Dear God, thanks for the flashlight!

So, another very eventful couple of weeks have come and gone...

As you all read about last time, I received my rejection letter from Tuscaloosa County High...

Shortly afterward, I dropped my resume by Brookwood High School - another high school in Tuscaloosa County. Less than 30 minutes after we left the school, I received a phone call from the head coach asking me to come by and meet with a couple of the coaches and the principal.

The meeting/interview went extremely well, and I received a call from the principal, Mrs. McBride the following day (Wednesday) asking me if I would be interested in accepting the job. Of course, I didn't hesitate in accepting the position.



The really cool thing about the way it went down was that it all sorta came out of nowhere. When the job was initially posted online, I wasn't sure whether or not I should waste more of my time by driving all the way to Brookwood (about an hour from our house in Elrod, AL) just to drop off a resume and hope for a phone call or a chance to interview. Whitney and I finally decided that it wouldn't hurt. After all, we had been praying for months for God to open and shut the doors that he wanted in order for His will to be done. How would we know what doors were open or closed by Him if we didn't at least push on them to see if they would budge?

It turns out that the head football coach, Coach Bush, had spoken to a friend of his who was an assistant coach during my time at TCHS and is now a local head coach. Thankfully, he thought highly enough of me to bring my name up when Coach Bush asked if he knew anyone that would be interested in teaching history and coaching the offensive line. According to Coach Bush, he had been waiting for me to get my application to the school for almost 2 weeks. Wow.

This brings me back to a sermon topic that Dr. John Kearns spoke about several weeks ago. He talked about how often times God doesn't give us the huge spotlight to see where we'll be down the road... but He gives us a flashlight so we can see the next step. We both felt like this was exactly what happened. We were forced to trust in the fact that God would provide us with the next step to take and that we would be faithful enough to take it.



We will be moving from Elrod, AL to Tuscaloosa, AL during the first week of August, and I will be helping with football workouts/drills between now and then. My first official day as a Social Studies teacher at Brookwood High School will be August 5th. Needless to say, I'm pumped!



The second big event of the last couple of weeks came this past week when the youth at Christ Harbor UMC, Big Sandy Baptist, and Temple Baptist took our annual trip to the Big Oak Girls Ranch and Big Oak Boys Ranch.

These ranches were started by former Bama football player John Croyle (father of Brodie) as a place for kids who had been basically abandoned by their families - at no fault of their own - to come and live. The kids and house parents are provided everything they need, and they work to earn money for anything else they want.

Each summer, we go up and do whatever work needs to be done at the ranches that would be too big of a job for just a few people to do. In previous years we have painted and repaired horse fences, cleared woods, built and torn down barns and sheds, build decks, landscaped, etc... We usually work from around 8AM to 2:30 or 3:00PM.

During the evenings, we get together and have an awesome time of praise and worship. For the last several years, we have been blessed by having former Alabama fullback and member of the 1992 National Championship team Martin Houston as our speaker. In the 6 or so years that I've heard him speak during the 4 nights of this trip, I've never heard a boring sermon.



Another constant about this trip is that the lives of the students that go to Big Oak with us are always changed for the better. My first real experience with God was in a barn at the end of a Big Oak Ranch trip, and I have not been the same since.

Martin's message was a little different this year than what it has been in the past. This year, he talked about being "Heroes of the faith" and being "Sold out, not a sell out". He spent less time on the topic of salvation, and a whole lot more time on the subject of living our lives as sold out followers of Jesus instead of selling out and falling back in the same old routine.

His scripture theme of the week was 2 Chronicles 7:14 -

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land."

He talked a lot about how it is our job as Christians to humble OURSELVES, turn from OUR wicked ways, and to seek His face and pray... and then - and only then - will God forgive us and heal our land.

We put so much faith into a president or political party - and we often forget that this was never the way it was intended to be. It's not up to the government to "fix our country". It's not their job to turn from their wicked ways and to humble themselves. It's us, the followers of Christ, who are called to be set apart and to humble ourselves to acknowledge our own mistakes and to seek God's face and pray. If that happens, then it doesn't matter who is President or what political party is in charge... God promises us that He will heal our land and forgive our sins if we do those things - regardless of what the Government does.

It starts with US obeying God's word and trusting that He will fulfill His promises to us.

Do you want to win your school for Christ? Take the initiative and make it happen. There is no law preventing students from gathering at school to pray before school, between classes, or after school.

Do you want your workplace to be a Godly environment? It's not your boss' job to make it happen.

Do you want God's favor for America? Then it's time to humble ourselves, pray and seek God's face, and turn from our wicked ways (repent).

When did we lose our desperation?

