Thoughts and Prayers

First and foremost I ask that you pray for Whitney Stanglin. She is the daughter of some of my friends, Allan and Carrie-Anne Stanglin. They are doing some testing on her eyesight and doctors are baffled with the test results. They just don''t know what is going on right now. Whitney was in my youth group here in Marble Falls and anyone that knows her would tell you how much of a sweetheart she is. I love this family dearly and hope that God will continue to bless them through all of this. Please lift Whitney and the Stanglin family up to the throne room of God.
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For all of you out there that don't know-I have a running Jeep once again. The battery was replaced on Friday and ever since it has started up with a Lion's roar. It is sweet music to my ears to hear the power!!
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Finally, I was blessed to sit at the feet of F. Lagard Smith, former law professor at Pepperdine University and author of books like Radical Restoration, Who Is My Brother and After Life among many others. Very interesting if not indicting thoughts about our faith in this faithless and lukewarm society.

One thing that got to me was the idea that if we Christians would have half of the zeal and fervor of Muslim terrorists we would win far more to the cause of Christ than if we just choose to sit in pools of our own inactivity. Now that is radical and it almost had me out of my seat, but then I started to think about it and realized that it rings true! If we would go about radically teaching and preaching Jesus with the audacity that is exhibited in many Muslim terrorists, our message would be heard and we would be looked upon as serious followers.

I am still formulating my thoughts on this and in no way am I condoning the heinous atrocities that have been committed by Muslim terrorists the world over, but let me know what you think about finding passion once again in Christian community.

What More Can Happen?!?

This morning, the Jeep that I purchased on Tuesday would not start. It wasn't the starter. What had happened to the battery? I did not know.

I am glad that I called my old buddy, Greg. Now, if you know Greg you would know that he has pretty much done it all and is very good at everything he puts his mind and hands to! He came over and looked at the battery and told me that it was not a maintenance-free one. And it had not been maintained by the former owner. The poor guy was probably like me-No Idea! Anyway, we filled them and jumped the batt.

Then, after lunch with John W and Ann G, we got out in my Jeep and it would not even turn over. Providentially, Vic C was at Janie's and he jumped the batt. I then took it over to Wal-Mart for a new batt and clean cables.

Hopefully-Prayerfully-That was all it was.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I spend money that I don't really have!!

We Covet Your Prayers

During this time of transition stress for the Mitchell family is already near its peak. Then it all comes undone.

While traveling to AR for closing on the new house and to transport furniture and necessities to El and J-Boo, my Jeep of 10 years broke down. Some great guys in Pittsburg, TX helped me out with a new radiator cap. They seemed to think that was the extent of the trouble.

It was not, however.

It got me to Benton for the closing. The Title Co, Janis and Shirley were all good sports and stayed later to meet with us. God bless them all!! We signed, got the key and unloaded that night. The very next day I spent with J while El was working at school. I had errands to run and was planning to meet El in Fountain Lake for the FL-Hot Springs HS football game. Things quickly changed! My Jeep started overheating again and I quickly took it to a shop there in Benton. They informed me that I had a cracked radiator and head. Wow! Just like that - no more Jeep!! Sad.

I found another vehicle and am very happy with it!! But we are now Strapped and Stressed!!

Please pray for us as we go through this very tight time. We know that God will provide as He has so many times in the past, but we are gonna be living on PB and J sandwiches for a while.

Changes

Here I sit stranded in Arkansas! I will be back later with a full report as to why. Meanwhile, I am here in Conway with my sweetie, my baby girl and mom-in-law. Things have changed really fast and my head is spinning. More on the Jimmy debacle later.

Hit the Road, Jack

Getting ready to hit the road yet again! This time I will be hauling a load of furniture and living necessities for EL and J-Boo. We are closing on the house tomorrow afternoon and I am gonna be there ready to move some goodies into our new place. I will have a short time with my 2 sweet girls and then head back on Saturday. A lot of time on the road in a short period.

Anyway, Greg is coming over with me to help load the U-Haul up in a few, so I better get ready to go to work!

I have been without my girls for a week and a half now and it's not really that fun. I have been getting some good reading in lately, though. I am 10 pages away from one I started the other day and getting ready for the next one. That part helps me out quite a bit!

Next post will be from the road.

