It's A Wonderful Life

On Today's Docket...

2005-08-23T06:11:00.000-05:00

Where on earth could I begin?? lol So many things going on right now that I am not sure where to begin. The last post ended on some sort of bad news with the unexpected fall out with my best friend, but this one isn't gonna be negative at all! :-D
I guess I should start right after the events with Kelly. Well of course I was a little bummed out about losing a best friend to something so silly but the very next night was my church's first youth service. I was the guest preacher. I had prayed, prepared, prayed, studied, prayed, and then prayed. I was absolutely ready to go on this thing! Well it went off with virtually no flaws at all as far as the organization of the thing went and I really believe God did some awesome stuff within the church. And that somewhat begins everything that's happened up to now.
God loves the "sneak plays." He has been restoring things in me that I didn't even know NEEDED restoring until the work was finished. lol I was angry and cynical and just flat out tired of "church." But God has cleaned all that up and fixed it so now I can actually get over my own selfish attitude and begin to really serve God! I now have a stronger desire to preach now more than ever before, a compassion for people that is greater than before, passion for Christ that I've never had before, and just an over all desire to be what God wants me to be and not even what I would like to be. It's ALL about God!!
I'm reading "The Purpose Driven Life" and it's saying that we were created for a simple purpose. God's enjoyment. God didn't NEED to create any of us, He simply WANTED to create us so He could have a relationship with us. God doesn't NEED you... He WANTS you. Now think about that one... You can NEED someone you don't really WANT... So to be needed is an obligatory desire. If you know this really annoying person that is awesome with computers, you probably don't really want him around much... However, when that PC crashes, you don't WANT him, you NEED him. So when you need someone, you tolerate them until their necessity is finished. When you WANT someone, they might not be able to do anything at all to benefit you but you just enjoy having them around because they are a blessing to you. You might be smarter than them, look better, be richer, be classier, or anything else that you can list, but when you WANT them there, you don't "tolerate" their more negative traits because you really don't see them because of the enjoyment they bring to you. Hope all that made sense. lol
Moving right along, I've learned that not only does God WANT me, He is also GOD!! I mean get that! HE IS GOD!! That means He is unlimited in power, awesomeness, mercy, grace, love, and everything else! There is no god before Him and there will be no god after Him! He won't be impeached, re-elected, nominated, or thrown from power. He will also never resign! HE IS GOD!! That ALSO means that whatever problem you have in your life, He has the answer!!
Okay I'm gonna have to continue this a little later because it's getting close to work time!! lol Love you all who read this! Ah shucks I love ya even if ya don't read this!! lol God bless ya and I'll update again soon!!

In Christ,
Corey

Man what a busy few days it's been!

