cambo the inspector

when camden was about a year old i brought him along with me in my truck.  after 30 minutes he cried like none other.  from that moment on it was pretty rough.  about six months or so ago i tried it again and it was during some windy roads that he lost his lunch all over himself and the rest of the ride it smelt like pure nastiness!  he said over and over again, “i want mommy!” 

 this morning we loaded up the dvd player, his doll sophie, juice boxes, cheese nips, and his magna doodle.  after an hour into the trip it was evident that all dvd’s we brought were not going to play due to all the scrapes from cambo playing with them.  he once again gave me the statement given nearly 6 months ago, “i want mommy.  i don’t want daddy’s truck anymore.  i wanna go home”  the last phrase repeated in my head very slowly, “i wwwwwaaaannnnaa gooooo hooommeeee”.  the whole time i knew he had a stealthy six more hours to go till arrival back at the hacienda. 

the rest of the day was a blast.  he measured his first house.  we drove quite fast down rural roads like a roller coaster screaming, “weeeeeee”.  he sang all his songs he has been learning in kids church.  we gave each other high fives.  we ate icecream, cheeseburgers, and fries with lots of ketchup!  i love my boy and only wished that cale was old enough.  today was a memory i look forward to having many times over.  amy enjoyed it as well as she got to rest and watch a movie.

tonight i knocked out the most laps ever in a pool – 4050 yards for crying out loud.  this calculates to 81 laps.  i am now officially feeling quite ready for august 31st and can’t wait for it to come!  bring on ironman louisville.

long run with encouragement

well today i hit up on my, tied for third, longest run of my life – 16 miles.  it was hot, nasty, and glad to have it done.  the best part was running up “tolbert hill” – a huge hill climbing up to rsu.  amy drove by with the boys as i was making the climb on mile 10.  looking into the eyes of my two little boys was priceless as they rooted daddy on.  at mile 11 amy had prepared a gatorade bottle, banana, and pretzels – along with a little encouraging note that got me re-energized!  when i got home camden said, “daddy you cheer me on when i run like i cheer you on?”.  i said, “you better believe it cambo!” he said, “ok do it daddy!” and he started doing laps around the kitchen.  it was hilarious!  i can only hope and pray that my sons will catch a bug for fitness as heart troubles exist heavily in my family.

tonight we got to host dinner for a very special couple.  they are becoming great friends to amy and i and have been running partners for us both.  they are both triathletes and they are looking to do an olympic distance next year.  i showed them a motivating ironman dvd tonight and hope they catch the bug for it.  they definetly caught the cornhole bug tonight!  matt is a born coleholer!  i love opening up our home to friends and sharing a meal.  matt suprised me with some huge speakers that he is donating to The Well!

a day of drinking in

today i hit the road early and man was it extremely long!  i hit up almost 20 inspections all over southeast oklahoma.  i was able to listen to some endurance planet, potential, and elevation church podcasts.  I truly enjoy and have a passion to learn.  The more I learn the more I feel that I don’t know!  when i’m in my truck it is like i’m in another planet riding solo absorbing, growing, and soaking up from others.  i never want to stop drinking in because if i stop there will be nothing to pour out into others.  i have around 5 pastors that speak into my life on a weekly basis.  the best part of my truck time isn’t the podcast though – it is the first hour that i spend in worship and prayer to my savior and god!  nothing gives me more self confidence than spending time with the one that defines my life.  he shapes me and molds me.  four things i’ve been praying personally for:

1. wisdom in every decision i make
2. favor with every person i run into
3. passion for the name of jesus and for people that are far from him
4. patience in the entire launching of The Well

days like today are hard.  i’m in the heaviest week of my ironman training and it calls for a three hour jog tomorrow!  ouch!!  but…. i want to be ready and prepared.  i’ve worked three years for this goal.  i can’t wait for it to come.  i can’t wait to cross the finish line because of the meaning it holds in my life.  at the same time i can’t wait for it to be done so i can focus all my attention and energies on the endeavor of The Well.  i can hardly wait to begin meeting with my team every week starting in September and for the day of going public in this community in February.  There’s an entire county that needs to hear the name of Jesus spoken, but also seen through the love of a serving church. 

