Music Is In The Clouds

It is my absolute favorite time of year and the weather today is perfect for me. It's November, cloudy, cool and breezy. I'm not sure why I love it so much. Most people I guess would consider it dark and gloomy, but to me there is a hidden beauty in the gray skies and soon-to-be bare trees. The somber autumn days make me think of Coffee Obsession and Cape Cod (I sit here and wonder what it must be like at Bourne Farm on a day like today). The coolness in the house (we haven't turned on the heat yet - trying to save the money) makes we want to grab a blanket, curl up on the couch and watch some football. Sadly, baseball is gone until spring, so football will have to suffice (go Pats).

After further consideration, I think the reason I love these cloudy days is that they make the sun that much brighter when it takes its turn. The blue sky is sharper and the sun is more brilliant. All of it reminds me what the Bible says about giving thanks in every circumstance and considering it joy when I go through various types of trials. I know that I will be stronger and closer to God when I come out the other side.

So... thank you God for the clouds. Thank you for cold wind. Thank you for the bare tree limbs. Thank you, most of all, for the light that I know is coming. The light of Christ in my heart. May that light ever shine.

We Lead By Example

A couple weeks ago we sent child #2 (John) off to Truett-McConnell College. The next week the eldest (Ashleigh) left for her final semester at Charleston Southern University. That means our baby (Jessica) is now, in her words, an "only child". She is loving life. No more sharing the television (except when dad wants to watch football). No more sharing the bathroom. No more sharing the ice cream or worrying that someone else will scarf up the last brownie. All this change has made things a little different around our house. It's also made me stop and think about what type of father I've been. When I was driving John to college on move-in day I tried to explain to him how hard I had tried to be a good dad. I tried to make him realize that I knew I wasn't perfect, I knew I had made mistakes, but that I did the best I knew how.

I suppose when you get down to the heart of the matter, being a dad is nothing more than being a leader, and one of the defining characteristics of a good leader is that you lead by example. One day last week my daily Bible study time centered on 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verses 6-9. Forgive me while I quote from the commentary . I use a little personal devotion guide called Open Windows. It's the same guide that my grandmother McKinney used. Hey, it worked for her....


"People watch how you and I choose to live. Whether we like it or not, we are constantly evaluated and critiqued based on our actions. Often, we call this pressure unfair. the apostle Paul understood this pressure, but he saw it as a privilege. He knew his example to other Christians counted significantly. In one sense, he knew people were scrutinizing him. In another sense, he knew that his example was a grand opportunity for others to be inspired, seeing what faith in Jesus looks like. His example of faith was all he had to give and just what God wanted him to offer. Our example counts, too! it's all we have to give and exactly what God wants us to offer. We must choose the course of each day in light of how we will reflect the faith of Jesus. Our example is powerful - not because of ourselves but because Jesus inhabits our actions and shines through our lives! He's the ultimate picture of hope for a world trapped in hopelessness."


Now that John is on his own, I pray that I was a good enough example for him to follow. Best wishes to you, son, for a wonderful and successful college career. I love you!!

Land of Make Believe

This past weekend I was, for no apparent reason, rummaging through some boxes that we brought with us to Kennesaw. Much to my pleasant surprise, I came across several music posters that used to hang on my bedroom wall when I was in high school. I have no idea how or why they were moved to Kennesaw. I suppose I had assumed that my parents had long ago discarded it all.

Also in the box was a treasure. In almost perfect condition there was a program from a concert I had attended at the old Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, NC. On a winter night in the late 1970's, I went with a group of friends to see Chuck Mangione and his Quartet (Grant Geissman on guitar, Charles Meeks on bass, James Bradley, Jr. on drums, and Chris Vadala on "everything"). Those guys totally blew me away (anyone ever see a bassist bend a low F at the first fret?). The talent on stage was incredible, but the one thing that stuck with me from that night was the passion and feeling with which these guys made music. You could not only hear the music, you could feel it, and you could see their hearts. Admittedly, the only Mangione tunes I knew before the concert were "Feels So Good", from radio play, and "Chase the Clouds Away" and "Land of Make Believe", from drum corps. But afterwards, I was hooked and for the rest of high school and most of college I listened to anything Mangione I could get my hands on.

In the early 1980's I went to see them a second time at the Carowinds palladium, an outdoor arena. The concert was plagued by steady rain, but the group never stopped and we never left. Three hours and three encores later, we were all still there clapping and dancing in the rain to "Main Squeeze". I still remember how much better Chuck's music always made me feel, and I thought at the time how cool it would be to have the ability to bring people a little happiness in the midst of Three Mile Island, the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Energy Crisis.

Saturday morning, as I finished thumbing through the pages of that program, I came to the back cover. There I found a quote from Chuck himself, and I believe the timing of seeing it was divinely appointed.

