We ended up at Hulen Mall today. Yippee. It really wasn’t so bad except that there weren’t a large normal of “interesting” people to look at. Tonight we are watching American Idol which I haven’t ever done. I’m realizing why I likely won’t be watching it again.
_____________________________________________________

I saw Wild Hogs with my wife the other night. I spent most of the movie laughing. I think it’s because many of my college buddies are gathering for Subberville this year. If you have an idea what Subberville would be, don’t ask. If you don’t know what Subberville is, DON’T ASK.
_____________________________________________________

If you read my blog, there’s a good chance you read Rick Ross’ blog (www.rross.blogspot.com). If you don’t, Rick’s wife Beverly left today for a mission trip to Kenya. She is going with several other women to work with women in the mission field in Kenya, to pray, study, praise and counsel with them. Pray for Beverly and the women on this trip for their success in lifting up God and each other and for their safe passage and return. They will be gone for two weeks – not a long trip by missions standards but an eon for spouses who await their return.
_____________________________________________________

I’m off to vacate a bit more.

I’m taking a few days off to hang out with the family. Today I took the kids to a movie (Bridge to Terabithia) and tomorrow we will venture off to the big city (Fort Worth) for some shopping (woohoo) and other stuff. It’s good to have some time off and be with the people I love.
____________________________________________________

I have a friend named Dennis who says I never write about something he knows about. While that opens the door to all sorts of comments, I do wonder what it is he would like to address. So, for Dennis and anyone else out there, let me know if there is something you would like to see addressed on Way Out Wise. I don’t make any promises but you never know…
____________________________________________________

The Big Dance cranks up this weekend. I’m thinking Florida will repeat but you just never know when it comes down to the tournament games. Kansas has a shot, Ohio State has a shot, Texas and Texas A&M are both dark horses and North Carolina could make it all the way. There are probably 3 others who might show up knocking on the door too.

I do play in a pool. Much of the money paid to play goes to a charity and some is paid out to the top-3 places. I’ve played in this pool since 1988 and it’s my big gambling event of the year – $10 used to test my college basketball prowess. In the early years, I won something back pretty regularly. Lately, it’s just a donation but I love it. College basketball is my favorite sport to watch and this part of the year is the sports pinnacle for me.
_____________________________________________________

We start baseball tournament play this weekend. Our mighty band of 10 year olds begins a quest to qualify for the Summer Nationals held in Oklahoma in July. We play in Desoto this weekend and don’t really have a good feel for the ability of our team. It would be great to qualify right off the bat but I just hope we play well and the kids have fun playing baseball.

Go Destroyers!

Last night was batting practice (w/o my young prodigy who is sporting a fever) with our baseball team. It’s amazing how many times you can tell a kid what hand position to use, how to use their feet and legs and then watch them do it their own way over and over.

It only becomes more frustrating as I relate their actions to my spiritual life. How many times can I hear God’s word telling me what I should do yet I keep going back to my own bad habits over and over?

I hope our little kids will become more receptive to our coaching points so they can improve their performance.

I have a much greater hope that I will become more receptive to God’s directives for me so that I will be a better example of Christ-likeness.

The big lottery drawing last night rendered two winners splitting a $355-370 million dollar jackpot. Wow. That is a lot of money to have handed to you, even if you have to share 1/2 of it. I hope those who won can use it for good. There was a report a year or so back about past lottery winners and the pain the money and change in lifestyle had brought on many of the people and their families. I hope this money can be used to help those families and help other people.

Good Morning America was listing what you could buy with that money and one of the things they mentioned was something in the neighborhood of 59 million Big Macs. Doesn’t that just sound yummy?
_______________________________________________________

I don’t seem to have much time to watch or read the news anymore but I heard something this morning about more problems with the stock market and the price of gas going up. Great.
_______________________________________________________

The Mavs won their 16th game in a row last night. Michael Young signed a long term deal with the Rangers. I’m not sure what’s going on with the Cowboys and I don’t understand hockey.

I’m looking forward to the start of baseball season and hope the Mavs make a long run to the championship game. Maybe it will help us forget about gas and the stock market.

