My Contentment Mêlée

It is around midnight on Saturday night and I am struggling with a lesson I’ve written/edited/read/re-read dozens of times on being content. When I go through it the first few thoughts that enter my mind concerns what I want. A new car – sure, how about a new Accord or Camry or 300Z! A new house – sure, how about a five-bedroom home closer to work and friends. A new TV – sure, how about a 60” plasma for the living room and a 32” LCD for the bedroom. Cable TV & home internet – why not, everyone else we know seems to have it and it sure would be nice to watch all the college football games & Monday Night Football too… and therein lies my problem, stuff sure does sound good.

There are many good things out there to be had. I have just listed a few, but there are so much more. Did I mention I also want a gym membership so I can get my hind parts back in shape?

But this land of desires is not what Christ has called me too! He has not called me to want more and more, and constantly focus on what I do not have in lieu of what I do have. The truth is I am blessed.

God has given me a wife who is kinder, sweeter, Godly, and more forgiving than you could possibly imagine. God has given me the cutest girl in the whole wide world, and a total stud athlete of a son (he is 5 ½ months old). God has given us a wonderful house, which meets our needs and then some… in fact, it is a nicer house than I ever thought I would have when I surrendered to the ministry. God has given my family two cars, and not just cars but Hondas, which are dependable and high quality vehicles. God has given me (literally on this one) a great TV that did not cost me a penny, it is not HD, but He provided a converter box for me for less than $10 out of pocket thanks to the government issued $40 coupon. These are just a few of my many blessings!

With all these blessing, why would I not be content? Why would I think about wanting more? And am I really content at all? By content, I mean truly content!

What God is teaching me is that it is impossible (at least for me) to be content without being fully content. If I am not content with what possessions I have, what is next? Will I not be content with my possessions, my wife, or my career? Will I spend my life looking over my shoulder at what could have been if I would have done something different, made different choices, or wasting it imagining scenarios that are at best disillusioned fantasy? What I know is that I do not to live a life of discontent. I do not want to play the “what-if” game, and I do not want to look towards something I don’t have when I can enjoy what I do have.

My hope is to be more like Paul when he wrote, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:11-13). That is true contentment, and that is what I want to truly feel.

If you read this, please feel free to question your own contentment, but please pray for me as well. Pray that this would not be hollow statements or desires. Pray that I would be happy where I am and with what I have. Pray that God would guard my heart and keep me from wandering down a path that need not be visited. Pray that my friends and accountability partners would point me in the right direction and steer me from a wayward mind. In all that I have been through, I simply do not want to find myself in a point of discontent, because I am far better off than I deserve to be!

Dear Lord God,

You are so good to me! Thank you so much for the blessings you have given to me. Thank you for my wife, beautiful children, wonderful church-family, possessions you have entrusted to me, friends and family. I want to live a life that shows gratitude for your blessings on my life. May you give me the wisdom and strength to make contentment my state of being regardless my circumstance. Help me to live a life that reflects the glory of Christ in my heart and in my life. Overflow from me into those I come in contact with I humbly pray in Jesus name.

I'm Twittering...

I am twittering now (pchedgecock)… feel free to follow me and let me know if you twitter too. Thanks to Bevan for finally pushing me into this. My excuses for not to do this have been lack of desire and Facebook, which still seems like the same thing to me. Anyway, I am at least going to try this for a while and see if it’s can hold my interest.

For those of you who do not know, Twitter is basically a networking site that informs people as to what others are doing in-between blog post and conversations. It lets others know what is going on in your life… which is why I am skeptical about it, but I do like this status updates on Facebook. Here are two helpful twitter insights that pushed me into it:


Article all about Twitter.
Have a good day.

Simply Put: It's Time to Ask Why

Today I had the privilege of attending a Simple Church Conference with Eric Geiger. He is a gifted man of God that is real enough to be honest, smart enough to ask questions, bold enough to make tough changes, and intelligent enough to disciple through a clear process. To see notes from the conference, click here.

