Normally I try to follow a central theme in my posts on this blog. But today, I'm going to deal with various thoughts that I've had over the past few days.

Let's start with last Friday. That night, I went to Dave Hardin stadium at Paulding County High School prepared to watch my middle son, Will, play his last high school football game. They were playing one of their county rivals, Hiram High School. But, this game had a little extra "mustard" to it. The winner of this game got the fourth and final seed from our region in the play-offs. So, it was pretty tense from the start. I had prayed that if it were the Lord's will, the kids could pull an upset and win. I don't know if the Lord is interested in football or not but, I figured I would pray anyway! And, we had an "angels in the outfield" experience. Our kids won! It was wild! So, they get to play one more week. They are facing a gargantuan task in their first round opponent (MLK in Atlanta.. they are ranked 3rd in the state) but, we are "in."

Then, my parents came up last weekend. We don't see them nearly as often as we once did. But they came up for Will's senior night. Although we don't see them much, it's always neat when they come and it's sad when they leave. They are aging. I know; everyone does. I guess I just wasn't ready for it.

Finally, Holli and I attended the Georgia Baptist Convention in Augusta on Monday and Tuesday. This was my first "GBC" to attend. It was a neat experience. It was also a little lonely. I don't know many ministers in Georgia yet. So, I'm trying to meet new people. I now understand how people feel when they visit a church for the first time.

It's cool today. I'm looking forward to something warm to eat tonight and watching a little college football on Thursday night. I hope you have a great day.

I'm a sentimental dude. I guess that's a little weird, since I'm male. But, that's the way I'm wired. I have a tendency to hang onto things.
When the last college football game of the season is played I will dwell on the fact that it's over for several months. It's normally kind of sad. For some ladies it's a happy moment because now, they feel like they have their husband "back" for a while. lol. I do the same thing when I watch the championship game of the NCAA basketball tournament. And... at Christmas... the same thing.
Tonight will be one of those nights.
My middle son, Will, is a senior. This is his last home football game for sure and possibly his last high school football game, period, if the team doesn't win. Will has played 3 years at Paulding county high school. For the last three years, during the fall months, we have normally been at a high school football game on Friday nights. And, that will probably continue even with him graduating because my daughter, Sarah, is a cheerleader.
But, tonight, may bring the curtain down on one season of our life.
If they win they go to the playoffs so we would have one more game.
Tonight, my mind will go back to all the pee wee football games and middle school games. They will go back to team parties. It will go back to yelling like crazy when they won as little kids and hugging them telling them "it's ok" when they lost.
Tonight, Will is going to stand on the field at Paulding county stadium with his mom on one side and me on the other and his name will be called out. They will mention the activities he's been involved in, what his future plans are and folks will applaud. Then, we will take our spot. When it's all over, he will hug his mom and run back to the locker room to get ready for the game.
Then, his team will play Hiram, one of their county rivals. We hope they win. They hope they win. But, when it's over, win, lose or draw, he's still my kid and I'll be proud of him.
One thing I'll remember about his football time... he always ran to his spot. Always. Didn't matter how bad they might be getting beat, he ran to his spot. That made Daddy proud.
Well, the tears are starting.
Already.
And it's just 6:30 e.s.t. on Friday, November 9th. I've got 13 hours to go before game time.
"Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to be the dad of Robert, Will and Sarah Potts."

