Sub Tropics Rock!

I just had to put up one more short video for my northern friends after I checked their weather. Take a look at the graphics of current temperatures I just pulled off weather.com.


Is it any wonder that people keep moving here. No brainer for sure!





A couple of shots of my video equipment. All made on a Mac. I will be glad when my cameras are back from California (but not as glad as I'll be to have my wife back.)

Boot Camp

I saw the sign every day for the free boot camp class on Saturday at Lifestyle Fitness. It's a program that you have to pay for and I think it runs 8 weeks. They are in between semesters and so this is probably to get people to sign up for the next session.

I decided that if I didn't sleep in that I would go to the class. Well I got there and saw that it was about half woman and men. No problem I thought as the competitive side in me was sizing up the competition. I knew that they played a team concept with someone winning and of course the losers.

How hard could it be right? No problem.

They made us run from inside the club to the parking lot and we ran for 5 minutes. We ended up on a concrete pad outside the club. The whole hour session would be outside.

Did I mention that it was already 75 degrees and sunny?

By half way through I was sure I was going to hurl. I could just walk away. What harm is there in that. WHAT! WALK AWAY! THAT'S FOR LOSERS.

So I sucked it up and kept going.

After the class was over some of them were talking about the next session. I wasn't talking as I was just trying to breathe and stay alive.

It turns out that every one of them just finished the last semester. On top of that half of them were just completing their second one in a row.

It is an incredibly high aerobic workout. I believe the goal must be to see if they can kill someone. Thankfully that wasn't me and I have lived to write about the experience.

Just for the northerners reading this. I am sitting out next to the pool (getting ready to jump in for a swim) and it's currently 81 degrees.

God definitely does smile on some of us:)

Jazz at St Armands Circle

It is a perfect night for Jazz on the circle. Mid 70's and sunshine when it started. We are in the first intermission right now and it has cooled off to a pleasant 67.

Gotta love free internet!

Sorry for the low quality pictures and video.
Susan has all the cameras in California.
I am shooting all of this with the camera on my computer.


Tonight features Allon Sams and Friends. He always has a few surprises with great local guests jumping in. This guy is n incredible keyboard player.

Bobcat Sighting

As I was driving to the club this morning a small bobcat ran in front of my car. He wasn't as big as the one in the picture. I was getting off I75 at SR 70 when he ran across the off ramp. Hard to believe with all the homes around that he was out on the loose.

That's Florida for you. So I went online to see how many are in Florida. There are a lot! Then I find a link to a bobcat at the exit before this one was behind the Home Depot off University (that's the exit between this one and my house).

I'm not sure I want to wander through the woods here. I already know we have one of the largest snake populations.

The latest update on Leah & TJ and the moving nightmares. After being 5 days late the company truck drove over and broke a sprinkler head at their new place. Then a brand new queen mattress that was sealed and has never been used is totally full of water. The company is not giving them the time of day. What happened to integrity in America.
The company is out of Tampa and I will post all of their details when I get them. They are not going to be very happy with me when I contact every tv station in Tampa with the story. Hopefully one of them will pick it up.

Very Funny

My mother sent these to me. They are hilarious. Have a good laugh.


Just click here to go to the site these came from.

The StairMaster

Today when I went to the gym and it was really busy. Knowing that your body adapts to exercises I decided to change it up today. Also their were no treadmills or ellipticals available.

But there was one machine that only 1 person was using (and there were a pile of them). The stairmaster. I decided that I would take a shot at it. It was better than nothing. I mean how hard can it be to walk up stairs right? So I set the level on about half and selected cardio and away we went.

It seemed way too easy so after 3 minutes I bumped up to the highest level.

What a mistake!

Talk about kick my butt!

The last 4 minutes were brutal but there was no way I was giving in. This machine was not getting the best of me. It was me versus the machine and I was not backing down! I did finish but came to a new realization that this is an excellent machine to use. It's actually a way better cardio workout than any of the others. I'm going to make it a regular part of my routine for the next month.

It kinda reminded me of my spiritual life. We can seem to be going along fine but we are really on the lowest level possible. The lowest level (lazy and doing nothing) is almost spiritual death.
I know that I need to dial up the level and really go for it. That's what Christianity is all about. It's the pursuit of Christ. Pursuit by the way is a verb. That means action! If you're in a rut then you need to get going and get active spiritually.
I am upping my pursuit of Christ.

I want to get the most out of this life as possible. I want all the fullnes that Christ has for me. And pursuing Christ with everything that I have is the way to go.

Time to get moving if you are on a low level!

Just sitting outside at Starbucks enjoying an absolutely fantastic day here in paradise. Worked out already and got my hair cut. Time to just relax and read for a while.

In the book I am reading "Talent Is Overrated" there is just a ton of great stuff from the studies that have been done. This last chapter dealt with the home and family life. The title is "What Homes Can Teach Organizations".