"When music is honest and full of love, labels aren't important... And people listen with an open mind."

Through the late 70's, Mangione was constantly having to answer critics about his music. Pop radio didn't like jazz and the jazz community didn't like his "crossover" material. I think that for Chuck, that one quote said it all. He did what he did honestly and passionately and tried not to focus on anything else.

I thought about that quote and drew some parallels to the current "hymns versus choruses" debate in churches today. Both traditional hymns and contemporary choruses reflect the honest thoughts and feelings of a sinful, yet sanctified writer toward a holy God. Both the older hymn and the newer song express a passionate love for our living Savior. Keeping in mind that God is our audience when we worship, I think that our labels aren't as important to Him as they are to us. For me, personally, that ultimately means I will try to put aside my own personal preferences and strive to keep an open mind about things and look for the good in it all. As we move forward in our local church, I hope that's what people will see and understand about my ministry.

The music is perpetual. Give It All You've Got. Thanks Chuck!

How Great Is Our God

Life lessons come in many different ways. Until last week, I had never traveled outside of the USA. I returned last night from a trip to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, organized by Dan Moran Ministries from Birmingham, AL. We spent several days of ministry working in schools, local churches, a feeding center and an orphanage. Honduras is a beautiful country and our hosts and translators were absolutely wonderful. I've spent some time trying to collect my thoughts on the past week. I'm not sure if God will lead me back there again, but if he does, I wouldn't hesitate to go. One of the Christian principles I try to follow is to find out where God is working and then get in on it. God is definitely working in Honduras. It's exciting to see.

I'm not quite sure where or when I got the idea that the USA is the focal point of the planet, but somewhere along the line I developed what became a quiet arrogance that is sadly too common here in my country. We somehow think that since God has blessed our nation so tremendously, that we have somehow become his anointed and appointed keepers of the faith around the globe. After what I've experienced this week, I no longer think that way.


The Church in Honduras is growing rapidly. The message of Christ is being preached and taught all over the nation. Honduran believers are reproducing themselves in an exciting way. I met a young Honduran college student who told me his ambition in life was to own a home so that he could host Bible studies. How different is that from the "American Dream"? Humbling, isn't it?

The local churches in San Pedro Sula are multiplying also. Our host church, Jerusalem Baptist Church, has birthed several daughter churches and they are all continuing to grow and strengthen. (In my own mind, I couldn't help but contrast that with the North American concept of the mega-church. I'm not criticizing the mega-church, only noting the different paradigm.) We spent a day with one of these daughter churches, going door-to-door inviting people to a midweek service, playing games with the children, sharing our stories of faith in Christ, and presenting God's plan of salvation at a late afternoon service. The church had the vision, knowledge and ability, they gave us the direction and we only provided the workers.

The Bible tells us that God is spirit, and we must worship him in spirit and truth. How about 26 North Americans singing "How Great Thou Art" in English alongside a hundred Hondurans, all singing in Spanish? A special experience, indeed. I believe God understood us all and was quite happy with the joyful noise that was raised.

When God decides to move and work, he doesn't need my ability, he only wants my availability. On our last day in country we visited a local market. I got an opportunity to chat with one of the local merchants. I my opinion, it wasn't much of a chat because we spent most of the time smiling and laughing at my version of Spanish. Finally she asked me why I was different from most Americans. She was curious why I smiled so much. I managed somehow to tell her that I had Jesus in my heart and he comes out in my face. Through her broken English and my mangled Spanish, God spoke. "Cristo te ama y yo tombien" - "Christ loves you, and so do I".

How great is our God?

Man Pain and Getting Older

For the last 13 weeks, Cindy and I have been training for the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon on Saturday, November 14. We had originally planned to run the Cape Cod Marathon, which is tomorrow, but we decided we couldn't afford the trip. All this weekend we've been thinking of our friends on Cape. There's the Friday shirt folding, goody bag stuffing party and pizza at the Lawrence School. Then on Saturday we have Aunt Pam's waffles for breakfast, then we pick up our race packets at the expo, tour the course, have fried rice for lunch, then head back to Chris and Pam's for a relaxing evening topped off by pasta for dinner. One year we went down to Woods Hole on Saturday night for a string quartet concert. Sunday would be race day. Nothing like New England in the fall, truly a special place.

So things didn't work out that way this year. However at Chickamauga, we have a chance to do something special. Two of our church friends asked us to help them train and so we are all competing together. The date is special also. November 14 this year will be the 39th anniversary of the Marshall University plane crash. We wrote the athletic department at Marshall, and they sent us official track singlets (tank tops, in layman's terms) to wear during the race. It will be a very emotional day. We are... Marshall, to say the least. To top it all off November 14 is Cindy's late father's birthday. Talk about emotion. Wow...

