Born for more

So once again I find myself sitting here waiting for the "icy" highways to reopen so that I can get about my Fathers business! Yes it is Louisiana and we are hopelessly frozen in the ice cold grips of winter terror.  In reality, if someone in the state spills a glass of sweet tea with ice in it, schools close, bridges are shut down and the weather men take over the airwaves as if the zombie apocalypse has occurred. 

So I will take the time to consider and reflect upon my life and ministry.  If I were to have been asked 30 years ago where I would be and what I would be doing i am confident it would not have been here doing this. My childhood dream was to be a fighter pilot and go to the Airforce Academy.  On May 8, 1976 that plan was altered due to a motorcycle wreck that rendered me unfit for military service. It really is amazing when you consider that God takes the most unfit, unqualified, unholy things and people and totally repurposes them for His glory! 

Now while we are amazed at where we end up and how we got here, God is not surprised.  Why?  Because we were Born for so much more.  I was fortunate to be born into a loving Christian family.   We were raised in church and encouraged to follow our dreams. But as great as my earthly family is, my Heavenly Father had even greater plans for me.  

So here I am. In Shreveport Louisiana. I Pastor the church I grew up in.  Amazing. I get to be a part of the life journey for so many wonderful and inspiring people.  Amazing.  Ironically, considering that a motorcycle changed what I thought was my destiny, today I am the President of the Chariots of Light Louisiana Chapter Motorcycle Outreach ministry! God took the very thing that Satan used to hurt me, and now uses it to spread the Gospel light.  

Ain't God Good!

Honor

It was brought to my attention today that it has been WAY too long since I last blogged and that the world was in need of some more positive verbage!  I could not agree more!  So I sit here and reflect on all that God has done for me, and continues to do. 

I wanted to take  a minute and consider what it means to honor. I am blessed to be a part of an awesome outreach organization known as the Chariots of Light. Like most "biker gangs" we too have a hierarchy and structure of leaders, and members that exist to further the purposes and vision of the ministry. Inherent in the success of that venture is a code of honor and conduct that not only guides but drives each member to model Christ in our integrity, and behavior. 

Honor is something that is lost on many today. In a world that seeks its own at all costs and encourages dominance and aggressiveness in order to get what you want, a person who preserves honor, and walks inside the boundaries of God established hierarchy and structure will often be ridiculed and considered weak. I for one disagree.  There is nothing more powerful or inspiring than watching a person or leader as they exhibit honor and respect for another whether it is someone above or below them on the ladder of life. 

1 Peter 2:17 says this: "Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king."

 My prayer is that I succeed in displaying Godly honor and loyalty to all who are above and below me. My family. My friends. My co worker. My God. 

To honor and serve....
Pastor Eugene

Pain, Progress, and Promise.

It is hard to believe that November is already upon us. As the year comes to an end and we prepare to celebrate the wonderful season of Thanksgiving and then Christmas, it causes me to reflect on the incredible progression that takes place when pain gives way through progress to bring promise!

In the last few weeks we have been blessed to witness the miracle of life in the arrival of Eleana Gorman to Keith and Nicole Gorman and Sophia Porterfield to Charlie and Crystal Porterfield. Their births are the culmination of much preparation, necessary pain, and ultimately the beautiful fulfillment of promise. I never cease to be amazed at the process of how such difficulty, can ultimately bring such beauty and joy.

Even as we celebrate Thanksgiving it is a time to remember the trials and hardships of our earliest American pioneers who came to a new land to be able to worship as they pleased. It was a difficult and deadly journey and the life they came to know in this new land was inhospitable and cost many of them their lives. And yet, in the midst of the pain and the hopelessness that must have been there, the light of hope and the promise of a better tomorrow caused them to be able to gather together, and share in that first Thanksgiving feast. Yes, America went through the trials and pains of the birthing process to bring forth new life and freedom to all.

Our church has been going through the pains of progression and change as well. We have experienced the difficulty of saying goodbye to some of the wonderful saints who faithfully served here for so long. We have experienced the pains of adapting and changing our ways of thinking and serving in order to present the never changing but life giving Gospel message to a new but equally deserving generation! Yes it has been difficult, but through it all I am reminded of the promises of God! There is a season for all things! He has not forgotten His promises!

As you begin to plan for this season of Thanksgiving I want you to remember the promises of God. Remember the joy of our salvation that comes through the sacrificial life of Jesus and the resurrection promise that was fulfilled! Remember that God has blessed Life Tabernacle with New Life, new families, new babies, new vision, and a new hope for tomorrow and lets give thanks with a grateful heart!

