New Stuff

Wow, so much has gone down since I last posted. I had just gotten back from Winter Park, CO. and a great snowboarding trip. Got my next one planned for December. Cannot wait. If anyone wants to go, give me a call. Trying to get a group up to save on some costs. It should be a reasonable price and a great time.

I'm kinda stoked right now. Things have been really awesome the last couple of months. God is really doing some cool things in my life right now and I know He is working some things out for my future. Probably the newest addition to this story is my girlfriend Patrese. Yep, I've got a girlfriend. I'm sure some of you cannot believe it. I finally got smart and listened to what the Lord was trying to tell me. Patrese and I have really dated on and off for about eight years. We dated in high school, summers when I was in college, between relationships while we were in college, and from time to time since we've graduated from college. You know sometimes things happen and you get hurt and you are scared to commit to something serious like a girl and this was exactly my problem. I am very lucky that I did not miss out on this awesome person that God has allowed to be in my life for so long. She's my best friend and I am very blessed to have her as my girlfriend.

Alright, enough with the sappy stuff. Last night, I heard a powerful sermon from the preacher of Farmstead Baptist Church in Jasper, AL. It challenged me so much. The thesis of the sermon was to "SHUT UP and listen to God". So many times I try to do all the talking and I miss what God is trying to say to me. I neglect the Word of God and just expect things to be the way they should be. Or, maybe, when I'm in the Word I am too busy trying to figure out the theology of things that I miss the simple things the Lord is trying to tell me. Bottom line, I learned my lesson. I think it is awesome that Jesus saves us and I am so thankful for that. However, there is always more to learn and room to draw yourself closer to the Father.

One Love...

It's been a long while...

Well...hello. It's been like 23 months since I've written. That is just how busy it has been lately. Work has been crazy. This is our busiest time of the year for Birmingham Coca-Cola. We have this big thing called "Image Review" every year. It is where most of the Corporate and Upper Management of the company inspect our sales territory. It is a very detailed thing. The CEO of our company and members from The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta will be in town picking apart my accounts in efforts of determining better ways to sell Coca-Cola products. It is a stressful time of year, but after April 25th everything will calm down and I will be able to just settle in and enjoy the selling season.

I went to Winter Park, CO. on vacation the second week of April. This was my second trip to Colorado and my third snowboarding trip. This was a great trip. I tagged along with my friend Clint Kimbrell who attends the University of Arkansas and the University Baptist Church of Fayetteville, AR. It was a great trip. There were roughly 50+ people that went. I had the opportunity to meet some great new friends. I really became a better rider on this trip. I rode my first "Black" on this trip. Worked on riding moguls, which is really hard and very exausting. Dropped into a Superpipe and attempted to grind rails. Hit some pretty HUGE jumps. Got a few bruises, actually my neck is still a little sore from eating the bottom of the Superpipe, but no major injuries.

I can't say the same about some of my new friends. We had like 3 broken wrists, 1 concussion, and some other dude banged his up pretty good. I've got another trip planned for December. I plan on going to Winter Park or Breckenridge. I'm trying to get a group up to go, so if you are interested let me know. It should be farely inexpensive. You would be surprised how cheap you can get by. Now that I've been a couple times, I've got the whole condo, rental, airfare thing figured out. It's not that difficult anyway, but if you've never been it can be a little cumbersome.

As far as other things go. Read a great book while I was in Colorado. "To Own a Dragon" by Donald Miller. It is a fantastic book about Don growing up without a Dad and living with a great man who taught him a lot about life. Currently, I'm reading "Soul Cravings" by Erwin McManus. So far so good. He's talking about how God created us to be relational and to love Him. Finished a pretty extensive study of Galatians. Really enjoyed that. I think I will start studying I Peter. Don't know yet.

MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC. Diggin a lot of new stuff. My friend Kenny Bozich is in a band called "The Almost" and their record came out entitled "Southern Weather" came out last week and it is fantastic. Taking a liking to few new bands: Circa Survive, Cold War Kids, Brand New, The Starting Line. The Academy Is... has a new record and I like it too.

