Faithful!!!

Why does God wake me up at UNGodly hours to tell me something? Could he not wait until I wake up on my own? While typing this I understand why he wakes me up at 4 in the morning. The house is quiet and I can listen attentively and not worry about a little 2 year old running around the house. So I started my quiet time this morning in prayer. I started thinking back to what I believe Rick Warren said about prayer. He said prayer shouldn't be about asking and receiving from God. It should be about getting to know God. Too many times in my life I pray only to ask God for things with the hopes of receiving. I believe most of us do this. When I woke up this morning I tried to get myself to go back to sleep by reading Twitter. I keep up with most of my friends back in S.C. through Twitter. I came across an insert by my former pastor/RHS Perry Noble. He wrote that "our circumstances do not alter God's character...He is faithful." I started thinking about the word faithful and that's when God told me to get up and start my quiet time. I went in the kitchen and opened up a devotional book that my friend Susan Nelson gave me a while back. I turned to the devotional for the day and read Psalm 18:20. David was praising God for rescuing him from his enemies. I came across verse 20 and he said that "The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness." That really hit me hard because although I'm a good guy that will give you the shirt off of my back if you ask me, I wasn't experiencing the fullness of God because I wasn't practicing what I read. It kind of scaredd me to think of God dealing with me according to my righteousness. I know that none are righteous no not one but to get down on my level and say that he will deal with me scares me because I know that I'm the worst. I am the most faithless, prideful, lustful, selfish, vengeful, spoiled little brat, but you know what....I'm saved!!!... The blood of Christ alone dying on a cruel cross for all of my sins atones for the man I was, the man I am & the man I will be. Glory be to God for his faithfulness and righteousness!!!

Many folks want more pics of Alex so here are a few....

This is Alex climbing my 10 ft ladder without any help. He made it to the top of the ladder before I found him. He loves to climb!!! He is all boy like his daddy!!

If you know Alex, he loves his trains. We went to Old Tucson studios where they filmed a lot of western movies and they had this train there that he didn't want to leave. We plan on taking him on a train ride called the Polar Express in December near the Grand Canyon. It should be a lot of fun!!

Alex with his Granny Peggy, (my mom)!

Reach for the sky!

He looks like his mom except that he is a white boy!! hahaha

Alex & I at a Father's Day breakfast at his school!We were throwing back some pancakes!!!

Random Thoughts While at Work!

Oh to be alive! Pepsi & Doritos are good for breakfast. I need to find something to do where I can be my own boss & make money doing it. Three weeks until my shoulder surgery. Will my retaining wall in the back yard look like crap or will I do a good job building it? Why do things have to be so expensive? Why do retailers try and make a bunch of money on one product when they can be sensible and make a little money longer? Why can't FSU's basketball team make it past the Sweet 16? I guess I could be like a Clemson Tiger fan and never really have anything to cheer about. Why is there a gastroenerologist named Dr. Burpy in this hospital? I think I will go home now. I think I will take a much needed nappy nap!!!

Doing Life with Friends!

You know, I am up with twitter, facebook and all of those social networks. I keep up with friends ontwitter and facebook the most, and I read most of the comments folks write about going out to eat with their friends, or going to church with their friends, or just hanging out at hoe with their friends. I thought that would be really nice to be able to do if we had friends close or family just as close. With that in mind I read a title of a blog from a friend I read and it was titled "Doing Life with Friends." That title hit me a little bit because I don't have many friends close to me so that title made me a bit envious. I thought it would be nice if I had friends close to where I could do life with them. As I thought about that, I was reminded of a song by Audio Adrenaline of all groups and I can't remember the name of the song but the idea was that we need to branch out and find others around us that we don't know and become friends with them so we can pour our lives into them. It hit me hard because I was wanting to find my old friends just to keep pouring myself into them. I think some of them have had enough of me, haha. Anyway, it has made me me reach out to my neighbors more to develop and grow friendships more with them. This should be a lot of fun! Like my friend Stubie, I love doing life with my friends as well!!

Take Care and God Bless!!!
David

Triathlon Training!!

I think after I do this I'm gonna write a book entitled, "Walk Your Way thru a Triathlon." Working out is tough but sticking to a regiment is even tougher. I took a break from the norm this morning and I walked 3.5mph for 60 minutes on a 1-6% incline and it kicked my butt!! Granted I have a lot of butt to kick, but still.

I think I'm gonna post a pre race pic and a post race pic of myself on her for everyone to get a laugh at. I don't think many folks have seen a 200 pound Triathlete. I was looking at some of the pictures I have from Iraq of some Navy Seals and Delta guys and with my beard, I strike a strong resemblance to some of them! Of course, they are Seals and Delta and I'm not but I don't care.

My little man is growing up so fast, it's hard to believe that he will be two in April. Unfortunately for Anita he is exactly like me in personality and appetite. He comes home from daycare and eats 1 whole apple, 1 pack of ritz crackers, and then sits down with us to eat dinner which can be anything from chicken tacos to lasagna. He also has climbed a 10 foot ladder all the way to the top. Of course I was there when he did it. I was putting Christmas decorations away in the attic and he decided I needed help supervising. He also likes the dirt and mud as well as harrassing our two dogs. He chases them around the house with his ball bat. Tha Mastiff knocks him down trying to get away from him but he loves it just the same.

