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Love At A Chick-fil-A

I love Chick-fil-A. I love their great service. I love their clean restaurants. I love how they ask you if you want a refill and then they bring you an after dinner mint. Love em! If you've ever been to a Chick-fil-A then there is no doubt that you have heard them say, "my pleasure." They say in replace of you're welcome. I went to a Chick-fil-A once in the sticks of North Carolina. The person working the drive thru was "my pleasure" happy. I knew they were on auto-pilot and just saying the phrase so I decided to mess with them a little bit. I decided to say something to them that didn't fit having a "my pleasure" response. As I'm leaving the drive through I said, "have a nice day." He responded with "my pleasure." I laughed.

One morning on the way to a video shoot I told some of the guys that I work with about that story. We were headed to Chick-fil-A for breakfast. The guys in the car said that I should try it again. This time I through out something and I had no idea how they would respond. After they repeated my order I said and I quote, "I love you." Without even flinching the voice in the drive thru box said, "I love you too." They didn't pause. They didn't stumble. They didn't even say "my pleasure." They boldly said "I love you too." Amazing! We laughed about that for minutes.

This past week in my Adult Community Group we talked about some very convicting verses from the Bible. 1 John 3:10 "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."

I love you is such a personal thing to say. I didn't tell my wife that I loved her until I proposed to her. I feel awkward saying I love you to friends. Saying I love you is not something that you just throw around. But according to this verse it is something that should be evident of Christ Followers. You can't follow Jesus and hate someone.

When you think about what Chick-fil-A is known for you think about a lot of really good things. When you think about what Christians are known for you think about a lot of really negative things. What if Christians were known more for what they were for then what they were against? What if Christians were known for how they love others even when they disagree with them? What if Christians were known for their love? It would change the world.

John 13:35 "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Is it awkward for you to say I love you? Do you love Chick-fil-A?

First Annual Blogging All Star Challenge: Update

So a few weeks ago I pitched an idea to Ricky Anderson. Sports teams have All-Star games so why can't bloggers? We picked 5 bloggers each and let you vote on which team was better. It was the First Annual Blogging All Star Challenge.

Team Ricky:
Matt Cannon
Knox McCoy
Tyler Tarver
Leanne Shirtliffe
Scott Moore

vs.

Team Rob:
Jon Acuff
Tyler Stanton
Bryan Allain
Scott Williams
Steven Furtick

Team Ricky came out blazing. Multiple people on his team tweeted and then blogged about the competition. It was close at first but then Team Rob started getting monkey stomped. Something happened that I did not expect. My own friends voted against my team. They said things like "your team is the New York Yankees of blogging teams." I also heard "your team is a powerhouse so I voted for the underdog...twice." Granted Ricky's write up was a wee bit better than Team Rob's I didn't see my own friends voting against me. And then...

Jon Acuff tweeted the following, "Whoa, someone made me into a comic book superhero. Apparently my secret power is "Deep V necks." Check it." Game over. One tweet from Jon = more hits on my blog than I get in a single week. The All-Star challenge post received 123 comments. The final vote was Team Ricky - 193 votes to Team Rob - 316. Jon Accuff for the win.

I can't wait to do this challenge again. I'm not sure what Ricky Anderson has up his sleeve but he tweeted that he's ready and that I could even have Jon Acuff again. Game on.

Now what really spurred this little recap is the fact that I got to meet a lot of new blogging friends. One of those is Tor Constantino. Tor emailed me a ha-larious video that he put together in honor of the All-Star Challenge. It made me laugh out loud multiple times. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Un-Official Blogging All-Star Challenge Video
by: torcon

Tor Constantino is a former journalist who has worked for CBS Radio Network and Clear Channel Communications. He posts regularly at his blog http://www.thedailyretort.com/ and to you can follow him on Twitter @torcon.

Wake On Up From Your Slumber Baby Open Up Your...Eyes

I was laying on the runway with no where to go. My heart was beating. My head was sweating. My adrenaline was pumping. I'm laying on the runway and headed straight toward me is a giant jumbo jet. Paralyzed in fear I started rolling like my life depended on it. My life did depend on it. If I didn't roll fast enough I was going to get squashed. I rolled hard and then I heard..."Rob. Rob! ROB!!!" I open my eyes and my wife is calling out my name. I was dreaming an incredibly vivid dream. It was so real I had rolled out of bed and onto the floor. When my wife woke to find me I was rolling back and forth on the floor. The hotel floor. We were staying in a airport hotel in Dallas because our flight was delayed. My wife still laughs when she thinks about that night.