We just got home from a birthday dinner with a trainer friend of mine and her family.  I love hanging around them for they display the same kind of passion for Jesus!  You can’t beat having friends like that.  Well time to tuck in the Camster and head to sleep….

clutter-free organizing

after sleeping in a bit trying to recover from yesterday’s brick – it felt so good to go to load up the fam and go catch a morning service.  amy and i volunteered to teach the 3-4 year old class today and help out in kid’s church.  do puppets every get boring?  i’m still fascinated by watching these hairy little people lip sink songs!  the greatest challenge was keeping my little nephew and camden (who are best friends) from being connected by the seams.  they are truly the best of friends!

this afternoon, as the boys took naps, we were able to do some major organization.  as part beaver personality, i rather enjoy going at it and causing certain spaces to become clutter free.  here’s the results:

• removing 25% of my clothes that i never wear from my closet
• emptying out some drawers
• throwing away stuff from my home office (hall cabinet literally)
• cleaning out the front closet  & throwing away nasty old jacket
• cleaning out the fridge of spoiled food (that’s always fun)
• re-organizing the garage & throwing away bike bottles i never use

ahh the satisfaction of being clutter-free.  the benefit of living in a smaller house (1250 sq ft) is that it forces us to remove anything that keeps up space and drives us towards simplicity!  love it.

afterwards i got to sneak away and meet a student from the past for dinner and watch batman.  after seeing this movie it causes me to wander how much it affected the actor that ended up passing away shortly after.

am i living a steeple?

This past week you probably heard about the 79 year old man that died from a crane collapsing on his car.  I felt horrible hearing that, but even worst when I found out it was because of a steeple being lifted up onto a church.  You can read the story by clicking here:

I told Amy, “why in the world do churches have steeples anyway?  do you know?”  my smart and wise wife said, “google it!”.  so i did.  A guy named Scott Gabrielson wrote a very cool article entitled, “Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple (click on title to read article)

Here’s a little piece of the article:

“The spire originated in the twelfth century, but America’s steeples are decended from those designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. The fire began early on September 2, not far from the famed London Bridge, and spread quickly, overtaking everything in its path. Over four days the conflagration destroyed most of the city. Many famous buildings, including St. Paul’s Cathedral and 86 other churches (not to mention more than 13,000 homes), were destroyed, and the city smoldered for months.

The task of rebuilding many of these houses of worship fell to Wren, a young architect. Noted for his Oxford background as a mathematician and astronomer, Wren was commissioned by King Charles II to rebuild St. Paul’s Cathedral. In his design of St. Paul’s and about 50 other city churches he included steeples, leading men and women to turn their gaze toward God in his heavens.”

“A steeple points one to the heavens, symbol of the dwelling place of Christ. Through city streets, across the valleys and lakes, through the countryside far and wide, the steeple declares Christ,” says Jerry Bennett of Campbellsville Industries, a leading manufacturer of modern and reproduction metal steeples. Campbellsville Industries in Campbellsville, Kentucky, manufactured the world’s tallest steeple, a 229-foot structure atop First Baptist Church of Huntsville, Alabama.

I love it!  It only took my till the age of 29 to figure out why steeples are on church buildings.  What an incredible symbol – whenever I’m driving, running, or on my bike and I see one now it will immediately remind me to look to heaven and thank Christ! 

