Guys Play Dress Up Too?

We played X-Box 360 Wednesday night and one of our students had a new shirt and sunglasses that he had purchased for top dollar at..........Goodwill! We couldn't decide what to label the folder that held all the pics. So we settled on "MetroChristians." Enjoy.

You can now find the shirt on E-Bay for double the price it was bought for....you guessed it, $1.00.

No Officer I don't know Why You Pulled Me Over

I have had the privilege of speaking with Arkansas's finest twice in my 18 years of being a Razorback. The first was on my way to baseball practice while in High School. I was going 38 in a 20 residentual school zone and tried to get around a corner before the policeman could get to me....Didn't work.

The second time was on my way to work at 2:00 AM in a part of Little Rock that the only way I would have pulled over was if the police were there. Unfortunately it seemed to him that I had invited the event to happen. He checked to make sure my temporary tags hadn't expired and then let me go.

Neither time did I experience what I did about 9 days ago in Tulsa. As I was only half a mile away from the place we rented a 15 passenger van, I heard a beeping sound behind me. I figured it was Drew, my high schooler who had come to drive my car from the airport where I keep it while I have the van. I quickly realized that unless Drew had brought some blue flashing lights with him that went unnoticed, I was in trouble.

I pulled over into a church parking lot, rolled down my window & turned off the van. The officer quickly made it clear to me that I had made an illegal turn on the only road I had to turn on. As I reached for my license and insurance, I appologized and explained I was focused on not getting lost....He was unimpressed.

He looked at my driver's license and immediately entered into a conversation that went like this: --"Sir, do you have any guns on you?"

-"Uh, no sir." (unless you would include these in that category **kisses bicepts**)

--"Any weapons on you at all?"

-"Nope"

--"Then you won't mind if I check?!!"

-"Of course not....but I am not sure what to do. You want me to stay here or..."

--"Step out of the van please."

So I get out of the van and he quickly puts his hand on my shoulder and pushes me to the van. As I stand there with my back to the cop and hands up, he pulls my shirt up (why is he pulling me over again?). After my bottom gets a few pats and my pockets get peeked in, he instructs me to follow him to the back of the van.

I am about to tell him that there might be someone behind the van that is with me, when we see Drew (my size and a football player) waltzing up to us about 25 feet away. The officer did a drop step, put his hand over his gun & said, "Can I help you sir?!!!" I leaned over and identified Drew as one of my high schoolers that is helping me. "I need you to wait back at your car please sir!!" Drew consented.

"Do you know why I am asking about weapons?"

"I really have NO idea officer."

"Your last name is W........"

"Has been all my life (ok so I really didn't say this)

"Yes sir, it is"

"W............'s are the largest dealers of guns and ammunition in the Tulsa area!"

"Well I am not one of them."

I was being frisked because of my last name!! Someone else actually has it! I wonder if they had to come up with 4 letter names for their kids.......ooops, sorry, back to the story.

"Where are you coming from and where are you going?"

Finally the God question!!!

"I am coming from Conway, AR returning a van that my church rented to go to Mexico to build 2 houses for poor people. The place is only half a mile from here." Then I stood back in case God wanted to smite him.

"OK, no warning, no ticket, have a great day!" and drove off.

The Prodigal Deer Returns!!

At our annual high school retreat the theme was "Wanted Dead or Alive: The Return of the Prodigal" from Luke 15:11-32. The evening when I taught on the Father who saw his son from a long way off , I explained how the Father was watching with anticipation for His son to return. (keep reading, this isn't a preachy post)

I identified with this aspect of the story with a story about my backyard. One glorious morning I was eating my Cocoa Puffs, when I looked out the window over our shined sink and saw something that got my heart pounding with excitement. I saw a deer! How fun to see a deer in our subdivision. Enjoying a perk of living in the country, yet hunkered down in suburbia & a 6' privact fence made the sight of my white tailed friend so fun!

I explained that ever since I saw Bambi run off into the wild I have longingly looked through that same window in hopes of spotting another just as I assume the Father watched ever hopeful for his son to walk down the road.

Then this morning while the boys were splashing their milk all over the table instead of eating....I saw something....I wanted to share what we witnessed with you...

This sweet looking doe was looking at me and wondering what my next move was...I bet it was a funny sight seeing me standing on the fence snapping pics.

This buck mooned me, but I didn't take offense to it, kids will be kids and mine pee in the church flower bed when we are not looking.Ahhh. The happy couple. Don't you hate when people look just to the left or right of your eyes, it's freaky. But these two were beautiful.

Trifecta. Yep that's right!! Three deer interrupted our meal and brought me to my feet, my boys into my arms as I held them to see out the window and enjoy & my beloved away from the mirror where she was enhancing her already gorgeous face. As a family we feasted on the wondrous view of a family of three deer frolicking along the drainage ditch that almost flooded our house the other night.

After we ooooed and ahhhhhhhed, I jumped the fence to snap the photos for you. I am waiting on an agent that is familiar with the Discovery Channel in case they want to try and lure me away from ministry in order to photo the wild full time. It would have to be big bucks (no pun)or a spot on Deadliest Catch.

Just as the watchful Father welcomed his son back, we rolled out the green carpet to our friends. After all, our house probably sits on their old stomping grounds.

When the Cat is Away

Here are some pics of a shoppers widow. My two older boys and I decided, "We are boys, and we will play!!!" Enjoy.


LuLu and daddy got haircuts from Matt today. He used to jump out of airplanes and has paint on his arms and legs (tattoos). Now we both have spikey, manageable hair.



**Breaking News** We have video footage of what happens when momma is out of town!

"The Boyz" were very excited when the 4th amigo came home!!

