Bradley’s Tooth

Bradley lost his first tooth today!  It wasn’t by choice, but it was a big deal anyway.  Bradley fell and injured his front tooth when he was two.  There was the risk of it dying, but it stayed with him until now.  He must have reinjured it because we discovered an abscess last week.  The dentist said the tooth would have to come out.  We had the tooth extracted (fancy way of saying it was pulled) and everything went well.  Bradley was so brave.  He teared up a little when he went back, but they said he didn’t cry.  The tooth fairy is heading our way and she’ll be bringing him $10 for his first tooth.  I need to take out a loan…

Noise

I just finished playing a Strawberry Shortcake board game with the kids.  I am amazed by how much noise comes out of their mouths 24/7!  I recorded a clip of the chatter that goes on during a game like this.  If you don’t have young children, this might be the best form of birth control….

Play Audio

Baron’s Game

We had a great time at the Birmingham Baron’s game last night.  I was worried about the girls being able to see, and they did struggle where we sat at first (upper section along the first base line).  The kids wanted to bounce on the inflatables in the park (an outrageous extra $15).  They played a few innings on the inflatables and then we pulled them off to get some ice cream.  We found some seats closer to the field on the third base line and enjoyed our ice cream.  That’s when the girls really got into the game.  I think they cheered louder than anyone else!  Through rain and extra innings, the kids had a blast.  We stayed the entire game and watched some incredible fireworks.  We rolled out of the park about 11:00 pm and dragged the kids into bed around 11:30 pm.  It was a great time and everyone wants to see another game soon.  Thanks to Valerie for the free tickets!!

Tradition

I absolutely love Alabama football!  Here’s the pregame video that they show in the stadium.  It gives me chills.  Roll Tide!! 

Rush of Fools Concert at UM

We had an incredible time with Rush of Fools last night at the University of Montevallo’s Palmer Auditorium.  We’ve been planning this for nearly a year it was a huge success!  I am so grateful for Lance’s hard work in pulling everything together.  It would not have gotten done without him.  I’m also grateful for the hard working volunteers from Mountain Valley and Baptist Campus Ministries who did everything from selling tickets to tearing down equipment.

We enjoyed nearly two hours of worship and heard songs from ROF’s first album and songs from their upcoming album “Wonder of the World.”  The CD is coming out September 19th.  I highly recommend you pick up a copy.  I really enjoyed “Undo”, “We All”, and “Can’t Get Away”, “All We Ever Needed”, and their new song “Freedom.”

These guys are so talented, but I think I was more impressed with their humble, enthusiastic spirit.  They weren’t concerned with accolades during their introduction, but said they wanted to serve our church and worship God.  We had church at Palmer Auditorium and lives were touched.  We had the privilege of praying with several people about issues they were facing in their life.

I really enjoyed talking to Wes and Kevin about their passion for addressing the terrible problem of pornography and sexual addiction.  They are incredibly bold about a topic that most people shy away from.  Their partnership with Freedom Begins Here is exposing a problem that is rampant inside the church.  Statistics say that 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women are struggling with pornography and sexual addiction.  Please join me in praying that these young men will have a powerful impact on the lives of the many people who listen to their music.

Most importantly, I believe we made many connections with students on campus.  Our church has a huge burden for these young men and women.  I pray that we can impact them in a positive way during one of the most critical times of their life.  Please pray for our church as we follow up with contacts and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’m grateful for Wes, JD, Jamie, Kevin, and Jacob and pray that God will continue to bless their ministry.  Keep up the good work guys!

Teen Girls Forced to Grow Up Too Fast

The Church Leaders Intelligence Report posted the following information recently:

Youth groups and teen ministries will benefit from a study by Girlguiding revealing three leading potential “triggers” for serious mental health problems in girls: premature sexualization, commercialization and alcohol misuse. The report reveals a loss of childhood innocence and says girls today experience high levels of “stress, anxiety and unhappiness”. Premature sexualization and pressure to grow up too quickly are two key influences in the anxiety felt by girls. The study, funded by the Girl Guides and the Mental Health Foundation, found 66% of the girls surveyed feel “anger and sadness” at least some of the time, and 50% find those feelings difficult to manage. 25% are “often worried,” while 50% find their anxiety hard to handle. Many have friends or family members who have suffered mental health problems. 40% know someone who has self-harmed, 33% had a friend who suffered from an eating disorder and 40% know someone who has experienced panic attacks. 25% know someone who has taken illegal drugs, while 40% have experienced someone drinking too much alcohol. They see supportive families and friendship groups as the “most important factor” in dealing with these problems. Girls are especially under pressure to look like the celebrities they see in magazines and on TV. 66% admit they felt worse about themselves when they saw pictures of models in magazines and on TV.
LifeSite News 7/14/08

I have two precious girls myself.  We must aggressively fight to protect our girls from the pressure of society to become women too fast.  It’s a challenge, but we have the responsibility to teach our girls to be strong and courageous in the face of sexuality.  Where has modesty gone?

