so,
i can go into all the junk about how long its been, but you all know that.

this post was supposed to be about my dad and the healing trip we took to the beach, and it will be, but as i have put together the words in my head i have seen a greater truth revealed.

lets start with the beginning.

tammi is a friend of mine at the water works here in montgomery. she is a praying and fasting warrior. one day i went in to pay my bill and she looked at me and said a few words that were pure prophecy (because of details she couldn't have known about any other way) i won't go into it here because the only relevance is that i trust her words like no other.
as i was getting ready to leave she looked at me and asked about my dad. she has maybe met him once and doesn't know anything about his background or his faith life. i said he's ok, my normal response when i don't want to get into the details. she looked at me with that "now tell me the truth look" and then said "he's hurting isn't he." my heart dropped and i said "yes he is."

for those of you who don't know, my dad was an emergency physician for most of my life. he retired on disability near the time when i was graduating college because he was dealing with so much pain it made it hard for him to focus and function. since that time he has had his knee replaced, had carpal tunnel repaired in both wrists and has had his back rebuilt twice. i joked with him one time that if we had to replace any more parts we would trade him in on a new model. anyways...there's some background. now back to tammi.

she, not knowing any of this about my dad, proceeds to tell me everything. she said, "your dad is a believer, but he needs God to show him something. (she didn't know that I have never really seen my dad live out his faith) he was a healer in the natural, but God is a supernatural healer (she didn't know he was a doctor) then she said something completely out of the ordinary. she told me to take him to florida and for three nights in a row at 3 a.m. to take him into the water and pray over him and that God was going to do a total healing. i couldn't stop the tears. you see, for my dad to go one day without hurting i would trade everything, even my own comfort. i tried to hold it together but i just couldn't. i wrote down the instructions she gave me while trying to focus through my blurry eyes.

i was excited and i was worried. what would my folks think about this. they have been in the methodist church for a long time and things like healing and prophecy aren't talked about much, plus my dad was a doctor. he has literally held people's life in his hands. how would a natural healer accept the offer of suprenatural healing. i called and told mom about it and to my surprise she agreed and said when do you want to go. dad had much the same reaction just saying, "when are we going?."

we finally found a weekend to go and headed to florida. there were so many barriers to what we were trying that weekend. we normally go to gulf shores, but it had to be florida. dad was hurting but the ocean was a long walk from the room and to top it off the erosion from the waves meant the water was down a steep embankment that i could barely walk on so it was torture for dad.

the details of those three nights are fuzzy, i wrote some of them down but in a way i don't really want to share them. they were powerful, they were personal. they were for us and between us.

dad said he felt better after we went. he even said that he didn't have any pain on the car ride home and that in itself was a miracle.

i didn't know why i just couldn't write this stuff out until now, but this morning i realized it.

I didn't want to talk it up.....in case it didn't work. i know the miracle was in God's hands not mine, but what if dad still had pain. what if he isn't healed right now? i don't want to fail him. i didn't want to build up his expectations and tell him about the God that could do miracles, the God i loved and the God that i wanted him to have a relationship with only to have him be let down. he doesn't need any more letdowns in his life, he needs miracles. one on top of the other. he needs to feel alive again, and when i thought he was hurting again i pulled away. i haven't even talked to him much since then. how would i explain if he wasn't healed? i hate that i did that. i love my dad, but to disappoint him would hurt me.

i know he would read that and say that he was never disappointed in me and he has never told me that he was, but i don't want to hear that ever.

many days i feel like my life has been a series of failures. every relationship, my business, most of my projects. i didn't want dad to be one more.

dont comment saying that i'm not a failure. i have the head knowledge and this post isn't really supposed to be about me anyway.

i wish i could tell you that he is totally healed now. emotionally, physically, and spiritually but i don't know. i've skirted the issue and for that i repent.

i'm going to see him tonight and i am going to ask his forgiveness for retreating at the very point he may have needed me most.

pray for me

all for now

i'm trying to figure out what to write. i haven't been on here in months but tons of things have happened in that time period. lets see, i ran for mayor of montgomery, built another loft, went to behold camp, tried to sell a few buildings, realized how much hair i'm losing, made new friends, lost touch with others.

i feel a shift in the world right now. our economy is in the tank, but to me it seems like people are getting more real now. sort of like getting our reality check. i wish the government hadn't stepped in back with the original bailout. they should have just let it all collapse and reset itself.

