well, it sure has been a crazy last couple of months hasn't it. i'm happy to say that baby bethany is home and doing great. she's up to 8 pounds now. wow, that's a long way from 3 pounds 4.5 ounces. oh yeah, she was suppose to be born last saturday. oops, only missed that one by about 2 and a half months. hey, maybe that means that she'll always be ready to go early or on time. well, she is still a female so i guess i shouldn't get my hopes up.
anyway, what have i been thinking about for these last couple of months. i sure haven't been blogging. mostly because i've been praying, or taking care of family, or trying to work or sleep, or (shhhhh) both at the same time (oops).
i have been thinking that i am the most blessed man on the planet.
even through all of the craziness. and all of the heartwrenching ache of doubt and fear that tried to tear apart my soul during the dark hours. i never felt abandoned. i never felt alone.
through the whole mess, i felt the hand of God firmly on my shoulder. He gave me strength to get through, to care for my wife, to care for all of my children (who, by the way, have taught me a newfound respect for single parents. i would never survive, God bless you all) i was reminded time and time again, that, "His strength is made perfect in my weakness". my friends, i have mastered the whole "weakness" part. and am thanking God daily for His strength.
be back soon
much love
theoldmusicbox
Monday, August 11, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
coming soon
hey everybody!!
i know, i know, i know. it's been, like, 3 months since my last blog. i apologize, really, i do.
it has been absolutely insane around here though. first, my wife's water broke almost 3 months early, then a whole host of other things. but, now, everything is fine. my 'fun-sized' baby, who by the way does NOT have leigh in her name, (tsk, tsk) is home and doin't great. she is almost normal sized now and growing more everyday.
although i haven't had time to blog, trust me when i say, i've had plenty of time to think. so, there will be some interesting blogs coming soon. i have much to be thankful for. much to look forward to, and nothing more to fear.
talk to you SOON.
theoldmusicbox.
i know, i know, i know. it's been, like, 3 months since my last blog. i apologize, really, i do.
it has been absolutely insane around here though. first, my wife's water broke almost 3 months early, then a whole host of other things. but, now, everything is fine. my 'fun-sized' baby, who by the way does NOT have leigh in her name, (tsk, tsk) is home and doin't great. she is almost normal sized now and growing more everyday.
although i haven't had time to blog, trust me when i say, i've had plenty of time to think. so, there will be some interesting blogs coming soon. i have much to be thankful for. much to look forward to, and nothing more to fear.
talk to you SOON.
theoldmusicbox.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
the happiest sad day
wow, what a title.
i have to tell you. i think that i'm finally getting old, for real.
today, i realized that my 10 year old son, is going to grow up some day. a little more every day.
my son is very small for his age. he's 10 years old, about 4ft 2in. tall and has finally reached 63 pounds. maybe that's why i always think he's still my little guy. or maybe it's that denial thing hoping that i'll always be the coolest guy on the planet. but i have really got to get a grip on the idea that he's almost a teen.
anyway, today he informed me that he is old enough (and big enough) to mow the lawn by himself. automatically, i silently screamed halelujiah!!!! thank you Jesus!!!!! i love you Lord!!! you are so good to me!!!! then i thought, am i crazy to think that you should outweigh the push mower before you operate it? oh well. so i tell him, ok, let's try it out. you mow, and i'll watch to make sure you do it right and don't cut your feet off. about a half hour later, he was finished, and it looked just as good as if i had done it myself. (ok, that's not saying much but hey) and, i only had to give minimal instructions.
later, i wondered, is this how God feels? does he watch us take our first steps towards independance and think "hey, i'm right here if you need me. don't worry about anything. you're doing fine on your own, but if you need help, i'm right behind you waiting to help"
so many times, i wanted to jump in and rescue him from mistakes. i wanted to take the handle from him and straighten out the lines. but i had to let him learn to do it on his own. is that how God feels? He knows what we need to do. He knows that we're not going straight. He knows that He could fix it all for us. but instead, He loves us enough to let us grow.
wow. i guess, if nothing else, today i learned that even when i'm out there on my own, if i get off of the straight, my Father is right behind me, waiting to give me the instruction or even the help that i need.
