Thankful Week - Day 8 (God)

Well Happy Thanksgiving to all. Hope your day was as good as mine. We had a great linner at my sister's house. That's lunch/dinner. It was about 1:30 when we ate which is a little late for lunch but too early to call it dinner. The food was amazing. There was so much. It was the only meal I ate today but it was perfect. Props to my sister (Abigail) for hosting one great Thanksgiving meal. It was good to spend time with the family. So being that it's Thanksgiving and almost the end of the day, it's time for my final Thankful Week post. My sisters today were trying to guess who/what it would be. My older and very humble sister Allison assumed it would be her. Apparently the "family post" last Saturday wasn't quite enough. Allison wanted me to mention her by name and talk about all her redeeming qualities.....both of them. I actually thought about mentioning each family member in that post and talking about them, but I was afraid someone would be offended because I left them out so I just talked about family in general. But apparently that wasn't enough for Allison. I mean I was going to talk about God in this post but I guess Allison thinks she's more important. It IS a tough choice, but I think I'm going to have to go with God.....sorry Allison. Although I will give her a due shout out.
ALLISON!
There. Done. But today, I am thanking God for....well, for God.

There have been times in my life where I've questioned God for various reasons. I don't always understand why things happen the way they do. But I've learned that I'm never going to understand everything. That's why we have Prov. 3:5-6 which happens to be one of my favorite verses. I remember one of the things I used to question is why Jesus had to die. If God can do anything, why couldn't he just forgive our sins without His son suffering on that cross? And why do WE have to suffer so much? Why can't life just be great and happy and fun all the time? But I try not to question those kind of things anymore. God's plan is perfect. He knows what He's doing. There's a reason for everything and one day we'll all understand. But for now, I am so humbled, honored and blessed to be a part of His plan. I'm one of His chosen children. I'm getting to experience life. I'm getting to witness His creation and His power each day. I was born into a Christian family in a country where I have the freedom to praise Him whenever I want. I work at a Christian institution where I get to worship Him daily. I have been given His Spirit and He works through me every day. I am on my way to Heaven and will one day get to meet Him and His Son. I am filled with so much hope and excitement over what is to come in my life here on Earth and especially in my eternal life in Heaven. It's a perfect plan and I'm so grateful to be a part of it. So today, on Thanksgiving, I am most thankful for God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and my spiritual life. I'm thankful for my relationship with God. Even though I'm one of many, I know that He knows me. We have a close bond and we talk daily. He's watching out for me, protecting me, guiding me, caring for me, loving me and He wants me to be up there with Him even more than I do. When I think about it all, I just feel happy and blessed, and it makes me smile. I hope you also took (or take) some time today to reflect on how blessed you are....not just because of what you have here on Earth, but especially for what you have spiritually. And also for what you have waiting for you in Heaven, if you choose to go there as well. I hope you do. I am, and the thought of it blows me away. I can't even fathom how wonderful it's going to be. Thank you God for that hope, that excitement, that promise, and most of all for Your grace which makes it all possible. GOD...IS....GOOD!

Happy Thanksgiving.


I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

Thankful Week - Day 7 (Griffin)

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow. This week has gone fast but it's been a blast. Rhyme. We've run some errands and been out of the house a little, but it's mostly been relaxing at home and doing things with the family. There's nothing I'd rather do. So today is day 7 of thankful week and today belongs to my 3rd and youngest son, Griffin. As you all know, he's not here with us. He's already made his trip to Heaven so you may wonder why I'd be thankful. Shouldn't I be upset or sad or disappointed or angry or NOT thankful? I guess I could be and I've gone through all those as I've pointed out on here. But I don't want to keep dwelling on the negative. I choose to look at the positive and so I can definitely see many reasons to be thankful for Griffin. Today I am thanking my Father above for giving me my son, Griffin Wallace Thweatt.

