9/3/12
Bath time!
Here's the boys taking their first bath without a support. Samuel's having too much fun and Joshua seems to be like "what in the world are we doing?!"
4/30/12
My Automotive History - UPDATED 2/2021
So, I stole this idea from www.15q.net, which is a cool website about mostly license plates across the nation. However, one section, the author put down all of his cars, beginning with his first. So, I'm stealing the idea! I wonder who else might do this with me? :D (Btw, I don't have pictures for all the cars scanned, so I'll put in some pictures from the internet as fill-in.)
My first car of my own - 1982 Buick Electra Limited
(By the way, not my car, but pretty darn close. I'll see if I can change the picture with a scan of my Buick later)
This was a grandma car, literally. The original owners had bought it new in 1982 as a closeout special. They had had the engine rebuilt two years before I bought it, had the interior redone a year before. In other words, I was getting a car that was nearly brand new for $1200. The downside was that we had to immediately put it into the shop for $1200 worth of transmission repairs and the seat transmission (to move it forwards and backwards) went out in 2001, necessitating me to drive from nearly the back seat for the last year I owned it. When gas got to $1.75 a gallon, I couldn't afford the 14 miles to the gallon that I was getting. We sold it for $1 to a family that needed good transportation and a reliable one at that. A good first car.
Particulars:
Owned: June, 2002-July, 2002
Miles Driven: Approximately 50,000 - the speedometer broke shortly after we bought it b/c of a faulty wire.
(Again, not the real car, but close.)
I HATED this car. Dad found it for me from one of his friends at NAMB and we bought it for around $1500. The engine was underpowered, the steering horrible, and, as you can see from the above picture, everything was plastic. It was not a car that was built for a 6'1'' person, and was often in danger of being blown off the interstate by crickets and grasshoppers. Most of the time, it was running on three cylinders because it would burn through spark plug wires, and most important...IT WOULDN'T DIE. I tried many times to kill the engine in this thing. Give it to Ford for finally building the indestructible engine. Even though it would burn oil, I wouldn't put any in and hardly ever took it to get an oil change. It would finally ping when it would be ready for another quart. What finally killed it was getting rear-ended by another person in Carrollton who was going around 35 and didn't hit her brakes. The whole rear end of the car was crushed, the trunk deck was lifted around an inch, and the rearview mirror popped off with so much force that it took an entire piece of glass from the outside with it.
Particulars:
Owned: July 2002 - September 2004
Miles Driven: No idea, but too many for my tastes.
Disposition: Totaled and sent to a junk yard in Ranburne, AL
3rd Car - 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300D
The most amazing car known to mankind.
My first car of my own - 1982 Buick Electra Limited
(By the way, not my car, but pretty darn close. I'll see if I can change the picture with a scan of my Buick later)
This was a grandma car, literally. The original owners had bought it new in 1982 as a closeout special. They had had the engine rebuilt two years before I bought it, had the interior redone a year before. In other words, I was getting a car that was nearly brand new for $1200. The downside was that we had to immediately put it into the shop for $1200 worth of transmission repairs and the seat transmission (to move it forwards and backwards) went out in 2001, necessitating me to drive from nearly the back seat for the last year I owned it. When gas got to $1.75 a gallon, I couldn't afford the 14 miles to the gallon that I was getting. We sold it for $1 to a family that needed good transportation and a reliable one at that. A good first car.
Particulars:
Owned: June, 2002-July, 2002
Miles Driven: Approximately 50,000 - the speedometer broke shortly after we bought it b/c of a faulty wire.
Disposition: Sold to another family in Mableton, GA
2nd Car - 1992 Mercury Tracer
2nd Car - 1992 Mercury Tracer
(Again, not the real car, but close.)
I HATED this car. Dad found it for me from one of his friends at NAMB and we bought it for around $1500. The engine was underpowered, the steering horrible, and, as you can see from the above picture, everything was plastic. It was not a car that was built for a 6'1'' person, and was often in danger of being blown off the interstate by crickets and grasshoppers. Most of the time, it was running on three cylinders because it would burn through spark plug wires, and most important...IT WOULDN'T DIE. I tried many times to kill the engine in this thing. Give it to Ford for finally building the indestructible engine. Even though it would burn oil, I wouldn't put any in and hardly ever took it to get an oil change. It would finally ping when it would be ready for another quart. What finally killed it was getting rear-ended by another person in Carrollton who was going around 35 and didn't hit her brakes. The whole rear end of the car was crushed, the trunk deck was lifted around an inch, and the rearview mirror popped off with so much force that it took an entire piece of glass from the outside with it.
Particulars:
Owned: July 2002 - September 2004
Miles Driven: No idea, but too many for my tastes.
Disposition: Totaled and sent to a junk yard in Ranburne, AL
3rd Car - 1978 Mercedes-Benz 300D
The most amazing car known to mankind.
This was and still is my all-time favorite car. I still talk about it at least once a week and still have a heart and longing for another one. We had a 1982 300D as a family car in the mid-90s that Nathan had a wreck in and was totaled. We had another 2 D-model Mercedes from 1996-2002, one of which was another 300, and the other was a 240. When the opportunity to have whatever car I could find for $1500 came up, I began to look for another 300D for myself. This beauty was what I found. A perfect body, but needed some light work underneath the hood and in the suspension. It had the Euro headlights, plether blue interior, and the original radio was still in it. I was hoping that this would be my long-term project car, but unfortunately, the original engine gave out at 340,000 miles, cracking two of the five cylinders while I was driving to work one day in Carrollton. We tried to sell it for a while, but it just sat. Sadly, in late 2006 I sold it for a parts car. Even more sad, I never registered it with Mercedes or wrote down the VIN number, so I won't ever be able to come across the chassis if I wanted to.
