Quick Update

Well I've been a little busy lately so I thought I'd update the 1 or 2 people that actually read this. I recently put together a website for my karate instructor Pete Mills. He's a great guy and a wonderful instructor. If you're in the Knoxville area be sure and check out his class.

Also I'm dating a wonderful lady named Heather. She's a day care worker and she sure has the patience for it. If she can put up with me then kids should be easy.

Anyhow, I'm hoping to set up the table ministry at UT again on Friday, weather permitting. Unfortunately I don't have anyone to help with the table so it should be interesting getting everything from the parking garage to the location.

Lighting The Way : Update

Well, I've managed to set up the table ministry a couple of times and have had the opportunity to speak with some wonderful young people at the UT campus. I'm scheduled to set up there again on the 22nd of October. Hopefully the weather will be good enough to set up.

LTW Moves forward

I just spoke with Claudette Litz who runs the outreach table at the entrance to the Smoky Mountains park. She's going to get the table and banner for me to start the outreach ministry at the University of Tennessee. Our next step will be to get materials for the table itself. Claudette's daughter Dwayna brought me a box of samples that will allow me to get started. I'll need to reproduce a bunch of the cd's and dvd's she brought.

Lighting The Way

I'm currently working with Dwayna Litz, founder of Lighting the Way Ministries in an effort to start an outreach table on the University of Tennessee campus. I'm excited about working with Pastor Hollie Miller of Sevier Heights Baptist Church as we try to obtain funding to get this started.

I'm also a bit nervous as I've never done anything like this before. I pray that God will give me the wisdom to do this and the grace and courage to speak His will in a loving way.

"What Can I Do?" by Paul Baloche

Ok, God really does some cool and unusual things. I just got a message from a fellow I didn't know who thought I was some other guy named Tom Duvall. Apparently they had been having a discussion about Paul Baloche (who I'd never heard of before up to this point). Since I wasnt sure if it was someone I'd met at church a...nd just didnt recognize the name, I popped over to youtube to check him out. This great song is what I found. Needless to say, we quickly figured out it was a different Tom. Still, this chance encounter has introduced me to a new great artist.

Come to find out he also authored some of the songs we sing at Sevier Heights Baptist Church

Dearborn Police: Defending Islam against the Constitution

As this YouTube video demonstrates, political correctness and fear of Islam are combining to squash the First Amendment of the Constitution.

The Secrets of Jujitsu, A Complete Course in Self Defense

Here is a link to the book "The Secrets of Jujitsu, A Complete Course in Self Defense", a book written near the turn of the last century meant to teach US army troops the art of Jujitsu. Enjoy!

Martial Arts and the Bible

Here's a great article about how God views Christians fighting. The question of "turn the other cheek" vs defending one's family is explored.

David Platt

David Platt: SBC Pastors Conference 2009 from Todd Thomas on Vimeo.

A sermon delivered by the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting's Pastors Conference.

The Son

I found this story on another site and just had to share it.


A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The fatherwas notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out this package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me.. It's a gift.' The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?'

There was silence..

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings.. Skip this one.'

But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?'

Another voice angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!'

But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?' Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room.. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

We have $10, who will bid $20?'

'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.' The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.

They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'

A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!'

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'

'What about the paintings?'

'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!'

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: 'The son, the son, who'll take the son?'

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE