Blake Thompson daht Net

We’re in the new building!

Blake — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:39:42 +0000

Back in January I posted a video from the first work night The Orchard had in the new building. That work night was on January 20th. And we’ve come a long way since then.

Last weekend Pat made the call to call it a 95% chance that we’d have church today (March 7th) in the new building. And I think that pushed us to get as much done as we could in the next six days. And there were lots of folks in and out of the doors. There was still painting, carpeting, putting together 200 chairs, hanging televisions, putting together children’s ministry furniture, setting lights, running sound system cable, building a stage, changing light fixtures, replacing facia board, getting the Fire Marshall to approve us, getting fire extinguishers, hanging posters, and probably a dozen other things. And all fo that was just this past week.

But there have been many, many people who have put in many hours to get the building to where we are. And today felt good. And one of the coolest things is that now we don’t need to spend near as much time before and after a service setting up things and then taking them right back down. We have had some great volunteers give their time and strength to that. We have been blessed. But now we get to reorient their efforts/focus to other ministry areas.

The new building still needs some more attention. There’s a punch list we’ll still need to knock out (did you see the bathrooms?). But it’s great to be in a building of our own. But we have to be careful that we don’t allow a building to define us. Sure, it opens up many opportunities and should also make other things easier. But it’s not an end all solution. Our heart, as a church, still needs to be focused on Jesus. And our passions need to be the same as His passions.

So while we’re quite excited about the building, we’re more excited about the opportunities it provides for The Orchard to impact Oxford for God’s Kingdom.

[I wish I had a few photos from this morning. Maybe next week.]

Haircut for Rowan!

Blake — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:57:11 +0000

It seems that when our kids are really young my wife and I think that it can’t be too hard to cut a kids hair. And we end up messing it up. And then we give it a few attempts to “fix” it. And it only makes it worse. I’ll try to find some old pictures of Ella. Her hair looked horrible. She had a really bad “boy’s haircut” for a few months when she was two.

But I had to run get a tire fixed this morning and decided to take Rowan to get his haircut afterwards. We were thinking of trying to wait until he turned two later this month for a haircut. But he was shaggy. You couldn’t see his ears. I’m not sure he could see anything through his bangs. And he was sporting a serious mullet too!

So after Walmart (and an emergency diaper change which included me having to buy diapers, wipes, and a new pair of pants!) we headed to get him all cut up. Here are a few pics below.

This was at Walmart before we left. His hair was CRAZY!

Still @ Walmart

He sat really, really still.

Bev showed up to watch from behind.

He was still, but paid strict attention in the mirror.

Almost done. He's getting a quick clean up

The finished product. But he couldn't be still.

He's cutting up. But his bangs aren't so severe now.

The Not-So-Newlywed Game

Blake — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:26:07 +0000

Not too long ago Bev and I had a few friends over for supper. You know how that usually goes. Some people are on time. Some are a touch late. But everybody makes it eventually. And then everyone eats at the table or the barstools or standing around in the kitchen. And then the guys end up in a clump while talking about sports or tv shows or how they would probably make up a good Curling team in the next Olympics. And on the other hand the ladies clump up and talk about their kids or how lame it is that their husbands watch Curling.

So this time Bev wanted to go with a theme for dinner. And for some reason she chose a Wedding Theme. So everyone wore something from their wedding or brought something from their wedding and wedding pictures and all that fun stuff. It was quite fun. But we also played a game. We called it “The Not So Newlywed Game.”

It is played like the classic Bob Eubanks version I guess. But we had five questions each. It provided quite a bit of laughs and insight as we talked through the ten questions. Here’s what they were:

Questions for the Ladies

The saying “opposites attract must be true because my husband and I couldn’t be any more different when it comes to _________?
Every wedding has something to go wrong. What detail at your wedding didn’t go as planned?
Where did you share your first kiss?
What is your husband’s most irritating habit?
If your husband won $5000, what would he want to spend it on?

Questions for the guys

If your wife could have unlimited access to any store, what store would she choose?
If your wife could send you to the body shop for a tuneup, which body part of yours would she want worked on?
What is your wife’s favorite comfort food?
If you could have a second honeymoon, where would your wife want you to take her?
If you wife was married to a tv/movie star instead of you, who would she want to be married to?

As I said, it was a great time. And I meant to mention that my wife actually wore her wedding dress from nearly 11 years ago for a while. She’s a trooper!

New Church Building!

Blake — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:55:37 +0000

I’ve now been working here with The Orchard in Oxford for two years. And in those two years we’ve never had our own space. We started out meeting at The Powerhouse which is the Community Arts Council building. The building is used. A lot….A WHOLE lot. So it’s not uncommon for us to show up early on a Sunday morning to set up for church and there was HUUUUGE party the night before, or wedding reception, or gala, or “She got a donk” contest (whatever that is) with some crazy DJ and all of the stuff from the night before is still up. Or a play is set up for a few weeks for rehearsal and performance, and we’re have to work around each other.

