Hey everyone,
I wanted to inform everyone that I am saying goodbye to this blog location and will be blogging at a new location found here: The Life of Shawn
I hope you will subscribe and follow along as I go in a different direction with my writings.
Much love,
Shawn
There is just something about Gov. Rick Perry that makes me like him. I’m not sure if it’s his swag or his Texas drawl but I just find him to be a likable guy. But that’s just me. I did get to meet him a few years ago and he was amazingly nice. However, I do enjoy the commentary of my friend Keith over at Bag of Nothing who describes him as “Governor Good Hair. Here’s a pic:
Until next time.
Much love,
Shawn
“On Wednesday March 6, 2013 Rand Paul walked onto the Senate floor just another Senator, 13 hours later he walked off a hero.”
On Wednesday March 6, 2013 Sen. Rand Paul did in 13 hours what his father Congressman Ron Paul had tried to do for the last eight; bring together the different factions of the Republican Party. What Sen.Paul accomplished may not be seen by the RINO Republicans like John McCain or Lindsey Graham or their libtard buddies they were eating with Wednesday night, but it was seen and felt by MILLIONS around the nation as one man took a principled stand against an imperial President who was forced to answer one man’s question.
Please don’t get me wrong, I am and have been a Ron Paul fan since the first time I learned about him in early 2004. I supported both his recent runs for President, supported Campaign for Liberty, and have read his books. I love this man!! He is a hero of mine and I will be eternally grateful for his life (and his kindness, both times I had the chance to meet with him). Ron Paul woke millions of people up to the ideals of freedom and liberty and revived this nations understanding of the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. He stood as the lone defender of Freedom and Liberty for years and never gave up and now the fields he has plowed are beginning to bear fruit.
Deep down I think that Dr. Ron Paul knew all along that this was how things would really happen. I think deep in his heart he knew that the restoration of Freedom and Liberty in this country would begin with him but come to fruition somewhere down the road. Dr. Paul is and always has been a man ahead of his time, he was the farmer planting the seeds of liberty that his children and grandchildren would see.
While Rand Paul may be reaping a the harvest of a growing Liberty Movement it is because his father planted the seeds.
Until next time.
Much love,
”There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.”
President Bill Clinton
January 20, 1993
This past week my family and I headed up to Hot Springs, Ark. to spend time with family for the Easter holiday and while there we made the trip to Little Rock to go to President Bill Clinton’s Presidential Library and Museum. If you know me then you know that I am a sucker for American history, no matter the political party or event if it has to do with America and it has a special building, museum, or something I can visit, I will be checking it out if I can, and I must confess that the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum was WELL WORTH the visit.
History has a way of speaking to us if we will listen and this trip was no different. Walking around with my daughter I was able to see what was going on in the country in the early 90′s that gave rise to a young, brash, and confident Arkansas Democrat. I was able to see the hear the speeches, read the newspapers, and watch the news broadcasts of the rise of our 42nd President and in all honesty I loved it.
That is when the above quote hit me. Like a bullet out of nowhere I was struck by the amazing candor of what the President was expressing in his first speech as President. To be honest it convicted me. It’s arrow struck my heart and wouldn’t leave. While I didn’t vote for President Clinton (because I was too young) I do remember him growing up and I remember liking him as a person. He seemed genuine and sincere. What I got from my visit to his Presidential Library and Museum was not how a man did some stupid things that almost ruined his marriage, I learned of a young man raised by his grandparents because him mom went to nursing school in New Orleans to try to make a better life for him. I learned of a young man who loved music and politics and ended up becoming the youngest Governor ever elected in America. I learned of a man who wanted to take the best America had to offer and open the door for every American to be able to reach the American dream. I learned that Bill Clinton was a man who has deep religious beliefs and deeply desires to make the world a better place for all those in it.
Walking around and reading, hearing, and viewing history I was struck by the fact that while I didn’t agree with everything President Clinton believed was best for America, I certainly believed in making the world a better place as best as I could. President Clinton experienced life in the South in the 50′s and 60′s and because of that grew up with an ideal that shaped his political life. I am experiencing the same. What I learned is that President Clinton and I desire many of the same things; I desire to see freedom and liberty reign in America. I desire to see the poor rise out of the depths and experience the American Dream. I desire to see all people have equal rights under the law. I desire to see America be the “Shining City on a Hill,” that our Founders believed us to be.