I dearly love and appreciate each of you and I am honored to serve as your Pastor. I believe that our best days are yet to come and that we are going to see supernatural things!

In His Service,
Pastor Eugene

Banjo's and Bad Days

The other day I received an offer in the mail to try Sirrus XM Radio free for 3 months in my new truck. Well to say the least I was thrilled! I mean come on... its free! Who is going to turn down something that is free! Well actually I can think of a few times I wish I had said no to a "free" offer! I think I only have 11 years left to pay for the "free" subscription to Cluck.... the publication for all things pertaining to Chicken Lovers.

Anyway, as I browsed through the various channels available on XM Satellite Radio...I was thrilled to find the Bluegrass network! Now everyone knows that I love a little banjo picking and have tried to pick the old 5 string myself! As I listened intently to song after song of fabulous banjo and bluegrass music, I was in hillbilly heaven!

After awhile I switched over and listened to some great worship music, and then some talk radio. Truth is most of the time I am in my truck driving I do not listen to anything... but I just had to get my value out of this great "free" offer. The one thing that struck me today as I was driving was that no matter what bad things may be going in my day or at work or in life... every time I find the Bluegrass channel... and those banjo's go to rolling..... I find myself with a smile on my face and a skip in my step. I realized today that you cannot be sad.... and listen to the banjo!

The same is true as a born again child of the One true God! I cannot think of Him, His love for me, His grace, His mercy, or His Word... without finding myself smiling and finding joy! It was David in Psalms 51 that in the depth of his despair reminds us that our joy is found in our salvation! I am not going to ignore the fact that life is hard. Everyday we are all faced with many things that seek to steal our joy. Financial pressures, family issues, and a thousand other things can send us into the dumps of despair! It is in these times that we may find it hard to remember the joy that is supposed to be ours!

We need to remember that just like you cant listen to the banjo and be sad.... we can't remember the great things that God has done for us... and remain sad! Wow.. I get happy just thinking about it! And better than the "3 free months from XM Satellite Radio".... the joy that God gives to us is free... eternally free! So let me encourage you today. No matter what you are going through. Now matter what difficulties you may be facing.... tune into God and find the joy of your salvation!

Praying for all of you today! Love, Honor, and Service.
Pastor Eugene

I AM Number 1!

This past Sunday night I had the honor and privilege to be asked to speak to a Men's fellowship at a church in Marshall Texas. I took a few of my closest friends with me for the short 30 minute drive. Nothing like a little fellowship with Godly men!

Anyway, as we were driving on I-20 headed West, a white Toyota Corolla pulled up behind me and was determined to save gas by drafting me. Being the considerate driver that I am, I pulled into the next lane to allow him to pass. Apparently, unknown to me, pulling into the adjacent lane to allow someone to speed past you qualifies you for a special award. As the Toyota Corolla sped on past me, a white Ford Ranger whips out past me, and then darts in front of me so close that a seasoned Nascar driver would have flinched at the wheel! I turn to my traveling companions and they are as amazed as I was at the fact that he was so close to us that we could see the settings on his radio dial!

It was at this moment that I realized I was special. The Nascar wannabe driver in the Ford Ranger rolled down his window, stuck out his hand and began to signal very urgently that I was well... No 1! Now it is not the first time in my life that I have been awarded the "No. 1" waver, and I am sure it will not be the last! Over and over he waved that I was number one and even as he exited the interstate ahead of me, he was signaling my praises in his single finger salute!

Now any other man would have been inclined to want to return the honor of signaling that he too was a Number 1 driver but I refrained from exhibiting such behavior. I am sure it did not hurt that I was with fellow church members and as such felt the responsibility of setting a good example. We all laughed and continued on our journey to Marshall. What struck me the most was the overwhelming anger of my newest admirer.

Anger is a funny thing. I really do not believe that anyone wakes up with a goal to see how angry they can become today... or how many times can they blow up or throw a fit. Anger does not work like that. Instead, anger does not generally grow or increase because of careful planning or preparation. On the contrary, anger is one of those things that comes out of nowhere, totally ruining a day, a moment, a relationship, a life, a church, a family, or countless other things.

Anger. Rage. The fury of uncontrolled emotion exhibited in numerous situations every day and usually without any warning. Where does such emotion begin? It begins in the heart. Now you may find it hard to accept but the truth about anger is that is generally lies dormant in the base of a persons heart until just the right trigger is pulled then BAM! "Out of the abundance of the heart... the mouth speaks... the body exhibits... the destruction begins." Knowing that anger is a heart issues demands the best of "heart surgeons"... and that is Jesus! Jesus can change the very DNA of your heart! It does not matter if you were raised in an angry house, by angry parents! You can take on the nature of your heavenly father which is anything but angry!

