Before 2007 Ends

The start of a new year can bring excitement, hope, and a sense of something new. As we transition into 2008 with a clean slate before us, many of us spend time reflecting on the past twelve months. For all of us there are many good and bad memories from 2007 that will shape our goals and dreams for our future. It seems that we have within us as humans the motivation and drive to enhance the quality of our lives whenever possible. Nobody dreams of having a year of failure, stress, and chaos. We want instead to picture 2008 as the year we finally accomplish the various goals we have set.

I have recently heard and read that one problem Americans are facing is the pace of our lives. It seems that every person these days is stressed out and too busy to even relax. Despite the fact that we currently have more resources than ever before at our finger tips and numerous devices and plans to increase the quality of our lives, we are running a faster pace than ever before. I could literally spend hours each day reading, studying, and listening to resources on youth ministry. The same is true in the areas of parenting, financial peace, spiritual formation, etc. At times I can become overwhelmed with all of the options we are presented with each and every day. While all of these resources and helpful information are good in and of themselves, they can lead to clutter, busyness, and stress. My fear is that our enemy is using so many of these “good things” to increase the pace of our lives and make us lose focus on what really matters. When my life becomes too cluttered, my relationship with God tends to suffer. As this year begins I personally want to do what I can to simplify my life so that I may be a better follower of Christ. I do not know everything that will happen this next year in my life and for the student ministry of Union Hill. I do know that if we will keep Christ the focus of all that we do this year, we can reach the goals and dreams He has set for us. May Jesus Christ be the focus of our lives in 2008.

5 Random Facts About Me

I was tagged by my wife to post 5 Random Facts About Myself.
Here goes . . .

1. I'm left-handed and proud of it.

2. I love to eat. There are only a few foods that I really don't like, but overall, I love all kinds of food. (Just a side note, because one of my favorite foods is seafood I miss living in New Orleans even more.)

3. I love to read even though I don't read very fast. It takes me a long time to finish a book and have a long list just waiting for me to get to.

4. I am a huge Survivor fan and have seen every show of every season. So far I haven't gotten up the courage to apply to be on the show. The thought of leaving my family for so long keeps me a from fulfilling my dream of trying to be on the show.

5. Somewhere down the family tree I'm related to Davey Crockett.

I now tag Joshua, Heather, and Jason.

Youth Worker Chirstmas Party

On Friday night Theresa, Emily, and I went to our youth worker Christmas party. I decided that instead of a traditional party with food and a gift exchange we would just go bowling. Not to toot my own horn, but this worked out great. We usually take our youth bowling once or twice a year, but that means we have extra responsibility than if we were just going with our respected families. I enjoyed just hanging out with my youth workers and their families in a low-stress environment. Plus, who doesn't have fun at a bowling alley?

This was also a great night for us because this was Emily's first time to bowl. She did really great her first game. She even got a strike (with the help of some bumpers and daddy's arm)! It was really cool to see her reaction as the pins fell down. She could have cared less if all ten of them fell down on the first try or even at all. During the second and third games she definitely was a little tired, but ended up getting her "second wind" and finished the night laughing and dancing to the music. It was a great night not only for my family, but also for my leadership team. If you are looking for something to do this Christmas season to relieve some stress, then I highly recommend heading to your local bowling alley.

Emily & Daddy pushing her 6 pound bowling ball down the lane.

Isn't that such a great reaction?!?

She got an 89 for her first game. Not too bad for only being 2 1/2.

Now exactly how does the ball return work?

PS My wife tagged me in her blog. So, I am now thinking of five random facts about myself to post in my next blog entry.

God's Timing

Sometimes I don't understand Him and sometimes I question Him, but above all, I know I just need to trust Him. Jason and I decided to put a "For Sale" sign in front of our house about a month and a half ago. We never got any serious offers but we also never put it in the paper or anything either. We were going to take the sign down this past Sunday but then something amazing happened. We were all ready to stay here but then on Thursday night I received a phone call from a lady who wanted to see our house. I was not able to talk to her until Friday. She came over and looked at the house and loved it. She then had her husband come over and look at it and they both loved it. I was crushed! We had started doing some painting and had just resigned ourself to the fact that we were staying here. We were just waiting to see if Jason got a raise on Sunday night. I didn't know why all of this was happening right before the vote. Well, we prayed about it, sought wise counsel, and decided that we would go until God told us no. We are currently under contract on the house. The really cool thing is that there is a couple in our church who have a rent house that came open two weeks ago. God's timing is perfect. If, for whatever reason, this does not work out, I still know that God is in control.

Amanda tagged me so I have to tell five random facts about myself.

My five random facts (I spent alot of time thinking about these):

1. I do not like either bread or water (I do eat and drink them occasionally). I would never survive prison.

2. My favorite holiday (at least decoration wise) is Independence Day.

3. My favorite movie is "The Sound of Music."

4. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:19 "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

5. I am half-Italian. My mom is full-blooded Italian.

I now tag Sheree, Jason, and Stephanie.

