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A decade of mistakes that are leading to wisdom

It has been 10 years and 3 moths since my passionate blogs from my old PC and Blackberry. Needless to say, technology has changed. Yet, so has Randy Wood.
In the last 10 years I have:
1. Resigned as a pastor
2. Failed in a marriage
3. Started a new career.
4. Left that one to start another one for a short year.
4  Started another on, only to wreck the company car that they blessed me with, which sadly ended up with me loosing that chance and career.
5. Back to the number 3 above.
6. Great success for 2 years only to loose that one again with some poor decisions.
7. Back to waiting on my next career. Which I know God will provide.
8. I am remarried to someone who gets me and knows everything about me.
9. I am a Paw Paw to two beautiful identical twin girls now.
10. I’m older
11. Wiser
12. Full off gratitude
13. Most of all... I see Gods Grace in a brand new light revealed by His word.

A decade of repeated failure with a lot of victories that carried me through those defeats.

Your reading this:
- you have failed
- you may allow others to continue to remind you of them, no matter how long ago they were.

Hear me, please.
1. Get back up.
2. Don’t cover your scars
3. Allow people to ask you raw questions and be prepared to give them open, honest and raw answers.

Our lives mean something and as long as we are breathing, they will continue to mean something. We WILL fail again, yet the very God that I believe is perfect and has never, ever lost faith in us is still leading our paths.

Today could be the day that you finally make it to your purpose with an explosion of power because; Of people who root you on and a God that backs you. In the end, your enemies cheering you on as well to success.

After success, then what? Reset, rebuild, rejuvenate and stay still long enough to hear God speak to your mind and walk the next journey knowing this...... God, who began a good (perfect) work in you is faithful in our faithlessness to complete it. Hold on, the best is ALWAYS YET TO COME!

10
Years
Of
Mistakes and sin
           VS

Gods eternity to always to the best for you and through you.

Smile and be thankful!

Just a thought............   

Life Lived Backwards

So, i set here tonight after one of the hardest afternoons i can ever remember. Today I had to take the keys away from my dad. he is only 76, yet he has short term memory loss. So, it got me to thinking. It would seem more fair to live life backwards......

Born with a pension and a social security check for life

Meeting your wife and growing young together

Watching your grand kids and kids get young

Very wise by the time you are in high School

Going to elementary with your young wife

Playing with a restless youth with plenty of money, wisdom and wit.

Till we are just a gleam in our parents eye! lol !

Just a Thought.....

Branded

It was 1998.. I was the new kid in a very, very small town. The culture was a shock to me and my family. I knew i needed to learn to adjust, so I did. Not long after we settled in i met a man that would make a major impression in my life. His name, Elmer Nugent.

He was a fun, yet no non sense kind of guy. He became my mentor, father figure and a true Godly figure in the life of me and my family. There is a word that is used from the King James, its called.. "ensamples". It means indention.. or branded.

Elmer branded me. he challenged me not to "adjust" to culture, but rather lead it. I learned to be me and not a fake.

I just found out a couple of days ago that Elmer has cancer. He lost his son in a car accident three years ago. He has been through a lot. Yet, because he is not just a talker, but a doer, he continues to brand my life and others with straight forward encouraging talk.

Man, i hope I am just a quarter of the man he is some day.

He never branded me or others with stink'n religion. He always branded us with unveiled truth.

They have not given him much longer to live, but he will live for ever. He has branded my life.

I'm going to return to that small town to see him in a few days... what will i see? The brand that he is leaving. And if God does not wipe the cancer away and lets Elmer come home.. The Angels in heaven bess get ready to get branded by the new angel in town.

Listen

Listen

People are hurting in the shadows of your church.

Listen

People really don't care how cool your church is

Listen

Do you hear them.... Crying?

No? Turn down your Church programs...... Now do you hear them?

Listen

There are people in your Church who feel beat up because they don't feel like they can measure up to what you are beating them down with.

A whisper.... vaguely asking questions

Questioning God

Questioning life

Can you hear them?

Maybe you cant because they don't ask you... they are afraid to question you. So they ask God.

They might be mad at God... but even He knows that is taboo in a building with his name on it.

