On talking to God, and letting Him talk back

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

Does anyone else think that talking to God is a rather difficult thing? Prayer in and of itself is a very simple thing. The problem is letting God talk back to you. How often do we pray, and then immediately take back control of the things we've just handed over to God?

I believe we treat prayer way to casually now. Prayer used to be a communication tool between God and His people. Now, it seems to be more of a one way street, with us talking to God, but not being willing to listen for Him to talk back.

How often do you think that God is telling is those great and unsearchable things that we don't know, but we just aren't listening to Him? God simply asks us to call to Him, and He will answer.

So is our problem in calling, or listening? Often, I feel like I'm calling out to God selfishly. My prayers too often begin with requests, wishes, needs, instead of calling out to my Heavenly Father. When I finish my prayers, my attitude rarely reflects that of having believed in what I prayed for.

If I call to God, He will tell me great and unsearchable things. Question is, will I listen?

Sympathy and Prayers go out to...

The family of Steve Hawley, one of the most beloved teachers and coaches that has ever been. Steve's father, Roger Hawley, passed away. His funeral will be in St. Louis on Friday.

Coach Hawley (Steve) has probably impacted more lives than anyone I've ever known. His book - "What Then Is This Child Going To Be?" is a great book about being a teacher, and loving your students. There's even a mention of yours truly in the book, along with my good friend, Jason Bybee.

Coach Hawley always did "Auctions" to raise money for underprivileged families at Christmas time. During break at school once every couple of weeks, he would auction off autographed items from college and professional sports teams that the students would write letters to.

For every test he would give, he would have a list of top 4 songs. They would be "Top 4 songs about breaking up" or "Top 4 songs about girl's names"

I had the wonderful opportunity of not only being a student of Coach Hawley's, but also teaching with him in Houston at Westbury Christian School.

Coach Hawley, I'm sorry for your loss. I know you peruse this site from time to time. God bless you in your loss of your dad. We'll be praying for you.

Got it wrong...

America, you got it wrong. Michael Johns over Syesha or Kristy Lee? How can you send him home? I think he'll go on to a few albums. I'll miss you Michael.

I can't wait till Thursday....

...because of this:



My good friend Jason and I are going to Birmingham to see them in concert! They put on an awesome show. Its going to be awesome.

The fascinating thing about Jesus

Jesus is awesome. There's just no real way to get around it. You can try to find reasons not to love Him, but you won't be able to do so. You can try to deny Him, but one way or another, you're going to bow down before Him.

There's something fascinating about Jesus. His ability to teach, amid all the storms and trials he faced, and not bat an eye.

Many people doubted Him.

Many people opposed Him.

Many listened with an argument in hand.

Many listened questioning His authority.

Many wanted to trick Him.

Most heard, but did not listen.

When you read of the gentleman in Mark 10:17-22, you read about a guy who was even reverent as he opposed Jesus. Jesus made no apologies for what he requested of this man. He simply told him to sell whatever he owned and give it to the poor. The man could not do this. What's crazy to think about is that Jesus probably knew that the man would not be able to do so.

Jesus' ability to teach to people which He knew 99% of the time weren't going to listen, act, or care is amazing to me. Oftentimes, I feel as if the words I speak or teach fall on deaf ears. Often, I feel as if I could have said something better, something that pricked hearts a bit more, something that would have hit home, but Jesus made no such apologies. Jesus taught it like it was, and it was up to the listeners to grasp, accept, and listen.

Regardless of how much I want my teenagers, the people in our church, the people I preach and teach to, to just get it...I can't make them. Its up to them to get what they will out of mine and everyone else's teachings.

God, please open our hearts and minds to Your Word. Help us to understand that we don't know it all, and that there are so many things we need to still learn from you. Help us to understand that when people reject or disregard our teaching, that You already told us that they are not rejecting us, but they are rejecting Your Word.