Process was the key word for the day. What is the process your church has for making disciples? What do you want them to look like? What kind of disciples do you want to produce? Great questions that all lead to a church being intentional in the disciple-making process, as opposed to accidental or nothing at all.

Within the framework of these questions there are many additional thoughts. If our desire as ministers is to build Christ-followers who live obediently, we must also ask the question, “how do our activities to programs move people in that direction?” Eric suggested that our mission statement needs to resemble or actually be our disciple-making process, which creates a simplistic formula for success.

While these questions and ideas are simple, they are not easy to make. For instance, the problem with programs is that some of them exist simply as an end unto themselves and not as means to a greater end. Some of the programs and functions within a church are good. But as Jim Collins states, “Good is the enemy of best.” Another thing to consider is that each program comes with the vested interest of those who participate or facilitate or run those programs. Most everyone will be in favor of simplifying a church schedule or program for intentional and focused disciple-making, that is until the simplification process means removing their program from the church!

But what is the best thing to do? Is it best to appease people and keep with the way we have always done it? Of course not! Is it best to keep with tradition? No chance! Is it best to not challenge people? Uh-uh, it is best to challenge the comfortable!

All of this is leading me to ask why. Why do we have the current programs we do at our church? Why does our schedule look the way it looks? Why! It is my hope that we can be great at knowing Christ and making Him known. It is my hope that we can help our church family know Christ and make Him known. It is my desire to do everything possible to make this as simple for each member of our church as possible. Please pray for me and our staff as we ask why!

Go Cubs Go!

Baseball has never been my favorite sport, but I am loving it more and more these days. I grew up going to the Texas Ranger games, and was even fan of the game once (the put me on the big screen, gave me a bunch of merchandise, and now I have a cool story to tell about pushing other kids out of the way to claim the life-long fame)! The problem with the Rangers is that they still do not know the key to winning is pitching. They trade quality pitchers for great hitters and lose, lose, and lose some more. Now before I go into my next pitch, understand that I am and will always be a Ranger fan, but...

Last year I had the great privilege of going to Wrigley Field and watching the Chicago Cubs (including my favorite player Alfonso Soriano). It was awesome to experience and neighborhood stadium and all the energy that goes on in that setting. People we selling all kinds of Cubs gear, street performers were playing makeshift drums, it was a great scene.


Ever since that game, I went from being a normal Cub’s fan to a passionate Cub’s fan. I hate the Cardinals, dislike the Brewers, and regularly check the standings (Cubs are up 7.5 games and leading today’s game as I write). To further drive home the new fondness one must simply note that my beloved Dallas Cowboys play tonight and the Cubs squeaked into my mind… Go Cubs… Go Cowboys… sports are so great!


For the record, I am done thinking about the Cubs and have moved on to the greatness that is the Dallas Cowboys. The beating they will give philly tonight is going to be outrageously enjoyable. My team, God's team, is the greatest of them all, Go Boys Go!

Christ + Tangible = Effective

If we are going to be effective as Christians we are going to have to get outside of our walls and into the community (missional). People outside of Christianity need to see that we really do care about what them, what they do, and that we care about the community in which we live… tangible acts of charity, compassion, and kindness.

The problem is that some of these things are so obvious I never think about them. What comes to my mind is our local food bank and habitat for humanity, but there are so many more opportunities to reach into our community and shine bright for Jesus. Here is a video that displays a creative thought process meeting a real need, this is the type of ministry I hope to be a part.


Benched from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo.

If you are unfamiliar with the term missional, it basically means going: going outside of the walls of our church facility into our community. It is a mentality that gets outside of the building and builds relationships with those who are not Christ-followers, and will never come into the church. It is the mentality we must have to be relevant to a generation that no longer cares about words, but instead want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Jesus Christ is that something bigger and through Him we must let His light shine through us. May we be bright!

