"The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits." - Hervey Allen
It's the big week here on N. Wintzell. Saturday will see my 20's come to a close and I will step into the beginnings of middle age. I don't expect much to change between Friday night and Saturday morning. Many of you who have known me feel like I've been 30 since I was 5. The occasion of my 30th birthday has given me reason to pause for introspection and over the next few weeks, I hope to share some of those insights with you. They'll probably be narcissistic, absurd, self-indulgent, or cliched. But then again, it's MY BIRTHDAY!
So, be on the lookout in the days ahead for my own 30 Thoughts for 30 Years.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
One Year Ago...
OK, so it's taken awhile to write this one. It's hard to believe that just over a year ago I started my current journey down N. Wintzell, and I must say that the ride has been a blast. Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to serve a great church, come back to a hometown that I love, and get closer to a family that I've missed over the past few years. We've welcomed a new addition to our family and we've seen our church family grow as well. I don't know what the next year holds for any of us, but I just don't know how it could be any better than this year has been.
One of the highlights of the journey has been writing this blog. I've never really considered myself a writer but I've enjoyed the opportunity to share my thoughts, memories, and experiences with all of you. Hopefully, life will slow down in the days ahead and I'll be able to give the blog a bit more attention. Writing has been good for me and I want to do it more often. Thank you for indulging me and thank you for the many words of encouragement that I've received as I continue to write. If the measure of a man's life is the quality of his friends, than I believe that the last year has proven just how blessed I am. I'm surrounded by some of the best folks a person could ask to associate himself with and I don't take that lightly. I've been taking a look down N. Wintzell and I believe that the view is mighty fine!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
A Late Father's Day Thought
I know, I know, the moment's passed. We had the opportunity to celebrate Father's Day Sunday, and I hope that you enjoyed your day as much as I enjoyed mine. Dads are special people (I'm biased, I know) and I know that I've been blessed with a great one. Dads are never more special than when you are five years old. At that point, they carry near-mythic powers. I heard this account of a conversation between a group of five year-olds that I believe is instructive on the subject.
"Three five year old boys were discussing which one of their dads was the smartest. The first little boy told his friends, 'My Dad is so smart, he writes a few words on a scrap of paper, calls it a poem, and they give him $100 for it.' Not to be outdone, the second little boy said, 'Oh yeah! My Dad is so smart, he writes a few words on a scrap of paper, calls it a song, and they give him $1,000 for it.' Finally, the pastor's son spoke up: 'My Dad's smarter than anyone of your dads. He writes a few words on a scrap of paper, calls it a sermon, and it takes four guys to take up all the money!'"
In my mind's eye, my Dad will always be 27. He's not anymore, and when I look at him, I can tell it. But when I think of him, he's always a young guy with dark hair (hair! and dark...)who has just come home from another day of hard work at the shipyard. My kids see him at work today and think he gets dirty. I remember when he came home so nasty you could only see the whites of his eyes. I wanted to play baseball, but my total lack of hand-eye coordination made it difficult. I was never the worst kid on the team, but I was never far off either. Regardless of my lack of skill, he was patient, going out in the backyard to practice with me as often as we had the opportunity. I never became a good baseball player (list this as reason #4,312 for why I am a pastor), but I did get better. It's important that every young boy be able to throw, catch, and hit well enough to not wear the dreaded "swings like a girl" label. I managed to avoid that, and it's all thanks to dear old Dad.
Over the years, he remained patient with me. Whether it was at home or at work, he did his best to teach me the manly arts. Some took, some did not. I'd like to think that the area where the lessons were best learned regard the art of the grill (an article for a later date). While I'm not all that handy, nor particularly proficient at anything requiring much skill, I can do enough to get by. Knowing my skill base, the fact that I reached this point at all should be a great testimony to Dad's patient instructions.
I still count on him. He's still patient. Slowly but surely, I'm learning new things. I'm staring down the barrel of 30 and I have three kids of my own. My Dad's still there for me. And though I've aged and he has too, I still see him as the same young man who filled his son's life with so much wonder. If I'm able to inspire in my children half of what he's inspired in me, I'll be able to look back on this life and say that my job was well done. Here's to you, Dad. Enjoy (a few days late) your day.
I think I'm going to find my boy and go play catch. Try not to be too impressed by my display of athleticism, as you take the drive down N. Wintzell.
