Bloggin' Bass

Check It Out...

2011-01-20T20:40:00.002-06:00

If you didn't notice, we haven't posted on the blog in a year and a half. (the #1 rule of blogging is you have to post regularly). The focus of the blog had become family related stuff, and facebook became the preferred method of sharing about our family. So, become our friends there if you want to keep up with the family.

Also, Mark is still blogging regularly with a focus on ministry and following Jesus. Here's the blog if you care to check it out - I Will Follow

Baby Bass Number 3

2009-07-12T22:02:00.004-05:00

We told Luke and Sarah last week that they were going to have a baby brother or sister. Here's the video. Enjoy.

Sarah Riding a 4-Wheeler

2009-05-07T21:13:00.004-05:00

When I came home from work on Thursday afternoon, this is what was going on in my driveway...

Stop It

2009-04-21T21:35:00.001-05:00

I have always loved the skit. Maybe we should apply this advice to our continual sin problem.

Enjoy...

Luke Sings on Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T20:54:00.002-05:00

Reminder - Don't Waste Your Life

2009-04-06T12:26:00.001-05:00

Awesome video here...hope you've got fast ears b/c the artist raps fairly fast. Enjoy!!!

More park Pics

2009-02-16T16:39:00.007-06:00

DAY AT THE PARK

2009-02-16T16:22:00.003-06:00

For a day or two it felt like Spring was in the air! We had to go for a trip to the park!

Snow day

2009-02-16T16:12:00.005-06:00

I'm sorry I've stopped posting pictures of the kids. #1 I really don't make time to get my camera out anymore and #2 I'm too addicted to facebook and it takes up whatever spare time I have!!! This was a snow day we had a few weeks ago. They enjoy eating the snow more than anything else! If it would snow more than an inch maybe they wouldn't get a mouth full of dirt every time!

I'm Holding a Miracle

2009-01-22T13:24:00.004-06:00

Hey Everybody...I just found this video. I preached on abortion this past Sunday. Tough sermon. You can listen here. Click on the sermon "Speaking Up for the Unborn."

This is a fantastic video called "I'm Holding a Miracle." Human life truly is a miracle. We carry the image of God and we are created for God's glory. Abortion is an all-out assault against the person-forming work of God.

The video is a little long (~8 min) but it's worth it.

Skidboot

2009-01-01T09:43:00.003-06:00

Check out this video. It's well worth your time to watch it.

Merry Christmas Everybody

2008-12-16T09:30:00.000-06:00

Preachin' on Politics

2008-11-10T23:18:00.002-06:00

For any who might be interested...I preached on politics this past Sunday morning (11/9). If you'd be interested in listening to or downloading the sermon, you can click here to go to our church's sermon audio page.

Look for the sermon "Politics and the Kingdom of God"

Happy listening...

Mark

Fall Pictures

2008-11-06T21:54:00.000-06:00

I've Been tagged!

2008-11-05T21:13:00.002-06:00

Thanks Jackie! I usually just ignore these when they are sent to me in my email acccount but since you posted it for the world to see I guess I better play along :)
Things that make me weird:

1. I cry....when I'm happy, when I feel the holy spirit close, when I'm sleepy, pretty much at anything! Just ask Mark, it really makes his life hard cause he has no clue what to do.

2. My second toe is the longest toe on my foot. ( I've heard it's a sign of leadership!)

3. I can not leave a bite on my plate (there are starving children out there!) And it drives me crazy b/c Mark leaves 1 bite on his plate every meal and it's usually the best bite!

4. Chocolate is a nessesary food group to me

5. I have horns on my nose from a childhood bike wreck

6. I used to bite my toenails. Now I just pop my toes!

7. When I get nervous and have to talk in front of people I get really funny and usually get countrified.

8. I think being prego and delivering a baby is one of the most fun, wonderful and amazing things in the world!! I wish I could just stay that way! But...I won't...ok honey!

They're Back

2008-11-04T22:34:00.003-06:00

I know most of you think I have fallen off the face of the earth...but I'm here! It's just been an insanely busy few months for us. I know you don't check the blog for my amazing words of wisdom but for pictures of the cutest kids on earth! So, here are a few to keep you coming back!

Think About It...

2008-10-27T16:55:00.001-05:00

I found this video that Keith posted on Facebook and thought it was worth posting here for all of the millions of our readers at Bloggin' Bass. Enjoy...

Our little Man!

2008-09-19T21:05:00.003-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Luke! We love you!

Sarah's I year Photos

2008-09-19T20:44:00.003-05:00

I love to take pictures. Since I have two of the most beautiful children in the universe I makes it even more fun! (Totally biased opinion!!) It seems like yesterday we made our speedy way to the hospital to welcome Sarah into this world. She has filled our lives with even more love, laughter, and sweetness the way only a little girl can. Sarah loves her big brother and Luke loves her back although not quite as much :) God has blessed us this 1st year and I pray that she will continue to grow into a beautiful woman after God's own heart.

Birthday Month!