American Idol Wrap Up Final 9

In lieu of my friend Jason, who always blogs the AI wrap up each week, I will fill in for him (he's finishing up a Grad class at Lipscomb).

Last night's theme was Dolly Parton songs, and in my opinion, the worst of the season. Dolly Parton was a great song writer, but her songs aren't the best for all types of singers.

BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT: As much as I like David Cook, I have to go with David Archuleta's performance of "Smoky Mountain Memories" was amazing. His voice is really pure sounding. He's not my favorite, but last night, I think his performance was the best.

BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: In my opinion, Carly Smithson's rendition of "Here You Come Again" was wonderful. It was one of the first times I disagreed with Simon. She reminded me last night she was talented.

SONG I WOULD BUY TODAY: Its a toss up between David Cook's version of "Little Sparrow" or Michael John's version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right".

FORGETTABLE: Ramiele's "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" reminded me that she does not.

Bottom Three Prediction: Jason, Syesha, and Kristy Lee.

Going Home: Kristy Lee

MLB Opening Day...

and my boys had their first game postponed due to rain.

Congrats to Joe Torre on winning his first game as a Dodger. I have a feeling it won't be his last.

Girardi...you got your work cut out for you.

Go Yankees!!!

American Idol Flaws

I admit, I've become a huge AI fan this year. Up until today, I couldn't understand why certain people had not been voted off (Kristy Lee, Ramiele, Jason, and Syesha).

As you know if you've been watching the show, Itunes is offering exclusive downloads for their typical 99 cent fee. You can go onto the itunes store and preview the studio recordings (for the top 10 only). When you do this, you get a totally different feel for the artists.

Automatically, when Ramiele sang "Alone" last week, I hated it. It sounded as if she was screaming and yelling through most of the song. When you click on studio recording, she sounds amazing.

I think this is a flaw in the American Idol voting process. There's no telling how many people download, but Ryan Seacrest did say last week that if they tallied on the top downloads on itunes for the week, 5 of the top 10 would have been AI singers.

Many people go and listen to these studio recorded versions, which are much more polished than the live versions (except David Cook, he's just awesome). The voters then begin to vote for what the studio recordings sound like instead of their ability to perform live in front of the judges.

Thoughts?

American Idol, 63 Days, and Some Change

Anyone watching American Idol? This is the first season I've ever really watched it. In season 2, there was a guy I knew on it. His name was George Trice. That was the only season I ever really watched even more than one episode, but after he didn't make it, I stopped watching it. I had no idea it was this addictive. Glad to see Chikezie go last night. He just wasn't my cup of tea.

Today we have 63 days left till Ladybug Widick gets here. We're officially taking name suggestions. If you got one, let us know.

I realize today why it is that I'm overweight. Not only do I need to eat a whole lot better, but its also the fact that I'm so sedentary. When I lived in Houston, I was coaching 2 or 3 sports at a time, working out, running, exercising, moving around. I don't do nearly enough of that anymore. Maybe I should get one of THESE.

Beginning Month 8, 10 weeks left

All right, for those of you that don't know, my wife is pregnant. She is getting more and more pregnant by the day. She looks so wonderful, beautiful, and happy. I still see little smiles when the baby moves, accompanied with looks of pain when the baby kicks real hard (or jumps on her bladder). The past few months have been really fun, but then again, i'm not the one carrying around extra weight.

Overall, our pregnancy so far has been rather uneventful. No problems, no concerns, no worries. However, as the 8th month has begun, we both are starting to "freak" out a little.

