It's Just Easier Being Overweight

Since my last post there hasn't been much change in my status. I have turned in all the documents/forms asked of or given to me thus far from the National Guard recruiter here in Jackson. The first form was for security clearance, and it was 30 pages long. The second was for the application to the Chaplain Candidate program which was shorter - 25 pages. Third was the application for becoming and officer, and it was only 6 pages long. The other documents were personal essays and such as to why I want to become a Chaplain in the National Guard. At my initial visit with the recruiter I filled out the forms needed to request my physical. So now I am waiting to hear back as to when my physical is scheduled. I've been told that once the physical is done the remainder of the process goes fairly quickly and smoothly. Right now the only thing that I can imagine that would hold me up in this process is my weight. To be accepted without any problem I need to weigh 195 according to my height and age. Currently I'm 225 so I have some pounds to lose, but I know that I can do it. It's just easier being overweight. I now that's not the best outlook to have on life but if you take a serious look at being healthy versus being overweight, being overweight is easier AND cheaper. For the past few weeks I've been trying to watch what I eat, how much I eat, and trying to walk at least a mile everyday. Going to eat something "healthy" or whatever for lunch at some places is almost $1-$2 more in price. No wonder MS is the largest state in the Union. I guess eating healthy at a restaurant will help stimulate the economy, but so far all it has stimulated is my appetite for a couple of combo meals at Taco Bell. Anyway, enough of my soapbox rambling. To help the weight loss process I have joined a local gym and have been faithful in working out. Maybe in a week or so I will see some results! So for now I ask for your prayers to continue losing weight and that all will go well with my physical, whenever that might be.

I do want to say thanks to a new friend, John Branning. He's pastor at Crystal Springs UMC and is the process of becoming a Chaplain. He's already completed seminary so all he has to do is complete Chaplain training and then he will be bonafide Chaplain in the MS National Guard. He's been the greatest blessing in helping me with this process of joining the Guard. Thanks LT for all the help and support and for always answering my questions! Now if he'd just give me my National Guard coffee mug we'll be all square...

Until the next time. Stay strong and focused in God and what God gives you to do!

One Year?!?

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I last posted on my blog. I've gotten into reading more blogs here lately, but neglected to update mine. I'd love to say that throngs of people hang on to the words I post here, but the reality is only about 3 people know that this blog even exists. So to the three people who have been missing out on this thing I apologize.

A great deal of stuff has happened since last post, but there is certainly not enough time or space to tell it all. I'll just highlight the most exciting thing at this time is that I am in the process of joining the Mississippi National Guard as a Chaplain Candidate. The military is something that I wanted to do when I was in high school. It was my desire to be a pilot in the Air Force. However I found out that my genetic defect (a.k.a. color blindness) would not allow me to fulfill this dream. Little did I know that God would use the military setting to get my attention. In college I had the opportunity to serve the Protestant Chapel community at Columbus Air Force Base as the Choir Director and Accompanist (1996-2002). This was where I was introduced to the awesome ministry that takes place with the men, women, and families serving in the military. I then had a desire to serve as a Chaplain but was not sure if the opportunity would ever come. Speed forward almost 10 years and now I have the chance to serve God by serving soldiers in the MS National Guard. The Air Force will always have a special place in my heart since my dad was an airman and I had the privilege of serving in the Protestant Community, but the MS National Guard has a Chaplain Candidate program. What this program allows is for me to get a direct officer's commission and start earning points toward promotion and retirement while I attend seminary and complete requirements for ordination in the UMC. I covet your prayers while I complete all of the required paperwork and attempt to lose several pounds before my physical is scheduled. Hopefully by this time next year I will have one year of seminary completed, part of my Chaplain training completed, and you can address me as Lt. Porter, Chaplain Candidate.

Have faith and let go...

I heard a joke one time about a man that fell off of a cliff and was hanging on to life by a tiny little vine or bush that he grabbed as he fell. The man began to scream for help asking if there was anyone up there to help him. All of the sudden a voice from the sky called out, "My son have faith and let go." The man was thrilled to hear a voice, but then began to scream again asking if there was anyone else up there to help him.

Lately I've been feeling like the man hanging off the cliff. I know whom I believe in and I know what He has delivered me from! I have the head knowledge of what God can do, but here lately I've lacked the heart knowledge. Most of these thoughts come from a discussion Emily & I had about tithing. She wants us to tithe 10% as we're instructed to do in the Word, but on paper I can't see how we can do this and not get thrown into pauper's prison. My head knowledge tells me that God will take care of us if we put him first, but my heart knowledge is having a hard time letting go. I feel like a hypocrite because I try to teach tithing with my students when we have a fundraiser. We always take 10% and use that either for our church or another local charity. How come I can teach it, but I can't live it?!?!?!?

