and furthermore...

2010-10-19T08:17:00.007-05:00

We had the opportunity to spend a few days with my son Daniel in his new home in New Castle, KY this last weekend, and a wonderful visit it was.

The weather was exceptional, with lows in the 40's and highs in the 70's every day. The leaves were just beginning to turn, so the colors were just beginning to show how the coming glory of the fall.

We visited Louisville and saw several great sites, including the seminary, the area around the river, downtown, and greatly enjoyed the time with Daniel.

We had the chance to visit the church where he was recently elected full-time pastor and hear him preach on Sunday morning, meet the wonderful people who have taken him into their church family so lovingly, share a Sunday pot-luck lunch with them, and thank God for this wonderful congregation who are so convinced that God brought Daniel to them. What a joy! Everyone we spoke with was so thankful for Daniel and expressed again and again how much he means to them. We met so many people who are enjoying having the opportunity to feed him! (Which he is also greatly enjoying!) And after the pot-luck lunch, I can personally attest to the fact that they are doing this exceptionally well!

He's very happy to be serving at a church that loves and supports him, loves his new home, and is continuing work on his seminary degree.

His church is First Baptist Church, New Castle, KY. - www.newcastlefirstbaptist.org, and you can always catch his blog at http://manofmist414.wordpress.com/

His home church, FBC Baton Rouge, has scheduled an ordination service for the last weekend in October, which we wouldn't miss for anything.

Love you, son! Proud of what God is doing in and through you.

See you again soon.

The Lowry Family Photo

2010-01-06T16:10:00.003-06:00

We were privileged to spend Christmas this year at my daughter's house in Zachary, LA. Her family hosted the whole bunch, my two sons, my wife & me, and my parents. And we had a BALL! Here's the family photo, (after 3 or 4 tries), and you can see all the smiles. What a wonderful family we have. Thanks, everyone, for the memories!

Family Ministry

2009-09-15T09:51:00.002-05:00

What IS family ministry in the church? These days, most "ministries" in the church seem to end up being "activity" oriented ministries if we're not careful. Single Adult ministry, Youth Ministry, Senior Adult Ministry, and more, can often end up becoming a list of upcoming "events", aimed at keeping our particular constituent group busily engaged in an endless list of calendar activities designed to do what, exactly?

Family ministry, on the other hand, isn't so clear cut, and is one that most churches overlook. I've been working for about 18 months at starting, from scratch, a "family ministry" where I work, working to engage about 5700 churches in the process, and it's been terribly hard even just to find anyone to add to the mailing list! It is so rare to find a church that even acknowledges that they HAVE a family ministry. Rarer still is the church that engages or hires a "Family Minister" or "Minister to Families", and extremely rare is the volunteer who is engaged in the process of ministering to families.

What IS becoming more common in several of our larger churches is the trend of those who are engaged in Ministry to Preschoolers, Children, or Youth, of renaming their respective ministry to something like, "Minister to Families with Preschoolers", or Youth, Or Children, etc. Which is a trend I actually agree with. It's truth in advertising, if you are actually doing what the ministry ought to be about. Real preschool ministry IS ministering to the FAMILY of that preschooler, not just preparing for a good Sunday morning experience for the preschooler in Sunday School.

D6 is a group who agrees heartily in the supposition that we in the church cannot do what we've tried for many years to do. I.E. - to disciple the children of the members of our congregations. We've tried to do it. We've even promised to do it. But it's impossible for us, in one or two hours a week, to accomplish what the FAMILY ought to be doing in 168 hours during the week. D6 is built on the scripture in Dueteronomy 6:6-9 -

"6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach 12 them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, 13 as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm 14 and fasten them as symbols 15 on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates."

And the premise behind the ministry of D6 is that we in the church need to change the FOCUS of our ministry - from seeking to disciple the children, to seeking to EQUIP the PARENTS and FAMILIES to disciple their own children. Our time on Sunday ought to be better spent EQUIPPING parents to disciple their own children. Because we cannot accomplish in 1 hour what the parents are called by God to accomplish in 168.

See more at www.d6family.com

Our real goal, then, in preschool, children's, and youth ministry, is to build relationships with those FAMILIES, and look for ministry opportunities there. If we can impact and improve the FAMILY atmosphere, the FAMILY experience, the spiritual condition of the FAMILY, we will make a MUCH greater impact on the lives of those preschoolers, children, and youth.

Oh, how I wish someone had gotten this concept when I was a young parent. How I needed that kind of intervention! But see, I was in the church. We were there every week! I was even on staff! But we were in desperate need. But our church was doing nothing for families. And our own family was falling apart.

Look at the family for ministry opportunities and you'll never run out of things to do, places to minister, opportunities for service and real change.

