Hello Baby Boy

The last time I posted my heart was full because I had lost something precious to me. Well the Giver of All Good Things has taken me full circle and filled my heart with the joy of something so precious that I don't know if words will do it justice. There are so many things I remember from the past 2 days. Shasta asking me "are you gonna wear pajama pants?" as her way of telling me she needed to go to the hospital. The rock steady presence of our friend Pamela in the labor room. Her knowledge and gentleness were a blessing that everyone who goes through child birth should have. The incredible strength my wife showed through labor and delivery. I'll remember all the updates to friends and family and feeling the strength of their love and prayers throughout the day. But even as I right this the words don't do it justice, if you have ever had a child you know what I'm talking about. My heart is so incredibly full and I know that as of 9:23 last night my life has completely changed.

I know a lot of you have waited patiently for pictures and I won't keep you waiting much longer. The reason we waited was to be sure that McKinley's great grandma Baker got to be one of the first people to see him. She has seen him and so for the rest of you here he is:

McKinley David Douglas
9:23 pm 11/5/2009
6 lbs 5 oz 20 3/4 inches

So Long, Babygirl

When I first met you, you were 4 months old and weighed probably 3 lbs which was small even for a Cavalier pup. You were the result of an accidental breeding and by all accounts shouldn't have survived at all. You mother was too young to breed, and as a result her milk dried up and the rest of your litter died. Thanks to an angel named Melissa who bottle fed you for 12 weeks you survived. You were a fighter even then who had her own way of doing things. When Melissa ask us to house sit for her, we met you and your "brother" Aslan and immediately fell in love with you both. 2 weeks later we picked the two of you up and brought you home. You fit right into the house and soon every one who met you was falling in love with you. Yesterday morning you couldn't even stand up and I took you see Dr. A. Dr. A called me with worry in her voice and said you weren't good, they tried some steroids and took some blood with the hopes that when we got the results this morning we'd know what was wrong and how to treat it. When we prayed last night we placed your life in the hands of the God that created you and allowed us to have you, knowing that in all things His ways are best. Dr. A called this morning and said you didn't make it through the night and now my heart is heavy but I am so grateful for the time I had with you. There are so many things I will miss. I'll miss the fact that at 8 lbs you were still "puppy" size. The way you hardly ever barked, I think in the 2 years we had you I recall you barking maybe 5 times. The way you would always take your food out of the bowl and put it on the floor, making sure Aslan got some too. The way you immediately cuddled up with Muffin or myself when a strange person or animal came near. How right after we found out Muffin was expecting your changed your habit of sleeping on the foot rest between her legs to sleeping on her tummy as if you knew there was a little life growing inside her. And I'm really sorry you won't be around to meet McKinley, because I know you would have had a special relationship. I'll miss your "seal fights" with Aslan and how you used to chase him to the point where he would just lay down in the floor and give up. I'll miss watching you snuggle up with Grandma Flo. I'll miss how our godson Paulie named you "nutter one." But I think most of all I'll miss the "kisses" that you so rarely gave to anyone. The fact is I just miss you, a ton, already. Say hi to Mom, Dad and Guilo for me babygirl. And don't be snooty, give them a kiss :D

Urgent Prayers Need

This prayer requests comes by way of old friend. Please be in prayer for Stellan, Stellan is 8 months old and has a heart condition that has taken a major turn for the worse over the past several days. You can get more detail on his Mom's blog, but please pray.

Ughh!!!! Beat down 18-2. Next game at noon.

Gonna try mobile blogging for the first time. We have a softball tourney today and I figure I'll post updates throughout the day.

Are You Sure?

