As White As Snow

As I sit in my warm kitchen tonight, outside the world is blanketed in eight inches of snow. Everything is a beautiful white.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

Here Am I, Send Me

The family and I have some big news about our future. About two years ago, LaRissa and I began praying about how God wanted to use us, seeking his direction for our future and our ministry. We first began to sense God telling us to get ready because he was going to call us to something different than anything we had been involved in to this point. So we continued praying, seeking to align our hearts with God's heart, and ready ourselves for whatever God was calling us to.

As we continued to pray, we began exploring some opportunities and looking at different possibilities for our ministry service, but none of the possibilities seemed to be quite right. Some doors closed and some opened that didn't seem to be the right decision. So, we just continued to seek God and allow ourselves to be molded and shaped into the people he wanted us to be.

In our prayers, we came to a point of complete surrender to God. We told God that we were available to be used by him whenever, wherever, however, and whatever, and that we would just wait for him to make known to us what he wanted us to do. We affirmed to God that the minute he did make that known to us that we would answer yes to him.

Well, about eight months ago, God began to clarify and confirm for us the direction that he was taking us in ministry. Finally, about six months ago, God clearly revealed to me exactly what he wanted us to do. I was in a meeting where the speaker was telling about the importance of church planting and various models for planting churches.

At that time, I felt God tap me on the shoulder and say, "That's what I want you to do." Now, God speaks to different people in different ways, and the way that God ordinarily speaks to me is through inward urgings and tugs at my heart. (I know that sounds very mystical and maybe a little vague, but that's the best way I can explain it.) But this day, God spoke to me with those specific words: "That's what I want you to do." So, I looked around to see if somebody had said something to me. Nope. So, I said, "Say what?" Really spiritual, huh? And God said again but more clearly, "I want you to go into church planting."

So, I went home that afternoon, walked through the door, and said to my awesome, beautiful, amazing wife, "I think God is calling me into church planting." Now, I've heard all the horror stories about wives' responses to a statement like that, but my wife says to me, "Yeah, I can see that." Over the next several months I began to seek wise counsel and continued to find confirmation of the call and affirmation of how God had worked in my life to prepare me for this.

To make a long story short, I am now connected with a church planting network, and will be planting a church in Anna, TX. Anna is currently the fasting growing city in north central Texas. It has experienced a 177% growth rate over the last six years. We will be planting with the North American Mission Board and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

The target kick-off Sunday for the new church is September 7, 2008. We will begin intensive work in the community in Anna in May.

We want and need you to be involved in this church planting process. First and foremost, we desperately need your prayers. This is a God-sized task, and it will not happen unless he works in amazing ways. Pray for our family. Pray for workers to help us. Pray for people in the Anna community that they would be receptive to the good news. Pray for our financial support. We also want your blessing. We also need people to actively be involved. We will be doing door-to-door surveying, block parties, community service projects, preview services, you name it. We need people to help us be the hands and feet of Jesus with us.

If you would like to learn more details about the church plant, I will be posting that information on a new blog: www.blazingthetrail.blogspot.com.

This Has Got to Be Effective!

I saw this truck in the Target parking lot this week. If you look closely, you will notice that one of the figurines glued to the top of the truck is the Grim Reaper holding a baby in his hands.


Also, take a look at the face of the guy walking by the truck in the background of the second picture. And, the red Target cart is reflected in the puddle under the truck, which makes it look like the truck is bleeding.

I affectionately refer to this as the Catholic Anti-abortionmobile.

Last Tuesday (May 22), LaRissa and I celebrated our fourteenth wedding anninversary. We went to Frisco and had some incredible Italian food and heard some cool jazz music at Terilli's. We then went over to the World Market and checked out some cool stuff for the kitchen.

In fourteen years, I have grown to love my wife more and more. Here's a list of just a few of the things I love so much about her. She's smokin' hot. How did a guy like me get so lucky? She thinks I'm smokin' hot. (How crazy is that?) She loves music, writes music, plays music, and really connects with God through music. She is an awesome mom (count them, four times giving birth). She likes hangin' out with me in the kitchen. She likes hiking and the outdoors. She challenges me to try new stuff like learning to dance. She's totally out of it by 10 o'clock at night. She's really smart and is an awesome 1st grade teacher. I love that she didn't know how to grate cheese, boil water, or knead dough when we first got married. I love that she hates football but watches it anyway and continues to try to understand it because I love it so much. I love that she tries to get home early every day to spend more time with our family. I love that she has this awesomely beautiful auburn hair that is so hard to define and that changes depending on the light and that every other woman wants. I love that she likes guy movies and thinks The Notebook is a stupid movie because it is such a poor imitation of what real love is. I love it that she loves me more than any human being ever has, through thick and thin, good and bad, in my worst times and in my best times. I love her because she knows me through and through, is my best friend in the world, and is the person I would most like to be with all the time. And, I love her because she fiercely loves Jesus Christ and challenges me daily to love him as well.

