Christmas 2005

Christmas morning came and I woke up much like I did when I was a young boy not much older than Macy; I was giddy. I couldn’t wait to get out of bed but not because I wanted to open presents. No, it was because I wanted to see Macy open up hers. Giving is so much more fun than receiving, especially when you get to see that person open your gift and see the joy that they have from receiving your gift. I really didn’t understand that until we had Macy. Here are a few pictures from our brand new Kodak Easyshare Z760 6.1 megapixel camera that we bought from Christmas money from Erin’s grandparents. Thank you Granny and Papa. Merry Christmas everyone!

Maybe I'll try uploading these pictures later. Have a great Christmas night!

My Trip to the Dentist (or how I traveled to Searcy for a day)

I had the unfortunate luck of needing a root canal several months ago. This became very unfortunate when I found out how much it would cost. Being a person who goes without dental insurance, I decided to get the root canal but wait until later to get the crown (when I could afford it). That day never came and it so happened one night that I chipped part of said tooth while eating a delicious bowl of chocolate ice cream from the carton. As soon as it happened I became very depressed.

I sulked for a good ten minutes, then I prayed about it and the Lord gave me such peace and He took control of it all. That leads me to where I am right now; on a plane headed back to Atlanta. [I sometimes hand write my blog thoughts and when it’s convenient to do so I edit it online and post it.] Today was a crazy day. But let me start back where I was before. Oh yes; ice cream. I got peace and then called the sub lady at my school to take the next day of school off so I could make an appointement and get this tooth fixed. I had just received a $100 certificate to a local dentist from a co-worker (the Lord provides) and consulted with him. He said there was no way to fix the tooth permanently and I would need to either get an implant ($$$$), a bridge ($$$) or partial dentures ($$). Because I had no insurance the dentist said I might as well go for the implant because it would most likely last my lifetime. I had him fix my tooth temporarily and told him I’d ask my wife and we’d decide.

After more prayer and thought my friend’s name came to mind. He was a dentist and I was sure he’d help me out. Problem was that he lived in Searcy, AR. This was a problem because it’s 9 hours from Atlanta. Finally I decided it was worth it and I bought Air Tran tickets to Memphis, rented a Hertz car and drove to Searcy (2 hours). This was decided so that I would not have to spend the night away from my wife, who is 9 months pregnant.

Turning on the news this morning in Atlanta I realized that I might have made a mistake. Today is supposedly the busiest travel day of the year. It took me almost an hour to get through the security line in Atlanta where I was asked by a kindly TSA man if he could look through my backpack. I was sure it was nothing serious because I was careful not to put anything illegal in my bag last night. Just two books, cd player (no I don’t own an iPod or MP3 player yet), headphones, cds, a notepad (which I’m writing on now), chap stick, sunglasses, a small cooler with cold Diet Coke and water, and apparently a Leathermen multi-tool knife! It was wedding present from my best friend in high school. He got married last fall back in Pennsylvania and I guess it got in my backpack somehow. Oops!

Now because this was valuable, both monetarily and sentimentally, I had to find a way to keep it. Mr. TSA suggested going back into the main part of the airport (out of the security line) and mailing the item to me. Genius. Only problem was my flight was less than an hour away. He spoke to a few people and I was able to find the post office and get back into where I was previously in less than ten minutes. Thank you Mr. TSA. You are a lifesaver.

My plane was then over an hour late departing for Memphis which made me ten minutes late for my appointment in Searcy (after driving for about two hours in a smoky car). This delay tacked on to the appointment and I didn’t leave until around 4:45 CST. My flight was at 7:30 CST. I still had to drive to Memphis (find the Hertz return place) and get to the airport to check-in. I forgot to fill the car up with gas before entering the return area and was told I’d spend almost $7 a gallon to fill it up. I knew that I’d be sleeping on the couch for a while if I did that so I got in the car to go fill up (even though my plane left in less than 45 minutes) but was stopped at the gate and was told to go see Keith at the desk. He helped me out and instead of spending $7 a gallon for about 11 gallons, I’d only spend $2.16 a gallon! Sweet! Thank you Keith. You’re awesome.

So, here I am, halfway between here and there. David Gray is singin’ to me and my pain is slowly going away (four caplets of Advil for $1.99 was worth every penny). If there’s one good thing about today, and there are many, I have relied on Him more than I have in a long time. Thank you for answering so many prayers today.

I have seemed to slip into trusting in my humanness and relied less on Him. I was in constant communication with the Father today. He has been with me every step of the way. What a good feeling to know I am loved and cared for by an Almighty Physician.

Thank you Father for being with me. Thank you Mr. TSA. Thank you Keith at Hertz. Thank you Jared for working on my mouth for 3+ hours. Thank you Erin for taking me to the airport (getting pulled over for riding in the HOV lane even though you and Macy were in the car and not getting a ticket) and picking me up late (10 PM) after the a long day away from you.

Anniversary #6

I can’t believe it’s been six years already. I’m married to the most precious woman I could ever imagine. Erin Marie Nordin Harsh has, like her daddy said, “done alright.” Thank you Erin for putting up with me and staying faithfully married to me for these past six years. May we have at least six more! Ha, ha!

Christmas Legacy

I’ve really enjoyed every Christmas of my life. Most of these years were spent in my parent’s home back in Harmony, Pennsylvania (if anyone is moving to the Pittsburgh area I know of a great house you might be interested in). Most years we would have snow on the ground and we would open our presents, play with these presents and head outside for a good time in the snow (sled riding, snowball fights, snowmen, and snow angels).

Last Sunday, or several Sunday’s ago, in Bible class we were led in a discussion about legacy. This got me thinking about how I want Christmas to be remembered in my family. This takes me to Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. This was my roommate’s favorite movie while we were at Harding. I’m not sure it still is but I now “have” to watch this movie every year. It gets me into the Christmas spirit. Not the baby Jesus sort of spirit but the spirit of family and presents and stress.

Here’s a list of what I want to do each and every Christmas season:
watch Christmas Vacation, read several Christmas classics (The Night Before Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman), watch It’s a Wonderful Life as a family while drinking hot cocoa, read the story of Christ’s birth from the gospels, eat a big family dinner (ham or turkey), watch a Macy’s Christmas Day Parade, open presents, watch Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty, Grinch, and Rudolph, listen to good Christmas music (none of that Manheim Steamroller crap), eat a big breakfast with orange and cinnamon sweet rolls, call Macy’s grandparents and great-grandparents, send a Christmas letter and/or picture card, give money to Angel Tree (or some other organization like it), go to a Christmas Eve service at my church, and spend time as a family.

Wrestling Update

I’ve coached for six seasons now (currently in my seventh) and this seems like the most difficult and draining season I’ve ever been a part of. I’m guessing one reason is because I’m the head coach this year and my assistant coaches haven’t made it easy on me. They both are very opinionated (what I call bull-headed) and they want to practice in very different ways. Both sides of the fence have their pros but I find myself riding the fence and every once in a while I get a splinter in my behind from being pulled in both directions. I’m torn so much because I have relatively very little experience (well at least less than my assistant coaches) in the sport of wrestling. I wrestled as a little kid (like many of you play little league or pee-wee football). It was just something that a lot of kids around me were a part of and my dad was a coach in the junior high (7th-9th grade). My assistants have had success as athletes and as coaches. I was out of the sport from 6th grade-age 22. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the season, but it is very taxing.

We just placed 5th in a local tournament with some pretty good schools. We racked up 116 points. 4th place had 134 pts. 3rd place had 137 pts. We really weren’t that far behind placing third at the tournament and I’m hoping we can have some success at the other tournaments we will be wrestling in this season. The biggest drawback for me with the sport is all the weekends I am away from my family. Tournaments are great for the wrestlers but not so great for the families. We had four wrestlers place in the top three in their weight class. My 119 lbs wrestler (a captain) brought home the gold for his weight class. Three others placed third (bronze medals); 103, 112 and 140 lbs. Every wrestler on the team (14 weight classes of which we had 12 wrestle because of injuries and such) won at least one match and scored points for our team. Wrestling is not only an individual sport but also and team sport. So we had guys bring home medals but our team did not bring home a trophy. There might be one tournament this season that we have a chance to bring home a trophy, it’ll be right before our “playoffs”.

