Will She Be the Next Vice President?

Sarah Palin is the current Governor of Alaska. She graduated from University of Idaho in 1987. She has five children and is a Lutheran.

What Once was Misplaced Has Been Found

My iPod has been located. After thinking about my iPod about once a day this week and finally remembering to call Randy; today I received official word that Randy made sure I did not loss my iPod. You see, I have a tendency to misplace things and since I did not put it in my bag, I must have left it on the table while I was tearing down Sunday morning. And to clarify, there is a difference between lost and misplaced. I hear people say, “oh, you lost it.” Nine times out of ten I misplace, so eventually it turns up (sometimes I even hide things from myself).

Thankfully, Randy was looking out for one of the media guys (cause he wasn’t sure if it was mine or not) and adopted an iPod. Hundreds of thanks to Randy for adopting my iPod for a week and not pawning it!

For those of you who were worried about my iPod and looking in your things frantically for my iPod, you can stop now, it has been found! And for those of you who sent me cash to replace my iPod…I’ll send it back to you.

I hope you guys have a great weekend. High school football starts tonight…go see a game. God Bless. Till next time.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

For details check out the website. Enjoy and have a great Labor Day Weekend.

On My Mind

Film. I am scheduling interviews for an upcoming video project. The basic plot deals with tattoos, so I am looking for people with tattoos. The filming has been great so far and the fun continues tonight as I have one scheduled and a possible second one lined up.

Beijing. After years of not watching the Olympics, I am sad to see them go. I am not sure what it was about this year that brought me back to the Olympics, but something drew me back. Most everything NBC aired was worthy of watching, especially if you saw it in HD.

Football. High school football is about to start and the district were re-aligned. I have been reading some scouting reports and looked over the top 10 pre-season picks and am excited about what the season holds. Lake Travis looks like they are ready to make a run, but we’ll see.

Astros. Someone should really remind the team the season starts in April, not July. After a hot streak in early August, the boys looked like a post season team, except they are sitting at a nasty 66-66 record. Who am I rooting for in the post season; I guess the Tampa Bay Rays (I am tired of the Red Sox winning) or the Cubs.

IPod MIA. Going on Day Three now of me realizing my ipod is MIA. I last used it at the gathering at the Well on Sunday morning. I remember unplugging it from the sound board, but don’t remember what happened after that. It’s not in my bag, so I don’t know what I did. Maybe, just maybe Jason or Randy picked it up and I will see it Sunday. Maybe I should call them…

Kari. My wife passed the “big test.” I don’t know the official name, but basically she can be a teacher now. She is student teaching this fall in Pflugerville ISD and on the road to graduation. Her commute is 13 minutes and virtually traffic free. What an amazing little lady, I am thankful the Lord blessed me with such a wonderful wife.

That’s about it. I hope you enjoyed the window into my mind…Until Next Time.

Welcome Back KITT

When I was growing up I watched Knight Rider all the time. It has been one of my all time favorite shows. I even watched the special made for TV movie that came out years ago. NBC is bringing back Knight Rider. New cast and new car; I will be tuned in on September 24, 2008 to see the new Knight Rider series premiere. Check out the new car.

Geek time is over. God Bless.

Weekend Review: The 4th weekend in August (4 of 5)

This month has been flying by. Kari pointed out to me last night, “14 more days till your birthday!” WOW, that means September is right around the corner.

I am going to start with Thursday night because Kari and I had such a blast with Will (which is the norm), you would have thought we started our weekend than. Will’s birthday was August 14th and somehow I completely forgot to call him on his birthday (found out later he worked 29 hours on his birthday). We took Will to a birthday dinner at the Hula Hut. We enjoyed some great food and conversation, but this was only the start of the evening. We went to Mozart’s afterwards and Kari poured a cold coffee drink down Will’s shirt and made a mess in the coffeehouse. It was awesome. We ended the night by Will’s pool, just hanging out and talking the night away.

This weekend we hosted Kari’s mother and sister Shelbi (actually just Friday and Saturday afternoon). Friday evening we went to the Alamo Drafthouse and saw Mama Mia. It was a little bit over the top at times, but that was expected. Otherwise, it was a good movie experience; good food/drink, good music and the film was shot in a beautiful location. I must confess this was my first Alamo Drafthouse experience. I have recommended it to plenty of people as an “Austin thing” to do, but somehow never went till this weekend. Now more than ever, I will continue to recommend catching dinner and a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse to anyone.