If Everyone Cared

This is the soundtrack for life that was playing in my head in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting.

The Best Hike Ever

Last Thursday morning, while we were at Shepherd of the Ozarks, our entire family went hiking on the New Beginnings Trail. The trail is a contemplative and meditative prayer walk. Each of the stations along the way tell the message of the good news of Jesus Christ.

The first station tells about how God, as Creator, created the world and everything in it, including human beings, for his pleasure and to exist in relationship with Him. The second station tells about how humans rebelled against God and how every one of us makes the same choice to live our lives our way without regard for God. The Bible calls this sin and says there are destructive consequences in our lives as a result. The third station tells about how human beings try different ways to remedy the negative consequences of our sin, but all our attempts are in the end insufficient to bring us back to God and the lives we were made for. The fourth station is labeled "The Cross" and it tells about how God payed the price for our sins by sacrificing the life of His Son on the cross and how that sacrifice is the bridge to a restored relationship between us and God.

Just up the mountain from this sign, there is a large cross in a clearing in the woods. As we were reading the sign, we noticed that my middle daughter, Katie, had wandered off. We thought she wasn't listening. But she climbed up the mountain to the cross and laid at the foot of the cross a bouquet of flowers she had been gathering. She then hugged the cross, and as we were about to walk on, she said, "Does anybody want to pray?"

I said, "That would be a great idea, Katie. Would you like to lead us?"

She said, "Yes," and had the rest of us climb up to the cross to hold hands with her. She prayed and thanked God for giving the life of His Son to pay the price for our sins and told God how much she loved Him. After she got through, we were getting ready to move on when I noticed that Katie continued to cling to the cross with a sad look on her face.

I have been talking to Katie for about a year now about what it means to put your trust in Jesus as the Leader of your life and the Forgiver of your sins. So, I asked Katie, "Do you think you are ready to put your trust in Jesus." She said, "I want to, but I don't know if I can." So, right there at the foot of the cross, I talked to my little girl one more time about what it means to follow Jesus and led her in a prayer to receive God's gift of eternal life. Sitting on the ground with her, it was me, the cross, and my little girl.

Man, that's the greatest joy in all the world of being a parent. That was definitely the best hike ever!

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

Saturday afternoon at about 1 o’clock, I got a call from Brick’s youngest daughter asking me to come to their house. Brick’s breathing had changed, and the family had called hospice to bring oxygen. Brick’s breathing was labored and shallow, and this continued to worsen throughout the day. I went to see Brick, but had to leave to perform a wedding ceremony that afternoon (such a surreal juxtaposition of life and death). I returned that night to see Brick and went home at about 10 o’clock. At 1:15 a.m., Brick’s oldest daughter called to tell me that he had passed away. He went peacefully and without much pain.

There will be a memorial service Saturday, March 10, at 10 a.m. in the Pottsboro High School Auditorium.

Thank you, God, for such an awesome, incredible friend and for giving him grace and peace as he faced death.

Well done, Brick.

Update on Brick

Not much new to report here, but I know many of you have been checking the site to find out what is going on. Brick's condition continues to worsen slightly each day. He is confined to bed and seems to be experiencing some pain, though that is being managed well with medication. Continue to pray for him and his family.

Brick's Condition

I haven't blogged in a while because I have been pretty focused on Brick's condition. Not much new to report there. His condition continues to worsen slightly each day. He now cannot hear at all and is sleeping pretty much around the clock. He also cannot see very well and cannot speak clearly. So, during his last days, his communication with others is pretty limited. Because Brick cannot really interact with others, it would be great if you would pray for him to have an awesome sense of God's presence right now and that he would be able to spend time worshiping God. Also pray for God to give him grace and mercy for the time he has left.

The End of the Journey

This picture hangs on the wall of my office. It is a picture of a through-hiker who has come to Mount Katadhin, Maine, the end of the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail. The title of the photo is "The End of the Journey."

