Reflections on the past week

Another week is in the books. It is funny how the older I get, the faster time seems to go by. This week was no exception. We have been going through an audit all week. We have to go through this every two years. The last time we had this audit, it didn't go so well. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to this one. To make matters even more stressful, we were also working against the clock to complete our month end procedures and monthly reports at the same time. I am thankful for the hard working people I work with. We pulled together and got the job done once again. Thank you to all who have kept us and me in your prayers over the last couple of weeks. I have had some very long and tough days. God is so good in how He answers prayers.

Isn't amazing how God takes care of His people in any and all situations? I am reminded of how my Sunday school teacher puts it. God always sees to it that we are taken care of. He has a plan for our lives and His plan will ALWAYS be accomplished. He doesn't need our help. As a matter of fact, it is when we try to help Him, that we end up making a situation worse.

As I reflect on the last week, I am saddened by the world we live in. We live in a world full of evil. Our news broadcasts hardly ever report good news anymore. The stock market is down. Someone has kidnapped a child. One country is attacking another country. That is the news we usually hear on a daily basis. Very rarely do we hear anything good anymore. This is really sad. I think we have become accustomed to this and we live for bad news. We don't concentrate on the good in people, rather we look to the bad. As a result, I have decided to use this space to try and lift other people up.

Today, I want to tell you about my wife and best friend Mollie. I know I am biased, but I think that most of you that know her will probably agree with me. Mollie is very outgoing. She loves people. I don't know of anyone Mollie can't carry on a conversation with. She always wants to please. She puts others first and herself last. I have seen her go well out of her way many times to help another. Her youthful spirit makes her fun to be around. She is really good at listening and very slow about passing judgement. Mollie is very determined. When she sets her mind to do something, there is nothing that will stop her. She is family orientated. Only God comes before family. I could go on and on. I think the world of her. She makes me want to be a better person. It is such a blessing to have her as my wife!

Well, that is what is on my mind tonight. I know I have been all over the place. Now you know why I have titled this blog like I did. Before I shut down the computer, I wanted to let everyone know that Mollie and I will be hosting a Christmas Open House beginning at 3 pm on Saturday, December 6, 2008. Everyone is welcome to come. We will be sending out some invitations, but we aren't sending them to everyone, mainly family. Please don't be offended if you don't get one. Consider this your invitation. Well, I am ready to call it a week.

Until next time!

A Quite Day

"It was hours, now its just minutes." That what you can hear one of my co-workers say after we reach the four o'clock hour in regards to when we get to all go home. Today has been a relatively quiet day. I don't want to put the cart before the horse though. I have seen things go to pot really quick around here. It has been a busy day for me. We lost a very good employee last March to another company and as a result, I have inherited a lot of his work load. That is good for me, but I sure hated to see him go. The end of the year is just around the corner and with that brings the preparation of next year's budget. Now, having inherited some new tasks and duties, I am getting to actually help with this year's budget. The down side to that is that I am having to use my buddy's worksheets without the luxury of having him explain how they function. I have to try and figure it out myself. This isn't a bad thing because in doing that I get a better grip on the task at hand. I have worked like a dog on those today.

I didn't go to our Kiwanis Club meeting this morning. It has been a rough week and since it was the monthly board meeting, and since I am not a voting member of the board, I decided to sleep in (our meetings are at 6:45 in the morning). Those that know me well understand. I hit the ground running this morning only to stop to go to lunch with my lovely bride and the girls (Carolyn, Norma, and Pat). I haven't gotten my appetite back yet so I didn't even eat all of my fish. It was fun to go and visit though. It is good for us to get out and go vent. The best part was that Mollie got to go with us.

I plan to go home and not do a whole lot tonight. I guess I will do what ever Mollie wants me to. I try to do what she tells me, even though I suck at that some times. I guess that is all that is going through my mind. Please remember to pray for our country.

Until next time!

Why God?

What a day it was yesterday. My day started at 2:30 in the morning when I was "driving the porcelain bus." I can't remember the last time I was THAT sick. While it did allow me a day off from work, I can't say it was worth it. I stayed in the bed ALL day. I only got up a few times. Thankfully it was only a 24-hour bug. I feel much better now, but am still a little achy.

Now, to the election. All I can say is may God have mercy on our country. I don't understand how we could have elected this man as our president. I agree with how a co-worker of mine put it. She said, "I prayed to understand why God allowed Obama to win this election.. I received an answer and it’s because we as Christians, all of us, have set idly by and let the un-believers of this country come in and remove Him from all aspects of our lives! The moral fiber is being eaten away daily and we let it happen. It is really sad!!! I only know that it happened for a reason! Maybe we will get up and fight now!! If God had allowed John McCain to win, we would've relaxed a bit and we can't do that!!!!!! America is still worth fighting for and we have a responsibility to our children and grandchildren to fight with all our might by prayer and standing up for our beliefs!"

While it was a historic election with historic results, we must not forget who is ultimately in control here. Our next president may be Obama, but he isn't our true leader. Our true leader is the creator of the universe. He is the one who spoke us into existence. He is the one who's name is greater than any other name. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is my Savior. He is King Jesus. It is in Him that we must place our trust. His word tells us to acknowledge Him in all our ways and "He will make our paths straight." That is what I hold on to. We must seek Him in all we do. While we may not like the outcome of last night's election, we must realize that God is still in control. He still reigns. This is all part of his PERFECT WILL. I will place my trust in Him and all will be fine. We must all seek His wisdom and understanding now more than ever. May God bless the United States of America!

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!