Lion - Friend or Foe

I found this on James Wilder's blog and thought it was so neat that I would post it on here. This is really cool. Watch the beginning story and the rest is really really great.

Musings....

I am sitting here at the table in the hotel room, relaxing after just making a Starbucks run to satisfy my caffeine cravings. Nothing like a white-hot peppermint mocha (fat free because it taste better) still with whipped cream, to put me to sleep. I am sitting here in Broken Arrow, OK pondering ideas for a presentation I am working on for the Home Missions dept. It has to be done by camp meeting so I am trying to come up with catchy pictures and ideas so it will present itself as a professional type of media presentation. By the way, camp meeting is just around the corner. It seems like it was just here not to long ago. Hard to believe a year has past. Its the last camp meeting with the Northern and the Southern districts together so everyone is thinking its gonna be big. I will say there is NOTHING like California Camp Meeting. I am almost ready to come home. While being out a lot this summer, it's been a great experience. A lot of great people met. This weekend I was with the Marshalls here in Supulpa, OK. Had a great time over the weekend. There are some pics of their kids and them below. The humidity is great here still. You walk outside and you melt.... Blog spot came out with something great in the last little while that is really neat. It's a new blogger-friend list side-bar for the blog. Now you can see what the latest topic that certain blogger has posted without even going to their blog. And when they updated their blog AND who has updated the last. Not that I'm saying it's a pain just to click on their link and go there, but now you can see if there's anything new to read without going to their site and coming back. I am headed out Thursday morning early and hopefully will make it all the way through Arizona by Friday. Thanks for all your prayers everyone and I look forward to seeing you all back home and at campmeeting.

More pics of the Church

Bro. and Sis. Marshall

Their oldest son Jarrod

Their youngest son Jameson

Church Building Pics

I am far, far from home, but friends from home are sending me pictures of what FAC looks like right now. We are currently in the process of remodeling the church and everything pretty much looks like it is tore up. They are enlarging the sanctuary to provide a larger platform and additional seating space.

Pretty exciting and wish I was there.

Pics

Church

Jeremy Hart, a young singer and awesome songwriter

Me and Stan Cook. Stan sang with the McGruders for years and is still is awesome.

Me with the Huntleys. Back about 20 years ago when we were in North Carolina, they dedicated my brother. Incredible and such humble people.

My room.

Oklahoma Campground

Here are some pics of the Oklahoma Campground. These are from last nights service. Some of the pics are from on the platform behind the district officials heads. I know they aren't that great but I really didn't think it was the best time to ask them to turn around and smile.

District Board

Audience

Bro Huntley Preaching

I ran across this sitting in "Charlies Bean" Coffeeshop today between services. If you have a sense of humor, and you have been around the UPC, you will think this is funny.....if you dont........its pretty good!

There and Back Again

I am back in Oklahoma now and am recovering from the 13 hour drive by sipping coffee in "Charlies Bean", a really cool coffee shop here in the town of Mustang. I am at the Oklahoma Camp meeting this week and am just kind of hanging around selling Cd's. I love California.

The daytime Bible teacher is Bro. Harold Hoffman. The night time preacher tonight is Bro Wayne Huntley. For the past 3 nights it has been Bro James Booker. The crowd is about 3000-3500 and is a really beautiful campground. They have owned it here for about 50 years they said and it is really well maintained which makes me want one back in California for our district.

I sat next to the Godwins last night and their choir sang and tore it up. There is a lot of different things going on here and I will post some pics when I get them tonight.

It was like a cousins reunion last weekend back in Indiana and I am glad I am on the way back home. Well about another week and a half. I preached Sunday morning in Linton, IN and Sunday eve. in Terre Houte a town about 40 miles north of Linton. The church back home is going through a major remodel right now and I am missing all the fun. You know, people getting hit with hammers, cuts, bruises, tiredness, the whole bit.

I don't know, I feel a little irritable today. Maybe its been all the time changes an such, but I just feel like I need to go take a long nap. Here are some pics of the road.

