Buying our FIRST HOME!

It has all happened so fast! First we applied to get pre-approved and spent time looking at houses online and before we know it we are signing a contract to bid on a house! We heard back from our mortgage broker that we were approved and then called our real-estate agent to go see some houses on Saturday.

After seeing quite a few houses we came to our last stop and absolutely fell in love with the place! It's 3 bedroom/2 bath house on 2.5 acres with a nice fenced in yard and PLENTY of room to grow. The place needs a little work but we have been so blessed to find this place!

We submitted our bid on Saturday night and they accepted it on Sunday afternoon. We have to get the home inspected and surveyed before we confirm the deal but the rest of the paper work is already underway! I am really excited... honestly... Heather and I will finally have a home of our own!

Please pray the inspection goes well!

*Update* Pictures can be found at: http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/16003-Cr-4197--Bailey-Rd_Lindale_TX_75771_1105052691

The Day of the Lord

"Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord!
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?
That day will be darkness, not light.
It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.
Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light - pitch dark,
without a ray of brightness?"

Amos 5:18-20


Wow! I hear so often "I can't wait to see Jesus!"... uhm... I'd like to see Him about 1000 years after He comes back. The Jesus who comes back isn't the meek and mild baby in a manger... this is a man with a SWORD COMING OUT OF HIS MOUTH.

Honestly, yes, it will be a great day when He returns... we will at least know we are on the same side and where we will be if we get caught up in His judgment of this world but I can't say I am "looking forward" to that day with anything more than a holy fear. It is going to be intense.

How is your heart? I hope you aren't setting any false expectations about the last days being some cute and fluffy harp & cloud shindig. I can't say I have found enough scripture to back up this whole being taken up before the really hard times come... it seems more likely they we will be here along with everyone else while the Lord is pouring His judgment on the earth. Are we ready for that? Can we be ready for that?

The Lord, Slow to anger...

I had a relevation this morning (i love you sweetheart). The Lord is so much slower to anger than I am. I know it sounds obvious but it just hit me funny this morning as I was reading the word.

His people are beaten, destroyed, raped, murdered... and he doesn't budge. Our first thought is "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" But he has something up his sleeves... which brings a different though... does God has sleeves? Does he wear clothes? I digress.

But He HASN'T forsaken us. He doesn't want us harmed or destroyed but through this He is going to do something great.

It is funny how we want him slow to anger with us but not our enemy's isn't it? "No Lord, I know that I turn my back on you every day and don't do what you say but those people don't even believe in you... be patient with me and if they do anything to me destroy them."

Anyway... it has been something I have been thinking about lately.

I won Olympic Gold in swimming?

I had such a vivid dream last night. I was on a diving board next to Michael Phelps and some other swimmer named Paul. I had just gone into this big building to get something while Heather stayed in the car. The gun went off and the three of us dove and the race began; I think it was only the 100 meter freestyle. Oddly enough I was keeping up with the two of them and by the time we hit the finish line we were all tied... or so I though. I had actually beaten the two of them by less than a second. I thought I had lost but the other two kept lifting my hands up and telling me it was a good race.

I ended up getting the Gold medal... I had beaten Michael Phelps and won an Olympic Gold medal in swimming. No one would believe me. I wandered around the building (which was looking more and more like a wal-mart) for a while in a daze that I had ACTUALLY won a gold medal when I finally ran into my wife. I wanted to act like nothing had happened but she heard it all on the radio. She was so excited for me and gave me a big hug.

The weird thing about this dream was that it was so vivid - so detailed. I started to wake up and forced myself back into the dream because I wanted so badly for it to be true. As I finally began to wake up it started to hit me that it was all just a dream but that feeling of winning gold has stuck all morning... like there is something different about me.

I can't say I have found a gold medal lying around the house but I will check with my wife when she gets up :)

I wasn't prepared for this!!

One thing I learned about TM after leaving the HA is that it really isn't their job to prepare us for these kind of things. They are there to help you draw closer to God and break through the things that hinder you from that intimacy.

Though they have different programs that can help prepare you it is not really their job to prepare you for everything in life.

The HA didn't prepare me for the responsibilities of being a married man. Sure I learned what a Godly man is supposed to look like and act like but I had no idea my flesh would fight so much for the desire of "my own time" and "time alone". You know what? It's not TM's job to train me for that. I need Godly men in my life to help me with these. I need to learn by experiencing this change for myself.

The HA didn't prepare me for how hard it is to get a job. (Philip, your post inspired me to write this but this isn't a jab at you, it is something I have heard so often spoke by alumni. I love you bro). It is not their job. They can pull in Mr. Neil and teach you how to write a good resume and perform well in an interview but they CAN NOT CHANGE THE ECONOMY! If the economy is weak where you live no experience you can have can get you a job. This is why people with their masters degree's and 30 years exp are putting together a double quarter pounder at McDonalds and being paid min wage just to pay their bills.


Yes, this is a rant... kind of. Part of this is the same thing I have struggled with. We had this idea that when we left the Honor Academy we were supposed to be this "Elite Few"; I mean we survived ESOAL, countless LTE's, accountability, growth groups, dorm life and some of the most intensive spiritual/leadership training available to teenages/20 somethings... shouldn't we rise above the rest and be the first picks? No. Not nececarily. Our personal character is what will decide that.

Going to college and getting a degree does not guarentee you a job... it may only raise your chances of getting an interview; from there on out it is all you.

I am in charge of hiring for my department now and it is interesting to see those who have their college degrees and these impressivly wrote/twisted resumes. Having exp is a great quality in my work but do you know what is more important? The humility to put your pride to the side and place yourself under the leadership of someone willing to bring you on board and teach you the ropes. I want to hire someone who IS the best... or has HAD the best training... I want to hire someone who can be MADE the best with the BEST training for that specific job.


So if you find yourself with that thought in your head, "TM didn't prepare me for ______!" Ask yourself this... was it really their job in the first place?".

//End Rant.

Peaceful Mornings

I love being married. Every morning I get up before my wife to come and spend some quality time with the Lord and a cup of fresh coffee. The peace of a quiet house with only the sound of cars driving in the rain outside brings me so much joy. I never had this much peace back home (or even the HA for that matter)... real time to get up and be still before the Lord before life grabs me by the throat and yanks me through another day.

Don't get me wrong; I love my job and really don't have much to do outside of work aside from spending time with my beautiful wife (isn't she beautiful?) but sometimes I feel like the "daily grind" can get monotonous.

All-in-all life is good, married life is good and the Lord is good.

I have been reading through Psalm 85 for a while now... Lord restore this nation. Our candidates don't encourage me... our economy doesn't strengthen me... all we have is You Lord.


P.S. The Lord protected us from Gustav... looks like it is running more North than West. We got rain all day yesterday and probably all day today and then it is supposed to clear up.

Blessings all!

TD Gustav Hits... how will our APT fair?

Yep... I am looking out my window this morning at Tropical Depression Gustav. I am creating videos with my web cam in time lapse, if any of them turn out I will post them up here.

For those of you who don't know I am in the city of Tyler TX (circled in red on the map):

This storm is expected to hit hard even though it is no longer a hurricane (or even a tropical storm). The BIG problem here is that it is slowing down a LOT; that means it is expected to dump a ton of rain and wind on us for several days.

Be praying. We are prepared for the worst... ready for several days (or weeks if need-be) without water or electricity... but there is still danger in this storm.

Cell phones should work just fine through this... call me... I know I haven't talked to many of you in a while.