I'm still trying to get my head around this whole being a dad thing. Thursday we found out that the baby we've been calling "CinnaBun" is a boy and since that's the case it looks like his name will be McKinley David. So my head has been filled with thoughts of watching football and baseball together, reading any number of books together, rocking out in the car (check the video below for a glimpse) and all the things that I'm sure every dad wants to do with their son. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of these same thoughts before we knew the sex and I even pictured doing them with a little red headed girl. My mind also drifts some times to thoughts of failing or being completely inept at being a dad. Everyone I know seems pretty confident that I'm gonna do fine, but there are times when I don't share that same confidence. Like any dad I want the absolute best for my child and that includes the best dad. I have no doubts that before He created the earth my Heavenly Father planned to entrust this child to to Shasta and I for this time and this place. I just find myself wondering why and asking "Are you sure about this. God?" I am totally in awe of the fact that the Creator of this universe, whose desire is that everyone know him as the perfect father, has chosen me to be a picture of a father to McKinley and while there is some trepidation there is decidedly more joy and nervous anticipation. But it's the kind of anticipation you have as the roller coaster is chugging up the hill before that first big drop. Hands up y'all HERE....WE....GOOOOOOOOOooooooo!!!!!

What a Bargain

If you know me you know I love C.S. Lewis. Well last week Shasta and I headed to the outlets in Hagerstown and of course we went by Book Warehouse. As I was browsing I found a complete unabridged Chronicles of Narnia box set. The set includes all 7 books in one volume as well as unabridged CD recordings of all the books. The CD versions are read by folks like Kenneth Branagh, Michael York, Lynn Redgrave, Patrick Stewart, etc. The retail price on the box set is $99.99, but I got it at Book Warehouse for $29.99. Shasta and I both love to read and it's something we definitely hope to pass on to CinnaBun. Growing up we didn't have TV in our house until I was in 4th grade so my entertainment was pretty much anything legible that I could lose myself in. I still love to read but now I have to make time for it and most of my reading is done before I go to bed. This usually means I get 2-3 pages read, start to doze off and after several futile attempts to recover, Muffin says "babe take your glasses off you're falling asleep." We also picked up several books that I'm excited to share with my child. A Hans Christian Andersen treasury, a family faith treasury, and of course The Curse of the Bambino (the child will know Yankee history :D). Suffice to say, I think this will be one of the parts of being a dad I'm gonna like.

A little patriotic flavor

Patrol Magazine has an article with some really good renditions of the our National Anthem. My particular faves are the Cactus Cuties, N'Sync and Whitney Houston versions. Let me know what ya think.

Still Here

Well it's been a little while hasn't it? The past few months have been interesting and fast paced. For those of you that may not now, Muffin is expecting our first child. She told me on Easter Sunday and we are both extremely excited. I would be lying if I said I didn't find the whole prospect of being a father a bit intimidating. I am also feeling extremely blessed and humbled by the whole circumstance. Everyone asks me whether I want a boy or girl. In all honesty I don't have a preference. When I talk about the baby I say he alot. But when I picture the baby in my mind, I almost always see a little girl. So I have to say that I will be happy with whatever good blesses us with. javascript:void(0)

We were shopping last night and went by a book outlet, they had a childrens book called Dad's Bald Head. Which of course we had to buy, it's actually a really cute book and one that will be reading to CinnaBun soon :D

Worth The Wait

I know it's been a while since I blogged so I hope this post will in fact be "worth the wait" for you guys. The contrast in my last 2 Easters has been an incredible one. Easter 2008 was spent with my mom, just 6 days before she passed. I was informed that Easter 08 was earlier than it had been in like 90 years and was able to find another blessing in what at the time was a lot of pain and hurt. This Easter was a special one as well. Shasta and I were doing some rearranging and she laid 2 baby outfits beside each other, one boy and one girl, and asked me "Which do you think we'll need first?" I asked something to the effect of "What are you trying to say?" and she said "well we're gonna have to pick soon." So came the announcement that Shasta is expecting and we'll have a little one before 2009 is over. There were many joyous phone calls and more than a few happy tears from friends and relatives. My friend Julie wanted to scream but couldn't because she had a nasty cold and her voice was shot. So here I sit again, blessed way more than I deserve, about to start a family with the most incredible person I know and the words that come to mind are "Thank you LORD, I could not ask for more."