Saturday was spent catching up on some sleep. We got out of bed about 10am; it was so nice. We played some Xbox 360, watched some TV and went to find lunch at Hoovers. As we were sitting down, Will called and said he was getting his brakes done about 5 minutes south of us. I went and picked up Will and we had a wonderful lunch with family and a friend. The food was amazing (as always)! Later that afternoon we went to Bastrop to hangout with Ma ma and Pa pa, my mom, Matt and Alex, Uncle Rus and the Lueders cousins. We enjoyed lots of amazing barbequed chicken and cake to celebrate summer/September birthdays. It was great fellowship and lots of fun. I am blessed to have some of the most amazing family and am so glad we all get along so well.

Sunday morning we had some church at the Well. The Sweet Feet sermon series continued with Jason bringing the Word again! It was a very encouraging sermon and I truly enjoyed the message delivery style. Jason began by focusing on one character from scripture; we broke for worship in song and than he completed the sermon by describing the second figure in the scripture and nicely tied them together. Kari and I join some church folks at Güero´s Taco Bar on South Congress. Güero´s was some good eats. They serve a black bean tamale that is wonderful which I recommend.

Afterwards we hit the 18th Annual Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival at Waterloo Park. It was a bit dusty and super hot (but we weren’t really dressed for the festival)! We did try a few sauces and enjoyed what we did try. It was packed with people though, so some of the lines were long. We didn’t stay long though because we were tired, sweaty and hot. We went home and Kari crashed out. I fought off sleep, but held the couch down. At about 7pm the closing ceremonies for the 2008 Beijing Olympics we on TV, so Kari and I watched them for a bit. After enjoying parts of the opening ceremony, I thought it was wise to watch the closing ceremonies. It was worth my time because they were amazing. I was a little disappointed in London’s mayor; he seemed a little clueless (I’m not sure if London has a chance). Once they put the torch out, bed time was about 9pm. China did an amazing job; I am looking forward to see what Vancouver will put together in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

That’s all folks. I hope you all had a great weekend. God Bless.

Abigail Mahree Burnett Has Arrived

I was going to post this on Nicole’s blog, but I cannot figure out xanga. I got very frustrated trying to post there…but enough about that.

On August 20, 2008, at 5:27pm Abigail Mahree was born and weighted in at 7lbs 2ounces and 20 ½ inches long. She is healthy with a full head of beautiful hair. The parents are excited about their new bundle of joy and looking forward to relaxing at home soon. I have a few pictures, I hope I can post later today and Nicole’s blog will have plenty of pictures to share as well. Check back soon.

Have a blessed day.

Finding Contentment

In conjunction with completing my read of In the Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson and my own personal struggles, God has taught me so much in the last two months (I highly recommend Batterson’s book, if you haven’t read it).

God has revealed to me that he is going to take care of my wife and I no matter what. With thoughts of other jobs, ministry struggles, and paying the bills, God basically said, “You are where you are for a reason, so make the best of it and I will take care of you.” This assurance of contentment revealed to me that I shouldn’t stress and worry about things I can’t fix and rather let God take control (He is the one in charge, not me or anyone else). In addition, God provided overtime at my job to increase my pay; therefore opening other opportunities to meet more people’s needs as well as our own.

Concerning some other personal struggles, I am currently tackling some Lions. God says, “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). Affliction is defined as the cause of persistent pain or distress or great suffering. If it weren’t for these current struggles/afflictions and hardships, I would not have the experience nor refinement to face other things that might arise in the future. I am delighted to be alive and make the best of whatever situation God throws my way. It is an amazing learning experience.

Perseverance is also critical. During these times when it just seems you should give up and move to Alaska, God tells us the outcome is maturity. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-5). We are supposed to consider these times joyful! Wow. How hard is that? As I come to grips with what God is up to; it is easy to find comfort in the fact that He is working through it and I can either learn from it or get mad about it and learn nothing. God has taught and is teaching me so much this summer and I am glad to know that it is all part of his plan.

I would encourage anyone struggling, down and out, or whatever the case maybe; to find comfort in the Lord through the reading of scriptures, prayer and loving on one another. Through these avenues, God can provide peace and comfort. Keep you head up for, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). God Bless.

The Quest for the Best Breakfast Taco in North Austin

I have had tacos from a few places in the area, but I just can’t find one that compares to my number one, Anita’s in Bastrop, TX. I have asked a few folks about tacos in the area and tried them, but I am now asking my readers to help me out. I know many of you live or have lived in North Austin* and one of you is bound to know the place to go. I love breakfast tacos and in need your help.

