My Best Little Friend !

I can't even express how much I love this little boy. Today he is 7 years old. My little Brayden was born at 12:57 PM December 30, 1999. As a father I can say I very proud of him. He has brought me and his mother great joy and love these past 7 years.

I remember the first night we brought him home from the hospital, it was the Y2K New Year's Eve. While the entire world was worrying about the computers shutting down and the world coming to an end, I worried about him and his new life on earth. I didn't go and buy groceries in great fear of Y2K. I didn't worry about some worthless computer shutting down and not being able to survive in the world. I thought about him. I hoped he would have a good first night at home, I hoped he would not stop breathing during the night. I just thought about my brand new son and his comfort in his new home.

I hope I have been a good example to him. I pray I have done everything right and not mislead him in any way. While other parents push their children to be doctors or atheletes, I hope he grows up to be a preacher or a strong warrior for the Lord. I hope he wins as many as possible and never lets God out of his sight. I hope he prays every night and makes reading his Bible a main priority before he goes to bed at night. God has taught me a lot through this child, of how important my role is for him. As a parent I am resposible for his eternity. What foundation I lay down early in all three of my childrens lives will be the result of that Godly foundation continuing throughout their lives. WOW ! That's a great responsibility.

I'm thankful for December 30, 1999. While civilization thought the world was ending ,my world was just beginning. Happy Birthday Brayden, We love you!

Christmas with some Playmobile fun!!!!!!!!!!

The C.E.O who runs the company Playmobile Toys, must be a happy guy! Because when people like me and my wife get suckered into buying their toys, he has to be hearing the cash register ring in his head. We bought this princess castle for our little princess Macy for Christmas. It was a great idea until we took it to the cashier and she said it $129.00. CHA-CHING !!! There went the register in that C.E.O's head. Shannon said we had to buy it.

So I have been bugged all day today by Macy to put this thing together. I already had put one thing of Playmobile together today for Brayden. So I told her I would do it for her sometime today, actually it was tomorrow when I got it finished. The box said it would take 1 hour and 30 minutes. So at ten o' clock tonight I decided to put it together. I didn't beat the clock, I got done around 12:50 AM. I opened the box and there must have been 200 pieces, but I pulled it together and completed the project. Now Brayden has a ton of Playmobile to put together yet, I may be till Valentines day getting it all done.

I'm not ripping on Playmobile's stuff, once it's put together it's good sturdy stuff. But why so many little pieces? It's enough to drive you mad! If you ever decide to get Playmobile toys for your child make sure you clear your schedule for a month. Because you are dang tired after you put one together, you need some rest before you do another one. And make sure you know the price before you take it to the cashier. This stuff also has plenty of additional pieces that you have to buy extra. What a RACKET!

HOG LEAGUE CHAMPION : )

Yes I would like to say to all my fellow members of the "HOG LEAGUE" . It was a tough battle of Fantasy Football but you all got beat by a great strategic mind. lol The coach of the Wheeling Feeling John Massey it was nice for you to sit at the top of the league all year long. You never made a change in your line up. You thought you could rely on Peyton and Ladanian. But Peyton is no Joe Montana. Sorry the Bid Dog sat down at the wrong time.

And to the coach of the team "The Real Hillbille" my friend here in Arky. We were the only ones who tried to take out The Wheeling Feelin'. But third place isn't too bad. And to the coach of the Wheeling Ironmen, Roger Metz I think you paid a little attention to it but I will get you better equipped for next year.

The Park Patriots is this years Hog League Fantasy football Champion. Oh, it feels great! The players who pulled me through are: QB Drew Brees, RB Fast Willie Parker, Cheifs Larry Johnson and Marvin Harrison. NEXT YEAR WILL HAVE A BIGGER HOG LEAGUE.

I'll be singing this song all night in my head: "We Are The Champions".

Christmas tree brings memories

I sat down the other night and decided to look at the christmas tree. Our tree is in the living room where we don't spend much time in. So the only time we see the tree is when we walk through the room to go to the kids rooms. We spend much of our time in what we call the keeping room that is off from our kitchen. So the Christmas tree is not adored like it should be.

I walked by it the other night and decided to just sit there and look at it. The house was quiet and there was nothing else to do, so I just sat there and admired it.

The Christmas tree has special memories for me. It reminds me of all the Christmas joy I had growing up. I can remember them all like it was yesterday. I can recall the many Christmases of me and Paula hanging over the staircase to get a glimpse of what santa had brought us. We waited and waited for everyone to get their faces on and bathroom breaks done with. Cameras had to get film in them. Aunt Monna had to get her flashes cubes ready(Thank goodness for the invention of built in flash) or she couldn't find them. Mom had to get the coffee brewin and wanted to know if anybody wanted anything to eat. It killed us to wait any longer, and then finally we got the green flag to get to the toys. That was the greatest time in my life to get to that tree and start rippin things open. I remember the joy of watching everybody being so excited when we opened up the presents. To me Christmas day is probably the best day of the year.

