Ex Mullet Man Cletus

2011-12-01T14:02:00.000-05:00

New Design

2011-12-01T13:57:00.003-05:00

New Design

2011-12-01T13:57:00.001-05:00

Again

2011-12-01T13:53:00.002-05:00

New Design Small

2011-12-01T13:49:00.003-05:00

New Design Small

2011-12-01T13:49:00.001-05:00

New Design

2011-12-01T13:44:00.002-05:00

I'm here!

2007-12-11T15:26:00.000-05:00

I've been out of the blogger loop for a while. Here's whats been going on.

-I have a new niece, Olive Elizabeth Haas...she's quite the cutie.

-I've been trying to fight a cold for over a week now...the cold was winning earlier this week, but it looks like I'm gonna beat it after all

-I went to one of my other niece's dance recitals at a nursing home last week. Kids dancing for old people with music from a boom box that has blown speakers!! :) I was sporting my *Castle Creek Elementary shirt (where Bethany goes to school), representin'! Bethany did great. She's a little dancing pro.

-I started serving at Buca Di Beppo again at the Florida Mall. I'm working there a couple nights a week to make some extra cashola.

-The new Jon Foreman album came out called "Fall." If you like slow, acoustic, real songs, you should definitely pick up that album. You can get it on iTunes or at jonforeman.com. Maybe I'll post one of those songs on my blog soon for you to listen to.

*****This is a good one******Courtney and I planned a trip to New York City for a long weekend after Christmas! That's going to be so much fun! If anyone has been to NYC before and has suggestions of what to do, let me know.

Well, I think that's about it. That's what has been going on with me. I'm really excited about this season of the year. I love Christmas time. I just hope it gets cold sometime soon.

Until next time...

3 Things I Love About Today

2007-11-09T12:18:00.001-05:00

1) It's Friday!! Woo Hoo!

2) It's sooo nice outside!

3) I'm going golfin'!

Side Note: It really annoys me when people overuse exclamation points, but they are all appropriate this time! (Except for that one!) (And that one.)

Wanted

2007-11-02T09:28:00.000-04:00

When I checked this movie trailer out on youtube, everyone who left comments were trashing it, saying it looked horrible. I was talking to Danny about it, and he said the story line is from a comic, so that may be why people were saying it didn't look so good - most were probably comic fans. It looks great to me! I can't wait to see it! Check it out.

Second Annual Pumpkin Party

2007-11-01T09:29:00.000-04:00

Courtney and I had our second annual Pumpkin Carving Party last night. This year was a much better year for my pumpkin. Last year, I tried to carve a guitar, and it ended up being a tree and a moon because I messed up so bad that I had to bail on my original design. I'm normally not one to brag, but considering how horrible of an artist I am, I'm going to take advantage of my one good work and say that I carved a pretty sweet pumpkin this year!! Courtney's is the one with the stars. Hers looks good too, but that was expected...she takes art classes on the weekend...she's especially good at drawing giraffes :)

Pumpkin Carver Credits (from left to right): Cody, Courtney, Tracy, Kimberly, Danny, Casey

Wildfire

2007-10-29T11:37:00.000-04:00

After I was complaining today about getting rained on and having to walk from one building to the other without an umbrella, I was reminded of what people on the other side of our nation are facing.

I was quickly reminded that my wet shirt is not so bad after all, and that many people are wishing they had the rain that we're having today. I'm thankful for freedom to choose my perspective in life. Rember to pray for the people in Southern California.

Incomplete

2007-10-29T11:17:00.000-04:00

These are the guys that help me through my days. Their music leads me to find my way in life, and pushes me to strive for more than mediocre. My life hinges upon my reality of God, who He is, and how He loves me. And these guys write some great songs that encourage people to rest in who God is. Find out who God really is, and rest in that.

