i no longer live here.

i've moved to a new site.

find me here, where love wins!

a funny

calvin is my hero!

great song from a new cd

"as far as the east is from the west" ... do you forget that promise given to us? i do. do you have a graveyard of dug up "sin" graves? in other words, do you have the problem i do with digging sins back up after God has forgiven you? i do.

is it because we forget that God has already forgotten what we have done? ... or is it that we think that the sin is way to terrible for Him to forgive? hey, He died for your sins!! isn't that big enough? then why do we keep doing it? one day we will know.

my wife came home with a surprise for me today. she bought me the new casting crowns cd, the altar and the door. i also got a free t-shirt with it ... like i need another t-shirt, but i'm not complaining!!

she is so sweet to me. check out this video of east to west

Here I am Lord and I’m drowning, in Your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me, I yearn for peace and rest
I don’t want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind
Keeps me awake tonight
I know you’ve cast my sin as far as the East is from the West
And I stand before You now as though I’ve never sinned
But today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way

Chorus:
Jesus can you show me just how far the east is from the west
‘Cause I can’t bear to see the man I’ve been
Rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
‘Cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins
Endless reminding of my sin
And time and time again
Your truth is drowned out by the storm I’m in
Today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
from You leaving me this way

Chorus:

I know You’ve washed me white
Turn my darkness into life
I need Your peace to get me through
To get me through this night
I can’t live by what I feel
About the truth Your word reveals
I’m not holding on to You
But You’re holding on to me
You’re holding on to me

Chorus:
...

stream 2008 is coming!

you've heard me talk about it before ... well the '08 edition of stream franklin is on its way!

mark your calendars for the weekend of january 25 - 27, 2008!

mike cope will be the featured speaker, and bruce marchiano will be speaking as well. if you have ever seen the matthew videos, or the gospel according to john videos then you have have seen bruce. bruce was the actor that portrayed Jesus. if you never thought of Jesus smiling ... then you better get ready!

i am so excited! check out the links i have added to this post, and keep watch with the countdown widget on the right.

later!

what i did last week

well, last week was fun. my work week was only two days long. can't beat that!

wednesday i headed to the ocoee river as part of a group of 9 rafters. there 3 adults and 6 kids. i think there were 2 experienced rafters. (if you call one trip down a river 3 years ago experience) needless to say it was my first time. it was a blast! i'd go again!

i was one of the lucky ones to have an air matress, sleeping bag, and tent to myself. i think the tent was a three man tent. it would be cramped in there, and i think they would have to be munchkins. one of the best things is that i didn't have to air the mattress up but once. there were no leaks!

the weather was nice. the first night was kinda warm until about 4:00 am. the second day was fun. our boating run was at 2:00 pm and after that i was bout ready for the bed.

the rapids that we did were class 3 and 4. our guide said, "... and you pick this class to start?!?!" she laughed at us, but she was really nice to us. she coulda tipped us a few times.

i was in a boat with all women ... just like the house i live in ... my lot in life. the guide was lady, and i had 4 freshmen/sophomores in the boat, too. it was a blast! since the girls were afraid to "ride the bull" on the raft (sit on the very front of the boat and hold the tow strap on the bow of the boat, here's joey our youth minister) i was elected to ride the bull. i fell back first time so i was "without a paddle" (insert laughing here for attempt at a pun), and then at the end of the rapids i got an opportunity to redeem myself, and i did. at least until the very final rapid, hell's hole, and then the writer of this post became the only one of the expedition to go overboard. it was funner out of the boat ... kinda. with the exception of the water in the lungs. i got go down the very final little bit of the rapids "whitewater swim style." that's with your nose and toes exposed.

if you ever get the chance to go up into tennessee i recommend you go to adventures unlimited and let them guide you down the ocoee. it was a blast!

do you know who's birthday it is?

its his, and hers. read about it here.

have y'all seen any pics of people after they have been simpsonized? here is a simpsonized pic that the site made of me when i used a pic of myself taken at the pool of my wife's best friend. what do you think?

it took me about a day and a half to get it finalized. i think about half of the u.s. were trying to simpsonize themselves along with me. it was really slow, and painstaking.

i guess you can see that i have used this version of me as my profile pic. i think it is pretty cool. i reminds me of a shirt that i just about wore thread bare when i was dating my wife. she still has it, and she plans to use it in a quilt in the future.

who is this? pt 2

here is more of the pic that i cropped in my last post. it is a pic of david beckham in his first match with his new side, mls' la galaxy. david previously had played for real madrid, and after his contract he wanted to bring his kids to disney land. well, he has created a circus in the process. in the last post i asked if you could recognize who the person was in partial pic. i had cut off part of david's head to see if anyone could recognize the torso down of him.
david was not able to play as well as he wanted to in his initial match due to his recovering from an ankle injury ... if you have ever injured an ankle you know that they don't heal in a week. also in his first match he was playing the team that has the england's side team captain on it. david previously was the team captain for the national team of england. it just so happened that terry scored the only goal for fc chelsea, and it happened to be the game winner.

