My new piece of art

My friend, Amanda Blake, painted this one-of-a-kind masterpiece for me. Sarah gave it to me for my birthday last week. Amanda took my love of art, photography, and mountains and combined it all together and this is what she came up with. I absolutely love it. It goes well in my "man room" (the guest bedroom in our apartment). I hung it next to my collection of antique cameras. If you are into art then you should really have an Amanda Blake original. 

Going to the BEACH!!

Hey everyone!

     So...blogging is really hard when you have a full time job. I'm sorry for not posting more but I've been actually working for a change. A real change of pace from bird watching from on the pier at Lake Guntersville. Things are good here in Memphis. Really good. However, this weekend is my birthday weekend and we are going to Panama City Beach, Fla! I am pretty pumped about that. We get to see the family and not to mention all the cake and ice cream. Have a great weekend. I'll get better at posting in the future...I promise. ;)

Places we've eaten:

Corky's

BB King's Blues Club

Tops Barbecue

Buckley's

The Belmont

Soul Fish Cafe

Red Lobster

Mrs. Cordelia's 

Gus and Trooper make a visit!

The day Sarah and I presented ourselves to the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention in Nashville we thought the day couldn't get any better. We decided to go to Five Guys Burgers and Fries to celebrate. While we were eating we received a phone call from the apartment complex we wanted to live in saying that we were approved for the unit we wanted. Surely after getting the job and the apartment complex we thought the day couldn't get any better. 

Once we got back to Sarah's parents' house we walked Roscoe around the pond. The day was nearly perfect. There wasn't much that could make it better. I can only think of a few things that could top it off and make it even better. One of those things is PUPPIES! 

When we got back to the house these two guys were hiding in the bushes. The day just got better. My in-laws live out a ways from town so we knew they were strays. However they were too cute to turn away.

The one on the left is named Gus and the one on the right is Trooper. In case you were wondering, yes, they are named after two new football coaches for Auburn University. We are not sure what breed they are. They look like they have a little bulldog in them but their eyes are almost blue. Your guess is as good as mine. 

My Father-in-law is going to keep them and add them to the pack.

And the winner is...

Five months ago I began looking for a place to start my career. I’ve felt called into the ministry for a while now and have a Masters of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. For those of you that may not know, my wife and I took a break from work and school right after I graduated from seminary in January. We’ve been living at Sarah’s parent’s lake house in Northeast Alabama. It was the time of our life but once I got my first bill for the student loans I’d accrued over my life, I felt the need to find something that would pay the bills. However, it was fun while it lasted.

For the past four years or so I wanted to be on a college campus as my career. Whether it be teaching, ministering, or administrating; I wanted to be around the energy of college students and that vibrant atmosphere. During my job search I posted over 50 resumes to any college I could think of in the Southeast US. I actually had a couple interviews that I felt really good about but they didn’t come through.

After about three months of rejection letters, Sarah decided to pitch in and throw her resume out there. Within twenty-four hours of posting her resume, she had a job offer from one of the largest landscaping companies in the US. And to top it off it was in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Destin, Fla. She would be in charge of the flowers in all the resort areas from Panama City to Pensacola, Fla. They put together an impressive proposal and we started looking for a place to live along the Emerald Coast.

In the mean time, I too received a potential offer from the Tennessee Baptist Collegiate Ministries. It was a ministry position on a college campus. Sounded like a dream come true. My job description would be the Baptist Collegiate Minister of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. In addition to that I would be supervising the interns for several smaller campuses in Memphis once we established a presence there. And on top of all that, I would serve as the President of the Baptist Collegiate Ministries of the Memphis Metro area board of directors.

All of that was very appealing to me and I got excited very quickly about the possibility. So, we began talks about when and what I would be doing. But they wouldn’t be hiring until mid September. This was July. Sarah’s job offer was hiring immediately. We had a decision to make. Should we go live the dream life along the Gulf Coast or should we take the dream job in Memphis, 5-7 hours from home?

It was a tough decision with a lot of prayer and tears and nervousness and faith involved but we chose the dream job in Memphis. As of this post, I have been here for about a week and we both love it. We found a great apartment that accepts large dogs near downtown on Mud Island. We have great neighbors and are walking distance from the mighty Mississippi River. Since Sarah and I both have a love for water, we were determined to live on or near an ocean, lake or river.