Last May we moved into one of the local movie theaters to have church. We got in early on Sunday morning, set up, and then took everything down before the Sunday matinees started. But in September the theater closed down. Oxford wasn’t big enough to support two movie theaters it seemed. So we returned to The Powerhouse. And I’ll say up front that the folks with the Arts Council/Powerhouse have been very gracious.

BUT…we’ve found our own place. We don’t “own” it, but we have a two year lease. And we’re tearing out walls and building walls. Ripping out old carpet. Painting things afresh. Making it “ours”. Etc. The building has been a number of things. A night club. A restaurant. And most recently…a funeral home. But our goal is to make it as “un-funeral homey” as possible.

But we look forward to the stability having our that having own place will provide us as a church. And we look forward to being able to use the building as a way to impact the local community for Christ in ways that extend far beyond just a weekly church service.

But below is a video from one of our workdays. We’ve had a few since, and it is already looking way different.

Oxford has such a rhythm

Blake — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:44:27 +0000

I guess that’s part of being in a town centered around a university. But things ebb and flow here. But I have to admin I like the changing of the seasons. And in some ways it’s almost a changing of the cultures. The city has approx 20k folks, but then you have about 16k college students that come in and out of the city it makes a difference. Plus there’s another 50 or so thousand that like to come to football games, it makes Oxford interesting.

But school started back for Ole Miss this week. And that means that parking places on The Square are now at a premium again. Restaurants are crowded. And coffee shops are lively. Right now I’m sitting in High Point Coffee (drinking a Vitamin Water (coffee…blech)) and I see quite a group of varied people.

A table with five middle eastern women and their baby.
A table with a 60ish year old man in a three piece suit reading the paper.
A few tables of college girls looking over notebooks
A dad and son have been waiting on their daughter/sis to get here. She just did.
Various guys and ladies hunkered over their laptops.
People come in with strollers to greet people, grab a cup of something, and then leave again.
Books are being read.
Scones are being ordered.
The grinder is grinding constantly.
Someone is wearing a coat and a toboggan on their head even though it is 64 degrees
And over the sound system I have heard Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and other poppy songs from about 10 years ago. I don’t know who’s working today, but their style of music is different from what it usually is.

But it’s good to be back, experiencing the busyness. Soon baseball will start up and crowds will return. And the Rebel Baseball team will probably under achieve once again (hope so!) But it feels good. Maybe it just feels good because I can wear short sleeves right now, but it was about 14 degrees less than two weeks ago!

Time for a reboot

Blake — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:04:38 +0000

Looking back on the archives I brought over I realize there were times when I would post quite often. And it’d be about pretty much whatever. I didn’t have to have anything big or grand to post about. Maybe it was about being in downtown Jackson and my brakes not working. Maybe it was an old Friday’s Feast. Maybe it was just about my sleep habits. But what ever it was, I just posted.

But somewhere along the way I started almost worrying about what I’d write. Would it be interesting? Would anyone care? Would it get a comment? So I’d get stuck in over analyzing things and try to think of the right thing to write about or say. And that would basically freeze me into inactivity. And I’d not post. And then since it had been a while since my last post, I thought I needed a “really good one” for my come back. So then I’d over analyze the next “really good” post. And then I’d still just think, “I should write something tomorrow…”

So no promises, but I intend just to write. And if no one reads it, well, so what? It should be fun, right? I mean, sure, still put some thought and effort into things. Each post shouldn’t just be a stream of conscious. But it doesn’t have to be the next award winning writing either.

I remember when I posted my first real post I ended with these words:

What sort of voice will the blog have? Will it focus on specific things, or anything goes? How personal will it be? Well, it’s still little more than an embryo…so it has lots of growing and maturing to do before it develops a recognizable personality. I hope you hang around with me to see how things go.

And while I know it’s no longer an embryo, I think maybe my blog is going through puberty. It’s experiencing some changes. And is trying to figure out it’s place. There was a time when I thought I’d blog mainly about MSU sports, or Christian culture, or what happened to me and my family today, or what tech stuff I wish I could own or whatever else. But instead of trying to find a niche and impress anyone in particular, I think I’m just going to write what’s on my mind. We’ll see how it goes.

I can see my history now.

Blake — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:29:40 +0000

There was a time I’d never heard of the word “blog”. That time ended back in 2002 when I came across this thread at Site Point Forums. Hmm, an online journal of sorts. So I tried out Blogger.com that people were recommending. I posted a few times, but it didn’t stick. And I wanted my own domain name.

So I bought statedog.com. It was name I started using in ESPN’s College Basketball Chat back in 1996 when Miss State went to the Final Four. Then I started using it on message boards. So it seemed like a good fit. I didn’t know what script to use, but I went with MovableType. It seemed like the stud at the time. I read some other blogs by now that were using MovableType. And it was free. But a bugger to install (it was Perl based back then.)

But to shorten the story, I set up a blog StateDOG.com using MovableType. I ended up running into some issues with MT. And tons of spam too. I converted to a new script called WordPress and loved it. But for a few various reasons I ended up stopping blogging. But I still had the itch. I picked it back up at ASmallTwist.com. I was able to acquire my own name as a .net so figured I must use it. So BlakeThompson.net started up as my blog. Lots of bouncing around for all my blogging, right? There were probably about five or six hosts too.

