weekend

Friday night we went to a party at a real nice house in Vinings, down the road next to the Vinings Jubilee. Normally I don’t gush, but there were several real nice houses there by a lake. We barely knew who the people were that were hosting the party for Mark, turning fifty. The guy who married us was there…hadn’t seen him in maybe 15 years. He had cut what was left of his hair real short, so he looked like Lance Armstrong. Lots of people there from the Buckhead Church, including two staff members. By the time we picked up the kids at their friend’s house, it was 11:30 when we got home…late for us.

Watched the replay of last week’s GT/Clemson game, and from the way Bowden looked after Whitehurst threw for five yards on 4th and seven, I thought that may be why Whitehurst isn’t starting. Smart not to tell the press.

Left home Saturday morning at 6:45 and made it up 85 to the Clemson/Anderson exit by 8:45, after a stop at McDonalds...giving Ceil and Matthew time to changes clothes before her family arrived. We drove in to the campus and walked around to view homecoming displays, and grandfather got Will a purple Clemson jersey in ‘downtown’ Clemson, before we tailgated. Ceil sat with her mom in her parent’s regular seats, and the rest of us had seats on the top row of the upper deck…but there was a great view of the field and surrounding area. Matthew hasn’t been to many football games, but you could tell his interest level increased over the weekend. Clemson’s marquee QB Charlie Whitehurst didn’t play, but the backup might’ve been more interesting to watch…a white kid who threw pretty well, and could fake, option, and run good as well. Lackluster second half. South Carolina will probably beat Clemson this year.

Stopped by the Commerce outlets on the way back, and ate at Cracker Barrel, so everyone was grouchy on the way back. I walked in the door and fell on with couch, with Miami leading V.Tech around halftime…and fell fast asleep.

They often say they made North Point the way they did because Atlanta didn’t need another church like all the others, and I think that’s what attracted Ceil and me to it so much. The music is great, but that’s not the huge attraction for me. The messages are what my boss calls ‘post-modern’, in that generally it’s not a guy pretending he knows all the answers, and has it all together, and here’s what you sinners need to do. It’s more like Andy is saying this is what I (he) needs to do, and maybe we all need to do this as well, because life generally has less complications, etc, if we do. There’s one simple point communicated, as opposed to three or four.

Having sat in church services most of my life, there have been good sermons and speakers, but I’ve never left thinking “this was one of the best services I’ve ever been a part of” more often than I have at North Point. That said, yesterday was good, not great. It’s slowly coming back (guess I should take notes)…

The idea was not that you need to give everything to the church, but instead think of ways to use what you have (from God) for God’s kingdom. Gave the example of a couple letting the early North Point staff use their basement as their first office…just gave them a key and said to use it for whatever you need. He said the people have moved, but he still drives past the house and remembers how great it was that the people did that.

Then he said that everyone he had encountered that had changed their mindset from spending on themselves to thinking of ways to use their time and possessions for God and others, they would choose not to go back to spending for themselves. Compared it to the first time he talked to his boys about girls, and they were “eck, girls!? Never!” …boys and frogs are great, but being on the other side, he knows he wouldn’t go back.

At the end he held up a watch and a dollar. Compared to God, no one has very much. Amounts don’t matter, but how they are used does. Ceil worked in her four-year old class and got the CD. Yesterday afternoon Will and I worked around the house while Ceil ran errands.

Here’s some photos my friend/coworker Jeff took this weekend at the Tour Championship over at Eastlake. Even if you don’t like Tiger, the trees, scenery, and behind-the scenes aspects make them worth a look. Also some nice zoo photos for the kids! http://homepage.mac.com/otherguy41/PhotoAlbum12.html

Will be interesting to see if the Braves sign Furcal. If they don’t, that’ll leave plenty of money for relievers.