We Made It!

I know that it has been a while since I've posted - no real excuses - just busy. I did have a great weekend. I ran in the Shamrock 8K in Virginia Beach on Saturday with two friends from church. We went up on Friday and ate at Olive Garden (Amy and the kids, along with their spouses, went with us). OG has to be one of my favorite places to eat, probably because we don't eat there much. We loaded up on carbs for our big run on Saturday.

The 8K on Saturday went a lot better than I thought. It was very crowded, with thousands running in this 5 mile race. I spend the first several miles dodging the walkers as I was trying to jog. I hadn't trained like I had wanted. I ended up getting a mild form of the crud a few weeks before. The crud didn't put me out of work, but just made it where I didn't do much other than go to work.

I was surprised at how good I felt when I ran on Saturday. I think being among all of the other runners really helped me. I ran the whole 5 miles, only stopping to try get a swig of water twice (it's hard to drink water when you're breathing hard!). In my training before the race, I could only run 3 miles before I had stop and walk a while. Having other folks running made a huge difference for me!

I think life is like that as well. I notice when others are eating right, it is easier for me to eat right. I need to remember to be around folks that encourage me - but also be the type of guy that is encouraging - that helps other folks be better. How about you?

Leap Day - Some Thoughts

As you know, today is Leap Day, the February 29 that comes along every four years. If you want to know about the what, why and how of Leap Year, you can check it out here. The last time it was February 29, in 2004, it was on a Sunday. I got to thinking, how often does February 29 come along on a Sunday? How often do we worship on February 29? Well, a quick Internet search told me that Sunday, February 29 happens every 28 years. Prior to 2004 was 1976, and the next time will be in 2032. I'll be 63 then, I hope. The next after that will be when I am 91. Wow! It doesn't seem that long ago to the last Leap Day. However, it has been four years. I don't feel that life has changed all that much for me, but when I look at my kids, they have really changed in the last four years. Imagine the next Leap Day. My kids will be 19, 17 and 13. Three teenagers. I remember being a kid and couldn't wait to grow up and be older. I remember my grandfather telling me that there will be a time that I would look back and wonder where the time went. I think that I am realizing that now. I don't look back, or ahead, with regrets. I think sometimes we need to pause and reflect on the past and look ahead to the future so we can have a proper perspective about the moment in which we live. In the Bible, Paul writes "be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity." I don't want life to slip by, I want to make the most of it!

Fun at the Dentist?

Today, the kids and I went to the dentist for our six month checkup and cleaning. Earlier this week, our daughter, Katherine, was sick and was quite concerned that she would not be able to go to the dentist. She's nine, and loves going to the dentist. In fact, all of our kids actually enjoy going to the dentist.

Man, things have changed. I didn't like going to the dentist at all when I was a kid. In fact, when I was their age, I'd rather go to the doctor for a shot than to the dentist for a cleaning. It seemed like it took forever, and all that scraping, poking and rinsing. If you had a cavity, that was tough. The sounds, smells and tastes that one only experienced at the dentist.

You know, I've noticed that they do things a bit differently at our dentist than the one I went to growing up. For one, at our dentist, there is a TV in each room. So when you go to your room to sit in the "chair", the hygienist asks you what you want to watch on TV. Cool. Today I watched Regis and Kelly. (It was already on.)

Next, they took x-rays of my teeth. No big deal, just bite down on a piece of plastic that's connected to the computer while the hygienist pushes the button. As fast as it took to position the plastic in my mouth four times, the x-rays of my teeth were now on the computer screen.

Now, the cleaning. No more scraping. They now use a miniature power washer to get the plaque off. It's painless and takes little time. A quick polish, floss, rinse and I'm done. No wonder my kids don't mind going to the dentist.

Well, they haven't had to get a cavity filled, you might say. In fact, Kaleb had a cavity filled a while back. Since it was in a permanent tooth, I decided to get the composite (white) filling so it wouldn't be noticeable - like all the silver in my mouth. Afterwards we went out to eat, I told Kaleb he would have to wait a few extra minutes since he just got a filling. He said he didn't get a filling. I had to go to the car and get the receipt to show him that he had gotten a filling. When I was a kid, you knew when you got a filling. In fact, it was such an experience, I still remember getting a filling to this day.

Why write about this? You see, the mission of the dentist has not changed over time. His/her mission is to help you keep your teeth so you can still use them when you get older. In fact, they are pretty much doing the same things today as when I was a kid. However, they have done well to make the experience more pleasant for the patient. In fact, going to the dentist has gone from being a dreaded event when I was a kid, to a pleasant event that my kids anticipate.

I think church should be that way, too! I want to make church - a relationship with God - so fun that kids can't wait to get to church. I don't think that the mission has to change, just maybe some of the ways we do things. In fact, this isn't just for kids. I think church should be so great that adults can't wait to be there! That's what we're trying to do a Bagley Swamp. What do you think?

Crooked Teeth

Here is the Back Page to our latest newsletter at the church:

On the day I write this, Kaleb has another orthodontist appointment. Apparently, they do things a little differently these days with braces than when I had them.

