Please do not forget about the service time changes starting this Sunday (December 2nd, 2007) at South Florence Baptist Church.

Sunday School @ 8:45 AM
Worship @ 10:00 AM

Click here for directions.

Why don't we dream big?

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,"   --Ephesians 3:20

So many times, we I doubt what God is capable of doing. Not exactly sure why... but I do.

Susanne and I have been praying that God will make it clear about a core group of people to be a part of our church plant.

I found myself praying...

"Father in Heaven, how in the world are we going to find 4-6 couples that have the same core values as us that would be willing to do what it takes to build Your Church?"

D. A. (No, that is not me calling myself a cuss word, just an inside joke... means "Duh!!!!")

"God has it all rigged!" --Sam Cathey

Maybe I need to stop looking "in the world" for the couples. My God is out of this world and He owns the world and all that is in it! If he intends for us to have 4-6 strong couples to plant a church, God will send them!

"Father in Heaven, I pray right now that you would begin to prepare the hearts of the couples you have lined up for Your core group"

Ok, time to dream big!

"God, I am trusting in You to send us 6 or more couples for this church plant. Dino told us it would be very good to get 4 couples; but 6 would be great!

From Day One, I have prayed that our church will be GREAT... not just good.

"Good is the ENEMY of GREAT!!!" --Jim Collins

I pray that we will "unlock a move of God no one thought possible"

Almost as funny as this one!

(tip: Derek Brown)

Today while Paw-Paw and I were putting up mom's Christmas Tree, my daughter decided to show her entrepreneur side of her personality...

She had to make some money to get a gift for her dad, of course...

She invested no money...
Got raw materials from the grandparents (free)...
Set up a lemonade stand in the kitchen...
Sold the finished product (Grape Lemonade - recipe courtesy of Biltmore Estates) to the grandparents for a quarter a glass!

That's my girl!!!

$10.25!!!

Probably more than you really wanted to know... 
(Found this on Ken Wilson's site)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
   Chief Ford
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
   Butter Pecan Peanut Butter
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
   C-Ree
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
   Green Elephant
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
   Lynn Lancaster
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
   Reech
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
   The Grey Green Tea
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
   Fulton Henry
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
   Cool Water Snickers
10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names )
    Allen Lynn
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
    Steel Santee
12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
    Fall Lantana
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
    Orange Underoosie (Boxers or Briefs... I'm not telling)
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
    Coffee Dogwood
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
    The Blogging Cool Breeze Tour

I am tagging: Susanne Reeder, Jay Hardwick, Dean Lisenby, Jeffery Allen, & Priscilla Russell

If you are planning on going to "THE GAME" on Saturday...

What game you ask... (You must not be from South Carolina)

The Carolina/ ClemPson game.
(And yes, Carolina = South Carolina Gamecocks... not the Tar Heels)

Anyway...

At 5:00 p.m. ET in Columbia, SC: Huckabee joins supporters and 16-time World Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, The Nature Boy Ric Flair, for a tailgate party in stadium lot spaces 433-434, located just outside the West Entrance to Williams Brice Stadium before the game. He will also be attending the game.

If you are going to be there; I encourage you to stop by and chat with him and The Nature Boy!

Woooooooooooooo!!!! (in my best Ric Flair voice)

First Chuck Norris... Now The Nature Boy!!! Who is next Mike? John Boy and Billy?

As many of you already know, I really like Mike Huckabee for President!

After seeing this ad, I like him even more!

(Link to video here)

Chuck Norris is the man! Glad he is on our side!

"Wanna secure the borders... two words... Chuck Norris"

"There is not a chin behind Chuck Norris' beard... Only another fist"

"When Chuck does a pushup, he is not lifting himself up, he is pushing the earth down"

-- Thanks to Jason Powell and Dean Lisenby for sending this my way... It made my day!

What kinda mood am I in today after our awesome weekend (see here and here)?

My play list should tell ya... (no la-la stuff today!)

1. Beheaded - Demon Hunter with The Agony Scene
2. Face - Norma Jean
3. A Broken Upper Hand - Demon Hunter
4. The Changing Of Times - Underoath
5. The Corporate Enthusiast - Dead Poetic
6. Symbiotic - Living Sacrifice
7. Resistance - Zao
8. Abandoned - Soul Embraced
9. My Heartstring Come Undone - Demon Hunter
10. Only Our Faces Hide - Beloved

Today has truly been a blessing. Spending time with the greatest, gal in the entire world! (Not to mention, one HOT Mama!!)