What an incredible two weeks... Let me start by warning you all that this blog entry may end up being longer than my others, and it's also very likely that I might jump around a bit in subject matter. I'm writing a little bit at a time, and I'm writing from the convictions that I feel at a given time. Bear with me, and I hope you'll be blessed.

First, I had the opportunity to interview at my Alma Mater, Tuscaloosa County High School for what would have been what I considered my dream job - teaching and coaching there. There were over 170 applicants for that one position. I was blessed enough to land one of the 15 interview slots, and the interview went extremely well. Although I didn't get the job, I am thankful to have even had the opportunity to interview. I would, however, be lying if I told you I wasn't disappointed. Even though I am disappointed, I can take this as a clear answer from God that this isn't what he had in mind for me... at least not right now. I'm okay with that.


Second, Whitney and I were able to go on a mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico for a week with most of her family (everyone except Leah Kathryn - we really missed her!), Haden Hallman, and Jeff Gregory. We did some painting at the place we were staying, built a concrete roof for one of the churches that our friend Florencio has started, and helped with children's ministry at several different churches during the week (and we ate some super fantastic food... 3 meals a day... every day).








This is our good friend, Ricardo. He didn't speak a lick of English when we got there, but he somehow found a way to communicate with us what he needed us to do. By the end of the week he had learned a few English phrases. His favorite phrase to say in English was "One Coke please!", which became an on-running joke for us during the week. We came to the conclusion that Coca-Cola wouldn't be going out of business any time soon. By the time we finished working there, we had all become good friends with Ricardo... he and I even swapped hats. I couldn't understand most of what he said, but I knew for a fact that Ricardo loved Jesus, and he loved sharing that love with others.


In addition to being able to serve the communities in Mexico, we were able to spend some (a lot) quality time with some really, really incredible people. This has always been my favorite and least favorite part of trips like these... we spend time together all week - developing some really great relationships and getting to know each other on a deeper level - and then when it's done we have to come back home and resume life as normal, and often times those relationships weaken and even dissolve just as quickly as they are built. It is my goal to not allow that to happen this time around.



What an awesome, spirit filled, God led week. I have mentioned in a couple previous blog posts that the love of Jesus transcends national borders, bloodlines, races, and gender. This trip was absolutely proof of that for me.

During the evening of our first day in Mexico, we were able to go to a local church that our friend Florencio Guzman pastors. Specifically, we went to spend time with the children there at the church. When we arrived, I didn't know what to expect - and to be honest, I felt pretty uncomfortable. However, those uncomfortable feelings very quickly vanished as I heard the 30 or 40 kids shouting praises at the top of their lungs. I had no idea what they were saying, but I could hear the excitement in their voice, and I could tell that they loved Jesus and that they knew Jesus loved them too, and they desired to worship him in any way they knew how.

Really, this was the theme throughout the week. We visited several churches during the evenings, and every single church was full of kids with huge smiles on their faces. They were laughing and smiling, and absolutely thrilled that we had come to visit them and sing their songs with them. That was really cool, but here's the thing... They had nothing.
We are talking about families of 6 or 8 people living in a house made out of used broken wooden pallets, old sheet tin, or even vinyl doors. Most of these kids literally didn't have anything but the clothes on their back and their families... and yet, I seriously didn't see a single kid (except for the babies or young toddlers who weren't sure what to think about me as I picked them up and held them lol) who didn't look as if they were absolutely loving life.




How is that possible? How can it be that these people don't have any material possessions, make less money in one week than most Americans make in one hour, and struggle to find enough food to eat every day... and yet are absolutely overflowing with joy? I didn't see any big brand new SUVs, the latest game systems, fancy clothes, or new toys... but time and time again - at every church we visited, these were the looks on the faces we saw:




Could it be that we have finally exposed the absolute lie of the American Dream? Make more money, buy more stuff, and you'll be "more happy"?

What are we doing? Why aren't we breaking away from these lies that are fed to us from the time we're old enough to go to school? We are taught to live our lives to be able to afford a mortgage payment that will keep us in debt for at least 30 years... one or more loans for nice cars, boats, etc... because those are the things that make us happy. What would happen if WE, the body of Christ finally acknowledged these ideas for exactly what they are - lies, and decided to start living sacrificially - showing the love of Jesus to those around us through our actions, words, and the way we live? How powerful would that be?