God bless
much love
theoldmusicbox
i have to tell you. i think that i'm finally getting old, for real.
today, i realized that my 10 year old son, is going to grow up some day. a little more every day.
my son is very small for his age. he's 10 years old, about 4ft 2in. tall and has finally reached 63 pounds. maybe that's why i always think he's still my little guy. or maybe it's that denial thing hoping that i'll always be the coolest guy on the planet. but i have really got to get a grip on the idea that he's almost a teen.
anyway, today he informed me that he is old enough (and big enough) to mow the lawn by himself. automatically, i silently screamed halelujiah!!!! thank you Jesus!!!!! i love you Lord!!! you are so good to me!!!! then i thought, am i crazy to think that you should outweigh the push mower before you operate it? oh well. so i tell him, ok, let's try it out. you mow, and i'll watch to make sure you do it right and don't cut your feet off. about a half hour later, he was finished, and it looked just as good as if i had done it myself. (ok, that's not saying much but hey) and, i only had to give minimal instructions.
later, i wondered, is this how God feels? does he watch us take our first steps towards independance and think "hey, i'm right here if you need me. don't worry about anything. you're doing fine on your own, but if you need help, i'm right behind you waiting to help"
so many times, i wanted to jump in and rescue him from mistakes. i wanted to take the handle from him and straighten out the lines. but i had to let him learn to do it on his own. is that how God feels? He knows what we need to do. He knows that we're not going straight. He knows that He could fix it all for us. but instead, He loves us enough to let us grow.
wow. i guess, if nothing else, today i learned that even when i'm out there on my own, if i get off of the straight, my Father is right behind me, waiting to give me the instruction or even the help that i need.
God bless
much love
theoldmusicbox
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
the world is finally spinning the right way
there are many things that could bring me down today. i must admit it. if i were to sit around and think of all the things that are not the way that i want them to be, i could sit and cry.
i mean really, it's an election year, and there aren't any real choices. we've got 2 communists in disguise, and a liberal democrat pretending to be a republican.
i must admit that right now, i really don't care about any of that. trouble at work, stess all around. it really doesn't matter to me today.
why you ask. the answer is simple. since last october, i have been deprived of my most favorite thing. and as of today, my motorcycle is finally fixed. yeah baby. i'll have bugs in my teeth tomorrow from smiling as i ride past all the gas stations with my 45 miles per gallon 2 wheeled piece of heaven on earth. thank you Jesus for giving us the know how to make life a little better with the joys of a 1500cc v-twin motor. you truly are an amazing God.
and for those of you who haven't yet experienced this joy, you have my condolences, and my prayers that God will find a way to bring you peace and joy in your life.
much love
theoldmusicbox
i mean really, it's an election year, and there aren't any real choices. we've got 2 communists in disguise, and a liberal democrat pretending to be a republican.
i must admit that right now, i really don't care about any of that. trouble at work, stess all around. it really doesn't matter to me today.
why you ask. the answer is simple. since last october, i have been deprived of my most favorite thing. and as of today, my motorcycle is finally fixed. yeah baby. i'll have bugs in my teeth tomorrow from smiling as i ride past all the gas stations with my 45 miles per gallon 2 wheeled piece of heaven on earth. thank you Jesus for giving us the know how to make life a little better with the joys of a 1500cc v-twin motor. you truly are an amazing God.
and for those of you who haven't yet experienced this joy, you have my condolences, and my prayers that God will find a way to bring you peace and joy in your life.
much love
theoldmusicbox
Friday, March 28, 2008
no thanks, i can handle it.
no thanks, i can handle it
how many times have you said that? how many times have you been struggling, fighting, desperately holding on to that last scrap of sanity that you can call your own. then, when someone asks you "can i help you somehow?" you reply "no thanks, i can handle it".
if this is you, i have to ask you something. what makes you think that you are so tough?
i've been thinking about this all week. you see, sunday was easter. my favorite holiday. that is the day that i surrendered my life to Christ. april 3, 1994. easter sunday morning.