Well, that should do for now.

One Love...

Underoath!

I finally did it, I got to see an Underoath show live. I heard my first song by the band about 2 years and instantly they were my new favorite band and have remained that to this day. I dig their style. If you know me, you will probably say that I do not look like a hardcore guy. Truth is, I'm probably not. But, I love the music this band puts out. The emotion that you experience while listening is stellar and the the experience of their show is a totally different high.

The show was this past Sunday night at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham. It is a older venue that is right in the center of downtown. I was excited about the show, except for in the past every show I've ever been to at Boutwell has been "Smoke It Up City". I was pleased to find out when I got there that it was a smoke free venue now and the police were actually enforcing it. Me and my friend Emily met two friend from my church, Nick and Iralyn, who are big music fans. I was stoked to meet these guys at church one night and find out that we love the same kind of music.

Before the show, I was going to try to be smooth and attempt to get backstage and try to score some points with the particular girl that I was with. In January, I hung out with Aaron Gillespie, the drummer from Underoath, and Kenny Bozich, Aaron's drummer in his band The Almost. While hanging out with these guys I met Graham. Graham works support for Underoath and The Almost. I was hoping that maybe he would remember me and pull some strings and get me and Emily backstage. No luck, but I didn't care. It's always worth a try.

Armor For Sleep took the stage first. I'm not a big fan of these guys. They aren't a terrrible band or anything, I just don't like them. They have one song that talks about how the weather in Heaven isn't perfect when you die. I just think that is lame. My opinion, disagree if you want, I don't really care to debate. They played for about 30 minutes and then Underoath took the stage.

I would describe it as an explosion. From the first beat of the first song it was electric and I basically lost control. I don't know what happened to me. If you know anything about Underoath, you know that they are Christians and I think this is one of the things that attracts me to this band. They do not necessarily pressure anything on you. They just let you know that they live and do everything for Jesus and that is all that matters. A cool moment of the show was when Spencer, the front man for the band, told how he defeated something that almost ripped the band apart. But only with the help from Jesus, everything was saved and they were in Birmingham that night.

That awesome part of the concert was that while these guys were playing. I found myself worshipping Jesus in an amazing, passionate way. I was moved. I looked crazy and I know it, because Emily told me that she had never seen me this way. I apologized, but she didn't care. I was praying on the way and I told God that if I can worship like I did that night at a concert with a bunch of people that probably don't understand what I was experiencing, why am I not that way at "Worship Service"? I should be more comfortable there anyway. A lot of the time while at church, I restrain myself from truly worshipping God the way I want because I am afraid that I will look stupid. And I admit, that is ABSURD. So, I have made up my mind. I am going to worship how I feel and not worry about it. Is that cool with everyone? Good.

Do Work!

Just so you know, the title is a quote from Rob Dyrdek. He's a pro skateboarder and he uses that phrase a lot. I just wanted to use it in a title, because I like it. So...deal!

The last couple of weeks have been action packed. Tons of stuff has gone down in such a short time. I've got a new roommate: Aaron Little. He's this dude from Chattanooga that I became friends with thru my neighbors. I've had members of Coca-Cola North America come to Birmingham to visit my sales territory. As a matter of fact, the President and Chief Operating Officer of the freakin Coca-Cola Company is coming to Birmingham next Friday to tour my area. AMPED about that. It is a huge opportunity for me and I am thrilled to have it.

Getting ready for another snowboarding trip in March. I am going to go riding with some guys from the University of Arkansas. We are going to Winter Park, CO. I cannot wait. It should be a great trip. We are driving from Arkansas to Colorado so that should be interesting and LONG! But you know what they always say, fun never comes without sacrifice. Kinda wish I was flying to Colorado, but I'll get over it.

I've been reading I Thessalonians and I can't get past the first chapter, really verse 3. It says:

"We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ".

