Well, it's November. 

Can November and hurricane really be in the same sentence????

Its so funny to me how people who dont live here think that we are going to get blown away every time something brews in the Gulf.  I have lived here all my life and out of all the storms I have been thru, here and LA, ONE, Ivan, was something to really worry about.

But, I guess it stimulates the local economy with people rushing out to prepare, so let the hype roll..!! :)

Random thoughts from the weekend:

• Had Deb's sis in for the weekend.  Very nice being with her.  She lived with us for 2 years after graduating high school 20 years ago.  Celeste is as good a sis in law as there is. 
• They brought in tons of Four Winds delicacies on Saturday.  I told Deb to not let the guy 'sell' the big containers of everything.  Didnt work.  :)
• The Arts Festival was FANTASTIC.  They have improved it by a hundred fold, with it overflowing into the side streets, food everywhere, cajun Zydeco music and people dancing, really, really well done.  Prices crazy high, but that is artists for you.  Its nice to see Pensacola put on such a high caliber event.  Estimates were 100,000 attended. 
• It was wierd picking up The Independant News at Panera and seeing my face on the back.  I didnt know they were doing that,  so it was like, "I know that guy...WOW!" 
• The vote to change the City charter is HUGE.  It will enable leadership to begin to arise.  Please, if you live in the City, vote YES to change for our city!
• Found my new favorite restaurant:  A Taste Of India.  Tory and I had a dad date there last night and it was FANTASTIC.  Good sign:  lots of true blue INDIANS there!  The lentil soup (2.99) was the best I ever had.  The Indian bread, nan, is the real deal.  The Chicken Curry, perfect. The owner is from India, wears a turbin, and just has done a fantastic job.  LOVE that Pcola has real Indian food now!!!!!  Locates on N. Cervantes, where Mediteranean Plus used to be.
• Church was great..  I can't fully explain what I sense under the surface at Harvest, but I think it is much like being pregnant.  There is just a wonderful sense of life and vibrancy, of health,....of....again, can't fully explain it.  I just know God is very pleased.
• What to do, what to do, what to do???? A hurricane is coming...!  Lions and tigers and bears...OH MY!!  Lions and tigers and bears...OH MY!!  :)

Dont get blown away!!

PB

PS........SAINTS WON....8 and 0 baby!!!!!!!  AAAEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!  

I have been thinking alot in the past few days about how REALLY, SEVERELY messed up people can get from one thing: Faulty expectations.

It applies to so many areas of life:  Expecting too much out of marriage, ...like it is going to 'cure' your loneliness and everything else wrong if you are single.....expecting too much out of a new job,...like it is going to give you so much fulfillment and happiness now...expecting too much out of a church,....like it is supposed to give you a great social life, automatically cause you to grow,...on and on.

But nowhere is this more dangerous than in our relationship with God.

Over the past week, I have had emails, prayer requests, conversations...a number of them...that all have to do with disappointment with God.  It goes something like this:  "I have been tithing, but nothing is changing.  Why even tithe?"  or "I prayed for so and so to be healed, but nothing happened.  Why pray?"  or "I am doing my best to serve God but everything is going wrong.  Why even try""

Sound familiar? 

Dangerous.  Very dangerous.  And it represents deeply faulty thinking about God and how life works. 

I plan on doing a message on this, "Life On Two Planes", sometime in the future.  But for now, let me just say that LIFE IS NOT EASY.  BUT GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD, PERIOD.  That means sometimes your finances will stink.  Sometimes people die you pray for.  Sometimes things go terribly wrong.  God is not the originator, nor is a "genie" you can just call on to make it all right.  Sorry.  It doesnt work that way.  God calls us to TRUST Him, lean on Him, look for mercy in the messes of life, walk with Him THROUGH life. 

Sometimes we see startling miracles.  Sometimes we dont.  Oftentimes we just see mercy in the messes.  But we walk with our God, because we love Him and trust Him.

We have to separate LIFE from GOD.  Life can be harsh at times.  Life can be good at times.  God is always good, overshadowing life, BIGGER than the shifting circumstances of our lives, if that makes sense.