this year, for the first time, i spent the evening watching "king of kings" with my kids. while watching with my son and daughter both at my side, God reminded me of a revelation that i knew once, but had forgotten. "i really don't have to be that tough"
after Jesus was beaten, he had to carry his cross (i believe it was over 2 miles, but i may be wrong) to calvary. have you ever seen "the passion of the Christ"? i don't think that i could carry my cross to my neighbors house after that beating. but do you know what. Jesus couldn't do it either. at one point, while carrying His cross, he fell down and could NOT continue to carry it. so someone else had to carry it for Him!
my friends, don't you see, even our Lord needed help carrying His cross. just like you and me. sometimes we need help. sometimes we need to allow someone else to bear our burdens with us. if Jesus was able to allow someone to help Him, what makes us feel shamed when we can't carry our cross by ourself?
this is a hard lesson for me. i always feel like "hey, it's my cross, it's my battle, if i need help, the Lord will help me" but ya know what, sometimes, the Lord helps us by sending others in His place. and through our stubborness, we refuse the help that he sends us.
so the next time someone says "can i help you?" think about it before you say "no thanks, i can handle it"
much love
theoldmusicbox
how many times have you said that? how many times have you been struggling, fighting, desperately holding on to that last scrap of sanity that you can call your own. then, when someone asks you "can i help you somehow?" you reply "no thanks, i can handle it".
if this is you, i have to ask you something. what makes you think that you are so tough?
i've been thinking about this all week. you see, sunday was easter. my favorite holiday. that is the day that i surrendered my life to Christ. april 3, 1994. easter sunday morning.
this year, for the first time, i spent the evening watching "king of kings" with my kids. while watching with my son and daughter both at my side, God reminded me of a revelation that i knew once, but had forgotten. "i really don't have to be that tough"
after Jesus was beaten, he had to carry his cross (i believe it was over 2 miles, but i may be wrong) to calvary. have you ever seen "the passion of the Christ"? i don't think that i could carry my cross to my neighbors house after that beating. but do you know what. Jesus couldn't do it either. at one point, while carrying His cross, he fell down and could NOT continue to carry it. so someone else had to carry it for Him!
my friends, don't you see, even our Lord needed help carrying His cross. just like you and me. sometimes we need help. sometimes we need to allow someone else to bear our burdens with us. if Jesus was able to allow someone to help Him, what makes us feel shamed when we can't carry our cross by ourself?
this is a hard lesson for me. i always feel like "hey, it's my cross, it's my battle, if i need help, the Lord will help me" but ya know what, sometimes, the Lord helps us by sending others in His place. and through our stubborness, we refuse the help that he sends us.
so the next time someone says "can i help you?" think about it before you say "no thanks, i can handle it"
much love
theoldmusicbox
Sunday, February 24, 2008
someone is coming!
hey musiclovers!
sorry it's been so long, but this one's been building. i heard a speaker a couple of weeks ago, and one point he made stuck to me and i haven't been able to get it out. so drop your quarter, press A-1 and hopefully, you'll enjoy this selection from the jukebox of life.....
in the early 80's, a man was driving on the highway. as he traveled down the road, an airplane flew close to the ground, then crashed into the FROZEN potomac river. there were 79 people on board, but only 4 survived the crash.
the man pulled his car to the side, got out and ran down to the river's bank. when he got there, several people were trying to decide how to help. they had started making a rope by tying jumper cables, cloth diapers, jackets, blankets and whatever else they had in their cars.
this man suddenly just grabbed the end of the "rope" and tied it around his waist. he then jumped onto the icy river. he clawed his way towards the survivors. he slipped, fell into the water, crawled back out and kept going. several times, he slid into the frozen river. jumping from ice chunk to ice chunk. he broke several fingers, toes and a rib while jumping across the river. then he came to the end of the rope. he was still 4 feet away from the people that he was trying to save. and no matter what they tried, he couldn't reach them.
finally, the rescue helicopter came and got everyone out of the river and took them to the hospital. our friend who tried to save them, was in the hospital for 4 days with broken bones, and when he got to the hospital, his body temperature was still at 80 degrees farenhiet.
at the press conference, the survivors were being interviewed and one of the women said that the helicopter didn't rescue them. a reporter told her that she wasn't thinking clearly, that she didn't remember it right. but she said NO, I REMEMBER JUST FINE. the helicopter got us out of the river, but the sight of that man saved us. he just kept coming and coming. and as long as we could see him coming, we knew that SOMEONE was coming to SAVE US.
