Posterized

Well y'all, I'm a big hoops fan. I love following NBA action; love the stories, the competition, the games, the highlights.

Last night there was a highlight for the year in the Clippers/Thunder game. Blake Griffin has had some monster dunks over his young career already, but this one may top them all.

Griffin took a pass from teammate Chris Paul, and help defender Kendrick Perkins rotates over just in time to get absolutely smashed on. No way around it. Blake dunks the rock so hard that the video almost needs to be censored.

Just sayin'.

Cover the children's eyes and prepare to watch this jaw dropping highlight that will leave you shaking your head in amazement and disbelief.

To watch what's already being labeled as "The Dunk," click here.

Perfection

It's been a few years since I have ridden the slopes of Holiday Valley in Upstate New York. Snowboarding was one of my favorite hobbies of mine growing up and have a lot of fond memories of carving down the mountain with friends.

There is nothing quite like sitting on top of a mountain, strapping my feet in my board in the cold air of the night, snow flurries coming down, and getting ready to carve down the trail - catching some air, finding a good line, and sometimes going so fast my eyes would start watering as my adrenaline was pumping. Yes, fond memories for sure.

I loved getting my snowboarding thrills riding down the mountain. Though I never got into the skill, jumping and technicality of the half pipe, I still appreciate and am amazed at what some guys can do on their snowboard there. One of those guys is Shaun White.

Last night, Shaun competed in the Winter X Games Super Pipe competition, and threw down a nasty run in the half pipe that scored him a perfect 100. First time ever in that event. It was his fifth straight gold. Not bad I'd say.

Though you may or may not be into snowboarding, I encourage you to check out the video below and take a look at what it's like for someone to be the best in their sport - in this case, the Winter X Super Pipe.

Good Disobedience?

One thought for us tonight, taken right from my notes from preaching this morning at The Chapel...

Some people try to hide from God by doing works. They don't need to be intimate as long as they do good things for Him. They think they can exchange disobedience with good works.

This thought stemmed from the fact that I believe some people can actually be running from God by doing good works for Him. They think they can reason with God - "if you don't touch this area of my life, if I can stay in control here, I will do ______ in exchange."

They think they can dictate to Him what God can and cannot talk to them about. They know in their heart what is right, but they don't want to let the Holy Spirit in to that part of their life. So they think they can compromise with God. "You don't talk to me about this, and I will serve you in that."

Unfortunately, or fortunately, God may not want that, He wants all of us.

First Love

I will be preaching tomorrow (Sunday) at The Chapel in Somerset, KY. The section of Scripture I plan to preach from is Revelation 2:1-7. God has been doing a work in my own heart as I have prepared for this message... Have I left my first love?

Take a look below at Jesus's letter to Ephesus and try not to be challenged! The version I used below is the Amplified version...

1TO THE angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him Who holds the seven stars [which are the messengers of the seven churches] in His right hand, Who goes about among the seven golden lampstands [which are the seven churches]:

2I know your industry and activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked [men] and have tested and critically appraised those who call [themselves] apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors and liars.

3I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name's sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted or grown weary.

4But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].

5Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God's will) and do the works you did previously [when first you knew the Lord], or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent.

6Yet you have this [in your favor and to your credit]: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans [what they are doing as corrupters of the people], which I Myself also detest.

7He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant to eat [of the fruit] of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

24/7

I want to take a moment to put a plug out there for those who may not be aware of the ministry of IHOP. First and foremost, we must establish that I am not talking about pancakes (however, some good pancakes can be good ministry at times!) No, IHOP, as in the International House of Prayer.

IHOP is located in Kansas City where the heart of our [IHOP's] missions base is night-and-day prayer with worship (as written on their website). IHOP has 24/7 prayer and worship going on in what is known as the Prayer Room. Not only that, they broadcast the ministry of the Prayer Room live via the web, 24/7 as well.

I would encourage you to visit the Prayer Room as it may be what you need in the middle of the day, or as a way to start your quiet time with the Lord in the morning, or simply to have playing in the background as you go about your day (take the prayer room with you as they have an app for iPhone too!).

I would also encourage you to check out our local (based in London, KY) expression of a house of prayer by visiting One27 Hop here.

Be blessed in His presence!

Lost

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Have you ever lost your way? As a man of course I have never gotten lost, nor ha...

I better stop right there. Because it simply isn't true.