The needs are overwhelming, but you'll have your pick of places to start:

Financial needs - Financial Peace University w/ Dave Ramsey
Relationship challenges - Marriage on the Rock w/ Jimmy Evans
Pre-marriage education - Prepare to Last w/ Jeff & Debbie McElroy
Help for families raising blended families - http://www.blendedfamilyfocus.com/
Parenting Help - Scream Free Parenting - raising your kids by keeping your cool
and the list goes on and on. Wherever you find a need, look for and discover a variety of resources and tools to offer to assist your families with meeting those needs.

You could offer short term classes - and YOU don't have to teach them! Ask one of your families to help teach them! Someone passionate about that particular need!
You could offer support groups, bible studies, misison opportunities, mentoring opportunities, lists of online helps, library resources, and so much more.
If, for example, "help with household repairs for single parents" was one of the needs you discovered, you could arrange for once a quarter, on a Saturday, your older adults to have a "Free Home Repair Day". Your church could donate materials leading up to the date, based on the projects that have been submitted, and then people could sign up for particular projects based upon their expertise. You could have a dozen or so project teams to go out to do a couple of projects each on that day and make a real difference in the lives of some single parents!
Look for needs and then creatively look for a means of meeting those needs. That's family ministry. It MAY involve finding some counseling resources, but it won't necessarily mean you have to personally counsel. (don't get in over your head here. Know when to refer. Build a list of local Christian counselors who will take your members at a reduced rate. You may even find a church member who would exchange office space for a greatly reduced rate for church members, etc.)

What are YOU doing in family ministry? If someone at YOUR church would be interested in being the point-person for family ministry discussion, receiving email and information about upcoming family ministry events, sharing information about family ministry with your church, etc., then join our family ministry email lisi at the BGCT. Email me at keith.lowry@bgct.org and ask to be put on our family ministry email list and I'll send you periodic updates about family ministry. We're just building this list, and we'd love to include you.

Meanwhile, look for opportunities to minister to and equip families to do what God has ordained all along that they do - to "revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments that I am giving you – you, your children, and your grandchildren – all your lives, to prolong your days", (Deuteronomy 6:3-4) - and to make disciples of their own children.

In Christ

Keith Lowry

Letting Go and Letting God...

2009-08-26T15:47:00.000-05:00

Letting go and letting God…

There’s a line in chapter one of “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” by Jim Cymbala, that says, “I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him.”

This is such a difficult spot for many of us, and has been for me for a really long time. I’ve told many of you that I’ve been very “capable” for so long; very “good” at what I do for such a long time, that “letting go and letting God” has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn to do.

And especially for men, who, by nature, are often “fixers”, it is often even that much harder. It is so easy to bury ourselves in planning and details and busy-ness as we trudge onward in all our plans and goals and work that we often plan God right out of the equation. And having done so for so long, learning to do otherwise is not only hard, it can be downright scary for many of us, who may have come to believe all the results we have ever seen in the church for lo these many years have been (this is so ludicrous, but we often believe it) the result of OUR own doing, that we’re actually reluctant to turn it over to God, believing He might not be able to accomplish as much as we have.

How silly, how preposterous, how full of arrogance and pride. The fact is, we have been holding God back, we’ve kept the church smaller than God would have made it were it not for our feeble attempts. What we have today is the church like we want it, not as God would have it. We create a church that WE are comfortable with, that WE can control, that makes US comfortable.

Why do you think the religious leaders of the day were so upset with Jesus? Because He dared to suggest re-creating the church in a completely different way, a way with which they were VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. Needless to say, a way in which THEY would have had MUCH LESS control.

So we go on, day after day, creating church in a way we can control it, reluctant to let go and let God have his way, either with US, or with His church. And then we have the audacity to moan and complain about the state of the church.

Is there a solution? Sure. Will we like it? Not at first. No sir. Because it will make us very uncomfortable. Because you will feel like you’re going down the expressway in the back seat of the car and you won’t be able to see the driver. (It’s the Holy Spirit, and He’s invisible, but that doesn’t mean He’s not there. You just have to look at the results! ) We have to learn to live by faith, not by sight, and that includes the way in which we build the church.

The astonishing truth is that God is attracted to weakness in the way we do church. If we would just sit down, back up, back off, take our hands off the wheel long enough to say, “Lord, I can’t do this. I’ve been trying for so long, I’ve made a royal mess of this. It doesn’t even look like it’s supposed to look. No one does what they’re supposed to do. No one wins the lost. We argue about the silliest things. We’re not controlled by the Holy Spirit. We don’t pray like we should. We have forgotten what we’re supposed to be about. I can’t do this by myself. I’m tired. I’m beaten down. I am weak. I need your help.”

And then, if we’d KEEP our hands off the wheel, our knees on the ground, our hearts open to Him, I wonder what we’d see? In “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire”, they found out God knows how, and has the power to build his church, and he WANTS to.