1. We still have not picked out a name.
2. We still have no diaper changing table
3. We wonder why people bother to register, because hardly anyone ever consults the registry before they purchase a gift (sure this neon green blanket goes with our subtle pink room....), but we really just appreciate the outpouring of stuff people have given us (we're just freaking out about the big things that we still have yet to obtain...)
4. Diapers, in a word, are EXPENSIVE. We've decided to start buying a pack every time we go to Walmart just to help get a jump start on some things.
5. From now until the baby comes, we'll go to Huntsville about 97 times. Doctor visits every other week, then every week, plus child birth classes and other classes we've signed up for.
6. Speaking of child birth classes, they start tonight. I'm the most squeamish person on the planet, so the idea of having to watch videos on child birth...um...just make sure its a few hours after I eat.
7. Have I mentioned in ten weeks we're going to be responsible for the little person that fits in those adorable sweaters and dresses and shoes people have given us?

In a nutshell, yeah, I guess I'm starting to get a bit freaked out. But I do want to thank everyone who has given us the outpouring of gifts and love and prayers. It has helped us get through the past 7 months, now help us get through months 8 and 9! Anyone who is a parent that has any advice for a first time father, I would greatly appreciate it!

Hulu

For $1.99, you can purchase television shows to download off of Itunes, or for $9.99, you can purchase movies to download as well. I loved doing this, especially for shows I used to miss, plus, then I would have them for my ipod and on my computer saved.

However, this year, NBC announced they would be pulling shows like "The Office" off of Itunes. I didn't understand...until...I read about HULU. On HULU, you can go and view many episodes (not all, but many) of your favorite television shows, AND movies.

For example, here's a clip of one of my favorite Saturday Night Live sketches:


You can embed their clips on to blogs and other sites, but I still have yet to figure out a way to download. That's the one major drawback.

There's also over 50 movies you can watch from the site as well. And they aren't bad movies either. Titles such as Master and Commander, Ice Age, Me Myself and Irene, The Three Amigos, Weekend at Bernies, Sideways, ALL FOR FREE. Other movies on the site just have clips instead of the entire movie, but its still fun to watch if you have a spare moment during lunch.

The site has selected entire episodes of 30 Rock, Arrested Development, The Bob Newheart Show, Family Guy, The Incredible Hulk, Mad TV, SNL, Monk, My Name Is Earl, The Office, and classics such as Remington Steele, Starsky and Hutch, Welcome Back Kotter and Who's the Boss?

Its a great site, but just be careful that you don't get too caught up in it. Especially going back and watching old Saturday Night Live skits.

Happy viewing, for FREE!!

The Truth

Watch this all the way through, paying very close attention to the words. Pretty amazing.

Kristen and "Ladybug" Week 29

Hey all! Kristen and Ladybug are doing GREAT!!! I just had to post some pictures of them at week 29.



I think she looks wonderful!! We also thought we'd share some of the Nursery Pictures. Its not completely done, but here's a few:




And here's a picture of poor Chloe, who already isn't getting as much attention. She wanted her picture taken during the "photo shoot".

Some of the best music out there

I've recently stumbled upon a wonderful music program that is web based called Pandora. I encourage all of you to go and check it out.

All you have to do is simply register (its free), and you get to choose your station that you want to listen to. They have everything from Hip Hop, Jazz, New Age to Country, Rock, literally all you could imagine.

I've already heard Styx, James Taylor, John Denver, and Dave Matthews. I've also heard many new artists, independent artists, etc.

So go ahead, give it a listen, its FREE. If you like ambient new age music to listen to at your office, they got it! They got it all!

A Good Ole Flick

Recently, I've discovered Channel 258 on my DirecTV, which is the Fox Movie Channel. I've watched some great old flicks, movies that have reconnected me to childhood and teen years. Recently, we watched both Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride part 2.

However, on Sunday night, I recorded a movie that I hadn't seen in such a long time, and I was so excited to see it. It was the movie "Aliens'. Now, there was the movie Alien, and then there was (or were, which should be right, but isn't at this time) "Aliens". Sigourney Weaver played Ripley, a woman who had seen her whole crew destroyed by an Alien, and on this movie, she sees basically the same thing, but with a lot more action.

