One of those days!

I am so glad that it is almost 5:00 on Friday afternoon. This has been one of the worst days. It has been one of those days when everything seems to irritate you and/or go wrong. I am sure many can relate to that. It all started when I realized this morning that I had forgotten to cancel my hotel reservations in Fayetteville for this weekend. Of course because I didn't give a 24-hour notice, then I may be charged a cancellation fee. Then I get to work. I won't go into details, but I have encountered several trying situations (for the lack of a better term). To boot, I haven't been able to sell my tickets to the game this weekend. Now I am stuck with 6 tickets and a cancellation charge. I never skip games and the one time I do, this happens. The moral of that story: "NEVER SKIP A RAZORBACK GAME IF YOU DON"T ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO."

On a positive note, I do get to sleep-in in the morning. I will be watching the football game on TV tomorrow and get to go watch my alma mater (Wynne Yellowjackets) play Forrest City tonight in Wynne. I really hope that this is a relaxing weekend. I certainly need it. After all, it has been one of those days!

Election Time

Election time is here again and am I ready for it to be over! I cast my ballot yesterday. I don't want to have to deal with the long lines on election day so I try to go vote early. I am not ashamed of how I vote. I consider voting a very serious matter that we should all participate in. This year's election will probably be one of the biggest this country has ever seen. Now, I know you can probably about every election from now on, and you are probably correct.

Our pastor has been preaching on the upcoming election the past few Sunday nights. Obviously he can't promote one candidate over another, but he can talk about the issues. This is the approach he has taken. He pointed out to us that, as Christians, it is our responsibility to vote. He points to Luke 10:27, "Love your neighbor as yourself." If we love our neighbors like we should, then we will want to see to it that they have Godly leaders. Therefore, we should go and vote for those leaders. Having said all of that, I believe that is necessary to vote for those leaders who most exemplify and stand for Godly principles. I will be the first to say that neither candidate is my first choice, but I believe that the man for the job is Senator John McCain.

I would encourage you to check out www.afa.net to research each candidate yourself. Sen. McCain supports federal protection of marriage, which is the union of one man to one woman. Sen. McCain also opposes teaching homosexuality in public schools and homosexual adoptions. He believes adoption is wrong. Biblically speaking, this is that man we should elect as our next president.

I agree with my pastor in that we shouldn't vote based on our pocket books. Please know that God will protect us in all circumstances. We must adhere to Proverbs 3:5-6which says "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." I know times seem bleek right now, but remember God is in control. We must seek his guidance, not our own. This is true in all aspects of life. We must vote for a man who has Godly values. This is how it was put to me, I hope that we never reach a day that sins such as homosexuality is viewed as acceptable. If that happens, then it is no longer going to be viewed as a sin. If it is no longer viewed as a sin, then there is no need for a Savior. If there is no need for a Savior, then may God have mercy on all of us.

Please vote on November 4. If you don't like either candidate, please choose which one you like better than the other. Also, please considered prayerfully who God would have you vote for. I would also encourage you to check out Rev. Matt Pearson's blog at www.mattwbc.blogspot.com.

Until next time!

Nutt Returns

I am writing today from Interstate 40 on my way to see the Hogs play. This will be a very interesting game. I say that not because both teams are 3-4 overall or because both teams are 1-3 in the SEC. I say that because on this day, October 25, 2008, Houston Dale Nutt returns to Fayetteville with his new team, The Ole Miss Rebels. I am a little nervous. I was a Houston Nutt supporter when his tenure at the University of Arkansas came to an end last year. I didn't alway agree with Coach Nutt, but that is life. In the ten years he coached here, Coach Nutt did great things for the University. No man derserved what the fans put Coach Nutt through. So here we sit. Bobby Petrino is the new head Hog and Houston is now a Rebel. Today he comes home, except this time he is on the other side. Tonight will be a very emotional night for everyone in the stadium. What will happen when Houston brings his new team onto the field? How will he react? How will the players across the field from him, that HE recruited, react? Only time will tell. The Hogs have won the last 4 games against the Rebels. The only difference is that the one who coached us to those 4 victories is on the other side now. I would just have to tell Coach Nutt, "Welcome home, Houston. I hope your stay in Fayetteville is great except from about 6-11 tonight." GO HOGS GO!!!!

Finally Friday

I love the song by George Jones called "Finally Friday." I used to try and get in the car around 5:00 on Fridays just to hear them play that song on the radio as I drove home from work (It was one of those "woo-hoo! the weekend is here!" kind of songs that was perfect for 5:00 on Fridays). That was before I got an iPod and satellite radio, two of the greatest inventions ever, however, I have been getting a little frustrated as of late with my iPod. I have an FM transmitter that I can connect to my iPod that will allow me to play it throught the radio in the car. A few weeks ago I started to notice that I was getting a lot of static when listening to the iPod. I assumed that it was a short in my transmitter. Well, four transmitters later, I am still having problems listening to my iPod in the car. I have tried Mollie's iPod with my transmitter and hers works. I guess that it is my iPod that is messing up. This is not good news people. I can listen to it with headphones, just not with my FM transmitter. Well, I have found that Mollie doesn't think I should be driving down the road with my headphones in. I don't see the differnce in that and those people with those bluetooth headsets for their phones. Oh well, I don't know what I am going to do. I can have it repaired for $129 or I can get a brand new one for $250. I guess that is their way to keep repairs to a minimum. As my dad would say, "Decisions, Decisions."

