It's Tiger Woods birthday. He must be worth $100 million and he's turning 30. It's LeBron James birthday and he is worth at least $100 million and he's turning 21. So, does that mean if your birthday is on December 30 you must have a lot of money? Well, I'm here as living proof that it does not mean that. Today is my birthday and after double checking my bank account, I officially do not have lots of money. But, I do have plenty. I have an incredible family that God has blessed me with, good friends and pretty decent health (OK, the arthritis in my back is making me feel a year older). I don't know how Tiger and LeBron feel today but I am feeling very content. I can wish that I had a little more money and less debt, a little bigger house and a newer car, a 4 wheeler, a vacation home...oh, I could go on and on. Yet I look at the world and I see people on the news watching their children starve, living without a house, without food, without medical care or knowing that a bomb or gunfire could very well take their life at any moment. I have so much and I know all that I have means nothing.

I also see people who don't know God, who don't believe in Heaven and Hell, who think we just come back as something else or believe we just die and that's it. I see people who believe in a different God, who don't understand or believe the price that has been paid for our salvation. I am praying today for these people. I hope they will open their hearts to God.

Today is my birthday and I know I have more than I need in earthly goods. I am blessed with what I have. Yet none of that is really important when I reflect on all that I have through Christ. I have so much more than I deserve. I surely haven't earned His grace but I receive it freely.

I'm a year older and for the first time actually feeling a year older. Even though I may hurt a little more and move a little slower, I'm alright because I am content with all I have and I am overwhelmed by the gift God has given me.

As the end of the year approaches, I often think about the good and bad things that happened during the year. Too often, I glance over the good things instead of savoring them and think more about the bad. Then the questions flood in of why and how did it happen and what should I have done.
I want to try and be different this year. I want to savor the good moments. I want to think about them, remember how and why they happened and see if I can duplicate or improve on them. I want to enjoy the happiness and smiles the memories bring back. I will also spend a little time on the not-so-good things and spend time in prayer. I will ask God to help me improve, to learn from my mistakes, to move on and not linger on them and, I will ask God to help me eyes fixed on Heaven, not on the past.
As my children grow and they wrestle with their insecurities, I see now more than ever the need to focus on the future, to put my trust in what can happen and not what did happen. I will look try to remember the lessons of the past while looking forward.
It's nothing new. Our God is like that. His Word reminds of mistakes of the past but His eyes are on our future. He makes us new everyday. He forgives the past and throws it away prompting us to only think of Heaven, to focus on the life we can have because of His son.
That's my goal for 2006, to look to the future, to look to Heaven, to focus on the gift I have through Jesus.

I have a tradition of watching a basketball tournament after Christmas each year. Since 1988, I have been attending this 3 day tournament, sometimes all day for 3 days and other times I've only seen a few games. Yesterday, I watched games from 11:30 until 9:00 with my son. The tournament was recently ranked by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 5 Christmas tournaments in the country so I get to see some good (and not so good) basketball being played. This year, for the first time since I've been going, Robert Hughes wasn't coaching the Dunbar Wildcats, wasn't scowling at bad pass or stomping his foot at a bad foul. Robert Hughes retired last year as the winningest high school basketball coach in history so I was able to watch quite a bit of history being made of the past several years. I've seen his teams defeat the #1 team in the nation a few years ago and I've seen eventual state champions and one NBA player from his team. It's been a fun time but it has come to an end, at least with Robert Hughes, Sr. coaching. Now, Robert Hughes, Jr. has taken over. What a role to play. What shoes to fill. I hope Junior does well though it isn't likely to see him do as well as his father. Still, I hope he is successful and his Flying Wildcats are just as entertaining as ever.

