It's been a while

Hello again.

Excuse me while I attempt to dust off the cobwebs and open this place back up. The blog has been a ghost town for just over a year, but it's time to start back up. There is too much to update since the last post so I will just jump right in. My family and I are loving Texas. We are also loving our church. We have added a puppy to our family, yes, literally a puppy. Both Glenda and I think we may have made an epic fail, but the kids absolutely love Trigger.

There really isn't any reason for the long leave of absence...just didn't feel like writing or sharing I guess. But in this season there has been a lot of learning.  I am working through the sharing part.  That part that helps solidify the learning process.  The bring it home, accountability, I'm gonna do it part.  It's not for the lack of learning, but the openness to share. I am learning so much about God, grace, myself, leading, and a variety of other "school of hard knocks" lessons.

Learning hasn't ever really been easy for me; just ask Glenda about college. Learning means being teachable. Being teachable is not easy. Teachability is critical to growing.  There are a lot of times that I feel like I have fewer answers than I did 6 months or a year ago.  Sometimes it's difficult to put the question into words, but the progress is there, I can tell.

This is what I have landed on recently...

• God is good. This is true regardless of my situation.  This one is easier said than done.
• God is more about the relationship than rules.  They both are necessary but the relationship has to come first.
• Grace is vital to growth.  I have seen both sides of this coin.  Live with grace.
• There is too much life to be lived to be messing with trivial things.
• If you aren't serving others you are missing out.  Serving is life changing all across the board.
• Not having it figured out is ok.  I am still trying to be ok with that.

There you have it... still digging through quite a bit, but that will be future blog posts.  I'm interested to hear some of what you've been learning...

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

It's been a while since a "real" post... I've been processing a lot, this is some of what's rattling around in the noggin. None of these really seemed to fit in a single post, so enjoy...

• Would love to hear more about this guy's story. I remember watching him on the Contender.
• We have been rockin the last couple days putting together a new look to our stage.
• The more I am in it... I am loving our new church and the team here. Great people. Authentic. I am pumped for what's ahead.
  
• I've been chewing on this blog post for a couple weeks. The AG has screwed up quite a bit, but I wonder what kind of ripples will come from this.
• On that note... I'm still out on the AG. Not that they care, but my verdict is still out.
  
• This community looks awesome.
• Hoping to get the new Blackberry Storm in about 3 days.
• You MUST MUST MUST check out these guys. Awesome family with an amazing story and company, they are honoring God and putting out some sweet clothes at the same time.
  
• I am really looking forward to a couple days to chill with my family and enjoy Thanksgiving.
• Speaking of family... I am SUPER proud of my wife and her new business, my daughter is pwning the 1st grade and my son is hilarious asking people, "wanna dance hot dog?"
  
• Having fun kickin the social media tires with this guy.
• I've been running the last couple days, it feels good to be active... training not just working out.
  
• Love that youtube is now in 16:9 aspect ratio
  
• Finished my run to today to this song... there is some interesting truth contained in the lyrics: these are the ears that ring with hate, this is the voice of silence no more, we the people... are we the people? this is the moment that needs to breathe, this is the test of flesh and soul... This is the cloud that swallows trust... This is the black that uncolors us... This is the face that you hide from... This is the mask that comes undone.
  
• It would be so killer to be able to scream -sing- growl like James.
  
  

Meet Jack

Let me introduce you to Jack. My kids decided to name our Halloween pumpkin Jack.

This past weekend we took a trip to the pumpkin patch. Glenda suggested that it be a mobile-free family time, which was a great idea. We had a great time at the pumpkin patch, then again it's hard not to when it's 80 degrees and sunny... in October! After eating too much kettle corn and jumping off the bales of hay we finally decided on which pumpkin we'd take home.



I have great memories of carving pumpkins. So, I was excited when it came time to carve up our pumpkin and I was sure that my kids were going to love it too. The excitement was building as I cut around the pumpkin stem to open the pumpkin up and show its "guts".



As I slowly lift the "lid" on the pumpkin guts, both of my kids gag. Emma runs into the bathroom acting like she's going to throw up. I had to practically bribe them to pull the seed and goop out. That was my favorite part!



