We should have an NFL themed cooking show!

I love watching football. I can watch it all day (if I’m allowed). I’ve always loved watching it, even though I have never put on pads or ever played an “organized” game. I can remember watching football as a boy with my Mom who was a diehard Cowboy fan. I have favorite teams, and I have favorite players – but honestly – I’ll watch whatever game is on. I love it on Sundays, and typically watch the Sunday night game too – and I also still love Monday Night Football.

I love watching cooking shows. I can watch them all day, and I can get totally lost in the Food Network. I love the guy who does Mexican cooking on PBS, and I love watching any show with Bobby Flay or Guy Fieri. I’ve loved watching cooking shows my whole life, but I really don’t cook much at all. I have favorite chefs, and favorite shows – but I’ll watch them all. I can lose a whole Saturday (if I’m allowed) to one show right after another! …and then there’s the prime-time cook offs like Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star.

Isn’t that sort of odd?

Who watches football AND cooking shows? Is it just me? Am I the only one with such extreme opposite end of the spectrum TV watching habits?

Is it just a male thing? Or do women do the same kind of thing?

Tarzan and the choices we make…

So last night my buddy, David, shared a great analogy with me (and some friends I was with). He was talking about how we typically either rely on “self” or “Christ”.

The Apostle Paul talks about the same thing…often! Life in Christ is supposed to be living in grace and walking in the Spirit – but our great temptation is to fall back into works and trying to manage our own lives, living in our own power and strength.

So David said we have this choice to make. We can’t have both. Either we depend on Christ or we depend on self. And then he said, its sort of like Tarzan swinging on the vine. You have to let go of one, to really learn to swing… You have to keep reaching out to Christ and letting go of self…

That guy David – He’s pretty shhmarrt

I need a running partner!

Seriously, I need a running partner.

I need someone to keep me accountable, and to go run with occasionally. If I can’t find a running buddy, I would “settle” for a running group (assuming its free) and it meets the criteria below…

Here’s the specifics:

1. I live in Pflugerville, so I need someone North (RR, Pville)
2. I’m male, so I’d prefer a male
3. The typical distance I run is a 5k
4. I am trying to run every day…
5. I usually average around 10 minutes/mile
6. I’m flexible when I run, and I don’t mind early mornings
7. My eventual goal, and the reason I run, is Olympic distance triathlon

email me at charles (dot) whitmire (at) gmail (dot) com

What Hail does to a roof!

Very few people like hail. …of course, if you have an old car and insurance, hail can be a blessing of sorts… Roofers have also been known to like the white frozen stuff. Some of us might even be guilty of praying for it. (Come on… If a farmer can pray for rain, then I can pray for hail! )

Hail damage is obvious to see on cars. Its easy to see the dings, and people generally, at the least, let their insurance company know about it.

Hail is not so obvious on a roof. Actually, it is that obvious, but since its on our roof its sort of out of sight, and out of mind.

As a new roofer, I’ve been learning what hail damage looks like. Last week I took a few photos from a roof I was on…

Hail hits the roof and its damage is evident on vent caps and vent hoods, but the real damage (and the reason you need a new roof) is to the shingles.

Those small dings displace granules and cause an indention on the shingle – which over time causes the asphalt and underlayment to be exposed. Water can and will eventually work its way inside, courtesy those little dent.

Sometimes the damage isn’t extensive. This past week I saw some roof damage that was just too light to justify a new roof. But this past week, I also saw roofs that were really, really bad. Even if I’d had my camera, you wouldn’t believe the damage…

If you’ve been through a hail storm, its worth having your roof inspected – and that is exactly what I do – for FREE! …so shoot me an email if you live near Austin and you want me to come check out your roof.

(charles.whitmire (at) gmail (dot) com)

Time

Last week, a buddy asked me if I am “done” with ministry.

I’ve fielded that question A LOT in the past few months, and honestly, I still don’t have a good answer for it! One reason it’s so hard to answer is due in part to ministry being different than most other career choices. Ministry is a calling. It’s something I did because I felt God’s call on my life when I was 18. …that was 20 years ago!

It’s also tough because I am a huge believer in God doing the sending – not me. Call me crazy, but I believe that if God wants me to do something specific, he’s going to tell me! …and all I’ve heard since leaving my last place of ministry is silence (in the sending/calling part of my life).

God’s actually been VERY vocal the past few months. I’ve felt his presence as he’s rebuked, encouraged, and pointed me to healing. I was pretty lost a few months ago. I was bruised and burned out. I was wounded and I was in pain. …but graciously, that is not where I am right now…

So when my buddy asked me if I was “done” – Here’s what I said.

I have no idea if I am done or not, but I am so thankful that I have time. God’s given me a job that I am enjoying. It will allow me to continue to listen, and heal, and play with my wife and kids.

It’s what I’ve been saying I wanted all along – and you know what? It’s exactly what God has provided!

Time!

…catch a Tiger by the tail…

Just the other day, someone asked me what I thought about the Tiger Woods scandal. Honestly, the whole thing caught me off guard and left me pretty speechless. But as the story has grown and morphed into epic proportions, one word pretty much sums it up: SAD.

