You're How Old?

What a day this has been! Thanks to the modern technologies of texting, facebook, and blogging, I have received many birthday wishes. Thanks so much to all of you for wishing me a happy birthday. I sure do feel loved by you all.
This week, I'd like to take a minute to tell you some of the life lessons I've learned in the first tri-mester of my life (Lord willing).
1. There is no relationship more important than the relationship with the Lord. Without Him, all others fail.
2. Be willing to wait on the right woman. Wait on the Lord, and trust that He will take care of you.
3. Children ARE a blessing from the Lord.
4. Keep walking...don't ever stop walking with the Lord. You'll have bad days, hard times, and times when you don't think He'd want to walk with you. Just keep walking.
5. Family is important.
6. Don't sweat the small stuff. And it is almost always small stuff.

How about a few others?
- don't look up while a flock of geese are going overhead.
- always take an extra set of clothes when going fishing on a boat (just in case you fall in).
- when the gas light comes on, just go ahead and stop for gas.
- stop while you're ahead (provided you're ever ahead).
- when you're extremely tired - just be quiet (you'll probably say something dumb that you wish you could take back) - trust me.

Well, that's all folks. I would like to say that these 30 years have been full of joy, excitement, sorrow, loss, gain, hurt, blessing, and transition. Still, they have been great. The last 5 have been the best, though. My wife, Lindsey, has been the most amazing blessing God could have given me as a wife. Thank you, babe, for being faithful to me, sinful as I am.

God is with you!!!

Recently, I was spending time with Joshua just before "dark nap time," or bed time - as most people know it as. I sat in his room and watched him run around and try to find any excuse of why he shouldn't go to sleep.

Then, he turned the light off and left the room. I asked him to come back and turn on the light because it was so dark. He returned, turned the light on, and pointed his finger in the air and said, "GOD IS WITH YOU!!!" And then he turned the light off again.

Now, I'm sure we've said this to him before. But really, when you consider what my 3 year old was saying, he is exactly right. Even in the darkest times, when it seems that there is no hope, God is with you. Thanks, Joshua, for the reminder!

I've waited so long...(sing that again)

Hello everyone -
You've probably been wondering if I died recently (or perhaps if I'd gotten the dreaded #4 at the nearest Taco Bell and have been down for the count for a while). It has been a while since my last entry. I hope this one is helpful to you. This entry primarily is geared for parents of teenagers...enjoy!
We have just finished a parent training at Ingleside called "Becoming a Web-Savvy Parent." The following took place on Sunday night between 6:30 and 7:30 pm(read that last line with your best Jack Bauer voice).
We discussed internet filters and recommended covenant eyes. Covenant eyes offers web filtering as well as internet accountability. It will send you, the parent, a printable report of every page that has been viewed on your computer. You can check out more at www.covenanteyes.com . You may want to see what Josh Via says about the tool on www.joshvia.com.
We also mentioned that parents must be savvy in regard to entertainment (ie - movies, CDs, video games). One of the best sites to use is www.pluggedinonline.com . This site gives reviews of all the latest entertainment. If you want to see the content of a movie before you watch it, you must check out this site. Lindsey and I use it as well. The conversation in the Broome house usually goes something like this..."What do you want to rent?" "I'm up for whatever." "Hey, what about that movie called _______? I heard it was really awesome!" "Yeah, me too." "Hmmm, it's rated PG-13." "I wonder why." "Let's check out plugged in before we rent it." "Good plan." Sometimes Lindsey even gets in on the conversation I'm having with myself! You've gotta check this site out...especially before you buy your child the next CD, DVD, etc.
We mentioned Facebook, the mega-social network. Our advice is simple: If your child has a Facebook account, you also should have one. You need to be checking in on them to see what's happening in their social network.
Overall, what the high school pastor and I suggested to our parents is to be actively involved in your child's internet life. Don't allow them to have "secret places" on the world-wide web. The primary issue is their own protection and purity.
I hope you can use some of these tools in your family!

Is there a "u" in Zerubbabel?

