So, much to my dismay, I realized that I did some traveling recently and never updated my faithful The Right Thing readers on the BBQ scene in Orlando.

For new readers, I (along with several other True North peoples) am becoming somewhat of a Bar-B-Cue connoisseur, and I never miss a chance to check out the good stuff in whatever town I happen to be in.

Last month, it was Orlando. Much thanks to my Urban Spoon iPhone app and my GPS, I came across this little gem in Kissimmee.  Seriously? Come one. With a name like Fat Boys Real Pit BBQ, it's gotta be amazing right?

True.

One look at the picnic bench decor and I knew I had a winner.

And these things?

Yeah.  Those are cattle brands from local ranches.  You would NEVER see something like this north of the Mason Dixon line.  Amazing!

Here's a cover shot of the menu, with address in case you're ever local. 

BBQ Sauce lineup looks like this:  

And the chow?  Really really good.  $14 got me a dinner sampler that allowed me to try the best of their menu.  Check this out:

That's beef brisket, a BBQ chicken breast, three ribs and "sloppy" pork (as opposed to sliced), along with fries, slaw and two (count 'em two!) huge pieces of garlic bread.

Brisket and Ribs were average, and the Chicken was really good.  But the sloppy pork?  Absolutely amazing.  Like, some of the best I've had.

And I got out of there for $20, sweet tea, tax and tip included.  Ridiculous.

And just as an added bonus, this was mounted over the salad bar:

This BBQ was good enough to warrant a trip from anywhere with an hour's radius and I'm definitely making plans to hit it again when I'm in Orlando for the Exponential Conference this Spring (for which our Worship Team is the house band, by the way. Woot!).

Do likewise, loved ones. 

It is the Right Thing.

Peace.

Hey gang,

Thanks for the TONS of great feedback pouring in from the I Love the 80's series.

Our whole staff is really excited about how it all came out, and you can be your leg warmers we'll be doing some more 80's stuff in a year or so.

Meanwhile, mad props to my man Tim Meyer who left me a voicemail about the Daily News doing a 'where are they now?' segment on the cast of the Goonies.

Thought you might dig it.

Clickest thou here.

Peace.

B

ps –

thedailynewsisatabloidandtheypublishotherthingswhichIdonotendorsesopleasedont

sendmeemailsandleavemecommentsabouthowyourereallyoffendedthatIputalinktotheir

siteonmyblogandaskingmewhatkindofapastorIamanywaycauseImthekindofpastorthatuses

theGooniesassubjectmatterforsermonsenoughsaidbye.

Hey Gang,

Yeah, don't get too jealous though.  It's about 45 degrees here, and the locals are all acting like the world is coming to an end.    Still, weather.com says it's 25 degrees at home on Strong Island, so I guess I can't really complain.

I'm in town for a Lead Pastors' retreat, sponsored by Orchard Group -  that's the outfit that helped us launch True North.   I love these guys.  And, since my annual winter sabbatical trip was canceled due to tight finances, I decided to take an extra day on the front end of the retreat to spend some solo time thinking and praying.

This, of course, was all preceded by a trip to Tuscarora for this years' Junior High Winter Weekend retreat.  I spent three days with about 225 Jr. High students and absolutely had a blast.  Truthfully, I was a bit nervous about it.  My usual listening audience is quite a bit older and it had been quite a while since I communicated to a group exclusively composed of people that young.   I'm happy to say that things went well.  At least, I think they did. 

It was also very cool to have some familiar faces up there with me.  Matt, Tom, Sean, Tim and Nick were leading worship, and the kids ate them up a spoon the size of a front-end loader.  And, I got to bring Jen and the kids with me, so the whole thing was a Win. 

A quick pit stop at the 'Nizzle for the 6:30 Elevate service, where Dominick hit a home run and 'Livin on a Prayer' kicked things off with a bang, then it was home to pack.

Today, I went for a drive.  No destination – just a drive.  I headed east out of Orlando and figured I'd hit the beach eventually. After getting out of the touristy areas, I found myself nearly alone on a two lane highway driving through some serious swampy wilderness.  Crowded as some parts are, there's a LOT of open space in Florida.

So, I set the cruise control at a nice leisurely pace and just asked God to speak to me a little. I said something like "God, where are the places in my life where you've been trying to get my attention and I just haven't been listening?"   "What have you been trying to say to me lately that I just haven't been willing to hear?"

Just then I passed a long driveway leading to the only house visible in any direction.  It was a small, dumpy place and I wondered how much of this vast wilderness was owned by the people who lived in it.  Then it kinda hit me -  the whole 'ownership' thing, I mean.

Looking around, there was no visible or obvious owner for any of the land around me.  No roads, no fences, no mailboxes.  Just acre after acre of woods and shrubs and land and ponds.  Obviously, somebody must own it.  But how could anyone know?

It occurred to me that God owns me.  I'm His.  He leaves me with free will, but I've given my life over to Him.  Trouble is, I don't always act like it.  My sense of entitlement knows no bounds.  I've traveled to some of the poorest parts of the world and I still have trouble remembering that my good fortune in life is a blessing from God.

I preach every week about how our blessings are there to serve a purpose – to propel us into praising the Giver of all good things.  And instead of remembering and observing and living out these truths, I walk through life expecting good things to come to me, failing to praise God when they do, and complaining incessantly when they don't.

Result – other than the fact that I'm a pastor – it's not readily obvious who owns me.

This makes me sad, and I want to change it.  I want it to be obvious that I belong to Him.  And I want my life to be marked by the joy that comes from constant connectivity to the One who made me.

Eventually, I did up at the beach.  It was windy and freezing and pretty much abandoned but it was still beautiful.  Thought you might enjoy a picture of it.

He owns all this too.

Peace.

Ok Gang,

It's pretty obvious by now that a high percentage of True North attendees and (presumably) a high percentage of The Right Thing readers truly do love the 80's.

The  I Love the 80's Series has brought us more positive feedback than maybe anything else we've ever done.

Now, for the record, we need a vote on best word or phrase from the 80's.

Mint? Rad? Fresh? 

Gag me with a spoon?  I pity the fool?

Bring it on, team.  Sound off and tell us your favorite word or phrase from the 80's, then join us in a passionate campaign to re-insert it into our cultural lexicon.

My personal favorite:   "Nice Head"

Which is defined by the urban dictionary thusly:

Nice Head:

Got a favorite word or phrase from the 80's?  Leave me some commentary love.

Need some help?  Click here.