Archive for April, 2006
Broncos, Round 2
Alright….trade the #37 pick to Green Bay for Javon Walker who trade it to the Falcons who pick up Jimmy Williams, DB.
I like it. I thought the Broncos might have a chance at Chad Jackson but dang the Patriots, good trade up to get him. That left not a lot for Denver. I like it – especially if Javon comes back and plays like he did at the beginning of last year.
Let’s face it….I think Rod Smith is the best receiver in the league. I really do. Total package – I’d take him over any other wideout. He’ll block, return punts, he’s humble, he’s a player, he’s a workaholic. But he ain’t getting any younger. And he has taken some shots lately. I like having Javon Walker on the team.
Great draft so far for the Broncs. Way to go, Mike S!
[tags]Broncos, 2006 Draft, Javon Walker, Green Bay trade, Rod Smith[/tags]
OH FREAKIN’ YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Way to go Broncos!!!!!!!!!
Jay Cutler? Jay Cutler? Are you kidding me? Cutler is sitting at 11, and the Broncos trade up!!! Great job – my faith is restored. Hope flourishes in the Orange Nation.
I’m stoked. This is a great pick – a great move. Cutler has a canon for an arm. He’s a Vandy grad so you know he’s smart. He’s coachable. He’s a player.
I’m so freakin’ giddy it’s not even funny. After last year’s draft debacle – this makes up for it in my mind!!!
I gotta go celebrate!!!!
[tags]Broncos, Jay Cutler, Vanderbilt[/tags]
Houston, We Have A Problem
The good news for Houston is that their Number 1 pick will not be hard to sign. The bad news is…well….what were they thinking?
So Houston is taking Williams, DE of NC State with #1. Here’s my opinion….
New Orleans – if you don’t trade for multiple first round picks, take Reggie. You’ll the be the 2004/2005 San Diego Chargers. Drew Brees and a stud running back. The start working on a TE and a defense and your playoff bound.
Titans – You can now have any QB you want. I like Young or Cutler.
Jets – News this morning says you might trade up. DON’T DO IT. You need so much and at #4 you are now promised at least one of the top 3 QB’s plus you have two more early picks coming. Again – I like Cutler or Young.
We’ll see how it plays out. I love the Draft!!!!
[tags] NFL Draft, Saints, Jets. Titans, Texans[/tags]
The Real Reason for the Blog Tweak
I just realized an important mistake I made and why the blog upgrade didn’t go as smooth as I had hoped.
It appears that in my ‘delete’ happy mode I deleted a file that I should not have – the web content folder that had all my little tweaks saved AND might possibily have made the jump to 2.0.2.
“Man, Grant…good thing you saved your stuff and had a backup, huh?”
“Right?”
Welllllll, let’s just say that I’ve never been one to look behind…always forward. Oh well…the blog needed a spring cleaning anyway. And I’m really liking the new look.
Fun Night
We grabbed some dinner with the Galli’s tonight. The Flying Fish – a downtown favorite – was the venue for tonight. Boiled shrimp, catfish, fried shrimp – ahhhhh man. Great shirt on the staff: We Catch and Release (in a large pan of hot grease).
What’s so great about the Flying Fish? It’s no frills – just great food in an relaxed atmosphere. Just be yourself and enjoy it all. That’s true of the Galli’s as well – just be yourself and if Amy G. cooks the food will be great.
The Checklist
We are getting there!!!!
Here’s what I want to get done with the new look…
1. Personalize the header graphic
2. Sidebar issues
3. Archives page
4. Links page
5. About author page
6. Site counter
7. Footer
Have I missed anything?
Upgrade to 2.0.2….
and a blog tweak. This was not exactly what I WANTED to do…but, I gave in to peer pressure so it looks like I’m revamping the blog.
I do like this new theme…gonna work with it for a bit…
True Customer Service and an Apology
I got my computer back. Today. I sent it to Dell on Monday, got it back this morning and it’s working like a charm. It was NOT under warranty. The DID NOT charge me overnight shipping.
They just did it. They told me standard wait time was 12-15 days. I said, is there any way to speed that up? The guy said, yes – allow me to connect you directly with the courier company. I arranged a pick-up and they returned it this morning.
Outstanding. Completely outstanding. Kudos to Dell.
[tags] customer service, dell [/tags]
The Lone Bright Spot of My Day
Road TRIP!! Row called me from San Jose today. He needs a vehicle there. He’s got two (three if you count the bike) here.
Solution? Cross-country road trip! We’ll take his Sequoia across the USA to San Jose, he’ll fly me back to LR. That is going to be a blast.
Time to go check out where I want to stop. Grand Canyon?
By the way – Church on the Hill, in San Jose is where Rowland is going.
