The Howell House

Wheat Harvest at the Howell Farm

2010-06-28T22:18:00.003-05:00

Wish I could have gotten some more picture but did not have much time. The Howell Brothers finished cutting wheat this week. These three guys are amazing to me, Dad 80 years old, Uncle Jack 78, Uncle Jimmie 76! They get it done just like the young farmers do maybe even more so, they have NO sprinklers, yes they still move pipe everyday, just the three of them.

Memories

2010-05-13T21:30:00.003-05:00

(Mr Potato Head! His parts came off, and you could change his looks. There was also a Mrs. Potato Head)

After reading Trey Morgans blog today, about what we remember about church when we were kids, got me to thinking a lot about memories tonight. I posted a some what long comment on Trey's blog about what I remember church being when I was a kid. One thing that I remember most was that "church" began in our congregation after we were all dismissed from the building. We were such a close group. Even after Cheryl and I were married and attending there was the same. There were no programs in place to try to make us get closer, we just were because we enjoyed each other and wanted to know each other better.

Anyway, that got me to thinking about other memories of long ago. One memory that I will never forget as long as I live is, my dad walking to the front of the church and taking me out, because I was talking and messing around during the sermon. A week later when I woke up and all the bleeding was stopped I was impressed with my dads strength.

Another memory is when I was very young, like in the 3rd grade or so. We lived on the farm North of Bovina, dad was farming and raising cattle and horses. I remember we had a lot of cattle in a pen. I decided to crawl over the 6 foot pipe fence into another area. The panel I climbed on fell over on me and hit me in the head, and knocked me out. I remember waking up and my dad was carrying me to the house through our trees. I remember feeling safe and thinking everything was going to be OK. I was in the hospital for several days with a concussion. My cousins brought me a "Mr. Potato Head" (how many of you remember a Mr. Potato Head?) to play with while I was in the hospital. Another cousin brought me a stuffed Monkey, that I called Snubby!!

I loved living on the farm when I was a kid. I remember my dog, "dot" she was a bird dog, and another dog "rusty" was a cow dog. I remember both of them running in the tall wheat fields, jumping up every once in a while to see where they were at. I remember my dad getting so mad at them when they would jump in his irrigation ditch to cool off during the summer. I remember my dad teaching me how to "set tubes" out of an irrigation ditch, and how to adjust them just right. I remember sitting in our back yard and watching the spray pilot spray the corn behind our house. At each pass I thought he was going to go right through our house. I still love to watch spray planes spray crops.

I remember a friend of mine that lived a few miles from us, Steven McCleran. Dad would let me drive my Grandads old 1962 model Chevy pickup around the farm. I did this when I was like in the 4Th grade, farm living was GREAT!! Anyway, that old pickups break fluid leaked. Dad always said, before you drive it make sure you check the break fluid. Well Steven and I drove it to his house one day, and yip, NO break fluid. Drove it right into his house. Put two holes in his parents house. His parents were not home at the time, I remember us thinking that we would drive to California. We decided not too, and ended up hoeing cotton for most of the summer to pay for the damage to the house.

I remember getting mad at my sister because she would not play baseball with me. Just as she walked into the house, I hurled a dirt clod at her, hit her on the back of the leg. It was an amazing throw, from a good distance. Dad did not see it that way. Again when I woke up later, I was impressed with dad's strength.

Well I could go on and on. Maybe more later, lots of memories from living on the farm. We moved to town when I was in the 6Th grade. Lots of memories from town living as well, but maybe later.

Why Do I Not Blog/ Senior Banquet and Stuff

2010-05-03T11:05:00.003-05:00

I guess with all that we do, I just do not take the time to blog any more. It maybe because I do not want to put forth the thinking energy to come up with something to write that I think someone might be interested in reading. But really the blog should be for me to release what is on my mind. I have not ever really cared much what others had thought, although deep down I think that I really do.

Our lives are so busy, keeping up with our business, working with the youth at our church, staying up with Kyla and Dylan's activities and trying to find time to spend time with family. It really gets crazy at times. I seem at times to walk around with this blank look on my face, wondering what I am supposed to do next. I pray that God gives me the ability to manage my time better.

Kyla has been doing great at Nazareth, she has fit in really great and everyone at NAZ has been so great to us and her. She will finish her first year at the end of this month. We asked her if she thought she wanted to go back to NAZ next year, she left no doubt that NAZ would be where she would be graduating. Also next year she will be the Swifty, (Mascot) for NAZ. She as well as us are excited about her doing that. She will be a great one!! She had surgery on her toe the first of April. She had two cysts on her toe that had to be removed. She has been on crutches for several weeks. The last few days she has gotten off of them, and hopes to be ready to go to b-ball camp in June.

Dylan finished up little dribblers basketball a few weeks ago. He did really good for his first year playing. We tried to get him on an AAU team, but it did not work out. So maybe next year. We put in to transfer him to NAZ for next year as well. He says he wants to go, we will continue to pray for God to lead us and tell us what we need to do. He still loves to help out at the church, he helps every where he can. He has his mothers heart.

We had our Senior banquet at church yesterday, we honored Teddy Culwell, and Cole Barlow. It is amazing how fast kids grow up. In just a short few years, Kyla will be a Senior, oh boy what will we do!

So much going on this summer. Our calendar is filling up really fast. We are looking at when are we going to take a vacation with our family. Kyla has B-ball camp, Cheer leading camp, church camp, we have VBS and so much more. We may have to put an "X" on one of these things in order to be able to get away with the family. Cheryl and I got to take a trip in late March and first of April with one of our insurance companies. It was great to get away from everything for a while. We knew most of the people that were there with us, and got to meet a few new people, some that were very interesting. One gentleman from Houston, who was there by himself kinda attached himself to us for some reason. He made out trip well, lets just say, he made it in a few words, "interesting, fun, at times embarrassing, and different," we started calling him "Bob," from the movie, "What about Bob." He really was a good guy though. At times I think, "wow it would be great to move to another place, where no one knew you and you would not have to be involved in much and just sit back and relax for a while." Well that's not going to happen for a while anyway.

Well that is about all my mind can come up with, without going into overload. Please pray for Cheryl as we think she may be having some "Gallbladder" problems. We see a doctor Tuesday afternoon.

State Tournament Trip!

2010-03-14T22:16:00.013-05:00

We left early Friday morning and headed to Austin for the State Tournament. Nazareth boys made the tournament, and there was NO WAY that we were not going to watch them play. The girls decorated the car for the trip down. The back side windows said GO NAZ! It was a great trip for our family, Kyla took a friend that goes to school with her, and Dylan was excited to see where the Texas Longhorns played at. Naz boys can really play B-ball. Some doubted them, but they truly left NO doubt that they were State Champs. They beat the #7 team, (Lipan) early in the year in the Naz tournament. They beat the #4 team, (Vega) twice, once in the reg.tournament. Then beat the #1 team in the Sate in the first round of the State Tournament (Slocum). Then beat Grady, who was ranked 13th. They really played great all year long. Congratulations NAZ!!

We ate at this place on the way. It was in Gainsville. They had the BEST fish!

Saltgrass Steak House was right next to our Motel. We ate there on Friday night after the game. It was good, but I still think Jeff's in Kress has the best steaks anywhere. The front of our Motel building at Round Rock. We were lucky to find a place to stay. Most everything was booked. Next time we will make reservations sooner to try to get closer to the Stadium. This was a nice place to stay though, it was about 15 min. away from the stadium, had to fight the traffic. But it worked good. The kids at the Capital building on Sat. afternoon. We all had a great time. Got to go in the State Capital. It was really interesting to see everything.

We played Slocum in the first round Friday night. Slocum ranked #1 in the State, Naz ranked #2. It could have been the best game we have seen this year. Naz pulled a good lead in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. Slocum was a great team. Slocum beat Naz last year in the State Finals. Rick Perry awarded the medals. Most of Naz's boys are Seniors. They had 7 Freshman on the bench from the JV. They all got to get in the State Championship game Sat. night for a minute or so. The thinking is that we will be going back in a couple of years with this group of Freshman. Celebrating after the final game. We beat Grady in the finals. Watching them play both games at Austin, you just felt like they were not going to be denied another State Championship. This is Naz boys 5th state Championship in the last nine years.

Naz's Sage Black was tournament MVP! This was a good team, they could all play ball. They really played smart. Some of the things they did ont he court amazed me. We loved watching them play!!!This is how the girls decorated the car on the way home. STATE CHAMPS!!! The State Tournament has been something that I have always wanted to go to. It was great to be able to finally get to go, and it was even better to have a team playing in it. Our hope now is that maybe we will get to go back and watch Kyla play in it one day. With the team that Naz girls will have over the next 3 years, this will be very possible. Looking forward to it.

Why Men Are Never Dpressed

2010-01-26T18:09:00.004-06:00

Its been a LOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGG time since I have even thought about blogging. Maybe its because I have been too busy, or maybe just because my mind can not think of anything to say. Could be both!! Anyway for what ever reason it has been a long time. 2009 really went fast! Some changes for our family in 2009. The biggest change is that our daughter Kyla started school in Nazareth. It is amazing how kids see things that are not right and realize that they may be entering into something that is not good for them. Kyla came to us towards the end of last school year, and said, "I want to go to High School in Nazareth." We were blown away, we had no idea that she would want to do this. After a lot of prayer and consideration we told her that we would support her if this is what she truly wanted to do. It has been amazing for her. She has done so good and she loves Naz. All of the people in Naz have been so good to her and to us. We thank them for accepting us like they have. Its such a great school and things are so different it is amazing. She ran cross country and is playing on the JV basketball team and is doing really well. We are hoping for a trip to Austin in the next 3 years!! That would be a great bonus to everything else that is great about her move to Naz.
Dylan still goes to school at Tulia, we are still thinking about what we want to do there. We hope to decided by the end of the school year what to do about moving him or not. Dylan has started little dribblers and is really excited about playing instead of just watching his sister play. We are excited as well.
I know that there is lots more but my mind is empty now, besides Trey Morgan says, not to let your blogs be too long. The following is an e-mail that I received and thought it was funny.

Men are just happier people: What do you expect from such simple creatures:
1) Your last name stays the same
2) the garage is all yours
3) Wedding plans are taken care of
4) Chocolate is just another snack
5) You can never be pregnant
6) You can wear NO shirt to the water park
7) Car mechanics tell you the truth
8) You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
9) New shoes never cut, blister, or mangle your feet
10) One mood all the time
11) Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
12) You know stuff about tanks
13) Your underwear is $8.95 for a three pack.
14) You almost never have a strap problem in public
15) You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes
16) The same hairstyle lasts for years
17) You can do your nails with your pocket knife
18)You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache
19) You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24Th in 25 minutes
20) Everything on your face stays its original color.

No wonder Men are Happier!

I am Second

2009-10-15T09:53:00.000-05:00

What About Bob?

2009-08-19T21:35:00.002-05:00

There are things that you see in your life sometimes that just amaze you. I have been working with our youth for a couple of years now. I must admit that at times I have been frustrated thinking, "are we really doing any good here, are we getting through to these teens." Then one of them does something that really makes you proud.

I first meet Bob Sunday morning at our church, when you first look at Bob you can tell right away that he has not shaved in a while and probably has not taken a shower in a while. See Bob is homeless, but he came to Tulia and to our church Sunday morning for a reason. Our church put Bob up in a local motel Saturday night and Sunday night. I went and picked up Bob on Monday morning and we had some coffee and talked. Bob started telling my his story. He was living in New Mexico. Bob has had some tough times in his life, and he would tell you that a lot of those tough times were brought on by some of his choices, no one elses. Bob decided one day that he was tired of living around drugs and alcohol and decided to leave his home and look for answers in his life from God. Bob ended up in the mountains of Colorado. He was living off of ramond noodles, living in a tent, sleeping on the ground. Bob told me in his words, "I was ready to give up and just die, but then Phillip walked into my camp." Phillip is a member of our youth group here at Central Church of Christ. Phillip talked to Bob each day that they were there and him and his family helped feed Bob each day, see Phillip and his family were on vacation in the mountains when they came across Bob. During their conversations, Phillip told Bob, "if you want to go some where and get help, you should come to Tulia to our church and they will help you." Bob hitchhiked from Colorado to Tulia over about two weeks and worshiped with us Sunday morning and then ate with us at our pot luck.

It is Wednesday and Bob is still in town, I went and picked Bob up and he came to church with us tonight. I thank everyone from our church that welcomed Bob and had conversations with him. One of our youth member gave Bob a huge hug tonight which is what Bob needs more than anything, Thank you Halle! I have spent the last couple of days with Bob trying to find him a job here in Tulia. Have not had a whole lot of luck. Bob is currently at our local Half way house. He is not there because he is currently on drugs, but it is a place he can stay and they can help him find work. Thank you to Greg Culwell for helping me with Bob and making him feel welcome. Bob did NOT really want to go here, but I told him they could help him find some work. I left him there yesterday, (Tuesday) I could tell that he was a bit scared and not sure about staying. I went this morning to check on Bob, he meet me at the door with a big smile on his face and said, "this was a good idea, i think I will be able to stay here for a while." Bob asked me to come get him to go to church tonight I did and he enjoyed it a lot.

This whole thing has really opened my eyes to my blessings. I believe that God has put Bob in my life, to help me open my eyes to a lot of things. Bob tells me all the time, "thanks for helping me," but really Bob has maybe helped me more than I have helped him, and for that I thank him. The other thing about this story, I am remined about Jesus telling us to become like little children. Phillip is not a little child, he is a teenager, actually he did something that most adults would not have done. He saw Bob as having a future, he did not judge him, he loved him and was a friend to him. Sometimes as adults, we see people like Bob and we look the other way, and judge them. One of the things that Bob told me was that the last several days has been the best days that he has had in a long time, "I got to sleep in a bed, take a shower, eat a real meal it was paradise." This real meal was from Sonic, I am so spoiled, I have never thought about Sonic being a real meal. The future is bright for Bob I believe, Phillip has planted the seed, and God will make it grow. I ask for your prayers for Bob, I will keep you updated about what is going on with him.

Do we want it like this??

2009-08-12T17:50:00.001-05:00

Roller babies

2009-08-02T22:21:00.000-05:00

Common Sense Health Reform

2009-07-27T19:04:00.003-05:00

So many things happening in the Health Care debate, its hard to keep up with. I spent most of the morning this morning writing e-mails to Senators and Congressman. This afternoon I read that some are coming together and maybe going to propose health reform with OUT the government option, which is what we want. Anyway, just for fun since I am really getting into this, I have come up with a "bill" of my own. Not that anyone really cares, but who knows.
I do believe that we need health reform, but not a government option. President Obama keeps telling us that there are all these people without health insurance, I agree with that but who are they? It has been my experience, being in the insurance business that the following groups represent the uninsured in America.

6 foot Tall and Bullet Prof Group: These people are mostly males 21 to 31 years old. They are either newly married, or just coming off of their parents insurance plan, and do not see health insurance or Life insurance for that matter as a priority in their life. They think, "Nothing is ever going to happen to me, I will never get sick."

Self Insuring group: Most of this group is 32 to 50 year old and mostly farmers and Ranchers. They can afford the premium, but just elect not to pay the premium. This group does a good job of taking care of themselves as far as doctor visits and minor stuff that comes up. But then when the big one hits, they find that they need insurance and then can not get it. The big one being, heat trouble, cancer, diabetes, and other things that deny coverage. You would not believe the people that call me that are in this age group that tell me, I have not had coverage in 10 years or so, but now I need it because I have been diagnosed with something. This is kinda like shutting the gate after the cows get out.

Oh One of These Days I will Check Into That group: This group is actually eligible for some type of coverage, such as Medicare or Medicaid, but either do not know it or just do not check into getting enrolled. I do not know how many times we have had the conversation with someone: "Mr Smith did you know that you are eligible for Medicare?" Mr. Smith: "Oh yeah I have been told that, but I am so busy, I just have not had time to check into it." WHAT??? You are eligible for a plan that helps pay your doctor and hospital bills, and can get a supplement to pay 100% of what that plan does not pay, and you have not taken the time to check into it, UGGG.

I Can Not Afford Group: There is this group, that just can not afford health insurance,their job does not offer it, and they can not afford to get it. This is sad, and we need to do something to help this group.

So here it is a Part of my "bill" understand that this does not probably cover all that needs to be done, but maybe it would help some:

Common Sense Health Reform Bill 1:
1) Premiums: We must get premiums down and stop them from rising so fast. One thing is we must stop the fraud with claims. Especially in the Medicare program. Example: We have a client that before he went on Medicare he was getting a shot by the doctor each month for his condition. He had NO insurance, the doctor was charging like $150.00 for this shot. When he went on Medicare the doctor charged Medicare Part B, like, $1,500. This is crazy! To get premiums down the medical Field and the insurance companies must come together and come to some type of agreement on procedures and payments. No more over charging and no more cutting payments back. Also in this part of the bill there must be a provision where there is some type of limitation on doctors being sued. This way maybe we can cut back on doubling up of tests. Insurance companies should have to give at least a two year rate guarantee, then be limited on the percentage that they can go up after that. This part still needs some thought and work, but can be accomplished.

2) Enrollment Period: After the above is accomplished, lets give everyone the opportunity to get insured. Starting January 1 of given year, till June1, of same year there will be an OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD. During this Open Enrollment Period, anyone regardless of health condition may choose a plan and an insurance company and be insured. The insurance company must take each applicant with NO riders, NO waivers NO waiting periods, NO preexisting conditions. At this time any existing riders, waivers and waiting periods or preexisting conditions will come off of all existing policies. This is where I disagree with the reform bill. It is not fair to the insurance company for someone to never pay a premium, and then when they have a problem expect to get coverage at that time, and expect the insurance company to pay out many high claims, when there has been no premiums payed to the insurance company. We must realize that these insurance companies are in business to make money, not to lose money. So under my plan, you would have 6 months to get insurance regardless of health. If you do not take advantage of that 6 month period, then you can apply later but will be subject to be declined. Maybe we have this Open Enrollment every two years or so.

3) Right to Shop: If you have a plan that you have kept for 2 years, and decide that you want to change companies for what ever reason, as long as you have had that creditable coverage you may change and the new insurance company that you are going to has take you regardless of health. NO riders, NO waivers, NO preexisting.