Do I believe President Clinton desires those things as well? Do I agree with his means of accomplishing them? Not all but some. I will confess that I wasn’t expecting to be inspired or convicted when I went to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum but I was and in all honesty I am thankful for it because it put some things in perspective that I am working on.
Until next time.
Much love,
Shawn
Because I get a ton of question on different topics that I cover on the radio show, my personal facebook page, and through other media outlets, I thought I would revive the “interview series” from a while back so readers could get a better understanding of my mind, heart, thoughts, and opinions. For the most part this is just me taking some of the more popular questions and comments I get and giving my answer or opinion on the subject. So sit back and enjoy as I will do my best to entertain and enrage.
Shawn thanks for joining us, as usual we want to give the readers a great interview and as of late you have gained a ton of new readers so please give us a little background into your upbringing:
Sure. No problem. I was born in Pennsylvania (I totally spelled that right on the first try!!!) and lived between there and New York state for the first 10 years of my life. Growing up we were pretty poor as my mom was a single mother and my dad was never in the picture. We had family but for the most part we were the black sheep of the family for a long time. In the early 90′s my mom reconciled with my Grandparents and we moved to the Northwest Florida area where I spent my middle and high school years. I actually claim to be from Florida as I really grew up there, or at least I have the most enjoyable memories of my early life during that time.
After high school I moved to Arkansas for Bible College where I met my wife just a semester before I was to leave. Arkansas was great as I made some lifelong friendships and got to really search for God out in the country. It was a difficult time but great one. After college I stuck around to build the relationship that Kaitlyn and I had started which led me to moving to Baton Rouge in 2003. I have been there ever since and I love it!!
You said your mom was a single mother, what was that like growing up?
It pretty much sucked really!! I remember being really poor and being on welfare, which I hated because I was picked on in school. We didn’t have the nicest or newest things so I was bullied some growing up. I ended up just getting in fights to stand up for myself and my family, which led me to getting the label of “trouble maker.” I remember times where my mom would not eat because there was not enough food for her, my brother, and I. It really had an effect on me and still does. It still hurts sometimes thinking about the pain I saw my mom go through during those times.
Would you change anything about that time?
I’m not sure I would change anything as I am the man I am today because of my past. I think I would like more answers on some things but I am not totally sure if I would change anything.
Answers on what kind of things?
Well, I would really like to talk to my biological father and see what happened between him and my mom. Why did he split and never come around. I would like to know if he tried to get to know me and my mom wouldn’t let him be a part of my life or if he was just a loser during that time who couldn’t get his act together.
I think I would want to know why my Grandparents and mom took so long to reconcile and if they knew that she was struggling why they did nothing to help. Maybe they did and my mom refused. I’m not sure. I would just like to get the other side of the story sometimes.
What do you think the answers would be?
I have no idea really. I’m sure there is another side to the stories but I would just be speculating on what was going on. I was too young to know then what was really going on but now that I am older I just wonder if things could have been different.
What is you best memory before moving to Florida?
That’s a good question. Probably the Mother’s Day that we lived in Limestone, NY and I rode off on my bike to collect sea shells (don’t ask me how sea shells got that far inland) for my mom for Mother’s Day but I was to far away to hear her call for me and I was gone for a long time and she ended up calling the police because she thought I was kidnapped. I ended up rolling up with a bucketful of beautiful white sea shells for my mom and her crying her eyes out because she thought she lost me.
She cried her eyes out when I told her I was trying to get her a Mother’s Day gift and that I was sorry for being gone for so long. She wasn’t even mad. She was to relieved I think to be mad. To understand why that was such a big deal, I had an older brother and sister who was kidnapped by their real father when they were 5 and 3. My mom was always scared that would happen to my brother John and I.
You had a brother and sister that was kidnapped?
Yeah, it is a long story but the gist is that their dad and my mom got divorced and he took them for the summer to Denver for his visitation and never brought them back. Back in the 70′s it was hard to prove kidnapping and even more so for a poor single woman.