I got to thinking about being a coach and I realized I really have no idea what I’m doing. I never went to school or even took a class in college on coaching. I was asked by my brother (the head coach at the time) to help him out and I thought it’d be a great way to spend time with him. We were never really close because of age difference (5.5 years older than me). Now that he’s left the coaching bit things are different. I got to thinking about my coaches in the different sports I participated in and none of them were what I would call “good” coaches. I never felt inspired or challenged to take it to the next level but then again I was never a member of a sport that was that competitive. Wrestling, soccer, basketball, track and tennis. Wrestling came first. I loved it; for a while. That lasted until 5th or 6th grade and I remember the night I didn’t want to wrestle any more. It wasn’t a big loss to a great wrestler or a coach chewing me out for being late or something. My brother and sister got in a car accident and my dad made me go to practice that night any ways. They weren’t hurt or anything but I just felt like I was tired of wrestling. I’m so sad now that I didn’t stick with it longer (although I wrestled for 5 or 6 years). I next fell in love with soccer. I started when I was 9 years old and my sister soon followed me (she’s 3 years older) and we played fall and spring soccer and I even played a few seasons of indoor soccer (after I stopped wrestling) where I fractured several bones in my foot (8th grade). I played soccer until 9th grade (still junior high where I went to school). Basketball lasted the shortest amount of time; one season (6th grade). It was a league on Saturdays and I soon found out how terrible I was handling the ball. I tried track in 7th grade and I loved it. My coaches were not demanding in any way. They just wanted their athletes to try the sport and do their best. I was not pushed to lift weights or anything (which I’m sad about now). I was not a runner; and am still not today. I threw the shot put and discus in junior high and high school where I added javelin. We could not throw the javelin until then; I’m guessing some sort of hazard for a junior high kid to throw a sharp pointy spear. Tennis came in high school and even though it was a spring sport like track I did both. I showed up at tennis practice when I wanted to. That was probably one of the reasons I never got a singles spot. I was a doubles player the whole time I played. I’m not even in any of the pictures in my yearbooks because I guess he didn’t really see me as one of the team members. I did play in a lot of matches though on those doubles teams. I like tennis so much because it was something my dad and I played a lot in the summer especially when we visited my granddad who lived in Daytona Beach.

I can remember a few faces and names but none of my coaches ever really coached me to greatness. Maybe it’s because of who I am and other athletes where coached better because they had more talent or something. I was on some pretty good teams. My soccer team didn’t lose for several years straight and I have (had) several trophies for undefeated seasons. Even those coaches weren’t good. We just had some good athletes on our teams. I do remember being pushed in high school track by one of the throwing coaches. He was also a football coach and most of the throwers played football as well. We had to run what he called pyramids to get our legs more in shape for the shot put. Most people think of putting a shot as an upper body event but it very much comes from the legs. Very cool thing to watch when it’s done properly.

I write all this because I’m really trying consciously to be a good coach. I don’t aim to be great because I love my family and I when I’m home (which isn’t very much) I want to forget about wrestling and just spend time with them. I sometimes get detached and distant while my season is going on and can’t wait until it’s over. I don’t want to coach if it tears me and my family apart. I don’t see how being a great coach and being there for your family can happen simultaneously. I’m trying my best on both fronts though.

Lord, bless this season. Give me wisdom and patience with my athletes and coaches and give me peace. Help me to remember my priorities. Lord, thank you for your graciousness towards me and my team. Give us safety and protect my team from injury this year. Help me to see the opportunities I have to share You with them this year. Thank you for having me work at a school that puts You first in all things.

Narnia

What a wonderful movie. Erin and I went last night with another couple while Macy slept over at Grandma and Papa's house. We did it right too; popcorn and coke.

It is such a wonderful fairytale that C.S. Lewis writes. I haven't read the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in years. Seeing the movie last night makes me want to go back and read it though. Kudos to the writers, actors and director. Wonderful work!

I know there are parallels with his story and the story of Christ giving his own life for ours. I need to read more about that though, I think it would be a worthwhile venture.

Thrashers 7 Red Wings 6

I've not been to an NHL game in some time (last time I got free tickets). I went with my dad, brother and nephew to the game. It was so fun. I'm not a hockey fanatic, but it was so awesome. It might be the most exciting sporting event (besides wrestling) that I've ever seen in person. Last night it was even better because of the 13 goals scored. It was so exciting.

Go Thrashers! What is a thrasher anyways?

Jeremy Camp's "I'll Take You Back"

Jeremy Camp Lyrics

Jeremy Camp Music Video Codes

Music Video Codes by VideoCure.com

What a great parallel to the story of the prodigal son. We have a Father in Heaven who is yearning for us to return and make our address there. He forgives us because of the sacrifice of our Savior. Grace flows freely for all. Thank you Jeremy Camp for a great video and a great song.

I am challenged sometimes by this parable because I feel like the brother that stayed home. I don't deserve my Father's love any more than the brother that runs away from home for a time and then returns, but I feel that I do sometimes.

Thank you Lord for being a gracious and compassionate God. Thank you for your love and forgiveness.

Victory!

Well, now I'm officially 2-2 as a head coach. We had two big wins against area rivals. Neither one was a blowout at all. Both teams gave us good matches. I'm glad I have that first win under my belt though. Read more here.

Loss

I have no idea what to say right now. There was an accident this week (during Thanksgiving break) and another GACS student died. This time the boy was a junior. I had him in class too several years ago. I can’t remember when, it may have been as a 7th or 8th grader in pre-algebra or it might have been as a 6th grader. That’s not important right now. My heart is heavy again. At the end of practice yesterday, one of my wrestlers asked if we could pray for the boy’s family. Half of the wrestlers had heard the news and the other half had not. We prayed for his family and friends and I felt like we left with our heads hanging low. If he lived “the life” we should be in mourning for a time but in the end joyous that he is with our King. Tomorrow will be another sad day at school, it will be the first day back after our break and the topic of conversation will be about losing another student from our school. Please pray for this boy’s family and friends if you think of it. God bless.

Black Friday

I had another first today. I was standing in line at Target before 6 AM so I could shop!

No lie. I got in, got out and got home. That’s not entirely true. I did look around for a few minutes and then get out, and then I did go to Best Buy on my way home just to see what was on sale, and I bought something else there but then I got out and got home.

I will never do that again. I am very much into a traditional Christmas, meaning less and less commercialization of this time of year. I want fewer gifts (to give and receive) and I want to be able to sing Christmas Carols when the time is right. One of the radio stations that play Christian music in town is playing Christmas music from now until Christmas. Talk about overkill. Last year I was so sick of it by the time Christmas came around I wasn’t listening to Christmas music. So this year, my plan is to take it slow. We’ll see how that goes.

Happy Thanksgiving 2005

What a wonderful holiday that is not corrupted by the same commercialization that Christmas has now. It is still all about Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, Pilgrims, Indians, 1621, Plymouth Rock, family, traveling, stuffing ourselves, watching the Lions lose and the Cowboys win, etc. My sister and her family (husband and two daughters) traveled down by minivan from Pennsylvania to spend time with us. She stayed at my parents’ house so we didn’t get all of the quality time that we wanted but we still got to be around them quite a bit. It was a great week. Her daughters are getting so big. Anna is going to turn 3 in less than a month and Gracie is about 6 months old. She is such a butterball. I love it. I never understood when Erin talked about wanting a fat baby. But now I do, they are adorable. I can’t wait until our little Mia is here to hold and feed and change…what? Change her diapers. That part of it, I am not looking forward to. But I can’t wait for our second little girl to be here with us in this house. Macy got to spend her first year in a closet. We lived in the elderly retirement apartment building, as security, and it was a one bedroom apartment. Macy’s crib just fit inside the big closet next to our front door, basically in the kitchen area (which was minute as well). That really brings back the memories, not all of them good, but not all of them bad as well.

Anyways. Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a wonderful day and take time to remember what you are really thankful for. My list goes something like, God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Erin, Macy, Mia, and then everything else. God Bless!

First Wrestling Match as Head Coach

Well, as a head coach I am officially 0-2. Enough said. If you want to read more about my team go to my web page. Go Spartans!