2008-09-19T20:27:00.003-05:00

Well, here at the Bass house we don't like to celebrate just one day.....we celebrate about 2 weeks!! It has been a very busy couple of weeks and things are just now slowing down enough for me to post some pics of the BIG BIRTHDAY PARTY. Thank you to all of our friends who came and all of your generosity. For those of you too far away we missed you and wished you were here!
The party was sports themed since Luke loves anything that has to do with a ball. We had mini cupcake golf balls (although no one really understood what they were..they looked like white cupcakes with check marks- Nike swoosh- on them!), and big cupcakes decorated like soccer balls and baseballs. We had a bounce house, croquet, corn hole, putt putt, and pick up ducks and a pool of balls for the babies. And the biggest hit was.....THE SANDBOX and pick-up ducks!!!! Oh well, fun was had by all. Sorry I didn't take many pics b/c I was sort of busy, but my friend Becca took some but I don't know how to get them on here!! My m-n-law is also making me a cd of hers so hopefully I will have more later!

Fun at the Lake

2008-09-07T22:31:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago we had a fun time with Aunt Amy at the Caney Fork Dam and the Floating Mill Boat dock park!

Video of Sarah Walking

2008-08-23T20:41:00.000-05:00

Sarah's started walking...check it out.

Sarah is 11 months old today!!

2008-08-10T14:46:00.004-05:00

What happened to my little baby girl?!! She is now a fun lovin', lil' miss indepentent, walking, talkin' sweet heart! Yes..you read it right..she took her first steps this weekend! She can take about 4-5 steps before she gets so excited that she gets ahead of herself :) What a wonderful 11 months it has been! We are so blessed!

All Boy!

2008-08-10T11:30:00.001-05:00

There's nothing like seeing a little boy playing barefoot in the water!

For All You Star Wars Fans Out There...

2008-08-01T12:52:00.001-05:00

A recent video of Darth Vader playing golf...Enjoy

Fantastic Video

2008-07-28T21:35:00.002-05:00

You've got to take 5 minutes and watch this video. It's worth your time. I'd love for us to do this at FBC, but we can't control our lights b/c we have stained glass windows.

Enjoy...

My 5k Run

2008-07-05T17:50:00.003-05:00

At 30 years old, I ran my first ever race today...the Fiddler's 5k.

My time was 29:49. It was a difficult course with a lot of hills.

Here's some pics.

Coming across the finish line...

Luke was my biggest fan. He was waiting for me just past the one mile mark and then again at the finish line...

This is the group of guys from the church who ran the 5k...

2008-06-15T16:20:00.003-05:00

This is the last round of pics I took off of my camera. I don't have enough time today to do more indiviual post so I'm dumping everything on here. This is our Flordia vacation with my parents and BBQ for Roth and Jessica.

Becca- I hope your happy now!!! :)

A Day with Mamsie and Grandpa

2008-06-15T16:02:00.002-05:00

When Mark's parents came to visit last month we had fun at a local boat dock with a great park! It had manual SNORTS! If you are not familar with what a snort is please read the book Are You My Mother.

Water Lovin' Baby

2008-06-15T15:54:00.002-05:00

Sarah loves to splash in the water! I just make sure she has her own water!! (See next post!) Haha

Bare Bottom on the watertable

2008-06-15T15:37:00.003-05:00

'

We enjoy playing outside, a lot! Since I am trying my very best to potty train Luke I thought it would be a great idea to have picnic and play outside in his underwear! Well, I think he likes going commando better!!! Just remember to not drink the water!

Zoo fun

2008-06-15T15:11:00.004-05:00

Last month
we enjoyed our first trip to the Nashville Zoo with friends from church. It was very hot but I'm glad we went then instead of now because it is much hotter now! Luke liked holding hands with Emma and Juliana the best! Sarah and Graham kept each other company in the stroller:)

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T21:56:00.005-05:00

Well, Mother's Day is always special because you are just so grateful for your kids, but I had a sick one this year. Luke has come down with a horrible rash and fever. the dr. thinks it's Scarlett Fever but isn't 100% sure. Bless his little heart!!! Keep him in your prayers please!

Cutie Pie

2008-05-12T21:53:00.004-05:00

This is Sarah's first Pigtails!

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Do No Evil

2008-05-08T07:50:00.003-05:00

I love this first Picture!!! They did that on their own!!!

This is Sarah's first girl playdate. My friends Anna and Kelly came to Smithville and brought their precious little girls Reagan and Anna to play. I am not sure who had more fun...the mommies or the babies! Anna and I used to live on the same street growing up and have always loved babies! Now we have our OWN!!!! We HAD to do a few pics!

Fun at the Golf Course

2008-05-07T21:51:00.006-05:00

One day when Mark was off of work on a Thursday we surprised Luke and took him to the golfing range after preschool! Sarah and I enjoyed the beautiful sunshine.

Dandylion Prince and Princess

2008-04-14T15:57:00.004-05:00

They REALLY love each other!

2008-04-14T15:47:00.004-05:00

This is a photo shoot from Sunday! Luke goes for the bow and Sarah goes for the toes!! (Sorry I can't figure out how to rotate the pics.)

