Super Secret Stealth Mission

(From the mind of he)

I cannot tell you the details of the mission, only that is was a success. We were undetected to a certain degree. At least that we know of. I was very happy with the result of the mission especially because I had two first time stealth mission person and dog with me. I was going to say people and make that sentence sound better but I refuse to cave to Zaba's belief that he is a person.

Mission Responsibilities-

Codename Donkey Face (there is a inside meaning behind this codename)- she was the getaway driver. She performed admirably. She was calm and cool throughout the mission.

Codename Long Tongue; AKA Stinky Fang- He was the lookout. He kept me out of trouble and enabled us to have a smooth getaway.

I cannot tell you my mission responsibilities, but I do want to say that we did nothing illegal.

The Heart

(From the mind of he)

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7)

God has been speaking to me of late about my heart. The Bible talks about having a heart of flesh or a heart of stone. When I think about the state of my heart I believe I see both types at times. I know He desires that heart of flesh at all times. The heart that is always loving, always serving, always putting others before myself.

I have a friend who said one time, "People are very good and showing others what they want them to see. Very rarely do people get to see what is truly in their hearts." I've learned over time that people are capable of such ugliness. That includes me in big way. I've learned it's easy to look at terrorists or others with a reputation for hate and judge them as evil, while at the same time look at myself and say my heart is good. Jesus said that there is no one good except for God. The point being that all hearts were created with the same capacity for love or hate, or both. I believe the only way to love in a truly helpful way is to follow the example set by Christ. He is the only one who avoided hate and evil and used His heart the way His Father intended. This is the heart I seek. So my continual prayer is for a heart of flesh.

Another thing I've learned lately is that your spiritual or personal resume can grow and at the same time your heart can grow harder and harder. The Bible says, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up". Every action contributes to a heart of flesh or a heart of stone. Whether it is making a negative comment while driving or walking by someone and not acknowledging them. It doesn't matter how big or small the act, they all matter. I strive to show my heart to all. The good and the bad. God always sees the heart. I desire for others to see it so accountability for who I am and how I act is made easier for the people in my life. It's interesting, this has been a year where people have said very flattering things about me spiritually, (not trying to boast, I have a point) while at the same time this has been the most challenging year for me since I became a believer. Meaning, spiritual growth has been difficult this year. I've had many struggles. Many temptations.

The amazing thing about Jesus is that His grace encompasses all. I know this doesn't give me a free pass to sin. It does however give me the ability to trust in Him and in His love while my heart continues to be fixed by Him. His love is tough in that He wants us to grow. He wants us to keep pushing and striving for perfection. No matter the current status of my heart, Jesus only sees Himself. That is so encouraging and allows me to never give up and to never turn from Him.

The Break

(From the mind of he)

We survived thanksgiving. I probably gained 5 pounds in the process. Zaba probably gained more then I did however. Here is a list of what our dog ate over thanksgiving:

Lots of peanut butter
The turkey liver
Pigs ear
His normal dog food
And to top it all off he attacked the pumpkin cake and got himself a nice little piece.

We had a very relaxing time in the mountains. We hiked several times and discovered a nice horse trail that wound itself through the woods. Zaba tried to eat the horse poop along the way. We also attempted some sledding but it proved difficult due to the melting snow and Zaba not only following me down the hill but also attacking me as I went. He got me and Mr. Moore several times. Zaba thought that was the greatest game ever invented, a game that caused much pain.

While we were away I was able to read the book of Galatians. I came across a verse I really felt God wanted me to see and remember. It is Galatians 4:9, it says, But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? This verse hit me pretty hard because I find myself slipping at times. I have found freedom through Christ. True freedom. Freedom from myself and from this world. I ask myself then why do I slip. I believe it comes down to faith, or lack there of at times. When I spend time in the word and in fellowship and in prayer my faith is strong and I'm very encouraged. When I get lazy and put those things off to the side, things tend to slip in. The Bible says Jesus often went off to pray. I need to often go off and pray. Rely on God and never myself to overcome the temptations of this world.