I hope you enjoy the song. I've been searching a lot, for many different things. Who I am, who I'm supposed to be, where I'm supposed to be, when am I supposed to be there...so I'm posting this song because it meets me where I am. I'm incomplete..."step outside your doubt, and let yourself be found"

He's washing his face to start his day
He's lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely
Nothing in the mirror ever shows him
what's within

Now's he's checking out the faces
On the back of the milk
He's sour under all this pressure
He thinks the missing person looks an
awful lot like him

And he starts his engine
But he knows that he's missing gears

Incomplete!
Where will you find yourself?
Incomplete!
Where will you find yourself?
(Where will you lose yourself?)
'Cause you're the missing person now
Step outside your doubt
And let yourself be found!

He's sick of the race to just save face
He's tied and tried, he's sick and tired
He's tired of the holes that are keeping
him incomplete

He'll push the pedal to the floor
Like the day before
He's trying to be always trying
Try to find an end to justify his means

Comfort - Food for Thought

2007-10-25T10:38:00.000-04:00

I just finished the book The E Myth Revisited for the second time. It's a great book about small businesses. It dives into all of the issues that make most small businesses fail, and talks about how to avoid them, or fix them if you already have problems.

The author, Michael Gerber, tells a story about himself in the book that was so eye opening for me. He talked about his experience in life with business. He tells of a time when he got a job in Silicone Valley. He had a brother in law that was in business consulting who got him the job. After Michael got the job, "He was dumbfounded by the magnitude of his ignorance. And yet, something called him to stay. They asked him, 'How can you help me?' He answered, 'I don't know.' They asked him, 'What do you know about my business?' He answered, 'Nothing.'

Michael said that it was at this time in his life that he realized something big. "The curtain lifted between the world that was theirs (the business people) and the world that was his...It was then that he realized with a suddenness that make him giddy that, while he didn't understand their business, neither did they!" He goes on to say, "No one knew what he had believed they knew. That everything was just like he had thought it was, a mystery, but that he wasn't the only one who didn't know what was going on. What he learned in Silicon valley is that no one knew what was going on! It was completely open to interpretation."

I really believe that is one of the things that holds people back from following their dreams. We believe that so many people around us have it all figured out. And that's crippling to us. It's crippling because of the fear that someone around us who has it all "figured out" will see us fall on our face while we're trying to chase a dream. It's crippling because we don't view other people in the reality that they live in. We lift them up on a pedistal. The Donald Trumps and Warren Buffets, we think they're superhuman. But in reality, they started in the same place that we are or have been. They started with fear of failure, being crippled by the curtain in front of their eyes, thinking that they didn't know as much as the others around them. But somehow they got past that fear, and no doubt defied what most of the people in their life would call impossible.

The book closes with this paragraph, "The curtain is your Comfort Zone. And your Comfort Zone has been the curtain you have placed in front of your face and through which you view the world. Your Comfort Zone has been the tight little cozy planet on which you have lived, knowing all the places to hide because it's so small. Your Comfort Zone has seized you before, and it can seize you again, when you're least prepared for it, because it knows what it means to you. Because it knows how much you want to be comfortable. Because it knows what price you are willing to pay for the comfort of being in control. The ultimate price, your life. So if this new path, if living with your spirit, means anything to you at all, if you truly care about it, then guard it with your life. Because Comfort overtakes us all when we're least prepared for it. Comfort makes cowards of us all."

Gosh that's good. That last line, "Comfort makes cowards of us all." I whole heartedly believe that. It's a book about business, but it can be applied to anything we do in life, with business, relationships with God, relationships with friends and family. Comfort paralyzes us. Comfort makes cowards of us all!

C & C...the drifters

2007-10-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

I have an exceptional wife. She's so intentional with the way she loves me, and always makes me laugh when I'm frustrated or having a bad day. She had the idea to go visit Tim and Anne Marie, my brother and his wife, in Georgia this past weekend.

We had such a great time! We got to visit with family and be together for the 16 hour round trip drive. We woke up on Saturday morning to about 50 degree weather in the mountains. The leaves were changing colors and falling, and the crisp mountain air didn't leave you gasping for breath because of the humidity.

We got to go to downtown Blue Ridge with our niece and nephew to an event called Paws in the Park. We walked around and saw tons of beautiful dogs, and a pot belly pig with a leash! It was a good time. Time just seems to go slower in the mountains. It's something that I long for here. I feel like the days and weeks fly by, and I'm left wondering what happened to the time.