Decision 08: A Soldier's View on Iraq

Here is a soldier's view on Iraq:

Decision 08: All Bark No Bite

On Friday I had to drive to OKC and back, then proceeded to get out of my car to immediately mow my yard… which means I had a ton of time to think. Right before my time to think, John McCain announced his decision to have Sarah Palin join his ticket for President of the United States. Unbeknownst to me, this would trigger about 5 solid hours of thinking about “Decision 08.”

Barak Obama has been talking about change. Change for this, change that, change, change, change, and why wouldn’t he? Of all of his change speeches, the one that sticks out the most to me was “Unite for Change,” his ploy to get Hillary Clinton’s supporters to unite with him in his bid for President… then he picked Senator Joe Biden, a rich white guy who has spent 35 years inside Washington, a man who represent the very thing Obama keeps saying he wants to change. What was he thinking with Biden? I know he is a safe pick, but if he wanted to really bring unity to his party, why not pick Hillary? Was it too obvious of a choice? Was it too much change all at once for him? I honestly do not understand his decision.

John McCain has been talking about change too, but instead of one speech after another on change, he has been throwing out his ideas on how to bring about change. While he has been identified as a “twin” of George W. Bush, he is actual disliked among the core of the Republican base because of his disagreements with The President. To add to his reputation, rumors had been flying that he was going to pick Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman as his Vice President, a thought that made his party’s base nauseous with discontent… then he picked Sarah Palin and shocked the world. Palin has the reputation of being a reformer/regulator. She is truly an outsider to Washington that will bring a fresh perspective and way of doing things to the Hill. She was not obvious, she is in fact the first woman ever to be nominated to a presidential ticket in the Republican Party, and she is clear challenge to the status quo.

For a man who talks about nothing but change, Obama’s most important decision thus far in his campaign looks like doing things the way things have always been done. McCain does not have the eloquence or rhetoric of his opponent, but he apparently does have the audacity to go against the way things have always been done. Where Obama was met with the opportunity to truly unite his party, he chose not to reach out to his former rival and spurned Hillary for the rich white guy. In contrast to Obama’s decision, McCain to reached out to women across America selecting a woman and to his own party by selecting a person who would truly unite his base.

I guess my point is that Obama seems to be all bark and no bite. My generation might have clung to his charisma and charm in the primaries, but we will not continue to follow along blindly as he continues to contradict his words by his actions. Honestly, McCain initially did nothing for me except make me wonder if the Republicans were this poor off with candidates, then on Friday he changed my mind. He made me believe that a 72 year old rich white guy could see more clearly than a young charismatic politician from Chicago. He made me view his experience as an opportunity to gain wisdom and see what the best decision for his country would be. In short, McCain won my respect and brought to light the difference between talk and action.

The Greatness of College Football

Day one of the football season (no, Thursday kickoffs do not count unless OU is the headliner) officially kicked off today, and it was great! Despite having a severe headache and not being able to sit in front of the television from 11-11 like I had hoped, today was so good. My son got to enjoy it for the first time, OU was up 50-0 at the half, Clemson and the ACC got shellacked, the Big XII looked sharp – except for the usual suspects (A&M and Baylor specifically), and we even had a few upsets. More important than any one team, college football is back. From now until the early part of January, we sports-fans get to enjoy the best week-in week-out entertainment amateur sport has to offer… college football is so great!

(The picture is a tribute to the OU season tickets I had last year)

McCain's VP...

Speculation has been rising on the day that McCain is to announce his choice for Vice President. Allegedly, he is not going to chose Romney, Ridge, Lieberman or Pawlenty. Out of nowhere comes Sarah Palin, and I think I love it!
Here is what she looks like and some facts about her:

1) A energetic, young, fresh face who will energize the electorate
2) Not connected to the current administration
3) Pro-Life
4) Pro-Gun
5) A woman or minority to counter Hillary or Obama and put to rest the idea that America only elects white males
6) Opposes same-sex marriage
7) Not a senator: She is the Governor of Alaska

From what I've read, she certainly is an "energetic, young, fresh face who [would] energize the electorate." One blogger stated, “I think she could even give Obama's charisma a run for it's money.”

