An Inspiring Story About Mark Richt, Head Football Coach at Georgia

Redemption

This morning's Bible study was focused on a call to redemption within our marriages. Redemption is restoring what is broken. Just as God has shown us grace and mercy in redeeming us from our sins, we must also be willing to show that same grace and mercy to our wives (and even to others). If God can forgive us for ALL our sin, can we not forgive someone who may have done something to us (no matter how big or small)? We all have been in some type of conflict before with our spouse or another person and we all have allowed pride to get in the way of reconciliation and redemption.

We are all in desperate need of Christ's redemption. The redemption we receive from Christ should ignite a life change in us that is obvious enough to inspire others. If redemptive life change is not a part of your story, you are not going to be able to lead in the home! We must live out and walk in the forgiveness and redemption we receive from God. We must model the power of redemption by being willing to forgive. We must ask for forgiveness when we are at fault. We all "goof" up in our lives and in our marriages, but redemption allows us to be free to lead and free to fail.

The last question we were sent home with today was: What do you need to do to create a more redemptive environment in your home?

Uniqueness

This past week was very busy so I didn't get a chance to share about the topic from last week's Bible study. Last week's study was focused on the uniqueness between a man and his wife. Uniqueness, as it pertained to our Bible study on marriage, is defined as being "equal in value, but ordained with distinction". What does that mean? The equality comes in that we were all created "in the image of God". We are all equal in value to God. He loves us each the same. As far as being ordained with distinction, well, there are many obvious ways in which we are different: sexuality, hormones, personality, history, background, gifts, talents, etc. However, the most important ordained distinction between a husband and his wife are their individual roles and responsibilities.

Ephesians 5:23 says: For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church.

We are to be the leader of the home. We are not to be domineering husbands where we dishonor our wives or become one who is controlling and out of touch with the heart and emotions of our wives and children. We are also not to be disengaged to the point where we step aside and allow her to lead (that's our job). We are to lead as Christ. He is our model of the perfect leader. We are to honor, respect and love our wives and treat them with understanding. Love and respect is the energy in which our marriages should thrive. These are basically the 2 currencies used in a marriage. Give love, get respect. Give respect, get love.

It is a continual work in progress.

7-0

I just would like to take a moment to express how excited I have been about Alabama football this year! It has been a long time since we have had something to get excited about. They are, of course, 7-0, but they have had a difficult time in maintaining the same intensity in the 2nd half as they do in the 1st half.

Hopefully, when we play Tennessee this weekend, we won't have that same problem. I know Tennessee is really stinking it up this year and everyone will expect Bama to walk away with a win, but Tennessee is still Tennessee and it is an SEC game. Looks like Bama will be playing without our top defensive player this weekend, too. Terrance Cody was injured in Saturday's win against Ole Miss with a sprained MCL. If we can get past Tennessee unscathed, we should follow that up with an easy win against Arkansas State before we face LSU @ LSU. Hopefully Cody will be ready to play by then.

Pam, if you are reading this, you know I love you and your family, but I hope Bama takes it to your VOLS this weekend. Please pass that along to Kaylen! And if for whatever reason Bama loses to UT, I will be back to eat some humble pie!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Bye Bye Bowden

I know the news of Tommy Bowden's departure from Clemson today makes some (okay, one) of you mad (TJ) and makes some (okay, a lot) of you glad (Megan, Jessica, Brian, Gene, George, Tony, etc.). I do agree that it was time for Tommy to leave. This year, the stars were aligned for Clemson to not only win the ACC, but possible contend for a national title as well. Well, with a 3-3 record (and 2 of those wins coming against 1-AA teams), those hopes have been shattered. As an Alabama fan, I guess you could say that we are partially responsible for the "firing/stepping down" of Tommy considering we hit them in the jaw the first game of the season. But then again, he is, or was, the coach and could have and should have done much better with the talent that he has, or had.

However, I would like to say just a few things about Tommy Bowden. Tommy led the Tigers to a 6-2 record over their rival, the Gamecocks. Living in the upstate I know how big of a stat that is (bragging rights are everything). Trust me, Bama has dropped six in a row to Auburn. Beating your rival is always great. Owning your rival is even better! But, you can't own your rival and lose games you shouldn't and still think that all is well. Fans love to beat their rivals, but they love to win a lot of games, too. Clemson fans want an ACC title and they thought that was going to happen this year. Not so fast my friends!

Also, from what I've heard about the man, Tommy Bowden, is that he is a great man. He is a man of faith and has inspired many spiritually. However, being spiritual doesn't win ball games and not winning ball games in the southeast gets one fired. Here's hoping that Tommy finds a school where he can win and that Clemson finds a coach that wins more than Bowden.

