The Drum Major Instinct

This morning was the funeral of JD Hall. It was a celebration of a man who understood his role in life was to make others better.

It was a very diverse crowd in attendance. The crowd of about 2500 (according to the Florida Times Union) heard both moving and humorous stories about Coach Hall. Everyone reflected on his character and integrity and how his desire was to instill those values in his players and all he was in relationship with.

His uncle was one of those who paid tribute to him. His method for doing so was to recite portions of The Drum Major Instinct, a sermon delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. (I highly recommend taking time to read it...click here for the text.)

King says the Drum Major Instinct is that desire in each person to want to be out front and receive praise. Here is a portion of what was read today. It is powerful.

If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. ...

¨ I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.

¨ I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.

¨ I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question.

¨ I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry.

¨ And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked.

¨ I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison.

¨ I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. …

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,

If I can show somebody he's traveling wrong,

Then my living will not be in vain.

If I can do my duty as a Christian ought,

If I can bring salvation to a world once wrought,

If I can spread the message as the master taught,

Then my living will not be in vain.

I was honored have a small role in this funeral. It was incredible to sit on the stage and watch the crowd respond to that which was being said.

Volleyball Playoffs Video

Jordan Stancil put together this video from footage he took during the playoffs. The two different leagues are intertwined in the video. Enjoy!!

Thanks Jordan!

Leaving A Legacy

The death of JD Hall, Mandarin High School football coach, friend and member of our church, has caused me to do a lot of thinking today.

For one thing, he was 35 and died suddenly of a massive heart attack. I am 33 and could be in much better shape and live a healthier life than I do now.

What I have thought about most, however, is Coach Hall's legacy.

A co-worker came in my office today and we started talking about how we answer the tough questions people are asking. You know..ones like "Why would God take the life of someone who is doing so much good?"

Perhaps God wants to use the life and legacy of Coach Hall to inspire and challenge the rest of us who knew him.

The one thing I have heard the most is how much he cared for the players on his team. His philosophy was to develop the character of the players first and to develop the skills of the player secondly.

Have you ever thought about what your legacy will be? Are you purposefully living a life so that you leave the legacy God wants of you?

I call this blog "Purpose In Every Step" because that is how I want to live my life.

The Highs and Lows of Life

This morning I have great mixed feelings.

Yesterday was an incredible day. I preached at our Camden County campus again. We had 50 people show up for services which is a milestone for the young congregation. After the service we had a great time of fellowship at Giligan's Island...a local park on a lake. It was incredible to look around and see all the people God has brought to this group and to think that just a few months ago they were 8 people meeting in a house. God is Good!

This morning is a low in life. I found out that our local high school football coach died of a heart attack on Saturday night. He was only 35. J.D. Hall was a great man and a friend. He was a member of our church and played in our flag football league. He was actually the MVP for this last season. I went to the school at his invitation this year for their signing day events. Seven of his graduating players received scholarships.

One thing that stuck out to me was his passion for his players. At the beginning of each season he would bring his entire team to one of our Sunday services. He wanted them to understand there was much more to life than football.

It is amazing to me how life can go from a high to a low in an instant with just one phone call. Now I am on my way to the high school to meet with some of the players and pray with them.

Pray for this team and the community. Pray that God will use this to change people's hearts for His sake.

Video of My Niece...Olivia

This is a video of my Olivia pics from vacation. Enjoy!

Uncle Sucker!

Well, we finally made it home about 1:30 this morning. Our flight from Detroit was changed (good thing we got to the airport early...we ended up taking a flight that left an hour earlier). Then our flight from Atlanta to Jacksonville was delayed for about 30 minutes. At least we made it home safe and sound.

Before we left Olivia....I mean Detroit...my brother, Jimmy, described the two of us perfectly. I was willing to get Olivia anything she wanted. That is when Jimmy described us as "Uncle Sucker...the brother of Daddy Sucker!"


If this picture is any indication, I think he is right. This is Olivia with the horse stuffed animal I bought her.

Carrie and I had a great time. This was one of the best vacations we have had together.

A Good Uncle

Being the good uncle, I got to teach Olivia how to shoot a basketball. It is never too early to learn!

Live...From Detroit

Carrie and I are in Detroit visiting my brother and his wife and daughter....mostly his daughter, Olivia! Here is a pic and you can see why.

Today we visited the Henry Ford Museum. It was neat to see all of the phases the automobile has gone through from the days of the horse and carriage and the bike!

While I am here I am working on a sermon for this weekend. It is a part of our 'Man Up' series that focuses on Friendship. The cool thing about working on it while here is that my brother, Jimmy, and I are learning what it means to be friends as adults.

In general, men need to learn how to have friends and be a friend. This is an area I need to work on. I have friends and I love being there for them. The flip side is that I don't go to guys as friends when I need help.

Well, back to vacation! I will try to update more later in the week.

Basic Training Camp

Since Wednesday I have been at Epworth By The Sea for another youth camp. This time it was with 3-4 graders. It was great...especially since Carrie got to go along with me as a counselor. My role was to do the sports and recreation.

On Saturday afternoon I set up a 100 foot slip-n-slide!

Check out Afton and Jordan enjoying the it.

Carrie and I are on our way out of town tomorrow morning to visit my brother in Detroit for a week. It should be a great time.

I will put more pics...and hopefully a video or two...here by the time I return next weekend that are from this camp. I have over 1100 pics just from this 4 day camp!

It's Not That Hard

Each Sunday our ministry staff gather at 7:45am to have a time of prayer before the services. Each week someone shares a verse and prayer.

This week it was our senior pastor's turn. Dennis shared from Micah 6, a passage I that continues to challenge me.

In verses 6 & 7 the people of Israel ask what they can do to restore their relationship with Christ. "Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? ...Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of ours souls?"

The response of the prophet Micah is remarkable.

"No, O people, the Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

I needed to hear that yesterday and be reminded of what it is God wants me to do.

A Camden County Update...

I wanted to post this earlier, but it has been a crazy week.

Last Sunday I preached at our Camden County campus again. These guys are awesome! They are always loving and encouraging when I am with them.

I continue to be amazed and impressed by their commitment to getting this campus started.

We had at least 5 first time visitors last week (not counting the couples from my small group that went) and some came wanting to know what they needed to do to be baptized!! How awesome is that!!

Keep praying for the leaders of this campus. I am already looking forward to being up there again on June 24.

Camp Dynamite!

I spent this week at Epworth by the Sea in St. Simons Island, GA with our middle school camp. My role was to provide the morning and afternoon recreation time.

We had over 215 kids from our church attend between the 5-8 grades. I had a lot of fun getting to know them.

We played some crazy games (some pics to come later). There was the human snowman in which each team covered a camper in shaving cream. We had a sloppy slip and slide that had milk, syrup, salsa, soap and a bunch of other nasty stuff for the kids to slide on. The worse part of the whole week was cleaning that mess up!

I also put together a regular slip and slide one afternoon. At other times the campers actually bobbed for vienna sausages out of baked beans (disgusting!) and followed that up immediately with picking gummy bears out of a pile of flour.

It wasn't all sloppy games. We played a bunch of large group games and gave them some free time to play what the wanted....which always seemed to include dodge ball!

Next week I head back to the same camp grounds for our 3-4 grade camps. It is called Bible Boot Camp and should be fun as well. It will be better just because Carrie can go along with me.

4th-6th Grade Flag Football Video

Thanks to Jordan Stancil, one of the teens at the church, we have a video that highlights some of our 4th-6th grade flag football league.

Thanks Jordan!!