2005-08-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

I may have to compare schedules with Amy now to see just who is the busiest right now! lol Man! Well today is Monday and since last Wednesday to now, my life has been on some crazy terms. To start things off, my car starts messing up. The water pump is bad on it and I don't have any money to fix it. Well THAT leads to the next line up of disaster. I call my uncle who owed me about $300 and ask him for it. He said he didn't have then I told him I needed him to get it. I explained the situation to him so he'd know the urgency of the situation. I guess I should mention that he has owed me this money for a while and has been putting it off until now so I wasn't just being a rude jerk about it. Anyway, my uncle and I both apparently were more stressed than we realized and this convo about money turned nasty REAL quick. We basically had a falling out over the phone and I was concerned our relationship wouldn't be the same from that point on. This one has a silver lining. He called minutes after that and told me he just got paid $1000 and he would pay off his debt to me if I came and picked up a check. Well when I got to his house, he began apologizing for the convo and kept explaining that he wouldn't ever hurt me like that intentionally and all that so we worked it out and now we are even closer than before. Now for the mack daddy of this week.
Our phones went out a few days so I couldn't sign online. When I WAS able to sign on I saw an email from my best friend titled "Okay" I thought nothing of it until I opened it. I had not responded to his previous email from 3 days prior, so when I got this I thought maybe it would be a "man, you dead?!?" kinda email. Ya know something lighthearted. Instead he proceeds to literally crawl me up one side and down the other about not responding and pitching a hissy fit for no logical reason at all. He says that I'm mad at him for not hiring my parents to do some work at his house, AND because he's not crazy about the church I go to. He then proceeds to tell me how wrong I am for holding such a grudge and includes this statement, "Don't worry about responding to this (not that you will) but maybe one day we can work this out but it won't be now." Needless to say I'm floored by the rudeness, idiocy and absolute gall of this email. Rather than responding angrily as I WANTED to do, I call him and left him a voice message saying that I was not angry at anything and that I would like him to call me back to discuss this thing. Instead of calling, he emails back saying that we could talk about it but by that time it was real late and he would've been in bed then so I emailed back. I was as polite as I could've been, without just wiping his behind for him, and I thought about everything that I wrote and simply explained to him that this was just a misunderstanding and wasn't anything to worry about. I then explained that it didn't matter to me that he hired someone else to do that work and that the church thing wasn't an issue. After that email I get a response that is even harsher than the first one and that REALLY took me back. So I responded to that with this statement, "I don't know what you're angry at and I can't understand why I'm the venting post for it but until you get to where you can respond calmly, I won't argue this anymore." To which he flat out ended our friendship cold.
Now that I've told you all this bad stuff, let me tell you how good God has been in all of it. First, my uncle and I survived that battle with even better bonds than before. Second, I am currently having my car fixed and will have money left over. Thirdly, in spite of my friend's rampage, I surrendered it to God that same day and I've honestly not been hurting anymore over it. It's like God stepped in a almost immediately filled the void when that left. As my Pastor told me, "When you do remodeling, you always have old stuff to tear down and tear out first. God is just wanting to do some remodeling in you." God is absolutely amazing! Love to all who read this!! God Bless you always!!

In Love with Christ Jesus,
Corey Forsyth

Finding is Hard to Do

2005-07-19T06:49:00.000-05:00

Man I thought I was pretty busy before college... I was sorely mistaken. I'm working like a madman now!! lol NOW I can sympathize with Amy... lol I've had to go help Dad in remodeling since my uncle decided it would be okay to let me work for a few weeks without pay. Needless to say I'm having a blast getting my money now. Anywho, so we've been working now for 9 days straight to try and catch up on our remodeling committments. It's fun though because I get to do some actual building now instead of just handing dad some tools ever so often. In other news, college IS going well, my lowest grade on anything so far was a 92 and that's awesome compared to anything related to high school! lol What else.. hmmm... oh! The last Sunday night of this month, I'm preaching at our church's first Youth Service! I'm wanting to pull out lots of stops to make this a memorable message. I got dramas in the middle of the message, hopefully video and audio presentations to support my message as I'm preaching it, so it should be a different scenario from the pulpit if nothing else. Well it's getting close to work time so I'll take off for now but be good and I'll see ya again soon. :-)

I Reckon I Be Overdue for an Update...Again... hehe

2005-06-28T10:15:00.000-05:00

I figured if I didn't update soon Amy would worry again so here I am. :-) First off, I'm extremely excited because next week I start college! Next Thursday is the first class towards a better future for the Corey!! Also, I've picked a "paying" job during my school career. My uncle has not paid me in over 2 weeks and I found out yesterday he had the money to pay me over the weekend but blew it on some unneccessary work for some guy with a sob story so I started working with my dad again since he's covered up in work right now. It's better pay and I KNOW my dad pays employees first! lol Oh well... I guess that's about all I can write at the moment. Thanks for stopping by and reading! God Bless! :-)
PS- That last post WAS nothing more than a valley... A low one, but still a valley... lol I think someone should write a song about valleys... You could title it "Even in the Valley" Sounds like a hit to me!! haha Love ya girl!! Thanks for being you! :-)

