All things Texas!

I was born and raised in the Great State of Texas. I am proud of my Texas heritage and all things Texas. I have noticed living in the "Free State," Maryland, some interesting things. First, the "Free State" is not at all "Free." It cost money to live here and a lot of it. But, that is anywhere. Second is the North East is obsessed with Texas. Let me prove my point. We have restaurants called, "Texas Roadhouse," "Texas Grillhouse," "Texas Steakhouse and Saloon," and yes in Pennsylvania there is, "Austin's Texas Hotdogs." Their version of what a "Texas Hotdog" is and my version are different. A "Texas Hot dog" to me is a hot dog with chili, onions, and cheese on it. Well, they put some kind of sauce on it that tastse horrible. It does not stop there. I was in Weis Market today and saw a box of, "Texas Veggie Burgers." Personally that is an oxymoron. Texas is the king of the cattle industry and those three words do not go together. Of course there is also "Texas Toast."
I am glad that so many people think so highly of my home state, but are we carrying it a little too far?

The crazy life I live

Since the first part of May my life has been a crazy, busy, non-stop mess. With my resignation from Welsh and starting of the Bumper Man business life has passed by really quick. I did some training in Atlanta, GA and New Orleans the second and third week of June and kicked the business off the last week of June. From the start the used car managers have been very open and receptive to what I do. I have worked most everyday and stay really busy. God has opened doors as every turn for me. As time goes on hopefully I will get more efficient and it will pick up. The hardest part is that the car market has hit a dead time with gas prices and everyone having cars they owe more than it is worth on and can't get out from under it.

The kids keep us really busy. Michelle has decided to homeschool Riley this year. We decided it was best to help her do some catch up and hopefully give her a great joy of learning. She seems to like it after the first week. The biggest challenge is taking care of the two boys at the same time. I know my wife can handle it.

My favorite MLB Player

I have been a Texas Rangers fan since I was a little kid. I have a plastic batting helmet and little wooden bat from from childhood with the Rangers logo on it. As I am typing this I am wearing my Rangers shirt. Toby Harrah and Buddy Bell were my favorite players as a kid. I remember the greats like Odibie McDowell and Ferggie Jenkins with the Rangers. I watched Nolan Ryan pitch one night. I know you would think I would cheer for a winner, but I am from the metroplex so I grew up watching those teams. I used to sit in the outfield seats as a kid in the old Arlington Stadium. The Rangers are 7 games out of the wildcard this year and are doing well, though they have trading away three pretty good pitchers over the past several years, Chris Young (Padres), John Danks (White Socks) and All-Star Edison Volquez (Reds). The Rangers have not seen much return on the players they got from the first two, but Volquez brought my new favorite Ranger. He is not my favorite player because he is good, which he is! He is my favorite because of what he has come through. If you don't know the story of Josh Hamilton it is one you need to know. After being drafted No. 1 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays, he got hurt and during the down time he got addicted to achohol and drugs. He was kicked out of baseball. I have followed his story even before he came to the Rangers and liked him, but the more I read about him the more impressed with him I am. My new favorite Ranger is first time and starting All-Star Josh Hamilton. Here is a neat story about Josh from the Dallas Morning News.

Here are some great quotes:

Sunday, the first player interviewed by Ernie Johnson and the network's baseball analysts was Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. "I should be dead right now or in jail."

"When I get the urge to have a drink or do something I'm not supposed to do, I think about what a hypocrite I would be to my Christianity and my sobriety," he said. "My wife told me in the midst of my addiction that God was going to let me get back to baseball. "Being able to share my story, that's what it's all about."

Even if you don't like baseball, Josh Hamilton is someone you can cheer and prayer for.

Two oldest kids

These are pics taken by my niece who was in town helping with the kids.

