And the list continues...
6. I've had three dreams of what I'd like to accomplish in life. The first was to be a country music singer, but I can't carry a tune in a bucket. The second was to play major league baseball, but I couldn't hit my body weight against good pitching. The third was to be Governor of South Carolina, but I've really grown sour on the idea of running for office although I haven't totally ruled it out. (my wife has though...LOL)
7. Speaking of politics, I served two terms the State Chairman of College Republicans in SC and I was the youngest delegate from South Carolina to the 2000 GOP National Convention in Philadelphia. (Strom Thurmond was the oldest)
8. I like to drive fast. I've been to numerous race car driving schools and I don't mean the thing where you go follow an instructor for 10 laps and get a certificate. I'm talking about multi-day things where they teach you how to go fast. I'm able to achieve a focus when I'm behind the wheel of race car that I can't achieve anywhere else. Trying not to get killed will do that to a man I guess.
9. Making my wife laugh is one of the simple pleasures in life that I hope I never take for granted again.
10. I have many limitations as a man, but one of the biggest ones is that I may be the least "handy" man to ever be born into my family. It's so bad that sometimes when friends are doing handyman projects they will call me and ask if I'd like to come over and get in the way.
More to come later.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
25 Random things about me (first installment)
I did this list back when it was going around Facebook a couple of years ago...figured I'd repost because I've made a lot of new friends since then.
1. I'm a country bumpkin. Let's get that straight right off the bat. I hunt, fish, like Nascar, drive a tractor, and I've castrated pigs on the farm. And though she isn't as country as I am, my wife once clogged at the Grand Ole' Opry when she was a girl. That's bona fide!
2. Having children is the greatest thing I've ever done. Words can't describe how much I love them.
3. The most important days to come in my life will be the days when my kids accept Christ as their savior. Living an example of Christian faith in front of my children is the most important priority in my life.
4. A good steak and my Mom's onion rings has been my favorite meal for as long as I can remember.
5. I am unapologetically Southern, and it's a good thing too because my accent kind of makes it difficult to pretend to be anything else. Keep your stinkin' yankee oatmeal. I'll be eating grits.
Be looking for 6-10 next week.
1. I'm a country bumpkin. Let's get that straight right off the bat. I hunt, fish, like Nascar, drive a tractor, and I've castrated pigs on the farm. And though she isn't as country as I am, my wife once clogged at the Grand Ole' Opry when she was a girl. That's bona fide!
2. Having children is the greatest thing I've ever done. Words can't describe how much I love them.
3. The most important days to come in my life will be the days when my kids accept Christ as their savior. Living an example of Christian faith in front of my children is the most important priority in my life.
4. A good steak and my Mom's onion rings has been my favorite meal for as long as I can remember.
5. I am unapologetically Southern, and it's a good thing too because my accent kind of makes it difficult to pretend to be anything else. Keep your stinkin' yankee oatmeal. I'll be eating grits.
Be looking for 6-10 next week.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Truly Amazing People
This past Saturday night was about as good as it gets for me in watching sports. I got to watch two friends executing in their sport at the highest level. I flipped between watching my friend Ray Allen and the Boston Celtics put a whipping on the Miami Heat on ABC and seeing Kasey Kahne leading the most laps in the #4 Red Bull Toyota at the Southern 500 on Fox. I've been fortunate to have several friends who either are or were formerly professional athletes but I'd never been able to flip between watching two of them at the same time. I have to admit that I went to bed Saturday right proud of myself for being so connected to such famous, successful and amazing people.
On Sunday morning I got up and took the family to church. We'd been in Sunday School for about 5 minutes when God hit me up side my head with a 2 X 4 of truth and perspective. Two stories were told in our sharing time prior to the lesson that put some perspective on what being an amazing person really is all about. (I will share the stories here with first name only to preserve privacy)
My friend Robin teaches 4 year old kindergarten in Irmo, SC. She had shared with us some weeks previously about a girl in her class whose mother was in the midst of a very complicated pregnancy that was going to require her to be hospitalized in Pennsylvania up until she gave birth. She was going to have to be away from her family for several months. Robin updated us on the situation Sunday. She first shared that all was going as well as could be expected medically under the circumstances. Then she shared that the family member who had been caring for the girl in her mother's absence was being forced to return home. There had been some uncertainty as to what would happen because the child's father had a demanding work schedule and could not afford to lose his job. Finally, she told us that she and her husband had decided that they would take the little girl in until her mother returns from the hospital. She and her husband asked the group to pray for them and their children as they prepared for this opportunity to show the love of Christ to these people in tremendous need.
