"Yes!"

That's right, folks. On September 18, 2009, one Melissa Nicole Reeves answered "yes" when I nervously fumbled my way through a proposal! At that single second, I was as happy as I could possibly imagine being. Yes, it has probably been a long time coming, but that took none of the shine away from that single word. Call me a sap...but I'm pumped, people!!

Short (edited: but not really that short) version of the proposal story: We had a date night planned (Trendy Date Night is what we call it...you know, somewhere cool and trendy and downtown...this was actually my idea to be able to pull off the engagement (I started it in August)). I kept the restaurant a surprise (we were headed to Five Sixty at Reunion Tower), but had told her I was wearing a suit (mainly because I had bought some new suits and wanted to wear one). Well, she also knew that the following night we had plans to meet my parents, brother, sister-in-law, niece, her parents, and her brother for dinner (this had nothing to do with the engagement, as it was more of a surprise birthday party). Well, I kept wondering if she was on to what I was planning. So, I show up, in a suit, with some roses and a backpack...she answers the door, says "Hi" and smiles real big...and I have no doubt that she knows. I give her the roses, she smells them, sets them down, says "thanks," and then looks at me. I am like, "Are you ready to go?" She replies, "Yeah, I'm ready." QUICK SIDE NOTE: I WAS COUNTING ON HER TO BE RUNNING LATE...YOU KNOW, SO I COULD GET THERE AND COLLECT MYSELF...FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW ME TOO WELL, I GET NERVOUS...BUT INSTEAD, SHE IS READY ON TIME (EARLY EVEN), FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME...SO THAT THREW ME COMPLETELY OFF MY GAME!! Anyways, she says she is ready, so I kind of just stand there, and then clumsily say "Well, I have some surprises for you!" So I give her a framed piece of paper with the verse in the picture above (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) on it, as well as a Jack Ingram song lyric that is a little inside thing with us. We read the verse, I am messing the words up. I say a few things, and then I get down on a knee to ask her, and the last thought I have before I ask is as follows: "The ring box is going to open towards me." (Reminder: I was thrown off my game by punctuality, so I did not have time to ensure the box was oriented in my hand appropriately.) Well, I proceed...and lucky me, it opens towards her. She says "yes" and tries to hug me...I make her say it again...rinse and repeat...she says it three times before I will hug her. SECOND QUICK SIDE NOTE: THAT IS A LOT OF BUILDUP TO A QUESTION/ANSWER THAT TAKES APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS, SO I WAS TRYING TO STRETCH IT A BIT...IT HAD BEEN FOUR AND A HALF YEARS! We head on to dinner and have a few people over to my house afterward. The next night, we get to the planned party, and everybody yells "surprise!" Well, only a few of them know we had gotten engaged. I quickly grab her left wrist, hold up her left hand, and yell "surprise!" back at them...a collective gasp occurs...and then the chaos of birthday wishes and congratulations ensues! Quite a memorable weekend...one I certainly won't be forgetting soon!

Melissa and I have been dating since January 14, 2005. In four and a half years, nobody has helped my grow more into who I am today, be it my personality, my attitudes, and most of all, my faith, than her. I am incredibly blessed to have found a woman who possesses such a strong sense of herself and her faith and beliefs. I know that I am expected to fill this role...but she is truly the rock in my life. She keeps me grounded...she keeps me humbled...she keeps me motivated...and she keeps me going. I have referred to our relationship as "crazy, silly love" and I honestly think that describes it best! We have a blast together...we laugh a lot (mostly at each other!)...whether it be training for a triathlon, or going to a musical, or sitting at home and plowing through reruns of Friends, it's always fun, and it always feels new. She's truly my best friend, and there is nobody I would rather embark on life's journey with!

I am looking forward to the next few months as we embark on the journey that planning a wedding will certainly turn out to be. I am looking further with even greater anticipation to beginning our lives as a married couple. God has done amazing things in my life the past few years, and I look to the future with little doubt that He has even more in store...not just for me, but for Melissa and me both!

A few pictures....

The Hardware

Surprising the party!

A merging family

Men of the Bible: Week 3 (Noah)

This is truly a story of obedience...and of faith. The word faith is defined as "confidence or trust in a person or thing." Noah was commanded by God to build a great boat. God gave him explicit instructions. Dimensions. Materials. Building plans. (All of these are in Genesis 6:14-16.) The Bible tells us in Genesis 6:22 (NIV) that "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."

Hold on, folks...I am assuming that Noah lived in pretty dry, arid conditions. You know...a desert.

"Confidence or trust in a person..."