It is also got me thinking, here comes the metaphor, what in my life do people see that would point them to heaven?  am i living steeple? Is it a smile, a positive attitude, an act of random kindess, a conversation where i just listened, a prayer, or the words out of my mouth?  Do people really look to heaven when they see or hear me?  Unfortunately I can’t say that people would see that all the time.  What about you?  What in your life points someone to heaven?

a 3 day recap

the past three days have been a busy little blur.  lets see if i can do a little recap:

thursday

i actually got to catch up a bit on some administration stuff regarding The Well.  I got to hook up with my friend wes for some laps in the pool.  it was pretty cool to see my personal trainer info splashed up on the wall in the workout area.  although i don’t have anyone i’m training right now it is really cool that a two year process has come to pass.  when i first started out the rec didn’t allow outside trainers so i worked in tulsa.  i’m looking forward to getting some clients after my ironman is history.  after having lunch with my buddy brian for some vietnamese – i was able to visit my elderly friends (with cambo) at wood manor, as well as stop by the youth shelter and show three teenage boys how to play some cut throat – i stink by the way.  the day was finished out by watching some of our friends kids while they went on a date.  long day but well worth every bit.

friday

we hit the road to meet one of my all-time closest friends marc stomprud in edmond.  he’s praying about the possibility of joining our team – man that would be a dream come true.  i would lay my life down for this guy!  after eating at one of my favorite mexican places – ted’s we briefly drove by the main lifechurch.tv location – but due to it being a friday couldn’t get in to see the facility – all good.  we drove home and watched – i am legend.  camden starting watching with me until some bad dream images showed up and we decided it was bedtime for the camster.

saturday

this morning i woke up at 530 and joined by close friend todd for a 70 mile bike ride in the 100 degree heat of oklahoma.  we took a route i had never done it was one of the most scenic views i’ve seen of my area.  the highlight, besides todd almost throwing up after mile 62, was passing the first ever oil rig in oklahoma.  the story behind this is unbelievable!  unfortunately my training called for a stinken brick workout so i had to run 6 miles after getting off my bike.  not fun.  the worst part was knowing i would be doing more than 4x that in another month!  after chillin with amy’s fam for awhile and stuffing our faces at dinner we’re about to call it a night.

oh yeah one of our closest friends got the new iphone – wanna know who got his old one for free?  amy!  she’s had a pretty lousy phone for the past several years and has never owned a piece of technology better than me – she is so deserving.  she’s lovin it and i’m so jealous, i mean happy for her!

wetness, 45 miles, & dinner with a friend

this morning started off waking up next to my toddler and feeling wetness.  yep the dude peed in the bed – my bed!  after feeding cale some grapenuts i hit the road for 1/2 the day.  i was able to come home and get in 45 miles on my bike before almost dehydrating after running out of liquids. 

tonight i was able to have dinner with a great friend in herb mcspadden who leads rogers county youth services.  i love this guy and first met him seven years ago while volunteering – not to mention my sister shara working there as well.  i’m looking forward to going over there tomorrow and spending time with four guys and just loving on them!  because of my pick up in ironman training i haven’t been over to wood manor in two weeks – i’ve missed my friends and can’t wait to see them in the morning.

it has been a long day and im reading to hit the pillow….

church in a movie theater

today flew by.  i was able to knock at some early morning computer stuff and then i got to meet my good friend wes for 3000 yards in the pool.  one of my highlights was meeting my old pastor for lunch.  he is so supportive of The Well and gave me incredible advice.  it will be honor to have him come to our public launch in february! 

i signed the contract on our rental agreement with B n B theater.  it is ours!  i can’t wait to have gatherings in a movie theater!  i truly believe it is a neutral place for those that don’t feel comfortable in a traditional church setting.  it is in a great location next to our brand new shopping area.  everyone in town knows where the theater is – love it!

we had our city manager – his family – and amy’s cousin over for dinner tonight.  it was honor to have them and am looking forward to having them be apart of our team!  i’m still blown away at the favor of god in my life.  i’ve placed him above all else and simply want to give myself to this community.

modesto manifesto

 

In the past few weeks I’ve heard of several Pastors that have fallen to morality issues.  Amy and I have been in touch with several friends that are or in the process of divorce.  It flat out gets my attention.  It scares me.  I just don’t want to look down on them or think I’m above anything – I believe that is where it all begins.  I was interviewing an insurance guy in my community one day several months ago and he I asked him what advice he would give a young pastor.  He told me of Billy Graham’s modesto manifesto that was formed while he was an evangelist.  He built up accountability walls in the areas of finance, sexual purity, and honesty when it came to numbers. 

