It hurts Weally Weally bad.

I wrote this about two years ago and is my favorite post. I thought I would share it with those who did not know me back then.

Last night my wife and I were woke up at three in the morning by my youngest son screaming. I thought maybe his hand was hurting him because the day before his brother slammed his hand in the van door. My wife must had heard him long before I did because I heard her talking to him.Zach "Mommy my leg hurts weally weally bad."Sheila "I know baby."Zach (Much louder) "Mommy it hurts weally weally bad! Make it go away."Sheila "It's OK, it will be better in a little bit."Zach "I want to go to my doctor."Sheila "I know baby, the medicine will help you."Zach "Owewee, it hurts, it hurts. Make it go away."By now I have went to go check out my little man. He is laying on the couch and Sheila is rubbing his leg and he is screaming at this point. I reach down and push his hair back and talk to him.Me "Hey buddy, it is going to be OK."Zach "Daddy make it go away."Me "I wish I could Big Guy, it will be better in just a little while."Sheila looks at me and says she can handle it for me to go back to bed. I go and get back into bed and listen to the whole thing again. I felt so sorry for my little man. Growing pains hurt like the devil. I was wishing there was something I could do for him but I knew all me and Sheila could do is be there for him and comfort him.So there I am laying in bed somewhere in that state where you are just about asleep but not quite and your mind is racing about stuff. Let me ask you guys a question. Do any of you have a place in your mind where you meet with Jesus? You know, a happy place. Not a happy place like in the movie "Happy Gilmore", there where no little people on tri-cycles in my happy place. Sorry but that just cracks me up. Alright back to being serious. What was the question, oh yeah, do you have a place in your mind where you go to meet Jesus? Are you bowing before Him when you are talking to him? Are you sitting beside Him in Heaven? My place is in the woods by a running stream. Me and Jesus sitting on the ground, me talking and Him listening, like a couple of old friends.Last night I had such a dream. I was saying a quick prayer for Zach, when I found myself in that familiar setting in the woods with my Lord.Me "Lord, it hurts really really bad."Jesus "I know it does."Me "Lord, all these trials and problems I have been going through these past few years. My heart, my body they hurt. I can't take it much more."Jesus "I know, it is only for a short time. It won't be long, before you know it you will be home with me. Until then, I promise I won't give you more than you can handle."Me "LORD, I can't handle much more."Jesus "Oh Joe, if you only knew. You can handle so much, just rely on Me."Just then there is someone kneeling in front of me brushing the hair out of my eyes and wiping the tears and asks what's wrong.Jesus "Dad, Joe is going through some problems right now. I can't take them from him but I can be here for him and comfort him."God "Look here my son, I know We allow trials in your life but I promise you will be a better man for it. We promise we won't allow more than you can handle."That is where I left it, me, God and Jesus sitting there, Them comforting me. I finally fell asleep. This morning I woke up and you know how you kind of remember you had a dream and you try to recall the whole thing? This dream, I remembered the whole thing. During my quite time I asked Jesus to give me the words to write on this post, then I started thinking about another situation where a person was going through some pain.Jesus "Father, this really really hurts."God "I know my Son but it will be over very soon and then You will be home with Me."Jesus "Father, I can't handle much more of this."God "Oh My Son, You can handle so much. Me and the angels are here for support."Jesus "Is there any other way?"God "No my Son, you have to go through this. It is the only way the human race can get to me. But I promise I will not give You more than You Can handle.After looking at it like this, my problems don't seem as bad. Jesus died for all of us. He did it so we would not have to face a sinner's hell. Death is a whole lot worse than a little health problem or money problem that I can ever face.Remember, don't tell God how big your storms are, tell your storms how big your God is.God bless, Joe

It hurts Weally Weally bad.

The fast and furious average benchmarming Joe's

I need some help. I have been talked into coaching my son's little league baseball fall team. The problem I am having is naming the team. I have narrowed it down to three names.

1. Average Joe's (My favorite.)
2. Benchwarmers
3. Fast and Furious

Any thoughts? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The fast and furious average benchmarming Joe's

Barney gone to the big city.

Please click on the title to go to a video of North Metro Church in Atlanta. The first part of this video is a song sung by Allen Brown, a guy who works with me. He is not to bad of a singer for a parts counter man. Or maybe he is not a bad parts counter guy to be a singer. Oh well, hope you like it!