They did a study of 120 young men and woman from widely divergent fields - piano, sculpting,swimming,tennis,mathematics, and neurology.

"Despite wide variations in the parents' backgrounds,professions,and incomes, their homes tended to be child oriented. Kids were important, and the parents were willing to do a lot - almost anything - to help them. The parents also believed in and modeled a strong work ethic. Work came before play,obligations had to be met, goals were to be pursued. To excel,to do one's best,to work hard,and to spend one's time constructively were emphasized over and over again." P. 172

In an organization this would be called the culture.

The correlation for us is that we have to continue to pursue excellence. We must continue to learn new things. Employers must push employees to develop but that also requires sacrifices as well. Employers must be willing to take time away from production while employees learn new skills that will ultimately make the organization better.

In our personal lives as Christians we can take those principles as well. If you are comfortable and not moving forward then you are going to be ineffective.

We need to continue to study and learn. Our desire should always be to become more like Christ. That is not a passive thing. It requires work and discipline on our parts.

So are you a couch potato or are you going to be passionate for Christ?

Might be time to take the lazy jeans off and get yourself moving forward again!

Thats it for today (until my next post of course).

Sunday Video Blog

Here is another fine example

of a complete waste of time (the video).

It is now more than 34 hours

without Susan and counting.

Don't Worry. Be Happy !

This week was a birthday for me. We had a great time celebrating with the family together. For me it was just another one. Nothing more and nothing less. I am glad that I am not a person that worries about the number actually getting higher. I would hate to be a person that actually loses sleep over the aging process. It's called life. Life happens.
If you do worry listen to this passage in the Psalm 92.

12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

13 planted in the house of the Lord,

they will flourish in the courts of our God.

14 They will still bear fruit in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;

he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

I like that! I am still going to bear fruit no matter how old I get. But I like this part even better. I will stay fresh and green. Man that's good stuff.
Just trust God and enjoy the journey that He takes you on. It is an exciting journey filled with incredible things just waiting for you to experience.
Don't lose one second of it to worry.
Don't worry. Be happy!
Ya Man !

Security

Ii is amazing how God has us covered. Why do we worry? Really. If we would just take His word for absolute truth then there is no reason to ever worry. Check this out.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the Lord, who is my refuge—

10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; (Psalm 91)

That is pretty clear isn't it? If you are truly a Christ follower then He has your back. And He has your whole family (your tent). Man that is great! Talk about Angels in the outfield, you've got them all around you and your family. So why not relax and let God take care of all the "Stuff"? Grab onto that today and have a great day!

Great Words

I haven't followed a one year bible reading for some time. I am really enjoying it this time. I like the variety that it provides every day. This morning in Exodus 33 the words just really hit home.

"If you are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You."

Later on in the chapter God answers Moses and says

"I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know your name."

Wow! That's the kind of response I want. To have God pleased with you.

What a great prayer. To know His ways and to find favor. I'm going to pray that over and over and over. My desire is to know Him and be known by Him.

There is nothing better than that for sure!

Saturday Blues and Video Blog

I just dropped the girls off at the airport. Very sad.........lots of tears. Will miss TJ & Leah immensely. I will definitely miss McKenna and Addison. But most of all I don't have Susan for 2 weeks. It's the first time in our marriage that we are apart longer than 5 days. I already don't like it.

Shot this with my phone (Susan has the cameras packed) just before the tram doors closed and took them away.

Thats them waving as the tram pulls away.

TJ & Rei Respond From California

If you have a facebook account be sure to go and see the video Nathan and Laura put up. It is a hilarious song asking TJ to come back. Actually they put up at least 4 videos that I saw today. The one in response to Tricia Peppers comment may be the funniest. If I knew how to link it here I would.

Anyway Rei and TJ posted this in response to Nathan and Laura.

Great stuff today guys.

Last Family Lunch

Just sitting here at Chic-fil-a watching the kids play together for the last time. Shannon has to work tonight so this was our last chance to get together. Leah leaves tomorrow to join TJ in California. It will certainly take some time to get used to it. I am excited for the great new opportunity that they have in California. TJ has a place to go and be mentored and grow with a team. I couldn't be happier for them.

Oh and I have awesome kids. They gave me a Starbucks gold card today as a birthday present. Gotta love it! Not why they're awesome, they just are. If you got to hang out with them you would know why.

It's crazy to see where technology has gone. Being able to write and post this with pictures. It makes me wonder how obsolete this will be in another year.

Sent from my iPhone (I WISH...for now just a Motorola Q)

My Birthday

Well another year passed today and that makes 52. The numbers have never bothered me at all. I guess I'm lucky with that. Some people seem to really freak out about the getting older thing. Hey. It's just life! Deal with it!

Of course having a Ron Zammit cake was the pinnacle of the evening and may I say it was fantastic! Kudos to you Ron for going above and beyond once again.

