The Heath Mullikin Project

Sorry, I have been out of commision for a few days. We haven’t got internet set up at our new apartment yet and as you’ll see, it’s been a busy few days.
1. Got moved into our new apartment which is very close to the church. Close enough to walk in fact which I still need to do to fulfill my failure to pick the correct Super Bowl winner. I have good excuses why I haven’t completed this “challenge” yet. One being…
2. We had to take Drake to the ER on Monday morning at 5:30 with a very high fever(104.9 in fact, kinda ironic being that was my favorite radio station in SC). We haven’t slept much this week because he has a cold and is teething. It is a double whammy. It’s nothing serious, but there’s also nothing they can really do to help. It just has to run it’s course. Then I had the bright idea to…
3. Go to New York City with Dan Smith and Sarah Macey(2 HUGE Giants fans from our church) to see the victory parade for the Super Bowl champs. Dan was nice enough to let me borrow a jersey which wasn’t as bad for me(I am a lifelong Cowboy’s fan) as the “Boston Sucks” chants(being that I am a Red Sox fan since 1988). It was complete pandemonium. You could tell that no one there thought that the Giants had a shot when the playoffs began or even when the season began. Everyone was in shock. Ever wonder where all the confetti comes from in a ticker tape parade…people throwing shredded paper out of windows, which is still littering in most places. We were at the end of the parade route and got to see all the stars. During the actual rally, it started to rain with Tom Coughlin was speaking so we headed home. It was a fun experience. Best sign I saw-19-doh! Hey, I was pulling for the Patriots. I discovered also that native NYers do use a certain word every other breath. It’s not just the movies. Let’s just say it’s a “F”oul word.

4. Yesterday was Super Tuesday and because we got back so late from NYC I was unable to vote in the primary. I am registered as a Republican and I’ll just say my vote would have been cast for someone who placed in the top 3. I thought Huckabee’s showing yesterday was remarkable considering that all the conversative voices on radio were urging him to drop out. If Huckabee had pulled off a Missouri(why did everyone pronounce it with an “a” on the end last night) then it would have been borderline historic. Regardless, I don’t think Romney would have faired any better had Huck pulled out. What’s wrong with a three person race? Isn’t this America? If an unemployed man can run on the Democratic side(John Edwards) then why can’t someone stay in the race as long as they want to on the Republican side. It’s a process that should be allowed to play out to the end. The Party is divided right now. If anything I think Romney staying in hurts Huckabee. I also believe that if Romney were an Evangelical Christian instead of a Mormon then this race would be over. That is my personal opinion. A lot of people just can’t get past his religion. And now I will get on my soap box…I like Sean Hannity, but his act is growing tiresome. All he has is a laundry list for everyone that he pulls out. When there’s a race issue, he pulls out the Al Sharpton list. Now, he has his McCain list and personally, I think he(Hannity) is starting to sound like a broken record. Because of this, I think people are starting to tune him out. Now I also like Rush and think his role in a lot of what’s happening has been overblown. I, for one, don’t wait on either of these guys to tell me who to vote for. I do like their takes on the issues and think Rush has tried to stay true to his cause instead of a political party. I can respect that. I’m interested to see if there’s any fallout for him if and when McCain gets the nomination. In case you’re wondering about the outcome of the general election, the Republican party is using the 1996 playbook so just look that up to see how well it worked for them then. On the Democratic side, I almost believe a Hillary-Obama(or Obama-Hillary) ticket would be almost unbeatable. But I thought the Patriots were too.

PS-We have new internet software at the church so I am unable to post on Facebook or Myspace. I will respond to everyone as soon as I can.