If you haven’t read it, you are at least familiar with the book Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The book was written by Robert Louis Stevenson and published in 1886. It’s about a London lawyer who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde. The book is known for its portrayal of a psychotic condition known as “split personality.” The phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” syndrome has even made its way into pop culture in describing someone with a split personality.
Christians deal with the “Jekyll and Hyde” syndrome as well. We want to do the right thing. We want to guard our tongue. We want to think pure thoughts. But does that happen? Not always.
We find ourselves battling. We know the right things to do.
Don’t gossip.
Be kind to one another.
Treat others as you would like to be treated.
But at times, doing those things is a challenge.
Then, there are moments, when, perhaps more filled with the Spirit than at other times, we say encouraging things. We help others. We have a benevolent spirit.
When those times come, we feel good about ourselves and about life. It feels good to help someone. It warms your heart to say an encouraging word. So, why can’t we do that all the time?
The reason is that there is a battle going on inside every Christian called “the battle of the flesh and the spirit.” And the flesh is strong. We can crucify it daily but it comes back. It comes back because it’s strong!
One day we can experience peace and contentment. The next day, due to the strength of the flesh, we can battle envy and greed.
One day we can experience the peace of Christ. The next day, anger can fill our hearts.
The apostle Paul described this dilemma when he said, “For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me…. (Romans 7:19-20).
I can identify with that!
So, every Christian deals with the “Jekyll and Hyde” syndrome to some degree. So, how do you handle it?
The first step is to be aware of it.
Second, when we find ourselves battling, James tells us “Submit therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Know that the power of the Holy Spirit in us is greater than the power of the flesh and if we will ask the Lord, He will help us deal with our temptation.
So, when you are having a “Jekyll” attack, ask the Lord for strength so that the “Hyde” side will be more evident in our lives.

What's important to you?
Have some things become more important to you than they should?
I haven't made a blog entry since August 10. That's almost 3 months. Part of the reason is that blogging had become too important to me. Let me explain.

Back in August, I began going through a real time of spiritual renewal. I was reading the little book "The Calvary Road". (If you haven't read it, you need to. It's good.) God began speaking to my heart and, honestly, blogging wasn't as important as it once was. Reading that book led me to realize the need to make some changes in my life. On many days, the first thing I would do in the morning was update my blog. But, during that time I realized I had gotten my priorities out of order. I was having a devotional time with the Lord but it wasn't always first thing. So, I re-prioritized some things.

Second, when I decided to begin blogging again, I couldn't access my blog. The problem is still not totally resolved but it's resolved enough for me to resume posting. I changed my email address during that time and I think that change hindered me from being able to sign on.

I will write more about my time of spiritual renewal in the coming days.

For now, I ask you, "Have some things gotten out of order in your life?" Have some things become more important than they should be? There is a little verse tucked away in the book of II Chronicles 18:4 that has spoken to me in the past couple of months. The verse says "Inquire first for the word of the Lord." I have put that verse on my p.d.a. Every day, I am reminded to "Inquire first for the word of the Lord."

It's making a difference in my life.

Matthew 28:18-20 is a couple of verses that most Christians are pretty familiar with. It tells us to "Go ye therefore and preach the gospel to all people..." That is not a direct, verbatim quote from scripture but, it's close.
Those verses are generally known as "The Great Commission." That's our mission statement as Christians. For years, that mission statement has been accomplished via door-to-door visitation, crusades where large numbers of people would be given in an opportunity to believe in Jesus as their Savior and other traditional means. And, those means still work in certain places. However, the world is changing if you haven't noticed. One of the primary ways the world is changing is through the power of the internet.
I was reminded again, last night of the power of the web...
I was in a committee meeting in our church and a young man who teaches at an area school told me that a new coach at his school whom I had met in the gym I am a member of checked out my sermon the web. When he told me that, I backtracked in my mind to the conversation with the coach.
It was about a week ago. I spoke with the coach and we chatted a few moments. We joked a little about the rivalry between the school he coaches at and the school my son attends. I didn't think much about our conversation after that.
Until last night...
I was talking with this committee about the need to possibly spend some money making our church web-site better. And, this young man smiled and said "Yeah, Coach... checked out your sermon last week."
I was stunned... I guess I shouldn't have been.
The way people select churches has changed some. Now, when they move into a community, they can visit your church via the internet before actually visiting the church.
This coach whom I met in the gym had evidently gone home or to work and pulled up our website and listened to a few minutes of one of my sermons. I thought that was neat.
We have opportunities all around us today to spread the gospel. We need to ask the Lord to illuminate our minds and help us think creatively to reach this generation with the love of Jesus.

