An Epic Fail...

November 4, 2008 has been forever more etched in the pages of history. A day where men like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. paved the way so many years ago, now has become a reality. Being a white man, born and raised in the heart of the deep south, I grew up with racism all around me. Yet in my small town, racism, and the hate that accompanies it, was never an issue. It was always something that was found ‘somewhere else’. My closest friends throughout my high school years were young black men whose families grounded them in Scripture and Faith, just like my family did me. It was years later in my life that I saw first hand what racism really does to society. I will always be a blessed man for the way in which my parents raised me, especially in the manor of how to treat my fellow man, no matter what color his skin may be.

I am overwhelmed that God has allowed me to be alive as this historical day has emerged. For years it has been believed that it would never happened, yet before our very eyes, we have watched as America has chosen to place an African American man at the helm of the country that I call home….an African American man as leader of the free world. That in and of itself is breathtaking to me.

However, we must be completely honest…Barry Obama…yes, I said Barry, chose to use his formal African name of Barack over his American name. And he isn’t even 100% African American. He has an African American father, and a white mother…which means he is the child of an interracial marriage. But one day, I do believe we will see a true African American, born and bred in the heart of America, rise to take control as Commander and Chief of our incredible United States.

Here however, is where the shock and awe must seriously come to an end…

We as America, have moved so far away from the Christian morals and values that our beloved country was founded upon that we are no longer considered a Christian nation. We have hundreds of missionaries from other countries coming to America just to share Jesus Christ with our people. The lyrics from ‘America Again’ literally screams the missing pieces of a forgotten country that was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

“George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, First Chief Justice John Jay. Names synonymous with the spirit of our country, founding fathers of the U.S.A. Over 200 years ago they shook off the chains of tyranny from Great Britain, by divine call. Citing 27 biblical violations, they wrote the Declaration of Independence, with liberty, and justice, for all. But something happened since Jefferson called the Bible the cornerstone for American liberty, then put it in our schools as a light. Or since 'Give me liberty or give me death!' Patrick Henry said, our country was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We eliminated God from the equation of American life, thus eliminating the reason this Nation
first began. From beyond the grave I hear the voices of our founding fathers plead, you need God in America, again. Of the 55 men who formed the Constitution, 52 were active members of their church. Founding fathers like Noah Webster, who wrote the first dictionary,
could literally quote the Bible, chapter and verse. James Madison said, 'We've staked our future on our ability to follow the 10 Commandments, with all our heart.' These men believed you couldn't even call yourself an American, if you subvert the Word of God. In his farewell address, Washington said, 'You can't have national morality apart from Religious principal,' and it's true…”

Yesterday we voted by the masses to give an overwhelming victory for our President of the United States to someone who can’t even tell you about his relationship with Jesus Christ. Someone, who has numerous times made it extremely clear that fully believes it’s perfectly acceptable to allow over one million innocent babies to be executed in a process we call abortion. He is even an outspoken supporter of ‘partial birth abortion’. You can see for yourself HERE.

If that wasn’t enough to nauseate you, then you also need to understand that the man we have chosen to place in power has also made it extremely clear he feels that homosexuals and homosexual unions/partnerships are equal to that of the Biblical standard of marriage and family which is described throughout Scripture as one man and one woman. Please don’t take my word…check it out HERE.

What truly breaks my heart the most, is that I've watched the second largest generation in history become consumed and blinded by a smooth-talking prophet of change that has caused them to disregard the morals and standards that our country was established on. So many of our Bridger Generation voted yesterday for the very first time, in historic fashion, thinking that 'change' was all that mattered. Change in and of itself is good, and I most certainly support it...but not at the expense of removing the very foundation that was created to give us the rights and freedoms to vote in the first place.

In as much as yesterday was an epic success through the lenses of Civil Rights…it was as much an epic failure by placing a very God-less man in the highest position in the land. I applaud the outstanding effort and fortitude that it’s took to see this milestone in Civil Rights. And it’s my prayer that one day…and one day soon…that we as Americans, will put the right African American in office…

Fall Retreat 2008

I love retreats...exhausting as they are, I still love love them. This past weekend, Denise and I were joined with nine of our H2O students at our statewide Crosswalk Retreat at Seneca Lake Baptist Assembly. There were something like 125 or so of us there...collegians and directors alike...from all over Ohioland.

This was such a great time for me personally, to get away from the daily routines, and get to spend some quality time with my family and some of my students. We really had great time, got to see old friends, and to make new ones. It was so refreshing to see our students interact with each other...and with other collegians.

Time and space simply will not permit me to put down the millions of thoughts that are running through my head right now...just know this...God is seriously at work on the TU campus.

Enjoy...

Thanks Tab for some amazing pics!

Unreal...

And people really wondered why we were so opposed to the government fiasco to the tune of almost one trillion dollars....just read this!

Busy...Busy...