But this past week I was able to get everything together. I combined all my old blogs with my current blog. It took a few days of mistakes, broken databases, import issues, and upgrades, but I was able to finally get all the old stuff, ever way back to my first post on my own domain, here in the archives. Sadly the comments didn’t make the trip from 2003 to 2010. But I got the meat of the old blog. There are probably some broken links here and there. I know there are some missing pictures. And a lot of what used to be linked to might not even be in existence these days (blogs come and go, you know).

But sit back and look through some of the history. I know there have been some starts and stops. But my intent is to be here to stay. And I’d like for you to be here with me. So, is anyone still reading this thing?

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day…

Blake — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 21:39:15 +0000

…it’s a new life…for me!

That is a quote from a Nina Simone song. I think I first heard it in a movie, but I’ve heard it now and then since. But it’s a pretty cool song. But the phrase repeated often is, “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me. And I’m feeling good.”

As we move into 2010 (do you say twenty-ten or two-thousand-ten?) I think there’s reason to be feeling good. I know everyone looks towards the new year as a time to make resolutions and changes and drop big mile markers on their life’s roadmap. I’ve never been big on resolutions. But maybe I can list out some intentions. Maybe that’s a softer way of saying things. But if I’m honest I do realize changes I need and/or want to make in my life. So here they are, in no particular order:

Read more. Now it starts with me being in The Word more. I really have no excuse. And You Version now has over 20 reading plans that I can download and print, read online, or read right on the iPhone. No excuse, right? But I know it should be my base in life. But I also want to read to my kids more; both the Bible and other stuff. Addie is a voracious reader on her own, but she really likes for me to read with her too. Ella is still putting together how to read, but has grown in her interest lately. And little Rowan, not yet 2, will go get a book and crawl up on the couch and call you over to him. So all of our kids like books.
But I want to read for fun too. Good fiction books can really carry me away sometimes. But not only fiction but non fiction too. I want to learn more though books, and from that learning put that knowledge into life experiences.
I intend to blog more. I always miss blogging. And I’ve not done it much at all lately. But I always mean too. And then I’ll go back and read some of my older stuff and really get the big again. Especially if I go back a few years. I need to figure out how to get my way older stuff imported into here. I think I have to juggle some old mysql databases and all. We’ll see. But in blogging more also comes more interactions with other blogs.
I want to take more pictures. Whenever we look back at old pictures we always wish we had taken more pictures more often. I got a nice camera a year or so ago, but I’ve been hamstrung with out getting a good lens to go with it. Time to eliminate that excuse.
I intend to eat cleaner. I don’t know exactly what that means, but I think I’ve probably got enough toxicity in my body right now that eating “clean” would benefit me in a whole host of ways.
With eating better also comes exercise. I don’t want to try to be on any magazine cover. But to gain some cardiovascular endurance, a little muscle, and a lot of flexibility is where I want to go. I’ve got three small kids. I want to be around for their kids…and not just watch them from the recliner either. Without a doubt I need to work on core strength and flexibility.
See growth and depth occur in the body of The Orchard. It’s been a great two years, but I think now that we’ve found a place (building) to call our own, we’re about to see lots of potential become realized. It’s going to take work and effort and prayer. But it’s exciting.
Serve more. We’ve talked about it as a family, but we want to teach our kids what it means to serve and give of ourselves. There are many opportunities around Oxford for serving too.
Put some work into MissSportsTalk.com. It’s a good site, but it has lots of potential to be a great site. I’ve even considered starting up a podcast for it. I think there are plenty of people who would be willing to help out. And there’s a base of people already there who would listen I think. But articles and interviews for the site as well.
Have real conversations with more people. Reconnect with old friends. But use the phone or the email or the coffee shop or whatever to connect with more people.
Take my wife on a vacation: just the two of us.
Take my kids on dates, just one of them and me, from time to time.

So there’s a quick mind dump. I know I wasn’t very specific with some of them. Instead of “exercise more” I could have said, “Run a half marathon in 2010″, but I didn’t. Like I said, these are just some intentions. But hopefully they become reality.

But either way, it’s a new dawn…it’s a new day…it’s a new life for me.

Unexpected visitors to town. Steven Bush and Aaron Ivey [pt 1]

Blake — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:29:48 +0000

Over the last two years I got to know Steven Bush though his blog and photography. I would email him and ask a ton of questions, and he was more than gracious to reply and give me patient answers. He was living in Nashville while also part of a band called Spur58. Since that time he and his wife, along w/ their bandmates, have moved to Austin, TX to be a part of a church called The Austin Stone. But I’ve continued to check his blog as he’s gone though an adoption process and expanded his photography business.

The lead singer of the band and now worship pastor at Austin Stone is a guy by the name of Aaron Ivey. I first heard of him through Bush’s blog because of pictures Bush took of Aaron’s family. As I looked as his and his wife Jamie’s blogs I saw they too had a heart for adoption and missions. And as a country they have a heart for Haiti specifically.

