Drawing To A Close

I can't believe vacation is drawing to a close. We got home this morning at 5:00 AM. We drove all night from San Antonio. Today has been a day of rest and relaxation followed by picking up my dog from the sitters. He was happy to see us. Tomorrow... it's back to the office. If you haven't taken a vacation lately... you need to! Home or some other destination... get away and hit the refresh button. It's good for you and your family.

Vacation Road Trip

We are off to Austin, Waco, and then up to Waxahachie. We are going to stop in and visit Southwestern Assemblies of God University (where Jenny goes to school). Have a great Wednesday.

Looney Toon

Bugs has always been the classic cartoon. I got to meet him yesterday. I thought I would share my experience with you.

You Just Never Know...

...who you could meet on the street. I met Wonder Woman today!

Six Flags Fiesta Texas

Six Flags was fun. We took the girls to Fiesta Texas after lunch. Rylie rode her first rollercoaster. If you have kids you will understand this... she was in one of those laughing-crying moments. She wanted to laugh to cover the fear, but the fear was poking through with tears. However, when she got off she loved it, but she wasn't about to ride another one. Afterwards, we hit the water park in the afternoon and went down the water slides. I believe that was the favorite of the girls along with the wave pool. After eight hours of chasing down four little girls... we're tired. Today was the highlight of the week. We had fun!

Remember The Alamo

I had the privilege of going to the Alamo today. There is something about standing where hundreds of men died for their country... one being David Crockett of Tennessee. Your mind wanders as you walk through the halls of the Alamo and when you stand on the grounds that surround this former church turned fortress for freedom.

Thirteen fateful days in 1836 changed history forever. The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836. The Mexican soldiers emerged and headed to the Alamo's walls. By sunrise the battle had ended. The Alamo is a reminder of a historic struggle against overwhelming odds... a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

En route to San Antonio...
"If we succeed, the Country is ours. It is immense in extent, and fertile it its soil and will amply reward all our toil. If we fail, death in the cause of liberty and humanity is not cause for shuddering. Our rifles are by our side, and choice guns they are, we know what awaits us, and are prepared to meet it." - Daniel Cloud (December 26, 1835)

San Antonio Riverwalk

Here are some pics from the San Antonio Riverwalk. We left Houston this morning and moved to San Antonio. We arrived around 3:30 PM... checked into our hotel... and went to the Riverwalk. It is absolutely beautiful downtown. We took a boat ride around the entire riverwalk... which was awesome. Jenny told me today at dinner that she was in San Antonio before she went to college. She told herself that one day she was going to bring her husband to San Antonio... 18 years later she has fulfilled a life goal. This is the my first time in San Antonio... I am so glad we came. We soaked up the sights and sounds and after the tour we had some Mexican food at Casa Rio which was founded in 1946. We sat outside and watched the boats go by and enjoyed our meal. We finished the night shopping at the Rivercenter Mall located on the riverwalk. It's been a great day. We have some tired children. They just took baths and they are now settling in for the night. Tomorrow we head to Six Flags. I'm looking forward to that.

Rev. Charles G. Gould, Sr.

Our Tennessee District Superintendent's father passed away on Thursday, July 24th, just after 7pm. He lived in Porter, Texas. His memorial service was at the Rosewood Funeral Home in Porter which is close to Houston.

Jenny and I, along with the girls, took a trip up to visit with Pastor J.R. Gould, our superintendent, to pay our respects to his father. It was nice to be able to spend some time with Pastor J.R. and support him in the time of his lose. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. The funeral is tomorrow at noon.

If you would like to find out more information please click here.

A Sunday in Houston

Our alarm went off at 6:00 AM this morning...

We went to the early service at Lakewood Church in Houston which began at 8:30 AM. Let me go on record... Lakewood is truly an incredible church. We parked in a parking garage across town, took a shuttle to the church, had our children on three different floors (three... there were five altogether) for children's church (yes... it was that many kids), and finally into the service. We sat eleven rows back from the stage, dead center of the pulpit. Israel Houghton lead worship this morning along with his team. Amazing! They took us into the throne room. The worship was sweet. Joel Osteen preached this morning and did a great job. He ministered to me. On a side note... it was amazing to watch a pastor in such a large church work so hard to be personal with his people. In the middle of worship, they had a time of prayer. Every section had prayer leaders who prayed with the people. Pastor Joel and his wife were working the center section on the main floor. He was there praying with his people and then after church, he was in the lobby shaking hands and visiting with the guests and the membership. My hat is off to him and what God has built in Houston. We serve an incredible God who goes far beyond our expectiation. If you are ever in Houston... visit Lakewood Church.

Lakewood ended at 10:00 AM... so we rushed back to Pearland to go to CTChurch (Assemblies of God) which started at 11:00 AM. They are a satelitte church that meets at Silvercrest Elementary School. The children's church is located in the hallways. This church really goes out of its way to minister to the children of the community. The halls were decked out for the kids. They had bean bags for chairs in the grade school area (pretty cool). Don Nordin (senior pastor) did a phenomenial job this morning. I'm glad I got to attend.