The fly in the ointment for this training cycle has been my injuries. I've been dealing with tendinitis in my left foot for about two months, and a couple of weeks ago I noticed some pain in my right hip. This hip pain has slowly gotten worse, and on my last two long runs it has affected me severely. I'm usually ok for the first four or five miles, then the pain starts deep in my right groin area and slowly expands outward, until eventually it wraps all the way around to my lower back. Climbing makes it worse, I feel like I'm literally dragging my right leg up the hills. At this point I'm not sure how this will impact my performance on race day. Back on October 3rd, we joined the Chattanooga Track Club for a group training run and preview of the race course. I ran well that day, a 12 mile loop. The pace was slightly faster than race pace and I felt good afterwards and recovered well, so I know if the hip behaves I should do well.

No matter how bad the pain gets, though, I won't quit. We'll be wearing the Marshall colors and I won't give up. Limping across the line is a distinct possibility, but crossing the line is a definite. Music is perpetual, lately so is the pain.

Love to all.

Rev. Noodle, If You Please

This past weekend, I went back to Fort Mill to be be ordained as a minister by First Baptist Church of Fort Mill. According to the dictionary, the word "ordain" means to invest officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority. Personally, I look at the ordination process and ceremony as an outward indication of an inward change, much like the symbolism displayed when a follower of Jesus is baptized by immersion. I supposed I've changed quite a bit over the last few years, and this past weekend was one of the milestone moments of life, a marker that I hope to be able to look back on and draw encouragement from until the day I am called home. Our 3 days in Fort Mill were packed with dozens of tiny blessings. With a nod to an old hymn, I'm taking time to count those blessings for my friends and loved ones who could not be present.


We left Kennesaw before dawn on Friday morning in order to beat the Atlanta traffic. Wise decision. We made it in time for breakfast with mom and dad, and for me and the girls to visit our friend Monique and get our hair cut. Friday night the Wind Ensemble and band from FBCFM had a little dinner party and they invited us to come over. We got a chance to see a lot of folks and spend some time relaxing, chatting and catching up. Saturday night was also a special time. My former bandmates from the Carolina Rhythm Band invited me to sit in with them at a dinner party engagement. We had a blast! I hadn't seen these guys in almost a year. We had fun jamming to the sounds The Drifters, Sam Cooke and The Tams, just to name a few. The guys haven't missed a beat (pun intended) since I left and I appreciated them letting me join in the fun.


Sunday morning we attended Bible study and worship at FBCFM and had lunch with the family. Mom's brothers and sisters had come from out of town (some driving several hours) to be there for the ordination. The years have scattered us all over the map, but we have remained close. It was very meaningful to have them there.


The service Sunday night began with an hour of prayer. The staff and all ordained couples were invited to come and pray with us as a couple. It was an emotional hour for us, especially when my parents came in and prayed for us. Chris and Jen Whisonant got to participate in the prayer time, along with Perry (our pastor at KFBC) and Jan Fowler. The ordination service itself began with two of my favorite hymns, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and "Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing". Jeff Bedwell (FBCFM pastor) welcomed everyone and Johnny Caruso (FBCFM minister of students) read scripture and made a few remarks. We've been through a lot with Johnny over ten years of ministry. God used Johnny to help me understand my role as a worship leader and a father. I'm not surprised that he got more a little emotional as he left the podium. The emotional roller coaster continued as my father got up to give the ordination prayer. No one thought Jack Newell could say anything in 3 minutes or less, but he did! He did a great job. I'm so proud of my dad.


After a song by the band, I shared a little of my journey and then it was Benny's turn. Benny Wade is the minister of music at FBCFM. He has been a mentor to me and a friend to my family for almost 20 years. He even sang at Cindy's father's funeral 5 years ago. Benny has such an awesome sense of humor that everyone held their collective breath as he spoke. He didn't disappoint. He is truly a minister in every sense of the word. Music is merely a tool that he uses.


Jeff's ordination sermon was a challenge to me delivered in terms of a baseball diamond. For me, it was the perfect metaphor (go Red Sox!!). The batter's box is my Calling; first base is my Character, second base is my Community, third base is my Competence. Home plate brings me back to my Calling, which I will always try to keep foremost in my mind. Without the calling of God, all my efforts are self-directed and eternally worthless.

After a time of prayer, Jeff presented the ordination certificate and Perry presented the ordination Bible. Bart Nicholson, chairman of the FBCFM deacon body, gave us a gift from the church. I know it sounds weird, but that gift was an answer to prayer. Cindy and I had been saving for a new vacuum cleaner, and their gift helped us with the purchase. What a blessing!

