Love & War

I am so excited I signed up yesterday to blog about a new book by Jon & Stasi Eldredge. We have already been reading this book and so far WOW! So watch for more once I finish reading it :)

Those pesky resolutions

It is that time of year again and as I look back at my post I may have accomplished one of my new years resolutions! Why do we do this to ourselves anyway, is it some sort of sadomasochistic desire to hurt ourselves or a desire to truly better ourselves? For me I believe it does come from that desire to get better year after year but I fail after the third or fourth month, sometimes the third or fourth day. Its as if I can't pick motivating themes that will keep me going the full year, maybe they are just too hard. Having said all of that I am starting early this year, by the time January 1st hits I plan to have it all mapped out. My theme this year is "Heritage and Legacy" and I plan to revolve most of my resolutions around my kids. Chrissy and I discussed some of them on the way home the other night and we both feel that we need to pour more into our children this year than ever before. This pouring is not only of our time but spiritually as well. In this day where the family is made to be less important we want to lift it up as the most important unit in this country. I will list my resolutions out in a few weeks but until then help me out,have you thought about your resolutions for 2010? If so what do you think they might be?

What if God texted the 10 Commandments

LOL just saw this and thought someone else might get a kick out of it


1. no1 b4 me. srsly.

. dnt wrshp pix/idols

3. no omg's

4. no wrk on w/end ...(sat .........4 now; sun l8r)

5. pos ok - ur m&d r cool

6. dnt kill ppl

7. :-X only w/ m8

8. ...dnt steal

9. dnt lie re: bf

10. dnt ogle ur bf's m8. or ox. or dnkey.

Now this is an awesome revenge lol

Subject: Ad Posted to Craig's List Personals:

To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me in Downtown Savannah night before last. Date: 05-27-09, 1:43 A M EST.

I was the guy wearing the black Burberry jacket that you demanded that I hand over, shortly after you pulled the knife on my girlfriend, threatening our lives and me.

You also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings.

I can only hope that you somehow come across this rather important message.

First, I'd like to apologize for your embarrassment when I drew my pistol after you took my Jacket. The evening was not that cold, and I was wearing the jacket for a reason.

My girlfriend had just bought me that Kimber Model 1911 .45 A CP pistol for my birthday, and we had picked up a shoulder holster for it that very evening.

Obviously you agree that it is a very Intimidating weapon when pointed at your head wasn't it?

I know it probably wasn't fun walking back to wherever you'd come from bare footed since I made you leave your shoes, cell phone, and wallet with me.. [That prevented you from calling or running to your buddies to come help mug us again].

After I called your mother, or "Momma" as you had her listed in your cell, I explained the entire episode of what you'd done. Then I Went and filled up my gas tank as well as four other people's in the gas station on your credit card. The guy with the big motor home took 150 gallons and was extremely grateful!

I gave your shoes to a homeless guy outside Vinnie Van Go Go's, along with all the cash in your wallet. [That made his day!]

I then threw your wallet into the big pink "pimp mobile" that was parked at the curb ... after I broke the windshield and side window and keyed the entire driver's side of the car.

Later, I called a bunch of phone 900 numbers from your cell phone.
Ma Bell just now shut down the line, although I only used the phone for a little over a day now, so what's going on with that?

Earlier, I managed to get in two threatening phone calls to the DA's office and one to the FBI, while mentioning President Obama as my possible target. The FBI guy seemed really intense and we had a nice long chat (I guess while he traced your number etc.).

In a way, perhaps I should apologize for not killing you .... but I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime.. I wish you well as you try to sort through some of these rather immediate pressing issues, and can only hope that you have the opportunity to reflect upon, and perhaps reconsider the career path you've chosen to pursue in life.

Remember, next time you might not be so lucky.

Have a good day!

Thoughtfully yours,
Alex

P.S. Remember this motto.
An armed society makes for a more civil society!

Defying the Diagnosis

Stephen Hawking was just twenty-one years old in 1962 when he received the awful news that would change his life—he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.It's a devastating diagnosis: the disease is progressive, incurable and fatal. His doctors told him he had just a few years to live.

At the time, Hawking was a doctoral student at Cambridge, having already earned a degree from Oxford. But his research hadn't been going well; he was unmotivated in his work and bored with his life. His diagnosis was a turning point: he could either give up his studies and wait to die, or he could make the most of what time he had left. At first, he chose the road of despair and resignation. He wanted to give up because he didn't see any point in finishing his degree if he was going to die soon.

