Low Qual/High Qual

Low quality picture of a high quality fish.

I caught the biggest fish of my life today and all I had to take a pic of it with was my cheap phone. So the quality of the photo is weak, but the fish was awesome.


It weighed in between 17-18 pounds and about 28 inches. I was fishing with cut bait about 20-25 miles off shore in about 90 feet of water south of Freeport, TX.

We (my buddy Matt Forrester and I) also caught some red snapper, mahi-mahi and trigger fish. Good times. We're eating fresh fish tonight.

Big thanks to Matt for the invite.

B

Good Soldier by Mark Driscoll

Compelling take by Mark Driscoll on men's issues facing the church today, especially as related to challenges in planting churches.

When dogs dream

Intriguing Map

Holly B- Triathlon Master

Holly totally rocked it in the triathlon this weekend. Here are the official results:

Overall Rank

Class Rank

Swim

Swim Rank

Trans1

Bike

Bike Rank

MPH

Trans2

Run

Run Rank

Pace

Final

437 of 2601

13 of 389

00:20:44

528

00:03:47

00:44:15

674

17.6

00:02:16

00:29:56

472

00:09:39

01:41:00

In her age group, she came in 81/418 and her swim (1/2 mile) was within a minute of some of the top 10 finishers. She was amazing.

Here she is coming in toward the end of her biking leg (12 miles).


And here she is finishing after her run (3.2 miles).


And here's me after the race being the ever-supportive husband/beer-security-guy.

Housing Not Moving Praying

A few days ago we asked your prayers about a potential buyer for our house.

We didn't get an offer.

So, we still own a beautiful house in Biloxi should you know anyone interested.

Please keep praying that it would sell soon.

Thanks,

B

Housing Moving Praying

I know of at least a few folks who still read this page from time to time. If you're out there today and you're into praying, we'd ask you to pray that our home sells.

We understand that even now it is being considered by a family. We are told they like it, but they just haven't made a decision yet. We would like very much for them to offer to buy it. So, if you're so inclined, please pray that they would decide to offer on our house, that they would offer generously and that we could close the Biloxi chapter of our life soon.

It is a fantastic house that was carefully and lovingly renovated from the frame outward. Everything is new from the plumbing to the plaster. It is in what was once a magnificent neighborhood and will be once again after the wounds inflicted by Katrina heal in a few years. The street is lined with beautiful, old oak trees along the Biloxi Bay and the people who reside in that little stretch of land adjacent to the water are some of the most friendly neighbors we have ever had. We will miss them dearly.

If you'd like to see the virtual tour, you may click here.

Anyhow, enough of the sales pitch. Please pray if you will.

Batch

More on suffering

A friend sent me a Vern Poythress article a while back; you can go to it by clicking the title of this post or by clicking here. I found parts of it instructive, particularly the bit below.

One side note: Proythress is one smart dude; however, he is wrong about where Hurricane Katrina landed and what casued the damage to New Orleans. I doubt I'll ever have another opportunity to correct him, but I digress.

I found this comment of his particularly poignant.

In particular, every disaster is a forerunner of the Last Judgment. It should be used as an occasion to reflect on the transitory character of this life (1 Cor. 7:31), on the fact that God gives us blessings that we do not deserve (Matt. 5:45), and that if we are rebels against him we ourselves deserve the worst of what the victims experienced.

That's good stuff. Our culture (the broader culture as well as church culture) makes every effort to avoid suffering at all costs. Our prayers are laced with pleas for safety, not from the snares of the evil one but safety from suffering or even safety from discomfort. I know I'm guilty.

As Christians, we're called to look at suffering differently, as a blessing. The judgement of God for his people is often loving discipline. His blessings are not always pleasant. He judges, he disciplines, he blesses.

1 Peter 4: 12-13
12Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Romans 8: 16-17
16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Ron Paul for President

I was first introduced to Ron Paul (not personally, but to his politics) by a good friend. He pointed me to Paul's congressional site a few years ago.

I've been vaguely familiar lately with his pursuit of the 2008 presidential nomination. Another good friend has been preaching the merits of Paul for President as well in an email discussion group.

I've just spent the last hour or so watching clips of Paul in debates and on both the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and on Real Time with Bill Maher. If you watch them you'll see a television rarity- a republican candidate being received warmly, even greeted with a measure of glee on each of these two shows with decidedly non-republican hosts and audiences.

Color me impressed.

He is intelligent, articulate and truly principled. He actually answers questions- he doesn't do the typical sidestep on the tough ones. And he offers his opinions warmly and graciously, without the typical self-righteous sneer of many of today's politicians.

As I soaked up his responses, I actually felt excitement about the political process, an emotion I've probably not felt since I was a sheepish child "campaigning" for my preferred candidate back in high school.

Here is an excerpt on Paul from his wikipedia entry.

Paul advocates a limited role for the federal government, low taxes, free markets, a non-interventionist foreign policy, and a return to monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. He has earned the nickname "Dr. No" because he is a medical doctor who votes against the bills he believes to be unconstitutional.[1] In the words of former Treasury Secretary William Simon, Paul is the "one exception to the Gang of 535" on Capitol Hill.[2] He has never voted to raise taxes or congressional pay, and refuses to participate in the congressional pension system.[3] He has consistently voted against the USA PATRIOT Act, the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and the Iraq War.

And here is an excerpt from his campaign website.

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.

He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.

He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

I highly recommend investigating Mr. Paul and his campaign. If you want to see more clips of him engaging hosts, opponents, etc... you can go to his site on YouTube.

MUST READ: Breaking Free of Suburbia's Stranglehold

Families Simplify Lifestyles in Quest for Meaning That Constant Hustle Obscured

By Annie Gowen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 3, 2007; Page A01

Jennifer McNelley's life felt like one big errand -- an endless series of Target runs and school drop-offs and commuting to two jobs from her Loudoun County home.

McNelley, a single mother of a 6-year-old, was feeling "overwhelmed and hopeless" when a flier appeared in her mailbox announcing a sermon series at her church called "Death by Suburb." The congregation would spend five weeks talking about the suburban lifestyle -- the consumerism and the overcaffeinated schedules, and how it all can choke the life out of you if you're not careful.

Click here for the rest of the article.