I’ve had amazing things happen over the last two weekends.  I’m still trying to come to grips with some of it in my mind.

I was with Brenden, Collin, and seven other friends at a motocross track last weekend (eight days ago).  On Sunday morning I had a wreck.  I went over a jump thinking there was a landing ramp.  There was a ramp but unfortunately it was about 20 feet behind where I landed.  I came down on the front end and went over the handlebars into the ground. 

The track EMS guys took me to my car where I thought I could recover.  After about five minutes I was convinced I needed a hospital.  I’ve never EVER been admitted to a hospital.  I’ve never had a broken bone.  So a friend drove me over two hours back to Anderson Memorial.  I felt fine in the car but when I stepped out at the ER it all hit me hard.

Long story short, I broke my scapula (shoulder blade), fractured my arm (up in the ball joint area), three ribs, and both lungs were partially collapsed.  I got to stay in the hospital until Tuesday evening because of the lungs.

I can’t tell you how lucky I am.  Its eight days later and I feel great!  The Orthopedic Doctor said it would be three weeks before I had significant motion in my arm and six weeks before I have no pain.  I was able to raise my arm above my head today with very little pain!  The ribs are getting better by the hour and my lung capacity was at about 95% when I tested it last night.  Trust me; I’m NOT a tough guy!  I hate pain.  I’m a baby when it comes to pain.  But for whatever reason, I’m not really hurting all that bad.  It’s a God thing as far as I’m concerned! I’m also lucky that it wasn’t worse and I thank God that he showed mercy on me and protected me from a much more serious accident.  I looked at my helmet and chest protector this past Wednesday.  Both had obvious damage and I realize that I could have been in very bad shape if my head would have taken the hit my shoulder took.  If God was trying to get my attention, he got it!

 I don’t know if I will ride again or not but I do know that I will never ride the way I was riding again.  I believe that this is a sport that can be done safely if you respect your limits.  I did not respect mine and paid for it as a result.  My kids absolutely love to ride!  It’s been an important thread in our father/son relationship and has been something that is ours.  I don’t want them to get hurt!  On the other hand I believe they are more careful than me and they have both started riding at a real young age so they are going to be much better at it than me. I just don’t know at this point.  What I DO know is that taking a deep breath no longer goes for granted.  Hugging my wife means more.  Hold my son is more special than ever.  The hussel and bussel of life doesn’t seem all that bad at the moment.

This past weekend was much more pleasant.  With the help of a couple of friends I was able to do my normal routine at Clemson.  It was a special weekend even though Clemson lost.   The highlight for me was that I got to lead the team through the first ever Tiger Walk.  I was supposed to interview Coach Swinney at the end of the walk.  By the time I got to that location, the only way to get the golf cart to the end of the walk was to lead the walk.  So I did!  It was amazing!  And we have been invited to do that every week now.  If you didn’t see the walk you can’t understand it.  But there were 10,000 people cheering on the team all in close proximity to me.  It was just amazing.

Is the glass half full or half empty?  Your perspective changes everything and it’s nice to be reminded that, no matter how bad it seems to be, things could always be worse. 

-  Your house isn’t big enough?  Tell that to the single mother living in a one bedroom apartment.  I talked to “that woman” this week.  All she wants is a house that belongs to her with more than one bedroom.

- You don’t have enough money?  There are 1.2 billion people in the world that live on less than $1 a day!  Another 1.8 billion live on less than $2 a day.  I’ll bet the $1 people think the $2 people are rich…..

-  Don’t like what you are eating for supper?  Around 45,000 people die EVERY DAY from starvation!

- Gas prices are too high?  90% of the worlds population do not own a vehicle.

-  Don’t like the taste of your water?  12 million people die each year from lack of water.  This includes 3 million CHILDREN!

- Finally, you think your kids behavior is bad?  I read this story today….

 SYDNEY, Australia —  A blank-faced 7-year-old boy broke into a popular Outback zoo, fed a string of animals to the resident crocodile and bashed several lizards to death with a rock, the zoo’s director said Friday.

The boy jumped a security fence at the Alice Springs Reptile Center in central Australiaearly Wednesday, then went on a 30-minute killing spree, using a rock to slay three lizards, including the zoo’s beloved, 20-year-old goanna, which he then fed to “Terry,” an 11-foot, 440-pound vsaltwater crocodile, said zoo director Rex Neindorf.

P.S.  Clemson fans!  You think your team is bad?  At least you aren’t a Gamecock fan!  Happy Friday.

From Newswire.tv

Sex looks like it has become the unofficial sport of the Beijing 2008 Olympics after 100,000 condoms were handed out to athletes.
The condoms are being given away in the Olympic Village along with sex education leaflets and videos in a host of different languages.
There are 10,500 athletes so they could have nine condoms each - if having sex with other competitors this would mean they are able to have it away 18 times during the competition - lets hope they still get time to compete.
Provided by the China Reproductive Health Industry Association, this is the first time the olympic condoms have been made in China and quality checks have been carried out to certify the condoms meet international standards.
Free condoms have been offered to athletes in the games since Barcelona in 1992. UNAIDS hope making the condoms available helps bring across messages about HIV prevention.
“Olympic athletes are helping break down barriers of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV,” said Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director. 
“They are also well placed to carry the messages across countries and cultures to inspire people to adopt behaviours that protect them against HIV,” he added.
LINKSUNAIDS    Beijing 2008 Olympics

Apparently having sex will raise testosterone levels naturally.  This has become a new way of sort of cheating the system.  It’s a least better than sticking yourself with a needle.