Doing things in your sleep is a serious thing. I've read about people who slept walked off their balcony and woke up on the ground below. I've heard friends tell stories of waking up putting on their bathing suit with the shower running. I even read about a man who was proven innocent for killing his wife because he proved that he was a chronic sleep walker. He stabbed his wife in his sleep and woke up to find out what he did. That's awful. Just in case you have never experienced a sleep walker first hand here is a clip from a recent documentary.


The Bible says, "'Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:13-15.

I love how this verse says, "Wake up, O sleeper." It's talking to people who are not asleep. As if to say that you can actually sleep walk through life. You can function but you are not getting the most out of this life.

Have you ever had a day or week that was just a blur? What about a year? The grind of life can cause us to simply function and miss out on the life the Jesus wants for us. The verse goes on to challenge us to make the most of every opportunity. I don't know about you but I don't want to sleep walk through life and miss opportunities. I want God to put such a fire for life inside of me that my passion for Him not only wakes me up but wakes others up as well. This life is too short to miss out.

"Wake on up from your slumber, baby open up your eyes." Those are lines from a new song by my favorite band, Needtobreathe. Love the song. Love the lyrics. Love the idea of living life to the fullest because Jesus has changed our lives. Enjoy the song and video if you haven't heard it yet..

Mind Dump

My brain is constipated with random thoughts. It's time to free up some space with another Mind Dump...

• "That's hot" was made famous by Paris Hilton. My brother is the first person that I heard say "hot like fire" when talking about something he liked. I often say "that's the hotness." After the heat that we have had this past week I am seriously considering banning all talk of something being hot. That's not a good thing. Hot is bad! Saying things that we like are "cool" has been around for a long time. There is a reason for that. Cool is good. Hot is not.
• It was so hot that the news was looking at the hospital for people that had died. When it's so hot that you can't breathe and die it's too hot.
• Whenever I think about something I don't like I often start to think about how people in the west, medieval, or Biblical days had it. I mean if it's awful hot for us with AC then I can't imagine being a cowboy. They wore chaps. Those things look hot. I don't know how the human race is still alive. I don't know how everybody didn't die from the heat.
• On Monday my twins had surgery to repair hernias. Praise God everything went great. While at the hospital I started wondering what people in western, medieval, and Biblical days did with babies with hernias. I mean we are so blessed to live in the year 2011. My kids had surgery and were released in the same day. They were back to their normal selves that evening.
• In western days they didn't have AC. They didn't have Woombies...

• Those things are amazing! They didn't have music makers and sound machines. They didn't have anything that makes our life easier. I still say it's hard raising kids but we have every tool imaginable. I don't know how parents survived back then.
• I watched an interview with 6 year old Lucy who was bit by a shark last week. She said in the interview that she wasn't mad at the shark anymore because she forgave him. Wow! If a 6 year old can forgive a shark for almost biting off her leg then why can't humans forgive each other?
• I don't like vegetables. I would like them more if they grew fried.
• I like blessing people. Most people save a bless you or a God bless you for when someone sneezes. I like to say God bless you after someone coughs, farts, or burps. Whenever I do the person will say, "I didn't sneeze." As if the only reason I can bless someone is when they sneeze. The nerve.
• My wife likes the show the Bachelorette. I don't. I have however found a way to enjoy it. This week she watched it the day after on DVR and read out loud Knox McCoy's recap post. Knox is brilliantly funny.
• The other night I was at a stop light and someone jumped out of their car, ran up to my car, and WEC'd me. WEC'd means that someone takes a Waters Edge Magnet and flips it upside down. That was crazy. Funny but crazy.
• Our country is jacked up when it comes to debt. I watched a hot second of the Presidents speech this week about the national debt. Our government needs to elect Dave Ramsey to get all gazelle intense on the national debt. He'd find a way to get us into financial shape.
• Do you remember when the President would come on TV and take over the only 3 channels that we had? It was awful as a kid. You had no computer. You had no portable game system. You had nothing to entertain you while the President hijacked the only 3 channels that your TV produced. Thank God for cable.
• My wife was sent an email with the following subject, "How Twins Are Made." The email had this picture...

• Someone at church came up to me and said that in the case of my twins it would have to be copy, reduce, and then paste. Reese was born 5 lbs less then Hayden. Four months later and they are still 5 lbs apart. Reese is up to 10 lbs and Hayden is at 15. Reese has come a long way since being born at 3 lbs.
• Next week my blog will be getting a face lift. There is a chance that on Monday night it might get jacked up. I'm sorry in advance.

Whew...I feel better now.

