It occurred to me last week that on my birthday (July 20) I would be 49 years old.  That wasn't so bad.  Then I realized that meant I had been alive for 49 years and would be starting year number 50.  So I decided that for such a great year I need to do something to remember it.  That's when I decided to do what I am calling Project 365.  Every day this year I will take pictures and post one for everyday and then next year on my birthday (number 50) I can look back at all the memories.  I have seen others doing this and thought it would be fun.  So for my first day I took a picture of myself to remind me what I look like now.  Not all of them will be of me.  I think the pictures will be pretty random.  I don't have a plan to do a series where all the pics are of the same thing, like flowers or butterflies.  I would just rather make it random.  As I look back at the pictures I have taken in the past I realize that most of these will probably be of my family.  As fast as the kids are growing it will be cool to see them change.  Anyway, this is number 1.  I will also be posting them on my Flickr acct. under "dgakins2".  Of course that will be just the pics without the commentary.  So, here we go into the next adventure.  Thank you Lord Jesus for the life you have given me.

Something New

I can't believe it, but I finally did it. I finally joined the hoards of people who have jumped on the tablet wagon. That's right, I have a shiny new tablet computer. As a matter of fact I am writing this post on my new gadget. So far, I love it. It is easier to read and work on than my phone and faster than my netbook. But, I don't see myself getting rid of those things. I didn't go the conventional route though, because I am not a fan of anything apple. They just don't work for me. I have tried. Anyway, I went with the HP Touchpad. It is running webOS which I get. It works just like I want it to. And I can do some tweaking on this that the others won't allow. So my reasoning for joining this trend, I have used a pda for years. Both HP and palm, and I have seriously used them. So much so that they don't work anymore. They are great for outdoor services when I can't keep the pages of my bible from blowing and they keep my notes right where I need them. So, when the last pda outlived went south I was at a loss. You just can't find a good pda that is cost efficient. When the price of the touchpad bottomed out I knew it was time. And I am glad I did it. This will be with me for a very long time. Change can be good.

I can't believe it.

I can't believe it has been almost a year since I have posted anything. I have tried to think back on the last year to find why I was so negligent. I could blame it on being to busy, but who isn't these days, and I know that is an excuse. A lot has happened but I seem to find time to play Angry Birds and fill in crosswords. So being busy doesn't work. When I get down to the basic reason it has to be that I just don't write that much. It was fun when I started this blog and I know it can be again. I just have to find the motivation. There seems to be so many things to write about that are just flying through my mind but never make it out in the form of an understandable string of thought. The process of getting it from my mind to the paper has never been easy for me. My family has decided that it is because I am "ADD" and "OCD". They are just trying to blame me for their quirks. When I was young my parents and teachers blamed it on the lack of self discipline, there was no such things as "ADD" or "OCD". I'm not sure which one I would rather blame. I do know that the only way for me to overcome any of them is to stay focused on what is important. Not being focused is like trying to fix a stalled car by washing it, taking care of everything except what needs to be taken care of. I have always tried to prioritise things on the fly. Stacy is a list maker, it drives me nuts to have to make a list and actually write it down, then follow it. I drive her nuts because I just go with out a list. I tell her it"s all in my head, and I usually forget something. Anyway, I need to learn to journal and keep better written records of what is going on in life and in our church. If anyone else reads this then please keep me in your prayers about this and I will start again.

Color My World

Every one that crosses my path leaves a mark in some way. Some in a good way and others not so good. Some add color others just a footprint. I am so thankful for those who have poured into my life and added the colors and hues that make me who I am. I may not be anything special but I am glad to be me. I know so many who won't say that about themselves. They have been left with so many footprints and tire marks that they can't see the color anymore. We all get walked on and even ran over or thrown under the bus by those closest to us and the hurt is sometimes more than we can bear. Even Jesus was betrayed by one of his own. If Judas had been a stranger to Jesus it would have been another accuser not a betrayer. Because He was betrayed he knows how we feel when the scars go deep. Now here is the point. It's not about what other people do to you, for if they did it to Jesus how can we expect different, but what are you doing to others? Are you adding color or leaving skid marks? I hope in some way I can add a brighter hue to every one I meet. Sometimes we only see in black and white, while others only see shades of grey. I want to see in God's color palet, with lots of crimson.