Lost Season 4 Promo

I just found this on YouTube and had to share it with you. I have been waiting for months to hear about the next season of Lost. Okay, so it's a little sad, but what can I say. If you are a Lost fan enjoy this promo.

Do I Make God Laugh?

Last night, we took Emily to see Santa Claus and possibly get some pictures taken. Both of us knew that actually getting Emily to take a picture had a one in a million chance. For whatever reason, she is in a phase where she just doesn't want to take pictures. It doesn't matter if they are family pictures, mommy & Emily pictures, daddy & Emily pictures, just Emily pictures, you get the idea. Then you add the fact that she is still not sure about Santa Claus in general and that just makes this worse. So instead of taking pictures, we just talked to Santa Claus since nobody else was in line at the time. (Just a side note. I recently read an article and the author asked the question why do we take our children to a strange place, shove them onto the lap of a stranger dressed in weird clothes, and say smile.) Maybe next year she will be ready for pictures with Santa again.

After visiting Santa at the mall, we made our way to mom and dad's house to drop of Emily for the weekend. Theresa had planned this "work weekend" several weeks ago so that we could get some things done around the house before baby arrives. She is having a great time and we have already gotten quite a bit accomplished. There is still a long list waiting for us tomorrow that I'm sure will keep us both very busy.

All of that to give you a little bit of background of our weekend plans. Today as we were going over some plans for decorating the house, setting up the nursery for Callie, and other miscellaneous tasks, God threw a wrench in our well-thought out plans. Even though we know that in all reality Callie can come at any time between now and January 7th, our other plans seem pretty much set in stone. That is when God steps in to quietly remind us that He is in control. Even though we think we have good plans, He has the best plans for our lives. I have often heard that if you want to make God laugh just show Him your plans. I can't tell you exactly how our plans are being messed up because we are still praying about His leading and are trying to not get ahead of Him. At one point tonight I did have to just laugh to myself as I pictured God saying "don't worry, I've got it all under control." While it is scary and uncertain waiting for God to reveal His plans, there is no other place that I would rather be than in His will. Hopefully I will be able to write more about what is going on with my family in the next few days. Until then, I am happy knowing I might be making God laugh.

Ice Storm 2007

Alright, I don't know who all reads this but for those of you who are wondering, we are good. I know that Oklahoma has been all over the news recently because of the ice storm. We never lost power and we don't have any more ice here in Purcell. However, just 15 minutes up the road is Norman, which was very hard hit. There are still alot of people in the Oklahoma City area and the Tulsa area who do not have power. Please pray for them because we have snow coming this weekend. Emily noticed today that we didn't have leaves on our tree and I told her it was because it was fall. That reminded me that it is not even winter yet and we are dealing with this cold weather! I was not made for this. Being from Louisiana, I do not care for cold weather. I told Jason that I think God is calling us to live somewhere below I-10. He said that reduces our choices down to Florida. My response? That sounds good to me!

Staff Christmas Party

Tonight we had our annual Staff Christmas Party. This is one of several parties my family and I attend during the Christmas season. Some parties I'm expected to attend, so parties I can attend, and other parties I have to put on myself. I actually enjoy most of the Christmas parties I get to be at during the month of December because they are usually relaxed in nature, contain good food, and being with family/friends. What I find ironic is the feeling everyone has toward Christmas parties. Every year it seems that we try to out-wit others by having their party early or by simply having a set date every year. My extended family on my mom's side begins the "when do we meet" debate around Thanksgiving. We have finally begun to just set the date and realize that some may have to work or are simply not available on that date. Today as I was getting some supplies from Wal-Mart for our finger food dish, I ran into a deacon and his wife. When I told them where I was going, they said "aren't you tired of parties?" I wanted to say, well, not really. By the look on their faces and the tone in their voices, I knew not to even suggest my true feelings. I have found myself asking others if they were stressed out due to holiday stuff, but I am really trying not to say that anymore. The reason, we live in a world that is constantly stressed out! Our pace is greater than ever before and there never seems to be an end to the madness. The reality is Christmas does add different stress (in the form of parties, gift giving/receiving, decorating, etc.) than we experience the rest of the year, but we all seem stressed out. Maybe you have found a secret to living a more simple life that the rest of us need to learn.

Ice Everywhere!