Quote Of The Day

"On the bed of your life place the remains of your broken and scarred past...the emptiness of your poor character traits...the habits that have so long controlled you...the limited vision that continues to characterize you...the slight irritation that nags or the large one that looms...the anger or violence or lust or greed or discontentment or selfishness or the ugliness of pride. Lay these things before the Father and stretch yourself out under His shadow ad you ask Him to bring about remarkable, even miraculous changes in your life.

Is He able? Get serious! I'm referring to "the God of impossibilities," the One who has limitless power, who has never-and will never-meet an intimidating obstacle He cannot overcome, an aggressive enemy He cannot overwhelm, a final decision He cannot override, or a powerful person He cannot overshadow." - Charles R. Swindoll

A Prophet In The House!

Well, he wasn't there for long last Wednesday night because he got arrested.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

Monday afternoon while I was working away in my office, I heard what I thought was a loud, old man excitingly talking to our secretary, Ann, over the front door intercom. When the verbal exchange was over, Ann walked back to my office and told me that it was not an old man. It was a man that had been wandering the streets in a shirt, sarong and sandals. She told me that he was looking for a church with a Spanish ministry so that he could get to know a Mexican lady and marry her. Ann then added that he was certainly not all there. He had moved but it was later in the afternoon and Ann and Millie (who was working in the Bible Lab) were a little on edge. I walked Millie out to the back door and watched as she walked to the car. That was the end of day one.

Then came Tuesday. Josh French had come in town to eat with Greg and me and discuss taking over the reins of the youth ministry here. Greg, Josh and I were getting ready to leave when we saw the saronged-man leave the foyer of our auditorium. We found out from our custodians that he had found an unlocked door and made his way to the bathroom. They escorted him out. End of day two.

Wednesday evening, Greg sees the man waiting around and invites him in to the combined worship with us. He sat on the back row and proceeded to stomp his feet, bang his head, mumble to himself and laugh out loud during the songs, prayers and lessons. The congregation could not see what was going on. Only those of us that were facing the audience could see him in the back. Don Graves, one of our elders, got up and went to the back door thinking it was someone pounding to be let in. Then Clint Young, one of the biggest men in our congregation, figured it out and went to the foyer to watch him closely.

At the end of the service, several men stayed behind to keep watch on him while he and Greg discussed the Bible and Satan. The conversation was going nowhere since he told us that he was a prophet and he alone truly knew God. Finally, Greg told him that we needed to close the building and that he needed to leave.

That's when things took a turn for the worse.

He called us Satanists and loudly declared that if we were going to practice witchcraft that he was going to urinate on our building!! He made his way up to the granite sign on the lower part of the front wall near the office complex and hiked up his sarong to do just that!

I asked him kindly not to do that and he yelled at me to stop looking at him while he tried to go.

I went into the auditorium and informed the other men that he was peeing on our building. Don went in to call the police while Clint walked straight up to the guy and told him to get off of our property. He marched up to Broadway Ave, faced it and pulled up his sarong again. He told all of us behind him that we were all homosexuals and lesbians for looking at him while he was trying to go in the street. As he tried to urinate he continued to yell one phrase over and over again "How do you like me now?!?"

We didn't like him very much at that moment.

The police finally arrived, took a few statements, called for back up and took him into custody.

A night that will be forever etched in our memories!!

Tyler Bound

I am headed over to Tyler in a few minutes to visit with my family and watch a couple of my boys from the youth group play some 6-man football against King's Academy. Both Clayton and Kyle B are playing offense and defense this year for the Faith Academy Flames and they have told me that this night will be history in the making. I hope that their words hold true. Gonna meet up with my Dad, Bro-In-Law and Nephew to see the battle on the field. Then I am headed over to Mario's restaurant to be a guest headliner with the main act, Misti P (my sister who sings there every weekend). It's going to shape up to be a full day today.

Vid Of The Day

Take a look at this video about watchmaking and let me know what you think.

Gaffs and Goofs

This blog is really intended for the amusement of Jim G, Allan S, Greg N and me as well as other ministers out there that have endured or enjoyed the many garbled words that have graced our ears while meeting weekly with other ministers and elders. This may be irreverent but I just cannot pass up this opportunity to share a few belly laughs with my buddies. So what follows is a list of misspoken words and sentences that I have heard in our meetings while in ministry. These are from several different sources so I am not picking on just one or two people. Remember that this is all in good humor. Fellow ministers, if you have any other funny words and phrases that you have experienced in meetings like this, please feel free to share. Here goes:

1. 'It was a devastating Soosami.'
2. 'That was my initianal response.'
   