(UPDATE 2021 - I found out from the person I used as a broker to sell this car that it is actually still on the road!! The person who bought it put a new engine into it, and when he was not able to drive anymore gave it to one of his children. They still drive it!)
Particulars:
Owned: October 2004 - September 2006 (ran until April 2005)
Miles Driven: close to 100,000.
Disposition: Engine busted, sold to a junk dealer in Western North Carolina
4th Car - 1995 Mazda Millenia
For a while, I didn't have any car to drive consistently. I drove a 1995 Dodge Spirit that had been my Mamaw's, then Dad's. However, Dad gave it to BJ without telling me or letting me have a say! I drove Dad's 1995 Toyota Paseo convertible for a while, all the time trying to save up enough money to buy a car. This one was not a bad car overall, but not a great one, either. Bought this through Craigslist in Blairsville for $1200. I only owned this for a short while because it spat smoke like it was a chimney. Apparently, the V6 model of this car had a problem with the scrubbers that were installed, but it cost quite a bit to get down to them so you could fix it. Instead of dealing with that, we sold it so that we could get something a little better and more dependable. Funny enough, I made money on the sale of it, selling it for $1500!
(UPDATE 2021 - Dad's Paseo ended up being donated with their 2005 Kia Sedona van and a 2001 Ford Taurus that I had briefly owned but given to Dad to American Red Cross - see below.)
Particulars:
Owned: March 2007 - September 2007
Miles Driven: About 10,000.
Disposition: Sold to a guy in the Atlanta area.
5th Car - 2007 Hyundai Accent GLS
This was my first brand new car ever. We bought it at Cartersville Hyundai (which, sadly, is out of business) for around $10,000. It was a fun little car, but that was the problem: little. When Tasha and I found out that we were having twins, we realized that we needed something much larger pronto. Thankfully, the resale value had stood up rather well and we were able to get more than we owed for it when we traded it in for our first van (see 7th car).
Particulars:
Owned: September 2007 - September 2011
Miles Driven: Slightly more than 40,000.
Disposition: Traded in at Capital BGC in Marietta, GA.
6th Car - 2008 Hyundai Sonata GLS
(unfortunately, we don't have a good picture of our Sonata, but it looked exactly like this)
The infamous 'trim piece' car...we bought this car when gas went over $4 a gallon. Tasha had a 2004 Honda CR-V (a car we should have kept) that was killing us on gas at the time. We traded that in for this car, and were pleased with it while we drove it. A good and roomy car, it did lack a bit under the hood, but it was a sedan and a new one at that. The problem for us was that right before we traded it in for our second van (see car 8), the back window exploded on us because of the heat. While all of us have heard of this before, I don't think any of us have ever seen it happen. When we took it to the dealership (because we were still well under the 50,000 mile warranty), we were told that the back window was only covered in the 10,000 mile warranty because it was a TRIM PIECE. I was seeing red. Needless to say, we quickly decided that since Hyundai couldn't actually stand behind what they stated their warranty was, we couldn't own any of their vehicles. We traded this car in after about a month of getting it fixed.
Particulars:
Owned: November 2007 - October 2011
Miles Driven: 48,000
Disposition: Traded in at Capital BGC in Marietta, GA
7th Car - 2004 Honda Odyssey EX-L
We bought this because we needed something to bring the boys home in, and this really fit our needs. I told Tasha that if we were going to get a van, the only kind that I wanted was a Honda. She found this one at Capital for a song, and on top of it, it has all of the bells and whistles that one could ask for. It was just at 103,000 when we bought it (we've put on around 11,000 going between Blue Ridge and other places in it), and runs very smooth. Leather seats, heated seats, CD player, DVD player, 2-zone AC/Heat, side and front airbags, 4 captain chairs, and a tape deck. :D
Particulars:
Owned: September 2011 - October 2012
Miles Driven: around 20,000
Disposition: Traded in at Cobb County Kia for 2013 Kia Sorento
Particulars:
Owned: October 2004 - September 2006 (ran until April 2005)
Miles Driven: close to 100,000.
Disposition: Engine busted, sold to a junk dealer in Western North Carolina
4th Car - 1995 Mazda Millenia
For a while, I didn't have any car to drive consistently. I drove a 1995 Dodge Spirit that had been my Mamaw's, then Dad's. However, Dad gave it to BJ without telling me or letting me have a say! I drove Dad's 1995 Toyota Paseo convertible for a while, all the time trying to save up enough money to buy a car. This one was not a bad car overall, but not a great one, either. Bought this through Craigslist in Blairsville for $1200. I only owned this for a short while because it spat smoke like it was a chimney. Apparently, the V6 model of this car had a problem with the scrubbers that were installed, but it cost quite a bit to get down to them so you could fix it. Instead of dealing with that, we sold it so that we could get something a little better and more dependable. Funny enough, I made money on the sale of it, selling it for $1500!
