Merry Christmas!

Tomorrow the Knight family is headed south to Texas. Belinda's family and my grandmother do not know we are coming, so we are springing a surprise this year, and this also represents our first road trip to Texas since we moved to West Virginia in 2003.

We'll be spending Christmas Eve at my grandmother's house with the rest of the Higgins clan, and el gato loco de Naples Tejas. I can't wait.

Blogging activity will be most likely more sporadic than usual, so I'll take this chance to wish everyone a wonderful, Christ filled Christmas!

Best High School Basketball in the Country is in West Virginia

State Senator Vic Sprouse has a great post about this year's Huntington High basketball team. The team has already won back to back state titles with Patrick Patterson, and now has national phenom (Huntington native) OJ Mayo in the mix. The best team in the nation this year resides in the big WV.

You can read more about it here.

Ridge Stone Church on Hannity and Colmes

Gary Lamb did it again. Unbelievable.

Top Ten Campsites in WV (Continued)

David Letterman only wishes his top ten lists were this suspenseful...picking up from where we left off on September 30th...

#6 - Red Creek Campground - Dolly Sods Wilderness, WV

Red Creek Campground is another Monongahela National Forest campground perched high on the Allegheny Front at 4,000 feet. The weather is unpredictable and snow can be expected any time from September through late April. Red Creek is small, with only 12 sites. If it is full, there are several undeveloped sites within 300 yards of Forest Road 75 which I will discuss in more detail later in the top ten. There are no showers (sorry ladies), but hiking opportunities are abundant with several trailheads within one mile of the campground. These trails pass through open plains, spruce thickets, northern hardwoods, across beautiful mountain streams, and generally offer some of the best unspoiled scenery WV has to offer. Red Creek would also probably rank #1 in stargazing potential out of all the places we have visited in WV.

Jerry's New House of Bling

I'm pumped. The Cowboys are getting a new stadium soon, complete with 1/4 mile long steel arches, seating for 100,000, a retractible roof, field level suites, and a 60 yard long video screen. For more on the NEW Texas Stadium, check it out here.

Vision Glimpse

Sunday was a great day. Our church called an audible on the planned service and threw some love toward Jason and me. They honored us with lavish gifts, an iPod for Jason, and a Mossberg 500 12 guage shotgun for myself (bad news for turkeys in WV). For more regarding the day, you can read Jason's post which accurately reflects my sentiments here.

Maybe the highlight of the day occurred when one of our twentysomethings came out after the service and shared this with me, "I have never been a part of a church like this, where I can be honest and open with others about the things I'm dealing with in my life. I love this church! Thank you for all you do."

Good stuff. Way to go God!

Christmas Party #1

Last night I attended my first Christmas party of 2006. Several StoneBridge collegians got together and organized a gathering last night at David and Manny's place. We all had a good time eating, singing and requesting tunes to be sung by David, playing cards, and other assorted activities. Good times.

Y Give? See Isaiah 58

This month we are preaching a 4 part series of messages called "Y? - Why we do what we do". Too often the church communicates the "what" and the "how", but rarely do we talk about the "why". Two weeks ago, I spoke on the subject of "Y Grow", last Sunday Jason spoke on "Y Jesus", and this week I am up to bat again with "Y Give". God has been chiseling away on me throughout the year concerning my level of generosity.

In November 2005, Jason and I had the bright idea of putting a full color church ad in the Dinosaur, oops, I mean the Yellow Pages. Now this has not produced results in terms in new guest visits, but the church line does ring off the wall from time to time...with requests. Requests for food, lodging, help with rent, utilities, a cold beer, you name it, we get it. And to top it off, since the church line is forwarded to my mobile phone, who do you think gets to handle these requests?