" But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control against such there is no law!" Galatians 5:22 So the next time you find yourself receiving the "Number 1" award, remember that Christ is working in you a new way of living... and just smile and speak blessing!

Pastor Eugene
1 Peter 2:17

Overtime

It was Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals with Dallas leading the Oklahoma Thunder 2 games to 1. Game 4 was in Oklahoma City and Dallas fell behind immediately after the Thunder hits on their first 9 baskets! But despite the great shooting of Oklahoma and the numerous turnovers by the Mavericks, Dallas goes into the locker room at half time only down by 5 points.

The second half proves to be more of the same but Dallas eventually finds themselves outplayed and down by 15 points with only 5 minutes to play. Now I am not sure if it was the cummulative effect of an exceptionally hard day at work or the satisfying carbo load of fully loaded chili dogs or a combination of both, but I decided it was time to give up on Dallas! Down by 15! Go to sleep! It is hopeless!

Oh how many times in my life I have felt that way. Overwhelmed by the obvious obstacles in front of me or the enormous odds against me, I have wanted to give up and many times did. Hopelessness is a helpless feeling. Everything inside of you crying out for some kind of break, or change, or at least a glimmer of hope. You too may have been in that place of utter despair or worse yet, you may be faced with seemingly insurmountable odds even now. But let me remind you of this; with God as our source, we are never without hope! Paul reminds us in Romans that we may be pressed on every side, but we are not crushed, struck down but not destroyed! There is hope!

Yes, I gave up on any chance of Dallas winning and I went to bed. But today I am reminded... there is always hope and just like Dallas fighting back to win the game in overtime, we too must not give up the fight!

Living Supernaturally!
Pastor Eugene

Change

I never cease to be amazed at the way things are constantly in a state of change. It does not take a lot of effort to look back and on the last ten years and see the blur like change in so many areas! To many these changes fall into the context of progress or an improvement in the quality of life, and no doubt that would be true. In areas such as medicine and health care we have advanced to the point of finding remedies for so many things that were considered fatal only a few years ago.

Some of the greatest changes have been in the area of electronics. I can still remember the black and white television we had growing up. The turn dial on it went to 13 channels and if you wanted to watch a different channel you had to actually get up, walk over to the TV and change the channel! Today we have HDTV's in 3-D with theater quality sound systems with over 200 channels, blu-ray disc players and of course the 3 remotes it takes to control them all! Many call these advantages great progress but I see us progressing more and more to becoming lazy couch potatoes!

Where will all of this change take us? How much further can we advance in medicine, electronics and numerous other areas of constant change? In the midst of this culture of constant change, the church as we know it is also changing, and that is not all bad! Many churches have embraced the digital revolution and become effective at using the technology to communicate and minister to highly connected but busy audience. I believe that we as the church should use every tool within our ability to reach the lost!

But in some ways, change has invaded the church in areas that God never intended! There are many churches that are abandoning the power of the gospel and compromising the message to foster acceptance in a more liberal society. The end result is a church that really looks more like the world than a place of spiritual refuge. But in spite of this changing face of the church, we must remember that not all things change. Malachi 3:6 the Lord reminds us that He does not change!

God is the same yesterday, today and forever will be! In a world that changes its wants, desires and direction more times that a preteen girl changes clothes in a day, I am thankful to know that my God remains the same. No matter how much my world changes, no matter how much this society changes, no matter how much everything else changes... God remains ever faithful, ever present, ever loving, every merciful.

Love, Honor, Service,
Pastor Eugene

Chinese Valentine!

When it comes to love, and the many ways that it can be expressed I have never been known as a the Casa Nova of relationships! But not to be deterred by my many futile attempts at true, heart felt expression of my undying devotion to the woman of my dreams... I became inspired yesterday to pen my innermost thoughts, revealing the depth of my dreams and love for her. And so It was, I sat down and the words began to flow! WARNING! The following may bring you to tears! When I think of how much I love this woman... well it just gets me right in my ole pumper! I wrote this poem and shared it with her at the Life Tabernacles Valentines Banquet last night!

A College professor of words I am not,

But I must share my love before I just pop!

Love so profound, feeling so deep,

I can't begin to express them without starting to weep!

So bear with me baby, as I espouse my true heart,

and reveal my profundity of verbage, so I start....

Here is the best I can do, you know I'm quite slow...

Ok get ready my love... here we go...

