I have an awesome mother in law. She doesn't fit the stereotype. She's a great blogger, one of those that's really reflective and artistic with her writing. Check it out! She'll be leading a group of women in our church through the small group study on Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. I'm excited for that time, and whatever women are in there don't know how lucky they are!
Anne and I enjoyed a short getaway in downtown Gainesville after our staff mini-retreat. The staff retreat was a blast! Dinner at a nice restaurant, followed by a wild goose chase around Ocala that ended up at the local "Fun Spot" with the staff ramming each other with GoKarts. The next morning we hit it hard for much of the day with some good, at times intense discussion about some of the major topics on our plate. We're taking a lot of steps as a church so we had a lot to cover.
So then after the retreat I took Anne for a short getaway at Sweetwater Branch Inn, in downtown Gainesville. We had a nice little romantic time that included some God moments and some good discussion in the car and over meals. It was just a good little refresher to hang together since our schedules are so different these days. We loved the cooler weather in Gainesville, and there is a definite coolness factor to it since it's a college town. One thing I don't need to see for a while is anything orange and blue with an alligator head...
On a completely different note, I need to speak to a pet peeve right now. Just need to blow off a little steam: Those who never ever send me personal emails but only those that the subject line looks like "FW:Fwd:Fw:FWD:Fw:Re: IF YOU DON'T PASS THIS ON YOU DON'T HAVE A SOUL!!!" -- you know who you are--I like you and I'm glad you have the time to read these, and that you have a soft spot in your heart. The stories are often touching. Unfortunately, I don't have time to read these, so when I see your name and anything like "Fwd" in the subject line, I hit the delete button. If that makes you mad or disappointed, I'm sorry, I still like you (and if your family, I really do love you and enjoy you), I just would like to ACTUALLY hear from you some time. The danger of all the forwards is that if I get a real email from you some day, I may delete it without knowing that you actually were saying something specifically to me.
Glad we got that cleared up. :-)
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Meet the Newest Member of Our Family
So far, the name we have given to this person is "the jumping bean." We have been on an interesting road the past three months or so. If you have not jumped onto my wife's blog, or if you haven't spoken with me recently, this may be news to you: Anne is with child! We are pumped, excited, enjoying this time and thinking ahead as we prepare for this new phase of our lives. Most of all, I am praising God because his blessing is written all over this. He is SO GOOD! If you get nothing else from this blog, know that in the midst of whatever you have going on, God is good. He is our loving Father. I remember the first time I saw this picture, when we went to lunch I broke down in praise with nothing else to say to him than "Everything you do is glorious God. Praise your holy name!" Ladies and Gentlemen, the jumping bean:
Monday, February 18, 2008
Iwantitis
I love this car.I watched this TV movie last night that was kind of lame but had a sweet version of this car, the GT500 KR ("king of the road"). If I was in a place to get a sports car, this is what I would get. The stock GT500 is actually priced at only $44,000, which is not to bad compared to some of the car prices out there. Of course, it's about $40,000 more than I can really afford right now, but still, it's fun to dream.
It's all part of the interesting up and down of the last two weeks in my life in regards to my thinking about finances. It's a study in contrasts: what I have vs. what I want, am I first priority in my spending vs. is God first priority, my money vs. God's money of which I'm a steward, a godly perspective on money and tithing and giving to the poor vs. American culture's "I Want-itis." My friend Dave in his sermon yesterday talked about the general idea of having the right perspective on our money, and not allowing the consumer mentality with its frankly sinful desires, to take over our lives. Every time our nation goes through tough financial times, we all have to dial back into this area of what we do with our money. I sense that some of the people in our church are ready to take it seriously, especially as we start to look toward our giving campaign that will start in the fall.
Some resources I suggest:
Watch or listen to Andy Stanley's whole sermon series called "Take It to the Limit." It's all about margin in our lives, and that God wants us to have more of it. SO AWESOME. I mean, this teaching is right on, and two weeks of it are directly about money. Also, many of our people are also enrolling into our small group offered this spring called "Good Sense," which is a curriculum available through Willow Creek Church. There are tons of courses like this and everybody has different opinions on which is the best. I think figuring out the money issue is worthy for everyone, whether you do the books in your home or not, because "where your treasure is, there is your heart." My wonderful mother-in-law wrote on this. If you haven't read her blog, get a google sign in name and read her blog.