My wife and some friends have told me for several years that I am "OCD." That refers to obsessive compulsive. That means you have a tendency to focus on things. I admit; I do that. I get something on my mind and I have difficulty getting it off. That is good and bad. It's good in that there have been times when I begin a a project and I stay focused on it until it's done. I mean, I tackle it. It's bad in that at times I get something on my mind and I remind someone of a particular task about a zillion times. lol

Well, in the past couple of weeks the "OCD" deal has been good. A few weeks ago I became convicted about the number of periodicals and newspapers I read and receive. I have always enjoyed reading. I can get lost in a book and it helps me relax and learn which is good. But, you can get too much stuff.

For years I have subscribed to lots of periodicals. Some of them are "preacher" things that have good illustrations for sermons. Some of them are magazines like Time, Newsweek, etc.. For years I have subscribed to Sports Illustrated.

I get so many that they accumulate... and they accumulate in a bad spot... right beside my chair. In the past, at times, it has looked like a mountain! We have lost kids under them!. JK

Well, a few weeks ago my wife went to cheer camp at UGA and I decided to surprise her when she got home by having the "mountain" cleaned up. So, I started sorting/discarding etc... I threw away... I'm embarrased by this... three trash bags full of old periodicals and I have some more that I hung on to.

I have also cancelled some subscriptions. I now get one paper per day and there are days when I don't have time to read it! This process has helped me to focus more on Bible study and prayer. And, it's not over. I'm still trimming.

Are there some things you think you can't do without that you need to trim away in your life?

Jesus said "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." (Matt. 6:33).

Several years ago when I was pastor of a church in Lincoln county, Mississippi a lady who was our Sunday School director told me one week that she and her family were going to be out the next Sunday. She then explained that her oldest was a senior and it was going to begin getting more and more difficult for their family to get everyone together. So, the family was going to New Orleans.
I was young and full of legalism and I admit, I was aggravated.
However, after almost 20 years, I now see where she was coming from. Our oldest son is 20. The next is 17 and our daughter is 14. We are getting to ready to leave for Florida for a few days vacation and, our oldest can't go because of his work schedule. It frustrates me. A little bit of me is empty because our whole bunch is not going to be together.
I now see what the lady was trying to tell me 20 years ago.
So, make sure you spend time with your family. There will come a time when you can't get them all together.

I'm cutting back.
Throwing away...
Let me explain.
I love to read and as a pastor, I'm always looking for a good, new, fresh illustration (stories) to really top a sermon off. Because of that, over the course of my ministry I've subscribed to magazines and purchased books. The only problem is, I've had too many coming in. They pile up beside my chair. When we go on a trip, I would put them in a box and plan to go through them while we drove. And I went through many of them. But I never got through them all.
For years this has been somewhat of a sore spot w/my wife but she has always been patient and basically said nothing until the stack would get too large and she would demand action. Recently, I started taking action on my own. I've cancelled some thing, thrown away some things and it feels good. In business, it's called streamlining.
Do you need to streamline your life? Do you need to eliminate some things?
People are extremely busy today. I mean, we're always "running in a store" or hurriedly making a stop at a convenience store. It's almost like we take pride in being busy. But, is that the way God wants us to live? I don't think so.
I'm trying to cut back. Jesus said "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all of His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33).
Put the Lord first and allow Him to streamline your life.