WOW!
my thought is this. how many times do we see people suffering, hurting, or just plain miserable in their sins, and we don't reach out? my friends, it is time for us to tie the rope around our waist, jump in and show them that, hey, someone is coming to save you!!!!!!
the truth of the matter is this. they can't save themselves. and we can't save them. but we can show them that their is one who can save them. and if they see us coming, then they will have HOPE. and what greater thing can we offer someone who is lost and dying? hope of salvation! i may not be able to reach them, but someone is coming. you may not be able to reach them, but someone is coming. they may feel like they're at the end of their rope, but thank God, someone is coming. but if they don't see us trying to help them, how can they have hope to hold on?
so i leave you with this thought. the plane is down. the survivors are losing hope. if not you, then who is going to give them the hope that someone is coming?
much love and God bless
theoldmusicbox
sorry it's been so long, but this one's been building. i heard a speaker a couple of weeks ago, and one point he made stuck to me and i haven't been able to get it out. so drop your quarter, press A-1 and hopefully, you'll enjoy this selection from the jukebox of life.....
in the early 80's, a man was driving on the highway. as he traveled down the road, an airplane flew close to the ground, then crashed into the FROZEN potomac river. there were 79 people on board, but only 4 survived the crash.
the man pulled his car to the side, got out and ran down to the river's bank. when he got there, several people were trying to decide how to help. they had started making a rope by tying jumper cables, cloth diapers, jackets, blankets and whatever else they had in their cars.
this man suddenly just grabbed the end of the "rope" and tied it around his waist. he then jumped onto the icy river. he clawed his way towards the survivors. he slipped, fell into the water, crawled back out and kept going. several times, he slid into the frozen river. jumping from ice chunk to ice chunk. he broke several fingers, toes and a rib while jumping across the river. then he came to the end of the rope. he was still 4 feet away from the people that he was trying to save. and no matter what they tried, he couldn't reach them.
finally, the rescue helicopter came and got everyone out of the river and took them to the hospital. our friend who tried to save them, was in the hospital for 4 days with broken bones, and when he got to the hospital, his body temperature was still at 80 degrees farenhiet.
at the press conference, the survivors were being interviewed and one of the women said that the helicopter didn't rescue them. a reporter told her that she wasn't thinking clearly, that she didn't remember it right. but she said NO, I REMEMBER JUST FINE. the helicopter got us out of the river, but the sight of that man saved us. he just kept coming and coming. and as long as we could see him coming, we knew that SOMEONE was coming to SAVE US.
WOW!
my thought is this. how many times do we see people suffering, hurting, or just plain miserable in their sins, and we don't reach out? my friends, it is time for us to tie the rope around our waist, jump in and show them that, hey, someone is coming to save you!!!!!!
the truth of the matter is this. they can't save themselves. and we can't save them. but we can show them that their is one who can save them. and if they see us coming, then they will have HOPE. and what greater thing can we offer someone who is lost and dying? hope of salvation! i may not be able to reach them, but someone is coming. you may not be able to reach them, but someone is coming. they may feel like they're at the end of their rope, but thank God, someone is coming. but if they don't see us trying to help them, how can they have hope to hold on?
so i leave you with this thought. the plane is down. the survivors are losing hope. if not you, then who is going to give them the hope that someone is coming?
much love and God bless
theoldmusicbox
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
even when i didn't ask!!!
hey musiclovers!
this may just be a quick blog, or i may start to go on and on. i'm not sure yet, but stick with me, i'm sure you'll get a kick out of it!
as most of you know, i preached at evangel church of God 2 sundays ago. some of you were even kind enough to come and support me. (thanks very much, you'll never know what that means to me) anyway, a friend of mine who works with me in ministry came along with me. his name is robert. he is a really cool 19 year old with a heart on fire for God.