The break is nice because it allows time to get away and quiet yourself and listen.

Peace He Gives to Us

(From the heart of she)

I am so ready for this break! My parents are coming up from Florida and we are all staying in my uncle's cabin for the Thanksgiving holiday. I can not wait to just sit around and do nothing. (Except, of course, entertain Zaba). I feel like my life has been going in high speed since August. I had all of these plans for things that I wanted to do with my time outside of work...hasn't happened. And then I think about all of you mothers out there and I wonder how in the world you are able to accomplish all that you do! You really impress me. It doesn't help that I am a neat freak and feel that I have to spend every free moment doing laundry and vacuuming up dog hair (while always making mental lists of what else I would like to do around the house to get everything in its 'perfect order'. ) Yes- I have a problem. I am not sure when it all began. You can ask my mother- I was not like this growing up. I know that God put Zaba in my life to teach me the importance of valuing what really matters. Unfortunately, I am still fighting God on the actual acceptance piece of that.
Anyways, It will be nice to get away from everything for a few days and spend some time with my family. I hope that God gives all of you peace and rest over your holiday as well.

A Wonderful Wife

(From the mind of he)

I have a wonderful wife. She has a full time job, in which she gives her all to the kids. Then she comes home and takes care of Zaba while I'm at work. She takes care of the house and me. She also prepares a craft for Sunday school on a weekly basis and gets food for FCA.

She is a blessing to many, especially me.

Hunger and Thirst

(From the mind of he)

The Bible says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness." When I look at my own life and compare it with this verse I see that I sometimes hunger and thirst after righteousness, but not 100% of the time. Zaba demonstrates what true hunger and thirst looks like in a physical way.
When we are eating he is always there. He wants the food we eat so badly. We don't feed him our food and he is not happy about that. He barks and whines when he can't have it. We have started putting him in his crate when we eat because of his persistence. I don't know where this desire for our food comes from because I don't believe he has ever been feed people food. I believe it comes natural for him because of his sense of smell. He can tell that people food is something good due to the smell.
To connect my line of thought I will go with this. We were originally created to worship God. Due to the fall our natural desires have changed. We have to fight the world and the distractions and temptations that come with it, and be active in our hunger and thirst for righteousness. I've learned that if I do nothing then I don't grow. I need to follow the example of Zaba and his diligence. I need to be as hungry for God's word and His presence as my dog is for my food. We have to restrain him or he will get the food. I need to have that drive. I believe that drive only comes from prayer.
This blog was kind of random, thanks for reading.

Unphased

(From the Heart of She)

If there was any question that our dog would be affected by the 'altering' it was ceased the moment he came bounding out of the back of the vets office when I went to pick him up. In only a matter of hours after returning home he was jumping up on the couch, jumping on the counter searching for food, chasing after his toys, and wanting to run around in the yard. We didn't even have to use the pain medicine that the vet gave us for him. (But I must confess the thought of drugging our dog for a few hours of peace did cross my mind). :)

Results of Poll: Less than 4 hours

A-Day

(From the mind of he)

My dog is getting altered tomorrow. That is the way the vet put it, not me. I feel bad for the little guy. He's going to be a eunuch. My puppy has a wild spirit and I'm somewhat afraid that spirit will also be altered with the loss of his manhood. I take him in at 9 tomorrow morning and the wife will pick him up after school. Tomorrow is a sad day.

Someplace

(From the paw of me)

They keep telling me I'm going someplace tomorrow. I hope it is a happy place. The dad seems sad. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Poll

(From the mind of he)

Here are the results from the poll:

Actually we haven't finished the patio yet, but if you voted for 100 stones you win. I myself voted for 90. Maybe that was just hopeful thinking.

We will have a new poll soon, so be on the lookout. Thank you to those who participated in this poll.

Male Bonding Time

(From the Paw of Me)

I love male bonding time! I get to sit in the 'man chair' with Daddy and chew my bone while he plays his video games. Then I get to just sleep for hours on end. Do I have it made or what!? I can not stress this enough: Get some 'owners' and get them now. It's a decision you'll never regret!

