Red Faced

It isn't too often in my life that I really feel embarrassed.  Thinking back post high school... I would have to say the time I wiped out on my skateboard in front of the main dining hall at East Carolina University may top the list, at the same time I would say it is the biggest applause I may have ever received for anything in my life though.  The next time would have happened at ECU as well, when I decided to go to an Alpha Phi Alpha kickball game by myself freshmen year, just thought it would be fun to make some friends.  Well, come to find out and definitely didn't know before going is that Alpha Phi Alpha is a 99% African American fraternity, lets just say I was a bit of outkast on the kickball field.  Other than those two times at ECU I would say that all other times have fell on my birthday.  I just don't know what it is, but I just don't like a big deal made out of my birthday.

But I have never really had pictures of an embarrassing moment until now.  Last month on my birthday, Morgann sets it up for my brother to fly down for a birthday weekend.  We meet him in the airport, we walk over to baggage claim. (waiting for a bag that he checked for a two night trip? obviously that doesn't hit me as a little strange)  Jon says he needs to go to the bathroom, so he goes and while standing there I am not really thinking much of it except for the fact that he took his other bag with him to the bathroom.

About four minutes later I see my brother come out of the bathroom wearing a cow costume that has utters in the front of it shouting. "EVERYONE, EVERYONE CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, IT IS MY BROTHERS BIRTHDAY SO I WAS THINKING WE COULD ALL SING HIM THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG"  and begins to lead the entire airport baggage claim section at the Charleston airport in the Happy Birthday song.

First:  I am surprised he didn't get tackled as he was shouting in an airport with a cow costume on.
Second:  Something I will never forget, embarrassing moments may only last for a second, but is something you can always talk about later.  And for that, thank you embarrassing moments for being AWESOME!

 Before walking to baggage claim!

During (Red Faced)

After (still wearing the cow)











Side Note:  Jon had no bags to pick up from baggage claim.

Is the Bible still RELEVANT Today? (Part 1 of 2)

The beginning of a two part post:

Part 1 - Is the Bible still relevant today?  

Part 2 - As a Christian how should I look at/use the Bible?   

"What do you think about the Bible?"

It's a question I have asked several people in the last couple years, in which the 99% response rate is usually this..."I just don't really think it is relevant to today and the world we live in now"  (Something my wife Morgann would definitely admit to saying to me when we began dating eight years ago)

I will admit I struggled trying to find the answer to make the Bible seem relevant in a blog post.  However after doing tons of research to answer this question, I finally found it.  I didn't find it on the internet or in a book, but I found it my heart, so I am just going to give you "my" response to the question.  

I think the first thing that comes to everyone's mind is technology, it is changing/has changed this world so much so why shouldn't that be a reason why the Bible is irrelevant to today? But if I were to dig into deeper issues other than technology I begin to find out that the world of now and then really aren't too far apart.  Murders, Affairs, Drug Abuse, Wars... All in the Bible!  Isn't all that relevant to today?  The Bible can show direction and help decisions we face in every day/every year of the world we live in now.. What job should I take?  Where should I live?  What girl/guy should I or should I not date?  How do I deal with death of a loved one?  How do I handle family and friend relationships?  ... and many more questions that we all deal with on a day to day basis... it was all dealt with in the Bible!

Chances are very high you can find whatever situation you are dealing with right now, also happened in the Bible!  The diversity in the Bible can be seen for every person in any stage of life, no matter your age or situation.  In the Bible we can find every emotion, confession, conversation of philosophical debate, and Jesus confronting ALL of these issues, of life, and death, and showing us the eternity that is ahead for all of us.

A person that may say the Bible is not relevant to the world we live in today... is that just an excuse?  That is what I really wonder. If the Bible has never been a part of a persons life how can the Bible start to be now?  Not when they have been living without it for so many years.  I wonder if they may be scared about what reading the Bible could change about their life?... enjoying the drinking, enjoying the gambling, enjoying the excessive shopping for material items, enjoying lust... it is fun, brings instant happiness and gratification... "If I actually start reading the Bible won't I have to stop all of that and what will everyone that I hang out with now think of me then?"  The humbling experience, the thought of telling a friend that you may not have the same values anymore and you might need to go your separate ways... does that thought haunt those that don't read the Bible?  Is... "it is not relevant to today" an excuse to not have to go through that humbling experience really worth it?