I’ve got a million things going on right now but here are a few things that come to mind since my last post.

1)  The benefit for Mike Hunt was a huge success!  At last count we raised over $18,000 for Mike and his family.  We estimate that over 700 people turned out for this event.  Great bands, great food, great music!  The best part of all is that Mike feels great!  No major issues from the Chemo and Radiation that is ongoing daily.  God is good!

2)  My church is going a series of sermons addressing the questions that members have asked about most.  This past week was on alcohol.  Perry was very bold in his approach and I applaud him for that.  It probably was not a very popular sermon with the Southern Baptist Convention but it wsa incredibly biblical.  You can argue with the Bible but you aren’t going to win the argument.  This one is a must listen if you have questions about the subject.  You can listen here.

3)  Funny question of the week goes to my son, Collin.  He said “Dad, will we have birthdays when we get to heaven?”  I told him he would if he wanted to.  He then ask “Can I invite dead people to my party?”

4)  Everyone assumes that a Nascar event is where you will find the most redneck sports fans.  Nope!  A Par 3 golf course in a small town will trump that every time!  “Hey, idiot!  If you are wearing cut off shorts and Reeboks, chain smoking, and carrying a six pack of beer with you on a Par 3 course, don’t talk to me about my kids being too loud!!!”

5)  In my estimation, about 60% of women like to change their hair color.  On the flip side, I’d say it’s less than 5% of men that do this.  Blondes want to be brunettes and brunettes want to be blondes and red heads want to be anything but.  Why is that?  What’s wrong with the color God gave you? 

6)  Our water heater went out two weeks ago but was finally fixed this morning.  So easy to take things like hot water for granted.  We have had the camper in the driveway so that we could take hot showers out there.  I’m sure our neighbors think the Griswalds have moved in!

7)  My sister is having a baby today.  8/8/08…now that is a cool birthday!

8)  One of the happiest days of my life happened this week when I got to take Charter Cable all their equipment back and told them I would no longer be one of their customers!  You know a company is really bad when they have disconnect request forms front and center of the CSR windows.

9) Started going to pre-production meetings for Clemson football radio this week.  Was able to go over to a practice for a few minutes this week too.  I’m getting excited now!

I have a great friend, Mike, that was recently diagnosed with a stage four Glioblastoma brain tumor.  Surgery to remove the tumor was unsuccessful and Chemo and Radiation have begun.  Mike knows that the prognosis is not good.

I’m helping with a benefit that will raise money to assist with Mike’s medical costs.  One of our friends ask him if there was anything specific that he would like to see take place at the event.  His response has sent me for a loop.  Mike would like one of the bands to sing Tim McGraw’s song “Live Like You Were Dying.”  My immediate thought was no way.    That was yesterday. 

I had a hard time sleeping last night.  At 4:00, after struggling to sleep all night long, I got up and listened to that song.  I know the song well as I’ve heard it 100 times.  But it was different last night because it is now personal to someone I love.  So today I say that song should absolutely be played.

If someone told you that you were going to die what would you start doing differently?  Would you try to do all the things you’ve always wanted to do?  Would hugging your kids or spouse mean more to you?  Would you be too tired to spend time with those you love?  Would sitting down for a quiet meal with your family take on a different meaning?  Would you make amends with those you’ve wronged?  Would the quietness of the morning or the blueness of the sky mean more?   Would you make certain that things are right between you and God?

Here is the big revelation I’ve had over the last couple of weeks.  Ready for this?  I’m going to die!  You are going to die!  Of course I don’t know if it’s going to be this week, this year, or 20 years from now, but I do know it IS going to happen.  So why aren’t we living like we know it’s going to end at some point?

Mike is going to be fine one way or the other.  He loves life and he isn’t going to let cancer ruin his attitude on life.  He will continue to love, continue to remain positive, and continue to live life to the absolute fullest.  I hope I can do the same. 

My Uncle Larry and his family were missionaries in Zambia, Africa in the early 80’s.  I was lucky enough to be able to visit them for three weeks while they were there, a trip that still impacts me to this day.   Not long after my uncle moved to Zambia, someone tried to break in to break in their house.  The robber was caught in the act.  They had a big pit on the edge of their property where they threw their trash and then buried it.  The robber didn’t know it was there and fell in it while running away.  He apparently sprained an ankle badly because he couldn’t move.