Wow, I am so tired. We have been moving boxes all day to storage and to our new apartment. I can’t say enough how much of a blessing Pat and Colleen are being to us by making this “in-law suite” available and affordable to us. They are great people. Lots of drive time today so time to think about…
1. God is really stirring some things in my heart. BIG things. Vision things. So, I have to ask myself where it all fits in to what He’s doing. I am very nervous to share these things with certain people. Especially, since I feel led to do it in the next few days. God is working.
2. For me, there don’t seem to be any BIG ideas coming from the presidential candidates. I love Huckabee’s Fairtax. Of course, that’s not original with him. Hillary and Obama are pushing universal healthcare. Have you noticed that our government is the only entity that can increase spending while already at a deficit? We need another government program like I need another Batman figurine. I’m just not excited anymore. For all the talk of change, we’re facing more of the same.
3. I’m looking forward to some great movies this year: Jumpers, Vantage Point, Iron Man, Indiana Jones 4, Hulk, and of course…The Dark Knight.
4. Whoever is picking Jessica Alba’s roles for her should be fired. The Eye…are you kidding me?
5. My summer is going to be slammed but amazing. Kids’ Camp, Philly missions trip, NC East camp, Penn Jersey Youth Camp, VBS, and the Red Sox in Philly. Can’t wait. Lots of work to do ahead of time such as…
6. Going into Philly next week to make some plans for our missions team. Excited to work with some great organizations that make a difference every day.
7. Have you noticed that they are restarting all the old horror movies…first Halloween, and now Jason and Freddy are both getting a revamp. I never got into the horror movies much. I’m a scaredy cat.
8. After moving most of our stuff today, I can honestly tell you that if our house caught on fire and all of my family were out and safe…there’s nothing I would go back in for. It’s just stuff. I can take more pictures, I can buy more movies, I’ve got plenty of Bibles…One day my kids are just going to toss it anyway.
9. Pray for good moving weather the next 2 days. We’re supposed to get a wintry mix. Who came up with that term? It’s slush man, just call it that.
10. I may have mentioned this before, but I’m running for President in 2016. Just so you know.

1. This is my 50th post on blogspot. Hurray!
2. Over the the last few years my dad has received various awards. None are as cool as him being name the South Carolina Angus Association Member of the Year. This is a very prestigious award in the world of farming and my dad has certainly earned the recognition. Very few people can say their father has reached the pinnacle of his profession. What’s so great is that he actually loves what he does more so than 95% of the population. What’s cool as well is that my brother is on the board of the SC Angus Association(that’s him on the website). And you guys thought they were just playing outside all this time.
3. My wife reads my blog! Honey, I love you!
4. 3 days until we move. Pray for my back. Come out at 9 am on Saturday if you want to help. It’s supposed to be sunny!
5. Remember when the NFL would let us show the Super Bowl at church or at SWU. Thanks NFL, for ruining a great event and weekend.
6. Don’t even think that the Giants are going to win this game. If they do, then I will walk to church on Monday. I want to see 19-0 so the 1972 Dolphins will go away forever.
7. Conspiracy theories are fun to explore. However, they can drain you. I put a lot of energy and emotion into figuring one out and proving it. I turned out to be right, but have nothing to show for it. Just be careful where you invest your time and passion. Besides, everyone knew bigfoot existed anyway.
8. I have the awesome opportunity to speak at the North Carolina East Senior High Camp in June this year. Hey, when did they move their camps to June? So, you want to make sure to be there cause it is going to be sweet. God is already working in my heart about the messages and I am getting pumped already!
9. Reality TV used to be good. It used to mean that the show involved non-celebrities. However, once a reality show personality becomes a star, is a show about them still Reality TV? Hmmm.
10. Can’t believe that McCain is pulling ahead. Well, I guess I can because the major networks are all pushing him while conservative talk radio seems to be less supportive. Needless to say, the Republican party is in dissaray. Heard a host say this morning that Romney seems to be missing something and that he doesn’t appear to have “it”. Just a few months ago this was Guiliani’s to lose and now he appears to be out. At this point, all I really know is I am tired of the Clinton’s. I just want them to go enjoy their retirement.
11. Let me get this straight, running a 50 state campaign means quitting after Florida?
12. Every year I pledge to get in shape. This year is no different. I need accountability and my wife is helping me everyday. So, will I be buff by June? We’ll see. Right now, I’m puff and just happy to be alive.

Well, it was good to get away to the Penn-Jersey Pastor-Spouse retreat. It was especially relaxing considering that we are packing and moving this week. The speakers were Dennis and Gwen Jackson from Spring Lake Wesleyan in Michigan. Awesome couple. Here are the highlights:
1. Do certain things to communicate with Karen daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.
2. Gwen did some sort of computer learning to retrain her brain waves which helped her with ADD. She didn’t call it that but it sounded a lot like what I have. Checking into it. A guy in their church invented this procedure which has helped NBA player Chris Kaman have a career year. This matters to me because he is on one of my fantasy teams.
3. Karen and I got more sleep this weekend than in a month.
4. We want to develop a prayer partner list. People who would pray daily, weekly, or monthly for our lives, family, and ministry. If interested, please email me at heath@chiunited.org. We want to start a monthly newsletter.
5. Made some new friends. Connected with Todd Seely.
6. Did Barack Obama really beat Hillary Clinton that badly in SC? Wow!
7. Gearing up for the Philly Missions Trip this July. It is going to be awesome! Sign up soon cause space is limited.
8. Hoping to let the cat out of the bag about a summer opportunity this week!(Camp speaking)
9. God is doing some cool things at our church. Pray that he raises the leaders to take charge. Hey, did I mention we got High Speed Internet today! Woohoo!
10. Pray for Drake. He has been a poop factory the last few days and it’s got us concerned. Plus, that’s a lot of diapers.
Well, here’s looking to a week of exciting changes, exciting possibilities, and exciting good days.