I haven’t seen Justin Timberlake or Morgan Freeman yet but I’ll keep looking out for them. They are two guys from Memphis I’d like to have a conversation with over barbecue. Timberlake seems hilarious on TV and Freeman has the coolest voice ever. So if any of you know these guys, tell them to give me a call when they are back home in Memphis. P.S: No sign of Elvis either.

We have our work cut out for us here in Memphis with all the responsibilities but we are up for the challenge. There are so many opportunities for ministry with these students since most of them are in health fields. This will enable us to do medical missions on a regular basis. Pray for us as we embark on this endeavor. Pray for our students as they are faced with balancing grueling tests, clinicals, family and their personal devotion to Jesus.

Football Fans: Part 1 of 2

This week is going to be an important week in my family’s life. Sarah and I will know whether or not we have a job. Also, we will know the state to which we will be moving. More on that later though. You should know by the end of this week what job we will have. But for now, the really important stuff…football. (Completely facetious comment for those of you wondering)

Football filled my weekend. High School, College, and Pro. I caught a high school game Friday night with my dad. Although the Auburn University game I attended was a lot of fun and watching Pro football on Sunday afternoon is one of my favorite things to do, I was highly entertained by the game on Friday night. Actually, not so much the game but the people surrounding me. People are sometimes much more fun to watch than the actual game.

At a high school game you have several different types of people in the stands.

The Coach: This guy has never played football in his life but knows what play should have been called and has an opinion on every play the “real” coaches on the sideline called. Oh yeah, he never agrees with the play unless of course it was a touchdown and then he is happy.

The Referee: This guy tries to predict the penalty before the men in stripes get a chance to. Sometimes he gets it right but even if he’s wrong he says the “real” refs didn’t see his call.

The Commentator: This guy is usually with a very pretty girl that could not care less as to what is going on down on the field. However, he tells her play by play what happened and asks her if she saw what just happened over and over again. He is oblivious that she doesn’t really want to be there.

The Diva: This girl dresses up for the game and I don’t mean that she wears a jersey and face paint. She is in the shiny blouse and high heels with faux fur somewhere on her attire. She is there to see and be seen. She always cheers and is usually the loudest but she has no idea as to the reason for her cheers.

The Has Been: This is the guy that actually played football and may or may not have been good. Regardless of how good or bad the team is on the field, his team was better, faster, stronger, hit harder, and scored more points. He and his team get better with each year he gets older.

The Walkers: This group of people can be male, female or mixed company. They never sit down during the game. They pace back and forth the entire game and always find people to wave to on the top row. They never know anyone at eye-level, it is always someone much higher up so they can give a really big wave.

The Superfan: This guy/girl does dress in a jersey, wear face paint, and has shakers and noisemakers in his/her hands. Sometimes the jersey is replaced by body paint. This person lives by the motto, “It’s not whether you win or lose…who am I kidding? We’ve gotta win!”

The Rageful Mom: This woman is very vocal. She is a former athlete of some sort. She wears tight fitting clothes and yells at the other team. Sometimes she yells at her own team’s coaches if her son doesn’t get to play. She is very aware as to what happens on the field.

The Clueless: This person enjoys life. They don't know what is going on in the game and really don't care. Actually, they don't understand why people would want to smash into each other for no better reason than the pursuit of a ball. But, it is the only thing happening on Friday night and they just finished the novel they were reading, so why not go to a game?

So, I was thinking, “What if all these people sat together?” How much fun would that be? I decided to make up a football game scenario and put all the different characters together in a dialogue. This post is too long already so I will post the dialogue in a couple days. Check back later this week for the story but in the mean time, which character are you? I am most definitely the "Has Been."

I'm Baaaaaaack!

Hey Everyone!

    Sorry about neglecting my blog. We have been quite busy over the past few weeks job searching and traveling. We are getting close to having a job! I'm not telling you where and what we'll be doing just yet but we will know soon. When we know for sure, I'll let you know. As for a story, I'm going to post a story about our recent lake trip to Tennessee. Expect something by this weekend. Once again I'm sorry but I'll do better from now on. ;)

I've also been working on another assignment for StudentLife. I've been writing the historical context of a Bible study but doing so in a creative way. I'm loving them. It has been so fun. 

Oh yeah, BIG news. My friend, Jason Wallis, and I are starting an online magazine. Expect the first issue to come out by the end of September. We've got some good interviews and photos for our premiere issue. We are excited about it. Our mission statement is: "We are an online magazine with a Christian world view that exists for the purpose of encouraging people on their journey through life." We are going to focus on both ministers and businesspeople making a difference in the secular world. 

