Scott Freeman

Yes, we took the kids to that dreadful place last night, the bane of all parents existence. Fortunately, it was a fast and painless experience. We got there at 5 and were the only people there for the first half of our visit. There were just a couple of people who trickled in throughout. And no parties!

God is good.

Anyway, here are my questions for those so disposed to answer:

1. Do you let your kids beat you in games? If so, at what age do you make them start beating you?

2. When playing Skeeball do you go for the high risk/high reward 100,000 holes or do you keep it down the middle playing for the easier 40-50,000 holes?

I haven’t blogged a whole lot here about my job search. It’s hard determining what is appropriate to talk about and what’s not.

Nevertheless, we have been actively looking at churches that seem a good fit theologically and missionally. We also looked at ones that would utilize Tracy and be a receptive and nurturing environment for our girls.

We zeroed in on two churches that seemed to be a good fit for us. One in Alabama and one in California. We went and interviewed in both places and left feeling confident that we had made a connection and would be a good potential fit.

Out of all the resumes both of these churches received they invited two guys to come in and interview. We found out on Saturday that both churches had opted to go with the other candidate.

Needless to say it was a disappointing weekend to receive two rejections so close to one another. We were told in both places that it was a tough decision but the other guy just fit a little better.

Now after waiting so long in hopes that one of these two churches would be our next destination we are really back at square one.

There are several questions that we have to grapple with at this point:

–Do we stay in ministry? Is this the time for me to consider a different career path? I know that I am gifted in preaching and teaching. I know that I have vision and at least a beyond rudimentary understanding of being relevant in our culture. But is that enough? I’m not the greatest people person in the world. I am an introvert which some people seem as a personality flaw rather than as asset.

In addition, in the 10 years that Tracy and I have been working in ministry together I have been the only minister on staff for 7 of those years. The remaining three were not necessarily peaceful times. If I did stay in ministry it couldn’t be alone or in isolation. I’ve had good ministry as a pulpit man over the last 5 years but little to no spiritual enrichment for me.

–If we take a sabbatical from ministry, what do I do? With the exception of a year back in my late 20s, I have been in full-time ministry my entire adult life. And that year was spent writing and editing Sunday School curriculum. So, off the top of my head I’m not sure what the best direction is. If I am moving in a new direction then I should make it count. Here are some of the options we have tossed around over the last few days:

Moving to Abilene and getting my M.Div Equivalence–Since I already have an M.A. I wouldn’t have as much work to do and it would help in any ordinations I might seek in the future. It would also lead into a D.Min, as well. Of course this would be a precursor to moving back into ministry. My one fear would be that by the time I finished my D.Min churches might consider me too old.

Getting My PhD in order to teach–I love teaching and I come alive in a classroom setting. Being able to teach at a college level is extremely appealing to me. However, finding the right school and emphasis is one that wouldn’t’ be easy. And the competition is overwhelming.

Going to Law School–This is one that Tracy is really interested in me pursuing and I have to admit that a large part of me is intrigued. I would love the opportunity to use my law degree to working with some sort of non-profit agency committed to social justice. Tracy is prepared to go back to work and be the chief bread-winner for me to do this. But that is three years and a mountain of debt.

Teaching on the High School Level–This would be the quickest to achieve. Of course this would ensure both of us needing to work.

Go to School to become a Librarian–I think I would love that environment, especially in an academic environment.

These are the issues that we are grappling with at the moment. I can’t imagine not being in full time ministry but there are a dearth of openings that I know of that meet our criteria.

Any thoughts?

This morning we took Cassidy to the Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas. The diagnosis that we received was not the best but it was by no means the worst possible.

We did confirm that she has Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis. It is tied into psoriasis. In adults psoriasis can lead to arthritis. In children it is the opposite. Cassie is now predisposed to psoriasis later in life.

The good news is that the doctors are confident that we can return her to her full range of motion and reverse any damage that has been done to her joints thus far. They fully expect her to have a normal life.

