Getting Older (Not Really that Old)

I have few thoughts on my increasing age and some stuff that come with it. As a 27 year old married male I find myself:

-reading more of the bible, theology, personal memoirs and history.

-bolding telling people about Christ on a daily bases; it is exciting to share your faith knowing no word returns void in His name. There should be no fear in bringing up Jesus in almost every conversation you have with anyone, anytime, and anywhere.

-spending precious time with my wife because she encourages and loves me with all that she is no matter what.

-being more thankful for family and friends.

-doing fewer things on the internet than I did. My list of “things to do” on the internet includes: my blog, g mail, posting my videos on youtube (Check out Soul Ink) and about once a week facebook (since the new facebook, probably less now!). I don’t have time for anything more than this; really, who does!

-spending less time on my Xbox 360. Although it serves as a great DVD player; I play it about once a month, sometimes I go two months without playing.

This small list is just a fraction of what was running through my mind Wednesday morning. I would not trade any of them and am very thankful for all that God has blessed me and my family with. I hope and pray that each of you are doing well this week and are also grateful for all the blessings, life for instance, God has given you.

The Cowboys are Back & Headed to Tampa

What an exciting time for “Cowboys Nation!” After week one, the ‘boys were just oozing with talent and on the brink of making an amazing run. Last night, the blue star continued to shine brightly in Texas Stadium. Not only did the Cowboys beat Reid’s Eagles they beat the boys in black and white (pass interference, come on ref!).

May I reminisce for a moment? (sure, its my blog!) Sitting on the bean bag in front of the TV in early 1993, we gathered around to watch the Dallas Cowboys face off against the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl. The 1992-1993 season and Super Bowl was probably when I fell in love with the Dallas Cowboys (that and I was old enough to actually understand the game). Jimmy Johnson had led the Cowboys from out of the dredges of horrible football (remember 1-15 in 1989!) to winning football. Oh and I have to mention, I will remember the half time show forever. Michael Jackson came out from under the stage and stood still for what seemed like 5 minutes than blew the crowd away with his performance. Anyways, Buffalo fell 17 to Dallas’ 52 points. Ah, the glory days. I think we are about to see some more glory days. “How ‘bout them cowboys!”

Romo, TO, Barber, Jones, Thomas and Ware…I could go on, but I think these guys are ready to go back to the Super Bowl. This is me calling the Cowboys victory at Super Bowl XLIII after two games. There it is, I said it.

Ike Aftermath in Pictures

If you haven't seen pictures from the aftermath of Ike check out the link below. 28 mind blowing pictures of the devastation.

Link

If you have others to share, drop them on my comments. Many prayers to those picking up the piece.

Soul Ink: Passion & Pain

Some Thoughts

Kari and I spend a lot of time in Galveston, so this image caught my attention. You can see the waves and Seawall sign in the background. About a month ago we were on the seawall. I want to make one thing clear, I am deeply concerned about the people of Southeast Texas. My recent rants were directed to local (Austin) media outlets that seem to report more than the news. Our prayer is God spares lives and provides protection for those in Ike's path. We are ready to do whatever we can to help the people in need. Please say a prayer for my buddy JLee, who decided to "ride it out." I talked to him last night briefly and I can only imagine now what is going on. Don't forget to mention Cassie's parents in your prayers as well.

Have a blessed weekend.

Rant About the Worthless Austin American Statesman

Why Ike's track was hard to predict hit the Austin American Statesman today. What a waste of my time. I am not sure what the staff is doing over at the Statesman, I mean, it is for sale and all, I guess the editor has nothing better to do than let trash like this be printed. "Hurricane Ike has been a moving target for meteorologists and for state and local officials trying to figure out...," Osborn writes. Huh, over course, it's a hurricane, they move. I know we are talking about some important stuff here and evacuations are very important, but we are dealing with weather. Meteorologists cannot determine the exact location, so best guess based upon the weather patterns is all you're going to get. On a scale of 1 to 10, the Statesman gets a 1 for this worthless article.

For those actually reporting the news, thanks for your hard work.

Please tune in next week for less ranting at Insert Title Here.

726 Miles Away

At approximately 12:30pm central time Hurricane Ike is 726 miles away from Austin. I got this information from the below website. I normally don’t blog about websites, but this one really caught my attention.

The amazing website I want to share is http://www.stormpulse.com/

It is a storm tracker website, detailed to the MAX. I could probably spend several days on this site. Check it out. Happy storm watching.

God Bless

“Have you stocked up on your hurricane supplies?”

I received this in an e mail from a good friend and than proceeded to joke about how people are crazy about over-reacting about the weather. With the pending “doom” in Austin of Hurricane Ike, which realistically has already caused much havoc for Cuba, but really, do people in Austin, TX need to be worried? Yes, it is a powerful storm; it has damaged an entire country, taken many lives, and there is no doubt it is a powerful storm. Now as the Texas coast prepares for the hurricane; I watch friends worry, shelves at the local HEB empty, and gas prices rise. WOW!

I think our local weather men are selling this shock intensive and fear laced lines for ratings. Frankly this is causing added stress, fear and much panic for many inland folks who under other conditions would be concerned, but not scared. I even caught myself about to text my wife, “Can you pick up some bottled water and summer sausage?” I put my phone down slowly and calmed myself down. An hour earlier, I could care less* about Hurricane Ike and its actual effects on me and my home, but now I am slightly worried (*I do care about the people of Cuba, which have been in my prayers). Why do we let this people into our heads and minds?

Instead rely on God. The Lord says, “May your unfailing love be my comfort…” Our comfort should be in His “unfailing love” and these fears should bounce off our armor. Basically, that Hurricane is coming, I could sit hear and worry about it all day; instead, I took a deep breathe said a quick prayer, and re-focused. Maybe it would be a good idea to have some bottled water, but I wouldn’t stock up a weeks provisions. God drives out fear and provides comfort.

