Ready for Routine

I love the summer break that the girls get from school.  We had a great time this summer going White rafting with my family and just hanging out for the summer.  I have to admit, I look forward to the time that the girls have a curfew and a reason to go to bed so that I can get some sleep.  I am finding that the older I get the more I like my daily routine.  I am a morning person and I like my cup of coffee and my prayer and Bible time before the sun comes up. This seems to be the time that it is quit enough for me to hear the still small voice of the Lord coming through the pages of his Word.  I am take a trip through 1 & 2 Samuel right now.  I love to read of the integrity of David as he watches over God's announted.  I was noticing today how many times God would step in and do what needed to be done to guard the integrity of David, his servant, and realizing how many times, I am sure, God has done the same for me.

It seems that lately my days are filled with counseling.  We have such a busy Church that the people are in the office all day.  Some for counseling, some for ministry, but all for the work and edification of the Lord.  There are times when I am counseling that I feel it is a waist of time when I don't believe the person is going to make the changes neccessary, but I have not felt that in these counseling sessions.  I really believe God's people are heeding the advise and making the changes.  That is a beautiful thing to me.  I love seeing God's people freed from the bondage of this world and the people in it.

I do have a lot on my plate with Ministry Training, Marriage Retreat, and Ukraine all starring me in the face asking for material to be produced, but I know the Lord has something to say and he knows just how to say it.  I have to be careful not to add to the load by thinking I have to produce all this stuff.  I am very excited for this fall season because I believe we are going to experience some major growth in every way.  The wave that we have been riding is now made it to D2.  We should have a class of about 25 people if not more when it is all said and done.  This is a special class if you will because I have many of the people that have taken ownership of the ministry and the Church going through this class.  It should make for some deep discussion and discovery into God's Word.

Turning Fourty Two

It was so cool when I celebrated my 40th birthday.  The Church had prepared a big surprise birthday party, and Kim had got my whole family to come and be with me on that special day.  In all honesty it felt like the right of passage from "dude" to "Sir" and I kind of liked it.  Today I turned 42 and there is the same love in the air from all my family and friends, and it has been one spectacular day.  There was no surprise party, no right of passage, not really that much fan fair.  Just a nice day running around Amarillo with the one that I love to be with the most.  My wife.  There are some men that hit my age and have a day like I had today and say, "Is this it!  This is what I have to look forward too."  And they begin to try and right the wrongs that they feel have been done in their life or maybe set a new course for what they really want out of life. 

I praise the Lord that is not my life.  All I know is I enjoyed today.  I look forward to what life has in store for me on this journey, on this path.  In so many ways I feel life is just beginning.  One of the stops we made this morning was to the hospital to see a new born babe of one of our members, relizing that stage of my life is over but taking joy in this moment was them.  And just after lunch I was making funeral arrangements for another member that had just lost her grandfather.  I know that God does things on purpose.  There might have been a time that I would have said, "God, why today, can't I just enjoy my birthday;" but I never had that thought.  This is life.  We take the joys with the heartaches.  We take the ups with the downs.  You see I have experienced both of those events in my life.  I like the fact that I have lived enough to rejoice and weep in the same day; to congradulate and comfort in the same instant.  I like having friends that are just taking off in life and those that are seasoned in it.  This is a good place to be.  This is a good time to be alive.  This is a good time to be me.  So I say Happy Birthday 42.  I pray there are many more special days like this one.

Ok, so now that I've got the centimental stuff out of the way.  Let me tell you what happened.  I need to get my bike tuned up so Kim was going to follow me to the shop in Amarillo.  The bike is not running that well so my max speed is 65 mph.  Now the speed limit is 70, so I'm trying not to be a hazard to the rest of the world traveling on 136 hwy.  I told Kim I needed to get some gas but I decided I would just see if we could make it all the way to Amarillo.  We didn't!  Half was there I run out of gas.  That's not that big of a deal as the bikers with know because I have a reserve tank on the bike that should get me the rest of the way.  But, because the bike isn't running well it isn't getting good gas milage either so I get a mile from the nearest gas station in Amarillo and I run out of gas again.  This time, I'm out.  There's nothing in the tank.  So, Kim has to run up to the gas station, buy a gas can, buy the gas and bring it back to me sitting on the side of the road with the bike.  I wish I had stopped for gas like I said I was going too in the first place. Se La Vi!