The bad news is that she has to take some heavy duty meds. Once a week we will have to administer a shot of methotrexate. In the next couple of weeks we will have to return her for an MRI and a cortisone shot into her knee.

Needless to say it was a long day but we feel better now that we know exactly what we are facing. Regardless of what the road ahead entails I have the most beautiful and special 4 year old.

Thank you for 9 wonderful years. I don’t always show it but I love you more with each passing day.

I know this year has not been easy and the toll of being a wife and a mother has sometimes been overwhelming. Thank you for being my rock, my comfort, my listener and my love.

Here is to many more years growing in love and faith together.

I love you.

I dug up this old photograph Look at all that hair we had.
It’s bittersweet to hear you laugh Your phone is ringing I don’t wanna ask

If you go now, I’ll understand If you stay, hey, I’ve got a plan
We’re gonna make a memory You wanna steal a piece of time
You can sing the melody to me And I can write a couple of lines

You wanna make a memory?

I’ve long been a Bon Jovi fan. I remember rocking to their debut album while watching the 1984 Olympics. I even liked some of the songs on their second album 7800 Fahrenheit.

So, in many ways I have grown up with them. I’ve always appreciated their music and enjoyed most of their disks. I’m a fan of Jon Bon Jovi. He swings for the fence lyrically in his attempt to be the next Springsteen but never quite get there. But I applaud and respect the attempt.

Growing up with them is part of the reason their latest single resonates with me so much. There is something about the power of memory that each of us, nostalgic or not, must acknowledge plays a part in our lives.

Memory is deceptive but it is at the same time indelible. I was a horrible football player but I am about 2-3 years away from being an all-American in the telling of my football days. The extremes are magnified while the mundane is blurry.

Memory fills in the gaps of our lives. I can still remember where I was when I heard most of those songs I post the videos too so often. I remember the snow falling and hearing Foreigner’s “Waiting For a Girl Like You.” I remember sitting in a movie theater with my fellow incoming seniors and hearing the opening riffs of John Parr’s “St. Elmo’s Fire.” I remember coming alive to the power of music the first time Springsteen’s “Born to Run” came over my radio.

Memories are the road-map that make sense of where we are going. I feel this so closely right now because I’m growing older. I know now a little more clearly how the events of my youth have conspired to bring me to this point. That’s not determinism but an understanding that there have been a series of choices and decisions, friendships forged and forgotten, roads traveled and avoided.

Memories are elusive and periodic friends. I celebrated my 20th high school reunion last year. Seeing the people who had once been the most important folks in my life after 10 years was both a blessing and a reminder of so much that has been lost. Promises to stay in touch never fulfilled and appointments never met. I think this is so profound right now because I look back now over such a long period in my life marked by wanderlust and transitoriness. I long for permanence in friendships, for alliances and relations renewed and resurrected.

Memories are glimpses of the eternal. I know that these memories are signs that true friendships may be marked my periods of dormancy but never pass. I carry faces, names and moments with me that will carry with me no matter where I go. For we shall meet again. Everytime I see a familiar name on Facebook or other reaches of this smaller world we inhabit I am stirred by the realization that all of us fall into the arms of a loving Father God. We shall meet again.

You want to make a memory?

A pic taken on our vacation while we were in ‘Bama. And yes my legs are that white.

It would be a lie to say that this is an easy time for us. I am committed to seeing this process through with complete and total honesty, however. Some may see that as a detriment but I see it as a hallmark of Christian living. We have glossed over and diminished the process of confession and bearing one another’s burdens too often.

Needless to say each of us have concerns as we go through this process that have to be addressed:

Me
–Does the new location share my vision and theology? The one church that we have talked to at this point seems to be on the same page with us. That is refreshing and reassuring.
–Is it a place that I can stay long term? I’m done moving around. Wherever we go has to be a place where we can put down roots and stay 20-30 years. It’s already proving difficult for Chloe.
–Are there continuing education options? I desperately desire to begin work on my doctorate. I thirst for and a love of intellectual curiosity is important to me.

