Thanks for the golf lesson.

A couple of months ago I asked the question, "Has God ever answered a prayer in a way you never dreamed a prayer could be answered?" Today I have a new question, "Has anything ever happened to you when after it was all said and done you knew it was God?" I have had it happen twice this week. First was last Friday, I had a few of the guys from church coming over for a "guys night" since my wife and kids were out of town. On my way home from work I was going to stop and pick up a couple of pizzas and soft drinks. I noticed my truck was running just a little hot but it has been doing that for a while so I dismissed it. Then one of the worst things that could ever happen to a man did. While I was in Sam's someone came over the intercom and said, "Who ever owns a red Dodge truck, the water is running out of you radiator." Knowing it was me, I did what any man would do, I looked around and said, out loud, "I hate it for that guy." So long-story-short, I got some water in my truck and limped it home. I normally worry about things like this, especially since I do not have the money to get my truck fixed. I just said a quick prayer, "Lord, what do I do now?"

This all happened around six o'clock, the guys showed up around seven. Then I got a phone call around seven-thirty. It was a buddy from church who was calling to see if he could park his truck in my parking area to try to sell it. I have a large area in my front yard where I can park about 15 cars. I also live on a main street in our town so it makes a great place to try to sell a vehicle. So jokingly I asked him, "How much do you want for your truck?"

"I thought you had a truck."

"I do, but it just blew up."

"Then just drive mine," he said.

"Man, I am not going to drive your truck."

"Joe, I have a company car, I don't need my truck for a while."

"I am telling you I am not going to drive your truck."

"Let me ask you one question. If you could, would you do it for me?"

"You know I.... Wait a minute, that is a trick question."

"That's right, you would. Let me do this for you. Besides that's what Brothers in Christ do."

Needless to say, I am borrowing my buddies truck.

Next case, I played golf the other day and I could not hit the broad side of a barn. It was the worst day of golf I have had with my golfing buddies since we started playing golf together. It was so bad I was wishing a bear would come out of the woods and end our day. Or better yet, I wished I had a pimped out golf cart, so I could hurry up and finish my round. It was a loooong day. I had told myself that I was going to take a break from golf. That was Saturday, Tuesday at work a friend of mine came up to me and said, "Have you ever seen one of these?" It was a Medicus, a golf club that will help you with your swing. I told him I have never used one but I have always wanted to use one. He said take it, you can borrow it. I won't need it for a while.

I knew there was a third story and I just remembered it. Last week, I received a check from my company for twenty dollars. I called the home office and asked what the money was for because I knew I was not due anything. I told the lady I did not want it if it was not mine. She said it was for an expense report I had sent in a couple of weeks before. I did some traveling for my company and turned in a gas ticket. Well since gas has gone up, they have a new gas rate we are supposed to use. I used the old mileage rate. You may say twenty dollars, big deal. Well it was a big deal at the time. You see I had made a calculation error in my checking account and did not have any money, I mean none! That was my gas money for the week.

What is my point? I did not ask God for any of this stuff but He decided I could use them. Some people would say, man you are crazy, it is just a coincidence. You are just grasping at straws to make a point. I say God is looking out for me. I didn't really need these things or even ask for them but God said, "Let Me do this for you." (Well maybe I needed some gas money.)

Luke 12:24, "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!"

So let me ask you, has anything ever happened to you, big or small, when after it was all said and done you knew it was from God?

God bless, Joe

Thanks for the golf lesson.

If you write it they will come.

The other day while playing golf my buddy asked me what was my favorite sports movie. Wow, tough question. I have so many favorites. Can that be possible? Can you have more than one favorite? So I thought of writing a post about it, but I was not sure I wanted to do it, until tonight. I sat down to write this thing, turned on the TV and there it was, just starting, Field of Dreams, one of my all time favorites. It was a sign that I MUST write this post. So here are my top ten, not in any kind of order:

1. The Natural
2. Field of Dreams
3. Hoosiers
4. Happy Gilmore
5. Rudy
6. Rookie of the year
7. Caddyshack
8. The longest Yard (The old one, I have not seen the new one yet.)
9. Brian's Song
10. A League of Their Own

Oh Man, nevermind, I can't name just ten, here are a couple more.

11. Remember the Titans
12. Jerry Maguire
13. Tin Cup
14. Major League (My wife hates this movie because I watch it every time it comes on.)
15. Angels in the Outfield

Alright I'll stop there, so what do you say? Have I forgotten any? Do you agree?

So tell me, what is your favorite sports movie?

Have fun , Joe

If you write it they will come.

Another fireman post!

Did ya'll know that firemen just don't put out fires? They spend there weekends in front of Walmart or standing at a busy intersection collecting money for all different type reasons. Or they volunteer to help people in their time of need, no mater what the situation. Or they go to schools and talk to kids about fire safety.

