Red Alert!! Red Alert!! Warning!! Warning!!

Do not ever say that you were not warned.  The closer the season gets, the more excited I get.  I spend most of my time in this space sharing with you the thoughts that roll through my head about our spiritual walk, the church, and just things that me go "Hum".  But for those that began to visit this blog early on, you know that I have another passion in my life.  Dallas Cowboys football!!! :)  So, I have warned you in advance.  There will be times when I have to refer to the Boys.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!! :0)  

God Bless and Keep Looking Up!  

A Day Without Internet Continued

I was sitting on my couch the other night thinking about the last post and this Kutless song just popped in my head. I thought I might share it with you. I think they are making the same point. God Bless You All.

Keep Looking Up!

A Day Without Internet

The other day I had no Internet. I did not think that this would be a very big deal. Now, did you pick up the "I DID not think"? :)

I remember when it went down; I had a couple of thoughts go through my head (Yes! I have thoughts from time to time). :) I thought, "Oh well, no big deal I'll get it taken care of when I have more time." I also thought, (Due to needing a wireless router) "Oh well, I don't have the money right now, so I will wait till the next pay check to go invest in a new one."

After one day without connection (ONE DAY!), both thoughts went out the window. As soon as I lost my "connection to the world", I said to myself....self (sorry, a little nod to my dad) I need to get someone out here to get this up and running again, and I will be going to BestBuy on my way back from work and get a router even if my kids do need school supplies! (Just kidding about the school supplies...my kids will begin the academic season with all supplies in tow) :)

My reaction to one day of Non-connectivity (is that a word) really surprised me. Am I addicted? I don't think so. Do I get on the computer every night and surf the net? No, I can go several days of not even getting on the computer. So, why did I feel this need to be connected after only one day? Interesting.

After a couple of hours thinking(yes, my head started hurting after thinking that long...that one was for you John Paul), I came to a conclusion. The only thing that could have compelled me to get so bent out of shape after JUST ONE DAY of not being connected was that I knew that I was not connected. It was just the thought of not being able to pick up the computer and get online if I wanted that bothered me.

This thought led to another (I know that this sounds surprising to some that are reading this). Do I ever have the same reaction over Jesus? Just stay with me a moment.

You see, I go days without reading scripture (I know that I am not suppose to admit to that being this big spiritual giant...yeah right, I'm human also). I have had a few days go by and think, "Have I really spent quality time with the Lord in a while?" To be entirely honest with all of you out there (or am I talking to myself), I have gone through probably a month now feeling like I am really ignoring one of my best friends in the world. (There a some out there right now thinking...."Join the Crowd"...I know that I am not the best friend in the world...sorry)

Am I not suppose to get all bent out of shape (like I did with the whole Internet thing) when I go a day with my Lord? Should I not be throwing everything else to the back of my priority list when I notice that Jesus is sitting the corner waiting for some time? Man, I should be zooming into the BestBuy parking lot looking for exactly whatever I may need to get that connection back, but I don't. I just waltz through my day, after day, after day without paying any mind to the BestBuy of them of all. My Lord. Why?

I think it goes back to that "the thought of not being able to pick up the computer and get online if I wanted bothered me" feeling. I think that I always know that Christ is there, so I begin to take that for granted. Jesus promises us that He will always be there for us. That is a good thing. But, my taking that for granted and not doing my part in the relationship is a bad thing.

You want to know something, as read the words that I have just typed...the coolest thing in my mind right now is the picture of Christ sitting in the corner waiting for some time with me. Just think of it, the God of all creation seeks time with you, with me. As many times as I ignore Him...He is still there for me. As many times as I pass him by and say, "Not right now"...He just nods His head and takes His seat in the corner and waits His turn. Why, because He love me.

I think it is time to stand up....walk across the room....put my hand out and with shame in voice say..."No one puts Jesus in the corner...and I'm sorry my Lord".

May God Keep You and Bless You, May God's Light Shine Upon You ALL
and Keep Looking Up!

