The Bird Lady?

Brooke grabbed a loaf of bread and we hopped on the motorcycle and rode over to Lake Arlington yesterday. There was a duck near the motorcycle, so as I tried to coax him to come eat out of my hand, Brooke went and sat on this park bench. My duck saw she was throwing her food to the ducks, so he flew over to where she was. This picture doesn't really do justice to all of the ducks that swarmed Brooke, but you get the idea.

What's Different?

Do you like those puzzles they put in magazines where you have to identify nine differences between pictures. You know...the ones where you can find 6 of them right off, but the other three take you 20 minutes? I don't like them, but if you do here's one for you. Hint: Don't try to find nine differences...I don't think you will find them.




This is really just a photo I doctored with Photo Impact so I can use it on my Facebook profile later. The touch up was more impressive before the photo was cropped. But now I'm thinking it might be fun to doctor some photos and make some of my own "find the differences" games.

Praying Mantis

I have always thought these things were creepy looking! Amanda saw this thing on one of the picnic tables at church this morning. In real life, he wasn't more than an inch long.

Here's a Question For You

Book I Will Be Reading Next

"It seems as if every week I receive an opportunity by e-mail to boycott this, petition that, sign a covenant, or let a business know my Christian beliefs about its product. Honestly, these types of activities make me sick. Those businesses and organizations we want to boycott are being run and led by people-human beings-with families and kids and lives and choices. We may as well say to them, "Go to hell because I don't give a rip about your eternity. Just stay away from me and my family and out of our picket-fence -protected homes." Our actions are perceived as holier than thou, and they put us in the category of "all Christians are the same."

When did we decide the church should dictate, control, or mandate the direction of our culture? Isn't culture just a reflection of who we are as a society? Why are we focused on the fruit rather than the root? It would be like smashing all the apples from a tree in anger because they aren't big enough or tasty enough rather than considering the soil, sunlight, and environmental conditions; getting mad at the food when we should really be talking to the cook; or blaming the kids when we should talk to the parents."

Pop Goes the Culture: Should The Church Engage Pop Culture
by Tim Stevens

Memorial Day - God Bless America!!

Now THAT'S how you sing our National Anthem!
The Cactus Cuties

So Much For Making Your Point

QUOTE

"If at first you don't succeed... so much for skydiving."

Henry Youngman

QUOTE

The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.

Charles Kettering

GUESS-the-GOOGLE

One of the blogs I follow is Download Squad, and one of my favorite posts there is "Today's Time Waster". The time waster for today is a game called "Guess the Google". Twenty pictures are put on the screen and you have to guess word was Googled to get those results. Click on the picture above to give it a try. Feel free to leave your score in the comments section. I only got 168 my first try. If you beat me, I'm gonna stick with the "Well, your words were easier" excuse!

It's Like Golden Corral for Turtles

(click to enlarge)

A New School

Amanda started a new school this week. They wear uniforms which Amanda did not think she was going to like at first, but it looks like she has decided they are not so bad. Here she is in two of the uniform options. The one on the right is not her "peace" uniform...it's the one she wore on her second day at her new school.

We have been pleased with the education Amanda has received at her public school, but some of the things she was starting to bring home (mostly from 'friends') had us praying a lot. We have talked about private schools in the past, but we want Amanda to learn to stand up for what she believes and learn how to do it in the 'real world'. Brooke found out about a charter school opening down the street from us, so we went to check it out. We were originally looking into Amanda starting there next year, but when we went, with Amanda, to check it out, we changed our minds. First of all, Brooke, Amanda and I were impressed with what we saw and had a peace about Amanda attending there. Secondly, like most charter schools, they are filling up fast. If Amanda waited until next year, the school would probably be running at capacity and would have to implement a lottery system for allowing new students. We prayed about it and all three of us felt a peace about Amanda starting this year.

Amanda was blessed with her mother's personality and never meets a stranger. She is already making friends at her new school and loves it.

Sweaty Jesus

Amanda and I rode the motorcycle to the park tonight. We were fixing one of our hidden geocaches that needed some attention, and of course we had to play tag on the playground. We were the only two there for just a few minutes when a little boy asked me, "Are you playing 'Tag, You're It'?" I told him we were and he asked, "Can we play"? I told him they could, so Amanda and I played tag with two six year old boys for about 30 minutes.