So, when I take time to peruse a blog here and there, I’d looked at these guys’ blogs, showed a few pics or stories or videos to my wife or shared them with friends.

But then yesterday Bev shows me the DM and asked if I knew anything about this: there was an add saying that Aaron Ivey was playing a concert that night. In Oxford. At….(get this)…Chick-fil-A. What? How did I miss that? And why did they plan it or the same night I had Community Group?

So the concert starts at 6pm. Group starts at 6:30. But it was a casual night of just soup and hanging out with another group. So I’d miss a little at the front of group and get to see the concert and meet the guys. I sent Steven and Aaron a msg on twitter and said I’d be looking for them.

I make it to Chick-fil-A thinking I’m going to be late, they’ll be starting up and not able to talk, and then I’ll have to leave and basically miss out. But they were behind schedule because of some weather issues. I was able to talk to Bush just a bit before sound check. I saw Aaron setting sound under the tent. Something he doesn’t usually do. He was stressing. I said hey, but could tell his mind was in about 47 other places and had no time for any talk, small or big.

I stuck around for a few songs, but had to get to the Heckel’s house for some good soup with some good people. We talked Friday Night Lights, and football, and website hosting, and mission trips. We talked of Haiti a bit because of the video from Austin Stone I sent out to our group. We talked of maybe trying to plan a trip soon that was similar.

I felt torn. I was enjoying the conversations with everyone, but wanted to catch the guys after the show, so close to 8pm I headed back up to Chick-fil-A. The stage area was being torn down, equipment packed up, and the band was being treated to free chicken and a tour of the inner sanctum that is the Chick-fil-A kitchen.

I got to sit down and talk with them as they enjoyed their free chicken (a friend of mine calls Chick-fil-A the Gospel Bird!). But this post is getting long enough. I’ll continue w/ the rest tomorrow.

Things to think about

Blake — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:18:57 +0000

I’m still a little numb today from yesterdays loss to LSU. Normally I’d be happy we hung with them. But we should have beaten them. We had first and goal down only six. I thought about it all afternoon. I thought about it when I went to bed. I thought about it in the shower this morning. It’s amazing how much the results of a football game can consume my thoughts and emotions.

Now I wasn’t a total recluse after the game and make the rest of the day with my wife miserable. On the contrary. We actually had a full evening planned. A good friend of ours is the Executive Director of Memphis’ branch of Bethany Christian Services. The organization specializes in adoption services and ministry to orphans and single moms. There was a fund raising gala last night and we went as guests. And even though there was conversation with friends about the game, talk of how close MSU was to pulling it off, and a few woulda-coulda-shoulda comments, I was convicted by the night’s end.

There were videos, testimonies, pictures, and even a sermon about the good that Bethany is doing. But also about the needs that are still there. The atrocious conditions many motherless and fatherless children are living in both locally and globally, and the various ways we can extend both grace and mercy to them. What we experienced made for a long conversation on the return trip home. Beverly and I both felt called to do something. But what? We don’t know.

Help support Bethany Christian Services financially? Provide foster care? Adopt domestically or internationally? I’ve no clue. On one hand it seems scary. So life changing. But on the other….it seems….like something Jesus is asking lots of us to do. Especially in light of James 1:27.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

So as I contemplate the important things…like SEC football and orphans, I have to ask myself which are the really important things. And why don’t they keep me awake on a Saturday night?

Chick-Fil-A opens in Oxford!

Blake — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:29:11 +0000

Woohoo!

When I was exploring the move to Oxford, I asked Pat, “Is there a Chick-Fil-A in Oxford?” It was that important of a factor. But I guess not ultimately important because I came anyway. But early in the spring it was announced that Oxford would be getting a Chick-Fil-A. I was ecstatic. Well, last Thursday it opened. I wasn’t one of the ones to camp out all day/night Wednesday in order to get free chicken for a year.

BUT I did take the kids to eat supper there Thursday evening. Me and half of Lafayette County. But it turned out to be the best customer service I’ve ever experienced!

We pull up and we’re in line. A nice lady came to my window to ask if we were dining in or driving through. She assured me that our wait would not be long inside. So we parked and walked in (after further assurances that she would help us exit our parking space which could be blocked by the drive thru line.)

It’s just me and my three kids. Somehow my wife missed this trip. But we walk up to the restaurant and a lady opens the door for us greets us by giving the children each a little Chick-Fil-A cow toy. I start dropping some “Thank You’s” so they all say “My Pleasure.” We walk in and things seem crazy but organized. We find a spot in line and we’re only two deep. Then a lady comes up and asks me if I’d like for her to reserve a table close to the play area. Huh? Are you serious? Sure, why not. So she goes and gets a high chair and all for Rowan and gets a placemat that sticks to the table for him too.

I order my food. She reappears and tells me where my table is. I start to let Addie hold Rowan and send her and Ella to the table. The lady asks if I want her to walk my kids to their table. Sure! Then she tells me I can go ahead to the table if I want, and she’ll bring my food to me. Wow. Ok. Why not?