Before anyone could really comment on this another Brother asked that we would be in prayer for another class member named Chris because of what he had done on Friday. Many in the class didn't know what Chris had done so it had to be recounted for everyone. Chris is active in prison ministry. Over the past year, he had befriended a man on death row who had been found guilty of three murders, the last of which had actually occurred in prison. As I understood it, Chris had a hand in leading this man to Christ. The man had been scheduled for execution Friday evening for his crimes and as part of the preparation that does along with that, he got to pick one person to come spend the last 10 hours of his life with him in his cell. The man chose Chris. Chris spent from 8AM to 6PM on Friday with his friend and didn't leave his side until they came to take him to the death chamber.
As our class secretary wound up the sharing time with a prayer and I stood to teach, the Lord convicted me about my misplaced pride from Saturday night and I had to confess it to our class.
Now I don't want it to seem like I'm implying anything negative about Ray and Kasey. They are both humble, hard working, charitable and worthy of admiration for the excellence they display in their fields. But what I was struck with so powerfully was the immense nature of what these two people right in my very own Sunday School class were doing and how easy it is to get caught up in pride about the temporary and worldly things we do instead of rightly focusing on the things we do that count for eternity.
I'm so thankful to know and serve with people like Robin and Chris. They are truly amazing.
On Sunday morning I got up and took the family to church. We'd been in Sunday School for about 5 minutes when God hit me up side my head with a 2 X 4 of truth and perspective. Two stories were told in our sharing time prior to the lesson that put some perspective on what being an amazing person really is all about. (I will share the stories here with first name only to preserve privacy)
My friend Robin teaches 4 year old kindergarten in Irmo, SC. She had shared with us some weeks previously about a girl in her class whose mother was in the midst of a very complicated pregnancy that was going to require her to be hospitalized in Pennsylvania up until she gave birth. She was going to have to be away from her family for several months. Robin updated us on the situation Sunday. She first shared that all was going as well as could be expected medically under the circumstances. Then she shared that the family member who had been caring for the girl in her mother's absence was being forced to return home. There had been some uncertainty as to what would happen because the child's father had a demanding work schedule and could not afford to lose his job. Finally, she told us that she and her husband had decided that they would take the little girl in until her mother returns from the hospital. She and her husband asked the group to pray for them and their children as they prepared for this opportunity to show the love of Christ to these people in tremendous need.
Before anyone could really comment on this another Brother asked that we would be in prayer for another class member named Chris because of what he had done on Friday. Many in the class didn't know what Chris had done so it had to be recounted for everyone. Chris is active in prison ministry. Over the past year, he had befriended a man on death row who had been found guilty of three murders, the last of which had actually occurred in prison. As I understood it, Chris had a hand in leading this man to Christ. The man had been scheduled for execution Friday evening for his crimes and as part of the preparation that does along with that, he got to pick one person to come spend the last 10 hours of his life with him in his cell. The man chose Chris. Chris spent from 8AM to 6PM on Friday with his friend and didn't leave his side until they came to take him to the death chamber.
As our class secretary wound up the sharing time with a prayer and I stood to teach, the Lord convicted me about my misplaced pride from Saturday night and I had to confess it to our class.
Now I don't want it to seem like I'm implying anything negative about Ray and Kasey. They are both humble, hard working, charitable and worthy of admiration for the excellence they display in their fields. But what I was struck with so powerfully was the immense nature of what these two people right in my very own Sunday School class were doing and how easy it is to get caught up in pride about the temporary and worldly things we do instead of rightly focusing on the things we do that count for eternity.
I'm so thankful to know and serve with people like Robin and Chris. They are truly amazing.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
We don't need to raise taxes on ANYBODY!
President Obama rolled out his plan today to eliminate 4 trillion dollars from the budget deficit. Predictably, it included plans for a massive tax increase on "the wealthy".
Of course that sounds good...most of us aren't wealthy so it's easy to say soak the rich. But is that really a good idea?
Let's say you had a child who came to you and asked for a raise in his allowance to invest in his future. Now assume that child had a demonstrated history of reckless and irresponsible spending. Would you give him the allowance right away or would you make him prove his reckless days were over?
Common sense and parental love says that you would make the child prove that he had learned a lesson. Well friends, that child is President Obama. He wants a raise in the government's allowance. Evidently he thinks that he can convince enough people to throw common sense out the window and support his spending habit.
The President doesn't seem to understand that our government doesn't have a problem with revenue. It has a spending problem and a bad one at that. The truth is that we can't tax our way out of this hole. If we collected 100% of the income of all the people in the highest marginal tax bracket, we would still have over a 1 trillion dollar deficit in this year alone.
The President hasn't learned a thing and he doesn't deserve the raise he's asking for.
Of course that sounds good...most of us aren't wealthy so it's easy to say soak the rich. But is that really a good idea?