As I said before, God has been chiseling away at my heart all year long. First, He crossed my path with David, a homeless guy in DC we met while at the Buzz Conference. God melted my heart and led DStory and myself to provide a McDonalds meal and $20 bucks for a warm bed for David. Then in September, I received a call on the weekend from a lady who was requesting food. I pulled my Scrooge self off of the couch and begrudgingly headed to town to buy some groceries to take to the lady. While I was wheeling the grocery basket thru Kroger, God grabbed my heart and let me know how selfish I was. I was groaning about spending time on my day off to help this lady, while I had so many blessings sitting at home...my family, a warm bed, a refridgerator full of food. God broke me down and changed my attitude that day and has continued to give me a greater desire to help and a better attitude of generosity.

Last night I delivered another load of groceries to a lady in need. Later, I ran into Loren at BCM and asked her what she was reading for her LTG this week. She told me about her journey through the book of Isaiah, and without knowing about my day, shared a verse that had touched her heart for the week. She pointed me to Isaiah 58:10...

"Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness around you and be as bright as day."

OK Lord, I get the message. Thank you for opening my eyes.

Outfoxed

I spent yesterday morning in Taylor County hunting with Jim Cooley, a friend of mine who also pastors a church in Morgantown. For most of the morning I didn't see or hear much of anything until I noticed a bright, bushy, rust colored tail darting across the forest. I guessed that it was a red fox, and it stopped to forage and play around several large rocks. I enjoyed watching it through my scope for about five minutes, but didn't take a shot since I figured foxes were out of season.

When I got back to the truck, I told Jim about my discovery and he said, "Why didn't you shoot? Foxes are in season." Lesson learned: read the regulations before hunting next time.

Parenting 401 (Surgical Procedures)

One of the higher level skills involved in parenting is that of a surgeon. Yesterday afternoon Ryan came home from school with a nice size splinter in his middle finger and he refused to let me "operate", so we waited until Belinda came home yesterday evening. She put on her "surgeon" hat and proceeded to attempt to remove the splinter. I played the role of the restrainer as Ryan viewed the procedure as if we were trying to amputate his arm. Oh well, after 45 minutes of wrangling, coaching, coaxing, poking, and restraining, the splinter was successfully removed.

Maybe this is how God feels when He is trying to mold me and shape me into what He wants me to be, but I persist in my resistance and try to fix my own problems.

"I am the Lord who heals you." - Exodus 15:26

No Three Peat

Congratulations to the Mohigans on another great season and 10 straight years of 10 or more victories.

Parkersburg 42
Morgantown 14

State Semifinal Update

At the half...

Parkersburg 20
Morgantown 14

Deer Camp 2006 Postgame Report

Monday and Tuesday marked my 2nd year to deer hunt. Last year I was invited out to Barbour County and got addicted, even though I didn't see anything. So I had been counting down the days to the start of this year's deer (gun) season and bought my first rifle a month ago from Street's Hardware store in Masontown, WV. After much research on the internet and talking to other hunters, I settled on a Ruger M77 (walnut stock) chambered for .25-06. After church Sunday morning, I loaded up the Jeep and headed to Barbour County. Upon arrival I joined my six compadres for the hunt as we scouted out the deer stands and made necessary repairs. I chose to hunt in the same stand I used in 2005, which was situated close to a gas line and several intersecting deer trails.

Monday I sat in that stand from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm and only saw one doe around 8:00 am. There were 4 bucks harvested out of our group on Monday, the largest being a 7 point. On Tuesday, I headed back out and spent most of the day in the woods, not seeing anything until 2 doe appeared about 40 yards from my stand. Not having seen much of anything for two days and wanting meat for the freezer, I dropped one of the doe in its tracks. This doe represented the first wild game I have ever killed and I was pumped. Thanks to good coaching, I was able to successfully field dressed the doe without losing my lunch. I am not including the picture of the doe because I wouldn't want to brag about the size :)

Here are some highlights and awards I would like to give out for the trip: (initials are used instead of names to protect the innocent)

