Linda and I had lunch today at a “Mexican Grill” called Qdoba near the house.  It’s new and we’ve been a couple of times.  The food isn’t too bad and it has some flavor unlike most places.  Anyway, I got a taco salad and the girl that was preparing it asked me if I wanted hot sauce or very hot sauce.  Now I never liked spicy food before but it seems the older I get the spicier I like it.  I told her to make it as hot as she could.  And she did. I got the salad home and woofed it down as is my usual custom.  I broke out in a sweat, turned red and  choked it down loving every minute of the suffering. Unfortunately a few hours later my “inards” were on fire.  Wow…. Two Tums didn’t work and someone at church tonight suggested ice cream as a cure.  I dutifully forced myself (yeah right) to eat some ice cream but am not saying it worked necessarily.  Maybe I should try more…

We’ve signed on to a new technology at the church that allows us to send video emails.  It’s really a pretty cool thing and I get to share short announcements or other information with people.  If we don’t have your email I’d love to have an opportunity to get this to you.  I know that you are thinking… “This guy is going to be sending me stuff all the time and binding up my computer…”  Nope, I promise we are not going to overdo this and it comes to you through a website so it doesn’t mess up your computer.

Storing up movies to view on my iPod.  Just did 8 old movies of the Bowery Boys and am working on Sherlock Holmes.  These are old B/W ones with Basil Rathbone who was the best of the actors playing the great detective.  When I am done with my own movies I should have 50 to 75 ready to view.

Jerry going to watch an old movie on my iPod – out…..

Why I haven’t been here in a while is that Linda convinced me that Facebook is what is happening and that blogging is passé.  Okay so I bought in to the whole deal and not only do I have a facebook page or whatever you call it, but I also told the church to each have one.  Now I have gotten a lot of response from people I haven’t seen or heard of in years which is typical for facebook I guess, but the thing is just too complicated for me.  It took me forever to learn how to do the blog thing and now I have to learn something else. Just thought I’d stop by the blog here and say hi.

The election is tomorrow.  I don’t really want to say anything about that.

Linda and I are alone again. (Leah and the boys are in Alabama now that Paul is back from overseas.)  Of course Sasha is here too but it is really quiet.  I do miss them though – gotta admit.

God is doing great things at Destiny Church.  We are pushing 500 in services and God is doing wonderful things in the lives of His people.  They are coming into relationship with Him and are being healed, blessed, and provided for.  Just had a missions emphasis and our pledges to missions are up by 11K over last year.  That just thrills me.  As we are committed to missions I know that it opens the door to even greater blessings from God here.

I have to go now to try to do some stuff on the facebook thing.  Ugh.  It is tough being techno-challenged….

Jerry

CONFERENCE: Just returned on Saturday from a 3 day conference in Lakeland at Victory Church. The All Church Ministries Convention is an annual event sponsored by our District. There are workshops for all kinds of things. I taught 5 workshops in 2 days. The most exhausting part was running from one end of the church to the other for each workshop. Guess they couldn't set it up where I did all 5 in one place for some reason. Got some great information myself by going to some sessions when I wasn't teaching. Got something really good about video emails that we are looking forward to checking out.<< MORE >>

HOMEWORK , MEALS, AND GOING TO BED: The boys just started school and have homework every night. I sure am glad that they are staying with us now and not later. Jordan is in 3rd grade and Sam is in first. Never watched Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader (http://www.fox.com/areyousmarter/) but am happy that I don’t have to be concerned with that. << MORE >>

RAISING ‘EM IS EASIER: Linda and I have been babysitting the 3 boys while Leah is in North Dakota clearing out of their house on the Air Force Base. So we have the whole schedule thing – Tutoring, martial arts, school of course (taking them and picking them up with all the soccer Moms and Dads), church of course too (Now we have to get 5 ready instead of 2), plus the regular house routine. Linda has been working from home and watching Ben while his brothers are at school. Linda is much better at this than I am – as she constantly reminds me its her youth that makes it easier for her. She is younger than I am but I do believe that hot flashes have multiplied recently. << MORE >>

A WEDDING IN MISSISSIPPI - Linda and I are going to Oxford, MS on August 8th for a few days.  I will be officiating at our nephew David's wedding to his fiance Erica.  David, Erica and I have been emailing back and forth concerning details of the ceremony.  I am, of course, complete "cool, calm, and collected" as the old deodorant commercial used to say.  But with the rigors of graduation from Ole Miss, and an impending wedding nerves are beginning to become a little raw.  That's understandable. The wedding day is so important and has so many memories that will be recalled years and years later.  Everyone, especially the bride wants it to go off without a hitch.