Birthday trip to Atlanta

2008-04-14T15:38:00.003-05:00

These are some highlights of Mark's birthday celebration in Atlanta. Sorry I don't have any pics of him and Justin playing golf at Stone Mountain. We stayed in the Westin in downtown and the view was amazing even though they had a lot of tornado damage some a few weeks ago. The kids favorite part of the trip was the Children's Museum. Luke got to drive a forklift and a crane, play trains, fish, and tons more!!!
Thanks to Jane Howell for letting all of Smithville know it was Mark's 3-0!

30 Years of Undeserved Faithfulness

2008-04-09T09:48:00.002-05:00

Today is the day. April 9, 1978 I was born. That was 30 years ago. This is my brief reflection on 30 years of undeserved faithfulness.

Many people never make it to 30. Many are aborted without even being given a chance. Many die in childhood of horrendous diseases b/c they don't even have access to clean water. Many die of tragic car accidents and the like in their teens and twenties...and yet none of this has been remotely close to me. Undeserved faithfulness.

I am no different than these who die before thirty. I was born in the United States of America. What did I do to deserve that? Nothing. It is a blessing undeserved. It is also a great responsibility.

I have wonderful parents. My mom and dad worked hard to raise me right. They loved me and gave me opportunities. They stayed married even through tough times. They didn't quit. And for all of this I am the one who is greatly blessed. Undeserved faithfulness.

I have a sister that I got in some good fights with as a kid. We had a lot of fun together. She is as blessed as I am, and now she is a wonderful and gracious young woman. Undeserved faithfulness.

I have a beautiful and wonderful wife who never quits loving me and serving me. I cannot figure this out. Even when I am the hardest person in the world to love and get along with, she is continually faithful to me. She is a godly wife and mother full of patience and kindness. We're moving towards our 7th anniversary this summer. Undeserved faithfulness.

I have two beautiful children who are healthy and full of life (see pictures in other blog entries). They bring joy upon joy into my life. They teach me the lessons of God in a real and tangible way. They allow me the great pleasure of bearing the title, "father." You can never get tired of hearing the word "daddy" energetically yelled out as you enter the door coming home from work. Undeserved faithfulness.

I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Lord of the universe. Undeserved faithfulness in its fullest expression...that he would choose to redeem me, his enemy...that he would choose to do so by dying a brutal death...that he would continue in faithfulness to me as I daily continue in my struggle against sin. As I read Romans 9 this morning I am reminded that I was not saved b/c of something in me that was smart enough or was able to make the right decision to choose Christ. No I was saved by the mercy of God. Pure grace. Purely undeserved.

Here I sit, April 9, 2008. The words "undeserved faithfulness" perfectly describe my life.

Thank you mom. Thank you dad. Thank you sis. Thank you Em. Thank you Luke. Thank you Sarah. Thank you Lord Jesus.

May I live a life full of gratitude.

Watch me Grow Easter Pics of Luke

2008-03-29T10:50:00.003-05:00

Here is how much our Bubba has grown over the past 3 Easters.

Sidebar Update

2008-03-25T21:48:00.003-05:00

I've added a new app on the sidebar. It profiles a people group that is vastly unreached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It updates everyday with a different unreached people group that you can pray for. Scroll down to it.

Sarah's First taste of Food

2008-03-19T14:45:00.004-05:00

Are you sure you want m eto do this?

OK, I'll try!
Why are you taking my picture NOW!!

YUK!!!

Sarah had her first taste of food on her 6 month birthday. I think the pictures say it all!!!

Spring Pics of Sarah

2008-03-19T14:30:00.002-05:00

Sarah is 6 months old now! Wow, how time has flown! She is still as sweet as a strawberry pie! It is so heartwarming to see her and Luke interact. He kisses her and she can't take her eyes off of him. Some of her milestones lately are sitting up alone, blowing rasberries (especially during church), eating cereal, yo-baby, sweet potatos, and apples,(she hated peas!!), splashing water everywhere during her baths, and she cut her 1st two teeth on the bottom! I hope you enjoy these spring pictures. I can already tell I'm gonna LOVE dressing Sarah in her little sweet dresses this season! Let's hope it warms up and stays that way!

Fun with Mema and Papa in Pigeon Forge

2008-03-19T10:21:00.002-05:00

At the beginning of the month we enjoyed a week with Mema and Papa in Pigeon Forge. It was the week of Mark's spring sabatical and mom's spring break. The first 2 days we stayed in an awesome cabin so Mark could stay with us but still have a quiet place to go away and study. Then Mark left to be by himself at Camp Carson Springs and the rest of us stayed in a condo the rest of the week. At the cabin we enjoyed the 2 wrap around porches, pool table, and hot tubs! When we stayed at the condo we enjoyed the FREE mini putt-putt course and the indoor pool! Luke's most favorite thing the whole week was the Ripley's Believe it or Not Farm Mini putt-putt. He made a few hole-in-one putts!

Bye! Bye! Paci!!!

