Soakin' Up Life . . . at a 100 MPH!

There's just something about spending the day cruising the bike in the great weather here in LA (Lower Alabama). It was somewhere in the a '60s - people here were wearing shorts, t-shirts, and sandles - the sun was shining, my bike was out of the shop, and I took off. Spent some time in and around Mobile then took off to Hurley, MS . It was a great ride and a great day. Just hangin' out, meetin' new people, and lovin' every minute of it. I must admit. . .I could definitely use more days like today. Now if I can just keep that battery charged. . . Mike

I often hear about the post-Christmas blahs. Not sure what they mean 'cause I love Christmas and the peace that comes afterwards. I love sinking in my favorite chair - it's an oversized chair with down feathers in the pillows and cushions - and kicking up my feet on said chair's oversized foot rest. I love firing up the computer and surfing, emailing, blogging, with the remote next to me or listening to some smooth jazz or blues or 70's rock. I'm looking out of my back door and checking out the blue skies and refreshing sunshine watching my dogs wander in and out soaking up the sunshine and teaching me to appreciate what I have. I've got my Christmas loot stashed away - and what great loot I receive!! Wooohooo - Thanks everyone! I've had a chance to look through all the Christmas cards I received this year. I really enjoyed getting everyone of them. Some were from friends from the past, some from family, some from new friends. All were greatly appeciated. S...

Read this article last night and thought to myself, Wouldn't counseling be safer? Actually, I thought, What an idiot!! It appears that a woman, in the midst of a lovers quarrel, swallowed a cell phone. OK, what part of this do you find hilarious? 1) they were arguing over a cell phone - they'er not that expensive, go get your own 2) she wanted to win the argument so bad that she would attempt to swallow a cell phone - give me a break 3) she might have actually thought she COULD swallow a cell phone - OK, lets say she could, did she think what would happen if it did go down? How would it come out?! Oooooo, the pain!!!!! 4) calling 911 for help - ooo, ooo let me be the operator! Now I'm pretty competitive and argumentative, but I don't think I've ever - let me restate that - EVER thought about swallowing a cell phone, or any other inanimate object, especially something as large as a cell phone. It almost cost her everything - just to win an argument! Lesson...

I realized this morning, while I was surfing some blogs, that I could never serve in student ministry as a full-time student pastor. Why not Mike? , you ask. Facial hair. . .or the lack of it. One thing I have noticed is that the guys who work with students all seem to have some form of facial hair. Maybe a gotee, a mustache, soul patch, some chops adorning the sides of their face, maybe even a beard, whatever it is - it has to do with hair on their face. Watch your student pastor or student pastor friend(s), I bet they have grown, are growing, or will grow some sort of facial hair design. I would be surprised if Norelco, Braun, and Schick didn't or aren't planning on setting up booths at Student Pastor conferences. They'd make a bundle on the latest facial hair grooming supplies. Think about it!! Maybe I should contact these guys and suggest the idea, eh? DISCLAMER: Ladies if you serve students, I'm probably not talking about you. Hopefully you don't fall...

To be honest - ministry is work. It takes time, it takes energy, it takes creativity (here's where I need help), it takes organization, it takes planning, and it takes heart! So. . .it's not all about gathering with other Christians singing Kum By Ya and holding hands and smiling. But then there's those times when it's good - ALL good. There are those times when we just hang out with people. Yes, sometimes it's about the people, and I am so blessed to serve with a couple of people who are honest with me, laugh with me, argue with me, and love students with me. Wednesday, Stephen, Whitney, and I went to look at the summer calendar and did all the above. Whitney even drove Pia (my Passat) and I got to just play DJ with the iPod and listen to Stephen's wild and crazy adventures growing up in the Mobile area. If he's missing any fingers just think alligator wrestling! They keep my butt out of the wringer and take care of the details and the leg work to make s...

Mom and I are planning to get out today to wrap up some Christmas shopping. I, on the other hand, may just buy for me since clothes are on sale at some of my favorite shopping places (I'll get to that later). It's not that I'm not up for it - I'm just have to remember to get my mouthpiece and my elbow pads. Why? Because it's three days before Christmas. We're not harried or hurried, just need to pick up a few things. I am more worried about other people and their last minute shopping trisks. Why do we wait 'til the last minute? And men we are the worst. What's up with us guys? It's not like we don't know Christams is coming. Maybe we are hoping Jesus will return and we won't have to go shopping. Maybe it's because our wives and girlfriends expect more from us than we are willing to give. Maybe we are just too lazy. Regardless of the reason, we get what we deserve. If you wait until the last minute expect craziness, hostility...