The boys were polite and mannerly and it really was not a chore to let them play. They had a lot of fun laughing, running and chasing this over-weight adult who was willing to play tag with them. It was sorta one of those "you can't say no" situations, but I also thought about that phrase "Jesus with skin on". I wanted to show them God's love and let them know that somebody thought they were valuable. By the time we were done, I think I looked more like "sweaty Jesus" than "Jesus with skin on", but I hope I made an impression on them.

As we were leaving, one boy came running up and acted like he wanted to give me a hug. Realizing where we were and how somebody might mistake it, I acted like I didn't see him and walked on by (what if his parents saw him hugging some strange man?). But then he came running up and said, "hug, hug, hug". I gave him the 'side hug' we were taught in Bible college and left feeling like I at least got to be "sweaty Jesus" to two little boys. If the one boy was comfortable hugging adults, I'm guessing his home life is not too horrible, but I was still glad he got to see some adult thought he was worth the time to play tag. I also got to talk to Amanda about why we let them play and how it was something Jesus would have done.

Often times I know I miss the boat and do not give a witness for the Lord when I have the chance. Tonight, I didn't miss the chance...and it felt good.

Domesticated Jesus

"The people who hanged Christ never, to do them justice, accused Him of being a bore - on the contrary; they thought Him too dynamic to be safe. It has been left for the later generations to muffle up that shattering personality and surround him with an atmosphere of tedium. We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified Him "meek and mild," and recommended Him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies."

Dorothy Sayers
The Greatest Drama Ever Staged, Letters to a Diminished Church

Geocachingmobile

Amanda and I went to a geocaching breakfast in Grand Prairie Saturday morning. Afterwards, we we out with a new geocaching buddy and found 11 caches. Here's a picture of us on our geocachingmobile for the day.

Happy Mother's Day...Early

When the missionaries were in town for the Missions Conference, the church staff took them to Alley Cats for some bowling and video games. That is where Brooke fell in love with Dance Dance Revolution. I found out they had it for the Wii, so I ordered it (along with two deluxe dance pads) for Mother's Day. Brooke always out-does me on the gift giving (she always finds better gifts), so I was excited when I found this for her because I knew she'd love it. I guess I got too excited...I couldn't wait another month to give it to her. So Happy Mother's Day a month early, baby. We love you!

Why I'm a Dog Person

2-3-4 Formula

I looked at the trees in my back yard and noticed they needed some trimming. Since I have access to a chain saw, it didn't seem like that big a deal. At the completion of my job today, I thought I should write down what I learned. I made it into a simple formula I call the "2-3-4 Formula".

Take the number of times you think you will fill up the pick up with your brush. Multiply that number by TWO. This is how many loads you will actually take!

Take the number of hours you think you will need to complete the tree trimming project. Multiply that number by THREE. This is how many hours you will actually need!

Estimate how tired you will be when you are done. Multiply that number by FOUR. This is how tired you will actually be when you are done.

Toilet Prank

Just for Laughs

Doin' It Right

This weekend, I had the privilege of visiting my friend Stan who is the pastor of Impact Cowboy Church of Nacogdoches. Stan has found his niche and is leading his cowboy church in reaching out and sharing the Gospel with those who would not step foot in a church..I was blown away. Brooke, Amanda and I had a blast and were well taken care of by Stan and his family. Here's a video with some of the highlights of our weekend.

I Was a Spy Tonight

I was given privileged access to the "Spy Kids Tree House" tonight. If you are wondering, it has nothing to do with the movie...it's where "kid spies" go to hang out.

As I said, I was given privileged access, so I cannot tell you where the tree is or anything like that...I can only share these few pictures.

Thank you to the master spy kid herself for making me an honorary spy tonight, for the invitation and for these photos.

This is the Truth

Created by Granger Community Church

Back From Camping

Tomorrow "real life" starts again. During Spring Break we went camping in my parents camper and had a great time together as a family. The only real "downer" was the fact that I could not get internet at the campground! I did some off-line blogging during the week and will post the blogs (and pictures) here.

