In light of the economy tanking and my employer announcing a second wave of layoffs and salary cuts in a week, I found Francis Chan's thought in this video to be very intriguing.
I suppose partly because I am anxious about how I will be affected by the cuts at Sunset, and partly because we are a one income family living on an ever tightening budget right now, I really resonate with what he says. But if I am honest, praying this sort of prayer scares the hell out of me. I want to trust God more and in my head know all of the pastoral things I am supposed to say and do and believe, but it is times like this that I find the distance between my head and my heart is greater than it should be. As I sit here tonight worrying and wondering and hoping for the best, I also recognize that this is where the rubber meets the road for us as believers, and for me personally. So, tonight I'm choosing to be courageous and faithful in the area in which it is most difficult for me to trust God, and I am making Proverbs 30:7-9 my prayer...
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Fatherhood...
I know, I know, it's been awhile. So what. These pictures will say it all. I've been enjoying being a dad more than just about anything else, and these pictures will prove it. What's not to love about this girl?
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Laughing till we cry
Our daughter Olivia is just a little over four months old, and about every ten days or so for the last month she will find something so funny that she moves beyond a big smile or a slight chuckle into an all out laugh...for us as parents it is the best thing ever! So, as Lacy and Olivia were getting ready for bed the other night, we discovered that Olivia apparently finds fart noises as funny as most middle school boys do...the only thing handy was my camera, so despite the poor video quality I hope that you will find this as much fun as we did!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
A prophet?
On October 1st, 2008, my friend Tyler posted a little entry on his blog about the baseball playoffs. You should go read it, and scroll down to comment number 7, made by me... Maybe I have the gift of prophecy?!
Even funnier in the whole thing is that his team is the Minnesota Vikings, whom the Eagles play in the wild-card game next weekend. Should be a good game. Go EAGLES!
Even funnier in the whole thing is that his team is the Minnesota Vikings, whom the Eagles play in the wild-card game next weekend. Should be a good game. Go EAGLES!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Our family Christmas present...
When we bought our house in August we knew that there were going to be three rooms of the house that eventually needed to be completely renovated: both bathrooms and the kitchen. Of course these also happen to be the most expensive to renovate, so we knew we needed to prioritize which room was the worst. The choice wasn't hard. The master bath had to be first. The previous owners had let a leaky toilet go unfixed for a looong time, so the floor was full of soft and rotted out subfloor, the shower felt like it was about to fall through when you stood in it, and the sink area was dirty, mildewed, outdated, and broken.
Thankfully, I love DIY home improvement stuff, and had already renovated a bathroom in our first home, so I kinda knew what I was in for. And by doing it myself I knew I could save thousands of dollars. So, for a few hours here and there, on a Saturday, on a weeknight after work, or whenever I could find a few minutes, I worked on our bathroom. I tore out the old cabinet and sink, medicine cabinet, lighting, shower insert, vinyl flooring and subfloor, toilet, hardware, plumbing, and millwork, and replaced it all. I think the parts I like the best now are the tile floor, counter and shower, and the new sink/cabinet and recessed medicine cabinet. The goal was to have it done by Christmas because we decided this would be our family Christmas present, due to cost.
Tonight, I hung the shower curtain, laid the rug on the floor, hung up a hand and bath towel, and put a bow on the mirror, just to make it feel more Christmas present- like. Unless you saw it up close and personal before I gutted it, you will have no idea just how different the room is...but, here are the before, during, and after pictures.
Thankfully, I love DIY home improvement stuff, and had already renovated a bathroom in our first home, so I kinda knew what I was in for. And by doing it myself I knew I could save thousands of dollars. So, for a few hours here and there, on a Saturday, on a weeknight after work, or whenever I could find a few minutes, I worked on our bathroom. I tore out the old cabinet and sink, medicine cabinet, lighting, shower insert, vinyl flooring and subfloor, toilet, hardware, plumbing, and millwork, and replaced it all. I think the parts I like the best now are the tile floor, counter and shower, and the new sink/cabinet and recessed medicine cabinet. The goal was to have it done by Christmas because we decided this would be our family Christmas present, due to cost.