4) Medicare: Fraud is killing Medicare. We must get rid of it. Part 1 of my bill will hopefully address part of this. Medicare should reward preventative care for our Seniors, some preventative tests are not payed by Medicare each year, this should change. We would do away with Medicare Advantage, there is NO advantage of being on one of these plans, and it would save our government LOTS of money. Prescription Drug plan would change to the following:
1) NO MORE donut hole or Gap in coverage.
2) Able to change plans in middle of year if needed, No more having special enrollment periods and being locked out if not enrolled, no more penalties for not enrolling.
3) Standardize co-pays: Generics $7.00 Brand $25.00 Specialty drugs 25% coinsurance: Insurance companies can still set premiums, but would be regulated and would have guarantees for 2 year periods.
4) Pharmaceutical companies must lower cost of prescriptions. We have a client who takes a pill that cost for a 30 day supply around $1,000. This is outrageous. We must find away to lower cost of these prescriptions.

This is the basics to my bill, it is not complete, but it is a start. I have sent some of these ideas to Senators and Congressmen in Washington, probably will have not effect, but who knows. Please continue to pray for our country and for this bill. Only God can change all of this. I truly believe that this bill would be the biggest effect on our country. Please continue to pray that God gives us all wisdom to make good choices.

I'm Only A Bill

2009-07-25T09:25:00.013-05:00

I usually do not get Political, in fact I have always said that I am not sure what side of the political side I would be on. I have always thought that Democrats had some good ideas about how to better our country, as well has Republicans have good ideas about how to better our country. If we could just get the two sides to come together and work for us the people, then things would be a lot better off. I most likely lean towards being conservative in most issues. So don't think that I am taking a side on Health Reform, just because I am Republican or Democrat.
As most of you should know, unless you have been living under a rock there is a bill in Washington that's intent is to Reform our health insurance in this country. There are actually two bills, one in the Senate and one in the House. The House bill is somewhat over 1,000 pages and the Senate bill is 615 pages. The thing that I find crazy about both of these bill's is that our elected officials, the ones that we voted into office to look out for our interest, have not even read either bill, but yet were ready to vote on health reform by August 1st. That, thank goodness has been put off.

I am reminded of the song and cartoon on Saturday mornings that I watched when I was a kid, called "I am only a Bill." I showed us what a Bill goes through before it becomes law. Remember the song? "I am only a bill, and I'm sitting here on Capital hill......." something like that. If my memory serves me right, I think that song and cartoon showed us that the ones that were voting on that bill actually READ the bill before voting it into law. The following is the link to the school house Rock song. http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEJL2Uuv-oQ

Maybe our elected officials have not read this bill, but I have. Well not every sentence of it, but I have read a big portion of it and i am still studying it and trying to figure out some of the things that it says, and I have come to some conclusions.

I should say that I want to thank Lauri Beck President of Insurance Network of America for sending me a copy of both of these bills. Also thanks to Al Socher President of Old Surety Life for his insight on these bills and what it would do to our country and our freedom.

One of the things that is great about our country is our freedom. If you listen to the media, most being on the side of the Obama administration, but even the conservative side like fox news. They talk about how much this bill will cost us, and I agree with that, but one thing that jumps out to me is, our freedom is being taken away from us. One thing about health insurance, we all have the freedom to chose what we want, and who we want it with. If my premium gets too high, I shop for another policy that gives me the same coverage or more for less premium. If I decide to upgrade my policy I can do that, or if I decide to downgrade my policy I can do that as well.

Reading the 1,000 page House bill you do not have to get very far before you realize that our freedom to shop for health insurance will be taken away.

Obama keeps saying if you like what you have you can keep it. Makes you think that you can keep what you have and continue to choose private health insurance right? Think again.

Page 16 of the House bill there is a provision making INDIVIDUAL PRIVATE MEDICAL INSURANCE ILLEGAL! Yes this provision would make Individual Private Insurance Illegal, under the heading of the bill called " Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," "Limitation On New Enrollment."

This section states, and I quote straight from the House bill:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day, of the year the legislation becomes law."

So we can all keep our coverage, just as promised, with of course, exceptions: Those who currently have private individual coverage will not be able to change it. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers.

From the beginning opponents of the public option plan have warned that if the government gets into the business of offering subsidized health insurance coverage, the private insurance market will wither away. Companies and businesses that offer YOU group insurance will be drawn to the public option to save them money. Therefore they will put you on the public option, you will NOT have a choice, and you will NOT be able, (because of the provision above) to go out and buy from the private sector. This in turn will start putting private insurance companies out of business. When companies go out of business, we get layoffs. This in turn will make our unemployment rate go through the roof.

This reason among many is why I do not think that a private, government run insurance plan would be good for our country.

Most people in America will be FORCED, into this private government run plan. Why would we think that the government would be able to run an insurance plan. Oh wait, they already do its called Medicare and Medicaid, which are going broke!

Several weeks ago President Obama was at a town hall meeting. A lady asked him a question about her 104 year old mother. The answer was scary! This lady's mother needed a pacemaker to live, yes she is 104 years old. One doctor that she went to said, "I will not put the pacemaker in, she is too old." The second doctor that they went too said, "yes I will put in the pacemaker." The reason, well he took into consideration that this 104 year old woman still had a lot of will to live, she fully understood what she was facing, she was full of life, and was not ready yet to give up. The daughter of this 104 year old woman, asked our President, remember we live in America, we are FREE right, this was not the leader of Korea that this question was being asked, this was not the leader of Iraq that this question was asked, this was being asked of the President of the United States of America, the land of the FREE. She asked, "if my mother would have been on the government run insurance at the time she needed this pacemaker, would she have gotten it, under the government plan?" The answer was telling. Basically our President, the one that is President of America, the land of the FREE, said in so many words, she probably would not have gotten the pacemaker. Does this not tell you something about government run health insurance?

My dad takes cancer treatments every so many months, he is 79 years old, if he is put onto the government plan, those cancer treatments will most likely end. Under the government run plan, President Obama and his admisistraiton will decide who gets treatments, who gets surgeries. The choice and freedom will be taken out of your hands and out of your doctors hands and put into the government hands. I can not believe that in the United States, that a question like the one above would have to be asked. "Will you let me live, or will you let me die, Mr. President?

I should say this, and I know that this is getting long. I do agree with our President, we need to reform health insurance in some ways, but a government run option is NOT the way to do that. Why not figure out what works with our current system and do not fix what is not broken, and figure out what does not work and fix that? I belive that there are many out there that have great ideas on how to fix our health care, if we could just get our gonvenment to listen to us. Understand as well that people come to this country for our health care system, so it must not be that bad.

Since this is getting really long, I will cut it off for now. In a few days, I will post my "bill "on Health Care Reform.

I do belive that God is in control, and I pray every day for our country and for our leaders. I ask you to please write your Represenatives, and remember the Republicans are NOT for this goverment run program, we must reach those who are for this program and change their minds, most are Democrats. Pray for our country and for our leaders and for this bill. As the song states, "I am Only A Bill." That is true for now, we must not let this "Bill" become law.

More later to come.

Vacation

2009-07-09T10:34:00.002-05:00

We got back from vacation on Tuesday night. We had been gone for about a week to Missouri. We wanted to go some where different, some where we had not been before, so we chose to go up around Kansas City. We took the kids to a park kinda like Six Flags. Dylan rode his first big roller coaster. He rode it with Kyla, she is the queen of roller coasters. He would not get on the REALLY BIG one with her, so she rode it by herself. I am not a fan of roller coasters or of theme parks, they charged me $10.00 just to park!, but the kids really had fun and that is what it is about.

We spent a lot of good time together as a family and got away from pressures of work and just every day stuff. It is hard to believe that Kyla will be a Freshman, we only have 4 more years with her, so these times away with just the family are important. I know that the next 4 years will fly by. I asked her if she was going to leave me in 4 years, she said, "yes but I will come back and visit, and you will always be my daddy." That day will be hard on me.

Our summer has been busy, Kyla has played a lot of basketball, seems like every weekend we were going somewhere to watch her play. Then all during the month of June she played on Tuesday and Thursday's in Littlefeild with the Naz. girls. I am hoping that it will slow down for us for a while. Kyla will go to Church camp in a couple of weeks and be gone for a week. Cheryl and I are not going this year, we have had so much going on we had to cut some things out. QMCC with temps. over 100 was at the top of my list to cut.

Its hard to get back into the grove of things after a vacation. Our business is going very good. We are very blessed. I am not sure what will happen if Obama gets his government run health care passed. I keep telling myself that God is in control. Looking at what is proposed by the Obama administration, government run health care would not be good for anyone. Many think that this would not effect them, but it will. In recent days I have sent e-mails and letters to congressmen, urging them to look outside of the box when it comes to health care. Our current system needs help, but lets fix what does not work, and leave what does work alone. I strongly believe that government run health care will force many out of jobs, and make our unemployment go up to numbers that we have never seen before. We all need to take a stand, and let our Representatives know how we feel. Obama keeps saying that if you like what you have that you will be able to keep it. Trust me that will not be the case, business's will go to the government run health care to save money, and force employees to take that option, regardless of what is best for you. This in turn will put insurance companies out of business, therefore layoffs and people out of jobs.
Did not mean for this post to be political, but please pray for our country and for what is before the congress.
One other thing that is going on, my eyes have really been bothering me lately. So I made an appointment with our eye doctor. He told me I needed bifocals. I thought only people over 60 wore bifocals. I am going to try contacts for a while and see if I like them. I hope that they help my see better, things have been a bit blurry at times and hard to focus on. I guess I am just getting old!
Hope that you all have a blessed day and week!

A Swift

2009-06-18T21:07:00.004-05:00

We got the call today. The Naz. school board approved Kyla's transfer last night. She is officially a Naz. Swift. She has been playing basketball in a summer league with the Naz. girls and has made some new friends. This has been Kyla's decision and we have supported her all the way. We pray that she is doing the right thing, we all feel good about it.
Our summer has been really busy so far. Kyla has been playing summer league b-ball in littlefield, she has been to b-ball camp in Weatherford Oklahoma, and a camp in Naz, and weekend games in Amarillo and Lubbock. Dylan had basketball camp in Naz all this week. We went and watched him today, he did really good. We still have a lot coming up as well. Family reunion, Kyla has team camp at WT and church camp and we would like to get a vacation in somewhere. Cheryl is going on a retreat middle of July. Before we know it, summer is going to be over and school is going to be starting. Wow how time flies! Four more years with Kyla, it's going to go too fast.

VBS

2009-06-07T19:43:00.002-05:00

70 kids on Saturday for VBS and 59 came back for Sunday morning including several parents. Kids are funny, here are some of the things that I heard during VBS.

I love Jesus
We all need Jesus
Where's my mom
I want my mom
I need a band-Aid
I'm Thirsty
Are we having donuts again this morning
Question "What's your parents name?" Answer: "mom and Dad" :)
I want out of this place!!
Can we eat yet
I need to go to the bathroom
I think I'm going to throw up
That's not my mom
I don't want to go home

We had a great VBS, hope that we planted some seeds.

Happy Birthday

2009-05-18T21:15:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow May 19Th is my 42ND birthday. Wow how time has flown by. Seems like just yesterday I was graduating from high school. Now I am turning 42. A lot has gone on in 42 years. I have learned a lot, and still have a lot to learn. So here are some things that I have learned in my life. Not in any particular order, just as they come to mind.

Life is so much better when God is number one in my life:
When you are in an Elders meeting and you think the church needs to hire a youth minister, let someone else say it first :)
Teenagers know a lot more about stuff they shouldn't, than I did when I was a teen.
Marriage works a lot better when you communicate to each other. (this one took me a while, just ask Cheryl)
Raising kids takes patience: (I am not sure i have this one figured out yet, but still working on it)
No credit cards and No debt are a lot better way to live: (Got the No credit card thing down, working on the No debt, getting there)
I can't go back in time to fix things that I messed up, so I must strive to do what is right.
Integrity is a very important thing
Loud mufflers on pickups can be annoying; (our neighbors when I was a teen, wished i would have figured that one out a lot sooner)
Having a family is the greatest thing in the world.
I enjoy watching my daughter play basketball more than I liked playing it. (can't wait till Dylan starts.)
I can be kind of a loner. A lot of times I just like to be alone. It does not bother me to go into a restaurant and eat by myself.
I have one best Friend, that is my wife. I have found that her and I can take on the world together and win!
Kids are my greatest blessings
My son may end up being better at video games than me. (I will not give up the crown of Champion of The World easily though)
I still do not talk to God enough or spend enough time with him. (I have got to learn this one.)
One of the best things in my life right now is that I get to eat breakfasts with my parents every morning. When I was a teen you could not pay me to hang out with my parents, I have learned that it is a really cool thing to do.
I am not as afraid of flying as I used to be. (don't tell Cheryl, but I kinda like it)
I need to see more places with my family, I will look back and see how important this was when i am 82.
That typing class that I took in High School, was a HUGE benefit to me. Ms. Sudureth told me it would be, i did not believe her at the time. Thanks

As I look at the list, hopefully I will learn more in the next 42 years than I did in the first 42 years. Only time will tell. So how about a list of things that I need to learn in the next 42 years.

This kind of list could be a VERY, VERY long list, so here is the short list:

Learn to Relax. I get too up tight sometimes, Cheryl says I am going to have a heart attack one of these days.
Pray more, spend more time with God and in his word.
Be more patient
Be more forgiving
Be a better shopper, I need to shop around more for better deals, getting better at it, but have a ways to go. I am bad about seeing something that i want and just get it.
Learn more about technology, it has passed me by, I need to catch up.
Teach, I need to be a better teacher: Need to learn to relate to youth better.
I need to learn to look at what I have instead of what I do not have. God has blessed me greatly, I am a Rich Man, I have a beautiful wife and two great kids ( ;) Trey)

This is just a very short list of the things that I still need to learn, but I need to learn to go to bed early so I can get up in the mornings. So have a great day!

9. I need to learn how to spell!!!!!

Decisions

2009-05-10T20:54:00.004-05:00

Decisions that we know are going to change things in our lives are hard to make for adults. But for teens and young people those decisions seem even tougher at times. Although as we watch our teens it seems that they make decisions on a whim and don't even think twice about it. We have had to make decisions in the past few years that we knew where best for us and our family and were we wanted to go, but hurt us really bad to make. Our daughter Kyla has been faced with a tough decision in her life recently. She came to us several weeks ago and told us what she was thinking and what she thought she wanted to do. It is a HUGE change in her life and for that matter in our life as well.
There are times I believe in life that as parents we must let our kids make their own decisions. The decision that Kyla has made is really what we would call a "grown up" decision, but she made it on her own and I am so proud of her. When she first came to us and told us what she was thinking, we were amazed and truly surprised. Cheryl and I talked about it and talked to a LOT of other people that have made the same decision, (the only difference is that their parents made their decision for them, Kyla made her own decision) and decided to let Kyla decide what she wanted to do. The first thing we told her to do is to take her time and pray before she decided anything for sure.
She came to us a few days ago and told us that she had made her decision. We are so proud of Kyla, she has removed herself from situations that she felt was going to drag her down. It was tough on her, I saw her going through a lot of suffering because of what was on her mind and on her heart, but she let God lead her. We pray that all will work out and that she will be supported by everyone around her.

Our little track star

2009-04-20T12:21:00.006-05:00

District track meet was in Dimmitt on Saturday. Our 8Th grade girls placed 2ND in district. We were only 6 points out of 1st. Childress won the district. Our sprint relay team would have won, but got disqualified on the last exchange, they were out of the zone and they were right there to win it. The above picture is our 800 relay. Kristen Adams handing off to Kyla. We were in 3rd place when Kyla got the stick, when she handed off to the last runner we were in 1st. She ran them down, we were so proud of her and all of the girls, they did great!

Kyla and the long jump. She also did the triple jump. There was a girl from Childress that jumped 34 feet 3 inches, in the triple jump. That is amazing for an 8Th grader. Her mom told me that if she was in high school she would be 5Th in the state. Kyla did well in the triple jump, she jumped 26 feet 5 inches.

Getting ready to jump!

My beautiful daughter, she is growing up. We are proud of you!

Our Trip

2009-04-13T22:03:00.006-05:00

Cheryl and I qualified for a trip with our business, this is the second year that we have been invited to go with this great company that we write for. It was a great trip. The thing that has impressed me both years is that they are such a Christian oriented company. Before each meal we had a prayer and when the Vice President and CEO both spoke, they spoke about how God was such a great impact in their lives, and in the company. They really made us feel comfortable and welcomed both years that we have gone. Thank you Old Surety, you are the best! See you next year!

My wonderful wife, and partner!

A view from the balcony of our motel room:

This was our transportation: It's really not as big as it looks, as tall as I am, I had trouble getting in and out and having leg room, but it was fun.

Not a very good picture, but this also was transportation for us to go across the bay when we wanted to.

Thanks again to Old Surety Life, for a great trip!

Not Mine

2009-03-24T21:18:00.003-05:00

I have been reading a lot in the last few weeks about teens and drugs. I feel that I have a responsibility to learn as much as I can about signs and about how teens get into drugs and why. A lot of what I read is parents who think that it will never happen to their teens or kids. I must admit, I am a parent who falls into this category. One of the things that I always try to tell our teens is that someone is always watching you. As a parent I must realize that someone is watching me as well, my kids, our youth.

I have read story after story of kids trying to imitate their parents smoking habits, or drinking habits, trying to be like who they look up too, only to have it back fire on them.

There is a high likelihood that your teen and mine, will be exposed to drugs and alcohol, and there is a good chance that they will try drugs. Why?

Most teens don't think that they will become addicted, and simply use drugs or alcohol to have a good time and be more like their friends. Most teens who are addicted won't see a problem with their behavior or their drug use. For some teens drugs make them feel good, and are a way to relieve the stress of school, problems at home, disagreements with friends, and other pressures of growing up.

What can I do as a parent or someone who works with teens? I think that we must show them that we care and that we love them and encourage them to make wise decisions. I also as a parent must keep the lines of communication open. As a parent I must talk to my kids about drugs. I must let my teen know that it is my business who they are "chillin" with, and "hangen" with and who they are "texting."

We must remember that being a teenager is often a confusing and challenging time, which can make teens vulnerable to falling into a destructive pattern of drug use.