this post started about 9 months ago but now i have something to share again.

god is moving.

i will explain the whole story in the next few posts. right now its 3:15 in the morning and i'm wiped out.

all for now

Date:	2008-04-13 19:56
Subject:	if i had all the wisdom in the world, i would give it to you
Security:	Public
Mood:	calm
Music:	sara groves

every time i sit down to write a journal entry i get a few lines done then decide what i want to say isn't that great. i don't know if it is just that i don't have much to say or i just don't have any creative writing ability at that particular moment. something in me wants what i say to inspire people, push them to be better than they are, force them to look inward and evaluate who they are becoming, and in turn push myself to go even farther beyond that. maybe a journal is just about being honest and allowing the light that you shine into your dark corners spill over and show someone else that this life is messy for all of us but we aren't supposed to go it alone. you know, i find comfort in that idea. that my worries and fears and failures aren't as unique as i think and if i am just willing to share them you never know what the outcome might be.
so much has happened in the last months since i wrote. i have realized a dream, chased after others. seen success at some and failure at others. i've met people that have impacted my life forever and given the cold shoulder to others. i am a selective extrovert and a closet introvert. it probably stems from my feeling of always being on the outside of the group. do i need to be loud, funny and outgoing to be included or do i need to be the one just walking around the circle quietly hoping someone would see me and invite me in? I can do both very well but lately i have noticed i am getting better at being the quiet one. i've been doing life by myself for so long that i am almost awkward in groups now.
i'm not totally alone though, i have family and friends and church people and a dog of course, but being surrounded with people and being alone have nothing to do with each other.
the last few weeks i have reconnected with lots of people from my past. it is strange how people come and go. its good to catch up.
have i told you that two of my ministry passions are relationships and people in college and early twenties. i feel like i am called to help bring a revolution to marriages and young people. in fact i believe that the next great spiritual boom is going to come about when people our age get fed up and turn our energies from the latest material things to really searching for God. i see it happening already.

i actually preached a message not long ago called single guys guide to marriage. i know it isn't good to covet but i am sick and tired of people who have found their spouse, taking it for granted. I am tired of hearing women put down their husbands and husbands disrespecting their wives. you are joined as "one flesh" in marriage so the abuse is actually against yourself when you get down to it. there are those of us who would love to have someone to live life with but we don't yet for whatever reason, so change your relationship. put your spouse as high as you can behind God. compliment them, encourage them, thank them, pamper them, and most of all love them, i mean really love them beyond the feeling. make the choice every day that you will be their greatest cheerleader. you owe it to them in a world like this, to be the constant here on Earth. God knows we all need someone like that and thats why he gave us each other.

did i tell you i am also getting into shape? well a shape other than round around the middle. i have started eating well and working out. my goal is 8% body fat and a 30 inch waist. i just got tired of feeling unhealthy and finally decided to do something about it. unfortunately i inherited the junk-food gene so it is particularly difficult to turn down the goodies but it will be worth it in the long run.

all for now
but i have more to write about next time too

p.s.
if you haven't done it you should buy sara groves new song "when the saints" then turn it on as loud as you can and drive down the road. it is such a powerful song and it is one of those songs that shines a light on my faith and challenges me to go deeper. when i am listening to that song i feel like i can do anything.

Date:	2007-11-11 21:00
Subject:	sex.......god
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful
Music:	a mix