Our weekend trip to Blue Ridge gets a five star rating. A $5 bag of roadside boiled peanuts, Georgia peaches, 16 hours on the road total, and a little over 100 bucks in gas later, we're back home feeling refreshed and ready for another week.

It's been a while...

2007-10-12T08:58:00.000-04:00

And I have a few random things on my mind.

1) I love kids. They make me laugh. My niece, Emily, had a dream a couple nights ago that her bed turned into a car and she was driving it. Then she got pulled over and got a ticket. And for some reason, she felt the need to point out the fact that there were black shoes in the car with her...they weren't alive or anything, but it was very important that she mentioned it to me...with a chuckle she said, "Cletus, there were black SHOES in my car!!! BLACK SHOES!"

2) Cold weather reminds me of fresh starts. I don't really know why. Maybe because we don't have much of it in Florida, so it's something refreshing. I LOVE cold weather! OMG. I love cold weather.

3) Courtney's birthday was this week and I have really enjoyed celebrating with her. We've had so much fun lately. I'm really grateful for that. I'm still trying to decide on her gift...we're going to Disney for one night next weekend and that's when I'm giving her gifts. I have a couple ideas, but I can't decide.

4) You've probably noticed that I haven't been blogging about much negative stuff lately. That's because I've realized in my life that negativity is infectious. It eats you up, and spreads like the plague. I hate being negative...so I'm attempting to have a positive outlook on life. It doesn't mean that bad things don't happen, and that there aren't days that suck, but there's something positive that happens in my life every day. I believe it's a gift from God, something positive, and I'd rather focus on that than the negative.

Until next time...

Good Day

2007-09-21T12:23:00.000-04:00

This song describes my feeling for today. I had an encounter with a really friendly person after a morning of annoying junk. It redeemed my day! Choosing joy really does make a difference in my days.

"I think I like today
I think it's good
It's something I can get my head around"

Have you ever woken up..

2007-09-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

And the sun was brighter than it had ever been before?

Have you every had a day that your spirit was lighter than it had ever been before?

Have you ever had a day that you felt free?

I have, and today is that day!

Thank you God for fresh starts, and new days! I love you for that.

Thank you for a wife who loves me through being imperfect, and helps me take baby steps into finding true freedom. Who knows, maybe one day I'll get to the point where I can even dance in God's freedom!

Leave some Feedback

2007-09-11T08:43:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure who all looks at this blog, but I want to ask you a favor.

If you are reading this, then I'm talking to you...yes...you!

I'm going to be putting together a monthly video podcast highlighting local musicians and bands. Probably somewhere between a 10-15 minute format. The video would contain some live footage from one of their shows. It would also contain some interviews with the band. It would be a look into the lives of the bands and some behind the scene footage.

I haven't decided yet if it's going to be genre specific or multiple genres. I enjoy rock and blues music the most, but I know that doesn't appeal to everyone.

I am on the ground level here and was wondering how many people would be interested in something like this.

So here's the favor. I'm asking you to leave me a comment with at least 3 things.

1) What is your favorite genre of music?

2) Would you be interested in expanding your music collection by subscribing to a video podcast like this and learning about more local bands?

3) Do you have any other suggestions for the podcast...names, bands to interview or highlight, etc.?

Thanks so much!

Busy Busy

2007-08-31T10:47:00.000-04:00

I'm so busy lately. I'm looking forward to this weekend so much because...

I'm going to Disney for 3 nights!! I have Monday off, obviously, and Tuesday I'm playing golf at Disney's Magnolia golf course. So it's the perfect recipe for a great weekend; 3 day weekend instead of 2, time away with Courtney (and her family), and golfing with the guys!

Good Times

Home

2007-08-30T08:42:00.001-04:00

I found this song on Switchfeed.com a couple days ago.

I don't think it was a coincidence that two or three days after I heard this song, I had an encounter with a homeless man when I was walking out from a restaurant I ate at. I've always had a heart for the hurting, I don't know why, I just have a heart for people who feel left out, forgotten, or wounded. It may have to do with my personality, and being the baby in a big family, it's easy for me to feel left out or forgotten sometimes.

