Amy and I have been mulling over the idea of having this blog for about 2-3 years before we actually started it. We first had the idea to have one because it seemed that we were the only ones that didn't have one.
At the time we were reading other blogs that were mainly theologically oriented, and we were reading cites that were addressing certain people's feelings toward other well known people within Southern Baptist circles.
Initially I wanted to blog so that I could express my opinions in response to some of the other things that I had read. I agreed with some of the assessments and criticisms of some of the bloggers (floggers may be a more appropriate designation), but the tone of many was a turn-off.
I am glad that we waited to start this blog, and we enjoy our friends who also have family blogs.
Blogs seem to me to be primarily places of self-expression. Many people stomp and rant as they express their opinions and pose as experts in the field they are addressing. Don't get me wrong, I have my faults (just ask my wife), and I can rant with the best of them (just ask my wife), but I can also be wrong a lot of the time with some of my opinions (just ask my wife - she hears it all).
We live in a world of humanism among many other -isms. People are worshipping themselves and I think that some of the blogs out there are simply forms of self worship. People who think a whole lot of themselves.
I guess my driving point comes down to this - the world doesn't need another opinion especially mine. We all need to be willing to speak up at times, but we also need to listen.
God is teaching me consitently that if left to my own opinions, my own intellect, my own energy, or left to my own in general, I am inadequate.
Being a pastor is the most humbling thing I have ever done because I struggle each week to do an admirable job for God and Jesus, and be a good husband and dad. To be honest, much of the time, most of the time I fall short, and my inadequacy is before me.
Don't hear me saying that I think I am worthless. I'm not. God loved me enough to send Jesus His Son to die for me and you, and that means we are worth a whole lot.
But sometimes our opinions aren't worth much. After all, they're just opinions.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
First Steps and First Fruits
Molly is finally walking and our garden is finally producing vegtables!
Molly has been standing on her own now for months. However, she refused to walk. She would just stand up and stand there awhile and then crawl off. Mom and dad were here this weekend and she started walking to my dad. Sunday night she walked all the way down the aisle at church. I am sure it was because she had an audience. The bigger the better.
Last night we had squash from our garden for dinner. It was so exciting. All of my life my parents have had a garden. I will always remember my dad coming home from work, picking some vegtables and then making them for supper. When I was younger, fresh squash and cucumbers were not exciting. They were boring and overrated. However last night I peeled a cucumber and soaked it in vinger and ice (just like my daddy did every night) and it was like magic in my kitchen. It was so good.
Here is our garden and one of the tomato plants. We have tomatos galore. I am sure that momma and I will be canning soon.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
John and Molly
I thought I would add a few pictures.
This is John at Play Day on his last day of Mother's Day Out. He loved his school and he is having a hard time understanding the concept of summer break. Molly loved fun day. My friend Melanie got this funny shot of Molly. That is her tongue where her top lip should be.
This morning I was working in the office and Molly was playing. I turned around to check on her because she was so quiet and she had crashed.
Here we are at Sticky Fingers our favorite place to eat in Chattanooga.
This is John at Play Day on his last day of Mother's Day Out. He loved his school and he is having a hard time understanding the concept of summer break. Molly loved fun day. My friend Melanie got this funny shot of Molly. That is her tongue where her top lip should be.
This morning I was working in the office and Molly was playing. I turned around to check on her because she was so quiet and she had crashed.
Here we are at Sticky Fingers our favorite place to eat in Chattanooga.
Easy Come...Easy Go
Saturday Brad and I witnessed a small miracle. We picked up John and Molly on Thursday night from mom and dad's. We bathed them before we left so that we could put them straight to bed when we got home. As I was putting John to bed I noticed that he was burning up. He was fine when we left mom's so I chalked it up to weather and the ride in the carseat. Before I went to bed I checked on him agian. It was obvious then that he had a raging fever. It was 103.4! I gave him some Tylenol and checked on him through the night. He complained of a sore throat and a headache and I quickly diagnosed him with strep. When we got to the Dr. on Friday I could tell that he was concerned. The strep test was negative and when Dr. Lee looked at his throat I knew by his demeanor that something was not good. He did some bloodwork and concluded that John had a virus that had caused a paratonsil abcess. His right tonsil was so swollen that it was pushing his uvula ( the little hanging thing in your throat) to the side. He mentioned the word hospital but he let us come home as long as we called if anything changed. John was so sick. When we came home he walked straight to his bed. That night we gave him his meds and watched him closely. We discussed how it would take him several days to get better and we arranged our Saturday and Sunday schedules around one of us being at home and one of us being at church and the VBS Kick-Off on Saturday. We were ready. Well Saturday morning John was fever free and running around like nothing had ever happened. Brad and I were totally amazed at how he could get so sick so fast and then get well so quickly. They say kids are resilient.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Mr. Green Jeans
The title of this post is a little confusing because the topic of this entry is not the character on the children's TV show Captain Kangaroo. The subject is about me being a gardener now. Maybe I should have given this a title like, "Mr. Green Thumb" but green jeans is more accurate. I tend to get dirty in the garden.