I also recently saw on the channel the movie "Dumb and Dumber", which was always a classic. So what about you guys? Is there a movie that connects you to your past that you always love watching when you get a chance?

Sign up to win FREE stuff

Yeah, that's right, free stuff. All you have to do is go to my website at LOOK GOOD FEEL GOOD and sign the guest book. You don't even have to buy anything! Just sign the guest book! You will be entered to win 35% off a one time total purchase!

As an added incentive, if you sign up as a client (which is free) and actually buy something on your visit as well, you will be entered to win a free RE9 Kit!

Since September, my wife has been selling Arbonne products. Arbonne has everything from skin care, hair care, makeup, and health and wellness products. Since September, all we have used in our house is Arbonne. I can tell a huge difference in my face, and in the way I feel.

Here's a few things you need to know:

Most types of lipstick in the cosmetic industry contains lead. That's right, lead. There is no regulation on the cosmetic industry, so there is no problem with them doing this. And, its not just your cheap lipstick, its name brand, department store lipstick as well. Arbonne's lipstick contains no lead, is botanically made, and contains no animal by-products.

Most types of mascara contain bat poop. That's right, good ole bat poop. Arbonne's is poop free.

The face and body care has no animal by products in it. Did you know there are kitchen's and restaurants who sell their used grease to body care companies to put into their body wash and face wash? Arbonne does not.

It has now been a week without caffeine and oh yeah, I'm still FAT!

Okay guys and gals, I've gone a whole week now without caffeine, unless you count the microscopic amount that is in chocolate, which I am not eating a lot of either. One week down, and here's the lowdown-

I can live without caffeine. Caffeine is not my ruler. Caffeine is not required to pay attention, wake up, energize or any other excuse we use. However, even though I'm drinking mostly water, and eating significantly better, i've gained weight. I realize that caffeine is a metabolism boosting agent, and without it, it is harder for me to do this whole lose weight thing.

I will say that stopping the whole Diet Dr. Pepper craze has helped me realize that I do control what I put in my body, and that I CAN control the cravings. Its just a rather difficult thing to do.

I'm pushing 260 now, officially reaching the most I've ever weighed. There's a guy on the Biggest Loser this season who just went home last night that weighed 285 when he got there. I'm reaching a weight that people are going on television reality shows for now. This past week has had a big impact on me in regaining my control of myself. I know that I can do this. I just have to stick with it. Even at my lunch the other day with Jason, at a Mexican place, I drank water. Last night at the State Playoffs for basketball, I drank water with my meal. This is hard, because we've trained ourselves to think that soft drinks just go better with certain meals. Its not true!

So It has been requested of me by my dear loving wife that I weigh 225 by the time the baby gets here. As difficult as it my be, I'm game to try. I've written on here many times about starting this out, and failing miserably. NOT THIS TIME!! I've got more control now than I've had in a while. I just have to get off the couch and move.

The Aftermath of a Day Without Caffeine

I decided to kick it in to high gear yesterday by simply just quitting on caffeine. With recent reports that Diet Sodas actually don't do what they're supposed to do, I decided it was only hurting me in my effort to lose weight, which if you haven't figured out by now, is a huge issue for me.

So yesterday, I consumed no caffeine (to my knowledge). I usually start the day out by drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper (DDP) first thing when I get to the office. Then I'll drink another one mid morning. Then I'll usually have at least one with lunch. Around 1:30 or so, the mid afternoon slumps start to kick in, and I consume another. Then, depending on the rest of the day, I may have one with dinner (especially if we eat out). Over the course of any given day, I may consume 6 to 8 cans of DDP, or more diet soft drinks if I eat out (I love refills, especially when I pay $3.00 for a soft drink).

Yesterday, I had no caffeine. Yesterday went well, no real effects, just a little fatigue, and nothing more. I thought to myself this would be easier than the last time I kicked this little habit. I went to bed last night earlier than usual (go figure) and rested well. I woke up this morning, and ....