It is Friday and I don't have to work tomorrow. That is always good. In addition to not having to work, the Hogs play tomorrow. That's even better!

Caldwell Christian Academy (CCA) is having a Fish Fry Fundraiser today. CCA is a private Christian school founded by my in-laws. I must say, I was against this whole idea. It is funny how God can change your perspective. I don't have any children, but I was dead set on my kids being Yellowjackets like thier dad. I wanted to make sure that had the ability to be in all the clubs and participate in all of the activities that their dad did when he was thier age. All of that is good and it really helps with scholarships, but what is more important. There is one thing that CCA can offer them that a public school can't and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will be taught reading and arithmatic in both environments, but they won't hear about Jesus in the public school system. That is more important than anything else. I have been ordained as the head of the house by our Lord and it is my responsibility to be the spiritual leader of my house. When I look at the situation through HIS eyes, it is crystal clear where my kids should attend school if there is the option. Having said all of that, I am now a strong supporter of a Christian education. If you have the choice, choosing God supercedes any other choice. I know that they won't get to be in all of the things their dad got to be in. They probably won't get some of the experiences that I had, but they will get to experience something openly at school that I never did and that is the word of God. That trumps everythig else. Praise God for schools like Caldwell Christian Academy!

HOGS WIN!!!! HOGS WIN!!!!

I apologize for it being so long since my last posting. This will probably be a recurring theme with me. A lot sure has happened since then, some good, some bad. I will address the bad news first. My friend and co-worker Norma lost her sister to cancer this past Sunday. I was so sorry to hear this. I don't think it was expected. She wasn't great, but her condition was encouraging and then took a turn for the worst Saturday night. We have been praying for her for a long time. I am reminded at times like this that sometimes God answers are prayers, just not the way we thought He would. Norma's sister has been healed of cancer, however, God took her home to do it. Let's keep Norma and her family in our prayers. Norma is a very strong person and I know she will be fine.

On a more positive note, my Razorbacks got their first conference win of the season this past Saturday down on the plains. The Hogs beat the Auburn Tigers 25-22 in Auburn. It was a much needed win to say the least. I had a feeling after watching the Florida game that they would probably beat Auburn. That feeling became even stronger when Auburn fired thier offensive coordinator on the Wednesday prior to the game. I was a very proud Razorback fan on Saturday night. The next hurdle for the Hogs comes Saturday night in Lexington, KY as they battle the Kentucky Wildcats. I look for another Razorback victory, but a very close game. I don't want to look ahead, but after Kentucky, former head coach Houston Nutt comes to Fayetteville with his new team, Ole Miss. That should be a good one, but lets get past Kentucky first.

We are hosting a Sunday School party at our house on Friday night. We are also hosting three youth choir members from Rogers Saturday night who will be singing for our church on Sunday. It will be another busy weekend. I am just thankful that we have been blessed by the Good Lord to be able to do these things.

Until next time!
GO HOGS!

Told you so

It has been three or four days since my last posting. I said from the get go that I am not good at these things. Actually, it has been a long week. On Monday we got some new furniture to go in our basement. Mollie wanted a "game table." We bought a counter high table that came with eight chairs. We worked on putting together those darn chairs for almost six hours. I was so sick of it by the time we finished that I didn't care if we had any furniture in the room. That was Monday. On Tuesday night I had a Fumble Club meeting. Since I am the Secretary/Treasurer, I had to go. That was Tuesday. Yesterday I had a haircut after work followed by AWANA's and then church choir practice. There went Wednesday. Then comes today. I had a Kiwanis Club meeting this morning, as I do every Thursday, at 6:45 am. It was an early start and I am ready for an early finish. To add to the madness, we had a new hire start this week. She will be helping in the accounting and billing departments. I have been spending a lot of my workday training her. I really hope that Mollie doesn't have big plans for tonight. Her dad has gone deep sea fishing so I bet that we go out to eat with her mom. That is the norm.

What a week. Thank goodness that there is only one day left until the weekend. Then it is time to watch those Hogs play again!

Not a Complete Loss

Well, Saturday has come and gone. Just like that one more Razorback game is behind us. The Hogs fell to the Florida Gators today by a score of 38-7. The game wasn't as bad as the score shows. Everything seemed to unravel midway throught the 4th quarter. The Hogs only trailed the Gators by ten going into that quarter. For three quarters today we got to see a glimpse of what lies ahead for the Razorback football program. There were times when the offense would move right down the field. Likewise, there were times when the defense would hold the Gators for no gain or very few yards. It appeared today that Bobby Petrino's philosophy is starting to click on most cylinders. We are not there yet, but we are well on our way to being a dominating force in the SEC and I can't wait.

