ChurchPlanters.com "Giving You Permission"

Perfect Day

What can I say...this is my biker chick.  Tami and I spent the day cruising the mountains of  North Georgia.  It was awesome. This Picture was taken at Woody Gap a trail-head for the Appalachian trail on the scenic GA 60 Highway.  After a couple of hours of cruising we stopped here where I laid on a concrete picnic table and listened to the sounds of nature and enjoyed the cool breeze.  Somehow we managed to miss the rain all day...however I don't think it would have really mattered.  We ended the day sitting on our patio enjoying the sounds of our small waterfall and welcoming the darkness as it descended on us.  In a few months we will celebrate 29 wonderful years together.  Man I love this women.  I am so grateful for the life God has given us.   

Best Practice: Nurture Vitality

I just completed a book proposal for our Best Practices.  Man has that been hanging over my head.  This is something that Shawn Lovejoy and I feel strongly about.  We know God has called us to write this book; we have simply been dragging our tails.  At the same time we have been learning so much about these practices...I really believe the timing is right.  Anyway, I sent the document off to another great leader who will hopefully agree to work her magic so my ramblings and rumblings will come to life. 

Speaking of Best Practices, our upcoming Best Practice Coaching Network will be on Nurturing Vitality.  In just a couple of weeks about a dozen of us will get together and spend six hours talking about this important practice.  God will use this time to encourage all of us to stay on track...it would be just like God to save someone's marriage, ministry, and life through this coaching network.  It is always amazing to me how loud God is in these times.  I can't wait. 

Speaking of Nurturing Vitality I, like you, have another busy day with meetings running up until about 8:00 pm.  The good news is Tami and I have managed to schedule about an hour at the fitness club between my last afternoon meeting and my evening meeting.  I can't wait.  I love hanging out at the gym with her.  We are going to have a blast running and lifting weights together.  I'm praying that I will be able to out bench press there soon.

On another front, and at the same time the same front, I heard from my son yesterday!  Yep. He is still in Afghanistan!  It is crazy.  He was supposed to leave on the 10th of the month.  Now it looks like the 24th at best.  He said the latest date he got for getting back to Fort Bragg is April 6th.  This waiting is really tough.  Please keep him in your prayers.  He is still going outside the wire every day on missions.  I'm not sure what he is doing, but I will be glad when he gets the heck out of there. 

On the other hand I'm glad he is committed to the best practice of nurturing vitality while in Afghanistan.  Check out the picture my daughter sent me from Facebook.  He is the one spotting the guy on the bench.  If I'm not mistaken the guy on the bench is Reece.  Reece is a big time lifter, as you can tell.  Reece was also wounded in action in December.  I'm glad he's okay...I'm glad he is back...I'm glad he is nurturing vitality.  I was looking forward to working out with my son while he is home on leave in June, at least until I saw this picture.  You see those guns on him?  If I were the enemy I would run if I saw these two guys coming my way. 

I'm Alive!

The lightening flashed.  I counted three beats of my heart as the nder exploded.  Pretty close.  My bike  made a looping sound as I cruised down the mountain road.  I was thirty minutes from home riding hard as the weather front nipped at my heels.  A similar front attacked downtown Atlanta last night and sent its occupants running for cover.  What do I do?  Do I stop?  Do I keep going?  The rain began to fall.  At 70 mph each drop felt like a dart as it pelted me in the face.  I pressed on...lightening was now flashing all around me.  Cars were slowing to a crawl.  Only the insane were out now...Yet I was on my motorcycle. By now I was totally drenched.  My boots had an inch of water in them...yet I felt alive...I mean more alive then you can imagine...more alive then yesterday.  A car approached me at a light.  They looked on me with pity.  I saw their compassion...poor guy.  Another car approached me...you could see their disdain...you idiot.  I could read their minds.  I wouldn't have traded places with them for any thing. 

I made it home...I pull up in the garage...gave my wife a big whoooooaaaahhhh!  I toweled off my bike like a lone steed and put her to rest.  I grab my copy of The Reason for God out of the saddlebags and retreated to my house...fully satisfied!!!!