Just letting you know in case you want to scroll down to SUNDAY and read from the beginning.

Brooke and the Doggies - Worn Out After Unpacking

FRIDAY

Once again the dogs woke us up this morning, and once again, it took a good 20 minute walk before Sully would do his "business". You've heard of having the poo scared out of you? Sully has it scared INTO him! Anything little thing scares him and he cannot concentrate on the business at hand. Yes, you are welcome for sharing.

So after our morning walk, we fixed sausage and egg sandwiches with hash browns for breakfast. It was then time for our last trip to the store. This time, we tried to avoid Wal-Mart because they do not carry the special heavy-duty paper plates we were trying to replace (the ones we "borrowed" which were left over in the camper). Brooke could not find the exact plates but found something that would work. As I was cooking the sausage this morning and trying to flatten out the patties I broke one of my Mom's spatulas. The only thing similar they had at Kroger was a $7 pack, so it was off to Wal-Mart again.

Off for a Bike Ride to the Marina

Amanda saw the marina convenience store when we were on our walk last night and thought it looked like a light house. Of course, this meant it needed investigating, so we rode our bikes to the marina after breakfast. On the bike ride there, a little dog ran along side our bike barking. I knew the dog would freak out Amadna and I was very proud of her for not crashing her bike in fear! Once we got past the dog, I saw that she was crying. I don't know what it is about little dogs, but they scare her more than big ones! At the marina, we some scary ducks, too. Amanda was chased by a goose once, and now all ducks are scary up close. Anyway, we took pictures of the ducks and then walked out onto the pier. Amanda thought it would be fun to walk out onto one of the boat landings until she discovered that they merely floated on Styrofoam and were not very steady. But we couldn't stay there too long until she wanted to go explore the building she thought looked like a light house. I imagine she was pretty disappointed to discover it looked pretty much like any other bait/tackle/convenience store. We bought an ice cream bar and an ice cream cookie, sat on the deck and looked out over the lake while talking about the ducks, the joys of camping and "that scary dog" that we might have to face on the ride back to the camper.

The Scary Duck

Later in the day, Mr. Barker invited Amanda to do fishing with him and Brian. I didn't expect them to catch anything, but Amanda insisted on taking the digital camera so somebody could get a picture of her with the fish that she caught. Brooke went for a walk and then hung out with Jan (Barker) while I finished book #2 (Mutant by Peter Clement) this week. Just as I finished my book Mr. Barker drove up with Amanda and Brian who quickly jumped out of the car and came running, each with a bag full water with a fish in it! I'm not a fisherman, but I think they caught a perch. I'll have a picuture in here. so somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, but whatever it was, it sure made Amadna proud! Of course I had to grab the new video camera and shoot some video, too.

The Fish That Was Caught By the Child With No Head

The Proud Fisherman

Two Proud Fishermen

Kiss the Fish!

What a shame that it's Friday already. I feel like I just started relaxing yesterday, and Dad will be here in the morning to hook up the trailer and allow us to re-enter the real world. Oh well. It's 6:20pm. Guess I need to shut this down and see what the plans are for dinner.

Ta Da!

THURSDAY

Yep, it's the dogs. Up at 7:40am this morning. Everybody is just getting back from the shower house, so our camper smells like Pine Sol. It's warmed up enough to open all the windows in the camper, so it should air out soon. Don't know what the plans are for day, but they don't include going into the office and that is good enough for me. If I could just check my email, that would make me really happy!

We've quickly figured out that you can't camp without Wal-Mart, and we stopped by again today to buy the rest of our food for the week. During breakfast we watched home movies on the DVD player and decided they were priceless...so we stopped by Circuit City and bought a cheap video camera. Definitely an impulse buy, but the more home videos we watch from years ago, the better I feel about it. I'm still taking hundreds of pictures with my digital camera but there's just too many "precious moments" not to have a video camera as Amanda is growing up.

We had microwave TV dinners for dinner, and then Amanda and I went for a walk. We were walking near the lake in a flooded area when Amanda said, "Daddy, there's an aligator!" I knew there was no aligator, but I was surprised that she did indeed see something...a beaver. We watched the alligator/beaver swim until something scared it, it made a big splash with it's tail and then disappeared under water.