Who am I?
That's a question that lots of people seem to be asking.
In an attempt to answer it, people spend money on clothes to try to project a certain image. Or, they purchase a new automobile to attempt to do the same. Or, they try to keep up with their neighbors and spend money they don't need to.
All of this is done in an attempt to be someone or act like someone that we admire. And through all of that, we never find out who we are.
Who are you?
First, you are a child of the king of kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.
Second, you are loved by the Lord Jesus.
Third, you are gifted by the Lord Jesus. That means you have been given a certain set of spiritual gifts. God wants you to use those gifts for His glory.
Fourth, you are called by the king. In the book of Acts, the Bible says that God called Saul to be a missionary to the Gentiles. God has called each one of us as well.
So, who are you? That's a key "life" question for most of us. Ask the Lord to reveal to you who you are... what your giftedness is, etc... and be who the Lord called you to be.

Last Friday I had an excellent day. Well, I've had some good days since then as well but that day was a particularly good day.
I was talking to Holli Friday morning and we were discussing Robert. I had just told Holli that I felt disconnected from Robert and that I didn't see him much. I know, it gets worse the older they get.
Well, about the time he comes up the stairs from his room and says that the boys who were supposed to be playing golf with him backed out so, he was trying to decide what to do. Immediately I thought, "Here's your chance. You've felt disconnected from him well, here's your chance to spend a day with him."
I thought about it for a few minutes and decided to go with him. I did have some other things I needed to do but I knew that all of it could wait another day. So, I played golf with my oldest son.
We had a blast. I felt like I got reconnected with him. Robert is a good golfer. He played on his high school golf team. I felt a sense of pride as I watched him gradually get better the longer we played.
Then, after finishing a round of golf, I took Will, my middle son, and a couple of his friends to see the Rome Braves play. We had a great time.
When I got home Friday night I was beat but, I had invested a day in my two sons. You can't beat that.
Thank you, Lord, for giving me three great kids. Thank you that each one is a Christian and trying to follow you.

I watched the MLB All-star game last night. Well, I watched it through the 7th inning. It was 11:00 then which is past when I want to go to bed so, I gave it up. The AL was winning when I went to bed and they hung on for the final two innings.
I enjoy watching the All-star game. I really enjoy the pageantry. Last night, prior to the game, there was a huge salute to the "say hey" kid, Willie Mays. The television announcer said "if he wasn't the greatest, he was one of the greatest to ever play the game." That's a strong statement.
I get goose bumps every time I see a tribute like that. There were the pictures on the jumbo tron then, Willie Mays made his entrance walking between the players on the AL and NL all-star teams. It was neat seeing a "former great" of the game walking among the stars of today.
I wish we had more moments like that. We need to recognize people, encourage people. There is an old saying "give someone their roses while they are living."
Is there someone today that you need to say a word of encouragement to? Send someone an email. Offer to buy them lunch. Give them a call. Write them a note but by all means, do something to offer encouragement and express appreciation.

In my post yesterday (7.09.07) I mentioned that one of the highlights of my trip to the coast last week was getting a fresh supply of Community coffee. Someone asked me what was so special about Community coffee. I mean, in a world that has gone crazy over Starbucks, what's so special about Community?
It's strong. I like strong coffee. Maybe that's the "Louisiana" in me. Louisianian's are known for enjoying "strong" coffee.
It has some "bite" in it. I'm not real sure what gives it the "bite" taste but there is only one other coffee that I have had that is similar and that is Hill and Brooks coffee.
I like the bag. No kidding. No, the bag doesn't make it taste any better but I like the "red bag" it comes in. It's got the picture of the antebellum home on the front. The bag makes it look like it ought to be good, strong coffee. lol
It reminds me of home. I hadn't thought about this until I started writing but every time I purchase a bag or bags of community coffee, I'm reminded of home. Maybe that's weird but it's true.
If you have ever lived away from the place you call "home", when you make trips back "home" there maybe a restaurant, or a store, or a place on the beach or a spot in the woods that you enjoy going to that is a favorite spot. Community coffee is like that for me.
Well, there it is... a theological treatise on why I like Community coffee. Now, I think I'll have a cup!
P.S. If you think about it, drop me a line at gepotts1@aol.com and let me know if you are a coffee drinker and if so, what brand you prefer.