below is a pic of david and his bride, victoria.

who is this?

wake up call

i feel a little embarrassed to admit this ... what i read today on the nooma site for rob bell's videos. also, because i am about to do a series of classes that are against the way i still kinda feel about where i am.

this is what i read:

How much time and energy do we spend wishing things were how they used to be? We often think about times in our past when things were different and want our lives to be like that again. Some of us have even come to believe that our best days may actually be behind us. But if we’re in some way hung up on the past, what does that mean for our lives now? How are we and those around us affected if we’re not fully present? If we’re longing for the way things used to be, what does that really say about our understanding and appreciation of our lives today? Maybe we need to learn to embrace our past for what it is, in order to live our lives to the fullest, right here, right now.

i am guilty of what that caption speaks about. the film may be about something different, but i have longed to be back in texas for almost 4 years now. i think if i moved back there i could get back in the swing of some things, but it wouldn't be "like it used to be" now would it? people change.

also, i am guilty of not appreciating what God has done for me and my family right here, right now. i am guilty of not rejoicing fully in today. that is bad in so many ways. for one reason it is bad because i am about to start a discussion class on how "everyday deserves a chance" based on the book by max lucado. how is going to look if i don't truly apply myself to what i am talking about? how would that look if i were found to be feeling totally opposite to what we are going to be discussing? maybe, its what i need to really start rejoicing in each day, and giving it what it deserves.

are you having trouble with this, too? or am i the only one?

no title needed ...

i wanted to put this video on my blog, but they have requested that embedding be disabled, so i can only give you this link. go to it and enjoy it. there are verses that you may not recognize on there ... but they are good!

here is mr. newton's original version:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

John New­ton, Ol­ney Hymns (Lon­don: W. Ol­i­ver, 1779)

you may also notice that there may be a verse left out. there is a verse that most of us grew up singing ... well that verse was taken from a book that has been removed from the shelves of many book stores. the verse was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe who most of you know wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin.

here is that verse that has since been added to most hymnals of today:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.

i don't know what made me want to write this post today ... maybe it was just something that stirred in me after reading keith lancaster's post, and seeing the video by wintley phipps' rendition.

i hope you have enjoyed this song in the past, and i hope that the words of this song, and some of the verses you have read have given you a new appreciation of the grace that has been given to us.

cosby clips

i hope you like these i laughed with my family growing up to this so many times. i think the last one here is the best. which one do you like?

if you missed it ... like i did

if you, like me, missed the tulsa workshop, you can listen to a lot of the speakers at iTunes. wade hodges has placed them there, and i thank him. i am sitting here in my hotel room listening to randy harris ... you've heard that name here before, haven't you?

why do we connect with certain speakers? is it their sense of humor that you relate to? is it the language/jargon that they use that you relate to? or is it the Message/Messenger that we relate to?

i think the answer is "yes" to all of those, but especially that last one.

i wish i could've been there in person, but life sometimes gets in the way of our wishes, and there are needs that we have to attend to. i have heard great, great things about the workshop from a multitude of people. i have also talked about attending the different stream events in midland and now in franklin.

why do i like them? i think it is the praise services, and being with so many others that are thinking similar thoughts as mine. is that wrong? is that selfish? maybe, but we all need to charge our batteries, but we need to discharge our batteries on those around us.

i want you to read the top of this page again, and remember the 3rd and 4th comment that randy is saying. may God bless each of the two of you that have come and read this. may you be Christ so much that people will think you are strange, and may you see Him in all of those around you.

mls, new jersey, and soccer in general

with the fortune of being in the d.c. area for two weeks, i am getting the opportunity to see d.c. united take on colorado rapids thursday night next week. unfortunately i will have to drive back to l.a. on friday. however, the good part about driving back on friday is that i will get to see my two ladies again! WOO HOO!!

have you seen the new jersey that the wnt will be wearing at the 2008 world cup in china? i'm not suer i like it. since when have we been this showy? yes, we are the best IMO, but we don't need to rub it in people's faces.

i love soccer. i played it from my 6th grade year all the way to my senior year in high school. it was so cool to be on the first team in the school's existence on my junior year, and then make it to the semifinals of the state the next year (senior year). i got two letters for playing, and my daughter passed me this year with her 3rd letter. she is awesome. she even has goals to show for her skills. she was given a great compliment by one of her team mates this past year. she would come off of the bench because she is not a burner in speed, but she can find the back of net about 99.9% of the time from the pk mark. she was told by that team mate that she was the best pk taker of the team. i had to pick my jaw up off the ground after hearing that. i was sssoooo proud for her.

well, i'm sorry for not posting lately, but i have been busy. i one good thing to end on is that i will get the pleasure and opportunity to lead the discussion of the adult class this fall. pray for me to get-r-dun. i will be using the book from the previous post. have you read it yet? well you better get started!

