She’s 14.
Last Friday, October 20, Sarah Alice Potts, our baby and my baby girl celebrated her 14th birthday. It doesn’t seem possible but, it is.
You know, it’s coming… yes, I’m going to walk down memory lane a little.
I remember when she was born. King’s Daughter’s Hospital in Brookhaven, Miss. In all honesty, I kind of wanted another boy. You know… another little ball player. I wanted a girl but I wanted the girl to be the fourth child. Well, the girl came on the third try and Holli said that was the last try!
We moved to the coast of Mississippi when she was six months old so Sarah basically grew up there. From the beginning, she sounded like a southern girl when she talked. She had a little southern drawl.
She played t-ball, upward basketball, was a “shheerrleadduurr”(cheerleader) for pee wee football. She went to tumbling and dance and all the other stuff little girls do. When she was 5 she played t-ball baseball with the boys. She was the prettiest one out there and… she made All-Stars! I remember feeling “pumped” when she went into the game to play second base. They hit one to her and she caught it! She was as good as the boys and prettier!
Moving to Georgia was a little tough on her. She left her friends behind and had to start over. I didn’t anticipate how tough it would be. But, thank the Lord, after making the cheerleading squad at HJMS for two years and the 7th grade basketball team she has made some friends and is doing better.
I look at her today and she is becoming a “young lady.” She wears make-up now. Her older brother, Robert, doesn’t like that. He kind of wants to “can her” and keep her as the little girl. Now that I think about it, that’s not a bad idea! Just kidding.
She has a lot of her mother in her. She looks like Holli but she gets her height from my mom. She is level headed like her mother. She has an ability to stay above stuff when she needs to and discern what’s really important. I’m proud of her for that.
She and I have had an opportunity to “bond” a little over the years because I’ve always taken her to school. On our drives to school, we talk and laugh and sometimes cry.
When she was little, the teachers used a discipline system that involved little bears. If you mis-behaved in class, you got your bear covered. That wasn’t a good thing. You didn’t want your bear to be covered.
So, when I would pick Sarah up in the “parent pick up” line she would get in the truck and one of the first things she would often say was “Zero baaauuurrsss (bears) covered.” That was her way of saying she didn’t get in trouble that day.
Sarah Alice and I have had fun. We have laughed, we have made funny faces we have done impersonations. She laughs at me when I find something funny and she doesn’t have a clue why I think it’s funny. Ha!
When she was little, I would tuck her in and she would say, “Huggy hug, Kissy kiss.” I would hug her and put my little girl to bed.
Sarah Alice, I wish you could stay a little girl for about 20 more years. But, that’s wouldn’t be right. I have to let you grow up. You will be a wonderful Christian lady.
So, baby girl, “Huggy hug, Kissy kiss…” Daddy loves you and is very proud of you.
Happy 14th birthday!

Stuff.
Jesus told us not to store it up. You remember the verse, don’t you? “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).
Well, I’ve known that verse for years but recently, I understood it.
For a couple of months I’ve been changing the way I eat and have increased the amount of exercise I was getting in an attempt to lose some weight. One of my incentives, along with just getting healthy, was to be able to get back in some clothes I had been unable to wear for a while. Thank the Lord, the plan has and continues to work.
As a result, when I stepped on the scales and realized I had lost some weight, I would step over to my closet and pull out a suit or slacks or a shirt that I’ve been unable to fit into and try them on to see if I had finally lost enough weight to wear them. Holli referred to it as a “feeding frenzy.” You know, like sharks attacking something.
Well, early in this process, I had a suit I had been unable to wear for a while that I could finally fit into. I put it on, stood in front of the mirror, asked Holli how it looked, and always felt good when she would say “I believe you can wear that.”
I was pumped. I had a new suit without even buying one!
I wore it to church one Sunday. Man, I felt good. Wearing new suits does that to preachers. Ha!
My joy was short-lived however because that night, I discovered a huge hole the size of the grand canyon in my slacks. “This couldn’t be”, I thought. I’ve just been able to wear these again. “This isn’t fair” I thought. “I’ve lost this weight and one of my rewards was to be able to wear some clothes I had out-grown and now, that’s gone.”
Almost immediately, the scripture I quoted at the beginning of this article came to my mind. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”
“Yeah”, I thought… “that applies to clothes.”
So, I threw the suit away (the hole was too big to be patched) and determined that even though part of my joy in losing weight was to be able to wear some suits I hadn’t been able to wear previously, I was not going to let one suit ripping steal my joy.
But I was reminded again of the folly of deriving joy/self esteem etc… from storing up “stuff.”
“Stuff” (clothes) rips.
“Stuff” (clothes) gets stained.
“Stuff” (jewelry/furniture) gets stolen.
“Stuff” (electronics/clothes) gets out of date.
“Stuff” (automobiles) gets wrecked
So, if your joy is in “stuff” you are going to have some disappointing days.
However, if your joy is in the Lord, He sustains you even in the days when you find a rip in your pants!

