaries???

To be honest I couldn't answer that on the spot at that time, it is something I am still praying and thinking through for God to show me.

He started the 2nd morning session speaking about our talents.

His defination struck me--- that a talent is the God-given ability that a man can steward and multiply.

Other nuggets/things that hit me were:

Fantasies are from the mind and that dreams are from the heart.

A fantasy is a false vision of an impossible goal, that will eventually lead me away from my eternal purpose and waste my God-given resources and talents.

A God-given dream is a positive statement of a future reality in which I can place my confidence and will require me to invest my talents to achieve it.

We had lunch PK style, it is something to behold -- feeding thousands of men in such a short time. We ate outside -- it was warm, but not too bad.

Mark Schultz led us in worship after lunch, he sang one of my favorite choruses - All in All.

Rick Kingham was the 1st of 2 speakers for the afternoon session.

Rick spoke about Power: Relying on God's Spirit to Empower my Life

He defined power as the ability beyond myself to do God's will.

He pointed to John chapters 13-17 (no he didn't read all of it) as the model that I have the opportunity to live as Jesus did.

He described the experience by the 3 E's:

Encounter that leads to humility - we come face to face with God

Engage - community is the training ground of the Spirit to from the likeness of Christ in us

Express -- the credible witness of the reality of Christ to the world

The final afternoon session was led by Dan Seaborn from Winning At Home, he challenged us to live out what we learned this weekend at home and in the workplace.

One of the things that he said that stood out to me was I don't have to be a pastor to be a minister. Hmmmm that's one to chew on too...

Overall, the weekend was great, the emphasis was to go to God as our source and to team up with a small group of men to encourage and hold accountable.

Next year Promise Keepers returns to Mobile June 29th and 30th, so mark your calendars now.

Live blogging the Promise Keepers conference pt 2

2006-07-29T03:10:00.000-07:00

Friday night at Promise Keepers is always awesome!

We were led in worship by the PK7 band.

Bob Reccord former president of NAMB, presented the Gospel in a powerful way from Luke 14:15-24. He said that there are 3 main things that keep us from God that are illustrated in the passage:

1) Things to achieve
2) Stuff to acquire
3) Relationships that are holding us back.

A question he posed that stuck out to me was am I so busy I have lost touch with my family or my God?

With all of the stuff in my schedule between church, work and family, I can see where it is easy to get lost in the fast paced, always on the go lifestyle that it seems I live.

It always moves me and touches me to see the men responding to the altar call, praise God for working in hearts and lives.

The president of Promise Keepers interviewed Chick-fil-a founder Truett Cathy and I could tell that he was a godly man that put God first in his life.

The company's official statement of corporate purpose says that the business exists "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

That is great and unheard of in corporate America, praise God for men like Truett Cathy. He was given the first Transformation award. The award, a 21-inch sculpture, honored Cathy’s “lifetime of transforming family, community, workplace, and most importantly, the lives of the next generation.” The Transformation Award also references the scripture II Timothy 2:2.

We got to see Nooma video #8 - Dust, where the pastor in the video told the story and backstory of Jesus calling the apostles and Peter walking on the water.

One of the statements that stood out was that Jesus has more faith in me than what I have in myself. That's a bone I can chew on for awhile.

I'm fixing to go have breakfast and I am excited to see what God has in store for us today. I'll try to post before we leave or after I get home tonight.

Promise Keepers Update 1

2006-07-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

We are here at the Holiday Inn, had a few problems with the rooms, but it looks like it has gotten straightened out.

Waiting to go to dinner and the Friday evening session.

More to come..........

Down but not forgotten?

2006-07-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Headline -- Brad Pitt shocked by Post-Katrina devastation

It seems like most of the country has a short attention span, especially when it comes to the NOLA area post Katrina now 11 months after the fact. I have been on the Mississippi Gulf Coast 4 times with my church. It still gets to me every time I am there, it is so much damage and destruction that after seeing it for a day or 2, you almost become numb to it. Our country does not need to forget about the people still putting their lives and houses back together, relying on the generosity of others to get the task accomplished.

When I went on my 4th of July trip to Waveland-Bay St. Louis, I saw people still living in tents, most in FEMA trailers, and very few back living in their houses.

I got to take a day trip to New Orleans, where most of the 9th Ward and St Bernard Parish hasn't changed much since 11 months ago.

You can check out some of the details and events from my last trip to the coast on my Pastor's blog, Downshoredrift.

You can check out the mission our church has planted, Pathfinder Mission.

I also got to meet Joe Kennedyduring the 4th of July weekend, a Baptist blogger that attends the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, who has made a committment to use his blog to ensure that NOLA and the rest of the Gulf Coast is not forgotten. He has a photoblog there to check out for pictures of the 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish day trip I was able to take.

For some pictures in case you are not able to go on a mission trip, check this site out.

