Vetted

You probably only hear the word, vetted, every 4 years. Wikipedia’s definition is this: Broadly, vetting is a process of examination and evaluation. Specifically, vetting often refers to performing a background check on someone before offering them employment. In addition, in intelligence gathering, assets are vetted to determine their usefulness.

On Saturday, as soon as Barak Obama chose his running mate, Joe Biden for the coming election, the pundits immediately started sharing their opinion’s about his choice. Some were praising the choice, while others started questioning whether or not Barak properly vetted Joe Bidden. Why all of the questions? Well, Joe Bidden has a history of saying things that are not so popular or proper. He made what could be considered as racist remarks about Obama, saying he was the first ‘clean’ ‘articulate’ African American in contention for the democratic parties nomination, he said that ‘you have to have a little Indian accent to go into a Seven-Eleven convenient store…I’m not kidding,’ as well, he point blankly said that his now running mate was lacking the experience needed to be President and that the office of President was not the place for ‘on the job training.’ Biden later blasted Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience and comments he made concerning Pakistan and Iran. The fear for democrats who support the election of Barak Obama is that something will come out about Biden or that he will say something that could potentially ruin Barak’s chances of being elected.

What if, John Edwards was the chosen running mate for Barak Obama, and Obama chose to select Edwards as his running mate 1 month ago? The experts this weekend were saying that some candidates are not vetted as much as others because they have already been vetted as Presidential candidates, therefore they feel that Biden may have had less vetting than someone who did not run for President this year, but what if the same process had been taken with Edwards? The recent news about Edwards’ affair would have sunk Obama’s ship, as would any issues with Biden if they were to come about.

As I was running the other night, I could not help but to think, have I been vetted? Have I vetted myself? Is there anything in my life that if it were discovered would potentially embarrass my God, my family, my church, or my employer? You are probably familiar with the situation with Michael Guglielmucci, who was made famous quickly with his song Healer and the story that went a long with it. However as Michael quickly stepped into the spotlight he started getting vetted, and it was found that Michael had something in his life that did not match up with the character of the Lord he sang about. Brad had a great post HERE concerning the story, and this post is not to cast criticism on Michael because we all have sin in our lives and we have all failed, though our failures at times fall on different levels. This post is to point out that when we don’t vet ourselves and allow Christ to vet us by examining our inner most secret areas, someone will, and in the end Christ will take a hit, our families will take a hit, our churches will take a hit, our friends will take a hit, Christianity will take a hit, and we will lose all credibility and trust we have ever gained.

Join the Conversation: Have you vetted yourself lately? Most importantly, have you allowed Christ to vet you lately?

Sunday Fun: My First Survey Ever

Here is a little survey for some Sunday fun! Truthfully, this is the only survey I have ever filled out on the internet, even with all of the temptation (not really) to do them on MySpace, I have never given in. However, I got called out by Dan…so this is only because I think Dan is a great guy. So if you have ever sent me a survey and I did not fill it out…get the hint, I did not think you were a great guy/girl…just kidding 🙂

1. Do you like blue cheese? No

2. Favorite T.V Series? 24, Lost, Office, Psych, Monk

3. Do you own a gun? Yes, a 9mm handgun

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? None

5. Do you get nervous before a doctors appointment?  Yes.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I love them. Turkey dogs are the best because they have less calories, but I love a beef hot dog when I am cheating. The best hot dog I have ever had was from Pink’s in L.A. Cali.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? The Christmas Story

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Unsweetened Tea, sugar free lemonade, or Pibb Zero

9. Can you do pushups? Yes, but not a lot, I have a permanently injured neck.

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My Wedding Ring is the only jewelry I wear, unless you count the nipple piercings…just kidding 🙂

11. First boyfriends name? I plead the 5th I’m not out of the closet yet.

12. Favorite hobby? Sports, Blogging, Watching Sports, Fantasy Football, Traveling, hanging w/ my family

13. Any Birthmarks? Yes, on the inside of my right arm, its very small, looks like a med. freckle.

14. Do you have A.D.D.? I am told as a child I had symptoms of such, but I think my dad cured it with his belt and paddle.

15. What’s one trait you hate about yourself? I hate my ‘love-handles’ they won’t go away despite how much weight I lose, grrr!

