WOOHOO Monday is almost here!

The 3rd Monday in June! So everyone remember ride to work!

7 Reminders For Building Children

by S. Truett Cathy, Founder and Chairman of Chick-fil-A

1. Every child I know who overcame long odds and grew into a responsible adult can point to an adult who stepped into his or her life as a friend, mentor, and guide.

2. Don’t be too concerned that your children don’t listen to you. But be very concerned that they see everything you do.

3. Be so consistent in your discipline that you’re boring.

4. Stop arguing in front of your children.

5. You may think children have outgrown the desire to be rocked to sleep at night. They haven’t.

6. Children will never believe in the covenant of marriage unless they see you living it with their own eyes.

7. How do you know if a child needs encouragement? If he or she is breathing.

* Excerpts taken from Cathy’s 2004 book: It’s Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men

Unity Central

The quote below is from: "We Must Have Unity" By Wesley L. Duewel

"The home is central to spiritual unity.
- He who speaks critically in public usually speaks even more critically at home. - He who seeks to domineer in public has the habit of wanting his or her own way at home. - The person who causes friction in public usually sulks at home, pouts at home, or makes wounds at home by sarcastic and cutting remarks. - The person who fills the ears of the public with gossip and criticism usually says even more to the people within the home. - She who poisons the thoughts of the neighbors or the church usually fills her own home with poisoned air from her unsanctified mouth."

I have to say I agree with the statement "The home is central to spiritual unity." It all starts from home and moves out to the world from there!

Can you see that "love" is the first key to "unity" that then brings the "power".

1Co 13:13 And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Wow love not faith is the greatest...then after the love comes:

Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

With the unity or one accord...then comes:

Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

Then the power. However it all starts with "The home is central to spiritual unity.

ooh well just some rambling by yours truly!

Disappointment...

That word is huge...and very powerful. Do not let yourself be swayed by disappointment, only be moved by what you know to be true! Well what is true...the word of God! He makes statements about you all thru the word like blessed, healed, whole, loved, purposed, destiny, called, and chosen!

However we let something come in and control us that should have no control over us at all...disappointment! This little bugger shows up in unfulfilled expectations that we either put on ourselves or on others. Then when it doesn't happen when we think it should we get disappointed and start down the path of offense.

If we keep our focus on the word of God and understand timing we will be alright!

Arkansas Trip...

Just realized I only took this picture while on my trip to Arkansas...not to sure if that is good or bad?

What I do know is I had a very good time from hanging out with old friends (Kevin, Susan, Nate, Evan, Jake, Sheena, Trent, and Jess) to all of the new friends that where made!

I have to say that the "pig roast" was a high light! Thanks for the hospitality Jackson family!

The one thing that really struck me was seeing those that I have watched grow up now doing what God has called them...I felt pretty stupid cause all I could do is sit and stare in awe!

The trip was fun but seeing them blessed me the most...thank you Father!

Always wondered why...

Doesn't PETA throw red paint on this guy? Yeah I know overlook the fake stash and just go with the image...

I am having an idea...

hhhmmm...not sure if I should do this or not? However I like the Neapolitan look to it!

Because we all love details...

5.6.09 Trip to Chicago to help Bryce pickup bike
Left in the morning at 5:00am and arrived back home at 11:20pm. Good trip got rained on twice. Had to deal with the sun after one of the rain storms and that was pretty blinding! Here are the details:

892 miles total (could have just put another 108 on and called it an Iron Butt...LOL)

Overall Avg. 51 miles an hour

Moving Avg. 61 miles an hour

Max speed 86

Total Time 17 hours 22 min

Moving Time 14 hours 40 min

Stopped Time 2 hours 41 min (take account that 45 min is not in that total because the GPS was turned off while I ate dinner)

22 gallons of gas where used (I did fill up at home for free so that is the extra 4 gallons of gas)

41.35 was the cost of the trip all gas (Bryce paid for dinner...THANK YOU!)(Who cares about all the tolls?)(Actually I do…but there is no way to figure it out)

892 miles/ 22 gallons = 40.5 miles to the gallon

hhmm...interesting.

The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.
--Plato (427 BCE- 347 BCE)

New Idea...

I love this concept...if you have never heard of it give it a "look see"! I want to buy a few pairs just to support them...not sure if I would keep them to wear (just not my thing) but then again I am game for anything new!

With that in mind I love this fellas mission statement:

One for One

TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about.

Combining this mission statement and about 3 hours of good conversation with a great friend and someone who really is way smarter than me...I feel challenged! I want to come up with some thing that will help a little more than what I have. Don't really know how long it will take don't really care just want to start pushing myself beyond (not to sure what that means).