CRASSSSSHHH
Today will be a day from the hot place.
Spent 2 hours on the phone with Dell. Motherboard on laptop is gone. $460 to replace it. Thank you for figuring out for me how to spend my tax refund. I really appreciate it.
Up next, Customer Service with American Airlines. I have a whole list of why American Airlines is the worst company in the world. I’ll save the whole list for later but Exhibit A was this….
We flew to Florida before Brazil to drop off kids. On return flight home with kids, they had overbooked the flight from Dallas to Little Rock. AA solution? Let’s put the three kids on the later flight (4 hour layover) and mom and dad on the early flight.
Try again.
Then they were going to charge us $150 to change the tickets. Then they tried to tell us that it was our fault for not linking all of the tickets together. (I’m sorry…I didn’t realize that your customers entered data into your system…) Then they put us in seats all over the plane. I finally looked at the counter agent – “You have to be more intelligent than this. Have to be. Just put us in the same area or I’ll release the 3 year-old all over the plane.”
Just a great start to the week.
The Old Mill
I thought of my mom alot today. We went to the Old Mill in North Little Rock…it’s where the opening scene of Gone with the Wind was shot. Much to my mom’s shame…I still don’t really enjoy that movie. BUT…the Mill was cool.
Here are few pics, click on them to get the full size and to see more. We ended our day by eating at Moe’s and playing cards.
Why I Blog
I was asked this recently and about halfway through my answer, I realized that it wasn’t really a serious question but more of a complaint in the nice Southern way.
So much for my powers of observation. I’ve really got to work on that…or maybe not.
Whether it was intended for good or not, I still think it’s a great question.
I’ll limit my list to 2 but I’d love to hear everyone else’s reasons.
1. It allows me to have ‘community’ with other crazy people like me.
2. It’s another tool to lifewalk with folks and process out loud.
3. It makes me feel pretty.
What are some of your reasons?
The Greatest Bumper Sticker
“Fat People Are Hard To Kidnap”
Saw that one today and just giggled all the way to my car. Then I caught my reflection on the window.
No danger of me being kidnapped anytime soon.
Much Needed Mentor Time
I’m huge on being and having mentors. That’s real ministry. This weekend, I get a chance to see one of mine – Gene Wilkes. He’s famous now. He’s a big deal. I’ve blogged about him before. He’s coming in town this weekend for a 50 mile run.
That’s not a typo. 50 miles…as in – “I just got done running one marathon….why don’t I run another one right now.” Which of course is insane. Most of us can’t drive 50 miles without stopping and well….visit a shower. Who gets up and says – you know, I think it would be cool to run 50 miles. Obviously there are enough of these insane people to actually have a race. It just defies explanation.
But I digress….Gene-o is going to grab some dinner with the fam on Friday night (he’s probably gonna want pasta). I was an intern for him back in the day…I knew a lot more then than I do now. (So did Gene!! ha hah.)
I know he reads this blog so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to both thank him AND make fun of him. That’s what mentors are for.
Ironies of Leadership
I find it mildly annoying that God will intersect my life with students who are wrestling with the same basic issues that I’m either walking through myself or just finished walking through on a “larger” scale.
I use that term ‘larger’ loosly because I’m not sure it’s all that much larger to God. I mean, what really is the big difference with a teen deciding what college to go to and me wrestling with what God wants me to do next? I’d like the think my issue is ‘larger’ (more important) but is it really?
So as I was listening to her do verbal gymnastics over where to go to college, I prepared to walk her through some of the insights I’ve stumbled into over the years. Somewhere in this exchanged – I realized I was no longer talking to just her.
G: “It’s really not as difficult as you’re making it.” (Her eyes roll)
G: “Seriously! Let’s just answer some simple questions, okay?” (Her arms are folded but listening.)
G: “Listen – just give me the benefit of the doubt for just a little bit and engage for a second, okay?” (Arms unfolded, slight smile appears.)
G: “Thank you. You said that you just want to do what God wants you to do, right?”
XX: Right.
G: “Do you really mean that or is that just religious lip service?”
XX: “Well, yes I mean it!!!”
G: “Relax. I’m not accusing you of anything. We just really need to be blunt honest at this point because that’s the root of the whole thing. If you don’t mean it – don’t put yourself through all the false guilt and worry. Just pick a school for the same reasons that millions of other teens pick ‘em – great parties, guy/girl ratio, scholarships, affordability, close to home, far from home, field of study, yadda yadda yadda.”
XX: “Well, I do mean it. Now what?”
G: “Then there’s just a couple of other things to wrestle with. Has God had ever given a clear direction and decision to make in the past? What was that like? Anything similiar happening now? Is one decision on the board going to clearly take you further away from Christ? If not….what does your heart want?”
