Blake Thompson daht NetI'm just saying….

Watch this video. And think about what you life will be like a few steps into the future.

• @tonymorganlive Followed me twice today, huh? in reply to tonymorganlive #
• @JeffRodgers Yes, Tweetdeck is quite nice.I like the groups & searches you can have set up in different columns & I replied on Fbook longer in reply to JeffRodgers #
• Just finished half a day with Jack Bauer in Season 4. #
• One more day of the year. What to do with it? #
• My 2008 with Twitter: http://twurl.nl/2vv4o3 #
• Good morning 2009. Breakfast is done. Kids are fed. Now we’ll see what else happens. Maybe Barnes & Noble. #
• @tapdraw Are you sure it wasn’t the best cup of the year? in reply to tapdraw #
• Went on my first run of 2009. Took Addie with me. She had a lot more energy than I expected. 7 year olds have lots of energy. #
• @aepolsgrove Indeed, it was good. You should have brought your new camera. Meant to tell you Bev read that Manning book you’re now reading. in reply to aepolsgrove #
• My 4 year old is watching the Rose Bowl like it is Veggie Tales. Lots of questions. I like it. #
• @dmerrix It wasn’t forced. But she soon wanted to switch to Tom and Jerry. in reply to dmerrix #
• “Don’t get caught watching the paint dry!” : Shooter. #
• @justinhjones There is tweetdeck and twhirl; both pretty cool. There are a few others as well, but I’ve settled on T’deck for now. Or web. in reply to justinhjones #
• @stephenbond I am disappointed in you. in reply to stephenbond #
• @willrambo Would you hire Coach Taylor to be on staff at MSU? Let me know when you’re done w/ S1. I gotta evangelize w/ it again. in reply to willrambo #
• @abedis Throw some Ed Young Jr and Craig Grochell in there too. Maybe mix in some Steven Furtick for spice. in reply to abedis #
• Buying Christmas wrapping paper at Walmart at a substantial discount. 11.5 months early. #
• @bradlocke If only we could play Houston every game. in reply to bradlocke #
• Friday Night Lights to air on Friday this fall makes me think that NBC doesn’t care if it succeeds. That stinks [I think]. #
• @AdamCGore Ahhh. I meant this spring. Either way, bad decision on NBC’s part I believe. Might be the best show around. Do you watch? in reply to AdamCGore #

So two nights ago I had a dream. I was at this place where a friend worked. I could tell it was that place in my dream, though it really didn’t match it in real life (if that makes any sense…as much as dreams don’t make sense anyhow.) I was carrying around this backpack jammed with stuff. Some stuff was needed, some stuff was just heavy and I didn’t need anytime soon. My friend was there and about to go somewhere. I was going to go with him. But my pack was heavy.

So I started taking stuff out of it. The heavy stuff at least. I removed probably about three things from it. And there was some clinking around in there. My friend asks, “What is that?” So I pull out a bottle of Jones Soda that had been rolling around in some coins that were down in my pack. It’s the Green Apple flavor. I’d opened it already and drank some, but most of it was still there.

My friend says, “Hey, that’s good stuff. I like that!” I meant to give him some. But he got busy with something and I got thirsty so I drank the rest before he got any. Random, right?

Well yesterday I was in WalMart and see my friend. I tell him, “Hey, I had a dream with you in it last night.” He gives the compulsory “Oh, that scares me” reply that people usually do. He asked what it was about. But I ask him, “Do you like Jones Soda?” He said that he sure did. And my next question was going to be how did he like the flavor green apple when he speaks up and says, “Green Apple is my favorite flavor of it…” I told him that’s what he said in my dream.

Strange, huh?

Have you had any weird dream experiences like that lately?

A year ago today I started my work at The Orchard in Oxford. It was a pretty large change for the life of my family. We’d spent just over three years in Clinton working in the youth ministry of FUMC. We liked it there. Wasn’t looking for any reason at all to move. But when Pat spoke to me one day about possibly coming to help plant the church in Oxford…it just seemed right.

Yes, even Oxford felt right. Not the red and blue aspects of it. But what I would be doing and who I would be doing it with. And at the time I didn’t realize that I’d be living in my dad’s basement for five months or that gas prices would get so crazy. Nor did I anticipate the chore of finding a house in Oxford. But after looking back on that first day here in Oxford lots has happened. 

As I said in the last post, I’m going to put together a few ”

I think I’ve learned quite a bit the last 12 months. But I realize how much more I need to learn, study, and apply myself. I see where God has worked, but I see lots of opportunities to partner even more deeply with God in serving Oxford and Lafayette County.

Well, it’s another year. I woke up and didn’t really feel any different. I still wondered if Jack Bauer was going to find Habib in time (watching season 4 right now). I didn’t feel any older or wiser. I was still as inflexible as I was yesterday. But I decided to do a little something about my inactivity over the past year.

While living in Clinton I went to the YMCA at least now and then. But I was no stranger to the place. And I ran some now and then around the neighborhood too. Even ran a few races here and then. But since moving to Oxford in late May I’ve been a sloth. And I’ve noticed a difference the past few days. So I’m not one into resolutions and all, but I realize something needed to change. So I decided I’d wait til January 1 to start running again. And I did.

I didn’t run very far. But I took Addison with me so I wouldn’t have to make an excuse for going short and slow. But she impressed me. She looked like she was going to get tired, so i told her if she ran alllllllll the way to the next stop sign w/o stopping she would earn $2. I didn’t think she’s make it, but she made the corner. There was no stop sign there, but I assured her she’d get the two bucks. But as we were walking the rest of the way home catching our breath (she seemed to be racing me to the corner) she all of a sudden said “I’ll beat you home!” and took off. Wow!

I caught her and ran with her all the while encouraging her. I want her to see some things that she can enjoy and be good at. I don’t know if she likes running or just beating me at something, but I let her do both. Funny thing is she almost didn’t go running at all because we made her wear her sweat suit in the cold wind. She thought her clothes looked silly and thought people would be watching out of their windows at her running. But I convinced her to drop that concern and RUN!

So as 2009 starts I realize that I need to just go forward with some things and not worry about if anyone is watching or if they think I’m silly or goofy…but if there’s something I want to do are feel called to do… then GO FOR IT. There are bucket fulls of cliches I could give to try to spur me on, but safe to say I know I should.

So, there are a few specific things I might reveal soon that I want to get better at in the coming days. Also a few “best of ’08″ posts as well. But safe to say that blogging more regularly is something I want to get better at as well.

Peace.