As we were finishing up the week in Mexico, we were able to attend a worship service at Florencio and Maria's home church. In ways, the service was very similar to our services here, but it was also very, very different. Florencio's son, Johnny, was the worship leader - and we sang several contemporary worship songs that we were familiar with - all in Spanish, of course. As we began the worship set, I couldn't help but notice that there was something different about the way they worship when compared to the way we worship here. As I looked around, I didn't see a single person not singing... as a matter of fact, there were a couple of people behind me who probably would have made the congregation sound a little better by not singing at all... or at least not as loudly. There was a really old man two rows in front of us who didn't look as if he would be able to walk across the room if asked, but he was up and moving his feet and "dancing" and clapping with everything he had in him.

And that was great... because their hearts were into it. They weren't singing to sound good. They didn't care what anyone around them thought. They were not being distracted by anyone around them - not even the strange white people who would occasionally ask Meredith "What does that say in English?" in the middle of the song. It was them and God. They were longing for God's presence and for the Holy Spirit to move in that place. There was almost a sense of desperation in their eyes and voices. Desperation. What kind of thoughts run through your head when you hear or speak that word? Haden came up with a pretty good analogy as we were sitting around the dinner table one night talking about something completely random...

Have you ever been under water, and just didn't feel like you were going to be able to make it back to the top in time to breathe again? And you're just thinking to yourself "Man, if I can just get back to the top", and you're reaching and swimming as hard as you can, because you know when you finally get that breath of air, everything is going to be okay...

They were desperate to feel the love of God. They were desperate to experience the movement of the Holy Spirit, and they were longing for more of God's presence. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Jealous that the church services here aren't filled with desperate people longing for God's presence. Jealous that I couldn't come back and worship with them every Sunday. Jealous because that church service - with all 50 or so people - was more spirit filled than most of the church services that I've ever been a part of. Why? Because it was real to them. It was absolutely real, and they desperately needed Jesus.

When did we lose our desperation?

I was having a conversation tonight with one of my close friends... He pointed out that we, as Americans don't really trust Jesus, nor do we need to trust Jesus. I was a little confused, and then he went on to explain: We have everything we need. We know where our next meal is going to come from. We know that when we wake up in the morning the most difficult task that we will face will not be to find clothes to wear, but to decide which clothes to wear. We don't lack anything... therefore we don't have to trust Jesus for anything. In our minds, we've worked hard to earn our money, our stuff, and our jobs. Who needs a savior when we can be our own saviors?

That's precisely why we have lost our desperation.

Can we gain that sense of desperation back? Can we come to the realization that we desperately need Jesus - even though we live in a society that doesn't know anything about desperation?

I pray that we can.

I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go and serve in the jungles of Africa, the slums of Mexico, or inner city Chicago. I'm also ready to go serve in Tuscaloosa, and in areas of need in our neighborhoods. I'm ready to go to the streets of Calcutta, or to teach in a classroom here in Alabama. I don't know what our next step is, or where God will lead us from here. What I do know is that I long to be desperate for Jesus and to break the chains of the lies of the American Dream, and to free myself from being a slave to consumerism and greed.

Will you join me?

Praise God for friends... New and Old

So, we've had a fairly eventful week or two...

On May 27th, we were able to meet with Amy and Adam Pierce, who own the Brown House and Blue House in Northport, AL (http://www.the-brown-house.org). They decided 7 years ago to move into a "rough" area of town (actually right in the middle of the "projects") and open their lives up to their neighbors and live their life to be Christ's presence in a place of darkness. We had so many questions for them, and they were not only gracious enough to sit down with us and answer all of our questions - but they also cooked an incredible meal for us, and we all sat and ate and talked together. They talked in detail about everything from their decision to sell everything they had and move to the projects, to their disgust with consumerism and the so called American Dream, to Adam's decision to learn to play the guitar after they got rid of their televisions.

While we were there and talking, we were able to see their lives in action. Not only did they open their home to us, but we also saw several kids and adults from the neighborhood just drop by to say hello. It was obvious that they have made an awesome impact on the lives of those around them. And while Adam and Amy both very deliberately declare that their purpose is not to "change the neighborhood" but to be Christ's presence in the neighborhood and in turn help change the lives of the individuals living there - it was obvious that their presence had done far more good for the people around them and the neighborhood environment than they had ever dreamed or planned.

After talking with them for a couple of hours and realizing how much we had in common, it felt as if we had known them for years and were simply getting back together with life long friends who we'd lost contact with.

They literally give everything they have to their neighbors and their community on a daily basis. This is the kind of reckless abandon that I want to learn to love with. It is so refreshing to see someone in our very own town devoting their lives to loving others. It can be done... If you need proof, just give Amy and Adam a call or send them an E-mail.

I am a flawed person. I fail every single day in some way or another - and some days I feel like the biggest hypocrite in the history of the world and completely worthless. But I still want to strive to live my life as Jesus taught us. I still want to love people with everything I have. I still want to break the chains of stereotypes and destroy the myth of the happiness that the striving for the "American Dream" brings.