And He is working it ALL out for our good in the Big Picture.  (Romans 8:28)

I have walked with God a long time now.  I have prayed for many who were healed.  I have prayed for many who were not.  I still pray, knowing the Kingdom is not fully now manifested, but here, there, at points.  I just give the opportunity by praying in faith.  I have tithed for almost 30 years.  I have had great blessings.  I have also lost alot of money in various ways, had bad financial breaks.  I honor God with my tithe, period. 

In other words, the good, the bad of life doesnt change how I relate to God and what I do out of that, my obedience.

More to come later....

PB

Last night, Deb, myself and Brit went to see the MJ movie, "This Is It".  MJ was the 'Elvis' to my generation, overshadowing every other pop culture personality by a long, long shot.

Here are some thoughts as they flowed over the almost 2 hours:

• Wow....wow....this guy really WAS a musical genius.....!  He 'heard' things, felt the music, in a way that only genius can. 
• The film is totally rehearsal footage and it is better than any concert I have seen....including U2, as far as sheer creativity. 
• The moments when he stops everything and tells them what he is hearing....wow.  What he did with the girl guitar player to really make her shine was amazing.
• Speaking of girl guitar player, this girl is one of the best I have ever seen.  She makes the solo on "Beat It" look like child's play.  By the way, that original lick would be Eddie Van Halen...?!?
• FIFTY!!!!!!!!!!  50....FIVE...ZERO....This guy was 50 years old and could sing and move likeTHAT?!??!  Seriously, from the time he was 20, watching this, you realize he was almost ageless.  He moves effortlessly.  Vocal quality better than when he was younger.  Stage presence?  You cant take your eyes off of him, as whatever 'it' is, he had 'it'.
• Of course, well could have done without the crotch-grabbing dance move from Billy Jean.... still makes me go 'YICK".  Or "UGG". :)
• The "toaster" thing that shot the dancers out was unbelievably cool!
• The song with the Asian looking girl.... the ballad,.... was so in the moment.....so "on it", even in rehearsal...that it was totally captivating.  It is funny to watch the rest of the stage crewe totally into it, cheering, high fiving, IN REHEARSAL..! It was that amazing.
• Not all gifting is distributed evenly.  Even if you didnt like him and thought he was wierd (he was), you come away going, "Man, what amazing talent."  King of Pop was rightly deserved, as even Elvis lost it toward the end.  This guy did not lose a step, period, even at FIFTY!!!
• Sorry.  I still cant get over what he made 50 look like. :)

Those were just a few thoughts running thru my head as I watched it.  If you have any love for the creative process, this is absolute MUST SEE, as it is a look into a creative mind that was eons beyond most out there.  

I didn't particularly care for alot of MJ's music, but let me tell you:  This concert experience was a tightly held secret, but when it would have hit the stage, the word would have spread like wild-fire that "Michael Jackson is BACK!" As I told Deb walking out, "U2 was a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10 compared to what they were planning for his comeback."

Let me know your thoughts if you were able to see it.  Out for today!

PB

I woke up this morning feeling tired and overweight.  Stayed up watching the World Series and then ate late. 

World Series every so often? Fine.  Eating late?

I know better. 

So I woke up this morning and today is the first day of my goal to lose 10 pounds by year end.  Picking the holiday season to do it probably isnt the smartest time, but there will always be an excuse, so that is my line, 10 pounds, Jan 1st.

I started thinking of ways to get there, but this question kept coming up in my mind, "Is this sustainable?"  If it isnt, I will go right back to my old habits in no time.  Sustainability is the key to sucess I am finding.  That is why Adkins people usually gain all the weight  back.  You cant sustain eating nothing but protein long term. 

But there is another factor to the equation that makes it even tougher:  To be sustainable, it has to be enjoyable as well.

We always go back to doing what we enjoy, period.

And thus the problem.  :) 

I havent figured out my plan yet, but I know the 2 above factors have to be present for the changes to be long term.  Any advice appreciated!

PB