Lessons from Country Music

Hey listen... Life is swinging a mean bat these days... A LOT of people, some I'm close to some I barely know, are struggling with real life stuff. I'm watching Revolution Church pick up, dust off, and move forward.... I see comments in the LifePoint Youth blog about our kids realizing that other kids in the world have NOTHING!.. and how our kids plan to react and change the world.... I'm seeing friends of mine going through tough career decisions after losing their jobs.... I'm watching my mom's body wither away from Parkinson's MSA as she sits unable to do ANYTHING for herself... including talk... I get to serve with some incredible people at LifePoint Church as we try to balance our time between family, work, God stuff, fun, etc....

Ahhh yes..... TIME! I heard a song by Tim McGraw the other day... I've heard it a few time before... but this time it GRABBED me! Let me set the stage.... My wife and girls were gone this week, so it was just me and my boys - Dawson (6) and Griffin (5). I not only had to try to keep up with my normal schedule, but I needed to pay some extra attention to the boys this week. So, I made a few decisions... I mowed some lawn clients a couple days early, I took 2 days off from AT&T to hang out with them, I handed the worship set responsibility for this week to Brandon, and I let some of the other needed things wait. OK, back to the song... here is verse 2 from Tim McGraw's Grown Men Don't Cry:

Keep having this dream about my old man
I'm 10 years old, and he's holding my hand
We're talkin' on the front porch watchin' the sun go down
But it was just a dream
He was a slave to his job and he couldn't be around
So many things I wanna say to him
But I just placed a rose on his grave, and I talk to the wind

Bob has preached several times about time and having balance and priorities lined up. Here is the deal... I am AT the tipping point now... I stand in the ring with my gloves on in the fight of my life... and time just took the gloves off... Oh SNAP! So what is the next step? Tonight I will do what needs to done (for church, for work, for pleasure...) AFTER I spend some QUALITY time with my boys.


Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not make your children angry, but raise them with the training and teaching of the Lord.

To raise them I must spend time with them.... to teach and train them I must be REAL and ACCESSIBLE. Come hell or high water, I'm going to do it right!!

Live loud, live intentionally, and love God and people with every word and every action!