People need God

Did you know that?

Not YOU

God

Not your doctrine

God

Listen............. Shut the door of your church, just for a while and see what God is doing in other places that you would not be caught in.

He is under the bridge with a homeless person

He is at a bar watching them have fun, while you judge them for going.

He is holding the hand of a Muslim, Christian and a Buddhist because he loves them all.

He is at the football game... yep on a Sunday!

He is in Arkansas

New York City

Africa

Small towns

Churches

Temples

Honky Tonks

At a rich person's house

A Poor persons house

A card board box

He is at Wal - Mart

He is with you

Listen.. Shhhh...

Do you hear Him?

END OF TIME?

Two facts of this Universe is.....

1. There is a God

2. We are not Him

It seems like every few years or so when a catastrophe happens all of the dooms day people start preaching about the end of time. The last days. The second coming of Jesus Christ.

Yes... I believe that He is coming again (for you that are already ticked at me for challenging "doomsday")

But end of time? Really?

Think about that.... Time never started.... and time (as we do not know it) will never end.

There are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many other things that we need to do before we worry about eschatology of the theological premise in which we spend our time debating how it is all gonna happen.

here are some ideas of how to quit wasting your time talking about "End Times"

1. Pray for yourself

2. Pray for others

3. Don't be a "Christian snob"

4. Stop freaking people out with freaklogy

5. Make someone laugh

6. Tell God He is awesome

7. Love

8. Live

9. Laugh

and last but not least.....

10. Make the best of time (as you DO know it)

Till he comes again.....

Just a Thought.....

Embrace Now...

When I was a pastor I was always teaching on "Vision". The future... we were gonna do this or that or this or that.... That was great. Dreaming is great.. Vision is great and a must. However, just as many of us can get stuck in the past, we can get stuck in the future as well.

Right now we have life

Right now we have today

now we have these 24 hours

now we have time to throw the ball in the front yard with our kids

now we can enjoy good friends

now we can take a walk

now we can cry, laugh, morn or whatever needs to come out of our emotional system

Remember yesterday... it was great... but its a mere memory.

Tomorrow? Who knows??

Right now? Its here... now.

Take a breath and enjoy now........... Right now.

Just a Thought.....

My biggest complaint

Complain....

It is something I do everyday.

I complain about.........

1. Gas prices

2. Dirty Laundry

3. The BP oil spill

4. My bills

5. My job(s)

6. The heat

7. The rain

8. The lack of rain

9. Traffic

10. Poor service at a restaurant

11. And ton's of other things

However, yesterday, I found out what my biggest complaint is.... Randy G. Wood

I get on my nerves more than anything listed above.

When it comes down to the core of me... when you strip away everything... I am selfish, sarcastic, hypocritical, greedy, mean, wrong, a religious bigot, sneaky, a gossiper and a ton of other things.....

No, I don't do all of that in one day... Yes, i am working on them and letting God do his thing.

So.. while I am complaining about everything and everyone and all of the "worlds" problems... I need to shut the hell up and work on one person.. Randy G. Wood.

How bout you?

Roots

Victory, shame, continuous winner, bad health, good health. What do these words have in common? The answer is.. the root. The root is "the point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived".
Yesterday I was taking down an old fence which was used to be a grid or lattes for blackberries to grow.

As I began to take the fence down I was pulling off the dead vines. As I began to pull the vines I discovered that they were very deep rooted with several strong root systems. It took a LOT of digging and pulling and sweat to get the roots out of the ground. If i would have allowed the roots to remain then the vines would have continued to grow and take over that area of ground.

If we are to succeed in life the fruit of it is only from a strong root.

If we are dealing with bitterness, shame, etc. the same principle applies.

The root system of anything must be tended to in order for it to flourish or for it to die.

What do you need we need to strengthen?

What do we need to dig up?

What is our root system supplying?

Just a thought.....

Happiness

What is happiness? Is or does it truly exist? If so, where does it come from?
If your a Christian, you might say, "it comes from Jesus"
If your a Hindu, you might say, " it comes from within"
Maybe both principles are true.
One thing is for sure. Happiness does not come from a single event. It does not come from instant riches. It can never come from ritual or rite.

