Wild at Heart...

This morning, I began rereading "Wild At Heart" by John Eldredge. I didn't get very far, but the opening quote of the book is one of my favorites...I've posted this before, but it simply bears repeating....

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Selling Some Stuff...

Hey gang, I've been meaning to do this for a while, but just haven't....

With all of the changes in my life over the last year, I find myself with some "stuff" that I just don't need any more. I'd like to first offer it to my friends before I use something like ebay or craigslist to offer it to strangers. I have a very nice Oak Steepleton pool table. It is in perfect condition, but simply too large to put in my apartment. I spoke with Jeff Hallums (who some of you know) who is an awesome pool player and also an auctioneer. His opinion was that it is worth about $750 (plus the buyer moves it)

I am also selling my first digital camera, it is a Sony Cybershot model DSC-F707. 5 mega-pixels 10x zoom (fixed lens). You can find the specs and here. I poked around on ebay a little bit and it seemed like the going price is about $200-$250. It has a 128MB memory stick and a wall charger.

I have some other stuff that I'll post details about later. But if you are interested in this stuff, just let me know (615) 584-2729. We'll work something out.

Donnie's Weight Loss Plan....

I've lost about 25-30 lbs over the past few months. Jokingly I tell people that the Donnie Hall weight loss plan is pretty tough, but it works. The plan really really comprises two components 1) life altering stress 2) eating my own cooking.

Part one might not be too appealing, and if you can cook, part two might not work either, however, the plan works for me.

Now I grew up in the South, Middle Tennessee to be exact. In the south, we eat simple, this is the land where "meat and three" was born. We grill out a lot, I tell folks that I can't cook much, but if the recipe is meat + fire, I can do pretty well.

Several months ago, I was in St. Louis on business and stayed over the weekend. I was staying in the law district in St. Louis and everything was kind of high brow and expensive. On Saturday morning, I walked to a street where there were several small local restaurants. No chains, just small quaint restaurants, antique shops, that sort of stuff. Anyway, I found a "Wine Bar" (I don't think we have those in Tennessee) that served breakfast on the weekends. I looked over the menu and found something that sounded interesting it was a "Turkey and Vermont White Cheddar omelette". I had one on saturday. It was so good, I went back on Sunday and had another. This weekend, I was thinking about what we would eat when the kids were visiting. I decided to try it, I may not be much of a cook, but breakfast I can do pretty well.

Anyway, I'm no Rachel Ray, but here is what I did.

I bought about 3 smoke turkey slices from Kroger, had them sliced thick (about 1/8").
I cut them up into small cubes. I took about 1/4 of the block of Cracker Barrel Vermont white cheddar and cut it into cubes (I don't have a cheese grater, but will get one). I took about six eggs, scrambled them up and put them in a large skillet. I let them cook until stiff. pile on enough turkey and cheese to make you happy. Let the cheese melt a little bit. Then serve. It's awesome. You might try getting some Pillsbury Cinnabon Cinnamon rolls as well. It's a good time. Just had it this morning.

Enjoy

Sometimes its the little things....

Earlier this year, I worked for Oakwood Systems Group in Nashville. The director that I worked for was Bubba Mullen. We became pretty good friends, and he helped me through a rough time. Anyway, as my tenure there was drawing to a close, we were talking one day and for some reason (I don't remember what led to this) he mentioned that he always kept a couple of band-aids in his wallet. "They don't take much room and you will always have them when someone needs them." It's a simple thing, but something I'd never thought of before.

Last night, my son's football team was playing in Robertson County. I drove straight there after work and had not had dinner. After entering the game, I went straight to the concession stand to get a burger for dinner. While I was waiting for the folks to get my stuff together, a little girl came to the window and asked if they had a first aid kit. I overheard her ask and I asked if she needed a band-aid. She said yes, and I pulled one out of my wallet. The folks behind the counter were amazed. I went back to the concession stand later, and was greeted as the "band aid man". The fellow behind the counter explained that the little girl was his neighbor, he even gave me the Snickers bar that I wanted.

After the game, I went back to get a Mountain Dew for the road. Once again I was given a heroes' welcome. It's funny how the little things can make such a big impression.

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.
Matthew 10:41-42

Has facebook reached the 'older' crowd?

I've had an account on facebook for about a year or so I guess. When I first signed up, it seemed that it mostly appealed to college and high school students. There would be the occasional uber-geek, but most of the crowd seemed to be folks that were born after I graduated high school (still dealing with that).

Anyway, recently, it seems that I've made more and more connections with classmates or folks that I went to church with years ago. It is quite fun. My facebook profile is listed on my blog. If you have an account, add me as a friend, if you don't have an account, check it out. In my opinion, it's a lot more classy than myspace, just my opinion though.

Later

A father's dream.....and worst nightmare....

When I found out that Kathy and I were having a girl, my first response was "I hope she's ugly". Later, I recanted and said "Ok, she can be pretty, but she will learn Taekwondo". Someone then pointed out to me that she had to be will to use the Taekwondo at which point I abandoned all hope.

A couple of weeks ago, Sarah was elected to be an attendant at her Middle School Homecoming. Leading up to the event, I kept getting updates on the amount of money it was going to cost me. Finally, the event came and I saw her. Oh my goodness what a site. I took over a hundred pictures that afternoon. This one is my favorite.

I've been showing the pictures to just about everyone that will take the time to look at them. Usually, I'll show them to guys that I work with. I show a picture, they say "Wow!", the I tell them that its my daughter and that she's 12. At this point they express their condolences, buy me lunch or show some other act of kindness because they know I'm in deep trouble.

The coolest thing, from a father's perspective, is that she was also voted Most Athletic in her class. What a special girl.

Do you have God all figured out?

It has been my experience that many people believe they have God all figured out. Worshiping him involves a set of rules, regulations, organization and rituals. A few weeks ago, at the suggestion of my counselor, I read "The Shack". This book challenged my view of God in a way that I've never experienced before. Since reading this book, I have given away about 5 copies and encouraged many others to read it.

If you are open to the challenge, please read this book. I would love to hear your reactions. I'm sure that there are some who would consider it blasphemous because it presents many concepts that challenge deeply held beliefs about God.

Please read the book, it is short, and once you begin reading it, you won't be able to put it down. I've been buying the paperback at Walmart for $10.43. If you buy it and feel it was waste of money, let me know. I'll reimburse you.