As I reflect on the weekend, I think that I am most impacted by the fact that there were people in attendance at my ordination who have influenced every aspect of my life. There were old friends and new friends, former work associates, folks that cut my hair managed the gym where I exercised, folks from Flint Hill, FBCFM and KFBC. As I looked around the room, I saw people who cared for me, counseled me, disciplined me, irritated me, nurtured me and encouraged me. Weaving through that collection of folks is a single, perpetual thread. I love them all so very much.

A Girl's (Boy's) Garden

A neighbor of mine in the village
Likes to tell how one spring
When she was a girl on the farm, she did A childlike thing.
One day she asked her father
To give her a garden plot
To plant and tend and reap herself, And he said, "Why not?"


The previous text is an excerpt from "A Girl's Garden" by Robert Frost, from the volume A Mountain Interval, first published in 1916. Today I planted my first flower garden. Trust me, I know precious little about plants, but I'm going to try to learn. A few weeks ago, we received (or I should say the previous owners of our house received) in the mail a catalog from Springhill Nursery. We thought it would be nice to have some color in the front of our house, so we browsed the catalog and selected flowers that supposedly do well in our climate and are fit for abundant sunshine, that will bloom from June until frost.

For the record, we planted Super Shasta Daisy, Little Business Daylily, Wonder of Staffa Aster, Rudbeckia Toto, Isaac House Hybrid Scabiosa and Pink Coreopsis. It's my understanding that deer tend to avoid most of these, so hopefully the critters won't get to them. The catalog also stated that some even attract butterflies.

Perhaps some of our friends and family (Aunt Pam) can help us with some growing tips. I absolutely want to avoid using nasty chemicals (if one can't pronounce it, one shouldn't be using it). But, by the same token I want to make sure I feed them properly (I already sang to them as I placed them in the ground). I look forward to what God will teach me through the process of planting and nurturing these flowers; I'm sure there are life lessons there. The girl in the poem ended up with "a little bit of everything and a great deal of none". I'm hoping we'll get a color splash of white, pink, blue, red, yellow and lavender.

Love to you from Kennesaw...

View From The Top

From the top of Kennesaw Mountain on a clear morning, the view is almost limitless. This morning was no exception. Cindy and I decided that we would tackle the mountain this morning during our long run, and the payoff speaks for itself. Sunrises at KEMO are a lot like the sunsets on Cape Cod; each one is different and they are all beautiful. At the risk of displaying my ignorance or sounding irreverent, I wonder if God ever looks around and says, "Wow!".


Cindy and I are beginning to pick up the weekly mileage a bit. A couple of friends from church have asked us to help them train for a fall marathon, and we may end up competing ourselves. While we are far from expert runners, we do have experiences that we are happy to share, both successes and failures. So, look for us in the field this fall. Cindy only has 12 minutes to shave for a Boston qualifier.


We've had a busy spring so far here in Big Shanty. My parents came for their first visit last week. They got to do a little sightseeing, and Dad even hiked up the mountain with me. Their time with us was topped of by a visit to The Varsity. "What'll ya have???!!!!" My answer to that question was three chili dogs, onion rings, lemonade and half of Cindy's milkshake, followed by a long night of indigestion!!


I'll be planting my first flower bed in a couple of weeks. Any tips will certainly be appreciated, and humorous updates are sure to follow.

Balcony People

Last June, as I was contemplating God's call into full time ministry, I took the course "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". (It's interesting how God works, because I signed up for that class months before I ever began conversations with Kennesaw First Baptist Church, and by the time we were travelling for interviews, it was time for this class... but that's a another story in itself.) On the first day of the class, we talked about "balcony people". This concept is based on the "cloud of witnesses" passage from the New Testament book of Hebrews. Basically it means that we have been influenced by people in our past, some dead and some living (thank you, John Lennon), who are now watching us and pulling for us in our race for life. Our instructor encouraged us to write letters to our "balcony people" and thank them for pouring themselves into us. Try it. The exercise will cause you to look at your life with a different perspective. This blog is about one of my balcony people. Others may follow, maybe not, but this one begs to be written.

John Deloach. Band Director, Fort Mill High School, 1972-1977. If you are a former student, he will always be "Mr. Deloach". I first met Mr. Deloach in the fall of 1975, when he took over teaching duties at Fort Mill Junior High. I think I was afraid of him the first time I met him. Over the next 18 months, I grew to respect him immensely and love him deeply. He had this aura about him that told you that he was going to make you better and he knew it. Cocky? Likely. Confident? Oh, yes. Perfectionist? Don't even kid yourself otherwise. Driven and focused? You can bet your life on it. He was part musician, part Vince Lombardi. And I loved it.

