Today we are starting our vacation!! We are packed and ready to go. We are going to be seeing all of our family as we make stops in Little Rock AR, Bardstown KY, and then on to Tampa. By the time it's all said and done we will put 3,000 miles on the Odyssey. It's a good thing our kids like to travel. In fact, they love getting in the van and going on the road. My mom says they must have got the traveling gene from her. My daughter Morgan told me, "My friends think I'm crazy, but I looove road trips!"
Today I realized something that was so obvious, I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure it out. When I started this blog, I didn't know if it's something I would really keep up, so I set it up with a regular blogspot address. The problem has been, it's not very easy to remember. In fact, when I start to tell someone, they almost always stop me and say, "Wait, can you write that down for me?" It just doesn't roll off the tongue...God dash Life dash Stuff dot blogspot dot com. Ten syllables!! Well, starting today there is another way to get to the site. MarkLunsford.net That's it! How easy is that! Now when I want to tell someone how to find me on this here world wide interweb, all I have to say is MarkLunsford.net. So if you're ever in a conversation with someone and it goes like, "Hey you remember that Mark guy?" "Yeah, I think he has a blog or something?" "Oh yeah, how can I find it?" "I don't know, why don't you just try MarkLunsford.net?" Guess what, that person will actaully find me! :) Now, If you already subscribe to God. Life. Stuff. you don't have to change anything. You'll still continue to receive updates whenever they're posted. And if someone goes to the trouble of typing in those dashes and spots they'll still find me too. This will just make it easier for people to find this site in the future.
Yesterday I mentioned that I picked up our van from the shop. Well, this wasn't just a routine oil change. Let me give you a little history...
A couple of years ago we decided to buy a brand new minivan. We wanted to know what it felt like to put the first 100,000 miles on a car instead of the second 100,000. We researched all of the brands and settled on the one that appeared to be the most reliable, and the one that would fit into our 10 year plan. We bought a 2006 Honda Odyssey. We have been so happy with our decision in a lot of ways. It's a great family vehicle. There is room for everyone, and it is great on the road. It gets decent gas mileage too, which is especially important now.
A few months ago we approached the end of the "bumper-to-bumper" 36,000 mile warranty. I made sure to take it in so that if there was anything wrong, it would get fixed. The good news was that Honda made every effort to make sure it was in top condition. The bad news was that they had to replace motor mounts, power steering pump, brakes, and a seat that was stuck in the forward position. I didn't expect that many repairs under warranty.
Then, on a routine trip home from the mall, it overheated. When I pulled in the driveway, there was liquid spewing out of the engine. I certainly never expected that to happen. I called a mechanic who makes house calls, and when he gave me the news I could hardly believe it. The Odyssey had a blown head gasket. Now I don't know much about engines, but it was clear that this was not good. I had the car towed to Honda and prayed that this would be covered by the 50,000 mile powertrain warranty.
Long story short...Honda did completely fix it under the warranty which was a huge relief. The service advisor showed me the ticket, and the repair would have cost $5300 if I would have had to pay for it. Yikes! Because they had to order a new engine and clean the oil out of the entire cooling system, the process took over six weeks! But Honda did provide us with a loaner car (an Accord) so that we would have transportation. I was very pleased with their customer service, which is the good news. The bad news is that the Odyssey has been less reliable than I expected. I just hope that the major repairs are behind us, and that we will be able to count on it for our entire 10 year plan.
The last week it seems like life has been going non-stop. Maybe you're wondering, "What does a carefree guy like me do with all his time?" Well, I'm glad you asked. Since my last post we celebrated Father's day. I always try to milk everything I can out of the holiday. Hey, it's all we dads get right? Since Sundays are kind of busy for me, my family fixed me breakfast on Saturday morning. Waffles, bacon, orange juice, coffee, you just can't go wrong with that.