So then as we start to eat a trey gets pushed on the table and Ella’s bottle of chocolate milk falls off the table, down my leg, and then onto the floor. So someone appears out of no where and cleans it up with a towel. And brings us a new bottle of chocolate milk. Then people bring us balloons, ranch dipping sauce, and ketchup. And napkins.

So we eat our chicken and enjoy things. But as we’re finishing up the girls want to go into the play area. So I send them on their way and then scarf down a bit more chicken while my son finishes his fruit cup. As we’re cleaning up and all, a man comes to help. So I’m thinking, this is awesome! These folks are really wanting me to come back. Everyone was so helpful.

Well I go to get the girls from the playroom Ella is distressed. I see that a small scab from a previous booboo got hit and was bleeding on her leg. So I’m holding Rowan trying to find some napkins. I worker sees me and tells me to sit tight while she goes to get something for her foot. She comes back w/ an antiseptic wipe and a band-aid. I thank her and was about to clean up Ella. But she says, “Sit her here and I’ll fix her up.” She then proceeds to clean all the blood off of Ella’s ankle and foot, and then puts the band-aid on gently and asks Ella if everything is okay.

So this was far and beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. Now I know that Chick-Fil-A brought in some “professional restaurant openers” for the first week or so. But I was in awe. I’ll be back. A lot.

Sunday Bullets

Blake — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:46:09 +0000

It’s been a bit of time since the last bullets. But here goes:

Going to Orange Beach was a blast for vacation. That’s when the blog break began. But I might have a story or two to bring back from that trip.
I participated in some osteoporosis study at Ole Miss. The were studying bones and such. I barely made it into the age range but had a bone scan done. Turns out I have the hips and spine of a 20 year old. But at least that lets me know that something else is wrong instead of just my bone hardness. I think it’s flexibility. But I credit my eating ice cream and lasagna for my strong bones.
The test also told me my body fat percentage and Body Mass Index. It was no surprise. Not overweight, but not ideal weight either.
I’ve been meaning to exercise more. Run around my neighborhood some. Maybe join a gym. I realized I’ve not lifted a weight in a gym since I started working here in Oxford. Only a few pushups now and then. That needs to change.
I heard about CrossFit from Matt Chandler. Then after reading up some and watching some videos, I’m intrigued. It looks both easy and really hard at the same time. It’s aim is for total body fitness instead of any specification. I might give some of it a whirl. But I’m (currently) inexperienced in any Olympic style lifts.
Pat and I started a new podcast. It’s called Everything and Nothing. Catchy title, huh? You can listen at the blog or download it from iTunes. And if you tell all your friends about it you’ll feel good about yourself.
I’m still digging the iphone.
The Orchard had a news piece done on it last weekend. Here’s the video.
Speaking of The Orchard, we might just start having two morning services soon.

Haircuts: Before and after

Blake — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:32:12 +0000

The girls have both had long hair. Addie got a good cut one time and it looked cute, but Ella never has short hair except for when she was really young. I think it was in response to me and Bev trying to give her haircuts early on in her life. We butchered it. Many times. So our goal was to let hers grow out. But even though it was “long”, it wasn’t all the same length. It needed some evening up badly, so we took it from about middle of her back to up around her chin. When we were making her appointment Addie wanted hers cut as well. So here’s the before and after pics.

Also, Addison took a page out of my book and decided to shoot some video of the process. So she helped me edit it down to what you can see below.

From one bucket to another…

Blake — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:43:55 +0000

We have an eight year old girl and a four year old girl at our house. That combination makes for some exciting times at our home. Some really fun times and funny times. But that combination can also produce whining, aggravation, frustration, crying, mean looks, and sometimes tears…and that’s just how I sometimes feel!

Just kidding.

But at times my two girls get along perfectly. You’d think they were custom made for each other. But more and more lately I’ve seen the two of them starting to act rude, mean, quite disrespectful toward each other. And amazingly often times it’s either perpetrated or perpetuated by the oldest. She seems to purposefully try to stir up and aggravate her younger sister. And my four year old usually is happy to comply and will answer with a snarl, shriek, whine, cry or other sound that I don’t like.

So I have had a talk with them. Actually multiple talks, but the last one was my most serious. I think I realized I need to not let my own emotions get stirred up when a fight breaks out. Usually I get frustrated by the sounds my younger one is making, frustrated by what the oldest is doing to make the youngest make those sounds, and frustrated why the oldest thinks it’s necessary for her to intentionally create this chaos. Why can’t she just act in a nice, loving, humble, kind, self controlled manner?

Of course the answer is that she’s a person. And all of us people have times we’re thinking wrong thoughts and sometimes we act out on them. But last night as I was lying in the still of the bedroom after the whole house was asleep I was asking God to shape their hearts to be more and more like His. And for him to pour into their lives the fruit of His spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control). But as I prayed I realized that He was asking me to help pour those things into their lives. That my wife and I are to be the primary shapers of who they become. And for me to pour anything into their lives (their buckets), it’s got to be in my life (bucket) to begin with. That’s humbling.