But he didn't give up for long. Through the encouragement and love of his girlfriend, Jane, he pulled out of his despair and found the fire and determination that had been missing before his diagnosis. He married Jane in 1965, finished his studies, and got a job at a university. True, he was afraid of dying, but even more, he was afraid that he would die without achieving anything in his life.

Hawking and Jane had three children together, and she devotedly cared for him year after year as his disease progressed. While his body was deteriorating, his career was blossoming. He was elected as one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society in 1974, became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1982, and became a Companion of Honor in 1989. These acknowledgements and public honors were bestowed on Hawking for his contri- butions to the fields of theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity, especially in the context of black holes. He has published hundreds of research papers, as well as six books. His runaway bestseller was A Brief History of Time, which stayed on the Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks -- unheard of for a science book.

It's been over forty years since Hawking got his diagnosis from the doctors. He defied their prediction of an early death, as well as his early impulse to give up. Now completely paralyzed, wheelchair-bound and compelled to use a computer voice synthesizer, he is a respected scientist, a world-renowned celebrity and an inspiration to millions.

In a 2005 interview, Hawking said, "It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven't done badly. People won't have time for you if you are always angry or complaining." That's not a bad credo to live by. Excerpted from The Best Way Out Is Always Through, by B. J. Gallagher

The Link

Well Saturday is just two more days and we are still so excited to finally be there. For all of those who can't make it, or lets face it would prefer to not sit in the main auditorium, this is the link that the University streams too.
Thanks for all of your support and prayers



IHS


Wade & Chrissy

Graduation

Greetings Everyone,


Christina and I are sitting about 5 days from graduation and have sent the last of the announcements out. There were so many people we wanted to send them to, yet as many of you know Lee only gives us so many. We had the option of asking for more but decided it wasn't feasible. So please don't worry that we didn't like you if you don't get one just think more along the lines that we knew you wouldn't freak if you didn't get one lol ;)

Seriously though you are more than welcome to come to the ceremonies or watch them on the web for those who are too far away to make it. I will post that on here once I get the information to the link. We are so thankful to you all for your prayers through all of this and would love to see or hear from each of you on that day. God has brought us through so much over the last two years, yet here we stand ready to complete this leg of the race set before us.

Onto the information that I am sure you all are wondering about! Yes we will be having a sorta party Saturday Evening starting around 5pm. There will be a $20 cover charge but it covers you all night until we lock the doors at 9pm. Early Bird special gets you a discount bringing your total down to $19.95! We are not offering a group discount at this time just in case there are people in your group that I don't like! If you take any of this information away please take away the times as that is really the only thing that is true about all of this paragraph lol ;)



P.S.

I was selected to carry the banner for the School of Arts and Science which is an awesome honor IMHO

Don't Be Discouraged

This little story came to me in an email this morning and as I read it I thought of several people who might need to know they have not even received their bat yet. So many times we let Satan beat us down before we even step up to the plate, we let him talk so much smack to us that we just turn around and walk out of the park never realizing God has the game in his hands. Revelations 21:3,4.

On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League baseball game. As I sat down behind the bench on the first base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was. "We're behind 14 to nothing," he answered with a smile. "Really," I said. "I have to say you don't look very discouraged." "Discouraged?" the boy asked with a puzzled look on his face. "Why should we be discouraged? We haven't been up to bat yet."

Think About This

I received this in an email this morning and thought it was insightful

Every morning I pour coffee in my favorite cup which has a verse on it which says:

Excellence can be attained if you . . .
Care more than others think is wise . . .
Risk more than others think is safe . .
Dream more than others think is practical . . .
Expect more than others think is possible.

In this world where negativism is constantly bombarding our everyday lives it can be difficult to be and stay positive, especially when we are striving to reach your goals and dreams. Henry Ford put it this way, "If you believe that you can or you believe that you can't, you are right".

In your life you will need to make decisions on which path you will want to take, the path that leads to freedom or the path that leads to bondage. That path can only be determined if you make a decision on what you want your destination to be. If you have no destination you will definitely get there: nowhere.

There is one statement from President Abraham Lincoln, which I believe we should realize applies to everyone: "People are as happy as they make their mind up to be." So it is up to you to decide what you want to do, how you want to be and where you want to go in life. It is your life, so make a decision!

NEVER, NEVER, QUIT!

