This dad who was wearing his “World’s Greatest Dad” shirt when he was arrested for trying to pick up a 14 year old girl.

Sheesh!

Who knows maybe his, “World’s Greatest Pedophile” shirt was in the wash.

Come on guys … be a real DAD!

If you’ve watched the news lately you know that…

• The stock market is down.
• Gas prices are high.
• The economy is bad.
• Unemployment is up.
• The future is bleek.

And yet, I haven’t lost one single second of sleep. In fact, I haven’t worried or even really given it a whole lot of thought.

My life and my happiness do not fluctuate with the market. My future does not depend on our economy. I refuse to panic, worry or fret, because my future is bright. My treasures are in a market that is totally secure.

I know a lady that never has anything nice to say about anybody. She is by far the most negative person I’ve ever met, and occasionally she has the audacity to say, “I don’t know why my husband doesn’t want to hang around the house with me more often.” Wow, do I ever have to bite my lip on that one. I honestly have to admit that if I was married to this woman I’d … okay, I best not finish that statement.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all cheerleaders in our marriages instead of critics? I think the divorce rates in our nation would seriously drop if we became spouses who build up and not tear down. If you asked most people, they’d admit that they are much more critical than they are encouraging. What’s worse is the ones we criticise the most are those closest to us (like our spouse).

Research shows that the single most effective way to change someone’s behavior is to positively reward that person when they behave in a way that you want them to. Yet in marriage we often find ourselves being critics and not cheerleaders. Instead of rewarding, complimenting and building up our spouse, we’re quick to punish and criticize. Criticism rarely works to change the one you’re married to, yet sadly, we keep trying it over and over and over.

When was the last time you went out of your way to compliment your spouse? I know you can find something nice to say.

Sometimes all a relationship needs to get it back on track is one partner sincerely complimenting and honoring something the other partner has done. The partner then feels appreciated and reciprocates – it works.

The wisest man that ever lived said, “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18).

I don’t know about you, but I could do a better job cheerleading in my marriage.

I’m honestly not a big movie watcher, and most of the movies I do watch are after they come out on television (helps that they are edited). Someone recently asked me to name my 10 favorite movies of all time. I thought that sounded fun, and I thought it’d be cool to know yours too.

So here are 10 of my favorite movies (click on the names to see the trailers)…

1. Castaway – I watched this movie a dozen times the summer I was home recovering from cancer surgery. It was more than a movie, it was about hope for my future. The quote that still gets me today is, “I had power over ‘nothing’, and that’s when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing, even though there was no reason to hope, and all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that’s what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I’m back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass… And I’ve lost her all over again. I’m so sad that I don’t have Kelly. But I’m so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”
2. Shawshank Redemption – Wow, what a great movie. It’s still a must see. Remember this, “I like to think the last thing that went through his head – other than that bullet – was to wonder how in the world Andy Dufresne ever got the best of him.”
3. Braveheart – Blood and guts. Definitely a man movie.
4. Dumb and Dumber – I love comedies and this one has to be at the top of that list. Harry and Lloyd on an epic adventure to reach Aspen, Colorado. I can quote nearly every line in this movie and was recently challenged by my friend Amber Henderson (also a Dumb & Dumber fan) that I couldn’t preach a sermon that had a Dumb and Dumber quote in it. It was easy enough that I did it the following Sunday evening. Here are two of my favorite quotes, “We got no food, no jobs… our PET’S HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!“ and “I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this. I was thinking the same thing. That John Denver’s is full of it, man.”
5. Field of Dreams – “Dad, you want to have a catch?” Enough said.
6. Nacho Libre’ – Not sure what it was about this movie that appealed to me, but I loved it. I probably watched it a dozen times. I’ll never forget the baptism scene where Nacho is worried about the salvation of his friend, so he takes it on himself to give him a sniper baptism. That still makes me laugh today. (Watch it here)
7. Tombstone – “I’ll be your huckleberry.” I had to have at least one Western on my list.
8. Troy – Why did I like the movie Troy? One word baby, “Testosterone!”
9. Star Wars Movies - I loved all of the six Star Wars movies and their amazing sound effects. My friend Ryan is also a Star Wars fan and I quoted him this line from one of the Star Wars movies. He can’t remember it, can you? “Hey, want to buy some deathsticks?”
10. Gladiator – I probably like this movie better than Braveheart and Troy. Gladiator had a great villain you loved to hate (Joaquin Phoenix).

So, what are your Top 10 favorite movies?

No post from me today. Instead I just want to say “Thank You.” You have blessed me through this blog with your comments, your friendship and with you just simply stopping by. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this new little ministry God has dropped into my life. From the bottom of my heart, “Thank you!” for allowing [...]

HIS NEEDS HER NEEDS (HNHN) – Amazing, 13 couples came over last night for the HNHN bible study. I think it’s great that 13 of us want to improve our marriages. It doesn’t matter if your marriage is great, good, poor or bad, if you want to improve it you can, but it does take [...]

I think our country is full of seekers. People seeking God. I get that idea from things like Joel Osteen and Rick Warren writing books that go to the top of NY Times best seller list. It means someone out there is searching for answers. There are people who are searching for meaning in life [...]

Today is Taylor’s 19th birthday. It’s also his first birthday away from home. His work in AIM continues to go well. Lea and I are proud of him. If you get a second today, would you drop by his blog and wish him a “Happy Birthday?” I know he’d enjoy getting some birthday wishes. (www.taylorrossmorgan.com) [...]

#3 really made me laugh!

The Christmas card I carry in my bible is over 10 years old, and still serves as a powerful reminder of how simple Christianity can be sometimes. The card came from a sweet teenage girl named Cindy. There’s nothing fancy about the card, but the words still rip at my heart. Cindy’s dad had been [...]