The celtic band Iona has a great song reminding us that God treasures us. (Yes, the video is early 90's.)
It's all part of the interesting up and down of the last two weeks in my life in regards to my thinking about finances. It's a study in contrasts: what I have vs. what I want, am I first priority in my spending vs. is God first priority, my money vs. God's money of which I'm a steward, a godly perspective on money and tithing and giving to the poor vs. American culture's "I Want-itis." My friend Dave in his sermon yesterday talked about the general idea of having the right perspective on our money, and not allowing the consumer mentality with its frankly sinful desires, to take over our lives. Every time our nation goes through tough financial times, we all have to dial back into this area of what we do with our money. I sense that some of the people in our church are ready to take it seriously, especially as we start to look toward our giving campaign that will start in the fall.
Some resources I suggest:
Watch or listen to Andy Stanley's whole sermon series called "Take It to the Limit." It's all about margin in our lives, and that God wants us to have more of it. SO AWESOME. I mean, this teaching is right on, and two weeks of it are directly about money. Also, many of our people are also enrolling into our small group offered this spring called "Good Sense," which is a curriculum available through Willow Creek Church. There are tons of courses like this and everybody has different opinions on which is the best. I think figuring out the money issue is worthy for everyone, whether you do the books in your home or not, because "where your treasure is, there is your heart." My wonderful mother-in-law wrote on this. If you haven't read her blog, get a google sign in name and read her blog.
The celtic band Iona has a great song reminding us that God treasures us. (Yes, the video is early 90's.)
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Culture Makes it Difficult
As I write I'm writing I am watching the this TV movie on NBC, a remake of the old Knight Rider. Like Extreme Makeover Home Edition, it is sponsored by Ford, and the whole show centers around a SWEEEEET 2008 Mustang GT Shelby that has special abilities. Of course there's all kinds of shots of this car from all different angles. From a guy's perspective though, this car is freakin' awesome! I'll write more later. I'll just leave it at that for now.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Babysitter Almost Died
So, generally in my adult life, I've had little exposure to childcare or functioning as a teacher for kids younger than 5th grade. Those with whom I've had experience are usually controllable and listen, at least somewhat to what I say. But in the past, I've only had two at a time. Last night, I had the sole responsibility for childcare for no less than seven (7) kids. One being a 2 year old toddler who has the windpipes of an itinerant preacher and a temperament that reminds me a little of Stewie from Family Guy. That was the sole boy, the rest were girls ranging from 4 to 9 years old.
Henceforth I will call this babysitting even though I know they're not all babies. There are factors at work when I babysit: Kids know how to play the game. They know that when their parents aren't around the rules change, and they seem to have an ability to read me and understand how far they can push the limit. The other factor is that when it's other people's kids, I never know how/when to put the hammer down. What is allowed and what isn't? Every parent has different opinions and rules for their kids. What Beth does in GraceKids is she prints out a list of a few basic rules. But how do you communicate those rules to a two year old? Thus far in our childcare for our small groups, we haven't had a rules card.
Well, the result last night was just a lot of kids doing cartwheels, running and literally bouncing off the walls (which I of course put an end to as much as I could), toys kind of going everywhere, water being spilled, and everyone getting second helpings of goldfish. Why couldn't they all just sit down and peacefully watch Curious George from beginning to end? I wouldn't expect that from a two year old boy of course, but some of the others... Sigh....
Of course, it's clear that the kids worked me over and knew exactly how to play me last night. I just hope our childcare workers will be back in gear starting Saturday for us. I also appreciate paying them well for what they do. And it's all worth it to see people in the small groups getting something out of the content and the relationship building.
