need help

I would normally think that no one really cares, but I am going to condradict my normal thinking and ask you to believe with me for some new clients. Here are the ones that I have been after for years that have ligitamte needs but won't jump on board for some reason. I know that there are some spiritual battles going on for the future of my business.

American Eagle aviation
brownwood regional
City of Abilene
Skinny's
West-t-go
First Financial bank
Hendrick Medical Center
Couny of Taylor
HSU
ACU
Mcmurray
Cisco
Abilene ISD
law firms
Fehr foods
Tige boats
When I get these accounts I will have more than doubled in size. Actually I probably wouldn't have room for all of them.

favor

I have had meeting after meeting this year. Planting seeds. Today I meet with Brownwood ISD. They already use a company in San Angelo. I sometimes wonder why I even bother with these sort of meetings. The odds are that they won't switch, unless I have some favor. I meet at 10:30 today. Shock me God! I need it.

9

March 21, 2007 I will have been married to my wife for 9 years. My oldest son will be 6 years old on that same day. Since his birth we celebrate our anniversary a month early. We took a trip to Dallas this weekend and had a really good time. I HATE big city traffic. We spent about 3 hours of the entire 36 trip back tracking and trying to find the right roads. If you have never been to the Gaylord Texan Resort. Go the next chance you get. It is a great getaway. We spent another 3 hours shopping for a new vehicle for Rachel. She needed something with 3rd seat, because of our car pool situation with Paytons school. We got a really nice deal on a 2003 Ford Explorer.
I don't like to shop. PERIOD. I did have a nice time with my wife shopping Ikea and Grapevine mills mall. It has been a great 9 years. the 9th year was better than all the rest and the 10th will be even better.

Sundays.... Sundays. I look forward to them, but I am so tired when they are over that Mondays.... Last week I was very encouraged that we had 3 salvations. That makes Sundays worth it.

It's about time for my new truck. I was thinking about it as we were shopping for rachel a vehicle. I love that my wife gets to drive a nice vehicle. It's my turn now. Why not both of us. Here is what I have drivin in my life. All of these vehicles but one were given to me. I suppose that is were my faith was then, but now it is for something NEW!

first car 1977 yellow honda civic - 1995 (smoked like a freight train. 1 qt of oil with each gasup)
1981 honda accord -1996
1994 toyota pickup 1996. (i was in a wreck and it was totalled)
1993 camry- 1999 (gave it away)
1983 chevy pickup -2000 (wrecked and had to fix up)
and now another 1993 camry.

one liners

Payton has some great one liners here are a couple.

Here him saying this in a slightly elevated frustrated tone.

"Who do you think I am, I am not someone who takes care of babies"
in response to asking him to help his brother Evan.

"I don't know why he chews on the lid, It is not a piece of beef jerkey"
in repsonse to Evan chewing on the lid of his sippee cup.

Evan was being really hiper and funny one day and I said, "what are we going to do with you Evan. You're a clown." Payton says, in a very serious tone. "Hey, I could take him to show and tell at school, cept he won't fit in my backpack"

out of the blue

Yesterday I started off my day by asking the Lord to do something interesting. 5 minutes later I get a call from an out of the blue dr. here in town and they need my company. I didn't have to sell her anything she was already a willing and able buyer. Then today I get another call out of the blue from another dr. that I met with 3 years ago and didn't have any interest then, but now is. Wants to meet with me on Thursday. God works out of and into the blue. It's always fun to see what He is going to do next.

the keys!

