faith and hope...

"God takes pleasure when His children participate in His purposes"

What an incredible journey I've been on lately. Tucker is growing like a weed, and it is so much fun to see him learn new things, and develop into or "little man." He is such a blessing, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store in our future with him! And between him and our jobs, Julie and I have had quite a time trying to juggle what time we do have around. This past weekend, a huge burden was lifted off me, as we traded in my truck for a new SUV. As some of you know, mechanical problems with the truck had just about drove me to the nuthouse, and constantly worrying about travel safety for Julie and Tucker on the road was always bogging me down. We were so blessed to find a good deal on the Explorer, and after much prayer and guidance, we feel we made a wise decision in purchasing it... On another note, we are so glad that winter is almost over, and already signs of spring are starting to show here in Tennessee. And even though I am not looking forward to cutting grass all the time, having warmer weather is definitely a plus to take Tucker out in, and spend more time outdoors. It will be awesome taking him to the park, and walking him down to the pond, and to see him starting to explore! God has definitely been good to us, and we look forward to seeing what he has in store for us this spring.

On a more personal note, the subjects of faith and hope are definitely being revealed to me in great ways. The majority has been shown to me in Steven Furticks book, "Sun Stand Still." I have loved reading it, and much of what he speaks about is exactly what God has been stirring in my heart lately. I loved the verses he pointed out in he most recent chapter I read..."Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" -James 2:17; and "Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen." -Hebrews 11:1. Such well known, Bible 101 type verses, yet so many times, not fully comprehended. My life has been so full of hope, yet so lacking faith. Alot of times, we pray for guidance, miracles, and mountains to move, yet we want to sit on the sidelines and expect Him to play the game for us. We cannot expect great things in our lives if we are not willing to first be obedient and put some effort in the equation. The great thing is, not that God needs our help, but that He desires it. He has big plans for me, and in this I have hope. He has empowered me by His spirit to accomplish great things, and in this I have faith. And I choose to not stand around, but to walk by it...

a new page...

Alot has been happening in the Long family since my last blog! Wow, almost a month since the last one. Christmas, New Years, my birthday, and life in general has been a blur the last month, and I'm kinda glad that life is returning to normal. We have had alot of snow, between Christmas in Charlotte, and a few good storms here in TN. The last snow was piled about 3ft on our deck, with the drifts. Being a Carolina boy, this has taken alot to get used to. At first, I was trying to enjoy it as much as possible, but it has finally wore me down, and I am really looking forward to spring. Ok, enough about the weather.     .;/i908mkobhj m vg ...haha, this is Tucker's addition to the blog, I think it says "hi guys!" Ok, enough banging on the laptop for him... This past week, Julie and I have started a new diet, and we love it! It's the "17 day diet" and it has really motivated us to take better care of ourselves, physically, as well as spiritually. We have loved setting goals, getting in a routine, and feeling better. It's amazing how just adjusting your diet, and adjusting your daily habits, can make you feel so much better, give you energy, and jumpstart a new you. I think this is more than just a typical "New Years resolution." From cleaning out all the junk food, and going through and throwing out all the unnecessary crap in the fridge and pantry, to having it look like a farmers market, it feels so good to finally live to our potential. For my birthday, I got an xbox, and we have loved doing the kinect fitness every night, as it gives us quality time together, and really is a great thing we can do as a couple to motivate and support each other as we strive to live healthier lives. From Mt. Dew to green tea, McDonalds to broiled fish and steamed veggies, and brownies to yogurt, it has opened our eyes to a more organic and simple way to live. I've even started to help Julie cook the meals, and I am loving it. (still have to work on my patience, but I'm making baby steps)  It's just a conscious effort we are making to spend more quality time together, and not just lounge on the couch and watch tv. (Julie is even going through some books with me!) Anyways, all this has defined the new page in our lives. To take better care of ourselves, to set goals, to be more organized, to be better with our finances, to always strive to learn new things, to push ourselves, to grow in our marriage, to glorify God. As Tucker grows older, and we grow with him as parents, we are excited about the opportunities and blessings that God gives to us each new day. It is my prayer that we set a worthy example of how we are to live in Christ, and by His Spirit.

pictures in time...