2008-03-18T23:10:00.002-05:00

Luke has made another huge leap towards being an independent Big Boy!! He selflessly gave his pacifers to his 2 newest friends Carsyn and Cooper (who we will offically meet in May.) Luke and Mark went around the house and found all of the pacies. Then we wrapped them up and hand delivered the most precious possessions he has ever owned!! He was timid when we got to Carsyn's house but he gave them up!! Yea!!! The next week was VERY HARD on all of us! He would pick up my cell phone and pretend to talk to Carsyn and say "Baby Carsyn..I need my pacies back please! " To celebrate his accomplishment we took him Glow-Golf at Opry Mills. It was lots of fun! Everything is better now! Now all we have left to conquer is Potty training!! Heaven Help us!

Fun Day with Grandpa and Mamsie

2008-03-18T22:52:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderfully wet day exploring the aquarium in Chattanooga. The penguins were so cute and my favorite thing is always the butterfly garden. Luke liked the 1st 5 mins. of the IMax but then he chose to sleep the rest of the movie! It always good to spend time w/ grandpa and Mamsie, too!

Catch up

2008-03-18T22:33:00.003-05:00

Well, a lot has happened since I posted last time. We have given away Luke's pacifers, played in the snow, gone to the aquarium and Pigeon Forge, and enjoyed the first few glimpses of Spring. So now I get to play catch up!! (If only I could catch-up on some much needed sleep!!! But, the stomach bug and Sarah's 2 new teeth won't allow that right now!)

Snow Day

2008-03-18T22:31:00.000-05:00

Sweetness

2008-02-23T09:52:00.003-06:00

When was the last time you saw a graphic like this headlining on the home page at ESPN.com???

Dozers and snorts and Cranes! Oh my!

2008-02-18T14:27:00.003-06:00

Luke loves to go the church and watch them as they are building our new Life Enrichment Center! We call him eagle-eye because he can spot construction equipment a mile away!

The cutest thing ever!!!

2008-02-18T14:17:00.002-06:00

Is this not the cutest thing you have seen all day?

Day at the Park

2008-02-18T14:06:00.003-06:00

We enjoyed a day at the park with Daddy on his day off last week!

New Friend- Carsyn Jane

2008-02-18T13:50:00.002-06:00

We are proud to announce that Sarah has a new friend to play with- Carsyn Jane Beshearse!

Bass Look-alike Meter

2008-02-18T13:29:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family history - Family pics

Bass Look-alike Meter

2008-02-18T12:57:00.001-06:00

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Pedigree

Sarah's Turn

2008-01-18T14:14:00.000-06:00

Rolling over the 1 st Time!!

Sarah is such a little sweety! I could just gobble her up every second of the day. She enjoys watching Luke, playing on her Turtle, swinging, smiling, babbling all the time, chewing on anything soft and fuzzy, and playing with her best friend Graham. She is so calm and happy most of the time. She rolled over last week both ways- back to front and front to back. Her 4th month well check was yesterday and she is a whopping 13 lbs. 10 oz. (50th %-tile) and 25 3/4 in (85%-tile) Her eyes stayed blue and we can't decide what color her hair is going to be. My best bet is strawberry blonde or light blonde. It's almost time for a hair cut! We could do a ponytail in the back with the exception of a little bald spot!!
This next comment may sound a little on the "blonde side" of things but anyway...It's amazing how God made girls so girlie and boys- boys. Luke was born ALL BOY and Sarah is quite the opposite ALL GIRL. We are very glad for this!!!

My first attempt at Bloggin'

2008-01-18T13:38:00.000-06:00

Hello friends! Mark has handed the reins over to me so get ready for family updates and kids pics. (Sorry for those of you who visit for deep theological reasons!:) It's just not my style!)

Things are going great at the Bass Home. Here's the run down...
Luke is growing so fast. He is now talking in sentences, repeating absolutely EVERYTHING he hears, carries a stool with him everywhere he goes so he can get those little GO-GO Gadget arms into everything that is out of his reach, he still loves golf and anything to do with balls, cars, or SNORTS (for those of you who have never read Are You My Mother- a snort is a big backhoe digger), he loves kissing on Sarah, playing with his best friend Juliana, going to Mother's Day out and to Walmart. We just painted his room and are in the process of decorating it with balls. For any of you who have not had the pleasure of having a 2 year old...everything is fun, joyful, and busy..busy...busy:)

Merry Christmas Everybody

2007-12-24T16:38:00.000-06:00

It's been a month since I posted anything. Wow. December has been insanely busy as expected. If there's actually anybody who still reads the blog...we wish you a merry Christmas.

I'll be handing the blog off to Emily after the New Year and she will hopefully do a much better job keeping you posted on our family than I have done. I've got other things coming down the pipe that are requiring my time which are more important than blogging.

Merry Christmas world...May you find the reality of the incarnation of Jesus to be your hope and confidence this Christmas.

John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Honduras Trip Pics

2007-11-21T23:40:00.000-06:00

Here's some photos from Honduras. The ministry is doing some great things there.

Quick Update

2007-11-13T10:53:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody. I'm going back to Honduras tomorrow (Wednesday) thru Saturday. Our church is sending me and one other person to check out a ministry called Hope for Honduras. Pray for me as I go.

Later.

Video of Luke and Juliana

2007-11-07T21:14:00.000-06:00

Here's a video that Becca made of Luke and Juliana playing together a few weeks ago.

Our Kids Are Cute...