Windermere Wednesday

If you have been around Church camps at all you know that there is one day where the kids just shut down.  It not because the don’t care or their not listening, it’s because they have wore themselves out in everyway: spiritually, physically, and mentally.  That day was Wednesday.  By the time we got to Chapel last night the young people were glazed over.  Brandon Briscoe brought another great message from the book of 1 Samuel.  It was the story of David and Goliath.  A well known story no doubt, but I love the take that Brandon brought.  The lesson in a nut shell was simple.  Good things in life will cause you not to do the right things.  And it’s better to be right than to be good.  I loved it.  Anytime a man stands up and preaches about Character and responsibility, count me in. 

As I was talking to Shawn’s small group after the service, they were describing the  fear of going home and being a hypocrite around their friends.  The answer to hypocrisy is a simple one: make the choice and don’t do that anymore.  Choose righteousness!!  Forget all the pier pressure and just make a stand and make a choice.  The harder answer is the real struggle how do I stand by myself.  This is a lie from the Devil and from our flesh.  “I’m the only one that wants to serve God.”  No you’re not.  You just might have to make the stand to find the others that are wanting to stand with you.  When God called a man in the Bible he always calls someone along side that man.  God never intended for us to be the “lone Ranger” Christian and change the world all by ourselves.  This is why a Church, a youth group, and school club are so important and necessary in the life of a Christian.  You should find someone that is striving to be what you are trying to be and stick to them like glue.  Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”  Notice he doesn’t make you better, he keeps you uplifted in the midst of life.  Who is your friend?  who is the one that uplifts you when the world is closing in around you.  Everyone needs someone.

I know the youth will be ready to receive what God has for them on Thursday.  As for me I have been able to do a lot of preparation for Ukraine and finish writing all of my quizzes for the discipleship class, as well as some other items on the to-do list.

Tuesday at Windemere

The second day at camp was a great day.  The food has been really good.  I was able to finish writing all my quizes for my Discipleship class in Ukraine.

One of the things we are trying to do at Fellowship is to focus our missions efforts on the things we believe God has called us, as a church to do.  One of the areas we believe God is focusing us on is the country of India.  The morning session was a missionary from India that was sharing some wonderful stories of the miricles God has been doing to bring the Indian people to the saving knowledge of Christ.  India has the biggest percentage of the worlds lost population.  I had an opportunity to share our burden for India, and I believe God is going to do some amazing things through this new partnership. 

The youth are having to walk literally 15 minutes from their cabins to all the activities of the day.  So, I had an epiphany.  We have a 72 passenger bus sitting in the parking lot.  As I gave the kids a ride to dinner, I have never recieved so many "thank you"s in my life.  Remember, its been over 100 degrees everyday.  I think we improved the camp experience today. 

Last night Brndon Briscoe brought another great message from the book of I Samuel.  It was based on the story of Dagon the godof the philistines when the ark of the covenant was brought into the temple.  I'll let you read the story for yourself.  The point was God doesn't need you to accomplish his will or magnify his name.  He can do that all by himself.  God chooses to use those that are broken to the point that they cry out to him.  This is what we saw in Hannah, and the children of Isreal in order to defeat the Philistines.  God is speaking so loud, pray that it not fall on deaf ears.