After they dug in they found out they loved it.

When it was all over they wanted to carve another pumpkin. They were so proud of Jack.

New Star Wars fans

It started with the Star Wars Lego videogame and has come to this; my kids love Star Wars. Watching the movies brings back a flood of memories. Lately, every conversation has been about Star Wars. So, in honor of my kids and the fun of seeing them having fun with Star Wars.

Take R2 with you where ever you go...



















Star Wars in your driveway...

Run in the Dark

This past Saturday I ran in a 5K. It was so much fun. The Community Storehouse sponsored the Run in the Dark 5K. Sam and Emma were so funny, they loved it that I was running in a race. Sam was sure that I was going to win. The Community Storehouse is a worth while group to support and was a great excuse to jump into doing some running. About a year ago I was working out consistently with the goal of doing a triathlon. I am determined that I will get to compete in one.

The best moment was coming to the finish line kicking it in and seeing my family cheering. Emma reached out her hand and chased me across the finish line in her flip flops. She is looking forward to running a race soon.

My son the artist

I received a text from my wife with these pictures attached. She said that Sam wanted to color... that he did.

UPDATE: for clarification... Sam asked Glenda to color with a marker.  He was coloring with this marker on our bed.  The canvas that he chose to create his masterpiece: his face and our sheets.  He looks so proud of his wonderful picture.

Little bit of bragging

My daughter is brilliant.

Ok... time out... I know that quite a few parent like to brag and think they have a smart kid. Some parents even like to declare to all of traffic that their kid is on the honor roll. But my daughter's first grade teacher just told my wife that she tested out "off the charts" today. I am so proud of my little girl. I am also very thankful that my wife passed along her "smart genes".

A lesson in puddle jumping

As the storm came through I would occasionally peek outside to check the status. At best it was a rainstorm with a moment of high winds. For the most part the DFW area only experienced a light bit of rain today. We are praying for the TX coastal cities that were hit so hard. The pictures and video of what happened in Houston and Galveston are unbelievable. So many of our church staff have relatives that are affected by Ike.

At one point I stepped outside and it seemed to be a perfect opportunity to have my kids come out and play. The kids had been inside all day and were getting a bit stir crazy. I had no idea they'd have so much fun. We ended up walking around the block. The longer we went the more the kids jumped. At one point I had to roll up Sam's pants so that he could keep jumping.

We found the drain where the water was rushing to. We sent leaf boats down the drain and jumped around. I was reminded of a few things on our puddle jumping walk today.

• Go for it... I didn't have to teach my kids how to jump in the water. I showed them the best puddles and they jumped. How many times do I know the right thing to do, have it pointed out, and yet wait to think about if it's right or not?

• Carefree... I saw this quite a bit on our walk. Emma's socks were getting wet and Sam's pants got soaked, but they didn't care because they were having a blast.

• Laugh a lot... there was no shortage of laughter on this walk. By the end of the walk the kids had even made the spashing into a game. I am convinced that there are too many adults that have lost their ability to laugh and have fun. The saddest part of all is that most of these adults think they are being a better Christ follower this way. Some how there's an equation with honoring Christ and being boring. Just to clarify, I totally disagree! A Christ-like life is the most exciting life. A God-honoring life is more exciting than the greatest day of puddle jumping. Jumping in puddles is good for the soul.

Watching my kids jumping around and laughing today made me remember a time like this for me. One particular rainstorm I jumped onto my BMX bike and rode all day. I was soaked. It was great. Somehow responsiblity equals not taking any risks. We even term it as calculated risks. Can a risk be calculated?

Get out... find a puddle... and jump. It's kinda fun.
Live life and experience some laughter.
Live the life that Christ has said we can.

Hurricane Day

This week has been spent watching and waiting to see what Hurricane Ike would bring to the Texas coast. My family has been through just about every type of weather, but we've never see a hurricane. We have also never seen what it's like to prepare for a hurricane that is hitting 275 miles away. The news has said that we could see tropical storm force winds, rain, and the potential of tornadoes that spin off. Many people in the Dallas area have friends and family in the Houston/Galveston area.