Tonight, I hung the shower curtain, laid the rug on the floor, hung up a hand and bath towel, and put a bow on the mirror, just to make it feel more Christmas present- like. Unless you saw it up close and personal before I gutted it, you will have no idea just how different the room is...but, here are the before, during, and after pictures.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Rest
I have a problem slowing down most of the time. I drive faster than I should, I work more than I should, I have more projects going around the house than I should, and inevitably there comes a time every so often that I finally begin to just burn out. The fast paced society we live in helps feed my problem...drive up banking, drive thru coffee, fast food restaurants, jiffy lube oil changes, it all encourages one to go, go go...and so I do. I rarely take the time I should to slow down, rest, and pace myself. I'm simply terrible about observing the concept of sabbath, or rest.
Although my saying this won't make it any more true, God really knew what he was doing when he introduced this whole concept of sabbath. In the Genesis account of creation, it is crystal clear that after creating for six days, God slowed down, took a step back, and rested. And he instructs us to do the same...most of us just aren't good at it.
This past week here in Portland we were hit with a few decent snow and ice storms. If you know Portland you know that we don't get much snow here usually, so when we do the entire city virtually shuts down; we just aren't well equipped to deal with it. And, when the Beaverton School District cancels school for snow days, our campus at Sunset is also closed. So last week when the BSD was out for the entire week, I was kinda forced to slow down. A few of the days that were the worst actually were significant enough that I didn't venture out of the house at all. I worked from home, spent tons of time with my awesome family, decorated cookies with my wife, drank a lot of coffee and tea, burned a fire, and kept warm inside while watching the snow fall outside.
In a word, it was incredible. I hope you have been able to do the same recently, or that you will find a way this week to pause long enough to reflect on the Christmas holiday. It will do you good. Build a fire, brew some coffee, enjoy your family, take a nap, read the Christmas story in the Gospels, breathe deeply, slow down. Rest.
Here are a few pictures from our week...
Olivia all ready to experience snow for the first time
Lacy and Liv in front of the Christmas tree
Lacy and Liv hanging out
Our backyard winter wonderland
How do you like to rest?
Although my saying this won't make it any more true, God really knew what he was doing when he introduced this whole concept of sabbath. In the Genesis account of creation, it is crystal clear that after creating for six days, God slowed down, took a step back, and rested. And he instructs us to do the same...most of us just aren't good at it.
This past week here in Portland we were hit with a few decent snow and ice storms. If you know Portland you know that we don't get much snow here usually, so when we do the entire city virtually shuts down; we just aren't well equipped to deal with it. And, when the Beaverton School District cancels school for snow days, our campus at Sunset is also closed. So last week when the BSD was out for the entire week, I was kinda forced to slow down. A few of the days that were the worst actually were significant enough that I didn't venture out of the house at all. I worked from home, spent tons of time with my awesome family, decorated cookies with my wife, drank a lot of coffee and tea, burned a fire, and kept warm inside while watching the snow fall outside.
In a word, it was incredible. I hope you have been able to do the same recently, or that you will find a way this week to pause long enough to reflect on the Christmas holiday. It will do you good. Build a fire, brew some coffee, enjoy your family, take a nap, read the Christmas story in the Gospels, breathe deeply, slow down. Rest.
Here are a few pictures from our week...
Olivia all ready to experience snow for the first time
Lacy and Liv in front of the Christmas tree
Lacy and Liv hanging out
Our backyard winter wonderland
How do you like to rest?
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thoughts swirling around in my head...
-I have a bad feeling about the Phillies becoming one of those teams that goes from World Champions to last place...especially with today's announcement that Chase Utley might be out til May/June
-I had the opportunity to pay $1.99 for a gallon of gas today, but since my tank is half full, I'll wait three days and pay $1.89.
-Being a first time parent is hard. A lot of disagreements with Lacy about styles of parenting, etc. I think at times we both feel we are awful parents.