I have read and watched the news surrounding the death of Tony Dungy's son over the last couple of days and cannot imagine the pain he and his family feel. Dungy is the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. They lost their first game of the year last week and up until that time had been one of the top sports stories. The Colts are still a favorite to go to the Super Bowl but I don't think that is what is foremost in Dungy's mind today. I don't think the team and their goal of winning the big game is really very important to him today. Based on some of the player's comments, I don't think it is real important to them either. They all have been hit with a dose of harsh reality at a very family-oriented time of year.
One comment everyone makes about Dungy is his faith and most of the people I heard speaking about him mentioned the most important things in his life were God and his family. Everyone I heard mentioned either God or his "faith" first. I know Dungy and his wife and family will have hurt that few of us know but I am confident he will come through this because of his relationship with God. His relationship with God must be strong and evident to hear what all the people say about him.
I cannot and hope I will not ever know their pain but I ask you to join me in a prayer for the Dungy family and others who are spending this Christmas without a child or without a loved one. I also will pray that the faith people speak of seeing in Tony Dungy will remain foremost in his life and that it will have a profound impact on the people he touches, that they will see God in him and want to know God better. It is the only good I can imagine coming from such a tragedy.
While we pray, let's thank God for the blessings we have in our life. I have so many that I so often overlook and take for granted. God is good. God is merciful. God is abundant in His love and faithfulness. There is too much hurt in the world but God, through His son, provides something so much more magnificent outside this world. I want to hold on to my family, I want to wrap them in my arms and squeeze them tight and let them know I love them. I don't want to lose them. But more than all, I want to know God. I want to be with Him and walk the streets of gold.
Merry Christmas to all!

I am blessed. I don't understand why, but I am. Our Wednesday night class has been an awesome study on the life of David. It's been great because I see a man who wanted to do what was right even as he stumbled over Satan. I would never compare myself to David other than to say I really want to do what is right but too often find myself stumbling over Satan. A harsh word, a mean thought, a hard heart. Yet, through David's life, I see that God continually looks for the good in me. He sees my heart in better view than He sees my faults. Oh, if we humans were only like that. We can see the fault in others even while the beam is perched in our eye. God sees the heart. He sees the hurt and the pain I cause when I don't follow His will. He sees the regret of things done wrong and He forgives. He even wipes the slate clean for me to start over. I am thankful I know God. I am thankful for faithful parents. I am thankful for a faithful wife. I am thankful for children who believe. I'm thankful for a boss, for friends, for family that want to glorify God. I am so thankful for a Savior who would die for me.
I am blessed. I don't understand why, but I know that I am.

Ho ho ho. It's almost time to eat like there's no tomorrow and open presents like a weedeater going through grass. The buildup is coming, the stress of getting it all done is growing and then it will be over. Just like a snap of your fingers, the tree and lights come down, the weight gain becomes the focus and we grumble into the new year talking about how fast the last one went.

OK, I'll admit I don't share the same feelings about Christmas spirit as others do. I don't like the crowds and don't enjoy the stress of making sure we have presents for everyone, cards to send, parties to attend and on and on.

I think what wears on me the most is how commercialized the season has become. I don't think stores should be open on Thanksgiving Day. I don't think Christmas decorations should be up before Thanksgiving. I don't think the lights should come down until New Years Day. I think all the world should think like me. :)

What I do think about is that a number of people consider Christ this time of year. Easter and Christmas, right? He's not the reason for the season anymore and I know we don't know His birthday. To me, that's no big deal because He is noticed. He is recognized. He is considered. I hope we can take the moment and help people see it all year, no, for the rest of their life.

Christmas does represent a gift to me. It's a gift I celebrate all year long and it's a better gift than anything I will open this year. It's the gift of Jesus. The example. The sacrifice. I thank God for such a precious gift.

It's been a good weekend. Friday night at Joe T. Garcia's with my wife always makes for a GREAT evening. Taking my son to a high school championship game with sideline passes and walking down the tunnel at Texas Stadium was a blast. Meeting the girls in Ft. Worth for dinner at Angelo's was awesome. Donny had a great class at church, Rick delivered another awesome message from the Sermon on the Mount and an awesome meeting with the Elders to discuss our mission work in Aracaju wrapped up my Sunday. It's been a good weekend. A blessed weekend.