I am amazed that even yesterday the weather was absolutely beautiful and people were out and about like normal. Since we didn't know what to expect, we figured we had better heed the warnings. Glenda picked up a couple movies and found a great deal on Lego Indiana Jones (I guess we are counting on having power). When they got home last night the kids got really excited for "hurricane day". The news reports slowly downgraded the wind strength and amount of rain the Dallas area was going to experience, but we went ahead with the "hurricane day" plans. We've had quite a day having pancakes for breakfast, playing Lego Indiana Jones, and watching Fox news' reports of Hurricane Ike's path. Glenda did awesome planning a fun family day.

Apache, bumper boats and go-karts

It was quite an eventful day...to say the least.

The last two Fridays we've been trying to do more of the "Friday-day-off-routine-traditions-stuff". We hit up a new coffee shop and enjoying it. Today we started with an early Sonic lunch with my daughter at her school. Sonic is literally on every corner! I feel sorry for those that don't have a Sonic on every corner... ok I don't. After lunch we headed off to the rest of the Friday traditions. Today we added dinner to the event plans.

A family favorite is having dinner on the patio at Central Market. On arriving, there was a shock... someone parked an Apache helicopter in the parking lot! Sam was pumped! The kids were so excited to see this sweet machine up close... ok, so was I. After a quick photo shoot, we grabbed dinner, then off to U-Pick.


U-Pick was our North TX multisite event. I had a blast hangin with some awesome students and leaders at Mountasia... unlimited go-kart + unlimited bumper boats + unlimited mini-golf = unlimited fun!


Makes for a good night. Whew... what a day. Now off to prepare of the aftermath of Ike.

Questions for Guys

Proverbs 27:17... I love concept of iron sharpening iron; but like Tony says, "it's usually just two dull rocks passively talking about sports." Or maybe it's someone that thinks they've got enough people around them and they are doing good enough. How are we doing at being authentic with each other? How authentic am I being in my relationships?

Tony posted some great questions for guys. Check them out. Here's a few...

Are you honoring your wife in your marriage’s sex life?
Are you giving your kids the right attention?
What did God teach you in your quiet time this morning?
What have you done right this week in your faith? marriage? family? job?
What is something worthy of celebration in your life that you’ve just kept to yourself? Let’s go party about it!

box truck

Seeing that we have had more than enough boxes, my kids wanted to have some fun with a couple...

















ok, so I may have helped a little.

40 days of Thor Life

Fourty days and counting... it's seems like such a LONG time since my last post. The last two months have been quite a flurry of activity. Here's a snapshot...

• My first "southern" camp. It was fun ya'll. Hot. Southern. REAL pulled pork sandwiches.
• Steve and Ro's wedding. Great ceremony. Awesome couple. Looking forward to see how God leads their future. My kids did great!
• Surviving a one-car house. Stressful. Tiring. We are all ready for a second vehicle.
• Summer ministry break. This is the first time in 15 years that my summer's haven't daily go go go. It's really nice.
• Wrona's visit. Swimming. Movies. Laughter. More Swimming. Real BBQ. Rooftop pizza. Stampedes. Fun and more fun.
• Movies. I've seen a lot of movies in the last 2 months. Lots of culture.
• Verizon FiOS. Fiber Optic to your door. More on this later but... try Digital TV and a sizzling 20/5 mbps download/upload speeds!
• Summer Olympics. Loving it!
• Student ministry starts this week. Looking forward to rockin it again. It's gonna be a great fall.

I am doubtful that this list is comprehensive, but it will do.

Happy Anniversary

Twelve years ago today I was having a pre-wedding conversation with my dad. We were in a bank parking lot and I was finishing up details for the honeymoon. All I could think about was walking down the isle and saying "I do" to my beautiful bride! Twelve years ago today was a great day! Today I celebrate my beautiful bride and our 12 years of marriage. I am honored to serve her as her husband. I am blessed to have such a loving, caring, brave, courageous, compassionate, and extremely beautiful wife. We've had quite a road to walk the last couple of years and she has taken every step with amazing courage and grace. I am so incredibly proud of her!

Tonight we are going downtown on a hot date! I am so pumped to celebrate with her; to look back at all God has done, to embrace where God has placed us and dream about God's plan for our future.