I've been lost on the highway before, no doubt about it. But have you ever felt lost on the highway of life?

I wrote about it the other day, how the animated movie Cars surprisingly provided some comfort in my journey called life. Yet, I still feel I have more to share on the subject.

What do you do when things don't work out quite the way we had planned them to? What happens when a detour is thrown into our path and the dreams we had seem to be derailed? It seems that's where my family has been for the last little while. Do we abandon the dream? To we change the course? Is God wanting us to do something different?

For my wife and I, we have had a heart for ministry. Now, before I bleed my heart out anymore, the reality is that those who call themselves Christians are in ministry. We are the light of the world, and you don't need ministry to be an occupation or minister to be your title to reach out and love others the way Jesus told us to. We are the Body of Christ. But we have felt a specific longing for ministry. Full-time. Maybe it's a calling, maybe it's just pursuing our heart, either way, it's what we have gone back to. And more importantly, it's the direction it seems the Holy Spirit is leading us in.

So what do you do when things aren't looking the way you anticipated? Do we throw in the towel? Has God changed His mind? Did we miss it somehow? Do we really have anything to offer anyone?

I don't know the answer to these questions for you - I have difficulty answering them for myself sometimes.

But here is what I know...

Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

and

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

and

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

and

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

So... what do you do... But trust?

Problem is, that's easier said than done. It's more natural to trust in myself than Him. It's easier to trust in myself who is finite and limited and flawed, than the One who sees all, knows all, created me and can see the bigger picture. Doesn't make a lot of sense but it's the reality of my life at times.

OK, a lot of times.

So today, I choose to trust. As best I know how, I trust.

Even though I may feel lost, I know that in Him,

I am found.

Culture

I read an article today that sparked something in me that I haven't thought much about in a while. When I was teaching math in upstate New York, we had a gentleman come in to lead a seminar with the teachers. Most likely the students had the day off while the teachers still reported for duty. Seminars like this were usually met with begrudging attitudes from the teachers whom didn't want to spend their day attending another seminar.

Something that this speaker said has stayed with me for years since I heard him talk about it. I don't remember all of the words he used, but the spirit of his message is what I caught.

He talked about the atmosphere of a school. The culture of a school. He talked about how you can change strategies and come up with new ideas for helping students succeed and creating a positive learning environment in the school, but if the culture doesn't shift there will be no lasting change to that school system. In other words, go ahead and change your slogans, come up with a fancy vision and mission statement, even new programs, but if that vision statement doesn't go any deeper than the letters on the page, nothing will ever really change.

You see, the culture, or ethos, of a school (business, home, etc) is affected by deeply held beliefs, and until those are changed, new ideas and hip strategies will fall short (the fact that we as teachers were begrudgingly attending the seminar pointed to a culture issue!). The culture or essence or spirit of a organization is a deep thing, and not impacted (for the long term) by a surface change. It is driven by these inner convictions and passions we have. Those passions and convictions and beliefs cause us to act, speak, etc in a particular way and without changing our beliefs, passions, and convictions, there again can be no long lasting change.

I love to think on this because it causes me to reflect on my life and see what I need to change. I love getting to the heart of things, diving deep below the surface. I want to get to the deepest part of my convictions and make sure they line up with Christ, that I may have long-lasting change and become more like Jesus. As the leader of my home, I have a huge impact on the culture of my home. My kids pick up my essence without even realizing it. They walk according to my beliefs by nature.

Just because you walk into KFC, it doesn't make you a chicken leg, right? Walking into a church doesn't make you a Christian. It is something that happens deep inside of a person - they are born again. I think of many of those who profess to know Christ, yet never seem to have a true change in actions...

Maybe they never have had a true culture shift? Have they had a real change in passions and beliefs? Were they ever truly born of the Spirit of God?

You can dress them up, teach them Christianese, give them self-help books, even the Scriptures to improve on their life, but the deep issues will come out at some point - they have never truly repented, they were never born again.

So, what's the culture of your business? Your family? Your life? What do people feel when they enter your business? How would people describe you when they are around you.

Good questions. I hope that the culture, or fragrance if you will, of my life is point people to Jesus.

To read the article that got me going on all this, click here.

Intimate

I read this morning from the book of Revelation, specifically the letter to the church in Ephesus in chapter 2. To each church Jesus introduces Himself in a particular way, and to this church, he states,

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.'"

Jesus goes on to tell this church that they had left their first love. They were busy working for Him, but had fallen out of love with Him - something we all can do.