It was sad in the fact that it is probably the last birthday we will spend together as Leah leaves for California on Saturday.

All in all we had a great evening. Nothing better than spending time with family.

All of the boys and McKenna call me Pa Pa. Matthew being the oldest was the first to tag me with a name. Hehaw was it. Nobody really knows where it came from. Finally got that one gone and now the boys call me grandpa. McKenna still calls me pa pa. Then tonight Nathaniel got into the action for the first time. Nathaniel said Pa Pa for the first time tonight and then repeated it 4 or 5 times in a row. I had a little fun with that in the video clip.


Tracey's Birthday With Family from Tracey Flanagan on Vimeo.

Life Long Road Map

As I was reading this morning this passage just jumped out at me. I love when that happens. It's like God is saying "STOP and pay attention!".

Psalm 86 says

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,

and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name.

How can God teach us His ways if we don't take time with Him? The answer is it won't happen. It's really simple when you look at it. When we prioritize our lives and put God first we live in His will. When we get "busy" and put God in a secondary roll is when things really start to get crazy.

I don't know about you but I want God's best for me and my family. My desire is that He is sitting on the throne of my life. In that way I will walk in His truth and will have an undivided heart.

In the book I am reading "Talent Is Overrated" they have made the discovery through many studies that it takes someone a ten year period in any area to become elite. That is 10 years of discipline and training.

Imagine how we could change the world if we would reach that place in our study of the Word and our pursuit of Christ.

Today is a good day to start. You will be one day closer tomorrow.

Video Fun

I watched this today and thought it was hilarious. Also that it is very doable. I will give it a shot with one of my grand kids and see what I can come up with. In the meantime enjoy this one.

On The Road

We are driving to Port Charlotte for a ministers monthly meeing. Two hours of drive time plus the luncheon and the day is pretty much gone. At least it is beautiful and sunny for the drive.
A friend of mine (who shall remain nameless in Atlanta) left me a long messsge on my office phone from a previous posting. I guess my valentines day at the beach touched a nerve. He mentioned the fact that I would spend many years in the coldest corner of heaven.
I had a great laugh with that one.
Thanks John . I'll try to keep the laughs coming.

Valentines Day

What better way to spend the day than taking time at one of the top beaches in America. Siesta Key is consistently in the top 10 every year. It is usually in the top 3 for the best white sand. It really is an amazing place that is just a few short minutes from our house. I almost feel bad posting this when I know that it snowed in Windsor on Saturday. Actually that's not true. I love posting stuff like this. I was actually amazed that so many people were in the water swimming.


Valentines Day at the Beach from Tracey Flanagan on Vimeo.

You Are Here (with The Same Power)

Here is another new song from our Saturday night service. Not a good mix however. Vocals are way off and guitar way to hot in spots. When I get a better recording I will re post it. Just to be fair to Tim this is not his mix. Our video mix comes off another board in the video room. They have a long way to go.



You Are Here (with The Same Power) from Tracey Flanagan on Vimeo.

This was also new tonight. Again a mix with the band buried and the vocals too hot. Two other mics are louder than the leaders in many places.


With Me from Tracey Flanagan on Vimeo.

Bizarre For Sure

This story just blows my mind. How far has America gone when a phone number goes for almost 200 grand!

An eBay auction for ‘the most famous phone number in history’ has ended tonight with the winning bid at over $186,000. The number is 867-5309, the title of a 1982 hit for Tommy Tutone; the seller says that it’s one of the few versions of the number left on any US area code, and has thousands of calls every year from people randomly dialing the number belonging to Jenny in the song.

Unbelievable in this economy.

I was reading this morning and came across the section in Exodus 23 where God was instructing the Israelites to demolish and get rid of all the sacred stones of the land they were about to enter. God knew that these would become stumbling blocks to them if they were not destroyed.

I think that's a good prayer for every one of us. God , what do I need to destroy or get rid of in my life that will cause me to stumble. I'm making that a prayer today so that I will not keep anything around me that will cause me to stumble from my walk in Christ.

Last Service For Leah & TJ

A sad night for us but a new beginning for them. Here is an edited video of the evening.


Leah & TJ Farewell from Tracey Flanagan on Vimeo.







A big thank you to all who made this night a night that they will cherish and remember always.

Mobile post 2

We are on our way to the Cheesecake Factory. Its going to be a good night. We are also meeting with Wulfs and Champions for a last visit with Leah and TJ. More later.

Hungry

I read this today on Steven Furticks' blog. Something for all of to keep in mind. Are we still hungry?

When selecting people to join your team, one of the primary characteristics you should look for is hunger.
More specifically: a hunger to see God do the extraordinary as demonstrated by humility, sacrifice, and perseverance.