need a book to read?

well i just finished this little easy read by max lucado called 'every day deserves a chance' and it is nice book. i was in the book store ... and i don't think i go as often as donna does and i found this book. i was really looking for a book by john mark hicks about communion. i think the name of the book is 'come to the table' and the store i was in did not carry it, but they would be happy to order it for me. do any of y'all have it and i could borrow it?

anyway, i thought i might do a class on this book by max, if hank can fit me in. it just some good stuff in it. nothing really comes to mind except the story about the mountain climber dumping his time on the peak of mt everest to save another climber that was crazed out of his gord with o2 deprivation.

well, get the book and enjoy it as much as i did.

back in 'sweet home alabama'

well, we're back home after an awesome week and weekend! it all started on friday when we went to ... i hate to even admit this ... auburn. ugh!! this shows how much i love my daughter. we toured the campus and saw some of the town. the town would not be what it is without the university.

after that was over we went to my older brother's house and stayed 2 nights and day with him and his family, along with having a lunch with my parents.

then we met up with another couple from port city to birmingham. we went to crossbridge for service, and got to see wendi and dubb and their kids ... what a great family!

then we went to lunch and then on to the cedars of lebanon state park in lebanon, tn. after a week of lounging and trail walking and frisbee golf and a lot of eating we went into nashvegas for some site seeing.

we went to the country music hall of fame, saw rocket town cafe (michael w. smith's cafe) by accident, and sun recording studios. then we went to cooter's place. y'all remember cooter from dukes of hazard, right? then we went back to the cabin for the evening.


then on friday we went to lipscomb for a visit. that was cool. they were so nice there. unlike auburn, lipscomb really doesn't have that much to say if nashville succeeds or fails. that is to say if lipscomb closed, nashville would continue without much of an impact, but i don't think you could say that about auburn.

after the visit we checked into our hotel for the weekend, and met up with our fellow members of port city and went to 4th avenue church of Christ for the first evening of 'stream franklin'. let me say that i have been touting this conference with anyone who would listen to me at church, and steve made me feel good when when we were walking back to the car after the service and he said, "ken, this has already exceeded my expectations!"

the whole weekend was like that ... as God is immeasurable, He exceeds our expectations. what a great time of fellowship and praising God for a whole week to get away and think about Him and what He has done for us.

check in later to see more about next year's installment. they think it will be around january 2008. please consider this for yourselves, y'all.

greetings from franklin!

i'm with my family and 4 other members from my home congregation, and about ... oh, i'd say maybe 500 more (that's a conservative guess) of our brothers and sisters in the faith here at stream franklin. this is the 2nd event of stream franklin, and i sincerely hope that it continues.

one of my friends that is here with us made a terrific comment. see i had been touting how much we had enjoyed stream in the desert when we were in texas. i was concerned that with this being 2nd year of stream franklin that it may not be like what i had been talking about, but he surprised me and said, "ken, this has already surpassed my expectations." what a relief!! i told him, "but this is only the first night!"

oh what i hope jeff walling does shares with us today will continue to remind us of how we can not really understand what we need to. does that make sense?

jeff reminded us of how where ever we are is holy ground, and God is there with us. jeff shared with us that sometimes people are talking about how great a service was, or when they were doing a service project or studying with a friend that it was so good that God showed up. isn't that funny? God showed up. isn't He right here ... right now? we just need to remember and notice that.

let me just say that i am having an awesome time here so far. it all started with a week in the woods with my family and another family. we were at the cedars of lebanon state park in ... you guessed it ... lebanon, tn. then we went to lipscomb university for a visit with them for a possibility for my daughter to go to in a year or so. i still can not imagine that my daughter is about to graduate from high school ... there is still another year yet, but i still can not believe it.

it was a great visit. we also went to the country music hall of fame. cool place!

well, i need to get off of here and get ready for the next session. thanks for reading trey!! this is for you trey, but you can still keep singing about being a rich man. you are a rich man with your family; wife and kids, but you already know that. thanks for visiting.

a song from one of my favorite movies

have you seen fiddle on the roof? if not, you are missing one of the best movies.

here's another one that we laugh and sing when we watch the movie:

girls! this one is for you ...

there is this woman with an amazing heart for God that came to speak the girls and 'girls at heart' a couple of weeks ago. she is one of the daughters of one of our members at port city, and a daughter of the Father, as well. wendi is her name, and she will gladly share her story with you. i'm not a girl, so i wasn't there, but my wife and daughter loved her talks!!

wendi is a teacher, a mother, a wife, a sister, and like i mentioned before a daughter. her family is awesome, (i have personal experience in knowing them) and they live in the birmingham area.

she didn't ask me to do this, by the way, but she is willing to come to your church and speak to your girls, too. just go to the link here, and set up a time, and place ... you will not regret it! her blog has some of the things she talks about, and testimonials, and info on how to reach her. check it out, girls!