Thank you, Lord, for technology!

(From the heart of she)

This weekend I actually became thankful for technology. We were headed back home after Mark's yearly alumni lacrosse game. We were both feeling pretty tired and Zaba had had about enough of riding in the car, and was letting us know about it in ways that caused us to roll the windows down about every ten minutes. (No need to explain further about that:)) I was taking the turn driving for awhile and we were on the home stretch, just about 60 minutes left to go. Heading down the mountain on an open interstate with few cars around, I wasn't really paying attention to how fast I was going or what the speed limit was. When suddenly I see him...Mr. State Trooper. Oh Pooh. We momentarily hope that he is going after Bubba, driving the red pick up, in front of me. But no, it's me. I slowly pull over and wonder just how fast I was going. I get everything ready as he approaches the vehicle. "Hello Mam, My name is Mr. State Trooper and I pulled you over today because you were speeding. I clocked you going 75mph's in a 60 mph zone." He proceeds to take my license and registration and says he'll be right back. I really wasn't upset..it was my own fault for not paying attention. I deserved the ticket. Mark and I start to discuss how much this little ticket is going to cost us, my estimate was a little higher than his. We even start to joke around about Zaba and his gaseous escapades as we are waiting for Mr. State Trooper to return to the vehicle and give me my bill. This seemed to be taking longer than usual. Mark begins to wonder if there is some secret life I am living and haven't told him about. Finally, Mr. State Trooper returns. "Mam", he says, "This is your lucky day." I liked the sound of that. "My Computer system is down right now, so I can't give you a ticket today." "Well I won't argue with that officer!" I say. "Just slow down please and have a nice evening"...I drove 5 miles under the whole way home.

(And on a side note- we had our first snow of the year last night! -just a dusting, but this is the earliest snow we have had since I have lived in NC. Come on snow days!!!)

The Results

(From the mind of he)

We successfully visited Shenandoah and returned. The results are as follows:

Game Score- Them 12; Us, the old guys, 6

Personal Statistics- 2 Goals 1 Assist

Personal Injuries- Right Hip Flexor Strain, Left Triceps Strain, Thoracic Pain, Lumbar Pain

Times Visited Sheetz within a 24 hour period- 4

Cheesy Movies Watched- 2

Time Spent Taking to the Wife- 12 Hours in the car (which was great).

Speeding Tickets Avoided (by wife not me)- 1

Good Times- Many

Alumni Game

(From the mind of he)

This weekend is my yearly alumni game back at good old Shenandoah University. I always have mixed feelings when I return to Shenandoah. I really enjoy seeing my friend Jay and playing lacrosse. It is also where Dana and I met, so that brings back good memories. Shenandoah is also the place however where I was the furthest away from God. I was walking my own path, and that path was not a narrow one. It was a path that was very wide and very worldly. Now, when I return to Shenandoah I do so as one who is attempting to follow Christ with all I got. I stumble and struggle at times, but God gives me the grace to keep going.

So I go to Shenandoah with many memories and many questions. Going back makes me sad as well because of the many friends I made there, and the very few friends I am still in touch with. It reminds me of how without Christ holding relationships together friendships can be difficult to continue. Distance has a way of separating people. Something I have learned is that when one friend is following Christ and and the other friend isn't no matter how close you are to start off, you will eventually drift apart. The reason is because those people are walking different directions. I feel believers have a responsibility to invite those friends along, but the responsibility to change hearts is up to God.

So I return hopefully with an open heart to what God desires for me. I know He desires for me to have a good time playing, catching up with friends, and eating from Sheetz. But I feel there is work to be done for His kingdom. Work that is lasting and meaningful.

I will write and let you know the score of the game and how many injuries I sustained while playing in that game.

When Daddy is away I will play!