3. 'They learned it by rope.'
4. 'Out of money pocket.'
5. 'God, please bless Nancy Hilton.'
   
6. 'We need to repwiotize.'
7. 'It's called a Willy-Willy.'
8. 'I believe they recite the Koran in their Bah Shmishmah.'
9. 'Remember when Nehemiah had leopardsee?'
10. It is pronounced Frow Frow!'

These are just a few times that I have had to bite my tongue in meetings from Arkansas to Texas. And here are just a couple that I have had in my visits:

1. 'Naw You?!?'
2. 'Jim Burger?!?'

Go ahead and share some others that have made you bite down hard and cry to keep from rolling on the floor laughing.

Early Bird

I can't believe that I got here in the office before Bob Sears! For those of you that know, this is quite a feat!! The reason for this marvel is the 6:15 Senior Sunrise at Marble Falls High School. It was the first year for this event. Basically a time for all of the seniors to come together on the first day to be pumped up by their new principal, Mr. Roberts, and to watch as the sun rises on their first day as seniors. I thought that the idea was great. And it was good to see Thomas G, Kirsten I, Karla Mc, Katherine P, Josh J, Becca N, Ari H, Carina G, Berrilyn D, and others as they geared up for their first day back. A wonderful way to get things started.

I am getting ready for a short meeting with my friend, Todd Lewis. It will be great to spend a little time with him before I leave this place.

I will be back in a little while to share some of the good times from our Back To School day on the lake this past Saturday.

Flava Flav!!

Got this picture from a friend of mine in the ministry. While in Harding School of Biblical Studies, we got to know each other as well as some of our professors really well and we had inside jokes running with them all the time. Pictured here is one of our fave professors and well known church statistician, Flavil Yeakley. My classmates in HSBS will know what's going on here. Not a bad representation, huh?

Supplication

Abba, I abandon myself into your hands. Do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you. I am ready for all: I accept all. Let your will be done in me and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my spirit. I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and I give myself, surrender myself into your hands without reserve, with boundless confidence, for you are my father. - Charles Foucauld

Quote Of The Day

"The cross is a confrontation with the overwhelming goodness of God revealed in the broken body of His only begotten Son. Our personal encounter, not simply the intellectual cognition, but the experiential awareness of the love of Jesus Christ, propels us to trust." - Brennan Manning

Celeb Encounter

Well, some of you could not stand it. You had to know by IM and email who it was that we saw in the Austin-Bergstrom airport. Here is how played out:

Elizabeth, Jenniva and I were waiting for our luggage. Over an hour, actually! Anyway, we were there waiting when I saw him approaching. I said, "El, look over there! It's Dennis Quaid!" She looked over there and said, "It sure looks like...It is Dennis Quaid!" I was so excited that El was finally there when I saw a celebrity so that she could go over with me to shake his hand.

She would not do it.

For whatever reason, she could not bring herself to go over there and meet the actor.

So, I went over and shook his hand, telling him that I really liked his movies. He was very nice and thanked me for being kind. At that point our luggage bell rang and our case popped out on the conveyor. I then went back and we got our luggage and left. It was pretty cool.

Sorry for the week of no blogging! Last week was a wild one. Everything was hard and fast. 2 Sundays ago, I took a group of 22 to the Westover Hills church of Christ in Austin for the annual Intersection area wide youth rally. It was great! We praised God in song and were blessed to hear and see one of the shepherds of the congregation as he made some beautiful jars and pots and spoke about the heavenly Potter that shapes us and molds us into the vessels He wants us to be. A really nice night with the teens and Stan, Holly and Ellie Sue Whittle!

The very next morning, El, J-Boo and I woke up at 5:15 and drove to the Austin-Bergstrom airport to fly out into Little Rock for some house hunting and a visit to the Wells Fargo in Benton. We looked at seven houses and found one that looked great to us. While in the area we were able to partake of a meal with some of our dearest friends, Philip and Stephanie Howell. It is always great to be with them. We also got to take a look at the unfinished Youth Loft in the Outreach Building and have walked away with some great ideas and are already drawing up prelim designs. We then came back on Wednesday with a delayed flight and even longer delayed luggage! But, if we had not been there at that time we would not have met who we met. (Will be posted on a later blog).