Daddies

We opened our garage door and before we got into our car this past Sunday morning to go to services we noticed a fire truck, an ambulance, and two police cars were sitting in front of our neighbors house. No smoke was in the air and there were no sirens going. I noticed that our neighbors Daddy’s van was in the street with a jack under it and it looked like he was attempting to change a tire. I figured it out pretty quick. Flat tire. Elderly man. Heart Attack. He had gone inside to tell his wife that he couldn’t breath and that’s when 911 was dialed. Our neighbor was hysterical and asked me to lock her house up because they were leaving for the hospital.
What a sad thing to think about. Losing your daddy has to be very difficult for a single lady in her late 30s or early 40s. I can’t imagine life without my daddy, although I wouldn’t dream of calling him that to his face or in front of anyone else. Daddies are so precious and they come in all shapes and sizes. I sat across the table from our Chancellor today at lunch and he is in the midst of suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He is really struggling to eat and it is getting very difficult for him to get around. He is such a precious man and I will be very sad when his time comes. He is the reason (besides the Almighty) that our school is where it is today.

Xanga and Shanil

I was online last night and just thought to Google Xanga. I’ve heard from teachers and administration alike that our kids at school are blogging through Xanga and there has been some pretty questionable things said on their sites. I just thought I’d pop in and see who was saying what. I found several students sights that went to my school and sort of giggled at what they were saying; nothing bad at all. Then I found a sight dedicated to Shanil, the boy who was killed in a car accident this summer. He would be in 9th grade right now. There was a sight in his memory. The postings were of his classmates telling him they missed him. It was very touching. This morning at church his parents visited our Sunday school class. I wanted to say something but I didn’t have the words. It must be amazingly difficult to wake up every morning and think about that boy that used to be down the hall. It makes me remember how important my family is to me.

Veterans Day

I didn’t even know it was Veterans Day today. I turned on the news tonight after practice and saw several good pieces on the TV about the veterans of our nation. It makes me think of my Great-Uncle. He was in WWII in North Africa. He was a tail-gunner on a B-17. I interviewed him once for a project in high school. He gave me a picture of a B-17 (these days you could just jump online and print off 31 different angles of the same plane). He told me some great stories that I really don’t remember now, but thinking about Veterans Day makes me think of Uncle Bill Harsh. God bless all our troops, both now and in the past.

Kyle Lake's [re]Understanding Prayer

I heard about Kyle Lake’s passing from my school chaplain and then I read about it online. What a tragic accident. I read his article on Relevant’s online magazine and I also opened up my current issue of Relevant magazine and ironically there was an article in there by him. Online they had an offer to get a free copy of his book. I felt kind of guilty, profiting by his death, but I went ahead and ordered the book. I got it already and have read a few chapters (who am I kidding, pages). He was a good writer and more importantly it seemed that he was a man of God. Pick up a copy for yourself.

I am in mourning for his wife and three children. What a tragedy to lose your daddy when you're so young and how painful it must feel for his wife. Please keep his family and his church (where David Crowder leads worship) in your prayers.

Set Me Free

The newest album from Casting Crowns has some real jewels on it, none are better than this song. I feel like I am living in the community when Jesus comes across the lake to set the demon-possessed man free. This song comes from Mark 4. When Mark Hall asks, "do you want to be free?" I say "yes" outloud. It gives me chill bumps when I hear that line. So many of us are held captive by the sin that "so easily entangles" us. We must break free. We have the power to break free. We have the power, through Christ, to no longer be held captive. Here are the lyrics:

It hasn't always been this way
I remember brighter days
Before the dark ones came
Stole my mind
Wrapped my soul in chains

Now I live among the dead
Fighting voices in my head
Hoping someone hears me crying in the night
And carries my away

Chorus:
Set me free of the chains holding me
Is anybody out there hearing me?
Set me free

Morning breaks another day
Finds me crying in the rain
All alone with my demons I am
Who is this man that comes my way?
The darks ones shriek
They scream His name
Is this the One they say will set the captives free?
Jesus, rescue me

Chorus

As the God-man passes by
He looks straight through my eyes
And darkness cannot hide

Chorus 2:
Do you want to be free?
Lift your chains
I hold the key
All Power on Heaven and earth belong to me
(Repeat)

You are free
You are free
You are free

Stars

I first heard Switchfoot back in 1999 when they had their second album out, New Way to be Human. They came to Atlanta and my brother and I went to their concert. They opened for Third Day and they did a wonderful job. I still remember it today. I was surprised how good they were for being relatively unknown. Back then it was just three of them; the Foreman brothers and Chad Butler.
Oh how they’ve “blown up” since then. They were the biggest thing in 2004. This album puts them back on top, it’s excellent. This track is one of the best and has a wonderfully creative video to go with it. My kids at school love them and they are a great influence for our next generation. They may not preach the good news in their music but I know they are grounded in their faith and they share it in subtle ways.
This song reminds me of how our Creator placed the stars in the heavens and knows each of them by name. That is so awesome!

"My Heart Bleeds"

We heard two Zambia men in our chapel program today that work with the organization World Vision. Zambia means "River of God." It is a country in Sub Saharan Africa near South Africa. These men spoke of the trouble and distress their country is in at the present time. World Vision works with 2 million of the 10 million people in the country. One of the men, as he stood before 500 6th-8th graders said, "my heart bleeds" for my people. What a profound and deep emotion. What a love he must have for his people. For the children of his country that are so affected by HIV and poverty. They use the money that people in the US and other countries raise through World Vision to dig wells, and educate others about sanitation, HIV, and farming issues. I've talked to my kids in class not too long ago, but it is nothing like hearing it from countrymen that inhabit the land and work with those that are suffering so much.

Father, may my heart bleed for the lost and suffering of this world; just as these men's hearts bleed for their people.

Wow!

What an amazing night of worship! Thank you Chris, Matt and Louie. My voice is sore and my hands hurt from clapping so much (and my arms are a bit sore as well). We had amazing seats as well (3rd row). Chris started off the concert with some great songs; he has written some incredible songs. When I think of worship, I think of Matt Redman first, not Chris, but now I'll think more about the songs written by Chris. Matt is a wonderful worship leader and you can tell that he really has a heart of worship (no pun intended). Away from the mic, Matt would be whispering to God what he was thinking and praying for (I could tell since we were about 20 feet away). He is not a performer, he is really a worship leader who wants to please the Almighty.

Thank you Father/Spirit/Son for using these men in Your kingdom and for You glory. Bless them as they go on their way to the next town to encourage and lead a night of worship to Your Holy name.

Indescribable

Erin surprised me a few weeks ago with concert tickets to see Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman and Louie Giglio for their Indescribable Tour. That concert is tonight and I can't wait, but our little one, Macy is under the weather and my buddies from Harding are coming into town this weekend. My parents are watching Macy so I'm okay with still going to the concert and most of my friends will be coming in Friday sometime and I'll head over to the other side of Atlanta after school tomorrow.

Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman are two of my favorite worship leaders/singers. When I think of some of the best songs in recent years I think of these two guys. I'm ecstatic about this concert and I love my wife for doing this for me (I mean us).

Braves Win! Braves Win! Braves Win!

Wow. What a great game last night. Atlanta beat Houston 7-1. What an exciting came to see John Smoltz outpitch Roger 'The Rocket' Clemens. He had nothing on Smoltz last night. A friend/church brother/father of one of my wrestlers got some tickets through a connection he had and we sat right next to the Braves dugout, row 9. That's the best seats I've ever had, ever.

There's just something about baseball in October. I know that Braves are one of the best teams in the last 14 years, so sometimes Atlantans take the playoffs for granted. I don't now and I can tell this team is hot and they are hungry. It's so fun to see guys like Francoeur and McCann and Langerhans play. They're just kids. They make it exciting everytime they are in the game.

Back in high school I would have scoffed at rooting for the Braves (since they stole the 91 NL title from us) but now since I've lived in Atlanta for almost seven years, it's time to starting rooting for the home team.

Hittin Curves, Part 2

Well, I now understand this song from the artists GRITS. This understanding did not come from myself, mind you. It came from an 11 year old. But it is still valid.

In life we will be confronted with temptation to sin. Satan is like a prowling lion, looking for someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8) He puts obstacles in our path in life but with the help (reliance) on the Holy Spirit we can see these coming and avoid them (hittin curves or swervin). We must be able to discern and have a pulse of what is going on in our lives and around us to make sure we can indeed can sidestep these temptations. We do not want them to conceive and become sin which becomes (brings) death. (James 1:13-15). All this talk, makes me think of the Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan in the 17th century.

What a great interpretation. Thank you 11 year old student. I feel so much better showing this video now that I can share this explanation with everyone else.