Today was a great day because I got to be at home due to a major ice storm that has come through Oklahoma. Even though our roads aren't bad at all here in Purcell, everything else just looks frozen. From tree limbs, to the grass, to power lines, everything is encased in ice. Since schools state-wide were shut down and with many businesses not having power, I was able to stay home today with my girls. We had a lot of fun building a fire in our fireplace, watching TV (Emily always calls it watching a movie) reading, and just hanging out. I do have to admit that on days like this, I am a bit jealous of my sister. During our ice storm in January, she and her roommate got to sleep in, watch their own movies, read, surf the web, etc. Life with a two year old means everything has changed. This is especially noticeable when you have a day like today with endless possibilities, and you wind up riding a "cow" from our pull-out couch to the floor. Hey, don't knock it until you try it! Of course you have to yell "go cow, go cow, go, go" the entire time. As soon as you hear your daughter laugh uncontrollably because mommy and daddy are riding her "cow," that is when it really doesn't matter that you don't get to watch your movie, or sleep in, or do anything else you want to do when all you can see outside is ice. Theresa was quick to remind me today that someday when our children are old enough to play with each other, we will be begging to join in. Needless to say, today was another great day with my family and I know that all of the things on my to-do list will still be there later.

PS Maybe I'll get to do it all again tomorrow!

Getting Ready For Baby

Well, Emily is officially growing up. She has moved into her new room and into her new bed. It is a toddler bed and is so cute. She loves it! She "sleeps" in it all day long. Her thing right now is spending the whole day in her night-night clothes so that she can rest whenever she wants. Jason got her toys and books moved in today so her room is starting to come together. We are also getting ready to go through all of Emily's old stuff and pick out things for the baby. Emily is so excited!

I do have to tell one cute story. On Sunday she learned about Mary and the angel telling her that she had good news, that Mary was going to have a baby and his name would be Jesus. We have a stuffed nativity set that Emily plays with and so after telling me about what she learned in Bible school, she acted it out. She had Mary and the Angel and then she had the Angel tell Mary, "I have good news. You will have baby Jesus." She then put baby Jesus underneath Mary's shirt so that she was pregnant with him. This was one time I wish I had the video camera right there.

It is amazing how much they pick up on and understand at such a young age. I think with my belly being as big as it is, she is able to comprehend that Jesus was born to Mary and that He was special. I pray that we never forget that.

Good Times At Chili's

Today was a fun day for my family and me. Thursdays are always relaxing for me church because Wednesday night has already been taken care of. This means that I have another entire week before our MidWeek Bible study. Sunday will always be a big deal, but as a youth pastor I have much more responsibility on Wednesday nights, so the pressure is on because it's all me. When Thursday roles around it is very nice and it also means that my two days off will soon start. What made this Thursday extra special was getting to have lunch with some friends of ours from New Mexico that recently moved to serve at a church here in Oklahoma. Ben and Elizabeth are a great couple and we really hated not getting to see them when we left New Mexico. Who knew that we would be serving in the same state almost one year later?

Ben, Elizabeth, and I attended a youth worker conference right before Thanksgiving and made plans to get together for lunch before the baby comes in January. Knowing that Christmas will soon be here and Theresa's due date is quickly approaching, we decided to join up in Norman for lunch at Chili's. None of us had eaten at Chili's in quite a while so this was a real treat. As far as I'm concerned, we could have gone to McDonald's today. Nothing against our Chili's food because it was great. I just mean that having lunch, no matter where it was, made it a good day. Not only are Ben and Elizabeth great people our age, but they are also "get us." By that I mean they have gone through and are going through many of the things Theresa and I have experienced in youth ministry. We don't have a lot of young couples at our church so it was just nice to talk to someone my age. And no offense to those who do not work at a church, but it is really hard to understand and "get" this lifestyle. The reality is most people look at pastors differently than they do other Christians. I'm not complaining, just stating a perception of mine.

A day filled with relaxation at work, good food, and definitely time with good friends is special in my book. I don't know what kind of day you had today. I hope that you had a good day or maybe and even better day than I did. If not, grab some friends and head to Chili's. I recommend getting the chips & salsa, and the Triple Dipper!

Oh, the Irony!

Okay, it has been a while since I posted anything, but I decided I couldn't pass on this one. As most people know now, LSU has made it into the National Championship game. (If you didn't know or don't care, I will pray for you.) So, anyway, I was REALLY excited about this. However, last time we went to the doctor, we scheduled to have the baby induced. The funny thing is, the baby will be induced on January 7th. Unless she comes before then on her own, that will be her birthday. What makes this really funny is that LSU will play for the national title on, you guessed it, January 7th. I think God does things sometimes to remind us of what truly matters in life and so if I don't see it, I guess I will just have to settle for the highlights.

Christmas Time Thoughts

Can you feel the anticipation building? Not only will school soon be out, but Christmas will be here before we know it. I personally enjoy the Christmas season more than any other holiday we celebrate. I love the special music we hear and sing, all of the decorations, and especially the extra time spent with family and friends. For my family, this Christmas will be unlike any other we have experienced so far. First of all, Emily is now old enough to begin understanding about Santa Claus, putting up a Christmas tree, and most importantly celebrating the birth of our Savior. Also, with Theresa’s due date quickly approaching, our family is about to again change forever. Through all of the last minute preparations for Christmas and a new baby, God is quietly reminding me to stay focused on what really matters in this life. The purpose of our life as a disciple of Christ is to know God and make Him known. The only reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Jesus Christ. The giving and getting of presents is nice, but this should never overshadow God’s gift of salvation. Just as the birth of our new baby will soon bring change to my family, the birth of Jesus changed the world forever. He is the reason that we have hope this Christmas season. He is also the only hope for a world that tries harder each year to remove Christ from Christmas. My prayer is that you find rest, peace, and encouragement during this holiday season as you celebrate Jesus.