It Is Well With My Soul

2005-06-09T00:29:00.000-05:00

Well I think I'm gonna really share a little bit of the deeper side of my heart on this one.
I am not a perfect man. I am not a "good" man. I am sinful by nature and I have a side that is sometimes deceptive and speaks lies. I am tired of the "preacher" mask that I've been trained to wear for so many years. I'm tired of everyone thinking I've got it all together and that I don't have any real problems in life. The fact of the matter is that I have as many if not more problems, in some cases, than others. I will spare you the list however, I will give one issue that I think I need to just express outwardly in order to deal with it.
I was terribly hurt by the church that my Dad began 4 years ago. People that called us "family" stabbed us in the back and then felt the need to twist it until most of our vital organs were severed. Other people went to their peers and decided it would be okay to spread outright lies about my family while one family in particular chose to wedge themselves so deep into our personal life that it has become a barrier in our family that we are still having to fight with even to this day. I'm tired of the pain. I am not naive enough to believe it will just simply leave overnight but I am really so sick of the pain. It has become such an issue that I feel it has virtually disected my line to the Lord. I cannot feel His presence like I once did. I cannot pray with the same passion and with the same conviction I once did. I cannot even hear God like I once could. Make no mistake, I still love the Lord with all my heart and I do not want to abandon anything or anybody, but I need Him to shine His face on me once again. I need to feel the warmth of the Holy Spirit gently hugging me just to assure me that it will be alright. I need to heard Jesus tell me He loves me like He did before. I need Jesus. I have not backslidden as many would probably say I have by this description, I have been told that I'm experiencing a "dry season" but I personally think that person was just a pentecostal zealot trying to "fill his tag" for the day. I'm cynical yet open to the move of God and I'm hurt yet still love the Lord. I feel almost like a walking contradiction most of the time. I have even lost most of my desire to preach and minister for now, but I think that's most because I need to be fed rather than be the one feeding. Nevertheless, despite myself I STILL know that God is God and that there is peace that is beyond understanding and grace that is sufficient for all my needs but it seems that God has, not forsaken, but blocked me for just a while and I know He's there and will never leave me but almost like He is leaving me alone to fight on my own for a while without intervening in the way He always has before. Maybe it's a season of growth. Maybe there is a blessing on the other side of this that I won't be able to contain. Who knows? God does. I find hope in the fact that God still loves me and His Son said that God takes notice when a sparrow falls from the sky and WE are of much more value to God than many sparrows. So with that said I would like to be understood as saying that I am not a complainer and I am not one to say God hates me beacuse something goes wrong, I just have to teach myself that it's not my responsibility to make everyone think I'm perfect and I shouldn't try and bottle my problems up inside just to allow them to explode at one time.
Well anyway I said I wasn't getting into all that but lo and behold here we are. Thanks for reading hope I didn't depress or discourage anyone at all. Be blessed of God in all you do !!

IN Jesus Name,
Corey

Back By Popukar Demand!! Okay Well maybe just Amy... ;-)

2005-05-28T18:39:00.000-05:00

Well Amy Marie told me I should update and since she's the woMAN, I guess I will... hehe LOTS of things have happened since I last updated so I'll recap the top 3. First off, my church closed its doors in late April. We prayed REALLY hard about it and came to the conclusion that we should've done it a while back. lol But anyway we closed the church down and my parents are taking a "break" even though I keep telling them it's probably not too smart to do that but I do understand the hurt we all felt with the backbiting and lying done my those who were "closest" to us. But I'm not rehashing that one... While my parents take a church break, I haven't even missed a service. I went to this church called Calhoun Community Church just 6 miles north of my house, at the begging of an old church friend. I am typically really skeptical about this denomination but I promised my friend I'd come check it out one night. Well I did just that and, long story short, felt the presence of God and felt that this was my new church home. I'm probably the closest to God I've been in a while.
In other news, I've made a career change. I'm no longer a clothing store manager. I am managing an auto body shop. My uncle has hired me to run his business so he and his other employees can just do body work and not hassle with paperwork and order sheets and customers. lol So that's awesome!! It's a full time day job with NO weekends and flexible schedule to allow for college classes. SPEAKING OF COLLEGE..... lol I start in July at Coosa Valley Technical College to get my Associates degree in Computer Networking. Now what's REALLY awesome to me is that I went to take the entrance exam THINKING I would just get by... Well I didn't... The lady that scored my test told me it was the best test she's seen ever. I almost made perfect scores in almost not time at all on ALL parts!!! I wanted to cry when she told me that because I KNOW it was just the Lord allowing me to do that. But in addition to that, school is TOTALLY free!!! HOPE Grant is a Georgia Federal Grant that covers all tuition plus $100 towards books. Then Pell Grant kicks in to cover the rest of my books and whatever other costs college requires. I am now on my way to being something other than a low income musician who has no real future... I now have a future that is really bright in a field I enjoy!
I reckon that is all the news in Coreyland for now... But since I know at least Amy reads this I guess I could update a little more often.. :-D By the way, IM me sometime Unthank!! lol Later!!