GRITS "Hittin Curves"

I have no clue what this song or video mean, but my kids love it. I had about half my kids last year in class and this year when we started having devotionals in class the number one video they requested was this one. Let me know if you figure it out, I'll even give you the lyrics to see if there is something to be gained from it. All I know is they are cutting edge hip-hop artists in the Christian music industry.

Lyrics:
dippin in the ride swervin in the ride
dippin in the ride swervin in the ride
CHORUS
hittin curves
shorty baby hoo hoo
hitten curves
dippin in the ride swervin in the ride
dippin in the ride swervin in the ride
hitten curves
VERSE 1
(Coffee)
head blocked in the zone
we prone to dip it to the unknown
put the flippin the trip
forced to brake bones
first we break bread then break headz(headz)
look at all the people run and feel scared
unwilling to hear what's said
hide under the filth
grown men landin' on men
pull ourselves up by the bootstrap
hittin curves dodgin traps
dont move at a slow pace
hand us the mic we move the whole place
this for each and every hood
18 add wedgewood
southside clean cuts
tell me who want it
tell me what you notice
caller's blockin ain't an option
that aint the purpose of my concoction
releasin toxins in the abyss
boxin you in so you dont miss
we gettin the rockets (Nashville)
Got a minute then a minute
Now dow do me in my crew
rep my city hoew bout' you?
CHORUS
(Syntyst)
swerving we rollin we servin'
hittin them curves and then we
pushin them verses them curses
they must be broken yeah
takin dem tennessee corners
changing dem lanes cuz dey brought us
nuff contradiction so now we change
our position yeah yeah
(Bonafide)
I'm in Lavergne
lettin the chevy burn rubber every turn
changin lanes while the body swang
heavy to the the right
like my life
hit them curves swerve
as i descern
to turn back down the one way truth and the life
i learn blessing every block
countin' blessins like rocks
as i bubble in the stuggle
in the classic caprice
releasing pressure like the vocals
in the back of my seats
speakin clear to the tweaters
when i'm over these beats
i check the navigation to see what direction to take
to lead a generation
headed for collision with fate
on the darker side in the ride
lookin' through rearviews
in full speed
searchin for a u-turn to save you
Hittin curves
CHORUS
(Syntyst)
swervin in the curves i'm servin
pushing the verses to the curses
must be broken so we focus
stop signs in the place cant hold us
takin dem tennessee corners
changing dem lanes cuz dey brought us
nuff contradiction so now we change
our position yeah yeah

CHORUS

Video:

Video code provided by Music Video Codes

Fun Filled Saturday

What a great day I had yesterday. I woke up nice and early, thanks to Macy, and decided to go for a run (I hadn't run for a few days because my knee was bothering me so I used my brace and it was just fine). After my run I had a wonderful breakfast of store brand Rice Krispies and a 1/2 glass of OJ. Macy and I got in the car and we went off to the library together in search of some books, videos and to have a good time playing on the kid computers in the library. She loves it, so I try to take her once or twice a month.

After the library, I thought it'd be fun to rent some movies for the long weekend. I found out as I was sitting in front of the library letting Macy finish her snack of goldfish, that our wonderful governor decided to cancel school on Monday and Tuesday to conserve gas (about 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel). Hurricane Rita didn't cause the damage that first predicted but I look forward to two days off with my family.

I rented Arrested Development, a sitcom on Fox. I rented the first disc of the first season, the first six episodes. I had read in Relevant Magazine how funny it was, even compared to the all-time best sitcom Seinfeld. I had to try it. It was everything and more. I can't wait to get my hands on more AD.

While Macy and Erin took a little nap I snuck over to the local used cd warehouse and found the new Nickel Creek album, and bought it even though it wasn't why I went there. It is a good album. Erin really likes Nickel Creek so I thought it was a smart buy.

I got to play some basketball with myself, while Macy played in the front yard and we listened to Prairie Home Companion on our local PBS station. It reminds me so much of growing up. My dad would listen to this show, based on a fictional town in Minnesota hosted by Garrison Keillor. I actually just read a book about Democrats he wrote, very well written.

At eleven o'clock, Austin City Limits came on our local PBS station with Beck as the artist singing. He was good, even though it was the thought of the show and the previous performances I have seen that kept me watching for an hour. What a great American program. I can't wait until the new season starts next weekend with Sheryl Crow, not that I'm such a great Sheryl Crow fan or anything, but I look forward to what's new and most of the music is great to listen to and they have some great performers coming this year.

That was my Saturday. What a great day!

Church of Christ

Why am I Church of Christ? That question was posed to me during a recent visit to Georgia State. I was walking back to MARTA (our wonderful transit system in Atlanta) and one of my classmates asked me that. I got to talking to him because he was talking about the Arkansas Razorbacks football team and found out he's from Jonesboro and his parents just moved to Searcy, weird Harding connection. He knew I was a teacher at Greater Atlanta Christian which is a Church of Christ school (all faculty are members of a local Church of Christ) and he made the parallel with Harding. I really didn't have a good answer to his question. I satisfied him, but I was not satisfied myself. I thought about this on Monday morning as had my morning run.

After thinking about why I am a member I thought my friends from Harding could help me out. So I asked them. I'm waiting for responses as I type now. I hope for thoughtful answers because I really want to know why they attend a Church of Christ congregation where they live. I'm waiting...

Fundamentalism and my Father

I have been searching for the Truth for a long time now. Since birth, I have, as all children have, had a capacity and yearning to learn. I question the establishment; (better stated) I want to question the establishment.

Taking this philosophy of education course at Georgia State has made me think of my foundations about learning. Do I really believe that schools, as they presently operate, are the best method for facilitating learning? What is learning? What is education? What is teaching? What is good? My professor is very inquisitive and very Democratic. I admire his teaching style and even some points he makes, but there are some things he says that make me question his belief system. I won't get into that now, but I believe certain things about science and evolution that he would argue with me about.

I sat in my Sunday School class last week and I heard my dad say, "I am a proud fundamentalist, if that means taking God's word at face value." My professor at GSU would have a field day with that. He hates fundamentals because he believes that fundamentals do not question/investigate/inquire. His exact quote last night was, "fundamentalism is against inquiry." I know my father has inquired about his faith and continues to analyze what he believes, but at the same time he takes God's word to be true, every word of it. That is so cool. I want to be just like my daddy when I grow up.

Hypocrite -- You Hypocrite!

After a long day at school last Wednesday I went to graduate class that night in downtown Atlanta at Georgia State and I rode MARTA (subway system) there and back. As I was waiting for the next northbound train, around 9:30 PM to come my way, I opened up the book I was reading and turned on my cd player and listened to the new Switchfoot album which I had just bought the previous day. A man came towards me at the station in downtown with a handful of change and a sign that said he was deaf and needed money. How did I respond? You guessed it, like he was not even there.

That morning I was reading this scripture, James 1:27 to my kids as we talked about how to help others, especially those affected by the recent hurricane: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

I talked about how we should help others around us, and not just orphans and widows but anyone in need. This Sunday in my Bible class, the teacher brought this scripture up (which isn't too coincidental since we are studying the book of James in class). He said the same thing; this scripture isn't just referring to orphans and widows specifically, but anyone in need.

During my morning run I thought of how I ignored that beggar when I was waiting to board the train to go home. I didn't look up from my book and waited until he passed by to look up. I don't know why he was poor, why he was begging, but I became more like a Pharisee that day than any I can think of in my past. Jesus warns the Pharisees, in Luke 11:39, not to just "clean the outside of the cup." This moment in my life, however short it was, gave me an insight into what is really inside my cup. I also thought of Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus talks about the sheep and the goats. I was such a goat that night and I feel awful now. I felt like saying, "when did I see you hungry and did not help you?" Shame on me. I'm so glad that none of my students saw me, but the Lord did.

Lord, please take your sponge and clean me out; get rid of all the impurities and give me integrity. Forgive me of my haughtiness towards the beggers in this world because I know I am a begger that desires to enter into the Kingdom someday. Thank you for paying my way with the blood of Jesus.

