Aaron Ivey: Between the Beauty & Chaos

hopefully, from time to time i will be writing about music that i like. aaron ivey's new cd is absolutely amazing! some of you may know him from spur58. i got the cd a couple of months ago and everytime i listen to it God ministers to me. the very first track "found" is a beautiful reminder that we have our identity in christ and will lead you into worship from the very first word. awesome! the rest of the cd does not disappoint. there are a couple of classic hymns thrown into the mix as well. very thoughtful words and beautiful melodies around subtle, but sweet guitar licks make for a sound that is very pleasing to the ears all while satisfying and challenging the soul. i STRONGLY recommend this one. God bless!

Dek through the years...or year!!

Dek (my beloved dog) turned one year old on December 16. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEK!!! Here are a few pics from the past year....

Get ready to say, "Awwwwww..."

Awkward Moments......

I had a revelation today so I am going to start writing about awkward moments that happen as they come up. It should be amazing!!

Awkward moment number one…

Ok, so I went Christmas shopping in Gainesville with my mom, sister, and niece! I know, I know, that’s awkward in itself but I promise you, if I can actually put into words what happened, you will be thoroughly satisfied. I am going to try so hard, I promise! Now, I was pretty much on this trip to be the driver and entertainer for Hollyn (that’s my niece for future reference). It was awesome, you know, spending good quality time with my family. Well, things happen when you drink fluids. Haha, yeah! You got it! I had to use the men’s room (sorry if I’m too graphic but this was just awkward). Ok, normally this is a pretty routine part of the day (haha I can’t believe I even wrote that) but not on this day! On this day, all bets were off (I found out)! Now, I realize that it’s that time of year and there are a little more (let’s see, how can I put this?) “less-normal” people out and about but why in the bathroom!!?? Of all places! Today, the bathroom was not only a place of “rest” but it was a place for conversation! Pretty much like Starbucks in the men’s room (without the coffee and, well, um…the pleasantries!!!!). Nope! According to my compadre this was apparently the time to ask all kinds of questions, one of which was, “Have you ever been to New York City?” WHAT!!?? Did you really just ask me that !?!? And in the bathroom of all places! Apparently the bathrooms in NYC are, shall I say, close quarters!?!? I don’t really know because I’ve never been but, unfortunately, I think I got a little taste of what it might be like!

Point of the story: don’t take your trips to the restroom for granted! You never know what questions you might be asked!

Haha, alright, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

'Tis the (R)eason

Christmas is awesome! I love it! It's cool to see how one holiday can bring not just families and friends together, but, basically the whole world. I mean, really, just look around or watch TV. When Chrstmas comes around everything we see gathers around this magnificent theme. Movies come out about Christmas. TV shows make their episodes about Christmas. Musicians release Christmas albums. As you travel from town to town you see a vast array of Christmas decorations. It truly is amazing when you stop for just a minute and think about that!

Why, do you ask? Why does this happen? All because of the simple birth of Jesus Christ. Wait! There must be something different about this birth. Oh, yeah! There is! Jesus is GOD! How in the world can this impact everyone? Because it's the power of God at work. Even in the people who don't want to recognize it. My God is an awesome God!

So, as we celebrate, don't forget why we do what we do. It's a celebration, first of all, because God revealed Himself to us, He gave us His son, who would become, and still is, and forever will be, our Savior. We gather together with our frends and families because the wise men and shepherds gathered together to worship the newborn King. We give gifts to the ones we love because the wise men and shepherds gave gifts to Jesus as an act of worship. We (should) celebrate Christmas as an act of worship. The challenge is for everyone to enjoy themselves thoroughly this Christmas, not in the things you do, or in the parties you attend, or in the gifts you give and receive, but in the worship of an awesome God who made a way for us to be in fellowship with Him through His son Jesus Christ!

'Tis the Reason for the Season!

Merry Christmas!

I'm dreaming...