Joe Paslay told me that a long time ago as I was interviewing to work at Camp Lake Stephens. His talk was from the angle of being a counselor and pouring into campers as they are under your watch for the week. But the concept is the same. I can’t give, teach, show my kids anything into my kids that I am not already understanding and living out myself first. It’s a concept I have known for years! But as the kids grow up, parenting gets more challenging. I thought I was a smart and awesome dad when I had just one child. But it’s getting more challenging as they grow, mature (and sometimes seemingly decrease in maturity). And I am going to want them to rely on Jesus more and more. And He is showing me that I have to rely on Him just as much or more in order to show Him to them effectively.

Now…add to the mix a boy who just turned 15 months old…and the next couple of decades of my life will be an exciting adventure!

Favorite Place #5 :: Copper Mountain, CO

Blake — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:15:26 +0000

So to continue on with my Favorite Places series, we land in Colorado. And I’m not sure if it’s more about Copper Mountain, or the actual snow skiing. The first time I’d ever gone snow skiing was when I took the job as youth minister at a church in Amory, MS. A trip was started, but I inherited the planning process midstream. So not really knowing what I was doing, I took a group of adults, college students, and students to Winter Park, CO. I was clueless, but had important people (doctors and lawyers) waiting on me to tell them what to do.

But the trip was good, fun, and built experience. The next time I took a ski trip though, we took the group to Copper Mountain, CO…and I simply fell in love. Now, there’s no real way to explain what snow skiing feels like til you do it. [Before I'd ever put on snow skis I had a guy tell me it was better than "you-know-what". And he was a divorced guy. So he'd know. I'm not ready to make that claim though.] But it’s a feeling of freedom, a rush of thrill and excitement, and then your brain finally clicks with your legs to actually make getting down that mountain a manageable process, and then a productive process….it’s all over. You’re in love with skiing.

So since my first trip to Copper Mountain I’ve actually been back three or four other times. The mountain is brilliantly laid out with a rising degree of difficulty from right to left. And to stay in East Village was always our practice. Nice area, not crowded, and the Super B lift is right there to zip you to the top of the blacks and blues. To ride the lift up and look back over your shoulder and see the snowy mountains sparkling in the sunlight…it was the first moment in my life that I was truly struck by God’s beauty. It really took my breath.

But the feeling of the bulky clothes, the horrible boots that are impossible to walk in, the sound of the snow crunching under your boots as you trek to the lift, inevitable wind/snow burn, the burn in your quads as you try to rip down the mountain at the edge of your physical abilities, the gnawing hunger at lunch battling the knowledge that you can spend more money in a ski resort cafeteria than some nice restaurants back home, learning how to manage a folded up trail map with gloves on, the runny nose that sometimes produces frozen snot if the weather is right, the laughter as you watch your friend take a fall that should have broken at least two bones but didn’t, listen to your friend laugh at you 15 minutes later for the same reason, staying on the mountain for as long as possible, hoping to catch the final lift ride to the very top, the last run of the day, taking those horrid boots off and your feet almost audibly crying with joy, the hot shower, the food that tastes better than usual, the funny sun burnt faces of all your friends as you sit around in pajama pants and gym shorts (and shirts too, of course), the card games (kemps, spoons, Australian rat screw, slap jack, and other “physical” card games), the bloody noses, ….and that’s just the half of it!

I would go skiing 17 times a year if I could. I like the beach. I really do. But I love the mountains too. And being able to share it with people you truly enjoy being around makes it all the better. You make memories, and can relive them too. I’ve been at the most random of places, and sometimes get a memory so vivid about Copper Mountain that my body almost sighs in regret that I’m not really there.

[If you’re ever looking to take a group trip snow skiing, I highly encourage you to contact Don Holmes at High Point Travel. I’d have been lost with out him every single year we went. Plus he’s an outstanding guy

So I made the jump

Blake — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:11:51 +0000

I watched with anticipation when the iPhone came out two years ago. A few people I knew got one. They even let me hold it now and then. I witnessed the price drop, the backlash, then the giftcard response by Apple. Then last summer I saw the 3G release and friends left and right were buying it. Only $199, right? That’s not cheap, but it’s not unreasonable in the smart phone market. But I still watched from a far. But now I even got to fiddle with an application now and then over the last year.

But then the 3Gs was announced: more features and still low(?) price. Could it get any better? Turns out Pat was somehow eligible for the upgrade even though he was the first in line for the 3G at the Oxford AT&T Store last summer. So though we didn’t make a “released date purchase” last Friday, we scoured the local AT&T stores after the release weekend for an iphone. There were none w/in 75 miles it seemed.

But yesterday The Wife and I went to the Apple Store in Memphis to grab one. [Pat had succumbed to ordering from the Apple.com store and having it shipped to his house.] I’ve always liked going into an Apple Store, but this was my first purchase in one. It was a good experience.

