Monday, January 22, 2007
Family Pics
I just realized that I hadn't posted any pictures of the kids since November. Here's a few from Christmas and January:
Saturday, January 20, 2007
It's the End of the World As I Know It
It seems like God works in my life in different ways throughout different seasons. For instance, there have been seasons in my life where I feel like I am learning tons about ministry and theology and scripture. It's in these times that I feel God expanding my horizens and my thinking.
There are other seasons where I feel like ministry is clicking. I might not be learning anything particular in these seasons, but God takes all that I've learned in previous seasons and everything just seems to click. I think my final year in Kalamazoo was like this for me. Parts of my second and third years here in St. Peters were like that as well.
Then there's the season that I am in right now. It's refreshing and challenging all at the same time. It's a season where God is placing His Spirit in certain places of my life and asking me to change. It's a season of personal application... of taking a good long look at who I am compared to who He wants me to be. Like I said, it scary and it's sobering. Here are some things that I've realized recently:
1) No matter how bad or depressing or disappointing I think my life is... there are millions out there that have it much worse off than I do. There are people who have endured much more heartache and suffering than I ever have. There are some people who have endured more stress and heartache in the last week than I have my entire life. So I should stop feeling sorry about myself and start concentrating on the things that I DO have...
2) I’m a really terrible pastor when I am not leaning on the power of God.
3) I need to take more risks in ministry. Starting with speaking my mind a little more; thinking outside the box more; being willing to change methods in order to be a more effective pastor.
4) I need to be more willing to learn from my peers. There are people that are much younger than me and have a greater vision for what ministry could look like in our age. There are good people of all ages that I can learn from. I just need to put myself in a position to network with them. I am a terrible networker. I need to do better in this area.
5) I need to be more desperate in my search for God’s anointing and power in my life. I think I take Him for granted too often. I need to spend more time seeking His face and direction. Even in times of great struggle in ministry, I don’t have a sense of desperation to cling to him. I want my life to model that great worship song, ‘Breathe.’ That I would find God even more important as the air that I breathe.
6) There are people in my life that are hard to love. There are people in my life that find it hard to love me. I irritate some people. Some people irritate me. I need to do a better job of continuing to reach out and relate to those people, even if I don’t feel any sort of personality attraction to them.
God has brought me to an uncomfortable place in my life… and I am thankful for it. He has made me uncomfortable in places that I have felt comfortable for too long now… but they are places that need to change. Challenging? Yes. Change is never easy, especially when you face up to the fact that you have been blowing it for awhile. Encouraging? Yes. It reminds me of a God who loves me enough to invest in me. It reminds me of a God who wants to mold me into a better man than I currently am…
P.S. My wife didn't get the title... she was expecting a suicidal post or something. The title just means that it's the end of world as I know it because God is making changes in my mindset and habits... Okay, maybe it's a stretch... but I really like the song and wanted to steal the title.
There are other seasons where I feel like ministry is clicking. I might not be learning anything particular in these seasons, but God takes all that I've learned in previous seasons and everything just seems to click. I think my final year in Kalamazoo was like this for me. Parts of my second and third years here in St. Peters were like that as well.
Then there's the season that I am in right now. It's refreshing and challenging all at the same time. It's a season where God is placing His Spirit in certain places of my life and asking me to change. It's a season of personal application... of taking a good long look at who I am compared to who He wants me to be. Like I said, it scary and it's sobering. Here are some things that I've realized recently:
1) No matter how bad or depressing or disappointing I think my life is... there are millions out there that have it much worse off than I do. There are people who have endured much more heartache and suffering than I ever have. There are some people who have endured more stress and heartache in the last week than I have my entire life. So I should stop feeling sorry about myself and start concentrating on the things that I DO have...
2) I’m a really terrible pastor when I am not leaning on the power of God.
3) I need to take more risks in ministry. Starting with speaking my mind a little more; thinking outside the box more; being willing to change methods in order to be a more effective pastor.
4) I need to be more willing to learn from my peers. There are people that are much younger than me and have a greater vision for what ministry could look like in our age. There are good people of all ages that I can learn from. I just need to put myself in a position to network with them. I am a terrible networker. I need to do better in this area.
5) I need to be more desperate in my search for God’s anointing and power in my life. I think I take Him for granted too often. I need to spend more time seeking His face and direction. Even in times of great struggle in ministry, I don’t have a sense of desperation to cling to him. I want my life to model that great worship song, ‘Breathe.’ That I would find God even more important as the air that I breathe.
6) There are people in my life that are hard to love. There are people in my life that find it hard to love me. I irritate some people. Some people irritate me. I need to do a better job of continuing to reach out and relate to those people, even if I don’t feel any sort of personality attraction to them.