I feel complete again. The shopping widow phase has ended at least for the day. My beloved has come home to me yet again...this time bearing gifts for her man!! Happy Father's Day!!

The Parentals

Today is Flag Day and my parents are celebrating their anniversary!!

So happy anniversary Mom and Dad. By my calculations #39!!

Love you two. And as a treat, I have something for both of you:


Ode to Two Women

O to that young widow who two centuries ago
Met with Washington and his committee of three
In May of the year Seventeen seventy-six.
For with one snip of the scissors, a six-pointed star
Turned to five, and our country’s flag was a Go.

It was a time of grief, turmoil and gloom,
For the Philadelphia upholsterer Betsy Ross.
Her husband, John, died from wounds of the fight.
And she struggled through hard times
As the beginnings of the war did loom.

The war raged on, and Betsy continued to sew,
And Paine wrote of Common Sense.
Franklin’s thirteen-part snake and “Don’t Tread on Me”
Expressed a nation’s desire to be free,
And the Declaration was written, we all know.

Loyalists and patriots tugged at the controls,
With blood being shed on both sides.
At Valley Forge Washington fought on
Inspired by the series The Crisis
And Paine’s words of “times trying men’s souls.”

To Betsy Ross should credit be
With the sewing of our first flag.
For amid the tumult and strife
She meticulously Old Glory created
To unfurl 'cross this land of the free.

It took the Continental Congress ’til June 14, 1777,
A year from meeting George et al in her shop,
To adopt the flag that Betsy had sewn.
It had red and white stripes and white stars on blue
To make America a new constellation in the heavens.

Carried first in September 1777 at the Battle of Brandywine,
Our flag has represented freedom throughout the world
And long may her ideals survive.
She withstood the attack at Fort McHenry in 1814,
Leaving Francis Scott Key to pen his famous lines.

And through the years, people extolled the day
That Betsy’s flag had become our nation’s.
But it took ole “Give ’em Hell, Harry, to make June 14
Official as the day the country pays homage to the flag.
And, since 1949 on June 14, Old Glory has her own day.

I’d be remiss if that was the end of our tale,
But you’re here today to share a special celebration.
For another brave woman, in ’69, agreed to change her life,
As she muttered in tears, “I do,” she committed herself to a quest.
Now, on Flag Day, you see, thirty-nine years on by did sail.

We have lived under the West’s “spacious skies,”
Have helped harvest the “waves of amber grain”
Have peered across Montana’s “purple mountains,”
And lived on North Dakota’s “fruited plain.”
America‘s “shining seas” have brought us ahs and sighs.

So with twilight in my eyes I still flash that gleam,
As I once did counting stars under the wild Big Sky,
While bursting with dreams to stave off the fears.
And, Anna, she came along, gallantly riding each little wave,
So, at dawn’s early light our love burst into a bright sunbeam.


Love you guys!!

---Written by my dad to my mom

---published by 7timechampion Inc

Bushwhacked!!

We have wonderful new trees in our yard at the church. I have enjoyed the way they have changed the landscape of our front door appeal and the fresh air that they each bring. But tonight at youth I have discovered a downfall.

We had small groups for our high school guys. We had just over an handfull due to concerts, summer vacation and communication. So we did what guys do...we got a football and went out to the yard to play some football. It was explained to me that I was the reason we could not play tackle football. I happen to be too big (I choose to take that as being such a physical specimen that people would just bounce off me as they attempt to bring me to the ground.....as opposed to being fat)

So during the game, I decided to stretch my legs and "go deep" and sprint for the endzone. I got behind the defence, the ball was launched in my direction & I had had the ball zoned in (heck I even had choreographed my endzone dance). When it happened.....

The church's new logo is a tree that says, "Discover a New Way of Living." During this epic football game, I didn't discover a new way of living, but I did discover a new tree that has been planted in our football field.

In fact, I hit it so hard that it knocked off my feet. Needless to say as I lay on the ground felled by the 8' young tree, each of the guys hit the ground as well........laughing.

My two goals for youth group are bringing the Scriptures into the students lives and showing how it is relevant and applicable. The second goal is to make it fun. Tonight, both were occomplished.

They were laughing and definitely had fun.....and they saw that God's word is in me enough to keep me from cussing when knocked on my booty unexpectantly. Wait until I share this monumental evening with the elders as a praise!!

Walk a Mile in a Sumo's Flip Flops

They say to really understand someone, you must walk a mile in their shoes. Well it is summer and I avoid wearing shoes as often as possible....So I walked a mile in the flip flops of a Sumo. Here is what I learned:

I learned that your insecurity of how obese you are is nothing compared to the limited clothing you are wearing. Wearing the blue belt, no one is going to tell you how fat you are.

Sumos have a softer side and stopping to smell the flowers is a normal occurance. Stopping to eat the flowers occurs even more often.

The heritage of the Sumo is very important. Where a Sumo comes from is dear to their heart. Unfortunately, the fat fingers make it very difficult to point out where they are from on a map.

Although Sumos sometimes get stereotyped as not smart, I found as a Sumo I actually enjoyed reading. Maybe you have read this book as well?

To keep this sleek figure, snack time has to be creative. I found Hershey Chocolate is a very attractive tween food.

To save money on gas, Sumos will hitchhike. However, seems no one ever stops, walking though is not a viable option.

Sumo prayer time is very important!

Normal activities become a little more challenging as a Sumo. They really need a Sumo Sized toilet.

Please see Sumo approved list of churches. Fellowship is at the top!

Well I found my ride, so I am outta here!! Hope you enjoyed my journey as a SUMO.