Major Milestone Realized

With great enthusiasm, relief, and exhalation, we have finally reached a goal that began nearly 7 years ago while on staff with New Beginnings Community Church in Memphis.

Over the weekend, in the presence of many friends and relatives, I took my ordination vows and formally became an ordained pastor. There were many highlights to the weekend:

• being with friends and family who were willing to travel hundreds of miles to be celebrate with us


• an incredible party, with incredible food--beef tenderloin, crab cakes (that someone said were like a. . .well nevermind, they were really good), jumbo shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed potatos, marinated chicken skewers, Corky's ribs, etc., etc. at our home that was facilitated by folks from our church and friends we have made in the community. To top it off, our good friend from the community provided a fabulous chocolate cake with chocolate and coffee flavored butter filling.


• a beautifully orchestrated worship service that featured our good friend, Claudia Wootton, leading a very talented worship team.


• breaking bread and serving communion for the first time

I really stand in awe at what it took for God to sustain us through the entire process and to bring us to this point. I can genuinely say that I eagerly look forward to ministering the gospel of the kingdom in the community he sends us to.

For those of you that have been along for any part of the ride, thank you for your encouragement, prayers, and support.

The Greater Hope--And on Prime Time TV!

It has been a little busy around here. Last week I fell and sprained my wrist and bruised some ribs, had my phone/PDA stolen and all of my contacts erased, got a ticket for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, watched as my 4-year old West fell from the kitchen table and split open his nostril while trying to play Tarzen on the blinds' cord, missed a $150 check on my checking account causing 6 overdrawn charges of $35 from 6 cups of coffee at $1.75 each from Starbuck's, caught the flu and was laid out for a few days, fought with my wife and felt a great distance for 3 days, escorted a neighborhood friend of my children back to his father and mother to apologize profusely for the cuts on his black eye from the pounding he took from one of my sons, and took a verbal lashing from a guy at Home Depot who when I calmly asked which checkout line he was standing in, angrily replied, "WHICHEVER LINE COMES OPEN FIRST!"

I tell you this less to receive your empathy, although I wouldn't reject it, and more to give you something to laugh about. For the reality is, and this is NOT rhetoric, all of the above seemed less hopeless after I witnessed the following clip on UTube taken from an E.R. episode.

You will be amazed at what NBC allowed to be viewed during Prime Time on national TV. You will be even more amazed at the fact that you know there is an answer to this desperate man's plight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNuSBGa1mLM