Cousins with Grandpa an Grandma

My brother Trent and our cousin Josh goofn off

Kadee Me, Trent and Josh

Concert in the Park. The church here made over 100 new contacts because of the concert. It turned out great!Me and Julie McGar. If you have never heard this girl sing, you are missing out. She is one of the smoothest singers I have ever heard. She was at IBC for 4 years and part of PRAISE for 3 of those years. It was a blast. After the concertAfter church the next morning. Me, my brother and sister, and Grandpa an GrandmaPreaching that night in Terre Houte

Beautiful St. Louis, MO

Time

It is about 1:00 here in Indiana. Being the night owl that I am, I cant really fall asleep right now, plus I am kinda still on California time. My brother is flying in tonight and my cousin Josh is picking him up in the morning in Indianapolis. It's kind of cool, because all of the cousins will be here tomorrow and we haven't all been together in about 10 years. Kind of a family reunion if you will. God has been putting some ideas about time in my head lately. Life is so short. We are all subject to time. No matter how big and powerful you are, or how small and unpopular you are, the one thing we all have in common is we are all subject to the continual thing of time. I think all of us if we could, would go back and change some things we have done in our life. We are people, we all make mistakes, but thank God his blood covered it. And yet there remains the time lost in our lives when there could have been some crossroads that could have changed our life. Statistics say (I don't know how they found this out but I thought it was cool) that life will present to you with 7 life changing opportunities. SEVEN! 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) What if you lived every day like it was your last? What if you lived every minute like it was your last hour? What could you accomplish? Please don't misunderstand me, because I know that we all need a break sometimes, but what am I missing out on in life and what could I gain if I would just get passionate about some things? What is just passing me by every day that could be an opportunity? "Lift up your eyes for the field is white unto harvest". I don't look enough. Its so easy to get caught up into our own things and life that we forget sometimes that God has so many things planned for our life. I don't have time to get bitter. I don't have time to hold a grudge. I don't have time to toil on things that don't even matter. What could I have done with that time that I just spent steaming over an argument, or what could I have done with those moments that I simply didn't realize God might have been thumping on the head saying "Here's an opportunity, lets see what you do with it", and I walked away. I cant do everything everyday, but what I can do is live life with abandon. Live life like its my last day on earth. Talk to someone I've never talked to. Go somewhere where I've never gone before. Reach someone I've never reached. Because I don't want to look back one day and say "there was where God wanted to do something GREAT in my life, but I wasn't paying attention." Sing like its your last time to sing, preach like its your last time to preach, and take advantage of every moment that God has given you. And do it with PASSION! God let me take advantage of every moment in your presence. Every time I feel you let it change me. Every time I hear you let it penetrate me. Every time I touch you let it be a brand new experience. Don't walk...run. Don't crawl...fly. Don't put down...lift up. Because in this short time I have on this earth....I don't have time to waste...... Just some ramblings.

Hot, Humid, and Havn' A Blast

Well I am in the Evangelist quarters of Bibleway Church in Linton, Indiana pastored by Donald Evans. It has been an incredible time back East but I am slowly hearing the sounds of home calling my name.

This week I have been able to see my family that lives back here and see where my grandparents used to live and where my great grandparents used to live. I remember coming here when I was about 12 years old and staying over the summers with my Grandparents and the fun we would have in the town of Merom, IN. All 600 people in the town seemed to be so close knit. I had breakfast this morning at my Uncles Restaurant in Merom. You have to understand where I was at. It's like something out of the old West. You get your own coffee cups, pour your own coffee and choose from about 10 things on the menu.......it is so relaxing. Saturday they are having a singing in the park for the Church here and its going to be great. About 4 different sections are going to be there and a majority of the town. There has been some outreach going on and things are going great. After this Sunday I am headed out toward the Oklahoma Camp meeting and will be there for the week. I will post a little more after this weekend.

Bro. Guy Godwins Church in Broken Arrow, OK

Jared Marks and friends

Preaching

The Godwins youngest, Winston (right) and a friend

Their middle son "Austin"

Bro and Sis Godwin

Sis Godwin and their daughter Brittaney

Bro Godwin havin a good time

Me and my cousin Connor

Kadee and Jonathan

Me and my cousin Josh

Eli my 2 year old cousin

My cousin Jonathan

All the guys

All the Girls at my Uncles Restaurant