Two churches... two totally different feels. One with a huge building... one with no building. One with an incredible amount of people and resources... one with a few people and limited resources. Nevertheless... God is God at both and Jesus was the centerpiece in worship and in the Word. Aren't you thankful that church is not about us but Him? Let's keep our focus where it should be! Up!

I hope you had the opportunity to be at church today!

Saturday Vacation Chronicles

How was your Saturday? I am glad you asked. I hung around the house this morning and played with the kids, but this afternoon we went to the Kemah Boardwalk located on the Galveston Bay just Southeast of Houston. We rode a few rides and walked down the boardwalk. Afterward, we had some Mexican food and called it a day. The girls are getting baths for church tomorrow and I'm just chillin'. It's been a fun day.

Standard Investment Prospectus

"Past performance is no guarantee of future results."

The Lone Star State

Vacation has officially begun! We left last night (Thursday) at 10:30 PM. I drove all the way to Texarkana, Texas (8 and 1/2 hours later) before we switched drivers. I got there about 6:50 AM Friday morning. Our girls started getting up... yeah... they slept eight hours while I drove... and we stopped at Mickey D's for some breakfast. Jenny took over and finished up the remaining five hours while I got a couple hours of sleep. Here's a funny story... Jenny got pulled over by one of Texas' finest for doing 66 in a 55. She managed to sweet talk her way out of it and got by with a warning. Praise God for grace! We arrived in Houston around 12:15 PM. Today we have plans of hanging out with the family (Jenny's brother and his family). The girls are with their grandma and aunt at the pool right now. Me... I'm resting while checking messages. I'll keep you updated. Have a great week... I know I am.

Sheryl Crow

I took part of our students downtown tonight for a fundraiser. We worked with Central Parking selling tickets to park. It was an easy way to raise some serious cash. Sheryl Crow was in concert at the Sommet Center. We met a lot of interesting people. If you are looking for a cool gig... this is it. Ask me how!

Vacation is Coming!

Vacation is coming! I am so looking forward to spending time with my family and getting away. I'll keep you posted.

Fine Arts Camp

We are hosting a Fine Arts Camp at our church starting tomorrow through Wednesday. Greg Wilson (Greg Wilson Ministries) is the director of the camp. We look forward to working with him. He will be taking care of the day to day tasks of teaching and working with the students. He is a great brother. We are glad to have a small part in his ministry.

The Dark Knight

I just got back from seeing The Dark Knight. We had ten guys go and see the movie. It was great hanging out with the boys for a few hours. I would dare say they all enjoyed the movie. For me, I am still processing. Don't misunderstand me... I thought the movie was good, but I'm still processing the whole thing.

My thoughts, at this moment, take me to the tone of the movie. The movie was very dark. The Joker was true to his character. He was evil. He was not some comical character who told jokes and made funny faces. The Joker was a homicidal sociopath who got his kicks from killing people and reaping havoc in Gotham City. On a side note... this movie is definitely not for children. There were too many disturbing scenes for impressionable young minds. Why expose them to it when you don't have to? Anyway... I was never a big Batman comic book reader, but I hear they stayed true to the overall tone of the comics.

The movie made you think about the goodness of people. Are people good for reasons or are they really good? If the opportunity presented itself, would you betray who you are and what you know is right for something wrong or unethical? Would you save yourself over someone else? Answer that question and see how good you really are. I know One who didn't save Himself over you and me. He chose to give His life so you and I could live. There was no evil found in Him.

Once again... I'm just processing. I would love to read your comments. Please feel free to post. There are many more thoughts I have about the movie, but maybe you should see it for yourself and make your own call. Enter with caution. It will make you think.

Five Oaks

What a day! I got the privilege to play Five Oaks Golf Course in Lebanon today. Five Oaks is a beautiful golf course with incredible views.

One of our church folks is a member and invited Pastor and me to come out and play. Our fourth was a friend of his who is a retired full bird colonel in the United States Army. He served in Vietnam. I believe the correct term is... Medvac (typically refers to a team that is organized with the skills for the purpose of proper medical evacuation). If I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me on the comment. Anyway... he flew a helicopter into combat and picked up the wounded and got them out. According to our conversation... he has been shot down, as well as been shot. It was a joy to set and talk with him over lunch. Thank God for our veterans.

Our host was superb. He is a very giving man who loves his pastors. I was honored to drive him in the golf cart and spend the day flubbing shots and three-putting in front of him. He is a scratch golfer. Thanks my friend for your patience with us who are novices. It was a great day. I look forward to going again when the opportunity arises.

National Fine Arts Festival

National Fine Arts (FArts for short) is coming. August 3 is the launch date. Charlotte, North Carolina here we come.

We've been working on our Puppet Skit, as well as our Large Human Video Ensemble. We rewrote the beginning and the end of our human video. I call it tweaking, some might call it crazy. We went over and over the beginning today in practice. We have a lot of fine tuning to do. I am proud of our students and their dedication to make this year's piece happen with excellence. Rehearsal is where you take the opportunity to work out the kinks. If you wait until you get to the stage, it's too late. We have four rehearsals left (seven hours of practice). I know our students will give their best... they always do. So... if you are reading this (FArts Team), let's take advantage of every second we have in rehearsal.