She looked at me really crazy at the last one. “What does MY heart want? What does that have to do with anything?”
I think this is when I realized that I was no longer talking to her.
G: “If you’ve got these options AND it really is your heart’s desire to follow God AND there isn’t a clear right/wrong – this is what God wants, this is what God doesn’t want – then maybe….just maybe….”
She finished my sentence…”Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
We smiled.
G: “Yep. Maybe, just maybe this is one of those decisions that God knows your heart and you’ve delighted yourself in Him and He is saying to you – just like any good dad does when he takes his kid to a candy store – just pick.”
I gave a little hug. “Just listen. He’ll speak. Keep delighting yourself in Him.”
She nodded and smirked. “So….how’s your search going?”
I laughed very loud. “I think I’m going to be just fine. I’m listening right now too!”
Just Grieving
I think it’s all beginning to hit me. “DING” (Insert Southwest Airlines Bell) “The sound you are about to hear is the dream crashing.”
Rowland’s last Sunday is this one coming up. It just sucks. Not the service, the idea of it being our last Sunday together. Row’s been my best friend and sanity keeper this past year. We’ve walked through a lot of junk together.
I feel like I losing my right arm.
And it just hurts. It just stinkin’ hurts.
Help A Sista Out
Catbird is trying to get organized on her blog. I, always wanting to help out fellow bloggers and youthworkers (and never missing an opportunity for some great humor) have decided that we (all 3 of my readers) will lend her some of the greatest ideas ever on organizing a blog.
Cathy – this blogs for you….
1. Organize by writing location. This is only going to work if you have a laptop and wireless system in your house. Your categories could be posts in a coffee shop, posts in bed, on the couch, in the kitchen, in the chair of the week, on the toilet, in the shower…you get the point.
If no wireless activity is available…we are going to have to go deep in the creative wagon.
2. By mood. This could get ugly for female bloggers. I think I’ll stop this train of thought right here. The ice is a lot thinner the further out I go.
3. Write shorter posts. This actually is a good piece of advise. The shorter posts, the less topics you have opportunity to branch into therefore the easier it is to categorize said post. GOSH, I’M A GENIUS!!!!!
4. Organize by feel (tone)…kinda like your chairs. Every chair has a personality and feel to it…right? I’m really guessing on this because quite frankly I don’t think I ever thought alot about chairs until I read your blog. And that African birthing chair was quite comfortable.
But I imagine you could catch yourself saying things like “this chair is great for watching movies but not X-box” or “this chair is great for cuddling.” Could you organize your posts this way?
5. If verbage is your sport and #3 ain’t going to happen…you could punt the whole category thing and just put a search feature on your blog and people can search for the key words they want to read about….like shower surveys.
Anybody else got any ideas?
Easter Decompression
I started thinking this morning that after 15 years of ministry – this would be the first Easter Sermon I’ve ever preached. I thought that odd and did a quick rehash of history. I’ve led worship a lot on Easter but never preached.
I’ve done Christmas, New Year’s, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Palm Sunday, and all the “wierd” holidays of Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Favorite Step-Aunt Day. But no Easter. Today was it. While I’m thinking this, I am also praying and I suddenly realize that I have no idea what time it is. I don’t wear a watch so a quick search for my phone told me it was 10:43. Not good. Service started at 10:30.
We baptized two people today. Both of them incredibly close to my heart. (Paul, one of the casualities of having two baptism was my movie clip. We needed the extra time – alas, it was a good sacrifice to make. I’ll use it some other time.)
KX. I’m not going to use her real name because one day she’s going home to China. That’s right. China. She’s pumped about being a part of the UC. Her story is just simply fantastic. The Boehm’s were a huge influence in her life. 4 years ago the Boehm’s tried to go on the mission field and it didn’t work out. I think what happened was God said I’m not asking you to go to the mission field, I’m bringing the field to you. And he has. And they have been incredibly faithful.
Derek was the other one. I’m not a crier. Really. I’m not. SHUT UP!! I’m NOT CRYING!!! Alright….I kinda did tear up on Derek. I’ve known the kid since he was a sophomore in high school. I’ve watched God transform both him and his dad.
I was really doing okay until he said my name. The kid is going to be a monster youth pastor one day and I’m honored that he let me get my fingerprints on him.
Easter Kiddos
What would Easter be without hats and easter eggs?
This was a great day…I’ll explain more later but here are some of the reasons! Click to see more!
Felt-board Jesus
This is the new series we are kicking off this Easter. Here’s the ‘tag’ on our church’s webpage:
With the recent news of the Gospel of Judas and the book turned movie DaVinci Code, questions abound as to what Jesus was really like. Did Jesus really believe he was God? If Jesus was just a nice guy and great teacher, why did an entire religious system and government want him dead? What did Jesus really teach? What was he really like?Join us as we move from a 2-D picture of Jesus to a 3-D experience. We’ll investigate what he actually said and did. Join us as we move beyond our felt-board Jesus to the reality of who he really is.