Catching Up

I know that I haven't blogged in quite a while, but that's okay. When I decided to start a blog, I told myself that I wouldn't let it get in the way of the rest of my life. I already feel overwhelmed by church work, family stuff, and just life. I want to do my best to simplify my life, so missing a few weeks of blogging really won't hurt. I do have many things to write about after my short break, so I hope that you have been patient enough to remain with me and that you will enjoy future postings.

Farm Weekend

Our family, along with my mom, dad, and sister recently went to visit my grandparents. They live on a farm in Western Oklahoma and it has always been a very special place for me. Life is always great on the farm and it seems that Emily has also just fallen in love with all that the farm has to offer. Here are a few pictures of our visit.

Emily feeding a baby calf.

Emily riding the baby calf.

Almost everyday Emily wants to go back to the farm. Wouldn't you? She got to feed a calf, ride it, ride a four-wheeler, and "drive" a tractor. Grandpa & Grandma Burton are quickly climbing to the top of her fun list. It's good to know that another generation will look forward to spending time on the farm.

My Trivial Woes

Okay, it is time for me to address something I can no longer ignore. My LSU Tigers. Everything was moving right along, we were doing really good, until this weekend. I shouldn't be so sad about it, after all, we are number 4 in the BCS standings. I was so sad Saturday after we lost, but then on Sunday, the Saints won! Yeah!!!!! Our first win of the year. Hope it is one of many. I know it is just a game and Jason and I keep that in perspective pretty well, but, we use it as kind of our relaxing time. We don't get much of that these days.

Change of subject. I have really been hit lately with the amount of people who turn their lives over to Christ and continually live the same life they were living before. We all do it to some extent and so, therefore, none of us can set ourselves as better then anyone else in this regard. However, I have been thinking alot about everything Christ gave up in coming down here to earth and everything He endured while He was here. I am convinced that if we had a total grasp on both of these, then we would be compelled to turn from our ways and strive to live better Christ-like lives. I catch myself doing things such as saying unkind things or losing patience or watching something I shouldn't and remind myself of what He went through. We all fall, but I think we need to consider how we pick ourselves back up.

Best Friends

Last night I finally had a good nights sleep. My little girl slept through the night (something she hasn't done in a while) and so did I. I have been waiting for Emily to have an imaginary friend but so far it hasn't happened. But, today, I think I have figured out why. We have two cats, Chip and Cookie. Emily informed me today that Chip is her best friend. I thought that was really sweet and really sad at the same time. I guess it was sad because I always thought I would be her first best friend. Oh well, guess I'll have to get over that.

Checking In

Okay, I know that it has been a little while since my last post. What can I say? Life with a two year old and as a youth pastor is busy. Of course I also know that we are all busy and I really don't have an excuse. This time in my life is just weird right now. There are a lot of things that I can't reveal to the online world. All I can say is I am at a place in my life where I have never been before and may never be again. While I know that it is times like this that God really stretches and grows us, it sure does hurt! On some levels I have never been closer to my Heavenly Father and on others levels I feel like I have never been so confused about His will for my life. To say that life is interesting for me right now would be an understatement. I know that I can't complain because He is still in control and I also know how blessed I am compared to the majority of the world. I have clothes to wear, food to eat, a car to drive, a job, a family, and love & support from many friends. Here's to not knowing my future but knowing who does!

Trying Times

Well, today so far has been pretty good. Lately though, Emily seems to be getting more testy. I don't know if it is due to my expanding tummy or her being two. It is probably a combination of both. We (as in she) has decided not to use the potty anymore. She has also decided the best time to play is the middle of the night. She does not take naps but she does have a rest time. Some may wonder why she doesn't take naps but rest-assured, she gets enough sleep. I try really hard to give her a nap and end up regretting it at about 10:00 at night when she is out of her bed for the two-hundredth time. She is very cute though. Lately, her thing has been that she wants her own of everything. She has told me about ten times today that when it turns colder, she is going to ask Santa for her own oven and knife (she wants to cut things). She has also impressed the ladies at the library. We try to go every week and so she gets new books every week. There is a beanbag that she loves to sit on and "read" her books. More often than not, she doesn't want me to read them to her until we get home. She does this at the library for about 20-30 minutes. The ladies will just keep peeking over at her and think it is the cutest thing. I read my Bible in front of her and as I am reading, she will inform me that she needs to get her Bible. Then, she sits next to me and "reads" her Bible. To me, this is one of the most precious moments I have with her. She is so smart. She must take after me!