Roses are Red, Violets are blue

Chrisite I love you, more than Chinese food,

Spicy orange chicken, and peking duck,

Compared to you baby, they all taste like yuck,

Chicken chow mein, pepper steak too,

All made with love, by Peterlinlu,

Bust as much as I long for an MSG diet,

I give it all up, just to be with you here... tonight.

Dogs and cats around here now hard to find,

Not like the many thoughts of your running through my mind.

From early each morning, til well after dark,

You totally occupy my innermost thoughts.

Like Sushi and egg rolls, and shrimp fried rice,

you light up my life, like Vietnamese coffee on ice!

The buffet so lard, its offerings devine,

completely overwhelming, it will blow your mind,

One plate, two, sometimes even three,

But will never fill me up, like your love does to me.

This night so special, I don't want it to end,

The banquet soon over, the night still so young,

And so I am blessed, you as my valentine,

Let me take you to Ming Garden, they are open til nine!

In all sincereity, where would I be without this most incredible woman. She is the mother of my children and the love of my life. Over and over she has shown unconditional love for me. I am forever grateful to God for bringing her into my life. Happy Valentines Day baby!

Coffee Pots and Rocket Engineers

Good evening my friends. Just sitting here in my living room listening to my 3rd grade daughter Lizzie complain about math homework. I cant really say I blame her too much. Growing up, I was never really much on school. For the most part I have no memories to speak of before my 6th grade year. And the 7th grade... well that was the 3 worst years of my life!

But I overcame my dislike of all things intellectual and crammed a 4 year degree into 7 years and I can honestly say that I am now officially educated beyond my level of intelligence. Like many young men, I found the best part of college to be the pool table in the Community buidling! And now, I sit here with my BS Degree from the Huston Tillotson School of Law and Sheet Metal work, listening to the endless whine of homework drudgery and constant questioning of why one needs so much education anyway.

The best that I can offer to encourage the reticent offspring of my youth is that failure to apply oneself to the completion of math homework will ultimately result in a worldwide shortage of rocket scientest.

Now before you begin to ponder on why we would need a interminable supply of rocket scientest please stop to consider the invaluable inventions that we now enjoy that could only have come from such educated minds. Things such as braile on the numbers of the drive up atm.... now there is a driver you better keep your eye on! Or how about the genius who genetically engineered boneless chicken, just cant picture them flopping all over the yard.

Then of course my favorite is the guy who labeled the iron we bought... Caution... do not iron clothes while on body... DUH! And I was so hoping to save some time here! Or of course my favorite is the Braniac who invented string cheese........ is it a dairy product or what?!

Of course we all know that the greatest demand for rocket scientist today is found in the laboratories of any company that manufactures coffee pots. It takes incredible intellect to create a pot that will NOT pour a cup of coffee without also pouring water or coffee all over the bar, the floor, the cabinets and your pants. Pour it slow.... you get wet. Pour it fast... you get wet.... faster. Pour it from the side of the pot.... well.. you get the picture.! That is why most coffee pots today come with a 12 cup pot... so that you can get a good 4 cups of coffee out of it while you mop up the other 8 cups of water that escaped from the pot in the transfer!

Yes I remain cynical when it comes to the reasoning and intellectual levels of our "elite rocket scientist". As for me, I think I will stick to my degree from the school of hard knocks! So come on kids... get out there and learn something! I am going to go fix me another cup of coffee and mop the kitchen one more time tonight!

Randomness, Ronnie, and Pretty Pink Pants

Well to say it has been awhile since I blogged would be a serious mistatement of an obvious fact! Like telling a Cowboy's fan that his team did not make the superbowl... well some things are just hard to admit! But the truth is I have not written in a few months! Several reasons really, incredibly busy being a good one... but also just felt I needed to step back a little.

I sit here in my living room. The only visible light is my computer screen and the girls night light on the dresser in our living room. Jack is snoring at my feet, and Reagan and Lizzie have for some reason chosen to sleep on the two couches tonight.

Outside is the steady dripping of rain as it falls from our roof to meet the ever increasing puddles of water in our yard. Although rain is a sign of blessing I am quickly reaching the point of "abundance" in this area!

Those who know me best know that I can be quite spontaneous and often quite random in my thoughts and my actions. I have spent the last few weeks finishing up a project that occupied way too much of my time. If there is a bright side to it.... I got to really know someone... no longer an aquaintence, no longer just a fellow member of the church... now no less than a treasured friend.

Over the course of the last few weeks we have learned much about ourselves. I will do my best to share some of our discoveries! First it goes without saying that we are definitely men. We act like men, we talk like men, we think like men..... and in the many hours of blood sweat and very strong dark coffe... I am sure we smell like men! The project that we men have worked on is a cabinet project for a business here in Shreveport! Biggest cabinet project I have evern undertaken.. and I am pleased with the results for the most part.