Mr. Deloach spent hours with us, teaching us life lessons as he taught us music. He taught me that anything less than my best effort was failure. He taught me that even when I give my best effort, sometimes others will be better. He taught me to give and give and give until I had nothing left to give, then to give a little more. By the spring of 1977, I had been selected to the South Carolina All State Band, and I will never forget the look on his face when he told me the news. I think I was as happy for him as I was for myself.

I remember the day he told us he was resigning. I don't think I'll ever forget, nor do I desire to repeat, the feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt like I was losing a parent, and I cried all the way home. He told me that everything would be ok, and again he was right. The world didn't stop just because he left, and in some ways it was even better, and through his leaving he taught me humility.

Three years after his departure, in the spring of 1980, I auditioned for the SC All State Band as a senior and was selected 1st Chair Tenor Saxophone. Mr. Deloach's influence on me had been so profound that I insisted that my parents locate him so that I could phone him with the news. When told him the results, he put the phone down and I could hear him literally screaming to his wife, who was on the other side of the house. He was so proud...

These days I think Mr. and Mrs. Deloach are retired and live somewhere in the upstate region of SC. I haven't talked to him in years, but I want him to know a few things. Mr. Deloach, thank you. God used you to help me become a servant leader. Mr. Deloach, I miss you. I use your lessons and methods often. Mr. Deloach, I love you. As a struggling teenager, my life could have taken so many directions, but praise God, you were there.

So, who are your balcony people?

January Randomness

Hello All... We're enjoying a little after dinner quiet. I was looking through some photos I received lately and thought someone might find these interesting.

First, someone sent this one to me on Facebook. This was taken in the spring of 1981. From the looks of the theatre props I'd say it was taken in the basement storage area of the music building at Furman. These are some of the Phi Mu Alpha brothers and pledges at something called a "pledge court". Don't ask because I honestly don't remember its purpose. Anyway, in the photo L-R are Jimmy Hembree, John Clanton, me and Bryant Waldkirch.

Next, we have a photo lovingly titled "Old Men of the Family". Evidently my mother's brothers decided to take a little road trip to see their eldest brother in Moses Lake, WA about a year ago (I think). The McKinney profile is not on prominent display but I can assure you it's there. In this photo we have L-R in ascending birth order, Roddy, Jim and Bo. What a crew!

Finally, we have a commemorative photo of a Kennesaw Mountain run with two members of the Citadel corps of cadets. These two gentlemen stopped by to see us in Kennesaw over the New Year's holiday, and of course we couldn't resist dragging them out for a little pre-dawn jaunt up Kennesaw Mountain (a true rite of passage for any Georgia runner). They were great! However, with all modesty I feel it my obligation to point out to the reader that the author of this blog (i.e. "Pops") outran them both to the summit. Michael claimed to have been distracted by a deer. For now, I guess I'll buy that. In this photo we have L-R Cadet 2nd Class Michael Dockery, Cindy "Queen of the Mountain" Newell, and Cadet 3rd Class Aaron Anderson.

Enjoy your chuckles...

Merry Christmas in Kennesaw

This morning we were awake early, 3:30am (yes we're crazy), working on our Christmas morning tradition. We've got breakfast in the oven, and I'm on the laptop in the den waiting on the goodies in the oven. Nat King Cole, Karen Carpenter and Andy Williams are on the radio. Snickers is trying to figure out why we're up but not feeding her. It's drizzling just a little outside, and the mist makes the lights in the neighborhood twinkle that much brighter. NORAD says that Santa is now in Alaska, almost finished with his annual deliveries.


My cousin, Karen, has a lot of old family photos (I'm the one in the striped pants). Looking at these brings back a flood of wonderful memories. I come from a very large and very close family. Although I'm not sure of the date of the photo at left, my guess would be the summer of 1972 or 1973. The years have scattered us across the country. Whoever thought I would be in Kennesaw, GA, after 20 years in Fort Mill? Life is like that isn't it, Forrest? You never know what you're gonna get.

Even though we live in a new place, some things are constant and the melody and harmony of God's love for us is perpetual. I feel that this Christmas more than ever. We are strangers in a new land, but folks at our new church have taken us in and made us part of their family. One family even had us over to share in their Christmas Eve celebration last night. That was a huge blessing to me because the Newell and McKinney families had such wonderful times together over the holiday seasons of years past. When I was in high school, the McKinney clan used to pack into cars and drive around Fort Mill, caroling for family friends. Aunt Brenda Kay would always come over and help us make snow people and then there was the food at my grandparents house. TONS of it! Two such holiday gatherings stand out in my mind. The first would be the Immaculate Reception as Franco Harris and the Steelers defeated the Oakland Raiders in the AFC playoffs in 1972. The other would be December of 1979, during my senior year in high school. My Pappaw had died just weeks before, and still the family went caroling. Brenda Kay brought along her photography assistant, Lori, and on Christmas morning Brenda gave me a card with Lori's phone number.