The question is, do WE want Him to? I do. It’s my prayer. Will you join me?

I confess, Lord. I’m weak. I can’t do it. I need you. Come quickly, Lord, come quickly… There’s work to do and I confess I cannot do it without you. My weakness is evident and I readily admit it. I don’t want to build it without you any more. Come fix what I’ve messed up. Come build your church. Show us your power.

kl

Life Lessons

2009-06-23T18:00:00.001-05:00

I received this today from a friend and thought it worth passing on... I hope you find it helpful...

Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:

'What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?'

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

'Absolutely,' said the professor. 'In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello.'

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:3 0 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride.
Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s'.. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..

It read:
'Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away.. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.'

Sincerely, Mrs.. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

'How much is an ice cream sundae?' he asked.

'Fifty cents,' replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

'Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?' he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

'Thirty-five cents,' she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

'I'll have the plain ice cream,' he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,
were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the
King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of
vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note
from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand!

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, 'Yes I'll do it if it will save her.' As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up! at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, 'Will I start to die right away?'

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her but he had chosen to save her anyway.

Life Lessons... what will you do with these?

Enjoy,

Keith Lowry

Encouragement...

2009-06-23T15:44:00.002-05:00

Encouragement... everybody needs it. I sure do. Regularly. Over the years, I've gathered a few scriptures I turn to and often share with others just for that purpose. Today a few of them came in handy, and I wanted to share them with you...

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have great hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” Lamentations 3:21-26

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“In you, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things.” Psalm 71 selected verses

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah.” Psalm 62:5-8

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? NO! In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:28-39

I pray these words from scripture have been an encouragement to you today, and that you'll find someone to share them with. Remember, we have an advocate, a helper, who is lifting our needs before the Father in Heaven when we don't even know WHAT or HOW to pray.

I hope you can pray this prayer today:

Today, Lord, I give myself wholly into your service. I pray you will fill me with your Spirit and through His wisdom and strength, prepare me and strengthen me for everything that I will face today. I pray that I will bring Glory and Honor to you in the way that I face every trial, and in the way that I handle every task, and especially in the way that I deal with every individual who crosses my path. Every moment, remind me to give you control over my tongue, for the tongue is the rudder of this ship, and I want Christ to be the captain of my ship. When I fall, please don’t let the deceiver convince me that all is lost, but I pray you will pick me up and dust me off and remind me of the precious price you paid for my forgiveness. Remind me, also, to be forgiving of those who will be less than perfect with me today. May I reflect Christ more and more to a lost and hurting world today. I pray that in ways large and small, people with whom I come into contact today will be closer to Christ and your kingdom because of some word or deed spoken by you through me today. I am your clay. Mold me today into the very thing you need me to be. I am yours, and will live this day utterly thankful that you are my Savior. May that thanks be evident in everything I say and do. I thank you in advance for your love and protection. I love you, Lord. Thank you for the abundant joy and peace that comes from serving you. In the name of Christ Jesus my Lord… Amen.

A father's prayer

2009-06-17T14:20:00.003-05:00

Daniel, on the left here, is heading off to seminary. Wow. A long, long, time ago, I remember when he was born. I was at seminary myself, at Southwestern, in Fort Worth. I remember being overwhelmed at the prospect of a new child in our family... of the responsibility, the challenge of raising a son in this world. All I could do was give him and the overwhelming task to the Lord, because I knew for a fact I was unfit for the task.

Thank you, Lord, for what you've done in Daniel's life. Thank you for all you are still going to do in his life. I pray your protection on him. I pray he'll make wise decisions. I pray he'll learn from my mistakes. I pray he'll always know how much his dad loves him. I pray he won't be permanently scarred by any of my failures or shortcomings. I pray his life will be marked by grace, by peace, by an outpouring of love and mercy. I pray most of all, Father, that he will always know YOUR will and be able to find YOU in the midst of every challenge he faces.

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of knowing Daniel and being part of his life. I pray his life is useful to you and he is a powerful force in your kingdom. Guide and direct him in all he does, and may he always turn to you, first, every day. Selfishly, Lord, I pray that you will provide protection for him. Be a safe haven for him. Bring him peace, love, joy. May his life be marked by the people he has ministered to. Help him to make a difference with his spirit of grace and mercy.

Thank you, Lord, for Daniel. Empower him with your Spirit and multiply your kingdom through him. In Christ's name, amen.

Photos of the kids

2009-06-17T14:04:00.004-05:00

This is one of the most recent photos of the kids. John Mark, on the left, will be a Junior at Baylor's school of Music this fall. They're creating a guitar major just for him, their first ever! He's absolutely amazing on the guitar, and a great young man. He's never met a musical instrument he couldn't master, nor a person he could not befriend. He always wears a smile!

