AJ

Polar Plunge

2011-01-30T13:16:00.002-06:00

I spent this past Weekend at Weevil Pond on the UAM campus. First off to support my friends Jason and Karen Caldwell who did a 24 hour Super Plunge for Special Olympics. They set a goal and met that goal to Plunge in the cold pond every hour for 24 hours. I then joined them on the last plunge "in costume". Let me tell you that the sun was shinning, and it was perfect weather, but that water was still cold. I don't see how Jason and Karen did for 24 times, I could barely stand one time. But it was all for a great cause, Special Olympics is near and dear to my heart. Around $10,000 was raised for Special Olympics of Arkansas Area 12. Check out the video below, Jason, Karen, and I were the first ones to plunge.

Polar Bear Plunge with Everyone from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

Christmas through the eyes of a child

2010-12-30T08:32:00.003-06:00

I love Christmas, always have. But I love it even more today now that I can see Christmas through the eyes of my Little Buddy. He was so excited when he sent his email to Santa with his wish list of toys. But he was even more excited when I told him that Santa sent him an email video back. Watch the video below as Little Buddy watches that video for the first time. (Just click on the picture to start)

Email Video From Santa from AJ Huffman on Vimeo.

Weekend with the Little Buddy

2010-11-04T10:30:00.006-05:00

A few weeks ago I got the chance to pick my son up from School. I live in Monticello and he lives in Benton with his mom so when I got the chance to pick him up I jumped on it. I took the day off work and got a few things done around the house and then headed to Little Rock. I visited the local Comic Book shops and book stores. Had an awesome pizza at Old Chicago in North Little Rock. Then it was off to Benton to pick up the Little Buddy.

He was so excited to see me which made me very happy. I miss him when he's not around. I told him that we were going to be spending the night in Little Rock and we was pumped. He loves to stay in hotels for some odd reason, and he was in hog heaven, lol. We then headed to the Purple Cow for supper, where I had the Elvis Special and we shared a Purple Milkshake. We also got to visit with our friend Courtney Price who works there as a manager.

Next we headed to North Little Rock to the $1 theater to watch Toy Story 3. Drew had already seen it but wanted to see it again. It was my first time, and I really enjoyed it. We ended our night at the Halloween Store next door. After an hour or so we finally decided on a costume for Drew, Batman from Batman Brave and the Bold cartoon.

We woke up the next morning and headed to Cracker Barrel for what else Biscuits and Gravy. Then we headed to the Zoo for the rest of the morning into the afternoon. We had a blast looking at all the different animals, riding the train, and just enjoying our time together.

Of course I had to take his picture by the Wild Hog

A picture of two monkeys at the zoo..lol

Our favorite thing to do at Cracker Barrel besides eat

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue

We love some Purple Cow

Alright then...rest!

2010-10-14T09:42:00.005-05:00

I love the way the Lord speaks to me. I hear something or read something somewhere and it gets me to thinking about Him and how Awesome He is. It just starts a chain of events in my mind. Just like this morning, when I was checking my Twitter feed. A Tweet from christian speaker Tony Nolan got my attention. "Did Jesus feed 5k? Did He open blind eyes? Did He raise the dead? Did He makes demons flee? Alright then..rest." The obvious answer to all those questions is YES! So since Jesus did all those things, they why do I worry so much? Got me thinking about a couple of passages in the Bible.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."~ Matthew 10:29-31

"Come unto me, all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" ~Matthew 11:28-30

God is good, and He loves us more than we can ever imagine. He wants to take care of us. It got me to thinking about one of my new favorite songs by Coffey Anderson, called "All Ye". It kind of sums up what I'm trying to say, so take a look and listen.

Missing Dad

2010-09-28T09:11:00.003-05:00

This morning when as I was driving in to work (it's a short drive), I noticed the colors in the sky. Brilliant shades of Orange, Pink, Reds, with a hint of blue. I just had to say thank you to my God. Only he could make colors like that. As an artist, I've tried many times to mix paints to match those colors. But only God can make something like that. As I stood outside looking up to the sky, I got to thinking about my Dad. Thinking about how much I miss him. I still have times when I have a question, and I pick up the phone to call him, only to realize he won't be answering. I just hope that I can live up to the example he gave me. I can only hope I can be the father to my son that my Dad was to me.

This song by Joey + Rory called "My Old Man" just brought me to tears this morning. Thought I would share it with ya'll. I miss you Dad, but I know I'll see you again one day.

First Day of School, Don't Blink

2010-09-03T11:20:00.005-05:00

I just can't believe (or maybe I don't want to believe) that my Little Buddy is growing up. He started Kindergarten a few weeks ago. He's getting so big, and I'm so proud of the person he's growing up to be. I know that he has a lot more growing up to do, and that it will fly by. So I'll try to cherish each and every moment that passes by. Everytime I turn on KLove and hear Revive's new song "Blink" I start thinking about my Little Man.

Let This Be My Prayer

2010-07-07T11:03:00.004-05:00

This is an amazing song by Jonathan David Helser, simply called "Abba". The song is so simple but so powerful at the same time. We try to complicate things when it comes to God. He is our father and wants to love on us. Just to sit in His presence and sing to him, Father, I am yours, and let Him move. I want to let this be my prayer.

Little Children Come Unto Me

2010-06-09T09:36:00.002-05:00

God is at work at Immanuel Baptist in Monticello. We've been praying that He would move during out Vacation Bible School this year. And when I walked into the closing for Tuesday night this is what I saw. It was awesome to see every single child at the alter praying. Brought tears to my eyes. This is what VBS is all about. God is so good.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." ~ Matthew 19:14

My Birthday is Around the Corner

2010-05-18T11:44:00.001-05:00

And I thought I would share an email I got about the over 30 crowd. I will be 33 Thursday and I've caught myself saying stuff like this to the kids in my Youth Group.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot... BOTH ways¦ yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no wayl I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it soooo easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a Utopia!

And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick my tail! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3's or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and mess it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car.. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it!

There weren't any freakin' cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY GOD !!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are.

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen... Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your tail and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?!

There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-finks!

And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!

And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores!

And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were luckily, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place!

See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or any time before!

Regards,

The Over 30 Crowd

Google Reader?

2010-04-14T11:47:00.007-05:00

Are you using a RSS reader yet Google Reader.

Or are you still reading blogs by “clicking” your bookmarks in your browser bar?

Perhaps you print them out and read them over lunch.

If you don't use a RSS Reader, let me recommend Google Reader. It's what I use and it's super easy.

New Place

2010-04-14T07:45:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to leave a quick note to say Sorry for not keeping up with my blog here lately. Been real busy moving into a new house. Once things get settled down and I get settled in I'm going to try and write some more. Cause I know you all are setting on the edge of your seats waiting to hear about the exciting things going on in the Life of A.J. LOL!

Winter Jam 2010

2010-03-26T09:26:00.003-05:00

Let me just say, IBC Uth LOVE WINTER JAM! We went last year when Toby Mac and Brandon Heath where the headliners, and we had an awesome time. This year my all time favorite music group ever THIRD DAY was the headliners along with the Newsboys. Aaron Taylor and I loaded up about 12 of our Youth at 9:30 in the morning and headed to Little Rock. Granted the show didn't start until 6pm that evening, but we wanted good seats. There are no tickets for Winter Jam it's just $10 at the door, and then you just get a seat where ever you can. We got to Verizon Arena and were the second group there. We talked, laughed, played cards, and passed a football around until show time.

The show was awesome. Found a new group that I really like called Revive. Gonna have to check out some more of there music. Newsong, who puts on this event every year was great as usual. Didn't get to see Robert Peiree or Mike's Chair, cause Aaron and I where meeting with other Youth Leaders to pray for the kids in attendance, that God would touch there lives. Newsboys sang some oldie but goodie songs, and let us hear some of there new stuff off there new album coming out in June. Tenth Avenue North was great. Tony Nolan brought the word of God in a way that everyone could understand it and know that Jesus is the best gift anyone could ever receive. Then Third Day hit the stage with a mix of some of their southern rock classics and more worshipful music. They even stopped in the middle of their set to get everyone to turn to the person to their right and place your hand on their shoulder and pray for them. I thought that was awesome, and you could really feel the presence of the Lord. All in all we had a great time. Take a look at some of the pictures from our trip below.

We parked by the Police Station, had to pat them down before hand...LOL

Walking to the Arena

One of the first ones at the door

Getting closer to show time

Michael Tait, lead singer of the Newsboys

Third Day takes the stage

Did I mention before that Third Day was Awesome!

Bailey got her forehead signed by Michael Tait of the Newsboys

Presenting the new and improved...

2010-03-17T11:39:00.002-05:00

Let me take this time to introduce to you the new and improved DESIGNS BY A.J. I recently have been getting more and more graphic design jobs, so I decided to purchase my own URL www.designsbyaj.com . Check it out and take a look around and let me know what you think. And if you need or know of anyone that would benefit from my services please send them my way.

Happy Birthday!

2010-03-02T19:17:00.003-06:00

Can't believe it was 5 years ago yesterday that I held my little boy in my arms for the first time. A lot of things have happened in those past five years, but I hope he knows that I Love him more than anything or anyone on this entire earth. Happy Birthday Little Buddy, your Daddy is so proud of you, and I love you.

Polar Bear Plunge

2010-02-19T08:26:00.002-06:00

Untitled from Jason Caldwell on Vimeo.