Larry, with the help of a neighbor, took the robber to the Police.  They had a trial on the spot and found the guy guilty.  The penalty for breaking in to someone elses house was….THEY CUT OFF A HAND!!!  My uncle did not know this and begged the Police not to do that.  But this robber had been caught before and since it was a second offense, cutting off a hand was the only punishment available.  The only way to avoid this was for my uncle not to press charges.  Uncle Larry later said that he could not live with himself knowing he could have kept someone from losing a hand and didn’t.  So my uncle dropped the charges even though the robber repeatedly asked that he be given what he deserved.

The next day the robber showed up at my uncle’s front door, still limping badly.  He told them that he was now indebted to them and needed a way to show his gratitude for the mercy that had been shown to him.  He said he wanted to work off the debt he now felt he owed.  My uncle agreed and allowed the robber to be a gardener for his yard and to take care of the 15 fruit trees they had.

Fast forward several months.  “Henry” the former robber, was still working for my uncle but not for free.  Uncle Larry began to pay Henry from day one and continued this practice.  In fact, they became friends and Larry eventually lead Henry to Christ.   Henry cared for my relatives like no other.  It was a relationship that started with grace and mercy that is hard to find now days.

If ever there’s a prayer I’m NOT praying it’s “Lord, give me what I deserve.”  When you get right down to it, none of us deserve to even be alive.  We certainly don’t deserve to have all the comforts of life.  We certainly don’t deserve to be saved.  By by His grace, He doesn’t give us what we deserve.

I’ve been on the verge of information overload over the past couple of weeks.  I’ve been exposed to some things that have really messed with my mind and I find myself looking for the message that I’m supposed to hear.  I know the phrase is normally “calm before the storm” but I feel more like it’s the storm before the calm.  I love times like this because I know something cool is about to happen and recognize that I’m being stretched. 

*  Brad posted this video last week.  It shook me to the core when I saw what it had to say.  There are an estimated 1.2 billion children living in poverty.  That is the same as the population of China!  There are 143 million orphans in the world!  For perspective sake, consider this:  If these 143 million kids were holding hands in a straight line, and you got in your car and started driving beside the line of kids at 60 mph, you could drive 24 hours a day for over two months and still not reach the end of the line!  You would have gone around the world three times.

*  My church is participating in the OnePrayer series.  After this past Sunday I have a different perspective on the size of a church (even though that’s not what the message was about).  It’s easy to become complacent when things seem to be going good and your church is growing.  But when you realize how many unchurched people there are in the world it’s easy to get a sense of urgency!  I don’t EVER want to be complacent!

*  A friend of mine, Mickey, is going through something I hope I never have to go through.  His son is in a comma as a result of a serious car accident.  Mickey seems to have complete peace about the situation and knows that God is in control and that worry serves no purpose.  He has been an inspiration to me!

*  Another friend, Mike, is a very close friend and a man that I have always looked up to.  He has a brain tumor that has to be removed on June 25th.  Mike got this news on a Friday and was still at church volunteering on Sunday.  More than 300 men prayed for him during one of our services. 

*  For years, traditional churches have run from technology while others have chosen to embrace it.  One of my online superhero’s is this guy.  I watched this and had to keep reminding myself that I was watching a planning session for a church and not a major television network.  We have come a long way.  Who remember’s voting on whether or not the church needed a used copy machine?  I do.

*  Speaking of perspective, I had convinced myself that I was getting pretty good on the dirt bike because I kept riding with the same group of riders.  That was until I rode with a former Pro rider last Friday.  Seven laps and he was passing me for the second time!

*  And finally, THIS story made me laugh out loud.  I don’t endorse divorce but if it’s this bad just go ahead and end it!

This is a statement that was read over the PA system at the football game at Roane County High School, Kingston, Tennessee by school Principal Jody McLoud, on September 1, 2000. ”It has always been the custom at Roane County High School football games to say a prayer and play the National Anthem to honor God and Country. Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law.

As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it an alternate lifestyle, and if someone is offended, that’s OK.

I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity by dispensing condoms and calling it safe sex. If someone is offended, that’s OK.

I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a viable means of birth control. 

If someone is offended, no problem.

I can designate a school day as earth day and involve students in activities to religiously worship and praise the goddess, mother earth, and call it ecology.

I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depict people with strong, traditional, Christian convictions as simple minded and ignorant and call it enlightenment.

However, if anyone uses this facility to honor God and ask Him to bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, Federal Case Law is violated.

This appears to be at best, inconsistent and at worst, diabolical. Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone except God and His Commandments.

Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be at best, inconsistent and at worst, hypocritical. I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression.
For this reason, I shall, “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s,” and refrain from praying at this time. 

However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank God, and ask Him in the name of Jesus to bless this event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that’s not against the law—-yet.”

“Dad, what is a courtesy flush?” (6 year old)

“She’s not my girlfriend, we’re just going out.” (10 year old)

“Bird! Bird! Bird!” (10 month old referring to everything.  The waitress, the cat, the motorcycle, etc.”

“I wish Trey would learn how to walk so I can read books to him.” (6 yr old…think about it!)

“She moves her body like a SIPHONE.” (…instead of Cyclone)

“We go to early service church” (Collin’s response to his teacher when she asked him what church we go to)

“Does God have a cat?  What about a dog?  Why not? Does He not like cats?”