Next week the Hogs go to Auburn for another SEC Western division showdown. The Tigers fell today to the Vanderbilt Commodores by a score of 13-14. Just like us, the Tigers are struggling to learn a new offensive scheme. It should be a pretty good game next Saturday. The game will be on Pay-Per-View. I plan on getting the game at home and having some friends over to watch. Who knows, I may even invite my pastor and faithful Auburn Alumni Matt Pearson to come over. I am sure he will decline the invitation so he doesn't have to sit through a Razorback thrashing.

Oh yeah, as for my good friend Don, he got to see his Gators today. He was like a kid on Christmas when they took the field. Although the Gators left Fayetteville with a win today, the Hogs had Don and the other Florida fans sweating going into the 4th. It was a long day, but we had a great time and I look forward to visiting the Swamp in Gainsville with him some time in the future.

Until next time, GO HOGS!!

Hogs & Gators

Well, tomorrow is the first Saturday in October. You know what that means? That means that the Razorbacks are playing tomorrow. I know, I know, some would say that there may be a game tomorrow, but the Razorbacks probably won't show. Yes, it has been a tough going for the Hogs as of late, but that will change. The Hogs are 2-2 under new head coach Bobby Petrino, but with a team consisting mostly of freshmen, that is to be expected. Tomorrow the Florida Gators make the trip to Fayetteville and like usual, so will the Woddawg. This will probably be another dismal day for the Razorback Nation, but for me it will be fun. I always like to take people to thier first Razorback game in Fayetteville. Tomorrow, I get that opportunity. I am taking Don Atter, a co-worker of mine, with me to the game. It will be just him and me. The rest of my fair weather fan group is staying home. The twist, for those of you who don't know Don, is that he is from Jacksonville, Florida and is a die hard Gator fan like I am a die hard Razorback fan. Most people would say I am crazy for taking a Gator fan to Fayetteville when the Hogs are playing the Gators, but Don is also an SEC Football fan. He is very courteous towards the Razorbacks, and I try to return the courtesy towards his Gators. I am sure we will have a good time, especially since this is his first trip to see a football game in Fayetteville. I can't wait for him to see and experience the atmosphere at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. He may walk in a Gator fan, but he might walk out more of a Razorback fan.

Now, Don did have a little suprise waiting on him when he got to work today. Don works in our dispatch office from 3 to 11 every day. Last night he thought he would play a joke on our General Manager, Billy Martin. All week long Don had been saving news clippings from the Democrat-Gazette about the Florida Gators. Last night Don took those clippings and put them all over Billy's desk and restroom. Needless to say, when he came in this morning, Billy kicked into payback mode. He told us that he wanted to decorate the dispatch office in anything Razorback before Don came in. Well, we exceeded his expectations. I have posted some pictures of what Don found when he came to work.

Hopefully, tomorrow will go well for my Razorbacks. If not, at least this past week was fun; that is, for everyone but Mr. Atter!

Houston Nutt and Don Atter. The Dynamic Duo!

Don says that this picture will have him barred from Jacksonville for life!

Yes I did!

Well, who would have thought it? Two days in row? Yes, I did. Someone asked me today what I blog about. I simply replied, "nothing." That is not really true. I blog about whatever comes to my mind. As I am typing today, I am listening to Chris Sligh signing "Empty Me." In the song, Chris is asking God to "empty me of me so I can be filled with You." Think about his request. Shouldn't that be our prayer each and every day? God, empty me of me so I can be filled with you. Think about that.

Now, I don't want to come across as a bible thumper. I can't stand bible thumpers! I will say that I am a born again Christian. It will be 21 years ago next month when my mom lead me in a prayer to welcome Jesus Christ into my heart. I will be the first to admit that in the last 21 years, I haven't always lived my life like I was a follower of Christ. I have done lots of things that I am not proud of, but thank the good Lord abouve that no matter how far we may stray from His arms, God is right there waiting for us to crawl back into those arms once again. I am so glad that God doesn't give up on us as quickly as we give up on us. Having said all of that I wake up each morning with one goal in mind. That goal is to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I know that I will fail at this, but I can rest in knowing that Jesus has already paid the price for my short comings.

As a teenager, I was turned off by those who liked to throw thier faith around. I don't want to be one of those types of people. I want to be the type of person who allows Christ to live through me. What I mean by this is I don't want to be one who passes judgement on those for thier wrongdoings. While I might not agree with others' beliefs and actions, I don't want to pass judgement, but explain to them why I choose not to believe or do those things. I believe I should respect others and not judge. If I immediately point fingers, then I risk losing any influence I might have had on them. My brother in law puts it like this, and I am paraphrasing, the unchurched aren't going to come to us, we have to go to them. I agree 100%. Sometimes we have to go places and spend time with those who we normally wouldn't just so that we can reach them.

Ok, ok, I have gone on long enough. Like I said, I just start typing. Let me try to sum up my thoughts. We are not perfect. Everyday we are going to fall short of God. Having said this, we can find solace in knowing that no matter what we may do, no matter what we may say, or even no matter what we may NOT do or say, God still loves us. He wants us to love Him. He also wants us to love others as we love ourselves. We must not give up on ourselves but when we want to we must remember that we have a God and Savior who will never give up on us!