I have been talking lately to our youth group about the effects of drug and alcohol and other addictive things. I pray that as we visit about all sorts of peer pressure's that our teens face, that we can have some type of impact on all of them. It is amazing the things that our teens face in this world today. I pray for all of them, and I ask that you pray for the youth of the community and church that you are in. Remember these teens are the ones that will someday lead our cities, our counties, or towns, our country and our churches. Say a special prayer for them today.

House Divided

2009-03-21T10:33:00.003-05:00

Our house is divided today. Duke plays Texas in the 2ND round of the NCAA tournament. I have been a fan of Duke basketball since I can remember. My daughter (Kyla) is a Texas fan. I think she really likes Texas just because I do not like them. So for today our house is divided, I will be cheering on my Blue Devils and she will be cheering on her Longhorns. Dylan will be on my side and Cheryl will be caught in the middle. GO DUKE!!!

I love this time of year, March Madness, best time to watch sports, (get with it Trey Morgan) The following is my sports outlook:

1) I like college sports more than pro: College games are much more exciting, the players really want to do good, and want to win. The atmosphere at a college game is so much better than pro: Pro players get paid regardless if they win or lose and they ALL have that attitude: I know that there are some college teams breaking rules and paying kids to come to their school and I hate that part of it. But the game still is much more exciting than any pro game. You can feel the school spirit in most college games, even through television, but especially if you are there. Pro games are just kinda, yeah we gotta play today and then we can get out million dollar checks:

2) I just don't watch much pro football or basketball: I will watch the Superbowl, and the NBA finals, but that is really about it:

3) My favorite basketball teams: Duke of course: I also like Tech men's and women's: And yes I am an Aggie fan as well: I like North Carolina if they are not playing Duke: I like anyone who BEATS UT!!!
My favorite Pro basketball team is the LA Lakers: I will watch them some but not much until the NBA finals and I still get frustrated watching Pro.

4) My favorite football teams: Texas A&M is my team (they will be back someday, and I wait patiently) I also like Tech, except when they play A&M: Oklahoma is OK: And again I like anyone who is playing UT!!
I have a love hate relationship with the Dallas Cowboys: I have gotten to where I like to see them lose more than I like to see them win. I have decided that I don't think much of Tony Romo: When Troy Aikman, Jay Novacheck and Emmit Smith were there I loved the Cowboys, but these new guys have ruined the team. So I really do not have pro football team that I care for:

5) I got into NASCAR some in the last few years, but have not really watched it in a while, I was the fan that wanted to see the wrecks, and that was not good. Although I am in a Fantasy League, that I really am not very good at picking the drivers. Trey said I needed to confess my NASCAR sins and I would do better. But I could not give into Jeff Gordon: I decided that I cheer only for Dale JR., because it bothers Trey so much.

6) I have to mention as well that I like to watch women's basketball: Although you do not have the dunks, if you really watch the women, most of them have more talent than the men do. My women's teams are: Duke: Tennessee: Tech:
I don't get to watch them much but these girls can play some ball.
Of course my favorite is watching my Kyla play b-ball, even though she is a Longhorn fan. She can bust those 3 pointers:

Whats Going On

2009-03-11T07:42:00.003-05:00

We have a busy day today, have appointments in Lubbock, its going to be a big busy day. Then back tonight for KFC, (Kids For Christ) and Church tonight, one of the AIMers is coming to teach our class tonight. We have been practicing LTC each Sunday with the kids. It seems that each year it gets harder and harder to get things together, but we are doing good this year, time just seems to fly by. We go to LTC on the 10th of April. The week before Cheryl and I will be gone on a trip that we got through Insurance Sales, we are coming back on Thursday and then leaving on that Friday for LTC. It's going to be a crazy time.

One of my good friends lost their wife this week to cancer. He called me yesterday and asked me to be a pallbearer at the funeral Thursday, I was honored. We worked at Swisher Electric together. We pulled call together every six weeks. Working together during thunderstorms and snow storms at 2:00am, you get to know each other really well. I pray for him today, that God gives him comfort, I know that he is hurting.

Kyla has a track meet here on Thursday. The weather is not going to be good, but that is part of track I guess. She usually runs the sprint relay and the 880 relay, but there are several girls hurt so there will be no sprint relay or 880 relay. She will do the Long Jump, triple Jump, 100, and 220. It's going to be cold and maybe snowing and raining. Open house at her school was last night. I sometimes do not understand our school system, but oh well, I get this way every year around the time she takes the TAKS. She is being taught to pass a test, not learning. Sorry, I will move on!

I have been struggling lately with how to handle some things with in our youth group. How do I handle some things that come up? How do I react to certain things? One of our AIM kids told me something Sunday that made me think. How did Jesus handle some things that he came across. He handled them with Love. He never stoped loving those that made mistakes. Our youth and teens are going to make mistakes, we must handle those things with Love. I pray that God gives me patience and understanding, and helps me to Love during times of difficulty. I ask all of you to pray for our teens, there is so much going on in their lives it is amazing that they handle it as well as they do.

Thoughts

2009-03-02T11:20:00.003-06:00

Some things that I am thinking today.

I wonder if the guy who put the engagement ring, to surprise his Fiance, in a milk shake and she swallowed it, is going to buy her a new one. It went in on like Wednesday and came out on Thursday. HMMM.
I am really excited about the Bible being on my Blackberry now. I downloaded it this morning. I am getting more and more dependent on my Blackberry, I think if I lost it I would be lost. One scripture that I read this morning after downloading it: Proverbs 30: 7-9:
I wonder sometimes what my boundaries are as a Youth Minister? How far do I, in so many words "stick my nose into a Teens business, especially when I disagree with a Parents decision." Who's idea was this "Youth Minister" thing any way:) I did not think it would be this tough at times. I wonder why these teens have the peer pressure that they have.
I wonder why our dog gets under our couch in the sun room and barks at us. I have a really good video of Cheryl and Kyla trying to get him out. I wonder if Cheryl would be mad at me if I posted it?
I wonder why the State of Texas punishes our children with the TAKS test. Kyla takes one tomorrow. She has been working so hard the last several weeks on her school work. She has really done great on the tests that she has taken, and she has been studying so hard for the TAKS.
I wonder where my sunglasses are? I found them while we were on the ski trip. Wore a pull over that I have not worn in months, stuck my hand in the pocket and there they were. I wonder why I can not keep up with them? I wish I could put them in my blackberry!

Family Day

2009-02-23T18:09:00.007-06:00

A good friend of mine gave us two tickets to the Texas Tech and Texas A&M men's basketball game for Saturday. So we decided to make it a family day spent together with just us and the kids. We left around noon and went to Plainview and ate at Taco Bell. Not a extravagant meal, but we were together and had a lot of fun on our way to Lubbock. We did some shopping at Academy. Dylan needed new shoes and Kyla needed some track shoes. We went to a few other stores just mainly looking around. I was looking for a pullover that either had Texas Tech on it or Texas A&M. Believe it or not I could not find one in the whole town of Lubbock Texas, not even at the game. Well there was one at the game, but it was a 3x, I am not that big, and I have lost 12 pounds over the last several weeks.
We bought the kids some tickets at the game, and we all got really luck and were able to sit together. I could not really decide who to go for, since I am an Aggie fan as well. But there were so many Tech fans sitting around us, I had keep that to myself, and actually found myself pulling some for Tech. About the middle of the first half, a man came up to our seats and asked Dylan if he would like to participate in the half time show, and do a lay up contest. So Dylan and I got to go down on the court at half. He was against another kid. They started at one end of the court, they had to run to a pair of shorts that were on the court, put the shorts on, (over his jeans, he first thought that he was to take his jeans off and put on the shorts, lucky he asked about this before the contest stared and they explained the rules to him in more detail,) then he was to run to a pair of over sized shoes, put them on, then run to a huge jersey and put it on, then take a basketball and shot a layup. He was ahead the whole time until he got to the jersey and he got tangled up a bit, and the other kid got the shot off just before he did and won. But he had a blast doing it, and it was a lot of fun to watch him. After the game we went to TGIF to eat, got home around 11:30pm.
Our family day was great. We got to be together and just have a lot of fun. Thank you Josh for the tickets. Below are the pictures I took of Dylan during the contest.

Sportsmanship

2009-02-19T09:48:00.003-06:00

It's refreshing that sportsmanship has not been totally lost, that there is something more than just winning, read this article in the paper and thought that it was good.

The coach never considered any other option.
It didn't matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High basketball team had ridden a bus 2½ hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn't matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.
Something else was on Dave Rohlman's mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before.
Only this time it was different.
"You realize you're going to miss them, don't you?" Rohlman said.
Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.
It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.
The teams planned to get together after the game and share pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.
Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntell Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntell was taking his college ACT exam.
Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.
"She was young and they were real close," said Milwaukee coach Aaron Womack Jr., who was at the hospital. "He was very distraught and it happened so suddenly he didn't have time to grieve."
Womack was going to cancel the game, but Franklin told him he wanted the team to play. And play they did, even though the game started late and Milwaukee Madison dressed only eight players.
Early in the second quarter, Womack saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It was Franklin, who came there directly from the hospital to root his teammates on.
The Knights had possession, so Womack called a time out.
His players went over and hugged their grieving teammate. Fans came out of the stands to do the same.
"We got back to playing the game and I asked if he wanted to come and sit on the bench," Womack said.
"No," Franklin replied. "I want to play."
There was just one problem. Since Franklin wasn't on the pre-game roster, putting him in meant drawing a technical foul that would give DeKalb two free throws.
Though it was a tight game, Womack was willing to give up the two points. It was more important to help his senior guard and co-captain deal with his grief by playing.
Over on the other bench, though, Rohlman wasn't so willing to take them. He told the referees to forget the technical and just let Franklin play.
"I could hear them arguing for five to seven minutes, saying, 'We're not taking it, we're not taking it," Womack said. "The refs told them, no, that's the rule. You have to take them."
That's when Rohlman asked for volunteers, and McNeal's hand went up.
He went alone to the free throw line, dribbled the ball a couple of times, and looked at the rim.
His first attempt went about two feet, bouncing a couple of times as it rolled toward the end line. The second barely left his hand.
It didn't take long for the Milwaukee players to figure out what was going on.
They stood and turned toward the DeKalb bench and started applauding the gesture of sportsmanship. Soon, so did everybody in the stands.
"I did it for the guy who lost his mom," McNeal said. "It was the right thing to do."
Franklin would go on to score 10 points, and Milwaukee Madison broke open the game in the second half to win 62-47.
"I got kind of emotional but it helped a lot just to play," he said. "I felt like I had a lot of support out there."
Carlitha Franklin's funeral was Friday, and the school turned out for her and her son.
"Even the cooks from school showed up," Womack said. "It lets you know what kind of kid he is."
It hasn't been the greatest season for the team, but they have stuck together through a lot of adversity.
"We maybe don't have the best basketball players in the world but they go to class and take care of business," Womack said.
"We have a losing record but there's life lessons going on, good ones."

Memories

2009-02-16T19:38:00.006-06:00

A few weeks ago I joined Facebook, I am not sure why I decided to make this leap, when it comes to technology it seems that I look at it and go Duhhh. I am still trying to figure out everything on my blackberry that I have had for a year now, I got a new laptop at Christmas and it gets the best of me at times, although it is really cool, and I love saying "I have a Lap top, see I am not even sure how to spell it. Anyway, I think that I am hooked to Facebook. It is amazing the people that I have found that I know and that I went to school with. It has been fun finding out what everyone is doing that I went to High School with. It has brought back some great memories. I went to school in a small town, smaller than Tulia even. We were all very close and you knew everyone. Some of these people I have not seen or heard from since we graduated or since some of them graduated a few years ahead of me. We had some great times and some of the times I would probably just like to forget. I have changed so much over the years, not just physically but spiritually. I guess maybe I have finally grown up. As I reflect on some of the memories I am so happy that God let me be a part of alot of these people lives. Some of the memories that connecting with some of these people on Facebook are:

One of the greatest memories that I have is how close our Church congregation was where I was raised. I remember that EVERY Sunday after morning services we were always going to someones home to eat the noon meal or someone was coming to our home to eat. The adults would talk about all sorts of stuff and us kids would just be kids and play and have a ball. The really cool thing was that it was a real closeness and a real love for each other, it did not matter who did what, or who had what, everyone loved everyone and everyone had a great relationship with everyone. When I got older and Cheryl and I married, we lived in Bovina for awhile and the closeness that we had with other couples at our Chruch was awesome. We go back there every once in a while, and we still feel that closeness with those who are still there, and it is really refreshing. I miss this so much.

2) One memory is living on the farm. Dad farmed North of Bovina until I was in about the 6Th grade. I did not realize then, but I loved living on the farm. I recently found our neighbor that lived down the road from us on Facebook. It was really cool to see his picture and think about the times that we had as kids. He was several years older than me and he had a brother that was older than him. I remember riding the bus to school, and being scared to get on because they always picked on me and thumped me on the head. They drove me and the bus driver crazy. They would climb out the windows when we got to the school. Funny, I remember as much as they picked on me, I always looked forward to them coming to the house.

It also brings back the times that I played B-ball in the drive way for hours. Dad got me the goal and we buried it in the ground. I still have the picture of dads John Deer tractor pulled up against the goal to keep it still until the cement dried and me in the drive way with my b-ball ready to try it out. I remember the time that we were working cattle in the lots, I was just a boy. I got scared of all the cows in the pen and climbed up on a panel to get away from them and the panel falling on me and knocking me out. To this day I remember waking up in my dads arms as he carried me to the house, at the time I woke up he was carrying me through the line of trees beside our house where I would always play with my toy tractors and cars. I had a concussion and spent several days in the hospital. That's where I got my stuffed Monkey "Snubby," and a "Mr. Potato Head." There was another boy in the room with me, just recently I found out that he owns a furniture and flooring store in Hereford.

The farm brings back memories of our pets, since we just got a dog here at the Howell House. My cat ribbons, that use to sleep on the pillow above my head, and lick my burr hair cut. Mom said she thought that I was one of her kittens. My dog "DOT", a bird dog. I would watch him run in dad's wheat Field and hunt. You could not see him because the wheat was so tall, the only time you could see him was when he would jump up above the wheat to see where he was. Rusty, our cow dog. He loved to follow Dot around and learn the In's and outs of being a farm dog. They were great dogs together. I remember Dad getting so mad at them when they would get hot during the summer and jump into the irrigation ditch to cool off and take a bath. I miss them.

3) I remember moving to town and thinking wow this will be so much better than the farm. I can be closer to my friends now. Being in JR High this was important. I remember riding my bike every where. I remember how important B-ball became as I got older. I would play in the neighbors drive way until after dark. As I got older a good Friend of mine a couple of houses down would come and we would shoot hoops together. Her and I would talk about everything under the sun, she was a good friend and we would give each other advice about who we were "dating" or who we wanted to "date." Important things like that! I have yet to find her on Facebook, I talk to her husband every now and again, who is also from my home town and was a friend of mine, he owns the car wash here in Tulia, small world.

Then there was the "Spectrum." The spectrum was a basketball court behind my house. It was built by myself and a friend of mine that was older than me. I was a Freshman, he was a Senior. It was in a dirt lot behind my house. With some help of a local maintainer (road grader) he graded off a court for us. We buried two goals at each end. The thing was that we buried those goals where the basket was only 8 foot off the ground. A dirt court, hard as a rock mind you, 8 foot goals at each end, the "Spectrum" was born, it was SLAM TIME!! Most everyone could dunk it at the spectrum, wow the games that we had, it got wild at times. That friend that helped me build the spectrum, is now owner of the pharmacy in Dimmitt. Times at the spectrum will never be forgotten.

Town life was good for me all through High School. I remember getting my first pickup. A 78 Chevy, I thought I was the coolest dude in town. Dad still has that old 78 Chevy, he uses it at the farm in Dimmitt. I know that I had to have put 2,000000 miles on it. The sun roof I put in it is still there, but dad says it leaks when it rains. I remember dragging main in that truck, with the stereo blasting and it loaded with all my friends. That truck and I had some times together, if it could only talk. Well maybe its best it can't talk, since dad still drives it around the farm some. The best thing about that old truck is that I meet my wonderful wife while in it. It took Cheryl and I on our first date. I have a new, updated model pickup now, but it will never have the memories that the old 78 Chevy has.

4) High School basketball and Football. I still remember the times of coming onto the field and onto the court, with my teammates and my friends. I did not know then, but I do now how special that time was, and how fast it all went. Football was not that good to us during most of my High School times, or maybe we were not that good to Football. We went through so many coaches, it was a hard time each Football season, but we were together on the field each Friday night, and that was the important thing. I did not play Football my Senior year, too long of a story to tell why here, and this blog is getting long. Basketball was more my sport I guess, I loved it then and I still do today. Oh if only I knew then what I know now! I have not talked to our High School Coach in a while, but I know where he is and pray that he and his family is doing well. He is one of the great influences in my life, he holds a special place in my life, thanks Coach Lanham for the direction you gave me, wish we could do it all over again. We did well in B-ball, never won state or anything but did well. Our girls team was really good my JR. and Senior year. I have reconnected with some of them on Facebook. Also some of the guys that I played with. One in particular has two kids, one girl and one boy both play for Shallowater and are doing really good, and I have connected with their dad through Facebook. I remember the games that we would have at the goal down the street on Sunday afternoons. I always played for the Lakers and my friend always played for the Celtics, the games we had were almost as good as the real teams that played during that time.

It's good to think back and remember the times that I had growing up. Facebook has helped me do that. To all of my friends from childhood, I am glad that we have been able to reconnect and I thank God for each of you. I thank God for the memories and the life that I lived. A lot of the things I would like to forget, but all of these memories and the path's that I took growing up has lead me to where I am today. That path lead me to my wife and to my children, and to where I am today. Thank you God for all of it.

Last Game

2009-02-10T22:05:00.002-06:00

Kyla played her last football, oh i mean basketball game last night. It was like a football game though. She went to the doctor today and found out that she has bruised ribs, and possibly torn ligaments. They will know more tomorrow. So her Jr. High career of basketball is over. The team did really good we only lost 3 games all season and I think we only lost those games by a total of about 10 points. They really played great all season long. Kyla hit a 3 pointer last night, after she hurt her ribs, and we really needed it at the time. Childress was trying to come back on us and it was getting tight. I was the proud father in the stands of course.
Our school really needs to think about getting official refs to do our Jr. High games. I respect the ones that are doing the reffing, because most people, especially those who sit in the stands and yell at refs, are not willing to put a stripped shirt on and ref. But we are going to get someone hurt one of these day's and I would hate to see that. I think that the school has a responsibility to keep our kids as safe as possible.
We went to the Varsity games tonight, we played Childress. It was a couple of good games and we got to see Trey, it is always good to see him. Continuing Ed classes in Amarillo tomorrow and KFC tomorrow night. Ski trip this weekend!