God is Great and his mercies are renewed over and over again!!
I am so unworthy and so very thankful!!!

Take Care & God Bless!!!
David

Saturdays at the hospital!!

I used to never worry about my quiet times nor my exercise routine. Now that I'm older and have a family, it's dang hard to do. 1st off I don't see how any single parent can raise a child much less a single parent with no family around. Anita & I don't have any family around so we can't go out that much & when Alex is sick, we miss work to take care of him so that damages our work relationship. I can't make time to work out like I used to either. Either I get up at 5 & go for a run or I come home later and miss out on some family time with Anita & Alex. It's dang tough. Parents out there with no family around to help out, I applaud you. Parents with family close, you should be very thankful to your families. Take the parents out to eat or do something nice for them out of the blue to show them how much you appreciate them.

I've also come to realize that I shouldn't work on Saturdays during College Football season. I can't get anything done at the hospital when football is on, especially when FSU is playing. I'm wandering in & out of different patients rooms just to find out scores. It brings up great conversations with some of the patients though, like "who are you again", "What are you here for?" Anyway, things here in AZ are going pretty good for us. We aren't the richest when it comes to money but we are making it happen though. I hear so many folks on twitter talk about how much they love doing wha t they are passionate for. That's all well and good but what about others who are stuck doing something they like but not necessarily something they love. I would love to just volunteer at a church or soup kitchens and some really needy organizations but I have to provide for my family and the things that I love don't pay very well.

I want to dedicate this week to a gentleman I got to know briefly here at the hospital. He passed away Thursday here in the hospital 3 hours after we spoke. He was an awesome Christian man who challenged me. I sat down with him for about 45 minutes and we talked about church and God. It was a great conversation. I am convicted that we didn't talk enough about Christ though. My transformation into a great man of God is a long process with many side streets that I have turned onto in my life. I need to stay more focused, disciplined, and driven to not just run the race but to excel in it. Thank you Lord for not just second chances but also infinity chances. Lord you know I need them!

Stay Focused,
David

Come Hell or High Water, I WILL SERVE THE LORD!!!

This is my new vision. Over the past 6 or more years, my spiritual walk with Christ has suffered. It has been deteriorating. Throughout this season of success (in the world's point of view), I have always looked at my spiritual walk as I know what I should do but I would never do it. Knowing & doing are two separate things and I knew this but I never did anything about it. That is the difference between Heaven & Hell. A lot of people know about God but never do anything with him.

Over the past 2 months or so, Christ had been stirring my soul. Through many different circumstances and through the death of someone close to my heart, God had been calling me to him. "David, come back to me. I'm still here. I'm right beside you no matter how far away from me you think you are. I'M RIGHT HERE"!! Dan McCullough was a man that you would talk about for a thousand years from now. He was the man who led me to Christ when I was 19. He died of a heart attack not too long ago. From what I have heard, his funeral was a true celebration of his life and what the Lord can do through a man who is willing to allow God to use him. There were thousands of young folks who came forward and talked about how he had touched their lives!!! In the little town of Iva, there were over 3000. folks at his funeral. To me that is amazing!! I want to be a man that you would write about for a thousand years from now. I want to be like the song the 4Him wrote.

Rick Julian, is my best friend. We talk on the phone every now & then. We always give each other a hard time because of everything we have been thru together. He is the brother that I have needed my whole life. Even though I am older physically than he is, I look up to him spiritually. Today, we were talking on the phone and he started ministering to me. To make a long story short, he called me out. He said that I need to look at Christ and say "Come Hell or High Water, I Will Serve The Lord"! I need to be the spiritual head of my household. I need to be the one that my son looks to and brags that my dad is a man of God. My dad is helping folks out in the community. My dad is someone I want to be like. I needed to MAN UP!!! The world isn't going to raise my son for me. He will look to me for support and guidance.

How Great is My God!!!

Love & Fitness,
Davis

Guess who?

Wow, oh how time flies when your not blogging....I haven't blogged in a long while so I thought I should even if no ne reads this. Let's see what's going on with the house? Alex is now 16 months old and he is getting into everything. Like Anita has said he is all boy like his daddy. He likes going outside, playing with trucks, and dirt along with a side of mud!! He also likes his two dogs. He harrasses them all day long but I think they like it.

These past 2 months have been have been very trying for us. As most of you know, I got out of the active duty military in 2008. After getting out, I had to be on standby with the individual ready reserve (IRR) for 4 years afterwards in case there were a mission or something in which they need me for. Well on June 14th, I got orders to deploy to Iraq again. Yeah to say the least we were not happy but we dealt with it. After going to Ft. Jackson, S.C. for two weeks for inprocessing, they determined that I'm not fit to deploy right now due to being on a certain medication. They temporarily deferred me for three months until I'm stabilized on the medication. We just don't know if they will call me back up after the three months are up; so we are just in a waiting game right now. I have a couple of pics to post so I hope you like them.