Hi…it is God. Can we talk?

We often talk about prayer but do not put it into practice. The Word of God gives us a great example of how to pray. In Matthew 6 we are encouraged to find a quiet place where we can get away and just be ourselves with God. Prayer is simply hanging out with God. It is sharing your thoughts with God. Proclaiming that He is God. He is our provision. His will be done in our lives. That His Kingdom will be built on earth and that we can discover how we play a part.

Prayer is our lifeline. It is something to be embraced and cherished not pushed to the side for moments of desperation. So find a place…share your heart with God and begin the conversation!

4th of July…

We are having a pretty basic fourth of July.  We are heading to our friends…The Fogelsong’s for a little BBQ and then going over to the park across from our house for fireworks.  They shoot them off right over the lake…so we get prime seats!  I began thinking of a few of my least favorite things about the 4th of July celebrations, so I thought I would throw a few out…

1. I hate the pre-firework display fireworks.
2. I hate the fireworks that continue to go off until 3am.
3. I despise mesquitos.
4. I am not a big fan of sitting on the ground either.
5. I am not a big fan of the once a year flags that show up on 4th of July.  As if we only celebrate our freedom once a year.
6. I can’t stand how Old Navy makes a killing selling the dated 4th of July shirts.  Knowing full well, with 2008 on the shirt, you will not wear it again in 2009.  Sneaky little…

Other than that…it is one of my favorite celebrations.  The smell of people burning their food on a grill…mainly because they do not watch Bobby Flay as they should, The overall celebration attitude in the atmosphere…all kinds of things.

Some day I want to put together a checklist of my all time favorite places to watch the fireworks.  That would be a nice adventure.

Creative Burnout…

If you ever find yourself doing the same thing for a decent amount of time, you will find yourself having to deal with burnout.  We all face it.  It shows itself in different forms, but in reality, none of us are are immune to it.  Burnout is avoidable.  In my life I have seen certain symptoms.  These symptoms, if not watched, guarded, dealt with…can, and most always will, lead to burnout.

Here are some of the symptoms I find:

1. apathy
2. low-morale
3. cynicism
4. an increase in self-criticism
5. a desire to be somewhere else
6. a feeling of entitlement
7. a stalled imagination

Those are just a few of the things I find in my life.  These are early warning signs that something need fixed. They are like warning lights on a car.  They let you know that if you continue to operate with things how they are, then you will be in trouble.  This doesn’t matter if you are in ministry.  It is everyday life.  Burnout effects us all.  Guard your heart…figure out your symptoms.  Be on the look out and you will find yourself in a much better place.

The Cash Rush…

Big props to Rush Limbaugh…He has secured a deal worth over 400 million dollars! Rush, when you read this, and I know you follow this blog, just remember my kind words.

“The deal represents a stunning triumph over the establishment by an outsider who connected with and captured the spirit of the nation’s heartland.”

read all about it here.

A great opportunity…

 NEW GIFTCARDGIVER.COM WEB ADS

By Jeff on Gift Card Giver

How many gift cards do you have sitting in your wallet? At the very least $5? What’s 5 bucks going to buy you? Five bucks in Gift Cards may buy you a pair of socks, but 10 people giving 5 bucks will buy a kid a winter coat or 100 people giving $5 from Home Depot will give that same kid a warm bedroom to sleep through the night.

We are Gift Card Giver. We are a community, that collects and distributes unused gift cards to people and organizations in need. Did you know the Gift Card industry has risen to be a $60 billion industry. Ever wonder how many gift cards are unused? More than 10%. That’s nearly $10 Billion. Billions of dollars are waiting to be redeemed. Waiting in your pocket. Can you spare one for our friends in need?

CARD ME
STEP 1: Use as much of your card as you want.
STEP 2: Write how much is left on your card using a permanent marker.
STEP 3: Challenge your friends to join you and collect what they give.
STEP 4: Place all the cards (You & Friends) in an envelope and send it.

GiftCardGiver.com
490 East Side Ave SE
Atlanta, GA 30316

OUR PROMISE: We have never used a card for ourselves (Not even Starbucks) and never will. Thanks for contributing and collecting.

Please tell everyone. Share the new web ads we have on your blog, join the facebook group, Buy a “Card Me T-Shirt,” host a House Party (more to come on this idea…just assume everyone “gets carded” at the door) or we will even send you high res versions to promote at your church for a Gift Card Offering.

I have been following Jeff’s blog for quite some time.  He has an amazing heart for people.  It is contagious and motivating.  This is great concept that will make a difference.  I thought I would share it with you!

Waterboys and their hogs…

It is finished.  My posse and I finished our Motorcycle Training Course!  It was a long and tiring three days, but we pressed on like road warriors do.  We are ready to take on any challenge the road throws our way.  I have to give credit where credit is due, Kris, scored the best score on the Riding Evaluation.  He was graceful and elegant on that iron steed.  He rode with a calm confidence and look about him that just said…”Do your worst…”.  We are not yet sure if he will be invited back to be a Top Gun instructor, but he should.

I also like to give myself credit any chance I can…I scored the highest on the Written Evaluation.  That is right, good looks and brains here!  Anyway, back to life.  It was a blast hanging out with my friends and enjoying our annual Waterboy dinner!  Now I just have to get back into the saddle…and ride into the sunset of my week!

The things I miss…

The things I miss when I am away…Oliver’s first trip to the “sprayground”!  Tomorrow will not come fast enough.

I Miss You Both Already…

I thought I would put these pictures up, so I can look at you both whenever I want while I am gone.  Miss you both already!