Unhindered Worship

Wednesday night I took our students to a See You At The Pole rally to celebrate that morning's activities. We had a great turnout and got to spend time hearing all that God did in our area. Part of the event included a worship band to lead us in singing. Theresa and Emily were there during the singing time and I was fortunate enough to be next to Emily. She never ceases to amaze me. For those of you who do not know her, she just loves music. Whether it is listening to it or making it, music is her thing. Before she could even walk, she would rock back and forth on her knees to the beat of music playing in our living room. Now that she is a little older, she is really getting into singing and playing.

Almost every Wednesday night when I am setting up for MidWeek, she will grab a microphone and start dancing and singing to the music I have playing. Of course we always have to listen to Blessed Be The Name at least once or twice. This is her favorite song right now and she constantly ask to hear it. A couple of weeks ago she and Theresa were in the back of the room when our students were singing. Theresa said that when the song we were singing said, "we stand and lift up our hands" that Emily did just that. Then she turned to Theresa and said "come on mommy, lift up your hands." We will be in the car and if a song says anything about lifting your hands or just has a good beat, she will lift her hands or start to dance in her car seat.

Having said all that, back to our See You At The Pole rally. During our worship, Emily was just doing her thing. She listens so closely to the words we sing and tries to do exactly what they say. One song even talked about falling face down and she did that! It really humbled me to watch my two year old daughter do what I would probably be embarrassed to do in church. Where did we become so stiff and rigid that lifting our hands or closing our eyes brings funny looks? I am a very private person and often have a hard time letting my emotions show. My daughter is teaching me that when it comes to my expressions about God, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks but Him. I did see a couple of students look at Emily during the rally and laugh or say "how cute." If we all were as unhindered as her during our worship, I know that God would be more blessed that our routine singing, standing, and sitting down. I am grateful that I serve a God who uses two year olds to teach lessons to us grownups.

College Memories

This morning I found myself thinking about the days I was in college. Ahhhh, these are fond memories. The years I spent in college were some of the best because they were pretty carefree. College is where I made some of my truest friends. As I was lying in my bed thinking, I recalled so many silly things. If you were there with me, then you know these references: Reba (she is still #1 in my book), Amanda's pig collection (do you still collect?), Vony and Vonda (they both have a special place in my memory), wanting a second place finish in order to get the Popeye's fried chicken (but winning first), Sheree falling down in the construction site (I did not witness this but she told us), our snow report (funniest thing ever), the BSU (now called the BCM), our late night devotionals, Katie, holding me hostage, and so many other great memories. Isn't it amazing how our lives have changed so drastically. We are moms, wives, grown-ups. It is an amazing thing. I remember us sitting around talking about what we wanted our husbands to be like and what we were going to name our children and what we wanted to do. I don't know about any of you, but all of my dreams have come true.

My Grandma

This post is really a prayer request. My grandmother has been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. This is a disease that itself is not fatal but the symptoms can be. If you know me pretty well, you know that my grandma and my aunt are the two people in my life whom I look up to more than anyone else. My grandma has always been there for me. Some of my best and favorite memories have to do with my grandma. We would go to the beach with her every summer growing up and just had the best time. My brother and I spent a lot of time at her house because my dad was a single dad and needed the extra help. I have picked up so many sticks in her back yard it is not even funny. One of my favorite memories was at the beach. My grandma told my brother and I that the tide was supposed to be high that day. We went out to the gulf (of Mexico) and would not get in because we didn't know how high the water was. I remember looking up and see my grandma walking down to the beach in her black bathing suit. She just walked right into the water like it was no big deal and so my brother and I followed her. We were on both sides of her and started splashing each other. She told us to stop splashing her or she would go back to the house. Needless to say, we stopped. My grandmother was my biggest supporter growing up. There are a lot of different paths my life could have taken because of circumstances beyond my control, however, she always encouraged me to live a life that I would be proud of. I will not get to see my grandma this Thanksgiving because I will be too far along in my pregnancy to travel that far. However, I am hoping to get to Baton Rouge after the baby is born. My aunt says that my grandma is going downhill pretty fast. Please be in prayer that I will get to see her soon.

Heroes

Last night was the premier of the second season of Heroes. Theresa and I really enjoyed watching this show last season and are looking forward to what's in store the second time around. This is one of two shows that our church secretary and I discuss on a frequent basis. (We also talk about Survivor.) Almost every Tuesday of season one she or I would bring up the previous night's show. Her whole family watches Heroes and we discuss plots and try to answer questions we have about what will happen next. Basically it helps liven things up around the office.

