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.