I really had a good week last week.
We went to the Mississippi gulf coast to get away a few days. We ate some seafood, saw some friends and just "chilled" for a few days. I needed it. The month of June had been exceptionally busy so I was a tad bit tired.
The only regret from last week is that I didn't get to see more people. I just needed to hibernate and I did.
On our return trip home on Friday we even got to see my parents which topped everything off.
Then, I went in a Wal Mart and loaded up with a fresh supply of Community coffee. I even picked up some Zapps potato chips for the kids.
There are three weeks left before school kicks in again. I'm looking forward to three good weeks before get back in "busy" mode.

In an earlier post this week I wrote that we were visiting the Mississippi gulf coast and "reconnecting" some. One of the things I really look forward to in coming to the coast is eating seafood. I have had two opportunities thus far. I feel like "Bubba Gump"... I'm enjoying fried shrimp, broiled shrimp, etc... lol

We have had an opportunity to visit with some friends and the kids have as well. It's been a good trip. The only downside is we can't see everyone we would like to see.

A little quote from "Shrek"; last night we watched Shrek I. On one occasion Shrek says "people judge me before they even know me." That's pretty good. Shrek's right. We often judge people before we get to know them. Today, be careful not to judge others. Try to love people as Jesus would.

This post may ramble some today. I have thoughts but they are not necessarily all together.

Reconnecting...
I'm not totally sure all that means but I'm doing some of it this week.
We lived on the Mississippi gulf coast for 12 years. Our kids spent a big portion of their lives here. We have some very good memories from the coast. Last night we dropped our daughter off to spend a few days with one of her friends. We dropped her off at the softball fields. I walked around and remembered all the softball games Sarah played here. We have lots and lots of good memories there. We have friends here. Last night we got to visit with a few folks that we knew from our involvement in kids sports when we lived here.
Our kids have for the past couple of years enjoyed coming to the coast about once a year to see their old friends and just see what's changed. We drive around and look at the area. Of course, lots of things changed after Katrina.
We drove to the coast yesterday. Sarah is spending some time with some friends and Will is doing the same. Robert couldn't come. He has to work this week because he went on vacation with his girlfriend's family last week.
Holli and I will rest some, ride around some, see a few people, eat some seafood and I will take back a fresh supply of Community coffee. I might even take back some shrimp if I can convince my wife. lol The down side of something like this is we can't see everyone we would like to see. There's not enough time.
I need to reconnect periodically. I'm not sure why but I do.
Maybe it's remembering our roots. Maybe it's re-visiting the familiar. Not sure. But I need it.
You probably do as well. This week is a holiday week. Take some time and re-connect with someone.

What are we willing to do to accomplish something great? Any time anything great is accomplished there is normally an individual or a group of people who are willing to sacrifice and work toward a common goal. Such was the case with the American Revolution which led to the birth of our nation.
This Wednesday we will celebrate our nation’s birth. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed declaring the intent of the colonies to be free from the tyranny of England.
But that Declaration didn’t just happen. Events had been unfolding for some time that led to this moment. One of those events took place in the Virginia House of Burgesses on March 23, 1775.
There, Patrick Henry urged the legislature to take military action against the encroaching British military force. The House was deeply divided, but was very much leaning toward not committing troops. As Henry stood in Saint John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, he ended his speech with his most famous words: Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
The crowd jumped up and shouted "To Arms! To Arms!". This speech is credited by some with single-handedly delivering the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War.
“Give me liberty or give me death!”
Patrick Henry wanted liberty so much he was willing to die if necessary. He declared that he would rather die in a quest for freedom than live in slavery. He wasn’t alone.
Our founding fathers shared the same passion for freedom. It was a passion that moved them and led them to take up arms in a battle for freedom.
Benjamin Franklin reportedly said as he signed the Declaration, “We must all hang together or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” He wasn’t kidding. He knew that if the revolution failed, the signers of the Declaration would be tried and convicted of treason. But, Franklin and others were willing to pay that price for freedom.
Great causes and great projects require great commitment and sacrifice. Let’s thank the Lord for the freedom we enjoy as Americans and for those who sacrificed for our freedom.