Have you ever talked to or heard from them? Your brother and sister?
Yeah, I have connected with my brother. I haven’t talked to my sister.
What caused you to move to Florida?
My mom and Grandparents reconciled after it was discovered that my Grandfather had terminal cancer. He died on Dec. 31, 1990 and we traveled to his funeral. It was the first time I actually met some of the family I didn’t even know I had. A few months later my Grandma and an Aunt came up to Pennsylvania and asked my mom to move to Florida after school let out that year. She said yes and the rest is history.
Where you glad to leave Pennsylvania?
Yes.
Care to elaborate?
Let’s just say that looking back it was the best move my mom could have made and I am glad she did. We were going nowhere as a family and we needed a new start.
How would you say the move to Florida changed you and your family?
Well, for starters my mom met and ended up marrying my step-dad. That changed everything and I must say that the way he handled everything was amazing. He didn’t try to rule me or my brother but set boundaries and allowed up to grow in our relationship with him. I ended up changing my last name to his because of all that he did for us.
You changed your last name?
Yeah. I thought it was fitting for the man who raised me to get the opportunity to have his name carried on. My dad (I consider him my dad because he is the one who raised me) really changed my whole life. He allowed me to grow and try things that my mom would have never let me do. Not that they were bad, he just allowed me to have more freedom to find myself.
What else changed because of your move to Florida?
It was in Florida that I really began a relentless pursuit of God. I had gotten “saved” when I was 8 years old in New York in a little home church Sunday School class (I can actually close my eyes and recall the events of that moment like it was yesterday), but it was in Florida where I really began to seek after God, or should I say where God really began to grab a hold of me.
What happened that caused this “relentless pursuit of God.”
Honestly it was just going back to church the summer before my freshmen year in high school with a friend named Eddie. I started attending regular service by myself as my family was not into church at that point and I just ate up reading the Bible, prayer, and anything I could read or study on God. I fell in love with authors like Max Lucado, Phillip Yancy, and others.
For about 2 years I went to First Baptist Church of Crestview, FL where I learned the SBC way of faith. Things like grace, God’s love, and a love for the Bible. One summer night just before my 11th grade school year I went with a friend to First Assembly of God of Crestview, FL and the rest is history. I experienced God like I had never before that night. It was amazing. A few days later I went to the Brownsville Revival for the first time and for the next 4 years I went pretty much every weekend.
It was an amazing time in my life. I saw God move in me in ways that I never thought possible. I loved it!!
Talk about culture shock!! You went from a Southern Baptist to Assembly of God overnight?
LOL!! Yeah pretty much!!
What was that like?
Honestly it wasn’t that bad because I wasn’t changing because of a bad experience, I was changing because I had experienced God and wanted more of him. I knew that staying where I was would not allow me to continue to experience God like I wanted to and I felt like God was calling me to pursue Him in a new direction.
Did others follow you?
No. Not really. My best friend Eddie stayed at FBC. We stayed friends and still are. There were a few friends I met who came to my church and to revival with me from time to time but overall it was a fresh start for me. I wasn’t really looking to take others from where they were, I was just following where God was leading me.
What was the Brownsville Revival like?
It was amazing. I had never experienced God like I did during that time. Looking back I wish I was a little more mature going into the whole experience as I wouldn’t have taken it for granted like I think I did a lot. Being in the midst of something like that you don’t think it will really ever end.
Did it end?
Yeah, but that was a few years after I left to go to college. I think what I mean is I wish I could have handled the sacredness of the whole thing a little better. Being young I couldn’t believe people didn’t want to experience God like I was experiencing Him and I offended some people I cared about back then. I just didn’t understand the denominational differences between the different Christian sects back then like I do now. Overall, I pray that I see something like that again in my lifetime.
What caused you to move to Arkansas to go to Bible College?
Honestly, because I tried twice to get into the Brownsville School of Ministry and something always held up the application. I took that to mean I wasn’t supposed to go and was talking to a friend about it who told me to try the college he went to. I called and got an application and loved what I read about it being a place to “get away and seek God.” I applied and got an interview which led to me getting accepted. I knew once I stepped on the campus that I was supposed to be there.