Last Saturday I helped out good friends Jason and Karen Caldwell with the Area 12 Polar Bear Plunge for Special Olympics. When it comes to Special Olympics I always try to help out any way I can. Though I didn't take the plunge this year, I'm sure Jason and Karen can convince me to jump in with them next year. We had a great turn out this year with over 60 plungers and over $9,000 raised. Watch the video to see all these crazy people jump in the freezing cold water for a good cause. Freezin for a Reason!

Helping Hand

2010-02-14T14:24:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday Drew and I headed out the our churches Food Pantry to lend a helping hand. Some of my Youth where there also. Drew was excited about helping. He has such a sweet heart about helping others. He keeps me on my toes when it comes to helping out others. Drew and his buddy Kade had a blast filling up boxes with food. If you know of someone who needs the help of our food pantry we are open every Saturday from 9am till 11am, at Immanuel Baptist Church in Monticello. And if you want to help, just show up and I'm sure someone will put you to work.

WOW!

2010-01-28T14:34:00.004-06:00

Here is the text from Passion's Blog about the giving that happened during the Passion 2010 conference that I was a part of down in Atlanta at the beginning of the year. It's amazing to me how much college students gave.

The heartbeat of the Passion Movement is not simply about filling arenas, but a generation mobilized to carry the message of God’s fame to the unreached, oppressed and forgotten wherever they are on the planet.

To that end, one of the five statements of the 268 Declaration is:

Willingness To Shine The Gospel To All People—
Because God is seeking worshipers of all peoples, I will spread His fame among the nations, fully participating in His global purposes while engaging poverty and injustice in Jesus’ name.
[God, kindle in me the desire to go anywhere, at anytime, at any cost, to do anything to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.]

While the worship at Passion is vital, it is not an end in itself. Rather, our songs and anthems are fuel for our journey to the nations. Thus, Do Something Now is front and center in all we do, a major component of every gathering.

At Passion 2010 we introduced 12 partner organizations with causes totaling $500,000. Our goal was not pledges for the future, but giving on site together in four days. In the end (and this number will continue to grow), the total passed on to our 12 partners includes:

Building an education center for the Dalit people of India through Operation Mobilization. Goal–$75,000. Given–$92,753.91.

Small business loans for women in Haiti through Hope International. Goal–200 x $200 loans. Given–$64,412.34 for 322 loans.

Bible translation for Shatika and Rom People of SE Asia with OneVerse. Goal–translate 4000 verses at a cost of $100,000. Given–3134 verses/$78.359.

Sponsor 100 seminary students in the Middle East with E3 Partners. Goal–$30,000. Given–$45,318/151 students.

Build 10 wells in Guatemala with Living Water. Goal–$50,000. Given–$113.865/22 wells built.

Provide 100 cleft palate surgeries for children in Afghanistan with Cure International. Goal–$55,000. Given–$68,160.54/111 children get surgeries.

Package and send Bibles to unreached people in Asia through Bibles Unbound. Goal–3000 Bibles packaged and $3000 to cover cost. Given/Done–3000 Bibles packaged/$9,530.56 given to send more.

Build a border outpost in Nepal to intercept sex trafficking victims through Not For Sale. Goal–$25,000. Given–$86,516.72 for 3+ border outposts.

Support a Child Survival project in Indonesia through Compassion International. Goal–100 students x $20 a month for one year = $24,000. Given–205 students x $20 a month for one year = $50,170. (The 12 month commitment represents pledges for this cause).

Package meals through our partner Feed My Starving Children. Goal–package 100,000 meals at Passion 2010 and give $17,500 to cover costs. Given/Done–108,432 meals packaged and $17,533.32 given.

Sponsor children affected by HIV/AIDS in Mozambique with World Vision. Goal–200 students x $35 monthly/package 1000 Caregiver kits. Given–174 students x $35 monthly/1000 caregiver kits assembled.

Drink coffee and fund projects in Ethiopia through our partner Gobeana Coffee. Given–$24,548.

Total given at Passion 2010 = $724,480.42.

IN ADDITION, a family at Passion 2010 matched the total as of Tuesday morning with a gift of $668.597.00.

For a Passion 2010

As well, 14,820 towels and 72,600 pairs of socks were given to assist the homeless shelters of Atlanta.

Obviously, it’s not all about the money. But we know the verse, “where your money is your heart is also,” applies here, and believe many lives have been captured by His global purposes in these days.

Thanks to everyone who joined this amazing cause. Let’s continue to give everything until His grace, hope ad healing are extended to all.

Humbled,
LG

You can still give $5 by texting OMC to 20222 and by supporting the causes atonemillioncan.com. All monies given by text after Passion 2010 will go to onemillioncan causes.

Passion 2010

2010-01-21T14:22:00.005-06:00

At the beginning of the year I attened the Passion 2010 conference in Atlanta, Georgia. I went with students and leaders from the UAM BCM and MBSF. I attended the very first Passion Conference way back in 1997 when I was in college. Man I'm getting old. There were about 25,000 college students crammed into a conference center, and man was that an incredible site that was to see! We filled the Phillips Arena and then overflowed into the Georgia World Conference Center. With bands and worship leaders like David Crowder, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Christy Knockles, Steve Fee, Kristian Stanfil, Charlie Hall, and Hillsong United you know that the worship was AWESOME! And then speakers like, Louie Giglio, Francis Chan, Andy Stanley, Beth Moore, and John Piper.. the messages were awesome as well. God really spoke to me at Passion. It was a great time just to sit back and be still for a moment and let Him speak to me. But John Piper's message was the highlight of the conference for me. John Piper was a speaker at my first Passion Conference back in 1997. Piper's big phrase is "God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in him." And when I was a 20 year old kid that phrase and his entire message just blew my mind.

This year he blew my mind yet again, his message was entitled "Is Jesus an Egomaniac?" It was incredible. One of my favorite quotes that he used went something along the lines of, "Human beings know deep down inside that they're not made to feel significant... they were made to stand on top of mountains and feel stunned in insignificance. Self-forgetfulness in the presence of Greatness is the capstone of joy." And then when he said, "So from the very beginning, we see that God made his exaltation and our salvation one piece. You don't have to choose between God's glory and your joy, because the apex of your joy is praise, and the apex of his glory is grace." I couldn't write down the things he was saying fast enough. If you want to read his message you can do so HERE!

I want to thank Rob Leonard from the MBSF and Tracy Reed from the BCM for letting me go on this trip with the group. It was an awesome experience that I hope I get to do again some day.

Ringing in the New Year with my Uth!

2010-01-13T08:52:00.013-06:00

I started the New Year of 2010 the same way I started 2009, with my Youth Group from Immanuel Baptist Church. January 1st 2010 marked the one year anniversary of working with this group. And I must say it's been one of the most rewarding years of my life. I love these kids like they were my own, and I love to see the spiritual growth they are going through. No credit to me, all credit goes to God.

We started the night off with Hamburgers and Hot Dogs grilled by Jeff Meeks and Andy Norris. Then we split up into teams to go on a Video Scavenger Hunt all over Monticello. The kids had a blast doing things like Singing "Rubber Ducky Your The One" in a church members bathtub, Doing the Chicken Dance in front of Popeyes, riding through

Wal-Mart in a shopping cart, etc.

We then gathered back at the church to watch the videos,play Wii and charades, and get ready to countdown to 2010. Right after we celebrated the New Year, with a Birthday Cake for fellow Youth Leader Aaron Taylor, we turned down the lights to start the year off right with some Praise and Worship to our Father God. We got down to our devotion part of the night. I had gathered a bunch of dirty rocks, thanks to Jason and Karen Caldwell and Karen's brother Ricky. We gave each student a rock and a piece of chalk and told them to write on that rock there problems, concerns, fears, worries, etc. Then after reading a few passages from the Bible, I had them each go up to a bucket of water and wash what they wrote off. Not just wash the chalk off, but the dirt that was already on the rock.

This is what Jesus does for us at the cross, his blood washes us clean. So after they washed their rocks they placed them at the foot of the cross. What a way to start the New Year, by giving it all to Jesus.

Christmas, Christmas, Time is here!

2010-01-11T07:28:00.006-06:00

I know, the title of this post is wrong, cause I'm way behind at posting about our Christmas. But all in all we had a great time with family and friends this Christmas.

Drew and I had fun getting all the Christmas decorations down and trying to make my apartment look all Christmasy, if that's even a word. And of course we had a Razorback theme, with Razorback Stockings, and even a Razorback Santa hat to top the tree. Drew helped put the ornaments on the tree, and it was fun showing him all the ornaments that I had when I was a kid. We then went over to Nannie's house to help her decorate her tree.

Santa was good to Drew this year, his favorite gift by far was the blue guitar with blue flames on it. He played and played, all the while saying he was a Rock Star. I think I could sit and listen to him play all day long,

cause it makes him so happy.

So the day after Christmas we had our Huffman Family Christmas at Mamaw's. Drew brought his guitar so he could play for the entire family. My cousin Chris was his hero for the evening, cause he actually knew how to tune the guitar. And even played a few songs for us. Drew thought that was awesome. It was a good time seeing cousins that live far away. I am so blessed to have such a loving family. I really don't know what I would do without there love and support for me and Drew. So with that I will leave you with Drew's first music video with his new guitar.

Just call me Mr. Busy

2010-01-08T08:21:00.004-06:00

I promise I have not forgotten about this blog, I have gotten a new name over the Christmas break and that new name is Mr. Busy. Let's see since my last post, I've had Christmas with my family and friends, stayed up all night with my Uth at the New Years Lock In, traveled to Atlanta with the UAM BCM & MBSF for Passion 2010, and prepraing for Youth Xtreme 2010 in McGehee starting Sunday. The one thing I haven't had much of is sleep. And I'm trying catch up, I think I've got about 20 more hours to go...lol. But I promise to keep everyone updated and catch up on what's been going on in my life, for the two of you that read my blog.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T10:05:00.003-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-02T11:46:00.002-06:00

I miss the Muppet Show!