Yes, this year we're in a new location, but we feel so blessed to be making new memories on this new adventure that we have undertaken. My prayer for whoever reads this is that you experience the same love, mercy and grace that I have experienced. I believe with all my heart that God loves each of us so much, desires a real and dynamic relationship with each of us so much, that he gave us Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God With Us, so that we could experience the joys of heaven forever. Truly, wise men still seek Him. Merry Christmas 2008.

I wish you peace.

The Music of Luke

Well, today is the start of my weekend. Did I ever tell you that I get Friday's off? It's one of those preacher things, I suppose. Our church considers Sunday to be a work day for me, so my weekends are Friday and Saturday. It's a bit different and it took some getting used to, but now it's kind of neat to be able to spend Fridays running errands for Cindy and taking care of various needs around the house.

This morning I took my birthday money and went shopping. Those of you who know me well are already cringing, because I detest shopping. Today I made the mistake of not having in mind what I wanted before I left. Big no-no. I ended up in the crowd of folks who were taking a 3-day weekend to go "door-busting". Did I mention I don't do crowds, either? I found lots of things I needed (socks, pants, shirts), but only a few in my size and EVERYTHING had been thoroughly examined by the early birds and was completely jumbled. Because I have a limited budget I couldn't decide what to purchase. Even though the prices will surely triple again after the holidays, I suppose I'll wait until the rush is over (by the way, why is it that a $15 dollar shirt costs $45 after the calendar flips? doesn't that fly in the face of supply and demand, or am I the only one who notices that kind of thing?). The other thing that irked me more than a little was that if I used a store credit card, I could get an additional 10-20% discount per item. I don't want more debt, I just want more socks, for crying out loud! I thought we were celebrating God's love for us, not our love for "stuff". OK, you can relax now, the rant is over. Do you understand now why I don't like shopping?

One of the things that I actually am enjoying about this Christmas season is my daily Bible reading. The book of Luke has 24 chapters, and our pastor has challenged us to read one chapter per day leading up to our Christmas Eve service. God's Holy Spirit has been revealing new things to me each day, and over the past couple of weeks I have read several familiar passages in an entirely different light. One of the things that really strikes me is Jesus' relationship with the Samaritan people. You see, to Jesus' Hebrew contemporaries, the people from Samaria were illegitimate, unclean, untouchable, second (some would say "no") class. Yet Jesus loved them, healed them and used them in powerful illustrations to teach God's love, mercy and grace. As a follower of Christ, I've noted that point and, with God's help, resolve to apply it to my own life.

Can you hear the music today?

A Christmas Tree Tradition

Most families have traditions that they observe during the Christmas season. There are movies to watch, television specials that are just to good (or cheesy) to miss, cookies and pies to bake and deliver. Our family has several that we observe annually, almost out of habit (the good kind of habit, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Ralphie, not all habits are bad).

I absolutely love the Christmas season. From Thanksgiving until New Years Day, I look at the world differently. Even though one of the most painful events in my life occurred in December (the death of my grandfather McKinney when I was almost 18), I look forward to celebrating the hope and joy that is available to me because of a life that began in a tiny Judean village so long ago.

When I was a child, it seemed that each year my parents always had our Christmas tree up and decorated on my birthday. In reality, that wasn't likely foremost in their minds, but hey, what's a December baby to think? So, since this year will be the first since 1984 that I haven't seen my parents on Christmas day, I decided to honor the memory of my childhood by taking care of the tree for my birthday. After MUCH searching, we finally found a tree lot in Cobb county that wasn't asking for a second mortgage to purchase a live tree. Ashleigh went with me and we found the perfect (in my eyes) tree. I guess she thought I was a little nuts when I teared up as we headed home with our prize.

Yesterday was my birthday and I began decorating by stringing lights and hanging ornaments that include baby pictures of our precious children. In the fading light of the late autumn afternoon, I switched on the lights of the tree and just sort of stood there. I suppose that I teared up again, recalling Decembers of years past, missing my family and friends back in South Carolina.

You know, standing in the glow of a Christmas tree is special. The evergreen tree itself brings to mind the perpetual, unfailing love of God. The bright lights remind me that one day the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever.

Elf Yourself

What a busy Fall! It's been way too long since I posted and tons of things have happened since the last post.

In early November we went to the Naval Air Station in Marietta as guests of Major Jim Judkins, USMC. Jim is a church member who is soon to retire from the Marine Corps after 20 years as an office in an attack helicopter squadron. He gave us a guided tour, included a trip to the Cobra flight simulator. Man, that was cool! We each got to fly an attack run as a gunner with Jim as pilot. As expected, John hit every target. I, on the other hand, only hit one or two, and that's after Jim slowed to a crawl so I could get my bearings!