Not only does the taco have to be amazing (which includes homemade tortillas), but the salsa that compliments the taco must be great as well. Normally, I order a potato, cheese and egg taco and cover it in salsa. The combination of all four flavors delights my taste buds and I am so desperate to find a place that serves this taco, I’m blogging about it! If you have eaten tacos with me, than you know what I am looking for and if you have any information concerning the Best Taco in North Austin because of you own personal experience, please let me know. I am looking forward to some amazing recommendations.

More time come…

*North Austin can also mean Pflugerville, Round Rock and Cedar Park.

Weekend Review: The 3rd Weekend in August (3 of 5)

This weekend was pretty low key as compared to the two previous weekends (1 & 2).

Friday after work I drove to Milano to “Meet the Eagles.” Shelbi, my sister in law, is a Junior High cheerleader and was performing at this before the school year pep-rally. Shelbi did a great job; I am looking forward to football season and catching a few of her games.

Saturday morning I worked some mandatory overtime. We recently were slammed with tons of calls and paperwork, so everyone is required to work a little extra, but how can you complain when you get paid extra. That afternoon I met Warren to join him in attending a baseball game in which Mike T. was taking the mound. Mike T. is my insurance agent, also an amazing ball player and he throws some heat. He ended the game with a no decision, but it was awesome to him throw and compete on such a high level with the “younger” guys. Warren and I enjoyed snow cones in Round Rock and had a wonderful time just hanging out.

I got some sad news on Saturday afternoon that my granny’s sister, Wilma, was not doing well. Growing up, Aunt Wilma would come see granny and the family on Sunday’s in Cedar Creek. Her spirit was always filled with joy, smiles and happiness. Today my dad called me and shared wonderful news that her health is improving and she is recovering. Please keep her in your prayers.

Saturday evening I had aspirations to work on a new video project, but couldn’t get myself off the couch. I ended up on the couch watching the 2008 Olympics. I enjoyed the sports that were aired Saturday night especially the swimming, but was a little surprised at the exclusive live coverage of the women’s marathon. I mean, all the wonderful shots of Beijing were wonderful (the Forbidden City was sweet), but I would have rather watched water polo than the marathon.

Sunday we had an amazing service. Sweet Feet Three was up to bat and hit home to many of the members. Basically, Jason referenced Paul’s conversion in Acts to remind us that ANYONE can change and we can either join in helping them find the right path or take a back seat. You can check the sermon series online at The Well in Austin.

Sunday afternoon I met up with Kari and many of her family members at a reunion. I drove through Bastrop and Buscher State Parks to meet up with them at the reunion location. I saw two deer (one buck) and three squirrels (one of the running in the road, go figure). We enjoyed good company, conversation and fired catfish. It was great to meet more members of my wife’s family and spend time with Kari as she takes care of Daniel. On a side note: Mom, we were in your neighborhood, but you didn’t answer your phone. Call when you get a chance (wink, wink).

I hope that each of you had a blessed weekend. Look forward to a few more posts this week, since I have a full week to put some fingers on the keyboard. God Bless.

Weekend Review: The 2nd Weekend in August (2 of 5)

This past weekend was an extended weekend because it was our mini-summer vacation and my Valentines Day present (as mentioned in my previous post).

Friday evening we took Carter and Canton to my mother’s house for “dog-sitting.” We left the house about 8pm planning at the last minute to drive to Galveston. About 25minutes into the drive Kari remembered that we forgot the baseball tickets. So, really we started for my mothers and Galveston about 9pm. We dropped the puppies off and headed to Galveston. We arrived on the island about 2am and crashed immediately.

Saturday morning we were a little sleepy, but we were looking forward to the beach. We hit the water and spent some time with friends from Milano and Kari’s mother and sister. We hit the road about 11:30am for Kari’s cousins wedding in Baytown. We crossed the beautiful bridge in Baytown and looked for our destination (a good road trip isn’t good till you get lost). As we raced the clock and hunted for the hotel, we took a wrong turn on 1-10 East, instead of West. We crossed the Trinity River and quickly realized we were not going the right way. We U-turned and headed back to Baytown. After a quick stop at the hotel, we headed to the church. We arrived at the church with about ten minutes to spare, but the wedding started late, so we were golden. This was the fastest wedding I have ever attended. It was about 12 minutes long. I don’t think the preacher paused once. It was awesome! We visited with family and friends at the reception and ate some good sea food that evening with family. Later that night, we took a swim in the pool at the hotel and enjoyed more time relaxing and visiting.