Super busy the past several days...with no relief in sight for the next couple of weeks. Homecoming at TU this past weekend...Started revival at Port Clinton Baptist Church on Sunday, with services going through Wednesday night...gotta make a massive road trip tomorrow...H2O on Thursday night...taking a student to catch a train EARLY Friday morning...leaving for our statewide fall collegiate retreat on Friday, coming back on Sunday...whew, I'm tired just thinking about it...

Please pray for strength, rest and sanity...and not necessarily in that order...

Rambling...

It's Monday night, actually Tuesday morning. A wonderful thunderstorm came through a few hours ago and blessed me with an incredible nap. I love naps...especially thunderstorm induced. I miss them. In Arkansas, they were the norm...in Ohio, they're the exception. I've almost been in Ohio a full year now, and as far as I remember, tonight was the first opportunity I've had to enjoy one. I really love naps...

Had a great weekend, was privileged to get to meet and hear Dr. Ken Hemphill on Saturday evening. Had to drive an hour and a half to get there, but it was worth it. Great time for Denise and me to be together on the road. She loves to drive...I love to ride...we make a great team.

Sunday was something! Killer Bible Study on Sunday Morning. Looked at truth. What truth is. WHO is truth. Truth has a name...you can find the answer in John 14:6.

Sunday night at The River Church was fun. Talked about imitators. The girls chose three of our guys that they wanted to imitate...the guys chose three girls. Hilarious! Up on stage in front of everybody...simply hilarious. We found it's easy to imitate one another...but it's not so easy to imitate Christ...takes work...takes focus...takes, well you know, commitment. Paul did it. I like Paul. He wanted the Ephesus church to do it...imitate...Christ. He wants us to do it...same thing...imitate Christ. Check it out...Ephesians 5:1.

Today was Monday. I'm getting where I don't like Mondays...maybe it's cause I'm super exhausted from the weekend. Maybe it's cause I know I would rather be working on reaching my students instead of working at a secular job. Maybe it's cause I just need a darker roasted coffee. Maybe...

By the time Friday rolls around, I'm finally (but I don't know how) caught up on my rest, then the vicious cycle starts all over again. OK! I'll admit it...I don't like Mondays. Do you like Mondays?

I need coffee...I need to go to bed...I need coffee...I really need to go to bed...but I need coffee...bed wins...Yay bed! Goodnight coffee pot...I'll see you in just a couple of hours...

Truth...

Question for the day...

'What is truth?'

Special Days...

I love days like today! From the moment my feet hit the floor this morning till the time I go to bed when I finish this post, I have had a phenomenal day!

We slept in just a little bit this morning, not much, but later than we normally do. Then Tab and I got out to do a few quick errands. In the process, we detoured through the Tiffin Bake Shop. The pastries were good, but the young lady behind the counter who waited on us obviously needed a stiffer cup of coffee...

On the way home we had to take a much different route due to the Heritage Festival taking place in the middle of town. I'm talkin' thousands of people filled the downtown streets in our tiny community! When we got home, Denise had stacks of pancakes right off the grill! You go girl! After a little bit of time to do a little surfin' while the girls did a few things around the house, it was off to the festival we went...

Thank the Lord that most of the enormous crowd had left by the time we got up there. And to our surprise, we only found about a dozen food & concession vendors and a handful of craft vendors. Seriously, I'm not real sure why all the people had been there only hours before. I still had to put my stamp of approval on the food...yep, it passed the test! My selection, an Italian Sausage smothered in peppers and onions, bathed in cheddar cheese, topped with mushrooms and more peppers and onions. WOW, that was really good! For the life of me though, I just couldn't talk Denise into one of those! I know...she was looking for the chocolate wagon!

From there, like father like daughter, she and I had a huge craving for coffee (Like that's something new, I know!). So we ventured over to Ralph's, only to find they had REMOVED their espresso machine! BLASPHEMY I tell you, BLASPHEMY! We took a quick drive over by the campus, and to our surprise, Java Rave was still open. Tab wanted something cold, so she got, now get this, a Caramel Java Icer. That's really a wack name for a Caramel Frappaccino! For me, oh and it was almost really good, six shots (yes I said 6 shots) of espresso with just a hint of White Chocolate. As Tab and I inhaled our coffee, Denise just shook her head...she knew exactly what was about to happen! I was pretty much useless the rest of the day! LOL!

From there, we stopped by the video rental place for 3 movies, one for each of us, then we charted our way home. After a quick trip back out to grab pizza and cheesy bread, our family day concluded by watching all 3 of the movies, laughing and enjoying every second of each others company. Oh sure we've taken the time to do our share of texting friends and checking our email and facebook, (and Denise playing a few computer games while the scary movie was on...although she did end up watching most of it! LOL!) but the main focus was the main focus.

Need I really have to say, I love my family! And it's days like this that will forevermore hold a special place in my heart. I love you girls!