While I really like the show, I think I like even more the concept of heroes. On the show, ordinary people have special gifts and abilities that in the real world don't exist. I do think that real heroes, however, do exist. For the most part they are just like you and me and anybody can be a hero. I have many heroes of the Bible that I love to read about and look forward to spending eternity with them one day. I also have many heroes in my family, church family, and my friends. America has had countless heroes that have fought in numerous wars, served during times like 9/11, and in many ways that never catches the attention of the public. One of my wife's heroes is her grandmother and we found out yesterday that she has Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. This is the one person that Theresa wanted at our wedding more than any other relative or friend. I often hear stories about Grandma Nettles and it makes me proud to be in her family. Please remember her and Theresa in your prayers. We cannot be with Grandma Nettles this Thanksgiving because of travel restrictions during Theresa's pregnancy, so Theresa is really hoping to she her early next year. We are not guaranteed she will live that long and this is really hard for Theresa. We are both thankful for real heroes that make a difference in our lives.

The Future Brings Change

Even though I don't always embrace every little cultural change that comes my way, change can be good and I love to dream about the all of the possibilities the future holds. For all of us, the future can be a clean slate with endless possibilities. Today I was again reminded of that through an e-mail my sister sent me about the new Mercedes Benz. This car is different from any that I have seen and even though I'm not quite sold on how it will work, it's just cool to see that somebody somewhere thought this up. I feel the same way about the Apple iPhone. This phone is pushing the limits on a device that the majority of the people I know today have attached to their body at all times. Does it have flaws? Yes, but Apple won't just give up and throw in the towel. Instead, they work to make it better. We need to also not be afraid to fail but strong enough to understand that we are not perfect and will make mistakes. God gives us the chance to fall flat on our faces, stand up, dust ourselves off, and start again. Here's to seeing our God-shaped future as limitless!

Spending Time With God

Isn't it amazing how God speaks to us about things that maybe we don't think are a big deal. The last few days, my quiet times have been about having more of a commitment to Christ. I have always struggled with having a quiet time. I know how important having a quiet time is and so I have always tried to do better and have always vowed to do better. However, the other day I was reading the verse that says, "He who seeks to follow Me must take up his cross daily." I have read this verse many times but it has stuck with me for the last few days. I have always looked at this verse in such a way to speak of the struggles of being in a Christian in this world and the persecution we must endure. But after the other day, I look at it in a whole different light. We are to daily spend time with Christ; this is our cross. It is not a burdensome thing. It is simply putting ourselves and our desires aside in order to fulfill the calling of our Heavenly Father. Our quiet times that we spend with Him each day are not necessarily something earth shattering, but by making them a priority, we have chosen to take the focus off of ourselves and put on Him, where it belongs. This is my desire in life and this is one of the simplest things I can do to show what priority He has in my life. If you are not spending your time with God each day, I urge you to do so. Let Him know how valuable He is.

Fresh Cut Grass

As you can probably tell from the title, I spent a few hours today doing yard work. My weed-eater had been out of commission, so I hadn't been able to fully finish my typical mowing on the weekends. While I have mowed, not weed-eating is a whole different story. Little by little, grass started to overtake our flower bed and against our fence. Needless to say, I had a lot of work to catch up on and I am pretty tired from it all.

For the most part I really enjoy mowing and weed-eating because I get to see the finished product. In youth ministry that is not always the case. You can spend years pouring into a student and never really know if they got it. Maybe someday they will hunt you down to tell you how you impacted their life for Christ, but this can be few and far between. Many days at work it feels like I just put out little fires to only be faced by a dozen more the next day. Don't get me wrong. Ministry definitely has its rewards, sometimes here on earth and many times in heaven. It is just nice to have a couple of things in my life that I can see the beginning, middle, and end. I love seeing the yard when all of my work is done. For one thing I know when I'm done. There are only so many times you can mow a yard.

I think it also reminds me of how quickly our lives can change. Even though I had mowed and done the weed-eating just a few weeks ago, you probably couldn't tell that this morning. Little by little the weeds and the grass grew until it looked really bad. Sin can be the same way. When it is left alone, it grows and grows until you find yourself in a huge mess that you might not have seen coming. The lesson I learn over and over again is take care of the small stuff. Whether this be mowing the grass, weed-eating, or getting rid of sin, don't put it off.

Emily Being Emily

Okay, if you get tired of hearing about Emily, I am very sorry. But, seeing as how I am a stay-at-home mom, that is probably what I will talk the most about. She is so funny. She is really into her car right now. We only have one vehicle and Jason takes it to work everyday. At lunch time, when he leaves to go back to work, she will start crying because he took her car. In the afternoons, we he returns home, she gets so excited because her car is back. I just really think that is funny because it is such a big deal to her to have her car at home. I have also included a picture of her "helping" paint by putting tape on the wall. It is such a funny picture. The second one is of her sliding down her "waterfall." She thought of this all by herself. I think it is amazing how they just need the simplest things to entertain them, blue painters tape and a blue blanket and she was good to go. I will leave you with one profound thought and then I am fresh out; do you think God laughs when we try to maintain control of a house with a two year old in it?

Gotta Love Hanging Out With Youth Guys

Today I got to spend most of my time just learning from and hanging out with other youth pastors. We are very fortunate in Oklahoma to have something called OKYMA that exists to give youth ministers the opportunity to network with each other, to sharpen their skills, and to fellowship with their fellow laborers in youth ministry. It is so nice to spend time once in awhile with other people who understand what you are going through and just get you. Times like these remind me that I'm not alone in this journey called youth ministry. If nothing else, I also got to be out of the office for most of the day and that is a very good thing.