'Bout Time Fer Anudder One

2005-04-15T00:44:00.000-05:00

It's been over a month since I've updated so I figure it's about time for another update in Coreyville. Not that anyone actually gives a rip what happens here... But I'm gonna update anyway. :-P So I quit my job last week. Final straw. Don't really feel like going into much detail but enough became enough for me so I wrote a "be angry and sin not" letter to inform my manager that I would not be returning to work. I tried to hang on to leave in the appropriate way with the 2 week notice, which I had already placed with the company, but I just couldn't take it anymore. Anyway, that's that. I DO think I found a great opportunity though. Kmart in Calhoun GA seemed very promising so maybe I can go work there and pay bills, and seriously take control of my future by getting into school. If anyone reads this, I'd appreciate the input. I'm considering the following fields: Music Composition, Music Ed., Graphic Design, Animation, Audio Production, Teaching, Counseling, and Computer Specialist. These are primarily generalized areas of study so anything related to them would be fair play in my search for a major. I WOULD like for any/everyone who reads this to give your opinion on which area would fit me the best. To extend that, if you have any suggestions outside any of the above mentioned courses, feel free to give those as well. Thanks. :-)
In other news, my cousin is back home from Iraq...FOR GOOD!!! I've been spending all the spare time I can with him. Ya never really know how much someone REALLY means to you until you realize that they aren't always gonna be around. He really is my buddy and I'm more thankful that he's home than words could ever depict. We went to the drag races a couple of weeks ago and played football all afternoon this past Sunday. I've had a BLAST!
I again ask all who read this to please give input on the college thing. Every opinion is vital to me as I use those in consideration as I make my final decision. I always seek out many opinions so I can fully understand the situation in ALL aspects then make an intelligent decision based on the information I have recieved. :-) Thanks again! God Bless and Goodnight.

Huked Own Fonix Werkt Fer Me

2005-02-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

Well folks it's the Corey once again. I know I'm a sparatic poster but I ain't never been one of those people that could write just anything everyday about my life. I'm quite boring in that respect.. lol And by the way, I'm well aware of the double negative above. ;-) So back to me, I've officially been promoted to the 1st Assistant Manager position at work which means I'm in charge of everything at the store if my manager is gone, quits, takes a vacation, etc. Plus it means more pay for me and FULL benefits! :-D It also means that my availability to be called in is more in demand. I can't choose not to come in just because I don't want to. lol But it's cool anyway.
In Church news, we've been experiencing a surge in congregational interest in the church. For some reason, they've all decided it's time to move ahead in the church while my dad and I have been fighting to do that for over a year now... lol Such is life in ministry. Hopefully, we'll get to consider, seriously, a Sunday School program as well as enhancements in the Worship Program and that all makes the Pastor's job easier in many respects! So we'll see what happens.
I guess that will be all for this update... As I said, I am pretty boring.. :-P Y'all be good and until next time, remember this.... "Pride is like Nyquil... It is not a medicine you want to swallow, but when it begins to heal your ills, the taste became of no concern." :-D Later gators!! God Bless!

What It Was, Was Football...

