Beach Vacation

Just got back from a week at the beach with my family. Spent the week in a house in Surfside Beach, SC with no wireless access. And I made no effort to find any.

Here are a few observations I had as we vacationed:

As I took my pale body out to the beach every day (I even had a poor farmer's tan), I realized I'll never have a great tan. When you serve on the staff at a Baptist church, you'll never have a good, all over tan unless:
You have some color in your heritage, your ancestry- if so, that's a great thing.
You spend hours in a tanning bed- that's not the most manly thing ever.
You spend tons of time on the golf course or on a boat at the lake- you should be at work more often.

Those "Bridge Ices Before Road" signs throughout South Carolina make me smile when it's 85+ degrees in May.

I often think of all the cities and towns we pass through on our way to the beach (Columbia, Florence, Conway) as "near the beach" but the people who live there probably make it to the beach no more often than I make it to the mountains.

As always, there were several overgrown, beefy guys trying to attract girls at the beach. If they really wanted to meet girls they should hang out with our almost 2-year old son. He was very popular with the ladies.

This week, I'll post some of my notes from the recent Innovate Conference.

Happy Together

Join us on Sunday as we start a new series in Bible Fellowship about the relationships in our lives.

Fun on Friday- Questions About Sports

NBA- Why is it that every drive for Lebron James or Kobe Bryant ends up as an easy basket and/or with them going to the foul line for free throws? If your team is playing the Cavaliers or the Lakers and the game is close with only seconds left to play, if Lebron or Kobe have the ball in their hands, your team will lose.

NHL- I understand the reasoning behind the empty net at the end of a hockey game as the losing team wants an additional skater/potential scorer on the ice. But really, how many times have you seen this work?

MLB- Why don't they just release the names of the "clean" guys? Let us know who we can feel relatively comfortable cheering for.

On Display

This time of year, the window in my office has a different "look" to it. It's something about the way the light hits the window in the mornings, but the reflection often attracts some birds. Apparently, they must see their reflection and think they can stop by and visit with a friend. What they don't realize is that I can sit there and watch them. Every strut and preen and every puffed out chest is on display. I can watch their every move. And they have no idea.

The same holds true in our lives. The way we interact with our spouse and children, the thoughts and content of every Facebook post, how we treat the grumpy cashier at the grocery store, it's all out there for everyone to see.

Here's The Point: My life is on display. So is yours. However, we often don't realize it. People are watching us. We should conduct ourselves in such a way that others will see our "good works" and glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).

Fun on Friday- Things I Wonder About

Why is the parking lot at McKay's book store always full? Always. Why is that?

Does the SPF number on sunscreen really matter or is it all about how often you apply the sunscreen, no matter the SPF number?

I like Coke Zero as well as the next guy but is there anybody out there who thinks Coke Zero really tastes like Coke?

Why is there never an umbrella in my car when I need one?

Why is it that I can never get my yard mowed and trimmed in the same day?

I wonder.

Anything you wonder about?

No Comparison

We all knew people like them. They were the people who seemed to be perfect at everything. Remember the guy in high school who excelled in 3 sports AND was a great singer AND he made good grades even though he never studied. Remember the girl who was homecoming queen AND played basketball AND was the valedictorian. You really wanted to not like her but she was so stinking nice that you couldn't help but like her. These seemingly "perfect" people appeared to have it all and many times you felt as if you didn't measure up.

Now, as adults, we still find it easy to want to compare ourselves to others. Many people want to find favorable comparisons (type of care they drive; where they live) to make themselves feel better. Sometimes people compare so that they can judge others (Jesus said not to do that in Matthew 7). When we learn to be happy where we are, being who we are, as God made us, we'll find true joy.

Here's The Point: The sooner we stop comparing ourselves to others, the healthier and happier we'll be.

Great Information for Prospective Home Buyers

If you are planning to buy a house or know someone who is, it would be worth your time to check out the link below to an article (12 Things to Know Before Buying a House) from Threads Media. Threads is the young adult arm of LifeWay Christian Resources.

http://threadsmedia.com/life/article/12-things-to-know-before-buying-a-house/