Next Blog Please...

Well, I finally did it! Something I'd never done before, but always wanted to. Something I'd always wondered about, but was afraid of for whatever reason. Something that had tempted me often, teasing me with statements like "Just a quick peek" and "Come on, nobody else will even know." And I finally gave in.

This morning, at a weak moment and in an attempt to procrastinate and postpone the inevitable, I did it. I clicked the "Next Blog" link at the top of the page.

"¿Cómo se hace un jarrón de cerámica?"

What a letdown! "?Como se hace...?" Now I gotta call Mrs. Prestridge from Ninth grade Spanish to figure it out! The teaser in me thought I might hit something exciting...maybe another minister or freelancer praising God, maybe an artist showcasing his latest work, or maybe some proud Grandma in Searcy showing off photos of the latest addition.

But I landed on a "ceramica" website! I can do the math and deduce, from the pics and the wording, that this is a blog about ceramic sculpting...I think? Whatever it is, my eyes, mind, and brain were deceived and letdown.

Just proves that we never really know what's behind closed doors. Temptations arise and we become enticed. We want to take a quick peek but are afraid of getting caught. So eventually we let our mind run wild and start hoping for things unknown. Then we open the door...and there it is...

And it also proves that we never know who may open the door on us. As a Christian, that can be kinda scary! What if someone, some non-Christian in a third world country, opens the door to find me blogging about the hottie across the street? What if my own minister stumbles across the blogspot and finds me obsessing over a too-long sermon this past Sunday? What if a potential Christian witness gets turned into a candidate for hell simply by my writing and actions?

Makes you think, doesn't it? Made me think, for sure. I think I'll be more careful what I do behind closed doors, online and in person. And might you do the same?

Next Blog, Please...

Random Thoughts About Stormy Weather...

There's just something about a good strong storm that makes men think.

Storms scare me, pure and simple. I'm scared of hurricanes, even though they rarely reach this far north. (Katrina and Ike notwithstanding...) I'm scared of tornadoes, having seen firsthand the destruction of massive North Alabama tornadoes every spring and fall. I'm scared of thunder, and the old adage "that's just God moving His furniture around" doesn't quite cut it. I'm scared of lightning, and would never be so inventive as to fly a kite in it. Sometimes I'm even scared of rain, what with all the flooding and so on...


Storms isolate me, creating kind of an icy "all-alone-in-this-great-big-world" kind of feeling. The wind, the rain, the snow, the snow, the snow...did I mention snow? Snow is a lonely kind of weather...why would God make snow anyway? OK, back down and hold your fire...snow IS gorgeous, fun, exciting, and all that jazz...but I'm just not a snow fan. "One man's junk is another's treasure...," and you can keep your white flaky treasure up north! LOL

But storms also excite me! The blood starts flowing, adrenaline gets running, and my veins pop out. Guess it's in my blood cause I'm a guy and I feel the need to protect, to be in control, and to keep everyone safe. And it's the uncertainty of safety in a storm that creates the next and greatest stormy emotion...

Storms make me rely on God! I realize during a good storm that God is sin control, He owns it all, He can calm it down and He can brew it up! He can build things with snow dunes, and He can tear things down with flood waters. He gives us sense enough to stay off the roads, and gives us His cover when we must drive in a storm. In short, no mater how isolated my little pea-brain thinks it is, GOD is always with me.

Next time you're caught in a good storm, scared and alone as you may be, remember this most famous word from God that has helped me remain confident through countless waters:

"Through the storm you do not walk alone.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you."
-- Isaiah 43:2