For some I am sure it is time... time to find the PURPOSE in your life that the Bible can give.  As terrifying as it might be, how it would eat you up inside to open a Bible.  It might be time to deal with it!  

One great thing is the Bible will NOT leave you there sitting in your own regret! The Bible can take you from filling convicted to changing your heart, your ultimate goals in life,  and giving you PURPOSE! Now opening the Bible doesn't mean that God is just going to stand there and smile at you saying I haven't seen anything that has been going on in your life and now everything is going to be all good and happy in your life with all answers about life complete.  Definitely NOT!  In fact, what Jesus is really going to do is show how He has already stood up for you by taking your SIN upon HIMSELF, He took that pain we deserve. He literally hung on a cross FOR YOU!  And then he rose from the grave on the third day to show you how powerful God really is!  I say that to say... as a Christian... I find that RELEVANT to my life TODAY!  As a Christian, I have PURPOSE, my journey is not empty at all, and from opening the Bible I can find and read about how I can pursue a purpose that is greater than me and my selfish ways - (if you noticed above when I listed all the "decisions" we face everyday - they all had one word in all the statements ..."I"...)  Opening the Bible has done that for me, helped me face my day's in this life knowing this isn't about ME, it is about a PURPOSE MUCH GREATER than ME!

 It gets me pumped knowing that we ALL can find OUR role in God's design of His kingdom, and how OUR life has meaning by opening this book.

If we can fathom thinking about the end of our days here on earth, thinking about our death in the future, whether you are laying in a hospital bed or where ever we may be, what questions will you ask at that point in your life?  Where will you turn for the answers to your why questions.. why me, why now?  Will you wonder if there is a God or if the Bible is true/relevant at that point?

When you are about to actually die will the question of how relevant the Bible actually is fade away?  Will the comfort and hope embodied in the Bible suddenly become totally...
RELEVANT?

Mission Possible - Your J O B

When Morgann and I moved and were searching for a new church to attend we both were looking for one that was very "missions" based, and after many weekends of seeing where God may lead us as far as a church we definitely feel like God has found that right spot for us.  

With that said...about a month ago Morgann and I were asked by friends at church to start praying about going on a mission trip with several people from church.  We have had the desire to do this since we got married, so we said we would pray about it and then let them know if we felt that this was the trip God was wanting us to go on. Well, after praying over it we both felt that God wasn't pulling us to this particular trip at this time.  (but will continue to pray for God to lead us to the right one)

But I say all of that to talk about the word "mission".  A lot like the word PURPOSE! Definitely through this time of thinking about this trip God put it on my mind to focus on the word "mission" and what that means to me right now and how I can live every day through my Purpose with a particular "mission."

Mission - a particular assignment carried out for a specific purpose!

So I came to the realization that as Christians we can really be on a "MISSION" every day if we are really living for a PURPOSE.  I have begun this week to take that a little farther to look at my job as a mission from God.  Sometimes our job that we do everyday can take control us - in a positive or negative way.  I feel like it is so easy to look at our job every day as something we feel like we have to go do whether we like or not or something we love to go do!   I have always been a person that looks at my job and says "that is not the most important thing in my life and I will make sure that it never is".  But then this week it hit me... (or I should say God hit me with)

What if my job is the exact "MISSION" that God wants me to be on?  

What I mean by that... What if God wants my job to be my "Mission Trip" that I take every day?  I had never looked at my job as a mission from God before this week, it was looked at from the standpoint of God gave me this ability and this opportunity but I will not make it first priority in my life over my faith, family, and friends.  But what if the one thing that I do every day, five days a week, is the very thing that God is calling me to be on a "Mission" for?

So this week on my ride to work I have started saying to myself -  "I am heading on a "Mission Trip" today!!!  So far it has changed my heart a little, and my attitude, and I think that is exactly what God wanted to happen. 