(UPDATE 2021 - Dad's Paseo ended up being donated with their 2005 Kia Sedona van and a 2001 Ford Taurus that I had briefly owned but given to Dad to American Red Cross - see below.)
Particulars:
Owned: March 2007 - September 2007
Miles Driven: About 10,000.
Disposition: Sold to a guy in the Atlanta area.
5th Car - 2007 Hyundai Accent GLS
This was my first brand new car ever. We bought it at Cartersville Hyundai (which, sadly, is out of business) for around $10,000. It was a fun little car, but that was the problem: little. When Tasha and I found out that we were having twins, we realized that we needed something much larger pronto. Thankfully, the resale value had stood up rather well and we were able to get more than we owed for it when we traded it in for our first van (see 7th car).
Particulars:
Owned: September 2007 - September 2011
Miles Driven: Slightly more than 40,000.
Disposition: Traded in at Capital BGC in Marietta, GA.
6th Car - 2008 Hyundai Sonata GLS
The infamous 'trim piece' car...we bought this car when gas went over $4 a gallon. Tasha had a 2004 Honda CR-V (a car we should have kept) that was killing us on gas at the time. We traded that in for this car, and were pleased with it while we drove it. A good and roomy car, it did lack a bit under the hood, but it was a sedan and a new one at that. The problem for us was that right before we traded it in for our second van (see car 8), the back window exploded on us because of the heat. While all of us have heard of this before, I don't think any of us have ever seen it happen. When we took it to the dealership (because we were still well under the 50,000 mile warranty), we were told that the back window was only covered in the 10,000 mile warranty because it was a TRIM PIECE. I was seeing red. Needless to say, we quickly decided that since Hyundai couldn't actually stand behind what they stated their warranty was, we couldn't own any of their vehicles. We traded this car in after about a month of getting it fixed.
Particulars:
Owned: November 2007 - October 2011
Miles Driven: 48,000
Disposition: Traded in at Capital BGC in Marietta, GA
7th Car - 2004 Honda Odyssey EX-L
We bought this because we needed something to bring the boys home in, and this really fit our needs. I told Tasha that if we were going to get a van, the only kind that I wanted was a Honda. She found this one at Capital for a song, and on top of it, it has all of the bells and whistles that one could ask for. It was just at 103,000 when we bought it (we've put on around 11,000 going between Blue Ridge and other places in it), and runs very smooth. Leather seats, heated seats, CD player, DVD player, 2-zone AC/Heat, side and front airbags, 4 captain chairs, and a tape deck. :D
Particulars:
Owned: September 2011 - October 2012
Miles Driven: around 20,000
Disposition: Traded in at Cobb County Kia for 2013 Kia Sorento
8th car - 2005 Honda Odyssey EX
(similar to this one, we never did get a photo of this van!)
We got this van after the Sonata fiasco, but also because we realized that we needed another vehicle that Tasha could get into the back of if the boys needed us. Since Joshua came home from NICU and on an apnea monitor, we had to be sure he was breathing. This is pretty much a bottom-of-the-line Odyssey, but it still has cruise control, a CD player (which we had to replace immediately after buying because the laser didn't work. Thankfully the dealership we bought it from paid for the Pioneer system we have in it now), and also room for 8. It's got a bit more pep than the 04, but it does sometimes ride a bit rougher than the other van. This is likely because it needs better tires than what came on it when we first bought it.
Particulars:
Owned: October 2011 - October 2012
Miles Driven: Around 8,000
Disposition: Traded at Cobb County Kia for 2013 Kia Sorento
9th Car - 2013 Kia Sorento LX
We bought this car for $1500 from a 'pay-as-you-go' place in Acworth, GA. As you can see in the picture, the front left fender was held together with Gorilla Glue tape. The interior was nearly perfect with leather seats that were like couches, and other than the heads blowing on me once, it was actually a rather dependable car.
Literally the only photo I have of this car is it on the back of this wrecker taking off the other two cars with it that were donated to the American Red Cross by Mom after Dad's death in November 2017. We bought this Taurus as a stopgap until we could afford something better, and Mamaw gave us her old Grand Caravan shortly after we got it. This Taurus had transmission issues, which are common in these vehicles. I ended up giving this car to Dad right after we got the Dodge from Mamaw, and Dad drove it until his death, and then Mom drove it until it was donated in 2019.
Particulars:
Oh, what stories this van could tell. My Mamaw gave us this van after she determined that she did not need a second vehicle after buying herself a Toyota SUV. When we went to pick it up, the bottom radiator hose burst on us, so I had to change it in the Jefferson, GA Walmart parking lot. Second, it broke down on us in Knoxville, TN on the way home from Oma's House in Virginia on New Year's Day in 2018. We were able to limp it back home and drove it for another few months, hoping and praying that it wouldn't break down again on us. It had dual controls for AC and Heat, split in front and back. It had dual sliding doors, a large amount of storage room, and a tape deck. Affectionately nicknamed "Purple Rain".
Quite literally the largest vehicle we have ever owned. This is a mid-roof Ford Transit. It stands at 8'6'' tall, and is almost 18 feet long. It's a huge vehicle that can seat 15 people (although three seats are currently taken out at the moment for more storage space). A few downsides - it is difficult to park in most parking places, so you have to be choosy, or park further out than usual. The height and weight of it makes it scary to work on. The tires wear out quickly because of said weight. But on the positive, it is an easy van to drive, it's got great sight lines, it makes you feel like you're flying in the air, and it's HUGE. We have enough room for all the kids, plus more. And it actually gets halfway decent mileage considering its size.