Oh yeah there is a sad back story to them being asked to come sing this particular song. The weekend before the group was asked to sing this song the church had a tragedy. One of their Sunday school teachers passed away with a heart attach WHILE teaching Sunday school. This song fits so well.

Remember, Don't tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is!

Link Barney gone to the big city.

I told you I would be back.

Well tomorrow is a big day. For the first time there will be a teenager living in my house. The man-child Hunter will be turning thirteen tomorrow. You would never guess that he is only thirteen by looking at him, he is a beast. He is huge, people keep asking me who his real dad is. I tell them I wish I knew so then he could help with the grocery bills. Just kidding, if you put my baby picture beside his baby picture you can not tell them apart. So yes he is mine. I just wish he would stop growing, he can beat me up now!

Well Happy Birthday to my first born. Hunter, Love ya Man!

PS. Hunter if you do not like the present you don't have to wail on me we will just take it back and get something else. lol

I told you I would be back.

Long time

Yes Sportfans I am still alive. Not that many people care but I am still here. I hope to start posting again real soon. It has been tough with a 12 year old who is bigger than me (size 14 mens shoe) and wants to do everything under the sun. From sports to anything outdoors to video games and now let's add in girls. I also have a 7 year old who thinks he is older than me. He TRIES to tell me and his mom what to do. But I pretty much nip that real quick. At least there are no girls yet. My hands have been full. Hope every one has been doing well. Talk to ya'll later. Joe

Long time

I took the boys camping this weekend. This is little mans first time camping, in a tent, without mama, just the guys. We had a great time. My friend David invited us to a church sponsored cookout. It was basically a wild game dinner. They had anything from rattlesnake to alligator to opossum to rabbit to mountain oysters -yummy. I stepped up to the plate and went wild, I had the wild yard bird, AKA chicken and ham and those wild free ranging baked beans were surprisingly very good. Hunter, my oldest went a little wild himself trying the alligator and the rabbit. I think he liked the rabbit he went back three times for it.

This was truly a guys weekend, not only did they have wild game but they had all kinds of shooting events. From skeet shooting to pistol competitions to a turkey shoot. All very well managed and lots of safety rules. Hunter on his first try killed one of those skeets, it won't be bothering any one any more. (For those of you who do not know what a skeet is it is just a round clay object thrown in the air by a machine. ) I even let Zach take a turn, actually I was the one holding the shotgun he just pulled the trigger.

Halfway through the weekend I figured out what the whole deal was about. It wasn't the eating or the games it was about the fellowship. I spoke to one guy who looked like Grizzly Adams, he had just finished taking his turn at the turkey shoot. He said that he loved being there getting to be in the competition but it was being around people who believed the same things he believed in that was so cool. He was right, it was cool. I guess that is why we need to go to church. We need people around us who believe the same as we do so that when the devil is trying to knock us down we have friends who can help us stand back up again.

Anyway, I hope yall had a great weekend.
God bless, Joe

Free TV

OK OK, I get it! I owe you a post. First of all thanks to the three people who have said they wanted to see a post from me. I guess there are some people out there who want to read stuff from an self-proclaimed idiot.
First of all, for the first time in a long time things are finally going my way. I don't want to jinx anything but life is good right now. After forty one years on this planet I finally got my big screen TV. So you know where I have been sitting for the past few months and it has not been in front of my computer. High Def is where it is at! I wasn't going to tell you this story but I may as well since I have not written anything in a long time.
I got a promotion at work last month, a raise and a company vehicle. So the first thing I thought was I can take my old car and sell it and buy the TV I have always wanted and it won't cost me anything. WRONG, this is where my wife enters the story. I found a 50" DLP, HD Samsung for a ridiculously low price. I am thinking to myself, "Joe, you are such a smart guy." Then my wife tells me we need a TV stand to display this behemoth. Our old TV stand would only handle a 36" TV. We looked around and all we could find was contemporary type stuff, black laminate with glass. Not my wife's style. Finally she tells me she found the TV stand but it is not a TV stand but an entertainment center. IT COST MORE THAN THE TV! I thought OK, I can live with it, it makes my TV look even better. And besides we have never bought anything like that to put into our living room, plus I got a raise we can afford it. Then she informs me that this entertainment center does not match our old living room furniture. OH GREAT, now I have to buy a new couch. Twice as much as my new TV. So now my new "free" TV ended up costing me three times what I wanted to pay. I guess all I can say id Merry Christmas to me (for the next three years.)
Here is a picture, tell me what you think.

Free TV