Brooke drove the car to pick us up down by the lake so we could watch LOST. While I was watching LOST, Brooke hid some glow in the dark Easter eggs she picked up (at Wal-Mart, where else?). Amanda and Brian had a blast finding all but the last, elusive egg. Brooke joined them in the hunt and, as of yet, it is still missing!

Glow-in-the-Dark Easter Egg Hunt

All was going fine until Amanda stepped on a thorn tht went into her shoe and broke off in her foot. We borrowed tweasers and a needle from the Barkers and went to work on Amanda's foot. It did not take long for Amanda to scream in agony (she is such a drama queen!!!) and she finally took the needle and dug the thing out herself.

The Thorn

That was about all the excitement we could handle for the night. Amanda went to bed, Brooke said up a little longer doing word search puzzles and I turned in a while after that trying to finish off book #2 for the week.

WEDNESDAY

OK, maybe it's the dogs more than camping that keeps me from sleeping in. We slept until almost 9am again this morning, but even though we miss the extra sleep, we miss the doggies more. Another bacon and eggs breakfast, some reading and then we went to pick up the dogs. Might as well grab a shower at Mom and Dad's (although how can you feel any more clean than when you are in a shower house that reeks of Pine Sol!). We grabbed a shower, grabbed the dogs and then came back to the campground.

Mmmm...sausage, eggs, toast and hash browns

We knew our friends the Barkers were going to be moving their camper, so we stopped by to see what Brian was doing. While his parents moved the camper, we took Brian with us to McDonalds for lunch.

Sully the Pirate
(everybody had to try on the "pirate hat" that came in the McDonalds Happy Meal.

Boo the Pirate

Brooke the Unhappy Pirate

Brooke the Happy Pirate

After lunch, Rob, Amanda and Brian went for a bike ride down by the lake to play at the playground. We were just thinking about coming back when we heard this "pssssssssssss" and Brian's front bike tire went flat for no appearant reason. Fortunately Brooke and the car were just a phone call away so Brian, Amanda, Brooke and the two bikes came back to the campground in the car. I (tried to) ride up the HUGE hill on my bike and arrived a short time after the car, greatly out of breath.

Amanda and Brian. We stopped by the lake on our bike ride.

Amanda and Brian played for the rest of the afternoon. Brooke talked with Jan and read. I took a short nap and read a bit. After supper we took the dogs on a LONG walk (mostly because EVERYTHING distracts Sully from doing his business), came back tot he camper, watched some TV, read some more and went to bed.

TUESDAY

Slept until almost 9am this morning...no hungry dogs to wake us up at the first sign of movement. The rain started, but nothing seriously stormy like the weather people said we could get. Had cereal for breakfast, watched a movie and then decided to head back to Arlington to run a few errands since it was supposed to rain all day. We ran by the house real quick so we could grab a real shower. While there, I had to call Sprint and reactivate my old phone. The used one I bought just six weeks ago konked out on me. Will NOT be getting any more "free" phones from Sprint that extend my already-too-long contract. They reset my "rebate" on my phone. Every 22 months you can get a $150 rebate from Sprint for a new phone. Because I had to go back to my old phone, they reset my 22 months even though the phone was not new. I'm just getting fed up with Sprint not taking good care of me as a customer. I guess they figure they have enough people that they don't have to worry about little guys like me. That was frustrating enough, but now I can't access my email from this old phone (it does not get as strong a signal at the campground). I am not a happy camper with Sprint or my phone.

Anyway, after a shower and frustrating phone conversation with Sprint, we ran by the library to pick up a book or two for all of us. After that, it was off to David's BBQ for lunch. Man, they serve some good food! We ran by Wal-Mart again and then came back to the camper. With it raining ALL DAY, I was glad not to have to take the dogs outside, but I sure miss them! Family camping is not the same without the doggies.

It was cool and rainy this afternoon, so I got in a GOOD nap. I love to sleep when it is raining! After that we fixed dinner and then went to get Brian so he and Amanda could watch a movie over here tonight. When the movie was over, we went into town (Cedar Hill) to gas up the car and grab a McDonald's ice cream for everybody. We dropped off Brian, Brooke watched Dancing with the Stars and then watched Jericho with me.

