Sunday Perspective...

After a long week of ups, downs, surprises, disappointments, frustrations and the like... nothing does the mind and soul any better than a dose of Jesus" to launch into the new week. I feel that many may recharge or redirect their short term perspective on Sunday's as they enter the house of worship of their choice. Here's what I mean... it doesn't take an individual long at all to become self seeking and become completely consumed by selfish desires. In fact, our world tells us daily that we deserve lots of things. It's our choice. Do something for yourself today. You know, that distorted message we get bombarded with constantly. Well, if you hear it enough you may just buy into it. And then Sunday rolls around and we come back to our senses that the Word says, that if we want to gain the world we have to lose our self. We remember that real life is not all about ME. Sunday perspective. It's sort of like an attitude adjustment.

Well, as I drove to work this week I was listening to U2 and Sunday Bloody Sunday came on and I recharged my global perspective. How quickly can my little piece of the world become the only piece of the world? Really... for the most part many of us see things from just from our own view. We think that our brand of Christianity is the real version. Or our deep south Jesus is the most authentic. Our sports are the best. That means that we really believe that no other conference is as tough as the SEC. But what about Ireland? What about Africa? What about China? What about South America? Do they miss it? I'm not saying that I want to move or anything because my perspective tells me that America is definitely the greatest place on the globe. But don't you think that there may be someone in another country that feels the same way about their nation?

Most importantly... what about God? Ever wonder how He sees it all? I wonder if He holds us accountable ultimately based on the undeniable Truth but also with a splash of our culture. Don't misread this that Truth is culturally relevant but I mean about how we worship, how we pray, how we treat our neighbors, how we treat the piece of land beneath our feet. Are there variables built in to this whole thing? Truth is Truth and is not up for debate but I really wonder if He is much more flexible than we (I) often think? Sunday Bloody Sunday just reminds me that my perspective is not the only, the best, the most sanctified, or the most important.

His is.

I was born in a small town...

From the lyrics of John Cougar Mellencamp, Johnny Cougar or John Mellencamp... whichever flavor you prefer... he wrote a song a while back with the words, "I was born in a small town" and today I was reminded of just how special living in a small town really is. Not that I actually live in a small town but I work in a small town. Bessemer Alabama. Home of great food and the Purple Tigers of Jess Lanier High School.

As I sat in my office today I heard the drums of what sounded like a high school marching band. I lept from my desk to open me shutters and lo and behold... it was a dang parade! Sure nuff. I haven't seen a high school Homecoming parade in years. In fact I thought the Springville Tigers (home of Karie, Olivia, and Ella Andrews)were the only one's who still had Homecoming parades. Anyway, I may be just out of the 'high school homecoming day parade loop'.

All of that to say this... I walked outside and sat for about 15 minutes and watched new cars from the local car lot serve as a carriage for the queen and her court only to be followed by band after band after band. I actually watched people sitting through the sunroof of finely displayed automobiles as they threw candy to all of the kids lined up and down the street. Imagine this... a 98 Oldsmobile with chrome trim and 22's. Who knew the Olds was making a comeback?
Anyway, I sat and thought about the state of our market/economy/401K's/housing market and for just about 15 minutes none of that even mattered. As I sat there I remembered that I work in a great small town, I live in a great city and state, and even better I am a citizen of the greatest nation on the planet. Who's going to win the election you ask? Who cares, it's America. Where will we get the 700 billion dollars for the bailout? Who cares, this is the Home of the Free. OK, maybe those last two things are a little overboard but hopefully you feel me here.

When you take a minute to slow down, pause the hustle of your life, and for a moment let YOU be SIMPLE... see if you hear the band coming down the street. It's Homecoming.

How 'bout them Sox?

Well, in the midst of euphoria in the Bammer-Nation... once again the seasonal exit of Major League Baseball is upon us. I barely know how to contain myself during the next few weeks simply because I have gone from 0-2 to 3-2 in my fantasy football team, my Tide is 6-0, and my favorite MLB team is poised for another World Series. I make no bones about it. I'm a bandwagon Boston Red Sox fan. My only credibility is that I have been this way for the past seven seasons. Karie laughed at me this past post season because when I thought she had gone to bed, she entered the living room late one October 07 night to find me sifting through old baseball cards, wearing my Red Sox hat, and watching the World Series.

At my house, this is the ultimate sporting time of the year. The weather is changing, my teams are winning, and I have a satellite that keeps me connected. For all the naysayers... "How Bout Them Sox?"

We Are...