As last week began, the girls started counting down the days until "Camp Rock Day." Yes, the latest Disney Channel movie aimed squarely at kids my girl's age. On Tuesday, I was informed that the soundtrack was coming out and they just HAD to have it. I needed to keep my reputation as the #1 dad, so I bought it for them. Even kicked in for the bonus DVD! (EXTRA POINTS!) That evening I had a meeting at church with the usher leaders, and Anne had a meeting with the worship team, so the girls stayed in my office learning the new tunes so they would be "ready" for the premiere. While they were in there, they imported the cd onto my computer so that the next time I synced the DJ, it would download to my mp3 player so they could listen to it in the car. Surprisingly resourceful and geeky at the same time. I have to say I was a little proud, even if they did defile my player with their music.
Wednesday brought regular work hours during the day, and then a board meeting at night. After a long day in the office on Thursday, I was looking forward to a little rest time on Thursday night, and a day off on Friday. But when I got home, Anne thought it was a good night to buy our daughter Sydney the dresser that she's needed ever since we moved here. Even though I really didn't feel like it, I agreed that the time was right, so we loaded up and drove to Ikea to pick it up. The great thing about Ikea furniture is that you get the satisfaction of putting it together. I started the process at about 9:30. I'm sure most people could have knocked it out in about thirty minutes, but I finally got it done at 1:30am after realizing that I had put two screws in the wrong place, and then trying to get them out, and then giving up and hoping that it stays together anyway.
Friday was "Camp Rock" day. Most of the day was spent preparing for the big event. The girls were having a couple of friends over to watch it with them. They were so hyped up, they were screaming when it actually did start. I'm not sure if they liked the movie or not, but they watched it at least four more times over the weekend.
Saturday meant it was back to church for the weekend services. Since we had communion last weekend, I got there at about four oclock to help get set up. After service, we all went over to Pastor John's house to get a chance to visit with the Exleys who are in town from Africa. Sunday brought three more services, lunch with friends at La Hacienda, and then life group on Sunday evening.
Monday meant the work week started again. After I got home, we met up with Aaron and Jeanette and walked downtown to get a snowcone from the Snowcone Lady. (I had the white hawaiian, highly recommended).
Today I went back to the office, visited Aubrey and Jen's new arrival Grady in the hospital, picked up our van from the shop (a whole other story), and then enjoyed dinner at home with the family and our summer intern Courtney.
That pretty well catches you up. I have to admit, I like being busy. Especially when I feel like it's busyness with a purpose.
In Yesterday's post, I mentioned that Dr. George Wood had shared a list of the top ten ways to know the difference between a good fight and a bad fight. Since Dr. Wood is now my friend on Facebook (along with about 1250 others), I sent him a message and asked him if he would send me the list since I wasn't fast enough to write them down as he was speaking. I was a little surprised that he answered me and sent me the list in the same day. Pretty cool! Here's the list:
TOP TEN -- IT’S A GOOD FIGHT WHEN . . .
(10) It’s not with your spouse.
(9) You don’t lose a single fruit of the Spirit before, during, or after the fight.
(8) You can lay your head on the pillow at night, having lain to rest any anger or bitterness.
(7) You gain nothing for yourself by winning.
(6) You don’t lose the war because you insisted on winning one battle, or you voluntarily lose a round in order to win the contest.
(5) You can help the other person to get back up.
(4) You fight fair even though the other guy doesn’t.
(3) You fight from principle rather than the power or prestige of your office. If you must frequently throw your weight around, you may be overweight.
(2) You still get back up after getting knocked down three or more times.
(1) At the end, the devil hurts worse than you do.
Last night I had a chance to attend a gathering of Assemblies of God pastors from all over North Texas. They had an ordination service for new Pastors receiving their ministerial credentials. The speaker for the evening was Dr. George Wood who is the current leader of the Assemblies of God. He has been on the job for less than a year, but is bringing a lot of new, good ideas to the table.
