Fall is hear. Texas plays TCU tomorrow. The NFL kicked off in earnest last night. High school footballers are getting ready to bang heads for the second week in a row tonight. The weatherman says cooler weather is coming our way. I really enjoy the fall and as much as I like football and so much of fall, the cooler weather is what really, really makes me a happier person this time of year. _______________________________________________________________

We are hosting the high school youth group Sunday night at our house. I’ve been privileged getting to know more of our church youth, first through our mission trip to Brazil and then through teaching, and I really enjoy being around them. As with any group, their personalities run the gamut from the loud and boisterous to the quiet and shy. What strikes me about so many of them is their heart. I have seen acts of kindness that surprise me but more than that, they encourage me. I look forward to spending more time with them on Sunday.
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Have a great weekend! Hook ’em Horns!

We started a new class last night on leadership, specifically spiritual leadership. Leadership is easy to talk about but, in my own life at least, much harder to model. I enjoy studying it and learning how to be a better leader because I have been put in positions of leadership. Being the leader isnt’ something I aspire to, in fact my personality easily allows others to take on a leadership role, but when I am needed to lead, I want to be prepared to do the best I can.

One of my favorite books is titled “The Servant” and is a study of leadership modeled by Jesus. It’s a look at what the author terms servant-leadership and it exemplifies the type of leader I want to follow and I want to be.

I pray our churches will raise up strong servant-leaders, people who lead not because they want the power but because they want to serve. I believe we are blessed as a church in Decatur with leaders who do want to serve. As I listened to one of our Elders last night talk about his fear of doing a poor job, it was apparent his biggest concern was whether he was serving others. That is the type of leadership mentality that inspires me because his concern isn’t about his position or status but his concern is about his service.

I look forward to the remainder of this class and hope I can learn and then model better leadership, leadership based on the good and perfect example God sent to earth, leadership based on a Savior who came to rescue me from the power of evil, leadership based on the Christ who loves me.

I was part of a late night fantasy football draft last night. We have a group from church that plays each year and we got a late start. It ended up being a bit after midnight before we were done. Ouch. We thought we would be done an hour earlier but technology isn’t all it’s cracked up to be sometimes.

I remember the days where staying up to midnight or a couple of hours later was no big deal. I could get up the next morning and function at a normal level. Nowadays, it’s brutal. So, if you see me moving slowly today, I just might be sleep-walking.
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God is so good. I’m trying to learn to trust in Him. I’ve said it before that I have a strong desire to figure out a way to take care of my own problems instead of sitting back and trying to see what God has in store. I’ve been working to be better at looking for God and little by little I think I’m getting better at it. It has not been easy for me to let go and seek God in my little storms. I struggle with it daily, minute-by-minute it seems at times. Yet, the more I think about it, I think – I hope – I see improvement. I am confident God is guiding me through some things I’m battling now and my prayer is that I continue to learn to step back and let Him lead me.

I hope my sick friend got a foot long coney from Sonic on Sunday. I’m sure it’s all he needed to get well.

We’re trying to have our fantasy football draft tonight. So far, nothing is working the way we want it to. It’s going to be messy I’m afriad.

The Rangers were getting smoked by the Royals last night when I finally turned the TV off. It’s ugly to get beat bad but even uglier to be losing like that to the Royals. I can’t give away tickets to the Rangers right now. Sad.

My son went to the lake yesterday with some friends and had a blast riding the tube. He had the biggest jump of anyone and it was funny listening to the description of his eyes as he went airborne. He slept hard last night which makes me wonder if we should get a boat.

We ate with some friends last night and the kids went out to play football. It’s amazing watching them tackle each other and trying to remember how I used to do that. All I could think about last night was how bad that would hurt.

I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve taken up walking again thanks to my wife. She’s been a great example and encouragement to me. I tore my calf muscle playing basketball a few months ago and the muscle still gets tight when I walk but I can tell there is improvement. Now, my ankles and knees are aching a little bit. I’m realizing I’m not 25 anymore. It’s hard to accept but the shooting pain at 3 in the morning make it real clear. Still, I’m thankful I can do what I am doing.

I hope you are having a great day.

I like my job and the people I work with but days like today are a beat down for retailers. While everyone else is off for the holiday, we are still open like any other typical day. We are lucky in that we have 4 observed holidays – New Years Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Several retailers are starting to stay open most of those days as well. After doing this for 13 years, I’m thinking some holidays should be required to be observed. That way, I could sleep a little later every once in awhile. Then again, it only seems right to labor on Labor Day.

I hope you are enjoying your day off if you have one.