When Brooke went to bed, I spent 40 minutes trying to log into my email or Twitter on my old phone...to no avail. I finally gave up in frustration and decided to blog about the day. Frustrating day with Sprint and the phone, but fun day with the family. Definitely thankful we are camping in a trailer and not in a tent, and definitely ready for the rain to stop now. It is supposed to rain most of the night and then begin clearing up tomorrow. Amanda wants to go to the beach (if there's any left after the lake's rising due to all of the rain!), we'll do some more bike riding and hopefully pick up or doggies for the rest of the week.

MONDAY

I woke up around 7:30am. For some reason, I cannot sleep in very well when camping (I can nap all afternoon, but I can't sleep late in the morning). We are not usually big breakfast eaters, but when we camp, we usually cook up some bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast and that is what we did today.

Our camp site is right near a playground area which Amanda noticed right away last night, so we headed over there for a while this morning. After that, we went for a family walk/bike ride. Amanda rode her bike (first time since the "elbow incident"), I rode my bike and walked the two dogs and Brooke walked. This wore us out enough that we all (that is Rob, Brooke and the two dogs) needed a nap after lunch.

We had visitors after lunch. The Barkers are friends of the family since the days Brooke worked at Grace Prep, and they live here at the State Park. Amanda has not seen Brian (Barker's son who is her same age) in a couple years, so she was thrilled to see them! Brooke is out talking with her friend Jan right now while Amanda is out bike riding with Brian now.

Amanda and Brian

I am "blogging" while Brooke and Amanda are visiting with the Barkers. I have my laptop but no internet access, so I'm writing now so I'll have something to post when I get back. I HATE not having internet! I have been surviving on my cell phone. I can check my email, but I've been cut off twice (and lost everything I typyed in using the number pad!) so long replies to email do not work very well. I was updating my Facebook status, but the typing with my phone keypad is too much of a hassle. I would gladly trade our TV for internet, but I guess you're supposed to "rough it" when camping, right?!

Amanda went over to the Barkers camper to watch a movie with Brian tonight. Brooke and I ran to Wal-Mart for a few things. Storms are moving in and we are supposed to have (possibly severe) rain and wind all day Tuesday. My Mom offered for her and Dad to keep the dogs for a day so we wouldn't have to take them out in the rain. (I suspect Mom also did not want them tracking mud in the camper!). Brooke and I ran the dogs over to their house after Wal-Mart, picked up Amadnda and came back to the camper for the night. We'll see what the weather brings tonight/in the morning.

SUNDAY

This has been a crazy weekend. Brooke has been at a conference Friday and Saturday and I have been getting ready to preach today. In the midst of all of that, we were trying to pack for a week of camping. The service went well today. We prayed for Pastor David in Delaware. We prayed for him because he and Mrs. Debi were doing their marriage teaching for the church there, but we also prayed for them figuring anybody who left the great state of Texas for Delaware needed prayer anyway! After the service, we went out to eat with my parents and then headed back to our house to hook up the camper (my parents' camper) and then to Cedar Hill State Park. Dad helped us hook up the camper and then he and Mom headed home.

Lazy Day!

Brooke and Amanda's Favorite Activities for the Week...Nintendo DS and Word Search Puzzles

Nothing too exciting for the rest of the day. Brooke and I took a short nap while Amanda played on her Nintendo DS then Brooke went grocery shopping for the first part of the week. Amanda and I continued our Sunday evening tradition and watched America's Funniest Videos. Man, you know you are roughing it camping when you watch TV without the DVR! We actually had to wait for the commercials to clean up from dinner because we couldn't pause the show!! Brooke and I read some more, Amanda played some more DS and that was about it for our first day.

Took a Road Trip

I've been watching the weather report for a week, looking at maps and planning for today. Brooke was at a conference all day and Amanda went to spend the night at a friend's house straight from school, so I had time for a nice day-long road trip. I left out at 9am and returned home at 5:30pm covering about 340 miles. Here's a few highlights from my trip:

I was going to say I like "old" courthouses, but the Johnson County Courthouse in Cleburne is being restored, so I guess that makes it "not old". But I like old-looking courthouses, so I took a couple courthouse pictures today.