BAM!

It was literally like my head had been beaten with a blunt metal object. It had been at least 30 hours since my last known caffeine consumption, and I was feeling it in a major way, and I still am. It is now 10:38 a.m., and I am moving slow and starting to feel sick. I've read about how different people respond in different ways to caffeine withdrawal, most experiencing headache and fatigue, but others have physical symptoms like runny nose, neck pain, and the jitters. Check, check, and check, yup, I'm experiencing them all.

Baby Girl Widick (a.k.a. Ladybug)

Things are really getting exciting around the Widick household. We've nicknamed Baby Girl "Ladybug". I've finally been able to feel Ladybug move around. Not a whole lot, but enough to feel her move a slight bit.

Last night, after reading about playing music through some headphones placed on the pregnant woman's belly, I picked up my Ipod and scrolled through the music. I thought long and hard about what song I wanted to play first for her. I thought about all sorts of songs, and finally settled on a song done by the Zoe Group, an A Capella song called "Great Is the Lord".

This song was the song Kristen and I used for the lighting of our unity candle in our wedding. Here are the lyrics:

Great is the Lord
and most worthy of Praise
In the city of our God,
the Holy Place
The joy of the whole earth
Great is the Lord
in whom we have the victory
He aides against the enemy
We bow down on our knees before you
And lord we want to
lift your name on high
And Lord we want to thank you
for the works you’ve done in our lives
And Lord we trust in your unfailing love
For you alone are God eternal
throughout earth and heaven above.

We have yet to visibly see Ladybug move or kick. However, last night, after this song repeated through the second time, right after the line "And Lord we want to lift your name on high", we saw her kick. She didn't just kick, it looked like she was kicking a 60 yard field goal into the wind. Kristen said it was the most pronounced kick she's felt yet.

I can't help but think that Ladybug is already praising God and worshiping Him for the life she will live, and last night, God gave us comfort and joy with that one slight movement, and I won't ever forget it. I am so excited and thankful for the joy that she has already brought. God be praised.

Sometimes you feel it, sometimes you don't

With many apologies do I write this. We've been swamped at church lately, especially with our annual pilgrimage to Gatlinburg, TN for Winterfest. Just about every free moment I have outside of normal church activities goes toward getting people in rooms, groups, vehicles and more for Winterfest.

But since the Writer's strike is officially over, I feel like I should get back on task. Sorry for the delay. Thanks to Greg for calling me on it.

Baby Widick is doing well. We go back to the doctor on Thursday for our monthly check up. How's that for Valentine's Day? After which, we'll have a our Junior High Valentine's Fun Night at the church building.

We spent the past two weekend in preparation for Baby Girl. Last weekend we painted the nursery a color called "Candy Mix", which is basically a light pink color. We put new blinds up, we've bought a rug, got the crib ready, and now the room could handle a little girl. Except for the fact that we don't have a mattress yet, maybe we'll be able to afford one of those before she comes! Baby stuff is expensive! (Cough, hint hint, we're registered at Babies R Us if you'd like to purchase us some gifts...)

Profound Lesson from a Strange Old Man

Working in a church building daily always has its fair share of interesting people who stop by. More often than not, when the door bell rings at our building, it is a case for someone needing some benevolence. While the church always wants to help everyone, there are times when churches run out of funds. This is the case for us now, as January was a hard hitting month for people needing assistance, and we ran through our budget rather quick. I never know what to do with the people who come seeking assistance after we are out of funds for the month. I always offer them a prayer, or an opportunity to come in and talk. Today, at around 3:30 the doorbell rang. Philip, our minister, was meeting with someone in his office, and our secretary is on vacation, so I got up to answer the door. I was already going through what I was going to say in my mind: "I'm sorry, we're out of funds for the month, but can I pray with you?"

