I have refrained from posting or even tweeting during this whole JoPa mess, but I saw something today that compelled me to blog…

The governor of Pennsylvania has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until Joe Paterno’s burial. You can see the story here.

I have an issue with this… here are the requirements for flying the flag at half-staff. flag rules

Sure, Joe Paterno was a man who taught honor as a football coach for many years. His famous quote “Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste good.” is a great piece of wisdom to live by, and for the most part Paterno did just that.

But flying the flag at half mast for Paterno?  I could ramble all day about the Sandusky scandal. The fact that Paterno failed to follow-up with the information he was given is as best a mistake that contradicts his “success without honor” quote from above.

Personally, if there was someone who knew what Paterno knew about a man who had access to my children, well that “bitter taste” would be me all up in his grill.

Joe Paterno should not have the flag flown at half mast in his honor. He is not a head of state and he is hardly a hero. I am not saying that he wasn’t a great man who made a mistake, but a hero deserving the greatest national honor? Hardly!

Joe Paterno is at best a football coach and at worst an accessory to the greatest crime one can commit, a crime against innocent children.

Just my thoughts

Nathan

Hey church family, a few things to share with you…

First… Praise God for all of the new families God is sending our way. Sunday night looks like we will be adding 7 new families into our fellowship (about 15 people counting children) I pray you will take time to get to know these new folks and welcome them in to the LMBC family.

Also be in prayer about our special services this Sunday morning. We will be having a baby dedication service along with observing “Sanctity of Life Sunday”

The Sunday night roundtables have been going great and I am excited about wrapping them up over the next two Sunday nights. Myself and our staff have really put a lot of effort into our Sunday night schedule for 2012. We want to provide opportunities for everyone to get involved in this service. Our goal is to give purpose to everything we do during our P.M. service. I hope you will decide to become a part.

Speaking of Sunday evening services, we will have a special service on February 12th. That evening beginning at 5:30 we will be showing the movie Courageous. This movie is great for all ages, but we especially want to put out a special invitation to all of our men and fathers. The message of this film will be of even greater importance to you guys.

Invite a friend to come join us this week and always be sure to check out our website www.longviewmbc.com

Pastor Nathan

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
²⁶ When she speaks, her words are wise,
and she gives instructions with kindness.
²⁷ She carefully watches everything in her household
and suffers nothing from laziness.

²⁸ Her children stand and bless her.
Her husband praises her:
²⁹ “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,
but you surpass them all!”          -Proverbs 31:25-29

I LOVE being a dad and my life revolves around a 9yr old girl and a 7yr old boy.

My daughter Bethany is the most thoughtful and creative kid I have ever known. She loves and encourages me every day. I honestly learn more from her than I teach her. She is unbelievably intelligent and super talented. Whether it’s acting on stage, (she was in 3 plays in 2011) singing, or drawing, she never stops amazing me. She is becoming a beautiful young lady and I know God is going to do BIG things through this girl.

My highlight of the year was to hear her ask Jesus into her heart and then baptize her earlier this year. Those are memories I will always treasure!

When I look at pictures and see how fast she is growing up I get worried. Have I modeled for her what a husband and father should be? Have I shown her what to expect from a godly man? I know I don’t have much more time to model that stuff for her, so i have to take advantage of every moment!

Beth in June 2010 and December 2011… She is growing up so fast!

My son Micah challenges me to be a better man, because I know he is watching! He copies everything I do, I have even seen him in the mirror copying my mannerisms!

I love this little dude. He is full of life and energy. He has an amazing memory and forgets nothing, not even the smallest details (so I have to really watch what I say and do around him!). He is a fierce competitor and a compassionate soul. I hope he grows up to adore me like I adore my dad.

God has blessed me with an amazing extended family… Mom and Dad, Brother, in-laws, nieces and nephews, cousins, grandparents etc… I have an LARGE and awesome family!

I am thankful for both the family was born into and the family I married into. On both sides there exists a legacy of faith, family, honesty, hard work and a good name.

Rogers, Taylors, Howards, Burnetts… I am a part of some awesome families!