TV Weathermen, please just report the news, we are going to tune in for it anyway. You don’t have to convey fear, with passionate scared facial expressions and heightened tones in your voice. Just tells us what we might expect, because you’re just guessing anyway.

A Few Stories to Share…You Know, From the Weekend

Thursday night I burned the midnight oil and completed the first documentary in a series of four that is accompanying the current sermon series at the Well, Soul Ink. It is posted below and you can always check out new videos at http://www.youtube.com/jhellums

Friday I got to see a De Leon team play some polished High School football. While I was enjoying the great football, they were beating up on Milano so it was sad to see the boys in Maroon and Gold lose. Later that evening we watched I Am Legend. I got to open a birthday gift early and got a huge bag of Gummy Bears and I Am Legend DVD. My wife knows me all to well. To be honest, I couldn’t stay awake through the movie, so we hit the bed about midnight.

Saturday began the birthday celebrations. My mother in law, Ruth, asked me what I wanted for my birthday dinner and desert, I decided on chicken and dumplin’s and brownies with vanilla ice cream. Little did I know Ruth had not prepared chicken and dumplin’s in several years. She did a little research and made a few phone calls and for dinner we had some amazing chicken and dumplin’s. For dinner, Pop and Donna joined us in Milano for the birthday celebration. Donna brought some green bean casserole that had a jalapeño flavor that was awesome. At the end of dinner we had desert, brownies and vanilla ice cream, yummy! It was a great time out in the country eating great food and relaxing with family. Thanks for a great Saturday.

Sunday we kicked off Soul Ink. Soul Ink is based on the passage of scripture from Roman 12:9 through the end of the chapter. Major points: First and foremost, the first spiritual mark we should have is Jesus “tattooed” on our hearts. Second, love everyone. We are to love everyone, but hate the evil/sin that is in others lives. Instead we are called to “cling” or glue ourselves to the good in everyone and love them no matter what. The series started great and you can hear it soon on the web at www.thewellinaustin.com I am looking forward to the rest of the month and whatever God has to teach me.

Sunday afternoon, we met up with my mother, Matt and Alex at Hula Hut (again, sorry Cassie). I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed Hula Hut till recently, but the last few blogs I have mentioned eating there…huh, it must be one of my favorites. We enjoyed some great eats and had Tres Leches for my birthday desert. I was filled to the max after that. Mom hooked me up with a sweet Astros shirt and a gift card. What a great lunch!

The Cowboys looked great and I enjoyed watching the ‘boys in HD too! My uncle asked me what I thought about the Cowboys, so I thought I would share to my fellow readers. I thought they looked amazing in the first half. As they marched down the field in the first half via running and passing they dominated the defensive. Romo threw clean passes and had time to eat a lunch while he was in the pocket. The second half was a little different, a few bumps in the road, but Cleveland was still no match for the Cowboys. I think they have a solid team. Rookie Felix Jones looked great running down the field and I like the great chemistry and attitudes from TO and Romo (squirting water at one another). It was an amazing 27th birthday.

I hope you each had a blessed weekend. God Bless.

Soul Ink: Represent

Soul Ink & Quest for the Kingdom

A couple of fresh sermon series’ hitting Austin in September that I wanted to share:

At the Well, we are kicking off Soul Ink. Starting September 7th, we will be looking at tattoos and talking about marks we carry, some that even penetrate our souls. We will be featuring music from the ACL festival led by the Jack Burton Band. Soul Ink will be accompanied by a documentary interviewing people with ink from all over the area. Jason says, “It ought to be interesting. Come join us.” The Well meets Sunday’s at 400 Josephine in South Austin at 10:30am.

Over at Phoenix Church my buddy Keith was telling me about them starting a new series called Quest for the Kingdom. They are pulling some Monty Python video clips and did some radio ads that should be hitting 101X this month. He is excited about Quest for the Kingdom and says, “[It] should be a great time. Grab a friend, grab a stranger, grab your sister…just get here this week!!” Phoenix Church meets at 6pm on Sunday evenings.

If these don't peek your interest, check out your local church.

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

We drove to Milano for the Friday evening’s Milano High School varsity football home opener against Texas Waco Christian. Before the game we went by my mother-in-laws house and Kari found the “guard dog” deceased under the trampoline. He wasn’t much of a guard dog, more of a hole digger, but he was a good dog. After confirmation of his death, I got to dug, carry and bury Joe before decomposition set in. After cleaning up and eating dinner we headed to the football stadium for the start of the 2nd quarter. At this point it was already 14-0 Milano, so the game looked to be a typical “preseason” game. The final was 27-0 with Milano starting the season at 1-0.

Saturday was spent at work. Again, we are still playing catch up, I love working hard it makes the day fly by. After I got home from work, I came home to expanded cable and Internet. Kari and I have not purchased Internet or cable, I don’t think ever, but we finally broke down and bought it. We spent several hours on the Internet and watched the food network. It was great to have some uninterrupted Internet service. That evening we headed out to Kilpatrick household for dinner, football and a game. We enjoyed the entire evening and learned a new game called Ticket to Ride. What a sweet game.

