This morning I am having one of those unique and incredible "moments" that we all have but so often fail to appreciate. As I sit here in my living room enjoying my third cup of coffee, having just finished reading the book of Romans, and listening to Jack snore,..... I became overwhelmed with thankfulness for the life that I now live.
It was not all that long ago that I felt as if my life was over, and everything that I had "worked" so hard for was slipping through my fingers. It is amazing how we can sometimes justify our endless drive for more, better, and best while totally neglecting the things that are truly priceless in life. Things like our family, our reputations, our name or more importantly, our salvation. I personally had come to a place where my life had become totally disconnected from the reality of who God had created me to be, and destined me to be. I lived for me. I worked for me. I even ministered.... for me.
When my world came crashing down around me and I found myself in a place of utter despair and brokenness, then He came to me.... and all of a sudden I realized it was never about me. All of my righteousness was as filthy rags before Him. I was nothing more than a sinful hypocrite with a platform of selfish ambition. I came to the place of saying I am not WORTHY to breathe... much less confess Christ.... and to minister... well that was totally out of the question. It was not until I came to that place that I realized my destiny, my worth, and in the process I found Jesus all over again!
Today, as I sit here I am most thankful. My current house is 1/4 the size of my former house... and I have never been happier. The church I serve is 1/10 the size of the last church I attended, and yet I have never felt more useful for the Kingdom. Yes... I am having one of those moments where I am thankful for what is no longer... and most thankful for what is!
Remember to thank God daily for the little things in your life. Remember to ask Him to search your heart daily for the secret sins and finally, remember to give thanks to the only one who can truly bring happiness and fulfilment, Jesus Christ.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Psalms 51:8
Love, Honor, Serve
Pastor Eugene
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
My life in the Big E
What can I say.. I love my life. I am incredibly blessed to have a great family, an incredible church family, and a wonderful job. But there is one part of my life that I find the most challenging, and at the same time the most rewarding.
My life in the Big E... well it is not exactly the Big Easy I am referring to. Although being me is not necessarily a hard thing to do, give me a clean pair of pants and a job that needs doing and I am there! No... if it were that "EASY" I would not waste my limited brain capacity, blog space or your time to espouse such diatribe. No, the "Big E" I am referring to here, is the vast and incomprehensible Estrogen Oasis that I find myself currently residing in.
As most of you who know me are aware, I am the father of 4 daughters ages 7, 9, 16, 20. Between them and the lovely wife of my youth, I have come to appreciate the finer aspects of survival in the testosterone deprived environment of the domicile I call home! It is a drastic change from the life I grew up in with 3 brothers, no sisters, and a mom who barely survived the various encounters with snakes in the house, dead cardinals in the freezer, and various household treasures that were broken and then meticulously reassembled with superglue, duck tape and bailing wire. (I suppose that is where I learned my trade!)
Don't jump to conclusions... I love my life! I love my family! But strictly for the purpose of survival I have learned to recognize and realign my thinking, my words, and my actions to survive the constantly changing torrent of emotions that are raging through my house! I have learned to tiptoe through the vicarious and dangerous hormone minefield with the same stealth and urgency of a cat walking through a room of sleeping pit bulls!
And yet, despite the constant feeling of being a negotiator in a life or death drama of which pair of shoes goes perfectly with this outfit... I have come to cherish each and every moment that I spend helplessly tossed two and fro in this vast ocean. Like the hugs that I get, when one by one these beautiful daughters of mine come by my easy chair headed to bed. Or the way they will crawl up into my lap and just sit.... noone saying anything... just content to be with one another. And yes, I even love the tension that exists when every strand of dna in the room is aligned against the limited amount of manliness that I can muster in the floral, potpourri lotion scented environment of our home when I suggest we watch something other than a chick flick. Yes... I have learned to appreciate the diversity of life that God has given to me.
It is in this diversity, that i can see the hand of God in my life. In so many ways.... I would not be the man I am today... if it were not for the women that they are..... I would not know how to love as I do... to cry as I need to... to be quiet when I should.... and to just be dad. Thank you Jesus that you brought balance to my life.
Love, Honor, Service
Pastor Eugene
Monday, April 5, 2010
Deviled Eggs and Easter Hams
I love the holidays! There is nothing like the feeling of walking into the home you grew up in, the sound of laughter in every room as family gathers from all around to catch up, to compare illnesses and scars, and most importantly....... TO EAT!
Having been raised as part of the Carroll heritage, I have many times in my life had the distinct privilege of enjoying feasts that would make Paula Deen jealous! Our side of the family has never been short on its ability to cook.... and put together some of the most amazing meals. I too enjoy getting in the kitchen and creating some exotic and unique dish.... but in comparison to the "Holiday" meals... my best creations are no more than a $2.00 lunchable! From salads to desserts, a family holiday meal at the McBride/Carroll household is going to be festive, delicious and plentiful.
