Scott Freeman

There is no Top Ten Tuesday today. It will return in two weeks.

Life is hectic.
–Tracy and I have a ministry renewal thing this weekend.
–We move into a new place next week and we have not even begun to pack.
–We finalize the sell of our house on the 16th.
–Unless I find a fill-in I have to preach and teach during that span.
–And two kids have birthdays during that time.

April 18th can’t get here soon enough.

On top of that, I’m running dry on potential top 10 lists. Any suggestions that any of you might have?

A couple of other thoughts:

File This Under “That Ain’t Happening”–

“If Republicans in this election vote in such a way as to say a candidate?s personal life and personal conduct in office doesn?t matter, then a lot of Christian evangelical leaders owe Bill Clinton a public apology.”

– Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), quoted by the Wall Street Journal, alluding to some of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. (HT: Teagan Goddard)

And for all of you worried about “the scenario”, you need to get this.

I have it in my head that Monday and Thursday are to be my more in-depth postings. It doesn’t always work out that way, especially when behind on my sermon (Jude). I had to take the two little ones to MDO today so I’m behind. I’m wanting to do a series on hell and salvation but I’m still working up the nerve.

In the meantime, here are some more tidbits:

–Rock On, Edwards.

–We signed an offer sheet on our house on Tuesday. We have to find a rental, repair a fence, pack, move, have two birthday parties and close all between now and April 16th. I’m not worried.

–With the sale of our house and our tax return we will be able to get out of debt except for my car. That’s good news.

–My wife has been appointed the PTA president for our daughter’s elementary school next year. I’m the first husband. Congrats, honey.

–Matt Elliott is the reason I gave up showering.

–Update on the Spam War: I’m still getting slammed. I just added a feature where first time commenters have to be approved. I hate that and I don’t want to resort to moderation because I value the discussion on here too much. And I hate the word verification. Another trick I might try is closing comments after 30 days but as far as I can see I have to go back and do that manually. I’m open to other suggestions.

–This is the greatest.invention.ever. But my wife says it’s too expensive. I say you have to shell out the cash for such a culinary breakthrough.

–My Quote of the day:

“In all our preaching and teaching about the hope which the gospel makes possible, we have to keep steadily in view the fact that what the gospel offers is not just hope for the individual but hope for the world. Concretely I think this means that the congregation must be so deeply and intimately involved in the secular concerns of the neighborhood that it becomes clear to everyone that no one or nothing is outside the range of God’s love in Jesus. Christ’s message, the original gospel, was about the coming of the kingdom of God, that is to say God’s kingly rule over the whole of creation and the whole of humankind. That is the only authentic gospel. And that means that every part of human life is within the range of the gospel message: in respect of everything, the gospel brings the necessity for choice between the rule of God and the negation of that rule. If the good news is to be authentically communicated, it must be clear that the church is concerned about the rule of God and not about itself. It must be clear, that is, that the local congregation cares for the well-being of the whole community and not just for itself. This will lead to much involvement in local issues of all kinds.” – Leslie Newbigin

–And finally. This is the greatest music video ever. Honestly. Do yourself a favor and watch it. It’ll transform you:

…when vacations and holidays were relaxing times. No more.

Hours of putting together toys and suffering grievous bodily harm opening that packaging has led to one tired individual.

At least I won my church fantasy football league. Congrats to Greg Kendall-Ball for winning my blog league.

For those of you who are such a positive presence on my blog I wish you a wonderful holiday season. My God bless you during this time with family and friends. It is heart-warming to know that I have this community that, even when we disagree, can be so encouraging and edifying. I truly appreciate those of you who embody that Spirit of Christ in my life.

In just a few minutes I will shut down my office and head home.

To work.

And keep the kids.

Last week we shelled out a truck-load of money so we could open our back door. Couple that with Tracy’s work schedule precluding her from picking up Chloe from school and the fact that it’s a 20 minute drive for me to our side of town, I have to spend some time with a home office.
So this past weekend, I bought a new desktop for the house and set it up so I can split my time between my home and the church.

