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hiking with the boys and the dogs
Posted on August 17 2008 at 07:43 PM
After church today Jennifer, Jaylon, Jaron, John, Tammy, and our two dogs, Muzzy and Candy went to Guntersville State Park to do a little hiking. We hiked the Cutchenmine Trail So the dogs could enjoy the water. We had a great time and took a few pictures. I hope you enjoy them.
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Vacation 2008
Posted on August 06 2008 at 08:57 PM
We’re having a great time. We are playing so hard I hardly have time to blog. Jaylon, Jimmy, Jason, John, and I are going deep sea fishing tomorrow morning. I’ll try to add to the pics. For now, here are some pics from the week.
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Millennial Update
Posted on July 29 2008 at 07:49 PM
I know it seems like we only update this site once every millennium or so, but give me a break. It’s summer time. That means there a lot more going on that I could blog about, but a lot less time to blog about it. Jaylon has been involved in everything from drum lessons to a tennis clinic and everything in between. He is really playing the drums well and his forehand is really coming around on the tennis court. Jaron spends most of his free time in the swimming pool trying new tricks. Jennifer has been accepted into the Nursing School at Snead State Community College and was awarded a scholarship from Gadsden Regional Hospital. I’ve been busy at the church. This Sunday we officially launch our 2nd campus named LifePoint at Brindlee Mountain. God is going to do a great work there. Q, Adam, Rags, Glen, Jason, and all the others involved deserve props for their hard work to get it off the ground.
On a less serious note, I played golf today. I’ve only played 3 or 4 times this year and most of those times I probably wouldn’t call what I did playing. But today I PLAYED golf. I shot 6 over par for the day. In and of itself that the best round of golf I’ve ever played. What made it better was that included a front nine score of 4 under par. I know some of you are already realizing my debacle on the back nine. I must admit that the back nine was extremely frustrating, but did I mention that I shot 4 under par on the front?
I’ve also begun training for a half marathon in November. for those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s 13.1 miles. At the moment I am writing this, i am in excrutiating pain with what i think may be shin splints, and tireder than I want to admit because I ran 3 miles this evening. I am wondering about my sanity, and frustrated about my tendency to commit to things before i really consider the price of the commitment.
Incidently, this brings me back to my first thought. I hope you enjoyed this sporadic update. I get back with you in another millennium or so.
Matt
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Children’s Hospital
Posted on July 14 2008 at 10:28 AM
Rags, Glen, Ruth, and I are in the Lobby at Children’s Hospital with the Woodham family. Please be praying for little Alexandria as she is undergoing surgery for a Whim’s Tumor-a form of kidney cancer. It’s hard to understand why a beautiful, one year old little girl has been diagnosed with cancer. So I thought I would share a couple of my thought about why bad things happen to good people-or even innocent people in this case. First, and foremost, we must remember that there are no such thing as good people. The Bible says “there are none good, no not one.” More importantly, we must find confidence n the reality that “works according to His good pleasure.” The chief end of God is God. God is in relentless pursuit of His own glory. As such all that occurs is God working to bring about His glory.
I am going to get back to hanging out with the Woodham family. I’ll update as I get details.
matt
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Impulsive
Posted on May 28 2008 at 06:36 PM
I consider myself to be rather impulsive. I’m not sure whether that is good or bad, right or wrong, positive or negative, or maybe just indifferent. None the less, I have come to the realization that I am impulsive. I’m also somewhat compulsive. I am easily addicted to things. This leads to a rather interesting paradigm. Essentially it means that I become addicted to randomness. This week it’s tennis, next week it may be heroclix, and the week after fishing. The point is I am impulsively compulsive. Take, for instance, my latest impulse. I have decided that I am going to attempt to turn my car into a hybrid. I know that I don’t posses the mechanical skills to do this, but I am intrigued by the challenge-not to mention the necessity to do something about this gas crisis (and by crisis I mean to my checking account. I am really not sure that we have reached crisis level in the economy). So here I am. I am researching methods of making my car a hybrid. I choose at this moment to refrain from disclosing my exact plans until I determine feasibility and possibility.
Oh yeah. I’ll try to be more compulsive about blogging.
Later.
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What Husbands wished their wives knew aboput men
Posted on May 19 2008 at 05:08 AM
Here is the information I promised yesterday in the second service. I think the results of Feldhahn’s research is interesting
It is likely no surprise to you that God has wired women and men differently. We all recognize some of these differences, but others often hide in plain sight. Shaunti Feldhahn, a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist, author and speaker recently wrote a fantastic book, For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men. In it, she recounts the surprising truths she learned about men after interviewing more than one thousand of them. Not long ago, I had the opportunity to interview Shaunti for our radio broadcast, HomeWord with Jim Burns. In our discussion, we spoke about ten things guys wish women knew about men. I think you’ll find these ten things fascinating! Even more, I believe that in understanding these issues, you’ll be equipped to lead your marriage to a better place!
1. Men would rather feel unloved than inadequate and disrespected. Husbands need to know that their wives respect them both privately and publicly. Men thrive when they know that their wives trust them, admire them and believe in them. Shaunti Feldhahn’s research indicated that men would rather sense the loss of loving feelings from their wives than to be disrespected by them.
2. A man’s anger is often a response to feeling disrespected by his wife. When a husband becomes angry with his wife, he may not come out and say, “You’re disrespecting me!” But, there is a good likelihood that he is feeling stung by something his wife has done which he considers disrespectful and humiliating.