Then as I looked at the tree I thought about all the children who will not have presents or a tree to enjoy this year. Many don't have a family to watch their expressions of joy as they open up their presents. It's sad to think that there are children not only in our country but in other countries also that our deprived of such great joy. We gave some this year to the angel tree and to a project the Church did this year and a little to the Salvation Army. But I didn't do enough! I'm going to change that this coming year. Somehow there is a way to get these kids the presents they deserve on Christmas morning. I thought about how can we give more the next Christmas to these deprived kids. I think if I buy a toy each week when I make my weekly Wal-mart trip, I will be prepared. Just think if we all did that how much better we would feel at this time next year. I challenge us all to do it. And then this time next year check in with me on my Blog and see how I've done and let me know how you are doing. I'm going to keep a total each week (that's 52 weeks) to let you know if I am keeping up with my goal. 52 toys we'll have this time next year for the children who need them.

Pass this along to others in your Church and see what we can get for the entire year. WOW ! Let's make next year a great year for all who need to feel the love of others. If you forget about others take time to look at your Christmas tree and God will put a reminder in your head of how blessed we are and consider those who aren't. Merry Christmas!!!!!

IGNORANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are wondering why I have a picture of a green Ford Explorer uploaded. Because that person really got under my skin the other day!

This is a picture of a line cutter at a Christian School. I won't name the school. As I was waiting to pick up my child the other day from a certain school this little event took place. The line was long like it usually is everyday before three. I was back toward the middle of the line, and there was a somewhat long line behind me. It wasn't more than about 7 cars in length. This person decided they were not going to wait in the line and be ignorant and cut in front of me. I could handle the cutting it was the ignorance of that person for doing such a thing. It wasn't going to set me back a lot of time or anything, I didn't have to hurry up and get my kid real fast or anything. I didn't get out of the car and knock on their window and tell them what I thought of their decision. But it rode my impatience with the ignorance of people.

I get so tired of people in this world with their ignorance. I get so upset when I hear about another person getting busted for making crystal meth. It just irritates me to no end. I get upset when somebody kills another person for just plain stupidity, like drug money, or the excuse "he wasn't given me the respect that I deserved so I shot him". Another thing that rowls me up is when somebodies child is kidnapped, raped and murdered, and the murderer says it was the drugs and the pornography that made him do it. Yet we still allow people to make these movies, because if we stopped them it would violate their freedom of speech and freedom to express themselves. And the last thing that gets me fired up, are these criminals that are released for good behavior or the jail was to crowded. So they let them out and they go murder some innocent person or child. Ignorance! We're all victim of it.

I know there has been times I have been ignorant in some situation. But it's ignorance of certain situations that could be avoided if those who do them would just think of the consequences.

Around thanksgiving an innocent boy was shot by another teenager in Judsonia. He was visiting his grandparents and outside playing a game of basketball when a car drove by and shot him dead. The teen who shot the gun was just playing around he said. There was no clip in the gun, but there just happen to be a bullet in the chamber. The bullet pierced the heart of the innocent victim and dropped him to the ground dead. Ignorance!!!!!!!!!!! If the person who owned the gun would've have just put the gun away where it was supposed to go, that boy would've finished his basketball game and the other boy would be at home, not sitting in a jail cell.

There is so much I could write about the word Ignorance, I don't think there is enough space on Blogger to type it all in. This world needs to rethink its position on so many issues before it self- implodes. This is the Christians calling; to change the thinking of this world. We have to reboot the thought process of the entire population of this planet. But sometimes we feel out numbered and we think nobody will listen to us. It's a hard job to do, but if we don't do it we may end up in the fires of hell because of our IGNORANCE to not do anything.

I not still mad about the decision of that person cutting in front of me. It just set me off on a tangent about the unthoughtful ignorance people do. How are we going to change the world and its harmful ways of thinking? We start by praying and then we do it one person at a time, with love and kindness. Ignorance has always been a major problem here on earth. Even Christ on the cross said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing."

I believe that the Crucifixion was the biggest plan for the ignorance of man. When you think about it, it was the pride of the Jewish leaders that had to get rid of the loving Jesus. For if he stayed any longer they might not be as powerful to the people as they thought they were.

The pride of man = the ignorance of man = the fires of hell. Let's not be unthoughtful. Let's be humble and set out to finish the race we've already begun. The first will be last and the last will be first.