Ben Harper "With My Own Two Hands"

After thinking about the tragedy that has hit our country in the form of a hurricane I heard this song in my head from Ben Harper's album "Diamonds on the Inside". I've gotten to use my hands to build 6 homes in the last 10 years, and I hope to build more in the years to come. None of them have been particularly extravagant, but they have provided a family and safe place to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer and dry in the rains. Thank you to Derek Myers, Adam Birch, Ryan Meyers, Preston Brandimore, Phil Gisel, and Matt and Sara Sills for their help, I couldn't of done it alone. Here's to Ocho Rios, Jamaica (building on the Rock crew) and the Juarez, Mexico crews for the last three years. Below is the video for the song mentioned.

Video code provided by Music Video Codes

Following are the lyrics to the song:

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make a better place
With my own two hands
Make a kinder place
With my own two hands
I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands

I'’m gonna make it a brighter place
I'’m gonna make it a safer place
I'’m gonna help the human race
With my own two hands

I can hold you
With my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you got to use
Use your own two hands


With our own
With our own two hands

Chapel Devotional 2005

I had the opportunity to share my thoughts with 500 6th, 7th, and 8th graders today during our chapel time at my school. I get to speak once a year to all of these kids so when I do I want to make it something memorable. Today went very well, considering my topic came to me last night around 8:45 PM.

I had two topics that I had developed, one of those was basically done last Thursday but last night as I was finishing some thoughts a song came in my head, and I knew that my topic had just changed. American Dream by Casting Crowns was the song and here are my thoughts that I shared today with my students at Greater Atlanta Christian School.

Two thoughts come to mind when I think about Hurricane Katrina's victims.
1) What can I do to help?
2) How would I react if my home and all I possessed were suddenly gone?

Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fail, because it had it's foundation on the rock."

Jesus, very clearly, tells us that we need to read scripture and do what it says. Otherwise our world will come crashing in on us. So many people lost their worldly possessions in the hurricane. Matthew 6:19-21 states, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven..." We must not put our faith in what we can put our hands on. What will last is our relationship with God, that's it. Nothing else will last. We can't take our i-Pods to Heaven with us, even though some of us would love to.

The father in the music video by Casting Crowns finally realized that all the power and position that he could attain here on earth was not worth losing his family over. Do we realize that? I teach an extra course here at GACS for a few extra bucks. I coach wrestling from October to February (and more than that since I'm head coach now). I have one daughter, one wife and another daughter on the way in January. I'm taking three classes this semester at GSU, so that after taking two more in the Spring semester I'll graduate with a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership which means another pay increase at school. I might be more like this guy in the video than at first glance.

What I take from the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is this:
1) Serve others and pray for the victims of the hurricane.
2) Build relationships with those around you.
3) Don't build a castle here on earth. Store up treasure in Heaven.

Check out the video if you get a chance.

World Vision

Psalm 68:5 "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling."

James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Both of these passages remind me why World Vision does what it does. This comes from its website: "World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization. We are known worldwide for moving quickly and efficiently when disaster strikes. Motivated by our faith in Jesus, we serve the poor ~— regardless of a person's religion, race, ethnicity, or gender ~— as a demonstration of God's unconditional love for all people."

How awesome of a mission/vision statement is that? Right now they are helping with Hurricane Katrina survivors, last year it was the tsunami in Southeast Asia. They not only help durindisastrousus times but they help develop communities by digging wells for fresh, clean water, providing healthcare, educating about farming and giving seeds and tools for crop production. You can sponsor a child for a monthly/yearly fee so that they might have nutritious food, clean water, education, and basic healthcare. What a wonderful organization that helps others because of their love for Jesus.

What do you do because you love Jesus?

Baby Harsh #2 (It's a girl!) Erin's due date is still January 20th, so we are about halfway thru...they are about halfway thru the pregnancy. I'm going to be surrounded by girls! 

Soup Kitchen Sunday 2.0

Well, I tried. I showed up at our church this morning ready to go, even if I was quite tired, at 6:00 AM. There were three other people there ready as well and we waited for about 15 minutes and gave up. I'm guessing it had to do with being Labor Day. I thought about calling the bus driver (one of our Student Ministers) last night, but I figured that the homeless still need to eat. I guess I was wrong.
I'm going miss October now because we are going away that weekend to see Erin's family. I am still going to make it as often as I can though to feed the homeless at the church in downtown Atlanta.

Steven Curtis Chapman in concert 

Steven Curtis Chapman "All Things New"

Last fall I got to attend one of the five best concerts I've ever been to in my life. The headliner was Steven Curtis Chapman with Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin as the opening acts. It was truly an incredible concert, but more than that it was an amazing night of worship. Among the spectacular songs that night was this one by SCC. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul states, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

This song tells the Redemption story as good as any other out there. The Creation. The Fall of Man. The Salvation/New Life through Christ. This songs is a beautiful picture of what my Heavenly Father has done for me and anyone that would "just believe." Thank you SCC for such a great song.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

You spoke and made the sunrise, to light up the very first day
You breathed across the water, and started the very first wave
It was You
You introduced Your glory, to every living creature on earth
And they started singing, the first song to ever be heard
They sang for You

You make all things new
You make all things new

Then the world was broken, fallen and battered and scarred
You took the hopeless, the life, wasted, ruined and marred
And made it new

You make all things new
You make all things new
You redeem and You transform
You renew and You restore
You make all things new
You make all things new
And forever we will watch and worship You

You turn winter into spring
You take every living thing
And You breathe Your breath of life into it over and over again

You made the sunrise, day after day after day
But there's a morning coming, when old things will all pass away
And everyone will see

You make all things new
You make all things new
Come redeem and come transform
Come renew and come restore
You make all things new
You make all things new
And forever we will watch and worship You

Now and forever You are making all things new
You're making all things new

The Afters album cover, a great album I must say. 

The Afters

This band is it. I heard about them this spring when their freshman release hit the streets. Everyone was saying how big they would become. So what did I do? I bought the cd and I'm so glad I did. This is a rockin' band with great lyrics.

Beautiful Love, the song I presented to my students this week, has been featured on MTV's Advance Warning and has been selected for American Eagle Outfitter's back-to-school campaign. The band is also featured in Relevant's Sept-Oct issue that I just got in the mail on Tuesday afternoon and CCM's May issue as ones to watch.

This song is one of those that if you didn't know this was a Christian band before you heard the song you wouldn't either after taking a listen to this particular song. It's basically a love song to the songwriters wife, or girlfriend. I asked my kids if a Christian band always has to sing "Christian" songs. They all agreed that a Christian band can sing about love between a girl and a guy, and they should.

Here's the lyrics and please visit their web page and hook up with this band, they're awesome:

Faraway...I feel your beating heart
All alone beneath the crystal stars
Staring into space
What a lonely face
I'll try to find my place with you

(chorus)
What a beautiful smile
Can I stay for awhile?
On this beautiful night
We'll make everything right
My beautiful love

Larger than the moon, my love for you
Worlds collide as heaven pulls us through
The secret of the world is written in the stars
I'm carrying your heart in mine

Maybe a greater thing will happen
Maybe all will see
Maybe your love will catch like fire
As it burns through me

Rich Mullins - The Ragamuffin 

Rich Mullins "Creed"

I asked my kids this morning two questions. 1) List three things you believe are true and 2) List three things you plan on experiencing in life. I know that at twelve or thirteen years of age they have no idea what I’m looking for so that makes it so much more fun to ask. Think about how you would answer…

Rich Mullins gave us his credo in the form of the song “Creed” which came out on his Liturgy, Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band album in 1993. He took this credo from the Apostles Creed written during the beginning years of the Way (Christianity). Here is a link to several languages of the Apostles Creed.
According to that web page it was written in between the second and ninth centuries AD. This song by Rich is one my favorites and I play it almost every year to my students. I want them to think about what they believe. They are getting to an age to build their own faith. I held on to my parents’ faith for way too long. Starting over is very difficult. Now is the time to start questioning what you believe. I really didn’t do that until I was in college. Of course, at any stage in your life you need to be able to give an account as to why you believe what you believe.

Here are the lyrics to “Creed”:

I believe in God the Father
Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
He was crucified and dead and buried

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe that He who suffered was crucified buried and dead
He descended into hell and on the third day rose again
He ascended into Heaven where He sits at God's mighty right hand
I believe that He's returning
To judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe it I believe it
I believe it
I believe it I believe it

I believe in God the Father
Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth
And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord
I believe in the Holy Spirit
One Holy Church
The communion of Saints
The forgiveness of sin
I believe in the resurrection
I believe in a life that never ends

And I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am
I did not make it no it is making me
I did not make it no it is making me
I said I did not make it no it is making me
It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man

I believe it

Top Ten Reasons I Love Running

10. I get to have alone quiet time to think without any distractions like TV, music, or school work.
9. I have a built-in time to have talks with God.
8. I get good exercise.

