Gone Fishin!

I've always been intrigued by explorers. As a kid I used to love to go to places where I thought no one had been. I'd read about people who explored the New World, Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett. I also often thought about guys like Lewis and Clark who took off into uncharted lands back in the 1800's. This past week I went with a group of men from my church to Lewsitown MT. Yes its named after Lewis of the explorer duo. Its the geographic center of MT. Its in the vastness of Big Sky country and oh my how big that country is. We saw literally 1000's of deer. I saw a herd of Elk 300 strong coming down out of the mountains to graze on prairie grass. I saw rainbow trout that weighed 6 lbs. I met amazingly kind people that love the creation that God has so generously given us. Our journey was purposeful. We went out to help int eh construction of a church out there. Central Baptist Church is building a new place of gathering and as you might imagine funds are a bit tight. S...

It has been almost 2.5 years since I strapped on my tool belt and headed off to work in a truck early in the morning. Its mid summer here, its humid and its hot. The morning air is really thick and sticky. The dew is so heavy on the grass like it rained. I've been working this week with my friends Eric and Hank. We've been building a deck and doing some remodeling for some folks. The one thing I've noticed is that with all the training I did in the Army, the running, the road marching, the push ups and the sit ups, I have found that those exercises do not translate very well with doing carpentry labor. My back is screaming! It could be that I'm getting old too. I've noticed that my legs fatigue faster than they used to as well. Climbing up ladders all day takes the spring out of my step. I remember learning how to work from my dad and grandfather. I hated splitting wood and mowing grass and cleaning up job sites when I was a kid. But one thing I have rediscovered...

My Buddy Tommy Cheatham pastors a small church for Cowboys in Love Valley NC. You've probably never heard of it. Its a little out of the way place in the foothills. The neat thing about Love Valley is that it is for Cowboys. Now don't go thinking its a tourist place it isn't. There are real cowboys there. There are no cars allowed in downtown Love Valley. Only horses! There are hitching posts, a saloon and a general store. There used to be a jail, but now the jail is the church where Tommy pastors. He asked me to come preach today and I did. And people rode their horses to church. I met Willie there. He's the bearded guy pictured above. He's about 5' tall but as you can see he wears a .45 revolver on his side. He takes it off before coming into worship. Its loaded too. He wears a Bowie knife thats about a foot and half long. He has a .444 lever action in a scabbard strapped to his horse. I had lunch with Tommy and Willie today. I asked Willie where he lived. He ...

Congratulations to COL George Cone who made the rank of 06 on Monday July 2 nd , 2007. To make COL in the Army is no small feat. You must be a quality leader and have demonstrated that the Army can entrust you with the responsibility of commanding large numbers of people. COL Cone was my boss at 1-61. We spent a lot of time together, mostly late in the evenings after the days work was supposed to have been done. We developed a good and close relationship during those times. I could always tell when he had had a difficult day. He'd have his face buried in his computer screen and look up as I rapped lightly on his door frame, "Come on in and sit down Chaplain". He'd rub both hands into his forehead, put his feet up on the desk and begin to tell me all of the days issues. He's a good man and a good leader and I miss working for him. He's relinquished command and to be honest I think it was a difficult day for him. He's heading to an overseas post. He...

I’ve been in ministry in one form or another for over 12 years now. In that time I’ve met some amazing people. One of the most precious gifts that anyone can do for you is a commitment to prayer. I know that I pray for people and I also know that I need prayer. I need people to pray for me. The Bible is full of this encouragement. Paul states in Philippians 1 this: 3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in a my every prayer for you all, in view of your 1 a participation in the b gospel c from the first day until now. Paul on several occasions announces to his readers that he has been praying for them. Jesus also talks of praying for Peter. Peter gets prayed out of jail in the book of Acts. There is just something that in God’s economy that make prayer special. No matter your theological bent no Christian can argue that prayer is of little value. That brings me to Angel. Last year I spoke at a church in Cherryville NC for a Spor...

Its been more than a week since I’ve been on here. Since then I’ve come off active duty and am back home with the family, jobless and restless in a lot of ways. Had a wonderful blessing in my life over the past two weeks. My dad, Jack SR, got a new vehicle and needed to get rid of his Ford Sport-track. He new I needed a new car and offered me his. It’s exactly what I need. Last weekend we went to Sunset Beach , NC where he lives, ate some fish, played some golf and picked up the car. About 50 miles out of town the thing just died… no power. I had no idea what was wrong. It was hot and we were stuck in Sparky’s Truck stop on the way to Myrtle Beach SC. We waited on the tow truck for three hours…we were miserable, the kids were hot and whiny…so was Tammy and maybe me too. My military experience of hurry up and wait became a distinct advantage. We prayed, for the tow truck to get there, for help with the truck and for us to get our attitudes right. Eddie, the tow truck drive finally ...