END AROUND

END AROUND is the name of a football play and the "switcharoo" I am having to do with my blog...I switched email addresses to a gmail account and this is the only way I could figure it out...so if you want to keep up with me and my blog...or as they call it: "follow" the blog click below and save to your favorites (or however you want to do it).

END AROUND to the new blog

see you on the other side :)

FREED FROM.... or TO?

OK, I have no pictures but I am going to try to give you and update on some of the lessons learned from Beth Moore's teaching during the re-taping of the Breaking Free Bible Study mentioned earlier on this blog. There were 10 sessions plus an introduction. the premise of the whole Bible Study is from Isaiah 61:1-4 and it parallels the bondage of the Israelites to believers today.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has annointed me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound...to comfort all who mourn...to give them a beautiful headress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of priase instead of a faint spirit, that they may be called the oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins....

There were several main points from the week and without stealing Beth's thunder of some of the poingant analogies I will share some thoughts:

• The least likely make mighty warriors. All of us have strongholds - those things or people that we are preoccupied with that are destructive to healthy spiritual lives. Bonadage is anything that hinders us from being who God created us to be. If we don't seek freedom - we will seek shelter, primarily in our strongholds.

• HEBREWS 4:12 - The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword; piercing even dividing asunder soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

• YOU NEED A BULLET IN YOUR GUN - Having a quiet time replete with the Word of God is your ammunition. There is no substitute...not a sunset, a mountain, a beach, or any other created thing...not a song, or a poem...the only thing potent enough is the Word of God. So load up....there are shotgun shells that spray for a wide variety and their are bullets (or for shotguns - a slug) that are for a more narrow aim. Whatever your stronghold is, The Word of God has the ammo you need to derail the enemy.

• It's your choice: Bandage or Bondage! Is. 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...to bind up the brokenhearted... God is much more interested in our calling than our comfort. We are not FREED FROM ______ we are actually FREED TO _______ ! Many of us are under the captivity of activity. We do not know how to rest...we are busy, busy, busy. We check our email, facebook, my space, our text messages, voice messages, and mailboxes. We listen but we don't hear. We talk but our lives don't speak. We have been called to COME WITH ME...TO A QUIET PLACE...GET SOME REST (Mark 6:30-31). Just because there is a need...it doesn't mean you (or I ) are called to meet it.

This is quite enough to dwell on. The taping sessions were so applicable (as you can tell) and have given me much food for thought. What you see here are the nuggets I will grapple with for the next few months. How do I slow my life down enough to ...REST IN HIM, REST WITH HIM? Thanks for indulging me the priviledge of sharing some of the week with you. I will say that this study will be well worth your time and will transform your heart to be more like His.

Breaking Free from Work

Today I am off - totally off - not mentally (well, maybe) but from work at work and work at home. I have had a terrific month of November...first, I got a good report from my Dr. about my knee...still no load-bearing exercising - until January - but I can bike and do the elliptical machine! Then I took an entire week off November 10-15 and went to visit my good friend, Elizabeth, in Pass Christian, MS. During the day, I got to see her new world with her precious son, Walker Paul Lacedarius Williams.

Then about 4:30 each day we drove to New Orleans to Franklin Avenue Baptist Church to be a part of the re-taping of Breaking Free Bible Study - live with Beth Moore! This was such an amazing thing to witness. There is no way I can really describe it. I have tried and tried to see how I could actually blog about it...I am working today on narrowing down my thoughts to a few talking points....then I will post them later this week...since, as you know, I have the rest of the week off! :) so, stay tuned for an update within the next four to five days.


One final note on Redemption....this is the prequel for the 7th season of Jack Bauer and "24" that was aired on Sunday night. It was set in Africa and honestly hit a little close to home because it showed some rebels mounting a coup against the government and what Jack has to do to save 14 young boys...it reminded me of my time earlier this year in Rwanda and a bit of what it must have been like to live in fear and for children to be captured and forced to serve in the makeshift army. Anyway, alot of thought provoking scenes...but the very last one will preach...Jack gives up his freedom so that the boys will be saved...sounds familiar. More to come.

HOWDY Interlocking BU

I know - I know - It has been way too long. My excuse is that I don't like to post without pictures and I got a new computer in late July and can't find the program to pull my pics off the camera. So, here is a quick and easy update for the past two and a half months:

Late July 2008

The BU Board of Regents had the courage to fire an ego-centric, selfish man who served (and I use that term lightly) as BU's president for just over two years. His only achievement was to unite the faculty and staff on one issue: he had to go. God's word is true - you reap what you sow.

Long Live the Interlocking BU!

August 2008

We pulled off the biggest Move In project of my tenure in the third week of August...3100 students in 10 hours over two days...complete with traffic patterns, 100 degree heat, safety vests, loaded down suburbans, and all the anxious parents you can ask for...with misty eyes looking back in the rearview mirrors. Over 2400 volunteers hauled stuff up six floors (12 flights) and all is well at BU with the second largest class in history.