We Need A New Space Program

I wasn't alive when America first sent men to the moon. I was alive for Transformers 3. In the movie they show a little bit of the history of the space program. Russia sent Sputnik into space and America reacted. That led to what we now call the Space Race.

Now the thing that caught my attention is the way that people reacted to getting to the moon. People cried. Parades were held. Everyone was glued to their TVs.  It was a HUGE deal! Now I have a few friends who work at NASA and they are not going to like what I'm about to say. There is a great chance that my computer will get nuked and that I will go missing. If you are one of the few who gets to read this post don't tell anyone about it or they will morph you into a space chimp. I kid, I kid. Looking back what did going to the moon really do for us? It united our country! Other than that I don't know of anything significant that came from landing on the moon. I asked a NASA rocket scientist about this and he said that we got TANG from our experience from going to the moon. TANG is great! So we got tang and it united the country.

It made me think about how powerful vision really is. People will rally around a vision. People will sacrifice for a vision. People will become passionate about a vision. Even if it's a pointless vision people will respond. I think this has potential to impact our lives.

I heard Donald Miller talk about a dad who cast a vision for his family to build a home for underprivileged kids in a foreign country. His family was falling apart. His daughter was rebelling. He cast a vision and at first his family resisted. But after a while his whole family was dedicated towards the vision. His daughter stopped rebelling. They sacrificed. They gave. They built the home. They were changed by a vision.

The point is that even if a vision is pointless like landing on the moon it will be powerful. Maybe it's worth it to spend some time thinking about a vision for your family, life, job etc. At the very least you might invent something amazing like TANG.

What's another example of a vision that united people? On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being lack a vision and 10 being visionary, how would you rate your vision for your life?

Does Everything Happen For A Reason?

The following post is meant to start a discussion. I am not saying that I'm right. I'd love to know your opinion.

I often hear people say that everything happens for a reason. I think that some things happen for a reason but not everything. Somethings we can trace back to the reason. For example...

• If you have bad gas then the reason is because of something you ate.
• If you gain weight then the reason is because you ate too much.
• If you are lazy at your and you get fired then the reason is because you were lazy at your job.
• If your house smells gag nasty then the reason is because you have animals who stink up the joint or because you don't clean.
• If you make a bad choice and suffer the consequences then the reason is because you made a bad choice.

I'm on board with saying that there is a reason for some things, but I'm not on board with saying that everything happens for a reason. For example...

• The other day I fell down the stairs. What's the reason for that?
• The other day I knocked over a glass while making breakfast and it spilled water all over my floor. What's the reason for that?
• A friend of mine is pregnant after years of trying. I just got word that she had a miscarriage. What's the reason for that?
• I blogged about Emily. Emily is an eight year old girl who has had cancer for most of her life. What's the reason for that?
• After three years of trying to get pregnant God blessed us with a pregnancy. It was a miracle. The doctors said that we could not get pregnant without help and we did. At our eight week appointment the doctor told us that we had a miscarriage. What's the reason for that?
• Our twins had surgery yesterday to for hernias. What's the reason for that?

The Bible never says that everything happens for a reason. Many people will be able to look at the events that I mentioned and find a potential reason. I've had people say to me that the reason we had a miscarriage was to be a blessing to other couples. That's not a great reason for something to happen. The Bible compares God to a perfect father. Imagine a dad torturing his son so that he could relate to someone else who has been tortured. That doesn't make sense. For God to bring pain so that a person could be a blessing is not a reassuring reason. On the other hand...

The Bible says "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV). The word that I want to focus on is works. God works for the good.  I don't think that everything happens for a reason. We live in a fallen world where unexplainable tragedies occur. I drove myself crazy trying to find a reason as to why we went through our miscarriage. On the other hand God worked in that situation to draw us to Him. God worked in that situation to allow us to be a blessing to others. We have been able to comfort many people because of our story. God worked in spite of our mess. God works for the good.

Sometimes there is a reason and sometimes there is no reason that will suffice. Instead of a reason we have a relationship. God works to draw us to Him and to make good out of the bad things that happen. I don't think he causes the bad things so that we can be a blessing to others.

So what are your thoughts?

Today Reese and Hayden Have Surgery

Our twins, Reese and Hayden, have surgery today. They both have hernias that have to be repaired. Hayden has a double hernia that has to be fixed. Here are some questions that I had and then I've been asked about this...