But back to my friend.... he is faithful. Wow... when I needed someone more than I thought... he was there. And after I worked us both til we could not stand up... he came back for more. Funny how faithfulness these days is so rare! He is skilled. He brought many years of experience to this project and challenged me to a higher level of professionalism and quality. He is flawed. He has walked through more than a fair share of failures, difficulties and shame.... just like me. He is tender. On the outside he has every appearance of a seasoned UFC cage fighter... but in reality he has a heart the size of a Buick Roadmaster!

We have had our share of laughs in the shop... looking for the tape measures that are always disappearing... and the 37 pencils that walked away... and the 2 sanders, 1 staple gun, 1 finish nailer, and 1 table saw that we wore out and tore up that had to be replaced. We also got a pretty good laugh out of the pretty pink pants that Aaron Money plays football in.... yes... I said pretty pink pants... and no I did not get a picture. Things like that you just cant put in a picture.

But of all the things I have come to learn about my friend.... is this.... he is changed. When he turned his heart to God, the change was radical! He loves the Lord... and in the last few weeks I have come to love our late nights sawing and sanding, and painting... and sharing about the goodness of God. Taking turns making the black coffee... extra strong! And he has even learned to drink it like a man... not like Aaron with all of the fancy creams, and 8 teaspoons of sugar! Strong.... and black.... and hot! Ooops... sorry I digress.

Friendships are often fleeting... and many people go through life without ever really having a true friend. I am blessed to have so many that I can call friend.... and now... thank the Lord... I have another. Ronnie... you are one of a kind. Thanks for all of your help... and I could not have done it without you!

Solitude

I am sitting here in a dark hotel room in Orange Beach Alabama. To say that we all needed this vacation would be an understatement! But as usual, I am up early while the family continues to sleep. I am sitting here in the quiet darkness of this room pondering the solitude.
The window air conditioner set to a temperature of eternal deep freeze, sounds like a 1954 steam locomotive laboring uphill. I suppose producing air temperatures in the Sub- Siberian range while in the hot humid environment of the gulf can be quite difficult on the inner workings of an air conditioner!
Peering out of my window I can see the gentle waters of the gulf caressing the white sands of the beach as the sun makes it predictable yet dependable rise above the horizon slowly displacing the darkness with its warm and welcome peace. It is at times like this that I feel the solitude.
I have never felt more alive, and yet more alone that I do right now. Do not get me wrong, I am not lonely, just alone. Across the room my beautiful wife of 26 years is sleeping blissfully. Located somewhere in the middle of this dark room, my 9 yr. old daughter and my 17 yr. old daughter share a bed and have no doubt fought all night for utter control and domination of such a small piece of temporary rented real estate. And I sit here, at peace.
The economy is uncertain and I am at peace. Iran is defying the sanctions of the world and developing nuclear material and I am at peace. The sanctity of marriage as we have known it was struck a serious blow this week and I am at peace. Somewhere in the world, someone else is sitting in darkness… pondering the value of life… and yet I sit here in peace.
Where does such peace come from? It is not from a reasoned intellect or superior understanding of world events. It does not come from medicated sedation or drug induced mellowness. No, my peace comes from a higher source of being.
Psalms 46:10 says “be still and know that I am God…”. To be still in today’s fast paced, over scheduled, media rich society can be difficult. It is next to impossible to find a quiet place anymore. And yet, as I sit here in solitude, alone, and yet not alone and I feel God close.
Take time today to hear from God. Turn off the radio. Instead of the mindless time in front of the tv, sit on the porch and hear, and know God.

Friends

It has been several weeks since I found the time to write! Wow... I did not realize how busy I have been. Needless to say, being busy is not always a blessing! But as ridicuous as it has been lately, I am thankful for all that God has brought me through and is taking me to!

I have been fortunate for the majority of my life to have been blessed with many friends. I am sure to some extent my abundance of friends is mostly due to my shy and diminuiative nature... NOT! I have always been pretty much a people person and much prefer crowds to solitude. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I long for the quietness of a solitary deer stand high above the forest floor overlooking a stand of white oaks, but most of the time I prefer the fellowship and comoradare of genuine friendship.

Perhaps it is due to the experience of my ever increasing age, but more and more I am learning that things are not always as they seem. Take friends for instance. I have used the term "friend" very loosely for most of my life. If I knew someone by name and saw them fairly regularly, then I considered them a friend. In keeping with that definition, I currently have and have had many many friends. I noticed the other day on my Facebook page that my "friend" count has grown to over 850. I never realized I had so many "friends"!