September 2008

John McCain has the courage to tag Sarah Heath Palin to be his running mate for the 2008 Presidential Elections. I can't say I was ever excited about John McCain although I do think of him as an American hero who does not put himself before others. I read "A Nightingale's Song" which is the story of 5 guys who all graduated from the Naval Academy at Annapolis and how their lives each followed a path of leadership. Some resopnded with integrity, others wasted their opportunities. All this to say, McCain has made the most of his and I am most impressed with Cindy, his wife, who has used her wealth to serve others all around the world.



Sarah Palin has impressed me with her candid talk and her seemingly unshakable faith, charisma, confidence, and consistent demonstrations of grace. I am praying for God's light to shine brightly in this election time...to illuminate the truth and to expose the lies. I am excited about this ticket and know that God is in control, no matter what happens in the next 3 weeks.


On a lighter note, I went to the Big 12 & Friends Conference for Recreation Directors in Norman, OK. We started the conference with a golf tournament that my team won and I won the long-drive contest...yeah for playing from the red tees! Below you will see me with my winning teammates: Garry Armstrong (OU), Zane Carlson (Cybex rep - former BU Baseball pitcher), and Dennis Corrington (TAMU). On another note, more later, coming off a 15' putt on an elevated green, I stepped down on my right leg to find instability and finally face plant. This would lead to a lateral meniscus tear to be repaired in October.

October 2008

Three big things so far:

First and most important, Walker Paul Williams turned ONE on the sixth. He is such a sweet little man. He was born here in Waco and came home to the Ponderosa for about three months. We spent many early mornings cuddling and napping and praying together. He now lives on the coast of Mississippi and I am going to visit him in less than a month. He is all boy - like his dad and has a sweet demeanor - like his mom. I can't wait to give that boy a squeeze.

Second my long-time friend and vice president, Dr. Dub Oliver resigned from Baylor to be the president of ETBU (East Texas Baptist University) beginning June 1. It will be a great loss for Baylor, a long goodbye, and a terrific gain for ETBU. We commuted to complete our PhD's together back and forth to TAMU burning up Highway 6. I am grateful for our time together and wish him all the best as he expands his impact to more students than ever before.



Finally, yesterday, I had my lateral meniscus repaired with an arthroscope done by Dr. JP Bramhall. He did the reconstruction on my left knee about 12 years ago. Then he scoped out the scar tissue on that same knee about 4 years ago. I am grateful for his expertise, his professionalism, and his friendship as a fellow believer. We have a fun tradition because he is the team Dr. for the Fightin' Texas Aggie football team and I work on the BU sidelines: we always meet each other at mid-field (like head coaches) to say "howdy" after the BU v. TAMU football games. I am confident that his work this time will give me many more years of activity without pain...until the next time.

Texas Summer Sunsets

There are some things I really never get tired of....

one of those is summertime Texas sunsets!

Here are two pictures..the one above is the one I took last night
of the trees between my cabin and the airstrip.

The one below is one Miss EJ took of
Baylor University's Eastland Lakes Retreat Center.

It may have passes 100 degrees for the past two weeks straight,
but these are the scenes that remind me that it is worth it.

Really now, how can anyone deny there is a GOD?
He is indescribable, uncontainable..he made the
stars in the sky and He calls them by name.

Big Cedar

You know, it's funny that you think when you graduate from college that that will be the end of family vacations; however, I have found that to be untrue.

My family takes a family vacation each summer.

It is quite a feat to get all of us off at the same time and then to try to be in agreement as to where we should spend time together. We have been to Red River, NM (a family tradition). We have also been to Maui, Lake Quachita, Newport Beach, Galveston, and this year we went to Branson, MO. Now I know this is a hotspot for the Keenagers, but McKenna was at Kanakuk and it only seemed logical to meet up there and experience American culture.
We started with the amazing Sunday brunch at Big Cedar Lodge.

One of the things attractive about Big Cedar is that it has alot of recreational activities. You can swim, play sand volleyball, or rent a boat (fishing, ski, pontoon, canoe, paddleboat). It is rustic and relaxing, yet nice and quiet. John and Kelly are the die hard water people.

Now in addition to outlet mall shopping, we went down in the evening to the new Branson Landing on Lake Taneycomo. It is anchored on one end with a Bass Pro Shop and on the other with the Hilton and a Marriott. It is right on the water and is a neat waterfront to stroll on....there's also ice cream!

A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

Shackin' Up

Ok, one week ago, my mom told me about a book that she was finishing called, THE SHACK, by William P. Young. Now it is one week later, I have finished the book and no less than 10 of my friends tried to share their journey while reading this book. It is an incredible story of a man who experiences some horrific tragedies in his life. In the most recent one, concerning his daughter, he finds God in a most unique way. Through his encounters with God as Father ("Papa"), God as Son (Jesus) and God as Holy Spirit ("Sarayu"), Mack has his preconceived notions of God redesigned to a more intimate relationship rather than a distant religion full of responsibility and expectations. This is a story of healing and our love relationship with God, regardless of the starting point.

I highly recommend this book and will leave you with several quotes that will speak for themselves:

All love and relationship is possible for you ONLY because it already exists
within me...I AM Love. p. 101

Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. p. 126

Grace doesn't depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering
you will find grace in many facets and colors. p. 185

Faith does not grow in the house of certainty. p. 189