So much for customer loyalty

I have been a customer of my current ISP pretty much since they came to town. I was the first person on my street to convert my dial up account to DSL, I took advantage of their unlimited long distance, dove in with both feet when they offered bundled DSL, phone and satellite service. You could say I'm happy with the service and offerings they provide. I even stuck with them when their stupid computers didn't bill us for long distance for over a year and all of a sudden it all appeared on one bill. However the treatment I've rec'd in the past few weeks have left questioning whether they are worthy of my loyalty. It's not that the service has suffered or degraded at all. It's the way they seem to not care about those customers that have stuck with them and remained loyal. Back at the end of February I called to see if there was any way I could save on my bill. I had heard rumors that they were offering free laptops for customers who locked in for a certain amount of time and figured I'd see if it was true. The very nice rep I talked with said it was and she'd get me all set up. Well after several minutes she said that she could give me the laptop and save me $35/month on my bill if I took advantage of another promotion they were offering. I said heck yeah. Well after a minute or so, she said she couldn't do the laptop because I wasn't eligible, but I could still do the promo that saved me $35/month. I asked why I wasn't eligible and she just said her supervisor said I wasn't. I told her to go ahead and sign me up and then asked if I could talk to her supervisor to clarify why I wasn't eligible. She put me on my hold and after about 5 minutes I hung up and didn't think anymore of it until the other day when Nathan knocked on my door. Nathan was all excited because he could offer my some savings on my bill and, wait for it, a free laptop! I chuckled and explained that I had tried for the free laptop but I wasn't eligible. Well Nathan was not one to give up easily, he called his supervisor and after about 5 mins, they to determined that I wasn't eligible, and advised me to speak to someone at my local office. Well I went to my local office and explained my situation to them and they were extremely sympathetic and even worked my bill so I got an extra $20/month but I still don't have the laptop. I asked them if they realized that this left me with no incentive to continue as a Frontier customer once my current contract expired. They actually nodded and said they wouldn't blame me for exploring other options! By the way, Frontier is still offering the free laptop, rightchere! I am apparently not eligible because I take advantage of their new service offerings as soon as they come out instead of waiting until they start tying them to promotions like the one I am not eligible for. It seems Frontier would rather score a new customer for the short term than worry about keeping the those of us who have stuck with them happy. Fine by me, we'll see what Comcast offers when contract renewal time rolls around.

A Year Later

So I was in church this morning getting ready for my Sunday School class when Muffin comes in and says "Pam's(our pastors wife)looking for you." Since I had just seen Pam I didn't really think anything of it and just said "OK". About 5 minutes later Pam sticks her head in the room and says "Hey D, I just wanted to make sure I gave you a hug and make sure you are doing ok today." It actually took me a second to realize that she was talking about the fact that today is the one year anniversary of my Mom's passing away. My friends Sam and Joy also mentioned that it was the one year anniversary and I've told several folks that while I certainly miss her I think I grieved a lot for her while she was sick and in the home and since I know Momma is so much better now than she was I can't be sad for her, and I absolutely do not wish her back here.

My wife has an awesome list of some of things about Momma that we all miss on her blog and I really do encourage you to read it. I promise you'll smile and you my even tear up a bit at reading it but it's worth the read.

For those of you that didn't know her or never meet her, I'm going to tell you 2 stories that I think capture her personality.

When Shasta and I first started dating she lived about an hour away from us and didn't have her own car. So I would pick her up on Sundays and we'd go to church, have lunch, spend time with family or friends and then I would take her home. Well on the third Sunday that we did this, Shasta and I were in the kitchen cleaning up lunch dishes and Mom starts giggling in her recliner. Shasta and I both asked what was so funny and Mom, in this giggly, giddy little school girl voice says "I see red headed grand daughters." At the time it freaked both Shasta and I out a bit, but Mom probably knew before I did that Shasta was the one for me. I am so incredibly thankful that my wife and mother had Naomi-Ruth relationship.