Running Nuts

This is what the next month looks like for our family...its called nuts. May 24th Yard Sale because we don't want to move it and we have stuff worth selling. May 25th, second to last Sunday at Welsh. Packing, more packing and still more packing. May 30th, birthday/moving pool party for Riley at the YMCA pool. May 31st lots of packing because some friends, Heather and Sharee, are taking the kids for the day and cooking dinner for us that night. June 1st, last Sunday at the church, with good-bye luncheon. June 2nd, walk through at the new house and get the keys and start the move in. We are going to take a truck and trailer load on this day just to get stuff out of the way. My friend Bob, he is also Riley's principal, is letting us use his enclosed trailer. Then June 3rd is field day at Riley's school. This is a big yearly event. Also, lots more packing. Thursday June 5th back to the house with a truck and trailer and van load of stuff. We will leave the truck there and bring back the trailer with the van. Plus, the cable and internet gets hooked up that day. We will be picking up the U-haul on Friday morning and start some loading, with the bulk of the loading coming on Saturday with help from church people, friends and family. Hopefully we get to Hagerstown around noon and we have some people in H-town to help us unload. We will go to church on Sunday morning and then that afternoon I head out to the ATL for my first week of training. My friend Ryan Strother is taking me to the airport. Hopefully the price of the airfare goes down cause I really don't want to pay what they are asking for the flight. Get back Friday evening the 13th and turn around and head to the Big Easy (New Orleans), will actually be staying in Covington, on Sunday for another week of training. Get back Friday the 20th and then Monday the 23rd I start my work. A guy named Nick who lives in St. Louis will be coming in to help with the first week and trick out my truck with all kinds of cool tools, a compressor, and generator. I will also get my Bumper Man signage on the truck.

We are very thankful for all the details that God has worked out and all the people who have said they would help in different ways. It will be nuts but Michelle and I have been married over eight years and this is the story of our lives...craziness!!! We love it is some ways but definitely look forward to some calmer days in our lives.

After things get settled I will blog about some of my thoughts on what I see God doing through me in terms of ministry and the whole journey to get us to where we are at this point. Keep us in your prayers that we enjoy this time of nuttiness.

Leaving Frostburg

Yesterday I announced to the church that I am resigning and moving to Hagerstown, MD. We had felt God moving us in this direction for some time now. We have been praying and asking God to provide the start-up cost for me to start my own business. We got our answer and now He keeps answering more.

I will be officially known as a Bumperman, here is another website. Our prayer through this whole adventure is asking God how can He use us as a family to minister in a different way. Not necessarily in an official capacity on staff at a church, but living in a community, working in the business world. Allowing us to be more missional in our ministry. Our prayer is that we will be doing more ministry than ever before. I said that God keeps answering prayers, well I got a really nice truck for my business for about $5000 below Bluebook. Here is a pic of the truck.

Also, today we think we found the house we want to rent. It is not official because we have to go through the whole application process. But nobody else is serious about it. Everything is coming in under budget so far, which is awesome.

Please keep Michelle, Riley, Carson, Hudson and myself in your prayers as we head out in this new adventure. My last Sunday at Welsh will be Sunday, June 1st. Please pray for Welsh that God will bless this church and all it does as it moves forward as well.

Feeling old

Well, this past Saturday I turned 37 years old. It was not a big deal, just another birthday that passes. My wife enabled my golf habit by letting me purchase a Taylor Made Rescue club. I am excited about the opportunity to play with it. Especially on the Par 4 number 3 at Polish Pines where you have to lay up before the water.


Enough on my b-day. Now to the reason I am feeling old, the movie "War Games" is 25 years old. I love the movie! It was my first introduction to what a computer could do. Can you say, "Do you want to play a game?"

The cool thing is the biblical imagery in this wonderful movie. David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) figured out how to get access to a computer created by Dr. Stephen Falken (John Wood). He knew all about the man who created the computer, but he could not get access to all the computer had to offer. Finally through further research David learns about Dr. Falken's son who was killed whose name was Joshua, which of course is the Hebrew name for Jesus. Once he figures out about the son he has access to the computer like never before.

Biblically speaking is the idea that we cannot have access to all God the Father has to offer until we KNOW about Jesus Christ His Son. The Son gives us access to the all the Father has for us.

Great viewing

With the writer's strike this season some of my favorite shows have been delayed or canceled for the season all together. I am glad to see hope is on the horizon with one of the best shows I have seen, Deadliest Catch. I wrote a small blog about this last season here. I think I enjoy the show for the fact that this is real reality. These guys work hard and take great risks to bring a creature comfort to many people who enjoy King Crab. Personally I am not a crab eater, but this show is well worth it. So, on tax day at 9:00 PM on Discovery Channel catch the new season.