I really liked this story! Check it out and if you have a second, leave them a note! Thanks

I’m a runner and I run because … You never know when you might have to outrun a little old lady at potluck who’s trying to get you to try the beets she made. You never know when you might have to outrun the man at church who always has a “job” for you to [...]

GIVE AWAY: If you haven’t checked to see if you won a book from last week’s contest, then check the list and email me your address if you find your name there. HIS NEEDS HER NEEDS (HNHN): Since about 20 HNHN’s books are going out, Lea and I have decided to go back and read [...]

Have you noticed that Sunday mornings are one of the most pressure packed mornings of the week? Why is getting the entire family ready for church services so tough? We get our families around fine for school, but Sunday mornings are almost pure madness. People running everywhere, everyone fighting for bathroom time, everyone running behind [...]

Last Monday’s book giveaway has turned out to be quite interesting. I was already pumped about giving away two books this week, but then I got an email from a blog reader, and he sent my excitement through the roof. Here’s the email… Hello Trey:I read your blog, and I wished I had read a [...]

Cooper’s 7 today. We’ll celebrate his birthday this afternoon with cake and a few presents. If you’re new to this blog, you might not know Cooper very well, so I thought I’d introduce him to you this morning with a few of my favorite stories … Cooper used to not like church, but it’s growing [...]

It’s been years, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. The music had been loud and the lights had been bright. Then all of a sudden the lights dimmed, the music went soft and the DJ said, “Alright it’s couple skate time, and girls, it’s your choice.” That meant this time the girls [...]

Wow, what a church building. I was reading about a church building online this morning. It has 10,000 windows, 52 bells in the bell tower, massive 90 foot tall doors that electronically open behind the pulpit, a 17 foot 18-karat-gold cross, and an outdoor movie screen for “drive-in” worshippers. This only scratches the surface of [...]

I’m a social Christian. That means I choose not to ignore culture around me, but instead participate in it. I think it is essential for me to be aware of the culture in which I live or as Jesus said, “To be in the world, but not of the world.” I often get asked these [...]

Can I be a Christian and see a Rated R movie? Can I be a Christian chose to listen to Top 40 music instead of Christian music? Can I be a Christian and watch popular television shows that have nothing to do with Jesus? Can I be a Christian and still participate in culture? And [...]

One of the healthiest things Lea and I have done in our marriage is read together. After we both agree on a book, I’ll read a chapter or two, and then when she gets time, she’ll do the same. Then we talk about and discuss what we read before moving on in the book. It’s [...]

We’ve been training for months and our run finally got here. Me and three buddies had a great time traveling to Amarillo for a half marathon this morning. I think we’re all a little sore, but we’ll survive. We ran about 90% of the run in the fog, which made it a little interesting. Here [...]

Here are a few things that have caught my attention “this” week. There are some good, some bad and some really weird. Just click on the “this” to check them out. I absolutely positively love this church. If they keep growing like they are they’ll need to purchase this for the balcony. I think this [...]

There are only a few events that have happened in my lifetime that I can still recall exactly where I was standing when I heard the news. 9-11 is one of them. I will never forget. (Warning: Video is a little graphic) Where were you when you heard the news?

I laughed and laughed. Absolutely hilarious! I know you’re going to have a hard time believing this, but I’ve said a few things to my wife that have put me in the dog house. One recent thing … “Ew, you’re not going to wear those shoes are you?” Not smart! Click Here for a few [...]

Walking back to my office from the elementary school, I stopped to talk to a little boy who was sitting by himself on the curb, waiting on his ride home. Me: “Hey buddy, did you have a good day?” Boy: “Yep!” Me: “Cool. You going to play flag football this year?” Boy: “Yep!” Me (thinking [...]

Just a little advice for you today… If you’re going to send your wife a spicy text message on her cell phone, make sure to double check that you’re actually sending it to your wife and not one of your son’s high school buddies. Sorry Cozy! Lea has grounded me from texting for a week!

And the award for stupid church sign of the year goes to… Havens Corners Church in Blacklick, Ohio is getting a little flack for their sign out front. Borrowing from Katy Perry’s hit song “I Kissed A Girl,” the sign reads: “I KISSED A GIRL AND I LIKED IT THEN I WENT TO HELL” Dave [...]

As I was walking in the house from playing baseball with a group of boys, Lea stops me to tell me something. Me: “Hey sweetie, what is it?” Lea (a BIG sports fan): “I just thought you’d like to know that Greg Maddox just got traded to the Dodgers.” Me: “Wow, that’s huge. Thanks!” Cozy [...]

I worry that sometimes my prayers sound a little like this guy’s.

When you think of intimacy in marriage, most people automatically think of sex. Intimacy in your marriage does involves sexual fulfillment, but intimacy is SO much more than just having good sex. Intimacy is achieved when a husband and wife can share their thoughts, opinions, and feelings with one another to the point that they [...]

Three days ago I stood next to my buddy Zach in the hospital hallway as the proud daddy showed me his new baby girl. He beamed at the beautiful new life that had just entered the world. This young family was experiencing emotions like joy, excitement and happiness. I was so excited for this family. [...]

I love the church in Childress, and I’m so blessed to be a part of it. It is often times easier to say negative things about churches than positive things, so I also love hearing people brag about their churches. Let me start today with 3 things I love about the church I worship with, [...]

Today is my Mom’s birthday. She’s the second most important woman in my life. God blessed me when He planned for her to be my mother. Since she’ll stop by here sometime today, I’d like to say, “Happy Birthday, I love you mom!”