Here is an idea to run with...did you know that 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to clean drinking water and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation...how about a "one for one" idea with bottled water?

How would that work?
What would be the drawbacks?
What would be the positives...despite the obvious one!
What would need to happen for it to get rolling?

Is anyone brave enough to try...not sure that someone isnt already doing this...is anyone brave enough to fail and move on?

Used this last night...

Had an awesome service to kick off the month of Purity here at DYM (Driven Youth Ministries) used this this quote from C.S. Lewis to help talk about Lust and how to Leave Lust Vegas.

Christ--the Only Complete Realist

No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German Army by fighting it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of the wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yield to temptation, is the only man who knows to the full what temptation means-the only complete realist (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

Blast from the past...

wow this was awhile ago...July of 1994 to be exact! Somewhere between Minsk and Berlin. The train that we are on had started on the China boarder 7 days earlier...lets just say we where happy to roll down the windows to air it out a little!

This is calling me...

wow...this is really calling me right now. I think I need a little break from things. By things I mean the weather more than anything. But a good God break would be nice to do the same thing He did and "separate" myself for a little time of prayer and communing with Him!

It is a pretty road...

Quit stealing my coffee cup...

hhhmmm pretty good idea...i guess.

Some more changes...

The "snack shop" is gone...welcome to the "west side"! Yeah I know all the funny puns and slang that go with that but hey if you know the building it works!

Still interesting how people are so resistant to change, man they can complain when it starts and while its going...and yes usually as it ends they come around to it.

What I dont understand is how we are so resistant to it. I mean it was 5:00 am just a few hours ago and now it is later in the day...that's change...shouldn't we be used to it? On the other hand if nothing changes people complain about that as well...hhmm wonder why?

Change is coming!

Here is the new logo on an old wall...things are changing in DJH.

Makes me wonder why do I hold onto the old "suddenfire" name?

My Weekend...

This is where I spent my weekend...had a wonderful time just figured everyone needed to see where I was. Got to perform a wedding for a wonderful couple Erik and Laura Wegener. She always wanted a destination wedding and was blessed to have one!

It was a beautiful wedding that is without a doubt...I had an awesome time with my best friend, whom I am very thankful is apart of my life...I don't know about any of the other ministers out there but every time I perform a wedding all I can do is a self examination, all that I can say is "I am very thankful for Kelly"!

If you want to see more pictures of the weekend either wait for Kelly to post some on her site or pester her for more pictures...she took them so she can be proud of what she did!

Love those in your life!

...posted by the "boy friend" inside joke...we will let Kelly explain!

Questions...random but questions anyway!

Just kinda wonder sometimes why we tend to go to far...or is this to far? I also wonder how does this person fly? What does TSA make them do to get on a plane? How much weight did this add to the person in question?

What does there mom and dad think? What do I think...aww what do you think?

okay i am done for now...not being mean just wondering!

I passed...

Created by Train Horns

Shared in Prayer the other day...

I did not share this...but I assume Pastor Ray Kelly did in our morning prayer here at LWCC:

Revival ceases when Christians lose the spirit of brotherly love. Christ will not abide with people in a revival any longer than they continue to exercise brotherly love.

When Christians are spiritually on fire, they feel this love and they call each other "brother" or "sister." But when they grow cold, they lose this attachment to one another, and then calling someone brother or sister seems silly and they stop it. In some churches they never use such names; but where Christians are awake, they naturally do it. I never saw a revival where they didn't. But as soon as this love fades, the Spirit of God is grieved and departs from among them.

A revival will decline and end unless Christians are frequently reconverted. In order to remain in the spirit of revival, Christians need to be frequently convinced, humbled and broken before God-"reconverted." Many don't understand when we speak of a Christian being reconverted. But during a revival a Christian's heart is likely to crust over and lose its exquisite delight for divine things; unction and victory in prayer dwindle, and then the Christian must be converted again. He will impede the revival unless he passes through the process every few days.

No one I have ever worked with in an awakening could consistently manage the revival without going through this process of brokenness once every two or three weeks. Revivals often decline because if becomes impossible to make the church feel their guilt and dependence, in order to break them before God. Pastors, understand this, and learn how to soften the church and break yourselves when you need it, or else Christians will become mechanical and lose their fervor and power to prevail with God.

Peter went though this when he denied the Savior. Through his experience of surrender that followed his denial, God prepared him for Pentecost. I am surprised that "brokenness" is a stumbling block to some pastors and people who profess to know Christ. They invite Christ's rebuke, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?" Until some of them know what it is to be broken, they will do little for the spiritual growth of others.

The above excerpt was taken from page 180 of Lectures on Revival by Charles Finney.