I love Jesus. And He loves me.

Well, I am sorry that it has been so long since my last post and I feel the time is ripe for a new post. Also, I hate proof reading. So there are probably mistakes in this text.

I have seen the Lord more clearly than I think I ever have in my life. In my selfishness, I must admit that it is not in the way I was expecting or wanting but, He showed up.

To give a little background. Casey Kapple my associate at Emmanuel Baptist church has been at Quintiles Medical testing place this week participating in a study. We applied at the same time. He was accepted. I wasn't.

I was upset about it for a while but, for selfish reasons. There are far better and meaningful reasons Casey needs and could use the money. I wanted Mewithoutyou vinyl.

Anyway, his test started and it was almost immediately evident why God choose Casey to participate and not me.

Casey sent me a text on Monday night telling me the story of one of the guys he was rooming with, Jazwan. Jazwan said he was led to Quintiles to 'get right with God' and ended up in a bed next to Casey Kapple.

NOT a coincidence.

Jazwan was sold into prostitution by his mother when he was 12. He has been tried twice for murder and convicted of second degree once. He lives with a girl now. Jazwan needed Jesus.

As Casey shared the Gospel with him, he repented and decided to get plugged into community!

After Casey told me this, I was unable to do anything but praise God for His work in my city. I sat for a few minutes thinking and praying and felt the overwhelming pull to write what I was feeling.

I knew that it was God moving through me and honoring, at least for the moment, my desire to write for Him.

I just want to make it clear that I in no way, shape or form take credit for these words.

I love you all.

Oh the Life!

To be blown about like a seed in the wind!

No cares. No Earthly worries.

Faith that the wind that surround, support and direct you are not shifts in meteorological pressure but the breath blown gently from the mouth of a loving God!

Oh Lord, to be that seed! To be that small! To understand the roll. To not interfere. To land in the perfect place. In the perfect ground set up by you.

And then to fall. to hit the soft ground. To be slowly wrapped in the dirt words of your love.

And then to die.

To leave the life of a small seed behind.

To die, shedding the confines of the old life that would now hinder out growth.

Those walls whose use has passed.

Oh to die!

To grow into the plant that the Lord Chose!

A rose which exhibits beauty?

Perhaps a tree.

A tree to grow. a tree to produce fruit. or more seeds. Or both.

But at least shade.

A plant that creeps up towards the heavens.

Coaxed from that spot where it was planted.

Called slowly from the ground by the Maker.

Oh the life!

To rely on and have roots in nothing less than trust for the Lord!

And at the very least, point up to the sky and call glory to His name.

The Office is Getting terrible

Hey. I appreciate you stopping by. I want to complain about the Office for a minute.

If I were to give grades to the first three episodes, here they are:

Premier: B-

Second episode: C-

Third Episode: D-

I have been annoyed by the Office in the past and I have been compelled to make comments but this is the first blog post I have ever wanted to write about it.

I just want to tell the writers that we get it. Jim and Pam have the perfect relationship and they complete each other more completely than any one has ever completed anyone else. We know that they had a hard courtship and that at times Jim was so broken up he couldn't eat and even moved away.

The most recent stunt that they pulled that made me mad was when Pam was walking around telling people she wanted money in stead of gifts for her wedding. She feels bad and awkward about it but, my question is this. Did she not think about how it was going to make others feel? Who is ever going to choose to shop for a gift for someone they don't know that well when they could just give them the money? It is easier and you know your gift is exactly what they wanted.

The line that really set me off came in the scene where Pam looks at the check Kevin gave her.

It was, as follows: "Is that what I've become? Shallow? Materialistic? It says Mrs. Pam Halpert!!!"

It is, in my opinion, more materialistic to want money or things? Equal. It is my belief that desiring one over the other isn't more acceptable. They are the same thing.

Another thing that bugged me about that part was when seeing her name on the check brought her right out of her sorrow. Or worry. Or whatever emotion you want to call it. I guess her seeing that was enough to remind her that no matter how short on money they are, Pam and Jim will always have each other.

Just so everyone knows, I only speak this harshly because I truly love the Office and want to see it do well.

I love you all.

Kurt Vonngut strikes again!

It is two a.m. and I am reading 'Mother Night' by Kurt Vonnegut. Say what you will about his personal beliefs of existentialism, I say he is the greatest writer of fiction in the last one hundred years. Maybe ever.

I read this line and I had to share it.

"...This may also be so. I had hoped, as a broadcaster, to be merely ludicrous, but this is a hard world to be ludicrous in, with so many human beings so reluctant to laugh, so incapable of thought, so eager to believe and snarl and hate...

Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifyingly and absolutely vile."

Bron Bron Come Back!

Here's the deal. Training camps have opened and the NBA season is LITERALLY right around the corner. I CAN NOT wait to see Bron (LeBron James) in action again. I just love it.

While I am on the subject Bron Bron, he is going to win the championship this year. Count on it. People can say what they want about Dwight 'Too Tall to Be Human and also is a big baby' Howard and his Orlando Magic. Cavs make it out of the East and the James is out of Cleveland and off to New York.

That is all. I love LeBron more than I should and I think I am going to like this blogging thing.