Wild Hogs…

Well…today is the day.  Me and my homies embark on our journey to be respected…nay…feared by the biker community!  We are mounting up for the Motorcycle Safety Course!  I know what your thinking…”real men don’t need motorcycle safety courses!”  Let me set this straight…We are not real men!  But we hope to be after this weekend!

So we are jumping on our hogs and squeezing into the tightest leather chaps you can find and we are going to raise a little…(See, a real men would have said hell…I couldn’t do it.)

Rush Week…

One of the highlights of every year is our Jr. High and Sr. High camp. We call it RUSH WEEK. Tons of kids give up a week of their summer in order to serve, worship, reach out, have fun, learn and make a difference. This year’s theme is “Heroes”.

Today was the “Save The Cheerleader, Save The World” competition.  Each team goes on a voyage with clues, obstacles and mind games.  It was pretty sweet driving by and seeing tons of kids all over the town in their RUSH WEEK shirts.  People honking horns, asking questions and staring with wonder.

The youth staff do an amazing job.  I am excited to hear about all the changed lives.  There have been so many already and we are half way there!

Gettin my read on…

I have received a couple of emails in the last two days asking what kind of books I like to read.  I like reading all kinds, but I figured I would highlight the few books I am reading right now.  Mind you, I read a few books at a time…a chapter here…read part of another book here…so it takes me a while to work my way through the books, but it also keeps things different.

  One of the best books on vision I have ever read.  I also recommend George Barna’s book, “The Power of Vision”.

  I just feel more like Rob Bell when I read this.  I actually thought it was going to be pretty dry, but it has been a great read.

  One of my all time favorite John Maxwell books.  This is a constant reminder to me.  This if my 4th time through this book!

  This is a must read for any leader.  This is right up there with “Good To Great” by Jim Collins.  Incredible insights in this book!

So jump onto Amazon and pick these up.  You will not regret it!

Just plain beautiful…

The World’s Ugliest Dog was crowned this week…Check out the full story here.

I don’t understand the hype.  I think it is beautiful.  I wouldn’t mind dressing it up and placing it in a nice handbag.

Life’s do-over…

Man auctioning his ‘life’ celebrates bidding

Jun 22 08:20 AM US/Eastern

A middle-aged man who is auctioning his life over the Internet was Sunday celebrating as bidders fought over who would take his job, home and friends, as he seeks to start over again.

The British immigrant to Australia, who said the trigger for his bold offer was the break-up with his wife, had hoped he would attract a bid of 500,000 dollars (477,000 US).

Shortly after the seven-day auction began Sunday, a bid of 300,100 dollars for 44-year-old Ian Usher’s Perth-based lifestyle was listed on the Internet auction site eBay.

By late afternoon, some 40 bids had been made with the highest offer at 650,000 dollars.

“I brought out the champagne at three o’clock when it passed the 400,000-dollar mark,” Usher told the Australian news agency AAP.

“It’s unbelievable that it’s going up like this so early in the auction.”

Usher has promised to introduce the winning bidder to his friends and hand over his 420,000-dollar house and his hobbies. The winner will also secure Usher’s job as a rug store assistant for two weeks initially, but this could be extended depending on the store owner’s agreement.

Usher will retain only his passport, wallet and the clothes on his back if the deal goes ahead.

He said he decided to start a new life after separating from his wife Laura just over two years ago, and selling all his worldly goods seemed like a logical step to take.

“The separation from my wife was the initial trigger for what I’m doing, especially living in the house that was built for the both of us and being surrounded by our furniture,” he said.

“It’s part of the moving on process. I guess this is the last step before making a fresh start.”

Usher says he is as yet unsure as to what he will do once the auction ends.

20,000!!!

We have broken the 20,000 visits mark!!!  I couldn’t believe it when I scrolled down this evening.  I am working on figuring out who the 20,000th visitor was.  In a little more than 10 months we have had over 20,000 visits to this blog.  I am sure most of them were spammers or mistakes…but I will take em!

Thanks for checking out the blog.  It has been a blast.  I say we shoot for 40,000 in 5 months!

If you are wanting to subscribe to the blog ——>

It is really easy and there are many options so I will describe to you the way I do it.

• I use a program called Bloglines. It is really simple and may be the easiest way for you to set up a Subscription if you do not have a RSS reader.
  • Go to www.bloglines.com and create an account.
  • On the left side there is a tab called Feeds. Click it.
  • Select the Add link and it will prompt you to enter in a feed url or website.
  • Enter the feed for this website: www.skylergoodman.com/wp-rss.php
  • It will give you some other options once it’s verified and voila!

• If you are using an Apple computer you have some other options, or if your computer is equipped with an RSS reader. Simply click the orange RSS Icon and it will ask you what option you would like to use to subscribe. I subscribe with a Bookmarks Folder. It automatically updates the folder for me and stores it in my bookmarks.

You could also click here for a lot of RSS Reader options.
I hope this is helpful for you! Thanks for continuing to come back each day to check for updates!

New World Record…

A new personal world record has been set today.  As you may remember, I purchased a Specialized Hybrid bike not too long ago.  I have been riding it a few times each week around our lake.  From my door step…back to my door step is about 3.6 miles.  Today I rode around the lake in 16:40!

Now I know that may not be a big deal for most of you, but for me, it is a record.  The first time I rode around the lake, things hurt.  I remember thinking the entire time, “What did this bike ever do to you?”.  But…with some calloused buns and muscular legs I have continued to achieve better times.

Now it is time to change up my routine!