When Amy and I moved here to Shop Springs we were excited that there was a garden plot, a big garden plot. When we moved in last Fall, Cordell (one of the church members) asked if I would like for him to turn the garden under for the winter and how much should he work up. I said about half because I knew that if I planted the entire garden it would break me down.
Well, he worked up half last fall then came back early this Spring and worked up the entire plot so I felt obligated to sow the entire garden.
When we started talking about the garden, Amy was very excited, "We can plant that garden and eat our own vegetables!" To which I was responding in my mind, "Do you not realize how much work that is!"
So, I went and bought about $30 worth of seed: corn, brussel sprouts, honey dew melon, water melon, cantelope, okra, turnip greens, and 108 tomato plants. I also bought some hoes, garden hose, and sprinkler head. This gardening is costing me something I was thinking.
When people asked what I had planted I would tell them, and through their responses I have learned about gardening. "What, you only planted one row of corn! You're supposed to plant at least two rows so they will germinate. What, you planted turnip greens! You're not supposed to plant those until Fall. HOW MANY TOMATO PLANTS DID YOU PLANT? Why 108?"
My wife educated me even more (after the tomato plants were in for several weeks), "Do you realize that we could have 200-300 tomatos a day!"
My point is this... don't be afraid to try something new because you will learn in the process.
I have never planted a garden in my life, and I will have to ask someone else when it's time to harvest some of the stuff I planted.
In life there are so many things God wants to do through us, miraculous things if we would simply be willing to follow Him and try new things that we are not comfortable doing. He will teach us in the process.
The miraculous things can take many forms. Sometimes they are outward for others to see and sometimes they may be inside us where others can only see the results on the outside.
At the pastor's conference last week Amy and I saw a movie preview for Fireproof, a new movie made by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA. Who would have ever thought that a church could do something like produce, fund and cast a major motion picture? But they did through God's enabling, something most people would say couldn't be done.
When I felt God calling me to ministry, the farther I went down the path of following His will the stronger I would hear the message, "You can't do this. You're not smart enough, organized enough, or confident enough!" I went for a long time allowing some of those messages to intimidate me and even distract me. Paul said that God didn't put him into ministry because he was special. That's the whole point. God wants to do special stuff in ordinary people like you and me.
What part of your life is missing the hand of God? Maybe your whole life is missing the touch of God. If we are willing to be yielded to Him, He promises to take care of our every need.
Maybe you need to plant your own garden. You just might learn something new.
When Amy and I moved here to Shop Springs we were excited that there was a garden plot, a big garden plot. When we moved in last Fall, Cordell (one of the church members) asked if I would like for him to turn the garden under for the winter and how much should he work up. I said about half because I knew that if I planted the entire garden it would break me down.
Well, he worked up half last fall then came back early this Spring and worked up the entire plot so I felt obligated to sow the entire garden.
When we started talking about the garden, Amy was very excited, "We can plant that garden and eat our own vegetables!" To which I was responding in my mind, "Do you not realize how much work that is!"
So, I went and bought about $30 worth of seed: corn, brussel sprouts, honey dew melon, water melon, cantelope, okra, turnip greens, and 108 tomato plants. I also bought some hoes, garden hose, and sprinkler head. This gardening is costing me something I was thinking.
When people asked what I had planted I would tell them, and through their responses I have learned about gardening. "What, you only planted one row of corn! You're supposed to plant at least two rows so they will germinate. What, you planted turnip greens! You're not supposed to plant those until Fall. HOW MANY TOMATO PLANTS DID YOU PLANT? Why 108?"
My wife educated me even more (after the tomato plants were in for several weeks), "Do you realize that we could have 200-300 tomatos a day!"
My point is this... don't be afraid to try something new because you will learn in the process.
I have never planted a garden in my life, and I will have to ask someone else when it's time to harvest some of the stuff I planted.