Well, I made it home for the holidays and I'm dreaming of a White Christmas! (ha, not really, it's too cold!) I wish I had something amazing to say right about now but, unfortunately, my brain is on Christmas break, too! Therefore, I will leave you all (for now) with greetings of mistle toe (if I could only be so lucky), boughs of holly, Christmas trees, gingerbread houses, gifts of love, egg nog, pumpkin spice latte's (ew), and quality family time. This is the best time of the year! (Well, when it comes around. Summer is cool! Football season is pretty sweet, too!) haha. I'm just rambling so I'll just let it be.....

Well, these pictures don't even come close to capturing how amazing the sky looked on this night. One, it's a camera phone (hint hint) and two, I was driving! So, take it easy because I'm still working on my photographic skills! Hope you enjoy our Creator!

What?!?! It's Raining?!?!

Yep, it's true. It is raining AGAIN! It wouldn't be a big deal but there is some serious flooding going on and I am no "flood-ologist" but, more rain only means more river water. Pray for those who this really effects!

I am thinking about driving around a bit today and taking a look at those rivers. It is amazing and scary to drive over a massive, moving body of water like that when it is only a few feet from the road. It's kind of like chasing tornadoes, which I do in my spare time! Talk about a rush!

Last night I brought the taste of Carrabba's into my own home. Yep, chicken parmesan with fettuccine alfredo! Get this! NO RECIPE! Somehow, I managed to pull it off with common sense. I'm not going to lie, it was GOOD! If you guys don't believe me, then I'll cook it for you and that's a promise!

Hopefully, I can get some pics of the things I see today. On my way to church I took some awesome pics of the sunset but they're on my phone and I'm having a bit of trouble getting them to my computer so we'll see.

Fall in love with the Savior!

Sunshine!!!

(Singing) "I can see clearly now the rain is gone"...wait! Yep, there's more rain! Oh, and I'm seeing more clearly because of my new contacts! Yeah!

Foggy Fogs, alot!!!

It has been raining CONSTANTLY! I mean, I appreciate the rain because I know we need it but, seriously, it's been two weeks! It's all good though! Thankfully, there hasn't been any crazy flooding in this area that I'm aware of (although, the rivers are rising!!!). Anyway, one serious side effect of tons of rain and cool temperatures is FOG! I don't really mind fog except when it is as thick as gravy and I have an hour and a half drive home from church. I normally don't mind to drive but I do have to say I was a little worried last night. With God's grace, I made it home safely and even had one person check on my safety. Thanks! It's good to know one person cares.

It got me thinking...

A great phenomenon of driving in the fog is that you can actually see better with your lights on dim rather than bright. I know, it's unbelievable! Trust me. I tried it all the way home. Brights on, brights off, brights on, brights off, etc. It's very difficult to see in the fog. Cars are barely visible. Intersections sneak up on you. The scenery disappears. It's pretty much just the fog and you.

Sin is like fog. It clouds our vision and judgment. Circumstances that could trip us up and cause us to crash become less visible. The difference between black and white becomes more and more gray. Decisions and choices in life take us by surprise and often lead us into making the wrong decisions. The beauty of God disappears and we completely lose sight of the glory of God.

Don't let this happen to you. Allow the true light of God to come in to your life and take the darkness of sin away. Much like the sun burns away even the thickest and darkest patches of fog!

Everyone (all two of you who read this!), have an awesome day!

Big Day!?!?

Florida vs. Alabama....this is huge! Let's see, my roommate is an Alabama fan, most of my church and youth group are Alabama fans, two miles from the Alabama state line, bragging rights on the line, still haven't figured out how an elephant rolls tide!!??, and, well, Tebow promised! I love it! More on this later!

Hello Blog World!!!

This is something that I have been wanting to do for a while now. Well, without further delay...here I am! Officially a part of "The Blog World". There is much work to be done to the site so please just hang in there. I have a lot to say (at times) and look forward to telling you how life happens for me and, hopefully, sharing thngs with you that may help you look at things a little bit differently. I hope all is well with you wherever you may be. God Bless!