after a nudge from someone i know i just finished reading rob bell's new book sex god. i am still trying to process all of the truths he sets out in it but overall it was one of those books that makes me think. he gives a description of lust that really hit home with me. he doesn't really talk about it in the old timey you will burn for having thoughts way. he actually sort of redefines lust to be the thought that anything else other than God will satisfy us. by that definition i lust all the time.
as many of you know, i take relationships very seriously, mine, other peoples, any relationship. i feel like there are a few things God has called me to in particular. I know i am supposed to be involved in ministry, i know i am supposed to help downtown montgomery become vibrant again. most importantly i know that i am called to be a husband and a father. i know it just as much as i know my name. i have no idea when it first was real to me but it is, and i take that role seriously.
so why am i writing here and why do i mention rob bell? its because his book made me face alot of the things i used to feel and sometimes still do. i wanted to do relationships right. i said the right things, did the right things but it hasn't worked. my mom and sister tell me i take it too serious, that i should just be patient, go slow, take my time. i want to, i want to do it right, but something in me just desires to have the "one" right now. when God put it in me that i was going to be a husband and father he didn't tell me when. he didn't say Byron, the woman you are searching for is going to be coming through that door on the right in three minutes. i wish he had, it would be easier. but since he didn't say that i have just put myself fully into the relationships that i have had and so far they haven't worked. in a way it is like a cruel joke. guy decides he is happy and fairly content being alone, then dynamic girl comes into picture, likes guy, dates guy, smiles at guy, allows guy to think things are great and good and fine, then girl decides another guy is better so she leaves guy standing there wondering what happened. guy has put himself out there only to be rejected. guy gets over it and becomes content with being alone then bam another girl comes into the picture. this has been a pattern for me. have you ever had something you wanted, and knew God wanted for you but you aren't able to have right now. patience is tough. it really is. in the movie evan almighty "God" asks "when a person asks for patience do you think God gives them patience or the opportunity to be patient? when someone asks for courage do you think he gives them courage or the opportunity to be courageous?" that scene really impacted me. why? because i feel like i am always waiting. i feel like i am always having to be patient and it is wearing me out. God is giving me too many opportunities to be patient and i am ready to move on.
back to the book. the reason i am tired i think, is lust (as defined by bell) i keep thinking when the lofts are finished then it might happen and life will begin. they are finished and i still feel the same. when the lofts are sold or rented, then it will be better.....we'll see, when i find the right girl, life will begin. who knows. one thing i do know is that when i put these artificial goals and timelines out there and they don't pan out it isn't God ignoring me. it is me putting my happiness in the thought that someone, something, somewhere, is the answer to my longing.
as a pastor, i know that those things don't fix it. i can tell you a bunch of verses about why they won't. i would even tell someone that those aren't the solutions if they came to me for help, but when it comes to application in my own life, the head answers just don't solve the heart problem.
now let me straighten out a few things because i know the married people out ther will say that marriage doesn't fix problems it magnifies the existing ones and i would agree from my observations. i am not foolish enough to believe that lie. i also know that marriage isn't easy and definitely doesn't cure loneliness. like i said the head answers are there and i know them well.

i think what i am talking about is true companionship. someone to just do the normal everyday things with. for those of you who are married you better start recognizing the blessing you have in the person you stood with and pledged your life to. i would love to have what you have and too often i watch people talk down about their mate. they belittle them, make fun of them, gossip about them, ignore them. i think that God wants me to speak about marriage and what it is, but i am not married, i don't have any real world experience so therefore anything i say might be just blown off as ignorance, but what if what i have in my heart about marriage is what God wants people to hear? what if it is his original design before spouses started making alot of excuses. what if it is the very heart of God unspoiled by the the day to day? i think i am going to preach the single guy's guide to marriage sometime soon because i get tired of watching marriages fail. i get tired of hearing about affairs, divorce, separation, abuse. it hurts to watch people who don't appreciate what they have because i know it is something i want. is it coveting? maybe. but is it real? yes.

God, in his ridiculous unmerited love gives me answers. when my heart is broken because someone has rejected my love i believe God weeps and says "i know how it feels, my children refuse grace every day." when someone takes their love and commitment from me then i believe God weeps and says "i know how it feels, my children turn their backs on me daily." when i see one spouse being verbally destroyed by the other i believe God weeps and says "i know how it feels, they did that to my son." when someone cheats on me i believe that God weeps and says "i know how it feels, my loves have other lovers."
nothing that i am feeling is outside of the experience of God. nothing is new. he went through it all in Jesus and that should give me comfort. it should, but my humanity doesn't let it stay that way for long. i quickly jump back into the lust that something, someone, somewhere is going to satisfy me and i get tired all over again. right back into the cycle.

there is hope though. each day gets a little better. each day i feel it a little more. somedays there are setbacks, somedays giant strides. that is what life is about though isn't it? about sanctification? about constantly trying to become more like Jesus every day? i believe it is.


if only people would behave the way i want them to and God would follow my plans.......................