Sunday morning we got up and headed back to Galveston. Normally we take I-45 South to Galveston, but we decided to take a scenic route this morning. We went to Port Bolivar on Hwy 87 and enjoyed a pizza at Bob’s Restaurant on Crystal Beach. It was surprisingly good pizza and a good snack for the delay at the ferry. In order to get from the peninsula to the island you have to take a ferry. It is the only path to Galveston Island from this point of Texas. I have ridden the ferry before, but never from Port Bolivar to Galveston, so this was an exciting trip for me, except for the hour and a half wait. What would have normally taken about 45 minutes to an hour, it took us about 4 hours to get to Galveston from Baytown. We hit the beach again, and met up with James, Ashley and Daniel. The water was warm, but pleasant to ride some waves. That evening, we had dinner at Shrimp & Stuff. Shrimp & Stuff is one of the most amazing places to get cheap seafood. It has been around for 32 years and is still serving some amazing food. I enjoy the Crab Po boy upon every visit to the restaurant. Later that evening, we went on a little historical trip to the Balinese Room. My mother-in-law’s father and grandfather worked at the Balinese Room. The Balinese Room was home to illegal gambling and many raids by the Texas Rangers. Mr. Franklin was one of the runners; upon arrival of any law enforcement, he would run down the hallway to the ball room, alert the guests and help flip tables in order to conceal the gambling. According to the website a former employee said, “the Balinese was raided on 64 consecutive nights without a single bust.” It was shut down in 1957 and re-opened in 2002 (without the gambling, I guess).

Monday we hit the beach again. The ocean was rougher than the previous days and the rip tide was very strong. If I was a surfer, I would have been on my surf board, but I’m not; so I just waded in the water. It was probably the best day for the beach because of the rough waters. We went to the candy shop on the strand and ate some lunch with the family. After that, we drove around the island taking pictures of historic and memorable places. On the way to Minute Maid Park, we stopped in on some friends Blaine and Lauren. We visited the afternoon away with Lauren and briefly said hello to Blaine. It was good to see them. We got to Houston quickly and met up with my brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and Katie. As we walked into the stadium, my brother exclaim, “Awe, sweet!” I was excited to see he was thrilled. It was Aaron, Katie and Kari’s first time to enjoy a game at Minute Maid Park. It was an awesome time with an added bonus, the Astros won, 3-1. We drove back to Milano after the game and slept in.

Tuesday was spent sleeping and hanging out. I enjoy working with the lawn at my in-law’s house, so I went outside and played in the dirt/grass. The thunder began to rumble as I completed my task. I sat on the porch and listened to the thunder turn to rain and sat in porch swing with my wife enjoying the cool weather and rain. It was delightfully relaxing to sit through an amazing rain shower from start to finish. We were going to swing by and pick up Carter and Canton, but found out we were going be taking our nephew Daniel home with us. So, we went by my grandparent’s house to introduce Daniel to my ma-ma and pa-pa and have dinner with them. It was cool to see “parent nurture” come alive in my grandparents. We are going to see my mom and pick up the puppies this evening.

Well…that’s about it…without posting pictures...I hope I painting a good picture of an amazing vacation. God Bless…catch you later this week.

Prayer Need

Hey, I want to share a blog and a prayer request with my readers this evening.

http://clarapeterson.wordpress.com/

Tim and Clara are some friends of mine from Lockhart, TX. They are some amazing people with two wonderful daughters. Please keep them in your prayers.

God Bless.

Harris County, Here We Come

“On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been
Seein' things that I may never see again,
And I can't wait to get on the road again.”

As I am, you are probably hearing the song in your head now. That is the theme for the weekend. We will be going on a mini-vacation which includes a wedding on Saturday and an Astros game on Monday (where we will be meeting my brother and sister in law). The rest is all up in the air, but we will be in and around Harris County for the next few days. I am looking forward to some time off and a get away with my wife and seeing family throughout the vacation. Kari is done with summer school and getting geared up for student teaching.

I hope that each of you have a blessed weekend. Coming Soon (on Wednesday): Weekend Review: The 2nd Weekend in August (2 of 5) God Bless.

How’s Your Love Life?

I have been listening to Erwin R. McManus a lot lately and in one of his sermons, he begins describing his love for his wife and children and then stated,

“Human beings have an unlimited capacity to love; you’re only limited by your willingness to love.”