I'm battling the new computer syndrome. Excited about a newer, faster, better machine. Going crazy trying to get all my stuff where it was and learning some updated software. It's more frustrating than fun today but eventually I'll have a greater appreciation for the increased performance and enhancements.

It's the same problem we deal with daily. We want things to work the way we want them to work NOW! I don't want to wait, I want it NOW! I want a microwave response with a gourmet taste. It just doesn't happen though.

Heaven is a ways off. I don't know whether it's 30 minutes or 30 years away but nevertheless, it's in the future. God's answer to my prayers are in the future. I don't know whether it will be 5 seconds, 5 months, 5 years before I get an answer but it's coming. Knowing all this, I still want it NOW!

God doesn't operate on microwave time. It's up to me whether I want to grab hold of the quickest answer I can find or wait for the best answer I could receive.

Last night was a great night. I got to witness a baptism, a new birth. It was a moving moment because it was a friend and someone I didn't think would make such a decision just a few years ago. People have been planting the seed within her for years and last night, God increased His kingdom. What a wonderful, wonderful moment.

Today, I have been labeled as a bigot and someone who spreads hate instead of love. I was also labeled a Baptist which made me laugh. I visit another blog, a more liberal blog written by an attorney in Decatur. He throws out volatile issues, usually of the liberal nature, and watches the vultures attack. Yesterday, he brought up Brokeback Mountain, the movie about two gay cowboys. I responded saying I wouldn't see the movie because I don't agree with the lifestyle and wouldn't condone it by paying to see the movie. I was hammered by some who admitted to being gay and some who feel they have a more enlightened view than me. I'm confident I said nothing derogatory about people but about the action yet they called me names while saying I should be more open-minded like them. They called me names and said I shouldn't be so judgemental, they called me names even while saying that judging others is sinful. I've come to have a great disdain for the word "tolerance" because it so often seems the most intolerant people are those that shout for tolerance the loudest.

I pray God sheds His love and His mercy on each one of us today and that He imparts more understanding and wisdom of His will to all of us. Have a great day.

Do you ever have a day that doesn't start out quite right? Today was one of those days for my daughter and me. We got cross-ways and it wasn't pretty. My son disappeared (ducking for cover!) and my wife stepped in to play peacemaker. I absolutely hate the way things went this morning. I want a do-over. I want my little girl to change the way she acted and I certainly want the opportunity to change my response. I've apologized to my daughter, son and wife and I still feel miserable about it. I want a do-over but I won't get one. I'm stuck with the memory of this morning.
The good news: I believe they will forgive me and move on. I can't change today but I believe I'll have the opportunity to start fresh tomorrow and today will only be a lesson of how to change behavior and actions.
Our preacher, on Sunday, spoke of a lady who had forgiven her husband and "refused to dwell" on his actions. How thankful are we when those around us take the same attitude?
Even greater, I have a Lord and Savior who not only refuses to dwell on my mistakes when I ask His forgiveness but He washes me clean with His blood. HALLELUJAH! He will make me clean again, He will purify me and let me once again walk on the path to Heaven.
I'm thankful when my family will forgive me. The people we live with are often the ones we cause the most hurt. It is only greater that I also have a God who forgives me, who sheds His grace on me and lifts me up. I have so much to be thankful for.

I read an interesting article today about a small, tight-knit community that has spent time and resources in redeveloping their neighborhood. They have grown to know each other and help each other in many different ways. From neighborhood get-togethers to making food after an illness or death. They have become a community of friends.
Do you know your neighbors? Growing up, I knew everyone on our street. Today, I know just a few of the families. I think it's a common thing today to be too busy or too comfortable to be able to know your neighbors and develop community in a small setting.
As I read this story, I thought about the community I am a part of, where I do know many of my neighbors and where we all come together to help each other. My church family is a community that I draw strength from and lean on, where I enjoy the camaradarie of others and also share a common purpose.
I'm thankful for the body of people I meet with, worship with, laugh with and cry with in Decatur. I thank God for these people and pray that as we grow together, we will strengthen each other, support each other and love each other while glorifying Him in all of our actions.