It’s just all very sad.

I can’t imagine putting myself in his golf shoes. No one likes having their “hidden things” revealed, but this has to take the cake. Its on every media outlet. Women are coming out of every nook and cranny. Every day is a new revelation. His life and pristine reputation has unraveled . He is in hiding. His marriage is in jeopardy – as is his future/current endorsement deals. It’s all a huge mess…

It’s just sad.

With that being said…

I hope he gets help. Addictions are not uncommon. Infidelity(s) is something that does not have to define his life. I hope somehow this situation helps him run to God. I’m hoping that some of his PGA friends that are believers reach out to him, and let him know that true forgiveness and change is possible in Christ.

I hope he and Elin stay together. Wouldn’t it be amazing if Tiger could change, and she could forgive, and they could heal from this? Don’t get me wrong, it will be incredibly difficult, especially, with all the publicity and the front page nature of all the gory details. But I have a friend, Rick Reynolds, that runs a ministry exactly for this sort of thing: The Affair Recovery Center. ARC has helped 100’s of couples recover form the wounds of infidelity. I hope they can find something like that to help them through this.

It’s sad – but what would be even worse is if nothing changes. I’m praying for you Tiger…

Mirror, Mirror, On the wall…

Our family are huge fans of the reality TV show The Biggest Loser. We regularly eat meals watching the show together. In fact, our eldest loves to point out the fact that watching a TV show about weight loss while eating really bad food is quite an irony. …My wife and I prefer to look at how its changing our eating habits

One of the reasons I love the show so much are the transformations. Change is a powerful thing – and the changes on The Biggest Loser are truly amazing.

One of the hard things about the show though is to see them weigh in – especially at the beginning of each season. At the beginning, they strip down to almost nothing and stand in front of America for all to see! They weigh in and everything is exposed. They are HUGE. They have rolls of fat. They are gross. It’s actually sort of hard to watch – but I think its very important.

I think its important because if we don’t see “the worst” or “the reality” of our true self, we’ll pretend that we really don’t need to change…

That confrontation with reality – or intervention with the mirror – is necessary.

I don’t think I’m brave enough to show the world though! What’s funny is that last season in the triathlons I raced in, I swam in just spandex shorts – and looking back at the pictures, I sort of did. Its actually hard to admit, but even though I did six triathlon’s last season, I am still way too heavy. I am not proud of how I looked. The pictures are proof! I looked like a beached whale! ...I am in better shape overall, but I still need to lose weight.

So I am taking a picture. …and NO, I am not posting it (maybe someday I’ll do a before and after). But, I am serious – I am going to strip down to almost nothing and stand in front of the mirror and take a picture. I’m going to print it out and put it on my bathroom mirror, too – so I can remind myself every morning that there is work to do! I do not want to pretend anymore. I’m done justifying it. I’m done waiting for tomorrow – and I’m ready to lose it…

So, get ready, because soon I’ll be able to say, “I am the Biggest Loser!”

H.E.L.P. Roof Austin

I have this buddy named Chris.

Chris is a very successful blogger, a church planting guru, AND last year he started a non-profit called Help End Local Poverty.

HELP helps feed hungry kids like this guy… His name is Gugulethu – You can read more about him, and how to help other little guys just like him at the HELP website.

BUT LISTEN UP AUSTIN!!

I’ve started working for Quick roofing and I would love your business…

So, if you know Chris Marlow, and you let me come re-roof your house, I’ll make a donation of a couple hundred bucks to HELP.

So… If you haven’t had your house looked at or re-roofed since the last hail storm, and you want to get’er done AND help some kids …email me…

chuckw (at) quickroofing.com

Everyone’s a comedian

I have two buddy’s trying to become comedians, and one that’s been doing it for years. All of them are very funny guys! I wish them all well in chasing their dream. I always knew they were funny…

That was Craig Lillard. Craig and I were seminary friends. He has been a goof off forever! Comedy seems perfect for him…

Then there’s David Tobey. David was a staff member of mine at Crestview/Phoenix. I’m glad he’s doing stand up – I even think I told him once or twice he should give it a try…

And finally, Tom Devenport. Tom’s a friend from High School. He always looked at life from a cynical, sarcastic point of view…

All very funny men! …nothing ever rubbed off though, cause I can’t tell a joke or make anyone laugh to save my freakin’ life!

Life’s little ironies

I’m going by “Chuck” again.

I haven’t been called “Chuck” since High-school (and a few times at my twenty year reunion). …and when I was in highschool, I did not ever enjoy being called Chuck.

For whatever reason, I have always introduced myself as Charles. I think it was the guys on the J.V. tennis team that started calling me Chuck. Like any good nickname, I hated it – and it stuck… At least it was better than “Charley” which is what every old guy over 75 wants to call me.

But when you knock on a door and say your name + Quick roofing – really fast – Chuck Whitmire is just much easier to say than Charles Whitmire.

…but what’s funny is that all my friends I am getting new roofs for look at my card and go “I thought you’re name was Charles.” …funny huh?

Maybe I should have just embraced Chuck earlier huh?