After dinner, we asked Amy and Adam if we could bring the youth of Christ Harbor UMC to help them do some work around the house. Thankfully, they had the perfect job for us, and we were able to paint the fence around their community garden.




For Memorial Day weekend, Whitney and I were blessed enough to have the opportunity to enjoy the 4 day weekend with some great friends and family. We spent most of our time at a beautiful house overlooking Lake Guntersville - and we all were able to just sit back and relax and do whatever we wanted. It was the first real "vacation" that Whitney and I have had since our Honeymoon in December of 2007. We had an awesome time hanging out with everyone that went, and we did everything from having a ladder golf tournament (we lost... bad) and riding the sea-doo around, to taking an aluminum boat out and paddling around our boat dock.

The best part of the weekend for me, though, was being able to just sit around and talk with everyone that was there and being able to hang out with my brother and his family. It made me realize how blessed I truly am to have the people in my life that I do. I was around such a diverse group of people, and because of that - there was never a dull moment.

I have the most amazing sister in laws ever. Listening to Leah Kathryn tell me about her decision process in accepting a new part time job was absolutely encouraging, and I'm incredibly proud and blessed to have her as a sister in law. I have never not enjoyed being around Meredith... her smile never gets old, and it was such a blessing to be able to spend some time with her over that weekend. And because Olivia wasn't there, I kinda realized how awesome she is. I pretty much missed her a bunch. She's got a heart of gold and is overflowing with joy.

Plus the awesome mother and father in-law who allowed us to take the sea-doo all the way to Guntersville (and let ME tow it... HA!)... they completely break every stereotype of "in-laws" that you hear about from other people and the TV, and I love it. They are the textbook definition of Godly parents - and I am SO thankful that they raised Whitney to be such an amazing woman of God.

With the different personalities mixing between Cara, Matt, Chris, Ashley and April, Justin and Laura Beth, plus Whitney and I and the Mills sisters - you can take me at my word when I say it was never dull - even when we were "relaxing". It was truly an awesome weekend with some incredible people.

Also... I was reminded what a crazy awesome best friend I have when Chris Hicks graciously allowed me to borrow his truck for the weekend so we could tow the sea-doo. He agreed to swap vehicles with me... which pretty much makes him the best ever.

Praise God for friends and family, and all of the people that he allows us to come in contact with. God can bless us through the presence of other people on a daily basis.






Challenge for the next week: Say a prayer of thanks for the people that God has placed and will place in your life... and keep finding people to love :)

What next?

Alright, so I've talked to some of you about this blog and what my goals are for it. I used my first blog post to fill you guys in on where I'm at right now and some of my convictions. I'm hoping to be able to post a new blog entry a couple times a week, and I want to keep you all informed on what's going and where I'm headed. I also want to use this blog to reveal some of my inner struggles, decisions I'm struggling to make, areas of my life I want to change, etc...

So here are some recent going-ons...

This week I finally finished my application for Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. It's about a 7 hour drive from Tuscaloosa, and Wilmore is a really, really small town. The only thing left for me to do is have my references completed, and I'll hopefully know whether or not I've been accepted before too much longer. I'm really excited about this possibility, but we are not sure yet if this is what God has planned for us. I'm cautious about it being something really cool that I want to do, but it not being what God wants me to do right now... and then letting something "good" like Seminary get in the way of something "great" that God has planned. I feel like God placed it on my heart, and I'm hopeful that I'm not confusing discernment for excitement.








The second "big" event that happened this week was Whitney having her car broken into and her purse stolen. Praise God that we were all inside and whoever did it wasn't looking for anything more than a credit card or money.

We are also very thankful for the fact that all of our bank and credit accounts were able to be frozen almost immediately upon our finding out that the purse and all of its contents had been stolen. The people we talked to over the phone were very helpful and friendly, and expressed their concern for the situation.

Unfortunately, my car keys were also in Whitney's purse. Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal... the only keys I needed on the key ring were my house keys, my parents' house key, and my car key. The problem is that my car doors were locked, and that key was the only key I had to my car. On top of that, the key utilizes a computer system that prevents any other key from cranking the car except for keys that have had a computer chip placed inside and set to operate my car's computer system. After calling the Toyota dealership, we found out that the entire computer system in my car would have to be replaced, and they had a policy that we had to have at least two keys made. Thankfully, they agreed to replace the system for free this time (I think it's their policy to do so for the first time) - which will save us around $1,000. However, we will have to pay to have my car unlocked by a locksmith to get my stuff out, pay to have it towed to the Toyota dealership, and pay to have the keys made (around $75 each). Soooo... hopefully the insurance company will be willing to pay for some of this.