Everywhere I rode today, I saw signs that "Burning Ban", but this one farmer seemed to think today was an OK day to clear this field. I'm pretty sure it was not a wild fire...the farmer was watching it burn, there were no fire trucks and the outside perimeter had been plowed so the fire would stop when the grass was gone. I saw the smoke a long ways away and had to stop for a picture once I saw what was going on.


You know how you always see those signs that say "Historical Marker"? Well, when I stopped to take pictures of the field burning, I saw the "Historical Marker" sign pointing to this area, so I went to check it out. This is what's left of a school that was started in 1879.



I guess this would be the Bosque County Courthouse. It was in Meridian, TX (I think...I stopped so many times I'm confused now).



I know...a picture of sheep is not very exciting. I tried to help these guys get back in the field with the other sheep, but I ended up scaring them and just had to watch them run off down the shoulder of the highway. Fortunately, they seemed to know better than to get in the road.


This is where I ended up for lunch. I think part of the "road trip experience" is eating at local, home cooked restaurants. When I stopped in Hamilton for gas, I asked a guy filling up his truck where would be a good local place to eat lunch. He recommended a Mexican place, so I headed there. As I was parking my motorcycle, an older gentleman came up and started talking motorcycles with me. He happened to live in Ft. Worth and he told me about the club he rides with there (he actually invited me to come visit the club). He recommended this place for lunch, so I moved on down the street and gave it a try. I was happy to see hamburgers and pie on the menu, but when they just about blackened my hamburger, gave me a tiny piece of pie, charged me an extra dollar to use my debit card, overcharged for the food and had an unfriendly waitress bring it to the table...well, I sorta wish I had stuck with the Mexican joint. Oh well, it was still fun.


I didn't have a chance to see what was so "historic" about Lampasas. This was the furthest south I went today...about 150 miles from home. From here, I headed back home swinging along the western border of Ft. Hood military base.


As you may have guessed, I passed through Topsey, TX. I've never been there before, but when I saw this little barn/storefront/thing, I thought it would make a neat looking black and white picture. So here it is...complete with the black and white.


I think this courthouse was in Gatesville...I'm not sure which county it's in.


This is the clipboard I rigged so I could see my route for the day.


I did not see President Bush or even his ranch. All I got was a picture of this sign!


Last picture for the day. This was painted on the side of a building in Valley Mills (obviously).

Another Enjoyable Day

This is a quaint little house that Amanda and I saw on our motorcycle ride this afternoon. Amanda and I like to go for "country rides" and look at the animals while we are out. Here's a list of a few of the fun things we saw/did while we were out:

• Saw horses
• Saw goats
• Saw a burro
  
• Saw BIG bulls with BIG horns
• Saw cute little calves
  
• Saw a couple 'log cabin' homes
• Saw the house pictured here
• Saw a road runner cross the road
• Played chase on the playground at Lillian Elementary School
• Split a shake and orange drink at What-A-Burger
  

A Dream Day

Yes, this is a picture of my motorcycle, and yes, it is in the church sanctuary. This is a picture that was taken at the sock hop we had at the church on Valentine's Day.

But that's not the dream day I am talking about...it's just the only picture I have right now of Brooke and I on the motorcycle. When we bought the bike in November, I pictured a day just like today. Around 10am we headed out. We rode the back roads through Kennedale and Mansfield, then did some highway riding down 287 South and then exited onto another winding back road which took us to Venus. From there we wandered on into Maypearl and then over to Milford and finally into downtown Waxahachie.

My dream day with my wife riding the motorcycle included finding some "hole in the wall" restaurant, and we found a BBQ place near the town square in Waxahachie that fit the bill. We got our food and took it out on the porch to eat. Good BBQ on a warm day, just my sweet heart and me. After finishing up the home made banana pudding, we got back on the bike and headed into Duncanville to visit my Mom for a few minutes, and then we headed home. In all, we traveled about 135 miles and were gone about 4 hours. It was the day I dreamed about when I first got the motorcycle, and I can't wait for more!

Everybody FREEZE

It's Called "Sleeve Face"

Constants In Life

"There are three constants in life... change, choice and principles."