and just so you'll know, i am not desparate to get married or find the "one" i just feel like i am ready to start the process, i think it is time

i know that this post was alot of rambling but i have so much on my mind right now and there are a million more things running through but i will have to wait to write them out

all for now
bybo

i've tried to write a journal entry for the last six or eight months and every time i start i just give up and decide against it. call it writers block, call it lack of something interesting to say or just call it being too busy, whatever it is i hope it is gone now. so much has changed since my last post that it would take me way too long to put it al together.
i think my last post was my girlfriend application. it didn't get me any prospects but right after i posted it i did briefly date someone, things went well, then it just ended. those close already know the details and would smack me if i bothered them with it once again, but it doesn't matter, i've moved on. in fact i had a date last night, and enjoyed myself alot and hopefully it will lead to more dates. she has already agreed to go out again, now it is just a matter of finding time in our schedules to be able to do it. i am going to try to take this one slow and do it right.
the lofts are coming along well, we are almost ready for our open house and i can't wait, they look so good and i have had so many people call and come by for tours that i have had to lock the door during the day so i can get some work done. the commercial space is rented and the smoothie shop there is doing very well, plus the stuff is good and i can walk right next door to get a drink or a panini to snack on. i think the lighting in the lofts is one of the neatest parts, although we do have a tub that fills from the ceiling. sounds neat huh? well you'll have to come to the open house to see it then won't you?
in other news, i have been in the paper twice and on the news twice too since i started these buildings. when i first started my company my goal was to give away houses and change the dynamic of montgomery. the story that ran saturday was an affirmation that i am doing that at least in part. (www.montgomeryadvertiser.com) i have a very supportive family, a good mayor and that has given me a good opportunity. the mayor is quoted as saying that i was the answer to many peoples concerns because i am going to come in and save three buildings that were just going to be demolished. it would have been a bad thing because one of them was built in the 1840's and the others were built in the 1880-90s. i am excited to see what they will become, we start tearing out all the junk tomorrow.
i bought a house, i now have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in capitol heights. its an old neighborhood just outside of the downtown area. it was built in 1926 and has some really nice craftsman features. i also got a dog, her name is zoey. she is part doberman, part mutt, has long scrawny legs and a jacked up eye that just doesn't quite look at you but she is etremely sweet and affectionate so it is nice. i sent my cat to live at my folks farm, she is an outside cat and seems to be doing better up there than she was in the city.
i preached today at church, we are doing a series answering peoples questions about God, the Bible, whatever and i spoke about determining God's plan, satan's work, and just life itself. i hope it went well, i don't ever remember much of what i talk about, i hope that is a good thing.
ok, time to shower
all for now

Since the people around me seem to be pushing me towards finding "the one" and to be honest i wouldn't mind either, i will post my girlfriend application.

the girl for me needs to have the following qualities, broken down into groups by importance.

MUST HAVES
Active involvement in a Bible believing church (just being a Christian doesn't count)
Desire to have a family.
Willingness to be welcomed into my family
A giving, charitable heart and desire to serve.
Willingness to try new things
Sense of humor (she has to be willing to laugh, at me, herself, at life, at everything)
An ability to give and accept affection (i don't mean PDA's)

BONUSES
Strong relationship with her family.
Education beyond high-school (we have to be able to have an intellectual conversation because I am a nerd)
Good looks (not in a shallow sense but i do want someone i am attracted to)
The ability to appreciate romantic gestures.
Some artistic sense.

**Disclaimer**
if you are planning on applying or know someone that is then please understand the following. I will not date just to avoid being single. Any interested applicant should be willing to accept my flaws (i am opinionated) just as i will be willing to accept hers (other than the following exceptions.) i do not, smoke, cuss, or use drugs and do not want to marry someone who does. If you smoke or use drugs you need not apply. If you let the occasional word slip out when you smash your finger I might let it slide but it need not be a regular event. The application process is now open but be aware that the selection committee is very strict and is making a serious effort to find the correct candidate to fill the position. Send all interested applicants to the old dirty buildings in downtown Montgomery for an interview.

I realize that many people think that this is being too strict and picky but a marriage is a life-time commitment and divorce is not an option. Because of this i think that it is better to not settle for anything less than the best that God has for me.

Thanks for your time.

