Football, poopie pants, bumper cars, and cracks...

Today was supposed to be THE perfect day, and it was great, but I'm a negative nelly so I let stuff overshadow reality.  Let me explain...

Today was MAN DAY, a day when my 6 year old son, Zeke and I planned to go to the Blue/White football game at the University of Kentucky.  He had a soccer game this morning, then after that we were going to jet off to Lexington, but things came unglued from the get go.  

Zeke is actually really good at soccer, and this isn't dad talk, I personally despise the wretched sport but he is like...good.  I mean, he's scored 8 goals in his first 3 games good and the coach said he should play with the older age group good.  Which is strange because Gillespies tend to be 'ok' or at best above average at a sport.  But I missed the first part of his game due to issues that came up inside my body from last nights dinner (this is foreshadowing by the way).  But hey, we can over come that.

So before I get to the bad parts of the day, let me give you a recap of the great parts of the day, and it was great.  We had a blast at Commonwealth Stadium!!!  I actually heard Micah Johnson, UK's stud linebacker, yell boom before he lit up a running back, it was so cool.  I also was able to get fairly close to Coach Calipari and Patrick Patterson before they were whisked away, but that's ok too.  

Zeke and I watched trains, we came home and played basketball outside (he won 102-95), we mowed the yard, which is awesome because he gets an old stroller, puts his ipod on like me and goes behind me as I'm mowing.  Then, to top it off, we played catch until dark when mean ol' mommy made us come inside.  So you can see the awesomeness that was my day, now for the parts that I can't shake. 

1) Remember my hinting of my meal last night?  Well...I pooped my pants when we got into Lexington.  Yes...I did.  Now before you make fun of me...you've done it too so shuttie.  Normally that would be funny to me, but not so much today.  I mean it was me and Zeke, and we were being boys and doing boy things and trying to gross each other out and all, then I had a 'toot' that wasn't what it lead my brain to believe it was...

2) I rear ended a brand spanking new Toyota Camery on our way into Commonwealth Stadium.  I hit it pretty hard and they had a little kid in the car too, it really was bad.  I expected the people to come pouring out of the car and I decided I was just going to take it.  But they were cool, no police called, just exchanged info.  I put a dent in the bumper and shoved the nose of my car back into the rest of it, so now I can't get my hood open.  So just add that to the electrical problems that have claimed my turn signals and randomly lights up my dash and causes my tape player (yes, tape player) to rewind.  And add it to my window that stays up with zip ties, my cracked heater core, driver door that's coming apart, heater fan that works when it feels like it, and rear door that CRACKLES when it is opened and closed.  So I'm expecting the call anytime now...

3) One of my most used possessions is my i-pod, I use it all the time for all kinds of things and situations, well...after the poo and after the crash, I dropped it and put many cracks in the screen.  These cracks aren't on the outside of the screen either, they're on the inside.  But hey, it still works so we shall soldier on.  

Notice how things like this happens, we have something awesome and wonderful planned, but then crap happens.  Then we, or I, focus on the negatives, rather than the positives.  Poop cleans, no one was hurt in the other car or mine, and ipods aren't anything.  But the day I had with my son will hopefully be forever.  

Jesus promised us 2 things in John 16:33: 1) In this world we WILL have trouble.  2) Take heart HE has overcome the world.  

He's here, He's the remedy, He desires us, He will provide and He will protect if we allow Him to do these things for us.  

May your Sunday and work week be filled with joy even though your pants are full of...well...not joy...

Compassion, Horses, and Earth Day

There's a couple of things that have really struck me in an awkward way here recently.

1) Earth Day: Now I'll have to admit that I've never been too fond of the 'holiday' or it's meaning.  The celebration of the creation is just not something that I think to highly of as a follower of Christ.  Why in the world (haha, get it?) would we waste our time?  

  Now don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in taking care of and being a good steward to the resources we have been given by God to use.  I am a supporter of recycling materials.  I am a supporter of alternate means of energy other than oil for many reasons.  I am also a supporter of conservation in the saving of land and taking care of animals, BUT, there has to be some common sense.  

   Take the whales and polar bears and their possible extinction.  In Matthew 10, Jesus was teaching about the importance of people and the importance of people living for Him and being focused on Him.  He was also teaching us to not worry about those who can hurt us when we are doing His work.  Yes, He lets us know it's hard, but the focus is, 'He is more important.'  In vs. 29-31 He says...

  "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don't be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows."

  Of course the context of this entire chapter is the importance of people and basically the focus of where people should be.  However, we can learn that God is aware of when any animal dies and specifically, their deaths are in the will of the Father.  God knew when and why all of the T-Rex's died.  God was there for the dodo birds.  God chose to let the wooley mammoths die out as well.

  For those of us with bleeding hearts we say, "That's cruel, what kind of God does that?"  To that I say, one that knows what He's doing.  If the Blue Whale and the Polar Bear become extinct, it will not be apart from the will of the Father.  

  If we believe that God has done all He has done and is as powerful as He is, then I'm certain He will take care of His creation.  

2) This week 21 polo horses in Florida died a mysterious death as a result of supplements that were mixed wrong.  Because I live outside of "The Horse Capital of the World," Lexington, KY, people are going crazy.  Crying, having memorial services, clamoring for justice for these horses and wanting to get to the bottom of their deaths.  The outrage for this is amazing!!!

  This saddens me greatly, not the death of the horses, sure, it's bad, but where's the outrage toward injustice of people?  Where's the outrage to human sex trafficking?  Where's the outrage for hungry children?  Where's the outrage toward abortion?  Where's the outrage to abuse?  Why are these people wanting to get to the bottom of this issue, but is not concerned that there are people all over the world in poverty?  How come vet clinics have ultra-sound machines but clinics for people all over the world do not?  

  There is definitely something wrong here.  God had given us tremendous opportunities to share His will, but we waste so much time and so many resources on so many things that do not really matter.  It's time to stop wasting what matters, a chance to share the Gospel, a chance to save a live, a chance for God to make your life count.  

Maybe start here, we have...  www.compassion.com 

Home :)

Great week, now we're home.  Thanks for all the prayers, I'll be blogging about some of the adventures soon.

Sat morning

Finished cleaning the building, we go and tutor 3rd and 4th graders at the public school from 10am-12am.  The 'PLAN,' and I use that term loosely, is to be on the road by 12:30 and stop in Lex for lunch, then home.  

Ask your youngins to tell you allllll about it.

Fri Night

Um....I need some dynamite please.  It's pretty much the only way I'm getting your kids out of here tomorrow.

Fri Late Afternoon

We're pretty much done, just have to clean things and we'll be good to go.  They worked really well today and at about 2:30 we all went to the park to play with the kids and everyone played with the kids until we got rained out at about 4:30.  Why yes, we all DID get soaked.  

I do have to brag on our girl Kim again today, she was walking up to any kid and parent possible at the park and inviting them to church tonight...amazing.  Khaki and Christina went with one of the State Ave Church folks to walk kids home and meet their parents.  

Right now we are all preparing for dinner, then church, our devos, and SHOWERS!!!

Everyone is still amazed by last night....wow!!! 

Thursday Night

WOW, what just happened?  Oh yeah...God just moved.