Confessional time:

I made my wife cry today. I hurt her feelings. I did something directly against what she wanted me to do.

Here's the rub: I think I did the right thing.

There's really no need for me to go into the specifics here - except to say that this isn't a life-changing decision. We're not moving. I'm not changing jobs. It's nothing even close to being that major. But it does seem to involve major feelings.

I wish that when I got married, someone would have sat me down and said, "Listen, John, sometimes you are going to have to make decisions that not everybody is going to understand. Sometimes the husband and the father has to make a call that nobody, not even the wife agrees with. Sometimes your friends are going to wonder what in the heck you're doing. Sometimes everyone is going to be mad at you. Sometimes you have to be the bad guy. Sometimes you have to make your wife cry." Yeah, I know it's my responsibility. And maybe 2 months down the road this will seem trivial. I don't know.

It doesn't feel trivial now.

John

This is pretty much the first and only straight-forward love song that Bill and/or VOL has ever done. It's also one of the best darn love songs I've ever heard. And, I'm constantly amazed at how much it feels like he wrote it for me and Janna.

Crescent Moon

where do i begin?
where do i venture in
to knock upon the door
of possibilities?
i'm oh so cavalier
open my mouth up to cover my fear
but you smiled and played along
with awkward first intentions

i think i lost my breath
whenever you said yes
when looking downward
i asked if i might kiss you
and that night you walked me through
all these new rooms to explore
yeah and all my rusty locks
fell to the floor

and if you wished for the brightest star
would you consider a crescent moon?
and if i'm late ah baby wait
i will bring it soon

stumbling when i come
tripping over my dumb tongue
for God's sake don't these
momma's boys ever grow up?
much too easily hurt
life is coming to grips with what you're worth
when God says one thing
but your heart says another

where do i begin?
where do i venture in?
to come inside this love
that's sacramental
i remember when
i first beheld your face
yeah on the streets of this old town
now i carry it every place

-Bill Mallonee

My pastor and I have this running joke about Janna. You see, if I recommend something to her - a book, for example - she will almost never read it. But, if Ron (our pastor) recommends the same book, she'll have it read in a week. That's what makes this blog thing really sweet. Ron had nothing to do with it.

Janna has been saying for years how she wants to write. And, after Nate got me hooked on it, I realized that a blog would be the perfect outlet for Janna. It's a venue in which you don't have to be extremely prolific, you can write at your own pace. Also, your audience is really limited to whomever you want it to be - I mean, you could conceivably blog forever with no one ever reading it, if you wanted to. So, I badgered Janna for the better part of a week. I offered to set it up for her. And, finally, she caved. She started this wonderful blog.

And here's the thing: I was right. She is good at it. Heck, she's great at it. Look at some of the feedback she's getting already! I always knew she had it in her - it was just a matter of getting her the right place to put words to paper (or screen).

My wife is special. She's luminous, you dig?

Barberman

"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my
money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked the children
in my Sunday School class.

"NO!" the children all answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything
neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?"

Again, the answer was, "NO!"

"Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children,
and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?" I asked them again.

Again, they all answered, "NO!"

"Well", I continued, "then how can I get into Heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!"

In the spirit of last week's list, today I'll give my list of my favorite alive guys - again, in some order, but I ain't tellin' which order that is:

Bill Mallonee
Rodney Peete
Steve Earle
Samuel Atticus Barber
Wiley Allman Greer
Alec Currey
Bill Mallonee
Atticus Finch
George Walker Bush
Bobby Cox
Will Ferrell
Homer Simpson
Bill Mallonee
Janet Reno

Peace.
Barber