Erin, in the middle, is the mother of our two grandsons and our two step-grandkids. Their photos are elsewhere on this blog. She's a wonderful mother, and happily married to Billy. (But she'll always be my sweet baboo!) She is one amazing young woman.

Daniel, on the right, is heading to seminary after a brief hiatus this last year. He's heading to Louisville to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where I'm sure he'll distinguish himself just like he did at Louisiana College where he graduated cum laude and gave the graduation speech for his class. An amazing young man, and destined for great things. The Lord has His hand on Daniel, and we're watching to see what God wil do through him.

Hard to believe these are the same kids as in THIS photo, but that's what a few years will do!

Love you, kids. Miss you more than you know, love you more than I can say.

Dad

I've been away

2009-05-11T20:44:00.002-05:00

I've been away. Seriously! I've been doing so much traveling, consulting, and working lately that it surprised me when I looked back at my calendar and realized that over the last 12 weeks I had only 2 or 3 weekends with my family. And the coming weeks didn't look any better.

I didn't PLAN it that way. It just sort of crept up on me. And that's the challenge, isn't it? If we don't PLAN for the time to make investments with the most important people in our lives, life will creep in and take away the time we so desperately desire with them.

Remember the verse we have heard so often in reference to money that goes, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also"? Luke 12:34 - The Message translation puts it like this: "It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being."

I heard a pastor say this week that it's really very logical. Wherever you put your treasure, your heart gets wrapped up there. If you put lots of money in a stock, you get all wrapped up in that stock. If you invest in peanuts, all of a sudden you're very, very interested in peanuts and the market and the weather and soil conditions and everything related to peanuts.

Well, the same is true for your family and mine. Take a look back at the last 6 months in your calendar. Would anyone be able to prove, based on your calendar, that your heart was wrapped up in your family? No? If I want to change that in my case, according to this scripture, all I have to do is start investing in my family, and my heart will follow, for "where your treasure is... (where I've been making my investments...) my heart will be also."

But it's really a practical matter, too. I simply have to make time to schedule some things in my calendar and refuse to allow other tings to take that time away from time I've scheduled with my family. I've tried that before, btw, and discovered just how difficult that can be. Good people, asking you to invest in good things, will try to get you to take time away from your family.

The question we have to ask is "What's most valuable to me?" German philosopher Johann Goethe once said "Things which matter the most must never be at the mercy of those things which matter the least." So we have to have taken time to think through what we value most and then schedule time (our most valuable asset), to invest in those things we most value. And then we'll have to fight some battles to get to actually MAKE those investments.

But remember this, I haven't been using the word "SPEND" time with your family, for a reason. Remember what word I've been using? "INVEST" time with your family. Can you guess why? Because with INVESTMENTS there are ALWAYS RETURNS! So hang in there. Know what you value. MAKE time in your schedule and fight for that time to INVEST in what you most value, and there will be increase.

What KIND of increase? The increase of the seed. If you plant an apple seed, do you get back an apple seed? NO! You get back an apple tree, with many apples, each with many seeds, every season. You get the kind of increase that only the Lord can bring. What KIND of increase?The ind of increase Luke was talking about when he said... "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:38

So what are you waiting for? Have you felt like you just don't have time for your family sometimes? Like I've felt recently? Take it back. Invest in the things that are most valuable to you. Invest in the things that truly matter. Invest in the things that are eternal. And see what God will do.

In another post I'll discuss the negative consequenses of failing to do this. If you don't invest now, you may discover the opportunities have passed you by. You only have a limited amount of time to make investments in some things you value before they're gone. Don't miss out on it.

What do you value most? Don't miss it.

Coming from a citizen of the community of grace. I missed it. I found it. I never want to lose it again.

God wants you to receive all the blessings He can pour out on your life. Don't miss them.

Grace and peace

Keith Lowry

Father~Daughter Summit

2009-02-26T15:01:00.004-06:00

More family Pictures

2007-08-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

Here you can see lots of pictures of family events, grandkids, and more...

Lane & Ethan painting w/ Pop's help!

2007-08-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

We bought the grandson's an art easel for their birthdays. YAY! I'm sure their mom LOVES us for that! There will be paint EVERYWHERE! But it keeps them occupied for a while, and they love it!

Cute boys, eh?

Grandson Ethan at his Birthday party in July

2007-08-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

A happy boy with birthday cake on his face at the July birthday party for both grandkids at their home in Slaughter, LA.

One cute kid!

Erin, JohnMark, and Daniel at John Mark's Graduation

2007-08-29T10:03:00.000-05:00

2007-01-31T13:48:00.000-06:00

Harley relaxing at home one cold evening recently.
That boy likes to be WARM! I think we'd both recently been sleeping, and
Suzanne caught us in the act!

That's one comfortable chair!