Feel free to leave a comment on who you'd like to see as the next HC at Clemson.

ONE-ness

Our second session of Men's Roundtable Bible Study was this morning. It was on the "oneness", or unity, of marriage. This is THE CORE idea of marriage!

In Genesis 2 we read that God did not think it was good for man to be alone; therefore, God made a woman from the rib of Adam. Bone from my bone. Flesh from my flesh. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

This is not a "sexual" oneness that God is talking about. God is speaking of a "spiritual" oneness. The oneness that he speaks of is a spiritual truth that we must live into reality.

We looked at those things that keep our marriages from being ONE. I jotted down quite a few. Divorce (that's obvious). Sexual immorality (adultery). Children. Yes, children! Many times after the children are grown and leave the house, married couples realize they don't know each other anymore because the spent their entire lives making it all about the kids and not nurturing their marriage. Escapism/isolation from each other. This is when you do your thing and she does her thing. To Do Lists. This list can be never-ending and keep you from spending quality time with each other. Being tired. Sometimes there's not much you can do here, but be careful that it does not drive a wall between the two of you. Not including her in your life (stuff in your life that she is not aware of). Criticising her. Lecturing her. Not adjusting to new seasons of life. Keep in mind that life with 2 kids is not going to be the same as it was when the 2 of you first met. Make sure you adjust to what life brings you! Do not live in the past! Conflict. When conflict becomes about who wins and who loses, nobody wins! Unresolved conflict. Resolve everything! Not listening (every man's Achilles). Not talking or sharing your heart with one another.

We also, looked at those things that build ONENESS in a marriage. This is obviously not an all-inclusive list, but definitely suggests areas to begin with:

Trust. Getting her away from the stress and chaos of work and kids (try a date night). Listening and sharing your heart with her. Do a ministry together. Try to understand things from her POV. Communicate in love. Share common interest. Think proactively about your lives and family together. Pray together! Laugh together! SEX! Encourage her. Be vulnerable.

All of these things are not intended to be accomplished and achieved overnight, but they are "starter" ideas to get you thinking about "spiritual" oneness - to help you discern where you are struggling and why you are struggling.

Oneness is the foundation of marriage! In what ways have you hurt "oneness" in your marriage and in what ways can you start creating "oneness" in your marriage. These are questions that I will be working through over the next several days, weeks and months as we continue with this study. How will you answer them? I hope that we all find the "oneness" in our marriages that God intends for us to have!

You can listen to all of the Men's Roundtable Bible Studies here: http://mensroundtable.blogspot.com/

C

C - My youngest son is having a difficult time with pronouncing this letter. He actually makes it sound like the letter "T". So for instance, instead of saying "car", he says "tar". Instead of saying "camera", he says "tamera". Instead of saying "can", he says "tan". We have been working on his pronunciation of this letter for a couple of weeks now. Occasionally, he will get it right and get so excited. Then, we he goes to say it again, out comes the "T" sound and he gets mad and frustrated. For now, it is one of those cute things that kids do.

Caedmon's Call - One of my favorite Christian bands. I haven't listened to them in a while, but when I do they sure do help me with my walk.

Candles - I know, why would a guy blog about candles? Well, I just like the smell of them!

Caribbean Cruises - What's not to like about this? Hot sun. Cool breeze. Crystal clear-blue water. Reggae music. Endless food.

Christ - But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) How cool is that?

Christmas - 86 more days! Tyler and Ryan are already composing their Christmas list.

Christmas Vacation - One of those movies I can watch over and over (and over and over) even when it's not Christmas time. In fact, it was just on the other night!

Church - It has been a long journey, but we think we might have found a new church home! Pray for us as we discern God's will for us in this matter! We have been very patient!

Clemson - Here's hoping that Clemson can defeat Wake Forest this Thursday night (for my wife's sake). If they don't win, I fear for Tommy Bowden's job.

Crimson Tide - I wasn't going to blog about this for fear that I might jinx them, but Alabama is ranked #2. This is their highest ranking since 1993. Hopefully, we can keep this up! We have a bye this Saturday then we play Ole Miss. After that, we play @ Tennessee. You hear that PH? Tell KH that the Tide is coming! Roll Tide!

A Husband and His Wife

This morning I was up at 5 AM so I could get ready to go to Bible study at 6 AM at Grace Church. That's right, 5 AM!!! For those of you that know me - that's hard to believe, but I managed to get up and get ready and actually get there EARLY. I know, another hard thing to believe!!! My family is not known for being early, much less even on time!