One of things that I am thankful is that Mom actively started attending church with me at the Chapel in the last 3-4 years of her life. If you've never been to the Chapel it is a, well, unique church. Shasta has said it's like having church in your living room. It is very relaxed and things like back and forth banter with the pastor are not uncommon and happen quite frequently. One Sunday morning during prayer request time Mom requested prayer for my Aunt Libby who had a quadruple by pass earlier in the week. I shared the story of how we had visited with her and Libby had said she was in so much pain, she didn't know why God didn't take her home. I told the Chapel what I had told Libby in the hospital which was that God wasn't ready for anymore of those smart mouth Knott (mom's maiden name) sisters just yet. Without missing a beat Mom blurts out, to the whole church, "I'm sorry I ever adopted that boy." The whole church was in stitches for several minutes.

Mom I miss you and I love you, say hello to Poppa, Jesus, Dad and Guilo when you get a minute and I'll see you soon :D

My home-in-law

We made it to Oklahoma and the drive took us just about 24 hours. It wasn't really a bad drive, any further night have been an issue but with Shasta and I switching off driving, good music, XM and several 5 hour energy shots we made good time and hit almost no traffic. Many thanks to all of you who prayed before, during and after our travel.

We got to see my nephew Johnathon play 2 basketball games and for being a third grader he seems to be developing quite a nice jump shot. We also took John and his brother Justin out for the birthdays. After some shopping Braums was next for good burgers. If you're not from Oklahoma Braums is a family owned chain of restaurants/stores that has some of the best burgers, hot dogs and ice cream you'll find. All their beef and dairy products still come from the family farms and in order to maintain freshness they don't open any franchises outside of a 300 mile radius from the main farm in Tuttle, OK. If you're ever out this way and see a Braums sign, I would highly recommend stopping.

Yesterday afternoon we visited with Shasta's Grandma Baker and her Great-Grandma Leecy. Leecy will be 98 in July and while her body is starting to show signs of age her mind is still sharp and she loves to visit and talk. We walked into the house and both of them were sleeping in their chairs but once awoken they were anxious to hug on our necks and talk about just about everything you can imagine. At one point Shasta pointed out that there was 5 generations sitting in the room, which was very cool to think about. Here I was sitting with Great-Grandma Leecy, Grandma Baker, Grandma Bakers Daughter Flo, Flo's daughters Shasta and Angela, and Angela's sons Johnathon and Justin. They really are a great family and from the beginning have made me feel like I fit right in. As you can see we've had a pretty packed trip so far and it's just getting started.

Song Lyric Sunday Week 5 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

Ok, so Dana got last weeks, which makes him the contest winner and this weeks lyric is just for fun. Congrats Dana!

Girl
I can't understand it why you want to hurt me
After all the things I've done for you.
I buy you champagne and roses and diamonds on your finger -
Diamonds on your finger -
Still you hang out all night
what am I to do?

RULES:
1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't mean I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Song Lyric Sunday Week 4 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

Pete got last weeks. So Dana has 2 and Pete has 1 with 2 weeks left

Poor old Johnny Ray
Sounded sad upon the radio, he moved a million hearts in mono.

RULES:
1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't mean I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Song Lyric Sunday Week 3 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

Sorry I missed last week, but I was down with a stomach bug and by the time I even thought about the blog it was too late to post a lyric. Dana got the lyric for week 2 so he's leading 2-0 and if he get's this weeks then he'll win. Here y'all go.

Do you have to die again
for me to understand
What you mean to me
And what I mean to you

RULES:
1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't mean I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Song Lyric Sunday Contest Week 2 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

So Dana got last weeks, which means he's in the lead right now. Please make sure you read over the rules before posting an answer.

