Yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of Lisa's & my wedding. Its hard to believe the years have flown by so quickly. In some ways, it seems like only yesterday to me. I remember the ceremony, the pride in my parent's eyes, the stunning beauty in a bridal gown walking down the aisle on her father's arm to me. Twenty five years...filled with laughter, joy, a few tears, lots of adventure, and most of all, God-given love. I wouldn't trade a day of it with her, and would do it all again, in a heartbeat.
Our families first met way back in 1972 or 73 I think, when my dad saw an ad in the local paper for a pickup truck for sale. We had recently moved to Fayetteville, Georgia from south Florida, and my dad wanted to get a pickup- that's what these Southerners drive, right? He bought that old, black Ford pickup from a guy named Milbur Brown- Lisa's father. Turns out, they lived a couple of houses up from friends of my parents, the Harveys, who had also moved to Fayetteville from south Florida. We spent many a Saturday and/or Sunday at the Harvey's house, who had two girls and a boy, all younger than me. I once met this kid from up the street named Tim, and I would go up and play at his house often, when my family visited the Harveys. Tim had a little sister, Lisa, with blond ponytails and an infectious smile. We never let her play "Army" or "Cowboys & Indians" with us.
As the years went by, my parents began to attend Flat Creek Baptist Church south of town, during my junior high and early high school years. It just so happened the Browns were members there, though Lisa was in grade school then junior high at the time. We later moved our membership to New Hope Baptist, closer to home, only to find the Browns had as well! Lisa and Tim were both active in the youth group. I never paid much attention to her then, me being the big high school upper classman by that time, Lisa the lowly junior high-er! That would soon change, though...
As a young college student, I served as a summer intern, camp counselor, and even Sunday School teacher at New Hope. One year at high school summer camp, I was assigned as a team leader of about 15 students, one of whom was- Lisa. As we got to know each again that week, she developed a "crush" on me, and I admittedly was attracted to her (not usually encouraged between campers and counselors!). She wanted to talk one evening after dinner, out on a swing by the cafeteria, and we talked about how she felt called to the ministry, as I had several years before. Hugh Kirby, the youth pastor at the time, later told me, "I was going to have a talk with you about getting too close to one of the campers, but God told me to stay out of it, He was up to something here."
We began to date after that, off and on during her last two years of high school. Proms, dances, football games, church activities- replaying it all again, with Lisa. The longer we were together, the more serious we became. I got to the point where I asked a friend from my high school years, Pam, how I would know if this was the "real thing" or not. She told me, "When you come to the point that you can't imagine life without her, and can't bear the thought of her with anyone else, you'll know its the real thing." I was there, and I knew it. My dad helped me find a diamond ring, I secretly got the approval of her father, and one night, on a swing set at a church (Lisa loved to swing), I asked this girl to marry me. She accepted, and we began to plan for our life together.
We were married on August 29, 1987, at New Hope Baptist, Keith Moore (my pastor and "big brother" in the Lord) officiating. Hugh sang, and family and friends celebrated with us. We moved several times over the years- lived in a little single-wide trailer in Fayetteville for a time, then our first little house in Lithonia when Ansley was born, a church-owned parsonage in Snellville when Kelsey was born, two other houses in that town, before landing here, in Dacula. I've served churches in Peachtree City, Clarkston, Snellville, and now Dacula. Lisa has worked at several hospitals and a doctor's office. We've raised two lovely daughters, made a ton of memories, experienced many triumphs and a few tragedies along the way, but through it all, Lisa has been my soul mate, my lover, my best friend. Our love has done nothing but grow over the years, and I pray it will continue to, as long as we both are alive.
Its true- I can't imagine life with anyone else, would not have wanted to do life with anyone but Lisa. Aside from my relationship with Jesus Christ my Saviour, the greatest love of my life is her. Happy 25th Anniversary, Lisa! (29 if you count our dating years)
May God see fit to bless us with at least 25 more, like both our parents. Amen.