• Is it common? Yes. It's common in premature babies. Our twins were born four weeks early.
• What is it? It's a lower hernia where the intestines are involved. The nontechnical explanation is that there is a tearing that has allowed their intestines to fall down into the lower parts of their body.
• Does it hurt them? Yes! Sometimes it doesn't but there are times when they cry and it's obvious they were in pain.
• Is it out-patient surgery? Yes. We have to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM. Hayden goes in first at 7:15 AM and Reese will be after. The surgery will take about an hour each. We hope to be able to take them home by 1:00 PM or so.
• Where is the surgery taking place? Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters. We are blessed by God to live close to CHKD. It's amazing!
• Are we nervous? Yes! The doctor said that theirs were bad enough he would have done surgery immediately. That was over a month ago. We had to wait because of the risk of the anesthesia. They don't like to give it to babies until they are six months old. Our twins are four months old this coming Wednesday. We trust God completely, but that doesn't mean we aren't nervous. They called on Friday to give us the details and one of the questions they asked Monica was what our religious preference was. They needed to know in case something goes wrong with the surgery. Monica told them that her husband was a pastor. The woman on the phone said that it didn't matter because I would not want to minister to myself. When my wife was asked that it sunk in how serious this really is.

We'd appreciate the prayers today and tomorrow as they heal. If you haven't met them yet here are their latest pictures. Thanks for praying.
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Update: Reese and Hayden were super troopers! They did great and are now at home recovering. Thanks for the prayers.

Double Feature Movie Review: Captain America The First Avenger

This is part 2 of 2  for a double feature movie review.

I'm a big superhero movie fan. Even the ones that aren't that great I often end up owning on video. I talked to a few people before seeing Captain America and they didn't love it. That made me nervous because I was really looking forward to this movie.

I loved Captain America! I thought it was well done, well cast, and the story was well told. Being a fan of the comic I noticed some decent liberties they took with the origin story but I liked what they did. Captain America is the second best of the Marvel Avenger series, behind Iron Man. I thought it was better than the Hulk and Thor the other Avengers that have had films.

Now if you haven't been keeping track Captain America is apart of the Avengers. It includes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Nick Fury who have all been featured on the big screen. They are all coming together for next summers Avengers. Speaking of the Avengers make sure you stay through the credits to see the hidden scene in this film. It's worth the wait.

Captain America is rated PG-13 for some mild swears and lots of superhero action violence. I give a thumb and a half up. I gave it a thumb and a half up because I might need to see it again to see how much I truly liked it. It's not a perfect film but I enjoyed the mess out of it.

Rob's Rating System =

Two Thumbs Up - A great movie worth paying full price.
One and a Half Thumbs Up - A really good film. It's not ground breaking but it's a fun ride.
One Thumb Up - A decent attempt and worth seeing at a matinee price.
Thumb to the side - An ok film, but wait for video.
Thumb down - A stinker of a film. Don't waste you life seeing it.

Did you see Captain America? What did you think?

Double Feature Movie Review: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

This is part 1 of 2  for a double feature movie review.

I'm not a phanatic Harry Potter fan. I have never read the books. I have seen all of the movies and I like some of them and I think some are mediocre. I'm nervous about this movie review because I know how passionate Harry fans are. So I give this movie review an asterics. If you are a HUGE Potter fan then you will no doubt love this movie. If you are an average fan or have never seen them then you might not leave satisified with this film.

Here is my biggest problem with the film they fail to capture the emotion of an audience who hasn't read the books. For example SPOILER ALERT: Multiple characters die and they don't even show their deaths. They show them dead but they fail to get you to care because they don't show them die.

In my opinion they should have followed Star Wars recipe for how to do a two part movie. Empire Strikes Back leaves you in the middle of a story. They leave you wanting more and knowing that the movie is not over. They pick back up with Return of the Jedi. Return of the Jedi not only concludes very well they make you care for the characters that are finishing up this journey. Both movies go together but they can also stand alone as great films. This movie feels like the second half of the first movie and I'm not sure they should have split them. There is a lot in it but they still fail to capture the emotional pull of a series finale.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows is rated PG-13 for action violence, some scary images, and some English swears. I give it one thumb up. *If you are a Harry Potter fan you'll probably give it two thumbs up.

Rob's Rating System =
Two Thumbs Up - A great movie worth paying full price.
One Thumb Up - A decent attempt and worth seeing at a matinee price.
Thumb to the side - An ok film, but wait for video.
Thumb down - A stinker of a film. Don't waste you life seeing it.

Did you see Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2? What did you think?