I would just ask that you would still search your heart, ask God what He would have you to do to still help out during this long rebuilding process in this region.

Is Blogger.com dying

2006-06-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

In reading some of my favorite Southern Baptist blogs, they have/are planning a move away from Blogger.com because of numerous outages and other technical issues.

Is Blogger.com dead, should Google call a crisis team to save it?

If you have a blog on Blogger, are you considering closing/moving it elsewhere?

wedding pictures online

2006-05-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Some of the wedding pictures are now online.

Check them out here.

updates

2006-01-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

I've closed on both houses, moved, paid some bills off :). I'm finally settled in at the new house, Sherry and Morgan came up here on the 14th for my best friend's birthday bash. I'm pleased to announced that I passed the inspection :).

I'm involved in a new class at the church about atonement. I am looking forward to applying what the cross has done to my life and walk with the Lord.

This past Sunday, Alan preached on the sanctity of human life, here are the notes. I found an article on James Watkins' site related to euthansia that went well with what Alan preached on.

Things at work are going good, we are getting to the end of an important reporting project that has taken almost a year to accomplish.

I'm also debating about how I want to start adjusting my schedule during the week, I've got bible studies or other things Church related Sunday night thru Thursday night each week. I know definately after the wedding I'll have to cut some of that out.

It looks like now the wedding date is set in stone for April 29th, Sherry is planning some elaborate things.

First though, God has blessed her with a wedding ensemble, a dress, veil, shoes, flower girl basket, ring bearer pillow, with no blemishes for $100.00.

She is now looking at limo rental, bridesmaid dresses, etc.

I was looking to be detached from most of that, but she wants my input on alot of it, which I really don't mind what she picks out, but she's determined that I have a say too :).

Until next time.

Recent Happenings

2005-12-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

I've found a house to buy, made the offer and it was accepted on Dec 8th. Still going thru the normal craziness to close on both houses during the christmas/new years season. Went on Vacation to South Bend Indiana and Toledo Ohio with Sherry and Morgan. God must give out wonderful amounts of patience, there were times I wanted to tie Morgan to the roof of the car, but I have to say considering the long distances/time we had to travel by car, he did pretty good. Sherry and Morgan got to meet my Mom's family in Toledo, my Grandfather and his wife, my Uncle Bobby and his wife, and my Uncle Fred. It seems that the family all like Sherry, which makes me very happy. I'll eventually get around to posting some pics on my Flickr site from the trip. Things at work are going pretty good right now, just trying to work while getting everything done for the house closings. It is now to the point where I am going to have to spend the evenings for the next week packing so I can get done in time. Until next time!

Recent Happenings

2005-11-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Things are crazy as usual. Here are a few updates on what's up lately with me:

House has officially sold. The contract got faxed and signed on 11/14.
Closing will be Dec 28th and moving day is Dec 31st.

Still looking for a new place. It seems that every house I find in my price range in East Montgomery is either zoned for Wares Ferry or Brewbaker Elementary schools, which I have been told perform very poorly. I guess I will try to get my future stepson tested for the magnet school to circumvent this. Sherry is coming up this weekend to go house hunting. The plan is to find a house we both like, and for Sherry to move in after the wedding. I guess I learned the lesson from my first marriage to let her be most of the driving force in the selection of the domicile, LOL.

Sherry has a couple of good job prospects with the State of ALA doing alot of what she already does in her current job. There is a hint of the wedding date being moved up if the job comes thru sooner.

Work has been pretty hectic with the annual budget cycle winding up, but it looks like things are moving slower and easier with that project.

Hopefully we can get the house hunting wrapped up around lunch time so we can watch the Iron Bowl on TV. ROLL TIDE!!!! (sorry Sherry had to get that one in there).

Until next post, same bat-time, same bat-channel.

Mullet Man

2005-10-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Mullet far away
Originally uploaded by Rob_Slagle.

My costume for Halloween dress up at work, check out that mullet! LOL

Craziness as usual

2005-10-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

It looks like the house is going to sell, so it's going to be moving time pretty soon. The realtor initally said the closing would be Nov 16th, but he said it might be after Thanksgiving when I talked to him today. Moving is always crazy no matter what. I am still trying to figure out where I want to move to, if it is going to be an apartment or if I want to try to find a house that will fit my budget better. And if I get an apartment, if I can keep my cats or not. Maybe one of these days I'll post some pics of them on my flickr site.

I'm reading a pretty cool book for my Sunday School class called The Pressure's Off by Larry Crabb. It's a pretty good book that contrasts the life lived to gain blessings versus the life lived to gain a hope thru seeking a closer relationship with Christ. It has really made me think about how I have lived out my faith and my walk with God.

Tommorrow is dress up day at work, I'm curious to see what the costumes are, who knows maybe I might dress up ;-).

Depending where I do end up living, I might have to cancel/delay the surgery I have scheduled in December for my foot.