Happiness is very illusive. Its not tangible.

Happiness is a bunch of great moments celebrated every time they happen.....

Happiness must NEVER be taken for granted.

Happiness must be celebrated very slow.

Happiness is not a toy.

Its not just an emotion.

Happiness is not a product for sale.

Its not just landing the dream job.

Happiness is not joy.

Joy is joy... a state of being.

Happiness is happenstance...... curcumstance.

But..... Its OK to be happy.

We should never feel guilty for being or wanting to be happy.

Then again, I did say Joy is a state of being, not happiness.

Hmmmmm, maybe it all begins with then hugh?

Just a thought.....
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Makeing a difference

After Tami and I resigned as lead pastors of CrossPoint Church in Little Rock we started attending New Life Church at their Greater Little Rock Campus.

I admit, at first i was overwhelmed by the size at first (10,00 and growing between there campuses) But there is something else that overwhelms me, the way that they are making a difference.

One word, Wow!

NLC is not a Church that is about a "star" pastor, or any other big personalities. NLC is NOT about fads, competing with other churches, filling buildings, good music, good programs... NLC IS about Making a difference.

Go over to their website and see for your self. http://www.newlifechurch.tv

If you are looking for a place to worship, or just start a journey looking for God, try it out. If you don't want to come to the actual campus, watch them on line. If you want to be a part of something that is making a difference... come on!

Point A to point B

There are things in life that we have to deal with on a daily basis. The main one is what I like to call, changing variables.

For example, we will always have four seasons in a year.... but the weather (at least in Arkansas) can change in one hour. Another example is, you have to get from "point a to point b" to get to where you need to go. However, certain variables can change that. Such as detours, a new road was built for easier access, or you just go a different way. The point is, "Points a and b" have not changed, just the things in between.

Get ready, because your life could change in a second! Just hold on tight to you core values and enjoy the ride!

Just a thought!

Right Now

I am ALMOST 40.

As I begin this course of my new decade, I realize something. Right NOW is more important than anything in the world.

If you need to diet... Do it right now.

If you want to dance... Do it right now.

If you need to pray... Do it right now.

If you need to tell your spouce you love them... Do it right now.

Make the call... Now.

Make a difference... Now.

Hug your kids... Now.

Have a party...

Travel overseas...

Give something away...

Laugh...

Cry...

Forgive...

Walk in the woods...

Right Now

Fill in the blank, "Right NOW I need to____________________.

Now go do it.... Right Now

Just be yourself

Have you ever had people try to dictate your who, what, where and why? Maybe you were born with a gene to be a comedian... BE IT!!, a serious person... BE IT!, shy... BE IT!, goofy... BE IT!, etc...
What ever God designed you to be.... BE IT!
Some are leaders and some are followers. Leaders need to lead, with grace and love. Followers need to follow, without compromising their own values.
It take a lot of different moving, and for that matter, still parts to make things work. In a business, school, church, office, etc.
But for goodness sake be JUST BE YOURSELF and allow YOURSELF to shine and be a part of the bigger picture!
You are who you are, if you don't like who you are then find your true self and be them.... It's OK.. JUST BE YOURSELF..
Just A Thought.....

It's all good

Life has been a trip lately. Ton's of challenges for my family. But, it's all good.

Yes, i have been theologically challenged, spiritually challenged, physically challenged, emotionally challenged, beat up, knocked down, pushed down, walked on, laughed at, ticked off, sad, fearful, cowardly, fake, stupid, but its all good.

I haven't really been "following God" like i should, but, it's all good.

I have seen of my friends become silent to me, but its all good.

One thing i know is this. God loves me and his grace has NO opposite.. so, it's all good.

So in the words of Bob Dylan, "It's All good"

More than being.........

In all of us is a survival instinct. Sometimes its all we have. Sometimes its what causes us to just.... well.... be.

Have you ever been there? Just being...............

There is an ancient yet relevant and still living quote "For we live, move, and exist because of him" That was a statement from Paul the Apostle. He was actually quoting a poet from his day and time. He was basically stating.. "Live'.

A good friend of ours that lives in Colorado has taught me so much about the subject of LIVING. Not just being, but living.

