CYLS last update..

some insight t0 my morning routine while I was at camp...

One of my video's evaporated..There was one more that would have been at the beginning of this video but it was just showing my phone as it goes off in the morning @ 6 and that explains the odd commentary at the beginning of this video.. Overall it was a great week. I was so blessed to be there and I hope that I was a blessing to others..

CYLS Region Rep Installation

Friday night Hannah was installed as a region rep for the Southwest Region of Christian Youth Leadership Council in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).. I like typing all of that.

Anyway.. it's an awesome honor to be called to such a leadership role.. servant leadership role.

This has been a huge..magnificent week spiritually and this really capped it off. Wonderful. Video isn't the greatest but it's all I had..

Anderson Family Reunion.. the final entry

Thank God.. I thought it would never end..the video editing and uploading and cutting and pasting.. not the reunion.. it was great. Love you all.

Jesus Messiah

OK, I just got my computer back up so I go through my e-mails and I get one from Chris Tomlin..yeah we're big buds.. no not really..never met the man.. no that is actually a lie. Met him at Saddleback a few years back at a worship conference, very nice man and I think an incredibly gifted and anointed person to bring forth songs of praise. Not always what I'm looking for and not always music that I just immediately embrace but I always end up liking it...

Anyway..I'm on a mailing list like a gazillion others so I get this email about a new song..

Jesus Messiah...

I don't know why.. I don't always just jump up and buy stuff on itunes but I did...

My heart is overflowing..my eyes are welling up...it is a beautiful song so good for worship. Great vocal stuff for a praise team to do with multiple vocalists...

The message is simple.. the song sounds very playable but it is a touching package of music,word,spirit and energy. I'm blown away.. it can be use for opening worship, communion, worship..I'm loving it in a big way!!!

It already has a big play count on my itunes.. I do that.. play stuff over and over and over and......

I feel this one being done in church soon!!

Family Reunion #5

andersons..andersons...andersons.....and people with other last names but related to andersons...

Family Reunion #4

CYLS Update #3-b

Boxcycle....

CYLS Installment 3-a Hannah eats cereal..

Hannah eats cereal at CYLS Tuesday morning.

CYLS Installment#2-b

Yesterday morning the council asked the campers to take a post-it note and do a spiritual doodle in regards to where they saw God or just how the spirit spoke to them..

In the afternoon they turned in their post it notes.

Last night in worship we sang In the Secret, O Praise Him and Rain Down...

Rev. Verzola law brought a wonderful message building on the Phillipians 3 message. We needed to get past our weaknesses and our brokenness and realize what we an do. We then transitioned in to an anointing with mud..yes a cross was placed on our foreheads in mud in that we are of the dirt and God will take what we are and who we are and do wonderful things.



We closed with "You're Everything" by Crowder and this was unveiled.. beautiful...

CYLS Installment #2-a..And what is was was

Randomball

Family Reunion #3

More joy from Andersonland..

CYLS installment #1..

This week I'm at CYLS.. as I stated earlier. It's Tuesday morning as I type this..almost lunch time.

The video stuff has been driving me nuts trying to get Family Reunion stuff edited and uploaded and to also video stuff from camp... but it's time to give you all an update.

We arrived late Sunday evening to meet with all the leaders that planned and arranged all the activities for this event. We went to eat and Humphrey Pete's and it was some good food but we were there a loooooooong time. After all day at family reunion on Saturday and then up bright and early for church on Sunday it was wearing me down...so thenwe went to Wal-Mart to get stuff.

Then we came together and had a brief meeting to get spiritually focused and ready for the next day..then to bed.

Monday was a day of set up for all, making posters, doing decorations, setting up sound, lights, AV etc. it was a good day.. not gremlins...yet.

All the students started arriving and registration was done then there were opening ceremonies some activities and evening worship.

Opening rocked.. these kids were pumped and getting after "No One Like You" and "Every Move".

When we came back for worship we re-visited No One Like You, then did Not to us.. not as well received but still rocked out pretty well and then Revolutionary Love.. the kids blew me away.. they sang it like they loved it.. I guess there are a few Crowder Heads here.

We then had a responsive reading that was focused on challenging us to be the church that we were meant to be...a brief prayer lead by a student leader and we went it to "A Beautiful Collision".. they loved it.. got great feedback later on how much they loved it..they were in to it.. I spoke of Christ's arrival on this earth was the collision of His perfection and love with our sin and weakness... then transitioned it to the fact that God loves us how we are and for who we are but he does not want us to remain languishing in our weakness and we have to seek that out and turn them over to him.. then lead it to "Search and Know" by Todd Wright... and Todd, they sung it like they loved it. Either they all have your CD or the could just feel it. I think that leads back to something I said about the CD a long time ago.. it feels good.. it feels comfortable.. they picked it up immediately and were pouring it out. It was awesome. I transitioned straight in to "Lay it Down" by Dave Lubbin. They were in to it.. all the way.

The keynote speaker is Rev Verzola Law and let me just say she transitioned in to some pretty spiritual and energetic prayer with the end of that song..hands raised.. hearts open..she was praying.. I was playing and singing.. Oh my.. it will me a moment I will remember forever. It was awesome. The word was brought.. students were giving an opportunity to lay down their burdens in sand.. to wash their hands.. and to receive communion before going in to a night of silence... Wow..

I was spent and overjoyed at the same time. We had a brief meeting with some powerful prayer then off to bed.

This morning started with students pouring out their feelings via sidewalk chalk drawings.. then breakfast then morning session...It was mostly fun and energetic songs and camp "energizers".. Star Trekkin.. .look it up.
Announcemenets...

Rain Down by Crowder and Pick it Up by PlanetShakers.. pretty fun.

Rev Law brought a message that was challenging and eye opening.. and then on to..In the Secret.. it was perfect for the Phillipians message.. then off to take pics.. its time for workshops and planning and I have some down time to do this..

Family Reunion #2

Getting Ready for Camp...

Family Reunion #1

Had a great day Saturday June 21st with my brothers and their families. My brother Jimmy and his wife Sherri didn't make it.. we missed them. Jason my nephew and his family is in Pittsburgh PA now and that was too far. I'll have more videos to post as I get them off my computer but I'm trying to get ready for camp as well as posting this info. We'll see how this goes and how much I get done this week... This is a neat video that Renee and Bob put together for everyone. Enjoy.

Flashlight!

I'm trying to get things ready to go to camp.. I had an old fav flashlight I've had for a few years but it has disappeared.. It has been borrowed and not put back and I have no idea where it is...so off I go to try and by a flashlight (along with some birthday gifts for Hannah).

So many choices. I can't share them all. But here are a few.. and the prices..oh my goodness.











13.95













8.95












10.21














15.95

I finally opted for this one...











for 79 cents
I mean..how much more can those other lights do???

Hannah turns 17 today

I took a vacation day today because it was Hannah's birthday.. I also ended up spending a lot of time getting ready for camp next week. I bought some things (Hannah's birthday presents.. a new battery for her car and a flashlight). But later in the day after going and finding some candles at Brookshire Brothers we finally had Hannah's cake.. we had messed around so late that Austin had already gone to work at FUMC so he missed out on the cake but Hannah had already made her cake,



and started decorating it....and well here it goes...

Hannah gets a ticket..

A few weeks ago Hannah got pulled over because she had an expired inspection sticker on her car. When the officer asked for insurance, she couldn't provide proof of any (there is an insurance card in her glove compartment but she says she can't open it).. Anyway, that all leads up to our visit to Municipal court on Wednesday morning..

When we got there we found out it was pastors kids day at municipal court as there was the offspring of another pastor in town that will remain nameless. That person was right in front of us in line.

Anyway.. watch the video and enjoy...

WoW

World of Warcraft.. go ahead...make fun. I play it now and again. Austin loves it and it allows me to do something to wind down from FedEx and do something with him..

I saw this and I was pumped!


'Warcraft' Sequel Lets Gamers Play A Character Playing 'Warcraft'

Video Editing

OK, You don't have to watch this but I'm posting this to see how it works.. I just did some editing playing around with the two videos I already made the other night. It has an end slide that goes on far too long when played on windows media player but on here on the preview it looks ok so we'll see what happens when it publishes.. but hey.. this is way more than I could do two days ago!!! I'll have to do some more playing with it but it's looking pretty good.

Video Test 3

I can now upload to YouTube too... Awesome!!! This is so coooooolll!

This is one of the same videos I uploaded to blogger and wanted to see if I could do YouTube also.

Alright!!

Video

The first video is done at TV quality setting on my new camera. The second one is on the "320" setting.. I don't know what any of that means...

I do know this..

This Nikon Coolpix has over an hour of video capability at the lower resolution setting. Awesome!!

Get ready folks.. Some cool new stuff is on the way!!!.

Father's day..

I got this....

Cool!! along with an 8 gig thumb drive (now I have to figure out how to use it..the camera that is.. I can now do video too...my next try will be that).
..and something else not near as exciting but what I asked for.

BOXERS..

Shut up!

Great Fathers day.

I have a wonderful family.

Love you all...

Web Cam???

The other day I was showing my wife these video's off Todd's blog








I asked (since I am totally stupid when it comes to technology) do you have to have a special kind of camera to do this stuff because it seems he puts these videos up all the time with so little effort.

Donna say "It's just a web cam. I have one on my laptop and that's all he's doing is recording it on to his computer and uploading it. I'll be nice and let you use mine... or would you like one for Father's day?"

That would be cool!!!

Flag Day..

Today is flag day and my church is doing something pretty cool. Today from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. there is a prayer vigil for those serving in the military from our church (or church members families). There are prayer booklets available in our prayer chapel with pictures and information about those serving. They will also be recognized in church during prayer time tomorrow. I have two nephews in the group.

I'm too stoopid to figure out how to post a slide show but I make one on flickr.. check it out here.

If you click on the options box on the bottom right you can tell it to show title and description and learn a little about these service people.

Pray for our people serving in the military. They have taken on a special burden for all of us. Not just those from FCC Lufkin but for all of them

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Donuts..

I recently was looking around on the dashboard of my blog to see if there was anything else interesting I could figure out how to do. Todd explained something pretty cool that I have started using and it's awesome.. I can schedule blogs for later publishing. Big deal you might say but considering the life I live at FedEx there are times when it's nuts and I have no time to do anything. There are times when things are running so smooth I have little to worry about. There are times when things are running smooth but I still have 3-5 conference calls and a staff meeting to hold so I'm pretty much held hostage at the office with little to do but be on these calls. Now they cover important information and I do pay attention but I'm a person that can multi-task. Anyway.. I have some time to blog but I don't want it all to show up NOW.

Anyway.. back to what I started with. I was looking around on the dashboard and I saw "Blogs of note"? On there was the "NYC Donut Report!!"

I love New York, I really do! Believe it or not this country bumpkin redneck born in Texas City and raised in Galveston County in Alta Loma, TX (The area has incorporated and taken the name "Santa Fe" named after the railroad stop.. Brilliant!!.. and the school.. we were the Santa Fe Indians) Loves New York.. I hope to live there some day.. not my whole life but would love to live there a few years or so.

Donuts.. I love Donuts..you know I love donuts just looking at me. I immediately fell in love with this site.. It will be one of my new regular stops as I do my daily blog visits.... check it out


I may even try to figure out how to have it feed to my site.. that's the next trick I want to learn. Oh and if you can tell me how to put the most recent comments up on the side somewhere I'd love to learn how to do that too.

Later folks!

Breakfast for Dinner

I don't know if you do this or not but every once in a while we have breakfast for dinner. I came home.. still cranked up from the coffee my wife made me this morning.. (there was a little left in the cup and I drank it cold this afternoon)..and I was thinking I'd cook dinner. I didn't know what we had or what others wanted but I had grilled cheese sandwiches and soup on my mind but my wife mentioned breakfast for dinner.

I was up for it..I was wanting a shiner bock and so as I began dinner I put a bunch of picante sauce in a bowl..





















along with some cheddar cheese cubes....




















and used that for a dip for some tostitos. ...










My son thought that was disgusting..good more for me. I cracked me open a shiner and started cooking sausage..




















Then cooked up some bacon..

















Then fried everyone some eggs...














Yeah, I know, there are health nuts out there that will never eat a breakfast like that much less a breakfast like that for dinner.. but we like it.

Donna asked me what I wanted to drink. I said "Shiner Bock".. ewww, that's disgusting...with breakfast??

Hey, I'm having picante sauce on my eggs..it'll be good!!

Donna made some toast and we had breakfast for dinner.

Do you do that?

Answer the poll on the right and let me know..


(Hannah did not participate in the consumption of the above said meat dishes..she is a vegetarian..and is away at camp anyway)

Dance

I've mentioned that my daughter Hannah dances. She is pretty involved in dancing in that she does go to competitions and does solos. She is not heavily involved like some young ladies I've seen (there are girls that dance twice as much as she does).

I am so glad that my daughter loves to dance. I think of an old Steve Miller song "Dance, Dance, Dance" and I really think it has a lot to do with having joy in your heart and living a full life. The first verse is:

My grandpa, he's ninety fiveAnd he keeps on dancin', he's still alive

My grandma, she's ninety twoShe loves to dance and sing some too

I don't know but I've been toldIf you keep on dancing you'll never grow old.

My wife and I used to dance a lot when we were younger and I think we really need to go and start boot skootin' again some day. We loved it.. different kind of dancing but still "holistic health" is involved.

So, I am so very happy that my daughter loves to dance. I support her fully in this.

She has one more year of dancing in the local school she dances in. I send them money every month. I just do it and I hope that she enjoys it. I know she does..no one would work as hard as they do and keep doing it if they didn't enjoy it.

Anyway.. the 2007-08 dance season is over. Donna sent me a spreadsheet with the anticipated cost of dance for the coming 2008-09 year. I never looked at it like this before. Wow...

Donna's spread sheet showed that we would spend .17 cents shy of $4,000 bucks over the next year. I'll be sending the dance school $335 a month....money well spent. But just wait until next July....

Saying no..

Man.. I hate saying no. This weekend was another..well.. crazy one. Friday was a long hard day at FedEx. Started early and went long...then comes the Dance Rectal weekend from Hell!!!

I've got a friend of mine at work who's asking me to come to FUMC for a two on two fun basketball tourney that's a fund raiser for nets for kids. I'm telling him no way with all I have going on this weekend... a great cause but can't do it.

Friday night recital #1 wraps up around 8:30 p.m. for us and then it's to IHOP (Why not iHop..anyway). We're there for a little while then everyone else from the dance recital shows up. I've already had sensory overload for the weekend and am ready for some quiet.. well we're not getting it here. Anyway.. keyed up and tired finally get home and to bed around 11:30 or so.

I get to sleep in a little ..thank you Lord.. and then I have to get some work done.

I've got 3 songs I've got to do chord charts for... two songs I've never done in front of people before so I need to practice them.

I have family coming in to town around noon and then I get a call from a good friend that goes to FBC and they're having a big cookout down at Mantooth park. "Come on down, you can eat free.. it's just 4 blocks away". Man, I don't have time to walk down there and back and get everything done I need to do much less stop and visit which must happen.... that's a given.

You see at 2:00 I have recital #2 to go to for this weekend....and I have all that stuff to get done too.

After recital #2 is done for Hannah (we get to leave at intermission because she has no dances in the last half of the show) we get to go to Cheddar's and enjoy food and drink. We enjoy some time with family a small break and home for just a little while..so I can work on chord charts a little more and practice those two new songs.

Then back to the middle school auditorium at 7:00 for the 3rd of 3 recitals... It gets done around 9:30 and we go get some marble slab.

A long busy day. More busy for my daughter Hannah. Heck she had a very busy week as she danced a lot over that time and at those 3 recitals. I just hated telling people NO to things that seemed so simple and easy..but there just wasn't any more time. Forgive me folks.

Today is Tuesday ...

And so far.. it's not so bad.... praying it stays that way!...and no more of this

Liquid

Nikolee, our awesome summer youth intern, was in charge of worship Sunday night at "Liquid" our summer youth program. She used the the video below as a basis for her teaching.

I opened with one of my new favorite songs "The Twenty-first Time" by Monk and Neagle. She then had a student read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I then sang "A Beautiful Collision" and then Nilolee began the video.

The video choked me up. I had never seen it before but it did a great job of telling stories about people who demanded change.. peaceful change.


She then began teaching on 1 Peter 5:2-11
The main message was obviously "how will we serve?" and "how can we change the world?". Her discussions was also about "what are our motivations in doing these things?"

Nikolee did a great job in teaching from the scripture and challenging and questioning the students on how and what they can do.

I then did "Rise" by Robbie Seay Band and "Surely we can Change" by Crowder.

She then had the students go outside and do chalk drawings regarding the teaching. From looking at the drawings.. I think she got the point across.

Tuesdays

I'm beginning to think that Tuesdays are jinxed...

Last week..well you can read it here AND here.

Yesterday... Up early as I have someone on vacation so I need to be to the office earlier to help with check-out.. get there around 0600 plus we had poor service on Monday so I have to be on an 0700 conference call..it went on forever.

The rest of the day? Just seemed to be awkward and exhausting. Ran home and ate a late lunch then drove to Garrison to investigate a complaint..then drove back. My truck has no A/C so it was hot...Called the customer regarding the complaint and then he says he was just trying to let us know what we needed to know to deliver it to the right place. Why did customer service name this message a complaint??

Put all the paperwork together and respond to the complaint and fax it to the region.

At 6:15 I get a call from our "One Call" department. We had a few shipments that didn't make the trailer the night before. The customer service agent who called was so nice when she said.."I'm about to be so mean to you" It was funny. She said there was a pkg on our trailer that needed to be in Waco by 10:00 a.m. at a Doctors office so a child with a spinal deformity could be fitted with a neck brace and go to camp...

I told her to communicate with Express as to when their trailer leaves and I'd go find the package and drive it to Nacogdoches. I think she was a little surprised at my willingness and positive attitude but a kid going to camp??? What else could I do??

I go dig around in our trailer for a few minutes and find the package. I give her a call and she gives me the info I need to take it to Express. I run it up there with 15 minutes to spare before the trailer left. I head back home.. with 1/16th of a tank of gas left in my hot Dodge pick-up. I stop in Nac and give a gas station almost $90 bucks and fill up my truck. I get back and organize my office a little, pack my stuff and get home just a little before 7:30 p.m.

A long hard day....then Donna has me going through spreadsheets to verify numbers regarding stuff for her work at LISD. We order Pizza and I pour myself a tall cold diet coke and watch some TiVo Law & Order and I shut down for the night... I'll put my music together Wednesday at work.

I'm not complaining.. I'm blessed to have this job and to be able to do the things I do.. but two Tuesdays in a row??? I hope a pattern is not developing.

Austin's Graduation Weedend

OK, so my 18 year old son who I told you a little about here finally graduated last Friday May 30th. It was the day that we had looked forward to for many years and honestly Donna and I were probably more excited than Austin was.

I really believe God blessed the day because the temperature was cooler than it had been all week. There was a slight breeze and it was just a day you knew God was touching. I took Austin to lunch that day and of course there was much anticipation.

Family was coming in. Donna's mom Mary is a little older and has a hard time getting around so we have to get seats in the stadium that are right at the end of the ramp..no up or down. We were also surprised to hear that Donna's cousin Marie and her Husband Anthony were coming as well. Anthony had recently had a construction accident and both ankles were broken so he was in a wheel chair.. again we had to have very specific seats. But we also wanted to be close enough to see.

I had planned all day to go up to the stadium early to get good seats. I then got word that Hannah and her friend Mariah Melvin were going to head to the stadium early and get seats. They were just going to run by Sonic first and get some food.

Later I took Austin to the school so he could get ready for graduation. I thought I'd just stay up at the stadium with the girls and wait with them for the rest of the family. I get in to the stadium around 6:45 and the place is a third full and all the seating around the entrance ramps are pretty much packed except for way down by the student section. I give Hannah a call to see where she is so I can join her and Mariah and find out she's not there yet. They didn't go to Sonic and pick up food, they stayed and visited and ate and chatted and oh had some traffic issues and got held up and stuff....

Anyway, I go claim some seats on the 22 yard line on the opposite end of the stadium from the stage. I'm a tad frustrated at this point but the packtron is fired up and I figure we'll be able to see what's happening.. They are playing music on the stadium sound system and the next song I hear is "National Emblem" performed by the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.. cool.. I'm feeling better.

Time passes and finally the family begins to show up as we approach graduation time. We see the graduates at the entrance at the other end of the stadium and they start playing pomp and circumstance... and students attired in purple robes begin filing in.. hundreds of them.. it seems they will never stop coming in. Heck, I didn't think the honor grads were ever going to end much less those normal students that came in after them.

But we know Austin by his look and his walk when he enters the stadium.. we are pumped. He walks down our side of the stadium so I'm glad I didn't go to the other side of the stadium (I had considered this at one point when seating was so limited but I would have been in the sun with my bald head and would have been cooked by graduation). So, finally a good choice.. we scream at Austin when he comes to mid field and turns to the center of the field. Yeah.. we're pumped for our boy...

Intro, invocation, good speech, talking, OK speech, talking then they start calling out names... again.. hundreds of them. Even though Austin is an Anderson and at the front of the line so to speak there are a ton of honor grads..a few A's and then my boy Austin!! He has graduated!!! Awesome!!! then probably 250 to 300 more students after Austin. We stay to the end. I twittered a lot of that so no need to repeat all of it but finally they are all done, the benediction is spoken and graduation is through!!!

We take a few pics with Austin.


Austin with his Granny


Austin with his Mom and Dad


Austin with his aunt Mariellen and Uncle Pat


Austin with his 2nd and 3rd cousins or something like that
(Anthony, Marie and their boy Paul)

We depart the stadium, Austin is riding with a friend because his beemer is in the shop but he heads to project celebration.

Earlier in the year Austin was not very excited about going to project celebration as he does not like large crowds or a lot of commotion. We coach him to give it a try because he can win money or prizes...We go help with PC for a while until around 2:30 and finally go home. Austin stays the night..


He wins a 4 Gig iPod nano and has a pretty good time.

We got to sleep around 3 and thanks to a friend we spent the night in a really nice dark guest room and slept until 9:45.

Now there seems to be a little bit of a change in my boy...He has found a little bit more independence...spending the night at a friends house Saturday night, not calling until late, getting a ride from them the next morning and actually making it to 9:00 a.m. church without any intervention from his parents. Who knows, he may move out someday after all. Not betting on it but we can always hope!

We're so proud of our boy. Next step... A.C.