2009-11-25T15:00:00.007-06:00

Man do I miss the Muppet Show. Maybe one day they will bring it back. But until then enjoy this video. Seriously I think this is one of the greatest videos on YouTube, besides THIS ONE, of course!

I love these kids!

2009-11-24T22:31:00.003-06:00

IBC Uth Slide Show Summer / Fall 2009 from AJ Huffman on Vimeo.

October has come to an end!

2009-11-10T09:52:00.014-06:00

The month of October has come and gone. The first of the month started out like any other month, but once CityFest got here on the 24th, things started going at a rapid pace. On Halloween I took a few of my Youth Group to a couple of neighborhoods to Trick or Treat, but not for Candy, for Canned Food to donate to our churches Food Pantry. Even though only a few showed up, it was neat to see the ones that did, willing to go door to door, and ask strangers for food to help the needy in our community. We collected a good bit of food as you can see in the pictures below.

After a good lunch at Taco Bell with the group, we headed to McDonald's for Rylee's birthday party. Since it was Halloween, the kids got to dress up in their costumes. Drew dressed up as a Transformer, and as you can tell from the pictures even some of the grown ups joined in on the fun.

Then that evening, Drew and I headed out to the Berryman's home for our churches Fall Festival get together. There was Ribs, Catfish, and all the fixings. Not to mention the tons of desserts that the ladies of our church are so famous for. We had a great time of fellowship, we talked around the bonfire, rode horses, fed the goats and donkeys, and ended the evening with a hayride and marshmallow roast. So all in all, October was a good month. I am looking forward to the next two months. Get to travel to Texas, Tennessee, and Georgia. But more about all that later, enjoy some pictures from October below.

Central Arkansas CityFest 2009

2009-10-28T07:31:00.014-05:00

This past weekend Aaron and I took our Uth Group from Immanuel Baptist Church to CityFest in North Little Rock. City Fest is put on by Christian Evangelist Luis Palau, it's a two day festival where Christians can come together and get energized by the Word of God and by worshiping with one another. Several top names in Christian Music where there to help lead worship and put on concerts, such as Toby Mac, Newsboys, Seventh Day Slumber, Kirk Franklin, Anthony Evans, and Craig Morgan. The reports where that there were over 55,000 people there and on Saturday night alone 1,000 people either got saved or rededicated there lives, Praise God!

Saturday, along with Aaron's wife, and the parents of one of our Youth we took about 11 youth. We staked our spot on the river front, with a good view of the stage and jumbotron. But the Youth wanted to get closer so they made there way towards the stage and got front and center. I eventually made my way up to where they were during Craig Morgan's performance. After Luis gave the message, it was time for Toby Mac. My Youth L, O, V, E, love Toby. We all had a blast as we jumped around and sang along with all his songs. Then we loaded up and headed home, went to church Sunday morning, and left right after church to head back for day two.

We got smart on day two, and brought a couple of chairs for us to sit in, cause standing for over 4 hours did a work on my body. Sunday the Newsboys rocked the house as well as Bread of Stone and Seventh Day Slumber. We didn't stay to hear Luis or Kirk Franklin cause we needed to make the trip back home, and it was a school night.

I want to thank the members of Immanuel Baptist for all there support of our Youth Program. All the prayers are working, cause in the past year, I can see so much growth. Not too much growth in numbers, but spiritual growth. They are good kids, and I am blessed to be used by God to work with them.

And I'll leave you with a song by Seventh Day Slumber. They performed this at CityFest and it really spoke to me. I want this to be my theme, to be my desire. That God will consume me from the Inside Out. Hope you enjoy!

Meaningless

2009-10-26T15:06:00.001-05:00

Took my Youth Group to CityFest this weekend, and one of the singers there was Anthony Evans. He sang his song "Meaningless" which I have never heard before, but it spoke to me in a mighty way right there in the middle of all those festival goers. Thought I'd share it with my blog readers, hope you get something out of it.

City Fest 2009

2009-10-23T10:36:00.004-05:00

I am so excited for this weekend. I am taking the Uth from IBC to North Little Rock for CityFest 2009. It's a two day festival with Action Sports (BMX, Motocross, Skate Board) demos, a kids zone with Bob and Larry from Veggie Tales, and other fun stuff. There will also be some of the top names in Christian Music today, including Newsboys, Toby Mac, & Kirk Franklin. Also Luis Palau will be bringing the word of God to the people. My Uth are most excited about Toby mac, they love his new song "City on our Knees". But the best thing of all this is a free event, all they ask is you bring some non perishable food for the needy. I will update next week with pictures and what not. Please be in prayer for this event that the name of Jesus will be spread across Arkansas like wild fire.

Bad Blogger

2009-10-19T18:04:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, I've been a very bad blogger. My last post was on 9/23/2009 and it was a "Wordless Wednesday" picture post. My last actual blog with words was on 9/21/2009. Almost an entire month with out blogging, bad, bad blogger. I'm not going to make any excuses. I have had several different topics that I've wanted to blog about, but when I actually have time to sit down and write, blogging is the last thing on my mind. So I guess I'll try and catch everyone up on what's been going on in my life. So forgive me if I ramble a little bit.

Work has picked up at SeaArk Marine and with my side business Designs By AJ. So that has kept me busy, which is a good thing. Joe with Monticello Live has been busy selling ads, which means I've been busy designing them to go on the site. Also been busy going to Football games to watch the Billies dominate there opponents. And of course watching my beloved Hogs on Saturdays showing the football world what they are made of.

Been busy with my church and Uth group as well. And it's only going to get busier as the year draws to a close. We are planning on going to Central Arkansas City Fest this weekend to see Toby Mac, Newsboys, and Kirk Franklin in concert. On Halloween, we are going to be trick or treating for Can Goods, instead of candy. We've helped out at the Food Pantry at our church where we served 74 families one Saturday. And our Wednesday Night D2S (Dare 2 Share) meetings have been great. We always have a great time of worship and learning from God's word. One Wednesday night in particular was very special to me. Donna was scheduled to do the devotion, but had gotten sick and couldn't make it. So that left me wondering what to do. So I prayed and asked the Lord what He wanted. I felt the Lord telling me to just Worship. So that's exactly what we did. I called Aaron and asked if he would find some verses on praise and worship, and I put together several worship songs. It was neat to see young people praising God. It was one of the best nights I've had since I started working with the Uth. My prayer for them is that they continue to seek the face of God and that they have the boldness to go and win their school for Christ.

And as of today (Monday 10/19/2009) I am starting back on my diet and exercise program. I was doing so good at the beginning of the year. I think I had lost 20 something pounds. But this summer I let myself go. I stepped on the scale and looked at the big number of 342 staring back at me. Yes you read that right 342, that is way to heavy, that is way to unhealthy. So I made myself a promise that I would get back to watching what I eat, and get back to walking. I hit the big blue monster this evening after work and could only walk a half a mile before my back starting hurting. So after a few minutes rest, I got back up and walked another half mile. 1 mile in total, not to back for getting started again. So please if you are reading this and see me out and about, keep an eye out for me, and if you see me eating something I shouldn't let me know about it. I need to lose this weight, and I'm going to lose it.

Well I think I've rambled on enough for tonight. I will do my best to try and keep everyone updated on my weight lose journey, and all the other fun stuff that's going on in my life. And as my son would say...."HOLLA"

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-09-23T11:37:00.003-05:00

The Power Of Prayer

2009-09-21T23:06:00.005-05:00

Do you really know how powerful prayer is? I mean of course we all would like to think we do, but do we really know? Webster’s Dictionary defines prayer as “an address (as a petition) to God or a god in word or thought”. It’s not enough to know about God, to know that He exists. Having a close relationship with Him makes all the difference in your life. When you are a child of God, He hears your prayers. Basically prayer is communication with God. Have you ever sat down and really thought about that? When you pray you are talking to God himself, the same God that created the universe, the same God that spoke to Moses through the burning bush, the same God that, was, is, and always will be. How awesome is that? How awesome to think that God would even take the time to listen to us. In Jeremiah 29:12 it tells us just that “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.” It’s a very comforting feeling to know that God hears me when I pray. And even more so that he cares enough for me to listen and help me out, even though I do not deserve it.

These past few months I have been seeking the face of the Lord through prayer. I can honestly say I’ve prayed more these past few months that I have my entire life. I think the Lord has used the situations in my past to bring me closer to him. And the only way I can get closer to him is by talking to him. He has put on my heart, the want to, to go and pray. When I wake up in the morning I thank the Lord for another day of life and I try to continue to be in constant communication with him throughout the day. In 1^st Thessalonians 5:17 it simply states “Pray without ceasing”. Three simple little words, that when put together means so much. God wants to communicate with his children, He wants us to come to Him with our concerns, and also with our praise. James 4:8 says “Come close to God, and God will come close to you”.

As I was studying about prayer and looking up verses, I began to see how much Jesus prayed. One would think that God’s own Son was the one person who didn’t need to carve out time alone to connect with God and make his requests know. After all Jesus and God are one, right? But the Bible clearly states that Jesus prayed. “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray” Matthew 14:23. “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” Mark 1:35.

If Jesus needed prayer, what should that say to us? We need to daily declare our dependence on Him, we need it daily, we need constant forgiveness, and we need to bring our burdens to God. That’s where the “Pray without ceasing” comes into play.