From Super Baby to Superman

I can't believe it's already here. It seems like just last week I would pick up my little boy and hold him out like he was flying with his arms streched out and he would fly around the house saying "Super Baby". Written words can't mimic the sound of his laugh or excitement as we went around and around. And when I sat him down he would come back with his hands reaching out to me and say "Super Baby", and we would do it all again. He really was a super baby, the kind of baby that makes you think "hey, this raising kids stuff is pretty easy, let's have another one." So now we have four children, each one special, and each one super. Next month my little boy will graduate from high school and I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I seem to be doing both. I am so proud of the man that he has become. I wish for a second that I could pick him up and play super baby again and hold him in my arms so that nothing could get him, but now I have to let him go. If I have done my job as a father then he should be fine. He will leave our house this summer to attend college and I won't be there to make sure he gets up on time for class or gets his homework done or doesn't stay up to late. Maybe what makes me sad about him going is that I realize he doesn't need me so much anymore. After all He's not a super baby anymore, He is Superman!

Can You Change?

Well can you? Everyday I can see a little more of my dad coming out in me and thats ok most of the time. There are some characteristics that I would just as soon not have though. Like the ability to fill the garage with stuff just because I might need it some day. Or the unconscious act of driving slower when someone in the car is in a hurry. And how about, procrastination? Always putting off until the last minute with no time to correct for errors. But I can change, I don't have to be just like my parents. Yeah right, that's easier said than done. Notice the date of the last post to this blog. Four months have gone by since I last posted anything. I guess my mantra has been, "It can wait." So once again I'm going to change. What brought on this sudden burst of determination, you might ask? I'm glad you did ask. This weekend I got to take my boys out to the lake for a while. Well it's really more of a lake bed, not much water around. Anyway, we hiked up and out of the valley to look over the lake and while we were there a helicopter/airplane, (OSPREY) flew over. Immediately I was given a lesson on the maneuverability of the craft and several other details, gotta love teenagers, although most of it I already knew. One thing stood out to me though. And that is the ability for change. At take off the rotors are up like a helicopter so the craft can achieve lift quickly and without a runway. When enough altitude is aquired the engines and rotors are "changed", tilted to the front until they face forward like that of an airplane, and they propel the plane forward. With out that critical change of position it would be impossible for this plane to fly.

So many times I achive lift and even altitude, but my inability to change me prohibits my forward momentum. So I will trade in my altitude for momentum and remind myself that I can change. The OSPREY has a pilot and crew that works the controls and causes the change, I have Jesus. And I know that with Jesus, I can do all things, even change.

I Remember When

Her name was Eloise. As she rose up out of the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico she sent before her a wall of water sixteen feet high and winds of one hundred and twenty five miles an hour. Just hours earlier it had been predicted that this hurricane would hit land closer to Louisiana and as a category 2 storm, but a sharp turn to the northeast and a growing intensity sent her to Panama City, Florida as a category 3.
It was September 23, 1975. We were living in Enterprise, Alabama, about 90 miles from the coast. Like most of the residents there we weren’t worried about the storm as we went to bed the night before. Mom was in the hospital because of a diseased gall bladder and dad kept making the commute from the hospital out to the house to check on us kids. He had gone early on the 23rd to be with mom when the news came out that Eloise’s path would take her directly over us and the wind and rain had already begun. The electricity went out first and then the phone lines so there was no communication. Four children from the age of sixteen down to five years old were sitting in the house watching as the pine trees in the front yard would bend over and touch the ground with their tops. Sitting on the sofa holding my dog I asked my brothers and sister what we should do. We all agreed that we should pray. So we did. On the highway officers stopped dad and said he couldn’t go on because of the dangerous winds, but he explained to them that his children were home and he was going there, they let him pass.
As the eye of the storm came over there was a very strange calm that came with it. We knew the calm was only temporary and that after the eye passed, the back wall of the storm would come, and then it would be over. So, we accepted the calm and kept praying. Soon the wind and rain began again but there was peace in our house and we knew we were ok. After the storm, the devastation around town was unbelievable. Trees that had stood for centuries were blown out of the ground, and roads were completely blocked from the debris. Every chain saw in town was busy and every person who was able was doing their part to clean up.
I was recently reminded again of Eloise and the devastation that storms in our lives can bring, and the most important thing I can tell you is this. Teach your children to pray. When they can’t reach you they can still reach Jesus. Jesus spoke these words in the gospel of John chapter 16 and verse 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”