A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

Donald Miller’s book is great for writers and readers alike. As an aspiring writer, I found his insight very helpful. Not only do his writings refer to writing better stories on paper but he also talks about how he wrote a better story for himself and how you can too. Follow Don on his character transformation journey as he edits his life for the big screen and ends up editing his life for real. And we learn with him what makes a story and a life meaningful. As a Christian, I found Don’s writings of life as a story and God as the author of all of our stories and lives refreshing. I am sure that you will be moved as I was by his book.

P.S. Comment on this post and include your name and email address in the body of the comment to enter in a drawing for a free copy of this book on Saturday. Good luck and spread the word. (By the way, when you include your name you will be automatically subscribed to receive email updates from my blog. You will receive a confirmation email and are free to accept or decline.)

The County Fair

My dad and I went to the fair last night. It's become a tradition that we go every year. The strange thing about county fairs is they can be characterized by five things you normally try to avoid. One, Screaming. Two, Manure. Three, Grease. Four, Ex-cons (or current ones). Five, Dishonesty. I for one enjoy the fair either despite or possibly because of these things. I don't like to ride the rides they have so, instead I watch other poor souls climb aboard the death traps. We usually stand far enough away not to be sprayed with puke or carnage. I always look for the "Oh Crud" moment. First you see everyone excited and happy in line. Then and they take their seats and are strapped in by the con- I mean machine operator their excitement begins to wane and the were happy conversations turn to nervous chatter. And the moment before the operator throws the switch their faces turn a shade or two lighter and there is no more talking unless they're begging to get off (On one ride we watched this teenager at the last moment cried out that she wanted her mom but it was too late and the machine began its course.). On the ride everyone screams, believes that the car they're in is going to fly off the tracks, and I'm sure a few have found Jesus on one of those terrifying rides. I stand contentedly on the ground through all of this and smile and wave to the survivors as they disembark. But now we shall move on. The manure from the show cows and pony ride ponies doesn't really bother me because I have horses and I guess I've built up an immunity to the smell but I listed it because I know that it must bother some people. You can smell the grease from a half a mile away. It may be hazard to your health and come from the unknown but the greasy, fried things they stuff down your throat at the fair are worth the risk I suppose. A corn dog and french fries are about the healthiest main course you can find. And if you have a "hankering" for anything battered and deep fried (Or if you wish to have heart attack with every bite) you can find the food for you at the fair. The list includes deep fried candy bars, dough, cheese cake, and even the butter is battered and fried. I won't talk about the convicts any more. And I will not talk about the freak shows because I don't go through those. Just seeing the posters for the people and animals they display (or in my opinion exploit) make me sad and sick to my stomach. Have you ever noticed that almost no one ever wins the games at the fair? I'll point out one in particular that is especially crooked. The basket ball hoop game. The hoop is the key to the charade. It's not a round, regulation hoop. It's oval in shape. But when you see it from the angle they place you at it appears to be totally normal. It is not impossible to score you just have to be alot more acurate. It must be a "nothing but net" shot. I admit that I still enjoy the fair but mostly because of its more understated activities like looking at the exhibits, 4-H petting zoo, looking at all of the winning fair entries, and watching the cattle or sheep shows. I hope that you have a great time the next time you're at the fair and tell me what your favorite fair food is!

As I Walk By The Lake In My Dreams - a Poem

Yesterday afternoon I was tired so, I took a nap in the living room and I had a dream. Because of my over active imagination matched with being cooped up inside due to the rain means that I read and write alot more than usual and so, my dream ended up being turned into a poem. I hope that you enjoy reading is as I enjoyed participating in the dream and writing it down.

I fell asleep only to awake
And find myself walking down the shore of a lake

A dragon then rises from his stream bed
Water like jewels his back does shed

I begin to turn away as reality calls me from the scene
When a pair of sea turtles intervene

Flapping their flippers they fly
Their green coloring I happen to spy

One after the other
They flew over my shoulder

The leader gives me a wink and I waved
A spot in my heart this dream land has saved

TIME For Kids: President Obama

I was pleasantly surprised by TIME For Kids: President Obama. As someone who is not infatuated with President Obama I was afraid that the book would sing his praises on every page and have little to no facts. I was happy when I began reading and found that the book was full of so many wonderful facts and pictures. The images go perfectly with what the book is saying and the book features tons of fun facts about President Obama. It also talks about his family, his daily schedule, the jobs that come with the presidency, past presidents, the White House, important people in Washington, and lots of other things besides. This is a great book for children and adults! I'm sure everyone who reads this will learn something new!

