Give Them What They Want

OK, OK. So now you can't accuse me of not listening to my blog audience. You have overwhelmingly spoken and I have responded. You can click on the picture to the right to see some new pictures of Ian, who I affectionately refer to as the "Lil Sleep Depriver" and Miriam refers to as her "Lil Poopie". (Note: She said that it is cute for her to call him that, but if anyone else does, there will be a fight.)

Connecting Marines and Their Families

When you find out on a Wednesday that you have to work the following Sunday, it usually puts a pretty huge damper on the joy that's found on a Friday. Being able to look forward to the weekend. Getting up at 5:00 am that Saturday also is normally not my cup o' tea. But I had to do it. At least I was able to work out with my boss so that I could take Monday off to compensate me for my time.

OK, so all seems doom and gloom. Working on a Saturday. In the freezing cold. If hell is somewhere I don't want to go, for a south Louisiana boy, I can imagine hell being freezing cold. Yeah, I know, it's a lake of fire and brimstone but work with me here.

Alright, on with the story. The truth be told, it was an amazing experience to represent CFD and be a part of the Marine Buddy Challenge. The event consisted of teams of two civilians running a race, doing pushups, situps, and so forth while being treated like Marine recruits. The Marines in Iraq ran the same course that morning and those here were able to compare their times to those from Iraq. Pretty cool concept.

Another part of the event was a tent setup with some of our communications equipment from CFD. I was able to be a part of allowing families in the Charlotte area to be able to see and talk to their sons serving in Iraq. To see the joy in each mom's face was extremely humbling. It was worth whatever small sacrifice I had to make to be able to serve those families and bring smiles to their faces that I'm sure will be shining as bright for days and weeks to come.

Thanks to everyone in the armed forces that sacrifice so much to serve our country and protect our freedoms. Thank you for what you do and may God protect you and bring you safely back home.

Other pictures from the event: 1*2*3*4

Leaving A Legacy

And I thought getting married changed things in my life. Being a parent changed my outlook on a lot of things. For the better.

Miriam and I watched "3:10 To Yuma" tonight and I must say that I very much enjoyed it. Christian Bale and Russell Crowe are a couple of my favorite actors. I don't want to ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it, but the movie definitely made me ponder what kind of legacy I'll leave for my son. What will my son be able to say about his dad? I want to give him a name that he can be proud of.

It is so amazing how life experiences teach you more about the character of God and His love for us. What a legacy He has left for us. And what a name He has given us. I know there is so much that I have yet to learn, and I'm looking forward to it.

See Through

Psalm 139:1-4: O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

I think one of the most challenging things to do as a man (or a woman for that matter I suppose) is to be totally see through. Completely vulnerable. Not in word and appearance only but by exposing my deepest thoughts and fears.

Let me be the first to say that I don't have it all together. There are times that I miss the mark by so much that I'm ashamed. I know I'm not perfect; none of us are. But I will tell you this: that doesn't stop me from picking myself up, dusting off, and chasing God and pursuing the dreams He has placed in my heart.

A couple ways that I have been stretched over the last two years or so is with music and with public speaking. I have learned that when I am tense and have made up my mind to be shielded and only expose so much of myself, that I am nowhere near as effective or successful in the end. I've had to learn to embrace the uncertainty, the possibility of failure, and the vulnerability and just go for it. When I'm not worried about what I sound like, what I'm going to say, how it's coming across, and let the work that God has done in my heart come out, I have been able to experience a freedom that is difficult to describe and a confidence that is stronger than ever before.

This blog is challenging me to be see through. In how I live my life. In how I speak. In how I write. Lyrics from Audio Adrenaline's song "See Through" ring through my ears as I write this:

Don’t you know that God loves you
Don’t you know that I try too
I’ve been known to miss my cue
Don’t look at me I’m see through

I would love to be made perfect
But instead I have the grace of God
You should look through me
And you will see what I want to be

Bayou Butt Whoopin'

How sweet it is! And what a game! My, oh my! I have to admit that I likely should have popped a blood pressure pill in the first quarter when Ohio State jumped out to a 10-0 lead. What a lead! Big X to zero. Notice the key phrase? Big X? I think the SEC can officially be crowned as the premier college football conference without there even being a close second.

LSU didn't seem to be rattled or phased by quickly being down 2 scores. It was almost scary that they were as calm as they were. I was waiting for them to show some intensity and they somehow weathered the storm. It's a good time to be a tiger. I even wore my LSU jersey into work today.

I watched the first half with one of my neighbors, Jamie, on his high definition TV. It was a disappointment to watch the second half on my low definition TV. I'm still working on Miriam for an upgrade. Maybe we'll get a decent tax return this year. (Anyone who would like to contribute to the TV replacement fund, feel free to send cash, checks, or just send the TV.)

Miriam went to bed early to catch some sleep in case Ian decided he wanted to make the night a long one. I played the role of a good daddy and had Ian rest on my chest and watch the game downstairs with me on the couch. What a feeling. Looking down into his eyes and watching LSU play in the national championship. Can it get any better? I think future LSU games will be hard pressed to match the experience of Ian's first LSU game.