Good Quote

2006-12-06T14:38:00.000-06:00

“Real listening is a willingness to let the other person change you.” Alan Alda in Never Have Your Dog Stuffed

2006-12-06T14:30:00.001-06:00

This is my youngest grandson, Ethan White

2006-12-06T14:30:00.000-06:00

Here's a great shot of all three kids - Daniel, Erin, John Mark.

2006-12-06T14:29:00.000-06:00

This is all three of my great kids - Daniel on the left, he's the middle son. Erin in the middle, she's the oldest. And John Mark on the right - he's my youngest son. (Currently, in 2006, he's a hi school sr.) Fantastic, awesome kids!)

2006-12-06T14:28:00.000-06:00

This is grandson Ethan playing with my son, JohnMark... They are sitting on a skateboard - getting a push from my other son, Daniel.

2006-12-06T14:27:00.001-06:00

Tub time is play time...

2006-12-06T14:27:00.000-06:00

Ethan & his older brother Lane playing in the tub...

2006-12-06T14:26:00.000-06:00

Me & grandson Ethan close to bedtime... I'm putting him to sleep... can you tell?

Thanksgiving At Mom & Pop's House - 2006

2006-12-06T14:11:00.001-06:00

The following pictures are all from Thanksgiving 2006 at my parents house. They are actually posted here in reverse order, so you might want to go to the end and read back up. This is the last picture, just as we were getting ready to go home...

So... here we go!

Pop, Granna, and Ethan, just coming in from outside...

2006-12-06T14:11:00.000-06:00

And this is Granna, trying to convince Ethan that it's time to get OUT of the boat, while he is not quite sure that's true...

2006-12-06T14:10:00.001-06:00

Ethan, driving the boat while his mom watches...

2006-12-06T14:10:00.000-06:00

Lane, giving direction to some big exploit...

2006-12-06T14:09:00.001-06:00

And this is Pop planting some flowers just outside the new addition...

2006-12-06T14:09:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of the renovation on the back porch after dad enclosed it. A beautiful job! You should have seen it before! It has added a wonderful space on the the back of the house, where they spend many hours watching the birds and the squirrels...

2006-12-06T14:08:00.000-06:00

And now back up the other direction... it never ends!

2006-12-06T14:07:00.001-06:00

My wife Suzanne giving Ethan a push down the driveway on the ever popular schoolbus...

2006-12-06T14:07:00.000-06:00

This is Aubrey Pepiton. Aubrey is my nephew Corey Pepiton's son. He was so proud of this shot of him skateboarding down the driveway!

2006-12-06T14:06:00.002-06:00

Ethan, smiling for the camera! What a beautiful smile!

2006-12-06T14:06:00.001-06:00

This is Ethan with his older brother, Lane. Two fine boys!

2006-12-06T14:06:00.000-06:00

This is my daughter Erin with my youngest grandson, Ethan, enjoying the nice cool day on Friday after Thanksgiving in Pineville, Louisiana, at my parents house.

Good Quote

2006-07-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

"Life's journey requires the courage of a pioneer, the honesty of a child, the imagination of an artist, and the confidence of the naïve. Travel boldly." - Unknown

2006-07-04T21:41:00.000-05:00

Lane, surrounded by several of his newest toys from his 3rd birthday party. What a great day!

2006-07-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

As you can tell from the evidence, Ethan greatly enjoyed his first birthday cake!

2006-07-04T21:39:00.000-05:00

Lane enjoying his 3rd birthday cake, a Tommy the Train engine cake, which his mom, Erin, did a fine job on!

2006-07-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

Lane exploring his new Tonka truck, which, thankfully, comes with a lifetime warranty. We may just explore the limits of the warranty on this one! We promptly took it outside and transferred several truckloads of pea gravel from the driveway to the grass! Glad to help, dad!

2006-07-04T21:35:00.000-05:00

Lane got this hard-hat with his new Tonka Truck, and I think the hat was a bigger hit than the truck! (It reminded him of a Bob the Builder hat, I'm sure...) He wore it from then on, I think. Another happy boy.

2006-07-04T21:33:00.000-05:00

I wish you could have heard the squeals of delight that accompanied this great smile, as he patted my head. This was one happy boy! And, of course, one happy grandad!

2006-07-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

Grandson Ethan on his first birthday... how's that for a happy smile? By the way, we're taking the batteries out of this siren sounding fire truck! But it was sure a hit!

I'd Like to tell your stories!

2006-06-14T16:11:00.000-05:00

I am a motivational speaker. Hey, it's what I do. So I get to travel all over the country and speak at companies and conventions to thousands of people every week. I love what I do! I use humor and stories to make it fun for everyone.
I tell people I'm a professional story-teller!

(Hear samples at http://www.keithlowry.com/ )

I 'D LOVE TO SHARE YOUR STORIES!