The drinks were two for one
Inside the crowded bars
The girls would make their run
Out on the boulevard

1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't mean I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Zebras Uggghhhh

OK, first of all I'll warn those of you that are not sports fans that this is gonna be a football rant so you can go back to your crocheting if you like. I watched last nights Super Bowl and had a blast, I thought it was one of the best football games I've ever watched. Was it the greatest Super Bowl ever? Hard to say because I haven't watched every one but I will say that it's probably in the top 3 that I have watched. My complaint centers on the officiating. It's not surprising really that in a year that has been marred by some horribly bad calls the championship certainly had it's share of questionable calls. The sad thing is the officiating did a disservice to both teams. It may have cost the Cardinals a championship and it leaves people (those who aren't Steeler fans anyway) questioning the legitimacy of Pittsburgh's hard fought 6th Super Bowl title. Heading into the 4th the Cardinals had been flagged for 10 penalties to 2 for the Steelers and the final tally ended up with the Cardinals being flagged for 106 yards in penalties to 56 for the Steelers. The irony of this that Steeler Nation was on the war path after their regular season game against San Diego in which they were flagged for 115 yards in penalties to the Chargers 5. The Steelers won that game however. And yes, the NFL did admit to getting at least one call in that Charger game wrong. Back to last night, the 2 most glaring examples of this officiating crews ineptness were yet to come. After Santonio Holmes go ahead score he clearly took the ball, shook it and did what appeared to be an imitation of NBA'er LeBron James' chalk ritual. He clearly used the ball as a prop which according to the NFL's excessive celebration rule should have resulted in a 15 yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. I personally think the excessive celebration rule is asinine and I hate it but it is the rule and I am 99% certain that if it had been Steve Smith, Chad Johnson, or Terrell Owens doing the same thing it would have certainly drawn a flag. 15 yards of field position makes a huge difference on that final drive. And then on Arizona's last play from scrimmage the replay booth chose not to review the play to determine if Kurt Warner's arm was going forward and he had control of the ball or if fumble ruling on the field was correct. Yes, the NFL has said today that the ruling on the field was correct but c'mon this is the biggest game of the year and your replay crew can't take the time to make sure the call is right? The replay officials making that call while the game is still in progress holds a lot more weight than saying it the day after. If you're a Steeler fan (Dana!) congrats and I don't mean to take anything away from their win, but the NFL has got to do something about their officiating. Missing one call a game is one thing, but when your championship game has this many questions it's obvious that something needs to be fixed.

Song Lyric Sunday Contest Week 1 - Sponsored by Black Dog Coffee

So the last contest got such a good response we're gonna do another one. The rules have changed slightly so make sure you re-read them before you start posting your answers.

1. Song choices will be made by me
2. Contest will start on Sunday, February 1 (today) and run for 5 weeks (just cause there's less chance of a tie that way)
3. Lyrics will be posted sometime between 4 pm - Midnight (ET) each Sunday
4. The first person to post Song Title and Artist will be that weeks winner. Unless I specify otherwise any artist who recorded the song is acceptable, but I have to be able to verify it. Just because your friends garage band plays it live or recorded it on their demo in 1983 doesn't me I'll accept it.
5. No googling (or otherwise searching the internet) for the answers. You folks will have to be on your honor for this one, but I trust ya.
6. I will turn on comment moderation and if I suspect you have googled the lyrics I may disallow your answer.
7. In the case of disputed lyrics, the blogmaster (ME) will be make the final decision.
8. The winner will receive a prize package from Black Dog Coffee that will include some coffee, a custom mug and a cafe au lait candle.
9. I do import my posts onto my facebook page. For your answer to count it most be posted as a comment on THIS BLOG and not on my facebook. If you post it as a comment on my facebook and somebody sneaks your answer all I can say is too bad.

Now that the technicalities are done with here's the first lyric:

I need a sign to let me know you're here
'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me

A cord of 3 strands...

Today is my parents 40th wedding anniversary. It almost slipped by me but I happened to be looking at the date on a piece of mail and it caused me stop for a second. Dad passed in 1986 and Mom passed last March so for the first time in 23 years they are actually celebrating their anniversary together.