I looked at the picture last night as I was on my way out the door to go visit my friend Brick in the hospital. Brick is going home today. His cancer has advanced to the point that his doctors advise against doing any further radiation treatment. So, Brick is home to spend whatever time he has left with his wife and daughters. He has just about come to the end of the journey. He has walked the trail well, and I am pleased to be one of the ones who comes behind him.

Brick continues to amaze me as he handles himself with grace and faith. Although he can barely see or hear and has difficulty speaking, he continues to show incredible concern for others and leaves everyone who sees him amazed at his love for them.

I do not like having to let go of Brick. He has been an awesome friend and example. Brick is coming to the end of the journey, but there is something more incredible awaiting him.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

A couple of weeks ago, as we ate lunch after church, I asked Katie, my middle daughter, what she had learned in Kids' Own Worship (our children's church program for K-2nd grade). She quickly responded, "Jesus doesn't make sense."

I was a little concerned that maybe she had missed the point or that our curriculum was getting a little off track, so I probed a little more. What I found out was that she really meant "Jesus never sinned." But the more I thought about what she said, the more I realized she had stumbled onto a genuine truth of being a Christ-follower. Jesus doesn't always make sense. Jesus sometimes ask us to do things that aren't rational or safe or easy. Jesus sometimes does things in our lives that are difficult to accept or to understand. The teachings of Jesus often confront and challenging our conventional ways of thinking.

Jesus really doesn't always make sense. But the times that he doesn't make sense are often the times that he is growing me the most. The more I follow him, the more I discover, like Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, that he isn't a tame lion and he isn't safe, but he's good.

Feeling Kinda Blue

I'm feeling kinda blue today. The world does not feel an awful lot like heaven just now. I just found out yesterday that one of my best friends, Brick James, has had a reoccurence of cancer. Brick was first diagnosed with melanoma seven years ago. He has had several surgeries and treatments over the last several years. Yesterday he learned that a tumor in his brain was growing back, that there was a tumor in his neck, and that there were now cancer cells in his spinal column. There is not much to do now as far as surgical options go, so he will be undergoing chemotherapy to try to at least slow the progress of the cancer.

Brick is one of the most authentic followers of Christ I have ever met. He is an awesome friend, an often mentor, a sometimes counselor to me, someone who holds me accountable and who isn't afraid to get in my face and be really honest. Please pray for him.

More on Life and the Trail

I opened this blog with some thoughts on life and the trail. I had a few more thoughts on the connections between life and hiking that I never got around to posting. So, here they are.

First, every hiker understands the value of traveling lightly. Hikers are fanatical about reducing every ounce of excess baggage like drilling holes in toothbrush handles, using ultralight gear, reducing the amount of food you have to carry. Every extra ounce of weight can be a hindrance that slows you down and keeps you from going on further.

Wise people in life understand that we are just passing through life. Life is a journey, so why get weighted down by things that keep us from moving ahead? Our goal should not be to add on more weight, a bigger house payment, more car payments, more gadgets and toys and possessions, greater credit card debts. Our goal should be to reduce the weight and keep moving as pilgrims and strangers on earth.

Second, hiking is purposeful. It's about putting one foot in front of the other and keeping on going, even when it is difficult. Success in life is moving forward toward the goal. God's desire for us is to make us more and more like Jesus Christ, and that means that we keep moving forward in life. Sometimes life is difficult. Sometimes life doesn't make sense. Sometimes your best friend dies at 35 in a car accident. Sometimes your wife has a miscarriage. Sometimes your husband walks out on you after twenty years of marriage. But you don't stop. You keep moving ahead.

You're not always going to understand what God is doing in your life. You're not always going to be prepared for everything that comes along. The same is true on the trail. You cannot prepare for every eventuality. Sometimes you encounter the unexpected on the trail. Sometimes what you come across on the trail does not match what the trailguide in your hands says. But you just keep moving, putting one foot in front of the other, knowing that things are going to get better.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I lost a child in the tenth week of pregnancy. As we went through that experience, I asked God a lot of times to help me understand why this had happened. I never got an answer to that question. But what I did come to understand was that I don't have to always understand what God is doing for me to trust Him. I just keep walking the trail.

What My Papaw Taught Me about Love

My grandfather, Olan Icenhower, passed away Monday, August 28th at my parents' home in Arkansas. This picture is one we took two months ago with my newborn, Abby. It is a picture I will cherish forever.