But to define a "friend" so loosely only serves to diminish the value of those who are much more than just a casual aquaintance. I suppose we could break our friend groups up into "casual friends", "fun friends", "school friends", "work friends", "friends you dont mind taking advantage of when you need to move something heavy friends", "friends who will always tell you what you wanted to hear but never really tell you the truth for fear of not being your friend anymore friend", and well I guess you get the picture.

In my past I have had many friendships. People that I would have moved mountains for, fought for, and I believe I would have died for. But life throws us curves sometimes. These curves can come from self inflicted wounds or just from the unforseen difficulties of life. It is in these times that friends are not only tested, they are defined. I too walked through a very difficult time a few years ago. I found myself in a state of mind and understanding that I never though I would. I emerged from this trial, stronger, more determined, and my mind and heart in the right place.... focused on God.

I survived this time due to the love and companionship of my wife, and a very few dear friends. The truth of the matter is this, I did not lose a single friend during this time, I just found out who they are. I came to realize that I had invested much of my life and energies into earning the love and friendship of some who would not be able to return that level of committment.

A little over a year ago I began to pray for God to send me 10 men. Men who would become so much a part of my life and ministry here, that our thoughts and desires would be one, and our friendships would be real. I no longer have the time or energy to nurse and foster friendships that are not real, and truthful, and eternally focused. In the last 6 months, God has brought 8 men into my life, and I have come to value their friendship and council greatly. At first glance, some of these men may not register very high on your typical "friend" scale. They have past issues. They have past failures. They have past regrets. But I have never been blessed by a greater circle of friends!

Take a moment to appreciate your true friends. Tell them you love them... and that you are there for them... and that you value them. True friends will be there... no matter what.

Love,Honor,Serve
Pastor Eugene

Its the Little Things

Tonight I find myself once again in that strange place between utter exhaustion and endless jubilation. I am happy with all that is going on in the church and in my life, and yet I am tired! There is also a little sadness due to the fact that my lovely family departed for Tennessee today, without me! I have a remodeling project going on with a great Credit Union in Springhill Louisiana that requires my full attention!

So, tonight I return from Bible Study to an empty house. Well... not exactly empty. I do have Jack the garbage eating, toilet water drinking constant companion of faithfulness. (You can read more about Jack in a previous blog entry). Jack is soundly snoring away on his pretty pink princess barbie bed.

I have just begun to appreciate the quietness that will be my house this week. No Pixar movie playing on the TV for the 2000th time. No sound of little girls giggling in the shower together. No sound of my lovely wife scolding Jack who somehow seems oblivious to it while he joyfully eats from the trash can. No sound. Nothing. Utter quiet. Well... Jack is still here snoring. But you get the picture.

It is amazing what you can hear, when there is nothing to be heard. In the stillness of absolute silence, it is possible to hear the faintest of whispers from the heart of God. Yes, I believe that God speaks to us in many ways, but there is something about that still, small, quiet, voice that can only be heard when the "noise" of this life is silenced.

No cell phone. No TV. No radio, or music. Nothing. Just my empty ears and God's full heart. It is in this moment that I find myself longing for conversation with Him. I hear God reminding me how blessed I am. How wonderful my family is, how awesome my kids are. Then, as if I could possibly need a reminder, I see a note. Not a big note. Not a long letter. Just a simple note in the loving hand writing of a 9 yr. old.

"Dear Daddy,
I am going to miss you very much! I will take a lot of pictures for you! We will call you everyday! Love you. Reagan"

It is those little things... those tiny little notes that we receive that truly mean the most. Like a symphony played in perfect tempo and composition, so is God's voice and loving presence when we need Him most. Most of us never stop long enough to hear the music that life is playing for us. God, who we tend to not think about until we need something or have a trial of sorts, wants to tell us how much He misses us, how much He longs to spend time with us, and how much He loves us.

The next time you have more than a few seconds to spare. Turn off the TV. Silence the cell phone. Turn off the radio. Close your eyes for a few minutes... and listen to the orchestra of life as God the majestro speaks to your heart.

Love, Honor, Service
Pastor Eugene

Too Old to be So Young

Ok...so I have come to the painful conclusion that I am not the vibrant, invincible high energy youth that I used to be! I quizzed my more intelligent friends on facebook today about the old saying... "something is lost on youth!" There were many interesting answers but the correct one was "youth is wasted on the young."