This is actually, I think, the oldest picture I have of them. It's from November 1969 and the baby that mom is holding is me. I'm sleeping, which according to Mom I did a lot of. She used to say that she had to wake me up to feed me. Well that wasn't a problem for long I assure you.


This is a family portrait from the mid to late 70's. Note Mom's beehive, length of her hair and lack of make up. All of those were requirements of the church we were attending at the time. You'll also note how much I (that's me on the right standing beside her) look like my mother and how much my Dad and my brother Dana favor each other.


The last one is from Christmas 1980 and it's not the best photo but I just love the memory it brings and look on Mom and Dad's faces. We never had a lot of money for Christmas but it was special day to them both and they really went out of their way to make it as special as possible for Dana and I.

Song Lyric Sunday

The contest starts next week. I post full rules and the first lyric sometime after 4 pm (ET) next Sunday. Here's this weeks lyric.

Maybe sometimes, we've got it wrong, but it's alright
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same
Oh, don't you hesitate.

Grace Is For Sinners and a Song Lyric

In my last post I mentioned that I was reading the book Grace Is For Sinners. I finished the book today and just wanted to say that first of all I highly recommend the book. The author, Serena Woods, gives a first hand account of an abusive childhood, foster care, finding faith, falling into an affair and heer finding grace in spite of the "biblical discipline" dished out to her by her church family. The book really is an incredible read and is one of those books that I think could well become a staple for myself and others like me who need a faith and a God who doesn't fit into a box. Woods does an excellent job of telling the story of how church discipline almost destroyed her faith instead of helping to bring her to a point of restoration. She provides specific examples of how this biblical discipline was actually anything but biblical and does so without coming across as mean spirited or vindictive. She also doesn't down play her own shortcomings and the sin of the affair that ultimately led to this book being written. Woods also does a fine job of pointing out that for the believer God should be sovereign and we need to believe that he all things in control at all times. I really don't think I can recommend this book highly enough, especially for those who feel abandoned or outcast by the church. javascript:void(0)

In keeping with the spirit of the book, here's my song lyric for this week:

I keep on chasing the wrong things
and coming up empty
This isn't who I'm supposed to be
I keep on learning the hard way from every mistake
And I'm finding each time that you fall,

Shooting Our Wounded

I recently started reading a book called Grace Is For Sinners and it really has me thinking about how much God is in control of everything and how little control we have. The book focuses on the way the church tends to treat believers who stumble or fall away and how harsh we can be when someone in the church falls into sin. I was reminded of this even more recently when I started doing some research on Katy Perry. As I've told you previously I am a huge music fan and even though I didn't know it I am no stranger to Katy Perry. In 2001 I bought a CD by a 16 year old named Katy Hudson. It was a very good CD, the singer had an amazing voice and the lyrics were not your typical "god or girlfriend" variety but were solidly based on scripture and to this day the song "Trust In Me" is one that pops into my head when I'm struggling with worrying about something. Well it doesn't take long at all to find out that Katy Perry and Katy Hudson are the same person. That's right the same person who wrote "But you said don't worry/for I've healed the blind man/and I've set the captives free/and you said don't worry/for all you gotta do is put your trust in me" in 2001 wrote "I kissed a girl and I liked it/the taste of her cherry chapstick." in 2008. The song was a huge hit and if you have a teen I'd venture to say it's on their iPod somewhere. How does that happen you ask? I dunno, I dunno Katy so I don't know where heart was in 2001 or where it is 2009. I do know that I've read plenty of snarky comments on "christian" websites about how she was never really a believer, or how disappointed her parents must be and those are the mild ones. I do know that the God she sang about in 2001 is the same God in 2009 and his love for her hasn't changed and until Katy is dead there's always hope. Who knows maybe this time is Katy's time to be "sifted like wheat" and 10 years from now she'll be an example to all the believers. But dog piling on the girl just makes us look like some elitist country club that has decided to revoke her membership because she doesn't meet our standards. Does this mean I'm ok with the bigger issues that I Kissed A Girl presents or that I think parents don't have a right to monitor what their kids listen to? Absolutely not, and I think as a parent you should be familiar with what your kids are listening to and watching. I'm just saying that instead of villianizing Katy, try for a minute to see her as Christ does and remember that the same blood he spilled for your bad stuff, he spilled for her bad stuff too.