My grandmother asked me to speak at my grandfather's funeral, and the following is the complete text of that message:

Some of you knew O. D. Icenhower as “Mr. Icenhower.” Some of you knew him as “Olan.” Most of you knew him as “Nubbin” or “Nub.” And a few of you knew him as “Daddy.” But I, along with about 47 other people here, knew him as Papaw. And I want to spend a few minutes telling you about my Papaw. I’m not here to talk about his death. I’m here to talk about his life, to celebrate his life. You see, the most valuable lessons in life I learned from my Papaw. When I’m preaching, I don’t know how many of my stories start with “My Papaw said … ” or “My Papaw did …” or "My Papaw used to ..." But of all the lessons he taught me, the greatest lesson in all of life, I learned from my Papaw on a daily basis in his words and in his actions and in everything he did. And that was how to love.

Jesus said in John 13:35, By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. You know, Jesus could have said a lot of things. He could have said, "By this will all men know that you are my disciples, by your doctrine and your beliefs. By this will all men know you are my disciples, by what church you go to. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, by the programs you have going or the ministries you are involved in." But Jesus didn't say any of those things. He said, "By this, by your love for one another." The distinguishing mark of a follower of Jesus Christ is love. And that is what my Papaw showed to so many people and taught me so well.

There’s four things my Papaw taught me about love. First, he taught me how to love other people. Papaw loved people. Papaw loved being around people. Your presence here today is an indication of how much Papaw loved people and how many friends he had. Papaw loved to talk. Many of you have probably had Papaw sit and talk your ear off. Papaw loved to be in a crowd of people. The other night at Momma and Daddy’s house, there was a big crowd of people there talking and eating and loving each other, and my Uncle Gary said, “There's only one thing missing. Daddy would have loved to be here right now.”

Papaw loved people. When I was a kid, I remember getting in Papaw’s old truck, and we’d start up the road there in Mt. Carmel, and it would take Papaw forever to get anywhere, maybe a little bit because he drove slow as all get out, but more than that because he had to stop and visit with so many people. Papaw never met a stranger. People all over Howard county, people all over the state of Arkansas know my Papaw. My momma told me yesterday morning that she and Mamaw took Papaw to the mall with them one time. How they ever got him in the mall, I don’t know. But they took him to the mall and found him a bench to sit at out in the mall while they went shopping. When they got back, there was Papaw just talking up a storm with somebody, and he said, “Momma, I want you to meet my friend, so and so.”

Papaw was a friend. He was a friend to everybody. It didn’t matter who you were, how important you were, how rich you were or poor you were, what color you were. He was a friend. When I was a kid, you knew when there was a stranger at the door because they knocked on the door. Nobody ever knocked on the door at Papaw’s house. The door was always open. When you sat down to eat supper at Papaw’s, there was almost always a visitor sitting at the table. Many preachers sat down at Papaw’s supper table after a meeting up at the church to sit down and talk with him about hunting or fishing or gardening or the Bible. Maybe that's where I first began to sense God's calling in my own life, sitting and listening to one of those conversations. If you came to my Papaw’s house, you usually hadn’t been there for very long before you felt like you were part of his family. How many times has Papaw stayed around visiting with people after church and he got ready to go, and his final words were “Y’all come home with me”? And he meant it. They weren't just words. He really wanted you to come home with him and sit down and eat with him and talk with him.

Papaw loved people, and Papaw showed people love. Papaw never has had a lot in this world, never has been a rich man, but he still liked to help people out as best he could. I remember seeing a lot of people come to Papaw’s garden to get food that he had given to them, helping out somebody who was having a tough time.

Papaw taught me how to love other people. The second thing Papaw taught me was he taught me how to love my kids. Papaw loved his kids and grandkids. Let me tell you, it was a special thing to be his child or grandchild. I have never doubted that Papaw loved me more than I could imagine. You always knew that you were loved.

When you would see Papaw, even as a thirty-year-old man, Papaw’s first words were, “Come here and give Papaw a sugar.” And then, he’d give you a great big hug and a scratchy-faced kiss.

Papaw knew how to show love to kids. When I was a kid, he always carried a package of Juicy-Fruit or Big Red in his pocket or a package of M&Ms to give to his grandkids. He gave us rides on his mule, Target.