SECOND AT WENDOMERE

Sunday night we loaded a bus at 8:30 p.m. and started on an 11 1/2 hour treck to the middle of Missouri to a place called Wendomere.  It is a beautiful camp nesseled in a cove on the Lake of the Ozarks.  There were 40 people on the bus, some Jr. High and some High School students and the couselors and bus drivers (thats me).  I, being a morning person and Shawn being a night person, let Shawn take the first shift.  I was catching some zzzzzzz right after we got out of Pampa.  We had made a little spot in the back for us to sleep, but remember, we are on a school bus and the roads made you think you were in a war zone.  The widows were ratteling, the luggages was boming with every bump, and the High Schoolers are mapping out the next horor movie in the seats in front of me.  Needless to say,I didn't get much sleep. 

As camp got underway we could tell that God has some great things in store for us. One of the things that God has been doing in my life is allowing me to see past the exterior of flesh and see the soul of a man.  This is important, and for some it is scary because they have workedso hard at making a fortified wall so no one can get in.  Brandon Brisco is the High school speaker this week and he was talking about the neccessity of believer having the heart of God toward people.  I belive this camp is changing the lives of our kids.

The Great Adventure of 2011

When I was in the process of planning our vacation, I kept everything a secret from Katie and Kellie about what we were going to be doing.  We took off Thursday morning for the Ocoee river in Tennessee for a wild adventure whitewater rafting.  This is something I have always wanted to do and I wanted to experience it with my girls.  We had such a good time.  This river has some class III and IV rapids on it and you would have thought we were pros.  I would highly recommend this river for anyone feeling froggy. (That’s me in the red shirt and white legs)

After we finished our rafting we headed over to Bryson City, N.C. were we stayed at the base of the Smoky Mountains at a wonderful little cabin. (http://www.greatsmokies.com/peacefulcreek)  I had the opportunity to take my nephews on their very fist tubing experience.  It was priceless.  They were scared to death the first time down, but just like ducks in the water they were ready to go again and the second day we had a blast.  By this time Mom and Dad had met up with us at the cabin.  Mom has always wanted to take the train ride that leaves from Bryson City so that’s what we did.

We got up on Friday morning and boarded the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad.  it was a good time for all as we went by some mountain lakes and waved at people rafting down stream.  it was slow paced but that’s why I enjoyed it so much.

After some more tubing and a trip up through the Smokey Mountains we were ready to head back to good old Georgia,  but we weren’t done yet.  We had to stop by the Amicalolla Falls, the most beautiful water falls that I have ever seen in my life.  We all got adventurous and hiked up the side of this wonderful mountain  with the water falling right next to the path.  A picture is worth a thousand words!

Well this has been our great adventure of 2011.  I believe it is one for the history books in the Sizemore family.  I have more pictures and stories on tap for those that are interested.

Hot-Lanta

AS we checked out of the hotel of the Radisson Tuesday morning the clerk behind the counter asked, “And how was your stay?”  I said, “Well it was alright.  The bathroom was to small for four people trying to get ready. (I do have three girls I’m dealing with.)  Because we were on the top floor we were listening to all the motors and fans operating on the roof.  The beds were full size which made them a little small for comfortable sleeping, and they were sleep number beds (which I don’t have) and didn’t know what my number was supposed to be so we got up with back aches.  Needless to say, her smile and have a nice day was of very little consolation.  The good news is we only had a 3 hour drive to get to Mom and Dad’s after breakfast.

We got to the house about 12:30 eastern time and had some lunch with Mom and Dad.  I didn’t realize how exhausted we were until I turned around and everyone was taking a solid nap all over the living room.  So I joined them in Mom’s recliner and caught some Z’s.

After a nice dinner with all the family, My brother Chris invited us over for a run around his neighborhood.  My brother is preparing for his first marathon in October and is up to a solid four miles.  I, on the other hand, am a casual runner and run about two miles with stops.  So, off we went.  The hills were crazy.  I was literally having to stop myself from tumbling down the street.  The trails that we were running on were beautiful.  Then we walked up to the top street in the neighborhood and there was a beautiful view and the houses were amazing.  But the best thing about the run was that I was running with Chris.  I enjoy our time together. 

After the run.  We went back to Mom’s. I took a shower.  And I was out for the night.