Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you all have a great time with your families and friends.  It has been a great time of relaxation and catching up on some much needed sleep for me, during this week off.    

Last night I spent several hours at the Chapman's house.  I took them some gifts I had gotten them, then I got to make cookies with the boys and ended up playing Twister, I lost badly, but I am sure it was definitely a Kodak moment.  After they put the boys to bed me and Shannon stayed up and talked until way into the morning, about the future.  It is so great to have someone stretch you and believe in you. 

Tomorrow I will be celebrating with my mom, dad, and brother.  Then going to my dad's side of the family for lunch.  I may catch a movie tomorrow night and eat some left overs.  

House of Blues!!

Just got back from a great weekend in the warm state of Florida.  Friday Nevertheless played at the House of Blues in Orlando in downtown Disney.  It was a great time and what a wonderful feeling to be in Florida a week before Christmas and it is 80 degrees.  The show was awesome we opened for our friends Between the Trees it was their Christmas show.  I got to fire of the  confetti cannons which was a ton of fun.  The House of blues is an amazing venue, every city should have one.  Then Saturday we headed to Palm Harbor, Fl to hang out with some friends and go to a Christmas Party.  Sunday we got up, got on boat and headed out to the Ocean, pretty cool.

Later that day we went to an unbelievable restaurant called Island Way, and I had the best steak I have ever had in my life.

Me, Michael, Jonathan, Zack and AJ loaded up around 9:30 and made an all night drive back to Chattanooga. Was a bummer to pull into 14 degree weather. I slept all day, then got up and had dinner with the folks.  Tomorrow I have got to finish my Christmas shopping.

Stuck in Dallas, with a broken axle!!

So Saturday night we finished the 12 Days of Christmas Tour with the Afters and Remedy drive on the way to the show from Lafayette, LA we realized something was wrong with the trailer.  So we pulled over and got out to check it out, what happened to be wrong is that was not a wheel attached to the axle, no hub, no brakes, nothing and it had been dragging on the interstate.  Not the best situation, we scrambled around and finally ended up dragging the trailer to a repair shop dropping it and loading all the gear we could into the van.  We got to the show as the opening band was finishing and Nevertheless was to go on.  

We were hoping to pick up the trailer on Sunday and make the long journey back home but it ended up not being ready until Monday at 5 p.m. we pulled into Chattanooga around 6 a.m. this morning.

And to beat all my truck would not start, I finally got back to the house around 7 and crashed, then got up and drove down to Gainesville, Ga.  

Not sure why but my throat is killing me, problem the combination of no sleep, cold weather, eating nothing but fast food.

Snow in Southern Mississippi?

So we stayed in Pearl, Mississippi last night and the crazy thing was, there was snow on the ground.  Pretty weird I know.  We are back in the van heading to Lafayette, La today for a show on the 12 Days of Christmas Tour with the Afters and Remedy Drive.  It finishes up on Saturday in Dallas, Tx.  

This past Sunday at church our Pastor challenged us to 3 ideas, I wanted to pass those on to you.

1. Don't go in debt to buy Gifts

2. Buy gifts that give (Toms shoes, or other organizations that give back)

3. Do something for someone this season (Take them a meal, serve in some way)

I think these are great ideas and would help others to see Christ through all the blinking lights and tinsel.

Love is recap..

Well it is Tuesday afternoon, and I have had some time to reflect on this past Sunday.  Thanks to all of my family and friends who came to the Service, and a huge thanks to the Ethos community for allowing me to share my heart.  And even bigger thanks to my Pastor and friend Shannon Chapman for believing in me.

It was a wonderful day that I shared about Love is... and filled in the blank with what so many of us make love out to be and how we relate our encounters with love her on earth to love that God gives us.  The end of the day ended with the realization that Love is healing, when we as a community fulfill what God has commanded us to do, love one another.  

I believe that God moved in a powerful way and that many people began a process of healing in their own lives.

The message is available on Itunes under Ethos Podcast.