I have 3 children. I have 3 sons. 3 boys. Carter, Max and Griffin. How can I not be grateful for all of them? Of course I wish I had gotten to spend more time with Griffin. Of course I wish this was his first Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up. Of course these holidays are going to be tough in some ways. But this is Thanksgiving week and like I said above, I can think of several things to be thankful for when it comes to Griffin:

I'm thankful he was created in the first place. It's no secret that I wanted three kids. And now I have 3. Hearing the surprising news he was on the way....telling everyone....planning for him....registering.....setting up his room....having baby showers....it was all so much fun and made for some very happy times.

I'm thankful that he brought our family closer together both before and after his death.

I'm thankful that I got to hold him for several hours. Those hours, while sad in ways of course were also very precious to me and I'll never forget them.

I'm thankful that without a doubt, I have a son waiting for me when I get to Heaven. I was already excited about Heaven and now I'm much, much more excited. I absolutely can not wait.

I'm thankful that Griffin has brought me so much closer to God. Although I would have preferred Griffin to live, his death has totally changed me spiritually for the better. And it's hard to accept and even say, but I think God knew I needed that and maybe it took something so drastic to change me.

That one is the most important. There is no denying that I am closer to God right now because of Griffin Thweatt. So I am very thankful on this day for him and for Him.

I miss Griffin a lot. I want to see his little face and feet again. I want to put my finger in his hand and have him squeeze it. I want to smell him again. He had that awesome new baby smell. But if I can't have him here during this life, I'll accept God's will and wait patiently for the time when we'll see each other again. And in the meantime, I'll praise God and be eternally grateful for the many gifts that Griffin did bring to me.

Just like my wonderful son Carter and my precious son Max, I love Griffin Thweatt so much. My heart overflows with love for all 3 of my boys. How could I possibly ask God for anything better? God is good!

I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

Thankful Week - Day 6 (Max)

Trying to put up my Christmas Lights outside. God keeps sending rain which is great, but I'm not sure it'd be best to put up the lights during the rain....you know....slipping off the roof, catching pneumonia, electrocution.....those are all bad things, so I'm waiting until it clears a little. But let it be known that Clark Griswold is coming back this year. I took last year off to several complaints. It was very nice to not have to fool with it all, but I did miss it too. So this year it's all coming back. Susan's thrilled. :) Well, you probably guessed it, but Thankful Week post #6 goes to Mr. Max Thweatt....my 2nd born. For so many reasons, today I am thanking God for the incredible gift of Max.

I found out about Max over the phone. Susan called me at school and told me. We had been wanting to hear that news for about 4-5 months. I was so excited. We were so glad that Carter would have a sibling close in age. And once again God knew what Carter needed....a brother. They are a perfect pair. Max is strong in every quality that Carter isn't (and vice-versa). They compliment each other so well. They are very different but they use their strengths to encourage and help each other. Sure, they argue every once in a while, but for the most part, they play great together and laugh so much. And they make us laugh.....all the time. Max especially has an incredible sense of humor. I would have never dreamed he would make me laugh as much as he has in his 7 years. He also has a pretty strong athletic quality (that he obviously gets from his mother :) Just like Carter, God has blessed Max with so many talents and he uses them beautifully. There is no doubt that my life is so much more joyful with Max Thweatt in it. I can't imagine how life would be without him. God must have worked overtime creating that boy because he is simply wonderful and such a blessing. Just as much as Carter, I love Max so much and I am honored and humbled to be given such a gift and to be entrusted with the role of his father. God is good!!

I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

Thankful Week - Day 5 (Carter)

Today is Thankful Week day #5 and it goes to my first born. And is this irony or what??? Today is his 10th birthday. I really didn't plan it that way. I mean I made a list of my 8 greatest blessings and just happened to put Carter on Monday....today. I then realized that it was his birthday on the same day. I can't believe he is 10 years old. These 10 years have flown by....very, very fast. However, they have by far been the best 10 years of my life....and I guess his best 10 as well. :) Today I am thanking God for the wonderful gift of my son, Carter.