"Three five year old boys were discussing which one of their dads was the smartest. The first little boy told his friends, 'My Dad is so smart, he writes a few words on a scrap of paper, calls it a poem, and they give him $100 for it.' Not to be outdone, the second little boy said, 'Oh yeah! My Dad is so smart, he writes a few words on a scrap of paper, calls it a song, and they give him $1,000 for it.' Finally, the pastor's son spoke up: 'My Dad's smarter than anyone of your dads. He writes a few words on a scrap of paper, calls it a sermon, and it takes four guys to take up all the money!'"
In my mind's eye, my Dad will always be 27. He's not anymore, and when I look at him, I can tell it. But when I think of him, he's always a young guy with dark hair (hair! and dark...)who has just come home from another day of hard work at the shipyard. My kids see him at work today and think he gets dirty. I remember when he came home so nasty you could only see the whites of his eyes. I wanted to play baseball, but my total lack of hand-eye coordination made it difficult. I was never the worst kid on the team, but I was never far off either. Regardless of my lack of skill, he was patient, going out in the backyard to practice with me as often as we had the opportunity. I never became a good baseball player (list this as reason #4,312 for why I am a pastor), but I did get better. It's important that every young boy be able to throw, catch, and hit well enough to not wear the dreaded "swings like a girl" label. I managed to avoid that, and it's all thanks to dear old Dad.
Over the years, he remained patient with me. Whether it was at home or at work, he did his best to teach me the manly arts. Some took, some did not. I'd like to think that the area where the lessons were best learned regard the art of the grill (an article for a later date). While I'm not all that handy, nor particularly proficient at anything requiring much skill, I can do enough to get by. Knowing my skill base, the fact that I reached this point at all should be a great testimony to Dad's patient instructions.
I still count on him. He's still patient. Slowly but surely, I'm learning new things. I'm staring down the barrel of 30 and I have three kids of my own. My Dad's still there for me. And though I've aged and he has too, I still see him as the same young man who filled his son's life with so much wonder. If I'm able to inspire in my children half of what he's inspired in me, I'll be able to look back on this life and say that my job was well done. Here's to you, Dad. Enjoy (a few days late) your day.
I think I'm going to find my boy and go play catch. Try not to be too impressed by my display of athleticism, as you take the drive down N. Wintzell.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
VBS Time
If, like many of my readers, you grew up in a small town in Alabama (or really, most anywhere across the region) you probably had the opportunity to participate in one of the Summer's great traditions: Vacation Bible School. We're gearing up for our own VBS here on N. Wintzell, and I'm looking forward to it. If you have children or grandchildren in Kindergarten-6th grade, we'd love to have them come out and participate June 20th-24th from 8:30-11:30am. It'll be a good time!
Now that the commercial is out of the way, a few observations on VBS:
1) At a real VBS, you march in, say pledges, and learn the motto and memory verse for the week. The real key to all of this is the march. My dear Aunt Helen insured that each morning's opening assembly began with a processional into the church from outside. I'm not sure exactly why we have a processional, but we do. Maybe it's because everybody looks forward to the chance to participate in a parade? Regardless, standing around outside in the morning sauna in south Alabama is an important character-building experience that every child should participate in.
2) You can make almost anything with popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners. Over the course of my years as a student at VBS, we made things out of pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks that would have put MacGyver to shame. This is especially important given the fact that I may have been the worst craft-maker in the history of VBS. My poor parents would walk into my classroom each year on parent night to "see what I had made" at VBS this year. Thank God that they always smiled and told me it was great regardless of how poorly I had done. Leave me to memorize Bible verses and answer questions, thanks. I did always wonder, however, what in the world kind of pipes you cleaned with those pipe cleaners and who got to eat all of those popsicles?
3) Snack time was always a real highlight of VBS for me (Surprise!). But the greatest year of VBS I can remember was the year that we rented a sno-cone machine. Unlimited (ok, limited to one) sno-cones right there at my finger tips each and every day... It was heavenly. No begging to stop at a sno-cone shop, I could just go to VBS each day (not that I really had all that much choice in the matter) and when snack time came around I could enjoy my own icy treat. Other favorite snack options include cookies and kool-aid.
4) VBS was also a great opportunity to play with kids that I knew from school and wouldn't otherwise see all summer. There were always lots of kids who came to VBS that didn't usually attend our church and it was a fun time.
5) For one week each summer, a lot of fantastic adults poured out their love for Jesus into my life. Working with kids isn't easy, and at times it can be downright frustrating and disappointing. In the midst of all that, I got to experience the care and affection of good men and women who wanted me to know Jesus the same way that they did. Those weeks of VBS helped shape me and mold me. Now, I get the opportunity to return that investment, as I serve some of those same folks as their pastor. (Be careful what you teach those kids and VBS, they may preach it from your pulpit one day!)