God has brought me to an uncomfortable place in my life… and I am thankful for it. He has made me uncomfortable in places that I have felt comfortable for too long now… but they are places that need to change. Challenging? Yes. Change is never easy, especially when you face up to the fact that you have been blowing it for awhile. Encouraging? Yes. It reminds me of a God who loves me enough to invest in me. It reminds me of a God who wants to mold me into a better man than I currently am…
P.S. My wife didn't get the title... she was expecting a suicidal post or something. The title just means that it's the end of world as I know it because God is making changes in my mindset and habits... Okay, maybe it's a stretch... but I really like the song and wanted to steal the title.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Ice Storm: Night 2
Sorry for the delay on these pictures... many of you have expressed interest in seeing these:
I need to start by showing you a picture of the tree in our front lawn before the storm hit... just so you can get a frame of reference:
I need to start by showing you a picture of the tree in our front lawn before the storm hit... just so you can get a frame of reference:
Beautiful, huh? I really loved this tree. 'Loved' is the key word in this story.
So, at about two in the morning... we hear a large cracking and crash right outside our window in the front yard. We look outside to see about a third of the tree had fallen in two different places. A third portion fell about 10 minutes later. The fourth portion included the rest of the tree... and that fell about fifteen minutes after the third portion fell.
The first portion hit the front of our van:
The second portion hit our porch overhang:
Luckily, the third portion hit nothing but ground...
The fourth portion hit our car parked out in the street:
No more beautiful tree...
Believe it or not, there was no damage to either car... except for a low tire. The tree on our porch damaged a portion of our gutter... but nothing else really. Nobody was hurt. Though I almost went out and moved my white car before the rest of the tree fell. It fell soon after. Staying inside and away from falling trees was a good decision.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Ice Storm: Night #1
So, Missouri and a bunch of other states in the midwest got hit by some terrible weather. Ice storms. Ours came in a few different waves. Here's our personal carnage from the very first night:
Stray branch left it's mark in our garage...
Ouch! Notice how thick the ice is around the smaller branches...
More branches in our backyard.
That branch took our garage gutter clear off... and some finishing work done.
More pictures coming soon of Ice Storm: Night #2...
Monday, January 01, 2007
2006 Reading List
Professional Reading
1. Dangers, Toils, and Snares (Exley, Ortberg, Galli): 172 Pages
2. Standing Fast (Dobson, Gordon, McBurney): 154 Pages
3. The Jesus Conspiracy (Gordon Thomas): 297 Pages
4. A Love Worth Giving (Max Lucado): 164 Pages
5. Mastering Personal Growth (Dunnam, MacDonald, McCullough): 190 Pages
6. The Pastor as Spiritual Guide (Howard Rice): 204 Pages
7. Measuring Up (Briscoe, Larson, Osborne): 150 Pages
8. God Still Heals (Jim Garlow): 252 Pages
9. The Time Crunch (Asimakoupoulos, Maxwell, McKinley): 158 Pages
10. The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader (John Maxwell): 156 Pages
11. Mastering Church Finances (Bergstrom, Fenton, Pohl): 166 Pages
12. Encourage Me (Chuck Swindoll): 86 Pages
13. How God Saved Civilization (Jim Garlow): 425 Pages
14. The Fruitful Life (David Drury): 181 Pages
15. Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller): 243 Pages
16. a.k.a. “Lost” (Jim Henderson): 156 Pages
17. Mastering Evangelism (Ratz, Tillapaugh, Augsburger): 168 Pages
18. Christianity through the Centuries (Earle Cairns): 560 Pages
19. Hebrews: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (Cockerill): 316 Pages
20. Finding God in Unexpected Places (Philip Yancey): 240 Pages
21. What Are They Saying about the Trinity? (Anne Hunt): 97 Pages
22. Exploring the Da Vinci Code (Lee Strobel and Garry Poole): 110 Pages
23. The Incredible Patience of God (Lane Adams): 166 Pages
24. Looking at Philosophy (Donald Palmer): 401 Pages
25. Soul Survivor (Philip Yancey): 321 Pages
26. His Needs, Her Needs (Willard F. Harley Jr.): 209 Pages
27. Wild at Heart (John Eldredge): 220 Pages
Personal Reading
1. Harry Potter and the Half Breed Prince (Rowling): 652 Pages
2. Consent to Kill (Flynn): 675 Pages
3. Star Wars: Fool’s Bargain (Zahn – ebook): 43 Pages
4. Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone (Max McCoy): 245 Pages
5. Star Wars: Dark Lord – The Rise of Darth Vader (Luceno): 322 Pages
6. The Last Disciple (Hanegraaff and Brouwer): 395 Pages
7. Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact (Karen Traviss): 293 Pages
8. White (Ted Dekker): 370 Pages
9. Stars Wars: The Hive (Barnes – ebook): 55 Pages
10. Deep Fathom (James Rollins): 450 Pages
11. Star Wars: The Unifying Force (James Luceno): 529 Pages
12. Agassi and Ecstasy (Paul Bauman): 313 Pages
13. Star Wars: Ylesia (Williams – ebook): 79 Pages
14. Amazonia (James Rollins): 510 Pages
15. Star Wars: Darth Maul, Saboteur (Reaves – ebook): 54 pages
16. The Last Days (Joel Rosenberg): 462 Pages
17. Star Wars: Recovery (Troy Denning – ebook): 80 Pages
18. Cardinals: Where Have You Gone? (Rob Raines): 179 Pages
45 Books: 11,668 Total Pages
I'll give you my personal top three books from each section. In the professional section my favorite book of the year was 'Blue Like Jazz' by Don Miller - thought provoking and honest. In second place goes 'a.k.a. Lost' by Jim Henderson - great, practical book. In third place is Jim Garlow's 'How God Saved Civilization' - a great book on Christian History.