I received a word last night... this is what it was. "You have the keys, God has given you the keys, I see a long hallway with doors down the right side and you have the keys to unlock all of them" This is what I believe to be what it means. I have been secretly believing God for a new "vehicle" not specific. I don't know why I haven't learned to be specific but none the less...So on my way in to the office today I am meditating on this word and here God tell me to decide what vehicle I want and vision myself driving, washing, sitting in this vehicle so.. I have always wanted a Chevy colorado 4 door, since they started making them that is. I want a black one, new. Not going to happen with my income, so why bother right? WRONG! So I hear, "go and pick out the truck for your keys to match it." Now this is all very strange to me, I know I serve a big God, but I have always been skeptical of the name it claim it movement. I want to always do what God tells me to and not just go around coveting everything my flesh desires. I think one could get carried away. So I drive over to Lawrence hall and browse the lot. Then I see it, the only one on the lot. A brand new 2007 Z71 Chevy Colorado Black. Sticker Price...$24,680. The Lord tells me to claim it and receive it by faith. So I do. I am feeling really strange standing there laying hands on a pickup praying for it. This is where it gets interesting. I am on my way back to the office and the Lord again speaks to me and tells me to print a picture out of it and keep it before me. So I google the truck and what comes up? An add that covers the entire screen and says, "here are your keys". Coincedence? I think not!
Now before you start thinking I have lost my mind and think that I am being covetous I am not. I just believe in not having debt if at all possible. Just like when we were shopping for a house we laid hold of the one we wanted and we got it. God moved mountains for us to get it. Not exactly debt free but it will be soon. So... I have the keys to my new pickup and many other doors. I serve a mighty big God. I can hardly wait to see how he does it.

blessed!

Really an uneventful day. I did some strategizing and reviewing past contacts in my database. The phone hasn't rang much which has given us an opportunity to catch up on pulling some old stuff. While reviewing my day I realized that I am blessed to have many great Friends like you who are reading this. I am learning that it is more fun than not to be in relationships with Kingdom people who would give me their last dollar if I needed it. It's funny how God shows me things through something as simple as a blogspot.
I am also blessed that I live in the best nation on the face of the earth. What an honor it is that God chose me out of 8 billion people to live here, where really we have no worries. My biggest worries: How high is my electric bill, How much is gas going to be, will I have enough money to go on vacation in 4 weeks? They seem pretty petty don't they compared to almost 7.75 billion other people in the world who don't have the life I have.

I have this sensing that something rather big (good) is about to take place in my life, whether it is a large account or a new vehicle, I have my expecters out ready for it any time.

bone chilling

What a week so far!. Sunday Payton got out the baseball and gloves and wanted to play catch. We did for a long time. Then he gets brave and wants pop flies, so I ablige, he does pretty good until one is diverted by a tree branch and WACK! right in the forehead. He now has a nice knot and black eye. He didn't want to go to school monday, but did anyway and Tuesday stayed home sick with 102F temp. Today wasn't any better he stayed home with Strep throat which in turn caused us to stay home from the Valentines banquet our church youth is putting on. Instead, I cooked a nice meal. (it was pretty good if I do say so myself). Payton hasn't been sick since just before christmas 2005, and that was only an ear infection.

After lunch with Elliot today (thanks E it was fun) I returned to the office to find my old pal Leo , no Lester.. no, Louis, yeah Louis that's his name,72 year old retired wal-mart manager that can run circles around me on my best day, the maintenance guy for Stor & Lok waiting at my office for some assistance with one of the gates. I figured it was an easy fix so I went with him in my suit and jacket. BIG MISTAKE! It was a bone chilling zero windchill and I had no hat or gloves. I was pretty darn close to frost bite after about 30 minutes of standing out in the wind. Thank you God that I have an indoor job. My hands were so cold that I could hardly move them and wanted to cry because of the burn I felt. The wind cut through my dress pants like I had nothing on. I really don't think I have ever been that cold before. My nose was running like a annoying dripping faucet and I couldn't feel my ears or my nose. We didn't get the gate fixed but we did figure out how to fix it. I think if I would have stayed out much longer I would be in a pine box right now. Happy Valentines day. Valentines day is a whole nother blog.

Now I know

1. I have been trying to put into words the strange way I have been feeling lately in regards to work, sales, and ministry. Last night I was soaking and as soon as I got still I saw a picture of me when I was a kid handing on with both hands to a merry-go-round and my body flying. This picture is exactly how I have been feeling. I am having fun, but it is so hard to hang on and my legs get heavier and heavier then my shoes fly off and my hands start slipping, all while having so much fun until.... I can't hold on any more and I go flying at 30 mph into the hard dirt. I have to get on the merry go round and hang on with more than just my hands to have a safe ride. Basically what I got from this picture is that I can not EVER try to do things in this life on my own strength. It has to be fueled by the joy of the Lord. PERIOD! Who is fueling your ride on this planet? You or Jesus? or someone else that you lean on too much.