Anyway, we have been visiting Grace for about a month now and the men's group started a new 8 week Bible study this morning entitled "A Man and His Wife". You know, it's the type of Bible study that helps you to be a better husband, a more godly husband. I really don't need this study because I've got it all figured out. Actually, I should be teaching this study! Yeah, right! Now you can chuckle because you know I am only kidding! I am actually looking quite forward to this study and recognize that I need to be a better husband - a more godly husband! I'm not expecting this study to be some type of magic wand where when it is over my husbandry skills will be through the roof, but I do hope and pray that God speaks to me and BEGINS a work in me that is evident to my wife and kids!

This morning we spent an hour an a half talking through the first 3 chapters of Genesis and the fall of man. What does the fall of man have to do with being a good husband? Apparently, lots! When God gave the instructions not to eat of the tree, He was talking to Adam and only Adam. Eve had not been created yet. So when Eve was created, it was Adams sole responsibility to make sure that Eve knew of God's command and the importance of that command. We all know the story. Apparently, Adam didn't do such a great job. The serpent (Satan) influenced Eve who in turn influenced Adam to go against God's command. Adam then started playing the "blame game" and went so far as to blame God and the woman that God gave him. The nerve! Once the blame game was over and Adam knew that he was wrong, he hid from God and became a professional hider! He became passive in his mistakes instead of "manning up"!

Guys, we are just like Adam! We sometimes hide in the eyes of adversity and become these passive little wimps instead of "manning up". We are responsible for our wives and children and we are to lead our families spiritually. Pull your report card out and grade yourself real quick. OUCH! Yeah, it hit me right between the eyes, too! It is in our nature to want to take care of our families and we often do so in the areas of being a provider and authoritarian, etc., but we as men are being way too passive in leading our families spiritually! Why is that? Fear? Complacency? Passing the buck? Blame game? Many other excuses, I know! I also know that I have A LOT of work to do in this area and am praying that God gives me all that I need to do just that!

I hope and pray that God works in all of our lives and in all of our marriages so that they can be all that God intended for them to be!

The BIG House

Last Monday, I was invited by a friend (CJ) to go to this prison for worship and Bible study. CJ has been a part of this prison ministry for the last 12 years (every Monday) and has been asking me to go with him for a very long time now. I usually have something going on on Monday nights - basketball, coaching soccer, etc. - but last Monday night I was free so I told him that I would go with him. He was thrilled nonetheless. He said that it is so hard to get people to go with him to the prison. After my visit last Monday, now I know why!

I told him that I thought I had been there before with my youth group back in the mid-80's , but that was 20 years ago. I had mixed feelings about going simply because I would be around so many criminals at one time. Once we got there it was very intimidating to see how big the prison was and to see all of the barb wire surrounding it. We had to pass through several areas of security before we were allowed to enter into the common area where we were to have worship and Bible study. Once we got into the common area, the inmates who chose to come to worship (about 100 of them) were filing into the large room (about half the size of a gym) and CJ started introducing them to me. All of the inmates wore tan jumpsuits and were extremely nice and seem to be so grateful that we were there. It was amazing to see how excited some of these inmates were to see CJ walk into the room. It was almost like he was a celebrity. He obviously has known some of these inmates for a while and has built a friendship with a lot of them. So, I started to feel a little more comfortable as time passed.

After about 10 minutes of mingling we started worship which was VERY traditional. There was a prison ministry volunteer who played the piano as this older black gentleman would holler out and ask for hymn #'s for all to sing. There was your typical traditional hymn requests such as Amazing Grace and all of the others you know by heart. All of the inmates would just sing as loud and proud as they could. At first it was very intimidating, but as we sang each song I found myself singing louder and louder. I shared a hymn book with this older inmate who seemed very excited to be there. Once we were finished singing, we broke up into small groups and began having Bible study. I was amazed at how much the inmates in my small group were knowledgeable about the Bible. Some of them offered such in depth perspectives of Scripture that you would have thought that they were theologians or something. After about 45 minutes of Bible study it was time for us to leave and a lot of the inmates came up and said how much they appreciated us being there and hoped to see us again.

Once we got back in the car and started on our way home, CJ asked me questions about my experience of helping with the prison ministry. I told him that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and that I did enjoy being there and being a part of it. Then I asked the question that I wished I hadn't of asked. I asked him if he knew why most of these guys were in prison? I was expecting to hear him say that these guys were in prison because they had maybe stolen a car, robbed a convenient store, multiple DUI's, minor drug possession, etc.; however, he went on to tell me that most of these guys were murderers, rapist, pedophiles, big time drug dealers, etc.! Wait a minute CJ, back up! You mean to tell me that I just spent an hour in a room full of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc.? He went on to tell me that the guy singing next to me was in there b/c he had raped and killed a child. The guy sitting next to me during Bible study had raped a 12 yr. old girl. The guy sitting across from me during Bible study had stabbed a man. Apparently, I had my prisons mixed up and the prison that I thought that I had gone to when I was in the youth group was NOT this one! Turns out that the one that I went to when I was younger was for juveniles in a pre-release type program (minor offenses). These inmates were big time criminals! I had no idea! It's probably good that I didn't know that prior to going into the prison or else I might not have gone in so willingly. Don't get me wrong! It's not that I wouldn't want to minister to these inmates because God knows that they need him, too! To be honest with you, I couldn't get home fast enough to jump into the shower! There was just something about it that made me feel dirty. I think I washed myself from head to toe at least 3 times and stayed in the scalding HOT shower for at least 20 minutes. Was I going overboard? Probably, but it was almost as if I just couldn't help it.

