Why I Do What I Do

Blogging has been pretty sporadic the past couple of weeks because I’ve been back at school since July 14th.  We’ve spent the past three weeks preparing for our new teachers to come tomorrow, our returning teachers to come Monday, and all of our students to be on campus August 11th.  I won’t promise that the blogging will be any more regular this week or next, but I promise I love my job and I have no doubt that this is exactly what God has called me to do at this point in my life…and I hope I get to do it for a really long time!

I ran across this quote from Daniel Webster today and it pretty much sums up why I do what I do.  Thank you God for an opportunity to invest in the lives of students everyday!!

“If we work upon marble, it will perish; if we work upon brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust; but if we work upon immortal minds and instill into them just principles, we are then engraving that upon tablets which no time will efface, but will brighten and brighten to all eternity.”

- Daniel Webster

Freedom

“Freedom isn’t being able to have whatever we crave. Freedom is going without whatever we crave and being fine with it.” Rob Bell

getting closer

In my last post, I talked about how Clint and I are taking steps to being debt free. Clint was trying to sell his new car that he just bought a few weeks ago in favor of something a little older with some miles on it. Well, God definitely heard our prayer. On the way home from work yesterday, Clint stopped by Jim Tidwell Ford (shop there) and they bought his 2008 Ford Edge and he bought their 2006 Ford Explorer. In the process, he lowered our debt by over $12,000 and we should have the Explorer paid off shortly after the first of the year. At that point, we’ll go back to being in debt only for our house, which some say isn’t really debt if you are making all the monthly payments. I have thoughts about that both ways, but let’s just say that we’ll have more money to give to God and to others when this house is paid off!

Thank you for praying for us and we are looking forward to finding more ways to save money to use to make the name of Christ famous in Acworth, GA! Don’t forget about Blake and Emily. Buy his truck…buy their house!!

debtfreeacworth

Our church is getting ready to do a series in September about getting out of debt.  It is amazing how many people are in debt that is suffocating them.  Clint has really done a great job of putting together a plan for us to be good stewards of the money God has given us.  We both work full-time and both do consulting type things on the side every once in a while for a little extra money.  We paid off my car a year ago and Clint had a car that was paid off for several years.  We are big fans of Dave Ramsey and Joe Sangl and have learned a lot about wise financial decisions from their ministries.

A few months ago Clint’s car starting making some crazy noises and we realized that we were starting to spend more for repairs than it would cost to get another car.

Clint did a ton of research and got a great deal on a 2008 Ford Edge.  We have really enjoyed the car for the past few weeks.  We just have our house and car payment…no credit card debt or anything.  However, we realize that there is a lot more we could do with that money and so Clint has decided he wants to sell his car and get into something a few years older that costs less.  Therefore, we are selling the Edge.  There is nothing wrong with it, still has the new car smell…just want to get out of debt.  If you know anyone who wants to buy it…here are all the details, please pass it along.

Post on Atlanta Craig’s List

Our pastor wrote about folks getting out of debt today on his blog.  Two of our good friends are doing the same thing and have had some great success so far.  Will you partner with us for a debt free Acworth?  Can you imagine what God could do among a community of folks that aren’t tied down to what they owe?

Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

Love one another

At church we have been going through a series called “Let Freedom Ring”.  J.R. has been sharing with our church family what it’s going to take for us to reach the 90,000 people in a five mile radius of our church for the glory of God.  I have also been reading a book called “The Peacemaker” by Ken Sande in preparation for teaching that class to our seniors this year.  God is really surrounding me by the knowledge that people will be won or lost for the kingdom based on how they are treated.  What if the only way they experience God’s love is the way that I love them as I drive past them or walk past them in Wal-Mart?  What if the only Jesus they see is the way I treat my server when the food is slow or wrong?  What if their salvation rests on if I call to see how they are doing?

I ran across this quote today by Francis Shaffer that really sums it up for me…

“Yet, without true Christians loving one another, Christ says the world cannot be expected to listen, even when we give proper answers. Let us be careful, indeed, to spend a lifetime studying to give honest answers. For years the orthodox, evangelical church has done this very poorly. So it is well to spend time learning to answer the questions of men who are about us. But after we have done our best to communicate to a lost world, still we must never forget that the final apologetic which Jesus gives is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians.” Francis Schaffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster, pgs. 164-165

Thursday Tunes

I’ve been hearing great things about Orthodoxy by Eddie Kirkland since it dropped in January.  I just downloaded it the other day and have been checking it out today on a rainy Thursday.  Great stuff from start to finish.  “How He Loves Us” and “Lift High” are definitely my favorites right now.

I am washing my car on Saturday so I’ll be ready

Ready for what? Ready for one of these…We are getting to church super early on Sunday just to snag one

Meetings getting a little boring?

I am totally going to suggest this for our next Administrative Council meeting.  Amazing!