Came back tired and ready to get back to work here.

Last night, Todd Lewis and I took a group of 20 to attend a youth rally and see ACAPELLA in concert. It was awesome!!! Their bass singer is low and rumbly and the lead tenor is great as well.

Be back later with my newest celebrity encounter.

So Much To Do In Such A Short Time

There are some things that I have promised myself I will do before I leave this beautiful place and I would like to list them below for you dear reader.

Now the first list is comprised of things I would like to do again before I depart. Here goes:

1. Eat once more at Opie's in Spicewood! Would be cool to do it with Allan, but that probably won't happen.
   
2. Walk the Riverwalk in San Antonio.
3. Visit IKEA Swedish Furniture Outlet (OK this is really El's idea, but I thought it was pretty cool.)
4. Have a slice of pie and some coffee at Pie Happy Hour at the Bluebonnet Cafe.
5. Substitute at the school one last time.
6. Spend more time with Jim, Greg and Ann!
7. Roll around in a meadow of bluebonnets! Not gonna happen!!
   

Here is a list of things that I have not done but would really like to do:

1. Head over to Fredericksburg to visit the shops and have some yum German food.
2. Take El to the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas. I have been once, but she has not and she would love it!
   
3. Go see what is so good about Chuy's Mexican.
   
4. Visit the Alamo.
5. Go to The Backyard and hear a live concert. This is not likely to happen.
6. Hear some dueling pianos at the Ivory Cat.
7. See and shop at the completed Galleria at Bee Cave.

That is just what I can think of for now. I am sure there is more, but that is all at this moment in time.

Quote Of The Day

"Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder. Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of Your universe. Delight me to see how your Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not His, to the Father through the features of men's faces. Each day enrapture me with Your marvelous things without number. I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all." - Joshua Abraham Heschel

Worn and Torn

I am now officially "meeting"ed out!! I am exhausted from the last few meeting stuffed days.

Monday Morn: The staff met for an hour and a half to discuss life in the Kingdom here.

Tuesday Morn: Elders/Ministers met for 3 hours to discuss leading and nurturing the flock.

Tuesday Eve: Elders/Deacons/Ministers met for an hour and a half to discuss financial and budgetary items for the future.

Don't get me wrong, I believe that these meetings needed to take place and they will do some good, but I feel worn and torn from the rapid succession in which they came! I look forward now to spending some good quality time with Sean today before he leaves for Buda this weekend. I love him and know that God is blessing more than can be understood.

The News

"Congrats Jimmy and Elizabeth! We are proud of you. You have been and will continue to be in our prayers. Thank you for letting God work through you. We will miss you, but you'll see us again. You can run, but you can't hide! Ha ha. Phillip and I are EXTREMLY happy for you two."

This comment on a blog from our dear friend, Stephanie Howell, written December 1, 2005, rings very true as Elizabeth and I have officially announced that as of November 1 of this year, we will be moving back to the Central Arkansas area. We will be back in my sweetheart's home congregation and the place where I interned while I worked on my degree at Harding School of Biblical Studies. The Northside church of Christ in Benton, AR will be our new home.

The motivation to be near family and work with a group of teens that I already know and love was just too strong. How exciting it will be to have a 'GranMary' just a short distance away to pour out her love on baby Jenniva! Also the prospect of working with my mentor, Mike Knappier, is amazing. I already know and love the families and teens there and have worked with them in the past. I look forward to rekindling old relationships.

I have been greatly blessed to be able to work with the family here in Marble Falls and I leave here a spiritually better man for the relationships that have been formed here. I love the teens and will do everything in my power to find them a worthy replacement to lead them on to bigger and better things. I love and respect the shepherds of this flock as well as our new preaching minister, Greg Neill, and his family. I don't quite know what I will do without the resident wiseman, Jim Dobbs, and his sweet wife, Helen. They each, in their own way, have helped us through some hard times and have blessed us with their love through the good times. We will miss them all dearly.

When I solicited your prayers last Friday it was addressing this huge, life-changing decision. Thank you for lifting us up to the throne room of our Father over the weekend.