A different perspective.

There are 3 groups of people in this world; those than can count and those that can't. ;-)

Hopefully you are laughing by now at that comment. After listening to a sermon by Chris Seidman of Farmers Branch Church of Christ, www.thebranch.org, a comment he made has got me thinking. "There are 2 groups of people in this world; those who can help me grow closer to God and those whom I can help grow closer to God." I really like that perspective since it gets to the heart and purpose of our lives. As I go about my life this week I want to be deliberate in my thinking about the people I interact with.

Am I helping them grow closer to God or are they helping me grow closer to God?

God Bless!

Taste of Freedom

I really wonder what the citizens in Iraq are thinking, feeling and/or wondering as the polls close in Iraq following their countries first democratic elections in over 40 years. Various news agencies are reporting a 70%+ turnout! Election day violence appears to have accounted for 20+ dead and dozens wounded but does not seem to have dampened the desire of the Iraqi's to vote.

I wonder how many American citizens would turn out to vote if they knew that on election day there would be a dozen random bombings across he US and that many would die trying to cast their vote?

God Bless!

GBHS Girls Soccer wins 14th District Title

The Gulf Breeze High School girls varsity soccer team won their 14th consecutive District Title last night in a very evenly matched game against Bay High School. After 80 minutes of regulation play they were tied 0-0 and went to sudden death overtime. After two 10 minute halves of overtime the score was still 0-0 and the game went to penaly kicks (PK's) to decided the winner.

For those of you who do not know soccer that well penaly kicks are a way to determine a winner by having players take penalty kicks against the opposing goal keeper until you have a winner.

The first round of penalty kicks had 5 GBHS girls against 5 Bay HS girls. After all 10 had taken their PK's the score was 2-2. We went to the second round of PK's, which is sudden death, and the first GBHS shooter was a freshman who scored. The shooter for Bay HS had her shot stopped so GBHS won! Next stop, Regionals! We host Tate HS next Thursday at Dolphin stadium.

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/sports/html/4CAF7F7B-6717-4384-BC49-DC1B102DD057.shtml

A very full week.

This past week was very full. The girls had exams and work kept me busier than ever.

Tuesday night both the Varsity & Junior Varsity girls soccer teams got soundly beat by Niceville HS.

Friday night the GBHS Girls Varsity soccer team beat Washington HS 1-0 in a very exciting match and the Girls Junior Varsity soccer team beat Pensacola HS 8-0 in a post season tournament. District play starts this week. Time to see just how far the Varsity team can go.

On Saturday Ashley ran a 5K and finished with a time of 26:09 and placed 3rd in her group "Female Age Group 13-14".

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/st/0122_runresults.shtml

After that we headed back to Navarre with Ashley for 2 more games with the JV team. They beat Fort Walton Beach and then beat Choctaw 4-1 in the championship match.

Roe v Wade revisited

I discovered an interesting web site that at face value is very interesting. Norma McCorvey (aka Jane Roe), has changed her beleifs on abortion, accepted Christ, was baptized in 1995, and has a ministry that speaks out against abortion. Praise God!

http://www.roenomore.org/crossing_over/

The power of Jesus Christ in peoples lives should never be underestimated nor should we Christians ever think that a person is so lost in their sins that God cannot change their hearts and minds. We also must realize that every person we come in contact with we will influence for Christ (good and bad) though we may not see the influence immeadiatley.

Post Ivan Imagery

I must say that I am impressed with the speed at which FEMA made available flooding information via the web.

Ivan Maps
http://www.fema.gov/ivanmaps/maps.shtm

Overview of all Santa Rosa County.
http://www.fema.gov/ivanmaps/santarosa.shtm


Map F30 shows my house.
http://www.fema.gov/ivanmaps/maps/F30.pdf

If you scroll to the bottom of this image. find the blue colored bulge and then zoom in 1 or 2 times you will see, just to the right and down from the tip of the bulge, where the dark blue line intersects my neighbors house and flows just below mine.

Self Examination

As I continue to discipline my life in 2005 I have been thinking how we go to doctors for physical exams, we go to psychiatrists for "mental" checkups, but where do most people go for a spiritual checkup? We go to personal trainers to help discipline our bodies physically, we seek out dieticians to help discipline our eating habits, we have financial couselors to help discipline or spending, but where do most people go to get help disciplining their spiritual life? Based upon my personal experience the answer to both questions is that we do not go anywhere but seek to go it alone. At least on the spiritual side believers in Christ have His word to use in their self-examination of their spiritual life.

Galations 5:22, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Can people see love in my life?
Can people see joy in my life?
Am I at peace in my life?
Am I patient in my dealings with others?
Am I kind to those I meet?
Do people see goodness in me?
Am I faithful to my God?
Do people see me as a gentle person?
Do I exhibit self-control?

Questions that I as a Christian can review daily.

Christianity without Christ

I was listening to a CD coming into work this morning and the evangelist Ray Comfort quoted from General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. The quote intrigued me and stuck in my mind because I am living currently in his "coming century".

"In answer to your inquiry, I consider that the chief dangers which confront the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentence, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell."
General William Booth

This quote really stuck out in my mind. "Politics without God" and "forgiveness without repentence".... General Booth seemed to have a very good insight with regards to our present century.

Just lucky I guess?