I love the words "produced, prompted, and inspired" in that verse. Faith produces so many things. I think faith is a seed that when planted bears fruit that is out of this world. The possibilities of what faith can do or lead to are endless. I just simply have to have it (faith). The phrase "prompted by love" rocks the planet. I hope everything that I do is motivated by love. I've been shown so much love from the Father and I hope I live my life by that example. Finally, "inspired by hope". Without inspiration I have no desire. Without desire I am without purpose. Without purpose I am dead. My Jesus puts all of that in me. He is my hope and I hope that He is yours.

One Love...
Marshall

A Letter...

I went on a retreat with my church this weekend and had a great time. I have to admit that when the announcement was made that we were going to go to the Orange Beach, AL instead of some place near Florence, I was not really excited. To be honest, I really didn't want to go. I just don't get into beaches much. But I committed to go, so I was going to stick to my word. Then I come down with this cold and felt so bad that I still almost backed out. But, I decided to tough it out and go anyway. I'm so glad that I went.

I rode down with my friends Beau Mosley, Josh Weldon, and Whitney Weldon. Beau actually is related to some of my friends from Jasper. Josh's landscaping company does the work at the place I work. Whitney competes for Miss Alabama. This is her last year to do it, because she ages out. We left Friday evening around 5pm, stopped in Prattville and got some dinner, and arrived in Orange Beach around midnight. It was late and I was exausted so I went straight to bed.

Woke up Saturday and had three sessions. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and then one later on that night. The afternoon session was my favorite. We touched on the topic of when and where we feel closest to God. Ted, our young adult pastor, used Psalm 8 as a reference. We broke down in groups of four and he asked us to read Psalm 8 and rewrite it or say what it means to us. We could do anything, make a song, draw a picture, or just rewrite it. My group chose to keep true to the form of Psalms and kinda make a more modern day letter out of it. I wanted to share what we came up with, because I thought it was awesome. And, it was a lot of fun.

Psalm 8 in the NIV looks like this:

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of you enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of you hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

OK, here's what we wrote. (Remember, in the form of a letter.)

God,

Check it. You rock! Kids praise you and it ticks people off, but they have to shut up and deal with it. When I look around and check out everything in this world, I try to figure out why you would care about me, but you do. You bring me to the same level as those who are hanging out with you in heaven and that is real cool. You created this place and gave me the freedom to do what I want to and for that I praise you. Well, peace out, I'll holla at ya in Chapter 9.

Sincerely,
David

P.S. Sorry about Bathsheba.

All of the groups went around the room and shared what they got out of it. Every group was different. It was a really good retreat. Everyone who went got a whole lot closer and our community of friends is stronger for it.

You live and you learn...

It's almost Friday. Thank Jesus for that. This weekend should be a really fun one. The Exit 148 community that I am involved with at church (Clearbranch Methodist) is taking a retreat weekend down to Orange Beach. I think that is in Alabama, not quite sure. I'm more of a Mountain Man, so I'm not up on all the beaches and stuff. Just Panama City and Jacksonville Beach, Florida because that is the only two that I have ever visited.

I've always heard the expression "Life is funny" and it really is. I've got this friend whom I am worried about. I am worried about this person because I feel like she is in the same situation that I was in about 2 years ago. I was dating a person, who at the beginning was great, and we had lots of fun together. Then, I graduated from college (UNA) and things got tough. I moved about an hour a half away and things became quite difficult. Sacrifices had to be made. Things like conversations over the phone and me driving to Florence to see this person. These are all things that I wanted to do. I felt like the sacrifice was worth it.

However, as months went by the relationship became really unstable. More fights, more problems, less compromise, and less trust for one another. Friends and family began telling us both that we should get out of the relationship and just be friends. But did we listen, nope. We're adults now and we can handle our own problems. The truth is that we should have listened to our friends and family and saved ourselves a lot of hurt.