-My desire to travel is off the charts right now. I'm remembering trips to the Middle East, Singapore, Amsterdam, Tennessee, and Mexico and wishing I could go back to all those places right now. Truth is, I'd probably settle for a trip to the beach or Seattle and be happy right now.
-I've got a deep desire to write, but I'm not very disciplined. Too many stupid distractions lately.
-Really looking forward to the holidays. Hoping to take a little extra time off, get caught up with the family, and start some new traditions now that we have our own child. Should especially be fun to watch Olivia check out Christmas lights since she is in that phase where lights really catch her attention.
-Ministry is really hard. Many, many, deep valleys, and seems like never enough mountaintops. A recent article said that clergy were the happiest people in their jobs. I laughed so loudly when I read it. I asked several friends in ministry what they thought...almost all of them laughed too. Who knows?
-I'm super proud of some sophomore girls in my group. They got passionate about making people aware of the problem of human traffiking, put together an awareness night, and pulled it off all by themselves. I just got to support and encourage them. That's the sort of thing that is most rewarding for me.
-I like the trees on our property, but they are really pissing me off right now. My gutters are ruined, my lawn is covered with leaves and needles, and I have no time to clean it all up right now. Grrr...
-Progress on my bathroom remodel is slow. The next week looks promising though. Hope to get the shower tiled, the toilet installed, and the faucets, vanity, and mirror ordered.
-I'm thankful for colleagues in ministry who understand the game, help me keep things in perspective, encourage and pray for me, and allow me to vent. Not sure I'd make it without them. I feel like I owe Brian and Nick big time.
-I'm madly in love with my daughter. She is three months old on Saturday. Who knew that a life form with whom you can't even talk with or do anything with could bring such joy to your life? What a glorious adventure and blessing!
-No shave November has been kinda fun. My beard is looking gnarly. 9 days remain.
-I had the opportunity to pay $1.99 for a gallon of gas today, but since my tank is half full, I'll wait three days and pay $1.89.
-Being a first time parent is hard. A lot of disagreements with Lacy about styles of parenting, etc. I think at times we both feel we are awful parents.
-My desire to travel is off the charts right now. I'm remembering trips to the Middle East, Singapore, Amsterdam, Tennessee, and Mexico and wishing I could go back to all those places right now. Truth is, I'd probably settle for a trip to the beach or Seattle and be happy right now.
-I've got a deep desire to write, but I'm not very disciplined. Too many stupid distractions lately.
-Really looking forward to the holidays. Hoping to take a little extra time off, get caught up with the family, and start some new traditions now that we have our own child. Should especially be fun to watch Olivia check out Christmas lights since she is in that phase where lights really catch her attention.
-Ministry is really hard. Many, many, deep valleys, and seems like never enough mountaintops. A recent article said that clergy were the happiest people in their jobs. I laughed so loudly when I read it. I asked several friends in ministry what they thought...almost all of them laughed too. Who knows?
-I'm super proud of some sophomore girls in my group. They got passionate about making people aware of the problem of human traffiking, put together an awareness night, and pulled it off all by themselves. I just got to support and encourage them. That's the sort of thing that is most rewarding for me.
-I like the trees on our property, but they are really pissing me off right now. My gutters are ruined, my lawn is covered with leaves and needles, and I have no time to clean it all up right now. Grrr...
-Progress on my bathroom remodel is slow. The next week looks promising though. Hope to get the shower tiled, the toilet installed, and the faucets, vanity, and mirror ordered.
-I'm thankful for colleagues in ministry who understand the game, help me keep things in perspective, encourage and pray for me, and allow me to vent. Not sure I'd make it without them. I feel like I owe Brian and Nick big time.
-I'm madly in love with my daughter. She is three months old on Saturday. Who knew that a life form with whom you can't even talk with or do anything with could bring such joy to your life? What a glorious adventure and blessing!
-No shave November has been kinda fun. My beard is looking gnarly. 9 days remain.
Friday, November 7, 2008
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