A Bit Of My Politics

I admit that, as people, President Obama and I would probably get along pretty well. I could see my family inviting his over for dinner or the other way around. I'm sure that he is a loving husband and caring father and I admire his accomplishments. It's when it comes to politics and morals that I begin to have problems with Obama. I abhor the fact that abortions are legal at all. And don't even try to give me the whole "choice" speech! Who gives the baby (that is what it is, a human being with rights from the very beginning,) the choice to live? I would love to give Obama the benefit of the doubt and say that he makes the choice to support this horrible practice because of ignorance but, I'm afraid that's not the case. I feel that he knows but chooses to disrespect the most basic of human rights which is the right to life. So, to put this in the strongest of terms: Barack Husein Obama has the blood of thousands of innocent children on his hands. When he dies he will have to answer to God (whether he believes he exists or not) for these murders. And if he happens to accept Jesus into his heart to save him he will reach heaven and have to face all the children who never got the chance to live on earth. I also find it hard to believe that Obama's health care reform plan will solve anything. He is preaching change when this exact (or close to exact) same plan has been placed in other countries and failed. What kind of change is that? (I don't think the the old saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again." really applies to this.) Once again I would like to be able to blame this lack of insight on ignorance but again I don't think that is the case. Obama is a man with a plan -or agenda- and is very intelligent. In a way I respect him for his cunning and use of strategy. He is a masterful illusionist, well trained in the art of slight of hand. Always keeping his audience watching one political move (typically of little consequence) at the same time he pushes his next big object on the agenda. With the right mindset Obama would have made a wonderful president. He is already well educated, admirable, intelligent, a great speaker, and very convincing. But, in my opinion he's not putting those gifts to the best use. It seems that he does all of this with selfish motives; fame, power, etc. (Really it would be tough not to run for president without having those at least in the back of your mind.) Now, just imagine if he decided to give all of the glory to God, if he used the Bible to help make his choices, prayed to God to know what to say, and humbled himself enough to give it all over to Christ. How amazing would that be to have a humble, caring president who was concerned not just for himself, his agenda, and his own popularity, but a president who cared what God thought first and cared more about others than himself? I have only covered a tenth of what I would have liked to cover and not in as much detail as I want to provide, but I hope that this will help others understand my point of view. By the way, I would like to mention that I wrote this without once calling Obama or his supporters names or making a big deal out of race. I will end this without name calling but now I will mention race. I'm not even going to go back to his half white heritage but I would like to point out that we are all really one race and we are all equal. The human race is made up of many beautiful colors, shades, and variations. And the last time that I checked the most important parts of a person were their mind and soul and those are not affected by the amount of melanin in your skin.
Once again I welcome you to comment though there are some regulations. All comments are moderated and if they include foul language, name calling, etc. your comment will not be published.

Music

I love music, though probably not with the passion that some people I know do. In this department of expression I have varying tastes. Even though most if not all of my music falls under the "Christian" genre the styles can be very different. From the bubbly techno of Owl City to the rock sound of Skillet to the punk pop of Hawk Nelson and many other artists and bands between. But what does God have to say about music? the Bible actually has a lot to say about music in specific and there are also other verses to help us with our choice of music. Exodus 15:2 says, "The LORD is my strength and my song..." Plus seeing as god made us to love him and glorify him shouldn't the music we make and listen to do the same? When I', shopping for music I find it helpful to keep Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things." Are the lyrics I'm listening to telling me the truth? Are they noble? Is listening to is the right thing to do? Is the sound of it lovely? Is it admirable? Is it excellent and praiseworthy in the eyes of the LORD? I am personally trying to hold all of my music choices to such a standard. I'm not putting down other peoples styles of music. I am just saying that in my opinion the old saying "You are what you eat." applies to music. If I subject my mind and emotions to "angry" or "sad" music for the majority of the time it will begin to effect my emotions. Soon I'll be angrier or more sad inside and I don't want that to happen to me. When I listen to music I want it to be singing praises to God, lifting my spirits, or causing me to dwell on God's beautiful creation. A last thought to remember is that God loves the music we make. He loves the individuality and creativity that he instilled in us. So, we should use it. He has given us plenty of inspiration (for examples please see: The account of creation, other books of the Bible, Psalms, stars, eyes, skin, bones, the way the human brain works, animals, spiders, grass, flowers, etc.) Go and use the gifts that God has given you and see what great things will happen. I encourage you to comment, add to this, criticize this post, or share personal experiences related to this by commenting.