When I got my braces, I got both the top and bottom braces at the same time. Kaleb first got braces on his top teeth, then he got an expander. The expander is a plate that is placed in the roof of his mouth and we were to ‘turn the key’ in the expander each night for seven nights. I never had an expander. Apparently the expander widens the palette. According to Kaleb, when this widening takes place, it is quite painful. I noticed that he didn’t eat as much that week.

I was surprised when it took so long to put the braces on his bottom teeth. Those teeth were so crooked that I thought they would want to work on them first. I mean, they were as crooked as Bagley Swamp Road. However, when he did get braces on those teeth, they seemed to straighten up over night. But it was painful. The poor guy didn’t eat much of anything for several days.

Even though Kaleb’s palette has been widened and his bottom teeth are straight, he still has those things in his mouth. The expander has been in there for months. The work of the expander was done in seven days. However, the orthodontist said the expander had to stay in for a while so the palette wouldn’t move back to the way it was. The same is for those bottom braces. If they were taken off now, the teeth would shift back. I’ve had friends to get their braces off and not wear their retainers, and their teeth go from straight to crooked.

In life there will be a time when we see that our lives are really messed up, or crooked. It may be painful, because we see how far we have moved from God. However, if we allow God, He will straighten out our relationship with Him. That happens in an instant when we are saved, but that is not where it stops. If we get saved and then go on with life like before, it’s like putting braces on for one week. We need others to help us stay ‘straight’. That’s what we’re about at Bagley Swamp. Connecting people with God . . . and each other.

I Finally Did It!

I did something today that I haven't done for 20 years. It's not that I haven't had the opportunity. I've been chicken. I've been scared. I've wimped out. I've avoided it. Made excuses.

Today I gave blood. Amy (my wife) has given blood for years. But, I always chickened out. I gave once back in high school. It wasn't the best experience. I remember that I got real woosy and almost passed out.

Well, I decided that it was time to stop chickening out. A neighboring church, Up River Friends, was hosting a blood drive with the American Red Cross today. I had plenty to do today, so I had an excuse. But today I felt that I needed to do the right thing. I needed to give blood, the gift of life.

Amy and I went and gave. As you can imagine, I was a little nervous about it. The folks there were great, both from the church and the ARC. How did I do? Uhh . . . a little better that my first experience, but not a ton.

Next time I'm going to eat well before I go, maybe I won't get that woosy feeling. Who knows, I may just be one of those people that gets woosy each time. The thing is, I believe the only way for there to be blood at the hospital when it's needed, is for it to be donated. I don't think scientists can make blood.

Soooooo . . . I'll be there next time, woosy or not. Maybe you ought to be there too!

Home from Richwood

We all made it safely back home to Bagley Swamp. The crew riding the van arrived around 4:30 pm and the crew that finished up at Ms. Spencer's home arrived just before 8:30 pm. They were able to get everything finished on the outside of the house. Their work on Saturday sealed up the house from wind and rain. Great job guys! Yesterday our mission crew shared in both services at church. They shared from their hearts. We went to Richwood to make an impact for God, but listening to our stories, you could tell that we were impacted as well. Our God is awesome. He allowed us to do something for someone else, have fun at it, be successful, have fulfillment, and change us in the process. How awesome is that?! We also recognize the sacrifice that all made to go on the trip - not only those who went - but also those left behind to do all the things that we weren't here to do. Thanks!

Friday Update @ Richwood

Today has been a very busy day. The weather was cold, but otherwise very beautiful. Todd and I put up the plywood on the room that we built at the pantry. Considering that neither one of us are carpenters, it looks good. I have a lot of splinters in my hands to prove that I at least touched the stuff. Veronica and Belinda painted both the inside and outside of the new room. They made it look even better. We went over to help the other crew after lunch.

The rest of the crew headed straight to Ms. Spencer's to work. New OSB and tin were put on the roof to make sure that she stayed dry. We finished putting up the siding, which makes her house look really good. Insulation was put into her ceiling in the repaired room, and a new ceiling installed. We worked until about 6:45 PM, using flashlights. There still some more that needs to be done to make her house where water won't damage the new stuff that we've done. Jeff, Billy, Lewis and Edward said that they would go back over to the house in the morning and work to get the necessary stuff done. They say it shouldn't take too long. The rest of us will leaving in the morning to return to Bagley Swamp. The guys will come when they get done.

Some of our ladies have been able to connect well with Ms. Spencer. Annie has given her a haircut, and all of them put together a goody bag with all sorts of items that will be of great benefit to her. They have spent a lot of time talking and being a friend to her. That's what it's all about.

Before we left this evening, we all gathered in her refurbished room to pray a prayer of blessing on her and her home. She told us what an impact we have had in her life. I won't go into details; we will have plenty to share on Sunday morning. Our Richwood crew will be sharing at both services on Sunday, 8:30 and 11 am.

Please pray for us as the guys finish up tomorrow and as all of travel home. We've had a blast in Richwood. We also can't wait to get home.

Signing out from Richwood.