What's The Deal?

So, tell me what happened on American Idol! How on earth are Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato in the top 12?!?! I will admit that I have not been the biggest fan of Sundance but I am shocked and astounded that Sabrina went home and I think that Sanjaya should have packed his bags tonight. I am interested to see if those two leave in the next two weeks.

Subbing

Just a short note to tell you that I will be substituting for the Marble Falls High School Choir, Music History and Music Theory classes over the next few days and my blogging may be minimal through Thursday. I will be back on Friday. Til then here's a wild eyed baby shot:

The Temptation Equation

While I was talking to my new colleague, Greg Neill, about prepping for my devotional this evening on the first chapter of James, he shared with me an easy way to remember 1:15. Before I share it with the teens tonight, I thought I would pass it by my blog readers out there.

The Temptation Equation

Desire + Opportunity = Temptation

Desire + Opportunity + Action = Sin

Desire + Opportunity + Action - Jesus = Death

Thoughts

Happy March, everybody! Quick trivia question: This month was named after what mythological god?

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I now have a Facebook account. It is under Jimmy M-Austin, TX network. So go over and add me to your friends if you have an account.

Now it's time to look into MySpace.

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I spent the better part of today with one of my teens. Sean Luke and I had a great time of fellowship and freedom. Motto for today-You don't know what you got 'til it's gone.

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My sweetheart, little pea and I are heading to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin tonight to catch the Lady Mustangs duke it out with the Fort Worth Dunbar Lady Wildcats in the basketball State Tournament. Wow! What excitement!! Go Karla and Natalie! We're going all the way, baby!

Youth Ministry

"Youth ministry takes people who dare to be available for God and
allows them to rise to greatness for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Youth Ministry is grueling hours, continual heartbreak, a wretched
stomach, verbal abuse, money, time-time-time, loving the seemingly
unlovable, listening, caring, reaching out and praising God for
kids.

People in youth ministry as well as any other aspect of Christian
service must be searching for ways to be used by God to effect the
present and future. They are people who are dreaming dreams as they
reach for the stars and grasp the hand of there Creator while
walking with the Son.

Youth ministry is scrubbing floors, setting up tables, staying up
half the night struggling with a Biblical principle and coming to
grips with how to communicate this principle to the kids.

Youth ministry is whatever we allow God to do through us, the kids,
and those around us. It's helping a family through the tragic death
of a teenage son, the rape of a daughter, or the death of a mother.
It's struggling with someone as they wrestle with whether life is
worth living.

Youth ministry can feel like Heaven or Hell on earth. It is
watching kids grow in the Lord and giving in to temptation--it's
laughing with them and crying with them. Youth ministry is living
in the midst of their heartaches, failures, victories and struggles
during which you're praying God will give them the strength and
stamina to stand before the world and claim Jesus Christ as their
Lord.

Youth ministry is a way of living not a job, party, program or
Sunday School class. It's allowing God to have and use our total
being to touch the lives of hurting, crying, love- starved teens as
they grow into adulthood."

- Mike Lewis

Jenniva's Smile

I told you a few blogs ago that I would post a picture of little sweet girl's new smile. I am so excited to see her grow and learn from day to day. How did you feel when you saw the 1sts in the lives of your babies?

The Enemy?

I was reading the blog of an old friend from Harding School of Biblical Studies and was happy to see something written that has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Non-Christians. How to deal with them once we realize that they are not the enemy. They, like us, are in desperate need of God's love and grace. So, if we know that, why do we bash them? Because we've got it all wrong. Look at the words of my friend, Brian Tipton:

Entanglement

I hate Christian radio. At least I did yesterday. I was listening to the radio yesterday while driving home, scanning for something interesting, and found something I did not expect. Each station, that wasn’t playing music, had someone on their giving the world around us a tongue lashing. One person said,

“These people are evil.”

Another sound byte was,

“They are the problem with America.”

And I could multiply the quotes on and on and on. I don’t think this is how Paul engaged the world. I know it is now how Jesus engaged the world. It is true that Jesus and Paul and Peter and every other prophet in the Bible did engage the world and call them back to God. It is interesting to note, however, that the only vitriolic attacks in the Bible initiated by a prophet of God, to my knowledge, were directed at the religious leadership of God’s community and not the people in the world.