Anniversary Trip to Chattanooga

April and I took an early anniversary trip to Chattanooga, TN this weekend.  Our anniversary is actually August 17th, but we couldn’t get away any other time.  I’m sad to say that we haven’t been away just as a couple in about seven years!  I’m so gratefull that my parents were willing to keep the kids.  I think Chattanooga has gotten a bad rap of the years, but they have really done a great job of renovating the riverfront area.  We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn downtown and couldn’t have asked for a better place.  It was within walking distance of just about everything you could think to do.   Here are a few links to some of the things we did:

• Residence Inn – got a great deal on Priceline.com
• Chattanooga Ducks – a fun ride and interesting WWII history rolled in one
• Tennessee Vally Railroad Missionary Ridge Local – a must do experience if your a rail fan like me
• Horse Drawn Carriage Ride Downtown – would have been more romantic if the driver didn’t talk so much
• Bluff View Art District – the highlight of our trip: great food, romantic walks, awesome views of downtown and the river, interesting art
• Coolidge Park – beautiful park on the north shore.  Take an incredible walk across the Walnut Street Bridge and enjoy the view of the river as you cross to the north shore.
• Chattanooga Choo Choo – I was so disappointed by this attraction.  I rode the train from Birmingham to Chattanooga as a kid and was looking forward to seeing the place.  It was very run down and didn’t feel safe.  Skip this one.
• AT&T Field - home of the Chattanooga Lookouts.  We didn’t see a game, but were treated to a fireworks show out our hotel window on Saturday night.  Tickets were $4.  Seemed like a great family activity.
• Sticky Fingers – awesome barbeque
• The Blue Plate – quirky organic menu and atmosphere on the riverfront.  We loved the chicken salad and turkey sandwich.
• Tony’s – the best Italian we’ve ever eaten plus a romantic atmosphere.  Our favorite meals were at Tony’s (we ate supper and lunch)
• Big River Grille – my Cajun pasta was delicious but April’s steak was tough as leather…

We had a great time and felt that we discovered a little gem of a city.  Although Chattanooga still has it’s rough edges, the overall experience was wonderful.  People were friendly.  The riverfront was beautiful.  There was plenty to do for a couple or a family.  We can’t wait to take the kids up there to experience some of the attractions we skipped this time.

The Doldrums

It’s been an awful long time since I’ve written anything on the blog.  I admire those who are disciplined to write every day.  We started Mountain Valley Church over a year and a half ago and it’s been an incredible journey.  I have experienced God at work in my life like never before.  It has been amazing to see Him plant the same vision in the hearts of those who formed our core group.  It has been an honor to serve with such dedicated men and women.  We have been through good and bad times together.

I wonder how transparent I should be about my feelings as a church planter.  I suppose what I’m experiencing right now could be called the Doldrums.  The Doldrums is an area of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans where periods of calm wind occur.  It became notorious with sailors who might become trapped for days or weeks while waiting for a breeze to power their ship.  I have felt like the church has been stuck for the last couple of months.

I must admit that there has been plenty to be excited about.  We have witnessed two more people cross the line of faith to follow Christ!  Our AngelFood Ministry has grown by leaps and bounds.  We took nearly 300 orders this month alone!  I’ve seen our member grow by leaps and bounds spiritually.  In spite of all the wonderful things that are happening I seem to keep getting stuck on numbers.

I guess it’s human nature to desire the incredible growth that marks a “successful” church.  I believe that we inadvertently promote this concept by holding up churches that experience rapid growth as a model for others to follow.  I certainly don’t believe that rapid growth is a bad thing.  I guess I’m beginning to realize that it is the exception rather than the rule.

I do believe that numerical growth is a byproduct of God’s work through our church and I pray that He will bring the increase.  I think that what God is teaching me right now is that it will come in His timing and in His way.  My responsibility is to seek God through prayer and study of His Word.  I must then pour my life into the lives of others.  God will work through our faithfulness to reproduce our faith in others.

Who am I to tell God what to do with His church?  I do know that He is at work there.  I have been amazed by the lives that are being transformed by the Holy Spirit.  I have seen mighty prayer warriors fast and pray with incredible results.  I have experienced the miracle of someone being healed from a fatal stroke.  I have seen families grow stronger in their relationships with each other.  I have witnessed God opening doors of opportunity that were thought to be closed.  I’ve been amazed by God’s amazing delivery of resources at just the right time.  And best of all, I have seen men, women, boys, and girls place their lives in the hands of Jesus!

I hope you’ll continue to pray for our church as we share the Gospel with our community.  I believe that the days ahead will be incredible.  So much for those old doldrums….   I feel a strong wind coming!!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Here’s a video of Emily singing at her school program tonight

Suggestion for my birthday present…

I’d like the pigskin or A1 steakhouse scents

Mandles