I covet your prayers for a renewed heart knowledge and a renewed passion for God. In return I will pray for you if you let me know what areas you are stuggling. Thanks be to God for never giving up on hard headed people like me!

His eye is on the sparrow...

This morning my devotional spoke on the subject of being still and knowing that God is God. We stay so busy in our lives with work, family, church activities, community activities, charities, recreational sports, working out, etc., etc., that I wonder if we really are too busy for God?!? We can be so busy doing "good" things that we can forget that God wants a relationship with us and that a relationship involves daily communication. It involves spending quality AND quantity time with each other. Most of us are not heading in a wrong spiritual direction or have no intentions of ignoring God, but when we don't take time every day to be still and know that He is God then we are ignoring our relationship. I include myself in this group! I worry and worry about everything when ultimately I just need to be still. When things are on track and running smooth I also just need to be still. My prayer today is that I midst all of the tasks ahead of me that I can be still and know that He is God. I will pray the same for you if you will pray the same for me. Blessings and peace.

Rumour has it...

...that my birthday is today. However this is false because after I turned 29 I stopped counting birthdays. So today I am still 29 with 6 years experience. Whose idea was it anyway to celebrate birthdays?!? Oh well, bring on the cake and ice cream!

An interesting thought came across my mind this morning as I was reading my devotional. Do I care more about the social injustices of this world more than I care about people committing their lives to Christ? Am I more concerned about helping repair someone's home than about whether or not they have heard about God's free gift of grace? Is it more important to me to meet the physical needs of others as opposed to their spiritual needs? Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that serving others is not important. It may take that initial serving of others to build a bond so that God's grace can be realized. What I am wondering is where do I focus more attention and importance. I love to serve others and do missions, but maybe I should be more intentional to show God's love in action and speak it in word.

So with that said I will pray that God reveals to me what my priorities actually are in hopes that they are the same as God's priorities for me. I pray that all of us will make God's priorities our own. I will pray for you, will you pray for me?

and yet He did it anyway!

This morning in my quiet time I read a excerpt from Oswald Chambers' book Conformed to His Image. The devotional book I am using is called Daily Thoughts for Disciples which is a collection of excerpts from the writings of Oswald Chambers paired with a scripture reference. Some mornings I really don't get what he is writing, but most mornings it hits me right where I live and this morning was no exception. The base scripture for this morning was John 2:25 (NLT), "No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like." Christ never got overly excited when one of his followers "got it". Nor did he show contempt or become defensive when He encountered those who were out to get him. Being fully God, Christ knew what was in their hearts, and yet he loved them the same. He knew what was ahead for Him, yet he stayed true to what God called Him to do. He knew that he would be totally abandoned, but His love for us never ended.

In my life and ministry I get so excited when I see people "get it" and then almost as soon as that happens the wind is knocked out of my sail by people that I perceive as out to get me. If I truly want to be an imitator of Christ, I need to learn to see, to love, to encourage people the way Christ sees them. This should be much easier for me because I truly don't know what is in a person's heart. My focus should be to remember that God's love is the same for everyone. I should rejoice when I see people "get it", but I should also rejoice when they don't because that's another opportunity for God to continue doing a work in me and then through me. I am so amazed at this great God I serve and I am overwhelmed by the love and grace that never runs out.

Your prayers for me to continue becoming the man God wants me to be are coveted. I love you with the love of the Lord!

My First Blog Entry

Well I am finally making my first of what could be many blog entries. I have been using Facebook and MySpace for sometime, but this is my first attempt at blogging. I hope you can manage to stand my rantings and ravings.

So this past week I got to know a character in the Bible a little more in-depth and realized that I could have written the book of Ecclesiastes had it not already been written. Growing up in church I have always known about King Solomon, but I never knew that he struggled with the same thoughts, feelings, emptiness, and search for meaning that I had for so many years. Everything Solomon tried to find peace, joy, contentment, happiness, and meaning/purpose for life was exactly the same thing I tried...or at least to the best of my resources since I am not a king.

Anyway, to make a long story short, both Solomon and I came to the same conclusion. However if I would have read his journal, which we commonly refer to as the book of Ecclesiastes, I might have been able to save myself many wasted years. I do want to conclude my first entry with a verse or two from Solomon's journal in hopes that it will help others in their own search for the missing piece to true peace, joy, contentment, happiness, and meaning/purpose in life.

"Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NLT)