2007-10-25T16:03:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I've not exactly got an objective opinion about this. Check it out.

Luke got a golf set for his birthday last month. He's actually pretty good. I'll be carrying his bag one day.

Sarah is doing great. Moving on towards 2 months.

The Gospel According to "America's Preacher"

2007-10-15T11:02:00.000-05:00

In celebration of last night's 60 Minutes interview with Joel Osteen, I thought I'd post a couple of videos where Joel tells us exactly what he thinks about the gospel.

One of Joel's fan actually calls him on the show and asks him why he won't take a stand where the Scripture takes a stand...

Joel, despite his hold your Bible in the air thingy, has a low view of Scripture. He is unwilling to take his stand on the Word of God. When preachers are unwilling to speak on the authority of God's Word (and say things contrary to it) then guess who's authority they are speaking on??? Their own. As a pastor, that is somewhere that I never want to be. If I can't speak on the authority of God's Word then I have nothing to say.

Here's the big problem. In America WE ARE LOSING THE GOSPEL. When the gospel is gone from our churches, God is gone from our churches. In Isaiah 48:11 God says, "My glory I will not give to another."

Try these on for size...

Acts 4:12, "And these is salvation in no one else, for these is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

God is glorified through the death of his Son Jesus Christ as the payment for sin. Do not deny God his glory by denying the work of Christ on the cross as the only way God has given for salvation from sin.

Sarah's First Date

2007-10-10T10:08:00.000-05:00

Check out this post on Anthony and Jackie's blog...Anthony is our worship pastor...Graham is their son.

Things Kids Say 2

2007-10-05T11:04:00.000-05:00

This morning Luke woke up asking where Sarah was. He was concerned about her.

So Emily asked Luke back, "Where is Sarah?"

Luke's response, "In the car." We got in late last night so I guess he thought we left her in the car.

I asked Luke, "What should we do?"

Luke's response, "Get her."

It really is awesome that he loves her. He is very good to her with the exception of an occasional hit.

Help Daddy

2007-09-25T08:56:00.000-05:00

This morning as Luke and I were going down our steps in the house, he stopped about 3 steps down and said "Help, Daddy" as he reached his hand up towards me. I took his little hand and we walked down the steps together. That was one of the best moments for me. I looked back at Emily and we just smiled.

Something happened inside of me when my son called out to me for help. I had a longing to answer his cry for help. I wanted to help him as he was calling out to me.

You know the Bible tells us to have faith like a child. As I now have children, that description of about how our faith should be has really come to life in a way I didn't understand before.

We need to cry out to our Heavenly Father, "Help Daddy." Dependence on God is a critical aspect of living the Christian life. Here's a few verses about crying out to God, "Help, Daddy."

Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Romans 8:15, "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Psalm 79:9, "Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!"

Have you called out to God for help today???

Luke's 2nd Birthday and New Sarah Pics

2007-09-18T21:45:00.000-05:00

Luke turns 2 on September 19th. It's been a good two years for him. He is a fantastic big brother to Sarah. Here's some recent pics of Luke.

Luke loves bulldozers and backhoes. He loves digging the dirt and pushing the dirt. Sarah got him a yellow and orange "snort" (that's what Luke calls a backhoe) as a present when he came to visit her at the hospital. It's been the best toy he's ever had. He won't put it down.

This is Sarah's room...

...and her bed...

Playing peek-a-boo...

Welcome Sarah

2007-09-11T13:40:00.000-05:00

SHE'S HERE!!!! Sarah was born on Monday morning. Here's a video. Enjoy...

Kitchen Broke

2007-09-05T08:38:00.000-05:00

Every morning when Luke gets up he walks to the gate in front of the kitchen and says, "Kitchen broke."

The remodel is coming along nicely though. Tomorrow we get counter tops installed and the only thing to do after that is detail work. Yeah.

I'll have lots of pictures for you when it's done.

Still no baby. Later

This Crazy Life of Mine

2007-08-29T12:48:00.000-05:00

Hey folks...

Sorry I haven't had any posts of substance in a couple of weeks.

If you don't know, our life is insane right now. We're 2 weeks from the baby's birth, and still trying to get everything ready for that. We're in the middle of our kitchen remodel, which should be done next week. We're also in the middle of a couple of painting projects, trying to bring the house a little life.

All that to say that my next post will be when baby Sarah arrives. I'll also put up some pics our newly remodeled and painted house when we finish up.

See you when our daughter arrives.

Congrats to Anthony and Jackie...

2007-08-24T13:41:00.000-05:00

The Rosolowskis have a new addition to their family. Click here to see some pics of baby Graham. I get the pleasure of serving with Anthony at Smithville FBC. He's our worship pastor.

Unbelievable...

2007-08-17T23:34:00.000-05:00

You've got to watch this video. I thought driving in Dallas was bad.

Chip...did you experience anything like this when you were in India???

First Day of Preschool...

2007-08-15T23:08:00.000-05:00

I can't believe this is happening already. We started Luke in a preschool/"mother's day out" this week. It meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am - 2pm. The teacher said he did really good from 8-12 and then had a major breakdown from 12-2. Anywho...here's some pics from the first day. Enjoy.