She also has a reputation for shaking up the political status quo, knocking off incumbents and chasing down corruption (even when it was Republicans committing the corrupt acts.) That fits in really well with '08 being billed as "change election" and Americans being tired of the "political establishment."

She also passes the "extremely like-able" test with an 84% approval rating. And, I can't see anyone being able to effectively run attack ads against her. She would just come off as being too sympathetic. Not because they'd be attacking a woman; more like if someone were to run attack ads against Ned Flanders.

I think Palin would be a wise choice for Republican '08 Vice President, and I am hopeful that the reports are true and that she will infact get the nod over Romney, Ridge, or Lieberman!

Busyness Does Not Equal Success

To me, it sure does seem as though far too many people are far too busy. When I read through my friends’ status updates on Facebook, it seems as though there is a competition for who can be the busiest. From housewives to ministers, there are constant notations on how there is so much to do that they often do not know where to start.

Zig Ziglar used to say that busyness does not equal success. He stated this because people have a tendency to equate doing stuff with significance and feeling successful. For me, busyness takes away from the ability to participate in significant activities. I would much rather spend time with my family, than running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Life sure does seem more fun when there is time to relax as opposed to the sense of rushing from one place to another. Jesus even said that he has come to give us peace, and it seems as though we would prefer to take on chaos instead.

In Africa & Greece (and many other places), people will actually stop working in the middle of the day for 3-4 hours just to rest, a concept foreign to the us in the States. A mentor and friend of mine, Steve Smith, used to always talk about the ministers we worked with as constantly running and working far too hard. He said that ministry should be easier than that… something like if God is in it, we should be able to relax and watch him work.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that many people have lots of things to do, but doing lots of things should not be a way of life. We should be able to take time to enjoy life. We should be able to rest each day. We should be in control of our schedules instead of dominated by them.

I would keep on writing on this topic, but I have to finish our campaign curriculum, a looming staff meeting, prepare for counseling, work on our fall kickoff stuff… see, bragging about being busy is just plane ridiculous!

Is Kindness Rude?

During our travels to Greece via New York City, we had a few interesting incidents. The first happened in NYC. I was trying to purchase two postcard stamps to mail to my kids, when a foreigner in front of me did not have US currency. The lady at the register was being difficult, the man was frustrated, and I did not have time to wait. I offered to pay the 94 pennies to help him out, but the postal lady told me I could not make the purchase for him… after a minute of arguing that I could buy what I wanted, I gave the man the dollar and he bought the stamp himself, rather unbelievable.

The next frustrating attempt at kindness was in Greece. We went with our friend to a Gypsy Camp to basically play with the children there. It was good to color with the kids, read the story of Jonah and the whale, give out candy, & play volleyball, but there was a man and his mother-in-law who did not agree. They called the police on us and we actually got taken into the station for, “forcing our way into their homes.” Obviously, there is more to the story, but the basic is that we were serving the poorest of the poor in Greece, only to be rejected!

My final incident was in my layover in Newark. I was waiting on Robert and asked a couple of people if I could sit on one of two empty chairs. With a tone of being totally put out, they said “I guess…”. A few moments later, the wife/mom came back to the table and got on to her family for letting me pull one of the chairs away from the table to sit down, because she wanted to put her bag on it… I gave her the chair back, stood up, and moved.

Don’t misunderstand my expectations with all of this. I know that people outside of a relationship with Christ act differently than those of us who have been born again, but what about common courtesy. What about helping out a person in need or simply showing a bit of kindness to strangers? Are we so far gone as a people that being kind is actually rude? Is it just that different in Yankee land and foreign countries or did I happen to catch a few people on the wrong day?

