Rest…Replenish…ReEnergize (Thoughts from sabbatical)

NH

Here I sit... Week two of my sabbatical is coming to a close. I was really looking forward to this time, but even I did not realize how much I needed it. Let me back up though. Some of you hear the word sabbatical and you think a myriad of things. Some think... VACATION NOTHINGNESS TIME OFF LAZY Even though all those things seem to be what we would label "sabbatical" it is so much more than that. This is what I love about my church. At the ten-year mark they give each of our staff members a one month sabbatical. However, this is not a vacation. This is not nothingness. This is not "time off". It is rest, but is not laziness. This is a time to rest, replenish, and re-energize. In fact there are some requirements on our time of sabbatical. Not a list of rigid rules, but some guidelines in order to make us truly get the most of it. REQUIREMENTS OF SABBATICAL: Week 1: You must spend one week at another church simply serving. For me that was a trip to Nashville. Some … [Read more...]

one donut hole fuller…

maple-doughnut-holes-ck-l

It's Monday. It's a new day. It's a new week. It's fresh. Today started with what I thought was Laura leaving for work. As she walked out I nestled back in to bed for a few more minutes sleep before the last snooze alarm went into its morning routine. A few moments later, due to the fact that the bedroom is next to the driveway, I saw the red glow of brake lights fly by the window and heard the garage door come up. I thought that she must have forgotten something and would probably come in frantic and disheveled. How dare I think the worst. In fact she came home to do quite the contrary. As I heard the door open to the kitchen from the garage I looked at my phone for the time and then flipped on the lamp by the bed. I then laid there and waited. I knew for sure she would come in. In fact I fully expected her to whisk through the bedroom, grab whatever was forgotten, and head out frantically. However, she walked in calmly, walked over to the bed, and handed me a tiny … [Read more...]

minor characters

MinorCharacters

i have a good friend named shelby. he and i played music together what seems like eons ago. he has a new band called minor characters. they are good. i like them... so should you... … [Read more...]

who would you give a second chance to?

POTSC

a few weeks ago i read this incredible book by mike foster. you should pick it up HERE. it spoke right to the core of what i long to be and do. what is great is that there is an entire movement that has been spawned called People Of The Second Chance. Below is what they stand for and a video that you should all put out there. I am also apart of their Grace Mob Campaign and hope you would consider joining too. Who We Are We are a global community of activists, imperfectionists and second chancers committed to unleashing radical grace everyday, in every moment, for everyone. We challenge the common misconceptions about failure and success and stand with those who have hit rock bottom in their personal and professional lives. We are a community that is committed to stretch ourselves in the areas of relational forgiveness, personal transparency and advocate for mercy over judgment. Founded in 2010, our organization is based in Southern California.  TARGET AUDIENCE The message … [Read more...]

ANOTHER POST ABOUT HOW HOT SHE IS…(DEAL W/ IT) :-)

LAURA11

As many of you know my wife is running in the Mrs. Texas Pageant this year. Being that I have some photo skills I get to be her personal photographer. We spent some time yesterday shooting some pics. Here ya go. I love the way these turned out. Love your feedback too. To see the rest go to my flickr. GO HERE!!! … [Read more...]

OVER THE RIVER AND PICS OF THE WOODS

WOODS19

The title of this post may lead one to think that I took a picture of trees... However you could not be more wrong. Even though I do love the occasional picture of woodland goodness, these photos are actually of my good friends Ben and Crystal Woods. I have known this fine looking couple for the better part of 13 years now and have to say that I love them more and more as time goes on. Ben and I spent a brief time of life traveling and playing music, but have spent even more time enjoying life and pouring into each other. While in the frozen tundra of Illinois I got to spend a day taking some rad new pics for my friends and their family. Check em' out. … [Read more...]

20 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT HER

Over the past few weeks I have really been enamored by my wife. Not that I am not always head over heels for her, but lately I have really found myself re-falling in love with her. As I have watched her and done life with her, here are some of my favorite things about her. 20 Things I Love About My Bride 1. A woman of her word 2. Her compassion for those with less... 3. She is an incredible mom 4. I could listen to her laugh all day long 5. She is a woman of the book (scripture) 6. She is OCD...in the best possible way!!! 7. I could get lost in her eyes for days 8. Her spirit is rooted deep in discernment 9. The way she breaths deeply when she sleeps 10. Her ability to bake...I'm just sayin!!! 11. She has a great attention to detail 12. The way she is driven in all things 13. She is immensely creative 14. Her ability to write is second to none 15. She is an unbelievable speaker 16. Her ability to listen before speaking 17. She loves giving gifts more than receiving … [Read more...]

THE GOTCHER FAMILY

GOTCH18BW

Today was the perfect day. No wind... Blue Skies... Fall colors... Great family to shoot photos of!!! The Gotcher's are one of those families that I know that I will be friends with the rest of my life. Three years ago they commissioned me to take their family photos when I was first starting out in photography and today was our annual moment in time to shoot some more photos of their rockin looking family!!! Here are a few of my favs of the day. To see the rest go to my Flickr and check them out and leave some love. … [Read more...]

MY FAVORITE VETERAN

MOMANDAD

Yesterday I got to play golf with my dad. The beauty was that my mom came and rode along too. It was so relaxing. It was the first time in a long time that I got to spend that much time with the two of them at once. It was special too because yesterday was Veteran's Day and my dad is my favorite veteran. My dad served in the 101st Airborne division in Vietnam. He was a Sargent E-6, was a green beret and earned a purple heart. He fought for my freedoms. He fought for your freedoms. He made our world a better place. It was fitting that yesterday I got a few moments to simply honor my pops. I love him and know if you have met him you do too!!! … [Read more...]

RIP YOU TO SHREDS

So tomorrow morning our new granite counter tops go in. But before that can happen we had to demo our kitchen. So this afternoon after a long day of incredible things I came home and bypassed my nap and ripped out our counter tops with my good friend Jeff (which by the way is a STUD!!!) and my  destructive wife Laura. So here is a little video of our demo today!!! … [Read more...]