I ministered recently about "The Wedding Planner" and shared about the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins of Matthew 25.  It is so exciting to know that Jesus the Bridegroom is returning for His Bride (us) and that it will be an awesome experience.  But you know, I'm not "nervous" about it.  I know that I love the Lord and He loves me and I know that my lamp is trimmed and have oil at the ready.  When Jesus returns for the Church it will be the greatest event to have happened in the history of mankind since His birth in Bethlehem and His death on the Cross. (Can't forget the Resurrection of course, but you know what I mean.).  Jesus will be the focal point of our worship for eternity and nothing else will matter but being in the fullness of His presence.  Wow!

FOUND SOME "OLD FRIENDS" - While we pastored River of Life A/G in Minot ND lots of folks went through there because of the fact that we had an Air Force Base in town and many of our people were with the military so we had a pretty regular turnover.  Anyway, we still hear from many of the ones that we knew there.  Linda recently made contact with a couple who are now Children's Pastor's in OK.  What a blessing to find them, serving the Lord and His people in such a way.  It does bless pastors to know that what they spoke in to someone's life or what they did for them has produced ministry fruit.

BENNY AND THE JETS -  Leah and the boys are still with us and we are really enjoying it.  Sure schedules are hectic and toys get stepped on but who cares?  It's worth it to have them here.  Benjamin is the 16 month old and is definitely in charge of all the rest of us.  He especially likes Linda because Grandma spoils him even worse than I do.  At least I will say no sometimes, but she is a pushover and he knows it.  Jordan and Sam are great.  The only thing with them is that they operate at one speed - hyperfast!  Running through the house and careening into furniture and bouncing off into each other is something we (Leah and I) are working on.

ALYSON AND LAURYN:  We really miss the girls.  We had them here for just one week and we miss them so much.  Its just not right to have grandchildren so far away.  We talk to them on the phone but its never the same.  Michael and Tara are doing well.  He's in China for about a week on business and Tara is getting her classroom ready.  She will be teaching kindergarten in a public school this year.

Richest blessings, gotta run....

Jerry

Maybe you've heard this expression before.  In other words almost anything would be better than the thing that you are dealing with.  Generally, I don't have an attitude like this about most things, but blogging - now that's a different story. 

I have a real struggle with this stuff.  Not because I am technologically challenged.  I do like the toys.  Just got a new bluetooth rig for my phone and it is pretty cool because I can just say "call Linda" or someone else's name in my call list and it will dial for me.  Don't even need to touch the thing.  So anyway, I like tecky kind of things more or less.  But this blogging. Ugh. It's not even that I don't want to let people know what is happening but it just takes time and that is the problem.  What we need is a gizmo that will let me think what I want on the blog when I am doing something else and will just type it. Nah, too much like new age telepathy etc.

Let me tell you some good things about Destiny Church and what the Lord is doing in me that have especially blessed me lately.  For the last 3 weeks or so there has been a strong presence of the Holy Spirit in our services.  Throughout the worship, the Word and the time of prayer at the altar, God is showing Himself wonderfully present.  More than that, He's been there all the time but some are just mustering the faith and focus to step in.  Not just them though.  The Lord has been something in me the last several weeks too.  He is taking me (I was going to say push but that wouldn't be right") beyond where I was at.  I have enjoyed ministering in the Word more than I have in awhile and the response of people to receive from God has been great.

Like anyone else, I can take things for granted or get in a rut.  So the Holy Spirit talks to me about the Word of God and what He wants in my life before I get to share it with the church.  I guess I just wanted to say that I want all that God has for me and that I am enjoying what He is doing in me.  I don't expect every service to be a clone of the previous one because the Lord manifests His presence in many ways, but I am glad for whatever He does as He chooses.  I just want whatever we experience to be genuine and really from Him. 

We serve a great people here at Destiny and many are hungry for God. 

Richest blessings,

Jerry

THE LAST WORD IN BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI – As an old movie buff (maybe I should say a fan of old movies instead) I love the quirky trivia that only movie people will remember. Anyway, remember the last word in the film Bridge On The River Kwai with William Holden and Sir Alec Guinness? The camp doctor is surveying the results of the final battle and says the last word in the movie – “Madness.” Then he repeats it as the credits begin to roll. “Madness.” Now this adequate describes the craziness we have had with 3 young grandsons being with us. They will be here until the middle of November probably and it is madness, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being a grandfather means I can tank them up on sugar (ice cream nearly every night) and then let their mother deal with them. They are really good, really. << MORE >>

GIRLS LEAVING - WE HAD A GREAT TIME: Alyson who will be 11 on Tuesday, June 10th and Lauryn who will be 8 in September are leaving today after being with us for a week. << MORE >>