Our family has become hooked on this show. I don’t know the whole story of the lady who was on Monday night but from the few comments I heard, it was evident she was living on a low income while working 3 jobs (yes, 3 jobs). The $1,000,000 prize was lost fairly quickly and then she went on a streak of good guessing. When the offer for her to quit picking was $189,000 I was hoping she would take it. She didn’t and kept risking losing everything. In the end, she ended up with $402,000. That’s a lot of money for anyone but for someone working 3 jobs, it had to be wonderful. I was excited for her and hope she will do good things in the future.
________________________________________________________

I was reading some material written by a preacher from a church in Arizona. It is a newsletter that kicks around all the changes in churches of Christ and beats up on anyone who doesn’t agree with his point of view. I think he has a right to do that and there is probably some merit in some of what he writes. Here’s what bothers me about those types of newsletters. All they do is talk about what we need to do in church. I’m no Bible scholar and need to reread the Gospels but I just don’t recall Jesus spending much time talking about what we need to do in church. In fact, I don’t recall any of the New Testament books spending as much time talking about what we do in church as these newsletters do. However, I do read quite a bit in the Bible about what we are supposed to do outside the building – to show love, to serve, to be peacemakers, to show mercy and compassion, to teach and lead the lost to Christ.

I’ve grown up in a time where it seems much has been made about what happens in our corporate worship to the point I have lost touch with my duty to seek and save the lost. May God help me when I lose sight of the cross, when I forget the greatest command, when I turn inward and focus on myself. I pray I seek my mission of being outward focused on those who need Christ and that the church becomes a place of safety instead of a battleground, that our Christian family will be unified in the glory of a Savior who died for us while we were still in our sin and that we only share in the peace and love that is ours to claim because of amazing grace.

In interviews, I often ask candidates what their favorite day of the week is. Most answer Friday or Saturday because it’s the end of the week/the week is over/rest (not great answers in the retail environment since this is when most of the sales occur). A few will say Wednesday or Thursday and 1 or 2 have said Sunday because of religious reasons. Friday, I talked to a new employee who said Monday. I was surprised. She said it was because it was an opportunity to start her work week fresh and do better than she did last week.

It was a surprising and refreshing answer.
_____________________________________________________

I have a friend who was sick yesterday. His wife said he was sick in the head (OK, maybe I’m paraphrasing the way I imagined hearing it). At any rate, I hope he got his Sonic coney with chili, onions and jalepenos and feels better today.
_____________________________________________________

Some of you know I head up the Missions committee at our church. A few years ago, I viewed missions work as one of those things we were supposed to do. Now, I enjoy it immensely and get excited about hearing what people want to do to carry the Gospel around the globe. We are the sponsoring church for a young man in Aracaju, Brazil doing incredible work. Last year, we began supporting a fascinating couple in Paris, France. I don’t know I’ve met anyone with more energy than those two and they use it all for God’s purpose. We are now considering support for people working in India, Africa and here in the states. I look forward to giving more information on all of these as it comes together. At any rate, I felt great after our meeting yesterday with what we are able to do and only wish we could do more. There are so many great opportunities and I pray that those who desire to be missionaries will get the support and help they need.
_____________________________________________________

Brazil is the furthest I’ve ever traveled. What’s your most remote locale to visit (for any reason, business, pleasure, church, etc.)?

The mother of a good friend of ours passed away Tuesday as well as an Elder and a good friend in our church. I know both these people loved the Lord and are now sharing in their inheritance from God but the time of a death is still rough for me. I think it is because it brings up so many questions that I mull over.

Peggy is the mother of a good friend of ours. I didn’t know Peggy that well but I know her daughter and that tells me a lot about Peggy I think. From what I see through her daughter, Peggy loved God. She loved people too. The times I was around Peggy, she seemed full of life, always happy. I’ve known her daughter for several years and I have always seen someone who is caring, encouraging and joyful. I am confident that she got much of that from her mother.

I was blessed to know Jim. Jim always wore a smile and was encourager to everyone. He became one of my heroes when I was heading up Adult Education at our church and looking for teachers. I asked Jim and he turned me down. I got a call later that night and it was Jim. “Jeff, I need to teach. I need to do it for me and for my kids. They need to see a good example from me.” Such sweet words from a gentle man. He later became an Elder in our church and someone I gained strength from. We had several conversations when some things weren’t going the way we all wanted them and Jim would state what he felt we needed to do and end by saying, “we’ve just got to do it, Jeff. We gotta.” He was one of the best cheerleaders I’ve ever known.

Peggy and Jim have gone on to a better place but they have left their spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control with all of us.

I went to the Decatur boy’s basketball game last night. They were taking on Argyle, ranked 6th or higher in the state (depending on the poll), who had beaten Decatur twice during the season. There wasn’t much hope.

Decatur was up 22-17 at half but ended up losing 50-41. It was a great game and a great season for this group of kids. All year, they played tough, they never gave up when they were down, they were always fought through adversity. Argyle is good, I mean GOOD. Most of their kids work with private coaches. They are sound fundamentally and they shoot good from all over the court. They’ve got decent height inside and some speed on the perimeter.