We spent Thanksgiving in Aiken with my family and Scranton with Cindy's. We hadn't seen our families in several months so it was a blessing to be able to be together for a few hours.

December has been hectic so far. We're working on Christmas music at church and have a special Christmas Eve service planned. Yesterday we bought our tree. Sometime between all the programs, services and gigs, we'll actually get it decorated. Oh yeah, and tomorrow is my birthday. Woo-hoo.

And now, a video for your yuletide pleasure, featuring me, Dr Perry Fowler (my boss) and Jimmy Gunderman (our minister to students).



I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. May God richly bless your lives in the coming days.

A Note From The Noodle Family

Two Fridays in a row... soaking rain. Ain't it great? This week is a little cooler, though. The high should be around 50 today. So, I'm taking a break from cleaning the kitchen, doing laundry and helping the kids with school work. Cindy is substitute teaching today at First Baptist Christian School. This is her third appearance there. On her first day, a student in her class had a little challenge pronouncing "Newell". It came out sounding like "noodle". The kids started giggling about it and the name stuck. So, today Cindy Noodle is off to work again. I suppose that makes me Mr. Noodle, thank you very much.

Noting the trouble so many of us have had with allergies this Fall, I came across an impressive list of home remedies. I'm not sure they all work on the sinuses, but perhaps you might have a laugh.

1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.
2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.
3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.
4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.
5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.
6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.
7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.
8. DAILY THOUGHT: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

I know you were all wondering about Melanie's ear from last week's post. Well, I heard from her this week (boy, did I ever) and she reported that the candle treatment did work for a period of time. The biggest challenge is to figure a way to keep the candles lit on windy days when she goes to the grocery store. The biggest benefit is that she can provide her own candles at the Christmas Eve service.

This weekend is the annual Cape Cod Marathon, and for the second year in a row we'll not be competing in it. Last year we opted for the Marshall University Marathon which was a fantastic event. This year we are still getting settled in our new home and were not able to train adequately. We do plan to return next year. I've been following the news of the event on the race website and our friends from the Falmouth Track Club have been keeping us in the loop. There's just no place in the world like New England in the Fall. We really miss the fun and fellowship we have with our family and friends there, everything from Pam's waffles and folding shirts at the Lawrence School to the roar of the crowd as we kick to the finish line at the Village Green on Main Street.

North Falmouth is a special place for us. We have such fond memories there, folk music on the radio, mussels from Woods Hole, Happyhallowthankmus festival at the church, falling asleep at night while star gazing through the bedroom skylight. Chris and Pam, we miss you. Be sure to go see the Falmouth Fiddlers on Sunday morning and cheer the runners for us as they pass the Bourne Farm!

Georgia Pollen Count

Well, the fall season is upon us here in northwest Georgia. Now that we've received all the settlement funds from old utility accounts, escrow accounts and closing costs, Cindy and I are finally going furniture shopping today. Woo-hoo! It will be nice to get a few more boxes out of the house. Maybe we can even provide guests a place to sit in our den. What a concept!

It's raining today. That's a good thing for us, as our area is still considered to be in a severe drought. The students at church aren't real happy about the rain today, though. They are supposed to go to a corn maze tonight. Still, I count the rain as a blessing. We got a good soaking during our run this morning. It felt REALLY good!!

Tomorrow morning we'll head over to KEMO (that's Atlanta runner-speak for Kennesaw Mountain) for our weekly long run. We hope to run from Pigeon Hill to Kolb's Farm and back (about 11 miles). We tried that last week, but got lost somewhere around Cheatham Hill. We followed another runner who looked like he knew where he was going and we somehow ended up circling back at Cheatham Hill Road, then heading the wrong direction toward Powder Springs. Trail running can be tricky (no road signs). We knew we were lost when we heard the train whistle from behind us, when it should have been in front of us. We turned around and eventually made it back to familiar territory, but we ended up only running 9 miles. So... tomorrow we try again. I'll study the trail map a little closer this time and we may even take it with us (duh). Getting lost on the battlefield at sunrise is no fun (too many Civil War ghosts in the forest).

I think we are all suffering from fall allergies around here. The whole church office staff has been coughing, sneezing and wheezing for over two weeks. Our office manager, Melanie, has had it so rough she resorted to drastic measures the other day. Ever try placing a lit candle in your ear to unclog things? Ask Melanie how well it works. There MUST be an easier way to combat the Georgia pollen count. Perhaps a few teaspoonfuls of local honey?