I don't know if the holiday season is bringing out the reflective and sentimental part of me or what, but lately, flashbacks to my childhood and even more current memories have been popping up in my head. I like to think of them as pictures in time. An invisible album that, Lord willing, I can hold on to as long as I am alive. And not just visual memories either. Some smells and sounds can take you back to a place in time just as easy. It's so easy to forget the small things that made you who you are. Yes, there are the major things that shape you, and influence our lives in big ways, but recently, I have started to see that it is the combination of the everyday little things that have more of an impact on who you really are. Having that said, I started writing these little things down as I thought of them, and thought it would be great to share with friends and family. Some of these may even be the same ones that you cherish, or possibly have even forgotten, but I have found out that writing them out has opened a floodgate of things that I have not thought about in years. These could be actual events, or real things, or even just an emotion, but nevertheless all equal in my heart. These are just a few examples:

-I loved running barefoot in the summer at Grandma Collins house. Whether chasing each other, playing soccer, or baseball, I always loved the cold grass on my feet. (Despite the many bee stings)

-I would give anything to have one more Sunday afternoon a Grandma Long's house. The smell of her kitchen, playing with all my cousins, and the sound of her window a/c when taking a quick nap before choir practice is just some of the few things that many of us took for granted all those years.

-Meeting half the family after church at Harward's Fish Camp in Richfield. Man I miss that place!

-Every time I have a Sundrop or chew Double Bubble, I'm right back at Mcallister or Frank Liske  watching the "Rude Dogs" play softball. (While we rolled down that big hill!)

-Ever time I have a Cherry Lemon Sundrop, I'm right back at the old Troutman's BBQ on a Sunday night after church.

-I still love the smell of freshly plowed dirt, and tractor fumes (thanks Gpa!)

-I would have loved to have played guitar with Gpa Long, if just once...

-I use to love going with Dad and Gma Long down to the river to pick wild onions. To me, it might as well have been going on a vacation. Every time I see or smell one I think of that

-The trip my Dad took me on to Santee Cooper was one of the best weekends of my life

-I will never forget the feeling I had when I "shot" my first shotgun...(wow!)

-Looking back, the "4th pew and up" rule wasn't so bad after all Mom...

-There will never be another smell like the hallway at Bethany (or Forestview) Baptist. Call me crazy, but you could blindfold me, and take me there, and I would know exactly where I was. The combination of the block walls, glue of the old tiled floor, and the carpet made it a distict place. Side note: I loved the way the sun would hit that stained glass on the front on Sunday afternoons at dusk...the mixture of colors on that brick was so inviting...

-I used to love walking out to the shed behind Gpa Collins house late at night to watch Mike do his models. I think of him, and that workshop everytime I smell paint thinner

-On cold, icy nights at the Hickory Grove house, our family use to pile in one bed, by the window, and watch cars wreck at the intersection. Yes, we are crazy, and a bit demented, but may have been of the most fun things we ever did together!

-I loved playing bass with Mom's piano. More fun than any band or group I have ever played in.

-I still can't drink orange juice without thinking of the Disney trip...(thanks alot Mike!)

-I still smile when I think of riding in the back of the old red Ford. That truck was the best.

-I use to love cruising with my uncle Mike Rabon in his old black Chevy Bel-air to the old Cabarrus Creamery on Saturdays and Sundays

-The smell of a woodstove will always make me long to be at Gpa Collins house. There's nothing like that smell. (despite the unbearable heat it puts out!)

-Shooting mistetoe out of the trees before thanksgiving meal at Gma Longs house was always neat to me a a child

-There will never be any better candy in the world than some hard candy from a ziplock bag from Gma Long's purse during the middle of a sermon

-My Mom will always have the best potato salad in the world

-My senior year was the most difficult, but most rewarding year of my life. I learned more and grew more that year because of the trials than I ever would have if I had not faced them.

-It still doesn't seem right to not have the Cabarrus County fair at the "triangle." Despite space issues, I liked it better there

-There's no bigger smile on my face than when I hear, by chance, one of the old "quartet" songs on the radio. Those songs will always be special to me.

These are some some of the examples of things that I have written down, and I hope to sit down and share many more, but just wanted to share these. I would love to hear feedback from family and friends, and to hear some other memories and "pictures in time" that others would be glad to read! I love each and every one of you, and by no means is this an exhaustive list, or my favorites. Like I said, there are many more, (even more special to me), that I did not list, but for sleep purposes, I will end this list here. I would love to hear from you!

an inconvenient snow...