The Abraham Lincoln Story

In 1814 he had to work to support his family after they were forced out of their home. 1816 His mother died. 1818 Failed in business.1831 Was defeated for legislature. 1832 Lost his job and couldn't get into law school.1832 Declared bankruptcy and spent the next 178 years of his life paying off the money he borrowed from friends to start his business. 1833 Was defeated for legislature again.1834 Was engaged to be married, but his sweetheart died and his heart was broken. 1835 Had a nervous breakdown and spent the next 6 months in bed. 1836 Was defeated in becoming the speaker of the legislature. 1838 Was defeated in becoming elector. 1840 Was defeated for Congress. 1843 Was defeated for congress. 1846 Was defeated for Congress again. 1848 Was rejected for job of land officer in his home state. 1849 Was defeated for Senate. 1854 Was defeated for Vice-President... Got less than 100 votes. 1858 Was elected president of the United States.



Worthwhile goals and aspirations take time to accomplish. It took Abraham Lincoln 30 years to achieve his dream of becoming the President of the United States. Even though President Lincoln faced a multitude of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, he never thought of giving up. Yes, he didn't quit no matter what happened. So you shouldn't quit either no matter what challenges you're currently facing or what obstacles you'll encounter while traveling on the path to achieve your dreams.

Change

Change Begins With Choice

Any day we wish we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish we can start a new activity. Any day we wish we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the starts, but in ourselves."

We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.

And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life - If you don't like how things are, change it! You're not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life - and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

By Jim Rohn

Failure is nothing to fear

Don't Be Afraid to Fail

You've failed many times, although you may not remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn't you? Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot.



R.H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on.



English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books.



Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.



Don't worry about failure. Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try.



Author unknown.

The Price of Success

This came in my email today and I thought it was worthy of a copy/paste, the author is unknown apparently :)




THE PRICE OF SUCCESS IS....
1. To use all your courage to force yourself to concentrate on the problem in hand; to think of it deeply and constantly; to study it from all angles; and plan ahead.

2. To have a high and sustained determination to achieve what you plan to accomplish, not only when conditions are favorable to its accomplishment, but in spite of all adverse circumstances that may arise.

3. To refuse to believe that there are circumstances sufficiently strong to defeat you in the accomplishment of your purpose. Hard? Of course it is! That's why so many never reach for success, they yield instead to the siren call of the rut and remain on the beaten path that is for beaten people. Nothing of note has ever been achieved without constant endeavor, some pain, and ceaseless application of the lash of ambition.


THAT'S THE PRICE OF SUCCESS... Everyone should ask themselves: Shall I accept the uneasy and inadequate contentment that comes with mediocrity? Or am I willing to endure the pain of this struggle for the rewards and glory that come with achievement?

In the Midst

Last night when we got home from Camp Meeting we received word that one of the most influential couples in mine and Christina's lives were in this area and wanted to see us before they left to head back to Fort Bragg. I have been struggling with a lot of stuff over the last few weeks and have felt like I was not going to make it out of this particular jungle, knowing full well that God has me in his hand it has still been so hard. Just walking around campus talking with him refreshed me in the battle even though not once did I mention how much of a God send he was to me. Then at lunch she said "Wade I remember praying for you before I ever really knew you and I knew then that God had a call on your life which is now confirmed." My heart jumped for joy to know that God had placed me in such a special person's heart even before she really knew me. So I am refreshed and ready for the next battle because God sent his messengers to me to let me know that he is working in our favor even in people that don't know us we have prayer partners.

Still in Flight

Things are going very well for us this summer, in fact I can blame that on why I have not blogged since whoa... Mar lol. In this one I will try to get you all caught up in a nice orderly fashion. First we were blessed greatly with a new/old house. All of the houses we have lived in since moving to Cleveland could fit into this house and we would have as much room to move around as before lol. It is on Broad Street, mere blocks away from Gardners Market, Lee, Seminary and the girls school. We are still unpacking boxes and moving stuff from our storage unit but feel a lot more settled than ever before. Also during this time I passed the final bits of testing for my Exhorters license in the Church of God. Anyone who ever tries to convince me a licensed minister doesn't know something had better just stop now because I am going to fill their head with all of the things I had to study just to get the entrance level license. Meanwhile we found out that Christina is carrying what I fondly refer to as the troll child! She(yes she three girls now, with a son in heaven laughing his fool head off at me)is in the 97th percentile for weight and they are estimating that if we goto full term she will weigh over 9lbs. Needless to say we are going to pick a day in September for Mackenzie Grace to enter our lives. Since May I have been working 6-8hrs a day with my internship at COG World Missions making the videos they use to promote missionaries on the web or by dvd. It has been a great time working with these various people, many of whom really are a hoot to listen to. Also in May my family went camping with what ended up being most of SCCOG. We all had a blast including the girls who never found time to just lay there with all the bikes to ride and rocks to throw. We met and got to know people that we ordinarily would have never been in contact with or had the time to sit down and just talk with. According to Pastor Moody the trip is not of God, but for once in my life I have to say that Pastor may need to really pour out his heart to God and repent ;)because he missed the voice of the Lord on this one lol. We have found our connection here in Cleveland and are so thankful for them(not just the ones who went camping). Graduation for us is very quickly approaching and this portion of our lives comes to an end on August 1st! Seminary will start within weeks of it and Christina is still thinking she is going to jump in at a close to popping 28 weeks! God is so good to those who trust in him! I know that I have done nothing extraordinary to deserve even the smallest amount of love and mercy from God yet he has given it us time and time again. He has blessed us in our business(another blog but we own an online travel agency now that has jumped out of control)he has blessed with our friendships, our housing, our children and many many many other things that I wish I could remember and name it all but only God has a memory that large.