Handyman

The title begs a reference to James Taylor, but I don't think Cindy would appreciate it. :-)



After our weekly run at Kennesaw Mountain National Park, we came home and started our house projects. Cindy is painting bedrooms and I am tackling our storage issues.
Now, before I go any further, I have to say that I am NOT a handyman. My grandfather McKinney could build anything, but I must have missed that piece of the gene pool. However, since we moved to Kennesaw, I'm beginning to learn. Today I installed some extra shelves in a bathroom closet. I actually got them equally spaced and level. I was shocked! Cindy is still speechless. I only wish my Pappaw could see them. He'd probably have a good laugh because I made such a big deal over simple closet shelves.



To celebrate we grilled some burgers for dinner. So much for the big weekend. Marshall got clobbered last night, but the Red Sox are on the brink of winning their series with the Angels. We'll see how that Pats do tomorrow.


I guess watching all those episodes of Home Improvement is beginning to pay off. Cindy can't wait to see what's next!

By the way, the new Kennesaw First Baptist Church web site is now up and running. Check it out at www.kfbc.org

It's 1, 2, 3 strikes you're out...

When I was about 12 years old, my parents took my brother and I to Atlanta for a mid-summer getaway. We spent a day at the Six Flags theme park, then the next day attended the Braves-Cardinals baseball game at the old (then new) Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. The Braves won 7-5 in 13 innings, and my experience was capped off by seeing my hero, Henry Aaron, hit a home run. All those memories came rushing back last week when I got the chance to take my kids to a Braves game for the first time, courtesy of a friend who is a Braves employee. Obviously The Hammer doesn't play any longer (some guy named "Chipper" is the star of the team - he had a bad night too, booted a grounder and made a wild throw to first later in the game), and the stadium has been replaced with a newer model. Nonetheless we had a fabulous time. We did the "Chop" (keeping time with the Chick-fil-A cow in left field) and enjoyed $1 hot dog night. The Braves lost to the Phillies 4-3, but who cares? Baseball is great! Let's go Red Sox!

Our new church website will be live next week, look for an announcement and the link from my blog. This past week we had a staff photo day for the website pictures and some of us decided to have a little fun in the playground afterward. Leave it to the old man to do the hanging crunches and smile about it!

We've Been Pounded

We've been pounded! (It didn't hurt near as much as I thought it might.) During our first week in the new house, our church family brought over dinner each night so that we would have time to unpack the kitchen and dining room boxes and wouldn't have to worry about cooking. The best part about that was that the folks brought over so much food that we also had enough left over for lunches. The day after the last meal was delivered, the church gave us a "pounding". Each person brought us canned goods, cleaning supplies and other household items. For example, according to Cindy's calculations, we received 30 pounds of sugar, 25 pounds of flower and 5 pounds of corn meal. The timing was perfect, and this week we started cooking our own meals. In addition to hall the kitchen pantry items we also received several gift cards to local stores so that we would have help in buying other items that we may discover that we need.

Our family at Kennesaw First Baptist Church has been incredible. They have really taken us in and accepted us. The love they have demonstrated to us has been awesome!

We've made a list of "fix-it" items around the inside of the house and will start on that today. We're also becoming experts in lawn care (we've got some great neighbors who have beautiful lawns, they have offered some great pointers). We don't want a "boo-boo" letter from the HOA! There are also some things we need to fix up around the exterior of the house, but nothing pressing (we'll have a list for that, too). As you can tell from the photo of Snickers having breakfast today, at least one of us has settled in!!

Who's In The House?

Well, we made it one week in the new house!! We have boxes stacked floor-to-ceiling in several rooms, but we are slowly getting settled. Everyone at KFBC has been so nice to our family in helping us with the transition. Families from the church have been bringing meals to us each night for the past week, and this Sunday night the church is having a "pounding" for our family. Most importantly, folks have sent us cards and letters, called us on the phone and stopped by my office to let us know that they pray for us and our new ministry each day. People have really stepped up to make us feel like a part of the family. We will always miss our hometown, but we really love Kennesaw and Kennesaw First Baptist Church. God is so good, all the time!

We had a busy week. Between all the unpacking, Cindy and I got our Georgia driver's licenses. We also got our tv, phone and internet services established. The next big thing is to get our new tags for our cars. Yesterday we took the cars in for emissions testing, so now that we have those certifications we can go to the county tag office.

We're also getting involved a little in the community. Last night we worked with a group of volunteers running the concessions at the Kennesaw Mountain High School football game. If I do say so myself, I cook a mean batch of fries. We didn't see any of the game, but they tell me the home team beat South Cobb High School 13 - 0.

The running schedule is also slowly returning to normal. There are several places to run near us. Because of the move, we won't be competing at the Cape Cod Marathon this fall, but the Atlanta Marathon is in November and there are other races close by. One of our welcoming gifts from the church was a copy of the Atlanta Running Guide, so off we go...

Well, time to unpack more boxes!!!