One of my many weaknesses in life, and there are many, is being a great starter but a horrible finisher. You know what I mean? I will start a project with vigor and will sputter toward the end. I am constantly reminded of my failure to be a finisher. With the Lord's help, I have resolved to be more of a finisher than I have been in the past.
As I read through Ezra, I see evidence of a fellow sputterer - Zerubbabel. What a name! I'll take Fred over that one any day of the week. Zerubbabel appears in Ezra 3 and is one of the primary leaders in rebuilding the temple of God in Jerusalem. After the destruction of the temple in 586 B.C. and the exile in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia allowed the people of God to return to Jerusalem. By the way, Isaiah had propesied this to happen over 100 years before this occurred. Back to Z - He helped lead the team to rebuild the temple of God. At first, all seems well. They even have a worship team leading them in songs of praise - not really a new concept, huh? But alas, Z suffered the fate as I have in the past. Opposition arose to the rebuilding of the temple, and these words are recorded -
"Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia." (4:24)
Can you relate to Z? Is there a little "u" in Zerubbabel?
I hope and pray that we can be faithful in the most vital parts of our lives. I pray that God will help us to be faithful to Him for life. May we not sputter in our spiritual walk with the Lord.
If you've never read through the Old Testament, I strongly suggest sitting down and reading this great history of our faith. You'll see so many people that remind you of yourself in some ways. This is our story, our history, our heritage.

You Have What It Takes...

I have recently read a short piece by John Eldredge called, You Have What It Takes: What Every Father Needs to Know. I truly loved this read. My buddy Josh Via (www.joshvia.com) got me started reading Eldredge after seeing his review of Epic.
If you are a father, this is a must read. The book is short (50 pages), but will challenge you in the way you father your sons and daughters. Eldredge basically offers that every boy and girl are asking a question in life. He proposes that you and I as fathers have the great task of answering their question. Read the book to find out what the questions are.
You know, there are some days when I feel like I'm doing a lousy job as a dad. After a long day of work, I find myself vegging out on the couch instead of making an impact on my children. Sometimes I feel my selfishness rising up within me. You know, that little voice that says, "Relax. You've had a long day. Rest now. Put on a movie for the kids. Take it easy. You deserve it! Think of all you've done today." Before you and the Lord, I confess and repent of this selfishness! I know that God is calling me to something greater as their father. God has called me to bring them up in the Lord and to love them by my deeds as much as by words.
Fatherhood is such a challenging task! But the rewards are also worth the effort. I hope you'll read this book (cost about $3), and I hope you'll find encouragement as you father your children. If you live in Macon, I'd love to let you borrow my copy. Just ask me sometime!

What Matters Most

I just finished reading What Matters Most: When No is better than Yes, by Doug Fields. This book is very similar to Choosing to Cheat, by Andy Stanley. If you are in the ministry and you're looking for honest insight about guarding your time, this is a great read. Learn from one of the biggest guys in student ministry. In this book, Doug takes an honest look at the potential pitfalls that every student pastor may face. Here's an exerpt:
"I beg you to truthfully answer these two vital questions:
1. Do I like the person I've become as a result of my ministry?
2. Is the work I'm doing for God destroying the work of God in me?"
I know several guys in student ministry who do not keep track of their time or hours. Eventually, they feel disconnected from their family, the Lord, and even the ministry they've worked so hard to lead. This book is a great reminder to keep the main thing the main thing.

Amazing Verse of Scripture...

As I read through 2 Chronicles 16(that's right! Chronicles!), I discovered a verse today that made me truly stop and reflect. Check out this verse:
"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."
In this scenario, King Asa had made an agreement with the king of Aram to help protect him from the invasion of Baasha king of Israel. After all God had done for his people, this King turned to others for help rather than to the God of the universe. Then, God sends a seer named Hanani to Asa and speaks these words to him.
Just think about these words - "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth..." - Whoa! You mean that God is active and alive? He's not just a benevolent deity checking things out from His view in Heaven? He is watching us - why? "To strengthen the hearts of those who are fully committed to Him." Read that verse again and let the weight fall on you. Those two words especially - fully committed - are most definitely convicting. Am I fully committed to Him? Are you?
I rejoice that we have a God who is contantly aware and at work in our world.
I am reminded again today that God desires all of me - not just the Sunday me, or the someday me - "someday, I'll start...", or the part of me that I allow myself to give to Him. What would I be like if I gave Him all of me? What would our country look like if all believers took this challenge?