Please Go Away

2009-02-09T09:51:00.003-06:00

Our family has been going through times of being sick. I can't remember the last time that we have had so much sickness in our household. The only one that has been immune to it all is Kyla. Although she did feel a bit "woozy" Sunday morning at Church. She has had perfect attendance at school for the last two years, and I think she just wills herself well so that she won't miss school. Dylan woke up early Sunday morning throwing up and stayed home. I felt, not just right all day yesterday, but had LTC practice and preparation for "KFC" for Wednesday night that I needed to do. After church last night, I came home and got in bed. Cheryl has been not feeling good off and on for several days, kinda like me. It is weird, one day feel fine, next not so fine.

Even our dog is sick, he is going to the VET today at Dimmitt. Cheryl and I went to Canyon on Friday night to watch the Canyon girls and PD girls play. We meet Kenneth and Vicki Littelfeild there, they saved us a seat. We had a really great time watching the game with them, thanks, Kenneth and Vicki. Kyla stayed home with a friend. She called after we got out of the game and said, "this dog is pooping every where, yall get home!" We still had to go eat, it was a good time for her to learn some responsibility I guess. Anyway, the dog has had the "poops" all weekend and is going to the VET today. I gave him some peto pesmoal, but it did not seem to help any.

So I am ready for all the sickness to just "Please Go Away", you have visited our home for too long now, we or I should say "Cheryl" has cleaned up after you enough now, and we are tired of your visit, so please kindly "Go Away!"

I hope that your family has not experienced all of this like we have, I just know that I am tired of all of it.

Eat the Frog

2009-02-06T10:57:00.008-06:00

There's an old saying that says....."if the first thing you do when you get up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing else worse can happen to you the rest of the day!" I would think that statement would be as true as any statement that I have ever heard.

Brian Tracy, in his book Eat the Frog, says that your "frog" should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one where you're most likely to procrastinate; because, if you eat the frog first, it will give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day. But, if you don't....... and let him set there on the plate and stare at you while you do a hundred unimportant things, it can drain your energy and you won't even know it.

So here is your assignment, and this really works, I have started doing this in my business and in my life: for the next 30 days take a look at your list, circle the frog, and eat that first.

You will thank me for it.

Who Is Your Hero

2009-02-04T09:14:00.002-06:00

Who is my hero? Who do I look up to and admire? When Micheal Phelps won all of his gold medals at the Olympics and just the way that he seemed to carry himself and the way that he talked, I thought now there is a guy that our teens can look up to. Then I open the paper yesterday and see that there was a picture of him (allegedly) smoking pot. I must admit I was a little hurt. It was like he had done something to me.

This got me to thinking, who do we have that our young people can look up to and admire and think, I want to be like him or her. So I thought of several different categories of people:

Sports figures: I remember when I was young, I loved the LA Lakers. Magic was the man, I loved to watch the run and gun style of basketball that they played, it was "showtime" in LA. I remember when he came down with HIV, I was devastated as I heard different stories about my admired sports figure was not as perfect as I thought he was. I was let down and again I felt hurt and betrayed in some way. It was not like I actually knew him or anything, but I had him on a pedestal. Can sports figures be our hero's, ones that we look up to and say "I want to be like him or her?" Sports figures are certainly not perfect, they are human and make mistakes and I seem to judge them too harshly sometimes maybe, but they are in the spot light, our teens and young people look up to them, they must realize this. There are some that are great examples, that strive to be great examples, Tony Dungy comes to mind.

Politicians: I am not sure that I have ever looked up to a politician. But as we see these people are in the news all the time their lives seem to be an open book. Just recently we have found out that some of our elected officials that are put in charge of the Nations finances, did not pay their taxes. Wow, that made me angry, why? I am not sure, I guess because I think they should be perfect because of the position that they are in. Maybe this is my problem, maybe I am looking in the wrong places for my hero.

Ministers: I have realized lately that being a Youth Minister is not just about teaching a class on Sunday morning, Wednesday nights and going to youth rallies and entertaining kids at my home. They are watching me, not just my youth group but others. Parents, other teens in the community, sometimes I think that they want you to fail. It makes them feel good to see someone fail, that was looked up to by others. I look at my life and think, have I lived up to the expectations of someone that maybe is looking up to me as a Youth Minister. I would have to say probably not. This is a lot of responsibility on someone. When the pressure is put on me, i think have I put too much expectations on these other figures that I have looked up too? Living up to someone Else's expectation is harder to do, its not so funny when the shoe is on the other foot. In fact it may be impossible to live up to others expectations. I wonder why I put these same expectations on others?

So who then, who is out there for our youth and our kids and me for that matter to look up to, as an example as something to strive for? The answer is so obvious, that it sometimes slips my mind as well: I have to ask myself, why is the obvious so hard to see?

Christ: He is everything! Why is it that I look up to someone that can score 40 points in a game or run for 2,000 yards a season and score touchdowns each time they touch the ball, and I forget about the one that DIED for me. The one that healed so many people while on earth, not just physically, but more importantly spiritually and still does the same thing today. The one that has turned my life around, and blesses me each day of my life. Is it because he did not have a fancy car, and not make millions of dollars, or wear a hat turned around backwards on the sideline and act like a he is 10 instead of his age. Christ is the answer to our lives. We can have fame and not have Christ and be lost. We can have the world and if we do not have Christ we have nothing. Christ is the answer to everything, he is my hero, he's much more than that, he is my savour. He is the one that we must as Youth Ministers, Parents, Churches and Communities steer our youth towards to be their hero's. All of the others above will let us down, not because they mean too or because they are bad people, but just because like me they are human. Christ is the only one that will never let us down. We may lose some of our privileges our freedom even, but we will always have Christ, he is the One.
I will probably continue to look up to the sports figures and to the others of the world, and they will continue to let me down at times, but when asked who my hero is it is my Christ. He will never let me down, he never has. Thank you Christ and I am sorry that at times I have put you behind some of the others. I pray that you continue to open my eyes.

So who is it that you look up too, who is your hero?

Youth Sunday

2009-02-01T21:33:00.002-06:00

We had an amazing Youth Sunday today. Our congregation gave $3,654.00 for our Youth Program. That is really amazing, we thank each of you so much for your support. It was an eventful day. I started feeling like I was getting sick on Saturday afternoon, and went to be like at 8:30, full of NyQuil. Woke up this morning not feeling very good at all, but knew that I was preaching this morning for Youth Sunday so I had no choice but to get up and go. I sat my laptop up this morning at Church in order to do the power point that I had prepared, I was kinda in a hurry I guess, I forgot to plug it in. So it sat there for over two hours running on just the battery. Right in the middle of my sermon and power point my lap top died, and the screen went black. I could not imagine what had happened. Luckily it was right before I was introducing the teens on the stage, so while introducing them I dug out the cord, plugged in the lap top and got the power point going again. Talk about multi tasking. I didn't panic too bad. I had some notes that I could have finished by, but not many. I was really relying on the power point to remind me of the things that I wanted to say. After it was all over, we went to pot luck, I came home and went to bed for a while. Then got up for our Super Bowl party. Had the AIM kids over and the youth group. I am now running out of steam and feel the sickness coming back on. So I think I will get to bed and call it a day.
Thank you to everyone that helped support our youth today. We love you and I pray blessings for each of you.

Diet

2009-01-22T22:10:00.004-06:00

I have been on a diet for about 3 weeks now. I have lost about 7 pounds in the 3 weeks. Cheryl and I a doing this together. We are trying to watch what we eat and I have cut out ALL soft drinks and candy. If you know me at all you know that Reese's are my absolute favorite of all time. I have not had a Reese's in over 3 weeks, or a DR. Pepper. There is nothing better in this world than a Reese's and a DR. Pepper, but I have given them both up. We have also started walking at night or late afternoon.

Several weeks ago we ordered a new washer and dryer. We have had our washer since we were married, 20 years, it was a good one but it was time to go. It was not draining all the water out, and really started to not wash our clothes very well. So we decided after much debate and shopping that we would buy the high energy washer and dryer. They are really cool. Anyway last Sunday night I was doing some laundry, (yes I was doing laundry) I felt something in Dylan's pants pocket, I reached inside and pulled out a REESE'S. It was about 10:00pm, everyone was in bed I thought, "no one would know if I just had one." but I did not do it. I put it down and went to bed. It felt really good to be tempted and pass the test. I thank God for the strength.

Kyla's team plays Dimmitt here Monday night. They played in Muleshoe last Monday night. They won, but looked a little off. They have been looking forward to playing Dimmitt again. It will be a good game. Kyla hit another NBA 3 pointer in Muleshoe Monday night, it looked really good. He proud father was trying to take pictures in the stands, but our camera doe's not work very good. Maybe some pictures of the Dimmitt game this week with another camera.

Dylan is our picky eater. Today we were in Amarillo and the school called saying that Dylan was not very happy. He usually takes his lunch with him, which I really can not blame him because I have seen and tasted the school food and BLAH! But he saw on the menu that they were having chicken nuggets, which is his favorite, so he did not take his lunch. Our school decided to change the menu and not inform anyone at the last minute, and have steak fingers, which he can not stand, ( again I can not blame him for) We were in Amarillo and could not bring him lunch. After he got home I asked what he ate, and he said that the school gave him peanut butter crackers. If you have not heard, there is a recall on a lot of peanut butter crackers. Immediately his sister said "they probably had poison in them." Cheryl and I talked him down and he is OK with it and no longer thinks he is going to die. From now on he takes his lunch EVERY day regardless of what the menu says.

Weekend

2009-01-12T09:12:00.002-06:00

We had a great weekend. Kyla played in the championship game at the Bushland tournament. The team really played great. They beat Bushland and won the tournament. Kyla hit what I called an NBA 3. It was cool. She makes me so proud. We play at Friona tonight, and then the Tulia tournament this weekend. We love to watch her and her team play.

Bruce had a really great lesson on Sunday. It really made me think about things in my life. He talked about the joy that we have, and how we can let things or PEOPLE steal that joy. Cheryl and I were talking about how we let this happen, we let too many things and people steal our joy. Thanks to Bruce for the great lesson. We had an LTC meeting with parents after church and we have such great support. Thanks to all of you for your help and your encouragement and support. LTC is a great opportunity for our young people to learn about God and to learn to do things that will help the church as they grow older. We have several boys signed up for song leading, our church always needs song leaders. Also we have several singed up for teaching. They will go into a class for 4 weeks and help the teachers prepare lessons and present those lessons. The church will benefit from this in the future. These kids are learning how to prepare a lesson and how to present it.

Then last night at blue box for our very young kids, I broke a water balloon over my head in the lesson. It was about making wise choices, and even when we are young we must learn to make wise choices. I got really wet, but hopefully they will remember it when they have to make a choice in their lives.

The week looks busy as always. Hope that everyone has a great week. I look forward to the week, and what God has in store for me. I know that he is going to bring blessings as always.

B-ball tourny

2009-01-08T22:30:00.002-06:00

Kyla started a basketball tournament in Bushland today. She had two games today, and they won both of them. They beat the first team by 20 and the second team they beat by like 30 points. They are really playing good. They do not have to go back and play until Saturday, they will play Bushland for the championship. They played Bushland last year in the same tournament for the championship and lost by two points. It should be a really good game.

The beginning of the year has been really busy for us. We got back in our routine this week and have really been busy all week with work. God just keeps blessing us. Along with trying to get our LTC stuff started and organized. Looks like we are going to have a lot of really good help again this year, so it take a lot of pressure off of us. Thanks to all of you who help with this. It looks like we will have about 20 kids going with us this year, and several parents and sponsors, it will be fun.

Another prayer request. One of my good friends wife has cancer. It has spread to her brain. I worked with him at Swisher Electric, before he retired. We pulled call together and had a lot of late nights working together and a lot of fun as well together, being stuck in the mud during rain storms and fighting tornadoes while out working late nights. She is taking Radiation and Chemo. Please pray for her and for her husband.

My Son The Server

2009-01-06T18:45:00.002-06:00

Each Sunday morning I get up early and go to the Elders meeting that starts at 8:15. Dylan always goes with me. He makes it a point to tell me before he goes to bed on Saturday night,"dad I'm going with you in the morning." See the reason that he wants to go with me is because he loves to help. When we get to the building on Sunday mornings he does what he can to help two of the Elders wives where he can. Cook breakfast for the AIM kids, arrange bulletins, clean or what ever. But he always has his eyes looking out into the parking lot. He watches for two ladies that teach class, that always has a lot of stuff to carry, and when he sees them he's out the door in a flash to carry what ever he can for them. This last Sunday morning was very cold and he forgot his coat, but that did not stop him for a moment. I took this picture with my phone as he was coming into the building with a huge smile on his face. He loves to serve. He teaches me so much. I wish that I had his heart. Just this year he found out that there was really no Santa Clause. I don't know if he knows it or not but, for me there is a Santa Clause, he is my Santa.

Prayer Request

2009-01-04T13:48:00.002-06:00

My good friend Sandy sent me a text message today with an update on Teresa Ward. If you do not know Teresa had a brain aneurysm last week and was sent to Dallas for surgery. She came through he surgery OK, but has had some rough days. She is in a lot of pain and they are watching her for spasms in the veins and vessels. She has had 2 or 3 small strokes, but no damage. She has 43 staples in her head.

Please say a prayer for Teresa and her family. They have some rough times ahead of them, but as we all know with God and prayer all things can be accomplished. To make matters worse Teresa has no insurance. There is a love fund set up for her and her family at Hale County State Bank. Jeff and Sandy are on their way back from Dallas we pray for their safe return as well.

Romans 12:12
12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

New Years Eve

2008-12-31T23:11:00.002-06:00

New Years Eve 2008. Not much going on tonight at the Howell House. We went to Church, not many people were there, we just had a short devo. Kyla is at a Friends house and Dylan has a friend over for the night. I got a new lap top for Christmas and have been downloading some stuff on it that I need. Exciting new years eve. Really I would have it no other way, I don't party much any more anyway.

I also have been writing in my journal. I started a journal about three years ago. I started it so that the kids would someday be able to read what was going on in our lives, and try to maybe explain some of the things and choices that we make, and also let them know how I was feeling at certain times in my life. This is a great outlet for me. I hope that they enjoy it someday. I know that someday they will understand. I also write prayers in the journal as well. Tonight I was looking back at some of the entries over the past 3 years. It is amazing to see the prayers that I prayed and then seeing them answered. God has been good to me. He has blessed me so much. The greatest blessings in my life is my family. My wife and my children. I love the relationship that Cheryl and I have. There are no secrets, she tells me everything and I tell her everything, we communicate really well. We make decisions together. God has truly blessed me with her. Kyla and Dylan are my other blessings, they are the light of my life. They are just growing up too fast.

2008 has been a great year for us. We have been blessed very much. We look forward to a great 2009, (some things just won't go away), but that's OK, God is good! We thank him for all that he has done for us and give him the glory for it. I don't know if I have any New Years Resolutions or not. Have really not even thought about it. If I made one, it would be that I stay in God's will for my life and that I grow closer to him in 2009. I probably need to lose weight and get into better shape, well I've got about 30min. to think about that one:) Hope that your 2009 is a great one as well.

New Baby

2008-12-26T11:53:00.002-06:00

Cheryl has been wanting a new baby, so here he is! This is the new addition to our family. The kids have been wanting a dog for the longest time, so we got them one for Christmas. They were totally surprised, they could not believe it. His name is Patches, and he is a beagle. So far he has been a lot of fun for all of us, but like most babies he sleeps, eats, and poops.

Hope all of you had a great Christmas!

2008-12-19T17:47:00.002-06:00

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays. It's Friday around 6:00pm and I am done for the year! Except for a little paper work and a few little things to do on Monday, I am taking the rest of the year off. God has blessed my family and my business so much this past year and I thank him for that. Therefore this gives me the opportunity to take the rest of the year off! I am pumped about it. I am going Christmas shopping tomorrow and then I will be just hanging around the house and doing stuff that I don't have to do. Its going to be great. Maybe I will even blog more the next two weeks. Any way I am truly blessed that I can take this time off and spend with my wonderful wife and my kids. Hope all of you have a great weekend and great Holiday. I am now off to Plainview to eat and celebrate being off for the rest of the Year!!

Obituary

2008-12-17T21:21:00.004-06:00

Today we mourn the passing of an old friend, by the name of Common Sense. Common Sense lived a long life but died from heart failure early in this new millennium.

No one really knows how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories and offices, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness.

For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in out of the rain, the early bird gets the worm, and life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it's okay to come in second (or even last, as long as your best efforts were given).

A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including body piercing, whole language and "new math." But his health declined when he became infected with the "if it only helps one person it's worth it" virus.

In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing regulations. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies, reports of six year old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student.

It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but cannot inform the parent when the female student is pregnant or wants an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth, and Trust, his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility, and his son, Reason. He is survived by two stepbrothers: My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Whats going on

2008-12-13T12:57:00.002-06:00

We have a lot going on today. The days just seem to go by so quick and I can not get everything done I need done.

Couples night out: A few of us couples from church went out last night to eat at on the border in Amarillo. We had a lot of fun and the food was good, and NO NUTCRACKER!! IT was fun. We did a little shopping afterwards as well, got home around 10:30. Kyla was babysitting and Dylan was at Cheryl's parents house and stayed the night with them.

Finishing the Office: Cheryl's dad and I are finishing the office today. All we liked was the trim over the doors. This long process is finally over. Thank you Jesus!!

Christmas Party Tonight: The youth Christmas Party is tonight. Cheryl has been getting the house ready for the party. The teens will be at our house at 5:00pm. We are having a progressive party. Going to different homes for different parts of the meal and party. Then back to our house for present exchange.

So lots going on around the Howell House today. Dylan just got home and is trying to help. He is a great helper. Kyla should be home in a while to clean her room, glad I don't have to do that!!! Well better go before Cheryl finds me blogging instead of helping get ready for the Christmas party. Hope you all have a great weekend.