I was so excited to hear that Carter was on the way. It was just a year after we married and we had just decided to start planning a family. But I was ready. He was born on 11/21/01, just a couple of months after 9/11 and the day before Thanksgiving that year. He took 22 hours of labor. He wasn't quite ready to come out. That was a tough night. A very tough night. Even the doctor was puzzled as to why he wasn't coming out. I'll never forget the doctor saying that if he didn't come soon, he might have to perform a caesarean because it was taking too long. I know it was nothing compared to my wife, but I was exhausted. It was 3:00 in the morning and I was so worried about Carter. I went into the hospital room bathroom, fell down on my knees, and prayed harder than I ever have. I begged God to make my boy ok and for him to come out soon. A little over two hours later, he finally came and he was perfect. He has been ever since. I cried tears of joy that day....the first time I ever had. These last 10 years, Carter has brought our family so much happiness and joy. I've been told that he looks like me. I know he acts just like I did when I was little. He's my little mini-me. He works so hard and has so many wonderful talents. I love that boy so much and I can't imagine the world without him. So today...on his 10th birthday, I am so grateful to God for giving me such a wonderful son in Carter Evan Thweatt. God is good!

I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

Thankful Week - Day 4 (My Girl)

Thankful week post #4 goes to the woman of my dreams (and sometimes nightmares). he he he. Ok, that's the only funny I'll put in here because I say in all seriousness that marrying Susan Thweatt has been one of the biggest blessings God has given me in my life. Today, I'm thanking God from the bottom of my heart for my wife, Susan.

I'll never forget when she came in that classroom. It was my 1st or 2nd day of student teaching. My final semester of college, but my first day in my eventual full-time classroom. Needless to say, I was a little nervous. These were 7th graders. Some were bigger than I was, well at least scarier than I was. I knew nobody. Then she came in. She smiled and didn't hesitate to sit down right next to me, introduce herself, and make me feel welcome at that school. Over the next few weeks, we would get to know each other better. She provided a much better place to eat my lunch than that scary teachers' lounge. She became a friend.... a friend I was spending more and more time with. And I slowly began realizing that this was the one. She had all the makings of the perfect wife. And she's been my best friend ever since. I had prayed for years that God would send me a wife, a Godly wife, someone I could share my life with and someone that could help me in my spiritual walk. Boy, did He come through! After being married to her for more than 11 years now, I can safely say this.....Susan is a good person. She's loving, caring, kind, funny, generous, hard-working, etc, etc, etc.... I could go on for a while. But those are not the most important things. And even if she had none of those qualities, she would still be perfect because of the one quality she has that stands out.....she is a genuine servant of God. She is a model example of how we are supposed to live. She has the mind and heart of Christ every day and she doesn't even have to work at it. It's just how she is. Basically, Susan helps me to be a much better Christian than I'd be without her. When I go to Heaven, it's going to be in large part because of her guidance and example, and that makes her an incredibly wonderful gift straight from God. God knew that I needed her. God answered my prayers in a big way. God knew I would never get there without her. I realize that Jesus ultimately saved my soul, but I consider Susan a soul saver as well. And not only is she an outstanding wife, she is an amazing mother to our two sons. They will also be prepared and well equipped to be servants of God and fight temptation as they grow up and it's because of her example to them. She is so good at guiding them toward God and giving them a mind of Christ. And while our third son, Griffin got a free pass to Heaven which is awesome, I have no doubt that she would have led him straight there as well. He was a winner either way. I'm not sure why Susan continues to put up with me. I have a lot of faults and I know I'm a challenge to her, but I thank God she does. I need her. I can't do life without her. I love her. With all my heart.

God is good.


I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

Thankful Week - Day 3 (Family)

We put up Christmas today......Christmas trees, ornaments, lights, Snow Village. It's all up. The only thing I lack is the outside lights. That'll be quite the chore and I'll tackle that one at some point this week. Right now, I'm relaxing on the couch, watching some football. My legs are tired after working on decorations all day. I almost forgot about this post but thought I'd get it in quickly before I went to bed. It's going to be a short one....sorry about that.