God answers our prayers in three ways; yes, no and wait. It’s the waiting that can be the hardest, but God’s timing is always perfect. I have found that out in the past few weeks. I have been praying, and just waiting. Waiting on God to show me beyond a shadow of a doubt where he wants me. But I know that God has big plans in store for me and my life. I want God to be able to use me, and for him to do that I have to be closer to him. I want to give Glory to God, in every aspect of my life. And through communicating with God through prayer, he shows me just how much he loves me. I will still have my questions, I will still not ever fully understand, but I will always know His love for me. I feel like I've been rambling in this post, but I hope someone was able to get something out of this and it made sense to someone. I think this video by Sidewalk Prophets says what I'm trying to get across.

Never Forget 9/11

2009-09-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

Expect the Unexpected!

2009-09-06T21:06:00.002-05:00

This past week of my life has been amazing. I have become closer to God and his will for my life than ever before. This have been coming together and clicking this past week, and I can not explain it, but only say that it's God. God has been good to me, even though I have not deserved any of it, but to him be the Glory.

God's time line for my life has been amazing, and the best thing about it is that he's still working in and through me. God has placed people in my life and different times along this time line to help me along the way, to show me things, to guide me in the way I should go. God uses special people in your life when you least expect it. He uses those people to send you an encouraging word, a song or verse that God used to speak to them, or just to be there for you, to listen to you, to pray with you, and just to love on you.

I have been reading in Jeremiah this past week, and it has been a blessing. This morning at church, Bro. Larry, preached from Jeremiah chapter 33, verses 1-10. Verse 3 stuck out the most to me, it says...."Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great things, which thou knowest not". God is wanting to bless his children, he wants to come down and help us, all he wants us to do is to call upon him. I called upon Him and he has blessed me beyond measure. I can't stop smiling, and I am happy, happier than I've been in a long long time. God has taken the man that I was, the sinner, the dirty, low down, rotten, person, and made me a new man. A man that is being led by his spirit. The only words that come to my mouth is Thank You! Thank you Jesus for loving me and putting people in my life who love me for me. Thank you for everything in my life, good and bad, that have molded me into the man I am today. I can not wait to see what he has in store for me next.

1st Day of School

2009-09-02T13:08:00.008-05:00

It's so hard for me to believe that's he's old enough to start school. It only seems like yesterday when I was holding my little buddy for the first time. Smiling at him as he smiled back at me. Now he's four years old and starting Pre-K at Drew Central here in Monticello. He was excited about going, but really excited about riding the School Bus for the first time to Miss Toni's house. My prayer is that he has a great year at school, learns a lot, makes new friends, and has the time of his young life.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-26T15:51:00.003-05:00

City on our Knees

2009-08-25T14:17:00.002-05:00

Heard this song the other day on KLove and I instentlly fell in love with it. It's called "City on our Knees" and it's the newest song from Toby Mac. Talks about when we all unite in love for christ, that moment when we all fall on our knees and worship the one true creator, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Take some time to listen to the song and let the Lord speak to you.

Shelby Huffman Point Run & Motorcycle Show

2009-08-15T12:43:00.003-05:00

Went out today to check things out at the Rough and Ready Days Festival in Monticello. Or should I say Rhythm and Roots Festival, they change the name of it from year to year. The main reason I came out was to help Mom at the ABBA (Arkansas Baptist Biker Association) booth. They handed out water and mini Bibles.

Another reason I came out was to check out the ABATE 18 Motorcycle show. They decided to rename the show in honor and memory of my Dad, Shelby Huffman. Dad was a big part of ABATE and he was one of the founding members of the Kingdom Riders chapter of ABBA. I thought it was a need way to pay tribute to a man who gave so much to reaching bikers for Christ.

Pray for Ashlee!

2009-08-14T23:57:00.002-05:00

The Race is on. My good friend Ashlee Hillis left on Tuesday to start her 11 Month, 11 Country, World Race Mission Trip. She left from Little Rock and flew to New York City to meet up with the rest of her World Race team. Then it was off across the Atlantic Ocean, destination Dublin Ireland. They will be doing some more training in Ireland, as well as Sport Camps.

I am asking you to please keep Ashlee and her team in your prayers. Also pray for the countries they are going to be visiting. Pray that hearts and lives will be changed for the Lord, and that they bring Kingdom those those who need it. Pray for safe travel, pray for health, pray for attitudes, pray for peace, pray for her family and friends she left at home.

If you want to keep up with her travels, she has a blog where she will update as much as she can. The address is http://www.ashleehilliskelley.theworldrace.org , so book mark it, add it to your RSS feeds. But most of all, pray, that's what they need the most. God is good, and his work is being done all across the world.

Twitter Will Kill You

2009-08-06T09:18:00.002-05:00

Someone shared this video on Facebook the other day, and I just had to post it on my blog. If you don't use Twitter then you might not "get" this video, but it's still funny none the less. The David Crowder Band is one of my all time favorite Christian Artist, who knew they were this funny.

Not Shaken

2009-07-23T21:42:00.005-05:00

It's so good to know that no matter what happens in your life, no matter how bad things seem, that God is still in control. God has a plan, He knows what He is doing. When the world seems like it's falling apart, God is not shaken. Heard the new song by Phil Stacey "Your Not Shaken" on KLove this morning, and the Lord spoke to me through this song. I've heard it several times before, but never took the time to listen to the words. Thank you Jesus for loving me, and for having a plan for my life, and these trials I'm going through are just temporary. You deserve all the glory, honor, and praise. Take my life and use it for Your Glory.

Update: Got this verse in an email this morning from KLove thought it fit, and I would share.....

For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

~ 2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-22T13:25:00.001-05:00

Where I've been?

2009-07-14T10:40:00.002-05:00

The hard drive in my laptop gave up the ghost. I took it to my good friend Michael Arnold (thanks buddy) to take a look at it, and he gave me the bad news. But at least it's an easy fix. A new hard drive is on it' s way and should be here tomorrow. So rest assured once I get it and get my lap top back up to speed, I'll try and catch everyone up on my life.

Update

2009-07-04T22:44:00.010-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Been busy, and just haven't felt like blogging. But I'll try and catch you up on what you've missed the past couple of weeks.

Took Drew swimming with Rylee, Lexy, Judd, and Ashlee. Drew just loves the water, and we are so thankful that Aunt Teri and Uncle Steve have a swimming pool we can use when ever.

Took a trip with my youth group to Little Rock to watch the Arkansas Twisters play some Arena Football. Had a great time. I got asked if I wanted to get my hair cut during the game. Even though I had just gotten it cut, I said sure why not. The barber chair was right on the sideline by the end zone. When I got down there, found out the people from Sport Clips (who was doing the cutting) were not there. So they let me sit in the barber chair until half-time. Good seats, allowing me to get some good pictures of the game.

Nothing much to talk about after that. Just working and spending time with friends with family. Will post another update soon about the fundraisers for Ashlee's Mission Trip that I've been helping with. I'll try and do better with my posting and updates. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-24T10:25:00.003-05:00

Father's Day 2009

2009-06-22T17:45:00.011-05:00

First off let me say Happy Father's Day to all the great Dad's out there. I was lucky, I got to spend Father's Day with my Little Man Sunday. He went to church with me and we just hung out and rested during the afternoon. I couldn't ask for a better little boy. He's smart, beautiful, funny, and so full of life. But the day was extra meaniful because it was the first Father's Day I had to spend without my Dad. He went to be with the Lord in Janurary of this year, and I miss him every day. I guess the saying is right, you don't know what you got till it's gone. I don't want to say I took my Dad for granted, but there are times when I need help, and I realize he's not here. I know he's in a better place, and I wouldn't want him to leave Heaven to come back to this old world. My Dad was a quite man, but you knew exactly where he stood. He didn't have to say out loud that he loved you, you just knew it. I know I'll see him again one sweet day. I love you Dad, and thank you for showing me how to be a father, and a man of God.

1000 Questions

2009-06-16T13:48:00.003-05:00

This video was posted on Brandy Chaffer's blog. Brandy is on the Proclaim I 61 World Race team with Ahslee Hillis. The video is 10 minutes, but it's well worth the time. It got me to thinking about why I was put on this earth, why God would ever take the time to come to this sinful world to save me? And with that being said, what can I do for him?

VBS at IBC

2009-06-11T10:51:00.003-05:00

Wanted to send out an invite to any of my blog readers with kids in grades preschool to 5th grade, to come on out to Immanuel Baptist Church for our annual Vacation Bible School. VBS starts tonight, and runs through Saturday. Tonight and Tomorrow from 6pm to 8pm, and 10am till Noon on Saturday, followed by a Cook Out at the church.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T17:14:00.003-05:00

Profound Statement

2009-06-10T14:10:00.001-05:00

Zack is back

2009-06-09T17:47:00.002-05:00

Did anybody see this last night on Jimmy Fallon? I didn't watch it live, but found this on YouTube. I used to love Saved By The Bell when I was younger. This was pretty funny.

Gloom & Doom, But There Is Hope!

2009-06-03T12:57:00.004-05:00

Did anyone else besides me watch the special on ABC last night, entitled "Earth 2100". It was an ABC news special, meant to be a fictional account of what the next 90 years would be like, if we continued doing what we are doing to the planet. Here is what the website for the show had to say about it...

