I read this today and it gave me an idea for next year’s chili cook-off.  Thought I would share it with you:

“November 1, 2003, the headlines read, “Scandal has rocked the chili cookoff world!” That’s the day when Don Eastep of Illinois entered the 37th annual “Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert-Wick Fowler Memorial Championship Chili Cookoff” under the most spurious of circumstances, and got a whole lotta Texans pretty hot under the collar.

It turns out that it was actually his brother who qualified for the event, but was unable to attend. So Eastep attended in his place. Only he didn’t actually know how to cook chili. No problem, though–he simply went from booth to booth collecting samples from the other cooks, then put them all in his pot and submitted it for the taste test … and won!

It was only a short while before he was found out and stripped of the title.”We caught the scoundrel, the Benedict Arnold that he is,” said Tom Nall, of Wick Fowler’s 2-Alarm Chili, who was one of the judges at the finals table. “We’ve got to set up guards on the border to make sure he never comes back.”

“The whole thing started out as a prank, just as a joke,” a contrite Don Eastep said. “It wasn’t meant to defraud. There’s no way anybody is going to profit from it. The bottom line is I should not have done it. And when they called the winning number, I wish at this instant that I would not have responded.”

“How could you possibly win with a conglomeration of chilis?” he asked. “That was the last thought in my mind that it would win. And when it did, there was nobody who was more shocked. I should have just sat there like a bump on a log.””
Published: Tuesday, November 4, 2003 – Austin Statesman Newspaper

I will win again. Mark my words. I will win again:)

New years is not about parties and all of that stuff. It is about being with your families and most of all it is about Jesus’ love for us.  Happy New Year!

The beauty of the new year is that we get a fresh start. I realize that it is just another day or even another year. But there is something about the turning of the calendar that gives us the feel of a fresh start.  It is like the sunrise after a long night.  When we move to a new year we visualize new things. New possibilities. 

People make resolutions, goals and declarations that the new year will be different from the last.  We sit with a blank page. Waiting to write our story that has yet to unfold.  Though we can’t see the future, we can expect great things to happen in 2014.  We can believe God for greater things.  Our hearts should be full of hope for more. More of God and a fuller richer life.  Spiritually and physically.

2013 was an incredible year at RFA. So many things were accomplished for the glory of God.  I have looked back and have stood in awe of what God did in our church.  He has been good to us. 

Now, we look forward to a new year and a new season.  I can’t remember a time that I have been this excited for the turning of the calendar.  My heart is full of hope and expectancy.  For RFA, 2014 is going to be the beginning of a new chapter of a book that has been written over the last 74 years.  This chapter is not the conclusion but rather the climax.  I believe his year will be a turning point for Rogers First Assembly.  For us as a church as well as individuals.  We are going to experience greater things and we are believing for more.  More of God, more souls for His Kingdom.

Pray with me that our faith will be bold and our expectancy unwavering as we celebrate the New Year.

“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?…”
(Isaiah 43:18-19)

I read this just a few moments ago and it is a great reminder for the holidays.  Since, we focus a lot on gifts at Christmas, we need to think of what gifts might be most important.  In the following excerpt, we find principles that are not bound to this season but they are something that should be observed and practiced all year long.

Barnet Gushin writes, “I’ve seen a great little Christmas reminder floating around the internet and Facebook this year.

Christmas gift suggestions: The most precious gifts are free … To your enemy, give forgiveness. To an opponent, give tolerance. To a friend, give your heart. To a customer, give service. To all, give charity. To every child, give a good example. To yourself, give respect. 

“Give” of yourself and you’ll never fail to give the best you have to offer! 

Dear Optimist, Pessimist and Realist:

While you guys were busy arguing about the glass of water, I drank it.

Signed,

The Opportunist

(from Mikey’s Funnies)

Today is the last day to get Thoughts For The Journey for Kindle absolutely free.  It is a devotional book that will challenge you and encourage you in your walk with Christ.  Get your copy here.

I am a to do list kind of guy.  If its not on my list I usually overlook it, but once I write it down…I’m on my way to productivity.

I’ve always wondered what a to do list would be for a kid. The other night Hannah and I were tossing a ball back and forth in the house and it happened to roll under the couch.  When I went to retrieve the ball I found a to do list.  Not just any to do list, but the list of a 7 year old girl.  It was detailed in every way and it confirmed what I believe a 7 year old does.

Here’s what Hannah planned to do for the day:

• Get dressed
• Eat Breackfust
• Play
• Eat lunch
• Play
• Mimi and Papa
• Color
• Eat dinner
• (I’m not sure what the next one is)
• Movie
• Bible
• Bed

It looks like a good list to me.  It’s the perfect life for a 7 year old girl.

Don’t forget you can get a free copy of Thoughts For The Journey in Kindle ebook form today through Thursday. Get your copy here.