It's day 3 of Thankful week. Today I'm thanking God for family. Not my immediate family....obviously that's coming later, but extended family. I've been blessed with a great family both here at home in Nashville and my wife's family down in Athens, GA. Being with either family always bring laughter and smiles and I look forward to any time I can be with them. This year, we'll be spending Thanksgiving here. We're eating at my sister's house on Thursday and I'm looking forward to it. We'll be going to Athens for Christmas (actually the day after) and I'm already excited about that trip. I could mention each of my family members by name and talk about so many wonderful things that each has done for me. It's easy for me to think of many things that have been done for us or encouraging words that have been given to us. Family is definitely one of God's biggest blessings and He has certainly blessed me heavily in that area. I love my family and pray for them often. And I know they do the same for me. God is good!

I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

Thankful Week - Day 2 (Friends)

Day 2 of Thankful week which happens to also be the last day of school before Thanksgiving Break. I could definitely be thankful for that. I need a break. I love that we get a week now. Can't wait for next week. Going to start Christmas decorating this weekend. The boys have been asking for a couple of weeks now. But don't worry...not forgetting about Thanksgiving. Still want to focus on it all this week and give thanks to God above for so many blessings. Today I'm very grateful to God for so many wonderful friends.

If I can't hang out or spend time with my family, there's nothing I enjoy more than spending time with friends. I don't really have one best friend anymore. I guess I have a select few that I consider my closest friends, but I also have a huge number of people that I could just call "friends". From church friends to Lipscomb friends to former classmates and many others....it's just such a blessing to have so many people to talk to, laugh with, lean on, encourage, get encouragement from, and love. We've leaned on friends a lot during this last year and they've made it much easier to deal with our struggles and tough days. We've been overwhelmed with the generosity of so many friends in our lives. My cell phone is full of numbers....my Facebook friend list is packed....there are so many people I know I could always call on and I'm trying hard to be that support right back to them. Friends are such a gift from God and I'm blessed to have so many and to have had so many over the years of my life. God is good. John 15:13

I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

Thankful Week - Day 1 (Lipscomb)

Ok, I'm stealing an idea from a few blogs I've been reading out there. Some are doing thankful months, thankful weeks, thankful days, whatever....but since today is one week from Thanksgiving, I thought I would share the 8 things I'm most thankful for...one each day until Thanksgiving next Thursday. These are in no particular order but they are the 8 things I'm most grateful to God for. The first thing I'm very thankful for in my life is Lipscomb.

I think I barely remember at age 5 when I finished Kindergarten at Otter Creek Pre-School and my parents said, "Albert, next year, you'll go to a new school called 'David Lipscomb'. It's a great school and you'll love it. By the way, we love you more than your two sisters." Ok, so maybe it wasn't exactly stated like that, but they did tell me I was going to the "big school" where my older sister went. I started out there in Pre-First in the fall of 1981 and I've never left the place. I've spent 30 years of my life at David Lipscomb. From grade school to college to grad school to my career. I graduated college in December of 1998 and was hired in the summer of 1999 to teach Middle School. I tell people all the time that Lipscomb is my 2nd home and it's really true. I'm very comfortable here. I feel like I know most of the ins and outs of this place. I know a lot of Lipscomb's history. I know a lot of people here. Many of my good friends have come because of this school. This school brought me my wife. This school played a role in shaping my spiritual life and it continues to do so today. Is Lipscomb perfect? No, but no place is and I would argue that it's about as close as you can get. Sometimes people like to argue and complain about what's wrong with this school and they often forget how much is right about this school. I try to focus on that as much as I can. I feel that God wants me to be here. He has given me this place as a blessing and a place where my faith can shine through. He has also given it to me as a mission and a place where I can evangelize to His children. Basically, I love it here and there's really no place I'd rather be as far as my career goes. So today I'm thanking God for Lipscomb... the school, the institution, the mission, the family, the blessed home away from home. God is good.

I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

Remember the Sabbath?