"It's an idea that most of us would rather not face -- that within the next century,life as we know it could come to an end. Our civilization could crumble, leaving only traces of modern human existence behind.
It seems outlandish, extreme -- even impossible. But according to cutting edge scientific research, it is a very real possibility. And unless we make drastic changes now, it could very well happen.
Experts have a stark warning: that unless we change course, the "perfect storm" of population growth, dwindling resourcesand climate change has the potential to converge in the next century with catastrophic results.
Watch "Earth 2100," a two-hour television event, Tuesday, June 2, at 9 p.m. ET.
In order to plan for the worst, we must anticipate it. In that spirit, guided by some of the world's experts, ABC News' "Earth 2100," hosted by Bob Woodruff, will journey through the next century and explore what might be our worst-case scenario."

I will admit, I watched it just to see what it was all about. And I agree that we have to do more to save the planet. But during that two hour television show there was no mention at all of Hope. I have a Hope, no matter how bad this world will get. That hope is Jesus Christ. The Bible says that the world will get worse. There will be wars, rumors of wars, etc. The Bible states in...

2nd Timothy 3: 1-5, 7 "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

If that doesn't sound like the world today, I don't know what does. But I do know I have Hope, I can hold my head up high, no matter what the devil throws at me, cause I'm a child of the King. And He is coming back soon, to gather His own. And I won't have to worry about this old world any longer. Jesus is coming, people get ready. Are you ready?

Rummage Sale

2009-06-01T15:06:00.002-05:00

Please come out and help Ashlee raise money to go on the World Race Mission Trip. If you have any items you would like to donate please contact me and I'll let ya know where you can drop them off at, or I'll come and pick them up.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-05-27T14:06:00.001-05:00

The reason for the day off

2009-05-25T09:22:00.008-05:00

Courage

2009-05-24T14:44:00.005-05:00

“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” - Karl Barth
Quote via Dean Cirelli's Facebook Status

My 32nd Birthday

2009-05-24T14:04:00.005-05:00

Last Wednesday I turned 32 years old. I have so much in my life to be thankful for. Even though my life hasn't turned out exactly how I dreamed it would be. I wouldn't trade the past 32 years for anything. God has been so good to me, He has shown me more than I could ever imagine. God has given me an awesome son, who I love dearly. He is so smart, beautiful, and full of life. God has given me a wonderful family who loves me and is there for me no matter what. And God has given me friends, friends who I can turn to no matter what, and know they are there for me. Friends who lift me up in prayer. Friends I can talk to no matter what time of day or night it is. God has been good to me, and I want to thank him for everything he's done in my life.

Had a good day at work, my boss even took me out for lunch. Had a great time at church, my Uth sang Happy Birthday to me, and we just had a good time playing games outside, enjoying the weather. Then after church I went over to Jeff and Lexy's house where Rylee had made me a cake. Ashlee, Aunt Teri and Uncle Steve where there as well. No better way to spend your birthday than with the people you love the most. Thanks Ashlee, Jeff, Lexy, and the Uth for making my birthday special. Ya'll mean the world to me.

Happy Birthday to Me (Almost Wordless Wednesday)

2009-05-20T09:47:00.005-05:00

32 years ago I was born. Man, I'm old. The verse below was the daily verse from KLove. Thought it was fitting since it was by birthday and all.

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

~ Ephesians 1:5, NLT

World Championship Steak Cook Off

2009-05-19T23:17:00.010-05:00

Saturday I got up early and meet Jason and Karen Caldwell at the Cracker Box and followed them to Magnolia for the Blossom Festival and World Championship Steak Cook Off. Jason and Karen took there motorcycles and entered them in the bike show. This was my first year to go the festival, but Jason and Karen are old pros this was there third year.

We have been watching the weather all week hoping it wouldn't rain. And the clouds where there the whole day, but it only rained on us for like 20 or 30 minutes while we were waiting in line for our steaks. When we got there Jason and Karen entered there bikes in the show and started to do some last minute detail work. After that we went to check out the teams who were cooking the steaks. There were several unique teams with unique grills to match. The National Guard had the longest grill I have ever seen, it looked like a missile. As we walked around we saw the different teams preparing there steaks for the grill, each team had there own secret rub and marinade. The smell alone made us hungry. A few hours later, the teams had samples ready for the public. Grilled shrimp, smoked sausage, stuffed jalapenos peppers, etc. where all good. But they only wetted our appetites for the steak.

Since this wasn't Jason and Karen's first time, they knew to bring chairs and take a seat in line for the steaks. You get your plate, potato, salad, etc. then you go to what ever grill team you wanted to get your steak. The first year they stood in line, but this year, we wised up and and brought chairs. We got close to the front of the line, and waited for about an hour. And let me tell you it was well worth the wait. I got my steak from the "Half-Ton of Flavor" team. They did a cajun style steak and even gave you a huge spoonfull of jambalaya, it was so good. I plan on going back next year and doing it again.

Jason and Karen both won first place in their respective divisons in the bike show. Oh and I almost forgot about Spud. You'll have to ask Karen about Spud next time you talk to her. Here are some pictures of the day.

Our Witness

2009-05-15T08:12:00.004-05:00

Dean posted this link to Shaun Groves blog. Thought it was very interesting, and it made me think. Go check it out and let me know what you think. But first let me give you a warning, that Dean gave......

before you click, be sure you have a firm grasp of irony, and at least a little awareness of sarcasm. And then ask yourself and your pastor what your church’s witness is in your community…

http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog/comments/our_witness/

God's Chisel

2009-05-14T13:13:00.004-05:00

Have you ever given anything 100%. We can give our all to sports, to school, to work, but what about God? Have you ever given him your all? Given Him your all, so he can chisel away all the bad and make you into the person He wants you to be? By being in His word, and having a daily, minute by minute relationship with Him. God wants to mold you, and make you into his image, chisel you unto you are more Christ like. But by allowing God to do so, you will have to give up some things of this world. Are you willing to give up what ever it takes, are you will to do what ever it takes to be more like Jesus? Found this video and thought I'd share it with you. It is a little long, but please take some time out of your busy day to watch it. I hope it blesses you, like it did me. And if you would, leave me a comment and let me know what you are thinking?

Warning I'm Contagious (repost)

2009-05-13T14:49:00.004-05:00

The following post appears on my good friend Ashlee Hillis' blog. I asked her if I could repost it on my blog so more people could read it, and it's message. Take a look and let me know what you think, warning it's contagious.

YES IM CONTAGIOUS!!!

WARNING

WARNING!!!!

YES GUYS IM CONTAGIOUS AND YOU CAN CATCH THIS! IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER! IT WILL TURN YOU LIFE UPSIDE DOWN. IT WILL NOT ALWAYS BE EASY AND YOU WILL HAVE MANY TRIALS. THE AWESOME THING IS THIS IS SOMETHING YOU WANT!!

JESUS CHRIST IS WHAT I HAVE! IT IS AN AWESOME, LIFECHANGING, SPREADABLE LIFESTYLE.

HAVE YOU CAUGHT JESUS YET? IF YOU HAVE ARE YOU SPREADING HIM TO OTHERS?

WE HAVE SO MANY DISEASES IN THIS WORLD THAT WE DO EVERYTHIN IN OUR POWER NOT TO CATCH. WE TAKE VACCINES AND SPREAD THE NEWS EVERYTIME WE HAVE A BREAK OUT. WELL THE DEVIL IS A “VACCINE” FOR PEAPLE TO CATCH OR SPREAD JESUS! HE IS SNEAKY AND KNOWS SO MANY WAYS TO HINDER US FROM SPREADING JESUS OR PEOPLE RECEIVING JESUS! WE MUST NOT LET THE DEVIL KEEP US FROM HAVING JESUS IN OUR LIFE. THE DEVIL DOES NOT WANT US TO CATCH JESUS AND WILL DISTRACT US FROM THAT. HE MAKES THE WORLD LOOK SO GREAT AND THINGS OF THE WORLD SEEM SO AWESOME BUT ITS ALL FAKE AND THE WORLD WILL HURT YOU AND LET YOU DOWN. JESUS WILL TAKE AWAY YOUR HURTS AND PAINS, GIVE YOU LOVE LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED, SHOW YOU THE WAY, NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE YOU, AND FORGIVES YOU NO MATTER WHAT.

SOME OF US HAVE CAUGHT JESUS BUT WE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO TELL… I HAVE BEEN THERE!

SOME OF US HAVE TO MUCH IN OUR LIFE THAT WE DON’T THINK WE DESERVE JESUS.

OTHERS HAVE CAUGHT JESUS AND ARE A NEW PERSON NOW

THEN THERE ARE SOME WHO DON’T EVEN KNOW THERE IS A JESUS

SOME KNOW ABOUT JESUS BUT DON’T HAVE TIME DON’T WANT TO GIVE UP THINGS TO HAVE JESUS

DON’T LET THE DEVIL BE A VACCINE TO YOU IF…..

YOU HAVE CAUGHT JESUS

MAKE SURE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS ONE PEOPLE CAN SEE. THIS IS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WHICH TAKES TWO. WE KNOW GOD IS DOING HIS PART BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU OPEN TO ALL HE HAS FOR YOU? ARE YOU DOING YOUR PART? STOP PLAYING GAMES IF NOT. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO DO NOT EVEN KNOW JESUS AND WE CANT EVEN GIVE UP A FEW THINGS TO REALIZE THAT WHAT WE HAVE IS SOMETHING SO MANY PEOPLE NEED AND ARE SEARCHING FOR!