Keep them in your prayers. We have our fingers crossed for a good showing.

Gary Wayne Binkley

My friend Wes preached his dad's funeral today. He did a masterful job. It was a beautiful funeral. I was privileged to be there. Remember the Binkley Family in your prayers.

Gary Wayne "Alvin" Binkley
November 18, 1957 - July 8, 2008
Rest In Peace

It's Friday!

I'm picking up my wife and kids in just a few minutes. I'm excited to hear about camp and all of their adventures this week. It's not the same without them being home.

This week has been fun hanging out with my youngest two. We've watched cartoons and Hannah Montana (they love it), played on the Wii, went out to eat (twice), and been to Wal-Mart (always). They also went to a movie on Wednesday with Grandma. They've had a big time. Those two will keep you young or tired, whichever comes first.

Gotta go! My wife and kids are calling.

Homecoming!

My wife and two kids come back home tomorrow... yeahhhhhhhh!

The Unexpected

Life is short. My heart goes out to a dear friend who lost his dad today. He was found this morning having died in the night. Our prayers are with you and your family.

Missing Family

My wife and two oldest kids are at Kid's Camp this week. It's just me and my two little ones. We are hanging out tonight watching Sponge Bob together. Sponge Bob rocks.

I'm glad Jenny and the girls got to go to camp, but we miss them. We look forward to them coming home Friday.

Kid's Camp

My oldest two are going to Kid's Camp tomorrow. This is Kimber's third year and Kenzie's first. It blows my mind how fast they are growing up. My wife is going as a volunteer. They are going to have a blast. I am really anticipating what God is going to do in all of their lives. I will give you a report later this week from Kid's Camp.

Sunday Night Live

Crazy night! Our Men's Ministry (plus we invited the girls) went to a Nashville Sounds Game tonight. On the way there, our church van lost its tread on the front (passenger side) while on the interstate. We left the van at Cornerstone Church, stuffed everyone from the van in the other cars and headed to the stadium. After the game, we went back to the church and changed the tire. It took longer to get the spare out than to change the tire. Thanks to my friend Doug for helping me make the tire change happen. Actually, we probably need to credit Doug for most of the work. Also, kudos to his wife Michelle for hanging with us. She supervised the whole mechanic endeavor. Thanks to both of them. The best part of the night was hanging with the church at the game. Good times. I actually caught a shirt. I know what your thinking... shirt? Yes, shirt... not a baseball. I gave it to my daughters (who were at the game). Anyway... I'm home and all is good in the world.

Enjoying The Holiday

We did a little swimming this afternoon with our kids at the YMCA. My kids love to swim. I can put some floaties on my three year old and she goes all over the pool. She's not afraid of any depth ... which makes me nervous, but she's always an arm length away. It was cold when we got in, but you get use to it. It was a lot of fun.

It's firecracker night! We already hear the fireworks outside the house. My dog, Spanky, goes crazy. He can't stand the popping noise. Oh well! He's gonna have to deal with it for the next three hours. People are celebrating their freedom by breaking the law... using fireworks inside the city limits. I don't care... it's just kind of funny. Once again... Happy 4th!

Tomorrow is Saturday and we have a car wash at Auto Zone! If your car is dirty, come on by and let the students wash it. We are raising money for National Fine Arts. Come out and support if you're near the Hendersonville area.

The Day After Freedom Festival

Freedom Festival was awesome. The fireworks show was almost thirty minutes long. I heard one person say they saw the fireworks south of our church. That is probably a couple of miles. I want to say "thanks" to everyone who came out and helped at the festival. We had volunteers at the Kid's Zone, Hospitality Tent, Front Gate, and Food Court. All of you did a great job. We are very proud of you for all of your hard work. Jenny and I got home at almost midnight last night, along with several others who stayed behind to help us strike the event. It was a long day for everyone. I'm feeling it on this fourth of July holiday. Enjoy the day along with your family and don't eat too many hot dogs and hamburgers.

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July. Thank God for the freedoms we have in our great country.

Wednesday Night

Our students and adults did an amazing job tonight setting up our tent for the Freedom Festival. They had the tent up in about 45 minutes. An amazing time. The tent is 40' x 60'... three sections of the tent, 20 outside poles, 24 stakes, two center poles at 18' high. They rocked!

We had youth service under the tent after we finished. There was a time of praise and worship and a time in the Word. It was great being outside. It was a beautiful night in the park.

Afterwards, we played a little softball (two innings before the sun went down). Congrats to the winning team. They won 3-2. As you probably figured out already, my team did not win, however, I did make a home run. I will pay for that run around the bases in the morning. Also, congrats to Bobby for his home run. Everybody did a great job.

Freedom Festival is tomorrow. If you get a chance, come on out. We start at 4 PM and the fireworks are at 9 PM. See you there.