2. Another picture I saw was Pastor Bryan laying hands on people in prayer lines at church except that he wasn't laying hands on them... he was giving them a drink from a ladel and I couldn't tell what the drink was, but people were getting there fill and it made others want to come and get a drink too. For some people he would splash with the drink and others just took little sips. He never refilled the ladel it was just always full. Some would gulp like they had been through a desert and hadn't had water in several days, others would spit it out as if it were too strong for their liking. Some would never get their thirst quenched and I began to wonder if they would ever come up for air.

3. And still another picture I saw was Me on the wings of an angel riding over the earth at a very fast speed and the angel was showing me different things, riches I think, that God had for me, but in my mind here in Clyde, tX I have thought that they are unreachable. What I learned from this is that I have to receive in the spirit before I can receive in the natural.
I think I am going to enjoy soaking.
I would like input into what 2 might mean to you.

Week in review

It was a nice and steady week at BRM, had a few meetings early in the week then later in the week took care of some marketing ideas and some attention to a few details around the warehouse.
Life group was good, we released a lot of child like faith and had some kids pray for the adults. Not much going on this week outside of work. Rachel worked a few days for me on a project that I picked up last Friday. I worked late on Monday, Rachel worked late on Tuesday, and when she got home I went to our church's college service called UNITE. It was amazing! Pastor Bryan spoke at the end and shared a vision he had about the colleges in Abilene. The Spirit fell and 150 or so college students came forward for healing. Several were healed instantly. It was fun to be a part of.
I Had lunch with Tim, Bobby, and Cole on Wed. That was a nice change. I came home wiped out Wednesday and napped for 30 min. Thursday, Ate lunch with Cody and Jesse, again, a nice change, then just relaxed at home and tonight another relaxing night at home. Relaxing is something that I am working on. I tend to always want to be doing something. I really don't care that much for TV and get so drained when I do watch.


So I feel like I am making progress in the relationship thing. Thanks for all of the input.

I got told "no" a few times this week, and battled off the "rejection" spirit. I am going to take you up on the offers to watch my kids. Don't be afraid to tell me "no" if you must. I am looking forward to the weekend especially Sunday.

Every Friday

Every Friday my aunt and uncle had a date night. As far as I know they still do. No matter what, that is their night. When I got married he told me to continue to date my wife no matter what. Well, I haven't done it. I can't remember that last time I went on a date with my wife. The main reason is I don't have an automatic or go to grandparent that lives within ear shot, and finding a baby sitter is next to impossible for my boys, and costs extra $$. If they don't know and feel comfortable around the baby sitter then they just won't stay. This has been the case for the last 6 years. It is one of the most frustrating issues that I deal with on a continual basis. Living away from family is a huge disadvantage to us and to them. Rachel and I have always lived away from family from day one. We have never lived in the same town or remotely close to our families. I often wonder what it would be like to just drop the kids off for the night and have a weekend to our selves. All of our friends have this luxury. Let me tell you how blessed you are. You are very Blessed. We love our boys, but we(rachel) is with them 24/7. When our boys were born the only family we had around was our church family and our pastor. She was in the room when Payton was born. She was like a mother to both of us and we miss that. I am not asking for solutions. I am not asking for sympothy. The reason for posting this is to express my feelings nicely and repent for being bitter to our friends who do have the luxury of "automatic" baby sitters. I know most of you will say that I have never asked you to watch my kids. Your probably right, but that was the un-relational Aaron. I would decide beforehand for the person that they were too busy or doing other things and don't want to watch my boys for an evening, so I wouldn't ask. So if you have kids and you know me, and you have family that you can readily access, then you are probably one that I have mumbled things about under my breath in jeolusy.
My mom did visit us last weekend and had the boys for an entire 24 hours. That was a huge blessing. If you have watched our kids for us before. Thank you. It is a huge blessing to us. Thanks for being my friend and I hope you can accept my sincere apology.

