Off we go

Here is our crew. We will keep you posted.
Robey was really disappointed with the brevity of this post so I changed it.

Firing the blog back up

Well it has been a while since my last post. A lot has happened. I am back in full time ministry (where I should be) at a wonderful place called West Pines Community Church. Melissa is also on staff there. I feel like we are back in our sweet spots again. The kids are having a good year - getting really big. That kinds of catches you up.

Now for the real reason that I am starting back up. Tomorrow I am heading to Guatemala on a mission trip with Compassion International. We are taking a team of 10 people from our church and I can't wait to get there. I am committing to keep everybody updated on our trip through my blog (assuming I can get on internet), so stay tuned. We have some cool things planned for our trip that I will be sharing along the way. I look forward to making you a part of it.

Big Waves

On our last day at Hutchinson Island, there were some huge waves at the beach. Checkout these pics of the boys tubing and boogie boarding - hilarious.

Nick in the wave

That's Bailey's foot sticking up - if you look close you can see Nick totally engulfed in the wave on the left

Nick's head sticking out

That's Nick's foot sticking out of waves

and Bailey tubing.

I think it was the most fun they had the whole trip.

Cassette Tapes

Did a little cleaning about a week ago and ran across a box of my old cassette tapes. After a full house search, I discovered that I did not even have a cassette player. While away on our vacation, I picked one up. I just busted out the tapes and am listening to a little Mylon Lefevre. I'll bet nobody knows who that is.

Our Last Day

I thought I would share a pic and a video from our last day at Hutchinson Island:

Our Trip

This week Mel and I took a little trip to rest, plan, and dream about 2009. The kids joined us on day 4 after they went to Kentucky with the in-laws. The best way for me to describe our trip is with pics.

The view from our resort

Our little reading spot on the beach

Nick catching a wave

A little thinking time - look at that view

Some props for thinking and planning

The view from our balcony

I can't wait to see if our dreams come true in 2009

On Our Way to Alabama

We are more than halfway to our destination in Alabama. I am taking a break from driving and getting a little work done while Melissa takes the wheel. What does the week look like:

Thanksgiving food and football at my grandmother's house - a family tradition
Hang out with all my brother and sister and their families
The Iron Bowl - Auburn vs. Alabama - the biggest game of the year
A little cold weather
A little re-focusing

Hopefully I will keep you updated on all the happenings. Right now we are nearing Auburn where we are going to pay a quick visit to the campus (the kids have never been) before we head into my mom and dads.

Chazown

At the same time that I was reading "It" by Craig Groeschel, I was also reading "Chazown" by Craig. I actually started "Chazown" first and then someone recommended "It" so I read them at the same time. I was just as impressed with "Chazown" as I was with "It". I would say that "Chazown" is about finding your personal "It" and "It" is about finding your ministry or vocational "Chazown". They both have some awesome exercises to work through to help you figure it all out. I highly recommend both books. Obviously I now have to read Craig's other book - "Confessions of a Pastor"

What I'm Reading

I just updated my Amazon Widget (on the right side of the page) with all the books I am currently reading. For those of you who don't know me, I read a lot of books at the same time. I find that it appeals to my short attention span and also allows me to absorb and apply what I read better. The books I read at the same time are all from different categories of my life and personal goals.

The first 4 are ones that I read as part of my quiet time. The next 6 are my morning reading. The next 6 are the books I read at night (usually only 3 or 4 nights per week). There are two others that I read occasionally. I typically red 5-10 minutes per book depending on how much time I have.

I have been reading this way for years and I find that I get a lot read and keep my interest up. I probably read 50-60 books per year this way. Mixing the topics is a key part of the plan.

Fire Pit

Last night, we decided to go outside and enjoy the cool weather. One of my youngest son Bailey's favorite things is to roast marshmallows around the fire pit. So, after a little homemade chili for dinner, we cranked up the fire and did some roasting. To the left is a pic of the fire. Below is a video of the fire. Enjoy.

Cool Nascar Story

Watching the race at Homestead today reminded me of one of the coolest things I ever got to do. 2 years ago, I had tickets for my oldest son and I to go to the Nascar Race at Homestead. Unfortunately, that day was a big commitment day at the church that I used to pastor at. Fortunately, two of the other pastors had tickets also. One of them knew a guy that flies people to the race via helicopter. He got him to meet us at the Opelika Airport right after service and fly us to the speedway. We were dropped off right behind the track and rode a golf cart to our seats in the infield grandstand. It was those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that I will never forget.