Here are the pros of my situation:
–Saving about 500 a month in childcare
–Saving on gas (2.12 a gallon here, though)
–Eat lunch at home more
–More time with my little ones
–Less time commuting
–Developing a more flexible work schedule (I’m doing 6 days a week anyway)
–Being able to pay for the 9,000 dollar back door quicker

Cons:
–It’s going to be hard to get work done while keeping an eye on two toddlers
–Our three year old cries. A lot.
–Stress of not getting work done in a timely manner
–Not being at the church as much during the day

What I will have to do is focus more on the less “in-depth” aspects of my work while I’m at home and leave the more complex exegesis for my church hours. I’ll also try to get my running in while I have the kids by dropping them at the YMCA child care.
Here is where you come in. I’m not the best in the world at organization, productivity or time management.
Any of you work at home? How do you prioritize your work week? Any productivity pointers or thoughts that you have?
Help a fella out here.

I’m 38. Providing I remain healthy I have a few good years left in me. Here are some things I would like to do:

1. Write a book–I have a great idea for a novel. It’s just getting the discipline I need to begin to put it to paper. I may do a rough draft intro and blog it for reaction.

2. Get my Doctorate–I have a Master’s in Expository Preaching. I’d like to continue on in some form of Biblical studies.

3. Stay in a Presidential Suite of a 5-star hotel. We stayed in a nice DoubleTree in downtown Houston this week for 50 bucks a night. Since there is no way I would shell out the money for that type of suite I have to figure out a way to get it comped.

4. Get licensed to teach. I would like to have some type of alternative source of funds/dual career at some point.

5. Attend the BCS championship game when Arkansas is playing for the national title. This is probably the least likely to happen.

6. Run a Marathon. My goal is to do this by 40. I’m calling on support and motivation now from my running buddies.

7. Be debt-free with reliable retirement. That looks less and less likely based on my bank account.

8. Travel the 50 in an RV. I’m ready for retirement.

9. Run for public office. Our political system needs an enema.

10. See my girls develop, grow and nurture their faith. I can fall short on numbers 1-9. This one is everything.

What about you?

Chloe began her school experience yesterday.  I had been bracing myself for weeks to be overly emotional.  But I wasn’t.  Sure, I watered up a little.  But mostly what I felt was an intense and overwhelming feeling of love and pride.

We have a sensitive, loving, intelligent girl who will bless the world in untold ways.  I’m blessed to be a part of it.

On Monday I took the day off to spend with Chloe.  We did what she wanted to do and it ended up being one of the most enjoyable days that I have ever spent.  I plan on making this a yearly tradition with each of my kids.

Here is the day in a nutshell:

Donuts–Chloe wanted empty calories for breakfast and I obliged.  We went to Shipley’s where she got a strawberry donut with sprinkles and a plain strawberry donut.  She chased it with chocolate milk.  I got a Diet Coke.

Bowling–We killed time until the bowling alley opened at 10.  This was Chloe’s first time and she was a star.  She wasn’t sure about the shoes.  “I’m not wearing those.  They’re ugly”  But she overcame her hesitation and loved it.  She picked up spares on her first two frames on her way to bowling a 91.  First time a 91! I barely beat her with a 113.  I haven’t bowled in almost 10 years but once had a 160 average.  She’ll be whipping me soon.  The second game she got a little miffed that she couldn’t knock them all down.  That game was a 63.  I was consistent with a 115.

Mazzio’s–What is a day with Daddy without a trip to our favorite pizza buffet?  She went through the line herself and picked out her food.  Because it was a special day she opted for Cherry Coke. And yes, I ate the Chocolate Chip Pizza.  Diets are on hold when in the vicinity of one of the greatest desserts known to man.

Barnyard–She wanted to go to a movie and this was the one she picked. She got the meal deal with popcorn, fruit snakes and Coke.  The movie was funny and we both enjoyed it.

Toys R Us–Probably the highlight of her day was a trip to the local Toy store to pick out toys for her and her sisters.  We were there an interminable length of time picking out the perfect toys for everybody.  I was extremely nervous about the price of the toy she would eventually pick out but she was very economical.  I got out of there spending about 22 bucks for all 3 kids.  We are handing our finances over to her.

Library–We went and picked up a book about going to kindergarten.

Baskin-Robbins–I know.  There was a lot of junk food consumed on this day.  But it was special, right? Here we ran into Tracy, Cassie and Shayla.  Cassie is having a hard time being separated from Chloe so here was a great way for us to see each other.  Chloe got some red, white and blue Ice Cream on a chocolate cone.  I had a Diet Dr. Pepper

Wal-Mart–Chloe helped me pick out a couple of cards for my anniversary the next day.  She also picked out a Snoopy movie for her and Cassie.