(From the Paw of Me)

Dad left for the day to go to some soccer game instead of spending his usual afternoon play time with me. So, of course, I had to show mother that this is simply not acceptable. She made it worse by taking 10 minutes to put the groceries away when she got home before she would even let me out of my crate. Like I would really try to snag any of the groceries! She never trusts me! She started talking about going on a hike, so I played it cool and waited for my moment. We went up to Montreat and started off on this trail. She said if I was really good she would let me off of my leash for a little bit so I could run free. I knew this would be my chance. She let me go and I stayed within a reasonable distance. She kept trying to call me back with those tempting cheerios, but I kept my resolve and continued ahead. Then the moment I had been waiting for arrived, an innocent trail jogger coming around the corner. Yes, payback time. In an instant I was off! I ignored her calls in the background and steadied my course towards my target. I successfully plowed into him head on, jumped up on his side and managed to tangle my paw into his Walkman cord- completely stopping his pace and thoroughly embarrassing mother. It felt really good, at the time, to express my anger over feeling neglected earlier in the afternoon. Now, however, I am feeling a tinge of guilt. As soon as we got home she gave me a brand new raw hide bone to chew. A rare treat and hours of fun! But really, I do deserve it - I am a good dog and she knows her life was so BORING before I came along. I make everyday an adventure, and for that they should be grateful!

The Morning

(From the mind of he)

You ever had one of those mornings where no matter what you did everything just worked out?
I had that today. I went to Asheville and made every light. Everyone I talked to in the stores I visited were extremely nice. I had a really good time walking my dog and throwing a lacrosse ball to him. Then my wife came home early from a workshop and we were able to spend some time together and go to lunch.

My morning started with prayer.

Family Reunion

(From the Paw of Me)

This weekend was great! I got to reunite with my brother Wuillis! We spent the whole weekend wrestling, walking the trails, and playing in the dirt. Getting baths was not so fun, but we overlooked that for the many cheerios we received afterwards. We tried to join in the soccer game- we really could have helped Montreat to win- but our 'owners' stopped us at the last minute. We talked about old times...life on the farm. We discussed our 'owners' and shared tactics for succeeding in our training of them. It was great having my brother here, I hope he comes back again soon!

In Hiding

(From the mind of he)

There is a Pearl Jam song called "In Hiding". The beginning lyrics are as followed:


I shut and locked the front door.
No way in or out.
I turned and walked the hallway, and pulled the curtains down.

The point of the rant is this. This week was very busy. It took a lot out of me physically, mentally, and spiritually. I learned that you can recover physically by sleeping. The only lasting recover from mental and spiritual exhaustion is dwelling in the presence of Jesus. My problem of late has been limited time with Christ and maximum time spent resting in my own way. Entertainment being my own way. What I have learned and am continuing to learn is that this source cannot and will not fill you with peace or true rest. I believe there can be a place for entertainment, such as movies or games, but I know personally I have a tendency to go over board and waste opportunity.

The lyrics were used for the following reasons: (1) This is how I've felt this week. I have felt like hiding. I felt like I gave a lot and didn't seek God to continually fill me with His presence. (I realize people with children and just about everyone else face much greater stresses than I do, like my wife, and don't complain about it on a blog. That still isn't going to stop me however). (2) I learned that the greatest way to overcome what ever challenges come your way is to gear up in God's armor and move with Him as He moves, and not hide in your house. Jesus poured Himself out to become the offering for the world. His sacrifice and His service has changed the world. Jesus gives us such an amazing opportunity to interact with people and be a part of that world changing message. Everyday we have the opportunity to make a difference in somebody else's life. So I need to fight my pride and my self-pity and run the race set before me. If I hide, I don't get the opportunity to love someone who may need that love. The (3) reason I used some Pearl Jam lyrics is because that band rocks.

Thanks for listening. Writing about this helps me see what an amazing opportunity I have to grow the kingdom of God. It also helps me see how stubborn and prideful I am the majority of the time. Have a good day. Best Pearl Jam album: Yield

My Turn to Bark

(From the paw of me)

I felt it was time to give my two barks, since it is MY blog after all!