3. Men are insecure. Men are afraid that they aren’t cutting it in life—not just at work, but at home, in their role as a husband. They may never vocalize this, but inwardly, they are secretly vulnerable. The antidote? Affirmation. To men, affirmation from their wives is everything! If they don’t receive this affirmation from their wives, they’ll seek it elsewhere. When they receive regular and genuine affirmation from their wives (not flattery, by the way), they become much more secure and confident in all areas of their lives.
4. Men feel the burden of being the provider for their family. Intellectually, it doesn’t matter how much or little a man makes, or whether or not his wife makes more or less money in her career. Men simply bear the emotional burden of providing for their family. It’s not a burden they’ve chosen to bear. Men are simply wired with this burden. As such, it is never far from their minds and can result in the feeling of being trapped. While wives cannot release their husbands from this burden, they can relieve it through a healthy dose of appreciation, encouragement and support.
5. Men want more sex. Everyone’s natural response to this is probably, “Duh!” But, that response is probably for the wrong reason. We primarily assume that men want more sex with their wives due to their physical wiring (their “needs”). But, surprisingly, Shaunti Feldhahn’s research showed that the reason men want more sex is because of their strong need to be desired by their wives. Men simply need to be wanted. Regular, fulfilling sex is critical to a man’s sense of feeling loved and desired.
6. Sex means more than sex. When men feel their wives desire them sexually, it has a profound effect on the rest of their lives. It gives them an increasing sense of confidence and well-being that carries over into every other area of his life. The flipside of this coin also carries a profoundly negative affect. When a husband feels rejected sexually, he not only feels his wife is rejecting him physically, but that she is somehow rejecting his life as a husband, provider and man. This is why making sex a priority in marriage is so incredibly important!
7. Men struggle with visual temptation. This means the vast majority of men respond to visual images when it comes to women. And, this doesn’t just mean the guys with wandering eyes. Even the most godly husband cannot avoid noticing a woman who dresses in a way that draws attention to her body. Even if it is just a glance, these visual images are stored away in the male brain as a sort of “visual rolodex” that will reappear without any warning. Men can choose whether to dwell on these images and memories or dismiss them, but they can’t control when these images appear.
8. Men enjoy romance, but doubt their skills to be romantic. True, many men appear to be unromantic clods, but it doesn’t mean that they want to be that way! Men want to be romantic, but they just doubt their ability to pull it off. They are plagued by internal hesitations, perceiving the risk of humiliation and failure as too high. Wives can do a great deal to increase their husbands’ confidence in their romantic skills through encouragement and redefining what romance looks like. For example, a wife may balk when her husband asks her to go along to the hardware store, but it’s likely that he’s asking because he sees it as a time they can get away as a couple and hang out together. What’s not romantic about that?
9. Men care about their wife’s appearance. This isn’t saying that all men want their wives to look like the latest supermodel. What men really want is to know that their wives are making an effort to take care of themselves (and not letting themselves go) because it matters to them (the husbands!). Husbands appreciate the efforts their wives make to maintain their attractiveness.
10. Men want their wives to know how much they love them. This was the number one response of men. Men aren’t confident in their ability to express this, but they love their wives dearly. Men want to show how much they love their wives and long for them to understand this fact.
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Update
Posted on May 09 2008 at 10:28 AM
I know it has been a while since I blogged last. I apologize for that, but I haven’t really had much to say. I know some of you find that hard to believe. today I am at a conference at Shocco Springs in Talledega, AL. I have had the chance to share the LifePoint story several times publicly and more time personally with various pastors and DOM’s today. I thought I would put a link to some pics from recent events-one is a visit to the zoo with Jaron, the other is a fishing trip with the boys. Enjoy the pics.
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Torch Run 2008
Posted on April 28 2008 at 04:04 PM
I realize that most of you won’t believe me when i say it. Therefore, i have pictures to prove it. Last Friday, I participated in the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. We started the run at the Shell Station on 431 and Pleasant Grove Road in Guntersville, and it ended at the Albertville Recreation Center. That’s a grand total of 5.5 miles. Now here’s the part most of you won’t believe. I ran the first 4.19 miles without stopping. That’s from the Shell Station almost to Edmonson Road. I then got in the truck to drink a gatorade for about 100 yards, then jumped out and finished the run. Maybe you think I’m bragging. Actually, I’m just stating the facts. The last time I ran that far at one time, I was 13 years younger, and more significantly, 65 pounds lighter. Here’s where the real bragging starts. This whole run was Steve Marshall’s idea. Most of you know that he runs all the time and is in great shape. However, he got in the truck before I did. I know he’ll say it was to get other people a drink of water or some other excuse, but the way I see it, he bailed first. Consequently, I am left to deduce that i must be in better shape the him. Steve, thanks for building my esteem. Anyway, enjoy the pics.
Later
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Community Group Mission Project
Posted on April 24 2008 at 02:56 PM
Last night my community group had the opportunity to do some mission work for an elderly couple in our community. We went to Mr. and Mrs. Meeks home last night and spent some time doing yard work. I really enjoyed working in their yard and enjoyed even more spending time with my community group. Check out some of the pictures below. In one picture you can even see where Jeff cut down a tree and it fell on the neighbor’s fence. Way to go Jeff.
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Recent Pics
Posted on April 23 2008 at 07:29 PM
I spent a little while tonight uploading some pics on my camera. I hope you enjoy them
Pics from our camping trip during spring break. While Jaylon was in Washington D.C., Jaron, Jennifer, and I went to Guntersville State Park.
Some more Pics from Jaylon’s baseball team
Last Friday, Jeff and I took our baseball to the Huntsville Stars game (the minor league team in Huntsville). Here are some pics
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