Sunday was spent at the Well. Actually, almost the entire day turned into a “Well” day. After church, which was amazing, we headed over to the Nix residence for food and council meeting. The food was great; we had fajitas that were filling and tasty! Council meeting went well as we prepared the fall calendar and look forward to many awesome things God has in store. September 7th we start a new series called Soul Ink. I have been working on art and video for the upcoming series, so I am very excited to see how it all turns out. Later that evening, we had the Well Fantasy Football League draft. This year my team is called the Lake Creek Wildcats. After making it to the championship game and losing last season, I am hopeful this season will yield much success and many wins. For information concerning my fantasy team check out http://lakecreekwildcats.blogspot.com

Late Sunday evening, after watching Mr. Deeds till about 2:30am; Kari and I slept till 1:30pm Monday afternoon. After getting up, finally, we made plans to hit Lake Austin with a good friend. We hit the lake about 5pm and enjoyed some speed and relaxation. Much to my surprise, the lake was not too crowded and I was reminded why I love Austin so much (this place is amazing!) The high banks of the river were painted with green and many times you could see rocky cliffs. One amazing site was the 360 bridge. I have driven across it many times, but have never been underneath it. What a site! We ended the evening on the lake swimming in a calm cove. Dinner was at Hula Hut (sorry Cassie) and once again, it was amazing. After helping put the boat away and making preparations for today, Kari and I crashed at about midnight. It was an amazing end to a wonderful weekend.

Thought for the day: I made myself some Hot Chocolate this morning and on the package it says, “As Much Calcium as a Glass of Milk.” Does that packet of powered chocolate really claim to be a substitute for milk…I have my doubts, but will ponder it.

Thanks for joining me during my August Weekend Review series. I enjoyed writing it and hope you enjoyed reading it. I will probably continue the exercise because it is an opportunity to keep my mom informed of what’s going on and practice my writing. I hope you had a great weekend. God Bless.

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

Application for Reinstatement***

I figured if Brett Favre was going to make a comeback, I could too. A few days ago, I submitted my paperwork to the NFL and the Green Bay Packers advising them I was no longer retiring, but ready to be the 2008-2009 H2O Manager (or waterboy) for the Packers. It would be okay if they offered me one million dollars over the next ten years for me not to come back, but I received only the following statement:

“The Green Packers organization has no clue who you are, what you want, or why you would even send us an application for reinstatement for a position that is already filled. Please do not ever contact our organization again, unless its to buy a ticket to a game.”

I have given up my dream of becoming the Packers waterboy and will look to other employment opportunities such as: sky hook test dummy; urine donation to NASA; and/or stamp licker at my local post office.

***Disclaimer: This blog entry is completely fictional and meant for entertainment. It does not contain any truth about the NFL, Green Bay Packers, and/or Brett Favre. Its intent is parody on the entire situation (just for laughs). To tell some truth, I enjoy watching the NFL, Packers, and Brett Favre (when he wasn’t retired).

The Dark Knight: “Why so serious?”

Director Christopher Nolan has created a masterpiece in the second Batman film entitled The Dark Knight. If you’ve been watching the news or following headlines on your favorite news website, than you know that this film is breaking records. This dark and raw Batman surpasses all other attempts. When Batman Begins hit the screen in 2005, I highly enjoyed the more serious take on the character and was excited about Christian Bale’s work as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I was all the more excited when I learned Nolan and Bale had signed on to complete two more films; so I have been looking forward to The Dark Knight.

Nolan’s continuation of Batman Begins features Bruce Wayne’s struggle with his alter ego Batman and a new villain who is wrecking havoc on Gotham City, The Joker. The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger, was done exceptionally well. Many media outlets and friends said that Ledger deservers an Oscar, but I wasn’t will to believe the statement until I saw the film. Ledger not only played the Joker, but he became the Joker. I will vividly remember Ledger for his role as the Joker; his dry mouth line and red scar filled smile saying, “Why so serious?” He did such an amazing job and is highly deserving of the Oscar award.

The tale is so dark, twisted; even scary at some points (just ask my wife, who chewed all her nails off). The cast did a wonderful job and made this film very “real.” I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie and was surprised several times by the plot. There is truth and a glimmer of hope in the film, but if you aren’t watching carefully, you might miss it. I highly, highly recommend seeing this film in the theaters. We waited a week after release and went to Alamo Drafthouse to learn it was sold out. We ended up at the Lakeline mall theater and enjoyed a wonderful movie outing.

I hope you folks have a blessed week.

The DQ Thin Mint Blizzard

Whoever thought of combining Dairy Queen’s Blizzard with Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies should be given an award.

I didn’t race to the nearest DQ when I saw the commercial, but should have. When I saw the commercial I thought, “It’s too good to be true.” I pinched myself, asked Kari, “Did you see that?” and realized what was being advertised was true. Yesterday evening we decided we had waited long enough, we needed to go buy a Thin Mint Blizzard. We cruised over to the local DQ off 620 and ordered a small Blizzard to share.

This new creation by Dairy Queen was wonderful. Every bite was loaded with Thin Mint cookie chucks. Considering my love for Thin Mints and putting them in the freezer, having them in the ice cream made it amazing.

I really can’t accurately describe this experience, I find myself at a loss for words. I can only encourage you to experience it for yourself. Visit your local DQ and order a Thin Mint Blizzard. Enjoy and God Bless.

Dodgeball Rocks!

I haven’t played dodgeball in years for several reasons, but yesterday I get a text message that said, “Dodgeball n the gym tonight if ur interested.” This was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I got off work, Kari had dinner ready, we ate and than headed to play some dodgeball at Crestview Baptist Church.

We didn’t keep an official record of wins vs. losses, but each team won some and lost some. It was great, throwing, dodging and pegging the other team. I took one good hit to the forehead, but it only slowed me down for a few seconds. It’s funny to watch how quickly people respond and don’t respond to a flying object. In the case of my shot, I was looking down to pick up some more ammunition, so I was blind. I am a little sore this morning, but would gladly accept another offer to play some more dodgeball.

I hope everyone is having a great week. God Bless.

Toobing the Comal River

On Saturday Kari and I took three students from the Well Student Ministry to New Braunfels, TX for some fun on the Comal River. We headed out for the trip about ten and hit the river about 12pm. The water was really cold, but worth getting in because according to one thermometer it was 109 degrees. We took two trips down the river, but the first trip was my favorite. The second trip was more challenging for a few reasons. One, it was later in the day and the sun seemed to be get hotter. Two, we weren’t prepared to go down a waterfall and everyone flipped out of their tubes. Third, there were so many people on the river; you could barely see the water around you at times.