Have you ever had a day that you just sorta wanted to forget?
Maybe you made a mistake at work. Or, you accidentally hit the “delete” button on the computer screen and “Presto!” all your work was lost in cyberspace! Or, you spilled coffee on your favorite shirt and you didn’t think the stain would come out. We’ve all had some bad days.
Recently, Pluto had a bad day.
I’m not talking about the cartoon character Pluto. You know, Mickey Mouse’s favorite dog. Not talking about him. I’m talking about the planet. Well, it was a planet. Now, it’s not a planet any longer.
According to a news report, “Leading astronomers declared … that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.”
When I read the news article I thought, “How can you do that?” I mean, I thought planets were pretty safe. Man, it’s a tough economy if planets are getting fired! I wonder if Donald Trump is the one who had to tell Pluto “You’re fired!”
But why do you fire a planet?
The International Astronomical Union (I haven’t been asked to be a member!) stripped Pluto of its planetary status that it has held since 1930. This Union created new guidelines on what constitutes a planet. And, Pluto doesn’t fit the bill.
So, “Pluto, you’re history!”
Fired!
Just like that, the planetary system as we know it changed.
We have all heard of companies “reorganizing” their structure, but planets? Now, I know that in reality, Pluto didn’t get fired. Pluto is still there. It’s like it refuses to give up its office cubicle. It’s just the way planets are defined has changed and consequently, Pluto doesn’t fit the new definition. So, God’s creation is the same regardless of the decision made by the International Astronomical Union.
What do we learn from this?
First, no one, or, for that matter, no planet, is exempt from trials and troubles. I mean, one would think that planets are safe. When people start issuing pink slips to members of the solar system, it sorta gives you pause.
Second, life moves on. The day that Pluto was fired from the solar system or, the day the solar system was “redefined” the world kept turning. Sometimes we forget that. When we are going through some tough times we can begin to think that a problem is greater than it is. I try to remind myself when facing problems that God is still on the throne and the earth is still turning.
Third, don’t let whatever people think of you bother you. You see, the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto no longer fit the bill as a planet. So, they called Pluto into the office and said, “Effective immediately, you are no longer a planet.” Pluto may have asked, “Why?” If so, it was told, “Well, we don’t think you are a planet any longer.”
“But,” Pluto responds, “I’ve been a planet for years… School children have been taught that I’m a planet. You can’t just decide that I’m not a planet any longer.”
“Oh yes we can,” comes the response.
Now, if Pluto suffered from a self esteem problem that could really hurt! If we are not careful what people think of us can adversely affect us if we are not careful. So, we need to know that Jesus loves us and it doesn’t matter what others may think.
Pluto is no longer a planet. But, life moves on.
If you have a bad day, with the Lord’s help, put it aside and press on with your life.
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.”

You’ve heard the old saying “There’s no limit to what can be accomplished if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.”
That is absolutely true.
Yet, in every realm of life there are, unfortunately, occasions when things do not get done because some are unwilling to support it because it wasn’t their idea. Why is this a problem?
Sometimes it’s someone “new” making a proposal and they are perceived to be a threat to someone who has been there for some time. The person who has been there for a while is unwilling to support a good, new idea because they are threatened by the new employee. Instead of feeling threatened, be a team player.
Nobel Prize winner Charles H. Townes illustrates this well. He comments, “It’s like the beaver told the rabbit as they stared up at the immense wall of Hoover Dam, ‘No, I didn’t actually build it myself. But it was based on an idea of mine.’”
Be willing to share the credit for ideas.
Ask the Lord to give you the peace to be open to new things God may want to do.

