Sunset

God's creation is so glorious and inspiring. Seeing His handiwork is soo life-giving. I felt so blessed seeing both a beautiful sunrise over the hills and sunset (above) while on the road today.

Warming Up!

Today, was cold.

Shake and shudder cold, as I was outside running some errands tonight.

It definitely reminded me of some very familiar feelings that come with winter...

Cold feelings.

So to see us starting December off in the 60's, you won't find me complaining.

Let's just hope it stays the way it's forecasted :)

Stay warm!

The Consequences of Ideas

"We do not create a world or environment from scratch and then live in it. Rather we step into a world and culture that already exists, and we learn to interact with it."

The quote above is from the introduction of R.C. Sproul's book, The Consequences of Ideas. This one concept has enough meat in it that you could chew on it for the rest of your life.

We were born into this world, a world already in motion. Thoughts, values, beliefs, traditions, expectations were already in existence. But just because they were already there does that make them right? Does that mean we must readily adopt them without question? And what do I already adhere to or believe by default, simply because I've never critically thought about it?

I love books like this. However, there is so much foundational thinking in them that it is hard for me to get past the introduction without a world of thoughts bombarding me. I have plently to chew on in one sentence :)

We'll see how far I get. Regardless, I already have a mouthful!

Purpose

I read this on a blog today (Jon Acuff) and thought it was worth sharing. The quick read takes less than a minute, but may inspire some in finding their life-long purpose....

I used to think my purpose was to write a blog.

And then I wrote one and realized it wasn’t.

To read the rest, click here.

Back At It

Back at it tomorrow.

It's been a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Time with family, lots of food, good rest, reflection, and time in prayer. I loved it!

We have about 4 weeks - 20 teaching days - until Christmas break.

I am excited to get back at it. God has graciously given me great energy, zeal, love and excitement to get back with the students I teach.

I also have this to bring with me from the message this morning...

Do your absolute best. Be excellent.

In ALL things.

I need your help, Lord.

And, I'm looking forward to it.

Insta-what?

Well, my wife and I are instagram-ers. We'll see how it goes... :)

Username: johnfollman

See you there!

Hero, or Zero?

What happens if you are a hero outside your home, but a zero inside of it? What if you are praised by the masses, yet scorned by those closest to you? What good is your reputation if it's only good on the surface?

Some how, men can be celebrated at the office, yet disconnected and indifferent in the home. And I would venture to say most of the time, it's the man's fault.

It's one thing to serve on the job, it's another to serve as a lifestyle. You can put on an act of kindness, engagement and leadership for 8 hours, then detach once you cross the threshold of your home.

The wife and kids look for leadership, appreciation and love, and they get disconnected gazes and half-hearted conversations.

So they look elsewhere.

Who would blame them? How often do you try to drink from an empty well? When do you stop going back because it hurts too much?

I know of this because I am that man.

I am the detached husband, the disconnected Daddy.

I work hard to fulfill the dreams of others, yet leave the dreams of those closest to me unfulfilled. I can feel their longing glances directed my way, but how long will they keep looking? At what point will they look elsewhere? They look to me, and when I need answers the most, when something of substance and love and manhood is most desired,

I come up empty.

Over and over.

I have nothing to give.

I have prayed to the Lord, the Father. The One who loves, is love, and the closer you get, the greater His love. The One who always gives us His full attention, the One who never leaves us empty to look elsewhere.

I need His help.

I see the issue, but something must change. Recognizing a problem is a cheap gift. Change must ensue.

I want my wife and kids to look my way, and not come up empty, anymore.

Thankful Thoughts

What a blessed day...

Liz's brother and his wife came down from Lexington today to spend Thanksgiving together. We all gathered around our table (above) to enjoy a wonderful meal together. We read a brief account of the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims, prayed, thanking God for His great and many blessings, then dug into the meal the ladies prepared.

There is so much to be thankful for in our lives. God has blessed us with life - purpose here on earth and a promise for the life after. He has blessed our family with health, clothing, food, shelter, as well as beautiful children, a job, friends, family and so much more.

This Thanksgiving, we give thanks.

We give thanks to God for what our Pilgrim brothers and sisters did to pursue religious freedom, and we thank God in all circumstances - both good an bad - because of what we gain in God through both.

Thank you Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Eve

We've been getting into the Thanksgiving "spirit" around the Follman household lately. With me having some time off work, it helps with getting us into the festive spirit.

Liz has been doing Thanksgiving projects with the kids for school, and we have been celebrating altogether as a family too. She has been doing her research on the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving, and I have learned a lot as a result!

As a kid, I didn't really understand the faith and convictions of the Pilgrims, but I appreciate those things much more now as an adult. Tonight we all ate together in a corner of our house, on the floor, in the dark... to help simulate life on the Mayflower for the Pilgrims. They were willing to leave land, homes, family, comfort, and, risk their lives (which many died) for the sake of worshiping their God in freedom.

Would I do the same? Would you?

The Pilgrim's sacrifice helps us to appreciate Thanksgiving, and they also challenge us to lay down everything for the sake of following our Lord.

Your Love

When we know His love, we want to follow His commands...

OLORD, your unfailing love fills the earth; teach me your decrees. http://bible.us/Ps119.64.NLT

Please show me more of your love, oh Lord.

Losing Hea...

Losing health units... Can't. Go. Much. Long..

....

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

The Hobbit

Finished!

Liz and I finished the 12 hours or so of extended version Lord of the Rings tonight! We started this journey probably back in June, and it's taken a lliiiittle longer than usual, ha!

So...