Read this article this morning. It appears that a man, his kids, and neighbors got together and over a course of a month built a 16 foot snowman they call "Snowzilla". Man! Wouldn't that be fun? Even used a power drill to attach the arms. So, not only are they playing in snow, hanging with family and friends, but they're getting to use power tools, too. Imagine the impact this guy had on his children. Imagine the community that was created among his family and neighbors. Imagine how proud they must feel as people from outside the neighborhood begin coming to see and feel the snowman to make sure it's real. Now. . .imagine having a 16 foot Snowzilla in your front yard!! Holy stinkin' cow!! For some reason I keep thinking of a Calvin & Hobbes . For those of you not in the know of the infamous Calvin - he would build decapitated smowmen & snowwomen, etc. If I have to explain it, you won't get it. Just think adult mind connected to a seven ...

Came home last night. Home? Where's home? For me that could be a lot of different places. You see, my father was in the US Navy for the first 14 years of my life. So home became wherever we were stationed. Usually, that meant every 2-3 years we were moving. Eventually, home became Waxahachie, Texas . Waxahachie is about 30 miles south of Dallas, Texas . So what does it mean to "come home." For me it means seeing familiar places and familiar faces. It means seeing relatives I don't get see very often, especially living out of state. It also means seeing changes that have taken place. Change happens, but MAN!! This place has changed a lot sinced I lived here. But, inspite of the growth and the change that has taken place - by the way growth and change are not bad things, just different - it means being comfortable. Here I don't have to be anyone and meet anybody's expectation. Most of the people who know me here have seen the many sides of Mike Shipp. No need ...

It's just after 1:00 am on Thursday. Yes, it's early morning here. Ranger the cat is cradled in my left arm snoring (yes - I have a cat that snores) and I'm creating this post. It's 1:00 am in the morning, did I already say that? No, I'm not delirious it's just the time when I get cooking. It's early, I would agree, but it's the right early not that 5:30 early crap I experienced last week! Why am I still up? Just got home from seeing the new King Kong movie. It's 3 hours long, but was worth every minute of it. The special effects, the acting, the drama - all of it was worth the price of admission. You will definitely want to see this one on the big screen. Don't wait 'til it comes out on video. It won't be the same. Also, don't buy a large drink and suck down most of it before the third hour. It makes the last hour a very loooonnnnggg one. Also #2, if you buy a ticket for the mid-night showing of a movie make sure you know what nig...

I'm reading the book (almost finished) and I've seen the movie. I've also listened to a friend's sermon about part of the story. It's ALL good!! If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it! The story, the characters, the actors, the effects. I didn't find anything I didn't like about the movie. The Chronicles of Narnia is well worth the price of admission. Don't miss this one. If you haven't taken the time to read the book I encourage you to do so. The two together bring the story to life. Tomorrow night I'm planning on seeing the mid-night showing of King Kong . It's 3 hours long. That means I won't get home 'til AT LEAST 3:30 am. What am I doing? Oohhhh. . .pray for me! Better get some rest. "Movie" Mike

Well, I did it. I made it through my first group motorcycle ride. It was the Toys-for-Tots ride sponsored by the U.S. Marines (hoora!). I left early this morning - yes it was after 7:00 am and somewhere in the 30's. Stopped by Wal-Mart and picked up a couple boxes of Hot Wheels . I mean, c'mon - what red-blooded 'merican boy doesn't like Hot Wheels? Plus the boxes fit in the bag on my bike. Win-Win for everyone. I showed up at U.S. Marine and Naval Reserve Center a little before 9:30 thinking I was early (registration wasn't supposed to begin until 9:30). When I arrived there were already a parking lot full of bikers from all walks of life riding bikes of all shapes and sizes. While I was walking through the crowd I ran into Tom. Tom is part of the Singles Ministry at First Baptist North Mobile. A friend of mine took this picture of Tom and me. We loaded up and headed out about 10:00 am. It was an incredible sight to see motorcycles for as far as the eye could see....

It's 5-FREAKIN-3o in the morning! What in the world am I doing up? Oh by the way - I'm not just up, I'm up, showered, dressed, and waiting for Starbucks to finish brewing. And yeah, I'm typing this thing! For those of you who don't know me - I don't want to know there's two 5:30's in a day, especially the first one. I don't exist before say. . .6:30 in the morning! 7:00 is even better. And those who do know me are laughing their brains out. I know because they have done it before. You see I'm an early morning guy - I'm just a 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning kind of guy. By the way - who gets up this early on a regular basis and why? I know there are some of you who have to get up to get to work. I understand this. I used to deliver milk (Monday mornings I was going through Dallas at 12:30 in the morning to get to the dairy) and I used to run my dad's/grandmother's bakery (try 2:30 in the morning). So I know what that is all a...