Overall, we relaxed, enjoyed conversation with the students and had some excitement. On this stretch of river there are three tube chutes. Unfortunately on one of these chutes I lost my sunglasses and one of my crocs (also lost, several bottles of water, snacks and almost one student). Thankfully, many people were fishing things from the river and a man found my croc, but the sunglasses are lost to the Comal River abyss. After getting out of the river we stopped by a snow-cone stand and enjoyed our cold treats in the shade. My green apple snow-cone was a refreshing delight. It was a wonderful fun in the sun.

Sidenote: I am sunburned on my knees, shins and near my underarm on my chest. I forgot how painful it can be to be burnt by the sun. Strangely enough, we all applied sunscreen and I was the one who got severely burned. Wonderful!

Have a great week; God bless.

Dodgers Fact:

I could not pass sharing this MLB fact.

The Dodgers traded backup catcher Cliff Dapper to the Atlanta Crackers in 1948 in exchange for young broadcaster Ernie Harwell, the first time in baseball history that such a transaction took place.

All Star break is over…Playball! (maybe the ‘stros can turn it around!)

Have You Ever Heard Demonic Whispers?

Let me begin by reminding you of some of the lies Satan poured into the ear of Eve, “"You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). This is a lie, bold face lie from Satan, as you will note the following lies directed at my wife:

“could this post be any stupider? seriously, nobody gives a crap and we are all now dumber for having read it...you are awarded no points and may God have mercy on your soul.”

“once again you are so stupid and the things you blog about make no sense. The reasons your love is based on are not anything of true worth or value. Oh and just because you put love in there a THOUSAND times doesn't make it any more true.”

These comments were recently left on my wife’s blog concerning her love for me and I can firmly say these hateful statements adequately tore down my wife and I. For your pleasure and satisfaction, I will mention, the comments tore us down to tears. I think someone really has so much time on his or her hands to sit around and be hateful because they have nothing better to do (like a job or a life) and Satan is effectively using that someone to tear us down.

In addition, these comments were left at the appropriate time in accordance with Satan’s plans because we are currently facing some trials. To clarify: I do not mean marriage trails, but we are being persecuted by other worldly things that if you would like to know about them, you can speak to us on a personal level. All to say, these comments were expected because Satan is throwing the bus at us in an attempt to tear us down in order keep us from following God’s will. I can assure you, these silly comments are not and will not slow us down or cause us to run and hide, or stop is from chasing after what God has called us to do.

We all make choices every second of the day. In these critical moments when you sit down, read someone else’s words and thoughts, you might think to yourself, “I think I will say something hateful.” These divine opportunities are given for you to choose to dispel the evil and say nothing at all, leave a constructive comment, or say a word of encouragement. Ultimately, as seen above, you have chosen to tear a believer down and we will gladly accept your hateful words, post them and share them because it only makes us stronger.

We thank you for leaving your thoughts and comments and if you are a believer we pray that God breaks your heart, reveals the evil in your life, and removes it and makes you a better person in Him. We pray that if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, we are praying for you and would be more than willing to share our relationship with Jesus with you, because it is life changing filled with love, grace and forgiveness. I will leave you with this:

“Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies….”

(I Corinthians 13:4-8)

I Learned Something, Mr. Police Officer

In honor of our sermon series, I got pulled over by the police yesterday. Not the band The Police though, but the Bee Cave police department. We were headed out to camp and I noticed there was a green light ahead. In addition to snakes, I also dislike red lights, so I put my foot down in attempt to catch the green light (Reminder: I hate snakes more). I had no good reason to be speeding, so I deserved whatever ticket the officer was about to give me. Something good did come out of the situation; being stopped was an opportunity for me to learn something. Ok, so I haven’t learned to stop speeding yet, but hopefully that will come soon.

What I did learn is you don’t have to be rude to the officer. I am notorious for being rude to police officers when I get pulled over (sorry Steve, love you bro). Its not that I always think that I am innocent because 9 times out of 10 I am guilty, but sometimes I just don’t like the officers attitude so I tend to respond rudely back (this probably could have led to my arrest on more than one occasion, but thankfully I have not been arrested). I am throwing the rudeness out the window and replacing it with respect for the boys in blue from now on.

As the officer approached I left my hands on the wheel in order to allow the officer to see my hands. The officer introduced himself and asked if I knew why I was being pulled over, and I replied, “I was speeding.” He followed procedure and asked for my license and insurance. I used kind, respectful words like, “yes sir,” “no sir,” and “I’m sorry, officer.” He checked out the information and I continued to be kind and respectful towards him. If fact, I had no urge or tendency to be rude to him (that was a first). He graciously gave me back my license and said, “slow down and have a good day.” No ticket! I was shocked and amazed that the officer showed me grace.

Not only did I get a wake up call on my attitude towards police officers, but also received a wonderful picture of grace. To think, the officer overlooked my mistake, my violation of the law and prevented me from paying for a possible $150 ticket. God offers redemption from not just one mistake, but all of them. Through his son Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven and rescued from eternal separation from God. How awesome is that! If you haven’t experienced the grace of God and or have questions, drop me a line jeremyhellums@gmail.com

Have a blessed week, talk to you folks soon. God Bless you.

No Snakes, But I Did Kill Bunnies

Saturday evening we spent the evening eating and chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Patterson and played an amazing game called Killer Bunnies. This does not break any state or PETA rules because the bunnies are on playing cards. This game is a riot. I was not very good though because my bunnies were always getting killed. Everyone made it to the finally round expect for me and Kari won our first round of Killer Bunnies with the Patterson’s. I am looking forward to game two; hopefully I can bring a new strategy and become victorious.