Anyways, I was walking to my car, and a homeless man came running up. He had a bike with a basket on the front. In his basket was a bottle of glass cleaner, a stack of newspaper, and a trash bag. He asked, "Sir, before you leave, can I wash your windshield for you?" I said, "No, that's ok, I don't have any cash, I only have a few coins in my car." (Which was true, I hardly ever carry cash) While I was still finishing telling him I had no money to give him, he started washing my windshield. I said, "Man, listen, I really only have a few coins here! I have no cash, you don't need to do that."

He kept washing. He said, "Tomorrow is not promised. I don't like to beg for money, so I used some money that I begged for to buy this window cleaner. I figure that way; I can at least work for my money. People will give you money if you do something for them, and I don't want to beg. Everybody has to work for their money. You work for your money, so I want to work for mine. I just can't get a job. I lost my license and I can't find work without a driver’s license. I'm just hungry, and I wanna work for my money. I just wanna work for my money."

For a few reasons, I didn't take the man in to get a bite to eat. But I have to say that today, I still can't stop thinking about this man. He's somebody's baby boy. I think about those words, like in the song that Jon Foreman is singing. He's somebody's baby, and he's on the streets. He's hungry. He has no one, riding around his bike trying to wash peoples windshields for change.

He touched my heart. I understood for the first time what Shane Claiborne meant when he said, "I didn't find Jesus in the seminary or the mega church, I found Him on the streets with the homeless."

I have a problem with taking action. If I had followed my heart last night, I would have taken that man back into the restaurant I just came from and sat with him while he ate. If I weren’t so distracted by all of the tasks and the responsibilities I have in this busy, business like world that we live in, I would have done the right thing. Gosh, I can get so mad at myself for missing that opportunity!

So not all stories have a happy ending. I missed my chance to love on this person. Maybe God will give me another chance with this man. I'll definitely be looking for him next time I go back to this restaurant!

God thank you for your grace when we fall short. Be with that man. Let him know your presence and your warmth. Let him feel your love. Let me see him again so that I can show him your love. Help me to love you enough that I have faith to do what you say. Help me to not make excuses. Thank you for your grace, help me to feel it, and not to beat myself up over this. Amen.

He's Home

2007-08-17T09:08:00.001-04:00

Hayden is home again! He got released from the hospital last night and he's back home, doing great. I'm so grateful, thank you God for that!

No More Tubes!!

2007-08-16T08:29:00.001-04:00

Hayden is back to eating!! They were giving him fluids through an IV until yesterday. The doctor said he wanted to try and feed him some milk, and my mom said that as soon as he got finished drinking it he fell right asleep, so content. That's all he needed, he was hungry! So now he only has the IV for purposes of getting meds, not for fluids. They also removed the tube that was in his nose, so he will be much more comfortable now.

Hayden-Bear Dunson

2007-08-15T10:19:00.000-04:00

This is my Nephew, Hayden Matthew Dunson. He was two weeks old when they found out he had a hole in his colon. He had to get rushed to the hospital to get surgery about a week ago. Since then, he has been in the ICU at Arnold Palmer, which I need to add, is the most amazing hospital I have ever been to. They have the most friendly, knowledgeable staff I've ever encountered. Anyways, Hayden is making great progress! All praise be to God for that, it's definitely a miracle from Heaven that he is doing so well right now.

There are many things people can focus on in situations like this. At first, I was scared out of my mind. I had never seen my sister in so much pain (not physical, emotional) in her life. My heart was broken for her, and we were all scared for Hayden. Such a precious little gift that none of us even wanted to think about losing. But I realized quickly that you can't focus on that. I think we all shifted our focus from somewhat of a panic to God's sovereignty and His ability to perform miracles. We (the family and many other friends and coworkers) started praying for little Hayden, and having faith that God would heal his body. He is still in the ICU today, but the doctors say he is right on schedule with his progress, which is just the kind of miracle we had all prayed for.