USA ranked # 4

2008-12-09T08:05:00.004-06:00

Although I have not agreed with the BCS rankings in years past, I do agree with it this year. Mainly becasuse UT did not get in the National Championship game. But this is kina a funny article. GO OU and TT!!!

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants, the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II. "Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."

Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted event." German Chancellor Adolf Hitler said "Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces." The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2." Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines.

Frustrations

2008-12-02T21:29:00.003-06:00

Warning! I am Frustrated! Read With Caution!!

We were Robbed last night!!!!

At any basketball game or football game, I never say a word about the Ref's or the coaching. The reason is because I have called basketball and football and I know how tough it is to call games. I also know how tough it is to coach, because I have coached as well, football and basketball. But last night our 8Th grade girls team was ROBBED by several bad calls!! Trying to keep my composure was not easy. We lost by 2 points with no time left of the clock a girl (who is an excellent player from the other team) sunk two free throws to win them the game. I take nothing away from the players of this team 32 miles west of us. They played very hard and very well, and I respect them for that. But with that said we were "ROBBED," I tell you! I felt so bad for our girls they played so hard and so good.
OK, this is the scene. We are tied with 14 sec. left on the clock in the 4Th period. We throw the ball in under the other teams basket. A few passes to get it to half court, a couple of passes past half court, the time is ticking down, and one of our girls breaks lose for a lay up and scores to put us ahead by 2! There is 2.7 seconds left on the clock, the other coach calls time out as soon as the ball goes through the net. The ref. comes over to the scores table and tells them to put 6.0 seconds back on the clock (What?????) They throw the ball in take it to half court, we are called for a foul, (Not) girl goes to line ties the game up at the line. We throw the ball in, girl steals inbounds pass (fouling to do so) the ref calls a foul on OUR girl??,,and sends them back to the line with no time left on the clock. Girl sinks both free throws and wins the game. ROBBED I TELL YOU, ROBBED!!!!!!!!! Can you tell that I am a little upset, and its 24 hours later? All of this going on and trying to keep my composure and seeing my bracelet that says's (WWJD), Man that was tough, maybe it was a test, I probably did not do very good.
Oh well, its not if you win or lose its how you play the game right? I will think about that one for a while. Next week is another game! I have to hand it to the girl that sunk those free throws though, she was a great player! Again those girls played hard, I take nothing away from them. If you are reading this and you are from that town 32 miles west of us, know that I did put a warning up and we were ROBBED! And know that most of my family lives and this town and I know probabally 95% of you, and I ask all of you to Pray for me I need it!!! There are worse things in life than this, I keep telling myself! If it was just any other town 32 miles west of us, it would make it better. Again please pray for me!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T10:07:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving has always been a special time for our family. When I was young it meant a trip to Weatherford Texas to my Grandparents house, (my dad's parents) We have a huge family on the Howell side. My Grandparents had 10 kids! So I have lots of Uncles and Aunts and lots and lots of cousins. I can remember us cousins always had a huge football game after Thanksgiving dinner, in a vacant lot across from my Grandparents house. This was no touch football game either, it was full contact and tackle. There were many that had to have knee operations and shoulder's put back into place afterwards. It was a great time!! As we have all grown older, the football game is no more, just the memories. Since my Grandparents have died, we now have our Thanksgiving in Fritch Texas at my Aunts, dad's sister. The really cool thing about going to Fritch is that my Uncle is a huge fisherman. So a lot of us go on Wednesday and he has a fish fry on Wednesday night. It is awesome. Then the next day on Thanksgiving day we have a huge meal. There will be about 60 to 70 Howell's in my Aunts home over this weekend. We eat and remember the times that we had in Weatherford years ago. We all miss our Grandparents, and going to their home for Thanksgiving, but we are making new memories in Fritch that will last.

It Will Never Happen To Us

2008-11-17T22:10:00.003-06:00

She smoked her first cigarette behind the church. Drank her first beer in junior high. I thought, she must be someone else's daughter. It couldn't happen on my well manicured street or in our church. But it did.
Our suspicions had been confirmed on an early spring afternoon last year. It was one of those beautiful warm days I usually really enjoy. When I answered the door to find the mother of my daughters best Friend, I saw that worry covered her face, and her rapid wards tumbled over themselves. "The girls skipped school again-- I think that they are high-- my daughter refused a drug test."
After shutting the door I turned to our daughter, who was standing by the kitchen sink, she casually downed another glass of water, hoping to dilute the results of any analysis. Sarcastically she denied all allegations. "Let's go, test me right now!" she demanded, apparently feeling safe in dishonest compliance. Today we sent our daughter to California to a drug and alcohol assessment. Our hopes have been put on hold. We have a war to fight and I fear my daughters life. An addiction to drugs and alcohol could keep her in bondage for years.

This is part of an article that I read today. The parents of this child are devastated and like they said, "We have a war to fight." This brings up a couple of questions that have been asked of myself and probably many other youth ministers.

How Soon Do I Talk To My Kids About Drugs?
This is just my opinion so take it for that. Many may not agree. I believe that parents must start talking to their kids at a young age. You don't have to go into great detail about the different kinds of drugs out there in the world. Just let them know that drugs are not good for them and they should stay away from them. Do not think that it can not happen to you and your family, it can. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that 80% of high school seniors have used alcohol, and 5.1 million Americans between the ages of 12 and 20 are binge or heavy drinkers. In today's world kids in elementary school know more that we think they do. It is most likely that sooner or later all of our kids will be approached to use drugs. They have to be prepared, they need to know the truth. We told Dylan that he needs to watch out for rattle snakes, that they could be dangerous. We never went into that their are different kinds of snakes and not all snakes are dangerous. When he seen a snake beside our house one day, he assumed that it was a rattle snake and took off running and came and got me. I feel that maybe drugs are the same way. Tell your kids drugs and alcohol can be dangerous, let them know that at a young age.When the are approached hopefully because of that the will RUN from it. The main thing is do not lose communication, that is hard when they become teens, but find a way to keep that communication open. Don't think that the above story can not happen to you, and your family, it can. Kids will know about drugs one way or another. They will either learn about them from you the parent, or from a drug user in a back alley, and it will suprise you how young that drug dealer or user may be. We as parents must beat them to the punch, talk to them about drugs before that drug dealer or user gets to them first. That is why I say talk to them when thier young, and I mean 1st and 2nd grade, the drug users and dealers are looking at kids this young.

We have been studying on Monday mornings in our men's prayer group about falling away. We read this morning in our book that it is more likely for young males to fall away. I was asked how do we stop this? How do we raise our kids in a way that they will not fall away. I don not know if there is a perfect formula for that. Our book said that 16% of teens will fall away. That is really scary to me. I have learned a few things in the past year.

Don't push too hard. You can push them away:
Don't stop pushing them to know how important God is in their life
(Sounds contradicting?) I believe that there is a fine line. Don't push too hard, Encourage and Love. Do not condemn. But never give up on someone.
Let them see the example. Show them how important God is in your life. Let them know the great things that God has done for you because of your faith.
If you have a story tell them. If you were once unfaithful, tell them how much better your life is now than it was before.
Let them know that we all make mistakes, but we must keep "Trying" and no matter what happens you will always love them, and Jesus and God will always love them as well. There is nothing my children can do that will stop me or God from loving them, they must know this.

It took me a while to realize not to push too hard. Love and Encouragement goes really far. I pray for my children, that I am raising them in a way that they will always stay faithful. My kids are great, they love to go to church. Dylan cries when he is sick and can not be there. Kyla goes when we are sick and can't be there. I think that is great. I am blessed with wonderful children.

my world

2008-11-14T17:33:00.002-06:00

Things have been really busy for us the last couple of weeks. I have not had much time to read many blogs or post anything. Our office is just about done, I spent last night and part of today texturing the walls and ceiling. Then painting the ceiling as well. Cheryl helped do both or I would still be trying to finish. I hope to paint the walls tomorrow. We are going to pick out some carpet today, and hope that it can get laid early next week and we can move in. We can then have our sun room back, not for long though because I am going to start redoing it soon after the office is done. Need to do some more ceiling work, and pull old carpet out.
Kyla's first basketball game is Monday, we play Friona and it is here in town. I love to watch her play basketball, I liked the volleyball OK, but basketball is my favorite.
I preached last Sunday night. It was kinda fun. I talked about loving the Unloveable our scripture was John chapter 4. I had a picture of a person that I went to high school with on a bulletin board in front of everyone. Towards the end I talked about how this person was a bully and had done a lot of mean things to me in high school, he was a Senior and I was a Freshman. I talked about how he was unloveable to me, and I wanted to get even with him. So I took out some darts and started throwing them at his picture. Each time I threw a dart, I would name off something that he had done to me some 25 years ago, like stuffing me in a trash can, my mother the next day after hearing all that this person had done to her sweet baby thought that he was unloveable as well. Anyway, after throwing many darts at him, and I think really freaking some people out, I took down his picture and behind his picture was a picture of Jesus. The point was, that what we do to others we also do to Jesus, of course Jesus had just as many holes in his picture as my old high school friend's did. Anyway it was kinda fun, and a lesson that I certainly need.

A Melissa

2008-11-05T08:51:00.002-06:00

I pulled a what I would call a "Melissa." On Tuesday we had to take Cheryl's car to Amarillo to get some things done to it. I left the house first in my pickup to meet her there. When I got on I 27 and had gone about a mile, I looked in my mirror and saw Cheryl coming up behind me to pass me. My windows are tinted so it was hard to see inside her car through my mirror, but it looked like someone was with her in the passenger seat, but I thought, no I am just seeing the head rest on the passenger seat. As the vehicle pulled up beside me, I turned to it and blew it a kiss! To my surprise it was not Cheryl, but a couple in a car that was the same make and color as hers. I immediately thought of "Melissa" for some reason, thinking this is sounds like one of her stories.

We all should keep Cody and Melissa and their family in our prayers. Cody's mom fell off of a roof, while she was trying to put up Christmas lights. She is in BSA with several broken bones, they are not sure if they will have to do surgery or not. Please say a prayer for them today.

Wow, we have a new President. It was really of no surprise that Obama would win. Like him or not he ran a better campaign than John McCain. I am glad that it is over, I was tired of it being on the news every day and the pointing of fingers every day was really getting old. So what do we do now? I think that the answer is to pray. I am reminded that God is still in charge. I pray that our new President will be good. I do not want to see him fail, because if he fails than our country fails. I did not vote for him, but I pray that he is a good President for our country, and I hope that we all come together and pray that he leads us in a way that God will shine through and our country will continue to be great. I pray that we get behind him, even if we did not vote for him and help bring our country together, one nation under God. I think God that we live in the country that we live in. God bless the USA and God bless you.

Sports and Elections

2008-11-02T18:40:00.003-06:00

The weekend is coming to an end. It was an exciting weekend for sports and for activities. One of the best football games that I have seen in a while was Saturday night, and of course it was a college game. Texas Tech beat Texas in the last few seconds of the game. It was really exciting, and I loved it. I am not a UT fan at all. You just don't see this kind of atmosphere in pro football, only college, both teams wanted to win and the players gave it their all for their team not just for their selves. The Cowboys continued their downward spiral, by losing to the Giants. This didn't really bother me too much, since I am not really a pro football fan much any more.

We took the youth to the corn field maze today and everyone seemed to have a good time. Lots of activities coming up in the next several weeks with thanksgiving and then Christmas, wow this year has just flown by so quick.

We vote on Tuesday. What do you say about that, not sure. I know who I am going to vote for, and I know who I hope wins. Either way we must remember that God is in control and that he still loves us. Who knows what Gods plan is for all of us. No matter who becomes our next President, we must all just trust God and pray for who ever our President is and pray for our country and trust God. I know one thing, I am tired of hearing all about it on the news. I think that most news organizations would like to see the election go on for another few months. Its funny how the news channels don't report news, they all seem to have an agenda. I know that Saturday Night Live would love to see the election go on a few more months, they are loving it. I don't watch SNL, but I do know that they are having a ball. Hope everyone has a great week.

No Pain

2008-10-25T20:28:00.002-05:00

It's been over a week since I have posted. Our business is really busy this time of year. We are getting ready for Medicare's Open Enrollment for Prescription Drug plans, this starts in November and it will get really busy for us.

Not much going on other than work really. Kyla went to the food show for 4-H today. She fixed a dish to be judged, and she got First place. She now gets to go to district next month in Lubbock. She was excited. She had her last volleyball game last Monday at Friona. She has now started practicing basketball. Her first game is November 17Th. She finds out Monday if she is on the A team or not. She thinks she will be, we will see.

Dylan is also went to a food show on Thursday. He had a great time and learned how to cook some stuff. He already knew how to cook Cinnamon toast. He goes with me on Saturdays to my mom and dad's for breakfast, and he fixes his own cinnamon toast, and it really tastes good. We may have a chef in the making.

I will be wearing a Texas Tech cap to church in the morning. I lost a bet with Justin Brown last week. Tech played Texas A&M and I told Justin (who is a huge Tech fan) that if my Aggie's won, he would have to wear an Aggie cap to church. If Tech won I would wear a Tech cap. So I lost, and I will be paying off my bet in the morning.

I think I have found a miracle cure as well. For the last year or so I have had some really weird chest pains. They just come on me all of a sudden like and at times they can really be painful. Cheryl has always thought it was my heart, I think it is just Acid Reflux. Although I was REALLY, REALLY, stressed out at the beginning of this year. In fact there were times I did not know if I was going to make it. These pains have gotten worse since that time. Well this week I was meeting with a lady who gave me a juice to drink. She told me that she has Acid reflux and it has helped her. So I bought a bottle of it, just to try. I take it in the mornings and it tastes terrible, but since I have been taking it, I have had no pain. I hope that it continues to work. I had never heard of this stuff before, but it seems to be working good so far. Cheryl has wanted me to go to the doctor, but I just can not bring myself to do it. I have just about gotten to the point where I sometimes believe that the cure of Prescription drugs are worse than the symptoms themselves. Although if my "wonder cure" does not continue to work, I might have to break down and go. Time will see.

It's Raining!!

2008-10-14T20:46:00.003-05:00

Ever heard the phrase "its raining cats and dogs?" Well that's what its doing in Tulia Texas, and in our sun room! I have gone to great strides to keep our sunroom, which has a flat roof from leaking. It has leaked in the past and when our office is done and we get moved in, I have some ceiling work to do because of some leaks. So in the past several weeks I have worked really hard to find the leak and get it stopped. I was bragging about my efforts last night, we were dry in the sun room. Well just a little while ago, I heard "drip, drip, drip" I tried to ignore it and hoped that it was something else, and it would just go away, but it did not. The roof is leaking! Back to the drawing board. I can not imagine how it is leaking but it is. Maybe I should hire a roofer? Hmmmmm.......... NO I Don't Think So. This has now become personal!

Early Morning Prayer Group

2008-10-13T10:28:00.002-05:00

Our new preacher, Bruce Baird has started a men's prayer group on Monday mornings at 6:30. We are reading a book called "Falling Away." We have read the first two chapters that have been very interesting. It talks about how the Bible warns us about falling away, and some causes of falling away. We also make a list of people and things to pray about. I really enjoy the early morning. I am NOT an early morning person, but getting up and praying with this group and talking about God's word is something that I really need right now. I have been teaching the youth class for over a year now, and I need to be feed and I hope that this early morning group will help me with that.
I sometimes feel I am not getting feed enough, because I am teaching and not having an opportunity to be feed. I love teaching and I love being with the teens, (most of the time :) ) I sometimes feel out of touch with what is going on with adults in the congregation, My studies on preparing lessons are directed towards youth and teenagers, and sometimes I need more all of my time is spent with teens, again I love what I do, but at times I feel I need more. So I am excited about our prayer group and I thank Bruce for starting it, I know it is going to help me a lot! This morning was really cool, we prayed a thankful prayer, we came up with things that we wanted to Thank God for. We have so many blessings in our lives, I thank God for each of them and I thank him for putting me in the positions that he has put me, the places he has put me, I thank him for our youth group they are a blessing to me and I love them very much.
Blue box was last night, the lesson was on the "Breast Plate Of Righteousness." I had a hard time (FOR SOME REASON, HMMMMMMM, BRUCE) I get tongue tied sometimes, I found myself almost saying to the little ones "Breast PUMP of Righteousness." I can not imagine why I got that into my head. HMMMMMM, Bruce!!

Sometimes I wonder

2008-10-10T20:28:00.007-05:00

Working with teenagers and having a teenager, makes me sometimes wonder am I getting through? I love our youth group, but sometimes I wonder do they really understand how important it is that they get it. It being how important it is that they strive to put God first in their lives, and how important it is to make good choices. I know that no one is perfect and that everyone makes mistakes. I wonder sometimes, am I best for them, am I doing all that I can do to help them understand. I wonder sometimes am I the best choice for them. I am hard sometimes, I am very, how should I put this, strict and demand respect. I wonder sometimes about one young man in town that I have talked to about coming to church and getting involved in our group, and did not get much a response. Should I have gone back, contacted him again, tried harder, maybe then he would not be where he is now.

I wonder sometimes if my frustrations are not the devil trying to stop me from doing what I know I need to do. I wonder sometimes why I let my frustrations get taken out on some that do not deserve it, I am short and snappy sometimes ,because I am frustrated, for that I am sorry. I wonder sometimes what more can I do to help our youth and my teenager make right choices. I wonder sometimes why my thoughts are what they are. I seem to be always thinking of what else can I do. I wonder sometimes, is our youth group better off than they were at this time last year, are they closer to God? I wonder sometimes how much more can my heart take? I wonder sometimes do they really know how much I care? I wonder sometimes do I complain too much, now that one is one that I really need to think about!

I wonder sometimes, what does God think about, my wondering sometimes. He probably wonders, why I do not pray more about my frustrations. I wonder sometimes why I do not pray more as well. I wonder sometimes if all of you would please pray for me and my frustrations, I thank you if you do.

I wonder sometimes after reading this post if you all think that I am cracking up, not really just venting a little maybe. I wonder if I am feeling a little sorry for myself, hmmm could be. I wonder what my dad would say, "get up dust your self off and get back on." Yep that would be it and that is what I will do. Sorry for being so weird

Water / Basketball theif

2008-09-30T20:54:00.003-05:00

Our city bill was really high a few months ago, so I have really been trying to make sure that lights are turned off when they are not being used and when we leave. We use to be really bad about this. We would decide to go some where and just walk out of the house. When we would come home our house was light up like a Christmas tree, because we walked out and left every light in the house on. We are getting better about it and really trying to cut down on electricity and water usage. Well this morning I walked out into the back yard and the water faucet was on and the back yard was flooded. I just knew that Dylan was back there washing his bike and left it on. When I asked him about it, he said it was not him. So I am not sure who or what turned the water on, but I am not looking forward to the water bill.