Did I say 10? Never mind. Change that to top three reasons I love to run...I mean like to run. Everything else about running stinks!

Lance Armstrong Foundation 

Lance Armstrong Foundation

This school year I've set a goal to talk about one organization per month that is helping others by meeting a basic need they have. Christ gives us the greatest example of servanthood when, in John 13, he washes his disciples feet. What a wonderful picture of the creator of the universe getting down on his knees cleaning the feet of mere men. This month I've focused on the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Lance was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 25 and immediately began radiation treatment. He began this foundation in the midst of his radiation treatment, not knowing if he would be able to continue this or if cancer would take his life. Lance beat cancer and eventually, as of this past July, won seven Tour de France races in a row, a feat no other man has ever done. He is considered to be by many the greatest endurance athlete of our time. He makes a pretty good argument.

The foundation raises money to educate cancer patients and their families and gives money for research. Considering that one in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetime and three out of four of our families will deal with someone in our family that has cancer, this research is pretty important. We need to take note of organizations such as this that have a high profile but many of us don't know much about it, besides the infamous yellow bands that say LIVESTRONG on them. Click here for more info on LAF. Click here for more info on how you can help others Livestrong. I heard the other day that they've sold over 50 million of those little yellow bands throughout the world. Make that 50,000,001. I bought one yesterday to support LAF. Let's do our part to help others in their fight with cancer.

Great News

I got the biggest smile on my face this morning, and not because it's the first day of school here in Atlanta, GA. I got this silly grin because I read an e-mail from some good friends who just had their baby, a girl named Tess. He sent a few pictures, and he's right, besides my little girl, she is the most beautiful little thing I've seen in a long, long time. Congratulations Jason and Lyndsay.

God be praised! God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

Soup Kitchen Sunday

Our church takes a group of mostly teenagers downtown Atlanta the first Sunday of each month to serve food and coffee at a church to the homeless. I've gone from time to time in the past but this year I have set a goal to go every time our church does this. I want to make sure that when I talk to my kids in class about serving others, I know what it feels like and I've done something tangible to share with them. I hate empty words. I want to lead them by example because that's the only way it will work.

Spiritual Renewal

Today was my first day back for the new school year, without kids, thankfully. I don't know what I would do if I had to be with kids this week, I mean that's what I do, but this week is so needed for me, and I'm sure for others too. Today was our 'spiritual renewal' day at GACS.

It seems that at the times that I am most empty, God knows and is ready to welcome me back to fill me back up. Summer is a hard time for me, I know, so sad that you have to not work for two months, boo hoo. But when I don't have a schedule to follow and a list of 'to-dos' I get lost. I took some graduate classes this summer but I still have so much down time that I seem to drift.

Today we got a good reminder of where we've come from as a school, where we are and where we are going. I can't believe this is the beginning of my seventh year of teaching here at GACS and seventh year of coaching. Seems like yesterday I was at Harding playing Buck-Buck or some G-team basketball. GACS has been such a blessing and today has been a reminder of that. We were led by many of our own faculty and staff that have been around GACS for a while now. Last year and in years past we've had a special speaker come in, last year was Monte Cox from Harding, we've also had Don McLaughlin from North Atlanta Church of Christ and Jodi Vickery from Campus Church of Christ. We were also led in worship by our chaplain, Jon Owen, who does a fantastic job. He is such a blessing from the Lord, he gets me into the presence of the Lord so that I might lay my burdens before Him and give Him all my worship.

Thank you Lord for filling me back up when I needed You the most. Forgive me for failing to be the man you intend me to be. Strengthen me this school year in all the tasks I will try to accomplish, make them all about You. Help me build the relationships this year with my wrestlers, my students, and my fellow teachers and coaches so that I might make a difference and be a good influence on each group. Thank You for the mission and vision You've given me and help me share that with those I see at GACS.

China

Erin and I had the Hills over last night. These folks spent this past year in Qingdao, China. Qingdao is one of the largest cities in China on the Eastern coast of China. The population is something like 4 million? A good sized city.

We got to see a bunch of pictures from their trip and we let the time get away from us talking about everything they saw and the conversions that they were a part of while in Qingdao. Gerry's official job while in China was to teach English, which he does very well here at GACS, but his unofficial business was to lead Bible studies and share the Gospel. He and Becky are actually very glad to not be 'celebrities' now; while in Qingdao they were extreme minorities. Everywhere they went people stared at them and their five year old twin girls.

People like the Hills inspire me to do better things. I think of my life and how I could make such a bigger difference in the world than I do. I hope that Erin and I and our kids will someday have a chance to do something like what the Hills did. After hearing the stories of the differences of America and there, maybe not China, but somewhere that we might never go otherwise. What an amazing experience for their girls.

To learn more about there amazing trip click on this link and you can read all 45 editions of Gerry's weekly update.

James Fowler and Faith Development

I'm finishing up my summer semester at Georgia State with a paper on faith development. I've never studied how a child or adolescent, or even adult for that matter, develops their faith. James Fowler is the father of faith development. He wrote a book in 1981 entitled Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. I didn't actually read his book, but I read about his book and many other articles that cited his book and other work. This is an area in psychology that really tweaked my interest. If it tweaks yours as well, check him out.

1. Dr. James Fowler
2. Interview with Dr. Fowler
3. Stages of Faith book
4. A listing and general outline of his stages of faith

Mega-Churches

I had the opportunity to attend one of the mega-churches here in Atlanta this morning in part because Erin and Macy are out of town still and in part because I just wanted to. I've only been to the church a handful of times so I got on their website last night to find directions and worship times. I browsed around for a bit and found out the sermon series I would hear was entitled "The Dream Giver" which sounded familiar but I was really looking forward to the preacher's sermon because he's a great preacher.

I made it on time to services but not before I had to hike from my car several hundred yards. Seriously, it must have taken me nearly five full minutes to get to the building and then I had to walk around to find a seat in the auditorium. After finding a seat the worship band kicked it off with some great contemporary tunes and then left the stage, and I realized that I was in the second auditorium where we watch the preacher; he's actually in another auditorium larger than the one I was in, which was huge. I got to hear Bruce Wilkinson preach this morning, instead of the regular minister, and it was a delight. You should know that name from The Prayer of Jabez and now The Dream Giver. He was great in person and is finishing his series next week, I hope to take Erin and Macy to hear him again.

It's not that I don't like large churches, several of my friends from Harding attend large community churches and just love them, as I'm sure I would too. Growing up in the Churches of Christ I have this draw towards a capella worship, but most of what I listen to in leisure is just like I worshiped with this morning at this church. I believe we have a better handle on instrumental worship, in my church at least, than we have had in the past. But walking in to a music-filled room with a rock band on stage was more than I expected. I know I've been there before, but it's still just so different than what I'm used to. As I sang the contemporary songs I realized that almost everything I listen to at home or in my car or with my kids at school is just like this band. It was awesome, once I got past myself.

Donald Miller

I read "Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance: Finding God on the open road" several years ago after my brother got it for me for my birthday, actually it was the year 2000. I loved it, I ate it up. Such a good book. He talked about his struggle with religion after growing up in the church but doing it for all the wrong reasons. He wrote like I imagine him speaking, very easy to read. He said things that I also thought, or would have if I would of had time to think of something good to say. Here's one of my favorite quotes from this book:

"I do not believe that I have a thinking problem as much as a feeling problem. What I mean is, I know the Christian answer to most questions but I do not always live accordingly. I am no pagan. But my 'goodness' is a product of a moral upbringing, not of a coherent biblical worldview. I tend to do and think as I feel like doing and thinking. There is rarely an exception. I am guided by Pavlovian instincts. Church culture has a vocabulary, and I have learned it well. There is a dress code too, and my clothes are well within the acceptable parameters. I wear Dockers and plaid shirts, as is silently required of twenty-something Christians. I only vote Republican, which is also silently required. But I do all this, not because I want to live scripturally, but because church culture has a certain rhythm. And when you have marched to this beat since infancy, it is difficult to break free from." (p. 162)

When I was 23, back in 2000, this spoke to me beyond words.