Oh, P.S.
That whole relentless devotion thing we just talked about is another reason I love dogs...but that is another post. :) Blessings and Peace!

Dreams Really Do Come True

My family and I have just returned (actually returned late Friday night, but I have just now recovered enough to sit in front of the computer) from our very first trip to Disney World. For those that have not read enough of my blog (and lets face it, I don't even know if I would even read it that often), I need to relay one very important piece of information....I have 4 kids. I have 4 children...one....two...three....four! My wife and I have four children because we did not want five (a little wink to Bill Cosby there). :) But going to Disney World with four children (ranging from the age 8 - 3...yeah you read that right) can be a very daunting task. Now, the beauty of this story is that my wife's Dad and Step-mother went with us (they actually picked up the tab...There would be no way we could afford to take FOUR CHILDREN to Disney World) so we were able to play a man to man defense not the zone defense that we are use to playing around the house.

The motto that you could not run from and even repeats in my dreams with Snow White's voice and the theme of "It's a Small World" going in the background was...Disney World, where Dreams Come True. The motto was everywhere. It was on the maps. It was on the banners that flowed through the wind in the park. It was on the merchandise (cups, hats, plates, etc). It was everywhere. Now this was my very first trip to Disney World, so I do not know if this an everyday motto for them or is it something that they had worked up for their "Year of Million Dreams" campaign. But let me say one thing...They are right!

Through some of the pictures that I am displaying on this post you will be able to see that the dreams of an 8 year old, 6 year old, 4 year old, and a 3 year old really did come true. Let me give you some examples:
My 8 year old loves the Disney Princess - We were able to have lunch at Cinderella's Castle on our second day there.
My 6 year old loves Toy Story - We were able to meet Woody and Buz
My 4 year old loves (and love is really not strong enough of a word) Tinker Bell - We were able to actually watch Tink fly from the top of the Castle to the ground on our last night there.
My 3 year old loves Donald Duck (Yes, I know many go for Mickey but my youngest has fell in love with a sailor) - She was able to give the fluffy Duck one of the biggest hugs he will ever get.
These were actual dreams coming true for four of the most important people in my life.

Disney really is a place were dreams come true.

My post does not end here. Disney did not have the same kind of magic for me that it had for the children, but it did have magic.

You see the motto that I will be able to quote till my dying day, "Disney, Where Dreams Come True", could read a little different for me. It could go something like this, "Disney, Where Blessings Can Be Counted". I know, it doesn't have the same kind of ring...but I like it. :)

Where the magic happened for me while at Disney came in the form of Counting My Blessings. I know that this is not a new idea and it does not just happen at Disney, but to have an entire week full of "blessing counting" can really do the soul good.

My grandmother use to say to my dad, and in turn my dad has passed on to me, "Son, sometimes you just need to stop and count your blessings." Now, this piece of wisdom has usually been passed from one to the other during hard times. You know, those times in your life when it is really easy to be negative about everything around you because life is just not going exactly how you expected. It is those times in life, when we need to stop and begin to count our blessings. That is exactly what I was able to do a lot of during my trip to Disney World.

While watching the amazement in the eyes of my children, my soul began to fill and even over-run with gratitude with what our Lord Jesus has given me. Is my life exactly where I thought it would be when I dreamed my dreams as a young child and young adult...NO, but I can say that I have been blessed beyond anything that I deserve. And as I began to focus on these blessings I began to see that through the years my dreams for my life that I thought were SO important were just details. The dreams that really matter...loving wife....beautiful and healthy children....a supportive family unit around us, those dreams have come true in ways that I could have never imagined.

Oh by the way, that having 4 children thing is one of those things that makes life better than I could have ever imagined. :)

So, I end this post with a Thank You:
Thank You Disney for being the place that Dreams Really Do Come True!
Thank You Jesus for blessing me with a life that I could never have imagined!
May we all have some time to "Count Our Blessings"

God Bless and Keep Looking Up!