I disagree

With all of the people who claim that "Fire Proof" was good only when compared to other Christian movies. Even Kirk Cameron, who in my opinion can not act at all did a decent job with this movie. There were things wrong with, but hey when compared to other movies in Hollywood I would say it was right in line with those. The special effects felt real, although when the LT lost his hard hat I cracked a smile. I am surprised that this movie is making it next to others simply because more so than "Facing The Giants" Christ is at the center and Christianity as the answer is very blatant. Don't get me wrong I am all for it, my wife and I know a lot of couples that are currently having severe marital issues that if allowed to continue down the current path will end in a disastrous divorce. In our society today marriage doesn't mean forever it just means for now, people jump into marriage like they jump into a bumper car at the amusement park. They drive around expecting nothing to actually hit them and when it does they are ready to change rides. Some people jump into marriage thinking it is for like, never expecting to actually have to work on it after the wedding ceremony. Of course I am sure there are others that things just sneak on them, regardless this movie has came out at a very good time.

Vacation

We felt that it was time to get away and boy did we pick the right spot lol. Phil and Kate met us in Pigeon Forge for a couple days of relaxation. We rented a cabin that came complete with Jacuzzi and pool table, really though we didn't spend a whole lot of time there as everyday we went somewhere to explore. We absolutely loved coming home at night to the "hot tub" as the girls called it or a rousting game of pool that I have yet to actually figure out. My wife and Phil on the other hand are pool sharks! For those of you who have never been to that area you need to go. We saw a show the last night we there called "Hoot and Holler". It is a dinner show that makes you laugh from the minute you walk into the room. Overall a very good time for us. I caught up with another friend of ours who didn't know anything that had happened to us last year but he said he and his wife had kept us in their prayers and felt we were on our way to something great now, finding out what we had been through only confirmed that it is indeed time.

Why

Tell me why the films of the 80's are still good lol. I am sitting here this morning watching The Karate Kid movies and wondering why our modern movies although have better technology still suck in comparison. I find it sad that I can't sit down with my kids and watch a good Karate movie without fear of having their minds polluted with things that no human being, let alone a child should see or hear. For the record I love the new movies too I just find so few that I can watch with my kids and enjoy :)

Forum Crawling

I have found myself these last few days really looking at a ton of forums. My mother and aunt have even tried to get me to post on one of theirs which has some very hotly contested topics. My problem with all of this is that as much as I like to debate there are some people on these forums that really just need a serious spanking(insert violent beating here for the rated r version). With the recent elections I have seen things like "it's the first time I slept in 8 years or I can now fly my flag outside(apparently I misunderstood the meaning as I always thought it supported the troops but this lady said I was wrong that it meant support of the President... yeah right) and the list goes on and on. Issues such as abortion get debated by the ill informed on both sides, yet when someone comes in with a somewhat intelligent discourse they are called every name in the book as if they were the cause of the lack of education to date in that particular posters life. I have actually had my life threatened for presenting an opinion that made them look foolish, and all I said was if the pro abortion people could just settle on a set time that life begins then we could debate but if they continue to be all over the pregnancy timeline we will continue to call them out for not really knowing any facts concerning the conception of life. No I don't think sperm or egg is alive in the sentient sense, which seems to always be their retort. Anyway life threatened as if he/she knew who I was. I suppose I will post eventually on that forum too though if for no other reason than to have a good reason for always watching over my shoulder lol

The Last Post

Was not directed at Mike Chapman, I think he went about things in the right way. I was referring to those post that slam every little thing that the COG is about. It's bad enough that there are people from outside that slam everything about it without the licensed ministers doing it. In my opinion these people should give up their license. So once again just to make sure it is understood I am not referring to dialogue or discussion that might bring up some various points to be discussed, but to those who feel the need to slam, insult, or otherwise degrade the COG.