In the personal section... picking just three will be tough. First place probably has to go to the first book I read of the year: Harry Potter 6 - great book in a tremendous series. Second place probably has to go to the second book I read this year: Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn who has slowly become my favorite author of political and military thrillers. Third place is tough, but I'll give it to Joel Rosenberg's 'The Last Days.' Very well written and I found it difficult to put down!
Third could have also gone to Deep Fathom (James Rollins); White (Ted Dekker); or Rise of Darth Vader (James Luceno)
I'm hoping 2007 brings more good books!
1. Dangers, Toils, and Snares (Exley, Ortberg, Galli): 172 Pages
2. Standing Fast (Dobson, Gordon, McBurney): 154 Pages
3. The Jesus Conspiracy (Gordon Thomas): 297 Pages
4. A Love Worth Giving (Max Lucado): 164 Pages
5. Mastering Personal Growth (Dunnam, MacDonald, McCullough): 190 Pages
6. The Pastor as Spiritual Guide (Howard Rice): 204 Pages
7. Measuring Up (Briscoe, Larson, Osborne): 150 Pages
8. God Still Heals (Jim Garlow): 252 Pages
9. The Time Crunch (Asimakoupoulos, Maxwell, McKinley): 158 Pages
10. The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader (John Maxwell): 156 Pages
11. Mastering Church Finances (Bergstrom, Fenton, Pohl): 166 Pages
12. Encourage Me (Chuck Swindoll): 86 Pages
13. How God Saved Civilization (Jim Garlow): 425 Pages
14. The Fruitful Life (David Drury): 181 Pages
15. Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller): 243 Pages
16. a.k.a. “Lost” (Jim Henderson): 156 Pages
17. Mastering Evangelism (Ratz, Tillapaugh, Augsburger): 168 Pages
18. Christianity through the Centuries (Earle Cairns): 560 Pages
19. Hebrews: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (Cockerill): 316 Pages
20. Finding God in Unexpected Places (Philip Yancey): 240 Pages
21. What Are They Saying about the Trinity? (Anne Hunt): 97 Pages
22. Exploring the Da Vinci Code (Lee Strobel and Garry Poole): 110 Pages
23. The Incredible Patience of God (Lane Adams): 166 Pages
24. Looking at Philosophy (Donald Palmer): 401 Pages
25. Soul Survivor (Philip Yancey): 321 Pages
26. His Needs, Her Needs (Willard F. Harley Jr.): 209 Pages
27. Wild at Heart (John Eldredge): 220 Pages
Personal Reading
1. Harry Potter and the Half Breed Prince (Rowling): 652 Pages
2. Consent to Kill (Flynn): 675 Pages
3. Star Wars: Fool’s Bargain (Zahn – ebook): 43 Pages
4. Indiana Jones and the Philosopher’s Stone (Max McCoy): 245 Pages
5. Star Wars: Dark Lord – The Rise of Darth Vader (Luceno): 322 Pages
6. The Last Disciple (Hanegraaff and Brouwer): 395 Pages
7. Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact (Karen Traviss): 293 Pages
8. White (Ted Dekker): 370 Pages
9. Stars Wars: The Hive (Barnes – ebook): 55 Pages
10. Deep Fathom (James Rollins): 450 Pages
11. Star Wars: The Unifying Force (James Luceno): 529 Pages
12. Agassi and Ecstasy (Paul Bauman): 313 Pages
13. Star Wars: Ylesia (Williams – ebook): 79 Pages
14. Amazonia (James Rollins): 510 Pages
15. Star Wars: Darth Maul, Saboteur (Reaves – ebook): 54 pages
16. The Last Days (Joel Rosenberg): 462 Pages
17. Star Wars: Recovery (Troy Denning – ebook): 80 Pages
18. Cardinals: Where Have You Gone? (Rob Raines): 179 Pages
45 Books: 11,668 Total Pages
I'll give you my personal top three books from each section. In the professional section my favorite book of the year was 'Blue Like Jazz' by Don Miller - thought provoking and honest. In second place goes 'a.k.a. Lost' by Jim Henderson - great, practical book. In third place is Jim Garlow's 'How God Saved Civilization' - a great book on Christian History.
In the personal section... picking just three will be tough. First place probably has to go to the first book I read of the year: Harry Potter 6 - great book in a tremendous series. Second place probably has to go to the second book I read this year: Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn who has slowly become my favorite author of political and military thrillers. Third place is tough, but I'll give it to Joel Rosenberg's 'The Last Days.' Very well written and I found it difficult to put down!
Third could have also gone to Deep Fathom (James Rollins); White (Ted Dekker); or Rise of Darth Vader (James Luceno)
I'm hoping 2007 brings more good books!
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