Extended Family

 

My earthly family is the second most important thing in my life after my relationship with my heavenly Father.  I am fortunate that my two brothers, my mom and both of my children's families are all in the Atlanta area.  I get to see all of them regularly.  But time away from work is pretty rare.  Over the last six weeks, both of my children, and Caroline and I, have had couples-only trips, and all of us just completed four days with the grandkids at Disney.  We had a blast.  Since Michael and I work together in real estate, one might have expected the extended time off to take a toll on the business.  But somehow, out of hundreds of Keller Williams teams in the southeast region, our team was number 4 in April, and May will be the best month in the history of our company.  All of this build up is to let you know that there is another important member of our extended family.  Janet Jeanes has been the Client Services Manager for Spot On The Lake since 2007, and she has stuck with us through thick and thin.  Her title describes her role perfectly, as she is responsible for serving our clients in the best way that she can.   Many times when I show up for closings, the client will say, "oh, we hoped Janet would be here."  Her dedication to our clients and her faithfulness to our small company are two of the primary reasons that we continue to have success.  And with Michael and I being gone recently, it is obvious that she has everything that she needs to handle things beautifully while we are out.  I count myself very fortunate to have Janet as a part of our extended family.  Thank you Janet for all you do for us.

P119

 JC is a good friend that I have written about in the past. (John Crawfrord, not Jesus Christ).  I first met JC in the Redcoat Band at UGA in 1980.  We both played trumpet in that band and in the UGA Jazz Band.  We were more acquaintances than good friends at that time.  After college, JC joined Northwestern Mutual and Caroline and I eventually became his clients for life insurance.  Caroline became his office manager about the time I changed careers to go into real estate.  We both like to waterski, and JC eventually became my client for real estate when he bought a home at Lake Hartwell.  We have watched our kids grow up loving the lake and for several years met for boat church at the lake on Sundays.  JC is one of the most generous people I have ever known, and I happen to know his secret.  He is a fervent reader of the Bible, and he consistently reminds me that I need to be one, too.  I have a long way to go.  This week he encouraged me to read Psalm 119.  I'm sure I have read what turns out to be the longest book of the Bible in the past, but it has been a while.  It is packed with truth, and you could spend hours meditating on just a few verses.  If you haven't read it in a while, I want to follow JC's lead and encourage you to read it today.  

"Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands." v73

The Other Brother (update)

 

On January 11th of this year, I posted about Jeymes Samuel, who wrote, produced and composed the score for the movie, The Book of Clarence.  I had not seen the movie yet at that time, and this week, I finally had the opportunity to see it.  The movie presents Clarence as the undocumented brother of Thomas from the Bible.  Clarence is a street-wise man with a disreputable past, who after hearing about the growing popularity of Jesus, decides he should be a Messiah, too.  His interactions with other characters from the Bible artfully blend truth with what "could be true" to deliver a very compelling story.  But it is the change that takes place in Clarence that turns a story that could be considered by some to be a spoof,  into a true reflection of the power of the one and only God.  If  you have seen it, I would love to hear what you think.  If you haven't, I strongly recommend it.

The Seventh of June

 

On 6/7/2017, when Anne was 15 years old, she received the news that nobody wants to get.  Her older brother, Jacob, had been killed in a car accident.  She had been very close to her brother, and of course, she was traumatized.  In planning the funeral, Anne's mother asked her if she would sing, and Anne agreed to sing one of her favorite songs, "What a beautiful name" from Hillsong Worship.  This was the first time that she had sung publicly.  During and after the service, Anne realized that singing, and especially singing worship music, was something that she felt called to do.  Afterwards, she was encouraged by friends to record this video, and posted it to YouTube.  Over a million people watched it, and one of those people was a talent scout for Capitol Christian Music Group, who signed Anne to that label in 2019.  Two years later, at the age of 19, Anne Wilson's debut song, My Jesus, was nominated for the Billboard Music Award for Top Christian Song.  Last year, Anne released The Seventh of June as a tribute to her brother and a statement of God's presence while she was dealing with her grief.  Praise God for bringing healing from sadness, and thanks to Anne for sharing her gift to bring Him glory.

Celebrating Marriage

 

It is a sad fact that almost one half of all marriages in the United States will end in divorce.  I am proud that my parents were married almost 50 years until my dad passed away.  Caroline and I have now been married for 40 years, and this week we are celebrating with a well-deserved vacation.  We have booked a Mediterranean cruise stopping in Barcelona, France and three stops in Italy.  I can't wait to spend extended time with Caroline and am also thankful that Michael and Janet are fully qualified to keep Spot On The Lake thriving while we are away.  I feel very blessed that God gifted us our marriage.  I want to continue to do everything I can to honor the union that He is a part of.

Control Freaks

Last night, our ConnectGroup from church finished up our study of The Cost of Control by Sharon Hodde Miller.   One of the main points Sharon left us with is that the only things we can really control are ourselves, and there are plenty of times when I do a lousy job of that.  She differentiated control from influence.   Control is about forcing our agenda on others.  Influence is attempting to understand another person's position and then offering counsel when that person is open to it.   I face this decision on which approach to take a lot in my business and with my personal relationships.  I believe I have gotten better at choosing influence over the years, but I still have a long way to go.  While our group didn't always understand Sharon's recommended approach, her writing did a good job of stimulating conversation with the group, and as the group leader, I appreciated that.  And there is one other thing we know for sure.   Our gathering, our study and our desire to know God more are pleasing to Him.  I hope you have, or can find, a group of believers to share your journey with.

Masters of what?

 

Even people who have never swung a golf club love to watch what will be unfolding in Augusta for the next four days.  The Masters Golf Tournament is steeped in tradition and that tradition is strengthened by the fact that it is the only major golf tournament played in the same location every year.  Tiger Woods is playing again this year, and there are literally millions of fans that want to see him do well.  Scottie Scheffler won the tournament 2 years ago and is currently ranked number one in the world.  His golf skills have been honed to the highest level.   But an interview I saw with him yesterday made an even bigger impression on me.  The question from the reporter went like this: "How does golf fit in defining you  as a person right now?"  Scottie responds: "Hopefully it doesn't define me too much...I am a faithful guy. I believe in Jesus.  Ultimately, that is what defines me the most."  Celebrities and athletes have a tremendous platform to push their agenda.  Regrettably, most of the time, I am not on board.  I am so grateful for people like Scottie who are not ashamed to share what Jesus has done for them.   Click here for the full interview (the comments on his faith starting around minute 11).  I also found this interview from 2 years ago after he won the Masters.  I love to watch Tiger, but you probably know who I will be cheering for.