The way Jesus introduced Himself seemed to be specific to this church as He knew their spiritual condition. Knowing they had fallen out of love with Him, He introduces Himself in a way that speaks of intimacy.

He speaks of holding the stars (angels - or messengers - as he states in the previous chapter) in his right hand. What a phenomenal and intimate thing to be held in the hand of God! He then says that he walks among the seven churches (lampstands). Again, another picture of intimacy. He walks among the churches. He is well familiar with our ways, our heart, our struggles, our passions, our shortcomings, our victories... Even the very number of the hairs on our head are known to Him.

He is well acquainted and intimate with us.

My encouragement today would be for us to respond to his invitation to intimacy with Himself, the God of the Universe. That we wouldn't distance ourselves from God with worldly distractions and sin, but that we would lay down all other loves, casting down our idols, to be most intimate with the Most High.

Gas Buddy

If you're like me, you'll save every penny you can when you can. One place I try to save as much as possible is at the pump.

Have you ever wondered where the cheapest gas in town is? Or, been out traveling and are wondering which exit ahead you should stop at to fill up? Maybe it's just me but I can be the gas price fanatic (or "freak" as my wife so eloquently put it).

As gas prices remain high and unpredictable, I fight for every cent I can, though I probably wouldn't change my ways even if prices dropped. So for you fellow fanatics out there I have the perfect solution: the Gas Buddy app.

The Gas Buddy app is for smart phones (I use an android, though I'm sure it's available for iPhone too). The basic idea behind the app is that users will submit gas prices to local gas stations they have visited, so anyone else in the area can see what prices are at that station. The information is provided by other gas price obsessors so that you can get the best deal possible, and prices stay up to date.

So there yah have it. Check out gasbuddy.com for more (including the ability to check prices without a smartphone), and start gas stalking today!

Sanctity of Life

Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday. 4,000 babies will be aborted while still in their mother's womb... Today.

Problem is, killing children while still in the womb is legal. We as a nation are OK with it. It's the genocide that wont be on the evening news tonight. I would venture to say that it will be barely mentioned in our churches.

I'm reminded of the Casting Crowns song again, speaking of America, and our philosophies that save the trees and kill the children.


It doesn't make any sense.

One thing we can do is pray. We can pray that this atrocity stops, and that life in the womb is protected once again.

We can also be a voice. If you ever had a question regarding when life begins, check out the video at the link below. I believe you will see that life begins at the moment of conception.

I will not be silent.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  Jeremiah 1:5 ESV

Pro-Life Video for Sanctity of Life Sunday | The Miracle of Life (link)

Find Yourself

My kids have been loving the movie Cars 2. My son Judah, who is two, absolutely loves the characters in the movie, and of course we play right along with him. We took a step back though and watched the original Cars movie tonight. Cars was made before Judah was born, so I thought he might appreciate what preceded the Cars 2 movie he enjoys so much.

Funny thing happened to Daddy though. Besides the fact that I still have to hold back the tears when Lightning McQueen forfeits the Piston Cup to "bump draft" a banged up Mr. The King over the finish line, the song played at the end of the movie seemed to connect with my heart.

The song is "Find Yourself" by Brad Paisley. Now, I aint never been a big country music fan, but I sure am from the country... and this song really connected with me.

There is a part in the song that goes something like this...

Where you go through life
So sure of where you’re headin'
And you wind up lost and it's
The best thing that could have happened
‘Cause sometimes when you lose your way it's really just as well
Because you find yourself
Yeah that’s when you find yourself 

I was so sure at one point of where I was heading, but somewhere along the way I feel like I've gotten lost. You feel like you got off track some how. Things aren't looking the way you thought they would. That's the season of life I've found myself in now it seems.

And yet, as the song says, sometimes when you lose your way it's really just as well... Because you find yourself.

Somehow, I believe that is happening. In the midst of questions and confusion, I find destiny when I look in my children's eyes. I find myself there. In my wife's loving eyes, I find myself there. And I have to hold on to what I know - that Jesus is the Commander of my destiny. Our destiny. He is guiding our steps and making our paths straight. Even when things don't make sense from my limited perspective. 

God sees the end and the beginning. He is painting His picture on the canvas of humanity, and I am thankful that we can be a part of His masterpiece. I am thankful that in God, we truly find ourselves.

Crazy. All this from talking cars.

What's Your Focus?