I was worried at first because I was wondering if they would have any in or not. I’d called a few times since they’d opened and it was only a recording saying they were closed. But as I walked up there were lots of others walking up too. And I walk in and the place was crowded. I tell the guy in the orange shirt what I’m here for and he (I’ll call him Mr. Soul Patch) instructed me where to wait after I told him I had checked my eligibility and was good to go.

I only waited about 8 minutes (give or take) until a Specialist in a blue shirt came to assist me (I’ll call him Mr. Weekend Worker). We didn’t go to a desk or to a chair, we just stood in the software aisle as he took my info, put it in a handheld device, checked my stuff, swiped my card, and then said, “Let’s go activate your phone.” Wow, simple procedure.

The first thing that happened after my phone was activated was to receive a text from Pat: “I just canceled my order.” He knew I was at the Apple Store. So I was going to try to get him a phone as well. Turned out it worked after some initial hesitation. So I left the Apple Store with two 16gig 3Gs iphones (one black, one white).

So I’m pumped. So we celebrate by going for a visit to Target (wouldn’t you?) So The Wife looks as things wives look at. I look at the books and electronics. I make a call or two. And decide the phone sounds “muffled“. But maybe it’s just me. So as we leave I hand it to my wife and call it with her phone. She agrees. So….I take it back not knowing how long this will take.

So I walk back into the Apple Store and wait at the front counter where there are orange shirted folks there. I’m not really sure of the color coding, but I figured I’d just wait here first. But a blue shirted girl walks up (I’ll call her Miss Pessimistic/Confusing). I tell her I just bought this like two hours ago and it sounds muffled, so can I swap it? She gets a screwy face and says, “Um, you probably need to make an appointment with a Genius (they’re in the very back. Must be smarter than specialists and orange shirts) and they can determine what to do. She told me we couldn’t do an exchange, but the Genius folks could swap it out.” Wait, huh?

She explained that again, but it still made no sense. So I told her I was from out of town, drove here for the express purpose of buying an iPhone going to Target, but I didn’t have time to make an appointment. So she said to wait on the orange shirt girl next to her. So I finally get to talk to her (I say finally, it’s been 3 minutes). So I tell my new orange shirt friend (I’ll call her Miss Multiple Piercings But In A Cute Way) my issue. She asks for the phone and it’s number. So she dials my number, hands me a desk phone and says, “Talk!” So I say, “Hey, Orange Shirted Friend, it’s hot outside. It’s supposed to be the hottest day of the summer. So swap my phone quickly and we’ll both be happy and then I’ll go sit in my air conditioned minivan. But don’t let it fool you. I’m still a cool guy.”

She acts like she’s still not to sure about it all. Then she says, “The thing is…we’re all out of 16gig Black” I say, okay, I’ll take a white one if I can walk out here with it and get in my cool minivan with my wife and kid.” So she says, “okay”, meet me over by the iMac. So I do, she brings it, we activate it, and I leave happy. But me ending up with a white iphone (and Pat choosing one) makes me laugh because of this.

So, what have I learned in my first 24 hours of iPhone ownership:

It eats batter like no tomorrow. My SE phone could hold a charge for over 2 days sometimes.
There are more apps than I know what to do with. But it looks like some cool games for me my kids too.
It seems there’s an unspoken fraternity of iphone owners.
Little kids like iphones too. My girls weren’t with us when we got it, but they immediately thought it was their new toy.
I get nervous when my 4yo plays it. But she’s only played “Memory” so far.
My 8yo will be a wiz at it soon.
My goal is to keep it out of my 1yo’s mouth. He’ll slobber in the speaker and ruin it otherwise. Like he did two previous phones.
I have to get a case soon. I’m too nervous about it getting busted. And it might help me be a little more comfortable w/ the kids holding it.
The Wife scoffs at it right now, but she’ll be acclimated before long. I have a feeling.

Got any apps to recommend?

Favorite Place #6 :: Camp Lake Stephens

Blake — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:20:44 +0000

Yesterday I decided to start a blog series of my favorite places in the world, or at least in my world. They will have to be in no particular order because they can shift and change at the whim of a memory. But since it was Camp Lake Stephens that prompted this list, I decided to go with it first.

I never went to CLS as a kid. I would see the schedule put up on the bulletin board at my church, but never had anyone ask me about going, never had a desire to go, and so it was never really on my radar. I think the first time I went was for a “Dare To Lead” retreat my senior year of high school. And I remember very little about it. I remember playing some “Name That Tune” game in the pavilion, a girl that was pretty, the biscuits in the cafeteria, and walking around the lake and through the woods by myself when i was probably supposed to be somewhere else. That’s it.

But the May of my senior year my church had a guy come to be the youth director for for the summer: Darrell Whitaker. Darrell had worked at CLS as both a counselor and program director. He met Christ there, answered the call to ministry there, and met his (future) wife there. So he thought highly of the place. That summer he took me over to experience a Friday Night at CLS (the last night of the week). There I got to experience supper in the cafeteria with over 100 kids, talent show (both the funny and the serious stuff), bon fire w/ a mini passion play, and meet Joe Paslay, the camp director.