Dr. Wood's message was geared toward these newly credentialed pastors, but of course it resonated with all of us. He started by quoting from Steven Covey's book, the 7 habits of highly effective people, "Begin with the ending in mind." It's important to know your destination at the beginning of the journey. He talked about the apostle Paul who, near the end of his life wrote these words:
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (New Living Translation)6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
Dr. Wood challenged all of us to do three things; fight the good fight, finish the race, and keep the trust. In fighting the good fight, he talked about how sometimes there are good fights and bad fights in ministry. He had a great top 10 list on how to know the difference.
TOP TEN -- IT’S A GOOD FIGHT WHEN . . . (10) It’s not with your spouse. (9) You don’t loose a single fruit of the Spirit before, during, or after the fight. (8) You can lay your head on the pillow at night, having lain to rest any anger or bitterness. (7) You gain nothing for yourself by winning. (6) You don’t lose the war because you insisted on winning one battle, or you voluntarily lose a round in order to win the contest. (5) You can help the other person to get back up. (4) You fight fair even though the other guy doesn’t. (3) You fight from principle rather than the power or prestige of your office. If you must frequently throw your weight around, you may be overweight. (2) You still get back up after getting knocked down three or more times. (1) At the end, the devil hurts worse than you do.
He talked of a time he was called in to a small church that was going through division. An 83 year old man, who had run off several pastors in the past was very concerned. Dr. Wood asked, "What are you concerned about?" "This new pastor has moved the nursery from the back of the church to the front of the church without any consultation." Dr. Wood asked him, "Do you have any children in the nursery?" "No." "Do you have any grandchildren in the nursery?" "No." Then Dr. Wood said, "Then the nursery is none of your business!" He went on to admonish the man and tell him that he should be more concerned about reaching people for Christ in the last part of his life and less concerned about these trivial matters.
He went on to talk about "finishing the Race." In the1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Tanzanian runner John Stephen Ahkwari was the last runner in the marathon.
He came in about an hour and a half after the winner, practically carrying his leg, as it was so bloodied and bandaged.
Film Director Bud Greenspan asked him, “Why did you keep going?” He said, “You don’t understand. My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start arace they sent me to finish it.”
There is an interesting comparison between the words Paul uses at the end of his life in I Timothy, and the words he uses earlier in I Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 9:23-25 (New Living Translation) 23 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. 24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
Earlier in his life he spoke in terms of running the race and winning, however now he is saying that he has finished the work that God has called him to. Finishing is what matters most. But not only has he finished, he has remained faithful.
Dr. Wood concluded by encouraging all of the ministers to look at the responsibility of leading, teaching, and pastoring as a trust given to us by God. To hold firmly to the word of God and be unwavering in teaching sound doctrine. If we can keep the end in mind from the beginning, fight the good fight and keep the faith, then at the appointed time we can say like Paul, "the prize awaits me."
After my last post on the best seven bucks, I was overwhelmed with all the comments I received. Thanks!!! You've inspired me to write another post that will allow you to share your thoughts...
Whenever I drive my girls (ages 10, 10, and 9- yes, those are their ages...that's another post...) in my car, they like to grab my Dell DJ (if your a newbie, you can click here to see why I use this lame mp3 player) and crank up the tunes. Over the last several months, they have decided on a "theme song" that we must play every time the four of us are in the car together without mom. They insist on rolling down the windows and singing along at the top of their lungs. Sydney said we needed to roll down the windows so we could, "share God's love with the world around us." I'm not exactly sure if the world around us would recognize a dad driving his three tween girls around in a bright orange Element with the windows down and obnoxious music blaring as "sharing God's love," but it just makes me smile. The Theme song that they have come up with is called "No One Like You" by BarlowGirl. I have to admit, I sometimes sing along too. They will usually follow that up with something like "Rush" from Aly and AJ. I don't have Miley Cyrus or I'm sure I would have to hear "Girl's Night" or something else like it. Hey, even the Dell DJ has some limits.
So tell me, if you were going to come up with YOUR theme song that you rolled down the windows and played everytime you got in your car, what would it be? Don't let me down... :)