It's a woderful life

I don't usually watch old movies, but this one really hits home home to me. It's the only movie that makes cry at the end. Every year I have seen this picture it brings out the trueness of friendship. A lot of times we walk around with the chip on our shoulder that makes us think nobody cares.

There are times we feel we don't have friends around. They are never there when we think we need them. Times when we feel our lowest we think they don't care, but they do. They will come out of the woodwork when the time is right. That is what this story teaches me. George Bailey is about to give it up on life. He's to the point of jumping off the bridge and end it all. When all of a sudden an angel comes to his rescue. The angel shows him life without George Bailey. George becomes impatient with the angel and doesn't understand what's going on. Nobody know him at all,not even his own wife. At that point he asks the angel to let him live,and everything is back to normal.

If George would have been patient and waited he would've seen friendship work at its best. At the end all his friends who deeply love him come to his aid with enough money to pay off his debt and plenty left over to spare.

Our friends are there, we just have to wait for their true loyalty and friendship to come through. The movie hits me because a lot of times I am George. I sometimes feel I have no true friends, and then "BOOM" the reality sets in. They come when the time is right.

I felt that today when I was a little down about things, and just needed a familiar face from home. And boom I got the assurance and boost that I needed. The door bell rang this morning and old loving friends were there. The Beckett's had come at the right time. I don't think they know how much their prescence meant to me, but it was a blessing in disguise. I felt like George Bailey today the luckiest man alive. It was nice to feel the warmth of friends today. I know I will have a good week and a firm grip of how people feel when friends step into save the day.

The phrase at the end of movie is the real tear jerker. "No man is a failure who has friends." Or in Christain terms"No mans is a failure who has God." Tomorrow reach out to somebody who you think needs your touch of friendship, I know I will.

As I sat in the waiting room at an office here in Searcy, I overheard a couple of employees having a conversation. They were asking each other when was the last time either one of them had been to church.

As I listened in I thought about what they might say, this area here being the bible belt and all. I thought they might both say a week or two. Nope! They both said it had been a year. So meaning it was around Christmas time was the lastime they entered through the doors of a Church building. It kind of surprised me the length of their stay away from worship. But it being the Christmas season and all, that was the only day they thought it was important to go.

I had grown up with a lot of friends who went to church only 3 times a year. Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday and Easter. Their religion must think God is only responsive and merciful on those days only. Kind of works like a Kmart blue light special, its only on sale when the Blue Light is on. Is that what these certain churches teach their flock. Do they put more emphasis on these days and less emphasis on the other 362 days of the year.

We recently had a sermon on the "Importance of going to Worship." He made some good points about attending worship.

1) It brings glory to God's name, which is the most important part.

2) We need the goodness of the church body itself. We need the spritual nourishment of each other.

So if you don't go to worship for a year then I can't tell of the damage you have done to your soul. I think of all the people that I grew up with in the church that have totally gone astray. I can't find any reason for why they would go totally away from the church that deeply loved them. It would take me three or four hands to count how many I have in my mind right now. What could they be doing on a Sunday morning that's so much more important than worshiping the maker of this world. I know there was a time in my life when I didn't have perfect attendance in church, and trust me there was nothing to do that is more important than going to church.

It took us some time to find a church down here we liked. We tried to find churches here that were kind of away from the Harding crowd. Which we did find a small church in Judsonia that didn't have the Harding crowd in it at all. We were pretty happy there, then they had a split. That was one of the most unhappiest situations I have ever witnessed in my church going life. I was dissappointed by the manner of the way things were handled. It drove me away for a little bit from the worship scene. I wasn't dissappointed in God, I was dissappointed in the Christians there. We have found a church that has really grown to love us and really sees the importance of being there. But how churches can split it amazes me, but they do. That could be a good reason why some people leave the church and never come back. It could be they had there feelings hurt by someone in the church or they might not see the importance of going and find some better reason to not go.

I had a chance to stick my nose in the womens conversation but i didn't. I should have! But we as Christians need to show people that God is an everyday God. He's not just important on certain holidays. He's more important than sleeping in on Sunday's and more important than a church splitting or getting your feelings hurt by somebody else. Those are not good enough reasons to not show up. We as Christians need to follow up on those who have left the church find out why they haven't been there in years. Comfort them and reassure them that the church is not only there to sing songs or listen to a sermon, but it's there for to provide strength for your daily life outside the church. Also church is not there to just drop in on certain holidays and pay your respects either. It's open year around. Teach others the truth in love. Don't be harsh be comforting because that is what a lot of people need. Show them that the church is not an Elks meeting lodge but a place for healing and love.

