Billy Finch’s Weblog

Today I received this email about ordering fancy coffee from the Gevalia coffee company. It’s been around a while, I remember first seeing it in the little mag they put on the air planes behind the seat. They hook you up with a free coffee maker if you buy the overpriced coffee. Somebody gave us one those coffee makers and it lasted about 6 months to a year and died. My boss orders it for the office and it is pretty tasty… but what I really want to write about has nothing to do with coffee it just reminded of something else.

A couple weeks or so ago we scored some free Dish TV for the weekend and watched a couple movies one of which was “The Bucket list”. If you’ve seen the movie you now understand the tie in to the coffee. In this most hilarious movie Jack Nickelson and Morgan Freeman become friends after having to share a room in the hospital and go off on a most totally excellent adventure and do all the things they always wanted to do before they died. In the remaining months of their lives they had an opportunity to live like they had always wished they could live. I won’t spoil it for you if you haven’t seen it but it does raise some pretty philosophical questions through out it.

So if you had say 6 months to live and money was no issue, what would you do?

Ok… so say money IS an issue and you had 6 months to live, what would you do differently?

So I guess the question would now be… why aren’t we living our lives like that now if it’s not costing much?

To further go down this road, if you had an amazing gift you could share with everyone you come into contact with but had limited time… would you share more or less?

I personally know someone who is living on a limited amount of time and income but yet they choose to share God’s total love for us with every difficult breath.

This person really throws a wrench in my works because I pick and choose when to share God’s total love for us through His Son Jesus Christ with my words and actions.

This ain’t done yet, I’m just getting warmed up!

~Billy

It’s been a while since I put up a Sunday muddle post but things are inching back “normal”. Lots and lots going on these days and I could just write and write and write.

Came in this morning to the theater right about 7 am and we were in a little bit of disarray. I guess the story really starts back on Thursday where we had a round (rectangle really) table meeting with Jesse and the praise band. He told us we were all fired and to get out. Ok not really, actually is was a very productive time where he broke out his vision for increasing the praise band into actually one day becoming a ministry.

So anyway… back to this morning. We had picked a few songs to play but we hadn’t rehearsed and were having abit of a problem getting it together, but we did finally and things went rather smoothly after that. The band still has a lot of work ahead and I expect the complection will change in the coming months as we attempt to grow bigger better and stronger. No matter we still have to deliver the pizza on Sunday morning.

Travis finished a series on “Dead white guys that changed the world”. I’ve enjoyed this series immensly and the one today was on D.L. Moody. Now here’s a little ditty about D.L. Moody I think is kind of funny. My great grand father was a Baptist preacher and he wrote a memoir about his life which I have a copy of. In one section he speaks of being in Chicago and seeing the great D.L. Moody speak and remarked he was not that impressed. I guess it’s all about perspective I suppose. Moody no doubt changed the world with his commitment to the Gospel and we could learn a lot studying these guys.

On the subject one of my favorite is definitely Spurgeon who Mike Betancourt spoke about last week. I recall reading an account of how Spurgeon enjoyed a good cigar ever so often and one day someone knocked on his door and he answered with a cigar in his mouth. The person said something about him spoiling his witness and Spurgeon replied (paraphrased) “which would be worse the sin or the judgement of it”. Good thought to ponder.

I’m excited about Life Groups coming in a couple weeks, we got our study material today and I’m going to hit that to get ready. It was kind of neat, Jesse taped Gail and I and they showed the video today. I hate seeing myself on film, I only see the bad stuff.

~Billy

As we are standing on what is today truly one of the most historic events in our lifetimes I have several thoughts.
They’re my thoughts and opinions and hope they are relevant and based on truth, not by prejudice or peer influence.

Another question for another day is… is that possible?

-I hope Barack Obama is everything he’s been made out to be
-I / you / we need for him to be that, and even more
-he will face the greatest challenge of any President, I think even FDR
-Barack Obama is now our President
-I don’t like even the whiff of socialism that’s being proposed, it’s dangerous
-our capitalist nature has made us the wealthiest and greatest country on this planet
-we are THE most giving people on this planet
-I don’t care what people are saying, I liked George Bush
-I voted for him 3 times, Governor of Texas and President these United States
-I think he faced daily choices that were really difficult
-I think Barack will face even tougher choices
-I believe to a great extent our lives, destinies, and futures are forged by the choices we make
-I believe the choices of others also affect our lives, futures and destinies
-the right choices are crucial, especially as you get older
-there are far too many among us that are “victims” of our own and others bad choices
-this will be the first President that my 12 year old child will really remember
-assuming he goes 8 years, he will influence her from childhood to adulthood
-she will have the privilege to make a “choice” in 8 years for the next person
-we have taken that “privilege” for granted and cheapened it
-God is still God; Jesus Christ is still His only Son
-He still holds all the rulers of this planet in the palm of His hand
-they would have no power if it wasn’t given by Him
-bad choices make bad rulers, good choices make good rulers
-tough choices can make even bad rulers good rulers

~Billy

As we ushered in a New Year(s) I had a lot of thoughts about 2008 here a few:

-It’ ok with me 2008 is ending
-Planning to make 2009 a stunner
-Thankful for making it to 2009
-Have supremely enjoyed being a part of the LPC praise and worship team
-I’m thankful for my girls Gail, Nichole, and Trixie
-Was in awe of how God is working in Plantation Key
-Wish it had happened when we lived there we’d be charter members for sure
-Played in that church many times but never dreamed I’d be there again
-2008 had a LOT of challenges
-I obtained 2 state insurance licenses in 2008, represents a lot of work
-All my parents are having a really tough time of things
-I hate that… passionately
-2009 may not be a favorite year for any of them
-We elected our first black President in 2008
-Yes we have come a long way
-Not sure it’s the right way, but a long way
-Saw the highest and lowest gas prices in like… ever!
-That should scare us a little, ok a lot that’s not a “correction” it’s volitile
-2008 we started to bail out any company that needed a billion bucks
-I need a billion bucks
-Led our Life Group at our house through Dave Ramsey’s book “Financial Peace”
-The timing could never have been better, ummm… unless I had gone through it 25 years ago
-We were officially upside down in our house all of 2008
-Don’t see that changing for a pretty long time
-2008 our house went from “our house” to “an investment property that we’re stuck in”
-Lost about a ¼ of our retirement in 2008
-We “reallocated” to the fixed return just to stop the hemmorhage
-Happy New Year(s) everybody!!

~Billy