I left not knowing exactly what to think. Everyone seemed so energetic and outgoing. They danced and sang and acted crazy/silly all the time. That wouldn’t work for my more reserved nature, right? Well, long story short is that my freshman year of college I applied to work at CLS. Got the job, and dove in. I ended up working three summers there (Joe said I was a good counselor for the last two of them!), volunteered for about four more during Camp Rainbow (when the mentally/physically challenged campers come), served as a board member for years, and tried to go by as much as possible.

And now if I ever go visit, it feels … well, it feels “right”. It has lots of memories for me. It shaped me in a lot of ways. I made some mistakes there and learned from them. I was stretched in a lot of ways as a counselor. Had some fears that were tackled. Made some life long friends. Met my wife there. Learned a lot about God and ministry. Met people at CLS who later I came to work with at their churches. And all in all, CLS might have impacted my life as a “place” more than any other place.

Interestingly enough Darrell is now the Camp Director at CLS. And Pat, my pastor and boss, was once my camper way back when. And Bob Rambo who was my pastor in Clinton I also met while at CLS while his son was in my cabin. And I could make a really long list of friends and ministry colleagues and that I met through CLS.

So all in all, it’s probably accurate to say that CLS is the place that has had the most impact on my life. And I hope to be able to give back to CLS so it can make a difference in other’s lives as well.

Favorite Places

Blake — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:09:12 +0000

The other day I had lunch out at Camp Lake Stephens. On my way there I sent a twitter message that said that Camp Lake Stephens was one of my favorite places in my world. But it got me to thinking about the places I’ve been to that I like the most. So I tried to put a list of them together in my head. I think I have a solid list of my top handful.

So I’ll start a “place a day” here on the blog. Some places are more recent. Some of more often visited. And some mean different things for different reasons. But they’re all special. I’ll explain.

But tomorrow starts a “no particular order” of my favorite places.

Down to one kid

Blake — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:32:57 +0000

This weekend we had originally planned to go to Clinton for a wedding and spending some time with friends. But then the time of the wedding ended up being later than we thought, so it complicated things. We ended up rethinking the trip. But…our two oldest still “went away” for the weekend. So now we’re just left w/ the 14 month old!

That means things might be on the calm side for various and sundry reasons around the house. I should get a little more sleep, that’s for sure. But it is also a great time for them to be with family a little bit. And it gives us a little space and we start to miss them too. Plus Sunday is Father’s Day, so of course they’ll need to be back around then.

Today I went up to campus at UM. They are having a basketball camp, and one of the guys from my old youth group was here with his team. So I was going to go watch him for a bit. But as I was going in there was a man blocking the stairwell. I had to say, “Excuse me coach,” because it was Houston Nutt. Nice guy though. So I go up the stairs, enter the room with all the basketball courts, and didn’t know which one was court four. So I asked the first person I saw. It was a tall, slim, bald guy.Turns out it was Andy Kennedy. He pointed me in the right direction. As I was saying thanks, someone came in the door behind me and bumped into me. There he was again, Houston Nutt. Oh, well. Both guys seemed nice enough. But they didn’t ask my SEC affiliation.

Turns out Kennedy was watching two of his basketball signees. One a smooth guard from Jackson, MS, and then big guy from south Alabama. Both were impressive. There were TONS of kids in there. Some teams were better than others, of course. And then there were tons of those kids in the cafferteria as well.

Anyway, after having our church’s VBS site switched again for the 2nd time in a week, going to Tupelo to pick up some tents for VBS, taking down old posters from around The Square, and making fliers, it’s time to go grocery shopping with my wife and son (who started walking last night! I’ll have some video soon)

Monday Bullets

Blake — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:06:01 +0000

Some things on my mind:

Southern Miss made the College World Series yesterday sweeping the Florida Gators in Gainsville. How surprising and impressive is that? This is Corky Palmer’s last year as the coach. They’re giving him a great final season.
On the flip side, Ole Miss lost the last two games of their super regional to Virginia to stay home yet again. This must be getting old for them. I feel sorry for some of my Ole Miss friends. But to some of the vicious smack talkers I have encountered on the internet it makes me smile.
Yeah, I know…MSU didn’t even make the post season. Better days are ahead, right?
The newest iPhone was announced today. It makes my lust over electronic equipment. I think the timeframe to my owning one keeps shrinking.
I started the 100 Pushups challenge again a month or so back. But last weekend I ran out of motivation. Today is the day I decide whether to pick it up again. I made it to week 5.
I need to run too. A man in his late 60’s told me yesterday that if I run 3 or 4 times a week I can eat whatever I want to and still maintain my weight.
I had lunch at Camp Lake Stephens recently. I was meeting Darrell for lunch. And I’m continually reminded of how awesome that place is and how it’s shaped me in different ways over my life.
My old youth group went to BigStuf last week. That is another place/event that’s shaped me in big ways. I know they had a great time, but I wish I could have experienced some of it too.
Addison turned EIGHT last week. She’s turning into a mature little girl (most of the time!)
This summer I’m leading a Community Group for our church called Twisting The Truth. It’s an Andy Stanley study. Good stuff.