What was your biggest motivation for going to Bible College?
I knew I needed to learn more about God and ministry before I could really step into a ministry role. I wanted to learn the ins and outs of ministry. I had been studying theology and the like for a while, I was more looking for hands on training.
Did you get that?
Sort of. I got the change to do a lot of behind the scenes things. Little did I know at the time that ministry is about 90% behind the scenes and about 10% preaching and teaching. I thought it was the other way around back then.
What was Bible College like for you?
It was both good and bad. I went to a very small college where we lived in the country on a 560 acre ranch. We were away from life so we could pursue God and in so doing we found where we had rough edges we had to deal with so there was a lot of pruning and growing. I loved my time there as I got to learn so many new things but there were times I hated it to. That is just part of life though. Sometimes you love it and other times it sucks!!
Would you go back?
With what I know now, yes. I wouldn’t want to go back and redo everything hoping for a different outcome but if I could go back with the understanding I have today I would do it in a heartbeat.
Why?
Because I would be less selfish. There was a lot of times where it was all about me and my vision for life (that I thought was God’s vision) and had I just been humble I think I would have had less heartache in the growing process.
You said you met your wife Kaitlyn in Bible College, how did that happen?
Honestly, it was my last semester of school and I had a bad case of “senioritis” and spent a great deal of time in my dorm room studying, sleeping, and waiting for my time to get out. When I did come out I would run into her in the kitchen and found that she had a cute little accent (she is from New Orleans). I loved it. That and she was a bit mysterious. She was shy and didn’t really talk much so it was hard at first to get her to talk with me, when she did she didn’t say much so I had to pry things out of her just to hear her accent.
What caused you to take notice of her?
Actually I had sworn off girls for the rest of the year after getting burned in a relationship that probably should have never happened. I just wanted to chill so really I wasn’t going after her I was just being friendly. She seemed really nice and didn’t give me the “Bridal College” eyes right off the bat so it was nice to talk to someone who I could just talk with and not need or have an agenda.
“Bridal College” eyes?
Yeah! You’ve never heard that Bible College is really “Bridal College” because girls go to school and find their “perfect man of God,” and end of getting married to someone from school.
I have never heard that.
Really? I can name like 10 couples who I know that met in Bible College who got married.
But we digressed.
Yes.
How long was it before you started dating?
Officially we couldn’t date until she was finished with her first semester. That was school policy, so we didn’t really end up “officially” dating until sometime the next school year because we both worked the Brookhill Ranch Summer Camp together and as a councilor you have no time to have a relationship. We got to see each other and talk but couldn’t really go to deep as time was limited. We ended up passing notes to one another all summer. Which was nice.
What ended up causing your move to Louisiana?
Well, being that I need to do some work let’s cover that and more topics in Part 2.
Sounds great!! Look forward to hearing more from you in Part 2.
Same here!!
Until next time.
Much love,
Shawn
There is something amazing that happens inside your heart as a parent when you hear your children sing, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart,” or “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,” from the back seat of the family van. This is what Kaitlyn and I have been experiencing lately with our 3 little ones. Since Christmas this year our boys have been in love with Veggie Tales music and since we were getting a little tired of “O Christmas Tree,” we decided to pop in the Veggie Tales Sunday School Songs album.
I must confess the first time I heard my son Truett singing in the backseat the words; “I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus, love of Jesus down in my heart. WHERE? Down in my heart. WHERE? Down in my heart to stay,” I teared up. How could I not?!?! There in the backseat of the family van was my little four year old singing about the love of Jesus!!! What you may not realize is that my family and I have been on a journey the last couple of years finding our place in God’s world. We have stepped away from the institutional church to pursue God in the wild of daily life, not that we have abandoned fellowship with other believers, we have just gone about it in a different manner. However, this has caused us to question how we could actually teach our children the values we hold dear without the institutions help.
Well, we found that the best way to teach your children is by example and sometimes instead of listening to Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity we as a family need to listen to a little Veggie Tales and sing together about the love of Jesus. So, for their commitment to reaching the young children of the world I would like to say THANK YOU to the creators of Veggie Tales, because you have impacted and blessed our children, family, and a dad like me.
Until next time.
Much love,
Shawn