I've just finished my third Donald Miller book, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality. Another great offering from Donald. I suggest you go find a copy. I just sent a copy to Ryan, not that he knows it yet, but I owed him a few bucks and I thought this would be better than getting a check in the mail, because I'm always in search of something good to read.

If you have something good to read, please let me know. Oh, by the way, Donald is coming out with another version of his first effort in August, now called Through Painted Deserts. Click here for the first chapter, which is only slightly different from his first go-round.

Happy Independence Day America

I've gotten to spend these last few days with some friends from Harding up in Washington, D.C., our nations capitol. Erin, Macy and I have really enjoyed our vacation with Ryan, Elizabeth, Jason and Lyndsay.

Being in the nations capitol on Independence Day is very special. We went down last night after dark to see the monuments and it was incredible to see. Reading the words of Abraham Lincoln at his memorial, seeing the reflection of the Washington Monument in the Reflecting Pool in the moonlight, walking past all the names of those that gave their lives in the Vietnam War, seeing the statues at the Korean War Memorial, and walking around the fountains at the World War II Memorial were all very special. Being in town with all of its history and being here with Erin for her first time in the city has been memorable.

The best message I saw in Washington, "Freedom is not free." That was on the Korean War Memorial. Thank your President Bush, Congress, House of Representatives, Supreme Court, and our Armed Forces for all you do for our nation. Happy Independence Day!

On a side note, people who don't have kids don't understand that sleep must happen at night to survive. I'm knocking our friends, but we can't stay up until 4:30 AM and expect for Macy to just be quiet and play until we feel like rolling out of bed. As a parent you have to take responsibility for what you do, including getting sleep at night. It doesn't even appeal to me to stay up that late. Last night me and Ryan and Jason went down to the Potomac near the Lincoln Memorial after dropping the girls off at the house (on Capitol Hill) and stayed out until 3 AM. My wife is a blessed woman (but not just because she takes Macy downstairs so I can sleep longer, there are other reasons too). But, all in all, I don't have a desire to stay up that late ever again, seriously. I may stay up until 12:30 AM or 1 AM, but 4:30 AM? No, thanks!

Music and my madness

I was just thinking this morning about finishing a new Christian music mix and it took me back to high school. I grew up in a house that was filled with all kinds of music; no we weren't the von Trapp family after Maria came to live with us. My dad is very into collecting and listening to music. He's passed that passion (or what my wife would call a sickness) on to me.

I used to make these mix tapes back in high school for our youth group trips to wherever we went (Horseheads, NY, Canton, OH, Kittanning, PA, Indiana, PA, Philadelphia, PA, Manchester, NH, Harding University for Spring Sing, Ohio Valley College, etc.) My youth minister, Reid Moon, encouraged me so much during those years, but not just spiritually, also musically. He called me the DJ. DJ Jazzy Jeff. I was the oldest one after my sister went to Harding, so for three years I was also navigator. I sat shotgun at all times and played my music for the youth group.

Back in the day, most of my mixes were classic rock and even some pop, but never Christian music. I had Acapella and DC Talk, but that was it so far as Christian music was concerned. Reid fed my art of mix making and I'm still making mixes to this day. I just gave some of my friends a new mix cd when we met in Florida in June.

I think I make mixes out of love. When I think about why and who I've made mixes for it's always people I care about (girlfriends, friends, sister, brother, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, wife, daughter, etc.) I may not be able to paint a beautiful portrait, write a wonderful poem, or even write a fantastic song, but I can put together music I really enjoy and others may enjoy for others.

Thanks to Dad and Reid for your nurture of my love of music.

Gender Differences

I learned today that men, according to Eleanor Maccoby from Stanford, are predisposed to better spatial relationships. I would have to disagree, at least for me some of the time. Here are some reasons why I believe that spatial relationships are not my thing:

1. Sports - I never played baseball growing up, but I really enjoyed playing softball while at Harding. I was even lucky enough to be part of several 'A-team' championships in my day, and hit two homeruns in one of those games. I didn't start out so hot though. I began my college softball career in intramurals. I was assigned the outfield on my team during the fall of my freshman year. I'm not sure two balls were ever hit in my direction during my tenure in the outfield, but I'm sure that there was at least one. I heard the bat hitting the ball, I saw it come at me and I ran in to where I thought it would land. It was hit harder than I thought and I had to backpedal to catch it and as it came down I jumped and about did a backflip in my attempt. I ended up falling on my head and did not catch the ball. I knew that outfield was not for me. I ended up playing a lot of third base where it's all reaction. The ball comes so quick to you at third that you don't really have time to think about it (at least I never did).
My other story relating to softball comes from that same year when after I had joined my social club. I was trying out with all the other inductees and they had us shagging balls in the outfield and I caught it okay this time but when I attempted to throw it to another teammate I threw it over his head, over the fence, onto some railroad tracks. It was very embarrassing but it got me to the infield.

2. Video Games - I am awful at video games. Always have been. I especially suck at racing games, combat games, and sports games. What else is there? You can ask anyone who has ever played me, I can't win. I never really had video games growing up to practice on. We had a pong-type game, then I had this white handheld football game that I was really good at, then we moved to a Radio Shack computer (my favorite game on that system was Larry Bird V. Dr. J one-on-one), then I got a Playstation while in college, which is too late if you want to go pro in gaming.

3. Asking Directions - I know this is not spatial, but it could be I guess. I hate not knowing where I'm going, I get so anxious. I love planning ahead when it comes to going somewhere. I'll get my atlas out, go to AAA to get some more maps and use Mapquest as well.

Prayer

Macy and I got to spend some precious time together this morning before having some warm sweet rolls and OJ for breakfast. We talked about our dreams from last night (of course I made mine up, I hardly ever remember what I dream about, and when I do it's usually very weird and random), the baby growing in 'mamma's' tummy and prayer. How did prayer come up with a four year-old? One of our friends has been trying to get pregnant for a while now and just found out several days ago that she's indeed pregnant. I asked Macy if she had thanked God for answering our prayers. Just a few nights ago, this friends asked Erin to have Macy pray for her. We did and He listened. Isn't it so cool to be able to teach someone, especially your child, about the power of prayer? Awesome. Well, she did tell me that she and Erin did thank God for answering our prayers and petitions.

I am reminded of this time because the message this morning was on corporate prayer and I was asked to lead the prayer in my bible class this morning. It is so amazing how God makes an impact on our lives and teaches us a simple lesson of how to act like a child in regards to prayer. Ask and expect God to answer. There is more to teach Macy about prayer, but this lesson will suffice for the time being.

Thank You Lord for hearing the prayers of Your people. Help me to be a good example for Macy in the coming years, and not just in regards to prayer. Fill me up to overflowing so I may be poured out for my family.

Mowing the Grass

Being a homeowner for almost three years I have tried different methods of mowing my grass. I've done the straight across back and forth method, which works very well I'll admit. I've tried the round and round method, which is much harder to do well. The best looking results come from the diagonal method. I envision being a groundskeeper down at Turner Field, or up at Yankee Stadium, or out in Wrigley Field. I cut it nice and trim and it looks amazing from my back patio. Of course my yard is a little less than 1/4 of an acre, so it takes me about 30 minutes to push my 6.5 hp mower (yeah, I got the big one, even though I have a tiny yard) around and complete the job, but boy does it look good. I know it looks better than any yard in my neighborhood. I'm sure it even looks better than yours! I thought all this as I sat down after getting a McDonald's ice cream cone, I live about a mile from the nearest one (I like to treat myself after a job well done). What am I saying? Nothing. Thanks for stopping by my blog though :)

Does anyone else feel that way about their lawn? Seriously, I was in awe of the job I did. If I didn't have a great job I might just apply for that groundskeepers job down at Turner Field. I would say that I'd move back to Pittsburgh and work for the Pirates organization and manicure the lawns at PNC Park, but they'll be done in September, the Braves have a chance of making it to the end of October every year. That's just the way the cookies crumble.

Baby number 2. This was at Erin's appointment on Monday. Macy's sonogram is so weak compared to this one. You can actually see a HUGE head, arms, legs, etc. Isn't it wild? I'm so excited and thankful to God for his answer to prayers. 

Ft. Walton Beach Fun...We had a great time together at Short's Condo at the beginning of June. Thanks for everything Short. Guys, it was a blast, see you all in ATL this fall! 