Luke and Juliana at the preschool entrance.

I loved the lighting on this picture (click for bigger image).

Sabbatical Day 4...

2007-08-10T09:43:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody. Great day. I got the September series half finished and am looking to completely finish it by the time I leave Camp Linden. This series is going to be awesome. You're not going to want to miss a single Sunday in September.

I spent a good amount of time talking with the camp director here. He's a great guy. Camp Linden is an awesome place. If our church or any group in our church ever wants to take a retreat, the facilities here at Camp Linden are really great for hosting something like that. That's actually one of the reasons the TBC built this conference center and the one at Camp Carson.

See ya soon...

Luke Pic

2007-08-08T21:25:00.000-05:00

I think this is the one of the best Luke pictures Emily has ever taken...

This was at the beginning of 2006 when he was only a few months old.

Sabbatical Day 3...

2007-08-08T21:17:00.000-05:00

I have a short update tonight...

Today I made the drive to Camp Linden. I finished reading Treasure Principle this afternoon after arriving and spending a little time talking with the camp director. I went to FBC Lobelville for service tonight.

One other note...I met with Brett for a little while yesterday and we decided to push the Oil Change Outreach back a couple of weeks to Sept. 8th to give us enough time to be fully prepared and enough time to advertise it.

Sabbatical Day 2...

2007-08-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today was a fantastic day. I got big things done.

I met with a missionary who works in Romania. Hopefully FBC will form a missions partnership with this organization and make regular trips to Romania. As I have thought and prayed about how the local church is to go about fulfilling the great commission to the ends of the earth, I have landed at the idea that forming long-term missions partnerships with missionaries who are regularly on the field is the best approach. This allows us to go to the same place and minister with the same people over a long period of time. I think this is much more effective than going on random short-term mission trips to places you'll never go to or see again. The missionary I met with was Bob Ward. Bob was our speaker at FBC in July when I was with our mission team in Arizona and Mexico. You'll be seeing Bob again as we pray about forming this partnership.

I got a lot of the legwork done for our September sermon series. This 4-week series is really going to impact your life, as my studying today really impacted me. I hope the rest of this week to really work hard on this series and have it mostly ready to go by the end of the week.

I read almost all of Randy Alcorn's little book Treasure Principle. Great read.

Two other notes...

I leave tomorrow for Camp Linden tomorrow. I'm assuming they have internet down there. If I don't post the rest of the week it's because I can't hook my computer up to the internet.

I want to direct your attention to Eternal Perspectives Ministries. Good stuff there. I'm also going to add them to my side bar.

If you go to FBC Smithville and you're reading this, tell members of the church who don't know about my blog what the web address is so they can keep up with me this week.

Sabbatical Day 1...

2007-08-06T22:07:00.001-05:00

Thank you FBC Smithville for this sabbatical week. It's Monday evening. Here's a some of things I did today...

I read and meditated in the Psalms. I love how the emotions of the psalmists come pouring through their writings. It's beautiful.

I read a big chunk of Ed Stetzer's book Comeback Churches. I look forward to finishing this book and reading / discussing it with the staff.

I spent time in prayer. I prayed through about half of the prayer requests that you gave me last Wednesday. I prayed for the church. I prayed for the staff.

And speaking of the staff...I'll leave you with this pic of the 3 of us at our July 4th cookout gathered around the grill doing what men do.

I feel like God has really blessed FBC and created a great ministerial team.

Until tomorrow...

LEC Finally Rolling

2007-07-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

Here's some pics of the beginning of site prep work for our church's new Life Enrichment Center.

These signs were sitting on the lot where the building will be built.

Here's a before shot that I took back in January. This building, which was sitting on the lot where the LEC will be built, was torn down earlier this spring.

Here's the current view (7.25.07) after a couple of days worth of dirt work. They've still got to build the lot up a bit b/c it has a lot of slope in it.

Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints

2007-07-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

That's the theme of the Desiring God 2007 National Conference. I really want to go to this conference. It's going to be incredible. But considering that I'll have a 2 week old baby at the time, I feel that the best choice is definitely to stay home and listen to the podcasts as they come out. :)

The theme, as you can tell by the post title, is endurance in the Christian life. The goal is a life devoted to testifying to the greatness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the reward is Christ himself as he says to the faithful, "Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master."

The speaker lineup includes:

Randy Alcorn of Eternal Perspectives Ministries
John McArthur of Grace to You. He's also the pastor of Grace Community Church and president of Master's College and Seminary. He also squeaked in a little time to write over 100 books.
Jerry Bridges
Helen Roseveare
and of course...John Piper

Here's a video about the need for endurance in the Christian life...

Here's a video of John Piper answering the question, "Why did you choose these speakers for the conference on endurance?".

6 Years

2007-07-15T12:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday (July 14th) Emily and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. Yesterday was also my parents' 34th wedding anniversary. (When Emily and I chose our wedding date I didn't even know it was my parents anniversary.)

We went to Ristorante Volares in the Opryland Hotel last night. Nice place. The Opryland Hotel is really awesome. I'd love to stay there, but rooms are about $400 per night.