Henceforth I will call this babysitting even though I know they're not all babies. There are factors at work when I babysit: Kids know how to play the game. They know that when their parents aren't around the rules change, and they seem to have an ability to read me and understand how far they can push the limit. The other factor is that when it's other people's kids, I never know how/when to put the hammer down. What is allowed and what isn't? Every parent has different opinions and rules for their kids. What Beth does in GraceKids is she prints out a list of a few basic rules. But how do you communicate those rules to a two year old? Thus far in our childcare for our small groups, we haven't had a rules card.
Well, the result last night was just a lot of kids doing cartwheels, running and literally bouncing off the walls (which I of course put an end to as much as I could), toys kind of going everywhere, water being spilled, and everyone getting second helpings of goldfish. Why couldn't they all just sit down and peacefully watch Curious George from beginning to end? I wouldn't expect that from a two year old boy of course, but some of the others... Sigh....
Of course, it's clear that the kids worked me over and knew exactly how to play me last night. I just hope our childcare workers will be back in gear starting Saturday for us. I also appreciate paying them well for what they do. And it's all worth it to see people in the small groups getting something out of the content and the relationship building.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Ah Sweet Ecstasy!
I used to have this friend, an older guy who had been through a lot of tough health issues in his life. He has a relationship with Jesus that is especially unique, he can probably best be described as a mystic. Since he was single all his life, he would at times speak of being married to Jesus, and he'd refer to his quiet times (which he held in the middle of the night) sometimes as well....stimulating...at least highly emotionally capturing.
I went to see U2 3D at the Orlando IMAX theatre yesterday. I could almost describe it as that. The music and the energy has a way of really drawing you in. I remember when I saw the Vertigo tour in Tampa. Some of the songs, like "Still Haven't Found What I'm looking For", "City of Blinding Lights", and "40" were pure worship for me. People probably thought I was really weird raising my hands and saying "Hallelujah", literally in tears. Don't get me wrong, some of Bono's theology is a bit off, a bit misinformed, but he still deserves a lot of respect and credit. U2 is one of the tools that God has used to open many doors to the gospel I think. And to bring social justice to the world. Bono's a smart man, fluent in a least three languages I think, and familiar with a few phrases in many other languages. He has a way of engaging the audience and creating an invigorating experience. I could go on and on. Here's what I wrote on Fandango about the movie:
I'm not a real fanatic die hard U2 fan, but they're in my top five fo' sho'! The movie was great. It was visually stunning at times, what with the 3D and all. I saw the Vertigo tour in a small arena in Tampa. This was filmed at a soccer stadium in Buenos Aires--probably 100,000 in attendance. There's a lot of energy, it's like having a front row pass and then some as there are a lot of closeups of each of the band. If you're a guitarist like me, it's especially fun to watch the Edge because you get to see the fingering he uses a lot. I didn't give it the highest rating because there were some songs I would have liked to have seen on the big screen that weren't included--City of Blinding Lights and SHFWILF. Mysterious Ways would have been nice too. But there are a lot of other good songs. Worth every penny of $13.25 at the IMAX.
I went to see U2 3D at the Orlando IMAX theatre yesterday. I could almost describe it as that. The music and the energy has a way of really drawing you in. I remember when I saw the Vertigo tour in Tampa. Some of the songs, like "Still Haven't Found What I'm looking For", "City of Blinding Lights", and "40" were pure worship for me. People probably thought I was really weird raising my hands and saying "Hallelujah", literally in tears. Don't get me wrong, some of Bono's theology is a bit off, a bit misinformed, but he still deserves a lot of respect and credit. U2 is one of the tools that God has used to open many doors to the gospel I think. And to bring social justice to the world. Bono's a smart man, fluent in a least three languages I think, and familiar with a few phrases in many other languages. He has a way of engaging the audience and creating an invigorating experience. I could go on and on. Here's what I wrote on Fandango about the movie:
I'm not a real fanatic die hard U2 fan, but they're in my top five fo' sho'! The movie was great. It was visually stunning at times, what with the 3D and all. I saw the Vertigo tour in a small arena in Tampa. This was filmed at a soccer stadium in Buenos Aires--probably 100,000 in attendance. There's a lot of energy, it's like having a front row pass and then some as there are a lot of closeups of each of the band. If you're a guitarist like me, it's especially fun to watch the Edge because you get to see the fingering he uses a lot. I didn't give it the highest rating because there were some songs I would have liked to have seen on the big screen that weren't included--City of Blinding Lights and SHFWILF. Mysterious Ways would have been nice too. But there are a lot of other good songs. Worth every penny of $13.25 at the IMAX.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Ohhh Possum, Possum.....POSSUM!!