I started following Michelle Perry recently on Twitter. She is runs an orphanage in South Sudan, in a village that I had a chance to visit when traveling to Sudan a few years ago. My wife actually read her book not too long ago and was blessed by it to say the least.

I enjoy her tweets, and one she shared this morning was timely for me, and I'd like to share it with you...

what you focus on you empower

So... what are you empowering in your life?

Pretty Pink Tractor

Laughter can be good medicine. It can cure the sour face or bring sunshine to a rainy attitude. (That was kind of a cheesy sentence, but you get what I'm sayin)

I started my day off right and watched Tim Hawkins "Pretty Pink Tractor" music video this morning. If you haven't heard of Tim Hawkins before, here's your intro, and it's a good one :0)



Want more? Check out his other videos here...

Imitate Me

As I was reading the book "The Jesus Letters" by David Ravenhill this morning, a particular thing he said jumped out at me: Beware of the man you can't imitate.


It quickly hit me how convicting that statement as well as the preceding paragraph was. He was writing about the apostle Paul, and how great of an apostle he was in the faith. Paul was able to say in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

My good buddy Tom would ask, if someone followed you around for a day, week, month... would they be closer to Jesus by the end of it? If they followed you into your home, your workplace, your quiet places when you are alone, would they be lead closer to Jesus?

Beware of the man [person] you can't imitate.


The reality is we are leading people. Friends, relatives, children, spouses, co-workers... The question is, where are we leading them?

Could you and I say today, imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ?

A Deadly Neglect

You can be doing things right, and in the midst of the right, be treacherously wrong. You can be walking in holiness, serving the family of God, performing good works with toil and patient endurance for the Master, and yet neglect the Master altogether, a potentially deadly mistake.

I venture to say deadly from what we read in the letter to Ephesus in Revelation 2. The church in Ephesus were commended by Jesus this way...

I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary.

I would love to hear this from the Master! He is commending them on their good works. However, the next thing He says is...

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

In the midst of their good works, the Ephesians had left their first love. In working for the Master, they forgot about the Master Himself. Here, we see Jesus's heart to have true intimacy and a love relationship with His Bride, His people. And we also see the potentially eternally deadly consequence of abandoning our first love - I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

In the midst of our work for God, we cannot forget or neglect a heart beating with love and passion for Him. In the midst of doing right for Him, we cannot neglect Him. Mike Bickle said, "there are lovers and there are workers, and lovers get more work done than do workers." Jesus is the lover of our soul, the One passion and longing of our hearts!

If you have fallen out of love with the Master, heed the loving, and I emphasize loving, words of Jesus and repent, today. Let's do the works we did when we first met our Savior and fell in love with Him.

Attitude = Altitude

Image from Vinylsay.com

Years ago I was talking to a friend who had recently gotten married about my dating relationship with my now wife, Elizabeth. I was young(er) and wanted to do it right with Liz. We wanted to date in holiness and with purity. We wanted to do it God's way. This couple if I remember correctly had saved their first kiss until their wedding ceremony, and I looked up to him as a result.

He gave me this advice and wrote it on a piece of paper for me like this: Attitude = Altitude.

Though I struggled at the time understanding this encouragement as it pertained to my relationship with Liz, I now see a little more the broad value and application of this advice. Our attitude determines our altitude. I believe our attitude has a big impact on our success and how far we go in achieving our goals and dreams. A good attitude is a position of faith, rather than doubt.

I remember John Maxwell once writing about how just because we are a Christian doesn't mean we automatically have a good attitude about life. Isn't that true! You probably know someone like that, or maybe you are that Christian with a habitual bad attitude and outlook on life.

As Christians we should have the best attitude among people. Our Dad is the King, we have been given favor, forgiven of our sins, we walk with God The Holy Spirit Himself, and our future is secure in Him, among many more promises the Lord has given us. Unfortunately, our attitude, including mine, doesn't always reflect these awesome truths that God has given us.

So today, let's resolve to have our attitude reflect these great promises we have in Jesus, and join with the Psalmist who said,

This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Amen!

[Virtual] Window Shopper

So, any of you a window shopper? How about a virtual window shopper? You know - perusing through amazon.com and loading up your shopping cart, but very rarley if ever ever checking out? Yea, window shopper, virtually speaking.

One of my favorite online stores to virtually peruse is The Clymb. As mentioned in a recent post, I love the outdoors and anything that includes camping, hiking, and the like. From their site, The Clymb is...