All for now.

i was informed that i hadn't posted in a long time and so i guess it is time. since the last post, i have withdrawn from school, started and stopped a relationship, seen the biscuits win the southern league championship, met lots of new people, and watched the lofts really start to come together. the financing has been approved finally and i think i have worked out my issue with the water works. it is amazing how many little issues begin to pop up when you try to do something. common sense would tell you that re-developing a downtown property would be no problem and the city would do anything and everything they could to help out. that has not exactly been the case but the real issue has been the water works. there is a serious case of little kid mentality going on there. it is the whole attitude of "you have to play by my rules cuz i own everything" it is irritating but there is not really much that can be done about it.

the two bedroom loft is now almost completely framed out. it is really cool. the plumber is going to be there tomorrow and after that i can frame the rest. get ready to come visit when we have the open house party, and if you know anyone that is looking for the top living space in montgomery then let me know

all for now

so tonight i cried.

yes, i said it, i cried tonight.

and at the same time, i had one of the most real, tangible feelings of God's presence i have ever had in my life.

first of all, words will not begin to capture the scope of what happened but i will try.

jason (the lead pastor of my church) called me while i was still at the ballgame and told me about a woman he met while on his way to his car. he knew i was going to walk home the same way since i live a few blocks from the stadium and he asked if i could look for her and tell her hello and confirm God's love for her. well i got about halfway home and still didn't see her but there was a guy pushing a bike with two flat tires. he had a box full of flowers sitting on the seat and after a second we started chatting about the game since we were walking the same way. his name was rodney. i asked him about what he did and then gave him all the money i had and told him i did it in order to show him God's love in a more practical way. when i did so he was kinda speechless he gave me some flowers and told me that God loved me too. then we began to talk.
not long ago his house caught on fire. his ex-wife ran out and left their two children in the house. his son was killed and his daughter was severely burned. his new wife has taken on the task of dressing his daughter tabitha's wounds. she does way more than any step mom should have to and he said she does it gladly. he told me that his daughter was mad at him because he wouldn't let her go swimming this summer, but she can't right now because of the burns. we talked for a little more and then i asked him if i could pray with him. he said sure, lets do it like this, and he proceeded to give me a bear hug and press his cheek firmly against mine. from that point on something happened. i don't know what my words were exactly, they flowed out supernaturally. i know i prayed for his daughter, his lost son, his ex wife, and his new wife, and somewhere in there i prayed for his strength to lead his household. while the words were coming out the tears started, mine and his. it felt like God, in his sovereignty, stepped in for a moment and became so real and tangible. he told me that he wasn't going to go sell any more flowers tonight but he was going to go back to his truck and talk to his wife, that he had gotten more than he needed in our conversation and prayer. if only he knew how inadequate i felt in that moment, how inadequate i really am. it wasn't me, it was God.

God has truly broken my heart for the things that break his, and sometimes he lets me point people to him to have that brokenness healed. the funny thing is, the whole time HE was healing my brokenness too.

as i sit here on my bed, having only a few minutes ago had this experience, i am feeling so overwhelmed by what just happened. i know it sounds almost cliche but tonight, while i was talking and praying, i was being bear hugged by Jesus. he grabbed hold of me and pressed his cheek into mine and said lets do it like this. we prayed and we cried; over loss, over life, over forgiveness, over love. we cried over the pain of the past and the hope of the future. HE says that whenever we do unto the least we do unto HIM. rodney was by no means the least but wow, Jesus hugged me tonight. it doesn't get any more real than cheek to cheek with a savior that cares so intimately.

thank you rodney, you were Jesus tonight for a wandering ragamuffin that needed to see HIS face


all for now

i'm worn out

i realized something tonight, i am tired of doing everything by myself. 8 baseball games, four movies, all my meals, pretty much everything i do, i do by myself, i'm tired of it. i hear about people having all these friends, and always doing stuff together, is that true or does everybody feel like they don't fit in no matter what group they are around. for some reason i feel like i have never really fit in any group. maybe God has called me to not have lots of people around to do stuff with, maybe it is something about me, who knows.

anyway


sorry for the rant but there you go. now i must sleep.


all for now

and don't worry, i am not depressed, manic, bipolar, or anything else, just somewhat alone right now

Date:	2006-08-05 21:20
Subject:	keepin on
Security:	Public
Mood:	chipper
Music:	tv noise

i wish i could get a gag order on my clients. the lady that i am trying to find a house for has probably run her mouth to the point that the seller isn't going to fix anything. i wish her husband hadn't gone out of town, now all she has time to do is call me and yell and call the seller and yell. oh well.

