Big Pappa

Working and Waiting

I have been working at Dilworth Coffee ever since we got back from Iceland. I have enjoyed working there. The people that work there are great and the coffee is excellent. I can't wait to move to Iceland. Oh yeah Greg and I showed up at Bob Jones house unannounced and he had an incredible word and wisdom for me and Iceland. :-)

Virginia Tech

Yesterday was a sad day for America. Over 30 students at Virginia Tech University were killed by a man who was in the States on a Visa. This really hit me hard for many reasons. I was born 5 minutes from VT and my dad worked for VT for years. This is one of the quietest little towns I have ever been in. Please join me in praying for grace for the surviving family members.

Snow

It snowed today. To many that is not a big deal, but here in Charlotte NC, it has not snowed in a few years. I like to look out my window at the snow. I love to play with my dogs in the snow. I even like to drive in the snow when it is pouring down fresh snow. What I don't like is ice and that is what we are looking at now. I have had a few close calls and a few accidents involving icy roads. Thank you Lord for the beautiful snow and keep us safe on the ice tomorrow. Katie and I stayed in for most of the day and it was nice to just hang out with each other. I made a big pot of Big Pappa's 5 Alarm Chili ™, and I hate to be the one to say it but it is amazing. We are going to be playing Monopoly here tonight at the Estes compound and eating lots of chili. I am leaving for New Orleans Saturday morning thanks to my good friend John-Paul. I am amazed at the good friends God has surrounded me with these past few years and  John-Paul is one of the Best.

Life In The Prayer Room

Katie and I are doing the EZ 37 internship at ZHOP, down in Fort Mill SC. Time is short and the days are long, but we are digging into what it is to seek after God. Greg Burnett is leading the internship and I am really enjoying his teaching and the teaching of the people he has had speak to us in our weekly classes. Last night Adam McArthur filled in for Kirk Bennett the leader of ZHOP and spoke at the Saturday EGS(encountering God service). It was awesome. Adam is an incredible teacher.

Moving Forward

The past few days I have been stuck at the house. I am still sans car for a few more days. It has been kind of nice. I have spent time reading and writing. I have been reading the Bible some and a new book that Greg suggested called End Times Simplified. It has been very interesting so far. I have been writing so many emails to people lately that I tend to forget that I have not written here. I have some cool things ministry wise on the table at the moment. One of the things that I am very excited about is the Scandinavian 24-7 leadership conference in Stockholm Sweden. This will be a time of getting to know our Scandinavian neighbors. It is awesome to see how excited these other countries were about our team going to Reykjavik to start our ministry. I really enjoyed the brief bit of time I spent with these people in London at the ILG meeting. We will be leaving Nov 16 and are in need of finical support. Please pray about helping fund this trip.
The other thing on our table I can not really talk about at this point. Well I could but I'm not. :-) If you are the praying type please pray for guidance in this very specific situation. Also please pray for wisdom for Katie and I as we move through our days. We specifically need wisdom in communicating with each on a daily basis.
Did I mention when I was in London I got to share in the pub experience of Arsenal crushing Manchester United. This made me very happy. The only thing that would have made it better was to have been there in person. Either way it is always a good day when Arse beats Man U.
Also last prayer request. I found out about 2 or so years ago that I have Diabetes and since then I have lost about 40lbs. Which is good and I am thankful to God for this loss. What I need prayer for is that I can learn to eat healthy portions. I have no concept of portion control. I eat for enjoyment not for nutrition. I need to loose another 50 lbs to get my Diabetes to not be a health issue. So please pray for discipline in this area.

Crikey!

The "Crocodile Hunter,'' was killed Monday by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44. He swam to close to a stingray as he swam over it and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart. Very sad! Steve Irwin you will be missed.

The Worlds Best Hot Dog

When telling others of my trip to Iceland I more often than not, go into a diatribe on how Icelandic hot-dogs are the best in the world. Katie and I were walking through Reykjavik with Jimmy LaValle one day and he said he was going to get a hot-dog. He then asked if we had ever had an Icelandic hot-dog and we had not, so we did. I then opened the package to a world of tasty goodness. Indeed the greatest hot-dog in the world. I grew up eating hot-dogs so I am a fairly competent judge. My earliest memories involve my father taking me to Greens Hot-dog stand in Charlotte NC. Icelandic hot-dogs are made from Lamb. Here is a link to an article about my favorite place to get them in Iceland.

Under Contract

The house is now under contract. We signed a contract to sell the house on August 16. The contract states that the buyer has 30 days to close, so we have a lot to do. We have eleven years worth of stuff to sort through and see if we want to keep it, toss it, sell it, or give it away. So I am headed there today to start the process. We are very happy to finally have this house thing taken care of. It will be a huge weight lifted off of us. God is amazing the way he guides us and takes care of us.

The Jake In Black

I was watching the Panthers preseason game saturday night and during the game they showed the new Bojangles commercial. The smartest thing Bojangles ever did was to partner with future Hall of Famer Jake Delhomme. OK so they do a spoof on the movie Walk the Line. You know the part where the band is playing and the crowd is clapping and they are all waiting for Johnny Cash to walk out on to stage. So in the commercial the band is playing and the crowd is clapping and then what looks like the man in black with a guitar walks across the stage and up to the microphone, and then they change views to the front and it is Jake Delhomme and he leans into the mic and says in a deep voice "show me the chicken". Awesome commercial.

Picka Nicka Basket

I went on a picnic with my wonderful wife (Boo Boo) yesterday. It was an awesome day. The weather was beautiful and the company and conversation were great. I love this women so much.