REDNECK SECURITY SIGN!!!!!!!!

This guy must have been robbed a few times.

He would've been proud :)

If I did the math right. My Papaw would be a 104 today if he was still alive.

John edward Massey December 9, 1902.

He would be proud to see his legacy grow. I can remember his laughter ringing through the house as he read the sunday comics while smoking his pipe with his loyal pal Astro by his side. I remember the backseat of every car he had, filled with crumpled up Hardees bags from his daily lunch. I remember him sitting in his blue chair watching HEE HAW and then hitting the side of the TV set with his cane as it blinked in and out.

I can still see his front porch lit up with the metal christmas trees he had cut out, they never missed a year to shine. He was proud of his work and so was his neighbors everytime they drove by. Christmas was always my favorite time when he would come to my parents house on christmas eve and when me and my sister would go to bed, he tell us Merry Christmas and kiss us good night. Christmas has never been the same since.

He was a hard working man with a disability that never held him down. He had a great big heart that loved everybody he knew. I wonder what he would think of his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. I know he would be proud. I wish my children had known him they would have loved him. I try as much as I can to tell them about him, but they'll never truly know what they missed out on.

I know everybody misses him. He was truly one of a kind. I know heaven got a gem when he walked into God's hands. He's is my example and will always be. We love you Papaw and Happy Birthday.

December 7, 1941

65 years ago Pearl Harbor was attacked at 7:56 am. The attack killed 2,403 of our servicemen and injured 1,708.

A major sneak attack that would cost the lives of many and wound the minds of others. I never think about this day in history because it's not mentioned a lot. My generation suffered 9/11 and that is fresh in the minds of many. But 12/7 you don't hear much about it.

I had happened to run into a program on the national geographic channel today that made me think about it.

Those that survived, it haunted them in their minds the rest of their lives. I guess something like that would. I still remember on 9/11 the screaming and the emergency vehicle sirens in the background on the radio as the reporter screams over them to report the event. But these survivors were still brought to tears after all these years. Many closed it up in their minds and never wanted to talk about it. Everyone they interviewed on this show were still hurting from this tragic event.

The thing that got my attention the most was the first japanese prisoner of war. He was captured on shore after his submarine had sank. He was the only one to survive out of his crew of 20 or more. We captured him and he became a POW. They showed him recently making a visit in 2002 to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. He seemed sorrowful for being apart of that day. He said they were orders and they had to be followed. He met some survivors from America and together they put a wreath in front of the memorial.

They showed him though by himself standing in front of the wall with all the names inscribed of those who didn't survive. I wonder what he was thinking. I believe it was, there was no need for such blood shed. My theory "WAR WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR." NOTHING!!!!!!!

I pray as a world community we can stop all wars and communicate the problem first before we start another meaningless war.

3 little kids like ME !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three little kids just like me. It's hits me everyday that those noisy kids running through the house are mine. I sometimes think who brought these kids over to my house. They sure are loud. Oh! then again those three belong to me.

I remember when Brayden was born, and the first night at the hospital. The nurse said"he slept all through the night, not one peep". I then thought this will be easy, he's gonna sleep all night long. WRONG! He cried all night long. For the next three months. And at 6 going on 7 he still won't sleep sometimes. He says there are monsters in his room. So I tell him he better go back to bed because soon Daddy is going to become that monster.

But three kids is a chore,especially when all three talk or want something at the same time. That's when I wish I was an octupus. But all in all I love being their Dad. It's great to realize how much they depend on us,and how much we influence their life. Especially, their eternal life.

I witnessed a father baptizing his son a few months back. What he said before the baptism, still touches me today. He said to his son " Today not only are we father and son, but today we also become brothers in Christ." If I don't accomplish anything in this life. If I don't make a huge salary. The only thing in life that would be worth it all, is when me and my children are not only father and daughter and father and sons, but brothers and sisters in Christ. That is when I would say "It is Finished."

Thank you Lord for my children!

Well things changed real quick this weekend. I thought USC would be in the championship but that wasn't true. The sneaky bruins stopped that! GOOD! Florida might be a good matchup for the Buckeyes. Then, I'm glad WVU is not going to the Texas bowl. That would not have been worth watching. Both match ups should be good. I hope Miami enjoys their nice bowl against Nevada. LOL That was good choice for them to move to the ACC. Looks like it's all they thought it would be.

MOUNTAIN MOMMA! IT TOOK 3!!!!!!!!

Well it took three overtimes but they did it. It's nice to see we are pretty sound in the QB area. They were saying orange bowl maybe. I guess we'll find out tomorrow or in the next couple of days. Way to go 'eers!