If you're one of those faithful volunteers, thanks for what you do. If you're not, you should be! If you've got kids, grandkids, or great-grandkids, get them out to VBS at your church this summer. In the meantime, I'd really like one of those sno-cones, here on N. Wintzell.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
About Those Unsightly Extra Pounds
Battle is raging today, here on N. Wintzell. It's that time again, as after nearly two years of convalescing I am engaging again in the Battle of the Bulge. For two consecutive nights now, I've gotten out for a run. I hope to drop a few pounds and improve my cardio health and stamina. Lest you think this move is inspired by vanity, well, it is at least a little bit. On the other hand, I hope that this latest move is inspired by a desire for long-term health. A few observations about the current state of my health:
1) I'm not in quite as bad a shape as I thought I was. Running has not been pleasant, by any means, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Then again, I'm not running very far or very fast...
2) I think the difference is my Nike Dri-Fit t-shirt. While we were on vacation in Pigeon Forge, we engaged in that most American of pastimes, visiting the outlets. At the Nike store, I found some great deals on the aforementioned Nike shirts. I may not be very fast, but at least I run wearing a cool looking t-shirt. My Reebok pumps in 1991 may not have made me jump any higher, but I definitely think these shirts are boosting my running performance.
3) I like to eat way too much, and my hometown has provided too many opportunities to indulge. I blame all of you fantastic cooks for my current situation. In every church and community I've ever been in, the folks there thought they were the best cooks in the world. Citizens of Bayou la Batre, you win. On a trip to New England a few years back, Suzanne and I found ourselves in Burlington, Vermont on a Saturday night looking for supper. I was the fattest man in the entire city. After we finally found supper, I realized why. If I had to eat that slop three meals a day, I'd be thin too.
4) I sit around too much. Unfortunately, I do sedentary well. Don't get me wrong, I like to be active, but I also like to read, study, and relax. At the end of my day, one of the latter options is most likely to win out. Discipline and motivation are hard.
5) This really matters. As much as I wish it didn't, I know that I need to establish some healthier parameters in terms of my diet and exercise. I'd like to get as much out of the years I have as I can.
6) I could use some accountability, so if you see a fat guy running down N. Wintzell, yell something encouraging! Also, please don't throw anything at me.
7) I eat at Subway a lot, so that should count as healthy, right? What do you mean the chicken shouldn't be slathered in bacon and ranch dressing? What if I add spinach, is this a fair trade?
Hopefully, I will be providing updates on this journey in the weeks and months ahead. My goal is to parlay this effort in to running some kind of race (I'm mulling options now). Until then, it's off to bed with my tired legs and time to recover before I'm pounding the pavement again, here on N. Wintzell.
1) I'm not in quite as bad a shape as I thought I was. Running has not been pleasant, by any means, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Then again, I'm not running very far or very fast...
2) I think the difference is my Nike Dri-Fit t-shirt. While we were on vacation in Pigeon Forge, we engaged in that most American of pastimes, visiting the outlets. At the Nike store, I found some great deals on the aforementioned Nike shirts. I may not be very fast, but at least I run wearing a cool looking t-shirt. My Reebok pumps in 1991 may not have made me jump any higher, but I definitely think these shirts are boosting my running performance.
3) I like to eat way too much, and my hometown has provided too many opportunities to indulge. I blame all of you fantastic cooks for my current situation. In every church and community I've ever been in, the folks there thought they were the best cooks in the world. Citizens of Bayou la Batre, you win. On a trip to New England a few years back, Suzanne and I found ourselves in Burlington, Vermont on a Saturday night looking for supper. I was the fattest man in the entire city. After we finally found supper, I realized why. If I had to eat that slop three meals a day, I'd be thin too.
4) I sit around too much. Unfortunately, I do sedentary well. Don't get me wrong, I like to be active, but I also like to read, study, and relax. At the end of my day, one of the latter options is most likely to win out. Discipline and motivation are hard.
5) This really matters. As much as I wish it didn't, I know that I need to establish some healthier parameters in terms of my diet and exercise. I'd like to get as much out of the years I have as I can.
6) I could use some accountability, so if you see a fat guy running down N. Wintzell, yell something encouraging! Also, please don't throw anything at me.
7) I eat at Subway a lot, so that should count as healthy, right? What do you mean the chicken shouldn't be slathered in bacon and ranch dressing? What if I add spinach, is this a fair trade?