YOU DO NOT KNOW JESUS

THIS IS AN EASY THING TO CATCH. I AM NOT SAYING YOUR LIFE WILL BE EASY WITH JESUS BUT YOU WILL BE CHANGED. NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN THE PAST GOD WILL OPENLY TAKE THEM AND FORGIVE YOUAND FORGET THEM. HE WILL BEGIN TO WORK IN YOU AND THROUGH YOU. YOU WILL HAVE TO GIVE UP THE THINGS IN THE WORLD. YOU CANT CATCH JESUS AND NEVER CHANGE YOUR WAYS. SO MANY PEOPLE LIVE THIS WAY AND SET THE WRONG EXAMPLE. IF YOU CATCH THIS

Saturday Visit with Dean-O

2009-05-12T14:37:00.008-05:00

Saturday morning, Ashlee and I loaded up in the Rodeo and headed South to Monroe Lousiania, to vist our blog friend Dean. I have met Dean once or twice when he was living and working at the Arkansas Baptist Home for Children here in Monticello. Ashlee has never met him in person before, but Dean is a regular reader on our blogs and have gotten to know us through our blogs and through email. He now works for the Louisiana Baptist Children's Home in Monroe.

We got there just in time for a great lunch of Red Beans and Rice with Corn Bread and Kool-Aid. We got the oppurtunity to meet three of the kids living at the cottage. Three very active boys who have a love for life, and aren't shy around strangers. After we ate and talked for a while around the table, the boys wanted to go bike riding around the campus. They even said they had big bikes for us to ride. So we hopped on the bikes and rode around campus, now granted it's been a good 10 to 15 years since either of us had rode a bicycle, but we couldn't let the kids down. It was a funny sight watching us ride those bikes, but we had a blast. We ended up across campus at another cottage, who were good friends with Dean and his wife. We ended up on their front porch just enjoying the beautiful rain free day and new friends. Sometimes it's just so refreshing to just sit and listen and talk. It seemed like the fast pace of life just slowed down when we were sitting on the front porch. On the way home we put in an old "40 Days" praise and worship CD and sang praise to God. It was a great day enjoyed with great friends.

Revival at IBC Monticello

2009-05-09T09:02:00.003-05:00

Immanuel Baptist Church in Monticello will be having Revival services starting this Mother's Day Sunday morning and going through Wednesday Night. First and foremost I encourage all to come out and listen to Bro. Lee Thomas (author of the book, "Praying Effectively For The Lost"). Come out with and open heart and listen to what the Lord wants to say to you. Be in prayer about this Revival, not only for others, but for yourself. Pray that God opens your heart and pours in his love, and fire, and will for your life.

Our Prayer Ministry at IBC set up a 24 hour prayer chain for this Revival, members signed up for a 30 minute slot, to pray for Revival. I signed up for the 1:30am slot last night. I turned off the TV and opened up my Bible and the Lord let me to the 26th chapter of Isaiah. The chapter was entitled "A Song of Praise". After I read that, that's exactly what I began to do, just praise God. Thanking him for saving me, even though I don't deserve anything he has for me. Thanking him for the chance to even be able to come to the throne of God and speak to him. Tears where flowing down my face as I praised my Lord. It was an awesome feeling, nothing like it. So I encourage you to just sing a song of praise. Thank the Lord for what He has done and what He will do in your life. Don't ask for anything, give praise unto the Lord, for He is worthy of All praise. Cause if you don't, the Rocks will cry out. Praise the Lord, and just see what happens.

Isaiah 26

A Song of Praise

¹ In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts.

² Open the gates
that the righteous nation may enter,
the nation that keeps faith.

³ You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.

⁴ Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

⁵ He humbles those who dwell on high,
he lays the lofty city low;
he levels it to the ground
and casts it down to the dust.

⁶ Feet trample it down—
the feet of the oppressed,
the footsteps of the poor.

⁷ The path of the righteous is level;
O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.

⁸ Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws,
we wait for you;
your name and renown
are the desire of our hearts.

⁹ My soul yearns for you in the night;
in the morning my spirit longs for you.
When your judgments come upon the earth,
the people of the world learn righteousness.

¹⁰ Though grace is shown to the wicked,
they do not learn righteousness;
even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil
and regard not the majesty of the LORD.

¹¹ O LORD, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.

¹² LORD, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

¹³ O LORD, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but your name alone do we honor.

¹⁴ They are now dead, they live no more;
those departed spirits do not rise.
You punished them and brought them to ruin;
you wiped out all memory of them.

¹⁵ You have enlarged the nation, O LORD;
you have enlarged the nation.
You have gained glory for yourself;
you have extended all the borders of the land.

¹⁶ LORD, they came to you in their distress;
when you disciplined them,
they could barely whisper a prayer.

¹⁷ As a woman with child and about to give birth
writhes and cries out in her pain,
so were we in your presence, O LORD.

¹⁸ We were with child, we writhed in pain,
but we gave birth to wind.
We have not brought salvation to the earth;
we have not given birth to people of the world.

¹⁹ But your dead will live;
their bodies will rise.
You who dwell in the dust,
wake up and shout for joy.
Your dew is like the dew of the morning;
the earth will give birth to her dead.

²⁰ Go, my people, enter your rooms
and shut the doors behind you;
hide yourselves for a little while
until his wrath has passed by.

²¹ See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling
to punish the people of the earth for their sins.
The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her;
she will conceal her slain no longer.

No Power

2009-05-07T10:37:00.006-05:00

Just a quick update. Yesterday morning got a call from Channel 7 Meteorologist Ned Perme saying there was a Tornado warning near my area. Mom signed me up for Weather Call Seven where they call you and let you know if there are serve weather near your area. Well that call came about 5 o clock in the morning. I woke up and turned on the TV to see what the fuss was all about, because it didn't look bad outside to me. About the time I turned the TV on and radar with all the rain and what not coming my way, the lights went out and the rain and winds came. I got back in bed with Drew, who was still fast asleep, and prayed for God to watch over us.

Set my alarm on my cell phone for 6 o clock and tried to go back to sleep. Couldn't sleep cause Daddy mode took over and was watching Drew sleep. I began to thank God for this little boy, and what he means to me. Had a good time praising God when the alarm went off and I had to get up and get ready for work in the dark, still no power. Got ready and got Drew up and ready, and dropped him off with him Mom, and I headed to work. I full expected SeaArk to have no power because at the slightest hint of a storm, power goes off. Got to work and lights where on so I started my day, but around 7:30am the power went off, and we were sent home. Cause I work on a computer all day, no power = no work for AJ to be done.

Went and picked up Drew and headed over to Mamaw's, then Mom's house cause they had power. Checked on my apartment several times throughout the day yesterday, and still no power. It was Wednesday and I was really looking forward to church, looking forward to eating pizza and having a fun game night with my youth. But since the church had no power, church was cancelled. Drew and I spent the night with Mom last night, and last I checked I still had no power this morning. Last I heard power should be restored by 6pm tonight, we shall see.

Storms and tornado's touched down in the Monticello area, but I don't think anyone was hurt. Just a lot of rain, lot of wind damage, and lots of limbs and trees down. Please pray for the people around Monticello as we begin to clean up, and get back to our normal lives. I can't wait to see the Sun shine again.

Update: Light finally came on around lunch time today....Yay!!!!!

Monticello Tornado May 2009 from Jeff Noble on Vimeo.

Life is good!

2009-05-01T10:28:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't "written" a blog post in some time. So I thought it was high time to update everyone on my life. And you know what, Life is going pretty good for me right now. Now that's not to say that everything is perfect, cause as we all know, in this life here on earth, it can never be perfect. But all in all, I really can't complain. I have a job that pays well. I have a roof over my head and food on my table. I have some awesome friends who I love. I will do anything for my friends and I know they will be there for me. I have an awesome church family. I have a loving and caring family who would do anything for me. I have a great group of youth that mean more to me than the will ever know. I have an amazing son, who teaches me the true meaning of love every single day. And I serve an Awesome God who loves me, even though I screw things up sometimes. I thank him everyday for my life and the people in it. My life has some big changes in the past 6 or 7 months, but I know what doesn't kill me will only make me stronger. I have continued to rely on God's strength to get me through. Without God in my life I am nothing. Without God in my life, life is no longer good. So is your life good? Do you have God in it. If not you need Him in your life.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-29T21:35:00.001-05:00

Great Quote

2009-04-29T13:21:00.002-05:00

"Sin in your life is like a rock in your shoe. It's going to hinder your step until you get rid of it!"

-Jeremy Woodall via Twitter

Week Twelve - Biggest Loser Challenge

2009-04-27T10:06:00.002-05:00

Forgot to post an update for last week's weigh in. I'm still the same, didn't gain or lose any. Tracy's catching up with me, I really need to be doing better. Going to try my best.

A.J.
Start Weight = 335lbs
04/15/09 = 314lbs
04/22/09 = 314lbs
Total Weigt Lost (since 01/20/09) = 21lbs

Tracy
Start Weight = 293lbs
04/15/09 = 276lbs
04/22/09 = 274lbs

Total Weight Lost (since 01/20/09) = 19lbs

Please Pray for Hillis

2009-04-25T10:51:00.007-05:00

I want to ask all my blog readers to please keep my friend Ashlee Hillis in your prayers. She has applied for and been accepted to go on the World Race. The World Race is an amazing mission opportunity from AIM (Adventures In Missions). She will be leaving August 1st for an 11 month journey to 11 different countries. Countries she'll be traveling to include Ireland, Romania, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, Pioneer Africa, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Ashlee has felt the calling of the Lord for over seas missions. I am thankful that she has accepted that calling and is willing to go and do what ever it is that the Lord is calling her to do. And I would like to ask you to keep her in your prayers daily. She will need each and everyone of us to lift her up to the Lord, not only for protection and safety, but that the Lord will prepare her heart as well as the hearts of those she will come in contact with, that the name of the Lord will be lifted up and glorified all around the world.