Well, Christmas will be here very soon. Much sooner that I would like. It's mainly because by now Karen has all the Christmas shopping done and has given me her list of gifts and where to buy them, leaving me with only to surprise her with a gift or two. NOW, I have to go out and decide what to buy, where to buy it, and how much to spend. MAN, it's a lot of work!! Oh well, I guess it's my job now. I just hate deciding what to buy everyone. It's not that I don't like Christmas. I love it!! I love the atmosphere. I love the music. Some of my favorite songs are Christmas songs. Which leads me to a pet pieve of mine, why can't we sing these songs during the rest of the year? I mean, O Come, O Come Emmanuel ? Why can't I sing about Christ coming throughout the year? Oh well. Some of you are probably thinking, "Sounds like a personal problem." You're probably right. One of the things I love most about Christmas? Watching people, es...

I have to give my Mom her props!! She's hanging with me for a while and is a trooper extreme. First, you should know, she loaded up a trailer and the XTerra and pulled a trailer from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Mobile, AL. Maybe not a big thing, except she's never pulled a trailer before and she made the trip straight through BY HERSELF!! Second, she works like a Trojan! She's like non-stop. My house is really clean, it's decorated for the holidays, and the food is great!! My yard hasn't looked this great since I moved in. Last Saturday she learned how to drive my mower. We hooked up my yard wagon and she carried tree limbs and branches from the back yard to the curb for about 31/2 - 4 hours - non-stop. Third, Mom. . .well, Mom's not a spring chicken, though you wouldn't know it watching her work. She could work circles around most people I know. But then, she's my Mom!! Fourth, she models worship like so very few people I know. She accepts people - all peopl...

Well it's done. Texas and USC will face off for the national championship in the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006. I can't wait! I do have one bone in my craw and it's stickin' in there pretty well. Why are all of today's games so lopsided? I already knew the Longhorns would stomp a Texas-size mudhole in Colorado . But what happened to UCLA ? This was supposed to be the closest team to beating USC - before USC faces Texas!! Then Georgia and LSU - it's Georgia over LSU 21-7 in the 3rd quarter - yeah my cousins in Georgia are bouncing off the walls - WOOF, WOOF. And Navy wins over Army by what, 19 points? Go NAVY!! OK, so now what do we do? We wait for almost half of the teams in Division 1-A to play in some bowl game throughout the month of December. Then, in January, the real bowls begin - YEAH BA-BY!! So. . .in the meantime get your team's colors, grab a seat in front of the TV, invite some friends, and have a great Bowl Season!! Mike

Well. . .today's the day. Texas plays for the Big 12 Championship . It's kind of funny, Texas has to play a team they obviously dominated the last time they played (check the stats ) for the championship of a league they have certainly dominated (check the standings ). It's pretty sad when the teams closest to Texas is Oklahoma and Texas Tech at 6-2 AND THEY'RE IN THE SOUTH DIVISION AS WELL!! OK, I'm not worried, well. . .maybe a little. There's always the percentages you have to worry about. The more times two teams play the greater the chance for the underdog to win. Regardless, I expect to be wearing the burnt orange proudly this afternoon. And come Tuesday morning at 10:00 am central time will attempt to be one of the first to get two tickets to the Rose Bowl. People laugh, snicker, and grin like "Good Luck!" You can't win if you don't get in the game! Sooooo, come Tuesday morning I'm suitin' up and gettin' in the...

Yesterday's gone, but it was a good one. I did take the bike for a ride. Went to Pensacola, Fl to meet a new friend for lunch. He's a minister as well. We talked about ministry, family, life, and stuff. We laughed and swapped stories. It's good to do that every once in a while. It just feels good. Then, I went to another friend's house - it's really her mom and dad's house. She was recently diagnosed with cancer and had surgery to remove her thyroid and some other stuff. She has this really cool scar on her neck, though it's getting better. Anyway, when I told her I would be in Pensacola for lunch AND I would be on the Harley she asked if I could come by and take her for a ride. So I did. . .we did. It was great hitting the back roads of Florida. We ended up lost for a short time then found our way eventually hitting Atmore, AL . That's when we turned around and headed back to Pensacola. After dropping her off I headed home. The ride back...

I'm kind of liking today - for now. I'm just hanging around. I have some things to do, but there's no hurry, at least not in my own mind. Today may be one of those hang out, ride the bike, run some errands, rest, and have fun days. We need these kind of days every once in a while. I'm watching a show on the Discovery Channel about Navy Seal training. I always wonder if I would be good and tough enough to make it through the training? Oh well. . . I think I'll get up and check out the shower and the tooth brush. Then I'll crank up the Harley and enjoy the sunshine! Hope you are having or will have a great day!! Mike