Let's say you had a child who came to you and asked for a raise in his allowance to invest in his future. Now assume that child had a demonstrated history of reckless and irresponsible spending. Would you give him the allowance right away or would you make him prove his reckless days were over?
Common sense and parental love says that you would make the child prove that he had learned a lesson. Well friends, that child is President Obama. He wants a raise in the government's allowance. Evidently he thinks that he can convince enough people to throw common sense out the window and support his spending habit.
The President doesn't seem to understand that our government doesn't have a problem with revenue. It has a spending problem and a bad one at that. The truth is that we can't tax our way out of this hole. If we collected 100% of the income of all the people in the highest marginal tax bracket, we would still have over a 1 trillion dollar deficit in this year alone.
The President hasn't learned a thing and he doesn't deserve the raise he's asking for.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
My current reading material...
I love to read and I read quite a bit. Sometime soon I hope to post a blog about some of my favorite books and how they have helped shape my thinking. Before I do that though I'll just share a list of what I'm reading right now. I'll try to post the current reading list every few weeks as I start a new batch of books.
Here's what I'm reading right now:
The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. Hard to believe I had never read this 25 year old classic.
A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller. Just getting started but the book comes highly recommended from people I respect a great deal.
Forgotten God by Francis Chan. Another great effort from Chan that challenges the average Christian in his understanding and appreciation of the power of the Holy Spirit.
The New Guidebook for Pastors by Mac Brunson and James Bryant. It's a very comprehensive and helpful guide for men at all stages of a ministry career.
Here's what I'm reading right now:
The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. Hard to believe I had never read this 25 year old classic.
A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller. Just getting started but the book comes highly recommended from people I respect a great deal.
Forgotten God by Francis Chan. Another great effort from Chan that challenges the average Christian in his understanding and appreciation of the power of the Holy Spirit.
The New Guidebook for Pastors by Mac Brunson and James Bryant. It's a very comprehensive and helpful guide for men at all stages of a ministry career.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Why Would Anybody Want to Chair the SC GOP?
Anybody who knows my history knows I've done more than my fair share of work in the Republican Party. As a student, I was Chairman of the state College Republicans for two terms. As a young lawyer, I was the Chairman of my home county's GOP. I've been a delegate to the national convention, and in recent times I've often been asked to endorse candidates or serve on various finance committees. I love politics. Always have, probably always will. That said, I have no idea why anybody in their right mind would want to be the Chairman of the South Carolina GOP.
Ok, I know that this sounds extremely hypocritical given my background of activism....but hear me out.
Now that the GOP has pretty much completely achieved one party rule status in SC, I just don't see what allure being party chairman would have. By definition the Chairman has to stay impartial in primaries. The primaries are the only elections that matter any more in this state. Why run for a job that a) means you can't take sides and b) doesn't pay a thin dime? I don't get it. It's like not getting paid to not participate. I can do that at home without waging a statewide campaign.
Many years ago Henry McMaster took the office of GOP Chairman with the mantra of making Democrats so scarce in South Carolina that we'd have to hunt them with dogs. Under his leadership and that of Katon Dawson, that work was accomplished. What else is there to do? Beating Democrats in South Carolina is like me pushing over my 3 year old nephew. There's no challenge in it.
Moreover, given the number of "Republicans In Name Only" (RINO's) that currently populate many high ranking elected positions in SC, the last thing that a real conservative activist who wanted to change things would do is to take a position that where you'd have to carry water for some of those clowns. I'd rather hunt these RINO's than feed them.
What we really need in SC are political leaders who want to make these RINO's so scarce that we have to hunt them with dogs. If somebody wants to lead that charge, then sign me up. Otherwise, I just don't see the point.
Ok, I know that this sounds extremely hypocritical given my background of activism....but hear me out.
Now that the GOP has pretty much completely achieved one party rule status in SC, I just don't see what allure being party chairman would have. By definition the Chairman has to stay impartial in primaries. The primaries are the only elections that matter any more in this state. Why run for a job that a) means you can't take sides and b) doesn't pay a thin dime? I don't get it. It's like not getting paid to not participate. I can do that at home without waging a statewide campaign.
Many years ago Henry McMaster took the office of GOP Chairman with the mantra of making Democrats so scarce in South Carolina that we'd have to hunt them with dogs. Under his leadership and that of Katon Dawson, that work was accomplished. What else is there to do? Beating Democrats in South Carolina is like me pushing over my 3 year old nephew. There's no challenge in it.
Moreover, given the number of "Republicans In Name Only" (RINO's) that currently populate many high ranking elected positions in SC, the last thing that a real conservative activist who wanted to change things would do is to take a position that where you'd have to carry water for some of those clowns. I'd rather hunt these RINO's than feed them.