There is a mistaken notion in some Christian circles that our mission is to evangelize the world’s systems, i.e., political, social, etc., so that those systems become subservient to the sovereign reign of God. People, in the name of Christ, support other countries political activities or fight against them, endorse political candidates, invade school boards so that Christian ideals can be taught, and work feverishly to change the world in which they live through the systems in place in the world. But that is not our mission.

Our mission is not to change the world. Our mission is to change the people in the world. We are to lead people in the world to know Jesus. As people change, the world changes, but only when people in the world come to know God and live their lives accordingly.

John wrote,

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever. (1 John 2:15-17 - emphasis mine)

The way the world will be conquered is by God and only by God (try reading Revelation some time). The only thing that will transcend this world is “…the person who does the will of God…” (1 John 2:17) Perhaps the church would be better served by people who are concentrating their efforts on transforming their lives and leading others to Christ than those who have focussed their efforts on single handedly saving the world. The allure of political power is deceptive and leads to entanglement. The wise will resist the urge and follow our exemplar, Jesus.

What do you think?

First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

New Link

One of my favorite people, Mike Knappier-he married Elizabeth and me-he is also a mentor of mine-has begun a blog! Take a look at it here or on my links list.

Where In The World Is Jimmy Mitchell?

Some readers of my blog have probably given up on me.

And with very good reason-I just have not been around much lately.

Many of you out there can attest to the fact that parenthood is taxing and time consuming. Still others of you can agree that parenting coupled with ministry is more than a 24-7 gig. Even fewer of you can concur that throwing ministering to youth into the mix is an ever formidable task! That is where I am, my friends. And these times, they are a-busy!!

Well, now that that's off my chest, I would like you to pray for a few things:

Kellie U, one of our teens, is recovering in the hospital from surgery. Monday afternoon, doctors went in to remove a cyst from one of her ovaries. While in there, they found 2 more. She is in good spirits but we are all anxiously anticipating the test results. Please keep her in your prayers.

My Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother-In-Law and 2 Nephews are moving to Tyler, TX in the next few months!! They will be only about 4 and a half hours away. A lot better than 14 hours! Both houses have been sold and now we're just waiting for the buyers to move in. Please pray for safe moving and that my mom can get a nice nursing job in the Tyler area.

That is about it for now. I'll be back with more pics of our sweet girl.

Idol

I have 2 names for those of you out there that are watching American Idol this year: Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis. I like both of them and I believe that they have what it takes to go on. In a group of bland male singers (what a bad group this year, huh?) I have a feeling that they are the standouts for this season. Chris Sligh is funny and thinks a little out of the box. Sanjaya Malakar has a nice voice and good stage appeal, but I think he needs to overcome those nerves to really win us over. What think you?

Firsts!

Our little Jenniva has had several firsts recently and I thought that I would share them with you, dear blogreader! She has given us her first smile! It melted our hearts when she looked up at her Mommy and Daddy and gave us that toothless grin. She has also found her thumb. When you see the pic, you might think it strange but it is how she sucks her thumb. While I am typing my wife is getting a pic of the NEW way she sucks her thumb. I will include that pic as well.

More of Jenniva Elizabeth

Here are some more pictures of our little baby girl! She is so sweet and peaceful. Here is the big question, though: Who do you think she looks like? Email me or post a comment with your answer. I would be interested to know what you think.

Still Alive!

Just thought that I would let you know that I am still alive and kickin'! Elizabeth and I have had our world rocked by the new addition. Up is down and down is up; day is night and night is day-and so on...

Don't get me wrong. Jenniva is the light of our lives and we couldn't be more excited about everything right now. But any of you that are parents know what it's like to not sleep throught the night and try to soothe a crying baby when you don't know the reason that they are crying. It's wild and tends to make one weary. We love every minute of it, though!

Now that there is more of a daily schedule in effect I will be blogging every week day. You can't get rid of me that easy!

Quote Of The Day

"The biggest difference between you and God is that God doesn't think he's you." - Anne Lamott

A blog for Aunt Ruth Ann

This is for you, Aunt Ruth Ann! Here are some more pictures of our sweet girl. I do not have your email address and I want to send you more. Please send me your email address. There are plenty more where these came from. We miss you and wish we could just hop in the car and drive over. I hope that we can get together soon and show off our little bundle to her great-aunt Ruth Ann! In the meantime, enjoy these pics.

She Has Arrived!