Journey Two ended well on Thursday. It was a pleasure working with the Stephen Miller Band and Jeffrey Dean. Both the band and speaker were very easy to work with and evident they love God. It is great to be able to work with people whom you know have hearts that want to see students have a relationship with Jesus Christ; as well as to be avid disciples in the faith.

Sunday at the Well, we continued our sermon series “The Gospel According to the Police.” Jason is out, so Randy is speaking for the month of July. Sunday’s sermon was thought provoking. When I read over the lyrics of Roxanne, I wasn’t sure where Randy was going with the sermon. In brief, Hosea 1:2 says, “When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness…” One of the main points was God’s unconditional love. This image of loving an “adulterous wife” no matter what, is exactly how God loves us. We put other things before Him and “cheat” on God daily, but he goes on loving us, unconditional. What an amazing image of God’s love. If you haven’t read Hosea, check it out. It is a great book.

Well, we are headed to Journey Three this week with the Justin Cofield Band. Have a great week. God Bless.

Check out 7-Eleven!

Journey Two Kicked Off…with a Power Outage!

Sunday the second programmed youth camp began at Highland Lakes Encampment. This week started off with a power outage. As Kari and I filled out some paperwork in the office, the opening rally was getting started. We went in about half way through to find things moving very smoothly. I went backstage to visit with the director of operations and that’s when the power died. After powering the sound system down and checking all the breakers I had access to, we called in the “big dogs,” because I would not be able to fix the problem. The Rec Teams from Wayland and ETBU did an awesome job entertaining and directing the students without a PA and successfully ended the welcome rally. The staff quickly assessed the problem, which was in the main box at the power pole, but left us without power till dinner.

After a quick sound check, we were ready to begin worship with the Stephen Miller Band. I had the pleasure of working with these guys during Journey One and good times with them again. These guys love God, are flexible, and easy to work with. Oh, and they sound good too. Author and Youth Communicator Jeffrey Dean took the stage and had the students ‘whooping’ and ‘hollering’ immediately to drive home a point. He spoke God’s word very effectively and I am looking forward to hearing more from Mr. Dean.

We headed home, but said hello to Gene, Rachel and Nat before grabbing a cheese hot dog and LARGE Dr. Pepper. It was a wonderful ending to a great weekend. God Bless.

Answers to July 4th baseball questions:
C) 1931
A) Eddie Murray & Mickey Mantle

Saturday Night Fun with Snakes!

“The only good snake, is a dead snake.”

With a bag of luggage in one hand and a backpack slug over my shoulder, I stepped into the moist grass about 10:10pm Saturday night. Before taking my next step, a copperhead slithered away from my sandal clad foot. Much to my surprise, I found a second copperhead, but bigger.

Pardon the interruption, but I think it is necessary for me to tell you at this point that I hate snakes.

I grabbed a near by shovel and threw the bags on the porch. At some point, I hollered at Kari and she moved the bags inside and joined me in the panic stricken snake hunt.* After a few attempts with the shovel Kari and I did nothing but scare them into hiding. Kari decided to get the guns out, she ran inside to grab and load the guns. I stayed outside and spotted a small one hidden in the bushes. I quickly and accurately chopped the head off with the shovel. Kari and her mother, Ruth, came outside with a .22 caliber. Ruth recently broke her ankle, but was limping around outside ready to fire on anything that slithered. Our search came to an end about twenty minutes later leaving us with one dead copperhead.

We said our goodbyes and grabbed our bags to head home. As we walked to the car, Kari spotted a second copperhead wrapped up near a small tree. We dropped the bags inside again and grabbed the shovel. Copperhead number two lost his head. This snake was small, so it seemed there was one bigger copperhead in the area. We turned the headlights on and searched the bushes and grass around the porch. Kari spotted a tail, “There is it!” she exclaimed. I didn’t see the snake, but she kept her eye on him. I ran in the house and grabbed the .22. At some point, Kari lost sight of the third snake.

We searched for about 10 minutes to no avail, but before we gave up Ruth shined the flashlight into the tree and there he sat on a tree limb about 15 feet above our heads. He had been watching us search the bushes for a while it seemed, but this gave us an advantage. Bullets were loaded and Ruth wanted the first shot. ‘Blam!’ Her first shot missed. I volunteered to go next, loaded the bullet into the chamber and aimed for what I thought was his head. ‘Blam!’ He fell to the sidewalk and Kari took the shovel to his head. I didn’t hit him in the head, but he took a body shot that made him fly to the ground. Copperhead number three, dead!

That was enough snake killing for the evening, so we grabbed our stuff, loaded up and headed home. It was an unexpected close to a Saturday evening. Oh, did I mention, I hate snakes.

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. God bless.

*This order of events is sketchy, due to my fear of snakes!

Happy Fourth of July

Who blogs on a holiday anyway…”I do, I do!” So…just for fun…Back by popular demand…

Major League Baseball Fun: What was the year that no pitcher in the National League won 20 or more games?

A) 1902
B) 1974
C) 1931
D) 2001

Who are the only two switch-hitters with over 1,500 career RBI’s?

A) Eddie Murray & Mickey Mantle
B) Vic Wertz & Roger Maris
C) Pete Rose & Mickey Owen
D) Jackie Robinson & Barry Bonds

Check back next week for the answers. Have a blessed Fourth of July weekend!

Are You Aware?

I have been missing so much not recognizing your touch
Make me aware, make me aware
Help me see that everything I am is not all about me
Take my world turn it around so that the obvious can finally be found
Make me aware, make me aware

Salvador’s new title track Aware is a breath of fresh air and a reminder to Christian’s that our daily prayer should be “make me aware.” God is moving daily and this song reminds me that we should not be worried about our own personal gain, praise or desires because it’s not all about you or me.