Margin

This week I finished the book shown on the right called "Margin". You have probably never heard of it. I picked it up off a bargain table because I struggle having margin in my life. It started off tough - written by a Doctor (Richard Swenson), but I stuck with it and found it to be an excellent book on finding margin in your life. He not only talks about how to find margin, but why we have lost it and how our culture has changed over the generations. It is a little cerebral, but worth the effort. I got some great ideas from it but have not had time to implement them - get it? Haha? Click on it to order it.

Car Line

I have discovered that car line is a very precise science. As part of my fatherly duties, I take my oldest son to school each morning.
On the first day of school, we left 20 minutes before school because it is only 5 minutes away. He was 5 minutes late. This is absolutely the worst car line I have ever seen. Even though I am sure they know more about it than I do, I have some theories (surprisingly) on how to make it better.
Nevertheless, we adjusted our departure time to 35 minutes before school starts and I would drop him off with 10 minutes to spare - the whole ordeal taking me about 35 minutes.
By a twist of fate, one day we left 5 minutes early (40 minutes before school starts) and I got him there in 10 minutes and completed the whole trip in 20 minutes. That has become our new routine.
It is hard for me to believe that the whole flow is so precise that 5 minutes can make a 15 minute difference, but today we left 5 minutes late and it took me 35 minutes again.
Oh well, I guess people are more routine oriented than they would like to believe. It is also interesting to note that we pass the same people running and walking in the morning in almost exactly the same places.

It

I just finished "It" by Craig Groeschel today. It was absolutely one of the best ministry books I have ever read. I think it could definitely be applied to business as well. Craig talks about ministries that have "it" and how to get it, keep it, and also how you might lose it. His humor and storytelling style make it an easy and entertaining read. I DEFINITELY recommend it to everyone. It is a MUST READ if you are in ministry. A great book to go through with your team. If you have read "It" leave a comment. As always, just click on the book to order from Amazon.

Nick's First (Real) Job

Well, today I drove Nick to Publix for his first day on the job. He has been to training a couple of times but today was the Grand Opening of his store so it was his first official day. As we pulled out of the driveway I realized that this is about the time that I got my first job as a gopher on a contruction site.

No, I did not have to impersonate an animal. I was the guy that had to go for everything.
"Matt, get me some nails"
"Matt, get me some more 2x4's"
"Matt, clean up this mess"
"Matt, get me the saw/hammer/other tool I need"
It actually paid well for a 14 year old, so I had more money than all my friends. I have worked ever since that day but ironically don't have more money than all my friends anymore.

Today, Nick starts his work life. I expect that he will be very successful.

Almost 10 months

Well, it's been almost 10 months since my last post. I picked up my first consulting client about that time and got caught up in that and just fell out of the routine. I have thought about restarting many times, just have not taken the time. Well...the time is now. My catalyst was that there are still people checking in and I would just like to say thanks for that.

The last 10 months have been challenging for the Mashburns, but we have learned a lot. I am going to try to post more often. I have read over 50 books since I last posted (a little scary) so I will probably post about some of them. Maybe that is where my posting time went?

We are involved in a great church that you can read more about here and really enjoying it. Melissa is still doing well in the network marketing arena and the boys are great. Check out an article that Melissa just wrote about Nick's hospital ordeal here and an article Nick wrote about thankfulness here.

Today Melissa helped me setup a Facebook account (a little late I know) that you can checkout here. I hope to get that all figured out.

I am looking forward to some hopefully entertaining musings to share with you. Until then, leave a comment and let me know you are still out there.

For One More Day

I had previously read Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays with Morrie" and really enjoyed it, so I grabbed "For One More Day" to give it a try. I was not disappointed. It was great. Very inspirational. It reminds us that our loved ones may be gone at any time and we don't want to live with regrets about how we spent our time with them. I enjoyed it so much, Mel and I tivo'd the movie and watched it also. They changed a few things, but the message was the same. I highly recommend this one. Click on it to order.

For all my Mac Friends

More Than a Carpenter

I recently finished More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. One of my friends recommended it a while ago. It has been around a while. I was expecting a book that went into more depth about Jesus' life. What I found was a book that gave evidence of Jesus' existence. It reminded me of "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. Even though it was not what I expected, it was a good read and a quick read. I definitely recommend it for anybody you know that is investigating the claims of Christ. Click on it above to order it.

Updated Reading List

I have to apologize. I have not kept my reading widget updated (on the right side of blog page). It is updated now and reviews of the books that are no longer on the list because I finished them will follow over the next several days. Sorry about the delay.