How Would the A-Team Handle the National Debt?: A Guest Post By Burrill Strong

Burrill Strong and I met on the world wide web. We were introduced by Ricky Anderson. He has since become one of the top commentors at robshep.com and one of the best Twitter followers. Check him out on Twitter. You won't regret it.
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Of all the important questions we should be asking right now, this is one that seems to have been forgotten. But thanks to my years of painstaking research (read: hours of watching episodes of the A-Team), that’s an easy question to answer.  If asked to take care of the national debt, the A-Team would:

1.)Thoroughly screen the potential client.
Who would be the client? All of us U.S. citizens, I suppose. One of us would have to talk to Mr. Lee and a few other Hannibal Smith disguises to prove that we’re not affiliated with or being followed by Col. Lynch. The A-Team is careful about its clients.

2)Drive to Washington and immediately taunt the debt.
This taunting likely would end in a brawl. Face would get punched in the face a few times, but in the end B.A. would throw the debt and its henchmen over a bar or out a window, leaving them humiliated, angry and vowing revenge.

3)Devise a crazy plan to vanquish the debt for good.
Everybody knows nothing gets Hannibal on the jazz like debt. This outlandish debtconquering plan would involve a few explosions and hundreds of bullets, none of which would injure a person but several of which would flatten tires. It would also include at least one spectacular car flip. But don’t worry: when the A-Team flips a car, nobody gets hurt.

4)Have its plan thwarted and end up captured by the debt.
However, like so many other villains the A-Team has encountered, the debt would make the mistake of locking the team up in a barn, shed or garage with an old vehicle of some sort, plenty of sheet metal and a wide variety of objects that could be transformed into weapons. Naturally, this project would involve B.A. welding something. He always welds something. Maybe in this case he’d weld a federal budget.

5)Use its homemade weaponized federal budget to thwart the debt.
There would be copious amounts of gunfire from the debt and its henchmen; there would also be plenty of explosions from the A-Team’s homemade weapons. Another vehicle or two would flip, and eventually the debt would take a swing at Hannibal. But Hannibal would duck the punch and lay out the debt with a solid punch of his own.  That might not have been Hannibal’s original plan, but it would all come together anyway. And remember: Hannibal loves it when a plan comes together.

6)Leave the debt and its henchmen locked up for Col. Lynch.
Having brought down another villain, the A-Team would speed off in its iconic van just before Lynch arrives, leaving him to arrest the debt while fuming at yet another infuriating escape by Hannibal, Face, B.A. and Murdock.

In summary:
The A-Team’s method for conquering debt is shockingly similar to that of Dave Ramsey, give or take a few explosions and automatic weapons. (But Dave Ramsey definitely would punch debt in the face.) And we could be confident that the A-Team would have the problem solved in approximately 45 minutes...unless we had to endure commercial breaks, in which case they’d have the problem solved in an hour. Either way, that’s admirable efficiency.

I’m ready to hire the A-Team. Who’s with me?

Question? Help!

So coming up in just a few short weeks the wife and I are going on vacation. Well, we actually have two weeks off for vacation but we have nothing planned. Why you ask? We have 3 month old twins. Every idea that we come up with seems like work and not a vacation. We can't pawn them off on someone else for two weeks. It's way too much work. So here is where you come in...

Is it possible to vacation with babies? What is your best vacation idea for parents with 3 month old babies?

Movie Police

A couple of weeks ago at Waters Edge we showed a funny video to go along with our series entitled At the Movies. The video is called Movie Police. I love going to the movies but I hate the fact that they allow annoying people into the theater. People who talk during a movie or even worse people who bring babies. Are you kidding me?! People are ridiculous. But thankfully ridiculous people like that exist. If they didn't we wouldn't have a concept for this video. Enjoy.


The video was written by Phil Poteat and Rob Shepherd. It was filmed by Dillon Tulip and Directed by Phil Poteat.

What is the most annoying thing that you have ever seen someone do at a movie theater?

Feel The Burn

I recently posted about my adventure with Gold Bond. It burns but the burn lets me know that it's working. For some time now I have been using Nioxin hair treatments. It doesn't burn. I wish it did. I don't like the burning sensation but it makes me feel like it's working. It's like when you put peroxide on a scrape. It burns. It fizzles. It burns some more. That's how you know it's working. Every time I use the really expensive shampoo I wish that it burned. The shampoo is supposed to help me not go bald, but it doesn't even tingle. I'm left wondering if it really works.

Unless you are some type of weirdo nobody likes pain. Nobody likes pain and yet pain is one of the ways that God gets our attention. I recently read a story about an elderly women who had a stroke and fell onto her bathroom floor. For three long days she laid in pain. After three days a neighbor came to her rescue. While in the hospital her grandson asked her what she was thinking about for those gruelling three days. She said, "I've never been closer to God my whole life than when I was in pain."