Most people who have spent alot of time with me during the winter know that I hate snow. I can't stand it. It's cold, messy, and disrupts everything.  I guess this stems from one thing: it is inconvenient. It disrupts my normal activities, dictates schedules, and compromises safety. Yes, I have always thought that it was beautiful, but never had I valued the beauty of it more than the inconvenience that it brought with it...until this week. It was one of those cold nights, and I had just fed the dogs. Usually I head right in the house, especially when it is 10 degrees outside and 2 inches of snow on the ground. But for some reason I put on a couple more layers of clothing and headed back outside to just watch it snow. I sat there on the bed of the truck and for just a moment, just enjoyed the snow. It was almost as if I had to put my life and priorities on pause and just soak up the beauty and peacefulness of the moment. And that moment put such an amazing picture of what God has been trying to show me lately in focus. I just had to push pause and see it. It was the most real picture of sanctification that I had ever seen. The Lord wants to sanctify me. To cleanse me. And just like the blanket of snow covering all the lanscape around the house, He wants to cover my imperfections, my unholiness. But like the frozen condensation all around me, I have not allowed the process of justification to permeate my soul for one reason: inconvenience. It's not always easy to live by faith. In fact it's impossible. And just like my inability to control the weather, so is my inability to become the righteousness of God by my own power. And no, it may not be the most convenient lifestyle to live, but the peace He gives is more satisfying than the luxuries of this world, more beautiful than the first winter snow.

life...

What a journey we have been on lately. I want to first say a happy 6 month old birthday to our Tucker! I cannot believe that it has been half a year since God gave him to us. It has definitely been a change for us, transitioning into parenthood, but oh how blessed we are! Now many people think that I am biased, or have a conflict of interest, but in my opinion, we have the best behaving, cutest, most personable baby there has ever been. Just saying... I went in the nursery earlier and was just watching him sleep and the rush of emotions hit me all of a sudden. Everything from his delivery day, to Julie's pregnancy, to thoughts back to my earliest childhood memories flashed in my mind. There is something about having a kid that makes you understand and appreciate your parents a little more. The sacrifices, the joys, the tears, and the love are all seen in a different light all of a sudden. God created Tucker just the way He wanted him, a reflection of His beauty and glory. My prayer tonight was that Tucker would grow up and live boldly fo God's glory, as His son, reflecting His majesty, and extending His grace to others. I also prayed that I would be the father that Julie and he needs me to be, and that God has predestined me to become. Other than that, it's all about being obedient to His will for our lives as a family.

Which brings me to my next subject. Obedience. God has led me to a place of complete surrender and dependency on Him in the past few weeks. See, I had never given up complete control of things, ever. There was always one hand still on the reigns. This was always convenient. It was comfortable. It was also moraly caustic and anti-God. And that realization stung, but humbled me. I've come to the realizaion that being obedient to His will for our lives sometimes requires us to give up the things that come between us and Him. It may be material things, it may be status. It may even be things that we thought we couldn't live without. But nevertheless He is in the process of stripping me of those things. And all I have left is to trust in Him. In his book "Sun Stand Still," Steven Furtick alludes to the fact that many Christians want radical faith, huge blessings, and great miricles, but do not realize that seeking His will for our lives may require us giving up everything we hold dear. Its obedience he says...God wants to replace those things which do not bring Him glory with those things that will. Wow did I need to hear that. It definitely puts circumstances, trials, and bad fortunes in a different light. The Christian life is not about less pain. Most likely you'll suffer greatly. But the grace and peace that He extends to us is greater than any trial could ever be. We just have to be obedient and have faith...for He is faithful.

a passion for compassion...