My friend, in my opinion, is in this similar situation. In this particular relationship, she drives to where he is at. My group of friends never see this girl anymore, because she is doing all the work. Me, attempting to be a gentleman, disagree with this totally. The guy should be coming to Birmingham to see her. This girl that I am talking of used to hang out with my group of friends all the time and now we rarely see her. There is always some reason why she can't go or simply because she is driving to see this guy. It is frustrating for us all. Now I see what my friends were going through when I was the one in this story.

The dilemma for me is; how do I tell my friend without getting her mad at me or invoking that "I know what's best for me" attitude that I had when my friends would try to talk sense into me. I carry the opinion that I don't really care if she ditches me or not, but some of my friends are really upset about it. I guess I just don't want to see this person go through the same stuff that I went through. Really, it is almost the exact situation that I was in. Anyway, that is that. I just felt like I needed to get that off my chest.

I'm battling a cold at the moment, so I think I am going to get some sleep and try to get better. One Love...

And I'm Off...

Well, this is new. My very first blogspot thing. I'm kinda stoked about it and I'm not sure if that makes me a dork or what, but I really don't care. You might have read some of my blogs on myspace and if so, this blog site will take the place of that. So, welcome.

Can I just say right out of the gate that my weekend rocked. I spent Friday night and Saturday in Nashville with a good friend of mine Kelly Simmons. Kelly and I went to UNA together and she was one of the loyal ATO ladies who just flat out rocks. Anyway, my friend Kenny Bozich is in a band called The Almost (www.myspace.com/thealmost) and they played a show at The Anchor. At this show, I got to meet one of the best drummers on the planet Aaron Gillespie (the red headed kid). Aaron created The Almost and plays guitar and sings lead vocals in the band. Kenny was nice enough to get Kelly and I in for free and we hung out before the show. Nashville is officially my new 2nd Favorite Place. Second to, of course, Birmingham.

To the real point of this blog. Lately, I have totally neglected my quality time with Jesus. I was doing good there for a while. I was really into reading Donald Miller. Not that reading books makes me any better of a Christian, but I was growing in my faith and that is all that matters. However, the last couple of weeks with the holidays and stuff, I have neglected reading anything. This Sunday at church my pastor, who is amazing, preached a message on The Cross and God starting moving in me. He made me realize that I had been ignoring Him. Tonight, I finally hit my face and listened to Him.

I put the iPod on a worship playlist and just spent some time in quiet worship and prayer. And thru some advice from my friend Ted, I began to read Galatians. Here's what I got.

It amazes me tha tI am so much like the people Paul is talking to in Galatians 1:6. I am so constantly turning and going in the opposite direction of the very God who rescued me. I place my hope in other gospels: MUSIC (big one), money, and even my great group of friends. And like Paul says these aren't gospels at all, but simply perversions of the truth. These things in their pure form are not too terribly bad, matter of fact, they are stinkin awesome. But my selfish pride makes them my own worst enemy sometimes. In other words, these things will not bring me peace. I heard Pastor/Teacher Harry Reeder talk about not getting the complete peace of God today on the radio. I don't want to miss out.

I also love how Paul asks in v. 10 "Am I trying to win the approval of men, or of God?". I wake up everyday and try to win God's approval. I think that is probably the desire of every Christian that I know. However, I do a lot of things simply to impress people. I do them with the best intentions, but are these intentions the will of God. I think I have to constantly ask myself that in order to keep in check with what He wants for my life.

God revealed Himself to Paul in such an awesome way. It was an absolute revelation. I wonder how I would react if Christ, God, The Father showed up in that magnitude. Yes, I believe it can happen. However, at this point in my life and spiritual walk I may not be ready for it. I have to ask myself the uncomfortable question: Are there things (perverse gospels) that are in the way of God.

The Gospel of Jesus is not something that man made up. I cannot receive it from any man. It can only be received by a revelation from Jesus Christ. And there it is, I have received revelation. God's grace is my saving revelation. Now, I just have to live like it. What do you think?

One Love...