One of my favorite things that he did, I am passing on to my kids. Sometimes I tell one of my kids, “Come here and give me some lovein’.” So they climb up in my lap, and I lay them down and say, “Let me pick your guitar.” So I pick up their arm and tickle them under the arm until we are both just laughing with tears in our eyes. That’s something my Papaw did with me, and I pass it on to my children.

Papaw loved his kids and grandkids. He prayed for us. He hugged us. He encouraged us. He was proud of us. He loved us. It didn’t matter what you did. It didn’t matter how long you’d been away. It didn’t matter whether you’d made some mistakes. Papaw always made you know that He loved you unconditionally.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Papaw was sometimes tough on you. The boys, especially, can attest to the fact that if you did something Papaw didn’t approve of, he wasn’t afraid to offer correction, often administered to the seat of the pants. If you weren’t living the way Papaw thought you ought to, he wasn’t afraid to provide some wise direction.

Papaw also knew how to work you. Whether it was working in the garden or hauling hay or picking blackberries or hauling firewood or getting up early in the morning to feed the animals and gather eggs, whatever, a day with Papaw was usually going to include some hard work. When my cousin, Justin, was just a little boy, he came to spend a week with Mamaw and Papaw one summer. And Papaw got Justin to working in the garden, picking peas or beans. Justin hadn’t been there but a couple of days when he called home and said, “I’m ready to come home. I don’t like picking beans.”

But Papaw somehow knew how to make a day of working worthwhile. Papaw knew where all the best swimming holes were. One memory that sticks out for me is one day we had been working in the garden all morning, and it was hot. And Papaw took us swimming. The swimming hole had big tall banks on either side and a rope swing that you could swing over into the water. So, all us boys stripped down and were having a big time swimming. Well, all of a sudden, we hear a holler, and here comes this seventy year old man, naked as a jaybird, diving off that bank into the water. We laughed and laughed. Even at seventy years old, Papaw was a kid at heart. Papaw loved his kids and grandkids, and he loved spending time with them.

Now, let me let you in on a secret: I was Papaw's favorite. Now, all these other grandkids are getting mad at me, because they thought they were Papaw's favorite. Somehow Papaw had a unique way of loving each of us. Every one of us felt like we were Papaw’s favorite. And the truth is, we were. We were all his favorite. There’s a picture of Papaw that I had to find at Momma's house. Papaw is in his old green pickup, sitting behind the steering wheel, grinning from ear to ear. The picture was taken lookin in the passenger side window. So, Papaw is in the center, and around the edge of the picture are the five little faces of five of us grandkids, sticking out the window. That picture really says it all. I don’t remember where we were going or what we were doing, but it didn’t matter. We were going with Papaw, and going anywhere with Papaw was a good time. Maybe that’s why today is so tough. Because Papaw’s gone, and for right now, we can’t go with him.

Papaw loved his kids. The third thing I learned from Papaw was how to love my wife. As Papaw would say, he loved “that thing there.” I remember Papaw telling me about the first time he saw Mamaw. Papaw was driving down the road and saw a girl with coal-black hair playing out in the yard, and he said to himself that was the prettiest girl he had ever seen in his life and that he was going to marry her someday. And he did.

Mamaw was the love of Papaw’s life, his best friend, his lifelong companion. This year they were married 64 years. There aren't a lot of people who make it 64 years in marriage. So, what’s the secret to 64 years of marriage? Did they never fight? Did they always get along perfectly. No, they had their share of disagreements. Those of us who were their kids and grandkids can attest to that. Mamaw told me the other day that if somebody were to tell her in 64 years of marriage that they never had a disagreement or a cross word with each other, she wouldn’t believe them. Mamaw said the secret was they always had enough love for each other to work through whatever problems they had with each other. When LaRissa and I were getting married, Papaw told us, “Whatever you do, don’t go to bed mad at each other. You may not have it all worked out, but don’t go to bed mad at each other.” We’ve put that into practice in our marriage. Some nights we haven't gone to bed until 2 o'clock in the morning, but we've haven't gone to bed mad at each other, and we’ve been married now for 13 years.

A year and a half ago, Mamaw was in the hospital and had some pretty major surgery, and we didn’t know if Mamaw was going to make it. Papaw was a nervous wreck in the waiting room. He just had to go see Mamaw as much as they would let him in to see her. One of the times he came out of her room, and he had this great big grin on his face, and he said, “I got me some sugars.” Several months ago, we were visiting Momma and Daddy and Mamaw and Papaw, and we were getting ready to go. Everybody was already out of the house, and I was in a back room. Papaw was sitting in the kitchen, and I heard Mamaw come into the kitchen where he was. She told him, “Daddy, you’ll never know how much I love you.” Papaw said, “I love you, too. More than I could ever say.” Papaw loved Mamaw.