Alot of times in life, we tend to have a very selfish view of "problems." In the past few days, the Lord has used some situations in my life to expose this area of my soul. As some of you know, truck problems have plagued my last week and a half. Long story short, four reapair visits, three tows, and alot of inconvenience. Now, having that said, God has been so faithful through it all, and we have not had a situation where Tucker and Julie have been stranded or in any way in danger, so that is a blessing. But when a situation like this draws out over and over, we tend to think we have problems, no matter how positive we stay about the situation. But then came the other night. Let me start out by saying Julie loves Private Practice. I like it too, I just try to not get hooked on everything she watches. Well, if any of you watched it, then you can understand just how powerful and emotional that episode was. The episode was about sexual assault. I have seen movies and tv shows before dealing with this topic, but never like this. I guess it brought a perspective from the victim that I had never seen before. Most of the time it's more of a pity perspective from the outsiders view, or the horrible effects of it. But the emotional angle from the victim was unreal. And I couldn't get the images and thoughts from it out of my mind. I dreamed about it, I thought about it at work, I talked to Julie about it. It was difficult, I guess, to stomach it all day. That got me thinking about what I perceived as "problems." I have a healthy family, food on the table, great job, and no real big emotional scars. As my mind went on about a million different rabbit trails on situations that I knew of personally that were alot bigger of a deal than a stupid truck, I was convicted of my lack of compassion for people. As many of you know, I am a huge believer in personal responsibility, and sometimes I let the ideas of "life is about choices" and "you reap what you sow" build an emotional wall up around me. And that is wrong. People are seriously hurting. Many of them might even deserve it, but it still hurts the same. There are many of you that might be going through things that I cannot even imagine, and the thing is I would never even know. On Friday, this changed my perspective at work, and with customers. If I can show them love, and instill hope in them, in some way or form, then who knows how that can impact someone for the better. We just don't know what other people may be going through. So that led to this. What I am about to write is all rooted in some issues, topics, and real life situations that have been exposed to me recently. Now, I have to say, I do not know what people may be going through that read this, and I hope that this does not open wounds in a bad way, but to instill a perspective that I think needs to be shared...

She looks in the mirror
As she sheds another tear
And the decades of hell she's been living in
Has only been a year

The solitary torture
Has let fear command her soul
She doesn't want your useless pity
She just wants to be made whole

But every time she shuts her eyes
She can see her assaulters face
And what he took from her that night
No words can ever replace

And she cries...


He sees you almost everyday
You waive as you pass by
 Many times he's almost asked you
But for him he'd rather die

For his mortgage is not the issue
It's for his baby girl
Too see her out of ICU
He'd give up his whole world

But ever since the complications
It seems he has no world at all
For the other half of himself
Is in a bed just down the hall

And he cries...


It's been years since he left her
And the pain just will not die
Not that it's him she misses
Just someone that's by her side

Someone that she can lean on
And to their heart be dear
But since the day he ripped hers
No soul has she come near

And she tells herself these days are gone
As she lays her dreams to rest
No one could love her balding head
And scar across her breast

And she cries...


And from His throne in glory
Angels dancing all around
Over all the praise and celebration
No one else there heard the sound

The sound of pain and suffering
Heavenly hosts can't understand
But this King rules His kingdom
With nail scars on His hand

And to the cries of the broken
He turns His attentive ear
For He's conquered all our suffering
He's dried up all our tears

And He reaches down with loving arms
To give His daughter life
Anf He pays the bills of His son
And heals his daughter and  his wife

To His daughter he draws her closer
And says you now are cancer free
And if you're wishing for a lover of your soul
There's no lover as good as Me.



Guys lets start showing God's love to others. Lets have a passion for compassion. It may mean the world to someone...

cotton candy in the rearview...

Living almost an hour away from your work leaves alot of time for listening to music, for prayer, for...thinking. Alot of thinking and reflecting and drinking coffee. Yesterday was no exception. After a trying weekend, and rough Monday, I was in an unusually positive mood for a Tuesday. Thinking back to the trouble I had with my truck the past week, I was reflecting on just what I could learn and how I could see God working through it all. Situations could have been worse, as I was driving it, and my parents had come in for the weekend, so we had extra hands and wheels. I was reflecting on how it all seemed to work out in the end, and (you were right mom and dad) how something that seemed so bad at the time, seemed so petty now. It just so happened that it was sunrise as well. And due to me living east of my work, to watch the sunrise, I have to look in the rearview mirror. Yesterday's sky was unbelievable. Pinks, blues, and oranges splashed the morning sky, and to me it looked like God had thrown cotton candy all over the earth. Now ahead, it was pitch black, and kind of foggy. And ahead was a long 10 hour day. My mind was racing with thoughts of everything that could go wrong, and probably would, that day.  I found myself repeatedly looking back at the sunrise. It was much more inviting. It was visible. It was compelling. Ahead, the dark road seemed a little creepy as I wound down the mountain roads. Then everything started to make sense. This is what God was teaching me. I was looking in the rearview mirror of my life for direction, for happiness. But what is behind us is behind us. It is there for us to just reflect on. We cant see down the road ahead, but He wants us to pursue Him with everything we have. And just like employment, all we have to do is serve, be faithful, and give it all we have. Even though we may be going down roads in total darkness, when all is said and done, we'll look back and it will be all blue skies and cotton candy...