Dream? - yes

Walking toward the dream? - Yes

Live... don't just be.

How?

Good question....

Start.....

Go.....

Do......

Just be? - No

Live life

Did You Get It?

Kock, Knock! Who's there? Didya. Didya who.................?
The moment was odd for the lil guy. As I overheard his conversation with his friends. When he got to the punch line, no one laughed. I looked at his expression and could tell that "he" was going to be the punch line if no one laughs. So, I giggled and said, "I get it!" And then I started laughing really hard. Then another kid said, that is so funny! Then another one said, that would make an awesome "redneck joke" for Jeff Foxworthy! I looked back at the eyes of the lil guy and could tell that he felt acomplished.
Why?
Because laughter is more contagious than any other thing in the world. Yet, most of the time we just dont "get it".
I am gonna challange myself to laugh more!
I am gonna try to find comedy, not just on the tv, but in life!
Who knows, maybe we could start a movement called.... well, "Laugh even if it aint funny!"
Oh.... the punch line was "Didya get it?"
Now thats funny right there, I dont care who ya are! :)

Bitter to Better

So, I sometimes what its all about. I was a pastor (of a great Church) for 10 years. Me along with, my family, staff and many great volunteers gave our hearts to it, and now I realize i sacrificed my family for it. Wow! Did I really do that? I treated it like a business. i got "locked in" to the stupid politics of the "denomination" I was trying to be their golden boy!

Now that I am not pastoring, I am on the "outside of their camp". I'm not the "Golden boy".

Basically I am let down. I have let my wife down. I owe a ton of money to an the Bible College I went to. I only hope that some of my credits from the college transfer so that I can continue my education at another institution.

Bitter?

yep!

Whose "fault" is it?

Mine.

Will I be OK?

Sure!

Church is NOT a business!! It is a place where both parishioner and pastor should have a safe place to go without all of the politics to interfere.

So, here I am. "pastorless", and working against being bitter. And I will.

I have a ton of life to live (not necessarily time), but life.

Do I still desire to make a difference in this world? Yes. And I will.

I am going back to school, getting my licences to teach and desire to teach High School in the public sector. It will be tough... but its my passion. i will also be doing some motivational speaking when given the chance.

To anyone that reads this that i used to pastor, I love you. You were awesome. But, I wish the context of it were under a different set of eyes other that of the denomination I was a part of.

Bitter? a lil bit.... But I am gonna get better!

Kicking Cats

Sometimes the way we frame a problem contains an assumption that prevents us from solving it.

Gotcha!... based on the title you probably got ready to cal P.E.T.A. and turn me in for animal abuse.

I heard it said that if you assume it makes an a** out of you and me.

I am at a time in my life where a lot of people have assumed that I am "not in the ministry" any longer, based on the fact that I am not a pastor.

Someone may be assuming that you are who you are because you failed, messed up, changed jobs, got a divorce, got married, changed your clothing style, etc...

Eg; Many people that did not no I was a pastor, find it strange that I was one. Why? Well, I shave my head, have a couple of tatts, can't stand to wear a tie, and love to kick cats.. (Kidding about the kicking cats ;) I have a cat, and love her! LOL! Anyway, I think you get the point. Kind of like those that are "in the church" assume that I am someone different now. Nope, I am the same.

How about you? Are you assuming something about someone? Or, are you allowing someone to assume something about you? Its OK, like my Father - in - Law used to say all the time.. "It is what it is". I agree. Just be who you are... Quit assuming, don't allow people to assume about you based on ANYTHING and please... quit kicking the cat!! :)

One grip at a time

I'm not a mountain climber, but I respect the sport. Mountain climbing takes several discipline. It takes guts, strength, heart, vision, faith, knowledge and a whole lotta risk.

Life.... That's what I am climbing. It takes guts, strength, heart, vision, faith, knowledge, and a whole lotta risk.

To get to the peak is one thing.... getting there is another.

the first grip a smile

the second grip a giggle

the third.... a point of no return

the forth... wondering, "what in the heck am i doing" while smiling

a slip

grip again

faith

heart

guts

the top? sure... but the journey is what its all about.

Whats next?

Another mountain.... one grip at a time.