We live in a fallen world where pain happens. Pain happens and it's in the midst of that pain that we often seek God with our whole hearts. It's in the midst of that pain that we are often quiet enough to hear Him. It's in the pain that we take the time to focus our attention on Him. God could leave us alone during our pain but instead He is present in our pain.

I don't like the burn but it makes me feel like a product is working. I don't like the burn of pain but it's often how I know that God is working.

What product do you use that burns? When have you felt God in the midst of pain?

Prayer for Emily

Emily is an amazing girl that I have never met. I was introduced to her story by a member of Waters Edge Church. Emily has been battling cancer since she was six months old. Today she has another surgery after four years of remission. She is only 8 years old and already understands the power of prayer. Emily's prayer is that 1 million people would be praying for her. When I heard the story I knew that I needed to share it with the readers of robshep.com.

I know you don't know Emily but will you take a minute to pray for her today?

My New Life Of Compromise

So this is my fourth week on Weight Watchers. If you are skinny then let me explain how it works. They give all food a point value. I have a certain amount of points and I have to stay under those points each day. I had three really good weeks and one bad weekend. I have lost six lbs so far. I used to eat everything I wanted to. Now my life is made up of compromise...

• At Chick-fil-A I get a char grilled sandwich and a fruit cup instead of a spicy chicken sandwich and fries.
• At Chipotle I get a burrito bowl instead of the amazing burrito.
• For snacks I eat fruit instead of something that is not fruit.
• At really cool hip and trendy self serve yogurt places I get non fat yogurt with fruit instead of non fat yogurt with Reese Peanut Butter Cups and cookie dough.

So Weight Watchers is working. I hate it. I don't hate that it's working I just hate not eating everything I want.

This past year there have been multiple things that made me want to lose weight but none of them motivated me to actually do anything about it. You would think the following would have...

• On Christmas Eve I was supposed to ride a donkey, named Jack, down the aisle for our Christmas Eve services at Waters Edge. I had written a sketch, memorized lines, and was set to ride. I got on the donkey and he almost collapsed. He took one step back and then almost fell over. Jack's owner asked how much I weighed. When I told her she said I weighed 50 lbs more than what Jack could handle. We then had to brainstorm what we were going to do. I got bumped from the segment in favor of someone thinner. When this thinner staff member got on the donkey he took off. It scared the rider really bad. Lucky for me it was so scary I still got to be a part of the segment.  I had to walk the donkey instead of riding it. It was embarrassing but it didn't motivate me to change.
• A few months later we were planning our Easter services and we came up with the idea to have me skydive. I was out of my mind excited about this. Come to find out there is a weight limit on skydiving. I was 20 lbs over the limit. I got cut from the segment. Lucky for me all the other guys were scared out of their mind. We then found a company that would allow over weight skydivers. We had to pay more money and I had to weigh myself before I jumped. It was embarrassing but it didn't cause me to change.

What finally got me motivated was a visit to the doctor. I went for a physical. I am thankful for doctors but I don't like them. I'm not a touchy feely person and they are way too touchy feely. The doctor said that I was in great health for a 32 year old. Her only concern was that she knew that my wife and I just had twins. She said that if I didn't do something about my weight then she was afraid that I wouldn't be around for my kids. That got me motivated! It's worth the compromise to be around for my kids.

Have you ever done Weight Watchers? Have you ever lost weight?

What's In It For Me?: A Guest Post By Daniel Carmen

Today I come home from a week of Student Camp. While I'm on a bus for 7 hours you will be reading the last guest post of the week. Daniel Carmen is the most faithful comment leaver at robshep.com. If you have a blog you should pray that he discovers yours. He leaves ha-larious comments. He also blogs. Check it here.
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My whole life I have had trouble fitting in socially. Whenever I make a serious effort to put myself out there, I seem to make such a mess. I cause people to push me away, to marginalize me. Over time my experiences have led me to keep mostly to myself, both laughter and tears. Now I tend to avoid getting involved with others. I mean once your fingers alight on the stove, you learn something you won't soon forget. That pointed, painful lesson seemed to be that letting others into your life can bring hurt. Can bring awkwardness. Can bring demands. ... So, what should I think when my pastor asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest blog for him?

Well, my instinct was to just ignore him, perhaps he would think that I didn't get the message, after all, what's in it for me? Yet my pastor is also, well, kind of a friend of mine. One of the few people that I know who takes me seriously, who listens to me, who lets me know in a Godly way that I matter, that I have value. So, I ultimately decided to write something, to give it a go. So here we are, but so what? Well, my whole point is about relationships. How even when we try to wall ourselves up, push away from others who might hurt us, we somehow know down deep, that this leads to an empty existence. We were made to be involved with each other and to encourage each other, and, well, to write something for our friends when they ask us. It is about stepping up and strengthening bonds.