You think Noah got some weird looks from his buddies? You think Noah was a little self-conscious about this whole thing...maybe a little unsure? I would imagine he was. He's building a giant boat in an area without a whole lot of water. Outsiders (pretty much anybody not named Noah or God) couldn't have possibly understood. I wonder if Noah even truly understood. But God had a plan, didn't he. A new covenant. Redemption...a chance to start over.

Are we building our arks? Or are we worried about the passers-by that don't understand? Will we be ready for the floods in our life? That new covenant has been made...

Some thoughts from the journal...

" 'For Noah, surrender was not a single decision or noteworthy event; it was a process. A routine. A journey. A walk. Obedience was the natural result of this methodical approach. Walking with God meant knowing Him. Knowing God meant loving Him. Loving meant hearing. Hearing, obeying. And obeying God meant salvation.' " (This was actually a quote from the book...but I wrote it down, because it was "strong...to quite strong". Anybody get the movie reference?)

"It is a journey, Michael." (I wrote this down on the next line, to remind myself.)

"Human nature is to seek comfort. It isn't comfortable to be the only one putting faith in the unseen. But, it is faith."

"God made a new covenant, and yet had to make a 'new' new covenant (Jesus). Can we not do the same for others...show mercy, love, and forgiveness? God is love." (On the subject of forgiving others, and how God's mercy is an example.)

Thoughts on recent Josh Hamilton news...

"I flew too high and like Icarus I collide With a world I try so hard to leave behind"
Jars of Clay - "Worlds Apart"

I'm not sure how many of you follow sports, the Rangers, etc...but it seems that most people know the story of Josh Hamilton. Literally a phenom coming into the 1999 major league baseball draft...taken first overall...gave way to injuries...slipped into drug addiction of the hardest sort...got clean...made it back to baseball in 2007...now an all-star with the Texas Rangers. A quick search on the web will take you to a number of stories about him, his talent, his struggles/recovery, and most importantly, his faith in Christ and how that has played a part in his life over the past few years. A great article from early in his comeback is here. (Try searching for Josh Hamilton and drugs, Josh Hamilton and faith, etc.)

Josh is open about his faith. He gives glory to God. He is a servant in the community, he is a witness to salvation, and he is sincere in his belief that God has given him a second chance to take his story across the nation and world. He has spoken openly about his daily struggle...that his addictive personality makes literally every day feel like a war is being waged against his sobriety and recovery. Well, one night this past January, Josh lost a battle...

A few links regarding this story (I am not posting links to the photos of him, you can find them if you want to):

Josh admits to being drunk (DMN)

Josh admits to being drunk (ESPN)

Thoughts from Josh's wife Katie (DMN)

Short version...Josh was is Arizona, got drunk, acted inappropriately with women who were not his wife, photos were taken. He proceeded to immediately let his wife, his sponsor, the Rangers, and the MLB offices know of his slip-up. He seems to have handled it in the best way he could...accept accountability (even in public when it came out), ask for forgiveness of those who matter in his life (of which the general population does not), and make peace with God, knowing that he is human and that He is mighty.

The question is...did he lose the war? Furthermore, did he lose all credibility as it relates to his faith? Is he a fraud? Did he embarrass Christianity?

First of all, as a Christian who believes in the saving grace of Jesus' blood...Josh did not lose the war. Yes, he took a step back...haven't you? Don't we all have our struggles, and don't we all falter at various times? Josh, in my best estimation, is fighting the good fight. He is out there with his story, he is letting people know about the power of faith in God, and he is a walking testimony to the power that the Lord has in our lives if we let him in. I do not think his story of faith is fake. Will some people now look at him with a questioning eye when he gives praise to God? Absolutely. Is it unfortunate that people will not focus on years of sobriety and progress, but instead hone in on a single incident.

Did he embarrass Christianity? I am sure this is a huge debate, and there is no direct answer. Did he act like a Christian that night? No. Does that make him less of a Christian than before? It absolutely does not. I have seen many things written the past few days about him not being a true Christian, and that he is fake, and that it was all an act, and even that he will likely slip-up even more now. The majority of these things have come from those who are not Christians themselves. However, some of that criticism is from people who profess the faith. And that is what irks me. Josh had a night of struggle, and he is a public figure whose story is well documented...and now Christianity has come under attack, from outside and from within. People are talking about how easy it is to ask for forgiveness and use Jesus as a shield from scrutiny. Others are talking about how hypocritical it is of him to be talking about his faith, promoting his book, etc, knowing about this. Others still are using this to talk about Christianity being a sham altogether.

What should we do as Christians? First…I think we should pray for Josh, and his continued recovery. I don’t know him…but I do know that he is a real dude, and that he is a professed brother in Christ, and that he need prayers. “I realized that, obviously, I'm not perfect, in this ongoing struggle, battle, that is very real. A lot of people don't understand how real it is." That is a direct quote from him regarding this whole thing.