The Decatur guys should hold their heads high for the effort they gave last night and all year. The good news is that 4 of the varsity players are sophomores. It should be a fun couple of years.
____________________________________________________

Two races and Tony Stewart still hasn’t won. Should I be throwing my hands up yet?
____________________________________________________

The Mavericks are playing some incredible basketball right now. It’s a shame Dirk and Josh don’t get their due. They are incredible players and deserve more respect around the league than they get. It seems many of the “enlightened talking heads” of the sports world still don’t think the Mavs have a shot at winning the championship this year. I hope they will be wrong.
____________________________________________________

I don’t care for Mark Cuban much. It’s the only reason I won’t care if the Mavs lose. He’s another one of those people who appear to think that money gives them credibility. I know he does some good charitable work but he diminishes his image by his flambouyant ways.
____________________________________________________

I’m tired of hearing about steriods in baseball. There’s an easy solution that anyone not cheating should be in favor of. Use steriods, get caught, don’t play and don’t get paid. It seems simple enough. Yes, there are always new drugs, always new loopholes. They will have to be diligent but make the punishment fit the effort.
____________________________________________________

As you can tell, I have no real thoughts running through my head today. It’s one of those days that seems to be calling me back to bed for a few more hours. Maybe the brain will turn on eventually. I hope you have a great day.

You give and take away,
You give and take away,
My heart will choose to say,
Lord, blessed be your name.

Today is my mom’s birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! We spent last night celebrating by watching the Mavs beat up on the Atlanta Hawks. It was a fun game and a fun time to spend with my parents. What can I say about moms that hasn’t been said other than I agree with it all? Moms do it all for their children. Moms are given a special mission from God and my mom did an excellent job accepting that role. As hard as I fought against her at times, she always did what she believed was best for me and I give her an A+. No parent is never perfect in all their actions (as my children would attest) but a parent who always loves, a parent who always give, a parent who always nurtures, a parent who always cares – they are perfect and my mom is one who always loves, always gives, always nurtures and always cares.

Thank you mom. I love you.
_______________________________________________________

I had intended today to be a post just about mom but as the verse from the song at the top of the blog, God gives and takes away. While out last night, I received two calls from my wife about deaths of people who are close to us and special to us. I didn’t know one as well as the other but both have left legacies of a love for God, of Christian children, of goodness, of caring about others. My prayer today is that God will be with those families, to console, to comfort, to encourage and that those families will find comfort knowing their mom/father are now with God.
_______________________________________________________

To see the lyrics for Blessed Be Your Name, go to http://www.lyricsbox.com/matt-redman-lyrics-blessed-be-your-name-psf45jc.html

I’m headed to the Mavericks game tonight. They are playing the lowly Atlanta Hawks so I don’t know how much we will get to see Dirk and Josh play but I’m still looking forward to it. I’m taking my parents to see the game and hope it will be a good one. I’m not a big fan of pro basketball, I don’t watch many games on TV and I don’t get to very many games but it is still amazing what some of these guys can do. The Mavericks are building all the pressure for themselves this year with an incredible record. I heard on the radio the other day that the Mavs have the 4th best record at the all-star break in history and the teams that were in the 1st-3rd spot and the team that is now in the 5th spot on that list all won the NBA championship.
____________________________________________________

The Rangers are in training camp and Sammy Sosa arrived the other day with hundreds of reporters following. On one hand, I’m disappointed they brought Sosa in because of the potential distraction and his recent past history. On the other hand, it may be good for the Rangers to get a bit more publicity, get a few more guys used to the circus atmosphere and, who knows, Sosa could be the next Frank Thomas. If not, it doesn’t cost the Rangers much of anything and they still get a lot of publicity away from the east coast teams. Sounds like someone tore a page out of Jerry’s playbook.
____________________________________________________

Our preacher delivered a challenging message yesterday about prejudice. Whenever I hear the word, my immediate thought is towards race and while that is certainly still an issue, prejudice covers so much more for us in the church. Race, social class, clothing, history. I see it. I’ve done it. I’ve been more friendly to the people who looked and acted like me than I do to those who don’t. I’ve been more accepting of the person I didn’t know had a history of problems than the person I did know had a history of problems (gambling, porn, drinking, sex…you pick the problem).

I’m thankful for a Savior that doesn’t qualify me.

We were talking about favorite scriptures in our class yesterday. I think one of my tops has to be Romans 5:8. To paraphrase, it says that God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for us, even while we were sinners. Wow, I don’t have to be perfect for God to save me. He doesn’t separate people into groups but saved everyone that could fall into the “sinner” group.

That’s power. That’s awesomeness. That’s true love.