“He’s a junior.”
That thought hit me recently as I thought about our second child, Will.
It just kind of came out of the blue. “He’s a junior.” That means… this time next year, my stars, he’s a senior.
I guess everything I’ve heard is right… time does fly. It seems like yesterday that he was playing Dixie youth baseball, eating chili cheese “fwies” after the game and getting cheese stains all over his ball shirt. His mom used to say that she could tell what he had been eating because it was all over his clothes. Ha!
It seems like yesterday that we were going to “Shucky Sheese” (Chucky Cheese) for birthday parties and he and his little buddy, Brian Blank, were “exploring” in the woods. Lord, time has flown.
Over the past 16 years we have spent some money on happy meals, pizza, ball game hamburgers, cleats, jerseys, etc… There was a time I guess was bemoaning the money we had to shell out as parents. My dad gave me some good advice; “Don’t ever begrudge a penny spent on these little fellas.” He was right.
Today, happy meals would be nice. Now, when we go out to eat, he normally orders the largest steak on the menu and looks at me as if to ask, “Is that all right?” Happy meals don’t fill him up any longer.
Will plays baseball for Paulding County. During the off-season he is doing a drill called “long tossing” to strengthen his arm. Recently, I was throwing with him. As we threw, he was burning me out. My mind went back about 12 years when we were in the yard and I would gently toss the ball to him trying to teach him to catch. Now, he’s throwing it harder and farther than I can. He has grown.
We have two years and then, he’s off to college. Two years. Two years for him to be a high school student. Two years to be the parent of a high school student. I want to make them right.
You know, when my life is over, it’s not going to matter what size church I pastor. What will matter is what kind of dad was I? I want to do well in that department.
Parents, spend time with your kids. Time does fly. Thank the Lord, I still have some time left.
I’m reminded of Harry Chapin’s song;
“The cats in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue with the man in the moon.
When you coming home son, I don’t know when,
But we’ll get together then, Dad.
We’re gonna have a good time then.”
Those lyrics are real. They grow up just like us. Spend all the time with them you can and teach them to love the Lord and His work.

(This is a weekly column I write for the Dallas New Era)
Are you a competitive, ambitious person?
Many of us are.
I read about a very competitive athlete who went to the Doctor. The Doctor said “You have a temperature of 103.”
The athlete responded, “What’s the record?”
Hopefully you are not that competitive.
There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition and a little ambition, but
at times, our ambition can become a hindrance in our lives if we are not careful. For example, an ambitious or competitive parent can push their child too much in athletics or in dance or even in academics.
Or, a person who wants to climb the ladder of success rapidly may take some shortcuts in their career to achieve their goals.
There is nothing wrong with some ambition, but we need to be careful that unbridled ambition doesn’t control our lives.
Jesus wants to bless us. None of us has to prove anything to anyone. Jesus wants us to take the gifts He has given us and use them for His glory. So, be yourself. Rest in your ability. Do your best on your job and trust the Lord with the rest.