Best steaks: large T-Bones on Sunday night grilled by MW

Most interesting beverage: Logan County moonshine (I didn't partake :) brought by RP

Most interesting appetizer: fresh cherries marinated in Logan County moonshine (I didn't partake :) brought by RP

Best breakfast item: eggs made to order each morning by MW

Shoutouts are going out to:

KW for coaching me through field dressing my first deer

DD for the best hunting stories and pre-hunt encouragement

RP and CP for ATV transportation, deer pick-ups, and flushing out deer and turkey

PW for building great fires in the lodge during the evenings

All in all, Deer Camp 2006 was a great experience and I'm looking forward to getting back out in the woods to try to harvest a buck before season's end.

Out of the Blogging Fog

Sorry for the recent blogging hiatus. Late last week I went through a case of writer's block, general busyness preparing for Sunday, and then headed for the woods for the first two days of deer season (gun).

Now for some random thoughts concerning the last few days. Attendance nose dived on Sunday due to Thanksgiving break. 75% of the church was gone. Now in the past I would have been ready to go jump off of Blackwater Falls, but this time I really didn't care and took it all in stride. What makes our church really cool and unique is the same thing that causes a mass exodus for the holidays. And that's fine with me.

Morgantown High won again Friday night against Robert C Byrd (Clarksburg) 33-14 to set up a state semifinal showdown with #1 Parkersburg Friday night. Morgantown and Parkersburg are the two most storied programs in West Virginia football and this one is shaping up to be a classic. If anyone would like to make the trip with me Friday night, let me know.

When WVU and Louisville play to a 44-34 score, all of the media pundits declare that both teams have great offenses and lousy defenses, and hint at the inferiority of the Big East. When Ohio State - Michigan play to a 42-39 final score, everyone deems it an instant classic. Hmm.

My fantasy team choked against Matt Brann's "Takin It On the Chin" squad. I was alone in first place at 7-3 and now I'm in a 5 way tie for first place. It was a perfect storm blowing against my squad, "WV's Finest". Everyone had to go wrong for me to lose, and it did.

Sunday afternoon I headed out to Barbour County to hunt for a couple of days which I will discuss in the next post.

How About a Little Sunshine?

One of my shortcomings is my tendency for my mood to correspond with the latest weather pattern of the week. My biggest complaint with WV life is the number of grey, cloudy, often foggy days during the year. According to statistics, North Central WV receives an average of 186 days of sunshine per year, compared to 230 days of sunshine in Dallas, Texas (my previous abode). Contrast that with Phoenix, which receives 300 days of sunny bliss per year.

For the past two weeks, we have been in a weather pattern complete with dark grey clouds, rain, heavy rain, drizzle, and dense fog (which is worse because I live on the mountain). This morning we awoke to watch a beautiful sunrise out of our bedroom window, only for the clouds to roll in from the west an hour later. The 10 day forecast is calling for more of the same, the only change being chances for snow showers over the weekend.

If things don't change soon, I'm going to need to rehab in Phoenix, a welcome excuse to hang out with Belinda's Grandma Jan. Fiesta Bowl anyone?

Undercover Cameras at the Warner

I didn't know he was shooting undercover video, but Kevin caught this incriminating clip on camera Sunday morning during setup at the Warner. Listen for Jason's Axel Rose impersonation during the clip. Yesterday was a great day, with 79 attending the worship gathering. We have broken the previously elusive 65 barrier four out of the past five Sundays, topping 70 four times. With the holidays coming I know we will take a dip (students and young families go home), but I am excited about what God will do in 2007.

Manny Johnson delivered his first message Sunday and knocked it out of the park and I am really proud of him. For more details on the day, visit Kevin's blog.


Axel Rose Sings "Champion of the World" by the Cathedrals

Spare TV Announcers

Spare TV announcers are driving me crazy. I'm watching the Texas - Kansas State game on ESPN and these spares are killing me. Mispronunciation of names , idle chatter during plays, where is Craig Way (Texas' radio announcer) when I need him?