Prayer Request

My friends the McKenzies have been missionaries in the Middle East and Africa for quite some time now and Steve is faithful to send periodic updates on their work. When I checked my email today there was an update requesting prayer for 2 of their colleagues. I'm not gonna try to reword it I'm just gonna cut and paste and ask that after reading you would take some time to pray as he's requested:

MAJESTY IN MEEKNESS
Special Edition


Please Pray
When one part of your body hurts the whole body feels the burden of pain. Our teammates, Brian & Becky Schrader have endured an incredibly difficult few months. Initially they hoped to be studying French about this time in Quebec but God sovereignly held up the sale of their house while slowly stripping them of possessions and securities. Just days ago they left their home without any of the equity they anticipated. Their testimony of faithfulness throughout all of this allowed God's glory to be seen through some very difficult circumstances.


Just yesterday God blessed Brian and Beck with a very special little girl, Elliana Hope. She was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome. She has no ear canals with a very small upper and lower jaw that is preventing her from breathing on her own. She also has a complete cleft palate. Specialists are currently evaluating how to best help Elliana, especially so she can breath on her own.


Becky has also endured various complications throughout the pregnancy and hemorrhaged after the birth. She has lost 50% of her total blood volume but remains stable without needing blood transfusions up to this point.


I would be amazingly grateful if you would pray for our teammates during this difficult time. Would you be willing to pray for them now before closing this email and make them part of your regular mealtime prayers? This email goes to various countries in different time zones and it would be a blessing to know that God's universal body was interceding for this family throughout the day.


For His Name's Sake,
Stephen McKenzie
www.majestyinmeekness.org

Song Lyric Sunday

Hey mama hey mama lookee what your little babies all have become
Hey mama hey mama don't it ever make you wish you'd been a nun?
Vain and fickle, were we weaned on a pickle?
Is it in our blood?
Rome is burning

Song Lyric Sunday

So, if everything goes as planned a new contest will start the first Sunday in February. My buddy Brian over at Black Dog Coffee will be sponsoring the contest and putting together a nice little prize package for the winner. The rules will be pretty much the same with the exception that I will be turning on comment moderation for the duration of the contest. Keep your eyes peeled for rules and other info in the coming weeks.

Why pluck one string... what good is just one note?
Oh, one string sounds fine, I guess... but we were once 'one notes',
We were lonely wheat quietly ground into grain...
What light and momentary pain!
So why the safe distance, this curious look?
Why tear out single pages when you can throw away the book?
Why pluck one string when you can strum the guitar?

Artist of The Moment - GRITS

My first memories of GRITS are not actually as musicians at all but as dancers. They danced for DC Talk when DCT was opening for Michael W. Smith on his Go West Young Man tour, which was before most of the youth I now teach were even born.

Grits members Coffee and Bone formed one of the first "Christian" rap acts that made music that didn't come across as a cheesy christian version of whatever was being played on mainstream radio at the time. They released their first album "Mental Releases" in 1995 and their latest "Reiterate" was released in September of 2008. In the time between they have release 7 albums of original material and 3 compilation/remix albums. They are one of my all time favorite groups, ranking right up there with artists like Jars Of Clay, Sixpence None The Richer, The Prayer Chain, etc. The first song on the list 'Tennessee Bwoys' is special because it always makes my think of my family in Tennessee and that always brings a smile to my face. Even if you're not a rap fan, give the list a listen and let me know what ya think.