In 2004, thousands of Christians went to theatres to view the movie The Passion of the Christ. Churches across the country even purchased tickets for entire viewings of the movie and then, gave those tickets away to people hoping they would view the movie and then, receive Christ as Savior. I have seen the movie three times and it was very, very strong. It led me to re-dedicate my life to Christ.
The movie was directed by Hollywood star, Mel Gibson. Gibson is Roman Catholic. I gained a greater appreciation for Mr. Gibson as a result of his desire to go “against the grain” in Hollywood and produce a film like The Passion Of The Christ.
This past week, Mr. Gibson made headlines with news of his arrest by Los Angeles police for drunken driving and some other charges. And, as if that wasn’t enough, evidently, during this experience, Mr. Gibson supposedly made some anti-semitic remarks to the police officer.
By now, you may have seen pictures that have circulated on the internet showing Mr. Gibson partying in a Los Angeles bar just prior to the arrest. Mr. Gibson has apologized twice to the Jewish people for his anti-semitic remarks and has announced that he will undergo treatment for an alcohol problem he has dealt with throughout his adult life.
So what is the Christian to make of all this?
My initial thought was “Man, this is not good.” It’s sad that a man that was so visible in the media two years ago during the release of the Passion of the Christ made this kind of mistake. It really gives the secular news media and non-Christians another reason to attack the church as just a group of “hypocrites.” That’s unfortunate.
Then, I was moved that Mel Gibson admitted he had a problem with alcohol. It touched me that he was willing to say “I have a problem with this.” As Christians, all of us have various problems. We all face various temptations. Mel Gibson admitted he has a problem with alcohol.
I am also glad that he is seeking treatment and that he has apologized to the Jewish community. And, he has seemed sincere in his apologies.
So, how is the Christian to view Mel Gibson?
A fake?
A farce?
I don’t know the man but I don’t think so..
Was he wrong in what he did? Certainly.
Getting a DUI and the remarks he made about Jewish people are wrong. Very wrong.
But, he also admitted that he made a mistake. Will he be punished for his mistake? He is already being punished. It’s realistic, that in the eyes of many people he may never gain the respect back from them that he has lost with this incident.
He’s getting help. At least that’s what the news reports have said.
My heart is a bit torn. I really appreciated Gibson’s production of the Passion of the Christ. It was an excellent film. It was wonderful to think that there are some Christians in Hollywood.
Then, this happens.
How should the Christian respond?
Well, this is one Christian who believes in grace. All of us have made mistakes. I have. You have. Mel Gibson has.
Does Jesus still love him? Absolutely!
Can he be forgiven? Most definitely… if he asks for it.
What he did was wrong. Very wrong.
However, Jesus said, “he who is without sin, cast the first stone.”
Before we start casting stones at Mel Gibson, let’s examine our own lives.
Several years ago, I made a statement in a sermon that in decision making, if I had to come down on the side of “law or grace”, I was going to come down on grace.
I’m coming down on the side of grace in my feelings toward Mel Gibson.

Do you feel un-loved today?
Do you feel like no one cares?
We can occasionally feel like we are insignificant and our life really doesn't matter.
We can feel like the man who tried to become member of the "lonely hearts club" but was rejected!
Now that hurts!
Well, the scriptures tell us that Jesus loves us.
I am beginning a study of the book of Revelation in the church I pastor. As I was reading this book this morning, a verse spoke to my heart that reminded me of God's love for us. In Revelation 1:5 the Bible says, "and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood--."
Look at the words, "... who loves us..." John is reminding us that Jesus Christ loves and releases us from our sins. You may feel that you have made a mistake that is unforgivable. You may have slipped in life and you feel you can't get up. The scriptures repeatedly tell us that regardless of what happens in our lives, Jesus loves us, forgives us and helps us get up.
You may feel Jesus doesn't love you because you don't think you have achieved anything great in life. Someone has said, "Jesus doesn't love us because we are valuable. We are valuable because He loves us."
So, if you are feeling down today, if you are feeling like no one cares about you... take heart! Jesus loves you right where you are!

(This is a weekly article that I wrote for the "Dallas New Era" newspaper)