And he said  “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15

#WakingWithPurpose

One year of waking up early early is in the books!!!  It is crazy that it has been a year.  Last week marks the first week that I began waking up at 3:45 a.m. - 4 a.m. a year ago, the reason why I did it... well to explain that there is no better resource than looking back on the blog I wrote last December on why I had begun to wake up early... so check that out here - WHY ARE YOU WAKING UP EARLY BLOG POST (CLICK TO READ)  

Make sure you read that post if you never have before continuing on as the rest of this will not make sense!
_________________________________

Did I sleep in ever this year???  So the first question that everyone is going to ask did you really go every day for the year?  I do not wake up this early on Saturday and Sunday's and Thanksgiving/Christmas.  And I can count on two hands the amount of days that I didn't do this during the whole year.  Four of which have been since we moved to South Carolina.  I slept in the following the three days after we moved (July 3rd - 5th) and I slept in the day after the Virginia Tech/Georgia Tech game of this year till 5:45.  One of the days I am counting, I woke up got out of bed and went out to my couch and fell right back to sleep, so not counting that.  And the only other time was the ONE time the whole year that I actually didn't get out of bed when the alarm went off.

I believe the real question is NOT how many days have I slept in during this year?  But from the first blog post about it, have I really kept up the Purpose, Passion, and Motivation?

I would answer that question with a resounding YES!  
This change in my life has grown me in my:
Faith - By allowing me the one on one time with the man upstairs that I really need everyday.  It has given me time for prayer, time for reading the Good News, certain Bible Studies, and even reading several books to help my growth.  The one thing I do know is that I wouldn't be able to wake up this early every morning without knowing my real PURPOSE of it - to grow in my Faith! God has allowed that change through this time and I thank him for it every morning when I wake.  If someone were to begin waking up this early every day I don't believe they could hold on to it if they did it for themselves as it would be hard with self centered intentions, but knowing He is with me and I am doing it to bring him glory it gets me out of bed every morning!

Twitter posts - Well what started with #RiseAndGrind as I am sure some of you all remember.  Changed in 2013 to #WakingWithPurpose.  As I felt that the real reason I was waking up early was for PURPOSE and and I am not sure if prayer time/devotions/reading are considered "grinding".  To stay on the topic of Twitter, it has been an interesting ride, when I first started waking up early I really felt that twitter was a great way to spread some positivity and some of the Biblical values that I try to live every day by to help lift others up so they may be able to find his/her Purpose.  I reached a point about 6 to 7 months in that I was forcing this.  Thinking I needed to do this just so someone would re-tweet it or favorite it and I started to lose why I began to do it in the first place.  It started to become self centered, so that is why my tweeting in the morning slowed a little bit, but at the same time, whatever and whenever I was tweeting in the morning has become way more sincere and from my heart instead of just doing it to do it, it comes back to having that real PURPOSE behind it!

Family - I am going to let Morgann have a guest post on here soon to let her share what has been her perspective of me waking up early and how she believes it may have changed our marriage and growth as a couple.  So expect that post in sometime late November/December.

Will I continue to do it?  ABSOLUTELY!  Anything that I believe you can look back on in life and see that it is growing you spiritually in your faith in a positive direction, only helping your marriage in a positive way, and ultimately making life have PURPOSE through my faith, why wouldn't I?

#WakingWithPurpose

Proverbs 6:4-11 - "Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids...Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! ... How long will you lie there, you sluggard?  When will you get up from your sleep?  A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man." 

August/September Book Review

Quiet - By Susan Cain and 

Experiencing God - By Henry Blackaby  

Even though I finished these two books recently, they did not make this post as I will have separate post for each of them in the future as Quiet was "AMAZING", and Experiencing God, well, I just have more than a paragraph to say about it.

Now onto the reviews...