Babe, I love you... happy anniversary!

Crazy day

Today started at 2:15am. I didn't intend it that way... I was supposed to get up early... just not that early (that's crazy). I got all ready and made it downstairs thinking my coffee would be brewing, but it wasn't. Something wasn't right... oh yeah... it was 2:45am!

After a LONG day finally ended, I sat down to chill for a bit before a rockin' spaghetti dinner that my wife made. As I was chillin (checking blogs) I ran across a loswhit post about a free scoop from Ben & Jerry's. Sure enough it was Ben & Jerry's 30th birthday and they were celebrating by giving out a free single scoop cone. It was a nice treat to take the kids and get ice cream.

My favorite quote of the night... from a Ben & Jerry's employee, she turned to a co-worker and exclaimed "It's so hectic in here... what's the deal?"

Hectic ice cream store and all, the kid's and I had a great time. As we drove home the free ice cream made me think about who all uses the "free incentives". Churches seem to us it a lot. The Ben & Jerry's "free cone day" made me a believer in incentives, especially when they are done right. Churches are guilty of overusing the incentive as an attractor. It was kinda the first time that I was on the receiving end of a "free incentive". This experience validated the free incentive event. It's amazing the benefit of a single scoop of ice cream. It was a good reminder that simple, little, seemingly ordinary things can add large amounts of value, especially when done with strategic intentions.

Ice Ice Baby

While I was out and about with my family today a few cultural morsels caught my attention... the positioning of a hat, the neon pink and green high-top Nikes... are the 80's coming back in style?

Later this evening I was driving and my wife was the dj of the ipod; she treated us to a feast of old and new from Paul McCartney to the Beatles to Vanilla Ice... so I thought I'd share.

This also somewhat commemorates 300+ posts... wow. Quite an interesting 300.

(warning: serious 80's fashion issues, don't watch if you have issues)

Pancakes

I was ambitious this morning made pancakes for the kids. It was a relief that pancakes turned out great. I even made a couple Mickey Mouse pancakes.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! 2008 started quite differently than many others I've experienced... for the most part it included a reasonable amount of sleep.

The best part about my New Year's Eve celebration was being able to spend it with my family. Probably the most fun of the night came in a visit to the grocery store with my kids. We had a blast! They were running the isles and chasing each other through the candy section. I am sure that we were the "crazy loud people", but it's good to be those people once in a while.

As I think back on 2007, I am so glad to close the door and shake the dust off of this past year. It was probably the worst year I've experienced. In a recent conversation with a co-worker, he tried to give a trite explanation consisting of "maybe it was God's way of directing you...". Maybe it's just me but I don't think God works that way. I have come to know God's and His love for me. That includes the way He guides me. I am thankful to be starting a new year.

As this new year starts, I am reminded of a verse that helped me through '07... that I can make my plans, but God will direct my path. I am thankful that God is directing my path... I pray that He's directing yours. I am excited to see where He leads this year.

Happy Thanksgiving

It was a great day being thankful with family and enjoying a spread of great food. My son was most excited about having "smarshmallows", but there is a rule around our table that if you eat the "smarshmallows" you have to eat the yams also... no "smarshmallow" stealers.

This year my daughter initiated the table conversation of having everyone share what they are thankful for. I am super proud of my little girl wanting to hear what others are thankful for and share what she is thankful for.

I have so many things to be thankful for...
• An amazing wife: she's the best, she's hot, I admire her godly spirit. She rocks!
• Beautiful, smart and healthy kids they are SO much fun.
• A tight-knit family. We've had quite the year.
• Friends that have been so wonderful, encouraging and loyal.
• Fresh starts...

All in all it was a great day. After a late night of driving and defrosting locks, sleep finally came around 3AM. I enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and delicious pies, naps (yes, more than one) and playing in the snow with my kids. There really is so much to be thankful for...

Football and my boy

Watching the game tonight my son came in and sat down next to me. Every time an offense got set he would say "set, hike, go"... then as the play happened he would yell "go, go, go". As the offensive player got tackled he'd sigh and say, "oh, man". This went on almost half of the second quarter. It's great that my son is into watching football.