2005-02-04T01:22:00.000-05:00

Howdy folks! I am not convinced that anyone actually checks this thing out except on a rare occasion but I'm bored and feel like typing.. :-p
Well let's see what's new in Coreyland... First off, I taught an online Bible Study for the first time a couple of nights ago and it went GREAT! It even led to an invitation to help begin an online group for teens and young adults. So that was definately a high point. I DID forget to mention since my last post whether or not I was hired to play bass for Carman... Well I wasn't. :-) They were highly complimentary of my playing but I take comfort in the fact that God answered my prayer. I simply asked the Lord to open any doors that needed opening and close any doors that needed closing. So He did just that! Anyway the audition was a great experience regardless of the outcome.
Other than that I've been a rather boring person except for the recent battles I've been fighting with my manager. She seems to think that my convictions about working on Sundays is unfair because "other employees will want Sundays off as well." I cannot understand her thinking since my reasons are spiritual in their nature and cannot be classified as "unfair" because of other employees. And, if I were a jerk about it, I could always bring up that lovely issue of religious discrimination. The Bible DOES say to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy and I also understand that the Sabbath is the day that you SET ASIDE each week to dedicate to the Lord. Sunday happens to be that day for me and I feel VERY STRONGLY that working on that day is insulting the Almighty God I serve, therefore I refuse to do anything on that day except focus my attention on Him! lol Okay I'm done with my soap box for now. So anywho I guess that's all the exciting news in Coreyland! Until next time, May God Bless you all!

Audition:Accomplished

2005-01-14T11:51:00.000-05:00

Friends, Bloggers, and Wierdos, Lend me your eyes!! I went to Nashville yesterday to audition for Carman. For those of you who DON'T know who Carman is, he's a 30+ year veteran in Contemporary Christian music. He's one of the longest running careers seen in this genre. He leads literally hundreds of thousands of people to the Lord every year and has some of the best music in the industry. Well anyway, I drove to Nashville through heavy rain, idiotic drivers, and road work. Fun Fun Fun. I also forgot about the time change so I got there an hour early yet at the same time, it was 2 hours early by Nashville time... So I pulled into the church, sat for about an hour and left for a minute or two to kill the extra time and get my mind settled in and ready to perform. After finally killing the excess time, I went inside and announced my arrival. They told me to get my gear and to set up on stage since they were actually running early on time that day. So I set up, tuned up and prepared to do sound check. They said "We'll just play a few bars of the first song to see if you're dialed in right and you can feel the monitors and everything." Well they played a few bars and I stopped playing to let them know I was okay and they yelled enthusiasctically, "Keep playing! It sounds SWEET!" So I kept on going and just got into a literal jam on the first song. Then they asked if I was ready for the next song and off we went again. Another success. Then the third and probably most difficult song to play for the changes it makes, Awesome God. Off I went into pure worshipful jam. I laid everything else aside. I literally forgot I was at an audition and just went to town worshipping my truly "Awsome God!" When that one was over they were all yelling "Sweet! You Nailed It! Etc." Then as I said thank you and began to tear my gear down, the main judge in the audition walked up to the stage and said "First off let me say that was awesome! You nailed every song great!" To which I believe I may have blushed slightly and said a very heartfelt thank you and we continued to talk about various things such as my relationship with the Lord and my desire to play for Carman and things that they needed to find out I'm sure. Well in any case the audition went REALLY well and I left there very happy with what had happened. Oh, and the guy complimenting my playing so much was David Gaff. He's played professionally with everyone from Ozzy Osbourne,to Aerosmith, to Reba McEntire, to Amy Grant. He's been touring with these type of names since the year I was born! <1982> So that was a real honor in and of itself! But anyway I will know by Monday if I got the part! So continue to pray for God's will to be done! Thanks for all the support you've given me through this as it is DEEPLY and SINCERELY appreciated from the very depths of my heart! Thank you! Love y'all!! God Bless