Particulars:
Our latest Dodge Grand Caravan (and likely last one since the announcement that Grand Caravans will not be produced anymore after 2020), this car has power sliding doors, power rear lift, power windows, power locks, power front driver's seat, dual heat/AC, CD/DVD player, XM Radio, fog lights, alloy wheels, roof rack, and leather seats. About all this doesn't have is seat warmers, a DVD system for the back, and the trip computer. This is honestly perhaps nicer than most of the other vehicles that we have owned. We traded in the Kia Sorento for this when the Sorento lit up more lights than a Christmas tree. The only downside is that we have put a great amount of miles on it since we first got it.
Oh man, this has quickly become perhaps my favorite car that I've owned to date. A true classic car in all senses, we got this from a friend of a friend. It has (likely) 186000+ miles on it, but it cranks every time. It has the 316.6 ci engine (5.7 liter) V8, automatic Hydramatic transmission, and power steering. It also has factory air conditioning, although it has to be converted to the new fluid. It does still need a little bit of work (namely floor pans in the front), but it drives so well. When we picked it up, we drove from nearly Athens, GA back to Blue Ridge in it without any trouble. Thus far (April 2021), the only things we've had to do to is get the brake cylinders changed, a fuel filter, and normal oil change. We've got some plans for this long term, but it'll be a ways down the road.
(similar to this one, we never did get a photo of this van!)
We got this van after the Sonata fiasco, but also because we realized that we needed another vehicle that Tasha could get into the back of if the boys needed us. Since Joshua came home from NICU and on an apnea monitor, we had to be sure he was breathing. This is pretty much a bottom-of-the-line Odyssey, but it still has cruise control, a CD player (which we had to replace immediately after buying because the laser didn't work. Thankfully the dealership we bought it from paid for the Pioneer system we have in it now), and also room for 8. It's got a bit more pep than the 04, but it does sometimes ride a bit rougher than the other van. This is likely because it needs better tires than what came on it when we first bought it.
Particulars:
Owned: October 2011 - October 2012
Miles Driven: Around 8,000
Disposition: Traded at Cobb County Kia for 2013 Kia Sorento
9th Car - 2013 Kia Sorento LX
We traded in both of the Honda vans for this Kia Sorento when we thought that it would be all we needed for a family of eventually 6. Needless to say, this was not the eventual case! After I left working for Blue Ridge UMC, we only needed one vehicle for a while. That was until February 2014. Our family was knocked to pieces (see further posts for more details). Tasha ended up driving this for quite a while until we were gifted my Mamaw's 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan (see below). I ended up driving this again when I was driving all over creation for merchandising jobs. It ended up having electrical problems, and we traded it in for another van. This was the vehicle that we have owned for the longest, at least to this point. Tasha had a wreck in it in March 2014. The side doors, side pillar, and front fender were completely replaced. I had an animal hit in it Christmas Eve 2016, with the entire front bumper cover being replaced.
Particulars:
Particulars:
Owned: October 2012 - March 2019
Miles Driven: Started around 1900 miles, drove it until it was over 153000.
Disposition: Traded in at Gwinnett Place Ford for 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
10th Car - 1995 Buick LeSabre Limited
Miles Driven: Started around 1900 miles, drove it until it was over 153000.
Disposition: Traded in at Gwinnett Place Ford for 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
10th Car - 1995 Buick LeSabre Limited
We bought this car for $1500 from a 'pay-as-you-go' place in Acworth, GA. As you can see in the picture, the front left fender was held together with Gorilla Glue tape. The interior was nearly perfect with leather seats that were like couches, and other than the heads blowing on me once, it was actually a rather dependable car.
Particulars:
Owned: March 2014 - March 2015
Miles Driven: Not 100% certain, but well over 80k
Disposition: Sold locally in Blue Ridge - have not seen it on the road in more than 2 years (as of 2021)
11th Car - 2001 Ford Taurus
Literally the only photo I have of this car is it on the back of this wrecker taking off the other two cars with it that were donated to the American Red Cross by Mom after Dad's death in November 2017. We bought this Taurus as a stopgap until we could afford something better, and Mamaw gave us her old Grand Caravan shortly after we got it. This Taurus had transmission issues, which are common in these vehicles. I ended up giving this car to Dad right after we got the Dodge from Mamaw, and Dad drove it until his death, and then Mom drove it until it was donated in 2019.
Owned: March 2015 - July 2015
Miles Driven: maybe 5k? I drove it for work as a merchandiser, so I know I put on some
Disposition: Given to Dad, finally donated 2019.
12th Car - 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan
Oh, what stories this van could tell. My Mamaw gave us this van after she determined that she did not need a second vehicle after buying herself a Toyota SUV. When we went to pick it up, the bottom radiator hose burst on us, so I had to change it in the Jefferson, GA Walmart parking lot. Second, it broke down on us in Knoxville, TN on the way home from Oma's House in Virginia on New Year's Day in 2018. We were able to limp it back home and drove it for another few months, hoping and praying that it wouldn't break down again on us. It had dual controls for AC and Heat, split in front and back. It had dual sliding doors, a large amount of storage room, and a tape deck. Affectionately nicknamed "Purple Rain".