As I opened the door, a feeble man of about 75 years of age stood there. He appeared not to be a benevolence case. I introduced myself and asked if I could help him. He looked me as straight in the eyes as anyone ever has, and said: "I've been a Holy Roller, a Pentecostal, a Baptist and a Catholic. None of them worked for me. So I thought I'd give you guys a try. What can the Church of Christ do for me?"

I stood there baffled, not knowing what to say. I usually am pretty quick on my feet when I am asked a question, but that one took me off guard. What can the Church of Christ offer me?

Now I must let you know, it ended up that this guy was a long time friend of one of our Elders, Mack Whitaker, and had some clothes to drop off for our benevolence Clothing House. He was just pulling my leg, and the guy is a faithful member of a church nearby. But the question still lingers in my head - what can the church of Christ do for me?

I'm going to have to get back to you on it, because I'm not really sure if I have a real answer to give. Any of you guys have any thoughts?

Follow Me

“Simon, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes Master you know I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
He then asked a second time “”Simon do you love me?”
“Yes Master, you know I love you.”
“Shepherd my sheep.”
Simon was upset as Jesus asked a third time “Do you love me?”
Simon answered “Master you know everything, you’ve got to know I love you.”
Jesus said “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Simon would glorify God. And then he commanded “Follow me.”
Turning his head, Simon noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?” Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?
You – follow me.” John 21:15-22

What would your life look right now if you decided to completely follow Jesus? Would it look a lot different than it does now? Why would your life look different if you decided to completely follow Jesus?

Think on this for a moment: When people hear your name, what do they think of? Is Christ thought of at all when someone hears your name? Think for a moment of all the things that might go through someone’s mind when they hear your name.

Spend some time in prayer over your commitment to God, and examine yourself to see if you are being truly committed. Are you ready to take ownership of the name God has given you and be the Christian He needs you to be? Are you ready to completely follow Him?

Reality is sinking in

Kristen is now almost 21 weeks pregnant. She is starting to fill out the belly of her maternity clothes. It is obvious now that she has something growing inside of her. Its been that way for about 4 weeks now.

But it wasn't all that real until last Thursday at the doctor's office. He clicked the lights off, turned on the ultrasound machine, and voila! There was our daughter. My how she had grown. She went from being the size of a grape to being the size of a banana.

My brother and my sister both had girls first, so I felt in my heart that we would probably have a girl as well. The doctor asked if we had a preference before he started, and we told that we didn't, but we felt like it was going to be a girl. We explained that it kind of ran in my family.

He showed us the head, and the stomach, the kidneys, some feet and hands, ribs, the spine, and finally he asked us again "Are you sure you want to know?" We told him yes, and he told us "Well, it looks like the trend....will continue. Congratulations, you're having a girl!" He then showed us how he knew (I thought we were still looking at the head) and pointed out the little girl parts. I was so excited. I couldn't see Kristen's face, but I knew her face was filled with joy and tears (which later, she confirmed for me).

Now, it all seems so much more real to me. We have a healthy daughter that God is blessing us with. Each day, I see Kristen growing more and more. Last night, I laid my head down on Kristen's belly, and I felt our little girl move just the slightest bit. Kristen now feels her daily. Everytime she feels her move, she beams with delight (I know that in a few weeks she'll grow tired of it, but for now its still very exciting to her).

God is truly blessing our lives. Money, possessions, appearances...all of those are great, but family is so important. Thank you God for blessing my life.

Its a GIRL!!!

Well, after 21 weeks, we went to the doctor today to find out if we were going to be blessed with a boy or a girl. You can see for yourself:



I've had a feeling the whole time it would be a girl. Kristen did as well. Looks like the voters had it right this time. We are so excited. We went straight from the doctor's office to Babies R' Us to register (hint hint).

Pregnancy: Week 20

Here are the latest pics. This is from week 20. The first two pictures in the black shirt are in a "Maternity" shirt. The second two pictures in the greenish shirt are in a non maternity shirt.

Don't forget to vote to your left!