For the past two nights, I have stayed up at the hospital to be with Hayden through the night, just to give Amber and my mom a break so they can sleep. I have had to come to work tired, not having much sleep from the night before, and get up and do it again the next day, and again I was faced with what my focus was. I realized that even though I have had long days, I have had the privilege of spending so much time with Hayden. I have seen him more in the past 3 or 4 days than I ever have, and most of the time I've been up there, it's been just me, him and one other person in the room for hours. So I've had some quality bonding time, and I've missed having little babies around. I remember when Bethany and Emily were that young, but it's been a long time. So that in itself makes it totally worth being tired and sluggish.

In Steve Douglass' radio spots that I record, he says that love is not an emotion; it's an action and an attitude. I feel like this is one of the first times since I've been an adult that I've been able to show that kind of love to Amber, and I'm so grateful for that. I know that she really appreciates it, and that's another element that makes it worth it.

I've been giving life my best shot, and life has been shooting back. It's a constant struggle to remain selfless, but I know that's where fulfillment comes from. If we all helped each other and met our family and friends needs, then our family and friends would meet our needs in return, and we would live life how God intended it, as a community, bearing each other’s burdens, and being a servant to our neighbors. We need each other. That's what I've learned through this circumstance. We can't go through life alone.

I love you Hayden-Bear, and I'm so thankful that you're getting better!

-PEACE-

Africa Canceled :(

2007-08-02T09:32:00.000-04:00

So I had to cancel my plans to go to Africa. I didn't have enough time to get things ready at work and to get all of the shots. I'm a little bummed about it, but at the same time, I know that there are many places that need people's help to spread love, and I will find another trip to go on. I just like breaking out of my shell and leaving the place where I'm comfortable.

I sometimes wonder if comfort ever does anyone any good, ultimately. Obviously, being comfortable seems great in the moment, but do we really grow at all when we're comfortable? I'm not sure. I think comfort is something I struggle with because I really want to be comfortable, but I love who I am when I'm not. I love being in new places, with new people, and at the same time, it's one of the things that's most difficult for me. Anyways, I don't know if I'm making much sense here, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

So the two main reasons that I wanted to go to Africa were:

1. To answer the call, "We need 3 more men to help with the Jesus Film showing"
-we know were called to share the gospel, so this was all the calling I needed, I have a desire to help.

2. To break out of the monotony of every day life, to get uncomfortable again, so I can focus on things that really matter. Too often I get comfortable, and lose focus.

There is no reason for me to be upset about not being able to go to Arfica this time. Bummed, yes I was bummed about it for a day or two. I wanted to answer a call, and I wanted to focus on stuff that really matters, loving my neighbors. I can do that in America every day, I can do that in Africa if I get the chance to go again.

- God help me to focus on stuff that really matters, and don't let me get too comfortable...Amen

I love this song

2007-07-31T08:06:00.001-04:00

This song is about the redemptive power of Christ. The words are below.

Wake up Wake up My God
This is not a test and it’s not too late to come clean
Get it off your chest
So steady your hand before your face and concentrate
There’s got to be some stable ground left to walk on

So tear another page from the book
Are you asleep or just alone
Clear this room from your lungs
And pull yourself together man

On your back, you’re sleeping in a bed of shame
Let the light breathe some new life into this room
It’s what keeps you coming back
Made up of insatiable taste
Bury your head in your hands and sink into yourself

Just what are you afraid of
You’re staring truth in the face, so come on down

You’re busy living now, are you?
You’re busy making vows
You’re coming undone
Time is shorter than you know now
I know the light is blinding to the naked eye, so why don’t you take
Steps away from being alone I swear it’s not too late for you

It’s all worth reaching for the hand to pull you out
Wake up and step outside your box
Wake up

Check out the symbolism in the video:

The girl in the video is stuck in a dark room, no way out. There's a door with the numbers 777 on it (symbolizing a door to God). In the end of the video, she finds the three 7's that fit into the 7's on the door (she finds that the key to getting out of her dark room or situation is God). She and all of her friends run from the dark room into the light, because they found that God is the way out.