I began to think – what if more leaders and pastors established these boundaries – would there be less affairs and less embezzlements?  Why don’t more go public with these matters?  Are they hiding things?  I don’t know but i don’t want to mess with it.  Amy and I spent time putting together some protection over the weekend.  This isn’t something I would place on anyone – it is specific for me.  Why?  Well my marrriage, family, walk with Christ, and calling our worth it.  Is removing a TV out of a hotel room extreme?  Statistics say that porn being viewed in hotels is highest during conferences in which pastors are present.  Is not being alone with someone of the opposite sex extreme?  Perhaps we ought to ask someone that started counseling with someone and it led to an affair! 

If this is extreme than I want it!  Nothing is more important to me than Christ, my purity to Amy, and the respect and admiration of my two boys!

Finances

I will commit my family to give 10% of our tithes to our district and church, as well as give beyond that to missions or other causes.

I will commit to have integrity with all monies coming into The Well.  I will not touch monies coming in and will have two signatures on checks and someone in place to transport to the bank and keep track of all finances with an open book to the church.

We will have an outside firm reconcile are check book each month and pay for an audit review every year to safe guard against embezzlement.

 

 

 

Sexual Purity

I will commit to have a filter on my internet on my phone

I will commit to have a filter on my computer (k-9 web protection) and a password that my wife holds.  It will be set up where I can’t erase past history.

I will commit to an internet accountability service (3xwatch) that sends out monthly reports to a good friend and my wif

I will commit to setting up blocked channels on my TV in which my wife will hold the password.

I will commit not to travel alone and if I must stay in a hotel – taking the TV out of my room

I will never be alone with anyone of the opposite sex period.

I will give my password for my email to my wife so she can check at anytime 

Family

I will not turn on my laptop while my boys are awake.

I will take Fridays as my Sabbath and spend entirely with my family.  This means no cell phone, email, or getting on the computer.  My wife will check to see if there’s any emergencies. 

I will take annual vacations with my family and let the time not conflict with ministry 

I will have a scheduled date night monthly with my wife 

Friends

I will commit to surround myself with an advisory council and close friends that have the license to challenge me and ask me the tough questions.  They will know my weaknesses and I will be open and 100% honest.  I will discipline myself to call them and email them so that I place myself in a position of submission and accountability so that they can speak into my life regarding issues of the heart. 

Father 

I will commit to daily spend time in God’s Word and prayer.  I will also spend time in personal growth reading books or listening to podcasts.

 

 

a refreshing sprinkler

a few days ago i went out for a 10 mile jog in the middle of the day.  it was in the upper 90’s and i didn’t go with any water.  it was right along the dfw airport along an abandoned road – it was so awesome because the planes were coming right at me and landing right over the fence.  i love long runs as it gives me time to reflect, be thankful, and find myself. 

after the midway point my mouth was dry, my bald head was burned from no cap, and my upper arms were on fire from no sunscreen.  i said a little prayer, “god it would be so awesome if you supply some water right now”.  hey there was one time a year ago i was jogging and about to pass out – i ran upon a gatorade bottle unopened.  it was blazing hot but i drank it anyway because i was so thirsty and it was wet.  anyway as i jogged up over a hill this business complex had sprinklers going.  ahh – i dove head first and panted like a dog.  it was so refreshing.  i really didn’t know how thirsty i had become until i took a drink!

i usually learn things while jogging.  i learned two things.  god provides in the most simplest ways and answers even prayers that we think are small.  the other?  there’s a lot of people out there dying of spiritual thirst and don’t realize how dry they are.  i am believing that when The Well launches in February of next year they will be able to get a big gulp of living water!  cool part – drinks are on us!