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.