It was also a great day because I got to re-connect with a youth pastor and his wife that I met while serving in New Mexico. It was great to see them again and find out that they are now serving in OK. I look forward to continuing our friendship and ministry together. Not only did we get to spend time goofing off at Incredible Pizza, but we also were challenged to take care of ourselves as ministers. To surround ourselves with people that share our passion and help us grow spiritually. What I valued the most today apart from getting to meet new youth pastors was the insight into youth ministry from a husband and wife who have been serving in a local church for many years. Even though I have been a full-time youth pastor for almost five years, I am reminded all of the time how much I don't know and need to work on. Too many ministers are either leaving full-time ministry or just plain burned out. From day one I committed to this to the end. I don't want to be another statistic of a guy who used to be in the ministry. So, I keep pressing on. Growing, learning, and serving each and every day. Talk about one fun, exciting, uneasy adventure!

Defining Patience

I have come to learn that patience is not a word in a two year olds vocabulary. If I ever have to tell Emily to wait, I know a tantrum will follow. I don't know when she will finally understand what this word means, but it can't come too early. The truth is that we are the same way with God. If God tells us to wait, we sometimes throw a tantrum and tell him we don't want to. The funny thing about a two year old is that if you just focus their attention on something else, they will forget about whatever it is they wanted (at least for a couple of minutes.) Maybe we need to do the same.

Oh, by the way. Yes, the Saints lost and I was very disappointed. However, we were playing the defending World Champs, Payton Manning, and on their home turf. I am okay with that and I think that we will do really well the rest of the season.

Go Saints!

If you know me at all, this post should come as no surprise to you. Tonight, the New Orleans Saints take the field against the Indianapolis Colts. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am that football season has begun. I really want the Saints to win but if they don't, I wouldn't be that sad because the Colts are my second favorite team. Jason and I really like Payton Manning and usually root for them. However, they are playing my team, so GO SAINTS!

I know to some of you this is not a big deal. It is such a big deal that my daughter says "Go Saints, Go Colts, or Go Cowboys (Jason's team)" every time we watch a football game (even college). So tonight she should be a little confused. I really don't have words of wisdom to share this time, I just thought everyone needed to be rooting for the Saints tonight.

Only The Best

This past Labor Day, I got to spend most of the day working on painting our living room and kitchen. My mom and dad came over to give us a hand with the project and to of course see Emily. This turned out to be a productive but draining day since we worked almost non-stop. By the time I climbed into bed around 1:45am, I was physically sore and ready to sleep. You may be wondering why I would spend a national holiday working instead of taking it easy. For one, this was the first day that my mom and dad could help with the project when I too was free. We have been wanting to paint ever since we moved in last December, but time seems to fly by so fast these days and here we are almost a year later before finally getting to paint. I also like the look and feel a new paint job does for your house and for your soul. I always want to give everything only the best I have to offer, and this includes my home. Not only does the new paint really make our living room and kitchen look great, but it makes me feel good about all of the hard work I did. Since I am a homeowner, I feel that it is my responsibility and right to take care of my house. As a husband and a dad, I have a great level of responsibility to provide the best environment I possibly can for my family. That is why I didn't mind working on my extra day off this week and why I felt pretty good about the day when I started seeing an end in sight. I still have a few places to fill in and some spots to re-touch, but it is all downhill from here. Of course, we still have the rest of the house to work on, but this is a great start.

With the work done from Monday fresh on my mind, I was reminded again of the importance of giving God only our best. For the past two weeks, we have been looking at Acts 2:42-47 to better understand the makeup of the first century church. As you read through these few verses, I believe that these first followers of Christ understood the importance of give everything to God. Too many times we tend to give God our "leftovers" and that is not what He deserves. From waiting until the last moments of the day to say a quick prayer to putting off reading His word, He doesn't always get my best. Some of the very first opening words from The Purpose Driven Life teach us the life is not about us and is all about God. He is the reason we are here on planet Earth and He is the reason we live and move and breath. When our focus is shifted from ourselves and making our name great to making His name great, we can only long to give God our best. I know that this sounds easy to do, but for me this will be a lifelong journey that is worth working towards. May we all strive to give God our best in all that we do.