She will be blogging with update on her trip, and I'll post that link once it becomes available. But we have sit up a website where you can donate money for her trip. The website is www.prayforhillis.com .We are also selling t-shirts for $20, the shirts can be bought through the website or you can contact me, and I'll get you one ordered. The pictures on this post are what's on the shirts. The shirts will be kelly green, with either Hot Pink Lettering or Bright Blue Lettering. And if you would like to send words of encouragement for Ashlee to read while she's on her mission journey, email them to prayforhillis@yahoo.com

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-15T23:16:00.001-05:00

Week Eleven : Biggest Loser Challenge

2009-04-15T23:01:00.004-05:00

Did a lot better this week. I lost three pounds, go me. I really need to get with Tracy and see when the final weigh in date will be. The exercise has been lacking, but I'm hoping to pick things back up soon. Been trying to take a walk around the SeaArk Marine plant when I get feeling cooped up inside at my desk. So maybe that will at least get me some exercise during the day.

A.J.
Start Weight = 335lbs
04/07/09 = 317lbs
04/15/09 = 314lbs
Total Weigt Lost (since 01/20/09) = 21lbs

Tracy
Start Weight = 293lbs
04/07/09 = 276lbs
04/15/09 = 276lbs

Total Weight Lost (since 01/20/09) = 17lbs

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T23:37:00.008-05:00

Let me just get this out of the way here at the beginning. I had an awesome Easter. Started out last Wednesday as we had our dress rehearsal for the Live Crucifixion drama our Uth put on the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before Easter. I am so blessed to be doing something, I feel the Lord has called me to do. And that is to work with youth. I couldn't ask for a better group of kids and other youth workers, to work with. That's not to say we don't have our problems every now and then, but they are great. I am so proud of them for the dedication they showed during this Live Crucifixion, they came on time, didn't fuss or fight, and showed the reverence that this drama deserved. And this group is a very young group, our oldest active member is 14. I played the part of a Roman Solider, and it really put in perspective what Jesus Christ went through to save us. Isaiah 53:5 says "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Playing the part of the one that actually beat him and tore his flesh, really made it real to me.

Friday night, Rylee invited Drew over to her house to help her dye some Easter eggs. Drew had so much fun. Drew and Rylee have really become great friends. And it's so cute to see watch them as they play together. Ashlee and Leslie came over as well and they helped, Lexy and the kids with the eggs. Can't tell who had more fun, the kids or the grown ups.

Saturday morning Drew and I joined kids from our church as well as kids from the community at Immanuel Baptist's annual Easter Egg hunt. The kids had fun looking for more than 1,200 eggs. Then we enjoyed a hot dogs and chips, and after than we went home for some rest before the final night of the Live Crucifixion.

Sunday was a great time of worshiping our risen saviour. Immanuel was full, as I'm sure several other churches were that morning. I have never understood why some people only come to church on Easter and Christmas. I think it's mostly to be seen, but God knows the heart, and if that's the only reason you come to church once or twice a year, then why bother. But let me get off my soap box. Bro. Larry preached and awesome sermon, we had three great specials, and just a great time of fellowship with my church family. After church my family meet at my Mamaw's for Easter Lunch. BBQ, Stuffing, and thanks to Aunt Teri, some yummy green beans just for me. After lunch, it was back to the house for a short nap, then off to evening service. Though there weren't as many there as during the morning service, Bro. Larry preached another good sermon.

So all in all, I had one of the best Easters in some time. God is good, though the devil tries to get me down, I know God is still in control. Praise the Lord, the tomb is empty.

Arise

2009-04-12T14:09:00.001-05:00

He is risen! Just wanted to wish all my blog readers a very Happy Easter. Remember the reason we celebrate.

Sunday is coming

2009-04-10T07:03:00.001-05:00

Please take a few moments to watch and listen to the words of this powerful video.

Please come

2009-04-09T14:23:00.003-05:00

Please come and join us as our Youth put on a presentation of the Live Crucifixion tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday night at 7pm. Who knows you might even recognized one of the Roman Soldiers.

Week Ten: Biggest Loser Challenge

2009-04-08T13:59:00.009-05:00

I did it again. I forgot to post our weigh in results last week. I know, I know, bad blogger. The good news is after gaining some weight when I went on vacation, I lost all that weight and then some the week I got back, Go Me! I stayed the same this week, didn't lose any and didn't gain any either. And with being sick and the busy week I'm having this week, not for sure how well I'll do. But I'll keep you posted. I'm going to try and do better on blogging and on my diet. So my total weight lose since I started this journey on New Years is 25lbs.

A.J.

Start Weight = 335lbs

03/24/09 = 326lbs

03/31/09 = 317lbs

04/07/09 = 317lbs

Total Weigt Lost (since 01/20/09) = 18lbs

Tracy

Start Weight = 293lbs

03/24/09 = 278lbs

03/31/09 = Did not weigh

04/07/09 = 276lbs

Total Weight Lost (since 01/20/09) = 17lbs

Friends

2009-04-05T00:55:00.004-05:00

Just had to put a post up about friends. I'm so glad I've got some friends who I don't have to pretend with, I can just be me, and that's OK with them. I know I may seem shy on the outside, but give me a little while and you'll find out, that's not the case at all. Had a fun time tonight, just hanging out with some good friends (Ashlee, Jeff, & Lexy), doing nothing. Just sitting around the house playing a little poker on Facebook, watching a little Andy Griffith, and just hanging out. I thank the Lord that he has given me friends who I can turn to and talk with about anything. And I hope they know they can come to me anytime. I know this sounds cheesy, but thanks guys for being my friends.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T13:44:00.002-05:00

Cousin Stacey's Wedding

2009-03-30T14:00:00.014-05:00

This past Saturday, my youngest cousin Stacey got married. They got married outside, right behind Immanuel Baptist Church in Monticello. We were all praying for nice weather on Saturday. Well it rained Friday night, but the son came out Saturday, but so did the wind. They still had the wedding outside, but it was a real cold wedding for the end of March, gotta love South Arkansas weather.

I had spent Wednesday and Thursday evenings helping Aunt Teri and Stacey with what ever they needed me to do. Putting up lights, moving ladders, putting music to a slide show, going through old family photographs. I had fun spending time with family and friends. The cool part was that Stacey asked Drew and his cousin Blake to be ring bearers and cousin Annabelle to be the flower girl. They all looked so cute dressed up in their tux and dress. 30 years ago my cousin Chris and I were ring bearers in Aunt Teri's wedding. People say that Drew and Blake look so much like us, and when we go back and compare pictures you can really tell.

Just wanted to say to the Bride and Groom that I love ya'll and wish you the best life has to offer. Keep God first in every decision that you make, and you'll be on the road to happiness. And also to Aunt Teri and Uncle Steve, thanks for letting me be a part of this day and letting me help out in the prep work. Now here are some cute pictures of the kiddos all dressed up.

Now for something completely random

2009-03-27T13:11:00.004-05:00

Got this in an email this morning and thought I'd share.

It's got a good message, that is if you can stop laughing long enough.

The second verse just cracks me up for some reason.

Catching up

2009-03-26T10:38:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a few weeks now since I've posted any sort of update on my weight loss journey. I know everyone has been waiting with baited breath to hear about how I'm doing.

I've been doing ok, it's just this last week, when I took a trip to visit family in Virginia, I sort of feel off the wagon a little bit. We not really a little bit, I feel off hard and started rolling in the dirt. I gained a whopping 9 pounds. That was when I weighed in Monday morning. But as of Tuesday I had dropped 2 more pounds to put me at 326. But hey I'm not giving up and I'm getting right back up and starting again. Tracy has been gaining on me by keeping a steady pace of losing one or two pounds a week. And with me gaining so much last week, he's ahead in the challenge, but not for long. So without further ado here's our weigh in weights for the last month.

A.J.

03/04/09 = 319lbs

03/11/09 = 319lbs

03/18/09 = Did not weigh

03/24/09 = 326lbs

Total Weight Lost (since 1/20/09) = 9

Tracy

03/04/09 = Did not weigh

03/11/09 = 279lbs

03/18/09 = Did not weigh

03/24/09 = 278

Total Weight Lost (since 1/20/09) = 15

Uth Spring Break Trip

2009-03-24T23:25:00.004-05:00

Got home from Virgina around 2pm this past Friday. Took a shower and changed and loaded back up in the Rodeo and headed to Little Rock to spend time with my Uth. I met the Uth and Aaron and Ashlee at the hotel and we loaded up the vehicles and headed to TGIFriday's to eat. Then it was off the Cold Stone Creamery for Ice Cream. Then it was back to the hotel and we changed and headed straight to the swimming pool. After a few hours swimming, we dried off and headed back upstairs for a devotional and then bed. Well the guys stayed up a little to catch up on scores from the NCAA tournament, then we turned off the lights by 1am and went to bed. A few minutes later I got a text from Ashlee and she said the girls were still showering and it probaly would be a while before they went to bed.

After a good nights rest (one that I needed) I woke up around 6am and got ready and headed down stairs to read my Bible and pray. After that I got me some breakfast and OJ and tried to catch up on my emails and blog reading. About an hour or so later, the rest of my group came down stairs for breakfast. Then it was back upstairs for our morning devotional, and then off to Life Way Bible Book Store to look around before we headed to Play Time Pizza for lunch.