On the lighter side of things (I think it's pretty funny), the only place that the individual(s) who stole the purse tried to use the cards (he/she tried 3 different cards, all transactions failed - Praise God!) was an online "Herbal shop" for "legal bud" (marijuana) and smoking accessories, etc.

Also, the person who stole the purse helped themselves to the cherries that Whitney had taken to work with her for part of her lunch and didn't finish. About a half a box of cherries. I hope they enjoyed them.



Fittingly, we had the opportunity to answer the "challenge for the week" that I placed on my first blog - which was to find someone who seemed unlovable and love them. After finishing the police report, calling all of the credit card companies, and regrouping our thoughts, the three of us (Chris Sims, Whitney Petrey, and myself) stood together and said a prayer. We thanked God for His protection and provision and we said a prayer for the individual(s) who took our stuff. I honestly pray right now that God blesses them, and shows His love to these people while teaching them a life lesson through all of this (and us? Keep your doors locked and purse out of sight, and keep your keys in your own pocket? lol) . I pray that God reveals Himself to them and somehow finds a way to show them that they have a greater purpose in life and that they find that purpose and live for Christ in doing so. We are all redeemable by the blood of the Lamb. Praise God!


Continued challenge for this week: Find someone, somewhere (school, work, church, side of the road, etc...), who doesn't seem "loveable"... and love them.

Here we go...

So, I've started the journey. I'm expecting this to be the most difficult thing I'll ever do - and I know it will be the most fulfilling. I've decided to blog for a number of reasons. I've always been better at expressing my thoughts and feelings through written words, as opposed to spoken. This will be a way for me keep track of my thoughts and to document this journey that I've set out on, and it will also give others the opportunity to follow along... or perhaps there may even be some brave person out there who wants to take this journey with me (If that's you, then please E-mail me or shoot me a message on facebook so we can do this thing together).

What's this journey all about? To sum this gig up:

Jesus, love, and people.

My vision is of a world that knows the love of Jesus and understands that love (What is love, anyway? I'll get to that later...) is more powerful than every military, smart-bomb (ironic name, isn't it?), and stockpile of nuclear weapons... combined.

My short term vision is for me to learn to love Jesus with my life. In order to do that, I believe that I must learn to love people - even (and especially) people who seem unlovable - on a deeper level than I ever have before. Over the years, I've found that it's incredibly easy to love people who are popular, good looking, nice, and who "have it all together".


What about those who don't encompass any of those traits?

What about the homeless guy on the side of the road who doesn't appear to have showered in weeks - maybe longer, has an untrimmed beard, and looks "scary"?

What about the person(s) who we see on a daily or weekly basis whose greatest joy is making others feel worthless (perhaps a candid view of how that person feels inside)?

What about that family member who seems to never be able to do anything right?

What about that teacher, classmate, or co-worker whose personality really just grinds your gears?

What about people who aren't Americans, who look different than us, who speak a different language, or even follow a different religion?

Do we even have to love all of THOSE people? ("What do you mean 'you people'?" - great quote from a funny movie)

Absolutely.Jesus makes it clear to us to us that we are to love God with everything we have, AND we are to love our neighbor as ourselves... and for some of us, that's A LOT of love :)

So... Who is our neighbor? According to Scripture - it's everyone (Luke 10:25-37). That's tough... for a number of reasons. It's tough because if Jesus was serious, and if He really meant what He said... then we are to love everyone. This includes people from different countries and continents... Africa, England, France, Iraq, Afghanistan... It means that we are to love people that are nice to us as well as people who persecute us. It means that we are to love the people in the Church, and we are to love convicted felons.

Loving someone requires a decision to be made to love that person in what ever way they may need and in what ever way is best for them. Maybe that means making a decision to smile at someone who people rarely find a reason to smile at. Perhaps that means making a decision to hug someone who needs a hug. Maybe it's a phone call to let someone know we are thinking about them and praying for them. Maybe it's making a decision to stop holding a grudge, and to admit our own fault and try to reconcile a relationship.


The love of Jesus knows no boundaries. It is not confined to national borders, bloodlines, skin colors, or theologies - Praise God!

Jesus died for you and I because He loves us. He died for Osama Bin Laden, Sadaam Hussein, every member of the Taliban and Al Qaeda and every prisoner on death row convicted of murder... Because He loves them too. We are all redeemable by the blood of the Lamb.

Wow.


Challenge for this week: Find someone, somewhere (school, work, church, side of the road, etc...), who doesn't seem "lovable"... and love them.