AFRICA!

2007-07-27T15:36:00.000-04:00

I have been given the opportunity to travel to Nigeria with a group of people from the Jesus Film Project to show a recent translation of the film! We will show the Jesus Film at night, and in the day, we will speak with government officials, in schools, and with people in their towns. It's an amazing opportunity to be able to share the love of Christ with people half way around the world.

I love traveling and I'm stoked to be able to rough it for a while, and get dirty for Jesus! I'm so cheesy! I'll be gone a total of 15 days, from August 22-September 5. It will suck to be gone from Courtney for that long, but I'm really excited about the trip!

More on that soon...

Interesting Interview

2007-07-20T11:43:00.001-04:00

I thought this was an insightful quote from an interview that I read on the Lowercase People website. It's an interview with Mute Math frontman, paul meany, and drummer, darren king, talking with Mae drummer, jacob marshall.

"And sometimes, honestly, it takes seeing something that’s broken to know how to fix it and know how to take steps towards fixing it. Especially within the church. You see how the politics and the finances and the buildings and structure just eats away at the fundamental purpose of what people initially got together for. And you kind of begin to see it like a cancer and that’s funny because the essence of Christianity is Jesus. It comes back to this character, the stories about this person and he kind of set the template. When he spoke to the masses he usually told stories. And he was like the film director of his era you know? He’d get a huge group of people together and tell a story and explain things in metaphors, and basically that’s our job, nowadays. It’s to be the story tellers, the moment makers that allow for this place where people can experience a moment of time that is special, it’s sacred. There is a spiritual element to music that we’re all drawn to." -Jacob Marshall

Check out the red letters!

2007-07-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

I am ashamed to admit that I somehow forget way too often the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I just finished reading The Irresistible Revolution for the second time, and it got me thinking about the gospel.

There is so much power in the Bible. The reason that I feel ashamed to admit that I forget about it's power is this (Bear with me for a second as I dream): If Christ were making a surprise visit to Waterford Town Center, and we all got a MySpace invite to come see Him speak, who wouldn't show up?! The place would be PACKED OUT. Christians and Pagans alike would line the streets to see Jesus in person. I'm convinced of it.

So how is it any different, that in our own houses, we have a book, with Jesus' words, straight from his mouth, spoken thousands of years ago to masses of people just like us, highlighted in red(as if to say, hey, pay attention to this!!), but we don't take advantage of it. We don't feed off of it. We don't get ideas of how to love our neighbor from it. We just let it sit on the shelf and think, I wish God would speak to me today. And we may even pray,"God, please speak. I'm begging you! I want to be closer to you. Let me hear you speak." HE HAS SPOKEN!! IT'S ON YOUR SHELF!! Get the dust off of the book and listen to God's tender, powerful, loving voice.

Please don't read that last paragraph and think, geez, he's being really self righteous, he has no right to digitally raise his voice at me! I'm yelling at myself!
And I know, there are more religious people than me, who read their Bible every day. And that's great, so don't get the wrong impression from what I am saying. The issue is, I have been praying to hear God's voice on certain issues for a couple months now and the whole time, I haven't been seeking an answer in His word, I've been waiting for some divine appointment with Him(which I still believe is possible, I just need to do my part too). So here is some scrumptious, red lettered brain food that helped me today to converse with my creator, and even after being read 50 times is still just as amazing to me.

"Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: To say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic,"Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home."

-Matthew 9:1-7

The Simple Way

2007-07-16T10:56:00.000-04:00

If you don't know about The Simple Way , you should check it out. It's a community in Philidelphia headed up by a man named Shane Claiborne, the author of the book The Irresistible Revolution There is an audio book also, that is read by Shane himself. I just got it, it's great.

In the Simple Way community about a month ago, there was a fire that destroyed many of the houses and the community center. Check out this video.

I just wanted to shine light on the situation, If you haven't read Shane's book, please go pick it up. It's the best book I have ever read! He has been the front man for this community in Philidelphia to try and end poverty. If you want to give donations to the simple way, you can do so at their website The Simple Way

"Another World is Possible" -Shane Claiborne

Johnny Depp is the Man!