on other fronts, the lofts are coming along well, my brother helped out and we hired a guy named dennis to help too, with both of them and me we have cleaned out the entire place in order to start framing and working on the structure. that starts monday the 14th. they will actually start to look like something and i can clean up my stuff and stop breathing the 106 year old dust that is always in the air. the garages are in now too and they work, it is so cool to drive into the side of the building and park next to my bed. i'll try to post pics of the progress soon.

last night i went to troy to do a painting during worship. it was an awesome time and at the end i met a girl named anna. she told me God wanted me to know some things. she proceeded to talk to me about it for about 15 minutes, it was so cool. then i got to share some stuff with her, all in all a good night. good confirmation that i am doing what i am supposed to right now.

hanging out at the lake this monday, if anyone wants to come just call me or comment on here, i am making burgers.

all for now

Date:	2006-07-17 21:13
Subject:	finally
Security:	Public
Mood:	indescribable
Music:	loud tv commercials

well construction has finally begun. the past week was spent getting the steel put up in order to be able to remove all of the brick in the rear of the buildings. after tomorrow the garages will be in place. this is really good news except that the garage doors won't be here for another week and a half. know what that means, no walls for over a week. we put up plywood to cover the openings so my rustic living quarters are even more rustic.

as for the church stuff, everything is going well other than the fact that the air hasn't worked the past two sundays, hopefully this will be remedied before this coming sunday. hey, guess what. i am preaching this sunday on servant evangelism. pray for me. it is directly in line with my heart but as of right this minute things aren't very well ordered as far as what i am going to share.

i heard that one of my friends is really struggling with something right now that is really affecting her in an odd way so please be in prayer for that. also my neighbor's son might have the early symptoms of schizophrenia so some prayers for that would be appreciated too.

i watched the notebook again last night with kk and t-bone. i can identify with noah in so many ways in my life. some day it will all come together.

now everyone should comment on here so i can feel loved

alll for now

Date:	2006-06-24 00:16
Subject:	maybe tomorrow
Security:	Public
Mood:	excited
Music:	dave barnes night like this

well actually it would be today since it is 12:17. i am showing 4 houses to a couple. they should like one out of those and will hopefully buy one, so that means i might have my first home sale tomorrow. say some prayers for me if you will, the money could never hurt.

the more i think about it the more i wish i was going to be able to work john and jill's camp. i am starting actual construction on the lofts on july 10 which is the first day of camp. translation-i reall need to be here.

on a positive note, i spoke with a contact that might have a buyer for one or poswsibly all of the lofts. that would be a nice paycheck. i cant wait to have them finished, to have the vision become a reality, and to show people what i have been seeing in my head for so long.

i love juicy pear jelly bellys and peach ones too. random but i thought you should know that i am enjoying some right now. enough of my ramblings, i gotta work tomorrow then watch the babies tomorrow night so i need to get to bed

all for now

Date:	2006-06-19 22:16
Subject:	yesterday
Security:	Public
Mood:	accomplished
Music:	hyperstatic union

well we had the first meeting of citychurch yesterday and it was amazing. we were in jason's house with 28 people but you would not have believed the volume of the singing during worship, it sounded like there were 20 times as many people. i am so excited to see what God has in store for all of us.

the building that we were looking at as a possibility for meeting space seems to be coming together. i asked the owners to give it to us for half of what they were asking and they agreed. we are going to meet wednesday and see what comes of it. the place has 7428 square feet and is three stories tall. there is a good sized worship space on the first floor as well as some bathrooms. the second floor is only in the very front and the very back of the building so the worship space has double height ceilings. there is a huge room for kids church and a perfect space that overlooks the worship space for the nursery. on the third floor there is a kitchen, three bathrooms, and five offices plus some extra spaces. it is right downtown and there are plenty of places to park, plus they are a block from the lofts. this space will be perfect for a startup church and who knows, we may outgrow it fast and have to buy everything around us. say some prayers for us, that God's favor will continue to rain down on us.

change of gears
i have learned that you can love someone with everything that you are but they may not be the one for your forever, but it doesn't mean that you don't love them completely. in fact, they might have been in your life to teach you more about yourself and your relationship with God than you had ever even considered before. so, i love you and what you have meant to me, so never question it. you showed me God and what commitment to him looks like and i thank you for that.


change of gears again
if you like funk, pop, bluesy music stuff check out hyperstatic union. they just got signed as the first act on third days new label consuming fire records. i particularly like "praying for sunny days."
as for other music i am listening to lifehouse's "everything" listen to it if you get a chance as if it was a prayer to God. powerful stuff i tell ya, powerful stuff.