Old Things Pass Away, Behold All Things Become New

2005-01-01T03:00:00.000-05:00

As I write this, the minute hand is ticking down the last few remaining moments of this passing year. I find myself sitting here alone with my thoughts, being violently shoved into a few briefs moments of contemplative thought. For some strange reason I approach the passing of an old year filled with many firsts, many good memories, many life altering moments that are worthy or remembrance. However, as I see the minute hand literally making history with every blink of an eye, I sit here with a degree of sorrow to see the year end. Now I am typically the optimist in every situation but I am dumbfounded at my own thoughts at this moment because I suddenly realize, as you may have detected in these few sentences, that life is just that, a moment. To reference scriptures that most all who read this probably hold dear, life is nothing but a mere vapor. A quick whisp in the nostrils of our Almighty God. I sit, not depressed or saddened, yet in awe of the year that so quickly passed us by.
I look back at this year in awesome wonder of God's goodness yet am surrounded by a sense of nervous anxiety of what lies ahead. I have this deep down, gut wrenching sense that this upcoming year will be one full of life changing decisions in many different ways. Possible choices regarding career, ministry, music, relationships, but none more significant than any regarding my relationship with God. My life is filled with regret and "what ifs" but full of hope as well. I feel almost as I did when we moved a few years back. I was leaving behind friends that I held dear, I was moving farther away from my church, but mostly I was leaving a comfort zone. Strangely enough the one thing I wanted more than anything else to keep was my phone number. I never really understood it until this very moment but it was a simple, tangible form of my comfort zone. So as that revelation comes to me my mood all of a sudden changes. I am now overwhelmed with a sense of peace and renewed anticipation for what lie ahead of me in 2005. So with these last few remaining moments ticking by ever so slowly, I say,"OLD THINGS PASS AWAY, BEHOLD ALL THINGS BECOME NEW!!!" Bring it on 2005 I've got ya by the horns and I'm not letting go!! ;-) I LOVE you all!! May God bless you more this year than ever before!!! Amen and AMEN!!

It's Me Again Margaret!

2004-12-12T01:22:00.000-05:00

Well I have an issue I'd like some opinion on if anyone actually reads this thing... My job is great and I'm very happy with what I'm doing, however, the original agreement when I was hired was that I wouldn't work Sundays unless there was no other option... Now I have worked every Sunday since I started... Until now I've only worked the hours after Sunday morning services but they are starting to schedule me earlier... How should I approach the situation? I HAVE to confront the issue becuase of my call to be a Worship Pastor. It's beginning to interfere with my calling and I don't think that is right at all. So any thoughts would be fantastic. :-) God Bless!! Thanks for your help!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

2004-12-07T02:52:00.000-05:00

Friends, Christians, and Gospelville... Lend me your eyes!! :-P It's a good day! I just finished putting up the Christmas tree with my family. It's one of my favorite times of the holiday season. We have somewhat of a tradition in my house for the night we put up the tree. It goes something like this... We clean the house up a little to accomadate the decorations then we eat dinner and get settled into the house for the evening. After everyone is settled in a relaxed, we get out the decorations and pop in the very first Gaither Christmas Homecoming video and put up the tree. We've started adding Christmas cookies and milk into our ritual but we made the cookies a little early this year. ;-) Anyway, it was fun and enjoyable since it's one of the highest ranking "quality" times with the entire family together. We're all so busy most of the time. I love Christmas!! This year especially. I can't think of a blessed thing I want or need for Christmas and I think that's GREAT!!! I want to be the giver more than the receiver!! All I want for Christmas is the company of the family members that truly love and care about me along with all my closest friends. I don't care about presents anymore. I just want what the spirit of Christmas should be every year...Togetherness, Compassion, Hope, Family unity, and Love. It's an awesome time of year and I'm just basking in it this year!! :-D
In other news, I also got a couple of things accomplished today that I've been wanting to do for months now!! First off, I got in touch with a TBN, Trinity Broadcasting Network, representative and am getting a copy of the videos I took part in recording in May mailed to me in the next few days. That's awesome!! And while watching the Gaither Christmas Video I learned the guitar part to Buddy Greene's "Fall Down Children" song. AWESOME STUFF!! That's one of my favorite all time Christmas songs but I've only heard it on that one video. But rest assured, my church family will hear that song before the season is finished!! :-D
In any case thats' about all the major update and thought for today!! If anyone reads this thing, thanks for your time!! Love ya in the Lord!! God Bless!