We have had a dog hanging around our house every once in a while ever since we moved in last year. He has been really kinda harmless, until now. I used to be a dog and cat lover years ago, but I just got tired of cleaning up after them, fixing all the stuff they tore up, and bailing them out of jail when they got out and ran off. Well last night this dog stole one of our best basketballs. Dylan had been playing with the ball and the dog came up and stole it. We tried to get it from him but he ran from us. I could tell that he bit a hole in the ball because it was flat in his mouth. The last time we saw him he was running across the highway, looking back at us, as to say, "HA, HA, HA, YOU CAN'T CATCH ME!" I did not see the dog this afternoon when we got home, but I do have a little surprise for him when he shows back up. I will have the last laugh!!

Things seem to never slow down for us, we just go and go. Our office is coming along good. We have all the sheet rock up and we blew in insulation Saturday morning, I am still sneezing because of it. Kyla is playing volleyball. We go to Childress on Monday to play the bobcats. We take KFC, "Kids for Christ," to the amazingly Fun Farm in Amarillo Sunday after Pot Luck. This should be fun. A corn maize and corn cannon, can't beat that with kids Kindergarten through 5Th grade. Then KFC next Wensday night. We are trying to start getting LTC started some what as well. We wan to get an early start on it this year, so that we won't be so pressured at the first of the year trying to get it all done. We are going to need more help this year, we can't do what we have done in the past. I also have the Howell Family Reunion to start planning before long. I am not complaining, just thinking about all the stuff we have coming up, we would not have it any other way, well.............

I Like

2008-09-24T09:26:00.004-05:00

Have read several "I Like" posts in the last several weeks. Thought I would post my likes as well.

I like home made Ice cream, not store bought

I like Ford's and Chevy's: (Ford Pickups better than Chevy pickups, not because of the way they run, I think they all run about the same, I like the looks of a Ford pickup better than a Chevy.)

I like college football better than pro football (College is more exciting, the players want to win and take pride in their school. The atmosphere at a college game is much more exciting)

I like college basketball better than pro basketball;(Same as above)

I like to be on time. (If you are on time you are LATE, If you are early you are ON TIME. It really bugs me when people are late!)

I like Gunsmoke (favorite show ever)

I like the History Channel, LTC, and Discovery Channel

I like cool weather, not hot weather

I like a freshly mowed green yard

I like fruit loops (mostly at night)

I like old rock and country music, not RAP

I like watching my kids play sports

I like Mexican food

I like Sandi Durbins Hot Sauce (Although I have almost forgot what it taste like:)

I like watching the old shows like: Andy Griffith: Gillian's Island: Mash: Cosby Show: The Munsters: Green Acers:

No Matter What

2008-09-24T09:07:00.002-05:00

There has been lots of talk recently on TV and on radio about what will happen if the wrong President is elected. Personally I have just about stopped watching most of it, because most of it is just negative stuff. I read this list recently and thought it was good.

Predictions No Matter Who Wins The Election:

The Bible will still have all the answers
Prayer will still work
The Holy Spirit will still move
God will still inhabit the praises of his people
God's word will still be spread through out community
There will still be singing of praises to God
God will still pour out his blessings on his people
There will still be room at the cross
Jesus will still love you
Jesus will still save the lost

We should all pray about our election and pray that God's will be done, and pray for the leaders of our country on a daily basis, no matter who it is, but no matter what God stays the same, he still loves us.

20 years ago

2008-09-17T22:58:00.006-05:00

20 years ago I married the love of my life. 20 years ago I married the most wonderful person in the world. I can not believe that it has been 20 years ago, it is amazing that time has gone so quick. I know that the next 20 years will be even better than the last, Happy Anniversary Cheryl, I love you.

I wish we still had this car. We would take the T-tops off and just cruise around town, it was fast too. That's why I got the warning ticket soon after this picture was taken. Last 5 things that I love about Cheryl.

Encourages me to pray with her
Is good with money and finances
Loves to play with a calculator
Strives to put God first in her life every day
Is my best Friend

I look forward to growing old with my wife, she is a wonderful person, I love you. Thank you for putting up with me these 20 years!

5 more things

2008-09-16T13:46:00.004-05:00

There we are taking our vows. I don't know if I knew then how important those vow's were at the time. I know now though that they are very important, and I am so glad that I took those vow's with Cheryl.

Ok, help me here. This is after we have taken those vow's. Is it just me or does Cheryl look scared to death, and I look really happy?

Here are the next 5 things that I love about Cheryl.

She makes the best cheese Enchilada's
Loves to go on trips with the family
Puts my children's needs above her own needs
Puts my needs above her needs (she will go shopping and buy stuff for me and the kids and nothing for herself)
Is a good friend to others, always is there for her friends in time of need.

Tomorrow is our 20 year anniversary, so I will post the last 5 things and some more pictures.

20 Years

2008-09-15T08:51:00.004-05:00

This was our engagement picture 20 years ago.

This was a warning ticket that I got after we were married and we were off on our honeymoon. I was kinda in a hurry, luckily the cop just gave me a warning and let me go.

Next five things that I love about Cheryl:

Loves to be involved in Christ's church, loves to work with the youth and loves to help encourage them.

She is so kind to everyone

She is so cute when she has her little blond moments

Loves to help people, is very compassionate.

Is very patient

Tomorrow, another 5 and more pictures!

20 Year Anniversary

2008-09-14T17:15:00.003-05:00

This Wednesday September 17Th is Cheryl and I 20 year wedding anniversary! It has been an awesome 20 years, there has been some bumps but it has been great spending my life with Cheryl. Together we have made a wonderful family that we love very much. So in honor of our anniversary, for the next 4 days I will post each day 5 things that I love about my wife, and maybe I can dig up some pictures from 20 years ago as well. Here are the first 5!

She Loves me even though I have made some mistakes
She has the most loving heart of anyone I have ever known
She has supported me in all that I have ever done. (Video taping those motorcycle races I know were agonizing for her, but she did it anyway.)
She Loves my children very much
She loves God, and is always striving to learn more about him.

So there are the first 5 out of what will be 20. Tune in on Monday night to see the next five and maybe some pictures from 20 years ago.

12 Commandments

2008-09-08T21:57:00.002-05:00

My wife told me that she wants to post these "12" commandments in our house.

If you open it, close it
If you turn it on, turn it off
If you unlock it, lock it up
If you break it, admit it
If you can't fix it, call someone who can
If you borrow it, return it
If you value it, take care of it
If you make a mess, clean it up
If you move it, put it back
If it belongs to someone else, get permission to use it
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone
If it's none of your business, don't ask questions

I wonder what she is trying to say?

Friday

2008-09-05T09:35:00.003-05:00

It's Friday, I like Friday's. On Friday's we have our high school Friday Lunch's. Last Friday was our first Friday Lunch and we feed 50 kids. It was a great turn out. We hope for that great turn out again this week as well. There are some very special ladies that make this happen each week. If it was not for these ladies we could not have our Friday lunch's. They do the work, and I get to go and pick up the kids that can not drive in our church van, and then take them back to school. Thank you to all you ladies that make this happen every Friday.

Friday, is also casual day for most business in town. You get to mostly wear what you want to work on Friday's. Friday, everyone is making plans for the weekend, most everyone is in a great mood of Friday's around town.

Friday's is pep rally day, and its also "Friday Night Lights," high school football on Friday nights. I love to watch high school football. Pro football can not touch what happens on high school football fields on Friday nights. Kids coming together for one common goal, no not getting paid to do it, they do it because they love it and because they have pride in their school. I used to ref high school football, and I saw some amazing things out of high school kids, that you will never see on Sunday afternoons pro games. I also love to watch all of the highlight shows on Friday night. When I was a ref, I always wanted to get home as soon as possible to try and see if I could see my self on one of the highlight shows, begin yelled at by a coach of a fan. It was fun, but I just got too much other stuff going on now to be reefing on Friday nights.

Today on this Friday, I will help feed around 50 teens, and then I am going to go see a good friend of mine. I pray that what ever you do on this great Friday, God will bless you. I ask that you pray for me today as I help feed teens and as I go and see my good friend. Have a great Friday.

Are You Jesus?

2008-09-02T18:41:00.002-05:00

A few years ago a group of salesman went to a sales convention in Dallas. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner.
In their rush, with tickets and briefcases,one of these salesman accidental kicked over a table, which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding. All but one. He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and had a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, waved goodbye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then the returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did.
The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly grabbing for her spilled apples. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped her organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become bruised, these he set aside in another basket.
When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did, are you okay?"
She nodded as he continued, "I hope we did not spoil your day too badly." As the salesman started to walk away, the girl called out to him, "Mister...", he paused and turned around and looked into her blind eyes. "Are you Jesus?" she asked.

I wonder, has anyone ever mistaken me as Jesus, by the way that I live and interact in this world that is blind to him?

Looney Toons

2008-09-01T21:39:00.006-05:00

Looney Toons crack me up! I can remember watching them as a kid, they are still my favorite, besides Scooby Doo!

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-28T10:35:00.003-05:00

Today is my Anniversary! Not the anniversary that you may be thinking though. One year ago today is when I started my blog. I have had 4,743 hits on my blog this last year, the blog has averaged around 10 visitors a day. I had a time during the first of the year and some during the summer when I did not blog much and lost some readers, but I am now trying to blog more often, at least a few times a week. So much has changed in a year, all of it has been good changes though, we are much happier with the changes that we have had, God has blessed us so much.
Tomorrow is our fist High School Friday Lunch of the year. We are excited and ready to feed a lot of hungry kids. We look forward to seeing a lot of faces that we have not seen in a while, and look forward to meeting new ones that will hopefully come to eat with us. This is a great outreach program for our church, and we really enjoy it a lot.
Had to get up and take Kyla at 6:15am this morning to volleyball practice, it was early! She will have early practice twice a week, Tuesday's and Thursday's I think, not looking forward to that very much, I am not a morning person. Dylan has been riding the bus and really enjoys it. It picks him up around 7:15am, Kyla rides with him when she does not have practice.
Hope everyone has a great day!

Kids Hate Work??

2008-08-27T14:22:00.002-05:00

They want to play, watch TV, spent time with friends, and do anything but work. Most kids don't instinctively clean their rooms, make their beds, pick up toys, or wash their dishes. We seem to constantly remind our kids to clean their rooms. We probally drive them crazy with it, but after reading some very good imformative books on raising children, it is something bigger than just having a clean room.

Successful people have lerned to work hard. They realize that anything worthwhile in life requires a certain amount of effort, determination, and work. If you do nothing you usally get nothing. These are important lessons that every child needs to learn. The bottom line is that hard work is a good thing. There is joy and satisfaction to be gained when we put forth strong, serious effort toward a goal. Few things feel better than finishing a task and sitting back to enjoy a job well done. In the world today we want things the easy way. The other day, I could not find the remote to the TV, I knew what channel I wanted to watch, but instead of walking over to the TV and turning it on and going to the channel I knew I wanted, I looked for the remote for almost 5 minutes, and misse the part of the news that I wanted to watch. Is that not crazy or what! The world teaches laziness, entitlement, and disappointment. Hard work has many advantages:

It builds a can-do attitude
It teaches responsibility
It develops skills
It overcomes Laziness
It accomplishes tasks
It enriches character
It teaches us to appreciate effort
It keeps us from trouble
It assists others
It strengthens self-esteem

It's funny, a couple of months ago, our daughter was wanting to spend the night with someone. Before she asked us if she could, she cleaned her room, went into the kitchen put up the dishes in the dish washer put the dirty dishes in the dish washer and started it. We knew that something was up, we knew she was wanting something. Guess what when she came around to asking, we rewarded her and said yes. There is reward for working hard. As parents we should encourage our children to do chores around the house, it's good for them and then reward them for it.

Back To School

2008-08-25T07:47:00.002-05:00

It's that time again, time for school bells, tests, homework, and Friday Night Football. The kids went back to school this morning. Kyla going into 8Th grade. I can not believe it, she is growing up so fast. Next year, High School!!! Where has the time gone, seems like just yesterday she was starting kindergarten, it goes so fast. Dylan starts 2ND grade, his last year at Highland. They both rode the bus this morning, I miss taking them to school, Dylan was so excited about riding the bus, he wanted to last year, but we never did let him, so this year he begged us to. Hope that all the kids have a great first week of school. I pray for safety for all of our kids every where, I pray for guidance and courage and wisdom for all of them as well.

I did a devo for some teen bull riders last night at the roping arena. There were about 12 boys there that are around 15 years old. I enjoyed doing it and hope that we were able to touch someones heart. We watched for a while as they rode, it was really exciting. We took the AIM kids with us as well. Some of them have never seen anything like it before and I think they enjoyed it, it was fun for all of us. I talked about riding for the brand, I hope they enjoyed it.

Our first Friday High School Lunch is this Friday, we are hoping for a great turn out. This is a great outreach to our young people of the community, if you would like to get involved please let me know. Hope everyone has a great day!

Bad Luck

2008-08-22T09:14:00.004-05:00

This was unbelievable! Both men and women's relay teams dropped the baton, I watched in unbelief on both races. What a disappointment this was for the US team. I really thought that it was cool though that the lady that was running the last leg on the women's relay sprinted back picked up the baton and finished the race anyway. She said after in an interview, "I just had to finish the race."

I was thinking this morning what could I do to try and make the Olympics in 2012! Well it did not take me long to figure out that my chances would be slim to make the Olympics in 2012, what event would I want to be in if I could be in the 2012 Olympics?

Men's Basketball team would be my first choice (me and Koby flying high)
BMX, didn't even know that they had this event till last night. Those guys were flying on those bikes. Brought back memories of my dirt bike racing days, so this would be my other event:
100m Hurdles: I use to run these when I was in high school: Watching those who really know how to run them is really cool. They are so graceful, it's like the hurdles are not even there. I always wanted to run them like those guys do: So this would be my event as well:
200m sprint: I have always wanted to be fast: Look out Usain Bolt in 2012: I may be there:
Pole Vault: I really like to watch this event and would love to do it: This would be my 5Th event:
Long Jump: Kyla does the long jump, she could show me how:
400m relay: I would not want to be the one that drops the baton:

If I am going to do all of this in 2012, I better start training now!! See Ya!

Hurdles

2008-08-20T10:16:00.002-05:00

Lolo Jones was expected to win the gold in the women's 110m hurdles at the Olympics last night. She didn't get a very good start but made up for it in the middle of the race to pull out in front, then it was like the 9Th hurdle jumped up and grabbed her, she stumbled over that 9Th hurdle, struggled to make it over the 10Th hurdle and came across the finish line in 5Th place I think. She did not finish her race like she expected to and was devastated as she layed on the track with her face in her hands.

Hebrews tells us that we too are in a race as well, and much like the 110m hurdles we can have hurdles in our lives as well that can jump up and grab us and make us stumble. I think of my life and the many hurdles that I have had jump up and grab me and make me stumble. I look back and think about how I could have avoided those hurdles or at least gotten over them with out them grabbing me and making me stumble. It seems that in my life now I do not have as many hurdles that grab me. I am certainly not perfect, by no means maybe I get over those hurdles better now then I did then. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone is subject to hurdles grabbing them and making them fall. When that hurdle does grab us and make us fall, we MUST get back up and go forward. How do we do that, the only answer is GOD! Why is it that I get through hurdles in my life better now? What am I doing better now than I was, and what do I need to do better to keep those hurdles farther apart and easier to get through? It's good to evaluate every once in a while and decide what do I do well and what do I need to do better. Here on some thoughts on my life.

I am good at attending Church every time the doors are open and have a good relationship with fellow Christians and with God on Sundays and Wednesday nights:
I need to be better at having that relationship with my fellow Christians and with God on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Spend more time with God and with my christian friends
I am good at talking to people about their insurance needs:
I need to be better at talking to people about Christ, and being a better example to others by the way I talk and the way that I live.
I am good at complaining about stuff that does not work right or does not go my way.
I need to be better at encouraging others and be more compassionate to others needs instead of mine.

I felt bad for Lolo Jones last night, she was devastated, she did not start good, did good in the middle but did not finish well. In our christian race it does not matter how we start, it matters how we finish. If a hurdle has grabbed you in your life, pray that God helps pick you up and helps get you back in the race, and helps you finish strong. As I evaluate the things in my life that I do well and the things I do not do well, I pray that God helps me with those things, so I can finish strong.

Rain

2008-08-19T19:53:00.004-05:00

We have gotten a lot of rain the last several days. Rain seems to put a smile on everyone face:) Sunday after we came home from church, I found our garage that we are enclosing making an office out of it, was flooded. It had rained so much that the water off the roof had backed up and was running some how under the foundation. I had to borrow a wet vac to clean it up. Just about the time I got it all dry, here came the rain again, flooding it again. The office is not finished, no carpet down, just the cement. I got it all cleaned up for the second time, but during that time I found myself saying "God please stop the rain." and also singing "rain, rain go away come back again another day." I wondered if this is maybe what the people were saying after Noah closed the door on the ark and it started raining. I spent all day Monday putting up rain gutters to catch the rain water and direct it away from our future office.

Kyla and Dylan went to the lake with Cheryl's parents. They come home tomorrow afternoon. Kyla text's us everyday, she said Dylan caught two fish on Monday. I know that he is excited about that. We miss them and are ready for them to come home. School starts on Monday, Kyla's last year in JR. High and Dylan's last year at Highland. Next year will be High School and Swinburn. It all goes fast!

Deal OR No Deal

2008-08-18T19:08:00.002-05:00

We took 12 kids to Borger to TCC on Saturday. The theme this year was Deal Or No Deal. We had two really good speakers that spoke about decisions that we make in our lives. One of the speakers told the group "our generation really needs YOUR generation to get this," meaning how important it is to put God first in our lives and how when we make decisions we must include God in those decisions. An actually game of Deal Or No Deal was played. The contestant gave up things in his life to try to attain fame and fortune. Some of the things on the board he gave up was, Hope, Love, Kindness etc.. He gave up what was in the last case for many worldly things, the last case had his Soul in it. It was really eye opening for all of us. We ate at Borger after the youth rally was over and then stayed around for a while to get to know some of the other people that was there. It was a good trip for all of us.