Why Not

So I am on a walk this evening to work some of the soreness out and am talking out loud to God thinking about all the money that was spent on the Superbowl. Probably 9 digits easy. How many souls would that have saved or people fed? I really can't remember any of the commercials or what products they were. A couple stand out, but come on 2.5 million for 30 seconds. Why does the world have so much money I ask. Why do so many athletes make a ridiculous amount of money to play a silly game? Why do pastors and people in ministry make such a puny amount of money and have to have faith to have their needs met and Millions of dollars were wasted on air time just during the Superbowl. Why do I make such a puny amount of money compared to people who play a game for a living? I don't dream to be wealthy for my own gain. I would probably give more away than I actually spend on my self. So why not me? I don't have any lavish dreams I am a pretty simple guy. I would like to have my house paid for, my business debt paid for and my vehicle paid off and I would like to drive a nice Chevy Colorado pickup. Not real lavish dreams... Not too much to ask of my God, right? So I am saying all this out loud and he said to me. "Because they had a dream of playing a game for a living, most of them poured their time and money into getting better so that they could live that lifestyle." They had a dream. Yes, that is it! They had a vision something they were going for. Too many times Christians just want their needs met and nothing more. You here athletes all the time say that they have dreamed of this since they were in peewee leauge.
I have had a dream of owning my own business for many years. Now I do.
Now I just have 4 things (financially speaking) on my wish list that I have asked God for and believe I receive. If I didn't have all these payments I could give a lot more. So, why not me, I have dreams? Why not you? What are your dreams? Dream Big! I don't dream big enough!

Monday Monday

Okay. Hopefully you read the post below this one. I am sore and my legs didn't want to work today. I got no sympathy from Rachel and the boys just laughed at me (as did I) Really, what was I thinking?
The drive to work was nice. Listened to all the hoppla about the Colts win, then when I got the office it hit....reality... What to do first. I get a note on my desk that says "I am the one that hit your building, my name is _________ my number is ________ please call me. sorry". what? Hit my building. I go for a walk and sure enough someone ran right into my building. The damage is not too bad, but none the less. Nice way to start the day. NOT.
To sum up the rest of the day.... really nice. Long but nice. Got home at 8pm. Loaded and unloaded 141 boxes or 7,000 pounds of boxes my myself. (yay me.) Shoulder is SCA Reaamin. (hurts really bad) We are getting way behind on a couple of jobs and so I hired Rachel to catch us up. She is working now. I hurt so bad all over that I can hardly type. (fingers are sore from 7,000 pounds of boxes.) I am usually in sales mode and have been for about 8 weeks. So needless to say have not done much lifting at work. This is the first day all year that I didn't wear a suit. Suit goes back on Tomorrow I will be in Brownwood all day holding 3 different meetings and picking up load of boxes from a client.
(i keep asking myself why I write all this stuff. The Holy spirit keeps reminding me that he wants me to be relational)

what next

this is long, but hopefully worth the read.