In life there are so many things God wants to do through us, miraculous things if we would simply be willing to follow Him and try new things that we are not comfortable doing. He will teach us in the process.
The miraculous things can take many forms. Sometimes they are outward for others to see and sometimes they may be inside us where others can only see the results on the outside.
At the pastor's conference last week Amy and I saw a movie preview for Fireproof, a new movie made by Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA. Who would have ever thought that a church could do something like produce, fund and cast a major motion picture? But they did through God's enabling, something most people would say couldn't be done.
When I felt God calling me to ministry, the farther I went down the path of following His will the stronger I would hear the message, "You can't do this. You're not smart enough, organized enough, or confident enough!" I went for a long time allowing some of those messages to intimidate me and even distract me. Paul said that God didn't put him into ministry because he was special. That's the whole point. God wants to do special stuff in ordinary people like you and me.
What part of your life is missing the hand of God? Maybe your whole life is missing the touch of God. If we are willing to be yielded to Him, He promises to take care of our every need.
Maybe you need to plant your own garden. You just might learn something new.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Post SBC Annual Meeting post
Well, this is the 3rd time I have tried to post this but here we go again.
This was my 2nd and Amy's 1st, and overall it was a very good trip.
We are both energized after hearing some great and challenging preaching on revival and personal repentance. We want to GROW and lead others to serve boldly.
I also learned a few a things.
I learned #1 - to take up for my wife. After leaving the convention hall on eday for lunch I was the only sucker to be approached and actually engage a fellow (over)zealous brother over the matters of Arminianism vs. being a five-pointer. My jumped in to defend me but she heard, "Excuse me, I'm talking with THE PASTOR!" She wasn't happy and I didn't walk off in support of Amy. Lesson learned - I was a failure for not calling him out.
Lesson #2 - Be informed, at least a little. As Amy mentioned, we were interviewed by the AP, and to say the least I was ashamed that I had not taken the time to be informed about the presidential candidates. I felt like a baffoon when I read my quote (Google "Brad and Amy Brandon SBC") about John McCain being pro-choice.
Anyway, it was a great trip for those reasons and many more. Now we are back in Lebanon, TN at Shop Springs Baptist Church preparing for VBS next week.
Give us aid against the foe, for human help is worthless. With God we will perform valiantly, He will trample our foes. Isaiah 60:11-12
Is God your aid against all foes? He can be. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."
May God bless you,
Brad
This was my 2nd and Amy's 1st, and overall it was a very good trip.
We are both energized after hearing some great and challenging preaching on revival and personal repentance. We want to GROW and lead others to serve boldly.
I also learned a few a things.
I learned #1 - to take up for my wife. After leaving the convention hall on eday for lunch I was the only sucker to be approached and actually engage a fellow (over)zealous brother over the matters of Arminianism vs. being a five-pointer. My jumped in to defend me but she heard, "Excuse me, I'm talking with THE PASTOR!" She wasn't happy and I didn't walk off in support of Amy. Lesson learned - I was a failure for not calling him out.
Lesson #2 - Be informed, at least a little. As Amy mentioned, we were interviewed by the AP, and to say the least I was ashamed that I had not taken the time to be informed about the presidential candidates. I felt like a baffoon when I read my quote (Google "Brad and Amy Brandon SBC") about John McCain being pro-choice.
Anyway, it was a great trip for those reasons and many more. Now we are back in Lebanon, TN at Shop Springs Baptist Church preparing for VBS next week.
Give us aid against the foe, for human help is worthless. With God we will perform valiantly, He will trample our foes. Isaiah 60:11-12
Is God your aid against all foes? He can be. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."
May God bless you,
Brad
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Convention
This is my first time to attend the Southern Baptist Convention. Before I came I heard plenty of stories. Some have called it a circus and some have called it a long boring business meeting, but for me it has been an exahausting joy. We arrived Sunday for the Pastor's Conferece. We heard some fantasitc preaching. Monday morning I attended a session just for pastors wives and I left ready to take on life. The actual business began on Tuesday and although it did have its dry spells, I really enjoyed being a part of the voting and decision making. We saw many old friends from seminary and we got to hear Dr. Mohler speak. Just hearing him encourages both Brad and I. We are worn out from the week but we are refreshed and renewed and ready to go home and work. My first convention was great and I am already excited about next year. Call me crazy. By the way, Brad and I were interviewed by the Associated Press today about the upcoming Presidental Election. We were not prepared and you can tell by our responces. If you need a good laugh google Amy or Brad Brandon and SBC.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