Cross Country is officially over. My emotions are mixed. I love coaching. I love this team. I enjoy being with them. Someone asked me recently if I enjoyed teaching or coaching more and it didn't take me long to reply "coaching." Not that I don't enjoy teaching, but there's just something special about leading a team in a sport. So I will miss it. It was a great season and I had a blast, but on the other hand, the time will be nice. Not coaching frees up a lot of time that I can give back to my family which I am really looking forward to. So while I'll miss it and I'm sad to see the season end, it is a bit of a relief and it's nice to have another season completed. Now it's on to basketball season....not with the high school, but with my own sons. Looking forward to helping coach there and working with the boys more. We had our state Cross Country meet last weekend. My girl runner won the whole thing for the 2nd year in a row. She's amazing. Had another girl do really well individually. My boys team placed 7th out of 24 teams which isn't too bad. They gave it their all so I can't complain too much. Most of them will be on the team next year so I'm already looking forward to that.

So there's a box in my classroom. It's small. Wooden. It has a slot on top and a lock on the side. It has a sign on the front that says "Questions/Thoughts/Comments for Bible Discussion." I encourage my students to insert anything in the box....a question, a concern, a confusion, a verse, an encouragement.....anything that might spark some discussion in our class. I love it. We study the Bible and certain books in it, but I love taking a day off every once in a while to have discussion. I've had some great ones over the years. The other day, I opened the box because I could tell something new had been put in there. It simply said, "Why are we supposed to follow all the 10 Commandments today except one? Why don't we have to remember the Sabbath like they did in Old Testament times?" Good question. I liked it and we talked about it. I did explain to them that some things have changed since that commandment was given....such as which day "Sabbath" is referring to and how Jesus came along later and did work on the Sabbath, healing people and doing good work. I explained how that commandment might not mean the same to us as it did back then. But of course there's a "but"....

BUT......the students brought up some good points in our discussion. While we aren't required anymore to not work on the Sabbath, do we really give that day or any days to God? I think most would agree that our "Sabbath" is now Sunday. It's our worship day. It's when we are commanded to worship and praise our Father. And a lot of people do and that's great, but do we really give that day to God? Consider these questions:

Do you ever dread getting up early on Sundays to go to church?
Do you make excuses for being late to church or not going on Sunday evening or not going to Bible class?
Do you think about where you are going to lunch during church?
Do you try to hurry out the door to be first at the restaurant for lunch on Sundays?
Do you get annoyed when your Sunday afternoon is interrupted by something extra at church?
Do you get annoyed when the sermon runs long and church doesn't end right on the hour or before?
Do you find excuses to finish watching the 3:00PM football game instead of going to church?
Do you use your phone to check football scores during church?

There are many more questions I could ask but I'll stop there. And, ok, the last one is a personal and very recent mistake. Got caught doing that Sunday night and got a very deserved talking to. Please understand....I am guilty of many of the others as well. I am talking as much to myself as anyone else. Many of these things aren't "wrong" but they just show how dedicated (or undedicated) we are to God. We often put worldly things, thoughts, events, activities, etc ahead of God. We make excuses....really good excuses why but it all comes down to our priorities. Is it too much to ask to give just one day of our week totally to God? Or even most of the day? Or at least more of it than we do now? We get six other days a week to do our worldly things....job, school, family, leisure, etc. Those are all important but doesn't God trump all? Shouldn't he get one day where we focus more on Him than anything else? Maybe the OT "Remember the Sabbath" was a step in the right direction. Part of me wishes we weren't allowed to do anything on Sunday. Maybe that would make it easier to focus on Him.

This is something I need to work on and I thought I'd share it here as well. I want to give every day to Him and focus on Him for a set time each day, but I also think He deserves my Sundays. I know there are things I will have to do on Sundays. There will be work to do. There will be meals to eat. There will even be football games that I'll watch. But I need to make sure those things are on the back burner and God is way out in front. My thought process and habits need some tweaking. What about yours?

I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert

A Little Too Tents

Hello? Remember me? It's been nearly a month since I've written. Why? I don't know exactly. I've just been extremely busy and haven't found the time to write. And I apologize to all of you who depended on this blog to make it through your day. I know there are lots of you out there. Yeah, right. Actually I only had one person ask where the updates were...my wonderful sister who worships the ground I walk on. The rest of you didn't say squat... so thanks a lot. Kidding of course. Life would go on without this blog and I've thought once again about stopping it. It does require some time that I usually don't have, but I also know that I don't just do it for the readers, I do it for myself too. It helps me retain my focus where it should be....on my Father above. So it's a good thing, even if nobody reads it. I suggest you do the same, if not in blog form, at least in journal/diary form. It's amazing what writing down your thoughts can do for your spiritual life. I highly recommend it. And I'm going to try and keep it up and post more regularly - at least once a week.