While I'm on the subject...Jason and I attended the WVU - Cincinnati game in person today. Late in the fourth quarter we slipped out and went in the team shop in the north end zone. ESPN2 was broadcasting the game, and what do I hear?....another spare announcing team. I'm sorry, I know this will be offensive, but there is just NO PLACE for women football announcers in the booth. Women on the sidelines (i.e. Lesley Visser, Erin Andrews) are fine, but don't put a woman in the booth telling me how MY TEAM should be playing the game. BTW, looks like my Texas boys are going down to Kansas State. Can't believe it.

Nothing's Wrong with the Mohigans

Several weeks ago I commented on this site that Morgantown High's football team was out of synch and wasn't playing their familiar, hard core brand of football. They came into the season looking to break the all time WV record for consecutive wins, but promptly lost the first game to H.D. Woodson from Washington D.C. They also lost the sixth game of the season to Wheeling Park. Things looked bleak, but since that time they rolled off four straight victories in convincing fashion.

Last night our family went down to Pony Lewis Field and watched the MHS spank Huntington High 35-14 in the first round of the state playoffs, looking to three-peat as state champions if they can win the next three games. Welcome back Mohigans.

You say Shibboleth, I say Sibboleth

Pronunciations are important. I am having a blast reading through the book of Judges for my LTG reading. Maybe I am sadistic, but I find the story in Judges 12 particularly amusing. If you're curious, read Judges 12:1-6.

Lesson learned: "hooked on phonics" is worth every penny

Fighting Joe

One of the few highlights of last night's election coverage was watching Joe Lieberman come back as an Independent and beat Democratic candidate Ned Lamont, who previously defeated Lieberman in the Democratic primary. Now I never was a huge fan of Joe during the 2004 election cycle, and I still don't agree with some of his policy stances, but I love his spirit and his courage to defend the war in the face of disapproving peers. After the primary, I feared Joe would slip into political oblivion as a martyr, but now he's back.

Birthday Buzz

The Warner Theatre was buzzing today, with our church celebrating 3 years in Morgantown. Jason hit a home run with the message and the worship was solid. I was fairly pleased with the turnout of 101 people, but was hoping for something in the 120-130 range. I think everyone genuinely enjoyed hanging out, eating pizza and B-Day cake, and staying to watch "Cars". John and Ynita kept the lobby buzzing with face painting for the kids and John's balloon art, and their Jonah skit was hilarious.

I thank God for His blessings over the last 3 years, and I look forward to see what He has in store for us in the coming months. Here are some pics from today (Nice hat Veda)

Big Day Tomorrow

StoneBridge celebrates 3 years tomorrow, and everything seems to be set and in order. Jason's live call ins to WVAQ seemed to be very effective and I think we will continue to find the radio to be a great way to create buzz in Morgantown. Fellow StoneBridgers have been intentional in inviting friends and people from the community for the past several weeks and it will be fun to watch many new faces come in tomorrow morning. I can't wait to see what God does tomorrow and my prayer is that He will be honored and praised throughout the morning.

A Fluke Win for the Redbirds

Yes, I said it. Last night's upset victory over the boys in blue and gold was a fluke. Steve Slaton never fumbles, much less twice; and, if we don't turn it over 4 times, its a different game. Division 1 needs a playoff system. This one loss and out business is ridiculous. Even my beloved Longhorns are outsiders looking in at the National Championship game with their one loss in week 2 with a new quarterback (who is now setting TX passing records) to Ohio State.

Yes, last night was a fluke. And I'm going to make a bold statement that WVU won't lose their next game until the 2008 season. You heard it here first.

First Report Card

Ryan got his first official report card of his life on Monday. All A's and a huge from his teacher. Good stuff.

