Churrascaria

I was first introduced to a churrascaria several years ago when I made my first of three trips to Brazil. A churrascaria is a Brazilian restaurant that caters to meat lovers. It is an all-you-can-eat experience where the waiters continuously bring various kinds of grilled meat on skewers. They cut it off the skewer at your table and it falls onto your plate. Maybe this is why I made my second and third trip to Brazil. Not really, but it was a nice perk.

This morning the HDBC staff will be getting a taste of Brazil when we travel to Memphis to eat at Texas de Brazil, a Brazilian churrascaria right here in the mid-south. It should be a fun day. My mouth is watering already. It will also be great just to hang out with our staff team and relax together.

Office Swap

This morning, Shay is moving his office to the front hall, next to Jason's office. We're making the change so that we will only have to heat and cool that portion of the building during weekdays. It should save some expense on our utility bills. I want to thank Shay for being willing to make the swap. I also want to thank Glenda Cheatham and her Sunshine class ladies for being willing to change classrooms. They are an example to us all about the need to be flexible and to think of what is best for the church. So, THANKS ladies.

First Sermon

It was exciting for Brandon Barbine to be able to preach his first sermon last Sunday night. He used the opportunity to share the story of his young life. It is a story of how God took a lot of negatives and has made something very positive out of them. I am so excited about what God has in store for this young man. Thanks to everyone who came out to hear him. We had a full house. You can hear his testimony at http://www.hdbc.org/. Go to "Who We Are," then "Sermons."

I am also thrilled that on the same day that Brandon preached his first sermon, we had another young man commit his life to full-time Christian ministry. After praying and seeking the Lord for several months, Matt Pierce publicly announced that God is calling him into the ministry. Both of these young men are at the same age that I was when the Lord called me. So, I'm excited for them both.

Praise God for all that He is doing. He alone is worthy to be praised.

Desserts, Desserts, Desserts

What fun we had at HDBC last night during our dessert auction. It was a fun way to raise money for renovations for The Hub the special area where our children and student ministries meet. The generosity of HDBC members and attenders continues to amaze me. Thanks to all who made the goodies and to all who purchased them. Special thanks also to Marty Scarbrough for stepping in and serving as the auctioneer at the last minute. He did a great job.

Joy's Birthday

As some of you know I have been blessed with a fantastic wife and three precious daughters. It is such a treat to be "daddy" to three great daughters. They captured my heart when they were young and continue to hold it today, even though they have all become adults. I am so proud of all of them.

Today is the 23rd birthday for our middle daughter, Joy. I well remember the events of 23 years ago. After an all-night session of labor at the hospital in Grenada, MS my wife gave birth to a beautiful daughter whom we named Joy Lanelle (Lanelle is my mom's name). We realized from her earliest days that she was indeed a joy.

Because she lives across the state we will be unable to celebrate with her today, but we will be thinking of her throughout the day and will look forward to the next time that we can be together. So, Happy Birthday Joy. Have a great day. We love you.

More Snow

After the big snow storm a couple of weeks ago, it is snowing again. I woke up to three inches already on the ground. After a lull in snowing and some melting away, it has picked back up again. I say, bring on the snow. It will soon be Spring, so let's enjoy the white stuff while we can. I was proud of my grandson who joined his mother in building a snow man this morning. Actually, I think Julie did most of the work. But Hutch was a part of it. Snow always seems to bring out the kid in me. I just love it!

Strange Sunday

The alarm was not set for this past Sunday morning, but I woke up early anyway. Even though I knew I did not have to get out of bed (and I love sleeping in) I found that I could not stay in bed. So, I got up quietly to keep from disturbing Jan. But now what? My normal routine on a Sunday morning is to quickly get ready and go to the church building early. But this Sunday morning there would be no need to go to the building. Too much snow and ice had forced us to cancel services. So, I built a fire, checked some email, and tried to settle in for a quiet day at home. Though I truly enjoyed the day at home with Jan, I could not shake the feeling that something was a little out of sync. The routine of meeting with my church family each week had been broken and it felt odd. It will make our time together Wednesday night and next Sunday even sweeter.