Oh how I long for the days when I could roof houses all day long, hang out with my friends all evening and still get up the next day and do it all again. I suppose it is as close to being a superhero as I will ever get. Now my days are filled with crawling out of bed having felt like I just got in it. Listening to my knees grind and pop more than a high school pep squad techno dance routine. Putting my years of experience to work at the revered pace of a polka dance at the Senior Center and still going home so tired I cant fix my own coffee, or wash the dishes, or help with the chores. Ok... so that may be stretching it a little but you get the ideal. Yes, it would be easy for me to understand that youth truly is wasted on the young.

But last night was enlightening if not downright intimidating! We had the incredible Go Ministries team (www.goministries.net) at the church. Now for the unprepared let me just give you a quick tutorial. Imagine if you would.... taking a room full of 8 year old boys, giving them each 2 dozen Southern Maid donuts and a 6 pack of Red Bull and standing back to watch what happens next. If you could harness the energy produced by such an experiment you could power all of North America for 3 weeks! But even that amount of energy pails in comparison to the Holy Spirit infused exhibition of pure, unbridled energy that the Go Ministries team brought, shared, and imparted at New Life Center last night.

It was in this high energy environment of youth worshiping before God that I had this thought.... "youth is wasted on the young." But then, it hit me. Youth is not "wasted" on the young, it is God's investment in the young! You see, God knows what he is doing.... and HE chose to give the endless energy and vitality of youth... to the youth. But why? I realized last night why God chose to give youth the energy and the strength to worship with abandon... and dance before the Lord as if they do not have a care in the world.

The reason God gave them this ability is because He knows that they WILL dance and they WILL jump and they WILL worship before Him! Unfortunately, we old folks become to "refined" and dignified to just let it all go. It is sad to even admit that so many of my generation will in fact look down on the youth and consider them foolish and unspiritual. The truth of the matter is that many of these young people are much deeper in the spirit than we have been in many years!

My prayer is that God gives me the insight to see the depth of love that He has for them, and that they have for Him. I pray that I never get so old that I cannot just let go..... or so cold that I cannot just let God! May I humble myself in my own eyes and worship as if no one was looking, sing as if only ONE can hear and dance as if I have just been raised from the dead... because in reality... isn't that what being a believer is all about!

Eyes Wide Open

It is 2:35a.m. and I find myself firmly entrenched in the midnight war, one side longing for the land of blissful dreamy sleep where I am a pro bassfishing, millionaire hunk, and the opposing side determined to prove to this old man that he CAN still function on only 3 hours of sleep in a day! It is at moments like these that I think of the craziest things!

For instance, I was just thinking about how butter sounds so much like the location it will soon permanently reside forever in, after being reincarnated as fat cells. Anyway... such craziness of random thought brought me to remember something my darling Lizzie dropped on us two nights ago.

We were sitting in the living room having just completed the nightly Battle Royal of getting everyone showered, hair combed, teeth brushed, homework finished and argument settled about the necessity of going to school tomorrow.... when Lizzie says "Mommy, I wish we did not have to blink, that way we would not miss anything!" This coming from the child that has never successfully kept her eyes open for a single family picture! I have gotten pretty good at photoshopping eyes on to her face!

After a few moments of laughter by everyone present, I began to ponder the thought. How long is a typical blink, and how many times do we blink in a day? I am sure that plenty of my hard earned tax dollars have been spent by some California graduated, tree hugging liberal to accurately determine this very thing. But to be honest... WHO CARES! Well, aside from Lizzie I would think the list of interested blinkologist would be a pretty elite group.

Anyway, after allowing myself to calm down from the thoughts of wasted government spending and fruitless studies of the Human Eye Covering Kinetic Yielding Excitement Action (that is HECK YEA we all blink for short) I began to think about what we really do MISS in the span of a single blink.

There are many things that can happen in such a short span of time that you would hate to miss, if you knew they were happening! Things such as a distant shooting star, the fleeting glance of a potential new friend, the flight of the hummingbird, or the rising cost of our national debt. Yes, all of these things happen faster than a set of rims disappearing at a Puff Daddy concert!

But then a sobering thought hit me as well. Someday, in the span of a single blink, our world, our lives, and our thoughts will change. 1 Corinthans 15:52 says "...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Immediately. Without warning. No more time to procrastinate. No more time to labor in vain. No more excuses.

In the span of a single blink, everything we have labored for, lived for, and longed for will be changed and we will either bow in admiration to the Bridegroom we have waited for, or we will bow in fear before the maker of the universe who will judge all of creation! It is a sobering thought to think about.

So I suppose there will be many who will someday agree with Lizzie.... and wish that there was no blink, because when last they blinked.... they missed eternity!