This past Sunday at church, we finished a series called "At The Movies" which took popular movies and intertwined them into matters of faith. This final message revolved around the movie "We Are Marshall". In a nutshell, the premise was how a college football team faced disaster head on. When a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team's new coach (McConaughey) and his surviving players try to keep the football program alive. The plot reaches a pivotal point when the new coach takes a road trip on the morning of game day. The team travels to the cemetery where six of the former players have been laid to rest. In an emotional moment he addresses his players and informs them that "the funerals end today." His reference was to the fact that in order to move forward we have to forget the past.

Sitting next to my beautiful wife I was overwhelmed at the number of people sitting around us that were sniffling and wiping tears as we witnessed this real life example of what happens to so many of us.

We get crippled by the mistakes, the errors, the sins of our past. We walk around with this feeling of guilt, regret, and sometimes hopelessness about certain areas of our life. Areas like a marriage that did not last. Areas like a dream that failed to come true. Areas like a failure in a relationship, at work, at school, or personally. Maybe we become spiritually handicapped by a decision in our past. Here's a big one... what about our immediate past. Like yesterday. How can I experience the freedom that comes from the loving God when just in the past 24 hours I have blown it?

Well, according to God's Word... He removes our sins and separates them from us as far as the east is from the west. He casts them into the sea of forget fullness. Our repentant soul is washed clean.

So where does that leave me today? Well, I am under the impression that when it comes to the wreck of my past... the funerals end today. I will no longer mourn and grieve over what has been covered by the blood of Jesus. I will move on. I can move on. I will move on hand in hand with my Redeemer and Savior.

Let your funerals end today...

Daddy & Olivia Day

Well, the time finally came. I had to "train my oldest in the way she should go". This past Saturday I took Olivia to her first Alabama game. She has tailgated with us several times and loves the environment of the BAMA Nation but this was her first exposure to the game environment.

It all started early Saturday morning as just me and Olivia went to the Waffle House for breakfast. She wanted to know more about the football game (I swear it was her idea). So I took out a pen and some paper and explained to her what a QB, Running Backs, Tight Ends, and Offensive Lines were all about. I explained the Coaching Staff and where the Cheerleaders would be and how first downs worked. Breakfast was great and how she and I combined ran up a $18 tab at WH I still don't understand.

When we got to Tuscaloosa later in the day we went shopping. We bought her "anything she wanted" and she picked a pink Alabama fleece and a pink Alabama visor. We bought our pom poms and even picked up some things for Ella. Then we made our way to the Quad to meet B and Jason. Olivia climbed the climbing wall, ran and played on the blow-ups and just had some kid fun... then came the serious business. What I had waited on was about to happen.

As we entered the stadium her little eyes were huge! There was so much to take in. She watched the band, we saw Grammie and Paw Paw, we bought snacks and made our way to our seats. As the game progressed she was all in to it. Every time Alabama would get a first down she would turn to me and yell, "First Down Alabama". When we scored, and it was often, she would give me a high-five and yell "TOUCHDOWN". She enjoyed the game but I learned a very valuable lesson... new things are to be experienced with family. I couldn't have had a better experience than with my baby girl... pink Alabama stuff and all.

The Great Escape...

Thank the Lord for long weekends. Saturday morning Karie and I woke the girls up and suprised them with a get-a-way vacation. We had their bags packed when they got up and didn't tell them where we were going. They were so excited! We ended up at Ruby Falls and Rock city and then a weekend in Chattanooga. Who knew Chattanooga had so much to offer? We had a blast and it was good for the Andrews' family to have a weekend escape.

As you can see, we also went on a cruise down the TN river on the Southern Belle (Karie and I had a flashback to Chi Cruise days) and we also took the girls on their first carriage ride... (they played like Aunt B at her wedding) and they even got to drive the carriage. We swam in the pool and just had a great weekend together. We also found out that Olivia can NOT walk down the street without jumping, scratching, or pulling on something. Ella is the accident prone baby and is a threat to spill her drink, have ice cream all over everything, or spill whatever shouldn't be on anything she is wearing. They are amazing and we had a blast.

Roll Tide Roll

Well, if you know me at all then you know this blog had to appear. Wow... what a game this weekend. Alabama simply stated... "unloaded on Clemson". Preseason rankings don't always stand up when it is first and ten. I lit the cell phone up as I watched my beloved Crimson Tide whoop up on Bowden's boys from SC. I had so much fun watching that game and it could have only been better if I had been with my dad and my brother. But unfortunately we were all spread out. I was in TN, my dad in AL and my brother in CA but it didn't matter... in our own place in our own way we whistled a little Rammer Jammer.

Who knows what this year will hold for the Tide? But I can't imagine a better way to start it!