Hopefully, I will be providing updates on this journey in the weeks and months ahead. My goal is to parlay this effort in to running some kind of race (I'm mulling options now). Until then, it's off to bed with my tired legs and time to recover before I'm pounding the pavement again, here on N. Wintzell.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Quick Update
Greetings,
Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. I want to take a moment and thank all of you for the tremendous outpouring of support that I've received here at N. Wintzell. I'm glad to hear how much you enjoy the blog, and I look forward to posting more often as we move into the summer. With that in mind, I wanted to let you know that I am also posting on another blog. In fact, it's The Happiest Blog on Earth. In it, I'll be joining with a group of bloggers as we share about our interest and fandom for all things Disney. Hopefully, you'll like it as much as the reflections provided here on N. Wintzell. I'm not giving up this blog, and if anything, I hope that this project will spark the creative juices and inspire me to write more often here. And as always, thanks for your support!
Now, I get the chance to write about my two favorite places on earth, and any way you look at it, that's a good thing. That's my view, from N. Wintzell to Main Street U.S.A.
Sorry it's been awhile since I last posted. I want to take a moment and thank all of you for the tremendous outpouring of support that I've received here at N. Wintzell. I'm glad to hear how much you enjoy the blog, and I look forward to posting more often as we move into the summer. With that in mind, I wanted to let you know that I am also posting on another blog. In fact, it's The Happiest Blog on Earth. In it, I'll be joining with a group of bloggers as we share about our interest and fandom for all things Disney. Hopefully, you'll like it as much as the reflections provided here on N. Wintzell. I'm not giving up this blog, and if anything, I hope that this project will spark the creative juices and inspire me to write more often here. And as always, thanks for your support!
Now, I get the chance to write about my two favorite places on earth, and any way you look at it, that's a good thing. That's my view, from N. Wintzell to Main Street U.S.A.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Travels Abroad (or Tennessee) Part I
Greetings!
It's good to be back home, here on N. Wintzell after a week of travel. Last week, we took the opportunity to spend a few days away during Suzanne's spring break and, as always, we had quite the adventure. For this trip, we decided to go somewhere a bit different than our usual haunts, so we headed north to the mountains of eastern Tennessee for our time of rest and relaxation. If you've never visited the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area, you've missed out. I had never been there myself until just about 4 years ago. We were Disney World people (a story for another day) and never made the trek north. Each trip to the mountains fills me with a fresh perspective on the experience and this trip was no different.
Gatlinburg
No trip to the mountains would be complete without a cruise down the Parkway in Gatlinburg. One of the things that I appreciate about Gatlinburg is that I always walk away with my ego boosted from the trip. I'm a bit on the hefty side. While I'm not completely obese, I could definitely stand to lose a few pounds, and moving closer to Mama's cooking hasn't helped. A few years back, Suzanne and I took an anniversary trip to New England and found ourselves enjoying the scenery on a Saturday night in Burlington, Vermont. It was a beautiful place and I loved our time there. Burlington was also filled with thin attractive people. I was the largest man in the city. This is not the case in Gatlinburg. While the good people of Burlington looked at me with disgust over their grilled chicken salads, the visitors to Gatlinburg I saw looked up from their plates of pancakes and bacon as if to say, "come join us son, you're looking a little puny". In Gatlinburg, I'm truly amongst my own.
If we are what we consume, then my time in Gatlinburg scares me more than a little bit. If you were unaware, the entire economy of this fair city must be based on fudge, airsoft guns, and airbrushed t-shirts. The fudge I understand completely. Who doesn't love overpriced candy? (as for me, I prefer my tourist-trap confections in the taffy variety) I can understand the appeal of airsoft guns for young boys on vacation, but I can't for the life of me understand the thriving airbrushed t-shirt industry. (Disclaimer: I've never owned an airbrushed t-shirt) After observing my fellow travelers for a few hours, I felt like the airbrushed t-shirt was a cultural ritual worth participating in. I also believed that it would be better if my beloved and I got matching airbrushed t-shirts. Unfortunately, I was unable to convince my bride that we would be easier to keep up with in Dollywood with matching airbrushed t-shirts. As we passed by the shops, I gave significant consideration to what we might be able to get. At last, I decided that the perfect design to express my love of my wife and pride in my culture and heritage would be a buck and a doe standing side-by-side at sunset on a hillside covered with a Confederate-flag. I can't understand why she didn't want one either. Maggie let me know that she wouldn't be seen with me if I got an airbrushed t-shirt. Harsh words from a 5 year-old. At least Joseph thought the SpongeBob one looked cool.
That's all for today, but I'll be back soon with more on my trip report!
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