Tracy
–Will she be able to continue to stay at home with the girls or will she have/get to work? We have managed it here where Tracy can be home with the girls. At this point we don’t know if she will be able to continue doing that.
–Will there be adequate areas for her to plug in and use her skills/gifts? She has so much to offer in areas of prayer, small groups and girls ministries.
–Will it be a place that she can get involved with PTA and other areas? One of my biggest regrets is that she has had to resign as PTA president. She is so gifted and was looking forward to the opportunity to serve.

Chloe
–Do we need to begin this year home-schooling her? The prospect of starting her here in Waco and then yanking her out after a couple of weeks is a gut-wrenching decision.
–Are there good schools? Good, quality public education is important to us.
–How do we minimize her trauma? She is broken hearted over the idea of moving. We are searching for ways to make it easier for her.

Cassie
–Will there be a good Pediatric Rheumatologist where we are going? Probably the most important question is how we will deal with Cassie’s JRA. Those specialists are not everywhere. In Dallas we have free care.

Shayla
–Do they have pop-tarts where we are going?

All in all, it is an exciting time. But still so much we don’t know at this point.
Any questions we need to be considering? Or do you have any perfect answers to the questions we are asking?

This is my first time to try to do a video. Still trying to figure it all out. Forgive the song. It was the only CD I had lying around.

After 2+ weeks, 7 states, 2000+ miles in a van, and countless sinus headaches we returned home last night.

I am now safely ensconced back in my office and ready to resume my regular routine, including blogging.

It was a tremendous trip. In what turned out to be the longest vacation of my adult life we had an extremely enjoyable and relaxing time. I don’t know if it was the trip or the Effexor that was relaxing but I digress. We were able to spend time with family and friends, old and new. More about that later.

Anyway, I return recreated, medicated and rejuvenated. That’s a good thing.

To get up to speed I will resort to the ubiquitous bullet-points:

–Please continue to keep Cassie in your prayers. She has an eye exam tomorrow and then she will go to see the Pediatric Rheumatologist on August 22nd. We still don’t really know anything but at this point we are assuming that she has JRA. Our hope and prayer is that it is an extremely mild case.

–We almost bought a Timeshare, sorry “Vacation Ownership Experience.” Thankfully, Tracy is much more financially responsible than I am. But we got two Dollywood tickets out of the process.

–And Dollywood rocks. Perfect for the kids. We had a great time and didn’t see everything. (Thank the Effexor for that).

–My eMusic refreshed two weeks ago. I now have two weeks to find my 90 downloads for the month. I was going to dl the new McCartney but I hate it. Here’s a good idea: when you are 64, stop recording.

–My posting has not been very ambitious as of late. I would like to tackle another indepth series along the lines of the nonviolence ones. Any suggestions?

I woke up today in Nashville, the place that I called home for five years. I love this town and will always look back fondly on the time I spent here.

We got a great hotel for a song so we came in last night. We wanted to swing by Uplift in Searcy but decided to stay on our intended schedule.

This morning I got to go and hear one of my favorite preachers, Stan Mitchell, at the Gracepointe church. As always, his message was spot on and an encouragement to me. If you have never heard him, check out his podcast.

We then went to one of my favorite restaurants from my Nashville days.

After that we got to take a two hour nap! A little hot tub and swim action followed that. I was then given my father’s day presents: two Arkansas Razorback T-Shirts, a Pen and Dark Chocolate Hershey’s Kissables. Is there anything better than Dark Chocolate?

After that we went to the Opry Mills Mall. We were going to eat at the Aquarium Restaurant but opted for Johnny Rocket’s rather than wait an hour which was fine by me.

After that we went to Lipscomb where the Impact Summer Camp is taking place. I got to see my old buddy Johnny Markham and some other friends.

All in all it was a pretty good father’s day. How was yours?