The iphone comes out today.
For weeks now there has been advertising about apples new iphone. It's projected to be the newest "gotta have" gadget. Some of the reviews I have read say that the iphone is indeed worth the hype it's received. One of the things about the iphone that supposedly makes it worthy of the hype is that it's much easier to view web pages on it than it is with many portable devices.
I love gadgets and I have noticed the advertising for the iphone. It seems like a pretty cool piece of equipment. However, I hadn't given much thought to the anticipated release of the iphone until I saw a picture in the paper of a man who has camped out in front a store for a day or two to be first in line to get an iphone. That guy obviously wanted an iphone badly.
The iphone will probably fall into the category of things that many will think "you just gotta have." It will be the newest "cool" gadget. I can see people gathered around someone that has purchased one looking at all it will do and being amazed and saying "I gotta get one of these."
Gadgets are neat and new cars are nice and clothes make us feel "new" but.... we need to remember what Jesus said about "stuff"; "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal" (Matt. 6:19).
There is nothing wrong with purchasing things we like if we can afford them and if we like them as long as we realize they are not the most important things in life.
We need to remember what Jesus went on to say in that same chapter; "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:20-21).

I guess I would be described as a "people person." I normally don't meet many strangers. At least, they aren't a stranger for long. And, when I meet someone, Holli tells me I warm up quick. I become "instant buds" with people who ten minutes prior were strangers. I don't know if that's good or not but it's pretty close to accurate. lol
And, I have a tendency to be a "back slapper." Maybe I was supposed to be a politican. It is natural for me in shaking someone's hand to touch/slap them on the back. Some say I have given people back problems with may hard slaps on the back (I don't think they are but I've been told they are). I have noticed that when I shake the hands of some people who know me well they draw up in the area of their shoulders anticipating my back slap. lol Holli especially cautions me to be careful with the elderly.
I have always enjoyed meeting new people and getting to know them.
Recently, I met a guy in the gym who once played football for North Carolina State. We talked about some of their former coaches and players. I enjoy talking sports with anyone.
And, I met a guy at the gas pump who is an LSU fan. He had more LSU gear on than I have ever had. We talked and I discovered that he has a daugther in the band.
During summer baseball I have enjoyed getting to know some new people. In fact, thus far this year, that's probably been one of the highlights of the summer for me. I have met some new people and made some new friends.
There are 6 billion people on this earth. And, Jesus died for each one of them. God's plan is for those of us who have asked Jesus to forgive us of our sins to share the love of God with others. In order to do that, we have to meet new people. We don't need to stay in our same circle.
I encourage you today to meet someone new. Force yourself to meet someone new. Try to build a relationship with them and eventually, try to share the love of Christ with them. In doing so, you will have the privilege of leading some to Christ and making some new friends as well.

Today, instead of writing something inspirational or motivational... I am going to open up my soul to let you see a little of what God is doing in my life.
God has been speaking to me.
For some time now my heart has been heavy about a couple of issues. I'll not share those but God knows what they are and I ask you to lift me up in prayer whenever my name comes to your mind. A couple of weeks ago, in an attempt to seek answers to these issues I sensed a need to open up my heart and just allow the Lord to speak. As I have done that, God has been speaking to me.
Now, it hasn't been a bolt of lightning or anything... some of it is issues that I've known I needed to deal with but just kept pushing them aside.
I have asked the Lord to speak to me and lead me to make changes where changes are necessary. I've asked the Lord to not make me hurt but I'm not sure that part of my prayer is right. You may have to hurt at times to get things right with the Lord.
Pray for me as I continue on this journey.