2007-07-14T01:37:00.001-04:00

My New Template

2007-07-13T15:47:00.000-04:00

Pretty sweet, huh? I found this site, http://psyc.horm.org/ where you can create your own template and it generates the html code for you. It's so simple.

One more thing

2007-07-13T00:29:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention my conversation with Erik. He wants us to go pick up hookers, buy them dinner and maybe any essentials they need. Then take them back to where we picked them up. Just do something to try and share the love of Christ with them.

He's so crazy, I love it. He knows a cop that trains other cops for OPD, and he's going to see if it's at all possible. The cop he knows said,"I wouldn't recommend paying hookers to share the gospel with them!"

I'm not sure if it's the greatest idea in the world, but I love his heart. This world would be a much better place if we didn't see ourselves as so much better than the hookers on OBT. And I'm quite certain that if Jesus were alive now, he would spend much of his time on the trail hanging out with the hookers and pimps. And he may even make his way down to the Parliament house! If we could all just admit how rotten we are, but choose to love each other anyways, what a place this would be.

Anyways, I could get on a soapbox about that, but I won't cause I'm tired.

Until Next Time...

Songwriting

2007-07-13T00:22:00.000-04:00

It's 12:27am on Friday morning. Danny just left a few minutes ago, and we just wrote an amazing song! I'm so happy about it because he came over yesterday from about 5pm - 11pm and we worked the whole time on writing music, then he came back today, and we threw everything away from the day before...it all sucked so bad.

But tonight, the creative juices were flowing! I'm thankful for that, I love writing music. I love getting a final product that sounds good and it gives me a since of accomplishment.

I'm extremely tired, and once again, I'm going to bed alone. I don't know what I did when I was single! Courtney comes home about 48 hours from now!

Courtney's Gone :(

2007-07-12T13:06:00.000-04:00

So since we've been married, I've never spent more than 3 nights away from Courtney, which is how many nights she will be gone on this trip. But it's totally different when I'm the one at home and she's the one traveling. I come home from work, and is Courtney there....nope! I go to bed at night and is Courtney there.....you guessed it.....no Courtney. :( :( She left me her squishy pillow (which I always try to take during the night), I thought that was really sweet of her. Anyways, I'm just missing Courtney.

FREEDOM!

2007-07-09T08:26:00.000-04:00

Have you ever felt stagnant?
Complacent?
Even as I sit to write this, my mind feels like it's going into hibernation. I just realized over the past few days spent in Tennessee that for some time now, I haven't been experiencing the freedom and simple joys of life that God intended for all of us. I get focused so much on the future and things that I need to (or I think I need to) accomplish, that I forget all that I love about my life in this moment. I have so much to be thankful for and to enjoy about life. So I'm making strides to stop living like a 60 year old man, and have more fun.

I'm thankful for Courtney, who always tries her best to make me feel loved, respected, and of worth. She shows me love in unique, new ways because she knows how much I like change and new places and things, and I'm sure I wear her out because of that!

I'm thankful that I have certain family members and friends that are there for me whenever I need them, and would give me the shirt off their back.

I'm thankful for my job. Starting Full Sail was one of the few times in my life I KNOW that God said, do this, and I obeyed. And it gives me a sense of wonder and amazement that I got a job the day I graduated in the field of work I studied.

I'm thankful for my new house with Courtney. It has given us much needed time alone together and given us a place to unwind and relax.

I'm thankful for my niece, Emily, who makes me laugh every time I see her (or even think about her). She is a physical representation of the innocence and joy that every human being longs for. I can't imagine when it's my child. OMG!

All that said, I'm beginning a new journey. No longer am I going to let my joy be stolen from me.

I read a quote from Quincy Jones this weekend that really stuck with me. He said, "Live every day as if it were your last." I know, you've heard that thousands of times, but the second part is what I like... "And approach every task like it's your first." That's the part that got me. When you start a new project or task, you have passion. You have drive. You start out strong. I want to approach every day as a new task.

I miss my passion
I miss my joy
I'm taking it back