It also reminds me of a father and a little boy in an electronics store. The little boy had found something on the shelf and wanted to share it with his father. The father was deeply engrossed by the latest DVD release by Robert Rodriguez. The little boy pleaded with his father to look his direction, but he would not turn his head. Finally the little boy gave up and played by himself on a different aisle. The father never gave his son a response, but carried on looking at the latest DVD release.

Thankfully, our Father does not ignore, turn his head or deny his children when we call on his name. More often than not, we are ignoring Him with our “busy” lives, internet, TV, shopping, you name it, we put God on hold. That’s why we should wake up every morning and ask God to “make us aware,” and put our focus on Him daily.

I hope these lyrics touched you as deeply as they did me. Check out Salvador’s new album Aware. God Bless you.

The Official YEC Review from Insert Title Here

The 40th annual Youth Evangelism Conference might have been one of the best yet. I can remember years past some seemed to have dragged on, or maybe the speaker was great for the leaders, but over the kids heads; this year was a good showcase of talent that effectively reached the students and adults.

Friday: This year I was blessed to take two students from the Well on our first road trip. We headed for Dallas about 12:30ish from North Austin with Crestview Baptist Church. After spending about 45 minutes on Rundberg in Austin attempting to pick up a student (we got lost), we were finally on the way to Garland. This year the event was moved from Reunion Arena to the Special Events Center in North Texas, I think it made the event cozier.

The speakers spoke God’s word and communicated to the students and adults effectively. For me though, Delirious? stole the show. Those guys were and are amazing. This was the first time I had heard them live and after that performance I would listen to them scratch a chalk board with amazing lyrics, if they choose to record such. I highly encourage you to check out Delirious?.

We were blessed by a local church and got to sleep in their pews. I started out on the pew, but couldn’t take it, so I ended up on the floor. Not only did they let us crash in the church, we woke up to homemade breakfast tacos! It was some good eats.

Saturday: The Skit Guys took the stage for about 30 minutes. This was non-stop laughter for me. Those guys made the crowd laugh to tears and than add a spiritual message on the end giving all the glory to God. You have seen the Skit Guys on my page before; remember the Mother’s Day video…so yep, I enjoy their work. Stellar Kart closed the conference with some rockin’ tunes. I had not heard them before, but enjoyed listening to their stage banter and genuine love for God conveyed to the students. It was a great time.

I hope each of you have a great day…the Fourth is coming up, can you believe its July…Get ready for some fireworks. God Bless.

It was Going to be About YEC....

Friday and Saturday was spent in Garland, TX at the 40th annual Youth Evangelism Conference with students from the Well and Crestview Baptist Church. This time was well worth spent for several reasons, but hanging out with and getting to know students made the weekend amazing. We laughed, sang, prayed and told stories from a dislike of McDonald’s (which we did not stop at) to a passion for mission work.

It is so important to build relationships with young people, Christians and lost students, in order to cultivate and edify them in the faith. Cultivate is a word that has so much depth. According to Webster’s dictionary it means, “to prepare or prepare and use for the raising of crops; also : to loosen or break up the soil about (growing plants) 2 a: to foster the growth of c: to improve by labor, care, or study.” For those watching and leaning from other Christians, seeds are being planted, relationships are being built and this constitutes cultivating. In the lives of growing Christian’s, discipleship and mentorship helps mold baby Christians into spiritual Giants. Cultivation is necessary and students are hungry for God’s love, we just have to invest in their lives.

Jesus tells us to, “make disciples.” Salvation is the first step into the faith, but let us not lose sight of the important follow-up work; discipleship through cultivation and immersion in the Word, prayer and loving one another. Be encouraged to share your faith this week, tell someone “Jesus loves you,” and why. No matter where you are in your walk, even if you haven’t started it yet, Jesus is there ready to accept and guide your footsteps.

For a review on YEC…check back later (cause it was slammin’)…but God had different plans for this blog. God Bless.

Lions and Snow

I am currently reading several books, but most recently I picked up In a Pit with a Lion On a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. I have not completed the book, but the below statement caught my attention:

"…God-given opportunities often come disguised as man-eating lions. And how we react when we encounter those lions will determine our destiny."

Wow, we can either tuck tail and run; or face the opportunity head on, which could be ANYTHING and allow God to use you however He wants. This statement alone will keep me reading the book because I think too many times in our lives we are scared or doubtful because we might be concerned with what others might think or what might happen to us; when ultimately, if we are doing what God told us, then He will do whatever is necessary to accomplish His goals, not ours.

Check out the book…let’s talk about it. I know I have enjoyed it so far. Have a blessed week.

Oh I almost forgot...the answer to the previous posts' baseball question:

Major League Baseball Question: How wide is home plate?
d) 17 inches

In 1900, home plate was a 12 inch square.

Jack in the Box is Amazing!

Jack in the Box is giving away two free tacos to anyone with a gas receipt. Jack said, "He wants to give some relief to diners feeling the pinch of soaring fuel prices." What a sweet deal, go check at your local Jack in the Box. Enjoy!

What I Like About Tuesday (+ more)

It’s not Monday and tomorrow is Wednesday.

I am blessed to wake up and have another day granted by God.

That’s all I got.

For the + more section:

Saturday was spent vacationing in our apartment. After a long week, Kari and I decided to take a little break at our home and relax. We spent the day snacking, playing with the dogs, watching a movie and surfing the internet. Later that evening, we took a drive out to Milano for dinner, swimming and a movie. We watched Fool’s Gold with Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. This delightful romantic comedy/treasure hunt was definitely rentable and worth the time.