The Decatur Eagles take to the football field tonight and the fall football season will be underway. I’m looking forward to being in the stands with family and friends, talking and laughing, and watching the Eagles. I’m ready for a fun night.
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Last night was an incredible night for Wise County Christian Counseling. A couple of people shared their personal stories that were incredibly touching. Good food and fellowship were just a side note to the powerful feeling in the air that lives were being touched. One of the most thought provoking comments to me was from Ty Lovell, the minister of Cornerstone Church. He said that WCCC isn’t just helping people today but making a difference in the lives of generations to come. That was powerful stuff.
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It’s a busy Friday and I’m quite sure I’ll be putting in some hours over the weekend but I’m ready for the weekend. I hope you have a great one!

Tonight I will be at a fundraiser for the Wise County Christian Counseling office operated by Beverly Ross. The WCCC has been such a blessing since Beverly opened helping many families and individuals get through difficult situations and complex issues they face. Beverly has a gift and ability and this work is certainly a ministry field for her.

The WCCC is a non-profit organization and tonight is a night geared to raising funds to help keep the doors open. While many clients can and do pay for their sessions, others who desperately need help simply cannot pay. That’s one of the wonderful things about WCCC – the ability to pay is not a criteria for getting help.

I am prayerful that tonight is a successful night in raising funds. Even more, I hope it is another night that allows more people who want and will seek help the opportunity to get it in a caring, Christ-centered environment.
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My daughter started cross-country in earnest today. I delivered her to the school at 6:30. Wow. It is an effort for her to get up that early in the morning to go run, one I empathize with a great deal. I would much rather wake up around 9:00 in the morning and the last thing I’m thinking about when I wake up is running.

I’m proud of her. We talked last night about her potential and me pushing her to always do better. I tried, maybe unsuccessfully, to explain that I believe in my heart she can do anything she is willing to work hard for. She may never be the fastest runner or have the highest grades or be President of the United States but I believe she could do those things. What I really wanted her to understand more than anything is that I am so proud of who she is, overwhelmed by her intelligence, beauty and maturity.

She is a wonderful young lady and I don’t want to push her too hard but I do want to encourage her to keep achieving more. I believe in her ability to do accomplish great things. More than that, I love her for who she is today.

Everyone came through the first day of school relatively unharmed. My daughter had one teacher who didn’t make the best impression because she was a bit strict on the first day. My son couldn’t believe he had a spelling test on the first day. My wife made it through without much fanfare. I guess it was a good first day.
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I was walking last night and looking at the moon and the stars. The sky was pretty and I couldn’t help but think about the beauty God puts around us. Too often, I’m going way too fast to see God’s beauty but last night was a reminder that I need to see it amid the stress and rush of work and life. I need to look to God for control of my life and not at myself, to allow His beauty to be seen in me, to work in me. I maintain a good facade and look like I have it under control while inside I’m a whirlwind of turmoil. I want to strive to be a part of the beautiful, peaceful scene I observed last night, one created by the Creator and one made beautiful by the Creator.

A new school year begins today. It seems like the last one was just letting out a few days ago. The police are out in force and loads of kids have their new school clothes on today. My son’s school was videotaping kids getting out of their cars and I’m sure the range of responses will be humorous. My wife started her first official day of student-teaching for what will be a 12-13 week period.

It’s a new beginning for each of them and my prayer today is that it will be a good beginning and that they will walk with God in all that they do.
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My son tried out for a baseball team over the weekend and didn’t get selected. I could see the disappointment all over his face when I told him the bad news yesterday. He tried hard and the coach told me it was a tight competition but in the end they picked someone they felt would meet their needs.

I wanted to tell him about the heart of my son, the joy he brings to what he loves doing, the team-player that he is, the kid who always tries to pick up the spirits of everyone else, but none of that would have changed the coaches mind. I just hated to see the look on my son’s face.

I’m hoping this will push him to work on some areas he can improve because it’s a good lesson. I’ve told him the Michael Jordan story (cut from his 9th grade basketball team but turned out to be a pretty good player) and that in life, we all have to work to get past some things at times. I hope he will be encouraged and work hard for what he wants.
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Every day is a new start.

I have a job that really doesn’t end on Friday but it’s still a mental hurdle that I always look forward to. Even though Saturdays rarely work out the way I envision them, I look forward to them. The idea of being at home with my family is always appealing.

When I think about an upcoming Saturday, it’s usually a mixed bag of thinking I will either catch up on some missed sleep or get alot of things done around the house. My Saturday usually winds up somewhere in the middle where I don’t get any additional rest but don’t get much done either. Still, the idea of Saturdays are always a nice reprieve from the stresses of work.
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The Rangers are frustrating. 30 runs in one game and winning a double-header only to come home and play poorly against the Mariners. I remember going to the games in April with high anticipations. Today, I can barely give my tickets away.

On the other hand, there’s new life for the Cowboys and the new drama begins. What will the season hold for Romo, Owens, Phillips and Jerry? I can’t help but believe it will be another rollercoaster ride that’s as much soap opera as football.
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I hope you have a great weekend and that your Saturday is filled with whatever you hope for.