Amy and I made the trip up to Indy this weekend to celebrate our nephew Jarrett’s 10th birthday. Man I am getting old! It was a great visit with all of the in-laws.
Happy 10th Birthday Jay!
Jarrett, Amy, and Christopher in Indy
Happy Birthday Jarrett!
On the way up to Indianapolis today, we stopped in Nashville and had a great lunch with our old friend Annie. Forgot my camera so I couldn’t take any pictures!
After that we stopped at the Dave Ramsey offices to pick up some items for the Financial Peace University classes that Amy facilitates. Dave was filming his show and during his break he came out and Amy got to meet him and get a book signed. He’s a good guy. Amy was like a giddy schoolgirl… it was fun to watch.
Wish I would have had my camera with me. The camera on my phone would not have done the situation justice. Oh well, I got to see if firsthand.
I was a little apprehensive, but this was a lot of fun. Amy and I participated in a live nativity out in front of our church. It was a bit cold… I was a Shepperd and Amy was a Wise Man… more like a wiseguy.
The family got together for lunch today at Logan’s to celebrate McKenna’s 14th birthday and Kirbi’s engagement. Congratulations to Kirbi and Cody. No date yet. Happy Birthday Doodlebug!
Andy Andrews is quickly becoming my favorite author. He has a great ability to weave common sense wisdom into the characters and situations presented in his great stories.
The Noticer is set in town of Orange Beach, Alabama, where a man named “Jones” seems to appear in the lives of people just when they need “a little perspective.” Jones has a unique gift of changing everyone’s perspective… life changing perspective. I will let you read the book to enjoy all of the encounters and wisdom that come from them. There were many parts of the book that spoke to me… here are a few:
“Trust and respect are about the future. Forgiveness is about the past. Forgiveness will be in the hands of others and can be given to you, but trust and respect are in your own hands… and must be earned.”
“Many of life’s treasures remain hidden from us simply because we never search for them. Often we do not ask the proper questions that might lead us to the answer to all our challenges. We are so caught up in fear and regret, that hope seems a foolish endeavor. Proof of hope, however, is not only possible; it is an overlooked law of the universe.”
Proof of Hope… “If you are breathing, you are still alive. If you are alive, then you are still here, physically, on this planet. If you are still here, then you have not completed what you were put on earth to do. If you have not completed what you were put on earth to do… that means your very purpose has not yet been fulfilled. If your purpose has not yet been fulfilled, then the most important part of your life has not been lived. And if the most important of your life has not been lived…” “That is my proof of hope.”
It is a great read and I highly recommend it
If you know my wife Amy and me, you know we are big fans of our dogs Pete and Pepper… and pretty much love all dogs. We currently live in a 800 square apartment and there is not much opportunity to let our dogs off the leash. So we were thrilled when we found out that Birmingham was getting an off-leash dog park.
Well we got to make our first visit yesterday and had a blast. Petey Big Paws even got his picture on a website covering the new park. Check our the story at the SamfordCrimson.com. Here is the picture for the story… Petey is the good looking Golden on the left. 
Check out some of the other dogs at the park here.
Check out these other sites related to the park.
barkforapark.org
blog.al.com
al.com/news
A friend at work sent me this. Not sure of the source. Thought I would share.
If my life was a credit report and I was trying to obtain salvation, based on my score I wouldn’t get it.
My history shows that I’ve been delinquent in praise, past due in prayer, my worship has been in collections and I’ve missed a few payments (tithes) or only paid half (you know how we put $20 in the basket and feel like we’ve done God a favor).
Not to mention that my debt (sin) to income (blessings) ratio is too high.
But, I thank God that I was able to file bankruptcy (repentance) and it cleared me of all of my debt (sin). Now I have a co-signer (Jesus) whose score is FLAWLESS… Not one blemish (sin) on his report.
So now…. I QUALIFY for EVERYTHING! Most importantly I’ve inherited eternal life and I didn’t have to put one penny down.
All of my closing costs were covered when Jesus laid down His life for me!!!! I hear that my future home has all of the upgrades too.
Hardwood floors? Please!! I’ll be walking on gold!
My cousin Jason joined the Army. He’s not that much younger than me. Some might think he is crazy. I think he is a Great American. He was home for awhile before shipping out again and we got invited to a welcome home get together. It was great to see him and hear all the great things he’s into. My Aunt Nancy drove in from Dallas to visit as well and a lot of my family from my Dad’s side came to the gathering as well… It was great to see everybody. It is a shame that sometimes we only see family at funerals. This was a blessing to see everyone today.
Hello, I am Christopher Parks, Follower of Jesus Christ, Husband, Father, Son, and a big fan of Golden Pete the Super Retriever.