Sunday we started the morning at the Well. We enjoyed the time of cooperate worship and fellowship with the fellow Well members. Later that afternoon we went to Laguna Park, Texas for a sunset wedding on Lake Whitney. I had the opportunity to shoot unofficial wedding pictures for the bride. I used her Olympus Digital Camera and got some pretty sweet shots, hopeful I will get some to share soon. After the wedding, we took Kari’s grandmother home to College Station.

It was a great weekend of relaxation, family and friends! I hope each of you had a blessed weekend as well.

Major League Baseball Question: How wide is home plate?
a) 20 inches
b) 13 inches
c) 22 inches
d) 17 inches

The High Score

This one is a must see!

And the sickness continues…(and other news)

So, I started to write a paragraph on how I was recovering well, but this little bug is still holding on. Whatever it is…I need more little pills to make it go away. Thanks to those who left encouraging words about getting well, I pray that I am near the end of this sickness! Moving on…

Kari and I love Highland Lakes Encampment. I have been attending Highland Lakes (HL) since 1998 as a camper (once) and off and on since as a member of the Sound Production team for six years. Kari began attending HL in 1997 and than served on the Summer Mission’s Team (SMT) in 2005 and 2006.

This place has such a special place in my heart for a couple of reasons:
1. In July, during the summer of 1998 I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.
2. I met my wife, Kari, in the old Miles Auditorium.

When considering what to do this summer about camp, Kari and I took all are questions, doubts and fears to the Lord. The camp asked if we could come out and join the production staff with Brandon and my first reaction was “gas is so high…no!” So, your might be thinking, “gas prices are going to hold you back from serving God…”

At first, yes, that’s one of the reasons we asked for guidance because our plans are not always God’s plans. In Isaiah 55:9 God tells is, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Many, many, many times we are guilty of thinking “humanly” and not seeking God’s wisdom in our actions. Our personifications and thoughts of God sometimes make him human, which this passage points out that He is NOT. God does whatever, whenever, however and uses whoever He see’s fit to accomplish his goals.

We sought after God’s direction and He guided us to the camp for the summer. Although it doesn’t seem logical or humanly right, in my mind, we are doing what God wants us to do and serving Him at the camp by helping the production team. Kari and I ask to you continue to keep us in your prayers as we seek to do what He calls, by giving glory to Him and spreading His name among all the nations. God Bless.

Sick of Being Sick: plus more

If I went to a doctor, which I avoid, he might tell me I have a sinus infection, but who knows. I know that at ten o’clock last night, my entire body ached and I was beginning to feel the effects of Tylenol PM (so at least I slept well). I am not going to dwell on this much longer; I just want to say, “I want to feel better because I’m sick of being sick!”

Besides being sick…Friday the boys at Phoenix Films and I had a great time getting some footage for more upcoming short films. My buddy Brandon joined us in our movie-making efforts and he turned up in a couple of the movies. After the shoot, Brandon and I went to the house and completed one film entitled The High Score. The High Score is a short look at what some video gamer’s experience while playing their favorite games. It is guaranteed to bring a few laughs, so check back soon cause it will be hitting Insert Title Here this week. Unable to sleep later that evening, I worked till about two and completed the second film, The IOU, which is due out next week. It is neat to watch the progression of our collaboration; as these newer films seem to be getting better and better. Let us know what you think, drop some comments, if you get a chance.

Saturday I rode with my Pop to Nacogdoches to take some furniture to my little brother. We loaded my dad’s truck down with a bed and dresser and headed east. I had never been to Nacogdoches before, so I was excited about the trip. After about four hours on the rode, we found Matt’s house and delivered the furniture. Matt was glad to see us and had been waiting to eat, so we found a local Chinese buffet to “chow down” at. We enjoyed good food and conversation. Matt offered to give us a driving tour of the Stephen F. Austin State University campus, so he got behind the wheel and gave us a great tour. The campus is nestled among the tall pine trees and almost every plant is green (minus the flower blooms). Several of the towers on campus were round and seemed to be in competition with the pine tree; I think both are looking for bragging rights. Matt pointed out many of the buildings by name and which buildings he had the majority of his classes in. He showed off the football, soccer fields and historically sites.

On one of the historical sites, the Shay Locomotive No. 2005 can be found, which was used primarily for moving huge pine trees to the mill and dates back to 1907. Unfortunately, I did not take a picture of the unique motor described in the historical marker, but on the other side of this train, it looks nothing like a normal train. Since I am not to mechanically inclined, I won't attempt to describe what I saw, so google Shay Locomotive sometime. It was neat to look at that bit of history and imagine the huge trees that were pulled on this machine to a mill in order to be made into lumber.

Pop and I headed home and arrived back in Cedar Creek around 8:00pm. It was a long day, but well worth the time.

Sunday, Dad and Donna joined Kari and I for Father’s Day at the Well. We celebrated the day by eating lunch at Furr’s Family Dining (one of my favorite “all you can eat” spots, not to mention, my dad’s too!). We had a feast and walked it off at a store of dad’s choosing. It was a great time! Later that afternoon, we joined Keith, Staci and Kamdyn for Phoenix Church and dinner. We enjoyed a time of worship, praise and teaching with the folks at Phoenix. It was wonderful blessing to a great and busy weekend!

Well, this turned out longer than expect. I hope you survived. Journey Youth Camp starts today at Highland Lakes Encampment…blog to come. Have a blessed day.

Oh, if you get a chance, check out my wife’s most recent post, it’s about my sister in law, Shelbi. You may have seen Shelbi in Scary Stories with Shel; check it out.