And so it was yesterday. Mom amazed us all with a 20lb ham. I did not know that a ham could be that big. Along with the ham was baked beans, corn casserole, asparagus, chicken spaghetti, potato salad, fruit salad, jello salad,.... and enough desserts to open a new wing at the Baylor Heart Institute in Dallas.
But the one thing thing I was most thankful for.... was Aunt Sharron's deviled eggs. Now you may think that I have totally lost it, and I probably have. Give me a minute to explain. Many times I have attended pot luck dinners, church dinners, funeral dinners, and other events. Invariably someone always brings deviled eggs..... but usually by the time I get to the buffet table.... they are all gone! So many times I have looked around... and wondered ... who was the lucky person to get the last deviled egg..... did they not know how much I longed for them!
Enter Aunt Sharron into the picture. Having been raised in the genre of some is good... more is better.... and excess is best.... Aunt Sharron came to the party yesterday..... and made my day!
As usual, I waited and let all the little ones fix their plates. Then all of the teenagers fixed their plates. Then... it was my turn. I headed off to the kitchen hoping to find a deviled egg left to go with the massive ham coronary that was residing on my plate. I cannot begin to tell you how surprised I was to find not only a deviled egg left.... but an ABUNDANCE of them! It was like they had somehow become invisible .... and everyone missed them! I was in embryonic poultry preparation heaven! Thank You Lord... for giving me the desires of my heart.
As I fixed my plate I began to think about arriving in Heaven. Wow... what a day that is going to be. There will be no shortages there. There will be no disappointment there. You see... God is not a God of barely enough.. or never enough. My God is the God of more than enough. I am sure that God will appoint my Aunt Sharron to prepare the "heavenly" eggs in Glory land. There is no doubt that she has HIS secret recipe.
More than anything.... I want you all to remember to cherise the times, the love and the meals that you share with family and loved ones. Make time in your busy schedules to enjoy these times... and last of all.... if Aunt Sharron is not going to be at a family get together... save me a deviled egg!
Love, Honor, Service
Pastor Eugene
Having been raised as part of the Carroll heritage, I have many times in my life had the distinct privilege of enjoying feasts that would make Paula Deen jealous! Our side of the family has never been short on its ability to cook.... and put together some of the most amazing meals. I too enjoy getting in the kitchen and creating some exotic and unique dish.... but in comparison to the "Holiday" meals... my best creations are no more than a $2.00 lunchable! From salads to desserts, a family holiday meal at the McBride/Carroll household is going to be festive, delicious and plentiful.
And so it was yesterday. Mom amazed us all with a 20lb ham. I did not know that a ham could be that big. Along with the ham was baked beans, corn casserole, asparagus, chicken spaghetti, potato salad, fruit salad, jello salad,.... and enough desserts to open a new wing at the Baylor Heart Institute in Dallas.
But the one thing thing I was most thankful for.... was Aunt Sharron's deviled eggs. Now you may think that I have totally lost it, and I probably have. Give me a minute to explain. Many times I have attended pot luck dinners, church dinners, funeral dinners, and other events. Invariably someone always brings deviled eggs..... but usually by the time I get to the buffet table.... they are all gone! So many times I have looked around... and wondered ... who was the lucky person to get the last deviled egg..... did they not know how much I longed for them!
Enter Aunt Sharron into the picture. Having been raised in the genre of some is good... more is better.... and excess is best.... Aunt Sharron came to the party yesterday..... and made my day!
As usual, I waited and let all the little ones fix their plates. Then all of the teenagers fixed their plates. Then... it was my turn. I headed off to the kitchen hoping to find a deviled egg left to go with the massive ham coronary that was residing on my plate. I cannot begin to tell you how surprised I was to find not only a deviled egg left.... but an ABUNDANCE of them! It was like they had somehow become invisible .... and everyone missed them! I was in embryonic poultry preparation heaven! Thank You Lord... for giving me the desires of my heart.
As I fixed my plate I began to think about arriving in Heaven. Wow... what a day that is going to be. There will be no shortages there. There will be no disappointment there. You see... God is not a God of barely enough.. or never enough. My God is the God of more than enough. I am sure that God will appoint my Aunt Sharron to prepare the "heavenly" eggs in Glory land. There is no doubt that she has HIS secret recipe.
More than anything.... I want you all to remember to cherise the times, the love and the meals that you share with family and loved ones. Make time in your busy schedules to enjoy these times... and last of all.... if Aunt Sharron is not going to be at a family get together... save me a deviled egg!
Love, Honor, Service
Pastor Eugene
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