My Memoirs

What would the book jacket of your memoir say if you wrote one? Go to the memoirizer, answer a few questions, and see.

Here's mine:

Who I Was, Who I Am, and Who I Want to Be
A Memoir
by Gene Jennings

In Who I Was, Who I Am, and Who I Want to Be, Gene Jennings tells the almost too- remarkable-to-be-true story of his rise from villain to hero, including his struggle to overcome his sexual voraciousness, his troubled relationship with his wife and children, and his addiction to drugs, all of which lead him to a life of crime and to rehab, where he found redemption and the strength and wisdom to write this cautionary memoir about the power and resiliency of the human condition.


You didn't know all that about me, did you?

Action Photo

An incredible dive for a touchdown by Thurmond's Aramis Hillary. Hey, who's that on the chain crew in the background? (Photo by Mike Adams. Check out his blog at www.final-vision.blogspot.com)

Dale Jr. tats, Holy Huddles, et. al.

Here are a few things that have been on my mind lately...in no particular order:

1. I'm glad I didn't get a Dale Earnhardt Jr #8 tattooed on my body since it was recently announced that Dale Jr. would be changing numbers next year. You know there are some Dale Jr. fans out there with a #8 tat on them. They're probably wondering what to do now.

2. At TNC, we've been putting new Journey Teams together in preparation for the Fall. Journey Teams (or J Teams) are small groups that meet weekly for prayer, fellowship, Bible study, and ministry. One common concern is that we don't want our groups to become "holy huddles." But I've been thinking about that and wonder if maybe our J Teams ought to be holy huddles. Just like a football team huddles up before they go into action, J Teams should huddle up weekly to prepare for action in the world. Small groups become ineffective and stagnant when they never break out of their huddle. As long as J Team members are making an impact on their world and influencing others for Christ, huddle up!

3. If you attended TNC today, you saw the SHAPE promo video. Our own Matt McMeans created that claymation video. It was pretty impressive!

4. Are the North Augusta Yellow Jackets back? I've been anxious for football season to get started and couldn't wait for the first game of the year between our alma mater and hometown team versus rival Strom Thurmond High. (That's right, for my friends who are not from here, we have a local high school named after our beloved Senator.) Anyhow, STHS was a 17 point favorite and scored that many in the first half. But NA scored 27 unanswered points in a sloppy, wet, but fun and exciting game. We need a good season for a change. Maybe we'll get one this year. So far, so good.

5. I announced here in late May that I completed a novel. I am currently revising it and will soon get a few copies made at Kinko's for friends to read. I'd like to get some feedback before I pursue a publisher. If you are a fiction reader and would like to take a look at it and you can BE HONEST with me, I'd love for you to give me your critique. Let me know.

6. My dog, Deacon, is whining. He wants to play ball. Later....

Happy Birthday TNC!

Yesterday TrueNorth celebrated its 3rd birthday. We had a wonderful day as a near record crowd arrived to praise God for what he has done - complete with over 2000 balloons dropped from the ceiling, T-shirt launchers, confetti, glitter, and the TNC Band's version of The Beatles' song, Birthday. 1444 were in attendance.

I'm constantly amazed at what God has done in three short years. Can't wait to see what he'll do in the future.

Thinking Outside the Box

Course architect Alistair Mackenzie changed the golf world for eternity when he designed the Augusta National Golf Club. His outside the box thinking almost changed golf more than most people realize. When Mackenzie drafted his original plan for the Augusta course, he planned for not eighteen holes but nineteen. The nineteenth hole, a par three designed to play uphill between the ninth and eighteenth greens, was on the drawing board in case any members wanted to settle their bets by playing a tie-breaker or double or nothing. But Bobby Jones was too much of a traditionalist and vetoed Mackenzie’s unique idea.

Imagine the stories surrounding the Masters Tournament if the nineteenth hole had won Bobby Jones’ approval. What dramatic finishes would there have been? What would we have missed? Larry Mize would have never chipped in from 140 feet on the 11th in the dramatic 1987 sudden death playoff. Len Mattiace may have defeated Mike Weir on the 19th hole in 2003. Billy Casper would not have won the last 18 hole playoff in 1970. There would have been no 18 hole playoffs!

Do you ever think outside the box? We tend to conform easily to standards and traditions without giving innovative thoughts much consideration. We don’t like to color outside the lines. Thankfully, God doesn’t think like us. God saw that the world needed a Savior. He knew that mortal man could not fill that need so he did something incredibly radical. He became like us. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, became fully God and fully man so that we could be saved from our sin. Jesus’ life exemplified what it means to live a pure, godly life. His death paid the penalty for our sin as he became the ultimate sacrificial lamb. His resurrection guarantees that he lives today among us through his Holy Spirit and that we have the promise of eternal life. Aren’t you glad God is a radical thinker?

Mike Yaconelli video

Mike Yaconelli was an influential author, speaker, and minister, especially to youth ministers through Youth Specialties. He died suddenly four years ago and it was a huge loss to the Church but a tremendous gain for heaven. This video is almost 9 minutes long. Take the time to watch it. You'll get a good idea of how radical and out of the box Yak was. I would highly recommend any talks or books you can get from him.

Squirrel Rescue

A week ago Saturday, I was walking across our backyard when I saw this tiny creature laying in the grass. I wasn't sure what it was at first. I figured that it was either a squirrel or a possum. I looked up over head and there was a squirrel's nest. Apparently, Junior here, fell out of the nest for some reason. He had no fur. His eyes were still shut and his umbilical cord was still attached. He may have only been hours old.

What do you do with a baby squirrel? We didn't know either. We wrapped him up in a shoe box and tried to keep him warm and comfortable. Beth tried to give him some milk and water through a syringe. We figured that he was going to die. We just tried to help the little guy get comfortable.

Bailey found a website about squirrel rescue and rehab. We received info on how to call local people who can rescue critters such as this one so I called a lady named Lisa.

It was kind of like calling 911.

"What kind of animal do you have?"

"A baby squirrel. No fur. Fresh from the oven."

"Were there any other babies nearby?"

"No, this is the only one I saw."

"Have you tried to give it water?"

"No, but we gave it some milk?"

"OH NO! Cow's milk? You shouldn't give them cow's milk....well, you didn't know. You were just trying to help."

I felt really bad at that point.

"How about water? Have you given it any water?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, he took some water."

"How soon can you meet me?"

We arranged a meeting place and met Lisa less than an hour later. We expected her to come with all of her lights on and sirens blaring but her Toyota wasn't equipped for it. When she arrived, she had all of her paramedic paraphernalia with her and began immediate life support for the babe. We didn't stay long as there was no time to talk and socialize in Lisa's mind. Her attention was fastened on the squirrel.

Bailey and I thanked her and left her in the restaurant parking lot where we met her with the hopes that maybe the little guy would survive. It wouldn't be because Lisa didn't make a valiant effort to save him.

Travis Pastrana 1st Double Backflip in Competition XGAMES

Those of you who know me know that I like riding my motorcycle. I don't think I'll ever pull a stunt like this off though...on purpose.