Second…and this is what gets me pumped (you know, a little opportunity from God to spread the word)…we should all seize this opportunity to reinforce the idea that Christians are not perfect. We instead are sinners in every definition of the word. We are lustful, prideful, judgmental…recovering addicts, be it alcohol, drugs, gambling, whatever…we are a group that collectively comes from every walk of life…and that we are saved not by our own abilities to never screw up, but instead by the blood of Jesus. We should all remind ourselves and others that we are all in this together, and we should stick up for our brother and our faith. We should let it be known that we are incapable of perfection, and that it is not perfection that is demanded, but faith and a heart of love and forgiveness.

I am not embarrassed by him. If I ever feel that way, then I hope he, as a Christian, is likewise embarrassed by the way I sometimes act. And I don’t need to forgive him…he didn’t do anything to me…but there seem to be lots of people who think he owes them an apology, because he is a role model to youth, or because they own a #32 Rangers jersey. Sorry folks, but he owes God, his wife, and his support system an apology. Is he a role model? Yeah, I think he is. Not because he has a great swing, or a rocket of an arm, but because he is alive, and he is living his life with perseverance, and humility, and with (outside of that night) a true passion and thankfulness that he gets to wake up every day. Josh Hamilton, in my opinion, is a servant. So was his savior.

Sorry no update yet...working on an entry about Josh Hamilton...should be up tomorrow...check back...

Men of the Bible: Week 2 (Cain and Abel)

I guess I never really thought about what this story is before this most recent study of it. I always viewed it from the stance of vengeance, murder, etc. And while those are critically important aspects of the tale of these two brothers, I submit the opinion that it is not the most important.

This is at its heart a story of doing enough versus doing a little bit more. Cain's offering was "enough" to get by in his mind. However, Abel made an offering that he felt was worthy of God. He did a little bit more. And God took favor with Abel. Note that God did not take favor with Abel's sacrifice (this is important), but that he took favor with Abel...more importantly, God likely took favor with Abel's heart. (Could it be that Abel was the original "man after God's own heart?") Cain, in a fit of rage and jealousy, murdered his brother, and tried to hide that from God. We know how that turned out (little bit of a pattern in this family, huh?)...

Some thoughts from the journal...

"Do I do just 'enough' to get by? Do I honor God with my offering (money, life, service, heart)? What am I trying to hide?"

"Cain and Abel...are both living inside me? Sometimes I try to get by...others, I am on FIRE for God. Who is winning that tug-of-war?"

"God does not need our sacrifices. God created the world...can have what he desires...wants to see we have a generous heart and spirit."

"...if i should slow my pace and finally subject me to grace..."

Found this video on youtube. I really dig this song..."Jealous Kind" by Jars of Clay. The music is great, and the lyrics are pretty profound. I think it could have meaning for a lot of folks, in many different ways. Whoever put this video together did a good job of capturing the tone of the song...

Looking ahead...

After another rather extended absence from this thing, I am back to once again apologize for not being more regular with my updates, and also to once again ensure you that I intend to be more committed to this in the coming weeks and months.

Short version explaining the lack of entries...work got insane, Melissa and I have been training for a triathlon (including lots of training in the evenings), and then being exhausted at the end of the day because of those two things combined. We're still training, but work seems to have become more manageable, so this is going to start getting some more attention again.

In my original post, I mentioned that this would eventually become a bit topical. I am hoping that the next few months will allow for that. Besides my weekly entries on the Men of the Bible study I started (and will be continuing...Week 2 entry is coming soon!), I am going to take the coming seasons (fall/winter) to do some themed entries based around the theme of the given month. The fall and early winter seasons (October through New Year's) are my favorite times of the year, and I am pretty enthused about taking that time to grow in my faith. The outline looks like this...

• October - Okay, Halloween isn't viewed as real "churchy." However, I am planning to look at some stories from the Word that include instances of spirits (angels or demons)...hopefully a few that are lesser known will be discussed! I also plan to look at the historical ties that the Church has to Halloween and All Saint's Day.
• November - This month will include focus on giving thanks, how the Lord blessed people in the Bible through harvests, and will culminate with a look at the first Thanksgiving and how the Pilgrims gave thanks to God for His blessings.
• December - I am really looking forward to this month! I am obviously going to focus on the story of Jesus's birth as a whole, but I also plan to do a more focused study of Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi. I will also be looking at the history of Christmas, and how the Christian treatment fits into it.

That is what I have planned on the surface. There will certainly be some addenda and revisions to that outline, but at least I have a plan! I hope you all enjoy following (and contributing with comments!) as I go through these studies.

In the interim, I am looking forward to getting back into this blog, and letting it be a tool that helps me...and you...grow in the Lord.

Until the next time...