Relationships span a broad spectrum. I mean there are all sorts and levels, from casual acquaintance, to co-worker, to friend of a friend, to family, to children, to spouse. They all have value at one level or another. I am now starting to appreciate that I need to approach them with purpose and with intention. So, today I might write a blog. Tomorrow I might share a cup of coffee with someone to talk about important things like sports or the weather. Perhaps one day I might have someone to share with when I feel lost and need encouragement. Better still, I might be able to offer a strong and safe shoulder for someone to cry on.

Whose shoulder do you cry on?

Random Thoughts By Ryan: A Guest Post By Ryan

I'm at camp this week so I asked some friends to guest post for me. Ryan is a great guy. We have the type of friendship where I can make fun of him and he still likes me. I joke him often about his love for The Bachelorette, his bad taste in DVDs, and his fear of babies. He's a great guy and I'm excited for you to get to know him.
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I officially met Rob last year in December after trying my hardest to avoid him at all costs. I had briefly met Rob in passing at church and seen him around the area but had no real contact. There was nothing wrong with Rob, but you know when you are out and you see someone you kind of recognize and have no idea what to say… Yea…

Anyways, after passing Rob at church, dodging him at Chili’s, and being forced to walk by him at Target and say hello, I got placed in his community group, which was one of the best things that could have happened. After a short amount of time, Rob and I developed a great friendship, the friendship inspired me to read and be a fan of his blog, which lead me to read his Mind Dumps, which leads me here…

Random Thoughts From Ryan:

• I first want to say that I am a proud fan of The Bachelorette. I watch it every Monday night just like every other man in America who is scared to admit it. I am just glad that Bentley’s gone. Hopefully she will get over it.
• My wife and I just put the snapshot thing from Progressive in her car. Have you seen it? Do you realize how mentally hard it is to drive with that thing hooked up in your car? Really hard.
• Shark week starts at the end of this month and my cable provider is awful, no Discovery Channel, ever.
• I work in the shipyard and it gets fairly dirty in my everyday outdoor environment. My wife lets me know whenever I rub my nose with my hand and get black snot all over my face, thanks babe.
• My New Years goal is to run 5 5Ks this year, I am running my second race this month on the 26th. The first was the Chik-Fil-A 5K; I finished 444th and almost puked at the finish line.
• Running has been a big hobby of mine lately. I wonder if I am the only one who worries about how short their shorts are every time I run. Maybe there should be one of those hands on your side dress code rules for guys shorts.
• The movie collection at my crib is pretty awesome, one of my friends actually liked the collection so much that they wanted to look at them everywhere they went in my crib. After he came over and left I found movies in my bathroom, bedroom, and even found “Hairspray” in the microwave. That may or may not have been Rob.
• Speaking of “Cribs”, is that show still on MTV? We do not get that station with our cable provider either. (I miss you Jersey Shore and Sixteen and Pregnant).
• I should probably speak about “Hairspray” too. Rob gives me a hard time because  own two copies on DVD. That is my wife’s movie, get off. There goes my man card again.
• Since Rob gave me full reign of his blog, I will admit that I introduced him to my runner’s best friend (Gold Bond Medicated Powder). I read his blog post “Questions Prevent Burning Powder” but he never asked me about it.

Thanks for letting me crash your blog Rob, and if anyone wants to know the winner of this seasons Bachelorette let me know.

We Miss You Daddy: A Guest Post By Monica Shepherd

Well this is the middle of the week and that means I have two more days of Student Summer Camp. In my absence I've asked some friends to guest post for me. Monica is my amazing wife who is not only missing student camp for the first time in ten years, but she is staying home with our twins. I miss her like crazy. Enjoy her post.
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Our last self-family portrait before Daddy left!

Dear Daddy,

We are so glad that you got to go to student camp for the week, but we really miss you! Mommy misses you too, and we think she's a little bit more tired with you gone. She's also jealous that you get to spend the week with the WEC students at Crossroads! Since you left, we have eaten 12 times each- 24 bottles, 24 burp cloths, and at least 24 bibs. Luckily mommy has lots of people that love her and us because she has only had to do two of those feedings alone. We especially miss you at 6:00am because that's our time with just you while mommy sleeps and you feed us. (We think mommy misses you a lot during this time, too!)

Hayden's nap in the monkey chair. Dreaming of daddy!

Reese hanging out on the couch in a new outfit.

