Auburn Nation…UNITE!

 

As one of the biggest Auburn fans you’ll ever meet, I am a bit perturbed over the Auburn Nation’s continued bashing of new head coach Gene Chizik. No, he’s not Tommy Tuberville. No one ever will be. No, he’s not the one we “wanted” (though those were all over the place); however, HE IS OUR NEW HEAD COACH, SO LET’S GET BEHIND HIM!

He is the one Jay Jacobs picked- he didn’t play “pin the random coach on Auburn” or get drunk one night and go through the “coaches phonebook” (as it were) to find the craziest person he could. He made a justified, sound decision based on the research done and communications held between him and the administration- and coaching staff! Here’s a great example- let’s look at our former coach, Tommy Tuberville. Whoever gets him, should he decide to coach somewhere else, is going to get a fantastic coach- and an all-around good guy!    BUT…when the fans of his new team take a look at his last seasons, what will they see? LOSSES. Many more than the Auburn Nation would like to count. But we KNOW he can coach, we KNOW he’s a great coach and we KNOW that the players and fans respected (and still respect) him.

So why can’t we show Gene Chizik the same respect?

I say, congratulations, Coach Chizik. You’ve just stepped into some big, big shoes and our Auburn Nation is behind you. Make us proud!

post-Thanksgiving pictures

The boys and I were able to go out to the soccer field on Friday and play for a little bit- this was before the rain and cold set in!   :)

do you see what I see?

Chewie and his tongue

 

I LOVE this one- SO funny!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

introducing the AMAAAAAZING....chewie!!!

    

Chewie, flying dog

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sweet boy

 

Chewie- rolling

 

Jackson, rolling

I’m in love…with my church.

Yeah, yeah…don’t go gettin’ the wrong idea. I haven’t found him yet.  

I realized (again) how fortunate, how blessed I am to have found my church home- after only how many months of searching??? I’m sitting in church today, after getting to hear my assistant pastor teach our community group (read: Sunday School, core group, small group, etc.), listening to my senior pastor preach a sermon on Thanksgiving, after numerous (more than I can count on 2 hands) people stood at the mic and tell us circumstances, blessings and life lessons they’re thankful for. Now my senior pastor, Tim Kallam- amazing dude. The only flaw I can find is that he has 2 children going to school in Tuscaloosa- oh, well. We’re all human, right?  :) The man has a gift- he was absolutely made to be a pastor. His sermons are online if you want to hear some of them. 

Here’s my church    

 

 

 

 

Not only was it a great service in that there was great teaching- solid, applicable, modern-day teaching from the Word of God- but we stood up when we read Scripture. Not all the time, as we would have resembled a high school football pep rally (which, in that sense, is good because that means we’re delving into the Scriptures…), but for the main passage of Scripture he was teaching from. I love that- LOVE that. It’s so reverent- we stand for the Word of God being read. And any service that starts with “blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, oh, what a foretaste of glory divine…” is a great place to be. 

But wait…there’s more.

We had communion as well. I hope this is an ordinance that is practiced on a regular basis. It is so important and so meaningful and so purposeful- not to mention at the very least a command from the Lord Himself! (I Corinthians 11:24-26) I am so happy that I’ve found “the very best place for me”. (Only my mom and dad will get that- maybe my brother if he remembers.)

One of my most favorite things about today’s service wasn’t the pastor speaking, the music (which is just right, by the way), meeting new people in community or taking communion, though. It was a guy named Ruben Grant who walked up the mic and introduced himself as “Ruben Grant, justified sinner bound for glory”. And I found myself grinning and shaking my head, thinking, he’s totally right!! Man, I wish I had a claim on that statement! That’s fantastic! So whenever you hear repeat that, it’s said with Ruben Grant in mind. 

We sang a song toward the end of communion- I don’t remember the name but the last words ring out loud and clear. “What can I do but praise You every day…make everything I do a hallelujah, a hallelujah.”