Let it Fade

As I drove home from my Life Transformation Group, God used the following lyrics from Jeremy Camp’s Let It Fade to remind me that I don’t have to let life weigh me down (see previous Time to Unpack). Isn’t it neat how God reminds and nudges his children to keep them on course? God is always working and moving, but are you looking for him and letting him guide you? One of my favorite lines is, “Have you been giving in to all these masquerades?” Instead of putting on the mask and trying to be somebody you’re not; we should live richly in the Spirit of God. Roman 8:4 tells us that Christ’s blood was shed, “in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.” Furthermore, these lyrics extend an invitation from Jesus, "…no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). Check out these lines:

Have you been walking on a surface that's uncertain?
Have you helped yourself to everything that's empty? yeah!
You can't live this way too long.
There's more than this, more than this.
Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?
You can rest, you will find rest.
You can rest, you will find rest.

Let this old life crumble, let it fade.
Let this new life offered be your saving grace.
Let this old life crumble, let it fade, let it fade.

Have you been holding on to what this world has offered?
Have you been giving in to all these masquerades?
It will be gone, forever gone.
It will be gone, it will be gone

Have you been standing on your own feet too long?
Have you been looking for a place where you belong?

Christ can take away the “old life” and fade it away, all you have to do is seek and accept him. May God touch your heart and have a blessed day.

Jack in the Box on the Brain (a bit of randomness)

I am not craving any food at the moment; nor did I eat there recently, I am just considering one of my favorite fast food restaurants. I cannot pinpoint when I actually began preferring Jack in the Box to any other fast food burger, but I know that the majority of 2008 I have enjoyed eating Jack in the Box. Now, you might be asking yourself, “why and really who cares that Jeremy likes Jack in the Box.” My response to that is, “I’m just glad you reading my blog, please come again.”

Seriously, the Ultimate Cheeseburger from Jack in the Box is amazing. Two piece of meat and two slices of cheese smashed between two slices from bread covered in mayo, mustard and ketchup. I think my heart just skipped a beat. In addition to the burger, I find that Jack’s egg rolls are better than most Chinese food restaurants. I can’t explain it, I just say, “Ya, I need an ultimate cheese burger, three egg rolls, oh and two tacos, please.” I don’t normally eat all three egg rolls; I share them with my wife, who often times orders two tacos (which are great too).

I was reminded by a friend, Lynda, how much I enjoyed Jack in the Box. She said, “My Asian grilled chicken salad from JACK was really good. It was better than McDonalds & Wendys!” I’m not the only one who has a Jack craving. If you haven’t eaten at your local Jack in the Box lately, drop by and check out the menu, I am sure you will find something you’ll like.

Another blog to come this week, so check back soon. God Bless you.

TV News

Outback Steakhouse Review

Blessings and thanks to Aunt Martha and Uncle Doyle for the gift card to the Outback.

I have only been to the Outback Steakhouse one other time and it must have been more than ten years ago. Kari got home later than expected from the first day of school and we decided it was time to call on the card for a quick meal.

The evening did not start as well as we had hoped it to, but in the end, it was the great food that won us over. The hostess sat us at a dirty table and took their time cleaning it. Our waiter seemed to avoid are table after another hostess, who was apologetic, came and cleaned the table. Finally, we ordered a round of water and the Bloomin’ Onion. Similar to the Awesome Blossom, the Bloomin’ Onion must be fried a little longer because it was darker and crispier. The dipping sauce wasn’t too bad, but we preferred just dipping into a bowl of ranch instead.

Kari ordered a steak and seemed to enjoy it. I had the Alice Springs Chicken. It was a chicken breast smothered in mushrooms, bacon and melted cheese. A sweet honey mustard sauce came on the side for your dipping pleasure. This simple plate packed an enjoyable flavor punch to the mouth. After a dip into the honey mustard, you first get the sweet flavor of the sauce. Then as you continue to chew, the cheese and mushroom combination stands out. To finish the bite off, the savory chicken hits your taste buds. I highly recommend this plate to anyone interested in another twist on the preparation of chicken.

We passed on desert because our plates had plenty of food on them to fill us up. Tonight we will be having left over steak and whatever else we can find in the pantry to add to it. Overall, it was good food and good times and I would recommend checking out your local Outback Steakhouse.

I hope this has been helpful to you. Personally, I love reading reviews…and its fun writing them (oh, and I like eating good food too). God Bless you.

What’s Really Going On?

For the past few weeks my wife has been “vacationing” at the house. Really, I mean she has been organizing, cleaning, decorating and enjoying her time out of school. It was delightful to go home to a prepared meal during lunch time, enjoy a brief moment with the puppies and say “hello,” to my wife. Today vacation ended and summer school began. Kari is taking summer school for the first and last time. Once completing both summer sessions, she will start student teaching at Pflugerville ISD.

On Thursday, we carpooled with my grandparents to La Grange to attend the last Lueders’ graduation. Courtney, one of my first cousins, is the youngest of four, walked the stage on Thursday and is ready to dive into college. Although, still undecided at press time, she is a track star and hopes to continue running in college. Kari and I were able to spend quality time with my family late into the evening.

Friday was spent unloading a buddy’s U-Haul. Moving from the East Coast back to Texas, my friend and his wife will be living a mere 10 minutes from Kari and I. We completed the job rather quickly, but found ourselves in dire need of food. Chuy’s was mentioned and reservations were made at the famous Tex-Mex spot. We were blessed by the Patterson’s company and graciousness.

The weekend took an unexpected turn when we learned that our nephew was being dedicated on Sunday morning. We had planned on visiting with Kari’s father on Saturday and than returning home late that evening, but it was important that we be in attendance for the ceremony on Sunday. We enjoyed good food, fellowship and were apart of making a commitment to be at our nephew’s side as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (in addition to being super an uncle!) encouraging him and loving him in such a way that reflects Christ.

In other news…I have several new movies to post. Crown and Phoenix films have completed a total of seven short films, but due to lack of internet connection (which we intend to remedy today) these new films have not been posted. One of my favorites, featuring my buddy David, is entitled TV News should be hitting the blog sometime soon!

Comments are always welcome and don’t forget to have a Blessed week. God Bless.