Love, Honor, Service
Pastor Eugene

Moments

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

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

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

Jack

Imagine if you would, waking up one day and saying to yourself, I think I will go out and purchase a 100lb, hair shedding, lawn chair destroying force of nature that systematically and without prejudice destroys everything of significant value that you own. If you are able to picture such a minion of nature, then let me introduce you to Jack. Jack is my two year old Yellow Lab.

Jack has been my faithful companion for the last 2 years, and we have enjoyed many days together at work and he is never short on enthusiasm when I ask him to get ready to go. In short, he loves going anywhere with me! As I write this, he is sitting at my feet, intently dismantling a Dr. Pepper bottle that he removed from the trash.

Yes, he LOVES the trash and the toilet. Between the many wondrous and mystical treasures he finds in our trash, and the cool, refreshing waters of the toilet, Jack has it made!

Not to diminish his masculinity too much, he makes his bed on a Pretty Pink Barbie Princess bed. I much prefer he ruin it as opposed to our couch! Some would say that Jack, is definitely this man's best friend. But I have to question the sanity of such a statement! I mean ... come on.... think about it..... who would put up with a friend such as this. Who would keep a friend that so carelessly disregards your possessions, or so selfishly demands his own way while waking up the whole house in the middle of the night because HE is afraid of the storm. Who would love the constant demands of a friend who never seems to get enough to eat.... always has to be reminded that the toilet seat is down to keep him OUT of the toilet... not to keep us off of it.

The truth is , many of us will extend 1 Corinthians 13 love to our pets.... while refusing to extend the same graces to our spouse, our children, our coworkers and our fellow church members. We will over and over allow our pets to destroy and demand, and devalue our lives.... and our possessions, and yet hold on to the most petty failures or mistakes of our fellow man.

Today, I have determined to be more like Jack. If you ignore me, I will still be glad to see you. If you walk all over me, I will still be faithfully waiting for you when you decide you want to spend time with me. While you run around to tend to your needs and ignore mine, I will be here, watching your back, guarding your home.... and defending your name.... for nothing more than an occasional pat on the head.... or scrap from your table.

In short... I want to become the man that my dog Jack thinks I am.

Love, honor and service

Pastor Eugene

Thunderstorms, Politicians, Pinkie Fingers

It is 2:41 a.m. and I am wide awake. As I sit here and ponder the series of possible reasons that I find myself in this sleepless plunder of sensibility, I have come to realize that the little things.... are important.

I have never been known as one who has a hard time sleeping! I do rise early, and I do work hard every day, so it is generally pretty easy for me to go to sleep. On an average it takes me anywhere from 2 to 10 min. and I am gone! But tonight.... .here I sit. I have been wrestling with the sand man now for almost 3 hours! So what is it?!

I suppose it could be the massive thunderstorm that just blew through here. The rain came in torrents and the rolling thunder rattled the windows of our little parsonage here. My dog Jack has been restless, but he is a big sissy and has never liked thunderstorms.

Perhaps it is just anticipation of my lunch meeting with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal tomorrow. I am joining a handful of other pastors tomorrow for lunch at the governor's mansion then an open discussion time followed by prayer. I have always followed politics closely, and to meet one of the possible future stars of the Republican party is an honor. But even THAT.... is not the reason for my slumber less existence.

The reason is much smaller than that. The reason is the pinkie finger on my right hand. Now I have never been much of one to complain or to give much notice to pain. Generally, if I can glue it back on, or duck tape it up... I can live with it. But tonight is different. For some reason, my little finger has decided to become infected and swell up. I have laid in bed now for 3 hours with an increasing pain and throbbing. I finally could take it no more... so I found the first aid kit, a needle, and and box knife. I will spare you the details.... but I successfully stopped the throbbing.

But as I sit here overcoming the nausea of self-inflicted surgery, I begin to think about the passage of scripture found in 1 Corinthians 12..... where Paul is discussing unity in the body. In a humorous way, Paul asks the question... is any part of the body less important? In regard to my pinkie fingers.... I like having them... but I have never considered them to be "crucial" to my survival.

But what I realized here this morning, is that when any part of the body is in pain..... the entirety of the body is affected. All around us, there are parts of the "body of Christ" that are hurting... that are struggling through disease, and suffering, and pain, and sickness. God has spoken to my heart here this morning of the importance of taking care of our members.... regardless of how small, or insignificant, or unimportant, or difficult to deal with they may be! Because in the end.... they may be just a pinkie.... but if they are hurting..... they need the same tender loving care that is extended to more "important" parts of the body.

Now.... if you will excuse me.... I have some sheep to chase around my bed and in my head!

Love Honor and Service
Pastor Eugene