Particulars:
Owned: July 2015 - February 2018
Miles Driven - not 100% sure, but likely over 100k
Disposition - Traded to Jacky Jones Ford for 2017 Ford Transit 350 XLT
13th Car - 2017 Ford Transit 350 XLT
Quite literally the largest vehicle we have ever owned. This is a mid-roof Ford Transit. It stands at 8'6'' tall, and is almost 18 feet long. It's a huge vehicle that can seat 15 people (although three seats are currently taken out at the moment for more storage space). A few downsides - it is difficult to park in most parking places, so you have to be choosy, or park further out than usual. The height and weight of it makes it scary to work on. The tires wear out quickly because of said weight. But on the positive, it is an easy van to drive, it's got great sight lines, it makes you feel like you're flying in the air, and it's HUGE. We have enough room for all the kids, plus more. And it actually gets halfway decent mileage considering its size.
Particulars:
Owned: February 2018 - Present
Miles Driven - As of 2/18/21 - around 46000
Disposition - Currently own/drive
14th Car Owned - 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan
Particulars:
Owned - March 2019 - Present
Miles Driven: 53000
Disposition - Currently own/drive
Hopefully these last two will last as long as the Kia Sorento did. We have extended warranties on them, and have already had to use them once on each vehicle. We are enjoying them greatly, but you never know when we might add another to the fleet!
Hopefully these last two will last as long as the Kia Sorento did. We have extended warranties on them, and have already had to use them once on each vehicle. We are enjoying them greatly, but you never know when we might add another to the fleet!
UPDATE - 4/20/21
15th Car Owned - 1956 Pontiac Star Chief
Oh man, this has quickly become perhaps my favorite car that I've owned to date. A true classic car in all senses, we got this from a friend of a friend. It has (likely) 186000+ miles on it, but it cranks every time. It has the 316.6 ci engine (5.7 liter) V8, automatic Hydramatic transmission, and power steering. It also has factory air conditioning, although it has to be converted to the new fluid. It does still need a little bit of work (namely floor pans in the front), but it drives so well. When we picked it up, we drove from nearly Athens, GA back to Blue Ridge in it without any trouble. Thus far (April 2021), the only things we've had to do to is get the brake cylinders changed, a fuel filter, and normal oil change. We've got some plans for this long term, but it'll be a ways down the road.
Particulars:
Owned - March 2021 - Present
Miles Driven: around 1000
Disposition - Currently own/drive
1/11/12
Work
So I obviously haven't updated in quite a while. No small wonder with two boys needing bottles, changing, and trying to be in a routine. In any case, it has been a bit crazy over the last few months. I have been working at Blue Ridge UMC coming up on three months now and things seem to be humming along. I've got around 10 kids that show up regularly, and we are starting to show signs of maybe growing just a little bit. Considering my first night I was here we had five kids, I think that this is a bit of an accomplishment. I also feel like we are making an impact within the church itself. While it isn't part of my job description to read scripture, greet people, or to sing in the choir, I have always done this in whatever church we have been at. I just feel more complete as a churchgoer to do this. Honestly, I don't feel that it takes away from the youth, either. Pretty much I feel like this is one of those great examples of follow my lead. It most certainly falls into our new slogan of "Seeking Jesus, Serving Jesus, Giving Jesus" within our own church.
In any case, I have been reading some blogs about different aspects of church ministry, and I find it funny sometimes how some ministers try to put a blanket idea over all churches because that is what they feel comfortable in. I recently read a particular post about an evaluation of a church in Oklahoma where a pastor from here in Georgia had gone out. Knowing how this particular minister is and what kind of church he has had, I found it a little amusing that essentially he was telling this church that they needed to make a church just like his out in Oklahoma. One major thing that he did not address, though, was how people would connect more deeply with God through the church. It was all surface stuff rather than anything deeper than just the aesthetics of the church or the flow of the worship service. This, of course, was the major flaw at his church and was one of the reasons why he ended up leaving his ministry. While extraordinarily talented at creating an atmosphere that was inviting and new, he lacked the skill to move new Christians away from the baby food and onto the meat of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps what is saddest, though, is that he does not realize that he is lacking badly in this.
I guess what I am trying to say for myself and those who read this who are in ministry is that we must always strive to be inclusive towards others, but also that we must address the deeper needs of those that we are trying to reach. I might have a ministry that is overwhelmingly attractive towards youth in Blue Ridge, but if I am not meeting their spiritual needs, then what am I doing in the first place?
Oh well, rant over. :D More later!
In any case, I have been reading some blogs about different aspects of church ministry, and I find it funny sometimes how some ministers try to put a blanket idea over all churches because that is what they feel comfortable in. I recently read a particular post about an evaluation of a church in Oklahoma where a pastor from here in Georgia had gone out. Knowing how this particular minister is and what kind of church he has had, I found it a little amusing that essentially he was telling this church that they needed to make a church just like his out in Oklahoma. One major thing that he did not address, though, was how people would connect more deeply with God through the church. It was all surface stuff rather than anything deeper than just the aesthetics of the church or the flow of the worship service. This, of course, was the major flaw at his church and was one of the reasons why he ended up leaving his ministry. While extraordinarily talented at creating an atmosphere that was inviting and new, he lacked the skill to move new Christians away from the baby food and onto the meat of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps what is saddest, though, is that he does not realize that he is lacking badly in this.