The truth of the matter is that these inmates really do need to hear about the GRACE, MERCY and LOVE of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! They honestly do! Although their crime has sent them to prison, some for maybe just a few months or years and others for one or more life sentences, it's really no different than our sin! Maybe we haven't' killed anyone physically, but remember that Jesus said that if we hate someone, we have committed murder in our heart. He also said that if we look at a woman with lust that we have committed adultery in our heart. I began to think of the types of people that Jesus reached out to in his short 3 years of ministry and realized that Jesus reached out to those that nobody else would. The ones that everybody else thought didn't deserve it. The down and outers of the world.

Honestly, I don't know that I'll ever go back to this prison ministry. It was an experience that really shook me for several days, but I will pray about it. If God wants me to be a part of that ministry He will move me and it will be done. But how many of us are really willing to get out of our comfort zone to go into an environment like that week after week - even just once? It is a question worthy of our time to pray about and answer! Maybe like me, the prison ministry is not for you, but what ministry is for you? When was the last time that you were inconvenienced to serve the Lord or meet the need of another? And believe me, I am speaking to myself just as much!!!

I would like to say that I am very proud of my friend CJ and the commitment that he has had to this ministry every Monday night for 12 years. It takes a special person to be involved in this type of ministry. Props to CJ!

Net Zero

I hear that Clemson's rushing attack has a corporate sponsor .... Net Zero! LOL! Do you get it? Alabama held Clemson's James Davis and C.J. Spiller to net zero yards rushing for the game. I guess it doesn't thunder and lightning inside of a dome! I'm just kidding! Actually, a USC friend of mine sent me this and I thought I would use it here. You have to admit, it is funny! They are also referring to the duo as Blunder and Frightening. My only advice to USC fans is to watch out! Davis and Spiller might have had a bad game against Bama, but I don't see USC stopping them. Spiller really is fast as lightning! I couldn't believe how fast he was when he returned that kickoff for a TD. There was nobody within 30 yards. of him once he passed the 50 yd. line. I think that the coaching staff takes this loss on their shoulders. For Clemson to have all of that offensive fire power and to net zero yards rushing in a game raises many red flags. Granted Alabama owned the game in the trenches on both sides of the ball, but Clemson should have at least been in the game considering all of the hype that preceded them! I don't know whether Clemson was overrated or if Alabama was underrated or both??? Either way, I'm just glad we won! Just as a side note, the Clemson fans were great, too! I think what I've come to realize is that every school has its fans that they would like to disown and those are the fans that probably show up to the games drunk as skunks! We dealt with 2 of them! The other fans (Alabama and Clemson) all got along fine!

We had a great trip to Atlanta and had an awesome time at the game! I was very impressed with Alabama, especially all of the freshmen that played. My wife and I kept trying to figure out who all these freshmen were that were showing out! John Parker Wilson didn't put up huge numbers at QB, but played a flawless game and was very consistent. That's what we need from him! Coffee and Engram ran the ball straight at Clemson's defense who couldn't find an answer to our running attack. Julio Jones scored his first collegiate TD and the Bama Nation let him know how they felt about that! I am so excited about the rest of our season now! It seems like we finally have something to cheer about! However, I don't want to get over confident about our win over Clemson. One game at a time! We still play in the SEC (@ Arkansas, @ Georgia, Kentucky, Ole Miss, @ Tennessee, @ LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn). If we can come out with a 9 - 3 season I would say that we exceeded expectations this year. An 8 - 4 season would be expected. Next year should prove to be even more exciting!

Enough about the game. I just want to say how badly I hate the MARTA in Atlanta! Taking the MARTA from the airport to the dome was fine and very pleasant, but trying to get on the MARTA after the game was like being in a herd of cows that was going nowhere! Everyone was hot and sweaty and "stank like pigs" and rubbing up against you! Very nasty! We took showers at 1:30 in the morning back at the hotel to get the "stank" off of us! Next time, either we drive to the dome, take a taxi, or stay at hotel within walking distance. Heed my warning!!!!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!