Only in Morgantown

So it's Halloween evening, I'm driving through gridlock traffic near the old stadium loop, and what do I see? A dude walking across campus in a white dress shirt with no pants on. That's right, no pants. During past Halloweens in Morgantown, I have seen other outlandish "costumes", many of which are unmentionable due my desire to keep this blog family friendly.

In a few moments, I'm heading over to the BCM worship gathering where David will be leading worship for the first time in his illustrious career with an electric guitar (Fender telecaster?). We are also going to do some video interviews to be shown at the StoneBridge B-Day bash on Sunday.

Barrier Update

Yesterday, we broke the 65 barrier again, with 73 attending the worship service. God is giving us new opportunities and momentum heading into next weeks 3rd Birthday Bash for StoneBridge.

Huddle Post Game

Random thoughts from huddle:

- this year's lineup of presenters was strong. To Larry, Dubs, Mike, Bill, and Kyle: thank for for encouraging me and stretching my mind. Dubs' session on facing discouragment and handling criticism really resonated with me.

- I covet Mike's travel trailer. Seriously, it was the perfect crib for me during the huddle. Kind of like having my own apartment for 3 days. The six gallon hot water heater was a challenge though. The only thing missing was ESPN.

- it's fun watching new church planters come on the scene. I'm glad we're not the news guys on the block anymore and I'm pulling for the OS guys, Chris Barnett, and the Johnson Bros.

- speaking of Chris Barnett, it was great visiting with him again. Chris pastored Vista Pointe in Hobbs, NM when I rolled through there on deputation in November 2002 and it was one of the most enjoyable churches we visited on dep. I'm confident God is going to use Chris to plant a dynamic church in Minneapolis.

- the people at Trinity know how to put on a good feed. They must have read my blog the other day because Wednesday night they served fried catfish and pulled prk BBQ. Mmmm good!

- Johnny Williams is my favorite piano player. Would like to watch him jam with David someday.

- Huddle was a home run. This year I wasn't exactly counting down the days for Huddle to arrive, but I'm already looking forward to next year.

Sometimes its better to drive

Traveling back home from Memphis was no treat. My flight was delayed out of Memphis. My flight from Atlanta to Pitt was canceled so I spent several hours in Atlanta killing time. Finally arrived in Pittsburgh at 6:00 pm to discover that my car keys were missing out of my suitcase (which I had to check as baggage because of the goofy gels rule). Without car keys, I had to rent a car to drive back to Morgantown. Drove back to Pittsburgh today to return rental car, and with spare set of keys in hand, drove my old Toyota home.

It's good to be home.

Off to Memphis

Today I'm headed to West Memphis for a two day church planters' huddle sponsored by Reach America. I'm looking forward to the sessions and adding some tools to my toolbelt. Wednesday morning I'm facilitating a session on "Theater Church" and I'm hoping God will use me to challenge current and future planters as they tackle doing portable church.

I'm also hoping I get a chance to eat the best catfish in the world at the Ol' Feed House in West Memphis and eat some world famous Memphis BBQ.

Winter Wonderland

Tonight we're getting our first snowfall of the season. The National Weather Service is calling for 3 inches in Preston County. Time to wax the skis.

Did You Know?

It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte never forgot a name. In fact, during his lifetime, he could recall the name of 15,000 people. In contrast, the average person can only remember 300 names.

The Wrong Side of the Law and the Right Side of the Word

I've got to share this hilarious account of one of our Life Transformation Groups getting in trouble with the law. You can read about it here.

A Great Way to Spend a Fall Afternoon in WV

This post is somewhat late, but I had to share another highlight of the weekend. Thanks, Phil for hooking me up with a ticket to see WVU destroy Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.

Breaking Free...From Attendance Barriers

Yesterday our church finally conquered an old nemesis...the 65 attendance barrier. We have broken this barrier and even reached 100 on several planned emphasis days (i.e. Friend Day), but had never broken 65 on a "normal" Sunday. Everything fell into place as 71 people attended worship yesterday. Now, I am learning not to knee-jerk react to days like this, just like I shouldn't jump off of Coopers Rock if we happen to have 40, but I am encouraged at how God is working through several people in our church. Yesterday, StoneBridgers picked up several hundred invite cards for our church's 3rd Birthday Bash and free movie to be held on November 5th. I am anticipating good things over the next several weeks.

