Technology Rocks

I wanted to share with you a divine moment from our recent quick trip back to Tulsa. We were driving there and it is a 14 hour drive one way, so we woke up early in order to get there that night at a decent time and still be able to visit. We were making some great time, the kids wanted to eat Lunchables in the car and we drove through Subway for lunch for Stacey and I. We only made stops to use the restroom and get gas. So in mid Arkansas (which seems like such a huge state when you have been driving through it for 4 hours) we decided to stop, we noticed a sign that said Braums (a ice cream fast food restaurant) and I look up at the exit sign and see Alma, Arkansas. I quickly remember that one of my friends who I met through blogging, twitter and facebook lived in Alma. We spoke on the phone the week before and follow each other through twitter updates, facebook, blogs, and we speak on the phone, but we have never met in person. Speaking with him on the phone a week earlier I knew he was going to be traveling so I did not think he would be in town, but as soon as I pull off the exit I text him, he immediately calls and said he will be up to the Braums in 2 minutes.

So my friend Vince who I met through technology shows up and we sit and eat ice cream and visit. My family and myself feel like we have known him for years and only meeting him for a few minutes. Technology is such an amazing too to get to know people.

Now a day’s people don’t talk much on the phone, with use of email, facebook, myspace, and other technology. It can be a great tool in order to get to know people. I am a connections pastor and my job is getting people to connect to our church and by my updates, blogs, pictures, people who might not talk to me get to know who I am, with date nights, pedicures etc.

So my encouragement it to allow people to get to know you and who you are and then some day you will get an awesome opportunity to make new friends who you feel like you have been friends all along just like Vince and I.

Ice Cream Anyone??

So we decided to go eat some ice cream this afternoon for a family outing. After it taking the kids, what seemed like the same amount of time it takes waiting in the Wal-Mart shopping checkout lane; to decide on what they finally wanted we decided to sit under a tree and eat our ice cream. After I finished eating my ice cream I noticed for some reason my middle son Solomon decided to a bite out of the bottom of the cone before finishing. Of course on a Hotlanta day the ice cream naturally melts. It starts to drip onto his clothes and he quickly realizes he made a mistake.
Ever bite something off by the wrong end? There has been several times in my life I can think of, where I bit something off from the wrong end.
Let me explain. Stacey and I made several financial mistakes in our early years that put us into some major debt. Over a period of six years my income literally doubled every two years and we were still living paycheck to paycheck. We spent many years accumulating the debt and in return it took us many years to pay it off. Well we have learned our lesson and have vowed not to use credit cards or even credit except for our house and car right now. It will be paid off soon…I am declaring.
The point here is before making any type of a decision that might affect you in the long run; make sure you are in prayer about it and really seeking God’s advice before you bite the ice cream off at the wrong end.

Check out pictures at http://www.bradpostonline.com

The "Wocked" Door

No I did not spell that wrong.

We get back from our "pleasant" trip to Wal-Mart with the entire Post team; we pull into the garage like normal and start unloading. I pull Isaiah out of the car seat and ask him to go to the door to let our ferocious Chihuahua Cocoa out to greet the entire family. He walks up to the door as I am getting the grocery bags out and tries to open the door. But he gets to the door and can't push it open and he says my name about 20+ times because he is at the age that he says my name until I respond and with a "calm and patient," yes Isaiah he says "its wocked." I said it’s what? And he repeats it as clear as the first time he said it. So I gently push the door open to let Cocoa out and said "you just didn't push hard enough."

Has there ever been a time when you feel like you said something and it came out wrong? There are many times I know I have, I mean come on I have 3 children and I have to be a little transparent here and let you know that I am not always calm and patient with my precious children. I have raised my voice at them out of anger, even said some mean things to them in frustration. But, God usually quickly reminds me once I calm down that they are only children and even though they do need direction and discipline; they still need their fathers love. The same kind of love our Heavenly Father shows us. So I usually do my best to quickly ask for forgiveness and start loving on them until they forgive me.

We just need to make sure that if we do speak something that comes out wrong that we go back to that person and ask for forgiveness. So right now anyone I have every spoke something wrong about I ask for your forgiveness. All three of you....just kidding.

Today I want to challenge you to think back and if you have spoken anything wrong over someone to ask them for forgiveness.
.

Take The High Road

The Bible outlines the pathway to success: "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:8) Successful living is a life-style is based solidly upon the Word of God. It involves getting up every time we have been knocked down. The tools of success are faith and hard work.

As someone once said, "The high road to success begins at your feet."