I purchased the complete box set of the old History Channel series "Dogfights" recently. This series retells, and recreates in digital animation, the great air battles of the past century. I've already been through both seasons and every episode, watching them while I exercise, and have begun to go back through and watch many again. My favorites are the episodes about the planes, pilots and battles of WWII and Vietnam, and the tactics and technologies employed in air-to-air combat.
Its been interesting listening to the interviews with fighter pilots from the different wars and eras, picking up on their common lingo and language. Being an avid motorcycle rider, I've found many similarities between the phrases and practices of pilots in combat, and the necessary skills a motorcyclist should possess for the street. I'll outline some common pilot jargon, and how I believe each can apply to motorcycling.
1. Don't Target Fixate- If a fighter pilot gets "tunnel vision," i.e. fixating on a specific target to the exclusion of anything else around him, he is vulnerable to attack from undetected enemies. Focusing so intently on the engagement in front of him can lead a pilot to become the unwitting and unwilling target of an opposing aircraft behind him. In the same way, when riding a motorcycle, if the rider fixates on an object or situation unfolding in front of him, he can lose awareness of what might be happening more immediately around or behind him, and hence put himself in danger. Solution? Snap out of it, look beyond the object or obstacle, and negotiate a path through or around.
2. Get Your Head on a Swivel- Fighter pilots are trained to not just look around constantly, but move their heads around and up/down, to gain the widest possible field of view. For the motorcyclist, this means he must move his head, not just his eyes, as he scans the environment. Use all of your range of head and eye motion to visually scan. Studies show the average human has around 170 degrees of peripheral vision. Couple that with approximately 90 degrees of side-to-side head rotation, plus the nearly 90 degrees of eye motion side-to-side, and the average person has almost 360 degrees of visual field.
*Try this: Look straight ahead, and test your peripheral vision by moving your two index fingers from front/center, to either side. See how far around your fingers are still visible? Now, still looking straight out past your nose, move your head as far to either side as you can. Once you are at your limit, check your peripherals again. Finally, with your head turned as far as you can, move your eyes as far to each side as well. You should be able to see, with peripheral vision, head turn, and eye turn, actually farther than 360 degrees. Amazing! Owls got nothing on us.
3. Eyes Outside the Cockpit- Fighter pilots must constantly remember to scan far out in front of them, and not just rely on their instruments and high-tech equipment. No technology has, or ever will, take the place of the human eye. As motorcyclists, we must also learn to perceive far out in front, and not just focus on the road immediately in front of us. Experts say we should visually search as far as 12 seconds ahead of us, to give the maximum amount of time to "Scan, Predict, Act" as the old MSF course taught us.
4. Check Your 6 O'clock- Pilots must always glance behind them while in dogfight situations, to insure they don't have someone on their tail, about to shoot them down. Many a pilot has been blown from the sky or worse, met their demise, by neglecting to "check the 6". In the same way, prior to any maneuver, a motorcyclist should check mirrors, glance side-to-side, before execution. Be aware of any and all activity around and behind, to insure no one or nothing "takes you out."
Fighter pilots operate in a complete look up/look down/look around environment, and must constantly practice these skills and others for their very survival. Though we as motorcyclists are not engaging in literal combat, being on a bike can be a dangerous, even deadly, endeavor. Constantly changing road conditions, weather, traffic variables, distracted, aggressive "cagers"- it can feel like a war zone on the streets. I've come to practice these simple tactics every time I ride, borrowed from veteran fighter pilots who have seen and survived combat. They sure apply well to riding.

Today is unofficially "National Chick-fil-A Day" across America. People everywhere are flocking to CFA in support of the company, after President Dan Cathy recently stated in an interview with Baptist Press that the company supports the traditional, Biblical definition of marriage. What resulted from his statement was a liberal media firestorm. Crying "hate speech" and "discrimination" by leftist news outlets, so-called entertainers, and homosexual rights groups bent on forcing their agenda upon us, CFA and Dan Cathy has been castigated and savaged, with groups calling for boycotts, "kiss-ins", etc. in an effort to undermine the company. The mayors of two cities, Boston and Chicago, have even said they will bar CFA from opening any more stores in their cities, something they really cannot legally do. So who's actually practicing discrimination here?
Its a shame we have come to this in America. A man speaks his mind on a current subject, but because it is contrary to the current media, educational, and political agenda, he gets crucified over it. There was a time when homosexuality was frowned upon. Now, if you take a stand against it, you are vilified. How upside down we have become. Right is wrong, and wrong is now right. And its everywhere- Entertainers "coming out", politicians, news personalities, athletes. Its on TV more and more, from the old "Will & Grace" show to "Modern Family", "The New Normal", etc. We are being hammered with the message of "ACCEPT US!" at every turn. What one generation began to tolerate, the next accepted, and now they demand we embrace them, as equal or superior. I've heard that the Democratic political platform will now include a statement supporting "marriage equality". So that's what they want to call it now. Redefine marriage, redefine society.
Even Christians are bowing to the pressure, propaganda. I've heard young people say, "We should not be mean to them. They have a right to live their lives. Besides, the Bible doesn't speak out against homosexuality, nor does it define marriage." Oh really?? This shows the level of misinformation young people have come to believe, as well as their lack of knowledge of Scripture.
I think some Biblcial clarity is called for:
Marriage
Genesis 1:27-28, 2:21-25- The original definition of marriage, from God.
Mark 10:6-12- Jesus Himself affirms the Genesis definition.
1 Corinthians 7:1-4, Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 3:18, 1 Timothy 3:2- Paul reaffirms it.
1 Peter 3:1, 7- Peter reaffirms it.
Hebrews 13:4- The writer of Hebrews reaffirms it.
Homosexuality
Genesis 19:4-5- Their rebellion was expressed in aggressive homosexuality, and judgment followed.
Judges 19:22- Similar to above.
Leviticus 18:22, 20:13- Clear condemnation of it as an "abomination".
Ezekiel 16:49-50- This was Sodom's "abomination".
Romans 1:24-27- What happens when people embrace this lifestyle.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10- Paul lumps it in with other sins, saying, "such will not inherit the kingdom of God". *note: v.11 states Christ can rescue anyone from any of these sins
1 Timothy 1:9-10- "contrary to sound teaching"
*The above Scriptures clearly include homosexuality as immoral, against God's plan and purpose. Therefore, it would be included in these verses, among others:
1 Corinthians 5:9-11
Galatians 5:19-21
Ephesians 5:5
Revelation 21:8, 22:15

Does all this mean we should be cruel to them, ostracize them, "discriminate" against them? Absolutely not. Christ died for them, just like all of us. We all are in need His forgiveness, redemption. Does it mean we must accept and embrace their agenda, and their "new normal" definition of marriage and relationships? Absolutely not. When the culture goes contrary to Scripture, on any issue, we as Christ-followers must take our stand on God's Word. The Bible, not changing societal norms and policies, is our final authority.
"Hate speech", "homophobes"? No, of course we are not.
Standing on Biblical truth? Completely.
Now, its lunch time. I'm going to Chick-fil-A.