I guess what I am trying to say for myself and those who read this who are in ministry is that we must always strive to be inclusive towards others, but also that we must address the deeper needs of those that we are trying to reach. I might have a ministry that is overwhelmingly attractive towards youth in Blue Ridge, but if I am not meeting their spiritual needs, then what am I doing in the first place?
Oh well, rant over. :D More later!
8/16/11
Changed the background
As some of you may have noticed, I changed the background of my blog here. One of the reasons that I had it the way that it was was a defense mechanism. When we lost our two children the last time that we did IVF, needless to say I was pretty depressed. Finding that template that had the birds flying just seemed to be symbolic for me to know that it was ok. However, I didn't want to have the colors other than black for mourning on here...just somehow it all made me feel somewhat better about the whole situation.
In any case, the new template is of the world. I can't wait until the boys are here and can explore their new world. I know that it will be limited to their cribs, the house, and church for a while, but I know in all too little time, they will be able to go anywhere they want to go in the world. Only 7 1/2 more weeks until they are here (hopefully no less).
Ok, got to get to bed. More later!
In any case, the new template is of the world. I can't wait until the boys are here and can explore their new world. I know that it will be limited to their cribs, the house, and church for a while, but I know in all too little time, they will be able to go anywhere they want to go in the world. Only 7 1/2 more weeks until they are here (hopefully no less).
Ok, got to get to bed. More later!
7/18/11
New post...only 2 months late...
It seems that when I am working on school things that I don't blog quite as often as I would like to. I suppose that's because I'm already writing so much during the week that I don't really want to write too much otherwise. Anywho...in the previous two months, I've been ordained and had a job interview with a company a friend works at. Needless to say, one went much better than the other. :D
The ordination service was really great because it truly felt like I am doing exactly what God wants me to be doing in my life. I don't know if I'll end up in a church or not, but I know that being a pastor is truly what I am called to do.
As for the interview, it was not with a Christian company or church. It just didn't go as well as I thought it would. We'll see what happens over the next few days. I'll post something here when I know something. :D
For now, that's it. More later.
The ordination service was really great because it truly felt like I am doing exactly what God wants me to be doing in my life. I don't know if I'll end up in a church or not, but I know that being a pastor is truly what I am called to do.
As for the interview, it was not with a Christian company or church. It just didn't go as well as I thought it would. We'll see what happens over the next few days. I'll post something here when I know something. :D
For now, that's it. More later.
5/8/11
Finally updating.
It's been quite a while since I have written in here because I have not had a ton of time to write at all. Let's start back with Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving - We had a great trip up to the mountains and had nearly everyone from the family up at Bonnie and Jim's house. What the real surprise was, though, was when we went to TubaChristmas. Tasha had been acting strange most of that day, and I just figured that she was trying to be squirrelly. I really kind of got irritated with her because I was hungry and nobody would give me an answer on where we were going to eat. Well, what Tasha was up to was a surprise party for me at Mercier's Orchards. It was truly a great surprise, considering that I haven't had that kind of party for me I think ever. :D
Christmas - we went up to the mountains while Tasha's family went down to Florida. What was supposed to be a fun Christmas day ended up being quite scary, frankly. Tasha and I had gone to her parent's house with our cats and to take care of the two dogs up there. We knew that there was going to be a bit of snow. Most reporters and websites were saying at worst, we'd have three inches. Well, we had that when we got the Accent stuck into the snow and mud on the side of the road at Deep Gap in Fannin County. Luckily, we caught a ride from a good Samaritan that let us hitch over to Home Depot. Dad came down from the house to pick us up there.
The sad thing is, this should have been the end of the day at that point. There was around six inches of snow on the ground already. Well, we realized that the dogs (both Tasha's parents and grandparent's dogs were at the house across the county at this point), and they weren't going to 1) have enough food for two days, and 2) weren't going to make it for the bathroom for those two days either. We got a break from the snow for a while, and so BJ, Dad, and I piled into Dad's van to go down to the Bonnie and Jim's house. Well, we were doing well until we got out of the one set of tracks that went down to the house. We ended up in a ditch that was just low enough to put one tire up from the ground. While BJ and I hiked down to the house in the snow, Dad waited on a tow truck. We were able to let the dogs out, put out food and for the dogs and put out enough food and water for our cats as well. I got enough clothes for a couple of days, my computer, and our toiletries. Dad had come down and as we started to walk back, a person picked us up and took us to the van. We luckily got someone to stop with his Toyota Tacoma, and actually pulled us out of the ditch! When we got the van out, we realized that if we had gone off the road another 30-60 feet further, we would have dropped around 30 feet, and if we had gone off the road about 40 feet earlier, we would have been into heavier trees than we did hit. We finally pulled Tasha and I's car out two days later. We ended up with a full foot of snow! Needless to say, if we think there's going to be snow for Christmas, we may not go out.. :D
January - Started out the New Year at our friend's house, Kerri and Michael. We ended up getting home around 2:30. Who'd have thought that, right?! :) We began to do shots in secret for another round of IVF. Both Tasha and I felt bad about keeping everything secret from everyone, but we didn't want to have the same thing to have happen like last time and everyone be disappointed. We didn't take a trip like we usually did on MLK weekend because poor Tasha was getting progesterone shots. We did get to travel a bit, though. We also did have another major snowstorm that knocked Tasha out of school for a whole week. This made things a bit dicey because we knew we were going to have to do a transfer on the 18th of February, and that was originally a day off for her. Well, we did lose that day, but Tasha was able to take the day off later.