For those who find their passion in the outdoors, The Clymb inspires human-powered adventure by delivering member-exclusive 72-hour sales on premium brands and experiences, hand-picked by our team of fellow enthusiasts and experts. Membership is free, allowing users to shape the community by inviting like-minded friends. The company is based in Portland, Ore., and was founded in 2009 by a seasoned team of outdoor and sport industry veterans.

This site includes all sorts of outdoor clothing and equipment at prices ranging from awesome to amazing (it's all good). Their product lines include great stuff for climbing, hiking, camping, biking, snowboarding, and more - most of which I am a wannabe. Regardless, I still get my kicks by at least looking though their sales!

If you love the outdoors and all that it entails, I encourage you to sign up for The Clymb for free and immediate access to these incredible deals from top-of-the-line suppliers. In fact, I win when you make your first order when you get to know the Clymb through me. (Thanks!)

So click below, and enjoy your insiders look into great outdoor equipment at incredible prices.

Happy (virtual window) shopping!

Click here to join.

Psalm 42

A great Psalm to consider as we prepare for worship in the morning - Psalm 42. Can we say with the song and the Psalmist, "as the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee"?

Its good to make sure that we aren't singing hypocritical lies to the Lord in the morning, or ever - that our lives match the songs we proclaim.

Lets worship in Spirit and Truth.

"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, my rock: "Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, "Where is your God?" Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."

http://bible.us/Ps42.1.ESV

Backpacker

I love the outdoors. Hikes, running, camping, snowboarding... so when I received my first issue of Backpacker magazine the other day I was pretty pumped.
I'm still scouring the first issue I got, but am enjoying it so far. I like to share what I'm reading once in a while, so there you have it - hopefully Backpacker will prove to be an enjoyable subscription!

Happy Birthday!

Liz and I near the Oregon coast back in 2006

To my favorite person in the world, the lady I love, my best friend and beautiful bride...

Happy Birthday!

I'm so thankful God gave you to me :) Love you Babe!

One of My Favs

One of my favorite portions of Scripture in the Bible comes from my favorite book, the book of Romans. The Scripture is found in Chapter 3, verses 10-12:


as it is written:

   “None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
   no one seeks for God. 

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
   no one does good,
   not even one.”

It's a good reminder, and pulls me off my self-righteous throne, whenever I might think I am somehow earning my keep and favor with God. It reminds me that my righteousness is like filthy rags, and of my desperate state before Christ.

Be encouraged of your desperation today too.

I'm pretty sure I'm absolutely certain...

I have a quirky personality disorder where I need to know for sure, with no doubt, the answer or outcome or whatever of a particular situation. Pretty sure doesn't cut it. Absolute certainty is necessity. It contributes to some of the self-inflicted fears and neurotic episodes I experience.

Example: Many times I can be pretty sure I locked the door. But pretty sure wont cut it. So I second guess myself and check a second time to make sure I locked it. Or a third time, or... I'm the guy you might catch quadruple checking (to be conservative) the light switch, staring at it waiting for it to flip on on its own accord after I have checked it a million times already. And why behave like this...? Don't ask. Not sure. Does it really matter if the light is off anyway??!

I guess it's why I was good in math. Math is black and white. 2+2 = 4 right? No way around it. My problem is that I let my peace of mind be dictated on what I can control, what I "think" I know for certain.

I stress my wife out with the way I think when I describe it do her (or she observes it) and she is not even the one thinking it!

Moral of the story? Not sure, except that I feel better getting this off my chest. And, my wife lovingly encouraged me the other day with a new revelation for me...

It's OK to be pretty sure!

Oh. Yea. I knew that.

Bottom line, I'm pretty sure I need to relax a little bit and loosen the illusion of control.

No, I'm absolutely certain.

On Track

Its been a busy month with a lot of celebrations, time with family, and living out of suitcases. We are so blessed as a family.

I am excited to get into a writing routine for the new year. I thoroughly love writing - specifically from what's deep in my heart, and I feel that is what has the best chance to add value to someone's life. We are all living real life and so "real" posts are more desirable than packaged ones, at least from my perspective.

So hopefully the posts will become more consistent in terms of time of day - and hopefully that time isn't after midnight anymore.

Faith

Four of my kids walking along the Erie Canal in Albion, NY

I want to thank everyone who took even just a few moments to pray for us and our extended family during this season of loss. We appreciate your love and support so much in this time.