Now, there’s a lot of other things I could tell you about that Papaw loved. Papaw loved life. He loved hunting. He loved gardening. He loved dogs. He loved his mule, Target. I remember watching Papaw and Target plowing for hours in the garden together, sweat would be pouring off of both of them. And as they would go past Mamaw, Target would start breathing harder, and Mamaw would say, "Nubbin, you stop and let that mule rest!" And they would stop to rest while Papaw drank a cup of coffee. Papaw loved coffee. Hot coffee, cold coffee, strong coffee, weak coffee, it didn't matter. I used to be amazed at how Papaw could drive over a hundred miles of busted glass with a cup of coffee without ever spilling a drop.

But of all the things Papaw loved, the most important thing Papaw taught me was Papaw taught me to love Jesus. When Papaw was 33 years old, he asked Jesus to save him, and he did. And Papaw never got over it. Whenever Papaw would pray and thank Jesus for saving him, his voice would crack, and tears would well up in his eyes. He was just in love with Jesus.

Papaw couldn’t read very much, so every evening he and Mamaw would sit together and Mamaw would read the Bible to him. Many times, Mamaw would read something to him that meant something special or that he didn't quite understand, and he would say, "Read that again, Momma." Mamaw has read the Bible to Papaw for hours and hours. For someone who couldn’t read, Papaw knew more about the Bible than most people.

Papaw loved to talk about Jesus with people. He loved to have preachers come into his home so he could talk to them about the Bible and about his faith. You didn’t have to talk to Papaw very long to find out how important his relationship with the Lord was to him.

Papaw gave a lot of thought to his faith. After I became a preacher, Papaw would always have some question for me that he had been thinking about. Usually it was something deeper than I had thought about or than I had an easy answer for. One time Papaw told me, “Shawn, there’s a lot in that book that I don’t understand. But I just try to live out the parts that I do understand.” You know, as a pastor, that is the most I could hope for from any person, "There's a lot that I don't understand. I just try to live out the parts that I do understand."

I guess Papaw’s favorite song was “Have Thine Own Way, Lord.” Anytime we had a singing at church, Papaw would always request that song. And when Papaw would sing that song, he would turn his eyes toward heaven and sing at the top of his lungs and with all his heart, as tears rolled down his face.

Papaw loved Jesus. Early Monday morning, Papaw closed his eyes and went to sleep in this life. And I believe that the instant Papaw closed his eyes in this life, he opened them in heaven, and the first thing he saw was the face of Jesus as He welcomed Papaw home. And if Papaw could talk to you today, he would say what he has said to so many of you so many times, “Y’all come home with me.” Papaw would want you to spend eternity in heaven with him and with Jesus. Revelation 22:17, the very last chapter of the Bible says, The Spirit and the bride say, “[Y'all] Come!” And let him who hears say, “[Y'all] Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come, and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Papaw would say to you, “Y’all come!”

Would you bow your heads with me? Now, I know in a crowd this size, there are some of you who have wandered away from home, you've wandered away from a relationship with Jesus Christ, and you're not as close to God as you once were. Maybe some of you have never come home. You've never come to know Jesus Christ as the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life. Well, I want you to leave here today without any doubt about what will happen to you when you die. So, I want to invite you, just from your heart to God's heart to pray this prayer with me, "Dear Jesus, I want to come home. My sins have taken me far away from you. So, as much as I know how, I ask you to forgive me of my sins. I believe you died on the cross to pay the price for my sins. From now on, I want you to be the leader of my life. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen."

If you would like to leave a message for the family, you can view the online obituary and sign the guest book by going to www.nashvillefh.com and clicking on "obituaries."

The Surreal Life

I'm extremely tired as I write this. Sunday evening I went to be with my family. My mother is caring for my grandfather as he is dying with a number of problems stemming from eighty years of smoking. We placed him in the hospital on Monday, and it looks like he may be there for the duration of his life. It was a difficult visit, but a really good one as I had a chance to tell him how much he meant to me and what I had learned from his life.

As I was there helping my mother care for him, I was struck by the surrealness of life. I bathed him, changed his diaper, wiped his nose, and got up numerous times during the night to care for him. Back at home, I have an infant for whom I do the exact same things on a daily basis.