Also what happened in January were two important events for me. First of all, I was licensed for the ministry by Morganton Baptist Church on the first Sunday of the month. This was the first major step towards ordination for me, and made it where I could marry my first couple. That happened over MLK weekend! Kara Vick and Robert Boyer asked me to marry them at Seney-Stovall Chapel in Athens on that weekend. We nearly didn't make it because of all the ice that was still on the road after five days of it being on the roads and trees. Even when we were driving over, we still hit ice patches, especially when we picked up some of Tasha's medicine at our doctors in Sandy Springs. We ended up going sideways for a while until I could get us stopped spinning. It ended up taking us five hours to get to Athens from Emerson, a trip that usually takes only at most 2. We stayed at the Holiday Inn right next to campus and had just a wonderful time while we were there. I even danced quite a bit while we were there! :) (Btw, one of the cool things that I just found out about Seney-Stoval is that REM filmed there before. I was on the same stage as REM...just not at the same time. :D )
On a sadder note, Papaw passed away after his long battle with Alzheimer's. We ended up having a gorgeous set of funerals down in Milledgeville and up in the mountains. It was of course hard on the family, but it was definitely a release since Papaw had been sick for so long.
February-now - The last couple of months have been sort of a blur because they have gone by so quick. Why not just combine them, right?! I started classes again just before February, and just ended them this last weekend. I took a leadership class, Old Testament (which I hated because of the teacher) and a New Testament class (which was interesting, but hard b/c of the teacher's hard grading). I also changed majors to Master's of Religious Education. I finished my degree for Christian Leadership, so when I do graduate from Liberty, I'll have two Master's degrees.
On February 18th, we had two embryos implanted into Tasha. Obviously we were very nervous about going through this process again, but we trusted in God completely. We honestly felt that God led us to do IVF one more time. Well, after two weeks, we went back for our pregnancy test and were confirmed pregnant! After a couple more weeks, we actually had our first ultrasound and were able to hear our babies heartbeats. Yes, we are having TWINS! :D It was absolutely amazing to be able to hear the heartbeats, see their little bodies already growing, and know that God had blessed us so greatly. We have since heard the heartbeats grow steadily stronger, seen some of their facial features begin, and hopefully in a few weeks we'll know if we're having boys, girls, or one of each. We are also in high-speed planning mode. We already have quite a few outfits, the crib that all of Heather's kids used, a brand new crib for later for our second baby, and a list of things that I have to get done before the babies get here. :P
One other major thing that we did last weekend was to trade in the Accent for a 2004 Honda Odyssey van. I have officially joined the daddy van club. :P But at least it's the EX-L model van from that year - it has all leather, DVD system, cruise control, heated front seats, and tons of other stuff. It's a really sweet vehicle. :D
Also, I have been preaching quite a bit over the last couple of months at New Vision Baptist and Trinity Baptist here in Cartersville and once back up at Morganton. It's been amazing to be able to hone my skills as a preacher and feel much more confident while in front of lots of people. I still haven't really had a bite on a job, but I feel that one is coming very soon.
Hope that fills everyone in on all that's happened since I last posted. :D I'll try to post more often, but for now, all I have to say is that I will write more later...:D
Thanksgiving - We had a great trip up to the mountains and had nearly everyone from the family up at Bonnie and Jim's house. What the real surprise was, though, was when we went to TubaChristmas. Tasha had been acting strange most of that day, and I just figured that she was trying to be squirrelly. I really kind of got irritated with her because I was hungry and nobody would give me an answer on where we were going to eat. Well, what Tasha was up to was a surprise party for me at Mercier's Orchards. It was truly a great surprise, considering that I haven't had that kind of party for me I think ever. :D
Christmas - we went up to the mountains while Tasha's family went down to Florida. What was supposed to be a fun Christmas day ended up being quite scary, frankly. Tasha and I had gone to her parent's house with our cats and to take care of the two dogs up there. We knew that there was going to be a bit of snow. Most reporters and websites were saying at worst, we'd have three inches. Well, we had that when we got the Accent stuck into the snow and mud on the side of the road at Deep Gap in Fannin County. Luckily, we caught a ride from a good Samaritan that let us hitch over to Home Depot. Dad came down from the house to pick us up there.