So I'd love to meet people with good stories of Customer Service nightmares, bad bosses, difficult people at work, poor teamwork, and more.
I've been doing this for years, so I have lots of good stories already, but I'd LOVE to tell YOUR story all over the world, if it's a good story. (I'll need documentation, you know... Hey, I can't tell your LIES all over the world!) But if you have a good story about being mistreated, about dealing with a really bad customer, about the worst boss in America, about stuff like that, and you can get a co-worker or two to back you up on it... I'd love to add your story to my inventory and give you credit.

My stories are heard by thousands of people every month, all over the country.
If you'd like to hear some samples, check out some samples of my humorous stories at my home page at http://www.keithlowry.com/.
I need your help, too! Send this invitation to your friends! I'm looking for as many good Customer Service nightmare stories as I can find! Bad Bosses, Difficult People, Bad Customer Service, Poor Teamwork, you name it, I can use it!
If you have a story to tell, I can use you! Here are the details:
(Follow these instructions closely! I need the details!)

1. Put your story in written form and email it to me at funnystories@keithlowry.com

2. I need your name, city & state, email address & work phone and the name of your company. (I promise not to use the name of your company in the story, but I will need it for confirmation purposes. I need to know this is legit, and you're not just making this up!)

3. I need your written permission to use your story. Example: "I, Keith Lowry, give you permission to use this story in your seminars in written or verbal form, as long as you do NOT give my full name or the name of my company or the others involved..." Or something to that effect. You can state it any way you want, but I must have your written permission, ok?

4. I need a separate email from at least one friend or co-worker confirming the story. They should include name, city/state, phone, email address, and company name.

OK? Your email with the above informaiton on it will serve as an electronic signature confirming that you have agreed that the story is legit and you have electronically "signed" that you agreed it is true.

I will reply with an electronic "signature" that I will not divulge the company name or YOUR full name when telling the story if I use your story, agreed?
Cool! And you'll be famous, sort of! And your difficult person or boss or customer will have their story told all over the country! And people will get a good laugh (I GUARANTEE IT!, And we'll all learn something in the meantime. THAT'S what it's all about!

Please share this invitation with anyone who might have a story to tell! These stories will be shared in verbal and written format and shared with thousands of people. Your first name and the area you live will be included, but nothing else that will identify you with the company or identify you personally will be included, so you can not be retaliated against.

If I DO decide to use your story in one of my seminars, I will send you a free CD of my most popular topic, "Who's Driving You Out Of Your Mind? - The WARREN Principles for Interpersonal Success."

I look forward to hearing from you!
Forward this to others! The more the merrier!

Remember to listen to my material at www.keithlowry.com

Thanks! I can't wait to receive your stories!

2006-06-05T21:46:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of a foster dog, "Maddie", on the left, for whom we cared for about a week, until we found a home for her. The black dog is our dog "Harley", who put up with her until we found her a home. Maddie now lives just down the road with our good friends Jay & Gail, so we get to see her regularly. She found a place in our hearts very quickly. You can see, she is very loving!

2006-06-05T21:44:00.000-05:00

Daughter Erin and her wonderful smile, with her youngest son, Ethan.

2006-06-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

Lane & Ethan riding a battery-less 4-wheeler. But that's ok, because they've talked their uncle JohnMark into being the power for it! "Go Uncle J, GO!"

2006-06-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

This is our oldest grandson Lane, who will be three in July '06. It's hard to get him off of that John Deere tractor. He does love that tractor, oh boy!

2006-06-05T21:41:00.001-05:00

2006-06-05T21:40:00.000-05:00

Ethan with his "Granna", my wife, Suzanne. We enjoy spoiling him rotten, as you might imagine...

2006-06-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

An uncertain Ethan. He's just before learning to let go and walk on his own...

2006-06-05T21:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Ethan! This boy always seems to be in a good mood! Look at that smile! He's being held here by his smiling "granna", Suzanne.

2006-06-05T21:37:00.001-05:00

2006-04-28T07:50:00.000-05:00

A couple of hybrid bass, the largest two I caught were 19 & 21 inches! On the biggest one I actually thought the line was snagged at first! I had put my pole down and was pulling on the line to break it free, and after a minute of that, the snag pulled back! Wow! What a great fighting fish! This was one great fun fish to pull in! At Lake Belton in Texas, near Salado Texas where I was leading and participating in a retreat for Texas Baptist Ministers of Education.

2006-04-28T07:48:00.000-05:00

A black bass caught at Lake Belton in Texas with a group of Baptist Ministers of Education where I was leading a retreat. What a great retreat!

2006-04-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

Grandson Lane being a boy! Relaxed, singing, and enjoying himself at Pop's house in Louisiana.