Have been really enjoying the Olympics. Micheal Phelps is just awesome. Have not seen the US men's basketball team yet, they have been winning though. I heard an interesting story about the US women's basketball team. I have not been able to find the story, but I was told that two of the women on the team did not play on Sunday morning. They told their coach that they were going to church instead. That is cool, a lot of faith. Do I have that kind of faith??

TCC

2008-08-16T08:57:00.002-05:00

A group of us are off to Borger Texas today to TCC (Teenage Christian Crusade). Riding 2 hours with a van full of teenagers, might need to take some Advil with me. The theme this year is "Deal or No Deal", some great speakers on how to make good decisions. We will be back around 10:00pm tonight. Pray for our safe return. Tomorrow is Pot Luck at church and early service. Looking forward to a great worship and great food. Then a good nap in the afternoon, I think after today I will probably need it.
We will also be continuing our study in our Sunday morning class, "Living a Life That Matters", we will finish up lesson one, since we did not finish it last week. I still plan on posting the lessons either on the church web sight or on the blog. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Home

2008-08-10T19:27:00.003-05:00

We made it home from Colorado Springs Saturday afternoon. We had a really great time together. The weather in Colorado was really great. It rained almost every night that we were there. It is good to be home thought. I can not believe that school starts in just a couple of weeks. This summer has really blown by, i am ready to get into a regular routine though, not ready to get up at 6:00 to take Kyla to athletics though.

While on vacation, we visited James Dobson's Focus On The Family. I bought several things for our youth group and some stuff for our blue box on Sunday nights. We spent a lot of time there and we all enjoyed it very much. I bought a couple of his books, and I am starting a series of lessons, for our Sunday morning class, based on one of the books that I am reading. The series is will be called, "Living A Life That Matters." We will focus on Solomon and his quest to find something in life that lasts and makes him happy. This series of lessons will hopefully help our teens see how important it is to place God first in their lives, and help them see that only God lasts. The main idea is that, Solomon the wisest man that ever lived has already tried everything out there that there is to try to make him happy, and found nothing lasts but God, so we do not have to go through some of the same things he went through. I am writing the lessons from the book that I am reading and also over reading Ecclesiastes, each week the teens will have an outline to follow along with. It has been requested by some parents that I put the outline on the church web sight, so I will see if I can do that. If not I will post an outline here on the blog. Please be praying for our class and that through God's word we will be able to help our teens make great decisions in their life.

Off On Vacation

2008-08-04T09:46:00.002-05:00

We are off to Colorado Springs for a few days with just the family. Off to spend some time just relaxing and doing nothing for a while. It will be good to spend some time with just the family before school starts. We are all looking forward to it! Well better go! Pray for us while we travel.

Vacation/ More Pictures From Camp

2008-08-03T08:50:00.004-05:00

It is somewhat scary when your doorbell rings at 2:00am and awakens you from your sleep. After last weeks post I immediately thought, OK which member of our youth group is out at 2:00am and needs help. I went to the door and no one was there. As I watched through the window I saw a kid running across my yard headed North, only saw the back of him so not sure who it was, don't believe that it was someone from the youth though. After that Cheryl and I both had trouble falling back to sleep. KIDS!!

We are leaving on vacation tomorrow sometime we will be going to the mountains where it is cool. I hope to get some rest, sleep late and do just about nothing. Things have been really busy around our house the last week. We are enclosing our 2ND set of garages and making it into an office. It will be really nice when it is done. I have one of my Friends doing most of the carpentry work. I wired all of the lights and electrical outlets. It should be just about done by the time that we get back from vacation, then we can paint, put down carpet and it will be ready. We are ready for it to be done, so we can get more organized again.

I love Sunday mornings. I get up early and come to the Elders meting and then I have some quiet time afterwords to myself and it is really nice. I usually go over my lesson for class, blog and write in my journal. It seems with our life style that I get little time to myself, so I always look forward to Sunday mornings. I guess if I would get up earlier during the week, I would have some of that quiet time. School starts soon, and I am sure that Kyla will have athletics early in the morning, so I will have that opportunity soon.

Below are some more pictures from camp. Pray for us as we travel this week.

Eating!! all 250 of us!

Girls!!!

Kyla Styling!!

This was Dylan's date for the Sate Hawkins night!

Thoughts

2008-07-30T22:16:00.003-05:00

I really enjoy being a "part time" youth minister. I like spending time with our kids at church, they are really great. I must tell you something that really made me feel good that one of them told me on the way back from camp. We are driving home and one of them asks " Hey Matt, if you are still alive when I die, will you do my funeral?" I said "No problem, I would be honored to do that for you." I truly believe that he was serious too. It made me feel really great though. I hope that I do not have to do that any time soon though. Another thing that is really an honor is when our youth come to me with some problems that they are not sure how to work out. I had a young lady ask me some advice just tonight on how she should handle some things in her life. I told her what I thought she should do, and then we prayed about her situation. I pray tonight that God gives me the wisdom and the words to say when I am dealing with some of the issues that our youth have when they come to me for advice. We had several open up to us at camp about things, and not just ones from our group, but others from other towns that felt they needed someone to talk too. I had a young man from another town tell me about his sister that had gotten killed, and he was having a hard time with it. Wow that was tough, he really seemed like a great kid. I hope that I was able to help him.

Some other funny things that have been said to us since we have been working with the youth is "yall are like my second parents." That really makes us feel good, and then there is "If I ever get thrown into jail or get into trouble yall are the first ones that I am calling." Not sure how to feel about that one, but we want our youth to know that we are here for them always, at any time for any thing.

We have felt at times that we miss out on some of the adult things that go on, but I would not trade hanging out with our youth for anything, they are all great kids and we are getting closer to all of them every day. Anyway, I was just thinking about all of this tonight and thought that I would share. If anyone else wants me to do their funeral I would be glad to, If I am still alive :)

Check out the pictures on the below blog entry of our week at camp. I will try to post more later.

Camp

2008-07-30T18:31:00.010-05:00

We made it home from camp about 9:00 Friday night. Camp was a great experience for all of us. Below are some pictures from our week. Yes it was hot! I have been asked, why we go to camp at such a hot place, when we could go some where cool. The kids love Quartz Mountain. They have a great spiritual experience at Quartz Mountain, like they have never had at any other camp before. They put up with the heat in order to get closer to God and closer to other christian friends that they have. I think its great that they put up with the heat in order to experience God they way did. Even Elvis came to camp!New Friends!

The biggest water balloon fight I have ever seen!Morning Devo at the rocks:

Our Fearless Leaders!This was great to see!! We had I think 6 baptisms!

Saying goodbye was hard!

Away to Camp

2008-07-19T20:28:00.002-05:00

We leave for camp tomorrow after church! The kids are all excited and we have been trying to get packed and get things ready to go most of the day. We are still doing some last minute laundry that we need. I got my lawn mowed this afternoon and watered. As hot as Doppler Dave said it was going to get next week, it will be dried up by the time that we get back. I also got the "Blue Whale", or church van gassed up and the trailer hooked up ready to go. I am hoping for some relaxing time and some catch up on my sleep time, but I don't think that is going to happen this week. Maybe I can sneak off and catch a nap now and again. I know I need some time away to just rest. When we get back from camp we will be here for a week and then we are going on a family vacation, maybe to Colorado. I will probably need that even more by the time camp is over.

I look forward to this time at camp though to spend some time just concentrating on God. As I look back at our year, I see how God really has blessed me and my family. He has been so good to us. I need more faith though, I sometimes get stressed over things, and my health can not take much of that. God has been so good to me, Thank you God, I know I do not tell you enough, so thank you.

Please pray for us as we travel this week and pray that I survive it all!

New Preacher/Camp

2008-07-14T09:01:00.002-05:00

Bruce, our new preacher and his family arrived in Tulia last night. I was really glad to see them. There were so many people from the church that helped him unload his truck last night, and set up beds so they would have a place to sleep. It is really great to be a member of the Lords church and know that you have so much support from the people that you go to church with. The street that the house is on was full of cars, it was a great sight and I know that Bruce and Amanda appreciated the help.

I am especially glad that Bruce is here, this means that my preaching days are over for a while. I love to preach and I enjoyed it, but with everything else that we have going on with the youth and then with our jobs, it became stressful to prepare lessons that I thought would be good for our congregation. Toby Brown and I took turns every other week, and I am glad that he was willing to help, our last sermons were yesterday. He preached Sunday morning and I preached Sunday night. Thanks Toby, you did a great job and you helped take some stress off of me. I feel like now I can concentrate on the youth group more.

We leave for camp at Quartz Mountain next Sunday after services. We will come back on Friday afternoon. We will be here for the next week after camp and then we are going on a vacation. I need it!!, But I don't like being gone from home for very long. But I really need to get away for a while with just my family. All of the kids are looking forward to camp. They always have a great time and they enjoy seeing Friends that they have made from around the area. There are a couple of them who have jobs that they told that they would have to be gone for this one week. This really shows dedication to God, and shows that they have their priorities in line. They realize that time with God and time with others that love God as well, is very important.

Hope that everyone has a great week.

VBS

2008-06-29T17:13:00.018-05:00

Below are a few pictures from our VBS. We had a great VBS this year. We had an amazing 72 kids come to learn about Christ. This is the most that we have had in a while. Thanks to everyone who helped with VBS, it is amazing what we can all do, when we come together for one common goal. We never know what seed could have been planted this weekend in some of these kids. Thanks to all of you again.

VBS and Stuff

2008-06-19T20:56:00.003-05:00

Our VBS is fast approaching! Saturday June 28Th is the day. We all decided that a one day VBS would be good for this year. We have a lot planned! The theme for this year is "Wild West." Our youth group will hit the streets Friday the 27Th to invite everyone that we can think of to our VBS. We hope to get some of our local cowboys to ride horses with us as we knock doors. This will be a great outreach for our youth. Please pray for our VBS, that it will be successful and that we can reach lots of kids in our community. Also thanks to all of those who have helped plan this with us this year. We could not do this without you.

My lakers got beat:( , and I am not talking to Melissa Culwell, because of the comments made on the blog! Just kidding, its just a game right? There is always next year.

Dylan is doing better at swimming, he jumped off of the diving board yesterday. He is beginning to show signs of actually swimming. He is overcoming his fear and that is great. He has said that he will never learn how to swim, and we keep reminding him that he can do anything through Christ. The same goes with the baseball. He is getting frustrated with not hitting the ball, he is so close to knocking it out of the park, just swinging a bit over the top of the ball. I am not a big baseball guy, so I am not sure how to help him, except to just keep pitching them to him and keep encouraging him. He will do it before the season is over.

Kyla has games this weekend in Amarillo. This is her last tournament for the summer. With the price of gas this year has been kinda tuff to play in too many tournaments, so we just played in 5 this year. She is spending a lot of time at the swimming pool, she is part fish.

Both kids have been doing chores around the house some during the week, while they are home. We decided that we would pay them some for each chore that they do. Kyla has a checking account that she has really never used. We opened it for her when we sold her first show pig. We decided that she needed to learn how to work and make money and deposit money into her account and learn how to write checks and balance a check book. We have explained to her that just because you have check's does not mean that you have money. I think this will be good for both of them, to learn to work and make money and for Kyla she will learn about banking and taking care of a check book. Dylan does not have a checking account, he just keeps his in his can in his room. We also told them that they need to give part of what they earn each week to the church. We believe that giving is so important, and we want to start teaching them that now.

We also want to teach them to save up for the things that they want and pay cash for them.

Well that's about it for now. Have a great weekend!

Frustrated

2008-06-16T22:52:00.002-05:00

I am pulling my hair out. I am trying to update my "blog template." I got one from a really cool web sight, got it on the blog, decided I did not like it, uploaded the old one while I found another one. Now I can not get the one that I like to work, and I lost a lot of my links and fav. blog links on the blog. So I am giving up for now, will try again another time. So if things look a little different and you see some things missing, hopefully I will have it all back soon. I know I have so many readers that will be disappointed in the way things look.

We took the youth group to Wonderland park on Saturday. They all had a blast. There was 20 in all that went. It was a lot of fun. I don't ride many rides, so I was in the arcade a lot. I did get high score on centipede, 140,000. It was fun, have not played it in a long time. It took about $3.00 to get the high score, but I got it!

Remember the town of Childress in your prayers. They had a tornado Sunday night. There is lots of clean up to do, Trey and his family are OK, and are helping with the clean up.

My Lakers won last night. The series goes back to Boston. I don't know if they can hold on and make it to a game 7 or not. I have been a Lakers fan since the early 80's. Loved the old Lakers and Boston games, they were fun to watch. This series is OK, but not like they were in the 80's. I really don't watch that much NBA, but I had to watch this finals. Go Lakers!!

Our VBS is coming up in a couple of weeks. I am kinda nervous about it. Hope that we can get it all together and have lots of kids show up. We have a bunch of ladies that are great help and are more experienced than I am. Thanks to all of you that are helping.

Dylan started swimming lessons today. This is his 3rd year. He just has not caught on to it yet. I pray that this year he will catch on, he is a little like me, does not like the water much. I can swim, but do not care for lakes or pools that much. Kyla on the other hand is like a fish. Dylan is also playing machine pitch baseball. He did really good at all the practices, hit the ball really good. Here at home, when I pitch to him, he hits it. Gets to the ball park on game day, and has only hit the ball once. Nerves I guess, but I know that he will hit some good ones before the year is over.

Seems like summer is going by really fast. Kyla has her last B-ball tournament this weekend, and then we have VBS the next week end. Then the 4Th of July after that. Then the middle of July we have church camp with the kids in Oklahoma. Its been busy and its going to get even worse. We still need to take a vacation with the kids, not sure how we are going to fit it all in. Who was it that said, "Part Time Youth Minister?"

Hope everyone has a good week, I got my lap top working again so maybe I can start posting more.

Rejoicing

2008-06-12T08:58:00.002-05:00

Last night after Church Katie Fowler, a member of our youth group was baptized. Katie came to us a couple of weeks ago and said that she thought she wanted to be baptized. We have been talking to her ever since and last night she was baptized in to Christ. This was the first time that I have baptized anyone, it was an honor to do so and I thank Katie for asking me to do it. Also thanks to Trey Morgan for the advice, does this mean that I am no longer a rookie?
I know that God is rejoicing with Katie's decision and we are all very proud of her. It is awesome to see our young people dedicate their lives to Christ. Congratulations Katie on your new life with Christ!

We are taking the youth group to Wonderland Park this Saturday, so please be praying for us. We leave at 2:00pm and will probably close the park down. It will never be the same. Our VBS is fast approaching, June 28Th, we are looking forward to a great group of kids from our community. Our theme is "Wild West," and we have a lot of great stuff planned.

I am also looking forward to our new preacher being here. Bruce will be here in about a month. He has a long trip to make from Alaska, and the further South that he goes the hotter it will get. Be praying for their safe trip, we are all looking forward to him being here. The fill in preachers are tired and I know that this fill in is running out of material to preach on.

Praying and singing

2008-06-03T09:09:00.002-05:00

Two of my favorite things to hear is my son when he prays and when he sings in church. It is amazing that when he sings, he does not have a care about how he sounds and it just fills my heart with joy when I hear his voice over everyone else. It also fills my heart with joy when I hear his prayers. They are so wonderful and so much from the heart. I maybe can now understand the way the God feels when he hears us sing praises to him, like me when I hear my sons voice, that is full of so much love for God it just fills my heart with joy, when God hears our voices in song praising him, it fills his heart with joy as well.

I found the following called kids' letters to God, that I found interesting and thought I would share it with you, hope you enjoy.

Dear God, instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't you just keep the one You have? Jane

Dear God, maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each other so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother. Larry

Dear God, If you watch me in church Sunday, I'll show you my new shoes. Mickey

Dear God, In Sunday school they told us what you do. Who does it when you are on vacation? Jane

Dear God, Is it true that my father won't get into heaven if he uses his bowling words in the house? Anita

Dear God, thanks for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. Joyce

Dear God, I think about you sometimes even when I am not praying.- Elliot

Dear God, My brother told me about being born but it doesn't sound right. They're just kidding right? Marsha

Tagged

2008-05-28T16:11:00.002-05:00

I have been tagged by my "former Friend" Melissa. It's probably a good thing since I have not blogged in a while, so I guess I should thank her. So here goes.

1) What was I doing 10 years ago:
Working for the electric coop in Tulia.

2) 5 things on my to do list for today:
Toilet paper Melissa's house (just kidding)
Take Kyla's basketball teams entry check to Plainview for their tournament this weekend.
Go to Dylan's awards at his school
Work on sermon for Sunday
Meet with a couple of clients in Plainview
Work on lesson for class tonight

3) 5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
pay off all bills
Buy Christmas presents for kids that could not afford Christmas
Send a kid to college that could not afford it
Build Cheryl her dream kitchen
Build a basketball gym for Kyla and a Baseball Field for Dylan

4) 3 Bad habits
Chew my fingernails
Cheryl says that I make a phone call on my cell phone right before we are going in some where, drives her crazy.
Eating sunflower seeds

5) 5 places I have lived:
Bovina Texas
Lubbock Texas
Tulia Texas
Clovis NM
(Only lived 4 places sorry)

6) 5 Jobs
Farming
Pulling irrigation pumps
Cable TV company
Swisher Electric
Insurance Sales/Youth minister

There it is!!

Home Sweet Home

2008-05-13T21:23:00.002-05:00

We made it home from Can Cun on Saturday night. It was really late when we got in. Our flight in Dallas was delayed like 4 times. We were scheduled to leave out of Dallas at 8:30pm and we finally took off at 10:15. The kids were at my parents house and we got back to Tulia about 12:30 and went straight to pick them up. They were asleep, but were ready to see us, and we were ready to see them. There truly is no place like home!

We had a really great time, but were really glad to be home. I was ready for some regular food, and some good Ice Tea. Cheryl got sick the last night we were there and was really miserable, but did good coming home. We got to go snorkeling, which was really fun and got to see a lot of great sights. We stayed at an all inclusive Resort and Spa. The insurance company paid for it all, so it was great.