There's still a chill in the air. At this moment, the weather station at Decatur HS is reporting a temperature of 10.5 degrees and a wind chill of -6.8 degrees. Yes, that's a NEGATIVE wind chill. I love cold weather and can't wait for it to get here each year but the wind can make it miserable quickly. I'm watching Channel 8 and seeing shots of all the semis and passenger vehicles in some state of distress and glad I live close by to where I have to be.

These bad driving days always remind me of working for a CPA firm in Ft. Worth. When it was like this, very few of the staff would show up. Being one of the newer people and working from the "bullpen", I would often be the only one or one of two to show up. I would leave the house an hour late and would go home a couple of hours early but I was there when the managers or partners who came in needed something and called. It got me some deposits in the emotional bank accounts of those people.

Be careful today if you are out. If you aren't, enjoy the down time and use it to recharge. Have a warm day!

I'm headed to Ft. Worth today for a doctor's appointment, a meeting and some errands. The girls in the office (extreme alarmists) are already talking about the sleet and bad roads just south of here. They are planning their escape to get home ahead of this weather event.

EDIT FROM ORIGINAL POST: After first writing this, I'm learning that the roads are quite a bit worse than the reports I heard earlier today.

I know many people who look at this type weather with icy roads and think nothing of it driving along as if there is not a problem in the world. Others, like those in my office, act as if the world will stop spinning on it's axis. Then, there are the folks in the middle, giving due respect to the weather and the consequences it can produce but not about to go into "shut-down mode" as if they are paralyzed from fear of what could be.

Do you know people like this? Do you see similar situations in your work? your life? your church? Do you know which one you are? It's a rhetorical question.

Wahoo. It's Tuesday! I feel like I'm in a blog rut.

I was starting to write about my so-called friends who abuse me on blogs but decided that wasn't the right thing to do. We all have our faults and they have more than me so why discuss it here, right?

Icy roads tomorrow? Wasn't it 75 last weekend? This weather is just playing havoc with my wardrobe.

For those of you who think it takes too much time to do a blog, this one is dedicated to you. If you think this takes much time, you have lost your mind.

Kelly's new puppy is truly eating us out of house and home. First, she gobbled up the window screens and now the faucet covers. I'm contemplating buying new covers and lacing them with tobasco to see how she feels about that. Tobasco used to remind me of pledging (and still does at times) but more often it reminds me of a strange woman I met at Cooks Hospital when Kory was sick once.

OK, so this did take me about 6 hours to complete. It just doesn't make sense does it?

Wahoo, it's Friday! There's a guy coming to the office today that I like on a personal level but who has made some bad choices in his business life with how he treats people. He continually overpromises and seldom delivers yet he never sees it as his mistake and does a good job of laying blame at someone else's feet. In the last few months, he has been fired by 3 or 4 different companies that he has either been an employee of or represented in business dealings. He tells everyone all he can do, he asks for his money up-front and then never fufills his promise and it's never his fault. I bet you know someone like that. It's frustrating because I do like him, he's a nice guy and he really has a good heart - until he steps into the work arena and then it's like someone else takes over.
Many people have shut him out but he still calls me because I guess I'm too nice to say no. I'll continue to treat him as if it's the nice guy here and hope one day he will change his ways. We've talked about it in the past and he still doesn't see it, doesn't believe he's at fault.
I suppose I have my weaknesses too. Yeah, it's hard to believe isn't it? HA HA. OK, I don't need anyone listing them out for me. Back to what I was saying, I have my weaknesses and I sure hope people see in me the good and not the bad. I hope people will treat me kindly even when I may not be the person they want to be around at the moment. I know God treats me that way.
I want to have a heart like God. Oh yes, I'm a long, long, long way from being like God but I still want to try. God, grant me a heart that is open like yours, a heart that is merciful like yours, a heart that is ever loving like yours.