King Solomon, one of Israel's kings and one of the wisest men who ever lived, once said, "There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season. There is a time to be born and a time to die." I am thankful that our lives are not accidental. We go through seasons in our lives, but in every season of our lives, God is preparing us for the life of eternity.

Welcome to Walk the Trail!

Hey! I'm glad you came to check out my blog. "Walk the Trail" is an expression of who I am, the things and people that are important to me, and my thoughts on life, love, the world, philosophy, my wife and kids and whatever else comes to mind.

One of my greatest hobbies is hiking. I love the pace and simplicity of hiking. I love getting close to God's creation, smelling the damp, earthy smell of the woods, listening to birds singing, cooling my feet in a mountain stream, eating blackberries, seeing trees and flowers and mountains and sunsets. I love seeing deer in a field and ducks on a pond and a lizard on a rock. I love getting away from the highways to the roads less traveled to see things that most people never get to see. I love taking my kids with me, and challenging them to do things they think are impossible like climbing rocks and jumping streams and going one mile farther. I love stopping to eat a granola bar and drink some water and thinking, "This is the best food I have ever had!" I even love the aching back and blistered feet. So, walk the trail is some about hiking and other adventures in the great outdoors.

But it is more than that. It is really about how all of life is about walking the trail. So much of what is valuable in hiking is also what is valuable in life.

You see, in hiking, the goal is really the journey itself. It's not so much about getting to the end, making it back to your car and logging so many miles in so much time. The important thing is finding joy in the journey. When I am walking the trail, I am always excited about what I am going to discover around the next corner, what is over the next hill, what new view of the landscape will I see as I come to the next crest.

Some people think that the Christian faith is solely focused on heaven, and some people certainly give you that idea. You know, becoming a Christian is all about making sure you are going to heaven when you die, and living the Christian life is really about longing to get to heaven. But that is not it at all. Jesus wants to impact the way we live life here and now.

As Rob Bell so beautifully puts it in his book Velvet Elvis, "Jesus' desire for his followers is that they live in such a way that they bring heaven to earth." It's not just about getting from earth to heaven, but about bringing heaven to earth in our daily lives. The joy is in the journey. It's in making an impact in the lives of other people. It's in trying to transform the world and make it a better place. It's in seeing God in every step in life, every bend in the trail, every person you encounter. It's not just about getting to the end of the road. It's about enjoying wherever the road may take you.

Hiking is also about following a trail that is laid out before you, keeping your eyes open for the blazes that mark the course, and responding to the unexpected turns, dips, and challenges you find on the trail. That is what the life of following Jesus Christ is like. He is the pioneer (Heb. 12:1), the trailblazer who has gone before us and marked out the trail for us to follow. That trail will often lead us to new and unexpected places. To effectively follow Jesus, you have to follow the course he has laid out for you, and be ready to respond to the new challenges on the course. I firmly believe that this is what the church must continually do as we move into new territory, new cultures, and new horizons. We go wherever the trail takes us, changing, responding, adapting, yet always following. There are some things that are fixed along the way, like the good news of hope and forgiveness and peace and meaning found in Jesus Christ. But there is also much that must change as we face new parts of the trail.

Finally, one of the most important lessons about life I learned from hiking. I love hiking so much because I get to see some incredibly beautiful things that many people don't get to see because they never leave the safety of the road. So here's the lesson: Some of the most beautiful places on earth, most people never see because the road is too difficult.

It's true in hiking, and it's true in life. The most beautiful places in life, in your marriage, in your family, in your relationships with other people, in living out your purpose in life, making a difference in the world, being a hero to the people that matter to you, the most beautiful places in life, most people never see because the road to get there is too tough.

You will never experience the most beautiful places in your life if you take the easy route. The most beautiful things in your life will come when you hang on when you were about to give up. The most beautiful times in your marriage will come when you stay when you wanted to walk away. The most beautiful times in your relationships with other people will come when you walk through heartache and tough times together. The most beautiful places in your personal life will come after you were ready to give up. The mountain tops are only reached by struggling through the valleys.

Walk the trail is about all of that. It's about my journey walking the trail that God has set before me. I invite you to come along with me for the journey.

The Road goes ever on and on/Down from the door where it began./Now far ahead the Road has gone,/And I must follow, if I can,/Pursuing it with weary feet,/Until it joins some larger way,/Where many paths and errands meet./And whither then? I cannot say.