I am preaching this Sunday. The title of my lesson is "Face to Face with Jesus." I was scheduled to preach this lesson a couple of weeks ago, but Luis Bevel decided to give Toby and I a break for a week and preached instead. He did a great job, thanks Luis for your help. So this week I will do the lesson that I was going to do a couple of weeks ago. This will involve a "Pig and a Chicken", again you will have to show up and see what that has to do with coming "Face to Face with Jesus." I will try to post some pictures later of our trip. Hope that all of you are doing well and God bless all of you.

Can Cun

2008-05-02T09:37:00.005-05:00

We have another busy weekend this weekend. Kyla plays b-ball Saturday, first game is at 9:00am. I am preaching Sunday morning and then we have our church picnic Sunday afternoon at Quitaque. Monday we have a busy day with some appointments and then Tuesday Cheryl and I leave for Can Cun baby!! We will be gone most of the week coming home on Saturday night. I won this trip with one of the insurance companies that I represent. They are paying for Cheryl and I to go, our only cost will be any shopping that we do. It is really exciting, although I do not like to fly, so I will have my Dramamine with me to take before I get on the plane Tuesday morning to knock me out. We fly from Amarillo to Dallas and then to Can Cun. We are looking forward to it all. Please be praying for our safe trip and also for our kids. They will be staying with Cheryl's parents part of the week and then my parent's for the last part of the week. I will try to post some pictures from our trip when we get back.

I am preaching Sunday morning on "Coming face to face with Jesus." We will look at someone in the bible that came "face to face with Jesus." and ask the question "What must I do to have eternal life?" We will look at Jesus response and also look at the rich young rulers response to what Jesus had to say to him. Our text will be Matthew 19: 16-26. I will also talk about a "Pig and a Chicken." What do they have to do with Matthew 19 and the rich man and Jesus. Well you will just have to show up and find out. I know that our congregation is probably thinking, "we really need to get Bruce here quick." Hope that all of you have a great weekend and a great week next week. Remember us as we travel and are apart from our family.

Punched Out

2008-04-27T08:51:00.002-05:00

Wow, we had a really exciting game on Saturday morning. We lost by two points, and Kyla got punched out! A girl came up to her with just a few seconds left in the game after a foul and, yes your heard it right, doubled up her fist and "Punched" Kyla right in the mouth, on purpose, and stated, "Don't mess with me!" Of course the Ref did not see this and Kyla had to leave the game bleeding, she may have a tooth messed up as well.

I was so proud of Kyla, after she came out of the bathroom she told the same girl, good game, I will not tell you what response she got. It is amazing what goes on at some of these games. We did win our last game of the day by like 20 points. So over all we had a good tournament, we lost two games, but one was only by 1 point and the other was only by 2 points. We did not get home till 11:00 last night, and guess what, we will do it all over again next weekend. Hopefully there will be no punching though.

The shot

2008-04-25T22:48:00.003-05:00

I took this picture with my phone and I was not in a very good spot. Kyla is across the lane in the white. She had her first AAU basketball game tonight. They really played well for the first game. I was proud of them all. With about 30 sec. left in the game they were behind by 4 points, and Kyla shot a 3 pointer and made it. I know it had to be an NBA 3, and it was nothing but net. Then she stole the ball around half court and was going in for a lay up and missed. They lost by one point. She was upset about the lay up. I told her that the next one would go in and not to worry about it. She plays tomorrow at 11:30. So if you see Kyla this weekend give her a pat on the back, maybe tomorrow she will hit the winning shot. Love you kid, we are proud of you, keep shooting them.

Integrity

2008-04-18T10:33:00.004-05:00

What is integrity? I think I am still learning. Although I have learned a lot about this word over the last two years. I have heard, and said phrases like " I am going to do what I think is right." The key word in this phrase is the word "I". I have learned that there is a difference. I am learning that integrity is "doing what is right." not just "what I think is right." In my profession and the people that I deal with everyday, it is very important that I do "what is right." I must confess that over the last two years, I was being lead to a place that, I could have lost my integrity, and I thank God that he opened my eyes to so many things. As I live my life and as I deal with people I want to keep my integrity in tact no matter the cost. This post may not make a whole lot of sense to some, but it does to me, and if you have ever been in a situation where you think your integrity is being challenged, stop and get out. God will bless you for it, he has me, a million times over. It's funny in our Wednesday night class the subject of Lying came up in our conversation. I was told a about a year ago by someone that I thought I had a lot of respect for that, "if you don't tell the whole truth, that is not really lying." When I asked the youth Wednesday night they knew the correct answer, lying is lying and not telling the whole truth is lying. We talked about how always telling the truth no matter what, helps keep our integrity in tact. Thank you youth group for your wonderful knowledge.

There has been a lot of people ask us about our business, since we have went out on our own again. We thank each of you for your concerns and for your prayers. Let me tell you that God has truly blessed us. It is amazing what God will bring to you, when you are doing his will. We have been blessed that we are able to do very well in our business and spend time working with our youth and with the church. I tell you God is awesome, he has taken us on a great journey and has blessed us all the way. Thank you God!

Our Senior Banquet is coming up next week. We will honor all those Seniors that have ever attended our church. It is amazing the love that this congregation has. We want to send these Seniors off with Love and Encouragement. They will each receive a Bible with their names on it. Our prayer is that these Seniors use this Bible when they get out on their own, to grow closer to God, and to use it to guide them through life. Good luck Seniors, we are proud of you. Thank you Central church of Christ for our love and willingness to serve others.

I am preaching this Sunday, wow will I be glad when Bruce gets here. I really do enjoy doing it, I just hope that my lessons that I prepare for our congregation inspires all who hear to have a closer relationship with God. My sermon this Sunday will be "A contagious community." I hope that everyone enjoys. Thanks to Toby Brown for his wonderful lessons as well, we have been preaching every other week, and Toby does a great job. I think I might be rambling, now so I will close. Trey Morgan says, blogs should not be too long.

It's been a while

2008-04-07T08:56:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I have posted. So much going on in our lives and I do not see it slowing down anytime soon. Kyla has been running track and we have been going to track meets every weekend. Saturday was the district track meet in bushland, the wind blew really bad. Our 7Th grade girls placed 2ND in district, we were all so proud of them. We thought that now that track is over we could relax some, but now our little track star as we call her, is now wanting to become a little tennis star. She brought home a permission slip to play tennis, so here we go again. We love going to watch her and we are so proud of all that she does, but it seems its just one thing after the next. She is also in horse judging as well.

We had our LTC presentation Sunday morning, gave out the awards to the kids, we were so proud of all of them. We had some first time LTC participants this year that really loved it and really did very, very, good. They are already looking forward to next year. I was really proud of the way that our youth group supported each other at LTC. They all went to each others events, and told each other "good job" all of the time, our group is really getting closer each day, and growing closer to God as well. Being part of a youth group is so important. They lean on each other and they have a bond with each other, and they support each other so well.

Now that LTC is over it is time to get on to the next thing. Graduation is coming up and we have some seniors that attend our church that we will have a senior banquet for. Our congregation really does a lot for our young people, it is amazing the love that all of you have. It is so important to send these seniors off with encouragement from their home congregation. We will have this sometime in May and I am looking forward to it.

So we have been very busy and my mind has been full of all sorts of things, planning LTC stuff, thinking about senior banquet, and then there is VBS coming up soon, and also trying to make a living in my business as well. I tell myself, one thing at a time and with God's help we will make it all successful. I thank each of you for your support for Cheryl and I, since we have taken over the youth program, we love each of you so very much. A lot of you have wondered about our business since we have been on our own, I can say this, God is awesome, and it has been very, very, very, good, better than we had expected. We are very blessed people. More on this maybe later.

LTC Pictures

2008-03-26T17:05:00.013-05:00

Just some of the pictures that we took at LTC. I will be doing a presentation on our LTC program, a week from this Sunday and presenting everyone with their awards:

LTC Gang outside Rain Forest Cafe:

George the frog

Too cool

Hug the Wall

Load up

Erica Bible Reading: Great Job

Lets Eat

After puppets

What?

This was a great way to spend Easter Weekend, praising God through all of our different events. If you are not involved in LTC, please think about it for next year, we always have an awesome time and we always grow closer to God and closer to each other:

LTC

2008-03-24T12:09:00.002-05:00

LTC is over for another year. We got back from Dallas Sunday afternoon around 6:30pm. It was an awesome trip. The kids really had a great time, LTC is a great way for our youth to get to know each other better and meet new friends from other congregations. If you are not involved in LTC, you are really missing out this helps our youth grow so much spiritually. To get to go to Dallas and show the things that they have worked so hard on is so rewarding for them. They all worked so hard this year and we are so very proud of them.
LTC is a way for our youth to express themselves to God through, drama, puppets, song and Bible reading. We all grew closer to God this weekend and through the time that we spent together working on everything. It is so important for our young people to be part of a youth group and be so supportive of each other. They will have a bond with God and with each other that will last forever. Thanks to our Central Church of Christ congregation for all of your support and love. You are so supportive of our youth, we are very blessed to be a part of this congregation. A couple of our first time LTC kids really enjoyed their time this weekend, and have already said, What a great youth group and Church congregation, and can't wait to go back next year.
I will post pictures later of our trip.

Looking Forward

2008-03-18T09:01:00.002-05:00

We have been very busy the last few weeks getting ready to go to LTC in Dallas. Trust me when I say, that there is no such thing as a "Part Time Youth Minister," but we have enjoyed every minute of it. The kids are really excited, we are taking 15 with us this year and its really going to be a fun time for all of us and we are looking forward to going. We leave Friday morning at 6:00am, so be praying for us as we travel. We will perform our Chorus, Puppets and Drama this Wednesday night in front of the congregation. Our chorus is awesome, we are doing some different things with it this year and the kids really sound great. Thanks, to Sharla for all of her help with the puppets, they as well are going to be great. Our drama, is what we are really looking forward to as well, it is awesome, the kids have really worked hard on it, and it is really, really good. The chemistry between the kids can really been seen through it. I really think its the best we have had in a while. Thanks to Elizabeth for helping with the costumes, they are great! It really helps when you have a group that comes together and works together so well with each other like we have this year. Also thanks to Vickie Culwell, for helping put together the scrap book, it looks great and the kids had a great time doing it.
Another thing that we are looking forward to is our new preacher that is coming. "Have you heard about Bruce", Trey? Bruce Baird is going to be our new preacher. Bruce was our Youth Minister several years ago, before going to Alaska to preach. He will be coming home to Central Church of Christ in July of this year and we are so looking forward to his arrival. I believe Bruce will be very good for our church and our community. He is a minister that will help bring all of us together, and I really look forward to that. Also I look forward to working with him as a youth minister, I know that we will be able to do some really great things together through Christ.
So lots of things to look forward to this week and in the months ahead. I feel with Bruce coming to be our preacher, it is like a new beginning for all of us, and I hope that all of you are as excited about it as I am.
So what do you have to look forward to in the next several weeks or months?

Luck of the Irish??

2008-03-10T18:05:00.005-05:00

I do not like forwards in my e-mail box. Usually I will just delete them without even reading them. Sometimes I will open and scan through them really quick and then delete. I have gotten this one a couple of times in the last day or so.

It reads as follows:

Irish Friendship Wish:

May there always be work for your hands to do;

May your purse always hold a coin:

May the sun always shine on your windowpane:

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain:

May the hand of a Friend always be near you:

May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you:

All of these things really sound great for me, and can cheer me up and make me feel really great, but then you read on and it says:

OK, this is what you have to do.......

Send this to all of your friends, and you have to send it within ONE hour from when you open it! Make a wish and your wish will come true only if you send it. Depending on how many people you send it to, will depend on how quick your wish will come true;

Send it to:

1 person your wish will come true in 1 year

3 people--- 6 months

5 people---3 months

20 people-- 3 hours

And if you delete it you will have bad luck for 1 year: But if you send it to 20 of your friends you will automatically have 3 years good luck!

Thinking about this, I thought what do I need luck for I have God. I am so glad that God does not put stipulations on me in order for me to be blessed. I have Jesus Christ, who died for me, if I had nothing else, I am blessed. Luck, NO, I want my life and my blessings based on God not Luck. We should give God the glory for our good fortunes and our blessings, not luck, but God. I don't know how many of these e-mails I have gotten, and have deleted and so far no bad luck or good luck, but God has stilled blessed me. Thank you God!

Love

2008-03-03T17:52:00.002-06:00

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseves. Love never fails.

I wonder, do I really understand what love is? God tells me to Love, and to love everyone, even my enemies. Wow have I done that lately? He does not tell us to only Love those who AGREE with what we AGREE with. He does not tell us anywhere to be angry with those who do not agree with what we agree with. No where does he tell us not to love those who we think have done us wrong.
I wonder, do I really understand what love is?
Love is Patient: Have I been patient with people this week that need my patience?
Love is Kind: Have I been kind this week to even those who have done me wrong?
It is not Rude: Have I been rude to anyone this week, by the words that I have chosen to speak to them?
Love is not easily angered: Have I gotten angry with anyone this week?
Love protects: Have I tried to protect those who have been attacked this week?
Always hopes: Have I kept hope up for those who are lost or struggling or have I just given up on them?
Love never fails: Have I failed anyone that needs my love, but instead of giving them love have I given them more grief and failed them?

Have I loved like Jesus loves? Reach out to those that are struggling in their faith and in their lives with Love. Being angry is a choice that I make. I sometimes say, "He made me angry" that is impossible, I choose to be angry or I chose to Love. I chose Love today and I pray that God helps me to chose my words and my actions carefully and with Love.

A quarter

2008-02-28T11:16:00.004-06:00

Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston , Texas . Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, "You' d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it." Then he thought, "Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as 'a gift from God' and keep quiet."

When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change." The driver, with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday."

When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, "Oh God,I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians and will put us to the test! Always be on guard and remember that you carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself "Christian".

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits, they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Prayers

2008-02-23T10:35:00.002-06:00

It has been announced several times at church about Brad West having surgery this weekend. Brad had some cancer that they were going to try to take our of his stomach. The doctors were really upbeat about the surgery and about being able to get all of the cancer. Unfortuantley Brad did not make it through the surgery and died yesterday afternoon. Brad's brother Brian West is one of my best friends and was in Houston with Brad and his wife, where the surgery was done. I ask for the prayers for my friend and his family, they are really in shock and devestated about all of this. Brian is trying to get home to be with the rest of the family and was hopeful last night about getting a flight out to Amarillo today.

There are so many things in our lives right now that we think are so important and so many things that we worry about, that we really have no control over. We must enjoy and love our family now and put all of our worries and other things aside. We never know what the future holds. I pray that God opens my eyes to my true blessings. Hug your family today and tell them that you love them.

Lost

2008-02-20T18:31:00.005-06:00

This may be a blog that only my wife and kids will really understand. I have a pair of clip on sunglasses. Since we moved last year, I just can not seem to keep up with them, I have lost so many. I had one pair for only about 2 days before I lost them. I bought them and then Cheryl and I went on a cruise and I am pretty sure that they fell out of my pocket and fell over board. I did not think that the captian would turn the boat around and throw a life jacket out for my sunglasses. When we returned home I bought another pair and lost them a few weeks later, then bought another pair and I broke them. I then bought, yes another pair, you guessed it, lost them too. Then just Monday, I put on a jacket that I had not worn for ever and reached into the pocket, felt something weird, pulled it out and yes there were my sunglassess. I have made it my mission to keep up with this pair that I have recently found. I tell my family this and they roll there eyes and say "Sure Dad."

I felt maybe a little like the ladie in Luke 15:8-10, that lost her coin and when she found it she called all of her neihbors together to rejoice. It is really cool when we find something that has been lost for so long. I can imagine how God feels when we turn our lost lives over to him, he and his angles rejoice.

By the way for some reason my spell checker on my blog is not working, so I am sure that I have misselled many words, so forgive me, and if anyone has any idea how to fix it please let me know.

Refuge:

2008-02-15T09:02:00.003-06:00

I drop off both of my children at school today, then come home and read in the newspaper where a former student kills 5 in another school shooting. These things scare me to death, how do I protect my kids. I can not be with them all of the time, I can not be that sheild in front of them 24 hours a day. I just do not understand, how a young person can get so down and so discouraged that he feels he has to take the lives of other young people and then take his own life. We must convey to our youth of this nation, that there is another way, that no matter what the situation, not matter how bad things seem to get, there is a better way, there is a refuge. A refuge not in the killing or hurting of others, but a refuge in God.
Psalms 5:10-12
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

During an election year there is a lot being said about, how to fix the economy, how to fix health care, how to get our nation out of debt and how one person can bring on change that will help this nation. Until we as a nation come together and do something to stop our young people from harming each other, and until we all come together and bring God back into our schools and back into our homes, it does not matter if we fix the economy, or if we fix health care, or get out of debt, our country will be in trouble. Our youth of this world is the future of our church and the futrue of our nation. Lets all pray for not only our local youth, but also the youth of this country that they all find refuge in God and not in harming others or themselves.

My Son

2008-02-13T17:46:00.003-06:00

This is a picture of my son. I must tell you about how proud I am of him. When your phone rings at home and you see that it is the school calling in the middle of the morning, you think, "oh no someone is in trouble, or someone is sick". Not this call that we got today. It was the school calling us to telling us about Dylan getting a Gold Star today. Getting a Gold Star, puts you in a drawing to go and eat with the principle at Pizza Hut. The Gold Star is only awarded to students that do something special at school. Today Dylan ran and helped a teacher by opening the door for her. She said that he was such a gentleman. I have noticed this about Dylan on several occassions, he has learned this at Church, in the mornings he stands by the door a lot to help hold the door open for people comming in. My son the gentleman, I pray that he stays this way from now on. I am busting with pride today!

Irritated?

2008-02-09T09:11:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, people can be very mean and cruel. Sometimes people can be unfair, unkind, and unappreciative. Sometimes people get angry and frustrated. So what is the Crhistian to do? We talked some about this in our class Wednesday night. How hard it is sometimes to forgive people who wrong us. But God's answer is straightforward: Forgive, and move on. Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven".
What ever anyone else has done to us, we have done the same thing to God, but he fogives us, so in turn we must forgive those who wrong us. The best thing we can do is do what Matthew 5: 44 tells us: "But I tell you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
So I challenge us all today, think of someone who has persecuted you, STOP right now and pray for them, and forgive them today. You will see how much more blessed you will be because of it.