2006-04-20T21:58:00.000-05:00

Our daughter Erin, with her youngest, Ethan. Both look pretty happy, don't they?

2006-04-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

This is son JohnMark and his nephew and our grandson Lane "fishing" off of Big Pop's bridge. Although the "bait" consisted of nothing more than a couple of washers, and there's not much to fish for, it's all about the experience. One of the better Kodak moments of the weekend.

2006-04-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

This is grandson Lane, who's not too sure about the local wildlife here, who's hitching a ride. He found this lizard while we were hunting Easter eggs. Our favorite "Lane" quote this day? "I LIKE picking EGGS!"

2006-04-20T21:54:00.002-05:00

Love that smile, Ethan!

2006-04-20T21:54:00.001-05:00

That boy loves to laugh!

2006-04-20T21:54:00.000-05:00

Pop swinging with grandson Ethan. That's one fine boy! He's happy as long as we're moving!

2006-04-20T21:53:00.000-05:00

This is son Daniel with his nephew and our grandson Ethan, who looks a bit unsure here... Two very fine boys...

2005-10-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

Proud grandpa, "Popcorn", and grandson Lane, riding on Big Pop's tractor in Louisiana.

2005-10-20T12:08:00.000-05:00

This is my daughter Erin and our newest grandson, Ethan, who, in this picture, is about 8 weeks old. Aren't they both beautiful?

2005-10-20T12:07:00.000-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to lead a seminar for a great repeat client at Copper Mountain, Colorado, and got this beautiful shot of the moon sitting right over the ski slope...

Flexibility

2005-10-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since my last post, you might have noticed. I've been quite busy. I'm approaching a slow season in my business, and have decided to pick this up again and try my hand at this more regularly. So, here goes. Don't konw if anyone will "get" me, or what I tend to wax eloquent about, but here's what's on my mind today. Enjoy, reply, respond, forward, or whatever. I just had to get this out! Here goes...
---------------------------------------------------------

If you bend, you won’t break…

I took a course in ceramics my senior year in college. I needed a few more credits. I didn’t want to have to “study” for anything else that was going to take a lot of work. And I loved to see those beautiful works of art take shape on the wheel under the hand of the potter. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the clay and make something beautiful.

The first night in class, the professor did, indeed, let us have a shot at the wheel. He gave us each a lump of clay, showed us how to get the wheel spinning, and slopped a loose lump of clay down in front of us. Several hours later, after we were finished cleaning the clay off the ceiling, out of our ears, noses, and hair, we realized we had a lot to learn about the wheel.

So we had to start learning how to work with clay. The next night, I made a giraffe. Actually, it was a freak of nature. Sort of a giraffe crossed with an armadillo, with a little porcupine mixed in. Maybe a horn from a rhino got in there somehow. And what’s funny is, I started out to make a vase. I’m sure my mother was very proud.

One of the things we learned about clay is, you can always work with it and make changes and adjustments. As long as it is flexible. If you let the clay start to dry out and become stiff, it won’t bend anymore, it will break. So when you take a break from working on your giraffe-a-dillo-rhino, you have to cover it with damp cheesecloth, or when you come back, you’re stuck with what you’ve got. It’s too late. You try to bend it, or shape, or fix, or smooth out the rough edges, and it shatters into a thousand pieces. So what we learned is, until you’re completely satisfied with the piece you’re creating… until you’re sure you’re finished with it, keep it covered, or you’ll have to start all over from scratch.

I wonder if we’ve learned this lesson in our relationship with our heavenly potter? Until we’re sure He’s finished with us, until we’re positive we’re just like He wants us to be, we need to be sure we remain flexible. We need to make certain we’re covered in the heavenly cheesecloth that keeps us moldable and makes us flexible in His hands… Know what that is? Prayer. Are you soft in the Father’s hands? Or have you already become rigid and unyielding to the Master’s touch? Remember, if you don’t bend, you’ll break.

I don’t want the potter to have to start all over again with me. Lord, cover me, keep me flexible, mold me into just who and what you need me to be. You’re the master potter, and you know what you need me to be. I trust you. I trust your hands.

Remaining flexible in His service...

2005-08-15T21:38:00.000-05:00

This is my pond after a MAJOR re-construction job this summer. After the vinyl liner failed on my beloved pond, I had to completely re-do the pond. Instead of just replacing the liner, I completely reconstructed the pond out of concrete. It's going to take a while for the plants to recover on the perimeter of the pond, but when they do, the pond itself will look better and darn well better last longer! The whole re-construction project probably took me about two months, total. Hopefully, it will have been worth it in the end. Whew!

2005-08-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

Now that's a trusting face, isn't it? Little Ethan Andrew White, laying on his grandad's lap, as peaceful as it gets. They're home now, and everyone's doing great! Welcome home!

2005-08-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

This is "Granna", getting good at spoiling a new one!