Today is day number one of our 7th year of marriage, we've got a 21 month old son and we've got a daughter who is due to be with us in 2 months and 1 day. God has blessed Emily and I much.

Like Father, Like Son (100th Post)

2007-07-07T16:46:00.000-05:00

I'm celebrating my 100th post with a couple of pictures from a swim party earlier this summer. Can you see the resemblance? Who looks like who?

Arizona/Mexico Report

2007-07-03T19:21:00.000-05:00

Here's the entrance to the community where we served all week. The community is called Cuauhtemoc. There's about 400-500 people who live there. There's only one Christian church in this community. We helped to work on the building that the church is using. The only other church there is a Catholic one. They only have services about once per quarter. The catholicism is very cultic in Mexico. They have a lot of mini-shrines with statues in them on the sides of the road where they go and pray to different people.

These are some of the kids who came to our VBS. We had about 50 kids each day.

This is our team with the pastor (Roberto) of the church in Cuauhtemoc and his wife (Chayito).

This is Tim, Jennifer, and Christian Scarbrough. They are the founders of Living Water Ministry, based in Naco, AZ. Naco is a border town between Arizona and Mexico. Cuauhtemoc is about a 20 minute drive into Mexico from Naco. They have restarted the only church in Naco, AZ that had previously been closed down for the last few years. The Scarbroughs hosted us for the week and allowed us to stay in their church in Naco.

Home

2007-07-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

We made it back from Arizona/Mexico last night. The internet was down for the whole week after my first post so I didn't get to put any pics up. We had a major lightning storm that knocked it out. I'll get some pics up tonight.

Arizona Update 1

2007-06-27T09:54:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody. It's Wednesday morning in Arizona.

Flights were good on Monday although we did have a cancelled flight. But we made it on the next plane. When we got here Monday afternoon we drove down to Cuauthemoc, Mexico to see the church we would be working on and where we would do Bible School. Tuesday morning our big van had some major problems which were finally fixed after 5 trips to the parts store, so we spent the morning doing some work here at the church in Naco, AZ where we are staying. In the afternoon we went to Cuauthemoc and did our first day of Bible School. We had about 50 kids show up. I'll try for some pictures in the next day or so.

Well Said...

2007-06-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

Everybody...

You need to watch this video. This is Ed Stetzer at the SBC annual convention yesterday. Stetzer is the president of LifeWay research, the research division of the SBC.

June Blog Break

2007-05-31T11:53:00.000-05:00

I'll be taking a blog break for the month of June. It's going to be a crazy busy month. We've got VBS at church starting next week and I'm leading my first ever mission trip that leaves on June 25th. I've been on a lot of mission trips, but I've never led one. It's a lot of work to get it together. We're going to Naco, Arizona and Cuauthemoc, Mexico. We're partnering with Tim and Jennifer Scarbrough through Living Water Ministries.

I might have an occasional post, but for the most part I'll be back in July.

Things Kids Say

2007-05-25T20:50:00.000-05:00

Luke is really starting to talk and be able to understand what we are saying...to a degree. Today was our long trip back from Orlando. (good vacation)

Emily asked Luke while we were riding, "Are you awake?"

Luke's answer, "No."

I asked Luke, "Do you know what 'awake' means?"

Luke's answer, "No."

Lost Season Conclusion

2007-05-24T08:05:00.000-05:00

Well...I would give the 2 hour conclusion of Lost an overall positive rating.

Negative

too many commercials...during the second half of the first hour the commercials were coming about every 4-5 minutes...i know, i know, that's what DVR's are for
they killed Charlie...boo...he didn't have to lock himself in the flooding room when he could have walked out the door and closed it behind him
how many lives does that crazy one-eyed guy have? they've killed him twice in the past few weeks and he keeps coming back...give me a break

Positive

the flashback with bearded Jack totally had me going...it was actually a flash forward...very nice
they are really developing John Locke to be Jack's nemesis...he's practically a superhero the way his body heals itself
the overall storyline of the show is developing nicely
the ending with future Jack and Kate was great, but you know that they're not actually going to get rescued from the phone call to that boat off the island anytime soon b/c there's 3 seasons left, so...can they change their future???
Emily wanted me to note that she disliked the ending b/c she wanted Jack and Kate to get together
It was cool to see Ben get beat up and to see the girl embrace her real mom

Guesses

John and Ben will return to the others and John will become the leader of the others
it will become Jack vs. John
Desmund will be the real hero of the story...he's just too cool
Ben was actually right about the boat...something bad will come from it

What do you think???

Luke, Balls, and Water

2007-05-24T07:56:00.000-05:00

Luke has always had a love for balls and water. Well he really went crazy yesterday. We played mini golf. The lady at the desk told us to take some extra balls with us. I guess she had seen her share of parents have to come back for extra balls after their kid chunked it in the water. Well...she was more than right. Em and I made 3 or 4 saves and Luke actually got 2 tossed in the water.

Yesterday afternoon when we were at the pool Luke decided to take up his hobby again. There is a small lake right next to the pool we were swimming at. Luke decided he needed to toss a ball in that lake also...only we didn't take a ball to the pool. So Luke grabbed another kid's ball, ran to the rail, and chunked it over. Nice touch.