I thought this statement contained so much truth. Our willingness is hinged on our choices. In those choices we can choose to get to know, like or love an individual; or completely opposite we can dislike, despise and even hate someone. The cool thing is, if we allow ourselves to look past reasons we dislike, despise and even hate someone,then we should be able to find a sense of love for anyone.

When you love someone whether it's affection, friendship, eros, and/or charity love you open yourself up to risk. You risk many things: heartache, suffering, sorrow, disappointment and many many other things, but no matter what, love always prevails. When we are faced with letting someone else into our lives, we can open up, be loved and return love, or not.

I think McManus’ statement can be viewed from the other person’s willingness to be loved. The interesting point is, we can love someone all we want, but we can’t force them to accept this love nor change there mind about accepting the love you give. To think, you can love someone so much, but you risk never receiving returned love is heart wrenching. I think in this type of love you submit them daily to prayer and continue loving them no matter what.

I think this response to someone not accepting your love aligns with Romans 12:20, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” They don’t necessary have to be your enemy, but what it boils down to is we should love everyone no matter what. So, how is your love life? This is the question I have been asking myself recently. I am making some steps to align my love life with everyone in accordance with my willingness to love…and I agree with McManus that we have, “unlimited capacity to love.”

"We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love"

Jump in the discussion. Let me know what you think. God Bless.

Weekend Review: The First Weekend in August (1 of 5)

This weekend was so busy! Looking back and considering the time, I only missed out on getting enough sleep and hanging out with some close friends.

Friday evening was spent cleaning the house and preparing for Saturday. I planned on going to work and Kari was headed to a major test at 8am. Hum, we did go to bed about 9pm that night, but we were both up pretty early (which usually doesn’t happen on a Saturday morning).

Saturday, Kari took her major exam for the teacher certification. She was so nervous and almost wasn’t allowed to take the test because of an ID issue, but by a gracious lady’s decision, she was cleared and allowed in. She felt very confident about the first test she took, but wasn’t so about the second. I think she did a great job and I am really proud of her. Thanks for all your prayers and support and please ask for continued prayer support as we await the results.

After I got off work, Carter, Canton and I spent some quality time together. For those of who don't know Carter, he is a short poodle. We thought Canton was going to be the same height, but currently he is taller than Carter and only six months old. I will have to post some pictures soon as he doesn’t look like a puppy anymore.

Saturday evening, Kari and I were invited to join my brothers at the Bastrop Homecoming in Bastrop, TX. Local, home grown Logan Tucker was headlining the stage that evening, so we headed to Bastrop. We stopped in to visit my grandparents, Mama and Papa, (pronounced Maw-maw and paw-paw) which was a surprise to them. It was a great little visit.

The Bastrop Homecoming was a reunion for me (my ten year reunion is coming up). I have seen many of my classmates over the years, but it’s called Homecoming for a reason. I was delighted to see and hear what many of my friends were doing today (especially the Rockne Playboys). It was also fun to introduce my wife to my friends; we had a blast. The Logan Tucker Band did a good job playing many country oldies and new tracks, but I think I heard more talking than I did band. As the night wore on, we got tired and headed home about 12:30am.

Sunday the Well kicked off a new sermon series entitled Sweet Feet. Jason is back and recharged from a months vacation and I am looking forward to an exciting fall. Check out our site, we are going to start podcasting (hopefully through itunes), but for sure posting the sermons online through an .rss feed. It is a project Randy and I have been working on and I am excited to announce we are kicking it off in August so you can check out the Sweet Feet sermons online. (Shout out to Brandon for mixing!)

After Sunday’s Well Gathering the church body voted to license me into the Gospel Ministry. In short, during the fall of 2007, I surrendered to God’s call on my life, the ministry; on Sunday the church body recognized this call and licensed me to “marry and bury” and spread the "good news." It is an exciting step in the ministry and I am excited and pleased to be serving with such a wonderful church body and staff at the Well.

That’s about all folks…Have a great week…stay tuned, more to come. God Bless.

Roll Call

After much thought and…; nah, I just thought I would see how many people read my blog and would leave me a comment (besides my wife, Becky Jo and a few other awesome people). This blog entry is to encourage my readers to drop me a comment. Let me know you’re out there, maybe where you’re from and what you think of my blog or a previous entry. Oh, and if you think I should retire http://jhellums.blogspot.com please, don’t hold back. If this is your first time visiting, drop me a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

Coming Monday: Review on the first weekend of August (can you believe it's already August!) and whatever else I have in mind on Monday morning.

So, reminding you of your assignment again…please, leave me a comment. Have a great weekend. God Bless