PROVIDENCE
1-Care or preparation in advance
2-Prudent management
3-The care, guardianship and control exercised by God

How often in life do we fail to recogonize the providential hand of God? How often do "our plans" get foiled by unseen forces as we mutter and complain about being unlucky or unfortunate? How often have we had "our plans" unfold perfectly and we congratulate ourselves on a job well done? I know more often than not that I fail to see God in the little things as well as the big things. The driver going slow in front of me that I desperatley want to pass so that I can get where I want to go may be saving me from a drunk driver up ahead. My plans and desires to move or purchase a house may get frustrated but little did I know about the hand of God keeping me from a burden I am not yet ready to carry.

God help me to trust your flawless nature and infinite wisdom as it unfolds in my life.

Quick NOLA trip

The Gulf Breeze JV girls soccer team headed to New Orleans Friday to play 2 games with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. The JV team has not had a loss all season but that changed this weekend. Friday night they lost 5-0 and Saturday afternoon they lost 4-0. We could not move the ball and played defensively the majority of the time.

Ahley's grandparents & great-grandparents showed up to watch Friday night. Ashley & I spent the night with her grandparents and had a pretty enjoyable visit.

The map is not the territory.

The map is not the territory.
&
The word is not the thing.

How often do we think we know someone or something when in reality all we know is what the thing or person is called. What does it mean to really know someone or something? If I had a map of the world what would I really know. The names of countries, their basic shapes, sizes and realative locations. I might also know see a representation of where water is located. If the map has contour lines I might see the general rise and fall of the land. Even the most detailed computer based map that allows me to zoom in repeatedly really only shows me the names of features. "The map is not the territory" The map does not let me smell the sea breeze as it moves across my face. The map does not let me feel the bone chilling cold of an artic evening. The map does not let me see the peoples and there living conditions. I think you get my point.

Saying it is not the same as doing it.

How often do we say we want to weigh less, be smarter, be physically or spiritually stronger, however, just saying it does not make it reality. My weight is dependent on my diet, physical activity and genetics. I can control 2 of those factors. I can say "I weigh less than last year!" but unless I have changed the factors within my control or some event outside of my control has intervened I doubt I an speaking the truth.

Just something to think about.

Failure

After having my water main repaired just below the slab of my house I am scratching my head in wonder. How does a length of copper pipe that has been in place for over 16 years suddenly start leaking out of 2 pinhole sized openings? I guess there is an object lesson there somewhere. Hundreds of feet of pipe controlling the flow of water throughout my house and for no discernable reason a pin hole sized forms flooding 2 rooms. As a percentage the integrity of the piping is probably 99.9999% but that is not good enough, only 100% integrity will suffice.

Our shaking world

After seeing the news of late concerning the tsunami in Asia I have discovered a web site maintained by the US Geological Service that reports on earthquakes around the world.

The Data: http://www.earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.html

The Map: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/

It is pretty amazing to think that so much seismic activity is occurring around the world daily.

CAS

Water Problems !

Well, I was able to troubleshoot my water leak problem. It appears that the pipe coming up through my slab has started leaking. I had to call in a professional to fix this one. The plumber should arrive around lunchtime Wednesday. As inconvienent as no running water can be it is hard to be to irritated. I have friends on either side of our house who are allowing us to take showers & wash clothes and other friends offerring to take our clothes and wash them. Thank God for friends and family.

It is also hard to be very irritated about no running water when you consider the trials being currently endured by millions around Asia following the tsunami. Many people are just looking for potable water.

Family & Friends

Tammy is home and doing fine. Praise God!

I have received numerous phone calls today from friends and family asking about Tammy and telling me that they have been praying for her. It is so comforting to know that there are so many people lifting Tammy to God in prayer and offerring up assistance. We are so blessed to have such support.

Continuing the bang!

Well it is Monday morning and the girls are heading back to school & soccer. I am still troubleshooting my waterheater/plumbing problem and I am taking Tammy to Sacred Heart Hospital for a surgical procedure scheduled for 1000. The procedure is to help mitigate Tammy's extreme anemia which has been contributing to some of the symptoms she has been experiencing.

I thank God for the doctors, nurses and technicians at Sacred Heart. They have been a constant blessing to my family. I pray that God will continue to be glorified through their work.

Sacred Heart https://www.sacred-heart.org

In with a bang!

Well 2005 is starting out with a bang so far. I spent a good 5-6 hours yesterday on work related bussiness, I listened to my LSU Tigers get beat on the final play of the Capital One Bowl and I spent a couple hours last night cleaning up from a water heater that appears to have failed emptying its 50 gallons inside my home. At least I has home when it failed. Even with all that, I praise God. I am sitting at my dining room table looking out at a beautiful, warm, sunny morning and will be leaving for services at my local church.

First City Church, http://www.firstcitychurch.org/

God is good!

New Years Day

I rang in 2005 in Metairie, La at my in-laws house. Lots of fireworks, food, friends and family. Amanda & Ashley called just after mid-night from Panama City Beach where they are attending "Last Hour" a youth retreat. The girls wanted to say Happy New Year. They sounded like they were enjoying themselves.

This morning as I continued reading the book of Proverbs I felt guided to make one of my focus' this year the pursuit of wisdom and a study of its 7 pillars. I am always amazed at the relevance of each proverb and the depth of their meanings.