Fearless by Max Lucado

Fearless is an easy read because of Max Lucado's writing style. The best way to describe how he writes is by saying that he writes the way you would think he would talk to you in person. Everything is brought together and explained well. Not only are the words placed just so. There is actually truth behind the words (which is getting continually harder to find these days). Everything that Max Lucado covers in his book is real stuff. Each chapter addresses a different real fear that we face and how we can use scripture to combat those fears and defeat them. After reading Fearless I am moved to make changes in my life that will help me fear less and rely more on God for the courage He provides.

Faces In The Fire by T.L. Hines

Faces In The Fire by T.L. Hines is a thrilling suspense novel with a story of restoration. It is well written in a unique narrative style and with an equally unique storyline. T.L. Hines takes you through the life journeys of four seemingly unrelated characters. Their lives are all connected and bettered by two supernatural common denominators, a catfish and a list of numbers. At first glance, even the numbered chapters don't seem to relate because they're jumbled and in the wrong sequence. However, in the end, everything is masterfully brought together. Faces In The Fire is a book that I really enjoyed and recommend.

My Horseback Prayer

Every time I find myself on the back of a horse I realize how blessed I am. I'm thankful and I am suddenly filled with prayer. My prayers usually begin by thanking God for the horse I'm riding, the opportunities He has given me, and for His wonderful creation. If you want to see a really great example of God's handiwork take a look at a horse. I'm filled with awe by the fact that I can even touch -let alone ride- a horse. A horse is 800 to 1200 pounds of muscle. But look closer and you will see that they balance themselves perfectly on four comparatively tiny and delicate legs which are founded on amazing hooves. The fact that God allows us to have dominion over such majestic creatures is awesome. When I ride bareback and can feel the muscles rippling as we ride and I feel the wind in my hair I think about just how cool the relationship between me and my horse is. You could also look at the unbroken horse and compare it to yourself. You are the horse and Jesus is the trainer. The trainer goes to the auctions and sees a distrusting and abused horse in the barn. One buyer wants to buy the horse for slaughter to make a quick buck but the trainer decides he'll buy that horse whatever the price to give him the opportunity to choose life rather than death. He bids and bids and pays all he has. When the trainer goes to get the horse from the field the horse runs away. Once caught the horse fights to get away but the trainer is strong and doesn't let go. The trainer takes the horse to the ring and lunges him (runs the horse in circles basically). At first the horse is looking out of the ring and searching for a way out but the gate is closed and only the trainer can open it. The horse begins to soften and relax. He is growing accustomed to the trainers presence and feels safer around him because he doesn't attack or hurt him but instead is speaking soothing words. The horse lowers his head and opens and closes his mouth to show his submission. He's ready to cooperate. The trainer says, "whoa" and lets the horse stop and invites him closer. The horse follows willingly. The trainer introduces the saddle and bridle and explains that they are to be the horse's burden and guidance. The trainer places the saddle on the horse's back and the bit in his mouth. The horse thinks they're strange but decides that the trainer knows best. The trainer gets on and they begin their relationship. The trainer opens the gate and together they begin the journey towards his father's house.

Tea Party Rally Saturday, September the 12th

My father is chartering a bus in Walton county to go to the march on Washington. "Help us tell Congress, the President & the bureaucrats in Washington that we want our country back. They work for us, not the other way around. We are tired of the 'march toward socialism,' the out-of-control spending & the total disregard for our Constitution!!" The bus will leave Loganville at about 1:00pm 9/11 and will return to Loganvill the following Sunday afternoon. The total estimated cost for your seat on the bus and a 2 nights stay (double occupancy) at the Marriott Residence Inn is $295. You will be responsible for your meals and snacks. To reserve your seat on the bus contact: Charlie Eavenson 770-815-6028 or charlie@homegoldrealty.com