Here is an interesting video from an aforementioned story:

Greek Food

Before we left for Greece, my assumption was that I would loose a bunch of weight during my trip to Greece. I thought it our entrées would consist of lamb and goat, with a nasty gyro (like the ones you see in the mall) thrown in once or twice. To my amazement, the food was not only good, it was great.

Greek salads, which consist of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olive oil, & feta cheese, were incredible. Our meals were mainly pork and chicken, with an occasional sandwich or high quality/good tasting gyro for lunch. Our hotel provided a complimentary breakfast, which consisted of eggs, sausage or bacon, cereal, bread, pastries, and coffee, orange & grapefruit juice.

One of my picture regrets was not taking a picture of the incredible ice cream we had… it was awesome! Overall, the food was simple, healthy (if olive oil is good for you), and very good. Here are some pictures:

Athens Summary

Day 1- Robert picked me up at 5:50 to head to the airport. Arrived in Newark around noon, took the train to NYC and ate lunch in Times Square at Bubba Gump. Got back on a plane and stayed there the rest of the day.

Day 2 - Upon arrival at Athens' new airport at 12:30, transferred to our hotel. Went to Plaka (a lively area with lots of street vendors, shops and restaurants selling traditional Greek goods) to eat dinner with some team members who live in Greece. Got some sleep after being awake for 41 hours.

Day 3 - Headed out early to visit Mars Hill, the Acropolis with the Parthenon sitting high on the hill above the city. After that, we stopped by Syntagma Square (Constitution Square, parliament building as its focal point) and saw the changing of the guard (the guards were dressed in skirts and tap shoes – very intimidating). We visited a neighborhood, made some great contacts, then headed back to the hotel to enjoy a dip in the chilly pool before heading out to a Gypsy camp… then got arrested with my team, and spent 4 hours in jail before they let us go without pressing any charges.

Day 4 - Headed out early to visit another neighborhood in Greece. Got lost trying to take an unknown route out of the neighborhood, but was resuced by a British girl who knew the area. Had a really late lunch with our host, rode the tram to the beach of the Aegean sea. This evening enjoy dinner at a restaurant offering live traditional folk music and dancing.

Day 5 - Woke up and immediately headed to Mars Hill to reflect on our calling, pray, and collect some items. Went back to the hotel to eat breakfast and pack. Left at 9:00AM for the airport and arrived at home around 11:00PM.

Greece Mission Pre-Trip

Right now I am on a plane headed to Athens Greece (via Newark, New Jersey). This is the first of two trips this year to Athens, Greece with my church. We are adopting a neighborhood and will be the official “missionaries” to that part of Athens! Athens has 5,000,000 people with 4,000 professing Christians, meaning they are .0008% Christian. There are 76 neighborhoods and 40 are completely unreached with no church, home group, or any evangelical witness.

Robert and I will be scouting out two particular neighborhoods (Byronas & Anthousa), and praying for God to reveal where we will make our 3 year partnership. One of those neighborhoods has a park in the center of it, which would create a great opportunity to do sports camps and all different types of outreach events. The other is on the outskirts of Athens, in a more rural part of the town, but it has an old abandoned church in it, which creates all different kinds of dreams within my heart. Just think how awesome it would be for God to awaken that neighborhood to Himself and use that place as the central location of revival within the city.

Part 2: We are finally checked in to our hotel, not sure what to expect this week, but Robert & I are definitely excited about the opportunities. Please pray that God would give us pristine clarity for which neighborhood we should adopt. Also pray for our families while we are gone, and for a safe return home.

Turning 3-0ld!

30 is no big deal… yet! People keep asking me how I feel about turning 30, and I think it is no big deal. What bothers me is how my body feels after playing softball, yes softball. Now, I am sore for days, my feet and back hurt the next, and it only seems to get worse. Hopefully, there will be a resurgence of youth in my bones where instead of continued loss of quickness, I get faster. Instead of added bulk (ahem), I can loose weight. And instead of soreness, I can enjoy waking up as though not sporting activity took place the day or two or three prior.