I enjoying teaching…mainly because I enjoy unpacking it at life group. And I know I’m supposed to say that I’m excited about every series – but I’m REALLY excited about this one. The lent readings have fed my soul the last 40 days and I’m reading to tour guide others through that journey now.
Should be an awesome time.
[tags]sermon series, Easter, felt-boards[/tags]
Leader or Manager?
I started reading this blog about customer service and business leadership a month ago – thanks to Rob (I think…it’s all hazy now). While cleaning out my inbox, I ran across the following picture on
It reminded me of a painful but much needed conversation I had with a volunteer early in my life. Cindy Rhudy was her name – she had 3 teenagers of her own but I think half the town of Emporia stayed at her house at one time or another.
She grabbed me for lunch and told me that I was a good youth pastor but I could be great. I needed to get over one thing.
I sat with baited breath. I mean – who doesn’t want to be great??
She leaned over and smiled.
“Yourself.”
She told me all the things she loved about me then said – it wasn’t enough. I was going to have to broaden my reach to be great. And to do that I was going to have to release the greatest asset to ministries around the world. Volunteers. Recruit ‘em, love ‘em, befriend ‘em, equip ‘em then trust ‘em.
Basically – get out of the way and let others follow them as they follow God.
Paul’s been writing about similiar stuff this past week on his blog. If we “professionals” could infuse that kind of DNA in ‘our’ ministries (instead of the star mentality), it’d change everything, don’t you think?
Just Shoot Me In The Head
I hate April. No more basketball. NFL is months away. Baseball is…well, baseball games in April are pretty much worthless. Besides, until Bonds is kicked out of MLB, I think I’m done with the MLB.
But the real reason I hate April has to do with the Internal Revenue Sticking it to the Little Man “Service.” I just got done with my taxes and in the ridiculousness that is the US Tax Law – I owe the federal government money BUT the state owes me more than what I owe the federal hence I make a nice little profit.
Of course – the government will electronically accept your payment but to get paid from them you are going to have to wait 10 to 15 business days. Ain’t that nice of them?
I consider this year’s tax filing a huge sucess. There was no swearing, no throwing of papers, no clearing the house of all breathing things while Grant fumes. There was SOME tension around dinner but that was quickly cured with a dad and kids trip to Moe’s. (Which I’m learning that our family is the only family that likes to eat there. But that’s another post.)
Now it’s a little late but I need some decompression – movie time. Something violent. A movie where tax guys get eaten by aliens from the inside out would be perfect.
Christ in the Passover
Good Friday service this weekend with Jews for Jesus. (Starts at 6.30. More info is here.) They are doing a Christ in the Passover seder at the church. It should be awesome – to experience the Passover as opposed to just hearing about it.
Aim and I were talking about it at dinner last night. Cooper was around. I said – “hey man, you might be interested in this.”
“Is kinda like an Encounter only without the desserts?”
We just started laughing.
“What? I love the dessert Encounters. Is that what it’s going to be?”
I don’t know if we ever answered his question due to our laughter.
[tags]seder, Passover, Good Friday, Encounter [/tags]
Harry Potter and Easter
It’s been a long day and I didn’t even get to blog. What the heck is up with that? I’ll hit it hard and fast in the morning but I got a huge dent done in the Easter sermon.
Can get out of my mind a Harry Potter scene for Easter. It’s the second task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. “Something precious has been taken from our wizards.” It’s a relationship and the person they love most is at the bottom of the Dark Pond. The rescuers have to become something they are not in order to save them. I mean, how ironic is that?
Another interesting parallel – nobody would pick Harry Potter as their hero. Nobody is going to pick a nerdy looking, spectacle wearing teenage boy as the savior of the world. He doesn’t look the part and after all – he’s part ‘muggle.’
I suspect Jesus didn’t look the part either. Given a choice, would we have honestly chosen a minority, poor, blue collar worker with a suspect lineage from some no-name town in the Middle East to be our Redeemer? I don’t think so.
I don’t think Jesus was nerdy … although he was a carpenter which meant he did have to be pretty good with numbers and geometry. I don’t think he was scrawny either … but the average height of a Jewish male in the first century was around 5′ 8″. I suspect Jesus looked … well, he looked like a Jewish male who lived in the first century. Pretty ordinary. Not heroic.
The whole Gospel is like this really. Taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. Taking the refuse and making it priceless. The scandal of grace and hope. I love Easter.
[tags]Harry Potter, Jesus, Easter [/tags]