Naked Child

Well, this is officially my first blog. I know what I am going to talk about because it made my whole day. Emily, my two year old daughter, has recently been working on potty training. Since we are having our second child in January, we are really letting her do this at her own pace and not push her. A few months ago, she decided that she did not need naps anymore, (actually I decided this because she would be cranky the rest of the night and not get to sleep until really late.) Anyway, you may wonder what these two things have to do with each other until today happened. My daughter does go in her room for an hour of "rest" time. She usually plays in her bed with her babies or looks at her books. This morning, she told me that she was not wearing pull-ups anymore but she was going to wear big-girl panties. I tried to get the pull-up on her, but she really did not want it on. Since we are at home all day, I decided not to fight this battle and just let her wear her big-girl panties. She did pretty good and went to the potty most of the day. Then, "rest" time came. I told her that she needed to wear a pull-up and after "rest" time, she could wear big-girl panties again. She was okay with this arrangement. However, after her hour was up, I went in to get her and she was naked. She had taken her pull-up off and was playing with nothing on. I asked her if she went potty somewhere and she told me in her pull-up. I checked but her pull-up was dry. She did not go potty anywhere else either, so I put her big-girl panties back on and decided not to make a big deal about it. I thought this was so funny because I thought she understood the situation perfectly, but obviously she was not happy about the option. She teaches me all the time that just when I think I have control over a situation, I lose it. I guess that is a life lesson we all need to be reminded of.

Trash Day

Thursdays for me are bitter-sweet. In some ways they are really nice because all of the planning that goes into my Wednesday nights (see previous post) is done. The hard part is I usually have so much I need to get accomplished on Thursdays so I can enjoy my day off on Friday. To add to the mood of my Thursdays, this is all our trash day. For the past couple of weeks, my routine of mowing our lawn each week has been thrown off. Some of this is due to weather, but most of it has been thanks to the busyness of summer in the life of a youth pastor. On the weeks that I do get to mow, my trash can is pretty full by the time Thursday rolls around. Since I haven't been able to mow, however, we have had very little trash to get rid of the past few weeks. As I leave for work, I have looked the trash cans in my neighborhood and seen full and sometimes overflowing cans. The sight of their garbage makes me feel like a failure for not having more to be collected by our trash crew. Then I was reminded of a sermon I heard about a year ago by Louie Giglio. He spoke on how we as Americans consume so much that we never consider that amount of waste that we are producing.

Even though I have never been a huge environmentalist, I do wish to take care of God's creation while I am alive. I do my best to not waste food, water, etc., but it isn't always my first concern. Thinking back on our trash day, I felt better about not having an overflowing trash can. Part of me felt like I was paying for a service that wasn't being fully used. I am in no way judging my neighbors because there are many times when I take full advantage of our trash collection. The lesson I have learned and am still learning from trash days is to be careful not to be so wasteful. Not only do I tend to create unnecessary waste, but I also do not need to be consumed with this world. I also find it amazing our something like taking out the trash can teach me a lesson about a loving God. I'm so glad that He uses the simple things in life to teach my simple mind.

Lost Without Lost

Here I am wondering what I'm doing starting a blog. Am I just doing this to keep up with the latest trend? Am I doing this to fit in? Part of me says that it will be fun while part of me just views blogging as another "thing" to add to my crazy to-do list. This past summer I had the opportunity to speak during one of our Super Summer sessions. The topic I was speaking on brought up the point that as leaders, we have to rid ourselves of anything that might hinder us as we lead. While we all can think of the bad things in life to get rid of (time spent online, time spent watching TV, just being lazy, etc.) we also had to realize that there are a lot of good things that can hinder our relationship with God. My fear is that this will take away time I should be spending with God, but my hope is that I will be able to use this free resource to express what I am learning as I grow closer to God. As a dad and a husband, I will naturally use this as a place to talk about my family, but I also hope to use this as a way to deepen my relationship with the God who created me.


From the title, you may already know what I'm talking about or you may have no clue. For the past couple of years I have held to a tradition on Wednesday nights. As a youth pastor, Wednesday seems to be the busiest day of the week for me. Sure, Sunday's can be pretty hectic, but since I am responsible to teach on Wednesday nights, I spend a great amount of time preparing for and conducting Wednesdays. After getting home from church, I usually just want to veg and not do anything. Enter one of my favorite TV shows into the picture: LOST! From the first episode of Lost, I was hooked. Being that Lost is on Wednesday nights, I have for the past couple of years finished church on Wednesday nights, helped put Emily to bed, and watched Lost. It is something that I look forward to since I am able to unwind from a long day at church. Even though the summer months do not include new episodes of the TV shows I watch, I am usually so busy with youth ministry activities that I don't have time to watch TV. So, I don't mind getting my Lost "fix" if you will.

No big deal until you find out that your TV show will not be starting until February of 2008. There goes my tradition. To be honest I really miss coming home from church and being able to watch Lost. I have tried to replace it with other stuff on TV, but it nothing else does the trick. Part of me knows that this is silly and the show will start next year and part of me feels bad for allowing something other than God to draw so much of my attention. I am not saying that watching Lost on Wednesdays is a bad thing in and over itself, but I do know that I must balance my desire to watch a TV show that will end after about 45 minutes with my desire to spend time with God. He is truly our greatest treasure and nothing this world has to offer can compare to Him. So, while I may feel "lost without lost," I am never lost because I have eternal life through Jesus Christ.