Competition, NBA Finals and Philip

I found myself watching the NBA Finals last night through the end of regulation and overtime. I really enjoyed it, but ask me if I've seen a regular season game this year and you'd get a 'No! I can't stand the NBA!' But with the thought of win or be done for the season, in this case win and be champs, lose and get second place, I can't wait until game 6 tomorrow night. I don't have a favorite between San Antonio and Detroit, but I hope Detroit wins game 6 to force a game 7. Why? Competition is like a second skin for most men. We live for it.
Our sermon this week at my church was about competition (Fathers Day). Our preacher gave us a challenge, be more like Philip, one of the Seven from Acts 6 and Acts 21.

Acts 6
1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

5This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

He was known as a servant and was chosen as one of the Seven to take care of the physical needs of those around the church.

Acts 21
8Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

Anyways, that's what we need more of, leaders and individuals who are willing to serve others, but not for their own glory, for the glory of Him. It not only will affect them, but their family and all those around them. Very cool.

Georgia State University

1. What makes someone wear a Che Guevara t-shirt to class? What are they stating? Or a Malcolm X t-shirt?
2. It's amazing how many cell phones you see when you walk down the street at a city university. I couldn't believe it when I started to notice everyone talking on their cell phone, to who?
3. What's up with wearing thongs (flip-flops) to a college class? Are they that comfortable? I won't even wear them at the beach. I don't own a single pair of thongs, and I won't!
4. Patty Loveless v. Grits
Ten years ago I would've thrown Mountain Soul out the window while driving down the highway. Now I love bluegrass. But I also love hip-hop. I just got the new Grits album Dichotomy A from a giftcard from one of my students. I listen to Kenny Chesney, Jack Johnson, Led Zeppelin (but not in the house because Erin thinks it's evil), Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, Andrew Peterson, Third Day, Chris Tomlin, Hootie and the Blowfish, Counting Crows, U2, old Hip-Hop like DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Beastie Boys, etc. Sorry I'm so weird. I don't like Wilco though, which everyone seems to like. I don't know where I'm going with this, sorry.
5. Why are there so many Bush-haters out there? I normally don't come in contact with any in my daily life, until I come down to Ga. State. Little comments are made, most often by a professor, but sometimes by classmates at how Bush is an idiot. Today my professor was showing a clip of 'Little Albert' from psychologist John Watson from 1919. There was a monkey in the silent film and my professor says, "I think he voted for Bush." Real funny!

I'm here at Ga. State working on my Specialist degree in Education focusing on leadership. I earned (I don't say received here because I really did earn it) in Educational Leadership a little over a year ago and decided to continue my education so at the end I would be Jeff Harsh, Ed. S. instead of Jeff Harsh M. Ed. Who cares? Well my paycheck for one cares. I should have 5 more courses left after these summer courses to complete my degree and hopefully never come back!

Psalm 23 and Comfort

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.

2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

4 Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You welcome me as a guest, anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

That Psalm has provided comfort for thousands of years and now it comforts me. I lost my first student yesterday in an automobile accident. I had him almost three years ago, when he was in 6th grade. He was a good math student, and he enjoyed playing on the JV baseball team. His mother is a Christian and his father a Muslim. I'm not sure where that puts him. He was only 13 years old. His mother is still in ICU from the accident. I really don't know what to say right now. I'm in shock.

Father, I ask that You give some peace and comfort to his family. Surround them with believers that have the right words to say, or not say.

Career Change?

So I opened up the free New York Times this morning that I took from the College of Ed. Building down at Ga. State last night as I was leaving class and I see all the headlines of the sports page. I meander through the whole section and get to page D10 and right next to the story about the new AFL champs the Colorado Crush, who beat the Georgia Force on Sunday afternoon, I see the scoreboard. In most papers this includes really, really small font of the winners and losers and records of the NBA, MLS, AFL, College Baseball, transactions in MLB, WNMA, Tennis, and finally the list of winners in Auto Racing, Horse Racing and Golf. They not only tell you who won, but also how much they won. Get this:

Pocono 500 (which I'll admit I watched the last 50 laps of)
1. Carl Edwards, Ford, $196,150
2. Brian Vickers, Chevrolet, $169,275
3. Joe Nemechek, Chev., $145,358
Etc. all the way down to #43. G. Sacks, Dodge, $58,394. Dude only finishes 12 laps, he overheats, and he gets more in those twelve laps than I do in a year. What's that about? I gotta find myself a new occupation. If you see me out on I-85 watch out. I'’m starting to '‘train' for NASCAR.

Booz Allen Classic (Golf)
1. Sergio Garcia (-13), $900,000
2. Davis Love III (-12), $373,333.34
3. Ben Crane (-12), $373,333.33
4. Adam Scott (-12), $373,333.33
Etc. all the way down to the last eight guys who finished even and got $11,812.50. That's still a nice payday.

LPGA Championship
1. Annika Sorenstam (-11), $270,000
2. Michelle Wie (-8) nothing (she'’s an amateur)
3. Paula Creamer (-6) $140,517
Etc. all the way down to the last four who each finished at a +5 and got $8383. That'’s still nothing to snub your nose at. I'’d take it in a flash.

So what am I saying? I'’m going into professional sports. That Michelle Wie girl needs to head pro. Please girl, bring home the paycheck for working so hard and earn the big bucks. One more thing, does anyone else see the gigantic chasm between what Sergio earned for his couple rounds of golf and what Annika earned? Me neither, never mind.

Me and Simon

I'm not talking about Simon Says or the popular game in the mid 80's Simon. I'm talking about the infamous (infamous means this guy El Guapo, is not just famous, he is in-famous. He's probably the biggest actor to ever come out of Mexico) Pharisee named Simon. The following is what I penned as I sat during a sermon today at my church:

How often do I feel like Simon? Where I feel very little forgiven and therefore I love very little. I feel that I really don't need forgiven of much because I've tried to live a good life. But, if I would really think about it, I've had a sin-filled life.
Just like the sinful woman in Luke 7, those that have lived a hard life love better because they've been forgiven of much. I think of those in the popular culture like Stephen Baldwin, Ma$e, leadsinger of Day of Fire, leadsinger of Seventh Day Slumber, etc. These people have lived on the other side and they have come to know Christ as their savior just recently.

I never lived on the other side. I'm good. I do good things. I go on mission trips. I teach at a Christian school. I am faithful to my wife and care for my child. I don't go out drinking or gambling. Why do I need forgiveness? Why did Christ die for me? I'm not filthy? Am I? Yes, I am. I fall short of the glory of God and need to be washed of my sins. I am more like Simon than I will admit (although I'm admitting a lot right now.)

God, give me the grace to know that I am in need of your mercy and I was the reason Your son had to give his own life so I could be bought.

I Believe and Marvin Phillips

I was listening to a new Third Day song entitled 'I Believe' and what Marvin Phillips, our guest speaker during Family Bible Week at Campus, was hitting home during our last session together on Wednesday night. Here are the lyrics to 'I Believe':

Give me something that I can believe and then I'll
Share it with the world for everyone to see
Take away the darkness, all the pain and sadness
I know it's you that put this light inside of me

I believe in a faith that's strong
I believe in a hope that carries on
I believe in these things and more
Most of all, most of all
I believe in love

If I had the strength to move a mountain
Would you be amazed by all of my abilities
I guess it would not mean much if I didn't have love
And this is what I really want you all to see

That's what it's all about. No matter what your church does to help others find the kingdom of heaven, love is the key. Soup Kitchen Sunday, great, but love. Summer Camp Getaway, great, but love. 12 Step programs, love. Divorce groups, great, love. Inner-city service, great, love! Whatever you are involved in, it won't last unless love is the key. Thanks Marvin for your great heart and thanks Third Day for this song. And thank your Lord for putting these two together in my mind.

Six Flags Over Georgia

I to spend today with Erin, Macy, and one of my Nephews at Six Flags here in Atlanta. I've never been to an amusement park with a three year-old and a four year-old before but it was a blast. I was worried that one of them would get scared and the other one would feed off that fear. They did feed off each other, but it was not fear, it was excitement.

You ever been around someone that was very negative and you caught that bug too? I believe we all have, it's called peer pressure. Or someone is making fun of another person and you jump in with an insult too? The inverse is true as well. Joy is contagious too. So go spread some joy!

We left the park today very tired but knowing that we had a fun day together as a family. We didn't ride the biggest rides but we did have a great time together.