Tim Simpson's Blog

Easter Celebration

Easter will be observed this coming weekend.  It’s a time when Christians around the world will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  One of the Easter events that I always look forward to is the Passion Play held at Bellevue Baptist Church. 

This year’s event was titled PRODIGAL, from the Luke 15 story of the prodigal son.  That’s the story of the immature kid who leaves home with his part of the family inheritance, spends every dime and ends up in rehab.  At the end of the story, the son realizes his stupidity and returns to his father.  You would think that the father wouldn’t give him the time of day or maybe demand his money back. 

The father does the unexpected.  He sees the son approaching the neighborhood and actually runs out to meet him!  The father throws his arms around the long lost son, gives him a new coat, a ring and orders up feast with the very best prime rib available.  It’s a story of forgiveness and restoration.  Only a father with a true love for his son could have such an unexplainable reaction. 

Forgiveness:  That’s the story that was featured in this year’s passion play.  The production was done with excellence directed by Mark Blair and produced and written by Lisa Parker, both staff members at Bellevue.  I was honored to have a very small part in the production by singing in the on stage choir. 

 
Traci Hampton and I practice our angry look for the song KINGS OF THE EARTH, during the presentation PRODIGAL, held at Bellevue Baptist Church. 

Everyday Heroes Night for MDA

 
Dalton Al-Chokhachi of Cordova dresses up as one of his favorite super heroes.

For the past 15 years, I’ve had the honor of emceeing the local edition of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon held each Labor Day weekend.  During these years I’ve met some wonderful families and heard of their daily struggles against Muscular Dystrophy which robs the body of its ability to function properly.  I’ve been inspired by the fighting spirit exhibited by so many of the patients, who are determined to live life to the fullest despite the odds. 

It’s funny how we can be involved in worthy causes such a the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, but when someone we know is diagnosed, we gain a totally different perspective.  Such was the case this past year.

David and Stacie are very dear friends of mine.  Their son Dalton is your average little boy who happens to love super heroes.  As you can see in the above picture, Dalton is a handsome little guy too! 

Last Summer, several weeks before the Labor Day telethon, Dalton’s parents noticed that he was having some issues getting around.  Specifically, he had trouble getting up from a sitting position.  They decided to have him checked out.  Long story short, after a battery of tests, it was determined that Dalton does have Muscular Dystrophy.  The word “devastated” would be an understatement, but Dalton’s parents knew they had to meet this challenge head on.  They found the help thy needed through the Memphis chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. 

Each chapter is locally funded by people just like you and me.  Nationwide, millions of dollars pour into research efforts to combat this cruel disease which disrupts the lives of so many.  These efforts occur through private and corporate donations and without the help of the massive U.S. government--which is where you come in.

Fundraisers are held each year to help children like Dalton and adults as well.  This Thursday, April 14^th, from 5:15-5:45 pm, Texas Roadhouse restaurant on highway 64 near Wolfchase Mall, will be conducting an “Everyday Heroes Night” benefiting the Memphis chapter in honor of Dalton Al-Chokhachi.  They will also be presenting MDA with a check for their efforts in the Shamrocks Against Dystrophy program.  All the servers will be dressed as SUPER Heroes…Dalton’s favorite theme/playtime. The servers met and fell in love with Dalton which inspired the upcoming everyday/super heroes night.

So if you're in the Wolfchase area Thursday evening, drop by and meet Dalton and all of his friends at Texas Roadhouse.  Your generosity will help kids just like Dalton live a normal life by finding a cure to Muscular Dystrophy. 

Great Pics

Do you ever get so busy in life that forget to "smell the roses"?  I feel that way sometimes.  One of my co-workers, John Brewer, sent some of his wildlife pictures to serve as reminder that I need to slow down and just enjoy some of the things God has created. 

There is a lake behind John's home and he enjoys using his new Nikon digital camera to capture all the happenings. 

 Check out the wing span on this bird!  Looks like a hang glider to me!

 Life is just "duckie". 

 These ducks are in line and in step too!

Not in the Duck Family

 My wife was out of town last week at a speech and debate tournament.  I woke up one morning to find her newly adopted Yorkie, Sadie, occupying her side of the bed.  Too cute not to include.

Storm Pictures

 

 

 

Tree damage from Monday's storms.
 
Thanks to the stong and gusty winds of Monday's storms, this church in Oakland, TN is now "steepleless".

Not the Storm of the Century

The storm system that pushed through the Mid South on Monday, April 4, 2011, packed a punch, but it was mild compared to other such severe weather events.

A friend of mine asked me at church this past Sunday, "Are we going to get the storm of the century tomorrow"?  I told her that we had the storm of the century on May 1st and 2nd, 2010, when parts of the Mid South received up to 18" of rainfall in only 12 hours. 

The storm system on Monday could have been much worse given more instability in the atmosphere.  We were fortunate that the storms began to initialize during the morning hours before the heating of the day kicked in.  Rainfall amounts were somewhat impressive with some areas receiving 1-2" of rain. 