What is the What

By Dave Eggars

I had gotten this book from a goodwill several months back, it intrigued me by all the accolades it had received.  So with it being the end of summer reading I thought why not pick up the longest book I have ever read and get started.  The author takes you through the ride of a man from Sudan, Valentino Deng.  Reading through this book the whole time I kept saying, this is just like one of those movies where some people love the artistic side of a film when really I might just rather be watching Old School or Dumb and Dumber.  I can see how it received so many awards for writing and how so many people have read it.  It just wasn't for me.  There are really two stories going on at once, one of Deng in Sudan and the other him living in Atlanta.  All the chapters on Atlanta I was loving reading about but the coinciding stories going on at the same time just weren't put together well for me.  So if someone loves to read I would say go at this and see what you think but if you are a one book a month kind guy or gal, don't ever pick it up.

Toughness

By Jay Bilas

So this book was told to me by a friend to try out and see what I thought.  I thought it was really good.  As I told him, it is not go out and pay 15 dollars on it kind of good, but rent from the library kind of good.  He bases the book off of a piece he wrote for ESPN.com several years back about what "toughness" actually means.  I think this book is great for any coach, and honestly any high school or college player of any sport.  I really wish I had read this in high school when playing sports.  So if you are a parent then this would be a great book for your son or daughter to read if they are beginning to play sports competitively.  It is a quick read so if you are interested in sports, leadership, and to compete the "right" way then I would pick this up.

The Case For Christ

By Lee Strobel

I had read this book about 8 years ago and felt it was time to take it off the shelf again.  It was a great read once again.  Lee was an Atheist, who was on the search for basic facts of why he should "believe" in Jesus Christ after his wife became a believer in Christ.  He travels around the country in the book having conversations with great philosophers and apologetics of today to find answers to his questions.  A great read for anyone that may be have questions about Christianity, and the life of Jesus Christ.

The Heart and the Fist

By Eric Greitens

Honestly have no idea where I got the idea to read this book, but it was on my "to read' list on My GOOD READS PAGE (click to see)  so I figured why not pick it up from the library.  This book is the biography of Eric Geitens,  who goes from Duke, to becoming a boxer, to Oxford, to being a Rhodes Scholar, to the Navy, to becoming a Navy Seal, and then serving in our country Afghanistan and Iraq.  So if that procession of events intrigues you at all I would recommend this book to you.  He goes into detail about his training as a Navy Seal, so if that interests you, you will fly through this book and not be able to put those chapters down.  The book does get a little old when you realize he has not one bad thing to say about himself and you start to wonder if he has ever done anything wrong, but all in all a good quick read if those above topics interest you.

Princess

So I had to find out the hard way.. It is Morgann's Birthday (2011), we happen to be in Denver together as I am speaking at a conference.  I thought I had done it up, gotten the best Birthday gift I have ever gotten anyone!!!  Tickets to see Taylor Swift!  Well, I was wrong, and being a guy I didn't know why!  I get back from some conference action in our Denver Hotel room where I am expecting to reveal the big gift.  It is there that I officially find out that on Morganns Birthday it isn't about the gift, it is about the Celebration/Love Shown, the day together, the fun, the birthday is more of an experience and not just a gift we unwrap.  (Duh Chris... Just like LIFE)

So with that said, with Morgann's birthday tomorrow, I thought I would reveal what I did to celebrate Morgann's 28th year of birth, post Denver/T.Swift year.  And thought that doing so may help any ideas/thoughts that might help fellow husbands/boyfriends out there celebrate their boo's special day.  (I was told by a student this week I need to start just calling my wife "my boo"?)

So last year I created a theme... PRINCESS.  I have found that celebrating in "child like" ways makes life so much fun!!!

So I created a Princess house, and made EVERYTHING Princess!



On the Princess house I created 7 doors, so everyday for 6 days leading up to her birthday Morgann got to open a door a day.  Inside the door was a poem/letter, a writing of some sort that would have hints, etc. on what the gift of the day may be.  The gift for each day was inside the Princess House (retractable roof very similar to what the Vikings have planned for the future), so not only did we have a Birthday, we had a Week of Birth Celebration.










It is through doing this that I truly found out that it isn't about the buying of gifts for Morgann, it is about the time - time spent together, time spent in preparation, time spent SHOWING LOVE.