Play Time Pizza was so awesome. We spent all day playing video games, climbing rock walls, racing go karts, eating pizza and ice cream, playing miniture golf, and shooting each other in laser tag. All in all it was a good trip. I can really see some of the Uth opening up and growing in there personal walk with the Lord. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for them.

Here is a link to my Facebook page with more pictures from the trip. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019299&id=1267431847&l=6a8a74e301

Virginia Trip

2009-03-24T23:01:00.009-05:00

Last week I loaded up Mom and Drew and we all headed to Virginia for spring back. It was a week of reconnecting with family and getting to meet two new additions to our family. We left of a Friday after lunch and drove all day until we got to Dickson, which is right out side of Nashville. Got up the next morning and drove all day until we reached our destination of Evergreen Virginia.

We got up on Sunday and headed to church, then stayed after to eat baked potatoes and salad. Then the family went and prepared the fellowship hall for my Aunt and Uncle's 40th wedding anniversary celebration. Several friends and family attended, and a good time was had by all. The next few days were spent relaxing and visiting with friends and family, and holding babies.

Then on St. Patrick's day we all went to my other Aunt's house and we had our family Christmas. Since we were planning on coming to Virginia during spring break anyway, we all decided to wait till we got there to exchange gifts. Usually we ship gifts to each other. Drew thought it was funny that we spent St. Patrick's day opening presents. He told my cousin who's name is Patrick. "Hey Patrick, it's St. PATRICK'S day and we are opening presents" He just laughed and laughed, that boy cracks me up.

We also spent time cleaning up and going through stuff at my Grandma's house. She has been in Heaven for almost a year now, and there are still a lot of stuff we needed to go through in the house. I took the time to take some pictures of the house and land. Drew found an old wooden airplane and a toy cow and played outside.

So all in all it was a good trip. It rained on us the whole drive up there, which wasn't good, but we made it. I posted some pictures on my facebook page for anyone who has that and wants to see.

Came to my resuce

2009-03-23T09:33:00.003-05:00

What an awesome song. Listen to the words and let them speak to you. This is my prayer.

I'm back

2009-03-22T15:10:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know I'm back in town and haven't forgotten about my blog. I've got a lot of catching up to do, and I will let everyone know about my adventures in Virginia and Little Rock, very soon. So stayed tuned.

Your Beautiful

2009-03-12T09:58:00.002-05:00

Attended the first Refuge at the new BCM building last night, and I must say it was awesome. Jeremy and the worship team led us worship and one of the songs they sang was "Your Beautiful" by Phil Wickham. I love the words to this song, watch the video above and listen to the words, and see if it don't speak to your heart, about how beautiful the Lord God really is.

Birthday Party

2009-03-10T13:54:00.021-05:00

Saturday we had a birthday party for my little man. He wanted a Spider-Man themed birthday party so that's what he got. We were glad the weather was nice, the sun in and out of the clouds all day. The only complaint was the fact that it was windy out. But Nanny and Drew used the wind to their advantage and tried there hand at flying a kite before the party started.

The cake arrived a little bit after lunch, we got the cake from Good Enuf To Eat and they did an excellent job. Then around 2:00 , peop

le started showing up. Drew had a blast eating cake and ice cream, playing with his friends, and opening all his presents. Drew got a lot of neat stuff. So thank you to all who came, and we hope to do it again next year. And a big Thank You goes out to Ashlee for taking pictures of the big event.

Some pretty cute kids

2009-03-06T15:29:00.007-06:00

Aren't they just the cutest kids you've ever seen? Everyone loves a red head. They are my cousins from Virginia, Jay, Kara, and Autumn. Can't wait till we get to go see them next week. Going to get to meet Autumn and Kara for the first time, Drew and I are so excited.

Week Six: Biggest Loser Challenge

2009-03-06T10:03:00.004-06:00

02/25/09 Weigh In

A.J.: Start Weight = 335 lbs

Last week = 322 lbs

This week = 319 lbs

Weight lost this week = 3 lbs

Total weight lost = 16 lbs

Tracy: Start Weight = 293 lbs

Last week = 286 lbs

This week = ??? lbs

Weight lost this week = ? lbs

Total weight lost = ?? lbs

Haven't heard anything from Tracy this week on his weigh in. So I'll update with his information once I get it. Been busy this week and only went to the blue monster on Monday. I could have done better with exercise, but I've been trying to do better with my eating. So my grand total weight lost since the beginning of the year is 23 pounds.

Praying Effectively for the Lost

2009-03-05T07:13:00.006-06:00

Lee E. Thomas, author of the book, “Praying Effectively for the Lost” will be speaking at Immanuel Baptist Church of Monticello, Friday and Saturday, March 6th and 7th at 7:00pm each night. The church is located at 939 Barkada Road. Call (870) 367-3342 for more information.Everyone is Invited!

This is the book we've been reading for the prayer group that I'm a part of. We meet once a month as a group to have a time of study and prayer. We pray not only for the psychical needs but for spiritual needs as well. We pray for our lost loved ones, we share our concerns and worries, and we pray for each other. Pray is a wonderful thing. For Christians it is direct communication with the Lord Jesus. How cool is that? So if you want to learn how to pray more effectively for lost loved ones in your life, I encourage you to come to Immanuel Baptist this Friday and Saturday.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-03-04T09:50:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday Buddy

2009-03-01T21:23:00.013-06:00

Four years ago today, my little buddy came into my life. He means the world to me, I don't know where I'd be today if he wasn't in my life. He's my smart, funny, silly, goofy, good looking, curious, kind hearted, little boy.

I made the mistake tonight of saying to him "I love you baby" and he quickly corrected me and said "I'm not a baby, I'm a big boy". And yes he is growing up too fast for me. Sometimes I wish he would be a baby forever. Took this picture yesterday when he was waiting on his Mom to pick him up. He looked like he was ready for school with the back pack on. And it won't be too long before he will be going to school.

So Happy Birthday Little Buddy. Daddy loves you more than you will ever know. And I thank God everyday for giving you to me.

Snow

2009-03-01T07:44:00.002-06:00

It snowed in Monticello Arkansas last night, and there's the picture to prove it. Arkansas weather is weird, just last Thursday it was 70 degrees out side, and come Saturday it snows. Woke up on Sunday morning and the sun was shinning bright again. Oh well.

New blog design

2009-02-28T19:44:00.002-06:00

What do ya'll think. I get tired of my blog design too easy. I found this one and played around with it last night until I got it looking like I wanted. Still have some more stuff to add to the sidebar, but that will come later. I like the red and the cross is from my desktop wallpaper. So I'm going to ask the four or five people that read this blog to let me know what they think of the new design?

Week Five: Biggest Loser Challenge

2009-02-27T08:20:00.006-06:00

02/25/09 Weigh In

A.J.: Start Weight = 335 lbs

Last week = 323 lbs

This week = 322 lbs

Weight lost this week = 1 lbs

Total weight lost = 13 lbs

Tracy: Start Weight = 293 lbs

Last week = 286 lbs

This week = 281 lbs

Weight lost this week = 5 lbs

Total weight lost = 12 lbs

I have to give credit where credit is due. Tracy whooped my butt this week losing a whoppin 5 pounds to my measly 1 pound. He's catching up, but not for long. My knees have been feeling better and I started back walking this past Monday. And I can feel the difference. Can't wait to see how much weight I lose when I step on the scales next week. Just want to thank everyone for their continued love and support. I couldn't do it with out ya'll. My grand total weight lost since the beginning of the year is 20 pounds.

I'm a rock star

2009-02-26T09:35:00.003-06:00

Did this on Facebook the other day and thought it was fun. My album looks like it could be a current Christian Artist's CD. Try it and see what you come with. If you need any help with the photoshop work, let me know.

CREATE YOUR BAND NAME & ALBUM COVER:

To Do This

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”

or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Ran dom

The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"

or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php 3

The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”

or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interestin g/7days

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together. (if you need help with this step, send me the picture and info from steps 1-3 and I'll make it for you)

5 - Post it to your blog or leave me a comment.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T07:20:00.002-06:00

Je Fa Fa Dunham

2009-02-21T23:49:00.014-06:00

Thursday after work, Jason and Karen Caldwell and I loaded up in there car and headed to Little Rock to see Comedian Jeff Dunham show at Alltel. We had a great time. Guitar Guy opened up the show with his own little routine which included a little stand up as well as some good ol guitar playing.

Then after about a 15 minute intermission, and getting a drink spilt on my arm, the real show started. Jeff Dunham came out and did a few minutes of stand up, then he went to the box and brought Walter out. The whole gang was there, Walter, Achmed, Peanut, Jose Jelopeno, and even everyone's favorite Bubba J. The funniest part was Jeff hasen't been using Bubba J in his past few shows. He finished with Peanut and said good night, but a minute later he came out with Bubba J, just for the Arkasnas crowd. He had to use his cheat sheet, but it was still funny. But the best part was when him and Bubba J did there lines, they stopped and Bubba J said, "do you hear what I hear", they know this bit better than you. The entire arena was saying Bubba's lines right along with him. That cracked Jeff up, and he said that Arkansas was the best show he's done in a long time. After Jeff shot some t-shirts out in the crowd we called it a night and headed home. Thanks to Jason and Karen for letting me tag along with em.

Pray for the Meeks

2009-02-19T11:03:00.002-06:00

Please lift the Meeks Family up in prayer. Ashlee took Lexy to the hospital last night. Lexy is having contractions and trying to have the baby early. So pray for Lexy, Jeff, Rylee, and Baby. Oh and for Ashlee as well. Pray that baby boy will get here safe and sound, healthy and on God's time.