First Southern Gospel Post...

2004-12-02T21:11:00.000-05:00

Okay this is just some random thoughts that I had while reading the ever wonderful SoGospelNews.com...
After reading the story about Kirk Talley's comeback, I was just wondering about the scenario. I mean I am VERY glad to see Kirk recovering from this whole situation but why did we forgive and welcome Kirk back so quickly in comparison to some past artists? Namely, Michael English. Did he fall any farther than Kirk? Michael English was and is, in my humble opinion, just as talented and anointed of the Lord as Kirk any day of the week. However, when Michael English fell we, for the most part, trampled him underfoot but when Kirk fell, we openly recieved him back. Why the difference? Why did Michael have to work harder than Kirk? Just random thoughts I was having and decided to post. I do ask that if you have any nasty comments to make regarding this topic keep them to yourself. If you would like to comment intelligently and calmly I welcome all comments. :-) God Bless.

Howdy

2004-12-01T01:29:00.000-05:00

Well if anybody is reading this I would first like to say thanks to Amy Unthank for spreading the Blog Bug to me... lol Well let's see what's been going on lately. I just started a new job within the past couple of weeks and it's going really well. The manager that was there when I was hired walked out on us thus placing the Assistant Manager in charge. The most likely scenario after the first of the year is that she will be promoted to official store manager and she has already promised me the position of Assistant Manager. That means more money and hours for Corey along with some nice benefits! YEE HAW!! Anyway this is the first "real" job I've taken since I came off the road from the Jeff Treece Band. If you ever get a chance to hear them live, or on CD for that matter, do so! This guy is a good friend and a hilarious person. He's not a bad song writer either! ;-)
Well now that the preliminaries are over I'd like to get a little "deeper" concerning this holiday season. I love this time of year because of it's general mood. It's one of more brotherly/sisterly love, more compassion, friendliness, and many of the positive human traits that so often get left by the wayside. It seems as though our goodness gets taken out of the closet, so to speak, for at least a short time and we allow ourselves to be the humans God intended for us to be in the first place. Having said all of that, I must confess that this year has brought to light some degree of negative revelation for me as a person. I realized that until this year, I have loved Christmas for most of the wrong reasons. I LOVED getting things from people and really enjoyed being active and in the spotlight during Christmas. Whether it was on the platform in the church Christmas play, singing a special song, or just simply finding things to do, I was a spotlight hog. This year, however, I've discovered something fantastic about Christmas! It's REAL meaning! Sure everyone knows the story of the birth of Christ but that's the problem. Everyone knows the story but it takes a little extra to KNOW the story! I've realized that this season IS all about love! This is the time in which God showed us the very first glimpse of His love and compassion for us! When the Angel appeared before Mary and told her of Jesus' coming, it was God's way of saying, "Hey, I love you!! This is my eternal gift to you!!" And with a gigantic smile on His face, He sent Jesus to literally rescue mankind from itself. What an amazing revelation if you really take a moment and look at it from a different perspective that we traditionally take. We tend to turn these precious events from the Bible and make them into religious fairy tales and miss the entire message in the story! So without getting TOO longwinded, let me encourage you to get back to basics this Christmas! Don't worry so much about spending money on people. Write a card or note to someone you love letting them know just how wonderful you think they are! I promise, they'll treasure that FAR more than the $24.99 toaster you got them from Wal-Mart! ;-) Every gift you give should be given from the heart and not obligation! So my gift to all who read this is simple, "I LOVE YOU!!" From the bottom of my heart! And as the Apostles told the leper, "Silver and Gold have I none, but such as I have, I give to you!!" Remember Jesus this holiday season and keep things focused on Christ! May you all have the BEST Christmas ever!! God Bless!