Sunday was jam packed. What next... I was a dad, a husband, an usher, an actor, an athlete, a chili eater, superbowl watcher, and a friend all in one day.
It was a very different day. I enjoy doing skits, but I don't like memorizing. I would rather do a live show and adlib everything. I have never liked memorizing. I didn't test well in school and still don't. For those who don't know. I played Grandpa Henry in the Skit at church Sunday in front of 200 something people. I was so nervous before I went out there. Then a peace hit me and I walked out and said every line perfectly. (i think). It was fun.
To the Annual Old Man football game (old men 23+ take on the young men 22-). I wasn't going to play until the night before my friend Cody talked me into it. I was a pretty good athlete in HS, but have since digressed. I didn't want to play mainly because I didn't want to get injured. I can't afford it for one thing, I have to work. I didn't want to hurt my shoulder, (very weak). I put the fears aside and played. I ended up scoring the winning TD on a pretty nice stop and go route that left the defender standing all alone. I tell you that about 1,000 thoughts can speed through my head in 3 seconds that it took for that play to develop. Let me set it up for you.
I ran 5 go routes in a row. I was getting tired and I told Dustin that I could beat my guy. Finally on the six one I see the ball come out. Here's all the thoughts that I can remember at that point. "oh, is that the ball...is it coming my way... oh crap it is...nice spiral... dustin has a good arm...Oh, man I can't believe it. what do i do.. run faster... i am not going to make it... run run run run... faster...don't drop it. put your arms up...oh, the sun is bright. where is the defender, is he going to hit me, where is the goal line, where is the out of bounds, here it comes grab it, NO! don't drop it. get it get it get it. (this is where it hit the bill of my cap and I almost dropped it). Tip it up. grab it. Got it. run run run run run run. TD!!!! Did that just happen. I guess so everyone is cheering and I just tossed the ball to the guy that was defending me. Huh. I just scored a TD."
Felt like HS again. It was neat to be a contributor to the Old Man team winning. My legs don't work right today. I have been hobbling around all day. I was pretty proud of myself for playing, having a good time, winning, and making a difference in the day. It was a good day. To end it I watched the Colts win the SB on a big screen with my friend Billy, and Payton. I am trying to break the "loner" mentality that I have and Billy helped. I thought I would have had just as much fun watching it alone... I think I was wrong. Thanks Billy.

Random

Ever wonder why Christians believe in inteligent design, (creation) and are against evolution, but in their personal lives they don't use the inteligence God gave them, but would rather things just "evolve" but when they don't "evolve" they get upset? God gave us intelect for a reason.

The Athlete

This blog is about Payton, my oldest son who will be 6 years old in a few months.
From early on I could tell this kid was going to be a special kid, but little did I know the talent that is inside this kid. The first sign should have been his ability to walk at 9 months. At 20 months he could shoot a basketball, while standing in a chair, into a hoop that was about 2 ft taller than he was. In fact, at the time I wrote in my journal that he made 10 shots in a row. Fast forward 2 years. He loves shooting his real bow that his buddy Bryan bought for him. Golfing, Hitting baseballs, slow overhand pitch, if you throw to slow he gets mad, Riding his motorcycle, Riding his bike. Oh, One day before his 4th birthday he came to me and told me to take the training wheels off his bike cause he was going to ride it. I thought, "yeah right" so I took them off and away he rode. No help! No one holding the seat! We came across a motorcycle just before christmas 2005 and thought we would give it to him for christmas, but weren't sure he would be able to ride it at age 4. Nope, I was wrong. Brought it home and he insisted that I let him ride it. I did and away he went. Again, no help.
He enjoys playing basketball, football and XBox. The kid amazes me. I wish I could do the things he does. He beats me at Madden 07 almost every day. (he picks my team, usually a poor one.) I look forward to getting home every day just to toss the kid the football for an hour and watch him make amazing catches. Not little tosses, I mean 30 yard strikes that sometimes knock him over when they hit him. He can throw a spiral better than I did when I was a qb in Jr. high. He can punt too. (still working on this, but he gets better everyday.)
This kid was born to be outside, and when he is in his evironment he thrives. He loves to watch bull riding and has even ridin a baby steer. It is a great joy to watch him grow and his talents to expand everyday. He asked me the other day if Peyton Manning was the best QB. He asked if he could play on T.V someday like Peyton Manning. He already, at the age of 5, has big dreams. God has made a great kid and I am honored to get to raise such a fine boy!

gas going down, mine going up!

So I am driving my wifes vehicle yesterday and filled it up with gas when I noticed in the log book that she has been filling up a whole lot. And the mileage is really bad...down 5 miles per gallon. She has mentioned in the past that she smells gas when she gets in and out of the vehicle. I told her to not to top it off any more. Last night I park in the garage and smell gas from my recliner in the house. I investigate and find a puddle of gas under the vehicle about 16 inches in diameter and a persistent drip from the bottom of the tank. I investigate the log book more and find that since August we have been leaking 4 gallons of gas per week. I thank God for Goodness and mercy that follow after my wife. This is very dangerous.