With that out of the way, it is time for me to give big props to my lovely bride Christy! For my big day, she organized and threw me a surprise pool party. Many people wanted to know if I knew, but honestly I did not. In fact, I had to pull back from feeling sorry for myself as the weekend went on, because I thought that she might actually not do anything for me. However, we went over to our best friend’s house to swim, and lo and behold, a surprise party! It was awesome. So many of my friends showed up to celebrate, including my parents, her parents, & her brother, sister-in-law, and their boys. Thank you so much for everyone who showed up, I am so grateful to be surrounded by such an awesome group of people… and thank you Christy, I love and appreciate you very much!

Prescribed Relaxation

One of the things I am not crazy about sharing, but will share anyway for the 2 people who read this blog is that there was a time where I went to counseling for 10 months… YIKES! The thought of it makes my toes curl, but I will say that it is good to go to someone when you know you need help, and I was desperate for help.

During my time, my shrink continually emphasized the need to focus on relaxing. The point was to prevent burnout, ease tension, and have a routine outlet where all you do is have fun. For some this might be found in running or golf, others like fishing or hunting, and for my wife it is found in pedicures and scrapbooking.

To be honest, the quack was right… just kidding, the doc knows his stuff! It is my opinion that everyone needs to have a regular time of relaxation where they can get away from their stress and do something they enjoy doing. My challenge is going to be switching Friday mornings with my wife. She gets one, I get the next… every two weeks sounds about right!

Object Lesson Gone Wrong

When preaching, I love to use object lessons that help describe a point in the message, and help the hearers remember a truth about God’s Word. Today, a buddy of mine sent me a story of an illustration gone terribly wrong, but it is worth reading about. Here is the story about Jeff Harlow and how things do not always go they way we think they will in the pulpit… it is not funny, but he is laughing which means we can too!

“A pastor brought out a dirt bike during a church service to demonstrate the concept of unity. Now he's demonstrating the concept of healing. Jeff Harlow, the senior pastor at Crossroads Community Church, broke his wrist when he lost control of the motorcycle at the start of Sunday's second service, driving off a 5-foot platform and into the vacant first row of seats. He underwent surgery on the wrist Monday.” Jeff has already laughed a lot, so he's OK. I think his pride was bruised," said his wife, Becky. Becky Harlow said her husband had recently attended a motorcycle race in Buchanan, Mich." He had this idea that he would bring this bike out onstage and show people how the rider would become one with the bike," she told the Kokomo Tribune. "He was going to just sit on it and drive it out. He was just walking the dirt bike out onstage and somehow it got away from him. It was not intended.” No one else was hurt. Jeff Harlow had performed the demonstration at earlier services Saturday night and Sunday morning without incident.”

Family & Ministry Balance

I have a balance problem. My dream is to be a real Christ-follower, fabulous husband, wonderful father, exceptional minister, reliable friend, and tremendous athlete (no, I will not give up on the later). Anyway, my problem comes in managing each of those pursuits in a way that does not hinder the quest itself. To be more specific, my real issue is balancing my family life with my work life.

It is nothing for me to leave the house before 7:00AM and not return until after 8-9:00PM. During a normal 9-5 day, I feel guilty if I leave before anyone else, regardless of the hours I have put in days/weeks prior. To me, it is paramount to set the pace. With that being said, how am I setting the example in regards to valuing family? What does it say about me that I could spend 6-7 days or 60+ hours a week in the office? Perhaps my pursuit of wanting to be an exceptional minister has taken priority over being a fabulous husband and wonderful father… and I know that if my wife and kids are neglected, they will resent God and the church because of it!