Steroid use... a new form of "temptation". Why has steroid use become so rampant in sports? You probably have heard that Floyd Landis, the Tour de France victor has tested positive in a drug test. However, based on my understanding, he was taking some other medication that may have produced a "false positive" in this drug test. I hope the test reveals a "false positive." This has been a great story and I, for one, would hate to see it destroyed by performance enhancing drug use.
Which leads to another question; "Why are so many athletes using performance enhancing drugs?" One would presume it's to get "an edge" on other athletes. In order to be a "great" baseball player many current athletes have, unfortunately, bought into the false idea that to be great you have to cheat. However, a review of baseball history reveals the names of many great baseball players that didn't use performance enhancing drugs. For instance, Willie Stargell didn't use steroids but he was great. Willie Mays didn't. Babe Ruth didn't. Johnny Bench didn't. They were great baseball players. Or, maybe it's just the temptation is present today. All of us face temptation. And, there are more opportunities for temptation today than ever. The internet presents a venue for pornography that hasn't existed before. Credit card offers are sent to college students when 30 to 40 years ago that temptation didn't exist. The scriptures tell us that Jesus faced temptation at the outset of His ministry. At each temptation, Jesus responded with scripture. However, Christian, the apostle Paul has told us, "No temptation has overtaken but such as is common to man... and God is faithful who with the temptation will provide the means of escape also" (I Cor. 10:13). Temptation has been around since the garden of Eden. We just face it in different forms today. But God can help us deal with temptation. Whatever temptation you are facing today, God can help you deal with it.

What I am reading....

I will edit this post from time to time to give updates on what I have been reading and studying.

Check in every now and then to see what's new.

• "How to Be Like Women of Influence" by Pat and Ruth Williams
• "Looking At Life Through The Rear View Mirror" by Paul W. Powell
• Book 2

"Only God is in the position to look down on anyone, and he never does."

I like that quote. It comes from the book "Looking At Life Through The Rear View Mirror" by Dr. Paul Powell, Dean of Truett Seminary, Waco, Texas. Dr. Powell has been a friend of mine for years.

Christians, unfortunately, have a tendency to judge others or look down on others if they don't behave in a manner that we think is appropriate or think the way we think they should think. Consequently, we "judge" them or look down on them. When we do so, we put ourselves in the position of God.

That's why I like this quote... "Only God is in the position to look down on someone, and he never does." God loves us where we are. God picks us up.

Jesus said, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (Matt. 7:1) NIV.

"The good Lord gave us mountains... so we could learn how to climb."

I like those lyrics. They are from a new song by the country group "Lonestar." I don't listen to a lot of country... primarily just when the kids are riding with me... today, I had run an errand with my son, Will. The radio was on but... I wasn't really tuned in... if you understand what I mean. But, I heard the line, "The good Lord gave us mountains, so we could learn how to climb." That struck me.
These are the lyrics to the chorus of the song..."Times in life, when you gotta crawl, Lose your grip, trip and fall;When you can't lean on no one else, that's when you find yourself;I've been there and I've noticed that Walking is easy when the road is flat Danged ole hills get you every time, The good Lord gave us mountains, so we could learn how to climb."
There is some good life teaching in that song. There are times in life when you've gotta crawl. You do lose your grip or you trip and fall. I have fallen and I imagine you have as well. There are times when you can't lean on no one else. But, here, I differ with the song. You do have to find yourself but, for the Christian, you never find yourself alone... the Bible says the Lord never leaves us nor forsakes us...
There are hills in life and if you're not careful, they will get you but, they don't have to. God gives us mountains so we can learn how to climb.
James said, "Consider it all joy... when you encounter various trials" (Jas. 1:2).
So, when you're facing a mountain, remember the lyrics to the song... "the good Lord gave us mountains so we can learn how to climb."

A pic of my kids... Will, Robert and Sarah. Easter, '06

Me, my daughter, Sarah, and my wife, Holli at an LSU football game in the fall of '05

Many people have a tendency to compare themselves to others. They do so by saying, “I don’t speak like that person.” Or, “I can’t sing like that person.” You get the idea.
Well, you can take some pressure off of yourself because God doesn’t expect you to be better than another person. God expects you to be yourself. Be your best.
Someone has said, “You are not accountable for being the best, but you are accountable for being your best.”
I read a little poem recently that highlights the importance of doing your best.
“If you can’t be a highway, then just be a trail;
If you can’t be the sun, be a star;
It isn’t by size that you win or you fail---
Be the best of whatever you are.”
So, are you doing your best? You may have a tendency to compare yourself to others and say, “I’m not as talented as they are.” God doesn’t expect you to be like that person. You need to be yourself.
God has given you unique gifts and abilities. Use them for God’s glory.