I'm not going to reveal the name of the magazine yet but get excited. I am.

Ten Things

My friend, Jason, over at Wallnotes did this recently. I liked it and thought I would copy him. Here are ten things about me that you may or may not know.

1. I am highly entertained by people who tell stories using the phrase, “I was like…” and then they fill in the blank using sound effects
2. I follow pro football more than college football
3. I never liked reading in school but now I love writing
4. I wore a yellow tuxedo to my senior prom in high school
5. I hate clowns
6. I love looking at art and eating hot wings but I dont eat hot wings while looking at art
7. I desperately want a “man cave” when we buy a house
8. I cut grass and do yard work to relax
9. I have a Mac
10. My wife and I want a pack of dogs: yellow lab, American bulldog, mastiff, bloodhound, and Sarah wants an English/ boxer bulldog mix. So far we have the yellow lab, Roscoe.

Weekly Photos 16: Waterfalls

It rained hard today so I decided to post some waterfall pictures. I'm sorry I haven't written any posts lately. I have been busy but will have one ready by the end of this week. Enjoy.

Bryson City, NC

Cashiers, NC

Cashiers, NC

Cashiers, NC

Guntersville, AL

Weekly Photos 15: Images of Summertime

Dolphin cruise in Orange Beach, AL

Hurricane Camille wreckage in Gulfport, MS

Sunrise in Franklin, NC

Somewhere along the side of the road in North Georgia

Sunrise at St. John Island

Summer: A time for life

             We reached the beach and inhaled the sunshine through the static hiss of salty air. The waves crashed into emerald shores and placed kelp at the feet of umbrella-speckled sands. Two kayakers returned from their adventure announcing they’d seen a shark nearby. In the distance a family of dolphins played and teased us with glimpses of their silver fins. We set up our umbrella. Soon after settling our seats in the sand the scent of coconut oil wafted around us. We were finally there. Wherever there was, we were there. And it was summer.

 To our right a lady with cigarette in hand basted in the sun. Wind gusts crept the embers closer to her loose fingers grasping the filter. Her crisp tan made us wonder if she’d slept there since Memorial Day.

Three teenage girls passed by and ignored the four teenage guys they met en route. Once they reached a safe distance the girls giggled and looked over their shoulders to see if they were noticed. However, the guys fulfilled their urge to throw something. The innate desire of every male once his foot hits sand is to throw something: this instance called for a football.

A crying baby caught our attention. She stood before her mommy as tears streaked down her overly tanned face. Her mother’s shame revealed the reason for tears as she diverted attention from her daughter’s leg.  There a recognizable sludge seeped out from her diaper and trickled down her chubby thighs. Quickly turning our heads and not wanting to know how the mother disposed of her daughter’s creation, we ocean-gazed.

A muscle-bound jock meandered along the shore trying to catch the eye of a bikinied beauty or at least a mirror. Forty and fifty-somethings acted like teenagers. Teenagers acted like college students. And college students acted sober. The feats people performed without spilling their can of courage amazed me.

A small boy stood and searched the crowd for any sign of familiarity. Down the beach a mother and grandmother ran to his rescue just before the orange-swimmied smile turned into panic. Not five minutes passed before another boy with the same come-and-find-me gaze stood before us. He too was found.

An adjacent family with young children apologized for the airborne sand and screams. Their kids played where the gentle waves met the loose white sand. Sand was harder there and better for building castles. When big brother demolished little sisters’ palace, I remembered that it is all fun and games until mama leaves her lounge chair.

Passer-bys looked the same. Jocks and geeks both looked alike. My brother-in-law and I were the only ones with hairy chests. Shaved chest, backwards hat, new tattoo, beer in hand, Hurley bathing suit and Costa Del Mar sunglasses decorated each restless beast searching for his beauty.

The day ended and we trekked towels, umbrellas and coolers back to the SUV. Parentless children pretending they were at a water park monopolized the outdoor showers. We changed in the gratified bathrooms unfit for slugs.

Later we watched fireworks by the bay. Four airplanes performed aerial stunts seemingly just for us. The four antique planes drifting into the setting sun seemed symbolic as we watched with wide eyes and healing hearts. Winter and spring had brought pain through several deaths in our family; we needed the youthfulness of the beach and summer. Gawking at the reds, greens, yellows and blues burst in the sky I realized that everyone is young again at the beach. That youthful spirit we found there was the spry dosage needed to overshadow the previous seasons of death. It was summer—a time for life.