Housekeeping

I have just added a security step to keep spam postings from appearing on this blog. I would still love to hear from the two or three of your readers of my blog, so please post a comment. I promise the extra security step you will have to take is painless. It will just keep me from having to delete spam comments (which amazingly enough has alreay happened here).

May God bless your day. I promise to catch up again soon. Things are fine, just busy, busy, busy! I preach this Sunday (which is also my physical birthday), so it is a pretty hectic week, but a good one.

Potty Prayer

I am currently reading the book “God Is Closer Than You Think” by John Ortberg. He is one of my favorite contemporary writers. In chapter 4, Ortberg is discussing the subject of “the Greatest Moments Of Your Life” or to put it Blountly: realizing God’s presence in the everyday happenings of your life. He discusses God’s presence in the act of eating your food each day starting on page 76, but page 77 includes a parenthetical paragraph that is my favorite paragraph of all times…read this, please.

(If you think trying to turn eating into a spiritual experience is a little far-fetched, consider that for the ancient Hebrews, the other end of the digestive process was a gift of God as well. They actually had a prayer to be said after going to the bathroom: “Blessed art Thou, O God, who has made the openings in my body.”)

Now THAT is great!

Decent Report

I know, don't faint. Two blog posts in one day (like anyone is actually reading them - ha!). Went to the dermatologist today and had three "skin tags" taken off my neck. One of them had gone nuclear on me in the past three weeks, growing big time, changing color, etc. It is now off to the lab for a biopsy. I also got the Mr Freeze spray on my left forearm for what may be a pre-cancerous spot. Nothing to worry about, just taking care of business.

Now that you know more about my current medical state than you could have possibly been interested in, I will close this post.

Blow Me Down...NOT!

Well, looks like Tropical Storm/Hurricane Katrina will stay far enough south of us soas to have very little serious impact on Indian River County. We will get some much needed rain, but winds are not supposed to be anything above about 35 miles per hour. Just a blustery day or two. As we enter the peak of Hurricane Season, anxiety levels are on the rise. This time last year, we had just experirenced the first of what were four named systems that impacted our weather in Vero Beach. In September of 2004, we took two direct hits from major hurricanes. So, people here are a little nervous.

I am not. It is totally in God's hands, and I am okay with that. The storms of life come and go. Jesus stays the same. There are plenty of storms blowing up in and around my life these days, but as I continue to read from the Bible each day I am to be strong and courageous. I am to realize that God is in control. Part of today's Scripture reading:
1 Cor. 16:13-14
[13] Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. [14] Do everything in love.

Part of yesterday's Scripture reading:

Job 12:13-25

[13] "To God belong wisdom and power;

counsel and understanding are his.

[14] What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;

the man he imprisons cannot be released.

[15] If he holds back the waters, there is drought;

if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

[16] To him belong strength and victory;

both deceived and deceiver are his.

[17] He leads counselors away stripped

and makes fools of judges.

[18] He takes off the shackles put on by kings

and ties a loincloth around their waist.

[19] He leads priests away stripped

and overthrows men long established.

[20] He silences the lips of trusted advisers

and takes away the discernment of elders.

[21] He pours contempt on nobles

and disarms the mighty.

[22] He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings deep shadows into the light.

[23] He makes nations great, and destroys them;

he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

[24] He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;

he sends them wandering through a trackless waste.

[25] They grope in darkness with no light;

he makes them stagger like drunkards.

It is so good to let God be in control. It is so good to be reminded to be strong and courageous, be on your guard, stand firm in your faith and to do everything in love. I really needed to hear those messages from God these days!

The Longest Week

This is the start of what could be one of the longest weeks of my life. Danny Dye preaches his last sermon here this coming Sunday. I preach the first post-Danny Dye era sermon the following Sunday (on my birthday), yee-haw! I'm working on a good UK basketball analogy to open the message. I figure I might as well break 'em in good! Anyway, it will be tough around the office this week and next as Danny transitions out, but I know that God has the best in store for the Dyes, and I will trust that He will have the best in store for VCC and the Blounts, too.

Immersing Turtle

August 14, 2005 the new birth of Bryant "Turtle" Smith takes place!

I had the privilege of immersing Turtle into Christ following our second worship service! Yes, the day is Peggy's physical birthday, but now it is also Turtle's spiritual birthday! What a great way to celebrate that day!

Then and Now

August 8, 1981.

Today.

Peggy gets better looking every day. I get...well, I'm here, too.

Anniversary Card

If I had bought a card, this would be the one!

Peggy and I spent our Anniversary evening doing what has become our traditional Anniversary date: going to a local establishment with greetings cards and looking through the Anniversary Cards together. We pick out one card each from all that we look at and say, "If I had bought a card, this would be the one!" We laugh at the silly ones, get misty-eyed over the sentimental ones, and just enjoy that time together. It is free. It costs us nothing. We spend that time together just celebrating our precious time together.

This year, because we are celebrating #24, we went to a special place for dinner: Taco Bell. Yeah, that's what fit in our budget, but that's a whole other story that I don't want to go into right now. Then, it was home to watch some preseason NFL, with the Hall of Fame Bowl featuring the Dolphins and the Bears, as well as watching our beloved Reds beat up on the Cubs in Monday night baseball. What a perfect night. What a perfect wife!

Happy Anniversary Baby

Got you on my mind.

I am so blessed to be married to you, Peggy. I thought I loved you 24 years ago today when I said "I do," but I didn't have a clue what love was back then. I think I have a little better understanding of it today. I love you. More than words can express. I pray that my actions speak volumes about my love for you. Thanks for putting up with me all these years!
Your Lumpy