16.. Middle name? Mark

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment – What can get rid of my ‘love-handles’, I wonder who won the Braves game?, How long is this survey?

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: Gas, Lunch, Dinner – That’s it!

19. Do you like your job? %&#!$ NO!!!! (Hopefully it will be changing soon)

20. If you had a night off, what would you do? Have a family night.

21. Current Dislikes? Cost of Gas and Dishonest People.

22. Favorite place to be? The Mountains or California.

23. How did you bring in the New Year? At home with my wife…she was sick from pregnancy and asleep.

24. Where would you like to go? Aspen Colorado, Ireland, Israel, Hong Kong

25. Name three people who will complete this? Billy, Shane, Trevor.

26. Do you own slippers? No!

27. What shirt are you wearing? T-Shirt from Abercrombie

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Yes.

29. Biggest Pet Peeve? People who do not wash their hands in the bathroom, dishonest people, loud/obnoxious people

30. Favorite color? Blue

31. Would you be a pirate? Heck No…A Ninja!

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Don’t sing in the shower!  However, some of my best thoughts come from there. – Ditto, I totally agree with Dan’s answer!

33. Kids? Two awesome boys and a beautiful but cranky newborn little girl.

34. Favorite boy’s name? Chance, Gavin, Tristan – I did not win with Chance, thus our boys are Gavin & Tristan

35. What’s in your pocket right now? Nothing.

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Something I cannot say, but I laughed for about 10 minutes straight.

37. Favorite girl name? Jordan & Hailey – Lost on this one too, our girl is Hailey, but it was not my #1.

38. Worst Injury you have ever had? In H.S. I punched an old fire extinguisher box that had a glass door and the inside of my hand got sliced from one side to the other and small pieces of glass got lodged into my hand, I did not go to the ER to get stitches, I wrapped it up and went to play a soccer game, when I got home we had to steri-strip it as it was really bad.

39. Do you love where you live? Yes, born and raised here, but not against leaving either!

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Three.

41. Who is your loudest friend?  No comment, since I said that was one of my pet peeves, Ha!

42. How many dogs do you have? None, no more dogs for us since our German Shepherd got lost.

43. Does anyone have a crush on you? My wife, she can’t keep her hands off of me!

44. Favorite Candy? Peanut M&M’s, but I don’t eat candy…never really have, but if I did, it would be these.

45. What is your favorite book(s)? The Bible, Barbarian Way, Messy Spirituality, Chasing Daylight, Soul Cravings.

46. What is your favorite store? AE, Abercrombie & Fitch, Buckle, Wal-Mart, Target, Rue 21, Sports Authority

47. Favorite Sports Team? Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, Duke Blue Devils (college basketball), Atlanta Braves

48. What song(s) do you want played at your funeral? I don’t want a funeral I want a party. ‘You Are My Joy’ – David Crowder Band…Anything Hillsong or Passion, upbeat, not dead.

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping, which is rare, I would usually be watching TV, blogging, or anything but sleeping.

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I don’t want to get up this early, mmm blueberry pancakes!

Ok, so I survived the 50 question drilling about all the personal details of my life. I called out Trevor, Shane, and Billy…so lets have it…post this survey on your site and lets hear about your every little secret!

The Top Secret Photos

Today is the day that I reaveal those pictures I have kept hidden and in secret my whole life…the yearbook photos. Today, you will see that I am older than I appear. Thanks to the Waxy One for stepping out there first and sharing his yearbook photos from yearbookyourself.com – Now you have the opportunity to see all of those wacky hair do’s the weight gains and the weight losses…its all here for your to indulge! Be sure to tell me which one you like the best 🙂

Perseverance, Character, and Hope

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

I was reading in Romans 5 this morning, and this portion of Chapter 3 stood out to me…”we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” – Over the last three to four years it seems that I have faced more individual sufferings, trials, and tests than I ever have in my life. The question that popped into my head as I read this was, “Have those issues I have dealt with produced perserverance, character, and hope?” – “Four years and now on the other side of some of these things, have I increased in these areas?”

In my eyes I may say no! Because I live with my imperfections everyday, but my hope is that in the eyes of Christ I have and in the eyes of others, they will see that the Lord has grown me, stretched me, and matured me in perserverance, character, and hope!

Join the Conversation: Are you seeing perserverance, character, and hope being formed in your life? Care to share how God is doing that?