Bring on The Hobbit!

With it coming out the day before our anniversary, you can guess how we will be spending our time together? ;)

No Shave November

My no-shave-november beard is in full force.

I like the beard more than I thought... of course the most important thing is that my wife likes it :)

Good night.

Look at the Birds

Have you taken time lately to look at the birds?

Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? http://bible.us/Matt6.26.NLT

One More Cheer

We had our Pulaski County Girls Soccer banquet tonight... my family and I had a great time!

I really enjoyed coaching the girls this season, and will miss this years graduating class of seniors greatly.

As the evening finished up, the team gathered for one more cheer (see pic) - a unique cheer they developed this year.

What a fun year!

Gratitude Attitude

I wrote yesterday about God's day-at-a-time provision. I also feel Him cultivating in us an attitude of gratitude.

It's this attitude that will help contentment to rise in our hearts, and, to see difficulty more as opportunities for growth and for God to get Glory.

The Bible talks about being thankful in ALL things, and that all things work for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Lord, help me develop an attitude of gratitude!

Daily Bread

Jesus told us to pray for our daily bread. Not tomorrow's... not next month's, or next year's.

He promises to take care of our needs as we seek Him first (He already knows what our needs are before we ask!) and not to worry about tomorrow...

All of the above is so much easier said then done.

Father, please help me to walk in your ways.

Amen.

Hero

I saw this quote on Twitter and had to share...

If you're a father, who you are to your wife & kids is far more important than who you are at work, church or any other venue. -- Billy Humphrey (@billyhumphrey1)

Being a hero outside the home matters little if you are a zero inside of it.

Ohh, how I long to be a Dad who is most adored and appreciated by those in his home. I know that adoration must be authentically and daily and sacrificially earned.

Lord help me.

Wagon Ride

A mower and a wagon is all we need for a little fun :)

The kids and I went for a wagon ride through the hills, roads and backyards of our local subdivision this afternoon.

Oh, what fun!

The Return of the King

My wife and I finally began the final movie of The Lord of the Rings, Return of the King. We started watching the epic trilogy over the summer as part of our semiannual viewing, but it has taken much longer than normal to complete this time around.

Regardless, we are prepping for the big release this December, The Hobbit. We are hoping to watch the movie in theatre as part of our anniversary that month... and yes, we are LOTR junkies :)

Farewell.

It's A...

We went to the doctor this afternoon and found out we a healthy baby GIRL growing inside of my wife!

Praise the Lord!

The Heart

Our family loves watching the Duggars. Tonight we all sat around the computer screen and watched the season's final episode of 19 Kids and Counting.

As we watched, I was personally encouraged (and convicted) by something Anna Duggar said (Anna is Josh's wife).

She was in a stressful situation with some of the younger kids, and instead of getting super frustrated to the point of yelling and screaming she took a step back and realized what was most important - their heart.

Ouch.

That hurt... But I needed it.

So often I become that frustrated, raising my voice, yelling, impatient Dad, instead of living with my children with patience and kindness - looking out for their heart first and foremost.

I may have their obedience, but do I have their heart? It's the same in our walk with God.

Needless to say, I am thankful for the Duggar family and their example of loving and leading like Jesus. I only hope to get better myself at being a loving Father and husband in my home.

Election 2012

As I write, things are pretty tight in the 2012 Presidential race. Over the next several hours, we should know who will be the next President of the United States. Months and months of campaigning for the candidates comes to this moment.

I personally have no feeling one way or the other about who will win this election. What I do know from Proverbs is that when the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

I also believe that America is at [and has been at] a crossroads in many ways. It doesn't take much prophetic insight to see our nation is straying from its foundation. Ultimately, I believe that fact actually points to a deeper issue - a church that has left her King, her first love.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden... Jesus.

How does a nation stand strong on it's biblical foundation, if the church, or light of the world, is allowing their light to go out?

Regardless of who our next president is [and I hope he is a godly man] we must all be sure to examine our lives to see if we as the church are truly being the light of the world.

Am I truly the salt of the earth? Or have I lost my saltiness? Have I left my first love in exchange for the cares and allurements of this world?

Without the church being a light, without the church burning hot for her God, our nation has no real hope. There is only one leader who can provide lasting and eternal change to our nation - and He's on the ticket of our lives - Jesus Christ.

Light the fire again...

Date Night!

You Are The Cheese

I saw this picture hanging in our local coffee shop and immediately thought of my beautiful wife.

Honey, I just want you to know... [read pic now :P]

Love you!

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Last but not Least - Final Pic

As you can see from the previous pictures, we had a great time at the Father/Son Campout. I loved the opportunity to spend some quality time with my oldest 2 sons!

This particular picture I caught as the sun was rising, out in front of The Chapel. Taken with a Motorola Android, HDR effect.

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Father/Son Campout Pics!

The father/son campout with the guys from The Chapel was a blast! Check out some pics of Carson, Josiah and myself and others who were there... (I'll send the pics in separate posts)

Father Son Campout

The Father Son Campout is this weekend at The Chapel... currently I am freezing my tail off! My boys are fairing better than I :)

Pics to come ... Love times like these with my boys!

Act Your Wage

Love Dave Ramsey. So much common sense it embarrasses me.

God has blessed us greatly this year by helping us get out of debt. Even though we have a long way to go, thankfully, against all odds, by God's grace, we have made progress. One area we have grown in is common sense.

I saw a great bumper sticker on my way to work this morning. So simple, so basic, so Dave. Check it out below and may it help in you journey to becoming debt fee.

Bumper Sticker - Act Your Wage