We made it back home late tonight after spending a couple days with Liz's parents and family up in western New York. It was an emotional, but fulfilling trip. And, it was good to be around family.

Though it is never easy to say goodbye to a family member, Liz's "Papa" lived a long and full life, raising nine children, married for over 50 years, traveled the country, and did his best to be a light for Jesus. He loved the Lord, and so we are encouraged that he has been united with the Eternal God who rescued him from his sins.

I was so thankful that my children were able to attend the funeral to honor their Great Grandfather in that small way. I want them to understand that they are part of a bigger picture, that we are to honor fathers and mothers of the flesh and of faith, and I want them to know that there is both a beginning and an end to life. What we do on this earth truly does matter, and one day we will all meet our Creator when all is said and done.

I am thankful for my wife's grandfather (and grandmother) - for their faith and desire to serve the Lord. They passed that faith to my mother-in-law and then on to my wife, and now it is passed to my children and theirs one day too.

We are all part of a bigger story, God's story. And I am so thankful that my family and I get to play a small role in His masterpiece.

Aisle 4 Closed for Playing

Using the Target Cars 2 toy aisle as an impromptu play area today. Sorry to those who were unable to get your toys while the aisle was shut down. ;)

Toilet Trouble

Tonight's picture begs two questions: What's the object? And, how did it get there?!

Hint: it involves a cute 2-year-old named Judah :0)

On the Road Again

Our family headed back out on the road again today. Liz's grandfather passed away this past week so we are traveling to be with the family in this time. We appreciate prayers for my wife and her family during this difficult season.

We enjoyed sunny skies and clear roads up to the frigid north as we drove today, and we shot a couple pics from the trip. Enjoy!

Our babies... they travel great!

Me and my better half :)

Columbus

View coming into Cincinnati from Kentucky

Last Dance

The David Crowder Band, performed their last full concert live Passion 2012. If you are a fan of Christian music at all, you'll know what they have added to the industry, and how they've added to people's lives through their sounds and lyrics.

If you know what's good for you, you will take a few moments in the next few hours to view the David Crowder Band's last performance, only available free for a few hours more at the Passion live link. To check it out, click here now, and be a part of history.

Be blessed.

Passion 2012

As I write this morning, I am tuned into last nights session for Passion 2012. If you are unfamiliar with the Passion conferences, they are spearheaded by their founder, Louie Giglio, and his team, and meant for college age students ages 18-25. Passion 2012 is running from January 2-5 this year in Atlanta and includes speakers/musicians including Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Francis Chan, Lecrae, Hillsong United, Beth More and others.

The first Passion conference I went to was in Memphis, TN area when I was a college student in Rochester NY. A friend of mine and I drove down and camped out on a farm for the "One Day" event. A couple years ago I was able to attend Passion 2010 as one of the leaders with a group of high school seniors/college students.

Throughout the conference, they will be streaming live the sessions at live.268generation.com. The sessions run all day long so if you get a chance to tune in and catch one, please do. They will also be showing previous sessions for a short time after the session finishes if you are unable to catch it live (like I am doing).

These conferences are powerful and encouraging, and all about Jesus. Take some time to join with Chris Tomlin as he worships to "Our God is Greater," or be challenged through speakers such as Francis Chan and John Piper. Take a few moments to hear the Word and be lifted up in His Presence. I don't think you will regret it.

#Passion2012

Attack of the Snake Dragon

Well, "Attack of the Snake Dragon" might be a little extreme. Tonight, I played the "dragon" roll for the evening showing of the family play. You can see we have several different characters in the play, and all of them did a stellar job playing their role. Though I don't think there was an official name to the play, Attack of the Snake Dragon works for me ;)

My role was to do what Dad's love to do and do best - run around, growl, tackle, tickle, wrestle, and then get struck down by the heroes of the play. I loved it!

Since there will probably be no other play exactly like it again, I am glad we were able to catch the moment on film :0)

Resolution 1: Check My Motives

At our worship gathering this morning, my friend and pastor spoke about New Years resolutions for part of the message. The thing that stuck out to me the most was checking the motives of our resolutions. Here are some thoughts I wrote during the message:

When u make new years resolutions consider who it's for.

I will do [blank] this year because...

Is it for u, or God, others?

The past is behind u, leave it behind, good or bad.

Definitely some good thoughts to consider when casting vision for the year ahead.