Reliving

So the other day I blog about Dr. Demento and I was listen to some of the classics from the show and forgot one of my favorites, Squirrels. Also, there is this classic, Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah and finally Bulbous Bouffant. So, click on the links and find these classics.

Birthday Shout out

Today is the birthday of a radio icon, Dr. Demento. When I was a kid growing up in McKinney, TX my brother and I would listen to his show on Q102 on Sunday nights. He introduced us to some wonderful songs over the years. Songs like, "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" by Napoleon XIV, or "Dead Puppies" by Ogden Edsl Wahalia Blues Ensemble Mondo Bizzario Band. Dr. Demento also introduced me to Weird Al and many of the songs that were not popular by him. So if you ever wonder why I am the way that I am, well this might explain a whole lot. So, if you like listening to, "mind numbing ear-candy while enjoying MAD MUSIC and CRAZY COMEDY," then join with me in wishing Dr. Demento a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Well...

Sunday was a good day. The sermon went really well considering I preached longer than normal. It is funny because I only had three pages of notes, usually have at least five. My daughter the night before asked me about being baptized, she had been asking for some time. I talked to her about what baptism means and why and she said she wanted to become a Christ follower. I prayed with her and she will be baptized next week. The day after my b-day. My parents are flying in from Texas for this. Riley is the first of their grandchildren to profess Christ.

This week is a lot more tame than last week. I actually got to go work-out this morning. It is hard when you have to take some time off to get back into it. I did not want to go and once I got there I wanted to leave. I pressed through. I didn't do my normal work-out but I got back into the grove.

Good Day

What a good day, it was long and I am tired but it was worth the trip. Bob Roberts was his usual engaging self.

I was able to hang out with a friend, Cory, from another church in the area that road down with me. I had invited him earlier in the week because he is going through some transition stuff in his life and looks to be moving on to another church.

I also got to spend some time with my friend David Phillips and met a couple of other bloggers as well. It was good to meet Adam Feldman, here is his church's website, and Joe Kennedy. I have not read their blogs much before, but look forward to keeping up with these guys. Adam is in Ellicott City and Joe has been in Maryland looking at the possibilities of planting in Maryland. All three guys are great guys and are doing some really great stuff for the kingdom. I need to rub shoulders with these guys because their blogs are really fancy and my is bland compared to theirs.

Most of what Bob said I have either read or heard from him in other contexts, but it was a great reminder for me because I have become very self-focused over the past few months.

Tomorrow I have my second funeral this week. Looking forward to the sermon this week. I am starting a new series called, "Living Life Out Loud" based on the book of Ephesians. Sunday's title is "Whose are you?"

Can't Wait for Tomorrow

One of my pastoral heroes is Bob Roberts, Pastor of Northwood Church in Keller, Texas. I first heard Bob while in seminary in Ft. Worth. I have read two of his books, Transformation and Glocalization. Tomorrow's one day conference is on his newest book, The Multiplying Church. I have not read his newest book, but as part of the conference fee we get the book.

Looking forward to this

Ben Stein, one of my favorite actors, "Bueller, Bueller," and one of the smartest guys I have ever heard, is coming out with what looks to be a very interesting movie. It is called "Expelled." Here is some information from the movie website:


There is a movement on the horizon that has the potential to change the educational system in America and influence your kids, you and the youth you serve.

For decades now, Neo-Darwinism has maintained a stranglehold within public education, suppressing all other theories on the origins of life - especially those that hint of a "designer".

Oxford professor Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and author of "The God Delusion" states,

"Certainly I see the scientific view of the world as incompatible with religion."

Your students are being bombarded with such propaganda throughout their education; despite the fact that MOST Americans do NOT believe we're the result of "random chance".

Well, FINALLY help is on the way.

EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed, is an upcoming feature film in which host Ben Stein (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) goes on a quest to expose the suppression by science's anti-theist elite, and unveil new scientific facts that may suggest evidence of intelligent design in the universe.