Not a ton of people know it, but its very evident to my wife, who has different musical tastes than I...I am a fan of jam bands. I like the Dead and most subsequent bands that formed from the Dead, as well as Phish and of course Dave Matthews Band, though they've gone a ways from their jam band roots. An adventure last night reminded me of one of my favorite songs by phish. Click "Watch" and "Possum."By the way, my good friend Kyle Gentry did the Coney Island illustration for Phish. Send him some work if you need some illustration done... And now on to the adventure that sparked "Possum" playing in my head.
My wife and I wanted to have a date night last night. I came home and we napped from 5-7PM because we were both exhausted from the day/night before (what with the Giants kicking butt and all). We woke up and went to dinner at Bennigans, and then I was reflecting on how I miss seeing the stars, living in Orlando you might see a few of the billions of stars that are in the night sky. We decided to drive out of town to some remote road where there was less light pollution so we could see the stars.
If you're familiar with central florida roads, we took the beachline toward Cocoa, and got off at the 520. I decided the sky looked darker heading toward cocoa so we kept heading that way, and after a few miles came across this road that had an old beat up sign that said "St. Cloud" and had an arrow. Didn't say how many MILES to St. Cloud...
For the next 30 miles at least, we can count on one hand the amount of cars we saw. We saw deer on the side of the road, which is always fun at night, to see little eyes glinting in the headlights. And the sky was really dark, you could see a lot of stars. I had hoped to pull over to shut the car off and hang for a few minutes looking at the stars, so we pulled off in this one spot, but as we did I noticed this possum sitting in the middle of the road, still alive but it had been hurt. Anne felt sad, I would have helped it but didn't want to get bitten and infected with rabis... So we kept driving and at one point I started to fear for a gas station, but luckily we finally ran into 441 south of st. Cloud near where Narcoosee Rd comes in. It was just a great evening to be with my wife, and was comforting and reassuring to know there are still places within 1 hour of our house that we can get away to see millions of stars, deer, and acres of undeveloped land. Even if it is flat as a pancake. But Oh that poor possum!
My wife and I wanted to have a date night last night. I came home and we napped from 5-7PM because we were both exhausted from the day/night before (what with the Giants kicking butt and all). We woke up and went to dinner at Bennigans, and then I was reflecting on how I miss seeing the stars, living in Orlando you might see a few of the billions of stars that are in the night sky. We decided to drive out of town to some remote road where there was less light pollution so we could see the stars.
If you're familiar with central florida roads, we took the beachline toward Cocoa, and got off at the 520. I decided the sky looked darker heading toward cocoa so we kept heading that way, and after a few miles came across this road that had an old beat up sign that said "St. Cloud" and had an arrow. Didn't say how many MILES to St. Cloud...
For the next 30 miles at least, we can count on one hand the amount of cars we saw. We saw deer on the side of the road, which is always fun at night, to see little eyes glinting in the headlights. And the sky was really dark, you could see a lot of stars. I had hoped to pull over to shut the car off and hang for a few minutes looking at the stars, so we pulled off in this one spot, but as we did I noticed this possum sitting in the middle of the road, still alive but it had been hurt. Anne felt sad, I would have helped it but didn't want to get bitten and infected with rabis... So we kept driving and at one point I started to fear for a gas station, but luckily we finally ran into 441 south of st. Cloud near where Narcoosee Rd comes in. It was just a great evening to be with my wife, and was comforting and reassuring to know there are still places within 1 hour of our house that we can get away to see millions of stars, deer, and acres of undeveloped land. Even if it is flat as a pancake. But Oh that poor possum!