What we really need in SC are political leaders who want to make these RINO's so scarce that we have to hunt them with dogs. If somebody wants to lead that charge, then sign me up. Otherwise, I just don't see the point.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
What's behind the Charlie Sheen meltdown?
I've been making a lot of comments about Charlie Sheen on my Facebook the past couple of days. You'd have to live in a cave not to have followed the story. It has been ubiquitous to say the least.
But in case you do live in a cave, here it is in a nutshell. Sheen has, in the course of a week, alienated most of his friends, had his publicist quit, his top rated tv show canceled, and lost custody of his children all the while saying some of the craziest, most delusional things ever heard on national television. His bitterness is evident even as he declares he is a "winner" with "tiger blood" and "Adonis DNA" living with porn star "goddesses" flying around the world in private jets.
Why would a man with all of this be so bitter and delusional?
I believe I know the answer. Sheen has finally realized that the world has been lying to him all of his life about where to find fulfillment and it's impossible to hide the bitter disappointment and anger he feels. He's tried money, women, whiskey, drugs, and fame and they are all empty. He's worshiped at the feet of all of the major idols of our popular culture and they can't fill the whole he has in his heart.
It's a story that I know a little too well (though thankfully not nearly to the same extent as Charlie). I had bought in to the idea that what I needed to be happy, accepted, and fulfilled was success, money, status, and popularity. I've made many of the same mistakes in the wake of success as Sheen has. I've looked for meaning in whiskey, women, and money/success and having experienced more than my fair share of all three, found them sorely lacking. It was only when I turned my heart and life completely over to Jesus Christ that I found any measure of contentment and meaning in my existence. I came to know the truth in Christ's promise that He had come so that we may have a truly abundant life (John 10:10) and it has made all the difference.
The sad truth is that the only difference between Charlie Sheen and a lot of us is that he can afford to make mistakes on a grander scale than we can. We meet people everyday with the same basic problems Charlie Sheen has. They are looking for someone or something to help them make sense of life in all the wrong places. The lost, hopeless, bitter, depressed and disillusioned are all around us. It's a whole lot more common than you think.
It's hard not to laugh at Charlie Sheen's nonsense. Lord knows I have. But Charlie needs prayer. Instead of being filled with tiger blood, Charlie Sheen needs to be filled with the Holy Ghost. And we all need to see this saga for exactly what it is, a textbook example of the destruction and despair that come from believing the lies the world tells us. Proverbs 14:12 describes it perfectly, "There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death". Let's hope that Charlie stops going down this road before he proves that verse to be true.
But in case you do live in a cave, here it is in a nutshell. Sheen has, in the course of a week, alienated most of his friends, had his publicist quit, his top rated tv show canceled, and lost custody of his children all the while saying some of the craziest, most delusional things ever heard on national television. His bitterness is evident even as he declares he is a "winner" with "tiger blood" and "Adonis DNA" living with porn star "goddesses" flying around the world in private jets.
Why would a man with all of this be so bitter and delusional?
I believe I know the answer. Sheen has finally realized that the world has been lying to him all of his life about where to find fulfillment and it's impossible to hide the bitter disappointment and anger he feels. He's tried money, women, whiskey, drugs, and fame and they are all empty. He's worshiped at the feet of all of the major idols of our popular culture and they can't fill the whole he has in his heart.
It's a story that I know a little too well (though thankfully not nearly to the same extent as Charlie). I had bought in to the idea that what I needed to be happy, accepted, and fulfilled was success, money, status, and popularity. I've made many of the same mistakes in the wake of success as Sheen has. I've looked for meaning in whiskey, women, and money/success and having experienced more than my fair share of all three, found them sorely lacking. It was only when I turned my heart and life completely over to Jesus Christ that I found any measure of contentment and meaning in my existence. I came to know the truth in Christ's promise that He had come so that we may have a truly abundant life (John 10:10) and it has made all the difference.
The sad truth is that the only difference between Charlie Sheen and a lot of us is that he can afford to make mistakes on a grander scale than we can. We meet people everyday with the same basic problems Charlie Sheen has. They are looking for someone or something to help them make sense of life in all the wrong places. The lost, hopeless, bitter, depressed and disillusioned are all around us. It's a whole lot more common than you think.
It's hard not to laugh at Charlie Sheen's nonsense. Lord knows I have. But Charlie needs prayer. Instead of being filled with tiger blood, Charlie Sheen needs to be filled with the Holy Ghost. And we all need to see this saga for exactly what it is, a textbook example of the destruction and despair that come from believing the lies the world tells us. Proverbs 14:12 describes it perfectly, "There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death". Let's hope that Charlie stops going down this road before he proves that verse to be true.
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