God is our heavenly Father, wants His children to be successful in every aspect. That’s why He's given us the promises of His Word. If we believe them and claim them and pray them we will be very successful indeed.

The Road Less Traveled

Several years ago, Stacey and I made a choice to leave where we were born and raised and move half way across the United States. When I look back on it, it was a hard choice to leave our comforts, our friends, our family and our lives to move into a totally new area we were not familiar with. We moved due to the fact that I got a promotion and wanted to move up with the company I was working for and in order to do that I had to move. So I took the leap.

Stacey and I went through some pretty tough times financially and emotionally when we moved. I did not understand what was going on and why we had to go through all those problems.

I came across this quote while reading the book The Shack that describes what I was going through,

"You have to take time to prepare the soil if you want to embrace the seed." WM. Paul Young

That is when I realized that it was God who was doing all the work in me; God had to prepare my soil for Him to be able to embrace my seed. Well needless to say, God got a hold of me and embraced that seed and then watered it.

I really like to look back upon this and realize that God had to do His work on me before He could do his work through me.

It says in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it."

I am excited that I took the narrow road. Please don't get me wrong because I still miss my friends and family. But I am glad that I took the step to travel that road so God could prepare my soil and only God knows what our future holds.

Have you ever decided to take that step and travel that road?

Pedicure...Risk?

OK so I will admit, I got my first pedicure with my wife on our date night. I was a little hesitant at first but after eyeing the chair for a few minutes I decided to sit down and take my shoes off. This was my first pedicure and my feet are not the best looking part of me. So it was a bit awkward at first not to mention the women were also speaking in another language to each other….probably about my gross feet.
So I decide to relax---mainly because the chair I was sitting in was somehow massaging my back…WOW.

So I put my feet in the water and the nice woman comes to start on me first. She was very talkative and really nice. Stacey and I both got the pedicures together and after the first bit of awkwardness I really enjoyed it. I know some of you might challenge my “man card” on this one but I wanted to make sure I was being real.
I took the risk and actually went through with the pedicure. There has been many times in my life where I took a risk and was glad I did.

This reminds me of the risk Joshua took as I was reminded in staff meeting today. Joshua was to take them into the land and conquer it and God told him to be strong and courageous, but he had to overtake 37 kings to take the land. He had many battles and God reminded him in Joshua 1:8, “Do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” He had to obey God in order to take the land and he definitely took the risk.
I took a risk today and got that pedicure.

Is there anything in your life that you are not risking? Are there risks God is asking you to take for Him?

Sunday Morning VIP

Scuba Steve Story



On vacation recently Stacey, the kids and I were hanging out at the pool. The hotel we stayed in had 2 areas and they were both indoor/outdoor water parks within the hotel. We were all swimming when we noticed something kind of strange. A young man walked by in a full blown scuba suit. He had the snorkel, goggles, suit and flippers. Now the kids who were of course curious and did not want to let that rest asked, "Dad why does that guy have on a scuba suit?" My first reaction was, "Oh kids he is just trying to get attention." While he walked you could even see parents walk by him while at the same time gathering their kids close and trying to not make eye contact with him.



So we forgot about it and ended up going to the other water park in the other area of the hotel. There he was again, walking around with his flippers, goggles pulled down and still breathing through his snorkel. He even walked up the steps backwards to get to ride the waterside in the indoor water park. Well some time goes by and Stacey and I are hanging out with Isaiah (our youngest) in the little kid pool area. We could not find the 2 other bigger kids, so Stacey went to look for them and came back and said, "You won't believe where they are?" I asked, "Where?" She went on to tell me they are over there talking with Scuba Steve (the nickname we gave him) and he somehow knows a lot about fish eggs and are telling the kids about them.



So I suggest we get a picture with him, you know for a memento. I go up and ask him, "hey our kids want to get a picture with you." He agrees and lets me know what his real name is. We take the picture and then he asks us, "Are you having a good time?" I go on to tell him, "we sure are, and how about you?" Kind of sarcastically but seriously wondering at the same time. He says to me, "I am doing great; this is actually my first day working here at the hotel. I think some parents just think I am some weird guy walking around in a scuba suit." I say, "what are you kidding, why would they think that, of course you are just working." (Side note please pray for my sarcasm). Stacey and I just crack up the entire way back to our room.



Bottom line is, you never want to prejudge someone or something without all the facts. We can’t prejudge people if they don't look like us, smell like us, or even dress like us. We need to love people where they are at and be more than willing to welcome them in a loving way.