- Stephen Covey

Happy Valentine's Day...From Google Earth

Learning From Moses

I'm still reading through Exodus...trying to get through all of the measurements of the tabernacle, etc. I can't tell you how much I have grown spiritually after reading verses such as Exodus 36:25, "Then for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty boards..." (did you sense the slight use of sarcasm, or are you re-reading the verse looking for some deep, spiritual insight?).

As I read a few more chapters tonight, I noticed one phrase or idea being repeated over and over:

• Exodus 35:10 - Let every skillful man among you come...
• Exodus 35:25 - All the skilled women...
• Exodus 35:36 - All the women whose heart stirred with a skill...
• Exodus 35:35 - He has filled them with skill...
• Exodus 36:1 - ...every skillful person in whom the Lord has put skill and understanding to know how to perform all the work...
• Exodus 36:2 - ...every skillful person in whom the Lord had put a skill, everyone whose heart stirred him...
• Exodus 36:4 - And all the skillful men...
• Exodus 36:8 - All the skillful men

There's a lot of mention here about a LOT of SKILLFUL people. When the temple was built, architects were needed, those who could engrave, those who worked with stone, those who worked with metal, those who could sew and make material, wood workers, etc. And these were not just people who could get the job done...these verses tell us they were SKILLED people who had specific, extra-ordinary skills given by God. Given this fact, I find the following verse very interesting:

Exodus 38:22 - Now Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord had commanded Moses.

This made me ask, "If God had all of those skilled people to work with, and if Moses was not skilled in all of these areas, why did God give the super-detailed plan for the building of the tabernacle to Moses? Couldn't God have told the architect, "Build a temple" and told the sewing ladies, "Make a beautiful curtain for the Holy Place" and to the metal workers, "Build elaborate utensils for use in the tabernacle"?

Had God told 100 skilled workers to build for Him, they no doubt would have created beautiful work..their absolute best for God. But there would have been 100 different pictures of what the tabernacle would look like. God didn't have 100 pictures in mind for His tabernacle...He had ONE picture in mind. So he clearly communicated that picture to His leader Moses, and Moses communicated the (detailed) vision to the skilled craftsmen.

I believe God was making a clear statement about leadership.

We can create something 'great for God' based on individual pictures we create in our own minds, or we can participate in something truly great by working with other skillful people to bring about the ONE picture God has revealed to His leader(s).

Great Day for a Ride

It was a beautiful day today...too nice not to go for a motorcycle ride. I headed out to Maypearl, over to Milford, through Waxahachie back to Arlington. About 130 miles of pure relaxation.

Leadership Thoughts From Exodus 28:3

I was reading in Exodus tonight and came to chapter 28 where God gave Moses VERY specific instructions about the garments the priests were to wear. He told Moses how their clothes should be made, who should make them, how the "accessories" were to be created and worn...the whole nine yards. As I glanced over chapter 28, I almost opted to skim over what seemed "boring and irrelevant" to my Christian life in 2008. But I took the time to read anyway, and God showed me something really cool from the first half of just one little verse.

"You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom (i.e. "artistic skill"), that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to me." (Exodus 28:3, NASB)

I believe God showed me a few leadership principles from this verse, and so I'll share the short version with you. You are welcome to comment.

1. God speaks, even to people with great God-given talent, through authority. God did not tell the garment makers how to make the priests' garments. God told Moses what He wanted, and then told Moses to whom he should delegate that task. If you read all the details, Moses may not have understood everything God was telling him about the making of the priests' garments. So when Moses passed this along to the people with great "artistic skill", they could run with it. They took the picture that God gave Moses, they ran with that using their God-given talent, and created something both beautiful and pleasing to God. Had Moses tried to do it himself, it would not have been God-pleasing. Had the garment makers brought their ideas to Moses first and said, "We think this is how the priests' garments should look", that would not have been pleasing to God, either.
2. As a leaders, we should listen for God's specific instruction not only on WHAT He wants done, but also on WHO He wants to do it.
3. As those under authority, we need to tread carefully offering "suggestions" in areas where we have not been delegated authority. God gives us ideas to go along with our skills and abilities, but He places those ideas, just like our skills and abilities, under godly authority.