My brother is one such person. He is an assistant chief at a county fire department in middle Georgia. He and his fireman have spent the last two months, every Saturday standing at busy intersections collecting money for Jerry's kids. They do it every year. This year they collected twelve thousand dollars. Not too shabby for a small out of the way county fire department.

Tim also goes to schools and teaches young people about fire safety. He loves kids, did I mention he was a youth pastor. The first person in my family to graduate college. Not too shabby for a young man who's high school teachers told him, to his face, he would never graduate or amount to anything.

Now for Tim's latest adventure, he volunteered to go to New Orleans last week with about 65 search and rescue people from middle Georgia. Oh yeah, did I mention that Tim is an registered EMT and a fire fighter trainer, training firefighters in many procedures of firefighting techniques. He teaches firemen how to put out fires(there is a certain way to put out a fire), rescue people from cars and all other sorts odd training we never guessed firemen went through. Tim and the crew he is working with left last Tuesday to head to New Orleans to help people. First day there they found and saved someone from a house that was flooded. Awesome. Second day there Tim took the command center he built for the fire department, and went to New Orleans, by himself, to set up a communications center for people down there. (He went to an Air Force base close to where they live, bought an old command center that the Air Force junked out. He cleaned it up and painted it, added a few things that the fire department needed and now they use it for a command post. I wish I had pictures, this thing is awesome.) Why did he go by himself, because he like his brother is an idiot. Anyway, I finally got to actually talk to him Sunday night. He told me he was doing well but he could not come home like he had planned, the crew he went with is leaving to come home and a new crew is coming down and they need a leader. So you guessed it, Tim is staying to lead the new group and to help anyone who needs it while he is there. While I was talking to him he got very serious and said he had to go. I asked him if anything was wrong and he said he had a team member get hurt, an arterial cut. I think that means someone was cut and it cut through an artery. Not good. I asked him quickly if he needed anything, he just said, "Your Prayers."

So that's what this post is all about, prayers. I am asking all of you to pray for my brother. Not only him but all the firemen, armed forces, policemen, volunteers who are helping anyone and everyone who are going through this nightmare. Like the pictures above show, pray for them a guardian angle to help these heroes to be safe as they help those who are less fortunate.

Oh by the way, did I mention that my brother is my hero? He saved me once. I was not living like I should and he knew it, I will never forget the night we where out back of his house and he was crying telling me what I need to be doing. I have never forgot that night, it took me a while but it was because of that night I am where I am today. Not to shabby for a overweight little pesky younger brother who I used to beat up.

Proverbs 17:22 "A friend loves at all times, but a brother is born to help in times of trouble and adversity." That is Tim in a nutshell. Of course it would have to be a BIG nutshell. What? I had to get one shot in at him, he is my baby brother you know.

Oh and by the way yes that is a picture of a snow sculpture. Not too shabby for a bunch of snow.

God bless, Joe

Another fireman post!

Old Guy writes "This one is for Joe"

I was reading Old Guy's Tree House the other day. (I found me and Old Guy have a lot in common, for one he calls himself Old Guy on his website and the youth at church call me old man. See, I told you we had something in common.) Anyway, I had noticed that Old Guy likes to write poems and sometimes he does it for other people. I, in a joking fashion, said that he could not write a poem about me because noone can rhyme the word "idiot." Well the Old Guy did it. Not only did he do it but he did it very well! Go to Old Guy's site and read the post, "This one is for Joe."

I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

God bless, joe

Old Guy writes "This one is for Joe"

I am so excited!

As many of you know, I enjoy working with the youth group at my church. One of the things I really like to do is making videos. We make all kinds, from the meaningless to the ones with spiritual value. We make a lot of videos that promote upcoming events. Well, we finally made it to the big time, we are on the internet! Thanks to Josh over at youthgroupvideos.com, we are able to show you guys some of our work. Just click here and once you are at the site just click on the video names "Super Wow Promo Video". It should be the first video you see on the page.

Gabe, our youth pastor, and I have being doing videos for years. He is the one who really got me started and now I can't get enough. We used to have a regular video camera where we would have to stop if we messed up, rewind the camera and start all over again. Now, thanks to technology, we can video everything then go to the computer and edit, add music and make it an all around better video.

God has blessed us so much that we were asked to do some videos for North American Mission Board. Please don't get me wrong, I am not bragging, this is a testimony. Because without God we would not be able to do the things we do. There have been times when we needed a video but we had no ideas. Then there were times when we tried to make a video without God's help, those videos lacked something. So Gabe and I would say a prayer and it would seem like right out of the blue, BAM, an idea would come into our heads. And those videos would have a spark, something special. How awesome is that?

Please go to Josh's site and check out our video and let me know what you think. We are going to have more put up as soon as Josh gets his new website going. I will keep you posted. We are also starting a new website for our youth group and we are going to post videos there also. But your feedback is important to us, we like to know what we can do better and what we are doing well.

Have a good day and God bless,
Joe

I am so excited!