Lunch at Smoke on the Water...
Walked around at Falls Park and the Liberty Bridge...
Found a nice swing and sat with the one I love the most and talked...
and talked...
and talked...
Came back to the hotel and started to work...
We had serious prayer time...
Then started the Church Planters application...

We made it a little over half way, and our eyes started getting heavy. Can you say nap time???

After nap, went to the Overlook Grill... Can you say... "Shrimp and Grits"??

Remember the swing (above)... we visited it again... talked and talked some more...

It had to be the perfect date.

On the way back to the hotel, we got some Starbucks... Sorry Perry, I could not bring myself to get the Pumpkin Spice Latte... No matter how awesome you say it was!

Now as I write this... I am watching Clemson play Boston College and actually pulling for them. I feel like Alden Ellis... Wouldn't it be better for the Gamecocks to beat the ACC Champs (Clemson) than some scrub Clemson team?!

Well.. this day is still not over... More questions to answer on the application. I will share more about the answers to those questions over the next months... It will show and reveal the vision God has placed in Susanne and me.

Man... tomorrow... we get to attend two growing churches!!!

Looking forward to it!

Time to get back to work, and then catch some zzz's.

Why did we come to Greenville, SC for the weekend? Because we could not get a room in Anderson, SC. Seriously! Clemson is playing Boston College tomorrow.

In case you have not been following this blog or this one... God has called Susanne and I to plant a church in Florence, SC.

There is a lot of prayer, work, and decisions that need to be made over the next months. We knew that we needed a weekend to spend together to kick things off the right way. We have decided to go through the Church Multiplication department of the SC Baptist Convention. They have a lengthy application with very direct questions. We both knew that we would need to spend time in prayer to answer them...

We thought... what better way to launch the launch... than to go back to where God placed the call on our lives... Anderson, SC.

Today will be a time of prayer and work. We plan on mixing in  a little fun as well... Trio Cafe and Over Look Grill are in the plans, too (Thanks Jay for the recommendations).

Tomorrow... Going to NewSpring to worship at the 11:15 Service.
Tomorrow night... We have plans to check out MidTown in Columbia, SC.

NewSpring is where our adventure started 8 months ago...
MidTown's ministry is very similar to the call that God placed on our lives.

The weekend is just getting started... And YES... we woke up at 8:00 with no kids...

We will share how God is moving this weekend... Stay tuned for more...

Susanne and I are in the great city of Greenville, SC this weekend for a get-a-way.

No worries...
No times to be anywhere...
No Kids...

Well... Almost. We got checked into the hotel and wanted to get some good grub (food). Carrabba's.. here we come (we don't have one in Flo-Town).

While waiting to graze (outside in the cold)... we have a surreal moment. A dad came out of the restaurant carrying (well, actually she was flung across his right shoulder) a SCREAMMING 4-5 YEAR OLD GIRL!!!  Kicking and screaming is more like it...

SCREAMING... "I Don't Want No Butter! I Don't Want No Butter!". Mom was walking far behind them to the car. This kid would not stop. Evidently, they had gotten up and left their food. As the kid kept screaming and the parents kept coming in and took turns watching the kid scream outside.

It made me so sad... not that the kid needed a spanking... but that the parents were not even trying to correct the child.  That kid was literally crying out for parents who would step up to the plate and PARENT...not just run and hide in embarrassment.  Susanne and I literally watched the whole thing with our mouths wide open...amazed that this kind of thing actually happens...

So, here I am now... stuffed from the Chicken Trio... Writing this post sippin' some Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

Why did we come to Greenville? Stay tuned... more to come later.

Howard Allen, my Pastor, has been elected as president of the South Carolina Baptist Pastor's Conference.

Read full article here.

Way to go man... I am proud of you!

Ya gotta be kidding me!!! Only FOUR MORE EPISODES of Heroes before re-runs!!!

This "writers' strike" stinks! According to TV Guide, the December 3rd episode has been reworked to possibly serve as the season finale...

Visit here for a complete list of show's that are going in the dark soon.

Man... this stinks... Did I already say that this stinks?

FOUR more Heroes! What are we going to talk about on Tuesday Mornings...

Someone... Please say it ain't so!!!

First 10 shuffled songs on the iPod...

1. Crazy Mary - FM Static
2. A Shame - Pillar
3. Wish You Well - Thousand Foot Krutch
4. Twenty Three - Project 86
5. Worth It All - Disciple
6. Hurt - Thousand Foot Krutch
7. Little Green Men - Project 86
8. I'm For You - TobyMac
9. Grey - Barlow Girl
10. So I Thought - FlyLeaf

Maybe one day I will post a "one cool cat" video in honor of Craig Groeschel