Live from Orlando...

2007-05-21T19:55:00.000-05:00

We're hanging out in Orlando this week. We've had some fun times already. I thought I'd post a few pics from the first two days.

The two most beautiful people I know...

Swimming time...

Watch out for the dragon...

If you've never been to Downtown Disney...it's pretty neat. The dragon in the picture behind me and Luke is made out of Legos. It's impressive.

It's All about You...

2007-05-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

Emily and I had a great Monday and Tuesday at the TBC new pastor orientation conference. The conference was at the Linden Valley conference center. Nice place owned by the TBC.

On to the point of this post...

One of the devotionals that I heard there hit on a theme that is so dominant in American Evangelicalism that we don't even know it exists. It is the very air we breathe. No one thinks about breathing. It's just a part of life. So what is it I'm talking about???

Individualism.

The devotion was from Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

If you notice I highlighted the words "for you." The speaker at the devotional time really keyed in on these words. He talked about the importance of those two words in the verse. He talked about how God has all of these specific, individualized plans for each one of us.

I hate listening to this type of stuff. God does not have a billion personalized wills for each and every Christian out there. God's will is not all about you. God has one will and each one of us is to find our complete fulfillment by aligning ourselves with God's will.

Folks, be careful about ripping verses out of context. Jeremiah 29:11 read in context would never produce an individualistic interpretation. If you read Jeremiah chapter 29 you would find that verse 11 is part of a letter written to the whole Jewish community in the Babylonian exile. So in verse 11 the words "for you" are referring to the entire community that is in exile.

Bringing that up to today would mean that God knows the plans he has for us as the community of God. It's all about God, his will, and we are fulfilled when we find ourselves in his will.

Dollywood

2007-05-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

Okay, I can't handle the pink any longer, so this is my new look.

We're going to Dollywood tomorrow. I'm pumped. I think I was in high school the last time I went. That's been 11 years.

Why the PINK?!?!?!

2007-05-07T21:01:00.000-05:00

We found out today that we're having a GIRL!!!!!

To celebrate I'm temporarily changing my blog to a lovely pink color.

Congrats to Anthony and Jackie

2007-05-06T17:39:00.000-05:00

This morning, FBC Smithville voted overwhelmingly to bring Anthony Rosolowski onto the pastoral staff as the pastor of music and worship. I'm really excited to have Anthony coming (he won't start till end of June). He's going to bring a great dynamic to the church.

As a congratulatory blog present to Anthony and Jackie I'm adding a sidebar link to their blog.

We have a really young church staff (which I think is good). I'm the old man around the place at 29 years. Brett and Anthony are both young kids at only 27 years.

Please pray for FBC Smithville that our church staff will gel, and that we can proclaim the greatness of God's name in our city and county and wherever else God leads us. I'm excited for the future to see how God works.

A Day in the House

2007-05-04T15:39:00.000-05:00

I went to the legislative session of the Tennessee House yesterday. I was the chaplain of the day...a nice honor, but completely ceremonial. Anywho...I enjoyed the day. It was my first time to ever go to a Senate or House session. It was complete chaos on the floor. It took me forever to figure out what was going on.

I'm sure I'll be hearing from President Bush any day now so that I can be on his spiritual advisory board :)

Don't Waste Your Life

2007-05-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

There's a fantastic little book called Don't Waste Your Life written by John Piper that I would like to recommend to everybody. In the end you don't want your life to be wasted. This book does a good job helping you see the right perspective on living this life so that you don't waste it.

Here's the website by the same name. On the website you can order a paper copy of the book or you can download a .pdf of the book for free, and they've got some great little video podcasts that come out about once per week.

Happy reading. If you've already read this book, what do you think???

Dove Awards

2007-04-26T21:37:00.000-05:00

Chris Tomlin won 6 Dove Awards this week. Here's a quote (from Baptist Press) by Tomlin about all his awards.

"I am overwhelmed by the whole thing," said Tomlin, who deflected the praise. "I am grateful for the honors, but at the end of the day that's not what impresses God.... He must increase and I must decrease. I know this is nothing that I do; I just know that the presence and favor of God is with me."

Let me stir the pot a little bit.

I'm really glad for Tomlin's remarks, but still, I've never really been a fan of the Dove Awards b/c there's nothing like a bunch of Christians getting together on national TV and awarding and honoring themselves.

Let's just try one passage on for size, Luke 17:7-10 (ESV)...

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

Any thoughts??? Don't be too hard on me.

Praying for the Rosolowski's

2007-04-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

FBC Smithville has been looking for a music and worship pastor. We've found a fantastic couple...Anthony and Jackie Rosolowski. Could I ask you all to be praying for them as they begin to make their way in our direction? They live in Raleigh, NC right now as Anthony is finishing up at Southeastern Baptist Seminary.

They'll be spending the weekend of May 4th-6th with us, and our church will vote to call them here on Sunday, May 6. I remember how nervous I was during the time Emily and I were doing the same thing last summer to come here and pastor.

So, pray that God will work all things out smoothly for them and that this will be a fantastic time of joy and peace for FBC Smithville.