Grove was good this week, I have the pleasure of meeting Linnie Dickson from The Shepherd's Staff. He shared his awesome testimony and shared about the work that his ministry does. I'm hoping that the Grove will get involved and volunteer to help, if not I might volunteer by myself.

I'm headed back to my high school tommorrow night for the Homecoming football game.
I'm looking forward to it in some ways, in others I am not. High School holds mostly painful memories of bullying and hazing that I endured. I don't really have any meaningful lasting relationships that have come from that time in my life. But I'll get to spend some time with my parents and with my fiancee.

I'll probably post again Monday and recap my weekend then, so may God bless you until then :).

Latest Happenings

2005-10-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been posting to this regularly, I am still getting the hang of this "blogging" thing. I sm still trying to strike the balance of posting too much personal info vs too little.

Things have been pretty busy and crazy (to go with the theme of the blog LOL)

I went to the Orthopedic surgeon I was referred to, the appt was on the 12th, he recommended surgery, pretty drastic surgery where basically my foot will be broken and reconstructed in right relationship to the ankle. I have scheduled the surgery to be done on December 8th, hopefully I can get all my Christmas shopping done before :). The surgeon told me 3 months in crutches and 4 to 6 months total recovery. I hope to be better by the wedding at the end of April.

Things with the Grove ministry are really picking up. There are a remnant of devoted people that are stepping up to serve in that ministry and I can say I am proud and excited to be serving the Lord with them.

Relationally with Sherry, there are a few things that we are "discussing" (married people know what that means LOL) especially in regards to who is going to move where after the wedding.

There have been some major things going on in relation to my ex-wife Angela, that I won't go into any detail here.

Things at work are ok, just some usual aggravations.

So if you have any room on your prayer lists, you can see I do have a lot in my life going on right now. I promise I'll try to keep this updated more regularly.

October 4th 2005 - Another Crazy Day

2005-10-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Busy day at work, it is our busy time of the month when the books are closed out.

Also had a 2pm Dr appt with the Orthopedic Surgeon about my feet (they are big, ugly, and flat) to try to do something about the ankle/foot pain.

Well the Dr pushed, pulled and x-rayed my feet every which way and then referred me to another Dr, saying that his specialty was backs and shoulders and that the other Dr was better with feet. So that appt is going to be on the 12th at 3pm.

Got a voicemail from Sherry for me to call her and I called her back to find out that Morgan (her 5 yr old son from a previous marriage) has crowded permanent teeth on the bottom and after they come in, he will need braces. Side note: the wedding is April 29th 2006.

Got back to work and the boss tells me that the budget process our company is going through is going to need more reports written (it seems like everything is last minute and non coordinated/planned around here). I guess I should have just went on home after the Dr appt instead of coming back :).

Going to pick up my friend Nathan at 6pm and bring him to the Grove tonight, so I've got to try to get out of here between 4:30 and 5 so I can get to the church to setup for the powerpoint and get some dinner while I'm at it.

Ocean Springs Trip Sept 30th to Oct 2nd

2005-10-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Ocean Springs, MS where my fiance Sherry and I went with my church to the Christus Victor Lutheran Church. It was the second time that I have been there, I went during the Labor Day weekend right after Katrina hit. Charlie and Martie Elgin from our church (Gateway Baptist) have gone there to be fulltime missionaries and to lead the coordination of the relief efforts. The other ministries involved are the Luther Disaster Relief and the Christian Appalachian Project. This time around it looked a little better, more things like restaurants and shops have come back online, but there is still a long road to full recovery. The Christian Appalachian Project folks really have an organized operation with the food distribution. They run a distribution line out behind the shelter and also stock other shelters with food and supplies. They have a forklift and they move so much stuff in and out everyday. Their volunteers are working a 2 week on one week off schedule, some stay in the shelter, some stay in tents outside. They were very appreciative of all the help from our team came to provide. I just find it quite amazing what can happen when people who work together serving the Lord. The needs are still great throughout the Gulf Coast area. You can check out my friends webpage, www.mccorklefamily.net, Chris and Fran have some pictures from the weekend. I am pretty tired and today at work was a little rough, but I made it through. Sherry says her church is interested in helping out in the Gulf Coast region, so I may be headed back to Ocean Springs real soon, but I don't mind. It's amazing how much work I actually have done when I've been down there. I don't really do much exercise or outside work, I work indoors behind a computer. But when faced with the overwhelming need, God seems to give me an extra boost of strength and selflessness. It kinda reminds me of that verse in the Bible that says the God's love compels us and the other one that says when we work that we work unto the Lord. My friends and Sherry had to constantly remind me to stop and keep hydrated and to keep the sunscreen going.

This blogging stuff is all new to me, I'm used to reading other people's blogs, not writing my own.
I just hope folks can find something that interests them from my spouting about my life.