It all started with a simple life on a farm. Running free in the fields with my other kin, swimming in the lake, doing my business in privacy where I so desired. Then one day these two show up and take me from my easy farm life. They seemed very excited over me and showered me with treats and petting, so I thought maybe I'd give city life a try. Knowing that first impressions are everything I remained extremely calm for the first couple of days. When I realized that I had them hooked I returned to my wild and crazy self again.

From the start I could tell the male (whom I know loving refer to as Daddy) was going to let me get away with everything and anything. The female however (Mom) is a little tougher to crack. All and all I am handling them pretty well so far.

The Training:

The training is going very well. I sleep in the bed, get on most of the furniture, ride in the front seat of dad's car and get a peanut butter filled bone every morning promptly when I awaken. The kick they seem to be on now is the kitchen. They are foolishly attempting to keep me out of the best room in the house- I don't think so! They have yet to discover how determined I can really be. So far I've tried drawing them out by pulling the leaves off of a plant on the bookshelf, which worked temporarily, but is not a long term fix. Barking incessantly gets their attention, but does not seem to be enough to draw them from the room. Most recently they have employed a new counter attack - It involves this really scary machine they call a vacuum cleaner. Every time I see it I flee in terror. They have put it right in the entrance of the kitchen. I'm currently formulating a new plan to conquer the vacuum cleaner...I will keep you posted on my success.

Happiness:

Living indoors really has its advantages. Air conditioning is a wonderful invention. I go on many walks and get to sleep often. They have even recently built a fence for me, so I have some freedom in the yard. I really can't complain about how things are going. My life is pretty nice and I recommend that all of you get some so-called 'owners' for yourself.

My Tip of the Week:

Enjoy each day. Be excited about a new day. Give kisses often. Give your all, all the time.

Fall

(From the heart of she)

Hello everyone- we had so much fun reading your blogs that we thought we would try it ourselves. I am not exactly sure why we are adding one more thing to our crazy life right now...but here it goes!

Psalm 46:10 says "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

This is one of my favorite verses and something that God is continually trying to teach me - to rest in Him - to trust in Him - to give it all to Him. When fall arrives I always get excited. For some reason God has allowed me to associate fall with His peace. Everytime I see the colorfull leaves falling, and feel the crisp air I am filled with a peace and an awe. Unlike other seasons, I never want fall to end- and Lord, I pray that the same would be true for Your peace in my life.

The Patio

(From the mind of he, you were warned)

The project in our lives at the moment is the patio. Let me take you back to how it started. It started with a dog. The dog created the need for a fence. The fence is done (thank you dads). So we had planned to build a deck. We lacked clearance for the said deck so we decided to go around the system and build a patio. To begin the patio we had to dig and dig and then dig some more. I praised God often during the digging period of my life that He has me were He has me and it doesn't involve a shovel. Anyway, the digging created a rather large pile of dirt which Jacob would love. Our dog also finds great joy with the pile, whether it be digging in it, laying on top of it, eating it, or attacking it during the zoomies. After the digging I talked to someone who actually knows what they are doing and suggested gravel for a foundation. So Dad and I went to the local rock quarry, again which Jacob would love, and loaded 1500 pounds of gravel in the the chevy,aka the greenlantern. Let me backtrack some. Before the gravel arrived we had a big dirt spot in our yard. Due to my laziness I did not cover this pile with a tarp. Then the rain came and our dirt spot turned into a mud pit, which Zaba ran through often. We were giving him many baths during this time. Back to the gravel. With the gravel the mud and dirt is no more or at least hidden. The gravel also allowed us to begin the stone laying process. Many suggested using a level while laying the stones, but I have been gifted with the ability to "eye it" and see that things are level. We need a slight downhill patio anyway for drainage purposes. During this process there is always the presence of the Zaba, whether he is standing on the stone you need, digging in the spot where you want to lay that stone, or underfoot attempting to trip you and cause injury, or continually attempting to establish dominance over your leg (which will be remedied soon, poor Zaba). To distract the dog we decided to give him pears which were given by the neigbors. I'm unsure who has been paying more for that one, the dog or us. So we are about half way done with the patio and it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.