Exercising My 2nd Amendment Right

This morning it was 29 degrees at the house. Deer season is coming soon. Last year I went deer hunting for the first time in my life, and I'm hooked. So now, I'm ready to invest in my first rifle, and I can't decide what to buy. I'm considering a bolt action .25-.06, .270, and the American classic, a lever action .30-.30. I need some feedback..what should I buy?

Reading the Right Numbers

Bob Franquiz has a great post for church planters about gauging our progress, and not riding the manic-despressive roller coaster of Sunday attendance. You can read it here.

StoneBridge Front Porch

Monday on the Roaring Plains

I spent my Monday off hiking the Roaring Plains area of the Dolly Sods wilderness with Manny Johnson. This area is probably the wildest, most rugged area in West Virginia. I enjoyed the convo with Manny and our time trying to decipher Acts 8, specifically verses 15-17. I would love to hear additional thoughts and opinions on this passage of scripture.

Rangers Fan Blues

I'm watching game 3 of the Tigers-Yankees series tonight and it looks like a Texas Rangers reunion party. Kenny Rogers, the ex-Ranger who is now 41, is pitching a shutout into the 8th inning. Pudge Rodriguez, the greatest catcher in Rangers history, hit a RBI double in the 7th to put the Tigers up 4-0. A-Rod, the infamous, $252 million ex-Ranger shortstop, is still struggling for the Yankees. Must be a Rangers hex. This week the stRangers fired Buck Showalter. I liked Buck, and I hope they hire somebody who can pull them out of perpetual mediocrity.

Baseball is just not fun when your teams are down. Don't even get me started about the Cubs.

heard at the moose

why I love my office...

"I'll see ya'll in the funny papers, unless you see me in the obituaries first."
- regular Moose patron walking out the door

Keeping my head in the sand during the evening news...

Sometimes when I hear horrible TV news or read a disturbing headline I will either turn the TV channel or head for the front page of the sports section of the Post. Why? For me, it can be emotionally exhausting following in detail some of the horrors taking place around the world. This scenario played out Monday when news of the Amish school shootings permeated the media. My heart was saddened for the Amish people and I prayed for them as I read the headlines and not the details. And so I was able to move on and dwell on happier things for the duration of the week...

...Until our staff met yesterday to review Jason's message for this Sunday. We are in the second week of a series investigating the book of Habbakuk and this Sunday's message deals with the latter part of Chapter 1 and is titled, "Does God make mistakes?". It's amazing how timely this series is shaping up to be. Habakkuk writes in chapter 1,

2 How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. 4 Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

And so as we discussed this passage, I was forced to take a closer look at what happened Monday in Pennsylvania. And my heart grieves for those people and yet amazed at their ability to forgive and embrace. And I know God is going to fulfill His promise in Romans 8:28 in the midst of this calamity.

Invite Cards for StoneBridge B-Day Bash

Thought I'd share a draft of the invite cards we'll be using to promote our 3rd Birthday celebration on November 5th. Let me know what you think.

Top Ten Campsites in WV (Continued)

# 7 - Seneca State Forest - Dunmore, WV

Seneca Campground was built by the CCC back in the 1930's. It makes a great base camp for exploring Pocahontas County, Cass Scenic Railroad, and Green Bank Observatory. We camped at Seneca in the summer of 2004 and found it to be one of the nicest state forest campgrounds we have seen. There are 10 large secluded sites, several of which are bordered by a small stream and have stone firepits. Within the state forest is a 4 acre lake stocked with bass, trout, and bluegill. If tent camping isn't your thing, there are several nice rustic cabins available to rent.