The sad thing is, this should have been the end of the day at that point. There was around six inches of snow on the ground already. Well, we realized that the dogs (both Tasha's parents and grandparent's dogs were at the house across the county at this point), and they weren't going to 1) have enough food for two days, and 2) weren't going to make it for the bathroom for those two days either. We got a break from the snow for a while, and so BJ, Dad, and I piled into Dad's van to go down to the Bonnie and Jim's house. Well, we were doing well until we got out of the one set of tracks that went down to the house. We ended up in a ditch that was just low enough to put one tire up from the ground. While BJ and I hiked down to the house in the snow, Dad waited on a tow truck. We were able to let the dogs out, put out food and for the dogs and put out enough food and water for our cats as well. I got enough clothes for a couple of days, my computer, and our toiletries. Dad had come down and as we started to walk back, a person picked us up and took us to the van. We luckily got someone to stop with his Toyota Tacoma, and actually pulled us out of the ditch! When we got the van out, we realized that if we had gone off the road another 30-60 feet further, we would have dropped around 30 feet, and if we had gone off the road about 40 feet earlier, we would have been into heavier trees than we did hit. We finally pulled Tasha and I's car out two days later. We ended up with a full foot of snow! Needless to say, if we think there's going to be snow for Christmas, we may not go out.. :D
January - Started out the New Year at our friend's house, Kerri and Michael. We ended up getting home around 2:30. Who'd have thought that, right?! :) We began to do shots in secret for another round of IVF. Both Tasha and I felt bad about keeping everything secret from everyone, but we didn't want to have the same thing to have happen like last time and everyone be disappointed. We didn't take a trip like we usually did on MLK weekend because poor Tasha was getting progesterone shots. We did get to travel a bit, though. We also did have another major snowstorm that knocked Tasha out of school for a whole week. This made things a bit dicey because we knew we were going to have to do a transfer on the 18th of February, and that was originally a day off for her. Well, we did lose that day, but Tasha was able to take the day off later.
Also what happened in January were two important events for me. First of all, I was licensed for the ministry by Morganton Baptist Church on the first Sunday of the month. This was the first major step towards ordination for me, and made it where I could marry my first couple. That happened over MLK weekend! Kara Vick and Robert Boyer asked me to marry them at Seney-Stovall Chapel in Athens on that weekend. We nearly didn't make it because of all the ice that was still on the road after five days of it being on the roads and trees. Even when we were driving over, we still hit ice patches, especially when we picked up some of Tasha's medicine at our doctors in Sandy Springs. We ended up going sideways for a while until I could get us stopped spinning. It ended up taking us five hours to get to Athens from Emerson, a trip that usually takes only at most 2. We stayed at the Holiday Inn right next to campus and had just a wonderful time while we were there. I even danced quite a bit while we were there! :) (Btw, one of the cool things that I just found out about Seney-Stoval is that REM filmed there before. I was on the same stage as REM...just not at the same time. :D )
On a sadder note, Papaw passed away after his long battle with Alzheimer's. We ended up having a gorgeous set of funerals down in Milledgeville and up in the mountains. It was of course hard on the family, but it was definitely a release since Papaw had been sick for so long.
February-now - The last couple of months have been sort of a blur because they have gone by so quick. Why not just combine them, right?! I started classes again just before February, and just ended them this last weekend. I took a leadership class, Old Testament (which I hated because of the teacher) and a New Testament class (which was interesting, but hard b/c of the teacher's hard grading). I also changed majors to Master's of Religious Education. I finished my degree for Christian Leadership, so when I do graduate from Liberty, I'll have two Master's degrees.
On February 18th, we had two embryos implanted into Tasha. Obviously we were very nervous about going through this process again, but we trusted in God completely. We honestly felt that God led us to do IVF one more time. Well, after two weeks, we went back for our pregnancy test and were confirmed pregnant! After a couple more weeks, we actually had our first ultrasound and were able to hear our babies heartbeats. Yes, we are having TWINS! :D It was absolutely amazing to be able to hear the heartbeats, see their little bodies already growing, and know that God had blessed us so greatly. We have since heard the heartbeats grow steadily stronger, seen some of their facial features begin, and hopefully in a few weeks we'll know if we're having boys, girls, or one of each. We are also in high-speed planning mode. We already have quite a few outfits, the crib that all of Heather's kids used, a brand new crib for later for our second baby, and a list of things that I have to get done before the babies get here. :P
One other major thing that we did last weekend was to trade in the Accent for a 2004 Honda Odyssey van. I have officially joined the daddy van club. :P But at least it's the EX-L model van from that year - it has all leather, DVD system, cruise control, heated front seats, and tons of other stuff. It's a really sweet vehicle. :D
Also, I have been preaching quite a bit over the last couple of months at New Vision Baptist and Trinity Baptist here in Cartersville and once back up at Morganton. It's been amazing to be able to hone my skills as a preacher and feel much more confident while in front of lots of people. I still haven't really had a bite on a job, but I feel that one is coming very soon.
Hope that fills everyone in on all that's happened since I last posted. :D I'll try to post more often, but for now, all I have to say is that I will write more later...:D
11/16/10
Crazy
It's been a crazy couple of weeks since I last posted and it's not letting up. First of all, it's a week to Thanksgiving now. We are only 46 days until a new decade (I suppose we'll call them the Teens). It's hard to believe that this year is nearly done, though. I know that God's going to continue to bless us next year.
It looks like we are going to be back up at Morganton Baptist for a while starting the last weekend of December. Not sure what all I'm going to get involved in yet, but I know it'll be good. :D One thing that I know will happen is that I'm going to try to start a young married and soon to be married class up there. I feel that this is something that God wants me to do.
In any case, got to run for now. Clothes are waiting to be folded and washed. More later!
It looks like we are going to be back up at Morganton Baptist for a while starting the last weekend of December. Not sure what all I'm going to get involved in yet, but I know it'll be good. :D One thing that I know will happen is that I'm going to try to start a young married and soon to be married class up there. I feel that this is something that God wants me to do.
In any case, got to run for now. Clothes are waiting to be folded and washed. More later!
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