In all of this, there is a reality that being home is not enough either. Like every other home owner, I have a yard to tend to, a house to help clean, and a prescription for down-time (this is not nearly as lame as it sounds, and it is legit – I will post on this later this week). So the point is that even if I get home at a decent hour, my time cannot be spent doing stuff, it needs to be spent with my family. They need to experience a genuine love for them and a desire to be around them. They need to know that they are missed when not around. They don’t need me gone all day on a regular basis – only the rare exception. They don’t need me coming home on the phone. They don’t need me running in the door, only to run out and do the yard. They don’t need me distracted with stuff when I am with them.

Recently I read an article online discussing this very topic. A guy named Todd Rhoades (MMI) put out a post called, “Practical Ways for Pastors to Love Their Wives and Families.” Within his article he had the following list:

• Come home at the exact time you say you will be home; and prepare your heart to serve your family, not be served.
• Share with your wife and kids some of the good things that are going on in the church, and then thank them for helping to make that possible.
• Give your wife flowers and a hand written card when she least expects it.
• Schedule a weekly time where you watch the kids and your wife gets out doing whatever she wants. When you can, give her a whole day off from the kids.
• Leave the church at church so dad can be dad at home.
• Pray for your family and with your family.

This is a great list. Ministry demands all sorts of hours and there will be times where situations are beyond my control, but for the most part this list is doable. The article where I got this list closed with this, “Above all, guard your family relationship. And take one or two of these ideas this week. They WILL make a difference in your family AND in your ministry!” It is my hope to be better at balancing the quest to be all I can be, I know it is essential to take care of my family or there will be no ministry to worry about!

iBible

Today I learned that there is a free downloadable Bible program for my iphone. It comes with some really great perks too. It has 15 versions of the Bible, a daily reading plan, an online contributions application (where people discuss verses), and search options. I have already downloaded the iBible and think it is great! For a description click on the screen below, to download your own iBible click here iBible App.


YouVersion iPhone Bible App from YouVersion on Vimeo.

Bargain Shopper

Recently, a buddy in my church came in wearing a pair of Teva’s that looked perfect for yard work (I mean that in a good way). He told me he found them online at a website called hot-deals.org, a website that list bargains on various items. He also told me of a website called spoofee.com that does the same thing, and I have found myself addicted to it.

Although I have yet to purchase anything from it, Spoofee has a free goods section that is pretty unbelievable. Although I am not much of an outdoorsman, they have a fear year subscription to it. I have signed up for a free razor, travel soap, and other stuff.

Just so you know, on July 11 you can treat your kids to a fun evening a free meal by dressing them up as a cow and taking them to Chick-fil-A. Also, you can go to Taco Bell and ask for a free Frutista drink and they will give you one. Although some might look at this as ridiculous, they really do have some pretty cool stuff you can get for free or dirt cheap so check it out.

June Mission Trip

On June 27-28 our church went to Abundant Grace Community Church in Dallas. We had 36 people go, which was great. We painted, grilled hamburgers & pizzas (yes, pizzas), had games for the kids, and passed out flyers. This was Chloe's first mission trip, and even though she may not remember it, I always will. It is Christy and my intent to model our faith instead of simply talking about it. We tried to have her tell everyone who came through the line that Jesus loves them... we pray for her to accept the love of Jesus too!

One of our guys had the opportunity to share Christ with a man who had been jumped just days prior. During their conversation, Robert noticed this man tense up. In the midst of their talk, a guy who had broken into his apartment, beat him up, and stole his stuff sat down directly across from them. This is where I would love to tell you how everyone received Christ and the man's possessions were returned, but the reality of it is the bully-man simply ate his free meal and left without acknowledging anyone.

This community is hard, so is the work that Pastor Bob does, but it is good work. Overall, our group felt blessed to be able to serve this community church. Our final trip is August 1-2 where we will help throw a back-to-school bash! We have already collected $600 to purchase 100 backpacks that we will give to the community children, along with some supplies. We are really looking forward to a continued partnership with Bob and Abundant Grace!