So what's been going on in my life? I know you're dying to know. Well, I've made it through almost 3 months of school this year. It's flown by. It goes faster every year. But it's been just as busy as ever too. I've been really focused and involved with Cross Country. We have the final meet this Saturday - State. My guys team made it, my girls not so much. They came in 4th in Region and you have to get third or better. So close. I hated it for them b/c I know they really wanted to go as a team and they worked their tails off trying. I did have 2 girls qualify as individuals so they'll run Saturday. I'm excited to see what they and the guys' team will do. I'll let you know. I already know that I'm extremely proud of what they've accomplished this season and I thoroughly enjoyed another great year of CC. But other than that, it's been life as usual. The boys both played flag football and that ends this Saturday as well. Now we are preparing for basketball season. I'll help coach Carter's team once again and I'm really looking forward to that. Actually, I'm also really looking forward to coaching baseball again. I passed by our ballpark the other day and had a sudden urge to get out there. Can't wait to coach those boys. I really enjoyed that this past Spring. I'm also looking forward to the holidays. Always enjoy that time with family. Plus it will be a nice break from this crazy, busy life. It's all making me a little tense......

And I'm not a fan of tents. Say what? Is that a random comment or what? Yes, it's very random but it has a point. I've had some bad experiences with tents. My earliest memory of sleeping in a tent was when I first joined Boy Scouts as a 12 or 13 year old. I was the new kid on the campout so I got paired up with a boy I didn't know... who didn't talk. Not one word. We had to set up our tent which I didn't know how to do and since quiet boy didn't talk, it made it very challenging. Then, when we went to bed, it was 4 degrees outside and I was homesick. And being the new kid, I got pulled out of my tent in my sleeping bag and dragged a few feet towards the forest. Scouts eventually got better but this first memory wasn't the best one. Granted, I enjoy camping, but setting up the tent is always quite the chore. I also seem to have trouble with the pop-up tents we use in Cross Country like the one above. When I coached middle school CC, I bought one and was so excited to use it for the team. Only the most important teams had their own tent. Of course, it only lasted two meets before the wind totally destroyed it. Skip ahead to two weeks ago. I decided to be a good coach and go set up early for our Metro Meet. I went during my planning period and set up our two tents. I knew it was a windy day, but I thought they would be ok for a few hours. Wrong! I got an email from a friend about 2 hours later saying he had just been to the course and one of our tents was upside down. Arrrggghh. When I got there, not only was it upside down but two of the legs were still staked into the ground so they were totally bent. Another dead tent. I dragged it to the trash can. And I can't help remember just over 7 months ago when I sat under a sagging tent on a cold, wet day at Woodlawn Cemetery. Tents have just not been my friend at any point. Thankfully, tents are only temporary. Check out this awesome passage from 2 Corinthians 5:1-5.....

¹ For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ² Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, ³ because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

I love this passage. Our lives on Earth are tents. They're a pain sometimes. They fall over. They even get destroyed. We suffer and have to keep rebuilding our tents. But one day the rebuilding will stop! It says we have an "eternal house in Heaven." I love verse 5 where it says our home in Heaven is "guaranteed". That's why He gives us His Spirit. It's a deposit. It's proof of my salvation. My house is waiting for me in Heaven and no wind will ever blow it over. I like verse 2 also...it says we groan for our Heavenly dwelling. Do you? I do. I can't wait. I want to be there so badly. As I've said before, I'm ready right now. But I'll leave it up to God to decide when He wants me. But I long for that day when I'll never have to set up a tent again. I'll have a strong home that nothing will ever destroy.

Wanna be my neighbor? Come on. I plan on having a big block party. No tents please.

I love God, Griffin, my Girl, and my Guys.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert