A day in the life of...Mark Williams

What does a fired basketball coach and a pastor have in common?

I found this blog post VERY interesting. 

Click here to read. 

Ohhhhhh....the expectations of a staff member or pastor. 

Sunday night wrap-up

I am on my couch...finally.  My baby girl has a 104 degree fever.  I just pray for her.  I know nothing else to do.  It breaks my heart to see her hurting.  All I can do is comfort her.  I watch my wife hold her, and rock her.  She's such a great mom. 

The day was crazy.  It was KidStuf Sunday.  Enough said.  But with Melanie being out, I had a few more things to take care of.  We were a little short today, so people stepped up and filled in.  Kelsey sang tonight for KidStuf, and did an EXCELLENT job!!  Once again, we had a great KidStuf. 

So...here I sit.  Just wanting my baby girl to feel better.   God...cool her down.  Break her fever.  Restore her little body!!  Thank you. 

The Tanner Williams bridge

Micah and I went to Mobile to watch Monsters vs. Aliens.  I went through Hurley on the way (something I rarely do).  On the way home, I took our normal route....until the Escatawpa River bridge.  The water was flowing rapidly over it.  You couldn't even see the guard rails.  Wow.  There was no way the Malibu was going to make it through that (or anyone for that matter).  I took another detour to get home.  That's the first time in 6 years of living here that I've seen the water that high.  I've got to think that it will only get higher given that the rain just stopped this morning. 

Alternate plans

Today is a day of alternate plans.  We originally had a soccer game this morning (Plan A).  That was cancelled Thurs. when the other team said they wouldn't have enough players.  So we decided to go to Philadelphia for my niece's birthday party (Plan B).  Everything was working out beautifully.  Until Malaree picked up something from daycare the other day.  So now, today is a day at home (Plan C) and with Micah at the movies later this afternoon (part of plan C).  Hopefully, Malaree will be better by in the morning.  If not, we will keep her home, and not infect anyone else. 

Tomorrow is KidStuf.  It is the next to last one for this school year.  We will have one more at the end of April.  Then we'll have a break until the end of August. 

Thunderstorms, taxes, and Obama

It started at 4:45 a.m. this morning with some massive storms coming through.  Weather doesn't worry me too much.  This was the first storm in this house with lots of big trees around it.  We have a metal roof too, so there are lots more noises.  Micah was in the bed with us after a big BOOM of thunder and lightning.  Malaree slept straight through it all (Surprise!)  It's been dreary looking all day with more to come tonight.

I went to Gulfport today and finished up filing my taxes.  I can't believe it!!  I actually did NOT have to pay in to the OBAMA plan.  I had paid enough in my quarterly payments to cover it.  Now that's not to say I didn't pay a LOAD throughout the year, though.  Anyway, I was just glad that I didn't have any more to pay in. 

Camp update...my office

Today we received the first of a few shipments.  In the boxes in the pic below are 200ft of 14ft high black drape.  Wow!!  We are getting excited about camp.  I've got to get this out of my office now.  You can hardly walk in it. 
 

Zappos Core Values

The online shoe company, Zappos.com, has an excellent set of core values.  They resonate with creativity and relevancy.  Check these out.  Although not all-inclusive, the church of today sure could learn from these core values.

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

14 ways to spend less...per Tony Morgan

Tony Morgan posted 14 ways to spend less so you can do more on his blog.  He has some other insights, but this is good stuff!!  Thanks Tony. 

1. Avoid eating out. It costs us anywhere from $25 (Chik-Fil-A) to $50 (Applebee’s) to feed our family when we eat out. When we eat dinner at home, it’s only about $6 per meal for our family of 6.
2. Buy used cars. We haven’t had a car payment for seven years, but I’ve never owned a new car either. We’ve committed to having no debt with the exception of our home.
3. Pay off credit cards every month. Avoid interest expenses at all costs. That means planning ahead for emergencies and saying “no” to the stuff we really don’t need.
4. Eliminate the telephone landline. This probably saves us about $400 per year now. We just use our mobile phones at home. We also shop around to save money on cell phone plans, insurance, utilities, etc.
5. Refinance your house. If you’re planning on staying in your home for a year or more, now’s a great time to either lower your monthly payment or reduce the term of your mortgage. Either way, you’re paying less money on interest. That’s the goal.
6. Use Vanguard for investments. Start with money market accounts then graduate to stocks and bonds. Saving money can become fun especially when you use a company like Vanguard that helps you save more of your money by keeping investment costs low.
7. Shop at T.J. Maxx. You can get name-brand clothes at a fraction of the cost. One of our favorite dates now is hunting through the racks at T.J. Maxx looking for bargains on clothing.
8. Use the library. Books, music and movies are essentially free. Ask for Killing Cockroaches. If they don’t have it, they can get it through the interlibrary loan program.
9. Vacation off season. We shop VRBO.com for a condo that ends up being cheaper than a hotel room right on the beach. The same condo costs four times more during the peak season.
10. Share date nights. Watch your friends’ kids one week and then let them watch your kids the next week. That means you have free babysitting twice a month.
11. Carpool and share rides. We save gas and on vehicle wear and tear (and time) by sharing rides with neighbors and friends. With four kids going in four different directions, that adds up.
12. Use sale ads and shop with a list. Our family of 6 spends less than $500 per month on combined groceries, paper products and health and beauty needs. (And with a face like mine, H&BA’s are essential.)
13. Be responsible. Avoid late fees in every area, drive the speed limit and don’t buy double of something because you forgot you had it.
14. Don’t own a pet. Even the fish that won’t die is costing us money we could spend on something else. Your kids don’t need a dog to learn responsibility. That’s a lie.

Monday morning thoughts...

Just a few thoughts about the last 24 hours.  

• Yesterday morning's sermon went well.  It was on "Renewing the Vision" that God has given us as believers.  We had a good turnout for worship.  
• Bible Drills amazes me each year.  The way these children and students use God's Word is amazing.  I am constantly amazed at what they do. 
• DT at 5 P.M. yesterday had to be one of the best times I've had looking at what God's Word says to us about the Lord's Supper, and its meaning for us.  I will never take the Lord's Supper with the same attitude again. 
• Evening sermon I thought went well too.  I continued the Lord's Supper series.  Message was "Until He Comes".    

All in all, it was a great day.  It was definitely a long day, though!! 

A beautiful day...

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day outside.  We had a soccer game in Leakesville at 11 today.  (we won by forfeit.)  We still scrimmaged for a little while.  The temperature is nice, the sky is blue with just some scattered clouds.  Wow!!  So...Micah has a bible drill study party/skate party this afternoon.  We'll be hanging around outside later on.  I've got a little sermon prep left to do as well.  So....let me go enjoy this day.