School–At 5 we went for Kindergarten Blast-off.  Chloe got to meet her teacher and classmates.  We got to immerse ourselves in the environment divorced from the emotions of first day.  And we filled out a bunch of paperwork about lunches, field trips and Nigerian bank loans.  Oh, and I joined the PTA.  I’m planning a coup.

Altos–After that, the whole family went to our local Mexican Fiestaraunt for dinner. By the time we got home at 7 Chloe was wiped out.

That was our day.

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Chloe, when you are old enough to read this I want you to know how special this day was for me.  You are my joy, my brightness, my peace.

I am so blessed and proud to be your daddy.  I’ll always be able to pick you up. I’ll always be so proud of you.

I love you,

Daddy

Tracy, my cup is so full right now that I feel that I am at a loss for words.

This doesn’t happen to me very often. My living is in words.

But today I am humbled and grateful. Humbled because

I am undeserving that such a wondrous bounty could come my way.

Grateful, that through God’s grace, you found me. For I know that the beauty, joy, pleasure and tenderness of my life find their initiation and

culmination in you.

Thank you for these 8 years. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for giving me more than I could ever repay.

I love you,

Scott

My sweet daughter, Chloe, starts school in 2 days. Before she begins this exciting new chapter of her life I want to do something special.

So, today, I will not go to work.  Whatever Chloe wants to do, we will do. Just me and her. I’m pretty sure we have a full day ahead of toy stores, restaurants, movies and who knows what else.

I’ve gotta go…

In this on-going series of getting to know the preacher, I thought I would share some more minute information about yours truly:

1. My first name is Leslie.  No, I don’t know what my parents were thinking.
2. My dad founded a Christian school in Little Rock.  I graduated from that school, Central Arkansas Christian, in 1986.
3. I had a scholarship to go to Freed-Hardeman and major in Bible.
4. I had multiple fears as a child: dark, germ, storms, and Alice Cooper.
5. My parents were both 40 when I was born.
6. I’m the youngest of 5 children. 4 boys and 1 girl.  There is a 7 year difference between me and my sister, my closest sibling.
7. I largely taught myself how to swim and ride a bike.  I still don’t swim very well.
8. My mom was heavily involved in Market Research and opinion polling while I was growing up.
9. I’m a huge Barry Manilow fan.  I blame my sister for this.
10. My favorite meal as a kid was Mustard and Ketchup sandwiches.  I was an extremely picky eater and fight that to this day.
11. I was not a great student growing up.  I loved to read and learn.  I just hated being told what to read and learn.
12. I went to, and eventually graduated from, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
13. I had several majors including English, Journalism, Psychology and Education before I settled on Philosophy.
14. I squeezed 4 years of college into 6.
15. Surprisingly, I was not very smooth with the ladies growing up.
16. I can name every best picture and best actor Oscar winner and have seen every one.
17. I lived in the same house the first 24 years of my life.
18. I’ve lived in 12 houses or apartments over the last 14 years.
19. My first job was at Wendy’s. I lasted a couple of months.
20. I never pictured myself as a preacher.
21. I’m still not sure how that happened.
22. I someday hope to write a book.
23. My favorite Bible story is Hosea and Gomer.
24. I miss having the time to play video games.
25. Any stories I tell about athletic exploits are probably greatly exaggerated.
26. I do everything in order.  From checking my websites to taking a shower.  There is a systematic way to do it.
27. I once sold Rainbow Vacuum cleaners. I didn’t actually sell any of them, though.
28. My favorite color is purple.
29. I can be extremely difficult to live with.
30. I hate going anywhere that you need an appointment.
31. My favorite movie is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
32. I’ve lived in 5 states (Arkansas, Tennessee, New Mexico, Michigan, and Texas), but I’ll always be an Arkansan.
33. I have a Master’s Degree in Expository Preaching.
34. I don’t like leftovers.
35. My favorite food is a good burger or pizza.
36. I’m extremely hard on myself.
37. I used to work at Kroger in the meat department.
38. I’m overwhelmingly blessed.  But you already knew that one,didn’t you?

Tracy and I are looking at health insurance.  Do any of you have any experience with Medi-Share?

It’s a Christian based non-profit organization where the members share expenses.  It is not insurance.  I’d like some feedback from anybody with any knowledge of the program.

What about other methods of securing inexpensive (or not totally usurious) health insurance?