2005-08-03T10:52:00.001-05:00

Baby Ethan, doing what he does best! Sleeping! His mother Erin is very thankful for this!

2005-08-03T10:52:00.000-05:00

Mom Erin, after 3 extra days in the hospital running a temperature of 104 degrees! She's finally through all that and home safe! Thank you to everyone for your prayers!

2005-08-02T14:18:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the world, Ethan Andrew White, born July 27th, 10:06am, 7lbs 7.7oz. He's a keeper!

2005-08-02T14:17:00.000-05:00

We believe this is actually a case of infant snoring...

2005-08-02T14:16:00.000-05:00

This gives you an idea of how tiny this little one is... He was 7lbs 7ozs, which is plenty healthy, but look at that tiny little head by my hand! And how about that little face he's making! Oooooo, keep your hand right there.... right there.... He's a cutie, isn't he?

2005-08-02T14:14:00.001-05:00

2005-08-02T14:13:00.001-05:00

Look at those arms behind that head! He's comfortable, isn't he? Relaxed!

2005-08-02T14:13:00.000-05:00

Suzanne holding our new bundle, Ethan Andrew... He's so cozy! And my goodness, he does love to SLEEP!

2005-08-02T14:12:00.000-05:00

That's me with Ethan... Proud Popcorn!

2005-07-06T18:28:00.000-05:00

One of the gifts from Popcorn and Granna... the "mo-cycle" was getting lots of mileage...

2005-07-06T18:27:00.001-05:00

The evidence!

2005-07-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

What a nice two year old!

2005-07-06T18:26:00.001-05:00

Let me just get a little taste here... Little two year old Lane has no idea he's being watched by Granna, and even being recorded by his Mom... either that or just doesn't care! He's just gotta get at that icing! Mmmm' good!

2005-07-06T18:26:00.000-05:00

No one will notice, right?

2005-07-06T18:25:00.001-05:00

I want to open THAT One! Grandson Lane, with his uncle JohnMark, who helped him bake his cake, and his mother Erin... Boy! Were we ever having fun!

2005-07-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

A Happy Birthday Face!

2005-07-04T22:29:00.000-05:00

Grandson Lane with Suzanne at his 2nd birthday celebration in Baton Rouge. Happy Birthday, Lane!

2005-06-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

Our new pond addition, a Leopard Frog, from our neighbor, Desiree Fairooz. Look at her cool reflection in the water!

2005-06-28T16:29:00.000-05:00

Latest addition to our pond! This beautiful Leopard Frog was a gift from our neighbor, Desiree Fairooz, who raised her from a tadpole, and hand delivered her last night. She wasn't eating in her little fish-bowl, but as soon as we put her in the pond, she immediately began to feast on the buffet of insects and bugs which are a natural part of the pond eco-system. She looks happy, don't you think? Thank-you, Desiree! She seems quite adept at staying away from the hungry gold-fish! Let's hope she stays that way!

2005-06-09T07:24:00.000-05:00

This is my gorgeous wife, Suzanne, mugging with our grandson, Lane, at about 10 months of age. As always, smiling and laughing. From the first day, he has brought joy to everyone around him, and still is...

2005-06-07T16:50:00.000-05:00

The Pond...

2005-06-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

One of the more beautiful water lilies in my pond, this one blooms daily until it is spent, and by then another bloom will have taken it's place. Every night they close up tight. They are gorgeous to look at. This is truly a great hobby... very time consuming, as I often find myself sitting out here drinking my coffee watching the fish or thinking of something else I need to do to make it look nicer. Every year it looks different, but it is always a blessing.

2005-06-03T10:43:00.000-05:00

Lane enjoying a game of chase with Harley, who wasn't enjoying the game nearly as much as Lane was, I don't think! But you can tell, even from the back, how big the smile is on Lane's face. His squeals of delight could be heard for miles... This wonderful boy never stops laughing and bringing smiles to everyone around him. What a wonderful blessing...

2005-06-03T10:41:00.000-05:00

Lane and mom playing with his new Thomas the Train musical engine. Happily it has an adjustable volume control... Thanks, Popcorn!

2005-06-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Another view of my newest water lily bloom and the waterfall in my pond.

2005-06-03T10:31:00.000-05:00

Newest water lily bloom in my pond, which is my biggest hobby...

2005-06-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

My wife, Suzanne, playing in the sandbox with grandson Lane, who is giving very clear instructions about what she's supposed to be doing with the sand...

2005-06-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

Daughter Erin, with our grandson Lane, who, as you might be able to tell, is going to be a big brother in a few months... Yippee!

2005-06-03T10:27:00.001-05:00

"Popcorn", reading to Lane...

2005-06-03T10:27:00.000-05:00

Grandson Lane, playing in, of course, a box, which turns out to be a great go-cart.