Today I cleaned out our garage and moved stuff to storage in preperation of our move next week. I can barely hold my eyes open so here we go.
1. I got the Top Gun Special Edition for $5 at Best Buy. It was phenominal. There is like a 3 hour documentary and it is amazing how this movie turned out. I remember the first time I saw it at Brad Finley’s house. I knew about the “scene” and every time I heard the start of “Take my Breath Away” I asked,”Is this it, is this it?” He was like no, no until it happened. That movie still pumps me up. What great lines! It was in the theaters for almost a year. It was when Tom Cruise was just “the man” and not some crazy Scientologist. Plus Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Tom Skerrit, Val Freaking Kilmer…great cast.
2. Did you hear about the ESPN anchor who got drunk and said some really bad things about Jesus at a roast? Of course not. The media doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
3. Drake getting his one year old molars=no sleep this week
4. Will the media ever be held accountable for inaccurate reporting? Take the recent tragic death of Heath Ledger. Here’s what was initially reported by some outlets:
a. Body found at the foot of the bed-False
b. Pills scattered every where-False
c. Rolled up $20 bill found(hinting drug use)-no evidence of drugs on the bill
Sites like TMZ.com and 24 news only complicate things because everyone is trying to get the scoop…whether it’s right or not.
Can you believe anything that is on TV anymore besides wrestling?
5. No blogs this weekend since we’ll be gone to the Pastor’s retreat.
6. I just figured out some stuff with Windows Calendar. No luck with Windows Mail yet.
7. Hope everyone has a great weekend.
8. Super Bowl pick-Patriots 27-Giants 20

This Blog was originally slated to appear on Tuesday, January 22.

So, the past two days have been very draining. The kids have all been sick. Sunday night Drake only slept about 3 hours, but it wasn’t all at the same time. Last night, neither Drake nor Charis could sleep so Karen and I are walking around like zombies. We’re basically running on sitcom sleep. 30 minutes at a time. Some of its good and some of it is not so good. So, I thought today I would put out the call for prayer for our family while at the same time filling you in on our status. Here we go:

1. Pray for the physical health of our family. Since we moved to Delaware, there has been constant illness. I think it’s the house we’re living in, not like the Amytiville Horror, just old, dusty, cold, and moldy. That leads me to…
2. We will be moving into an apartment across from the church at the first of February. The rent is much cheaper(answer to prayer), it’s off the main road but secluded in the woods(answer to prayer), within walking distance of a park(ATP), and I could walk to work when it get warmer. Much warmer. It is a lot smaller than where we are now, but the landlords go to our church and are great people. With that said, pray for our current landlord, Roy, who is not a believer. We have several disputes with him right now. I have to make sure I deal with him with integrity while not letting him run all over us. While I feel that I wouldn’t want to rent from someone who is not a believer again I don’t want him to think that he wouldn’t rent to a Christian again. It has been oppressive at times, at least that’s how it’s felt so it’s a delicate situation because I have tried to build a relationship with him. For us, we saw the house as an opportunity to impact Roy’s life. We want it to be a positive rather than a negative.
3. Pray for this weekend. Karen and I will be going to the district Pastor-Wives retreat and the girls will be staying with one family while Drake is with another. This will be the longest we’ve been away from Drake so pray for calm, rest, relaxation, and strength. The good news now is that I’m not taking my computer and I’m not using my Blackberry anymore. That means less distractions and more quality time!
4. Since arriving in August, Karen has been looking and applying for various jobs(30-40 total). So far, every door has closed. Things have been tight. Really tight. I have to remind myself that where God calls he provides. It’s frustrating because we haven’t been lazy about stuff. We have been trying to find extra income and are making budget cuts(hey Washington, there’s a great idea!). We want to be in the center of God’s target so he doesn’t have to look for us when he moves.
   

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Tomorrow…Top Gun and some other stuff