None of our original core team members had the experience to do what I was asking them to do. But man, they were hungry.
And sometimes an ounce of hunger is better than a pound of experience.
Because a truly hungry leader will hunt for wisdom and experience until they find it. And they’ll learn it by living it out rather than philosophizing and theorizing about it.

On the flipside, I’ve found that experience minus hunger equals arrogance and cynicism.
Statements like:
“But we’ve always…”
“But we’ve never…” and
“Why should we bother to…”
are a sure sign that the hunger isn’t there anymore.
You can’t stay hungry when you’re full of yourself.

Jesus seemed to exemplify this in his senior management team selection process.
Peter wasn’t diplomatic…but he was hungry. (A little too hungry?)
Matthew’s profession wasn’t popular with the people, but he was hungry to make a difference.
Thomas wasn’t always sure…but he was hungry to search for truth.

Check the references. Value the experience. Probe for aptitude. And certainly validate the character.
But don’t forget about the secret ingredient called hunger.
It covers a multitude of incompetency.

Jethro's (not Bodine) Wisdom

Day 6 of the one year Bible. So far so good.
Also have made 4 workouts in a row now. Trying to get back into the three workouts a week. Feeling a lot more energy today with the consistent workouts.

It was interesting reading in Exodus today. Moses father in law Jethro gave him some wise advice. Moses was sitting from morning until night judging all the disputes. Jethro realized that he would never last at this pace. So he proposed the following.

21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.

We were not made to do everything ourselves. God assembles teams to work together and accomplish much more. When we follow His plans we have nothing but great things in store for us.
Problems arise when one persons believes that they have all the answers.
Trust me on that one!

We have Leah and the girls for almost 2 more weeks so I am getting some great pictures. Here is Addison tonight. She loves being held and talked to.

New Song Last Night

Here is our first shot at the song "Run". Remember that this is a live feed mix off the video room board and is not the house mix. We also have no post production capabilities. But it's not bad for the first time.

Thanks to all the team who work so hard to make this happen.

McKenna was sick so Susan stayed home to babysit so Leah & TJ could go to church together. Shannon had to work and Ryan was playing guitar for the first time in service so she also had the 3 boys. Here's a clip of them playing last night.

I am reading and I am struck with the children of Israel complaining only 1 month after leaving Egypt. Imagine all the plagues that were fresh in their minds. Imagine the incredible wealth that they left with. How about the parting of the Red Sea! That had to be awesome. How do you forget that so quick?

Yet in Exodus 16 it talks about them complaining.

3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

And only 3 days after the Red Sea miracle they complained about bot having enough water. As if the God who had just destroyed the Egyptian army would have problems providing for them. Incredible!

If you are in a tough spot this morning be sure that you know in Your heart that God has your back. He will provide in His own time and in His own way. Get ready for a miracle!

This is my prayer this morning. Lord let me content with all that I have been blessed with. You are my provider and my strength. In You I have all that I need. Let Your will be done. Amen. Have a great day !

PS Day 5 into the one year Bible reading. Anyone still with me?

You Version Bible

If you are looking for an easy way to organize your Bible reading You Version is for you. It also has the ability for you to journal every day on your account if you choose to do that. I have been using it for a while but recently with my phone it is great. I am using the Youversion Mobile and it's great. It is a very simple window that allows you to pull up any scripture on your internet enabled phone. Unlike some apps that are very busy and tough to navigate this one is simple and easy to use. You can also choose from a number of Bible versions.

Of course for you rich folk it's available as an app for your iPhone.

I just realized that the mobile also included the One Year Bible readings as well. The one year is simply listed as "Daily Readings".

You can either use it at home on your computer or on the go on your mobile device. However it happens it will be a good thing.

I am starting today with the one year readings. I haven't done a one year plan in a while so I thought it would be a good idea. Why not join me? Let me know if you are taking up the challenge. Just want you to know that you can join me but can't beat me :)



One day Bible reading challenge DAY 1.

My 1st Mobile Post

Now that I have an internet enabled phone I thought I would give mobile blogging a shot. The picture is also very lame but what the heck its just an test. This will be great when a computer is not available . Im guessing traveling or just outside somewhere.

Well that's enough technology for one day. I think I'm going to bed. Still catching up from a very long Sunday.

Posted from my Motorola Q.

Dinner With The Family

TJ leaves 2 weeks from today for California. So looking at the calendar this was one of the only nights we could get together with both families. Then Leah, Susan and the girls fly our on the 21st. Anyway we had a blast. It's a fun place to go for dinner. It's like having a floor show in front of you for the whole meal. We had Carlos as our cook. I thought that was a funny name for a Japanese cook :)

A Rainy Day Video Blog

A rare not sunny day here in paradise.

So time for a video blog since I can't swim in my pool or go to the beach.

Frigid here today as we are only reaching the upper 60's.

I can feel the northern love coming my way even as I type this !