The primary culprit of the April 4, 2011, storms was the wind!  Wind damage was widespread across the area with numerous trees and powerlines toppled.  While there were several reports of funnel clouds, at this writing only straight line winds can be confirmed.  The peak wind gust in the News Channel 3 network of weather stations was 61 mph in Tunica, MS. 

One person told me how much they appreciated the live stream on our web site.  He works for FEDEX and doesn't have a television in the office, but has a laptop.  The live stream gave him the severe weather information he was looking for.

An e-mail I received this morning made my day!  A viewer let me know that her elderly parents in Fayette county received a phone call from Tim and Jim right before the storms hit yesterday.  They took cover in the hallway and felt the house shaking as the storm came through.  Even though there was no major damage, this couple was very thankful that they received a heads up phone call from News Channel 3. 

You can sign up for Weather Call by calling 1-800-260-6695. 

 

Busy Week

This has been a very busy week.  I've been involved in recording sessions for the Passion Play entitled PRODIGAL, which will run from April 15th thru 18th at Bellevue Baptist Church.  Monday and Tuesday evenings were very long and taxing due to so much singing, but it will certainly be worth the effort once the final product is revealed. 

I woke up Wednesday morning and felt drained!  Despite the raspy voice, I traveled to Theatre Memphis to perform for the Salvation Army's Auxiliary Founder's Day luncheon.  That event had been on my calendar for many months.  You don't just call and say "I won't be able to make it because my voice is raspy".  The final proudct could have been better, but I gave it my very best shot with a tired voice.  Guitarist Bucky Walters joined me.  He's a professional!  I'm very glad that Debbie Litch and Debbie Kines were scheduled to sing AFTER me.  Their voices were amazing!  What a blessing to hear them sing.

The weekend is coming up and already I'm being asked, "when is it going to warm up"?  I think you'll enjoy this weekend's weather.  I expect plenty of sunshine on Saturday with a high in the low 70s.  A few more clouds will arrive for Sunday but temperatures should reach the 80 degree mark.  Rain chances increase for late Sunday night and Monday. 

 

Big Change

I took the family to Hammond, Louisiana last week for a speech and debate tournament.  The weather during the trip was nothing short of fantastic!  I had the opportunity to judge a few rounds but also made time to take my little boys, Josh and Joseph, swimming. 

Our older three kids, T.J., Katie and Mikayla, had a great time at the tournament, pursuing many opportunities to hone their speaking and debate skills.  It's amazing to see our kids so competitive, especially our usually shy 14 year old, Katie.  She has flourished in the speaking categories, putting in countless hours of research and memorization.  13 year old Mikayla is a natural speaker and is simply enjoying the experience.  18 year old T.J. is a late bloomer with speech and debate, but he's enjoying every moment of it. 

After leaving Hammond yesterday, we drove to New Orleans to tour the World War II Museum.  Jim Jaggers had taken his family there for a visit recently and highly recommended it.  It was without a doubt one of the most incredible museum experiences I've ever had.  This museum gave me more perspective on that conflict that anything previously.  If you're ever in the New Orleans area, you need to check it out. 

I was very comfortable in New Orleans yesterday.  When we left it was mostly sunny and 81 degrees.  I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  By the time I hopped out of the van last night to unload all of the luggage, I quickly determined that the shorts and t-shirt just weren't going to cut it!  It was 40 degrees outside so I went into the house and searched for some of my Winter clothes that I hoped wouldn't be needed until November.  Oh well.  Hopefully this will be our last shot of Winter, but don't count on it. 

The Mississippi River in Memphis continues to drop.  It will be below flood stage this week.  Warm temperatures won't return  until the weekend, so keep a sweater or jacket handy until then.  Oh yeah...one more thing:  Keep an umbrella handy too!

 

 

Out & About

I've been with News Channel 3 since September of 1994.  I can't imagine having a better job.  One of the perks of my position is getting to meet so many of our viewers across the Mid South area.  Last Thursday evening I was part of a fundraising auction to benefit Shepherd's Haven, which serves special needs adults.

Today, I had a great visit with the senior adults at First Baptist Church of Nesbit, MS.  We had some great food and fellowship.  Honestly, when a senior adult group wants to schedule me for lunch... I'm there!

The senior adults of First Baptist Church in Nesbit, MS.

A photo from last week's Shepherd's Haven fundraiser. 

Don't Forget the Animals

Anytime there is bad weather, we always give viewers the safety tips they need to know.  One comment that always comes up:  "Don't forget the animals".  I've always taken that to mean that we should make sure our pets have a safe place to be during severe weather, or that they have a warm environment when the weather turns incredibly cold.  After receiving this picture from one of our viewers, I'm not so sure about the exact meaning of that phrase...

 
It seems to me that this cat by the name of Blizzard, is interested in severe weather just like the rest of us.  We'll take all the viewers we can get! 

Austin Peay Elementary School

This past Friday I had the pleasure of visiting the 3rd grade students at Austin Peay Elementary School in Tipton county.