Our little baby bundle of joy has arrived!
Elizabeth, her mom, and I were traveling to our regularly scheduled Dr. appointment this past Friday morning when Elizabeth started feeling some pretty sharp contractions. We all decided it would be good to pack some hospital overnight stuff just in case and boy did we make the right decision because Friday was the day!!!

Our Dr. called the hospital and told them we were headed over with a baby on the way. We got there and about 5 hours later a little Mitchell was in the world! We are so excited, exhausted, overjoyed and overwhelmed! The mixture of emotions make for a giddy daddy and mommy!! Here are some pictures of the sweet little girl.

Jenniva Elizabeth Mitchell
Born: January 5, 2007
Weight: 8 lb 5.5 ounces
Length: 20.5 inches
Hair: Full and Dark

Perpetual Resolution

"Let this coming year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time.

Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Share a funny story with someone whose sprits are dragging. A good laugh can be very good medicine.

Vow not to make a promise you don't think you can keep. Pay a debt. Give a soft answer. Free yourself of envy and malice. Encourage some youth to do his or her best. Share your experience, and offer support. Young people need role models.

Make a genuine effort to stay in closer touch with family and good friends. Resolve to stop magnifying small problems and shooting from the hip. Words that you have to eat can be hard to digest.

Find the time to be kind and thoughtful. All of us have the same allotment:24 hours a day. Give a compliment. It might give someone a badly needed lift.

Think things though. Forgive an injustice. Listen more. Be kind.

Apologize when you realize you are wrong. An apology never diminishes a person. It elevates him. Don't blow your own horn. If you've done something praiseworthy, someone will notice eventually.

Try to understand a point of view that is different from your own. Few things are 100 percent one way or another. Examine the demands you make on others.

Lighten up. When you feel like blowing your top, ask yourself, "Will it matter in a week from today?". Laugh the loudest when the joke is on you.

The sure way to have a friend is to be one. We are all connected by our humanity, and we need each other. Avoid malcontents and pessimists. They drag you down and contribute nothing.

Don't discourage a beginner from trying something risky. Nothing ventured means nothing gained. Be optimistic. The can-do spirit is the fuel that makes things go.

Read something uplifting. Deep-six the trash. You won't eat garbage – why put it in your head? Don't abandon your old-fashioned principles. They never go out of style. When courage is needed, ask yourself, "If not me, who? If not now, when?"

Look at the person you have blamed for your unhappiness, and ask yourself was the criticism legitimate? Did I do anything to help them or did I just decide I am better than he or she and walk away?

Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look 10 years younger. Don't be afraid to say, "I love you". Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world."
Ann Landers

Quote For The Coming Year

“I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.

I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.

All that you sought and didn’t find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.

All the good that you tried for and didn’t achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.

All that you dreamed but didn’t dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have—these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.

I am your opportunity to renew your allegiance to Him who said, "Behold, I make all things new."
Anonymous

Getting Ready

This morning, my sweetheart woke at 6:45 to babysit a real baby. She is taking care of Lela, a 7 and a half month old today with her mom. They are both getting ready for the real thing that is due on January 9th (or if El had her way...today). It was sweet to see the little girl look at me and smile that cute and innocent smile. It melted my heart. I am so excited to be a Daddy!

In related news-Well, I guess I have to share this with you and maybe get a little feedback from parents out there. I have been waking up in the middle of the night for the past few nights with knots of worry in my stomach, questions racing through my mind-"Will I be a good Christian father?" "Will I be there for her and her needs?" Will I teach my little girl that God is love and that her life is His?" "Will I help her to truly know Jesus?" All of this has been coming to me at around 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. I am nervous and a bit scared. If you have any thoughts on this as mothers and fathers out there, please help me out by comment or email.

Happiness

I'm happy because...

Our new preacher-man has moved in and begun his ministry with us here in Marble Falls. I am ready to go to work with him.

Last Sunday evening 22 of us traveled to Gateway Villa to carol, hand out homemade Christmas cards and spread cheer with the elderly folk there. It brings tears to my eyes to see their joy from song and visitation from our teens and tweens.

Last night new people came to study from God's Word at our house. Greg Neill was also there to impart his wisdom on John 17: "The Real Lord's Prayer!"

My baby is going to come quickly!

My Mother-In-Law is flying in tomorrow. My wife is jumping up and down about seeing her mom again. It makes me feel good when El feels good.

Christmas is around the corner. I love this time of year!!