During the first day you were gone, lots of people visited us and helped mommy. We stayed home all day and played, nap, bathed, ate, and pooped. Grandma Brownell came, but she asks that we call her Grandmaster Dode.....is she a rapper, daddy? Good news- we both slept all night your first night at camp.

Hayden is the happiest in the morning. He likes to laugh and make sounds on the changing table. He slept in his Batman shirt because he missed daddy so much.

Mommy woke Reese up from her nap, and Reese realized it wasn't daddy....or was mad at mommy for putting those stupid socks on her.

On your second day at camp, we played at home all day because it was like a bazillion degrees outside. Grandmaster Dode spent the night Monday and Tuesday, which is a big help! We get to eat at the same time and hardly have a chance to cry because there are 2 people here all day to swoop us up. We think Grandmaster Dode is hilarious- she talks to us in lots of different voices, sings to us, and holds us non-stop.

It was turquoise day for our outfits. We finally like to look at each other and make sounds.

Later in the day Tuesday, mom and Grandmaster Dode loaded us up in the car and went to get yogurt at Sweet Frog. They didn't share, so we got them back by crying on the ride home. You should know that mom might eat at that yogurt place every day your gone because she misses you- you've been warned.

Hayden laughing at Grandmaster Dode!

Reese wore this bib for daddy. We hope our friends Dan, Chad, and Britney read the bib carefully!

We love looking at pictures while Mom reads to us.

We are worn out and Mom is sure we'll keep sleeping through the night all week. (Well, we know Reese will, it's me she's worried about. -Hayden) We have a lot more fun stuff planned so we don't miss you as badly. Today Auntie Danielle is coming over for a sleep-over because mommy is a chicken. Thursday we are going to run errands, and we are going to visit Mamaw and Papaw Shepherd Thursday evening. We are going to the pool with mom and Auntie Mollie on Friday. It'll be our first adventure in bathing suits and in the pool!

We've got to go because it is time to eat again! We miss you Daddy and can't wait for you to get home. Maybe a kind, unsuspecting blog reader will take pity on you and mommy so you can go on a date Saturday or Monday night. Four nights is the longest you two have been apart and the longest we've been without our daddy. We can't wait to see you Friday!

Love,

Reese & Hayden

PS- Mommy typed for us because we aren't very fast typers yet.

We love you!

Baby Juked: A Guest Post By Dustin Valencia

I'm hanging out with high school and middle school students at Student Camp. While I'm away I asked for some of my friends to guest post.  I met Dustin on the world wide web. He has a great blog over at Abraham Chronicles. He blogs about how to do the father thing right. He lives in Atlanta, GA and he was kind enough to do a guest post for me. Check out his blog here. You won't regret it.
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Our youngest daughter Harper "slept through the night" for the first time the other night.

If you are a parent, or know of a parent, you know what a glorious day that is.

She surprised us by going from 9:00 PM to 8:00 AM -- quite a long stretch considering she had been consistently waking up around 4:00 AM the last couple weeks.

What I'd like to share with you, however, happened the day (or night, rather) before that happened.

It's 3:58 AM. Harper was just about to cry. I roll over, grab her out of her bed, and place her on our bed while my wife gets ready to nurse her.

I'm mentally out of it, half asleep, and my eyes are about to roll back in my head. Meanwhile, I'm changing her diaper, getting her prepped and ready for her feeding thinking she is about to go nuts. She's hungry for pete's sake!

I look at her, again thinking she's about to cry, and say, "Hey Harper!" (You know, in that please-calm-down-and-don't-cry-voice.)

She does the opposite and whips out a little smile. Scratch that, I swear it was a "Ha! I got you Dad" smirk.

I was BabyJuked.

She pulled a fast one on me. I was thinking she was about to do one thing, and 180s me and does the exact opposite.

She ate fine that night, fell back asleep, and woke up at 8:00 AM.

Thinking back on the episode, I can see that she had been toying with us. Straight up manipulation at the fragile age of 11 weeks. So much so that the next day she "decided" to not wake up at 4:00 AM and "let" her parents sleep for a few more uninterrupted hours.

I folded my cards. She had me beat. I was out-maneuvered by a newborn.

Such is the life of a Dad.

One thing's for sure: I'm certain my kids will out-maneuver me all the time. Eventually I'll be outdated, slow, and out-of-touch.

Another thing's for sure: I cannot out-maneuver my heavenly Father.

No matter how hard I try, I cannot:

• Hide anything from Him.
• Accomplish something to earn His acceptance
• Say the "right things" to merit His grace.

He already knows. He unconditionally accepts. He freely dispenses grace.

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Tell us about a time you've been BabyJuked.
What does your morning routine look like?