one more change
i am learning more and more each day that God really will be faithful. i think my biggest struggle is trying to help him fix my life. i am learning, slowly.

my favorite place lately is the roof of the buildings i am living in. if you climb the ladder you can get on the roof and just sit. quiet, outside places make me feel close to God. i feel even more confident in my calling to be in ministry, i can't wait to see where God takes me as long as i am faithful

do something today for someone that can't do anything in return. pay for the next cars' food in the drive through, tip big, hug a stranger, smile at someone, ask people how they are and actually listen, whatever you do just make an impact on someone's life, you won't believe how much it will make your life better too.

alll for now

Date:	2006-06-17 12:33
Subject:	one more thing on my list
Security:	Public
Mood:	accomplished
Music:	none

it is 12:34 on saturday and i just got back from taking my builder's license exam. i passed with flying colors. so what does that mean? it means i am licensed to contract and build homes in the state of alabama. yeah buddy!!!

for those who don't know, the church i have been serving for the last three years has closed the doors. but......some of us are going to start an entirely new thing. citychurch is beginning tomorrow. say prayers for us.

we are looking at a property in downtown montgomery and our goal is that we become a catalyst for real change in the city of montgomery, that we expand the kingdom of God beyond the same old boring, white-bread Christians that have always been. (sorry if that offends you, actually, no i'm not sorry)

on another note, i had to say goodbye for a little while to my best friend, but i know that a friendship will return after some time because God is faithful.

more to come

all for now

Date:	2006-06-12 23:21
Subject:	life
Security:	Public
Mood:	sleepy
Music:	rent soundtrack

so since it has been a while since my last post i guess i owe all two of my readers an explanation. i was so proud of my accomplishments and what i had begun in my life and before i knew it it was getting slightly overwhelming. i am slowly figuring out a good balance between real estate, lofts, and my personal life. with time, i think i might be a professional at it.

i am going to post more as i gather all of my thoughts.

more to come as i compose it

all for now

well day 1 of the washington trip is over now and day 2 will soon be over too and i have walked about 1000 miles. i went out on my own for a while yesterday and ended up at the holocaust museum. they don't allow pictures but i really enjoyed the museum if it is possible to "enjoy" a museum about the holocaust. i shot pictures of my day so i hope you enjoy. by the way i have noticed i have a little neck fat, i need to start working out. i guess the walking around dc will have to do for now.

today was the actual first day of the conference. it was really good. ed young spoke at the afternoon session and he used me in an illustration. he was really good and he did a perfect impression of joel osteen. if you don't know who that is you need to check him out.

the photo site i use to host pics wont let me upload so i am going to have to post them as soon as i can.

all for now

i am sitting in the airport right now waiting to board the plane for my trip to washington d.c. i have been a few times before with family and school but this time i am heading up for a church conference. i am really excited about it because ed young from fellowship church in texas is going to be one of the speakers. i am going to take notes during the sessions and hopefully bring back lots of information with me.
i entered the little film festival they are having and if i win i get an ipod, wouldn't that be neat-o. if i do win it i am going to give it away because i already have one.
i bought a digital camera yesterday. i had to suck it up and get one since i am going to be doing real estate. there are too many things you need a camera for and so i bought a casio exilim EX-S600. it looks like this
http://world.casio.com/exilim/en/ex_s600/

in other news i also got a car, i know i know lots of material possessions all at once, but i am paying for them all on my own and they are necessities in the business i am getting into.

by the way, it is a black mazda 6 (tan interior, 5 speed, v6)

i am going to be staying with david and missy while i am in d.c. so i will have internet capabilities so check back often, i'll post pics of the trip too

all for now

i am still alive. yep, i sure am. i have just been busy trying to get alot of stuff off the ground. i did move into the buildings though. it is a lot like camping, 'cept i have power and running water. it is so quiet here at night you would all be jealous.
i'll post a more detailed and involved entry sometime soon.
all for now

get excited cuz i got some floorplans for the lofts

enjoy

this is the rear of the second floor. it is about 930 s.f.
( Read more... )

here are a few pictures since i started the demo. sorry to brett for adding big pics. i think i did the cut this time
( Read more... )

things are running smoothly right now. gotta finish up some school for this semester and then really get to work on the project.


all for now