Lesson learned for all future birthdays(and in life)!
1)  Be like a child at heart
2)  Prepare with love in your heart
3)  And always don't just buy a gift - because time is more important!

Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone:"SUP"

True statement:

We only try things we feel completely comfortable/confident in doing most of the time!  

Well last week I definitely stepped out of that "comfort zone".  Let me restate that, at first I felt forced by my wife Morgann to step out of my comfort zone.  But then when it was over, I was excited and pumped I did. 

What holds us back from wanting to step out of that zone?

For me it is a lack of confidence, if I am not confident in it or think that I will not perform well then it ain't for me.  Well, that is what went down last Thursday as Morgann signed me up for my first ever Stand Up Paddle board race.  (SUP)  

Going through my mind:  I have never done this before and I am not only going to just "SUP", I am going to race.  Knowing my competitiveness and hating to lose, I was definitely not wanting to step out of the zone for this.  Well, by the time Thursday had rolled around I had run out of excuses to give Morgann to why I shouldn't do this.  (ya know... my knee has been hurting me, other guys have their own paddles, do we even know how to get there, is it going to rain?, it is two hours before Thursday night football starts won't that be cutting it close? it cost 5$ to enter, and the obvious I have never done this before)  Morgann being her awesome self wasn't having any of it - IT WENT DOWN, AND OUT OF THE ZONE I WENT!

AND IT WAS AWESOME!!!  I did horrible in the race as you can tell in the above picture, no one is around me, because I am in dead last (really want to learn how to turn).  But it didn't even matter, it was so much fun, I have never enjoyed an activity so much that I finished last at. (can't believe I just wrote that)

After a couple disqualifications  (people not going around buoys correctly) and lack of people racing I even left with a medal?  

So I really can't wait to do it again, aka get my own Paddle Board so I can get in paddle board shape and actually learn how to maneuver one.  But I will take this as another prime example in life - that stepping out of your comfort zone, whatever that may be for you, in the end, REALLY IS WORTH IT!!!

Hunting Island/Beaufort Trip

One thing Morgann and I love to do together is take trips.  Since the move we haven't really wanted to as we have been recuperating from the move by going to the beach every weekend for two months.  So this past Saturday we planned a little date day/night down to Beaufort/Hunting Island, the recap by pictures...

So we started the date day early at Palm and Moon Bagel shop (suggested by one of my students).  We took it to go and ate out on the harbor in downtown Beaufort.  I obviously had to go with the Joey special - 2 bagels.  (Friends TV Show reference)

So after the early breakfast we drove into Hunting Island (about 15 minutes from Beaufort).  Honestly, the most beautiful drive in, because you feel like you are literally in a jungle.  So I must have said this 20 times - "it is like we are in a jungle, there had to have been movies filmed here".

Since it is a state park, there are no houses on the island so it is literally what any beach you go to would look like if we hadn't built anything on the land, amazing!  

First time I have ever seen trees growing out of the ocean.  In which I definitely kept thinking this quote all day as well - "we are really still in the USA".

Had to post this shot because after doing a little research on movies shot on the island (Forest Gump, G.I. Jane, and Jungle Book), this is the spot where Forest brings Cap't Dan out of the jungle to save him and also where Bubba passes away.

After spending all afternoon lounging/reading on the beach we ended the day with a date night dinner downtown Beaufort by the harbor at The Old Bull Tavern which I would highly suggest to eat at if ever in the area!

One great date day!!!

Side note story from the day:  After spending all day on the beach Morgann and I wanted to get ready to go out to eat.  Obviously there are no showers, so I had planned on just rinsing off in the outdoor shower rinser-offer that everyone in the state park is using and then I was going to change once I got the sand off of me.  Morgann has other plans, as I am just rinsing the sand off of myself, I look over and Morgann has brought an entire bar of soap in a travel case and is actually taking a shower in the beach rinse off station.  As I am laughing uncontrollably at her and have left the scene as I do not want to be a part of this, I look over and Morgann has this other woman that is rinsing off rubbing the soap off of her back.  It is things like that why I love Morgann King, because I would never do that but she has no problem with taking a public shower, and getting others to help her with it.