anyway, once we got there, i brought out my preaching bible. a pitiful thing that it is. i have beat it senseless. it even is being held together by duct tape. i gave him my typical response when he joked about it. i said "hey, bibles that are falling apart are usually owned by people that aren't". and we had a good laugh about it. i then preached one of the most heartfelt messages of my life, called "i want pretty feet". (yes, i know, i AM a dork) it was all about service and salvation. i was really pleased with the way that God used me.
the next week, robert gave me a brand new life application study bible. i almost broke down in tears.
you see, a little while back, i had to dispose of my old study bible. it was so abused that even duct tape couldn't hold it together anymore. this really bummed me out, but hey, i still had my preaching bible, and my travel bible, and my e-sword that i downloaded for free from my friend bill's chuch's website (thanks man, that is an awesome resource). but still, i no longer had my good study bible.
while i was preparing my sermon, i talked to God (yeah, i talk and read and study all at the same time). while studying, i mentioned that i really missed my study bible. i wasn't complaining, and i didn't ask for a new one. i just mentioned how much i missed it. then didn't think about it again because i knew i didn't have the money to get one that i really wanted.
so, imagine my surprise, when out of nowhere, my friend robert put that study bible into my hands. all i could think was "wow Lord, i didn't even ask you for this". it was all i could do to keep from blubbering like an idiot. imagine. God cares for me so much, that He gave me something that i didn't even ask for, just because He knew that i really wanted it.
the really, really cool part is this. i would probably NEVER have bought this particular bible myself. but after checking it out, i have to say that it is quite possibly the BEST study bible that i have ever owned. it has so many different helps and resources that it may take awhile to find ways to use them all!
you see, this is just yet another example of the greatness of the God that i serve. because, even when i didn't ask Him, he gave me something that i really wanted. because, He is just that cool.
much love
theoldmusicbox
this may just be a quick blog, or i may start to go on and on. i'm not sure yet, but stick with me, i'm sure you'll get a kick out of it!
as most of you know, i preached at evangel church of God 2 sundays ago. some of you were even kind enough to come and support me. (thanks very much, you'll never know what that means to me) anyway, a friend of mine who works with me in ministry came along with me. his name is robert. he is a really cool 19 year old with a heart on fire for God.
anyway, once we got there, i brought out my preaching bible. a pitiful thing that it is. i have beat it senseless. it even is being held together by duct tape. i gave him my typical response when he joked about it. i said "hey, bibles that are falling apart are usually owned by people that aren't". and we had a good laugh about it. i then preached one of the most heartfelt messages of my life, called "i want pretty feet". (yes, i know, i AM a dork) it was all about service and salvation. i was really pleased with the way that God used me.
the next week, robert gave me a brand new life application study bible. i almost broke down in tears.
you see, a little while back, i had to dispose of my old study bible. it was so abused that even duct tape couldn't hold it together anymore. this really bummed me out, but hey, i still had my preaching bible, and my travel bible, and my e-sword that i downloaded for free from my friend bill's chuch's website (thanks man, that is an awesome resource). but still, i no longer had my good study bible.
while i was preparing my sermon, i talked to God (yeah, i talk and read and study all at the same time). while studying, i mentioned that i really missed my study bible. i wasn't complaining, and i didn't ask for a new one. i just mentioned how much i missed it. then didn't think about it again because i knew i didn't have the money to get one that i really wanted.
so, imagine my surprise, when out of nowhere, my friend robert put that study bible into my hands. all i could think was "wow Lord, i didn't even ask you for this". it was all i could do to keep from blubbering like an idiot. imagine. God cares for me so much, that He gave me something that i didn't even ask for, just because He knew that i really wanted it.
the really, really cool part is this. i would probably NEVER have bought this particular bible myself. but after checking it out, i have to say that it is quite possibly the BEST study bible that i have ever owned. it has so many different helps and resources that it may take awhile to find ways to use them all!
you see, this is just yet another example of the greatness of the God that i serve. because, even when i didn't ask Him, he gave me something that i really wanted. because, He is just that cool.
much love
theoldmusicbox
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